http://www.peacescooter.com Putting Peace on the Map Thu, 03 Sep 2009 18:00:58 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Shocked to see me in your RSS? I've been a very busy lady and horrible blog mother. My baby over here has been demanding content, meanwhile I went and birthed another: Convergence: A Multi-Media Portfolio That was our first assignment in my Online Journalism class....create a blog. No worries, I ... http://www.peacescooter.com/2009/09/02/see-im-still-alive/ 22k Mile Scoot for Peace from Alix Bryan on Vimeo. My friend Jacob sent me a studio copy of his beautiful song, Backroads, to put on the DVD version of this video--it's a submission for grad school. In the future, I would like to rework some of my footage into a movie ... http://www.peacescooter.com/2009/03/14/updated-video/ Christmas found me employed temporarily as a UPS driver's helper. Kinda like an elf, I guess. Not sure if it was hard work, because I have a high threshold for pain and enjoy a challenge. The driver I worked with seem to think I was really good, and that yes, ... http://www.peacescooter.com/2009/03/02/cultivating-positivity/ Time for coffee talk. Quickly percolating in the news is the most recent Consumer Reports taste test. CR pitted 19 coffees against one another to determine the best tasting brew. Surprisingly, 8 O'Clock Coffee triumphed. Eight O'Clock Coffee 100% Colombian (at a wallet-friendly $6.28 a pound), was judged the hottest ground coffee of ... http://www.peacescooter.com/2009/02/07/consumer-reports-leaves-bad-taste-in-my-mouth/ Well, this entry is a bit personal. But as with all my writings, I offer it in hopes that it might find anyone who knows they can relate and perhaps provoke a person who needs to relate. My father passed away January 23, at 4:50pm. The chaplain asked my Aunt and ... http://www.peacescooter.com/2009/01/27/familial-peace/ Obama is a money machine.  Right now, I'm not interested in hearing about how Obama is attempting to run a public funded Washington. He can do that by raising taxes and saying No to lobbyists. Clears throat. But PLEASE stop with the emails soliciting money. I gave you a bunch during ... http://www.peacescooter.com/2009/01/13/will-the-solicitation-stop-on-inauguration-day/ This spring Jan and John Atkinson hosted me in San Diego. I just received word from them that their son Rob died last week. He was crossing the road when a car hit him. I did not know Robert, but I was blessed to share more life experiences with his parents, ... http://www.peacescooter.com/2008/12/11/prince-of-peace-in-honor/ The by-ways, highways, routes, lanes, and country roads of America reflect a regions culture;  offer up stories to the traveler that can not be found on the interstates. Sure if you need to zoom along from point A to point B, jump on the slab. You will notice that in ... http://www.peacescooter.com/2008/12/11/navigating/ Not much to say about Day 6 other than there is only one day left! I've already started a new grocery list that will just increase the spending limit by about $5 each, if that. News of worse times ahead is the primary motivation, but I've also realized in this week ... http://www.peacescooter.com/2008/12/09/day-6/ Follow this link for an article that claims $1 a meal is too little to live on in a day. The comments accurately reflect the debate on poverty and government assistance. The article was published in Maine. Something to consider is that with the price of oil rising so high earlier this ... http://www.peacescooter.com/2008/12/07/great-discussion-about-food-stamps-and-welfare/ Today we had the family photo at the mall. Which consists of 12 people kicking Santa Claus out of his big chair and basically using the Christmas backdrop.   Afterwards, we did some window shopping. We aren't spending any money this week, other than food, gas and bills. Our own personal ... http://www.peacescooter.com/2008/12/07/day-5/ Today I made black bean soup as our main dish. It was quite the time consuming venture. However, it was absolutely delicious. Breakfast was oatmeal, of course. We had no official lunch after the gym. We reheated some of the left over potatoes with a fried egg on top. Popcorn, our ... http://www.peacescooter.com/2008/12/07/day-4-fsc/ It's getting late in the night, so this will be brief. I woke up today really energized, not sure exactly why. I'm adapting to my new coffee brand. The oatmeal hasn't grown old yet, even though it is longing for some fruit to keep it company. Snacks and chocolate. I went to the ... http://www.peacescooter.com/2008/12/04/day-3/ Well, with the end of Day 2 approaching, that means I only have 5 more days left drinking horrible coffee. Is that selfish? This is good training for an even worse economic climate or a social upheaval. I like to think I can live a life without dependence on substances--sugar, ... http://www.peacescooter.com/2008/12/03/day-2/ I spent a lot of time in the grocery store today, making sure I was getting the best deals. I told the produce clerk about the challenge and he said that he spends $160 a month for two people. We discussed that it would almost be easier to do this ... http://www.peacescooter.com/2008/12/02/day-1-of-fsc/ Today I will begin the Food Stamp Challenge, which means I have a $21 budget for the entire week.  Daphne is also doing this, so we have the advantage of a combined budget of $42. This was an optional homework assignment for her, but I was really insistent that we ... http://www.peacescooter.com/2008/12/02/food-stamp-challenge-kicks-off-today/ So there are still some tales to be told from my time on the road. Hopefully, a lot of my readers have me in their RSS feeds when I do start catching up. I've been scribbling for money for some other folks--to explain my hiatus. Here is list of links to ... http://www.peacescooter.com/2008/12/01/coming-back-around/ ©2008 Joni Kabana photo courtesy of Joni That is my dear friend of 10+years, Erika, from Portland, OR. In the background, I believe, is her sister. Also randomly found on the internet, on Google Maps Streetview--my scooter. And a block away--ME. This was a big, although creepy, surprise. I stumbled across this because ... http://www.peacescooter.com/2008/11/12/things-about-peace-that-were-found-on-the-internet/ UPDATED, with illustration by Ben Heine, a talented artist in Belgium. Really, an honor for him to chose my letter. Dear Friends and Family, Here it is the eve of a historic election.  For so many people, 1.20.09 is a very important date--but not if we don't vote wisely. What is voting wisely? The ability ... http://www.peacescooter.com/2008/11/03/what-made-me-choose-obama/ I continued to write about acetaminophen today, over on AoTP. The article isn't quite as personal, although inspired by personal events;  asking questions about regulation and free market standards in the pharm industry. START: Did you know that acetaminophen is used in an effort to control the brown snake population in Guam? ... http://www.peacescooter.com/2008/10/13/stiffer-regulations-of-acetaminophen-wouldnt-harm-the-consumer-wallet/