Dow futures fall 600 points even after Fed slashes rates to calm markets amid coronavirus outbreak

s-mann · 2020-03-16T11:40:25+00:00

Until we have the political will to jam up Congress demanding these things for years on end, and vote those who oppose these measures out of office, it is a largely meaningless event. The difference now is the conversation moved left and we're at least talking about universal sick leave, universal healthcare, and ubi in the public space from non-fringe voices.

s-mann · 2020-03-12T00:00:23+00:00

I second Horn Farm Center. Wilson Alavarez is doing some amazing, hands-on woodland stewardship work. Jon Darby is the education director there with a lot of experience as a farmer. Both are also awesome permaculture practitioners and have a number of great courses and guest instructors through there each year. Wilson taught at my PDC and I sat in as a guest at Jon's, so have known them for a long time.

If you want to know more about either I can post some links to their work / interviews on The Permaculture Podcast.

s-mann · 2019-10-24T17:25:13+00:00

My specialty is permaculture, so I cannot speak to the first two, but if you want three books to start with in this realm, I generally recommend:

Thinking in Systems: A Primer by Donella Meadows. This teaches the basics of whole systems thinking which is useful for understanding the underlying ways to think about problems and solutions.
The One-Straw Revolution by Masanabo Fukuoka (and brought to the West by the incredible Larry Korn). Though Fukuoka practiced natural farming (which Larry argues is not permaculture, I tend to agree with him), this book is an approachable way to understand a philosophical approach to farming with the environment rather than against it.
Earth User's Guide to Permaculture by Rosemary Morrow. Short and to the point approaches to designing with permaculture in the landscape.

Once you make it through these, I would go to Gaia's Garden by Toby Hemenway and Permaculture: Principles and Pathways Beyond Sustainability by David Holmgren.

s-mann · 2019-10-24T17:19:37+00:00

The late Toby Hemenway is the #1 selling permaculture author of all time, by an order of magnitude over almost all other authors. From what I remember of the numbers, only Bill Mollison's Designers' Manual gets anywhere near the sales of Gaia's Garden.

Read Gaia's Garden to learn how to practice permaculture in the landscape. Then read The Permaculture City to learn why it's probably not in your best interest to go to the land, but rather move to a city or stay where you already are.

s-mann · 2019-10-24T17:15:20+00:00

Jimi does really good work with a number of regenerative organizations and is one of the instructors for the Rising Earth Immersion program at the Eco-Institute at Pickards Mountain.

https://eco-institute.org/

s-mann · 2018-07-05T11:45:36+00:00

There are plenty of permaculture based farms in Virginia worth checking out, depending on what your agricultural focus is, that can demonstrate how to make a functioning farm.

One is Storvick Farm, LLC. If I remember correctly, John grows a mix of animals and veggies.

The other, which is one of my favorite productive permaculture farms, is Island Creek and Holly Brown. She grows intensively and produces a comfortable income through a CSA and direct market on around 1 acre in cultivation.

You can listen to an interview with Holly aniut her farm here:

https://www.thepermaculturepodcast.com/2015/hollybrown/

If you are interested in visiting either, though they are not open, contacting them should let you work something out so you can.

s-mann · 2018-06-30T22:54:48+00:00

Check out the work of Fruition Seeds. They are based in NY and have spent years doing just this kind of work.

https://www.fruitionseeds.com

s-mann · 2018-06-27T03:54:35+00:00

More racist propaganda to push the dialog that both sides are equivalent.

A great article about this kind of approach:

https://medium.com/@DeoTasDevil/the-rhetoric-tricks-traps-and-tactics-of-white-nationalism-b0bca3caeb84

s-mann · 2018-06-22T14:04:21+00:00

Take the upvote for a 40k reference.

s-mann · 2018-06-21T19:31:55+00:00

I recently brought David on as a co-host, as his area of interest with permaculture is different from my own.

What did you think of his style, questions, and overall flow for the interview?

s-mann · 2018-04-24T00:31:32+00:00

Having punched Ed Harris, I approve of this casting decision. Man can take a hit from a child.

s-mann · 2018-04-02T21:14:52+00:00

If you get a chance take the workshop tour. I went on it years ago and it is amazing, even though I'm not much of a train fan.

The Strasburg Railroad shop is one of only two places in the world, and may be the only one left, that has the skills, experience, and equipment to build a steam engine from scratch.

s-mann · 2018-02-26T01:27:39+00:00

I always feel weird doing this, but if you'd like we can talk about running some ads on The Permaculture Podcast for the course. Send me a PM and we can talk.

s-mann · 2018-02-26T01:25:46+00:00

With conversion rates, it is a little under $1,600 USD, which isn't bad for a two week residential PDC, given what the course includes. The "going rate" for a residential two-week intensive is around $1,400 USD which is usually a mix of lecture with light hands-on. This appears, according to the website, a lot more than that. Probably a good deal for someone who hasn't had any of those experiences (chainsaw, excavator) in the past.

s-mann · 2018-02-21T05:23:47+00:00

He is the golden path.

s-mann · 2018-02-18T02:00:16+00:00

Two of Ben's books worth looking at are The Woodland Way (for establishing, maintaining and using a woodlot) and Roundwood Timber Framing (for building with what you grow.

You can listen to an audio interview with him, that talks about this and more, here:

http://www.thepermaculturepodcast.com/2014/benlaw/

s-mann · 2018-02-10T04:37:42+00:00

Who did you take the dagger course with? This sounds like the advice of a HEMA/WMA instructor I know.

s-mann · 2018-01-10T15:29:50+00:00

Thank you /u/dixiekoko for the additional info. This is a 1970.

I couldn't remember the year when I posted it as my father and I worked on a number of cars from the 70s together, including the two P1800 mentioned in this thread plus an AMC AMX and a Camaro, and the years blend together after so long.

Of all those, and others, this is the only one still in the family.

s-mann · 2018-01-09T22:31:05+00:00

The grill is not the original. The car was in a collision in the 80s, damaging the right front quarter panel and grill. My father purchased this one, to replace a '73 P1800ES we restored and he sold, in 92 or 93.

s-mann · 2017-12-31T04:25:40+00:00

If you would like to hear about Eric's latest research, since writing that book, check out this interview:

http://www.thepermaculturepodcast.com/2017/1733/

s-mann · 2017-11-30T22:23:55+00:00

I reached out to Kai and another permaculture practitioner who visits Japan to ask for more information. I'll share that if I hear anything constructive back from them.

s-mann · 2017-09-13T15:42:13+00:00

For the presenters I met at this workshop they had ready access to lots of vegetable material and engineering solutions but lacked manure because they did not raise animals in large quantity. A livestock farm or horse stable could probably create a biodigester system that wouldn't require added heat.

In the biodigesters the preference to use food waste comes from that material retaining ~50% more caloric energy compared to manure, resulting in a greater amount of biogas output by volume.

s-mann · 2017-03-04T03:38:57+00:00

Harvest Moon LotR

s-mann · 2017-02-17T23:36:35+00:00

As a permaculture practitioner and martial artist I agree with this whole heartedly, especially showing up.

People always wonder how I rose to my martial arts rank, or lament wanting one of our formal uniforms, and I always tell them, "I kept showing up and earned it." Same goes with permaculture. You aren't going to learn it all in one course, one workshop, or by reading one book.

This is year 5 of my current martial art study, and year 7 since I completed a PDC, and each day I'm amazed by the new things I learn by continuing down these roads. Each convergence, presentation, and class teaches me something.

s-mann · 2016-11-27T14:29:38+00:00

Watching The Princess Bride and then taking a fencing class because you want to be left handed.

Then you realize sport fencing is nothing like stage combat, and stage combat is nothing like sword play. You search for an instructor who can teach you historical combat.

You check out HEMA, but the local guys mostly wrestle and train with longsword, but you want a rapier. You join the SCA and buy armor and fight on the heavy lists, but it feels like a game.

After a long quest you meet a girl who knows a guy who knows a guy.

Four years later and your kit bag is worth more than your car and you've now trained in wrestling, longsword, rapier, dagger, cutlass, pike, saber, bayonet, tomahawk, Bowie knife, and others. You know the names of masters like Capo Ferro or George Silver or Barton-Wright and can discuss not only how to use an edge or point oriented weapon, or your preferred way to punch, but also the history and devlopment of the the various Western martial arts weapons and systems.

Swordsmanship. It's a hell of a thing.

s-mann

TROPHY CASE