March 31, 2015
March 28, 2015
Martin on Philanthropy
Philanthropy is commendable,
but it must not cause the philanthropist to overlook the circumstances of economic injustice
which make philanthropy necessary.
– Martin Luther King
March 25, 2015
March 22, 2015
Making Friends with Death, Start Today
At the National Compassion and Choices conference in Chicago, Barbara Coombs Lee stated powerfully that, “Making friends with death leads you to a more meaningful life”
To normalize death in our culture would be a step in the right direction to allow us more decent death choices. Nationally we are being crushed by the costs of medical care at the end of life as detailed by this article in the WSJ “The Crushing Cost of Care.”
It has been said that many are replacing a fear of death with a fear of not dying—being stuck in that place between life and death and dying surrounded by machines and strangers.
Michael Wolf’s “Life Worth Ending” in the New York Magazine is a brave piece about his mother. When you read it you realize what a step forward we have taken for a mainstream magazine to feature such a candid article on this end of life topic. We have many more steps to take on this journey.
If you have not taken time to create your very own Advanced Directive, to be certain your end of life choices are made clear, for all to understand, Compassion and Choices has free forms available on-line for all fifty states. Filling out the form is a great way to begin the conversation but talking to your loved ones about this document and making sure it is on file with your doctor is also wise. Having your feelings about medical interventions in serious situations is a marvelous gift to give your family and loved ones.
Barbara Coombs Lee has also written a powerful article called “If Wishes Were Fishes” worth reading too as a cautionary tale about using the Five Wishes document to state your end of life wishes.
March 20, 2015
March 18, 2015
Six Million Worms: Sustainability Behind Bars
The dream of a sustainable prison? A sustainable farmer on the inside? Yes, this is an inspired TEDx Talk by Nick Hacherney that took place at Washington’s Monroe Correctional Center about how sustainability can work behind bars and change lives forever. Everyone needs something to get them up out of the bed in the morning. Nick found his inspiration in a sustainability program in prison.
This sixteen minute talk about their worm program and how they spread the gospel of the worm to other facilities. 36 million tons of food waste is disposed of in our country and this inmate and others are making a huge difference. This talk is inspiring and shows that no matter where you are you can make the world a better place!
You can donate to the Sustainability in Prison Project (SPP) here.
from their website:
“Although each endeavor and corrections institution is unique, our experiences point to five
Essential Components for every SPP program:
1. Partnerships and collaborations with multiple benefits
2. Bringing nature “inside”
3. Engagement and education
4. Safe and sustainable operations
5. Evaluation, dissemination, and tracking”
March 17, 2015
Read and Learn, Listen and Learn
Daniel Levitin a PhD has some very important tips for surviving and thriving in this age of information overload. It’s a thick book, written by the author of the book This is Your Brain on Music, and he is on a 53 minute You Tube, and on KQED’s radio program Forum. His books has been widely reviewed including the Wall Street Journal and The Boston Globe. You will learn new things from this great mind.
After listening to him you might be interested in learning more about the Pomodoro Technique.
March 16, 2015
On-line college courses…for free
In another chapter advancing the educational potential of the internet comes free on-line courses from MIT and the University of Washington. MIT has over 1800 free courses you can participate in on-line
and here’s the link to the UW.
Khan Academy, TED Talks, and You Tube there is no excuse not to enhance your knowledge today.
Expand your mind with these courses at no cost.
Explore these new windows into free advanced educational opportunities.
Bravo for these public and accessible educational resource more no doubt to be added in the future.
March 15, 2015
What to Expect in Prison, Avoiding Abuse Inside
If you want a sobering watch, check out the videos featured on the Marshall Project (worth looking at just to see one guy’s wonky mustache) about to keep yourself safe from sexual abuse. There is one for men and one for women. Each feature prisoners, prison administration, and an introduction by a former prisoner who was a victim of this type of abuse.
If you have a woman family member in prison watch the first half, at the twelve minute mark they begin to talk about avoiding prison rape so you may want to be in the right mood to watch it in totality.
This topic was also discussed in the Voice of Witness Series Inside this Place, Not of It a great book about women behind bars done in an oral history format and very powerful to have everything in the women’s own words.
The Curious Autodidact 