So, recently I drove down our bucolic and beautiful Crest Hill Road, for perhaps the five thousandth time. Perhaps it was because it had been so long since I drove it in the middle of winter. Perhaps it was because the VDOT had recently finished their aggressive mowing and trimming of the brush along the road. Regardless, I was struck by the amazing, disgraceful, and disrespectful amount of litter along the road.
Seeing all this litter brought back two very vivid memories of my youth. The first, I was very young, perhaps five or six. Mom and the five or six of us kids (often a revolving cast of characters) were driving home from Woodbridge to where we lived in Harbor View, near Occoquan. My oldest brother nonchalantly tossed his soda can out the window. My mother flipped her lid. She stopped the car, and forced my then-twelve-year-old brother to not only pick up THAT soda can, but to walk in front of the car, with her flashers on, and pick up every piece of garbage he found for a quarter mile. He was humiliated, and an impression was made on us all.
Alas, the impression was deadened in me some years later by the effects of copious amounts of alcohol. Fast forward to the spring of 1984. Spring Break, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida! I, along with a bevy of high school friends, drove down in two cars. One fantastic sunny early spring day, I was passenger in one car as we crept and crawled along A1A. I upended my beer (yes, underage, yes, in a vehicle, YES, this was an entirely OTHER time), and casually dropped the can out the door. Not three seconds later, the can smacked me in my head, and Very Large, gruff hands grabbed my shirt collar and lifted me out of the car!! A burly face yelled in my rapidly sobering face, “LISTEN, Yankee!! We BARELY tolerate you maggots down here At ALL!! You litter in MY street again, and I’ll kick your punk ass all the way back to Virginia, where you Belong!! Bravo, to my unknown hero!
So, back in present day, and with a respect for not littering that has lasted to date, I determined to follow up and pursue the group that had ostensibly “Adopted” this section of roadway. It was “Friends of Lake Athlone” (the lake around which we, and perhaps thirty other homes, lived). After further inspection, I discovered the Friends of Lake Athlone had consisted of one elderly couple, who had retired to Florida some two years earlier! I proposed to Debbie that we take that stretch of road over, contacted Warrenton VDOT, and put this ball in motion.
The receptionist/organizer of the local Adopt A Highway program was very encouraging, and promised we could have a new sign installed after our second cleaning and servicing of the road. We loaded up with reflective vests and some twenty orange trash bags, and were promptly met with relentless cold front after frigid air after light snow.
This week, we were blessed with two glorious days, between bouts of sub teen zero temps and rain squalls. We attacked the project, thinking we would perhaps complete half the road (one “Adopts” a two mile stretch). After two days, we completed the first quarter mile of road, and are exhausted and sore everywhere. While the remainder of the road is sprinkled with trash here and there, the first three quarters of a mile are right out of a third world country. We gathered up EIGHT TRASH BAGS of garbage. I learned a few things about human nature, and what I believe are motives for the horrible quantity of garbage right at the headland of Crest Hill.
First, that there is a surprising similarity in the garbage. This would indicate that either the same perpetrator is responsible for the garbage (a hefty achievement, tossing some ten CASES of beer out their window!!), or that we are rather predictable animals.
Second, that the motive is secrecy. Folks are stopping off at either McDonalds, 7-11, or Fosters on their way home, snatching up the guilty pleasure of their choice (hot dog, pizza, beer, burger, canned or fountain sodas, candy), scarfing them down in rabid desperation, then realizing even the trash, if left in their car, would betray them to their significant others or their families (“you’r CHEATING on your Diet?? You’re Diabetic!!”, or “you Promised you would quit drinking, or drinking and driving!!”)
Third, that familiarity breeds contempt. We ignore and become contemptible of what we are around all the time, regardless of how beautiful it is.
Forth, perhaps, is that once litter starts, it simply continues unabated and often accelerated. I’m reminded of the old joke, “They never put up a ‘No Dumping’ sign, until it’s Too Late!!” I’m afraid people just don’t think their wee tiny little contribution to the mess really matters or would even be noticed. Also, I think (and HOPE) that, once cleaned, people will be more reluctant to BEGIN the process. Who wants to be the First to cast that stone?
Hopefully, in due course, we’ll find out that people are reluctant to litter on a Now Clean roadway. At least, discouraged….
Our work on the road continues. It will take Many days to complete our entire two mile stretch. If you see us out on 647, Crest Hill Rd., tap the horn, wave, and know, We are Volunteers—NOT on Work Release! đ
Way back in 1969, Neil Young released a song and album titled “Everybody Knows This is Nowhere”. As the youngest member of a family growing up (at that time, in Woodbridge, then Haymarket, then ultimately Marshall in Northern Fauquier County), I heard that refrain sung, mumbled, grumbled, and shouted dozens of times. There were Precious few attractions, restaurants, venues, and general overall “Things To DO” in Fauquier County then.
Back in the early seventies and eighties, the Northern Virginia Piedmont was, frankly, Nowhere. And that was a major appeal to my parents, and many other parents. Much to the chagrin of so many adolescents, young adults, and teenagers.
Upon returning to Fauquier County as an adult, I realize the region has certainly Grown Up! Contrast those languid, often boring summers and seemingly endless winters hibernating, with the amazing evolution of activities, attractions, events, venues, and entertainment the area offers today!
These days, Virginia Gold Cup, is just ONE brief, passing event held at Great Meadows. They offer events year long, including Polo, the best Fireworks in the tri-county area, and myriad other activities.
Just last week, I had a completely unexpectedly appealing evening at the sprawling and hugely diverse Orlean Market. They had excellent live music, a hopping bar, an excellent and extensive dinner menu, indoor and outdoor seating, a great, authentic old-time Country General Store and Market, and even a Gasoline Pump! Rumor has it the venue is only going to grow and expand, offering rooms and event services!
One can spend DAYS travelling the now famed and world renowned Fauquier County Winery and Vineyard Trail. I understand Pearmund Cellars has been voted the Best Winery in Virginia!
When one pauses to consider the evolution and development of our smaller villages and hamlets, and the attractions they offer, one begins to realize that Northern Fauquier County has indeed “Come into it’s Own”. Warrenton, Deleplane, Orlean, The Plains, and Especially MARSHALL (I’ll dedicate an entire paragraph to Marshall–watch this space, there will be entire Blogs dedicated to Marshall!), are in the midst of a culinary and cultural Renaissance.
The Plains has remained a “one-t-intersection-hamlet”, with only four stop signs, yet offers some amazing new dining and shopping. With the advent of The Front Porch, and Happy Creek Coffee and Tea (and Bicycles!), Griasole, and the Benchmark Standby, The Rail Stop Cafe, The Plains is ever-refreshing and interesting. It is a delightful place to shop, view beautiful architecture, and people-watch from any one of it’s cafes and restaurants.
And as for Marshall! To witness an historic village undergo a true awakening, a Renaissance without the pretense of Gentrification, is a truly remarkable thing. Main Street in Marshall is rapidly becoming a mecca for new, innovative, world class dining. With the imminent burial of all power and utility lines, as well as the renovation of over a dozen historic buildings, Marshall truly will be the one to watch! There are too many fine dining spots, and exciting events and activities to list here in this blog. Marshall is even getting a double decker BUS cafe! I can (and likely will!) devote and entire blog to the next generation of Marshall.
Horses, Racing, Touring, Dining, Dining, and Dining!, Shopping, Live Music!, Festivals, Hiking, Sightseeing, and more History, Heritage, and Culture than one can find in many States, makes Northern Fauquier truly a Bloom worth watching, and Very little like the culturally barren tundra our Fine Mr. Young sang about some fifty years ago.
Sure, it isn’t, and never will be, Metropolis. And that’s why we love it here!
The CLOUD Difference is that we not only are involved in real estate, more importantly its the people, their lives and the lifestyle within their community.
Working together ensures our communities and our lifestyles. Please spend some time to be aware, be informed and take action with in your community. Show up at hearings. Read the paper everyday. Be involved in your community events & groups.
Since time began, there has been a continuous and delicate balance between Development and Conservation. The desire and need for expansion and accommodation drives humankind to discover, settle, grow, build, and prosper.
Throughout the evolution of humans, the Adventurous Ones have ventured into the unknown, claiming new territory, fighting off threats, and staking claim to spaces to be Civilized and Developed. Simultaneously, we have had Settlers, who have made the Known Areas bigger, more comfortable, with added amenities and safeguards, and developed societies and social norms.
It has long been that precious area, between the Frontier and the City, that area that has been âSettledâ, in the minds of those who came before any newcomers, that is often embroiled in Conservation vs. Development controversy. What the Settlers of generations back call âInvasionâ, and âSprawlâ, the newcomer often calls âQuaintâ, or âRemoteâ. And they are both referring to the SAME area!
Perspective has a Very intoxicating and pervasive affect. That same Settler may venture further afield someday, on an adventure or a vacation. They âdiscoverâ a New place, and ascribe the same adjectives to that New area that the Newcomer uses to describe the hometown they ventured from!
Oneâs perspective on a place is indelibly influenced and molded by the point at which they are introduced. I spent almost two decades in Very remote parts of the worldâplaces that are considerably different than they were when I arrived. When I return for visits, I sit at a beach bar, and lament how things have Changed, how Built Up the place has become. âTheyâve RUINED it!!â, I lament to the guy sitting next to me. Meanwhile, Heâs thinking the place is just the Bees Knees! So Remote! So Primitive! So Exclusive! âYeah, but, you should have seen it WHEN!!â, I sayâŚ
The halted interchange at I 66 and Rt. 55 between the Plaines and Thoroughfare Gap, Way back when I 66 was installed, the proposed Buckland Bypass(s), The Old Town Warrenton Bypass-Bypass, Van Metre in Marshall, Leckner Fords Expansion, the list goes on ad infinitum. Urban, and suburban sprawl, building, development, and âProgressâ are the inevitable consequences of time, population, influx, discovery, and prosperity. So often, and so easily, we fall prey to the hypocrisy of, âIâm Here now!! We must STOP this insane Development!!â.
As I read online commentary regarding the recent (non)development about the proposals, I was reminded of an article from the News Optomist. How do we avoid the seduction of adopting the all-around counterproductive N.I.M.B.Y., or âNot in My Backyard!â, not to be outdone are the B.A.N.A.N.A. folksââBuild Absolutely Nothing Anywhere Near Anyone!â, whoâs usual followers are C.A.V.E.âsââCitizens Against Virtually Everything!â attitude?
How do we accept, influence, control, and determine our own destiny? How do we manage the inevitability of progress, yet avoid catching âThe Tiger by the Tailâ (can you Hear me, Gainesville? Can you Hear me, Centreville? Bristow? Woodbridge?), being consumed by Crisis Response to a population and development explosion, one we have not Prepared and Accommodated for? Equally important, how do we protect, promote, maintain and safeguard our Heritage Legacy, without becoming stiflingly restrictive (Hello, Middleburg!)?
Our Heritage is a double-edged sword. One that makes this area so attractive to newcomers, yet is at the heart of what we wish to preserve.
I fully subscribe to a philosophy of Awareness, that Sunlight makes the Best Disinfectant. I believe that we all, anyone that has a vested interest or concern for the beauty of our homeland, have an obligation to be as informed and aware as we possibly can. Attend citizens meetings, attend zoning board hearings, petition your LOCAL government representatives. Know what the issues are, be Informed about plans, proposals, and problems in the works. We may not feel like we have much influence or impact, but if we neglect our God given and American Rights to Know about our public hearings, we acquiesce what real power we DO have. It may not feel like much, but itâs even More valuable and important, as our impact may be minor. What little we Can do must be fiercely guarded and exercised.
I am reminded of my staunch position regarding two Major multibillion dollar global industries (that shall remain nameless) that I boycott. On more than one occasion, they behaved in a manner that federal courts found criminal. Their actions directly resulted in several deaths. Their response and decades-long litigation has led me to refuse to ever purchase their goods. My effect is admittedly infinitesimal. Completely insignificant, in the grand scheme of things. But it is ALL I can do, legally. I Chose to exercise my rights to the Fullest extent of the law. And because my influence and impact is so tiny, it is ever more important to ME that I exercise it.
Daylight is the Best Disinfectant. Be aware. Be informed. Be Concerned.
Debbie and I, Chris Cloud, want to motivate the citizens of Fauquier County to attend Community Meetings, to know, be aware, and be informed of proposed changes to the slice of paradise we call home. Whether you are for or against any proposal, the important thing is to be Informed! We recognize the positive position we are in; one of being concerned with Limiting growth, rather than contending (as so many communities are) with contracting demographics and budget shortfalls. We are blessed with opportunity. With Prosperity.
The CLOUD Difference is Debbie’s and my desire to facilitate decisions, either pro growth, development and expansion, or pro conservation, regulation, and throttling.  Our desire is to promote Educated citizens. Â
We are available for collaboration and to discuss ideas! Â
The focus is on the Opioid Addiction that is front and center on the news.
Child Sex Trafficking is on the rise across our country and around the world. Currently Trafficking Rings are being broken up every day. Gangs 101 says find two other people and start pimping girls. No one has realized yet that the children in your home have a window to the world where highly sophisticated gang members, criminals and other dangerous people come into your house through social media, befriends them giving the child what they want and need, and using coercive controls to steal your children under your nose using highly skilled efforts of fear, shame and threats against your child, siblings and parents.
Child Sex Trafficking is up every year 500% and will surpass the Opioid Health Crisis by 2020.
Suicide is now up 45% and a major concern across our country.
FAMILY ALLIANCE is dedicated to address the trauma found in childhood (shown in the ACE Study) through Trauma Informed Interventions for Trauma Bonding & Moral Injury. The goal is empowered children and families within empowered communities.
EARLY INTERVENTION & PREVENTION
Everyone agrees the answer is early intervention and prevention of Child Sex Trafficking, Opioids, Domestic Violence, School Shootings and Suicide.
The PROBLEM is how to get to the ones being victimized early enough to prevent the patterns of targeting and abuse.
Just Ask Prevention.org (child sex trafficking) has determined that any trafficked child has five points of contact prior to being identified as trafficked. Once they are trafficked they have 7 year survival rate before the danger of trafficking takes their life. These children are not foreign. They are American children sitting in your house on a laptop or smart phone. They are promised the world, of all the things you can not give them.
Once enticed out of their comfort zone, they are forced into the sex trade, drug addiction and other criminal activity. They are used and abused until they have no use or are found dead. By 2020, child sex trafficking will surpass Opioid addiction and death. Trafficking was identified in 2017 to be in every Northern Virginia school studied from five years old and up, It is in your neighborhood, and maybe your house. The children trapped with these problems end up being dependent on the system for many of their needs for all their life.
WHAT CAN CHANGE CHILD SEX TRAFFICKING
The Real Question is HOW TO STOP Child Sex Trafficking?
The standard professions and agencies in place have some powerful models they are developing, yet the child has five points of contact before they are identified. The research shows that to intervene with this population that has been kidnapped and forced to align with their abuser needs a different approach.
The government has had to remove more and more rights from parents trying to protect children. Invading homes and taking children is only making the problem worse over the last decade.
There are BETTER ANSWERS. Yes, we need early intervention.
The QUESTION IS:
How do we do that without Big Brother bypassing your constitutional rights and taking your children for protection before the Gangs do?
THE CORE ROOTS IS COERCIVE CONTROL
The known answer is early intervention and prevention when families are seeking help, prior to crisis of drugs or trafficking. What is the common roots that sets up the victimization.
The steps are targeting, grooming and ultimately using power and control through psychological abuse, physical abuse, drug abuse and sexual abuse.
They trick victims. Then keep victims by fear, force, threat, shame and abuse.
Families that face Coercive Control of Psychological Abuse end up being targeted by gangs, criminals and other dangerous individuals to include terrorists. The face addiction, child sex trafficking and other criminal activity. They are now trapped in a very dangerous world, with no way out. No one has the tools to help them until its too late to prevent the damage.
The ones using coercive control are experts in how to prevent the children they are victimizing from reaching out. Professionals have to be trained to spot who is under the influence of coercive controls. Red Flags exist.
The core is early violent abuse to include sexual abuse against children starting in the earliest years of life.
THE RED FLAGS OF THE VICTIMIZED TARGETS
Do you know the Red Flags of Coercive Control? And even more importantly do you know HOW to intervene safely? One wrong move can cost the child their life.
After years of research in the cultural concerns around family and crisis, prevention and the earliest of intervention is the best option to keep families from falling into extreme situations that ends up with serious interventions and long term dependency on government services, family devastation or death. This complicated, multilayered, giant concern can be addressed with an added layer bridging the family communities with the right services.
FAMILY ALLIANCE CORE ISSUES
After speaking with thousands of survivors of abuse and crisis, and a full spectrum of professionals in almost every possible field of expertise, all agree that dealing directly with the under currents of what dis-empowers families, one or all members. The goal would be to empower the family as a whole and each member within the community in order to prevent or at least intervene at the earliest point to to avoid extreme crisis and radical interventions. This means healthy connections and healthy relationships.
COERCIVE CONTROL and other abuses are the CORE ISSUES found within the Child Sex Trafficking, and other serious crimes against children. These are the early signals of disempowerment that gangs, criminals and terrorists are trained to target children and break their ties to their communities.
When an individual is not strong within themselves, they have a need that is sought to fill or resolve. This is where predators and malicious personalities can hook people that are unaware of their own weaknesses. Things start out fine and then slowly over time it changes into something else.
A person that was powerful over in their own wears down over time right becomes trapped, confused and dis-empowered.
FAMILY ALLIANCE SOLUTIONS
The truth is families are searching for help in almost every case. The current system lets them slip through the cracks. The first responders and professionals need to be Trauma Informed to see the subtle red flags of early intervention. By the time the children are in crisis, they have one foot in the grave. Early intervention is not found in the hospitals, addiction centers, or jails. Breaking the cycle of runaways, addiction, incarceration, criminal activities, trafficking and death has to be the answer.
TRAUMA INFORMED COLLABORATION WITH THE SURVIVOR
This is done through education, awareness, early identification of first responders and professionals Trauma Informed and other evidence based programs that focus on long term transition for the child victims, families, and communities recover from the coercive controls and the many associated abuses, one day at a time.
FOCUS
Domestic Violence Coercive Controls are known to be assaults on families putting youth at risk.
The addition and deaths of Opioids are front and center right now as a national crisis. Not known by the public Human Trafficking numbers in the last years have risen so fast it will surpass Opioids within two years. Sexual Predators are being exposed right and left. The point in how do we not only deal with the crisis, but get ahead.
Realizing that the chains of are Coercive Control and stems out of Domestic Violence and other Trauma show to be deeply embedded in the current concerns, along with long standing culture denial and acceptance of predatory behaviors leaving populations vulnerable.
“A sexual predator is a person seen as obtaining or trying to obtain sexual contact with another person in a metaphorically “predatory” or abusive manner. Analogous to how a predator hunts down its prey, so the sexual predator is thought to “hunt” for his or her sex partners.” (google)
COERCIVE CONTROL (Bullying, Targeting & Psychological Trauma Bonding)
MOSTLY CLASSIFIED – Technology used for warfare since WWII to include nonlethal, deniability tactics and weapons to control enemy combatants. Thus, not organic in mainstream research until the threshold of unintended consequences has come into the public sector. NOW the gangs, criminals and others like terrorists use these same tactics, and the public has a huge disadvantage.
Domestic violence comprises a range of behaviors beyond physical and emotional abuse. Abusers often use violence, intimidation, degradation and isolation to deprive victims of their rights to physical security, dignity and respect. Evan Stark has been encouraging the use of âcoercive controlâ to describe a course of oppressive behavior grounded in gender-based privilege. While all forms of abuse are about power and control, coercive control is a strategic form of ongoing oppression and terrorism that invades all arenas of womenâs activity [not gender based] by limiting access to money and other basic resources. In addition, few elements of coercive control are currently considered criminal, or are only crimes when committed against strangers, which further complicates this issue within the context of domestic violence. (NY Gov)
What is Coercive Control? It is a pattern of behaviour which seeks to take away the victimâs liberty or freedom, to strip away their sense of self. It is not just womenâs bodily integrity which is violated but also their human rights. (Cedar Network)
“Hate crimes are the highest priority of the FBIâs Civil Rights program, not only because of the devastating impact they have on families and communities, but also because groups that preach hatred and intolerance can plant the seed of terrorism here in our country. The Bureau investigates hundreds of these cases every year and works to detect and deter further incidents through law enforcement training, public outreach, and partnerships with a myriad of community groups.”
“Domestic violence (also called intimate partner violence (IPV), domestic abuse or relationship abuse) is a pattern of behaviors used by one partner to maintain power and control over another partner in an intimate relationship. Domestic violence does not discriminate. Anyone of any race, age, sexual orientation, religion or gender can be a victim â or perpetrator â of domestic violence. It can happen to people who are married, living together or who are dating. It affects people of all socioeconomic backgrounds and education levels.”
The common thread to each of these is the Coercive Control and are assaults on families putting youth at risk. The ODs and deaths of Opioids are front and center right now as a national crisis.
Not known by the public as of yet, though professionals know Human Trafficking numbers in the last years have risen so fast it will surpass Opioids within two years.
The point in how do we not only deal with the crisis, but get ahead of the epidemic. The question posed at Global Family Alliance is defining the early intervention that will change the wave of destruction.
The recent bruhaha over plastic straws in California has finally motivated me to present my experiences and opinions on the matters of Reducing, Reusing, and Recycling in the Age of Environmentalism. I have personal first-hand experiences that are a wee bit unique, and I have a few observations and ideas for being more efficient and less emotionally reactive to our environment.
I believe that we, as a society, a nation, a people, and a civilization Must advance beyond the outdated idea that sequestering our garbage is the solution to our problems. Rather, I suggest that it is past time to modernize our ideas about consumerism, packaging, and recycling. All the energy and resources we spend on recycling bins, specialized trucks, separating facilities, and processing plants is at best perpetuating a multi-billion-dollar INDUSTRY, one that Will safeguard and protect itself (as the monster that it is), and is at Worst little more than snarky, smug shaming and virtue signaling.
When the concept of recycling was introduced back in the early 1970âs, âdepositsâ were introduced to pop bottles, and value was added to aluminum cans. Reclamation centers motivated down-and-out folks to gather what would otherwise be considered litter. What started out as a well-intended attempt to recover our ALUMINUM and lower the number of beer cans and soda bottles along our roads has morphed into a near-obsessive religion of separating and sequestering our metal, tin, aluminum, paper, cardboard (not the same thing!), plastics, glass, hair, lint, and soap scum (ok, I made that last one upâŚ).
I acknowledge that it makes perfect sense, to a degree, to recycle Aluminum. Creating aluminum is extremely electricity-hungry and energy consuming. So much so, that I present that we ought not focus So much on the recycling of aluminum, but rather the progression AWAY FROM IT. Recent health studies have also indicated that aluminum in our food production may not be as innocuous as we once thought or hoped.
Little Halls Pond, Exumas, Bahamas
I offer an interesting anecdote I had some fifteen years ago. I was running Little Hallâs Pond Cay for Johnny Depp. The island is roughly 50 acres, some 75 miles south and east of New Providence (Nassau) in the Exumas, Bahamas. There is no grid to tie intoâI generated our own electricity via solar, wind, hydrogen, a smattering of symbolic hydropower, and yes, backup diesel generators. I designed, installed, operated and maintained the power system(s), as well as the rain catchment and seawater desalination (reverse osmosis) plants, cisterns, and water transfer system. The water that came out of our tap had been ozone purified, particulate filtered, and finally Ultra Violet purified. I could demonstrate that the tap water showed a dissolved solid mineral content of no more than 130 parts per million. Evian and Fiji Water (Whuk! Ptui!!) has a dissolved mineral content of upwards of 860ppm. Not to mention the enormous carbon footprint involved (but more on that in a moment).
So, the Owner and a few guests were on island. One evening, we were all enjoying a languid sunset down at the Lanai. I noticed a member of the entourage standing with a confused look on her face and an empty Fiji Water bottle in her hand, gazing from one trash can to the next. I hopped up, and told her, âDrop it in the can on the leftâ. She did, and noticed all the paper products, dozens (hundreds) of other water bottles, and assorted trash.
Johnny Depp on Little Halls Pond
She asked me about our garbage plan. âDid we recycle?â âOh, boy. Here we go.â I thought. I replied, âWell, we segregate our trash into three basic groupsâGlass and Metal into one, Paper and Plastics into another, and food scraps into a third.â âOK, but what is your recycling plan?â she asked. âWellâŚ. I take the food scraps, and compost them (as potting soil is precious and exorbitant down-island). I crush the cans and bottles, and about twice a week we head out into 10,000 feet of water and dump them overboard, where they flutter into the abyss. The plastic and paper, I recycle into SMOKE.â Needless to say, I suddenly found myself the centerpiece of a shit bouquet, surrounded by a dozen horrified Los Angeles starlets and cinematographers and sound engineers. J.D. had heard it all before, so he was chillin watching the sun hit the horizon, hoping for the mythical green-flash.
âYou mean, you donât Recycle these bottles? You donât (somehow) send them to the (nonexistent) recycling plant in Nassau? You BURN them?? And you just dump the glass and metal into the OCEAN??â So, I told her (and them all), âFirst off, do you have ANY idea what it means to âsend our recyclables to Nassauâ? Used to be, for a while, when we would have a barge arrive with supplies, we would fire up the backhoe, and load all the accumulated glass and metal and plastic and garbage onto the now empty barge and send it to Nassau for âProperâ disposal. Know what they did with it? Soon as the barge is off shore (sometimes in deep water, sometimes in 18â of water), they drop the front gate down, and shove the entire works overboard. ALL of it. Including the plastic! I know this, because Iâve SEEN it, first-hand. Know what happens to the rare bits that DO reach Nassau? They get scooped up, taken to the landfill, and burned.â
âNow, a word about our specific circumstance. You flew into Nassau on a Private jet from Los Angeles. You then boarded a 157â private diesel-powered yacht and spent two days noodling down to this Private Island. And I have to ship in, on a chartered barge from MIAMI, cases and cases of Inferior, Dirty, Plastic-tea FIJI water for you princesses to drink HALF of. You leave the half-consumed bottles (bottles that were SHIPPED or FLOWN all the way from the Island of FIJI!!) all over the place.
Our agent in Miami drives his Diesel Ford F-350 out to Costco, buys case after case of this crap, hauls it back to our chartered barge, where it is carried aboard. It then floats all the way to Nassau, where it clears customs, continues down here to the neighborâs island, where I rendezvous with it in our supply boat.
I load it from the dock, into the boat, drive the twenty minutes back here, unload it onto the dock, load it into the diesel buggy, drive it to the warehouse, load it onto the shelving, pull it out for your arrival, stock all the minifridges on the island with this crap, all for you to waste half of it, then give ME grief for not RECYCLING the detritus of YOUR extravagance?? Seriously?â (to his credit, JD was now chuckling at the diatribe, enjoying his sunset)
Now that Iâve gotten THAT off my chest, allow me to propose some SOLUTIONS and ALTERNATIVES.
First off, we need to recognize Bottled Water as simultaneously the very best marketing campaign, and the best scam ever perpetrated against mankind. One great, huge leap toward mitigating the catastrophic environmental shit storm the 16-ounce plastic water bottle has unleashed against the planet is a rather new consumer product brilliantly called âBOXED WATER IS BETTERâ. And it is. In myriad crucial ways. First off, is the packaging. When you produce bottled water, almost invariably your filling plant is in one place, and the bottle manufacturer is in another, sometimes thousands of miles away.
Well, those bottles are made (at great environmental impact) over HERE, then loaded onto 18-wheelers and trucked all the way over âŚTHERE. Then filled, then trucked AGAIN to the distribution center, then to the point of sale. Boxed Water boxes are shipped from the manufacturing plant to the âbottlerâ FLAT. Shipped as such, they take up a Fraction of space. A lifetime of boxes can be shipped on One truck. Also, letâs not forget, these boxes are BOXES. They are made of Paper (well, ok., wax coated paper, and a small plastic cap). Also, as they are square BOXES, they take up 35% less space than bottles.
In other words, you can fit 35% more product in the same space, or the same quantity takes up 35% less space. And itâs cheap.
Also, on the issue of Water and how to make the most of it, I would like to discuss rainwater catchment. I find it completely comical that Americans consider rainwater catchment to be unsanitary, third-world, and generally âickyâ (actual opinion voiced by a fellow Virginian). We have this concept that as rain falls, it is somehow inherently contaminated by the sky, hits the ground, sinks to indeterminate depths in the ground where it is magically cleansed and purified. It then sits in large underground reservoirs, just waiting for us to puncture its underground nirvana with a straw, and drink to our hearts content.
The overwhelming majority of rain falls as nearly distilled steam, cleaner than almost anything we can buy. Once it hits the ground, though, all bets are off. There, it mixes, mingles, and melts with grease, oil, feces, chemicals, fertilizers, poisons, every concoction known to and from the depths of man. It does seep through the topsoil and, hopefully, through at least ten feet of limestone where mmmmmost of these impurities are soaked up by the rock.
Alas, we have very little way of assuring the quality of what we suck out of the ground. And hence the chemical shitstorm of âtreatmentâ we put our tap water through. If we capture our water BEFORE it hits and mingles with all these nasties, we can Far better âsecure the supply chainâ. Rainwater cisterns provide imminently BETTER water than treated municipal water. This is a no-brainer. I have LIVED on rainwater and reverse osmosis for over twenty years. It is simply better in every way.
Another excellent example of innovative packaging is Daisy Sour Cream. They have made award-winning improvementsin their packaging, both from the prospect of environmentalism and product quality. They have ditched the typical plastic tub, in favor of a squeeze package that sits on the lid, not unlike Heinz Ketchup. However, unlike the conventional plastic ketchup container (the only thing innovative about that is that it sits on its lid), the soft sided sour cream package collapses as you use the product. This keeps the remaining contents air-tight, and fresh as ever. The finished, empty package is flat as can be, and weighs darn near nothing. The concept that the younger generation will pay a minor premium for superior packaging is finally dawning on some producers!
A horribly misguided indulgence that was originally promoted as efficient and environmentally friendly (!) is the Keurig. Not since Bottled Water has a scam this destructive and wasteful been unleashed upon guilty consumers desperate to virtue signal and âfeel goodâ.
There are many problems with the Keurig. First, the coffee sucks. It just does. The machines are notoriously impossible to effectively clean. If you want your idealism smashed, I challenge you. Next time your Keurig breaks and mmmmust be replaced (and we KNOW it will!), deconstruct the broken one.
I donât care how many times you ran Special Cleaner through it. It WILL. BE. a Seething cesspit of mold and smegma. These machines are filthy.
Lastly, and most importantly, the pods are stupidly expensive (they remind me of buying printer ink), and they Never go away. Billions of them now. And millions more every week. Filling landfills. Piling up. Forever. These are SO bad, they are SO toxic, that John Sylvan, the inventor of the system has sued to distance himself from this Frankensteininan disaster he spawned. He now spends his time and energy and money tithing and attempting to redeem himself to a humanity that will never forget his little contribution to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.
Fortunately, the Anti-Keurig has been around for millennia, is efficient, economical, imminently better for the environment, and produces literally the best coffee Iâve ever had.
All Hail the Simple French Press, or Bodum. Ours is stainless steel (I favor the stainless over the glass beaker-type, as those are fragile, in my opinion), and has worked flawlessly for a decade now. And itâs CLEAN. Simply boil a kettle of water, add three spoons of coffee, add water, and enjoy.
Now as for the whole ridiculousness of California banning STRAWS to âbenefit the environmentâ (yeah, right). Straws account for a whopping .002% of all plastic waste in our oceans and landfills. Absolutely insignificant.
âWell, oughtnât we start SOMEWHERE?â one may ask. Indeed. But howabout somewhere that MATTERS? Why must we waste time and energy huffing and puffing about something so insignificant? Are we that desperate to âFeel Goodâ? Or are we just too afraid to effect change that will make a Real difference?
Whatâs my problem with the absurdity about straws? First off, the statistic of â500 million straws used every day in Americaâ is abject bullshit. This unchallenged figure came from a bored nine-year oldâs pet science project (mind you, not a ânine-year-old studyâ, but a silly little science project from a Nine-Year-Old Boy!).
Also, fueling public outrage and faux concern was a viral video of a turtle with a straw up it’s nose, being saved by good Samaritans. Whatâs more, the figure came from a handful of phone calls he made in 2011! Now, discount this fine, in-depth scientific method or not, there are some irrefutable facts that are NOT open to opinion or interpretation.
As much as 46% of the oceans plastic pollution is discarded, lost, orphaned fishing nets and equipment. And much of that equipment goes on fishing and killing, all to waste. Plastic water bottles, bags, and industrial dunnage make up the overwhelming majority of the rest of the pollution. The aforementioned Boxed Water would go a far way to alleviating this pollution. Especially when this leads to further acceptance and utilization of better, more efficient and biodegradable packaging. It seems Public Acceptance is the elusive Holy Grail.
In 1996, I sailed from Fort Lauderdale to New Zealand. The trip took six months. In the middle of the Pacific Ocean, aboard an 86′ Sloop, I drew the short straw (no pun intended). Overboard I went, with diving knife in hand, to cut away the fishing net that had gotten tangled in the keel and running gear.
The day was flat calm, the sunlight was brilliant, with rays of light that stretched off into the abyss. The net was so long it extended down from the keel, and floated away behind the boat, out of sight in both directions. Cutting it away took the better part of an hour.
Having lived on private, completely off-grid and self-reliant islands for much of the last twenty years, I can attest to the practicality and efficiency of many forms of âAlternative Energyâ. I have first-hand experience designing, installing, maintaining and repairing solar, wind, hydrogen, hydroelectric, and diesel generators.
I have found windmills to be woefully wanting. They are loud, they are very high maintenance, and when they fail, they do so with enormous enthusiasm. Iâve seen them fling apart, over a thousand-yard debris field. And Iâve heard them whoosh whoosh whoosh day in and day out, to the point of distraction.
Solar panels justâŚ. sit there. Silently. Providing power. Yes, I will acquiesce that, when the sun ainât shining, usually the wind is blowing, and wind will blow at night. So, Iâve long held that a pragmatic system does integrate back-up or supporting wind power. But the Solar is, by far, the way to go. This ought to be integrated into Everyoneâs home. It makes sense.
A caveat about grid-tie solar systems. We, Debbie & I, lived in the British Virgin Islands for a while. They had no ability or means to grid-tie solar systems into their power grid. The power costs were $0.24 per kilowatt hour. Compare this to Virginia Powers rates of approximately $0.11 per kilowatt hour, that seems rather steep.
However, take a gander at Saint Thomas. Just ten miles away, they DO have solar grid-tie. And theyâve promoted it. So much so, that their grid had maxed out on panels. They couldnât take any more customer supplied power. They were at capacity. The panels stretched across the horizon, as far as the eye could see, and atop every single building.
Now, this would sound like a Great thing. Except for the insatiable nature of mankind. The Virgin Island power company took the position that, âWe donât care HOW much power you people are providing. WE arenât going to EVER lower our budget, accept less money per month. We will simply increase the rates; we WILL get the same amount of MONEY from you, regardless of How much power we actually have to Produce!!â
Their power rates are/were a whopping $0.44 per kilowatt hour! And that was with acres and acres and thousands and tens of thousands of panels, across the horizon! Ahhhhahahahaha! Suckers.
This is a project that we proposing to the community of Marshall.
We have an opportunity to transform the Hagerstown Block Building, located at Old Stockyard Road and John Marshall Highway, from a bland concrete monolith, to a showcase Landmark at the Gateway to Marshall. The building is situated in a way that affords two sides be used as a palette for a World Class Mural.
We are Chris and Debbie Cloud, Residents of Marshall, Realtors with Exit Realty Pros, and Executive Directors of Global Family Alliance (501c(3) (under application). Our Non-Profit is launching this new Marshall Heritage Mural Project. Our goal is to bring community together in support of maintaining the values of Marshall. The Mural will showcase the aspects of Heritage, Patriotism, and Agriculture that define the Town of Marshall.
Mr. Doy Sneckenberger is the owner of the property and proprietor of Hagerstown Block Company. He is enthusiastically in favor of the Project. As the building is privately owned, and not under any Historical or Zoning regulations, the project is free to proceed at the pleasure of Mr. Sneckenberger. Therefore, the project wonât be tied up in seemingly endless council or review board meetings for years.
After a search for someone capable of such a project, we have secured the talents of Professional Muralist Sam Welty. Sam has an extensive Portfolio of work, Nationwide. He has done Larger Than Life outdoor murals, as well as indoor murals in shops, malls, museums, corporate headquarters, and private residences. Samâs artistic talent and style is realistic and true to life. His work is not abstract, outrageous or controversial.
This rendition is an initial proposal for consideration, an example of what is possible. With community input, support and sponsorship, the final Mural will evolve. It is our desire to feature Agriculture, Heritage, and Patriotism, along with specific aspects of Marshall community, as well.
The components that are needed to realize this Landmark are:
CHERRY PICKER to be used as a painting platform. This would have to be one of the larger units available on the commercial market, as the upper right quadrant on the right panel of the building is inaccessible from the railroad track side of the building. A Cherry Picker is most useful because it is often quite beneficial for the Artist to be able to swing away from the wall, to view the work from a distance, to gain perspective.
PAINT & BUILDING PREPARATION – The bare concrete walls must be power washed and painted, to give a clean, well-weather-sealed and uniformly painted palette for the Artist to paint on. We will also need the various paints and supplies Mr. Welty will need for the mural itself.
ROOM & BOARD for Mr. Welty. He estimates the actual production of the mural will take between two and four weeks. We hope to find accommodations for him near the worksite.
ARTISTâS FEE — Mr. Welty estimates this project to cost between eight and fourteen thousand dollars for his fee. His fee varies depending on the complexity of our final rendition of the Mural.
INSURANCE for the project.
We are actively seeking business sponsors that can donate the Cherry Picker, Power washer, Paint & Supplies, and Room & Board. We are spearheading the fundraising for his Fee, and the other project costs like Insurance Coverage. In addition, we are looking for volunteers, group fundraising competitions, sponsorship with advertising opportunities and general support for the project.
If we can secure the requirements above (as well as the adequate funding), Mr. Welty hopes to have the Evolution of the actual Mural and all preparations completed, in time to tackle this project in May/June, 2018.
May we count on your Financial Support, and Enthusiastic Promotion?
A piece of our history, that can be saved, kept as a reminder of our past. It is the last of its kind; 139 years old, way past itâs prime, not very pretty, and even in perfect nick, obsolete. But it is poetic. Driving or walking across it is a magical, immersive experience in our shared Heritage. In its day, it was an engineering marvel. People came from miles away just to admire the technology. How times changed! The bridge is a perfect example of a bygone era, a simpler time. Letâs be honestâthe Waterloo Bridge is little more than a museum piece. Itâs on an obscure side road, a short blue highway not two miles long, that has service from each end. Were the bridge relegated to a walking or biking feature, the residents may have to drive a whole extra mile and a half!
There are many reasons for Not replacing the bridge. The road serviced by the bridge, Rt. 622, is a very minor side road, not a busy commuter thoroughfare. The single lane bridge creates no congestion. There is minimal development along the road, and this is a Very good thing. A one-lane, rickety old steel bridge May act as a shunt, throttling not only traffic, but development and urban sprawl. I have heard some say that Marshallâs water dilemma was its saving grace, throttling its unchecked development. Sometimes, âSlow and Deliberateâ is superior to âWe should build it and expand, because we CAN!â. Perhaps this bridge may afford a bit of pacing.
Indeed, a modern concrete bridge would be completely out of place in that setting. A replacement will cost over six million dollars. Renovation of the existing bridge would cost less than three million. A private donor has volunteered a million toward this renovation and preservation effort. If renovations are not started soon, the bridge, its heritage and history, will be lost forever. Were this a Snail Darter or a Spotted Owl, I feel the groundswell of support would be deafening!!
Preservation of this unwieldy, aesthetically unappealing and obsolete bridge is wholly and entirely worthwhile. The Waterloo Bridge is a fine example of why folks move TO Fauquier County, and I hope its renovation leads to it being a feature for another hundred years. People may come just to gaze at the antique wonder, walk along it or bicycle across it. One cannot zoom along at 50 miles an hour along this road. I feel we need more of that. The places for gentle reflection and reminiscing are becoming frighteningly scarce. The road, the community upon it, and the people that may come for the experience of the antiquity, are all perfectly served by the 136-year-old single lane bridge.
We lived on the tiny island of Jost Van Dyke for two and a half years, just returning to Virginia in April 2017.Â
We were shocked at the devastation visited upon our former home; the home of many of our dearest friends and loved ones. The British Virgin Islands bore a brunt Very few of us will ever witness.
While Irma was bad enough, the BVIâs (and particularly Jost Van Dyke) were dealt a Second, Life-changing and Catastrophic blow when Hurricane Maria decimated Puerto Rico. Please understand, I donât mean to minimize the suffering or tragedy in any other location, including Houston, P.R., or even Saint Thomas. But hear me out. When Maria visited annihilation upon Puerto Rico, it served a double whammy upon those lesser islands further down the crucial Caribbean Supply Chain. Post Maria, precious little if Any relief aid has trickled Past P.R.
I write you today, imploring any of you to consider the following proposition. Debbie and I are affiliated with the Jost Van Dyke Preservation Society (jvdps.org, a 501c3 in both the BVIâs and America), and International Rescue Group (internationalrescuegroup.org, also a 501c3). We beseech any cruisers, liveaboard Sailors, or even Mega Yacht Crew; if your itinerary includes the British Virgin Islands, or if you would CONSIDER doglegging over To Jost Van Dyke, we are desperate to find available cubic feet of storage and freight space. You can join the Reserve group of International Rescue Group or take on a solo journey. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
The traditional methods of containers of freight aboard Crowley or Tropical no longer apply, as the bottleneck of shipping at the usual ports prevents OUR supplies reaching OUR loved ones, on the smaller, out of the way (and now, forgotten) island of Jost Van Dyke. We hear reports that traditional shipping channels and methods may be reopening, but we know there is a Very long backlog of freight, and it will be Months before conventional shipping will be back to normal. The infrastructure on JVD is decimatedâestimates put resumption of municipal power a year out, and the water system has been destroyed. The island is back to rainwater catchment, at each site of use.
Debbie and I have been blessed with extensive media coverage in the Washington D.C. this past weekend (the weekend of October 28), when we loaded the first of hopefully many boats headed to JVD. I was first interviewed on WTOP Radio, who aired Thursday and Friday. This was followed up with in-person and on-air interviews with WUSA Channel 9 (CBS), WJLA Channel 7 (ABC), and NBC Channel 4. Our next vessel leaving out of Annapolis on around the 15th of November just cancelled due to engine concerns, and we are looking for a new option to ensure the island receive additional supplies.
We would be Most Beholden if you would consider allowing us to rendezvous with you, wherever convenient, to load your vessel to the extent you accept, for delivery to those who are in Life Changing Need of the most basic supplies. Our organization is Non-Partisan. Many of the iconic bars and restaurants on JVD are the darlings of very wealthy Americans, are Insured, have set up various GoFundMe Accounts, and have some degree of Resources. Our efforts are geared to relief aid for the locals, the other islanders, those without insurance or resources.
Sadly, Disasters often last FAR longer than our Attention Spans
News cycles are a dubious fact of life these days. Something Huge happens, something cataclysmic shocks us all, dominates every waking and breathless moment of the 24 hour a day news feeds. Facebook is flooded with Outrage, moral indignation, armchair quarterbacking, Opinion, and sincere expressions of Empathy. Then, something ELSE happens. Something ELSE comes to the breathless forefront of our conscience. Something ELSE dominates our attention, our Empathy, our relief efforts.
IVAN’s on White Bay, Jost Van Dyke, British Virgin Islands
Alas, as is so often the case, a disaster outlives the collective conscience, and the relief efforts. Those left in the aftermath continue to deal with the destruction, death, loss, and discomfort of being displaced, losing everything, burying loved ones. They then begin to feel the Added sad sorry weariness of being forgotten, feeling left by the wayside.
Such is the case with our precious little island, where until March we had called Home for two and a half years. Unbelievably, my dear friends and family have had Additional layers of misery added to their misfortune. Allow me please to explain how the situation on Jost Van Dyke in the British Virgin Islands is a sadly unique.
Military arriving at Great Harbour on Jost Van Dyke, British Virgin Islands
The overwhelming majority of goods that finally land in the end consumerâs hand follow a supply chain. When a tourist on Jost Van Dyke pops the cap off a bottle of suds, that ends a very long journey that bottle has made. The bottle (and several of itâs friends) was loaded into a pickup truck from the local dock and driven to the bar. It came across on a small regional ferry from Tortola, where it was trucked from one side of the island to another, after it was brought from Saint Thomas in the USVI aboard another (slightly larger) ferry. It had arrived in the Freight port on Saint Thomas via an ocean-going freighter that brought it from San Juan on Puerto Rico, where it had arrived aboard another ocean-going freighter from either Houston or Miami.
Now consider the layers and degrees that have conspired to Vex our delightful little Island. First, Hurricane Irene destroyed the pickup truck that brought the bottle from the dock to the bar. It destroyed the dock the local ferry landed at. The storm left the inter-island ferry perched atop the Customs House, upside down. It destroyed the entire infrastructure on Tortola itself, it destroyed the larger ferry that went from Tortola to Saint Thomas. The ferry dock and trucking and freight port on Saint Thomas were all damaged or destroyed.
The Virgin Islands (both US and British) were destroyed. However, at least the SUPPLY chain was not SEVERED. South Florida and the East Coast could send relief aid via Puerto Rico. Sadly, Houston was already offline and suffering their own disaster after Hurricane Harvey.
Then, the unthinkable happened, and the Entire Island of Puerto Rico was decimated by Maria. Our lifeline has been severed. Harvey had already put a serious hurting on the relief aid LEAVING the States. Now it is almost impossible to get ANY supplies, as nothing that arrives on Puerto Rico Leaves that island.
We have been in near constant communications (using our FaceBook Page JVD United) with many on the island, as well as some, located in other parts of the Caribbean yet very vested in the wellbeing of Jost Van Dyke. We have been fortunate enough to be able to generate, nurture and coax some alternative methods of freight delivery to our little community.
One of which is a privately owned 55â sailing catamaran scheduled to depart Washington D.C. on Saturday the 28th. They have most graciously offered every spare inch on their boat to carry donated items, to be delivered directly to Jost Van Dyke ten days later! We are meeting with them to load the vessel the morning of the 28th, and would welcome any additional volunteers to join us in loading, and donations are ALWAYS welcomed! The fine folks at International Rescue Group (a sort of âClearing Houseâ of volunteer organizations), have arranged rendezvous of different donations and helpers.
Please feel free to reach out to Debbie or me to discuss arrangements. The Jost Van Dyke Preservation Society is an Excellent, Devoted, first-classorganization, concentrating their efforts and talents on logistical organizations. There has been an Amazon Wishlist Registry set up, to facilitate donating and to assure our friends and family receive what they REALLY need. We would be honored to be met by friends and neighbors willing to share in easing the continued (and often worsening) plight of those still struggling with the near complete devastation of that little slice of paradise.
I remember, when debit cards debuted on the scene, they were touted as heralding in the advent of a Cashless Society (why this was an objective, I could never understand…). I was skeptical, even as an adolescent.
It’s never ceased to amuse me how vehemently the credit agencies, cloud storage companies, retailers, everyone who handles customer data, defends their security protocols. “They are impenetrable!”, they declare! Even as a very young adult, I was able to identify the greatest Volume of vulnerability was to be found in disgruntled employees, an “Inside Job”, as it were.
Additionally, and as has ALWAYS been true, we live in a world where there are day-to-day attacks on an individual and more specified basis. Organized crime, or Inside Jobs are one thing, but one-on-one robbery and burglary are another Major vulnerability. And the relatively recent wave of Credit Card Skimmers fall into that second category.
These are devices that are affixed or attached right over top the fuel pump, or ATM, or card reader slot. Since the overwhelming (nay, complete and total) number of these devices are manufactured so as the entry slot where you insert the card protrudes out from the fuel pump or ATM, this makes affixing the tight-as-a-glove card skimmers possible–nay, SIMPLE.
built-in vulnerability.
My question, my proposal, is:
Were these machines ALL manufactured with a perfectly flush face, with a front that has nothing but a credit card sized slot, would it not make affixing a card skimmer to the device Much more difficult? If there were no protrusion to affix and slip your identical mock-up over top, perhaps they would be more obvious.
As we sadly recognize the relentless wave of “big-city” crime inch and inch it’s way into our bucolic country living, I am reminded of my conclusion, some thirty plus years ago. “Naahh. I think I’ll pay inside. CASH!”
