The least that can be done!

         I talk a lot about contributing and volunteering! I also know how hard it is when your trying to raise a family, work and make it in today's economic climate. There is one thing that you can do, you can change things by the way you spend your money. Like it or not,  Money powers the world. When your shopping look for companies that display the 1% for the planet sticker. That way you know these companies are dedicated to helping the planet by giving 1% of there profits to charitable organizations. If you own a business and your making a reasonable profit you should join this group. Also look for items that are endorsed by the Rainforest Action Network. That way you know that product was sustainably harvested and  the workers are fairly treated. I must admit the products are a little more expensive but I also find them better quality. The coffee I buy goes on sale from time to time and that's when I tend to stock up on it. The more you support these groups and companies through your buying decisions the more companies will join and the better life will be for the planet and the future of our children.

"I Shook Up the world"

     Just finished reading an article about Muhammad Ali. It reminded me of when I used to watch him fight.
He claimed to be the "Greatest"! Was he the greatest boxer? I think so, but it is debatable.
     I think he was the greatest, not for his boxing but because he stood by his principles no matter what. Here was a guy that grew up when, here in America the land of the free, a black man was supposed to be humble and bow down to the white man. I remember hearing people my age and older call Ali an upitty loud mouth nigger. He stood against that oppression no matter what happened. When he won gold medals in the Olympics  he threw them in the river to protest the hypocrisy and racism in America. When he was drafted in to the army to go to Vietnam and fight an unjust war. He stood up to it, faced prison time and was stripped of his world boxing title. He stood by his principles no matter what and yes, he changed the world! I wonder how many of us are willing to stand up against wrongs that the powerful are doing to line their own pockets with silver and gold while so many are struggling to make ends meet?  I wonder how many of us that love nature and all its beauty are willing to stand up against the powerful that would pollute and strip our lands of its natural resources?

Christmas Lights

     So.....if you know me, you know I have no problem stringing up party lights any time of year. But what is with these people putting up Christmas lights, now, even before Halloween?  What happened to Thanksgiving? It wont be long before people are putting up Christmas lights after labor day!  Don't these people know that by Christmas it wont be anything special. We will be so tired of seeing the lights that we will be begging them to take them down.
Here is a better idea,  since the lights are supposed to represent the light of Christ at Christmas and Easter, why don't we just go ahead and leave the tree and lights up from Christmas until Easter and then we can celebrate Christs whole life in one long 5-7 month season depending on lent of course!

Roundabouts

Roundabouts at intersections are very popular in the towns of Colorado.
   I just got back from Sedona Az and down there they have put that into overdrive. I figure who ever sold them or designed their road systems gave them a deal on roundabouts. You know, like buy two get one free. They are everywhere. In my little jeep its like a ride at the fair. In one place they have two not more then a car length or two apart. I started going around and around after about ten minutes I was so dizzy I had to pull over and get some ice cream, then I got one of those freezer headaches. I was dizzy and had freezer burn  all at the same time. I started seeing colors, it was like being on acid........... twenty minutes later I did it all over again! Ha,ha, ha,ha, ha!!!!! 

Are you a meat lover? Then you better read this!

    I'm a meat lover that flirts with being a vegetarian. I just love those juicy nibblets of delectable meat that is liver and fatty meat that you should only eat in small portions, after all "pork fat rules" as the saying goes. I also know that eating a diet of mostly raw fresh foods with lots of color and fiber is best for you and over the years have tried to include more and more vegetables and fiber in my diet.  Now after what I heard on the radio a couple of days ago and after a little more research I might stop eating any kind of meat except for what is considered organic or free range. I just found out that on April 15, 2011 a study came out that tested 136 samples of meat in grocery stores. Of those tested 47% tested positive for staff bacteria. Of that 47% , 52% were the strain that is resistant to antibiotics. Further study shows that since 1982 there have been 30 major outbreaks of e coli. I find it interesting that also in 1985 mad cow disease showed up for the first time.  Seriously! Am I the only one that thinks our meat industry might be going down  the wrong road? There seems to be a direct correlation between the growth of big industrial farms and giant feed lots with the outbreaks of these potentially very harmful bacterias. I ask you, Is our food supply safe? Is the way our food  handled, grown and managed in the best interest of the health of the people? Or is our food supply managed with just consideration for the dollars and cents? Do you know where that tomato, cut of beef or fruit that is in your refrigerator comes from? 

Libraries A Great Institution

           One of the greatest institutions in this country is its library system. I’ve been in libraries all over the country. All have internet, most are free and don’t ask for any kind of ID. If your out on the road and lonely you can spend a day in a warm toasty place with smiling people, clean bathrooms and get lost in books and magazines that take you anywhere you want to go. The library in Boulder has aquariums. Grand County which is where I know reside has very small towns. They are not doing the best. Store fronts are empty a lot of houses and business for sale. The libraries are mostly new and refreshing. In Granby the library has chess boards . All the libraries have comfortable sitting areas and the staffs are very friendly. The library in Kremmling has an after school program and the librarian walks the children the two or three blocks from the school to the library. They all have free programs and free movies. You can check out a guitar or key board and a video or book to go along with it.  Starting in May there is an online program called “prospector”. With it you can request just about any book or video made. There can not be enough good things said about our library system and we should all support it when ever possible. 

Crop report

  If you read my blog on "Monsanto" being the devil, you may recall I mentioned the danger of our present system of big farms and monoculture. I get a produce report emailed to me by one of my food suppliers. the most recent tells me that there will be a shortage of potatoes. It seems the farmers in Idaho didn't plant as many potatoes as the had in the past, then they had a bad year for their crop resulting in less yields of potatoes. The shortage actually started with the larger baking potatoes but now everyone is trying to compensate by buying the smaller potatoes which has created a shortage in them. It will only affect the consumer in the pocketbook but I suspect some of the smaller growers, even with crop insurance and government subsides, will be driven out of business. this would be less likely to happen with a diversified farm.