Fed up with high fuel prices? Now you can access a free carpool match program when you visit the Green Traveler Web site at www.green-traveler.org. The Indian Nations Council of Governments (INCOG) and its Green Traveler program is available to residents of Creek, Osage, Rogers, Wagoner and Tulsa counties and allows you to match your travel and commuting needs with other citizens. By carpooling just twice a week, the average commuter can save more than $2,000 a year in fuel and car maintenance!

The system is easy to use. You can activate your account easily by using your e-mail address and setting up a password. You’ll be able to select your carpool matches from employees traveling to various office locations.

Bottled Water – What’s the Problem?

Americans spend an estimated $15 billion every year for bottled water.

Summertime finds more and more people drinking bottled water, primarily for convenience. In case you needed any more facts to drive you over the edge to using plastic refillable water bottled instead of those purchased from the store, read on.

• Bottled water purchased in stores, even when bought in bulk, ranges from 120 to 7,500 times the cost of water that runs out of your tap at home.

• Bottled water is not necessarily any cleaner or purer than tap water. Bottling of this water is not regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency, rather the Food and Drug Administration is in charge of regulations, which are minimal.

• An estimated 25 percent of companies that bottle water for sale are using municipal water supplies, including brands Dasani and Aquafina. Some of them do not alter the water in any way, others simply remove the chlorine disinfectant from the water. Companies are not required to place the source of the water on the product label.

• Bottled water, once opened, can grow bacteria within three days if it does not include chlorine or another type of disinfectant.

Bottled water stored for some time may have contaminants in it. Studies have shown that chemicals called phthalates, which are known to disrupt testosterone and other hormones, can leach into bottled water over time. One study found that water that had been stored for 10 weeks in plastic and in glass bottles contained phthalates, suggesting that the chemicals could be coming from the plastic cap or liner.

• The following contaminants are not regulated within the bottled water industry: arsenic, heterotrophic-plate-count bacteria, E. coli and other parasites and pathogens, and synthetic organic chemicals such as “phthalates”. The EPA sets strict limits for these contaminants in municipal water; levels are reported to consumers every year in an Annual Water Quality Report.

As if concerns with the water itself don’t convince you, check out this information about the plastic bottle that the water comes in:

• In 2006, the equivalent of 2 billion half-liter bottles of water were shipped to U.S. ports, creating thousands of tons of global warming pollution and other air pollution. In New York City alone, the transportation of bottled water from western Europe released an estimated 3,800 tons of global warming pollution into the atmosphere.

• In California, 18 million gallons of bottled water were shipped in from Fiji in 2006, producing about 2,500 tons of global warming pollution.

• While the bottles come from far away, most of them end up close to home – in a landfill. Most bottled water comes in recyclable PET plastic bottles, but only about 13 percent of the bottles we use get recycled.

• In 2005, 2 million tons of plastic water bottles ended up clogging landfills instead of getting recycled.

And there’s more to be concerned about than just the waste of the bottles and the pollution. Here are some facts on the natural resources that are required just to produce those bottled.

An estimated 30-plus billion plastic water bottles were bought in 2006:

• This production required the equivalent of more than 17 million barrels of oil –  enough to fuel more than one million vehicles for a year.(Note: This was erroneously reported by the New York Times as 1.5 million, and the error is repeated in many places.)
• Produced more than 2.5 million tons of carbon dioxide (a naturally occuring gas that contributes to the creation of ground level ozone – air pollution.)
• Used three times the amount of water in the bottle.

Adding in transportation, the energy used comes to over 50 million barrels of oil, enough to run 3 million cars for a year.

If you want to carry water with you, use a reusable container filled with tap water. But don’t reuse single-use water bottles. This can expose you to bacterial build-up and carcinogens leached from the plastic.

Facts provided by the Environmental Defense Fund, www.edf.org.

Get Involved with PlaniTulsa

Citizen involvement from all areas of Tulsa will ensure success of PlaniTulsa, the process currently under way to update the city’s comprehensive plan. A diverse citizen team of advisers and partners met this week, preparing to invite friends, neighbors and business associates to join in planning the next 30 years of Tulsa’s future.

“This is a moment that will change the city of Tulsa,” Mayor Kathy Taylor said as she addressed the citizen team. “This plan is born of the citizens of Tulsa, from all parts of Tulsa.”

Opportunities for all Tulsans to get involved will begin with large, citywide workshops this fall, followed by small area workshops in early 2009. By spring 2009, several development scenarios will have emerged, leading to a draft vision in the summer of 2009 and a preliminary plan by fall 2009.

This week a research consultant reported survey results from a 1,000-resident demographic sampling. These show that Tulsans are enthusiastic and ready to be involved.

Strong consensus-high priorities among survey participants include streets, public education, economic opportunities and jobs, clean air and water, public safety and health care. Other high priorities included renewable energy sources, keeping young adults in Tulsa, support for small businesses and entrepreneurs, affordable housing and racial harmony.

Those polled expressed optimism that if participation is high in PlaniTulsa and the City of Tulsa implements the plan fairly, it will change Tulsa for the better. More information about PlaniTulsa is available at www.planitulsa.org.

Community Basketball Game

Who’s tougher: the Tulsa Fire Department or the Tulsa Police Department?

Find out this weekend at a community basketball game sponsored by the North Tulsa Summer Fun Days program. The TFD will compete against the TPD in a game of hoops at the Tulsa Job Corps (just north of Independence St. on Lewis). The Youth Services of Tulsa Warriors will also challenge the Tulsa Job Corps Cougars.

The audience is invited to participate in half-time contests and win prizes. Food and games will be provided, and this event is totally free and open to families and children of all ages.

The Summer Fun Days are part of the North Tulsa Safe Summer initiative, a program designed to provide North Tulsa families with safe, free, and positive activities in their own communities.

Event: North Tulsa Summer Fun Days’ Community Basketball Game
Date: Saturday, July 26, 2008
Time: 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Location: Tulsa Job Corps, 1133 N. Lewis

Sponsors include the Tulsa Area United Way, the Tulsa Fatherhood Coalition, Youth Services of Tulsa, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Oklahoma, the YWCA of Tulsa, the Community Service Council, Families of Murdered Children, the Tulsa Dream Center, Tulsa Healthy Start, and the Tulsa Job Corps.

“God is dead. God remains dead. And we have killed him. How shall we comfort ourselves, the murderers of all murderers? What was holiest and mightiest of all that the world has yet owned has bled to death under our knives: who will wipe this blood off us? What water is there for us to clean ourselves? What festivals of atonement, what sacred games shall we have to invent? Is not the greatness of this deed too great for us? Must we ourselves not become gods simply to appear worthy of it?” – Nietzsche

Experiencing decreasing levels of the comfort that ensures our loyalty to the criminal enterprise of American Capitalism, we “average” US Americans comprising the poor, working class, and
rapidly shrinking middle class still revel in our relatively meaningless social freedoms (we can say “fuck you” to George Bush but can’t even get our “elected representatives” to impeach him for his Nuremberg class war crimes) as the economic manacles and shackles of wage slavery clamp ever tighter about our wrists and ankles.

In pledging allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, we sell our souls for a relative handful of economic crumbs from the table of the US power elite and their express permission to do whatever we please (as long as we stay within “free speech zones,” don’t threaten public officials, commit no acts that impede the sacred cow of commerce, “just say no” to drugs, pay our taxes that fund a massive military apparatus (that has slaughtered millions) and prop up the Zionist squatters in Palestine, look the other way as amoral corporations rape the Earth and torture billions of non-human animals each year, ignore the abject criminality of corporados, Wall Streeters, and those we have “elected,” and act as cogs in the machineries of capitalism to avoid exercising our right to sleep under a bridge).

No doubt about it. We have made our Faustian bargain and are “the murderers of all murderers.” Collectively speaking, we US Americans savagely shoved a 12 gauge into the face of God as He stood, mouth agape, stunned at the depth of the depravity and barbarism of our capitalistic ways. We then unceremoniously splattered His brains across the sky that once served as His canvas at sunrise and sunset.

By liquefying God’s gray matter we ensured the extinction of cumbersome and antiquated moral principles that impeded American Capitalism’s expansion, profit, and growth. Without ridiculous
impediments such as justice, compassion, love, the Golden Rule, or truth, souless capitalists found a truly free market in which they could rape, pillage and plunder with impunity, even garnering admiration from the masses for their cunning ruthlessness. To top it off, being the connivers we are, we proudly display God’s colossal decaying corpse (an incarnation more  hideous than anything yet to spring forth from Rob Zombie’s imagination) as our “proof” to the
world that we are a Christian nation.
And we “comfort ourselves” by wallowing in the fetid sewage that flows freely from our idiot boxes, enslaving our minds to the Bernays-inspired propaganda that ensures our fealty to a system that is murdering the planet and rotting our souls. Reality television provides us with the twisted wreckage and bloody corpses of a horrific car wreck, piquing our morbid curiosity and distracting us from the prick of conscience or any thought of doing something really stupid, like perhaps ending our rape of the Earth. Kens and Barbies, “sage” analysts, establishmentized minorities, and “populists” pulling down six figures or better (all of whom enunciate, dress, and smile to sickeningly unnatural perfection, mind you), deliver the “news” and affirm the “rightness of our Whiteness.” Television is truly a balm to our diseased souls.

TV is so powerful that we don’t even need to be watching it for its “healing powers” to impact us. As the conflagration fueled by American Capitalism’s insatiable lust for profit consumes the
planet, we US Americans preoccupy ourselves with our selfish, narrow pursuits and indifferently banter back and forth about the inanities we worship on television. Will the Patriots win another Super Bowl this year? Who is going to win American Idol? What sycophant will give good enough fellatio to become Trump’s apprentice? McMurder for dinner tonight, honey?

“Who will wipe this blood off us?” Since we took God out with a shotgun instead of a blade, we made Lady Macbeth (with her ‘damn spot’) look like a candy-striper. But what did we care? We’d been awash in sanguinary fluid since our ancestors started eradicating the “primitives” who inhabited Turtle Island. Besides, the high priests of American Capitalism and our false idol,  Mammon, are more than happy to absolve us of any sin we commit in our pursuit of money, profit, property, or consumer goods.

As for festivals of atonement, no one does it better. While it may be ridiculously hollow and devoid of meaning, we give plenty of lip-service to our love and respect for our murder victim. And when we set aside a special day for God, we go all out!

Take Easter for instance. That is the one Sunday of the year when most of us put on our “Sunday best” and grace Him with our presence at His house of worship.

On Thanksgiving, we display our gratitude for His help in stealing the “Injun’s land” by stuffing our faces with over 40 million turkeys that have been brutally tortured and murdered in our
nightmarish factory farming system.

Christmas is the real stunner though. We celebrate His birth by showering ourselves with gifts. December 25th is a disgustingly selfish greed-fest fueled by the runaway consumerism that is capitalism’s life-blood and the environment’s death sentence. How delightfully ironic is it that we honor God by rewarding ourselves and accelerating the demise of the planet? After all, we hailed Him as our Creator and then blew out His brains.

Was “not the greatness of this deed too great for us?” Let’s get serious. We’re Americans. We are the “can do,” “git ‘er done” nation. American Exceptionalism always rises to the occasion, even
if the task involves executing a divine being.

And we need “not become gods simply to appear worthy of” having killed God.

As Americans, we already are gods.

For those of you with the chutzpah to challenge that assertion, remember that we have a larger pile of money, bigger guns, more mean-spiritedness, better technology, shrewder business people, and a much larger arsenal of nuclear weapons than any nation on the planet. Any questions?

Jason Miller is Cyrano’s Journal’s Associate Editor.

http://www.uruknet.info/?p=m45722&hd=&size=1&l=e

From The Urban Tulsa Weekly…

Scholarship program could be what the Dr. ordered

B Y   J O S H U A    H A L L

One of the most hotly debated measures during Oklahoma’s 2008 legislative session was Senate Bill 1537- colloquially referred to as “Nick’s Law”-which would have required insurance companies doing business in Oklahoma to cover autism. Though the bill made it through the Senate, it did not make it out of committee in the House.

Autism is a brain-development disorder that affects approximately 6,000 Oklahoma children. It manifests itself as pattern of symptoms of which the primary characteristics are problems with communication, limited interests, and repetitive behavior. While autism is not curable, early intervention and treatment of the type that would be mandated under this bill have been shown to be important to the long-term life prospects of autistic children.

For proponents of an autism mandate, the existence of these clear benefits to autistic children makes the case for an autism mandate self-evident. But there is a potential downside to health-care mandates such as an autism mandate: They can drive up insurance costs and end up pricing peopleout of the market. The costs of autism coverage have to be borne by someone, and it is folly to think that the full incidence of any mandate will fall entirely on insurance company profits.

Some of the cost increase will be passed along to consumers in the form of higher premiums.  This is not the real cost of the mandate, however, as this is just a transfer of resources. The real cost of the mandate will come from those individuals who are priced out of the market as a result of the higher premiums. Thus the size and impact of any proposed autism mandate is an important issue, and a primary reason for careful study.

Another, more innovative, solution comes to mind after reading a May 30 story in The Oklahoman headlined “What Promise Does Ohio Hold for Autistic Boy From Oklahoma?” It seems that an Oklahoma family decided to respond to the failed passage of “Nick’s Law” by selling their home and moving to Ohio.

Why would they undertake such a drastic move? Because Ohio has a school voucher program for autistic children. In Ohio, parents of autistic children can choose to have their children educated through their local school district or through private special education programs. For those who choose an alternative school, up to $20,000 of taxpayer money follows the child.

While an autism scholarship program for Oklahoma would not address all the financial issues surrounding autism treatment, it would have several appealing qualities.

First, unlike a mandate, it does not harm others by crowding out private insurance.

Second, a tax-credit scholarship program would focus attention on the issue of early diagnosis and treatment. (Thanks to a provision in Oklahoma’s constitution known as the Blaine Amendment, such a program in Oklahoma would likely need to be funded through a charitable tax credit rather than a voucher.)

Third, a scholarship program provides needed flexibility for parents to seek and craft the best treatment solution for their child. Given the fact that autism is a bundle of symptoms of varying severity, the flexibility that choice allows seems especially important.

Fourth, any tax revenue lost because of charitable donations to an autism scholarship program would be, at least in part, offset by the fact that students using the scholarships would no longer be enrolled in the public schools.

Economics teaches us there are very few “free lunches”when it comes to public policy, which often involves trading off the benefits received by one group against the costs imposed on another.Nick’s Law, for example, raised concern and uncertainty among policymakers about who might be harmed by rising insurance costs.

A tax credit for donations to scholarship programs geared to autistic children, however, might be close to a free lunch for the reasons described. Though it’s no panacea, it is a simple and elegant solution that would help a large number of families.

Joshua Hall (Ph.D.,West Virginia University) is an assistant professor of economics at Beloit College.
For more information on school choice for special needs children, visit Choice Remarks
(okschoolchoice.blogspot.com).

August 2, 2008     Bounce Back to School     10:00 AM to 11:30 AM

Hop back into the swing of things at TAF’s Bounce Back to School event at Bounce U Kids get to bounce and play while parents pick up information to help get organized and prepared for the upcoming school year. This event is limited to 60 children, so please register early.

BounceU slide

Savvy Moms Back-to-School Sale & Charity Raffle

Saturday, August 02, 2008 - Tuesday, August 05, 2008                                                          (10:00 AM - 7:00 PM)

Savvy Moms are hosting a Back-to-School Sale & Charity Raffle August 2-5 from 10am-7pm
at The Rose Bowl Events Center, 7419 E. 11th St. in Tulsa. Raffle Tickets are $2/each or $5/3. Winners will be awarded thousands of dollars in prizes including the Grand Prize which is a Mommy’s Day Off Basket filled with over $375.00 in prizes donated by local businesses
such Merry Maids, Hollywood Theaters, For Ladies Only and Tot Spot and Red Lobster. All proceeds will be matched by the Schusterman Foundation and go to P.A.S.S. to buy school supplies for more than 20,000 elementary school children in Tulsa & Union Public Schools. For
more information, contact Krysta Cole at 734-6231, email krysta@savvymomssale.com or log-on to savvymomssale.com.

Contact:

Krysta Cole                                                                                                                                  Savvy Moms Sale, LLC
Phone: 734-6231

Free Back-to-School Medical Mission

Wednesday, August 06, 2008    (8:00 AM - 8:00 PM)

New Heights Church hosts a free Back-to-School Medical Mission Wednesday, August 6 from 8am-8pm at the school, 106 N. Main in Owasso. A Mobile Dental Unit from the Oklahoma
Dental Foundation will offer dentistry during the day. Pediatric Eye Associates & Family Eye Care will provide vision screening for students who need glasses but are unable to afford them. In the
evening, Good Samaritan Health Systems van will offer required vaccinations. (Please bring the required paperwork with you.) New Heights is also providing students with haircuts and school supplies while they last. For more information, contact Pastor Hamm at 918-274-1725.
Contact:

Pastor Hamm                                                                                                                               New Heights Church
Phone: 918-274-1725

Free Back-to-School Haircuts & School Supplies

Monday, August 11, 2008    (10:00 AM - 4:00 PM)

On August 11 from 10am-4pm, Bixby Beauty College will provide free back-to-school haircuts and school supplies (all on a first-come basis) to school-aged children grades pre-K through 12th-grade, plus refreshments. The school is located at 8510 E. 131st St. South, in Bixby. For more information, contact Cassandra Spears at 918-369-5757.

Contact:

Cassandra Spears                                                                                                                       Bixby Beauty College
Phone: 369-5757

Yes, we all wish they would go away. Arm yourself with information: this time of year these insects attack in full force.

150 species of mosquitoes are found in the United States. (There are more than 2,500 different species in the world!) All mosquitoes must have water in which to complete their life cycle. They lay their eggs in places that periodically hold water, sewage effluent ponds, irrigated pastures, rain water ponds, etc. Larvae hatch from the eggs within 24 to 48 hours and then live in water for at least seven days before becoming an adult mosquito.

Only the adult females bite humans and other animals. The male mosquitoes feed only on plant juices. Female mosquitoes feed on man, domesticated animals, birds, all types of wild animals, as well as snakes, lizards, frogs, and toads.

The length of life of the adult mosquito depends on temperature, humidity, sex of the mosquito and time of year. Most males live a very short time, about a week; and females may live about a month.

So, how do we get rid of them? Here are some tips that will help you control the number of these insects around your home.

1.  Eliminate all standing water – areas where water stands for days after a rain.

• Small containers, including drip trays under plant pots, discarded or broken plant containers or dishes can harbor mosquito larvae. Empty them when water stands longer than a few days.

• Even bird baths can be breeding places for mosquitoes. Change the water weekly.

• Leaves that accumulate in your gutter can collect water, and serve as perfect moist places for mosquitoes to lay their larvae. Keep your gutters free of leaves during mosquito season.

• Old tires thrown into a brush pile or corner can collect water. Find another use for them, or dispose of them properly.

• Fill in low-lying areas of your yard where water pools and stands.

• Cover your trash cans and drill holes in the bottom so that water can drain out.

• Drain plastic wading pools every few days.

2.  Keep grass mowed and shrubs trimmed around your home. Mosquitoes hide in vegetation.

3. Protect yourself. Peak biting times are dawn, dusk and early evening. Stay inside when possible, or wear loose, light-colored clothing (long-sleeved shirts and long pants) if you go out. Apply insect repellent sparingly to exposed skin. An effective repellent will contain 35 percent DEET. In comparison to DEET based products, plant oil-based repellents are generally effective for a shorter time (usually less than about two hours).

4. Finally, put up bat houses to encourage bats to live in your area. Oklahoma bats are insect eaters. They have voracious appetites and eat more than half their body weight in mosquitoes and other insects in a single evening – some as many as 1,000 creatures per hour! There are 22 different species of bats found in Oklahoma, and three of them are listed as Endangered Species. More than 45 species of bats live in the United States.

Like birds, bats prefer a source of shelter and they’ll often hang out in old trees and large shrubs. Bats nest in abandoned buildings, hollow trees, under a building’s eves, in loose tree bark, and in bat houses. Bats also enjoy water features, such as ponds, where insects may congregate. Planting night-blooming flowers will help attract bats.

Have a burger, take a dip in the pool, or show off your dance moves this Saturday at Springdale Park.

Springdale Park & Recreation Center is hosting a Swim Bash and “So You Think You Can Dance?” contest July 19 with free food, games, and entertainment.

The event is totally free and open to families and children of all ages.

The Summer Fun Days are part of the North Tulsa Safe Summer initiative, a program designed to provide North Tulsa families with safe, free, and positive activities in their own communities.

Event: North Tulsa Summer Fun Days’ Swim Bash and
“So You Think You Can Dance?” Contest
Date: Saturday, July 19, 2008
Time: 2 – 5 p.m.
Location: Springdale Park & Recreation Center, 2223 E. Pine St.

Additional activities in the Safe Summer series include:

July 26: Community Basketball Game (Tulsa Police vs. Tulsa Fire)

August 2: Movie Matinee and a Back-To-School Bash

Sponsors for these special events include the Tulsa Area United Way, the Tulsa Fatherhood Coalition, Youth Services of Tulsa, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Oklahoma, the YWCA of Tulsa, Tulsa Healthy Start, and the Tulsa Job Corps.

Next Streets Meeting At Rudisill Library

The next streets town hall meeting will be held Monday, July 21, at 6:30 p.m. in the Rudisill Library, 1520 N. Hartford Ave. All Tulsans are welcome to attend this meeting and give their comments on street improvements. The location was selected to be near residents in Council District 1.

Tonight’s meeting is the last in a series of meetings held nearly every week since June 3. At the meeting, City officials will present information about Tulsa’s street needs and possible ways that those needs can be met. A street improvements funding package is under preparation for Tulsa voters to consider in a Nov. 4 election.

The City Council will consider the package during its Thursday evening Council meetings, and discuss details of the package at Tuesday morning committee meetings and Streets Subcommittee meetings. Council meeting schedules are available online.

Have a burger, take a dip in the pool, or show off your dance moves this Saturday at Springdale Park.

Springdale Park & Recreation Center is hosting a Swim Bash and “So You Think You Can Dance?” contest July 19 with free food, games, and entertainment.

The event is totally free and open to families and children of all ages.

The Summer Fun Days are part of the North Tulsa Safe Summer initiative, a program designed to provide North Tulsa families with safe, free, and positive activities in their own communities.

Event: North Tulsa Summer Fun Days’ Swim Bash and
“So You Think You Can Dance?” Contest
Date: Saturday, July 19, 2008
Time: 2 – 5 p.m.
Location: Springdale Park & Recreation Center, 2223 E. Pine St.

Additional activities in the Safe Summer series include:

July 26: Community Basketball Game (Tulsa Police vs. Tulsa Fire)

August 2: Movie Matinee and a Back-To-School Bash

Sponsors for these special events include the Tulsa Area United Way, the Tulsa Fatherhood Coalition, Youth Services of Tulsa, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Oklahoma, the YWCA of Tulsa, Tulsa Healthy Start, and the Tulsa Job Corps.

Next Streets Meeting At Rudisill Library

The next streets town hall meeting will be held Monday, July 21, at 6:30 p.m. in the Rudisill Library, 1520 N. Hartford Ave. All Tulsans are welcome to attend this meeting and give their comments on street improvements. The location was selected to be near residents in Council District 1.

Tonight’s meeting is the last in a series of meetings held nearly every week since June 3. At the meeting, City officials will present information about Tulsa’s street needs and possible ways that those needs can be met. A street improvements funding package is under preparation for Tulsa voters to consider in a Nov. 4 election.

The City Council will consider the package during its Thursday evening Council meetings, and discuss details of the package at Tuesday morning committee meetings and Streets Subcommittee meetings. Council meeting schedules are available online.

Your morning commute might seem different on July 16. Instead of being surrounded by big gas-guzzling SUVs, you might see a few more vehicles of the two-wheeled sort.

Mayor Taylor has officially proclaimed July 16 as Ride to Work Day, which is part of a national event that encourages commuters to ride their motorcycles and scooters to work.

This event increases driver awareness and helps make the road safer for bikers of all kinds.

It also demonstrates the benefits that come from riding motorcycles or scooters: studies show that commuting motorcyclists reach their destinations in less time than those using automobiles and take up less space on roads and in parking situations.

Switching from four wheels to two is also great for the environment. If every work day were Ride to Work Day, an estimated 15,000,000 gallons would be saved each year.

Ride to Work Day participants are invited to spend time with other commuters at a riders’ breakfast. Riders will meet at the Savoy Restaurant, 6033 S. Sheridan Road, from 6 to 10 a.m. on July 16.

Read more at http://twowheelok.com/

Bike to Work Day, July 18

Want to save money, get fit, and help the environment? You can do all three at once by participating in Tulsa’s Bike to Work Day, Friday, July 18.

This event, organized by the Indian Nations Council of Government (INCOG) and sponsored by the City of Tulsa, Green-Traveler, and the Mayor’s Fitness Challenge, aims to raise awareness of biking commuters.

Channel 6 will host a live remote from River’s Edge at 19th & Riverside to publicize the event and promote bicycle safety on the road.

Ride to Work Day participants are invited to join other like-minded commuters for a light breakfast at River’s Edge from 7 to 9 a.m on the 18th. Fruit, breakfast items, and juice will be served.

Riders can share biking tips and learn new ways to go green and save money all summer long. Participants can also enter their names in a drawing for their choice of a $100 gas card or a $100 gift certificate to a local bike shop.

Need more incentives? Check out these great cycling benefits from the League of American Bicyclists:

Get a better body! Most weeks, seven out of 10 of us fail to get the minimum recommended 30 minutes of activity per day—partly because many of us have to fight traffic to get to the gym. The result: More than 60 percent of Americans are overweight or obese, and rates of obesity related diseases such as diabetes are soaring. Ride your bike to work, and you no longer need to make time to exercise. Rack up just three hours of riding time a week, and you can slash your risk of heart disease and stroke in half. Plus, you’ll lose the gut and lovehandles—no diet required. Consult your doctor whenever starting any new physical activity.

Save more money! The average annual price of keeping an automobile running: at least $3,000. The cost of riding a bike for a year: less than $300. The joy of saving more than two grand this year: priceless.

Clear the air! The number of communities that will fall out of compliance with the Clean Air Act is expected to triple within a decade. Motorized vehicles are responsible for 70 percent of the carbon monoxide, 45 percent of the nitrogen dioxide, and 34 percent of the hydrocarbons people produce. Riding a bike is a simple way to improve the environment.

Read more at www.bikeleague.org.

The Oklahoma Center for Community and Justice is celebrating its 50th
anniversary this year by recognizing that its mission of denouncing
bigotry and encouraging respect of all people is as needed now as it
was when the organization was founded.
“All you have to do is open the newspaper or turn on the television
and you see examples every day,” said Nancy Day, executive director.
Jim Langdon, who started a two-year term as board president of OCCJ
in January, said the organization is unique in its purpose.

“OCCJ is the only organization in Oklahoma with the singular mission
of fighting bias, bigotry and racism in our society,” he said.
The organization is honoring its anniversary with a film festival
beginning Thursday. It will feature three Oscar-winning films with
the theme of justice. OCCJ also will host a community march Oct. 5
OCCJ began as a regional affiliate of The National Conference of
Christians and Jews. That organization renamed itself The National
Conference for Community and Justice, but the Oklahoma organization
established itself as a separate nonprofit group in 2005. It is now
affiliated with the National Federation for Just Communities.
Day, who has been with the organization 28 years, said the changes
haven’t affected the group’s goals.
“Even though our name has changed, the work we do today and the
mission of our organization very much resembles the mission of the
(national) founders in 1927, as well as our start in Tulsa in 1958,”
she said. Day plans for OCCJ to increase its advocacy role, which it began in
earnest recently.
In the past legislative session, OCCJ opposed a bill that would have
made English the state’s official language and the Religious
Viewpoints Anti-Discrimination Act, which would have allowed students
to “express their beliefs about religion in homework, artwork, and
other written and oral assignments free from discrimination based on
the religious content of their submissions.

”
The latter measure would have created more problems than it solved,
Day said. “It was so much more complex than it appeared and was particularly
dangerous because of its benign name,” she said.
OCCJ also denounced state Rep. Sally Kern, R-Oklahoma City, for her
anti-gay comments in January, when she said homosexuality is “the
biggest threat that our nation has, even more so than terrorism or
Islam.”
Another goal of OCCJ is creating an endowment to ensure its programs
continue. The group is always looking for more donors and members,
Day said.
“It’s going to take everyone joining with us to make sure Tulsa and
Oklahoma are the best we can be,” she said.
Langdon said the organization also is working on increasing awareness
of its programs and its mission. Events celebrating the 50th
anniversary are meant to remind people of OCCJ’s continued relevance
in society, he said.
The group also has plans to re-establish an office in Oklahoma City
in 2009. City leaders have expressed interest in supporting the
office, which would be free-standing and not a satellite of the Tulsa
location, Langdon said.
OCCJ continues to play an important role in promoting diversity and
acceptance in society, he said.
“If we all just work to celebrate our differences and the diversity
that we share, clearly, this world would be a better place,” he said.

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Shannon Muchmore 581-8378
shannon.muchmore@tulsaworld.com
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UNITY THROUGH FILM — OCCJ FESTIVAL
All events are at Circle Cinema, 12 S. Lewis Ave. Films include: “The
Lunch Date,” “Freeheld,” and “A Time for Justice.”
Thursday: 6 p.m. wine reception; 7 p.m. films; 8:30 p.m. speech by
filmmaker Grace Guggenheim. Tickets: $50.
Friday: 7 p.m. films. Tickets: $10.
Saturday: 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. films. Tickets: Free for students; $5
adults.
Sunday: 2 p.m. films. Tickets: $10.
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OCCJ programs
Anytown, Oklahoma: An annual weeklong human relations summer camp for
teenagers throughout Oklahoma.
Teen Trialogue: A series of interfaith discussions among Christian,
Jewish and Muslim high school students.
The Common Ground Project: A steering committee that discusses
ongoing issues concerning religion, public schools and the First
Amendment to the United States Constitution.
Interfaith Trialogue: An annual series that brings together speakers
of various faiths.
Operation Understanding: An annual interfaith tour for middle and
high school students that includes tours of houses of worship and
teachings about various faith traditions.
Different and the Same: A series of videotapes for elementary
teachers to help children recognize, understand and prevent prejudice.

Tulsa’s Mayor received high praise from the editor of Oklahoma City’s Daily Oklahoman. Editor Ed Kelley said he likes “what Kathy Taylor is saying about the Tulsa Public Schools.” In a video editorial on the Oklahoman’s website, Newsok.com, Kelley praised Mayor Taylor for putting the focus on the growing problem of dropouts in Tulsa.He credited the Mayor with finding 300 mentors in Tulsa to help reach at-risk kids. Kelley said “school districts don’t like to talk about dropouts, because it puts the spotlight on their failure.” He credited Mayor Taylor’s “Mentoring to the Max” program with finding 300 mentors to help reach at-risk kids in Tulsa.

Kelley ended his presentation by urging Oklahoma City’s Mayor Mick Cornett to follow Mayor Taylor’s lead and create a similar program to reach troubled students in the Oklahoma City School District.

Mentoring can make a wonderful difference in a child’s life. It only takes one hour a week of mentoring to change a child’s life forever. To find out how you can become a mentor, call 2-1-1, today. Mentoring can take place in one of our local schools or during out-of-school time through one of more than 40 mentoring programs in the city. To register online, e-mail Monroe Nichols. Please include your name and phone number.

Deputy Mayor Tom Baker Retires After 40 Years of Public Service

Deputy Mayor Tom Baker, who has an exemplary 40-year career of service to the citizens of Tulsa, retired from the City of Tulsa as of Monday, June 30.

Baker began his career with the Tulsa Fire Department as a cadet and worked his way through the ranks to become Fire Chief, a post he held for 16 years. Upon retirement from the Fire Department, Baker made a successful bid for a City Council seat which he held for four years. Baker joined Mayor Kathy Taylor’s administrative team as Deputy Mayor following her inuguration in April 2006..

“Tom Baker is the ultimate definition of public service,” said Taylor. “When I was elected mayor, his experience, institutional knowledge and friendship was invaluable to me throughout the transition and he helped launch our administration.”

During his tenure with the Administration he worked to implement performance standards throughout city departments while overseeing several administrative programs and initiatives. His experience in emergency first response prompted the Mayor to tap Baker to serve as lead facilitator to review the analysis and renewal of the emergency medical services contract. He currently serves in a statewide capacity on the State Fire Marshal’s Commission.

Baker said he credits his lifetime commitment to public service to values learned from his family. His mother, Alene Baker served the north Tulsa community in the State Legislature.

“Tom Baker’s service has left a permanent and positive impact on this city,” said Taylor. “His dedication is unmatched and his lifetime mentorship to firefighters and city employees is unprecedented. His is a legacy that simply cannot be replaced.”

Tulsa on Cover of Preservation Magazine

Tulsa and its art deco architecture are featured in the cover story of the July/August issue of Preservation magazine, published by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The article declares Tulsa “one of the nation’s premier centers of art deco … in the classy company of Miami Beach, New York and Los Angeles.”

Recognition in Preservation magazine serves as the perfect enticement for preservation enthusiasts and architecture buffs to come to Tulsa for the 2008 National Preservation Conference Oct. 21-25. An estimated 2,500 visitors are expected to visit our city and admire buildings that residents sometimes take for granted – Boston Avenue Methodist Church, Tulsa Union Depot, the Philcade, and many others.

The article, “Tulsa’s Deco Gems,” can be found in its entirety online. Copies of the magazine are available for $5 at Steve’s Sundries. Subscriptions to Preservation magazine, which also include membership in the National Trust for Historic Preservation are available online.

What About Pesticides?

Did you know that there are natural methods of pest control? Many plants produce certain chemicals that repel other species, and many insects are actually good at controlling other insects we regard as pests. One way to BeGreen is to stop using manmade pesticides.

Pesticides, chemicals used to kill or control pests that we consider undesirable, have been used since the 1950s. In fact, pesticide use has increased more than 50-fold in the years since. Most of today’s pesticides are 10 to 100 times more toxic than those used in the 1950s.

These manmade chemicals have many benefits: they save lives, increase food supplies, increase profits for farmers and work fast.

However, there are some serious problems associated with their use: pest organisms quickly become genetically resistant to widely used pesticides; some insecticides also kill natural predators that help to control the pest populations; pesticides move around on water and wind and may last indefinitely, polluting the environment, and harming wildlife.

But most worrisome, pesticides can threaten human health. Scientists are concerned that pesticides may be responsible for genetic mutations, birth defects, nervous system and behavioral disorders and effects on the immune and endocrine systems. Pesticide residue in food causes 4,000 to 20,000 cases of cancer per year in the U.S. (according to studies conducted by the U.S. National Academy of Sciences.)

So what can we do to control those pests in the garden and inside our homes? Try an alternative to manmade chemicals. Here are a few tips:

• Plant marigolds, citronella and geranium species that repel pests adjacent to the plants you want to protect.
• Use biological controls, like ladybugs for aphids on plants and vegetables. Check out your local plant nursery or farm supply store for more suggestions.
• Insecticidal soaps kill insects by washing away their protective coating. You can find these at most home and garden supply stores or you can make your own. Mix 5 tablespoons of dishwashing detergent into one gallon of water. Pour into a spray bottle and use it every 10 days. To be effective, the soap must come in contact with the insects.
• Spray insects with hot water (which kills them.) Pour boiling water over an ant nest to kill the ants.
• Use mousetraps, flypaper and roach motels to combat indoor pests. Bay leaves placed near cracks will discourage roaches.
• Try a variety of homemade concoctions that repel insects. Try boric acid and pepper sprinkled in the back of cupboards and along the inside of crawlspace walls for crawling insects. Cedar chips and herbal sachets (especially lavender) deter moths in closets and drawers.
• To repel fleas and ticks, scatter pine needles, fennel, rye or rosemary on pets beds or feed your pet garlic tablets.

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North Tulsa Summer Fun Days Scheduled through July

The YWCA of Tulsa is hosting a “Carnival City” in July with free snacks, games, entertainment, and parades. Sonic will provide free burgers, corn dogs, and hot dogs.Kids can play fun carnival games, ride ponies, and slide down a giant 30-foot slide. Other fun activities include a Velcro wall, sumo wrestling suits, and a Surf and Slide water ride, plus clowns and a motorcycle and car club parade.

Next Streets Meeting at Hardesty Library

The next streets Town Hall meeting will be held Monday, July 14, at 6:30 p.m. in the Hardesty Library, 8316 E. 93rd St. All Tulsans are welcome to attend this special meeting and give their comments on street improvements. The location was selected to be near residents in Council Districts 8 and 2.

All of the streets Town Hall meetings will begin at 6:30 p.m. A full schedule of the streets Town Hall meetings can be found under the “Read More” link below.

At the July 14 town hall meeting, City officials will present information about Tulsa’s street needs and possible ways that those needs can be met. A street improvements’ funding package is under preparation for Tulsa voters to consider in an upcoming election.

The City Council will consider the package during its Thursday evening Council meetings, and discuss details of the package at Tuesday morning committee meetings and Streets Subcommittee meetings. Council meeting schedules are available online.

Tulsa Hosts Professional Bull Riders, July 18-20

Professional Bull Riders are coming to the Tulsa Convention Center on July 18-20, for three action-packed days of thrilling rides and breathtaking performances, featuring the world’s best professionals. This year, the show will draw 900 competitors from around the globe - including 100 Oklahoma contestants - cheered on by 15,000 on-the-spot viewers. Tickets for the 2008 performance are already on sale through www.tickets.com. In 2009, the competition will take place in the BOK Center.