The North Pond Hermit: Another Christopher McCandless

"Christopher Knight's campsite, about a 50-minute walk
from where he was arrested, yielded clues about how
someone might spend years outdoors."

      This past weekend, I was in Rome, Maine -- the exact town the North Pond Hermit recently brought to the front pages. Christopher Knight, known as the North Pond Hermit, went undetected, living "a life of solitude and larceny" in the wilderness of Maine for 27 years. After his arrest last week, he said he had not made a purchase since the 1980s and had been stealing his necessities from campsites and cabins, i.e. propane tanks, clothes, food, supplies for a make-shift shelter. It is estimated that over the course of 27 years he has committed more than 1,000 burglaries. Not once did he burn a fire, out of fear that someone may detect him so the propane tanks came in handy.
       Knight became a myth and legend; people did not actually know if he was real for years. Reports were filed saying people had the feeling of being watched but nothing ever turned up. One account of a local resident, David Proulx, from Waterville, the next town, says he knew Knight's pattern -- when his cottage would be burglarized, "twice a year since 1990 -- close to 50 times."

      I'd leave him a note: 'Don't break in. Just tell me what you need, and I'll put it by the 
      side of the road,' Proulx said. The hermit never took him up on the offer.

      It became a bit of a joke to the residents of the surrounding towns of Rome, asking each other jokingly how many pairs of pants they had left. Knight was interested in reading current news and keeping updated with the outside world although he chose not to live in it. He did not have any contact with the outside world, not even his own family. His criminal record were clean and no missing-person report had been filed. District Attorney Maeghan Malony commented, "'It's ironic that someone who wanted to be completely anonymous is now the most famous citizen in Maine.'"
      This story seems to lead directly back to Into the Wild; the story of Christopher McCandless's journey to live in the wild away from all human contact. Funny how they were both named Christopher, and they both became widely famous when they wanted the exact opposite. Will it be possible for someone to go completely off the grid without others knowing in the future? In McCandless's case, hikers had stumbled upon his site in the Alaskan bush; in Knight's case, surveillance cameras were put up for his detection. Is there such a thing as 'off the grid' any more? Should there be?

Disaster Relief: It All Cycles Back

        When disaster strikes, family comes first. We think of our family and our community, our life and how it will be effected. A little self-centered? So what would we do if disaster hit someone else? Treat them as our own? I would hope so.
         The tornado that hit Oklahoma left practically nothing; it destroyed 13,000 homes and being more than a mile wide "it pummeled everything in its path for 17 miles, with winds traveling at 200 miles per hour." After hearing numerous stories from a mother being killed from protecting her child to a school teacher grabbing a mattress to protect her students, the emotions still remain high with 24 reported killed and 353 reported injured.
        Monday's tornado was a level five, the worst on a scale from zero to five. Lying in "Tornado Alley", Oklahoma is known for being a center of dusty winds, but storms to this extent are rare.

       And until Monday, America was enjoying an unusually quiet tornado season. 
       Between January 1st and April 27th it had just seen 228, compared with an 
       average of 537.

       The 'little' number of 228 still sounds large to me! That is why I love living in Chicago! One could call it a happy medium of weather to some extent ie we may have extreme hots and colds, but we don't have natural disasters.
        Discussion of the cost of the damage from the tornado is now on the frontline, estimated to be between $1.5 billion and $2 billion. After Obama signed a disaster declaration Monday night, federal funds were "available to stricken homeowners and businesses." This is where it got a little rocky with Oklahoma politicians. Both senators and the majority of its state representatives "opposed the bill that provided federal aid to victims of Sandy, a hurricane that devastated New York and New Jersey last year." Junior senator of Oklahoma, Tom Cobrun, also disagreed with a 2011 bill to help the Federal Emergency Management Agency's disaster-relief fund. Yet, "the day after the twister struck his home state he promised Oklahomans that 'any and all available aid will be delivered without delay.'" SO should he have considered what could happen to his home state if disaster struck before he voted on the prior bills? A little hypocritical, eh? We may be always thinking about ourselves and the people that surround us, but when it comes down to the end, it is important to also think about our 'neighbors' hundreds, thousands, and millions miles away. At some point, it may cycle right back to us!

My Three Brothers and Me

       Every opportunity my family has to be together, we take.  Getting together is pretty hard when we are spread across the country; one brother in Philadelphia; one brother in Maine; one brother in Denver. Though the times that we see each other may be a handful during school semesters, we converse like it is everyday. This was a particularly special weekend because we all got to be together for one graduating college the same day as another's birthday.
       After reading an opinion piece from the New York Times, "The Gift of Siblings", I thought I could relate pretty well. Not only did the author's family have three older boys and one girl, the youngest, but he also found that siblings are always the one you can turn to, whether it be for advice, a different outlook on a situation or a number of other things. Jeffrey Kluger, author of the book The Sibling Effect says:

       Siblings are the only relatives, and perhaps the only people you'll ever know 
       through the entire arc of your life. Your parents leave you too soon and your
       kids and spouse come along late, but your siblings know you when you are 
       in your most inchoate form.

      The arc that Kluger described made me think of Dan McAdams' "Redemptive Arc". Arcs like these ie "sin to salvation, rags to riches, sickness to health" are the exact arcs that siblings will always be there for. They see you at your highs and at your lows. They may be your best friends and your worst enemies. But one thing that I will always know is that I can always count on them.

What You Don't Know About Food

       Do you think sweet corn and potatoes are nutritious? Do you enjoy eating nice juicy apples because they have so few calories? Do you think you are healthy when you are eating romaine lettuce? Do you think our blueberries are the healthiest? Do you like to eat orange carrots because it will improve your eyesight? If you answered 'yes' to any of these questions, I've got news for you: there is something a lot better that you could be eating.

      Studies published within the past 15 years show that much of our produce is 
      relatively low in phytonutrients, which are the compounds with the potential 
      to reduce the risk of four of our modern scourges: cancer, cardiovascular 
      disease, diabetes and dementia.

       We started "breeding the nutrition out of our food" about 10,000 years ago, when people started to become farmers. The Native Americans ate wild dandelions, a staple of their diet. We thought we were being healthy eating spinach, a known "superfood", but dandelions actually have seven times more phytonutrients than spinach and that is just the start.

        Though I would think that I now know a lot about corn as I wrote my Junior Theme on it; I know I have barely touched the surface. One thing that I still love learning is even more about corn everyday. The sweet corn we love to eat at BBQs during the summer is a distant relative of Indian corn or teosinte. Though teosinte was smaller and not nearly as sweet as our corn today, it had ten times more protein, a lot of starch and a little sugar. The indian corn that we see as decorations in the fall in a variety of colors is actually "rich in anthocyanins." Anthocyanins are able to "fight cancer, calm inflammation, lower cholesterol and blood pressure, protect the aging brain, and reduce the risk of obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease." Would you consider eating some bitter corn? 

       The supersweet white corn we eat, well that's a result of radiation; don't worry the corn isn't still radioactive. Varieties of this corn can reach up to 40 percent sugar; it's practically dessert. SO when you're at the grocery store next time consider picking up some different varieties of the foods you eat.

Blue corn has 90 times more nutrients than white corn.

The Sikkim crab apple has 58 times more nutrients than our Golden Delicious apple.

Dandelions have 40 times more nutrients than Iceberg lettuce.

The chokeberry has 16 times more nutrients than our blueberries.

Purple and yellow carrots have 16 times more nutrients than orange carrots. 

The Purple peruvian potato has 171 times more nutrients than the white potato.

(To see graphs on the foods above click here)

Don't Take Our Train For Granted

       How far is your nearest train station? How frequent does the train stop there? Does it run on time? How much does it cost? The North Shore of Chicago is privileged to have the Union Pacific North traveling from Kenosha to the Ogilvie Transportation Center in Chicago. Stops along the way include Lake Forest, Highland Park, Glencoe, Winnetka, Kenilworth, and Wilmette. The Metra operated train makes 27 inbound stops daily in Glencoe en route to Chicago allowing businessmen and women living in the suburbs to have easy and convenient transportation to the city. Likewise, Glencoe also has 27 outbound stops allowing reverse commuters as well as nannies, house-cleaners, and au-pairs, coming from the city, a means of transportation. While en route, train-riders have the opportunity to view the lavish surrounding green and main streets of the suburbs: a rather nice, peaceful view.

Stationmaster, Nisar Ahmed Abro, at Ruk station, a train
stop that has not seen a train in six months.

        Let's take that view half way around the world to Pakistan -- "a country of jaw-dropping landscapes, steeped in a rich history and filled with unexpected pleasures." But this also presents some "deeply troubling images." Ruk, Pakistan, Ruk Station -- stationmaster, Nisar Ahmed Abro, says that train lines have halted due to cutbacks. The once "dollhouse-pretty" station, lined with elaborate palm-trees and decorations is now a ghost station.  We once saw prosperity from the railways, but is has now been all but abandoned. In Mr. Abro's office, New York Times reporter Declan Walsh also noted a "silent grandfather clock." It seems as time has stopped, and the Pakistanis do not have anywhere to turn because of their "natural disasters and entrenched insurgencies, abject poverty and feudal kleptocrats, and an economy near meltdown." People are begging for change in a country that is on a downfall, but nothing has come of it yet. They want trains that once again arrive on time, but nobody has come forth to change that either.

A map of the Glencoe train station.

       At the Glencoe train station, fixed between Highland Park and Hubbard Woods, an overhead cover and bench is on the northbound side of the tracks. On the southbound side, going towards Chicago, is an overhead cover with bike racks underneath, granite lettering with flowers around spelling "Glencoe", many benches, newspaper dispensers, a fountain, a water fountain, and the train station. Were these amenities placed on the southbound side for a reason? Perhaps for the businessmen and women going to work rather than for the au-pairs coming on the northbound train.
       A look at Peshawar's station, Pakistan -- The train station is a far cry from Glencoe's: "policemen wielding AK-47s guard the train station." Train lines have been closed due to floodwaters, and even if they were intact, it would be too dangerous because of the insurgent violence. And to think I don't feel safe riding the El (elevated train) in Chicago at night. In Peshawar, this was not always how it was. The area boasted in the 1930s when the train was a "popular mode of travel used by the wealthy and working classes alike." That sounds like our train system right in the North Shore: the wealthy businessmen and women going to work and the working class coming to work. That was the past for them, the present for us.
       The Union Pacific North and train lines alike in Illinois create a line that often divides and defines towns, such as in Glencoe: 'east of the tracks' and 'the other side of the tracks'. Though we have this dividing line, people still come together in central parts of the town such as Starbucks, Foodstuffs, and Little Red Hen. Similarly, the train system in Parkistan, "over 5,000 miles of track inherited from the British at independence in 1947, helped mesh a new and fractious country." Here in Glencoe, I could get to Chicago in about 50 minutes; on the other hand, in Pakistan, one can get from one place to another but it might not be so convenient. Because of delays and mishaps an eighteen hour train ride can turn into a three day 'adventure' in Pakistan.
       In Lahore, Pakistan, the downfall of the trains did benefit one group of people: the elite. The Royal Palm Golf and Country Club now stands on the bones of the railways. "The club, which costs $8,000 to join has become a showcase for new money: families that made their fortunes from property and industry, contacts and corruption." This stop along the way faces stark differences with its distant neighbor, Karachi, where slums and sewage line the snaking railway. Trains across the globe seem to share the same stigmas: the better the status of the country, the better the train system. What would happen if our train system came to halt like Pakistans did?

   

Rich and Superrich

       

       There are rich, and then there are superrich. "The top penthouse is under contract for $95 million." 432 Park Avenue, an 84-story tower at the corner of 56th Street in Manhattan will be the tallest residential building in the Western Hemisphere (to see a full rendering of the building, click here). Who could possibly afford these high-priced apartments? "While their identities are not known, it is likely that many are the rootless superrich: Russian metals barons, Latin American tycoons, Arab sheiks and Asian billionaires." Buildings like these greatly contribute to the divide of social classes: while the working class is building the structure, the elite class is taking advantage of the amenities they will soon have. The architect who designed 432 Park, Rafael Viñoly, says, "There are only two markets, ultraluxury and subsidized housing."

        432 Park offers a large variety of apartments ranging from $1.59 million studios to $95 million penthouses. Harry Macklowe, the developer of 432 Park, says that "a buyer [can also] pick up a $3.9 million studio for the housekeeper and a private wine cellar for $300,000." This divide in social classes has become an ongoing spiral getting bigger and bigger. As they say, 'The rich are getting richer, while the poor are getting poorer.'

A New Cashmere Sweater to Help Climate Change?

       Global warming can't be something that we just put on the back burner. Some people think how is this little recycling bin going to help the whole world from melting? Every little bit counts! The Economist reported that carbon dioxide concentrations have reached their highest level in four million years! What are we doing wrong?  Carbon dioxide emissions continue to increase from the burning of fossil fuels, using cars, cutting down trees, etc. Researchers at the Mauna Loa Observatory, Hawaii, measured the carbon concentration at 400.03 ppm. In the early 1960s, carbon concentration in the atmosphere increased about 0.7ppm/year. Now, the rate increases nearly three times that at 2.1ppm/year!
         Many are aware of this change and more people need to step up to do something about it. I found a great example of how two guys are working to help. The project is called Naadam Cashmere and it gives back to Mongolia's nomadic herders who are severely threatened by climate change. While in Mongolia for a semester abroad, the founders "fell in love with the people but also learned their struggles." They learned that "the last real nomadic culture in the world is on the verge of being destroyed by the demands of the cashmere industry coupled with the drastic weather shifts that are affecting Mongolia worse than anywhere else on the planet." Unusual weather patterns and demand for more cashmere has caused a great drop in the goat populations. The herders then have no money, leading to no food, and, ultimately, they have to move into cities and abandon their nomadic life, the only life they know. Their solution: designing a line of cashmere sweaters and accessories and working directly with the herdsmen to save the goat population. By working with both local and international banks to create structures that benefit the herders and their life-styles, a percentage of  profits goes directly back to the very bottom of the chain, the nomadic herders. Supporters of Naadam Cashmere have already pledged over 4.5 times the initial goal on Kickstarter.com. There is only one more day to pledge; you can get a cashmere sweater; you can help a herder in Mongolia; and you can fight climate change by keeping the herders on their land and out of the cities.

Freighting Through the Suburbs

         On March 18, 1858, the Chicago Alton & St. Louis Railroad departed Joliet for its first trip. A celebration was hosted for a number of guests. It derailed twice en route but made it to Chicago. On May 2, 1865 a train traveled the same line carrying Abraham Lincoln's body from Chicago to Springfield. The Alton Railroad was later bought by Gulf Mobile & Ohio, and later by the Illinois Central Gulf. The line served mostly freight trains and a commuter train twice daily. It was sold to Metra and then bought by Canadian National Railroad in 1998. The extensive history behind the Illinois Central railroad is all but overshadowed now by the extensive freight schedule it manages. 

The low-grade train stop in Winnetka, IL.

         Chicago's North Shore Union Pacific North also has its own history. Four years before the Chicago Alton & St. Louis railroad, the Chicago and Milwaukee debuted the arrival of its first trains. After 31 fatalities in Winnetka, IL from the gates not operating, the Winnetkans "insisted on immediate action." As a result, the village decided to dig "The Big Ditch", which ran from Indian Hill to Hubbard Woods. With the initiation of FDR's New Deal in 1930, Harold Ickes, the Secretary of the Interior as well as the Administrator of the Public Works Association, a program started by FDR, the project was able to receive the bulk of its funding. Ickes just so happened to be a former Winnetkan. A little under half of the funding for the Big Ditch ended up coming from the PWA. Clearly, the connections between residents of Winnetka and Ickes, were very influential. 

         Likewise, have you every seen a freight train going through the Union Pacific North Railroad, the train that runs along Chicago's North Shore? No. The freight companies, such as Canadian National, have never claimed the Union Pacific North, I believe, for the same reasons the Big Ditch came to be: the Lake Michigan communties' money, power, voice, and connections. The closest freight train I run into is a little further west of the lake in Northbrook at Shermer Road. The railroad runs straight through the center of town. It is a Canadian National line. CN has taken control of numerous train lines in the suburbs: the Illinois Central Railroad and the Elgin, Joliet, and Eastern line. CN has managed to route around the city of Chicago to avoid train traffic and, ultimately, get places faster. In order to do this, they are en route in the western suburbs of Chicago. Notice how they are interested in buying the railroads a little farther away from Chicago's north shore. Do these communities have less of a voice than those older, perhaps wealthier suburbs close to the lake - or fewer connections like that needed to dig the Big Ditch? If there ever were a Canadian National running on the Union Pacific North, I could only imagine the outrage from the villages. Metra is our one and only, it is accessible, convenient, and fast. It is here solely for us. 

In Autopilot

          Imagine driving to work or school. You want to catch up on some emails or homework, but you can't because you have to drive. But wait; you can. You press a green button on the steering wheel, and your car is now in autopilot; it drives itself. In 2010, Google announced their research on self-driving cars; by giving people extra time in the car they may search the web, therefore boosting Google's profits. The video to the left below shows Google's very first user, Steve Mahan, a blind man, "driving".
           This subject has sparked debate with many pros and cons as discussed in recent issues of The Economist. On the positive side, insurance brokers say driving in autopilot can reduce people's rates because they can monitor the car's actions more with technology and car accidents will likely be reduced. There would also be no such thing as texting and driving anymore; no more distractions. People will have that extra time to do things they just could not get done at home. Can we assume that these cars would be a safe way of transportation? In this case many What if... questions could arise such as: What if something in the car has a failure? How could self-driving cars potentially effect America's future?
          This topic also reminded me of my recent, good 'ole Junior Theme on why is corn such a ubiquitous crop in America? I concluded my paper talking about what corn could become. You are probably thinking, how could corn possibly connect to these cars? Well, the book I read, The Omnivore's Dilemma, discussed the oncoming prevalence of processed foods in our lifestyle. Our modern American lifestyle and tastes have contributed to the ubiquitous quantity of corn production and refining. With our very busy schedules, buying processed foods becomes a time saver. Also, more people eat out, especially at fast food restaurants: "these days 19 percent of American meals are eaten in the car." And coincidentally, that is shown in the video above!

Aftermath of Tazreen: Rana Plaza

"Search crews on Thursday clawed
through the wreckage of the building,
which housed several factories making
clothing for European and American
consumers."

        Another and another. And another. First it was Tazreen Fashions Limited, then Smart Export Garments factory, and now the worst of them all, as the New York Times reports, Rana Plaza, claiming at least 377 lives, with hundreds of Bangladeshi clothing workers still missing. Rana Plaza contained five garment factories in a multi-story building. Our disconnect to our consumerism once again surfaces. supply and demand for cheap gods takes over! Rana Plaza employed more than 3,000 people producing clothing for both American and British companies: JC Penney, Cato Fashions, Benetton, Primark, and other retailers. After the arrest of Mr. Rana, the building's owner, cheers broke out in the streets. The garment factory bosses blame Mr. Rana for lying about structural safety in the building; cracks were discovered the day before the disaster and Mr. Rana reported that it would be safe to operate. Rana, known for his corrupt and greedy ego, of course, opposes this saying he was pressured by the bosses...
        Out of this came horrifying stories that no one would ever want to witness, hear, or read. Of the workers who survived, many suffered crushed and broken bones, severed and punctured organs, and amputated limbs.

        For nearly 12 hours, rescuers tried to save a trapped woman, lowering dry food
        and juice to her as they carefully cut through the wreckage trying to reach her. 
       But then a fire broke out, apparently killing the woman, leaving many firefighters
       in tears.

"Volunteers used a length of textile as
a slide to move dead victims recovered
from the rubble."

       When bodies were announced to be found among the rubble, families rushed to identify loved ones and claim the dead. Families still have hope for their loved ones, but officials say it is likely that very few are alive. So what is the next step to these ongoing disasters? Why didn't we take more action after the first, Tazreen? Reading these articles got me thinking of the writing assignment we had after reading Shirt by Robert Pinsky. I wrote about my Patagonia sweatshirt which I was able to trace back to the exact factory:
                         Nicaragua, Managua, Zona Franca Industrial.
                         The Great King of Americas Sewing Factory:
                         2,100 trabajadores sólo hablan español.
                         80% female; 20% male.

I was informed about my sweatshirt. Why not take the initiative Patagonia has to inform buyers and make sure the products we get are made in safe environments? Yes, America is a country based on capitalism, the cheaper the better, but I think we have to put a stop to it somewhere.