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This article by Christopher Shea has an interesting overview of some recent books on ethical eating. The conclusion? It's a difficult notion to pin down, particularly the use of petroleum in food transportation. Practical considerations, such as distribution, also makes it difficult. Michael Pollan is the main focus, predictably, but there's some other interesting books and research mentioned as well. Books by Warren Belasco and Bill McKibben look interesting in particular.
An interesting piece about the state of babyhood TV viewing. Overall, not good: too much TV watching and not enough actual playtime and interaction. Here's the most interesting quote to me:
Parenting has never been harder, Christakis suggests, with more two-career families, longer commutes and fewer walls between the office and home.If you need a 15-minute break, or a quick shower, don't feel too bad about turning on the set for a short time.
"If you are doing it, however, because (you) think it's good for your baby, then I tell parents they shouldn't do it," said Christakis, who is also a pediatrics researcher at Seattle Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center.
From personal experience, I'd have to imagine that this is how it works for many parents. When Micah was a baby (he's almost 4 now!), Baby Einstein was one way we could have some quiet for a few moments. Even now, when he can be non-stop action and questions for hours on end, TV gives us a breather.
This article, it seems, is attacking the misconception that this TV viewing is actually good for the kids, and there's no empirical evidence for that yet. On the other hand, in homes where TV viewing is more or less constant, there's other issues going on surrounding nurturing relationships and interaction.
It almost seems like there's a talismanic significance to TV for many parents--that it and the programs it provides can care for and develop our kids better than we can ourselves. It's a place of connection with the outside world and a primary means of socialization. It only makes sense, then, that we'd entrust our kids to it. Thoughts?
Image: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12806594/
Mark Bittman weighs in on what he considers essential kitchen equipment. I'm not sure what to make of this. Of course, I'm speaking as someone with an All-Clad skillet and Wusthof kitchen knife, but the idea of paying only $15 for a skillet seems a little fishy to me. I guess his point here is what's essential--that with decent cooking skills, just these tools will suffice. I also wonder about the difference between what he finds in a restaurant supply store and the "big box" pans he warns against.
There's also an interesting piece in the Times about the five second rule, by the father of food chemistry writing, Harold McGee. The quick answer: it doesn't work. If the surface is contaminated, any amount of time is too long.
This semester, one of my classes has been partnering with KBEM-FM, a jazz formatted public radio station based at North High School in Minneapolis. Students and the school and my students worked together (well, at least tried to) to create several radio programs about specific jazz artists. As part of the project, I asked my students to create a website with more research about their artist. Though there's still a few rough edges, I think it's basically completed, so I thought I'd post it--here it is:
Andrew Sullivan concludes his conversation with athiest Sam Harris today with what I thought was a very nice piece. His ending point, that it's impossible for us to think our way to peace, is the core problem I have with rationalist arguments against religion. In the end, I just don't believe it's ultimately a matter of science; it puts too much faith in our own rational natures. Here's a quote:
This earth we inhabit is in peril, and our generation's task is to protect it. I don't mean merely the environment, although its sickness is clearly a function of our spiritual decay, our preference for material gain over spiritual calm. I mean the real and terrible danger of terroristic warfare, the kind that is now ravaging Iraq and raped New York City nearly six years ago. Instinctively, I am a realist. I know the odds of surviving this with our civilization intact are low. But I also think I know the only fundamental long-term answer. It is non-violence as Jesus practiced it, love as Jesus taught it, hope as Jesus promised. This requires work - and paradoxical work - to accept our gangsterish nature, to acknowledge abuse of faith in fundamentalist certainty, to stay realist about how to keep the peace and defeat real enemies - and yet also to practice the faith that alone can save our world.
One thing I've learned living in North Minneapolis: how to pick the right checkout line. Growing up, buying groceries was a simple task. The cashier scanned your groceries, you paid, and that was that. The worst case scenario was getting stuck behind a particularly slow check writer.
In my current neighborhood, things are a little different. Case in point: I made a brief run to Rainbow Foods last night for some essentials. When I got to the checkout, the woman at the front of the line was having her last few groceries scanned one at a time, peering closely at the total cost. She was paying with a food stamp card, and had to stay under her limit. This is a common sight, and I'm always interested to see what groceries are the lowest priority for people. But it takes time.
Next woman, the one in front of me, checks all her groceries through just fine. She pays by credit card, but there's no signature on the back. So the cashier asks to see her ID. She pulls out a license, but it turns out the card belongs to her husband not to her. So more ruffling through the wallet--at least one minute--to find the husband's license. Eventually she does and the cashier lets her sign off and go.
When I was up, I got through in about a minute flat, no hassle.
Behind these delays are real economic pressures. Dealing with limited funds or complex financial lives makes even routine shopping a real act in creativity and bargaining. My boyhood stomping grounds had relatively few people in such a position. Despite this recognition, though, I've learned to scan checkout lines closely for potential line cloggers, using (I'm ashamed to say) the lenses we all have inherited for race and especially class differences. It's one more literacy I've developed living in the 'hood.
Image source: http://crg2000.com/New_Folder3/grocery_checkout.jpg
I'm teaching a couple sections of a course this summer in the Bridge to Academic Excellence program here at the U. It's a noteworthy goal--getting "at-risk" incoming freshman exposed to college and the demands of coursework. The Daily, our student paper, has a front page article about it today: Here's the link.