Dr. Dan Philips - Creative Houses

Dan Phillips (Dr. Dan) is pretty amazing and brilliant to boot!
In grad school I was in his Philosophy Class and couldn't believe it took that long to finally have the quintessential college class. He taught in a way that made your mind explode with ideas and insight. He challenged us, helped us learn to love learning, and he encouraged us to keep learning. 
This man was pivotal in my college years.

• I still wear the cat bone earrings he made. 
• My appreciation for eclectic "found" furniture started because of Dan and his wife.
• My love of classical music was nurtured by him. 
• My decision to homeschool hinged on the importance of helping my kids love to learn
(something I experienced in that philosophy class)
• My bookcases 
• My career in helping people get rid of toxins paralleled his move out of restoring furniture because of the toxins
. . . . thank you Dr. Philips!

Special notes about the Ted Talk:
@ the 5 minute mark, he dives into some light philosophy and it's luscious! 
@ the 6.50 mark he mentions Nietzsche and a very cool explanation of Apollonian and
Dionysian perspectives as it applies to design and what we find acceptable, beautiful, pleasing.
@ 9:15 " Labor is disproportionately more expensive than materials." True or false? Dan gives
a great answer along with a good story.  "Do the math!"
@ 10:25 he explains how Plato may still be having his way with us!
His notion of "perfect form" is mentioned
@ 10:50 he brings up mobile homes and lays down some very important fact leading into the
TOXICITY of those things @ 11:11 (out gassing of formaldehyde)
@ 11:45 He pulls it back together by mentioning the Apollonian Platonic model and the self
fulfilling prophecy that keeps us on treadmills
@ 12:20 I love the carbonated prune juice cracks
@ 12:45 Being and Nothingness by Jean-Paul Sartre mentioned!
@ 14:25 I love that he calls it like it is. We are just like middle schoolers in our wanting to be like
the group we identify with
@ 15:00 We have confused Maslows Hierarchy of Needs. So true!

We need to reconnect with who we really are.
HOW CAN YOU NOT LOVE THIS GUY?

http://www.ted.com/speakers/dan_phillips
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/03/garden/03recycle.html
http://www.phoenixcommotion.com

Better Choices Notebook

Are Bugs Bugging You? Don’t Reach for the DEET!

Try these easy tricks to safely prevent pests (and if they still come around, we have four tips to naturally soothe any bites or stings).

Tips to keep bugs from biting:

1. Protect your child by covering that delicate skin with lightweight, long sleeved shirts, long pants and socks. Insects may be attracted to floral prints. Choose light, solid colored fabrics.
2. Mosquitoes are usually most active at dusk and just before dawn. Avoid playing outside during these peak hours.
3. Keep your window and door screens in good repair. When possible keep your child protected indoors or behind mosquito netting.
4. If eating outside, use an outdoor fan to blow away mosquitoes.
5. To reduce mosquito breeding near your home, plant scented geraniums, lemon thyme, marigold, tansy, citrosa plants, sweet basil and/or sassafras.
6. Eliminate common mosquito breeding sites such as sources of standing water (old tires, pools, plastic pots, buckets, garbage cans or clogged roof gutters). Change water in birdbaths every other day.
7. Make your yard friendly for natural predators such as ladybugs, bats, dragonflys, praying mantis, spiders and birds. Stock a pond with goldfish or freshwater minnows.
8. Use yellow light bulbs (non-attractive, to bugs) in outdoor fixtures.
9. Fragrances attract insects. Avoid using scented products (such as soap or shampoo) on your child or yourself.
10. Choose safer bug repellant products (but consider efficacy if you have local insect-borne disease risks.) PeggyCortez@yahoo.com  has a great guide to natural bug repellents.

Tips for Soothing Bug Bites

1. Tea tree oil. If you are stung, remove stinger if there is one. Apply tea tree oil liberally in a circular motion surrounding the entry point -- be gentle touching the point of entry! Let dry and the pain and swelling should ease in two to three minutes. Re-apply if needed.  The pharmaceutical grade of tea tree oil will ensure  a safer choice and a level of purity not found elsewhere -- learn more about how to economically obtain this by sending a request to PeggyCortez@yahoo.com
2. Baking soda. Mix baking soda with water to form a paste. Again, remove stinger and apply the paste. Cover with a gauze bandage or paper towel and tape. Leave on for one half hour or more until pain is gone.
3. Onion. Relieve the itch from bug bites with an onion. The sulfur in onions neutralizes the chemicals that cause the itch. Simply slice a yellow onion in half and rub one of the cut sides on the bite. The itching should stop immediately. Refrigerate the onion in a sealed container to use again if the itching resumes. Make a fresh slice before reapplying it.
4. Vinegar. Good for spider bites too. Soak a cotton ball in vinegar and place it over the spider/bug bite. If you get bites on your hand or foot, put the soaked cotton ball in a bag and put your infected hand/foot in the bag over night. Make sure that the bag is not tight around the wrist/ankle. As an alternative, you may hold the soaked cotton ball in place by a band aid. By morning, the swelling and/or soreness should be gone as if you had hardly been bitten at all.

Note: Even when using natural bug repellents or remedies, watch for reactions. Some people have sensitivities. Always watch for reactions after bites and stings, also. If you notice any abnormal swelling or other signs of a serious allergic reaction, call 911, because some people can die from bites/stings if they are not treated immediately.

Path to Freedom

Please stop in @ Path to Freedom.
This is the welcome message there:

"Let's face it. Our world is in deep, deep trouble and we are the "troublemakers." We have to make real, difficult changes yesterday.

Despite the obvious benefits, we are not going to recycle, compost, or talk our way out of this.

Our leaders, being politicians, are not leaders at all but are bound to be followers, who just won't be there for us in a crisis. So, it's up to me and you to make the choice of becoming responsible stewards of the earth.

Let's turn the world right side up as demonstrated through this website. Join us on our journey towards a sustainable present and future. Let's walk the path to freedom!"

Their older Path to Freedom site is wonderful, also. Here is the preface at that site:

"Here we present a self-sufficiency resource center and on-going report on our urban "homestead" which we have been recently developing. Since our aim is to break free from the system, we have taken some small steps in our yard and lifestyle to make it happen. Great goals, however, come at a great price. Thus, it has been a real, sweaty struggle to learn a new way of living. Things don't turn out the way we want them to. The pace is so painfully slow and, most of the time, after moving three steps forward, we end up going back two.

By showing what we are doing locally at our home in Pasadena, California we hope to prove that Living Free is possible one day. Until that time, we intend to offer encouragement with this website to all who desire to join us along the way, along the path to freedom."