Young, Amish, and TikTok Famous

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Young, Amish, and TikTok Famous

What I knew about the Amish before watching Fisher’s video — mostly gleaned from listening to “Weird Al” Yankovic — was pretty much limited to their plain dress, and the fact that most don’t use technology. Many of the videos tagged “Amish” on TikTok show horse and buggies — a hallmark of the culture to lay people — and are filmed by non-Amish passersby on their road trips through rural Pennsylvania. But then there are some Amish teens, bonnets and all, who are considered a hot commodity simply for existing on the platform. Social media offers them the same opportunity everyone has — to tell their stories on their own terms to people they don’t know. And yes, depending on their church and their age, it’s probably totally kosher for them to be on social media, if unusual.

Logic of an Andy

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Last summer: “I have so much battery capacity, I’ll go ahead and remove the under voltage reset switch. On the rare chance the voltage dips and I need a reset I’ll just start the truck.”

This autumn: “Darn, in the cold, pulling heavy electrical loads on these long nights the voltage sometimes dips below 12.1 temporarily. Not because the charge is dangerously low but the load is high and the battery is cold. Sure would nice if I could just manually reset the voltage disconnect. So I reinstalled the switch.”

Cabin Life is FREEDOM!

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It doesn't matter if you have a cabin made of logs, lumber or stone. It doesn't matter if you have a yurt, or a tee-pee or a trailer. It doesn't matter if you live there full time, part time, weekends or if you're only there a few times per year. It doesn't matter if you drive there, fly there, have a tractor, ATV, horse or anything else. It doesn't matter if you have a wood stove, propane, a generator, or solar. All that matters is FREEDOM! So break the chains and be free!

Farmers Are Using Food Waste To Make Electricity : The Salt : NPR

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Chew On This: Farmers Are Using Food Waste To Make Electricity : The Salt : NPR

As the season of big holiday meals kicks off, it's as good a time as any to reflect on just how much food goes to waste.

If you piled up all the food that's not eaten over the course of a year in the U.S., it would be enough to fill a skyscraper in Chicago about 44 times, according to an estimate from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

And, when all this food rots in a landfill, it emits methane, a powerful greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change. In fact, a recent report from the United Nations from a panel of climate experts estimates that up to 10 percent of all human-made greenhouse gas emissions are linked to food waste.

So, here's one solution to the problem: Dairy farmers in Massachusetts are using food waste to create electricity. They feed waste into anaerobic digesters, built and operated by Vanguard Renewables, which capture the methane emissions and make renewable energy.

Embedded Podcast on White Nationalism.

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I got listening to the Embedded podcast about Extremism and White Nationalism …

And it got me thinking about what’s wrong with the dialogue around White Pride and identity politics today. There is nothing wrong with being a proud of your community and it’s accomplishments, but hatred of other communities is illegitimate and should be strongly discouraged and re-directed.

Hatred – directed towards others
... is different then
love – directed towards one’s own community.

America is a nation of diversity. There are many different communities with different values. Some you may agree with, others you may not. You might look down at the practices of other communities, but you really shouldn’t. If their actions aren’t impacting your community, then you really shouldn’t have a say in it. But that is a value that doesn’t seem to get much coverage these days, in the era of cable news and social media.

There are many communities I don’t really know much about. I don’t live in a big city, I am not black, I am not an immigrant, nor do I work in manufacturing or construction. But I don’t look down on those people, nor do I have much thought or commentary about how they live in their community. I am concerned about my own community, my future, and my own life. People from all communities should be active and engaged, doing what is right for themselves, and marketing ideas best for their own communities — while keeping in mind that their own actions impact others.

I think extremism could be redirected by most emphasis on cultural diversity, while not saying one’s own culture is bad or oppressive. Celebrations of farmers, construction workers, businessman, belong in the same celebration of Italians, Black and Hispanics. Diversity is a strength, not a weakness, and just because a group is on the top of the heap now doesn’t mean it doesn’t have a legacy of organizing and fighting to the top of the pile. Just because your a Democrat doesn’t mean you can’t respect President Trump as a human being has done the most exceptional thing – won the presidency, the highest office in the nation, a feat only achieved by 45 people in our nation’s history.