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Fifty Shades of BS
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Home/Garden; Posted on: 2012-10-08 19:39:45 [ Print / Instant Flyer |
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by Debbie Hampton
While I do know that the books are fiction and were never meant to stand up to the litmus test of reality, it makes me sad and mad that these are best sellers because women STILL like to buy into, fantasize and dream about these same old lies…then get disappointed when real life doesn’t look anything like this. To glorify the type of relationship depicted in these books continues to promote unhealthy, unrealistic ideas about what constitutes a healthy, happy, loving relationship, sex, and life.
Before taking a trip across the country, I posted on Facebook asking for recommendations for pleasure reading. I got several recommendations for the Fifty Shades trilogy by E. L. James.
“I read all three and they get better each time” recommended one friend. ”Fifty Shades!!! On the second and can’t wait until the third!” said another. ”I loved the the 50 Shades Trilogy. Erotic parts, yes – but I saw it more as a romance/fantasy” advised someone else. I Googled it, and it sounded like perfect light reading for those long plane rides and waits in the airport. I like a titillating, erotic, romance novel as much as the next girl….or so I thought.
I got the first book and started it before even leaving for the trip. Upon seeing me reading it, my son exclaimed “Mom, that’s porn!” I related this in the comments under the original post on Facebook and was advised by more than one person that there was a great love story mixed in with all the hype. I was not far into the book at that point, and, while the main male character was into bondage and submissives, it was not what I would consider pornography.
After finishing the first book on the first leg of the flight across the country, I was mad that I had wasted my time reading this bull shit, but some part of me also kind of liked reading this bull shit. I was in the airport with a 3 hour layover and nothing to read; so I bought the second book at the expensive airport shop. After finishing the second book, I wanted to write a scathing blog about the series right then. However, I figured that I should, at least, read the third book to be fair, to be informed, and to see where the story and characters went.
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News Source: Best Brain Possible Blog
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Food Safety Act a Trojan Horse for Corporations
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Home/Garden; Posted on: 2010-12-05 12:42:15 [ Print / Instant Flyer |
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by John Young
(from the Relocalization of Agriculture Blog)
Nobody can deny that there are safety issues with our food supply. People grow ill from eating spinach or even hamburger from time to time. Peanut butter becomes tainted. People die.
I’d say, generally speaking, that people dying is a good clue that there is a problem that needs to be addressed.
Of course, what often happens is that a tragedy is used to justify a “solution” that promises to be far worse than the problem it is ostensibly intended to solve. And S 510, The Food Safety Modernization Act, is no exception.
We have a number of very serious long-term problems with the food supply in this country. There are issues with sanitation due to housing migratory workers in substandard conditions that do not permit of hand-washing, there are issues with pervasive use of GMO crops without the knowledge of those who consume them, there are issues with centralization of seedlines and also long-distance transportation making our food supply easily disrupted and subject to price increases due to spikes in the price of oil. And more.
Many of the most serious problems in our food supply can best be solved through localization and the increased competition and food security that this would entail.
S 510, certain safeguards that it contains notwithstanding, would serve to hurt rather than advance efforts at localization by imposing costly new controls that would not increase safety, but would certainly make it more difficult for smaller and more local farms to stay in business.
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News Source: Relocalization of Agriculture Blog
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Tips for "Hard-Core Homesteading"
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Home/Garden; Posted on: 2010-07-06 08:35:45 [ Print / Instant Flyer |
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All European-Americans should prepare to be self-sufficient.
Many of us have a garden and enjoy fresh vegetables during the summer and fall. Maybe we even have a few chickens for eggs and meat. But many of us may want to extend our homesteading to what I call “hard-core” homesteading. This is serious homesteading, aimed at being able to provide your family with nearly all of its basic needs.
Luckily, most of us with a piece of out-of-the-way land can become nearly “store-bought-free,” raising much of what we need in nearly the same way as did our ancestors.
There is a vast difference between this type of survival homesteading and stars-in-the-eyes, back-to-nature, recreational homesteading to relieve stress and provide enjoyment. The difference is not so much in how-to, but in discipline and learning.
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News Source: Backwoods Home
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Production as a Weapon
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Home/Garden; Posted on: 2010-06-19 05:50:09 [ Print / Instant Flyer |
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by Rob Winfield
Director, Relocalization of Agriculture, EAU
I believe that the reason we are suffering under totalitarian, oligarchal politics is because of a degenerate culture, and the reason we have a degenerate culture is that we lost our productive capacity.
It's that gosh darn simple. I look around at what Americans do for work – very few of us are engaged in producing anything of value, myself included. The brilliant blogger Roissy, describes it better than I can:
Our society exists at a strange moment of economic limbo between two worlds — the past manufacturing based world and the future transhuman world — a limbo where paper pushing, legalistic gear grinding, government welfare administration, and service with a smile has infested like a toxic mold almost every tier of vertical and horizontal economic productivity. .
This is the problem in a nutshell. Everything else stems from that and that alone.
How did we get here? It started with killing the family farms, and our new beginning begins with reviving the family farms. We have to unravel the this problem in the way it got raveled in the first place. Farms first, then artisan workshops which service the farms, and home canning/preserving kitchens that process and preserve the harvest. We have to reinvent civilization, after a fashion, from the ground up. We have to re-evolve society, and we can't skip steps.
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News Source: Director, Relocalization of Agriculture Project
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Global Ologarchs and Looming Domestic Starvation
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Home/Garden; Posted on: 2009-04-24 18:20:06 [ Print / Instant Flyer |
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by John Young
(From the Relocalization of Agriculture Blog)
In other words, for who knows how long, our nations have not been controlled by the people we *think* control them -- be it parliaments, or kings. Instead, our nations have been controlled by national oligarchies.
When folks think about an "interconnected world" or a "global economy," they usually think about how they can get Chinese stuff really cheap, or how illegal aliens just keep pouring over our borders unabated.
But there is more to it than that.
Many semi-Utopian thinkers have long labored for an interconnected world for many reasons; but mainly because a financially interdependent world is less prone to shooting wars between major powers. Fewer shooting wars translates into more money for these semi-Utopian thinkers who usually work for a Federal Reserve branch, the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank or some similar shadowy entity in their country of residence.
Financial interdependence makes shooting wars less likely for fairly obvious reasons: if someone owes you money, you don't want to destroy his ability to pay you back. Likewise, if someone is sending you lots of money or lending you money when you need it, you certainly don't want him to come to harm. And thus peace is achieved -- not because of some sort of practical idealism, but because of a confluence of hard-core self interests.
The core premises behind this set of ideas are extremely revealing because they don't take into account the interests of nations or societies -- but rather a very small subset of the nation, a very small economic oligarchy -- whose interests are very different from those of the overwhelming preponderance of the population of that nation. Thus it is revealed that the economic interdependence seen as a "social good" because it can prevent wars between great powers primarily serves the interest of an international oligarchy.
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News Source: Relocalization of Agriculture Blog
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EAU Launches Garden Help-Line
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Home/Garden; Posted on: 2009-04-14 07:04:09 [ Print / Instant Flyer |
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by John Young
As you know, EAU strongly supports home gardening initiatives -- so much so that we have even created a Special Project Group and a Blog dedicated to those projects.
Home gardening, for those who consider themselves to be black thumbs, can be an intimidating endeavor; especially given that it is often accompanied by assumptions that mean an awful lot of work.
EAU is pleased to number among our members a contingent of widely-experienced and extremely knowledgeable gardeners who can tell you how to garden smarter rather than harder.
So don't let any pre-conceptions of gardening hold you back!
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News Source: Email
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Revolution in the Garden
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Home/Garden; Posted on: 2009-04-05 16:38:53 [ Print / Instant Flyer |
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by John Young
(from the Re-localization of Agriculture blog)
This year, in my garden, I will be growing 72 broccoli plants in two separate plantings. As these are harvested they will be cleaned, blanched, vacuum-sealed and placed in my freezer.
This will amount to about 100 pounds of organic broccoli that, if purchased at the grocery store, would cost about $600 at today's prices.
99% of the broccoli crop in the United States is grown in California and Arizona. The overwhelming preponderance of the planting and harvesting of that broccoli is performed by Mexicans.
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News Source: Local ag blog
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The Frugal Hunter
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Home/Garden; Posted on: 2009-03-01 05:10:43 [ Print / Instant Flyer |
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from EAU's Local Agriculture Blog
There’s a dirty little secret out there about rifle accuracy; and it is hardly ever mentioned in the pages of magazines where expensive firearms are advertised, and that is the fact that most people are horrible marksmen. They don’t have even the basics down.
Yes, I hunt. My family eats meat; and as far as I’m concerned if they are going to eat meat, it might as well either be wild or raised by myself so its the healthiest meat I can provide. Once you’ve decided to consume animal flesh, I believe it is morally better to kill it yourself than import a filthy third-world immigrant to kill a factory-farmed animal that may have never even seen sunshine. (I DO realize that some of our readers are vegetarians for either health or moral reasons — and I can respect that. If you fall in this category, the following article may not be your cup of tea!)
I’m not one those guys who likes to engage in elaborate self-deception by referring to what happens when I shoot an animal as “harvesting.” No — I harvest grain. I harvest tomatoes. But I kill animals. I have to be honest with myself about that. And I also have to be honest with myself about the fact that the plants I harvest are often killed in the process, and that plants are sentient, and so just as likely to feel pain as animals. (Sentience is measured on a scale from -70 to +50. On that scale, plants range from -2 to +2 and humans are about +13.) The fact that I am unable to understand and relate to potential pain in plants the way I can with animals makes it no less real to the plant.
But I accept this. Just as zebras kill plants and lions kill zebras; I fit somewhere in the natural scheme of things killing plants and animals alike — like a bear — as part of my own survival strategy. I do, however, try to be as humane as possible within my ability to understand. So I admit I take more care in inflicting the minimum amount of pain and fear in animals as opposed to plants because of the limits of my understanding of plant emotions and sensations. I don’t feel guilty about the fact that I use the lives of other things to survive, but I don’t see myself as necessarily the top of the food chain either. In the blink of an eye I could be an Ebola virus’s idea of a tasty supper.
That having been said, let me get to the “meat” of the matter. I hunt, and I hunt with inexpensive firearms. I’d like to share with you my experiences with these. For some folks, guns are like a religion; so it’s almost impossible not to cross somebody’s pet peeve. I’m a big fan of guns myself, so I understand!
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News Source: Local Ag Blog
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John Young's Kitchen: Pumpkin Seeds
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Home/Garden; Posted on: 2008-10-31 06:56:46 [ Print / Instant Flyer |
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by John Young
Pumpkins are indigenous to the Americas, and were unknown to our European forebears who originated the customs of Samhain, which we celebrate today as Halloween. Nevertheless, pumpkins (and especially carved pumpkins) have now become an integral part of our celebration of this combined celebration of harvest and festival of the dead.
Every year, quite apart from the other festivities of the season, I look forward to accumulating pumpkin seeds that are left over from carving Jack-o-Lanterns. It turns out that pumpkin seeds are not only delicious -- but carry a treasure trove of health benefits as well. Some of these health benefits include lowering LDL cholesterol, lowering cancer risk, lowering risk of kidney stones, improvement of prostate and bladder function, and combating depression. All of this (and much more) without a prescription or permission of big daddy government!
So here is how I prepare and save pumpkin seeds ...
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News Source: Email
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LocalHarvest Newsletter - No "Farm to Fork" Please
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Home/Garden; Posted on: 2008-07-24 10:50:42 [ Print / Instant Flyer |
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by Erin Barnett
Note: Local Harvest is NOT affiliated with EAU or WVWNews. We have, however, recommended using their excellent resources to locate and use locally-grown foods and to market your own locally-grown foods. Their website is here.
Welcome back to the LocalHarvest newsletter. Last time I wrote about the choices we have as we face a rapidly changing future. It was a broad topic. No sooner had we finished reading your comments -- and thanks to all who wrote in! – when the New York Times published an editorial exemplifying the very fear we talked about last month. The Times editorial used the recent salmonella outbreak to call for a national food tracking system. Proponents of this system say that having the ability to track our food "from farm to fork" is the way to keep our food system safe.
A safe food system is a most excellent goal. It is fundamental. But the logic of traceability is fundamentally flawed. It relies on endless paperwork and pop inspections and numbered tags and microchips. Out of all this bureaucracy, "farm to fork" tries to build an edifice of safety, a Great Wall between us and the bad bacteria.
What we want is a guarantee. We want to trust that we won't get sick from our food. The thing is, "traceability" can't offer that guarantee. Say my grocery store watermelon comes with a barcode sticker on it. I peel the sticker off and throw it away. The garbage goes out. Two days later I get sick. Now what?
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News Source: Email
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Preparing for the Meat Crunch
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Home/Garden; Posted on: 2008-06-27 21:39:32 [ Print / Instant Flyer |
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by Gilbert Taylor
I have to admit, I probably don't eat as much meat as the average American. I like it, of course. The trouble lies in the fact that, for me, large quantities of meat just aren't healthy.
At the same time, what meat my family does eat is an important part of our diet. Unfortunately, with the flooding in the Midwest that wiped out a lot of the corn crop that was used for animal feed, the price of meat should start climbing around Thanksgiving.
As a member of EAU, I know the importance of self-sufficiency; and I'm on notice that Peak Oil is on the way. So, naturally, my solution is simple: raise my own meat.
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News Source: Email
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Growing a Beautiful Edible Landscape in an Urban Neighborhood
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Home/Garden; Posted on: 2008-04-21 13:08:05 [ Print / Instant Flyer |
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How do you put something like this together? One plant at a time, of course, but there are some basic principles to keep in mind.
When people think about growing food in urban areas, the first idea is generally to hide the vegetable garden somewhere in the backyard, and all too often, that means "out of sight, out of mind". At my house Oklahoma City, this isn't an option, as the property has no back yard, so I had to figure out something else.
There are four major influences on my garden philosophy.
1. The Japanese farmer Masanobu Fukuoka, author of the One Straw Revolution, who first began to spread the word about "no till farming" in the 1970s. More information about the Fukuoka farming movement can be found on line at FukuokaFarmingol.net.
2. Permaculture, as presented by Bill Mollison and David Holmgren, about which more will be said presently. For further information about permaculture, there are a number of links in the forest gardening section of my website page, www.bettertimes.info.org.
3. My belief in the importance of living lightly on the land comes from my religious faith which teaches me that it is my moral duty to be a responsible steward of earth's resources. The average urban landscape wastes a tremendous amount of water and uses incredible amounts of chemical fertilizer, pesticides, herbicides, and fossil fuels, and destroying the land is not a way to be a responsible steward. There has to be a better way, and that is what I am looking for.
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News Source: distributist
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Success with Carrots
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Home/Garden; Posted on: 2007-07-11 10:38:41 [ Print / Instant Flyer |
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by Gilbert Taylor
Carrots are an earthly delight that come in colors ranging from white through purple, and in sizes ranging from the tiny thumbelina to a whopping 15 pounds! They are great tasting raw or cooked, and serve as the basis for healthy drinks from the juice machine. On top of all this, they are loaded with vitamin A.
Recently, a fellow EAU member got in touch with me about his carrots. It seems he was having some germination problems. Now, rather than keep what I told him secret, I'll share it with all of our readers. After all, with Peak Oil just around the corner, if you don't already have a garden you should be fixing to start one.
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News Source: Email
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Ants in the Garden
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Home/Garden; Posted on: 2007-05-16 11:52:52 [ Print / Instant Flyer |
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by Gilbert Taylor A friend recently asked me what to do about ants in the garden. Well, I have ants in my garden, too, and usually don't do a thing about them. They are nature's clean-up crew and I've always been fascinated with the little critters. They usually don't eat any of my food or damage the plants so I leave 'em alone. Of course, the fact that ants in my own garden are benign doesn't mean they are always benign. Such was the case with my friend. They will often eat strawberries and other soft-skinned fruits and have a habit of farming aphids. The ants will actually store the aphids in the nest, bring them out to the plants when needed, and let them generate honeydew by feeding on your plants. Honeydew is a sweet-sticky substance that the ants love to eat. The problem is when it gets on your plants, it serves as a food for black mold. So even though I don't usually need to do anything about the ants in my own garden, I watch my plantings carefully for signs of these potential problems. A safe organic method of control is easily made at home.
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News Source: Gilbert Taylor
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Food Prices Rising, Time to Grow Your Own
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Home/Garden; Posted on: 2007-03-29 22:14:46 [ Print / Instant Flyer |
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by Agricultural Research Staff
Food prices are on the rise, increasing .7% in January and .8% in February with no end in sight as midwestern acreage continues to be planted in corn for ethanol production. Higher fuel and overall energy costs are also reflected in higher food costs as most food is grown far from its point of use.
Now that we've passed the Spring equinox in the United States, it is time to seriously consider planting a garden if you don't grow one already.
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News Source: Email
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