i am counted among the delighted!

This is new from Sufjan Stevens. I heard about this from Claire. Listen to it here.

I recommend the song "From the Mouth of Gabriel" - it is so choice.

me, age 14.

"I have begun to understand what deeply spiritual people teenagers are. (Silly of me to have forgotten, when I was one myself.) Even the scruffiest middle-schooler is on a seriously beautiful, completely unique journey, as we all are, and have been, even when we were little kids."

- Melissa Range, Poet, Youth Ministry volunteer, Oakhurst Baptist Church, Decatur, Georgia

from Contemplative Youth Ministry by Mark Yaconelli

Agricultural Subsidies

The original purpose of my blog was to create a place where I can give myself homework and store the information (and maybe discuss it with other people too). Here's a new assignment.

Last night at the Forum we discussed food. The Forum is a group that was started by my friend Dan Parris (see below) so that we can share expertise with each other and discuss topics. My friend Kate talked last night about food (mostly citing Michael Pollan and the documentary 'Food, Inc.'). Through the discussion I realized that I need to know more about the way our government subsidizes crops. The reason this is important is because the government makes it profitable to grow crops (like corn) which normally wouldn't be profitable (because there isn't as much demand as there is supply). So when powerful governments institute crop subsides, it changes the world price of certain foods. This whole thing also has a big impact on illegal immigration (which is the next thing that I need to get a handle on).

Articles:

-wikipedia: Agricultural Subsidies

- Overseas Development Institute, "Toward 'smart' subsidies in agriculture? Lessons in recent experience in Malawi"

- NYtimes, "Surviving without subsidies"

- Washington Post, "Farm Subsidies over time"

- USDA: "Farm Income and Costs. Farms receiving government payments"

- NYtimes, "The Way we live now, the (agri)cultural contradictions of obesity"

Books:

- A Billion Dollars a Day: the Economics and Politics of Agricultural Subsidies by E. Wesley F. Peterson

wish me luck! give me more resources!

Vote, please.

My good friends Dan Parris, Rob Lehr, and David Peterka have all been working on a documentary on global poverty for a couple years. They have all the footage they need (it's an incredible story) and they just need some extra capital to finish up the film. Apparently Pepsi is giving money away for free (well, if you give them your email address) and their project, "Give A Damn Documentary" is up for the $50,000 prize. Everyone and their mom is voting EVERY DAY for the project. Please lend a hand.

(Do it here.) --> http://www.refresheverything.com/giveadamndoc

Thanks!