This is actually a global issue, but I wanted to talk a little bit about it and then discuss a more local perspective.

I've been coming into contact with more and more information surrounding The Codex Alimentarius. I'm far from an expert on it, and I'm not certain that I have the time to become one. The gist of the matter seems to be that folks that support The Codex feel that it protects everyone by setting food standards. The folks that don't support it seem to feel that The Codex harms everyone by setting up standards that are not based on health, but are instead motivated by economic trade considerations.

You can read the official stance of The Codex by reading information at the link above.

The other side of the matter can be read about at healthfreedomusa.org, or you can get a slightly bigger "gist" by watching the video below:

So, that is the global side.

Now, I want to talk about the very local side of things starting with the basic family unit.

These new concerns about standards join very old problems as "simple" as hunger.

I'm a big fan of understanding these large issues of legality, but one of the things that strikes me as I listen to all sides of the argument is how very important the home or community garden really is. Deciding to feed yourself and become fully aware of how to do so has become a truly revolutionary and empowering skill.

So, I am interested in hearing from people in the community on this topic.

How can people in our community become more independent in this way?

What groups (such as farms or garden clubs or neighborhood collaborations) help to do this?

What food grows well here without much (or any) need for intervention beyond giving it a space to thrive?

In addition to that, what do you know about how to protect your own water source or how to filter water to make it safer for you without dependance on laws?

If you do deal with commercial sources for gardening supplies, seeds, water, and such...who have you learned to trust for that and why?

Do you have a list of resources or a body of knowledge on local gardening to share?

Many residents have been told that it may be two weeks before they are able to have power again, leaving many households (like my own) to take in neighbors. We lack a shelter system or even so much as a motel, so many people who do not have immediate friends/family available to take them in have had to leave town.

Those of us that did have power, didn't have Comcast service available. Since most of the residents that have it go in for a bundled service package, many people were without phones.

Since there are few folks in this fabulous metropolis, it is not surprising that the resident computer addict (me) was the first to report a problem to Comcast.

This is when things got really fun.

My first call to the company involved navigating their menu and then talking to a very nice man who informed me (after asking everything from my name to the last four digits of my social security number) that we'd had a windstorm.

I was glad he could tell me such current news, and even more happy that it was so super secret that access was guarded appropriately.

I told him that we did indeed have a windstorm, and that we also had power but no cable. He went on to ask me if I was sure I had power, as cable wouldn't be available if electricity was not.

Read more:

I think Brian is a real local gem that doesn't get enough attention.

If you go to the music section, you can hear samples and judge for yourself. They have a CD out, but it looks like you can only pick that up at their gigs (and they haven't been doing nearly enough of those lately).

Still, the citizens here are organizing to put together more of a community and I thought I'd let people know about it.

The town now has a small community website and community calendar that can be found here. The site mentions the ongoing community center project, which includes a new library of sorts. There is also a fledgling park project that people might want to contribute to.