Thursday, December 31, 2009, 05:06 PM - Outdoor adventure
Who needs loud music and catatonic lights when you can curl up to a wood stove after a long snow-shoe. It was kind of wonderful to be snowed in to Mersey River Chalets with Jock over New Years.
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Wednesday, October 14, 2009, 07:28 PM - Poetry and Writing
Such a gift to get the Wallace Stegner Residency and grant. One month of nothing but writing and sky.
Badlands
amber sloping lines
softened further by fog
emboldened by drift
Sagebrush
muted silver, rose
brimming from the edges
balls of vintage lace
Click on the link to find more about the Wallace Stegner House. Inexpensive retreat spot for writers and artists.
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Tuesday, September 1, 2009, 04:54 PM - Outdoor adventure
1. Pick the right camping partner
2. Ziplock remaining dry clothes quickly
3. Have plan B, C and D ready. Don't let pride trump safety.
4. Don't shirk on socks
5. A well-hung tarp
6. Hot toddies
7. Celebrate the beauty of wet forests
8. Dry bag your humour
Wednesday, August 12, 2009, 09:43 PM - Inspiring
Seattle is an inspiring story of community development and smart funding strategies.
The city began with small neighbourhood matching grants to community groups. $1000-5000. What they did with the money was up to them. No strings.
Amazing what came out of this program. This is the after shot of the previous. Community gardens that neighbours created for themselves.
The only conditions were that the neighbourhood group had their own matching funds either in cash or in-kind. This was a neglected park washroom before.
This was an empty space under an overpass.
It has grown so large and gained such momentum that it has changed the face of planning in Seattle. It now takes place through decentralized neighbourhood councils in collaboration with city councillors. Each neighbourhood makes its own neighbourhood plan.
These photos are courtesy of Jim Diers from a PPT presentation at the Asset-Based Community Development Forum, Coady Institute. Check out his book "Neighbour Power."
Thursday, July 16, 2009, 05:20 PM - The Solidarity Economy & Microfinance
In May, I worked with FARM Africa, Ethiopia to develop a base-line for their Rural Women's Empowerment Project. The project uses savings and loan associations, livestock groups and women's rights awareness including community-based legal trainers. In past work, they have found a link between women's own income and assets and her ability to have voice in the household and in the community. We did base-line analysis combining quantitative indicators (eg. # cases brought to social court, women's land title, poverty score of household) with qualitative indicators (focus groups, life-stories, most significant change reported by women themselves). Men in the community were also interviewed. FARM will revisit these indicators in two years and four years to see what changes have occurred and if, indeed, there is a link between women's assets and her ability to contribute and assert her rights.
A draft report is available. Contact me for an electronic copy.
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