What liberals and their allies in the environmentalist wacko movement fail to understand is: their message has gotten out. Their anti-capitalist, socialist, gloom-and-doom, fear-based, lunatic ravings have been amplified -- and Americans understand exactly who they are, and what they're about. As the "Mr. Big" of the vast right-wing conspiracy, I am proud, ladies and gentlemen, to play a major part in the exposé leading to their depression.- Rush Limbaugh April 25, 2005 Currently, about 20 million people tune in to Rush Limbaugh every week. His lingo is now conservative lingua franca. Limbaugh figured out that if you repeat your …

Remember when you first heard about that big hole in the ozone? Remember how they called it "the ozone hole"? Man, life was good then. Raise your hand if you're sure ... what you're talking about. Now everyone's talking about global warming. Or, actually, climate change. Or ... uh ... anthropogenic forcing? What we've got, to most people's ears, is global gibberish. This scientific lingo isn't just confusing the way, say, particle physics is confusing. It's also politicized beyond belief. Industry groups, politicians, scientists, and activists battle over terminology, wresting phrases from each other left and right. Onlookers are left …

Dear Umbra, I just read your response about men's shaving, but what about women? I don't see many women shaving with straight razors, plus we have the depilatory cream and waxing options too. What's our best option, especially for those of us who just hate dealing with it, but must? CatherineAppleton, Wis. Dearest Catherine, Although I pledged to avoid the widget this year, I am failing -- for the widget's size belies its magnetic pull. As soon as I addressed that male shaving quandary, women -- and men who shave outside the beard region, and men who love women who …

Food for thought. I found out not too long ago that I am a LOHAS. Or, I should say, I found out that a gaggle of people I've never met think I am a LOHAS. These initials, as you may well know, stand for "lifestyles of health and sustainability." We LOHAS shoppers are, according to our boosters in the marketing world, one of the fastest-growing sectors of the consumer universe. Members of this tribe, the marketing literature explains, can be easily identified by our distinctive set of "holistic" consumer preferences. Our inclinations include green building (yep, I live in a …

Dear Umbra, I need some new clothes! But besides shopping consignment and used clothing shops and hunting through labels looking for "Made in USA" tags, are there online sources of organic- or sustainable-fabric clothes that are guaranteed sweatshop-free? I would not mind investing in some decent duds that look nice and last. Lorna VogtSalt Lake City, Utah Dearest Lorna, Yes! I'm going to mention a few, and I know dozens of my dear readers will write in to Gristmill chiding me for omitting others, so keep track there. Absolutely fabulous -- and not a sweatshop in sight. Photo: Romp. But …

Electricity-hungry widescreen TVs spike home energy use Jonesing for one of those technolicious, 61-inch, flat-screen, hi-def, make-your-morning-coffee televisions? It's gonna cost you -- right in the utility bill. The Natural Resources Defense Council predicts that if current design standards hold, TVs and related accoutrements (DVD players, etc.) will account for about 10 percent of home electricity use by 2009. TVs alone will suck up about 50 percent more juice by then, for a grand total of 70 billion kilowatt-hours per year in the U.S. That will mean a lot more carbon pumped into the atmosphere just so you can get …

Speaking of naked protests: This weekend, hundreds of cyclists across the world rode in what is by far my favorite protest -- the World Naked Bike Ride. Riding against oil dependence, for cyclists' rights, or just to feel the breeze on all their parts while surrounded by a bunch of naked friends and/or strangers, protestors bared all in some 50 cities in 17 countries, including London, Chicago, Seattle, and Madrid. And what could be better? Naked cycling protests combine the energy and exhilaration of three already pretty exhilarating activities: public nudity, protesting in the streets, and cycling. Seriously, if you've …

Dear Umbra, I am in the midst of getting my master's in environmental science and policy. I am so sick of reading and researching -- I just want to get out and do something. My thesis is on composting (of industrial and municipal wastes), but my true love is water. While I have a pretty good background in everything from chemistry to physics, I see myself as the "master of none." Essentially, what I want to ask you is: What should I do when I grow up? What is the best water job out there that helps the environment, or …

Matt Petersen. What's your job title? President and CEO of Global Green USA, the U.S. affiliate of Green Cross International. What does your organization do? What, in a perfect world, would constitute "mission accomplished"? When founding Green Cross International, Mikhail Gorbachev presented a challenge: We must foster a value shift that reconnects humankind to the environment. Planet Earth would do just fine without humans, but we must ensure the health of the planet in order to ensure humanity's continued survival. Global Green USA and Green Cross International focus on three of the greatest challenges facing humanity: eliminating weapons of mass …

Dear Umbra, We would like to install a clothesline this summer to take advantage of the few months of sun that we get here in Oregon. Any advice on the best kind, and how to keep air-dried clothes from feeling like cardboard? German WhitleyPhilomath, Ore. Dearest German, Excellent. If your power supplier is, as I suspect, Consumers Power Inc. in Philomath, you are paying about 7 cents per kilowatt-hour; their handy electricity calculator says drying five loads of laundry a week is costing you $56 per year. So, besides reducing demand on the electric grid, drying your clothes outside will …