Poem

The following poem is my artistic piece for this month.  It isn’t very good, and is very spur-of-the-moment.  The opening line feels plagiarized, but 6 words can’t be copyrighted.

Star light, star bright,
First star in waning light,
Brilliant scion of the sun in night,
Guide on every sailing wight.

Keep every helmsman’s way clear,
Shine to warn them of land near,
And from danger help them steer,
And shine away all darkness’ fear.

Help them all sail safely home,
Should they wander, should they roam,
Over land or sea of foam,
Through the wide and dark unknown.

Star bright, by star light
Help me find my way tonight
To the Unwaning Light
And the end to this dark night.

For those who don’t get some of the words, “scion” means heir or descendant, “wight” is man (thus the Isle of Wight is also the Isle of Man).  As for the rest, well, it’s up to you.

Peace, and cheers,

Red Wolf

Beer Review #1

For those that don’t know me, I like beer. I mean, I genuinely like beer. I am not one of those people who tries to see how many Crud Lites they can down at once. I like what I drink, and I like to know what I’m drinking. Today’s post also show my eclectic tastes and how wandering and meandering this journal will be.

Beer: Maudite
Brewer: Unibroue, Chambly, Québec, Canada
Type: Belgian style Strong Dark Ale
Alcohol Content: 8% min.
Cost: $7/Bottle
Bottle size: 750ml (~25.4 fl. oz.)
Rating: Favourites

La Maudite (The Damned) is a moderately strong Belgian style ale that, like most Belgians, is finished méthode champenoise. Finishing a beer this way, by putting a little yeast in the bottom of the bottle, allows the beer to continue fermentation after bottling. Just like any sparking wine finished the same way, a beer finished this way may be racked back for years to allow for slightly different characteristics, like more alcohol. La Maudite is very smooth and malty. If there are hopps in it, it is just enough to enhance the beer, and not enough to make it bitter. The aroma is pleasant and reminiscent of slightly sweet whole grain bread with a bit of yeastiness. When poured, it has a slightly cloudy brown appearance that almost matches an American beer bottle, but a little lighter. The head is small and quick to dissolve, but tighter than, say, Budweiser’s. Despite the speed of the head’s dissolution, the beer continues to effervesce. It tastes of malt and a slightly nutty sweetness. While this beer is no Chimay Blue Label, it is definitely worth keeping an eye out for. LaBodegaWine has some good information and suggestions here: http://www.labodegawine.com/r/products/unibroue-maudite?id=nsession.

A couple of important rules for buying Belgian or German beers that are finished with yeast in the bottom:

• Open them like you would a champagne/sparkling wine bottle:twist the cork slowly so you don’t spray brew.
• Don’t be afraid to drink the dregs.The dregs are nutrient rich and may be drunk on occasion.They’re not the best tasting part, but you may not care by the time you get to the bottom of the bottle.
• Grolsh-style bottles (the ones with the flip cap) may be re-used if sterilized.Note that beer will NOT keep indefinitely once opened.Just like a bottle of soda, it will go flat even with an air-tight seal.

Now, back to calculus.

Cheers,

Red Wolf

P.S.  I found this graphic on Wikipedia’s page on the Torus.  Enjoy. 

Seeds v. Hybrids :: Growers v. Technology

Before I launch into this too in-depth, I was doing a search for seed saving and came across some wild information. I’ve tried to condense this into what would be a logical progression for everyone else, and a reverse progression for me. I had planned on adding some media, but the web site I got the video from doesn’t quite work. I think I can get a YouTube link to work, though.

One of the biggest sets of issues facing the world today revolves around food:  world hunger, farm economics (small and large growers), and food prices, just to name a few.  As always, I highly recommend doing your own research on this, and not just reading what the UN’s FAO (Food and Agriculture Organisation) and the USDA (US Dept. of Agriculture) want you to know about the issue.  Recently, and there’s a Flash video embedded below from WSFTV.net about this, the FAO held a summit in Rome, which was protested.  Apparently Italy has different laws than the US does about peaceful protests.

So, there’s that.  The Slow Food USA® Blog has an article on the FAO summit and some responses, which I’ll summarize briefly.  The first article is an Agence France-Presse article (retrieved from Google) that gives a brief rundown of the plans, the attendees, and the pre-protest.  The second article is a BBC News Viewpoint article basically promoting the ideas of biodiversity and old growing knowledge while speaking against the corporatization of the food market, like it is today.  France 24, another French news agency, also talks about opposition to the FAO, even from with the UN.

Now, how did I get to this subject?  I was looking up information on seed saving, since I am saving some heirloom tomato seeds and I need to know how long they need to dry before storing.  I came across a WikiPedia article with some links out, and one of them talked about Iraqis no long being allowed to save seeds.  Well, that wasn’t quite true.  The article in GRAIN was 4 years old, so there’s no telling how things are working right now.  Basically, it’s building off a provisional government law for patents that has a new concept for the Iraqis, which is patent of plants.  If someone grows a new variety of plant, they can patent it, and no one is allow to do any seed saving from that variety.  This works to US companies’ favors at the time the article was written, because hybrids (from which you cannot grow the same variety from its seeds) are our chief stock in trade.  You don’t make money off of heirlooms, since you can save their seeds and promote regional evolution of those plants.

Why should this matter, though?  Food is getting really expensive and people are starting to do their own gardens.  Of course, this means that food may continue to get expensive, but people can, with the right education, create sustainable food gardens.  There was a recent news article on one of the local TV stations (WBIR, an NBC affiliate) on how the local Farmers’ Co-Ops were running out of seeds and plants.  (If you click on that link, you will have to watch a short commercial, but it’s worth it.)  Now, a lot of people aren’t buying seeds that are considered “heirlooms” because heirloom seeds are expensive, often running $5-6 for a small packet when you can buy a packet of the Better Boy Hybrid  or Big Boy Hybrid for what looks like less than $2.  The problem is that packet of heirloom seeds is an investment.  You can save the seeds from year to year, getting the traits you want out of your plants, and thus working some micro-evolution magic.  The hybrids, well, you could save the seeds from these cloned or hand-pollinated plants, but they won’t be the same.

So, you can take this last bit from a couple of different perspectives.  I’ll list 5 I can come up with off the top of my head in no particular order.

• Sticking it to “The Man”:  Agribusinesses like Monsanto and Cargill rake in millions while people starve, and they increase their profits all the time.
• Social & Environmental Justice:  You can help create sustainable habitat while providing organic, healthy food that hasn’t been treated with harmful chemicals, thus helping your family and/or your community, as well as your environment.
• Saving Money:  By saving seeds and growing sustainable varieties of plants, you’re actually saving money.  Think about this:  If you grow tomatoes for salads, burgers, etc., and you spend $2 a year for 6 years on the same variety, that’s $12 you’ve spent; but $5 for the first packet, and you can save seeds, which may allow you to have more seeds (let’s say there are 30 seeds in one fruit, the same as a packet, 2 fruits = 2 packets = $10 worth of seeds) that you can plant the next year, at the end of 6 years, you’ve only spent $5 for the seeds.
• Security:  Let’s say you like a particular kind of vegetable or flower.  If it’s a hybrid, you have to hope they keep it in stock.  If it’s an heirloom, you can save the seeds and never have to worry about a company not selling it anymore.
• Health Insurance:  Okay, I’m not talking HMO vs. PPO here.  I’m talking natural food sources.  By growing your own you can guarantee an organic crop.  With heirlooms, you can guarantee no “frankenfood,” too, if you’re worried about it.  (Frankenfood is a derrogatory term for genetically modified food products.  Do a search for it for more information.)  Look at how much healthier people are outside the US, check out their diets, and check out how much other chemicals are in their food and how much genetically modified food they eat.  I’m willing to bet it’s a lot less.

Anyway, I just thought I’d share that mass of poorly put together information.  Now, I’m back to my calculus homework…

Cheers,

Red Wolf

A Journal Worth Noting?

I keep trying to come up with something notable, but it isn’t working. So, rather than try that, I’m just going to make a journal entry.

I’ve been reading my Bible lately, attempting to go cover to cover. So, I’ve started in Genesis, and now I’m in Exodus. What I really want to talk about is the note from the Orthodox Study Bible on Exodus 6:9.  The note says, “The children of Israel had a heart problem — they were willing to believe, but not to suffer for the Lord’s sake.  Therefore, they were fainthearted and disobedient because of their cruel bondage.”  I find that I, too, have a heart problem because of my cruel bondage to sin.  I find that I often am disobedient to God, and that I don’t listen, in my heart, to what He wants me to do.  I also find that the more I don’t listen and am disobedient, the harder it is for me to hear Him at all.

I find, though, that if I take what I already know He wants me to do (pray, among other things), then I start to hear Him a bit more clearly.  The mother of Protopresbyter Alexander Schmemann of blessed memory once told him, “Go to church.  Say your prayers.  Remember God.”  Scripture also tells us to pray unceasingly.  In his first letter to the Thessalonians, Paul (with Silas and Timothy) writes [5:16-18] “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”  How can I argue with that?  But, then, too, how can I accomplish that?

There are a couple of ways, but the one that is in most common practice is the recitation of the “Prayer of the Heart” or the “Jesus Prayer” (one in the same), which is “Lord, Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.”  Another way I can keep working on that is to regularly attend Divine Liturgy (the main worhsip service that relates, time-wise, to the Roman Catholic Mass and the various Protestants’ Sunday Worship Service), attend Vespers when I’m able, and to pray with the Church as I can.

By doing this, I hope to eventually overcome some of my heart problems.  The truth of the matter, though, is that, as at least one monk has said on his deathbed, tears in his eyes, “I have not even begun to repent.”  I’m no monk, but I think, no matter how holy or righteous I think I am, that is how it will be.

Cheers,

Red Wolf

Exodus 6:9 from the Orthodox Study Bible and the Unbound Bible.  As I’m a fan of multiple languages, I’m doing English (SAAS), Greek (LXX Accented), Russian (1876 Synodal), and Latin (Nuova Vulgata).

So Moses spoke thus to the children of Israel; but they paid no heed to Moses because of their faintheartedness and cruel bondage.

ἐλάλησεν δὲ μωυσῆς οὕτως τοῖς υἱοῖς ισραηλ καὶ οὐκ εἰσήκουσαν μωυσῇ ἀπὸ τῆς ὀλιγοψυχίας καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν ἔργων τῶν σκληρῶν

Моисей пересказал это сынам Израилевым; но они не послушали Моисея по малодушию и тяжести работ.

Narravit ergo Moyses omnia filiis Israel; qui non acquieverunt ei propter angustiam spiritus et opus durissimum.

Strange Fruit

Normally, when someone you know gives a title to something like i did to this one, it’s used allegorically or metaphorically.  Not in this case.  In this instance it’s quite literal.  Here’s the backstory:

I went to UT to meet with the OCF chaplain for UT’s chapter, of which I am president.  Afterward, I was hungry (warning sign #1) and I didn’t feel like going home quite yet (warning sign #2), so I decided to go to Fresh Market (like WholeFoods)(warning sign #3).  Why all these warning signs?  I can spend $100 easily at the Fresh Market.  I mean, it’s the organic, exotic, and upper-crust grocery store.  I almost spent $5 on a bottle of beer with a batch control number on it.

On a side note, whether I’ve told many people or not, I’m planning on starting a garden as this year goes on.  One of the things I really want to do with it is grow heirloom plants, from which seeds can be harvested and planted to get the parent species again.  This plan includes Cherokee Purple tomatoes.

Now, back to the Fresh Market.  I get the basket and go over to the fresh fruit and veg area, not planning on getting anything.  I almost bough some Mt. Ranier cherries (my favourite cherry), but I moved on to the tomatoes.  What do I spy, but an heirloom tomato display!  So, naturally, I picked through them, selected a reddish-pink one (Brandywine), a red and yellow variegated looking one (probably Big Rainbow), and, after digging through a bit, I come up with a Cherokee Purple.

I get home with my exciting fruit (and some other stuff) and decide to try what I’ve got.  The Cherokee purple, which is dark green on top, dark red on bottom, and purplish red on the inside, was pretty good, but seemed a little light in the flavour department.  The Brandywine was much more what I imagine a tomato tasting like.  Of course, I saved seeds from both.

A little while ago, I decided to see what the other one (the Big Rainbow, I suspect) was like.  Now, I don’t know about you, but I have certain expectations when I slice a tomato.  For instance, I expect the seeds and the pulpy stuff they’re in to fill the cavities in the flesh.  Well, here’s what I got…

Note how the inside looks less like a tomato and more like a pepper.  Well, aparently they’re distant cousins, as plants go.  The sphere in the middle is the pulp and all the seeds.  Certainly not what I was expecting.  My reaction was definitely one of surprise.  I scraped as much of that stuff into a bowl of water as I could, too, to save the seeds.  The flavour wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t juicy like I prefer.  I think I may grow a vine or two to give to people just to watch their reaction when they cut it or bite into it.

That’s all I’ve got for now.  Time to go type up my homework for Calculus 2…  yay…

Cheers,

Red Wolf