Somehow today our routine got all confused.
Starting with a bunch of early morning calls, which meant I did not get to do my inbox until much later in the day and then of course got caught up in all sorts of odds and ends as a result of which I skipped the morning exercise routine completely. Not a good thing as I firmly believe to stay healthy we need to stay fit and active.
At least we did manage to get a nice long walk in. After a late lunch yet another change in routine – instead of our usual Hood excursion we ventured to the Potomac and enjoy a beautiful walk along the river following in the footsteps of a colleague who lives there.
Not many people were out in the late afternoon. We met a handful of cyclists and a few fishermen. Other than that, only blue herons, blue birds, crows and some eagles circling in the wind.
Nature is exploding by the river with trees sprouting light green leaves and the ground cover coming up. Despite it being almost in the city it is rather wild. The river is carrying a lot of water and is displaying the most amazing colors. Temptingly clear water, though I do not trust the water quality and from what I have told it is not only prohibited to swim in the Potomac, but also dangerous. What a shame.
Walking through nature like that was so restful for the soul and I think we may just head down to the water every other day; once the days missions have been accomplished as it does wonders for our mental wellbeing. On that note, I really need to incorporate more sword work - bashing the Taren-Uchi - into my day to get in a little more activity and combat potential weight gains. Now with the weather warming up doing this in the evenings outside is becoming increasingly feasible.
In our endeavors to stay healthy I continue to cook mostly carb free (I know the artichoke filled ravioli yesterday with sear artichoke hearts did not fit that bill, but today’s cauliflower with pork tenderloin and tarragon hollandaise aka béarnaise did).
Food seems to be the theme of the day in the media also. While worldwide there is an abundance of food courtesy of good harvests, there is a risk of famine in some countries. This is mainly due to some countries needing to import food and others increasing local stockpiles, which combined with the breakdown of international transportation leads to supply shortages and price increases for staples such as rice and wheat.
Following on from yesterday’s thoughts, nations may need to pay more attention to local supply chains – at least for basic needs. For a long time, self-sufficiency had been the key reason for agricultural subsidies. Perversly this has led to overproduction in many markets resulting in increased exports. Side effects of subsidies have led to significant market distortion often times making imported goods cheaper than local produce, displacing income earning opportunities in local economies, particularly in lesser developed countries heavily reliant on farming.
A few years ago I read that world poverty could be ended if all so called developed nations stopped subsidizing agriculture destined for export entirely. A world free of poverty! Imagine! It is probably not that easy as pockets of poverty will continue to exist, as visible in the US and many other well to do nations, but it might be far more effective an instrument to poverty eradication in emerging markets than all the aid in the world combined.
With global supply chains breaking down, there maybe an opportunity to rethink agricultural policies. Food self-sufficiency was particularly important in times of war. In eighty years of peace this concept has been somewhat lost. There had been no apparent need to be self-sufficient and people have gotten used to eating out of season items flown in from wherever they might be in season. And I for one do enjoy the variety global food production offers. But maybe, it is time to rethink and go with the slow food movement and supplement what is in season and can be locally produced with select extras, to be consciously savored. This also means buying the less than perfect fruits and vegetables.
On the subject of food: I came across an article on what American products are most feature internationally. To me this seems about right. There are aisles and aisles of processed junk in the supermarkets I regularly visit.
And of course, the virus also impacts food locally and is not just disrupting supply chains. As less seasonal workers come to support harvests food is rotting in the fields. This is compounded by farm workers at risk due to close quarter accomodation and lack of protection.
On the Corona front: The world today has 4.33 million known cases and global death are approaching 300k very quickly. Overall though the number of new cases identified seems to be slowing down. This has me hopeful.
Wednesday, May 13th, 2020