Tuesday, June 09, 2015

The End of Plenty

NPR's "Fresh Air" show of June 8 was truly captivating, especially the first segment concerning the book "The End of Plenty" by Joel Bourne. Here is the link to the show in case you missed it.

Mr. Bourne makes some very insightful points about our food production models. I was particularly interested in the fact that GE/GMO crops have not been found to produce significantly higher yields than unmodified versions. If this is true and we add to it the fact that there is evidence of human DNA alteration from GMO products, one has to stop and wonder what benefit (other than huge profits for companies like Monsanto) this altered products bring us. Here are some references:

Another disturbing aspect of the report is the prospect that regardless of our advances, we will not be able to produce enough food to feed all of humanity 50 years from now. That is a scary thought if you just stop and think about it. Part of the problem is that we are taking an enormous amount of our crops and using them to feed our cars instead of feeding people. In the process of trying to maximize profits, we are overusing pesticides and fertilizers disregarding the damage to the soil, rivers, lakes, oceans, and all the eco-systems connected to them.

Coincidentally, yesterday I also came across this video from Conservation International:


The most powerful point: if we keep this up, we may not destroy the planet, but we may destroy our species.

Thursday, June 04, 2015

Shameful corruption

On my way home yesterday I listened to a report on NPR about how the American Red Cross raised $500 million after the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, and how Haitians are still living in horrible conditions five years after the disaster.

Here are pertinent links:
This is an example of an organization that has grown to the point of being poisoned by corruption and inefficiency. I have seen this in the Red Cross since the 1970s in my native Mexico. I saw a little of it in my dealings with it in Upstate NY as a member of the EMS community. And now these reports show that the magnitude of problems with the Red Cross are enormous.

Personally, this reinforces my hesitation to contribute to this organization. I will not send money to them, and I am questioning my commitment to donate blood. I know they sell my blood and platelets (to the highest bidder?). How much of that money goes to serve the community or help the poor and those in need? The more I read on that the more doubts I have about their operational model.

Perhaps it is time for all of us to research the Red Cross and demand much more accountability and transparency. They need to do the right thing at the right time, not the things that look right but solve none of the problems at hand.


Wednesday, June 03, 2015

The dangers of Contra

For the last few years I have been involved in a seemingly innocent and fun activity called Contra dancing. I invite you to watch this video to get an idea of what Contra is all about, then come back and read the rest of the blog posting.


So, in no particular order, here are the dangers of Contra dancing:


  • It is addictive — oh, sure, at first you can go once a month to the local dance and be happy with just that. But then horrible things begin to happen. By Wednesday morning you begin to have withdrawal symptoms. When there is no local dance scheduled for that weekend, you start looking for dances in nearby communities. Soon you find yourself driving one, then two, then three hours to a dance. In my case, I started with Lake Murray Contra (thanks to my friend Robin), and then to Columbia Contra events. Soon we were going to Charleston, SC, and Charlotte, NC, for some dances. Now, I routinely go to dances in all those places plus Greenville, River Falls and Spartanburg (website coming). The addiction is so bad that I find myself missing the Contra dance on Monday instead of Wednesday. See how bad it is? And now I am thinking maybe I can drive to Atlanta or Florida for a dance when there are none in my areas. Bad, isn't it? And don't even get me started on Contra weekends! I attended my first weekend-long event this April (The Palmetto Bug Stomp in Charleston, SC) and now I keep looking forward to more weekend-long events!
  • It disallows any sense of inactivity and boredom. If you are a coach potato, being exposed to Contra dancing is a bad idea. You will quickly find yourself wanting more activity. It will start with one dance per month, then two per month … soon you will want to start running and lifting weights. And you might as well cancel your cable subscription and sell your TV(s). You will not have time or desire for those things.
  • It makes you new friends even when you don't expect them. Picture this: you show up at a Contra dance having 20-30 friends. After just two or three hours you leave the dance with 50 more friends. Oh, but it does not stop there.  Wait until you attend a weekend event -- then your circle of friends grows exponentially. It can be exhausting having these many friends! And some even bring you into their homes and make you part of their family just because you are a Contra dancer.
  • As if all the above was not enough, your sense of community gets inflated almost as much as a politician's ego at a political rally. Soon you find yourself volunteering to be a Board member for one … two … three or more groups. You volunteer to do events. And someone gets you started as a Caller. It is all very dangerous, I am telling you!
  • You will be forced to learn new skills — not on the dance floor, as Contra dancing is nothing more than fun walking to fantastic music, but in many other areas. For example, if you start calling, your memory will improve, you will learn to modulate your voice, improve your listening skills, and work on having great timing and rhythm.
  • You will be forced to give up on perfection and focus on having fun. Dancers, callers, organizers, musicians — they have all abandoned the concept of perfection and embraced the joy of having fun, laughing at all the goofy stuff that happens, and moving on quickly so that the moment can take over and fill your heart with joy. Contra teaches you to be in the here and now; what happened a moment ago is gone and what may happen tomorrow has no room in your mind and heart. The only thing that matters are the people you are with and the fabulous music you are dancing to. You focus on the here and now or the group will bring you there very quickly. Beware: Contra dancing is pure mindfulness in motion.
  • You will develop smile muscles you never knew you had.
I am sure there are many other potential dangers of Contra dancing that I may have missed. If so, please feel free to comment and let me know what perils you have encountered in your Contra dancing journey.

Tuesday, June 02, 2015

Looking 10-15 Years Down the Road

Goals are dreams with a deadline.

Plans are what helps us achieve our goals.

How far ahead do we plan?


I am beginning to plan the trips I will take when I retire some 10-12 years down the road. If all goes well, the road will be my home. I will have a modest vehicle to live in and will criss-cross the USA, Canada and (perhaps) Mexico. I have a three-prong mission and a clear vision. And when not on the road on the American continent, I am planning trips to visit other countries. First stop: Spain. That will be followed by Scotland and England. Each will be at least three weeks long. I have books I am reading and planning my trips.

Do you have long-term plans, goals, mission and vision?

When we fail to plan we plan to fail. (Benjamin Franklin)

Friday, May 29, 2015

It is time for reform and re-evaluation

The latest scandal on a large organization (this time FIFA) is a clear indication that our society needs a re-boot. Organizations such as FIFA, the International Olympic Committee, all governments, and most corporations have become corrupted. Their sheer size is a perfect conduit for corruption. The larger the enterprise, the more likely that things will begin to run amok, that accountability will fade away, and that transparency will be replaced with secrecy.

It is time for all of us to demand reform, accountability and transparency. We are all paying the cost for this corrupted system.

It is also time for us to take action. Let us not support organizations that fail to meet high ethical standards. Let us all re-evaluate our own behaviors.

“Be the change that you wish to see in the world.”
Mahatma Gandhi

Sunday, January 12, 2014

"The Door to December" by Dean Koontz

I recently finished reading "The Door to December" by Dean Koontz. I have been a fan of his for many years (ever since I read "Lightning"), and this book is a great read. It explores the effects of scientific experimentation mixing the occult and paranormal phenomena. This is a definite page-turner from start to end.

Sunday, January 05, 2014

The Minimalists

Have you heard of minimalism? I briefly mentioned it in my 2014 Challenges post.

I first became aware of minimalism through Leo Babauta at Zen Habits. Then I was introduced to the Minimalists website ran by Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus.

When Joshua and Ryan announced their 2014 Tour and I found they were coming to Columbia, I volunteered to help anyway I could. So I will be taking pictures of their visit. They will be in Columbia on May 17 and in Charleston on May 18. Tickets are free! :-)

Joshua and Ryan recently started a new Minimalists Meetup site. I applied and was selected to be the leader for the Columbia group. We plan on meeting at least once per month to talk about making our life's better through minimalism.

Come join us! It is free. It is simple.

Picture of the Day: 2014-01-05

It is (about) time: more minimalism.
These two clocks (with batteries that have been dead long ago) have been sitting on a bookshelf for years. They will now go to charity. Part of the steps to rid our home of unused, unneeded "stuff".

(Sorry the picture is blurry — probably all the dust on the items. <G>)


Creative Commons License
Picture of the Day by Victor Gascon is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Based on a work at http://gasconjedi.blogspot.com/.

Saturday, January 04, 2014

Picture of the Day: 2014-01-04

My new desktop: clean, uncluttered
I have finally cleaned my desk. It is now fairly uncluttered. I installed a new LED light so that I can see better when it is dark. I keep my water bottle near all the time.

I use a traditional Day-Timer and my electronic calendar to stay organized. I accomplish more when I write tasks and appointments down by hand. I once was completely electronic (I loved my Palm Pilot) but things have changed and I find myself better off this way. But I am also sure things will change again and I may go completely electronic in the future.

Creative Commons License
Picture of the Day by Victor Gascon is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Based on a work at http://gasconjedi.blogspot.com/.

Friday, January 03, 2014

Picture of the Day: 2014-01-03

Running at Sesqui State Park - no danger of me exceeding the speed limit. :-)

View from new bridge at Sesqui State Park
One of the many pleasures of running is being able to capture great pictures. Even if you don't run, just walking outdoors will present you with many photo opportunities.

Have you noticed that no two sunsets are quite the same?

Creative Commons License
Picture of the Day by Victor Gascon is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Based on a work at http://gasconjedi.blogspot.com/.

Thursday, January 02, 2014

Picture of the Day: 2014-01-02

Minimalism, step 1: five bags, one room
The kids and I cleaned out our guest room. This donation went to the Kidney Foundation. One room down, several more to go.

Creative Commons License
Picture of the Day by Victor Gascon is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Based on a work at http://gasconjedi.blogspot.com/.

Wednesday, January 01, 2014

Picture of the Day: 2014-01-01

Today, I have two pictures to share with you.

January 1 run with the Columbia Running Club! Great way to start the new year!


All structures are unstable, impermanent.

As I was running I came upon the above structure and could not help but to think of Eckhart Tolle's story of unstable structures.

Licensing:
 Creative Commons License
Picture of the Day by Victor Gascon is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Based on a work at http://gasconjedi.blogspot.com/.

2014 Challenges

Happy 2014!

Here are my challenges for the new year. These are my opportunities for growth in 2014.
  1. Picture of the Day: I will publish at least one picture evey day. I am undertaking this challenge in memory of my friend David Martin who passed away unexpectedly in 2009 at the young age of 39. He had started a similar challenge back then.
  2. Daily Blogging: I currently have five blogs, and I will update at least one of these every day.
  3. By December 2016, I will be back at 180 pounds and be fit and healthy. I will do so by:
    • Exercising daily
    • Eating healthy
    • Resting enough
    • Recording my activities and nutrition using SparkPeople
  4. I will be more active in minimalism and will remove at least one thing I do not need from my life everyday.
Thanks for sharing my journey!

PS: I am pre-dating this post so that future posts can make sense. For example, I already took the pictures for several days and will be posting them separately.

Friday, December 27, 2013

Free books!

For quite sometime now I have been receiving free (and very inexpensive) e-books from BookBub

BookBub: Free and Bargain Kindle Books, Nook Books, and more

I can read them anywhere on my SmartPhone or any computer. Love it!

Two new blogs

Greetings!

I am announcing the start of two new blogs:

  • Fitness is LIFE! : a blog dedicated to sharing information on getting fit and staying healthy. 
  • Motivate, inspire … live! : a record of my journey as a public speaker and a tool for anybody to find ways to positively impact others with their words.

Why two more blogs? In one word: specialization. This will help keep different aspects of my rantings under different roofs.

Iin case you missed my other blogs:

Enjoy … and please send your thoughts, comments, requests and suggestions so that I can help as many people as I can!

Sunday, August 05, 2012

Travel tips that make sense

Here is a recollection of Leo Babauta's latest vacation trip with his family.

» 16 Essential Tips for Traveling with a Family :zenhabits

He shares excellent tips on how to have fun, enrich your mind, and make the best of the places you visit.

And this is his wife's perspective on traveling light. But forget the "women" slant: her advise is great for all genders and for all parents.

» Eva’s List: Traveling Light for Women :zenhabits

I know I will be using their ideas in future trips.

And from the "my friend told me about this" file, here is a recommendation from a good friend of mine: Airbnb.

Vacation rentals, private rooms, sublets by the night - Accommodations on Airbnb

She had an excellent experience and I definitely will plan on using this website for future travel plans.

Enjoy!

Monday, July 16, 2012

The Magic 9-Letter Word

Courtesy of OmHarmonics

Studies show that this one thing can make you 25% happier.

It makes you immune to anger, disappointment and frustration.

It's even been shown to heal pain and illness in your body.

That one thing is GRATITUDE - and amazing things happen when you integrate it into your meditation practice.

Here's a fun exercise to try:

1. As you sit down to meditate, breathe in deeply and imagine your heart filling up with gratitude. Radiate that energy and light from within feeling blissful and deeply thankful.

2. Think about five specific things to be grateful for on this day. This can be something simple like "that pasta I had for lunch was delicious", up to something really important like "I'm blessed to have a loving partner and family".

3. Think about the people behind the situations you were grateful for and express thanks to each of them.

4. Remind yourself that whatever you focus on, expands. When you focus on gratitude and positivity, you will get more of that in return. Be mindful that you will attract more abundance, love and health by being grateful for your current state in these areas.

Saturday, June 30, 2012

Allowing Things to Happen

» The Wisdom of Allowing Things to Happen :zenhabits
The Master allows things to happen.
She shapes events as they come.
She steps out of the way
and lets the Tao speak for itself.
~The Daodejing

What is your motivation?

Here is an excellent video from Tony Robbins that gives a very interesting explanation of what motivates people.


Tony Robbins: Why we do what we do, and how we can do it better

Gas Mileage Tips

There are many myths about what works to improve gas mileage. Even with today's gas prices, it makes sense to watch our gas consumption. There is no guarantee that gas prices will stay low, and the environmental impact of higher gas usage is significant.

Good Hands News: Perplexed-at-the-pump

Enjoy!