tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76693559361318286702024-03-06T07:33:29.772+00:00Green and GenerousLearning to reconnect with people and planet to build resilient communities.Karinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13913127925431380024noreply@blogger.comBlogger107125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7669355936131828670.post-77728631145893271302014-04-18T15:16:00.002+01:002014-12-04T22:35:42.304+00:00Moving onI'm trying a new, more integrated blog, which I hope will reflect the issues I've dealt with here, what's happening in our garden, if anything ;) and my own spiritual journey all in one place, so if I'm concentrating on one aspect rather than others there won't be a long silence on that particular blog. If also feels less schizophrenic, but time will tell if it works.<br />
<br />
Perhaps I'll see you there: <a href="http://faith4fragileplanet.blogspot.co.uk/" target="_blank">Faith for a Fragile Planet</a>Karinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13913127925431380024noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7669355936131828670.post-32788780518018147052014-04-04T14:55:00.001+01:002014-04-06T20:07:56.770+01:00Why Hunger Has Put Me Off My LunchSo today I'm not eating any lunch. I didn't have any elevenses either, although I did have breakfast, and I'm not planning to eat again until 6 or 7 o'clock.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbZv4qGLFJNkT0yz6IpNdNchT6Bh3OXqPIBfEgUgR1dFyxQBySMvMjcYY5k6krryHovrVlu-FE1ueUl9BWYUclqu6ragZHFkKkCDX_d3FmIP2daYvWJS8ImAKmhSyQa_JQnWoN4TsKB9Pb/s1600/Photo0352.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbZv4qGLFJNkT0yz6IpNdNchT6Bh3OXqPIBfEgUgR1dFyxQBySMvMjcYY5k6krryHovrVlu-FE1ueUl9BWYUclqu6ragZHFkKkCDX_d3FmIP2daYvWJS8ImAKmhSyQa_JQnWoN4TsKB9Pb/s1600/Photo0352.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Today's lunch #<a href="http://endhungerfast.co.uk/" target="_blank">EndHungerFast</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
I didn't think I'd get much done this morning if I didn't have any breakfast, but some people don't have that choice. Some people in Britain, probably thousands of them, didn't have anything in their cupboards for breakfast, lunch or dinner this week and for some of them that was all week. Some people haven't eaten for weeks.<br />
<br />
Earlier this year the Oxford Mail reported on the death of a 'vulnerable and fragile' man who starved to death, four months after most of his benefits were stopped. You can<a href="http://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/11043378.Man_starved_after_benefits_were_cut/" target="_blank"> read more here</a>.<br />
<br />
Isn't it enough to put you off your lunch? It is me. Around three thousand people will be volunteering to go without their lunch and many of them are not eating at all today because they want to see an end to people having to go hungry in Britain. It's all about <a href="http://endhungerfast.co.uk/" target="_blank">End Hunger Fast</a>.<br />
<br />
10 million people live in poverty in the UK and 3.5 million of them are children. Most of the households in poverty have one or more people in work, but if their total income is under £17,000 they are likely to have to cut back on things like food to make ends meet.<br />
<br />
Six hundred thousand people needed to use food banks in the last six months even in many places we think of as wealthy parts of the country. 30% of people using food banks say they needed food because their benefits had been delayed.<br />
<br />
<br />
Benefits being stopped due to sanctions, or delayed, is another reason why so many people are going hungry. People get their benefits stopped when they fail to turn up for appointments with Benefits Advisers and it doesn't seem to matter if they are prone to serious bouts of depression, have started training for work or lead chaotic lives for some reason or other. Their mental health and home circumstances don't seem to be taken into consideration and in some cases, the fact that they've just started on a training course that can help them back into employment isn't, either.<br />
<br />
Half a million people have been put on benefit sanctions in the last six months. <br />
<br />
Another reason why people are going hungry is because they are on a low income or a pension and once they've paid the gas and electricity bill they have very little to live on. With rising fuel prices people living in badly insulated homes will be paying an increasing proportion of their budget on fuel, so if they are in a low-paid job or have a low-income for any other reason, they will be struggling to feed themselves and possibly even their families, although parents usually go hungry before letting their children go without.<br />
<br />
One in five mothers have said that they've had to skip a meal in order to feed their children.<br />
<br />
Food prices have risen by 30% in the last five years but wages have mostly stayed the same or even fallen and benefits have been capped.<br />
<br />
The dramatic rise in the use of food banks over the last few years, makes it clear that Britain's welfare system isn't working properly. The fact that many people who use food banks are working also shows that for many wages are not high enough.<br />
<br />
Keith Hebden feels so strongly about this that he decided to stop eating for a full forty days. I think he can start eating again on Psalm Sunday. Here he is telling us what it is like to eat no food for 29 days:<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGTmZabSX9I&feature=youtu.be" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGTmZabSX9I&feature=youtu.be</a><br />
<br />
<br />
Rev.s Keith Hebden and Matthew Neville got together with support from <a href="http://www.church-poverty.org.uk/" target="_blank">Church Action on Poverty</a>, <a href="http://www.trusselltrust.org/" target="_blank">the Trussell Trust</a>, <a href="https://www.quaker.org.uk/" target="_blank">Quakers</a> and <a href="http://just-fair.co.uk/" target="_blank">Just Fair</a> to call for a <b>National Day of Fasting</b> today, the 4th April, to highlight this situation.<br />
We all think it's time that the government did more to help the most vulnerable people in our society and we want to <a href="http://endhungerfast.co.uk/" target="_blank">End Hunger Fast</a>. <br />
<br />
The point of today's National Day of Fasting is to call on the government to ensure:<br />
<ul>
<li>That the welfare system provides a robust last line of defence against hunger in Britain</li>
<li>That work pays enough for working people to properly provide for their families </li>
<li>That food markets function, promoting long term sustainable and healthy diets with no one profiteering off hunger in Britain </li>
</ul>
So I'm going to have to wait until dinner time before I have my next meal, and there are a lot of people who won't be able to do that in one of the wealthiest countries in the world. There are a lot of people in 21st century Britain who don't know where there next meal is coming from or when it will happen.<br />
<br />
Thinking about this on Thursday I was inspired to write a '<a href="http://spirit-sustain.blogspot.co.uk/2014/04/a-psalm-of-lament-for-those-who-go.html" target="_blank">Psalm of Lament for Those Who Go Hungry</a>'<br />
<br />Karinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13913127925431380024noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7669355936131828670.post-3982938267564486442013-02-08T09:21:00.000+00:002013-02-08T11:06:18.817+00:00Surrounded by a Culture of War<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPEPz1QcMZY7B0qcs-Kf5cmG8USr-yecLFwfbvWeqsDf9jKofNzKPKoPhn4Jvryos0WhcK88CXcyr8kNeTZvmKQtKcuiDmXBDWRg5pRmFD6hvBNNeqzabzrtmTNWoWvWqyWKRYh884QaBs/s1600/sword+fight.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="173" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPEPz1QcMZY7B0qcs-Kf5cmG8USr-yecLFwfbvWeqsDf9jKofNzKPKoPhn4Jvryos0WhcK88CXcyr8kNeTZvmKQtKcuiDmXBDWRg5pRmFD6hvBNNeqzabzrtmTNWoWvWqyWKRYh884QaBs/s200/sword+fight.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
Did you read much as a child? If so, what did you enjoy reading? <br />
<br />
I used to love books about war and soldiers; Romans, Vikings, Anglo-Saxons, King Arthur, King Alfred, books by Rosemary Sutcliffe, Geoffrey Trease, Henry Treece and many others. I enjoyed books about criminals like Robin Hood and Hereward the Wake, too! If they lived today that's what we'd call them.<br />
<br />
What I'm not normally interested in are books about modern warfare, perhaps because it's too close to reality, perhaps also because the boundaries are blurred and for me there is no more idealism, no clear right and wrong. Although some years ago I did read about the peninsular war in the Sharpe novels by Bernard Cornwell.<br />
<br />
As a child I was always on the side of the underling Celts and Anglo-Saxons, but most of all I was on the side of what I perceived to be 'good' and 'right'. It all seemed so straightforward then. Even reading 'Kidnapped' by Robert Louis Stevenson I was on the side of the Highland hero, not the wicked English, but then my parentage did leave me somewhat ambiguous about 'the English'. <br />
<br />
It was my father who taught me in no uncertain terms that war is not glorious, and perhaps that was because he hadn't been on the winning side, but I think it had a lot more to do with him being a person who thought deeply about things and who had seen what war can do. He'd seen the results of war from many sides: the starving French at the fence of his prisoner of war camp begging the German POWs for food, his own family bombed out and emaciated when he returned home after the war, and as well as his comrades dying around him at the front, his best friend from school days didn't return. Hamburg, the town he was born in was practically flattened.<br />
<br />
Yet inspite of the experiences of my parents' generation, so many of whom came face to face with the consequences of war, we continue to feed our children the myth of the glorious soldiers and, it seems, we adults lap it up ourselves. We must have close on 400 books about war in my local library, yet a handful or so books on peaceful living, and novels about war prove very popular, too.<br />
<br />
I consider myself to have lived through a time of peace, yet I was surprised to learn that <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_wars_involving_Great_Britain" target="_blank">Britain has been at war </a>for most of the half century or so I have been alive. I've been vaguely aware I suppose, but unless you live in a town with a strong military presence, it's easy to put these things to the back of your mind.<br />
<br />
Our young men may not be practising with long bows on the village green in our full sight, but we are still surrounded by a culture that promotes war, it's just more subtle than before. As a result of which, people like me who have no time for war, can pretend it isn't really happening, if we choose to, some of the time at least.<br />
<br />
I'm lucky to live in a prosperous part of Britain and that conscription is a thing of the past. As things stand it seems very unlikely that either of my children will need to go to war and neither find the prospect attractive, but in some parts of the country it is very different. I recently came across <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FmkTPfW_yEk&feature=youtu.be" target="_blank">this video by ex-soldier, Joe Glenton,</a> that is quite an eye-opener into the practices of the modern day recruiting officers. It seems the Ministry of Defence is targeting our children and persuading 16-year-olds to join the army. While they cannot be sent into conflict zones at that tender age, they can be trained and their young minds can be moulded to prepare them to become the killing machines the army needs so much. Yet we all get indignant about African war lords etc using child soldiers. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnDSntdHLc5hOgc8_4MTSumX6Gn5gr-8vjr3kptBPQ_3-HmpuHBCtPvBD1qPCVTeFFJWrgeYbfbaqmwBr_mhn0ZI52FCD8gepxTpEkdloChIrIE7SKc7WT3xy_e-dArzPbRs_BMKsWQ8qt/s1600/soldier.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnDSntdHLc5hOgc8_4MTSumX6Gn5gr-8vjr3kptBPQ_3-HmpuHBCtPvBD1qPCVTeFFJWrgeYbfbaqmwBr_mhn0ZI52FCD8gepxTpEkdloChIrIE7SKc7WT3xy_e-dArzPbRs_BMKsWQ8qt/s200/soldier.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div>
You may think all this doesn't matter too much at present as British soldiers are out of Iraq and troops in Afghanistan are due to be withdrawn next year, but recently our government sent soldiers, i.e. young men and possibly women, to Libya, Britain is also involved in the conflict in Syria and just recently our government has sent British troops to Mali.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.stopwar.org.uk/index.php/middle-east-and-north-africa/2212--john-pilger-how-the-west-is-consigning-africas-history-of-liberation-to-oblivion" target="_blank">John Pilger wrote an article recently</a> that suggests our government's motives for the war in Mali may have less to do with fighting terrorists than it is letting on and it seems a fairly widespread view that Britain's involvement in wars in the Middle East has been about oil as much as anything else.<br />
<br />
It seems our armed forces' are constantly at war, whether to justify there own existence or to bolster government interests I don't know. Meanwhile young British men, and sometimes young women, are being killed and maimed and traumatised. If it were happening here amongst us I'm sure we'd all be up in arms, but the unheroic corpses and broken people return quietly to be seen by few of us other than their families and friends.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK1TsRkXPzeG1bC0sD0R9qUi2h-2KjI6EiyQXh_3cX-BON0Q_TksoY85DNulj6Bg3iyfFag869ykzPqtqbwyYkCsQOuenDEOqCEqNFLSJKNJ3p2un4g7F4vTHNJdvHTu5_8vKjrVfBivEr/s1600/ptsd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="108" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK1TsRkXPzeG1bC0sD0R9qUi2h-2KjI6EiyQXh_3cX-BON0Q_TksoY85DNulj6Bg3iyfFag869ykzPqtqbwyYkCsQOuenDEOqCEqNFLSJKNJ3p2un4g7F4vTHNJdvHTu5_8vKjrVfBivEr/s200/ptsd.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/posttraumatic-stress-disorder-the-evil-our-military-refuses-to-see-8481631.html?origin=internalSearch" target="_blank">This recent article in the Independent, also by Joe Glenton</a>, tells how there are likely to be far more cases of combat post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) than the MoD recognises and that this may account for the high number of soldiers who have taken their lives since the Falklands War, more than the number who died fighting in it. He thinks, not unreasonably, that we could be sitting on a time bomb where those who have fought in Iraq and Afghanistan are concerned.<br />
<br />
It's not just suicides we have to worry about, but men already brutalised by training for war can be dangerous to their families and the people around them. I'm not suggesting for a minute that we need to worry about hoards of soldiers around the country going on mad rampages, but some people suffering from combat PTSD do turn to drink and that alone can have very negative effects on families. There doesn't even need to be physical violence, it could be verbal abuse or just a cloud of depression hanging over the house, all of these things can have an effect on children growing up with them and partners often suffer, too. In some areas this sort of thing may affect a large number of families and so the whole community may well feel the repercussions. <br />
<br />
The kind of training soldiers receive, described in <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJ1FvnFgjrQ&feature=youtu.be" target="_blank">the second part of Joe Glenton's documentary, 'The Soldier Myth'</a>, can cause soldiers a problem settling back into civilian life at the best of times. If you google 'soldiers in prison' you'll see that there is a high number of ex-soldiers in prison. <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/one-in-10-prisoners-is-a-former-soldier-new-research-reveals-7944479.html" target="_blank">This article in the Independent </a>suggests that as many as one in ten prisoners could be military veterans.<br />
<br />
War is a waste of so many precious lives and so much human potential. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2wBEssMCDd0NVkFva-b3mjwbx1ltFC19DCv8Ckft4A8mTYLZp5v6U0XnuSXl1Wos4cEPN51vohL3CabDY5eRvW36lhnUOPjLBZM6f_dyBDWWp50aX4q2CMdoW-n0gNo2noQDX4jxIeUYx/s1600/black_peace_symbol.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2wBEssMCDd0NVkFva-b3mjwbx1ltFC19DCv8Ckft4A8mTYLZp5v6U0XnuSXl1Wos4cEPN51vohL3CabDY5eRvW36lhnUOPjLBZM6f_dyBDWWp50aX4q2CMdoW-n0gNo2noQDX4jxIeUYx/s200/black_peace_symbol.png" width="200" /></a></div>
So what should we do? What can we do? You might have your own ideas, and I should be pleased to hear what they are if you wish to post a comment. As for me, I think the most important thing we can do might be to challenge the culture of war whenever we come across it. When people say war is a good thing, ask them why they think that. An outright argument might not get us very far, but if we can ask probing questions, some people might start to rethink their own position. Arguing with someone who has swallowed all the propaganda about the need for war is more likely to have their views entrenched by simple argument. <br />
<br />
If you know someone who is thinking of joining the army, especially a young person who may not be acquainted with all the facts, then unless you know a better resource <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FmkTPfW_yEk&feature=youtu.be" target="_blank">the first part of Joe Glenton's documentary, 'The Soldier Myth'</a> should help them to make a more informed choice. <br />
<br />
You might want to support an organisation such as <a href="http://www.ppu.org.uk/" target="_blank">the Peace Pledge Union</a> or <a href="http://www.stopwar.org.uk/" target="_blank">the Stop the War Coalition</a>. Then again you might want to donate to a charity that helps soldiers damaged by war, such as <a href="http://www.ptsdresolution.org/" target="_blank">PTSD Resolution</a> that tries to breach the gap left by the lack of help given to sufferers by the MoD.<br />
<br />
If you have further suggestions, feel free to use the comments box to make them.<br />
<br />
Here is another website, which helps to inform people considering a career in the armed forces, <a href="http://www.beforeyousignup.info/" target="_blank">Before You Sign Up</a>. Karinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13913127925431380024noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7669355936131828670.post-78803437240721519082013-02-05T14:57:00.002+00:002013-09-08T21:32:02.309+01:00Considering Contradictions on Gay MarriagePeople are so full of contradictions, aren't they? Have you noticed that? Have you ever spotted it in yourself? I know I have, and recently there's been a particular contradiction on my mind. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWyTUtTDHYNfXyjaLpp1HBzVIfU3uesKZrdsY2AoQa7hjKstY3DNnw3UE_XMU_UMf8eyH4HWDG0_ImnxyW-PFik3yO3ycu1xYo_9iwG7yH1tx-r9Nxg61lsPNUojzd0iYVyO7EtTz8VCgg/s1600/rings.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="157" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWyTUtTDHYNfXyjaLpp1HBzVIfU3uesKZrdsY2AoQa7hjKstY3DNnw3UE_XMU_UMf8eyH4HWDG0_ImnxyW-PFik3yO3ycu1xYo_9iwG7yH1tx-r9Nxg61lsPNUojzd0iYVyO7EtTz8VCgg/s200/rings.png" width="200" /></a></div>
<br />
I believe passionately in justice and equality, but I had a very conservative upbringing and something in me still feels uneasy about the idea of gay marriage. Yet I have no problem with the idea of gay people having fulfilling sex lives and I feel strongly that gay people in loving, faithful relationships need all the support they can get. So, I was very pleased when the last government introduced civil partnerships.<br />
<br />
I know what it is like to be told that God disapproves of your relationship and for people to try to undermine it. When I was at university I went to a church with very extreme beliefs. The pastor was a Welshmen who preached that Catholics were not proper Christians, which shocked me. Once I was engaged this pastor told me in no uncertain terms that God didn't want me to marry someone who wasn't a Christian, however much I loved him. He even found at least one verse in the Bible to 'prove' his point. It can be pretty devastating to be told that you should not marry the person you love deeply or, therefore, continue in a relationship with them. To be told that this is because God forbids your relationship can be even more devastating if God has become an important factor in your life. Needless to say, I started to realise that this pastor had rather unusual and extreme views so I left that church shortly after that meeting and married the man I loved anyway, but the idea that God disapproved of our relationship niggled in my mind for a very long time. I often felt torn between God and my husband.<br />
<br />
For a gay person it's not just about being told you can't marry the person you love, it's about being told you can't marry anyone you are ever likely to want sexual intimacy with. If the gay person is also a Christian it must be even worse to be told the God you love and/or fear doesn't only disapprove of your choice of mate, but of what is an essential part of who you are.<br />
<br />
Now, I am familiar with most of the verses in the Bible, which are given as reasons why God disapproves of gay sex, but personally I'm not convinced that there is any proof that God does disapprove of loving, faithful relationships between two people of the same sex.<br />
<br />
The writers of the Old Testament lived in a patriarchal society where women were deemed to be the inferiors of men and wives were considered to be their husbands' property. The Jews had strict laws about what was proper and what was not proper, too and they attributed these ideas to God. So, to 'lie with another man as with a woman' would have been thought of as demeaning the other man by treating him as a woman. It would have also upset people's ideas about the social order and it would not have produced the children necessary to work the land nor produced any heirs to inherit the land as it was a rare thing in ancient Israel for daughters to inherit property. So, it is safe to say that references in the Old Testament to sex between men have no relevance to modern British society.<br />
<br />
It is important to note that Jesus said nothing at all either about sex between two men or between two women, or if he did, no one bothered to record what he said. This suggests it wasn't an important issue to Jesus.<br />
<br />
Later in the New Testament, the Letter to the Romans sees sex between two men or between two women as unnatural, wicked and degrading and a sign that God had abandoned them, despairing that they could ever be saved. Modern Science, especially Psychology, has now shown that if people are lesbian or gay then it is far more natural for them to have a sexual relationship with someone of the same sex than with someone of the opposite sex, although it seems some people can find both natural. So these verses, based on ignorance and misunderstanding, are no longer proof that God disapproves of gay people having sexual relationships and cannot be seen as a divine prohibition of gay marriage.<br />
<br />
Yet these small parts of the Bible are still being used to encourage prejudice against gay people and to tell gay people themselves that God disapproves of who they fundamentally are. This way of thinking encourages abuse and violence against gay people, whether it means to or not, and can result in gay people feeling so ashamed or rejected that hundreds of them, especially teenagers, end up taking their own lives every year. That such things are said and done in the name of the God Jesus taught us to imagine as being like the most loving father makes me very angry.<br />
<br />
As a result I left the Baptist church I belonged to when the new pastor appeared to have trouble accepting gay relationships as worthy of validation and, more than that, thought that I should believe whatever he told me to because he was my pastor. I wonder if he would have said that to me if I had been a man. Perhaps he would have, but I have no respect for anyone who is not open to reason and debate about areas of disagreement. It usually means they aren't all that sure of having good reasons for what they believe.<br />
<br />
Later I left the Church altogether, among other reasons, because I was tired of what I heard and read in the news about the in-fighting in the Church of England about what gay people could and couldn't do, not to mention the out-dated attitudes some clergy have to women. (Update: At the end of February I decided to go back to the last church I was a member of, which is a small, Inclusive, Anglican church in walking distance from where I live. I've been missing the people recently and just now I am feeling a lot less tired than I have in recent years. For the minute both my father's and mother-in-law's conditions seem fairly stable as well, so I shall see how it goes.)<br />
<br />
Even now that civil partnerships are legal in Britain ministers of the Church of England cannot risk people knowing that they love someone of the same sex as themselves, especially if they hope for any kind of promotion. There is no justice or compassion in a situation like that. It's certainly not what I think Jesus would have done. However, this is a matter for the Church and not the state. It would give the Church more credibility with the general population if it caught up with modern ideas of how people should be treated equally, though.<br />
<br />
Although civil partnership gives gay people similar rights to married straight people with regard to British law, it seems their legal status is not even recognised in parts of Europe where gay unions are accepted.<br />
<br />
So what, really, is my problem with gay people being allowed to be legally joined in marriage? Gay people are fully human after all, and have as much right to marry as anyone. I don't have any inkling that the marriage of gay people will undermine the institution of marriage in general, on the contrary it can only uphold it.<br />
<br />
No, I think my problem is something I absorbed as a child, something that wasn't really even spoken about, which I have never really questioned or properly challenged. Growing up is about questioning the things we absorbed as children and seeing if those ideas are still valid and if they fit what we believe now. If they don't it's time to consign those ideas to the rubbish bin along with the worn out clothes we wore then, which no longer fit us. They certainly don't warrant recycling. So, it's time for those uneasy feelings I have to be acknowledged for what they are, the worn out vestiges of something I have now outgrown completely. If we don't do this then, like clothes we have outgrown, these ideas will constrict our growth and limit our potential.<br />
<br />
Update: Strangely, after writing this post, my feelings of slight discomfort at the thought of gay people being allowed to marry have dispersed entirely.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Karinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13913127925431380024noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7669355936131828670.post-78155119076533255822013-01-28T21:24:00.000+00:002013-01-28T21:24:54.488+00:00Will the Hungry Always Be With Us?Oxfam, Cafod, Christian Aid are among over 100 organisations who have got together to launch the <a href="http://enoughfoodif.org/who-we-are" target="_blank">IF campaign</a>. It's very much along the lines of Make Poverty History which, if you aren't sure, did not make poverty history. In fact they say the gap between rich and poor in the world has become wider not smaller since.<br />
<br />
However, if we didn't make poverty history, these people now think that we can make hunger history throughout the world, just by signing up to their website and maybe wearing an armband. Do they really think that this will make all those who are out to line their pockets while others starve to death turn over a new leaf and the people who shot and <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-21216431" target="_blank">killed Cicero Guedes</a> a leader of the MST (Landless Workers' Movement in Brazil) over the weekend become deeply repentant and give the people of Brazil all the land they need to feed their families? I really don't think so. I wish I could believe it, but it will take more than everyone in Britain signing up to this campaign, I'm afraid.<br />
<br />
War on Want has not signed up to this campaign, although it did take part in the Make Poverty History campaign, and <a href="http://waronwant.org/news/latest-news/17790-war-on-want-and-the-if-campaign" target="_blank">gives its reasons here</a>. The World Development Movement are not taking part either, and they have <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-development/poverty-matters/2013/jan/24/hunger-change-policy-challenge-power" target="_blank">discussed their reasons in the Guardian</a>.<br />
<br />
Not that I want to stop you signing up, I just don't think we should become complacent, but see what else we can do. It will need a remarkable idea and some remarkable people to bring an end to the power structures that keep people hungry throughout the world.<br />
<br />
Karinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13913127925431380024noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7669355936131828670.post-43770833815824783382013-01-07T17:54:00.001+00:002013-01-07T18:02:40.934+00:00Let's Reduce Plastic Bag Use in England in 2013Caroline Lucas and Natalie Bennett propose <b><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/blog/2013/jan/03/three-easy-environmental-resolutions-2013?intcmp=122&utm_source=buffer&buffer_share=bb593" target="_blank">three easy environmental resolutions</a></b> to aim for in 2013:
20mph speed limits, a levy on plastic bags and reducing night lighting would cost little but deliver significant benefits.<br />
<br />
You can't change the speed limit or even introduce a levy on plastic bags on your own, and unless you own a shop with neon lighting you can't do anything about that yourself, although you can find like-mined people and lobby your local council to do something about these things and that would be a good idea.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuiadqNrnI3d32Rgs6a38CBJXGDIDublQgmXBQJd9YJoJR691DFMvbJ_HAPa3366lIJ4I6hejGYka7YzKyGsfCqKMu07RPMDPz385kaguWhCERpfugZm-sv14OaKEKDy10t3h9K1JS9sdq/s1600/plastic+litter.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuiadqNrnI3d32Rgs6a38CBJXGDIDublQgmXBQJd9YJoJR691DFMvbJ_HAPa3366lIJ4I6hejGYka7YzKyGsfCqKMu07RPMDPz385kaguWhCERpfugZm-sv14OaKEKDy10t3h9K1JS9sdq/s320/plastic+litter.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Plastic bags can be a real eyesore</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
One thing you can do something about, though, is decide not to use any more free, flimsy, single-use plastic bags. It seems the use of these bags rose by around 5% to 6.75bn in the past year in England alone. Of 8 billion carrier bags given out by supermarkets in the UK, 6.75 billion were given out in England. In other parts of the UK, as well as in China and much of Europe, there is already a levy on plastic bags. In fact even <b><a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-20891539" target="_blank">Mauritania has just banned them</a> </b>because many cattle and sheep that die in the capital, Nouakchott, have been killed by eating plastic bags.<br />
<br />
If you wonder why you should find an alternative to these flimsy plastic bags <b><a href="http://www.poconorecord.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080506/multimedia02/80505016" target="_blank">this slide show gives you a number of reasons</a></b>. In fact sending them to be recycled isn't really the answer, either as it costs a lot more to recycle bags than to produce new ones.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYrr93gN2HB1HHDMG46iuMup9VLxyWIS1J3Wea-rIyK027AqFcbpJ5wfATv-f1tirvKX3WeSnXzIhKnbwQYTO8Rowhvo6HYMZuwfCVW5fyjKAuJCuoV9moaR_IDe1aJx9gyDE5qQYWORD3/s1600/turtle.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYrr93gN2HB1HHDMG46iuMup9VLxyWIS1J3Wea-rIyK027AqFcbpJ5wfATv-f1tirvKX3WeSnXzIhKnbwQYTO8Rowhvo6HYMZuwfCVW5fyjKAuJCuoV9moaR_IDe1aJx9gyDE5qQYWORD3/s1600/turtle.jpeg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Even worse, plastic bags can kill</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Reducing your own use of these bags may only be a small step but it cuts the pointless use of resources. If they were not freely available it would also help to clean up our towns, cities, countryside rivers and seas, reducing the harm to all kinds of birds and animals, even in our seas.<br />
<br />
Even in landfill they may take 1,000 years or more to break down into ever smaller particles that continue to pollute the soil and water. <br />
<br />
Finally, producing plastic bags requires millions of gallons of petroleum that could be used for transportation or heating.<br />
<br />
To reduce your own plastic bag use you need to invest in a few reusable bags and get into a new routine. Keep one or two lightweight bags with you in your coat pocket or main bag so that you are prepared for most small purchases. If you like to do a big shop by car invest in enough reusable, strong, plastic or jute bags to accommodate your shopping and keep those in the boot. You'll find you can fold two or three and store them in one jute bag.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>To try and get something done about reducing plastic bags in general why not <a href="http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/40990" target="_blank">sign this e-petition</a>. If enough of us sign this petition, the government might actually do something about it.</b>
<br />
<br />Karinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13913127925431380024noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7669355936131828670.post-1970417768760176922013-01-06T20:42:00.000+00:002013-01-07T21:37:52.329+00:00Misty St Martha'sHubby and I decided we'd go for a walk to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Martha%27s_Hill" target="_blank">St Martha's church</a> today in spite of the heavy mist. There were some very 'atmospheric' views.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGLYjjyFiANTP9VLCaYPaC7Op8evLYn6MQC0uXvLj5nHQVslBYH2Ndo7QGg6vY0hcWrb-5Mj0FphDXChhFqtOdmRSp6oM5n1kHgnGyF8TlnMvrAwsatWfzKEKgZk00cKJJEBEN_VGa8pKm/s1600/P1080576.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGLYjjyFiANTP9VLCaYPaC7Op8evLYn6MQC0uXvLj5nHQVslBYH2Ndo7QGg6vY0hcWrb-5Mj0FphDXChhFqtOdmRSp6oM5n1kHgnGyF8TlnMvrAwsatWfzKEKgZk00cKJJEBEN_VGa8pKm/s640/P1080576.JPG" width="480" /> </a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The church looked very different today, shrouded in mist as it was . . . </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIhRdo3V3bpAa22G0tVd3DdBHRecH_TRrcll2oQX2J9WpODrcbGrHGECsiTB46ubeiqhXmgkCj1Wt9EZD3AN_DXMYN6M74_2WFZqPj4xa_O58NbhpAJ5LwxMF0Y4k9rmB1w2iY0zxtUC81/s1600/P1080580.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIhRdo3V3bpAa22G0tVd3DdBHRecH_TRrcll2oQX2J9WpODrcbGrHGECsiTB46ubeiqhXmgkCj1Wt9EZD3AN_DXMYN6M74_2WFZqPj4xa_O58NbhpAJ5LwxMF0Y4k9rmB1w2iY0zxtUC81/s640/P1080580.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<br />
. . . than it did almost exactly a year ago, when the sun was shining. We thought our last visit was some time in the late Spring or early Summer last year, but I've just seen that it was 7th January.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjURK8t2rpKwY__IUvSSaVPjA2UTx7gvJOLn6QJ5D4AZZo4Zio95i-JahdLfw2Az3LmllDpx_pNjLjSx1oC6tdmGSAsi3s3pDz3BiT_alNmRvmWcvrgujVWnvljVHWdEP_m09_zS3HMAjFm/s1600/P1020201.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjURK8t2rpKwY__IUvSSaVPjA2UTx7gvJOLn6QJ5D4AZZo4Zio95i-JahdLfw2Az3LmllDpx_pNjLjSx1oC6tdmGSAsi3s3pDz3BiT_alNmRvmWcvrgujVWnvljVHWdEP_m09_zS3HMAjFm/s640/P1020201.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
We loved how the lichen made this tree look.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl8N81G6iI6A-bbGJ4h04taAtswyzMLxjRJmw4LxpkuBxo3iaXRzdAHpoz1S7625ENV7vwBw9SZAB2IrXh0roDvJkogKcCvUavu-h3Kj8ss9y5fEJ3AB1fbgduF96m3VskQHvWPIAs_4ac/s1600/P1080582.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl8N81G6iI6A-bbGJ4h04taAtswyzMLxjRJmw4LxpkuBxo3iaXRzdAHpoz1S7625ENV7vwBw9SZAB2IrXh0roDvJkogKcCvUavu-h3Kj8ss9y5fEJ3AB1fbgduF96m3VskQHvWPIAs_4ac/s640/P1080582.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
I loved the mixture of moss and fungus on this tree stump. An artist couldn't better it, in my view.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4RrFCT1fvH76aqsRbjQ8k9cUsTM_BYYkLrscbEetZDLnKErOGEpMqmJVI6OeEfLlookL7WqasZ9qhoUAbFCAJ2f9QmT42n8c6PPyncfSdTOaamqRbOeFYDTjokPJ3A-Zr9D7y971nUalG/s1600/P1080591.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4RrFCT1fvH76aqsRbjQ8k9cUsTM_BYYkLrscbEetZDLnKErOGEpMqmJVI6OeEfLlookL7WqasZ9qhoUAbFCAJ2f9QmT42n8c6PPyncfSdTOaamqRbOeFYDTjokPJ3A-Zr9D7y971nUalG/s640/P1080591.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
There were some lovely lichens, too. I've yet to identify this one, though.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLwCUhe_kD_eWQDWIIf9uYtWbB5cWkRkYGIqh2XFOUmenISgxrdFVe7nFynZSL0sIniLbCGSGCqNZOs7mb3PXhkGJ2_0NnKcjKamHLh_eVPCuvVBKxU9jW2HAfnDqAvY4P3elVz3IqFp9q/s1600/P1080595.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLwCUhe_kD_eWQDWIIf9uYtWbB5cWkRkYGIqh2XFOUmenISgxrdFVe7nFynZSL0sIniLbCGSGCqNZOs7mb3PXhkGJ2_0NnKcjKamHLh_eVPCuvVBKxU9jW2HAfnDqAvY4P3elVz3IqFp9q/s640/P1080595.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
This is probably reindeer lichen (cladonia portentosa)<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkOU0g5ER2xXVCOkoIKKk8XUd5a2y3D2NnT3iIR3X21K-qrM_zP1_OmkeD-JoBhJTDQIkwa_JBP-j8n6mynBGSJrfCuXvfsBVC6ZeWCrysIJSrIGb8EnV3Cyd7qNLB9DqviLU6Sc5U8Bds/s1600/P1080596.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkOU0g5ER2xXVCOkoIKKk8XUd5a2y3D2NnT3iIR3X21K-qrM_zP1_OmkeD-JoBhJTDQIkwa_JBP-j8n6mynBGSJrfCuXvfsBVC6ZeWCrysIJSrIGb8EnV3Cyd7qNLB9DqviLU6Sc5U8Bds/s640/P1080596.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
This is an auricula-judae fungus, otherwise known as Jew's Ear or if you want a more pc name, Jelly Ear (thanks for that, Chris).<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC3ujgMc37bHVTPUQU3hJpcE1UxWeBCd88YQAke8rXXxdwMMliEatM-ZgA9aJoygs2CoHUjHfV-w6ImkQjo7rVGsskzV3K5Qhxh1J3fFoXKz7HSsi_vxfVzJFvF-5E7SS9ML9nZGuGYCvq/s1600/P1080607.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC3ujgMc37bHVTPUQU3hJpcE1UxWeBCd88YQAke8rXXxdwMMliEatM-ZgA9aJoygs2CoHUjHfV-w6ImkQjo7rVGsskzV3K5Qhxh1J3fFoXKz7HSsi_vxfVzJFvF-5E7SS9ML9nZGuGYCvq/s640/P1080607.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
We wondered what had made these holes. There were a few fairly close together.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxL0xuLJIhKBgWTNauPYMnGo92ZvMLzYOfFj_BxZUNUdalIWUBn-wFBwk7KeSEkByNg2P-_Kbt1fbQHZ-3XPd9_vpwl_D7c-fmZjwj59Ic4m6_F7V2rX56BmnH9IYQLTafrkSXeGA93nsL/s1600/P1080599.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxL0xuLJIhKBgWTNauPYMnGo92ZvMLzYOfFj_BxZUNUdalIWUBn-wFBwk7KeSEkByNg2P-_Kbt1fbQHZ-3XPd9_vpwl_D7c-fmZjwj59Ic4m6_F7V2rX56BmnH9IYQLTafrkSXeGA93nsL/s640/P1080599.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
The moist, misty atmosphere made me feel I was in a cool rainforest while also giving everything a somewhat eerie quality. In fact we saw this ghost ahead of us:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifWXmfP5I4OpkVFFv77uI5W3Taoq1GRO-KnCQRv4KAvFQrWcUVKyKNSxyIUKJ58zldDvmiKPwBxQ3g42szU4585ug5HNpWHbYUsCvWZGFfkfvHjkx99GUxqycJ8BFQYo7qpF6mARRY527w/s1600/P1080606.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifWXmfP5I4OpkVFFv77uI5W3Taoq1GRO-KnCQRv4KAvFQrWcUVKyKNSxyIUKJ58zldDvmiKPwBxQ3g42szU4585ug5HNpWHbYUsCvWZGFfkfvHjkx99GUxqycJ8BFQYo7qpF6mARRY527w/s640/P1080606.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />Karinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13913127925431380024noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7669355936131828670.post-8589714230477071242013-01-05T12:28:00.001+00:002013-02-07T21:30:10.388+00:00Wind Turbines Kill Less Birds Than Cats Do.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7TJc6Nq2usaW9IOmVgha0rVoNvuLZY0l3aed72Ucsz5PgkO3yJNKuJ1qlVhIYf6wMusspdt-G4idPzCDa1Z5Gj8BNqF5LIupLrI6p0F_9Idobmxekq8OeBLaO4s73axdmj3ycIwJr1Jg4/s1600/P1060248.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7TJc6Nq2usaW9IOmVgha0rVoNvuLZY0l3aed72Ucsz5PgkO3yJNKuJ1qlVhIYf6wMusspdt-G4idPzCDa1Z5Gj8BNqF5LIupLrI6p0F_9Idobmxekq8OeBLaO4s73axdmj3ycIwJr1Jg4/s640/P1060248.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Graceful wind turbines on Kefalonia</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
One reason some people give for being against wind turbines is that they kill large numbers of birds. You might think that this is a good reason, until you hear that cats, road traffic, windows and over head power cables kill far birds more as<a href="http://www.newstatesman.com/sci-tech/2013/01/wind-farms-and-abuse-statistics-bird-edition" target="_blank"> this article explains</a>.<br />
<br />
Should we not allow any more cats, cars or cables, either?Karinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13913127925431380024noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7669355936131828670.post-47604080280384768012013-01-02T17:28:00.004+00:002013-01-02T17:48:58.746+00:00Off on the Right Foot<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5d9vSXq9vPMkiximtQn2WE10Bi1IntZ-rt5hO2YKgCrp0NDVr8iFhqavQMBZb6dOcq7saeF9QRxDs7eFU3tqB9_rR7rjkEgy8mdqWUDxncf5Yz1E2mTsceW-jM468zzAQVeJh-kpeADJ3/s1600/right+foot.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5d9vSXq9vPMkiximtQn2WE10Bi1IntZ-rt5hO2YKgCrp0NDVr8iFhqavQMBZb6dOcq7saeF9QRxDs7eFU3tqB9_rR7rjkEgy8mdqWUDxncf5Yz1E2mTsceW-jM468zzAQVeJh-kpeADJ3/s1600/right+foot.jpeg" /></a></div>
<br />
Well, it wasn't raining and in spite of not being used to waking up at half past six over the holiday, today I managed to get up in time to make my sandwiches and walk to work. Hubby was working from home today, so I didn't have to worry about carrying shopping home as he was able to fetch me and the shopping in the car.<br />
<br />
So, I suppose walking today didn't cut my carbon footprint too much, but it's a step towards becoming fitter and once I'm fitter I'll be able to walk more often when I don't need a lot of shopping. As I wasn't so well over Christmas and therefore didn't feel like going out for walks too much, I really enjoyed being able to walk to work today and proving that I could do it today has given my morale a boost.<br />
<br />
However, I was about five minutes late for work and fear of being late has sometimes stopped me from trying to walk to work on other days, but if it becomes normal I should be able to be better organised and therefore less likely to be late. As it happens my manager thought I was having a day's leave today and wasn't even expecting me to be there. It just goes to show what can happen when you don't let fear stop you doing something good.Karinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13913127925431380024noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7669355936131828670.post-63944762047400677162013-01-01T17:25:00.002+00:002013-01-01T17:50:26.695+00:00Starting Well<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMlA0TVWPHwIibwTGloky1PXieVnsFFGJla8xbAfKXeAFFgr4Q1jcdwNczMUiXMwLUo5-D9Ay9gjFAZvQVM4mNCDMI4dFuHKcEdAmAMSuB3fv0rc3NR0272jkZBWDyrs9aUSPqPeqQYe4z/s1600/Jaunus.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMlA0TVWPHwIibwTGloky1PXieVnsFFGJla8xbAfKXeAFFgr4Q1jcdwNczMUiXMwLUo5-D9Ay9gjFAZvQVM4mNCDMI4dFuHKcEdAmAMSuB3fv0rc3NR0272jkZBWDyrs9aUSPqPeqQYe4z/s320/Jaunus.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Janus, Roman god of beginnings and transitions,
<br />
who gives his name to the month of January</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
So, a new year has begun with all its promise and uncertainty. I do hope 2013 will be a good year for you, but then none of us know what it will hold for us.
<br />
<br />
Like Janus we may be looking back to the old year, while also looking forward to 2013. I hope you can look back with satisfaction on what you have achieved last year and are not filled with regret. If you do have regrets, perhaps you can do something to put them right, either by doing this year what you regret not doing last year, or by making amends for things you wish you hadn't said or done. If neither is possible, then it is important to forgive yourself for your human failings and learn the lessons from your mistakes that will help you do better this year. Things like regret and guilt are good when they alert us to what might be wrong, but once we've put things right or gone past the point where we can put things right, we must move on. All we can hope for after that is to do things better next time<br />
<br />
<br />
Equally we could approach this new year cautiously, afraid of what it might
bring, or we can embrace it with joy and the thought of a new
beginning and all that might entail.
<br />
<br />
Being generous has to start with ourselves. We need to have self-respect and be able to have compassion for ourselves if we want to be able to respect and have compassion for others. Sometimes life doesn't deal us what we want and then it will help to learn to accept our situation, but if we each want to be the best person each of us can be, then it will help us if we can make our lives as close to the way we want them to be as is possible.
<br />
<br />
What do you wish for in 2013? However impossible your dream, ask yourself what is the first step to making it come true? If we are to be generous to others we need a certain amount of fulfilment and joy in our lives otherwise we risk becoming filled with fear and resentment. In fact learning to love ourselves, to enjoy life and above all to be true to ourselves, our hopes, our dreams and the principles we hold dear is a good way to become more generous to others. If we are fearful of new experiences we are likely to be fearful of new and different people. If we don't think we deserve to enjoy life we are likely to be resentful of others' enjoyment.
<br />
<br />
Each human being is a wonderful creature, including you. Every person deserves to be treated with respect, dignity and compassion, including you, and the best person to practise on is yourself. So, have respect for the person you are and think of all that you have going for you, including your health, your ability to walk, all the things you can do with your hands, you skills in sport or sewing, writing or woodwork. Never mind if you aren't the world's best singer or a great footballer, think of all the things you can do. Learn to value what you can do even if it isn't 'sexy' or likely to earn you a lot of money. Everyone is useful to someone. Think of what you do for others and what they would do if you didn't do those things. Perhaps someone else could do them, but would they care in the way you do, would they have your warmth or your smile? You are unique and no one else can give the world exactly what you do.
<br />
<br />
So getting back to those hopes and dreams you have, you see you do deserve that they come true as much as anyone else does. Rather than make a New Year's resolution why not decide to start the year right and take the first step to being the new you and to making your dream come true?
<br />
<br />
Amongst other things I'm hoping to grow more and better vegetables this year. We didn't quite get around to sowing and planting everything we had planned and then the weather didn't help everything to flourish. I can't do much about the weather, but I can try to get fitter so that I have more energy for all that gardening involves. Now I know that I still have to keep an eye on my iron levels I'm hoping that I will have the energy to walk more and be more active so that I can lose some weight and get fitter this year as I didn't make much progress with that last year.
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8MGnvaRA35KgcR8aMorTzTauDodGTixyx7Pac_jkxS59ALpOirfoDNNDv2X0zK3TFXHJzXnRI648K5Y1RjQX-hK18ooowjWtDLoLRI-hakcI8VfHgD6ZhL38JFu4Ko71bC01eFNFzYHK-/s1600/P1080544.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8MGnvaRA35KgcR8aMorTzTauDodGTixyx7Pac_jkxS59ALpOirfoDNNDv2X0zK3TFXHJzXnRI648K5Y1RjQX-hK18ooowjWtDLoLRI-hakcI8VfHgD6ZhL38JFu4Ko71bC01eFNFzYHK-/s320/P1080544.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
As usual for New Year's Day I've been for a walk and the sunshine meant it was good to get outdoors, although hubby and I did feel the need to spend the morning cleaning and tidying as our daughter's boyfriend has come to visit today and we'd let things slip a bit over Christmas. Now I need to try and walk more for the rest of the week and generally be more active with each passing day.<br />
<br />
<br />
What would you like to achieve, and what steps towards doing that can you take in 2013?<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"<b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, worry about the future, nor to anticipate troubles, but to live in the present
moment wisely and earnestly.</span></b>" - The Buddha</blockquote>
<br />
<br />
Karinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13913127925431380024noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7669355936131828670.post-36449294941929455942012-12-31T16:13:00.003+00:002012-12-31T16:13:39.738+00:00Happy New Year to You<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrfN0UQaAbzFrvBy6uPweTXIzY2OGUnbndya7a0ZiEJTet0tDltD53wtoW9IUbrl9AfUVruDdumpaslJdr3KZHaB5FLvKaXW5xVqXXjZg78qLCkbawOOepwLeMtFYSApNzWIm-S9VLkPyS/s1600/Happy+New+Year.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrfN0UQaAbzFrvBy6uPweTXIzY2OGUnbndya7a0ZiEJTet0tDltD53wtoW9IUbrl9AfUVruDdumpaslJdr3KZHaB5FLvKaXW5xVqXXjZg78qLCkbawOOepwLeMtFYSApNzWIm-S9VLkPyS/s640/Happy+New+Year.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />Karinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13913127925431380024noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7669355936131828670.post-52952251757715637462012-12-06T13:37:00.000+00:002012-12-06T13:37:03.388+00:00Advent, a Season of Preparation<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUR9pEkKJJhcr4piXxZfljQ9brkPVH6R1BOPk2LFLca-gFXNyHqj9HUdPs6z3Gznno_ym3aC3PptCeM6_eGbPULPc-fhFXRSrmvW3ExMoOUZH_hzsCW_yQs67unLnxD2a03PRtDq-ScUP0/s1600/advent_wreath_with_candles.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUR9pEkKJJhcr4piXxZfljQ9brkPVH6R1BOPk2LFLca-gFXNyHqj9HUdPs6z3Gznno_ym3aC3PptCeM6_eGbPULPc-fhFXRSrmvW3ExMoOUZH_hzsCW_yQs67unLnxD2a03PRtDq-ScUP0/s320/advent_wreath_with_candles.jpg" width="320" /></a>How are you preparing for Christmas this year? <a href="http://justgai.blogspot.co.uk/2012/12/on-fifth-day-of-december.html" target="_blank">Something I read on Gai's blog</a> made me wonder what different people find essential for Christmas.<br />
<br />
Is it about lots of material goods like presents and food or about a state of mind and being able to spend time with your nearest and dearest? If you are feeling full of joy and good cheer towards your fellow human beings do you need much more to make Christmas special. If you feel no reason to be joyful or to grateful can anything conjure up that special Christmas feeling for you?<br />
<br />
If turkey and sprouts and being given presents is what Christmas is all about for you, that's fine, and I hope you have all that you are wishing for.<br />
<br />
If you struggle to find any meaning in Christmas it may be because you aren't a Christian and see no place for it in your culture, but otherwise if you feel Christmas has lost its sparkle for you, try thinking about all the things you have, rather than all the things you don't have and see if that helps. If you are in seriously dire straits I do hope your friends, family and neighbours will realise your need and give you many reasons to be grateful and cheerful.Karinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13913127925431380024noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7669355936131828670.post-69254463718078209582012-12-03T16:48:00.001+00:002012-12-04T22:10:42.543+00:00Are Wood Burning Stoves the Answer?There is a lively debate within my local Greening group about the merits of wood as fuel. I have heard convincing arguments on both sides and am not entirely sure where I stand, but I certainly have my reservations. <br />
<br />
I have heard wood fuel talked of as if it is the ideal sustainable fuel and also as helpful in reducing our carbon emissions.Yet, when you burn wood it does release carbon dioxide.<br />
<br />
If you plant one tree in the place of each tree you burn, it will in time absorb an equivalent amount of carbon, but it will need time to grow. A well managed woodland with trees at many stages of development will get round this problem to some extent. This is because if the woodland is managed well you won't chop down a large wooded area all at once and then replant it, so that there are a number of years before the same amount of carbon is being absorbed as there was by the trees you originally chopped down. However, if you chop just one tree down, it will still take time for a new tree planted in its place to reach the same size.<br />
<br />
So, it seems to me that there is a reduction in the amount of carbon absorbed and an increase in the carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere whenever a tree is cut down and burnt, even if it is only for a short while. Planting new trees in the place of each one felled merely limits the shortfall in carbon absorption, but does not stop it entirely.
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5zx6H06VcdLgdFbIy7ARX7YTaSA-4FMS6j-hQl-16ODKgNDtb7BGEHIXc5BmCKCWItogfuV4Bj02wUsD0Jt4DyySVKFKxNYxqT_vqIkZ4bJiwpnbj_DzPA_d4qvCC5LPnclv3uTXThUGx/s1600/Ash+crop.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="332" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5zx6H06VcdLgdFbIy7ARX7YTaSA-4FMS6j-hQl-16ODKgNDtb7BGEHIXc5BmCKCWItogfuV4Bj02wUsD0Jt4DyySVKFKxNYxqT_vqIkZ4bJiwpnbj_DzPA_d4qvCC5LPnclv3uTXThUGx/s400/Ash+crop.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ash tree</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Nationally we have recently learned that it is important to only plant locally grown saplings grown from native tree seeds, yet the more we need to replant I suspect the temptation is greater to import saplings from abroad especially when they are being sold at a cheaper price than native trees.<br />
<br />
You may wonder if you can argue with a woodland being 'well-managed', but what this seems to mean is a way to make a woodland profitable while ensuring that enough of it remains to allow most of the wildlife that inhabits it to survive. However, there is also merit in an unmanaged woodland where trees have fallen down due to old age or the effects of strong winds and have been left to rot and so become a habitat for mosses, lichens and all manner of insect life, which in turn will feed many birds and other animals.<br />
<br />
We must remember that a woodland is not just a collection of trees, but also a complex habitat for numerous and diverse plant-life and creatures great and small. The longer the woodland has been undisturbed the greater the biodiversity.<br />
<br />
If you like the idea of living as naturally as possible or think our ancestors ways were often better than the way we live today this does not necessarily mean that wood fires are a good idea in modern Britain.<br />
<br />
If a few people burn branches that have fallen from trees in their local woods along with the occasional tree that has fallen down in high winds, this will release a minimal overall amount of carbon dioxide into the air, the CO2 emitted during transport will also be minimal and the woodland will have suffered minimal damage, but the more people do even this and we shall increase the amount of CO2 released into the atmosphere.<br />
<br />
If we need to transport the wood even a few miles the C02 emissions are likely to rise substantially. The more people who wish to use wood the more damage will be done to the woodlands as there will not be enough fallen wood to cope with demand. Coppicing is one way to ensure large trees are not felled, but a coppiced tree produces spindly growth to begin with, so will still have less capacity to absorb and store carbon than it did before it was coppiced.<br />
<br />
If you want to burn wood, do make sure it comes from a sustainable source, as locally as possible, but I can't see this being the answer to our fuel problems as a nation.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiegLkyDkSRH6A8tLk92F_3ebkqqHQeMM4pP25P9Jy-NxiYzPlxU5w4aXZw1TWwkeMdVEcqp40uu172rSDpg6HDnfsNP2_swik1jnp9esiBjxyx7LtXljbGgRF1mHYL9dQvuLKUn8Mvxe76/s1600/PICT4319.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiegLkyDkSRH6A8tLk92F_3ebkqqHQeMM4pP25P9Jy-NxiYzPlxU5w4aXZw1TWwkeMdVEcqp40uu172rSDpg6HDnfsNP2_swik1jnp9esiBjxyx7LtXljbGgRF1mHYL9dQvuLKUn8Mvxe76/s400/PICT4319.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
Once upon a time Britain was covered in forests and woodlands, but even in the Iron Age large scale felling started to reduce our woodlands substantially. Under Henry VIII a large boat-building programme helped to hasten the progress and all the while wood had been used to build houses, churches, cathedrals, barns and stables etc. Come the industrial revolution and even more wood was needed to create charcoal for the greedy furnaces. Even the great Caledonian Forest is a shadow of its former self. Surrey is the most wooded counties in England, but it cannot even supply all its residents if they all wanted to feed wood burning stoves - thankfully not everyone can or wants to do so.<br />
<br />
If Britain does have wood to burn it might be more efficient to burn it in a power station rather than in individual wood burning stoves and then everyone could benefit. Although I won't deny there's nothing so cosy as a roaring fire in the grate on a cold day if you are lucky enough to have a fireplace and chimney. Perhaps this would be best as an occasional treat, however?<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNqUto_lWfN_I2eswFCZCc4lFnUeyFoJuUs2SdXjEzHepZBrg8xxdzCmNuIAllJwN6Bjx_qng4h8Z-agARNFLUIi9QX0DoIMQNzzJZZMDp9fV-mpOD6i2xzQtAZgKYViTZPrhd08woP7Tw/s1600/havyrsay.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNqUto_lWfN_I2eswFCZCc4lFnUeyFoJuUs2SdXjEzHepZBrg8xxdzCmNuIAllJwN6Bjx_qng4h8Z-agARNFLUIi9QX0DoIMQNzzJZZMDp9fV-mpOD6i2xzQtAZgKYViTZPrhd08woP7Tw/s1600/havyrsay.jpeg" /></a></div>
Now I don't pretend to be an expert on these matters and they do say a
little knowledge can be a dangerous thing, so if you are an expert or
can point me in the direction of articles written by experts I would be
very interested to hear your views. If you are not an expert I should
still be interested in what you think about all this.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
This is <a href="http://www.carbontrust.com/media/81385/ctg061-taking-the-heat-biomass-heating-low-carbon-buildings.pdf" target="_blank">an article by the Carbon Trust</a> advising how carbon savings can
be made by using biomass as opposed to conventional fuels.<br />
<br />
There is a diagram on page 2 entitled 'Biomass and the Carbon Cycle'. It
makes the point that because new trees are planted to absorb some of the
carbon dioxide released into the air by burning wood, it is better than
burning coal or oil, which cannot be replaced like trees.<br />
<br />
I've also found something about wood fuel on t<a href="http://www.epfsolutions.org.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=1687&sid=bac57636416aa7e87c4e738f4b072498" target="_blank">he Permaculture UK Forum</a>. Permaculture is about living as sustainably as possible. While one contributor called JohnB acknowledges it can be a sustainable source of fuel for some people he suggests that individuals consider their own circumstances and needs in order to decide on the best fuel sources and that other measures such as insulation and dressing warmly in cold weather are also important.<br />
<br />
My suspicions are that for most people insulation and choosing more sustainable forms of electricity and gas could be the way forward. However, I await an overwhelming argument in favour of wood fuel to convince me otherwise.Karinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13913127925431380024noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7669355936131828670.post-19090757228047536082012-11-23T08:45:00.004+00:002012-11-23T08:52:39.297+00:00Some Thoughts on Buy Nothing DayI think it's a great idea to take a break from shopping now and again. If it fits in with your lifestyle it's best to buy fresh fruit and vegetables little and often, but most of us get carried away around the supermarket now and again as we succumb to a special offer on something we don't really need or only needed one of, not six. Old fashioned list writing can help there, as can shopping in small independent shops, but not everyone has decent small independent shops near by.<br />
<br />
However, I'm not sure how helpful it is to have <a href="http://www.buynothingday.co.uk/" target="_blank">National Buy Nothing Day </a>in Britain at the end of November when many people will be trying to get their Christmas shopping done to beat the mad December rush. There are also a lot of Craft Fairs and Christmas Markets around where we could well buy something unique, or at least a bit out of the ordinary, made by a local craftsman or woman that someone we love would really appreciate as a Christmas present.<br />
<br />
Personally I would encourage you to treat tomorrow as an encouragement to think more carefully before you buy, to consider if you really need that 'bargain', can you eat all 3 packets before the sell by date without ruining your waistline or consuming a very unbalanced diet for the next week or so? Let it be the day you think carefully whether Aunt Flo really would like that attractive item on the craft stall that when you think about it will probably just add to the clutter in her house and has no real use.<br />
<br />
Do make a resolution to buy nothing once a month or once a week and enjoy doing something completely different, like taking a short walk in your lunch break and taking in your surroundings.<br />
<br />
Do take a few days off from shopping after Christmas and resist the urge to treat the after Christmas sales as an entertainment. Use the extra time to play board games with the family or go for a walk or something else that enhances your life and relationships, but if it's not helpful for you to buy nothing tomorrow, don't feel guilty about it at all.<br />
<br />
By all means spend more time enjoying the things that are free in life, and often more life-enhancing. What could you do if you spent less time shopping?<br />
<br />Karinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13913127925431380024noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7669355936131828670.post-44093306267447667122012-11-10T08:31:00.002+00:002012-11-10T08:58:39.522+00:00There Has To Be a Better Way<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1476ATJzP6iIonf9zc7jzq9cOJxeH3r7kbtr0QvWbIUZ3aAJvfHOu1iCGlk3iXHHbl1pURThQcW0hu2SIHHYO43Y55wVBBbweool7B9O2PJ3a2x_nAkLToKXDTMw8IgtHvRm_Z-RTTR2c/s1600/white+poppies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1476ATJzP6iIonf9zc7jzq9cOJxeH3r7kbtr0QvWbIUZ3aAJvfHOu1iCGlk3iXHHbl1pURThQcW0hu2SIHHYO43Y55wVBBbweool7B9O2PJ3a2x_nAkLToKXDTMw8IgtHvRm_Z-RTTR2c/s640/white+poppies.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
http://www.ppu.org.uk/</div>
Karinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13913127925431380024noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7669355936131828670.post-36738140373379541712012-10-23T16:21:00.000+01:002012-10-23T16:56:25.781+01:00Someone Remarkable and Something Unbelievable<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiavX0VrPRk7dkeMNccuso67ZIv0Yu24qjFXcNjKxjmgGCupetpx9VfX1mfFDmlYhkonYy5kh6ueJ3QrppaIU7fqXQdMhUix-6XLD3WlTXzfkLqITGDLrWkRxmjNGN7Owx8r_4l8G3RGR0K/s1600/The-lady-2011-poster-french.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiavX0VrPRk7dkeMNccuso67ZIv0Yu24qjFXcNjKxjmgGCupetpx9VfX1mfFDmlYhkonYy5kh6ueJ3QrppaIU7fqXQdMhUix-6XLD3WlTXzfkLqITGDLrWkRxmjNGN7Owx8r_4l8G3RGR0K/s200/The-lady-2011-poster-french.jpg" width="132" /></a>It seems like time for another post, so what should I write about? Shall I tell you how much we enjoyed the two DVDs I got out from the library? We watched '<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Artist_%28film%29" target="_blank">The Artist</a>' on Saturday night and thoroughly enjoyed it. It was very relaxing watching something without the usual noise of background music and the talking and the story-line held our interest. I even enjoyed watching the little dog and all his tricks even though I'm not a great fan of domestic pets. I was less amused by the dog being allowed to sit on the breakfast table, cute as it was.<br />
<br />
<br />
Sunday we watched the equally good but less amusing film, '<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lady_%282011_film%29" target="_blank">The Lady</a>'. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is a truly remarkable woman, but this also tells the story of the sacrifices made by her children and her husband.<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipZ1rZXehdj8BmVVXPRilXIAnA9wuYDUwuJhWZXgqpHEu31JvNtoq5hW5313GKhukTbdypuYaxALSiRzX0-s0pgDr7oQuiyXYid2HlMFk_-iBMDfsNnqiaByjsn8llO0MUoclA48lQ5Tjr/s1600/badgers.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipZ1rZXehdj8BmVVXPRilXIAnA9wuYDUwuJhWZXgqpHEu31JvNtoq5hW5313GKhukTbdypuYaxALSiRzX0-s0pgDr7oQuiyXYid2HlMFk_-iBMDfsNnqiaByjsn8llO0MUoclA48lQ5Tjr/s200/badgers.jpeg" width="200" /></a>On the other hand, I've just heard that the government have decided to stop the imminent badger cull from going ahead. I'm very pleased for the badgers, but I wonder why the members of the government keep announcing policies only to have to say they've changed their minds a bit later when they realise just what a bad idea it all was after having been made aware of the full facts. Why can't this government check the facts properly before announcing their policies? Are they really fit to run the country? How much money are they wasting as a result of their unbelievable haste and ineptitude?<br />
<br />
Getting back to the badgers, or more crucially still, TB in cattle, wouldn't it be better to vaccinate the cattle and/or the badgers and to make sure the cattle are given plenty of space and fresh air as well as a nutritious diet. When we had high levels of TB in the human population we didn't shoot anyone who was deemed to be a carrier. No, the combination of vaccinating children and, over time, better nutrition and housing conditions for the majority of people all but eradicated the disease. Have we learned no lessons from the past? <a href="http://www.farmersguardian.com/target-tb-what-you-really-need-to-know-about-tb-in-cattle/25104.article" target="_blank">The Farmers' Guardian</a> admits that "[cattle] with a low nutritional plane, mineral deficiency or a compromised immune system are more likely to get TB." Karinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13913127925431380024noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7669355936131828670.post-14118295598214900932012-10-11T15:09:00.001+01:002012-10-11T15:24:07.701+01:00International Day of the GirlApparently today is the United Nations International Day of the Girl. It's purpose is to highlight, celebrate, discuss, and advance girls lives and opportunities across the globe and "<i>to help galvanize worldwide enthusiasm for goals to better
girls’ lives, providing an opportunity for them to show leadership and
reach their full potential</i>.”<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnSu6eePQafEYSWHbfEH8_z1QTcs2tY8yjLYehGe4cymvO2-HWKsMf7xDafJBtdBNO2PETozt5GiXljefDKAAEEzmbJYKG6hkCiz4pfF7YH5PmwTYUA3ZMRZOT7bvIKEAKu8bkMwezXjyt/s1600/eye+in+pink.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnSu6eePQafEYSWHbfEH8_z1QTcs2tY8yjLYehGe4cymvO2-HWKsMf7xDafJBtdBNO2PETozt5GiXljefDKAAEEzmbJYKG6hkCiz4pfF7YH5PmwTYUA3ZMRZOT7bvIKEAKu8bkMwezXjyt/s320/eye+in+pink.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
The cowardly <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-19908409" target="_blank">shooting of 14 year-old Malala Yousafzai</a> by Taliban gunmen only two days ago highlights the plight of many girls around the world who cannot go to school and are abused by men who seek to control and dominate them.<br />
<br />
By 2015, women are expected to make up 64% of adults in the world who are unable to read.<br />
<br />
Only 30% of girls in the world are enrolled in secondary school. In America the dropout rate is worse for boys but one in four girls does not finish high school and the dropout rate is even higher for minorities. I wonder what the situation is in the UK.<br />
<br />
One in seven girls in developing countries is married off before age 15.
In the US more than half (54%) of all rapes of females happen before age 18.<br />
<br />
The reporting on <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leeds-19906695" target="_blank">the case of Jimmy Savile</a> shows us that there is still room for improvement in the way women and girls are treated here in the UK.<br />
<br />
One in 5 high school girls has been physically or sexually abused by a dating partner. Worldwide children as young as age 11 are forced to work as prostitutes. Some estimates have as many as 1.2 million children being trafficked every year.<br />
<br />
More than half (54%) of 3rd-5th grade girls worry about their appearance and 37% worry about their weight. More than half (57%) of music videos feature a female portrayed exclusively as a decorative, sexual object.<br />
<br />
Find out more by visiting <a href="http://dayofthegirl.org/girls-issues/">the website</a>.<br />
<br />
Watch out this evening for <a href="http://www.thenationalstudent.com/News/2012-10-04/Spotlight_International_Day_of_the_Girl.html" target="_blank">the London Eye turning pink,</a> around 10 pm I think, to mark the occasion.Karinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13913127925431380024noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7669355936131828670.post-41913292585280401752012-07-08T16:49:00.000+01:002012-07-08T20:12:57.374+01:00Petition for Dairy FarmersWith regard to <a href="http://karin-greenandgenerous.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/fair-price-for-dairy-farmers.html" target="_blank">Friday's post </a>on the price of milk, there is a petition on the direct gov e-petition website, which I think is a bit vague:<br />
<br />
<br />
<i><b>Dairy farmers must be paid more for their milk </b></i><br />
<br />
<div class="department">
<i>Responsible department: Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs</i></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i>The UK Government must do more to
protect the interests of British dairy farmers. The low price of milk is
forcing extremely hard working farming families in to poverty and
increasing the dependence on antibiotics used with animals that will
have a devastating affect on the industry. If the price of milk is not
increased soon then the UK will suffer a shortage of supply and thus pay
more in the long-term.</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
-----------------------------------------------------------------</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<br />
If, like me, you agree with the sentiment, as it's better than nothing, you might want to <a href="http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/6424" target="_blank">sign it here</a>.<br />
<br />
I have updated <a href="http://karin-greenandgenerous.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/fair-price-for-dairy-farmers.html" target="_blank">the original post I made on Friday</a>, so do have another look if you haven't read it since Saturday.<br />
<br />
If I get responses to my more recent e-mails I'll write a new post.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Karinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13913127925431380024noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7669355936131828670.post-68335721584338199082012-07-06T08:49:00.001+01:002012-07-08T21:16:11.166+01:00Fair Price for Dairy Farmers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuTEPJhv2V-zn_L2Xe-1WAcEnHeomr73tQ4uoLATUspXs0pksG1gpaZ9QLFfewHUoAJgCUQwpP1U38fsqfNBJWmmBma1uy11hnbtGMY-MrSTcndFgQYPdMJlfFBE_HL2ArH-Z4Nhpd7GeA/s1600/Holstein_dairy_cows.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="436" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuTEPJhv2V-zn_L2Xe-1WAcEnHeomr73tQ4uoLATUspXs0pksG1gpaZ9QLFfewHUoAJgCUQwpP1U38fsqfNBJWmmBma1uy11hnbtGMY-MrSTcndFgQYPdMJlfFBE_HL2ArH-Z4Nhpd7GeA/s640/Holstein_dairy_cows.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
I don't know if you heard about the unhappy dairy farmers on <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-stoke-staffordshire-18714106" target="_blank">the news this morning</a>.<br />
<br />
Dairycrest, among others, is planning to cut the price they are paying the farmers for their milk. Robert Wiseman is another of the dairies announcing cuts. I believe Asda and Morrisons were mentioned as supermarkets not paying a fair price to dairy farmers.<br />
<br />
(Co-op are supplied by Robert Wiseman dairy, who have dropped the price they pay, but Co-op say <a href="http://www.thegrocer.co.uk/companies/supermarkets/the-co-operative-group/the-co-op-ups-milk-premium-to-cushion-wiseman-blow/230700.article" target="_blank">they've upped their premium per litre to compensate</a>. I'm still finding what price per litre the farmers actually get.)<br />
<br />
For small farmers this could be a disaster, shaving £10,000 or £20,000 pounds off an already tight budget, yet for most of us it would only mean the difference of a few pence a week if we drink a pint a day, a bit more if we use more.<br />
<br />
The National Farmers Union says it costs more than 30p a litre to produce milk, and of course processors and retailers will be adding their cut, so cheap milk means dairy farmers are being short-changed. It seems milk is expensive to produce, but we don't value it highly enough.<br />
<br />
<br />
Marks & Spencer, Sainsbury, Tesco and Waitrose were all said to be paying dairy farmers a reasonable price for their milk.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.thegrocer.co.uk/fmcg/fresh/dairy/dairy-farmers-unite-in-bid-to-overturn-price-cuts/230527.article?utm_source=RSS_Feed&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=rss" target="_blank">This article</a> is from the Grocer magazine yesterday and <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2012/jul/06/milk-farmers-threaten-protest?newsfeed=true" target="_blank">this one</a> is from the Guardian.<br />
<br />
The Farmers' Weekly have also written <a href="http://www.fwi.co.uk/Articles/03/07/2012/133706/Dairy-Crest39s-1.65plitre-price-cut-ramps-up-producer.htm?cp=SOC%7CFWFW%7Ctweetdeck%7C@farmersweekly" target="_blank">a report of this story</a>.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-17879081" target="_blank">This article</a> from April refers to an earlier cut in price and farmers' response.<br />
<br />
<br />
So I would like to urge you to write a similar e-mail or letter to whoever supplies your milk to the one I have written to Dairycrest (see below) if they are not paying dairy farmers a fair price or are planning to cut what they pay, and to buy your milk from Marks & Spencer, Sainsbury, Tesco or Waitros, or even better, a local farm.<br />
<br />
I thought it was a good idea to support my local milkman and I like having my milk in glass bottles, but I will be changing my milk-buying habits at the beginning of August if I am not convinced that the money I pay Dairycrest for the milk they deliver to me represents a fair price to the farmers who produce it.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>My e-mail to Dairycrest:</b><br />
<br />
<br />
<i>Dear Dairycrest,</i><br />
<i><br /></i><br />
<i>I have a regular delivery of milk from one of your milkmen and have been very happy with the service, however I was appalled to hear on the news this morning that you plan to pay two pence a litre less for milk, the second cut in less than six months.</i><br />
<i><br /></i><br />
<i>I believe that dairy farmers should be paid a fair price and am happy to pay more for my milk if the extra money goes to hard-pressed dairy farmers.</i><br />
<i><br /></i><br />
<i>I do not want to see more mega dairies. I believe it is important to support the smaller-scale dairy farmers we already have for the sake of the environment, which in turn effects our own well-being, as well as for the sake of common decency: I believe people should be put before excessive profits.</i><br />
<i><br /></i><br />
<i>If you have not changed your mind about this cut in price by the end of the month I shall be buying my milk from other, more responsible suppliers. I refuse to collude with you in your careless disregard of the well-being of dairy farmers.</i><br />
<br />
Yours . . . .<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
-------------------------------------------------------<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>To their credit Dairycrest have responded very promptly:</b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i>Good Morning **********</i></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i>Thank you for contacting us to express your concerns.</i></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i>Dairy Crest is the UK’s leading chilled dairy foods company and, as
such, we use over 2 billion litres of raw milk every year. We grew out
of the Milk Marketing Board whose membership consisted of farmers and we
are proud of this dairy heritage and our links to the countryside. We
aim to pay fair, market-related milk prices and when we can pay a
premium we do so.</i></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i>In Devon and Cornwall, for instance, suppliers to our Davidstow creamery
(where Cathedral City and Davidstow cheeses are made) receive a price
premium. We also operate “milk pools” - groups of farmers who supply
some of the major supermarkets.</i></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i>After a strong year for milk prices in 2011, we were very disappointed
to have to reduce the price we pay our farmers. We delayed this
decision for as long as we could. We know that milk production costs
remain high and that this will be a blow to those of our farmers who are
affected. However, the market pressure on our business has left us no
alternative.</i></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i>We certainly haven’t taken this decision lightly and have considered all
other options. We have undertaken a thorough review of our selling
prices and our customer base and we have also cut our own costs. The
tough decision to consider closing two of our dairies as well as making
reductions in depot and head office jobs demonstrates this. We are
extremely proud to be a British company buying British milk from high
quality, professional dairy farms.</i></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i>Kind Regards</i></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i>Wendy Cruickshanks</i></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i>Dairy Crest Consumer Careline Advisor</i><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Here is <a href="http://www.liverpooldailypost.co.uk/liverpool-news/regional-news/2012/07/04/aintree-dairy-crest-milk-plant-to-shut-with-loss-of-220-jobs-99623-31318204/" target="_blank">the recent news</a> that the milk plant in Aintree is to close.<br />
<br />
Looks like those of us buying milk from low paying retailers might not be able to buy milk from 1st August if they don't up their prices! See here <a href="http://www.farmersforaction.org/" target="_blank">Farmers for Action website </a><br />
<br /></div>
</div>
<br />
Milk production in this country seems to be really struggling at the moment. Is this down to competition from cheap imports? If this is a factor, is it the only one? As a nation are we consuming less milk and dairy products? Are there other reasons? What can be done about it?<br />
<br />
I would like to find out. I've written back to Dairycrest with more questions and I've written to my MP, Jeremy Hunt. I await their responses.<br />
<br />
Do you have any ideas about the cause of the problem and/or the solution? <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Karinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13913127925431380024noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7669355936131828670.post-56224505368782824202012-06-05T15:32:00.001+01:002012-06-05T15:32:12.285+01:00Today is World Environment DayApparently today is the United Nations Environment Programme World Environment Day.<br />
<br />
This year's theme is <a href="http://www.unep.org/wed/wedpack/" target="_blank"><b>Green Economy: Does it include you?</b></a><br />
<br />
On the website a Green Economy is defined as one whose growth in income and employment is driven by public and private investments that reduce carbon emissions and pollution, enhance energy and resource efficiency, and prevent the loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services. These investments need to be catalysed and supported by targeted public expenditure, policy reforms and regulation changes.<br />
<br />
In what way are you contributing to the Green Economy? Find out more about World Environment Day (WED) <a href="http://www.unep.org/wed/about/" target="_blank">here</a>. <br />
<br />
I was investing in local biodiversity this morning by cutting some areas of grass with the garden shears to avoid cutting down some wild flowers before they had finished flowering. I also planted a few more flowers to provide nectar and pollen for insects that feed on those. In the end I came indoors because the rain had become heavier and I was getting wetter.<br />
<br />
I'm not sure how else I am contributing to the green economy, but the website looks interesting.Karinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13913127925431380024noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7669355936131828670.post-30928523807784669022012-04-24T19:02:00.001+01:002012-04-24T19:02:49.775+01:00The High Price of MaterialismI've just been watching this video on <a href="http://noimpactman.typepad.com/blog/2012/02/the-problem-and-the-solution-in-five-minutes.html" target="_blank">No Impact Man's blog</a>. If you haven't seen it, I recommend you take a look.<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/oGab38pKscw?fs=1" width="480"></iframe>IKarinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13913127925431380024noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7669355936131828670.post-56133971205585485282012-04-23T11:25:00.001+01:002012-06-04T21:39:39.555+01:00Can We Save Our Bees?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtcXjHTcA_bjcKJE6hndbMcyrO7RfZ3d-RICqr4iESvWTPUZ2bsCyAbWmhSVc2ZwVfacRtO8mHbrDAtuef7inRLnFYxe_bCbgYaUL02wtiJl-djOc-1vfxjQ_21l_IpvxjNIhzawv-ZnWY/s1600/honey+bee+small.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtcXjHTcA_bjcKJE6hndbMcyrO7RfZ3d-RICqr4iESvWTPUZ2bsCyAbWmhSVc2ZwVfacRtO8mHbrDAtuef7inRLnFYxe_bCbgYaUL02wtiJl-djOc-1vfxjQ_21l_IpvxjNIhzawv-ZnWY/s320/honey+bee+small.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
The way we tend the plants in our gardens and the way our food is grown has a huge impact on the world around us, either for good or for ill.<br />
<br />
Having learnt that some slug pellets were bad for the birds that might eat slugs and snails that had consumed the pellets I now use only <a href="http://www.organiccatalogue.com/p1821/ADVANCED-SLUG-KILLER-575g/product_info.html">Growing Success pellets</a>, and sparingly. I find copper rings can be just as useful in keeping my plants from being chewed (or should that be sucked?) by molluscs and a recent experiment with coffee grounds resulted in several dead snails.<br />
<br />
I also try to buy organic food as I know many of the chemicals used by other farmers and growers can be damaging to wildlife.<br />
<br />
One of the most concerning agrochemicals are neonicotinoid pesticides, which are a group of insecticides based on nicotine that include 'imidacloprid', 'clothianidin', 'thiamethoxam' and 'fipronil'. They have been designed to attack an insect's central nervous system, causing paralysis and eventually death when high levels overstimulate and block the nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, or nAChR. They have been made to destroy insects which damage crops such as vine weevils, aphids, whitefly, Colorado potato beetle and termites. These chemicals cause paralysis and death in the target insects, which damage crops, but also harm other, beneficial insects such as bees and can interfere with their navigation systems and impairing their ability to groom themselves.<br />
<br />
The other evening we watched the BBC 4 programme '<a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00jzjys">Who Killed the Honey Bee?</a>', which someone had a recording of. It was looking at sudden colony collapse, which leaves bee hives almost empty of bees for no apparent reason, and the possibility that they could not find their way home was raised as a likely reason for this phenomenon.<br />
<br />
It has been shown that bees which groom themselves more are more likely to survive attacks by the verroa mite, so if chemicals are reducing their ability to do this, then that could be a contributory factor to the number of bees dying due to infestations of the verroa mite.<br />
<br />
Bees are also under stress due to climate change and the diminishing numbers of wildflowers available to them as food sources due to modern farming practices. <br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf5Jk00WoQKW59tRd-SYXT4skifkTSfz3JKK2Mf7ggcasBZVveQCD14tjSEcxITT3-yk_qCxkPXo1LvQ8EGWvDqPaYQABRQYATUhQ8q2s1PEoiQh9Z-1nRXA3ExBHHAyo-PYapIW7d-Jos/s1600/early+bumble+bee+cropped.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="143" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf5Jk00WoQKW59tRd-SYXT4skifkTSfz3JKK2Mf7ggcasBZVveQCD14tjSEcxITT3-yk_qCxkPXo1LvQ8EGWvDqPaYQABRQYATUhQ8q2s1PEoiQh9Z-1nRXA3ExBHHAyo-PYapIW7d-Jos/s200/early+bumble+bee+cropped.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Early bumblebee</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
While people worry more about the loss of honey bees for commercial reasons, all of our approximately <a href="http://www.bumblebeeconservation.org.uk/bumblebees_id.htm">250 species of bee</a> must be under threat if these chemicals are damaging to bees, and bees of all kinds are vital to pollinate the crops we depend on for our health and strength. In fact the red mason bee is a more efficient pollinator of fruit crops than the honeybee. As <a href="http://www.foe.co.uk/what_we_do/bee_cause_about_35042.html">Friends of the Earth</a> tell us, "<b>bees pollinate 75% of our most vital crops and favourite foods</b>. Without bees and other insects we'd also have 20% less vitamin C, 41% less vitamin A and 9% less calcium". Once again we see that mindless damage to the environment and other creatures has a knock on effect on ourselves.<br />
<br />
If you want to find out more about neonicitinoids, <a href="http://beestrawbridge.blogspot.co.uk/">Bee Strawbridge</a> has written <a href="http://beestrawbridge.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/what-are-neonicotinoid-pesticides-and.html">an informative article</a>.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/mar/29/crop-pesticides-honeybee-decline">A recent article in the Guardian</a> reported the results of tests carried out by the Universities of Stirling and Avignon of the effects certain pesticides can have on bees, which backs up suggestions that neonicotinoids are harmful to bees. Similar reports appeared in other newspapers. Yet the authorities seem to continue to think there is no need to worry.<br />
<br />
Launching their new <a href="http://www.foe.co.uk/what_we_do/the_bee_cause_35033.html">Bee Cause Campaign</a> recently FoE also tell us that<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"<b>Without bees it would cost UK farmers £1.8 billion a year to pollinate our crops.</b></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
That's more than it costs farmers to produce all the milk consumed in the UK every year. "</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"<b>Bees are essential to our gardens, parks and countryside.</b></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Bees and other insects help pollinate over 75% of our plants, which in turn are vital to our insects, birds and animals. "</blockquote>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh57KMpUvNUccYvO1MUbd3eKLMzC08oLtWNdErKhOJUsNMxt_MPjGed7QGI8nfvenySD0Nh5mHl_Z_3iFP3SDnFn4SknUwx0jIA6HWgmECP4GfGOsvb8tj6w6Jor5mQOlvcaf2FnXfMbvqV/s1600/P1030408.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh57KMpUvNUccYvO1MUbd3eKLMzC08oLtWNdErKhOJUsNMxt_MPjGed7QGI8nfvenySD0Nh5mHl_Z_3iFP3SDnFn4SknUwx0jIA6HWgmECP4GfGOsvb8tj6w6Jor5mQOlvcaf2FnXfMbvqV/s200/P1030408.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fritillaries</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Friends of the Earth's <b><a href="http://www.foe.co.uk/what_we_do/the_bee_cause_35033.html">Bee Cause Campaign</a></b> suggests several ways you can help improve the situation for bees and other beneficial insects from sending David Cameron an e-mail to planting more bee-friendly flowers in your garden.<br />
<br />
I hope you will feel able to support the Bee Cause or do something to help the bees in your vicinity. I have written about bee-friendly flowers recently <a href="http://notesonagarden-karin.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/ideas-for-encouraging-wildlife-in-your.html">here</a> and <a href="http://notesonagarden-karin.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/some-more-nectar-rich-flowers.html">here</a>, if you want some ideas on what to plant to help feed the bees in your area.Karinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13913127925431380024noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7669355936131828670.post-83891939882414781972012-04-22T10:43:00.003+01:002012-04-23T11:33:23.797+01:00Any Man's Death Diminishes Me<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJnN7Mwyhns7YH67lBUVfKWsy3jpnYjKaTRIXjdNXB823h-wNtF3SXQqB2948SSt-zckPnK4Rvu8CDfSvk_G0Tgf6KeznjYcdh_0_aYamCyrewaqWzL135nuoJS-kpPnFQVHHn9Ip6E41a/s1600/ripplesonpond.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJnN7Mwyhns7YH67lBUVfKWsy3jpnYjKaTRIXjdNXB823h-wNtF3SXQqB2948SSt-zckPnK4Rvu8CDfSvk_G0Tgf6KeznjYcdh_0_aYamCyrewaqWzL135nuoJS-kpPnFQVHHn9Ip6E41a/s400/ripplesonpond.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
I was listening to <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cC11fJP2W6k">Sam Roskams</a>, a member of <a href="http://www.bahai.org.uk/">the Bahá’í Faith</a>, on <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006wqvh">Good Morning Sunday</a> this morning. I liked his ideas about the unity of the human race and that all religions are equally valid, but speaking to different times and places. The fact that so many people still find the Torah, the Bible, the Koran, the sacred texts of Buddhists, Hindus and other faiths show that they have something to say to us today, although we need to be careful to separate the universal truths from ideas that were tied to a particular time and culture when people might not have understood some things as well as we do today. However, the ancients who first articulated many of the ideas found in these texts were very wise in some matters, wiser than many of us are today, and we should not dismiss everything they say.<br />
<br />
Aled Jones, the presenter of <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006wqvh">Good Morning Sunday</a> also had a Tibetan Buddhist, His Holiness The Gwalwang Drukpa, on his programme this morning. I was interested in hearing that his response to the vast amount of rubbish that is thrown away mindlessly was to organise his monks and nuns to participate on a <a href="http://www.drukpa-nuns.org.uk/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&layout=item&id=62&Itemid=10">Padyatra</a>, or giant meditative litter pick cum pilgrimage lasting several weeks.<br />
<br />
This all ties in beautifully with a line from "An Inspector Calls", the play by J. B. Priestley, which was on Radio 4 yesterday afternoon, in which Inspector Goole reminds the Birling family that their actions have consequences and that we are all more responsible for other people than we might think.<br />
<br />
"An Inspector Calls" is about a girl whose life has become so wretched and desperate that she takes her life. We learn that the father of the family had sacked a girl who may well have been her for asking for a pay rise, showing that employers who don't pay their workers enough to live on must take responsibility for the consequences their actions can have on their employees or ex-employees and the rest of society.<br />
<br />
The daughter's and the mother's judgemental attitudes have also had serious repercussions and the son of the family and the daughter's fiancé have both had a role to play in the girl's downfall as they had both used her for their own sexual gratification.<br />
<br />
<br />
Today more than ever John Donne's words, 'No man is an island' hold true:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span itemscope="" itemtype="http://data-vocabulary.org/Review-aggregate">No man is an island entire of itself; every man <br />is a piece of the continent, a part of the main; <br />if a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe <br />is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as <br />well as a manor of thy friends or of thine <br />own were; any man's death diminishes me, <br />because I am involved in mankind. <br />And therefore never send to know for whom <br />the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.
</span></blockquote>
Today we also know that even simple choices about the food and clothes
we buy can be a matter of life and death for people on the other side of
the world and using more than our fair share of the world's resources
means someone somewhere in the world has to do without as a result. We also need to be aware of how much carbon dioxide our activities create as we learn that this substance we cannot see could well be responsible for droughts, severe storms and other drastic changes in the climate in other parts of the world. Speaking hatefully or even disrespectfully about a person who has a different faith from our own or whose race or sexual orientation is different from ours can also have devastating consequences that we might not have intended or foreseen. We all need to think more before we speak as well as before we act.<br />
<br />
We could all benefit from <a href="http://books.google.co.uk/books/about/The_Miracle_of_Mindfulness.html?id=-SuJJ7LXjvgC&redir_esc=y">practising mindfulness </a>on a daily basis, considering the consequences of our actions and finding better ways to do things so that we might harm this planet and the people on it less than we do at present and learn to be more compassionate and considerate as the major world faiths teach.<br />
<br />
I shall leave you with the words of <b style="font-weight: normal;">His Holiness Gyalwang Drukpa</b><br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b><i>“Unless the minds of the people change and all of us learn
to improve our inner being and understanding, a few of us will keep
cleaning the environment and it will never be clean. A lot of education
and activities need to be done not only by us but by everyone in this
world so that we all can contribute to make this world better, greener
and happier.”</i></b></blockquote>
<br />Karinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13913127925431380024noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7669355936131828670.post-62275096460967411222012-02-23T16:31:00.003+00:002012-02-24T16:32:35.081+00:00Fairtrade FortnightFairtrade Fortnight will soon be upon us, so here is a brief introduction to the concept of Fairtrade for those who are unsure what it's all about.<br />
<br />
How we live and how we choose to shop and do business has an affect on how producers in so-called 'developing countries' are able to live and whether they are able to make basic choices to improve their own future and their children's future.<br />
<br />
Fairtrade is a guarantee of a fair price and decent working conditions for those people in less economically developed countries who produce food and other products people like us in the wealthy West to buy. <br />
<br />
Although we may not realise it, many of the everyday things, such as cotton, rice, tea, coffee and chocolate, are produced by people who are not being paid enough to live on for their long hours of work and who
can be working in dangerous and unhealthy conditions.<br />
<br />
If you aren't convinced that Fairtrade is necessary <a href="http://www.fairtrade.org.uk/what_is_fairtrade/who_needs_fairtrade.aspx">read this</a> or some of the <a href="http://www.fairtrade.org.uk/producers/default.aspx">producer stories here</a>.
<br />
<br />
Fairtrade initiatives aim to stop this.
Through selective buying, you can ensure that the producers at the bottom of the
supply chain, such as poor farmers, get a fairer share of the money you spend on their goods.<br />
<br />
All the major supermarkets stock Fairtrade products these days, as do many small shops. Some cafes and restaurants use Fairtrade produce, too. <a href="http://www.fairtrade.org.uk/products/retail_products/default.aspx">This will give you an idea </a>of the wide range of Fairtrade products available in the shops.<br />
<br />
There will soon be lots of offers on Fairtrade products for Fairtrade Fortnight.<br />
<br />
Look out for this logo when you next go shopping.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgec4kD0QBD_Q6ATJcZuMfcZBTN9u2pwMjuzt3of3x79HXDJbtjQK24OuIsZIYzp8MY9B-5XNnMitH3ZpS4ZtFVroI1VDbVcrtRWPbrdGzy401Z3y1PnOREGDhS2-OetN71ferq6gv9rmrf/s1600/FTlogo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgec4kD0QBD_Q6ATJcZuMfcZBTN9u2pwMjuzt3of3x79HXDJbtjQK24OuIsZIYzp8MY9B-5XNnMitH3ZpS4ZtFVroI1VDbVcrtRWPbrdGzy401Z3y1PnOREGDhS2-OetN71ferq6gv9rmrf/s200/FTlogo.jpg" width="170" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
You can find out more about what the logo means <a href="http://tinyurl.com/6dfhjg">here </a><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"></span>
<br />
<table align="center" bgcolor="#CAFF2B" border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td><div align="center">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;"><b>Fairtrade
fights poverty through trade.</b></span></span>
</div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<br />Karinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13913127925431380024noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7669355936131828670.post-298822843562133902012-02-18T16:08:00.001+00:002012-02-18T16:14:26.696+00:00Curried Butternut Squash SoupThis is a lovely, rich and warming soup for Autumn and Winter.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsEVh8wEkj2ZxNj4bLc7ltPgU2ioh46BE1uT-5oFHKVi2g21i_SEOFPL3HPESk8vUiDB20e1Fnl_DUk0t7K1GXZNoQ-KBwPSYhMKsWihD1B3YPZEElwaC7qHcwhqO37Y7x-ddijg1JHFYr/s1600/P1020742.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsEVh8wEkj2ZxNj4bLc7ltPgU2ioh46BE1uT-5oFHKVi2g21i_SEOFPL3HPESk8vUiDB20e1Fnl_DUk0t7K1GXZNoQ-KBwPSYhMKsWihD1B3YPZEElwaC7qHcwhqO37Y7x-ddijg1JHFYr/s400/P1020742.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
We had a similar soup some years ago at a family celebration, but I didn't get the recipe and it took me a few years to manage to make a similarly pleasing soup.<br />
<br />
Butternut and other squashes are in season at this time of year and we sometimes get one in our veg box, in which case I make this soup, which has become one of our favourites.<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>First of all I roast a medium butternut squash, cut in half lengthways, and probably crossways, too, so that it will
<style type="text/css">
<!--
@page { margin: 2cm }
P { margin-bottom: 0.21cm }
-->
</style> fit in my dish. I drizzle it with olive oil and put it in an fan-assisted oven set to 180<span style="font-size: small;">°C for about 45 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and bubbling. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">While it is in the oven you can be frying a sliced medium onion and a few cloves of garlic in a large saucepan.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Once the squash is well-cooked, scoop out </span><span style="font-size: small;">and remove </span><span style="font-size: small;">the seeds, then discard the skin, adding just the flesh to the saucepan . Pour in about half a pint of water and simmer for a few minutes to make sure everything is soft.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Next puree the mixture with a hand blender. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Then add a small can of coconut cream, a tablespoon of garam masala and a tablespoon of stock powder. </span></li>
</ul>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcN0VnGNJnOcgCrbgc9BJY_7vqM8FwWAvOQuaDJEOXIt4j_ZcdC8NlrrWuSQbJKIAW1DvbSqolO0PyeBclAQ_z4-6jBlzVutelPfNH4_kUJCmD5p6f5MDHtVO63xHnDilAOd1saxkbG42M/s1600/P1020739.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcN0VnGNJnOcgCrbgc9BJY_7vqM8FwWAvOQuaDJEOXIt4j_ZcdC8NlrrWuSQbJKIAW1DvbSqolO0PyeBclAQ_z4-6jBlzVutelPfNH4_kUJCmD5p6f5MDHtVO63xHnDilAOd1saxkbG42M/s400/P1020739.JPG" width="400" /> </a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
You want the soup to be fairly thick, but if it is more like thick porridge, add a bit more water, stirring well, until it has the right consistency. Heat it through well before serving with a crusty roll or a piece of naan bread. You could garnish with a few coriander leaves if desired.<br />
<br />
<br />
Today I made about 7 ladles full, so it depends how big your appetites are, but I would say that was just right for 3 hungry people for lunch. However, it could serve 6 as a starter.Karinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13913127925431380024noreply@blogger.com3