Dallin's Last Video

Left over stuff:

• About R$ 3
• 4 eggs
• a lot of rice
• cabbage out of my ears

Vic Last Video

Heeey! We made it!! So, this week was extremely challenging for me, but I'm surprised by how well I did. Actually, I ate rice and beans in most of my meals, so I it wasn't that hard since I love rice and beans :) Then, I spent almost all of my money on fruits like apple, banana, etc, because I think fruit is such a rich source of vitamins. This challenge was awesome! I would like to thank you all of my friends that helped me (for not eating in front of me). I HOPE TO SEE EVEN MORE PEOPLE INVOLVED IN THIS PROJECT IN 2013!!

I have really learned a lot from this experience. In my opinion, there was a lot of food, I am only missing the things I couldn't have because they were expensive and not necessary (i.e. Nescau and Matte Leão). I have left a lot fo left over food. In fact,the only things I finished were my meat and my eggs. I also got an onion from one of the girls in my 'community' because I forgot to include it in my list of purchases and by the end didn't have any money left. But other than desiring food that I didn't have, I also noticed how remuch work and effort you have to put into preparing your food for the next day. For example, I had to get up earlier to put all my food into containers and fry my eggs. Another thing that I missed a lot was the lack of comfort in this life style. For instance, when I'm home and I feel hungry, I couldn't just stand up and reach for something in the fridge, I would have to wait until it was time for the next meal. I'm glad that I got involved in such a project because it really made me realize how much of an amazing life I have. Everything I have is now of more value. But it also made me realize how much unnecessary food I eat everyday, things that I don't need to get by, but yet, I still consume. This challenge was a huge and amazing experience and I am very grateful I got to be a part of it.

Last meals and...

Blurry photos of the difference between my cooking and Hernan's...

My last breakfast and lunch during the challenge: 

1. Lunch: Onion and Carrot Omelet over fried rice. Tasted just like egg foo young. Yum.
2. Breakfast: Softened rice with sugar and cinnamon, topped by sliced apples. 
3. And: Hernan's lunch on the first day of the challenge. A classic.(He made it all on his own...)

Day IV - One More Day

Meals;

• Breakfast - egg
• Lunch - pasta sandwich 
• Dinner - rice, beans, sausage

Today was a matter of repetition. There were no major events, I got used to being hungry and to control my impulses to ask for food when I am. 

Lieh Day Four

Breakfast: Oatmeal and an apple. 

Lunch: Potato soup. 

Snack: Chapatis and an apple. 

Dinner: Onions, potatoes, carrots, eggs and an apple. 

End?

"We're Just Kids..."

Nikhil Goyal (@nikhilgoya_l  on Twitter) is a student at Syosset High School in NY. He's the author of  One Size Does Not Fit All: A Student's Assessment of School (September 2012), columnist for the Huffington Post, guest blogger for New York Times: Dot Earth, and a conference speaker. Visit his website. 

Article below reposted from Edutopia: 

Student Calls for a Learning Revolution

Last year, industrial designer Dean Benstead unveiled the 02 Pursuit -- a prototype for a motorcycle ruled not by gas or electricity, but by compressed air. Just last month, Google announced to the public its secret initiative, Project Glass, the company's first venture into wearable computing.

And yet, in the world of education, the "next big thing" is merit pay for teachers and boosting test scores. Do our policymakers not understand that the world is going through a revolution in the way we live, interact and learn?

Our education system is stuck in paralysis. We have tried doing the same thing over and over again with the expectation of a different result. This is insanity at its finest. The way we educate is based on the tenets of the Industrial Revolution -- conformity and standardization.

For instance, creativity is virtually extinguished as a child goes through his or her schooling. In their 1998 book Breakpoint and Beyond, George Land and Beth Jarman refer to a study in which 1,500 kindergartners between three and five years old were given a divergent thinking test. Divergent thinking tests don't measure creativity, but rather one's propensity for creativity. The test asks questions such as "How many ways could you use this paperclip?" or "How many ways could you improve this toy fire truck?" -- questions designed to encourage creative thought rather than elicit right-or-wrong answers. Ninety-eight percent of kindergarteners tested at genius level. The kids were tested every few years. By the end of post-secondary education, only two percent of students tested at genius level.

So, if you're trying to produce compliant, dead-brained, formulaic workers, our system is doing exactly what it was designed for. (I should add "grade-obsessed" to that cadre of properties.) But in a society where innovation is simply everything, it is a cultural and moral failure to encourage this compliance.

Education Is Life

That's why I am starting a movement, or what Seth Godin might call "a tribe." The Learning Revolution is a tribe of change-makers and trailblazers united in a cause to transform our schools. We are connected through answering this simple yet powerful question: How can we make school the best hours of a kid's day?

Look at Brightworks, a K-12 independent school in San Francisco. No grades. No tests. No transcripts. The curriculum is based on the "Brightworks Arc" -- exploration, expression and exposition. If we put these principles on the high pedestal, only then will John Dewey's saying, "Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself," come to fruition.

Indeed, education is undergoing a renaissance. Learners -- not institutions -- are creating a bottom-up change. From abolishing the SAT to calling for project-based learning in the classroom, we're fighting for significant changes. We don't deserve to be pelted with Scantrons and #2 pencils. We are not a bunch of numbers. We are living, breathing, creative human beings.

Everyone has plenty of ideas, but they are worthless if I can't make them happen. We have to cultivate -- holistically and whole-heartedly -- our powers of imagination and creativity within a different paradigm of human purpose. Michelangelo once said, "The greatest danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it." For all our futures, we need to aim high.

The Learning Revolution movement is about everyone. We are students. We are educators. We are parents. We are administrators. We are entrepreneurs. We are concerned citizens. We are mad as hell. The last thing you can do is ignore us.

No tweaks. A revolution. Bring it on!

some things cost more than you realise

Lieh Day Three

Breakfast: Oatmean and an apple.
Lunch: Rice, Beans, carrots, eggs and onions.
Dinner: "Fried" rice with potatoes, carrots, onions and scrambled eggs.

Day Three

Hey, everyone. I'm sorry the video is a little long (there's really skinny dog at the end, though... worth seeing... just saying...).

Isabela- Day 3

What I ate today:
Lunch: rice, beans, mashed potatoes.
Dinner: pasta, tomato sauce.

What will save me tomorrow for my presentation: TUNA!

In addition, I am now certain that the key for this challenge is to plan out your diet throughout the days properly and don't try to skip meals. This way, you will have plenty of food and enough energy to perform all the activities throughout your day.

Day III - Half Way There

Day three was just repetition of day two. There were no major events except that I FINALLY GOT SOME MEAT! I attempted to make some omelette with potatoes, which failed, however the outcome was the the closest I have gotten to tasty.

My meals today:

• Breakfast; 2 egg and some water
• Lunch; rice and beans 
• Dinner; scrambled eggs with potatoes (3 eggs, half a potato)

Getting more used to the routine, learning to balance work and sleep with an empty stomach.

Bubbles, bubbles everywhere...

The thing whose temptation I denied today.

 Just some bubbles in my water--that's all I want. 

Today saw some strong emotional and physical reactions to the challenge. People debated whether these reactions were actually physical or mostly psychological, but I think the point is moot: when you are living below the line, the demarcation between what is of the body and what is of the mind is of no matter. You just want the comfort and the convenience you are used to. 

And some people were starting to get the first sense of this, of deprivation, perhaps of their lives today. They also learned that this deprivation does not just stem from supplies of food, but time commitments, proper planning, decision-making, self-responsibility and getting used to the monotony of subsisting on staple foods almost entirely. It is a challenge. And it can be a steep learning curve. 

Even when what you are deprived of is something as trivial as bubbles in your water, it can seem like a lot. 

Good luck with Days Four and Five! We will have a special presentation during lunch tomorrow. 

--WJT.

Day II - Getting Easier

  Second day went by pretty nicely. I was not as tired as yesterday. I have noticed myself paying more attention to what I am consuming, and I've realized that I abuse many of the resources that I take for granted such as electricity. I was able to pay more attention today, however I still noticed that I was much sleepier than I would be in a normal day.

My meals of the day included:

1. Breakfast - 2 fried eggs, a banana and some water
2. Lunch - a plate of pasta with tomato sauce 
3. Dinner - rice and beans, a banana (as desert) and some water

Lieh Day Two

Breakfast: Oatmeal and an apple
Lunch: Swiss potato, egg with onions, rice and beans.
Snack: Chapatis and an apple.
Dinner: Carrots, rice, beans, eggs and mashed potatoes.

Isabela's Day 2

Potatoes 

What I ate:
Lunch: 120 grams of rice, 2 medium potatoes, 50 grams of beans.

I advise all of you who have little money left to buy some potatoes, they are sources of pure calories an are very tasty even if prepared only with salt! Mashed potatoes are also an idea.

"Bolinho de Arroz"

I made some "bolinhos de arroz": mini rice cakes.
Ingredients:
- 2 eggs
- Rice
- Flour
- Milk

YUMMYYYYY!!

Day 2 - Luiza

Breakfast - bread, apple and water.
Snack - 1 banana.
Lunch - rice, beans, potatoes and sausage.
Snack - cookies that I got for R$0.45
Dinner - Pasta

My lunch for tomorrow: 

Food of the Day

Breakfast
Apple
Lunch
Rice, Beans, Minced Meat, Egg
Snack
Banana
Dinner
Rice and Fried Egg
Jell-O

Day Two - Natasha

What I ate so far:

-Breakfast: porridge (oatmeal) with a banana
-Lunch: rice, beans, and pancakes (6)
-Dinner: rice, beans, and scrambled eggs

Much better than yesterday, maybe because I got used to this "food routine" already... :)

The Spirit of the Law...

 

Here is a picture of three harmless items that have tempted me today (and my socks). 

The pepper and flavoring packets would make my rice and beans taste so much better; the cheese is going to waste in my fridge and would make my flimsy egg pasta into a meal, no? How much could a dash of pepper or a slice of cheese cost? Would it really compromise the integrity of our experiment? 

This is the kind of discussion those who really live below the line are denied. Random and diverse food options don't appear out of thin air for them. And that is the reason why that pinch of pepper, or getting your mom to cook a little of your meal, or "paying" for a dash of soy sauce may actually challenge the project. Yes, if someone buys me a cup of coffee, it hasn't come out of my budget, but then again, we haven't committed ourselves to $1.50 a day to account for all our expenses, only our food. We aren't taking on the total hardship of living below the line: this is a simulation, and cutting even the smallest of corners dulls the edge of the lesson we are learning.

Stay strong. Stay committed. But if you stay in, stick to the program. It's hard, but it's worth it.

And if you drop out, do so cleanly and honestly, and be thankful you aren't denied this discussion.

Chapatis Making

Raising Awareness - Worldwide

Wooo! The blog for Live Below the Line - Brazil has already had over 500 page views since it was launched last Friday afternoon! 


Thank you to everyone who is sharing the blog on Facebook, Twitter, and other platforms. We want to bring as much attention to the project as possible in order to raise awareness to the Live Below the Line cause. Our views have been steadily increasing since the end of last week and we have views from around the world. Let's continue to spread the world, so that the Live Below the Line Challenge can grow more every year.

Data collected on May 8th, 2012 at 9:53am

Day One - Luiza

Breakfast - A slice of bread (made out of eggs, water, salt and flower) 

Lunch - Rice, beans and scrambled eggs

Dinner - Rice, eggs and sausage

YUMMY!

Day One - Hernan

Day I:
 Breakfast: Egg + Rice + Water = Hungry Hernan
 Lunch: Egg + Rice + Water = Hungry Hernan
 Dinner: Beans (with some bacon taste) + Rice + Water = Not so hungry but unsatisfied Hernan...

 First day of the challenge was depressing, especially since everyone had so much food compared to my single egg and rice meal. I noticed my attention level during class time was drastically decreased. I was hungry and tired throughout the day, and I felt a little sick after running in P.E today. I went to the supermarket and got some;

• Pasta 
• Tomato sauce
• 2 onions
• 1 potato
• Bacon Stew
• 10 bananas
• yeast

All summing up to a total amount of R$6.50, pretty sweet.


What I cooked today:

 Finished, delicious bread. Now I understand why the French had a revolution over the lack of it haha.

 

Making some colorful food (beans)

Lieh Day One

Breakfast: Oatmeal and an apple.
Lunch: Rice, beans, potatoes and an egg.
Snack: Chapatis bread and an apple.
Dinner: Swiss potatoes (potato and egg), rice and beans.

What I had to eat- Barbara

Breakfast
Apple
Lunch
Rice, Beans, Egg and Minced Meat
Snack
Banana and Apple
Dinner
Rice, Beans and Potato

Isabela- Entry Day 1

The Beginning of the Detox

What I had to eat for the day:

Lunch: Two small eggs, small portion of rice and beans granted by comrades.

Dinner: 60 grams of rice, half a baked potato, 20 mL of tomato sauce. 

Tuesday Farmer's Market!

OK, it's highly unlikely that anyone will have anything that appetizing to trade, but if you are feeling like you may want to shift your community staples or individual purchases a bit, bring in what you want to trade and see what your fellow Liners are willing to trade. E.g., I am unloading my flour on Julia in the hope of getting some sugar and cinnamon!

Great first day--excellent lunch conversation. Keep up the momentum and remember to soak your beans!

One more thing: Consider the level of waste you are producing this week. Is it less or more than normal? Why? 

Day One - Natasha

What I've eaten:
- Breakfast: porridge (oatmeal), with bananas
- Lunch: rice, beans, and scrambled eggs
- Dinner: rice, beans, and scrambled eggs

DID PANCAKE TODAAAY (at night)!! Going to eat it tomorrow :)

Failed to do the first one:

Hope that I can handle tomorrow... There will be a special breakfast, which I will not be able to eat. :s Going to try to handle myself in not touching the food...

Day One - Julia

What I've cooked so far:

• Pancakes (60g flour, 1 egg, salt, water)
• Rice (200g rice, 1/4 onion, salt)
• 2 fried eggs (salt)

                                           -- cooking this morning... 

Overview of my day:
8:40 am: Since I didn't have time to buy or make my food yesterday, I woke up earlier this morning to get things ready. So today - for my breakfast, lunch and snack - I'm only eating for the staples. After I leave work today, I'll be going to the supermarket again to vary up my meals a little more. =)

9:00am: Vic came in and asked if I wanted to trade beans for flour - which I totally will do! I used 1/3 of my flour already this morning (and my kit had 100g less flour than the others... mih). I'm amazed at how much food I have!


3:17pm: Today we had lunch as a group (the participants in the challenge) in Mr. Tolley's room. I think it's safe to assume that it was meaningful to a lot of us - not only this one day of challenges - but the fact that we came together to eat as a group. Some of us were having difficulty with some things and it felt really good to share what I'd prepared this morning. I actually can't wait until tomorrow's lunch break!


How am I feeling:

I woke up with my right eye a little swollen... it hurts a little bit, I just hope it doesn't get worse as the week goes by.

Mr. T's Breakfast--Day One

Today's breakfast: omu-rice (오무라이스).
It's not really fair to the students: I could eat this every day of my life...

Success!

My masterpiece! Feeling like a chef...

Introduction Tomas Sielaff - (Before the Challenge)

My  brief introduction, looking forward for tomorrow!!

Finished cooking, Making some plans... I'm not feeling so psyched about the challenge anymore.

Introduction Video - Luiza

Can't wait for tomorrow!

Cooking :s

HUGE EXPERIENCE UNTIL NOW!! AND NO, I DID NOT BURN MY FOOD! :)

Introduction - Dallin

Well here it goes...(just found out it is 2.80R$ instead of 2.50R$ yaay, 30 more cents!)

Darfur is Dying

Darfur is Dying

Darfur is Dying is a viral video game for change that provides a window into the experience of the 2.5 million refugees in the Darfur region of Sudan. Players must keep their refugee camp functioning in the face of possible attack by Janjaweed militias. Players can also learn more about the genocide in Darfur that has taken the lives of 400,000 people, and find ways to get involved to help stop this human rights and humanitarian crisis.

Food For Thought

It came to R$ 8.69--so I plan to leave 50 grams of rice out of the week's meals...

In the front, my collective staples; in the rear, my individual purchases. I walked to three different supermarkets to look for the best deals, and I found some interesting ones: like the egg pasta for R$ 1.01 and the tomato sauce for R$ 1.10. I also decided to forgo the popular oatmeal option--after living in Asia for 9 years I have absolutely no issue with eating rice three times a day...

This blog is really for the collected video entries of the students participating in the challenge, so I will be posting infrequently, but I will probably load a video or two this week as well.

I would like the participants from Curitiba, those who went shopping yesterday and those who didn't, to reflect on some questions and post some answers as comments or, better, in your next vlog entry:

1. What specifically did you learn about shopping on a restricted budget yesterday? Go beyond "It's hard." and think about the particular challenges of the experience. 
• What did you learn about shopping on your own with your individual budget? What choices did you have to make?
• If you did not go shopping, how have you already had to rely on the community? How will you make up your obligation to them?
2. Most of you have confessed to never doing your own cooking, or never having done your own cooking--ever. What are you learning from the experience of preparing your own food from scratch? How steep is the learning curve? 
3. Now, extrapolate: The point of this experience is to experience--however slightly--the challenges faced by people who actually must live below the line every day, with no Midnight Friday light at the end of the tunnel. And remember: you don't have to extrapolate very much if you were a part of our shopping group yesterday--contemplate the life perspective of our visitors in the park.
• What choices do you think they have to make on a daily basis? 
• What skills and knowledge must they possess that you might only be learning now? 
• How do you think this shapes their lives? 
• How does your regular life compare? 
• How does the answers to these questions make you feel? 

Before or after you ask yourselves these questions, take a few minutes to do some computer game playing as homework. Look for my next post.

Good luck this week!

--WJT. 

Lieh's game plan

This is basically my game plan for the week! I know I'll be busy and stressed (and hungry!), so this is my preset menu. Of course there might be changes but this is what I'll try to stick to. The ingredients in green were the ones bought yesterday with the group and the ones in orange are the ones I'll spend my individual budget (about 8,70 Reais) with. I also tried establishing approximate times that I'll eat so I don't eat too early or late so the time distance between meals is not too big.

Introductory Video- Barbara

Organizing!

Shopping Experience

Shopping experience: Lieh, Hernan, Julia, Jordi.

Open the Cookbook here!

Introduction- Natasha

Introduction - Hernan
Here goes nothing...

Before the Challenge - Lieh and Julia

Our introductory video before the challenge. (by Lieh and Julia)

Hugh Jackman invites you to Live Below the Line

Live Below the Line Poster