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By this point, the majority of us are aware that we have been on the wrong track, environmentally speaking, for many years and are still charging full speed ahead into the great incinerator of doom. Obviously, we need a new system.
For those of us who want to unplug from the machine, Permaculture offers an answer. It’s a comprehensive system designed to create agricultural and lifestyle systems that can ecologically sustain themselves. Indefinitely.
 Photo from: http://www.westchestermagazine.com/images/2008/August2008/Talk%20of%20the%20County/garden-tools-6-18-08--0015 An answer to our crisis, according to Permaculture, would involve creating systems of human life that replicate the self-sustaining systems of nature. Relying upon the city to bring you water, a supermarket to sell you food, and electricity to produce your power means there are a lot of external environmental costs you don’t see on the surface. Meanwhile, you could catch your own rainwater—treating and reusing it, grow your own food from a garden and/or livestock (or buy locally) and produce your own renewable power—or don’t product it at all. See full post
Tags: Nature, Environment, Education
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If you ever lived through the biting winds, icy shivers, and numb-fingered winters of the Midwest, then you know how to appreciate these newfound spring days. With the air newly abloom with sacred warmth, I thought I would conjure up a few adventurous ideas to inspire your spontaneous side to rise to the challenge of having fun outdoors! We’re done watching movies and drinking hot chocolate inside. ‘Tis time to rise up and meet the sunshine!
 Photo from: http://skyelikesit.files.wordpress.com/2009/07/summertime1 - Meditate or do yoga under a tree (I find these activities immensely easier when I’m outside). Or in a pasture. If you want to take a slightly different route, hold an outdoor séance with a few friends.
- Go camping. Try to find someplace slightly less crowded. Personally, I think crowded campsites ruin the atmosphere. Fall asleep under the stars.
- Play Tag, Hide-and-seek, or Sardines in the dark with some friends. Or my favorite, lava monster. (That’s when everyone runs around on a play-set and tries to avoid the one person on the ground who tags someone who then becomes the next lava monster)
- Work in a garden. (For Kirksville residents, I’d recommend looking into the Kirksville Permaculture Education Center or the Communiversity Garden, which meets Thursdays in MG 1096 and generally does garden work on Saturday mornings/early afternoons)
- Grab some paints (or make your own milk paint to avoid chemical vapors), brushes, a surface of some sort, and find a sunny hilltop.
- Visit an intentional community or eco-village in your area. With the sun out, they are now in visitor-accepting mode and will probably give you a tour over a weekend if you call ahead. Lean about alternative and often sustainable living. For Kirksville, look into the Possibility Alliance or Dancing Rabbit. Here’s a directory of all the communities in Missouri.
See full post
Tags: Nature, Environment, Sports & Games, Vacation
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If you’re distractedly shuffling through the Landlocked blog entries, absentmindedly trying to find the perfect one to read, then stop. Read this one. See that cloud of thoughts buzzing around your mind like gnats? See how the cloud keeps you from concentrating on your present task?
Stop. Breathe. Close your eyes and sit. Don’t try to do anything.
Welcome to meditation. See full post
Tags: Nature, Environment
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During my spring break visit to Chicago, I stayed with a Chinese family (my friend is Chinese), ate authentic Chinese food, and shopped at Chicago’s Chinatown. Turns out that the Chinese take good care of their elders, don’t waste food and often send their kids to Saturday school to learn Chinese. They also make some excellent dishes which are much more flavorful and succulent than the cold buffet junk at your local “Chinese” restaurant. No, these places are filled with Chinese people. And my friend who recommended it gave me all the credibility I needed.
 Photo provided by: Michelle Martin In Chinatown I ate a relatively cheap eggplant and tofu dish that surged with fiery tanginess. The eggplant was utterly tender and irresistible. Plus, you can stuff yourself on one dish and still have at least one more meal to eat later. After eating, I accidentally stole a box of crushed placenta (sold for beauty purposes) from a Chinese herbal shop, which I promptly returned once I saw I had carried it out. I swear I only picked it up because the idea of selling placenta fascinated me.
Apart from Chinese food, we managed to find a few interesting nooks within the vast fabric of the city, from a hookah bar called Ambrosia to a multicultural/gay-friendly club called Berlin. Ambrosia had a rich, exotic atmosphere complete with purple drapes and flowing brass decor gracing the walls. The owner, generous with his smiles and kindness, even gave me a free mint tea! The peaceful atmosphere of Ambrosia dissipated when we stepped into the dark and crazy beats of Berlin, where bare-chested men sporting leather-studded suspenders were common on the dance floor. The Madonna songs blasting throughout the place were a pleasant change from the typical rap and R&B I always hear in parties. However, I felt like I was the only one dancing while everyone else was kind of jolting to the beat. So depending on your tastes, these might those of you dwelling in or visiting Chicago. See full post
Tags: Urban, International, Food and Drink, Events, Culture, Vacation
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I bought a bag of chips today. I normally try to stay away from these salty, greasy snacks since they are fatty, somewhat unsatisfying, and produce waste when I throw away the bag. I always liked Frito Lay's Sun Chips because they are more nutritious and delicious than most brands, but now that Sun Chips has introduced the first 100% compostable chip package, I can’t complain about anything. Amazingly enough, this bag produces almost zero waste all around. Can’t wrap your head around a compostable chip bag? Allow me to elaborate.
 (After 6 weeks) Photo from: http://mslk.com/reactions/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/mslk_sunchips.jpg The package definitely has a unique texture. The bag feels lighter and crinkles louder than average chip bags, although it still feels fairly sturdy, slick, and strong. The back of the packaging boasts that it was made from 90% renewable, plant-based materials, which allows it to completely break down over 14 weeks into compost under ideal conditions, including a temperature of at least 55 degrees Celsius (131 degrees Fahrenheit.)
Check out this time-lapsed video of the bag breaking down into compost. See full post
Tags: Environment, Shopping and Lodging, Food and Drink
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Haven’t had enough of the Olympics? If you couldn’t stop watching the speed skaters slicing through sheets of ice and leaving the rest of us in the dust, then maybe you should stop by Wisconsin to see the US National Short Track Championship and the American Cup Final, which starts today. The city of Weston has been preparing for this big deal—the final annual speed skating and short track meet—for over a year.
 Photo from: http://www.wausauspeedskating.com/nationalsamericancup.htm Short track speed skating involves four to six skaters racing around an oval ice rink, and its smaller rink and shorter races than long track speed skating have gained popularity for the sport over the years. It has been an Olympic sport since 1992.
Check out this video for one of the races in 2007. Here, the skaters are cutting through the ice at practically 30 degree angles! See full post
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It’s a mystical sort of a night in Kansas City for me, though simply a run-of-the-mill Tuesday. Nothing is open past nine, save a few bars, gas stations and select coffee shops. My friend and I linger in one of these coffee shops (Westport Coffeeshop) until the employees start shuffling around with their closing duties. But our conversations are riveting and soulful tonight, and we aren’t ready to stop talking. Alas, the city is starting to go to sleep and there’s no place open. He suggests a place I haven’t heard of before, an outdoor overlook.
 Photo from: http://www.kciionline.com/Nighttime%20Downtown We get there (take the first right turn after Broadway Bridge, going south) and walk up a ramp toward a mini-oasis of light foliage, beige stone stairs, and sculptures. There’s something comfortable and serene about this random getaway in the midst of Kansas City’s endless apartments and streetlights. An atmosphere edged with soft and silent calm subtly accompanied the stunning view of night-time Kansas City sprawled in all directions.
This photo was not my precise view. Someone seems to have added some glows and touch-ups here and there. But there you are, Kansas City from above! See full post
Tags: Culture, Environment, Urban
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 Photo from: http://www.taekwondopatterns.info/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/taekwondo Their punches and kicks are sharp and quick as knives but smooth and effortless as honey. With spurts of fury, the single-minded Taekwondo warriors neatly split blocks of wood in half, cleanly place a pointed kick into the air, and utter piercing shouts of triumph alongside every victory. Their focus and discipline appears almost mechanical, but the passion and force behind these movements is distinctly human.
Since the arts of Taekwondo cannot simply be captured in words, watch a few minutes of this video to experience the precision and force behind these practitioners. Clearly, this is not a skill you develop overnight.
But a video does not compare to seeing a tournament in action. And if you are bored with the same old classic American football and basketball games, this weekend could serve as a welcome change of pace for you. It turns out Kirksville isn’t completely devoid of multicultural sports, because a Taekwondo tournament will take place on Saturday, from twelve to four p.m. on Saturday in the recreation center’s multipurpose room. More will follow throughout the semester. Be prepared to witness such feats as board breaking and sparring. See full post
Tags: Culture
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Is the wind chill keeping you inside, cozying up to your heater? Tired of sitting inside, bored and culture-less, eating the same dorm food or maybe chomping on the stew you cooked last Monday? Spicing up your meals with a multicultural recipe is a wonderful way to inspire a little excitement in your life this winter. And allow me throw in that obligatory Valentine’s Day tie-in: maybe you could cook this for that special someone this Sunday!
Here is my own special Indian-style veggie-lentil-potato super curry, improvised by yours truly. The recipe is forgiving, so feel free to play around with ingredients and amounts.
Ingredients: See full post
Tags: International, Food and Drink
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 Michelle Martin, Blogger An old teacher of mine once told me that though she had lived in many different corners of the United States. Kentucky, New York, you name it … she finally chose to make the Midwest her home. What so thoroughly caught her fancy? The people. The most genuine people she ever met lived in our little Midwestern bubble.
Midwestern folk are famous for their hospitality and friendliness. I remember moving to the Midwest from Louisiana years ago, and one of the first things I noticed (apart from the fact that Kansans called sodas “pop”) was that all my new friends’ parents let me call them by their first names. Down south, I dared not forget to insert a “mister” or “miz” before every adult’s name. Thus, I was awakened to the jovial ease of Midwestern culture. Even when I have ended up tangled in a car crashes, the other party seems to manage some lighthearted small talk with me, even amidst the despairing situation. Now, every time a post office worker strikes up a cheerful conversation with me or a HyVee worker informs me of the copious benefits of the grapefruit juice I am purchasing in the checkout line, I am reminded of this jolly Midwestern hallmark. My non-scientific observations show me every day that we open doors for each other and smile to greet random strangers.
 Image from: http://cardiophile.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/01/heart-in-hands Despite our bipolar weather conditions and the reputed “farmland” stereotype graciously bestowed upon us from outsiders, I relish the generous amount of conversational strangers around here. I have heard horror stories about larger and meaner cities (in lands far away from the Midwest) where fellow humans hardly even make eye contact, much less honor you with a kind word. While I don’t want to over-generalize and claim that people are either kind or mean depending on where they live. As we all know, there are jerks around here and there are angels in LA. Now I’m curious—what do YOU think? I haven’t traveled to the coasts or to any obscure destination recently. Have you had any non-stereotypical encounters with a snooty Midwest citizen or a particularly compassionate being from New York City? See full post
Tags: Culture, Environment, Language
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