Author: Rev. Joe Dirt

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A Short History of Progress

a-short-history-of-progressA Short History of Progress by Ronald Wright available @ Amazon.com

What is the difference between our 21st century global civilization, the ancient Sumerians, the Easter Islanders of Cook’s day, empirical Rome, or the Maya civilization.  Answer, not much.   The last four are all societies that had their heyday, become stuck in a paradigm, and then brought ecological disaster on themselves via overpopulation and over exploitation of natural resources.   “Each time history repeats itself, the price goes up”, Wrights quotes from some pertinent graffiti.  The cost this time could be in the billions of souls.

 This a short book 132 pages of actual text with another 68 or so of footnotes at the end.  It is a mad rush through human history exploring the collapse of those civilizations and a couple that have been more sustainable.  Continue reading “A Short History of Progress”

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Skinning Rats

It was the fall of 1978,  my son was five years old and my daughter 8.  They were “knee high to a grasshopper” as they say in Arklahoma.  I was attending Central State University, since renamed to the University of Central Oklahoma.  I was majoring in Biology.

Why Biology?  First I had a real love for the science.  Secondly, I had always done well in this branch of the sciences.  I had basically been forced into a business degree program my first year of college and nearly flunked out.  It was a lack of interest and other factors (partying???).  In retrospect I might have better served myself and my family to have gotten my computer science degree at that time rather than the B.S. in Biology.  The punch cards intimidated me, and at time I had doubts about my intellectual capacity.  Dissecting struck me as easier than flow charts. Plus, I’ve made a real study of coming to the fork in the road and taking the wrong tine.

This particular semester I was taking several courses, but Mammalogy 4263 taught by Dr. Caire is of interest here.  Dr. Caire had his M.S. in rats, and his PhD Continue reading “Skinning Rats”

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Bottomfeeder

bottomfeederBottomfeeder: How to Eat Ethically in a World of Vanishing Seafood by Taras Grescoe available @ Amazon.com

Wonderful Written – Very Intense

Grescoe is a master wordsmith. He paints such vivid word pictures that I wonder if I were to actually go to some of the places he describes I would experience déjà vu. After reading his descriptions of eating Belon oysters in France or barbequed sardines in Portugal, I had to fight the impulse to bring up Travelocity and find a flight. He has a narrative, anecdotal style that kept me flipping the pages.

I’ve long been bothered how food arrives at my plate. I’m not opposed to eating meat or fish, but I want to do it in an ethical manner. After reading “Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer I doubt that is possible with meat purchased from most sources available to me. I saw seafood Continue reading “Bottomfeeder”

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Bowling: How to Master the Game

Bowling: How to Master the GameBowling: How to Master the Game by Parker Bohn III available @ Amazon.com 

Disappointing.

I am not sure who the intended audience for this book was. I not sure the authors knew who the intended audience was, either.

I bowled some as a young teenager. I’m in my 50s now and I have started to bowl some again. What I wanted and needed was a book of basic instruction on the proper techniques and strategy of bowling. Having read some of the reviews that is what I thought I was getting.

If I had been able to pick this book Continue reading “Bowling: How to Master the Game”

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Dollars are essentially votes

Folks who know me realize that I like to get good value for my dollar.  Some folks have called me cheap.  I don’t think that is really the case.   I just remember a concept I learned back in high school economics.  Whenever you make a purchase, you are effectively casting a dollar vote for that product.  More to the point you are voting on the pricing of that product.  I just like to be careful with my voting. 

I was in Walgreens to buy a bag ice.  Yes it is a little high in there, but the combined cost of gas to the grocery store and Continue reading “Dollars are essentially votes”

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Pat Robertson believes in Voodoo

pat-robertsonQuote from The Washington Post article about Pat Robertson’s comments on Haiti:

“Evangelical broadcaster Pat Robertson says Haiti has been “cursed” because of what he called a “pact with the devil” in its history.  His spokesman said the Wednesday comments were based on Voodoo rituals carried out before a slave rebellion against French colonists in 1791.”

Ol’ Pat seems to be in a permanent state of psychosis when it comes to all things religious.  He obviously believes in God and more importantly a Devil.  I’ve always wondered if Christianity and Islam could exist without the concept of a devil.  If there is not a devil running around causing all the evil in the world then that leaves it up to the omnipotent, Abrahamic god.  To my way of thinking there is a lot not nice things that go on in this world.  Of course, that brings us full circle back to Epicurus’ old questions

 I begun ruminating on his comments, and I decided that he must believe in Voodoo also.  Why else would he think that a ritual performed 219 years ago had the power to eject the colonial power out of Haiti?  Makes you wonder about what else Ol’ Pat believes.

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I pray…

I pray that we come to value each and every human for who they are, not what they are, or what they can produce.

I pray for the day when a person’s race, gender, ethnicity, or sexual orientation does not limit their place/roles in life.

I pray that we come to learn that so many should not be hungry, thirsty or homeless when a few have more than they could use in a multitude of lifetimes. Continue reading “I pray…”