http://cdn.gv.ca Literacy, ecology and the kitchen sink Fri, 19 Feb 2010 02:47:56 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Western culture has an aura of optimism. And Western Christianity has it too. I struggle with this when things go wrong in life. Well meaning people may say: "God's in control. It'll all work out." or "Don't worry, God will provide." Those promises are true, but the optimism of Western culture has ... http://cdn.gv.ca/2010/02/18/optimism-and-reality/ We just made our commitments to living in the Kirkendall community for the next year. There's something about taking a vow that is stirring. Maybe it's thrilling because it's something outside of ourselves, something bigger than just me. Think about what it is like for a refugee who has fled horror ... http://cdn.gv.ca/2010/01/25/the-making-of-vows/ On Earth... the problem had been with cars. The disadvantages involved in pulling lots of black sticky slime from out of the ground where it had been safely hidden out of harm's way, turning it into tar to cover the land with, smoke to fill the air with and pouring ... http://cdn.gv.ca/2010/01/14/douglas-adams-on-transportation/ I was told a story about a group of North Americans who visited a Latin American country to help rebuild after a natural disaster. One day, a truck pulls up with stones for the cement. A local worker begins to shovel it out, one shovelful at a time, while the truck ... http://cdn.gv.ca/2010/01/13/helping-or-hurting/ Can the rich and the poor really work together? Disparity in income and material worth creates such a large barrier. Sanctuary is a church in downtown Toronto that believes that the rich and poor actually need each other. The stereotypical 'homeless' person in North America has some sort of addiction - alcohol ... http://cdn.gv.ca/2010/01/11/helping-each-other/ They are more sanitary than toilet paper They use less water than what is used to manufacture toilet paper (okay, I probably knew that) They are popular around the world except in North America You can get an attachment for your existing toilet for $100 US (http://www.emagazine.com/view/?4948) Washing with water vs. wiping with dry paper. ... http://cdn.gv.ca/2009/12/15/bidets-what-i-didnt-know/ What do you have left when the bottom of your world drops out? Friends can help. And you can dig deep into yourself and reserves of strength there. But what if even those let you down? When I doodled on this during a dark time (doodling helps me to get my thoughts and ... http://cdn.gv.ca/2009/12/10/when-the-bottom-of-your-world-drops-out/ A few years ago (2007) the CBC did a story on the regulations on food products and how product of Canada could mean only 51 percent of the ingredients and production were Canadian. So, that 'fact' was stuck in my head. I was looking today for some labeling regulations for another product ... http://cdn.gv.ca/2009/11/13/product-of-canada-means-made-in-canada-from-canadian-ingredients/ I was doing some math today with some stats I was given on net worth in the US. If all the households in the US with a net worth of at least 1 million donated just 0.01% of that to fight poverty and other charitable activities, an additional 2.3 billion dollars ... http://cdn.gv.ca/2009/11/06/enormous-untapped-resources/ Great video on climate change, and how the positive feedback mechanism could take us from a short man made adjustment to huge temperature changes out of our control. It also explains the ice age / habitable continuum well, in my opinion. It's cute and tells a good message - it's not inevitable ... http://cdn.gv.ca/2009/11/02/wake-up-freak-out-then-get-a-grip/