Communications Blog

Monday, March 22, 2021

Pollan, Michael. "Flowers of Evil," Harper's. April 1997.
https://harpers.org/archive/2018/04/flowers-of-evil-2/

The growing of poppies involves intent. For legal purposes, the less you know, the better. There are differing standards for why a plant is illegal: example tobacco.

Poisonous plants some people grow: datura and euphorbia, castor beans, and even the stems of rhubarb.

Klein, Ezra. "Can Magic Mushrooms Heal Us?" New York Times. 18 Mar. 2021. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/18/opinion/oregon-psychedelic-therapy.html

Oregon is forming a board to foster the use of psilcybin for therapeutic use. The experience will be at a licensed facility under the guidance of trained professionals. The purpose is to help people with PTSD, depression, trauma and addiction.

Klein discusses the previous "model" for use of psychedelics.

Sunday, March 21, 2021

Rationing Reading

I heard a conversation between two people who are old and dear friends. Both remarked that during the pandemic, they read about four-six hours a day. Neither are reading fluff. One recently re-read Aristotle. He doesn't even have a TV, preferring to spend his time reading and writing. He is a published author.

The other is a world traveler who reads about countries he's lived in. Often enough, the sites he reads are in languages other than English. He will again be traveling the world and he researches the places to which he travels.

I got the feeling but did not verify, however, that they kind of floated through the web, clicking on whatever they saw that interested them. Not that there is anything wrong with that, but I like to apportion my time so I can feel more in control of what I read.

For a while, I kept a hard copy journal. Then I kept a couple journals on various files on my computer or the cloud. The problem with all of these reading journals was that I could never find them. When I did find them, it was a task to bring them up to date. The idea is not to be a dreary record keeper, but to use the journal as a means of apportioning time, such as: read two NY Times articles a day; read one poem; read articles from a periodical, etc.

It occurred to me that I kept this blog for years and never had trouble finding it. I have, therefore, decided to use it as my reading log.

The objective for now is to:

read 2 NY Times articles per day
read one poem a day
read one short story a day

one chapter from a book

Thursday, December 7, 2017

The Compost Pedallers

I learned about the compost pedallers through a program on WLIW Ch. 21. In Austin, TX, there is a group of people who ride around on specially equipped bicycles picking up compost. I think they said it cost $20 a month, and the pedallers will come to a subscriber's house and get the compost, which is then taken to a local organic farm. They also have a composting operation of their own, and they showed people tending the compost in the program.

One of the organic growers showed his compost operation, too, and because of careful composting, his farm can finish compost in 8-10 weeks.

Links: Growing a Greener World, Season 8, Episode 11
Compost Pedallers home page