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Title Type Added Modified Created
Link Community Service / Solution- small communities, & peak oil conference remote url Link 2004-10-16 2004-10-16
  These guys are on an intentional community, "the vale":http://www.smallcommunity.org/vale.asp, and organizing "conferences":http://www.communitysolution.org/conf1.html around the issue of peak oil. Their mission: <blockquote> Community Service is dedicated to the development, growth and enhancement of small local communities. We envision a country where the population is distributed in small communities that are sustainable, diverse and culturally sophisticated.</blockquote> They have another site: "smallcommunity.org":http://www.smallcommunity.org/ It looks like they got going in 1950, closer to the era of "Scott and Helen Nearing":http://www.goodlife.org/ than "the farm":http://carfreeuniverse.org/Members/colin/thefarm. No actually, the "IC directory":http://directory.ic.org/records/index.php?action=view&page=view&record_id=1237 says 1960, and currently has 22 adults and 18 children. The organization, Community Service, was started in 1940. And, in fact, started the FIC, it "says":http://www.smallcommunity.org/vale.asp! My issue with the peak oil focus is: <blockquote> Unless the developed world embarks on a strong program of curtailment, our deteriorating social environment of poverty, violence, etc., will continue. This deterioration is already reflecting the decline of oil. </blockquote> If oil weren't declining I don't think that would make things better. The issue is building communities meaningful to live in regardless of how much cheap energy we have access to. I'm sort of babbling here. Very cool! In addition to the people from "ecocity builders":http://www.ecocitybuilders.org/index.html, Patricia from "Earthaven":http://carfreeuniverse.org/Members/colin/earthaven will be there!! "We envision a country where the population is distributed in small communities that are sustainable, diverse and culturally sophisticated." This caught my notice--My dream is a library in the woods accessible only by foot, water, or rail... But I've gotten so many of my dreams, or, I've adapted/cut it down to simply having a college campus with library I can use and walk to--for the time being.
Link Ecopolitics.ca's Carfree Zones page remote url Link 2004-10-16 2004-12-26
  Very nice, shows pictures of car-clogged areas next to carfree ones. I've thought of doing the same around here--there's an awful corner with a "Carefree Autocare" place on it. The link to newurbanism.org's "pedestrian page":http://www.newurbanism.org/pages/519562/ is nice too.
Link Kimpire remote url Link 2004-10-17 2006-11-18
  I think this guy's in Germany... (Someone told me Hong Kong is the correct location.) He appears not to be confined to any particular location. . .
Link William Rawls, Super-Human Computer Programmer remote url Link 2004-10-17 2005-10-04
  One of the greatest people I have met. I don't doubt he has problems like the rest of us (hating exercise, for one), but if there ever was a real-life Falstaff (who Howard Bloom calls the smartest of Shakespeare's characters), this might be him. I wish there was someone like him in my life now! I only worked with him for a year or less. His pet project at the time was "sliceanddice":http://www.sliceanddice.com/ --if he could play it right, it could lead/may have already led to great things. Here is his "Primer for Ablitic Programming":http://www.sliceanddice.com/cpp.html, which I confess I haven't read carefully, at least not recently, that if combined with his portrait of himself captures some of what he's like in person. I hope you're well William!
Link Photograph America for $$$ remote url Link 2004-10-23 2004-12-26
  Walking around the College Heights, San Diego suburbs I saw another pedestrian. He was taking pictures of every house on the street. I stopped to talk and found he was paid by ZAIO to do so. He said he was a professional photographer, but that ZAIO would train you and give you a camera (you pay them back with your work) if you didn't have a camera. It sounds nice to walk around all day taking pictures... In some neighborhoods where the houses are more spread out, a bike would be useful. Cars are not useful because one must get out each time to photograph or it is more difficult to manoeuver (what a hideous word). Later on, like next year, he said he would drive by with a laptop and verify the photos, taking new ones if necessary. He said when he got out early every day he'd be making $800/week (in a dense neighborhood). I couldn't quite figure out how to sign up on the website... They've got a smart way of doing things so that you pay to occupy virtual territory (and for a software licence). Sounds visa/"chaordic":http://chaordic.org/ like.
Link New Urban Living Magazine remote url Link 2004-10-30 2004-10-30
  I wrote my initial proposal for a "carfree lifestyle magazine":../carfreeliving only two weeks ago. And now I find this (from a post on "pro-urb":../pro-urb seeking classifieds for their mag). They said it is at present free to post a classified ad. I'm not able to find a statement of purpose on their website, but here are some culled from links to their site: <blockquote> Lifestyle magazine for residents of Traditional Neighborhood Developments.</blockquote> <blockquote>A supplement to our print publication, New Urban Living magazine. In addition to the news-related articles found online, New Urban Living Magazine carries profiles of communities, features, award-winning homes, quality of life articles, home and outdoor tips, resort features, community tips, event coverage, book reviews, plus much more.</blockquote> Interestingly, but not surprisingly, the founder of the mag, Stephen Martin (I believe), may not be carfree. Here are some posts from the "Celebration, Florida discussion":http://www.34747.org/ forum: <blockquote>"2004-04-27":http://www.34747.com/forum/display_topic_threads.asp?ForumID=1&TopicID=2105&PagePosition=1&get=last I am with New Urban Living magazine. We are trying to locate someone who owns a Porsche in Celebration for a quick photo shot.</blockquote> And there is even a "Celebration Exotic Car Celebration":http://www.celebrationexoticcars.com! "Adam Parish":http://www.garageapartments.com/v3-ap-bio.asp also is/was working with the mag. I found my vision in reality with a vengeance! In truth, though, they are targeting a different market than what I had in mind, though I hoped the carfree mag would benefit from having some high-income readers&mdash;the ones *New Urban Living* is focusing on.
Link PRO-URB list on the practice of new urbanism remote url Link 2004-10-30 2004-10-30
  This is the main list for discussion of new urbanist topics. It is very high-volume&mdash;as many as 10 messages/day&mdash;with over 650 members. You'll need to petition the list owner to be added as a member and to see the archives (write a bit about the reason for your interest). Some other new urbanist lists that do / did not require membership approval are: o "CNU@LSV.UKY.EDU":http://catalist.lsoft.com/scripts/wl.exe?SL1=CNU&H=LSV.UKY.EDU o "Next Generation Urbanists":http://listserv.miami.edu/archives/urbangeneration.html Here are the list guidelines for pro-urb: a. no more than 2 messages per day unless forwarding material without comment (newspaper articles, weblinks, etc) b. no one liners like "I agree" or "thank you for that" c. send messages meant for an individual or a few subscribers off-list, not to the entire group d. no flaming. Be nice e. IMPORTANT: STAY ON TOPIC: urbanism, codes, city planning, technical issues like transit/transportation, issues of design and architecture related to urbanism, and such, and avoid discussions that are rehashes from days of yore (e.g. Seaside and picket fences, NU and nostalgia). Philosophical observations are welcome, so long as they directly pertain to the topic of urbanism and the list's defined issues. f. REMEMBER THAT Pro-Urb is NEW URBANISM SEMINAR 5010, it is not New Urbanism 101. As such, submissions must be substantive. Questions about real problems to solicit solutions and discussion by experts are welcome. However, please do not post questionnaires. g. You may post images 100KB or less, and if you have a question about images, please contact me off-list before you post. h. If you accidentally send a posting meant for an individual to the list, please do not post an apology for doing so back to the list. i. JOB POSTINGS, RFQ's, and RFP's of interest to the list are welcome. Please do not post resumes or job solicitations by individuals. Faculty may send out brief statements if they have graduating students they feel are particularly qualified for employment in the field, with a request for potential employers to contact offlist. If you have problems posting, unsubscribing, or changing settings on your subscription, please contact the list owner. She'll be happy to help.
Link Dvorak with Spanish characters for Windows 2000 + remote url Link 2004-10-31 2004-10-31
  I've been dealing with trying to type Spanish characters in various applications on Windows 2000 using the dvorak layout. Thanks to "Matt Frear's work":http://marcs.uws.edu.au/research/software/dvorak.htm, I was able to make a layout of my own... All my problems are not fixed, however as "vim":http://www.vim.org is doing strange things with some of the deadkeys (instead of making "¡" it produces "' 1", for example). But, "here's my layout":kbdvspc.zip. It includes characters such as ¡ and ¿ (&#161; and &#191;) and ü (&#252;) that Matt's does not. It also does not use the ` character or let you make any of the characters with the accent grave&mdash;this layout is only for Spanish. I do wish I were using linux, but until I have time to see how "suspend to disk":http://softwaresuspend.berlios.de/ works on my laptop with the new kernels&mdash;a project I'd rather avoid, though time costs of dealing with windows are adding up&mdash;I'm stuck dealing with the MS OS. One thing I've done to get some more exposure to Spanish is to change all the UIs I can to that language. Unfortunately, unlike with Linux, it costs $$ to legally switch the win2k OS base langage to Spanish. Note that I associated this keyboard layout with the *Spanish (Spain)* language, unlike what Matt did with his. On the Macintosh OS X it is easy to type these characters even in the dvorak layout. I have heard that newer versions of windows come with a dvorak international layout.
Link ChangeThis - PDF Manifestos remote url Link 2004-12-21 2004-12-21
  I first learned of this from planetizen's weekly news email in their link to Greusel's manifesto "Legalize Neighborhoods Again!":http://www.changethis.com/sp-5.LegalizeNeighborhoods I didn't put a link here then because I wasn't that impressed..., I liked "kuro5hin.org":http://kuro5hin.org better. But now, months later, I wanted to see what new manifestos they might have, and couldn't remember the web site. So here's the link. Their idea is similar to what I was thinking for the carfree magazine, at least in the pdf-centric approach. From their site: <blockquote> ChangeThis is creating a new kind of media. A form of media that uses existing tools (like PDFs, blogs and the web) to challenge the way ideas are created and spread. We're on a mission to spread important ideas and change minds. </blockquote>
Link Intentional Community Database remote url Link 2004-12-24 2004-12-26
  I keep forgetting to add this. icdb.org is a self-serve, open, free, multi-lingual and paperless database/directory, serving intentional communities, and their organizations, individuals and groups searching for intentional communities, and curious aliens observing the evolution of the earth's future civilization (and/or beyond) from afar... "Ofek":../ofek made it.
Link Toxic Breast Milk? by Florence Williams remote url Link 2005-01-09 2005-01-09
  Once the free NYT (registration required) link expires, try: * "google":http://www.google.com/search?q=%22toxic+breast+milk%22+%22florence+williams%22 * "googlegroups":http://groups.google.com/groups?q=%22toxic%20breast%20milk%22%20%22florence%20williams%22 The process of civilization poisoning itself fascinates me. I do think we can learn from these stories and activists. Now, to get all plastic &amp; foam out of the house... But still we'll have the groups like the Plastics and Film Industry Association, or Dupont/Union Carbide who will assure us it is not their fault, that the activists are off-base, and that the world should use more of their products than before. And in many cases we will! (I spend money on computer-related hardware, at least, and all that that contains). I think what may happen is that through legislation, as with the banning of lead in gas, more of these toxins will be banned. The challenge is developing and institutionalizing a system or stance where these problems are less likely to arise in the first place, such as is suggested by the "precautionary principle":http://www.google.es/search?q=precautionary+principle.
Link Learning Org List remote url Link 2005-01-10 2007-06-28
  "George":http://georgekao.com/ wrote such a good description of the group that I'm taking the liberty of copying it here. If you want to be added, ask me, and I'll ask George. My original intention was that each person would start their own group for their own group of friends. But postings have been so few (none between June 2004 and January 10, 2005) we could use more members in ours. <blockquote> THE IDEA: Be amongst friends (and friends of friends) who are actively learning to live a life true to ourselves our callings in this world. We're not concerned about &ldquo;perfection&rdquo; but rather, about learning, growing, doing what we can to fulfill our highest visions for ourselves and for our world. And, our individual visions won't be exactly the same... the benefit of diversity is to learn from one another! Wouldn't it be cool if such knowledge were archived... and weren't so overwhelming? THE IDEA, APPLIED: Send us an update once every 3 months (no more) about what you're learning working on in the journey to live true to yourself and your calling in the world. LearningOrg will only accept 1 message per member every 3 months. If you want to respond to someone else's message, please put your reply within your own LearningOrg update, or respond to them privately. To keep the quality of the content high, this is an invitation-only group. I'll make sure you get no more than 1 LearningOrg message per day. LearningOrg was inspired by Colin Leath's idea of a place to &ldquo;share the most important things you have learned; challenge yourself with queries. What are your dreams for yourself? For society?&rdquo; His original idea can be found "here":http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FriendsOfColin/message/1. </blockquote>
Link Ran Prieur remote url Link 2005-02-06 2005-06-08
  I can't tell if he's still carfree (since he bought land--Update: it looks like he has a car). But he's good to know about! He linked to the "Jeffrey Sawyer article":../../jeffreysawyer/livinginquiry/ in his "how to drop out":http://ranprieur.com/essays/dropout.html essay, and has so many readers that he started to show up in the site statistics.
Link Paul Cooley's Carfree Family blog remote url Link 2005-02-27 2005-02-27
  Found from browsing the carfree yahoo group. The following is from his "first post":http://carfreefamily.blogspot.com/2005/01/entering-blog-world.html :<blockquote>We are also carfree. I find that to be the one saving grace in my life right now. I firmly believe that getting rid of the car greatly improved our quality of life. I'm working on a book about it, but I have no idea how to convince anyone who is not already convinced that our life is better. It seems that I can only preach to the choir in a book like that, and I am still trying to see my way through to a vision of the United States with more bicycle and pedestrian traffic than automobiles, frequent and comfortable trains, thriving local farming communities, and a well-educated, television weaned populace. I hope that's not taking on too much.</blockquote>
Link The citistates group remote url Link 2005-03-08 2005-10-23
  A link discovered from the last planetizen newsletter mentioning "the european dream":../europeandream/. Their purpose:<blockquote>To have fun, make money, and advance the revolution.</blockquote>Fortunately, their revolution appears to be our revolution. "Richard Louv":http://www.thefuturesedge.com/, one of their writers, mentioned and explained *bioregionalism* in a San Diego Union Tribune column!
Link Peg and Jim, carfree in the mountains! remote url Link 2005-03-08 2005-03-08
  Beautiful. From the post on "why they became carfree":http://earthhomegarden.blogspot.com/2005/02/peg-jim-car-free.html :<blockquote>The main reason we have arrived at this particular point has more to do with what we couldn't, or wouldn't do, than what we planned on doing. I just couldn't work in certain industries because of their contributions to war efforts, or the toxic polluting side-effects of their products. I also couldn't stand working indoors, and took a job as a mailman, just to save a few bucks so I could travel. ... We had already been walking or riding our bikes to work for several years when we began to realize that decisions we'd made over the years, through avoidance of things we didn't care for, had brought us to this small community where everything we needed was within walking or bicycling distance, including our jobs. ... By the mid 1990s over 3 million Americans had died as a result of automobile accidents. And that doesn't take into account the scarred lives & bodies, the crippled victims, or the incredible toll on wildlife that has been killed by cars and displaced by habitat destruction, or an entire century of air & water pollution and strip mining. ... I asked her with a knowing smile if she wanted to get another car, "when hell freezes over" she smiled back. For us it has meant newfound freedom. Freedom from the expense of gasoline, maintenance, tires, oil and insurance. Freedom from fear, freeways & parking lots, and freedom from being confined in a hurtling tin & plastic capsule. ... But it mostly seems like we're just going on intuition, we avoid what we don't like and try to focus on what we love. ... Eventually, we'd like to live each moment with deliberate clarity, and share what wisdom we may have gained as elders.</blockquote> They introduced themselves on the carfree yahoo group.
Link Carfree.com on "fixing the car" remote url Link 2005-03-21 2005-03-21
  I wanted to have this under "the car cannot be fixed" topic.<blockquote>Some form of external combustion (or non-fuel-based motive power) could eliminate urban automobile emissions entirely. Some day, sustained nuclear fusion may be achieved, at which time energy and air pollution concerns should pretty much disappear. ... Technology might solve the congestion, pollution, esthetic, and safety issues related to automobile use in cities. This does not mean that the car is the best solution, and it is almost certainly the most expensive and resource intensive.</blockquote>
Link Alastair Bland, economad? neo-primitive? buddha? remote url Link 2005-04-05 2005-05-11
  First I found out about him in the recent issue of Orion Magazine (I do not like the mag). I misspelled his name and could not find out about him online. Then David C. (carfreecity.us) sent me a link to another of his articles. I didn't like his style very much, or the focus on wine, but that doesn't mean you won't like it. And a google search on him is bringing up so much it will be a while before I have time to read through it all and develop a better-founded impression. But, in short, he appears to have ridden his bicycle around California's central valley for at least a summer simply living off what food he could find... and this was not food from dumpsters but from trees and plants.
Link Carfree Bedford remote url Link 2005-04-18 2005-04-18
  This is a proposal to create a carfree area around the Bedford L train stop in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.
Link New Urbanist community in Baja with extensive carfree areas: Loreto Bay remote url Link 2005-04-18 2005-04-18
  This was mentioned on the carfree cities list, and I keep remembering it, so here's the link. The more I read, the more fascinating it is. At first I brushed it off a sort of rich norteamericano wasteland. From some pictures I saw of the houses, maybe I still think that. But here are some sustainability commitments: 1. By the end of the project we will produce more energy from renewable resources than we consume. 2. By the end of the project we will harvest or produce more potable water than we use. 3. By the end of the project there will be more biodiversity, more biomass and more habitat than existed when we started. 4. We will dedicate 1% of the gross proceeds of all sales and re-sales, in perpetuity, to a Community Foundation to assist with local social and sustainability issues. 5. In conjunction with Loreto citizens and all layers of government, we will develop and implement a Regional Affordable Housing Strategy based on the premise that people who work at Loreto Bay should be able to afford to live in Loreto. This is from their "December 2004 Sustainability Program Update":http://www.loretobay.com/media/Sustanability%20Program%20Update.%20Dec%2004.pdf. The more I read the site, the more intrigued I am.
Link Neoconservatism, Straussianism, and "can freedom and excellence can coexist?" remote url Link 2005-04-18 2005-12-01
  Update (2005-12-01-1113): Joel's site has disappeared. It was "here":http://www.neo-conned.net/ The most relevant thing I remember from his page was about the Philosophy of "Leo Strauss":http://www.google.com/search?q=leo+strauss. So I link to the "wikipedia page on Strauss":http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leo_Strauss above. Below are the most relevant quotes from that page, followed by an excerpt from Joel's old page. Also, here's "Wikipedia on US neocons":http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neoconservatism_in_the_United_States. Oh, the quotes at the bottom of the "Georgia Guidestones page":../georgiaguidestones/ were brought to mind by this, and also "San Manuel Bueno, Martir":http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/8437601851/103-9089075-5887820?v=glance&n=283155 by Unamuno {"San Manuel Bueno, martir":http://www.google.com/search?q=San+Manuel+Bueno+Martir+by+Unamuno (Saint Manuel the Good, Martyr) (1930)--a brief novella that synthesizes all of "Unamuno":http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unamuno's thought. The novel centres on a heroic priest who has lost his faith in immortality, yet says nothing of his doubts to his parishioners, not wanting to disturb their faith.} Returning to Strauss:<blockquote>With regards then to Strauss' approach to philosophical texts, his most famous teaching was the distinction between *esoteric* and *exoteric* readings. Strauss maintained that philosophers very often concealed their true thoughts beneath a surface (or exoteric) teaching. Careful study would reveal the true or esoteric teaching. Primarily, philosophers did this to protect their own lives, and to guard against the detrimental effects of philosophy upon people who cannot understand it fully. Strauss thought that an esoteric text was the proper type for philosophic learning. Rather than simply outline the philosophers thoughts, the esoteric text forces the reader to do their own thinking and learning. Strauss noted that thinkers of the first rank, going back to Plato, had raised the problem of whether good and effective politicians could be completely truthful and still achieve the necessary ends of their society. By implication, Strauss asks his readers to consider whether "noble lies" (Plato) have any role at all to play in uniting and guiding the cities of man. Are certain, unprovable "myths" taught by wise leaders needed to give most people meaning and purpose and to ensure a stable society? Or can society flourish on a foundation of those "deadly truths" (Nietzsche) limited to what we can know absolutely? Through his writings, Strauss constantly raised the question of how, and to what extent, freedom and excellence can coexist. Without deciding this issue, Strauss refused to make do with any simplistic or one-sided resolutions of the Socratic question, What is the good for the city and man? There exists a controversy surrounding Strauss's interpretation of the existing philosophical canon. Strauss believed that the writings of many philosophers contained both an exoteric (public) and esoteric (private or hidden) teaching. For instance, in Natural Right and History he contrasts the views of Locke both from a traditional perspective wherein the idea of Natural Law within a Christian theological ground is presumed, and another more radical view contrary to this usual interpretation. To support his contention he mentions Lessing's commentary on Leibniz, and Schleiermacher's Platonic studies. But, according to Strauss, generally this kind of exoteric/esoteric dichotomy became unused by the time of Kant. Strauss had similar views on the writings of the Jewish philosopher Maimonides (Moses son of Maimon). Maimonides stated that he had controversial esoteric views which were hidden from the masses. Strauss wrote an influential essay illustrating the way to read Maimonides' Guide for the Perplexed, allowing a reader to find his esoteric, true views. Straussianism is difficult to characterize, as it is a loose group of scholars who analyze texts in the same manner and keep the same questions in mind while doing so. Strauss is widely recognized for his rediscovery of a political manner of writing employed by philosophers. The most focused upon aspect of this, especially for non-Straussians, is that philosophers lied and wrote coded messages in order to protect themselves from attack by the political communities they lived in. Perhaps a more Straussian interpretation of Strauss' politicization of philosophy would be that Strauss rediscovered ancient political philosophy, which starts with the question of how people should live, and therefore has a sort of logical priority within philosophy itself (which is a way of living). What's more, to the extent that philosophers wrote deceptively, it was perhaps more often in order to help educate readers, who might often be young or unable to follow an argument correctly. The original philosophers could adjust their speech to each listener, but writing made philosophy dangerous. Socrates wrote nothing of his own philosophy, but was famously implicated with corrupting the young men of Athens, especially Alcibiades.</blockquote> My excerpts from Joel's old neocon page: <blockquote>A shadowy group calling itself "neo-conservative" has seized power in the USA. You need to know who these people are, what they think, and what it means for the USA and the world. The neo-cons have stolen the American democracy. This was no accident. They think that only they and a few of their very closest friends are fit to run the world. Others may serve. The masses will be fed the pabulum of religion and television to keep them quiet. These folks are agnostics. They're also major supporters of standardized, organized religion, because they think that religion is a useful tool to keep the masses from misbehaving. Lying is part of their philosophy of government. Truth is to be told only when it is the most convenient option. We will simply show these folks up for what they are. That should be all that's required to ensure their downfall.</blockquote>
Link Labyrinths remote url Link 2005-04-27 2005-04-27
  Thanks to Bonnie Brewster Munroe at the "2005 SDSU Graduate Student Board Conference":http://www-rohan.sdsu.edu/~gsb/confprog.htm (third from bottom), I got to walk a labyrinth, a canvas 7-circuit labyrinth that she had rolled out on the floor of a large conference room. I walked it with 12 other people. It was like a dance that we danced just by following the lines. I was very impressed. I want to tell you all to find a labyrinth to walk if you can. The circuits took me almost all the way around the circle and at each turn I felt a new vista open. I hope to get the people at the "Kroc Center":http://www.kroccenter.com/ to have a labyrinth there. o google on "labyrinth":http://www.google.com/search?q=labyrinth o "the labyrinth society":http://www.labyrinthsociety.org/ The "grace cathedral page":http://www.gracecathedral.org/labyrinth/ has a picture right on it-- so I made it the link for this link.
Link Earth Scouts and Scouting For All remote url Link 2005-05-09 2005-05-11
  I was excited to learn about the "Earth Scouts":http://www.earthscouts.org/ a long time ago. "Scouting for all" had a booth at the SD Earth Fair... there was a very interesting woman (Not really sure she was born as a woman) dressed in full scout regalia. I think she was 6 feet tall. FYI BSA has stances against atheism and homosexuality. I think the atheism part is important---but not as important as openness to homosexuality/gender variants. "On my honor I will do my best to God and my country... and to keep myself physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight." "a scout is trustworthy ... brave, clean, and reverent" The basic crime I see committed with respect to religion is the lack of awareness and acceptance of more than one path--The BSA currently accepts and embraces multiple religious paths... and at that point you begin to see "God" is what you think it is.... The crime is when the child is raised among those who believe there is only one way, i.e., "I am the way, the truth, and the light"... and when that same child sees that all those around her profess to believe what doesn't make sense, and that moreover, all those around her hardly exemplify the kind of life she would dream of living... That sets the child up for a crisis of isolation/peer pressure to deny her own evaluative capability in favor of what others tell her to think, feel, and believe. Now homosexuals may get the same crisis... only far more so: imagine growing up with an identity that is not even recognized to exist. See Cristina Peri Rossi's "El Culpable":<blockquote>"Ha cometido una falta, pero no sabe cu&aacute;l es." --- He committed an offense, but does not know what it is."</blockquote> and Luis Cernuda's "No Decía Palabras":<blockquote>"Porque ignoraba que el deseo es una pregunta / Cuya respuesta no existe," --- He/I was not saying words: ... because he/I was ignoring that desire is a question whose answer does not exist.</blockquote> Because homosexuals may weather this crisis, and develop faith in listening to and not rejecting their own evaluative capability, they may tend to become vital and creative people. Now supposing we had a society of full religious/gender/sexual tolerance... would this crisis opportunity and the character formation it may cause be lost? Some Jewish people seem to maintain it by emphasizing and marking their difference throughout their lives. I think there will still be plenty of other crisis opportunities for those who begin to question and to dream independently of what they have been fed as children. But the fewer barriers we place in the way of dreaming, questioning, and listening, the more wonderful and amazing our world will become. What do the earth scouts get to pledge? Maybe they don't? Here's something: '12.' Uphold the right of all, without discrimination, to a natural and social environment supportive of human dignity, bodily health, and spiritual well-being, with special attention to the rights of indigenous peoples and minorities. '4.' Secure Earth's bounty and beauty for present and future generations. '2.' Care for the community of life with understanding, compassion, and love. '1.' Respect Earth and life in all its diversity. '1b.' Affirm faith in the inherent dignity of all human beings and in the intellectual, artistic, ethical, and spiritual potential of humanity. I don't think the BSA can be reformed. I think it has to slowly fade away. If I had children, I would want there to be a co-ed group, and with values more like the Earth Scouts. That said, I think the BSA will continue to change to more closely support earth charter-like values.
Link Stop the Regents Road bridge. Duh. remote url Link 2005-05-09 2005-05-09
  Unfortunately, it is still about 10 years before "I predicted":../nochange/ the last road widening in the county would be approved. So people still have to fight increases in space for the car. Help them.
Link LocalHarvest: good produce delivered to near you remote url Link 2005-05-10 2005-05-10
  One of my grandmas liked the display of the "Pauma Valley Farm":http://www.tierramiguel.org/ (the tierra miguel foundation). It turns out they have a dropoff point very close to where I live--SDSU Art St. Tuesdays, 11:30am- 7:30 pm. It costs only o $349/Quarterly o $1365/Annually o $119/Monthly o $125/2 Months-biweekly o $125/Trial -1 Month only So I may not be leaving my pesticide grown ethnic produce store where I rarely spend more than $15/week for a lot of different reasonably good things... In any event-- to find such deliveries near you go to the local harvest site. I didn't think there would be one near me! I should also start a garden too, but I don't. I do harvest wild plants though!

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