Grab-bag

I went to our quarterly "high-school buddies" lunch yesterday.

I sat next to one of the men who was in the same Boy Scout troop that I was in. In fact, he was one of the kids who twisted my arm to join. Consequently, I owe him a debt of gratitude.

Tim always thought before he spoke and is invariably economical with his words. His observations are incisive and cut to the heart of the matter.

I asked him what he did that gave him satisfaction or a sense of fulfillment.

He shared that he is very active in the Knights of Columbus (a fraternal organization) and that he delivers a two or three minute lecture or "fable" once a month. The content is highly variable but his goal is to connect-the-dots in a way that makes baffling events snap into focus.

Part of the secret-sauce of his talks is that he seldom gives them new information. He paints the background by reminding them of seemingly unrelated items that every member of the audience has at least some degree of awareness of. The climax of his speech is when he skewers the tidbits on a kebab-stick and creates a focal-plane that makes everything clear, sort of like a cut-away drawing showing the innards of a mechanical watch. 

I joked that he didn't deliver TED Talks, he deliveres TIM Talks.

He agreed that was more-or-less true. He also shared that it takes a huge amount of time to compress that degree of information into less than 180 seconds. It isn't just the amount of information, but creating the flow that makes it seamless and easy for the listener to absorb.

That is an interesting ministry.

Kentucky and West Virginia to tax Pepsi Corporation profits

When Mamdani was asked about the risks of companies headquartered in NYC leaving due to higher taxation rates, he blew-off the concern with an interesting legal solution. "If they continue to do any business in New York, we will continue to tax them."

I am sure that legislators in Charleston and Frankfort took notice. Consumption of soda-pop causes a great deal of damage to the health of people in Appalachia. It directly impacts oral health, diabetes and obesity. All of those are huge drains on the financial coffers of those states.

Also up for grabs are the profits of any network that broadcast content in Kentucky or West Virginia, advertising firms whose work is carried by those broadcasters, profits of banks that finance any activity in either of those two states, law firms that ever filed a brief in either of those two states...

Yessirree, that Mamdani fellow is bringing joy to Appalachia with his profound insights on capitalism and taxation. 

Weather

It will be cold on Monday with a low of 21F. That is not cold by January standards.

The mid-West has a "Continental climate". That means large excursions in temperature are to be expected.

Seed collecting

Seed collecting is in process. I-115 persimmon seeds, Goosepond and Kanza pecans are packed away. Bald cypress seeds are being hydrated before being packed in sand and stored. I still need to pick Lehman's Delight persimmons and process them for seeds. I purchased some Red Oak acorns from a vendor on eBay but they haven't arrived yet.

I also have about 70 Red Haven peach pits that my sister saved for me.  

My focus has shifted over the last few years from "Collect lots of seeds" to "Plant the seeds I collected". I am very good at running from twenty-yard-line to twenty-yard-line. I struggle to punch the ball into the end-zone.

Continuing to pilfer from Midwest Chick's hoard