When examining world population figures, I was surprised to see the US at third, behind only China and India. China and India both have over a billion people. The US has but 290 million by comparison. Indonesia and Brazil round out the top five, with Pakistan, Russia, Bangladesh, Nigeria and Japan making up the remainder of top ten most populous nations.
fyi…Afghanistan is 38th. Iraq is 43rd. Vietnam, again somewhat surprisingly, is 14th most populous.
I am pleased to learn that gray wolves have made a substantial comeback in northern and even central Wisconsin. They were not reintorduced to the area. They came back on their own. I suppose this says as much about the wolf as it does about rural Wisconsin. Either way, you’ve got to love that kind of tenacity and resilience. The wolf has inhabited this territory for 10,000 years (since the ice melted), and from out of nowhere, they are suddenly faced in 1830 with a bunch of European farmers who show up and start shooting. Such troubled times the noble wolf endures.
Hurricane Charley, which at this moment is getting acquainted with western Cuba, is headed for the southwest coast of Florida next. Thus, my folks are forced to scatter. And the northern route is blocked by tropical storm, Bonnie. What’s a peninsula dweller to do?
On a related note, the highest ground on Marco Island–a shell mound built by the indigenous people–is about twenty five feet above sea level.
Chicago has a green mayor and this fact encourages investment in alternative energy. Several schools in Chicago have been outfitted for solar, and the new Millennium Park is also producing solar energy. Two local vendors to help get you up and running at home or work are Spire Solar and Nekolux.
“Sustainability equals peace.” -Dennis Kucinich
Lasater Grassland Beef located in eastern Colorado raises cattle the old-fashioned way. Their sustainable ranching practices produce healthier and better-tasting beef. Equally important is the fact that grazing animals are vital to the environmental health of the Great Plains. Lasater cattle–like the roaming herds of bison once did–harvest grasses, till the soil with their hooves, fertilize the ground and then are moved to fresh pastures, leaving the grazed plants to fully recover. When the pastures are rested (typically 70 to 80 days), the grasses develop to their full potential–growing extensive root systems that help them survive drought.
Conscientous livestock producer, Niman Ranch, started out in Marin County, north of San Francisco, and now twenty years later is a luxury meat brand with producers in several states including Iowa, Illinois, and Nebraska. The brand now has a following among top-tier chefs and discriminating consumers nationwide. Even Chipotle, the gourmet burrito chain with McDonalds backing, is in on it. They serve Niman Ranch shredded pork and I can attest it is delicious.
Dennis Olson of Alexis, IL raises 700 hogs a year and has been a Niman Rancher since 1999.
Culture busting on Sunnyside
Urban Planning guru, Jane Jacobs, author of the seminal text, The Death and Life of Great American Cities , moved with her husband and two sons to Toronto in 1968 in opposition of the Vietnam War. She stayed and became a Canadian citizen. She had earlier rebellions, as well. In Greenwich Village she stood to fight the powerful Robert Moses, and his lame-brained road building schemes that threatened to wipe out good portions of lower Manhattan.
I first heard her name but one year ago, while attending a presentation at SXSW in Austin by Carnegie Mellon professor, Richard Florida . He said Jacobs said, “New ideas require old buildings.” This is a sentiment that strikes a deep chord in me. I have yet to read Jacob’s best works, but from what I have read , I know she gives voice to things I have long held to be true.
