A group of young, motivated permaculture enthusiasts in Melbourne are having an interesting time living off-grid. They have been building a lovely garden on the 1/4 acre block they rent which feeds them well and along comes the landlord.... MORE...
Archive for April, 2006
This drink is valuable for its medicinal qualities and as a digestive aid. Beets are loaded with nutrients. One glass morning and night is an excelent blood tonic, promotes regularity, aids digestion, alkalizes the blood, cleanses the liver and is a good treatment for kidney stones and other ailments. Beet kvass may also be used in place of vinegar in salad dressings and as an addition to soups. MORE...
Below is a story from the New York Times about the various climate neutral organizations who invest in climate neutral technologies. These companies' customers give them money in accordance to the amount of Carbon Dioxide they emit in their daily lives. It's like the green mafia, only companies and individuals who pay 'protection' money get value in return, whether its just a guilt free conscience or an increasingly valuable corporate image of environmental responsibility. MORE...
If you woke up this morning and ate what you considered to be a healthy breakfast: wheat toast, orange juice, and eggs cooked in vegetable oil, you’ve just succeeded in eating three of the five "health" foods to avoid. It can be frustrating to determine what truly is healthy with all of the new health claims coming out, not to mention the old, deep-seated claims that are just plain wrong but are so engrained in our heads that they’re hard to change. The following five foods are widely known as generally "healthy" foods, but as you’ll soon read, you’re much better off without them. MORE...
Those animals which I use for riding and loading, Which have been killed for me, All those whose meat I have taken, May they attain the state of Buddhahood very soon! Ladakhi prayer, translated from the Ladakhi by Helena Norberg-Hodge1 In mid-autumn, when the air is growing colder and the nights longer, comes the Blood Moon. Also called the Hunter’s Moon by indigenous peoples in the Eastern woodlands, this phase of the year marked a time when northern dwellers of many cultures would work to ensure that they had a store of meat to last them through the winter. They did this by hunting wild game or slaughtering farm animals. It was a time of year when blood was shed. The subject of meat eating is one of the most controversial topics among people who care about food, ecology, spirituality, human culture and the lives of animals. Deciding not to eat meat is often either the first or the most profound decision a person makes about their diet in response to political or spiritual convictions. MORE...
We give our children ice-cream if they’re "good", chocolate if they’re quiet, little gold stars if they eat their greens, maybe even money if they get good marks at school. We praise them with a "good boy!" or "good girl!" if they do something that pleases us. For the modern and discerning parent, the hitting-and-shaming method of "discipline" is passé. Punishment is out, and rewards are in. Why use the stick, when we can better teach a child by using a carrot? The New Age hype about praising and rewarding children for what we call "good" behavior has gained massive popularity. "Find something good your child has done, and praise them for it!" say the nouveau "how-to" books and seminars. Psychologists all over recommend the "star-chart" treatment to modify your child’s behavior. This trend is the offspring of a particular school of psychology - the "behaviorists" - whose thinking currently dominates much of mainstream psychological and educational theory. MORE...
"It takes approximately 10 days to replace every cell (one generation) in the blood, 2 1/2 years to replace one generation (every cell) of glands. Approximately 4 1/2 years to replace one generation of arteries, approximately 5 years to replace one generation of intestines and tendons, approximately 6 years to ... MORE...