What do people with absurd amounts of money do with their wealth? They turn James Bond props into actual gadgets, try to commercialize space with tourist travel and asteroid mining, and even purchase whole islands. Check it out this CNET article to learn even more about these crazy schemes. What would you do with billions of dollars?
I won’t lie, may favorite of these is the Seasteading Institute, which is a proposed off-shore island under the rule of no nation-state. It is supposed to be a means of testing, understanding, and revolutionizing government by instituting libertarian hands-off approach to law. This Huffington Post article has more.
You may have heard about the United Nations World Happiness Report. It may also be of little surprise that the United States does not rank among the top countries. In fact, the 2013 report ranks the United States 17th behind a variety of countries, including its northern (Canada, 6th) and southern (Mexico, 16th) neighbors. Leading the pack is Scandinavia, with Denmark and Norway taking the top two positions, Sweden fifth, and Finland 7th.
While the list has seen a lot of shuffling since its initial release in 2012, little has changed at the top. Denmark led in 2012, followed by Finland and Norway. Clearly Scandinavia, especially Denmark, is doing something well. So what is it that sets these countries apart? Rather than re-summarize the entire report, I will refer you to Tuesday’s Huffington Post blog on the topic. In summary, Denmark is the happiest country due to several key aspects of the Danish life:
Denmark Supports Parents
Healthcare is a civil right
Gender Equality is prioritized
Biking is the norm
Danish culture puts a positive spin on its harsh environment
Danes feel a responsibility to one another
I am no expert on Denmark but I take great pride in the country and some of its unique characteristics Having spent 5 months in the country – studying in Copenhagen, living with a host family in the town of Køge, commuting by train/bike, meeting students through club volleyball, traveling the country, and generally just learning the Danish way – I experience a lot of what was highlighted in the report. And, despite many American political and ideological beliefs that might downplay or disregard these pieces of Danish life, it works.
My host family was a family of 4, two working parents and two elementary-aged children. They worked full-time and were able to work their schedule around the needs of their children’s education and extra-curricular activities, both of which were very high quality. Students in Denmark are literally paid to pursue advanced degrees. Talk of going to the doctor is never followed by “but I just cannot afford it right now” and people are pretty healthy already since they exercise frequently through their normal commute. And don’t get me started on biking – I could go on forever!
What may be the oddest cultural trait listed here is the responsibility Danes feel for each other. Honestly, my explanations could never do it justice. You have to be there. It is not universal and it is not all-encompassing, but Danes really do show compassion and responsibility for achieving larger social goals. Many will tell you they don’t mind paying high taxes and elaborate on exactly why they feel it is their duty to support the country’s strong social safety net.
The Huffington Post made one point I really appreciate:
But why Denmark over any of the other wealthy, democratic countries with small, educated populations? And can the qualities that make this Nordic country the happiest around apply to other cultures across the globe? Here are a few things Danes do well that any of us can lobby for…
“Any of us can lobby for.” That is exactly right – Denmark clearly benefits from its small size and its small and homogeneous culture, but even more importantly Danes demand more from their government and from each other. So, what’s stopping us? What is stopping you?
Work today, settling for a Subway dinner. Found out that since I don’t have a vehicle and I cannot afford $100-200 a month on entertainment I also cannot join a social group that does all kinds of fun things. The Public Commentary session on Washington’s transportation system was moved without my knowing and I had to walk all around. I accidentally signed up to give commentary – I thought I was just showing my support why adding my name to that list. Whoops. Oh well, I left early anyway.
I don’t know why, but I decided to just walk a while instead of heading straight home. No reason, just following a feelin’. Continue reading →
Cooking every day is tiring. I want to cook for the future.
If any of these describe you, fear not! I have found a simple solution to cooking on a budget. I think these resources will appeal most to my cohort of millennial generation would-be cooks, but really anyone from single bachelor’s to busy moms who want to eat better and save money can find something here. Great recipes, step-by-step instructions with detailed photos, cost breakdowns for meals (by ingredient and by serving), a “recipe box” to save your favorite recipes, meal planner, and store list right on your smart phone. This two-part combination has everything you need to make yourself a better cook!
The first part of my combo is the Budget Bytes blog, referred to me by a friend. The wonderful mind behind this site, Beth, pulled me in with her mentality on affordable cooking:
I’m not “cheap” because I do appreciate quality; I just like to be able to have my cake, eat it, AND pay my bills on time.
Her recipes focus on simplicity, affordability, and timeliness. As she says herself, her blog is not meant for professional chefs – instead, she is targeting those of us who grew up in generations where simple home cooked meals may have been a rarity. Each recipe is accompanied by a breakdown of costs and it is easy to see how making that broccoli and cheese sandwich you love saves you real dollars compared to the cafe. And don’t get me started about the visual walkthrough – whereas many recipes leave me dumbfounded with their cooking terms, Budget Bytes cuts through the fog with splendid photo guides!
I have tried several electronic cooking programs to manage my recipes, create shopping lists, and explore new ideas but so far none have compared to Ziplist. With its simple interface and connectivity with Budget Bytes, it took me less than 5 minutes to create an account (email and password only), add a Budget Bytes recipe, put the recipe on my meal calendar, download the android app (there is an iPhone app too), and get a shopping list right on my phone. Plus I linked my meal calendar right to my Google calendar – all the information I need right in one place!
Handy store list right on my droid – added simply by going to the recipe I wanted and adding it to my shopping list.
Black Bean Quesadillas – my first Budget Bytes recipe. It was very good and I put a few tacos in aside for the freezer. Hope they turn out well!
You do not need either of these tools to improve your cooking and start eating better and more affordable, but they sure do help! So if you really want to improve, set to it right now. Find a meal, get your shopping list together, and go to the store after work tomorrow. You can do it!
Wednesday’s blog originally started out as a way to showcase my new goal of learning some basic programming skills but, as my regular readers know, that did not quite happen. I was quickly distracted by the discussion of education and went into learning as understanding both how and why. My current undertaking definitely falls into the former category, and that is perfectly fine by me.
I am leveraging technology to increase my skill set (and hopefully one day appeal to would-be employers and admissions staff). I have an interest in learning basic programming skills that I can use both personally and perhaps professionally. I chose HTML as my language of learning simply because it is the standard for most websites and is well-known, if not well-understood, by the general population. I am hoping it will be more valuable than something like Python or PHP which, while powerful and widely used, are more appropriate for specific purposes. Besides, learning to program is less about the specific language than about understanding arguments and programming structure.
I have only just started this week and already I am able to do a number of basic things. It doesn’t look like much and I could make the same in Word but the key is I use the basic text editor program Notepad that comes pre-installed on all Windows computers.Check out the first few projects I have made by downloading the .html files from my Dropbox and opening them with your browser.
I am using w3schools.com as my primary tutorial and referencing other resources as needed. Perhaps eventually I will use my skills to transfer TINEIS to my own domain and take full ownership of the blog. I have already experimented with WordPress.org (the full version of WordPress for self-hosted blogs) by installing a program that allows me to create a virtual network on my computer (aka a fake internet to experiment with).
I don’t know that I really need to transition to full ownership, but why not? After all, it will be a learning experience, and that is what this is ultimately all about – learning interesting new things and gaining valuable (or not) skills for the future!
Education – it is something we take for granted. It is currently under debate (when is it not?), this time over the future of higher education. The internet has revolutionized education on campuses by allowing students to Google information and use online resources for the majority of their research. Now technology is threatening to revolutionize education off campus by allowing people from all across the globe to engage in online education through websites like Coursera and NovoEd. Courses are offered by partner institutions such as Stanford, Yale, Brown, Princeton, Northwestern – the list of respected institutions goes on.
So is this the end of higher education as we know it? I doubt it. And I am not the only one who believes higher education is just as strong as ever – a number of leaders of institutions across the country have spoken on the importance of physical colleges and universities. Back in January Janet Morgan Riggs, the president of Gettysburg College (my alma mater), wrote one of her many position pieces for the Huffington Post on just this topic. So, why all the debate? Continue reading →
Casey Schafer, nne of my friends and teammate on the 2013 4K for Cancer Team Seattle is off to her next adventure next summer. She will be spending a week in Haiti through a program called Lifetree. Lifetree has partnered with a ministry in Haiti that runs a vocational training, pre-natal, delivery, and post-natal care facility. Her work will improve the facility and help in the vocational training of local women. Check out a short video about the experience from the perspective of an alumnus.
Casey is responsible and passionate and looking to make a difference. I fully support her, and made my own donation of $10. Please, help Casey get to Haiti by matching my donation! You can donate online on her Fundly page.
The food bank I work in is part of a larger organization called Jewish Family Service that is dedicated to helping the community through a number of client-focused programs. One such program is Refugee & Immigrant Service Center (RISC) that works to resettle immigrants and refugees in the Seattle area. They offer such services as employment services, language classes, resettlement assistance, and other social services. RISC was recently featured in an informational video created by the Cultural Orientation Research Center about resettlement that is shown in cultural orientation programs both here in the United States as well as overseas. Check it out:
*This blog and any content related to Jewish Family Service is the sole responsibility of myself, the author. All feelings and ideas expressed belong to the author and do not, in any way, represent those of Jewish Family Service.
Every month Gettysburg College sends out a newsletter to keep parents and alumni in the loop about events on campus. Each month there is a trivia question and the first correct response wins a free Gettysburg t-shirt. I like it because it gives me a reason to touch base with my alma mater and learn a little bit more about its history.
This month I learned about First Lieutenant Stephen Doane who was awarded the Medal of Honor in 1969 for his valor and ultimate sacrifice in Vietnam. Read the official description here.
A photo of Lt. Doane from a Phi Kappa Psi Founder’s Day brochure. Doane was a respected member of Phi Kappa Psi and the Gettysburg Class of 1970.