here's us on a chilly walk back from pottery class - anne lives next door to me with abi and she is from Germany! sweet girl, and so funny....!
Thursday, February 24, 2005
jamie and me
this is me and jamie miller - one of the most hilarious, gracious, actively principled, and compassionate people i know. he came over for some sweet potato quesadillas the other day.....mmmmm....jamie is going to Nepal next year (most likely) to work on some water-system related stuff...so i'm giving him my "christian contacts" over there...and me and Jessie might go visit him (after we meet at the Taj, of course!) Hurray Jamie, you're the bomb!
-J
-J
the BEST history group in the world!!!
ok, so everyone, meet my history group (minus Pat, see below), history group, meet everyone. (from L-R: Raina, Esther, me, Dena, Lea-Ellen). so these people are the reason i went to my history curriculum class every week- not because of what we learned (or didn't learn), and deffinately not because of the exciting...ahem... atmosphere (poor Proffessor Bob). We had tonnes of fun and became more of a...family...by the end of this in-school session....ah, the goodtimes....our reoccuring "genocide throughout the ages" bullentin board theme, the "dichotomy of Dena (see her blurb below)", Lea-Ellen's "ruined" presentation ("well, for those of you teachers who DON"T want to challenge your students with Jen's mind-map, you can give them the following definition"), Pat's phone prank ("so, Dena, what's your driver's license #??"), crocheying, cross-stiching, Bob's looks, the curse of the half-moon table (Me: "Is it because we're loud and laugh alot?" Bob: "So, anyways..."), applauding whoever shows up, Hotel Rwanda, tirnanog....the list never ends....i miss and love you guys....Dena watch out for those druglords, Lea-Ellen wash your hands a lot (to stay clear of the diseases), Pat get your sleep (within reason, now), Raina have fun with your bro in TO, and Esther be sure to do SOMETHING!!)
love, Jen
p.s. below is an intro to all of the history group members, except for Dena cuz i don't have a pic of her alone, so I'll just say this: HAHAHAHA...a great, mysterious girl who knows how to laugh at herself and take charge of a history rocks project (i owe ya girl),,,,we'll forever wonder how you've made it through life without a driver's licence, and how you can ingeniously unite the two opposing worlds of fashion and development work....:)
love, Jen
p.s. below is an intro to all of the history group members, except for Dena cuz i don't have a pic of her alone, so I'll just say this: HAHAHAHA...a great, mysterious girl who knows how to laugh at herself and take charge of a history rocks project (i owe ya girl),,,,we'll forever wonder how you've made it through life without a driver's licence, and how you can ingeniously unite the two opposing worlds of fashion and development work....:)
Pat - the often absent member
so here is Pat - the often hung-over-or-just-plain-lazy member of our history group (k, the guy LIVES in the same building as our class but somehow never quite makes iton a regular basis)....he made us all choke up by pretending to know what was going on, getting angry at that "girl" for no apparent reason, and by playing poker late late late every sunday night (who DOES that?) this pic was taken later as Pat (surprisingly) didn't show up to class during the last week of school.
Raina
and here is the artiste Raina, who planned out the Holocaust bullentin board behind her....she is quite talented in watercolours, crocheying (sp??) and making me feel like an idiot when I ask enlightening questions :)
Lea - Ellen
and here's the gorgeous Lea-Ellen - who just happens to be in China at this precise moment - this girl is one of the most actively principled and hilarious girls i know - she made history fun times
esther cross-stitching
and here's how the lovely esther passed the time - cross stiching some flowers for her grandma.....awww.....seriously, though, good call es - you gotta do something to pass the time in that class!
pottery class
here's my dear friends Jessie (who just scored a teaching job in INDIA for the next two years teaching grade 1!! Yeah, we're going to meet at the Taj Mahal I think if I'm in the UAE!) and David at pottery class....I am starting to loooooooooooove pottery - it is so fun and relaxing! Though I'm not the best at it, it is super fun anyways! Especially with these two guys in my class.....haha David is toooooo funny...he told us his thoughts one class "molding, molding - I can't believe I'm only guy here - smoothing, smoothing - I'm the only guy here - just a little more edging now - I'm the only guy here." HA -don't worry, mio bel precipe, you are VERY masculine!!! :)
-J
-J
the lyon's cottage
ok, this is going back a few weekends...this is me up at the lyon's cottage (let's see - abi, who is standing next to me in this pic, is my next door neighbout and pottery instructor, and her mother is Sue, who is a professional potter as well. Her father is David, who teaches at the invisible college and is the man who I've discussd the globalization issues with. The whole family goes to Next Church, where I attend. Anyways, it was a GREAT day of skating and enjoying the fresh air and sunshine. On the way back we had a great discussion about the future of the Invisible College (David is thinking of starting a Christian Studies College in Kingston), and also, we discussed the possiblity of having a coffee house at Next to raise awareness of Fair Trade Coffee (and also raise money so we can serve fair trade at Next) which I might be involved with when I get back to K-town. What a great family - I admire their principles so much, and the way they actually live them out is refreshing.
Tuesday, February 22, 2005
happy master's chris!
this is going back a week or two, but here is chris all dazzled and surprised by getting his master's in urban planning...relation to me? a friend and the finance of my next door neighbour/pottery instructor, abi
Friday, February 18, 2005
a born-again vegetarian
well, dear friends...today marks a special day for me. I've "officially" decided to do something that I've been thinking about for awhile.....and after a couple weeks of talking to friends, praying for wisdom, and then today after coducting some research, I've decided to become a vegetarian. Why, you ask?? Well, I now believe that a primarily plant-based diet is one of the the best ways to demonstrate my care for and stewardship of God's creation - including the animals, the earth, our starving global neighbours, and my body. Let me give a brief explanation of each (for more info visit www.goveg.com and/or www.jesusveg.com ) :
the animals - Due to the increased demand for meat and other animal products, many traditional farm settings where animals run free and healthy are quickly being replaced with factory-style farms where both "efficiency" and animal cruelty is high. In these mechanized indoor settings, the animals are heavily crowded and routinely treated in a inhumane manner. (For more info on this, go to www.thevegetariansite.com ) I believe that God wants me to care for His creatures and to defend them against all forms of unjust and cruel treatment. While I believe that God may allow people to eat meat where the animals have previously enjoyed a healthy and free life, I do not believe He would be pleased with the Western world's manner of inhumane treatment of His beloved creatures for the purpose efficiency and, ultimately, profit.
the earth - The earth's land, grain, and water resources are being depleted in order to raise animals quickly for the purpose of slaughtering them. The typcial meat-eater's diet consumes 14 X more water and 20 X more energy than a vegetarian's diet (see www.christianveg.com ). Also, 37% of the world's grain, and 66% of the USA's grain is used to feed animals that would otherwise eat other forms of food.
our starving global neighbours - It takes more grain to feed animals than people. The grain that is being used (see above) to feed the animals could be used to feed the world's poor. Also, because land, water, and other resources are limited, growing demands for meat increases the cost of all food, and the world's poor become increasingly unable to afford food of any kind.
my body - It's simply healthier! Evidence shows that those who follow a plant-based diet consisting of the right amount of whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and legumes (beans, lentil, soy-based tofu or textured vegetable product (TVP) have a dramatically lower incidence of heart disease, cancer, and stroke, among other diseases (see www.thevegetariansite.com ).
So that's why I've made this decision. The way I see it, the more people that make the decision to not eat meat (and we are blessed to live in a society where that option and mountains of delicious meat alternatives are available), the lower the demand will be for meat, which will result in the closing of factory-style farms, more natural resources and food available for people, especially the global poor, and we'd all be healthier! Plus, I've already found from cooking primarily vegetarian recipes over the last couple of months (3 girls that i lived with were vegetarians), I've realized that if being veggie does anything to me, it forces me to be creative in my cooking, which has been soooooo fun and yummy!
Anyways, while I haven't eaten red meat in a while, I have a feeling that this is going to be tougher than I thought - I already had to pick the pepperoni off a pizza today that my dad made, and that was a bit hard.... so wish me luck and feel free to hold me accountable!
and, as always, let me know your thoughts!!!
love,
-J
the animals - Due to the increased demand for meat and other animal products, many traditional farm settings where animals run free and healthy are quickly being replaced with factory-style farms where both "efficiency" and animal cruelty is high. In these mechanized indoor settings, the animals are heavily crowded and routinely treated in a inhumane manner. (For more info on this, go to www.thevegetariansite.com ) I believe that God wants me to care for His creatures and to defend them against all forms of unjust and cruel treatment. While I believe that God may allow people to eat meat where the animals have previously enjoyed a healthy and free life, I do not believe He would be pleased with the Western world's manner of inhumane treatment of His beloved creatures for the purpose efficiency and, ultimately, profit.
the earth - The earth's land, grain, and water resources are being depleted in order to raise animals quickly for the purpose of slaughtering them. The typcial meat-eater's diet consumes 14 X more water and 20 X more energy than a vegetarian's diet (see www.christianveg.com ). Also, 37% of the world's grain, and 66% of the USA's grain is used to feed animals that would otherwise eat other forms of food.
our starving global neighbours - It takes more grain to feed animals than people. The grain that is being used (see above) to feed the animals could be used to feed the world's poor. Also, because land, water, and other resources are limited, growing demands for meat increases the cost of all food, and the world's poor become increasingly unable to afford food of any kind.
my body - It's simply healthier! Evidence shows that those who follow a plant-based diet consisting of the right amount of whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and legumes (beans, lentil, soy-based tofu or textured vegetable product (TVP) have a dramatically lower incidence of heart disease, cancer, and stroke, among other diseases (see www.thevegetariansite.com ).
So that's why I've made this decision. The way I see it, the more people that make the decision to not eat meat (and we are blessed to live in a society where that option and mountains of delicious meat alternatives are available), the lower the demand will be for meat, which will result in the closing of factory-style farms, more natural resources and food available for people, especially the global poor, and we'd all be healthier! Plus, I've already found from cooking primarily vegetarian recipes over the last couple of months (3 girls that i lived with were vegetarians), I've realized that if being veggie does anything to me, it forces me to be creative in my cooking, which has been soooooo fun and yummy!
Anyways, while I haven't eaten red meat in a while, I have a feeling that this is going to be tougher than I thought - I already had to pick the pepperoni off a pizza today that my dad made, and that was a bit hard.... so wish me luck and feel free to hold me accountable!
and, as always, let me know your thoughts!!!
love,
-J
Wednesday, February 09, 2005
on globalization
"The point is not to seek to change the world for its own sake. The point is to be accountable to the Creator of the world by being responsible with the knowledge, time, gifts, abilities, and resources that we've been given so that we may better love our global neighbours as ourselves. If everyone engages in self-reflection and honestly seeks to do this, the world will be changed as a mere side effect of this greater aim."
-me
Lately I've been thinking a lot about globalization and what my dutiful christian response should be to it.....I've been taking a 5 week course by David Lyon, a friend from Next Church and a professor of Sociology at Queen's, entitled "Thinking About Things." It attempts to think Christianly about some tools of Western technology - the car, computer, cell phone, digital camera, etc, and how they affect our relationships with others and with the world.....it has been very enlightening, and I really believe it is a God-sent, because I have been praying for a long time for someone to come along who is well educated about the issues surrounding globalization (transnational corporations, sweatshops, coca-colonization, and the problem of 2/3rds global poverty, and all the injustices surrounding these things), and is also a deeply committed and wise biblical christian. I am looking forward to talking more to David about these issues, and he already has given me some christian literature on them, which i am excited to put at the end of my long list of "must-read" books....i think i might have to pump them up a few notches. :) At any cost, taking this course has strengthen my desire and given me passionate confirmation that I am to go to seminary, and I believe that Regent college in Vancouver is the way to go...David has taught out there, and I've heard great things about it.....I want to take a Masters of Christian Studies with a concentration in either Applied Theology, Interdisciplinary Studies, or Cross-Cultural education....we'll see...
Lord, grant me wisdom and courage as I seek to learn, grow and be responsible with things you have entrusted to me.
more thoughts on this to come...
-J
-me
Lately I've been thinking a lot about globalization and what my dutiful christian response should be to it.....I've been taking a 5 week course by David Lyon, a friend from Next Church and a professor of Sociology at Queen's, entitled "Thinking About Things." It attempts to think Christianly about some tools of Western technology - the car, computer, cell phone, digital camera, etc, and how they affect our relationships with others and with the world.....it has been very enlightening, and I really believe it is a God-sent, because I have been praying for a long time for someone to come along who is well educated about the issues surrounding globalization (transnational corporations, sweatshops, coca-colonization, and the problem of 2/3rds global poverty, and all the injustices surrounding these things), and is also a deeply committed and wise biblical christian. I am looking forward to talking more to David about these issues, and he already has given me some christian literature on them, which i am excited to put at the end of my long list of "must-read" books....i think i might have to pump them up a few notches. :) At any cost, taking this course has strengthen my desire and given me passionate confirmation that I am to go to seminary, and I believe that Regent college in Vancouver is the way to go...David has taught out there, and I've heard great things about it.....I want to take a Masters of Christian Studies with a concentration in either Applied Theology, Interdisciplinary Studies, or Cross-Cultural education....we'll see...
Lord, grant me wisdom and courage as I seek to learn, grow and be responsible with things you have entrusted to me.
more thoughts on this to come...
-J
Tuesday, February 08, 2005
Hotel Rwanda and the Good Samaritan
Wow. There are almost no words to describe the things that are running through my head after seeing this movie. For those of you who have not yet seen it - GO SEE HOTEL RWANDA....like TONIGHT. It was a powerful and moving portrayal of the horrible genocide that took over 800,000 Tutsi lives by the Hutu tribe in Rwanda in 1994. To see a trailer visit www.mgm.com/ua/hotelrwanda/main.html
I am a History teacher. I teach my students that it is important to understand the mistakes of our past so that we will not be doomed to repeat them. This fall I taught the Holocaust, the Jewish genocide that took over 6 million people's lives for no other reason other than than the fact that they were Jewish. For some reason, human pride took on its worst form as one group of people thought that they had the right to deem another group inferior and kill them off. According to a recent CBC poll, most Canadians do not even know the extent of the Holocaust, or the vague details surrounding where it took place or why. Almost all had little or no recollection of Canada's disgusting Anti-semitic immigration policy during the 1940s, which allowed no Jewish refugees into our country - we even turned a boat of refugees back into the hands of the Nazis! And then, 50 years later, Canada and the world proved that they had not learned their lesson....and again we turned a blind eye....this time towards Africa. The fact that new reports were coming back to the West while the massacre was taking place, and diplomats were were shaking their heads, but yet NOT ONE COUNTRY sent in intervention troops (sorry - except for a few days in order to escort some white rich people out) is absoluetly appalling - what have we learned?
I recognize the temptation to think that there is nothing that we can or could have done - for these things happen so far away....but, and forgive the cliche, we need to, right now, and within our sphere of influence, BE the change that we want to see in the world. Jesus told the parable of the Good Samaritan to teach of the ideal relations between people- especially supposed enemies. If you remember correctly, a Jewish man was robbed, beaten, and left for dead. Two people passed by, one a Levite, and one a priest (someone who you would expect to help), and both justified their actions - "What can I do? I'm just one person," I'm sure they were thinking. Or a plethora of other excuses that I'm ashamed to admit I identify with: "I'm too busy." "It's not my business." "Someone more suited will help him." "I'm sure it's too late - he's most likely already dead." "God will punish the criminals - in His own timing." All these excuses are simply ways to get out of our responsibility to our neighbours, to help them, to speak for them when they have no voice, to protect them from oppression and greed and hatred. Who finally helped this Jewish man? His enemy - someone he least expected. It is clear from this story that Jesus said that everyone - from the people in Rwanda, to the children working for Walmart in sweatshops in Haiti, to the beggar that annoys me every time I walk down Princess Street. EVERYONE on this planet is my neighbour and it is MY responsibility to reach out to them. Lord, please, help me to be the change that YOU want to see in this world. And help us all to wake up and stop repeating the same tragic mistakes.
I am a History teacher. I teach my students that it is important to understand the mistakes of our past so that we will not be doomed to repeat them. This fall I taught the Holocaust, the Jewish genocide that took over 6 million people's lives for no other reason other than than the fact that they were Jewish. For some reason, human pride took on its worst form as one group of people thought that they had the right to deem another group inferior and kill them off. According to a recent CBC poll, most Canadians do not even know the extent of the Holocaust, or the vague details surrounding where it took place or why. Almost all had little or no recollection of Canada's disgusting Anti-semitic immigration policy during the 1940s, which allowed no Jewish refugees into our country - we even turned a boat of refugees back into the hands of the Nazis! And then, 50 years later, Canada and the world proved that they had not learned their lesson....and again we turned a blind eye....this time towards Africa. The fact that new reports were coming back to the West while the massacre was taking place, and diplomats were were shaking their heads, but yet NOT ONE COUNTRY sent in intervention troops (sorry - except for a few days in order to escort some white rich people out) is absoluetly appalling - what have we learned?
I recognize the temptation to think that there is nothing that we can or could have done - for these things happen so far away....but, and forgive the cliche, we need to, right now, and within our sphere of influence, BE the change that we want to see in the world. Jesus told the parable of the Good Samaritan to teach of the ideal relations between people- especially supposed enemies. If you remember correctly, a Jewish man was robbed, beaten, and left for dead. Two people passed by, one a Levite, and one a priest (someone who you would expect to help), and both justified their actions - "What can I do? I'm just one person," I'm sure they were thinking. Or a plethora of other excuses that I'm ashamed to admit I identify with: "I'm too busy." "It's not my business." "Someone more suited will help him." "I'm sure it's too late - he's most likely already dead." "God will punish the criminals - in His own timing." All these excuses are simply ways to get out of our responsibility to our neighbours, to help them, to speak for them when they have no voice, to protect them from oppression and greed and hatred. Who finally helped this Jewish man? His enemy - someone he least expected. It is clear from this story that Jesus said that everyone - from the people in Rwanda, to the children working for Walmart in sweatshops in Haiti, to the beggar that annoys me every time I walk down Princess Street. EVERYONE on this planet is my neighbour and it is MY responsibility to reach out to them. Lord, please, help me to be the change that YOU want to see in this world. And help us all to wake up and stop repeating the same tragic mistakes.
Saturday, February 05, 2005
Tsunami Relief Carnival
Last night the students from the Faculty of Education here at Queens put on a fun-tastic carnival to raise money for the Tsunami Relief....I volunteered as a face-painter and had tonnes of fun! The event was a great success.....
So here's Esther and Dave displaying their beautiful new works of art....:) yes folks, that is a sheep on Dave's face...
And here's JR Flash and a young beautiful girl that he just rescued....
and here's some cute little girls who's faces I painted!
So here's Esther and Dave displaying their beautiful new works of art....:) yes folks, that is a sheep on Dave's face...
And here's JR Flash and a young beautiful girl that he just rescued....
and here's some cute little girls who's faces I painted!
Tir-nan-og
Good times at the Tir-nan-og on Thursday, here's Carol, Dena, and Lea Ellen...too bad they DITCHED me to single Jann Arden's Insensitive ALL BY MYSELF!! that's ok, girls, i found new friends....
And me and Emily!! This girl rocks and may live with me this summer!
procrastination can be fun!
well, this week i had lots of work to do for a change.....and i tried to work really really hard, but i was just too distracted....yeah so here's me taking a break from my essay research and...yes, building a kinder surprise toy...
and here i am playing with my new alien spaceship....hee hee...that was fun...:)
and here i am playing with my new alien spaceship....hee hee...that was fun...:)
the new Hot 116
Here are my beautiful new housemates, Laura (beside me) and Lindsay.
Lindsay was my frosh leader and Laura has the pyscho-somatic desire to
organize everything.....like the fridge and the cupboards.....she's
crazy, but we love her anyways!! :)
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