- Introduction: A Letter From The Founder
- New Resources: Highlights Of The Latest Additions To Our Resource Directory
- How To Survive A Layoff: From My Job Sucks & I Can't Take It Anymore! Help!
- The Rich Life: A Report From Taiwan
- The Importance Of Biodiversity In Agriculture: Livestock
- Cheap Greens For Cheap Greens: The Center For A New American Dream
- Two American Dreams: The GreenMoney Journal
- Hugh Chou's Free Financial Calculators: Math Help From A Self-Described "Geek"
- Money/Life Balance In The New Millennium: Where Is It All Going?
- Take Back Your Time Launches Campaign For Vacation Law: Press Release
Dear Friends,
I don't know about you, but I love Spring. For me, it's the most wonderful time of the year. It is a time of renewal. It is a time to embrace the wonder and joy of life and living.
Here in the little mountain community of Trout Lake, the snow is finally gone, the sun is out, flowers are in bloom, and life is fresh, new and full of outdoor activities… garden and greenhouse projects, mushroom hunting in the forest, helping a good friend build a chicken coop, evening campfires, biking, and the like. Ah, life is good!
The funny thing is, especially when I occasionally choose to watch television or pick up a newspaper, I must be careful to maintain the "life is good" frame of mind. It is so darn easy to get hung-up in the troubles of the world: war, global warming, poverty, dwindling oil resources, corporate corruption and politics, etc. Even though it may sometimes seem like we as individuals can't do anything about these problems, the reality is that we are indeed finding solutions through our choices to live simple lives.
That is not to say we're fixing every problem in the world, or that simple living is the only answer. However, doing more with less by making conscious decisions about what to consume certainly doesn't hurt. Folks like you and me are kindred spirits who choose to live lives of consciousness, integrity and dignity. We are learning and actively choosing to use less stuff, reduce our energy consumption, and conserve natural resources. Along the way, we find ourselves with time to spend with friends and loved ones, less stress, and space in our lives for public discussion of the future we create as a society. We are helping to make the world a better place.
Spring is the natural time of year for us to expand in new directions in our lives. It's a time to try things out. It's a time to do things we've never done before. It's the season to start a garden. It's the season to join the local softball league. It's the season to take another shot at improving our financial lives. It's time to try fixing that broken appliance we were thinking of replacing. It's time to become politically active in our communities. And it's time to go for a hike! Regardless of our own individual directions, Spring is the natural time to do the "Spring cleaning" in our lives, getting rid of the mental clutter and making room for the positive future we've always wanted to create.
It is in that spirit that The Simple Living Network offers this, the 58th edition of our free, on-line Newsletter. From ballroom dancing in Taiwan, to livestock biodiversity, to financial integrity, this issue is loaded with stories of inspiration and good advice that we can all use to simplify and create lives of consciousness and enjoyment.
We at The Simple Living Network hope this Spring issue finds you well and happy. And, as always, thank you to all of our generous CyberAngels — those of you who have pitched in to help us move toward our 2007 goal of $14,000 to cover the costs of user supported Community Services — this Newsletter, the Discussion Forums, SimpleRadio and the rest. Keep up the good work!
Dave Wampler
Founder
The Simple Living Network
Copyright © The Simple Living Network. All Rights Reserved.
Copyright © 2007
Note: The following article is an excerpt from the new book by John White, My Job Sucks & I Can't Take It Anymore! HELP! — The Real-Life Job Survival Guide
If you spend any time at all in a large company or corporation, chances are you will eventually be exposed to the gut-wrenching experience of a layoff. Normally, you'll only be an observer, an uneasy witness to the grim spectacle of a group of your fellow employees getting "terminated." However, at some point, you could wind up being part of that unfortunate group.
Here are some of the euphemisms companies use to describe this brutal and potentially life-changing event:
Reduction In Force (Or the more commonly used acronym RIF). As in, "Oh, you didn't hear the news? He got RIF'd."
Workforce Reduction
Involuntary Separation
FMP (Forced Management Program)
Job Elimination
Skills Rebalancing (my personal favorite)
No matter what they call it, it all adds up to the same thing. Somebody just lost their regular paycheck. They no longer have a way to put food on the table and pay the bills.
If you ever happen to be on the receiving end of a layoff, there are a few things you can do to help deal with what is potentially a very painful event.
First of all, on the actual day you get laid off, try to stay as cool as you can. Don't be afraid to ask for more severance pay, full payment of all sick time, etc. I know that with large corporations those issues are usually set in stone, but it doesn't hurt to ask. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.
If you are immediately taken back to your desk to clean it out, then escorted out of the building, keep your head held high. Try to keep it all together until you get home, then you can fall apart. While we are on the subject of "the day you get laid off," let me give you some advice that was once given to me, but I didn't act on it. Later on, I wished I had.
On any job you have, try to limit the amount of personal possessions you keep at work to a minimum. Before you think I've gone nuts and have totally blown off the subject at hand, consider that each personal item you have to gather up from your office is additional time you will have to spend with your supervisor or the security guard while you load all that stuff into a box. These aren't just idle words on my part either; I know because I was laid off about seven years ago.
On the day I got laid off, I was immediately taken back to my office by my supervisor so I could gather up all my junk, then he escorted me out of the building. I had too much stuff to load up, it took way too long to get out of the building, and I should have known better.
I used to work with an old-timer who only kept one item in his cubicle: a dictionary, that was it. There were no pictures, no personal effects, nothing else. One day my curiosity got the best of me and I asked him about it. He said, "I've seen too many people get laid off, then they have to come back to their cube, fumble around gathering up all their stuff, some of them in tears while they do it. It's way too painful to watch. If I ever get whacked, all I have to do is pick up my dictionary and I'm out the door."
I should have listened to him.
Once you get past the initial shock of it all, (and it is pretty shocking — no matter how much you think you might be prepared, it still feels like someone knocked the wind out of you), understand that anyone can get laid off. Good employees, fair employees, and lousy employees, it doesn't matter, in today's workforce no one is immune. I mention this because when you get laid off, some very difficult feelings can come to the surface. Probably the most pernicious emotion you can have is a feeling that somehow you did something to deserve it. Even though you may logically realize you did nothing wrong, some strange emotion may bubble up that causes you to feel like you failed in some way.
Where does this feeling come from? It's hard to say, but it may be a vestige of the old Protestant work ethic that still resides in a lot of us. Another factor may be that deep down inside, we still feel that if we work hard and do a good job, nothing bad will happen to us in the workplace. Unfortunately, that is no longer true. You can do an excellent job, be the most dedicated employee in the world, and you can still get laid off.
I had to wrestle with those feelings after I got whacked. Even though logically, I knew I had done a good job and had been a good employee, some of those emotions still floated up to the surface. I knew I had done nothing wrong and there was no blame I should accept for what had happened. However, emotionally, it was a different story.
Another unsettling emotion that might rear its head is panic. Panic as in:
"Oh my god, I just lost my job, how will I support my family? How will I pay my bills? What if it takes a long time to find another job? What if my skills aren't marketable any more?"
Another unfortunate side effect of getting laid off is that your self-confidence can take a hit. This can really set in if it takes a long time to find another position. Try to remember that you're still the same person with all the skills you had before. You held a job for years and were considered a valuable employee; nothing has changed that. You're still as smart and competent as you ever were. You're just a victim of circumstance, plain and simple.
It also helps to stay busy during the period when you're looking for a new position. Approach your job search like it was a regular job. Put a plan together and decide how much time each day you will devote to your search, then do that on a regular basis. It's helpful to have a sense of purpose and to maintain a schedule of some sort.
When I was laid off, I began my new job search the next day. In my case, I was fortunate to be laid off during the early part of 2000, while the tech market was still booming. If you get laid off today, expect that your job search could potentially take a very long time. I've had friends who were out of work a year or more before finding a new job.
Contact your friends and previous office mates. Put the word out that you're looking. It's usually your best bet to find a new job.
If you already exercise on a regular basis, continue to keep your normal routine and maybe even step it up if you can. If you hadn't found time to exercise before because of work requirements, it's an excellent time to begin an exercise routine. Not only will it be good for your physical health, it will also help with your stress level and overall emotional well-being.
Stay busy.
Try to remember that this too, shall pass. People get laid off every day and they survive. You will too. Have some faith that you will get through it and may even wind up being better off than you were before.
About The Author
John L. White is an author and founder of Everlove and Bohannon Publishing. He also works full-time as an IT professional for a large international company. He can be reached at EverloveBohannon@aol.com.
Resources By This Author
- My Job Sucks & I Can't Take It Anymore! HELP!
- I'm In Debt, Over 40, With No Retirement Savings, HELP!
Other Related Resources
Copyright © 2007
While photographing an early morning tai chi group in an empty parking lot near my home here in Taiwan, I noticed a man and a woman dancing their hearts out in the adjoining parking lot, also empty. Ballroom dance music issued from a portable player sitting on the pavement. I snapped this photo and then walked on down through a series of parks taking pictures of a succession of tai chi groups. When the camera was full and wouldn't take any more pictures, I headed back home. As I passed by it again, I saw that the parking lot with the early morning tai chi group was now empty but the adjoining one with the dancers was filled with couples spinning gracefully around, arm in arm, as if they were at a grand ball.
If I could distill the essence of Taiwanese culture, at least as I see it — that is to say, what makes it so special for me — it's this quality it has, that nothing is wasted. Often I've wondered why Taiwanese eat so many different kinds of things — even rattlesnakes, sea cucumbers, and tiny pointy ocean snails are relished here. In time, I came to understand that a people like these, who have lived through adversity, would over time have learned how to utilize every little thing. Nothing is wasted here.
The week before I left New York City to move to Taiwan, the recycling program was suspended in Manhattan, Queens, the Bronx and Staten Island. The reason the city gave: the program was too costly to operate. That would never happen in Taiwan. The Taiwanese make big money from recycling and are committed to it. They even recycle waste food, not just from restaurants, but from ordinary homes. Some of it is made into fertilizer, some of it is used as feed for pigs. So with the Taiwanese, it's quite natural that even an empty parking lot, early in the morning when it's not being used, finds a function and becomes a valuable commodity.
This ballroom dancing group can be free because it doesn't have to rent a hall. The parking lot is empty early every morning. No expensive air conditioning system is needed. Outdoors early in the morning the air is fresh and sweet. Ordinary people can perfect their dance steps, get exercise, polish their social skills, and enjoy the company of friends and neighbors. Down a ways in one direction is a different parking lot where another group plays badminton. Over the opposite way is one where still another group goes through an aerobic exercise routine to the accompaniment of disco music. The streets and parks of Taiwan are alive early every morning with all kinds of life. It is a wonderful thing to see these enterprising people snatching a few moments from their busy schedules and coming out onto the streets to do what they love and to share that love with others, without any money exchanging hands.
What impresses me most about Taiwan is the way the simpler people here have of making so much out of so little. Every time I see it, I am inspired to do the same. For instance, I have started saving the coffee grounds and using them to fertilize the ferns. Now I'm growing the biggest ferns I've ever seen. And for the moment or two it takes for the coffee to brew, instead of standing around waiting, I have gotten into the habit of doing a simple stretching exercise. After only a few months of this I find that for the first time in my life I have become limber enough to touch my toes at will. These small victories make me know how rich I am. It's not about owning things or having money, but the joy of discovering how much profit there is in more fully using what I already have.
About The Author
Dr. William R. Stimson left academia and opted for a life of radical simplicity centering on meditation, martial arts, yoga, dream analysis and writing. He is a founder and former editor of the Dream Network Journal and led dream groups in Manhattan. For years he conducted the free all-day meditation group every Saturday at the Ch'an Meditation Center in Elmhurst, Queens. He now lives in Taiwan where he writes and leads free dream groups at traditional Chinese tea houses in Taichung and Taipei. His published writings are posted at www.billstimson.com.
Copyright © 2007
In agriculture today, in every sector, a few breeds dominate. For example, over 90% of the North American dairy herd is made up of Holsteins. Similarly, in the beef, sheep, pork and chicken industries, you have a vast majority of the total populations made up of only a few specialized breeds.
So what?
If a given variety works, why should we care?
One answer is that we lose biodiversity. This is a complex word, literally meaning "organisms unlike in nature or qualities" (paraphrased from the Oxford dictionary definitions of "bio" and "diverse", as mine did not have an entry for biodiversity). There are a few very important ways that this impacts us.
For one, different breeds of animals often have valuable characteristics which may or may not translate into dollars in our industrial wholesale system. It is all well and good to use the most efficient or most accepted breeds (in our particular system), but for instance, what happens if there is a problem? What if there is a major outbreak of some new disease to which the commercial breed is particularly susceptible? We could have a catastrophe on our hands and no recourse.
Hybrids are animals that are derived from two or more root species, which exhibit particular desirable characteristics. Often hybrids become commercial animals (or their own breeds over time) due to the particular characteristics for which they are bred. Still, if the root stock from which they were originally derived is lost, how can we hope to rebuild or change a population of commercial animal?
(These are some of the author's Jacob sheep. Jacobs are an endangered species worldwide. They are hardy animals, disease resistant, easy lambers and strong foragers, who produce naturally coloured wool prized for its softness and also high quality lamb. They are probably the oldest breed of domestic sheep on earth, being quite literally descended from the biblical sheep of Jacob in the bible (Genesis 30). They are not a common commercial breed as they lamb annually rather than on an 8 month cycle which is desirable in our year round grocery store system. The author finds them profitable, however, as they do not require buildings, forage in rough areas and have a very strong mothering instinct. In Canada, there are only 30-100 registrations of female stock per year (this defines endangered). The loss of one or two genetic lines could be catastrophic to a population this small).
This is a serious issue. It's serious enough that the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (the arm of the Canadian government concerned with our food supply) defines "sustaining the plant and animal base" as #3 on its priority list from its most recent business plan. The problem is that no one knows what species are (or will be) best suited to our changing environment. We cannot understand the interaction of climate, viruses, prions, bacteria, food varieties, predators, human health and the myriad of other factors that influence animal food production. However, every time we lose a variety of animal which we might draw on, we lose some of the adaptive advantages from the genetic pool on which we can draw.
Varieties of animals in various Categories, Canadian Statistics (Canadian Rare Breeds Association, 2007)
| Canadian Livestock | Cattle | Sheep | Swine | Goats | Chickens |
| Critical | 3 | 10 | 4 | 2 | 7 |
| Endangered | 4 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 5 |
| Vulnerable | 4 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 4 |
| At Risk | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
Varieties of animals in various categories, American Statistics (American Livestock Breeds Conservancy, 2007)
| American Livestock | Cattle | Sheep | Swine | Goats | Chickens |
| Critical | 8 | 4 | 6 | 1 | |
| Threatened | 1 | 6 | 1 | 2 | |
| Watch | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | |
| Recovering | 4 | 8 | 0 | 2 |
Although the parameters differ from country to country, in all nations who track livestock diversity, those which are critical, endangered or threatened are in dire need of protection.
Endangered breeds need our protection, if only for our own advantage. We never know which characteristics can be found in any particular breed or when as farmers we will need those characteristics.
The other major area in which it is worth preserving biodiversity is flavour. Every breed of livestock has its own flavour, be it in terms of their eggs, milk, meat, and all their derivatives (cheese, sausage, pate, and so on). In a world of increasingly homogeneous mass-produced products, these different flavours are in danger of being lost. For example, it is my opinion that the lamb from Jacob sheep tastes better than any other. It is mild, has no wooly flavour and is incredibly tender. Other people prefer other breeds, but regardless of a person's personal preference, if any breed is lost, we lose that special taste and the opportunity to decide what we like best. This is clearly detrimental to us all.
The point is that you don't know which flavours are in the world until you start to eat different products which by necessity have different origins. Do we want to give that up?
Having said all of this, these are not zoo animals. It is best if the breeds in question, rare or not, offer an economic benefit to the producer. In industrial wholesale settings, this can be complex. Many breeds are well adapted to these situations, but can have great difficulty if there are variations from the ideal.
In our case, we have made these animals profitable by making use of their natural advantages. Galloways and Jacobs are hardy, can forage for their own food in tough situations and do not require housing. On our farm, we allow them to do their own thing. They are fed no grain, and only get water and a salt lick as supplements. Because there is minimal cost to their food and we cultivate a private sale, quality based market, these animals yield a decent profit per head. Put them on a feed lot or intensive system, and they simply cannot keep up with the more commonly utilized industrial breeds who have higher and faster finishing weights, more lambs or whatever advantage it is that makes them best for their particular situation.
(These are some of the author's belted Galloway cattle, also an endangered species. Brought by the Vikings to Scotland in approximately 900 A.D., these cattle have thrived in the harshest conditions possible. They produce lean flavourful meat, and can be milked as well. Rather than getting fat in the cold, they develop thick fur to insulate them, so they require less feed than conventional breeds. They forage very well and can thrive on rough grass and hay, which most breeds cannot utilize).
In every sector of livestock agriculture as it is currently set up, beef, milk, eggs, chicken, turkey, lamb, pork or what have you, certain breeds excel. Holsteins produce more milk, Suffolks produce heavier lambs, Charolais produce larger steers, etc. As superior as these animals may be in their particular areas, it is not a good idea to grow them exclusively. "Never put all your eggs in one basket" is an old cliché, but very accurate nonetheless.
The point of all of this is that sometimes when we step back from the system, other opportunities present themselves. The resources necessary to take advantage of these opportunities are sometimes unusual breeds, many of which are close to extinction.
This is not intended as an indictment of commercial agriculture. In our current system, we would probably starve were it not for large scale producers. Every breed has its place. What concerns me and I would argue should concern us all, is that many breeds, and hence many special characteristics and flavours, are in danger of being lost. We need to maintain that diversity.
About The Author
Andrew Nielsen is a farmer and landscaper in North Lancaster, Ontario. He lives with his wife, Denise, and three children, Erik, Anna and Grace. The farm is dedicated to the promotion and propagation of two endangered species, Belted Galloway cattle and Jacob Sheep. They also keep Llamas as sheep guardians. Andrew can be reached at daenielsen@glen-net.ca.
Reprinted With Permission From The Center For A New American Dream
Copyright © 2006
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