This documentary film, a work in progress, is my first as director, videographer and editor.

As we look deeply into our cultural roots and combine new technological advances, healthy paradigms can emerge. The 21st century is challenged to create new local systems, void of stress, destruction and exploitation; this is the current NOW syndrome. Systems requiring examination and discussion include: functionality of money/commerce, functional purpose of government, functional purpose of education, energy production and conservation, food production, and medical applications.

This story is a revival, a way of life from the not so distant past. A model for a locally based economy that provides commerce and skilled jobs throughout the community while exponentially reducing greenhouse carbon gases, a win win. And all the while providing to basic human needs, clothing.

Follow this unique and intricate community based lifestyle: Fibershed grown and sewn close to home.

Thank You for viewing. John Kokoska

To view this film in full screen high definition, click on the following link: Fibershed Film HD

Fibershed A Local Textile Economy in Northern California from John Kokoska on Vimeo.

If you are looking for a shot of inspiration, look no further.

Chops beyond chops, my god, this was tops, high school jazz bands playing Ellington,
these young kids were busting full of beautiful noBS energy, talent, and creativity.

Foods Heal… today’s food, The persimmon, a winter fruit, provides an excellent dose of Riboflavin B2.

The information that follows, provides the metabolic function of B2, its use as a preventative solution, and symptoms of deficiency.

This information is provided by: www.Health-Care-Clinic.org

Riboflavin is essential for the metabolism of carbohydrates, amino acids and lipids and also supports antioxidant protective function.

Vitamin B2 helps prevent and is used to treat migraine headaches, cataracts, rheumatoid arthritis, and a number of skin disorders such as acne (acne rosacea), dermatitis, and eczema. In the treatment of anemia, adding Vitamin B2 to iron supplements has shown to increase its effectiveness. This vitamin is particularly helpful in counteracting the tendency towards glaucoma. An ample supply of vitamin B2 provides vigour and helps to preserve the appearance and feeling of youth.

Riboflavin deficiency has profound effects on the metabolism of carbohydrates, fats, and protein. All three of these basic food elements require riboflavin if they are to be properly utilized by the body.

A deficiency of riboflavin results in clinical symptoms such as changes in lips, tongue, corners of the lips and eyes. The early symptoms include photophobia, burning and itching of the eyes, soreness and burning of lips, mouth and tongue. The lips become dry and chaffed, a condition called cheilosis; the tongue becomes red and shiny (glossitis) and develops fissures with yellowish color (fissured tongue). The angles at the corners of the mouth become ulcerated (angular stomatitis). Skin becomes scaly and greasy around the skin folds (seborrhoeic dermatitis).

Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)

Energy 293 kJ (70 kcal)
Carbohydrates 18.59 g
Sugars 12.53 g
Dietary fiber 3.6 g
Fat .19 g
saturated .02 g
Protein .58 g
Riboflavin (Vit. B2) 2.5 mg (167%)
Folate (Vit. B9) 8 μg (2%)
Vitamin C 7.5 mg (13%)
Calcium 8 mg (1%)
Iron .15 mg (1%)
Sodium 1 mg (0%)

The Wall Street version, not very clear and at best extremely risky, fraudulent, and at worst criminal.

Then there is the concept of a State Owned Banking System, by and for We the People.

As an example of a state run bank, let us look to the great American state of North Dakota and their mission statement:

‘As the only state-owned bank in the nation, our mission, established by legislative action in 1919, is to promote agriculture, commerce and industry in North Dakota. The Bank acts as a funding resource in partnership with other financial institutions, economic development groups and guaranty agencies. We have four established business areas: Student Loans, Lending Services, Treasury Services and Banking Services. BND’s support services and dedicated employees provide you with the best customer service.’

North Dakota has the lowest unemployment rate in the country, 3.8%, hmmmm a correlation?

Across the nation, state by state, we can reclaim our financial independence from the clutches of the Wall Street.

I am compiling a listing below for state initiatives establishing a state run banking system. I welcome any posts to this blog that can contribute to this listing.

The following quotes provide insight into the history of money in modern society, as well as, a context to understand its purpose:

“Permit me to issue and control the money of a nation, and I care not who makes its laws.” Mayer Anselm Rothschild.. Banker

“We can either have democracy in this country or we can have great wealth concentrated in the hands of a few but we cannot have both” Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis

“If the American people ever allow private banks to control and issue their currency, first by inflation, then by deflation, the banks and the corporations which grown up around them will deprive the people of all property until their children wake up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered.” Thomas Jefferson

“I am afraid that the ordinary citizen will not like to be told that banks can and do create money .. And they who control the credit of the nation direct the policy of Governments and hold in the hollow of their hands the destiny of the people.” Reginald McKenna, past Chairman of the Board, Midlands Bank of England

“I am a most unhappy man. I have unwittingly ruined my country. A great industrial nation is controlled by its system of credit. Out system of credit is concentrated. The growth of the nation, therefore, and all the our activities are in the hands of a few men. We have come to be one of the worst ruled, one of the most completely controlled and dominated Governments in the civilized world, no longer a Government of free opinion, no longer a Government by conviction and the vote of the majority, but a Government by the opinion and duress of a small group of dominant men. 
~ Woodrow Wilson President of the United States 1913-1921

“All of the perplexities, confusion, and distress in America arises, not from the defects of the Constitution or Confederation, not from want of honor or virtue, so much as from downright ignorance of the nature of coin, credit, and circulation.”
~ John Adams, Founding Father of the American Constitution

“The Government should create, issue, and circulate all the currency and credits needed to satisfy the spending power of the Government and buying power of consumers. By the adoption of these principles the taxpayers will be saved immense sums of interest. the privilege of creating and issuing money is not only the supreme prerogative of government, but it is government’s greatest creative opportunity.”
~ Abraham Lincoln

We are grateful to the Washington Post, the New York Times, Time Magazine and other great publications whose directors have attended out meetings and respected the promises of discretion for almost forty years. It would have been impossible for us to develop our plan for the world if we had been subject to the bright lights of publicity during those years. But the world is now more sophisticated and prepared to march towards a world-government. The supranational sovereignty of an intellectual elite and world bankers is surely preferable to the National auto-determination practiced in past centuries.”
~David Rockefeller in an address to the Trilateral Commission meeting, 1991

IS THE FEDERAL RESERVE BANK REALLY “FEDERAL”?
Most people assume that the Federal Reserve Bank is federal–that is, part of the united States’ government.  However, the Ninth Circuit Court put that issue to rest in 1982 when they adjudicated: 
“Examining the organization and function of the Federal Reserve Banks, and applying the relevant factors, we conclude that the Reserve Banks are not federal instrumentalities for purposes of the FTCA, but are independent, privately-owned and locally controlled corporations.” [Lewis vs. U.S., 680 F. 2d 1239, 1241]

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Initiatives for State Run Banking Systems: (this will be updated as my research continues), I welcome any posts to this blog that contribute to this listing.

Oregon: http://oregoniansforastatebank.org/updates/

Or.

We choose a needs based, resource based society..

Required Overhaul of the Capitalist Society (a start):

1) election reform (Fair Elections Now Act currently in the House of Representative http://fairelectionsnow.org/about-bill),

2) reduction of military power 700 bases
in 130 countries (war can no longer be tolerated as a form of economic stability),

3) economic and fiscal reform (tighter SEC regulations, restoring higher import Tariffs thus bringing jobs back to the United States, rolling back Reagan era tax laws, replacing the federal reserve with state owned banks, look to North Dakota as working example: http://www.banknd.nd.gov/),

4) education reform (too much pressure on children to compete, let them be children), FCC reform (stripping of media monopolies .restoring true journalism to inform American citizens),

5) FDA reform that provides adequate inspections of food. And last and certainly not least, acknowledging the genocidal destruction of many Native American cultures; thus healing our country and becoming an example of true human leadership to the planets human family.

6) conviction of high crimes and misdemeanours: to accomplish these enormous tasks, justice needs to be served. For those who have committed crimes, justice need to be served. No American is immune to the law of our land, this includes politicians of the highest power and wall street bankers.

7) campaign lobby reform: We cannot expect the revolving door of lobbyist and politicians to correct the crumbling fabric of democracy. Please watch ‘Inside Job’ to understand the economic meltdown of 2008:

Call you local, state and congressional representative and voice your concerns. Find and join a local chapter representing your political party and help restore democracy for future generations.

At the conclusion of the Constitutional Convention, Benjamin Franklin was asked, “What have you wrought?” he answered “ a Republic, if you can keep it.”

It must be We The People … who step into this 21st Century American Revolution.

Power to We the People….

Sincerely,

An American for the 21st Century

Regarding North Korea: can we image peace? what does this look like? do we believe it is possible?

And North Korean’s ability of nuclear destruction is not only clear but possible. For 50 years, North Korea has led an ‘up-yours’ message to the United States. Diplomacy must be our first level of offense and defense with North Korea. War is not a game, there are no winners.

It is time for humanity to step in the 21st century with a new revolution. A revolution of the mind. A revolution that honors mutual respect, love and compassion. I do believe this is possible. To further this cause the Untied States White House needs to create a cabinet level position, ‘The Secretary of Peace’. The link below provides the required action steps needed to make this position real.

http://kucinich.house.gov/Issues/Issue/?IssueID=1564#Legislation%20to%20Create%20a%20Department%20of%20Peace

Power to the People. War is Over If You Want It.

A Senate investigation is being conducted and many questions remain. Why was a 30inch transmission gas line situated so close to a residential area? In the case of San Bruno, this transmission line was installed in the 1940′s, 30 years prior to the neighborhood development. A session from the Senate hearing can be viewed below.

Official Website of U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer: Boxer Videos – Pipeline Safety and San Bruno Explosion.

With elections coming up in November, now more than ever is the time to question the purpose of government. There has been an unjustified outcry that government is too big, started by president Reagan. Is our government too big or is it just flat out broken and corrupt. Now is not the time to get caught up in finger-pointing rhetoric, left vs. right. We need our government and representatives to serve and protect us, the citizens, from gas explosions in our neighborhoods. Since president Reagan, government regulation that was setup to protect our lively-hood has been stripped away.

Protective regulation of underground natural gas lines is not debatable; this also includes food inspections (FDA inspectors has been reduced by 80% over the last 25 years), automobile gas standards (who killed the electric car?), health care (in every 1st world country, it is against the law to provide a first level of primary care ‘for profit’, we are being screwed).

And the ultimate slap-in-the-face, the federal mafia money/banking system, (we can thank President Clinton for signing into law The Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA), also known as the Financial Services Modernization Act of 1999,) which repealed part of The Banking / Glass-Steagall Act of 1933. The Banking Glass-Steagall Act was created after the wall street crash of 1929. The repeal of the Glass–Steagall Act of 1933 effectively removed the separation that previously existed between Wall Street investment banks and depository banks, thus allowing investment bankers to gamble pensions and mortgages on a roulette wheel.

I want you to get up right now and go to the window, open it, and stick your head out and yell,
“I’m as mad as hell,. and I’m not going to take this any more”.

It Can’t Happen Here, guess again, already has.