Slow to Comprehend

Finally, people like Pat Robertson are coming around to the scientific truth about the age of the earth:


I wonder how much life the earth will have by the time they come around to this truth:

Quotes for the Day

"Empires...lack both patience and tolerance toward those whose ultimate loyalty belongs to someone or something other than the empire itself."

"The combination of military power, economic exploitation, indifference to environment, and a theology of entitlement generates antihuman values, policies, and practices.” 

~Walter Brueggemann

Why I'm Critical of the Church

Source

This Huffington Post article is one reason.  Seems women at Bristol University who belong to the Bristol University Christian Union and want to speak at events are only allowed to do so if their husbands participate with them.  The union's president explained how this works:

It's ok for women to teach in any CU setting...However we understand that this is a difficult issue for some and so decided that women would not teach on their own at our weekly CU meetings, as the main speaker on our Bristol CU weekend away, or as our main speaker for mission weeks.  But a husband and wife can teach together in these.

He went on to explain his reasoning:  

[BUCU] has no formal position on the role of men and women in the church.  We respect those of our members who hold strong Biblical convictions in this area and seek to find the most practical way of expressing this inclusivity. [Emphasis mine]

So, in order to accommodate certain beliefs, they have decided to prevent women from speaking on their own.  Excluding to include? 

This revelation on the heels of the Anglican Church voting against allowing female priests to serve as bishops.  How long are women going to continue to be treated like children and have to get permission from men to participate in...life?  How long are churches going to use certain Bible verses to discriminate against women?  Don't forget, not so long ago the Bible was used to support slavery and segregation.  Funny how the Bible verses about not being allowed to have things - like tattoos - are considered "cultural" but anything that can be used to discriminate against women or others is taken as "literal" and applicable in today's world.  

Earlier this year in the U.S. we saw a Congressional committee discuss whether or not women's birth control should be covered under "Obamacare."  Some Christian and other religious groups felt that women obtaining birth control somehow violated their moral and religious beliefs.  And this was the group chosen to testify before Congress on this clearly women's issue:

Source

I'd like to see the committee below discuss whether or not men should be able to receive Viagra and similar prescriptions under "Obamacare" since the use of such drugs can clearly be in violation of a number of religious and moral beliefs:

After writing this post the BUCU released this statement:

Bristol University Christian Union (BUCU) deplores the recent exaggerations and misrepresentations in some parts of the media of its position on women's ministry in the church. It is well known that Christian churches differ on this question. BUCU is not a church, but a student society, so it has never had a formal policy on women's ministry. In recent months, the Executive Committee have been exploring ways in which BUCU can best accommodate members with divergent and strongly held convictions, while expressing our unity as Christian believers. In line with our basic position throughout that process, which has not been widely publicised, the Executive Committee now wish to make clear that we will extend speaker invitations to both women and men, to all BUCU events, without exception. BUCU is utterly committed to reflecting the core biblical truth of the fundamental equality of women and men.
BUCU Executive Committee 05/12/12 [December 5, 2012]

I'm glad they have taken this stance.  However, the fact that they were planning to discriminate against women in the first place is the point.  And as long as Christian organizations and churches continue to treat some members of society as second class citizens, I will rail against them.  

Farm Friday

Green onions (and herbs) growing in a jar

It's been pretty much a "catch up" week around the house and farm for me so I have a laundry list of things I accomplished (I won't bore you with the details).  We still have broccoli, cabbage, rainbow chard, collard greens, bok choy, Brussels sprouts, turnip greens, kale, radicchio, and spinach growing on the farm. 

The weather was unseasonably warm which was good and bad.  Good because 1) I hate the cold and 2) I was able to bathe our dog Ginny outside rather than struggle to get her into the bathtub (she hates baths).  Bad because 1) we need the cold to kill off the bugs that bite us and eat from our gardens in the spring and summer and 2) because our broccoli started bolting.  One way I'm using up the broccoli before it all bolts is to make broccoli salad.  I have had a number of people comment on how much they love my salad so I'll share my recipe:

Broccoli Salad

Large head of raw broccoli chopped very small (chopping is the key to the raves I get)

Large handful dried cranberries

Large handful sunflower seeds 

1/2 red onion chopped very fine 

¼ cup mayonnaise

2 tablespoons vinegar

1 teaspoon sugar 

Mix broccoli, dried cranberries, sunflower seeds, and onions in a large bowl.  In a separate bowl , make dressing by combining mayonnaise, vinegar, and sugar.  Pour dressing over broccoli mixture and mix (should be coated with dressing and not too wet).  Let sit refrigerated for at least an hour.

I also took time to pot up the rest of the basil that I had rooting in my kitchen window.  I've been growing fresh green onions there, as well, using the bottoms of purchased green onions in a jar of water.  You can get several cuttings before they give out.

Now that dark comes soon (too soon, if you ask me) in the evenings and Bill has fewer farm chores, we've gotten back into the habit of watching movies.  We've seen some good ones lately.  Our tastes are very eclectic as you can see from this sampling of recent viewings:

Exit Through the Gift Shop (about street artists)
Lars and the Real Girl (funny yet serious; don't let the description be off-putting)
Pray the Devil Back to Hell (how a group of women stopped the civil war in Liberia)

I witnessed an example of how social media can go very wrong for a corporation.  Cheerios put a "fun" app on it's facebook page and people furious over how General Mills helped defeat Prop 37 (labeling of GMO foods), took matters into their own hands.  Here's a screenshot sample of what people did to the Cheerios logo:

Read more here.  The app is gone but you can still go to their facebook page to express your displeasure - and your decision to boycott.  Same can be done on other corporate pages.

We have more goat babies due starting this weekend so I'll probably post photos of the new babies when they arrive.

Have a great weekend!

Upcycling v. Recycling

This is a good graphic to show the difference between upcycling and recycling. 

Source

Upcycling means the material is continually reused, such as with aluminium cans.  With aluminum, we have true upcycling because the material can be used over and over again as it does not degrade with reuse and can be used for the same purposes.  Glass also is a truly upcycled material.  However, paper and plastic are not.

With recycling, the materials are used over again, but not for the same purposes and will ultimate end up in landfill.  Plastic has to be continually downgraded until it has to be trashed.  Paper can be used until the fibers break down completely.  I was once told at a recycling facility that it is pointless to recycle some papers and cardboards (such as cereal boxes) because the paper in those products have already been recycled to the point that they are now worthless.

I know many people who feel they have done their part by taking plastic bags to the recycling bins.  What they don't realize is that 1) making the original bag involved the use of petroleum, precious energy and water resources, and the release of toxins into the environment and 2) the recycling process actually uses more energy than it took to make the original bag.  Recycling the bags does not save the planet, although it is better than sending them directly to landfill.

Remember:  It is better to refuse, then reuse, before recycling.  Recycling should be the last resort.

Wellness Wednesday

This time of year many people, especially parents and teachers of young children, reach for antibacterial soaps to prevent the transmission of cold and flu viruses.  These antibacterial soaps contain triclosan, an antibacterial and antifungal agent that, while the FDA and EPA continue to say is safe, studies show may be a dangerous ingredient.  In addition to being found in soaps, triclosan can be found in toothpastes, mouthwashes, deodorants, and some consumer products such as cutting boards and ice machines.  (I've noticed recently that the flush handles on some public toilets now state they are treated with antibacterial agents.)

According to Beyond Pesticides, adverse effects from triclosan include skin irritation, allergy susceptibility, endocrine disruption, compounded antibiotic resistance, and of course contaminated water.  This article highlights research which found that the hormonal effects included "upsetting the normal balance of thyroid hormones, thereby impairing growth and brain development and of the reproductive hormones estrogen and testosterone, leading to infertility."  More recently, both CBS News and the LA Times have reported on a study where triclosan actually inhibited muscle performance in rats.  Despite the government's assurance that this ingredient is safe, the studies seem to indicate otherwise.

How to avoid both the viruses and triclosan?  First of all, plain soap and water is just as effective at killing flu and cold viruses as is triclosan so make sure to thoroughly wash your hands with plain soap on a regular basis.  Secondly, it has been proven that a spray of undiluted vinegar will combat viruses (and bacteria) found on surfaces.  This is an inexpensive and environmentally responsible way to combat illness.  Finally, use natural brands of items such as toothpaste and mouthwash in order to avoid triclosan and be wary of products that advertise they are treated with an antibacterial agent.

Poem: Origami Emotion

Paper cranes at Peace Memorial Park of Hiroshima

Origami Emotion
by Elizabeth Barrette

Hope is
folding paper cranes
even when your hands get cramped
and your eyes tired,
working past blisters and
paper cuts,
simply because something in you
insists on
opening its wings.