Different takes

 

On the morning of July 7th by the edge of the pond at Gault Lane and Burnet Road I made these pictures of an unusual smartweed inflorescence (Polygonum or Persicaria sp.) that included both a bent stem and a sharply retroflex stem. In the 26 seconds that separated the two views I changed my vantage point to shoot from the opposite side, which in turn presented different kinds of clouds in the background. During processing I chose different crop ratios. To those who say “You can’t have it both ways” I reply “Yes I can.”

 

 

✰

✰       ✰       ✰

✰

  

Did you hear about the collapse of Sri Lanka into insolvency and chaos a few days ago? A big factor was the government’s wide-scale adoption of “green” policies. In particular, the banning of chemical fertilizers led to large reductions in agricultural production, which in turn triggered food shortages and high inflation. I invite you to read Michael Shellenberger’s article explaining what happened.

Let this be a cautionary tale for the consequences of a too-rapid and too-broad adoption of supposedly beneficial environmental policies. Real—not utopian—human beings pay the price.

 

© 2022 Steven Schwartzman