http://www.greenblade.org Greenblade Blog Sat, 12 Sep 2009 04:33:02 GMT en-us http://www.greenblade.org/index.php?action=blogs&blog_id=362 And God said, ‘Let the earth bring forth living creatures of every kind: cattle and creeping things and wild animals of the earth of every kind.’ And it was so. God made the wild animals of the earth of every kind, and the cattle of every kind, and everything that creeps upon the ground of every kind. And God saw that it was good. Then God said, ‘Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the wild animals of the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.’ 
So God created humankind in his image,
 in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.God blessed them, and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and ... http://www.greenblade.org/index.php?action=blogs&blog_id=362 Susan Dixon Tue, 02 Mar 2010 12:45:07GMT http://www.greenblade.org/index.php?action=blogs&blog_id=353 I began my writing life as a medievalist when I came to Cornell to do graduate work in the history of art. The Middle Ages had been a passion of mine for years and as I had a healthy intellectual curiosity I chose an academic path. I benefited from taking that path in many ways and do not regret it but I could not fail to notice how rarely the ‘book learning’ touched the passion. What I loved – and wanted more of – was the sensation of walking through a heavy, padded door from the sights, smells and sounds of the street and into the quiet, mysteriously-lighted space of a medieval church. I wanted the flickering of candles against a painted Madonna and Child, the feel of stone that has been cool for hundreds of years. These sensations became pathways for me, doorways between heaven and earth.   This came to mind as I was reading Craig’s ... http://www.greenblade.org/index.php?action=blogs&blog_id=353 Susan Dixon Wed, 17 Feb 2010 10:17:57GMT http://www.greenblade.org/index.php?action=blogs&blog_id=350 I’ve been writing a lot about Greenblade recently for various grant proposals and I find myself putting an emphasis on the post-communion prayer that includes this line, which is buried in that lilting “prayer book language” we all love to love:  … send us out 
to do the work you have given us to do … That line always jumps out at me – and stays out because what I hear and the prayer it is embedded in are not exactly the same. The prayer says, “Almighty and everliving God,
 we thank you for feeding us with the spiritual food 
of the most precious Body and Blood 
of your Son our Savior Jesus Christ; 
and for assuring us in these holy mysteries 
that we are living members of the Body of your Son, 
and heirs of your eternal kingdom.” What I hear is, “We have just eaten physical food at your table – a bite, a sip ... http://www.greenblade.org/index.php?action=blogs&blog_id=350 Susan Dixon Thu, 11 Feb 2010 17:16:32GMT http://www.greenblade.org/index.php?action=blogs&blog_id=347 A project that began with the ravages of Hurricane Katrina and the horrors of the Superdome and Convention Center just has to honor the Super Bowl win of the New Orleans Saints. I know all the arguments against pro football (although my favorite is George Will who said football represents the worst American qualities – periods of violence punctuated by committee meetings) and I hear the kvetchers who say, it’s just a game and has nothing to do with the Real World, and I think back to my second Greenblade post, August 28, 2005: "CNN shows people trudging toward the Superdome, the “refuge of last resort,” a grim description, filled with foreboding. Reporters speak to people who are still fortifying their homes or businesses. If they can’t stay where they are, they say, they will go to the Superdome." Looking at that post makes me all nostalgic (yes, it is possible to be nostalgic for a time of crisis) ... http://www.greenblade.org/index.php?action=blogs&blog_id=347 Susan Dixon Mon, 08 Feb 2010 09:57:24GMT http://www.greenblade.org/index.php?action=blogs&blog_id=344 Imbolc. The Presentation in the Temple (or Candelmas). Groundhog Day. All of these festivals, which are happening now, in this three-day time, concern the awakening of the earth, the return of light, the hope for spring. The earth is still cold, the ground hard, but there is a stirring deep within the animal lairs, the sleeping seeds, the frozen streams. The days are noticeably longer now. It is the time when the thing that was born at the dark of the year makes its appearance. In the natural word that thing is the sun whose light seemed to die at Solstice. In Christianity it is the Christ Child who, at Candelmas, is officially presented in the temple where the old priest Simeon sings that now he can depart in peace because his eyes have seen the salvation of the Lord. Even the groundhog plays a role.  Bill Murray and Punxsutawney may have ... http://www.greenblade.org/index.php?action=blogs&blog_id=344 Susan Dixon Mon, 01 Feb 2010 14:00:57GMT http://www.greenblade.org/index.php?action=blogs&blog_id=366 Our search for a new priest at Grace might be nearing its end. On Friday night, the candidate that the Search Committee selected (who we’ve been calling “Father/Mother McFadden-Chang” during Youth Group, in a humorous attempt to make it easier to talk about this anonymous-and-potentially-really-significant person) will visit Providence and be given a final once-over. On Friday night, we’ll share a meal with him/her;  “we” in this context means vestry members and their partners, so Jake-the-atheist will meet McFadden-Chang before most church goers do. Then, the Vestry and the Search Committee come together on Saturday morning , sit around, and try to make predictions. Will McFadden-Chang be right for Grace? Will Grace be right for McFadden-Chang? Does this person embody enough of our values? Is (s)he strong where we are weak? (Also, I’ll be wondering if (s)he liked the all-local vegetarian dish I’m preparing for the dinner, but I’ll do my best to not let that sway my judgment.) ... http://www.greenblade.org/index.php?action=blogs&blog_id=366 LiZ Richards Mon, 15 Mar 2010 14:04:56GMT http://www.greenblade.org/index.php?action=blogs&blog_id=364 Nothing major to report from Rhode Island this week. The farmer's market continues to sell mostly old root veggies, long-off-the-tree apples, and hydroponically-grown greens that I am more than willing to pay a fortune for. I am still not very good at praying before meals, but I am getting better at the after-meal prayer, the "Hey God, thanks for those things that I ate, and those people I ate them with, and for this day," which feels like a step in the right direction. The one interesting, tangentially-Greenblade-related moment this week came last week over the lunch table. I was eating pasta with homemade marinara sauce, and homemade applesauce, and my coworkers were flabbergasted that I made these things, that I "really cooked." They could wrap their minds around me boiling the water for the pasta and opening the jar of sauce, but the idea of "really cooking," of making these things from scratch, surprised them. My coworkers couldn't ... http://www.greenblade.org/index.php?action=blogs&blog_id=364 LiZ Richards Sun, 07 Mar 2010 14:22:10GMT http://www.greenblade.org/index.php?action=blogs&blog_id=358 I am doing rather poorly at my Lenten practice to pray before I eat. I forget pretty much all the time. In fact, I ate a bowl of sweet potatoes as I planned to write this blog and I forgot to pray before I ate them. This does not bode well for my overarching goal of adopting the saying of grace as an everyday practice. Part of my prayer-problem, honestly, is that I have too much to be grateful for. When I do remember that I want to pray before I eat (or that I want to retroactively pray after I ate), I find myself thanking the farmer and the earth and the sky and the wind and the water and the organization that plans the farmer's market, and the electricity that powered the microwave and God... it's overwhelming to be that grateful and to eat one's lunch before it gets cold. So, I ... http://www.greenblade.org/index.php?action=blogs&blog_id=358 LiZ Richards Thu, 25 Feb 2010 17:17:00GMT http://www.greenblade.org/index.php?action=blogs&blog_id=357 Every time I see an animal dead by the side of the road, I say a prayer. This is a throwback to my early teens, when I was reading fantasy novels by the truckload (never doubt how much I was shaped by living across the street from a branch of the public library) and wanted to communicate with animals. I wanted to be able to shape-shift into an animal, to be able to hear their stories in my mind, to befriend them and go on adventures. It was a logical extension of those longings that I mourned the death of road-killed creatures. It made me deeply sad, and I got in the habit of sending a missive to God to look over that creature's soul. In the decade-plus since I fell into this habit, I still say that prayer -- every time -- without thinking. I usually tag on an addendum about how sad I am for ... http://www.greenblade.org/index.php?action=blogs&blog_id=357 LiZ Richards Sun, 21 Feb 2010 16:38:49GMT http://www.greenblade.org/index.php?action=blogs&blog_id=351 "We see the Eucharist as a meal, and see all meals as holy." Last night my Youth Group kids hosted a spaghetti dinner to raise money for their upcoming service trip. They worked their tails off to provide a delicious meal, and spent hours decorating the dank church basement with Valentines-day-decorations and votive candles. They made the sauce from scratch; peeled and diced tons of fresh garlic for garlic bread; and chopped, shredded and washed enough salad  for 65 people. The kids dressed in black and waited tables, as Sinatra played on an iPod hooked up to church speakers. We even convinced the night sexton to unlock the church's "good" china and faux-linen tablecloths. It was a glorious success. We turned a nearly-$400-profit, but that isn't what made it great. What made it great is that 55 people from the church, only a very few of them the parents of the YG kids, came out ... http://www.greenblade.org/index.php?action=blogs&blog_id=351 LiZ Richards Sat, 13 Feb 2010 15:16:24GMT http://www.greenblade.org/index.php?action=blogs&blog_id=365  So this link was just forwarded to a list that I am on and after watching, I'm not sure if it was sent as a joke or to spark heated debate.  I was curious what the Greenblade reaction would be to Nicholas Kristof's "The Congo Exercise Plan".  Maybe I'll check my own ire until I get a few responses.  (And for the record, I spent several weeks in the DRC working with Catholic Relief Services, so I don't doubt at all the verity of what Kristof witnessed or reported on.  My problem more is with his methods and lack of depth - this was supposed to be a report for International Women's Day!) http://www.greenblade.org/index.php?action=blogs&blog_id=365 Stephanie Ortolano Wed, 10 Mar 2010 11:22:31GMT http://www.greenblade.org/index.php?action=blogs&blog_id=359 Yesterday I was ready to post something about how wonderful shoveling snow can be.  With a grandmother in the house, I was able to spend a blissful hour in the snow clearing our long, long driveway.  There was something very meditative about being outside, hearing the crunch of the shovel, the twitter of the birds at the feeder, the wind blowing through the stand of tall pines across the street.  It was invigorating to be expending energy on a task that needed to be done and could be accomplished in tangible time frame (unlike, say, my dissertation).  There was a lot of snow that needed to be moved and I did it! Then I woke up this morning.  Yesterday's efforts completely eclipsed by the new foot of snow on the ground.  Drifts made the crisp line of driveway snow bank indistinguishable.  The snow was up to the hood of the car, as if it was slowly sinking ... http://www.greenblade.org/index.php?action=blogs&blog_id=359 Stephanie Ortolano Fri, 26 Feb 2010 13:47:53GMT http://www.greenblade.org/index.php?action=blogs&blog_id=356 As Ash Wednesday approached, I started talking to Sabina about Lent and some of the things that people do in observing the season before Easter.  We talked about how some people sacrifice something they like to do or eat.  She was very enthusiastic about the idea of giving up ice cream, an example I used when telling her something Grandma has given up in the past.  Of course, before stating this, she wanted reassurance that it was still winter during Lent.  "Why do you want to know if it will still be winter?"  "Because we don't really eat ice cream during winter."  Hmmm.  It is amazing how quickly that little mind works.  We talked about it and decided that it might be better to do something that will bring us closer to God during Lent - spending some time each day praying together and chanting one of the daily offices. So far, so ... http://www.greenblade.org/index.php?action=blogs&blog_id=356 Stephanie Ortolano Sat, 20 Feb 2010 11:26:50GMT http://www.greenblade.org/index.php?action=blogs&blog_id=349 We've all been there.  Sitting in your pew, whether it is a small group or a large one, when there is an opportunity for spontaneous prayers there is often silence.  Yet I know I often have big issues on my heart, whether they be joyful thanks or caring concerns.  How many of you recite a list of names just under your breath when it is time to add names to those on the prayer list?  Maybe it is an Episcopal thing, because I have been to other churches where the equivalent of the "Prayers of the People" turns into a much less awkward silence.  Maybe it is that we are uncomfortable making spontaneous prayer in public.  I will confess right now that I get a little anxious if I have to make up a prayer before a meal, even though I have been giving thanks to God during the whole preparation process! Last ... http://www.greenblade.org/index.php?action=blogs&blog_id=349 Stephanie Ortolano Thu, 11 Feb 2010 14:45:39GMT http://www.greenblade.org/index.php?action=blogs&blog_id=345   One of our ("our" being me and the girls) favorite pastimes these days seems to be watching the birds outside the windows.  Mostly they are coming to the bird feeder, a sleek Eliminator (what an awful name!), but Sabina has also been concocting various other treats for the birds with mixed success.  In case you were wondering, birds are not at all interested in stale gingerbread houses made from graham crackers.  Who knew?  They think pine cones slathered in peanut butter and bird seed are pretty cool, though.  Besides a lesson in ornithology (how many not-quite-4-year-olds can identify nuthatches, titmice, and downy woodpeckers in addition to the usual chickadees, cardinals and blue jays!), the birds captivate us with their antics.   Baby J stares intently, occasionally waving to say "hello" through the window.  Big sister Sabina tries to count the American Goldfinches who just don't stay still.  If I happen to ... http://www.greenblade.org/index.php?action=blogs&blog_id=345 Stephanie Ortolano Sat, 06 Feb 2010 15:11:41GMT http://www.greenblade.org/index.php?action=blogs&blog_id=363 My trip is now in the wind down phase.  I leave in three days time and will be bringing home many wonderful experiences and gifts for my family. This week I had the opportunity to swim in both the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea.  For those not familiar with the geography of the area, snow melt from the mountains feeds the Sea Of Galilee which then feeds the Jordan River which runs along the eastern border of Israel and Jordan. The Jordan River then spills into the Dead Sea which has no outlet and no life within its waters.  One of the issues that Israel faces is an ongoing depletion of its water supply. Both seas have been receeding for years due to overuse and drought.  In fact the Sea of Galilee is now 13 feet below its historical level and the Dead Sea is even further behind.  This is a major problem for ... http://www.greenblade.org/index.php?action=blogs&blog_id=363 Craig Swan Sun, 07 Mar 2010 10:44:34GMT http://www.greenblade.org/index.php?action=blogs&blog_id=360 It is hard to believe but the second leg of my sabbatical has begun.  I arrived in Israel on the 22nd and other than the normal bout of jet lag, all is going well.  This week my reflections centers on the concepts of power.  A few months back when a group from Greenblade gathered at Holy Cross Monastery we discussed how food has been used as a form of oppression.  Here in Israel, power and control are very much a part of the social scene.  The tension at the The Holy Sepulchre is a story of power and control between Christian religious.  How, at the site of ressurection and Christianity's most holy of sites can the religious communities justify their inabilty to work together? This is quite a paradox in my mind. The the issues of power and oppression go more deeply here, especially as we begin to scratch the surface of Israeli/Palestinian relations.  Right now it ... http://www.greenblade.org/index.php?action=blogs&blog_id=360 Craig Swan Sun, 28 Feb 2010 05:52:56GMT http://www.greenblade.org/index.php?action=blogs&blog_id=354 Since I began my sabbatical, my reflections keep bringing me back to the Garden of Eden. On Tuesday evening, I went to see Avatar with my family. The plot is simple – good over evil, profit versus stewardship of the land, false entitlement and disregard versus living in concert with others. For all intents and purposes, the movie is a futuristic retelling of Disney's Pocohantas awash in phenomenal special effects. As I watched this movie however, I kept asking myself the proverbial “what if”. What if the writer of Genesis had substituted ‘caretaker’ or ‘stewardship’ for the word ‘dominion?’ My reference is to the end of the creation story, after humanity has been created and God gives them ‘dominion’ over the created order. For years I have tried to convince myself that the correct translation of the original Hebrew had to be something different, but my transliteration searches keep coming up as ‘dominion.’ ... http://www.greenblade.org/index.php?action=blogs&blog_id=354 Craig Swan Thu, 18 Feb 2010 15:03:51GMT http://www.greenblade.org/index.php?action=blogs&blog_id=352 This past week  I have continued my preparations for Israel.  I finished reading Karen Armstrong's book, Jerusalem, One City, Three Faiths. Ms Armstrong's book chronicles the over 3000 year history of the City of Jerusalem, the good, the bad and the ugly.  What impressed me was how history kept repeating itself, no matter what faith group or nation occupied the city.  What often times started out with the best of intentions, over time quickly disintegrated into the oppression of the conquered.  Armstrong comments that it  was when domination of the land became more important than what the land represented that the core values of the faith groups were lost and human life became devalued.  I think Madeline L' Engle describes it best in her book, Penguins and Golden Calfs, Icons and Idols, In this wonderful sharing of her faith, Ms L'Engle notes that  icons are windows that allow us access to the Divine and idols are things that become the ... http://www.greenblade.org/index.php?action=blogs&blog_id=352 Craig Swan Mon, 15 Feb 2010 13:53:46GMT http://www.greenblade.org/index.php?action=blogs&blog_id=348 On the 17th, much of Christendom will be celebrating Ash Wednesday, the official start of the forty days prior to Easter that many call Lent.  In the Episcopal tradition, participants in the ritual for  Ash Wednesday are invited into a Holy Lent of prayer and fasting with the words, “you are dust and to dust you shall return.”  Mind you this is an odd statement of invitation in today's world, but as we enter this time of reflection, these words bring us back to the second story of creation found in Genesis, when God forms Adam from the dust of the earth.  And then, these words bring us to the end of the creation story, when God discovers that Adam and Eve have disobeyed God's command not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and as punishment death becomes part of the human experience and to the earth from which we are created, we return. ... http://www.greenblade.org/index.php?action=blogs&blog_id=348 Craig Swan Mon, 08 Feb 2010 16:37:57GMT http://www.greenblade.org/index.php?action=blogs&blog_id=361 A problem that is occasionally mentioned in environmentalist and animal rights circles, but has until recently been less prominent in the mainstream media is that of what to do with all the manure produced by farm animals, especially the ones cooped up together in the mega factory farms.  Hence the welcome Post article today on manure pollution in the Chesapeake Bay. Forget about how the animals are fed, handled, or killed: even apart from all of those issues there is the cost-- to our respiratory well-being and the temperature of the planet--of all the methane they produce, and of the dead-zone-producing algae blooms that live off the mountains of manure sliding into our lakes and oceans.  Methane, by some estimates, is 20 times worse as a greenhouse gas than the carbon monoxide produced by our cars.  And these algae blooms rid huge Rhode Island sized swaths of the ocean of crucial, life-supporting oxygen. ... http://www.greenblade.org/index.php?action=blogs&blog_id=361 Andrew Chignell Mon, 01 Mar 2010 23:22:06GMT http://www.greenblade.org/index.php?action=blogs&blog_id=355 Matthew Halteman and I are developing a book proposal, together with another friend, on the topic of something like the ethics of eating.  But we're trying to agree about a title, and so I thought I'd see if any Greenbladers have ideas.  It's going to be an edited volume with contributions from professional philosophers writing in a popularly-accessible way (insofar as that is possible for philosophers!). One thought is just to call it "The Ethics of Eating."  Something a bit more literary would be Matt's suggestion: "Wisdom comes to the table: Philosophy and the Ethics of Eating."  An editor has also floated the idea of something like "On Eating Animals," but the worry is that it's too close to Jonathan Safran Foer's recent title and so people would think we've edited a volume of essays on "Eating Animals." Votes or other ideas welcome... and of course also welcome are suggestions as to ... http://www.greenblade.org/index.php?action=blogs&blog_id=355 Andrew Chignell Fri, 19 Feb 2010 14:42:32GMT http://www.greenblade.org/index.php?action=blogs&blog_id=346 Jane Brody (courtesy of Michael Pollan) provides one of the more helpful (i.e. simple!) food guides online.  "Cook for oneself!" is one of the main pieces of advice...  But for those of us who are usually too busy, there is other helpful advice as well: my favorite is "If it is made out of plants, eat it; if it was made in a plant, don't." http://www.greenblade.org/index.php?action=blogs&blog_id=346 Andrew Chignell Sat, 06 Feb 2010 18:05:35GMT http://www.greenblade.org/index.php?action=blogs&blog_id=339 "Giving Tree Cafe" has opened in Ithaca, in the place where Apple Blossom Cafe (ABC) flourished for 30 years.  GTC is also a vegetarian restaurant, and the menu looks similar to ABC's (different owners, apparently, but some of the same employees and possibly the same recipes). But why did they choose this terrible name?  The Giving Tree is of course Shel Silverstein's infamous children's book--demonized by feminists from the get-go.  In the story, a male character has various relations with a female tree: he plays in her branches, takes shelter under her, eats her fruit, etc. etc.  And she (the tree) just keeps on giving and giving and giving.  Finally the child, now a grown man, cuts her down to build his house, and the tree is said to be completely fulfilled. That part aside, I'm Interested to hear from people who have stopped in and sampled the food... http://www.greenblade.org/index.php?action=blogs&blog_id=339 Andrew Chignell Wed, 27 Jan 2010 11:41:41GMT http://www.greenblade.org/index.php?action=blogs&blog_id=331 A very Greenblade-y piece at the Christian Century from Suzanne Guthrie, a strong supporter of Greenblade early on when she was a priest here in Ithaca. http://www.greenblade.org/index.php?action=blogs&blog_id=331 Andrew Chignell Mon, 18 Jan 2010 12:54:07GMT