Comments lyrivyzy has made

  • I'm a teacher. I usually eat lunch in less than ten minutes, sometimes not at all. I used my own money to purchase a minifridge for my classroom last year because any food I kept in the room got eaten by rats. We didn't have a staff fridge or very much other equipment we might need.


    If I had any control over the school schedule, do you think I would have 7th graders sit through 100 minute math periods with no break?


    Sorry if I sound upset, but that's because I am. Punishing the teachers (who are already being punished in that way, we only get breaks when the kids do something else -- like lunch) is not the answer. I would LOVE it if the kids got healthier lunches and more time to eat them.

    On Let's (re)do school lunch posted 3 months, 1 week ago 18 Responses

  • I put half white vinegar half water with 20 drops of peppermint essential oil in a one quart spray bottle. I spray this and use a rag to wipe the seat. Then, I pour some baking soda and vinegar in the bowl and use a brush on it. It works great and it's cheap!

    On Which natural toilet-bowl cleaner wins with a flush? posted 6 months, 1 week ago 10 Responses

  • Thanks for all you do

    Great query, Shelley. I often wonder about what seems ridiculous and if it could really work.

    As I live in the great heat of NYC, it's good that your question reminded me to start thinking about wearing white clothes, making sure my curtains are white-backed, and maybe checking out my roof.
    I'd certainly appreciate any tips and am going to search Umbra's archives about staying cool in the city without a/c.

    Also, Shelley, I was wondering about your closing, "thanks for all that you do." The phrase has been showing up in my mailbox from moveon.org and I was wondering if that's where you've also seen it and adopted it. Just interested in how phrases become popular. On Umbra on albedo posted 2 years, 6 months ago 4 Responses

  • three r's, then C!

    Whoa, an awesome way to take care of a lot of waste is being overlooked. Composting! Lots of your household waste can be converted into rich, usable soil which people will actually pay money for. This is certainly environmentally preferable!On Umbra on landfills vs. incinerators posted 2 years, 8 months ago 4 Responses

  • why cut the noise?

    Whoa, wiscidea, do not dismiss your own ideas as ones unworthy of gristmill discussion. Please don't tack "this is noise" onto one of the most intriguing starts of a discussion I have seen on gristmill.

    Onto answering the questions: I laughed at vegetarianism for years, but...
    I became a vegetarian about a year ago after reading "Diet for a New America" by John Robbins. The reason it convinced me was because it was a comprehensive and REASONED account of a hundred reasons why eating less meat is a good idea. It might be the animals people are eating, but it's humans we are putting through the meat grinder.

    So here's my analysis:

    1. Fear won't work. If fear kept people's personal habits in line, smoking would have been eradicated years ago.

    2. Pleasure is a good reason. I certainly love vegetarian food and think being a vegetarian has been a good way for me to discover good food. I live in New York City where there are tons of amazing veggie restaurants. New Yorkers have every reason to go veg, but I would argue for those who live in small towns or towns filled with chain restaurants, it's going to take more than a pleasure argument since the most vegetarian they can get in public is an iceberg lettuce salad.

    3. Reason worked for me. And probably anyone who isn't open to reason isn't going to be open-minded about much else.

    4. Passion is an amazing tool. And there is a time for passion which shames people into acting right. Some of my favorite feminist literature is a speech by Andrea Dworkin of amazing passion decrying men for their inattention to the possible and real rapes of the population of more than half our country.
    But for the most part, I think people get defensive and shut down when you accuse them of being bad people. I think passion can be incredibly postive as well and that the time for positive passion is 99.9% of the time. If you believe something with your heart and soul and you tell someone about it, they will remember your passion maybe because it was shameful for them but definitely because they could see it light up your soul.

    Please, others add to this!On Eric Schlosser on America's food industry and his delicious new film posted 2 years, 12 months ago 22 Responses

  • why cut the noise?

    Whoa, wiscidea, do not dismiss your own ideas as ones unworthy of gristmill discussion. Please don't tack "this is noise" onto one of the most intriguing starts of a discussion I have seen on gristmill.

    Onto answering the questions: I laughed at vegetarianism for years, but...
    I became a vegetarian about a year ago after reading "Diet for a New America" by John Robbins. The reason it convinced me was because it was a comprehensive and REASONED account of a hundred reasons why eating less meat is a good idea. It might be the animals people are eating, but it's humans we are putting through the meat grinder.

    So here's my analysis:

    1. Fear won't work. If fear kept people's personal habits in line, smoking would have been eradicated years ago.

    2. Pleasure is a good reason. I certainly love vegetarian food and think being a vegetarian has been a good way for me to discover good food. I live in New York City where there are tons of amazing veggie restaurants. New Yorkers have every reason to go veg, but I would argue for those who live in small towns or towns filled with chain restaurants, it's going to take more than a pleasure argument since the most vegetarian they can get in public is an iceberg lettuce salad.

    3. Reason worked for me. And probably anyone who isn't open to reason isn't going to be open-minded about much else.

    4. Passion is an amazing tool. And there is a time for passion which shames people into acting right. Some of my favorite feminist literature is a speech by Andrea Dworkin of amazing passion decrying men for their inattention to the possible and real rapes of the population of more than half our country.
    But for the most part, I think people get defensive and shut down when you accuse them of being bad people. I think passion can be incredibly postive as well and that the time for positive passion is 99.9% of the time. If you believe something with your heart and soul and you tell someone about it, they will remember your passion maybe because it was shameful for them but definitely because they could see it light up your soul.

    Please, others add to this!On A former McDonald's cook explains his return to the family farm posted 2 years, 12 months ago 22 Responses

  • how happy does it make the kids' feet/minds?

    I don't think kids need to have everything sugarcoated and simplified to the point that most of the things we tell them are not true (think storks and Columbus being a hero).

    However, Fern Gully, a hotly debated movie in its time (my elementary school years), was one of my favorites. It had a lot of fanasy and was probably not incredibly accurate as to what might really be happening while logging forests, but I LOVED IT. I watched it over and over and now I'm a thoughtful environmental activist who educates herself on the issues.

    So, my point is:
    Even if movies like "Happy Feet" enforce stererotypes, at least they exist. Let' be thankful for that.On A review of Happy Feet, the wildly successful musical-penguin eco-flick posted 2 years, 12 months ago 6 Responses

  • using them

    I agree with kmp. We're having a great discussion if we're us, environmentally-minded freaks who have voluminous discussions regarding travel mugs, but what we need is to convince people outside our set that travel mugs are for everyone's benefit.

    Observations:

    1. Students like to pretend they are poor, even if they spend 8 bucks on coffee everyday.
    2. Many people are embarrassed or too distracted to break out a travel mug at Starbucks and ask for it to be filled instead of a paper cup.
    3. The amount of travel mugs out there already is INSANE. I have at least twelve from various events I have attended, each of which have a whole set of pros and cons for everyday use.

    My Conclusions:
    1. Especially around a college, the most important thing is to make travel mugs cost effective and in your face by asking local coffee shops, whether evil or good, to give a discount or incentive for using travel mugs, and for employees to ask people if they have brought a travel mug before reaching for double-layered paper cups.
    2. Make sure we spread around the baking soda cure (Thanks SarahinSeattle) for smelly mugs.
    3. Stop making even more dang free travel mugs for people to trash. (Unless they have been requested by people intending to use them.)
    On Umbra on travel mugs posted 3 years ago 22 Responses

  • Parked Cars

    Actually, in my area, I'd be inclined to say a parked car is a car covered in pine needles and dirt. However, I've owned my car for three years and I have never washed the outside of it except the windows. Unless you're in the desert, it'll rain sometime.
    happiness,
    LizzzzzzOn Umbra on washing your car posted 3 years, 3 months ago 7 Responses