The following was stated: "Also, I don't think anyone in this discussion is farming any GMO corn or soy..." H.Kuska comment. The part of the link that I cut and paste had to do with the subtopic discussed by Wayne and Marshall as indicated in my lead in sentence: "Wayne and Marshall, the link below discusses another farming mode." This subthread is about alternate farming modes. The distinction between farming and gardening is a blurred one. I feel that some/many? of the readers interested in this forum are interested in reading about other possible agricultural practices especially if they find that some of the suggestions could be applied to their organic gardens (with zero or very little modification). The Union of Concerned Scientists actual detailed statement was linked to in the last link that I gave. In case some missed it, I now give the actual link below. The quote below should give the reader an idea of their suggested direction. "Healthy Farm Practices How can farmers turn all this theory into practice? Our experts have identified four key healthy farm practices: A landscape approach. On a healthy farm, uncultivated areas are maintained as a resource, providing a home for beneficial organisms as well as a buffer to help keep farm nutrients from polluting nearby waterways. Crop diversity and rotation. Using long, complex crop rotations, and expanding the farm's repertoire to include fruits, vegetables and/or energy crops, can yield multiple benefits, including healthier soil, reduced need for pesticides, and even higher profits. Integrating crops and livestock. Well-managed pastures help maintain biodiversity, while the manure they produce is a valuable resource for soil fertility. And animals provide a market for some alternative crops, facilitating complex crop rotations. Cover crops. Planting cover crops when soil would otherwise be bare reduces erosion, improves soil fertility and water-holding capacity, and helps keep weeds under control. Healthy Farm Benefits Together, these principles and practices add up to a healthy farm��"and the benefits are many. For instance: Reduced need for chemical inputs. By increasing soil fertility and pest resistance, healthy farm practices enable farmers to greatly reduce their reliance (and expenditure) on chemical fertilizers, herbicides and insecticides. Drought resilience. A healthy farm's soil is better at retaining water, so the farm is less susceptible to the devastating impacts of drought. Increased biodiversity. A healthy farm is a far more welcoming home to pollinators and other beneficial organisms than its industrial competitors. Reduced environmental impact. Common environmental impacts of industrial agriculture, such as nitrogen runoff and toxic pesticide residues, are greatly reduced on a healthy farm." http://www.ucsusa.org/food_and_agriculture/solutions/advance-sustainable-agriculture/healthy-farm-vision.html Here is a link that might be useful: actual statement

I hadn't seen the DWR kitchens. Remodelista and Apartment therapy have the same press release. The cabinets shown look heavy to me, probably because of the edges that stick out. The Viola Park and Henrybuilt above are much cleaner looking. Both of those photos look really dated to me, in a way that other Modern cabinets, especially the Euro ones, don't. Perhaps it's just a matter of what I've seen. The above look like kitchens that I've seen in houses they were original and new styles in. ... Come to think of it, though, for all that Modern is enduring, Poggenpohl and Pedini are showing different looks within that now than the ones I was seeing fifteen years ago. Maybe Henrybuilt just needs to update their advert photos? I absolutely agree that their forms could work in just about any house if detailed right. Modern endures unless it's '80's red or blue lacquer. :) In a neutral material/color, inc. the Henrybuilt woods and the Viola white, it is very little black dress. I think the most "insistent" thing about the Henrybuilt, however, is the hardware. That absolutely plugs it as Modern, whereas the flat slabs of the Viola could be any flat slab Euro, across many decades. It's all pull doors, but otherwise doesn't look much different from my own bamboo, which is much quainter looking. Of course, the other thing that makes the Viola Park is the lack of clutter with the flush cooktop, hidden hood, and, presumably, integrated everything else. I've always agreed, in general, about the age of house/period of kitchen thing, though sometimes the locale and/or style of the house have more to say about it. Even when I was thinking white kitchen, it was never going to be Peacock Scullery-ish, and certainly not inset with cup pulls. That would look really off in my 25 year old house. So would a lot of Art Nouveau. The house is rectilinear, and too new. OTOH, the little A.N. details, work, and help make my kitchen look grown in place rather than slapped on top. I think it's a case of what a colleague called "instant ancestors". That was about using clipart photos in a collage. The portraits give a sense, in the collage, of a community, with history. It doesn't matter that they're not the actual people from an actual community. They convey the message just by their presence. Using some details from days gone by in a kitchen (whether salvage or repro), like using old family pieces and/or antiques in another room, will give some temporal depth to the room and make the date much less obvious.

Just finished the book a couple of days ago, and have been letting it "simmer" (as Hazel so accurately describes it). I found it to be a tough story to get into initially, but once I got sucked in, I really enjoyed it. It reminded me in many ways of Hemingway and how he writes for some reason. I agree that Port and Kit were both revolving in their own worlds for their own reasons - it's such a shame that Port missed her change to a woman based on feelings/senses rather than rational thought. I think he would have liked that side of her more than the side she presented up until he died. The descriptions of the desert, the color and vast size of the sky, the peoples who live there - all wonderfully done. I could feel the dust, the dryness, the sandy grains.... You could tell that Bowles had lived there and experienced some of this - they were wonderful descriptions of a hostile place in some ways. Interesting that his wife has been compared to Zelda Fitzgerald, as I also found the book to be similar to "The Great Gatsby" - disaffected aimless rich/well off young adults adrift in a world they know little about and just floating from one place/situation to another without planning anything much. I would not have read this in a million years if we hadn't mentioned it on RP, so thanks for doing it. I enjoyed it, although I am not sure I would read another one of his. Do you think that Kit, in the third part of the book when she changes so much -- is she reveling in the freedom she feels or is she retreating from having lost her bearings/lover etc? I mean, is her changing from being a very rational person to a person who uses her senses a positive change or a negative one? She seems as though she is sleepwalking in some situations - the sexual violence from the camel traders etc...

Here is one for meta-discussions I was not aware of. DO NOT delete duplicate posts that are appearing... - If you delete *one* of the duplicates that appear when you post a comment, *both* copies will disappear.Jackie on the Antique Rose forum is even having problems *reporting* the problem. Rather, I was not aware of the delete problem. I have never been able to 'report' or even communicate with houzz. I once found a 'contact us' type link but repeatedly got an error message.