April 21, 2005

• "Young fresh meat is exactly what he has been seeking." Barking mad and creepy as all hell.
• 1. lets hope they stick to caling it an ecovillage and not a utopia. 2. it seems far too contrived to actually work. Biologically I think we all have an urge, a need to be a part of, to interact with the landscape - the environment. The amazonian tribes (among others) do this quite well to this day. the western man, however, with a 24 page diatribe on his plan to enter into this ancient way of life via an ecovillage is just creating another fragmented sidebar to the ever bizarre drama of the white man (and his conquest into all reaches of earth/space/inner space/psycho-technics/and so on). these people are clinging. and when everything is falling apart, what's the point in grabbing hold to a piece of the mountain that's falling with you. on preview (however): sounds like fun. hope they don't take it all too seriously -- it might actualy amount to a nice retreat for artists, travellers, and the like.
• There's a list of UK utopian communities here and another directory here - I thought of Scoraig, a village on the peninsula south of Ullapool across Loch Broom where I used to go for holidays as a kid. They still seem to be going - the webpage is a bit duff but they seem to now have a retreat centre which a slicker website. When I was doing evening classes to get in to university I wrote a short dissertation on the Whiteway Colony, an anarchist commune in the Cotswolds that lasted many years (and is still partially community run today I think). I can understand the appeal but I like to keep engaged with the wider world - as many of these communities did so they're not all looney hippy drop-outs.
• Nude, caked from head to toe with brick-red mud, two dozens of the strongest males in the village would slowly drag forward a mammoth platform mounted on three sets of wheels with torches blazing in four corners. A collection of bizarre woodwinds, strings, and percussion instruments would come out of the platform, all fused into an improbable metal monstrosity. Women wearing black leotard would sit atop, drum and play like bats out of hell. Sounds rather disturbing to me. Purpose-built traditions and festivals, at the whim of one person. The village/teach by doing/leading an example concept is nice. Anything like this automatically says "creepy" to me, though. In a David Koresh sort of way.
• Why do I think "These young people will be brought up to regard their inner sense of truth as a paramount value. And operating from within this life view, they will be guided, galvanized, and spurred to express themselves heart and soul." means those truths, values, and expressions of heart and soul will be the community party line shoved on these kids whether they like it or not? Nothing like a Utopian circle jerk to fuck kids up good. Some very nasty shit goes down among the 'enlightened'.
• It's interesting that this invitation was sent to someone that Rirdan (according to debris7) "didn't know". I would think some serious screening would go into who was invited to participate... But, I think everything will be OK considering the tactic of "If a problem has no apparent solution, it would be declared a grandfather clock." sure, that takes care of it...
• YOu lost me at Hillary Clinton.
• I note with disapproval the lack of ponies for the children, who are to be sent, in small bands, ages 11 to 14, into the wilderness or even [? given?] away to other tribes. Hope they have trained medical personnel on hand.
• This seems kinda spooky to me. I have this theory that most of these utopian communities are founded by people who are usually in the early stages of schizophrenia when their delusions aren't so radical and they can actually express sort of sensible ideas about stuff like this. But then as time goes by, they get sicker and sicker and the most vulnerable among them start taking on the delusions too and then it's all "Who wants kool-aid?"

• ... two dozens of the strongest males in the village would slowly drag forward a mammoth platform mounted on three sets of wheels with torches blazing in four corners...Women wearing black leotard would sit atop, drum and play like bats out of hell.

  but they're missing a giant ape to make sacrifices to.
• I'm not sure that this isn't a hoax site. I've been involved in cohousing "communes", and although this has the right sound, it's really over the top. The web design is a little too nice for a complete nutcase, and the section on roleplaying games sounds tongue-in-cheek. DM: You have entered a long, dim hallway. Under your feet, the floor feels rubbery and slimy. Elf: Oh, gross! DM: The walls have pink flesh tones Dwarf: I don’t like it at all. Maybe we should go back. Elf: Wait! [speaking now to the DM] I touch the walls. DM: The walls feel soft to the touch. And warm Dwarf: That’s what I thought! Crap! [turning now to the DM] I take out my axe and make a swipe at the wall. DM: [Throws some dice behind a paper screen and then consults some charts.] You created a deep gush at the wall. From the distance, you hear thudding sounds.
• This reminds me of an interview I remember hearing about the Gaviotas community quite awhile back on NPR.
  
  
• The only thing that bothers me about it (besides the strongest nude males & women in black leotards; what year is this, 1956? Sounds like a Black Mountain John Cage piece -) is that they don't mention where they're going to get these children. Are they planning to pick them up at Wal Mart or something? It doesn't sound like these kids are going to be homegrown - more like he's planning to import them, so that right there is a bit strange.
• Funny, I got a similar e-mail from someone at jjones12@geethekoolaidtastesdelicious.org. Should I be worried?
• The time-shared facilities would offer private spaces for relaxation, meditation, or erotic games and parties. One such an idea is a see-through bed floating in a lush, hidden tropical pond. because when designing your utopia with a focus on young people, the first order of business is to figure out where to have your erotic games!
• the ever bizarre drama of the white man Isn't that on NBC on Thursdays?
• *must remember to TiVo "the white man"*
• I see an ATF and FBI standoff in their future.
• the most interesting thing to me was that it seems to be named after Everett Ruess, an early 20th century hermit who wandered the West, then dissapeared afetr craving "NEMO" in the wall of a canyon, (either b/c he liked Captain Nemo, b/c it was Latin for "Nobody", or both.) The quote on the front page of this site is from Ruess, even though his last name isnt given. There's a chapter on Ruess in Jon Krakeur's "Into the Wild," an excellent book in its own right.
• "carving" not "craving"
• Two Birds, in my tortured syntax, the Hillary Clinton comment referred to her "It Takes a Village" thingie. I don't think she had nude men and erotic games in mind. (On preview...or maybe she did?!?)
• nemo omen
• Are they planning to pick them up at Wal Mart or something? I hope they pick out the screaming grubby ones.
• I once dated a man with this identical name. He was a resident of Israel who detested Jews. I hope it's not the same man.