A World at Peace...

Guess who's only 12 years away from retirement?

No, not Lavar Burton, although the rainbow reader is 50.

It's the Peace Symbol!


Seems like only yesterday it was just a lonely circle...

In honor of this special day, Happy Birthday Peace has been set up so that you may create your own version of this wonderful symbol. As for myself, instead of creating some unschooled Photoshop monstrosity, I decided to study the philosophy I've come to advocate, but never really explore.

For starters, why do we fight? Religious posturing? Not if any of these books/scholars/scriptures are taken to heart. Let's explore...

***

Christianity
Blessed are the gentle,for they shall inherit the Earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they shall be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Blessed are those who have been persecuted on account of justice, for theirs is the sovereignty of heaven.
Jesus in Matthew 5:5-10

Confucianism
Tzu-Kung asked: "Is there one principle upon which one's whole life may proceed?" The Master replied, "Is not Reciprocity such a principle? ...what you do not yourself desire, do not put before others."
Analects of Confucius, 14.22

Taoist
Those brave in killing will be killed. Those brave in not killing will live.Of these two, one is beneficial, and one is harmful.
Lao-zi, Tao Te Ching 73

Buddhist
Hate is never conquered by hate. Hate is conquered by love. This is an eternal law.
Dhammapada 1

Sikhism
God adjudges us according to our deeds, not the coat that we wear: that Truth is above everything, but higher still is truthful living. Know that we attaineth God when we loveth, and only victory endures in consequences of which no one is defeated.
Prayer for Peace

Judaism
What is hurtful to yourself do not to your fellow man. That is the whole of the Torah and the remainder is but commentary.
Talmud, Shabbat 31a

Sufism
The wars of mankind are like children's fights -all meaningless, pitiless and contemptible.
Jalal al-Din Muhammad Rumi, Masnavi-I Ma'navi

Below: A Sufi dancer in Cairo, Egypt

Quakers
All Friends everywhere, this I charge you, which is the word of the Lord God unto you all, Live in peace, in Christ, the way of peace, and therein seek the peace of all men, and no man's hurt.
George Fox, Founder of the Religious Society of Friends

Shinto
Although the people living across the ocean surrounding us, I believe, are all our brothers and sisters, why are there constant troubles in this world? Why do winds and waves rise in the
ocean surrounding us? I only earnestly wish that the wind will soon puff away all the clouds which are hanging over the tops of the mountains.
Prayer for Peace

Bahá'í
There is not one soul whose conscience does not testify that in this day there is no more important matter in the world than that of Universal Peace.
'Abdu'l-Bahá

Islam
If anyone slew a person—unless it be for murder or spreading mischief in the land—it would be as if he slew the whole people. And if anyone saved a life, it would be as if he saved the life of the whole people.
Koran, 5.32

Caodaism
We pray that the wisdom of the great tao be widely spread on earth. Shining the way to all creatures of nature's birth. May all humanity be redeemed, and our whole world know peace. And may the places we meet to worship you be granted safety's lease.
The Five Vows

Below: A Caodaist Temple in Viet Nam

Jainism
A man should wander about treating all creatures as he himself would be treated.
Sutrakritanga 1.11.33

***

Hmmmm...

But then again, isn't it taking books/scholars/scriptures to heart that, more often than naught, causes/justifies/catalyzes injustice and war? **sigh**

And sorry Wiccans...you're not as published on teh interwebs. Not to mention I was too nervous to search the Scientology website.

But I digress...so how did the peace symbol come to be?

Design Boom has a great article on the origins of the symbol as whole on the world stage:

The anti-nuclear emblem or the peace sign is one of the most widely known symbols in the world. It was invented on the request of Lord Bertrand Russel, head of the British 'campaign for nuclear disarmament' or CND and sponsor of mass marches and sit-downs in London. The graphic symbol was designed bygerald holtom, a member of the CND movement, as the badge of the 'direct action committee againstnuclear war', for the first demonstration against Aldermaston (a British research center for the development of nuclear weapons) in 1958. Holtom, a professional designer and a graduate of the London Royal College of Arts, had originally considered using the Christian cross symbol within a circle as the motif for the march, but various priest she had approached with the suggestion were not happy at the idea of using the cross on a protest march.

Interesting...a non-denominational approach to representational design. Which begs the question, where would this symbol be if had stuck to its Christian guns? Read more of the article HERE.

Of course, Design Boom also points out that "there have been claims that the symbol has older, occult or anti-Christian associations and that it was a 'symbol of death'." I don't care, I like the first explanation better.

What about the other peace sign, victory, that you can make with your hands? Well, the peace sign or victory salute is said to have begun in Europe during World War II when the V for victory (victoire in French, vrijheid in Dutch) sign was painted on walls in the dark as a symbol of freedom from occupying forces.

Oddly enough, it was also used as a sound, with the dot-dot-dot-dash (di-di-di-dah) of Morse code. Coincidentally this sounds a lot like the opening bars of Beethoven's Symphony No.5 (and the Roman numeral for 5 is V!). As a result these bars were (along with the Morse code signal) broadcast by the BBC constantly during the war and became known as 'Fate knocking at the door'. Very cool.

The victory sign was described as 'the most amazing piece of propaganda devised in this war'.
It became immortalized when Britain's wartime leader Winston Churchill was repeatedly filmed using the sign as a victory salute. The sign was very widely used by peace movements in the 1960's and 70's as a symbol of victory for peace and truth, until Dick Nixon made it even more famous.
Want more peace-related goodness? Why not find out what happened this week in peace history? You'd be surprised how much peace you don't hear about. For instance, today is the anniversary of the WWI Paris Peace Conference.

On another front --this is something that relates on a whole different level-- this is a COMPREHENSIVE collection of historical progression in the United States Peace Corps. It's a pretty amazing account all things Corps. But what I found interesting was the story of its inception. Ideas+Words=Change.

Little known fact, while it was one of Kennedy's most enduring legacies, it started with fortuitous and unexpected moment. Kennedy, arriving late to speak to students at the University of Michigan (Go Bucks!) on October 14, 1960, found himself thronged by a crowd of 10,000 students at 2 o'clock in the morning. Speaking extemporaneously, the then-candidate challenged American youth to devote a part of their lives to living and working in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. He casually asked if students would back his effort to form a Peace Corps? Their response was immediate: within weeks, students organized a petition drive and gathered 1,000 signatures in support of the idea.

Below: President Kennedy greets the very first Peace Corps volunteers in August, 1962.

It's amazing what a dialog can start...

Toss me some ipecac...

I'm full. My dance card is packed to the gills. What's worse, my metaphors have lost their steam...

I'm stuffed this week, deadlines be damned. So the (now) traditional Wednesday post has been pushed back to Thursday.

My apologies.

But if you were wondering what might be on the docket for tomorrow, here's a hint:

Photo source.

It's there, if you want it.

Tower of power too sweet to be sour...

What is this?

A reflective window curtain?

A disco opera house?

A Frank Gehry-designed ski lodge?

A chrome satellite dish?

Eat your heart out Rob Cockerham...

...it's a solar furnace!!!

The above solar furnace was opened, appropriately, at the dawn of the disco era in the Pyrenees of France, and remains the largest solar furnace in the world. Basically, the curved face of the structure is covered with mirrors and acts as a parabolic reflector, concentrating and isolating the reflected light into a centralized location the size of a basketball hoop. The reflection is so powerful that it can reach a temperature of up to 5,432 degrees Fahrenheit.

Why France? This particular location is competing with Southern California, seeing as it's sunny 300 days out of the year. Why build one at all? This particular application is expected to advance much of anything on this planet. However, the structure might prove useful outside of our atmosphere on space missions. It is so powerful that it could produce heat, power and aid in the production metals and other materials for industry.

The concept itself dates back Archimedes when, in 200 BC, a parabolic reflector was said to by built and used as a weapon of war. Some of you might remember Adam and Jamie's mythbusting attempt, replicating the experience. Although Adam and Jamie could not initially find plausibility in the legend, a group of supernerds from MIT recreated --with success-- the boat-destroying build in 2005.

Although the solar furnace concept appears to be orbit-bound, new(er) advancements in solar technology have produced some amazing results. Relying on the same principles, the 'Heliostat' power plant (pictured below) utilizes mobile mirrors to continuously reflect the sun to a central point in the tower. Instead of re-reflecting the light to another point, the structure actually absorbs the heat internally for later use. In most instances that heat is used to boil water, thus powering internal or external steam turbines.

Near Seville, Spain:

'Solar One' in Boulder City, Nevada:

Decommissioned 'Solar Two' in Daggett, California:

Where are solar towers going to take us? Well, the January 2008 issue of Scientific American believes that we're on the verge of "A Solar Grand Slam," able to end the U.S. dependence on foreign oil and carbon emissions by 2050. Granted the whole article doesn't focus solely on solar tower technology, but who said that one individual tech-sector was going to save the world?

Key points from the article:

A massive switch from coal, oil, natural gas and nuclear power plants to solar power plants could supply 69 percent of the U.S.’s electricity and 35 percent of its total energy by 2050.

A vast area of photovoltaic cells would have to be erected in the Southwest. Excess daytime energy would be stored as compressed air in underground caverns to be tapped during nighttime hours.

Large solar concentrator power plants would be built as well.

A new direct-current power transmission backbone would deliver solar electricity
across the country.

$420 billion in subsidies from 2011 to 2050 would be required to fund the infrastructure and make it cost-competitive.

That piece is all well and good, but articles like this don't geek me up half as much as artistic renditions like these (see below). It's a proposed parking structure covered with a solar tower field.

Drool.

Final note, all investors should keep a sharp eye on Sunpower Corp. Picture Exxon with a free oil tap.

Just watch. California/Nevada/Arizona will (sooner than you think) take over as the new Middle East.

It's official, Ohio blows...

It was inevitable...I poke a little fun at the diminutive scale of Ohio's brownfield (re)development, thus eluding to our slackeresque approach to renewable energies, and somebody sends me this:

Ohio development chief predicts area can be solar-energy capital

Ohio's top business booster predicted yesterday that northwest Ohio could one day be known as the solar-energy capital of the Midwest.

At the end of a year that saw more gloomy economic news locally, Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher, who directs the Ohio Department of Development, offered a relatively rosy forecast for the region. "I'm very optimistic about the future of the northwest Ohio economy," he said.

Citing the presence of firms involved in development and production of more cost-efficient solar panels in metro Toledo, plans for a commercial wind farm south of Bowling Green, and construction of ethanol plants elsewhere in the region, Mr. Fisher said northwest Ohio leads the state in alternative energy ventures." More HERE.
Wow. Who knew that Cleveland was worth more than rock-and-roll and horrible football (I was born and raised a Bengal's fan, so feel free to insert your joke here)? I know that most don't think green when they think of Ohio, but it looks like the sun/wind tides are turning.

Seriously though, I couldn't be happier. If anybody/anywhere is in need of revitalization, it's the Great Lake region. Since 2001 --the end of the most recent recession-- there's been a significant (5%) increase in employment nationwide. While that might be great for the US, the Midwest has seen little (if not damaging) change. It's evident that the 5% productivity is not consistent for each state:

"...Michigan and Ohio have continued to lose jobs. The problem, not surprisingly, is in manufacturing. Michigan and Ohio have lost 159,000 and 136,000 manufacturing jobs, respectively, since November 2001 (see table below). Ohio's losses add up to just under 15% of the state's manufacturing jobs, while Michigan has lost about 20%—or one in five—of such jobs. Only California, a much bigger state, has lost a greater number of manufacturing jobs."

Additionally...

"Michigan and Ohio rank No. 1 and 2 on mortgage finance company Fannie Mae's list of states with the largest credit losses through Sept. 30. Fannie Mae listed losses --loans written off as having no chance of being recovered-- of $185 million for Michigan and $101M for Ohio."

But...

"Michigan...ranked No. 4 in a 2004 U.S. Department of Energy report on new job potential in the wind energy sector. The top spot on the list belonged to California; Ohio was second."

Like I said, who knew? They might be in bad shape, but it looks like they're only going up.

With Congress authorizing $125 million for green job training in the US and the struggling Midwest looking green with potential energy, I can only hope and pray that we jump into the forefront of the sustainable energy movement. Given the fact that green collar jobs transcend the traditional blue and white, consequently affecting all income classes in the public sector, this would be a HUGE boost for our struggling neighbors up north. Companies, manufacturers, individuals and communities could all profit greatly! The sky is (literally) the limit.

That place is a dump...

As Columbus continues to grow and expand, companies like Time Warner Mid Ohio and others continue to reap the benefits of over-crowding by utilizing brownfield conversions. In addition to their local brownfield development in Central Ohio, I will also present to you some of the top brownfield developments on the web today.

Brownfield redevelopment gives communal piece of mind by reducing the constant strain placed on undeveloped land by refurbishing toxic acres of soil tainted by modern (and not so modern) industry. Unfortunately, if a portion of land is certified by the EPA as brownfield it is often left neglected, courted only by those preparing to degrade the land even further (i.e. waste management services and junkyards.

For almost 35 years the Time Warner Columbus location sat unused, a victim of landfill waste. The site is now safely clayed and capped, and Time Warner is enjoying their new digs.

In addition to helping the community, Time Warner's tenancy and redevelopment efforts --a joint venture of TW, the Daimler Group and Pandey Environmental, LLC-- this redevelopment has numerous benefits for both TW and the city of Columbus, as well as the surrounding neighbors. On the TW side, they'll receive absurd tax breaks for using the land: a whopping 75 percent property-tax abatement and a 65 percent job-creation tax credit. These figures are expected to save Time Warner Mid Ohio $4.9 million over 10 years.

As for the surrounding area, the city of Columbus chipped in $4.2 million for infrastructure work, concentrating on roadways and bike paths. Almost $800k went to the site, alone.

The clean-up has sparked widespread interest in the area, leading to the development and design of a AAA baseball stadium, as well as various other projects. And although the TW did not attempt LEED Certification, there is always the possibility of LEED EB down the road (considering it's pretty obvious their SS Credit 3 is nailed down). They did, however, cover some green basics by using recycled steel, utilize natural lighting, provide a workout center/quiet rooms/catered cafeteria, as well as a "smart" energy management system to control lighting and HVAC - all steps in the right direction.

While I do have a small amount of biased pride in my community --given their history of blah developments, including but not limited to the one-mall-per-year-projects-- I will happily bow down to those that are continuing to influence and inspire. Our brownfield development pales in comparison to following ten projects, and I can only hope that more people decide to develop instead of demolish:

The Heifer International headquarters in Little Rock, Arkansas - a four phase master plan on a brownfield site. The location weaves wetlands with the people, expanding environmental stewardship into the public sphere while exemplifying their work in the international community.
The Olympic Sculpture Park - a nine-acre industrial site transformed into an open and vibrant green space for art. Seattle residents and visitors are given the opportunity to experience a variety of sculpture in an outdoor setting, while enjoying the incredible views of the Olympic Mountains and Puget Sound. See the Flickr pool HERE.

Not a Cornfield - a 32 acre living sculpture in Los Angeles on what used to be a railroad depot. 1,500 truck loads of earth were introduced to the existing rocky ground in order to create a fertile base in which to plant flora. The exhibit was sponsored by the Annenberg Foundation. Initially, a cycle of corn was grown in the space but the area has now been turned over to the California Dept of Parks and Recreation where it continues to sprout marigolds, daffodils, sage, and sunflowers, as well as other native plants. Check out the Flickr pool here.

The City of Edinburgh Council headquarters in Scotland - a 200 000 square foot administrative headquarters on the site of a former car park. Housing up to 1800 Council staff, the landmark building demonstrates environmental excellence with locally sustainable stone and timber, grass roofs, waterless toilets, an open plan office design and an innovative ventilation system which stabilizes the building's internal temperature by venting the structure at night, thus allowing the exposed beams to cool.

The Solway Settling Basins - a once thriving inland salt marsh of over 1,000 acres that were compromised with industrial waste, mostly the mineral calcium chloride, a byproduct of soda-ash production by earlier industrial operations. Instead of fencing off the area, capping it with clay and plastic, and keeping out the general public, a partnership of engineers, scientists, and new corporate owners restored the ecosystem and turned the site into something beneficial.

Gallions Park - London's first zero carbon development. On this three-acre brownfield site, residential units will be built with electricity generated on site by a heat and power plant that will use bio-mass, such as wood, for its fuel so that the site will produce zero net carbon emissions over the course of a year.

Erie Street Plaza - Milwaukee's new garden park. With runoff and sewer overflow acting as major challenges for the Great Lakes city, this brownfield site will keep stormwater on-site. Native plantings and illuminated fiberglass benches are scattered among a grove of bamboo trees, using moisture generated by underground concrete steam pits that will help keep the bamboo green in Milwaukee’s climate.

Ever Vail - a $1 billion 38 acre LEED ND-certified (largest in the US) multi-use resort development project located on a brownfield site at the base of Vail Mountain . There's quite a bit going on in the one million square feet of mixed-use space: residences, a hotel, offices, retail shops and restaurants, mountain operations facilities, public parking garage, a new gondola and related skier portal AND a public park.

SeQuential Biofuels, Eugene Oregon -a sustainable (believe it or not) gas station. The station itself is covered in 244 solar panels, employs a 4800 plant green roof, uses natural cooling, filters contaminants from stormwater before rerelease into the environment uses limited building materials exclusive to the Pacific Northwest and, yes, sits on a former EPA brownfield. The convenience store inside even offers a different faire with all natural chips and snacks, locally brewed beer, organic milk, compostable cups and even recycled/able bathroom toiletries. Oh, and it also offers gas...it has more blends than a scotch distillery.

The Brokton, Massachusets Brightfield - Just south of Boston, this small city went online two months ago with the largest solar installation in all of New England. Brockton grew up as an industrial town and as a result, the few remaining acres of land they left undeveloped were designated EPA brownfield sites. Instead of taking the traditional route and further degrading the sites, Brockton decided to clean up their reputation as an industrial wasteland. Even the solar paneling was produced locally.

Happy Holidays...

Whatever you celebrate, I hope it went wonderfully. Normal posting resuming shortly...

Visit my YouTube page at Lonely_UN_13...

Just a quick follow-up from the conference post yesterday...
The UN must be feeling a little emo because they now have a blog. Actually, it's a fairly interesting space that updates far more than I do, giving a daily rundown all the UN activities your heart desires. Chris Crocker even submitted a compelling video exclaiming, "Leave Darfur Alone!"

Check out the UN blog HERE.

***

In other news: Bah Humbug.

I'm going to put on a helmet and lock myself in my house until January 2nd. I'm done with the holidays...

If I see on more inflatable-PVC-snow-blown-Santa-in-a-snow-globe tied down like an S&M submissive in Stepford, I'm going to buy an inflatable knife and go MSNBC Lockdown on it.

The trend astounds me! It started with plastic crap, grew to inflatable crap, and has degenerated in to a Walmartpalooza of inflatable crap FILLED with inflatable crap. It's a plastic Turducken.

Luckily, there's a website that feels my pain...

Tacky Christmas Yards!

Kat from The Burb Blog --like my wife-- emigrated from Orange County to the Midwest. As she states on her About page, she is now affectionately stuck here with her husband and dog. I myself, a replant to the Midwest, understand all too well what the word stuck means. The situation may vary, but the term of endearment (I swear) inevitably explains the sentiment.

Stuck is my wife yearning for Santa Ana winds on the 43rd day of Ohio snowfall/rain mush mix....Stuck is commuting to and from work in a state without carpool lanes or concepts of fast lanes/slow lanes....Stuck is seeing a very, very large Sam's club shopper load a pallet of Mountain Dew (diet) in to the back of their Nascar-inspired Monte Carlo....Stuck is having your cousin go to Cancun for Spring Break and exclaim that she's been "overseas."

And most importantly, Stuck is trying to figure out why more and more people are blowing (literally) umpteen bazillion-thousand dollars on tacky yard decorations.

Honestly, while I admit that I saw my fair share of plastic fantastic last week in Huntington and Laguna (in the bars AND in the yards), I'll bet a size XXXXL Member's Mark sweater that the Midwest has more Christmas kitsch per capita than any other region in the United States. Unfortunately, due to the aforementioned trip to Southern California, Rachel and I won't be able to afford travel for the next decade or two, so my hypothesis will have to wait. However, thanks to Kat, I can now take in the best of the best user-submitted blech.

And although she doesn't give locations, I think I used to live next to 65% of these people.

I ain't signin' nuttin....

Ouch.

Bravo, but definitely, definitely an ouch...

We seek your leadership. But if for some reason you are not willing to lead, leave it to the rest of us. Please get out of the way.

-Kevin Conrad, a Papua New Guinea delegate addressing the Unites States
delegation at the end of the UN Climate Change Conference in Bali.

Well it ain't Kyoto, but it's a start. The United States has grudgingly accepted a compromise to agree to negotiate over the next two years (when worded like that, it doesn't sound like much of a start, now does it?).

In U-turn, U.S. agrees to global warming deal

BALI, Indonesia (CNN) -- In a dramatic reversal Saturday, the United States rejected and then accepted a compromise to set the stage for intense negotiations in the next two years aimed at reducing carbon dioxide emissions worldwide.

The White House, however, said in a statement that it still has "serious concerns" about the agreement.

"The negotiations must proceed on the view that the problem of climate change cannot be adequately addressed through commitments for emissions cuts by developed countries alone. Major developing economies must likewise act," the White House said.

Under the global warming pact, negotiating rounds would end in 2009.

The head of the U.S. delegation, Paula Dobriansky, undersecretary of state for democracy and global affairs, announced the United States was rejecting the plan. Her comments were met by booing from other delegations.

The White House said the negotiations must "clearly differentiate" and link responsibility with the level of emissions, size of the economy and energy use among developing countries.

Read the rest of the article HERE.

When will the US jump to the front of the parade? Well, just so you have an idea how ridiculously extreme our non-participatory attitude can be, here's an interesting infographic that shows Kyoto ratification. Sing it with me, "One of these things is not like the other."

Green means Signed and Ratified
Gold means Signed, Ratification Pending
Red means Signed, Ratification Denied
Silver means No Position

Some fun facts:

The United States was, as of 2005, the largest single emitter of carbon dioxide from the burning of fossil fuels.

The U.S. Senate unanimously passed by a 95–0 vote the Byrd-Hagel Resolution (S. Res. 98), which stated the sense of the Senate was that the United States should not be a signatory to any protocol that did not include binding targets and timetables for developing as well as industrialized nations or "would result in serious harm to the economy of the United States."

Although Bush won't sign it because he's unsure of the reality of climate change, Clinton is just as guilty for never submitting the protocol to the Senate for ratification. At least our idiocy is non-partisan.

The United States has, however, signed the Asia Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate; a similar (but non-enforceable) pact. The pact vows to reduce the US carbon intensity by 18% before 2012. Ironically, 18% is actually an increase in carbon intensity.

As of this year, the following states actively participate in state-level cap and trade emissions programs similar to the Kyoto Protocol: Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Massachusetts, and Maryland. Pennsylvania, Washington DC and Rhode Island actively observe the protocol, and California has signed their own Global Warming Solutions Act. That means 26% of the US is already observing the treaty (just 2% points shy of Bush's October approval rating).

Even individual cities are participating: Albany, New York; Albuquerque, New Mexico; Alexandria, Virginia; Ann Arbor, Michigan; Arlington, Texas; Atlanta, Georgia; Austin, Texas; Baltimore, Maryland; Berkeley, California; Boston, Massachusetts; Charleston, South Carolina; Chattanooga, Tennessee; Chicago, Illinois; Cincinnati, Ohio; Columbus, Ohio; Dallas, Texas; Denver, Colorado; Des Moines, Iowa; Fairfield, Connecticut; Fayetteville, Arkansas; Hartford, Connecticut; Honolulu, Hawaii; Indianapolis, Indiana; Jersey City, New Jersey; Lansing, Michigan; Las Vegas, Nevada; Lawrence, Kansas; Lexington, Kentucky; Lincoln, Nebraska; Little Rock, Arkansas; Los Angeles, California; Louisville, Kentucky; Madison, Wisconsin; Miami, Florida; Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Minneapolis, Minnesota; Nashville, Tennessee; New Orleans, Louisiana; New York, New York; Oakland, California; Omaha, Nebraska; Pasadena, California; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Phoenix, Arizona; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Portland, Oregon; Providence, Rhode Island; Richmond, Virginia; Sacramento, California; Salt Lake City, Utah; San Antonio, Texas; San Francisco, California; San Jose, California; Santa Fe, New Mexico; Seattle, Washington; Sioux City, Iowa; St. Louis, Missouri; Tacoma, Washington; Tallahassee, Florida; Tampa, Florida; Topeka, Kansas; Tulsa, Oklahoma; Vancouver, Washington; Virginia Beach, Virginia; Washington, D.C.; West Palm Beach, Florida; Wilmington, North Carolina.

Here's another infographic to get you going...


Note the asterisk. That's WITH 673 smaller cities unlisted.

So why haven't we ratified?