The keys to successful investing and money management are not financial, they're psychological.

Spencer Sherman was motivated to write The Cure for Money Madness because he saw himself and others making financial mistakes, when they clearly knew better.

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 Are you experiencing Monen Madness? Take Spencer's online quiz and find out.

It's not just individual investors whose decision-making is compromised by their "money monsters." Sherman observes that even big financial companies exhibit some of the same flawed behaviors.

When adding up your personal net worth, Sherman recommends including a calculation of total career earnings up to retirement, to help add some long-term perspective.

Spencer Sherman talks about Money Madness at Copperfield's Books in Santa Rosa on April 2, and  at Spirit Rock Meditation Center on April 19th.

He has also prepared this video preview to introduce some of the issues and ideas contained in The Cure for Money Madness.

 

Sonoma County's main dump, seen from the air at left,  has been closed since 2005, but its future continues to be hotly debated.

Operating a landfill anywhere in northern California is a difficult prospect in today's regulatory climate, observes Assemblyman Wes Chesbro, and even a well-funded private company must surmount those obstacles.

A proposed Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) for Sonoma County could eventually be able to sort out and reuse as much as 90% of the region's waste stream. Alan Strachan, one of the backers of that project, suggests that through composting or other processes, even most of the remaining 10% could someday be reused.

Longtime recycling advocate Mike Anderson is one of many voices taking up the call for setting a goal of zero waste.

 The March 30th forum on the future of the Sonoma County landfill was co-hosted by the Climate Protection Campaign and the  Leadership Institute on Ecology nd the Economy.

The entire public forum was recorded and will be broadcast at the following times on Community Media Channel 26 in Santa Rosa:

 More information and background about Ecoleader .

To learn more about the Landfill.

Volunteer peacekeepers, including a Santa Rosa woman, are helping to hold down the violence in some key international hot spots, as part of the Nonviolent Peace Force.

Linda Sartor and Jan Passion (right) will talk about their experience with the Nonviolent Peaceforce  and the ways that people can joinat a private home gathering in Santa Rosa on Tuesday evening, March 10 at 7 pm in Santa Rosa.  If you want to attend, email Pat at patmas41@mac.com for directions and to RSVP.

Of course there are other ways to get involved, too. One is by buying Peace Bonds.

Creative financing directly from Sonoma County may soon help local home and business owners add solar and other energy-efficiency improvements to their properties.

County Supervisors have scheduled their public hearing on the proposal for 9:30 am on Tuesday March 24.

 The vast majority of the projects expected to get funding through the Sonoma County Energy Independence Program will be retrofits of existing structures. The program will also fund installation of tankless water heaters, such as the one described below.

Local activism comes in many forms. Two contrasting public events tonight demonstrate that range.

  The campaign to curtail or ban taser use has gained considerably support across Canada, where the RCMP is being pressured to change its policies with marches, such as this one, and legislative inquiries.

Sonoma County 's  October 22nd Coalition Against Police Brutality has organized a march on Friday, February 13th at 5:30pm in Courthouse Square, Santa Rosa, calling on the Sheriff's Department to immediately end their use of the Taser. 

Friday, February 13, 5:30 PM 

California is second only to Florida in the number of taser-related fatalities charted by the Seattle Post-Intelligener.

Candlelight Vigil for Male Victims of Domestic Violence

Join in a candlelight vigil in memory of the men who recently lost their lives to domestic violence here in Sonoma County. We will honor and remember all male victims of domestic violence in a show of strength and peace.

Friday, February 13th , 6pm-7pm