Tuesday August 29th It does not feel as pleasant out this morning as I expected. I'm not really sure exactly what the difference is.. The humidity is reasonable.. The temperature is not bad.. Even the dew point is reasonable.. and yet sitting on the front porch with the fan on…
Is it just we or could this pass for art on someone's wall https://www.instagram.com/p/CRmXB61sZti/
Stepping out this morning it's definitely cooler, not that cool though, the thermometer reads 66°. The air is heavy with moisture. There's a fine mist settling and blowing everywhere. Enough of a breeze blows to shake the moisture off the tree leaves. The constant drip drip drip of water hitting…
In honor of the coming weekend... And the brisket I am going to put on the smoker... Links Texas Monthly - The Master
Quiet Mostly Cloudy Monday Morning Coffee Muses
Mark Bittman makes the point in his column at the New York Times today, that the biggest killer of Americans isn't guns but industrial agriculture. A point I have made repeatedly with my family over the years. ...the root of that dangerous diet is our system of hyper-industrial agriculture,…
Reading Mark Bittman's blog this morning I saw this lead-in to a link I had to follow: Here’s the thing. A lot of stuff isn’t directly about food, but TB – that’s tuberculosis – is becoming, has become, antibiotic-resistant. And a lot of antibiotic resistance may be because there are…
We are spending the day with family...So from my walk yesterday... I hope everyone has a great day...
I have been incredibly blessed to be able to combine this love of calloused hands with dramatic and verbal skills. And that is why I promote direct marketing. Too often parents whose children express an interest in farming squelch it because they envision dirt, dust, poverty, and hermit living. But…
I saw Patry's post about the medicinal use of red wine in the treatment of influenza... Patry Francis Red wine may prevent swine flu, which is the absolute only reason I drink it. http://www.anotherwineblog.com/archives/4253 I checked my stock and decided I needed to make a "medicine" run...Off to Spec's we…
I seem to enjoy finding blogs written by authors. One of the latest I've wandered across is by Fiona Robyn. She posted an article yesterday that popped up via my feed reader today. The title of the piece was How To Slow Down. I found this section in particular spoke…
Sometimes you are amazed at the serendipity of life...I discovered Felder Rushing a few years back while wandering the web. I started listening to the podcast of his weekly public radio program, The Gestalt Gardener, and keeping up with his travels. I even posted a link and his picture back…
I have a confession to make...I just discovered Marion Nestle and her blog Food Politics. I know, I'm slow on the uptake sometimes. I find that my feelings about food are becoming somewhat activistic...I am getting more upset by the industrialization of our food on a daily basis. So you…
Check out this World Hum article on the seven best cities in the world for all you latte-drinkers, java-sippers, and espresso-lovers. Here's the rundown: via Best Cities for Coffee Drinkers? - Slashfood.
Reading the news this morning, I saw this short spot: Marion Nestle went to see Food, Inc and she gives it two thumbs up. I've only seen clips and heard a talk by the director and stars Eric Schlosser and Michael Pollan about the making of the movie. It's going…
Parched winter months this year have put California agriculture into a tailspin. With a third dry year in a row, the state has been forced to deeply examine its strategies for coping with dry times. Many worry this drought is a harbinger of the long-term impacts of climate change, a…
Let’s talk pills. To treat everything from allergies to heart problems, half of Americans take a prescription medicine every day, and nearly all of us reach for the pill bottle on occasion. It's perfectly safe, though, because the Food and Drug Administration regulates the ingredients that go into those medicinal…
Good article on the food safety issue from The Ethicurean Blog. Down on the farm Here’s a quick backgrounder: After the E. coli/spinach episode in 2006, big leafy greens producers in California (where the toxic spinach was grown) got together and drafted guidelines to reduce the risk of contamination on…
While most successful food producers are far more diligent — big name-brand peanut butter is considered safe, for example — American consumers have faced far too many food-supply emergencies in the last few years. Congress and the Obama administration must finally make food safety a serious priority.The new agriculture secretary,…
My reading on the web keeps coming across a common thread...It's that over and over in blog posts and comments people are talking about buying seeds and starting to raise vegetables again. It looks like I'm not the only one making the connection. Here is what Verlyn Klinkenborg had to…
It seems the story of the Peanut Corporation of America just keeps getting better and better as it shows just how poor America's food safety system really is... Even amid a national salmonella outbreak linked to peanuts, state health officials allowed a Texas peanut plant last month to continue shipping…
I grew up reading Jeff Cox in Organic Gardening & Farming (or vice versa depending on the year). I was happy to find him at the OrganicToBe.org blog. His article on potatoes not only fills in the history of the tuber but also gives recipes. He sure makes me feel…
It just seems to me that when you have production of goods going into so many food products you would have controls in place to insure the safety of the public...Doesn't it? Passing the responsibility off to others for the testing of the product is not an option. Both the…
In times of economic crisis, where do we draw the line on funding cuts? Food safety? Drug Safety? Highway Safety? If we can cut funding when the economy is good, what are we going to do when the economy is faltering? The news on our latest food "crisis" is not…
And the "good" news just keeps coming in. At what point do we stop putting so much trust in corporations to do the "right" thing...Not just the profitable thing? In one of the largest food recalls in history, the Food and Drug Administration asked retailers, manufacturers and consumers yesterday to…
“This is an excellent illustration of an ingredient-driven outbreak,” said Dr. Robert Tauxe, who oversees foodborne illness investigations for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. So far, more than 470 people have gotten sick in 43 states, and at least 90 had to be hospitalized. At least six deaths…
Health officials are urging nursing homes, hospitals, schools and restaurants to throw away containers of peanut butter that have been linked to the 43-state salmonella outbreak. The peanut butter, manufactured by Lynchburg-based Peanut Corp. of America and distributed by King Nut Cos. of Solon, Ohio, was recalled by the distributor…
Mark Bittman at TED Why you should listen to him: Although Mark Bittman never formally trained as a chef, his pursuits as a curious and tenacious foodie have made him a casual culinary master. His weekly New York Times food column, The Minimalist, meshes accessible and inexpensive ingredients with "anyone-can"…
Image by winzu via Flickr To get past the better half. WINEDALE — OK, I believe it. They’ve got me convinced. Here at the old country house in Washington County, winter has come to the front porch so I’ve moved inside by the fire. I’ve sat here and read three…
Image via Wikipedia I missed this last Friday when it played on the local PBS station...It's nice to be able to catch it later on the "intranets"... Bill Moyers and Michael Pollan...What a pair. A very in-debth exploration of food policy in America ensued. Here is just a part... BILL…
Food is a microcosm of the macrocosm. Eating the right food is part of the solution to the problems of climate change and global hunger.(1) Resurgence Magazine is focusing on Food this month. I often find myself drawn to the subject of food...Not necessarily for reasons that would appear obvious.…
The Center for Responsive Politics calculates that, by Election Day, $2.4 billion will have been spent on presidential campaigns in the two-year election cycle that began in January 2007, and an additional $2.9 billion will have been spent on 435 House and 35 Senate contests. This $5.3 billion is a…
Put that fruit juice down and grab a Coke. Haven't you heard? High-fructose corn syrup -- the ubiquitous sweetener found in everything from soft drinks to ketchup -- isn't bad for you at all. It's true, because I saw it on TV. The story behind the corn industry's cloying ad…
This link is as much for me as it is for you few folks who read these daily musings. Farmer in Chief By MICHAEL POLLAN Dear Mr. President-Elect, It may surprise you to learn that among the issues that will occupy much of your time in the coming years is…
Image by Getty Images via Daylife Hurricane Gustav continues plowing inland, and is now just a Category 1 hurricane. The storm surge has peaked and is falling in New Orleans and along the Mississippi coast. A storm surge of 12 feet was recorded at Northeast Bay Gardene, and surges of…
Image via Wikipedia The weather here has been very dry...at least until the past week or so. We have been having a spring-like amount of rain. After complaining for so long about the lack, it seems almost sacrilegious to say anything about the water we needed so bad. After months…
Up on the mountain behind my house, the wild blueberries are ripe and prolific. It’s public land, part of the Maine state-park system, so the berries are free for the picking. In a half-hour or so, if I’m lucky, I can fill a tin cup with enough berries for breakfast,…
It just goes to show you, when the government doesn't believe in regulations...Regulations go by the wayside and enforcement becomes mute... Whole Foods Market pulled fresh ground beef from all of its stores Friday, becoming the latest retailer affected by an E. coli outbreak traced to Nebraska Beef, one of…
Why Paul Roberts' End of Food deserves to be digested by policy makers and local-food activists alike | By Tom Philpott | Grist | Victual Reality | 08 Aug 2008 The Locavore's Dilemma Why Paul Roberts' End of Food deserves to be digested by policy makers and local-food activists alike…
The Pleasurable Choice Is the Ethical Choice I like to say that I'm not an an optimist, but I am a person of hope. That is to say, I cultivate the virtue of hope in myself. Hope takes account of the enormity and darkness of challenges and problems, and yet…
The Podcast I listened to yesterday that really caught my interest was this one... Tiny Texas Cafe Fills Up After Barbecue Award : NPR All Things Considered, July 18, 2008 · Barbecue is religion in Texas. Every five years, Texas Monthly goes on a quest for the Holy Grail —…
Around these parts most of our ripened fruit happened a month or better ago. The only thing still to come are the pecans in the fall. Even so the following resonates... The Suburban Life - Thinking Ahead - Editorial - NYTimes.com It’s a good year for blueberries. Decades ago, a…
I have never felt that the Corporate pushers of GMOs were looking out for anything other than their own profits. That has led me to look on their actions in an unfavorable light. While this has always been a personal "feeling", I find my concerns expressed very well by this…
I have subscribed to Michael Pollan's website to be sent updates to what's happening in his world. I received a notice that led me to a new environmental website...If you haven't seen it before, go check it out. Yale Environment 360: Michael Pollan on What's Wrong with EnvironmentalismThere are basically…
One of the email missives I look forward to comes in on it's own schedule each month. It is from Andy Griffin of Mariquita Farm called "The Ladybug Letter". Andy tells tales of his life in agriculture on the west coast...Funny stories, ironic stories...Stories of life...Great stories... The Ladybug Letter…
TED | Talks | Malcolm Gladwell: What we can learn from spaghetti sauce (video) Tipping Point author Malcolm Gladwell gets inside the food industry's pursuit of the perfect spaghetti sauce -- and makes a larger argument about the nature of choice and happiness.
Hmmm... Eat that?: Agriculture secretary's reassurance rings hollow in light of current industrial beef processing | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle "Every single carcass that's processed is inspected by a USDA inspector," Schafer told reporters in San Antonio. "That beef is stamped A-OK, and we want to assure our consumers here…
I wandered into this last evening... TED | Talks | Mark Bittman: What's wrong with what we eat (video) In this fiery and funny talk, New York Times food writer Mark Bittman weighs in on what's wrong with the way we eat now (too much meat, too few plants; too…
Just don't let the marketing guys see the results or we'll have a ton of "Fred's Berries" coming in from out of the country... The Blue Marble: Eat Local Foods, Grow Small Farms It's not just for elites anymore. A survey of Midwesterners finds that even average food shoppers are…
But it left the humidity behind for today at least...The weather station on the shelf tells me that as the sun sets in the west the temperature is still floating at 86°. Amazingly the humidity is reading 37%...Lord it's hot for May. The prognosticator on the radio during my drive…
Summer's back...Both the temperature and the humidity are back. No wanting to spend the morning in the backyard today. Though I must admit the birds seem to like the weather just fine. Loud greetings to the day were heard even through the closed doors and windows. Over the weekend we…
Bill Moyers Journal . Transcripts | PBS
May 2, 2008
BILL MOYERS:Welcome to the Journal.
I once asked a reporter back from Vietnam, "Who's telling the truth over there?" Everyone he said. Everyone sees what's happening through the lens of their own experience." That's how people see Jeremiah Wright. In my conversation with him on this broadcast a week ago and in his dramatic public appearances since, he revealed himself to be far more complex than the sound bites that propelled him onto the public stage. Over 2000 of you have written me about him, and your opinions vary widely. Some sting: "Jeremiah Wright is nothing more than a race-hustling, American hating radical," one viewer wrote. A "nut case," said another. Others were far more were sympathetic to him.
Check the Guide... Environmental Working Group || foodnews.org Be A Smarter Produce Picker — Get Our Free Guide! EWG always recommends buying organic, but we know you can't always find it. Our new Guide — now in its 5th edition — features the 12 fruits and veggies with the most…
Current Weather (on Wed 5:53AM CDT from Pearland Regional Airport) Partly Cloudy Temp: 72° Dewpoint: 66° Wind: SE 6 MPH What isn't shown in that snipit from my email is the humidity. Right now it is 94% and rising...Just think, we call this spring around these parts. You should see…
Paul Krugman's latest column focuses on food. Wander on over and check out his thoughts... Grains Gone Wild - New York Times These days you hear a lot about the world financial crisis. But there’s another world crisis under way — and it’s hurting a lot more people. I’m talking…
The first wealth is health. - Ralph Waldo Emerson If you are as skeptical as I am about most of modern medicine's miracle drugs, you might not want to read this book review. It will just reinforce what you already assume is the truth... Big Pharma's Golden Eggs - washingtonpost.com…
Another Reason To Be A Localvore... Did Your Shopping List Kill a Songbird? - New York Times Migratory songbirds like bobolinks, barn swallows and Eastern kingbirds are suffering mysterious population declines, and pesticides may well be to blame. A single application of a highly toxic pesticide to a field can…
The pace at work since the new year has been quite frantic. I find myself sleeping late almost every morning. It's cutting down on my musing time as I have my toast and coffee each morning. Some mornings it seems like I barely get through the email and important reader…
As we left Virginia behind today Mother Nature gave me a perfect picture postcard view of Mabry Mill. Actually the two colorful trees in the background are about the only two left in the vicinity with much color but they were in the right place at the right time for…
Two Pigs - Verlyn Klinkenborg - York Times Over the course of just a few generations (in my case just two) we have gone from a world where everyone knew where their food came from to a world where you really don't even know which continent supplied the ingredients in…
Blog Action Day On October 15th, bloggers around the web will unite to put a single important issue on everyone’s mind. In 2007 the issue is the environment. Every blogger will post about the environment in their own way and relating to their own topic. Our aim is to get…
The weather out is delightful, even the humidity has fallen below 90%. Morning temperature is 64°. The skys are clear and the day has yet to break. We should be heading into a beautiful weekend. It could be time for a photo road trip... ++++++++++ Well...It looks like the Industrial…
My new toy finally arrived from Dell yesterday...A 17" laptop with some bells and whistles to make photo editing easier. I planned to post the first blog this morning. I got a little sidetracked with a phone call from a high school buddy making arrangements for the 35th reunion this…
Bush the philosopher has one thing right: Human dignity is served when people make choices for themselves rather than being nannied by the government. But only simpletons suppose that this principle is absolute: Where unfettered private initiative produces evidently bad outcomes, most people prefer an alternative. This is why we…
This morning was another of those mornings when the weather outside is livable. Too bad it will not last... Today: Mostly sunny, with a high near 91. Heat index values as high as 102. East wind between 5 and 10 mph. +++++++++++ Andy Griffin is on roll with another essay…
There has been talk the past few days by the weather prognosticators of a cold front heading for these parts. Now granted, at this time of year a weather change that lowers the high temperatures into the mid 80's for a day or two passes for a cold front. Me,…
We slept in our own beds for the first time since Monday last night. The construction crew worked till almost 10pm making sure the most important part of the newly rebuilt bathroom was complete. Hopefully, today will put an end to the ongoing construction. I am ready to reclaim our…
No matter how much wishing and wanting you might do, remodeling projects take longer than the best laid plans. Looks like another night at the Best Western for the three of us. Tom Philpott has another good read up at Grist. This weeks "Victual Reality" hits home. I am trying…
Today's emails contained this week's copy of the "Weeknight Kitchen Newsletter" from The Splendid Table. I've been listening to Lynne Rossetto Kasper on the Splendid Table Podcast for a while now and enjoying it immensely. This week's newsletter contained a link to the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch. I had…
From Washington Forgive me a few moments of happiness at the news from Washington. The one bit of uniting not dividing to come out of the White House in six years...Karl Rove is resigning. One of the few good quotes I've seen about the resignation of Karl Rove... "Buh-bye, Karl…
I am in the process of working my way through Barbara Kingsolver's Animal, Vegetable, Miracle...A Year of Food Life, so be prepared to see more on the state of American food. Every day that goes by I read another article on the epidemic of obesity in this country...And another article…
While most of the country encounters a Christmas Snow with a fair amount of regularity, this is the only known Christmas Day Snow in Brazoria County, Texas. I would think that would rate it as an "oddity". On Christmas Eve 2004 the snow began to fall at about 10pm. It…
For the record...This is day 1 of week 2 Post-Radiation. In a bit of serendipitous follow-up to yesterday's post. My email brings me this from Grist...How to prioritize your organic food dollars to get the most from your budget. On prioritizing organic purchases | By Umbra Fisk | Grist |…
In my internet wanderings and muses I find myself being drawn to many of the same subjects that interested me 3o plus years ago. It appears the wanna be back to the lander, mother earth news reader, Rodale convert from the '60's still resides inside these middle aged bones. Which…
This story caught my interest the other day. A Factory Farm Near You - New York Times Once upon a time, only a decade or so, it wasn’t hard to know where factory hog farms were because they were nearly all in North Carolina. But since those days, the practice…
Today's number is 28... Last evening we had a real gully washer of a thunderstorm roll through after 8pm. As Sherry and I sat at the kitchen table reading we started hearing distant rumbles. The first time, I pulled up the National Weather Service site and there wasn't anything showing…
Warning: Bush Bashing Political Rant Follows The New York Times has a great question in the first paragraph of this editorial... FEMA Runs for Cover - New York Times How many times can the federal government let down the victims of the hurricanes that ravaged the Gulf Coast two years…
The number for today is 27...Almost there. There is a magical time of night that seems to call me on a regular basis...It's 3:33am. I can not recall how many time I have rolled over in bed at night and opened my eyes and seen the three threes glowing there…
One year ago this week we were sitting on the side of a mountain in northwestern North Carolina. We aren't the first Texans to have discovered and fallen in love with the Blue Ridge Mountains and I'm sure we wont be the last. The plan for this year was to…
Via The Ethicurean this morning I followed a link to the following... In his Meat Manifesto, Fearnley-Whittingstall corners the reader: “Are you,” he demands, “among the millions of consumers putting pressure on farmers to produce mountains of cheap meat of dubious quality, by dubious means?” I thought I had perhaps…
It was a little strange this morning, waking up to the sounds of silence. No thunder, no pounding rain, not even the subliminal sound of water dripping from the eaves, seems very weird. I am sure it won't last as the humidity is at 99% and the temperature is already…
I generally don't just copy someone else's full post. This one twigged on a number of levels so I'll let Jim Hightower say it himself. Jim Hightower | WHY NOT "DRINK LOCAL?" Friday, June 29, 2007 Posted by Jim Hightower Listen to this Commentary In a triumph of marketing over…
A great read on the "Buy Local" meme. Heavy on the economics... The Ethicurean: Chew the right thing. » Blog Archive » Guest post: Michael Shuman defends the “buy local” premise Michael Shuman, author of the books “The Small-Mart Revolution” and “Going Local,” wrote the best rebuttal by far to…
I was sitting here checking out some WP plugins when I noticed the time. Poured my first cup of the morning muse and turned on "Sunday Morning". I was late for the preamble but caught most of the first story. Even Sunday Morning is on the sugar story and what…
The Ethicurean Blog always has some intriguing posts about the food we eat and how it is raised or shows up at our table. Maybe I've been reading them too much, 'cause this whole dependence on corn is beginning to remind me of something else. Are we planning to trade…
American Agriculture - Do you trust a CEO to decide what you eat? It may just be my inherent distrust of corporations or the complete lack of values most corporations have shown in the course of this country's history, but, I really do not trust my food quality and safety…
You know as a resident of the Texas Gulf Coast, living less than 5o miles from the Gulf of Mexico I read articles like this and I am worried, very worried... Is U.S. Ready for Hurricane Season?: "'Last year we didn't have a clue,' said the acting FEMA director, R.…
