The famous John Steward catching up on some thinking. Read more!
05 June 2005
Me outside of the Marcuse Dance Studio where we had a great catered meal provided by choices market... Mmmmm good. Read more!
Watching the PI reporter jot some notes down. (She was doing this the whole time Gord spoke!) Read more!
Listening to bit more about the city trip we are about to go on. People from Allied Arts, the PI, Vulcan and SDOT are all pictured here. Read more!
These are all various shots from the developing the walkable city tour that we took of Vancouver on 06.03.05. Read more!
Feet First Developing the Walkable City
On Friday, the event that I have spent the last several months working on came to an end with a bash. Developing the walkable city was an event designed to take a group of developers, community members, government people, etc up to vancouver to see how a place like Vancouver develops itself into the community that it is today.
For me, I think the experience was different than most that went on the tour because I have more of a love for Vancouver than most any other city that I have lived in or visited more than a couple of times. To me, Vancouver represents the idea city. A little expensive, but also very user friendly.
Seattle, has the potential to be so much more than Vancouver in a number of ways, but the problem has always seemed to be the same--the people in charge of making decisions do not actually do so, politicians do not form together and set a list of common goals to move the city in a positive direction--instead, they seem to sit ideally by and let process take precidence over judgement.
Developers need to be lobbied by community leadership that will say that you can build smartly, the city will cooperate if you build with intellegent design. It is an interesting parellel to get involved in. Developers want to develop land to make money. Community leaders want smart developments that allow for a stronger community process to take place. Politicans want to make sure that process is followed and that the people are heard through their elected leadership. Seems easy enough on paper, but the difficulty is getting all the different people together to work out smart resolve. Going on this trip showed where the difficulty comes in and most of it comes from the personality and career angles. To be realisitic, developers are not going to listen to non-profits if they dont have to because they speak a different language. A developer would not mind building pedestrian friendly buildings if they were able to make more money and not have to deal with as much regualtion, but it seems as soon as people are ready to pay attention to developing smart projects, then everyone with a cause comes a knockin and it holds up the process.
What seems to need to happen is that a coalition needs to be formed that takes into account public input regarding proposals to the city to speed up their process. Once these two colloborate, the next step is to work with government to move process along.
Seattle needs to make some major changes downtown if it ever plans to grow.
I will be adding more to this in the future, but I am excited to add the pics and go riding today, so I must rap this up. Read more!
For me, I think the experience was different than most that went on the tour because I have more of a love for Vancouver than most any other city that I have lived in or visited more than a couple of times. To me, Vancouver represents the idea city. A little expensive, but also very user friendly.
Seattle, has the potential to be so much more than Vancouver in a number of ways, but the problem has always seemed to be the same--the people in charge of making decisions do not actually do so, politicians do not form together and set a list of common goals to move the city in a positive direction--instead, they seem to sit ideally by and let process take precidence over judgement.
Developers need to be lobbied by community leadership that will say that you can build smartly, the city will cooperate if you build with intellegent design. It is an interesting parellel to get involved in. Developers want to develop land to make money. Community leaders want smart developments that allow for a stronger community process to take place. Politicans want to make sure that process is followed and that the people are heard through their elected leadership. Seems easy enough on paper, but the difficulty is getting all the different people together to work out smart resolve. Going on this trip showed where the difficulty comes in and most of it comes from the personality and career angles. To be realisitic, developers are not going to listen to non-profits if they dont have to because they speak a different language. A developer would not mind building pedestrian friendly buildings if they were able to make more money and not have to deal with as much regualtion, but it seems as soon as people are ready to pay attention to developing smart projects, then everyone with a cause comes a knockin and it holds up the process.
What seems to need to happen is that a coalition needs to be formed that takes into account public input regarding proposals to the city to speed up their process. Once these two colloborate, the next step is to work with government to move process along.
Seattle needs to make some major changes downtown if it ever plans to grow.
I will be adding more to this in the future, but I am excited to add the pics and go riding today, so I must rap this up. Read more!
30 May 2005
Community Supported Ag
The Business of Food: CSAs for Singles
Health! Self-esteem! Romance! All just a carrot away!
Health! Self-esteem! Romance! All just a carrot away!
 Good, good for you, and pretty to boot. (Karen Steichen) |
Even if you eat out five days a week, you've probably at least heard about CSAs. Community- supported agriculture is a rapidly growing movement to directly connect local food producers with urban consumers through weekly shipments of what's freshest and best of the season. There are already more than 70 farms in Washington state shipping to subscribers, who pay either a lump sum or in installments through the season, thereby securing the farmers a guaranteed market and a fair price and assuring a supply of first-rate produce for buyers.
There's just one problem with CSAs, and it's a big one. Most such programs are designed for that statistically average family of four, and among urban households, that number's just not statistically average any more. We may be tempted when listening to friends who are members of a CSA rave about their weekly baskets overflowing with seasonal, organic, and local food that absolutely tastes better. But for a lot of us, a weekly overflowing basket is just too much food. How can singles successfully join the CSA movement?
"A lot of people ask me that question," affirms Matt Ewer, general manager of the Full Circle Farm, a 140-acre certified organic farm in Carnation. One solution's obvious: "Many single people will come in, share a box, and cut their cost." But sharing can be tricky, giving rise to misunderstandings and bickering. Full Circle offers another option: three different basket sizes— small, medium, and large—and a way for customers to skip a basket at any time.
Full Circle Farm, which operates year-round, offers a flexible membership program. Members can sign up for a week or a year, and everything can be done online. "Belonging to Full Circle's CSA is very easy and affordable because you pay by the box," explains Elizabeth Blessing, a single, 27-year-old nutrition educator and Full Circle Farm CSA member. "I tried to join another CSA once, and I just couldn't pay that bulk sum at the beginning of the season." A full-season subscription can run as high as $600 for a weekly family-of-four box. Full Circle's flexi-boxes, by contrast, run $25 to $45 per week, with every-other-week packages available as well.
"Basically, through technology, we have been able to make our program more accessible," says Ewer, referring to the Full Circle Web site that allows members to vary the size of their basket and its contents on a weekly basis. "Our program is based on customer flexibility."
Gerrie LaQuey, a 52-year-old single nurse and Pike Place Market Basket CSA member for four years, tackles the CSA quantity dilemma by canning, freezing, and drying her seasonal produce. The Pike Place Market Basket CSA program runs from June to October, but LaQuey eats the local produce year-round. "Be creative," says LaQuey. "The produce is too good not to join. Don't be daunted by the size—it may be a good opportunity to meet a neighbor or learn a new skill."
For some, sheer quantity turns out to be a nonproblem. Many first-time CSA singles report that they inevitably eat more fresh vegetables and end up feeling healthier. A.J. Lowe, a single UW employee and a Full Circle Farm CSA member for a year, noticed a dramatic increase in energy and has had no problems eating through her weekly basket. "I use every bit of the food up," she exclaims. "I have even started cooking with the radish greens and the leaves on top of carrots. I just love them!"
Though sharing has its hazards, many see it as a bonus. "One of the great things about this way of eating is that we are trying to encourage community," offers Michele Catalano, program manager of the Pike Place Market Basket CSA. "A lot of people share with other singles or other couples, and it's a great way to not isolate yourself at the grocery store. I always look at CSAs as a way to bring people together."
Tyler Kalberg, a single, 25-year-old Tacoma resident, joined Pike Place Market Basket CSA to support local farmers and expand his fruit and vegetable palette."I also really don't like to go grocery shopping," admits Kalberg, who is sharing his basket with a friend from work and her husband.
Single or not, it is hard to find an unhappy CSA member. With improved technology, basket sharing, and more than 20 CSA options to choose from in the Seattle area, joining the CSA movement is feasible and rewarding for those of us who live and nibble alone."I think that a single person benefits from CSAs in the same way that families do," offers Ewer. "CSAs take the middleman out. You get a better price from your food and a fresher product. The food also has a meaning behind it, which is to support local farms in your own community."
Read more!In Memorial
W stands for War.
For most people, this memorial day will be one of BBQ's, shopping and relaxation. Memorial Day weekend usually marks the beginning of the summer season, the change is weather and a moment to reflect on the people that work hard to keep our country safe from harm.
Well, this year I cannot help but feel a slight tinge of remorse for the soldiers that are fighting war that is not protecting our soil as the military markets their cause.
Men and women, most with little or no other opportunities enter the military as a way out of their lives here in America. However, now that this "war" takes more and more lives, recruitment of the armed forces is plummeting down, even in neighbourhoods that are overflowing with poverty. People would rather be poor than dead.
So, today, I am going to think of the poor of this country that gave their lives to a marketing effort that makes them feel like they are defending their country when they are just another dog tag in the United States ongoing Colional conflict....
Make sure to go out and spend your capitalist dollars today in honour of those that have fallen. I am sure the thousands of people killed since 911 in the name of war would like to munch down on an all beef hot dog as well. Read more!
For most people, this memorial day will be one of BBQ's, shopping and relaxation. Memorial Day weekend usually marks the beginning of the summer season, the change is weather and a moment to reflect on the people that work hard to keep our country safe from harm.
Well, this year I cannot help but feel a slight tinge of remorse for the soldiers that are fighting war that is not protecting our soil as the military markets their cause.
Men and women, most with little or no other opportunities enter the military as a way out of their lives here in America. However, now that this "war" takes more and more lives, recruitment of the armed forces is plummeting down, even in neighbourhoods that are overflowing with poverty. People would rather be poor than dead.
So, today, I am going to think of the poor of this country that gave their lives to a marketing effort that makes them feel like they are defending their country when they are just another dog tag in the United States ongoing Colional conflict....
Make sure to go out and spend your capitalist dollars today in honour of those that have fallen. I am sure the thousands of people killed since 911 in the name of war would like to munch down on an all beef hot dog as well. Read more!
25 May 2005
These are all shots of the rain storm that we had last week in Seattle. The view is from the office that I work at on 3rd Avenue. It is nice to look at these pictures given the glorious weather that we are having this week. Read more!
Memorial Day weekend, please come soon!!
So, this week has turned out to be a crazy one. Last week I was concerned that I was never going to find a job and now it seems that I have the right balance right now of work and time off to help with all the other things I need to accomplish in order to remain sane.
The job at full circle is fun and challenging and I hope it enganges me for the coming weeks. I also hope that some other options become available so that I have to weigh the benefits of this job--but for now, this is what I need to be happier. Organic food, positive thinking and assisting in the community that I live in, all things that fit in my directives, so I just need to consider those things as I try to find the perfect combination.
I just wish that jobs that you enjoy would pay more. It is tough for this farm to make it and their labour costs are out of control, so I understand why they don't pay and I think if I stick with it, I think it will. Besides that, the hours are great, except Saturdays are a working day, but that leaves my work week from the Monday blahs. Saturday is a good day to make some money and not be bothered and working close to the mountains will allow for some more leisure that I need more than most people because of my overall desire to be outdoors. Weight loss and exercise is now more than a priority for me and it seems like the time is going to made to where I am getting that done.
Heather is coming into town, so it will be good to see her and hang out. I have missed her company over the last several months and I think we have enough figured out that this weekend is just going to lead to having a good time together. It is going to be rare when we will have the chance to spend this time together so I want to make sure that I am on top of my game, so to speak.
Well, I must part now-- there is a lawn that needs to be mowed. Read more!
The job at full circle is fun and challenging and I hope it enganges me for the coming weeks. I also hope that some other options become available so that I have to weigh the benefits of this job--but for now, this is what I need to be happier. Organic food, positive thinking and assisting in the community that I live in, all things that fit in my directives, so I just need to consider those things as I try to find the perfect combination.
I just wish that jobs that you enjoy would pay more. It is tough for this farm to make it and their labour costs are out of control, so I understand why they don't pay and I think if I stick with it, I think it will. Besides that, the hours are great, except Saturdays are a working day, but that leaves my work week from the Monday blahs. Saturday is a good day to make some money and not be bothered and working close to the mountains will allow for some more leisure that I need more than most people because of my overall desire to be outdoors. Weight loss and exercise is now more than a priority for me and it seems like the time is going to made to where I am getting that done.
Heather is coming into town, so it will be good to see her and hang out. I have missed her company over the last several months and I think we have enough figured out that this weekend is just going to lead to having a good time together. It is going to be rare when we will have the chance to spend this time together so I want to make sure that I am on top of my game, so to speak.
Well, I must part now-- there is a lawn that needs to be mowed. Read more!
24 May 2005
Boxers or Briefs
Tired....
......must sleep
...................Mate is a day drink. Do not drink at night. You will sleep for about an hour and wake up and stay up all goddamn night.
I woke up this morning to find myself gripping my alarm that had been going off for 45 minutes. I went to sleep an hour before.
Sad.
It was also my first day of work, but I managed.
Tommorow, I am supposed to be there is 7 hours.
What the fuck am I doing?
Going to bed....
If you must read-- check out the first link on my links section--there is a nice short story I am working on there. It seems fun. Read more!
......must sleep
...................Mate is a day drink. Do not drink at night. You will sleep for about an hour and wake up and stay up all goddamn night.
I woke up this morning to find myself gripping my alarm that had been going off for 45 minutes. I went to sleep an hour before.
Sad.
It was also my first day of work, but I managed.
Tommorow, I am supposed to be there is 7 hours.
What the fuck am I doing?
Going to bed....
If you must read-- check out the first link on my links section--there is a nice short story I am working on there. It seems fun. Read more!
22 May 2005
The Matte'
Yerba Mate, or Mate as it is often called, is a South American herb that has won many admirers in wide-ranging parts of the world. In the search for a natural stimulant devoid of side effects and toxicity, Mate currently holds the most hope. An invigorator of the mind and body, a natural source of nutrition, and a health promoter par excellence, Mate deserves the attention of every person interested in optimum health. Yerba Mate was introduced to colonizing and modern civilizations by the primitive Guarani Indians of Paraguay and Argentina. It has seemingly always been the most common ingredient in household cures of the Guarani. In modern Argentina and Paraguay, however, Mate tea has become almost pathologically ritualized in a manner reminiscent of coffee and tea abuse in Western and Eastern countries. Among the native Guarani, on the other hand, the natural use of Mate for healthful purposes has persisted. They use it to boost immunity, cleanse and detoxify the blood, tone the nervous system, restore youthful hair color, retard aging, combat fatigue, stimulate the mind, control the appetite, reduce the effects of debilitating disease, reduce stress, and eliminate insomnia. Mate (flex paraguariensis) is an evergreen member of the holly family. It grows wild in Argentina, Chile, Peru, and Brazil, but is most abundant in Paraguay where it is also cultivated. The plant is classified vaguely, according to Western herbal medicine, as aromatic, stimulant, bitter, aperient (laxative), astringent, diuretic, purgative, sudorific (sweat inducing), and febrifuge (fever reducing). Mate contains numerous vitamins and minerals.
Read more!
Yerba Mate and the force part deux
No exciting pictures to go with the story, but what a nice weekend. Today I awoke a little hungover from the Rum and other substances trickling through my somewhat clogged arteries brought a little too early morning for the Hogg, but going back to bed was the sweetest feeling I could ever imagine.
I was awakened early in the afternoon with an invitation to go and see the latest Star Wars again which was about all I could muster for the afternoon. What a good film. Yes, it is a little boring the second time around, but you begin to notice the key elements of the film that you miss the first go round. At 2:15, I am amazed that I have managed to sit through it twice without so much as even wondering about the time. There is just so much going on in this one that there is really no time to think about the time wasted. The thing that I keep thinking about is how closely this latest film really makes you think about the power and control of the current political agenda of the Bush administration.
See the film and you will know what I am talking about.
My good friend, Paul Baker, soon to be noted scientist was in town due to some unfortunate circumstances. He flew directly in from Uraguay, where he was conducting a seminar that has to do with his research. He remembered that I spoke very highly of Yerba Mate' which is a green tea that the South Americans drink in huge quantities and he was presented with a very special leather Yerba carrier and decided that he would pick one out for me as well. This is better than any gift I have ever recieved from anyone coming back from a trip because I had requested one of these from many friends that have travelled to South America over the years. The one time that I did not know someone was going and he comes back with one. Thanks Paul--it means so much to me.
I will post some information about this great contraption some other time when I have time to write more about this miracle substance. It is just a tea with high doses of caffeine, but its all you need to get through the day.
It moments like these where you really cherish your friendships. I must correct myself--it ties with the best surprise gift I have ever recieved. The other one came from the great friend Jacobe, who found this huge bottle of Double Bastard and gave it to me for a new years present. That was also a welcome surprise which I will again eloborate more on when I have the time.
For now, it is simply time to smile about the weekend and think about the new gig beginning tommorow, working for full circle farm.. Time to deal with commuting to Carnation every day and working with Organic foods, which is just what I need for the next couple of months...
Ahhh, the working world. Read more!
I was awakened early in the afternoon with an invitation to go and see the latest Star Wars again which was about all I could muster for the afternoon. What a good film. Yes, it is a little boring the second time around, but you begin to notice the key elements of the film that you miss the first go round. At 2:15, I am amazed that I have managed to sit through it twice without so much as even wondering about the time. There is just so much going on in this one that there is really no time to think about the time wasted. The thing that I keep thinking about is how closely this latest film really makes you think about the power and control of the current political agenda of the Bush administration.
See the film and you will know what I am talking about.
My good friend, Paul Baker, soon to be noted scientist was in town due to some unfortunate circumstances. He flew directly in from Uraguay, where he was conducting a seminar that has to do with his research. He remembered that I spoke very highly of Yerba Mate' which is a green tea that the South Americans drink in huge quantities and he was presented with a very special leather Yerba carrier and decided that he would pick one out for me as well. This is better than any gift I have ever recieved from anyone coming back from a trip because I had requested one of these from many friends that have travelled to South America over the years. The one time that I did not know someone was going and he comes back with one. Thanks Paul--it means so much to me.
I will post some information about this great contraption some other time when I have time to write more about this miracle substance. It is just a tea with high doses of caffeine, but its all you need to get through the day.
It moments like these where you really cherish your friendships. I must correct myself--it ties with the best surprise gift I have ever recieved. The other one came from the great friend Jacobe, who found this huge bottle of Double Bastard and gave it to me for a new years present. That was also a welcome surprise which I will again eloborate more on when I have the time.
For now, it is simply time to smile about the weekend and think about the new gig beginning tommorow, working for full circle farm.. Time to deal with commuting to Carnation every day and working with Organic foods, which is just what I need for the next couple of months...
Ahhh, the working world. Read more!
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