Ten Years from Now

I recently read Guitar Lessons: A Life's Journey Turning Passion into Business by Bob Taylor, co-founder of (now) world-famous Taylor Guitars. It's a book of reminisces -- lessons on life and business learned in the process of pursuing a passion. From the age of 17, when he built his first guitar in high school shop class, to being the head of the fastest-growing guitar brand in the world, Taylor learned a lot and recounts most of it in the book.

I thought the next-to-last chapter was the best: "In 10 Years, We'll Be Glad We Did." He cites numerous examples in the history of Taylor Guitars when they struggled mightily to learn or implement something new; when common sense would have said, "This is too hard." Like when they started a new factory in Mexico -- navigating the maze of a different culture's language, legal requirements, work styles, etc., was a nightmare. His stock answer to such difficult situations was, "In ten years, we'll be glad we did." In other words, everything is hard. But if we can get through the start-up phase, it will pay off in the long-run.

He cites an example of when he failed to follow through with that belief: When he and his wife moved into their third (California) home, his wife wanted to plant an avocado tree. Taylor put it off because they take four to five years to bear fruit and he didn't think they'd be there that long. But they ended up staying in that home for 20 years. So they missed out on 15 years of avocados. If he had just planted the tree(s) when they moved in, "In ten years I'd have been glad I did." (my paraphrase)

Taylor likes to say, "It might take ten years, but time goes by whether you do something or not, so why not start?" Ouch -- I can think of many things I wish I had started 10 years ago. Time goes by regardless. It doesn't wait while we procrastinate or "do more research."

The concluding paragraph of the chapter:

Taking that chance, getting started and seeing new plans and projects through is the ony way you will get to the point where you can look back and say you're glad you did. I blew it on the avocado tree. I passed up my opportunity to start. But with Taylor Guitars I jumped in and started the projects that would change our future and I'm glad I did.

Having celebrated my 63rd birthday this week, the book has caused me to think, "When I'm 73, what will I look back to 2011 and wish I had started when I had the chance?"

There are tons of YouTube videos involving Taylor Guitars, of course, but there's a nice promo video for the book at Amazon here.

Virtual Colonoscopy

Wanna' see a squeaky-clean colon? I'll treat you to a look at mine -- at least a digitally re-created version of it, anyway.

In 2005 I decided to have a colonoscopy and investigated "virtual colonoscopy" (v.c.), a technology I had read about. At that time, there was one company that was the leader in the field. and there were hospitals/clinics across the country that had installed their technology for doing v.c.'s. There was one in Greensboro, NC, so I made an appointment and had the procedure done.

Here's the difference between a traditional, invasive colonoscopy and a non-invasive v.c. (both procedures require thorough emptying and cleansing of the colon before the procedure):

Traditional: insert a "snake" with a camera attached into the rectum and thread it through the colon while the doc watches the images returned by the camera on a screen -- looking primarily for pre-cancerous polyps or other abnormalities. If polyps are found, the snake can produce a wire lasso that clips the polyp off the colon wall. Sedation is required meaning a traditional colonoscopy is a tag-team event: you and someone to drive you home.

Virtual colonoscopy: inflate the colon with carbon dioxide gas via the rectum. Lying on a table, you pass through an imaging machine (either CAT or MRI) where 3-D "slices" of the colon are captured and saved to a computer. The computer software then creates a 3-D image of the interior of the entire colon which the doctor can then "fly" through and look at every nook and cranny of the colon wall. The carbon dioxide gas dissipates from the body and you're done. The downside of the v.c. is this: if polyps are discovered, you still have to have a traditional colonoscopy done with the snake, etc., so they can go in and clip the polyps off. Remember that the v.c. is non-invasive, so it can't clip polyps off since it's not actually inside the colon. Knowing that, I took a chance on my colon being in pretty good shape and not having any polyps which turned out to be true.

I didn't choose v.c. for fear of the invasive nature of the traditional method. I just like technology and cutting edge stuff so opted for the v.c. Everything I read about it, and was told pre-op by the clinicians, was that it was virtually "painless" -- just a slight expansion of the diaphragm area as the colon inflates.

That was the understatement of the decade. It turned out to be one of the most uncomfortable experiences of my life -- VERY painful -- and here's what I think happened: I think the technician pumped in WAY more gas to inflate the colon than was needed. I thought I was going to explode. I could hardly even turn myself over on the table to make the second pass through the imager. As much as I don't like to express pain, I was moaning and groaning like a medieval heretic on a rack in the basement of an inquisitor's castle. I spent 20 post-op minutes on the floor of a bathroom waiting to deflate, after which I felt fine.

Time for my next objective: Get the doc to show me my home movie. He was a young internist with sterling credentials and more than happy to show off his high-tech toys. The software had crunched the images together into a movie by the time I was dressed, so we sat down in front of his monitors and watched the fly-through. He commented on what great distention (expansion) I had (that was my first clue that the technician had over-inflated my colon), and said it all looked great -- no polyps or any other problems.

Because the movies were in standard .avi format I asked him if he would burn them to a disc for me that I could keep: "No problem."

There were two different movies on the disc -- the one below is the shorter of the two showing the lower end of the colon (cecum) near where it connects with the small intestine. The other longer movie wouldn't play when I got it home. Apparently there was a glitch when he burned it to the disc. Lucky for you -- you only have to see part of my colon.

Pretty cool, huh? (Remember: these are digitally drawn images, not pictures. There are movies on YouTube of colon interiors taken with the camera used in the traditional method. Needless to say, those movies are a bit, er, messier looking than these.)

Half the People vs. Half the Meals

EdibleManhattan.com has a helpful interview with novelist Jonathan Safran Foer, most recently the author of Eating Animals. Foer is a smart guy—he makes some good points in the interview like distinguishing between half the world becoming vegetarian (not likely) versus half the world's meals being vegetarian (very doable). Good point that I hadn't considered.

Related articles, courtesy of Zemanta:

• Anthony Bourdain Versus Jonathan Safran Foer on Q: Should we eat meat or not?
• Eating Animals, By Jonathan Safran Foer
• "Eating Animals" by Jonathan Safran Foer
• The Author Of "Eating Animals" Reveals That His Dog Is An Omnivore

Animal Rules

The New York Times food "Opinionator" Mark Bittman has a great column about inconsistency when it comes to animal welfare. A pet pig is protected by welfare laws whereas a pig in an industrial food factory is not. Basically, factory food farmers are allowed to define "common use" when it comes to how to treat animals they own. Jonathan Safran Foer said to Bittman that giving the factory food industry the right to define cruelty is like "giving burglars the power to define trespassing." Bittman is not a vegan, but he is sensible and smart when it comes to observing "the system." (And a follow-up column here.)

Tinker Toys in Space

USA Today has a great animated piece on the evolution of the International Space Station since 1998. It reminds me of building with Tinker Toys or Legos -- and it's much larger than I was aware of. Pretty amazing. 

Photos from Japan

A growing collection of large format photos from the earthquake and tsunami in Japan. And another set of photos here.

Branding

On an errand to the Post Office this morning I passed a crew of 25-30 people working to clean up the bedraggled entrance to a neighborhood. It's an old neighborhood of 'Fifties-era ranch-style homes and the modest entrance has never been neat and tidy since I've lived in the area (11 years).

"Cool," I thought. "The neighbors have banded together to clean up the entrance." But something didn't fit. The people didn't look "right" for that neighborhood. And there were signs (like those identical real estate signs that pop up, dandelion-like, every weekend along streets and at intersections) stuck along the busy roadway where the crew was working. The traffic was moving too fast for me to read the signs, but I assumed they were related to the clean-up project.

A hundred yards past the clean-up crew I saw 20-25 upscale-looking cars parked neatly (I mean, really neatly) in the parking lot of a recently-closed beer bar on that road. The cars were parked so neatly that at first I thought a used car business had taken over the bar site—but there were no prices painted on the windshields and no "Used Car" signs. So I assumed the cars belonged to the work crew. The whole thing puzzled me, and I purposed to slow down on the way back from the P.O. to try to read the signs and figure out what was up.

Passing the cars and the work crew and the signs on the way home, the traffic pushed me along too quickly to read the details on the signs. All I could catch was the color—bright orange—and the words, "Love Is Happening Here." That was enough. I figured I'd go home and let Google tell me who this group was. But before I made it home, I figured it out. This had to have something to do with Elevation Church, a multi-location mega-church in Charlotte.

How'd I know that? Branding.

1. Color. Orange is Elevation's color. Having visited the church a half-dozen times a year ago, orange is everywhere: printed materials, T-shirts, bumper stickers, and more. When I met with the senior pastor about a writing project, his office is even painted bright orange. If you see something orange in Charlotte, there's a better than average chance it has something to do with Elevation Church.

2. Parking. I don't know who handles parking and logistics for the Super Bowl, million-person marches on Washington, and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, but they'd be well-served to contract those services out to Elevation. When you attend Elevation, you wonder how there could be any people in the worship service since there are so many smiling, waving, "Elevators" in the parking lots directing traffic—BIG parking lots at the schools, shopping centers, and other venues where they meet. Getting in and out of an Elevation service is a piece of cake (at least when I attended) because the parking is so well organized. Returning from the P.O. and looking again at how neatly the cars in the bar parking lot were arranged—one long, diagonal row, noses out, on the street side with additional neat groups behind—it gradually hit me: nobody would park cars at a work site this neatly except Elevation.

3. Love. Elevation Church is known for tackling BIG service projects in the name of Jesus. I doubt if any of the people in the work crew lived in the neighborhood. But somebody had identified that needy entryway as something that would brighten up the main road and the neighborhood. I thought about the ubiquitous signs we see along major thoroughfares that say, "This road/highway adopted by So-and-So Civic Group"—and how I don't think I've ever seen anybody (except "chain gangs") from those groups actually doing something to beautify the roadways they've adopted. But know this: If Elevation Church decides to tackle a project, it will be done—and done well. And done in the name of Jesus, for those who care. It's a way to put some walk to their talk.

So—orange signs, an immaculate parking system, and love at work: it had to be Elevation Church. (The word "Elevation" was nowhere to be seen.)

I was right. I got home and went to the Elevation Church website and found details on the entire campaign: "Love Week Charlotte 2011" -- volunteer service projects all over Charlotte. There is plenty of info about the campaign plus a hi-tech video of last year's Love Week.

I was impressed by the work the Elevation folks were doing in my part of town—much appreciated. But I was even more impressed with how easy it was for me to figure out who the people were, and thereby what they were doing, based on three things: a color, the way the cars were parked, and the hard work that was being accomplished. In other words, the Elevation brand has become easy to recognize in Charlotte, NC (and thousands of people are "buying").

It made me wonder, What is my brand? What am I known for? Intentionally or unintentionally, everybody has a brand. Elevation, Coca-Cola, Apple, and McDonald's work hard on creating and reinforcing their brands so they are instantly recognizable. Most individuals don't since we're not "selling" anything. At least not for money. But we all are interested in spreading our worldview, our good will, our love, our influence—and maybe even a product or two. The question is, Can people pick us—our brand—out of a crowd? Or said another way, Do people feel positive about us—our brand—when they encounter us in public or when we walk into a room? If not, How do they feel? And why? (Don't ask me how I feel about the U.S.P.S. brand after standing in line for 20 minutes.)

For Jesus followers, the brand is love: "By this all me will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another" (John 13:35).

Psalm 119:74 says, "May those who fear You rejoice when they see me, for I have put my hope in Your word."

Love and dependence on God's Word are two good things to be known for, but there are many others. (Even parking: 1 Corinthians 14:33.) Establishing a brand is a life-long, and ever evolving, process. Thanks to Elevation Church for providing a reminder of how effective a good brand can be. (To be accurate, there are a number of churches participating in this Elevation-sponsored Love Week. See the Love Week web site for more.)

Here We Go Again

It's been a while since Christendom has enjoyed a good theological (as opposed to moral) taffy-pull. Most recent in my memory was a few years ago when well-known Pentecostal pastor Carlton Pearson was shown the door of his mega-church and denomination for deciding that universalism -- the belief that all humans will be forgiven and saved; that there is no hell -- is what the Bible teaches.

This time, it's the same issue. Rob Bell pastors a huge church in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where roots of Dutch Reformed Calvinism run really, really deep and where not believing in hell is, well, un-Christian. Except (apparently) in his church, Mars Hill Bible Church. I say "apparently" because speculation (some of it informed by early-release chapters from Bell's forthcoming book) is what seems to be guiding the discussion at this point while theologs await the publication date. (At the very least, the white-hot discussion will probably ensure NYT best-seller status for the book. Some have wondered if Bell's shading of orthodoxy is a mega-marketing stunt. If so, it's working.)

The young, Bono-lookalike pastor has a new book coming out on March 29 titled Love Wins: A Book About Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived -- published by Harper (which speaks volumes). Because of his rock-star status among young Christians, the Internet is hot with debate about what Bell's book is going to say. Conservative theological bloggers (here and here, for example) and secular news sites are covering the story. In the video below is what Bell has to say in a teaser video about the book. (You have to give these hip, techno-churches props for their audio and video skills. Whether you agree or disagree with Bell, you 'gotta like the production values of the video. I was surprised to find that this Vimeo video plays extremely well in full-screen mode -- hit the button in the LR corner for full screen -- hit Escape to return.)

Update from later today: I now understand why 10,000 people gather every Sunday to hear Bell speak. I had never seen a video of him, so went to Flannel to see a video of him in the NOOMA series (nooma is phonetic for Greek pneuma -- breath or spirit). I don't know if the message I watched was from a church service or an outside speaking engagement, but it was one of the handful of most creative "talks" I've ever seen -- in my life. He spoke for an hour and a half without notes; one of the most complex, yet very easy to follow, biblical messages I've ever heard. No Bible, no chapter and verse references, lots of verses quoted, one large prop, an amazingly creative approach to a complicated subject. I can't remember the last time I was riveted for 90 minutes listening to a biblical message. And based on what he said in this particular talk ("The Gods Aren't Angry") I think I got a clue as to where he's headed in the book that's coming out. But I'll read it first and let you know then if I'm right.

Further update (3-3-11). You can listen to Rob Bell read a sample from the book here. It's the longer section on which the video below is based. But it gives a broader context for the remarks in the video -- and raises good questions that Christians need to be able to answer.

Further update (3-7-11). This blog post by scholar-pastor Greg Boyd—one of the few people who have read an advanced copy of Rob Bell's book—is very helpful.

LOVE WINS. from Rob Bell on Vimeo.

Parody, Humor, and Truth All in One

Heartbreak in Christchurch

A few days ago I referenced The Boston Globe's amazing news photo site, The Big Picture. They have a collection of large format pictures taken in Christchurch, New Zealand, in the immediate aftermath of the earthquake that struck. Because of their large format size you can see so much detail: the anguish on the faces of those concerned about victims, the determination on  rescuers' faces, the jubilation on the faces of survivors pulled from collapsed buildings. I was struck by the mix of those who pitched in to search for survivors immediately after the quake stopped. In one picture, a group of rescuers with hard hats is at work, assisted by a guy with a bike helmet on, still wearing his backpack, who obviously stopped his bike and dove in to help. Amazing how tragedy, and the desire to preserve life, forms an instant bond among the living. The pics are here. 

Amazon Prime Just Got Better

I've been an enthusiastic Amazon customer since the mid-1990's, and an Amazon Prime member for several years. The main benefit of Prime membership ($79 annually) is free two-day shipping on any size purchase, and overnight shipping for $3.99. With Amazon carrying more and more variety, it's getting so that when I need something and can wait two days I order it from Amazon.

Today the Prime deal got even better: free streaming of 5,000+ movies, videos, and TV shows. (There are thousands more -- the newer releases -- available for rent-by-streaming for $3.99.) I discovered this early this morning when I went to Amazon to check on a book. Within a minute I was watching a beautiful, flicker-free stream of The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest. I haven't been able to take advantage of Netflix's streaming because I don't have an Intel Mac -- but Amazon's streaming works just fine on my G5.

This new feature suddenly makes Amazon Prime an even better deal. (Am I missing something here? Let me know.) For info just go to Amazon.com for a friendly announcement from Jeff Bezos, the big-laugh founder of Amazon.

Who Said Fox News Readers All Think Alike?

What a hoot! Fox News had a reader poll going on their web site regarding the crisis in Wisconsin over union bargaining, wage, and benefits. It's a pretty large sampling -- 102,231 votes had been cast when I voted. Looking at these results, I'd say Fox News readers are a pretty homogeneous bunch. (Yes, I voted with the majority.)

Negotiate a compromise bill with State Senate Democrats: 4.88%

Ask Republicans to pull the bill and find another way to cut spending: 1.62%

Draw a line in the sand: If you want to keep your job, get back to work. Otherwise, you're fired: 92.76%

Other (post a comment): 0.74%

Total Votes: 102,232

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2011/02/21/decide-wisconsin-gov-scott-walker/#ixzz1EdayyXfK

Sami's Bakery

I've read several times on the Happy, Healthy, Long Life blog about no-oil bakery products from Sami's Bakery in Tampa—especially the millet and flax, no-oil vegan pizza crusts. So I ordered a few items from their web site—all no oil and vegan:

I used a pizza crust to make a veggie pizza Friday night that was great. This is what the 12" crust looks like plain:

Loaded with veggies before baking (I started with a base of pasta sauce, then slabs of eggplant, onion, red and green peppers, cubed tofu, mushrooms, asparagus spears, tomatoes, vegan (rice) parmesan, and yeast flakes, and some more pasta sauce on top. I didn't take time to make cashew cheese which I've read is excellent as a cheese substitute.):

The finished product—slightly burned! I haven't used my oven in several years and forgot how hot the gas broiler gets when I put it on broil for the last couple of minutes. I'll do better next time. Regardless, it tasted awesome:

May Scott Walker's Tribe Increase!

I don't know a lot about Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, but what I do know I like. Finally, someone who is willing to stand up to unions and to the President of the United States who is inserting himself into a state government's business. Walker told Obama to mind his own business and focus his efforts on balancing the budget in Washington before trying to tell a state government how to manage its budget affairs. Way to go, dude! I wish I had time to say more about this, but work presses. 

Wanna' Move to England?

Let's move to England, buy one of these closed Anglican churches currently for sale, and remodel it into a home (complete with permanent grounds crew -- at least until the last trump sounds):

For the Love of Art

Google's new Art Project applies streetview technology to the great art museums of the world -- view the masterpieces down to the level of minute brush strokes.

A video explaining the project is here, with examples. The Google Art Project web site is here.

Lookin' Good, Feelin' Good

I try to save trips to my local big-box grocery store for Thursdays since that's "Seniors Day": five percent savings for those over 60. Today being Thursday, I made a quick trip to pick up a few items. And I came out feelin' good -- and not just because I saved five percent on my tab.

As I was watching the cashier ring up my items, a young female store employee -- a teenager, by my reckoning, with an "alternative" look to her -- came walking by and said cheerfully, "Nice hat!" I thanked her energetically, duly impressed with her outgoing and complimentary spirit. I found this wool hat (from Woolrich) this winter and have worn it appreciatively -- it won the approval of my son David who has long worn models similar to this (and whose breadth of sartorial approval runs the gamut from light gray to black). I think my young admirer's approval at the store, and my son's, are linked by their mutual alternative perspective. (Has my cap gained me entrance?)

The cap:

David (and buddy Bruiser), who gave his approval -- sporting a toboggan rather than his version of my cap this Christmas:

Feelin' good, and lookin' good (remember the closing scene from Trading Places?), I received the total of my bill from the cashier, a likewise friendly teenager.

"Did you include my Senior Discount?" I inquired.

His sheepish look communicated "No," and he adjusted the total. Then he said, "Sorry -- are you really over 60?"

His polite tone revealed that he wasn't challenging my qualification for the discount.

"Yep," I said. "Be 63 next month!"

"Wow -- you don't look that old." That's exactly what he said.

Gathering my bags, I told him Harris Teeter ought to train all their cashiers to do what he did -- compliment the customers on the fact that they don't look old enough to qualify for the Senior Discount.

Now -- I don't think for a minute that I look sub-60 in years. I was talking to a young teenager who hasn't lived long enough to judge peoples' ages by how they look. But I left pretending he knew exactly what he was saying. At my age, I'll take compliments where and when I can get them. "Nice hat!" and "You don't look that old!" -- especially from teenagers -- made Senior Day at the grocery store the highlight of my week (so far).

(I'm obligated to say, for those who don't know me, that the "lookin' good" part of this post is in pure fun. True story, but told in fun. The hat is nice; the old grey head, not so much.)

The News in BIG Pictures

Two news sites with amazing, beautiful, LARGE format pictures from the day's news. I don't know how they do it, but these pictures don't take any longer to load than the typical small pics on most sites:

The Big Picture from The Boston Globe

In Focus from The Atlantic

Eat Some Kale Every Day

A great blog by a multi-time cancer survivor, and registered dietician, on ways to eat kale every day of the year. 

Pomology

I learned a new word recently: pomology -- the scientific study and cultivation of fruit.

I came across this word while perusing the pages of Old Southern Apples: A Comprehensive History and Description of Varieties for Collectors, Growers, and Fruit Enthusiasts (rev. and expanded edition). This second edition of apple hero Creighton Lee Calhoun, Jr.'s classic book has become a go-to source for information on historic, heirloom Southern apples. (Calhoun is a legend in the Raleigh-Durham area of North Carolina where he makes his home.)

While the book is a treasure itself, it pointed me to another treasure that resides deep in the belly of the USDA beast in Washington, D.C. -- the National Agricultural Library (NAL). This library is a huge repository -- way too much to explain briefly -- of American agricultural history. Lee Calhoun mentions the NAL because of the efforts that began in the late 19th century to identify and catalog thousands of varieties of American fruit. Here's a quote from Calhoun's book:

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) established a Division of Pomology in 1886 to collect and disseminate information to fruit growers. Almost instantly it was overwhelmed with boxes of fruit from the public with cover letters asking "what kind of apple (or pear or peach or cherry) is this?" By 1888, the Division of Pomology had received over 10,000 fruit specimens for identification!

Accurate depiction of American fruit became necessary to aid in the task of identification. With color photography a distant invention, the division hired a series of accomplished watercolor artists, beginning in 1887, to paint pictures of American fruit. But the time this effort ended around 1940, over 7,700 paintings had been made of fruits and nuts. Some of these paintings were reproduced in USDA publications such as the annual Yearbook of Agriculture, but most were filed away and faded from public view. . . .

The recent burgeoning interest in heirloom fruits has renewed the public's desire to see the pomological watercolors. A monetary grant from a private source in 2009 allowed the USDA's National Agricultural Library in Beltsville, Maryland to convert the watercolors to digital format and make the files available to the public.

In Calhoun's book is a section of gorgeous color plates of 120 selected heirloom apple paintings from the NAL collection. Each painting contains, in the lower left and right-hand corners, in handwritten script, the artist's name, the date, the apple variety, the apple's location, etc.

This amazing art was created not just for apples, but for a variety of American fruits. Making my way to the NAL website I found a treasure trove of these digitized original paintings of apples and other fruits. And some prints have been nicely reproduced on 8" x 10" matte stock, suitable for framing and available for purchase.

Here, for instance, are the four apple prints currently available for sale via the NAL web site. (I borrowed these images from the NAL site without permission.):

The NAL web site is VERY large and not a little complex. But there is so much to see that it is worth the effort. Here are some links:

•The NAL home page is here.

•The NAL collections page is here. (Overview of the archives including the pomological watercolor collection.)

•Overview of Items currently available for purchase is here, including the four apple prints above which are the only apple/fruit prints kept in inventory for sale. Any of the pomological prints can be purchased, but the ones not kept in inventory are more expensive as they require one-off printing.

•The pomological watercolor collection is here. (Scroll down to link to watercolors of various fruits.)

•The apple watercolors begin here.

When I spoke with a nice woman at the NAL she said their goal was to get all the scanned watercolors printed and into inventory for purchase at the lower price. Right now, the only four apples available for purchase as 8" x 10" color prints ($25 each) are the four above. On the Collections page you can see a number of other products they have for sale in the spirit of agricultural history: note cards, posters, etc.

For North Carolina apple growers, one of the best sources of heirloom apples suitable for our climate is Ron and Suzanne Joyner's Big Horse Creek Farm ("specializing in antique and heirloom apple trees") in Lansing (Ashe County), NC.

I am gradually coming to understand more about antique apple varieties. Estimates range from 5,000 - 7,000 for the number of apple varieties once available in America. Today, consumers find the same 6-8 varieties in their grocery store. Thus, the effort being made by many to find and preserve "antique" apple varieties.

I've never understood the "Johnny Appleseed" idea of spreading apple seeds all around the NE United States in the early 19th century, resulting in the aggressive spread of apple trees -- when all apple trees today are grown by root stocks, not seed. Here's what happened as I understand it: Apple seeds can be sprouted and trees grown, but the vast majority of the time the resulting apple will be undesirable in one or more ways. "Pippin" apples, those sprouted from fallen apples that sprout their seeds and produce a new apple, are usually not keepers and are not reproduced. (Many of these were used to produce alcoholic hard cider more than a hundred years ago.) When a "pippin" apple tree arose and was found by chance to produce a desirable fruit, its branches (a scion) would be grafted onto an existing root stock and a tree grown to reproduce the desirable fruit.

So -- apple seeds will produce apple trees and apples, but these random efforts only occasionally produce "keepers" -- which are then reproduced via grafting to preserve the variety. (Please correct me if this is not accurate.)

I am more than willing to criticize our government for spending money we don't have, and for collecting taxes to pay for things that federal governments should leave to citizens and free enterprise. But I now find myself conflicted. The NAL archives are a store of history and pleasure for people like me, and while the digitizing of the fruit paintings was funded by a private donation, the library itself is obviously federally funded. If push comes to shove -- and it has definitely come to that with our bankrupt government -- I would have to conclude that things like the NAL would have to go if we can't pay for it. But for the moment, I'm glad it's there.

This short video is about Tom Brown, an antique apple hunter in the Blue Ridge Mountains of NC/VA:

See No Evil

I recently finished watching the multi-part mini series Band of Brothers that originally aired on HBO -- the true account of Easy Company, perhaps the most storied military unit in the European theater of World War II. One of the most moving segments showed Easy Company moving into a German town that had been held by German forces who fled upon the Americans' arrival. In doing reconnaissance outside the town a squad of Easy Company soldiers came upon the shocking site of a concentration camp filled with dead and near-dead Jews, gypsies, and others. The American soldiers were shocked beyond speaking at the level of cruelty and barbarity they encountered. They had heard rumors of Germans rounding up "undesirables," but had not witnessed it first hand. And the German citizens in the town had turned a blind eye and done nothing (though they likely could have done nothing in the face of Nazi force). Easy company commanders forced every citizen in the town, 14 years of age and older, to go to the camp to bury the mounds of dead, help the survivors, and witness what their nation's government had sanctioned -- while the American troops began providing what food and medical attention they could. The segment was a grisly reminder of how it is possible for evil to be taking place in the midst of seemingly civilized and caring people -- or at least far enough away for most to be able to turn a blind eye.

In the modern animal rights movement, animals are often compared to those the Nazis deemed undesirable in the Holocaust. Ten billion animals are killed each year (in the U.S.; 60 billion worldwide, according to Kathy Freston, author of Veganist) at the whim of human beings who are stronger than the animals and who have the sanction of government and the majority of the population. Many in the population turn a blind eye and participate in the commercial raising and killing of animals because they like the taste of meat. That is their choice, of course. But I still believe many continue to support the commercial meat industry without knowing "what's going on just outside of town." Just as the Nazis put their concentration camps in out-of-the-way settings so as to hide what they were doing, so commercial meat farmers raise and slaughter animals behind close doors -- literally. The public is not invited and you will be turned away if your local organization wants to tour a commercial animal factory farm. That fact alone suggests the owners are not altogether proud of what they do.

Many courageous souls in Europe during the early days of Nazi rule -- Christians primarily, but others as well -- took an active role in fighting the atrocity of genocide. People like German pastor-scholar Dietrich Bonhoeffer stood publicly against Adolf Hitler, and the ten Boom family in Holland hid Jews in their home when the Nazis began their purges. Bonhoeffer was hanged and the ten Boom family was found out and shipped to concentration camps where all but Corrie ten Boom died. They knew the cost before acting but did so anyway.

So today, activists of various kinds are doing what they can to expose the brutalization of animals raised for human consumption. And that includes some who go into the factories to film undercover videos and make them available to the public. Others, like Mercy for Animals, compile those videos and make them available to a broad audience; to all who are willing to look truth in the face and ask what part, if any, they are playing in supporting such a system.

Mercy for Animals has just released a new 12-minute video, Farm to Fridge, revealing what goes on behind the closed doors of some factory farms. The production values are excellent -- this is not just a collection of random, gruesome videos. But it is gruesome. Why? Because this isn't CGI footage compiled out of the imagination of an animator in Hollywood. This is video of what is happening today in factory farms in America. I encourage you to watch it -- and then do what you can not to support such a system. This will stop as soon as people stop voting with their dollars at the grocery store. And it will continue as long as people choose to see no evil.

Food for Thought

From the pen of Elisabeth Elliot in Shadow of the Almighty: The Life and Testament of Jim Elliot (as cited in David Platt's Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream):

Is the distinction between living for Christ and dying for Him, after all, so great? Is not the second the logical conclusion of the first?

China

If you plan on being around 10-20 years from now, you might find this talk on China interesting -- given at a TED conference in London. Especially interesting in the last minute of the talk: a picture comparing the size (gigantic) of a 15th century sailing ship in which a Chinese explorer made his way to the coast of East Africa compared to the size of the Pinta (tiny by comparison) in which Christopher Columbus sailed across the Atlantic, also in the 15th century. Another picture is shown of a painting or tapestry from an early Chinese dynasty of people playing what appears to be golf. Point: what we (most Westerners) don't know about the history and culture of China (in particular, but lots of other nations in general) allows us to maintain an air of unjustified superiority in the West. (I recall having the same "Whoa!" experience when watching the opening and closing ceremonies of the Beijing Summer Olympics in 2008).

Fast-talking, Funny, and Magic!

I have watched this at least 10 times, not to try to figure out the tricks but because I am mesmerized by this young guy's (James Galea, obviously an Australian) power to entertain, his confidence, his humor -- the whole package. I wonder why we haven't heard of him before? (Perhaps you have?)

Vegan Books #1 on Amazon

The #1 selling book on Amazon today is Kathy Freston's Veganist: Lose Weight, Get Healthy, Change the World. That's the second vegan book to hit #1 this month, the first being Kris Carr's Crazy Sexy Diet: Eat Your Veggies, Ignite Your Spark, and Live Like You Mean It! (Carr cured her cancer with a diet and lifestyle approach.) 

I'll refrain from editorializing about the implications for our culture -- I hope it's obvious.

(Thanks to vegan.com for the news item.)

Earth from Above

A beautiful and fascinating collection of aerial photographs from the eye and lens of Yann Arthus-Bertrand. The gorgeous photos were taken over a five-year period crossing six continents by air; pictures of how people live and how the earth is shaped.

Debt: A Non-event for the U.S. Congress

Under the current limit, the [U.S.] government can borrow another $234 billion, a ceiling that could be reached as early as March. Lifting the limit is usually a non-event: Congress has raised it 74 times in the past 70 years. (USAToday.com)

House Built Upon Sand

A society in which consumption has to be artificially stimulated in order to keep production going is a society founded on trash and waste, and such a society is a house built upon sand.

Dorothy Sayers, Creed or Chaos? (thanks to Joel Miller)

This Is a Test

I'm trying out a new blog posting interface tool called ScribeFire -- allows you to post from within your browser rather than from within (in my case) Blogger. It's a Safari extension, so you have to have Extensions enabled in Safari (5.0 or later). Go here to download and try it out. (Leave a comment if you have questions about installation and use. If you get it installed in Safari, look for a blackened quote-circle icon to the immediate left of the URL location window at the top of Safari [see the red arrow below]. Click on that and you'll get the ScribeFire interface window to open in Safari.) (Updated comment: I like everything except the leading -- the vertical space between lines of type. I don't see a way to decrease that in ScribeFire, which means you'd have to go into Blogger anyway if you want to tweak it. But the interface is actually cleaner and easier than Blogger's, IMHO.)

I Cried Laughing at This

Only in America . . .

That's Farmin'

What did I learn in my first season [of farming]? . . . That some farm days end in high-fives and others in tears. One night last spring it was the latter, brought on by utter fatigue and some now-forgotten frustration. Our neighbor Steve, who has farmed for nearly all his eighty years, pulled up in his truck as I was indulging in a good weep. He looked at my streaky face, asked no questions, passed a can of ice-cold beer out the truck window and said, 'Well. That's farming.' Then he drove off, to his own evening chores.

The words of Kristin Kimball from a 2005 essay on farming located here. (See more about the unique CSA she and her husband run at Essex Farm here.) I'm currently enjoying her book The Dirty Life: On Farming, Food, and Love. There's a short slide-show of Essex Farm with commentary by Kristin Kimball here. Note her comment about people being "hard-wired" to be agrarian. Her Harvard education must not have included the first three chapters of Genesis where the connection between "man" and "dirt" is laid out ("dust to dust").

America: At Point of No Return

David Stockman, former budget director for President Reagan, and now self-described libertarian, made some powerful predictions and recommendations concerning America's future in a recent interview. These two are a sample:

"It amounts to a failed opportunity to recognize that we are now at a historical inflection point at which the time has arrived for a classic post-war demobilization of the entire military establishment. The Cold War is long over. The wars of occupation are almost over and were complete failures -- Afghanistan and Iraq. The American empire is done. There are no real seriously armed enemies left in the world that can possibly justify an $800 billion national defense and security establishment, including Homeland Security. . . . Unless you have a profound change in foreign policy, you're not going to have the possibility of a radical change in defense spending. The later follows from the former. This is a profound disappointment that there's not even a debate -- a serious debate about dramatic change in our imperialist foreign policy and war-making establishment in this administration -- allegedly the most left-wing administration that we've had in modern time. I don't have much hope that what needs to be done will be done until it's finally forced on us by a world bond market crisis, which will happen sooner or later. . . ."

"We've reached a point of no return. The size of the government. The massive size of the deficits and the national debt that has been created. The precedents that have been established for bailouts and intervention in every sector of the economy. The K Street lobbying system which totally dominates the Congress. All of these are very unhealthy developments. And I'm not sure how they are going to be reversed or eliminated. It may be a permanent way of life. Then, if it is, it'll be both a corruption of democracy and a serious weakening of the private capitalistic economy."

I think his idea of down-sizing the military is a good one. My only fear is that the Congress would use the money saved to create more entitlement programs rather than paying off our debt. I don't read any smart people who agree with Fed Chairman Bernanke's lack of sheer terror (speaking for the whole administration) at the prospects for America's future. Most people who can add and subtract view the future in very dismal terms -- as if there could never be a collapse or revolution in America when it has happened to every country in history that used a fiat (paper money) currency system and a Keynesian-type approach (growth fueled by debt) to economics.

The most immutable law in the universe seems to be cause and effect, or, in biblical terms, reaping what one sows. It would be just like us to think it could never happen here.