Anonymous gestures

I once read a true story by a resident of New York City about a relationship she had with someone she never met, never spoke with on the phone, and never communicated with in any normal way. She and her husband parked their car on the street out in front of their apartment building. They had gotten tired of having their car broken into, so they just cleaned it out and left it unlocked. One morning they found a cigarette butt in the ashtray. Someone had been in their car. Over time they realized that someone was sleeping in their car. At first this disturbed them, but then they realized that they had a volunteer sentry. One evening they left a folded blanket on the seat, and the next morning they found it folded in a different way. This went on for a few months, and then the signs of their anonymous tenant disappeared. They had enjoyed a symbiotic relationship with a complete stranger.

This is a story of accidental interaction that turned into a trusting relationship, and the facts of it may strike us as odd and wonderful. It is unique in its extreme circumstances, but we have these kinds of interactions with strangers all the time.

In Vermont, drivers often signal one another with hand gestures. I mean with the whole hand, not just one finger. I call it the Vermont wave, although I’m sure it must happen sometimes in other places. When two cars come to a stop at an intersection at roughly the same moment, and one has to yield to the other, there is a pause. Often, one driver will flap a hand, indicating that the other driver should go first. Occasionally the other driver will wave back in an “Oh no, after YOU” manner. In heavy multi-lane traffic, one driver will hang back, opening a space, and wave another car in. When a driver faces a left turn from a side street into traffic, another car will stop and wave, and then a car going the other way will see the first stopped car and stop, and the side street driver will make the otherwise impossible turn.

Sometimes, in a coffeehouse, I’ll find a newspaper neatly stacked on a table. Somebody bought it, read it, and tidied it up for the next person.

This type of anonymous gesture is just the most obvious. The fabric of our society is a series of anonymous gestures. Most of them we might call gestures of omission. We refrain from doing things that we could get away with, but that would tend to break down the trust relationship between people. The message we send with these gestures, both committed and omitted, is “Although I don’t know you, I care about you, and I expect you, in turn, to care about me.” They are seldom directly profitable, but they come back to us as we raise the general level of trust and civility.

I recommend assisting other drivers with “the wave.” In the moment, it makes me feel good, and I’m sure it is a pleasant surprise for the other driver, especially outside Vermont. Really what I am doing is creating a moment of added civility and planting a seed in the mind of another person. Perhaps that person will be more likely to wave another driver in front of them. Traffic will flow a bit more smoothly and tempers will be one iota cooler.

This concept of the anonymous gesture is why I so intensely dislike graffiti and its pseudo-hip relative, tagging. Marshall McCluhan’s dictum, “The medium is the message” applies here. Anonymously painting a pseudonym in a public place has some very clear messages, the predominant one being, “I don’t care about you.” More specifically:

- I am willing to impose a symbol of myself on your visual environment without your consent.
- My ego trumps community.
- I am unwilling to engage in the process of community decision making about the appearance of our shared public space.

I despise billboards as much as tagging, but at least the owners and advertisers have to go through some kind of approval process. At least we know who they are and can communicate with them, advise them, or oppose them.

A Buddhist philosopher once wrote, “Behave when alone as if you are with guests.” He was perceptive. The things we do when nobody is watching reveal our inner nature. Those who act with grace and consideration when their identity is obscured benefit twice. They enjoy both the pleasure of generosity and the advantages of a more civil society.

Solar messengers

I just finished teaching a weekend workshop on solar design at the Yestermorrow Design/Build School. I co-taught the course with John Ringel of Jersey Devil, a 30-year veteran and pioneer in passive solar design. We had a friendly and bright group of students, ranging from a Yestermorrow intern to a couple in their 40’s who were looking to build or retrofit a house. Some had projects ready to go, some only distant plans, and a few were looking at getting into the renewable energy business. All were full of questions.

The course covered passive solar design, that is, designing buildings so that sunlight and heat and air go where you want them when you want them, without the use of pumps or fans or other mechanical devices. The functionality is built into the structure. This is John’s specialty. I taught about active solar design, that is, devices that collect solar energy and deliver it as electricity or heat. Essentially this is photovoltaics and solar hot water. My (lame) joke is that we teach passive-aggressive solar.

I’m not going to attempt to outline the course here, but I’d like to touch on a few subjects that relate to the discussions that we had.

An underlying theme for me is an analogy based on the multiple meaning of the word insult. Aside from the usual social meaning, it is a term of art in medicine. A physical impact, very high or low temperature, a poison, or a dose of radiation can be termed an “insult” to the affected part of the human body. When we disturb the natural landscape or dump a poisonous chemical we are perpetrating an insult on a natural system. By analogy, we are behaving like some arrogant person with enough wealth and resulting power to go around carelessly insulting people without consequence. Our wealth is all that nature provides us, plus the stored treasure of fossil fuels and minerals. What most people don’t seem to notice is that our wealth is running out. I discussed this concept with John and quoted a jazz standard: “Nobody knows you when you’re down and out.” It reminded him of the old saying, “Don’t insult people on your way up; you’ll meet them again on the way down.” We are on our way down, and the cumulative effect of our insults is coming back to get us.

Another concept that John articulated quite deliberately is that all the energy we have is from the sun. We rely on present day solar energy for our food. Hydroelectricity relies on the sun driven water cycle. Coal, oil, and natural gas are naturally processed plant matter that absorbed solar energy millions of years ago. Even the uranium for a nuclear power plant was born in the supernova of some other sun billions of years ago. We couldn’t buy, at any price, enough energy to replace the service that our sun provides us on a daily basis. Consider that the sunlight streaming through a one-foot square window is equal to 2,000 watts of incandescent light. We are bathed in it, as direct sunlight, wind, and rain. We ignore it to our own deep disadvantage.

When a client approaches John to design a house, an addition, or a renovation, he doesn’t even ask anymore whether they want him to incorporate passive solar design. It would be like asking if they wanted indoor plumbing. The sun is there, waiting to be invited in, or kept out, as needed.

One of the problems we face as our fossil fuel supply dwindles is that 99% of the buildings in the U.S. were designed and built on one of three principles.

Before the 1860’s, the design assumptions were that the occupants would cut ten cords of firewood a year, that they would spend the winter huddled near the stove or fireplace, and that they would accept the fact that in midwinter water would freeze overnight in the upstairs rooms. These were then retrofitted for assumption number two.

This was that high quality anthracite coal would be mined in the Appalachians and burned in furnaces in the basements of buildings. This assumption held into the 20th century, and slowly transitioned into assumption number three.

The latest assumption, still held today, is that we will have either a tank of cheap oil in the basement, a tank of cheap propane out back, or a pipeline full of cheap natural gas leading to our furnace.

The result is that there are houses in America to this day that have no insulation in their walls, and I mean literally none. Many have little insulation, and very few are near the ultimate level of energy efficiency that we can obtain by practical means. Most modern houses have no design relationship to the local climate, the path of the sun, or prevailing winds. This is a huge environmental, economic, and political problem that tends to get lip service and meager public attention. So far, our wealth of fossil fuels and the ability of the earth to absorb insults have obviated the need to pay close attention to our energy use. Now we are about to experience what happens when our wealth runs out. We will need to flip that 99:1 ratio of old design principles to new. This will require the education of America about the realities of energy.

Our fifteen students were all eager to learn the techniques of harnessing the sun. They were all aware of the need for it. Our students shared stories of encountering skepticism and hostility to the concept that the era of cheap, convenient, and consequence-free energy is ending. To their credit, they spoke of trying to convince friends, relatives, or coworkers of the inevitability of this change. This is the task of those who understand that the opposite of renewable energy is non-renewable energy (meaning that it will run out). Knowledge imposes on us the burden of responsibility to act.

And yet, on a sunny weekend in Warren Vermont it didn’t feel like a burden. Sharing knowledge about solar energy was a joy for John and me, and it appeared to be rewarding for our students. Solar design can be a puzzle, a game, a science, an art, a hobby, and a vocation. It can be practiced on the level of basic principles, simple arithmetic, or rigorous mathematical analysis. Solar design is a one time investment in thought and materials that delivers free heating, cooling, light, and ventilation for the life of the building. If we must be messengers, it is good news to be carrying.

Social conservativism and sexual offences

It’s been a bad couple of weeks on the moral high ground for the Republican Party. To start with, Deborah Jeane Palfrey, the so-called “D.C. Madam,” released her phone records for the last decade.

The first victim was the conservative Republican Senator from Louisiana, David Vitter. A private investigator for smut king Larry Flynt found his name with an online reverse lookup. Vitter, a married father of four, confessed to sinning and apologized to his constituency. As if this weren’t enough, Vitter, a staunch advocate of teenage abstinence, foe of gay marriage, and all around family values kind of guy, was claimed as a customer by former New Orleans brothel owner Jeanette Maier, the "Canal Street Madam."

Hypocrite number two on the D.C. Madam list was John (Jack) M. Burkman, Jr. He is a Republican operative, pundit, and sometime lobbyist for the ultra-conservative Family Research Council. He also got nailed last year on a MySpace page by a woman he approached on the street in Washington D.C. Allegedly, he later offered her and her friend a thousand dollars to have sex with him.

Let us not overlook the case of Florida State Representative Bob Allen, a conservative Republican who recently tried to augment his legislative salary by offering oral sex to a man in a public restroom for $20. The man happened to be an undercover cop, and the rest is news.

And then there is North Carolina Republican Representative David Almond, who recently resigned while under investigation by the GOP caucus for alleged "serious, improper behavior." The unofficial word is that he exposed himself to a female staff member and chased her around the office while demanding that she perform oral sex on him.

It gets repetitive. Mark Foley (R. Fla, lewd emails to pages), Bob Livingston (R. La, adultery), Randall Tobias (Assistant Secretary of State, D.C. Madam customer), Henry Hyde (R, Ill., adultery), Newt Gingrich (R, Ga., adultery). Then, of course, there are people such as Ted Haggard (conservative pastor, former president of the National Association of Evangelicals, client of male “escort”). Sure, the Democrats have Bill Clinton, but what’s with all these conservative, religious, “family values” Republicans following their genitalia around like a toddler trying to walk a Rottweiler? As is my wont, I look for the scientific explanation.

The summary of my review of the relevant studies: If you’ve got a problem with sex, you probably have a problem with sex. Witness:

The 1993 Janus Report on Sexuality concluded that social conservatives are more likely to commit adultery. (Janus is the name of the lead researchers, but I find it amusing that it also happens to be the name of the two-faced Greek god.)

Divorce rates are higher among conservative Protestants, and highest among the most conservative Baptist sects. Atheists and agnostics have the lowest divorce rates. Divorce rates are higher in southern and midwestern states and lower in the New England states. Massachusetts is lowest, and aside from easy-divorce Nevada, the Bible belt tops the breakup list.

Science writer and former Catholic priest John Hules compiled over 100 studies on religion and sexual deviance. His summary:
“More than 100 reports in the scientific and professional literature, involving more than 35,000 subjects, indicate that rapists, child molesters, incestuous parents, and sexually motivated murderers are typically very conservative in their sexual and social values and sometimes more religious than average—suggesting that in many cases traditional sexual morality is a contributing factor in sexual abuse rather than a deterrent. At the First International Conference on the Treatment of Sex Offenders in 1989, there was broad agreement that Western societies with repressive sexual attitudes and traditional male/female roles are more likely to have high rates of all forms of sex crimes.”

Another study found that victims of sex abuse by family members were much more likely to be conservative Protestants.

Yet another study found a significant association between intense religious experience and childhood abuse.

An article in the Biblical Recorder quotes a 1993 survey by the Journal of Pastoral Care. The survey reported that 14 percent of Southern Baptist pastors had engaged in “sexual behavior inappropriate for a minister.” That’s one out of seven, folks.

I should note that these studies don’t seem to indicate a correlation between more socially moderate religious practice and sexual misbehavior.

Oh yes, I almost forgot: The Catholic Diocese of Los Angeles just agreed to pay 660 million dollars in compensation to victims of sexual abuse by priests. Seems as if the moral high ground has become a sinkhole.

The pattern that emerges is that people with strict, disapproving, absolutist attitudes about sex quite often violate their own principles, and are more likely to offend than people with tolerant worldviews. When someone views sex as bad, then they tend to see all kinds of sex, both legal and illegal, as the same. (In a strange way, this reminds me of business practices in post-Soviet Russia. All private enterprise had been a crime, so Russians had a hard time distinguishing between legit business and organized crime.) The absence of a normal channel for the expression of sexual desire leaves only the illicit channels. There is also an accentuating effect to the cycle of abuse. The abused child often becomes an abusing adult. In the case of someone from a sexually phobic religious background, the shame, guilt, and secrecy are compounded, reducing the probability of effective treatment and increasing the trauma. The socially conservative tradition of male dominance and female submission manifests itself in the belief systems of most sex offenders. This same attitude appears to be responsible for widespread domestic dissatisfaction among social conservatives and the resulting adultery and divorce. And woe to the man born homosexual among the believers. He faces a life of shame, secrecy, and overcompensation. The right-wingers recently outed by their own desperate behaviors were among the most strident critics of gays and lesbians.

Sexual misbehavior among social conservatives should be no surprise. Given the deep denial of people in this condition, it is also no surprise that they continue to focus their disapproval outwards at the more liberal and secular segments of society. They claim to be interested in positive social outcomes, and that their belief system is the route to such outcomes. The reality is just the opposite. Those of us outside the religious conservative enclave should apply some back pressure to their moral crusading. Tell them to clean their own houses before criticizing ours.

Banana Bread Vacation

I admit that I spend a lot of time writing about the problems of the world. A few respondents to my recent questions expressed their enjoyment of articles about hopeful developments. It sounds as if people need a break. Since I recently took a physical vacation, I’m offering up a written vacation for you.

I’d like to discuss banana bread. Specifically, I’d like to give you my own recipe for banana bread, adapted from the Fannie Farmer cookbook, and my advice on consuming the bread.

Baking banana bread is like cheating or stealing without the moral failure – you get so much for so little. It is absurdly simple. When I eat freshly baked banana bread I feel as if I have gotten away with something. It’s like a slot machine that pays off every time.

Here’s the recipe:

3 ripe bananas
2 eggs, beaten lightly
½ cup honey
1 cup white flour
1 cup whole wheat flour (Or ½ cup whole wheat and ½ cup buckwheat – adds texture)
1 teaspoon salt
1 heaping teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
½ teaspoon cloves
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
½ cup coarsely chopped walnuts
¼ cup finely chopped crystallized ginger

Mash the bananas with a fork in a big bowl. Add the eggs and honey and mix. Dump the flour, salt, baking powder and spices on top of this and mix them together a bit before stirring it all together. Add the walnuts and ginger and stir until they disappear into the mass. Turn on the oven to 350 F. Grease a loaf pan. I use a glass loaf pan and rub it with a stick of butter – the loaf drops out nicely. Fill the loaf pan and stick it in the oven for an hour, right on the nose.

When the timer goes off, you have reached a critical period in the enjoyment of banana bread. Have two potholders ready, plus a paring knife, a bread knife, a butter knife, a stick of butter, a cutting board, a plate, and your banana bread-compatible beverage of choice.

Many cookbooks will tell you to take out the banana bread a put it on a rack to cool.

This is utter bullshit.

Cooling banana bread is like warming ice cream, or allowing beer to go flat. If one could sue a cookbook writer for malpractice, it would be over this vicious, contemptible lie. The enjoyment of banana bread involves a quick and deft series of operations that start immediately as you remove the sacred loaf from the oven.

Put the loaf pan on top of the stove, where there is a warm environment from the oven. Run the paring knife around in between the loaf and the pan. Grab the loaf pan again and invert it on the cutting board. If you buttered the loaf pan well enough the bread should drop out with a little shake. Turn it upright, grab the bread knife, and immediately saw a ¾” slab off the end. Keep your head right over the operation so you inhale the rising steam from the cut end. Butter it generously and get it in your mouth while standing at the stove. With dexterity and luck you can be eating steaming hot butter-soaked banana bread within 60 seconds of removal. That is culinary nirvana. While you are chewing, slice another piece and butter it. Now you can actually sit down and eat it.

Once you have consumed two or more pieces, go outside for a minute. Come back in and smell the banana bread aroma anew.

There is no parable here, no moral to be derived from this. I have no political or social agenda today. I’m just suggesting that you assemble these ingredients and engage in a hedonistic act. Have a happy summer vacation.

More serious stuff next time.

Barging down the Erie and questioning my readers

For those of you wondering about the essay drought of the past few weeks, the answer is simple: Even minor heretics go on vacation now and then. And we do it in style. Witness the mode of transport – the hybrid vehicle of the future known as the replica 1862-class sailing canal boat Lois McClure.

I call it the hybrid vehicle of the future because 1) it has hybrid propulsion: wind, mule, and diesel tugboat, and 2) canal barges have the lowest total energy expenditures per ton-mile of any inland cargo carrier. The Lois is a 40-ton wooden boat that could, like its predecessors a hundred and fifty years ago, carry upwards of 120 tons. That 160-ton gross load could be moved at a walking pace by two or three mules, perhaps three horsepower. Imagine three tractor-trailers being moved by an electric trolling motor and you have the idea. It isn’t the speediest vehicle ever developed, but as the prices of oil, natural gas, coal, and uranium knock a hole in the shingles, speed will be less important than fuel economy.

I recently read an article about the resurgence of rail cargo carriers. As the price of diesel hovers around $3.00 a gallon, more businesses are deciding to put cargo on rails instead of roads. 2006 was a record year for cargo rail. Rail volume has dipped in 2007, apparently due to a slowing economy rather than transfer back to trucks.

The history of the canal boat losing out to rail is instructive. In the first half of the 1800’s, canals were the way to go. The building of the Champlain and Erie canals dropped shipping costs by 95%. It created an economic boom that populated the Midwest and made New York the premier city of America. As rail lines spread across the country and rail service became more regular, the canal boats started losing out on shipments of manufactured goods. These shipments paid the best per ton. Canal boats started slipping down the cargo food chain. Eventually bulk fuel and stone products were their primary cargoes. Rail ruled for a while, and then with the creation of the interstate highway system, trucks started skimming the cream off of the rail business. In the eastern U.S. today barge traffic is almost nonexistent, rail carries bulk cargo, and trucks carry the finished goods. This is an over generalization, but accurate enough for this argument.

As the price of transportation fuel increases, I can see this scenario shifting into reverse. More and more cargo will shift to rail, cutting into trucking volume from below. Eventually, the bottom end of the rail cargo will start shifting back to the canals, the Great Lakes, the St. Lawrence Seaway, and the Mississippi, where possible. The inconvenience of intermodal transportation will be trumped by energy costs. The canal barge will rise again.

On a completely different subject, I’d like to solicit a response from my readership. I send out a notification of new essays to about a hundred friends, acquaintances, and friends of friends. I have estimated from my website statistics that something like 450 people regularly and deliberately visit my site. Another 10-15% find it through searches or come in through links from other sites. I’d like to address a few questions to those few hundred regular readers:

Where are you from?

How did you find my site?

(If you are on my list then of course there’s no need to answer the first two)

Why do you keep coming back?

What would you like to read about in the future?

I may get a few responses and I may get inundated. If the latter, I won’t be able to respond. Please click the comment link below if you’d like to answer. Indicate at the top of your comment whether you want your response to remain private – I won’t let it go on the site.

And thank you, from the bottom of my heretical heart, for reading my work.