Tag Archives: Government

Intrepidly Daring: The Adventure Awaits

It’s alright to be audacious…as I’ve said before, and, I’ll say it again. Much of what we love has to go! Sad and true. Even with my knowledge, letting go is the hardest thing I’ve ever attempted.

In my heart, I know the class system is unjust and immoral. We’ve been living in a age of imitation for much too long. Humans are as a big baby crawling around the planet with no consciousness or care for what we do.

Words like ‘poor’, ‘poverty’, ‘hunger’, ‘homeless’ must be eliminated from our language. Along with contaminated, poison, adulterated.

I like the word flourish. Let’s face it. We can’t flourish as long as those words exist! Those words define an existence of suffering and strife. Suffering and strife can not be our norm. It totally rubs me the wrong way…thank goodness I’m not alone in this thinking.

Throughout history there have always been those who have said ‘no’ to suffering and strife. I join those ranks. I say no more to the inequality running rampant. I join the long line of woman who fought and died for the right for women to vote and the rank of those who fought and died for civil rights.

Someone has always championed morality and justice for all. This too is the norm. There will always be people who protest injustice! TRump will always ‘protest’ our right to ‘protest’ injustice! Stupid. The rebellion is here! It will never go away!

We’ve always had audacious leaders like Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren. History is full of those who want to make the lines between the top, middle and bottom go away, or at least blur. Their ideas are not new, they’re just and need to be integrated into our government. We need Foundational Pillars that begin to blur the lines of inequality. We need Well-Being legislation, and less focus on Economic Growth as our only measuring stick for prosperity!

Doughnut Economics: Planing for Planetary Well-Being!

Women (and some enlightened men) are rising up everywhere. The broom is in hand by Wild Women: we’re cleaning up men’s mess! Women are becoming more engaged than ever before in their communities, city, state and national governments!

Now what? What course do we women take? How do we make a sustainable home? And, as Kate Raworth asks, what language do we need to speak to make the changes in the world we want to see? She believes its ‘Economics’. I agree. Kate went to college to become an economist. However, she soon discovered our economy was not rooted in anything she cared about.

How do we create an economy which supports well-being for all? She has an answer: the theory of ‘Doughnut Economics’. Guess what, it turns our current economic system on its head! Which is a very good thing as far as I can see. Good for our Planetary home and all life! Remember the theory of ‘what’s good for the goose is good for the gander’! Same principal.

Looking back to where we come from and how we got here helps us to understand how to plot a more sustainable course. Our centuries of imitation reveal men at the helm. They have knowingly and unknowingly plotted a short-term course, without thought to the repercussions of their plotting.

Women can do better! The roundtable of ‘Doughnut Economics’ offers a plan for well-being for all! And as Kate asks, What if economics were based on human well-being? Let’s each take a journey to the ingenuity of creating well-being for all!

Happy Trails!

Un-Choking the Planet, Reading labels, and Ditching the Dryer Sheet!

Who the heck has time to know about this stuff? Right. Well, there are a few of us out there. If you are reading this, you’re probably someone who reads labels. However, If you’re like most, you’re cramming as much as you can into your day, don’t like shopping and do it as quickly as possible

Think about it for a minute. If 7.4 billion people, give or take a billion here or there, are using Dryer Sheets, what are those sweet smelling toxic chemicals doing to those we hold dear…and life as we know it?

This thought about dryer sheets came to mind after reading about Trump’s withdrawal from the Paris Climate Change agreement. His decision angered me. Then, while I was separating clothes into what I could dry quickly outside and what I would throw in the dryer, I reached for a half a dryer sheet, which I seldom use. Bounce was on the shelf. Concerned sustainability advocate that I am, I wondered why I had Bounce, and what the heck is in it? I’m sure this would be the last thing Trump would ever think about!

Bounce label reads,

“Safe for all washables, but is not safe for use on children’s sleepwear or other garments labeled as flame resistant as it may reduce flame resistance. Keep out of the reach of toddlers and pets to avoid accidental ingestion.Bounce contains Cationic softeners and perfume.

A variety of toxic chemicals found in fabric softeners, including chloroform, benzyl acetate, and ethanol (currently on the EPA’s hazardous waste list). In a study performed by Anderson Laboratories, and published in PubMed, mice were exposed to air containing the fumes released by several types of fabric softener pads. The mice exposed to these fumes showed irritation of eyes, nose, throat, and lungs, and some developed severe asthma-like attacks. The results provide a toxicological basis to explain some of the human complaints of adverse reactions to fabric softener emissions.

How about this ‘science’ President Trump? Does it matter? What do you think? Is it okay? Do you need to have your own ‘study’? I’m still pissed off with you about your denial about the human race having anything to do with climate change. Do you even know what our climate is made up of?

As an asthmatic from childhood (I ran behind trucks spraying DDT through alleyways), this doesn’t sound good. Researching further, I found my way to Alex Scranton’s ‘Women’s Voices for the Earth’. Nice website. Alex is looking into lots of cleaning products and gives detailed reasons why using some dryer sheets is not a good idea. Thank you, Alex, for doing the research and putting such a great post and website together. Alex says,

“Ditch the Dryer Sheet. Some contain harmful chemicals – including hidden fragrance chemicals that lots of people are sensitive to – that vent off into the air we breath and rub off on our clothes and then onto our skin. Yikes! And the kicker is that dryer sheets aren’t even necessary to our laundry – so they’re just an extra source of exposure to toxic chemicals”

So, if you take the time to read the label you’ll find out most of those dryer sheets going into 7.4 billion peoples, give or take a billion here or there, dryers is poisoning all the air you suck in, the water quenching your thirst, and the land growing your food. Despite what Trump says, the planet is gasping! Isn’t this behavior like ‘cutting off your nose to spite your face’?

Serious choices require slowing down long enough to read a label. Doing so is essential to changing the fate of life as we know it. It’s serious business. Despite what Trump says, the planet is gasping! Isn’t this behavior like ‘cutting off your nose to spite your face’?

I’m fairly sure that slowing down is not what the government, industry and corporate power have in mind for us. But, slow down we must. I know, I know, many of you want the glitz and glimmer that all the magazines, radio and television ads say you need more and more of while going as fast as you can and that you like how soft those dryer sheets make your clothes.

Okay, I’m ranting. The problem being is that tiny dryer sheet used by 7.4 billion people, give or take a billion here or there, is choking me, you, your kids, your furry friends, and our home. We can no longer rely on government or industry to get rid of all the poisons in our food, water, air, and land? We have to do the work.

Vote with your dollar! If you must have a ‘dryer sheet’ buy an alternative one. They’re out there. They don’t contain noxious chemicals! They don’t poison you, me, kids, furry friends and they do not choke our planet! And let’s face it…industry only listens to the microchip in your debit or credit card and the cash in your wallet!

Happy ‘Ditch the Dryer Sheet’ trails!

 

 

Nurturing: It’s in Our DNA

Outrageous!  Women have had it. We are hitting the streets, the halls of government and are saying ‘no more’. We are changing the course of our nation and the world. We will no longer be a party to what Market Watch has defined as human nature. Using Economic Growth as the single measurement of Well-Being and success maybe men’s idea and nature but not mine or the majority of women I know.

“There really is only one answer: Deep inside we love war. We want war. Need it. Relish it. Thrive on war. War is in our genes, deep in our DNA. War excites our economic brain. War drives our entrepreneurial spirit. War thrills the American soul. Oh just admit it, we have a love affair with war. We love “America’s Outrageous War Economy.” – Paul B. Ferrell, Market Watch

ARROYO GRANDE, Calif. (MarketWatch) — Yes, America’s economy is a war economy. Not a “manufacturing” economy. Not an “agricultural” economy. Nor a “service” economy. Not even a “consumer” economy.

Ask the so-called ‘ordinary’ human how they feel? What’s important? What they would like to change in their life. I guarantee it would have nothing to do with going to war. It would be much more personal; like not having to work two and three jobs just to break even, a home and food on the table.

I’m 73, I’ve worked all my life; still working. My fear comes from not getting a raise in my Social Security, from the fact that I will never stop working, from the homeless eyes I meet on the street, from the lines of people at the food bank, from the starving people of the world and from the violence and anger on the streets of our nation.

Did you know the United States as of September 2014 was in 134 wars around the globe? Do these wars help you meet your mortgage? Keep you well? Have anything to do with your daily life?

War has been our ‘go-to’ answer for centuries and men have been pulling the trigger. We need to look at the outcome and results. War is not working for the majority of us. War does not benefit the majority of our citizens. The main beneficiary:

“America may be a ticking time bomb, but we are threatened more by enemies within than external terrorists, by ideological fanatics on the left and the right. Most of all, we are under attack by our elected leaders who are motivated more by pure greed than ideology. They terrorize us, brainwashing us into passively letting them steal our money to finance “America’s Outrageous War Economy,” the ultimate “black hole” of corruption and trickle-up economics.” – Market Watch, 2008

Those who would do harm to life on this planet must be stopped. However, life on this planet takes many forms. We need to re-evaluate our priorities about whose life we are protecting and how we are protecting it.

Men have kept us in an ‘Age of Imitation’ long enough. Women are coming into their time and are bringing our world out of perpetual war and into nurturing life. It’s what women have always done. Nurture. It’s an innate part of our being. It’s our nature and in our DNA.

Happy Nurturing Trails

 

 

The Next Big Thing: The Most Fascinating and Fantastic Machine in Existence

Know Thyself“The human body is the most fascinating and fantastic machine in existence. No one understands all of its many mysteries; and no single source can do justice to its many parts.” – World Education

The majority of the human race have little knowledge about how truly incredibly we may be. Our body is made up of millions of synchronized single-celled organisms.  Each cell doing a specific job, taking on every exposure.

Our body has the ability to heal itself, and, if given optimum maintenance; clean food, air, water and education about optimum maintenance of our body, who knows how incredible we may become. Everything we eat, breath and drink either benefits and works with our millions of organisms or our millions of organisms are at war with what we put into our body. Our societies wellness or dis-ease is a reflection of our industry, the products we’ve allowed into our world and our intellect or lack of.

Our body is of nature. Unfortunately, humans do not demand the time needed to understand what or how to be of nature. Some believe what they do is consequential only to themselves; that what they do is Insignificant and unknown to others. This belief is a symptom of an uneducated society.

The life-giving forces which are abundant in nature are our birth rite. We are the most logical choice to insure the well-being of our planet and its inhabitants. It’s not just an obligation and responsibility; it’s a matter of life, death, and everything in between! We are equipped with an innate memory of everything which came before us. We just have to access it. Sweep out the chimney so to speak.

Once the memory of ‘everything that came before’ is awoken, survival seems obsolete. A ‘flourishing’ planet seems more appropriate. It’s not just a choice, it’s who we are meant to be; flourishing. Demanding what is right and just in the world is not just an obligation or responsibility, it’s who we are… male adolescence is done. ‘Just getting by’ will no longer do. We are so much more than a workforce in industries hunger for competitiveness. We are significant with brilliant possibilities.

Somehow, I’ve awakened memories of who I am meant to be. The memories come rushing in and the never ending knowledge causes me to demand what is right and just in the world. What’s ‘right and just’ is clear. Do no harm. Respect all life. Be kind. Integrate those principals into development.

Women are taking our rightful place in world management. As we take the helm we navigate a more sustainable course. Not only pledging allegiance to our flag, but pledging allegiance to our land, water, air, and wildlife.

We are more than a workforce. We are significant with brilliant possibilities and like any olympian, we must have time to train. Each of us is significant and deserve greatness. As soon as the majority of humanity admit and subscribe to this belief; put on some breaks; slow down, the sooner we heal our planet and those who live here.

Education World says,

“The human body is the most fascinating and fantastic machine in existence. No one understands all of its many mysteries; no single source can do justice to its many parts.”

What do you think? Look around. Departmentalization and standardization in education are choking every bit of creativity out of our children; giving focus to certain things, minimizing the importance of other things and leaving some things entirely out.

Education should mirror the human body and work in synchronization! I believe the Ancient Sages, from Greece. They were philosophers, statesmen, and law-givers. They laid the foundation for western culture and gathered in Delphi to inscribe in stone, “Know Thyself” at the entry to its sacred oracle and believed:

 “Self-knowledge is all-encompassing. What is learned on one scale of experience can be applied to all scales. It is the highest form of knowledge, surpassing all other knowledge. Self-knowledge is also timeless, which means that what is gained in one era, benefits all subsequent generations.”

What influenced these sages’ to chisel in stone? Why was Knowing Thyself so important? Why didn’t I hear about ‘knowing thyself’ in any of my curricula? Philosophers have been philosophizing about ‘Know Thyself’ for centuries. Is it too late for us to know ourselves?

Knowing the human body was not included in my studies until the eighth grade and avoided what was uncomfortable, the reproductive system was pretty much taboo. And, what about those millions of synchronized single-celled organisms with each cell doing a specific job, taking on every exposure? No one said anything about them being important!

Self-knowledge surrounds everything: All life. Having self-knowledge integrates all other knowledge; reading, writing, arithmetic, science, etc.. Self-knowledge is timeless. What we learn in one era, benefits all generations that follow. This was the message of our ancient sages. Just as our 21st Century educators admit,

“The human body is the most fascinating and fantastic machine in existence. No one understands all of its many mysteries; and no single source can do justice to its many parts.” – World Education 2014

Is this our new norm in the 21st Century? I want to feel good. I want my family and friends to feel good. I want to find out what is possible. As much as I’ve tried to be kind to myself over some 40 years, I’ve been battling unseen forces and toxins we’ve been producing for decades. These toxins have manipulated my essence, your essence and taken much of our nature away.

Continual education about my body has set me on a new path. I want to change our education’s focus. I want to change much of our industry. Playing catch up is difficult and time-consuming. However, we are the logical and only choice for this journey. Shaping our future is a tough job.

A few sustainable steps each of us can take:

  • coordinate rides and errands with a friend.
  • ride the bus.
  • ride a bicycle.
  • buy organic products.
  • engage in governing.
  • run for water commissioner
  • run for city council
  • run for mayor, governor, senate, congress, president
  • learn as much as you can about how extraordinary you are

We can no longer afford to skip educating ourselves about what makes us extraordinary and how we get there. We owe it to our society to do ‘justice to our many parts’. We can no longer afford to be thought of as ‘ordinary’ when we each have the potential to be extraordinary!  We can no longer give so much control over our bodies to doctors, pharmaceuticals and much of industry.

Happy not so ordinary trails!

Penny Politics: Side Stepping the Government

“The livestock industry is the last wildlife-genocide program in the United States,” says Bruce Apple, the director of an Oregon-based environmental organization appropriately called Rest the West. “All-out war is declared on a diversity of species every day to benefit a single industry.” 

Wild horses of Nevada’s Calico Mountains

This ‘single industry’, the Beef Industry, is one example of how our dollars have an impact to not just the wild horses, but our health and the environment. Think differently about your purchases. Every penny you and I spend makes a political statement.  Take time to look ‘behind the name’. Understand what your purchase means to others.

Is this a difficult concept to wrap your mind around? Yes. However, once you take time to understand everything that happens behind the products we purchase and realize the power of every dollar you spend, then you can begin to govern like no government ever will!

Behind the Burger:

Our sensational appetite for Whoppers, Big Macs and Wendy’s burgers is chomping at the hills of our nation’s wild horses; people eat approximately 200 billion burgers a year! The United States has a population of a little over 307 million; “Modern plants can process 800,000 pounds of hamburger meat a day, from many thousands of different cattle”. Last year the U.S. Population Ate 26.4 Billion Pounds of Beef Cattle! And according to ‘Freakonomics, The Hidden Side of Everything’, “Our Future Looks Fat; Study Predicts Nearly Half the U.S. Population Will be Obese by 2030”.

About 45 million beef cattle roam some 870 million acres, more than two thirds of the land mass in our seventeen westernmost states. There are about 33,700 wild horses and 4,700 burros roaming on BLM ranges in 10 Western states.  The Bureau of Land Management says, if these horses were left on their own, the population would explode. Let’s see, 45 million beef cattle and 33,700 wild horses…and why is the BLM focusing on the wild horse population? Chomp! Chomp! Oh, by the way, there is a huge difference in the way cattle and horses graze.  I’m not saying to stop eating beef…just slow down! Try eating only ‘organic’ and eat less.

The changes needed today will go beyond much of what we have loved and coveted. We have a couple of choices when it comes to the changes we need. We can choose to leave a bright and shiny world; full of everything healthy and beautiful; or, continue chomping away at the heals of our world, leaving a sick and fearful world. This is difficult journey; making time to study before you make a purchase. The upside: You can participate in governing this planet with every penny you spend.

Look closely at the CHANGE that is ahead for all of us; the heart and soul of what life is about, not just what it looks and smells like; new doors to how we connect are opening. Welcome. ‘What happens to the least of us, happens to all of us’.  Me, I’m just a ‘whimsical kid’ that keeps dreaming. Penny Politics works! Try it on and see how it feels!

Happy Wild Horse Trails!