A Season of Light in Darkness

...t said to me, with tears in her eyes, “Honey, I’ve been a nurse for a long time and…well, you need to call your loved ones. Now.” Okay, so imagine being in this position. Imagine having to call your mom and tell her, in roundabout terms, that you might be dying soon. You may not see her again. To be sure, many are not even granted that much grace before dying, but my point here is that there are no words. Words are simply inadequate in moments lik...

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The High Cost of Golf

...play and increase the number of people who can use the course at any given time. I also believe in democracy. I say let’s put it to a vote: should the city fund golf courses or soccer fields? I suspect, in Los Angeles, soccer fields would win by a landslide. 3. Water. We’ve got a many year long draught here in the southwestern U.S. that shows no signs of letting up soon. Modest water rationing requirements are in effect, but that municipal golf co...

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How to Roast Coffee in a Whirley Pop Popcorn Maker

...do a post about how to install a thermometer in the future, but until that time, you can look at these directions on the Sweet Maria’s website. Whirley Pop Coffee Roasting Procedure Roasting coffee is pretty straightforward and is basically all about adjusting the heat on your burner so that you don’t either roast the beans too quickly or too slowly. It takes a few times to get the hang of it, and while installing a thermometer in your popper will...

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Growing Food in a Hotter, Drier Land

...o the desert [to find a place share with others–one severely degraded over time by neglect, depletion of water, a perhaps climate change]. We’ll proclaim that yes, this place has been desertified, but now we’re going to make it into a living oasis, one where we will respect and nurture a diversity of life. He goes on to speak about the importance of bio-diversity, and how this chain of oasis-like farms could promote this, and serve the larger comm...

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What we think about when we try not to think about global warming

...en Stoknes (Chelsea Green). Of it, she said, “For the first time in a LONG time, I feel hope and possibility when it comes to climate change.” So I read it, and now I feel the same way. Thanks, Brigitte! And the introduction of the book says pretty much the same thing, except the praise is coming from Jorgen Randers, one of the co-authors of The Limits to Growth. This is a man who has been waiting, pretty much fruitlessly, for us to wake up and ch...

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