Save The Darfur Puppy

I found this article here at Signs and Things, which I am glad because you need to register (and possibly pay) to read it at nytimes.com. Here is a snip, and then you can jump here to read the rest.

Published: May 10, 2007
NY Times

Finally, we’re beginning to understand what it would take to galvanize
President Bush, other leaders and the American public to respond to the
genocide in Sudan: a suffering puppy with big eyes and floppy ears.

That’s the implication of a series of studies by psychologists trying to
understand why people – good, conscientious people – aren’t moved by
genocide or famines. Time and again, we’ve seen that the human conscience
just isn’t pricked by mass suffering, while an individual child (or puppy)
in distress causes our hearts to flutter.

In one experiment, psychologists asked ordinary citizens to contribute $5
to alleviate hunger abroad. In one version, the money would go to a particular
girl, Rokia, a 7-year-old in Mali; in another, to 21 million hungry
Africans; in a third, to Rokia – but she was presented as a victim of a
larger tapestry of global hunger.

Not surprisingly, people were less likely to give to anonymous millions
than to Rokia. But they were also less willing to give in the third scenario, in
which Rokia’s suffering was presented as part of a broader pattern.

Link to article here.
But you’ll need to register.

Smoke On The Water

But luckily no fire.

So “the house” was snuggled in the living room watching an episode of Grey’s Anatomy (which I know is both sad and lame… I really do try and resist… however, if I make the mistake of sitting down with Jo, I am sucked in, and then I am at risk of not finishing an episode I have started… which is kind of an unwritten rule that guides my life… at least in my tv watching… luckily there are only a handful of shows I watch… anyways…), so we were watching some tv and the smell of a blown out candle starts to whiff through the room. Problem is we hadn’t lit any candles.

So, the search for the source of said smell begins. This leads us to our kitchen. Which may or may not have been enveloped with smoke. Think SWAT team… smoke grenade. Got it?

Yeah… not one, but TWO of our cutting boards had fallen through the rack of our dishwasher and had started the long process of melting into the heating element in the bottom. There was plenty of noxious fumes for everyone.

I tell you, there is nothing quite like scraping molten plastic from the bottom of your dishwasher. Although, my first instinct is to tell you to avoid it. And hold your breath.

I managed to get most of it off, and subsequent runnings of the dishwasher didn’t lead to another incident. So crisis averted. Never a dull moment.

Invisible Children

Mike is raising some support for Invisible Children. Check out his post here.
And his facebook group here.

He is selling stickers like the one below. All proceeds go to Invisible Children. If you have spoken to refugees at all, you know the horrific stories that some of them have. This is just one of many ways to help.

We are waiting for the documentary to arrive. Here’s what they are about from their site:

When we first saw the thousands of children running for their lives, we were surprised by the lack of international attention. No one was talking about child soldiers, night commuters or the Lord’s Resistance Army. So, we asked ourselves, “How can we help?” While we had our own big ideas in the beginning, the more time we spent among the people of Uganda, the more their reoccurring pleas became our development strategies.

Invisible Children is not offering a handout, but instead, a life-long investment in vulnerable youth. We provide them with quality education and valuable life skills that enable them to take responsibility for their future and the future of their country.

To achieve this goal we emphasize community involvement and Ugandan leadership. As a part of a global community, we also promote cross-cultural education, and continuously look for ways we can better work together in defending the oppressed and promoting peace.

What The World Eats

What’s on family dinner tables in fifteen different homes around the globe? Photographs by Peter Menzel from the book “Hungry Planet”.

Check out the food expenditures at the bottom. Interesting.

link

Peanut

ETA: Dec. 23rd

Bring it!

Who Will Settle Catan?

Tonight we are having a in-house “Settlers” comp. Our flatmates got us into SOC last year, and there is a house trophy that the winner gets. We haven’t played against each other in a while, but I am pretty sure one of them is the current champion.

We have been teaching Jo’s parents how to play, and they have been loving it. We are looking forward to a good night of Thai and SOC. I have been using a particular strategy the past few games, and it has lead to a victory or near victory on each occasion. I am hoping it pans out tonight!

Top 10 Foods For A Good Night’s Sleep

What is the secret to getting a solid 7 to 8 hours of sleep? Head for the kitchen and enjoy one or two of these 10 foods. They relax tense muscles, quiet buzzing minds, and/or get calming, sleep-inducing hormones – serotonin and melatonin – flowing. Yawning yet?

Link