Christian Peacemaker Teams

Don't forget to pray for these folks EVERY DAY

What would happen if Christians devoted the same discipline and self-sacrifice to nonviolent peacemaking that armies devote to war?

Read about how this army reduces violence by getting in the way

when I own a home again, I think I'll install a urinal if there is space for it

1. saves water
2. no more missing
3. easy to clean

Carbs don’t make you fat. Sugar does.

Low carb diet? I won't make fun if you've tried one. But, just so you know why you felt like crap, or in case you were thinking about trying a diet that would send your cholesterol through the roof, drain your brain power, gain twice as much weight back when you finally snap and cause you to be fatigued, cranky, generally miserable and constantly hungry... I give you the following:

Carbohydrates are not the problem. Sugar is the problem. White sugar, brown sugar, raw sugar- any kind of refined sugar, refined flour, refined, processed and de-mineralized packaged foods. White foods are danger bay.

This is how it works. The body needs carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are what is broken down to fuel the brain, to give you energy and is also what the body needs to power all the many of millions of things going on in the body at any one time. Depriving your body of this energy is detrimental to its total functioning.

It is not about the quantity of the carbohydrates you eat, it is about the quality.

This is what happens with the refined carbohydrates after they leave your mouth and head for the depths of the digestive system. Well… Not much actually. Because they are so refined, they do not require much digestion time and so the sugar that comprises these simple carbs (glucose, fructose and galactose) zip through your digestive system and enter your blood stream very quickly. This causes your blood-sugar levels to surge. In an attempt to balance your blood-sugar levels, the pancreas will excrete insulin to stabilize the levels, causing your blood sugar levels to drop. Fast. This sudden drop forces your adrenal glands to secrete adrenalin in an attempt to boost the blood sugar levels back up.

When this fails- you feel irritable, cranky, sleepy, depressed, anxious, stressed, impatient and/or dizzy. This will lend to another sugar craving, or the desire to eat more and the cycle begins. When you get these cravings- you are not searching for some whole grain bread with almond butter are you? No. You want more quick sugar. You reach for the white bread and sugary peanut butter. You go for the afternoon chocolate bar. A couple of my favorite pattycake vegan cookies. You drink another cup of coffee. You reach for a cold Coke or Gatorade. You might even think that a bowl of white rice would be a smart choice. You end up feeding this craving with more simple carbs when in fact your body needs real solid long lasting energy it can use. Ever notice yourself getting hungry an hour after you finish a large meal? Or when you have Chinese food? This is because it is comprised of white rice and food doused in sugary sauces. What was the filler in your meal? Pasta? Potatoes? Bread?

In addition to the roller coaster you are taking your nervous system, pancreas, and adrenal glands on (which get fried enough with the external stresses) we find that we can’t lose weight. But the package of licorice says “Fat Free” right there on the front? But it’s white rice? What could be wrong with that? These refined foods- in their processed forms do not have the minerals and vitamins the cells of the body needs to actually burn them. Whole foods carry with them the keys needed to unlock the cells. With these keys having been stripped away in refining and processing methods, the sugar has no place to go but to our belly’s, bums, arm wings, thighs, chins… in other words- these refined, simple cards get stored as fat.

Our diets these days are so refined that they completely lack the vitamins and minerals we need in order to use the food we’re eating as fuel. These refined foods also lack the fiber needed to keep it moving and so it starts to build up… and up and up.

Have trouble falling asleep at night? Or do you ever notice yourself waking up in the middle of the night with a bad case of spinny brain? This can and often is the result of refined carbs. If you are stuck in the rise and fall cycle of blood sugar, the adrenalin coursing through your veins at bed time will make it hard to fall asleep. As well, if you maintain this pattern for long enough, you won’t even need the refined carbs to kick in the adrenalin ejection, it will do it all on it’s own, thus waking you in the middle of the night in an anxious frenzy. And if you find yourself heading to the kitchen cupboards for a midnight snack… well- I think you now know what that means.

Allow me to introduce you to the good carbs. These are often called complex carbohydrates as they are more complex for your body to break them down. These include such things as whole grains (whole oats, brown rice, quinoa, whole wheat), starchy vegetables (sweet potatoes, squashes), and beans and legumes (soy, lentils, chickpeas). These carbohydrates help your body to maintain a steady level of energy through the day. Due to their complex nature, it takes your body more time to break them down, more time for them to move through your digestive system, more time to enter your blood stream and more time to get into your cells to be burned for energy. These carbs will be used by the cells for energy and therefore not stored as fat as happens with the naughty processed versions. This slow process means that your body is absorbing the vitamins and minerals from the food and provides a steady flow of energy for several hours following your meal. Complex carbs will keep you satisfied longer and you will be less likely to find yourself in the kitchen an hour after dinner opening every cupboard looking for that something to satisfy that craving.

In addition to the energy that carbohydrates provide, diets high in complex carbohydrates, fruits and veggies will also provide your body with the fiber needed to clear out the old and make room for the new. Fiber helps your body naturally metabolize fat and protein and eliminate the waste. Soluble fibers found in fruits, veggies, psyllium (these are the digestible fibers that can hold and store water) are like big brooms that move through the digestive system sweeping up the debris, absorbing liquids for bulk and moving things through- including cholesterol, bacteria, and waste.

This keeps the immune system strong, lowers blood fats, boosts and stabilizes energy levels, helps maintain good brain function and minimizes digestive upset and bowel disorders (including colon cancer).

>From The Economist print edition Dec 7th 2006

The Food Politics: Change the world just by buying certain foods.
http://gaia.org.pt/?q=node/1027

i think i want to go here

Wal-Mart is Fakin It

http://cornucopia.org/index.php/206

Throwing Away by Thich Nhat Hanh

Compassion for a Suicide Bomber

Nowadays we learn that there are many young people in the Mideast, they are ready to die, to blow themselves up with a bomb in order to kill as many as possible. We call them terrorists, and we believe that in order for the world to be peaceful, you have to kill all these terrorists. So you invest a lot of money and energy into what you call the war against terror. The more you kill, the more terrorists you create, because the killing is an act of punishment. Then the family and the friends of the one who is killed burn with the flame of anger, the will to punish. In killing one so-called terrorist, you create three, four terrorists more. That is what is happening.

There are many young people who suffer so much hate and despair, not only in Iraq, but also in Europe, in America. The number of young people who kill themselves every day is enormous. When you are burned by the flame of despair, of hate, of violence, you suffer so much. And as a young person, you don't know much about your mind, about the practice. You believe that the only way to stop the suffering, the burning, is to kill yourself.

I guess for many young people, to die is much easier than to live, because they are overwhelmed by the emotions--of hate, of despair. And then you are told that by dying you might help the cause of justice, and you can go to paradise right away after death.

These kinds of perceptions and feelings lead to the act of suicide bombing. If you look deeply, you see that these people need help. And the operation to kill them is not the right answer. We have to help them to see there is a way out of suffering, that only love and compassion and understanding can solve the problem.

One side is using violence. The other side is responding with violence. And the situation goes on without a chance to stop. The way out is shown by the Buddha. Hate cannot respond to hate. Violence cannot respond to violence. There must be another way. The meditation on compassion is essential.

During the war in Vietnam we were able--myself and many friends of ours--to see that the young Americans who came to Vietnam to kill or to be killed were also victims of a wrong policy. With that kind of insight we tried to work for reconciliation rather than supporting one side of the war.

In my experience, the concentration on compassion is a wonderful practice. You may need only fifteen minutes of breathing deeply and looking deeply to recognize that the other person is a victim of his or her own suffering. That person needs you, needs your help, and does not need your punishment. Suddenly the nectar of compassion is born, your heart is blessed with that nectar, and you don't suffer any more. Instead, you want to do something, to say something, and if you are not capable of loving speech you can write a letter. You can say something kind in order to help that person. But you cannot help that person until you have been able to help yourself. Peace and compassion always begin with yourself.

http://picasaweb.google.com/estetler/TurkeyBowl

Towards a local economy...

My friend Corbin recently posted on the need for societal transformation. One point of emphasis was the need for local and regional identity. While it wasn't his main point or emphasis, I feel as though this identity can become so strong as to chip away at the individualism of our society. I saw this happening when I visited my parents in Uniontown, OH. There is some fascinating history in the area and the locals seem to be in touch with it (a strong local historical society) This deep awareness of an Anabaptist heritage has led to a local identity so strong that tourism is the greatest grossing business in the area. My dad mentioned that tourism is stronger in their little town than the neighboring city of Canton where the Pro Football Hall of Fame is. A local identity is also being emphasized through the work of my very own father. He is superintendent of schools there and has spent the last 7 years of his life making the School a center of community. The Schools there recently finished a collaborative work between the local YMCA, Hospital, and public library, to build an all purpose community center of learning and wellness. I was real proud of him as I worked out at the YMCA and saw a simple building being used as a tool to build community, encourage wellness, and develop local identity.

By Wendell Berry,
from http://www.resurgence.org/resurgence/issues/berry206.htm

"If the government does not propose to protect the lives, livelihoods and
freedoms of its people, then the people must think about protecting
themselves. How are they to protect themselves? There seems, really, to be
only one way, and that is to develop and put into practice the idea of a
local economy Â? something that growing numbers of people are now doing.
For several good reasons, they are beginning with the idea of a local food
economy.

"People are trying to find ways to shorten the distance between producers
and consumers, to make the connections between the two more direct, and to
make this local economic activity a benefit to the local community. They
are trying to learn to use the consumer economies of local towns and cities
to preserve the livelihoods of local farm families and farm communities.

"Of course, everything needed locally cannot be produced locally. But a
viable neighbourhood is a community; and a viable community is made up of
neighbours who cherish and protect what they have in common. This is the
principle of subsistence. A viable community, like a viable farm, protects
its own production capacities. It does not import products that it can
produce for itself. And it does not export local products until local needs
have been met. The economic products of a viable community are understood
either as belonging to the community'?s subsistence or as surplus, and
only the surplus is considered to be marketable abroad. A community, if it
is to be viable, cannot think of producing solely for export, and it cannot
permit importers to use cheaper labour and goods from other places to
destroy the local capacity to produce goods that are needed locally.

"Without prosperous local economies, the people have no power and the land
no voice."

-- Wendell Berry