Darby Strong

Playing point. Delivering the rock.

Buy Locally and Attain Freedom

O.K. Maybe not freedom. Allow me to explain.

The other day, my sick friend Liddy, who lives a block away, needed a few things from the store. I walked down the street to Rockwell Mini-Mart (a.k.a. Milk and Honey Stores), a place I frequent and adore. The father of the guy I usually see there rang up my items, and I planned to pay him with my debit card. Woops. They only take cash, which I had none of. He looked up at me without hesitation and said, “You go ahead. Pay me tomorrow, or whenever you are by here next.” I was thankfully surprised, as I had never even met him before. He said that neither the items I would take nor the money he was owed would make either of us rich, so why worry? I ended up bringing him the money after I delivered the goods to my sick friend.


Also included: online shopping and delivery!

I have just returned home from another visit to Rockwell’s mini-mart, and my buddy Issa Noor was there. I learned today that he is from Pakistan. I also learned that he believes in peace. He said he has lost belief in his government and in our present administration here in the U.S. He is independent in his thoughts, explaining to me he will not blindly follow the doctrine of a country. He is Muslim. He does not think Osama Bin Laden is Muslim. He also believes that experience is wisdom and he cherishes his family and elders. His store is packed with organic foods and earth-friendly cleaning products. And he’ll let you pay him Tuesday for a hamburger today.

Shop locally, build community. A doctrine I believe ANYBODY can get down with.

DIY

My friend Alison Leber hosted Fearless Radio’s show Ghetto Boy and Monty this past Tuesday and Thursday. I am listening to her now. And it reminds me…with dedication, and a little bit of technology, the Radio’s door has been completely opened to anyone interested enough to walk in.

My dream is to produce radio. NPR and PRI, in particular. And it reminds me that all I have to do is do it. Just Do It. (Thanks, Dan Weiden…mostly cuz it’s true.) And I want to applaud Fearless Radio for just doing it.
And my girl, Ali, for following her dream of being a stand-up comic, which is probably the most intimidating field EVER.

GNU – The “Recursive Acronym”

GNU stands for “Gnu’s Not UNIX” and is the genius behind what most of us know as the Linux operating system. For those of you who instantly turn away from conversation because it sounds too “techie”, hold on tight. This subject has more to do with a free society than an operating system. This philosophy is all new to me, because I am NOT informed in the “computer world.” Having first been exposed to Linux OS by overhearing my knowledgeable computer-geek friends, and then by the documentary Revolution OS, I have come to this conclusion:

The Free Software Foundation, begun by Richard Stallman, who quit his job at the MIT Artificial Intelligence Lab to further this revolutionary philosophy, is righteous.

Basically, the FSF supports the freedoms of speech, press, and association on the Internet, the right to use encryption software for private communication, and the right to write software unimpeded by private monopolies. I am still educating myself with the vast amount of information on this subject and how it directly appeals to the ideas entertaining citizen controlled (as opposed to corporate controlled) free societies. I would love to hear from those in the know to further my understanding.

May all information be free!