"How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world." Anne Frank

I've been really charitable lately. I spent part of my J-term organizing a Silent Auction to benefit Children's Miracle Network (cmn.org) and bought something at that auction; I recently bought two pairs of Toms shoes, therefore donating two pairs of shoes to children who need them (toms.com); I also got a red thread, which helps victims of sex trafficking (redthreadmovement.org); I adopted a soldier with my roommate, Zoe (Adoptaussoldier.org); bought mittens to benefit Habitat for Humanity; Created a Kiva account so I can lend money to people who need it around the world (Kiva.org); and spent my Saturday working at a Feed My Starving Children food packing event here at school (at which I bought this really cute bracelet that provided some 37 meals to starving children).

Most of this is just coincidentally happening at about the same time, but I think it also helps that I worked full time all through J-term, so I have a bunch of money. It's so much easier to be charitable when you have money.

All of these good actions got me thinking about how easy it is to be charitable in the world now. Feed My Starving Children came to us, and I just had to walk across a parking lot to get there. People table for the Red Thread Movement outside the Caf, so I can be charitable on my way to lunch. People make facebook events inviting us to send them money through the POs and we will get some mittens! How convenient! Maybe it's just the environment at a small liberal arts college that we want to help people, but I don't think it's exactly hard to help the world outside of Gustavus either. I mean, I ordered my Toms online and so could anyone else.

And then that made me think about why people do good things for the world. And I thought about all the things I've gotten for my charitableness. A bracelet, a red thread, 2 pairs of shoes, a 8x10 print... I got paid for the organizational things I did for the silent auction, and my boss offered to pay my for working at the Feed My Starving Children event too. When you loan someone money through Kiva, you eventually get paid back. Not to mention that I got to feel really good about myself. So... do people buy Toms because they want a pair of shoes or because they want to help people who need shoes? Maybe both.

I recently read a book which talked about the religious tradition of tithing. The point of tithing 10% of your income (or whatever percent) is that you are supposed to feel the loss but recognize that it is OK and it is helping people. It helps make you less selfish. Nowadays, when you do something charitable, do you feel the loss? Do people really care about helping the world or do they need to get something out of it for it to be worth their time and money?

-Darcy

You Can't Frolic Through A Forest of Baby Trees.

I was eating breakfast with a few friends (has anyone ever made the observation of how similar Reese's Puffs look to dog food?) and we were talking about someone's Adolescent Lit class. They're reading "Are you there, God? It's me, Margaret", which is essentially a preteen bemoaning the late coming of adolescence. Someone at the table mentioned how all of the guys in the class must feel embarrassed to read this book, and I was thinking.... why?

What makes a book an exclusively "girls'" book or exclusively "guys'" book? True, the aforementioned book does discuss many feminine issues, but there's no reason that males can’t get something out of it or enjoy reading it. There seems to be a weird standard or expectation when it comes to things like books (and movies, clothes, and many others). I mean, it appears to be perfectly "acceptable" for girls to enjoy and/or be obsessed with Lord of the Rings, James Bond books/films, etc, whereas if you reverse the gender roles, it’s thought of as uncomfortable or odd.

This is in no way a blanket statement though. I know that some men are manly enough to proclaim, “Yes! I do enjoy a romantic comedy every now and then!”. This stereotype is being reversed even as I type. However, it still exists.

On a side note, I enjoy frolicking in forests, especially in the winter time while it is snowing. Imagine though, if your school decides to grow a new deciduous forest on campus. How would you frolic through baby trees?

One cannot.

-Emily

Is Bigger Better?

I was reading a book for one of my classes, it was about the post-American World, how all of the other countries are experiencing a rapid growth while the United State just kind of sits here. At one point the author tells the readers to look around us. The tallest building is in Tapai but a taller one is being built in Dubai, the richest man is Mexican, the biggest plane was built in Russia and Ukraine, the largest factories are in China, and the list goes on and on. The author's point being The United States just 10 years ago used to be at the top of many of these different categories. I can't help but think, is that such a bad thing? Does it really matter which country has the largest building? Or where the richest man lives? Or where the largest factories are? I don't think it matters. We should be concentrating on efficiency rather than size. Is it really that important to have large building or planes? We shouldn't be competing with other countries for titles such as these, but instead seeking to achieve unity and an effeciency in technological things to preserve the world. This may sound really cheesey and all "save the environment", but I really do believe it's not about who has the largest factories, rather it's about how well we can work together to make achievements globally.
But that's just my two cents.
-Ashley

This person has walked THEIR goat today. Have you?

I must give the credit of finding this excellent photo to my dear friend, Katie (@ University of Nebraska, Lincoln).  She thought it fit our blog, and it does!  So I am posting it.    Everything about this picture is great.  The boots, the facial expression of the goat-walker, the (what I believe to be) cheese balls in the ziplock bag, and the leash with a poop bag holder thingy on it, just to name a few awesome things. 
Thank you, Katie!  :)
Your Very Own Champion Time-Killer,
Anna

Question 2.

Who was the first person to eat an egg?

Seriously, though.  Who was the first Homo sapien to look at a chicken that just layed an egg and think, "Hey!  Look what just came out of that chicken!  I wonder if it tastes good..."

Disclaimer:  I have nothing at all against eggs or chickens.  They are nutritious and quite delicious when cooked properly.  This question is meant to be asked in all innocence. 
I'm sure that many animals have been eating eggs for almost all of history, but who was the first current human to think that eating an egg would be a good idea?  And how did they think to cook it (or not)? 

Innocently wondering,
Anna

"Only dull people are brilliant at breakfast" - Oscar Wilde

             I’ve always regarded blogging as an art form of sorts, one that I have neither an aptitude for, nor the least bit of experience in.  But here I am…writing on a blog- so bear with me.  Well, here goes:

Upon trudging out of bed at the ungodly hour of 6:30 this morning, the first seemingly coherent thought I had- after cursing the world for having the conception that morning was EVER a good idea- was a quote by Oscar Wilde. "Only dull people are brilliant at breakfast” (He seems to have the right idea).  But unfortunately, class starts at 8:30. So although I have the support of a notable playwright on my assertions, it seems that academia and society once again have the upper hand.  With this, day two of second semester (I refuse to call it “Spring Semester”…have you been outside recently?!?) commenced.  Surprisingly, with the exception of bitter cold and the inevitable morning, the day seemed to go rather well.  Classes are interesting, heavily laden with homework, but intriguing nonetheless.  I’m also happy to inform you all that my Anthropology prof knows the word yes (more updates on this to come). 

            Upon reading over what I’ve written thus far, I’ve noticed that I seem to complain- a lot.  Certainly, I’m not the only one who is sick of the weather and finding it difficult to get back into the swing of studying, but this really isn’t an excuse.  Because even more than the fact that it was cold today, even though I woke up far earlier than I would have liked, and even though the mass of my backpack could contend with that of an overweight toddler- life is filled with beauty.  Yes, this is cheesy- but it’s true.  So often it comes in the most unexpected ways.  Such as the patch of sunshine I encountered while walking to practice in the music building (which resulted in a fleeting, but glowing warmth), or the way the snow sparkles, or something as simple as the laughter of friends.  Or maybe- just maybe- true beauty lies in the salad bar on the days when feta cheese is served.  I think that I’ve rambled enough for one day, so I’ll leave you with this: It may be dark, cold, and too early, but life is too short to spend it complaining.  Take time to find beauty in the little things in life- you might be surprised at what you’ll find.

Until Next Time,

Zoë 

Rice Cakes

Hello there world. For those of you who don't know, I am currently on the tail end of a Metabolic Detoxification. On Thursday I will be able to eat real food, but for now I can eat: Fruits and Veggies, Fruit Juice (with no added anything), water, "medical food" (this shake thing that smells like spicy oatmeal) and.... rice! (Added back to my diet today!) So I am currently sitting here drinking a Juicy Juice and snacking on... a rice cake. And not the good kind with caramel or sugar or even just salt. Nope. I am eating a Gluten Free, Vegan, Whole Grain Brown Rice Rice Cake. (Special thanks to the good people at Lundberg, whatever that is...)
And the thing about these rice cakes (I'm on my 2nd at this point) is that they literally taste like nothing. I swear, they are the least flavorful thing ever invented. Which leads me to the question: Why the hell were rice cakes invented?!?
Perhaps travelers on the Oregon trial were desperate for an easy-to-transport flavorless snack. Or maybe they were invented to fill the stomachs of starving, flavor-hating Irishmen during the potato famine. Or perhaps they were invented by the people inventing Metabolic Detoxifications so they could turn a profit on the smallest flavor-investment possible! I sense a conspiracy!
In any case, whoever thought that this would be a good idea was crazy. I have literally no idea who would want to consume 70 flavorless calories unless of course they were starving to death (much like I am now). These are probably the hardest things in the world to market. Which I guess is why you don't really see commercials for "New Extra-Bland Flavor Rice Cakes". You do see commercials for rice cakes covered in sugar. Which sounds really good right now. Anyway, the point of my little rant is that if you were planning on investing in a bag of Lundberg's Gluten Free, Vegan, Whole Grain Brown Rice Rice Cakes... I would suggest that you not.
Instead, you should invest in these delightful Rice Chips I found, also thanks to the good people at Lundberg. The rice chips are covered in sea salt and are incredibly similar to potato chips. They are wheat free, gluten free and AWESOME. Seriously, I will probably keep eating them even after Thursday. The Rice Cakes will not be so fortunate.
Enjoy something bland today. In honor of all of those starving, flavor-hating Irishmen. 
Darcy