Beer, and the Bucolic Beauty of Bruegel

The "winter landscape with a bird trap" painted in oils by Pieter Bruegel the Elder in 1565 testifies to what I consider immortality. Though the bones of Bruegel have long since returned to dust the preservation of his works allow his spirit to echo through recorded history. Along with digital record keeping the propagation and iteration of art will undoubtedly change forever as we are now passing into an age where social commentary will literally be attached to these echoes fully accessible to the curious observer. The following TED talk by Blaise Aguera y Arcas explains the attachment process and how social networks will add infinite detail to any object in the world with a story behind it. Imagine looking at the world through goggles that display any known history relating to that object.



In many ways society is already testing a beta-version of these "goggles" with the rise of you tube and other video sharing sites. The interface is the only cumbersome part. When a person sees a sculpture in a city square the vast information relating to that sculpture is entombed in libraries and brains throughout the planet. In the present day the "user" has to take the initiative to look up all those historical tales that give the piece a context on their own. What if all that information automatically displayed in your mind's eye just by glancing at an object? This would make going into a thrift store like having a microscopic assessor from the "antiques road show" sitting on your shoulder. The next step will be to bypass this information selection process and simply attach the relevant video/audio/smell-o-vision to the content on a users radar.

Of course, no person should be denied the privilege of an unadulterated view of cultural objects, but choosing to experience this type of contextual depth could speed general education exponentially. I use Bruegel as an example of the tagging process because, as the northern hemisphere is swinging away from the sun into the frosted part of the year, these winterscapes remind me that people have hustled and bustled and thrived through the cold for all of history. Viewing and thinking about this work on a blog in 2008 makes me realize that universally accessible collaboration across centuries is possible now even while we continue to learn how to collaborate in real time. In my mind, Bruegel = Belgium = Beer. During the summer of 2004 as I spent two weeks in Leuven, Belgium I became increasingly fascinated by the tome of culture Bruegel's simple recording of folk life in 16th century Flanders represented. Here were people from nearly 400 years ago alive in front of my eyes. There were many other historical pieces of art to which I wish I had added digital anecdotes as a family friend explained them and lead the tour of Leuven the home city of Inbev-Anheuser-Busch (then called Interbrew.) I was also entrenched in the Flemish appreciation for brewing good beer. Today the theme of collaboration and beer seemed to be jumping out at me. As the Rock Mountain Collegian student newspaper proclaimed their approval of an ingeniously sustainable green business initiative undertaken by Fort Collins' own New Belgium Brewing Company. The initiative involves collaborating with Seattle-based Elysian Brewing Company by sharing one anothers equipment in order to brew each other's ales and save the cost of shipping the final product the 1,000 miles between the two market hubs. An elegant amber collaboration I might say so myself. While reading this article I was immediate taken back to a table at the choice city deli where I had shared a bottle of Signiture Ale with the same friend who had so enriched my experience in Belgium. This was a brewmasters collboration bewteen the Port Brewing Company of San Marcos California and De 'Proef' Brouwerij of Lochristi-Hijfte, Belgium. The Signature Ale was Belgian-American Collaboration and drinking it with great friends from Belgium made the idea of an otherwise forgettable beverage affect me. So in some way all these thoughts are on the same plane; Bruegel, Belgium, Beer, and all mean collaboration. And here I have giving three increasingly concentrated stories of beer co-operativity and each on the terms designated by their size. Large: InBev and Anheuser-Busch - Corporate takeover. Medium - New Belgium Brewing Company and Elysian Brewing Company co-operation. Small - Port Brewing Company and De 'Proef' Brouwerij - colaboration. The latter extolled virtue is at the center of Tom Paine's Ghost.

Billboards Stir Spirits in Denver

The Colorado Coalition of Reason has begun an ad campaign to bring together atheists and agnostics to the chagrin of the faithful. In his column for the Rocky Mountain News Bill Johnson outlines some of the hate-filled responses self-proclaimed Christians have hurled at the billboard's backers. In Just eight words on a billboard Johnson explains the absurdity of the controversy by evenhandedly laying out the argument that calling for a coalition of atheists is no different and no less protected under the constitution than calling for a coalition of Christians.

This reminds me of another news story from Washington, DC where an ad campaign by the American Humanist Association postures "Why believe in a god? Just be good for goodness' sake." Their reason for the doing this at this time of year is "there are an awful lot of agnostics, atheists and other types of non-theists who feel a little alone during the holidays because of its association with traditional religion."

I have been reading Markos Moulistas Zúniga's (the founder of the Daily Kos) Taking on the System lately. Beginning on Page 87 Zúniga describes one battle in the culture wars; the secularist "War on Christmas." He takes the reader through a brief history of this so-called war on the Yuletide holiday but eventually brushes the whole thing off as a concoction of Bill O'Reilly and others like him to boost their bad ratings during the holiday news lull. The secularist is, in Zúniga's eyes, a made up villain crafted by the right so they have someone or something to rally against. "O'Reilly knew that the enemy didn't have to exist to rally the troops, whip up interest, and -incidentally, of course- stoke his ratings" reports Markos.

I am an agnostic and I love Christmas and everything about it. The family, the traveling, the snowflakes, the presents the trees, wreaths, holly, and all the glorious smells. I even love all the beautiful music about the little 8 pound 6 oz. baby Jesus. All of it is warm wonderful and enlivening to the spirit. So in a way Markos is right there is not a mass war on Christmas, but what does exist is a culture war, and part of that is a war on ignorance. On accepting things on blind faith, on not realizing that the celebration that we call Christmas goes much further back than the year 0. It goes back to the science of the earth. To the timing of the longest nights of the year in the northern hemisphere where civilizations blossomed. A time when a celebration of light and love was necessary to keep our collective mental status positive and bright. The war on Christmas could be better characterized as a healthy debate on understanding the culture that we so lovingly practice and making it better through that understanding. Happy Holidays to all and may there be peace on earth.

Though terror still grips our planet as we saw this week, in a way, I am glad to see responses like this as I do firmly believe that a "war on terror" is on oxymoron. "India at this moment has to contain any reactive violence from the fundamentalist Hindus, which is very likely and possible. So India has to condemn that by not blaming local Muslims. They have to identify the exact groups." said Dr. Deepak Chopra in an interview with Larry King.

When Timothy McVeigh killed hundreds of Americans including children in Oklahoma City no one claimed that all Roman Catholics were terrorists just because he was one. I acknowledge that radical Islam is more widespread than radical Christianity, but Islamic terrorists should be treated the same as the David Koresh's and Timothy McVeigh's of the world, with the arm of Justice, not a backlash of hate for their religion.

Cuba in the Obama Era

Will republicans join democrats in a few years on the beaches of Cuba sipping piña coladas purchased with funds from their high yield green-washed portfolios? Only time will tell. At the risk of sounding pro-Cuba and therefore pro-communist I want to pose a reasonable question. Why in 2008 with the cold war nearly 20 years behind us does the United States maintain a trade embargo on this beautiful neighbor of ours? My grandmother used to tell us about her parent's jaunts to Havana and their glowing tales of fun and relaxation on this largest of the Caribbean islands. My great-grandfather was a Swedish immigrant and self-made man. A lumber mill owner and contractor who powered his mill with the waters of the Chadakoin river in Jamestown, New York. He was an entrepreneur who epitomized a real world version of the "pull yourself up by your bootstraps" kind of person the Bill O'Riely's and Sean Hannity's of the world love to fantasize about through their plumped jowls. Despite this apparent dyed in the wool republican persona my great-grandfather loved Cuba and two generations later tales of his adventures there still bounce around in my head. Cuba is an island we could literally build a bridge to and yet the United States maintains trade barriers because they are communists? What about China? We sure like spending money we borrow from them to buy goods they make. Why not spend China's money on the beaches of Cuba? I understand that there may be severe human rights violations inside the Cuban boarders and that the people of Cuba may not have the same brand of freedom that we think we have in the United States but as the early 20th century supreme court justice Louis Brandeis once said "Sunlight is the best disinfectant,” referring to the benefits of openness and transparency. If things are really that bad in Cuba shouldn't Americans want to see it for themselves and "love thy neighbor?" My question remains; is there any good reason for maintaining the embargo? If you think the answer is, No, how can we help speed along the reconciliation process?

Prospects seem good.

Some of the expectations Cubans have of our new leader.

Somali Pirates

Piracy be relevant t` th` world we live in... both historically an` currently b`lieve `t or nay. When I began t` hear reports about Somali Sea dogs, I couldna help but think o` them featured in Th` Life Aquatic, LOL. "Do th` interns get glocks? Nay, they be havin` t` share one." :-) This inspired me t` write a seafarin` hearty song on me poetry blog :-) O` course, i couldna a done this without a th` use o` th` online english t` pirate translation software. Check 't ou' an' be havin' some fun wi' 't if yer into this sort o' thin' :-)

A Flood is Coming

A deluge of internet use is about to hit the United States in the coming months. While the world was watching the election the FCC set in motion a chain reaction that will open the floodgates of high speed internet access. It has been repeatedly pointed out recently that the US is trailing other developed countries in terms of high speed internet access per inhabitant also called broadband penetration. However, if technology is quick enough on the uptake this lag should be overcome in the near future. When I was a child our family had television reception only through the "antenna." We received ABC, CBS, NBC, and PBS. That was it. All the remaining channels were white fuzz. On November 4th 2008 the FCC voted to open these so called "white spaces" for high speed internet access nationwide! What does this mean? It means watch out because Comcast, Time Warner, Verizon, AT&T, and the lots of communications big wigs are going to be acting like grumbling giants having their precious' taken from them. I don't know if these large telecom companies will have a head start in offering internet service through the giant wireless towers once designated solely for television signals. What I do know is that people will finally be able to simply purchase internet access alone. Gone will be the days of getting swindled into paying for basic cable or a phone line just because one wants internet access. This will bring the web to more households than ever before. Whole counties will become like coffeehouse "hot spots." Accompanying this flood of access will be a flood of usage and this will hopefully end any bureaucratic opacity the Bush administration has held onto for the last eight years. The CEO of Google, Eric Schmidt, discusses with Ariana Huffington what increased internet use has done for politics and will continue to do to keep government honest. The age of citizen-fact-checkers is upon us. May we all stay skeptical and do our homework.

Amy Goodman at Democracy Now had the wherewithal to report on this momentous vote by the FCC despite being drowned-out by the signal to noise ratio of this year's historic election. She talks here with Timothy Karr of the media reform group Free Press.

When 'Buy Local' Means Inside Your Country

Small businesses have always been the backbone of America's economy and will save today's economy by using the opportunities only America can provide. Warren Buffet has said and it is well known that "ultimately the value of the stock market can only reflect the output of the economy." More broadly, the wealth of a nation depends most on its ability to produce. As mega-corporations such as Walmart and Nike increasingly import their good and use cheap foreign labor to produce their goods, we have seen a slow seeping of America's money into the banks of other countries. This scenario mirrors that of a lake whose flow out is greater than its flow in, eventually it dries up.

A stark example of this theory is the big three automakers: Ford, General Motors, and Chrysler. The auto-companies have shut down plant after plant in America while opening new plants in Mexico and other 'cheap labor' countries. Many Americans have found themselves looking for a new job due to these job exports. I will never forget the story i heard of a 19-year old college kid training a forty three year man to run a cash register at a sporting goods store because his job had been sent overseas. And many middle class American's find themselves in this situation. According to the US Census Bureau, 70% of America's economy comes from the non-goods producing sector (the service industry). As we replace our goods-producing jobs with service jobs more and more American money is finding its way into the hands of other countries, while the American middle class is making less money to spend on goods. It will be very difficult for America to thrive on a purely service industry based economy as foreign businesses get better at insurance, professional consultation, and banking. America must start producing more to keep cash in America.

Small businesses are the answer for keeping America's manifest destiny intact. Companies like AIG, Walmart, and GM all started small and got big because they were the best and brightest. As some of the mega-corporations succumb to the diseases of greed and mismanagement it is time for new companies to rise from the ground and inject capital into America once again. This will happen because small companies rely on and employ the American worker. This symbiotic relationship puts cash in the pockets of the American middle class, cash that it has historically been known to spend. The big question is, can the little guy win the fight in a room full of giants?

Small companies have an uphill battle to climb against the multi-national corporations who have the deep pockets to spend money on R and D and marketing. Also, a theme now of big companies has been to buyout, rather than compete with, the smaller companies. Despite this fact I will keep my faith in David with his slingshot against Goliath. Small business must prevail to save the American economy. I will support the local smaller guy to keep my dollar in America.

Thomas Paine - the Face of Sustainable Living!

The time is now upon all communities and each of us individually, to enact sustainable living practices. Establishing and promoting sustainable living is no longer a task for future generations, it is our current task. There are many faces of sustainable living. The new symbolic face of sustainable living will be Thomas Paine's! Check out how the Lewes pound will promote and raise awareness for sustainable living. Many of the aspects and prospects of sustainable living have been and will continue to be covered and discussed within the pages of this weblog.

Here I would like to touch briefly upon the local produce arm of sustainable living. Markets featuring local produce and other local goods are an integral part of many small communities and cultures, yet this concept has been abandoned in many modern communities. Supporting locally grown produce greatly reduces energy consumption, as food does not need to be shipped as far, it also strengthens communities and has many intangible values. The "100-mile market" concept is feasible for large modern cities. Often times the only critical piece missing is initiative! Check out this Ontario Project. What I like best about the homepage photo is the skyscrappers in the background. If you don't think this is possible in your community, think again! Check out what urban gardeners in Detriot are doing (Go to Day 9, Red State Roadtrip). If this doesn't inspire you to push for a project in your community then perhaps nothing will. Grassroots sustainable living projects are sprouting up in more and more communities. Green is NOT a buzzword, it is NOT the latest trend, it is the culture of our future! Initiate projects in your community, encourage new and ongoing projects, get involved and lend support! Via la revolutiones!

Does the Dalai Lama condone human sacrifice?

Disclaimer: After extensive research on this claim I have found no evidence of human sacrifice practiced or condoned by the current Dalai Lama. However, this claim was used in an attempt to convince me that Tibet is better off because of Chinese rule. The image to the right appeared in this week's issue of Nature, and reminded me of a debate I once had and all the memories of this most grueling disagreement came flooding back.

This article speaks of the Dalai Lama's desire and enthusiasm for interaction between Buddhists and scientists. Proponents of this type of scientific/spiritual collaboration make the point that, unlike western religions, Buddhism is unencumbered by an anthropomorphic deity in the sky and actually embraces empiricism over blind faith. An argument is made; in order to accomplish the "greatest good" an alleviation of human suffering is needed, a goal which Buddhism and science share.

The argument that I had surrounding the motives of the current Dalai Lama, the content of his character, and the nature of his religion began in part because of my blindly fervent defense of this man and the religion for which he stands. This argument is pertinent to the Dalai Lama's apparent interest in science because it took place inside a laboratory. My antagonist consistently claimed that the people of Tibet are wholly better off because of the occupation and that Chinese rule had made the more barbaric practices of “lamaism” (as he called Tibetan Buddhism) illegal. He went so far as to claim that the lamas (the high priests that surround the Dali Lama) had practiced human sacrifice up until the 1950’s.

Before I begin the explanation of the conclusions that followed I would like to preface the discussion with the introduction to Thomas Paine's The Age of Reason.

"I put the following work under your protection. It contains my opinion upon religion. You will do me the justice to remember, that I have always strenuously supported the right of every man to his opinion, however different that opinion might be to mine. He who denies to another this right, makes a slave of himself to his present opinion, because he precludes himself the right of changing it. The most formidable weapon against errors of every kind is reason. I have never used any other, and I trust I never shall."

-Thomas Paine

Understanding why my friend held the opinion he did about the Dalai Lama required that I listen intensely to what he had to say precisely because it was so different than my own. The argument between he and I remained civil but lasted for 3 months after he had sent me an e-mail (I found the text on the web here) with the claims of human sacrifice backed by scholarly references. One such claim specifically accuses one of the high priests of Tibetan Buddhism or Gelug lama of making a large loaf of bread called a "torma" out of the following ingredients.

Torma (cake) made of buckwheat and blood;
1.) Five different sorts of meat, including human flesh;
2.) The skull of a child of an incestuous relationship, filled with blood and mustard seeds;
3.) The skin of a boy;
4.) A bowl of human brain in blood;
5.) A lamp filled with human fat with a wick made of human hair;
6.) And a dough like mixture of gall, brain, blood and human entrails.
In the same text it accuses the lamas of sacrificing their own subjects as recently as 1950.

"In AD1950 summer the Gelug lama made a huge torma of roughly three-yard high, claiming that the powerful demon Kshetrapala was invocated and sealed in it. They burnt it outside Lhasa town and bluffed Tibetans into believing that the demon as well as his accomplices was released to destroy the deity behind PLA, which was claimed to be a 'nine-headed Chinese demon'."

My initial instinct was to laugh at these accusations as Chinese propaganda, but I wanted to be as thorough as possible in the investigation. I inter-library loaned these references. Some came from obscure private libraries at Harvard. The only evidence I could find in all my research was reference to ancient Tibetan texts describing human sacrifice as part of the old "bon" mongolian traditions that mixed with Buddhism in the 1300s (de Nebesky-Wojkowitz, Rene: Oracles and demons of Tibet, the cult and Iconography of the Tibetan protective deities, Katmandu 1993). I found no modern evidence for human sacrifice in Tibetan Buddhism anytime close to 1950. My mentor stuck to his ideas though and we agreed to disagree, but I did learn that Tibet was not the Shangri-La that it is normally portrayed as in western media. However, the Dalai Lama has demonstrated that he is setting an example for the other religious leaders of the world both by appearing in this week's issue of Nature with a pipette in his hand and by being quoted as saying "Should science prove some Buddhist concept wrong, then Buddhism will have to change." Reestablishing the tarnished reputation of science will help our world emerge from the land of make-believe it seems to be now inhabiting.

A Microcosm of Communism in China

A Peace Corps volunteer in Guizhou (贵州), China shares his story of a first hand encounter with the Chinese government and its control over the press. Specifically, Dustin Ooley describes the government manipulating water supply to the school where he works in a blog post entitled Water Monopoly! (or Where is Teddy Roosevelt When People Need Him?). Particularly pertinent to TPG is the role that the reporter played, or in fact did not play in this scene. A resounding illustration of the functional role of an unfettered press in a democracy.

Cheers to Dustin for the composition and Phil for the heads up.

The culture wars hinge on reinforcing stereotypes. One popular stereotype is that liberals are communists, socialists, marxists, and what have you. Well, my friends, I would consider myself a liberal thinker but this story scares me. The issues that unify us will help end the culture wars and the most paramount of these issues is outlined in the first amendment. Liberty and justice for all requires free speech and a free press whether you are liberal or conservative.

Magnetic Island by ISABEL HOWLETT

In the spirit of celebrating the propagation of art and creativity across the web, I would like to draw attention to the inspiring work of Isabel Howlett. I appreciate Isabel's work for its often earthy-organic feeling and its seemingly biological influence.  The abstract piece above, loaded with delicious, juicy niblets and absolutely exploding with vibrant energy, effectively arouses the imagination while enticing an apatite for curious adventure. Magnetic Island of Queensland Australia must be a truly glorious landscape! Check out Isabel's paintings at her website www.isabelhowlett.co.uk.