Your Daily Groove – Life Without Debt?

by Steve McAllister on August 10, 2010

“Debt, n. An ingenious substitute for the chain and whip of the slave-driver.” – Ambrose Bierce

Although the concept of credit has been sold, and continues to be sold, as one of the bastions of American freedom, it is an unfortunate fact that the opposite is true. In this culture of materialism, we are given the liberty to possess whatever stuff we want as long as we agree to the interest, fees, and monthly installments, at the end of which our initial purchase is often already in a landfill or replaced with the latest upgrade. And yet we toil, stress, and clamor to make our payments and stay on the creditor’s good side lest he deny us more credit for which we can toil, stress, and clamor. It is a sad reflection upon us that many consider this “the American way.”


But what if we were to redefine our freedom? What if, instead of considering our freedom as the opportunity to possess whatever we want, we consider the freedom to not possess it? What if we could learn to appreciate things where they are and not have to bring them into our lives? What if we shirked the responsibility of ownership and opted for the liberty of unattachment? What if we forsook our penchant for materialism in order to free ourselves from the chains of debt?

Could our economy still thrive without all of the stuff?

10 reasons why plastic bags blow!

This article was posted on Aug 05 2010 by Plastic Pollution Coalition


By Lisa Kaas Boyle, Esq.


http://plasticpollutioncoalition.org/2010/08/10-reasons-why-single-use-plastic-bags-blow/

In the U.S., water is a luxury.

By Lynn Hasselberger

on Jul 6, 2010

Clean Water in Abundance Thanks to a Special Organization

http://www.elephantjournal.com/2010/07/clean-water-in-abundance-possible-or-not/

Incredible ... a worthy read

Outside Magazine, July 2010

The Killer in the Pool
Last February, when a 12,000-pound orca named Tilikum dragged his SeaWorld trainer into the pool and drowned her, it was the third time the big killer whale had been involved in a death. Many observers wondered why the animal was still working. But some experts, knowing the psychological toll of a life spent in captivity, have posed a darker question: Was it human error, or can a killer whale choose to kill?

By Tim Zimmermann

http://outside.away.com/outside/culture/201007/killer-whale-behavior-trainer-death-seaworld.html

10 products to never buy Generic

I agree with most ... especially the cheese! Okay, the beer too ...

http://www.walletpop.com/blog/2010/07/19/10-products-to-never-buy-generic/

American's hooked on plastic

Only 7.1 percent of our plastic waste was recycled in 2008, according to the latest data from the Environmental Protection Agency.


By weight, that means that out of 30.05 million tons of plastic waste generated that year, nearly 28 million tons ended up in the trash heap. That's the equivalent of 366,000 Boeing 737s, according to calculations by Waste Management.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38173694/ns/business-oil_and_energy/

The excessive waste produced by consumption of bottled beverages!

Fantastic article - the rest of the USA should follow!!

San Francisco Mayor bans soft drinks on city property ... awesome. 

http://www.care2.com/causes/real-food/blog/san-francisco-mayor-bans-soft-drinks/