Take a moment today to think about the last walk you had in a shaded forest on a hot day or the forest canopy on a rainy day when you stayed dry. Now think about how full your recycle bin can be and what comes in your mailbox each day or week.

Here are things that you can do to stop some of the junk mail, additionally you can send back the address pages from the mail you do not want to get. It takes vigilance but you will feel so much better once you aren’t contributing as much to environmental degradation.

Rid your mailbox of unwanted catalogs: http://www.catalogchoice.org/

Get off the junk mail lists including getting off the credit card offer lists: https://www.dmachoice.org/MPS/proto1.php

Center for Media and Democracy: PR Watch article: http://www.prwatch.org/node/7224

The ten basic points of the report are:

1. The percentage of adult Americans reading literature has dropped dramatically over the last 20 years.
2. The decline in literary reading parallels a decline in total book reading.
3. The rate of decline in literary reading is accelerating.
4. Women read more literature than men do, but literary reading by both groups is declining in significant rates.
5. Literary reading is declining among whites, African Americans, and Hispanics.
6. Literary reading is declining among all educational levels.
7. Literary reading is declining among all age groups.
8. The steepest decline in literary reading is in the youngest age groups.
9. The decline in literary reading foreshadows and erosion in cultural and civic participation.
10. The decline in reading correlates with increased participation in a variety of electronic media, including the Internet, video games, and portable digital devices.

In a strange way this report encourages me to keep doing what I’m doing. It is the hard evidence that I needed to let me know that what I’ve seen with my own eyes is in fact the trend I believed it to be - that people in America have stopped reading. Maybe my storefront closing has been a blessing. Maybe that is exactly what needed to happened so that I could do this work.

This report presents the results from the literature segment of the Survey of Public Participation in the Arts, conducted by the Census Bureau in 2002 at the NEA’s request. The survey asked more than 17,000 adults if during the previous 12 months they had read any novels, short stories, poetry or plays in their leisure time, that were not required for work or school. The report extrapolates and interprets data on literary reading and compares them with results from similar surveys carried out in 1982 and 1992.

Taslima Nasrin Reading her own tome

KNOW THE ROPES

Meaning

To understand how to do something. To be acquainted with all the methods required.

Origin

There is some doubt about the origin of this phrase. It may well have a nautical origin. Sailors had to learn which rope raised which sail and also had to learn a myriad of knots. There is also a suggestion that it comes from the world of the theatre, where ropes are used to raise scenery etc.

The first citation comes in Richard H. Dana Jr’s Two years before the mast, 1840:

“The captain, who had been on the coast before and ‘knew the ropes,’ took the steering oar”

That clearly has a seafaring connection, although it appears to be using the figurative meaning of the phrase, i.e. ‘the captain was knowledgeable’, but without any specific allusion to ropes.

There are also early citations that come from the theatre. J. Timon, in Opera Goer, 1850 includes this:

“The belle of two weeks standing, who has ‘learned the ropes’.”

The nautical derivation seems more attractive and convincing, but the jury has to remain out on this one.

from: http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/221800.html

• Hiding and Seeking
• Devils Playground
  
• Planet Earth
• When the Levies Broke
• Because the Bible Tells me So
• In the Shadow of the Moon
• American Aloha
• Family Undertaking
• Who Killed the Electric Car?
• Why We fight
• Sound and the Fury
• State of Mind
• 

Ten Tips for Saving Money on a Funeral

from the Funeral Consumer’s Alliance (http://www.funerals.org/)

1. Talk about funerals with family members ahead of time so they all will know your wishes and you will know theirs-. If your plans are mentioned only in a will, the will may not be read until long after other ar-rangements have been made. If Mom had always said she want-ed something “simple” and you aren’t sure what she meant, you may end up purchasing a great deal more than something truly “simple.” Or perhaps Mom told everyone what kind of funeral she wanted, but she had no idea that it would cost far more than anyone could afford.

2. Price shop by phone or in person. Price-shopping can save you thousands of dollars. The f uneral home in your neighborhood may be three times as expensive as one across town. By law, funeral homes have to give you prices over the phone, or hand you a General Price List when you start talking about prices at the funeral home. If the GPL shows that caskets begin at $595, did you ask to see one if it was not on display?

3. Only buy what you want. If you are shopping for a funeral at the time of death take a friend with you, someone who will help you be sure you buy only what you want. Don’t buy more than you intended out of guilt. People often think that how much they spend is a demonstration of how much they love someone. Don’t buy more because of fears of being “different” or “cheap” or worries about “What people will think?” Fu-neral sales litera-ture today commonly refers to a “traditional” funeral package (meaning elaborate and a good profit margin for the mortician), with one funeral often looking just like the next. Enjoy making your own traditions. A unique and personalized memo-rial observance is what others will remember. Don’t feel obligated to put on a big “show” when the deceased has been prominent dur-ing his or her lif etime. For the cremation of the author of The American Way of Death, Jessica Mitford’s family spent just under $500. Shortly thereafter, they hosted a grand memorial gathering. It was very much in keeping with Jessica’s disdain of lavish fu-neral mer-chandise but love of a good party

4. Make your own or buy online. You can find caskets or kits on line for a fraction of the retail price. It is illegal for a mortuary to charge a “handling fee” for using a casket obtained elsewhere. Or, choose a “minimum container” from the mortuary and drape it with attractive material, a handmade quilt, or a flag. Most people know what’s involved in growing a head of lettuce or a few tomatoes and would think $10 each was an outrageous price; they probably would stop buying them. Few consumers realize that caskets may be marked up 300500% or more. A casket that is listed for $1,295 at the funeral home might wholesale for only $325. That same casket is probably available from a casket retailer for $650.

5. Consider the “direct burial” or “immediate cremation” packages. These plans do not necessitate buying grand caskets, embalming, cosmetic touchups, or funeral services and processions. Cemetery space for cremated remains is generally - but not always - less expensive than the space needed for a body burial. Cremated remains can be buried/scattered almost wherever you choose. Also, if you choose one of these options, you don’t need to use a local funeral home which might cost twice as much as the one in the next town.

6. Plan a memorial service without the body present. In that case, there would be no need for embalming, a fancy casket, or expensive transporting of the body back and forth. Private family visitation and “goodbyes” can occur in the hospital or home, before you call a funeral director. Use a church, park, or community center for the memorial service without attending funeral home staff. Again, with this option, you do not have to use a local funeral home.

7. Skip embalming. Embalming is not routinely required by law. Some circumstances may precipitate the need for embalming, but in no state is it necessary when burial or cremation is planned within a day or so.

8. Consider body donation to a medical school. In some areas, there may be no cost to the family whatsoever. In other circumstances, the cost of transporting the body may be the only cost. Generally cremated remains are returned to the family within a year or two.

9. Some cemeteries may require a grave liner or vault, but not all. There is no state law that does. If you prefer body burial, ask for a “grave liner” rather than a “coffin vault” at a fraction of the price. And again, be sure to shop around. The “outer burial container” is a way for morticians to increase their income and is an added burden on your funeral finances. With prices as much or more than caskets, remember that it is just a boxforthebox which gets quickly covered by the cemetery lawn.

10. Consider handling all arrangements without using a mortuary. Most people also don’t know that in the majority of states a family or church group may handle a death without the use of a funeral home and many families have found it loving and therapeutic. The book, Caring for the Dead: Your Final Act of Love, gives a great deal of state specific practical information, and the PBS documentary, A Family Undertaking follows the stories of several families. Both are invaluable resources for anyone choosing this meaningful way to say goodbye.

And, a bonus tip: Join your local Funeral Consumers Alliance. Some have contracts with local funeral homes for services at a reduced price for members. Some have done a price survey and have done the priceshopping for you already. Most will refer you to an ethical funeral home. There are reciprocal benefits if you move to or die in another state. Supporting an Alliance will help to keep this consumer information available for future generations, and the membership contribution is modest.

Remember: Funeral directors are business people who deserve to be paid for what they do. However, it is your job, as a funeral consumer, to be welleducated about your funeral choices, to determine the kind of funeral or memorial service that meets the needs of your family, and to locate an ethicallypriced facility that will honor your choices with caring and dignity.

One of the keys to happiness is a bad memory. -Rita Mae Brown

When the power of love overcomes the love of power the world will know peace. -Jimi Hendrix, musician, singer, and songwriter (1942-1970)

The human race has one really effective weapon, and that is laughter. -Mark Twain

For a reminder of how dynamic our world is check out this site:

http://www.chippynews.com/worldclock.htm

Two simple steps to take to stop unwanted junk mail is to register at Catalog Choice http://www.catalogchoice.org/ and then limited the so called “pre-screened” offers of credit and insurance base on the information they get from your credit report by opting out, call 1-888-567-8688 and tell them you don’t want anyone to have access to your credit report without your permission.

As an American I never thought that I could possibly grasp the long history of China but Nien Cheng in her book LIFE AND DEATH IN SHANGHAI smoothed the way. Her book that is primarily about the Cultural Revolution opened up this fascinating country and made me want to read on. I’d also recommend RIVER TOWN and ORACLE BONES by Peter Hessler and CHINA ROAD by Rob Gifford whose NPR dispatches you may remember. Also of note are WILD SWANS by Jung Chang and for a look at East vs. West culturally read T.R. Reid’s CONFUCIUS LIVES NEXT DOOR:WHAT LIVING IN THE EAST TEACHES YOU ABOUT THE WEST.

The average pencil is seven inches long, with just a half-inch eraser - in case you thought optimism was dead. -Robert Brault, software developer, writer (1972- )

The butterfly counts not years but moments and has time enough. -Rabindranath Tagore

The reward for conformity was that everyone liked you except yourself.

-Rita Mae Brown, writer (1944- )

Underground nuclear testing, defoliation of the rain forests, toxic waste … Let’s put it this way: if the world were a big apartment, we wouldn’t get our deposit back. -John Ross

For a list of all the ways technology has failed to improve the quality of life, please press three. -Alice Kahn