permaculture

["Michelle Maggiore" <mmaggior@mindspring.com>]

Hello All,
 I was wondering if the definition of "culture" has already been brought up 
in this thread.... I know in several definitions of permaculture, people 
bring up the phrases "permanent culture" and permanent agriculture" when 
trying to describe how the term PERMACULTURE  itself was coined.
While a dictionary isn't the last word, I found it interesting to see such 
varied def's for the word "culture", and based on what follows it seems 
everyone that has replied is somehow right:
(from American heritage Dictionary, 2nd edition)
Culture:
1. The totality of socially transmitted behavior atterns, arts, beleifs, 
institutions and all other products of human work and thoguht characteristic  
of a community or population. 
2. A style of social and artistic expression peculiar to a society or class.
3. Intellectual and artistic activity, and the works produced by it.
4. The act of developing the social moral and intellectualfaculties through 
education.
5. A high degree of taste and refinement formed by aesthetic and intellectual 
training.
6. The dev't of the body through special training, i.e. physical culture
7.The cultivation of the soil, tillage.
8. The breeding of animals, or growing of plants,esp. to produce improved 
stock.
9.Biol a. The growing of micronutrients in a nutrient medium.
b. Such a growth or colony, as of bacteria.
c.Medium - cultured, culturing, cultures:1.To cultivate, till.
                                                                 2. To dev'p 
microorganisms or tissues  in a culture medium.

As an aside, It should be noted here that Catholic worker/workers(for those 
of you unfamiliar with the group) are many times not even Catholic and 
operate as a noncorporation, meaning, the houses are individually funded with 
no tax-deductible donations, and the ones I have been friends with and 
visited have been the epitome of local simplicity, excellent examples of 
permaculture, a bright spot in neighborhoods which definitely have needed 
brightening, and  are the most effective organizations I have ever seen, 
literally turning nothing into something quite beautiful.  If you live near a 
CW house, but are unsure about the word "catholic" or have never been to one 
before, visit  and you will see what I mean. :)


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