My publisher let me know I have my own page on their website. It includes a brief, but awesome interview with the author of Zen Master Tova Tarantino Toshiba: The Illustrious and Delusional Abbess of Satire. Hey, that author is me! Yabadabado!
Here’s the link:
http://www.fountainbluepublishing.com/gabriel-constans.html
You can also pre-order a copy for the electronic version for only 99 cents at Smashwards. The release date is August 1, 2014. That link is:
A House for Luchita
Building for Generations
We have been given a unique opportunity with a MATCHING GRANT!! FOR ANY FUNDS UP TO $2000. RAISED BETWEEN NOW AND JUNE 30TH. This grant is specifically for our project in Peru. For a little over $1900 we can build two rooms onto one of our families homes and we plan to complete 2 homes this year. Many of our families remain in temporary shelters set up after the earthquake. Conditions are inadequate and often their child with a disability is ill during the colder months. Some of these homes have walls made of plastic or woven mat. Winters reach temperatures similar to ours, however desert conditions prohibit rain. Our first home will be for a woman named Luchita and her son with Down Syndrome, Antonio.
On May 10th, our board will walk/run the 5 mile Human Race Walkathon & Fun Run. I am asking my friends and family to sponsor us in this effort by giving $10, $20, $50 or whatever you can to help.
You might be asking, “What is the Human Race?” The Human Race is a nationwide community fundraising event for nonprofit organizations. In Santa Cruz County, it’s the largest collaborative fundraising event and the longest continuous running Human Race in the nation! It has been one of the most successful fundraisers for local nonprofits for over 32 years and it continues to grow. In 2013 the Human Race raised over $212,000 for local charities. Participants receive breakfast and lunch and beautiful West Cliff (site of the run) is filled with entertainment and music along the path.
I understand we are in hard times, but we ask that you please give whatever you can. All donations are tax deductible. Be a part of making a difference in our world by donating $5, $10, $25 (or more). And if you know anyone who would be interested in making a donation, please send them a link to this page or join our team in the walk by clicking join a team at the top of this page. You are also welcome to show up on the day of the race to register.
Our sincere thanks,
Cory and the Board
www.buildingforgenerations.com
Here’s a piece I created from a Portoro marble block which came from an island near Carrara, Italy.
This is the first marble I’ve attempted, which is the hardest stone. I was told that black is the most difficult, as it tends to crack easily. I guess I was lucky, as this one had no problems.
It is also one of the first I’ve done that attempted to actually look like something specific and not just go with the flow of the stone and what came as it was happening.
I tried to drill a hole in the bottom and place it on another piece of marble and a different stone, as the base, but I don’t have tools to make a deep enough hole and I was afraid it would crack. I tried using glue, but it didn’t hold and came apart. When all is said and done, it looks better by itself anyway.
Hope you enjoy this latest attempt. I’m getting a little better each time. It’s called Black Fish Out of Water.
Our plan is to support women and children in rural Kenya and Tanzania by planting trees and opening a KiVo* Sewing and Design Center in Arusha to provide livelihood for women who sew school children’s uniforms.
Here is a link to our IndieGogo Campaign.
-Thank you for your support and please share widely!
Thank you!
Lis Addison
Composer Vocalist, Dancer.
*Founder of Kinetic Voice (KiVo®) which blends vocals, dance and rhythm and serves to bring the song/dance tradition back to the west, reforest our earth and provide livelihood for our sisters in rural Kenya and Tanzania.
Paola Cuentas from Peru
Artisan Spotlight of the Week
From Greater Good
Paola Cuentas says,’after finishing school, my first job was in a small workshop that knitted alpaca sweaters. I was so impressed by the skills of the people who could knit, by the ability of the women who did the finishing touches, and I discovered a new focus for my career. I met an English designer who got me started in the different techniques for developing a design. The work that I do has become a personal project. My main motivation is that what began as only an idea has taken form and becomes more real every day. This excites me and impels me to move ahead.’
Read other artisan stories and shop where your money counts at GREATER GOOD
Here is one of the items for sale by Paola. It is a Puno Ochre – Unique Alpaca Wool Poncho.
Shona’s Sun Salutation
by Gabriel Constans
This smoothie is one of our son Shona’s favorites. It is good for small children, since the ice-cold water helps to relieve some of the pain of teething. It also gets your motor running in the morning. It has a good aftertaste and “tickles the mouth.” Sunflower seeds add just the right amount of sweetness.
Yield: 4 cups
2 cups ice-cold filtered water
2 large bananas
3/4 cup sunflower seeds
3/4 cup raisins
Place all the ingredients in a blender, and mix on medium speed for 2 minutes.
Pour into glass or cup, drunk up, and stretch towards the sun.
Books That Everyone Should Read At Least Once
Books that encourage thought.
From Goodreads
1. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
2. 1984 by George Orwell
3. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
4. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling
5. The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank
6. Animal Farm by George Orwell
7. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
8. The Cather in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
9. The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery
10. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
See list of 100 and much more at Goodreads.
If it was my list, I’d have Their Eyes were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston at the number one spot.
UC Davis and Honda Unveil a Smart Home for a Zero-carbon Future
by Brandon Baker
Eco Watch & Nation of Change
3 April 2014
Honda and the University of California, Davis aren’t particularly known for constructing homes, but an ambitious project places the two entities at the forefront of designing homes capable of producing more renewable energy than they consume.
They began constructing the Honda Smart Home last spring and unveiled it less than a year later on the West Village campus of UC Davis.
While homes and cars in the U.S. account for about 44 percent of greenhouse gas emissions, the Smart Home is expected to generate a surplus of 2.6 megawatt-hours (Mwh) of energy per year, some of which will be used to power the Honda Fit electric vehicle (EV) that comes with it. A soon-to-be-selected member of the UC Davis community will reside at the home as researchers from the company and college observe the production and consumption associated with their vision for net-zero energy living and transportation.
“What we’re trying to do here is create a vision for zero-carbon living and personal mobility,” said Michael Koenig, project leader for the Honda Smart Home.
With advanced lighting, geothermal heating and cool and a 9.5 kilowatt solar photovoltaic system, the Smart Home’s design will use less than half of the energy a similarly sized new home in Davis would when it comes to heating, cooling and lighting. It’s also three times more water-efficient than the average U.S. home. Honda and UC Davis will work with Pacific Gas and Electric Co. in evaluating the home as well as the potential for more efficient technologies that positively impacting housing, transportation, energy and the environment.
“In West Village, UC Davis made a commitment to build zero net energy housing and gave our research center the goal of creating the first university hub to focus and energy and transportation research,” said Dan Sperling, Ph.D., director of the Institute of Transportation Studies at UC Davis. “Honda Smart Home is a dynamic environment that will help the university meet its research objectives and is a perfect example of the industry partnerships we strive to build.”
The 2.6 Mwh surplus per year, compared to about 13.3 Mwh for the average home represents a net offset of nearly 13,100 pounds of carbon dioxide per year, according to Honda. Researchers say the excess energy will anticipate possible future increases in energy needs like additional inhabitants or more EVs in a household.
As for water efficiency, the Smart Home contains dual-flush toilets, low-flow sink and shower faucets and a high-efficiency dishwashing machine and dishwasher. Those utilities should bring down the water consumption of the average home, which typically uses 27 percent of its water consumption on a toilet by itself.
Read entire article and more at NATION OF CHANGE
Morning Lift-Off
by Gabriel Constans
This contains a complete well-rounded breakfast for the athlete in each of us waiting to burst forth, if it hasn’t already.
Yield: 5 cups
3 small bananas
2 cups fresh-squeezed (or frozen) orange juice
1/2 cup cooked oatmeal
1/4 cup shredded wheat, grape nuts or brown rice cereal
1/4 cup firm tofu
1 tablespoon honey or agave
1 1/2 teaspoons egg substitute plus 2 tablespoons water
Place all the ingredients in a blender, and mix on medium speed for 1 minute.
Pour into bowls, mugs or cups and get energized for the day.
Building for Generations
Human Race Santa Cruz
Welcome to Building for Generations! Our mission is supporting education for persons with special needs and their families. In 2005 I (Cory) was asked by a group of parents and teachers in Africa to help them build a school unit on land that had been allocated to them for a special needs unit. As the parent of a young adult with Down Syndrome I knew the obstacles that they faced were many times multiplied by their lack of resources. Not certain, I responded by saying I would try.
Thanks to friends and donors like you who joined me, that unit was completed in 2007 and a group of us went on to build a rehabilitation center in an area of Peru hard hit by a 8.0 earthquake that lasted near 3 minutes. Salaries for staff in both areas are paid by the government but we have maintained our relationships and continue to buy equipment and supplies in the communities we serve. The year 2011 we began a local partnership with MusicalMe director and brought the gift of music to some of our special needs classrooms in Santa Cruz County. Your partnership with us helps to continue these valuable programs.
On May 10th, our board will walk/run the 5 mile Human Race Walkathon & Fun Run. I am asking my friends and family to sponsor us in this effort by giving $10, $20, $50 or whatever you can to help. Your gift will help provide much needed funds so that nonprofit organizations in the world can continue to focus their energy on fulfilling their mission. In these difficult times, many organizations are struggling to provide services to our neighbors in need. It’s more important than ever to do what we can to keep these critical services available.
You might be asking, “What is the Human Race?” The Human Race is a nationwide community fundraising event for nonprofit organizations. ounty, it’s the largest collaborative fundraising event and the longest continuous running Human Race in the nation! It has been one of the most successful fundraisers for local nonprofits for over 32 years and it continues to grow. In 2013 the Human Race raised over $212,000 for local charities.
Participants receive breakfast and lunch and beautiful West Cliff in Santa Cruz, California (site of the run) is filled with entertainment and music along the path.
I understand we are in hard times, but we ask that you please give whatever you can. All donations are tax deductible. Be a part of making a difference in our world by donating $5 to $50 (or more). And if you know anyone who would be interested in making a donation, please send them a link to this page or join our team in the walk by clicking join a team at the top of this page. Our sincere thanks, Cory and the Board www.buildingforgenerations.com
Cory Ibarra
Building for Generations
Gabriel Constans 