Homo sum; humani nihil a me alienum puto

(~I am a [wo]man and think that there is no human problem which does not concern me.)

This noble sentiment has been increasingly on my mind lately. I watched Oprah's "Building a Dream" special last week, where she debuts her new Leadership Academy for Girls in South Africa. What a moving show! We take so much for granted in this 'land of the free' where opportunities are so readily available, we hardly notice them as opportunities. We recorded that special and will be having a family viewing of it, complete with a traditional South African dessert called Malva Pudding. I hope our children will not only be alive to the suffering and injustice present in so many parts of the world, but that they will view their educational opportunities as the blessing they are, and cherish them a little more.

Last night, my husband and I finally were able to view Al Gore's Academy Award winning documentary, "An Inconvenient Truth". Wow. Wow again. My dear friend, Luisa Perkins has been gently prodding me in Al's direction for many years, and I must say how impressed I was with him and the passion with which he teaches what he calls his life's work. Regardless of political views, he is right when he says this is not a political issue, but a moral issue. We are stewards over this Earth, and we have not been responsible with her. Each one individually can have an impact on reversing the damage of global warming, of that I am certain. I believe in the power of one. Thanks to my hippie parents, I am already an ardent recycler, and I walk rather than drive when possible. Our family doesn't eat much meat and our thermostats are programmed to be as efficient as possible. Now we are unplugging appliances not in use. Next step: replace our lightbulbs with energy-efficient compact fluorescent bulbs. Future dream: buy a hybrid car for all this LA traffic! Thank you, Al Gore! Thank you, Luisa! (I wish I knew how to post links to these sites, but visit www.climatecrisis.net for more info, or go pop over to Luisa's blog at www.novembrance.blogspot.com) Oh, and the Malva Pudding recipe is on Oprah's site. Do a search.