6/20/05

While in South Bend, Indiana, I interviewed Jonah Smith in regard to an expanded position paper we’re doing on the environment. Smith, who majored in Ecology at Rutgers University, said farm run off in the Mississippi River Watershed Region is … Continue reading

6/18/05

While in northern Indiana, we learned of an excellent social justice program. In Kimmel, Indiana, a group of farmers (and others) are involved with a “Common Ground Growing Project.” They are farming a common plot of land, with the proceeds … Continue reading

6/10/05

Went to Bluffton, Ohio’s Farmer’s Market (“…with an emphasis on organic”) today. I talked with Ray Person who recently bought a 20-acre farm on the outskirts of town. Eight families from Bluffton regularly go out to tend to a large … Continue reading

6/8/05

We are back in Bluffton, Ohio, our old hometown. Last night I talked with a local farmer here who is switching his 60 acre farm to organic for “environmental stewardship” reasons. He told me before he would spend, on average, … Continue reading

6/3/05

We have launched on our next tour, first stop: Mt. Hope, Ohio (pop. 2,000). Author Gene Logsdon has called Mt. Hope the best town in Ohio. Why? Mt. Hope is Amish, and for the most part: sustainable. That is, the … Continue reading

5/30/05

Memorial Day: In Memorial Days past, our family has gone out to local cemeteries to honor those who have fought for our country. Yesterday, we met with a group of Catholic Workers on Cleveland’s near west side who, quite regularly, … Continue reading

5/21/05

I interviewed Antonoitte Bosco this week. She has authored 14 books, including Choosing Mercy. The latter won a Pax Christi Award and is about her advocacy against the death penalty — even though her son and daughter-in-law were shot to … Continue reading

Interviewed Kathleen Newsome over the weekend. She had the number “25,251” marked in black on her arm. It was for: the 25,251 st death toll victim (military, civilian, humanitarian aid worker…) in the Iraq War. Ms. Newsome is a member … Continue reading

5/14/05

Went to a talk on “globalization” by Oberlin College professor Steve Crowley last night. Professor Crowley said that after WWII, the U.S. had a tremendous glut of manufactured items and needed wider markets. Consequently, American media started beaming into other … Continue reading