365 Days of Being

A blog that started to build my knowledge on global issues but is now to record my daily learning

[365daysofbeing]

Flowers

Next step is to find out how to make cheap, organic fertilizers.

Peonies:

-Take 3-5 years to bloom from seed -Take 1-3 years to bloom from root -A potted plant may take a year to bloom -A peony bush is expensive ($20-$30) -Require a lot of water, 6 hours of sunlight, organic matter with fertilization -They are heavy feeders

Poppies (Oriental, Papaver, California Red:

-There are perennial and biennial poppies -Poppies like cold and moist -It is best to start sowing them into your garden after Valentines day -The early blooms will look like weeds so make sure you don’t pull them -Poppies do best in poor soil, no fertilizer. Adding fertilizer or good soil will give you more leaf than bloom -Don’t water often, they like a hot, dry climate. The more you mistreat them the better they will grow -Plant w something else because the foliage looks like ass when they’re done blooming. But if you cut down your poppy foliage and fertilize it you may get another, smaller bloom in the fall.

Forget-Me-Nots:

-Five weeks of bloom -Prefer rich soil and moisture -best in full soon but okay in half shade -bloom spring-summer -They will blossom after a year of being in the soil

Tulip:

-Ideally bulbs should be planted in the fall -Bulbs will probably be okay in spring -Tulips need the perfect amount of water -2 inches apart, and 2-3 times planted the depth that they were before -Love sunlight

Daisy (bellis perennis):

-Good compost -Close to the ground -Annuals bloom the first year -Lots of sun, good spot for draining, rich soil -Beginning: fertilizer high in phosphorus, then a normal fertilizer once a month

Anemone:

-Rich soil -Bulbs planted in early to late spring -Depth will be 3 times the height of bulb -7cm apart -Medium to wet soil

Sunflower:

-rich soil -withstand drought and heat -attract birbs -grow in pot first then in ground

Lavender:

-Dry soil and sun -Cold stratify the seeds: 3 weeks in moist, special starting soil, in the fridge -In drain-age container, spread seeds 1 inch apart -⅛ in of potting mix -Keep seeds near heat tray at apx. 70 degrees -Not too dry not to moist, water in the morning -Sunny location, not too deep. Be gentle. True leaves

Calendula:

-Any kind of soil is good -Mistreat her -Annual -Prefers cold, shady regions-general purpose fertilizer

Cosmos:

-7 weeks to appear from seed -12 inches apart, well drained soil, ¼ in deep -Soil should not be too rich

Bachelor’s Button:

-After last frost -Dry soil -Morning sunlight, partial afternoon shade

Marigold:

-Directly after last frost -Full sunlight (20% shade) -Don’t like to be overly damp -Deeeeep -102010 feretilize every 2 weeks -Semi soil

Allium:

-Dry area -Plant twice the diameter of the bulb

Egg is a natural fertilizer. Banana is a natural fertilizer. Ash helps plants grow. Leaves make darker richer soil and pulls plants up. Spray an epsom salt/water mix onto plants to raise pH levels. It is typically an indication of a magnesium inbalance.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JwygW91gOdc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QyKnnioHtWw

https://www.hgtv.com/design/outdoor-design/landscaping-and-hardscaping/qa-when-is-it-too-late-to-plant-bulbs

https://www.gardenguides.com/111697-plant-tulip-bulbs-late.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TwmiUv5Gglo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wg5rKZpnxZY

http://www.gardenhobbies.com/flower/daisy.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRl_EYOfSWY

[365daysofbeing]

DIY Face Moisturizer

Shea Butter: $5

Unrefined Coconut Oil: $5-$15

Vitamin E: $5-$10

Tea Tree Oil: $5

Something that smells tasty (lavender, lemon, etc): $5

Total: $30/for a lifetime of face lotion. Good deal.

Cheapest: $15/ Just coco, vitamin e, and an oil

God Bless

http://viewfromthefridge.com/homemade-face-cream/

http://sweetsimpleliving.com/index.php/2015/09/27/diy-skin-perfecting-moisturizer/

[365daysofbeing]

Dan Dennett and the Case for Free Will

WeDan Dennett begins by explaining that he will change the term ‘free will’ to ‘moral culpability’. He then explains the idea of social constructs in reality, taking a Hobbe-stian stance on the prior construct of society: without the social construct there is no good or evil, our social construct has created this. At this point we created morality, therefore creating moral culpability.

Characteristics of a morally culpable creature:

-Well informed: regarding other’s feelings, yourself, social constructs, the law -Well ordered desires -Is not controlled by anyone else -Is punishible -”could have done otherwise”

He creates a thought experiment in which he presents 4 scenarios where he buys a box of ‘bran blobs’.

”Being caused by the intervention of another agent X does not mean being controlled by another agent”

MAC Rules:

-Protect yourself from secret manipulators In the first scenario, he finds out he has a heart condition and his doctor tells him that bran blobs would be good for hi- he buys the bran blobs. Dennett claims this is ideal. That we ought to look to wiser to advize us.

P R O C E S S I N G

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGPIzSe5cAU

[365daysofbeing]

Printing Film Photos

I wanted to see if I could develop my own film but you need a LOT of equipment. I think I could do the first part of actually developing- you need a canister and a reel which I almost want to say I could make. There are simple ways of making the developer and fixer with coffee and vitamin c. However, for the actual printing process you need and LED light bed and a fancy camera to digitally scan into your computer. To manually print pictures you need a projector type of thing, photo paper, filters, etc.

Developing equipment:

Enlarger: Up to $3000 and some for $80 Color Lenses: $20+ <---though I imagine some home-made kind can be devised Chemicals: If you want to get fancy they will probably be expensive but the developer and fixer can be made the same as they would on a canister. Paper: $5-$30

In a last ditch effort I looked for a DIY darkroom enlarger and I found something exciting! http://www.instructables.com/id/Worlds-cheapest-darkroom-enlarger/

What a creative, driven individual.

As of now I’ll keep my eyes peeled for a cheap enlarger, cheap lenses, discount vitamin C, and eventually make my own enlarger. Photo printing is a dying art but it’s beautiful and I hope to learn the basics soon. The process of printing color pictures seems a little different and will definitely require a different type of developer.

-M

How to make your fixer and developer/ tips/ scanning and printing

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lG3RFNii2nc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zYjOqcbBEco

http://www.instructables.com/id/How-To-Develop-Film/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrBCHWyn1QU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5wacItEHrc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RakDAkuzUdk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQIFum4B_n8

[365daysofbeing]

I learned how to take care of succulents today to one day be a plant momma. I wanna keep things alive

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8nsXcxySig

[365daysofbeing]

Disproving Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

While I’ve used Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs in many debates, I’d never actually taken a look at it. The basics are his nice little pyramid of what you need in order to reach self actualization. I suggest you look it up but I’ll explain briefly.

First need to be met: Physiological (food, water, shelter) --> safety -->  social (love, family, community) --> esteem (self worth) --> self actualization (enlightenment, spirituality)

On the grounds of Maslow’s Hierarchy, which is used widely in the psychological and philosophy fields, people in third world and developing countries cannot become self-actualized because they lack physiological needs. What Anil Gupta proves in his talk is that this is not the case. People in third world and developing countries are perfectly capable of coming up with efficient innovations and using their mind to make beauty.

“Minds on the margin are not marginal minds.”

He discusses many innovations which the people of India, mainly, have used to bring efficiency to their area. Bikes seem to be incredibly useful for many purposes. There is even a project running to save the honey bees. This talk was a tiny bit difficult to understand but worth every second. I learned so much about developing countries and how physiological needs are necessary vs. how they aren’t.

[365daysofbeing]

Patch Adams

I’m sure many people have seen the movie Patch Adams starring Robin Williams. The movie is brilliant, beautiful, passionate and inspirational. Robin Williams was brilliant. Then I decided to do some research on the actual person, since I am fortunate enough to know some people who worked with Patch and live close to the Gesundheit! Institute.

Patch Adams did indeed become inspired to pursue medicine in a mental institution while he was under care. He opened a free clinic after medical school and believes that clowning is the best way to cure an illness. He believes the medical system has become a hierarchy of inhumane doctors and this will be inefficient in curing a patient.

“If you treat a disease you win, you lose. But when you treat a person, I guarantee you every time you win- no matter the outcome.”

I was interested in how the real Patch Adams spoke and interacted with people so I watched an interview and was slightly... well, they say you should never meet your heroes. Of course, the movie version was Patch Adams as played by Robin Williams. I was surprised and very intrigued at some of his theories.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FgKvGNsDZv4

Very interesting.

Love love love always,

Maressa

[365daysofbeing]

Fair Trade USA audits and certifies transactions between companies in America and their international suppliers to ensure that rigorous Fair Trade standards have been met and a fair price has been paid.

A handy dandy Fair Trade Guide

[365daysofbeing]

Cultural Schizophrenia

Most likely one of the coolest things I’ve read so far.

It seems that schizophrenia is shaped by our culture. Stanford did a study interviewing people in the U.S with Schizophrenia vs people in India or Africa. In the U.S, not one single participant said their voices were kind. Some claimed they were family members but still, telling them to do terrible things. There were some vivid descriptions that I probably shouldn't have read in the middle of the night.

Meanwhile in India and Africa most participants described their voices as family members giving them advice. Sometimes they are just magical spirits being friendly. I imagine it is perhaps an honor almost to have the ability to hear these voices.

The theory behind this cultural schizophrenia is that outside of Western Mindsets there is a sense of interconnections. This makes it less scary, more spiritual, more whole. Because Western culture is lonely, voices popping up in your head are not exactly a sign of sanity. In the West schizophrenia is a scary illness while in the East it’s just... a thing. An okay thing. That’s crazy isn’t it??

What does that say to all of us? For me it further proves the point that we are all connected.

Love always,

Maressa

Sources:

http://news.stanford.edu/news/2014/july/voices-culture-luhrmann-071614.html

[365daysofbeing]

This is the second TED talk I watch from Chris Abani and it was so wonderful! I found my new favorite quote here: “Bombing for peace is like fucking for virginity”

Chris Abani talks about the Stories of Africa while making you laugh hysterically. I felt it sort of tied in to the first TED talk I watched in a previous playlist about one story. This TED talk is about eliminating the idea that there is only one story in Africa.

[365daysofbeing]

The Culture High

The Culture High is a documentary explaining the issues surrounding the legalization of marijuana. The key issue within the first half of the documentary discusses how marijuana being illegal causes tension between the police and the people. Aside from creating a negative view on the Police, illegal marijuana also creates a system of injustice in the prison system and the “War on Drugs.”

One of the stories presented that got to me the most was one of a mother locked in for 12 years for $30 worth of weed with 3 children. Meanwhile the bank HSBC had been laundering money to Mexican Drug Cartels and they got away with a 1.9 Billion fee. To a bank this is nothing. As one of the interviewers said, (paraphrasing) “it’s just a fee to them. The price of war. No one was arrested, no one saw justice.”

Because quotas are lifted on how many people need to be locked up per year, policemen are made to arrest anyone for anything. The act of arresting someone for marijuana, an illegal drug, was and is currently viewed by some as a heroic act as it the police officer is fighting the War on Drugs. The reality of it is that while arresting a little college kid for weed is totally necessary, it is not even getting at the real issue that this war is supposed to be fighting. Arresting a user is the equivalent of snipping leaves off of a weed (on purpose pun or no? We’ll never know) rather than pulling it by the root.

Which, just a fun fact: Nixon (in office at the time of the initiation of the War on Drugs) openly said that a War on Drugs would not truly solve anything, but that it brought such a positive attitude from the public towards his campaign so much that they had to run with it. Hmf. These Machiavellian politics have to end someday.

Police are arresting innocent people to fill quotas. This not only wastes money (a common fact at this point that more money is invested in prisoners than in the education of a child) and causes the community to view the Police as enemies rather than peace keepers. We haven’t even started on racial tensions. 

The more positive side in the documentary to this are the medical uses found in marijuana (that don’t give the euphoria).

Stay Golden,

Maressa

[365daysofbeing]

10 Reasons Why This 7-Year-Old Transgender Activist Will Melt Your Heart

By Alex Temblador | The Next Family Avery Jackson is a 7-year-old transgender girl and she is blowing the Internet away with her amazing story of transition. The Next Family is so impressed with A

Two Huffposts in a row but this is one of the most important articles I’ve read. Before watching her story and listening to her mom’s speech I didn’t really understand the concept of transgenders. By no means was I against it, I just hadn’t quite grasped the concept yet. If more people are informed then we will all be able to accept and love each other better. Avery’s parents are incredible for their support and understanding of their child. I hope more parents can come to accept their children the way they have.

[365daysofbeing]

Cat Burned In House Fire Offers Support, Snuggles To Other Animals At Veterinary Hospital

Russell the cat has spent the last year and a half at a North Carolina veterinary clinic recovering from a fire that burned his face and body, made him lose the tips of his ears, and destroyed his fam

Because who doesn't need good news. The foundation which keeps them both alive is linked in the article!

[365daysofbeing]

“You look like you love commitment”

[365daysofbeing]

Utopia and King Lear

In combining philosophies of King Lear and Utopia I’ve come to see to what extent Art is important. Especially after reading the basis of Descartes philosophy everything is come into perspective to the society that we’ve built today. A society in numbers.

Let me explain through something I went through recently, college application process. When I apply to schools, I am not a person. I am an SAT score, a passing grade, a percentage of the colored students, a ranking in the class. Because, as Descartes declared, only things that can be measured in numbers can be real. In society you are your social security number, the number on your license and your income. That is the person that you are.

This being said, that is the problem with Utopia: art. As humans the thing that separates us from the animals is art. We take ordinary things and make them beautiful, we all have that ability. In a structured society like Utopia it is like we are running machines. There are other ways of ending poverty.

(This made a lot more sense and had different meanings in my head)

Love always,

Maressa

[365daysofbeing]

Jacueline Novogratz’ presentation was very interesting and very clever. She starts off by describing herself as a hippie with a guitar who came to Africa. Her stories with how she helped 20 women go from being a charity case to making a viable business were really remarkable. Novogratz said the women learned to, “listen to the marketplace.”

She also said how listening is not just about listening, but of figuring out what questions to ask. When Novogratz asked the women what color they wanted for their bakery no one cared what color for a few weeks. So Novogratz decided, “Why not blue?” the women agreed. Once the bakery was done and painted and they were observing it one women said, “It is pretty. But our color is really green.” When one is used to receiving as a charity, asking for things or having an actual opinion or voice is almost an absurd thought. This is where one’s human dignity is taken.

The idea of patient capitalism was very interesting to me. A marketplace in which people don’t work for profit but rather for the benefit of each other. It is a topic I’ll do much thinking on.

[365daysofbeing]

Bisphenol A

BPA is used to make plastics tougher, to line pipelines, to line the insides of food containers, and to make papers such are receipt papers. There is much speculation as to how safe BPA actually is because of its hormone properties. BPA can sort of “leak” out of the containers when exposed to heat. If the BPA leaks this can cause illnesses ranging from ADHD to cancer due to the estrogen-likeness.

The FDA determined in 2014 that BPA is safe at the levels it is currently being used except to young children. The EFSA said in 2015 that with the evidence they continued to collect over the years there was no reason to conclude BPA is safe at the levels it is being used.

New studies show that even products labeled, “BPA-free” could be just as or even more harmful than BPA laced products. BPA free companies have been sued and are being sued for providing false information.

From a personal point of view it seems we should just use glass? All plastic products seem like they’re going to contain some form of ill-causing substance. I believe if we left the BPA out the plastic would be flimsy- that’s what I got from reading anyhow. That doesn’t mean, however, that we should continue using a substance that is harmful to our bodies.

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bisphenol_A

http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/expert-answers/bpa/faq-20058331

http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2014/03/tritan-certichem-eastman-bpa-free-plastic-safe

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/03/25/even-bpafree-plastics-leach-endrocrinedisrupting-chemicals.aspx