simple.green.organic.happy.

Weekend Reading

Written by

Robin Strong Elton

in

Posted by Picasa

First and foremost:

Please, please tell the Bush Administration to leave the damn wolves alone already. This request comes directly from my son Maverick the wolf boy. It’s a vicious cycle: wolf numbers get low, they gain protection, numbers increase, protection is lifted, the strongest and best are most hunted. At the same time we encroach on their habitat. We are killing this species.

Learn more about wolves here.

Comments from the public accepted here.

********

Now they are saying #5 plastics are maybe not as safe as they had once thought. Wonderful.

I had tried to stay away from these anyway, as they aren’t recycled in my area, but Maverick’s Laptop Lunch is definitely #5, and probably all of our sturdy Tupperware as well.

But, sending the kids lunch in glass containers? That feels like looking for trouble…

********

Hey, remember how badly I wanted to make my own Muppet? Turns out I can design a Muppet online and have it delivered!

Ohhhhh….the temptation…..

********

They say you can’t judge a book by its cover. ( Well, via Design Crush, maybe you can.)

I do believe in judging books by their titles, and I Was Told There’d Be Cake was almost as awesome a read as the title promised. If you came of age in the 90s, get thee to a library.

********

I like this idea: Why Not Ask Bill Gates to be Secretary of Education?

********

Equally pleasing: Obama daughters: Role Models for Girls Fashion. Cassidy is four and fashion-conscious, and I would love to see girls’ clothing trend towards tasteful and age-appropriate.

********

I am finally nearing the end of my Planet dishwashing powder (hurray!) and thinking about what to try next. Treehugger says this one works as well as Cascade. Excitement!

********

I’ve mentioned before my recent foray into the world of Facebook, so I totally identify with How Facebook Status Updates are Ruining Your Post- Election Social Life (thank you Kristin for sending me the link). Anyone else sympathize?

********

Another article today about rising SPAM sales. A particularly horrifying quote:

Invented during the Great Depression by Jay Hormel, the son of the company’s founder, Spam is a combination of ham, pork, sugar, salt, water, potato starch and a “hint” of sodium nitrate “to help Spam keep its gorgeous pink color,” according to Hormel’s Web site for the product.

Because it is vacuum-sealed in a can and does not require refrigeration, Spam can last for years. Hormel says “it’s like meat with a pause button.”

People, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Spam is not the answer. Pass it on.

********

I love lists: 100 Essential Life Lessons from Marelisa @ The Abundance Blog.

********

And I very much liked Small Notebook’s post on Simplifying and Stewardship.

********

Finally, today is America Recycles Day, which feels like another of those nonsensical, redundant days like Earth Day, Mother’s Day, and Take a Child Outside Day (shouldn’t we be caring about these things on all days?).

I think too much emphasis is put on recycling as opposed to reduce and reuse, but it’s a good “gateway to green”. So go ahead and take the pledge and let’s get everyone through that gate, shall we?

And you? Read anything good lately?

Comments

7 responses to “Weekend Reading”

  1. Stephanie Avatar
    Stephanie

    My weekend reading that interests me is a book I have to read for class next week, called "Identity and Violence: The Illusion of Destiny" by Amartya Sen. Fascinating stuff, in the first two chapters. It's about how singling people out into ONE of their identities creates conflict/violence: like thinking about people in terms of whether they're Republican or Democrat, or Sen's example of thinking of all Muslims as terrorists.

    So maybe I don't hate academia as much as I did two days ago. Heh.

    The idea of Bill Gates in the government is interesting. The one about the Facebook statuses was interesting — funnily, I only have ONE Republican on my friends list, but it got to be too much, as she'd post almost every 5 minutes about how persecuted she was feeling for not approving of Obama. I mean, everyone else just said ONCE that they were excited about Obama. That kind of bitterness really irked me.

    So yes, I can sympathize. But I wish I could understand how people came to these kind of bitter beliefs, over an election of all things.

    Reply
  2. Robin Avatar
    Robin

    Stephanie, what class? That sounds like a good book- let me know what you think of it. I miss taking classes, frankly; I like discussing books with people who've read it, but haven't found a "book club" local to me that I'm comfortable with.

    I love the idea of Bill Gates being involved with education; there is a man who really thought outside the box.

    Facebook is an all-around odd experience. Sort of like high school all over again. I am most resentful of people who fault me for being an idealist. Why is that a bad thing? When we all become pessimists, resigned to things as they are, then it's all over.

    Reply
  3. Stephanie Avatar
    Stephanie

    Robin – It's for "Intro to International Studies: Globalization". I'm not entirely sure what I think of Intl. Studies and what it means, but I do like this book so far. I should have it finished by Thurs.; I can let you know if I recommend it then.

    I think you've brought up my chief complaint with the class, though: instead of discussing the book we read, we tend to answer a question based on the book, but with answers based on our past experiences and opinions. That, and I'm shy in groups and wish I could talk about the books we read with one or two people. 😉 And I can't seem to find people as enthusiastic about the readings.

    People, especially in high school, don't like things that are different. Perhaps idealism seems to them as something especially different, and that which we should persecute? I don't know. Facebook really is an odd experience. I'm just glad the majority of the people at my school use it instead of MySpace… for me, that would be worse… I never wanted to sign up for either in the first place!

    Reply
  4. Joanne Avatar
    Joanne

    The wolves – I don't understand our interference to control the numbers. Doesn't Nature have a way of taking care of herself?

    Enjoyed your post, the recycling vs reduce & reuse reminded me of the way we are supposed to use our natural resource – water – to clean out our recyclables. I like reduce & reuse better.

    Reply
  5. krispykritter Avatar
    krispykritter

    Hi Robin! Great post, lots of interesting reading.

    I am so with you on the problem of dressing little girls these days. It's not too bad while the size still ends with a "T", but it gets a little scary beyond that. I worked in a department store many moons ago, and couldn't believe the satin-y bikini underwear in the 4-6X department. In the age of Hannah Montana, I am looking forward to the First Daughters setting a good example for my now 3 year-old daughter and little girls everywhere.

    Regarding Facebook…I am guilty of leaving angry status reports after the election. While I believe Obama is bad for our country, that doesn't make me racist, anti-gay, anti-environment, or any of the number of things I have been called in the wake of his election. I have no problem with idealism. I also don't have a problem with people who voted based on sound decision-making. My beef is with the people who don't think, like my very best friend who believes she deserves to be on welfare and that he will get her there, or the woman at an Obama rally who thinks she won't have to pay for gas or her mortgage now. Anyway, regarding the article, I think it's a little harsh to "un-friend" people who just don't agree with you, unless they are just so completely offensive, which I hope I wasn't! I also wonder how angry the status reports would have been had the outcome been different. It's healthy to disagree and dialogue is important, as long as we can be respectful while we do it.

    Reply
  6. Marelisa Avatar
    Marelisa

    Hi Robin: Thank you for the link. I think you're right that our first priority should be to learn to do with less (reduce). That's fixing the problem at the root.

    Reply
  7. Robin Avatar
    Robin

    Stephanie, it's very important to me that you know I too was forced into Facebook! I don't know why, but I need you to know I didn't go into it vountarily. The high school loner in me really fought the idea of joining. Now, of course, I'm fine with it.

    Joanne, wolves get a bad rap. One wolf takes down a sheep or some chickens and everyone goes nuts- but if wolves had sufficient land to hunt, they wouldn't come near people. They need to eat too.

    krispykritter, the most exciting thing for me about this election was how much people cared. Cared enough to research, enough to start dialogues, to reach out to people. I also believe a good debate is healthy- sharpens the mind, gets the blood pumping, and clarifies your own opinions. I really hope to see this personal investment carry over even though the election is over.

    I have no intention of de-friending anyone. I would never expect every person to hold the same opinions I do, and I enjoy arguing my side- sometimes even more so when I know there's no chance in Hades of changing the other person's mind. I did find it unsettling that people I thought I knew well held positions differing from what I BELIEVED their positions to be. Such is life, yes? We are constantly discovering new things about each other and seeing our preconceptions disproven.

    I once believed that it was better to abstain from voting if you didn't know anything about the political climate. What are your thoughts on this?

    Marelisa, thank you for visiting! Your site is a constant source of inspiration. I think all enviro-geeks are holding our breath, waiting to see if the economic woes might have a silver lining: a post-consumer culture where people weigh not only the financial aspects of a purchase but the environmental impact as well. A new and responsible perspective. We shall see.

    Reply

Leave a Reply to krispykritter Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

More posts