Green Wizardries: Less

January 4, 2024

I read a lot of the works of the American philosopher and essayist, John Michael Greer. One of his essays was on LESS which is an acronym for less energy, stuff and stimulation. Mr. Greer proposes this as a way forward into the resource constrained world we all live in.

For example, we are having a lot less rain in this province and I was chatting with a friend who has moved to Alberta some months ago and she told me it had only snowed three tiny skiffs of snow since she has been in Edmonton. I asked if it had rained and it has not.

The Albertans, and we happy few in B.C., look to be going into a year of severe drought. We will be hit with higher electricity prices because there will simply be less electricity to go around. To meet demand, B.C. will have to import electricity from away and that will be more expensive than generating our own.

We all use a lot more power and water when the electricity is on than we do in a power outage. This demonstrates that we can get by using less water, which we will probably need to conserve, and less power that many of us will not be able to pay for. Conservation of power and water will be the best option for many people.

This need not make life unpleasant. Using LESS is something I have been practising for years now and I find myself happier and less harassed than when I had too much going on. Sitting in a quiet house, reading a book by candlelight is very soothing and candlelight does not trick the brain into thinking it is daytime; electric light does and it makes it hard for many people to sleep if they are exposed to electric light in the evening.

We have some nights where we use no electricity at all and we call these Dark Nights. Such a night is very pleasant and soothing and our friends who come to visit from the city often ask for a Dark Night. This can mean board games by candlelight, singing, chatting, having a sauna all without using electricity. Candle lanterns are very handy for such nights and for power outages of course. It is fun to go for a walk in the dark winter nights, illuminating our way with simple candle lanterns.

If we never had electricity again, I would miss it but we can all probably think of simple ways to use less power.

Something else I have been experimenting with is reducing the amount of pharmaceuticals I use to control my asthma. I have been able to reduce the amount of steroid drugs I take by about 80%. My reasons for wanting to do this include saving money, not trusting the pharmaceutical industry at all and because I suspect the steroids of damaging my adrenal function.

To do this, I had to change my behaviour and really not eat anything I am allergic to such as cheese which is a favourite food. People tend to crave the foods they are allergic to. I have to be more careful about going into houses where people keep pets. I even have to avoid going to parties because most of the people I like to socialize with keep pets in their homes and I have an allergic reaction to the pet hair on their clothes. So, there are trade offs with each change.

Less stimulation is also something I am working on. I used to follow the news and political analysis until the tragic occurrences in Israel commenced last fall. I have lived in Israel several times and used to work on a Kibbutz and a couple of different Moshavs.

I like the Israelis and I like the Palestinians. It breaks my heart to see the carnage in Israel and Gaza. I can do nothing but pray for peace to break out. So, now while I am working inside the house doing something boring like washing the dishes, I listen to Gardeners’ World. This BBC TV production had its first season in 1968. 2024 will be its 55 season so it has great staying power. I find episodes on Youtube. You can watch a whole episode without anything bad happening and the camera work is stunning.

The less stuff in LESS is the easiest to deal with. I look at the thing I meant to mend and if it has been on my desk for more than three months, I am clearly not going to mend it so out it goes. I am forever keeping things because they will be useful but really, they just take up room in drawers so anything I find I have not been using also gets chucked out. The best way to achieve less stuff is to not buy more of it. The less resources we use, the less harm we do to the Living Earth.

Opposites Attract News pt.1

January 4, 2024

Letter to the Editor – Bob Whitehouse

January 4, 2024

I was so sad to read the article by S.W Simpson regarding their medical problems. My experience was just the opposite. I have 2 very bad and painful knees, and Dr. Taylor recommended cortisone shots. After getting the prescription I went to the clinic but Dr. Taylor was away so I got Dr.Villanueva who refused to do the injection. Her policy was “ if it won’t cure the problem , learn to live with the pain” The following week Dr. Taylor did it and I was able to golf again pain free. Now I am 87 years old and of course have other health issues which Dr. Taylor has addressed and has been a great help to me. I find her to be very knowledgeable and shows great empathy to me as a patient. We are lucky to have her as our doctor on this island. I honestly hope that S.W. Simpson can find the health care they need in one of the many clinics on Vancouver Island or a family doctor in the Courtenay area.

Bob Whitehouse

New Year Cartoon

January 4, 2024

New Year

January 4, 2024

New year

by Mr. Unknown

We’re here

The new year

Crack a beer

Have no fear

New memories are here

They will sear

Now let’s cheer

With a peer

Did you hear?

The new year!

Angled – January 4th, 2024

January 4, 2024

Rear End Kiss

December 28, 2023

Our Denman bumper stickers read, “Coexist” and “Keep Denman Weird”, and we celebrate community and all the benefits of the multitude of non-profit organizations and small town generosity of spirit. We demand diversity and inclusiveness and respect for marginalized identities inside and out of our community, as we well should. We oppose violence, especially when targeted at those living in the margins of class or identity. When conflict sometimes arises, most of us would prefer dialogue and private reconciliations. And most of us would prefer that the divisions that appear from time to time, be met in a private process. Some of you post “No Space For Hate” memes on social media, but apparently some space for hate is tolerated when it comes to smearing and bullying The Islands Grapevine (TIG) weekly community newspaper.

We’ve tried to reconcile this conflict from the very beginning of it. TIG has never claimed that the people we name in our reporting of the fractured relationship between tax funded agencies and TIG were bad people. In fact, in the case of the contractors of the Denman Island Bus Service, we see these people as valuable community contributors and talented people in their endeavours. Good people can do bad things. All of us, if we’re honest, have done something we deeply regret. We offer a forum in TIG to be critical of TIG, and we pay for the ink and paper and labour and mailing costs for the privilege of doing so. We were the ones to initiate private dialogue with the well meaning neighbours who have trespassed on us.

We reached out privately, to see if we could reconcile through receiving a public apology on social media, the place where our critics have taken to smearing us. And we’ve heard, “didn’t you already receive an apology?” No, not really. The response to our initial reporting was on social media, and an admission that the words chosen to express the concerns about TIG weren’t appropriate, but in that “apology” came further false accusations of TIG’s support for bigotry, claiming we’ve left marginalized members of our community in peril. Whatever anyone’s assessment of the facts, that isn’t an apology. The CVRD offered us a privately mediated process of resolution and we agreed to it, while the other central players in this conflict did not. All the while, we are accused of being “bullies” who are attacking upstanding people, and being “divisive.”

TIG has experienced a loss of reputation, a loss of revenue, and TIG’s publisher was improperly removed from two DenmanWorks Economic Enhancement Society positions, all the while with community leaders of non-profit agencies continuing to disparage TIG on social media, calling for the withdrawal of publicly funded advertising, and cheerleading for the cancellation of TIG, it’s jobs, and its weekly promotion of every community interest and economic enhancement on Denman Island. And WE’RE accused of being bullies and of being divisive? If you attempt to destroy your neighbour’s livelihood, they will defend themselves from these bullying and divisive tactics. TIG’s publisher has been the only party to this conflict who has been served any consequences, unjust as they are. And all the while, the community leadership is on social media smearing TIG, and expressing the pretence of the high ground of moral authority.

TIG and its contributors are enthusiastic supporters of the Denman Bus, and all the cooperative initiatives that we share, and we’re happy to see that some people are being compensated for their time and their dedicated contributions. We believe these publicly funded agencies should operate with more transparency and accountability, by communicating with Denman residents more clearly and thoroughly. Most residents aren’t well informed about these agencies, and many of us are tired of the lack of transparency and accountability, never mind the vacant “consultations.” It won’t take much effort to improve these measures.

In the meantime. TIG isn’t going anywhere, and we are growing our circulation and our value to advertisers, listening to community input on content curation, and continuing the redevelopment and expansion of our online presence, theislandsgrapevine.com. No one is required to read The Islands Grapevine, nor advertise within it. But no one has the right to smear us with false accusations and then use their publicly funded position and tax resources to attempt to destroy our weekly community newspaper, because you’ve read a letter to the editor that you found to be insensitive, or wrong minded. We won’t allow ourselves to be intimidated by a live reenactment of Lord of the Flies, and the cries of, “Kill Piggy!”

Diversity of opinion is a crucial part of coping with these extraordinary times of change, social and economic pressures, and in considering the best practices of supporting the food, housing, warmth, and the common needs of our neighbours living in those margins. The Islands Grapevine stands with, and for these values, honestly and sincerely. If you have a concern, a critique, a disagreement, a question, or some unsolicited advice, send us a letter, or better yet, invite us for coffee and a chat. See you in 2024.

The Revolution’s Promise

December 28, 2023

“The 3^rd Intifada will be a cultural one”. (Juliano Mer-Khamis)

On December 2^nd, we held the Canadian premiere of The Freedom Theatre (Jenin)’s dramatic reading of The Revolution’s Promise on Hornby Island. Since its inception a year ago, this powerful presentation has been offered in 12 countries. It tells the story of The Freedom Theatre, located in Jenin Refugee Camp, West Bank, Occupied Palestinian Territories, Israel- Palestine. It also tells the personal stories of five Palestinian artists and three directors of cultural centres in the West Bank & Gaza.

Writer Zoe Lafferty conceived this project together with The Freedom Theatre. Each person who speaks was interviewed separately, without knowing who else was being interviewed.

Interviewee’s perspectives, thoughts, and ideas are solely their own. Other text is from material available online. The project is a fund-raiser for The Freedom Theatre, who right now are under seige from the Israeli military. Often called “Little Gaza”, Jenin has long been a place of resistance to Israeli occupation. Most of its inhabitants are, or descend from, refugees from Jaffa who were dispossessed in 1948 to make room for the new state of Israel.

Today The Freedom Theatre continues, despite recent attacks, destruction of its property, and arrests of its key people by the Israeli military, one of whom (General Manager Mustafa Shata) remains in prison at this time. Jenin Refugee Camp is seeing invasions every few days during the current war against Palestinians. The war is not only being conducted in Gaza. This year for the first time, Apache helicopters and Hellfire missiles have been fired on the Camp from the air; generally invasions occur on the ground. The current attacks are the worst that have occurred in Jenin since 2002. Since 7^th October, 78 people including children have been killed by the Israeli army in Jenin Camp alone (www.cbc.ca. 16th December).

Traditionally, and especially right now, The Freedom Theatre works with traumatized children in the Camp (population 23,000 in .42 sq.km.), using theatre and art to help them grapple with their current reality: life in a war zone.

Our cadre of 13 performers read the parts of the artists from the Theatre and others in the West Bank & Gaza, followed by coffee, tea, desserts and an audience discussion. The piece is so powerful, even those of us who knew the script were deeply moved to hear it performed. Our charismatic cast ranged in age from 15-83, and several had never performed in theatre before. Many of our readers strongly identified with their character, recognizing that each of them is embodying a real person, now under house arrest, now in jail, now gone, for the crime of cultural resistance. This performance honours and celebrates the power of art as resistance. https://youtu.be/BdRy-N3IP5Y?si=QYFh4qJUUtTAnXUB.

We on these islands know the power of culture, of music, art, & theatre to influence. Creative work speaks to people at a level rational approaches can’t reach. Such is the value of these stories, we’re hoping to present our project again on Hornby in January and then some of us go on tour: first stop – Denman! Onward to a New Year, all good wishes to everyone. May we work

with our conflict, learn its lessons, turn away from warfare and find common cause in restoring our humanity and repairing our environment.

Shucking Oysters: Looking Back

December 28, 2023

It’s been an interesting ride this past year. Global unrest. Severe weather events. People randomly unraveling. Others lashing out. We live in a chaotic world. How to describe these times? The Terrible Twenties. The Age of Unhingement. The Assholocene. Each one captures the nuances of our lives. The tragedy of our follies. The messiness of our actions. Yet, as New Yorker writer, Kyle Chayka wrote, “There is something paradoxical about trying to pin a name on an age characterized by extreme uncertainty.”

While we harbour concerns where Artificial Intelligence will take us, Chayka challenged ChatGPT to come up with a better term for these complicated times. Here are the offerings: The Epoch of Disarray. The Resilience Renaissance. The Algorithmic Ascendancy. The results don’t quite capture the holistic angst of this era. Chayka cautions that “a linear, finite period of historical time may be an outmoded framework for our current reality—in which case, the scariest part would be that it doesn’t require a name at all. We just have to live through it.” Is that not what already happens? Celebrate because we survived yet another year?

In the meantime, TIME magazine has named Taylor Swift person of the year. The other contenders were the Hollywood strikers (the union, not some obscure bowling team), Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI (the company behind ChatGPT), Barbie, and King Charles III. Taylor is one of a rare breed of celebrity who makes all her money from her concerts, music, merchandise and films. Not only did she hit the billion dollar mark she also gave over $55 million in bonuses to her touring crew. And she’s only 34 year’s old.

Every year Google releases its top searches, which provide an interesting glimpse into the human psyche. We Canadians, as always, are interested in global stories, from what happened to Kleenex, to the Titan submersible and the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict.

Operated by OceanGate, the submersible imploded in June during an expedition to view the wreck of the Titanic off the coast of Newfoundland. Following the Titan submersible accident, we asked, “How deep is the Titanic?” Canadians also questioned “why,” “how” and “what” on a range of topics in an effort to learn more, including “why is Israel-Hamas at war?” and “what is happening in Israel-Gaza?”

Kleenex topped headlines after the tissue brand pulled their product from shelves across Canada in August. Many people were searching for “why” the company was leaving the country. The move makes Kleenex just the latest in a long line of well-known consumer products to pull out of Canada in one form or another in recent years, including Bugles snack chips, Skippy peanut butter and Delissio frozen pizza.

Following King Charles’ coronation in May, Canadians were curious as to “how old” he is (75). “Why Gwyneth Paltrow is in court,” “why did Justin Trudeau and Sophie Gregoire Trudeau divorce” and “why the air quality is bad,” were other top questions.

Globally, Bibimbap was the top trending recipe. In the US, many consumers spent 2023 asking why eggs, Taylor Swift tickets ($456) and sriracha bottles were so expensive.

As we wave goodbye to 2023, we really have no idea how 2024 will play out. Huge elections are pending worldwide with major repercussions. There’s little doubt about Vladimir Putin’s “planned president-for-life status in his fig-leaf re-election campaign.” And dear Donald Trump, if he is elected, we have our legitimate fears; if he is not, he’ll still wreak havoc. Biden, sorry, you’re old. Many unknowns and one can only assume that things will get worse in the climate/weather realm.

There is always a silver lining. Pantone announced its 2024 colour of the year: Peach Fuzz, “a velvety, gentle peach whose all-embracing spirit enriches mind, body and soul.” For Laurie Pressman, vice-president of the Pantone Color Institute, Peach Fuzz represents, “at a time of turmoil in many aspects of our lives, our need for nurturing, empathy and compassion.”

Benjamin Moore’s colour of the year, with a “depth and intrigue balanced by an undercurrent of reassurance,” is Blue Nova. Featuring an “enchanting duality,” the colour captures “the spotlight with endlessly classic appeal.” Or perhaps, Upward, a “breezy, blissful blue” that Sherwin-Williams has chosen for its 2024 colour of the year. The paint company enthuses that this palette is a “sunny-day shade for spaces brimming with positive energy, creative thinking, and total contentment.” I would recommend Peach Fuzz in the bathroom, Blue Nova in the kitchen, and Upward in the bedroom.

Yes, Virginia, it will be a ride; just make sure to buckle up and instead of always pressing the brake, try taking your foot off the gas.

How the Hell Did We Get Here?

December 28, 2023

Listen to a reading of this article (reading by Tim Foley):

We could have been so much more. We have the ability to create a healthy and harmonious world and collaborate to give everyone on earth everything they need, and instead we’re killing the biosphere while arguing about whether or not it’s anti-semitic to oppose an active genocide.

We could have peace on earth and move from competition-based systems to collaboration-based ones to maximize our creative and innovative potential and spend our existence exploring the outer universe and the universes within ourselves, and instead we’re ramping up brinkmanship between nuclear-armed states and arguing about whether or not it’s ethical to rain military explosives on a giant concentration camp full of children.

We have the technology to let every scientist on earth share ideas and information with each other around the world in real time in any language, and instead we’ve fractured scientific development into atomized little echo chambers of closely-guarded secrets in the name of profit generation and “national security”.

How did we get here? How were we duped into trading paradise on earth for this lunatic dystopia? How did we allow ourselves to give up everything our species has the capability to be in exchange for this nightmarish paradigm of endless ecocide and exploitation and oppression and war and militarism?

Near as I can tell, it’s ultimately because our species evolved these massive brains very quickly which we still haven’t learned how to use in a mature way, like a kid learning to ride a bicycle right after the training wheels have been removed. This has allowed us to dominate the planet while still ourselves being dominated by primitive fear-based impulses which were much better suited for our early evolutionary ancestors as they strived to survive the dangerous plains of Africa as small prey animals.

We develop egos in early childhood to help us feel safe and secure in a confusing world full of giants, which most of us go on to use in highly maladaptive ways throughout the remainder of our lives. Our psychology is riddled with cognitive biases, which the clever manipulators among us can use to dupe us into mass-scale behavior which benefits them rather than behaving in a way which benefits each other and our ecosystem.

The most clever of these manipulators are able to use their cleverness to rise to the top of our political, governmental, commercial and financial systems around the world, and they use increasingly sophisticated methods of propaganda to dupe the rest of us into moving in alignment with their will. And their will is not wise or intelligent; it’s driven by the same primitive fear-based impulses that the rest of the humans trapped in egoic consciousness are driven by.

So here we are. That’s why we now find ourselves in this profoundly dysfunctional civilization where the biosphere is treated like an enemy and human beings are treated like fuel and minds are being marinated in an increasingly vapid mainstream culture where everything is fake and stupid. That’s why we don’t have paradise on earth, and that’s why the bombs are falling on Gaza today.

But it is just a phase. A kid who’s learning to ride a bike doesn’t remain on wobbly wheels forever. Eventually we’ll get the hang of this thing. Eventually we’ll grow into these giant new brains of ours and become a conscious species.

Assuming we don’t wipe ourselves out first, of course.

My work is entirely reader-supported, so if you enjoyed this piece here are some options where you can toss some money into my tip jar if you want to. Go here to buy paperback editions of my writings from month to month. All my work is free to bootleg and use in any way, shape or form; republish it, translate it, use it on merchandise; whatever you want. The best way to make sure you see the stuff I publish is to subscribe to the mailing list on Substack, which will get you an email notification for everything I publish. All works co-authored with my husband Tim Foley.