I thought you might want to check this out - http://intergarden.ning.com
The idea is to have local persons that are unemployed, underemployed, or retired, or who just want to garden (and have no garden space) hook up with people who have garden space but are too busy working or don't know enough about gardening up with each other. (WOW, is that a long sentence.)
The idea is that the two parties would split the produce 50/50 in exchange for using each other's time/space/skills.
This site is BRAND SPANKING NEW, less than a week, and it is completely free to join. I'm doing this strictly as a community service. (Ning.com will probably get advertising revenue from it, but I personally get nothing but a sense of accomplishment.)
I hope to get the word out in a big way BEFORE the growing season starts.
This is great for busy home owners with sunny back yard space because they can eat fresh organic produce and supplement their grocery budget just by sharing - and be as local food as you can get.
This is great for the impoverished and underemployed because it can increase their food security through their own individual effort - and provide good skills.
This is great for expert vegetable gardeners because they can help pass on their knowledge for the future and do a great service to the community.
If there's any way you can help spread the word about Intergarden, please do so. People are going to need to start some seedlings as early as March, and given the economic climate, this could really help a lot of people.
With gratitude and respect,
Rev. Dan Stafford
Intergarden concept originator
Co-Chair, Progressive Democrats of Illinois
http://www.illinoisprogressives.org
Putting the positive back in my posts...
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Thursday, January 29, 2009
The Greed Cult
Too long. It's far too long that the Ivy League "business schools" have been putting monsters in charge of our collective insanity.
There is more on this Earth than all of us could ever need if we lived simply.
There are more resources on rocks circling the sun than we could ever run out of if responsible leadership were leading us out of the cradle instead of into fear-based wars.
Millions of dollars are spent to avoid the slightest contamination of dead, sterile worlds while trillions are spent contaminating the only living world we know.
The cult of greed known as "capitalism" is an even greater and far deadlier failure than its rival, Communism. Neither system works except for a select few, and even for them it will fail if Earth dies.
We need something altogether new. A system of directing human effort that values and sustains and fulfils every human life.
There MUST be something better than just another death cult of greed.
Rev. Dan
There is more on this Earth than all of us could ever need if we lived simply.
There are more resources on rocks circling the sun than we could ever run out of if responsible leadership were leading us out of the cradle instead of into fear-based wars.
Millions of dollars are spent to avoid the slightest contamination of dead, sterile worlds while trillions are spent contaminating the only living world we know.
The cult of greed known as "capitalism" is an even greater and far deadlier failure than its rival, Communism. Neither system works except for a select few, and even for them it will fail if Earth dies.
We need something altogether new. A system of directing human effort that values and sustains and fulfils every human life.
There MUST be something better than just another death cult of greed.
Rev. Dan
Saturday, January 17, 2009
A Little Fun With Technorati.com
I tried to claim this blog with my profile at www.technorati.com , but it appears to have been flagged as a spam blog.
Let me give a huge sarcastic "thank you" to the e-vile Freebie Spammers. They are the demons and trolls of the Blogosphere.
I have requested an Admin review of the First Church from Technorati Support. Hopefully this will be cleared up soon.
Regards,
Rev. Dan
Words are the mind's bridge - its connection to all the universe.
Love is the heart's bridge - its connection to all other souls.
Loving words can work miracles.
Friday, January 16, 2009
Bringing Community Gardens To Bear On The Global Economic Crisis
Community gardening has a long history all over the globe, dating back earlier than even Roman times. There is an extensive history of community gardening in the USA also.
From the late 1800's through WW-II including the Great Depression, people have relied on gardens in yards and empty lots to feed the hungry and provide useful work for the unemployed. I have seen statistics that stated 44% of all fresh vegetable production in the USA during World war II was produced by over 20 million Victory Gardens.
It is time to consider the use of these techniques as part of the domestic Social Welfare programs, as a supplement and support of the Food Stamp program.
In the Depression-era in California, some interesting local economics occurred. Two organizations called the UCRO and the UXA employed millions in a "credit-for-hours-worked" form of local economies. Additional information can be found here: http://www.yesmagazine.org/article.asp?ID=1464 . Coupled with Relief Gardening and the Obama economic platform, there is a good possibility of starting something refreshing and less prone to ggreed and fraud in the US and elsewhere.
Historically, however, the business and political classes have wotked to undermine such efforts through economic policy of the State. This needs to be guarded against and prevented. The use of such programs, integrated with Federal programs to rebuild infrastructure, could well spell a faster and more secure economic recovery in the U.S. - which could then lead to a global recovery.
Some of the opportunities present in today's environment that were lacking during the Depression are the advent of the Internet, complete with wide-open and fast-reaching social media. Public discourse and information-dissemination is no longer one-way, far from it.
It may be possible to create an entirely new global economy that values innovation and labor while limiting incentives to get greedy and take more than a given party needs.
Dan
From the late 1800's through WW-II including the Great Depression, people have relied on gardens in yards and empty lots to feed the hungry and provide useful work for the unemployed. I have seen statistics that stated 44% of all fresh vegetable production in the USA during World war II was produced by over 20 million Victory Gardens.
It is time to consider the use of these techniques as part of the domestic Social Welfare programs, as a supplement and support of the Food Stamp program.
In the Depression-era in California, some interesting local economics occurred. Two organizations called the UCRO and the UXA employed millions in a "credit-for-hours-worked" form of local economies. Additional information can be found here: http://www.yesmagazine.org/article.asp?ID=1464 . Coupled with Relief Gardening and the Obama economic platform, there is a good possibility of starting something refreshing and less prone to ggreed and fraud in the US and elsewhere.
Historically, however, the business and political classes have wotked to undermine such efforts through economic policy of the State. This needs to be guarded against and prevented. The use of such programs, integrated with Federal programs to rebuild infrastructure, could well spell a faster and more secure economic recovery in the U.S. - which could then lead to a global recovery.
Some of the opportunities present in today's environment that were lacking during the Depression are the advent of the Internet, complete with wide-open and fast-reaching social media. Public discourse and information-dissemination is no longer one-way, far from it.
It may be possible to create an entirely new global economy that values innovation and labor while limiting incentives to get greedy and take more than a given party needs.
Dan
Sunday, January 04, 2009
My favorite spiritual magazine...
...is Sacred Hoop Magazine.
This magazine is British, published in the UK. It has the utterly wonderful quality of keeping its articles cohesive from start to finish, instead of scattering parts of the article all through the magazine in a vain attempt to force readers to view ads. In fact, I think I look at more of the ads, because I'm not frustrated trying to find the continuation of an article I'm enjoying while not losing the place in the magazine where the article left off and the next one begins.
The subject matter is:
SHAMANISM - HEALING - DREAMING - MYTHS - CEREMONIES - SACRED LIVING
This is a wonderful Earth-based spirituality of a gentle nature, respecting the interconnectedness of all life on Eart, and indeed, throughout the multi-verse.
This magazine is British, published in the UK. It has the utterly wonderful quality of keeping its articles cohesive from start to finish, instead of scattering parts of the article all through the magazine in a vain attempt to force readers to view ads. In fact, I think I look at more of the ads, because I'm not frustrated trying to find the continuation of an article I'm enjoying while not losing the place in the magazine where the article left off and the next one begins.
The subject matter is:
SHAMANISM - HEALING - DREAMING - MYTHS - CEREMONIES - SACRED LIVING
This is a wonderful Earth-based spirituality of a gentle nature, respecting the interconnectedness of all life on Eart, and indeed, throughout the multi-verse.
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