Saturday, March 30, 2013

"Growing your own food is like printing your own money."

Los Angeles:


Todmorden (Dafuq?!, you say? It's in England.):


A New York City apartment:

Friday, March 29, 2013

Grace/Luck: You Didn't Earn It

Although it might seem odd for a Buddhist -- I do believe in karma, absolutely -- but from a practical, day-to-day, this-is-your-life perspective, I totally agree. This is actually a very Buddhist message, about ovecoming the ego.


Thursday, March 28, 2013

Maryland Public Television: Foster Care Stories

The program is interrupted at intervals by interviews with program administrators in Maryland, providing information about Maryland resources. The interruptions are a bit jarring (and repeats Kendra's story), but the information is worthwhile. The program originally aired 3 years ago, so the information isn't far out of date.

Watch Foster Care Stories: A Place to Be on PBS. See more from WMPB.

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

"Look at me now, Ohhh!"

Love this. It's a "TED Talk" by a couple of girls who made it through the system to college. They are giving advice on how to do it, and referring others to info about AB 12, a California Act that provides transitional benefits to youth aging out of the foster system.


Tuesday, March 26, 2013

"Without hope you have no trust in anything or anyone."



This Op-Ed in the LA Times is well worth the read. This particularly stuck me: "...nearly 50% of all children who enter county foster care are 5 or younger."

Nearly 50 percent. Are 5 or younger.

I was talking to some coworkers recently about adoption and specifically, about adopting an older child out of foster care.

One coworker, married, has 2 beautiful young children, and her baby boy just turned 1 year old. She developed diabetes during the last month of her pregnancy. She was explaining how she had been telling her husband that she did not want to put her body through that again. She said if they want another child, they will adopt, but only a baby or toddler. She thinks that after that the children have been too affected, will be too hard to fit into the family.

The other coworker is still very young, still single. I think she basically agreed with the married lady, but also she was telling her that she understood my position, that the older kids need help, too. (I don't believe that it's too late to help them, too late to make a difference.)

But now I read this, I am armed for the next time it comes up: Nearly 50 percent. Are 5 or younger. They are not too old, to damaged already to become part of your family.

But me, I'll still want to help an older child.

Monday, March 25, 2013

Wedding Vid or Car Commercial?

BMW (for the party crowd):


Prius (for the earnest individualists):


Audi (ummm...):

Because nothing says "I'll love you forever" like 50 or so of your best buds surrounding your vehicle firing shotguns as you drive through town. (Really, to me, that says something more along the lines of "I'm taking her, what are you going to do about it?" but that's probably just my cultural prejudice, right? Right?)

Saturday, March 23, 2013

Everything is Connected: Quantum Climate Change Science

Be sure to watch this all the way through to see the point. Livestock issues are complex and poorly understood, but with planning, can actually improve climate and land instead of damaging them.


Industrial livestock operations are an outdated failure.

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

JT on Jimmy Fallon Again (Yay!)



And one of the classics I hadn't posted before:

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

TMI: Leamur's "Nashville" Favs

I don't know if my imaginary reader will remember my saying that the post about Tate Steves (the guy who won The X Factor) would likely be the only time Leamur ever posts country music to her blog...

I blame T-Bone Burnett. Here are Leamur's Nashville favs (so far).

Starting from the beginning of the season, If I Didn't Know Better:


No One Will Ever Love You:


And last week just blew me away, Pour Me Something Stronger:


I'm loving Hayden in the show (so glad they saved the cheerleader), but they haven't yet given her a song that really got me... I expect they'll fix that by the end of the season.