This concludes the tour of the Charleston Food Forest. (See Part 1: Right Front. Part 2: Right Back, Part 3: Left Back.)
( Walk with me ... )
( Walk with me ... )
This continues the tour of the Charleston Food Forest. (See Part 1: Right Front. Part 2: Right Back.)
( Walk with me ... )
( Walk with me ... )
This continues the tour of the Charleston Food Forest. (See Part 1: Right Front.)
( Walk with me ... )
( Walk with me ... )
My partner Doug spotted this place recently, and today we explored the Charleston Food Forest and its plants. (See Part 2 Right Back, Part 3: Left Back, Part 4 Left Front, and What I'm Growing. Later we went back to harvest seeds on November 17.) It's a skinny rectangle, and not all that big. If you cut it in half and lined the halves up as a square, then it would fit in a typical town yard around here. It has a LOT of plants in it, thoughtfully chosen and arranged. I wouldn't call it a food forest myself, because while it has multiple layers, it is really short. I doubt anything is more than about 10-12 feet tall. That's sensible in a garden this small. But when I think of a forest, I'm thinking one that at least has a canopy layer. Mine has emergents, the main canopy, the subcanopy, and then all the shorter stuff as shown here (understory trees, shrubs, herbs, groundcovers, roots, fungi, vines, etc.). So I'd probably call this one a permaculture garden. (See the layers of a food forest and permaculture design principles.) I didn't spot actual guilds, but everything is arranged in logical order. Someone has done an amazing job setting this up in the space available.
The really subversive thing: it's not a garden to be looked at, it's a garden to be used, for free, by everyone. A little slice of Terramagne, or Turtle-Island-That-Was, especially since it's located right next to a government building with several human service offices. So I helped myself to some seeds. Sure, I might come back later for things to eat. But what I am really interested in is gathering things from here that I can grow at home.
I could only think of two things I'd really add to make this even better:
1) A Little Free Seed / Plant Library so folks could swap things.
2) A community bulletin board, chiefly for people to post their Have / Want lists for trading, but could also be used to announce things like plant swaps or sales, garden open houses, etc. There is an Events section on the back side of the welcome sign, but it's under glass.
( Walk with me ... )
The really subversive thing: it's not a garden to be looked at, it's a garden to be used, for free, by everyone. A little slice of Terramagne, or Turtle-Island-That-Was, especially since it's located right next to a government building with several human service offices. So I helped myself to some seeds. Sure, I might come back later for things to eat. But what I am really interested in is gathering things from here that I can grow at home.
I could only think of two things I'd really add to make this even better:
1) A Little Free Seed / Plant Library so folks could swap things.
2) A community bulletin board, chiefly for people to post their Have / Want lists for trading, but could also be used to announce things like plant swaps or sales, garden open houses, etc. There is an Events section on the back side of the welcome sign, but it's under glass.
( Walk with me ... )
Hellen Keller Doll
May. 18th, 2021 03:26 pmFor those of you collecting accessibility toys, Mattel has released a Hellen Keller doll, complete with Braille labeling. \o/
Gender Dynamics, Comics, and Cyberspace
May. 22nd, 2014 07:49 pmMy partner Doug found this bit of stuff that networks into a large mesh of issues, some of which I've already touched upon or read elsewhere.
It begins with this piece, where actually the title is what interests me: "We'd Like to Thank Our Commenters Again For Generally Not Being Jerks." That's ComicMix, an excellent source of news and discussions in this field; you've seen us linking there before. The quality of their audience is not an accident. It means they're posting the kind of content, and managing discussing in such a way, that attracts reasonably decent people. That takes work. I'm really proud of my audience here for similar reasons, and it makes me happy to see someone else having a similar effect.
From there we go to the next post, “Let’s see how feminist you are when you’re begging for more”: The violent, sexist world of comic website comments." It discusses what happened in response to a critique, "Anatomy of a Bad Cover: DC'S New "Teen Titans" #1" by Janelle Asselin, a former editor at DC comics. She described how the sexist elements of the artwork could alienate female viewers, driving them away from a title that has historically held a considerable female fanbase in an industry that usually doesn't. The result, predictably, was the usual dogpile of rapetastic abuse. But the response was unusual and worthy of note.
( Read more... )
It begins with this piece, where actually the title is what interests me: "We'd Like to Thank Our Commenters Again For Generally Not Being Jerks." That's ComicMix, an excellent source of news and discussions in this field; you've seen us linking there before. The quality of their audience is not an accident. It means they're posting the kind of content, and managing discussing in such a way, that attracts reasonably decent people. That takes work. I'm really proud of my audience here for similar reasons, and it makes me happy to see someone else having a similar effect.
From there we go to the next post, “Let’s see how feminist you are when you’re begging for more”: The violent, sexist world of comic website comments." It discusses what happened in response to a critique, "Anatomy of a Bad Cover: DC'S New "Teen Titans" #1" by Janelle Asselin, a former editor at DC comics. She described how the sexist elements of the artwork could alienate female viewers, driving them away from a title that has historically held a considerable female fanbase in an industry that usually doesn't. The result, predictably, was the usual dogpile of rapetastic abuse. But the response was unusual and worthy of note.
( Read more... )
Complaint = Nailed It
Nov. 21st, 2013 03:07 amThis complaint about inaccessibility is brilliantly specific. The key to communication is to speak a common language, whether in nationality or in metaphor. In this case, it draws on a relevant quote from a common fandom. Print it out, tack it to your bulletin board, and label it "Like This."
What Family Really Means
Mar. 9th, 2012 02:03 pm... is doing whatever it takes to keep a loving family together. Even if one of the pieces isn't what you all thought it was when you picked it up.
What Family Really Means
Mar. 9th, 2012 02:03 pm... is doing whatever it takes to keep a loving family together. Even if one of the pieces isn't what you all thought it was when you picked it up.
What Family Really Means
Mar. 9th, 2012 02:03 pm... is doing whatever it takes to keep a loving family together. Even if one of the pieces isn't what you all thought it was when you picked it up.
What Family Really Means
Mar. 9th, 2012 02:03 pm... is doing whatever it takes to keep a loving family together. Even if one of the pieces isn't what you all thought it was when you picked it up.
The Purpose of Law Enforcement ...
Nov. 22nd, 2011 12:00 am... is to provide a safe space for democracy. Specifically, that's in Madison, Wisconsin. I may not be proud of this country, but today I'm proud of Madison. I've been there; it really is quite a delightful city. Let this be a lesson to the less-educated and less-competent police elsewhere. Do it like this. Or hey, you could be canned and replaced with any one of the 4+ unemployed people crowding toward every job opportunity. Because surely there must be more competent folks out there.
The Purpose of Law Enforcement ...
Nov. 22nd, 2011 12:00 am... is to provide a safe space for democracy. Specifically, that's in Madison, Wisconsin. I may not be proud of this country, but today I'm proud of Madison. I've been there; it really is quite a delightful city. Let this be a lesson to the less-educated and less-competent police elsewhere. Do it like this. Or hey, you could be canned and replaced with any one of the 4+ unemployed people crowding toward every job opportunity. Because surely there must be more competent folks out there.
The Purpose of Law Enforcement ...
Nov. 22nd, 2011 12:00 am... is to provide a safe space for democracy. Specifically, that's in Madison, Wisconsin. I may not be proud of this country, but today I'm proud of Madison. I've been there; it really is quite a delightful city. Let this be a lesson to the less-educated and less-competent police elsewhere. Do it like this. Or hey, you could be canned and replaced with any one of the 4+ unemployed people crowding toward every job opportunity. Because surely there must be more competent folks out there.
The Purpose of Law Enforcement ...
Nov. 22nd, 2011 12:00 am... is to provide a safe space for democracy. Specifically, that's in Madison, Wisconsin. I may not be proud of this country, but today I'm proud of Madison. I've been there; it really is quite a delightful city. Let this be a lesson to the less-educated and less-competent police elsewhere. Do it like this. Or hey, you could be canned and replaced with any one of the 4+ unemployed people crowding toward every job opportunity. Because surely there must be more competent folks out there.
Like This: Worldbuilding
Jun. 25th, 2011 01:37 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
moonvoice shows us how it's done. If only more writers did their homework this well. Pin to wall and label "Like This."Gah, entry locked. Never mind. I hate the lock dingbat because it's so tiny I never see it. I'm still leaving this for my Like This collection.
Remembering Dossouye and Gbo
Mar. 5th, 2011 02:42 pmI've been talking on Dreamwidth with a friend who's posting Yoruban language lessons. I happened to mention reading an African-themed story about a warrior woman, Dossouye, and her war-bull, Gbo. In tracking down the reference, I discovered that the author has since written a novel:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dossouye
http://www.reindeermotel.com/CHARLES/charles_dossouye.html
I read the original short stories long ago. They stuck in my mind as iconic examples of ethnic fiction, stories in which the local color shapes the characterization and the plot, so evocatively done that it should be pinned to the bulletin board and labeled "Like This." I have always loved stories that come out of a particular ethnic background, a specific environment and cultural system. In college I managed to find classes on Native American Literature and Chicana Literature. European history and folklore are cool too, and I use them -- but I like having other options. I like being able to read about a totally different worldview and setting. I like being able to write about characters whose virtues, vices, and cultural expectations may be utterly unlike those presented in European-flavored fantasy.
So if you like the local color in my writing, this is one of my inspirations.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dossouye
http://www.reindeermotel.com/CHARLES/charles_dossouye.html
I read the original short stories long ago. They stuck in my mind as iconic examples of ethnic fiction, stories in which the local color shapes the characterization and the plot, so evocatively done that it should be pinned to the bulletin board and labeled "Like This." I have always loved stories that come out of a particular ethnic background, a specific environment and cultural system. In college I managed to find classes on Native American Literature and Chicana Literature. European history and folklore are cool too, and I use them -- but I like having other options. I like being able to read about a totally different worldview and setting. I like being able to write about characters whose virtues, vices, and cultural expectations may be utterly unlike those presented in European-flavored fantasy.
So if you like the local color in my writing, this is one of my inspirations.
Remembering Dossouye and Gbo
Mar. 5th, 2011 02:42 pmI've been talking on Dreamwidth with a friend who's posting Yoruban language lessons. I happened to mention reading an African-themed story about a warrior woman, Dossouye, and her war-bull, Gbo. In tracking down the reference, I discovered that the author has since written a novel:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dossouye
http://www.reindeermotel.com/CHARLES/charles_dossouye.html
I read the original short stories long ago. They stuck in my mind as iconic examples of ethnic fiction, stories in which the local color shapes the characterization and the plot, so evocatively done that it should be pinned to the bulletin board and labeled "Like This." I have always loved stories that come out of a particular ethnic background, a specific environment and cultural system. In college I managed to find classes on Native American Literature and Chicana Literature. European history and folklore are cool too, and I use them -- but I like having other options. I like being able to read about a totally different worldview and setting. I like being able to write about characters whose virtues, vices, and cultural expectations may be utterly unlike those presented in European-flavored fantasy.
So if you like the local color in my writing, this is one of my inspirations.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dossouye
http://www.reindeermotel.com/CHARLES/charles_dossouye.html
I read the original short stories long ago. They stuck in my mind as iconic examples of ethnic fiction, stories in which the local color shapes the characterization and the plot, so evocatively done that it should be pinned to the bulletin board and labeled "Like This." I have always loved stories that come out of a particular ethnic background, a specific environment and cultural system. In college I managed to find classes on Native American Literature and Chicana Literature. European history and folklore are cool too, and I use them -- but I like having other options. I like being able to read about a totally different worldview and setting. I like being able to write about characters whose virtues, vices, and cultural expectations may be utterly unlike those presented in European-flavored fantasy.
So if you like the local color in my writing, this is one of my inspirations.
Remembering Dossouye and Gbo
Mar. 5th, 2011 02:42 pmI've been talking on Dreamwidth with a friend who's posting Yoruban language lessons. I happened to mention reading an African-themed story about a warrior woman, Dossouye, and her war-bull, Gbo. In tracking down the reference, I discovered that the author has since written a novel:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dossouye
http://www.reindeermotel.com/CHARLES/charles_dossouye.html
I read the original short stories long ago. They stuck in my mind as iconic examples of ethnic fiction, stories in which the local color shapes the characterization and the plot, so evocatively done that it should be pinned to the bulletin board and labeled "Like This." I have always loved stories that come out of a particular ethnic background, a specific environment and cultural system. In college I managed to find classes on Native American Literature and Chicana Literature. European history and folklore are cool too, and I use them -- but I like having other options. I like being able to read about a totally different worldview and setting. I like being able to write about characters whose virtues, vices, and cultural expectations may be utterly unlike those presented in European-flavored fantasy.
So if you like the local color in my writing, this is one of my inspirations.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dossouye
http://www.reindeermotel.com/CHARLES/charles_dossouye.html
I read the original short stories long ago. They stuck in my mind as iconic examples of ethnic fiction, stories in which the local color shapes the characterization and the plot, so evocatively done that it should be pinned to the bulletin board and labeled "Like This." I have always loved stories that come out of a particular ethnic background, a specific environment and cultural system. In college I managed to find classes on Native American Literature and Chicana Literature. European history and folklore are cool too, and I use them -- but I like having other options. I like being able to read about a totally different worldview and setting. I like being able to write about characters whose virtues, vices, and cultural expectations may be utterly unlike those presented in European-flavored fantasy.
So if you like the local color in my writing, this is one of my inspirations.
