Something to think about during the holidays.

zen habits (original blog)

breathe.

The Case Against Buying Christmas Presents

 

Post written by Leo Babauta.

I love Christmas. I love the snow-themed everything, even when I was living on tropical Guam, and Santa and elves and reindeer and snowmen and candy canes. Yes, I even love the non-stop playing of Christmas music for two months.

Most of all, I love getting together with my family — eating Christmas cookies, singing Christmas carols together, gossiping and laughing at each other. It’s tremendous fun.

I don’t love Christmas shopping, or the overconsumption, frenzied malls, consumer debt, environmental waste, wasted time wrapping, and over-accumulation of needless stuff that goes with it.

Bah humbug! I love Christmas, but the shopping has got to go. Here’s why. Warning: This will be a rant of near-epic proportions.

1. The focus is on buying, not on sharing. I love the idea of giving to people you love, but that idea has been twisted. Now people go out in a mad rush to shop, like ravenous vampires feasting on new blood. We shop for a month, rip apart the packaging one morning, and then forget about it the next day. Is this about giving, or buying?

2. Giving is great, but buying is not the solution. Again, I’m in love with giving … but do we need to buy to give? We seem to think that buying is the solution to any problem, but that has lead to a society that is deeply in debt and piled high with needless stuff. We can find other ways to give: bake cookies, wash someone’s car, babysit so they can go on a date night, create a photo album, be there when they need help moving.

3. The waste, oh the waste. Let’s start with packaging: the packaging for every toy is double the volume of the toy itself. From cardboard to plastic to metal twist-ties, it’s ridiculous. Then every item we buy must be brought home in bags. We often put everything in boxes. Then we buy wrapping paper and wrap it all up. All of this gets thrown away on Christmas day. Finally, there’s the gift itself — people get so much stuff they can’t possibly treasure everything. So it goes into the closet to be forgotten.

4. The sorrowful debt. Most people spend hundreds if not thousands of dollars on gifts and wrapping. Not to mention all the money spent on gas, driving to different shopping places, and the money spent on fattening food at mall food courts. This goes on credit cards (and around our waistlines), and we then must pay for this — with high interest — during the year. Even if you don’t get into debt, you’re spending money earned from long hours of hard work — is this really how you want to spend your life, paying for needless stuff so corporations can get rich?

5. The horrendous, insipid, seizure-inducing advertising. I can’t stand advertising, and it only gets worse on Christmas. The ads pound on you relentlessly until you give in — and it works. That’s been proven — those ads are getting you to buy more, to want more, to lay down the credit card. I don’t watch TV, read newspapers or magazines, or allow ads in my browser (AdBlock) so that I don’t have to be subjected to this.

6. The fuel. If you drive all over the place to shop, you’re using lots of fuel. Even if you just order online, think of the fuel it takes to deliver these products (overnight!) to your home. And the fuel used to create the products, to get the raw materials to the factories, to cut down the raw materials, to ship the finished product to the stores or warehouses from around the world (most likely from China), not to mention all the fuel used to create and ship the packaging. It’s a few million metric craploads of fuel, wasted for giving some presents that will be forgotten.

7. There are still hungry people in the world. In the frenzy that is Christmas shopping, we spend ridiculous amounts of money that is pure waste. In other countries, people are struggling just to eat, or get medicine, or find shelter, or get clean drinking water. We spend so much in a show of consumerist greed, when that money could go to feed a few dozen families. If you have money to waste, consider donating it to an organization that is helping these types of families. I know this sounds preachy, but really, this kind of reminder is necessary in times like these.

8. The neverending clutter. What happens to all the gifts? They go on our shelves, in our closets, on the floor. We already have so much clutter — do we need more? We already have problems figuring out what to do with everything we own. Why do we want to clutter our homes even more? Why do we want to force clutter on our loved ones, oblige them to find a spot in their already cluttered homes for this gift we’ve given them, so they won’t offend us when we come to visit? Is this obligation really a gift?

Questions

Q: But what about the kids?
A: Kids love getting presents (I have six kids — I should know!). I sure did when I was a kid. Are we to rob them of this? It’s a difficult question, but another side of the equation to consider is what we are teaching the kids. They don’t just participate in the opening of presents — they see all the shopping too. They are being taught to shop, and to value material goods over anything else. Imagine their lives when they’re grown — a life of shopping and debt and waste, because that’s what’s important, right? So for the joy of opening a few presents for a couple hours on Christmas day, we’re imparting on them consumerist values that will last them a lifetime.

I think, instead, this can be a great opportunity to have an open discussion with kids about buying and spending and debt. Did you receive this kind of education when you were a kid? Would you have been better off if you had? This is also a great opportunity to teach kids about giving to others, about volunteering and helping the less fortunate, about finding other ways to spend time with loved ones that don’t require shopping. My kids do want presents — but I don’t want them to think that’s what Christmas is all about. We’ve been having this discussion and we will continue to this month.

Q: But what about family?
A: Family, believe it or not, will survive without a few presents from us. They can continue to shop and give presents, but you can simply tell them that you don’t want to participate this year. Send them a link to this article to explain why.

This is also a great opportunity (you see how I love turning problems into opportunities?) to create new traditions with your family — go caroling, string popcorn for the tree, make Christmas cookies, bake pies, play football outside, create Christmas scrapbooks, volunteer.

Q: But I love giving presents!
A: Sure, who doesn’t? And you might also love shopping. Shopping, for many people, is a pleasure like no other. This can be a problem, in my mind: you might be using shopping to give you temporary happiness, to fill a hole in your life, to make you happy when you’re depressed or stressed or lonely. I’m not saying you are, but many people do, and it’s good to take a look at these things. Richer happiness can be found in simpler things that don’t involve spending: being with loved ones, creating, reading, getting outside and doing something active.

Even if you aren’t addicted to shopping, you might just love giving presents. And that’s OK — but you might consider giving more meaningful presents that don’t require lots of shopping. Creating a photo album or scrapbook for someone takes time and thought, while laying down a credit card at Macy’s doesn’t.

Q: How do you convince a spouse who equates lavish gifts with love & appreciation?
A: This definitely isn’t easy. It’s an important discussion to have, however. You’ll need to do it without accusations, without resentment, without making the other person feel he’s under attack. Bring it up as an ongoing discussion about things you’re thinking about — maybe even point to this post as a starting point.

This is such an important discussion because so many couples get badly into debt for this reason — one partner has different values about material goods, shopping, debt, gifts, and so on, and the other partner hates to fight about it so doesn’t talk about it. Financial issues are also a big reason couples split up. So finding a healthy way to talk about values, about financial goals, about how you want to live your lives, is so crucial. Do it gently, with compassion, as a way to live together as a team rather than two people struggling against each other.

A good way to get started is to write a blog post or a letter to your spouse about your feelings — again, without being attacking. You might explain why you’re not into giving presents, that you still love your spouse but want to show it in non-consumerist ways, that there are other traditions the two of you could start together to share your love.

Alternatives to buying

There are so many good ideas, but a few:

• Do other things with family, such as caroling, baking, watching It’s a Wonderful Life, playing football outside.
• Volunteer as a family at a homeless shelter.
• Ask people to donate to your favorite charity in lieu of gifts.
• Make meaningful gifts.
• Do a gift swap where you put a valued possession (that you already own) into the swap.
• Bake gifts.
• Have an experience instead of giving material goods: do something fun together, go to the beach or a lake.
• Find hope. Christmas has so much potential to be about so much more than buying — it can be a season of hope, renewal, loved ones, inspiration, contemplation. Talk to your family about this — how can we find ways to be hopeful, thankful, cooperative? How can we be more present instead of worried about getting presents?
• Get stuff at Goodwill. It’s recycled, and the money helps a good cause.

 

caffeine content in drinks

link

fatorexia: overweight people who deny they are fat

The dangers of a distorted self-perception of being fat (as in anorexia) are clear, present and well-documented. But what about a distorted perception of being thin? Or at least “not fat”?

British author Sara Bird examines this phenomenon in her bookFatorexia: What Do You See When You Look in the Mirror?”

Bird had developed what article author Suzanne Leigh described as a “magician’s menu of optical illusions”, which included:

• Wearing generously cut clothing with elastic waistbands
• Looking at hand mirrors to check her appearance, rather than full-length ones.
• Favoring ornate jewellery and fabrics to draw the eye away from the expanded flesh beneath.
• Using talc to avoid chafing, rather than stepping on the scales for a reality check.

Science seems to back up Sara Birds’ thesis. A study in the British Medical Journal found that one-quarter of obese or overweight adults did not view themselves as fat.

Experts say our self-delusions about weight appear to be fed by the apparel industry with its prevalence of “vanity sizing” – cutting clothing to appear more flattering and skewing sizes.

how much caffeine in Starbucks coffee?

Starbucks is renowned for having some fairly calorie-dense drinks (think of the holiday special Pumpkin Spice Crème at 500 Calories).

However, until recently, caffeine amounts have been somewhat of a mystery.

We have managed to compile a table of most popular Starbucks coffees to show you where the caffeine lies. Surprisingly it’s not espresso, but brewed coffee which is most caffeine dense.

Beverage	Caffeine (mg)
	Short (8 oz)	Tall (12 oz)	Grande (16 oz)	Venti (20-24 oz)
Brewed Coffee	180	260	330	415
Brewed Decaf Coffee	15	20	25	30
Caffè Americano	75	150	225	300
Caffè Latte (also Cinnamon Dolce Latte)	75	75	150	150
Caffè Mocha (also flavored Mocha’s)	90	95	175	180
Cappucino	75	75	150	150
Caramel Macchiato	75	75	150	150
Chocolate Milk	–	20	25	40
Espresso	75 (solo)	150 (doppio)	–	–
Espresso Macchiato (also Espresso con Panna)	75 (solo)	150 (doppio)	–	–
Frappuccino Blended Coffee (multiple flavors)	–	85-90	110-115	155-160
Frappuccino Light Blended Coffee (multiple flavors)	–	70-75	95-100	125-140
Hot Chocolate	15	20	25	30
Tazo Black Tea Latte	50	75	100	125
Tazo Chai Tea Latte	50	75	100	120
Tazo Green Tea Latte	30	55	80	110
Tazo Red Tea Latte	0	0	0	0
White Hot Chocolate	0	0	0	0

 

 

mayor vetoes San Francisco ban on happy meals with toys

original article (CNN)

San Francisco bans circumcision?

original article

Lloyd Schofield wants to add a new law to the books in San Francisco: A ban on all male circumcisions.

Those who violate the ban could be jailed (not more than one year) or fined (not more than $1,000), under his proposal. Circumcisions even for religious reasons would not be allowed. At this point, Schofield’s proposal is an idea that would have to clear several hurdles to be considered.

Schofield and like-minded advocates who call themselves “intactivists” seek to make it “unlawful to circumcise, excise, cut, or mutilate the whole or any part of the foreskin, testicles, or     penis” of anyone 17 or younger in San Francisco.

teen birth rate lowest in decades: an outcome of the recession?

original article (la times)

The National Center for Health Statistics report doesn’t speculate on why the birthrate has fallen, but two decades of public-health initiatives to curb teenage pregnancy may be paying dividends. Outside experts said the economy, too, could be a factor.

The report shows that the teen birthrate fell to 39.1 births per 1,000 girls ages 15 to 19 in 2009. That’s a 6% drop from 2008 and the lowest rate since 1940, when the government began keeping track. In 1991, by contrast, the rate was 61.8 per 1,000.

A decline in immigration to the United States, blamed on the weak job market, is another possible factor. A large proportion of immigrants are Latino, and Latinos accounted for nearly 1 in 4 births in 2009. The birth rate among Latino teens is the highest of any ethnic group, with 70 births per 1,000 girls in 2009. But that rate, too, was down 10% from the previous year.

While causes are still unclear, news of the large decline was a stunning and exciting surprise for advocates

senate passes 9/11 first-responder measure.

original article (la times)

The bill (worth $4.3 billion) is designed to pay for medical aid to survivors and to first responders, those fire, police and emergency personnel from across the nation who went to the World Trade Center site and were exposed to deadly toxins after the terrorist attack on Sept. 11, 2001.

chai-yok: a vaginal facial?

original article (la times)

Pungent steam rises from a boiling pot of a mugwort tea blended with wormwood and a variety of other herbs. Above it sits a nude woman on an open-seated stool, partaking in a centuries-old Korean remedy that is gaining a toehold in the West.

Vaginal steam baths, called chai-yok, are said to reduce stress, fight infections, clear hemorrhoids, regulate menstrual cycles and aid infertility, among many other health benefits. In Korea, many women steam regularly after their monthly periods. The two predominant herbs in the steam bath mixture are mugwort and wormwood. Mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris) has been used in Easter medicine for hundreds of years to balance female hormones. It contains natural antibiotics and antifungal agents, according to herbalists and alternative medicine journals. It is also said to stimulate the production of hormones to maintain uterine health, protect the uterus from ulcers and tumors, stimulate menstrual discharge and ease fatigue, headaches, abdominal discomfort and nausea, among other claims.

Wormwood (Artemisia herba), an antimicrobial “cooling herb,” is also popular in Eastern medicine. It has been used historically to induce uterine contractions and treat bladder infections, fevers, open sores, constipation, diarrhea, hepatitis, jaundice, eczema and parasitic infections. The leaves and young shoots are antibacterial and antiviral, and they also relax the blood vessels and promote the discharge of bile, according to historical tradition.

Dr. Suzanne Gilberg-Lenz, an obstetrician and gynecologist at Women’s Care of Beverly Hills Medical Group, says the idea of steaming the pelvic area is “not insane.” The heat boosts circulation, and the increased blood flow brings more oxygen and “immune factors” to the region, she says.

However, she notes, it’s impossible to say whether the herbal steam does any good.

“Most of these kinds of treatments are not put through intensive clinical trials, so it becomes challenging to evaluate the actual impact they have,” she says. In addition, traditional practices like chai-yok “have been cut off from the larger system they grew out of, including factors of cultural and family life, diet, environment, etc. There’s a bigger picture that we’re really missing.”

LA County passes sweeping ban on plastic bags.

original article (log angeles times)

the proliferation of plastic bags has wreaked environmental havoc.  in Los Angeles County alone, 6 billion plastic bags are used each year, an average of 1,600 bags per household a year. government figures show that only about 5% are recycled.

the goal is to get people to adopt reusable bags made of cloth or durable plastic that can be wiped clean. an exception is being made for produce bags that keep raw vegetables and meats from being contaminated by other groceries.  some express concern about bags entering the ocean via the county’s storm drain system, where they threaten rare, valuable, marine life and degrades one of this country’s great environmental and economic resources: the Pacific Coast.  others worry that small, mom-and-pop shops will be at disadvantage financially, in part because they won’t have access to volume discounts for paper and reusable bags.  additionally, low-income people would be forced to buy bags to pick up pet waste or carry their lunch.

since the ban is still in its infant stages, only time will tell is the new policy will achieve its ultimate goal.