Sunday 26 December 2010
Sunday 19 December 2010
To Build a home.
I climbed the tree to see the world... when the gusts came around to blow me down... I held on as tightly as you held on to me... I held on as tightly as you held on to me...
The cinematic orchestra - To build a home.
To Build A Home from Erik Koene on Vimeo.
Monday 13 December 2010
Saturday 11 December 2010
Friday 10 December 2010
Sunday 5 December 2010
Wednesday 1 December 2010
The Outspoken Showcase
Went to this with laura on Monday. Really glad we made it. I should make more of an effort to get to these things and show support for Women's groups. I thought that women were pretty equal these days, but more and more recently I realize they are not at all. It really fucking sucks. This comedian was there called Josie Long, she proper made me laugh really liked her she was ace.
There was food included in the price of the ticket which was only three pound. The food was delicious, best food I have had for ages!! Food made by riot grrill. This is something that seems to be happening a lot, two things I have been to now where they share food I really like this.
Cant remember where I found this or why I hadnt posted it before but now after another Christmas I feel it is even more relavent.
We are now three to five generations removed from the rural backbone that strengthened America. The world at large has undergone a similar transformation as the promise of easier work has created a migration to big cities. These mega-cities could be seen as an experiment gone awry, as general well-being has declined, with suicide rates increasing across the world. Crowded conditions and economic strife have led to rampant crime, pollution, corporate malfeasance, and a dog-eat-dog type of competition that can be described as a temporary insanity.
The economic crisis we are living through has been the final straw for many people, as promises of a better, easier, and more creative life seem to have been sold to us by carnival-style tricksters who are laughing all the way to (their) bank.
Here are the top reasons for becoming self-sufficient; these are based on fundamental, systemic concerns for why undertaking this life change will not be a fly-by-night fad, but rather a long-lasting means for personal independence.
10 Reasons to Become Self-Sufficient
1. Freedom from market manipulation – The traditional market-driven investment vehicles are more and more obviously controlled by traders and banking institutions. The debacle of the private Federal Reserve Bank is just the icing on the cake to a previous decade full of Ponzi-type schemes. Now, the institutionalized looting of retirement money is being planned.
2. Hedging against inflation – Have you noticed the price of goods lately? Even Wal-Mart is silently raising its prices. People might have a choice whether or not to buy stocks or gold, but people have to eat – the current increases in basic goods portend hyperinflation, and will not ease anytime soon. Food shortages could make the problem exponentially worse.
3. Increasing health and wellness – It has now been revealed that some "organic" items have been falsely labeled. In addition, a host of "GMO-free" brands have been exposed as deceptive. GMO food lacks the nutritional value of what can be grown in the average backyard. GMO mega-corporation, Monsanto, has a sordid history and has continuously trampled on our trust. It is time that we do the work ourselves.
4. Building community strength – We constantly hear people say, "I don't even see my neighbors, let alone know anything about them." Of course not: 80-hour workweeks and grabbing meals-to-go doesn't exactly promote community interaction. With such little time to interact with our immediate community, it is no wonder why many people report feeling disconnected. In these trying times, it is a local community that can offer the best support.
5. Working for yourself – Working hours are increasing, pay is often decreasing, and corporate executives are taking bigger bonuses than ever. This is leading to a prevailing disgust, as people are being forced to admit that they are living lives of near-indentured servitude. Even for those not working in corporations, working for someone else is rarely as satisfying as creating and working for something where every minute you spend is yours alone.
6. Having more free time – We have been taught to believe that life on a farm is arduous sun-up to sun-down drudgery where you collapse at the end of the day. This is not so much the case anymore. Sure, the setup of any farm or self-sufficient endeavor is often time-consuming and laborious, but new technologies and new skills of manufacturing food via permaculture and aquaponics are offering low-cost start up and minimal maintenance, as these techniques serve to create symbiotic systems that are remarkably self-governing.
7. Generating food and energy security – The planet is running out of food and traditional energy. Climate volatility, market forces, GM foods, and rising costs of harvesting and transporting food are all conspiring to create food shortages even in the First World. This trend will not reverse. And our oil-soaked way of life is being threatened by mounting evidence that the oil lifeline could be disconnecting rather soon. We should be looking to the air, sun, geothermal, and wave power to wean us from the energy grid.
8. Acquiring an appreciation for life – As one gets closer to life-giving forces, there is a natural appreciation for how things come into being. When you have created your garden, toiled there, selected the best for harvest, and have prepared that food for your family and community, the significance of what you have taken part in can be trans formative.
9. Restoring balance – Nearly everything in our society is at a peak, or is drastically out of balance. The systems and governments to which we have looked for balance restoration are missing in action. We must take it upon ourselves to restore our own financial and environmental balance sheet. The best way to do that is to reduce our over-consumption.
10 Ways to Get to Self-Sufficiency
The global economic collapse has become an eye-opening experience for many people. The ongoing crisis continues to create more joblessness at a time when the cost of essential items like food and energy continue to rise.
Inflation is only expected to continue due to excessive printing of money to compensate for the bursting economic bubbles, which were arguably created by printing too much money with artificially low interest rates in the first place.
The 2008 price shocks in oil followed by the financial collapse have led many people to begin taking measures to become more self-sufficient. And recently the ominous signs of food shortages, the weakening dollar, and the rising price of oil all point to a similar atmosphere as 2008. Some have taken steps to conserve electricity, reduce spending and consumption, while others are planting kitchen gardens and installing solar panels on their homes. Even living off the grid is becoming a mainstream concept for those seeking independence.
Indeed, becoming more self-sufficient is proving to make common sense whether one anticipates more hardship to come or not. Sure, many of us would love to live completely off the grid without giving up everyday comforts, but this is not practical for most of us. However, there are many steps that can be taken to move towards self-sufficiency which can be relatively painless and quite rewarding.
The following are 10 suggestions that can lead to independent living:
Reduce your debt: Especially get your credit card debt under control, since it is entirely corrupt. Call your credit card companies and ask for a work out plan similar to what they received from the taxpayer bailout. If they don't cooperate to your satisfaction, there are some reasons not to pay at all.
Reduce your consumption: Evaluate your current budget and determine absolute necessity. Push your comfort level to find areas where you can scale back, and then identify comforts that you’re willing to sacrifice.
Reduce energy use: Change light bulbs, have entertainment systems plugged into a splitter that can be shut off completely to reduce phantom charges, etc. Carefully plan shopping trips and other transportation needs.
Store energy: Always have back-up propane storage and a large wood pile for a rainy day. Investing in a generator of some kind (even a solar generator) will be money well spent.
Invest in food storage: With a falling dollar and rising food prices, why not create a food savings account? Get some good books, dehydrators and vacuum sealers for storage methods. Best storable food items are grains (rice, beans, flour), canned goods, seeds, and some prepackaged items.
Produce your own food: Replace your lawn with a garden, fruit trees, and keep chickens. Go on hunting and gathering adventures for nuts, fish, and wild game. Store extra garden seeds!
Learn new skills: Surf the Internet, read books, and take courses in practical skills like gardening, cooking with whole foods, composting, carpentry, alternative energy, natural health and wellness etc.
Start a side business: Turn your passion or hobby into a small side business to make some supplemental income. Who knows, it may become your path to full financial independence.
Install alternative energy: Start with small installations like a solar hot water system, a solar freezer, a solar attic fan, or a wood stove etc. If you have limited funds, tip-toe your way to independence.
Suggest solutions for your community: Start or join a local cooperative for food, products, and services. Engage your local community in discussions to take steps for self-sufficiency. Share your story and build support.
These steps will save money as we move closer to the ultimate prize of independence. Each action we take to live more simply frees us from the control systems put in place to make our lives more complicated, more toxic, and less independent.
by Michael Edwards and Jeffrey Green
http://www.activistpost.com/2010/08/ten-reasons-to-become-self-sufficient.html
photo from www.channel4.com
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49 people like this.
Naomi 'Ma Larkin' Lever Great :)
Monday at 21:21 ·
Gayleen Marie Chapman WOW Great ideas!
Monday at 21:40 ·
Amy Giddings this is the best article I've read all day! I am definitely sharing... Thanks!! :)
Monday at 21:43 · 1 person ·
Barb Schuetz This is great- I'd like to add a bit regarding food storage and new skills; Learn to properly prepare garins, nuts and legumes to get the most fromm them(and to avoid them taking from you which is especially important in poor times) and learn to FERMENT! One of the oldest methods of food preservation that also increases the nutritional/medicinal value of the food, that is if you don't kill it by cooking/canning.
Monday at 21:44 · 4 people ·
Patricia Wood Emery Liked and shared! Friends and family laughed at us and thought we were crazy when we "moved to the country" three years ago when hubby retired from the Navy. Now some of those same folks contact us and as for advice!!! HA!
There is still SO...See more
Monday at 22:08 · 2 people ·
Illinois Patco So please Barb, tell us more about fermenting!
Yesterday at 02:09 ·
Barb Schuetz :) I suggest everyone own a copy of Wild Fermentation. I know there are plenty of books out there about this but I LOVED (and still love) this book because it qualms fears and makes even complex ferments so simple. There's also a FB group ...See more
Yesterday at 03:23 · 1 person ·
Patti Coffey I just got a copy of Wild Fermentation-bought it from th Dervaes family. I see so many recipes I want to try!
21 hours ago ·
Melanie Myers Licensed Acupuncturist fermentation has a whole lot of health benefits, just when doing it yourself, make sure you are extra careful at following the instructions to a tee, for safety reasons. same with making kombucha tea. great stuff, and hope it is in the book so you can try it. not the store bought kind. it tastes different, and each batch tastes different. you guys make me want to get back into it!:)
about an hour ago ·
Melanie Myers Licensed Acupuncturist bought a generator this year and am building a little winter/all season house for it and putting it on cement slabs I am making. also doing this for my son's house. bought my house last year and am finally in a position to begin turning my ...See more
about an hour ago ·
I think this is where I am aiming.
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