1. Daniel Nahabedian: “Home” is just a roof I can rest under temporarily. I am not attached to any place, any country or location. It is more a base where I can put my belongings and come back to rest, and abandon easily to go and discover what should be considered our true Home: Earth.

2. Sarah Menkedick: Home for me is 5 p.m. on a winter evening in Ohio. It smells sharp like woodsmoke and ice, and the light has a quiet, melancholy gentleness to it that makes you sense the whole of your life passing, so short. When I was in high school I used to stare out the back windows of our kitchen at this light in the winter and think about where I was going, about the life that lay ahead. I do the same thing now whenever I go home in December; find myself looking out the windows of my parents’ farmhouse and feeling the winter and the passing of time.

3. Slava Bowman: Home means fresh, sun-kissed, home-grown colorful veggies cut up in a delicious, mouth-watering, towering feta-topped shopska salata! Mmmm…YUM!

4. Abby Leonard: Home means sitting on a porch, watching the sun set over the Sound, enjoying the wisdom that a bottle of wine brings out in friends and family. This photo was taken in Bellingham, Washington.

5. David Miller: This photo was taken at Hot Sulphur Springs along the Colorado River. Layla was looking at deer on the mountainside. We were essentially “homeless” during this time, Summer of 09, having left Seattle and basically just camping / traveling in Colorado. And yet this feels super “at home” to me. Just being together, experiencing places that Lau and I love and can now experience again for the first time with Layla. That’s what “home” means, I think: being in love with the places you find yourself and the people there with you.

6. Rebecca Kinsella: For me, returning ‘home’ in 3 months means hanging out with my brothers and sister again after two years abroad.

7. Kendra Hoffman: Home is a faded memory: my mother’s garden lingers where I once danced with my sisters among the sunflowers, and my father’s woodshed looms behind it all. Only the winter speaks the truth: we all await rebirth.

8. Nancy Harder: Home is transitioning for us right now. Home is wherever my husband, James, and my dog, Zoey, are, which will be this house in Blacksburg, Virginia on May 30. In this pic, Zoey’s scoping out the new scene on the day we closed.

9. Elga Reyes: This is home in the Philippines – but not until recently, not until Typhoon Ketsena (known locally as Typhoon Ondoy) hit my country, my hometown, all my loved ones hard. All my life I’ve only wanted to go away, to travel and experience the world, and never had I looked back and considered point zero. I am still a wanderer but now with an anchor, or better yet a return ticket to what truly counts, my family.

10. Soultravelers3: The world means home to our family as we’ve chosen an open-ended global tour lifestyle since 2006, and raised our trilingual child as a citizen of the world. Everywhere is our home and we are related to everyone! Home is where the heart is and our heart is everywhere! Home lives inside us and is the love that guides us, and which also is constantly reflected back to us by the beautiful people we meet and places we see.

11. Debra Lane: This is me experiencing “home” while with the Dogon Tribe in Mali, Africa.

12.Lindsey T Rue: Home is a place that wraps me in comfort – where I can breathe, imagine, play and gather with good friends. I’m a perpetual traveler that changes locations with the seasons, and this photo is of my gypsy caravan parked along the banks of the Taya River, Alaska, in 2008.

13.Scott Hartman: Hiking down the Escalante River in southern Utah, looking for a camp… found this sandbar with a heart on it… home IS where the heart is!

14.Jeff Bartlett: Hailing from the oil and gas town of Fort St John, located 1200 km north of Vancouver, home has always meant two things: snow and work.

15.Tom Gates: Home means dreaming about being away. This is the top of my fridge, with a hand-sewn card from Laos and a blinding digital clock from Japan. They’re the first thing I see when I stumble towards a glass of water in the morning and I will inevitably grin when I see them, no matter how morning-grumbly I am.

COMMUNITY CONNECTION

What does home mean to you? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

We want to share with you the process that gives birth to the articles on Matador Life. Each week, Leigh, Candice and I get together online for an epic chat to sort out the schedule for the following two weeks.

I’m not ashamed to say these sessions are one of the highlights of my week. Our chat is hilarious, and inevitably veers into all sorts of off-the-wall tangents. It often stretches to over 500 lines!

Here are some excerpts from the last few months that give a flavor of the sorts of things we cover. I’ve pared them down a lot – no-one wants to read a 500 line chat – and added a few links to relevant articles, but other than that I’ve left everything exactly as was originally typed.

Two things you need to know first. Candice works for a deep sea tech company whose tagline is “Go deeper, last longer.” No joke! And Andy is the Matador social media ninja, who deals with our twittering and facebookery.

Enjoy!

Leigh: You’ve been invited to this chat room!
   i think we’re all here now?
Nick: I’m here
   Candice hasn’t wooped yet though
Candice: woooo!!! it’s mandatory now
Nick: ah, there you are!
Leigh: sorry. one sec. we have guests staying adn they’re just heading out the door.
   brb
Nick: cool
   how’s you, Candice?
   still going deep, long and wet
   or whatever it is?!
Candice: hahahahahahahaha go deeper last longer! yes, i’m currently putting together some documentation for our seinefish netsounders. it’s really really thrilling
Nick: seinefish netsounders?
   you just made that up!
Leigh: hey. i’m back
Candice: play time over!
Leigh: ok. so how about we try to bang out the next two week.
Nick: don’t use words like that around Candice
Candice: hahahahahahaha

Candice has left

Photo by Simon Law

Nick: no, candice, come back
Leigh: so how about we work with this chick to expand on points 2 and 3 for a less bullet point article and a more Life LEssons type essay?
   lol. (sort of)
   candice? you back yet?
   nick?
   omg am i alone chatting online?
_____

Nick: How’s diving deeper, Candice?!
Candice: biggest sonar company in canada man! you should see our underwater robot
Nick: Now that is a chat up line
   Come back to mine and I’ll show you my underwater robot
Candice: LOL
Leigh: lol. yes. altho i had an idea for another article.
Nick: yup
Leigh: euphemisms for penis and vagina.
   underwater robot..
Nick: LOVE IT
Candice: baaaaaaaaaahahahahahahaha
Leigh: anywya… let’s think on that, love on that.
Nick: great one to crowd source
   Imagine Andy sending out a tweet:

Photo by Catherine Sherer

Leigh: LOL.
   Matador Life has gone entirely adolescent!
Nick: What pet names do you and your partner have for your penis and vagina
   DM with details
Candice: LOL
Leigh: LOLOLOLOL
   should it be a photo essay?
Candice: absolutely!
Leigh: with little signs propped up on the nicknamed member.
Candice: nick, keep this convo for wheneer you write that “how things get done at Life” snack hahaha
Nick: you could do it with the team, anonymous, and have the readers try to guess whose is whose
Leigh: brb. gotta take puppy out so he doesn’t shit on the floor
Nick: oh my god we’ve descended into farce!
Candice: that’s not descending!
Leigh: jus tpost this entire conversation. no edits. nothing.
   would be perfect.
   with a title… this is who you trust to write about living your Life?
Nick: feels like the beautiful beginning of a new site, Matador Porn
_____

Leigh: shall we make it an entirely foodie week that following week?
   bolognaise. face products from your kitchen.
Nick: I really like the idea of a foodie week
Candice: semen pudding!
Leigh: DING DING DING
Nick: noooooooooooooo
   spotted dick
Leigh: and placenta.
   LOLOLOL
Candice: i can’t do a video but i can do a photo type thingy
   …not of semen p udding
Leigh: how about this… for the food beauty products..
   i’ll give you each a recipe. you try them out and take photos.
Nick: hang on, is this making and eating food, or putting cucumber in my ears
Leigh: putting cucumber on your ears.
   and covering your entire body with labneh
Candice: that would be hysterical
   i’m gonna get my male roomie to help me with the face masks

Photo by Candice Walsh

Leigh: DEFINITELY!
Nick: I’m gonna have a face mask party
Leigh: omg. i see another chatroulette article possibley.
Candice: hahahahahahahahaha
Leigh: lol. with whom?
Nick: anyone who’s willing to do absurd things in the name of writing and art
Candice: should be all males
Leigh: nick, can’t wait to see you covered in yogurt.
Candice: LOL
Nick: OH. My. God!
Leigh: what? what?
Nick: did I really say yes to that?!!
   (yoghurt)
Leigh: you will thank me for it afterwards.
_____

Leigh: man. is it a good thing we can’t all get together and go out for a drink.
   or a bad one.
Nick: it’ll happen one day
   and the world will never be the same again
Candice: getting together for drinks is on my bucket list
Nick: getting together for buckets is on my drinks list
Candice: LOLLLL nick
Leigh: what the hella re you two talking about?
Nick: not sure anymore…
Candice: buckets of beer
   i don’t even know
Leigh: so really, candice. do you actually drink that much?
Nick: yeah, do you really drink buckets of beer?
Leigh: there’s this whole myth around candice that she’s a huge drinker.
   but i don’t see it.
Nick: i think it’s a carefully managed image
Candice: you don’t have buckets of beer? not like, actual beer…bottles of beer in buckets. it’s a big thing
Nick: bottles of beer in buckets
   don’t you have fridges?
_____

Leigh: oks. thaks for the chat. we accomplished a shitload.
Nick: this has been an epic, and emotional, multi-chat
   my fingers are dead
Leigh: lol.
   i know. it’s a bit exhausting.
Candice: LOL
Leigh: cool. thanks nick. thanks candice.
   good getting this hammered out.
Candice: for sure!
Nick: x

COMMUNITY CONNECTION

Come follow the Matador Life team on Twitter! Leigh: @thefutureisred, Candice: @candicewalsh, and Nick: @Pharaonick

Photo by ftzdomino

A recent survey conducted for a sales management training company titled Sandler Training discovered that public attitudes toward salespeople in the United States are pretty grim. So grim that the only thing worse than making cold calls to strangers is getting a root canal.

In fact, people would rather give up sex for a month than call strangers to pitch sales for one week. Either the 1,226 respondents have really boring sex lives, or being a salesperson is definitely the worst job in the world.

The options seem a little uneven, though. Comparing surgery, sex, and sales? Sex is the only pleasurable experience, and the least humiliating (most of the time). But all surveys have their quirks: consider the “Top-secret Librarian Sex Survey” of 1992, which caused the surveyor, Will Manley, to lose his job. Some of the questions asked librarians to identify their first sexual experience with a Shakespeare title (the most popular answer was A Comedy of Errors). Then again, it does get people talking.

I’m not sure what kind of enlightenment we’re supposed to achieve from these surveys, or what kind of insights we should gain about humanity. But I’m pretty sure a Bathroom Habits Survey won’t reveal the true meaning of the actions behind someone who drops four squares of toilet paper into the toilet before using it to prevent splash-back. Some of us need confirmation that we’re not weirdos, perhaps?

Regardless, we’re dying to know: what would you prefer doing instead of cold calls?

Community Connection

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Photo by mikehipp

Returning from Hawaii recently, I suffered a bad case of post-vacation blues. My trip had been EXCITING. Seaplane rides, forest hikes, and culinary discoveries. I had been open to everything in front of me and became accustomed to finding a unique thrill every day.

Back in familiar surroundings again, I fell into old humdrum patterns.

I know I’m not alone.

Why do we enthusiastically seek fresh experiences while traveling, but fall into inertia after arriving home?

One reason may be that we get immediately pulled into a 9 to 5 grind with little energy for something more. Or perhaps we have an internal “pragmatic” switch that makes us focus more on laundry and bills.

Our reluctance may also stem from our habits and inclinations. We’re hardwired to act in certain ways. Travel breaks us out of those patterns and temporarily reshapes our personality. Given the time, expense and effort required to travel, we want to take advantage of that locale. Domestic life, on the contrary, steers us towards default behavior.

It’s also tempting to think our home lives don’t hold the same exciting opportunities. Yet every day we have the opportunity to expose ourselves to something new and stimulating.

Photo by Father.Jack

The Project

After two weeks of post-Hawaii doldrums, I finally had enough and embarked on an experiment: A Month of Living Adventurously. The premise was simple: do something completely new every single day.

During this period, I committed myself to doing things I’ve always meant to do. I sought experiences challenging my natural tendencies. Not every undertaking was a huge lofty goal. The point was to break out of my box in big and small ways.

What did I do this month? Among other things:

1. Rode a mechanical bull
2. Invited my entire apartment building over for a Meet and Greet
3. Entered a cooking contest
4. Tried natto, Japanese fermented soy beans
5. Confronted a rude neighbor
6. Made tamales from scratch
7. Stuck my feet in a bath of fish for a fish pedicure
8. Tested out a hyperbaric oxygen chamber
9. Got in touch with an ex-boyfriend from 15 years ago
10. Tried (and failed) to make my own cheese

The Outcome

My experiment was successful, and pulled me out of my funk by replicating many of the things I most love about travel. I felt a boost of energy from simple trials like thrashing around on a mechanical bull or eating a new food. The feeling was even stronger if the action was intimidating, like confronting my inconsiderate neighbor.

I began to explore my usual surroundings with fresh perspective. Simply wandering an unfamiliar area and sitting in a park made me feel I was somewhere new.

Turns out, fresh encounters have a trickle-down effect. One novel event leads to another, and then to the next. Life takes on an exciting flow.

One day during the month, I ventured to a recently opened café. Uncharacteristically, I chatted with the owner for some time, which led to free tickets to a music show. Attending that show then led to meeting another new person who suggested yet another unique venue.

Trekking around the globe, I’m not shy, forging friendships in youth hostels and on train trips. But in my hometown, I’m reserved. Hence, inviting 20 strangers to a Meet and Greet was a tremendous challenge. Sure, it was a little awkward to find common ground, but there is potential for friendship with a few of my neighbors.

Photo by Tracy Hunter

I also became less fearful of failing. I had high expectations of making a fabulous pizza with homemade cheese and was disappointed with a handful of runny curds. I came nowhere near winning the cooking contest.

And my anxious attempt to befriend a high school boyfriend was met with “meh.” None of these attempts were successes, but I found power simply in the trying.

And while some of these new enterprises I never want to experience again, like eating natto and “rejuvenating” in a pressurized oxygen chamber, I gained a new outlook on my own city as a place for backyard travel.

Best of all, I woke up excited each day about the prospect of a new discovery, which in turn reaffirmed my commitment to exploring life with openness and enthusiasm.

How to Plan Your Own Month of New Things

Feeling stuck in a rut or confined in your surroundings? Try this experiment too.

Create a bucket list. Run a marathon, take cello lessons, go skydiving. Obviously your schedule and finances might limit what you can immediately do, but it’s a start. And finally taking that first step is a new experience, right?

Browse newspapers and local guides for events. You might feel some pressure initially to devise a fresh idea every day, but it’s easier than you think if you keep your eyes peeled and ears open.

Seek inspiration from friends. Adventurous pals are excellent sources of information and ideas.

Budget for different price ranges. New ventures can be pricey, so incorporate budget friendly experiences too. Examples include visiting museums on free days or volunteering for an organization that interests you.

Schedule new experiences on a calendar. This takes a degree of spontaneity out of the experiment, but it helps keep momentum. It also reduces the anxiety of “What in the world is my new thing going to be today?”

Finally, focus on enjoying, not achieving.

COMMUNITY CONNECTION

How do you feel like a traveler in your own hometown? What new local adventures have you pursued recently? Share your experiences in the comments below.

Feature photo: sushitsavo /Blind cat photo: seanmcgrath

The animal shelter was crowded with people huddled around the kennels holding kittens. Teenage girls oohed and aahed as they held the tiny lumps of fur in their hands. Mothers gently placed kittens in their childrens’ arms, showing them how to properly hold the critters.

And then there was Toby. Full grown and more than a year old, he lay by himself on a cat climber in the corner of the room, lazily licking his paw. This scene was nothing new to him, especially considering he’d been living at the shelter for nearly a year.

When my husband walked into the room, a young girl had been petting Toby.

“How about this one?” she asked her mother.

“We don’t want a broken cat,” her mother replied.

That had been the story of Toby’s life since arriving at the shelter. No one showed any interest in the cat with one eye, half an ear and half a tail. So we did the only logical thing: We adopted Toby.

Why We Do It

Toby is not our only adopted critter. In fact, my husband and I made the decision long ago never to have children and began adopting special needs and older animals instead. Though I could go on for hours about our choice to have animals instead of kids, suffice to say that I believe that, in a world that is already overpopulated, there is no need for me to reproduce. I also believe that a lot of women have children because they think they’re supposed to, or they’re pressured into doing what their mother, grandmother, sister, best friend or hairdresser tells them to do.

Not me. I make the decisions about my body, and one of the things I’ve decided with my husband is that we’d much rather provide a comfortable home for a handful of four-legged critters instead of children.

The Special Needs Problem

In many ways, Toby is a normal cat. He needs no special medications and doesn’t have any medical problems due to his physical shortcomings. We can’t sneak up on his blind side and occasionally he loses his balance, but he loves lying in the sunshine and pouncing on toys just like any other cat.

Many people see physical deformities in an animal as a sign of a shortcoming, but this just isn’t true. Nor is it true that an animal with a medical or mental problem is any less of an animal. The real problem is that they require extra care—perhaps medications or a special diet—and possibly more vigilance, which sometimes equates to more money.

For people who just want to adopt a pet and not a family member, this added expense is an issue and many of the animals who have special needs are cast aside for more ideal models.

My definition of special needs doesn’t just encompass noted physical or mental issues. Many animals that are rescued have been neglected or abused, and they have emotional scarring that requires special attention. My husband and I adopted our dog, Butch Mbwa, from Kenya, a logistical and financial nightmare that was worth his happiness. Though it takes him a long time to feel at ease around unfamiliar men and he still gets nervous at the dog park, he lives a safe and comfortable life now.

Older Animals

Everyone wants to adopt a new, cute, perfect animal, but kittens and puppies don’t stay small forever, and many of them are returned to the shelter once the novelty of having a pet wears off. This doesn’t make sense to me personally; the pets we’ve adopted are our family members, and the idea of returning a kid to the hospital after a few months is ludicrous, yet people surrender animals all of the time.

Photo by: W J (Bill) Harrison

Just as special needs animals are at a disadvantage when it comes to being adopted, so are adult and senior animals. I’m not sure why people are so hesitant to adopt older animals—perhaps they think of them as used or past their prime of life?—but my husband and I go out of our way to adopt older pets for several reasons.

Older animals are already trained and require a lot less moment-to-moment maintenance. They’re significantly more laid back than younger animals, and they’ve had time to develop a demeanor and personality, so you know what you’re getting when you adopt.

However, older pets may require additional care or medications, which equates to a larger financial commitment.

We know that when we adopt older animals, they won’t be with us for a lifetime, but I like to know that we’re providing a relaxed place for them to live out the remainder of their lives. Our Chihuahua/Boston terrier mix, Bianca, for example, joined our family when she was 10 years old. She is deaf, has a heart murmur and is now nearing the elderly age of 12. The vet told us she’ll probably live to be 15 or 16, so we don’t have a long time with her, but we’ll care for and love her until her last day.

Adopting older animals also gives us the opportunity to provide more animals with a home. We can’t adopt every needy animal that crosses our path, but by adopting older pets, we know we’ll be able to provide more of them with homes over a longer period of time.

Adoption Considerations

Adopting a special needs or older pet is similar to adopting any pet, but there are additional considerations. Instead of jumping in to the decision, you really should think about all of the circumstances surrounding the animal’s needs. One of the worst things that can happen is you find the fit is wrong, forcing you to surrender the animal you’ve just adopted.

If you’re thinking about adopting a special needs or older pet, there are a few things you need to ask yourself, including:

1.) What are the additional financial costs? Think about any special medications, treatments or diet plans your pet will require. Animals with mobility issues may need therapy while those with medical problems might require more vet visits or surgeries. Older animals will need to have their teeth cleaned more often than younger animals.

2.) Can I accommodate the animal? Special needs pets might need medications at certain times of the day or particular living arrangements so they can move around. As a caregiver, you’ll need to make sure you are available to meet these needs or find a way to address them before introducing the animal to your home.

3.) How will the animal fit in with the rest of the family? Animals with emotional issues may feel overwhelmed with young children or a lot of people in the house. Additionally, introducing new animals into a home where pets are already living can be a challenge. Before you adopt, inquire about any environmental conditions the animal cannot tolerate. Some organizations allow you see if a pet would be comfortable living in your home with a short-term “fostering” period. This might be an overnight stay or a few days.

Where to Adopt

Special needs and older animals everywhere need homes, so you won’t need to look far to find one to adopt. If you need somewhere to start, consider these places:

1.) Your local humane shelter. Many cities have an animal shelter packed to capacity. Inquire about those animals that have been there the longest, are the oldest or need special care.

2.) Animal database networks. There are rescue groups that take in stray or abandoned animals all over the world. Once the animals are immunized and spayed or neutered, they’re placed in an online database that people can search based on animal type, breed, age, size, gender and special needs. In the United States, for example, Petfinder offers a service that matches people with the ideal pet, even if they initially live thousands of miles apart.

3.) Breed-specific rescue groups.

Pit bull photo by: stephpowell

If you’re interested in adopting a specific breed of animal, chances are there is a rescue group that would be happy to place a pet in your home. Rescue groups often receive the animals saved from breeding mills that are shut down; they also get greyhounds that can’t run anymore, pit bulls that have been banned due to city restrictions and dogs who don’t otherwise “live up” to the hype of their breed.

4.) The street. Though it isn’t safe to approach a wild dog or feral cat, if a stray animal adopts you, consider adopting it. If you’re considering adopting an animal off the street, ask around the neighborhood first. In many nations, animals roam around without identification, and what may appear to be a stray actually belongs to someone else. In many other places, however, the concept of a pet doesn’t even exist and the animals on the street truly are homeless.

5.) Foster. If you absolutely must have a kitten or puppy, consider adopting an older or special needs animal, then volunteer to foster young animals that need to adapt to socialization or grow older before they are suitable for adoption. It feeds the need to have cute, young animals, but still allows you provide a forever home for those who are less likely to be adopted.

COMMUNITY CONNECTION

Have you ever adopted a special needs or older pet? Tell us about your experiences.

Want to meet some of the Matador community’s pets? Check out this Matador pet photo essay.

Feature photo by skitzitilby.

Inspired by the famous PostSecret project, we invited Matadorians to share a little part of their private lives. The weird things you do when you’re alone in the house, the regrets you’ve been harboring for years, the secret resentment towards your loved ones, even the silly pleasures of your day. Anything goes.

Surprisingly, we received just a few secrets. Everybody loved the idea, but when it came to baring all, it seems there was some reluctance. What’s holding us back? Why has it become so taboo to share our feelings?

Viewing those short, intimate insights into someone’s world makes us all feel a human connection. Maybe you can let out a sigh of relief and say, “Thank God I’m not the only one.”

1. Loneliness isn’t an easy thing to admit, I’m glad you did.

2. Take the enrichment from that experience to right your wrongs. A guilty conscience is a good thing.

3. It took me awhile to comprehend the significance of a five year old writing a suicide note. I hope you find happiness, I think you will.

Community Connection

Didn’t get a chance to submit? There’s still time! Simply follow the directions in our Call For Submissions, and we’ll share your secret. It’s completely anonymous, I promise.

Photo by mind on fire

The other day, I came across a list of fourteen downloadable files of books that have been made illegal or banned.

“Banned books?” I thought to myself. “Feh.” I generally look skeptically whenever I hear something has been banned because experience has shown me when someone says a book shouldn’t be read it’s an attempt at censorship and not because there is truly something harmful in the book.

And really, how can a book be harmful?

A quick scan through a list of banned books through the ages only confirms my initial feeling.

• The Diary of Anne Frank banned in Lebanon for portraying Jews favorably.
• The Da Vinci Code deemed offensive to Christianity
• Gustave Flaubert was prosecuted in France for “offenses to public morals” because of his Madame Bovary.
• Not Without My Daughter banned in Iran because it shows Iran in a bad light.

Do you see a pattern here? People and political bodies excise literature and art that conflicts with their world view. As world view shifts, as it inevitably does, the list of censored and outlawed materials changes too. While truth may be a difficult entity to determine, when a government or other body seeks to limit and thus carefully construct the information their citizens receive, propaganda overtakes our vision of reality.

George Orwell’s novel 1984 — banned by Joseph Stalin in 1950 — vividly portrays the type of world created by just this type of censorship.

It Begins By Indoctrinating the Children

According to the American Library Association, parents challenge books more often than any other group under the guise of protecting their children. I’m so proud! “Anti-family,” I believe is the doublespeak term used to justify these actions.

Ironically, when a government wants to censor the actions of its people, they first indoctrinate children in the ways of “correct thinking” and those children then spy on their parents. Refer back to Orwell’s 1984 to see how this happens.

But are there some books that shouldn’t be open for public consumption?

Last week, I would have said no. All books should be open and readily available to those who want to read them.

Of course, I get that certain books contain materials that aren’t appropriate for younger children – be that with sexually explicit or violent content – but you don’t protect children by simply removing the offending material from public consumption.

Then I came across this list of 14 books.

Should Simply Reading About Illegal Subjects Be Outlawed?

Photo by PugnoM

This list includes a Beginner’s Guide To Growing Marijuana and another on How-to Grow Psychedelic Mushrooms. Fine, I understand they might be banned because they encourage and teach people to cultivate illegal crops, but those are plants, right? How much harm can they really do and how many mushrooms will the average person grow? That and whether or not these crops should even be illegal is a topic worthy of another article in itself.

Then I come across a book with 100 Ways To Disappear and Live Free. Or the secrets of manufacturing methamphetamines by Uncle Fester.

All of these are already available for sale or even free over the internet. While my Amazon search for Justin Gombos’ Fooling the Bladder Cops only lead me to a small selection of deluxe hydration bladders, Yahoo brought me right to what I wanted to read.

That’s when my initial resolve begins to waver.

While many of us might find it a great party trick to pick a lock or help a friend set up grow lights in an empty closet, the bottom line is these books help train you to commit crimes or learn to get away with them.

Do you really want someone at the wheel of your flight or train ride having tricked a urine test?

How many of those people living free and clear off the grid are law abiding citizens who mean and do no harm but simply want to be alone. (If my experiences living on a tiny island off the coast of Panama is any indication, that number is extremely small.)

Some other titles to consider:

• Twenty-one Techniques of Silent Killing.
• Silent But Deadly: More Homemade Silencers.
• The ever maligned Anarchist’s Cookbook.

Is Information Dangerous In Itself?

When I originally found this list of books, my thought was to publish the titles as a list of interesting banned and illegal books with quotes and links to them, but then I had a second thought. After all, there’s plenty of information to suggest these books are indeed dangerous.

Do you agree with our decision?

COMMUNITY CONNECTION

Photo by ezioman

A few years ago, a company named Sustainable Dance Club (SDC) introduced a dance floor used to power an entire nightclub. In Rotterdam’s club WATT, the stomping feet of dancers powers the club’s light system and music. There’s even a huge battery life monitor to keep people interactive and dancing.

Here’s how it works:

The deputy mayor of Toulouse wants to take this technology and apply it to “pavement power,” generating electricity for street lamps simply by people strolling along the sidewalk.

As a trial run, eight modules have already been installed in Toulouse. Their design differs from the dance club, however, because the modules have to be modified to work for walkers instead of dancers.

Why not combine both? How different would our evenings be if we had to dance our way home, whirling on the sidewalk, looping arms with passer-bys and kicking up heels? Street lights wouldn’t just light up, they’d blare music into the streets. Waltz to some Sinatra, or break out the parachute pants for some Hammer Time.

Imagine a city where people wouldn’t move along the street with heads down, but do the funky-chicken in passing. Or grind on people to keep the vibe alive, like the couple in the following video.

I do suggest pulling less awkward moves than the ones shown here. Even the DJ seems bored, although the fate of the club rests entirely on his shoulders as he is responsible for the stiff dancers who are in turn responsible for keeping the music going, like a vicious cycle. If the powered pavement worked in the same manner, how would you feel about being responsible for shutting down a whole town?

Community Connection

What do you think, are powered pavement and dance floors a good way to practice sustainability? Will the long-term benefits outweigh the current costs?

Photo by dizznbonn

Take Hazel Soares who just graduated from Mills College in Oakland, CA with an art history degree. She is 94 years old.

Do away with your hundred indecisions and all of your revisions. Is it worth it to wonder “Do I dare?” Instead, start now, no matter what your situation, your age or your physical condition.

Gulf War veteran Dana Cummings made it through two tours of service without major injury then came home to lose his leg in a car accident. Know what he did? He took up surfing.

Jessica Watson successfully sailed the world at sixteen years old in spite of other people’s doubts. “People don’t realize what 16 year olds and girls are capable of,” she said. “It’s amazing when you take away those expectations, what you can do.”

What Can I Do?

You can ride a dune buggy. You can parachute jump. You can become a professional photographer at any age!

All you women in your early to mid-thirties can stop worrying that your fertility is slowly seeping out of your ear and read about a woman in India who gave birth to twins in her seventies.

You can become the world’s oldest male stripper like Bernie Barker, who took up dancing to get in shape while recovering from prostate cancer.

You, too, can become a painter after a successful career as a writer.

Photo by Bruce Tuten

When you hear yourself creating reasons for why you can’t. Too old. Too weak. Too long. Too far away. Too whatever. That’s just fear talking. The I-Can’ts. I-Won’ts. They lead you to the overwhelming question.

What If?

Do you want to look back and say, it would have been worth it after all, but in short, I was afraid?

What if you never try? What if you could have done it but allowed fear to stop you instead? What if you stop asking questions and take a leap into the abyss?

What if you dare to eat that peach?

COMMUNITY CONNECTION

Is there anything you are letting fear stop you doing? Is there anything you simply must do before you die? Share your thoughts in the comments below.