Community Organizing

          

While I was working this weekend I got the skinny on how the Ferry Service used community organizing to gain control of the boats. I was all excited to read about how it benefits communities then hear about how it benefitted ours! I will try to re-tell the story to the best of my ability. The ferries were at one time owned by a Greek philtopist who had no interest in the islands themselves, but sure did have an interest in money. In the early 80's this person ran the service in the hole financially, there was some corruption involved ending in bankruptcy. Although they had failed in a big way to provide service, they still wanted to keep it. Islanders weren't happy, the service was poor to begin with and this owner intended on raising rates substancially to make more money off it. Some islanders got together and finally made the plunge into court to try to gain ownership. They had no money, no money to buy boats or to be in business at all. They were able to get the services of an attorney who would only take a fee if they won. They had to show proof on paper that they had the funds to make this operation work where it had previously failed and that meant a LOT of money on paper. Big on their list was an effort to keep rates as economical as possible, something the courts did like but that doesn't help an already lacking business plan. They were again able to get a bank in Maine to offer to sell bonds and would back this unsold money on paper. WOW, so they had a free-ish- lawyer who believed in power of the people as well as a bank who did too! Well in the end they were able to kick the crook out, who was definately unable to show on paper they could make it go having had to file bankruptcy, and they were awarded official ownership. However, they still had no actual real money for boats. Until they were offered grant money to do so, yes more free, because they were non-profit. Wala, the ferries are still run by this group of islanders who banded together as a community to save what they initially felt was way out of their league. Big things do happen, baby steps do matter regardless of how big.
The toned down version is here:
 http://www.cascobaylines.com/about-us/history/

Garden Gangster

Well I'm not a blogger but I am a food guru of sorts. As a gal with Celiac disease (allergies to glutens including wheat) I'm very passionate about the food we are sold. I grew up on processed everything. I can't remember a meal that didn't have a boxed something or other in it's "recipe." Going on four years now I was diagnosed with this autoimmune disease and I feel it's linked to the foods I poisoned my body with all of my life up to then. That doesn't mean everyone get's sick, but with cancer #2 on the death list I choose for my family to keep off that roulette wheel as much as possible. If I could wave a magic wand I would eliminate high fructose (obesity rates sky rocketed after it's invasion) and msg from our food supply first. Old habits die hard, I'm not entirely out of the boxed foods but they don't contain any preservatives and while I don't steer away from chemicals in foods all together, it's maybe 10% of my diet. So I consider myself a gangster of sorts as well. I don't follow the typical American diet of easy and quick and fast anymore, even the evil Mc -word has wheat in their rotted upon production chemically infused french fries...this TED talk was entirely up my "alley." I could see myself out there doing a similar thing in my next home, if the only lawn is out front it will have food growing on it. Being a gal who grew up in a box of food, it's a work in progress with no need to draw boundaries around it. Kids are my big concern, with one in three a current or future diabetic I am greatly saddened at the lack of supportive nourishment available for too many children and adults. Big business has turned us into drones, who like robots, spend our hard earned dollars on crap food that hurts our bodies and makes more money for the other big business of prescrpiption drugs. I love the concept of gangster gardening. It is so true, when a kid is involved in the growing of the food they will want to eat it. WOW what a soap box, I guess you know something about me now and one way I would like to make a difference is with food...the Jamie Oliver of social work maybe.
:) 
If you want to know more about the food you eat watch Forks Over Knives or Food Inc., Supersize me is a fun watch too~

Forks Over Knives trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-OzTWY2J8E
Food Inc. trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5eKYyD14d_0
Supersize trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1Lkyb6SU5U


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Our World

Ok I'm not a blogger but here I am! I'm not a journal writer either and I do feel like both of these mediums help us process our "stuff" so really I should be doing this anyway. What stuck out for me this week was the video art project. I'm artsy, might not be a shocker, and I would love to come up with some kind of installation that involves emotion evolving. That's how I saw her wall, it was emotion evolving. What began as her grief, went to a place of community change. I have an interest in hospice social work so this project really meant something for me. Death is not something we are taught about in a way that involves beauty yet I saw this beautiful wall of emotion come from a place of death. Being a massage gal, I was taught that our body holds onto emotions and they materialize as ailments such as tight muscles. My personal response to the statement "before I die I want to" would be "be less anxious." Our society is so fast paced, it's work work work, deadlines this and that from bills to coursework. There is much to be anxious about, it's almost a race to death. I really try to live in the moment, but the world around me rejects that. Maybe that's a big reason why I enjoy my work in massage and with seniors, it's a time to be slow. That is probably a healthier response to the statement "be slower" versus "be less anxious" just looking at the word anxious can make you anxious reminding you of what you should be anxious about! Looking at "be slower" is an ahhhhhhh moment for me, I need to remind myself to just take it in, it's a good thing to slow it down. Installations like hers require you to be slow, to stop what you are doing and take it all in, I like that.