Sand Dragon

An Experiment

2010-09-27T14:18:00.000-07:00

1) Go to a locally-owned business where the person behind the deli counter is likely to be the same person each visit. It's so much more fun buying local anyway! 2) Order "a pound" of the same thing once a week. After several weeks, switch your order. Proper phrasing of your new request is key to this experiment.
3) Say, "I would like a pound and a half..."

And then see if you end up with just a pound... :)

I suspect that people with good memories are more likely to make this error because our brains tend to jump to conclusions based on past experience.

The flip side of this is that people with poor memories may be better listeners.

Now. With the world changing so fast right now (and faster still sooner than you can whistle "The Preacher and the Slave") How might our brains be filling in the blanks based... in error... on past experiences. Hmmmm?

Fisherman's Summer of Tears

2010-05-27T06:33:00.000-07:00

"I tried not to let my grandson, Scottie, see me crying. I didn’t think he would understand, that I was crying for his stolen future. None of this will be the same, for decades to come. The damage is going to be immense and I do not think our lives here in south Louisiana will ever be the same."

-Louisiana Bayoukeeper and Fisherman Michael Roberts

A Fisherman's Heartbreak

Gushing in the Gulf

2010-05-13T16:52:00.000-07:00

WKRG.com News

Artificial Productivity

2010-04-29T06:54:00.000-07:00

Recommended Reading from blog "Artificial Productivity":

People need to stop holding onto their microwaves as if they were flotation devices.

Say It, Raj !

2010-01-30T11:50:00.001-08:00

The three-minute video on this site sums up my entire adult life:

The Value of Nothing

Space Debris

2010-01-28T07:34:00.001-08:00

The word "debris" sounds so nice, doesn't it? Let's call it what it is: garbage.
It's not sufficient to trash our own planet. No.
The insanity is boundless.

"World powers must find ways...."

Why were these messes, current and growing, completely obvious to me in the 1960's?
I'll tell you why.
Because it is completely obvious.

And I'll tell you what else is completely obvious. The world powers aren't going to do diddly to find ways to clean up the mess. They haven't yet, and they won't... because to do so would mean they have to curb... no, cease... the appetite for what passes as "progress".

Oops! and Potential Oops!

2010-01-21T16:39:00.000-08:00

Will we ever learn... in time?

In Swaziland, the King's sacrificial bull escaped injuring a few young warriors just before the Incwala ceremony.

...and in other news today (and it was the last paragraph that really caught my attention, inserted below):

Nuclear Waste Shipment Leaves Britain for Japan

"Under the terms of arrangements between nuclear authorities in Britain and Japan, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Switzerland, some 925 tons of foreign nuclear waste will be returned to [Japan] over the next decade, cutting the atomic waste stockpile in the UK by 40 per cent."

Note to self: Don't move to Japan. Hey... wait a minute! What part of the planet haven't we F-ed Up? My guess is that any pristine places still existing on Planet Earth have been circled with a corporate red marking pen on a map by a small-minded biped with dollar signs in his eyes.

PS - You make the connection between the bull and the nuclear waste shipment.... yes? just asking

Bruno at Ocean Beach, San Diego

2010-01-19T08:28:00.001-08:00

Bruno at Ocean Beach, San Diego
Originally uploaded by sand dragon

,,,,,

Workable Answers Will Come

2009-12-30T15:23:00.000-08:00

One of my presents this year is Tom Turner's book "Justice on Earth" which is a well-written and highly informative look at several litigations in which Earthjustice has been involved. These good guys have helped fight and win some high stakes battles for Earth and indigenous peoples.

Bill McKibben wrote the foreward to the book from which I extracted this quote:

"...a growing number of judges are effectively closing the courthouse doors to the public, as judicial appointments have become ever more politicized. For the moment, though, the men and women of Earthjustice are still holed up in the Alamo, fighting like hell for the rest of us."

Bill's foresight includes the warning (and I paraphrase) that the next Earthjustice book may be quite a bit smaller unless we find a way to change how society resolves conflicts arising from economic growth vs. preserving the health of Earth and its inhabitants. On his own website, Bill states plainly and correctly:

"I make the case that we’re going to have to figure out how to stop focusing our economies on growth, and start thinking about survival."

And this key fact of our downward spiraling collective existence brings me to the nugget-of-a-website called Just Stop. [Please read the letter and pass it along]

Clinton Callahan, founder of Just Stop, also hits the nail on the head when he states that out of the four possible ways of taking action to sustain human life, our leaders perpetuate the "Last Man Standing" method.... otherwise known as "Might Makes Right".

The Last Man Standing method is hell on Earth; and I'm convinced that the vast majority of peoples everywhere want peace, a clean environment, and creative freedom to be productive in whole(istic) and caring ways. That requires us to Just Stop, with the problem being immediate survival.

I quit my pathetic corporate cubicle job in 2006 with no regrets. Clinton encourages us to take a leap of faith when he says:

"New and workable answers will come as I let the questions, themselves, propel me into taking appropriate actions."

It's either leap or get pushed. There's no easy way out of this, but I'll hold your hand if you'll hold mine!

Tell stories, birth beauties!

Looking for Inspiration ?

2009-12-29T16:09:00.000-08:00

Contemplate John-Paul Flintoff (re: home-made)

He appears to be a 21st century Renaissance man.
Learn more at John-Paul's ooooby page (re: food growers)

...and be inspired

BMI Calculator

2009-11-26T09:32:00.000-08:00

BMI = Body Mass Index

This BMI calculator will let you know if your weight/height ratio is in the healthy range.

A BMI of 25-29 is categorized as "overweight"
A BMI over 30 is "obese"

Oh.... Happy Thanksgiving.
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Did you know.... ?
About 92 cents out of every dollar you spend on food typically winds up in the pockets of processors, middlemen, and retailers.

"...artisanal producers like Joel compete on quality, which, oddly enough, is still a somewhat novel idea when it comes to food. “When someone drives up to the farm in a BMW and asks me why our eggs cost more, well, first I try not to get mad,” said Joel. “Frankly, any city person who doesn’t think I deserve a white-collar salary as a farmer doesn’t deserve my special food. Let them eat E. coli. But I don’t say that. Instead I take him outside and point at his car. ‘Sir, you clearly understand quality and are willing to pay for it. Well, food is no different: You get what you pay for."

Ref: "No Bar Code" by Michael Pollan / article published in Mother Jones Newsletter (2006)

Support White Friday (aka Buy Nothing Day)

2009-11-25T16:07:00.000-08:00

We have a responsibility to preserve the health of planet Earth for ourselves and future generations. It is abundantly obvious to a great many of us that rampant consumerism is killing our planet.

Affluenza.org provides a succinct overview of both problems and solutions we can embrace as we struggle to make sense of the puzzles and challenges to our survival.

For starters, please join us on Friday November 27th, 2009, in support of White Friday (Buy Nothing Day). As usual, Adbusters never disappoints. The point of drawing attention to our buying habits is to practice a lasting lifestyle commitment to consume less thereby producing less waste. Have fun buying nothing!
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Did you know....?
Buy Nothing Day (BND) was started 17 years ago.

Everything Goes Well

2009-10-28T20:46:00.000-07:00

Title of Video: Phoenix Legend - Everything Goes Well

One day in the ancient times, the sun looked down and saw a large bird with bright red and dazzling gold feathers. The sun god blessed him, "Glorious Phoenix, you shall be my bird and live forever!"

The Phoenix was overjoyed to hear these words and sang, “I shall sing my songs for you alone!" But living forever didn’t make him happy for long. Men, women, and children were always chasing him, wanting some of those beautiful, shiny feathers for themselves.
Tired, the phoenix flew off toward the east, where the sun rises in the morning.
The Phoenix flew for a long time, and then came to a far away, hidden desert where no humans lived. Here, flying freely he would sing the songs of praise to the sun alone.

Five centuries passed. The Phoenix was still alive, but it had grown old. It couldn't soar so high in the sky, nor fly as fast or as far as it was young. It wasn’t as strong.
The Phoenix sang, "Sun, glorious sun, make me young and strong again!"
The sun didn't answer. When the sun still didn't answer, the Phoenix decided to return to the place of its origin.

The journey was long, and because the Phoenix was old and weak, it had to rest along the way. Each time it landed, it collected pieces of cinnamon bark and all kinds of fragrant leaves.

Read on...

Power Animals

2009-10-18T20:32:00.000-07:00

from The Enchanted Forest, find your power animal !

The owl will be keeping me company tonight.

After finding my owl in the forest, I discovered The Owl Pages. Wow! If you love owls, this site is a keeper.

Responsible Tourism

2009-10-15T17:05:00.000-07:00

Today is Climate Change Blog Action Day. I considered writing about the potential perils of a sinking Gulf Stream. There is so much we don't understand about the inter-connectedness of our biosystems. Or I could expound on why the term "global warming" is an unfortunate and mis-leading label. Humor ahead... :)

Sand Dragon's disclaimer: The above video was included in this post for health reasons. Making light of the seriousness of the situation can be beneficial for your health provided the viewer remain grounded in reality and educates him/herself on the facts of climate change. Hint - do not place much value on "scientific" studies funded by large corporations; or on naysayers whose pockets are lined with monies from same. Thank you very much.

OK. My intended topic is actually a link sent to me by son #2, who may become employed by this awesome business:

DRAGOMAN, Responsible Tourism
and Overland Travel

Please read their "About Us" page.

For crikey's sake, let's get out of our cages...
into Nature... and fall in love with our planet again.
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PS:
Son #1 is currently helping organize 350.org in San Diego (October 24th, International Day of Climate Action)

Son #2 will likely be on the Dragoman adventure team.

Son #3 continues to learn other languages and cultures thru extended-stay travel. The more peoples from various cultures get to know each other, the less fear there will be about perceived differences. (I'm speaking about all of us in general). HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KID !!

Blog Action Day

2009-10-14T03:05:00.000-07:00

I used to try to herd bloggers together to speak in a united voice about one single topic. As it turned out, I wasn't very good a cat herding. Hopefully, Blog Action Day has better luck. It's your planet, too.
Read, write, think and ACT.
(((Hugs to All)))

Manuka Kanuka

2009-10-08T18:39:00.000-07:00

Say it ten times really really fast.
manuka kanuka kanuka manuka

kanuka is a coastal shrub located in Australia and New Zealand

ditto manuka
manuka has medicinal benefits: anti-bacterial and anti-fungal
ditto kanuka
manuka is a popular honey in some parts of the world
ditto...

OK, so what's the diff? Oh, look! Here's another blogger who posted an article on both manuka and kanuka. Tony, the Bushmansfriend, seems to know quite a bit about the two plants.

And since Tony is eco-friendly and lists his favorite music as "kiwi calling on the front lawn on a moonless June night" and "the sound of the surf from the beach at Whangamata"... I'm going to link his site under my "Travel" section. If you travel to Kaeo, New Zealand, I hope you have the opportunity to utilize his ecotour business.

Tell me your stories, birth beauties!

Water Worries

2009-10-02T20:31:00.000-07:00

If this makes you sick to read, think of how the poor folks in Pavillion, Wyoming feel. No matter where you live, you're not safe from this horrific abuse of our natural resources.

"...they have been unable to prove their case because drilling companies are not required to disclose exactly what chemicals they use, thanks to an exemption to a federal clean water law granted to the oil and gas industry in 2005."

Today, while reading something less stressful, I came across a little nugget of wisdom: "If you want to change something... you have to change something." Yes, indeed. We talk big. We fret. We blame and shake our fist at the sky. And we feel helpless. On the other hand, most of us recycle. Many bring their own bags to stores. Organic food is fairly popular.

But if we want the insanity to stop now, before it is too late... we have to stop pretending that our voracious appetite for consumption isn't part of the problem that is occuring in Pavillion and elsewhere.

Change your habits in a big way.

Change is contagious. Your fellow homo sapiens will honor your courage. Now is the time. Trust me... I've been testing the waters of change for a couple of years now. I'm still here. I'm still whole. I'm still sane.

Eating Octopus

2009-09-30T16:25:00.000-07:00

One of my sons reports having eaten a live octopus, so naturally I had to go look up videos of others doing the same. My son is currently living in Asia. Perhaps he felt the need to experience his temporary cultural surroundings to the fullest. Or maybe he was just really hungry for something different. Maybe he had been out drinking first. Whatever the case... don't watch this video if you have a weak stomach:

You watched it anyway... didn't you! On the one hand, I'm happy that my son is open minded enough to try new things as we seem to have far too many close-minded people on the planet right now. Or maybe I'm in denial and am applying an "approved by Mom" label to this horrific act. But is it horrific? To a closed mind it is. See how I'm spinning in circles?

The tendency is to relate, emotionally, to the octopi's struggle to survive and to the apparent torture of being eaten alive. Yeah, but.... But eating and being eaten has been going on since...teeth were invented. No, even before that! eons and eons

All the so-called sages throughout all our recorded eons eventually remind everyone of one simple truth: We can only really be alive in the moment. The past is gone. The future hasn't happened. And the present can be reduced to nanoseconds. Did the octopus really feel "torture" (a human concept). Or was it's struggle to survive no different than mating or swimming free in the ocean.

Each moment....just......IS.
Not good.
Not bad.
IS
----
PS How do octopus mate?
PPS I want to make really really clear that I am not condoning torture; and you won't catch me eating an octopus any time soon. I guess I've come full circle yet again.

Seismic Monitor

2009-09-29T19:49:00.000-07:00

This map helps my mind grasp the magnitude of the big ones.

The IRIS seismonitor includes a link to the latest earthquake headline news and the map itself has proven to be up-to-date and dependable. I've used it for many years, and so I'm passing this little gem along to you:

Seismic Monitor

You can no more win a war than you can win an earthquake.
Jeannette Rankin
She was the first woman to serve in Congress (1917-1919) 1880-1973

Hooponopono

2009-09-28T20:40:00.000-07:00

I'm just hearing the word hooponopono (or more precisely, ho'oponopono) for the first time this week. Like a kid, I keep rolling hooponopono off my tongue for fun! Watch the first video to hear hooponopono pronounced and learn at bit about the practice of.... hooponopono. See! I just can't stop myself :)

Here is a bit of history and description of the hooponopono practice: Hooponopono Simplified

and a song, by the late Iz, Israel "Iz" Kaʻanoʻi Kamakawiwoʻole

goodnight. I love you.

2009-09-27T17:19:00.000-07:00

The "Aloha Huna" video below starts out, in song, by saying:

Everything is not OK.
It's not alright for Life to be this way.
It's no good for me....

At times in my life I have victimized myself for being a victim, which is kinda like dropping in to see what condition my condition was in. [Note: The "dropping in" link is a video song by Kenny Rogers & The First Edition performed on treadmills! haha]

Going back to the Hawaiian "Aloha Huna" video. At first I thought it was going to be a "poor me" waste of time thus feeding my past victimhood mentality. But in spite of the initial wording, its message is a positive one for change.

I've got nowhere else to turn but towards the light. Anger didn't work, or frustration, or feeling lost and helpless. I tried to stick my head in the sand but couldn't breath. I tried to blame others, but they are me. I tried to run but ended back up where I started from.

Now, I actively seek and work towards change. I've tried before, but had that added negativity listed above as baggage. Let's see how I do working for change, and just being me with all my faults while trying to enjoy each moment as it comes and goes to infinity.

Hunger Strike in Opposition to the Frog

2008-08-31T17:27:00.000-07:00

In religious and political battlegrounds....
"Crucified Frog Stays - Despite Papal Protest"

...but let's get back to the things that really matter: species survival, for example (ours included):

"Frog Deaths are a Harbinger of Sixth Mass Extinction on Earth"

"Frogs and other amphibians lived through several mass extinctions on Earth over the past 250 million years, surviving the dinosaur wipeout and the most recent Ice Age. But now, say scientists this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, all that is changing. Amphibians are going extinct in such huge numbers that we've entered nothing short of a new mass extinction event. It's the sixth such event in known Earth history."

Many thanks to David B. Wake, quoted in the "Frog Deaths" article referenced above, for his research and contribution to the earth sciences.

The "K" Chromosome

2008-08-29T21:53:00.000-07:00

The portrait of a killer is detailed in John Vaillant's article, "Obsessions".

...the chief warden for the State of Vermont, explained to me that in order to collect 300 bands “you’d have to shoot thousands of birds.”

I've known people like this article describes. Maybe not to such extreme, but with the same mentality. In many circles, killing wildlife is sanctioned, condoned, glorified, and celebrated. The blood lust is horrifically disgusting and it is past time for change.

Hat tip to The Greanville Journal

Who Really is Terrorizing the Earth?

2008-08-28T16:14:00.000-07:00

I highly recommend this well-written article by Claudette Vaughan, an Issue 7 editorial found on Abolitionist-Online (excerpt below):

"The filthiest polluters in the world today are the oil, chemical, timber, mining and agribusiness multinationals, each united by a common greenhouse gas contributory thread. In this issue we have collected a range of diverse activist and professional voices willing to talk against the biggest polluters in the world today and centre the culprit squarely on the shoulders of a meat-centered diet."

Overcoming Systems Blindness

2008-08-27T14:29:00.000-07:00

The Greatest Failure of Thought in Human History
by Bob Doppelt

I love the article, Bob, but "failure of thought" is being very kind. May I suggest an alternate title? Thanks. How about: "The Greatest Achievement of Greedy Lunatic Thoughtlessness in Human History".

The Young Turks explain (with sarcasm) "Why We Don't Need to Worry About Global Warming Anymore":

Reverse Graffiti

2008-08-24T19:34:00.000-07:00

From environmentalgraffiti.com :

"Hailing from Brazil, Alexandre sees his art work as a way of getting an environmental message across to those who ordinarily wouldn’t listen. A few years ago he adorned a transport tunnel in Sao Paolo with a mural consisting of a series of skulls to remind drivers of the detrimental impact their emissions have on the planet.

The Brazilian authorities were incensed but couldn’t actually charge him with anything so they instead cleaned the tunnel. At first the cleaned only the parts Alexandre had cleared but after the artist switched to the opposite wall they had to clean that too. In the end, the authorities decided to wash every tunnel in the city, missing the irony completely, it seems."

1958 Warming Warning

2008-08-02T18:21:00.000-07:00

Urban Neighbors

2008-01-19T09:32:00.000-08:00

What a great idea! Let's shake it up. Change begins at home.
Thanks to San Diego Food Not Lawns for bringing this video to my attention.

Dirty Business

2007-11-24T20:55:00.001-08:00

Black mustard seeds, biji sawi
Originally uploaded by zoyachubby

"An estimated 1.4 billion of the world's poorest people now depend for their survival on farm saved seed. Hybrid seeds and their required fertilisers, pesticides and irrigation systems have trapped many of the world's poorest farmers into a cycle of debt.

In the US Monsanto are vigorously pursuing their proprietary rights. Using investigators to identify farmers suspected of saving their seed, Monsanto threaten criminal charges and damages in excess of $1 million."

This topic has been a thorn in my side for a long time. There's business....and then there is dirty rotten business. Monsanto, Du-Pont, and others like them are significantly hurting both people and planet and should be stopped.

For further reading about corporate greed with seed, see Primal Seeds.
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Thank you, zoyachubby, for sharing the picture of black mustard seeds thru use of the Creative Commons license. Readers will also enjoy visiting zoyachubby's food blog, Chicken's Kitchen.

Jellyfish

2007-11-22T17:58:00.001-08:00

Jellyfish
Originally uploaded by neil_barman

Imagine 10 square miles, 35 feet deep, consisting of billions of jellyfish "attacking" (or coming into contact with?) caged salmon.

"Jellyfish wiped out Northern Ireland's only salmon farm, with more than 1 million pounds' ($2.06 million) worth of stock massacred in the attack.
[snip]
Staff on their way to give the fish their morning feed noticed a "reddish-brown tinge" to the sea and then realized the boats were struggling to make headway through an expanse of jellyfish up to 35 feet deep..."

(read article) (and another)

As we continue to wobble off balance environmentally, we will be seeing more of this type of "weird" news.
--------------------------
Many thanks to neil barman for the super cool picture made available for use through the Creative Commons license.

Green Board Game

2007-11-07T17:24:00.001-08:00

Ceiling
Originally uploaded by CarbonNYC

Time to play! The Union of Concerned Scientists has a board game to test your knowledge. I thought I was well informed on environmental issues (and I am, relatively speaking) but this game had questions/answers that surprised me.

Try out The Great Green Web Game of Consumer Choices

I love the photo, CarbonNYC! Yes, it does look like a board game. I'll be yellow and hopscotch my way to...somewhere. Thanks for using the Creative Commons license.

Ban Dirt Blowers

2007-10-11T16:28:00.001-07:00

Leaf blower
Originally uploaded by Jonas B

Leaf blowers = Dirt blowers
Enough already.

Noise in my ears;
Exhaust fumes in my nose;
Dirt in my eyes.

Enough already, stupid humans!

(more facts and data here)

It's just not necessary to be blowing leaves around. If you absolutely must have uncluttered sidewalks, hire a sweeper.

Toy "leaf" blowers are sold for around 30 buckeroos. Kids should be taught to examine the infinite beauty of falling leaves instead of always trying to "fix" nature with noise and pollution. (sigh)
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Thanks, Jonas B, for sharing the picture of an efficient Leaf Blower thru use of your Creative Commons license. It's much appreciated. license,

Water Exports

2007-10-07T18:49:00.001-07:00

Water
Originally uploaded by
World Resources Institute Staff

From Planet Ark, Oct 8-2007:

"As the world creeps closer to irreversible global warming and goes deeper into ecological debt, why on earth, say, would the UK export 20 tonnes of mineral water to Australia and then re-import 21 tonnes," said NEF director Andrew Simms.

"And why would that wasteful trade be more the rule than the exception," he added.
(emphasis mine)
read full article here

----------------------------------------------------
Thanks to the World Resources Institute Staff at Flickr for sharing a slice of blue Earth with us via their Creative Commons license. See also WRI's main page.

Basmati ( Kinshicho )

2007-10-06T15:26:00.001-07:00

Basmati ( Kinshicho )
Originally uploaded by fukagawa_tky

In my lifetime, it has been said that we have transitioned from the industrial age to the information age. I think it is time to define the present as "The Age of Corporate Greed".

"If you wonder why companies are granted patents for the human gene sequence or for seeds, here's the reason: It's because corporations are in charge, and they run governments. Who do you think runs the Food and Drug Administration? It's the drug companies. Who do you think runs the U.S. Department of Agriculture? It's the farming, beef and the dairy industries."
(read all)

The delicious-looking meal shown here features basmati rice. For those who are unaware, a Texas firm (it would be from Texas....now wouldn't it?) applied for and won a ridiculous patent (Sept 1997) "on Basmatic rice lines and grains". This brutal, Corporate Greed, brain fart ties into other humanistic and moral topics including genetically engineered (GE) foods, genetically modified organisms (GMO), reduction of genetic diversity, and food shortages

Sadly, the research for these drastic changes to our precious (formerly all-natural) food chain is performed by the biotech corporations who mega-profit at our expense. This is not wisdom. This is insanity.
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Thank you, fukagawa_tky for your many nice food photos. Thanks also for sharing them via the CC license.

Freedom

2007-10-03T16:27:00.001-07:00

SANY0078.jpg
Originally uploaded
by advisorymatters

from Fredy Perlman's "Against His-story, Against Leviathan"

Insist that "freedom" and "the state of nature" are synonyms, and the cadavers will try to bite you. The tame, the domesticated, try to monopolize the word freedom; they'd like to apply it to their own condition. They apply the word "wild" to the free. But it is another public secret that the tame, the domesticated, occasionally become wild but are never free so long as they remain in their pens.

Even the common dictionary keeps this secret only half hidden. It begins by saying that free means citizen! But then it says, "Free: a) not determined by anything beyond its own nature or being; b) determined by the choice of actor or by his wishes..."

The secret is out. Birds are free until people cage them. The Biosphere, Mother Earth herself, is free when she moistens herself, when she sprawls in the sun and lets her skin erupt with varicolored hair teeming with crawlers and fliers. She is not determined by anything beyond her own nature or being until another sphere of equal magnitude crashes into her, or until a cadaverous beast cuts into her skin and rends her bowels.

Trees, fish and insects are free as they grow from seed to maturity, each realizing its own potential, its wish--until the insect's freedom is curtailed by the bird's. The eaten insect has made a gift of its freedom to the bird's freedom. The bird, in its turn, drops and manures the seed of the insect's favorite plant, enhancing the freedom of the insect's heirs.

The state of nature is a community of freedoms.

Such was the environment of the first human communities, and such it remained for thousands of generations.

(more about Fredy Perlman from Wikipedia)
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Hugs and love to Werebrock for blogging the words of Fredy Perlman at Noble Savagery.

Many thanks also to advisorymatters for the photo made available thru Creative Commons...an open (free) society :)

CUSP

2007-09-28T07:41:00.001-07:00

Mahakala Dance, Phyang Festival
Originally uploaded by hceebee

I awoke this morning thinking of the word "cusp". Rolling the word around in my head, I tried it out as an acronym. "C.U.S.P. = Cracking Up from Social Pressures", I thought. Hmmmmm. Not very positive.

As is often my habit when words or images are stuck in my head, I turn to the internet to see what I can uncover (which is how I found Mahakala, but that is another story). My search for "CUSP" this morning yielded a green organization called "Living on the Cusp" (subtitle: "Living through the transition from the Petroleum Age to a Sustainable Future")

"Living on the Cusp" sounds similar to the name of another of my blogs, "Out on the Limb", except "Cusp" implies impending change, and "Limb" implies impending disaster. Just an observation.

The blog part of Cusp is kept current (August 2007 last entry), so I can safely assume that the Monkton Wylde Workshop dates for mid November are also for year 2007. Leaving the year off of blog page calendar notes is a pet peeve of mine. The net is strewn with abandoned web pages and unfinished business. How is one to know if a scheduled event is still a viable option if the year isn't listed? The answer is, it takes the reader extra work (emailing questions, for example). Obviously, I woke up a bit grumpy today as evidenced by my CUSP acronym.

The "About Us" page for Naresh Giangrande mirrors, in many ways, the transition(s) I am trying to bring about in my own life. I will explore Cusp's links and ideas more thoroughly today. For now....gotta go.

Hugs to All.
---------------
Thanks hceebee for the Flickr photo, made available for use via a CC license.

How Lucky Do You Feel?

2007-09-25T19:48:00.001-07:00

"We only get to play this game once..."

Remember the Titanic?

2007-09-24T18:18:00.000-07:00

Have we learned nothing...?

"Japan Nuclear Plants Safe if Big Quake Hit - Operators"

from Planet Ark 9-21-07

Diet for a Healthy Planet

2007-09-24T16:26:00.001-07:00

Gazpacho
Originally uploaded by VeganWarrior

I need to upgrade my diet without hurting my wallet. I've been searching for ideas online (where else!?)

My usual exploration of Creative Common pictures at Flickr yielded a lovely surprise today. Not only did I find the picture I wanted to use, but I also found a collection of beautifully-prepared recipes by CreatiVegan. (Thanks for sharing the picture, CV!)

My food problems revolve around my difficulties cooking for one. I've heard, and tried, the suggestions about freezing extra amounts; but truthfully, I'd rather keep things as simple as possible and make only what I will be ingesting for that meal. This Gazpacho recipe looks great!

My goal is to establish a well-balanced diet with a minimal amount of work. I don't want to be spending a lot of time in the kitchen, or with shopping either. Raw foods are especially of interest to me.

Lately my meals have been mostly brown and bland resulting in feeling unmotivated and uninspired in the kitchen. In fact, this has been going on long enough that I have noticed an inability to concentrate mixed with mild bouts of depression. Today it occurred to me that my problems are most likely related to my sad sad diet. Time for a change.

I also found an interesting article titled "The Buddhist Diet":

"think about where the food came from and the amount of work necessary to grow the food, transport it, prepare and cook it and bring it to the table."

For me, striving towards being a vegan is a moral necessity. I think I need to have a little more fun with colors and textures to ensure my successful transition to a healthier lifestyle for me....and Earth.

Any other ideas for simple eating are welcomed.

Seacology Prize

2007-09-22T16:29:00.001-07:00

Aquarium fish
Originally uploaded by nellring

Seacology announces that Mr. Kokichi Kariya has been awarded the 2007 Seacology Prize for his work saving ancient forests on Honshu Island, Japan.

Congratulations, Mr. Kariya. You are an inspiration.

The Seacology Prize is underwritten by Ken Murdock, president of Seacology, in honor of his mother, Lalovi Fish Murdock. (emphasis mine)

Note: Seacology has a MySpace page.
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Super duper photo is a courtesy of nellring and her generosity by using CC.

Buy Blue

2007-09-21T15:17:00.000-07:00

Blue
Originally uploaded by rebel rebel

I have long been a fan of Buy Blue. Their idea is simple.

Vote with your dollar.

The Buy Blue team has been hard at work making their website even better than before.

You still have time to complete their survey and add your preferences.

We can clean up the environment if we root out corrupt politicians, corporations, and their sidekick--the mainstream media. Hit them where it hurts---buy (or not buy) wisely.

PS - I have a separate "Vote with your $$" list of links in the sidebar.
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Kudos to rebel rebel for allowing the "Blue" to be used by others (Creative Commons license - Attribution).

MRSA

2007-09-20T18:17:00.001-07:00

POTD 2/12/07 - Biotic
Originally uploaded by sparktography

Do yourself a favor and educate yourself on this "bug": MRSA

After the Wikipedia brief, search the news for the latest outbreaks. "One case of MRSA a day for several months now." Wow. And that's just one doctor speaking!

I recall the warnings about overuse of antibiotics back in my college days in the 1970's. The warnings about creating superbugs were quite clear but went unheeded. It's not that the public ignored the warnings. Certain corporations chose profit over protecting the public. The government failed to inform and regulate because the ever-present lobbyists were on hand to whisper in their corrupt ears that....really....no harm would come of this massive overuse of antibiotics. In fact, we even have antibiotic soaps still in abundance with the public largely uninformed on how their use contributes to the problem.

What are you going to do to help end the corporate stranglehold on our corrupt government here in the United States? Kucinich for President is one solution I'm going to support because I believe Kucinich has a clear understanding of health issues and a compassionate heart to go with that understanding.
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Thanks to sparktography for the picture and for using the Creative Commons Attribute license. Nice photos!

Moving Day

2007-09-19T13:56:00.001-07:00

Moving Day
Originally uploaded by grovesa16

OK, I got all my precious links moved over from my old blog.
I took the time to weed out invalid links. Please let me know if I missed any dead-ends.

So I've been re-visiting all my favorites.....so many!! Since I still have plenty of blog housekeeping chores to do, I'll just mention one fave today:

Real World Radio

Read about two brave young activists trekking their way from north pole to south pole (36,000 miles) via bicycle, sail, ski, and feet. They must have passed thru San Diego very recently. Darn. I would have liked to have met them.
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Thanks to grovesa16 for the picture and for using the Creative Commons Attribute license. cool beans.

Excuse Me !

2007-09-18T17:36:00.000-07:00

shuffle...shuffle....EXCUSE ME....make room, please!

I'm moving from, um, another blog service and have plenty of stuff to cart over here.
Anybody got a pick-up truck I can borrow? :)

In the meantime, here's where I was.