Catch of the Day

A review of Paul Greenberg's book Four Fish is enlightening. The book provides an overview of the world's great fish: tuna, cod, sea bass, and salmon and documents how they have been over fished and threatened to extinction.

The reviewer, a restaurant critic for the NYT, recalls a friend who had caught a small bluefin off the New Jersey coast on a fishing excursion and within hours it was carved up for a rare experience.

"Nothing I had ever eaten could have prepared me. The bluefin tuna you get at restaurants, even the best ones, has been flash-frozen and thawed, is days — or weeks — old, has traveled thousands and thousands of miles. In a bite of that absolutely fresh tuna from New Jersey, I experienced a taste of truly wild food, a majestic flavor, something incredibly rare.

And as it melted on my tongue and receded into memory, I felt guilt and doubt and fear. Will my children, who demurred in eating the fish that day, ever have a chance to eat bluefin tuna? Will their children? Will anyone? Should they? What are we really to do with these fish?"

Indeed, "Wild fish were once everywhere, of course, in such numbers as to astound. (And still, Greenberg reports, the current global catch of wild fish measures 170 billion pounds a year, “the equivalent in weight to the entire human population of China.”) Wild fish seemed to be, as Greenberg puts it, “a crop, harvested from the sea, that magically grew itself back every year. A crop that never required planting.”

I can recall the devastation which resulted when Newfoundland fishermen faced a total ban of northern cod fishing in 1992. For a hundred years the Grand Banks produced boatloads of gigantic fish that could be scooped up from the heavy nets. That scenario of loss has been repeated on so many global fronts since then.

Throw away the Keys

Unlock the heart, the head, the muscles, and the magic-
Better yet throw away the keys.
Who needs a locksmith
In the fresh air and morning light?
If you can't find any
Go for a trip
In the quiet of your mind;
Imagine a sea or mountain scape
With the air crisp and clean
And the light refracting beauty.
Or find the wisdom of the ages,
A spiritual connection,
Your sages today,
Your family, friends, and neighbours...
Build on those hopes and dreams
The collective wisdom;
Break them up into small rays of light
Until there is a path to light the shadows.
Or see the world its people and activities
All going about their business
In the private spaces of their lives
Who long and feel just as you;
Reach out and create some positive energy
In the small steps and circles of your life.

A world without locks and keys?
Nonsense.
There is privacy and security to think about
Fuel for fears.
But deep down there is a longing for love, connection,
Open windows and vistas.

(Have a little creative writing fun and escape at Magpie Tales #25.)

Labels: poetry, poem, social justice, writing,

Bean-efits of Beans

I have been working on a marinated bean salad recipe. It still has a way to go.

An article recently highlighted the benefits of beans. They provide a balanced source of protein and carbohydrates without spiking blood sugars.

Also they have wonderful health properties rich with vitamins and minerals. "Beans and legumes such as red kidney beans, chickpeas, and lentils are rich in some of the hard-to-get minerals like magnesium, iron, and potassium."

Moreover, "When you think of antioxidant-rich foods, you might think of brightly coloured foods like blueberries, spinach or sweet potatoes, but many varieties of beans and legumes actually rank just as high -- if not higher -- on the antioxidant scale. In fact, according to a 2004 study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, some varieties of beans ranked higher in terms of total antioxidants than any other fruit, vegetable or grain. Specifically, red beans ranked the highest, followed by red kidney beans, pinto beans and black beans."

Regarding other "bean-efits" they are inexpensive and also more environmentally friendly than meat protein.

OK, this is where I am at with my marinated bean salad recipe.

- 1 can mixed beans
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1/3 cup vinegar (white or balsamic) (about 50/50 with oil)
- one small chopped red onion
- one small chopped orange pepper
- two chopped celery sticks
- 1/2-1 clove garlic
- Oregano-1 pinch
- Basel-1-pinch
- one teaspoon sugar(optional)

(Drain and wash beans, combine ingredients, let them marinate in refrigerator several hours.)

(Of course, many other options still exist: lemon juice, hot sauce, olives, corn, tomato...) Do you have any suggestions to help perfect my trial and error attempts?

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Ghost Forest: An Emotional Resonance

An amazing exhibit of primary growth tree roots from forests in Africa is on tour in Europe.

Angela Palmer's Ghost Forest has contributed to the debate on deforestation and climate change. One observor said, "Art communicates on a level that can go beyond data and scientific findings, and Ghost Forest will offer a deep emotional resonance for all that see it."

From the website an overview is provided,

"The work is intended to highlight the alarming depletion of the world's natural resources, and in particular the continued rate of deforestation. Today, a tropical forest the size of a football pitch is destroyed every four seconds, impacting on climate, biodiversity and the livelihoods of indigenous people. The trees in Ghost Forest - most of which fell naturally in storms - are intended to represent rainforest trees worldwide; the absence of their trunks is presented as a metaphor for the removal of the world's lungs caused through the loss of our forests.

The tree stumps were exhibited as a “ghost forest” in Trafalgar Square in London last November, and then in Copenhagen in December during the UN's Climate Change Conference. In July this year Ghost Forest will be exhibited for a year on the lawn of Oxford University's Museum of Natural History and the Pitt Rivers Museum. The exhibition will coincide with the Museum of Natural History's 150th anniversary this year, and the UN's International Year of Biodiversity. In 2011 it is the UN's International Year of Forests."

I frequently tramped eight or ten miles through the deepest snow
to keep an appointment with a beech-tree,
or a yellow birch, or an old acquaintance among the pines. ~ Henry David Thoreau

Though a tree grows so high, the falling leaves return to the root. ~ Malay proverb

Sometimes Thou may'st walk in Groves,
which being full of Majestie will much advance the Soul. ~ Thomas Vaughan

Image: the exhibit at Oxford

Dramatic Arctic Discovery

An exciting discovery of a ship involved in the search for a Northwest Passage rekindles the high adventure of the era. Thanks, in part, to global warming, the HMS Investigator has been located eight meters below the surface of the water in remote Mercy Bay.

"Investigator had sailed from England in 1850 under Captain Robert McClure to join the frantic search for the ill-fated Franklin expedition, entering the Arctic from the western side in hopes of finding Franklin’s two ships emerging from the fabled passage.

But while Investigator probed further east than any other European expedition, the ship quickly became trapped in ice, often hoisted out of the water by 15-metre-high ice ridges or threatened with hull-crushing floes.

With no sign of a thaw and his sailors debilitated by scurvy or weakened by starvation as rations dwindled, Capt. McClure ordered the ship’s crew divided into three parties, two leaving on suicidal attempts to walk to safety while the third would stay aboard in hopes of sailing free later in the year.

But within weeks of his desperate survival plan being implemented, another ship’s officer miraculously appeared on the horizon with word two better-equipped British vessels were also trapped in ice at neighbouring Melville Island.

Capt. McClure gave the order to abandon ship. The crew cleaned the cabins, emptied supplies into a massive cache on the shore, hoisted the Red Ensign and set out for the HMS Resolute where, after spending a fourth winter trapped in ice, they abandoned that ship and set sail to England aboard the HMS Northern Star.

While the captain and his crew walked part of the passage and left their ship behind, British MPs still voted to give Capt. McClure the posted reward of 10,000 British pounds for discovering the Northwest Passage."

Canada's Environment Minister Jim Prentice said that finding a relic linked to the discovery of the Northwest Passage represents a reasserted Canadian claim to Arctic sovereignty.

For history buffs, this news is archaeological high drama. Thanks to Doug for the link.

Pristine Escape

There is nothing more exhilarating than finding a remote, idyllic setting untouched by throngs of tourists. One travel seeker was told Kinnagoe Bay is the prettiest place in Ireland and also the hardest to find. After much perseverance the writer eventually finds this utopia not even marked on most maps.

"We climb a winding, one-lane road. A few black-faced sheep watch us pass and, here and there, bricks of freshly dug peat dry in the sun. At the roofless ruin of a stone cottage, the road dips sharply toward the ocean.

And then we see it.

A postcard-perfect beach stretches out below, framed by the mountain we've just conquered. A steep track with a brake-searing, 180-degree switchback descends to the seaside. A handful of cars and vans are parked at the bottom and no more than two dozen couples and kids are scattered over a beach that could accommodate hundreds. The people we chat with all live in the area. It's clear not many people are in on Peter's secret.

Cliffs surround the beach. High above, only a handful of houses – one turns out to be a rental cottage – enjoys the million-dollar view. Just offshore, a boatload of divers is checking out La Trinidad Valencera, one of a score of the ships of the Spanish Armada that foundered on the Irish coast in 1588. Members of a local scuba club found the wreck in 1971 and some of the treasures they recovered are displayed in Derry's Tower Museum.

We walk down the beach to what looks like a collection of sculptures. Wind and water have fashioned large steel-blue rocks into the shapes of breaking waves and beached whales. In the distance, a darker outcrop has been hollowed out to form a towering ring of stone..."

The article encourages one to think about those cherished, remote places with spectacular views. Perhaps one of my most vivid memories is coming down to Tofino, on the west coast of Vancouver Island. The remote bay, the promontories, the sweeping Pacific, the rugged forests breathed escape.

Contest Winner and Linkfest

Thanks to all my readers who took the time to provide responses to Ten Perplexing Quotes about Life. You helped to polish the lens along life's journey.

The winner of The Fitzhenry and Whiteside Book of Quotations provided a reflection for all 11 quotations. I was flattered that she spent so much time on this exercise. Her name is 'Anne Hieronimus.' She chose to use a pseudonym and does not want to be linked to her blog. Anne wrote a reflection for each of the 11 quotations. For example,

#7 The absolute truth is the thing that makes people laugh. ~ Carl Reiner
"Absolute truths are often ridiculous because there is the insistence "I'm always right." Anyone claiming such truths are targets for humour especially when their lives illustrate the opposite. Stand up comics are good at poking fun at some of our widely held assumptions such as security and surveillance. "Hey how about airport security, does anybody here hate airport security? Last time I tried to take the plane they almost didn't let me on board because I was wearing a cowboy hat."

#11 (one more) A good traveller has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving. ~ Lao Tzu
There is wisdom in appreciating what IS and moving with the flow of the world. Forcing the world to conform to patterns that are unnatural creates disharmony.

Other notable contributors:

- Bonnie at Original Art Studio -W. H. Auden: "Goodness is easier to recognize than to define". We get a 'felt sense' of something when we see goodness or experience goodness directed toward us. A felt sense leaves no ambiguity, while words - e.g. a definition of goodness - can never capture what a felt sense of goodness conveys. Or, an image or experience of something is 'worth a thousand words' and who wants a thousand word definition!

Lao Tzu: "A good traveller has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arrival". Because the journey is all. Plans take one away from present moment awareness and when our mind/body/heart is fixed on a goal (arrival) we may miss many wonders on the path.
- Martin Hodges- Picasso is referring to way children have few inhibitions. They are therefore able to express themselves freely and without the fear of failure. We tend to lose this innocence as the pressures of expectation pile on during our adult lives.
Only through age and experience can we begin to gain true perspectives and true values. When we reach this stage, we become liberated, and even courageous once more, as we were when young. Once again, anything is possible.

- Edith Hope- One is at times somewhat overwhelmed at the number of metaphors there are for the passage of life or, indeed, for incidents within it. Water has a great appeal and is, in my view, of constant interest whether the sea, a lake or a river. Last weekend I was a guest at a house party, some thirty friends in total, at a country property whose garden ran down to the Danube. I thought, could there be anything more beautiful?

- Rejean Levesque- Humour is almost always tributary of some true aspect of the human condition. (Rejean also provided a reflection for each quote.)
- Theresa Milstein- After we leave childhood and become serious adults, it takes many years to get back to that sense of curiosity and acceptance that children possess.
- Welzinga- Noble discontent reminds me of Bill Hybils' (Willowcreek Church) term "Holy discontent." This is a feeling of being so broken hearted about something that it causes you to make a change. Noble discontent seems that it would convince one to make a positive difference in the world rather than become apathetic "well this is just the way things are" or one who just grumbles and complains. By making this world a better place, are we not putting things back in order, the way they were intended to be?
- Sam Lui- Too often we become too self-indulgent and wrapped up in our own affairs. It's always best to pause and think about what you can do to help those less fortunate than yourself. A truth we all forget, and of which we all need reminding.
- Susan Ens Funk- #5 Striving and struggling is a way to improvement. Contentment makes us complacent and will only keep the status quo.
- Shrinky- As long as I know I do unto others, etc., for all the inequities in this life, I try not to cover myself in sack cloth and ashes, and to celebrate the good that is visited upon me (tho' 'tis hard not to be waiting with an ear out, for the other shoe to drop)!
- Friko- It is always the people who suffer from "certainty" - whom you call elitist, who cause much of the suffering in the world. A little less of that would make "goodness" a lot more prevalent.
-DJan- Religion is indeed a mine field, but goodness is not. I think some of the most sincerely good people I know have some kind of religion, but they have never told me what it is, they keep it to themselves. They live it.
- Ellen Abbott- Most definitely the mass media has made us indulgent and feeling entitled. And yes, most of us ignore those inequities because for the most part we are focused on what we don't have (and here I don't mean what we need) instead of what we have.
- Paige von Liber- For me this means, the path upon which we travel is ever changing, could be the weather could be the mode of transportation, regardless we are always moving ahead and will arrive when the time is right, which is after all the best plan. The universe knows not time, so why should we be bothered by it.
- Brian Miller at Waystationone- Opportunities for goodness abound...to prescribe a definition would be to take away the magic of it... (Brian receives the award for most avid commentator!)

Again, thanks to all for participating and for those who follow quoteflections. Would you care to recommend this site to your friends and use the share buttons below?

Recognizing Goodness

#6 Goodness is easier to recognize than to define. ~ W. H. Auden

This quotation strikes a nerve for me. Many people have been disillusioned and frustrated by some who espouse a religious or sectarian persuasion who claim to have a corner on the truth and goodness. Too often this elitist perspective has resulted in much hardship and injustice.

On the other hand, goodness can often be witnessed on a daily basis by people who quietly carry on with their vital lives. There is a sense of integrity and sincerity about the actions which carry great respect and admiration.

Goodness is not a matter of black and white in a world filled with gray issues. There is an underlying care for people with their similar needs and desires. In weighing the options of response, sometimes some difficult decisions have to be made.

Be kind for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle. ~ Plato

Tomorrow I will announce those who have provided some thoughtful reflections on the Ten Perplexing Quotes about Life. Care to provide a response of your own?

Things too Sweet

#9 I know too well the poison and the sting of things too sweet. ~ Adelaide Proctor

#4 Be charitable and indulgent to every one but thyself. ~ Joseph Joubert

I've grown up to be wary of good times. Too much of it could mean you're headed for a fall. In the light of this feeling it's wise to face up to life's daily challenges, joys, and heartaches with a good dose of humility. Accept everything that may come your way including adversity, and practice some mindful awareness.

Have the mass media and our social values promoted too much self gratification? To what extent do we ignore some glaring inequities on a local and global scale?

Submissions are still coming in for 10 Perplexing Quotes about Life. I'd be glad to read about your interpretations.

From One's Deepest Emotions

#3 A person buying ordinary products in a supermarket is in touch with his deepest emotions. ~ J. K. Galbraith

One of my daughters and son-in-laws are expecting. They are now preparing for the arrival with renovating touches to the baby's room. The carpet has been replaced with wood flooring (there are so many options, and my industrious son-law decided to do it himself with amazing results.)

They are also shopping for a crib (again, many options and price variations with safety features to keep in mind; they haven't made a decision yet.)

Of course, young parents make many more decisions as they cruise the store aisles for their valued acquisitions. In many cases their decisions come from their deepest emotions and knowledge.

So too, with all shoppers. I imagine that many astute salesmen know this and tailor their pitches to a wide spectrum of buyer needs, dreams, and desires...

Submissions are still coming in for my 10 perplexing quotations about life. I value input from more of my readers so that I may recognize you in an upcoming announcement.. Please email me your responses for one or two of the quotes to paulhco(at)gmail(dot)com

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Light on the Water

#1 Happiness is the light on the water. The water is cold and dark and deep. ~ William Maxwell

We''re back. My wife and I camped a few days at several Ontario provincial parks this past week and enjoyed Lake Erie and Lake Huron for their refreshing waters during a prolonged hot and humid spell. As we sat at the beach and swam in its clear and refreshing waters, we noticed the sparkling glint of the waters particularly in the late afternoon. With our feet in the cool water and during a swim when I reached a buoy marking the swimmer's edge, I noticed the gnawing chill of the water at my feet.

As we swim through life, we occasionally marvel at its beauty, like glints of light amidst the challenges, opportunities, disappointments, the mundane... There is mystery there, some fear, but an exhilerating feeling that each day carries wonder...

I hope more readers can reflect on one or two of the perplexing quotes about life I have listed. You have several more days for the opportunity to be recognized and win a valued book of quotations. (See previous post.)

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Contest: 10 Perplexing Quotes about Life

I need help.

Here is a list of 10 perplexing quotes about life. Help me to understand one or two of them and you may win a copy of one of my favourite quotation books: The Fitzhenry and Whiteside Book of Quotations, edited by Robert Fitzhenry in 1993.

Robert Fitzhenry spent a lifetime in publishing, having co-founded Fitzhenry and Whiteside in 1966. Previously he was vice president of sales and marketing with Harper and Row.

I imagine that this compilation was a dear project for him . After a lifetime of vital reporting and book publishing, selecting the most meaningful quotes must have been enriching. These quotes are, in part, an outgrowth of 365 Quote Quest where I offer one quotation a day with some reflective questions. I roam far and wide for quotes to consider.

Email me a brief reflection of one or more of the quotes and I will announce the winner of the book after ten days. I will also write a post about the top ten submissions with a link to your honoured site. I hope many of my valued readers consider submitting responses.

10 Perplexing Quotes about Life

#1 Happiness is the light on the water. The water is cold and dark and deep. ~ William Maxwell

#2 It takes a long time to become young. ~ Pablo Picasso

#3 A person buying ordinary products in a supermarket is in touch with his deepest emotions. ~ J. K. Galbraith

#4 Be charitable and indulgent to every one but thyself. ~ Joseph Joubert

#5 Noble discontent is the path to heaven. ~ Thomas Higginson

#6 Goodness is easier to recognize than to define. ~ W. H. Auden

#7 The absolute truth is the thing that makes people laugh. ~ Carl Reiner

#8 It is easier to forgive an enemy than a friend. ~ Dorothee Deluzy

#9 I know too well the poison and the sting of things too sweet. ~ Adelaide Proctor

#10 Not knowing when the dawn will come, I open every door. ~ Emily Dickinson

#11 (one more) A good traveller has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving. ~ Lao Tzu

I am away from my desktop over the next few days and have withdrawn comments on the blog.

Please email your response(s) to paulhco(at)gmail(dot)com

Thanks for your involvement.

Inside the Gates Foundation

The slogan for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is 'all lives have equal value' and its over $33 billion endowment fund focuses on global health and development programs including immunization, HIV research, vaccines, and agriculture.

A feature in the Guardian looks at the large Foundation begun in 1994 and its work and influence. It refers to an editorial from the revered medical journal the Lancet. The Foundation is praised for giving "a massive boost to global health funding . . . The Foundation has challenged the world to think big and to be more ambitious about what can be done to save lives in low-income settings. The Foundation has added renewed dynamism, credibility, and attractiveness to global health [as a cause]."

For example, one area of dramatic involvement is immunization.. It funds heavily, the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (Gavi) and the Global Fund to Fight HIV/Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria, which, according to the foundation, delivered vaccines to more than 250 million children in poor countries and prevented more than an estimated five million deaths.

"The foundation has brought a new vigour," says Michael Edwards, a veteran charity commentator and usually a critic of billionaire philanthropists. "The charity sector can almost disempower itself; be too gloomy about things . . . Gates offers more of a positive story. He is a role model for other philanthropists, and he is the biggest."

"Everyone follows the Gates foundation's lead," says someone at a longer-established charity who prefers not to be named. "It feels like they're everywhere. Every conference I go to, they're there. Every study that comes out, they're part of. They have the ear of any [national] leadership they want to speak to. Politicians attach themselves to Gates to get PR. Everyone loves to have a meeting with Gates. No institution would refuse."

The foundation has branch offices in Washington DC, Delhi and Beijing with their headquarters in a nondescript building in Seattle.

Some critics in the article question if bigger is better when it comes to global philanthropy but few can fault the organization for the meaningful synergies created.

One of the quotes at the visitor centre is from the famous American anthropologist Margaret Mead: "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed individuals can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has."

Rain Forest Threatened

A team of researchers traversed a new 700 mile western opening of the Transamazon highway recently and their findings were mixed.

On the one hand, they discovered the existence of illegal logging and gold-mining operations that threaten further damage to the world’s largest rainforest. An estimated 17 percent of the Brazilian rainforest has been destroyed, much of it in the more developed eastern Amazon basin. Bob Walker, a geography professor who lead the study, calls the western Amazon basin the rainforest’s best hope to survive.

Many experts believe too much deforestation could trigger a catastrophic change—or tipping point—that changes the Amazon from tropical forest to dry scrub land.

“The western Transamazon Highway has become the battleground for that tipping point,” Walker says.

Ultimately, he says, the answer lies somewhere in the middle—that is, sustainable growth that protects both the environment and the livelihoods and culture of Brazil’s citizens.

“There seems to be an emerging Brazilian will to fulfill the intentions of protected areas,” Walker says. “There are still many environmental concerns, and we certainly can’t say the battle’s won and we can all go home and pat ourselves on the back. But one thing they’re not doing is giving people a complete license to deforest the Amazon."

Inevitably when a new highway is opened up, there is the invitation for all kinds of development. Previous inaccessible areas of rainforest are now vulnerable to get rich quick schemes and commercial development. Will one of the last major areas of rich primary rain forest survive?

Energy Surprise?

Our central air conditioner has kept our home comfortable for the past few weeks. Of course, it's worth all the energy it is sucking from the grid during those heat spells.

Ever thought about how much energy your online searches take?

Jason Stamper for the New Statesman writes, "Who would have thought that, globally, the IT industry produces about the same volume of greenhouse gases as the world's airlines do - roughly 2 per cent of all CO2 emissions?

Many everyday tasks take a surprising toll on the environment. A Google search can leak between 0.2 and 7.0 grams of CO2, depending on how many attempts are needed to get the "right" answer. At the upper end of the scale, two searches create roughly the same emissions as boiling a kettle."

I boil a kettle of water most afternoons for a green tea break. That's quite a bit of energy...

"To deliver results to its users quickly, Google has to maintain vast data centres around the world, packed with powerful computers. As well as producing large quantities of CO2, these computers emit a great deal of heat, so the centres need to be well air-conditioned - which uses even more energy."

"Simple things - such as turning devices off when they are not in use - can help to reduce the impact of our love affair with all things digital. Research from the National Energy Foundation in the UK found that nearly 20 per cent of workers don't turn their PCs off at the end of
the day, wasting 1.5 billion kWh of electricity per year - which equates to the annual CO2 produced by 200,000 small family cars."

And computers are only a small percentage of our home utility needs. These statistics encourages one to think about the daily consumption of energy and what steps can be taken to conserve.

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Rooting for Beets

I have written several posts about beets and their amazing healthy virtues.

- In an excellent article 'The 11 Best Foods You Aren't Eating,' Jonny Bowden lists beets as #1.

"Think of beets as red spinach, Dr. Bowden said, because they are a rich source of folate as well as natural red pigments that may be cancer fighters.

How to eat: Fresh, raw and grated to make a salad. Heating decreases the antioxidant power."

- Jenna Norwood lives for fresh fruits and vegetables including beets, and sees their consumption as the ticket to a healthy lean life.

- Beet juice is rich in natural sugar, sodium, sulphur, chlorine, iodine, copper and vitamin B1, B2, bio flavonoids, manganese, potassium, iron, copper, and phosphrous. Some holistic practitioners believe that beet juice combined with other juices like carrot are excellent for cleansing the kidneys and gallbladder and for restoring health to these organs.

Now a NYT's Recipe for Health features a Grated Raw Beet Salad that's a tasty hit:

"1/2 pound beets

3 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoon minced chives, mint or parsley (or a combination)

Salt to taste

Leaves of 1 romaine heart

1. Peel the beets with a vegetable peeler, and grate in a food processor fitted with the shredding blade.

2. Combine the orange juice, lemon juice and olive oil. Toss with the beets and herbs. Season to taste with salt. Line a salad bowl or platter with romaine lettuce leaves, top with the grated beets and serve."

Here are simple, natural ingredients that pack a nutritional, antioxidant punch. I hope to make the salad for dinner.

FIFA Soccer Trials

I think many people have been converted this past month to FIFA World Cup soccer. The final game was the epitome of the sport: persistent defence, intermittent offence, dismally low scoring. After all, it took 116 minutes to put the ball in the net.

But after a month of soccer games, the strategy of the game started to become apparent to me. Each team has its distinctive character, skilled players, and subtle strategies. Over 700 million people watched the final, putting a definite global stamp to the game. It's time we North Americans caught up to the rest of the world in their appreciation of the sport.

I chuckled over Alan Burnett's post about the final.

In his wisdom Alan bought "a six-pack of Spanish beer (San Miguel) and a six-pack of Dutch beer (Amstel) and in expectation of a thrilling and high scoring final I had promised myself a bottle of the appropriate brew each time a goal was scored. As I watched the match my thirst increased in inverse proportion to my enjoyment of what was a pedestrian final. By the time the one and only goal was scored - after 115 minutes of play I was seriously considering transferring my sporting allegiances to an alternative high-scoring game (just think what you could do with the same approach to cricket). It was a sober night..."

Alan, here's one or two for Brazil, 2014.

Image from Alan's post.

Million Bells

Here's to the tomato that comes in clusters
That grows up string, stakes or wire spirals;
Miniature tornadoes of flavour
Firm flesh, juicy embryo of seeds,
Yellow five pointed lobes of flower stars;
Classified in the nightshade family;
Native to South America
Moved north to Mexico,
Transported to Europe by Cortes or Columbus;
A fruit, not a vegetable, classified as a berry
With much lower sugar content;
Nurtures lycopene,
A powerful natural antioxidant;
Chief ingredient of soups, casseroles, Italian cuisine
Loves the company of tasty herbs...
Best flavour comes from the organic garden;
Nurtured by green thumb;
Thrives in hot sun and generous moisture
With the right balance of nitrogen, phosphate, potash.
My home, Leamington, tomato capital of Canada,
Grows the fruit for Heinz ketchup,
And several thousand acres of greenhouses
Provide high tech hydroponic environment
For global shipment.
Tomato is herald for flavour and nutrition
Hear her bells?
The queen of fruits
Her entrance a cook's delight.

This is a submission to a little bit of creative writing fun at Magpie Tales #22.

Desalination at a Cost

In a world of shrinking water supplies will desalination provide a cure?

Australia is the world's driest continent and the decade long drought has resulted in the construction of desalination plants in Australia's five largest cities at a cost of $13.2 billion. In two years, when the last plant is scheduled to be up and running, Australia’s major cities will draw up to 30 percent of their water from the sea.

Critics, however, abound because of the price of construction, its cost to the consumer, and for its contribution to global warming.

"The power needed to remove the salt from seawater accounts for up to 50 percent of the cost of desalination, and Australia relies on coal, a major emitter of greenhouse gases, to generate most of its electricity."

People close to the issue say that more can be done to conserve water and recycle.

With about 70% of the earth's area covered by water, one is reminded of the Samuel David Coleridge quote, "Water, water everywhere but not a drop to drink."

A Little Stress Therapy

Learning to relax may not be a good remedy.

Some stress can be good for the body and help to fight off cancer researchers reported in the journal Cell.

Experiments with mice showed that animals put into a stressful situation, even fighting with other mice, did a better job of fighting tumors than mice left to chill out.

“The way we live, and how we live, may well have a much bigger impact on the prognosis of cancer than we recognized previously,” said Matthew During, a professor of neuroscience who worked on the study, in a telephone interview.

Dr. During’s team injected mice with melanoma, a type of fast-growing skin cancer, and let the tumors grow. They put some of the mice in a large cage, with lots of toys, space and many more other mice than usual.

Other mice stayed in ordinary lab cages.

After three weeks, tumors shrank almost in half in the mice in the “stimulating” cage and they shrank 77 per cent after six weeks. The tumors completely disappeared in 17 per cent of the mice, with no other cancer treatment.

Tumors continued to grow in the other mice.

Up to now, scientists have only studied mice in situations of severe stress. That mice do better in situations of moderate stress has implications for cancer patients, Dr. During said.

“We shouldn’t be simply avoiding stress and looking for happiness,” Dr, During said. “We should be getting involved in team sports, getting involved in social groups, where there’s sort of an interactive dynamics which are a little bit challenging for us.”

This study encourages one to reflect on how we should balance our work and play and what kind of dynamics are good for productivity and good health.

Coins depicting British Emperor

Few have experienced the thrill of finding buried treasure. One lucky amateur treasure hunter found one of the largest hoards of Roman coins ever found in Britain. It was in Somerset in the southwest of England in April.

The stash of some 52,000 mostly bronze coins dating from the third century AD was buried in a large, well-preserved pot.

Archaeologists are excited about the discovery because they say it sheds new light on the turbulent time, when Roman Britain suffered barbarian invasions, economic crises and civil wars.

Dave Crisp, who found the hoard, said he hit the jackpot after his detector gave “a funny signal.”

“I put my hand in, pulled out a bit of clay and there was a little Radial, a little bronze Roman coin. Very, very small, about the size of my fingernail."

Some of the coins are stamped with the image of Marcus Aurelius Carausius a military commander who seized power in the late third century and proclaimed himself emperor of Britain and northern Gaul.

Carausius who ruled from AD 286 to AD 293 was the first emperor to strike coins in Britain.

“This find presents us with an opportunity to put Carausius on the map,” said Roger Bland, Head of Portable Antiquities and Treasure at the British Museum.

“School children across the country have been studying Roman Britain for decades, but are never taught about Carausius — our lost British emperor.”

This find echoes a similar spectacular discovery of Anglo Saxon gold and silver artifacts called the Staffordshire Hoard by an unemployed man. The ultimate find, however, is the Mildenhall Treasure immortalized by Roald Dahl.

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Leadership as Catalyst

Queen Elizabeth provided a poignant perspective on leadership with her address to the United Nations this week. She last addressed the UN general assembly in 1957, when she looked forward to a time when the institution had "firmly established" the values of "justice and respect".

Fifty-three years later her focus was on maintaining the UN's strong record on "the waging of peace" through "clear and convening leadership".

"I know of no single formula for success, but over the years I have observed that some attributes of leadership are universal, and are often about finding ways of encouraging people to combine their efforts, their talents, their insights, their enthusiasm and their inspiration, to work together."

The speech on cooperation also resonates with listeners in England who now face the political realities of the coalition.

As one thinks about political leaders, and leaders closer to home, in organizations and communities, her quote rings true. Good leaders encourage other people to use their gifts and build on each others' strengths.

Charcoal Men

Gabriela Abalo is a change management consultant in Zambia. She writes a moving post about the charcoal men who go into the forests to cut down the old and thick hardwood trees. She accompanied several of them into the forest where they explained their devastating trade.

These men take their charcoal by bike to the market, a ride of about 20-40 kilometers, to sell their 25 kg bags. Zambia, one of the poorest countries in Africa with a population of 12.9 million, has a 50% unemployment rate. 80% of the population uses charcoal for fuel.

She expresses so poignantly the great sadness about the charcoal men's activity,

"As I was getting closer to the place I couldn’t stop feeling overwhelmed by the disheartening contrast – on one side a beautiful ancient indigenous forest, full of light and energy, on the other side the naked land. The fact of knowing that a few weeks before that very same terrain was a glorious forest filled my heart with desperation and helplessness. I could feel the lamentations of the fallen trees while the smoke from the charcoal earthy-oven collapsed my senses."

I have seen several news stories about this charcoal industry. A plane flying over a forest can spot plumes of smoke coming from around some of the biggest trees- a sure sign of the destruction. It's particularly sad in Africa as many areas have been totally ravaged to the extent that there is no canopy left.

Gabriela concludes, "A change is needed, actions must be taken. We must become part of the change."

Image: 'Africa's burning charcoal problem'

Talons 13cm Long

We've all been swooped by a bird but how about by the world's most powerful eagle? BBC filmmakers were fitting a webcam over a nest high in the canopy of the remote Orinoco rainforest in Venezuela when James Aldred was hit by the defensive swoop of a 9kg female harpy eagle that left him nearly unconscious and ripped through his neck protection.

This incident was just one dramatic moment in a year of unique footage of the rarely-seen eagle, which eats monkeys and can grow talons up to 13cm long. The promotional video (click on link above) also captures well the majestic beauty of the towering tree that the photographer scaled.

Fergus Beeley, eagle expert and the documentary's producer, said: "I'm amazed by the harpy eagle. These are incredibly intelligent creatures. To kill monkeys, they have to be as intelligent as them, to outwit and ambush them. And it's indisputably the world's most powerful eagle. It has wrists and feet as big as mine."

The harpy, he said, was even stronger than other powerful eagles such as the crowned eagle of Africa and the Phillipines eagle. As well as taking small prey such as sloths and other birds, the species is known to kill red howler monkeys and even the young of the small brocket deer.

Beeley's documentary-makers had to wear protective clothing including helmets, stab-proof kevlar vests and elbow and wrist guards, while working at platforms 40-50m high in a humidity that left them "permanently sweating".

I posted earlier about the live eagle webcams on Vancouver Island and the conservation efforts of the Hancock Wildlife Foundation. Having hiked in the area, my wife and I were amazed at the number of eagles we saw.

The article encourages one to think about the stunning beauty which exists in nature. Now, if we could only protect the few remaining unspoiled areas left.

Image Source

South Africa: After the Euphoria

My enjoyment of soccer has been enhanced considerably during FIFA World Cup 2010. South Africa is turning out to be a wonderful host and viewers are amazed by the beautiful venues. Moreover, South Africans must feel a sense of pride for all this world attention.

However, is it worth $5-billion to produce a mood of national well-being?

"That’s the question the critics are asking. When the World Cup ends Sunday, the euphoria will soon fade, but South Africa’s harsh problems will remain: poverty; unemployment; poor housing; unofficial segregation and deep inequality. Millions of South Africans live in tin shacks without electricity or running water – and without hope of seeing the inside of the World Cup stadiums."

The government says the World Cup has added billions to the economy through tourism and infrastructure projects but most of this stimulus will end with the games. However, the gleaming new venues will sit largely empty with millions of dollars in annual maintenance costs.

Critics like Marcus Solomon, a political prisoner with Nelson Mandela on Robben Island for a decade, "condemns the World Cup as a multibillion-dollar boondoggle, a waste of precious resources and an insult to the poor. 'There’s all this hype in the media, selling it as God’s gift to the poor, but it’s for the elite,” he says. “It’s a crime to spend so much money on professional soccer.'"

“Billions are being spent on new highways to the stadiums, but meanwhile there are no roads in the townships,” Mr. Solomon said. “People are desperate to play soccer, but there are no facilities in the townships. They have to play on the side of the road, or wherever they can. This World Cup doesn’t benefit anyone except a few soccer bosses.”

The scenario of hosting world class games has been played out in many countries over the years. One wonders about the multi-billions spent on such events and whether or not these mega projects serve to help improve the lot of the poor.

Weapons into Fireworks

Imagine a time when gunpowder, TNT, and other explosive materials are used only for celebration and good will and not for war.

They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war any more. ~ Isaiah 2:4

The Chinese invented gunpowder in the 12th century and used it in weapons to confront the Mongols. Around the same time they also used the black powder to become the eventual leaders in pyrotechnics, beautiful displays of fireworks on festive occasions.

In 1749 George Frideric Handel composed Music for the Royal Fireworks to celebrate the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle. (Image: artwork commemorating the event)

This is a submission to Magpie Tales #21.

Foraging Readers

Is our digital reading changing the way we think?

Kevin Kelly writes an interesting essay in the Smithsonian about 'Reading in a whole new way.'

"Today some 4.5 billion digital screens illuminate our lives. Words have migrated from wood pulp to pixels on computers, phones, laptops, game consoles, televisions, billboards and tablets. Letters are no longer fixed in black ink on paper, but flitter on a glass surface in a rainbow of colors as fast as our eyes can blink. Screens fill our pockets, briefcases, dashboards, living room walls and the sides of buildings. They sit in front of us when we work—regardless of what we do. We are now people of the screen. And of course, these newly ubiquitous screens have changed how we read and write....

But it is not book reading. Or newspaper reading. It is screen reading. Screens are always on, and, unlike with books we never stop staring at them. This new platform is very visual, and it is gradually merging words with moving images: words zip around, they float over images, serving as footnotes or annotations, linking to other words or images."

Kelly argues that traditional books were good at developing a contemplative mind and analytical thinking but new screen reading engages our bodies, encourages utilitarian thinking, pattern making, thinking in real time, it rewards and nurtures instantaneously,...

If not already but in the near future, Kelly concludes, "Screens will be the first place we’ll look for answers, for friends, for news, for meaning, for our sense of who we are."

It's interesting to think about how our new digital reading affects our thinking and perspectives. Are many just wading on the surface?

A Window into Nationhood

Most countries have their patriotic songs, many of which were written shortly after their formation. One stirring Canadian song was composed in the fall of 1867, the year of Canada's beginning, by Alexander Muir. His inspiration came when a maple leaf landed on his shoulder on one street corner in Toronto. This song became part of the patriotic songbook including 'God Save the Queen' and 'O Canada' for several generations of Canadian students.

The poem helps to provide an idea of the history leading up to Confederation and a reference to Canada's flag from 1868-1922 and its symbols. A video also provides a window into the song.

In Days of yore, from Britain’s shore,
Wolfe, the dauntless hero came,
And planted firm Britannia’s flag,
On Canada’s fair domain.
Here may it wave, our boast, our pride,
And joined in love together,
The thistle, shamrock, rose entwined,
The Maple Leaf forever!

The Maple Leaf, our emblem dear, The Maple Leaf forever! God save our Queen, and Heaven bless, The Maple Leaf forever!

At Queenston Heights and Lundy’s Lane,
Our brave fathers, side by side,
For freedom, homes, and loved ones dear,
Firmly stood and nobly died;
And those dear rights which they maintained,

We swear to yield them never!
Our watchword evermore shall be,
The Maple Leaf forever!

(Chorus)

Our fair Dominion now extends
From Cape Race to Nootka Sound;
May peace forever be our lot,
And plenteous store abound:
And may those ties of love be ours
Which discord cannot sever,
And flourish green o’er freedom’s home
The Maple Leaf forever!

(Chorus)

On merry England’s far-famed land,
May kind Heaven sweetly smile;
God bless Old Scotland evermore,
And Ireland’s Emer’ld Isle!
Then swell the song, both loud and long,
Till rocks and forest quiver,
God save our Queen, and Heaven bless
The Maple Leaf forever!

(Chorus)

While the song hearkens to another era, Queen Elizabeth is currently on a royal visit touring Canada during Canada's birthday of July 1. Some traditions linger out of this great history.

One Ton a Month

Global greenhouse gas emissions held steady in 2009 thanks to the recession. They actually fell in some rich countries while rising in China and India.

A study by the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency "shows that China and India's average CO2 emissions per inhabitant are still well below those in industrialised countries. In India the emissions are now 1.4 tonnes per person and in China 6 tonnes, compared with 10 tonnes per person in the Netherlands and 17 tonnes in the United States.

China's 9% growth in emissions came despite its doubling of wind and solar energy capacity for the fifth year in a row.

The report highlights the rapid growth in global emissions in the past 40 years. They are now 25% higher than in 2000, almost 40% more than in 1990, and double 1970's figure of 15.5bn tonnes. The big growth in Chinese and Indian emissions has been relatively recent. China has doubled its emissions in nine years, and India's have risen by 50% in that time."

It appears that with future expansion of the global economy it will be hard to meet reduction obligations. The image at right represents one metric ton of carbon dioxide, what an average person consumes in a developed country per month.

The report encourages one to think about how each of us can make decisions to reduce our carbon footprint.