What I'm Reading (July 22)

Let’s take a closer look at rising food prices – as always, it is complicated. From Econlife, Six Facts: The Impact of Rising World Food Prices. But Elaine Schwartz, who writes the blog, was not content to stop there. Here is a hilarious piece on the troubles at Subway when the Court finds that their bread is really cake. When is Tuna not Tuna, Bread not Bread, and a Footlong Not 12″?

During my surgical career, I have been told, more than once, that I was a “cowboy.” By that, they meant I was pushing the limits and perhaps taking on foolhardy tasks. I had always considered myself relatively risk-averse, although I thought my judgment and “unique skill set” allowed me to get closer to the line than others – infrequently, I was incorrect. Those moments always called for a pause and rethink. With that as the preamble, this piece, from Austin Kleon, resonated deeply with me. 

“The farmers settle a piece of land and cultivate it carefully, finding more and more value in it. The cowboys look for new places and are excited by the sheer fact of discovery, and the freedom of being somewhere that not many people have been before.”  Brian Eno

Austin, by the way, wrote a great book that I love and take to heart, “Steal like an Artist.” Here is his blog piece on being a farmer or a cowboy, The pirate gardener