Trying to follow

1:00PM, SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 2ND, 2006

St Ann’s Episcopal Church, 419 Woodland Street, 5th & Woodland – East Nashville

While part of Tara Cole’s family will be celebrating her life in Elgin, Illinois, the family has asked the Nashville Homeless Power Project to organize a memorial on the same day at the place of her death in Nashville, Tennessee. Family and friends will be there to celebrate her life and grieve her loss. Community members are also invited to attend to recognize her life and remind us that we are all responsible for ensuring that our brothers and sisters have safe places for shelter and housing.

Tara Denise Cole, died at the age of 32 on August 11, 2006. Tara was born on November 25, 1973 in Humboldt, Tennessee. At 7 months old she moved to Elgin, Illinois and attended Larkin High School in Elgin.

Tara loved music and writing. She wanted to write plays and poetry. She was a very special person, loved all people and hated discrimination. In a letter to her mother Tara described herself: “I am a strong willed, extremely warm and open hearted, intelligent human being. Unfortunately, I’m a victim of this unchanging world”. So, I have to struggle just to be myself”.

Tara’s mother, Pearl Cole shares: “Tara always wanted to change the world. She cared so much about people and the injustices of life. She wanted so much to make a difference.”

Tara was survived by her parents, Dewitt and Pearl Cole of Elgin and Darryl Boyd (Carole) of Indianapolis, Indiana; her brothers, Rahman Cole of Elgin and Eric Boyd of Indianapolis, Indiana; And a host of Aunts, Uncles, Family and friends from Elgin Ilgin, Illinois, Humboldt, Tennessee and Indianapolis. Tara was preceded in death by her maternal grandmother, Ruthie Pearson of Humboldt Tennessee.

No, that is not my idea that Walmart is bad being shattered on the right, but it does make a decent illustration. When you invest your energy in being a critic of someone or something, it is important to acknowledge it’s strengths and positive steps as well.

I’m a big fan of being environmentally conscious, and one area we could all make a huge step in is our light bulb purchasing (I’ll post about the Biblical backing later). The “swirl” bulbs on your left are a no brainer when it comes to taking a step in the good steward direction. Now if only we could convince the rest of the USA of this… in steps Walmart.

Here’s some of the details from a Fast Company article about Walmart’s initiative:

In the next 12 months, starting with a major push this month, Wal-Mart wants to sell every one of its regular customers–100 million in all–one swirl bulb. In the process, Wal-Mart wants to change energy consumption in the United States, and energy consciousness, too. It also aims to change its own reputation, to use swirls to make clear how seriously Wal-Mart takes its new positioning as an environmental activist.

It’s a bold goal, a remarkable declaration of Wal-Mart’s intention to modernize and green up a whole line of business using market oomph. Teaming up with General Electric, which owns about 60% of the residential lightbulb market in the United States, Wal-Mart wants to single-handedly double U.S. sales for CFLs in a year, and it wants demand to surge forward after that.

I think this is well worthy of praise for Walmart’s efforts. I think they have a long way to come before they have any position as environmental activist in my book, but it’s a good step.

I’m not sure yet, but I might consider stepping into a Walmart to purchase one of these bulbs. No decisions made, but I’m pondering it.

There’s a terrible myth, an urban legend, a horrid lie that has been traveling around the Nashville community concerning recycling. It appears there might be tiny trolls running around putting outdated stickers on Curby’s, whispering in people’s ears when they are sleeping, making prank phone calls and handing out flyers to spread this information.

It must be stopped!

Here’s the truth about your Curby:
you can recycle ALL PLASTICS

any kind of clean, dry paper: cardboard, paperboard (cereal boxes, freezer boxes, and 12-pack soft drink boxes, but not pizza boxes), paper bags, office paper, envelopes, junk mail, catalogs, magazines and phone books.
-aluminum cans and metal food cans (remember that some materials may sit in your cart for a month, so please rinse cans first).
-all plastic bottles.

The one thing you shouldn’t put in there is glass.

I’m not making this stuff up, this is straight from METRO’S recycling website!

Also, while your crusing around metro’s site,
check out the sweet composting bins they are selling.

I heard about and read some commentary concerning a recent ad campaign I thought I should share with you.

From
Mixed Media Watch - tracking media representations of mixed people

I was surprised to learn that supermodel Iman is behind those “I Am African” ads fetauring Gwyneth Paltrow, Sarah Jessica Parker and other, mostly white, celebs in faux tribal makeup. As Global Ambassador for Keep A Child Alive, an organization that provides medication to African children with HIV/AIDS, she created the campaign to call attention to the plight of those who cannot afford lifesaving drugs. She states on keepachildalive.org that “each and everyone of us contains DNA that can be traced back to our African ancestors.” So this is why we should care about the issue? What aboout compassion, empathy and commitment to social justice?

So, it looks like a very well made and well supported documentary is coming out. It’s something I’m not sure I feel comfortable with it being in the limelight.

I’m really curious what everyone’s thoughts are on this video. It seems there are a lot of issues “Christians” need to deal with in house and amongst one another, instead of waiting until a video like this comes out that cast the whole bunch in a negative light.

I’m saying all this cause I know of people that already feel like Christians (i.e. ALL Christians) and a documentary like this will just confirm that.