Holy Crap, if this is real then... wow.

Seriously.  Makes lemons taste like candy? Come again?

ThinkGeek has the most incredible item for sale.  Perhaps you've seen it, but it's these tablets of a chemical that alters your tastebuds for a while, making sour foods taste sweet.  Apparently the chemical reacts with acids, altering their chemical structure just enough to fool your tongue.  One must remember, however, that the tasting experience does not mean that the acid has been neutralized.  Your normal perception of "how much acid did I just ingest" sensor will be ... malfunctioning for a while.  In other words, try not to rip the crap out of your mouth.

Life-changing.  I mean, if it's real.

And now we get serious

It's hard to know what to think about the political life of our country.  I think it's all too easy for those of us who celebrated the results of the last major election cycle to be complacent, especially since it's hard to find any coherent or "compelling" narrative within the right-wing that might galvanize or spur us into action.  At the same time, it's easy to contemplate the relative fragility of our nation, economically, politically, socially, internationally, et cetera.  So while our preference would be for more aggressive policy-making, especially in the realms of energy, climate change, environmental protection, and especially civil rights, I think we also need to remember what is at stake this fall.  To be frank, the stakes are more Michele Bachmanns and John Larsons.  Last week, she claimed that Obama is turning America into a nation of slaves.  Meanwhile, Rep. Larson famously apologized to BP for being shaken-down by the Congress after they succeeded in (to quote Wait Wait) "turning the Gulf into the world's largest Jiffy Lube."  And a large win also means more wind in the sails of Glenn Beck, Sarah Palin and the gang.

The Republican Party, a party who have, in the aggregate, drifted so far from their founding principles that it's hard to think of today's Neo-Conservatives as true Eisenhower or Lincoln Republicans (a heritage they readily claim, by the way), is highly volatile.  Their Chairman, Michael Steele, is under siege - most recently for claiming that the war in Afghanistan was a war of Obama's choosing.  Many right-wing congressmen are torn between historical allegiances (to big banks, big oil, and big business) and the recent, and rather obvious, revelations of largess, excess, and appallingly little concern for the societies in which these companies operate (Rep. Larson?). 

So, as the Tea Party and the Grizzly Moms and the Restoring Honor Rally folks make more noise, I feel some concern about the things they're saying.  It is clearly easier to dismiss Glenn and Sean and Rush and Sarah and the rest, rather than listen to what they preach.  But then I read a column today that pulled-together a large collection of some particularly horrifying propaganda from some of the right-wing media and political leaders.

It was written by Tim Wise, who is an author, most recently of Colorblind: The Rise of Post-Racial Politics and the Retreat from Racial Equity.  And his blog post at the The Red Room is simply amazing.

Black Power's Gonna Get You Sucka: Right-Wing Paranoia and the Rhetoric of Modern Racism

Adjectives to describe my reaction to this article are at once plentiful and inadequate.  It's appalling and sobering and infuriating and depressing.  But, perhaps you'll find it inspiring?  Read, please.  Then share.

Irony in Sustainability, Friday Edition

[Ed. Note: This is like the 5th time I've posted this. Sorry. Technical difficulties. Please enjoy your regularly scheduled programming.]

Clearly I love food, and sustainability.  Equally clearly, I feel pretty strongly that making food expensive is not a great way to make it sustainable.  So, then, you can understand the mixed emotions I have over the following totally awesome if it weren't $1,000 per seat event this fall.

The Heirloom Vegetable Auction at Sothebys:

"Just in time for the 2010 harvest season, Sothebys New York will host the inaugural Tri-State Heirloom Vegetable auction, The Art of Farming, on September 23, 2010. This first-of-its-kind event will celebrate edible heirlooms and the art involved in their creation."

Now, I'll admit, there's not much use in a starting a movement without wealthy patrons.  Just ask GAVI, Michelangelo or the Catholic Church.  And there's no better way to hook those patrons than with an exclusive event, just for them, that auctions off equally exclusive activities for their children.  It's just too bad that it's so expensive that the demographic that need a food revolution the most can't afford to think about going to this event.  In other words, those who can afford a seat at this event already buy hormone- and pesticide-free, locally grown food, and shop exclusively at Whole Foods.  Meanwhile, the people who have to travel 50 blocks for healthy food options get another McDonalds.

What redeems this event - and I sound more negative than I feel, I'm sure - is the following:

"The Art of Farming will coincide with and kick-off the 2010 Eat Drink Local week in New York City, the annual celebration of the local food chain, co-produced by Edible magazines and GrowNYC. All proceeds from the event will benefit the GrowNYC New Farmers Development Project, which identifies, educates and supports immigrants with agricultural experience to become local producers and establish farms in the region, and The Sylvia Center, a program that inspires and teaches children to eat well through hands-on experiences at Katchkie Farm and in school and community centers all over New York City."

GrowNYC is way cool.  They're the people who bring us the NYC Greenmarket. And the NYC Greenmarket kicks serious ass.  Why?  It provides locally grown, healthy food options smack in the middle of neighborhoods where produce is only available at the corner store.  Further, you can use food stamps to purchase foods at the Greenmarket.  So, again, super cool.

So, if this is how we fund THAT initiative, then I think this $1,000 per seat auction is a great idea.