JimD, Ergot, Rust,Saint Vitas dance, Saint Anthony's Fire, lost in myth.
I know I am of off topic but I thought you would enjoy this letter I received yesterday. I do enjoy the stuff you dredge up. There is such a strong connect between agriculture and some way out of this, if not for everyone at least for a few. Food storage, salted meats, drying, all are also part of low energy options. A complete farm, transport, food storage, food sales package, a working low energy working farm would be relief to a lot of anguish.
I wanted to let know how impacting your talk was to me. It was hands down the most moving and impressionable talk of the quarter, or maybe that I've had yet at Bren.
I think I was impacted perhaps more so than some students just because I think I could relate on a very personal level to what you were describing towards the end, but I also think our whole class was very impressed. I have definitely gone through periods of absolute bewilderment and confusion, and a sort of disconnectedness with others, as I hear about the impacts of Global Warming that we are causing, and then watching as everyone turns the other way and continues living life as usual. I have felt depression, anxiety, and absolute confusion from this before in my life, and I think my coping mechanism when coming to Bren has been to ignore some of those feelings in order to keep moving forward. It was so refreshing to hear from someone else who I felt actually understands these feelings, and yet is doing something about it on a personal as well as larger level, rather than freezing up and becoming stagnant like I think many people who understand the science are doing.
I think we miss out on passionate, genuine people like you at Bren, and sometimes get too caught up in the pragmatism of science from a removed perspective. It's easy to talk about problems and analyze them, but so rarely do we hear from individuals who are inspiring on a personal level to walk the talk.
I hope to come visit your farm sometime. It sounds amazing.
Again, thanks for all that you do, and for your inspiration.