Quote for the Day

"One murder makes a villain, millions a hero."

~Beilby Porteus

Hiroshima Day

Today is a day of remembrance for the victims of the bombing of both Hiroshima and Nagasaki.    It is estimated that between 90,000-166,000 people died in Hiroshima and 60,000-80,000 in Nagasaki.   Today is a time to reflect on the terrible power of nuclear weapons and to contemplate a world at peace.

The Hiroshima Peace Memorial was built around the ruins of this building, the Genbaku Dome, which remained mostly intact despite the fact that the bomb was detonated almost directly above the building.


From the one of the victims, known as a Hiroshima Maiden, who was seriously disfigured as a result of the bomb:  

As a [survivor], I am determined to continue appealing for the elimination of nuclear weapons from the Earth. That is what I must do. We survivors of the atomic bombing are against the research, development, testing, production, and use of any nuclear arms. We are opposed to war of any kind, for whatever reason.  I would like to say to young people in the United States and other countries: Nuclear weapons do not deter war. Nuclear weapons and human beings cannot co-exist. We all must learn the value of human life. If you do not agree with me on this, please come to Hiroshima and see for yourself the destructive power of these deadly weapons at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum. (www.wikipedia.org)

Nuclear weapons do not make the world a safer place as one day it will be all too easy for a power-hungry leader to push the button that will lead us down the road to human annihilation.  According to Ploughshares Fund, there are approximately 20,000 nuclear warheads worldwide, with around 9,000 in the United States, significantly more than any other nation except Russia.  As Father John Dear, S.J. commented in a speech, when we were looking for weapons of mass destruction, we should have looked in our own backyard.  

In 1967, Martin Luther King, Jr. bravely spoke out against the war in Vietnam.  His position was not a popular one but, as time has revealed, the right one.  It is time for concerned human beings to speak out against the continued existence of nuclear weapons.  For inspiration, here is a YouTube video of excerpts of Dr. King's speech:    




(Photo source:  www.wikipedia.org)

Clothes and Justice

Last week my husband put the following John Wesley quote up on facebook:

Every shilling which you needlessly spend on your apparel is, in effect, stolen from God and the poor.  And how many precious opportunities of doing good have you defrauded yourself of!  How often have you disabled yourself from doing good, by purchasing what you did not need.

This quote provoked a bit of conversation as some of his friends wanted to know how many clothes were too much?  Some thought that the price of something indicated that it was "too much."  Another friend commented that she wanted to do the right thing but she also didn't want to wear the same outfit every day.  

Although there is no formula for telling us how much is excessive, it does help to remember that the average American only wears 20% of the clothing he or she owns.  So I suppose it would be fair to say most people have 80% more than they need.


My eyes were really opened to how far overboard we have gotten when it comes to clothing was when I was listening to a Tranquility du Jour podcast which featured author Tina Sparkles.  Tina, who wrote Little Green Dresses did some research on clothing use in the United States.  She discovered that in 2008, 19 billion new garments were "consumed" by Americans.  In addition, 17 billion pounds of textiles and clothing were discarded.  Add to those statistics the fact that department stores such as H&M completely change the styles in their women's departments every two weeks, tells me we've gone too far.  


Think about it.  Even if every single one of those 19 billion new garments was only $1, that is $1 billion that could go to do something good.  And you know the value was much, much higher.  Further, most of those clothes were not purchased because they were replacing worn-out garments.  They were purchased merely because most of the buyers wanted something prettier, shinier, hipper, etc.  Purchasing those items meant fewer personal resources available to help the poor.  So, I think Wesley was right.

Wellness Wednesday

For today's Wellness Wednesday, I want to share a little anecdote to put many people's attitude about health and wellness in perspective.  Last week I had a much overdue lunch with a friend of mine.  She's a cute, slender woman who works in the health supplement business.  She told me that she had a customer comment on her slimness and asked her, "What do you take?"  as if she could attribute her healthy weight to some vitamin, herb, or supplement she takes.  

Our culture has gotten so accustomed to taking a pill to make everything right that we often don't even think about the role that food plays.  Rather, we think of eating as a recreation and nothing else.  We need to start recognizing food for what it is:  a powerful fuel for our minds and bodies and a major influence on our health, both in the present and the future.

Optimal health - which includes a healthy mind and body - depends in large part on what we put into our bodies.  If we want to have clear thinking and the energy to accomplish our goals in life, we must be careful with what we put into our mouths.  Over-processed foods that have been stripped of all nutrients do nothing for us.  Nor is the fix for our bodies and minds to be found within a pill.  It is in consuming vitamin and nutrient rich foods that we give our bodies and minds what they need to function both now and in the future.  

(Photo credit:  http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1331417)

Eco Stuff

A couple of months ago, as part of my continuing bid to be more eco friendly, I purchased a bag of soap nuts.  Soapnuts grow wild in temperate to tropical climates on sapindus trees.  I learned that because they produce a natural "soap," these nuts could be used in place of laundry detergent.  Great, I thought, no more plastic laundry detergent bottles!  Plus the soapnuts can be composted after use.  Even though I've purchased eco friendly laundry detergent for years, I still had to contend with the plastic bottles - and I worried about all the energy that goes into the manufacturing and shipping of the product.  So the idea of soapnuts was very appealing to me.


The problem was, I was a bit nervous about using them, so they sat in my laundry room until this past weekend.  I knew that the nuts could be placed in a muslin drawstring bag and tossed in with the laundry, but I also learned that the nuts could be boiled into a liquid that could be used just like regular detergent and I liked that idea better.  


After doing a search on the internet, I not only found the formula for making and using the soapnuts liquid, I found a wealth of information on other ways to make it and to use it.  According to this website, soapnuts liquid can be used as a mosquito repellent, a liquid hand soap, a shampoo, and a general household cleaner.  Now I'm thinking I can eliminate a wide variety of products in my house and get greener with every step.  


Yesterday I did my first load of laundry with the soapnuts liquid.  I washed my bath towels and they seemed to come out just as clean as with my regular laundry detergent.  The real test, however, will be my husband's work clothes.  I'm optimistic as this discovery can lead to a lot of good changes around my house.

International Day of Peace - September 21

http://www.internationaldayofpeace.org/

More on Affordability

Families that want to find a way to eat a more healthy diet without breaking the bank should rethink how they use meat.  Last week Adrienne of The Rich Life on a Budget, one of my readers and blogger friends, commented on my post about the expense of healthy eating.  She pointed out that one of the major food expenses is meat and that if we treat meat as a side dish or condiment rather than as the main focus of the meal, we can eat much more healthfully and much more inexpensively.  Adrienne said that shifting the focus to grains and vegetables is a healthful and inexpensive way to eat.  According to this article on MSN, "Americans are obsessed with protein, but it's the one nutrient we actually get too much of."  Since we're getting too much of it, cutting down on meat consumption seems to be one of the best ways to save money.   



Processed snack foods are also an unhealthy way to bust your budget.  Shona of LALA dex press, another of my blogger friends, commented that reaching for the real food rather than the processed imitation one is another way to save money and your health.  She says that apples are a much better snack than "Juicy Juice."  The above MSN article also pointed out that "the most inexpensive snacks are also some of the healthiest."  Foods like raisins, popcorn (not the microwave type), carrot sticks, pretzels, cheese, and bananas are much healthier and cheaper than a box of those prepackaged "100 calorie" snack foods where you are paying for empty calories and a lot of packaging and advertising.  


(Photo Sources:  http://www.sxc.hu/photo/835858 and http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1303029)