If investment choices are shielded by limits on personal liability then money will spread in a speed directly proportional to the shielding of the individual’s liability… the less downside risk the faster the money spreads. Ergo, the more limited the personal liability the ‘faster’ money is, the more unlimited the personal liability the ‘slower’ money is.

In order to ‘slow money down’ our financial system requires personal financial accountability for each and every personal investment choice…

MAB THEORY: The Slowest Money = Unlimited Liability in EVERYTHING!!!

That’s my taxi-driver theory and I’m stickin’ with it!

The obvious frailty of our economic system in a time of declining fossil fuel availability seems to escape people, despite the evidence mounting everywhere. The power of natural systems to slowly overwhelm the man-made also seems to get by people somehow. I think that it will be necessary to begin changing the structures of belief– truly a job for poets, like Berry, who can peel away the layers of language that have brought us to the reification of….. what did the old cultures used to call it? False gods, golden calves? You know, that sort of thing. To focus people’s thoughts on what really matters, we somehow need to help them to tune out the distracting noise of fast money– a glittering casino that has loss writ large in its very design, but draws in the crowds via tinsel and ill-considered hopes just the same.

I live in California and some trends I’ve noticed include:

1) Farmers producing using methods that are “organic” or better than the organic guidelines specify, yet not getting certified due to cost or effort. I noticed that “organic xyz” is used in this post often, not to mean certified organic which is a great illustration of the muddying of certified organic and naturally grown methods that eliminate harmful pesticides etc. make for a better more marketable crop.

2) Shoppers waiting until the farmers’ markets are closing to get produce cheaply. On the one hand people say this prevents the farmers from dumping the leftover and enables those who might not have afforded the regular price to buy good food. On the other hand I worry that especially the smaller growers are not making enough income to sustain their farms.

3) This trend has been around for a few years but seems to be growing: Community foraging and harvesting for non-profits, for small food producers (e.g. jam makers) and personal use. This trend is particularly important as it builds community while eliminating waste from fruit trees and other vegetation. (And of course http://fallenfruit.org needs a mention here.)

I also want to note that WWOOF is not only for young farmers.

Have a slow New Year!

Susie