Comments Damien has made

  • Nicely done, Tom. Pushing the pendulum too far in any direction is almost always a sign of a desire to forward a particular point of view instead of a particularly keen interest in finding the truth. Could you have used the denial of stem cell research as an equally effective foil?On Michael Specter's new book 'Denialism' misses its targets posted 3 weeks, 6 days ago 49 Responses

  • This is inspiring!  Chicago TomatoFest is just getting rolling and we are going to have a focus on canning.  We hope to do lots to spread the word about Slow Food, Heirlooms and the people who grow them. If you come through town in Aug / Sept - keep and eye out for our BLT Festival too!

    Cheers,

    Damien

    On Reveling in the season's tomato bounty, from pasta sauce to easy preserving posted 4 months, 1 week ago 16 Responses

  • Small farms in Kenya

    Over the past few years, I have become a supporter of One Acre Fund, a group that started in Kenya and has now grown to Rwanda.  

    They work with farmers to provide seed and fertilizer through a loan.  By working with women's groups and within communities, loan payback, income growth rates, and decline in child mortality rates have been wonderful.  

    Founder Andrew Youn and I have talked about the fertilizer question and I confess that I am fundamentally uncomfortable with providing (and thus presenting) chemical fertilizers as a saviour.  The fact is that within their customer base, OAF has few people that can afford one goat, much less a stable full that would produce enough poop for compost.  The fertilizers are a place to start when families are otherwise losing children to starvation at a horrific rate.  

    As for the cash crop vs food debate, OAF has focused on cash crops in response to listening to what their farmers want, and they want (and need) cash.  Assuming they have a market (which OAF helps to provide and access), the farmers feel that their best path forward is paved with cash they grow themselves.  

    www.oneacrefund.orgOn Impoverished Africans can't eat their own crops posted 12 months ago 18 Responses

  • Depardieu weighs in

    French actor and vineyard owner offered his take on this subject in an article from Decanter.

    http://www.decanter.com/news/273087.html

    As Tom Cruise teaches, looking to actors for science can be dangerous, but, I would note that as a vineyard owner, Depardieu says "Treatment costs a lot of money. I only use biodynamics in Anjou because I'm poor."

    This to me underlines the more important topic contained herein, the fact that there is great value to be found in wines made from organic and biodynamic grapes.  Our stereotypes about organics equalling expensive are not always justified.  On The dirt on biodynamic and 'authentic' wines posted 12 months ago 7 Responses

  • Sounds like OPEC

    By which I mean of course:

    Organization of Poultry Exploiting Companies

    Forgive the pun, but the monopoly economics sounded too much like big oil to pass up.  On Is Tyson trying to drive its biggest chicken competitor out of business? posted 1 year ago 4 Responses

  • But no organic milk

    A few months ago Starbucks in Chicago dropped organic milk as it was more expensive.  Despite my one man campaign - I asked for it about 5 times - they do not seem to be brining it back.  Too bad, it tasted better.On Starbucks will double its purchase of fair-trade coffee posted 1 year ago 5 Responses

  • Follow-up question

    So if "we have seen this before", please tell us when "we have seen this before".  Is she talking about the little ice age?  Is she making a reference to data that suggests there have been major temperature swings in the history of the earth?  If she is talking about changes on the scale of geologic time, then isn't she leaning on the same type of science that she derides in her anti-evolution in schools stance?  The products of the schools she advocates, could not understand her reference.  Didn't everything start a few thousand years ago?  That is what your ideal school system would have us believe, Governor.  On Palin can't name a single man-made cause of climate change posted 1 year, 1 month ago 7 Responses

  • More like that

    This is not intended to be blatant promotion of my family's efforts, but of course it is.  The last comment made me chuckle because it is so typically something Tom would say.

    http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/Companies_Harness_Wa ...On Sierra Club launches new pushback campaign against coal propaganda posted 1 year, 1 month ago 2 Responses

  • A Supreme Court of Science?

    I have no comment on energy policy, despite my familial ties to this post, so skip to the next comments if you'd like more Castenian insight into GHG and the like.  (I am Sean's brother).  I do however feel that step number one in correcting bad policy is killing bad policy (or reinstating good policy as the case may be).  As the Boxer bill and so many other are based on best guesses, they should be obligated to have a sunset clause.  Call it 10 years, at which time the relevant data and the actual track record can be reviewed and debated anew.  

    Of course, review by the legislative body alone might not be enough, and it might prove far too time consuming.  A Supreme Court of Science, enabled with the power to review legislation 10 years down the road based on public data, could be a powerful force in correcting flawed legislation, and would put pressure on those drafting laws to consider the review.  I would imagine a nomination procedure similar to that of the Supreme Court, accepting that the court would reflect the political will of the ruling party to a certain degree. Exactly where it would sit within the government is a question, but perhaps a President interested in science (i.e. in 2009 and beyond) might expand a cabinet post as a start to include this "court".  

    I quickly dismissed the idea that a council of wise elders would be infallible in guiding humanity to the promised land when I read it earlier this morning, but it did spark a series of thoughts.  In many ways, the founders envisioned the Supreme Court as being the a council of elders, albeit controlled by checks and balances (and thankfully so, for as they say, one man's Justice Scalia is another man's treasure).  

    If the complexities of the laws upon which the nation is built are such that they require oversight, isn't the science on which all of society depends deserving of similar guidance and review?  

    Personally, I would love to see legislators have to argue in front of independent scientists to defend the impacts of their policies.  Certainly, it would sharpen the legislative process and shine a spotlight on the scientific proscess, no?  This reads, I am sure, like an idea to discuss over a bottle of wine.  If so, don't criticize me too much, I am after all the Casten Family pusher, what with my professional preference for Cabernet over kilocals and all.   On The challenges of reconciling science and policy posted 1 year, 5 months ago 32 Responses

  • Read the comments...

    I particularly like the scientist who posted his insistence that both Mars and Jupiter have been observed to be warming over the past 25 years and that global warming on Earth is therefore inevitable and unrelated to mankind.  Space exploration, he concludes will be our only escape.  

    I find his logic quite useful and propose that it be adopted for emergency escape plan in any building with a kitchen.  

    If you suspect that the candle you just knocked over has ignited your kitchen table, immediately place a cup of water in the microwave and a pan of water on the stove.  If you observe that both heat up independently, the fire on the table (if real) is not your fault.  Climb into your fridge at once.  On A fool and his money posted 1 year, 6 months ago 2 Responses

  • Wine and Climate Change

    Nice find on the article, though I think the title is misleading.  You offer a way to find the greenest wine, not the best green wine.  If there were no distinction, wine-geeks in Chicago would not have to worry about finding, or paying for wine from Bordeaux vs Napa because there is plenty of wine from areas much closer.

    If you are interested in hearing from someone who is as detailed in his approach to studying climate change and wine as Dr. Vino is with understanding wine's carbon footprint, I suggest checking out the work of Dr. Gregory Jones.  You can watch his entire presentation on youtube.  (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HN0o1hIBGm8) On Tips for low-carbon merrymaking posted 1 year, 12 months ago 4 Responses