Who have you Feed Today?

Who have you feed today? The question is important as the world is filled with hungry mouths. We all need food to nourish and sustain our lives. We are lucky to have Feed America in our backyard to answer that question and when you bring in snickers to the equation then the answer becomes bar hunger. On July 14th, Snickers has actor David Arquette committed to stay in a plexiglass box above Madison Square Garden to raise money for Feed America. You can join and make donations on the facebook page . We always make sure that we have food for ourselves but if we can open our eyes and close our mouth to help feed the hungry then we can make real changes. Donations and voluntering are good ways to help. But the most important thing is to open our eyes and slowly commit to help. Doing our share for the hungry could come in different ways which could be as simple as eating a snicker bar and as elaborate as what David Arquette will be doing at the Garden. There is no general way to address hunger and the methods will continually innovate as more people become aware. Chanco Brothers our passionate to feed the hungry and it is the small steps which will cross that line of being nourished. Lets do our share.

Pass the California Rice and Hold the Water.

Chanco Brothers are California Rice fans. When we are thinking of rice its cal rose that is at the top of the charts. We however had recently been reading how eating rice affects the current drought in California. We did not want to just tell my sushi chef to stop passing the rice. We care for the environment and if stopping to eat California Rice would help stop the drought or global warming then there is no argument at all. We started to look for answers and we of course ended up with more questions. Even the California Rice Commission website made it even more confusing. We did get a lot of facts and top of the list is that there is a drought and it has been happening year after year. The water reserves that California had are virtually nonexistent today. What we took notice is that rice production in California is mostly for non-residents. We import most of this rice to Asia which has a big need for rice. The picture of rice production is that it is one of the crops that need water in California. The fact is that a lot of water is needed for California's agricultural needs which do not mean that rice is the culprit. California Rice based on the Chanco Brothers assumption is an Angel to California bringing in revenue for the State. The method of flooding in growing rice in California has been working productively. It only takes 25 gallons of water per serving of rice while almonds need 80 gallons and cantaloupe takes 40. A good note as a business is that rice prices are on the rise. Due to drought worldwide prices have continued to increase. Australia which has been producing rice has stopped production due to the drought and has implemented stringent measures for water conservation. This article by Dr. Peter Gleick talks more on what has happened in Australia http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/gleick/index . While the following video interviews a farmer as he points out how much they value water as it is the main basis for growing rice in California.

Chainless Bicycles

Having watched gas prices go up and down we started hunting for something with less wheels. Cutting it down to half seemed practical when just cruising down the corner and we needed to kick up the exercise regimen anyways. So the sight of a Harley or a Japanese Bike would be more up to stead, we ignored that image and settled on an environment friendly bicycle. There would be no fossil fuel needed to move this machine. All the horsepower would come from our left and right foots. The market selection is extremely varied. We started crossing out what we didn’t like and what seemed interesting. Being in a fairly flat area of town we didn’t need anything complex. We are getting a bike for simplicity and hopefully not make it a décor at the loft. Technology is always a good thing to consider and when we crossed on the listing for chainless bike’s our mind started to gravitate to that type. No Chains is simply an amazing concept. The word chain creates an image of being trapped. Chanco Brothers have no intention of being chained. Biking for us at this time is freedom from fuel and rules. There are no parking tickets and parking fines for bikes. A chainless bike was the way to go. A bike compared to any of the beast in the garage is quiet and only the whisper of the chain echoes. But a chainless bike is complete madness there is just but silence. So we are going to welcome to the Chanco Brothers garage a pair of chainless creatures that will help our health and our environment. A good place to checkout is an online only store called Sonoma Bikes and of course there is always craigslist.

Silver Pair, GT-R & GT, Nissan & Porsche

Chanco Brother Joey’s right foot got spoiled recently with a nice pair of silver toys. They are both fresh out of the box and are reserved for only the big boys. Each one comes from one end of the world to other. The import from Japan is no rice rocket and the missile from Germany is definitely intercontinental. European versus Asian horsepower in the streets of Los Angeles seems like a perfect way to check the prowess of the California Highway Patrol. Since both are completely stock the Porsche Carrera GT’s 600 German breed horsepower knocks out the almost 500 high technology horsepower of the Nissan GT-R. But driving thru the 405 freeway and the Pacific Coast Highway we felt more confident pushing all 500 horsepower of the Nissan. The transmission of the GT-R was smooth and simple just like magic and the Carrera was pure business it didn’t miss a beat. The GT-R seemed wanting to get more speed goodies in the engine department to keep up with the Carrera. But even in stock form it held its own with a lot of class, dignity, and of course speed.

Preserve Toothbrush

Recycling is not as hard to define as relationships. Chanco Brothers either do or do not recycle. We don’t fool around when it comes to recycling. It is not similar to a facebook status that says complicated, engaged, or in an open relationship. We let recycling be a part of our lives. On a recent impromptu trip to Scottsdale we forgot our toothbrushes and the hotel gift shop presented a unique and appropriate solution to recycling while traveling. Preserve Toothbrush which has a handle that is made of a 100% recycled plastic and it comes packaged in a reusable container. The tooth brush was designed simple and after using it, we promoted it to the Chanco Brothers travel kit. It will be seeing a lot of miles and then it can be recycled either by sending it back to Preserve or to a place that recycle #5 plastic. Chanco Brothers will be checking their line of razors soon as well which of course made of recycled plastic. Small things for the environment even just with a toothbrush can make a difference.