I don’t think so. My parents --especially my mom-- were very good about teaching me to respect all life. We were always allowed to kill mosquitoes, though: second most deadly animal on Earth after humans. Still never tried to cause them extra pain.

You should read “The Backyard Homestead” series (Storey Publishing) if you’re interested in small-scale homesteading. They have everything you need to know in a fun-to-read, well-organized layout.

FYI I’m making this recommendation bc I am wary of survivalism-oriented homesteading, because they tend to overlook the fact that homesteading is not actually an individualist, “can’t trust anybody” thing-- it is and has always been a cooperative, community based effort. So survivalist homesteading basically promotes a lifestyle that has never worked and is quite dangerous.

My wife and I bought a 10 acre (~4 hectare) piece of land in very rural, very Northeastern US for 30k USD. We paid for half with about 50% of a year’s combined income, and half with money from when my wife’s parents sold the family farm. Land came with a derelict house, but it turned out to be in better shape than initially thought. Place is fully off-grid: no water supply, electricity, or plumbing. We are living in a yurt while we, my wife’s dad who is a carpenter, and some (paid) timber framer friends make the house safe to live in. Currently we pay about 5% of our combined yearly income in property tax, but that will likely go up when the house is done.

“McDonald’s jobs pay poorly because they’re for high school students”

This is always my problem with other languages. I understand Hebrew and Spanish quite well, but struggle when I have to talk. When I study/practice these languages, I always focus on the stuff I’m best at bc speaking is scary, and then my speaking never improves. You need a speaking buddy who you are really good friends with and who DOESN’T MAKE YOU FEEL NERVOUS OR JUDGED. Your hard time speaking probably doesn’t come from inability, but from situational stress.

I love stickers, I think they’re fun. I’ve got a “Google jury nullification,” a couple of tiny “Ski the East” stickers that I found in a dumpster, a “Darn Tough Vermont” (they make really good wool socks and have a big sale every autumn), a sticker for a tabletop gaming store I used to frequent, and a “Care not Cops” sticker over the Dell logo.

OK, yeah! I generally warn against biometrics and cloud storage for activists, but they’re probably a very good idea for older non-activists.

Right, I’m definitely gonna cover that. There are ways to limit triangulation and the amount of data that can be collected, but you’re correct: the best mobile device security is not having one. The subtitle of the class is going to be, “a 101 for people who need phones,” so I will be working on the assumption that getting rid of the phone is not a viable precaution. (Also, my co-presenter is also an older person, so don’t sell yourself short!)

I’d never heard of the EFF until now, what a great resource! They’ve got a whole section for educators

Awesome, thank you!

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