Earth Healing: Daily Reflections by Al Fritsch, S.J.

July 5, 2005 Tips to Taking it Easy

July's heat can catch many of us off guard. So we all need to
prepare for ways to take it easy. Here are some hints:

* Adjust timing. Plan less exercise outdoors in the heat of the
day. Rise earlier to hike, jog, bike or shoot hoops.

* Keep up liquid intake. This must be said in hot weather for
each of us, along with the plants in the garden (see July 6).

* Keep cool (see July 7).

* Pick berries, but do the picking in the morning or evening.

* Eat lightly. It's hard to digest all those heavy meals.
Light cold soups and salads are perfect for the season.

* Give more time to soft music and reading.

* Keep everything abbreviated. Note how short this essay is.

July 6, 2005 Watering Plants During Dry Times

We hope this will not be a dry July; so often mid-summer has
periods without rain. During such times, the watering of gardens and
other sensitive areas should be carried out where allowed by local
regulations. Droughts are the best reason for having a water
catchment or cistern. Even in dry times, application of waste water
to growing plants is not prohibited. Whole books on watering and
irrigation practices are available through the Internet, though a few
simple reminders will be suitable in most instances.

* Water in the evening after the sun has receded or, if not then,
early in the morning before the sun beats down. The moisture is more
effective in the evenings, for the thirsty plants have a better
chance of benefiting before evaporation of some of the moisture.

* When water supplies are limited, water those plants that are
more affected by the drought. It is like triage in times of battle.
On the first or highest level, newly planted vegetables should be
given special attention even though all garden plants should be
mulched. The broad second level should include plants generally
needing more water such as cucumbers, melons, greens, celery, and
many herbs. I always give special attention to tomatoes in July as
well. Among those at the lowest level I have placed sunflowers,
Jerusalem artichokes, and drought tolerant okra, garlic, onions, what
remains of the brassica family after spring harvest, mint, and many
root crops.

* If watering over a number of days, I have found that for
vegetables, except the most tender items, it is better to water with
a large amount every other day than with a small amount each day.
The amount of water applied depends to some degree on how plentiful
is the water supply. Simple maintenance of a crop from tying until
the next big rain takes less than actually irrigating a growing crop
from start to harvest. For the latter, large amounts of water may be
necessary.

* When watering, try to direct the poured stream to the base of
the plant rather than scattering over a general growing area. Crops
planted in rows rather than over an area lend themselves to efficient
irrigation techniques. Trickle methods of irrigation are highly
effective, but are hardly worth it for small garden plots where
intercropping is practiced.

* Diluted urine (one to four parts water) may prove useful,
especially for tender fall greens that are just starting.

* If the drought is severe, it may be necessary to concentrate on
producing summer vegetables and to delay starting a fall garden until
the rains come. For late melons and cucumbers, soaking the seeds
several hours before planting (most seeds start better through
soaking) is highly advisable. Again remember, for autumn, rows would
be preferable in dry times, because the watering could be better
concentrated.

July 7, 2005 Keeping Cool without Air Conditioning

As already noted earlier, keeping cool is a July preoccupation.
Cooling can be done through air conditioning (AC), except that AC
uses a great deal of energy. This is one reason I avoid using the AC
device, even though my residence is equipped with an adequate-sized
one. However, there are other reasons of equal weight.

The shock of going from a cool interior to a heated outdoors is
unhealthy. My only summer in Texas, in 1970, involved travelling
from a super-cooled laboratory building at the University of Texas's
Austin campus to a computer center several blocks away several times
a day. I think I got pneumonia out of that exercise but never had it
diagnosed. It was a difficult experience.

Fresh air is better for you. Personal ventilating practices
involve cooling the space late at night by opening windows and
allowing the breezes to flow through. A roof with a mounted turbine
ventilator can help. So can rooms equipped with ceiling fans. Make
an effort to see that all warm air escapes during cooler times, even
with the assistance of a low-energy-using exhaust fan.

Stay cool naturally. The proper construction of the house has
much to do with cooling it. Those built with adobe or heavy masonry
and earth shelters are more naturally cooled. Higher ceilings in
older houses are helpful. Porches (my old residence has porches on
three sides) certainly help keep the place cool. So will roofs
covered with light colored roofing materials. Increased insulation
is of value provided warm air is exhausted from insulated space as
discussed in the previous suggestion. Awnings are helpful as are
curtains and window shading devices. Some new window sun-screening
covers are highly effective, either free standing or as films
attached to window panes on the sunny sides of houses.

Those structures shaded by large trees (my residence is so
blessed) have perhaps the most efficient natural cooling. Properly
placed shade trees can reduce house temperatures by twenty-five
degrees in July. Other helpful hints include planting tall annuals
or perennials (such as sunflowers or Jerusalem artichokes) outside
windows to act as natural sun screens. Window boxes of flowers such
as morning glories, growing on homemade lattices of twine, provide
summer greenery and actually reduce temperatures as well.

Some people attempt to dehumidify houses to cool them, but AC
devices will have the same effect without throwing excess heat back
into the dehumidified space. People living in heavily congested
areas may find some of these hints do not apply to them. Elderly
persons and those with certain breathing conditions may justifiably
prefer AC. Asphalt parking outside of their windows allows a super-
heated stream of air to enter when windows are open. If you must use
AC, use it moderately and at the highest temperature comfortable.
Maintain the AC unit properly. Cool only rooms in use by means of
modular cooling devices rather than central units. Acquire new units
only after comparing labeled energy efficiency ratings.

July 8, 2005 Other Cooling Practices

Apart from the condition of the residence or office space
itself, there are numerous other practices that help us keep cool.

The first cooling practice relates to maintaining a comfort zone
for healthy people. Americans often tolerate cooler summer
temperatures inside air conditioned (AC) space than they tolerate in
heated space in winter. Incredible? Hardly, for we have found this
phenomenon during numerous environmental resource assessments. A
building will be cooled to 62-65 degrees Fahrenheit in summer and the
same space heated to 75 degrees in winter. The difference between
what is tolerated in summer (62), if allowed in winter, and the 75
degrees, if allowed in summer, could save close to one-third of many
heating/cooling bills. One can argue for personal psychological
tolerance and try to get dwellers to accept as natural 75 degree
interior space in summer and 62 degree space in winter. Be familiar
with thermometer readings and feelings. By the way, every study shows
that higher summer temperatures and lower winter temperatures are
more healthy and cut colds and respiratory disease.

A second practice relates to cooler foods in summer. Besides
seasonal iced drinks and desserts, how about putting cold soups, more
chilled salads and cold cuts on the menu? Make it a practice to have
fewer cooked dishes -- especially those using hot sauces and needing
to be served steaming hot. If summer cooking is done in larger
batches and leftovers used on succeeding days, kitchen cooking time
can be reduced, which naturally cuts interior heat generation. Also
batch cooling saves time and energy.

A third practice is perhaps too obvious, that is, wear lighter
clothing to bed and throughout the house. It may come as a surprise
but some folks will wear the same things in winter and summer and
never realize that their clothes add to their discomfort in July.
Wearing light colored clothing outdoors will be helpful as well --
yet we in semi-tropical America still cling to clerical black.

Use appliances less in summer and only in the cooler parts of
the day. With energy overloads occurring in some parts of the
country, this is getting to be a standard request from hard- strapped
energy companies. Certain operations such as washing and,
especially, drying clothes in the hotter parts of the day add to the
humidity and heat load of the residence. Keeping computers and
recording equipment on standby adds something to heat load as well --
for every little bit counts. Remember converting to compact
fluorescent bulbs saves energy, not only in the lighting itself, but
also in the lessened heat load of the house, an added incentive for
both AC and fan users.

A final practice is too well known to all. Take a cold shower
or jump into a pool of cool water when things get too muggy and hot.
As kids, we would retreat to our basement area for it was far cooler
down below ground. That tells us much about cool housing that is
partial or totally underground. Stay cool.

July 9, 2005 National Ice Cream Day

Ice cream has been an American summer food event for about one
hundred and fifty years. When ice became readily available (either
from ice storage houses or ice-making machines), the creation of
different flavored ice creams became a national pastime -- and the
eating of them a universal treat. Why not have a day to remind us of
our past history? Ice cream is to be enjoyed in moderation, and
this means a little but not too much, for it is rich, very rich.

Those sensitive about weight or excess fat may ask why take the
effort to celebrate this day? I prefer to speak up for ice cream in
the context of moderation. A little of most good things is okay; a
lot of most good things is not.

Don't indulge in rich ice cream except on special occasions.
We didn't have ice cream except on Sunday when I was a kid. We would
buy a block of ice for a dime at the local ice plant after church,
take it home, and put the block into a gunny sack and smash it into
crushed ice with the flat side of an old axe. A metal container of
ice cream ingredients along with a stirrer was placed in a wooden ice
cream freezer or maker; then the crushed ice was packed round the
cylinder along with salt to lower the temperature so that the cream
and flavor ingredients would freeze in a suitable time. A turning
device was attached to the freezer and the "fun" began.

The turning was the problem and took about as much energy as
the ice cream would yield. And the turning got tougher and tougher
as the ice cream hardened. Finally we turners judged that the ice
cream was ready and begged Mama to let us test the results. We
removed the metal lid and the stirring bar dripping with ice cream
"firsts" for the turners. Then we all became satisfied with the
gallon and a half of dessert at the end of Sunday dinner and even
beyond.

The point in our Sunday operation is that ice cream could be
regarded as an occasional but not regular treat. If an everyday
occurrence, it may have a fattening effect and not be as heartily
enjoyed. Our family ice cream treats were flavored by the fruit of
the season (cherry, strawberry, peach) or standard flavors (vanilla,
pineapple, butterscotch, banana, and chocolate). In winter we made
a Christmas treat called "tooty fruity," which had dried candied
fruits along with a touch of bourbon to give flavor, but not enough
to prevent the mixture from freezing.

Kids love ice cream, and watching them eat is almost as
enjoyable as doing so ourselves. Treating others when we are on a
limited diet may be as gratifying as eating the stuff when we
shouldn't. There is always a second approach to not eating what we
like so much. For an occasional July treat, eat a low fat, low carb
substitute, or an ice rather than ice cream, or a soya alternative
not made from dairy products. These substitutes will cool equally
and allow us to enjoy at treat with others who indulge in the real
thing.

All of us, human beings and all creation, are expecting the
kingdom of heaven to be ultimately coming. We are people who are to
listen and hear the words being spoken and then spread the Good News
to others. This aspect of God's kingdom is what we focus on today.

Jesus knows the mentality of farmers and gardeners. Only some
seed will produce results. Sowers perform an act of trust each time
they sow. However, some of the seed falls by the wayside; some
withers on barren land; some takes good root and produces a fruitful
harvest. This fruitful growth is the way that both individuals and
communities of faith grow. People differ from one another. Some
fail to develop and even become a burden on the community, seeming to
draw from it rather than contributing to it. Others are very
positive and produce much, and they enable the community to continue
to grow.

This parable parallels that of the vine grower in St. John's
Gospel and involves the use of agricultural method and mentality:

* Everything begins small and contains an uncertainty about the
final product;

* Plants need moisture at the critical moment of beginning to
sprout. The moisture is our connectedness with Christ. Without this
needed water, the word that is being sown will wither and die;

Just as from the heavens the rain and snow come down ... so
shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth; my word shall not
return to me void, but shall do my will, achieving the end for which
I sent it. (Isaiah 55: 10-11)

* Seed sprouts also need minerals and nutrients; we need to be
nourished by the sacraments found in the Church's fertile soil;

* Seed must continue to grow on fertile ground; we the hearers
need protection from the temptations of the world;

* Seed is found in a world with other fruit bearers and weeds
that can choke it; we also bear fruit as part of the community of
believers by hearing and responding to the word of God;

* Fruitful seed is able to produce further seed for future
sowing; we help create the future through the good works we do here
and now;

* Seed can be quite fruitful far beyond its original quantities,
and it can be productive in other parts of the world. It is like an
invasive species of plants, except in a good sense. The word of God
is meant to be spread, and we hearers have a role in bringing this
about as sowers of that message.

July 11, 2005 Captive Nations Week

This specified week seems to have had greater impact in the last
half of the 20th century with the captive Baltic states and other
parts of Eastern Europe and central Asia behind the Iron Curtain.
Does it still have meaning?

Perhaps the answer rests in our viewpoint about the self-
determination of peoples. What about the inhabitants of Tibet who
still suffer under Chinese domination? What about the Georgian
people who would like to see the Russian military bases dismantled
before 2008 as promised? What about the Kurds whose homeland has
been divided for far too long between Turkey, Iraq, Iran and even a
strip of northeastern Syria? Are the Basque people captive in Spain,
or Albanians in parts of former Yugoslavia? Captivity may mean a
desire for complete freedom that is currently denied or a forceful
integration of a people who desire autonomy. It may work in the
opposite direction, for prior to the fall of the Berlin Wall, many
East Germans wanted reunification. Does the same apply to the North
Koreans who languish under a totalitarian state and would like to
belong to one Korea? What about reunification of Cyprus?

If we take this matter a little further we find that "captivity"
may apply to more of the world, a world where dominating political or
economic systems restrict the lives of residents in some fashion.
Certainly the 1.2 billion Chinese come to mind or maybe some of the
people of the Middle East. What about some of the African states
with totalitarian and corrupt leaders? Maybe we should even ask
about the Native American nations within our North American borders,
who are highly restricted as to their nationhood. In this expanded
sense, maybe a majority of the world's people suffer from some form
of captivity -- and does it stop there?

Are we Americans somehow captive? Is it within the total
concept of freedom to say that Americans live in a captivity under
subtle form of capitalistic materialism. The news this morning
included a report that six or more states have introduced financial
courses in public high schools; it sounds progressive at first, but
the contents included how to use credit cards and management of
indebtedness. Is this not a banking plot? Why the credit cards, and
are we reaching a point where we can't do without them? What about
the over-the-counter drugs and the captivity of the medical
profession to pushing these high-priced lucrative medicines? What
about the prevalent addictions to drugs, tobacco, and liquor?

Captive Nations Week may have more significance today than one
might first think. Different sorts of roads to freedom from
captivity are intertwined on this globe. Traveling one them is an
on-going experience and requires the continued vigilance of the
people both within a country in question and throughout the world.
We are responsible for helping to uphold freedom wherever it
languishes. It is important that each people look into its own
culture and find out whether forms of restriction or "captivity"
exist in quite unexpected ways. Let's take another look.

July 12, 2005 Discouraging Insect Pests with Plants

July finds insects invading our garden plots. We can talk
about organic gardening involving no commercial synthetic chemicals,
but what practices can we use that are as effective as commercial
pesticides? Certainly, effective but milder substitutes must be out
there. A number of herbs, flowers and other plants do repel pests.
None may have the finality of a heavy dose of pesticide, but that
heavy dose stays in the soil, clings to harvested produce, and
escapes as run off to harm innocent wildlife. Some of the plants and
mulches with which we are familiar can be interplanted to target
certain pests:

*Castor bean -- plant lice and also vole and mole
Eggplant -- varieties of potato bug
Flax -- Colorado potato beetle, potato bug
Garlic -- weevil, aphid
Green beans -- Colorado potato beetle
Horseradish -- potato bug
Lavender -- moth
Legumes -- mosquito
Marigold -- many insects if densely planted
Mint -- black flea beetle, cabbage worm butterfly, moth
Nasturtium -- aphid, squash bug
Oak leaf mulch -- cutworm, slug, June bug grub
(also Tanbark)
Pennyroyal -- ant, plant lice
Potato -- Mexican bean beetle
Radish -- striped cucumber beetle
Rosemary -- malaria mosquito, cabbage worm butterfly
Rue -- common fly
Sage -- moth
Spearmint -- ant, aphid
Stinging nettle -- black fly, aphid, moth
Tansy -- ant, common fly
Thyme -- cabbage worm butterfly
White Geranium -- Japanese beetle
Wormwood -- black flea beetle, common fly, mosquito

This list shows that planting a herb bed near a producing garden
has benefits beyond the resulting produce and the aesthetic value.
It also indicates that interplanting proves more effective than
planting a cluster of these herbs at one end or even at a distance
from the insect target area. Many of these pest control plants are
only mild deterrents, meaning that a large number of target
vegetables may be infected, if the plant control is limited.

* The castor or mole bean, familiar in American and European
gardens, produces beautiful green and red foliage and stalks in
summer and autumn. However, the bean cluster is highly poisonous; if
grown, the castor bean should be kept out of the reach of livestock
and children.

July 13, 2005 Insect Pest Controls by Animals

Since the publication of Rachel Carson's book, Silent Spring,
attention has focused on chemical pesticides that have done harm to
wildlife. When I first wrote on this subject a quarter of a century
ago, two of the ten rare peregrine falcons known in Alberta province,
Canada had the egg shells of their offspring broken; the thin-walled
shells resulted from small amounts of DDT along with the degradation
product DDE in the mother. With reduced use of this highly toxic
pesticide, fewer bird losses have been observed in recent years.

Animals can do better than plants in actually eliminating
insect pests. The human animal can move through the garden and
manually pick and destroy the culprits. I killed thousands of
tobacco (or horned-tomato) worms in my youth. Also I found that
evening primrose attracts Japanese beetles with such selectivity that
it can be interplanted. A gardener can take a wide-mouth jar and
collect the day's beetle cohort quite effectively before the beetles
ever taste their second-choice beans or other crops.

A number of insect traps for various culprits have been
suggested, some more effective than others. Attracting and drowning
slugs in beer has always sounded quite expensive to me, but gardeners
say it works. Many attractants simply bring the insects from the
surrounding countryside, some of which are killed, but more are now
present with good appetites. Ringing certain target trees with a
sticky ribbon does help to protect them.

Certain insects and other animals may protect garden produce and
should be encouraged. One favorite is the ladybug, a variety that
has actually became a bothersome invasive species; still it feasts
heavily on aphids in garden and greenhouse. The praying mantis
(named for the way it holds its claws) can devour a number of worm
insects. Various wasps and the non-threatening mud dauber should be
tolerated as much as possible. Spiders are also friends to us and
enemies to many pests. Among less well known friends are ground
beetles, aphid lions, assassin bugs, centipedes, ant lions, and
dragon flies.

The animal kingdom includes many friends to the garden. The
best known are the many birds, which are quite aware when chemical
pesticides are used on lawn and garden -- and they avoid such places.
The Cherokee Indians invited purple martins through the use of nests
made from gourds hung at strategic locations; they recognized that
these martins could keep an inhabited site essentially mosquito-free.
Bats have the ability to do much the same and should also be
encouraged. Frogs, toads and lizards have an appetite for many of
the garden insect pests, and should always be tolerated and
encouraged. Snakes can remove varmints that might hurt the garden.
Non-poisonous snakes should be tolerated and encouraged; the rest
should be respected. The list of friendly animals also includes
skunks, shrews and weasels, but these may be disliked for other
reasons. All in all, insect pests have many enemies, most of which
could be invited to assist in growing things.

July 14, 2005 France and Europe

On Bastille Day it is fitting to consider France. It has been
on our minds since late May when large numbers of both French and
Dutch citizens voted against the European Union's (EU's)
constitution, even over the pleas for acceptance by the government
leaders who were pressing for ratification. Disappointment was
registered throughout Europe and on this side of the Atlantic as
well, for many wanted this new EU system to succeed. My personal
reaction was bitter sweet. I understand some of the French mentality
because that is my own ancestry, and I agree with commentators that
the reasons for rejection are complex. Why the massive negative
vote? Didn't it go beyond a mere rejection of the currently
unpopular government.

Independence. French people don't like to be expected to follow
the consensus line in everything -- or should we say anything? The
nation differed with much of Western Europe over the stationing of
American troops on its soil during the Cold War. France likes to be
independent and to think independently. In some ways it has been the
leader in western European cooperation and in forming the European
Union itself.

More bureaucracy. That 500-page EU constitution is another
matter. It contains more than simple folks can grasp, and sounds
terribly bureaucratic. Any single national government has enough
bureaucrats, so why more? It sounds like rules on top of rules.

Cultural unease. The fact that the document was overwhelmingly
favored in urban areas and overwhelmingly rejected in rural ones may
indicate something more. Whether by devotion, religiosity or
sentimentality, the rural countryside is afraid that church bells
will be replaced in a few years by mullahs calling the faithful to
prayers at a mosque. John Paul II spoke against an EU constitution
that did not mention the Christian heritage; the memory of the Pope
along with that of Joan of Arc and Charles Martel could have combined
with a vague uneasiness that Moslem Turkey will be accepted into the
Union and preliminary EU outlooks will change. Secular experts
overlooked these cultural reasons just as many political commentators
discounted support for Bush among the religious right in America.

Erosion of leadership. When the beginnings of unification
occurred after the Second World War with five neighboring countries,
France was the keystone holding the group together. West Germany was
equal in size, but France exerted the major influence. With the EU
membership now rising to 25 and soon to expand, France is feeling
more like a single state in much the same role as mother Virginia in
the expanding United States). Eventually France will account of only
one-tenth of the EU population. Even that prominently diplomatic
French language is now one of many spoken and always threatened on
the northwest by the United Kingdom's and Ireland's English. The
rejection may result in an interlude to rethink some of the basic
foundation principles of a U.S. rival called "The European Union."
And the French have taken a lead in this reconsideration process.

July 15, 2005 Jogger's Lament

Lord, what makes people jog,
in sunshine, wind, sleet and fog,
spending time in shoes that clog,
dodging cars, potholes, excited dog?

Why do they endure such pain,
weary legs, muscle strain,
raw groins, ankle sprain.
and yet they seldom complain?

What makes them run the extra mile,
to pass another with a fleeting smile,
or dress just right to be in style,
or show the social grace of rank and file?

How can they keep the furious pace,
turning every day into a prized race,
or heading out to a meeting pace,
or just establishing breathing space?

When will they stop -- in their old age,
or when falls make them turn a safer page,
or when they don't need the center stage,
or begin to earn a steady wage?

Don't jogging questions need reply,
like running gear that one must buy,
when preparing for that runner's high,
that natural way to reach the sky.

Count the steps, meditate;
observe the scene, contemplate;
reach the wall, hallucinate;
call it fun, rejuvenate.

Now good Christians please step aside,
help the competitor from breaking stride,
and come right up to the finish tide,
step back and overcome perverse pride.

It's time now to call it a day,
when one is unsure of the step or way,
may younger ones continue the play,
fun while it lasted, hey, hey, allay.

July 16, 2005 Summer Hikes

We mention hiking more than any other outdoor activity, and
there is a reason for this. Hiking is a favorite for a wide span of
ages, for all seasons of the year, and for people of varied talents.
Through hiking, we are able to experience the outdoors in a more
intimate way. I remember certain hikes vividly, including those on
the Appalachian Trail, on the Kabob Trail in the Grand Canyon, in
British Columbia, in Puerto Rico and in the hills of Alsace. For
some reason, those trails that we walk only once remain along with
examples of their flora and fauna. Hiking imprints something on our
brain that makes us appreciate the hike long after the event.

Having said this we all know summer hiking is a little less
enjoyable than hiking in cooler seasons. Here are some tips to
increase the joy of walking in summertime:

Carry only what is necessary. Keep belongings light in summer
day hikes and well planned on longer ones. Every ounce counts. In my
regular day hikes in the Daniel Boone National Forest, I leave my
water bottle after a good swig about at the half-way mark, so I won't
have to lug it the entire distance; I retrieve it on the way back.

Know where you are. I remember we got lost by misinterpreting
a trail in the Blue Lakes region of southeastern Colorado and never
found the right path until after a night lost in the woods. While
such an experience is an adventure, a proper interpretation of maps
and a compass will help when unfamiliar with the territory.

Provide sufficient time. Hiking needs a certain leisure
atmosphere in order to be enjoyable. That is true in all seasons but
especially in summer. Somewhere, and I don't recall exactly where,
I wanted to say that I hiked a trail, and so I jogged the walking
trail for a piece since time was short. While many places remain in
memory, I can't recall the time and location of that trail, only its
sweaty quick visit.

Prepare for eventualities on longer hikes. Day hikes can be
easily overdone, since we don't normally have to have snake kits,
cell phones and ponchos if we know the territory and expected weather
conditions. What could be of help in a light day hike are a walking
stick, water, good shoes, adequate clothes, some high energy food
snack, and perhaps a pocket knife. If some want to be free of
mosquitoes, how about putting the protecting substance on before
launching on the hike? It might prove wise to let people know where
you are going and to carry an identification.

Record if you like. Some hikers like to carry cameras, but
summer may not prove to be as photogenic as in spring or fall along
regular routes. Since cameras are so light weight, they turn out to
be good recorders on hikes. Make written notes upon return.

Choose companions well. Some like a solitary walk, others
prefer to walk with loved ones. Make sure they're hikers.

July 17, 2005 The Parable of the Weeds and Leniency

Matthew's Gospel focuses on an understanding of the kingdom of
heaven. Last Sunday's parable about the sower and the seed differs
from the parable of the weeds. There, seed was the word of God;
here seed is a person. We are fruitful seed when good; we are weeds
when evil. But the difference has an added element; the good and
bad are to coexist until the final harvest, lest the uprooting
process disturb the good seed.

The parable of the weeds, minus the later commentary, tells a
clear story of tolerance in the face of disturbance. Those who sow
dissension are not to be deliberately torn out, but allowed to
coexist with others. The lesson applies all too often, when our
impatience tempts us to remove trouble and to do so expeditiously.
We may be acting more or less according to our own macho image or our
desire to be a tough guy in achieving some goal.

The reading from the Book of Wisdom (12: 13-19) extends this
discussion of leniency to the God of the Old Testament, who is often
viewed as too harsh and judgmental. What the Book of Wisdom shows
clearly is a God who is merciful, who gives us time to repent our
faults, and who is just and therefore is also kind. On reflecting on
our own experiences we discover that God really is merciful beyond
any of our limited definitions.

This raises the question as to how we are to be lenient as
individuals. Our personality may drive us to over-leniency, but, if
that is the case, we are often under pressure not to show it. A
forgiving spirit allows us to overcome past grievances and rise above
them to reestablish a damaged or lost friendship. We can reconnect
with old friends and repair relationships frayed by strife. A
merciful spirit allows us to fully integrate a person back into the
community. An open and listening spirit allows us to become an ear
for someone struggling with an addiction or personality deficiency.
The hardest obstacle to full community participation is when holding
to an unforgiving personal agenda.

Leniency needs to apply to the non-forgiving world in which we
live. We can expound eloquently about the lack of forgiveness in a
prison system, where "three strikes and a person is out" means life
in prison for stealing three small things on different occasions.
Yes, we have a society desperately in need of leniency.

However, having said this there remains a problem. When is
leniency overdone? When do we allow the system to coopt us and
smother out the good that is being done while we fail to resist in an
effort to be silent and patient? It is one thing to practice
patience when evil is all about, but should we resist when the entire
system has a perverse effect, when the economics and culture are such
that people are turned into materialists, and when people are unable
to resist these pressures? Is there a time when leniency has its
limits and we must speak up? Shouldn't we defend the poor against a
culture of perversion? And is that part of the weeds?

July 18, 2005 Space Week

Space Week needs to be considered in various ways. Outer space
is part of the unexplored as our globe was before the 16th century
and Antarctica was until the 20th century. It is out there beckoning
explorers, but the venturing out is an expensive proposition -- and
who has to foot the bill? See April 17, 2004, on down-to-Earth
alternatives. Having said this, there are still several topics that
need to be discussed this Space Week.

The space program goes beyond the Cold War contest between the
Soviet Union and the United States. For those of us who remember the
Sputnik challenge of the 1950s the space program became a game of
material greatness and technological sophistication. And billions of
dollars were spent. Other nations such as Japan and the European
Union entered the fray with less fanfare, but also with utter
determination. The EU program is now 30 years old and missions are
going today to two of the planets and a comet. Such countries as
China and India are launching weather and communications satellites
and the list of nations will undoubtedly grow in the coming decades.
Let's concede that exploration and scientific research at the
International Space Station has its good qualities provided the
resources used to maintain such programs are not too extensive.
Certainly such ventures are better than waging wars to create the
world to more our own image.

Space pollution. But space exploration has its down side as
well. Is not space pollution (an assortment of spent launching
debris and spent parts) an emerging problem which could damage
vessels on future mission or do harm on dropping back to Earth? The
amount of material now cluttering up our own atmosphere is considered
by some environmentalists to be sizeable and to require some form of
regulation. Avoidance devices, however costly, could be used on
space vessels during future explorations.

Space travel. The fictional stories about escaping our polluted
planet for another always involve expensive gadgets of a Star Wars
variety, along with the privileged few people selected to populate
outer space. One gets an awful feeling that we are to pay for this
without any personal benefits whatsoever. What about elite space
travel for the very privileged as discussed on May 13, 2004
reflection? Awards were given earlier this year to a successful
private traveling vessel that could carry these super-rich tourists
out to the reaches of moon and planets. Again, it is a program
conceived for the elite, while impoverished people down on Earth die
from lack of sufficient food and medicine.

Military possibilities. One of the emerging problems that is
fueled in part by the space/military industry is the placement of
weapons in outer space. A combination of permissiveness on the part
of our taxpayers, imperialism on the part of leaders, and greed on
the part of the existing space and defense industry will perhaps see
such undertakings succeed in the coming years. Are we all "spacey"
or lacking in common sense? Perhaps.

July 19, 2005 Wildlife Controls

In dry hot July, wildlife looks at the garden with a desire to
munch on the greenery there. I quote from a friend, "You talk about
wildlife protection, but we are inundated with deer and rabbits and
groundhogs. What about garden and shrub protection?"

Some points of this essay deserve to be repeated under the
aspect of controlling wildlife, a subject not directly treated in
these Reflections. Wildlife control is an essential portion of many
of our Environmental Resource Assessments, because so many folks out
there are pestered by excessive wildlife in limited urban and
suburban green space; the wildlife populations lack sufficient
numbers of predator species for natural wildlife control.

Predator controls. Most likely, excess wildlife will be
controlled to some degree by the filling of the predator niche in the
eastern part of the United States by the coyote. These animals have
an appetite for rabbits and smaller wildlife, and in many parts of
the country are able to keep such creatures under reasonable control.
If foxes and wildcats were to expand in number they would do the
same.

Human controls. I have protected my garden produce in the past
by fences, hot pepper, and dogs near the area where sensitive beans
are grown, and more recently through growing specific plants that
wildlife avoid. Much of our current wildlife problem has been the
result of the introduction of game species (deer, turkey, etc.),
which invade areas due to their lack of sufficient feeding grounds.
Better game control would curb this problem quite quickly. Double
fencing to keep out deer has been highly effective, but many do not
like the idea of constructing two parallel fences just to prove that
there is no other wildlife control that works.

Plant controls. Wildlife is selective in what it eats. I have
always grown crops that the local wildlife does not like, in other
words, adjusting human tastes to wildlife tastes. Forget about corn
-- they love it. However, that obviously has its limitations and so
one finds that certain vegetables disliked by wildlife can be
interplanted within the garden and have some effect. By putting
garlic and mustard greens around the border you can dissuade rabbits
from searching beyond the outer boundary to find what they would like
beyond. Hot pepper solutions applied to plants in some semi-
permanent soap or emulsion form can be quite effective against
rabbits and deer, but applying them constantly is inconvenient.

Ultimate control. "The deer population in America is out of
control," says the critics. When performing environmental resource
assessments, we encourage all who eat meat to consider eating their
local produce -- and that includes nutritious and organic venison.
That is one ultimate control that should be considered in a world
that should not be patronizing corporate cattle, chicken and hog
operations. Think local, think deer sausage. However, spare Bambie
and go after the older stock. Rabbit, squirrel and even groundhog
can be quite tasty as well.

July 20, 2005 Light Pollution and Moon Day

The moon is shining brightly in the skies in pristine
unpolluted places this evening. But that is not the case everywhere
on the Earth. I once camped in Montana or Big Sky County and must
testify that the sky was brilliant in a way I only experienced a few
other times, namely in the Peru/Bolivia border region where there is
virtually no electricity to create a glare. Weather conditions
certainly have something to do with visibility on a particular night.
But in more populated urban areas the glare of street, business and
residential lighting makes the heavenly bodies fade into a misty
distance. The clarity of the brilliant outer space and the Milky Way
is not visible to so many nature-starved urban residents who suffer
from "light pollution." It is sad that the ancient Greeks and other
tribes and peoples had such a scenic vista, and so many people today
are deprived of this.

It is poignant to reflect on this form of modern environmental
pollution during Space Week. Light pollution is a major problem in
areas such as Tucson, Arizona, where urban telescopes and
observatories are located. Other observational devices are at
educational institutions and parks near the heart of many
metropolitan centers. We see how brightly such centers are lit, when
we fly over a countryside at night. The lights of a distant city
send a glow that is seen for miles from an airliner. This lighting
is highly restricted during war, as in the famous blackouts during
the Second World War, when drivers drove about with dimmed lights,
street lighting was curbed, and windows were blackened.

Can light pollution be restricted without blackouts? Some
remedial actions could be carried out. Reflection shields could
direct the lighting downward where the pedestrian and driver could
benefit but many of the light rays would not escape outward to the
atmosphere. Shields would decrease but not eliminate this form of
modern pollution. Unnecessary lighting, especially on highways,
could be reduced with no major problems, though some drivers would
complain. We have come a long way from the old street lamps of the
19th century, and some expect night lighting of sufficient
illumination to allow them to read a newspaper anywhere throughout an
entire city. Such expectations!

Merely turning off unnecessary lights is not viewed as a
realistic solution, for it runs counter to current tendencies. Quite
often, safety issues in high crime areas are calling for increased
lighting of streets and parking areas, and so the tendency is towards
more and more lighting in parks, on campuses and throughout cities.
One university plant manager said during an environmental resource
assessment that I was the first to complain to him about too much
lighting. The vast majority of parents and students want more.
As we near the July Full Buck Moon (full moon), we know this Moon Day
draws us to see our heavenly companion as a soft light of night. The
truth is that many metropolitan dwellers will have to travel away
from their cities in order to fully enjoy the moon and stars at
night. For want of a better solution, the trip may be worth it.

July 21, 2005 Life is Terminal

Most youngsters who enjoy summer vacation months dream, as I did
when young, that the summer will never end. The locust and cricket
songs together with the burning rays of summer sun seem to be
unchanging. This is generally not a mood conjured up in fresh busy
June when the previous year's academic activities are closing down or
remain fresh in memory; nor is it an August phenomenon when the
summer does appear to have an ending, for school is restarting with
its rushed preparations and frenzied activities. Rather, time's
seeming endlessness is a July phenomenon -- and really is more a
daydream that keeps lingering. Why do good things have to end? What
if they lasted and lasted?

This July mood is not reserved to young people alone. It really
extends to all ages of life, probably even to elders with a shortened
time left. It is a mood found among middle-aged people in the midst
of their own short-term vacations or among healthy retirees, who are
enjoying good moments and happy occasions with loved ones. Why do
current things have to end? Isn't there a certain theological
content to that question -- a longing for what will endure in
eternity, but a hope that eternity is starting right now.

I doubt whether this daydream mood is very enduring among either
the young or older folks. The realities of a medical report, or
taking out the garbage, or a home crisis this evening brings a person
of any age back to reality. Rather the hope for present endlessness
is closer to a temptation not to regard life as it really is --
terminal. Don't even think about such things. Don't talk about
death, but rather about the unfortunate person's "passing," as though
he or she just stepped behind the curtain for a rest break. At the
viewing of a body, we often hear that the bereaved looks as though in
temporary sleep, even when we must confess there is little
resemblance to the former living person. Have you ever gone into the
funeral parlor and wondered if you are in the right place?

Too few people face death and make simple preparations (see
Reflections for September 24, 2004). Most put them off or give them
little thought. When we hear that a terminally ill person goes to
pick out the coffin, we regard it as unusual, quaint, or at best
heroic. It is like life insurance, something that must be there but
is not regarded as ever needing activation. In fact, most would say
that an occasional essay on the terminal nature of life is somewhat
morbid. However, on second thought, when major accidents do occur we
become aware of how hard the unprepared deceased has made it for
those who have to make the final funeral arrangements. Updating
preparations makes life so much easier for the survivors, and so
occasional regard to our own ending is an act of charity for all
concerned. While writing this, I feel good about recently updating
my personal funeral folder (at the insistence of my Jesuit superior).
I'm just looking to see whether my current license has organ donation
filled out. It doesn't, even though I promote such donations and had
my past auto license properly notarized. July days are ideal for
putting such things in order. Let's be realistic: life is terminal.

July 22, 2005 Fighting for the Landless

We need space to live, reside, recreate and enjoy life. Both
as individuals and as social groups we want our own places, whether
a room, garden plot, or farm. Our physical and psychic well-being
demands privacy, a chance to contact the soil, and ample moving
space. We often have to be satisfied with a small room, a potted
plant, a favorite walkway, a frequented park.

Population pressures deny some folks the space essential for a
higher quality of life. This leads some to be usurpers on others'
"property." The non-landed lack access to land, even though their
grandparents were farmers able to procure land at low cost. While
suburbanites have some space, half the American people do not.
Maine's two thousand miles of coastland are privatized to such an
extent that only a small fraction of shore can be enjoyed by the
landless citizens. This closed condition extends beyond beach rights
and includes vast tracts of land. The Earth contains over fifty
million square miles of surface land (36.8 billion acres or about six
acres per person). A sizeable portion of this land is uninhabitable,
but a large amount of space is not needed to satisfy basic human
needs.

Human beings have a right to land access even though the land
does not have to be distributed according to some specific formula.
As in many cultures, this land may be "commons" held in communal
control and with specific distribution through proper community
authorities. What the Creator never intended was that some owners
would have enormous tracts of land and others nothing. In order to
improve land distribution the following are some possible programs:

* Urban homesteading of unused, mismanaged and abandoned lots,
buildings and open space;

* Turning over of excess religious and non-profit land holdings
for the use of the neighborhood for community gardens and
recreational space;

* Making state and national forestlands available for meeting
non-destructive recreational needs, and forbidding the use of such
lands for timbering by a special interest group;

* Limiting foreign or non-agricultural land investment or
ownership by outsiders and giving credit to those seeking to resettle
rural lands through redistribution programs;

* Helping support Third World redistribution projects and
assistance with tools and basic supplies for pioneer farmer families;

* Encouraging backyard gardens and use of available public free
space for urban gardening projects; and

* Directing federal farm subsidies to small-scale specialty
crops rather than to large corporate agricultural operations.

July 23, 2005 Skygazing and the Perseid Meteor Showers

Tonight, as we conclude Space Week, we realize that the Perseid
Meteor Shower is beginning. This is a natural night light show that
is extremely entertaining for all ages. It makes us stop and wonder
about the heavens, the rising and setting of planets, the appearance
of comets, and the beginning and end of the cosmos as we look out
into a tiny fraction of it. We can follow the examples of the great
mystic, St. Ignatius of Loyola, who would spend many night hours
looking up at the heavens and conversing with the Creator of the
Universe. Prayerful skygazing is a form of meditation.

As already mentioned on July 20th, many eager potential sky-
gazers will be hindered from viewing such heavenly spectacles because
they live in areas of night light pollution. However, the degree of
hindrance will vary depending on weather conditions; the topography
which can shield areas from night glare; and the magnitude of night
lighting in the vicinity. If and when residents can travel to
clearer sky, they should be assured that the possible camping trip
will be worth it. The percentage of the world's population who can
truly skygaze declines each year through urbanization and increasing
light pollution. Other allurements such as video games and
television may distract from this fundamental night pastime for many
ancient and even current primitive peoples and others.

In fact, primitive people have been keen observers; often they
developed a vast sophisticated knowledge of the heavens. They
learned about the changing constellations through the seasons, the
exact position of stars with reference to local direction, the rising
and setting of the planets, the phases of the moon, and the position
of the sun in summer and winter as well as the length of day and
night. Skygazing was thus more than an entertainment; it was an
opportunity to refine one's observational skills. People told
stories based on the star formations and wove them into the written
or spoken cultural traditions. We westerners are somewhat more aware
of the ancient Greek names for constellations and how they interact
with each other. The bodies of the heavens became gods and goddesses
for Greek and other cultures. It seemed that for these people the
heavens were their national library to which they had daily access.
That was true of many of the tribes around the globe and their oral
and written traditions prove this. In fact, some of these ancient
civilizations observed all the planets long before their recent
rediscovery in the last century.

Very ancient traditions recorded extraordinary events in the
dawn of human awareness, when an unexpected heavenly body came close
to the Earth on its journey to the sun. The close call caused the
possible breaking up of a planet in our solar system and affected our
Earth's polarity and rotational patterns, as well as created a
violent wind, water, volcano, and earthquake super-phenomenon of a
magnitude never before or since recorded. Read about this in the
very interesting and well documented book Cataclysm: Compelling
Evidence of a Cosmic Catastrophe in 9500 B.C. by D.S. Allan and J.B.
Delair (Santa Fe, New Mexico: Bear & Company, 1997).

July 24, 2005 The Kingdom of Heaven: A Priceless Treasure

During the liturgical year A, we study the Gospel of Matthew.
And a central theme of this Gospel is the kingdom of heaven. This
kingdom can be remote to us for two reasons: we Americans, being
republican people, prefer to avoid association with a kingdom; we as
earth-bound people also prefer to avoid the subject of heaven.

Looked at more closely, this kingdom is God's reign in our world
-- the "Thy Kingdom come" of the Our Father. It is already partly
fulfilled in the life, death and resurrection of Christ and in the
establishment of the body of Christ -- the Church -- in our world.
But it is not fully achieved. Full achievement involves our
participation in bringing it about. We participate by not standing
back and letting others do the work. We are like the merchant in
today's gospel reading who is searching for fine pearls, or the
treasure hunter who buys a field where the treasure is buried, or the
fishers who haul the full net into the shore to sort through the
treasures caught.

Besides actively participating, we must have a singular focus on
the works at hand. We are dedicated to seeing that the kingdom comes
about and do not participate in a half-hearted manner. The merchant
sells all of his possessions in order to obtain his desired treasure.
In his mind it is so worthwhile that he disowns everything else. His
dedication reminds us of the actions and writings of saints who gave
up everything to follow the Lord.

The third aspect is that the search for the kingdom involves a
knowledge of its value, the difference between salvation and
damnation, the wisdom it takes to know how important this struggle
over the kingdom is. Those who are half-hearted will fall by the
wayside as seeds that miss the fertile ground. The wisdom and
understanding demanded is similar to the favor Solomon asks of the
Lord, -- to be given an understanding heart to judge the people and
to distinguish right from wrong.

In our journey of faith, which is a search for the fullness of
the kingdom, we also need to distinguish right from wrong. And as in
Solomon's case, this seems simple -- but is it? Whether as
individuals or as a community, such discernment is not easy and
requires an atmosphere of prayerful attention. On a personal level,
do we know the difference between what is good for us here and now
and what can distract us and cause us to take a detour on our
journey? On the larger community level, should we be lenient with
our charges and friends, or should we speak out about the
materialistic allurements all around us? On the regional level, are
we enticing the wrong outside groups to exploit resources when the
residents could manage the longer-term development of the region? On
a national level, are we surrendering civil liberty and human rights
for the sake of a security that we cannot possibly achieve in the war
on terrorism? And on the world level, are we standing up for those
in greatest need or remaining silent so as to obtain some degree of
benefit from the powerful and rich? What is right and what is wrong?

July 25, 2005 Greeting and Conversing with Hispanics

Buenos Dias! Today I move beyond such mere mispronounced
greetings to a little more Spanish. I am starting a two week
elementary course in Spanish, a language that resembles Latin enough
so that I can get the general drift of descriptive writings. But my
ear is somewhat deaf and my mouth tongue-tied. I haven't had a
language class since 1957 (and that was French) and after a half
century find the ability to learn new languages to be lacking.

But the presence of so many Hispanics in church and everyday
life has made it imperative that we who deal with the public concede
that the United States is a two-language nation. With the North
American Free Trade agreement and the good will and hard work of many
Hispanic immigrants from Latin America, we have become bilingual to
our own betterment. So let's become literate and learn Spanish, even
though Hispanics with their own growing business connections and
communication networks find it less necessary to learn English.

I never thought that Spanish would be needed in Appalachian
Kentucky, where I believed Spanish only applied to prisons that had
imported Hispanic populations immersed in traditional Anglo
territory. But now the counties in much of the Midwest and Southeast
are experiencing the same immigration patterns as have existed for a
longer time on the West Coast, the Southwest, Florida, and the urban
Eastern Seaboard. Only a shrinking group of generally out-migrating
rural areas are not touched by the Hispanic migration. Amazingly, as
can be seen in the draft ethnic maps now showing on this website,
even Georgia as well as many Florida counties finds Hispanics a
predominant group.

Again, this phenomenon of Hispanic presence is for our
betterment. These hard-working, family-loving people are becoming
the bedrock of many communities. Hospitality to these people means
that we are to learn basic Spanish so that they will be able to feel
at home faster. Of course, the same could be said for Middle Eastern
or Asian immigrants, and learning their language may be imperative in
areas where they congregate. Multilingual skills are valuable; now
the United States is being shaken from its monolingualism and
starting to join much of the rest of the world. I had always hoped
that we could help those of other tongues learn English by speaking
in a basic English rather than in a language using many words with
the same meaning. The English pronunciation and spelling hurdles are
difficult enough.

Maybe, if I urge others to follow, I will be better at what is
coming in the next few weeks. I have been trying for two months to
learn a host of Spanish words. Tying them together in sentences is
another challenge. But I must learn Spanish. Too many even within
these counties count on us church leaders having such skills. Many
of these folks are poor, work hard, send money back to families, and
need support and counseling in their lives. By speaking their
language we may be better able to help. We ask protection on this
feast day of St. James, the patron of Spain.

July 26, 2005 Human Rights for All Including Terrorists

We are in an undeclared war against terrorism that has a clear
and definite beginning (9-11-01) but no perceivable conclusion.
Restrictions on liberties, which are so often enacted in times of
strife, have been imposed by the current Bush Administration in the
form of the Patriot Act, and ultimately on the treatment of prisoners
in our various terrorist detention centers at Guantanamo Bay and in
Iraq and Afghanistan. Human rights advocates are now asking
searching questions as to whether it is morally and pragmatically
right to flaunt international laws about treatment of prisoners.
Don't these prisoners have a basic right to fair trials and hearings
in court? If these are combatants in war, how can the United States
ignore the demands of the Geneva Treaty for proper treatment of war
prisoners? Are we as a country going counter to our long tradition
of liberty? Why are terrorist suspects being held indefinitely
without fair trial? The stories that have come out of these
detention places tell of horrible abuse by our own American guards.
The reports involve torture and chaining for long lengths of time,
forcing prisoners to do indecent acts, threatening them with possible
death-dealing means of interrogation, and they tell of several deaths
resulting from such treatment.

In addition to the basic morality of the situation, noted
essayist Anthony Lewis has mentioned the effects on our own mental
attitudes as a people and on our image overseas. Ignoring the need
for exercising civil liberties at all times is simply not within our
American traditions. In past times of lapses, such as the internment
of Japanese Americans in the Second World War, the actions were
regarded as temporary and were recognized as excessive shortly
afterwards; apologies and a small compensation resulted. We cannot
excuse our past failures such as the Alien and Sedition Act of the
1790s. However, we should have far fewer excuses for current actions
in the light of our long-standing experience in the delicate nature
of civil liberties and tendencies towards physical abuses.

Erosion of liberties can make a people insensitive to the human
rights of others. America is a home of the free and the brave, but
these detention stories are not ones of freedom or bravery. Rather
the detention center conduct seem to some, including a U.S. senator,
to resemble those in totalitarian nations Have our American guards
been made callous by overdoses of TV and computer games? More recent
stories about mistreatment of the Koran at Guantanamo, whether fully
accurate or not, have brought about a massive backlash against our
own country in the Moslem world, from North Africa to Indonesia. The
good will shown to America after 9-11 has eroded through the current
administration's conduct in this "war on terrorism." But more
important than the revelation of these stories is the responsibility
of the chain of command right up to the president. This
irresponsibility involves ignoring or winking at suspected torture of
people accused of terrorism, promoting a philosophy that "the end
justifies the means," and failing to allow an impartial investigation
of the allegations about prisoner treatment. Will these failures
result in continued erosion of our American civil liberties?

July 27, 2005 Environmental Building Materials

Often people want to build their permanent residences, secondary
homes, barns or storage sheds in an environmentally friendly manner.
For them, much depends on the appearance -- and building materials
make a difference in appearance. On first impulse, prospective
builders may talk about some standard building material obtained at
commercial outlets. Others may want to be more discerning and be so
bold as to suggest straw bales, which are in vogue among those so-
called greens who know little about building materials in the eastern
United States (see Special Issues #2 at this website). Still others
mention wood, stone, clay, or types of pressed earth as building
materials.

The primary environmental question when building is where is the
place to be located. A desert site would favor certain construction
materials differing from those used on a wooded mountain side or a
north country valley or seashore urban home. Once the site is
determined, builders should look for materials close at hand, whether
on their property or nearby. Existing building materials are often
of high quality and low price, and could be recycled with proper care
and caution (tearing down abandoned existing structures can be both
time consuming and dangerous for inexperienced workers). However,
demolition materials are environmentally friendly, and builders can
get bargains in the quality of older framing, windows and doors.
Consider using recycled materials whether old logs or used bricks.

Look locally, if building with virgin materials. If forestlands
are nearby, consider rough-cut nearby timber or cordwood (see April
20, 2004). If building stone is plentiful, consider this; diligent
do-it-yourselfers can construct a wonderful rock building with time
and effort -- and, like wood structures, these can be beautiful.
Others may prefer to make their own pressed earth structures, though
this requires time and care. Sometimes brick or other construction
materials are produced within a reasonable distance, which reduces
transportation costs. Some prefabricated building blocks, molded to
fit together well and quickly, can bring about a great savings in
construction costs.

Building materials for walls are only part of the total
consideration. It is possible and desirable to combine local virgin
materials (wood, stone, or clay) used for walls with recycled
materials for framing, flooring, porches, or steps. Used windows and
doors can often be obtained at bargain prices. It may mean building
the structure so that the anticipated recycled parts fit well, rather
than taking the more difficult approach of finding recycled materials
once the basic structure is in place. Again, a key to environmental
building materials is knowing what is available and planning to use
these materials well. Remember, insulating materials result in major
energy savings and construction should coincide with plans for good
insulation values. Other environmental considerations include proper
building siting and the size of the desired structure, both factors
in any green building program, which have been discussed earlier (see
April 5, 2005).

July 28, 2005 Air Travel

I only travel by air a few times a year and those are too many.
I used to find this form of travel quite exciting. Now in post 9-11
days and on getting older, I find air travel worrisome. Granted
using small airports is nice, but generally one or other terminus is
in a big city where the rush and bustle of hoping flights stay to
schedule and standing in line for ticket clearance prove
disconcerting. Seasoned travelers are more accustomed to taking off
shoes and sending everything through the x-ray machine -- and they
don't crack jokes with the inspectors either. I'm getting better
with those inspections, but they still demand severe concentration
and the possibility of a thorough search.

If annoyed, we tend to stress out and take it out on those
nearest to us. On my last plane flight, we sat on the Charlotte
terminal for 22 minutes before someone came and opened the door to
allow us to disembark. That was after a one hour delay in leaving
the ground in Philadelphia. I became more and more afraid that the
long walk to the next terminal would make me late and that I would
lose that late night flight. Luckily, it all worked out -- but the
stress was still there. Note, stress for me is at the airport proper
not on the flight which could prove stuffy and with little head or
leg room.

Air travelers can be quite annoying -- as I'm sure we all are
for others. Maybe it's their looks or gestures or way of acting or
talking. The cell phone user next to you will cut loose in a loud
voice and continue, the generally innocuous conversation right in
your face. Or maybe its that difficult moment when the fellow in
front of you decides to lean his seat back into your own limited
space. Or it is that last arrival with far more packages than can
ever be placed in the already filled overhead rack.

All of this is the price of getting from one place to another
quickly. For overseas travel, the airplane trip is worth the bother
of international clearance and all. But for the short hops of 500
miles or less, I say forget it. I save time driving. "But you are
costing extra fuel." If one takes total air passengers and the
enormous fuel, facilities, and equipment expenditure into
consideration, it may take less resources -- and less stress to
drive. That deserves looking into further. It takes me longer to
travel to an airport 60 miles away, go through ticketing, waiting,
boarding, flying, disembarking, getting transportation and arriving
at the final destination than to drive 500 miles. Having said this,
I admit that the regional railroad systems of a century ago would be
more efficient still in both time and fuel cost, if in place today.

Some hints if you must travel. Know the terminals. Wear the
identification tag around your neck instead of fingering into pocket
or purse or billfold each time. Try to use the local automatic
ticket machine for convenience. Travel light, super light, and limit
the number of even small, loose items, for you only have two hands.
Stuff snacks in the pack. And keep smiling and cheerful.

July 29, 2005 Medicinal Herbs

Many rural Americans grew up knowing the value of certain plants
and especially medicinal herbs. Over the years Native Americans,
early pioneers, or immigrants with home remedies have died. With
time we have forgotten about these former medicinals. Customers
prefer expensive over-the-counter medicines, which are not
necessarily better.

At this time of year, when the garlic is harvested, we remember
that many of the world's people highly favor it and tout its
medicinal effects, some of which may be effective. The one thing
many elderly people have in common is that they love garlic -- and
everyone in the household has to love it in order for peace to
endure. But this favorite herb is not the only one. Other
traditionally known medicinal herbs in Kentucky include:

* Comfrey -- used as an overall cure, and the tea for quieting
coughs and treating wounds, burns and ulcers. Caution, too much or
too regular an application can cause severe complications;

* Damask rose -- brewed and used as a mild astringent tonic;

* Dill -- brewed to relieve flatulence, colic and hiccups;

* Fennel -- same as dill for flatulence;

* Jewelweed -- bruised leaves for relief on rashes and irritated
skin;

* Parsley -- bruised fresh leaves for relief from insect bites
and fresh leaves for improvement of mental powers;

* Rosemary -- brewed alone or with other herbs for relief of
colds, colic and nerves;

* Sage -- brewed to relieve coughs and cold symptoms;

* Salad burnet -- leaves for diarrhea and hemorrhage;

* Sassafras -- brewed with damask rose for relief of
inflammation of the eyes;

* Sweet basil -- brewed as tea to relieve vomiting;

* Tansy -- rubbed on the body or hung in room to repel flies,
mosquitoes and ants; leaves are used for inflammations.

I don't recommend these herbs for all the uses they have
historically held. The purpose here is to give some information on
their traditional uses in Kentucky. It is always best to talk herbal
practices over with your health care provider before taking them for
the perceived conditions. Remember, often non-professional self-
diagnosis is faulty.

July 30, 2005 Corporate Accountability International

During 2005, we have featured a public interest non-profit
groups at the end of each month. We strive to pick groups that could
use your attention and support.

The Corporate Accountability International (CAI), a nonpartisan
membership organization, seeks to hold corporations accountable for
their actions. For 25 years, CAI, formerly known as Infact, has been
highly successful in pressuring such corporations as Nestle, General
Electric and Philip Morris/Altria to change the way they do business.

The group is now trying to stop the human and environmental toll
wrought by transnational corporations. The goal is to mount a
worldwide campaign to end Big Business's political influence. It
wants to challenge irresponsible and dangerous actions by industries
like oil, food, agribusiness, water and tobacco; it intends to
mobilize the public to apply pressure to Big Business; and it seeks
to expose how abusive corporations hurt and kill people around the
world by meddling in public policy. For example, CAI says that
"ExxonMobil, Chevron Texaco and the American Petroleum Institute
drive deadly U.S. policy and support abusive regimes, which violently
suppress opposition." They do this by engaging in aggressive
lobbying and by directing "U.S. governmental policy through cozy
connections to U.S.policymakers."

In another area CAI says that the food and agribusiness
industry (Cargill, Monsanto and Dow) "controls the world's food
supply, promotes and uses dangerous pesticides that poison people and
the natural world and increases our dependence on biotechnology and
genetically engineered (GE) crops and food." It adds that Monsanto
and the biotech industry are "lobbying to lift bans on GE seeds and
food. Their tactics include planting industry-friendly experts on
international scientific committees and cultivating back door deals
with governmental officials....As of 1999, four corporations
controlled 80% of the world's seed market and three-quarters of the
globe's agrochemical activities."

On another front the water industry is using its access to
governments to write international policy on water privatization.
"It's also directing international agencies to force developing
countries to privatize water systems as a condition for aid!
...They're draining and drying up sources of fresh water all over the
globe, and in the process, forcing communities to purchase water back
at an astounding profit to this [Coca-Cola] transnational giant."

If interested in more information write to --

CAI, 46 Plympton Street, Boston, MA 02118-2425

www.stopcorporateabuse.org

July 31, 2005 Multiplication of the Loaves

All you who are thirsty, come to the water! (Isaiah 55:1)

We are on our journey of faith in a movement to the kingdom of
heaven. We are generally not hungry or thirsty. If we have ever
really experienced hunger, we will realize the rich symbolism of an
approaching banquet of plenty. The world's poor understand the pangs
of hunger and can vividly picture the kingdom of heaven where there
will be no want, only plenty. We ask whether we will feel
comfortable in that banquet, especially when we forget about those
hungry folks in our everyday life. We are called to share and that
is the purpose of the Eucharist in which we do partake together in
remembrance of the Lord.

The multiplication narrative (Matthew 14: 13-21) is told in all
four Gospels (Mark 6:32-44; Luke 9:10-17, John 6: 1-15). The various
passages contain some common elements: the basic trust in Jesus and
in what he says; the distrust by the disciples and followers as to
whether there is enough food in this world; a miracle of either
physical multiplication of the food or the opening of the stored food
by the many for others who are nearby (a miracle of charity); the
example of a youth (in one account), who is willing to risk radical
sharing of what are his bare essentials; and the example of a
gracious God giving us well above what is needed to feed the hungry.
A further element is a reminder that we are to have no WASTE, for
radical giving will be recognized by respectful distribution and
consumption.

At a concentration camp during the Second World War, a Jewish
lady was given a vial by the priest on the way to his death. He
asked her to distributed the contents to whoever asked. Many,
including a guard, asked and she constantly distributed from the
vial, but the container never went empty. She did not recognize the
importance of the miracle at the time. Truly, it was a miracle, a
multiplication of bread, and it was only understood as such when she
happened to talk with a priest about it years later.

The Eucharistic Feast is a foretaste of the heavenly banquet.
Are we able to say thank you to God for the gifts given? We extend
our gratitude for the gift of life, the ability to understand that we
have something precious. The sin of affluence is a gross
insensitivity, ignoring the gifts of life, faith, relatives and
friends, and the access we have to travel, communication and food.
We are to bear witness that each day is truly a divine gift as well.
We respond through responsible actions.

We gain a final lesson from today's Gospel reading. The
disciples gathered the fragments left over so there would be no
waste, and these filled twelve wicker baskets -- one for each
apostle, an over-abundance from the hand of God. We resolve to waste
less, that is: our time, our opportunities, our talent, our
resources given for the benefit of all. Leftovers show the
plentitude of God and must be reused as tomorrow's gifts.

Copyright © 2007 Earth Healing, Inc. All rights reserved.

Albert J. Fritsch, Director
Janet Powell, Developer
Mary Byrd Davis, Editor
Paul Gallimore, ERAS Coordinator

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