International Buy Nothing Day - November 29

November 28 for USA and November 29 internationally


Buy Nothing Day is an informal day of protest against consumerism observed by social activists. Typically celebrated the Friday after American Thanksgiving in North America and the following day internationally, in 2008 the dates will be November 28 and 29 respectively. It was founded by Vancouver artist Ted Dave and subsequently promoted by the Canadian Adbusters magazine.
The first Buy Nothing Day was organized in Vancouver in September of 1992 "as a day for society to examine the issue of over-consumption." In 1997, it was moved to the Friday after American Thanksgiving, which is one of the top 10 busiest shopping days in the United States. Outside of North America, Buy Nothing Day is celebrated on the following Saturday. Despite controversies, Adbusters managed to advertise Buy Nothing Day on CNN, but many other major television networks declined to air their ads. Soon, campaigns started appearing in United States, the United Kingdom, Israel, Germany, New Zealand, Japan, the Netherlands, and Norway. Participation now includes more than 65 nations.
While critics of the day charge that Buy Nothing Day simply causes participants to buy the next day, Adbusters states that it "isn't just about changing your habits for one day" but "about starting a lasting lifestyle commitment to consuming less and producing less waste."

More information can be found on the Adbusters website

Vegetarian Pad Thai

I had lunch with a friend this week in a Thai restaurant. Their version of this dish was delicious. The recipe below comes from this website:

An authentic Pad Thai recipe for real vegetarian Thai food lovers, or those who want a lighter noodle dish without the meat. This Pad Thai recipe does offer adequate protein in the form of eggs (vegans can omit this ingredient), and ground nuts. Plus, because it's made with rice noodles, Pad Thai is a gluten free recipe. Although vegetables are not strictly part of traditional Pad Thai, I've added a little bok choy to make this dish even more nutritious. Try it - you'll love it!
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Ingredients:
250-300g (SERVES 3-4), OR 175 - 200g (SERVES 2) Pad Thai rice noodles (thin, flat linguini-like noodles)
2 eggs, (OR substitute 1/2 cup cubed medium to firm tofu)
2 cups bean sprouts
optional: 3-4 "heads" of baby bok choy, or other Chinese cabbage chopped into bite-size pieces
2 spring onions, sliced
handful of fresh coriander
1/4 cup ground (or roughly chopped) peanuts (OR substitute with cashews or slivered almonds)
4 cloves garlic, minced
PAD THAI SAUCE:
1/2 Tbsp. tamarind paste
3 Tbsp. water
2 Tbsp. vegetarian fish sauce (available at Vietnamese stores) OR 2+1/2 Tbsp. soy sauce (or gluten-free soys sauce)
1-2 tsp. chili sauce, or more if you like your noodles very spicy (use wheat-free chili sauce for gluten-free diets)
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
OTHER:
oil for stir-frying (e.g. canola, almond, peanut, walnut, etc...)
Optional (If not using the egg substitute): 1/2 cup medium to firm tofu, cut into small cubes
Preparation:
Soak the noodles in hot water (but not boiling) for 10-15 minutes. Drain the noodles and rinse with cold water.
Tip: Noodles are ready to stir-fry when they are soft enough to eat, but still firm and a little bit "crunchy". The noodles will finish cooking when they are fried, so don't over-soften them now, or you will end up with soggy Pad Thai.
While the noodles are soaking, prepare the sauce. Place all sauce ingredients in a sauce pan and bring to a soft boil. Stir well until the sugar and tamarind paste have dissolved and the sauce thickens (2-3 minutes). Take off the heat and taste-test. This sauce should have a balance of spicy, sweet, and sour, but definitely veering more toward sweet and spicy. If too sour, add a little more sugar. Reserve.
Beat the eggs (if using). Heat a small skillet, add some oil, and quickly scramble the eggs. Reserve. (Note: this step can also be accomplished in your wok before frying the noodles; however, in the past I have found the eggs leave a dry residue on the surface of the wok that makes the noodles stick to it.)If using tofu, see next step.
Place your wok (or large frying pan) over medium-high heat. Add 2-3 Tbsp. oil plus the garlic, baby bok choy and tofu (if using).
Stir-fry until the bok choy has turned bright green and the garlic is fragrant (1-2 minutes). Note that medium-firm tofu may fall apart, which is okay. The protein and nutrients will reamin in the dish.
Add 1 Tbsp. more oil to the wok. Now add the drained noodles. Drizzle 1/3 of the sauce over the noodles and then stir-fry everything together for 1 minute.
Stir-frying Tip: To stir-fry noodles without breaking them, use two large wooden spoons (or other utensils) to lift and turn the noodles as you fry them (like tossing a salad).Note that rice noodles do tend to stick to the bottom of most woks/pans. A few "stuck noodles" is normal - just keep scooping and gently turning them.
Add a little more sauce and continue stir-frying in the same way for 1-2 more minutes, or until the noodles begin to soften and become sticky. Tip: Depending on the material of your wok, you may want to turn the heat down to medium, as a wok that's too hot at this point could burn the noodles.
Depending on how many noodles you're using, you may need to add all the remaining sauce, or just a little more to achieve the flavor you desire. If you're not sure, taste-test as you go, adding more sauce as required.
Add the bean sprouts and egg (if using). Stir-fry to incorporate everything together for 1 more minute.
Taste-test to make sure the noodles are done. Noodles are cooked to perfection when they are soft but still slightly chewy. In other words, they shouldn't be too soft, but should still have texture to them (like al dente in Italian cooking).
Remove from heat. Taste-test for salt, adding another sprinkling of vegetarian fish sauce or soy sauce if not salty enough. If you happen to over-salt your noodles, you can fix the problem with 1-2 Tbsp. lime juice.
To serve, scoop noodles onto a serving platter. Sprinkle with spring onion, coriander, and ground nuts. Serve immediately with more Thai chili sauce on the side (for those who like it extra spicy). Enjoy

Only Love

This is Mark's reflection on the story of Ruth and Naomi, which was much appreciated by those who gathered last Sunday at Eco-faith.
No-one can replace someone we’ve lost. When we lose someone close to us we know that that life, that spirit has been unique and irreplaceable. We learn then suddenly how facile the currently fashionable psychobabble is, with its chatter about ‘stages of grieving’ and ‘closure.’ Yet if we are lucky we may also learn that the source of love is infinite, that one love does not replace another, and that only love is capable of saving us from the bottomless pit of awfulness and despair that drags us under. Naomi lost her husband and her two sons; her entire family was wiped out and only she remained. Neither is this uncommon; all over the world in wars and disasters people’s families are killed, leaving sole survivors, many of whom must wish for only one thing: to join their families in death. My grandmother was one such; she lost her oldest son when she was 32 and she outlived her younger son and her husband. In grief God may become a luxury we once entertained when we were happy, but is now a useless, irrelevant and even mocking appendage. We learn that God is either not omnipotent, or if he is, he is very cruel; and who could be interested in a God that is either impotent or cruel or both? The fact that God made the world is not interesting to someone who’s child has died. The myth of divine omnipotence was born in ancient Judah, when Yahweh was forced to compete with other gods to prove his supremacy. The only way Yahweh could be stronger than everyone else’s gods; the only way his priests could dominate Solomon’s court, was for them to proclaim his invincibility, his omnipotence.
And yet, and yet: love is invincible. Love gives us courage we never knew we had. And only love, if we are very lucky or very devout, can save us from the bottomless pit of grief, despair
and death. The source of love is infinite: a parent does not love one of his or her children more than another. Naomi did not love Ruth more than her sons: she loved her as well as her sons. Ruth did not replace her sons, Naomi loved Ruth as well as her sons. Naomi was old, barren, bereaved. She had nothing to live for, all her family was dead, she had no hope. She was returning to Judah to die. But love saved her, only love was powerful enough to drag her up from the pit of despair and wretchedness and make her alive again. Perhaps God cannot or will not intervene in our lives on each occasion to save us from death or wretchedness. But love will save us, if we are lucky (or devout or open) enough to encounter it.

Reading: Book of Ruth, chapter 4:13-17

No Silence about Violence against Women

The White Ribbon Foundation of Australia aims to eliminate violence against women by promoting culture-change around the issue.
The major strategies to achieve this are a national media campaign as well as education & male leadership programmes aimed at men and boys around Australia.
All funds received by the White Ribbon Foundation will support the implementation of these strategies.
White Ribbon Day - History White Ribbon Day was created by a handful of Canadian men in 1991 on the second anniversary of one man's massacre of fourteen women in Montreal. They began the White Ribbon Campaign to urge men to speak out against violence against women.
In 1999, the United Nations General Assembly declared November 25 the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women (IDEVAW) and the White Ribbon has become the symbol for the day.
From 2000, the Commonwealth Government Office for Women ran awareness activities on the International Day, and, in 2003, the Australian branch of the United Nations Development Fund for Women, UNIFEM, began a partnership with men and men's organisations to make this a national campaign. Ten thousand white ribbons were distributed in 2003.
Today hundreds of thousands of white ribbons are worn by men and women across Australia - men at work; men and women in all Australian police forces; men in national and local sporting matches and organisations; men in the media; men and women in politics; men in the defence forces; men and women in capital cities and in rural and regional Australia.
The campaign continues to go from strength to strength and now boasts more than 230 white ribbon Ambassadors Australia wide, including Prime Minister Rudd, as well as more events across the country and more organisations and individuals participating year upon year.

(from the White Rbbon Day website)

The Moderator of the SA Uniting Church is also an Ambassador for White Ribbon Day and he writes:

An Open Letter to the Members and Friends of the Uniting Church in South Australia.

The most prevalent incidence of human rights abuse in the world today is violence against women. Recent ABS statistics show that over one third of Australian women will experience physical or sexual violence in their life time.

Our church at the November meeting of the Presbytery and Synod agreed to call upon its members to support the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women by wearing a white ribbon on the 25th of November.

We write to inform you of this decision and to ask the men in our church to join us in becoming Ambassadors for White Ribbon Day.

As an Ambassador you will seek ways of furthering the message ‘Men – Not Violent – Not Silent’ as well as making a commitment to not be violent to women. Here are some examples of how Ambassadors personally get involved with the campaign:
Wearing a White Ribbon throughout November in the lead-up to White Ribbon Day and encouraging others to do the same.
Promoting public interest by talking with colleagues, parishioners and friends about the campaign i.e. about what the campaign involves, how important it is to change community behaviours and attitudes, etc.
Hosting meetings, social events, awareness raising activities to mark White Ribbon Day.
Approaching local councils, men’s organizations, sports and services clubs, etc. and offering to be a guest speaker and encourage them to buy and distribute White Ribbons.

You can become an Ambassador by going to http://www.whiteribbonday.org.au/ and clicking on the ‘Supporters’ menu. There you will find more information about becoming an Ambassador as well as how to nominate.

We encourage you to show your support for this Campaign and to join us in being ‘Men – Not Violent – Not Silent’ for the coming year.

Moderator Rod Dyson

the best breakfast in the world!

well, maybe not the best but my favourite:

Mix together equal quantities of sunflower seeds, pepitas, sesame seeds, golden linseed, rolled oats and dried goji berries. Store in an air tight container. I usally buy the seeds in 250 g lots, so that is the quantity that I start with. Goji berries are a more recent addition, having read about their magical properties. The mix was still delicious without them.

Per person:

1 apple chopped

1/2 cup of the above mix

1/2 cup of yoghurt

stir to combine and enjoy! Yumbalumba!

National Recycling Week

Last week was actually National recycling Week - but, hey, recycling is something worth doing all year 'round. For a whole lot of ideas and information abut recycling check out the recycling week website here - including a whole of lot of resources to help host a Swap Party!

Another tack on recycling is to buy products made from other products

From this: To this:

Last year I purchased some little tin angel Christmas decorations made out of drink cans, and made in Cambodia, where the picture (above) of the family on the dump is taken. So while getting the goods here probably uses up far more resources than the product is worth buying these goods is helping some of the world's poorest to live. One of my favourite examples of this is Trashbags (web site here). Fabulous looking bags - for shopping or for handbags, and some homewares as well, are made out of rubbish from poor regions in the Asia Pacific, including the community who live on the Smokey Mountain rubbish dump in the Philippines (see photo below). Trashbags are committed to ethical and fair trade and the income from these bags goes to community and livelihood projects.

Remembrance Day

Terella today led us in a thoughtful reflection on peace and the importance of religious tolerance. We had great discussion over her invitation to think about what we could do, on any scale, large or small, to contribute to encouraging respect for other faiths for the cause of peace.

She closed with this prayer from the National Council of Churches in Australia Service of Reconciliation

The footsteps of God are there for us,
marked in the creation,
in countless gifts and beauties.
They lie there before us
in patterns of harmony and interweaving,
in survivals against the odds
and brave bright life.

The footsteps of God are there for us
in the light tread of the Christ,
leaving hollows of love and grace,
inviting us to put our feet within God’s life
and find ourselves deep in meaning,
held in purpose
and carried forward into fullness.

The footsteps of God are there for us
in the mystery of the Spirit,
gently touching the earth with comfort,
leaving tracks of truth and courage,
and lifting her feet in dances of delight,
which leap over our laws, our limits,
our boundaries on love. Amen.

Peace and Remembrance Festival 2008
This Sunday, November 9th
Elder Park, Adelaide
12-6pm
Mark 90 years since the end of World War 1 with:

music from The Borderers,The Beards, The Fiddle Chicks, The 3 Dolls, Poetikool, Justice, Heather Frahn Trio, Deliah

plus Soapbox, Poets corner, Didgeridoo workshop, Kaurna craft, food, drinks, information and more. A free public event.

A Poem for today by Israeli Poet Yehudi Amichai

The Place where we are Right
From the place where we are right

flowers will never grow

in the spring.

The place where we are right

is hard and trampled

like a yard.

But doubts and loves

dig up the world

like a mole, a plow.

And a whisper will be heard

in the place

where the ruined

house once stood.

Climate change will affect us all, but it will affect developing countries first and most dramatically. Join our upcoming forum "Climate change and the global poverty crisis" and hear how you can take action.
Speaker: Professor Barry Brook Director, Research Institute for Climate Change and Sustainability, University of Adelaide
Where: Pilgrim Church, 12 Flinders Street, Adelaide
When: Wednesday 12 November 2008 from 6.15pm
RSVP: Tuesday 11 November to Judee Adams Ph 08 8236 2160 or email judeea@oxfam.org.au
Cost: This is a free event

For other opportunities to get active and do something about climate change and poverty see Oxfam's website and in particular this page

walk the walk

South Australia has spoken - we want all political parties to get serious about climate change. This year on the 14 & 15 November we are sending a message to Canberra and on the 6th December we are turning out to support the international day for Walk Against Warming!
Help make Walk Against Warming even bigger this year!

SA Walks:
Fri 14th & Sat 15Nov 2008 Rundle Mall all day

6th December 2008 11.00am

more information about these walks here

Here’s what else you can do:
Commit to walking in 2008
Volunteer to help out with this year’s Walk Against Warming
Sign up for regular updates on Walk Against Warming
Organise a walk in your local area
Tell your friends about Walk Against Warming
Learn more about climate change, how it affects you and what you can do
Contact your local MP, the Prime Minister and the Premier with your concerns about global warming

Looking on the Bright Side

This magnificent picture is one that someone sent to Beverley via the internet. The piece below about attitude also comes from Bev. If anyone is qualified to know about this, then it is Beverley, Chris and their family so I post it here, with love and prayers for them all.

There once was a woman who woke up one morning, looked in the mirror, and noticed she had only three hairs on her head.'Well,' she said, 'I think I'll braid my hair today.' So she did and she had a wonderful day. The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror and saw that she had only two hairs on her head. 'H-M-M,' she said, 'I think I'll part my hair down the middle today.' So she did and she had a grand day. The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror and noticed that she had only one hair on her head. 'Well,' she said, 'today I'm going to wear my hair in a pony tail.' So she did, and she had a fun, fun day.The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror and noticed that there wasn't a single hair on her head. 'YAY!' she exclaimed. 'I don't have to fix my hair today!' Attitude is everything. Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle. Live simply, Love generously, Care deeply, Speak kindly....... Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass... It's about learning to dance in the rain.

Why is everything better when it is deep-fried?

Recently I had some friends over for dinner and as an appetiser we had cauliflower fritters. Wow! I had never made them before but they were so good. The Italians really know what they are doing when it comes to food. They are so simple to make, and you can eat at room temperature if you need to, but once you taste them piping hot believe me they won't last that long! When it comes to deep-fried food this is the way to go. If you make sure the oil is nice and hot the cauliflower won't absorb a lot and it's much healthier. Better than a deep-fried Mars Bar!

Cauliflower Fritters
Frittelle Di Cavolfiore

1 small cauliflower, divided into florets
oil for deep-frying (olive oil if you can)
3/4 cup plain flour
2 eggs
1 cup breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons finely grated parmesan
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Par-cook the cauliflower in boiling water, or in the microwave, until almost tender. Drain, allow to cool, then pat dry with a clean cloth or paper towels. In a large frying pan or saucepan pour the oil to a depth of about 4cm and place over medium-high heat.

Season the flour with pepper and place in a shallow bowl. Mix together the breadcrumbs and parmesan also in a shallow bowl. Beat the eggs lightly with a fork.

When the oil is hot enough to make the cauliflower sizzle (and not before), dredge each floret in flour, dip in egg, allowing the excess to drip off, then dip in breadcrumbs. Fry on both sides until golden brown, about 4 minutes, turning once. Drain briefly on paper towels. Sprinkle with salt and serve!