Flavia Colgan

New CitizenHunter Address

Please reset your Citizen Hunter bookmarks. Citizen Hunter is now found on the philly.com site here:

http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/flavia/

If you use the address "citizenhunter.com," that will now take you to the philly.com site.

Thank you.

New Citizen Hunter Address

Please reset your Citizen Hunter bookmarks. Citizen Hunter is now found on the philly.com site here:

http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/flavia/

If you use the address "citizenhunter.com," that will now take you to the philly.com site.

Thank you.

Declare yourself!

"When I first looked at the Declaration of Independence, my eyes welled up. I thought - this is our nation's birth certificate, the people's document, and it should visit Americans, rather than sit somewhere on a wall waiting for Americans to come to it, as a reminder of the freedoms we all cherish."

-- Norman Lear

Go to www.declareyourself.org and remind yourself of lucky and blessed you are to be an American, what it means to be an American and what you can do to keep freedom ringing!

Sisterhood is powerful

Check out this piece on the benefits of being a big sister that was on the Huffington Post.

I am a big sister to five siblings so I get to enjoy the benefits and joys everyday! I love you guys. Now, I know Amadeus and B4 can't get on the computer yet, but this will be a test to the rest of my brood to see how often they check in at Citizen Hunter!

What Makes a Smart Cookie?

Valerie Sobel Knows. She's a great friend and the smartest cookie I know.

She's a finalist for the 2009 Smart Cookie Award, recognizing extraordinary women who balance family and a career making life better for other moms.

The winner receives a $35,000 prize for her favorite charity and national TV coverage, all sponsored by Cookie Magazine.

Valerie is my pick to win! Please vote for her today!

Sobel is the Founder of The Andre Sobel River of Life Foundation, a foundation that pays urgent expenses for single parent families whose children are catastrophically ill.

When Valerie Sobel's son, Andre, was dying of a brain tumor, she was at his hospital bedside every minute. During that time, she couldn't help but notice how many terminally ill children were alone because their single parents couldn't afford to miss any work or to hire day care to watch over the sick child's siblings.

After Andre died, Sobel established the Andre Sobel River of Life Foundation to pay for urgent expenses (rent, gas, utilities, food) so that single moms can focus on being with their sick and dying children. Sobel is the mother of Andre (deceased) and Simone, 29. The Foundation's mission is: "When compassion can't wait and single parent families are in despair, we help with urgent expenses to allow these caregivers to stay at their child's bedside during catastrophic illness."

Finding common ground and digging it

Yesterday, evangelicals and political progressives took a significant step towards ending the polarizing "culture wars." Through a process of dialogue with Faith in Public Life, Third Way and each other, these leaders found common ground on tough political questions from immigration reform to gay rights to abortion, without setting aside their principles.

This collaboration between unlikely allies demonstrates a model for finding a way forward on difficult political questions. We as citizens can learn a lot from this ethos of bridge-building; it’s certainly a productive way to engage with the political process. The agenda this coalition has rallied around - and for which they've already starting lobbying (PDF) - will have significant political implications.

Say yes to working together and realizing our shared values. Sign on as a supporter of a common-ground approach to abortion by joining the Real Abortion Solutions Facebook group. This approach calls for increased access to adoption, the prevention of unintended pregnancies, support for women and families, and better pre- and post-natal healthcare. Also, become a Facebook fan of the common values governing agenda at “Come Let us Reason Together.

(Won't even add that you should be my friend on facebook since I know you are already!)

On Travolta with King

In case you missed this from a few days ago, here I am on CNN with Larry King, discussing the tragic death of John Travolta's son (transcript here). Losing a child would be unspeakably awful and to do it in the public light is more than I can even imagine.

Five eco-resolutions

OK since we are not allowed to use the word "green" anymore, according to Earth to Philly, here are five eco-resolutions, simple changes you can make in 2009 to live a more sustainable life, inspired by a piece I saw in ecofabulous.

1. Stop using plastic bottles and vow to carry a reusable bottle of choice at all times.
As ecofabulous points out, the NRDC conducted 1,000 separate tests of over 100 bottled water brands and found that the bottled water was not cleaner, purer, or safer than tap water. There have even been reports about certain companies simply bottling tap water. So kick the bad bottle habit once and for all. You will save a lot of money on this one too! I also take my mug for tea and coffee in the AM as well.

2. Answer the “paper or plastic?” question with a BYOB solution.
This year, make it a priority to bring your own bag – always. At Trader Joes every time you do this you get to submit your name for lots of winnings and some places even give you money back, as they are trying to save as well.

3. Recycle and Compost.
As you'll recall, Philadelphia started last week picking up recycling everywhere in town every week, so there's no more excuse for not getting on board. You can use earth911.com to check on whether a given type of item can be recycled. As we saw in Greening Your Office, tons of copy paper is used in the U.S. each year. If you choose paper with 100 percent recycled fibers it saves lots of energy and water in production, and will significantly reduce the number of trees cut down. Something I only started about 6 months ago was composting my kitchen scraps. According to the EPA, 24 percent of the waste Americans send to landfills is organic waste. It started out because I now don't have a garbage disposal and I use paper bags as trash bags and it would always get wet and messy when I threw food in there. Now I have just gotten used to it and it is not that big a deal, but helps the enviroment a ton!

4. Change the way you get around.
OK, I am not a great example on this one, in that I am 31 and have never owned a car. I have lived in Michigan, here in PA, in Los Angeles, not exactly places you would think one could pull this off, but I have and i love it. I say I am not a good example because it is a big commitment on the part of not just me, but my nice friends who carpool with me as well. You could start by committing to an alternative form of transportation once a week. Take the bus or the train. If it were not for all my walking I have no idea what would have become of me with Holidays and football season! Again, this is something that will make your wallet happy as well.

5. Consider where your food comes from and how it is farmed.
I can tell I put this last as it might be most important, but has a lways been the toughest for me. I like to eat what I want when I want it and that attitude is not good for the planet. I am pretty good about farmer's markets which are great and every so often I go veggie when I am feeling some Catholic guilt. But even if you don't go to farmer's markets, just pay attention at the grocery to what you're purchasing and where it came from. As ecofabulous says, a study by the Rodale Institute found that organic farming reduces carbon dioxide by using 37 percent fewer fossil fuels than conventional farming.

On slaying dragons

I wanted to share with you a passage from from Rilke's "Letter to a Young Poet" that inspires me to get a grip on my fears and be more courageous in the way that I live my life.

Rainer Maria Rilke is considered one of the great German poets but is probably most famous now because of his book "Letters to a Young Poet" written to a young Austrian army officer unhappy at the prospect of a military career. The young officer had written to Rilke for advice since Rilke had also been an army officer. The letters are filled with advice worth hearing - ranging from spirituality, to art, poetry, love and love.

The book is timeless and bears re-reading. There's also a fabulous recorded version of it that you can buy on the internet through audible.com. Some of the passages are absolutely stunning. This is one of my favorites - in fact I carry it on the front of my binder for this particular moment in my life. Enjoy:

We have no reason to harbor mistrust against our world. For it is not against us. If it has terrors, they are our terrors. If has abysses, these abysses belong to us.

If there are dangers, we must try to love them. And if only we re-arrange our life in accordance with the principle which tells us that we must always trust in the difficult, then what now appears to us as the most alien will become the most intimate and trusted experience.

How could we forget those ancient myths that stand at beginning of all races? The myths about dragons that at the last moment transform themselves into princesses. Perhaps all the dragons of our lives are princesses who are only waiting to see us act, just once, with beauty and courage. Perhaps everything that frightens us is, in its deepest essence, something helpless that wants our love.

Rilke

A poem for the New Year

The begriming of the new year is a time for planning and reflection of the qualities we must nurture to help us succeed in life, love and work. A couple of dear friends sent this to me in the last couple of days from different corners of the world. This is probably the gold standard as far as inspirational literature. So read, reflect, enjoy, and then take action.

"If"

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you
But make allowance for their doubting too,
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream--and not make dreams your master,
If you can think--and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it all on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!"

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings--nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much,
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And -- which is more -- you'll be a Man, my son!

Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936)

Resolve to green your office

In the midst of the holiday hustle I did not get a chance to highlight an article in the Wall Street Journal on how we can inspire our office mates to be more green. There is no better time to do this than with the start of a new year. So let's put this on the top of our resolution list: Don't give up chocolate -- go greener, and encourage others to as well.

The article acknowledges that "going green" sounds great, but it is often hard to know where to start. Also, as with a diet, it is much easier to do it when others are not tempting you to go back to your bad ways, so having others around who encourage you in your green habits is great.

The office is usually where the worst green habits take place. Lights are left on for no reason, tons of paper wasted, and some places, if you can believe this, still use Styrofoam -- shock and horror! (You know who you are, Daily News and Inky cafeteria whom I have complained to in writing and verbally now 13 times to change your ways!!)

What does the article suggest that I do too?

1. As with exercise, Make it a daily habit, and start small or you are bound to fall off the wagon. Remember we are what we repeatedly do. "The best way to start is to reduce all the waste that involves paper, plastic or petro," says Tim Sanders, author of "Saving the World at Work." There are many ways to do this, he says. When using paper, print on both sides. Sharing a document? Use a USB drive or email a copy rather than printing. Instead of bottled water, install a water filter on the office kitchen sink. Turn off as many machines as possible each night when you go home -- and if you have your own office, don't forget to turn off the lights.

2. If everyone helps out it will make more of an impact so Recruit folks to join your efforts. The article suggests making signs that say "Think Before You Print" and post ing them near office printers. I am not quite sure on this one since most people go to the printers once they have already printed, but it can help them think about it for next time. Another helpful tip: If you send PDFs, consider running them through www.greenpdf.com, which adds a pop-up box advising recipients not to print out the documents unless necessary.

3. Share the savings. Mr. Sanders suggests teaming up with a colleague in finance to help calculate the monetary savings the company will realize from the waste-reduction efforts -- what boss won't like that? Present the figures to your manager, and ask that the results be shared company-wide. Getting the word out will help spread the overall impact. In these tough economic times layoffs are very real and wouldn't you rather make lots of changes that might save your, or a friend's, job? And don't you think that if you are the one that starts it, many will see your value?

4. Bottom up, top down -- either works. Most successful efforts employ both managers and subordinates, says Rick Row, executive director of the nonprofit Sustainable Silicon Valley. So "talk to the janitor and the CEO, the person who sits next to you and someone you have never talked to before."

5. Have a good time -- you can read the WSJ explanation of this precept, but really, if you know me, that one should already be obvious.

Care and feeding in 2009

One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people. He said, 'My son, the battle is between 'two wolves' inside us all.

'One is Evil. It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.'

'The other is Good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith.'

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, 'Which wolf wins?'

The old Cherokee simply replied, 'The one you feed.'

I resolve to feed the right one and put the other on a cleanse -- LA style.

"It's a Wonderful Life" but it's complicated

On Facebook I always smile when someone has a "relationship status" that says it's complicated. I feel that could be the status update for just about everything.

"It's complicated" is the way I have always felt about the holiday staple movie, "It's a Wonderful Life." As recently as Thanksgiving, when like a religious ritual everyone settled on the pic, I quietly protested that it was not an "inspiring, lovely tale". I have found that in Holidays past my comments about the film being pretty downright depressing and very complicated were not exactly met with an eagerness to debate and discuss -- more like "drink your egg nog and chill out already!"

This year my obsession with injecting sardonic and depressing commentary to the film was aided by the timely and equally depressing state of the banks and how the film deals with such issues.

I was tickled red and green when I saw this piece in the NY Times -- finally someone agrees with me!

Christmas All Year Round

Do you ever marvel at how annoying songs don't annoy you at Christmas time? You write cards and say thank you more than normal -- OK,much more. You smile and wonder and are joyful. You love the smell of pine and it is enough to make your day. You buy tons of plants and keep some and give them away. You find money you don't have, to be generous to those you love and to those you have never met. You let yourself eat pie and don't beat yourself up about it. You let your crazy aunt do her thing and get out of the way before it starts to grind ya.

I saw this article and like most things I like, it stated The Obvious and something I have thought of many times before. The big question is -- what is to stop us from doing all the things we do around the holidays -- all year round? (Except the presents -- we will go broke.) So whaddaya say?

I think we should resolve to do it and give ourselves the gift of forgiveness, gratitude, childlike wonder, and the belief in things that are impossible to prove. Merry Christmas -- in all the many ways it could mean.

Stuck! ?

This is a blog by request and I will be stealing most of it from a NY TIMES piece on Sunday -- full disclosure -- from memory. I am so sorry for all of you that are stuck in airports across the country. I am in LOS ANGLES and even here, shock & horror, it is awful! I have a cold and sore throat like everyone I have heard from.

Here is what I can do. Hopefully you have your chargers for you computer with you. Keep checking back with Citizenhunter--not a shameless plug, I bet there are lots of things you may not have noticed that can help you pass the time, help you change a life, and also just make you smile. Also, Facebook your heart out--man, I love that thing.

OK, so you are hungry and annoyed and tired -- what to do? Well if you are in Houston that is easy--karaoke all the way!! Or move away from it if you are about to go postal please. Deep breathing, meditate, say prayers, call loved ones, read a book for pleasure, write a poem, flirt with the cute girl or guy you saw, play peek-a-boo with a baby and give those parents a break already. Go up to anyone in uniform and just say thank you -- nothing more is needed.

Being stuck can be an opportunity -- Thich Nah Hahn, one of my favorite writers, a Buddhist monk says that -- and he should know, right?

OK, now to food.

LAX folks :

In and out Burger -- you deserve it! Go to the parking lot garage -- it is right next door.

Encounter Restaurant and see what you can see.

Dallas:

Stay if you can and get yourself to Billy Bob's largest and greatest honky tonk in the world --I once saw Merle haggard there for 10 bucks!!

Railhead BBQ and Dickey's BBQ Pit

Atlanta:

By the way that place is blowing up--why is everyone moving there? Can someone tell me? Quick watch this CBS thing I did on refugees there who play on a special soccer team--really amazing!

One Flew South is the place to eat

Philly:

Need I say get a darn soft pretzel already. Also pick up a Philly Daily News and let me know what's going on.

Cities I have missed, please write in on the comments what you know.

Travel Safe, guys, and no airport rage please -- everyone is bumming!