Being able to obtain and produce clean water is the first step in physical independence. In an ideal situation, you have access to free, natural sources of fresh water that require very little cleaning if any, such as glacial streams.

This is not going to be likely for most people, so you will have to be able to clean your water. As a transition step, you should get your hands on a 2 stage water filter with as many replacement filters as you can afford.

The kind of filters I’m talking about include a ceramic and carbon stage, such as the ones produced by Doulton or Katadyn.

In the long term, your goal should be to find and frequent locations that have natural sources of uncontaminated water which you can render safe with a basic filter you can make yourself, like the one I am about to describe.

This basic earth filter will clean out microbes and viruses so that you can drink safely.

You will need the following materials:

• Two 4-5 gallon pails or containers with lids, such as a clean plastic paint drums you can get at the hardware store.

• You will also need some plastic screen mesh (like for screen doors) or non-toxic loose knit fabric such as natural linen or monks cloth

• Some silicone or other non-toxic caulking

• A supply of loose pumice (lava rock)

• Clean sand (beach sand)

• Long green grass (the kind you used to run through or pluck and chew on as a kid). If you can’t find long grass, a substitute might be natural (non toxic) hemp rope.

• Finally, you will need some black charcoal from burned wood (if there’s still some unburned wood in there, that’s ok). Don’t use barbeque charcoal or any other burning charcoal that has been treated with anything, or you will be poisoning yourself. If you’ve done any practicing, you will have learned how to camp and build fires by now, so you should have access to all the burnt wood charcoal you need.

Construction method:

1st barrel:

• Near very the bottom of the barrel, make a small hole that you can plug up with a cork or valve (if you have one with a good tight seal)

• Fill 1/3 of the drum with lava rock.

• Cover this with a layer of plastic screen.

• Fill the next 1/3 of the drum with clean sand.

• Cover this layer with another layer of screen.

• The final 1/3 should consist of a layer of the long grass, a substantial layer of the charcoal, and then a final layer of long grass on top of that. Twist and coil bunches of the grass to arrange even layers, and make sure your charcoal is well distributed and solid – its very important that there are no gaps or holes in this layer.

• Add a layer of the screen on top of the grass/charcoal layers.

• Don’t attach your lid yet – perforate it with 6-8 evenly spaced holes, and use it in the next stage.

Bottom Barrel                                          Top Barrel

2nd barrel:

• Perforate the bottom of the 2nd barrel with 6-8 evenly spaced holes.

• Run a thick line of silicone/caulking around the inside edge of the bottom of the barrel, and center this onto the lid of the 1st barrel (the holes don’t have to line up, in fact its better if they don’t)

• Put something heavy inside the barrel so there is even pressure bearing down on the lid, and apply another line of silicone/caulking around the outside edge of the bottom of the barrel, where it meets the lid. Now you should have a well-sealed connection. Let these dry thoroughly.

• When dry and firm, attach the upper section/lid onto the top of your 1st barrel, and take it somewhere where you can run some water through it to clear out the initial debris.

• Pour 4-10 gallons through this filter (slowly) and let run out the drain at the bottom. The initial volume of water will carry out much of the loose particles and dust from your sand and pumice. For a while after this initial cleaning, some of these particles may continue to appear at the bottom of your glass to some degree, but they are not harmful.

Water is poured into the top bucket (the reservoir) and slowly trickles through the holes and into the filter bucket. Although it is portable, be careful not to carry it by the top bucket, as you could tear the silicone seal.

Although this is not a top of the line water filter, it is inexpensive to make and easy to put together.

It will last for years, and provide clean water for drinking, cooking, and washing. The key operating element here is the charcoal, so bear in mind that you may not catch chemicals and heavy metals with this.

Its main value is keeping out parasites and diseases.

I want a world where technology is used to make the world better, more than it’s used to make the world worse.

I want a world where the focal point of living is not working to make money to be able to purchase the things that every human being needs to live.

I want a world where there is no war, and whatever problems that arise are settled by conversations, and are amicably resolved.

I want a world where the masses are represented wherever they live by people put in representative positions, that have those masses’ best interests at heart.

I want transparency when it comes to the people of Earth knowing exactly where all of our natural resources are.

I want those natural resources to be used to help every single living thing on Earth and that the planet is not damaged for those resources.

I want the world’s main energy source to be solar or free of some kind, because the universe provides in abundance for all.

I want a world where we are not bombarded by nonsense so that we’re able to fully remember what we are, why we’re here and where we’re going.

I want a world where there are no “isms”, no money, little to no crime & no manual labor.

I want a world based on cooperation, and not competition. The only place competition is truly necessary, is sports. And life ain’t sports.

Consciousness as integrated information: a provisional manifesto.
Tononi G.

Author information

Department of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin, USA. gtononi@wisc.edu

Abstract

The integrated information theory (IIT) starts from phenomenology and makes use of thought experiments to claim that consciousness is integrated information.

Specifically:

(i) the quantity of consciousness corresponds to the amount of integrated information generated by a complex of elements;

(ii) the quality of experience is specified by the set of informational relationships generated within that complex. Integrated information (Phi) is defined as the amount of information generated by a complex of elements, above and beyond the information generated by its parts. Qualia space (Q) is a space where each axis represents a possible state of the complex, each point is a probability distribution of its states, and arrows between points represent the informational relationships among its elements generated by causal mechanisms (connections). Together, the set of informational relationships within a complex constitute a shape in Q that completely and univocally specifies a particular experience. Several observations concerning the neural substrate of consciousness fall naturally into place within the IIT framework. Among them are the association of consciousness with certain neural systems rather than with others; the fact that neural processes underlying consciousness can influence or be influenced by neural processes that remain unconscious; the reduction of consciousness during dreamless sleep and generalized seizures; and the distinct role of different cortical architectures in affecting the quality of experience. Equating consciousness with integrated information carries several implications for our view of nature.

Giulio Tononi is a neuroscientist and psychiatrist who holds the David P. White Chair in Sleep Medicine, as well as a Distinguished Chair in Consciousness Science, at the University of Wisconsin.

all consciousness and energy was once fused into an integrated whole.

this fusion came from multiverses separated by a Planck length.

when two multiverses touched…Big. Bang.

this Whole was aware of aspects of itself, but in a different way from individualized consciousness.

see, in Earth’s present development the self is recognized first, then society, and finally, maybe, the Whole, or what ppl call, God.

this is no bueno. know why? because separation from the Whole, is an illusion.

this illusion is a tool that provides the Whole with all the necessary lessons and challenges it needs.

it needed to forget it was once the Whole, so it can freely experience shit, in order to reintegrate back into the Whole, when it’s done learning.

before this fragmentation from the Whole, the Whole existed in another octave of dimensional reality bruh

portions of the Whole ‘wondered’ what it would be like to fragment & temporarily forgot integrated existence.

what ppl call “creation”, is the fragmentation i’m talmbout.

the Whole’s initial curiosity about a fragmented existence actually created reality itself, as we know it.

each soul, is a fragment of the Whole. it gave itself amnesia, AND freewill. if it were able to remember it was the Whole, it wouldn’t learn.

we’re each, and every living thing that has ever existed, part of the Whole.

we are “God”. see? a piece.

fragments of the Whole are entirely responsible for their actions during this state of amnesia. that’s part of the masterplan to reintegrate.

every action taken by a fragment (a soul) generates a response from the universe. this is key.

instead of punishments for negative behavior, there’s the option of expanding one’s awareness. this way, wisdom erases karma b.

see, it’s not necessarily the destination that counts, but the journey along the way. this is key.

Detroit Citizens Vow Direct Action to Protect Their Right to Water City puts human rights under threat with water privatization scheme – Lauren McCauley

(Photo via The Detroit Water Brigade)

Rallying on the steps of the Michigan governor’s office in Detroit, activists and religious leaders on Monday called for an immediate moratorium on the city’s plan to shut off water to tens of thousands of households.

“This is everybody’s fight, water is a human right!” the protesters chanted. In recent weeks, activists in Detroit have mobilized against the city’s efforts to cut off the water supply to 120,000 delinquent accounts, or over 300,000 city residents.

News of the shut-offs has spread following a statement issued last week by the United Nations that the city’s plan “constitutes a violation of the human right to water.” Now, with Detroit under the media microscope, activists are hoping that the state government halts its plan to deprive residents of this essential human right and instead adopt an affordable payment plan based on an individual’s income.

The threat has catalyzed many individuals and groups in the community to act. The Detroit Water Brigade, which has begun distributing water and information to Detroiters facing shut off, vowed: “We are prepared to take direct action to prevent shut-offs if the city does not immediately cease and desist.”

“The whole world is watching what is happening here and how Detroiters and their allies are responding to this human rights violation,” the DWB continued.

From June until September, the Detroit Water and Sewage Department (DWSD) will be cutting off citizens’ water supply at a rate of 3,000 per week. According to the department, 4,500 households have already been turned off.

Though many are framing the issue as an inability by city residents to pay their bills, advocates note that the residents are victims of “regressive” pricing scheme that, according to a 2013 report on local government spending on public water (PDF), “places a tremendous financial burden on the lower median income households in a community.”

Further, in the past ten years Detroit residents have seen water rates rise by 119 percent with the city council just last month approving an 8.7 percent rate increase. Many believe the rate hikes and imminent shut-offs are an attempt by Detroit Emergency Manager Kevin Orr to make the DWSD more appealing to potential investors in a bid to privatize the city’s utilities.

“With all eyes on Detroit, it’s important to realize what we’re seeing,” writes Anna Lappe, co-founder of the Small Planet Institute, in an op-ed published Monday. “A city water department cutting off residents appears—and is—extreme, but it’s a taste of what private water companies do.”

the blue dots, are where wars are now pic.twitter.com/TBPw7EajU9

“Police should react similar to firemen and never leave the building until it is time to investigate a crime that has been committed against a person or property.”

http://www.usuncut.org/

US Uncut is a grassroots movement taking direct action against corporate tax cheats and unnecessary and unfair public service cuts across the U.S. Washington’s proposed budget for the coming year sends a clear message: The wrath of budget cuts will fall upon the shoulders of hard-working Americans. That’s unacceptable.

Obama seeks to trim $1.1 trillion from the budget in the next ten years by cutting or eliminating over 200 federal programs, many dedicated to social services and education. For instance, it cuts in half funding to subsidize heating for low-income Americans; limits an expansion of the Pell grant program for students; and decreases Environmental Protection Agency funding by over 12%.

Meanwhile, Republicans are using their new House majority to slash spending even more brutally. The GOP has made it clear that they are bent on raiding funds for Social Security, Medicare, education; determined to kill health care reform; and gut needed investments in infrastructure, climate change and job creation, at a time when America needs it most.

These cuts will come on top of very painful austerity measures made at the state-level across our nation–-worth hundreds of billions–since the recession began.

In short, budget cuts demonstrate that Washington has abandoned ordinary Americans.

But there is an alternative: Make corporate tax avoiders pay.

Enjoying record profits and taxpayer-funded bailouts as the economy slowly recovers from a financial crisis, nearly two-thirds of US corporations don’t pay any income taxes, instead opting to abuse tax loopholes and offshore tax havens. According to this study from the non-partisan Government Accountability Office, 83 of the top 100 publicly traded corporations that operate in the US exploit corporate tax havens. Since 2009, America’s most profitable companies such as ExxonMobil, General Electric, Bank of America and Citigroup all paid a grand total of $0 in federal income taxes to Uncle Sam. Tax havens alone account for up to $1 trillion in tax revenue lost every decade, money that could be invested in K-12 education, colleges, public health, job creation and hundreds of other worthy public programs.

If we pay our taxes, why don’t they? If corporations profit here, shouldn’t they pay here?

It’s time for ordinary Americans to fight back and demand an end to the corporate tax avoidance. Join US Uncut and together let’s make corporate tax avoiders pay.

US Uncut is a horizontal movement. There are no centrally planned protests.

Getting Started

US Uncut is all about action. Don’t worry if you’ve never done anything like this before- you’re not the only one. And taking action is easy!

US Uncut is a decentralized organization – no one from on high plans your events, it’s all up to you. Post an action, make some signs, & people will join you – it’s fun!

Planning And Taking Action In 5 Easy Steps

1. Choose your target. Go to the “Targets” tab on the website to find a list of and information on America’s most egregious tax dodgers.
2. Plan your specific action. Find one of those companies’ local branches in your community. (No branches in your community? Local organizers are encouraged to act autonomously and choose a different target if necessary.)
3. Post the action and spread the word. You can post your action on our Action lists page. From there, tell friends, family members, coworkers, business associates, classmates, roommates, neighbors, teammates, fellow churchgoers, significant others and everyone else you know about your action! When you have a chance, call/email your local newspapers, radio stations and TV stations.
4. Use online tools if possible. On twitter, mention @usuncut and use the hashtag #usuncut in related posts. Create a facebook event and invite your friends, then link it to your action on the site. Use Foursquare to make it known what you’re doing, and reach out to local political blogs to get people interested.
5. Do it already! On your planned day of action, go to your target and stage your action. Emphasis is on creativity and nonviolent, direct action. Make sure you print out some flyers with useful information on your target’s tax dodging activities, tie that to low tax revenues for your state, and how that relates to unnecessary budget cuts. hand it out to everyone you see!

Suggestions and Reminders

• Remember to bring a video or photo camera. If it isn’t captured in video or photographs, it didn’t happen. News organizations will often take video and photos from this website – so it is vital that you document your actions so we can spread our message. After your action, simply go back to your action listing on this site, and you will find buttons available to ‘Submit a report’ and ‘Add photos/video.’ You can link to your images on Flickr, your Facebook photo albums, or even your videos uploaded to Youtube and Vimeo. Show off to everyone what you’ve accomplished!
• Be creative, think outside the box. US Uncut follows UK Uncut’s example of creative protests. For one example, watch their video here for how to stage a bail-in at your target corporation on the day of action you’ve planned. Make it fun and interesting!
• Report back afterwards. Submit a report on your action listing page to describe your action. What happened? What was the best part? What was the worst part? How many people showed up? What would you do better next time? Share your thoughts and ideas so we may learn from each other.

Legal Tools

Engaging in civil disobedience? It’s important to know the legal resources you have available to you.

The only and best network of Lawyers that support Nonviolent Direct Action (both as Legal Observers and as Criminal Defenders) is the National Lawyers Guild. Folks coordinating these kind of actions should make contact directly with the NLG folks in their cities/regions by using this handy little web tool:
NLG Chapter Map

Guidelines for Nonviolent Direct Action

3 rules for dealing with police and property:

1. Don’t touch police officers (it’s assault and it’s a felony)
2. Don’t glue locks (it’s property destruction – and possibly abduction if you lock innocent bystanders into the bank with you).
3. Don’t damage property.

MOST IMPORTANTLY – Have Fun! Cops & Employees are not your enemies, so be pleasant.

http://www.afterpartyusa.org/

6. WE’RE DOING THIS

We are on the margins now.

But we move the margins to the center.

We run for school boards and city councils and mayorships. We take over local governments with believers in these principles. We change the government from within.

We protest and we stand behind protesters. We join with unions and workers fighting to unionize. A few of us have the courage to throw our bodies against the grinding corporate machinery. The rest of us offer our humble support and solidarity.

We form worker-owned cooperatives and fight for worker ownership of existing businesses.

We want alternative currencies based on sharing.

Most importantly, we serve each other.

We feed those who are hungry.

We educate those who wish to learn.

We care for the sick.

We house those whose houses have been taken away.

We are lucky.

We have arrived at just the right moment.

Every struggle in the past led to this one.

This is not ironic.

This is serious.

This is our country.

This is our planet.

This is our moment.

Another world is possible.

We are making it.

Rule 1: You will receive a body. Whether you love it or hate it, it’s yours for life, so accept it. What counts is what’s inside.

Rule Two: You will be presented with lessons. life is a constant learning experience, and every day provides opportunities for you to learn more.

Rule Three: There are no mistakes, only lessons. compassion is the remedy for harsh judgment – of ourselves and others.

Rule Four: The lesson is repeated until learned. Lessons repeat until learned. what ppl call problems and challenges, irritations and frustrations, are just more lessons

Rule Five: Learning does not end. While you are alive there are always lessons to be learned. be humble enough to always acknowledge your own weaknesses, and be flexible enough to adapt from what you’re used to b.

Rule Six: “There” is no better than “here”. be grateful for and enjoy what you have, and where you are on your journey.

Rule Seven: Others are only mirrors of you. you love or hate something about another person according to what love or hate about yourself. sorry, not sorry. be tolerant; accept others as they are, and strive for clarity of self-awareness; strive to truly understand

Rule Eight: What you make of your life is up to you. you have all the tools and resources you need. what you do with them is up to you. take responsibility for yourself. stop bitching.

Rule Nine: Your answers lie inside of you. trust your instincts and your innermost feelings. listen to feelings as well as sounds. look, listen, and trust.

Rule Ten: You will forget all this at birth. see my Love Is All blog post about this one.

these aren’t commandments. or really rules. it just works for me to know these as universal truths.

when you refuse to support others it’s a sign that you’re not adequately attending to your own needs. you lackin bruh, and it shows. support others, and by doing so you support yourself.

commit to the process of constant learning and change