So we all want to unclutter our lives right? As they say, "less stuff = less stress!" Well, if any of you out there are like me, getting rid of things that are old, worn out, not really fit for decorating or display anymore but have sentimental value is really tough. I just ran across a great blog post that got me thinking about ways to preserve memories without getting swamped in stuff. The idea is to take pictures of objects that are of sentimental value that you don't really want to hold onto anymore. Then you can keep the photograph on you computer rather than the large bulky item.
I've actually done this once before a few years ago and it was really freeing and I have no regrets! I had a pair of sandals that had great sentimental meaning for me. They were the first purchase I ever made on my own as an exchange student to Indonesia and those sandals were with me everywhere I went. They represented all of the amazing adventures and travels I had done in my first year there and the journey I had experienced going from a kid fresh out of a U.S. high school to feeling like the real daughter of my Indonesian host families! I kept the sandals for many years afterwards, but eventually they just got too worn out and were taking up space that I really needed for sandals and shoes that I could actually wear. I ended up taking a picture of the sandals before tossing them in ye olde reycle bin several years ago and I recently ran across the pictures again a few weeks ago. It was a great feeling. I still had the memories right there, but no clutter and no smelly sandals to figure out where to store. I'm actually pretty sure I'll look at the photo more often than I would have ever pulled the old sandals out.
In fact, photographing lots of things, even if you don't plan to get rid of them is a good idea. It leaves things open for more possibilities. 1) if the item is lost, stolen or damaged you have a record of it for sentimental purposes, it's much easier to show a picture of missing items than to describe them & if you have a fire it could be the difference between getting the insurance money or not. 2) Photographing objects that you would have stuffed in a closet, box or drawer for the rest of your life allows you to use the objects in an easier way than you might otherwise. For example I could put the photo of my sandals into a collection of other photos I have from my time in Indonesia (even though I took the photo of the sandals long after I was in Indonesia) and use the picture to help do a photo journal/scrap book of my memories of my time there. After all, there's no fitting a pair of sandals into a real scrap book! 3) digital photos can be stored online or on a remote computer so if you do have a fire you at least have some record of your old items for insurance, sentimental reasons or even family history. 4) It can be a lot easier to organize a set of digital photographs into files or folders or tag them than it is to track a myriad of physical objects. Of course I'm not suggesting you get rid of everything sentimental, but it is a great feeling to be able to let go of it without worring about losing the memory that that special item.
So grab your camera & your recycle bin & unclutter your life!
April 29, 2008
April 25, 2008
Krugman on the Obama campaign!
One of my favorite columnists from the New York Times, Paul Krugman, recently put into words exactly how I feel about the Obama campaign and their chances in the fall. I hope you'll take a look!
April 23, 2008
My My My I can't beleive how low he'll go!
Unfortunately, the news media has decided yet again that covering Obama's huge mistakes, and in this case petty and immature behavior is being left to the obscure corners of the web. If you didn't already know, Obama was caught on tape giving Hillary the middle finger. Yes, that is correct. Obama "flipped off" Hillary. I can only image the outcry, the endless media coverage and total ruin of Hillary if she even suggested such an idea let alone did it unabashedly as Obama did! Frankly it's disgusting!
I've felt for a long time that Obama was only in this race for himself, and that has become more and more obvious every day. What is his plan, to flip off North Korea or China or Russia? Great move buster! How utterly diplomatic of you! When the going gets tough, pull out the middle school drama! Just what I've always looked for in a presidential candidate!
You'll hear plenty of people try to say that he was just scratching his face, but it is very obvious if you look at the video that he did it intentionally. Here are the reasons:
1. Early in the video he scratches his face with his little finger, NOT his middle finger
2. He pauses right after talking about Hillary in the debate that he "so cruelly suffered through", takes his time, puts up his middle finger slowly and deliberately and even after the crowd cheers frenetically for this childish move he keeps his head down
3. You can see the people directly behind him on the side that could see it, react instantly, and those on the other side not react.
4. When he looks up he tries to keep talking, but can't help but let out a ridiculous grin
5. Anyone, I mean anyone who has been on the campaign trail for president, or even at an interview for a job of a sales clerk would be keenly aware if they were doing anything with their middle finger! I'm sorry, but I've never heard of a more pathetic excuse. It's right up there with "the dog ate my homework".
I've felt for a long time that if Obama got the nomination I would not vote for him, but this signs seals and delivers it for me. I absolutely refuse to elect an immature sleazeball for president!
http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/04/18/did-obama-give-a-flip-response-to-clinton-attacks/
I've felt for a long time that Obama was only in this race for himself, and that has become more and more obvious every day. What is his plan, to flip off North Korea or China or Russia? Great move buster! How utterly diplomatic of you! When the going gets tough, pull out the middle school drama! Just what I've always looked for in a presidential candidate!
You'll hear plenty of people try to say that he was just scratching his face, but it is very obvious if you look at the video that he did it intentionally. Here are the reasons:
1. Early in the video he scratches his face with his little finger, NOT his middle finger
2. He pauses right after talking about Hillary in the debate that he "so cruelly suffered through", takes his time, puts up his middle finger slowly and deliberately and even after the crowd cheers frenetically for this childish move he keeps his head down
3. You can see the people directly behind him on the side that could see it, react instantly, and those on the other side not react.
4. When he looks up he tries to keep talking, but can't help but let out a ridiculous grin
5. Anyone, I mean anyone who has been on the campaign trail for president, or even at an interview for a job of a sales clerk would be keenly aware if they were doing anything with their middle finger! I'm sorry, but I've never heard of a more pathetic excuse. It's right up there with "the dog ate my homework".
I've felt for a long time that if Obama got the nomination I would not vote for him, but this signs seals and delivers it for me. I absolutely refuse to elect an immature sleazeball for president!
http://elections.foxnews.com
Dinner from a test tube?
The editorial from the NYT on PETA's new 1 million dollar prize for generating edible meat In vitro (in a test tube) is a fascinating prospect. Their goal is to end cruelty to animals in the meat production industry by replacing the meat we consume with "in vitro meat". It sounds slightly unappetizing, and the editorial concludes with the prospect that these purely domestic animals will disappear if we don't continue to raise them for meat. PETA says it's better not to exist at all than to live and suffer.
While both sides have a point, I fall in the middle. I'm always excited by new scientific and technological breakthroughs, but more importantly I think if we can pull In vitro meat production off in a cost-effective and, most importantly, appetizing way, we will not only put a stop to a lot of the factory-style cruel animal raising practices, but we will also help the environment by massively reducing the carbon footprint (masses of manure) and land depredation (endless grazing land) that it takes to raise all of these animals. My guess is if it looks like chicken and tastes like chicken, has the same nutrients (and possibly more) as real chicken and doesn't cost any more than real chicken, then people will buy it and eat it and eventually it will be just another option for dinner!
The editor's fear that all livestock species will completely disappear is over the top fear-mongering. The probability that everyone is going to stop eating real meat is ridiculous! There will always be purists -- like there are in basically any area you can think of -- who will only eat "the real thing"! My guess is there will be smaller and more humane, "real meat producers" who fill this niche and keep the various consumable domesticated animal species going. After all, there is already a move towards supporting smaller local and organic farms. There may be reduced numbers of these animals with the introduction of lab meat, but that is probably a good thing for them and us! After all, think how many more livestock than people there must be for us to consume so many of them in our lifetime! Their vast, and totally beyond environmentally sustainable numbers consume unimaginable resources, time and energy!
This editorial reminds me of why it's always important to consider both sides and really think about the middle ground in all areas of life. It's easy to jump on one side of the argument or another, but isn't it more important to come to an agreement? The "anti In-vitro" side can't stop technology and progress, and the "PETA" side can't stop people from raising real animals to kill and eat, but look what can happen if both sides can co-exist; we can help reduce cruelty, help the environment, and let everybody choose what they want to eat for dinner, no matter how much we agree or disagree with it!
While both sides have a point, I fall in the middle. I'm always excited by new scientific and technological breakthroughs, but more importantly I think if we can pull In vitro meat production off in a cost-effective and, most importantly, appetizing way, we will not only put a stop to a lot of the factory-style cruel animal raising practices, but we will also help the environment by massively reducing the carbon footprint (masses of manure) and land depredation (endless grazing land) that it takes to raise all of these animals. My guess is if it looks like chicken and tastes like chicken, has the same nutrients (and possibly more) as real chicken and doesn't cost any more than real chicken, then people will buy it and eat it and eventually it will be just another option for dinner!
The editor's fear that all livestock species will completely disappear is over the top fear-mongering. The probability that everyone is going to stop eating real meat is ridiculous! There will always be purists -- like there are in basically any area you can think of -- who will only eat "the real thing"! My guess is there will be smaller and more humane, "real meat producers" who fill this niche and keep the various consumable domesticated animal species going. After all, there is already a move towards supporting smaller local and organic farms. There may be reduced numbers of these animals with the introduction of lab meat, but that is probably a good thing for them and us! After all, think how many more livestock than people there must be for us to consume so many of them in our lifetime! Their vast, and totally beyond environmentally sustainable numbers consume unimaginable resources, time and energy!
This editorial reminds me of why it's always important to consider both sides and really think about the middle ground in all areas of life. It's easy to jump on one side of the argument or another, but isn't it more important to come to an agreement? The "anti In-vitro" side can't stop technology and progress, and the "PETA" side can't stop people from raising real animals to kill and eat, but look what can happen if both sides can co-exist; we can help reduce cruelty, help the environment, and let everybody choose what they want to eat for dinner, no matter how much we agree or disagree with it!
Kudos to FactCheck.org
If you haven't run across factcheck.org yet, please take a stroll over to their website to keep up on the latest debunking of all of the political banter flying around these days.
I particularly enjoyed the article called Substance Abuse debunking that email flying around the internet at the speed of light that claims Obama's record is so much better than Hillary's. I was one of the people to pass this false email on to factcheck.org. I did just a basic search on the Library of Congress website and found that basically all of the facts and figures listed about Obama and Hillary were untrue - particularly that she had only sponsored handful of "meaningless bills". Factcheck.org did a fantastic job of researching all of the details in this ridiculous email. Please take the time to read the full article, it's very well researched and actually contains facts!
I particularly enjoyed the article called Substance Abuse debunking that email flying around the internet at the speed of light that claims Obama's record is so much better than Hillary's. I was one of the people to pass this false email on to factcheck.org. I did just a basic search on the Library of Congress website and found that basically all of the facts and figures listed about Obama and Hillary were untrue - particularly that she had only sponsored handful of "meaningless bills". Factcheck.org did a fantastic job of researching all of the details in this ridiculous email. Please take the time to read the full article, it's very well researched and actually contains facts!
My Blog for Hillary Is Moving
For those of you who know me or have been reading my other blog, you already know that I am a very avid supporter of Hillary Clinton for President! I started a blog for her back in February on her campaign website.
I'm now moving my Hillary blog over to The Courtenay Times and all new updates will be made here. I'm hoping that by consolidating that blog with this blog, I'll be able to better manage all of my posts. To view my past posts about Hillary, please visit my blog on her site, but stay tuned to The Courtenay Times for the latest updates!
I'm now moving my Hillary blog over to The Courtenay Times and all new updates will be made here. I'm hoping that by consolidating that blog with this blog, I'll be able to better manage all of my posts. To view my past posts about Hillary, please visit my blog on her site, but stay tuned to The Courtenay Times for the latest updates!
Welcome to The Courtenay Times
The Courtenay Times is a new place for me to share my views on everything from politics and technology to science, religion and more. I will continue to update my other blog and also reference articles between them, but this will help me separate out my personal updates, aimed more at friends and family, from my more detailed posts on specific subjects. I hope you enjoy this new blog and visit and comment often!
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