I refer you to my previous posting: The only reason a gun exists is to kill.
And I encourage you to visit this web site, The Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence, and, if not become a member, at least read the information.
I believe in freedom of speech. I love words. But as a society we must start doing a better job of choosing words to express what we feel. Tone down the violent talk.
Keep in mind that media commentators are being paid to do what they do. I once knew a radio personality who told me that he easily could do any radio show -- religious, right wing, left wing -- if he was paid enough. This admission was an eye opener for me. Take everything with a grain of salt. Read widely, listen to various reports from different sectors of our society.
Pay attention to the sponsors of the different shows that you watch and listen to. The money is coming from the sponsors for these people to be on air.
Remember, as a commentator is whipping you into a frenzy, that he or she is sitting in a studio or perhaps a room at their home while broadcasting. As soon as that camera stops running, he or she will go grab a bite to eat, run errands, play golf, take a trip, visit a friend . . .. These people are regular human beings just like you.
The only difference is that they have your ear for 30 minutes or an hour. Take that into consideration. These people are no more intelligent than you are. Don't let them whip you into a frenzy. Think about what is being said. Consider it. Study it. You will realize that most of their words are hot air spoken to fill space between the commercials.
The delivery of our information through various media becomes more intimate every day. Be wary of this for it is a false intimacy.
Commentators and hosts of shows get paid to do what they do and the American people are falling for it. Shame on all of us.
Monday, January 10, 2011
Encourage your children to linger longer at the sink.
The holiday season is over and now 'tis the Big Time Party Season for the germs. During November and December, families traveled to visit cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents, friends . . . and now everyone is back to their routines of school and work. And colds and other viruses are on the move. (Hopefully, everyone has had their flu and pneumonia vaccinations and young children are up to date on their vaccinations.)
We all know we need to wash our hands more often. In cold weather, that prospect isn't very appealing, but, still it needs to be done.
At this link on Videojug I've posted ideas for encouraging your children to linger longer at the sink.
How to get your kids to wash their hands.
And, during this winter season, it's a good idea to have hand lotion on hand to keep your and your little ones' hands moisturized.
We all know we need to wash our hands more often. In cold weather, that prospect isn't very appealing, but, still it needs to be done.
At this link on Videojug I've posted ideas for encouraging your children to linger longer at the sink.
How to get your kids to wash their hands.
And, during this winter season, it's a good idea to have hand lotion on hand to keep your and your little ones' hands moisturized.
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Rainbow Trees
It's difficult to get through January, isn't it? We should change January to "JustGetThroughIt." A day with sunshine in January is truly a wonderful day. It's on those days we should be ready with a rainbow tree so we can have rainbows dancing in our house.
Here's how you can have a rainbow tree:
A rainbow tree for your house.
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Shooting in Tucson
Giffords shot in Tucson
I refer you to my recent posting: The only reason a gun exists is to kill
I ask you. Is this what we want for our country? Everytime I think we cannot sink any lower, something happens to prove that, yes, indeed, we can.
We've become so immune to mass killings that this afternoon, while trying to find additional information about the Tucson shootings, I could only find something Telemundo. It was sports as usual on all the other networks.
I refer you to my recent posting: The only reason a gun exists is to kill
I ask you. Is this what we want for our country? Everytime I think we cannot sink any lower, something happens to prove that, yes, indeed, we can.
We've become so immune to mass killings that this afternoon, while trying to find additional information about the Tucson shootings, I could only find something Telemundo. It was sports as usual on all the other networks.
Chickasha Wal-Mart has Quinoa
Yea!!! The Wal-Mart in Chickasha has started carrying quinoa grain. It's on the same aisle as the rice. Now if Wal-Mart would only start carrying quinoa flour, I'd be in "Quinoa Heaven." I had been ordering it through Amazon, but it's nice to see that this super food has made it into the hinterlands and you know it's arrived, if you find it on an aisle at Wal-Mart!
If you haven't cooked with quinoa, you need to. It's a great way to introduce a nutritious food into your diet. According to Claire Burnett and Laurie Scanlin, featured in Quinoa 365 by sisters Patricia Green and Carolyn Hemming, quinoa was once regarded more valuable than gold by the indigenous peoples of the Andean Mountain regions of Peru and Bolivia. Quinoa was so valuable to the people that when the Spanish came in the 1500s, they set out to destroy all the fields of quinoa in order to control the culture. (Sound familiar re: the United States and the Native Americans?) But this isn't a political lament.
Quinoa is a complete protein and gluten-free. Quinoa is rich in vitamins E, B2 and B6, folic acid, potassium, calcium, biotin, iron, copper, magnesium, manganese and chloride. It's a food worth getting to know well.
Below is a link to my recipe for Quinoa Medley posted on Videojug.com.
Quinoa Medley
Jump start 2011 with a new food. Try it, you'll like it!
If you haven't cooked with quinoa, you need to. It's a great way to introduce a nutritious food into your diet. According to Claire Burnett and Laurie Scanlin, featured in Quinoa 365 by sisters Patricia Green and Carolyn Hemming, quinoa was once regarded more valuable than gold by the indigenous peoples of the Andean Mountain regions of Peru and Bolivia. Quinoa was so valuable to the people that when the Spanish came in the 1500s, they set out to destroy all the fields of quinoa in order to control the culture. (Sound familiar re: the United States and the Native Americans?) But this isn't a political lament.
Quinoa is a complete protein and gluten-free. Quinoa is rich in vitamins E, B2 and B6, folic acid, potassium, calcium, biotin, iron, copper, magnesium, manganese and chloride. It's a food worth getting to know well.
Below is a link to my recipe for Quinoa Medley posted on Videojug.com.
Quinoa Medley
Jump start 2011 with a new food. Try it, you'll like it!
Friday, January 7, 2011
The only reason a gun exists is to kill.
"A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."
The second amendment to the United State Constitution was proposed September 25, 1789; it was ratified December 15, 1791.
These twenty-seven words continue to be misinterpreted into the 21st century. I am alarmed by how many states are leaning toward and adopting carry weapon laws. And, on January 6, 2011, New Hampshire legislators were given the right to carry handguns onto New Hampshire's House floor . . . they just can't flash them.
(Now that's a mental picture!)
And, here, in my part of Oklahoma, on a relatively quiet country road, we have a neighbor down the road that drives around looking for his dog with a revolver sitting on his passenger seat and another neighbor, during last year's ice storm, that walked around his front yard with a visible holstered revolver. I don't feel any safer knowing these guys are carrying guns. Instead, I find it alarming.
In 1780, the estimated colonial population of the United States was 2,780,400. (Source for colonial population.)
In 2010, the population of the United States was 308,745,538. (Source: US population as of 2010)
When the second amendment was written, much of the North American continent was still unsettled. I'll not deny the rights of settlers to maintain weapons to kill for food supply and protection, but the second amendment clearly sets out that the right to keep and bear arms is for a well regulated Militia, not for the entire population to have guns. The United States is settled now and all of our states do have National Guards as well as state guards.
Our founding fathers never envisioned over 308,745,538 of us, living in close quarters, running around with handguns or semi-automatic weapons.
Forget those fictional "death panels" that have been bandied about by conservative pundits over the past year. The United States already has a culture of death. Everyone is afraid of everyone else and unfortunately we all have the right to keep and bear arms.
Passions run high and triggers are easy to pull.
The only reason a gun exists is to kill.
Link to a cause I support:
Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence
The second amendment to the United State Constitution was proposed September 25, 1789; it was ratified December 15, 1791.
These twenty-seven words continue to be misinterpreted into the 21st century. I am alarmed by how many states are leaning toward and adopting carry weapon laws. And, on January 6, 2011, New Hampshire legislators were given the right to carry handguns onto New Hampshire's House floor . . . they just can't flash them.
(Now that's a mental picture!)
And, here, in my part of Oklahoma, on a relatively quiet country road, we have a neighbor down the road that drives around looking for his dog with a revolver sitting on his passenger seat and another neighbor, during last year's ice storm, that walked around his front yard with a visible holstered revolver. I don't feel any safer knowing these guys are carrying guns. Instead, I find it alarming.
In 1780, the estimated colonial population of the United States was 2,780,400. (Source for colonial population.)
In 2010, the population of the United States was 308,745,538. (Source: US population as of 2010)
When the second amendment was written, much of the North American continent was still unsettled. I'll not deny the rights of settlers to maintain weapons to kill for food supply and protection, but the second amendment clearly sets out that the right to keep and bear arms is for a well regulated Militia, not for the entire population to have guns. The United States is settled now and all of our states do have National Guards as well as state guards.
Our founding fathers never envisioned over 308,745,538 of us, living in close quarters, running around with handguns or semi-automatic weapons.
Forget those fictional "death panels" that have been bandied about by conservative pundits over the past year. The United States already has a culture of death. Everyone is afraid of everyone else and unfortunately we all have the right to keep and bear arms.
Passions run high and triggers are easy to pull.
The only reason a gun exists is to kill.
Link to a cause I support:
Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence
Thursday, January 6, 2011
A $6,000 Handbag
The January 3, 2011 The New Yorker has an interesting article "Just Have Less" by John Colapinto about designer Tomas Maier of Bottega Veneta. The profile drew me in even though I am not and will never be in that class (yes, there are classes in this democracy known as the USA) of people that can afford (or desire) a $6,000 handbag. I am fascinated, however, by the personalities of the people that create these products. (Martha Stewart has two of these bags, one in black and one in brown. Think of that the next time you are watching her show and she's showing you how to make doodads out of things lying around the house.)
An anti-label man, Maier's $6,000 bag, the Cabat, is made with a northern Italian leather weaving technique known as intrecciato. It sounds like an intricate and difficult craft. Still, $6,000?
However, kudos to Tomas Maier for the following statement: "At Botega, we pay our artisans in Vicenze properly, with benefits, and excellent working conditions."
Perhaps there would be more $6,000 bags if the USA didn't export its work to other countries where workers there are paid very minimally.
What would the products we purchase at Wal-Mart, K-Mart, JC Penneys (yes, I'm of the class that frequent those stores) . . . what would the products cost if we were to factor in a living, fair wage, with benefits, for the people who make these things for us? It's something to think about.
And, as Maier pointed out, consumers in the USA ". . . have simply been trained to want too much stuff."
We buy lots of poorly made things. We go for quantity over quality. And, while $6,000 still seems like a very steep, outrageous price to pay for a handbag, I do understand Tomas Maier's logic. Thank you, Mr. Colapinto, for an engaging article about an interesting man in a puzzling industry.
Two places which I frequently visit that do pay fair wages and make wonderful clothing and accessories are:
Deva Lifewear and MarketPlace: Handwork of India
Reasonably priced clothing without the guilt of wondering if what you are wearing was made in a sweatshop.
Check them out!
Happy New Year!
An anti-label man, Maier's $6,000 bag, the Cabat, is made with a northern Italian leather weaving technique known as intrecciato. It sounds like an intricate and difficult craft. Still, $6,000?
However, kudos to Tomas Maier for the following statement: "At Botega, we pay our artisans in Vicenze properly, with benefits, and excellent working conditions."
Perhaps there would be more $6,000 bags if the USA didn't export its work to other countries where workers there are paid very minimally.
What would the products we purchase at Wal-Mart, K-Mart, JC Penneys (yes, I'm of the class that frequent those stores) . . . what would the products cost if we were to factor in a living, fair wage, with benefits, for the people who make these things for us? It's something to think about.
And, as Maier pointed out, consumers in the USA ". . . have simply been trained to want too much stuff."
We buy lots of poorly made things. We go for quantity over quality. And, while $6,000 still seems like a very steep, outrageous price to pay for a handbag, I do understand Tomas Maier's logic. Thank you, Mr. Colapinto, for an engaging article about an interesting man in a puzzling industry.
Two places which I frequently visit that do pay fair wages and make wonderful clothing and accessories are:
Deva Lifewear and MarketPlace: Handwork of India
Reasonably priced clothing without the guilt of wondering if what you are wearing was made in a sweatshop.
Check them out!
Happy New Year!
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