The Amazon Forest

Do you know the difference between deforestation and degredation?
http://www.forestjustice.org/category/blog/

Oil. Oh-ill.

I am an Americorps VISTA stationed down in Chauvin, LA (in Terrebonne Parrish).
I've been warned not to drink the water and not to eat the seafood by some community members.
I still take showers with the water, and actually woke up this morning wondering if I was going to get some sort of heinous cancer from living down here.
But, according the the US government and BP, the Gulf is safe. The seafood is safe. The spill is cleaned up.
What about the millions of gallons of oil and dispersants that are floating around....

Read this:
http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2010/11/08

Also consider a comment made:

"I don't live anywhere near the Gulf, but I knew from day one that that BP was creating a dangerous chemical cesspool.
How many times did we write, here and elsewhere, that residents should get out?
Many didn't/couldn't leave, and amazingly, did not collectively tell BP and our government--in no uncertain terms--to shove their rules and regulations controlling our behavior. A private corporation, with the government's blessing, "prohibited" access to public beaches, the taking of photos, airplane flyovers, etc.
We offered a little bit of resistance, but effectively, we did nothing...mustn't ruffle the feathers of our bread-n-butter petro industry. Hell, how many people died during the initial explosion?. How many BP VPs are sitting in jail for those murders?...none, of course.
This is the price we all pay for the failure to react to corporate felons. We blame, blame, blame, but there are no consequences. We get sick and die, but the corporations get back their corporate lives. In all their ugly grandeur, they live on, prosper, and become our government."

My Food.

I need to become a vegetarian.
I think after my AmeriCORPS year, I'll transform my diet. I heard word when I moved down to the bayou that it's damn near impossible to become a vegetarian-- the resources aren't available in this area. Everyone eats meat and seafood. And, traveling is also very difficult (I live in a very small town with no car). So, I dont think this year is a year I can begin my new diet. But, I can, as often as possible, at least purchase local food, shop at stores like WholeFoods, and be informed about where my food is coming from.
I can also use this next year to mentally prepare for the diet change; so much of my diet is currently made up of fastfood and cheap freezer meals. Living on a limited budget, with a busy schedule promotes poor eating habits. I also really love the taste of chicken and turkey. It'll be a difficult transition, without a doubt. But I think I can learn to live more sustainably.

And, if watching Food Inc wasnt motivation enough to become a vegetarian, the thought that every animal I consume feels pain, probably is. Each time I eat meat or seafood, I try to be mindful that each animal died in order for me to consume it. It hurt, it felt pain, because of a decision I made.

I think I can do it.....

"Get involved"

Starting Out.

I'm obsessed with truth. I feel like I've been lied to my entire life; by parents, the school system, our government, and basically anyone else who has an agenda they'd like to fulfill. So with that said, this is my way of "giving back," trying to provide some sort of truth in a world focused on lying. I'll try to post clips, news articles, reviews of movies or documentaries that are thought-provoking or otherwise relevant. Perhaps these posts will promote discussions, spark ideas, or at the very basic level, allow me to feel like I'm not just storing a lot of information in my head.
The clips, articles, and movies/documentaries are all created by human beings with flaws. I, too, am a human being with flaws. Please realize that what I post up here is intended to get people to think. People need to start thinking and becoming aware of the world that is around them.