January 25, 2008 at 4:35 pm (All Blogs, All Personals, All Reviews)
Tags: blogging, blogs, brazil, canada, ecoholic, environment, environmentally friendly, family, friends, global warming, health, International Paper, life, loba blogs, magazines, newspapers, paper, paper waste, random, reviews, Saving the Environment, thoughts, united states, writing
There’s no doubt that we’re all environmentally conscious. We all know the environment’s wellbeing is directly co-related to our wellbeing. Yet, isn’t it ironic that we all read or have magazine or newspaper subscriptions, buy books, print useless stuff at work and continuously waste paper? What’s even more sad is that we actually turn to environmental magazines for news on how to save the environment and print countless material for environmental presentations and conferences.
International Paper, a major Staples supplier, “sold 5.7 million acres of its forestland, which represented nearly 90 percent of our U.S. lands.” The company presently owns about 500,000 acres in the U.S., and they own, manage or have harvesting rights to nearly 2 million acres of forestlands in Brazil and Russia.”
They are asked: “Why not make higher recycled-content paper and minimize harvesting?” They answer: “We agree, and are working to get there. Our industry’s waste reduction record is enviable. We’ve invested billions toward maximizing utilization in our harvesting and manufacturing processes. We now use every bit of the stem of the tree, and we have made important improvements in recycling technology. (Earlier this year, FPAC companies set a collective target to increase paper recovery rates in Canada by 25%)” (Click here for source)
While their efforts are commendable, they obviously must supply and meet the demand. Sadly, when recycled paper is used, price of the magazines or newspapers may rise, which subsequently reduces readership and companies may consider profitability and go back to cutting down trees.
We must remember that every corporation’s number one aim is PROFIT and nothing else. Otherwise they would either cease to exist or be forced to seek costly alternatives. Sure we can recycle the newspapers, magazines and all other useless material but isn’t that a reactive approach? Proactive thinking would be to consider how much would be saved if we all stopped buying and reading magazines, newspapers, and even books and demanded online access to the information?
Time after time, I manage to prove to myself that there’s always room for self-improvement and progress. If we wish the world to change then we must make serious effort and radical changes in our lifestyle and aim to become better at recognizing our own flaws. Only then can we truly say that we are environmentally aware and friendly.
Loba
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January 22, 2008 at 11:53 pm (All Blogs, All Quotes)
Tags: Adlai E. Stevenson, Alexander Cockburn, All Blogs, All Quotes, Allan Bloom, Ambrose Bierce, Anatole France, best quote, best quotes, Bhagwan Shree, bias, biased opinions, blog, Dale Carnegie, discriminating people, discrimination, discrimination and prejudice, Duchess de Abrantes, Elbert Hubbard, faith, Famous People Quotes, famous quotes, famous sayings, friends, God, good acts, gratitude, happiness, hate, hatred, inspiration, Inspirations, inspiring, inspiring quotes, John Wesley, learn from quotes, Leo Nikolaevich Tolstoy, life, life quotes, life sayings, loba blogs, Mark Twain, misery, prejudice, quote, quote of the day, racism, racism and discrimination, racist, random, read quotes, Religion, Robert Green, Robert Hall, Sri Sathya Sai Baba, thought, thoughts, truth, unhappiness, violence, Voltaire, wisdom, writing
“I have no race prejudice. I think I have no color prejudices or caste prejudices nor creed prejudices. Indeed, I know it. I can stand any society. All that I care to know is that a man is a human being — that is enough for me; he can’t be any worse.” – Mark Twain
“We must remember that we have to make judges out of men, and that by being made judges their prejudices are not diminished and their intelligence is not increased.” – Robert Green
“He flattered himself on being a man without any prejudices; and this pretension itself is a very great prejudice.” – Anatole France
“Prejudice is the reason of fools.” – Voltaire
“Reason transformed into prejudice is the worst form of prejudice, because reason is the only instrument for liberation from prejudice.” – Allan Bloom
“Before we can study the central issues of life today, we must destroy the prejudices and fallacies born of previous centuries.” – Leo Nikolaevich Tolstoy
“Logic: an instrument used for bolstering a prejudice.” – Elbert Hubbard
“The First Law of Journalism: to confirm existing prejudice, rather than contradict it.” – Alexander Cockburn
“Prejudice squints when it looks, and lies when it talks.” – Duchess de Abrantes
“When dealing with people, remember you are not dealing with creatures of logic, but with creatures of emotion, creatures bristling with prejudice, and motivated by pride and vanity.” – Dale Carnegie
“Ignorance gives a sort of eternity to prejudice, and perpetuity to error.” – Robert Hall
“Passion and prejudice govern the world; only under the name of reason.” – John Wesley
“Hypocrisy: prejudice with a halo.” – Ambrose Bierce
“Ignorance is stubborn and prejudice is hard.” – Adlai E. Stevenson
“Where prejudice exists it always discolors our thoughts.” – Mark Twain
“Opinions founded on prejudice are always sustained with the greatest violence.” – Hebrew Proverb
“I conceive of a world without poverty, without classes, without nations, without religions, without any kind of discrimination. I conceive of a world which is one, a humanity which is one, a humanity which shares everything — outer and inner — a deep spiritual brotherhood.” – Bhagwan Shree
“When calamity approaches, discrimination departs.” – Sri Sathya Sai Baba
“The sun showers light to one and all without any discrimination. Similarly, humans should also engage himself in doing works for the benefit of the society.” – Atharva Veda
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January 22, 2008 at 11:30 pm (All Blogs, All Personals, All Reviews)
Tags: american gangster, blog, blogging, blogs, criminals, deed, deeds, evil, family, friends, greater good, hurting others, life, Little evil for a greater good, loba blogs, million dollars, police, random, right, thought, thoughts, writing, wrong
I wonder how many think it’s alright to do a little evil for a greater good. I recently watched the movie American Gangster
and was overcome with questions.
I wonder how many of us would return a million dollars if we just happened to find it in an abandoned car.
I wonder how many of us would actually have the decency to report our own friend if she/he had hurt someone or done even worse.
I wonder how many of us would think that hurting others would be fine, as long as it was for our families to be safe and wealthy.
I really wonder. Are we really so lost to differentiate between right and wrong? Or do people believe that right and wrong has its own set of grey shades?
Loba
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January 5, 2008 at 8:56 am (All Blogs, All Reviews)
Tags: blogging, blogs, book reviews, books, canada, chemicals, cosmetics, ecoholic, environment, family, food, friends, health, life, loba blogs, makeup, random, reviews, thoughts, writing
If I ever had to recommend a book to for people to understand our environment, homes and all the chemicals surrounding us, it’d be Ecoholic by Adria Vasil.
I just began reading it and I must say that I have never become so aware of the environment and the chemicals surrounding us.
The book starts by asking how many products, containing various chemicals, we use every morning. I counted 11 to 15!
Soap, toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner, body wash, facial scrub, leave in conditioner, and makeup. What’s even more scary is the amount of chemicals in them and what they actually represent.
Although Ecoholic’s cover says “Your guide to the most environmentally friendly information, products and services in Canada”, I believe anyone anywhere can read this and take advantage of the wealth of information about the various ways we can save ourselves and the environment.
We should be as environmentally friendly as possible and not let corporations and advertisements lure us in believing that their products are safe just because they use olive oil or are not tested on animals.
Let’s actually understand what the products we use contain and find as many ways we can to save the environment, so hopefully our great-grandchildren will actually be able to see this world and have normal lives.
Loba
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January 1, 2008 at 9:44 pm (All Blogs, All Personals)
Tags: advertising, aisles, All Blogs, blogging, blogs, Business, cash, children, clipping coupons, corporations, coupons, credit cards, culture, family, finances, food, friends, grocery shopping, grocery store marketing, grocery stores, life, living, loba blogs, marketing, Money and Purpose, new year, Parenting, personal, product placement, random, Saving Money, spending less, store marketing, thoughts, thrifty, writing, year 2008
We’ve all done it. We go in to buy milk and eggs, and end up with a $60 bill for all the stuff that we thought we needed. Half of the stuff we buy may be things that we think are “on sale” or are based on impulse.
Coming from a marketing background, I’m always skeptical of the word “sale” but I have to admit that I even fall for them sometimes. By the time I realize it was all a big scam, it’s too late and I really have no energy or patience to argue over a few dollars and get a refund.
The best part is when you walk into a grocery store and the merchandise have been switched or moved around. Believe it or not, product placement is rather expensive and not every company can afford to be at eye level in prominent areas. So look up and down!
As most shoppers seek convenience to avoid wasting gas and traffic, we become narrow sighted and develop “tunnel vision”. We end up just looking for the products that we usually use and don’t look around.
For this reason and a few others, grocery stores rearrange their merchandise forcing us to look for the items we need and buy a few unnecessary impulse ones. Five grocery bags and $60 later, we come home upset and irritated about why we didn’t just make a shopping list and actually stick to it.
Even those huge signs in the front for pasta, frozen foods or ketchup, are likely paid for by the companies to get more visibility. This in turn means that the sale sign doesn’t necessarily mean anything.
Then of course, there’s the regular floor plan of grocery stores. Milk and eggs are far apart and in the back of the stores. Produce, bread, dairy and meat products are all along the edges of the stores with so much “sale items” surrounding them.
The concept is simple really. If you have to walk all the way to the back of the store, you’re likely to see at least a couple of things of interest by the time you’re there. To get what we need is usually an exercise on its own!
As my plan is to save more money and improve my spending habits, I’m committed to research everything further to make sure that this becomes a permanent change and I won’t fall into any traps, God willing!
I don’t believe in changing anything dramatically as I know myself quite well and I know there’s no way that I’ll be able to stick to such plans. I will calculate how much everything should cost and I will carry cash and no cards!
So the plan so far is not confusing. I will be making shopping lists and sticking to them. I will decrease the number of unnecessary junk purchases and mark the needed ones on the list as well.
I plan to reduce junk and processed food items, and will cut water, many frozen foods, frozen juices and sugary items. This in turn will be saving me at least $100 per month. Every dollar counts and adds up!
I want to stick to the edges of the stores, which actually carry the healthiest items. Fresh fruits, vegetables, meats, dairy and breads. My other big plan is to use coupons. Clipping coupons may be considered thrifty but why pay full price for items that the companies are promoting?
I highly believe in discipline and don’t think that we can preach discipline to others, if we lack it ourselves. Groceries are a large monthly expense and just the thought of eating healthy while saving money sounds good to me!
Loba
Coupon websites:
Canada
http://www.save.ca
http://www.coupons.smartcanucks.ca
http://www.coupons.smartsource.com
United States
http://print.coupons.com
http://www.mysavings.com
http://www.mycoupons.com
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December 25, 2007 at 11:07 pm (All Blogs, All Personals, All Reviews)
Tags: All Blogs, Apple won't fall far from the tree, blog, blogging, blogs, book stores, books, children, education, family, father, fathers, friends, future generations, giving, good acts, grace, gratitude, Haim Ginott, happiness, kids, kindness, knowledge, learning, life, life quotes, life sayings, loba blogs, love, mother, mothers, mutts comic books, mutts comics, Parenting, parents, raising kids, Raising the future, random, read, reading, reading books, relationships, Religion, school, sincerity, television, thought, thoughts, truth, write, writing
As a child, toy stores weren’t as exciting as book stores. My parents would take us to book stores and let us pick two to three books of our choice. My mother was a literature teacher and always loved a good read and we’d follow by example and try to be immersed in our readings as much as she would be.
I would pick anything from short stories, Tintin comic books, to religious or literary pieces like David Copperfield. Sometimes, we’d give a brief explanation of our choices and my parents would always follow up on our reading progress and we’d give little book reports over dinner or in carpools.
I’ve slowly come to realize how reading seems to have become a rare notion among children and even adults. Most will choose any kind of activity over reading a book and will even call book lovers various interesting names. Writing skills of adults is even a complete disaster and most don’t seem to grasp the concept of grammar let alone properly utilize it.
Obviously from such adults will stem such children and an apple won’t fall very far from the tree. I am always surprised by parents thinking that a grade three child’s C average is perfectly acceptable and there is no reason to be alarmed. This must have much to do with the careless attitude and lack of emphasis on learning, reading and writing at home.
Kids barely go through their homework before jumping in front of the television or playing with their video games. Some don’t even complete their homework at all and will have their parents spend hard earned money on tutoring services. Soccer games, and birthday parties take immediate precedence over homework and learning in general. Obviously all these would be signs that learning, reading and writing is not emphasized as much as it should be and they don’t seem to be half as enjoyable as other activities.
There are so many options for fun and easy reads, to encourage getting kids away from distractions. Activities, adventure books, short stories or even sweet and innocent comic books such as Mutts would be absolutely great. In fact, I personally recommend Mutts to absolutely anyone who wants to smile and cherish the innocence of life and animals.
The options are endless and most librarians or book store associates are able to recommend reads for kids and people of all ages. Of course, the internet is also a great source for parents to research and decide which books to buy.
Ultimately, we should place prime importance on reading and writing from an early age and lead by example. Otherwise, we really shouldn’t expect miracles or be surprised when C averages will drop even further as the years go by. The sources are readily available to increase potential but do most really care?
Loba
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December 14, 2007 at 11:50 am (All Quotes)
Tags: All Blogs, All Quotes, anne frank, best quotes, blessings, blog, children, Chinese Proverb, Dr. Haim Ginott, Elbert Hubbard, faith, family, Famous People Quotes, famous quotes, famous sayings, father, fathers, friends, future generations, giving, God, good acts, grace, gratitude, Haim Ginott, happiness, Henry Ward, humanity, inspiration, Inspirations, inspiring, inspiring quotes, islam, islam quotes, kids, kindness, life, life quotes, life sayings, loba blogs, love, mother, mothers, muslim, muslims, paradise, Parenting, parents, Prophet Muhammad (sallallahu alaiyhi wassallam), prophet muhmmad (pbuh), Proverb, proverbs, quote of the day, raising kids, random, relationships, Religion, sincerity, Thich Nhat Hanh, thought, thoughts, truth, unknown quotes, wisdom, Wisdom Shared, writing
“Parents who are afraid to put their foot down usually have children who step on their toes.” – Chinese Proverb
“If you look deeply into the palm of your hand, you will see your parents and all generations of your ancestors. All of them are alive in this moment. Each is present in your body. You are the continuation of each of these people.” – Thich Nhat Hanh
“Where parents do too much for their children, the children will not do much for themselves.” – Elbert Hubbard
“Parents can only give good advice or put them on the right paths, but the final forming of a person’s character lies in their own hands.” – Anne Frank
“We never know the love of our parents for us till we have become parents.” – Henry Ward
“Some parents could do more for their children by not doing so much for them.” – Unknown
“Parents often talk about the younger generation as if they didn’t have anything to do with it.” – Dr. Haim Ginott
“Be beneficent towards your parents and your children will be beneficent towards you.” – Prophet Muhammad (sallallahu alaiyhi wassallam)
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December 13, 2007 at 10:50 am (All Quotes)
Tags: act of giving, All Blogs, All Quotes, arrogance, Bertrand Russell, best quotes, blessings, blog, charity, Compassion, compassionate, Eleanor Roosevelt, Eric Hoffer, faith, family, Famous People Quotes, famous quotes, famous sayings, friends, Gandhi quotes, giving, God, good acts, grace, gratitude, happiness, humanity, humility, inspiration, inspirational quotes, Inspirations, inspiring, inspiring quotes, Jena Desai, kindness, learn from quotes, Leontyne Price, life, life quotes, life sayings, loba blogs, Mahatma Gandhi, Mahatma Gandhi quotes, Martin Luther King, Martin Luther King Jr, modesty, Mohandas K. Gandhi, quote of the day, quotes, race, Racism and Hatred, racists, random, Religion, sincerity, stereotypes, thought, thoughts, truth, unknown quotes, wisdom, Wisdom Shared, writing
“Let us all hope that the dark clouds of racial prejudice will soon pass away, and that in some not too distant tomorrow the radiant stars of love and brotherhood will shine over our great nation with all their scintillating beauty.” – Martin Luther King, Jr”Collective fear stimulates herd instinct, and tends to produce ferocity toward those who are not regarded as members of the herd.” – Bertrand Russell
“Accomplishments have no color.” – Leontyne Price
“Hate and force cannot be in just a part of the world without having an effect on the rest of it.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
“Racism, sexism, drug and alcohol abuse, mental illness, unemployment — homelessness encompasses pretty much every social problem.” – Jena Desai
“Hatred ever kills, love never dies. Such is the vast difference between the two. What is obtained by love is retained for all time. What is obtained by hatred proves a burden in reality for it increases hatred.” – Mohandas K. Gandhi
“The remarkable thing is that we really love our neighbor as ourselves: we do unto others as we do unto ourselves. We hate others when we hate ourselves. We are tolerant toward others when we tolerate ourselves. We forgive others when we forgive ourselves. We are prone to sacrifice others when we are ready to sacrifice ourselves.” – Eric Hoffer
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