Age of Apocalypse

...shelter, and maybe defending one’s family . . . This is why the return to simplicity offered by the most extreme scenarios is providing so alluring to so many of us. The apocalypse meme also recalls Freud’s observation the the fear of death paradoxically results in a condition of pathological inaction that mimics death. It’s an impulse, in my opinion, that is best resisted. This impulse has long been recognized. Seneca said, “One must avoid that...

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A Primitive Bow Workshop

...re I’ll check the “tiller” i.e. even bendiness of the bow. I normally use a very modern, Olympic style recurve bow. But lately I’ve had more fun with Kelly’s more primitive Hungarian horse bow. There’s a lot to be said for the simplicity of a primitive bow. Plus, it’s good to know that in a pinch, a functional bow can be thrown together in a day. For more info on Nyerges’ informative and entertaining classes see his website: www.christophernyerges...

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Licensed to Rant

...simplify, simplify, simplify.” In the case of transportation, my notion of simplicity involves a few special requirements. First requirement: No permits, licenses, government registrations, or bureaucratic involvement at all. I know it’s naive in this super-governed age, but I’m foolish enough to hold fast to the belief that in a truly free country people travel peaceably on the roads without being stopped and hassled by “the authorities” and with...

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The Degrowth Paradigm

...element of faith. It’s so deeply ingrained into our cultural narratives. Growth is something that is seen as necessary, where in actual fact, we could probably be a lot happier with less consumption. The show begins with an interview with Jim Merkel, author of Radical Simplicity, Small Footprints on a Finite Earth and concludes with a visit to the radical degrowth activists of Catalan, Spain. To those of you who haven’t jumped on the podcast bandw...

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Moonshine

...preferably from a source that will lend itself to a pretty picture on the label — bottle it, and you’re in the vodka business.” As it turns out there is an art to good homemade moonshine — a far cry from the soulless mouthwash Archer-Daniels-Midlands turns out. Here’s some excerpts from an interview of ex-moonshiner John Bowman conducted by the Coal River Folklife Project from “Tending the Commons: Folklife and Landscape in Southern West Virginia...

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