Food Roundup or Roundup in My Food?

We know the drill. Infection. Antibiotic. Evolving infection. Modified formula for the antibiotic. Repeat over and over. Drug-resistant infections.

Ruh oh. Yeah, we know this system. We've seen it before and we'll see it again. Here's one instance that I've not thought of before, but it sure doesn't surprise me. From the NY Times comes "Invasion of the Superweeds:"

American farmers’ broad use of the weedkiller glyphosphate — particularly Roundup, which was originally made by Monsanto — has led to the rapid growth in recent years of herbicide-resistant weeds. To fight them, farmers are being forced to spray fields with more toxic herbicides, pull weeds by hand and return to more labor-intensive methods like regular plowing.

Soaking a field with Roundup. Then harvesting our dinner. (Reminder: Wash my veggies!) Pulling weeds by hand and regular plowing are great responses, though they will raise the cost of food. Increasingly toxic herbicides isn't a good option (see the repeat part described above).

Ultimately, the solution is what so many have come to. When and if you can, grow your own food. Join a coop. Support local farms where you know the methods used by the farmer.

Procession

At first glance, one might believe they were witnessing a Fourth of July parade. The signs of patriotism were certainly present. From the ladders of two firetrucks hung an American flag over Main Street. Adults held and gently waved American flags. But the mood was not celebratory. It was and is a day of mourning.

A Lexington Police Officer, Bryan J. Durman, was killed in the line of duty on Thursday evening by a hit-and-run driver. Durman, 27, left behind a wife and a four-year-old son. He also left behind a fraternity of blue.

Six hundred police cruisers representing agencies from throughout Kentucky, as well as agencies in Tennessee, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and South Carolina drove down Lexington's Main Street today. The funeral procession left Southland Christian Church in Jessamine County at around 1:40 p.m. before it circled town on Man-O-War Blvd. before turning left onto Richmond Road for the trip downtown. I watched the procession from the intersection of Main and Mill where two University of Kentucky police officers stood at attention while blocking traffic. The scene was repeated at approximately one hundred intersections throughout Lexington.

Standing near me were attorneys, bankers, civic leaders, parol officers and others who took a time to pay their respects to the fallen officer. For about forty-five minutes, hundreds watched - in silence - as the procession rode by. For that hour, the loudest noise heard was a helicopter which followed the route. I believe that you might have heard a pin drop on Main Street on this Tuesday afternoon.

Knoxville. Evansville. Kippering. New Albany. Louisville. Covington. Ashland. Berea. Richmond. Nicholasville. Madisonville. Hopkinsville. These communities, and so many more, sent their own officers to pay respect. You could feel the fraternity among them. Before the procession, I passed a group of Louisville Metro police talking with members of the KSP. I could see the tears in their eyes.

Incredibly moving. This is how a friend, a few blocks east of I, described the procession. I can not think of two more accurate words to describe these moments.

The Kentucky Derby

As a Kentuckian, no single day makes one prouder of the Commonwealth than the Running of the Roses. The first Saturday in May marks a day when the world turns their eyes upon Kentucky. And Kentucky always responds by putting its best foot forward.

I think what is most amazing is that Kentuckians - even those who aren't particularly interested in horse racing or horses - understand some racing vernacular and love the Derby. The weatherman describes the weather as 'sloppy' as the track will be quite sloppy due to all of the rain (good news for the 3 horses who have won before on a sloppy track, including the only filly in the field - Devil May Care).

Yesterday afternoon, I made it to Keeneland to place bets on a few long-shots. Today, thousands will gather at Churchill Downs to watch the featured race. Many of these people will fill the infield - even though few, if any, there will be able to see the race. So many more will gather here and around the world to sing My Old Kentucky Home and watch the most exciting two minutes in sport.

Drink a mint julep. Try some burgoo. Eat a hot brown. Watch NBC's coverage (locally, its on all day long) and see who is on Millionaire's Row. Celebrate Kentucky and its equine industry!

Exodus

I've started reading a new book recommended to me by my father-in-law. He read once in high school and again about five years ago. Exodus is a historical fiction novel involving the founding of the modern state of Israel. Written by Leon Uris, it was originally published in 1958.

Happy Pi Day

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A Third Blog

I have discussed with you before my need to write, to blog. I have blogged for many years (since 2003) on various sites I have maintained. I won't here discuss my past blogging attempts, but want to focus on my current blogging adventures. I have decided to maintain multiple blogs with each focusing on a different matter so that readers can focus on their interests. Please follow all (if you want) and comment! [Bloggers love comments!]

My blogs:

• The Kaintuckeean - Of my current blogs, this is the 'oldest' though it only dates to the middle of last year. On it, I discuss and share photos from my sojourns and discoveries around the Commonwealth of Kentucky. A lot of history, a little anthropology and a lot of what interests me. I think that Kentucky is a wonderful, beautiful state and I try and share that here.
• 5:9 Focus - Named after the verse in Matthew's Gospel where Jesus observes "blessed are the peacemakers."As a Christian Ecumenical, I believe in finding harmony among all Christians and in finding common ground with other faith communities. I share insights, prayers and other 'divine' thoughts here.
• PJWB - My initials. Not to creative, but this is more of my journal. Not a 'pick my nose' journal, but a 'this is interesting' journal. As I surf the web or read books or listen to music, I might discover something that I want to share. And a Facebook status doesn't quite cut it. Plus, I might include an amazon.com link where you can buy a product and I could earn a commission. [Bloggers love making $0.02 in a day!] This also serves as my 'home page' with links to the other blogs more prominently placed.

I hope you will read, or at least explore, all of them. If not, writing helps me to think about what I enjoy. So, yes... I do all of this for myself! [Did you think this blog was about you? - Carly Simon] Let me know what you think. Subscribe to RSS feeds or email or twitter updates or however you can keep informed. I promise I'll try and make it interesting!

Watch Charlotte, NC Grow

Those who follow my blogs may be realizing that pjwb.blogspot.com is a catch-all for what I find on the web. It will contain a variety of interesting things that I want to remember and want to share.

Take for example the documentary Metropolis by Rob Carter [http://www.robcarter.net/Vid_Metropolis.html]. It is a really cool mashup of the development of the Catawba Trading Path from about 1755 through present-day Charlotte, N.C. It is also very thought-provoking as we consider urban development, suburban/exurban sprawl, historic preservation and other issues of interest to me.

A clip of the video is below (the last 10 years), but if you have 10 minutes click on the link above and watch the whole video - its really good!

Metropolis by Rob Carter - Last 3 minutes from Rob Carter on Vimeo.

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