Meanwhile, in other News

note: smarty pants posts focus on current events, and not the celebrity kind.  Sadly, the events of late are...well, a bit sad.  So if you prefer "ignorance is bliss," read no further.

The end of a presidential election race is kind of like a tornado--it sucks up everything in it's path.  Meaning that it consumes the news, the commercials, and the internet.  Who can escape it?  

Meanwhile, the rest of the world keeps on turning.  So for a bit of perspective, here's what is happening outside of the election:

*  We aren't the only ones struggling with economic troubles.  Read about how interconnected our global economy really is through this account of monetary woes in Eastern Europe.  If you don't have the stomach for more economic articles, here's the skinny: Eastern European countries borrowed a lot of money to spruce up their nations in order to be accepted into the European Union.  Their bankers were Western European countries, which are currently under the same credit crunch we are experiencing.  And with currencies suddenly dropping like flies, everyone is feeling the squeeze, and the IMF (International Monetary Fund--aka Big Bank) is shelling out some bailout money of its own.

*  More talk and action on the "Green New Deal" concept.  If you follow environmental news, and wonder where the headlines have gone since the economy and elections have taken the spotlight, read this analysis published in Britian's Guardian for an update.

*  On a side note, I found that some of the Guardian's sidebar headlines read like a morbid menu: "Um, yes--I'll have the 'recession special' with the 'week of wrath' and a side of the 'banking crisis timeline.'  And for fun I think I'll order the 'credit crunch in cartoons' for dessert.  Thank you."

*  To remind us that the Middle East still has it's share of turbulence, read this article about a recent US strike in Syria.  Also, the Iraqi political leadership is sandwiched between the US and Iran as it tries to decide whether to allow US troops to stay in the country past the end of this year.  Can you guess Iran's opinion on the issue?  click here to read more.

*  And the US isn't the only one with an election looming.  Israel's Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, forced to leave his post due to accusations of corruption and scandal, will vacate the seat, with contenders Binyamin Netanyahu and Tzipi Livni dueling for the post.  Elections are likely to happen in early 2009.  read more here.

*  Back to the economy, it is important to remember that currency and credit crunches here equals food crises in the Southern Hemisphere.  Read this article to learn more about the growing global food crisis.  (I know--yet another crisis.  We're apparently crazy for crises these days...)

Okay...so I didn't mean to make you depressed by the headlines.  But the truth is that there really is a lot more going on in the world than Obama vs. McCain.  And if we don't know what is going on, how will we know how to respond?  

Did you miss my Election Exercises, designed to help me prepare for the coming vote?  Click here to catch up!

Food Waste

I was convicted this morning when I encountered an article on food waste in the New York Times.  Since two of the qualities that I admire most about the housewife tradition is frugality and being mindful of waste, I had to pay attention to the reality of how much food we Americans (and Europeans) throw away.  

I confess that I am guilty of tossing food.  I do a good job of planning weekly menus and sticking to my shopping list when I'm at the grocery store, preventing me from buying too much extra food we won't eat.  But still, I manage to toss leftovers that don't get eaten and have been sitting in the fridge for days.  Every time I hit the garbage disposal switch, I do think about the global food shortage and how it seems unjust for my sink to be eating better than many people around the world.

Of course there are things I can do to cut my waste, like composting, for instance.  But wasted food stretches beyond my garbage disposal.  The article in the Times talks about grocery stores and restaurants tossing perfectly good fare, and the gleaning of fields on an even larger scale.  

Needless to say, my interest is piqued and I am making a commitment to learn more about food waste.  To start, I'm going to check out one blog, Wasted Food, and read some of the author's posts on ways to eliminate waste.  I invite you to do the same.

One final note: the issue of food waste is exactly the kind of social issue that I think women who choose to stay at home are particularly equipped to tackle.  We can exercise more control over the resources in our home than many, mainly because we are home more, and we also have more time to devote to our communities (time to, say, become food rescuers).  Please feel free to share your thoughts on conserving resources, food or otherwise, by emailing me at shillberry@comcast.net.