Chinese New Year of the Ox

Happy New Year!

Today begins the Chinese Year of the Ox. The second sign of the Chinese zodiac, the Ox symbolizes new beginnings. The Ox signifies building to last and slow but sure action. Things we begin now will have long term, lasting consequences, so we must make good choices.

Like last year, the year of the Rat, this is an Earth year. The difference is this one is yin rather than yang. Therefore it should be less tumultuous. On a personal level, better results should be achieved by reacting to circumstances and going with the flow, as opposed to aggressively charging forward and initiating a lot of action.

According to Chinese astrologists, 2009 will be a period of lasting accomplishments. This is true for individuals, societies and the human race in general. There may be times when motivation appears to be lacking. In fact the big challenge everyone faces is to generate the enthusiasm and desire to act. Those individuals and organizations that do will create enduring benefits for themselves and the world.

Climate Watch & the Bird Count

Mark your calendars for February 13-16!

The Great Backyard Bird Count is a four-day event that engages people of all ages in counting birds to create a real-time snapshot of where the birds are across the continent. Anyone can participate, from beginning bird watchers to experts. It takes as little as 15 minutes on one day, or you can count for as long as you like each day of the event. It's free, fun, and easy and it helps the birds.

Participants count birds for as long as they wish during a four day period. They tally the highest number of birds of each species seen together at any one time. To report their counts, they fill out an online checklist at the Great Backyard Bird Count on the web. As the count progresses, anyone with Internet access can explore what is being reported from their own towns or anywhere in the United States and Canada.

They can also see how this year's numbers compare with those from previous years.Scientists learn a lot by knowing where the birds are. Bird populations are dynamic; they are constantly in flux. No single scientist or team of scientists could hope to document the complex distribution and movements of so many species in such a short time.

Here are some of the questions scientist hope to answer with this year's count:

• How will this winter's snow and cold temperatures influence bird populations?


• Where are winter finches and other species that appear in large numbers during some years but not others?


• How will the timing of birds' migrations compare with past years?


• How are bird diseases, such as West Nile virus, affecting birds in different regions?


• What kinds of differences in bird diversity are apparent in cities versus suburban, rural, and natural areas?


• Are any birds undergoing worrisome declines that point to the need for conservation attention?
  

Scientists use the counts, along with observations from other citizen-science projects, to give us an immense picture of our winter birds. Each year that these data are collected makes them more meaningful and allows scientists to investigate far-reaching questions about the health of our planet.

Sponsored by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and National Audobon Society

Kiva Update

We been notified that our most recent Kiva loan recipient (Victor, a weaver in Peru) has begun to repay his loan! That's great news and means we'll be able to help another loan applicant soon.

2008 was an incredible year for Kiva. In December alone $3,827,400 was loaned to entrepreneurs and gift certificates totaling $2,156,125 were purchased.

World Peace Jewelry is proud to be a Kiva Loaner. Since it's beginning just over 3 years ago Kiva has raised $55,521,085 and 125,496 entrepreneurs have been funded in 156 countries with a repayment rate of 97%.

Kiva - loans that change lives!

New Totem Necklaces

New Necklaces

Scarab & Hummingbird Totems

- Check them out at World Peace Jewelry -

GMO Food

This just in from the Organic Consumers Organization:

Although genetically modified (GM) corn is banned in most of the world, it has been approved as "safe" for human consumption in the U.S. for 12 years and is now likely unknowingly consumed, in one form or another, by more than 90% of Americans on a regular basis. But a recent series of peer-reviewed studies were published in 2008 confirming previous studies indicating potentially severe health and environmental problems associated with the biotech crops. Recent alarming scientific research includes:

1) A new long term study by the Austrian government confirms previous findings that consumption of GM corn, for as little as 20 weeks, can damage the reproductive system, lower fertility rates and increase illness and death rates in offspring.

2) Researchers in Mexico reported in December that some popular varieties of GM corn negatively affect the learning response of bees. Scientists say this may be an indicator of the cause of Colony Collapse Disorder, a recent catastrophic and mysterious die-off of as much as 30% of the world's honey bee population in the past couple of years.

3) In Italy, scientists published a study that put the biotech industry in a public relations tailspin. In the study, laboratory tests showed a direct connection between consumption of GM corn and a damaged immune system.

In the U.S., food products that contain genetically modified organisms (GMOs) do not have to be labeled as such. This is a big problem, considering more than 90% of surveyed consumers say they would avoid products with these ingredients and since most packaged foods on grocery store shelves already contain hidden GMOs. Although Obama stated publicly in his campaign that he supports mandatory labeling for genetically engineered foods, OCA believes we will have to keep the pressure on if he is to fulfill this promise. In the meantime, here are some quick tips to help you avoid GMO ingredients and "Frankenfoods."

1) Look for products that voluntarily label themselves as GMO or GE-free.

2) Buy Organic: Products certified as "Organic" are not allowed to contain genetically modified ingredients.

3) Avoid non-organic products that contain the most common genetically engineered ingredients: corn (corn syrup, corn meal, corn oil, etc.), fructose, dextrose, glucose, modified food starch, ingredients including the word "soy" (soy flour, soy lecithin, etc.), vegetable oil, vegetable protein, canola oil (also called rapeseed oil), cottonseed oil, and sugar from sugar beets.

Food for Thought

A friend recently sent this to me and with the new presidential inaugeration looming, I found it to be too interesting not to share.

Harry Truman After The Presidency:

Harry Truman, from Missouri , was a different kind of President. He probably made as many important decisions regarding our nation's history as any of the other 43 Presidents. However, a measure of his greatness may rest on what he did after he left the White House.

Historians have written the only asset he had when he died was the house he lived in, which was in Independence Missouri . On top of that, his wife inherited the house from her Mother.

When he retired from office in 1952, his income was a U.S. Army pension reported to have been $13,507.72 a year. Congress, noting that he was paying for his stamps and personally licking them, granted him an 'allowance' and, later, a retroactive pension of $25,000 per year.

After President Eisenhower was inaugurated, Harry and Bess drove home to Missouri by themselves. There were no Secret Service following them.

When offered corporate positions at large salaries, he declined, stating, 'You don't want me. You want the office of the President, and that doesn't belong to me. It belongs to the American people and it's not for sale.'

Even later, on May 6, 1971, when Congress was preparing to award him the Medal of Honor on his 87th birthday, he refused to accept it, writing, 'I don't consider that I have done anything which should be the reason for any award, Congressional or otherwise.'

He never owned his own home and as president he paid for all of his own travel expenses and food.

Modern politicians have found a new level of success in cashing in on the Presidency, resulting in untold wealth. Today, many in Congress also have found a way to become quite wealthy while enjoying the fruits of their offices. Political offices are now for sale.

Good old Harry Truman was correct when he observed, 'My choices early in life were either to be a piano player in a whore house or a politician. And to tell the truth, there's hardly any difference.'