tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91001747355522603282024-03-16T00:29:34.295-07:00The Blended Lifestyleone hand on the laptop, the other on the spadeBriony Greenhillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05001656790572588123noreply@blogger.comBlogger96125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9100174735552260328.post-62164059265369702382012-07-20T14:08:00.001-07:002012-07-20T14:08:19.153-07:00OilI went to see my friend Greg Muttit speak in San Francisco yesterday. I took the BART (our tube) under the water and then cycled up the sunny San Francisco hills to get there.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC86pXH9UXIG3SV8pI7ND15ejYwtdIHph8ztTRUTBFc4zbMLKb4sUMHQpGYvF4kHDKyMnlAzYlI_Y2twbNhiL0zD9LQWuVeDcb3yyFkHYzncOXJQPYKWuJDwPaOBiz-V62GKuAxQV_xg/s1600/9780099541738.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC86pXH9UXIG3SV8pI7ND15ejYwtdIHph8ztTRUTBFc4zbMLKb4sUMHQpGYvF4kHDKyMnlAzYlI_Y2twbNhiL0zD9LQWuVeDcb3yyFkHYzncOXJQPYKWuJDwPaOBiz-V62GKuAxQV_xg/s1600/9780099541738.jpeg" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white;">Greg has published a book called '<a href="http://www.fuelonthefire.com/" target="_blank">Fuel on the Fire</a> - Oil and Politics in Occupied Iraq.' After the protests against the war in 2003 he just started following what was happening to the oil. It became an epic journey.</span><br />
<br />
Walking out of the talk and into the sunlight, I wanted to rage and cry to see, and cycle into, an 8 lane road. To have learnt of the straight forward barbarity that had been involved in securing access to oil, for two countries, my two countries if you like - the US and the UK - where transport cultures are based on the personal car, which everyone depends on to get to work, and where we rely on petrol trucks to bring us food. How else could we imagine these systems?<br />
<br />
Greg explained that the US and UK didn't want to simply <i>buy </i>the oil from Iraq because demand was rising fast and Iraqi supply wasn't keeping up. The allies wanted more investment in the oil infrastructure and saw private ownership by US and UK companies as the way to secure that. It also seemed more secure in the long term, as demand for oil is rising fast around the world, particularly in countries like Russia, China, Brazil, India - so they wanted a way to keep the oil flowing towards <i>us. </i><br />
<br />
Iraq has 10% of the world's oil. Iraq and three of its neighbours have, between them, 60% of the world's oil. And the industries of all four were nationally owned, meaning the profits were (potentially at least) available for schools, healthcare, housing and so on.<br />
<br />
It was not in Iraqi interest to increase oil production the way the US wanted. That would drive down the price, so they'd sell more for the same amount of money, and have none left for future generations.<br />
<br />
That didn't satisfy the US.<br />
<br />
So, with allies, they invaded.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
* * *</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Once they were in, they had two central missions - to establish a post-Saddam democracy, and to secure access to the oil rights.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
These two were firmly opposed - quite a puzzle to put together - because it wasn't in the Iraqi national interest to give oil rights to US and UK companies, and the people of Iraq - where 90% of the economy is in the public sector - knew it.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
The allies tackled this by putting in place leaders who had been in exile in the US for over 30 years and were disconnected from the Iraqi people, more aligned with US values and interest. The US provided financial and military support, housed the politicians in army-secured five star hotels and villas while people in Iraq lived without electricity, often water, and sometimes food.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
The first thing the US asked the new Iraqi government to do was draft an oil bill allowing foreign companies to buy the rights to Iraqi oil, and pass it through parliament. The bill was drafted in two months and shown the US and UK governments, and western oil companies. Six months later it was shown to the Iraqi parliament. A year later it was shown to the Iraqi people.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Meanwhile the bill was leaked. The minute any Iraqi heard of it, they would start talking about it to their friends, their family, their co-workers, because it was in such opposition to Iraqi values and interests.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
The bill became talked about in mosques on fridays, Greg explained. The trade unions held conferences about it, passed out leaflets. Academics joined in. <span style="background-color: white;">Countless letters were sent to the Iraqi parliament saying, don't sign it, it's bad news. Most of the Iraqi parliament agreed, and didn't sign the bill.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Bush was video conferencing with the Iraqi president almost weekly, Greg says - from interviews with scores of ministers and civil servants. Always asking one question first - when are you going to pass the oil bill?</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
As time went on the US issued a deadline and threats: if the bill was not passed by September, they would remove financial and military support for the government. In that case, the government would fall.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
The deadline passed, the bill was not signed - this was 2007 - it has never been signed. So they just went ahead and sold 20 year contracts to American and British oil companies anyway. Meanwhile they ransacked the offices of the trade unions that were organising the opposition to the bill, destroying computers, destroying furniture, and reinstating Sadam's law that made trade union membership illegal. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Without the bill, those contracts are illegal. Greg outlined a few future scenarios that I won't go into.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
The point is, the oil is finite.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
At some point we are going to have to figure out how to get to work and get food without using very much of it.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
I'm thinking about having children. And I think we're just passing the job onto them. And it's always going to be difficult.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
When is the time to start?</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Over <a href="http://www.iraqbodycount.org/" target="_blank">100,000 Iraqi people</a> were killed in that war. <span style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="http://antiwar.com/casualties/" target="_blank">4,486</a> American soldiers died, along with <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-10637526" target="_blank">179 British service men and women</a>. Thanks to the BBC you can see the faces and the names of each of the British dead <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-10637526" target="_blank">here.</a></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>Briony Greenhillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05001656790572588123noreply@blogger.com33tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9100174735552260328.post-5561145757746908552012-07-16T09:59:00.001-07:002012-07-16T10:01:01.781-07:00Beyond Capitalism<iframe frameborder="0" height="225" src="http://www.democracynow.org/embed/story/2012/7/16/gar_alperovitzs_green_party_keynote_we" width="400"></iframe><br />
<br />
In America, he says, the richest 400 people have greater wealth than 185 million Americans combined.<br />
<br />Briony Greenhillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05001656790572588123noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9100174735552260328.post-89277760958206426352011-10-26T04:12:00.000-07:002011-10-26T06:02:14.579-07:00If not capitalism, then what?I passed the Occupy London protesters at St Pauls on the bus yesterday. On the street was a board reading, 'If not capitalism, then what?'<br />
<br />
For me, a central question in post-capitalist thinking is: which models of business ownership are most conducive to social flourishing? I put the question to <a href="http://www.zadek.net/full-cv/">Simon Zadek</a> when he was a fellow of the Harvard Centre for Business and Government. He replied that it was a "<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Helvetica, Arial; font-size: 12px;">really leading edge question/issue... </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Helvetica, Arial; font-size: 12px;">worthy of a major conference.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Helvetica, Arial; font-size: 12px;">"</span><br />
<br />
My central observation is fairly obvious. PLCs - publicly limited companies, which are owned by shareholders who buy and sell their ownership shares on the stock market, are, to put it simply, bad. Other ways of owning and financing companies are better.<br />
<b><br />
</b><br />
<b>The problem with PLCs</b><br />
PLCs are a really great mechanism for taking wealth from the many and amassing it with the few.<br />
<br />
They receive money from the consumer and time from the employee - the many, the 99% perhaps.<br />
<br />
From that income, they maximise surplus (profit) as much as possible.<br />
<br />
Then they give that surplus to shareholders - the few. The more shares you have (ie, the richer you are), the more you receive - the richer you get.<br />
<br />
It's just fantastic. I really couldn't think of a better way of taking a little bit from everybody, systematically, every day, piling it up, and giving it to wealthier people.<br />
<br />
Let's compare, for example, the plc Thames Water with the <a href="http://www.dwrcymru.com/en/Company-Information.aspx">'no-shareholder' </a>Welsh Water. In 2007-8 (sorry, did this research a while ago but it's still relevant), Thames' profits of £419 million (overcharging?) were taxed and distributed among shareholders - a mixture of European pension funds and private equity firms in Australia and Canada. (1)<br />
<br />
In the same year, Welsh Water's profits of £41 million were taxed, some were re-invested in the company, and the remaining £27 million was sent back to customers who each got a £21 deduction on their next bill.<br />
<br />
£21 isn't a lot, but if we were to combine the impacts on wealth distribution of plcs providing water, gas, electricity, housing, insurance, banking, food, clothing, sport, leisure and so on, we would start to see vast, consistent swathes of wealth moving daily from the '99%' to the '1%'. And I haven't even started on banking. Where do you think the interest on your mortgage, if you have one, goes? (3)<br />
<br />
To be fair, it's not entirely one way. The authors of <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/New-Capitalists-Investors-Reshaping-Corporate/dp/1422101010/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1319625371&sr=8-2">The New Capitalists</a> argue that more than 75% of the shares in the UK stock market are held through collective investment vehicles like pension funds. So we are all owners and potential beneficiaries of stock market gains, they say.<br />
<br />
The problem is, the more you invest in your pension, the more shares you own, and the greater slice of the pie you usually get back (unless the value falls.) The overall effect remains: the rich get richer and the poor stay poor through our current pension and stock market systems.<br />
<br />
Personally, I have a pension with The Co-op bank which is "ethical," which means they invest in pharmaceuticals instead of arms. I set it up when I was 26 because my Dad told me it was time to get one. But I'm not happy about my future security being entirely reliant on a volatile, unjust and unsustainable stock market. I'm thinking about stopping payments and perhaps trying to buy land instead. It feels more... grounded.<br />
<br />
Anyway.<br />
<br />
<b>What's better than a plc?</b><br />
<b><br />
</b><br />
Lots of things.<br />
<br />
Waitrose, part of the John Lewis partnership, is a great example. It's entirely <b>employee owned</b>. That means you don't get this problematic distribution of wealth effect that plcs create. There's also another important benefit: the localisation of power - ie, employees make the decisions - leads to more ethical company behaviour. Waitrose for example frequently takes a chunk out of profits and does something cool with it, like creating the Leaf scheme that supports farmers in the transition to organic.<br />
<br />
The employee-owners have an enduring relationship with the company they own, so they take pride in using its power for good. It's very different when a company is owned by shareholders who have no connection with the company, and will sell shares in an instant if they lose a little value. It puts all the focus on a single bottom line. And we know clearly that single bottom lines don't serve present or future generations. <a href="http://www.forceforgood.com/Uploaded_Content/tool/30102008153435518.pdf">Tomorrow's Company</a> also argues that they don't serve the employees of single bottom line focused companies, who tend to have a bit of a horrible time at work.<br />
<br />
Some also argue the plc model is also a nightmare for leaders. It's a nightmare for everyone! Let's leave it behind!<br />
<br />
<div class="p1">“How can anyone run a business when hedge funds trade big chunks of their equity every day?” asked C4s then Chief Executive Luke Johnson in 2008. “There is another victim of the credit crunch: the publicly traded model of ownership. The near-collapse of many of the large banks in perhaps a dozen countries shows that such corporate structures do not work.” (4) </div><br />
So. <b>Employee ownership</b> is one great model that, I think, has a place in a post-capitalist economy.<br />
<br />
The second is<b> the co-operative model</b>. This is where employees and customers own the company. That's good too for similar reasons.<br />
<br />
The third is <b>small businesses</b>. Again, these avoid the wealth distribution problems that big plcs create.<br />
It was, famously, part of Adam Smith's vision of capitalism - a nation of shopkeepers, an abundance of small businesses trading with each other, competition between them keeping prices low and quality high for the customer.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="p1"><b>Further reading about good company ownership models:</b></div><div class="p1"><br />
</div><div class="p1"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_348184261">Kelly, M and White, A (2007). <i>Corporate Design: The Missing Business and Public Policy Issue of Our </i></a></div><div class="p1"><a href="http://www.tellus.org/documents/CorporateDesign.pdf"><i>Time. </i>Boston, Tellus Institute, Corporation 20/20. </a></div><div class="p1"><br />
</div><div class="p1"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_348184265"><i>Tomorrow's Owners: Stewardship of Tomorrow's Company</i>. London, Tomorrow's Company, </a></div><div class="p1"><a href="http://www.forceforgood.com/Uploaded_Content/tool/30102008153435518.pdf">2008</a></div><br />
<br />
<b>What this means for us</b><br />
Most people have three obvious roles in relation to plcs.<br />
<br />
1) we are customers - eg of Boots, Sainsbury's, HSBC etc (all plcs)<br />
<br />
2) we might be employees<br />
<br />
3) we are investors, perhaps. Often through pension funds, sometimes more directly.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>What we can do as customers</b><br />
Don't buy things from plcs.<br />
<br />
Where's good:<br />
<br />
<b>Food</b><br />
Waitrose, The Co-operative, local shops and markets. I'm not sure about food box schemes. I think Abel and Cole, eg, was recently bought out by a bigger company and I don't know how they're owned. You could enquire if you have a veg box.<br />
<br />
<b>Banking</b><br />
The Co-op, Building Societies like Nationwide and Cheltenham & Gloucester, Credit Unions<br />
<br />
<b>Others</b><br />
I don't really know! Let's find out. I know that about half of British pubs are owned by very big pub companies. I guess it's nice to try to drink at independent pubs. We can find out by asking. I think I'm going to become more vigilant about this.<br />
<br />
<b>What we can do as employees</b><br />
If you work for a plc, quit! If you're looking for a job, don't get a job with a plc!<br />
<br />
<b>What we can do as investors and pension holders</b><br />
Really tough one. Requires some good social innovation I think. My gut feeling is that investing in land is better than investing in the stock market. <a href="http://www.newstatesman.com/blogs/the-staggers/2010/10/property-john-land-chile">70% of Britain is owned by less than 1% of the population. </a>We could probably address that alongside addressing the pension reliance on a stock market that doesn't serve us, if we developed land-based pension schemes. Let's think about that one.<br />
<br />
<div class="p1"><b>References</b><br />
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black;">(1) Thames Water Utilities Limited, Annual Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 March 2008. </span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black;"><i>(2) Welsh Water gives £27m back to customers.</i></span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black;"> The Guardian, 12th June 2008 <o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black;">(3) A few years ago I considered doing a PhD on sustainable models of business ownership and finance. I spent a few days in the British Library to see if anyone had calculated in any kind of mathematical way the impact of plcs on the distribution of wealth. The closest thing I found was an article identifying the dynamic and describing the insight I was looking for as "a major challenge for future research." Perotti, E and von Thadden, E.L (2006). <i>Corporate Governance and the Distribution of Wealth: A Political Economy Perspective. </i></span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black;">Journal of Institutional and Theoretical Economics, Vol 162, No.1, p217<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></div><!--EndFragment--></div><div class="p1">(4) Johnson, Luke. <i>Why public ownership is a failed model. </i>The Financial Times, 14<span class="s1">th</span> October 2008</div><div class="p1"></div><div class="p2"><br />
</div>Briony Greenhillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05001656790572588123noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9100174735552260328.post-47752567763104169482011-10-05T01:59:00.000-07:002011-10-05T01:59:24.344-07:00Allotments<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 15px;">"In the late 1940s, there were 1.4 million allotments, falling to around 500,000 in the 1970s. Today there are 300,000 plots." <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/nature/how-stately-home-land-could-soon-provide-your-allotment-1625962.html">The Independent 19.2.2009</a></span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIYuAW2PUMCFwcRwrckBh87dIQNkbpB-URrHvZpphkA9pNHrXWW0mHvFxR1Icspxhq23sn9z7dHvVCFhU2AnnEkrnhJ3dXthLRp6RHC6Fq3mBfA0w49Dk-utppVxDyW2i0uQHt5JvXXw/s1600/millfield_allotment_500px.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIYuAW2PUMCFwcRwrckBh87dIQNkbpB-URrHvZpphkA9pNHrXWW0mHvFxR1Icspxhq23sn9z7dHvVCFhU2AnnEkrnhJ3dXthLRp6RHC6Fq3mBfA0w49Dk-utppVxDyW2i0uQHt5JvXXw/s320/millfield_allotment_500px.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Thanks to <a href="http://www.faversham.org/pages/directory_category.aspx?i_PageID=11182">Millfields Allotment Association</a> for the picBriony Greenhillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05001656790572588123noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9100174735552260328.post-89641286197801536682011-09-21T14:54:00.000-07:002011-09-21T14:54:08.162-07:00Can the UK feed itself on ecological agriculture?No-one really knows. That's why the Ecological Land Cooperative is commissioning research to find out, so that campaigners can have crisp, rigorously produced facts to hand when they go for it.<br />
<br />
They're crowd fundraising for it and I've just chipped in. You could too! Go on. What else have you done this week to help transform our little island? I haven't done much, this particular week :) You've probably done much more. Chip in nevertheless! As little as £10 would really help I'm told:<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #1f497d; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><a href="https://prod.buzzbnk.org/ProjectDetails.aspx?projectId=19" style="color: #0000cc;" target="_blank">https://prod.buzzbnk.org/<wbr></wbr>ProjectDetails.aspx?projectId=<wbr></wbr>19</a></span><br />
<br />
The ELC's MD, Zoe Wangler (a gem of a lady), writes:<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 16px;">Our first piece of research <i><a href="http://www.ecologicalland.coop/sites/ecologicalland.coop/files/Small_is_Successful.pdf" style="color: #0000cc;" target="_blank">Small is Successful: Creating Sustainable Livelihoods on Ten Acres or Less</a> </i>was done on just £1,300 and yet was selected <span style="color: black;">for</span><span style="color: #1f497d;"> </span>the Research Council UK’s report <i><span style="color: #1f497d;"><a href="http://www.rcuk.ac.uk/documents/publications/BigIdeasfortheFuturereport.pdf" style="color: #0000cc;" target="_blank">Big Ideas for the Future: UK research that will have a profound effect on our future</a></span></i>. Our report was endorsed by organisations representing thousands of members such as the Soil Association and Sustain. I know that with £5,600 we will produce something of even better quality and relevance.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 16px;"><br />
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQjUZnYKwBv_T-HkgrS4PQF7x0V7RzNyhqyzk3if_b_vbm_3GBtyaGKu17eqN64rbhyphenhyphensUDS-TGp8yQ4yrMyhsc2JR6gfy6l2b_f00RwECibRS2RWV1G3qvy5d7BhXY13Rf2So94rNDRQ/s1600/Picture+2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQjUZnYKwBv_T-HkgrS4PQF7x0V7RzNyhqyzk3if_b_vbm_3GBtyaGKu17eqN64rbhyphenhyphensUDS-TGp8yQ4yrMyhsc2JR6gfy6l2b_f00RwECibRS2RWV1G3qvy5d7BhXY13Rf2So94rNDRQ/s400/Picture+2.png" width="400" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 16px;"><br />
</span>Briony Greenhillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05001656790572588123noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9100174735552260328.post-22343696112180344172011-09-21T07:16:00.000-07:002011-09-21T07:18:01.083-07:00Open Hardware TechnologyIt's easy to think about a household or community being self-sufficient in food, and perhaps some aspects of clothing and building - but what about hardware?<br />
<i><br />
</i><br />
is this the answer?<br />
<br />
<br />
<object height="374" width="526"><param name="movie" value="http://video.ted.com/assets/player/swf/EmbedPlayer.swf"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"/><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><param name="bgColor" value="#ffffff"></param><param name="flashvars" value="vu=http://video.ted.com/talk/stream/2011U/Blank/MarcinJakubowski_2011U-320k.mp4&su=http://images.ted.com/images/ted/tedindex/embed-posters/MarcinJakubowski-2011U.embed_thumbnail.jpg&vw=512&vh=288&ap=0&ti=1122&lang=eng&introDuration=15330&adDuration=4000&postAdDuration=830&adKeys=talk=marcin_jakubowski;year=2011;theme=talks_from_ted_fellows;theme=design_like_you_give_a_damn;theme=new_on_ted_com;theme=the_rise_of_collaboration;theme=tales_of_invention;event=TED2011;tag=Culture;tag=Technology;tag=open-source;tag=ted+fellows;&preAdTag=tconf.ted/embed;tile=1;sz=512x288;" /><embed src="http://video.ted.com/assets/player/swf/EmbedPlayer.swf" pluginspace="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" bgColor="#ffffff" width="526" height="374" allowFullScreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" flashvars="vu=http://video.ted.com/talk/stream/2011U/Blank/MarcinJakubowski_2011U-320k.mp4&su=http://images.ted.com/images/ted/tedindex/embed-posters/MarcinJakubowski-2011U.embed_thumbnail.jpg&vw=512&vh=288&ap=0&ti=1122&lang=eng&introDuration=15330&adDuration=4000&postAdDuration=830&adKeys=talk=marcin_jakubowski;year=2011;theme=talks_from_ted_fellows;theme=design_like_you_give_a_damn;theme=new_on_ted_com;theme=the_rise_of_collaboration;theme=tales_of_invention;event=TED2011;tag=Culture;tag=Technology;tag=open-source;tag=ted+fellows;&preAdTag=tconf.ted/embed;tile=1;sz=512x288;"></embed></object><br />
<br />
Though I'm not sure we need tractors. I helped out with the annual garlic pull (lots of nice people + 1 field of garlie + 1 day = a barn full of garlic that will supply the farmers market for a year) at CSA farm Earthly Mirth in New York a few weeks ago.<br />
<br />
Here are the tractors they used:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRZzkije1zpSd2H3u3F0dOtCrzudlyDy864Wv1032SPWLsCX5-v_4_-hafdIF8IhGVghcB_hv_SClqDaSxurTJY2IPkEW1vRxav9C7FIxeeUcukKNYsfqYlXn9-6n0J5fcS9o-oCHGkQ/s1600/earthly+mirth.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRZzkije1zpSd2H3u3F0dOtCrzudlyDy864Wv1032SPWLsCX5-v_4_-hafdIF8IhGVghcB_hv_SClqDaSxurTJY2IPkEW1vRxav9C7FIxeeUcukKNYsfqYlXn9-6n0J5fcS9o-oCHGkQ/s320/earthly+mirth.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
thanks <a href="http://ryanhottle.com/pictures/">Ryan</a> for the picture<br />
<br />
Honestly, this picture doesn't really capture how awe-inspiring Sara and her horses were, and the implications of her use of them.<br />
<br />
It was easy to find horse-farming machinery - different things to attach to the horses to do different aspects of farming - because of the significant mormon and amonite farming communities nearby, all of whom use horse-drawn farming techniques, I am told.<br />
<br />
Sara had a really beautiful relationship with the horses - she was a kind of a horse whisperer I guess. Which is simply to mean that she found a way to connect with the animals in a way that was not about domination but connection and cooperation.<br />
<br />
It was Cool.Briony Greenhillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05001656790572588123noreply@blogger.com80tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9100174735552260328.post-47286193914019796552011-06-28T06:17:00.000-07:002011-07-25T07:23:13.467-07:00Beth Tilston is my new hero<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px;"></span><br />
<h6 class="uiStreamMessage" data-ft="{"type":1}" style="color: black; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;"><div class="actorName actorDescription" data-ft="{"type":2}" style="padding-bottom: 3px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Can non-friends on Facebook view her mouthwatering <a href="http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1986195015479.147455.1261381076">'Mobile Uploads'</a> album?</span></div><div class="actorName actorDescription" data-ft="{"type":2}" style="padding-bottom: 3px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">And I think this wins the prize for the most interesting facebook conversation I've ever read. </span></div><div class="actorName actorDescription" data-ft="{"type":2}" style="font-size: 11px; padding-bottom: 3px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></span><br />
<h6 class="uiStreamMessage" data-ft="{"type":1}" style="color: black; font-size: 11px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;"><div class="actorName actorDescription" data-ft="{"type":2}" style="padding-bottom: 3px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></span><br />
<h6 class="uiStreamMessage" data-ft="{"type":1}" style="color: black; font-size: 11px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;"><div class="actorName actorDescription" data-ft="{"type":2}" style="padding-bottom: 3px;"><a data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/user.php?id=1261381076" href="http://www.facebook.com/beth.tilston" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: underline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">Beth Tilston</span></a></div><span class="messageBody" data-ft="{"type":3}" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: normal; line-height: 14px;">Grrrrrrr</span></h6><form action="http://www.facebook.com/ajax/ufi/modify.php" class="live_2136498812980_131325686911214 commentable_item autoexpand_mode" data-live="{"seq":2354242}" method="post" rel="async" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;"><span class="uiStreamSource" data-ft="{"type":26}" style="color: #999999;"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/beth.tilston/posts/2136498812980" style="color: #999999; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;"><abbr data-date="Tue, 21 Jun 2011 06:16:22 -0700" style="border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial;" title="Tuesday, June 21, 2011 at 2:16pm">June 21 at 2:16pm</abbr></a></span><span class="UIActionLinks UIActionLinks_bottom" data-ft="{"type":"20"}" style="color: #999999;"> · <button class="like_link stat_elem as_link" data-ft="{"type":22}" name="like" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; color: #6d84b4; cursor: pointer; font-size: 11px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-x: visible; overflow-y: visible; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left; width: auto;" title="Like this item" type="submit"><span class="default_message" style="display: inline;">Like</span></button> · <label class="uiLinkButton comment_link" style="color: #6b84b4; cursor: pointer; vertical-align: text-top;" title="Leave a comment"><input data-ft="{"type":24}" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; color: #6b84b4; cursor: pointer; font-size: 11px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: text-top;" type="button" value="Comment" /></label></span></span><br />
<ul class="uiList uiUfi focus_target fbUfi" data-ft="{"type":30}" style="list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 2px; width: 398px;"><li class="ufiNub uiListItem uiListVerticalItemBorder" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: block; margin-bottom: -2px; margin-top: 0px;"><i style="background-image: url(http://static.ak.fbcdn.net/rsrc.php/v1/z7/r/UvyvLtJTQzO.png); background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; display: block; height: 5px; margin-left: 17px; width: 9px;"></i></li>
<li class="uiUfiComments" data-ft="{"type":32}"><ul class="commentList" style="list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><li class="uiUfiComment comment_2298398 ufiItem ufiItem" style="background-color: #edeff4; border-bottom-color: rgb(229, 234, 241); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; margin-top: 2px; padding-bottom: 4px; padding-left: 5px; padding-right: 5px; padding-top: 5px;"><div class="UIImageBlock clearfix uiUfiActorBlock" style="display: block; zoom: 1;"><a class="actorPic UIImageBlock_Image UIImageBlock_SMALL_Image" data-ft="{"type":34}" href="http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1500450062" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; float: left; margin-right: 8px; text-decoration: none;" tabindex="-1"><img alt="" class="uiProfilePhoto uiProfilePhotoMedium img" src="http://profile.ak.fbcdn.net/hprofile-ak-snc4/49140_1500450062_7970_q.jpg" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; display: block; height: 32px; width: 32px;" /></a><br />
<div class="commentContent UIImageBlock_Content UIImageBlock_SMALL_Content" data-ft="{"type":33}" style="display: table-cell; padding-top: 1px; vertical-align: top; width: 10000px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;"><a class="actorName" data-ft="{"type":35}" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/user.php?id=1500450062" href="http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1500450062" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;">Christiane Lechner</a> <span data-jsid="text">what happend?</span></span><br />
<div class="commentActions fsm fwn fcg" style="color: grey; font-size: 11px; padding-top: 2px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;"><abbr data-date="Tue, 21 Jun 2011 07:45:35 -0700" style="border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial;" title="Tuesday, June 21, 2011 at 3:45pm">June 21 at 3:45pm</abbr> · <span class="comment_like_2298398 fsm fwn fcg" data-ft="{"type":36}" style="color: grey; font-size: 11px;"><button class="stat_elem as_link cmnt_like_link" name="like_comment_id[2298398]" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; font-size: 11px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-x: visible; overflow-y: visible; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left; width: auto;" title="Like this comment" type="submit" value="2298398"><span class="default_message" style="display: inline;">Like</span></button></span></span></div></div></div></li>
<li class="uiUfiComment comment_2298629 ufiItem ufiItem" style="background-color: #edeff4; border-bottom-color: rgb(229, 234, 241); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; margin-top: 2px; padding-bottom: 4px; padding-left: 5px; padding-right: 5px; padding-top: 5px;"><div class="UIImageBlock clearfix uiUfiActorBlock" style="display: block; zoom: 1;"><a class="actorPic UIImageBlock_Image UIImageBlock_SMALL_Image" data-ft="{"type":34}" href="http://www.facebook.com/beth.tilston" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; float: left; margin-right: 8px; text-decoration: none;" tabindex="-1"><img alt="" class="uiProfilePhoto uiProfilePhotoMedium img" src="http://profile.ak.fbcdn.net/hprofile-ak-snc4/23161_1261381076_7051_q.jpg" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; display: block; height: 32px; width: 32px;" /></a><br />
<div class="commentContent UIImageBlock_Content UIImageBlock_SMALL_Content" data-ft="{"type":33}" style="display: table-cell; padding-top: 1px; vertical-align: top; width: 10000px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;"><a class="actorName" data-ft="{"type":35}" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/user.php?id=1261381076" href="http://www.facebook.com/beth.tilston" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;">Beth Tilston</a> <span data-jsid="text">Things are not happening fast enough...</span></span><br />
<div class="commentActions fsm fwn fcg" style="color: grey; font-size: 11px; padding-top: 2px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;"><abbr data-date="Tue, 21 Jun 2011 08:15:33 -0700" style="border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial;" title="Tuesday, June 21, 2011 at 4:15pm">June 21 at 4:15pm</abbr> · <span class="comment_like_2298629 fsm fwn fcg" data-ft="{"type":36}" style="color: grey; font-size: 11px;"><button class="stat_elem as_link cmnt_like_link" name="like_comment_id[2298629]" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; font-size: 11px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-x: visible; overflow-y: visible; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left; width: auto;" title="Like this comment" type="submit" value="2298629"><span class="default_message" style="display: inline;">Like</span></button></span></span></div></div></div></li>
<li class="uiUfiComment comment_2300202 ufiItem ufiItem" style="background-color: #edeff4; border-bottom-color: rgb(229, 234, 241); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; margin-top: 2px; padding-bottom: 4px; padding-left: 5px; padding-right: 5px; padding-top: 5px;"><div class="UIImageBlock clearfix uiUfiActorBlock" style="display: block; zoom: 1;"><a class="actorPic UIImageBlock_Image UIImageBlock_SMALL_Image" data-ft="{"type":34}" href="http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1500450062" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; float: left; margin-right: 8px; text-decoration: none;" tabindex="-1"><img alt="" class="uiProfilePhoto uiProfilePhotoMedium img" src="http://profile.ak.fbcdn.net/hprofile-ak-snc4/49140_1500450062_7970_q.jpg" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; display: block; height: 32px; width: 32px;" /></a><br />
<div class="commentContent UIImageBlock_Content UIImageBlock_SMALL_Content" data-ft="{"type":33}" style="display: table-cell; padding-top: 1px; vertical-align: top; width: 10000px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;"><a class="actorName" data-ft="{"type":35}" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/user.php?id=1500450062" href="http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1500450062" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;">Christiane Lechner</a> <span data-jsid="text">i know what you mean. a friend of mine texted me the other day "hast du es eilig, gehe langsam" - "are you in a hurry, walk slowly" (kind of :)</span></span><br />
<div class="commentActions fsm fwn fcg" style="color: grey; font-size: 11px; padding-top: 2px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;"><abbr data-date="Tue, 21 Jun 2011 12:09:21 -0700" style="border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial;" title="Tuesday, June 21, 2011 at 8:09pm">June 21 at 8:09pm</abbr> · <span class="comment_like_2300202 fsm fwn fcg" data-ft="{"type":36}" style="color: grey; font-size: 11px;"><button class="stat_elem as_link cmnt_like_link" name="like_comment_id[2300202]" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; font-size: 11px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-x: visible; overflow-y: visible; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left; width: auto;" title="Like this comment" type="submit" value="2300202"><span class="default_message" style="display: inline;">Like</span></button></span></span></div></div></div></li>
<li class="uiUfiComment comment_2300829 ufiItem ufiItem" style="background-color: #edeff4; border-bottom-color: rgb(229, 234, 241); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; margin-top: 2px; padding-bottom: 4px; padding-left: 5px; padding-right: 5px; padding-top: 5px;"><div class="UIImageBlock clearfix uiUfiActorBlock" style="display: block; zoom: 1;"><a class="actorPic UIImageBlock_Image UIImageBlock_SMALL_Image" data-ft="{"type":34}" href="http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=511660123" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; float: left; margin-right: 8px; text-decoration: none;" tabindex="-1"><img alt="" class="uiProfilePhoto uiProfilePhotoMedium img" src="http://profile.ak.fbcdn.net/hprofile-ak-snc4/161583_511660123_4960358_q.jpg" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; display: block; height: 32px; width: 32px;" /></a><br />
<div class="commentContent UIImageBlock_Content UIImageBlock_SMALL_Content" data-ft="{"type":33}" style="display: table-cell; padding-top: 1px; vertical-align: top; width: 10000px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;"><a class="actorName" data-ft="{"type":35}" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/user.php?id=511660123" href="http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=511660123" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;">Paul Kingsnorth</a> <span data-jsid="text">When Greece collapses in a few weeks, things will start happening pretty fast ;-)</span></span><br />
<div class="commentActions fsm fwn fcg" style="color: grey; font-size: 11px; padding-top: 2px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;"><abbr data-date="Tue, 21 Jun 2011 13:35:11 -0700" style="border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial;" title="Tuesday, June 21, 2011 at 9:35pm">June 21 at 9:35pm</abbr> · <span class="comment_like_2300829 fsm fwn fcg" data-ft="{"type":36}" style="color: grey; font-size: 11px;"><button class="stat_elem as_link cmnt_like_link" name="like_comment_id[2300829]" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; font-size: 11px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-x: visible; overflow-y: visible; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left; width: auto;" title="Like this comment" type="submit" value="2300829"><span class="default_message" style="display: inline;">Like</span></button></span></span></div></div></div></li>
<li class="uiUfiComment comment_2301201 ufiItem ufiItem" style="background-color: #edeff4; border-bottom-color: rgb(229, 234, 241); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; margin-top: 2px; padding-bottom: 4px; padding-left: 5px; padding-right: 5px; padding-top: 5px;"><div class="UIImageBlock clearfix uiUfiActorBlock" style="display: block; zoom: 1;"><a class="actorPic UIImageBlock_Image UIImageBlock_SMALL_Image" data-ft="{"type":34}" href="http://www.facebook.com/beth.tilston" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; float: left; margin-right: 8px; text-decoration: none;" tabindex="-1"><img alt="" class="uiProfilePhoto uiProfilePhotoMedium img" src="http://profile.ak.fbcdn.net/hprofile-ak-snc4/23161_1261381076_7051_q.jpg" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; display: block; height: 32px; width: 32px;" /></a><br />
<div class="commentContent UIImageBlock_Content UIImageBlock_SMALL_Content" data-ft="{"type":33}" style="display: table-cell; padding-top: 1px; vertical-align: top; width: 10000px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;"><a class="actorName" data-ft="{"type":35}" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/user.php?id=1261381076" href="http://www.facebook.com/beth.tilston" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;">Beth Tilston</a> <span data-jsid="text">Just watching that on the news. They're going to take everyone with them, aren't they. If they don't collapse, the alternative is to sell all their public services and basically be sucked into a black hole of (even more) debt. Learnt the word peonage the other day, seems appropriate.</span></span><br />
<div class="commentActions fsm fwn fcg" style="color: grey; font-size: 11px; padding-top: 2px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;"><abbr data-date="Tue, 21 Jun 2011 14:31:17 -0700" style="border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial;" title="Tuesday, June 21, 2011 at 10:31pm">June 21 at 10:31pm</abbr> · <span class="comment_like_2301201 fsm fwn fcg" data-ft="{"type":36}" style="color: grey; font-size: 11px;"><button class="stat_elem as_link cmnt_like_link" name="like_comment_id[2301201]" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; font-size: 11px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-x: visible; overflow-y: visible; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left; width: auto;" title="Like this comment" type="submit" value="2301201"><span class="default_message" style="display: inline;">Like</span></button></span></span></div></div></div></li>
<li class="uiUfiComment comment_2301339 ufiItem ufiItem" style="background-color: #edeff4; border-bottom-color: rgb(229, 234, 241); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; margin-top: 2px; padding-bottom: 4px; padding-left: 5px; padding-right: 5px; padding-top: 5px;"><div class="UIImageBlock clearfix uiUfiActorBlock" style="display: block; zoom: 1;"><a class="actorPic UIImageBlock_Image UIImageBlock_SMALL_Image" data-ft="{"type":34}" href="http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=511660123" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; float: left; margin-right: 8px; text-decoration: none;" tabindex="-1"><img alt="" class="uiProfilePhoto uiProfilePhotoMedium img" src="http://profile.ak.fbcdn.net/hprofile-ak-snc4/161583_511660123_4960358_q.jpg" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; display: block; height: 32px; width: 32px;" /></a><br />
<div class="commentContent UIImageBlock_Content UIImageBlock_SMALL_Content" data-ft="{"type":33}" style="display: table-cell; padding-top: 1px; vertical-align: top; width: 10000px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;"><a class="actorName" data-ft="{"type":35}" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/user.php?id=511660123" href="http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=511660123" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;">Paul Kingsnorth</a> <span data-jsid="text">This is the north being structurally adjusted, the way the south has been for decades. The people of greece have to pay for decades for the fuck-ups of bankers and for the obsession with the Euro that the EU's leader's have. It's a fantasy coming up against the buffers of reality. They have to default, because their people refuse to become peons. The century is just starting to get interesting!</span></span><br />
<div class="commentActions fsm fwn fcg" style="color: grey; font-size: 11px; padding-top: 2px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;"><abbr data-date="Tue, 21 Jun 2011 14:51:04 -0700" style="border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial;" title="Tuesday, June 21, 2011 at 10:51pm">June 21 at 10:51pm</abbr> · <span class="comment_like_2301339 fsm fwn fcg" data-ft="{"type":36}" style="color: grey; font-size: 11px;"><button class="stat_elem as_link cmnt_like_link" name="like_comment_id[2301339]" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; font-size: 11px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-x: visible; overflow-y: visible; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left; width: auto;" title="Like this comment" type="submit" value="2301339"><span class="default_message" style="display: inline;">Like</span></button></span></span></div></div></div></li>
<li class="uiUfiComment comment_2301590 ufiItem ufiItem" style="background-color: #edeff4; border-bottom-color: rgb(229, 234, 241); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; margin-top: 2px; padding-bottom: 4px; padding-left: 5px; padding-right: 5px; padding-top: 5px;"><div class="UIImageBlock clearfix uiUfiActorBlock" style="display: block; zoom: 1;"><a class="actorPic UIImageBlock_Image UIImageBlock_SMALL_Image" data-ft="{"type":34}" href="http://www.facebook.com/beth.tilston" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; float: left; margin-right: 8px; text-decoration: none;" tabindex="-1"><img alt="" class="uiProfilePhoto uiProfilePhotoMedium img" src="http://profile.ak.fbcdn.net/hprofile-ak-snc4/23161_1261381076_7051_q.jpg" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; display: block; height: 32px; width: 32px;" /></a><br />
<div class="commentContent UIImageBlock_Content UIImageBlock_SMALL_Content" data-ft="{"type":33}" style="display: table-cell; padding-top: 1px; vertical-align: top; width: 10000px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;"><a class="actorName" data-ft="{"type":35}" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/user.php?id=1261381076" href="http://www.facebook.com/beth.tilston" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;">Beth Tilston</a> <span data-jsid="text"><a href="http://m.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/may/13/greek-crisis-athens-rural-migration?cat=world&type=article" rel="nofollow" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://m.guardian.co.uk/wo<wbr></wbr><span class="word_break" style="display: block; float: left; margin-left: -10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"></span>rld/2011/may/13/greek-cris<wbr></wbr><span class="word_break" style="display: block; float: left; margin-left: -10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"></span>is-athens-rural-migration?<wbr></wbr><span class="word_break" style="display: block; float: left; margin-left: -10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"></span>cat=world&type=article</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://democracystreet.blogspot.com/2011/05/back-in-midlands.html" rel="nofollow" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://democracystreet.blo<wbr></wbr><span class="word_break" style="display: block; float: left; margin-left: -10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"></span>gspot.com/2011/05/back-in-<wbr></wbr><span class="word_break" style="display: block; float: left; margin-left: -10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"></span>midlands.html</a></span></span><br />
<div class="commentActions fsm fwn fcg" style="color: grey; font-size: 11px; padding-top: 2px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;"><abbr data-date="Tue, 21 Jun 2011 15:36:06 -0700" style="border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial;" title="Tuesday, June 21, 2011 at 11:36pm">June 21 at 11:36pm</abbr> · <span class="comment_like_2301590 fsm fwn fcg" data-ft="{"type":36}" style="color: grey; font-size: 11px;"><button class="stat_elem as_link cmnt_like_link" name="like_comment_id[2301590]" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; font-size: 11px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-x: visible; overflow-y: visible; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left; width: auto;" title="Like this comment" type="submit" value="2301590"><span class="default_message" style="display: inline;">Like</span></button></span></span></div></div></div></li>
<li class="uiUfiComment comment_2305398 ufiItem ufiItem" style="background-color: #edeff4; border-bottom-color: rgb(229, 234, 241); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; margin-top: 2px; padding-bottom: 4px; padding-left: 5px; padding-right: 5px; padding-top: 5px;"><div class="UIImageBlock clearfix uiUfiActorBlock" style="display: block; zoom: 1;"><a class="actorPic UIImageBlock_Image UIImageBlock_SMALL_Image" data-ft="{"type":34}" href="http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=511660123" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; float: left; margin-right: 8px; text-decoration: none;" tabindex="-1"><img alt="" class="uiProfilePhoto uiProfilePhotoMedium img" src="http://profile.ak.fbcdn.net/hprofile-ak-snc4/161583_511660123_4960358_q.jpg" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; display: block; height: 32px; width: 32px;" /></a><br />
<div class="commentContent UIImageBlock_Content UIImageBlock_SMALL_Content" data-ft="{"type":33}" style="display: table-cell; padding-top: 1px; vertical-align: top; width: 10000px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;"><a class="actorName" data-ft="{"type":35}" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/user.php?id=511660123" href="http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=511660123" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;">Paul Kingsnorth</a> <span data-jsid="text">Good links. I wonder what the possibilities are for a new ruralism? When the banks collapse again this question may become more urgent:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/2011/06/22/its-time-to-plan-for-the-imminent-banking-collapse-and-its-aftermath/" rel="nofollow" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://www.taxresearch.org<wbr></wbr><span class="word_break" style="display: block; float: left; margin-left: -10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"></span>.uk/Blog/2011/06/22/its-ti<wbr></wbr><span class="word_break" style="display: block; float: left; margin-left: -10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"></span>me-to-plan-for-the-imminen<wbr></wbr><span class="word_break" style="display: block; float: left; margin-left: -10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"></span>t-banking-collapse-and-its<wbr></wbr><span class="word_break" style="display: block; float: left; margin-left: -10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"></span>-aftermath/</a></span></span><br />
<div class="commentActions fsm fwn fcg" style="color: grey; font-size: 11px; padding-top: 2px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;"><abbr data-date="Wed, 22 Jun 2011 01:50:55 -0700" style="border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial;" title="Wednesday, June 22, 2011 at 9:50am">June 22 at 9:50am</abbr> · <span class="comment_like_2305398 fsm fwn fcg" data-ft="{"type":36}" style="color: grey; font-size: 11px;"><button class="stat_elem as_link cmnt_like_link" name="like_comment_id[2305398]" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; font-size: 11px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-x: visible; overflow-y: visible; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left; width: auto;" title="Like this comment" type="submit" value="2305398"><span class="default_message" style="display: inline;">Like</span></button></span></span></div></div></div></li>
<li class="uiUfiComment comment_2308851 ufiItem ufiItem" style="background-color: #edeff4; border-bottom-color: rgb(229, 234, 241); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; margin-top: 2px; padding-bottom: 4px; padding-left: 5px; padding-right: 5px; padding-top: 5px;"><div class="UIImageBlock clearfix uiUfiActorBlock" style="display: block; zoom: 1;"><a class="actorPic UIImageBlock_Image UIImageBlock_SMALL_Image" data-ft="{"type":34}" href="http://www.facebook.com/beth.tilston" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; float: left; margin-right: 8px; text-decoration: none;" tabindex="-1"><img alt="" class="uiProfilePhoto uiProfilePhotoMedium img" src="http://profile.ak.fbcdn.net/hprofile-ak-snc4/23161_1261381076_7051_q.jpg" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; display: block; height: 32px; width: 32px;" /></a><br />
<div class="commentContent UIImageBlock_Content UIImageBlock_SMALL_Content" data-ft="{"type":33}" style="display: table-cell; padding-top: 1px; vertical-align: top; width: 10000px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;"><a class="actorName" data-ft="{"type":35}" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/user.php?id=1261381076" href="http://www.facebook.com/beth.tilston" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;">Beth Tilston</a> <span data-jsid="text">It'll be interesting to find out... My feeling is that we are more fucked than most in this respect given that we're an extremely populous country, we have little left of rural skills and culture, the land is owned by toffs who have had it since Biblical times and it is largely occupied by the people who caused the crisis in the first place (at least it is down here).</span></span><br />
<div class="commentActions fsm fwn fcg" style="color: grey; font-size: 11px; padding-top: 2px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;"><abbr data-date="Wed, 22 Jun 2011 12:47:13 -0700" style="border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial;" title="Wednesday, June 22, 2011 at 8:47pm">June 22 at 8:47pm</abbr> · <span class="comment_like_2308851 fsm fwn fcg" data-ft="{"type":36}" style="color: grey; font-size: 11px;"><button class="stat_elem as_link cmnt_like_link" name="like_comment_id[2308851]" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; font-size: 11px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-x: visible; overflow-y: visible; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left; width: auto;" title="Like this comment" type="submit" value="2308851"><span class="default_message" style="display: inline;">Like</span></button></span></span></div></div></div></li>
<li class="uiUfiComment comment_2309488 ufiItem ufiItem" style="background-color: #edeff4; border-bottom-color: rgb(229, 234, 241); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; margin-top: 2px; padding-bottom: 4px; padding-left: 5px; padding-right: 5px; padding-top: 5px;"><div class="UIImageBlock clearfix uiUfiActorBlock" style="display: block; zoom: 1;"><a class="actorPic UIImageBlock_Image UIImageBlock_SMALL_Image" data-ft="{"type":34}" href="http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=511660123" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; float: left; margin-right: 8px; text-decoration: none;" tabindex="-1"><img alt="" class="uiProfilePhoto uiProfilePhotoMedium img" src="http://profile.ak.fbcdn.net/hprofile-ak-snc4/161583_511660123_4960358_q.jpg" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; display: block; height: 32px; width: 32px;" /></a><br />
<div class="commentContent UIImageBlock_Content UIImageBlock_SMALL_Content" data-ft="{"type":33}" style="display: table-cell; padding-top: 1px; vertical-align: top; width: 10000px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;"><a class="actorName" data-ft="{"type":35}" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/user.php?id=511660123" href="http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=511660123" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;">Paul Kingsnorth</a> <span data-jsid="text">Yes, quite agree - and we also have far less contact with the land than others, given that we were torn from it first. We were the first modern landless nation. Also, I just found out that England has 9% tree cover, while the EU average is 44%! Christ.</span></span><br />
<div class="commentActions fsm fwn fcg" style="color: grey; font-size: 11px; padding-top: 2px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;"><abbr data-date="Wed, 22 Jun 2011 14:09:05 -0700" style="border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial;" title="Wednesday, June 22, 2011 at 10:09pm">June 22 at 10:09pm</abbr> · <span class="comment_like_2309488 fsm fwn fcg" data-ft="{"type":36}" style="color: grey; font-size: 11px;"><button class="stat_elem as_link cmnt_like_link" name="like_comment_id[2309488]" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; font-size: 11px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-x: visible; overflow-y: visible; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left; width: auto;" title="Like this comment" type="submit" value="2309488"><span class="default_message" style="display: inline;">Like</span></button></span></span></div></div></div></li>
<li class="uiUfiComment comment_2310080 ufiItem ufiItem" style="background-color: #edeff4; border-bottom-color: rgb(229, 234, 241); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; margin-top: 2px; padding-bottom: 4px; padding-left: 5px; padding-right: 5px; padding-top: 5px;"><div class="UIImageBlock clearfix uiUfiActorBlock" style="display: block; zoom: 1;"><a class="actorPic UIImageBlock_Image UIImageBlock_SMALL_Image" data-ft="{"type":34}" href="http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=604792842" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; float: left; margin-right: 8px; text-decoration: none;" tabindex="-1"><img alt="" class="uiProfilePhoto uiProfilePhotoMedium img" src="http://profile.ak.fbcdn.net/hprofile-ak-snc4/260638_604792842_6690995_q.jpg" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; display: block; height: 32px; width: 32px;" /></a><br />
<div class="commentContent UIImageBlock_Content UIImageBlock_SMALL_Content" data-ft="{"type":33}" style="display: table-cell; padding-top: 1px; vertical-align: top; width: 10000px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;"><a class="actorName" data-ft="{"type":35}" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/user.php?id=604792842" href="http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=604792842" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;">Ian Lawton</a> <span data-jsid="text">we're also more fucked than most because what little revolutionary spirit we have has been asleep for longer than everybody else's ... gonna have to learn to farm again very fast i guess - we will have to run to the country when the state finances collapse along with a couple of 'too big to fail' banks ... this is all quite mad isn't it!?</span></span><br />
<div class="commentActions fsm fwn fcg" style="color: grey; font-size: 11px; padding-top: 2px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;"><abbr data-date="Wed, 22 Jun 2011 15:27:03 -0700" style="border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial;" title="Wednesday, June 22, 2011 at 11:27pm">June 22 at 11:27pm</abbr> · <span class="comment_like_2310080 fsm fwn fcg" data-ft="{"type":36}" style="color: grey; font-size: 11px;"><button class="stat_elem as_link cmnt_like_link" name="like_comment_id[2310080]" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; font-size: 11px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-x: visible; overflow-y: visible; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left; width: auto;" title="Like this comment" type="submit" value="2310080"><span class="default_message" style="display: inline;">Like</span></button></span></span></div></div></div></li>
<li class="uiUfiComment comment_2310268 ufiItem ufiItem" style="background-color: #edeff4; border-bottom-color: rgb(229, 234, 241); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; margin-top: 2px; padding-bottom: 4px; padding-left: 5px; padding-right: 5px; padding-top: 5px;"><div class="UIImageBlock clearfix uiUfiActorBlock" style="display: block; zoom: 1;"><a class="actorPic UIImageBlock_Image UIImageBlock_SMALL_Image" data-ft="{"type":34}" href="http://www.facebook.com/beth.tilston" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; float: left; margin-right: 8px; text-decoration: none;" tabindex="-1"><img alt="" class="uiProfilePhoto uiProfilePhotoMedium img" src="http://profile.ak.fbcdn.net/hprofile-ak-snc4/23161_1261381076_7051_q.jpg" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; display: block; height: 32px; width: 32px;" /></a><br />
<div class="commentContent UIImageBlock_Content UIImageBlock_SMALL_Content" data-ft="{"type":33}" style="display: table-cell; padding-top: 1px; vertical-align: top; width: 10000px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;"><a class="actorName" data-ft="{"type":35}" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/user.php?id=1261381076" href="http://www.facebook.com/beth.tilston" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;">Beth Tilston</a> <span data-jsid="text"></span></span><br />
<div class="text_exposed_root text_exposed" id="id_4e09e317ac4232621278431" style="display: inline;"><span data-jsid="text" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">I think people will just starve in the cities for a bit as they're starting to now. Or perhaps they'll move out of the big cities to smaller ones where it's cheaper. I don't think people will get 'back to the land' until we see the end of i<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline;">ndustrial agriculture. Industrial agriculture doesn't need people. I reckon there will be a growth in people working in woodlands before there is in people working in fields. Wood is a fuel, after all. Though if we only have 9% tree cover left - maybe not...</span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<div class="commentActions fsm fwn fcg" style="color: grey; font-size: 11px; padding-top: 2px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;"><abbr data-date="Wed, 22 Jun 2011 15:49:31 -0700" style="border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial;" title="Wednesday, June 22, 2011 at 11:49pm">June 22 at 11:49pm</abbr> · <span class="comment_like_2310268 fsm fwn fcg" data-ft="{"type":36}" style="color: grey; font-size: 11px;"><button class="stat_elem as_link cmnt_like_link" name="like_comment_id[2310268]" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; font-size: 11px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-x: visible; overflow-y: visible; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left; width: auto;" title="Like this comment" type="submit" value="2310268"><span class="default_message" style="display: inline;">Like</span></button></span></span></div></div></div></li>
<li class="uiUfiComment comment_2313507 ufiItem ufiItem" style="background-color: #edeff4; border-bottom-color: rgb(229, 234, 241); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; margin-top: 2px; padding-bottom: 4px; padding-left: 5px; padding-right: 5px; padding-top: 5px;"><div class="UIImageBlock clearfix uiUfiActorBlock" style="display: block; zoom: 1;"><a class="actorPic UIImageBlock_Image UIImageBlock_SMALL_Image" data-ft="{"type":34}" href="http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=511660123" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; float: left; margin-right: 8px; text-decoration: none;" tabindex="-1"><img alt="" class="uiProfilePhoto uiProfilePhotoMedium img" src="http://profile.ak.fbcdn.net/hprofile-ak-snc4/161583_511660123_4960358_q.jpg" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; display: block; height: 32px; width: 32px;" /></a><br />
<div class="commentContent UIImageBlock_Content UIImageBlock_SMALL_Content" data-ft="{"type":33}" style="display: table-cell; padding-top: 1px; vertical-align: top; width: 10000px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;"><a class="actorName" data-ft="{"type":35}" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/user.php?id=511660123" href="http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=511660123" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;">Paul Kingsnorth</a> <span data-jsid="text"></span></span><br />
<div class="text_exposed_root text_exposed" id="id_4e09e317ac7df4c22583087" style="display: inline;"><span data-jsid="text" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">I think land prices are the biggest issue actually. I think there would be a flood of back to the landers if it were affordable. the internet has put info about how to work land and grow food at all our fingertips - we're all started from n<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline;">othing, after all. The demand for allotments would have been unthinkable ten years ago. If the land were not all locked up by landowners and yuppies - which is an issue of population density, history and economics - things would be different. But also, yes, I think the cities may start starving first. Must go and buy that farm ...</span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<div class="commentActions fsm fwn fcg" style="color: grey; font-size: 11px; padding-top: 2px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;"><abbr data-date="Thu, 23 Jun 2011 01:28:00 -0700" style="border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial;" title="Thursday, June 23, 2011 at 9:28am">June 23 at 9:28am</abbr> · <span class="comment_like_2313507 fsm fwn fcg" data-ft="{"type":36}" style="color: grey; font-size: 11px;"><button class="stat_elem as_link cmnt_like_link" name="like_comment_id[2313507]" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; font-size: 11px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-x: visible; overflow-y: visible; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left; width: auto;" title="Like this comment" type="submit" value="2313507"><span class="default_message" style="display: inline;">Like</span></button></span></span></div></div></div></li>
<li class="uiUfiComment comment_2313600 ufiItem ufiItem" style="background-color: #edeff4; border-bottom-color: rgb(229, 234, 241); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; margin-top: 2px; padding-bottom: 4px; padding-left: 5px; padding-right: 5px; padding-top: 5px;"><div class="UIImageBlock clearfix uiUfiActorBlock" style="display: block; zoom: 1;"><a class="actorPic UIImageBlock_Image UIImageBlock_SMALL_Image" data-ft="{"type":34}" href="http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=604792842" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; float: left; margin-right: 8px; text-decoration: none;" tabindex="-1"><img alt="" class="uiProfilePhoto uiProfilePhotoMedium img" src="http://profile.ak.fbcdn.net/hprofile-ak-snc4/260638_604792842_6690995_q.jpg" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; display: block; height: 32px; width: 32px;" /></a><br />
<div class="commentContent UIImageBlock_Content UIImageBlock_SMALL_Content" data-ft="{"type":33}" style="display: table-cell; padding-top: 1px; vertical-align: top; width: 10000px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;"><a class="actorName" data-ft="{"type":35}" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/user.php?id=604792842" href="http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=604792842" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;">Ian Lawton</a> <span data-jsid="text"></span></span><br />
<div class="text_exposed_root text_exposed" id="id_4e09e317accee5248729565" style="display: inline;"><span data-jsid="text" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">nevertheless i'm hoping we get desperate enough that the landgrabs start. I've always thought that the thirst for allotments is probably driven by a half conscious intuition that we are likely to starve to death in the near future ... land<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline;">rights are going to become a major issue that's for sure ... i recently bought 'this land is our land' by marion shoard, not read it yet, have you read alastair macintosh's 'soil and soul' beth? ... anyway here's hopin for some Diggers radicalism... ""The power of enclosing land and owning property was brought into the creation by your ancestors by the sword; which first did murder their fellow creatures, men, and after plunder or steal away their land, and left this land successively to you, their children. And therefore, though you did not kill or thieve, yet you hold that cursed thing in your hand by the power of the sword; and so you justify the wicked deeds of your fathers, and that sin of your fathers shall be visited upon the head of you and your children to the third and fourth generation, and longer too, till your bloody and thieving power be rooted out of the land." Gerrard Winstanley</span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<div class="commentActions fsm fwn fcg" style="color: grey; font-size: 11px; padding-top: 2px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;"><abbr data-date="Thu, 23 Jun 2011 01:57:56 -0700" style="border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial;" title="Thursday, June 23, 2011 at 9:57am">June 23 at 9:57am</abbr> · <span class="comment_like_2313600 fsm fwn fcg" data-ft="{"type":36}" style="color: grey; font-size: 11px;"><button class="stat_elem as_link cmnt_like_link" name="like_comment_id[2313600]" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; font-size: 11px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-x: visible; overflow-y: visible; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left; width: auto;" title="Like this comment" type="submit" value="2313600"><span class="default_message" style="display: inline;">Like</span></button></span></span></div></div></div></li>
</ul></li>
</ul></form></div></h6><form action="http://www.facebook.com/ajax/ufi/modify.php" class="live_2136498812980_131325686911214 commentable_item autoexpand_mode" data-live="{"seq":2354061}" method="post" rel="async" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><ul class="uiList uiUfi focus_target fbUfi" data-ft="{"type":30}" style="list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 2px; width: 398px;"><li class="uiUfiComments" data-ft="{"type":32}"><ul class="commentList" style="list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"></ul></li>
</ul></form></div></h6><form action="http://www.facebook.com/ajax/ufi/modify.php" class="live_2136498812980_131325686911214 commentable_item autoexpand_mode" data-live="{"seq":2313600}" method="post" rel="async" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><ul class="uiList uiUfi focus_target fbUfi" data-ft="{"type":30}" style="list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 2px; width: 398px;"><li class="uiUfiComments" data-ft="{"type":32}"><ul class="commentList" style="list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"></ul></li>
<li class="uiUfiAddComment clearfix uiUfiSmall ufiItem ufiItem uiListItem uiListVerticalItemBorder uiUfiAddCommentCollapsed" style="background-color: #edeff4; border-bottom-color: rgb(229, 234, 241); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 1px; display: block; margin-top: 2px; padding-bottom: 4px; padding-left: 5px; padding-right: 5px; padding-top: 5px; zoom: 1;"><div class="UIImageBlock clearfix mentionsAddComment" style="display: block; zoom: 1;"><div class="commentArea UIImageBlock_Content UIImageBlock_ICON_Content" style="display: table-cell; padding-bottom: 0px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-top: 0px !important; vertical-align: top; width: 10000px;"><div class="commentBox" style="padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><div class="uiMentionsInput textBoxContainer" id="u354878_2" style="background-color: white; position: relative;"><div class="highlighter" style="left: 1px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 3px; padding-left: 3px; padding-right: 3px; padding-top: 3px; position: absolute; top: 1px;"><div style="color: transparent; line-height: 13px; white-space: pre-wrap; width: 0px;"><span class="highlighterContent" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></div></div><div class="uiTypeahead mentionsTypeahead" id="u354878_4" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(189, 199, 216); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(189, 199, 216); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-color: rgb(189, 199, 216); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-color: rgb(189, 199, 216); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; border-width: initial; cursor: default; position: relative; zoom: 1;"><div class="wrap" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(189, 199, 216); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-color: rgb(189, 199, 216); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(189, 199, 216); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(189, 199, 216); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 0px; border-width: initial; padding-bottom: 3px; padding-left: 3px; padding-right: 3px; padding-top: 3px;"><div class="innerWrap" style="overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; zoom: 1;"><textarea autocomplete="off" class="enter_submit DOMControl_placeholder uiTextareaNoResize uiTextareaAutogrow textBox mentionsTextarea textInput" name="add_comment_text" placeholder="Write a comment..." style="-webkit-appearance: none; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-left-radius: 0px 0px; border-bottom-right-radius: 0px 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-color: rgb(189, 199, 216); border-left-width: 0px; border-right-color: rgb(189, 199, 216); border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-color: rgb(189, 199, 216); border-top-left-radius: 0px 0px; border-top-right-radius: 0px 0px; border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 0px; color: #777777; display: block; font-size: 11px; height: 14px; line-height: 13px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; resize: none; width: 380px; zoom: 1;" title="Write a comment..."></textarea></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></li>
</ul></form>Briony Greenhillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05001656790572588123noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9100174735552260328.post-19124895016362620332011-04-11T08:04:00.000-07:002011-04-11T08:04:24.692-07:00True for me some days<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFz1dDnT_5W4QcChf3v_6KQ7b6AiM1ACPct0Bhkrix6H4i4QtWXxI2tPg9DViTDfBqd0Bw_hhohoHGeDNgOEFDRwmoxvvtD1anb8QF8_9R4WcJBcyWie3KW3FLFFtc_rmb2Sc_1dkM4w/s1600/IMG_0489.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFz1dDnT_5W4QcChf3v_6KQ7b6AiM1ACPct0Bhkrix6H4i4QtWXxI2tPg9DViTDfBqd0Bw_hhohoHGeDNgOEFDRwmoxvvtD1anb8QF8_9R4WcJBcyWie3KW3FLFFtc_rmb2Sc_1dkM4w/s320/IMG_0489.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Briony Greenhillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05001656790572588123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9100174735552260328.post-10045993558765158702011-03-18T05:42:00.000-07:002011-03-18T05:54:38.678-07:00Joanna Macy workshop 3 Aprildoing some promo for the fella...<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The Work That Reconnects</span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">What’s Possible?</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">When: Sunday 3rd April 1-6pm</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></span><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Where: Angel, Islington</span><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">What:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">A series of interactive activities, meditations, rituals and practical tools i</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">nspired and developed by visionary deep ecologist </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Joanna </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Macy, </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">encouraging us to express our feelings and find new ways of seeing our </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">place and purpose on this planet.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">The Work That Reconnects is a framework that helps people connect to </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">ourselves, each other and the natural world. It offers skills and strategies to </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">nurture the emergence of creative responses and transform our concerns and </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">worries into collaborative action.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">For more information visit <a href="http://www.joannamacy.net/" target="_blank">www.joannamacy.net/</a></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Facilitators</b></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Kevin Frea is a trained and experienced facilitator of the Work that </span></span><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Reconnects. He is an environmental activist, teacher, life coach and vegan </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">with a Masters degree from the Centre for Human Ecology in Glasgow.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Michael Margolin has worked as a garden educator, organic farmer and </span></span><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">facilitator of various fields that are helping to create a more sustainable </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">world. He has trained in Vipassana meditation for five years, is an experienced </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">contact improvisation dancer and is currently training in Action Theatre, an </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">improvisational theatre form.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Donations are encouraged!</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Reserve your place to receive further details, address and directions:</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Michael </span></span><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="mailto:michael_j_margolin@riseup.net" target="_blank">michael_j_margolin@riseup.<wbr></wbr>net</a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Kevin </span></span><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="mailto:Kevin@humanecologist.org" target="_blank">Kevin@humanecologist.org</a>, </span><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">077<wbr></wbr>16246672</span></div>Briony Greenhillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05001656790572588123noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9100174735552260328.post-63820641363972300682011-03-08T01:47:00.000-08:002011-03-08T01:47:53.275-08:00Natural Rhythms<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCbolvLNsIIO1ZIj2taxjqu4rhQIqJxntL65saqe73yKkD8NkCk1HxyxZ0SbWAax8xLbloeK7fwbN8VDwZiZK_UJ2fOQm9keAzUXkwzcRwAbQT_QpTiGYJlijN0zhSQM70D3h4B41ZqA/s1600/moon_2_bg_0722021.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCbolvLNsIIO1ZIj2taxjqu4rhQIqJxntL65saqe73yKkD8NkCk1HxyxZ0SbWAax8xLbloeK7fwbN8VDwZiZK_UJ2fOQm9keAzUXkwzcRwAbQT_QpTiGYJlijN0zhSQM70D3h4B41ZqA/s320/moon_2_bg_0722021.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">thanks to <a href="http://scienceblogs.com/startswithabang/2009/08/paper_folding_to_the_moon.php">scienceblogs</a> for the pic</span><br />
<br />
There's a conversation thread meandering around at the moment about 'natural rhythms.'<br />
<br />
My friends and I seem to be talking about rest, seasonal patterns, the rise and fall of energy.<br />
<br />
Last week all I wanted to do was sleep and eat. I wasn't the only one. Did you feel that way?<br />
<br />
This week the low ebb of energy persists and I'm juggling good intentions with the lure of coffee and sugar to prop me up. Struggle.<br />
<br />
This morning I thought of my friend Alastair who worked for a year as a gardener and facilitator at <a href="http://www.embercombe.co.uk/">Embercombe</a>, a stay-in-yurts-and-sit-by-fires-and-find-your-purpose kind of place in Devon. Away from the stuff of modern life, he noticed strong differences in his available energy at different times, although his sleep, diet and activities were consistent. After a while he began to notice cycles in his energy, and a correlation with the cycles of the moon: that his energy would rise as the moon waxed towards fullness, and wane when it waned.<br />
<br />
That might sound like something from the wacky bucket but perhaps that feeling is a symptom of the masculine slant in the ideosphere. I bleed each month on the full moon. For women it is obvious that at least one of the natural cycles of our bodies is pitched to the rhythm of the moon.<br />
<br />
So I had a google at breakfast and found this from the very helpful teachers at <a href="http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/time/moon/">Woodlands Junior School in Kent</a>.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCSpuHyuTVp4jk-eXqnk-3p_ONxE0FM-L0qrUlromO1_xW1v5JswYaQU0yuXcXNoRor0h0Fn2qiHH0kE8UVWsPCLOfuQSnqUtA7P7Ig_eT9cNPQAq6454rWbjznLKRbg58RcsKY-rwAw/s1600/Picture+12.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCSpuHyuTVp4jk-eXqnk-3p_ONxE0FM-L0qrUlromO1_xW1v5JswYaQU0yuXcXNoRor0h0Fn2qiHH0kE8UVWsPCLOfuQSnqUtA7P7Ig_eT9cNPQAq6454rWbjznLKRbg58RcsKY-rwAw/s320/Picture+12.png" width="320" /></a></div><br />
So last week, sleep-and-eat-and-drown-in-coffee in an unsuccessful attempt to prop up waning energy week, the moon was waning to a close.<br />
<br />
This week it's beginning to wax so energy should be picking up! I don't see that yet. But I'm starting to feel it writing this :)<br />
<br />
So my question now is, if this is one of the natural rhythms we may experience, what do we do with that?<br />
<br />
An obvious answer would be to just do less when our energy wanes and do more when it waxes. Which is tricky in practice because professional deadlines and social calendars are not pitched to the lunar cycle and sometimes you just have to push on.<br />
<br />
But just maybe they increasingly could be. No-one notices, for example, what time I arrive and leave work; the emphasis is on me meeting my targets not which hours I meet them in, and my irregularity is expected and predictable. So I do have some flexibility to do more when I 'wax' and less when I 'wane.'<br />
<br />
Hummm..<br />
<br />
I'm going to keep an eye on this one....Briony Greenhillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05001656790572588123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9100174735552260328.post-60773746890387626702011-01-14T06:46:00.000-08:002011-01-14T06:46:55.230-08:00The ProjectHello.<br />
<br />
I like this blog.<br />
<br />
I like all the comments from friends and strangers.<br />
<br />
I haven't written in it for a while.<br />
<br />
I have been Getting Practical.<br />
<br />
A project team has amassed. They are lovely and it feels precious and beautiful.<br />
<br />
We are (probably) going to Buy Land and Do Stuff.<br />
<br />
Every three months or thearabouts we have an open meeting where anyone can come and that's currently the way that new people get involved. I guess the next one would be sometime in February or March.<br />
<br />
Although that might be developing because I think we're going to start a DIY Church<br />
<br />
yes a CHURCH<br />
<br />
where you can be anything from a devout Jew to an athiest<br />
<br />
and still come along and play<br />
<br />
I think we're going to make up our own sermons<br />
<br />
or something.<br />
<br />
Anyway.<br />
<br />
About this project.<br />
<br />
We had a couple of days of visioning.<br />
<br />
We came up with these key ideas / principles in popularity order:<br />
<br />
1. A SPIRE! (14)<br />
2. Personal growth and development (13)<br />
3. Elemental living and a healthy relationship with nature (13)<br />
4. Personal autonomy (11)<br />
5. Creativity / emergence (improvisation / process oriented) (9)<br />
6. In all our dealings we aim to embody: honesty, tolerance, openness, respect, and something else I can't read (8)<br />
7. Resilience, self-provision, sustainability (8)<br />
8. Collective joy (7)<br />
9. Collaboration and mutual support (7)<br />
10. Inreach and outreach (6)<br />
11. Enduring relationship with place (6)<br />
12. Collective purpose and endeavour (6)<br />
13. Concentric circles of belonging / variety of relationships (5)<br />
14. Play (2)<br />
<br />
We don't have a website or anything yet.Briony Greenhillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05001656790572588123noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9100174735552260328.post-52406702351371338422010-11-22T10:01:00.000-08:002010-11-22T10:02:28.369-08:00The Great Reskilling<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRo8HnvcT2snTfnWKaXffnF6bMmN54ZYWIXHrt1nktgvo-ma594KrzCrWa2aQ2afgifzrvNseK93o_wb-D_Iqg2dcgAV1Lw6YGJc-hxrTDvb2L8w_c4i-quSvHtbLA4ana1iF_3qO4XQ/s1600/Screen+shot+2010-11-22+at+18.00.14.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRo8HnvcT2snTfnWKaXffnF6bMmN54ZYWIXHrt1nktgvo-ma594KrzCrWa2aQ2afgifzrvNseK93o_wb-D_Iqg2dcgAV1Lw6YGJc-hxrTDvb2L8w_c4i-quSvHtbLA4ana1iF_3qO4XQ/s400/Screen+shot+2010-11-22+at+18.00.14.png" width="400" /></a></div><br />
more <a href="http://www.lowimpact.org/venues_radford_mill.html">here</a>Briony Greenhillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05001656790572588123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9100174735552260328.post-38531532260194591012010-11-15T08:32:00.000-08:002010-11-15T08:35:02.628-08:00The winter quiescence<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7bXCU9XzsBZcDk4gIvnCQ0FAh42oT3zJsqMjdvH0c0mCPnKr6p7YqcM0YjVdEbWedkuIEqoAsgyEv2dTGTNOOP3TrNQN4IcYvxu3rkqKsIwLkWXHkN-xMi2Hp9-0FOfXjNzvsgv7Xpw/s1600/lifestylepg_winter_trees.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7bXCU9XzsBZcDk4gIvnCQ0FAh42oT3zJsqMjdvH0c0mCPnKr6p7YqcM0YjVdEbWedkuIEqoAsgyEv2dTGTNOOP3TrNQN4IcYvxu3rkqKsIwLkWXHkN-xMi2Hp9-0FOfXjNzvsgv7Xpw/s400/lifestylepg_winter_trees.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I've just started to read <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Soulcraft-Crossing-Mysteries-Nature-Psyche/dp/1577314220/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1289838078&sr=8-1">Soulcraft</a> by Bill Plotkin.</div><br />
Just the forward, so far, by Thomas Berry. <br />
<br />
He writes of "the springtime singing of the birds, the summertime showers, the autumn ripening, and the winter quiescence."<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfNKU44d1VO4xb1BGITWpt1C5-byvHiQjSlGTFLQve2pdYWZvH6I0kVdtad5rcHfMlKwYROY20ekq3wWbxnA0X02VLj7LOEM6EcLaW02b3EpeSPIh0cmKWd9oUgZDC8rTy8YT5jKv4CQ/s1600/Screen+shot+2010-11-15+at+16.25.14.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="98" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfNKU44d1VO4xb1BGITWpt1C5-byvHiQjSlGTFLQve2pdYWZvH6I0kVdtad5rcHfMlKwYROY20ekq3wWbxnA0X02VLj7LOEM6EcLaW02b3EpeSPIh0cmKWd9oUgZDC8rTy8YT5jKv4CQ/s320/Screen+shot+2010-11-15+at+16.25.14.png" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"></span><br />
<h1 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" style="-webkit-background-clip: initial; -webkit-background-origin: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(170, 170, 170); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: black; font-size: 1.6em; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.2em; margin-bottom: 0.1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; width: auto;">Quiescence</h1><div id="bodyContent" style="font-size: 0.8em; line-height: 1.5em; position: relative; width: 1020px;"><div id="siteSub" style="display: inline; font-size: 12px; font-weight: normal;">From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia</div><div id="contentSub" style="color: #7d7d7d; font-size: 11px; line-height: 1.2em; margin-bottom: 1.4em; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; width: auto;"></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.4em;"> may refer to:</div><ul style="line-height: 1.5em; list-style-image: url(http://bits.wikimedia.org/skins-1.5/vector/images/bullet-icon.png?1); list-style-type: square; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 1.5em; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.3em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;">In <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fluid_mechanics" style="-webkit-background-clip: initial; -webkit-background-origin: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;" title="Fluid mechanics">fluid mechanics</a>, it refers to the state of a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fluid" style="-webkit-background-clip: initial; -webkit-background-origin: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;" title="Fluid">fluid</a> that lacks any movement</li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;">The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G0_phase" style="-webkit-background-clip: initial; -webkit-background-origin: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;" title="G0 phase">G<sub style="line-height: 1em;">0</sub> phase</a> of a cell in the cell cycle; quiescence is the state of a cell when it is not dividing</li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;">In neuron <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bursting" style="-webkit-background-clip: initial; -webkit-background-origin: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;" title="Bursting">bursting</a>, it refers to the quiet phase of a spike train when a neuron is not emitting bursts or singlets</li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;">In plants, it is the non-active state of a seed in which the only requirement for seed germination is water and oxygen; Contrast with <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dormancy" style="-webkit-background-clip: initial; -webkit-background-origin: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;" title="Dormancy">Dormancy</a></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;">In <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Behavioral_neuroscience" style="-webkit-background-clip: initial; -webkit-background-origin: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;" title="Behavioral neuroscience">behavioral neuroscience</a> or zoology, quiescence refers to a behavior where an animal is vigilant but relaxed and immobile. This may be related to a recuperative response after an encounter with a predator</li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;">In <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volcanology" style="-webkit-background-clip: initial; -webkit-background-origin: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;" title="Volcanology">volcanology</a>, when an <a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Active_volcano" style="-webkit-background-clip: initial; -webkit-background-origin: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;" title="Active volcano">active volcano</a> is not actually erupting</li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;">An <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_amplifier" style="-webkit-background-clip: initial; -webkit-background-origin: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;" title="Electronic amplifier">electronic amplifier</a> or filter is said to be <i>in a quiescent state</i> when no signal is applied to its input</li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quiescence_search" style="-webkit-background-clip: initial; -webkit-background-origin: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;" title="Quiescence search">Quiescence search</a>, In Game searching (adversarial search) in artificial intelligence, a quiescent state is one in which a game is considered stable and unlikely to change drastically the next few plays</li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;">In <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_science" style="-webkit-background-clip: initial; -webkit-background-origin: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;" title="Computer science">computer science</a> is a data item that is not actively being changed</li>
</ul></div><br />
<br />
I feel this. Do you? Right now. All I want is to stay home. Why go out and do all these things and see all these people when I could stay home and practice piano, and cook, and read, and feel like I have contentment and everything I need in abundance?<br />
<br />
And even that is fairly busy. I could go further into not-doing. The autumn leaves are almost all gone. The winter quiescence is drawing me in...Briony Greenhillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05001656790572588123noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9100174735552260328.post-54888901267859946192010-10-25T10:29:00.001-07:002010-10-26T02:09:23.830-07:00The Coming Insurrection<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfS6Hm4qBfrFlwXhNvzy-im_CZ5pIiXOMl8aQUAewSSqFJb9W0aToh62rCZKgXK28NNUQn02sV6yhx0y2GozIU8jBEZW6i8WH6PJsGxWAs9D_VbAKoa8KE4fBE8azamLrshkF8QkDlNQ/s1600/IMG_0196.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfS6Hm4qBfrFlwXhNvzy-im_CZ5pIiXOMl8aQUAewSSqFJb9W0aToh62rCZKgXK28NNUQn02sV6yhx0y2GozIU8jBEZW6i8WH6PJsGxWAs9D_VbAKoa8KE4fBE8azamLrshkF8QkDlNQ/s320/IMG_0196.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><meta charset="utf-8"></meta>"'Fewer possessions more connections.' Are they mad?"<br />
Briony Greenhillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05001656790572588123noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9100174735552260328.post-68961835944034146362010-06-14T13:44:00.000-07:002010-06-14T14:05:09.427-07:00I've got a goat!!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBTIyJINJY3AdLxv_4AYrXdgXSTcJEYceCX_sonmq5RnrY-HymJVdQiDmQeFMdeJF8xPbKAXymFpHOv7TYByKlGivRgh-AsBFWIb6Hfpl2H7uERUaKK2EIq61_y_9YXxNw4QRgSNzdBQ/s1600/cs_goat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBTIyJINJY3AdLxv_4AYrXdgXSTcJEYceCX_sonmq5RnrY-HymJVdQiDmQeFMdeJF8xPbKAXymFpHOv7TYByKlGivRgh-AsBFWIb6Hfpl2H7uERUaKK2EIq61_y_9YXxNw4QRgSNzdBQ/s320/cs_goat.jpg" /></a></div>Ok, not a real goat. Yet...<br />
<br />
I've got a sign I just pinned on the kitchen pin board that says 'This entitles the holder to one goat.'<br />
<br />
"It's like the ultimate Oxfam gift," said my friend Mark as he gave it to me and I hopped whooping around the kitchen and hugging him. "You're like the only friend I have - probably the only friend I'll ever have, actually - who I can actually give an actual goat to."<br />
<br />
This means I have to Do It. I'm moving to Wales this Autumn. We're buying a place and seeing who wants to chip in and stick something like a woodland or something on the side. I was thinking about making some kind of local goat co-op so we can share the strains and the gains of goat keeping.<br />
<br />
And now I have a goat token. So I Have To.<br />
<br />
!!!<br />
<br />
I am delighted.<br />
<br />
I'm going to call my first milking nanny goat 'Mark.'Briony Greenhillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05001656790572588123noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9100174735552260328.post-69874051946171228332010-06-13T15:19:00.000-07:002010-10-26T02:32:55.405-07:00Plant where you standI'm just home from a lovely weekend with <a href="http://limina.org.uk/events">Limina</a> people at the beautiful Quadrangle in Kent.<br />
<br />
We've been talking about how we want to live.<br />
<br />
Frank Forencich is a Stanford-trained biologist and play specialist.<br />
<br />
Looking at indigenous wisdom from around the world, he says, the 'Mind Body Spirit' trinity has missed its other half:<br />
<br />
'Land, Tribe, Ancestors.'<br />
<br />
The yearning for connection with Land and Tribe that I feel is so widely shared, it seems.<br />
<br />
One important thing came out of the weekend for me.<br />
<br />
The notion of plant where you stand.<br />
<br />
I've been slowly developing the idea of an intentional blended community and visitor place where people can try out practical skills and a blended lifestyle.<br />
<br />
Wrong thinking, I realise.<br />
<br />
If lots of the people with a strong orientation towards nurturing healthy connections with land and tribe all exodus from our existing communities, what will happen?<br />
<br />
Plant where you stand, our conversations seemed to conclude.<br />
<br />
I'm going to move somewhere quite small.<br />
<br />
See who in the local community wants to start a goat co-op.<br />
<br />
Embed it rather than separate it.<br />
<br />
That's where I'm doing.<br />
<br />
Lean into the cracks. Nestle and nestle into the concrete forms we've inherited until they soften and open into new structures that support new ways of life.<br />
<br />
IT's possible.<br />
<br />
I'm excited about <a href="http://limina.org.uk/">Limina.</a> It's got a good feeling to it. It's perhaps the main place for people who share this yearning to connect, inspire, enable, challenge and support each other. That's certainly what happened this weekend.<br />
<br />
It's a good thing.Briony Greenhillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05001656790572588123noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9100174735552260328.post-10296499833795399812010-06-10T06:41:00.001-07:002010-06-11T13:21:59.978-07:00PassionThanks to Dan for sending me a link to this incredible ted talk by Isabel Allende.<br />
<br />
<object height="326" width="446"><param name="movie" value="http://video.ted.com/assets/player/swf/EmbedPlayer.swf"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"/><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><param name="bgColor" value="#ffffff"></param><param name="flashvars" value="vu=http://video.ted.com/talks/dynamic/IsabelleAllende_2007-medium.flv&su=http://images.ted.com/images/ted/tedindex/embed-posters/IsabelleAllende-2007.embed_thumbnail.jpg&vw=432&vh=240&ap=0&ti=204&introDuration=15330&adDuration=4000&postAdDuration=830&adKeys=talk=isabel_allende_tells_tales_of_passion;year=2007;theme=the_creative_spark;theme=media_that_matters;theme=rethinking_poverty;theme=master_storytellers;theme=words_about_words;event=TED2007;&preAdTag=tconf.ted/embed;tile=1;sz=512x288;" /><embed src="http://video.ted.com/assets/player/swf/EmbedPlayer.swf" pluginspace="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" bgColor="#ffffff" width="446" height="326" allowFullScreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" flashvars="vu=http://video.ted.com/talks/dynamic/IsabelleAllende_2007-medium.flv&su=http://images.ted.com/images/ted/tedindex/embed-posters/IsabelleAllende-2007.embed_thumbnail.jpg&vw=432&vh=240&ap=0&ti=204&introDuration=15330&adDuration=4000&postAdDuration=830&adKeys=talk=isabel_allende_tells_tales_of_passion;year=2007;theme=the_creative_spark;theme=media_that_matters;theme=rethinking_poverty;theme=master_storytellers;theme=words_about_words;event=TED2007;"></embed></object><br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">"I need mavericks," she says, "dissidents, adventurers, outsiders and rebels, who ask questions, bend the rules, and take risks.... Nice people with common sense do not make interesting characters. They only make good former spouses."</div>Briony Greenhillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05001656790572588123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9100174735552260328.post-527962128209677682010-06-06T01:31:00.000-07:002010-06-07T02:16:29.295-07:00BBC: How to lead a simple life<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNXd4ramBw_RmchiapxawOPP_GQCPXOj_QaQz1JEmR0VclOZI417p47tgSP3x-Pztj_fifass8-4zI7su7iqAyW_TQ-H_PiOPx2IE0n9BBqh5S6DAkTTzRVvLsHe6m9NN7sgXEXlM9ZA/s1600/Picture+1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNXd4ramBw_RmchiapxawOPP_GQCPXOj_QaQz1JEmR0VclOZI417p47tgSP3x-Pztj_fifass8-4zI7su7iqAyW_TQ-H_PiOPx2IE0n9BBqh5S6DAkTTzRVvLsHe6m9NN7sgXEXlM9ZA/s320/Picture+1.png" /></a></div><br />
Thanks to Charlie for sending <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00sdbcw">this BBC iPlayer link.</a> The Rev Peter Owen-Jones tries to give up his "addiction to money" and develop a "simple life" (haybales, sheep etc) following the teachings of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_of_Assisi">St Francis of Assisi</a>, the patron saint of ecology.<br />
<br />
(If he puts you off a bit in the beginning, stick with him, gets quite adorable by the end.)Briony Greenhillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05001656790572588123noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9100174735552260328.post-25000700626415623622010-04-27T16:00:00.000-07:002010-04-29T12:36:19.241-07:00Land, productivity and the blended lifestyleIn the beginning of the 19th century 10% of us lived in cities. 100 years later, 90% of us did. <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Cities-Small-Planet-Reith-Lectures/dp/0571179932/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1272410861&sr=8-1">(Rogers).</a><br />
<br />
We left the land - some by choice, others by force - in order to participate in the growing industrial economy.<br />
<br />
The land available for us to live and farm on was reduced, so that we would have to turn to wage labour to sustain ourselves.<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;">"Lord and Lady Stafford were pleased humanely, to order a new arrangement of this Country. That the interior should be possessed by Cheviot [sheep] Shepherds and the people brought down to the coast and placed there in lots under the size of three arable acres, sufficient for the maintenance of an industrious family, but pinched enough to cause them turn their attention to the fishing [i.e. waged labour]." Patrick Sellar, Lawyer, 1815</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;">1912, Kenya - Lord Delamere:<br />
"If... every native is to be a landholder of a sufficient area on which to establish himself, then the question of obtaining a satisfactory labour supply will never be settled."</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;"><br />
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGOGykQzIUsiSOm_olsG79XFs-MAsMSrsIHiA4Q8EW0Ru29WNhfc6rWtm3lrOwC8GpBP5IwK0_V-Zyw5Y7unuPk7jaKdbegFf-Y20jZcNfDpthaBCqksRnl4bTdCPF_r7ILeEwyk3JJQ/s1600/ShepherdsCJan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGOGykQzIUsiSOm_olsG79XFs-MAsMSrsIHiA4Q8EW0Ru29WNhfc6rWtm3lrOwC8GpBP5IwK0_V-Zyw5Y7unuPk7jaKdbegFf-Y20jZcNfDpthaBCqksRnl4bTdCPF_r7ILeEwyk3JJQ/s320/ShepherdsCJan.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;">Both quotes from <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Soil-Soul-People-Versus-Corporate/dp/1854109421/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1272408838&sr=8-1">Soil and Soul</a>, p94. Pic from <a href="http://internetshakespeare.uvic.ca/Library/SLT/society/enclosures.html">internet shakespeare.</a> </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;"><br />
</span><br />
That industrial economy has brought us very useful wealth.<br />
<br />
It is now unsustainable.<br />
<br />
But we cannot slow or reduce the economy, we believe, because people will lose their jobs and incomes. Without jobs and incomes, how will we meet our needs?<br />
<br />
My answer to this question is, by re-organising our use of land, such that we can work for money part-time, and be self-sufficient part-time, total employment can stabilise or reduce with wellbeing at least maintained, and probably enhanced.<br />
<br />
200 years ago, it was thought that people would not want to move from local self-sufficiency to employment, so they had to be forced to, by reducing access to land.<br />
<br />
Now, few people would altogether give up our jobs and put both hands on our spades. We like our incomes, our professional identities - some of us, at least - me for one.<br />
<br />
So we need not fear that by increasing opportunities for self-sufficiency, you reduce the available workforce. Rather it will reduce the <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">necessary</span> workforce and enable the economy to explore what sustainable growth means in practice.<br />
<br />
By taking parts of our lives away from the money economy, we give it a bit of a breather, and let it find its next, unprecedented form.Briony Greenhillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05001656790572588123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9100174735552260328.post-3308662964487578102010-04-22T02:43:00.000-07:002010-04-22T02:43:17.277-07:00Become UncivilisedI'm very much looking forward to the Dark Mountain festival in Wales, 28-30 May, with <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Soil-Soul-People-Versus-Corporate/dp/1854109421/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1271929298&sr=8-1">Alastair McIntosh</a> , <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Wild-Elemental-Journey-Jay-Griffiths/dp/0141006447/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1271929326&sr=1-1">Jay Griffiths,</a> George Monbiot, and me! Among others. Having a big, fat, disorganised, creative, collaborative conversation about the emergence of the new and how we want to live.<br />
<br />
Come!<br />
<br />
This is their <a href="http://uncivilisation.ning.com/">ning site</a> and this their <a href="http://www.dark-mountain.net/">website.</a><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglK6kZJa-9nx_eFmvwVfaexGo3bkQRbyJYNrr0JXAfXnoB66Oog_foXF2xed4UjIq_Cx0zJ96rh_LCl0Hg5F-stMhpiP-l5x1yaW0CoIi_PVoU6UnnsYELw8R9LHiaVc2IK3BwZqb3uA/s1600/dm-logo.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglK6kZJa-9nx_eFmvwVfaexGo3bkQRbyJYNrr0JXAfXnoB66Oog_foXF2xed4UjIq_Cx0zJ96rh_LCl0Hg5F-stMhpiP-l5x1yaW0CoIi_PVoU6UnnsYELw8R9LHiaVc2IK3BwZqb3uA/s320/dm-logo.gif" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #0000ee; text-decoration: underline;"><br />
</span></div>Briony Greenhillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05001656790572588123noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9100174735552260328.post-79312538506650530392010-04-14T02:36:00.000-07:002010-04-14T02:36:10.759-07:00Lambing!I'm back at the lovely Canon Frome Court.<br />
<br />
Five baby boys last night! All in two hours, triplets and twins, mums and babies all happy and well.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR46xh4ciQFolR8ol_uz6pVm65aLoKcsQp38ExaDEI2C0NwZa402iTIvq3bP18Xm0HfY5rE-mqnqyN7_d6lKaXrZ8j3DdBj4Z15f57GIFqQY5IgRoxI-u9s23BkOVX6T9VQgd7SOfNmA/s1600/Picture+1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR46xh4ciQFolR8ol_uz6pVm65aLoKcsQp38ExaDEI2C0NwZa402iTIvq3bP18Xm0HfY5rE-mqnqyN7_d6lKaXrZ8j3DdBj4Z15f57GIFqQY5IgRoxI-u9s23BkOVX6T9VQgd7SOfNmA/s320/Picture+1.png" /></a></div>(ok, this wasn't them, i got it off <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/anneliesfotografeert/191769175/">flickr</a>...)<br />
<br />
Ok I'm totally abusing this blog now and using it as my own note keeping tool but <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">here's what I learnt.</span><br />
<br />
1. Generally the mums get on with it and you stand back, wearing overalls, with a flask of tea and hopefully something nice to nibble on.<br />
<br />
2. Try to co-ordinate the knocking up of your different animals so that they're due about the same time. Then when they're due, check on them every three hours, day and night, for signs of early or full on labour, or immanent birth.<br />
<br />
3. First you see the water sack. That comes out and breaks and dangles around for a while, then the lamb (goats are the same they say) should come out front hooves first followed soon by head, coming out in a little dive. Once the first half's out, mum has a little rest before pushing the hind legs out.<br />
<br />
(if it comes out head first you have to push it back in. If it comes out hind legs first, have a look, it might work, did last night for one of them, but might need "intervention" and I don't know how to do that.<br />
<br />
4. The lamb is covered in a gooey sack which seems to constrict its breathing so mum sets straight away to eating it off. Once free of sack, after about five minutes of arriving the lamb is up on its feet, and finding the teet.<br />
<br />
5. Once lamb 1 is clearly healthy, on its feet and suckling, mum goes into contractions for number two, and so on. Last night there was 30-60 minutes between babies.<br />
<br />
6. The first bit of milk that comes out post birth is super concentrated good stuff. If twins, the second twin needs to suckle on the Other Nipple because the first twin will have got all the good stuff from the first nipple. You kind of grab them and move them to it. That's ok.<br />
<br />
7. Now it's time for Paperwork. You need to check gender, identifying marks, and have a piece of paper where you tick things and check the eyelids and stuff. I don't know if you do this for you or for Defra or what but they do it here and they do things well here so that's what you do.<br />
<br />
8. You will have pre-prepared a Birthing Unit - a little 1m x 1.5m or so fenced off area full of straw with lots of hay to eat and water to drink, safe from foxes. Now you Pick Up the babies by the forearms and hold them in front of mums face - walk backwards showing the lambs to mum and she'll follow you to the birthing unit. (It's good that this is a different space to where she gives birth because the latter is gooy and wet). Then you shut them in safely, check none of the others are going into labour, call it a job done and go to bed feeling warm and happy.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq4xM8JdOToVsdUhe0cG0zWYTRhm9IqRtcxwQX5po1L-c7JByL_FMRPVB9l2gjfaq8g8RrQ7TjoRqHHS7eEclJrecEqOefNziJdqAQ5rFxVF9VY0VRa5e0arCeqaIm511VcXxku6YFUA/s1600/Picture+2.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq4xM8JdOToVsdUhe0cG0zWYTRhm9IqRtcxwQX5po1L-c7JByL_FMRPVB9l2gjfaq8g8RrQ7TjoRqHHS7eEclJrecEqOefNziJdqAQ5rFxVF9VY0VRa5e0arCeqaIm511VcXxku6YFUA/s320/Picture+2.png" /></a>Hurrah!<br />
<br />
:)<br />
<br />
Oo and then after that they run around and spring jump a lot for no reason and it's really funny which, apart from getting to eat them in a few months, makes the whole thing make sense, to me...<br />
<br />
But actually, I prefer Alpaca wool to sheep wool. I wonder what their meat tastes like...Briony Greenhillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05001656790572588123noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9100174735552260328.post-28613619481143861682010-04-08T04:34:00.000-07:002010-05-12T06:31:15.944-07:00Would you build your own house?<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I met the good Viv Goodings recently. If you remember </span><a href="http://www.ben-law.co.uk/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Ben Law's</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> woodman's cottage that was on </span><a href="http://www.channel4.com/4homes/on-tv/grand-designs/episode-guides/sussex-the-woodman-s-cottage-08-06-11_p_1.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">grand designs</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">, Viv was the guy who led the building and told the volunteers what to do.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzKVuk-eBGhy6MQaxVwskA7gGULiP2vgYyhKdGJUIpp97eXynij6QRfK4fxGgiyjCTPAwyMMIEXG2V0BkFD_5o00IQuzB3wmdkw0snrc_4UwRr_fY_lQavqtwpS5FNEFm8161f0D-LtA/s1600/Ben_and_House.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzKVuk-eBGhy6MQaxVwskA7gGULiP2vgYyhKdGJUIpp97eXynij6QRfK4fxGgiyjCTPAwyMMIEXG2V0BkFD_5o00IQuzB3wmdkw0snrc_4UwRr_fY_lQavqtwpS5FNEFm8161f0D-LtA/s320/Ben_and_House.jpg" /></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLRDu6yb0A_DS0A28-zdjbJ6-bGhwSnGfNC52nk9EHnE2KWyUo93vK_3Rm47jVeleq3Tl2R0-_ZTyiigQEX4OT4rDHp8FGUpYLwZ-tX_Lry1quW2mYdJV4w1c79FUxPUsSst67l4rfLg/s1600/sussex-int-md.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLRDu6yb0A_DS0A28-zdjbJ6-bGhwSnGfNC52nk9EHnE2KWyUo93vK_3Rm47jVeleq3Tl2R0-_ZTyiigQEX4OT4rDHp8FGUpYLwZ-tX_Lry1quW2mYdJV4w1c79FUxPUsSst67l4rfLg/s320/sussex-int-md.jpg" /></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">In the end, the house cost Ben £20,000; because it was built by volunteers learning how to build a house, there were no labour costs, and because Ben got the land in exchange for work, he only had to pay for materials.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Most parts of building a house are very simple, Viv told me. All you need to know is what order to do them in. So really you only need one expert and lots of willing participants to build a house.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">It made me think of </span><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Soil-Soul-People-Versus-Corporate/dp/1854109421/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1270726303&sr=8-1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Alastair McIntosh's</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> description of community house-building in the Hebredes when he was a child.</span><br />
<br />
<div style="font: 10.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times; font-size: 16px;">"On this particular day the school bus had been delayed... Isobel and I wandered into the new house to keep warm. Nobody ever knocked on doors in those days, and many houses had no locks fitted. You went in and out of other people’s houses as if they were extensions of your own. If you were hungry, you would be fed; if you were cold, you would be warmed by the peat fire; if you were naughty, you would be ticked off, because the village was like an extended family. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">"As Isobel and I stepped inside the half-completed bungalow that frosty morning, we encountered a hive of activity. It was buzzing with men. All manner of building skill was being applied. Every mod con was being installed. And over the open fire a string of salted ling and cod from Loch Leurbost was being cured for consumption later. ...</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">‘How is it,’ I asked one of the workmen in the bungalow, ‘that Neilie’s not rich but he can afford to have all of you working on his house?’ </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">‘Ah, well,’ came the response. ‘You see, Neilie’s helped all of us to build our new houses each time he’s been back on leave. Now it’s our turn to help him.’ </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">"I think that may have been the last communally built home in our village. Now, to comply with government regulations for housing grants and planning requirements, contractors put up most houses by competitive tender."</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">Once the house was completed, Alastair writes, at the end you had not only a house but a bonded community, and a householder who was not bound to a lifetime's work to pay of the debt and the interest on the mortgage.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH08IIVkOAk8sukonJJ79JdFHYManORZpjJKUyWKVuTMjJ58kKrkaJYzdsDe-TuXQH1zftDsu1yTuxDCS-xb-hiF7AJRdiYCwouwdszukX9n-JrOP8UGqAG9qwqbBg8c8vFbQjoP7QoQ/s1600/090919_150812w-300x400.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH08IIVkOAk8sukonJJ79JdFHYManORZpjJKUyWKVuTMjJ58kKrkaJYzdsDe-TuXQH1zftDsu1yTuxDCS-xb-hiF7AJRdiYCwouwdszukX9n-JrOP8UGqAG9qwqbBg8c8vFbQjoP7QoQ/s320/090919_150812w-300x400.jpg" /></a><a href="http://www.segalselfbuild.co.uk/projects/waltersway,lewis.html">Walter's Way</a> in south London is a cul-de-sac of self-build homes using <a href="http://www.segalselfbuild.co.uk/home.html">Walter Segal's</a> wooden frame method.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">Would you build your own house, given a little help from your friends?</div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="clear: right; float: right; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwNfx9JLCFZ7V6MCtFib_3BXXuh0Izj9am5ueUGJN4x7zRJaHjOMqAuiw9nsEmBKs0P_KPvpZ1Li80JkIAojy91_pVciUY9evGtw_MfWZwjZSOL7GSzcIfH30-gHgHBfhgPO_N_0sYhQ/s320/Segal-glass-frontw-300x400.jpg" /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH08IIVkOAk8sukonJJ79JdFHYManORZpjJKUyWKVuTMjJ58kKrkaJYzdsDe-TuXQH1zftDsu1yTuxDCS-xb-hiF7AJRdiYCwouwdszukX9n-JrOP8UGqAG9qwqbBg8c8vFbQjoP7QoQ/s1600/090919_150812w-300x400.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"></span></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span>Briony Greenhillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05001656790572588123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9100174735552260328.post-67103847990363757702010-04-01T07:50:00.000-07:002010-04-01T07:50:43.295-07:00What is beautiful about CapitalismI'm going to start two lists and add to them gradually. Feel free to add your own bits in the comments.<br />
<br />
If we're embarking upon a creative, collaborative conversation about what post-capitalism means, then it's an appreciative enquiry.<br />
<br />
In an appreciative enquiry we keep the baby but throw out the bathwater.<br />
<br />
So what in contemporary capitalism is baby, and what is bathwater? Baby here.<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">What is beautiful about Capitalism</span><br />
<br />
1. The decentralised agility of the market.Briony Greenhillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05001656790572588123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9100174735552260328.post-720659312877610862010-04-01T07:20:00.000-07:002010-04-01T07:25:30.827-07:00Post-capitalismAnti-capitalism is a critical, divisive conversation.<br />
<br />
Post-capitalism is a creative, collaborative conversation.Briony Greenhillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05001656790572588123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9100174735552260328.post-49870061526843986092010-04-01T06:46:00.000-07:002010-04-01T07:03:22.431-07:00Post-Capitalist life<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;">I was at a <a href="http://talkaoke.com/">Talkaoke</a> last night, with some Norf London Yoof and some East Londoners of about my age and sort.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;">"Humans are a virus", someone said at the end of the night.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;">Humm. "I don't think humans are the virus," I said to him. "We've been around for over 100,000 years I think and we've only really started to unbalance things very badly, like a virus does, in the last 500 years or so, and only then really in the last 100 years, and then particularly in the last 30-40 years. These periods correspond to the arrival and advancement of capitalism. Perhaps capitalism is the virus."</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;">I have started to use the term 'post-capitalism' this week.<br />
<br />
It works for me.<br />
<br />
I realise today that this is what I am learning how to live; a post capitalist life.<br />
<br />
A life where man is beside, not above or below, woman; where head is beside heart, beside body; where reason is beside spirit; science is beside nature; wealth is beside wellbeing.<br />
<br />
It means a reimagining of almost everything. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;">Post-capitalist work; <a href="http://oursingingthing.blogspot.com/">post capitalist music</a>; <a href="http://playingaroundtheworld.blogspot.com/">post capitalist joy</a>; post-capitalist food; post-capitalist love. Half of these explorations have been on a private blog. Maybe it will all make a book one day.<br />
<br />
But in the mean time, the question becoming primary in my mind is, what exactly does a post-capitalist business finance model look like?<br />
<br />
To be explored...</span>Briony Greenhillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05001656790572588123noreply@blogger.com0