Poverty is big business

I got up about 9. It was a rainy morning. Chris was already up. He showed me the spot where the slow cooker had overflowed, staining the counter top with turmeric. He wanted to know how to clean it. I sprinkled it with baking soda and a little hydrogen peroxide and left it to soak. I read a little e-mail and then took a shower and got dressed.
I had a swallow of some Brain Octane oil and some seed crackers. Then I went to church to warm up with the choir.
After the warm-up, Jennifer shared her notes on the interviews she had listened to. Soon the service was in progress. Afterward, I texted Chris to pour a little vinegar on the turmeric stain. Then there was a congregational meeting to elect the people put forth by the nominating committee and to vote on going to one service. Kurt came over to talk to me about another committee. We were invited by the pastor to join in the first Tuesday night of February.
Thinking we were done, I called Chris to meet me at Publix. But I stopped to ask Ron if there was going to be a stewardship meeting. He likes to talk and it went long. Finally I took my leave and went to Publix.
I found Chris and we shopped, or rather finished shopping. I went home and changed clothes. I ate a can of soup. When he got home, we put away the groceries. I read e-mail. I collated the recyclables and put the glass in bags in my car. (Glass is not eligible for curbside pick-up) Then I broke down all the Amazon and Swansons boxes and put them in the car. In one of the Amazon boxes I found a bottle of black pepper oil that I had missed because it was so small and wrapped in bubblewrap. I took the load to the local recycling center and put them in the corresponding bin. I saw that they also take clothes and shoes. And I returned home.
I watched a documentary called Poverty, Inc. It talked about the global poverty industry and the negative effects of giving free food and clothing to local economies. When free rice was handed out in Haiti, it put the farmers out of business and instead put money in the pockets of the agribusinesses who produce rice elsewhere. Another story told of eggs being given out in great quantities. The local chicken farmer went out of business and had to sell his flock. But the sender of eggs decided to provide something else the next year and so the village had no eggs then.
I paused it to take a quick walk around the circle (since the daylight was fading). When I got back I finished the video. The main speakers said the best charities were the ones who provided support for the creation of small businesses. Long-term handouts were creating a generation of dependent-minded people. Also, if poverty were eradicated, the industry loses. Free secondhand clothing destroys the local industry. Building orphanages over there with promises to feed the educate the children creates more 'orphans'. Parents send their kids there when they lose their jobs. Then some of the kids are adopted by foreigners and the parents never see their kids again. Ads and songs portray Africans as helpless. They need to be no longer excluded (from global markets, loans, etc).
I made and ate breakfast. Since my back was hurting, I did lajin for only 5 minutes in each position. Then I spent some time pinning strips and corner blocks. I put some bubble wrap under my sewing machine so it won't wake up the desktop computer every time I sew. I made up a 10-day supply of evening supplements. I also put a kava tea bag in a quart of water to drink while watching TV.
Chris wanted to watch only two episodes of Voyager so he could go to bed early. But the second one was the first of two parts, and featured the Allies against the Germans on the holodeck. Needless to say, he found time to watch the second part as well. Then he fixed his lunch while I posted to my blog, and we went to bed.