Category: community
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Eco-Nomics: It’s All in Your Head
Most of us know the drill: ice caps are melting, the Amazon is disappearing, we’re turning into plastic dolls, you’ve heard it all before. We care, so we carry cotton tote bags (if not forgotten), feel a bit guilty about takeaway coffee cups, and maybe even flirt with the idea of a zero-waste lifestyle for…
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Preserving Paradise: Volunteering on Rapa Nui
Earlier this month, I returned from what I can only describe as one of the most special (travel) experiences of my life. For two weeks, I had the incredible opportunity to volunteer on Easter Island, or as it’s known by its native name, Rapa Nui (which I will stick to here). This trip was not…
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Many A Little Makes A Mickle
Getting ready for the final days of February and, consequently, the end of this month-long challenge, I’ve noticed there are still a few tasks left unattended. One of them, I’ll tackle tomorrow, but I want to set the stage for it in today’s entry. It’s an observation coupled with technical research that might spark some…
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One For Me, One For You
Have you ever seen the movie Pay it Forward (this is not an age test, even though it came out in 2000)? The movie (loosely based on the novel of the same name) follows the story of a young boy named Trevor, who is assigned a school project to devise an idea that could make a big…
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My Body Is A Temple (Of Doom)
Yesterday, I got a email that at first glance looked like standard phishing. According to the email, sent as a reminder, I had booked a massage class? Now, this wouldn’t have been out of the ordinary for me—I sign up for random newsletters all the time, turning my inbox into a treasure hunt resembling vintage…
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All You Need Is (Orange) Love
Love is in the air today, so instead of focusing on just one aspect, I thought, why not celebrate an entire country? After all, gratitude fits perfectly into the realm of positive impact. Ever since moving to the Netherlands for the first time in February 2012, I have been singing praises and raving about all…
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Decision Fatigue Is Real
Oh, the misery of decision-making when hunger strikes! Picture this: you’re staring at a menu with more options than you can count, stomach rumbling like a thunderstorm, and you’re expected to pick just one dish. Sounds familiar? Feel overwhelmed by multiple choices could be a sign of decision fatigue. Our brains have a breaking point,…
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Don’t Worry, Be Happy
Did you know that happy peeps often get to enjoy life for up to 10 years longer? That’s a way bigger deal for life expectancy than almost anything else, only smoking comes close. When I was doing some prep work for this blog, I started wondering if my own experiences and some anecdotal observations would…
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In Soviet Russia, Smile Wears You
This evening, I ended up at an event that stirred today’s entry in a direction that I could not see coming at all. By chance (and very last minute), I found out about a panel organised by the Moscow Times, an independent English-language and Russian-language online newspaper founded by the Dutch media magnate Derk Sauer…
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Sharing is Caring
*This is a double post covering both Sunday the 4th and Monday the 5th* Due to very much foreseen circumstances, I am catching up on two days’ worth of writing in one go. C’est la vie! Both days, however, are connected by the common theme of giving back to the community, albeit through different avenues…
Fair February 