This month we are hosting the 3rd annual Naught Noses Gala evening to raise money for Jest For Joy Clown-Doctoring foundation.

We aim to raise $10,000 on the night (28th Jan if you are available - it's at the River Rock Casino to make it easy to get to). Music by Micheal Creber, Comedy from Greg Kettner, silent and live auctions, food, bar, charity balckjack. It's going to be a fun evening.

It's funny that coming from such a selfish, parochial society as (I found) the UK how much I am enjoying being an integral part of the fundraising fro Jest for Joy Clown-Doctoring Foundation.

This week I joined the board of Jest for Joy as the Fundraising Chair. I have done this because I think that the work that they do fills an important gap in the healthcare system for a particularly underserved demographic.

I attended a systems thinking seminar on Saturday by Russel Horwitz. It was very interesting but like all courses based on the true nature of the predicament that we are facing, somewhat daunting, depressing and aggravating. http://www.leadership-vancouver.ca/Sys-Think.asp

It occurs to me that we are in a communal grieving process.

Shock stage: Initial paralysis at hearing the bad news.

This book, by a former chief economist of CIBC, is facinating if somewhat depressing. Anybody interesting in profiting from the upcoming and permanent surge in oil prices would be well advised to read this book. At least you can make some money out of an economic armageddon that you won't be able to stop anyway.

Am facinated by the Degrowth movement. I believe with all my heart that it is the only way forward the question now is whether people will adopt it out of necessity or willing enlightenment. I can't see a way that they will adopt anything but the most rudimentary degrowth principles without all alternaives being removed through taxation (which won't happen) of some form - maybe tarrifs.

When giving presents to the friends of my child I am now going to consciously avoid anything that is over packaged. I was actually offended by the level of waste that her recent 4th birthday party generated in terms of ribbons, paper and plastic barbie packaging.

Off the top of my head here are my thoughts:(Please don't read this if you are overly politically correct it's just my point of view - and some opinions are liable to change with time.)

This is my first spring with the rainbarrel that I installed last year. I hope the water that I collected isn't too rancid when it goes on the lawn. Early indications are that it's good.

Yesterday I saw a guy drop his butt out of the window of the car ahead of me at some traffic lights. I thought twice about jumping out because a) I had my mom-in-law in the car b) there were two of them in that car c) something looked odd.