There Will be Blood

I can't help but think of the greed and obsession that Upton Sinclair writes about in "Oil!" as I watch another day go by without any solution to the oil catastrophe in the Gulf. It's almost too much - my stomach hurts and I lose my appetite every time I see another headline about the BP spill - almost enough to make me callous to the whole situation.

But we can't be callous. Not when we're losing thousands of wildlife a day. Not when countless people are volunteering to try to clean up someone else's mess. Not when this catastrophe threatens to become bigger than it already is.

I already boycott Citgo because Chavez is a thug. Now you can add BP to the list of places I won't fill up at.

But herein lies the problem. While the bigger solution is to vote against legislation that calls for offshore drilling, that really implies an independence from oil. So...what do we do? Wind power would be optimal, but as we've seen with the controversy on Cape Cod, it brings its own set of problems. And solar power would be great, but it's costly and may not provide the magnitude of energy we need. It's no secret that we get the biggest bang out of oil...it's the most efficient of all the energy resources we have. But we've got to find another way.

Maybe this, then, is what makes my stomach hurt: that while this disaster makes us re-examine our choices and options, it may not ultimately make an impact on our behavior in the long run.

And that's scary, especially since we know history repeats itself.

Because of a Mouse

I heard this on NPR this morning and thought it was touching. And it's a good reminder about how to think about our fellow humans (remember, humans are animals, too).

You can click here for the NPR link, but here is the short of it:

The chemist, Joseph Priestly (who discovered Oxygen) wanted to discover how it was that we breathed. So he conducted experiments on mice. In particular, he would put mice in a tank, remove all oxygen from the tank and watch what happened to the mouse (it would die). He did these experiments over and over again. Keep in mind that this is 1773.

One night, Joseph packed up to leave his lab and he placed a mouse in a cage on his desk. This was to be the mouse he was going to experiment on the next day. After he left, his lab assistant, Anna, was cleaning up and had this moment with the mouse – she looked at it, it looked at her – and she had this epiphany. So she penned this poem, from the point of view of the mouse, and stuck it between the bars of the cage:

For here forlorn and sad I sit
Within the wiry grate,
And tremble at the
approaching morn
Which brings impending fate…

The well-taught
philosophic mind
To all compassion gives,
Casts round the world an equal eye
And feels for all that lives.

We don’t know the fate of that little field mouse, but it’s the first written record of animal rights.

But no matter what the fate of the mouse, the story a great reminder to “cast an equal eye and feel for all that lives” within this world – for all animals (including humans).

Prayers to God

We've started our annual Spring Cleaning (it's amazing how much stuff you can accumulate in one year) and I came across my catechism books from when I taught Faith Formation to sixth-graders last year. As part of our weekly activity, we had index cards where the children could write their prayer requests. They were anonymous and it was a way to get the kids to think about God at least once a week.

So I came across these prayer requests as I was doing our spring cleaning. And I was amused and touched by some of the requests and thought I'd share some of them below. It's a good way to think about our own lives and repentance as we continue Lent:

Dear God, help me be nice to others so I can make more friends.

Help me do better at school. Mostly at science.

God, help the people heal from diseases.

God, bless those in danger and feed the hamster.

Dear Lord, I hope I get more A's on my midterms and report card.

I pray that my grandma gets out of the hospital.

Dear God, keep my bestest best friend (for life) in your care.

For Doug. Please be with him in heaven.

I pray that my little brother lives a pretty easy life with diabetes.

I pray that I find the right guy in life.

That world peace will happen sooner.

Dear God, thank you for what you've given us. We hope for more accomplishments in life.

Amen.

The argument for Market Research

I sometimes get asked: What, exactly, is market research? From now on, I think I'll just use this as an example of why a business would want to do market research on a new idea:

From The Economist:

International hotel chain Holiday Inn is offering a trial human bed-warming service at three hotels in Britain this month.

If requested, a willing staff-member at two of the chain's London hotels and one in the northern English city of Manchester will dress in an all-in-one fleece sleeper suit before slipping between the sheets.

The bed-warmer is equipped with a thermometer to measure the bed's required temperature of 20 degrees Celsius (68 Fahrenheit).

Holiday Inn said the warmer would be fully dressed and leave the bed before the guest occupied it. They could not confirm if the warmer would shower first, but said hair would be covered.

Holiday Inn are promoting the service with the help of sleep-expert Chris Idzikowski, director of the Edinburgh Sleep Center, who said the idea could help people sleep.

Now, I do my fair share of sleeping in hotel beds and I spend much of my time trying NOT to think of the different people who have slept in my bed and what they may have been doing in that bed before I checked in. So to know that there was definitely another person in your bed moments before you entered the room is a little disgusting...and creepy.

Return to Simplicity

I've noticed a trend in the grocery stores lately: processed foods becoming less, well, processed. Or, at least, the perception of being less processed.

It started with Hagen-Daas, with their new "Five" ice cream. The ice cream only has five ingredients, giving a feeling of being pure and more natural. I bought into the hype and it is pretty good ice cream (although Breyers also has about five natural ingredients and is quite a bit less expensive. And can you really get any better than Breyers Vanilla? No, no you can't.)

And then today I see that Pillsbury is jumping on the bandwagon, with their premium ready-to-bake cookies. They also have about five ingredients, but beware - the five main ingredients are bolded in the ingredients section and each are followed by several ingredients in parentheses. Which brings their total ingredients up to about twelve. But they tout all natural ingredients, no high-fructose corn syrup and all natural flavors.

I've seen this same trend in Starbucks and, to a certain degree, at McDonalds. There seems to be a move away from all those ingredients you can't name and to something more natural.

I guess this is good- people know that all those added ingredients can't be good and aren't found in natural foods. People want to eat healthier. People want to get back to basics - not only with their finances but with their food, too.

Of course, nothing can beat the real thing you make in your kitchen. No preservatives, no MSG, no corn syrup. All ingredients found in nature.

One of the best inventions ever

Winter has sort of crept slowly into North Carolina, with some chilly weather but nothing that's even closely representative of early December. (In fact, we're due to have 67 degree weather tomorrow...this is how people get sick!)

But the temperatures have been cool enough to break out the sweaters and pashminas-turned-scarves, and that means that one of my favorite winter inventions has been taken out of storage. I am talking about, of course, the crock pot.

There are few things better than coming home to a house full of delicious aromas and knowing that dinner is ready. The crock pot has gotten a ton of use these past couple of weeks and it just makes dinner so easy and cheap.

I still think the washing machine is one of the best adventures ever and probably did more to liberate women than any bra burning, but the crock pot gets points for convenience, healthiness and simplicity!

Mac Fun

Scott and I love our new iMac...we got it back in the summer and have still been exploring with it ever since. My favorite application is iMovie, and we had a little fun, using Deacon as our test subject. I thought I'd share our creation (and our lovable dog) with you all...Enjoy!

Life

I received an e-mail today asking for donations to the Atlanta Humane Society. The story, found here, is about a dog that someone set on fire and the Atlanta Human Society has helped to rescue it. They are asking for donations to help cover the more than $6,500 in expenses to save this dog.

I am torn by this request. No doubt, we have a responsibility to protect and nurture all life - no matter the species, ethnicity or the stage. But it is extremely sad to me that people will donate $6,500 to help a dog and not donate that same money to help one another. At what point did we start cherishing a dog's life more than our own?

Maybe we've become callous. After all, there are many human rights atrocities happening around the world, from Darfur to China to the homeless on our own neighborhood streets. We see it all the time and have become desensitized...but we are still compassionate people and so our hearts - and wallets - turn to animals who are abused and neglected.

Or maybe we don't see humans as "innocent" and feel that the less fortunate may have caused their situations through their own actions. Or that they will use our money for something other than good. Or that they are just not good people.

Or maybe it's too uncomfortable to help those who are less fortunate. We feel somewhat ashamed of our own fortune and lifestyle and can't quite look those others in the eye. It's easier to help someone who won't judge us or cause us to feel guilty of our lifestyle.

But regardless of what we feel or what we think, we need to care as a society. We hve a responsibility to protect all life, yes. But that does not mean we get to choose which kind of life we protect. Perhaps if we had a respect for human life, that would trickle down to having a respect for animals and for the earth. We are all interconnected and so if we are going to give money to save a dog, then we should also do what we can to save a human, to save a tree.

Spending $6,500 on a dog is a sin when there is someone in our own community who could use that money to feed their family, pay their heating bills, to get back on their feet.

A little healthcare humor

With all the angst of the healthcare debate, T-Pain decides to liven it up a bit.

U2 Rocks Raleigh

My whole body is sore and aches. That is a testament to how good the U2 concert was on Saturday.

I've been a huge U2 fan for a long time, so when I heard they were coming to Raleigh, I was super excited. They played in Carter-Finley stadium (NC State's football stadium) and it looked like a sold-out show, which meant there were more than 60,000 people there, making it the largest concert I've ever been to.

The set is one of the largest ever built for a concert and it looked like a spaceship. The music was great and U2 did a phenomenal job, but among the large crowd and the large set, it was one of the most intimate and moving concerts I've been to.

It's amazing that 60,000 people of all shapes and sizes and colors could come together and have fun. No violence. No prejudice. No anger. Just all singing together in perfect pitch, 120,000 arms waving in sync with one another. If we could do this for 2 hours, imagine what we could do with the rest of our lives.

Of course, that's the social message U2 is all about, and it came through loud and clear during the concert. Desmond Tutu even gave a message of love and unity during on of the encores.

Awesome, awesome concert.

Mugabe is spelled A-W-E-S-O-M-E

What's dirtier than a thug? A thug who denies his dirtiness.

You can read the full story here, but here are a few gems from Mugabe's interview with CNN's Christiane Amanpour:

Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe, in a rare interview Thursday, depicted himself as an African hero battling imperialism and foreign attempts to oust him rather than the widespread perception of a dictator clinging to power at the expense of the welfare of his people and country.

He denied that his country is in economic shambles, saying it grew enough food last year to feed all its people, and defended policies that have driven white farmers off their land as properly restoring that land to indigenous Africans.

"The land reform is the best thing (that) could have ever have happened to an African country," said Mugabe, a former revolutionary leader who came to power when white-ruled Rhodesia became black-ruled Zimbabwe. "It has to do with national sovereignty."

It was Mugabe's first interview with a Western television network in several years, and he appeared to get frustrated with some of Amanpour's direct questioning,
repeatedly denying widely accepted evidence and reports on his nation's woes.

Mugabe also denied any responsibility for harm to the nation from his economic policies, instead blaming what he called "unjustified" and "illegal" sanctions that he said were intended to bring regime change.

He also rejected criticism from South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu, a Nobel Peace Prize winner for his role in the anti-apartheid struggle, who has accused Mugabe of turning Zimbabwe into a "basket case" and repressing his own people.

"It's not a basket case at all," Mugabe said. He later called Tutu's comments "devilish talk" and added: "He doesn't know what he's talking about, the little man."

Awesome.

Is there a warranty with that?

It's been raining for a few days in Raleigh. Not nearly as hard as it is in Atlanta, I imagine, but I bet we're getting some of the tail end of their storms.

As I walked into our brand-new Raleigh airport this morning (as in, just opened about a year ago), I noticed those gray security bins strategically placed throughout the airport. It took a while for me to figure out what was going on and then I realized - they were acting as rain buckets for the leaks coming through the roof.

Leaks through the roof??! The building was just built a year ago. And we're not talking about one or two leaks, but at least 20 security bins were placed throughout various areas of the airport. I wonder if they bought the home warranty.

It's not always race

Jimmy Carter's comments today are a little disturbing. Yes, there is continued racial disparity in this country and there are people who do not accept our President because he is black. But to suggest that to oppose a President's ideas and policies is to be a racist is dangerous. Does this mean that no matter what the President presents to Congress, the country must accept it or else be branded a racist?

We need to fight against racism and be open to all people and ideas. But the anger people have over the healthcare debate cannot all be attributed to racism. It is attributed to disagreement with certain policies. It is attributed to anger over having to change from the status quo. It is attributed to a change that people are unsure about the future and how that change will affect them.

So saying that racism is fueling the anger threatens censorship, it threatens a healthy debate. At some point, you gotta stop playing the race card and accept that disagreement comes from a fundamental difference in political ideologies, not from the color of your skin.

I'm not sure what we gain by going down this road. There are bigger fish to fry and bigger issues to resolve. Using the "r' word doesn't accomplish much. Yes, this country should have a larger discussion about race, but to do it within the forum of political disagreement is unproductive and dangerous to our country's ability - and freedom - to debate.

What's all the fuss about?

I'm travelling overseas for work this week, and so have been a bit disconnected from the rest of the world. So I was surprised when I pulled up CNN.com today and saw some controversy around Obama addressing America's school children tomorrow. Some parents were even threatening to keep their kids from school so they wouldn't hear the speech. Nothing like a little censorship to promote American ideals.

So I decided to read the speech (you can read it yourself here). Now, there are a few cheesy lines in the speech and I think he makes his point one time too many (we get it, Obama), but nothing in there is controversial. In fact, I'm totally surprised Republicans are all up in arms - the speech is all about personal responsibility, something that Republicans believe in. It's about staying in school, getting an education and making the most of your life.

For a country that lags behind the rest of the world in science and math, this is not such a bad thing. Anything, in fact, that helps to promote education is a good thing. Because let's be honest - nobody can take away your education. And an education is the quickest way out of a bad situation and into a better one.

Let our children be inspired. Maybe it's the adults who are too cynical and too political. This isn't about politics - it's about making our future generation the best it can possibly be. And the only way to do that is through education.

Fat

Did you know that 2/3 of American's are overweight? That's 200 million people, with half of those people classifed as obese. That's absolutely crazy. So a couple of interesting tidbits that I randomly came across this past week:

First, it costs over $117 billion a year to treat obesity-related illnesses. No wonder our health care system is in shambles. Hopefully, part of that 1,000 page health care bill provides some kind of preventative education coverage where we can educate people on how to avoid putting on the pounds and, thus, reducing the total cost of our health care.

The next interesting thing was that I was talking to an OB/GYN and he said that cases of infertility have been rising over the years and they think here is actually a correlation with obesity. His overweight and obese patients have a much harder time getting pregnant than those that are skinnier and in shape. Now, perhaps that has something to do with obesity-related illnesses, but that brings us back to point number 1.

KFC just launched a new sandwich in two test markets this week (Nebraska and Rhode Island): the Double Down. It's bacon, two kinds of cheeses and sauce, all piled between two pieces of fried chicken. That's right - no bread, so you don't have to worry about all those carbs. That sounds disgusting, but I bet it's testing great in the markets.

And lastly - and the most disturbing thing I've seen in a while - is the CDC's data and trends on obesity in America over the past 20 years. Wow. You can watch the slideshow here.

I'm not trying to say all this to be mean. Everyone should be treated with dignity and respect and there are circumstances where no matter what people do, they are still going to develop obesity for whatever reason. But our culture and lifestyle is clearly fueling this epidemic and perhaps we need to be more open about this situation to educate those who don't know that their food and behaviors can lead to long-lasting health and cost consequences.

Our health is one of the most important things that we have. Without it, we can't be happy, we can't be successful, we can't live. We need to do more as a nation to be healthier and to value our health - it's all we got.

Very sneaky

Has anyone else recently noticed that prices on iTunes have suddenly changed? What once was $0.99 across the board has quietly risen to $1.29. At first, I thought this was just for the more popular songs, with artists trying to cash in on song popularity. But then I went to download "California Dreamin'", and noticed that it, too, was $1.29. Now, unless the Mamas and the Papas are making a sudden comeback, I'm guessing that iTunes is starting to make the jump for all songs.

It's funny, because 30 cents doesn't seem like that big of a deal. But psychology works in strange ways...I really find myself contemplating whether I NEED certain songs, because $1.29 seems like more of an investment than $0.99.

I get that with the cost of living increasing, the cost of songs must increase, too. But it seems a little sneaky. I think I would have been less shocked - and resistant to the price increase - if it was announced on iTunes. Just let me know that things are going to be a-changing.

London is very rainy

Last month, my mother, sister and I took a little bonding trip to London. I know, it's quite a ways to go to bond, but the idea was that my sister (who studied abroad there in college) could show us around and we could peer a bit into her life.

We had a great time and it was fun to get to know my family a little better, which is hard, now that we're scattered around the country and don't get to talk too often.

Most of the time in London was spent in the city, doing some of the

typical touristy things; but we also took the train to Bath, met some interesting people along the way, and ate some of the most delicious food (who said English food is terrible?).

One thing about London was that it was COLD! At the end of July, we were enjoying weather in the low 60s with lots of rain on and off throughout the day. Londoners, apparently, abide by the motto to "dress like an onion." It's totally accurate...I never knew when to put on or take off layers!

Stories from the road

My day started in Indianapolis, wandered to Phoenix, landed in Sacramento, and drove to Kirkwood, California. Travel is an amazing thing.

While in airports and on airplanes (and just in general, really), I tend to talk to the people around me. I find it interesting to meet different people and hear their stories and I usually hope to learn something along the way, or at least be entertained.

The Key to a Happy Marriage:

In Indianapolis this morning, I started chatting with an older couple in the security line. They were on their way to Vegas to celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary. Since I had just celebrated my 5th year anniversary, I asked them what the secret was to a happy 40 years.

The wife told me "Patience." And to avoid thinking of and using the terms "me, mine, my, I." Good advice, although something we have all heard a time or two before.

The husband, who was a pastor, gave a slightly different take. "We made an agreement early in our marriage: whoever asks for the divorce has to take the kids." Now this makes sense to me. If you're going to break up the marriage, you have to take a bit of the punishment along with it. I'm thinking of implementing this rule with Scott.

A Surprise Visit Home:

On the ride from Phoenix to Sacramento, I sat next to a soldier who couldn't have been more than 20 years old. He had been deployed in Afghanistan, where he was an explosives engineer. After a month and a half over there, he had been shot by sniper and has been recovering in Kuwait and Germany over the past three weeks or so. This weekend, he was flying home to see his family for four days.

The touching part was that his family didn't know he was coming home. And to top it off, he was going to ask his girlfriend of four years to marry him. He reached into his greens and pulled out the ring to show me (it was very sparkly and very beautiful). You could tell he was nervous and excited.

Whenever I meet an active-duty soldier, I get a little teary-eyed and can feel the emotion catch in my chest. I think part of it is that I'm kind of a selfish person (hence, no kids) and for someone to be that self-less to put their lives in danger for me makes me emotional.

This soldier is going to be deployed again in January, and is totally excited about it. I'm sure there are going to be lots of happy tears this weekend!

A scenic drive:

My travels today ended not with a story, but with pictures. I had the most beautiful drive from Sacramento to Kirkwood, which is someplace east of Sacramento and south of Lake Tahoe. The trees and mountains were breathtaking, and I stopped a few times to take pictures, which don't do the view justice. What wonderful stories and a wonderful drive to kick off a wedding weekend!

I'd tap that

What did we do before bottled water?

The whole idea of bottled water seems silly to me. With the exception of Fiji water, it all tastes the same to me, and no different from tap water (and, in fact, some companies have admitted to just bottling local tap water). And not to even mention the environmental impact, which is atrocious. It's almost like we're polluting the earth for no real beneficial reason...and that's just wasteful.

Americans spend $16 billion dollars a year on bottled water. That's more money per year than we spend on the Iraq war. And, like the war, the effects of those bottles will hang around for years and years to come.

So I was amused and excited to see a new initiative taking place in NYC. It's called TapIt, and it's a network of cafe owners who sign up as partners and allow people to pop in and fill up their reusable water bottles for free. So you're able to have easy access to free tap water, on the go. It's a win-win-win for everyone involved - it cuts back on waste (good for the planet), gives water to people (good for thirsty people) and gives business and exposure to the cafes (good for capitalism).

You can find out more at TapIt.

Our tap water is among the cleanest in the world. And yet that's still not good enough for us. If we stop to appreciate what we have here and use it, then perhaps we'd make an impact on our world.

Harmonious Beer

I'm not going to even talk about the Beer Summit that went down at the White House today. I'm not talking about it because it's absolutely ridiculous that this situation should even be a blip on the President's radar. I'm not going to talk about it because it's absolutely ridiculous that this whole situation should be treated to drinks, like a bunch of college friends getting together to catch up. I'm not going to talk about it because it's, frankly, embarrassing to our country.

But I am going to talk about the beer.

Apparently, the choice of beer caused a bit of a stir, as well, with one Massachusetts congressman wanting Sam Adams to be the only beer of choice. Budweiser is now owned by a Belgium company and Coors and Miller are owned by UK conglomerates. So, Sam Adams is the natural, all-American, all-Boston choice for the White House to serve.

Nothing like a silly political controversy that gives root to another silly political controversy.

My favorite quote, though, was from Jim Koch, the founder and brewer of Sam Adams. He would choose to make a special beer for the event:

"I'd make a blend of ingredients from all over the world. Which is certainly what's represented there with the three participants," he said. "I would blend those ingredients together artfully and harmoniously, because that's really what we all hope for."

Let's all take our cue from Koch...raise your glass of beer, take a chug, and leave this silliness behind.