Sauerkraut

Lacto-fermented per Sally Fallon's recipe in Nourishing Traditions.


We made Reubens with it for lunch yesterday, and it's really, really good. Easy to make, packed with good-for-your-guts flora, and not sterile and acidic like storebought kraut.

We'll definitely be making it regularly.

PREPARE THYSELF FOR ROCKTOBER

Patti Smith says: "Horses couldn't drag me away from Paul's Rocktober Alphabet"

If you know me, you know that I passionately love all kinds of music, but have a special, intimate place in my soul for the searing, attitude-drenched glory that is rock and roll.
It hurts, it heals, it's sacred, it's profane, it's completely human.
Speaking the language of rock is speaking the language of the good/bad human heart - and our culture. It also... well... rocks.

This year, join me in the celebration of a month of alphabetically organized rock glory. 
Prepare your face for an epic onslaught of outstanding rock artists in the first ever ROCKTOBER ALPHABET.

Look for "A" tomorrow.

P.S. Obviously there are 26 letter in the alphabet, and 31 days in Rocktober. Comment on a favorite post with a suggestion for filling in one or more of the 5 slots of that gap. Otherwise, it will be up to me...

Coffee break commentary: 13,000 year old finger painting

Give the girl a hand! (Image from Dordogne, but not the art mentioned below).

The BBC reports on  the recent discovery of ancient cave art in the Dordogne region of France. While any glyph/ancient human art is a big deal, this find has archaeologists excited. Why? Well, it's a bit of a human interest story.

Based on analysis of the artist's finger strokes, the most prolific artist represented is a five year old girl.

Beyond the snarky implications of "kids have always wanted to draw on the walls of their house", an interesting point in this story is that some of the young prodigy's designs are seven feet off the ground, meaning that the little one had to be lifted up to reach her "canvas" by an encouraging family or clan member.

Jess Cooney in the The Guardian's piece says:

"The art shows us this is not an activity where children were running amok. It shows collaboration between children and adults, and adults encouraging children to make these marks. This was a communal activity."

What a great visual picture.

It's easy for me to imagine my family living in a cozy French cave. When we do, I'm positive that (as  a lovely  stew of mushrooms and mammoth flesh simmers on the coals) Emily and I will be lifting our little girl up to decorate our dwelling with her grubby little fingers, just like great grandpa did.

Is it odd that I find this incredibly heartwarming?

LUNCH LINK: Axe Cop Goes to Narnia!

Explanation is useless. Only the Awesomeness prevails.


Axe Cop Goes to Narnia!

Pedal Power to the People! Well, in Cascadia, anyway...

The results are in, and according to recent Census numbers, Oregon leads the nation for bike commuting. The NW as a whole was outstandingly represented.

It should be noted that only commuting to work by bike as the primary mode of transit was accounted for in these numbers, meaning that the actual number of people using bikes to commute (perhaps as a secondary mode, or in conjunction with public transit) is certainly undercounted in the study. My hunch is that this is going to continue to trend upwards, given that bike commuters who use it as ancillary transit frequently increase their usage as their comfort level and experience on the road grows.

As more commuters and communities kick their auto-addiction in favor of pedaling to work, let's hope that the rest of the nation can give us Cascadians some healthy competition for the next census numbers.

Care to make things interesting, Eastern Seaboard?

(Via BikePortland. Image Bike Portland via Flickr/Creative Commons)

Schrödinger's Cat, in one Minute. With a Marker.

Quantum theory + a big Crayola marker = Awesome.

Yesterday's "One Minute Physics" over at New Scientist is a fun summary of the Schrödinger's Cat thought experiment. But if you look at it, please understand that (in our universe) you're forcing the hand of reality. Do it. Or don't. Or do. Or don't.

(via Neatorama)

Click Click! Gotcha!

It's been said that the Internet is written in pen, not pencil.

If you're online, you've probably experienced the "oops-I-clicked-send/post/poke-before-I-was-ready-and-now-that-poorly-written-email-exists forever-in-cyberspace" syndrome. We've all watched Anthony Weiner recently roast his promising career with a few ill chosen snapshots...pics that now digitally exist FOREVER.
The permanency of digital communication is something we're all still adjusting to, and it can be uncomfortable.

Odds are though, that we have more to worry about than just a mis-sent missal, or even a breach of our bank accounts or "identity".
As our world becomes digitized, especially  through ubiquitous social media,  it's likely that every single one of us will wish within our lifetime that we had read that "Privacy" policy a little bit closer when we signed up to connect to... whatever.

It's worth taking 5 minutes to watch the BBC's story about facial recognition and the end of anonymity.
Though I've heard (mostly on Boing Boing and Motherboard) the big pieces of the story before, it's a succinct, street level summary of the reasons why YOU SHOULD BE SCARED SCREAMING OUT OF YOUR EVERLOVING WITS EVERY TIME ANYONE PUTS YOUR FACE ANYWHERE ON THE INTERNET.

With my simmering paranoia and hysteria out of the way, let me comment briefly on a couple things as you go watch the video:

1) I started with this, but the Internet is here to stay--and what you do on it is permanent. Like it or not, (I mostly don't), it's a fact that has few exceptions.

2) Our ability to do things has so outstripped our ability to ask the "why's", "ought's", and "should's", that even well meaning people, websites, and organizations should be considered risky. Perspective comes slowly to us mutants. We may need to wait a little while to really understand the implications of our technology on society, community and individual civil liberties.

3) Don't feel funny about stepping back sometimes from the "cutting edge". As someone who spent several years on Facebook before deleting my account to focus on my physical neighbors and community, I speak from experience. Our friends and family have been very understanding and cooperative with our sometime humorous requests to not post/tag pics of me, my wife, or our daughter online.Trust me, you won't lose out if you take a deep breath and thoughtfully examine your digital life. It may be time to cancel, unsubscribe, delete, purge, or even spend some time unplugged.

Odds are that we will never be chased by a fascist government, have our identities stolen by Uzbek hackers, or stalked by a serial killer from down the block because of our tagged social media photos. But it should give us pause. We need to examine why we're online, why we're sharing intimate life details on a public platform, why we feel the need to be more than a name or an IP address in the digital community.  I am not a Luddite. There are compelling reasons to share one's life with others online. But we need to do so intentionally, with perspective, and as choosing and dignified human beings.

We're more than faces in a crowd, more than ghosts in the machine. We're people, and we need to guard that humanity very, very carefully. We do that by thinking sharply, choosing wisely, and always being ready to meet our neighbors with a smile.

But cameras aren't neighbors.

Alston and the Ethics of Representation

A Interesting article was published today over at Mother Jones referencing the unenviable dilemma faced by local lawmakers who are torn between personal convictions and accurately representing their constituency. Though Maryland delegate Tiffany Alston may not be a prime example of upstanding campaign behavior (given the cash skimming for her own wedding referenced in the article), her situation - waffling on a bill she believed in to reflect the expressed will of the citizens she represents- is nothing new.

"I had no idea what to do," said Alston (D-Prince George's). "I feel really strongly that people who love each other should be able to get married, no matter what their gender. But I also realize that that's not my function here. I'm here to represent the 110,000 people back home, many of whom had called and e-mailed and said, 'We don't want that bill.'"

If you were an elected official, would you support a bill you considered morally right if it was opposed by a majority (or the vocal majority) of your constituents? What is the elected official's responsibility for the good of their district? What philosophy best represents our form of government? It's a tough call.

Though the choice is one few of us will have to face from that perspective,will you support a candidate who votes her conscience - even if 51% of your neighbors oppose it?

Whatever your opinion, this question will only become more important as the regrettable polarization of our current political climate increases. People are just being forced to shout louder in a political system that is too large, corrupt, and ethically bankrupt to hear their voices.

Until we find the platform and patience to reject vitriolic, long range politics in favor of increased local engagement and advocacy, even local politicians will be forced to make tough calls from their conscience...or else just settle for re-election. And maybe a couple unreported "bonuses" from their campaign account. After all, it's a tough job.

Simon Dale's Low Impact Woodland Home (Link)

Be honest. You want to live here barefoot and play the flute.
Don't we all dream of living in an organic space that we made?  


Simon's is a compelling story about building a home (with a little ingenuity and found/re-purposed materials) that is natural, affordable, self-crafted, and UTTERLY AWESOME. 


I love! I love! I want to make!


View it here.


There's plenty to read after the jump. Make sure to thoroughly explore Simon's "Why" page.


Now, go make something!

Welcome

Welcome to Three of Wands.

Read, dialogue, enjoy.