I would love to do the Threadable - that sounds awesome! But I don't have an Apple phone and the one I have is so small and unwieldy that it's probably a dealbreaker for something like this. If there's ever a version for PC computer I'll definitely consider.
Speaking of No Trespassing, I just came across a new book called Squatting and The State (O'Mahoney and Roarke, Cambridge Press) that looks kind of cool - maybe more law-centric than you're looking for but it discusses squatting as a form of soft resistance and some of the narratives that have come up around that. Haven't read it though.
"And I wonder with the bear spray in my purse and a mask against the smoke, where the balance is between preparing ourselves to walk in the world, and arming ourselves against the world."
Great line. I say pack the bear spray and take a walk. Regarding arms, where to begin...
>>"how simple it is, how easy. Just to do the small thing that’s a slight restraint on yourself but spreads benefit in all directions, including ones you might not be thinking of."
Hope for the next generation, right there - tiny acts of kindness that don't even register as "I'm doing a kind thing for other people", they're just an unspoken "why would I do anything else? That would just be awful." When thoughtfulness and respectful decency aren't even remarked upon because they're so commonplace, that's a good step in the right direction - and I think ( or maybe just hope) the kids know it, and are prepared to get it done.
I’m going to sidestep the outdoor freezer part of this. I appreciate you wrestling with the very real challenges of living with nature in a community where not everyone is of that mindset. I’m so lucky I don’t have to worry really about any predator big enough to harm me on my walks. Occasionally I see people on our neighborhood FB page freaking out over an owl or a coyote with no understanding those animals aren’t going to hurt them. Their precious tiny dogs shouldn’t be running around outside in the dark anyway.
I'm glad you brought up the freezer, Nia, because I put all the blame worth measuring on that person, and anyone still practicing such careless living in your wild/settled interface. As soon as he got into that freezer that bear was dead, and it's the fault of the person who left it there. As for shooting it, if it was with anything more lethal than a spitball, that he didn't then pursue it makes me wonder how much other game he's left uncollected along the way to filling the freezer in the first place. What an asshole. A family newsletter like yours precludes me from detailing what I'd like to see done to that guy, but at the least he should get a ruinous fine.
It's possible I'm too crabby today to be reading of such outrages but damn, these people, I tell you....
"Was he being too chill about it, or was the neighbor who shot at it too reactive?"
The neighbour was too reactive. A bear usually comes down from the national park during the driest parts of the summer (not this very rainy year) and raids the trashcans. People freak out some. My main issue is not managing to catch a picture of him (he knows the drill and he moves fast), and the fact that the little dog will watch to chase him off. (Said dog will happily chase off deer, cats, raccoons, ground hogs or anything else you can name, even if, like the deer, the thing outweighs him by 2-300 pounds.)
"So at what point does my safety, and the safety of my family, overrule what I think are lifestyle changes necessary for a livable future? "
'Art is whatever you can get away with.' Is the kid not old enough for a bike, and how well can the kid run? That really ought to decide the question.
"And I wonder with the bear spray in my purse and a mask against the smoke, where the balance is between preparing ourselves to walk in the world, and arming ourselves against the world." but also: "Who knows what kinds of circumstances would make me seek out the equivalent of these talismanic forms of protection that you have control over, whether a gun or a supplement.”"
(All though Pizzagate was a fusion of Jade Helm (which was mix of panic about the Oakland exercise, black helicopters, oh, and the North American Superhighway), and underlying Satanic Panic theory, which the usuals then changed up to make a rebranded version with QAnon which, in turn, is the Satanic Panic in an anti-elite form ... and now they're bringing back the old school version.)
As long as you're around houses, I wouldn't worry too much about the bear. People are always more of a problem than just about any wildlife.
"For something lighter, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists’ September issue is all about the high-tech surveillance state."
'We don't want that here'. I appreciate the article (will read), but we're the ones who invented the damn thing, and it turned on all over the US, just not in any official, accountable way.
"And if you ever played Sim City, you might have fun attempting to play Sim Nimby, where every time you try to build something, it just says, “No.”"
I owe you a response to the previous response on the previous post. 😁
elm
the lawn, something with the lawn, and something something with that war
I would love to do the Threadable - that sounds awesome! But I don't have an Apple phone and the one I have is so small and unwieldy that it's probably a dealbreaker for something like this. If there's ever a version for PC computer I'll definitely consider.
Speaking of No Trespassing, I just came across a new book called Squatting and The State (O'Mahoney and Roarke, Cambridge Press) that looks kind of cool - maybe more law-centric than you're looking for but it discusses squatting as a form of soft resistance and some of the narratives that have come up around that. Haven't read it though.
I suppose the world has always been complicated, but still... Glad you're all safe.
"And I wonder with the bear spray in my purse and a mask against the smoke, where the balance is between preparing ourselves to walk in the world, and arming ourselves against the world."
Great line. I say pack the bear spray and take a walk. Regarding arms, where to begin...
It's wonderful and sweet and sad and good what your daughter did, Nia. Perhaps there's a frisson of hope in this world.
I look forward to reading together!
>>"how simple it is, how easy. Just to do the small thing that’s a slight restraint on yourself but spreads benefit in all directions, including ones you might not be thinking of."
Hope for the next generation, right there - tiny acts of kindness that don't even register as "I'm doing a kind thing for other people", they're just an unspoken "why would I do anything else? That would just be awful." When thoughtfulness and respectful decency aren't even remarked upon because they're so commonplace, that's a good step in the right direction - and I think ( or maybe just hope) the kids know it, and are prepared to get it done.
Re. Threadable:
I.
Absolutely.
Cannot.
Wait.
I’m going to sidestep the outdoor freezer part of this. I appreciate you wrestling with the very real challenges of living with nature in a community where not everyone is of that mindset. I’m so lucky I don’t have to worry really about any predator big enough to harm me on my walks. Occasionally I see people on our neighborhood FB page freaking out over an owl or a coyote with no understanding those animals aren’t going to hurt them. Their precious tiny dogs shouldn’t be running around outside in the dark anyway.
I'm sure you know of the Swan Valley Connections; they are a great resource for preventing human/bear conflict.
https://www.swanvalleyconnections.org/swan-valley-bear-resources
Obviously, your neighbor with the freezer could learn something from them.
Also, Edmund Burke was a huge tool. Just saying!
I'm glad you brought up the freezer, Nia, because I put all the blame worth measuring on that person, and anyone still practicing such careless living in your wild/settled interface. As soon as he got into that freezer that bear was dead, and it's the fault of the person who left it there. As for shooting it, if it was with anything more lethal than a spitball, that he didn't then pursue it makes me wonder how much other game he's left uncollected along the way to filling the freezer in the first place. What an asshole. A family newsletter like yours precludes me from detailing what I'd like to see done to that guy, but at the least he should get a ruinous fine.
It's possible I'm too crabby today to be reading of such outrages but damn, these people, I tell you....
"Was he being too chill about it, or was the neighbor who shot at it too reactive?"
The neighbour was too reactive. A bear usually comes down from the national park during the driest parts of the summer (not this very rainy year) and raids the trashcans. People freak out some. My main issue is not managing to catch a picture of him (he knows the drill and he moves fast), and the fact that the little dog will watch to chase him off. (Said dog will happily chase off deer, cats, raccoons, ground hogs or anything else you can name, even if, like the deer, the thing outweighs him by 2-300 pounds.)
"So at what point does my safety, and the safety of my family, overrule what I think are lifestyle changes necessary for a livable future? "
'Art is whatever you can get away with.' Is the kid not old enough for a bike, and how well can the kid run? That really ought to decide the question.
"And I wonder with the bear spray in my purse and a mask against the smoke, where the balance is between preparing ourselves to walk in the world, and arming ourselves against the world." but also: "Who knows what kinds of circumstances would make me seek out the equivalent of these talismanic forms of protection that you have control over, whether a gun or a supplement.”"
The usual suspects are cranking up the Satanic Panic again: https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/internet/satanic-panic-making-comeback-fueled-qanon-believers-gop-influencers-rcna38795
(All though Pizzagate was a fusion of Jade Helm (which was mix of panic about the Oakland exercise, black helicopters, oh, and the North American Superhighway), and underlying Satanic Panic theory, which the usuals then changed up to make a rebranded version with QAnon which, in turn, is the Satanic Panic in an anti-elite form ... and now they're bringing back the old school version.)
As long as you're around houses, I wouldn't worry too much about the bear. People are always more of a problem than just about any wildlife.
"For something lighter, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists’ September issue is all about the high-tech surveillance state."
'We don't want that here'. I appreciate the article (will read), but we're the ones who invented the damn thing, and it turned on all over the US, just not in any official, accountable way.
"And if you ever played Sim City, you might have fun attempting to play Sim Nimby, where every time you try to build something, it just says, “No.”"
I owe you a response to the previous response on the previous post. 😁
elm
the lawn, something with the lawn, and something something with that war