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My environmentalist rant of the day

August 23, 2007

I wish someone could explain to me how ANYONE can think blasting the tops off of mountains and filling valleys with rubble is a good idea.

----------------
Now playing: black wax machine - baptism
via FoxyTunes

(I guess that wasn't much of a rant, but I am totally dumbfounded by this practice every time I hear about it.)

Posted at 5:00 AM • Comments (0) • TrackBack

Why We Banned Legos

March 1, 2007

"Why We Banned Legos" is an article in a magazine I subscribe to called Rethinking Schools. I wish the article was accessible online without fee, but unfortunately it is not, so I will attempt to summarize it here.

Basically, a group of teachers in an after school program at a school in Washington State were struck by the social dynamics surrounding the construction of a Lego town. They found that kids were excluding other kids and hording "cool pieces" in an insidious way that wasn't always vocally objected to (in fact, many of the excluded kids seemed resigned to exclusion, in spite of the fact that they later proved that they wished to participate and did not know how to break through the invisible wall). So, the teachers banned the Legos and created a unit study to examine the issues of wealth, power, privilege, and inclusion with their students (ages 5-9).

The original article goes on to describe a fascinating and well-organized exploration of this concept designed by the teachers. Students were asked to voice their opinions about property rights, ownership, and power...and they examined those opinions by taking field trips and playing games that were geared towards helping the children question the notion that power can somehow be benign and that really brought the idea of meritocracy into sharp focus for these children.

However, the reinterpretation of this article is somewhat staggering and reveals much about how strongly we want to protect the idea that the capitalist system of meritocracy. An article was sent to a homeschooling list I subscribe to that basically completely misinterprets the lesson in such a way that it could only have been intentional. I responded to the article thusly:

I suggest you read the actual article on which this editorial is based before leaping to the conclusion that the crafters of this lesson were in any way advocating that landowners be stripped of their property rights so big businesses can have them. I have this issue, and I have only skimmed the article, but I find the article below to be grossly slanted and inaccurate.
[...]

In fact, now that I think about it...it would be a really good homeschooling lesson on media to read this editorial and then go back and read the actual article about the lesson to note the evident slant of the editorialist.

Of course, the response to this was to skip right to communism. One of my fellow listmates said, basically, that while he believed the article wasn't supporting the usurpation of property by big business, he did feel that the lesson was promoting communism, to which I replied:

I imagine the responses on this list will also be useful in a study of media, as well as individual responses to the media. It is interesting to me that Brad has immediately decided that the only possible system of shared wealth is communism, and therefore declared any questioning of how property rights are handled in our society to be answered before they are even asked.
I think critical thinking would encouage children to experiment with several alternative methods of creating equity, and from what I have read in the original article, it looks like that is exactly what the children were encouraged to do.

Of course, all of that was before I actually read the article. hahaha. I had skimmed it, but had not had time to sit down and read it. Later that night, I did so, and found the lesson to be quite well-planned and executed, and nothing at all like it had been described by the author of the editorial linked above. So, this morning when I found another response that insisted the lesson was an insidious method of brainwashing our children to accept the tenets of communism (evil, evil communism!) I responded:

If you read the article, you would find that property rights were a very minute portion of the lesson. The main objective of the lesson was to encourage egalitarian and inclusive behavior among the children, while at the same time exploring the larger issues of power and privilege. Also, there was a lot of discussion and insight in the article about how we tend to assume that power is benign if it is not misused in such a way that would spark verbal protest. There was a really interesting portion of the lesson where arbitrary point values were applied to legos (to mirror how privilege based on skin color, family of origin, and other factors give some of us an unearned advantage over others), and those who "won" were allowed to make rules for the next round of the game.
Additionally, there is a huge leap from discussing equitable sharing of resources by a community and stripping individuals of rights to give them to corporations. The point of the experiment, and I think the objective of a communal social order (of which communisim is ONE example), is to distribute wealth and power in such a way that all members of society have an opportunity to participate. Perhaps we haven't seen such a social order yet in our lifetimes, but I am not sure why anyone would object to exploring how power and privilege operate in our society to give unearned advantage to some and undeserved disadvantage to others.

Later, someone equated the lesson with that urban legend that has a child skipping to school with all of her wonderful school supplies, only to get there and find that she is FORCED to dump her supplies in a communal bucket and comes away with *gasp* INFERIOR CRAYONS! Evidently, those individuals who send their children to public school to mix with the masses are very indignant about this concept of forced sharing. I gotta say, if you hate it so much, keep yr kids home. You won't hear me complaining about the taxes I am forced to share with the school district in spite of the fact that I have chosen to not participate. We LIVE in a society. We all benefit from its resources, and those resources include the other people in our communities. If you can't bear the thought of your child going to school and sharing his or her crayons, honey, I dunno what to tell you! At any rate, my response to the idea that "social engineering" was overtaking our schools was this:

That would be an interesting thing to discuss, but it does not have anything to do with the redistribution of legos that were already assumed to be a shared resource. I am curious how you think this experiment, and the exploration into how power and resources are shared, is equivalent to social engineering, and yet the very world we live in and are shaped by is not.
In fact, I think that's an interesting thing to think about. Do we all just assume that the way we live and the society we are shaped by is natural? And therefore any attempt to question and/or reorganize the order of things is somehow unnatural, or "engineered?"

And then I decided to explore further, and read a discussion about a reaction to the article (there is very little actual reading of the article in any of this. Mostly, people were just responding to the slanted reactions to the article, which led many to believe that the teachers noted that students were not behaving appropriately and therefore they simply yanked the legos away in a reactive manner, rather than the actual reality that the teachers got together and planned a very sophisticated lesson surrounding the removal and subsequent reestablishment of lego privileges, which encouraged the children to examine the issues of ownership, power, inclusion, and equity.

Boy, do I ever NOT have my finger on the pulse of America. What I read on this board shocked me. People are actually decrying the lesson these teachers were attempting to teach, and basically saying "children will be children" and therefore should not be encouraged to examine the power dynamics that come into play when groups of children exclude other children. In fact, I imagine that many of the people on that board believe that it's probably preferable that children learn to grab what is theres without considering how their unearned privilege influences their "rights" of ownership.

While I realize there are many within the public school system who are trying desperately to counteract this idea that the distribution of wealth and resources in this country is somehow equitable and meritocratic, I am frankly somewhat appalled by the response to this article by people who are allegedly parents of children. Are there really that many people who are so opposed to their children learning that perhaps our system is less equitable than those in positions of privilege would lead you to believe that they need to demonize an earnest attempt to point out the inherent inequities of our system and work with children to combat those inequities in the classroom?

Obviously I am in total support of any curriculum which moves our children towards examining "rights" that are essentially extensions of unearned privilege. I am concerned, however, that this is such a controversial thing to stand for. If we can't even address these issues with something so benign as Legos without a firestorm of opposition, how on earth do we address global poverty, hunger, and health care crises?

Posted at 9:43 AM • Comments (0) • TrackBack

Cuba and Organic Farming

August 14, 2006

I think this article is really interesting:

With the collapse of the Soviet Union, such subsidies halted almost overnight. Suddenly, the future looked bleak.
Nowhere was the effect felt more strongly than in the stomachs of the ordinary people. Figures produced by the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization suggest that the daily calorie intake of the average Cuban fell from about 2,600 calories a day in the late 1980s to between 1,000 and 1,500 by 1993. Essentially, people had to get by on about half the food they had been eating.

With no subsidies and limited resources, the Cuban regime took the decision to look inward. Ceasing to organize its economy around the export of tropical products and the import of food, it decided to maximize food production. By necessity, this meant a back-to-basics approach; with no Soviet oil for tractors or fertilizer it turned to oxen, with no Soviet oil for its fertilizer and pesticide, it turned to natural compost and the production of natural pesticides and beneficial insects.

It is estimated that more than 200 locally based centers specializing in biopesticides annually produce 200 tons of verticillium to control whitefly, and 800 tons of beaveria sprays to control beetles.

And while the author has a point about cheap labor, I wonder (from my standpoint, which involves a great deal of privilege) if perhaps there is an overarching value to being connected to food sources as closely as those who farm the land in Cuba. Especially when working within the intellectual parameters of sustainability. It seems like farm labor there is not only backbreaking, but mind-bending.

A friend of mine once told me about his experience on an organic farm that working on the land was the hardest, yet most rewarding work he had ever done. That while the work was brutally difficult, you actually got to SEE the results...and that was very nourishing to his spirit.

I wonder what the organic farmers in Cuba would have to say about that.

Posted at 9:19 AM • Comments (1) • TrackBack

Friends with Money

May 6, 2006

I got no help today from my little imaginary friend inside of the computer who claims he is a movie geek, so S and I decided to play "movie roulette."

Here are the rules of movie roulette:

find a willing partner - preferably someone with a good sense of humor and at least a little bit of money to burn
choose a movie theater and a time
meet up
watch the next movie that is playing

There is a clause in there that if one theater is not playing a movie within thirty minutes or so of your arrival, you may go elsewhere, which is how we ended up traversing to the Arbor Cinema to watch the dumbest movie ever made, rather than at least enjoying a tasty pizza at the Alamo Drafthouse while watching the dumbest movie ever made.

OK, so maybe I'm exagerrating. But, do read on while I justify my assessment. I must warn you there are "spoilers" - as if a movie this bad is capable of being made worse by pre-emptive plot revelations.

S and I started laughing before the movie even began, so we had the sense of humor thing covered. It was going to be needed. We were in for a treat. And I mean that in a bad way.

Basically, the Friends With Money is a movie about 3 white couples who have an assload of money, and their poor, indigent friend who is a pot-smoking, single, bad-man finding maid. The friends are always feeling sorry for each other in one respect or another, not recognizing the silent misery of their own lives until they each hit a point where they run smack into them - at one point breaking a nose in the process.

The only thing is, I didn't give a fuck. These people were irritating, obnoxious, and rude. I kept waiting for one of them to do something redeeming, but no luck. There was a moment that I thought maybe the movie might have a point. It was when the maid character was on a blind date with the asshole trainer of the wealthiest character on the show. He sees a girl he knew in high school who "ruined his life" by making out with him, being his girlfriend for 2 hours, and then dumping him...and he ditches the maid, albeit temporarily, for this girl. When he tries to explain himself by saying something along the lines of "Haven't you ever had someone who ruined your life?" the maid character looks at him like he's from another planet and says "Are you dumb?" That point opened up a world of possibility for this flick. Like, who was this mysterious man the maid was calling every night? Did he break her heart? Does she have a depth that has yet been unplummed? Are we going to witness this depth? Does this movie have a point?

Sadly, no. The maid character not only accepts this man's lame excuse for being a dick, but carries on to have a stupid "love" affair with him through most of the movie. Not only that, but it's revealed that the man who ostensibly broke HER heart and "ruined HER life" is a married man who had a 2-month long affair with her. Are we dumb? What the fuck?

And I haven't even begun to describe how poor people and people of color are treated in this film. If anything, the film could be redeemed if the point was to prove to us how insidiously ignorant the wealthy are toward the working people in their lives. Even the maid character (and I return to her because I can't even begin to describe or relate to any of the other characters in the movie enough to actually talk about them) at one point has an awkward exchange with the maid of the wealthiest character. "I do what you do now" she tells her wealthy friend's maid, who just stands there, staring blankly. I wonder if the irony was even intended - considering earlier we found out that the white maid character in the movie charges $65 per visit, and it is doubtful that the maid of the wealthy friend earns nearly that much. Perhaps it was the screenwriter's intention to be subtle...but I have a difficult time believing anyone who would relate to these characters would really get that. Maybe I am wrong, but a perusal of the reviews of this film don't mention anything about it being a commentary on race and class issues in America. The sad/scary thing is that I get the feeling that the social commentary in the film was absolutely inadvertant.

It is true that I am underestimating people again, but it's kind of hard not to when I rush home and look at reviews online and they are gushing about the romantic humor and the stunning revelations that even the wealthy lead lives of quiet desparation. The only desperation I witnessed was a desperate need for these people to fucking get over themselves.

Intrepid hope-holder-outer that I am, I kept waiting for that turning point. That one twist of plot that would unmask these characters and prove to me that they were worthy of 88 minutes of my attention rather than my intense loathing - or at least some sort of conscious attempt at revealing to the audience that this is Not How Things Should Be - or maybe SOME indication that I was SUPPOSED to hate these characters. Unfortunately, that never happened. What did happen, however, was a plot twist that, believe it or not, actually made the movie even MORE irredeemable....just when you think one of the characters is finally breaking free of the insipid lethargy of the "Putting on appearances" world and truly touching base with another person on an actual human level, we are thrown a curve that is straight out of the diary of a starry-eyed middle school student.

At some point during the movie, there was a scene where the maid character was driving after her asshole "boyfriend" and S said something like "this is it! She's going to get angry and start blowing people away!" and I actually wished for that kind of drama. I think I said something like "This movie is like being stuck in a really bad traffic jam, and you reach a point in your frustration where you are HOPING that there is a really bad wreck that is causing this. With blood. And guts strewn all over the road." Well, I didn't really say ALL of that...but I WAS really wishing it. Never in my life have I so badly yearned for gratuitous violence more than I did while watching this movie.

In a way, this movie made movie roulette a total success. After all, the point IS to see something you normally wouldn't choose to see and stick with it until the gruesome end. However, after the week I have had...I probably should have broken the rules and stalked out. It would have saved our fellow movie-goers from having to listen to my audible groans and would have maybe saved me from this sudden overwhelming wave of cynical ennui that I am now feeling.

Blah.

Posted at 2:34 AM • Comments (0) • TrackBack

Laundromat Revolution!

February 20, 2006

If I were to attempt to instigate a revolution, I would begin at the laundromat. In fact, I wish I had more time today to hang out and talk to the men who were there, talking about hard times and how "Those people in the government need to be told, once and for all, that there's no incentive to work! Making money only forces you to owe more money, and they get it all in the end!" Wow! If that's not the seed of revolution, I don't know what is. And it's all happening at the laundromat.

In fact, when I think about it, what better place? Generally speaking, laundromats are utilized by people who are not property holders and who have limited means. You have to sit there and wait for your clothes, so there is plenty of time to gab and shoot the shit and you are also sort of trapped there to listen to the opposing viewpoints of your neighbors. In such close quarters, civility is a necessity. I think, when my kids are a bit older and more able to do without me here for an hour or so at a time, I might just start hanging out at the laundromat - at least on wet, cloudy days like today where the clothesline is not an option. Maybe I'll just start hanging out there without even doing any laundry. Reading a book and waiting for an opportunity to engage in interesting conversation with my neighbors.

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Adventures in Consumerism

January 10, 2006

In which Redneck Mother attempts to buy some underwear, and is thwarted by a zip code zealot.

"I'm just doing my job," said the clerk, holding on to my shopping bag.

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I ain't seen the sunshine since I don't know when

December 9, 2005

I became suddenly inundated with long awaited reimbursements yesterday so, feeling rich, I took my housemate out to see the Johnny Cash Movie at the Alamo Drafthouse.

There have been a lot of conversations around here lately about the men I meet and my propensity to become enamored of depressed, morose, or otherwise dysfuntional men. Our propensity, I should say, as women. What Pansy and I can't figure out is if men are just destined to be that way...or what?

The movie only fed our discontent. Like many folks, I worship at the altar of Johnny Cash. I think he was a great musician and probably a great man, but watching an entire movie about a woman who saves a man and they went on to live happily ever after...when (according to Pansy, because I don't normally keep track of such things) the rocky road was just beginning, was incredibly frustrating. The entire movie, while wonderful, touching, beautiful, and gorgeous, can be summed up with one line:

Things don't just work themselves out...other people work things out, and you just think they work themselves out.

And, truly, this is the crux of the problem between men and women in my experience. Pansy had said earlier in the day that "Men do what they want to, and women do what they have to." - which is totally in the same spirit. Why are women so freaking wise and men so fucking adorably bumbling? And why is it that I can see that so clearly and yet still be attracted to bumbling doofus men?

Because, watching the movie...I was in love with Johnny Cash, too. I wanted to save him. I wanted to see him get well, and reach his potential. And I'm glad that it appears Johnny understood how very much June meant to him, and perhaps he even knew how much his very life, not to mention his fame and good name was due in large part to the women in his life who tolerated, supported, inspired, and lifted him...but do WE understand that? Not just about Johnny, and not just about men, even, but about society in general? How many women quietly do what needs to get done, while the men in their lives do what they want to? How many women stand by, leaving their desires unfulfilled while the men in their lives accomplish great things, or mediocrity...or nothing at all? How many women are out there making things work out, and making it look so easy that the men of the world can stand by thinking things "just work themselves out"? I know several, just off the top of my head.*

* Including fathers who decide not to exercise their right of visitation due to the weather, and then have the fucking audacity to turn around and try to make the mother feel like she's somehow turning the children against him...but that's another post entirely.

Posted at 9:35 AM • Comments (4) • TrackBack

Walkin' to New Orleans

November 5, 2005

Well, actually, I'm driving. Anyone want to join me? I have room for 5-7 adults (depending on how comfortable you want to be) and I should be leaving sometime around Thanksgiving Day (either the day of or the day after). Here's the scoop:

Come lend a hand over the week of Thanksgiving until November 27th. That's less than three weeks away!
The folks at Common Ground invite you to join an estimated 300 volunteers from around the continent to converge in New Orleans the week of Thanksgiving.We want to encourage those in attendance to arrive with building & clearning supplies, donated equipment and, if possible, funds that can apply directly to help rebuild and the 9th Ward.

For more information, visit the Common Ground Road Trip for Relief page.

Gah! I just realized the relief party ends ON Thanksgiving. I'm going to see if I might be able to leave the day before. It just depends on work. If I can't, then I am definitely leaving early early Thanksgiving morning or after 9 the night before.

UnGah! I was looking at a stupid October calendar. The relief party continues through the Sunday after Thanksgiving. Which means I will leave either Thanksgiving Day (which I'm hoping would be a good travel day) or the day after. And coming back either Saturday night or Sunday morning...although I'm pretty open to whatever days are best for whoever wants to come with.

Posted at 6:17 PM • Comments (2) • TrackBack

Auto Pilot

October 19, 2005

Nightmares and Dreams: The Auto in American Life

Stanford suggests that if we are serious about our health, we would price auto use to reflect its full social costs and perhaps even consider a more radical step. We should make all public transit free: “We already ask transit riders to “pay”: infrequent service, crowds, longer commutes. Their actions benefit us all; they shouldn’t have to pay again at the token booth.”
But currently we lack the will to legislate such options. Worse still, even with gas taxes that reflect the real cost of the auto and full transit funding, the transition would be slow. Autos and public transit are not simply interchangeable commodities. They also represent and express different understandings of human freedom and the good life. Despite its deficiencies and inconveniences, the private auto still represents a sense of individual autonomy, the ability to travel where and when we wish in ever more luxurious comfort.

Posted at 9:24 AM • Comments (1) • TrackBack

Save/Share/Spend

October 13, 2005

Julee posted about dividing allowances in thirds & I was so smitten with the picture of the moneybox she posted that I googled Moonjar to find a treasure trove of really cool money management tools for kids.

Thanks, Julee!

Posted at 2:27 PM • Comments (2) • TrackBack

Food Thoughts.

September 27, 2005

Over the years, I've gone through various iterations of food purchasing theorems. I've made lists (even creating a food cost database that enabled me to create a list, in order of location, with approximate costs of each item included), I've made menu plans, and I've varied that frequency of grocery trips.

As my level of income has changed, so has my devotion to organic foods and vegetarian, environmentally, community friendly stores. In spite of my thorough desire to support both of these endeavors, sometimes I just don't have enough money to feed my family affordably and shop conscientiously.

Here are a few tips that seem to be enduring, though:

Don't believe the bullshit about shopping as infrequently as possible. I never spent more money on groceries than I did when I was proudly shopping every other week. Because, the thing was, I overbought. It's hard to predict what you will run out of in two weeks, and if you are anything like me, the tendency to stock up in the face of a two-week long deprivation will kill the budget. Plus, you will always want fresh fruit and veggies. Instead, I now do a major shopping expedition on Sunday every week (or thereabouts) in which I purchase the staples (you should have a list of items that you need in your pantry - see examples here) as well as the ingredients for one or two dishes that can be kept on hand during the week (like a big pot of soup or a casserole). Then, if I need to run out during the week to get something - I just go to the neighborhood grocery store. I can walk there, and forcing myself to only go there during the week makes me evaluate whether I really "need" something or merely "want" it. Not that wants for foods are necessarily all bad, but the fact that I have to take time out to walk to the store for my want certainly cuts down on excess. I think the argument against shopping frequently is that you tend to make more impulse buys. My answer to this argument is, um, don't make more impulse buys!
I do still make a menu plan every week, only now I pretty much do it in my head. I have my big pot of soup, and I always have sandwich fixings on hand. I generally get by from Monday-Wednesday with soup leftovers and/or sandwiches. On Wednesday, I put up all of the leftover soup in the freezer (and if there's a LOT extra on Thursday, I distribute bags of frozen soup to various friends and co-workers) and we have pasta for lunch (I think this is actually a holdover from the Prince Spaghetti advertising of my youth: Wednesday is PRINCE SPAGHETTI DAY!) Thursday is our park day, so it's back to sandwiches or maybe tacos (in the winter, I tend to bake potatoes on Thursdays.) Fridays, we are grazing on whatever is left in the fridge. On the weekends, if I don't have the kids, I just get by on my own. Occasionally I will run to the store and get a frozen pizza (although it's so easy to make pizza now that I have a good and easy recipe for crust, thanks to Mquest, that I might just start making it myself.) And Sunday it's soup again. This plan varies little, and seems to work well. Breakfast is always bagels (for Monk) and oatmeal (for coley) and a little of both for me - or an egg sandwich. Oh, and in the past I have cooked up a pot of beans once a week...I need to start doing that again. There are always healthy snacks around & I try to stick with fruit and something proteiny and some type of chips or granola bars. These vary as the kids pass in and out of food preference stages.
I also always always make a shopping list when I go to the store. When I go with the kids, they are told that they can make one choice of a treat at the END of the shopping trip. They can think about what they want as a treat for the entire trip, but we won't get it until the end. This REALLY seems to cut down on the "I want that, and that and that andthatandthatandthat" bullshit that I used to have to endure from them. I simply tell them to think quietly about what they want, and when we are done, they can choose it. I've gotten to the point where I will let them choose anything EXCEPT for candy, although many other convenience foods are no better than candy anyway. They also get to take turns choosing an ice cream treat on Sunday (sunday sundaes). I get a treat, too!
Due to my recent financial uprising, I have decided that I"m going to start withdrawing the money for my food budget when my paycheck hits the bank, so I will be spending cash on food, and when the cash is gone, we eat what's in the cupboards and fridge. I'm starting off by cutting my previous food budget by about 25% to see if I can get by on less if I restrict myself to a cash-only economy. We'll see how that goes. One of the side effects of this is that I will always have cash on Sunday when I'm at the farmer's market & can buy fresh fruits and veggies there.

That's all I can think of for now. Do you have any tips or tricks to help rein in spending on food, as well as waste?

Posted at 9:45 AM • Comments (14) • TrackBack

I am definitely up for a buycott

September 6, 2005

P6 is spot on to suggest a reverse boycott of Kanye West. As soon as I have two coins to rub together, I'm tossing them at the locally owned music store.

A commentor linked to the August 29th issue of Time, on the cover of which Mr. West was lauded as a "class act" and perhaps the "smartest guy in show business."

For once, Time Magazine gets it right.

Posted at 10:52 PM • Comments (1) • TrackBack

Eating In vs. Eating Out

August 24, 2005

Hello all. I'm a guest here, squatting over from my blog, Living on Less, where I've been recently posting some drawings. Today's are about eating in instead of going out to eat: here.

Posted at 1:09 PM • TrackBack

Choices...choices...

August 4, 2005

So much to be disturbed by, so little time.

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This Old Motherfucking House.

July 25, 2005

So...tell me. How many of you would pay to read a journal of a novice repairperson learning how to renovate a house with high quality on the cheap using as many recycled/freecycled materials as possible?

I figure...I have the house that needs the work. I have experienced friends who are volunteering to do the work. I need a little bit of money to start the work, but I can write and I can manage a website and maybe I can find sponsors for each project and post the results of the project and the step-by-step directions on the site?

We're starting with painting a ceiling and walls, and tiling a floor. I think we're actually going to use new paint for that part of it, but we're getting all scrap/used tile for the floors, and we can probably throw in some bits about how to do mosaics and stuff like that. Other projects will include replacing a toilet, patching foundation, planting some gardens, pulling up giant tree-like weeds, retiling a kitchen floor, more painting, scraping that fucking popcorn crap off of a ceiling...umm...ummm...and much much more.

Anyone interested in sponsoring that project? It'll probably cost about $200-$300 total. Plus if someone wants to volunteer to make a template for the website, that would be cool.

e-mail me if interested.

(also, is this an absolutely ridiculous idea, or am I on to something here?)

Posted at 8:59 AM • Comments (0) • TrackBack

asfo_del rocks.

December 1, 2004

Living on Less [permalink not currently working]:

I'm tired of listening to lame justifications for selfishness. Everything that I do doesn't come with an excuse attached. It just is. I will continue to do plenty of petty and small-minded things, but I will refuse to rationalize them. That way I can continue to climb on a moral high horse that serves only me: my personal high horse is not that I won't do wrong-headed things, it's that I will -- sheepishly and with a weak, apologetic grin -- do them knowingly.

She really does seem to always write things that I wish I could find words for, but have given up attempting to articulate.

Posted at 8:41 AM • Comments (2) • TrackBack

Consumer demand v. production

July 19, 2004

Another great post at Living On Less.

We may be used to thinking of industry as the main architect of environmental degradation, but the consumption activity of households and individuals both drives the production side to generate needless goods and services, which are readily and greedily absorbed by the private sector, and directly consumes an excess of energy and products.

There's a lot to consider there. How much am I overconsuming?

First, I have this house. It's fairly large. I could, fairly easily, house at least another person and perhaps another family and consume less energy per person in doing so.

Second, I need to find a way to start taking the bus again - sharing this house might allow for that, if I find someone who I can trust to watch my kids so I can spend more time in transit.

Third, there's food. Food. Spending more time preparing it and making sure it all gets eaten, rather than stockpiling it and using quick-fix meals because I'm too tired or whatever other excuse to actually cook from scratch with the good food we have. Again, a roommate who would share the cooking responsibilities would help with this.

It all seems to point to sharing my space, but I have a tremendous reluctance to doing so. Why am I so averse to the idea? Is it a legitimate excuse that I need time to recover from sharing the house with L? What other ways do I legitimize my inaction?

Posted at 10:58 AM • Comments (4) • TrackBack

Turn on, Tune in, Hang out.

April 13, 2004

Monday, April 19th isProject Laundry List's National Hanging Out Day:

For many people, hanging out clothes is therapeutic work. It is the only time during the week that some folks can slow down to feel the wind and listen to the birds. Consistent use of clotheslines or drying racks can save the average household much more than a hundred dollars every year in energy bills. Clothes last longer and smell better, too.

We should all post evocative or artistic pictures of our laundry lines, with the clothes waving gently in the breeze, to celebrate the day.

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"free" trade 101

December 30, 2003

Stop Calling It Free Trade! - Reclaim Democracy.org

International trade agreements erect trade barriers as often as they remove them. As Wayne Andreas, CEO of agribusiness giant Archer Daniels Midland, said, "There is not one grain of anything in the world that is sold in the free market. Not one. The only place you see a free market is in the speeches of politicians." Well acquainted with both illegal price fixing and legally wielding political power to extract taxpayer subsidies, Andreas knows of what he speaks.

Not only do treaties like the proposed FTAA outlaw forms of protectionism that serve the public interest - such as safeguards for healthy air, drinkable water and a safe workplace - they also preclude or destroy competition in many business realms.

A driving force behind most existing and proposed trade agreements is politically-powerful corporations' pressure to expand the most costly and anti-competitive forms of protectionism--patents, copyrights and other monopolies grouped under "intellectual property rights."

This could be a follow-up to any of a number of posts I've made in the last few days.

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What He Said

December 29, 2003

What They Think of You:

When you value people only as economic units, the humanity goes away. In "market" logic the sick or old person should be discarded as a drain on economic resources. In "market" logic there is no point in having a government that looks out for the interests of the public at large -- this "gets in the way" of competition. In "market" logic there is no point in recreation, except for its value in making the worker unit a bit more productive. In "market" logic there is no point in educating beyond what you need for your job. In "market" logic your only value to society is the extent to which you will serve the corporation.

While yr there, you might as well read this quickie.

Seeing the forest, indeed!

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That's what I'm talking about.

December 29, 2003

The Black Commentator - The"Food Justice"Movement - Issue 70

One of the great, often unspoken, forms of oppression that low- and moderate-income communities suffer through is the lack of access to healthy food. When I moved back to Central Brooklyn in 1985, I was struck by its barren nutritional landscape. It wasn't just that options like fresh produce and organic foods were hard to come by. But the storefront food provision systems themselves - "bullet-proof" fast food joints, poorly stocked and over-crowded supermarkets, cruddy, stomach-curdling bodegas - seemed to represent a level of self-destruction and dietary corruption that went well beyond my inability to buy tofu on Nostrand Avenue. While most residents and activists look at conditions such as public safety, housing availability, public education, environmental concerns and economic opportunities when taking on community development issues, seldom do we consider one of the most basic elements - how an area feeds itself - as a sign of neighborhood well being.

An excellent, excellent article, which features links to and information about a few key Food Justice sites.

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Maybe by the time Monk is 12, I will be able to afford this

December 16, 2003

The Thames & Kosmos Fuel Cell Car & Experiment Kit provides a playful introduction to one of the most significant technologies of the 21st Century. With this kit you can build a model car that actually runs on water!

Pour in the water and watch it separate into hydrogen and oxygen, forming a gas to power your vehicle across the floor. Now that we have your attention, roll up your sleeves and find out more through experiments and demonstrations you can do on your own, in a classroom or with friends.

Thames & Kosmos > Products > Fuel Cell Car & Experiment Kit

link via boingboing

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All I want.

November 25, 2003

24 Hour Mama asked what we might want for Christmas. I'm assuming this doesn't include the kiddos, because I can't ever seem to get past what I want them to have and get down to what I would want or need. Although that's probably something that would be good for me to do on a more regular basis.

So, here are my lists, broken down into need and desire:

Need:
A nice medium saucepan
A set of glass casserole/storage bowls
Carpeting or at least carpet cleaning for my back room
about a gallon of chalkboard paint
about 1/2 gallon of magnetic paint
about 2 gallons of yellow paint that goes well with the purple paint in the back room
new pillows - esp. a big body pillow
money to hire a lawyer and divorce L
for L to get his own place and a job so he can start supporting his kids.

Things I want:
Bath stuff to luxuriate in
candles
2 nice outfits that fit well and are comfortable
2 t-shirts with cool and/or funny and/or deep political slogans on them
a new tattoo
Nice posters in frames of all of the national parks we have been to
A new (to me) couch
A dvd player

I'm sure there's more, but I don't want to go overboard. hahaha.

Posted at 12:24 PM • Comments (3) • TrackBack

Giving and Receiving, part one.

November 13, 2003

I've become hooked on freecycling. We have a list here in Austin, and it's all about giving away things that you don't need and asking for things that you do need...and receiving them. I have so far freecycled a vacuum cleaner (which I asked for, and have not yet picked up) and a two-seater bike trailer (which was offered, and I have also not yet picked up). But even more than the things that I have actively requested and received is just the general good vibe of seeing other people making requests and receiving items - and making offers and giving items away. It's a good thing. It's a very good thing.

It's kind of like the anti-e-bay, if you think about it. I know e-bay is good supplemental income for a lot of people out there, and can be used in the spirit of thriftscoring. At the same time, there is so much crap on e-bay that is totally overpriced and not really worthwhile. At least stuff that I'm looking for tends to be that way.

So I have - or will have - my much-needed vacuum cleaner, and as well as an oft-dreamed-of bike trailer (now I need to fix up my bike!) thanks to freecycle. I'm probably going to put out a request for some paint and some cork board in the near future. Someone offered carpeting, and I have considered taking them up on the offer, but I'm not sure if I will have time to install it anytime soon, so I kind of want to wait and see if someone else takes it. At some point, I am going to dig through my closets and figure out what I can freecycle. I know I have some things that are just taking up space that I can probably get rid of. Things that would be too much of a hassle to try to sell. Things I might want to release to someone who truly needs them and truly can't afford them - like the silver rhinestone tiara that was offered the other day specifically for a bride-to-be who didn't have enough money to buy fancy accessories.

It's nice to receive. It's nice to give. And it's nice to see giving and receiving happening.

Posted at 11:01 PM • Comments (2) • TrackBack

Commercialization

October 29, 2003

It's a surreal world when the owners of huge media conglomerates feel totally comfortable (and justified) coming right out and saying stuff like this:

"If anyone said we were in the radio business, it wouldn't be someone from our company. We're not in the business of providing news and information. We're not in the business of providing well-researched music. We're simply in the business of selling our customers products." Lowry Mays, founder of Clear Channel

I would go into a treatise about anarchism and the right of people to live without the invasion of commercial interests in all aspects of our lives, and the need for the rights of individuals and collective society as a non-corporatized entity to be respected and defended, and the fact that our elected officials are no longer interested in preserving the interests of the people, and...and...and...

But I'm having such a difficult time maintaining any level of concentration here long enough to hit a groove in my writing because coley is in a "constantly talking" phase, and even though he's totally happily entertaining himself, he is just talking and talking and talking and I simply can't concentrate on what I want to say. So, maybe later. For now - i hope you enjoy the link. Er, rather "enjoy" the link.

Posted at 9:34 AM • Comments (1) • TrackBack

Thrift Score

August 2, 2003

I ran errands for much of my alone time yesterday. To the library, to the grocery, to the thrift store.

There's this new thrift store in the neighborhood. It doesn't have the ambiance of a normal thrift store, but it has an immense selection and cheaper prices than most of the thrift stores in Austin. And M needs pants. My sister just sent a generous amount of hand-me-downs, but, while the shirts fit both boys, the pants are a little too big for c and a little too small for m. So they will go up in the closet until C grows into them. And M gets new used clothing from the thrift store.

I don't buy clothes for my kids much, as I manage to get a lot of handmedowns from friends and relatives. Unfortunately, M has reached an age where he's a little bigger than even his slightly older cousins, so I'm pretty much on my own.

Which is why I'm glad for the existence of this thrift store...as well as the sales tax holiday here in Austin. I scored like 4 pairs of pants and 4 pairs of shorts for Monk, plus 2 shirts and a skirt for me, plus a pair of shoes that show absolutely no sign of wear whatsoever...all for a little more than 30 bux. It was a good haul, and I'm very pleased with my thriftiness. I'm wearing my new shoes right now. They're so unworn that I am actually having to break them in. They're nice looking work-style shoes. Kind of like black oxfords. Very classy. And only FIVE BUX!

Posted at 1:00 PM • Comments (1) • TrackBack

Better Yet, Grow Yr Own...

July 29, 2003

This article talks about how the word "organic" (much like the term "simple living") is being redefined to refer to a standard that is directly opposed to its originally intended meaning.

This is something I need to really consider as I am currently attempting to really define what my goals are. I mean, I'm sitting down with a pencil in hand these days and really trying to map out a rough sketch of what I want to do with my future. In this society, it seems like so much of our plans must include prioritizing how to spend our money. I need to really take a hard look at how I am currently spending my money, as I know I am spending too much on things that are not beneficial to myself, and in fact, some of my money is spent on things that are detrimental to the earth and the people who live here. I need to take a closer look at my relationship with the food that I eat, and build one that's closer to the source.

Oh, by the way, Chris says this much better here.

Posted at 7:38 PM • Comments (2) • TrackBack

A conversation with a WICwhore

June 11, 2003

about an e-mail I have received and will be responding to shortly. The gist of the e-mail was that we on the left need to get over our "hatred of money" so we can fund a viable opposition to the right...and then he posted a fictional story "based on" my post about the rally. Of course, he meant no disrespect to me, and he used a liberal amount of license...so it wasn't actually meant to reflect who I really am as a person. Which is a good thing, because he has no idea who I really am.

Anyway, on to the conversation...the rebuttal will come later:

WICwhore: i am really poor so he can kiss my underprivileged green party ass
WICwhore: i'll even fess to our annual income
WICwhore: of like less than 20k or something
lgbdozer: I make **k
lgbdozer: but, I live in Austin
lgbdozer: where that's pretty much the poverty line.
WICwhore: i live in govt housing - wahahahha
lgbdozer: fun!
WICwhore: yeah - i am selling my wic milk on the blackmarket and everything
lgbdozer: hahaha
lgbdozer: Well, I don't consider myself to be poor.
WICwhore: to buy more silk!
WICwhore: heh heh
lgbdozer: no...crack!
lgbdozer: because all poor people are on crack..
lgbdozer: and lazy.
lgbdozer: so you need to keep yrself well-slippered.
lgbdozer: and you need to buy bon-bons.
WICwhore: yeah - that's what they'd put my energetic kids on if they went to school, oh wait, no, that was ritalin
lgbdozer: Because that's all you eat.
lgbdozer: and don't forget 20 televisions, all tuned to soap operas.
WICwhore: oh man, if you could see my wellfed physique
WICwhore: or actual tv
lgbdozer: There was a woman at co-op today who was talking about the wealthy fucks who sent their kids to the presitgious montessori school where she used to work.
WICwhore: what did she say?
lgbdozer: She said something like "Those people should NOT be allowed to have children."
lgbdozer: hahahahahaha
lgbdozer: sterilize the rich!
WICwhore: no shit, we'll just end up raising their kids anyway
WICwhore: then again, it does provide jobs
lgbdozer: yeah.
WICwhore: can you cut and paste this conversation and post it
WICwhore: but like with my name anon
lgbdozer: if you want me to.
lgbdozer: how much of it?
WICwhore: cause i don't want to lose my wic or anything but i'd like other ppl to share in the mirth
WICwhore: i guess starting with that guy kissing my lazy poor green ass
lgbdozer: hahaha
lgbdozer: ok.
lgbdozer: I just might do that.
WICwhore: which is curently supposed to be cleaning the house to get ready for my under the table childcare job, i shit you not
WICwhore: but instead, lazily chatting on a computer i bought with the earned income credit
lgbdozer: yes.
WICwhore: um, you can call me wicwhore
lgbdozer: because POOR PEOPLE shouldn't be allowed to HAVE computers.
lgbdozer: The nerve of you uppity poor people.
WICwhore: because then we spend all our time finding out what other ppl can afford to do on the weekends
lgbdozer: Wasting our hard earned tax dollars on...um...an unessential piece of plastic.

lgbdozer: you there still?
WICwhore: ack
WICwhore: yes
lgbdozer: I'm not sure where you wanted it to end...but I posted up to the part about your earned income credit and how poor people shouldn't have computers.
lgbdozer: I feel like I need your approval before posting.
WICwhore: i really want ppl to read about my wicwhore green party existence!
WICwhore: did it include my illegal two bucks an hour job?
WICwhore: i want it to
lgbdozer: yes.
lgbdozer: Your illegal job is included.
WICwhore: what's the use in living the stereotype if you can't share the joy
WICwhore: ok, cool!
lgbdozer: hahahahahahaha
WICwhore: i am a figment of phil gramm's imagination
lgbdozer: I should end it by saying "Gotta go shoot some heroin now."
WICwhore: and you can quote me on that

Posted at 5:16 PM • Comments (2) • TrackBack

Loving Living on Less

May 28, 2003

Two posts about driving and cars here from living on less:

The automobile really is a curse on our civilization. It's not just the pollution that's a problem (I guess we're all aware now about global warming?); it's the social attitude that it encourages. For a better look at what this entails, I'd strongly recommend Andre Gorz's "The Social Ideology of the Motorcar." The automobile helps to atomize people while leading to the destruction of pedestrian thoroughfares and community spaces; it puts many people in potential death machines (many more people in this world die every year from traffic accidents than from wars); and it provides a poor and illusory (yet highly marketable) substitute for freedom (just take a look at your average car commercial, and that becomes obvious).

Reminds me of why my friend M is so cool. I ran into her today while walking to the bus stop. She was gleefully carrying her 2 year old in a sling, having just gotten off the bus from maude knows what errand or event. She's so OUT and ABOUT and totally car-free. I don't think I would leave the house nearly as much as I do now if I didn't have a car, and I don't really leave the house that much as it is.

Anyway...living on less is really cool. You should read it.

Posted at 12:34 AM • Comments (2) • TrackBack

High Pesticide foods

May 27, 2003

Here's a site that lists fruits and vegetables that typically have high levels of pesticide contamination. The site lists explanations of each item on the list, but I thought I'd just copy and paste the list here so you can see it:

Fruits

Vegetables

Posted at 11:27 PM • Comments (0) • TrackBack

Pondering Car-Free

May 27, 2003

One of the consistent and persistent arguments I have been having with L has centered around finances. Specifically, we need a couple of hundred more dollars a month to have some breating room, and he's unwilling/unable/not ready/whatever to go to work. OK, that sounds unfair. He really would like to wait until c is out of diapers before we consistently leave him with another person, even if it is only for 2-3 hours a day...which is understandable, BUT I'm not sure how much longer we can live off of the last little bit of the 401k that I have been slowly draining over the past 2 years or so.

Our last argument...the HUGE one that I talked about the other day...the one where I cursed him OUT...was about this issue, so I've been thinking about our finances for a few days now, trying to come up with a solution that doesn't involve getting another job. We spend a lot on groceries every month, but there's not a huge amount of waste there. The kids eat a ton, and I've already had to WAY cut back on organics. L's a genius in the kitchen even if he does complain all the time about having to work with rice, pasta, beans, and an assortment of boring vegetables all the time. I'm subpar, but I get by. We're not terribly big spenders, although we do each get an allowance of about 60 bux a month for whatever it is that we need incidentally. I have been hanging clothes on the line almost exclusively since the dryer went out (although I've also grown to depend on disposable diapers more because laundry takes so fucking long, and because almost all of our cloth diapers are totally worn out and I don't want to buy new ones so late in the game) and we keep the air around 80, with fans blowing all the time.

So...I was thinking. The car.

The car broke down on...um...Saturday night? or was it Friday? I can't remember. And here's the thing. Having a car doesn't just bring the expense of having a car, it also brings the economy of not being able to jump in the car and just go somewhere whenever the urge arises. And I'm not a particularly "jump in the car" kind of person, but living without that ability for a few days has helped me to realize I am more than I care to admit.

Insurance for the car and gas for the car run about 100 or so bux a month. The car payment runs about 160 or so. I'm not sure what I'd get for it if I sold it, and I'm not quite ready to actually sell it YET (I got a road trip to go on. People to see, places to go) BUT it's comforting to think this through and to not have to feel so trapped financially.

Say I got rid of the car. The biggest challenge of being car free that I can think of is grocery shopping. Well, I have a wagon and I have two legs and I am capable of walking to one of the neighborhood grocery stores (or the neighborhood farmer's market that I sadly never use) in times of need. I am about 1/4 mile from one grocery, about 1/2 mile from the farmer's market, and about 1.5 miles from another, bigger grocery. There are no organic/vegetarian friendly markets close by, but I really only do my major grocery shopping every ten days, and I've cut down my visits to Whole Foods to twice a month, mostly to buy soy milk and rennet-free cheese. I have been getting down on myself for eating cheese lately anyway, so if I give that up, all I need is soy milk and the occasional specialty item, and I could probably bus down to Wheatsville for those things and gain the added benefit of using a co-op rather than a corporate grocery store. Worse comes to worse - I call a cab and STILL come out ahead $wise at the end of the month.

I think I've thought about this before...this way out of our financial hell. It seems logical, particularly right now as I'm about to invest a buttload of money in the car. Perhaps I shouldn't wait until I have to sell the car so we can pay the mortgage...maybe I should just put my plan into action now...and just PRETEND I don't have a car...and see how long I can go without.

By the way, it has now officially been one year since I seriously started seriously taking the bus. Pretty cool.

Posted at 8:53 PM • Comments (8) • TrackBack

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I am definitely up for a buycott

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Eating In vs. Eating Out

August 24, 2005

Choices...choices...

August 4, 2005

This Old Motherfucking House.

July 25, 2005

asfo_del rocks.

December 1, 2004

Consumer demand v. production

July 19, 2004

Turn on, Tune in, Hang out.

April 13, 2004

"free" trade 101

December 30, 2003

What He Said

December 29, 2003

That's what I'm talking about.

December 29, 2003

Maybe by the time Monk is 12, I will be able to afford this

December 16, 2003

All I want.

November 25, 2003

Giving and Receiving, part one.

November 13, 2003

Commercialization

October 29, 2003

Thrift Score

August 2, 2003

Better Yet, Grow Yr Own...

July 29, 2003

A conversation with a WICwhore

June 11, 2003

Loving Living on Less

May 28, 2003

High Pesticide foods

May 27, 2003

Pondering Car-Free

May 27, 2003