LotW

I rarely like to post links that are broken or outdated. Personally, I experience a lot of frustration clicking on link after link, only to find how incomplete a site actually is. This is especially true when you see something that strikes you as particularly fascinating.

[When I eventually see the photos from Rome, you will find that this doesn't hold for the real world. I do love visiting "ruins" - the name being a bit of a misnomer as what is left is a testament to their endurance and age. However, websites generally don't contain that sort of panache. Even sci-films taking a post-apocalyptic view of the world, with abandoned/run Las Vegas's, New York's et. al. have better scenery than "Page Not Found"]

This is why I was tentative to post Mr. Wendell Berry of Kentucky. As you scroll down, you will find quite a few of the links don't work, or lead to dead ends. This is truly sad; however, if you happen upon a hidden gem written by or about Mr. Berry, I am sure you will be struck by his ability to describe, in plain terms, the conflicting issues between man and nature he has witnessed during his life.

Truly a man of the earth, Wendell Berry, more than any other contemporary writer, is gifted and articulate enough to truly talk about issues such as strip-mining, mono cultures, plundering earth's resources, and scores of issues that rarely make the headlines or the hearts of the American people. Furthermore, he is respectable enough not to only highlight issues, but present feasible solutions (there is a wonderful essay in "Another Turn of the Crank" where he describes the business model of a Northern Michigan/Wisconsin Native American Tribe, who are able to log their reservation without diminishing the amount of wood. They've been doing this for 150 years!)

I say "gifted" not because he is imbued with a talent; but rather a perspective. He is a farmer. He subscribes to low energy use (he doesn't even use a tractor!), as well as the local economy (something evidently shunned by "The Economist"). He gained notoriety for his essay "Why I Am Not Going to Buy a Computer". He has weeded through the abstraction of the information age; and finds reality of the firm, fertile ground of his farm.

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Snow! (by myself)

It finally snowed last night!! How wonderful; I encountered when I left to go to the store for some HobNobs.

Guessing at the rate is was falling, I was hoping on seeing about 1/2 cm in the morning, but sadly, the sun (in all it's malicious intent) took most of it away, leaving a small pattering that was rather disappointing. The moment was nice, though.

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"Snow" by Orhan Pamuk

I normally leave the book reviews for my brother (although he never seems to review the books I read...how odd)

Anyway, if you're going to read a book of contemporary fiction this year, make it "Snow". If you're a list junkie (like myself), then you may recognize that Pamuk was the winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature last year. If you're a news junkie (like myself), then you will remember the Turkish government told him not to receive it (he did, much to their chagrin)

Aside from Pamuk's writing style, as well as the translators ability to keep the work exciting without drenching it with errors and addendums, I found Pamuk's ability to layer, draw out, confuse/mislead absolutely enchanting.

Impossible to simplify, the story changes courses, much as a card game that might change rules/motives would; at first it's the story of girls driven to suicide, then perhaps it is about political revolution, and maybe about an artist who rekindles his muse (as well as his love); but in the end, it is the History of a Poem. And after hurdling simultaneously through several days and many years, you are given a clean, illuminating realization.

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LotW

Sorry, it's a bit tardy (update on Why coming soon)

Michael Pollan

If you ever feel the urge to learn the fullest history of potatoes, I would recommend reading Michael Pollan. I learned of him in my Dance Class last year when we heard him lecture (via cassette tape) about corn and the corn industry. It was one of those truly moving events when you start off thinking "I can't believe I'm actually going to listen to someone lecture about corn", and eventually finding out why on earth someone would, to passionately understanding and changing your ways.

Since then, I have consumed two of his books ("Omnivore's Dilemma" and "Botany of Desire"), and have begun to appreciate the ground, the food we eat, its intelligence, and its necessity. Soon I will have "A Place of My Own" which follows a similar experience, but he helps us see and ask about where we live, how it is constructed, and the implications.

Along with his books, he has written extensively on the food industry, as well as gardening, bringing to the front much that we may take for granted (an early paper "Why Mow?" proclaims "For however democratic a lawn may be with respect to one's neighbors, with respect to nature it is authoritarian. Under the mower's brutal indiscriminate rotor, the landscape is subdued, homogenized, dominated utterly" Now isn't that pretty sweet, or what?!) BTW, due to a little HTML glitch, the articles cannot be seen except for small white marks on the right side of the "Writing" page.

Finally, the links. Oh, the links! As much as Google talks about putting all the information in the world online, I think a more important facet of contemporary communications is the chance to share and expand that information. (another facet being individual and group identity) Pollan maintains thorough lists, alphabetically(!), serving the agricultural community a real treat.

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A little factoid

from The Oil Drum:

The cumulative production for crude oil through 2006 is about 1,000 Gb=
38.13 CMO or enough to fill up one third of Lake Erie (~115
CMO).

If you keep reading, you find out:

1. Some more interesting factoids
2. How James Kunstler is correct in saying alternative energy isn't enough to solve the impending oil crisis.

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Weekend Preview

Obviously this can't be as long as the earlier post (presuming the weekend IS shorter than the week, and it hasn't actually happened yet...you're fill of philosophy on this blog for the time being). I am going down to Brighton with Catherine today, returning Monday, freshened by (calm) breezes and beautiful scenery (not that NW England ISN'T beautiful...I love it all)., and in time for quartet rehearsals.

Week In Review

Tuesday Evening Euphonium Party: The theme was "Food from around the world". I made pasties (ah, not ae), of course originally a Cornish food, but common in Michigan as well (although Aaron was unfamiliar with them; go figure!) due to immigrants from Cornwall who came to work in the UP (moving from tin to copper). Maybe next time I'll bring Coney's.

[Pasties, by the way, are quite easy to make]

Wednesday: Made it to warm-up class (with a new emphasis on scales, which the undergrads will be tested on in a month or so). Finally got a Railcard for British Rails, allowing me to save up to 1/3 on most tickets (and it pays for itself on one cross-country trip). Sadly, though, I lost my hat on the way home, and the rail pass doesn't cover my ears...sigh...I liked that hat.

I also took part in the 1st of 5 guided workshops (meaning I'm guiding them) on composition fo high schoolers. More on this in a later post...

Today: Windy as all get out!! BBC has reported 80 mph winds, and has shown footage of tree-destroyed cars, sheet metal blowing about, and all general chaos. BBC has also reported 7 deaths, which doesn't surprise me, as I've seen shingle bits strewn across the street. I've tried to stay in and practice, although a little cabin fever has crept in (allowing me to venture out and tell the tale)

I guess this isn't the ENTIRE week, unless you want to include Friday as the weekend (like schools that incorporate 6-8 or 7-9 grades as their Junior Highs). But it will be in the next post.

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LotW

This week:

eat the seasons (or eat the seasons if you're in Britain)

I don't need to tell you how much of an enviro-nut tree-hugger hippie I am (which appears to be the emphasis of LotW's this month), so obviously anything that reduces food transport is a good thing (for us, for the food, for the environmnt,the farmer, etc., etc.). I recall an article last year that said 1/3 of all fossil fuels in agribusiness were used in transport (with the other 1/3's going to growth and misc. respectively).

The site allows you to search the seasons by food or date (although it's based on week, so you my have to think for a second). It also provides valuable information cooking, and pleasant histories (not quite as intense as Michael Pollan, but it's just a website).

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Two Points

British Money: Edward Elgar
Danish Money: Carl Nielsen
Swiss Money: Arthur Honegger
Austrian Euro: W.A. Mozert
So....when will we lose Mr. Jackson and get Mr. Ives (Charles, of course)?

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I friend just pulled out a $20 bill, and it was the strangest thing. After being divorced from it for 4 months now, I never thought I would get a little wave of homesickness from the sight of our currency. It wasn't anything dramatic; I still intend to stay (and possibly, work), but we do leave a bit of ourselves wherever we go.

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Little Happenings

1st lesson of the new term went well. Worked on Faustbuch (Betsy Raum) and agreed to perform 1st movement in a small studio recital in two weeks. I also agreed to buy some simming trunks so I can go to the aquatic centre and...swim, I guess (this was precipitated after Mead's question "Do you do any physical activity?" and my reply "Well, I walk to school"--in itself a small lie, because I usually walk TO THE BUS). Finally, I agreed to write up a repetoire list to determine what I'll work on this term. Like pieces included: music for the Falcone competition, and "Impulsions Mecaniques" by Adrianna Holszky (thank you, Paul) which is ordered buy not arrived.

Other big news may be in future updates (I'm not sure where else it would be, maybe a notebook of some sort)

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LotW Returned (!!)

Once again I've found my time is nearing up. I'm at a cafe again, for the simple reason I couldn't be bothered to trek the mile to school (especially given the rain and lack of purpose). Perhaps if my 10 (now 9) minutes get used up before I finish, I'll just dawdle for another 1/2 hour, because the cost will be the same (£1.60).

When preparing for the return of the LotW, I realized all the sites I had been considering, I really hadn't perused. Which is upsetting when you choose them as carefully as I do (not that I'm bragging or anything). Besides being important thematically for myself (why would I promote sites otherwise?), I always appreciate a crisp, well-organized look with few broken links. Also, the more information cleanly and consicely printed the better.

This has led me to Cocolico. Oddly consumerist, yet pushing an eco-friendly agenda, this site fit the criteria the most, beating out two others which will probably make the list in subsequent weeks. The site is essentially a collection of products and design that sell themselves as green, although with some I am hesitant to throw the label on (such as the knives that, when dulled, can be sent back to Japan to be sharpened. suppose self-sharpening is out of the question). There are some DIY's, and if you are into some heavy searching, you are able to find more info than you could have previously imagined (such as the plans for the table-doubling-as-a-compost-bin).

In any event, check it out, decide if it will become a "regular", then - as I'm sure you ALL do - wait in eager anticipation for the next LotW.

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Back on the island

Left my hostel in Rome at 8 AM, got on the plane (with a new copy of "Life of Pi"), arrived at 3 in Manchester. Found out travel really isn't that easy on New Years. I saw three buses running, none of which were lines I needed; plus cabs were twice as expensive. I mae it home, though, to find out my flatmates and her friends were all sick....and it was raining...

But it's good to be back.
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