SHAKE THE HIVE

Thursday, December 5, 2013

The Urban Permaculture Movement is NEXT LEVEL

There are a lot of movements going on in the world.

Protests, marches, and rallies, groups like Anonymous fighting the good fight on terrain where no blood is shed and justice is served in a different way, more people looking into ways to live sustainably. I am reading more and more about people who go off the grid and homestead- in a new sort of way. Not as in squatting on some land and claiming it- homesteading today means being as self sufficient as possible, and using recycled or reclaimed materials as much as possible. Creating alternative energy sources. Micro and urban farming, beekeeping, and alternative irrigation systems like aquaponics being employed.

Its an exciting time. There is probably only 1 person per 10,000 who is taking on the mantle of living more harmoniously with the planet, and choosing not to exist solely as a consumer of products, food, energy and resources. But for those people, its an exalted state of being and living.

Like these guys-The Urban Farming guys- I love them. Here is their mission-

You can find them by clicking HERE. There is some great information there about permaculture and sustainability.

You've heard about aquaponics but don't really know what it is? This is a pretty comprehensive diagram. It is a way to raise both edible plants AND fish, both of which sustain the other. To learn more about aquaponics, click HERE.

There are all kinds of great housing ideas for living off the grid- some are surprisingly attractive, while some are rustic and cute and practical. But suffice it to say, there is something for every taste.

Even right here in Los Angeles, there are people living in your neighborhoods who are operating micro-farms, right under everyone's noses. The Dervaes family operates a micro farm near downtown that grows 6 tons of food in a year's time. They have chickens for eggs, and goats for milk and cheese, they can and preserve what would otherwise go bad, they sell to local restaurants, their home is powered by solar and their cars are diesel, and they make the bio-fuel for it. I freaking love this whole operation- these people really inspire me to create a scenario like this for the Shake the Hive non-profit for teens. It would keep overhead low, and maybe even draw in its own funds. Click HERE to find out more about the Dervaes Family, and what they call (and rightly so) The Path To Freedom.

There are also even more modest micro farming efforts are underway all over the city. I recently met a woman, Kirsten, through a mutual friend, who insisted I come meet her and see her house. It was just an unassuming Spanish style home in the Valley, but its also a little urban farm. Kirsten had a couple of beehives tucked away in her yard. She said was still learning how to work the hives, and her second hive had angry bees. she was pretty offhand about it- some people get sort of obsessive, but she was casual. It was part of her life, and it had woven its way into the ebb and flow of a normal life in the city.

One of Kirsten's two beehives

She then took us out back to see her chicken coop. Well, I asked. She isn't a show off-y person- for her it was like someone saying- "Hey, can I see your washing machine?" This is just her life, her normal life, and if its exceptional, its seems to be lost on her. She said she didn't really want chickens- a friend of hers had said- "lets go rescue those chickens at the pound," to which she said- "I don't really want chickens, but okay." I really liked Kirsten- such a laid back person. She just flowed into being someone with a chicken coop, and now she has fresh eggs every day. She says the eggs are all kinds of different colors. She lets her chickens roam around the yard all day, and when they are ready, they go back to their coop on their own.

Chickens!

When we visited, her micro- farm was in between seasons. She had just planted seeds for her fall crop, so there isn't much to see here except for dirt. However, you can get a sense as to how she used the available space to create an urban farm, right next to her driveway.

Kirsten's micro-farm, just seeded for the fall season

You wouldn't expect that- but how cool is it? To have honey and eggs and produce- she also had fruit trees. Its a dream of mine to be able to eat so local that its from my back yard.

And finally, here is how one single mom built her own shipping container house on a shoe string. its pretty cute, and it isn't like she is going without anything. Its super cute, and it allows them to live partially our of doors. I recognize that one can't do this in most places in the US- but there are ways around the weather.

Next year, when I start fundraising for Shake the Hive, these are all things we want to explore. Permaculture, sustainability, farming, beekeeping, raising chickens and aquaponics. Building shipping container homes, composting, and building solar power panels that work. The teens who are part of the non profit will learn how to do these things (As will I; as will the community during workshops hosted by Shake the Hive) and will blog about it on the websites they will build, which they will post on the facebook pages they will manage. They will create their logos for their own organization, they will create a presence and build a community of their peers. They will do video blogs as well, short documentaries- they will create a t shirt or shopping bag with their own logo to fundraise for their own endeavors. They will learn how to change the world and to inspire others to join them.

OCCUPY YOURSELF!

In all the many movements taking place, I find the revolution that starts with our own personal consumer and lifestyle choices to be the single most relevant thing one person can do. Because we ALL can do this. By doing so, we take money away from those who seek to compromise our health for their profit. We make a stand that there are more of us than them. We become responsible stewards for the planet and for the future. We show our kids the art of living gracefully. Maybe we can't all go live in a shipping container and raise chickens- but there are so many things to do at so many different levels- I have seen small tiny urban farms on fire escapes, for cryin' out loud! It can be done. In NYC they keep bees on rooftops. Chickens too. We can buy local- not just food, but to support shops and artisans in our neighborhoods and boycott major chain stores. We can find groups in our communities that are striving to make a difference locally. As consumers, we are occupied by branding, by products, by convenience, by our craving for food (many of which are manufactured for the sole purpose of creating cravings), by our desire for things. Shake the Hive proposes the Occupy Yourself movement- which is when you re-evaluate all these things, modify your choices, and change your lifestyle in ways that suit your well being, core values, and the sustainability of the planet.

Shake the Hive's Ashley Dane, showing off a mobile solar panel at the Green Festival

Shake the Hive!

xoxo,

Ashley Dane

Thursday, November 28, 2013

Golden Turmeric Latte, Unfuck The World, and a dose of RT (oh my)

One of my favorite discoveries recently happened when I met my dear friend Leon at Cafe Gratitude last week. Actually- it was two great discoveries. The day before, I had posted a meme I found on facebook which showed a man in a shirt that said "Unfuck the World". I didn't know it was an actual shirt that could be bought until my friend Leon commented on it and said he knew the woman who owned that company, and that he was going to get one for me. And he did, that sweetheart of a man could not be dissuaded! So I went to meet Leon for lunch at Cafe Gratitude, where I ordered a turmeric latte called I Am Golden. (all the food and drink choices are named with affirmations, so you can't help but say something amazing about yourself in order to...um, order.) I have heard a lot about the healing properties of turmeric, and I was curious but didn't have high expectations for it being yummy. I was wrong, it was exquisite!

So there were two cool discoveries-the shirt, and the latte, both of which I am going to share with you.

Unfuck the World T shirts

First- here is where to go to get the unbelievably cool Unfuck the World T shirts. They have hoodies, too, and I plan on acquiring one of those ASAP. Click HERE FOR THE WEBSITE and to order. And the coolest part- they donate half the price of the shirt to a charity of your choice- you choose between the three they offer. These also will make great gifts for your favorite revolutionaries. When I posted this picture on facebook of me last week at the TPP Protest (if you didn't get a chance to read that blog, click HERE) I was bombarded with people asking where they might get one. People love them! Just maybe not your right wing conservatives. Which only makes me love them a little more. This t shirt Shakes the Hive fo sho!

Shake the Hive! Unfuck the World!

Now for the second cool discovery...

Golden Turmeric Latte Recipe

This is super easy to make at home. It gets really creamy- almost too creamy- if you heat it up over a high flame, so don't go crazy.

Pour almond milk in a pan and heat slowly over medium flame.
In a mug, put 1/2 tspn turmeric and a few slices ginger and some honey
(make sure you get high quality, not from a major grocery chain but from a health food store. You can also get the real root and slice it up, I have some of that, too)
Pour heated almond milk over that and stir

There are some variations I have been playing with- like today I made black tea and added it to the almond milk so it wasn't so creamy. I also added a little bit of the following- nutmeg, cardamom, clove, cinnamon. Since it already had ginger in it, this was basically a version of chai tea- although to make real chai you need to brew and steep those ingredients longer in water, then add tea bags and steep, then remove, strain, and add almond milk and honey.

I am a little bit shocked that since I have been drinking these in the morning, I have not wanted coffee. Which saves me $5 a day, and that doesn't suck. I have not had lack-of-coffee headaches and really don't miss it. And my skin looks amazing!

I was going to try to list all the health benefits of turmeric, but there are simply too many to list. Click RIGHT HERE for University of Maryland's findings on the turmeric.

Golden Turmeric Latte- creamy yummy goodness!

March Against Monsanto RT clip/ Look for Ashley Dane up in this joint

So here is a third thing I found- not a discovery, but still pretty neat. I had done a little interview at the March Against Monsanto back in October, and then I never thought twice about it, and never did see it. At the TPP Protest, I saw the same interviewer (Ramon Galindo from RT, and I have to say that Ramon can be counted on to tell the truth the main stream media won't!) and said hello. He asked me if I had seen the clip and I had not. So he sent me the link, and this is it. Vive la Resistance!

Since it is still Thanksgiving for 45 more minutes, I would like to give a shout of sincere gratitude for the people who both organize and show up to these marches, protests, and rallies. I would also like a moment of silence for the 5 millions turkeys that were slaughtered for most people's family meal today. No judging- just recognition. May you find the deep joy and insane bliss of radical gratitude always.

Flip the script!

xoxo,

Ashley Dane
Shake the Hive
OCCUPY YOURSELF!

Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Protest and Rally Against the TPP, Beverly Hills, CA

On Monday, November 25, 2013, 250 or so free thinking, radical dissenters gathered at the Will Rogers park across from the Beverly Hills Hotel to protest the TPP- which stands for the Trans Pacific Partnership. Many folks don't know what the TPP is, much less why it is a threat to their well being. Now, admittedly, most people don't care about 'abstract threats'. What I mean by abstract threats are any threats that do not affect someone in a personal and/or immediate way. If someone said the internet would be shut down tomorrow- I think the entire globe would gather to protest. This is not an immanent threat under the TPP, although many internet freedoms are affected, were it to go through. (I bet that got someone's interest!)

Shake the Hive's Ashley Dane at the TPP Protest

I will fully confess that I am not one of those people who can read about things like this- from the leaked TPP text on Wikileaks, to the many articles written in the alternative news media, and even some sort of main stream media sources - and remember all of the salient details. As a result, I may not be able to address all the different issues that come up in a conversation, which I know at times might make me seem uninformed to those who, every once in a while, want to debate with me. On the contrary- I have read A LOT about it, assimilated the information, and have come to the conclusion that were the TPP to come to fruition, it would be a giant step forward in the world domination by corporations. We have long heard the term- New World Order. To the point, perhaps, where we don't really think about what it means, its become a rather generic and lackluster term, when it should invoke dread. A New World Order points to a single governing body ruling the entire planet, a handful of people (and its not the elected officials, ultimately, but people behind the scenes, whose names you may know, but most likely don't) calling the shots, and unilateral governing principles applying globally. The TPP is not that, but its pointing to that eventuality. This is only my take on it- there are other versions of what people think, I can only tell you mine. And here is someone else's very informed take on it- this video is Lauren Steiner, the powerhouse behind the TPP Protest, who very eloquently spells out some of the evils that would result from the enactment of this 'trade' agreement-

After Lauren spoke, Marianne Williamson, spiritual activist extraordinaire and best selling author who is running for Congress and also spoke. Her speech was a rousing and eloquent one, which I wish I could have also recorded, but I ran out space on my phone.

Marianne Williamson at the TPP rally

Despite the fact that the pact has been negotiated in near complete secrecy, what has been revealed is deeply troubling. It seems clear that, behind this veil of secrecy, the TPP deals with not only free trade, but bigger government, stricter laws and less accountability. As a result, the land, water and air in these 12 countries, along their borders, and across the oceans will all suffer.

Through a little-known provision called "investor-state dispute settlement," the TPP will elevate foreign corporations to the nation status. This gives corporations the unbridled power to challenge virtually any policy, including environmental protections, which they think will harm their profits. The TPP then allows these businesses to sue governments in private trade tribunals for unlimited compensation.

That greedy corporations will take full advantage of these powers is a no-brainer. ExxonMobil and Chevron have already used similar rules in other trade deals to initiate more than 500 lawsuits against 95 governments. One such case currently under way involves a U.S. oil company suing Canada, under the North American Free Trade Agreement, for $250 million because the province’s reasonable moratorium on fracking might hurt their ability to rake in more profits.- Steven M. Thiese, Salt Lake City Tribune

I have no words, except to say I have no words.

These are troubling times in the world. Its almost too much to keep up with all that needs addressing, all that calls for concern and action. One can get lost in it all, and once you start knowing, you can't unring that bell- and sometimes, for a brief moment, you might want to. But ignorance is not bliss. The ignorance of others creates more work for those who would speak for all human beings that expect the world to keep spinning as it has. The ignorance of others makes the pillaging corporations ever more powerful and nefarious- its those who remain silent and turn a blind eye that allow for these ills to happen. We all have a responsibility to know what is happening, and to speak out against it- from posting articles on your facebook page (click here for Shake the Hive's page) and twitter, talking about it, writing blogs, getting involved in marches or with organizations who are seeking to effect change...and, as I always talk about, making serious alterations (in small, manageable increments, or broad strokes, whatever works for you as long as it something) in your consumer choices. Do what you can, where you are, with what you have. There are more of us than them, so dissent is really the only sane answer. Rise up!

And that's what we did last night- we rose up, we yelled, we banged on pots and drums, we marched up to the intersection where the POTUS was going to be driving by on his way to a fundraiser at Magic Johnson's house. We made new friends and allies in the cause, and fortified our resolve in the knowledge that we are united in a cause, and that's a powerful thing in itself. At every protest, march and rally I join in, I walk away feeling like I am part of something, that there IS a movement, and I am part of it. We have each other, and more and more people join the movement every day, in different ways. That is what Shake the Hive is all about- Dissent! Revolt! Upheaval! Not in a violent or destructive way, but in a critical and constructive sense- upset your own applecart, the one that exists in the illusion of the American Dream and unrelenting consumerism, the illusion in which you took the wooden nickel and still don't realize that it has no value. The illusion that everything you know is true. Rebel against what you think you know, question it all, and find out what has real value and meaning in your own life, and in the big picture of you as an inhabitant on this planet with so many others. Its not a suggestion, really, although I know its best to state it as such. Its a moral imperative. Its what is required of us, if we as a species are to survive. If corporations are allowed to proceed unchecked, then the end is certainly near. The end of many things we take for granted now, and the real and true end of life on this planet- maybe not in our life time, but it should not be something we can predict. It should be something that isn't being discussed as an inevitable future. We need to learn to live sustainably, and as long as capitalistic greed is the driving force- AND WE ALLOW IT TO BE, we don't stand much of chance.

Shake the Hive!!!

xoxo,

Ashley Dane

Shake the Hive

Saturday, November 23, 2013

Molotov Quinoa Bowl with Black Beans- a radical recipe from the New Anarchist Cookbook

This is my new favorite food. I seriously have eaten only this for the past four days, and its amazing.

Normally I don't start with the after picture, but I just need to go TA-DA! with this dish. Its so very easy, so full of nutrients, and so delicious that I just gotta give myself a high five.

(And for all those who offered help with the name, I have given you credit at the end of the recipe, and thank you!)

Molotov Quinoa Bowl. Pyewacket the cat is bird dogging my dinner

Here is what you'll need-

Organic black beans- 1 can
organic quinoa- 1 cup
organic avocado-
organic tomato-
organic garlic- 2 cloves
purple onion- 1
goat cheese
Pink Himalayan sea salt

The organic, whole food fixin's of a Molotov Quinoa Bowl o' goodness

I have a rice cooker, which I couldn't live without. If you don't, then follow the directions on the quinoa. While the quinoa is cooking, I put the black beans on a skillet on low/ medium, and then cut up the garlic and onion (I used a quarter of the onion) and put that in with the beans to simmer.

While that is all simmering and cooking, I cut up the tomato (about half of it) into diced chunks and the same with the avocado and set it on the side.

Eat it! The revolution is all about bomb ass cooking with organic and locally grown whole foods.

When the quinoa is ready, dump that and the tomatoes into the beans and mix it all up, and let it simmer for a few minutes. Then take out the amount that is to be eaten right away (so you can save the rest without putting the very perishable and not good to re-heat avocado and goat cheese in all of it) and add the goat cheese, avocado, and pink Himalayan sea salt.

This is enough for two people, if you use all of it. I usually save half and re-heat the next day, adding more avocado and goat cheese after I've re-heated it- and not by microwave, ever. At least thats my preference, and I have a blog about that, too.

Now amaze yourself and eat it! Being a revolutionary is fun. If you choose this, no meat, no GMOs, non processed whole food, organic and hopefully locally grown- then you have just contributed to the cause in a very significant way. And if can try something new and make it part of your lifestyle, eventually you will replace all the crap you once ate with the goodness that is found in the New Anarchist's Cookbook (until its in print, it can only be found here at Shake the Hive on blogspot), or any number of other places- the point is, when we stop paying our hard earned money for their sickness inducing factory farmed genetically modified, rain forest raping foods and invest in the good stuff, the good guys- we tip the scales a little bit. And we stay healthy and therefore out of the reach of Big Pharma. There is a lot to stay healthy for, and protesting the evils of the world is one of them. Occupy yourself!!!

Yes! Very true! Occupy yourself and re-appraise your eating habits from a revolutionary standpoint.

By the way, I enlisted the help of Facebook friends to help come up with a revolutionary name for this dish, and here are all the clever names they came up with....

Michael Jedrzejewski Nom Nom de Guerre.

November 20 at 9:14pm via mobile · Unlike · 5

Allen Keller Jerry Rubin Sandwich

November 20 at 9:21pm · Unlike · 2

Michael Jedrzejewski Abbie Quinoaffman.

November 20 at 9:23pm via mobile · Unlike · 2

Glen Casebeer Protest Du Jour

November 20 at 9:32pm · Unlike · 1

Brett Solomon Sacquinoa & Vanzetti

November 20 at 9:35pm via mobile · Unlike · 2

Michael Jedrzejewski The Quinoa is Dead.

November 20 at 9:36pm via mobile · Unlike · 2