Morning, been thinking about insects. The Guardian article Warning of 'ecological Armageddon' after dramatic plunge in insect numbers is disturbing. Our modern life of pavement, concrete, herbicides and pesticides takes its toll on insects. Most gardening books contain a chapter on how to kill or control insects (plant pests) and buy beneficial. Very few mention providing habitat.
A couple of different reasons to exercise the skills of self sufficiency and creativity were provided this week in the Evening Blues collection of news Tuesday. The first by Max Keiser as a necessity for many Americans in the future to afford the basics of life as the US empire declines.
Keiser Report: Decline of US (E1134)
...But the cost of maintaining the Empire is high that's true. But by abandoning the
Empire in America it means the cost of everyday goods will be high. In other words if you are not depending on slave labor in China, you know depending on bombing folks in The Middle east for cheap oil, not depending on subsidies given to China for cheap electronics everything in the grocery store is gonna be double the price, triple price; and then you're gonna have to learn stuff like cook and make your own clothes.
Max Keiser (10:51)
The second by Caitlin Johnstone on barriers to utopia and individual actions.
Morning, complicated week the headlines are are steadily informing us of natural and human disasters that keep growing in scope and complexity. It is difficult not to get overwhelmed. So back to basics, to help re-balance and move forward.
Water is life. It provides life, sustains life and destroys life. Our relationship with water makes civilization possible. A healthy one we thrive and a poor one we can be destroyed.
Fall is my favorite time of year. Amount of work decreases, harvest is in the barn, freezer and pantry. The challenge of winter weather is weeks away. Why work so hard? Why not. Most people I know are happier when busy. It is discovering the tasks we find satisfying and are able to perform that takes time.
Personal observation over time has revealed an interesting phenomena. Many medical professionals I know who use self-treatment for themselves and their family use different methods than they use to treat patients. Guilty of it myself. Multiple reasons, for one the amount of time and energy it takes to convince someone to take the time to follow a self-directed path towards health or optimal functionality vs their desire for quick fix of take this pill or try a surgery. Monitoring a medical condition being treated or prevented is a major part of self-treatment. It requires an additional layer of education, motivation and critical thinking skills.
Morning - I am out of town today and will write responses late this evening or tomorrow.
Traveled to the Kam Wah Chung museum this to revisit the small building that was the residence and place of business of Lung On and Doc Hay. The dry climate and record keeping habits created a time capsule of Chinese immigrant culture. Their story is reminder one does not need to travel or require a large amount of space to effect the lives of others.
It appears they sent financial support to Sun Yat-sen's Chinese Nationalist Party around the time he was working to overthrow the Qing dynasty and form a new government. Sun Yat-sen is considered the father of both mainland China and Taiwan.
Morning. Many of our conversations have focused on providing high quality food to nourish ourselves and stay healthy. Growing, purchasing local and cooking more from scratch is one part of the cycle of reliance. Another part is what is being returned to the earth as byproducts of daily living.
"Life is a slow process. You just need to start."
Zephaniah Phiri
Why go to the effort to obtain high quality foods. Taste, health, support local growers, trying to reduce dependency on corporations or gardening as a hobby. Some of the benefits are personal many of them are also global. Food and beverage choices at home, in restaurants and as snacks provide you the opportunity to make small multiple impacts day after day.
The main message for this week is read the ingredients on the food you are using. It may not be what you expect. I am finding a number of foods I have used for years now have extra ingredients. The choice is change products or start making it oneself. For example, it is hard to find a corn tortilla to cook without gar-gum. Most of the 50lb bags of masa flour at the restaurant supply store have it pre-added to the flour. The tortillas with gar-gum will mold in my fridge. The ones without simply dehydrate and are good for months, just need to add water. What else is changing?
