Greetings from a new subscriber. I've scanned through some of the
archives and discovered a lot of really interesting material. I'd
like to contribute a couple of ideas/questions. If these have been
"covered" in prior conversations, feel free to discard as clutter.
If not, I'd like to get responses.
I have been doing a fair amount of informal research on organic
farming and sustainable agriculture given my access to a nice land
grant ag library. As I peruse a number of sources (ranging from
THE DRAFT HORSE JOURNAL to HOARD'S DAIRYMAN to ORGANIC GARDENING)
I see a lot of articles noting the rejuvenation of small farms
despite the dominance of large, mechanized agribusinesses. Even
the "mainstream" agribusiness literature seems aware of the phenomenon
although most articles are defensive (e.g. "how to preempt the
animal rights assaults" "back to horse and buggy days?"). Still
the rise of "part time" farmers (those who have a "regular" job but
farm a small acreage as well) is an exciting, and potentially
eco-friendly phenomenon. Three brief items:
(1) Lots of post-election talk about cutting farm subsidies (in
particular those that prop up millionaire agribusiness enterprises)
but what's happening on the political front regarding agriculture
/environment legislation? I've heard a lot about potential "green
farm bills" but don't have specifics. (These would cap ag subsidies
on big farms, reorienting toward smaller, more sustainable ag.)
Anybody doing research or activism in this area?
(2) Many who sing the praises of small scale, sustainable agriculture
point to the Amish as a model. Simplicity, horse-powered farming,
thriftiness, community ... you know the story. As an outsider to
that community, however, I see many, many problems regarding gender
roles and hierarchy. Still, it causes me to wonder: does simplicity
require rigid roles (if not gender, some other kind?) If everybody
does as they please, who milks the cows?
(3) Is anybody directly involved in "part time" farming (e.g. trying
to combine an academic or other career with small scale acreage)?
Anybody contracting directly from these folks? Anybody involved in a
"larger than backyard" garden? I'd be interested in good stories about
your experiences and any consideration you've given to questions of
rural values, small communities, home schooling, eco/environmental
trade-offs and realities, etc.
Sorry to take up so much space. I'll be quiet now, and give you a
"flame proof" identity to react to or criticize my comments and
questions.
Best regards,
Mr. Greenjeans
>From [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sat Dec 10 01:11:26 MST 1994
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Date: Sat, 10 Dec 1994 01:14:30 MST
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: A strange thing.
Greetings:
Enclosed is a post forwarded from another list & apparently making the
rounds on the NET. Kind of hilareous with a bass note of weird truth. -JRC
******************************************************************************
VATICAN CITY (AP) -- In a joint press conference in St. Peter's Square
this morning, MICROSOFT Corp. and the Vatican announced that the
Redmond software giant will acquire the Roman Catholic Church in
exchange for an unspecified number of shares of MICROSOFT common
stock. If the deal goes through, it will be the first time a computer
software company has acquired a major world religion.
With the acquisition, Pope John Paul II will become the senior
vice-president of the combined company's new Religious Software
Division, while MICROSOFT senior vice-presidents Michael Maples and
Steven Ballmer will be invested in the College of Cardinals, said
MICROSOFT Chairman Bill Gates.
"We expect a lot of growth in the religious market in the next five to
ten years," said Gates. "The combined resources of MICROSOFT and the
Catholic Church will allow us to make religion easier and more fun for
a broader range of people."
Through the MICROSOFT Network, the company's new on-line service, "we
will make the sacraments available on-line for the first time" and
revive the popular pre-Counter-Reformation practice of selling
indulgences, said Gates. "You can get Communion, confess your sins,
receive absolution -- even reduce your time in Purgatory -- all without
leaving your home."
A new software application, MICROSOFT Church, will include a macro
language which you can program to download heavenly graces
automatically while you are away from your computer.
An estimated 17,000 people attended the announcement in St. Peter's
Square, watching on a 60-foot screen as comedian Don Novello -- in
character as Father Guido Sarducci -- hosted the event, which was
broadcast by satellite to 700 sites worldwide.
Pope John Paul II said little during the announcement. When Novella
chided Gates, "Now I guess you get to wear one of these pointy hats,"
the crowd roared, but the pontiff's smile seemed strained.
The deal grants MICROSOFT exclusive electronic rights to the Bible and
the Vatican's prized art collection, which includes works by such
masters as Michelangelo and Da Vinci. But critics say MICROSOFT will
face stiff challenges if it attempts to limit competitors' access to
these key intellectual properties.
"The Jewish people invented the look and feel of the holy scriptures,"
said Rabbi David Gottschalk of Philadelphia. "You take the parting of
the Red Sea -- we had that thousands of years before the Catholics
came on the scene."
But others argue that the Catholic and Jewish faiths both draw on a
common Abrahamic heritage. "The Catholic Church has just been more
successful in marketing it to a larger audience," notes Notre Dame
theologian Father Kenneth Madigan. Over the last 2,000 years, the
Catholic Church's market share has increased dramatically, while
Judaism, which was the first to offer many of the concepts now touted
by Christianity, lags behind.
Historically, the Church has a reputation as an aggressive competitor,
leading crusades to pressure people to upgrade to Catholicism, and
entering into exclusive licensing arrangements in various kingdoms
whereby all subjects were instilled with Catholicism, whether or not
they planned to use it. Today Christianity is available from several
denominations, but the Catholic version is still the most widely used.
The Church's mission is to reach "the four corners of the earth,"
echoing MICROSOFT's vision of "a computer on every desktop and in every
home".
Gates described MICROSOFT's long-term strategy to develop a scaleable
religious architecture that will support all religions through
emulation. A single core religion will be offered with a choice of
interfaces according to the religion desired -- "One religion, a
couple of different implementations," said Gates.
The MICROSOFT move could spark a wave of mergers and acquisitions,
according to Herb Peters, a spokesman for the US Southern Baptist
Conference, as other churches scramble to strengthen their position in
The increasingly competitive religious market.
