Former MSNBC host Dylan Ratigan quits TV to run organic hydroponic farm

The Raw Story, David Ferguson, March 20, 2013

Former MSNBC host and author of the book Greedy Bastards Dylan Ratigan has announced that after leaving his show in June of 2012, he has re-launched his life as an organic, hydroponic farmer. In an open letter on his website DylanRatigan.com, Ratigan proclaimed that his life changed direction when he found himself burnt out by “hollow political debates” and “in search of meaning and purpose in my work and life.”

Ratigan said that it was meeting a Marine combat veteran war protester and his wife who appeared on “The Dylan Ratigan Show” in June that inspired him. The couple explained to him a technique for hydroponic farming that reportedly uses 90 percent less water than a conventional farm, but produces three times as much food.

“It was a business that promised to cure food deserts – areas where access to fresh and healthy food is limited – while having the potential to create jobs for thousands of combat veterans, each of whom was the beneficiary of $1 million in military training while on active duty,” wrote Ratigan Wednesday.

“Since I left MSNBC and dylanratigan.com last June, I first started working with these inspiring visionary veterans on the phone, and then in person to expand their dream and help turn it into a reality,” he continued. “The process alone has restored meaning and purpose in my life, my health and spirit have taken on a renewed vitality and, because of my time with you, I have had the opportunity and privilege to literally put my money where my mouth is.”

Ratigan has relocated from New York City to San Diego County, California, where he is working with Colin and Karen Archipley at their hydroponic organic farm, “Archi’s Acres” full-time. He and the project’s other backers see the program as a means of providing sustainable food crops in the U.S. while offering job opportunities to veterans.

Ratigan will appear Thursday, March 21 on ABC’s “The Chew” and on Friday, March 22 on MSNBC’s “Martin Bashir” to discuss the project and share his recipe for a delicious organic kale salad.

Related Articles:

Experience: I was a whistleblower

Ten years later, U.S. officer’s Iraq diary tells grim tale

'I'm a monster': US veterans feel 'alone' in guilt


US military suicide rate hits one per day

Study: Military drinking 'culture' now a 'crisis'

(Matthew channelled by Suzanne Ward, June 3, 2012)

“….   22. Beyond those myriad personal situations, beyond the civilian casualties in war zones, and beyond the financial burdens to the peoples whose nations are at war is the global emotional impact. It can be said that the condition coined post traumatic stress disorder is endemic to Earth. No one is immune to this battle energy that permeates your world, no one can escape the ravages that centuries of bloodshed have inured generation after generation to accept as humankind’s nature and lot in life. Yet, the fear of dying is just as pervasive, and that sets up a paradox that minds have to come to terms with. …" 

Spain's 'Indignados' continue protest behind the scenes

Deutsche Welle, 17 September 2012

Long before the Occupy movement besieged Wall Street a year ago, the 'Indignados‘ set up their tents in the center of Madrid. The tents have gone and the Spanish people’s protest movement has become less visible.

To many foreign observers, the Spanish 15-M movement which first shook Spain and the world on May 15, 2011, has failed. In fact, most Spanish people have lost faith in it.

"They refused to join existing political groups - that's what tore them apart," said Leon Arsenal, author and the commissioner of cultural affairs with the Spanish party Unión Progreso y Democracía (UPyD). Arsenal admitted, however, that the May 15 protests were what triggered the worldwide ‘Occupy' movement. "It was the first time that Spain was a pioneer in anything."

Work behind the scenes 

Indignados protesting against
rating agencies

Arsenal‘s party shares the goals of the Indignados ("the indignant ones"). That's the name the various protest groups joined in the 15-M movement gave themselves. Both UPyD and the ‘Indignados' want more participation of citizens in the political decision-making process. They fight for simpler state structures and for more transparency. But while Arsenal's center-right party has grown over the past few months, the 15-M movement seems to be fading from the public eye.

That said, behind the scenes its members are still active. The massive tent camps full of protesters singing on Madrid's Plaza del Sol may be gone, but thousands of volunteers are continuing their protest. It's just less visible and tends to take place in the poorer neighborhoods of big cities.

"15-M has become a movement of voluntary social workers," said their spokeswoman and coordinator Ruth Martinez. The 33-year-old journalist has a master's degree in languages and medieval literature, and despite her qualifications she among the 24 percent of Spanish people who are currently unemployed.

Family as a safety net

The average income for people in Spain between the ages of 20 and 45 is between 1000 and 1500 euros ($1300 to $2000). Until now, families have served as a safety net for many young people who often live with their parents until they get married. But with private debts on the rise, even families are now slowly reaching their limits. "That's where we help out," said Ruth Martínez.

Thousands of lawyers, teachers and doctors who sympathize with the 15-M movement offer their services for free. Many of them have lost their jobs themselves. Others fill out tax declarations for people in need and help out when people are evicted from their houses.

In neighborhoods like Madrid's Lavapies, where many immigrants live, the work of the 15-M movement is particularly important. There, 15-M members protest in banks, in public offices, and they assist people in need.

Talk the talk, and walk the walk - 15-M has become a network of
social workers

Occupied houses and public assemblies

15-M regularly organize public assemblies. "We do whatever the government and the media fail to do. Of course we occupy an increasing number of empty houses because we think it's unfair that families are evicted from their homes simply because the banks have talked them into accepting exaggerated mortgages," said Martínez.

15-M's latest success is that a lawsuit against the insolvent bank Bankia has been accepted. That means that some of the people in charge will at last have to explain themselves in court.

"We don't storm buildings to the same extent anymore because the police in Spain intervene massively. And when you organize protest gatherings with more than ten participants you now risk fines. But that doesn't mean that we've vanished from the scene worldwide." 15-M and all its sub-forums will be taking part in the Global Noise event, organized by the Occupy movement worldwide on October 15, 2012.

Nevertheless, 15-M is still a big success, said Ignasí Carreras Fisas, director of the social innovation department at the Barcelona-based business school Esade. Even if it hasn't developed enough political clout to actually pave the way for real change. "Traditionally, protest groups are in a difficult position in Spain. Some regions have a strong desire for independence, which makes it hard for these groups to act on a national level. But 15-M and the Indignados have managed to overcome that to some extent."

Bristol goes rogue: British city launches own currency

AFP/Google, by Judith Evans (AFP), 16 Aug 2012

Bristol pound banknotes, which all contain symbols of local pride 

(AFP/File, Handout)

BRISTOL, United Kingdom — As Britain loses faith in its banks and feels shockwaves from the euro crisis, one city is trying to keep local wealth in local pockets with the launch of its own currency.

The Bristol pound -- usable only with member businesses in the city in southwest England -- is to launch in September, and organisers are deluged with local firms wanting to sign up.

"The perception of banking and money is that it's a very ruthless system: people are out for what they can get," co-founder Ciaran Mundy told AFP.

"This is about saying yes to something new. It's tapping into a different set of values about money."

The scheme has "captured people's imaginations", he added, in a recession-hit year when British banks have been beset by scandals and ministers talked openly of a possible euro collapse.

Hundreds of businesses have joined, from the acclaimed Arnolfini arts centre to the Chandos deli chain, and the launch had to be postponed from May to September 19 because of the level of interest.

Bristol is the first big city in

 Britain to launch a local currency.

(AFP/File, Adrian Dennis)

Security professional Richard Wright signed up his company Wright Guard as soon as he heard about the Bristol pound, hoping it would help him fight back against encroaching security giants.

"I'm Bristol born and bred, and I always want to support local businesses," he told AFP. "I'll want to keep the Bristol pound flowing."

The notes feature symbols of local pride from nineteenth-century religious writer Hannah More to the Concorde aircraft, partly developed in Bristol, and images of the St Paul's Carnival Caribbean street festival.

Evoking a long history of dissent, one side of the £5 note shows a tiger writing on a wall in graffiti: "O Liberty!"

Other British towns have launched local currencies, but Bristol, home to half a million people, is the first big city, and its scheme is ambitious.

Businesses can pay local taxes in Bristol pounds and the council has offered its 17,000 staff the option of receiving part of their pay in the currency.

Mundy's team -- funded initially by grants -- have designed an electronic system for payments by text message, plus what they say are forgery-proof notes.

Stores selling products from cider to skate shoes said they were considering joining the scheme, which Mundy believes will have a tangible economic effect.

"Eighty percent of the money leaves the area if it is spent with a multinational -- but 80 percent stays if it is spent at a local trader," he said.

Such localism might seem strange in a city that grew to prosperity as an international port and is now a centre for aircraft manufacture.

But Bristol is also a left-wing haven with an activist tradition. The People's Republic of Stokes Croft, an urban renewal group, made headlines last year with a campaign that became a riot in protest at the opening of a Tesco supermarket.

They have greeted the Bristol pound warmly.

"We need to run things from the bottom up and from the grassroots, so that people have control over how things happen where they live," said spokesman Chris Chalkley.

But Louisa Jones and Joh Rindom, co-owners of Stokes Croft vintage clothing store Shop Dutty, thought the scheme would just add to their administrative burden.

"We're sceptical that having a micro economy within a macro economy is a bit backward," Rindom said.

Ben Yearsley, investment manager at Bristol-based financial services firm Hargreaves Lansdown, also won't be rushing to convert his sterling.

"It's just a big gift voucher scheme... I'm sceptical that it's going to make any difference," he told AFP.

"Local businesses need to compete on quality and service."

The Bristol pound will not be legal tender and must be exchanged through the Bristol Credit Union, with a three percent charge for conversion back to sterling.

This and charges on electronic transactions will pay its running costs.

Despite the naysayers, Mundy hopes hundreds of thousands of Bristol pounds will be traded in its first year, increasing to "double figures of millions" by the third.

A man holds euro notes and the

 "Chiemgauer", the local currency of the

 southern German city of Raubling.

 (DDP/AFP/File, Lennart Preiss)

His model is the Chiemgauer, a German complementary currency of which millions of euros' worth is traded yearly.

Online database complementarycurrency.org lists more than 225 such minority currencies worldwide, of which 102 are in Europe.

They have won a high-profile advocate in Bernard Lietaer, a Belgian economist who helped design and implement the convergence mechanism for the euro.

"We will never have a stable, sustainable monetary system with a single monopoly of a single type of currency, whoever manages it," he said in a lecture in Brussels.

"Everybody can do something at their own scale... sustainability requires diversity," he added.

Mundy said that the ultimate test of his system would be the market.

"If people freely decide to market and trade with each other (in the currency), they should be able to do it," he said.

"If we're not doing a good job they won't use the system. Consumers will decide." 

Related Articles:

Libor scandal: Seven banks summoned in US probe

Chinese companies pull out of U.S. stock markets

Totnes: the town that declared war on global capitalism

Child's Play: Indian street youth develop model banking system

Related Articles:

'Big five' bank customers vent anger by taking their money elsewhere

Peer-to-peer lending via the internet hits £250m

Jamie Hirst has been able to borrow money at a

cheaper rate than from his bank

"The New Paradigm of Reality" Part I/II – Feb 12, 2011 (Kryon channelled by Lee Carroll)  (Subjects: Who/What is Kryon ?, Egypt Uprising, Iran/Persia Uprising, Peace in Middle East without Israel actively involved, Muhammad, "Conceptual" Youth Revolution, "Conceptual" Managed Business, Internet, Social Media, News Media, Google, Bankers, Dictators, Global Unity,..... etc.)


"Recalibration of Free Choice"–  Mar 3, 2012 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Caroll) - (Subjects: (Old) Souls, Midpoint on 21-12-2012, Shift of Human Consciousness, Black & White vs. Color, 1 - Spirituality (Religions) shifting, Lose a Pope “soon”, 2 - Humans will change react to drama, 3 - Civilizations/Population on Earth,  4 - Alternate energy sources (Geothermal, Tidal (Pedal wheels), Wind), 5 – Financials Institutes/concepts will change (Integrity – Ethical) , 6 - News/Media/TV to change, 7 – Big Pharmaceutical company will collapse “soon”, (Keep people sick), (Integrity – Ethical)  8 – Wars will be over on Earth, Global Unity, … etc.)

What We Can Learn From Iceland

Related Articles:

Iceland forgives mortgage debt of its population

The President Of Iceland Tells Us How He Had The Balls To Stand Up To Britain

Iceland’s citizens help draft new constitution via the Internet

Trial of Iceland ex-PM Haarde over 2008 crisis begins

Channel:  Wanderer of the Skies - April 14, 2012

“… Your nation of Iceland is being used as a testing ground for the rolling out of financial strategies for the betterment of your planet. It would be wise to follow their progress in this respect, as it will be the fate of all nations in a very brief period of time. We have always advised you that such an action would never come from the larger powers and nations of the world, but they will follow in lockstep once the actions begin their domino effect…..” 

Peer-to-peer lending via the internet hits £250m

BBC News, By Simon Gompertz, Personal finance correspondent, 8 June 2012

Savings and Investment 

• Will investment charges become clearer?
• Q&A: Is Santander UK a safe bank?
• Three years of record-low rates
• Families hide wealth to avoid care fees

Lynne Martin's money is spread
 among hundreds of borrowers, thus
reducing risk

Lending via three websites that link savers with borrowers - bypassing the banking system - has topped £250m.

The "new age" finance carries no protection for deposits, but is being tipped as a serious threat to traditional banks.

The peer-to-peer sites are led by Zopa, which has lent more than £200m since it started in 2005.

Funding Circle, specialising in business loans, has topped £34m, and RateSetter has reached £24m.

Last month the government said it would lend these sort of firms £100m to help expand their own lending to businesses.

"It's a marketplace, the eBay for money," says Lynne Martin from Hertfordshire, a foot technician in her late 50s who has been using Zopa to build up a nest egg for retirement.

Higher returns

Lynne was fed up with the returns she was getting from banks and pension plans.

So she has lent a substantial part of her savings via the website, spreading it between hundreds of borrowers and by-passing the banking system.

The interest from the latest £5,000 is 7.4% a year before tax but after taking into account Zopa's 1% charge.

That is substantially more than is available on a typical savings account at a bank.

On the other side of the ledger, Jamie Hirst from Chippenham in Wiltshire has borrowed £4,500 through Zopa to cover the cost of a revamp of his kitchen and bathroom.

The 8.4% APR he is paying is 5% less than he was quoted by his bank.

"I thought it was brilliant," he told the BBC's Your Money.

"The fact that there wasn't some fat cat taking the profits, just some guy investing 50 or a hundred quid to get a little return and doing something good for someone else."

The drawbacks

There is a significant drawback for savers: the lack of any guarantee that you will get your money back.

Peer-to-peer lending, as it is known, does not qualify for protection from the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS), which provides security up to £85,000 per bank, for each saver.

The peer-to-peer sites put their loan applicants through credit checks and Zopa says it divides people's savings into £10 chunks which are spread between borrowers, to minimise any risk.

On average, so far, its lenders have lost 0.5% of their money as a result of borrowers defaulting.

But Lynne Martin predicts the concept is bound to catch on more widely.

"Necessity is the mother of invention," she says.

"This is a new asset class. It's not a share and it's not a bank account."

Official support?

Lynne has support from a director of the Bank of England, Andy Haldane, who suggested in March that peer-to-peer lenders could replace High Street banks. 

Jamie Hirst has been able to borrow
 money at a cheaper rate than from
his bank

"There is no reason why end-savers and end-investors cannot connect directly," he explained.

"The banking middle men may in time become the surplus links in the chain."

Lynne is hoping the interest she is earning will help pay for her to retire to the West Country, a hope which highlights an interesting feature of peer-to-peer lending.

Much of the money has been moving across generations, from older people looking for a decent income to younger borrowers setting up in life and desperate to keep down the cost of taking a loan.

Related Articles:

Start-Ups Look to the Crowd

Who Needs Bosses? Not Game Company Valve


"The New Paradigm of Reality" Part I/II – Feb 12, 2011 (Kryon channelled by Lee Carroll) (Subjects: Egypt Uprising, Iran/Persia Uprising, Peace in Middle East without Israel actively involved, Muhammad, "Conceptual" Youth Revolution, "Conceptual" (without a manager hierarchy) managed Businesses, Internet, Social Media, News Media, Google, Bankers, Global Unity,..... etc.)