People

Hispanic

Abuso fuera de la red

La historia impactante de Tara Westover, que cuenta en su libro de memorias recientemente publicado ‘Educated’ arroja una sombra inmerecida sobre las familias fuera de la red y sus formas de vida. El abuso fuera de la red no es la norma.

Tara llegó muy lejos de crecer en una montaña en Idaho con su familia radical de supervivientes mormones para estudiar en la Universidad de Cambridge y escribir un libro que seguramente va a hacer olas. Solo la historia de que la envíen a trabajar en un basurero es una lectura aterradora. Pero también hubo compensaciones.
“Hay un sentido de soberanía que proviene de la vida en una montaña. Se calma con su propia magnitud, lo que hace que lo meramente humano no tenga consecuencias “, dice Westover mientras describe su antiguo hogar en el libro.
DESDE LAS MONTAÑAS DE IDAHO A CAMBRIDGE UNI, REINO UNIDO.
Young Tara sufrió graves abusos emocionales y físicos por parte de miembros de su familia y no tuvo acceso a atención médica o educación superior durante la mayor parte de su vida. “Todo abuso es ante todo un asalto a la mente”, afirma Westover.

Si bien esta historia es desgarradora, es una pena que pueda dar al estilo de vida alternativo de estar fuera de la red una reputación negativa. Vivir en una comunidad remota y autosostenida puede ser una experiencia maravillosa, incluso para las familias.
Personalmente, creo que a los niños se les deben dar las mismas oportunidades cuando se trata de educación o de ir a la universidad y se les debe dar la opción de si quieren pasar sus vidas viviendo fuera de la red o no. El problema en el caso de Tara, al parecer, es que sus padres estaban muy ansiosos y paranoicos sobre el “mundo exterior” (Westover no tenía certificado de nacimiento durante 9 años, le dijeron que durmiera con un cuchillo y ella y sus hermanos no t atención médica cuando se lesiona).

No hay excusa para que los padres abusen de sus hijos de ninguna manera, y aunque no creo que vivir fuera de la red haya conducido a ese tipo de comportamiento, ciertamente lo hace más fácil de ocultar.
Creo que es crucial estar siempre abierto al criar a los hijos y mostrarles y enseñarles tanto como sea posible, para permitirles descubrir qué es lo correcto y bueno para ellos, y darles la opción de establecer metas y seguir su camino deseado. en la vida, incluso si es algo con lo que los padres no están de acuerdo.
Los padres de Tara supuestamente no dieron aquí esas opciones y trataron de alejarla de la sociedad tanto como fuera posible mientras la limitaban física y mentalmente durante muchos años.
La autora ha dado pasos impresionantes para llegar a donde está hoy y estoy muy emocionada de leer ‘Educado’ y obtener más información sobre su punto …

June 21, 2016 No Comments

Thomas Massie is a right wing libertarian

People

Off-Grid Congressman

Kentucky Congressman Thomas Massie lives off the grid with his family, on a cattle farm in a solar-powered home he built himself. He commutes to Washington, where he serves on three committees.

Massie was born in Huntington, West Virginia. He grew up in Vanceburg, Kentucky, and met his future wife, Rhonda. He earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering and a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology.[3]

In 1993, at MIT, he and his wife started a company called SensAble Devices Inc.[4][5] Massie was the winner in 1995 of the $30,000 Lemelson-MIT Student Prize for inventors.[3] The company was re-incorporated as SensAble Technologies, Inc., in 1996 after partner Bill Aulet joined the company.[4] They raised $32 million of venture capital, had 24 different patents, and 70 other employees.[6]

Massie sold the company, and he and his wife moved back to their hometown in Lewis County.

Last year and the year before, he forced a vote on an appropriations bill to prevent government forcing companies to install back doors in their products. He’s most pessimistic about the national debt and the fact that when interest rates return to normal levels, the country will be paying up to a trillion dollars a year to service its debt. That’s bigger than the military budget.

Second-term RepublicAn congressman Massie may be the staunchest defender of liberty most people have never heard of. The Massachusetts institute of Technology grad recently gave an interview to Reason TV:

Q: What makes you optimistic?

A: Technology and innovation and the human spirit to improve our own lives. You know my background as an engineer. I have 29 patents. I’ve invented things. And when people say, “Will our children be better off than we were?”…I say, “Yes, but it’s going to be due to the engineers, not the politicians.”

Q: What are the most important votes coming up for a libertarian-leaning Republican?

A: I think we can force some votes on the privacy issue. Last year and the year before, I forced a vote on an appropriations bill to shut down government forcing companies to install back doors in their products. That amendment was attached to an appropriations bill that got thrown away and then an omnibus was later done. But it’s important to get the votes, because then you can see where the congressmen stand.

Q: In a recent Republican debate, all the candidates were like, “Apple should unlock that phone [belonging to one of the San Bernardino terrorists] and be done with it.” What did you think of that?

A: I’m sad. Now that Rand is out of the race, the libertarian voice is gone. And I think it’s also untethered some of [the remaining] candidates to become more neocon-ish.

Q: In terms of the presidential race, what’s the best outcome?

A: I’m really pessimistic. I don’t think there is a good outcome …

May 11, 2016 No Comments

People

Floating fortress suffers solar burnout

This huge floating fortress of sustainable living, off the coast of Vancouver Island British Columbia has inspired many to follow a sustainable life. Wayne Adams, 66, and Catherine King, 59, built their home together in 1992, and have been growing and fishing for their own food ever since.
The home, named “Freedom Cove,” consists of 12 floating platforms that include a dance floor, an art gallery, a guest lighthouse, a studio for Adams and King, and 5 greenhouses. The settlement is next to half an acre of land for growing edible crops. The couple gets water from a nearby waterfall during the summer and from rainwater during the winter. The settlement had been powered by an array of 14 solar panels, but recently switched to a generator after these broke down.
Perhaps inspired by the Floating Cove – a new design is being proposed in Germany, although still in the planning stages.The Lusation Autartec prototype will be built on Lake Geierswalde in the Lusatian Lake District.

The two-story floating home will be built on a steel pontoon measuring 43 x 43 ft (13 x 13 m). The ground floor is planned 807 sq ft (75 sq m), and the first floor just 365 sq ft (34 sq m). There will also be a deck running around the perimeter of the building.

Heating via a fireplace, will feature a supersaturated solution of salt hydrates to soak up heat from the flames. The designers claim that after this solution is heated in a special tub, which is placed over the fire, and liquefies, it is capable of holding in the heat practically indefinitely. The system works similarly to a chemical hand warmer, since the solution can be made to crystallize via a radio-based technology, which releases the heat on command. There is also a back up zeolith thermal storage unit, which is located inside the pontoon. During the summer, the zeolith minerals dry out, while in winter, by circulating moist air through the pontoons an exothermic reaction occurs which releases further heat.

The home will also feature a so-called adiabatic cooling system, which doesn’t require any energy and is based on the principle of evaporative cooling. Basically, moistening a side of the house will work to draw heat out as this moisture evaporates. All the needed power will be provided by solar panels built into the actual structure of the home. The energy produced will be stored in lithium polymer batteries hidden away inside the stairs.

The home will also be off-the-grid in terms of water needs. This will be achieved by means of a closed loop system. The biological reprocessing system will be based on ceramics, photocatalysis, electrochemistry, and filtration. The entire system will be small enough to fit into the pontoon, but robust enough to handle all the water purifying needs.
When they aren’t working on their sustainable lifestyle, they …

February 9, 2016 1 Comment

People

Jean’s Yurt

Another in our series of photos by Beth Bicknell.

Jean’s yurt was possible one of the most cosy, exquisite structures Beth visited. A yurt she’s had made for her, with her own additional features – she’s put in a hard wooden flooring, dug out ground to create a flat surface from an awkward hill, placed numerous quilts inside the yurt to form insulation, and plastic sheeting used as windows in cut out holes.

Jean also added solar panels, however unfortunately in winter months these apparently do not produce a lot of energy for her. She said the day before was the worst ever, giving her only 20 minutes of her favourite show on TV.

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February 3, 2016 2 Comments

People

Bob’s Van

Bob is a blacksmith living in a van within wooded area owned by friends, just outside of a small village in Mid Wales. He’s lived there for over 10 years.

This image was taken by photographer Beth Bicknell who has been documenting the off-grid and the dispossessed for the past several years. Beth’s work is inspired by the very first newspaper photograph ever printed – “labelled ‘Shantytown’, it illustrated a group of homeless settling in Manhattan,” says Beth.

“Bob’s way of life, despite appearing fairly hard wearing, is a remarkable one,” says Beth. “Its incredibly admirable; not needing the every day luxuries we as the commercial consumer, see as necessities. He’s made this choice out of preference, away from bustling towns or cities, in amongst nature, tranquillity.”

At 70 years old, Bob does need help with the upkeep of the land, from his apprentice, and he’s built some outbuildings- incouding a little place for visitors to stay, with a wood burner and workshop bench for his practise. There is a tool shed and a log store. Collecting and sawing logs is vital to provide heat for his van and for cooking. He also has solar panels, providing electricity for a few plug sockets.

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January 25, 2016 No Comments

Community

He was my inspiration

I grew up in a family that did things together, we didn’t have the money to spend on vacations or trips, but we always ate meals together, and we watched good TV shows as a family. I fondly remember watching PBS, nature and science shows, we also loved watching Grizzly Adams.

Even at such a young age, I decided that was the way I wanted to live, in a small cabin, on a mountain side, in the woods, with few people around, and lots of animals. Each week I looked forward to sitting in front of the TV and studying how he lived, how he hunted, how he survived. Of course I understood it was just a TV show, but it was as close as I could get at the time to living my dream.

I was saddened to hear that Dan Haggerty died from cancer, I still picture him in that cabin, young, in the peak of health, that’s what we do to our entertainment icons, we freeze them in place, and see them at the same age as they were when their shows aired.

I believe his portrayal of the character Grizzly Adams must have inspired many other people to want to live like that, in freedom, away from the rigors of city life, in the wild, with your own two hands doing what was needed to survive and thrive.

I don’t live exactly like that show, I don’t have a cabin, but I do have a castle on the side of a mountain, a place that looks similar to Grizzly Adam’s mountain, I am living my dream, I wish I could have thanked Dan Haggerty for his inspiration.

You can watch the show here, I just watched and for a little while, I’m a little girl again, full of hope and dreams.

https://youtu.be/cuZVMUBnufw?list=PL53NZhWtmW265ZcJf6RmFKOVuy7IcbTrj

The picture at the top was created by a wonderful artist, Bennett Klein, he created a beautiful tribute to Grizzly Adams and Dan Haggerty, and was very kind to give me permission to use his image, thanks Bennett! Click here to see more of Bennett’s artwork.
and
https://bennett-klein.deviantart.com/?rnrd=121568
https://www.flickr.com/photos/bennettklein/

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January 17, 2016 No Comments

Mike Basich - in his self built home next to the ski slopes

People

Pro-Snowboarder builds Tiny Home

Mike Basich was earning $170,000 a year, travelling the world to compete in international snowboarding championships and living in a 4,000 square foot home. Ten years ago, he gave up the luxurious life of a pro-athlete for his own 40-acre ‘private-resort’ that he built himself in the Sierra Nevada Mountains.
With no neighbours for miles and an endless playground of pistes, Mike Basich has taken himself off the grid and set up camp right in the middle of the slopes.
Speaking to Make: Basich said that he created his new home, named Area-241, because he wanted to “learn how to produce the things I have taken for granted, like electricity and water coming out of the faucet”. He wanted to get closer to mother earth and over the course of 5 years, he built his own mountain cabin. The cabin is a pocket-sized, 228 square feet, pentagon shaped property built out of granite, pine and Douglas fir from the surrounding area. 80% of the property is granite and it took 2 and half years to complete the rockwork alone and shift around 175 tons of granite. Natural water flows on site and he has a large south-facing window that not only stores heat but also provides stunning views across the peaks. He has also built a 600 foot vertical rise chairlift and a wood-fired hot tub. He has certainly settled into a very unique way of life.
Mike said that he has always been “a self-doer” and creating the cabin fulfilled a “childhood dream”. When asked to provide advice for others inspired by his story, Mike replied, “[don’t] wait for the right time. It’s always going to be hard — that’s the best part about it all in some ways”. Mike faces unique challenges that are alien to the majority of city-dwelling folk. He uses an outdoor toilet, collects his own water, has no internet, no indoor plumbing and his electricity is solar powered. His shower is a stone clad corner of the cabin with a granite seat. Mike will sit and pour water over himself with no shower curtain. Then once the seat has been dried by the sun, the shower becomes a relaxing area.
Mike always felt like something was missing from his life whilst he was living in the city. Talking to Seeker Stories Mike said that, “in a city you always feel like you are in a rat race. And here it feels like you are in sync with what is actually happening”. Mike rises with the sun and sleeps when it sets, he feels like he is no longer racing time. Although his pace of life has slowed, he still is able to carve up and down the slopes on his board. The slopes are effectively his back garden. It took 8 months to build his chairlift and as he was once one of the …

January 13, 2016 No Comments

Events

Off-Grid girl on American Idol

All the way from a remote mountaintop 6 miles from Crawford CO, Jeneve Rose Mitchell didn’t think she was ready to take her small-town voice to the biggest of stages, but the final season of “American Idol”has made the 15-year-old a national face.

Jeneve has lived for the past eight years in a straw bale home with no running water or electricity.

“We can’t get power lines up there,” she tells the TV audience, “so we use kerosene lanterns. Twice a week, during ‘American Idol’ season, we turn on a generator to get the TV going.”

Jeneve’s quiet corner of elk wilderness where she spends much of her free time training horses and playing music, is “definitely lonely sometimes,” she admits.

“Me and my mom and my dad pretty much fend for ourselves on our ranch. Sometimes we go (back)packing. We are big campers.”

Her mother, Jenny, is a heath care provider and operates a local family clinic. Jeneve’s father — who also serves as her vocal coach — is a carpenter. He built the family’s home by hand using straw bales and mud from the mountainside.

With a cello draped across her body — you’ll have to see it to believe it — Mitchell stood out in a crowd of nearly 10,000 this fall in Denver and was selected to play in front of “American Idol” judges Keith Urban, Jennifer Lopez and Harry Connick Jr.

Not only did Mitchell secure a spot in front of the trio of musical stars, she’s also likely to appear in the premiere episode of the 15th and final season of “American Idol” airing Wednesday, Jan. 6, on Fox. The second night of the premiere airs on Thursday, Jan. 7.

In advance of the premiere, Mitchell spoke in a telephone interview about her decision to audition for the show, her musical background in Crawford and the rather unorthodox way she grew up watching “American Idol.”

Melinda Mawdsley: Thank you so much for your time. This is the final season of “American Idol.” I’m guessing that helped push you into an audition.

Jeneve Rose Mitchell: Yeah. I’ve always wanted to try out for “American Idol” but was going to when I was older and more polished, but since this was the last season, I decided to just go for it. I pretty much grew up watching “American Idol.” We turned on the generator up here just to watch “American Idol.” Otherwise, we don’t have power up here.

Mawdsley: Um, what? Where do you live?

Mitchell: I was born in Las Vegas and lived there until I was 7. My parents bought a bunch of property on a mountain near Crawford five years before I was born. My dad grew up near here. When I was 7 we moved here. When we moved here my mom had my dad build her a clinic.

Mawdsley: Is your …

January 7, 2016 No Comments

Community

Montana Music Man

Greg Grant, born in New York, has spent the last 21 years living in his self-built off-grid home in Montana. In this clip we interview Greg about his lifestyle and share some of the videos from his own web site.

Armed with previous experience as a carpenter and with the help of friends, but mostly self taught, he built his home which serves as both his recluse and studio.

Greg currently spends monthly no more than $150 in living costs, all thanks to his solar power set up, food growing and all round frugal lifestyle.

Greg Grant: https://www.greggrantmusic.com/

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December 29, 2015 No Comments

People

Brad Pitt’s latest role: a smart off-gridder

Brad Pitt is the smartest man in Hollywood, says the Toronto Globe and Mail. You may scoff, but it’s true. Not many actor-producers could have transformed The Big Short, Michael Lewis’s book about the 2007 financial crisis, into a comic drama – especially with a writer-director, Adam McKay, who’d only made Will Ferrell comedies. It’s full of mortgage jargon. Its heroes are villains – sure, they’re smart enough to see the meltdown coming, but they profit from it.

McKay’s comic and clear-eyed adaption has a handful of finance speculators predicting a downturn in the housing market only to realize, to their horror and immense profit, that they’ve effectively bet against America, and won.

It’s a rollicking, outrage-fueled odyssey through the financial collapse of 2008, from the carefree offices on Wall Street to the subdivisions in Florida, that gradually reveals not just a market bubble but a colossally bankrupt system and a nation that blissfully teetered into absurdity.

It was made into a film largely thanks to Pitt’s clout. His production company, Plan B Entertainment, provided financing that saw it through a long development process. Then he secured the rest of the funds by taking a small (but pivotal) role as Ben Rickert, the smartest of the smartypants, who saw the crisis coming, got out and is now living off the grid, growing his own food.

The film stars Steve Carrell, Ryan Gosling and Christian Bale, but “Brad’s presence in the film was key,” McKay said at a recent screening in Toronto.

“He knew he had to play a real role.” He did it for the right reasons, too: The financial world is as dodgy as ever, and Pitt says so on every red carpet he walks.

You could argue that a megacelebrity who craps from his aerie on how other people make money is a hypocrite. But Pitt is “not just the smartest guy in town,” McKay says. “He’s also the most generous guy. He wants to address the poverty gap. He builds houses for people. He genuinely cares.”

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December 11, 2015 1 Comment

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Carolyn Chute living in the woods – she couldn’t be happier

Catch our video visiting one of America’s greatest living novelists as she does her daily chores the Maine backwoods?

She just doesn’t trust the system – nor want any part of it.

Carolyn searched for her piece of heaven together with her husband. They are both people who lost faith in the system, as it failed them.

She talks movingly about the death of her baby son when she did not have the money for medicare bills.

Carolyn also has a deep sense of pain for the slaves that were brought over many years ago. She wants to live a more natural and earthy life so that she can find peace within.

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December 9, 2015 No Comments

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