Santy is coming!! WEHEYYYYY!!

Supporters of the 350 campaign gather at the pyramids in Giza, Egypt, during the Oct. 24 International Day of Action. Churches will ring bells 350 times on Dec. 13 as a call to action to the United Nations Climate Change Conference. A UMNS Photo courtesy of 350.org.

A UMNS Report
By Linda Bloom*
Nov. 24, 2009

As world leaders grapple with the issue of global warming in December, churches will be ringing their bells to remind them of the need for action.

At 3 p.m. local time on Dec. 13—about halfway through the Dec. 7-18 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen—churches and other religious groups will sound bells, drums, gongs or other instruments 350 times to symbolize the 350 parts per million that mark what many scientists say is the safe upper limit for carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

“We envisage a chain of chimes and prayers stretching in a time-line from the Fiji Islands in the South Pacific—where the day first begins and where the effects of climate change are already felt today—to northern Europe and across the globe,” says the World Council of Church Web site promoting the event.

In Denmark, the ringing bells will signal the end of a high profile ecumenical celebration at the Lutheran Cathedral in Copenhagen, the Church of Our Lady, which will be attended by United Methodists and members of other faith groups.

In recent weeks, it has become clear that the original expectation for the Copenhagen Summit—that 192 nations will agree to a new treaty to replace the Kyoto Protocols—will not be met. One of the barriers, according to The New York Times, was the inability of Congress to set binding targets for the reduction of greenhouse gases in the United States.

‘Guarded optimism’

But John Hill, who works on public advocacy issues for the United Methodist Board of Church and Society, believes there might be an even better opportunity for the religious community to help shape the debate on global warming. “I think there is some guarded optimism that a fairly strong framework can be established at Copenhagen,” he said.

Hill will be representing Church and Society in Copenhagen, along with Liberato Bautista, who is in charge of the board’s United Nations office, and Meghan Roth, a young adult board member from Richmond, Va.

Harriett Olson, chief executive of the Women’s Division, United Methodist Board of Global Ministries, addresses the Nov. 5 Climate Witness near the U.S. Capitol in Washington. A UMNS photo by Lesley Crosson, Church World Service. .

“The disappointment is that there will not be a treaty,” said Bautista. Still, he added, “I think governments are quite aware of how important a climate change agreement is.”

Tyler Edgar, who is going to Copenhagen on behalf of the National Council of Churches’ Eco-Justice Program, said the faith community is “working hard” to promote a strong U.S. position there.

“Our hope is to send a clear message that climate change is a moral issue that demands a strong and effective response—a response that ensures justice for all of God’s children and will protect God’s Creation for future generations,” she declared.

Among the other United Methodists headed to the summit are the Rev. John McCullough, executive director of Church World Service, and the Rev. Pat Watkins, a church and community worker who leads the “Green Church Initiative” of the denomination’s Virginia Annual (regional) Conference. He will be representing United Methodist Women and the Women’s Division, United Methodist Board of Global Ministries.

When God created the earth, Watkins pointed out, there were no greenhouse gas emissions, and as a Christian he wants to advocate for better care of God’s planet.

“We’ll push for the developed countries to be financially responsible for some of the problems that climate change is causing in some of the developing countries, particularly the African countries,” he said.

Others on the Women’s Division delegation are Tupou S. Kelemeni, a director from Honolulu; Pamela Sparr, consultant on its Countdown to Copenhagen campaign, and Esmeralda Brown, staff executive.

Making a witness

Faith leaders have been calling attention to climate change as a justice issue. During an ecumenical “climate witness” Nov. 5 near the U.S. Capitol, church leaders spoke on the lawn, visited senators and delivered postcards urging support of climate change legislation. Harriett Olson, top executive of the Women’s Division, noted that climate change has a huge impact on women and children. “Women are the highest percentage of the poor and women and children are among the most vulnerable in any vulnerable population,” she said.

We invite you to join the dialogue. Share your comments.

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Church leaders outside the United States are just as concerned about climate change. In an Oct. 17 letter, “A Call for the Care of Creation,” the All Africa Conference of Churches pointed to the famine, flooding, shrinking of rivers and lakes, and depletion of tropical rain forests and declared that Africa, “like no other continent, bears the brunt of these negative effects of climate change.”

In response, the organization, which is participating in the Copenhagen Summit, has sponsored several consultations on climate change in Africa and named a program coordinator for climate change and care for creation last January.

Its representatives were among the nearly 200 faith and secular leaders attending a Nov. 2-4 conference at Windsor Castle in England, organized by the Alliance of Religions and Conservation and the United Nations Development Program.

Ecumenical News International reported that U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told conference participants “the world’s great faith communities occupy a unique position in the discussion on the fate of our planet and the accelerating impacts of climate change.”

Advocating for change

Whether faith communities can capitalize on that position remains a question.

A report from the Nov. 15-20 World Council of Churches U.N. Advocacy Week quoted United Methodist Lois Dauway as saying that churches and the ecumenical community have the theological wherewithal to dismantle global injustice but not the will.

Lois Dauway gives the keynote address during the World Council of Churches U.N. Advocacy Week in New York. A UMNS photo by Mark Beach, WCC.

Dauway, a member of the council’s Central Committee and executive with the Board of Global Ministries, challenged participants during her keynote address to pool resources and “turn the world upside down in the name of Jesus.”

At the very least, they can ring those church bells 350 times on Dec. 13. It’s already happened once, on Oct. 24, the International Day of Climate Action.

United Methodist Bill McKibben is the co-founder of 350.org, the group behind the bellringing campaign. A scholar-in-residence at Middlebury College in Vermont, he is the author of “The End of Nature,” the first book for a general audience on climate change, which was published 20 years ago.

In a video message this fall to United Methodist Women, McKibben stressed the need to make the transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy. He said that Copenhagen represents the best chance to move quickly.

“It’s time to take seriously this greatest challenge, not only to the integrity of creation but to the thread of social justice around the world,” he said.

*Bloom is a United Methodist News Service news writer based in New York.

News media contact: Linda Bloom, New York, (646) 369-3759 or newsdesk@umcom.org.

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Related Articles

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Resources

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UN Climate Change Conference

I thought this one was just to funny not to share it.

Busy weekend.  Saturday woke up about 10ish to go to the gym where I did one of my personal training exercises.  I did the HARD routine involving pullups and dips!  Sore!  Stats: 48 minutes, 383 calories, 135 avg HR, 170ish max. Then quickly came home to get ready for bells rehearsal in Greenfield.

Saturday night I got home in time to watch a bit of football.  Really what did we do?  Maybe watch a movie.  I know we ended up watching the highlights from the day.  The ESPN ticker was stuck on the Purdue vs. IU score for about an hour!  Must have been happy that Purdue won!  =-)

Sunday, made M go running for 20 minutes.  Actually it started with a walk up the HUGE hill right by our house, and then walk/run for about 17 minutes. Stats:  about 200 calories, 180 max HR, 150 avg HR, 22 minutes. My calves are killing me today!  Seriously, I almost couldn’t walk since my legs refuse to bend!  Must stretch a bit better next time.  Probably didn’t help that I then spent a few hours in heels during our FIRST BELLS CONCERT OF THE SEASON!! 

Anyway, while I was gone, M was home experimenting with sweet potatoes.  Since he is from the south, he enjoys sweet potatoes at Thanksgiving.  My family usually does not have them, so I decided we should make some for him this year (since he’ll be joining us.)  He called his family and got two recipes: “Sweet Potato Balls” and “Sweet Potato Casserole”.  The recipe for Sweet Potato balls was a big vague (a bit of this, a bit of that, add to taste).  So he did a trial run of the casserole.  It’s basically a bit of mashed sweet potatoes, covered in brown sugar, pecans, coconut, and butter.  Here’s a picture of the final product:

Notice the fork in the dish.  We would go by the stove and take bites.  Finally he put it away.  The sweet potato to topping ratio definitely rules out any definition of this casserole as “healthy”.  In fact, it almost makes it a dessert.  We might try to add more sweet potatoes when we make it on Thursday. 

I also had an experiment in the kitchen last night.  Since we had turkey left over from Practice Thanksgiving I decided to make Turkey Tettrazinni from “Clean Eating”.  Here’s the finished product (looks rather brown) and then my lunch for today:

I actually did a half recipe (since the turkey stockpile had dwindled), but included the full amount of carrots, peas, and mushrooms to bulk it up.  I had a bite this morning.  I’m not sure about it.  There’s a weird taste (maybe the thyme?) that I’m not crazy about.  Maybe more salt/pepper will help. 

Plan for the week:

Monday: Tap (unless it’s cancelled, I should check)

Tuesday: Personal trainer (lifting)

Wednesday: running before DRIVING TO THE BEACH!

Thursday: THANKSGIVING! (maybe a walk if it’s nice)

Friday: if it’s nice, a run outside

Saturday: driving back from Thanksgiving

Sunday: lifting

Here’s to another great week!

(Written by me, the insecure demon child)

Barbie is not hot. Believe me, she’s just another Paris Hilton hosting all those white trash parties. If you love melting plastic materials, then you must love killing Barbie (and hopefully Hilton). Don’t mind Ken, he’s a no good guy. If you have been playing Barbie dolls when you were younger, then this too along with the other normal little girls, is your revenge. And if you are one of those brothers of the little girls who used to pull off Barbie’s arms and legs, cut her blonde hair and burned her body in the camp fire, then you deserve a little reward.

It was reported that Barbie dolls have lead content that can cause brain damage. As Jay Leno said if your little girl is playing Barbie dolls, then most probably your kid is going to end up like Barbie. Now I won’t make Jay Leno shut up, I must admit, he has a point. While old folks said that farm bells are said to rekindle the spirit of old times, I am actually protesting against old times. Bringing back old times with Barbie dolls? Well, they just rekindle stupid memories when you once wished you were pretty like Barbie but you can’t be pretty because you have pimples and you’re not skinny.

So why get your revenge against Barbie? Here are your motivations:

1. Barbie influences the little girls with these wrong ideas about being a woman. 1. That women are only considered beautiful when they’re skinny, blonde, long haired and long legged; 2. That beautiful women must wear skirts and fabulous dresses to be loved by boys. Indeed, Barbie set the standard of what is a beautiful woman.

2. Barbie pushes the girls to reach their puberty at an early stage – wear make up and get more boys. Barbie steals their childhood experiences. Daddy’s little girl is off wondering in the streets for boys. And when the dinner bell rings, she won’t be eating dinner because she’s on a diet.

3. Barbie influences the girls that the girls are just created by God to put on some make up, some nice gowns, skimpy skirts, halter tops and low neckline dresses everyday of their lives and their worries only include cosmetics and hair salons. And the worries about the world of politics and economics? Barbie should have clearly pointed out to leave it to the male species.

If you’re still not completely motivated, then you need some bells to awaken your senses. And if you’re wondering if I ever played with Barbie way back when I was a sweet little girl, the answer is yes, every girl does. Every girl is Barbie’s victim so don’t ask me why I am so pissed off with Barbie.

Now I am in a quest to kill Barbie in our pop culture and bury her where no little girl can ever find her again. Finally, every little girl’s sweet revenge.

Three Xmas Bells card in six different designs.

Picture shot by Trevor Traynor (San Francisco) Rock the Bells 09 Tour. No need to say the name. All Hail “The Ruler.”

I have a serious backlog of material hanging around in assorted places. I went to a party last Saturday where a number of magical beers were passed around, and here, for starters, are some notes.

Dogfish Head Midas Touch. The birthday girl swears by this, particularly for initiating people who say they don’t like beer. People, if by people I mean drunken nerds, seem to love the golden yellow color. Up front it’s sweetly mellow like a mead; then it gets sharp and pointy and leaves behind a vague memory of lemons and green grass. I like this, but if I had a choice I would rather drop the pretense and drink an actual mead or maybe a barleywine, depending on if I wanted to get lit or not, about which more later.

New Belgium La Folie. Dark dark red, pretty. Dried fruits, mostly tart cherries. Something roasted and sweetish. I liked this very much, and if this is what sour ales are like, I’ll try some more.

The one with the bourbon barrels. I believe it was this, or something like it. Very black, and both delicious and sneaky! I got none of the cream stout flavor from this, unless by cream we mean Harvey’s Bristol Cream. Does that sound contradictory? Very well then, this Bell’s contradicts itself. No straightforwardness but in its tastiness.

Pues como no tenemos clase hasta enero, qué os parece si nos dedicamos a los villancicos.

Os dejo algunos, que seguro que a los peques les encantan. Además vienen con letra incluída para que les ayudéis a cantar.

El primero, cómo no, Jingle Bells

Para cantar en todas las fiestas: We wish you a merry Christmas

Y una más marchosa: Jingle Bells Rock

Merry Christmas!!!!!!

I really have to give a lot of love to Bells Brewery out of Kalamazoo, Michigan. The first time I had one of their beers was at my local Flying Saucer Draft Emporium here in Kansas City. It was their Imperial IPA called Hopslam. I mean I seriously almost cried after taking my first sip of its pineapple and mango hoppiness. It was THE most pivotal moment in my beer tasting journey and would become the moment I knew I would really dig my teeth into the craft beer industry. Keep in mind, too, that this was only last January. So you can see what type of impression it had on me. But we’re talking about their Java Stout today, so let’s do it. If you like coffee and stouts, then you’re in for a treat. This bad boy has both. It’s a style that has taken off in recent years where breweries actually add coffee beans to the brew tanks to further enhance the already coffee-like qualities that come from the heavily roasted malts. And though I tend to think the coffee is a touch heavy in this brew, I think that’s the point. Furthermore, I believe this style of beer is one that can be a gateway for a lot of folks in that they can at least relate to the heavy coffee notes. Oh yeah…if you’re one of those people (like me) who loves to make breakfast for dinner, look no further than Bells Java Stout to be the perfect accompaniment. I might also recommend Founders Breakfast Stout and Mikkeller Beer Geek Breakfast if you are a fan of these coffee-centric stouts. But the best coffee stout is yet to come on The Hopry. It should be posted in the next week or so. Be on the lookout!!!

This beer can be found in these states (including Missouri).

Brewery: Bells
Beer: Java Stout
Style: Stout
Location: Kalamazoo, Michigan
ABV: 7.5%
Rating: 91/100

On the iPod: Gillian Welch

joseph beuys

“possibilities relating to the embellishment of a city: conserve//displace//modify//transform//suppress”:

toronto: st. james cathedral

dismantle the spire.
bring all 305 ft of it to street level
so it stands beside the aromatic gardens. the grass will deaden the bells– their contact with grass
will make their brass sound
solid when hit.

POLLYANNA COWGIRL RECORDS PODCAST

SHOW #51

November 12, 2009

Direct Link to Mp3: http://m.podshow.com/media/17171/episodes/196975/pcowpodcast-196975-11-12-2009.mp3

Podcast Feed:

http://www.mevio.com/feeds/pcowpodcast.xml

Song 01: HANK ENGEL – “A Guitar and a Broken Heart” 

Song 02: ALISON WOOD – “Are You Out There?” 

Song 03: A MELODIC DAYDREAM – “When Do You Give Up?” 

Song 04: A MELODIC DAYDREAM – “Money Tree” 

Song 05: GOLD SOUNDS – “Head and Shoulders” 

Song 06: ART BRUT – “Alcoholics Unanimous” 

Song 07: BOB MOULD – “I’m Sorry Baby, But You Can’t Stand in My Light Anymore” 

Song 08: MAMA HUHU – “Have a Cup of Tea” 

Song 09: BOY LEAST LIKELY TO – “Saddle Up” 

Song 10: GREAT NORTHERN – “Houses” 

Song 11: SCHOOL OF SEVEN BELLS – “Half Asleep” 

Song 12: ALISON WOOD – “The Other Side of the World” 

PLEASE SUPPORT THE ALS CHARITY CD FOR PATIENT CARE AND RESEARCH, “SONGS FOR JENNY” @ WWW.SONGSFORJENNY.COM 

ALL THINGS TONY PUCCI @ WWW.TONYPUCCI.COM  

“DIGGING FOR MUSIC YOU’LL DIG!” @ WWW.POLLYANNACOWGIRL.COM

ONE MAN’S PERSONAL/ARTISTIC JOURNEY @ WWW.FATALINTERVIEW.COM  

(promos played in this week’s show): 

CHILLIN’ WITH LOVESPIRALS @ WWW.LOVESPIRALS.COM   

THE ICE PODCAST @ WWW.THEICEPODCAST.COM

I love music. That’s just the way I am. I’ve loved it since I was little, often being yelled at for having the radio turned up to loud. But I didn’t mind the yelling. I blocked it out, preferring to listen to the music playing inside my own mind.
-
I always listen to music, or really, any type of sound. I hate the silence; it suffocates me. I even went so far as to tie bells to the end of my sleeves and wristbands, just so I wouldn’t have to listen to that terrible quiet.
-
I remember, my brother use to love the sound of bells. Every time I would get home, whether it be from school or a friends house or whatever, he would always come running, having been listening for the bells. I’m not quiet sure why he liked them so much. Perhaps it’s because he has never seen anyone do something like that before, wearing bells on their clothes, that is. Or maybe he just hated the silence as much as I do.
-
That’s why, even though by now I’m much to old to be wearing such clothing, every time I visit my brother’s grave, I wear my bells. I sit down on the hard grass and move my arms back and forth, listening to the ringing off the bells. It gives me some comfort.
-
I go to his grave a lot. I ring my bells a lot. I’m hoping that maybe, just maybe, he’ll come running, like he use to do. Wouldn’t the reunion be so touching? I think it would be. So I’ve been ringing the bell. I’ve been waiting for him to come.
–
It’s been years.
-
I died a long time ago. It was my own weakness that killed me, my own inability to accept what has happened and what is to come. I had been afraid. So I died.
-
I think my “soul” has been left behind. I think I could be described as a “ghost,” though I don’t really like the term. The truth is, I’m not really sure what I am. I exist in some sort of vague consciousness, something invisible. I don’t make noise as I float across the grounds that I use to walk on. That is, except for my bells. They make noise; they ring out, even louder then before. They save me from the silence that I hate.
-
I drift over the shoulders of the people I once loved, still love. I try to keep track of them all, that being one of the only things I can do in my current form. It’s hard, really. They have all gone their separate ways, their fates each set on different course. But I do.
-
I have not seen my brother, though I’m sure he must be a drifting soul too. He had died so young, he couldn’t have possibly moved on by now, not while I’m still here. So I continue to ring my bells, hoping to see him.
–
It’s been longer still.
-
I am watching my closest friend die at the moment. She has been battling disease for a long time; I’m not surprised that she doesn’t have any more fight left in her. If I were alive, I would be standing beside her bed, gently stroking her forehead. But I am not. So instead, I move my arms. I play a sweet little melody with my bells. I’m not quite sure she can hear them though.
-
I wonder what she is seeing right now. Is she seeing the sad faces of her friends and family members staring down at her? Is she seeing a light at the end of the tunnel? Is she seeing me? I wonder if her soul is leaving her body. If it is, I hope I find her. I hope I find my brother.

-

-

-

-

-
I ring the bell.

	THE EAST INDIAMAN ‘YORK’ ON WHICH JAMES BELL WAS TRANSPORTED.
	JAMES BELL TICKET OF LEAVE.
	NORMAN BELL SON OF JAMES BELL AND WILHELLMINA MCLEOD.
	CHRISTINA AND ELIZABETH BELL ON THE TWEED RIVER.
	CHRISTINA AND HER HUSBAND JOHN QUIRK.
	GRANNY BELL – MARY ANN MCNEILL.
	NORMAN BELL, BROTHER OF JOHN AND BROTHER-IN-LAW TO MARY ANN (GRANNY).
	WILHELLMINA BELL LETTERS OF ADMINISTRATION.

MY THANKS ALSO TO THOSE GENEROUS CONTRIBUTORS WHO PREFER NOT TO BE NAMED ONLINE.

Halloween has passed, which means I have to endure Christmas shopping commercials – you know, the ones that add incessant holiday theme music and sound effects. I like these commercials in the same way I like a pair of crow bars slammed against my ribs.

I cringe at hearing bells jingle on TV and radio during the fall months. Too much, too soon. They make me want to vomit in the same way I would vomit if I were dunked in a sewage treatment plant.

Except for one show (Top Gear on BBC America), I don’t watch TV on my own. Any TV I see is the result of someone else’s watching. If I sit down for 10 minutes to see what’s on the telly, I’m guaranteed to see a holiday shopping advert with bells jingling and Christmas carols playing. At this point my face fills with rage, becoming more sanguine than Santa’s jumpsuit as my teeth grind into a wintry powder. This is usually followed by that unshakable urge to vomit.

Don’t ad agencies know the consumer is tired of the same old shit every year? It boggles my mind. It makes me want to rebel.

“Come in for 25 percent savings now through November 16th.” Jingle jingle.

“Tis the season for savings.” Jingle jingle.

“It’s the perfect holiday gift …” Jingle jangle, and more jingle, with a children’s choir in the background.

Hey, cool it with the jingling. I have a calendar. I have two brain cells to rub together. I KNOW WHAT SEASON IT IS.

All these commercials reminding me I should be spending money on people to show them I love them? That really whores out the holiday spirit, doesn’t it?

This year, I’m boycotting the holiday rush. I’m hand-crafting my gifts.

What matters more than anything is the thought – it’s the thought that counts, and when you take the extra time to make something from scratch, it means all the more to your recipient.

Furthermore, folks who opt to make their Christmas gifts will be happy to make them for their friends/family. People who opt to shopping for their holiday gifts will more than likely be pissed off doing it.

For so long, it has always been the same thing each year: with the arrival of the holidays comes the arrival of jingling on the TV and the radio. By this point we’ve been conditioned to respond to these sounds in a Pavlovian way, and that response is usually, “Oh no! I have to go holiday shopping,” followed by the eyebrows becoming drawn together and downward, followed by profanity emanating from the mouth, followed by a nervous breakdown highlighted by a nude appearance at your neighbor’s doorstep, followed by a few months at the mental hospital.

This year I’m changing my Pavlovian response. The next time I hear a company using corny-ass jingling in their ads, I’m going to make a mental note to boycott that company.

It’s time the sound of jingling makes us happy for the beauty of the holiday season because I’m sick and tired of how the last three months of each year make me feel like a tortured mental patient with feces in the lungs.

My age is frivolous

and yet I am eager to set my hand

into someone else’s palm

I am destroyed

like a firework went off in my chest

when I see other girls

bear that beautiful symbol

of affection and love

I thought I would bear it too

that precious ring

and I can still hear the wedding bells

as they ring for someone else

because the one I loved

didn’t quite make it

to what would have been our alter

It is such a pleasure to walk around the yard and listen to the jingling notes of a wind chime! If you love bright colors, try putting up a wind chime that catches all the sun’s rays; if you collect something specific (such as frogs, dolphins, hummingbirds, patriotic items, etc.) you can get a wind chime that incorporates those as well as have beautiful music!

There are also a huge variety of tones and tunes that you can choose from.  If you want  more than sweet notes drifting through the air, hang some of the J. W. Stannard wind chimes.  These exquisite works of art ‘play’ classical music! Imagine walking through your yard, feeling the breeze on your face, and listening to Allegro.  Too cold to walk around the yard?  Sit on your patio or next to an open window and enjoy the music.

If you love wind chimes or know someone who does, take a look at delightinyourgarden.net for a great selection.

One of my favourite performances in this year’s Melbourne Festival was the music/performance piece by Strange Fruit, Ringing the Changes. It was created especially for the bell field of Federation Bells at Birrarung Marr. Each of the bells in the field has a specific pitch and sits at the top of a tall pole, and Strange Fruit perform mesmerising dance/visual/physical theatre pieces atop long bendy poles, so really, this was a match made in heaven. Composer Graeme Leak was commissioned to write the work, taking into account which bells the different performers would be able to reach within the radius afforded by their bendy pole.

The whole piece was masterfully conducted by Timothy Phillips. Here are a couple of photos:

I like the way Tim appears to be suspended in midair. It was quite a feat to conduct the work (including several sections of audience participation, which required him to swivel around to face the audience instead of the performers) without losing his centre of balance. I also like the iconic view of the MCG and its ring of lights, in the background of this photo.

The City Beats children were involved in the first performance, taking part in the audience participation sections which required them to play on tin cans with chopsticks and teaspoons. They were so thrilled by the whole event.

*Twitter: One prediction about Twitter’s new list functionality – “Once it’s understood that you don’t have to be following someone to add them to a list people will begin to adjust who they are following to those they actually know and interact with moving news and site feeds, or celebs and joke accounts over to lists.”

*Speakers: The Wall of Sound is a ginormous speaker, and I don’t care WHAT your definition of ginormous is. (I have run into this ambiguity before.) [coudal]

*Music: Instrumentube allows you to play different instruments on YouTube by adjusting where you are on the timeline. It’s hard to make it sound good.

*Fashion: Bread shoes. You have no idea how often I accidentally step on mayonnaise. (Often.) [buzzfeed]

*BONUS: More footwear. Converse rain boots. For playing basketball in the rain. With no pants on. (I made up that last part.)

*Geography: Can you identify what these maps are all about? Hint: It’s the world. [harper's]

*Evocative imagery: Look at these pictures of old people playing Guitar Hero. Oh, so Urlesque! (Also, the name Eliot Glazer reminds me of Eliot Spitzer. I feel sorry about that.)

*Poetry: This is a recording taken from a wax cylinder of Walt Whitman reciting from his poem, America. I’m not even kidding. Or selling Levi’s!

*ZOMG!: The brewmaster from Bell’s will be in St. Paul, at the Happy Gnome, on November 10! [heavy table]

*Today’s grade: F-

125

Artwork by a sponsored Compassion child

124

Learning to quilt!

123

Babies are so sweet!

122

Meaningful artwork on the carillon at Kansas University

121

The bell tower at my Alma Mater that I used to play