Rants, Muses, Books & Music (and Some Cooking Too).

It's good to see you. Come on in, leave your shoes in the hallway, we've got fire on the stove preparing lunch for later. In the meantime, browse the bookshelves and plunk down on the sofa with one, or pick out some tunes from the music library or come in to the kitchen to help with the cooking. Our special blend of tea is steeping and will be right up.

Make yourself at home...

Was going through some photos and notes of interesting events we've attended or participated in and came upon the Vermont Sail Project, or The Vermont Sail Co as it is presently known. I smiled and wondered if folks had heard about this lovely and heartening radical endeavor.

The Vermont Sail Project has been described as a Resilience project. Which piqued me, because I've noticed in a few subthreads lately lamentations regarding the dormancy of our own Resilience series, which can be found here, with a resource library here (under the Site Menu is a link for "Groups," which is where you can find it). It is a really great repository of self-sufficiency, wth an emphasis on the Whole Earth-style tips on everything from home insulation and water collection to planting, growing and harvesting. As I've begun to say, there seems to be a good bit of interest in reviving it, with folks such as mhagle, earthling1, riverlover, CStS, studentofearth, and dance you monster all commenting so. Studentofearth's OT on Friday has been a welcomed addition in its focus on resilience.

Dance you monster, a member of the original Resilience Group here, and myself have been talking about how to revive it and what it might look like. Our conversations have been a mutual interest in a series geared more to navigating the everyday decisions we each make in a society overwhelmingly dominated by capitalist interests of profit over people. Central to it, we thought a working philosophy of more social and political dimensions to it, as well as sound, practical how-to's, would be a good start.

With that thought in mind, just wanted to put it out there to see if there was interest in a regular series, with an emphasis on brainstorming ideas of how to lead a more pure, responsible, self-sustaining life, outside of the crass consumerism suffocating us and the planet (i.e. tips how to reuse, recycle, re-appropriate, etc), and develop ways to impact and ultimately overthrow the system by not participating in it (and debating if that is even possible).

If that sounds like something folks would like to see get off the ground, feel free to comment in the open thread. It would be great to have that conversation on a larger scale with the entire C99 community at some point.

So, back to the resilience project that is not online but a real life collective of farmers, artisans and seafarers from Vermont...

The Vermont Sail Project was scheduled to reach NYC In October of 2013. Two years after Occupy, our eyes and ears were very much whetted to anything radical, and the prospect of this was exciting. It was such a laudable idea that some folks, who were independently harvesting fresh produce and producing goods, were seeking to bypass the corporate dominated economy in environmentally sound ways.

Over the years I would meander on my motorcycle up the Hudson and off onto country roads and many times wind up in picturesque nooks of that majestic river. Sometimes I'd come across riverside towns clearly fallen on hard times, and wonder why some of these towns hadn't considered reviving their dilapidated ports and warehouses for the transport and storage of local farm's produce. Back at my local supermarkets I'd be disgusted that, for instance, the garlic we were getting was from China. China?!? It just didn't make sense, was downright obscene when you really think about it, that people in my area, were getting their garlic from China, when within just a 40 mile radius of NYC there are undoubtedly farms who could produce such basics. Why were all these local farms, not so far from the city, that I'd pass by on those trips, not able to get their produce to market, especially when there was so much carbon footprint waste involved with importing basics from the furthest corner of the globe and the produce was not fresh and often perishing? These things gnawed at me.

Such a sail project, which had dawned on me during travels up the same river, was captivating, and a tangible example of the philosophy to which I hope to aspire to in my own life.

National Geographic did a really fine piece on them in November of 2013, "Sailboats Ship Freight to Manhattan for First Time in 60 Years: Interest in greener transportation and local food is driving a revival of ancient ways."

This past weekend, a flat-bottomed, two-mast sailboat 30 feet (9 meters) long came down the Hudson River at a brisk six-knot clip, hugging the Manhattan coast to avoid bigger boats. Commuter ferries, barges, tour boats, and pleasure vessels can always be found in the water surrounding New York City—which is, after all, an island at the entrance to the Atlantic Ocean. Ships under sail power are a regular sighting here too. But this particular sailboat, the Ceres, is special.

The Vermont Sail Freight Project built the boat this summer with a goal: to go back in time. With 12 tons of food from 30 Vermont farms in its holds, the Ceres became the first sailboat since the 1950s to land in New York City with goods. The cargo was destined for the New Amsterdam Market, restaurants, and customers who had placed orders online.

"Originally, I thought of the project as a kind of a publicity stunt," said Erik Andrus, a farmer and entrepreneur who heads the Vermont Sail Freight Project. But now, after a positive response to the project, Andrus thinks there’s real business potential in sailing produce in the Northeast again.

"We believe ... in rebuilding a regional food system that’s not petroleum dependent," he said. "If people ... receiving ... the food value that kind of resilience, then that’s a reason for them to get their maple syrup from us rather than from the local corner store."

Here are a few photos we took of what remained of the produce and goods brought down river from Vermont, after having stopped all along the Hudson at various designated ports, and finally winding up inside a dock house at the Brooklyn Navy Yard:

CAM00048.jpg

CAM00050.jpg

CAM00047.jpg

If it was slightly upscale in its offerings, it was at least an attempt, an action, to shine some light on the plight of local farms, the monolithic distribution system that chokes out small farms and the soundness of becoming more aware of eating seasonally and out of the grip of corporatization. All of these components are not yuppie entitlements; this fundamental change in the way we interact with food system has very big geopolitical ramifications (which I'll leave aside now as my C99 folks already understand such basic truisms).

What's more, as people in this ongoing economic slog look for new and alternative ways to change their lives, an understanding of our food system becomes more and more important. Folks these days are more inclined to grow some portion of their food, as the urban community gardens which have sprung up all across the country attest and suburban mothers convert patches of their backyards to growing supplemental vegetables and fruits.

If projects like these can get people inquisitive and inspired to think more about all aspects of our food system, that is no small thing. Though no one is under the illusion that sailboats will overtake the monstrous ocean liner freights I see everyday coming through the Hellgate into the New York harbor or the transcontinental jets bringing exotic perishables to high end restaurants so that 1%ers can brag about what they stuffed their faces with the previous night. But it could be just another way to have some positive impact on challenging a system that is quite literally poisonous. Shipping fuel is 600 times dirtier than diesel for trucks, according to the article, which also states that if ships were countries they'd be the sixth-largest producer of greenhouse-gas emissions in the world.

The Vermont Sail Project is just one example of an inspiring group of folks who did something to create an alternative to the current system. There's a sense of joy and wonderment to be found in the photostream at the bottom of their website, of their "Sailing Cargo Initiative Connecting the Farms and Forests of Vermont with the Lower Hudson Valley." Creating something imbued with passion, empathy and love is an important distinction when attempting to influence folks toward your way of thinking.

What steps can we take outside of the corporate system that will empower ourselves? How can we, as forward-thinking, progressive-minded people, push back in our every day lives against the commodification of our lives and the corporatization of our food system, media, education system, sports industry, etc?

So, it's an Open Thread; what's going on with you?

Back in the kitchen we're listening to:

The Decemberists "Picaresque"

Reading/Browsing List:

"Roughing It" (Mark Twain)
"Voices of Protest" (edited by Frank Lowenstein, Sheryl Lechner and Erik Braun)
"Hope Dies Last" (Studs Terkel)
"Occupy: Scenes From An Occupation" (edited by Astrid Taylor, Keith Gessen and n+1 editors)

Hummus with Lebanese garlic sauce (toum)

Soak chick peas overnight.

Cook in pressure cooker if possible, or boil in pot, until soft.

Place garlic cloves, dripped with olive oil, in broiler for about 8-10 minutes. Keep your nose and eye peeled to not burn, and turn to make sure.

In food processor, combine cooked chick peas, roasted garlic, tahini paste , fresh lemon juice, a dash of cumin and salt and pepper to taste.

Drizzle olive oil on whole wheat pita, and cover with zatar, which is a Middle Eastern herb and seed mix that usually combines sesame, thyme, marjoram, oregano and varies from region to region.

Serve with toasted pita, toum (recipe below), mixed green and black olives, and pickled radishes.

The Lebanese garlic paste called toum is one of my favorite discoveries while eating at the plethora of Middle Eastern places in Queens and Brooklyn. There's a Lebanese shwarma/falafel place where I've become acquainted with the sandwich maker for over the past 10 years plus. When he told me the delicious mayonnaise-y condiment was made of only garlic and lemon (and canola oil) I couldn't believe it (no dairy or eggs). It's usually served with meat, but I always ask for it also when I have falafel.

This recipe, on video, has worked great for me.

Lemongrass Chai Blend

heaping scoop of dried Thai lemongrass
shards of cinnamon bark
a few cardamom pods
a few black peppercorns
A few cloves
fresh chopped ginger

Share
up
0 users have voted.

Comments

Raggedy Ann's picture

I'm very interested in resilience. I miss Gerrit and his posts. Raggedy Andy researched and put our house on solar on his own. We are not on a grid tie.
We are growing garlic (1000 plants this year) and building our crop in order to sell/trade for other food. We, too, were appalled at our garlic coming from China. Buy it at Trader Joe's, as it is not from China there.
We capture water from our house into both standing and buried tanks. We need to add a couple of larger-capacity tanks. We have the capacity and currently capture approximately 4,000 gallons of water and plan to capture it from our barn and shop in the near future, which will give us around 10,000 total gallons.
We have a small garden, but desire to put up a greenhouse in the next two-three years to grow a lot of our food.
We are working hard to be as sustainable as possible in the very near future.
Have a beautiful day, folks! Pleasantry

up
0 users have voted.

"The “jumpers” reminded us that one day we will all face only one choice and that is how we will die, not how we will live." Chris Hedges on 9/11

Mark from Queens's picture

@Raggedy Ann

Seems you've got a better handle than most with hands-on, self-reliant resilience in practice. Sounds amazing what you're doing. A garlic farm? That's a dream.

Can't believe the garlic there in NM supermarkets is also coming from China. What gives with that? Makes me lament the absence of real investigative journalism to find out what's behind it.

Now that you've got me thinking, I'd also like to see some reporter dig into all commercial and residential properties in NYC to find out who the owners are and, if they are monopolies, how they made their money, as we seen a decade-plus of both vacant storefronts and gleaming new banks/franchises occupy the most choice real estate and rental prices go through the roof.

Maybe that's a project for citizen journalism: exposing the concentrated wealth rot of American society by naming the names of the Economic Terrorists and going after them with the zeal law enforcement goes after black and brown kids for "loitering" while eating potato chips on the sidewalk in front of their grandmother's apartments.

Gerrit was a powerhouse, full of a wide range of knowledge and information. Hope he returns. Resilience seems more important than ever.

up
0 users have voted.

"If I should ever die, God forbid, let this be my epitaph:

THE ONLY PROOF HE NEEDED
FOR THE EXISTENCE OF GOD
WAS MUSIC"

- Kurt Vonnegut

lotlizard's picture

@Raggedy Ann https://duckduckgo.com/?q=rain+water+collection+illegal&t=ffsb&ia=web

up
0 users have voted.

Having my money cup of coffee and then off to the Italian Embassy. Today is the day. Wish us luck.

If you haven't dropped into my OT from yesterday, please take a minute to read and perhaps answer the call. Thanks - dk

up
0 users have voted.

"Religion is what keeps the poor from murdering the rich."--Napoleon

@dkmich that's supposed to be Italian for good luck! thanks google translate. May the goddess of bureaucracies smile upon you and grant every request posthaste. So mote it be.

buon caffè è la risposta
good coffee is the answer

Peace & Love

up
0 users have voted.
Mark from Queens's picture

@dkmich

Let us know how the consulate interview went. Would be curious to know if the Embassy is experiencing an uptick in such interest.

up
0 users have voted.

"If I should ever die, God forbid, let this be my epitaph:

THE ONLY PROOF HE NEEDED
FOR THE EXISTENCE OF GOD
WAS MUSIC"

- Kurt Vonnegut

riverlover's picture

farms on Land that Cornell owns (and may finally have to pay taxes on). The developers will be connecting to the grid but swear it will be less expensive electricity that we are currently getting from God knows where. Our local coal-burning plant was not allowed to convert to natural gas (yay!) and is now mostly idle, but not mothballed.

I live in the woods, in summer my roof is overshadowed by trees. Not good for solar. I do not want to clear-cut for collectors. Best just give off O2 and recharge the wetland below. So if I can get it on the grid, I can feel slightly smug. Installation has not started but it could be done by winter.

Seed starting has begun. Under LED growlights. Hydroponic. I am up-potting zinnia seedlings, husky and healthy so far. 7 types of leaf lettuce, not quite large enough for scissor harvest. To start next: cardinal vine from saved seed and mixed mustard greens. Snow is mostly gone except in plow piles. And none in the forecast, lows above freezing now.

up
0 users have voted.

Hey! my dear friends or soon-to-be's, JtC could use the donations to keep this site functioning for those of us who can still see the life preserver or flotsam in the water.

Mark from Queens's picture

@riverlover

Wish I had more of a propensity for it. We have a window sill garden in which I can grab fresh rosemary to cook with, and have a small shared lot on a community garden. But it's like anything I suppose, when you're around good and passionate folks who enjoy what they do you pick up things and assimilate them.

At the very least for me I want to introduce to my infant boy, and make concerted effort to do already, to the relationship between raw food, cooking and eating, by having him handle fruit and vegetables of all different sizes, textures and smells, and then bring him into the process of cooking and making food, which I explain to him at each step.

It's still incredible to me that more folks aren't demanding a full transition to wind and solar power. Can't beat the long-term savings in costs and environment preservation than with renewable, sustainable energy. Another example of how propaganda dupes the average person to line up against his own economic interests. Solar power seems to be making real inroads though. Every time I travel around the tri-state area, NJ especially, seem to notice more and more what appears to be solar panels attached to lights on the side of the road.

up
0 users have voted.

"If I should ever die, God forbid, let this be my epitaph:

THE ONLY PROOF HE NEEDED
FOR THE EXISTENCE OF GOD
WAS MUSIC"

- Kurt Vonnegut

Good morning, taking a bite of open thread: Canada expected to legalize marijuana by July 2018. Thanks.

TORONTO (AP) — Canadians should be able to smoke marijuana legally by July 1, 2018, a senior government official said Monday.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberal government will introduce legislation to legalize recreational marijuana the week of April 10th and it should become law by July next year, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to lack of authorization to discuss the upcoming legislation.

Trudeau has long promised to legalize recreational pot use and sales. Canada would be the largest developed country to end a nationwide prohibition of recreational marijuana. In the U.S, voters in California, Massachusetts, Maine and Nevada voted last year to approve the use of recreational marijuana, joining Colorado, Washington, Oregon and Alaska. Uruguay in South America is the only nation to legalize recreational pot.

Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould declined to confirm the dates provided by the official, but said in a statement the government is committed to introducing legislation this spring that would “legalize, strictly regulate, and restrict access to cannabis.”...

---

Not sure how to contribute anything regarding resiliency, for I have failed myself by not planning and stupidly going "all-in" with people greedier then me. Can't eat hindsight unfortunately. For me it is asset-selling mode until everything gone, just to keep up. Flea-market is where I should be, but I already sold the car so stuck with craigslist or whatever, not much. Anyone know is there after-market for kindle fire dx? Bezos sure doesn't want anyone to know about it, seems to me. Don't say EBay, after the last fraud charged to one account recently, I'm done with online transactions via remote stranger. Or even banking, actually. Lol wish me luck.

Peace & Love

up
0 users have voted.
Mark from Queens's picture

@eyo

So long overdue, decriminalizing weed is.

To me personally, Resiliency is more about finding, always seeking to improve and abiding a philosophy that dignifies one's existence, a way to stay humane and sane while forced to contend with the overwhelming onslaught of crass commercialism, greed, and the commodification of life in a capitalist society.

up
0 users have voted.

"If I should ever die, God forbid, let this be my epitaph:

THE ONLY PROOF HE NEEDED
FOR THE EXISTENCE OF GOD
WAS MUSIC"

- Kurt Vonnegut

Mark from Queens's picture

Sitting in the kitchen, boy on lap between me and computer, eating some steel cut oatmeal with fresh fruit and pan-toasted nuts, with a big cup of black tea.

Last night's gig was fun, as I was not expecting many to come out on a night calling for rain. But they did, and it was a pleasant surprise. Crowd on the small end but hearty. Makes my night whenever a petite girl in her 20's wearing a dress comes up and sings "Baba O'Riley," and with gusto and appreciation.

Welcoming the rainy day here. Always the perfect salve after rocking all night and having a couple of whiskeys.

Good to see you lovely folks.

up
0 users have voted.

"If I should ever die, God forbid, let this be my epitaph:

THE ONLY PROOF HE NEEDED
FOR THE EXISTENCE OF GOD
WAS MUSIC"

- Kurt Vonnegut

Big Al's picture

"you don't have to vote to raise some hell".

Seems like quite a few people have left this blog. I wonder why. Did they go back to Daily Kos? Or somewhere else? Were they turned off by the anti-democratic party theme here? I'm guessing that's the primary reason, it's pretty easy to fall back into the republican vs democrat thing especially now with Trump and a majority republican congress and senate. Most people on here are holding out on that. The next year will be interesting in how things shake out not only here but in this country.

up
0 users have voted.

@Big Al I, too, have noticed an exodus from here. Al, it is easy to be anti. We are all furious, maybe even scared about what is happening to the 99%.
However, we want desperately to be "pro". Nothing is galvanizing us for or towards anything.

up
0 users have voted.

"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

Big Al's picture

@on the cusp drop. I agree, there's nothing bringing people together, everything seems to be about pulling people apart, which has happened here somewhat. A small sample of what's happening everywhere.

up
0 users have voted.
riverlover's picture

@Big Al and voted for Stein, I have no dog in this hunt, specifically. So yes, Limbo-land. I observe and make seditious comments on FB. No return to the unfriendly Democrats. Sure as hell not turning Republican. Trump is a disaster, I claim no fault.

I need to file an extension on income taxes, I can't think well due to pain. And know that.

up
0 users have voted.

Hey! my dear friends or soon-to-be's, JtC could use the donations to keep this site functioning for those of us who can still see the life preserver or flotsam in the water.

@Big Al I don't know if or why other people seem to have "left", maybe it is just spring and there are way better things to do. The vibe for me is to go elsewhere too, doesn't feel helpful to illustrate the fear lurking people's minds.

What's the point? LOL with me trying to save eight dollars a month on streaming, to eat one and half more heads of broccoli? A month. BMI 18.5 and dropping, even I know how pathetic I sound. Doesn't help there is a whole industry built around how to avoid "toxic" people (like me I guess), what kind of psychology is that? Never mind. I mean go back to lurking forums and STFU, instead of participating. That is what GBCW means to me, it is virtual not literal.

Peace & Love

up
0 users have voted.
Big Al's picture

@eyo I think we need to remind ourselves why we do it, which for most of us it's because we care. We want things to change so we follow what's happening, talk about it, etc. Hang in there eyo, and have a good day.

up
0 users have voted.
CS in AZ's picture

@Big Al
I went through a time of feeling like I should find a different place to hang out. For me it wasn't because of anti Democratic Party sentiment, which I share. It was because of the surprising number of pro Trump advocates. I really can't stomach Trump, and it gets tiresome and frustrating reading people defending him. It's not something I want to expend energy arguing about, but I find myself doing it anyway. Then I think, why am I doing this? Round and round we go. I honestly didn't expect that here; I figured that it was one thing during the election- he's better than Clinton was a fair argument. But once the election ended and he became the winner, I figured we would turn to other topics as well as come together in opposition to his right wing agenda. Instead, it seems like for many people it's still important to defend him, for some reason. And a few people here seem to seriously support him. I have a hard time with that.

But when I look back at DKos, which I do once in a while out of curiosity, I'm absolutely appalled at that place. They are still a Clinton rah-rah club and attacks on Bernie and his supporters are rampant. Can't go back there. But I did see quite a few names active there again who left here. I know at least two who went back there because of perceived sexism here.

Others were here for awhile as Bernie supporters during the primary, but appear to have drank the Clinton kool-aid and are toeing the Democratic Party line now. For some it might just be the relative small size of the readership and activity here. I checked out the progressive wing, lieper destin's blog, and it seems busy and pretty cool but for whatever reason it just didn't click with me. Reddit, I lasted maybe a month on there. Blech.

I still like this place best and feel more committed to it again now. FYI, Big Al, you are one of my favorite voices here now and your essays are a big reason to keep coming back. And I can honestly say I've changed my mind and my thinking on several issues as a direct result of your work and persistence. Thank you.

up
0 users have voted.
Big Al's picture

@CS in AZ Ya, I don't know any other place like this. I checked out a few others and they were either too cumbersome, too partisan or not open enough. I think its a unique place.

up
0 users have voted.
Mark from Queens's picture

@Big Al

Speaking first for myself, I'm deep in a mode of a self-imposed, almost a complete blackout, of following the "news." All of us here are some hybrid of political junkie/radical/activist, with all of them having been applied to me at one point or another. But personally right now for me, when and if I do turn on the local progressive radio or check out YouTube subscriptions, if it's all Trump all day, I have no interest and will turn it right off.

Thing is, everybody is dealing with this malaise in different ways. Folks like dallasdoc and Phoebe have mentioned that they've been taking a break from news and being online also. I've heard activists suggest that when another feels himself burning it is highly recommended to take a step back and recharge. We're in it for the long haul, and sometimes it can be overwhelming. I think the perception that there are less people here now, and that may be true, is not because folks are going back to the Pestilent Neoliberal Cesspool, but because folks are either burnt out or so completely turned off to media circus that is infecting the populace with a monomania for fear.

Let's face it, this epoch we're in is intense. Think of it:

We just got through the most insufferable, tawdry and hideous election ever. Two of the worst, most loathed candidates propped up, by a colluding media desperate for ratings and a conspiring cabal of party insiders on the other side, presented to the country as the best we've got in the World's Greatest Democracy™. No one is buying that, even as the media is embarrassing themselves with the reddest herring of blaming Russia non-stop for the current situation.

And that leads to heavy fundamental, existential questions about the credibility of government. I see it as folks on both sides having a nervous breakdown as expectations and hopes attached to a paternalistic, beholden system are failing fast in front of all of our eyes.

As for C99, I think we're in good shape, established already as a truly progressive forum of open discussion with lots of bright, discerning folks who really get it and aren't fooled by relentless propaganda.

The most recent member of our place had this to say about himself:

BillC

Lifelong Democrat, culminating as precinct chair in Charlotte NC for several years ... until the Clinton and Obama regimes cured me of my delusion that today's "Democratic" party bears any resemblance to the party of FDR of LBJ. I retired from my IT job in a Charlotte TBTF bank in 2010 and have since resided in Italy, helping to look after my now 90-year-old mother-in-law. I am glad that, having no US residence, I was unable to vote in the 2016 US presidential election.

Daily Kos Username: DailyKoS is dead to me. ask me about nakedcapitalism.com

I'll take a place with comrades like him any day, over any other place online.

up
0 users have voted.

"If I should ever die, God forbid, let this be my epitaph:

THE ONLY PROOF HE NEEDED
FOR THE EXISTENCE OF GOD
WAS MUSIC"

- Kurt Vonnegut

shaharazade's picture

@Big Al for the opposite reason or maybe the same reason. I'm anti-partisan and anti-Democratic. I just do not care about the endless caring's on of the duopoly, the persona of pols, and the 1% who own the place. Politics of insanity wherein we all complain about the Dems. and the fake progressive's. Everything revolves around the latest outrage that is blamed on Trump and the horrible Republicans. For me all the wallowing in their inevitable world is just pointless and feeds the beast.

My withdrawing from the political/geopolitical fray isn't restricted to cc99% it's the whole damn net. I have no idea if I'm a 'progressive' or a liberal or a (gasp) libertarian or what I am politically at this point. I do not believe a thing that the media pumps out as it is to me fake news designed to keep the power right where it is. I don't give a shit what's going on at dkos. Some people and more power to them, think that the only way to move forward is via reform to the political system that is rotten to the core. All it does for me is keep me stuck in the mindset and loop that has been carefully created and is nothing but a distraction. OPOL once said in a rare comment here 'Bag of rat's. I'm now an anarchist', that's kind of where I'm at.

I'm interested politically in movement's like OWS or #NoDAPL or all real resistance outside the designated gates. Resiliency and community are where I want to put my energy. Locally, regionally, nationally and globally. Divide and conquer has worked well if all the people's energy, outrage and resistance is channeled into supporting, fighting and getting stuck with the lesser evil and mucking around in the culture war of them vs.us.

A pol is a pol. There is no political savior or leader that's going to do a damn thing to take on this global horror show. Why would they they created it. So I'm right back where I started from before I decided to be politically active in 2001. I think the people who have left or are not being active anymore on cc99% are not being driven off by the anti-Democratic sentiments here but by the constant rehashing of mainstream politics and geopolitics that go nowhere.

Just my 2 cents and I offer an apology to the community here for my behavior and lashing out here lately. I miss the variety of voices we had here. I may not have agreed with all of them but I think like Hecate, Gerit, Jaye Ray, et al they are people of good spirit who are sick of dancing to the tune provided by the likes of dkos and the Demorat's or the Repugs. Getting all riled up by the latest court intrigues in the Forbidden City does not interest me.

We all do what we can and I am more interested in resilience, building alternative movements and ways of living rather then reacting to the latest outrage from the duopoly from hell. Sometimes I feel this site has become dkos jr. without kos or the self righteous 'progressive's. It's an extension of the same freaking loop that takes us back to Bernie, Billary, Obama and the same rotten political machines and their apparatchiks that have controlled the dialog for decades. FDR had a good point about fear. I do believe I've had enough.

up
0 users have voted.
Mark from Queens's picture

@shaharazade

I could have written almost the exact same thing.

The only reason I have even a flickering interest in Bernie, at this moment still, is that I think, given his amazing, singular gravitas among the people as he soars above all politicians collectively and individually with astonishing approval numbers, he represents probably the best and maybe only opportunity that has come along in forever, to rupture the monopoly of the two-party system, if he'd announce that he's to become the leader of a 3rd party. I could see a mass movement of the huge swath of disaffected Dems, Repugs and Indies flocking to his socialist populism. Right now I think he'd beat both parties in an election (as was the feeling over the summer when there was huge support for Bernie to run on the Green Party ticket, after the DNC put the fascist hammer down on his campaign). And even if that went nowhere, or didn't quite succeed as we think it would, it would serve notice and probably at least lead to quickening the disintegration of these two political parties of malicious, white collar thugs.

And to me that, along with Money In Politics (one of his main issues during the primary that opened people's eyes wide open), is probably one of the biggest issues of all, isn't it? We political junkies understand with utter clarity that the real problem is that there's no real representation for the 99%, because there's so little difference between the two parties in how they approach economics for the middle and working class. It's all a charade, to keep us divided and conquered, while they continue to pillage and wrack up summer homes, stock buy-ins and private club memberships.

I'm kind of watching and waiting to see if Bernie and his staff are going to ignore this elephant in the room (the void for a 3rd party being wide open and ready to be occupied by him, given the lone respected status he commands apart from a widely despised government). The stage has been set for an epiphany there in Bernie's camp. He's arguably in a more intense and important position right now than he was during the primary.

Until and after then, I'll continue to focus my energy and concerns as you are, on my local community, myself, developing and honing my anarchist skills, sharing and learning resilience tips, and pledging my loyalty only to the dispossessed and marginalized represented by the social movements I'm in solidarity with.

up
0 users have voted.

"If I should ever die, God forbid, let this be my epitaph:

THE ONLY PROOF HE NEEDED
FOR THE EXISTENCE OF GOD
WAS MUSIC"

- Kurt Vonnegut

shaharazade's picture

@Mark from Queens I love your contributions here on CC99%. They are humanist. I'm married to a musician, I'm a artist of the visual type. Unfortunately we are both impaired financially. We're both freelancers, part of the 'gig' economy. So where's my guarantied income along with my universal healthcare?

Just joking. I guess. So absurd for me to think that any needed change at all will come out of having anything to do with what we're dealing with. None of the pols of mass deception have any interest in restoring the rule of law or taking down the 'free market' with it's resource wars of mass destruction. So here I sit in Portland Oregon and watch the visions of yuppie Portlandia take over my city county and state.

Still amazingly,I believe that 'we the people' will prevail. May take letting these free market oligarchs prevail for a while but they always go too far. Right now they are off the chart and hopefully have gone too far for ordinary people to listen to their crap. How will we the people globally prevail? That is in the air but we will and so will mother nature prevail.

up
0 users have voted.

Simply in Season, http://www.heraldpress.com/titles/simplyinseason/.

Simple. Local. Sustainable. Faithful.

Carry the simple gifts of garden, farm, and market to your table with the original seasonal cookbook. This 10th anniversary edition of Simply in Season serves up more than three hundred tried-and-true recipes organized by season, an expanded fruit and vegetable guide, stories and preparation tips, serving suggestions, gluten-free and vegetarian recipes, an adaptation guide, seasonal menus, and colorful photographs of over 30 mouthwatering seasonal dishes.

My copy was gifted from the local farmers I traded with last year. There's a sticker inside with a toll free number for SimpleLiving.org which appears now to be defunct, parked in AZ. Sad Oh well anyway, it has some great recipes based (loosely, depends where you are) on the four seasons. Interspersed are uplifting stories and quips, sort of religious theme but not too preachy. Maybe that is how Mennonites are, I don't know. Wait, now I do, thanks wiki:

Over the years, Mennonites have become known as one of the historic peace churches because of their commitment to pacifism.

"catch more flies with honey than vinegar"

Thanks

up
0 users have voted.
riverlover's picture

For those of us in anything remotely like single-family housing in the burbs, I am talking up (slowly) cooperative sharing of big tools within a neighborhood. Like lawn mowers (kid pushing would be appreciated by some of us). Chainsaws, same deal. Roto-tillers, same. No need to have every house equipped if it can be done co-op with trust that tools come back unbroken. Also harvest sharing. No need to grow exactly the same thing as your neighbor (except in crop-fail, I had a biggie last year due to drought). Grow different fruits. I got persimmons from a neighbor! I am starting paw paws and honeyberry. Beyond my time here? don't know. Also nut trees.

It's just starting, with spring greenup within a few weeks. Learn bartering. Learn a skill, like maple syrup. Even grapevine sculptures. Anything that might have value to others.

up
0 users have voted.

Hey! my dear friends or soon-to-be's, JtC could use the donations to keep this site functioning for those of us who can still see the life preserver or flotsam in the water.

I hope other people enjoy Juan's Beatles reference around 9m20s, that cracked me up! He's a great explainer, the good kind I think. I made a mistake misquoting him about the Hydro plant, it is exhaust ports not intake ports need protecting. They have removed almost 2 million cubic feet of debris from the pool so far. Thanks.

"The Plan" video from a couple days ago has beauty drone footage of the upper Feather River watershed. https://www.youtube.com/user/blancolirio/videos
"and though the holes were rather small, they had to count them all"
The Beatles - A Day In The Life

up
0 users have voted.
Azazello's picture

especially Twain's description of his visit to Salt Lake City.

up
0 users have voted.

We wanted decent healthcare, a living wage and free college.
The Democrats gave us Biden and war instead.

Mark from Queens's picture

@Azazello

It's deliriously enchanting. It's easy to forget he was a reporter first, when he was out West first, and just how good his facility was. And just as with Orwell for me, I prefer both of their nonfiction books/political essays to their fiction.

I'm finding it a really fascinating document. He describes what life was like in the outer territories of the country during that transitional time between a slower, rural life of river paddleboats and overland horse coaches, and the introduction of any expansive railroad system and the full on industrial revolution explosion. Pretty powerful historical document in its own regard. His eye for detail and description is amazing.

The description of encountering a coyote for the first time and observing its mannerisms had me enchanted and re-reading it over to savor how good he is as a reporter. It's like that throughout; the pictures he paints of the coach drivers and their trade, the little towns they stop in, the scenery enroute, the hardships (and rollicking fun) of this kind of travel, the conditions of the waiting depots where horses are changed, the protocol of the carriage companies, etc are absolutely fascinating.
And of course it's laugh out loud hilarious also.

Good to see you, man!

up
0 users have voted.

"If I should ever die, God forbid, let this be my epitaph:

THE ONLY PROOF HE NEEDED
FOR THE EXISTENCE OF GOD
WAS MUSIC"

- Kurt Vonnegut

enhydra lutris's picture

regular series. I keep thinking of stuff I should be writing which is quasi-resilience oriented, but not only don't write, but usually shortly forget the idea of theme.

I get a kick out of the whole "hacker-maker-resilience-repurpose/recycle" thing. When I was a kid it was called "living" or "getting by". Shit broke, you fixed it. You needed something not too overly complicated, you made it. People throw away stuff with only cosmetic or easily repairable problems, so you walked down alleys and not streets. Then there was always the guy with the little shop who sold and repaired just about everything imaginable, always worth a browse.

So, today I make and fix some stuff, and we also do a tiny bit of opportunistic gardening, as well as things like making our own bread and rolls, some of our own pasta, and all that sort of thing.

up
0 users have voted.

That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

Mark from Queens's picture

@enhydra lutris Great comment.

In my mind, all that stuff was carried down from our elders (my grandparents) who lived through the Great Depression.

We've become so addled by consumerism and notions of entitlement which demand that we must be entertained 24/7, that we never stop to think about how addicted we are to cheap goods and their disposability, along with lowbrow tv and celebrity culture, instilling a self-interest and sloth that is at odds with concepts of community, empathy and cooperation.

The really interesting to me about your philosophy (and mine) is that, at its essence, those are conservative (small c) notions you espouse. Repairing, tinkering, using things til they are drained of their potential. And most forward-thinking liberals share these good, sound, wholesome ethics and values. The irony is, right there inside of that, is a binding agent to bring together Liberals and Conservatives, under the auspices of a 99% coalition. That's the kind of push and engagement I'd like to see more, here and in the streets, schools and pubs across the country.

I think reviving a good, engaged, Resilience series could really set this website apart from the dominant, white noise yammering about the Democrats and Trump found on most all other "progressive" sites.

up
0 users have voted.

"If I should ever die, God forbid, let this be my epitaph:

THE ONLY PROOF HE NEEDED
FOR THE EXISTENCE OF GOD
WAS MUSIC"

- Kurt Vonnegut

@Mark from Queens All for it!

up
0 users have voted.
mhagle's picture

I will try to write more later . . .

I like it here at c99. Don't pay much attention to the news . . . just occasionally watch Jimmy Dore, Tim Black, TYT Politics, H.A. Goodman.

After the election I have mostly turned my back on those things over which I have no control.

Have to go and pick up my kid from school right now though . . .

Typo edit.

up
0 users have voted.

Marilyn

"Make dirt, not war." eyo

riverlover's picture

stand on a tree trunk. Lasted for several years.For Virginia creeper. Quite attractive in fall. Good use for elderly umbrellas. We all have many or none.

up
0 users have voted.

Hey! my dear friends or soon-to-be's, JtC could use the donations to keep this site functioning for those of us who can still see the life preserver or flotsam in the water.

mhagle's picture

I think there are definitely enough folks here for robust resilience content. And it seems like there are different areas of expertise.

In my mind, the blog/comment/reply format does not facilitate a resilience theme very well. For example, this is the first chance I have had to sit down and try to write a thoughtful response, yet it is over a day later, so probably no one will read it. Hope you find it Mark!

Resilience is all about working together to build ideas, resources, actions. So I propose that the resilience section of c99 tabs over into a Moodle format. Moodle is the widely known and respected open source educational content management tool. It has been around for a long time and is secure and stable. I used it as a teacher many years ago and it was great then.

Why do I think Moodle would work well with Resilience? Because we can set up separate topics as "courses" and take advantage of particular areas of expertise. For example: Raggedy Ann is the "teacher" moderator for the topic Living off Grid. Riverlover teaches a course on Farming the Forest. I do one on Round Bale Gardens.
You do one on Urban Gardens. enhydra lutris teaches a class on Making and Fixing Things. (Sorry. I know I am leaving a lot of you out right now because I don't remember everyone's fortes!)

The moderator initiates discussions, recommends reading and videos, sets up collaboration efforts and projects using wikis. A couple of people can team-teach a topic. There are those who would sign up to be students of a course, but all classes would have guest access as well.

We would be constantly building and growing.

In the blog/comment/reply format . . . essays and comments get lost into oblivion after a day. Which is fine for most essays.

Resilience needs to be resilient.

Smile

P.S. FYI - my oldest sister (a dietician) put organic foods of all sorts in the blender for her baby. He grew up liking all foods.

up
0 users have voted.

Marilyn

"Make dirt, not war." eyo