Podcast recommendations

September 4 - 1826 hours - 39.345754, -75.875435 (Galena, MD) - 

I thought I'd take a slight detour from my normal topics and recommend a couple of podcasts that I've been enjoying during my daily morning 5k walk. 

If you're a history buff - particularly WWII history, I'd recommend two great podcasts:

MacArthur Memorial Podcast - monthly podcast not only about the WWII American general but about his colleagues and timeframe he lived in. 

The Second World War (1939-1945): A History Podcast - weekly podcast covering the events and personas involved in the Second World War. A great listening experience for those interested in the actions of the "Greatest Generation" and the war that helped define them. 

The Thomas Jefferson Hour is another amazing weekly podcast that will deliver insights into the era of the American Revolution. Creator Clay Jenkinson does a great job of taking us back in time to the 18th century. 

I must admit that I'm a big fan of last year's runaway podcast,  Serial, which chronicles the 15 year old murder case of Maryland v. Adnan Syed. Serial ended as a cliffhanger with no decisive conclusion. In its wake, I'd recommend Undisclosed: The State Vs. Adnan Syed. I would not characterize Undisclosed as a sequel, but rather as looking at the case from a different perspective. It's so good that I anxiously await the weekly podcast's release.

Spycast, and in particular an episode entitled "Author Debriefing: Climate Change and Conflict Prevention" really caught my attention today. It placed global warming into a "national security" category and made me take notice. Worthy of your time to listen to. 

And I'll close with two more recommendations.

This American Life covers an amazingly diverse topic genre. This weekly podcast will make you ponder and wonder at the same time. 

The Survival Podcast rounds out my list. Offerings cover quite a variety of topics - most of which apply to real life - not just the "survivalist" culture. Jack Spirko puts a lot of quality content into his podcast and I suggest you give him a listen!

I know there are many podcast apps out there. I'm sure if you search for the titles I highlighted in boldface, you should be able to find and add these quality podcasts. 

I hope you enjoy as much as I do!

Priorities

August 30, 2015 - 0550 hours - 39.345754, -75.875435 (Galena, MD) - 

I didn't awaken this morning intending to blog about priorities. But a local news report on NASA's studies (see here) of rising sea levels got things "percolating".

I have seen several articles this week concerning empirical (and irrefutable) scientific evidence of rising sea levels.  Reading and watching these reports caused me to wonder "Do we humans have our priorities in order?"

There have been many headlines to grab our attention in recent weeks. From the ongoing refugee crisis in the Middle East and Europe to the roller coaster equities markets to the never-ending wildfires in the western states. Certainly, the list of worthwhile causes competing for our attention is formidable.

How about "survival"? More specifically, human survival? Might that topic ascend to the top of your priority list?

OK, let's not be so melodramatic...

This week is the tenth anniversary of hurricane Katrina's making landfall in the Crescent City. Katrina's immediate and lasting effects underscore the importance of heeding warnings in order to protect life and property.  Many people did not did not consider the warnings credible or waited until it was too late.  Policy makers, politicians, and the general public were all ignored the empirical (and irrefutable) scientific evidence that a major hurricane, with powerfully destructive forces, was bearing down on a major populated urban center.  Who in their right mind wouldn't take action to prevent loss of life and/or property?

Scientists have been studying global warming for decades. This week, major news organizations detailed a report by NASA which details the specifics of rising sea levels. The gist of the report provides evidence that sea levels are rising and faster than previously thought.  Ponder that thought for a moment.  The cause for this accelerating sea level rise is global warming which is due to the enhanced greenhouse effect caused by - human activities. We are contributing to our own demise.

And yet in an eerily similar reaction, many policy makers and politicians continue to ignore (and often ridicule) the empirical (and irrefutable) scientific evidence. Until policies are changed many lives and properties will be lost.

Let me wrap this blog entry up. Global warming and the resultant effects are already affecting this planet. The effects are only going to become more severe. We have a simple choice to make. We can pretend that the realities of global warming are fiction - and suffer more pain. Or we can make good, sound decisions to change policies that exacerbate global warming.

It's all a matter of priorities...

Kick start - addendum

August 24, 2015 - 0713 hours - Galena, MD

As I emptied the kitchen compost bin into our compost pile, I stopped by the milkweed patch and counted FIVE monarch caterpillars enjoying a breakfast of fresh milkweed! Three babies and two large caterpillars - how exciting!

Kick start

August 23, 2015 - 1337 hours - Galena, MD

After a long respite, I have decided to give this blogging "thing" another try. 

Having recently returned from a "bucket list" trip to Islas Galapagos, I find myself thinking more and more about simpler, more earth-friendly practices. (As an aside - Islas Galapagos is an AMAZING place to visit and I'm sure to post more on that adventure in another blog entry). 

Monarch Butterfly Caterpillar

The picture to the right shows a monarch caterpillar moving down a stalk of milkweed after having consumed some of the seed pod. 

Why am I highlighting insects in my blog? It's simple - SURVIVAL. 

Monarch butterflies rely on milkweed plants to eat and sustain their life cycle as they migrate. Unfortunately, in North America, milkweed plants are so rare that the monarch butterfly population is decimated! (I do not use that word lightly!)

Current farming and weed control practices use general spectrum herbicides to eliminate plants not deemed suitable for human consumption. Milkweed apparently is on this list - which is both ironic and short sighted. 

Ironic because in killing the very plant that the monarch butterfly (in its caterpillar stage) needs to feed in order to make more butterflies, we may be harming ourselves!

Why do we need monarch butterflies? Because they are pollinators (like bees and other insects) and without pollinators, our very food supply is in jeopardy. How sad that the people tasked with providing our food, use practices that eliminate the plants, needed by the pollinators, that in turn help farmers provide food crops. Is that like "Cutting your nose off to spite your face?"

It does seems very short sighted and frankly, stupid. But I digress...

We planted a small milkweed patch (about (12 plants) last fall in our back yard. Honestly, we planted the milkweed too late in the season to do any "good". So we dug them up, brought them inside and nurtured them through the winter months. (We had purchased a "southern" variety of milkweed which would not survive our Maryland winters. This variety of milkweed is native to Florida hence its aversion to snow and cold).

"Southern" Milkweed blossoms

When spring arrived, we began weaning the Florida milkweed from "inside" conditions and prepared them for the great outdoors once again. 

Once transplanted again outdoors, were amazed by the beautiful orange and yellow blossoms that developed. The blossoms attracted plenty of bees but none of our invited and desired guests. 

"Then one day as he was shootin' at some food..." - OK I was checking on my small garden when I noticed a brightly colored caterpillar on one of the milkweed stalks! Our royal guests had arrived! Like proud parents, we took lots of pictures!

So far we've seen what we believe to be five distinct caterpillars. We have also noticed scores of butterflies and/or moths frequenting our garden and adjacent milkweed patch. 

What's the takeaway from this post? I refer you back to the fourth paragraph - SURVIVAL.

The survival of the monarch butterfly (and other pollinators) is threatened by man's agricultural practices. And if you think the demise of the monarch butterfly is of no consequence, remember that thought when you go to your food market and see dwindling selections, substandard quality and/or higher prices.

Please do your own research. Please contact your government officials and ask them to support sensible policies that protect the environment. Please chose to purchase food produced in a manner that respects, preserves and enhances the environment. 

In the words of the fictional character Forrest Gump - "That's all I got to say about that".

Thanks for reading.

Autumn Colors

Scary Times, Part Two

I just scanned the headlines and recoiled at the financial top story - "Dow Jones drops 700 points" and "Worst Drop since Crash of 1987". There are not confidence inspiring words. After last week's almost-1000 point single day gain, we are once again reminded that these are very scary times.

Many have likened the stock market of late to a roller coaster ride. However, one major difference between a roller coaster and the stock market is that you can get off a roller coaster ride!

While I am fortunate to be young enough to (hopefully) ride out this economic maelstrom, several of my business colleagues are facing some real tough decisions. They are closer to retirement than I am and do not have the luxury of time to make up for recent losses. We are all scared to review our retirement account balance - but for those just a few years away from retirement - it must be doubly as scary.

Once again, I want to reiterate - I have faith in American ingenuity. We can, and will, figure a a course our of this "perfect storm". Americans have always risen up to meet any and all challenges thrown their way. This economic cycle is no different. We need to formulate our "D-Day" invasion and get it underway!

Pumpkin Ale

It's an annual quest of mine... searching for a beer that embodies the essence of the Fall season. Once again, I found myself in front of a gargantuan refrigerated display case with dozens upon dozens of choices of beers and ales. My eye caught "Jack's Pumpkin Spice Ale". I grabbed a six-pack and took it home to taste.

This offering by the Michelob Brewing Company is labeled "Fall Seasonal" and features a pumpkin scarecrow and other Fall figures on the label. Its an attractive packaging scheme, but I suspect that's not what you might be interested in finding out. How's it taste?

I'm not a beer critique, nor do I play one on TV, but I like this beer. It leaves a hint of nutmeg/pumpkin spice on your tongue. Its definitely got much more flavor than a light beer (I guess that's to be expected and professional tasters will no doubt scoff at my comments) but not overbearing as some dark ales tend to be. There is a slight "bite" but I didn't find it objectionable. While I enjoyed this ale, I wouldn't want a steady diet of it.

I did a google search for pumpkin beers and hopefully will get some assistance from my brother in St. Louis and try one of the local offerings... So stay tuned!

Be safe!