When communication fails

Can we talk? Technology will not save us.

The rapid development and expansion of the means of communication has opened up never before seen possibilities for reaching out and touching people almost anywhere, any time, instantaneously. Minds are crammed with information overload. Our lives have become noisier and more immediate. We hear something on the radio or read it on the internet or get a text message, and zap off an instant reply. It's so easy to skip over fact checking and time for careful reflection when we can simply blurt. Thanks to the wonders of modern technology, and the rapid response mindset it has brought with it, human error is also compounded and amplified. Words cannot be bitten back because they're already halfway around the world. The genie cannot be put back in the bottle.

We don't take the time to ask whether the message we received was the message sent, or the message intended, or to seek further information. And corrections are too little too late, because the original damage has already been done.

Technology will not save us from our human communication failures.

High wind--the new normal?

We're under another high wind warning today. (It's tempting to blame Rush Limbaugh, but I'll leave it alone.) Considering the tornado destruction to our south the past few days, this is only a minor problem for us. But it did cause some minor damage to our house overnight, and is probably just a taste of what we have to look forward to this spring and summer.

At the moment we're fortunate to be on the northern side of the colliding air masses--the low dipping jet stream, which is going to bring us a bit of snow and overnight lows in the teens over the next couple of days, and the warm air rising from the Gulf of Mexico. This collision is responsible for the violent storms ripping through the south and midwest. And since the Gulf of Mexico is now warmer than usual, the conditions are ripe for stormier than usual weather. We may lose some tree limbs and roofing shingles this year. And watch out for those flying cows.

Anyway, this is probably a good time to review your emergency preparedness.

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We had a really good discussion the other night following our third film in our social action committee series, "The Power of Community." First of all, it provided a view of Cuba most of us had little awareness of, given our political weirdness about that little island. Seeing how the Cuban people were able to respond to their low energy crisis by decentralizing education and healthcare, while transforming their communities into glorious, green, petroleum-free food gardens, was inspiring and thought-provoking. The degree to which our lives are dependent on oil is shocking. But what if we started getting more of our food locally, grown organically without the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides? What if we stopped relying so heavily on each person having their own private automobile and started sharing rides? What if we farmed tilapia here instead of importing it from farms in South America?

At the same time, the newly reconstituted "Occupy Jamestown" group has begun holding meetings, with a focus on "occupying" our community and working to strengthen it. I hope this continues, because the idea of occupying a park or having a protest march to get attention in a city the size of Jamestown is kind of ridiculous. Can't we just find the people we want to send a message to and TALK to them? That's the beauty of community. But you have to build those personal relationships. I know there are people who favor more militant approaches to changing the world, and good luck to them, they can bang their heads against that wall if they want to. There are always protests and marches in bigger cities, campaign craziness to indulge in, petitions and boycotts to join, whatever. I may, from time to time, be inclined (as an individual) to support some of these things. But I see most of them as a lot of sound and fury signifying nothing. I'd rather take a hands on approach to building something that will yield tangible results in the place that I live. I'd prefer to foster a climate of cooperation instead of maintaining and intensifying the awful polarization and quite uncivil adversarial environment we've come to accept as normal. (Do you really wonder why we have perpetual war?) I think I've found some people who agree with this approach. But we'll have to wait and see what develops.

Today, there's a spring garden fair downtown. Tom and I are going to check it out. It's still going to be a little while before garden season arrives in my backyard, but I'm making my plans.

Is it still only February?

We took an early spring break and spent a week in Oakland, CA visiting our son. He is an amazing host and kept us wined, dined, and entertained in style the whole time we were there.

And what a great city! Overshadowed by its big sister across the Bay, Oakland usually only gets attention for its riots, on and off the football field. They actually do a lot of things right.

There are neighborhoods wonderfully walkable and alive with a great variety of small independent cafes, restaurants, bakeries, and shops, driven by the Oakland Grown localization movement. Fresh food is grown in back yards and community gardens and offered for sale through CSA's, farmers markets, and local grocers.

There is public transportation and there are bike lanes--unfortunately, there are still too many roads and cars and people. You can't blame people for wanting to live in such a naturally gorgeous place with a mild climate and beautiful architecture. But the crowding makes living expensive. The climate makes the streets a haven for the homeless.

By the way, do you think these cranes gave George Lucas any ideas?



We had a great vacation, but we're glad to be back home. Even though it's cold here and it will be months before we can dig in the garden.

Meanwhile, good things are happening here. We're very satisfied with our first order from the buying club, Furniture City Foods, and encourage everyone to join (free) and check it out. There are no minimum requirements for personal ordering, and you may find yourself as delighted as we are with the variety of healthy, high quality, and regionally produced foods available.

"The Power of Community," will be screened on Wednesday, February 29th, at 7 pm at the UU church on Prendergast. Turning to localization out of necessity when they were cut off from the Soviet Union in the 1990's, the people of Cuba have managed to turn their country into the only sustainable one in the entire world. There are some wonderful lessons here and I'm looking forward to the discussion. This is offered free and open to the public.

Finally, I've gathered some info and posted a Local Banking page here as a resource for people who want to move towards greater freedom from corporate rule over their lives. Bon voyage!

Back under the blanket

Winter's back, so I've burrowed into my corner of the couch again and started a really complicated new needlework project that changes colors every few stitches and uses mostly blended threads. It should keep me busy till spring.

I also finally took the time to figure out what Pinterest is all about. What a great time suck! File this under "a picture is worth a thousand words" --in this case, lots of pictures, so make that thousands and thousands of words. I've found some great ideas for future projects out there on The Internets, and some great eye candy too.

Our first order has been submitted to the new food buying club, and as word gets around town, we seem to be growing by a few new members almost every day. We're hoping, of course, that this turns out to be a huge success and we all end up eating healthier foods from nearby sources. Go Jamestown!

The winter that isn't

While this season has had its moments, it is far from what we are accustomed to. The daytime temperatures are mostly above freezing. There is no snow on the ground. And we actually bought snow tires in preparation for what last winter had led us to expect this time around. Nope.

Instead of spending my time huddled under a blanket with books, I've been kind of busy with what I think of as "projects." The new second story, while unfinished, has heat and insulation, so I have craft space, previously confined to the kitchen table, and have been taking advantage of it.

I'm also getting involved in things outside the home. The film series has brought me into contact with new people who share my interest in localization. Some of them are Jamestown's version of the Occupy movement, with a strong emphasis on community building. I expect that we will start holding meetings soon. Yes, meetings, not encampments. I don't control what other people do, but I'm hoping to skip the drama stage and go right to positive constructive actions. We'll see how that works out.

Frank Besse of JTNY has started a new food buying club, Furniture City Foods to allow people to buy healthy foods directly from regional food producers at wholesale prices. Anyone who can pick up their orders in Jamestown is invited to go to the sign up page, create an account for free, browse the online catalog, and order as desired. This club is just beginning and Frank expects to add more local suppliers to the mix as things evolve.

I've also begun to learn weaving, a whole new skill for me, from Joyce Rose, who has her studio in the UU church basement. The idea of making my own fabrics (particularly from strips of old garments) is intriguing to me, but first I have to understand how a loom works, and the whole new set of terminology that goes with it.

We'll probably make trips to both coasts to visit the kids before spring, while we can still afford to travel. Watching the Middle East growing more and more unstable, I'm expecting that transportation (ourselves from place to place, and goods to markets) is going to become very expensive sooner rather than later. I remember the lines at gas stations, the 55 mph national speed limit, the lowering of thermostats in public buildings during the oil embargo in the 1970's. The WWII generation remembers rationing. Younger people have no experience with things just not being available for them to buy. This is concerning.

I'm planning to be busy expanding my own food production this summer. To be dependent on things we have no control over has reached dangerous proportions.

Free home energy workshop

Just saw the story in the Post Journal about the Chautauqua County Home Energy Workshop this Thursday evening from 7 - 8:30 pm at the JCC Carnahan Training & Conference Center. It's free and open to everyone in the county who is interested in saving money on their energy bills, which makes it a very good idea to attend. If you pre-register on the site, you may even be one of the first 100 people to receive a free CFL. Every little bit helps.

A new year

Now that the holidays have come and gone, we're getting settled into winter.  When it's 22 degrees outside, my idea of a good time is getting comfy in a nest of pillows and blankets on the couch, with the dog and a good book. This is also true when it's in the mid-40's and raining, which is supposed to happen tomorrow. Mother Nature seems to be in the throes of an identity crisis right now.

I'm at a bit of a crossroads here, having to decide whether I want to involve myself, again, in the storm of political activism swirling around me, or to stick to creating a microcosm of the world I want to live in, right here, in my house, my garden, my neighborhood, my little community. I know what's more attractive to me at this point in my life. It's a jolt of adrenalin to be around people who are feeling newly empowered to be a force for positive change. But it also has a downside, especially with thin-skinned people inexperienced in activism (and perhaps totally unsuited for it) who allow way too many personal distractions and dramas to get in the way of constructive activity. Why waste my time dealing with that when I could be cleaning the cat's litter box instead?

The film and discussion series that I've been wanting to happen is actually starting to happen this week. We (the social action committee at the Jamestown UU church) will be screening "The Economics of Happiness" this Wednesday at 7 pm, followed by a discussion on the benefits of localization.  It's being offered FREE and open to the public, with representatives from JTNY as our guests, explaining their new loyalty card program that offers discounts to cardholders who support locally owned businesses.

We've also scheduled two more films for next month, "A Crude Awakening: The Oil Crash" on February 1 and "The Power of Community" on February 29. We're hoping for good turnout and good dialogue on these important issues.

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of meeting Janet Forbes, director of the Creating Healthy Places project five year initiative funded by the New York State Department of Health to prevent obesity, type 2 diabetes, and other chronic diseases.  I had wondered about things like community gardens in Jamestown, and yesterday and I got my answers and then some. Although the program is still in its early stages,  there is already a lot of activity underway to promote the growing, cooking, and eating of healthy foods in neighborhoods where access to these things has been limited. There is also a recreation component to the project, and volunteers are needed and welcomed in whatever capacity they are able to contribute.  Programs are being designed to become a permanent part of the system, so that when the project ends, the programs will continue.  This type of initiative will bring real and positive changes to people's lives.   

As for my own food garden, I'm thinking big for this year. For the future, I'm thinking chickens.

This morning I watched a beautiful sunrise while I was drinking my coffee. Life is good.