How to raise a spiritual child

I'm glad that my kids have religion in thier lives. I read this article from Parent Center on "how to raise a spiritual child". There is nothing too earth-shattering in there but it was reassuring to see that we're doing many of the things they suggest. I ultimately don't care which religion (if any) my kids select. But I do hope that they understand that there is something larger in the world than themselves and that they have an on-going dialogue with God.

GreenDimes

A friend of mine pointed me to GreenDimes.com. The $3/month subscription service helps get you off (and keep you off) of junk-mail lists - which saves paper, eliminates clutter in your home, and reduces the chances of identity theft. The company also plants a tree for you every month. I just signed up so I can't vouch for the service yet. But it seems intriguing and potentially quite valuable.

Save the polar bear

The Bush Administration is considering adding the polar bear to the endangered species list (see this article). If it does so, there may be a ripple effect on the government's stance and policies on global climate change since federal agencies would then have a regulatory obligation to protect the polar bear (whose main threat right now is habitat loss due to global warming). Given the adminstration's past stance on climate change, it would be ironic is polar bears could accomplish what scientists have not - get the adminstration to take greenhouse gas emissions seriously.

New blog functionality

Blogger just upgraded its service to include some new functionality (including the ability to "label" or categorize posts). They also "upgraded" their templates. I'm still getting used to the new template and don't really like everything about it (i.e., some of the formatting and spacing). Also, it's going to take a little while to go back and label all my prior posts. So there will be a little turmoil with the blog while I'll work through all these issues. In the meantime, I'll also try to get some new content up. So stick with me through this transition.

Climate change videos

The University of Arizona put together a seminar series on climate change this past fall. There were seven talks by different U of A professors, covering almost all important aspects of the "climate change problem." I have not had a chance to watch them myself but I hear that the talks are quite good.

The One Sentence Challenge

One of the blogs I read issued the following challenge:

Physicist Richard Feynman once said that if all knowledge about physics was about to expire the one sentence he would tell the future is that "Everything is made of atoms." What one sentence would you tell the future about your own area, whether it's entrepreneurship, hedge funds, venture capital, or something else? Examples: An economist might say that "People respond to incentives." I had an engineering professor years ago who said all of that field could be reduced to "F=MA and you can't push on a rope." A couple of other good ones come immediately to mind: the GBN motto, "the future is uncertain, and yet we must act;" Bruce Sterling's "the future is a process, not a destination;" Yogi Berra's "prediction is very hard, especially about the future."

In my case, I'd probably say "everything happens for a reason" (see this post). Perhaps I suffer from confirmation bias, but I keep seeing more and more evidence in my life that it's true.

So, what would your one sentence be?

Blue skies

There was a brief AskMarilyn in today's PARADE magazine asking "My daughter, who lives near Palm Springs, California, says her sky is bluer than my sky in Portland, Oregan. Can that be?" The answer is:

Yes: Sky color - or "sky transparency" - depends on many factors, among which is humidity. And you know that Portand is a teensy bit more humid than Palm Springs! Consider the brilliant blue sky of a cold, dry winter day compared to the whitish look of the sky on a muggy day in summer. Residents of Palm Springs enjoy a great many low-humidity, sunny days.

So, I suppose while the grass may not be greener on the other side, the sky may indeed be bluer in California compared to where you live. =)

Complete failure

Awhile ago, I set a goal for myself to weigh 190 pounds by Christmas (see this post). With Christmas only a couple of days ago, I can confidently say I won't achieve my goal. I won't even come close. Despite a post three months ago regarding convictions, I weigh more now than I did then. It's pathetic and the exact opposite example to set for my kids.

So, what to do? I'm going to put my money where my mouth is. It's a self-bet. If I weigh less than 195 pounds on my next birthday (in June), I'll put $1,000 into my kids' college savings account. Otherwise, I'll donate $1,000 to Heifer.org for a heifer, two goats, and a water buffalo. Basically, I'm putting $1,000 at risk. If I succeed, the money will go toward something that I care about deeply. If I fail, I forfeit the money to something I don't care about (but at least it will do some good in the world).

It's unfortunate I have to resort to tactics like this but such is life. There are consequences for all of our actions and inactions. This just extends those consequences into the physical world and makes them more tangible for me.

My life is my message

I came across a great quote by Mahatma Gandhi the other day. When asked by a reporter “what is your message,” he responded “my life is my message.” That is a valuable perspective and one that I've tried to take to heart - see, for example, this post. I haven't gone through this "my life is my message" questionnaire but it might be a valuable exercise at some point. The questionnaire includes another interesting quote by William Ellery Channing - "may your life preach more loudly than your words.”

Biofuel crash course

For any of you interested in learning more about biofuels, Grist just posted a special two-week series on biofuels. Looks like a good cross-section of relevant topics.