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The Real Reason For the War

If aliens don't land on earth in the next decade or so and bequeath unto us something like anti-matter energy, we on planet earth are unfortunately stuck with the energy we already have. I say unfortunately because our favorite energy source - oil - is beginning to show its true scarcity, yet we in the US continue to burn it like there's no tomorrow. But tomorrow does always eventually come, and just how are we going to deal with that?

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Bamboo Surfboards

Eco-friendly surfboards from Australia - quoted from their site: Bamboo itself has been found to have multiple applications other than surfboards. Its characteristics include: 1) It is lighter and stronger than fiberglass; 2) Improved buoyancy; 3) Able to be applied to any shape; 4) Easy to apply; 5) Bamboo is a renewable resource and is ecologically friendly; 6) Bamboo grows to timber size in 3 - 5 years, while most hardwood trees take 20 - 30 years. Bamboo Surfboards

SOF Outrigger Canoe

Brian Schulz of Cape Falcon Kayak in Oregon has been sailing Fog and Thunder, his skin-on-frame version of a Hawaiian outrigger sailing canoe. "Adapting the hawaiian outrigger sailing canoe for skin on frame construction has been a powerful and revelatory experionce for me... at 20 feet long and less than 150 lbs fully rigged it has renewed my faith in the endless adaptability if skin on frame technology. Building it mostly from scraps I spent less than 500 dollars to build it in less than a month." Cape Falcon Kayak

New “affordable” Corsair Sprint 750

"The new Corsair Sprint 750 takes performance and fun to the next level: it offers all the performance and flexibility of a beach catamaran with none of the annoyances... and incredibly easy to afford at about $49,000." Ya know, I could build a better beach cat too if I could charge 3 times the price... Corsair Marine

Flaquita Plans Available

Joe Henry says that plans for his sweet little 'Flaquita' epoxy/ply outrigger are now available. They consist of 8 sheets at 24"X 36". Also a CD with about 45 construction photos. $100 US dollars, includes shipping. See his site for lots of pics and a new account of a cruise through the Mexican Yucatan. Flaquita

Kayak Sail Rig Reviews

It's odd that the modern canoe/kayak phenom is so divorced from sailing - especially since the original 19th century devotees of the sport were so into it. That seems to be changing. "Wind: the alternative energy source for the self-propelled" - Sea Kayaker Magazine review 13 sails in the April 2005 issue. Sea Kayaker Magazine

Power vs. Sail, Takers vs. Leavers

I've been reading up on theories about the ancient origins of our modern ideas. It turns out we're not as modern as we like to think. Sure, our technology is awesome compared to an early Mesopotamian farmer, but our attitudes about the world and our place in it aren't all that different. I had "The Ishmael Experience" in the winter of 2002. "The Ishmael Experience" is what happens after you read Daniel Quinn's award winning novel: Ishmael. Quinn basically deconstructs our culture's entire sense of self, and when he's done, what was up is down, and what was right is wrong.

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