Monthly Archives: April 2010
FREE RANGE: FOOD, NATURE, PLACE, AND MORE
“You may ask yourself, well, how did I get here?”
Funny how things turn out sometimes. I was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, went to college in Massachusetts, and grew up (to the extent that I grew up at all) with fairly liberal political views. I … Continue reading
Posted in Place
Tagged Bay Area, boots, Dallas Cowboys, England, San Antonio, unreliable Italian cars, Williams College, Yankees
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Purity, ambiguity, and the investment portfolio
This week I’ll begin with a parable from my favorite set of wise weirdos, the desert fathers, forerunners of Christian monasticism. A brother said to Abba Poimen, “If I give my brother a little bread or something else, the demons … Continue reading
Posted in More
Tagged desert fathers, farming, organic farming, purity, Slow Money, Stewart Brand, Woody Tasch
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It’s a wonderful town
We recently spent a few days in the Big Apple, and the fact that the only souvenir we brought back was a bag of Nicola potatoes probably tells you all you need to know about us and our priorities. Basically, … Continue reading
Posted in Place
Tagged Central Park, farmers markets, Frederick Law Olmsted, High Line, New York City
2 Comments
The White Queen on the edge of chaos
To our surprise, Martin and I are going to be part of the Summer Literary Festival put on by Gemini Ink, a San Antonio writers’ center dedicated to building community through literature and related arts. Rosemary Catacalos, the executive director, … Continue reading
Posted in Nature
Tagged Albert Einstein, biomimicry, Gemini Ink, Lewis Carroll, Paul Davies, San Antonio
7 Comments
Of Frederick Law Olmsted, Mr. Brown, and Mexican Coca-Cola
Frederick Law Olmsted has been on my mind recently, in part because while we’re spending a few days in New York, we’re staying on Fifth Avenue, opposite the southeastern corner of Central Park, unquestionably Olmsted’s best-known creation. Olmsted (1822–1903) was … Continue reading