Blog Action Day 2011 : Food

We use food everyday and waste a great deal of it in this country. We super size everything, get large servings in restaurants and feel gypped if we don't, then can't eat everything. Our country is one of the most overweight in the world. And yet we have people in this county that don't have food to eat. There are food banks to help people, but like many charities there is never enough and the worse the economy, the less there is to share.

Counties around the world have thousands that starve every day. There is a huge inequity in the way food is shared world wide. Many countries have no way to grow food, no water, no soil that will grow food and/or their county is at war and it is impossible to grow food.

Countries must learn to think globally about people and their problems instead of the "me first" syndrome.

America will send soldiers to other countries to fight, but not enough help the share food. Only when there has been a disaster and it is in the news, is aid sent. Haiti, is still in terrible shape, but largely forgotten by many. How many other countries have had aid after the first event and then nothing.

We spend more on fighting wars than on helping people to help themselves. Peace Corps and organizations like them have the right idea. Help people to help themselves. But those organizations should be funded by governments, not left to beg for money. Don't make countries depend on other countries for resources, help them learn to grow/make their own resources.

In this county more resources need to be allocated to helping people grow their own food (community gardens are wonderful), learning that super size is not a good thing and food banks need more support from restaurants and supermarkets so that food is put to good use rather than than thrown out.

There is no easy answer, but we need to start with small steps to feed people in our own backyard and then spread out to help others, no matter where they live.

Blog Action Day 2010 - Water

In the U.S. we are very lucky to have almost unlimited access to water. Most people have water in their homes, at work and can get water almost anywhere they go. If water is cut off by a storm or water main break, we immediately are calling to find out how soon the problem will be fixed. Cut off for a day or two, we begin to appreciate water.
There are countries where people have to walk miles for water, stand in line and then walk back, carrying the water they will use that day. A lot of times, the water isn't safe to drink, but it is all they have. This is what they drink and cook with, seldom is there enough to keep clean or wash with. Children die drinking this water, but then they would die without it.
In the U.S. we waste water every time we take a shower, brush our teeth, wash dishes. The food we eat is processed with water. Clothes are made using water. Sewage is handled with water. How often are toilets flushed all over this country. Bottled water is sold at a terrific markup and the plastic is an environmental disaster!
Wars have been fought over water in this country and others. Along the Rio Grande, farmers on both sides of the border fight over water rights and the Rio Grande suffers.
There is no easy answer, but everyone needs water to survive. We are using water at an increasing rate and it may not be oil that brings countries down, it may be who has access to water at the end of the day.
Think before you leave the water running or buy another bottled water. In this country, tap water is safe to drink. Fill up a reusable water bottle with tap water and be thankful that you can do that without having to walk several miles first.

No time to post

Haven't had time to post recently. With summer, the iHCPL training takes a break. Also, in the spring I became a permanent temporary librarian at a different branch in our library system. The Kingwood Branch opened in April. It's a beautiful branch with windows all around and in a woodland setting. We stay busy and it's a great place to work.

You Oughta Be in Pictures: Fun with Photos

Not overly impressed with Befunky. Tried several different effects. Most didn't do anything for me. A lot of the options were just scary. Two I did kind of like were the Motioncolor and the Watercolor.

At least I still could recognize myself.

I also tried the popart on BigHugeLabs and FotoFlexer. Kind of fun. Liked FotoFlexer better, not so distorted.

A couple of them will let you remove or smooth out wrinkles. Kind of nice. They all have some different features, but most of them are just not what I want to deal with.

A simple drawing effect. Just a kind of highlight from FotoFlexer.

Then there are the put your face in the picture. Again, maybe funny occasionally, but not my thing. These may be funny with a group of friends or for a special occassion. My main thing with pictures is to just be able to post them or email them.

You Oughta Be in Pictures: Sharing Photos

I enjoyed the TopTenReviews video and their website. They had several reviews that I checked out.

I have been using flickr for several years. I use the pro version of the site because I wanted to do more with my pictures. Photobucket seems to be quite similar. I have downloaded and occassionally used Picasa. It is an easy way to find and look at all the pictures you have on your pc.

I also use Facebook, though I keep forgetting to upload pictures. Sometimes it seems like there is a lot to do to have everyone be able to see your pictures. You upload to flickr and then you have to upload to Facebook. I haven't done much with sharing pictures on Facebook. This may be something I will look into more.

I like the ability to choose who sees my pictures. I do not share them across the web with few exceptions.