I consider myself extremely fortunate to be living in Vancouver, BC for many reasons, but one of the main ones is the extremely active Ubuntu group here. Some of you may have noticed in my last post about Ubuntu that after I installed the latest release called Karmic Koala, I immediately got a warning that my hard-drive was failing and I was able to update my hardware without loosing any info–a very smooth switch, unlike many I have been through. Shortly after getting my computer upgraded the Vancouver Ubuntu group hosted a Support Saturday, and I took my computer with a bunch of questions down to get some help.

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I first came across soapnuts when I was living in Myanmar/Burma in 1999. I was working at a remote hotel on the shore of the mystical Inle Lake in Shan State. My oven was made from a large barrel and was wood-fired, whenever the kitchen staff noticed me making a move to try to get the fire under the oven going myself, they would quickly send the kitchen’s expert fire-maker to take over. They had already learned the hard way that they would be completely smoked out of the kitchen if they let me attempt it myself.

The staff at the Inle Princess Resort were really a fun bunch of people, we would go to the five day farmer’s markets early in the morning and stuff ourselves with treats of fried Shan tofu and cups of sweet, strong and delicious Burmese tea, on the walk home the girls would always amaze me with their taken-for-granted knowledge of nearly every plant and it’s medicinal benefits that we passed by. They would rave to me about the wonders of the traditional Burmese shampoo. The next time we were at the market they showed me bags hanging from strings full of a yellowish liquid with these soapnuts, tamarind pods and various other herbs in them. I gave it a try and was soon a convert. Although the shampoo didn’t suds up quite as much the shampoos I was used to, my hair was soon gleaming with a healthy shine.

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When I first heard of open-source I couldn’t believe my ears, the whole concept thrills me to bits. It is very timely, and similar to the myth of Prometheus when he stole fire from the gods, and brought it down for mankind in a fennel stalk. This time the tool of assistance for humanity is something that has been co-created through cooperation and free will. When I first heard about using Linux it was 2006 and I was still using my mom’s old notebook made in the 1980s. It was a real dinosaur, but at least it was still working and portable. I had about 4 batteries for it, but none of them held a charge and finally they all gave out.

I did a bit better this time round. My mom gave me her old computer again this year. I was really in luck, because she had just gotten it a couple years ago in S. E. Asia, all the software was pirated and it soon crashed. It was a perfect candidate for the new Ubuntu 9.0.4 that had just been released and suddenly I was back in business with the flashiest computer I have had since I got my PowerBook 165c in 1993.

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We grew up on some of the best water in the world, it was definitely the tastiest. As a matter of fact, my sister stopped drinking water when she left PNG, she says nothing comes close to that sweet rain-water and its just too much of a let-down to drink any other! We lived in a village 6,000 feet high in Papua New Guinea. We had three huge water tanks behind our house that collected rain water. Every morning and evening each of us kids had to do 200 pumps, by hand, to get the water to the water tank on the roof of our house so that we could have running water indoors. We also had a solar panel to heat our water, since we didn’t have electricity.

Recently we watched the documentary Blue Gold: World Water Wars, which everyone must see. Water must remain a basic right. Affordable clean water is a common property of all humanity, animals and plants. Recently the information about bisphenol A and how it is leaching into water from the plastic bottles that have become all the rage has put the focus back on public water and the cleanliness of that supply. Around the world countries are taking fluoride out of their public water and it has also been found that high levels of pharmaceuticals — statins, birth control, antibiotics, prozac — you name it are in our drinking water.

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I’ve been using soapnuts for just about everything lately. They are especially handy for doing laundry. All you have to do is tie up 5 berries in a muslin or net bag and toss it in with your laundry. I like to add a few drops of musk oil, and a bit of hydrogen peroxide to remind me of the perfumed laundry soaps I have grown up with. One bag of five soapnuts will be able to wash about 5 loads of laundry, or more, just keep an eye on your soapnuts, and as they break down you can add some more.

I also found that you can make them into a liquid detergent which I have described and detailed in my Cradle to Cradle Dish-washing instructable. This liquid can also be used for washing out the fridge, cleaning tables, the floor or anything else that need cleaning. It can be used for shampoo and as a spray for house plants to help to protect them from insects or fungus.

I also have found that keeping a bag of soapnuts in the toilet tank will help to keep the toilet smelling fresh and keep it clean.

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Published in Far West Almanac July, 2009. Follow-up to the article: For Generation X Eyes Only.

Any political, economic, theological, or philosophical system that in practice rewards production over life is illegitimate because, tautologically enough, it does not value the lives of its citizens over the needs of production. Such is sufficient to define illegitimacy. No other measure is needed.

Derrick Jenson — A Language Older Than Words -p368-369

By now it will have sunk in good and deep that my previous proposal to stage a debt repayment strike for just one month in September (09/09) ] is impractical unless enough people get involved so that we cannot be ignored. Otherwise simply not paying a debt for a month will result in late charges, bouncing checks and other never-before-heard-of fees. For the first people throwing off this yoke of debt and refusing to be suckered by the Currency Controlling Witch-Doctors of the Apocalyptic Future its gonna have to be all or nothing.

Anyone considering such a step needs to think long and hard about their options. This is not the easy way out of your debt. It is a much harder road to take and will demand much personal sacrifice. For those who owe J.P. Morgan Chase, for example, feel no guilt for refusing to pay this debt. Realize it may be necessary to stop paying the debt permanently, and that this will most likely result in garnished wages and a bad credit history.

When considering such a drastic step, be aware that there are many ways to deal with this issue. Many people are having success by negotiating lower payments for bills and debts. Such alternatives are better options for people with kids or health conditions. For those of us who understand that we are at war with these bankers and don’t want to give them another cent, it is time to consider more direct action.

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After waiting for residency for more than a year, wondering how much longer I would be an illegitimate person was starting to wear on me. But, as they say, when the planets are in line everything falls into place. The full rose moon of June 7th, 2009 was such a day. I finally got my Canadian residency so that night I planted 13 Hidasta Shield Figure Pole beans (from The Cottage Gardener) to give my thanks to Vancouver, BC for welcoming and accepting us.

The previous year I had spent a lot of time walking the nearby streets admiring everyone’s fantastic gardens. I finally found the perfect spot on one of the Greenways of Vancouver. No one was using it, it got good sun and was just by a sky-train and rail-road tracks so it seemed a perfect spot. There is a lot more space available in this area, although much of it is under the tracks and wouldn’t get any rain.

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Yogurt has been with us since mankind was nomadic, the wild Huns lived on fermented mare’s milk and conquered the world. It is very easy to make and is high in vitamin C and homemade probiotics.

In this video we use raw goat’s milk from our local farm and demonstrate various ways to incubate the yogurt. I have found the best method is to use an airplane blanket. They retain heat amazingly well.

This post is part of the Natural Cures Tuesday BlogCarnival run by www.hartkeisonline.com, please stop by her site for up to date information on what is going on with raw milk.

Follow this link for detailed instructions on the in’s and out’s of yogurt-making.

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Instructables had a competition called United States of Efficiency. There are some really cool low cost easy ways to save all kinds of energy.

My favorite is the incredible recycled solar oven, made from an old satellite dish and used CDs. Following in close second is the Hay Slow Cooker, which was invented in Holland around 1900.

Recently I have become a convert to the soapnut craze. I first noticed these little fruits in Burma/Myanmar where they use them in their traditional shampoo. Last year I discovered that their popularity has really grown in Western countries and now you can spend top dollar on powdered soapnut laundry soap and other commercial products. The best way to use these berries from all perspectives is to simply use them as is in your laundry, or to make them into laundry detergent (see below). Powdered soapnut berries are not really a viable product and anything that has things added to it to make the shelf life longer is a step in the wrong direction. Follow this link for more practical information about soapnuts, how to use them and links to various online stores in various countries.

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Printed in Far West Almanac May 2009

To organize work in such a manner that it becomes meaningless, boring, stultifying, or nerve-racking for the worker would be little short of criminal; it would indicate a greater concern with goods than with people, an evil lack of compassion and a soul-destroying degree of attachment to the most primitive side of this worldly existence.

‘Buddhist Economics‘ by E.F. Schumacher in Small Is Beautiful: Economics as if People Mattered.

One of the tactics of the Nazis to keep people thinking they had control in the face of tyranny was to give them a nonsensical choice. When faced with two choices, we have three possible actions. Choose one or the other or none at all.

It is a huge relief that we no longer hear the psychobabble about Generation X that we grew up with – how we are such an apathetic bunch and whatnot. Generation X came to age in a time when the slippery double-talk that underlies every aspect of our society – media, religion, education, health, politics, psychotherapy, food, music – was coming to its peak. Throughout our lives we have intuitively felt that there is something very twisted about the world we have been given. It has finally become obvious to everyone that the hypocrisy and greed this double-talk attempts to obscure is carrying us quickly towards destruction. The maps our grandparents and parents followed so devotedly are faulty. We have seen George Orwell’s books Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty-Four play out on our world stage.

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