Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes..
Today I found a quiet place, closed my eyes, and just started thinking of things that make me smile....my favorite things. I've listed a few, in no particular order, as a comment. What are yours?
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Little Yellow Bowl My little yellow bowl broke today, its handle finally succumbing to 34 years of regular use and hot dishwashers. It’s not much of a bowl. Plastic, part of a set long gone. And I was surprised at the rush of emotion I felt. You see, my mother-in-law gave me that bowl. She gave me the whole set as part of a large box of utensils and bowls and dishcloths and other kitchen things her son and I would need as we set up our first home together. While many may not see that as such a big deal, it was. I was most decidedly not her choice for her son. And yet, she still did this thoughtful thing. I use that bowl for nearly everything. It has a little spout, making it perfect for pouring pancake batter on a hot griddle or cake mix into cupcake tins. And every time I used it over the years, I thought about her. The rest of the contents of that box are mostly long gone. But the little yellow bowl hung in there, for 34 years. My mother-in-law and I had what can ta...
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The daily acts of living in our culture produce a certain amount of waste, and we accept that as part of our lives. We receive a benefit from the products we use, and we understand part of the cost of the benefit is the waste. And we don’t expect our neighbors to dispose of our garbage. We do it ourselves. But some of Utah’s neighbors to the west seem to have missed this basic point of waste disposal.
The proposal to build the Toquop Energy Project coal-burning electric generating plant provoked a firestorm of debate between Lincoln County, Nev., with business partner Sithe Global Power, and residents of Southern Utah who fear down-winder effects from the plant’s emissions.
Ronda Hornbeck, Lincoln County Commission chair, welcomes the project and is campaigning for state and federal approval. Of course she is. The tax revenue Lincoln County stands to receive from this facility will more than double the county’s annual operating budget. New jobs created by the plant will bring new residents and employ some existing ones, further adding to county coffers.
The people of Las Vegas are also in favor of the project, which will supply electricity to the still rapidly growing city, desperate for more resources. All in all, the Toquop Energy Project is a good deal for Nevada. It’s an even better deal when you realize Nevada will reap all of
the benefits with none of the unpleasant emissions associated with burning coal. That part of the deal, given weather patterns, goes directly to Utah.
Thomas Johns, senior vice president of development for Sithe Global, told St. George residents, in a February press conference, they shouldn’t be concerned about emissions. Toquop will burn low-sulfur, “clean” coal which has a much lower emission rate. Additionally, Johns said Sithe Global has estimated St. George will be downwind of the facility only about 3 percent of the time. Which other Utah communities will be enjoying the remaining 97 percent?
“That doesn’t matter because the plant impacts will be very, very small,” Johns said.
Johns’ comments reminded me of a story I was told as a child in Sunday School. The subject was movies and what is acceptable to watch. The teacher said, “Suppose I make a batch of brownies. I use only the finest quality chocolate, the freshest eggs, real creamery butter. Would you like a piece?”
After all the children readily said yes, the teacher went on. “What if I added to that incredible batter, just a tiny little teaspoon of dog poo. Would you still like a piece?”
Of course, the unanimous answer, for obvious reasons, was a resounding “NO!”
But, the amount is so tiny, the teacher told us. Surely such a small amount won’t make a difference. Her point was made, and I believe it applies here.
If Nevada needs the power and tax revenue Toquop will generate, let the people who will benefit from the product deal with the associated waste. If the emissions really are so small they “don’t matter,” perhaps Sithe Global should build Toquop on Nevada’s western border and let the emissions waft gently over their state.
Utah has nothing to gain and everything to lose, even from just a tiny bit.