Going through some major changes in my life, as most of you are aware. I’ve decided to take a month or two off from this website to sort out what I need to do in my life. It could be rough, but I’m going cold turkey. I’ll still post pictures at flickr though. Wish me luck!

Found on naturalnews.com:

“High-fructose corn syrup, unlike natural table sugar -which is produced from sugar cane or sugar beets – is manufactured through an industrial chemical process that turns starch molecules into fructose and glucose molecules, according to the CSPI’s release.

A highly refined, extracted sweetener like high-fructose corn syrup is not natural.”

Have you noticed, it’s in EVERYTHING?!

Just look.
Even in yogurt and bread.

“If refined sugar is so dangerous, even in small amounts, what can diabetics and obese people at risk of developing type 2 diabetes do to avoid it? First, turn to natural sweets like fruit. The natural sugar found in fruit and honey is fructose, which is much healthier than refined white sugar. However, commercially sold fructose, better known as high-fructose corn syrup, should be avoided, as it can contain up to 55 percent sucrose, which requires insulin to metabolize.”

This is not breaking news, I learned about it three years ago, but I think industry is doing it’s best to keep most people pleasantly in the dark about it. Ignorance is bliss. I am looking at the labels more closely these days. Sometimes it’s unavoidable for me to eat this stuff, that is how sneaky it is…. the lousy bastages! :-D They’ll pay for it one day when they eat enough of their own product.

Me? I’m going to look for sugar or honey when I need sweetness.

Link: Natural News

Danny Gregory is someone who has inspired me from the start of my online journaling. Despite the fact that I often disagree with his opinions, I respect and admire him and want other artists to discover his vision. He is wise and wonderful and I have yet to read any of his books, but I hear they are just as inspirational as his “pontificating” on his blog!
Do yourself a favour and discover him:

Danny Gregory

Just a note to friends and family who know how much I love the band R.E.M.: I got to call in to an online radio program and ask them a question on Monday night. (“What is the most exciting part of making the album?” To which came the snappy reply “Finishing it!” Haa.) You can find and hear the program here. (It’s in the 3rd segment of the R.E.M. link) I was super excited! YAY!:

rocklineradio.com replay

Lifted from the music blog at WXPN Philadelphia:

“What is Earth Hour you may ask? Well, created in response to the question “how can we inspire people to take action on climate change?”, it is an hour during which people turn off their lights for just one hour. Around this time last year this project was executed in Sydney, Australia.
A reported 2.2 million people and 2100 businesses in Sydney turned off their lights simply for one hour and it was calculated that if the greenhouse gas reduction achieved in the Sydney Central Business District during Earth Hour was sustained for a year, it would be equivalent to taking 48,616 cars off the road for a year!

Therefore, this year on March 29 at 8pm The Philadelphia Zoo along with many residents around the city plan to participate in Earth Hour 2008, and you should too!”

The “Big Flick” as it is also known, includes turning off computers, tvs, etc, but especially lights. So get out your candles and lanterns and do something reflective or fun in the dark! I’m looking forward to it. With all the buzzing energy of technology, I think this will be a good break for me, in addition to the benefits to our earth. I hope you decide to join in…and if I’ve persuaded you, please let me know how it went. I’ll report from my end the next evening or soon after that.

There is more info on the event here: Earth Hour