The Land of Cockaigne

 

      Food Insecurity is a major topic of concern these days. The closing of the border and the disruption of supply chains has caused food shortages and higher prices and increased our awareness of the facts that we can't grow a lot of it here and, if we can, we don't have anyone around to get it out of the fields for us. That we might not have enough guacamole for the Super Bowl was of real concern to those who were already worried about not having enough avocados for their toast. But, I am not going to talk about Food Insecurity. If you are disappointed, you can read all about it in this report from the Library of Parliament: Covid-19, Food Insecurity and Related Issues. 

   Recently there has been a lot of good news about food in London as these headlines indicate: "Federal Funding Plants Seeds for Agri-food Growth in London," and more recently: "Innovative Factory Turning London Crickets Into Food Nets $17M Backing," by Norman De Bono, LFP, Feb. 18, 2021. It is a good thing that some of our land is now being used for food processing facilities, rather than for just supplying shelters for those retirees from Toronto who we see increasingly in our grocery stores. For really good news about food, however, one needs to look to the past, when we actually grew crops and constructed palaces out of grain and corn and used cereal in our architecture.

   To learn about such things, the book pictured above is useful. It "explores the background, history, development, and meaning of corn palaces, crop art, and butter sculpture from 1870 to 1930, concluding with a consideration of the implications of food art for today.” Such items were icons of abundance and provided visual evidence that we lived in a land of plenty. Definitions are provided: 
“A word about terms: corn palaces and their sister grain palaces are sometimes referred to as “cereal architecture.” These large exhibition buildings are covered inside and out with a cladding of grain and other natural products. “Crop art,” as the term is used here, refers to sculpture and smaller-scaled architectural forms such as street kiosks covered in grains, seeds and grasses. Butter sculpture is simply sculpture made from butter; it might be layered over an armature or carved from a solid block, but butter sculpture must be cooled in some manner to survive.” (p.x.)

Butter Sculptures

  

   The book focuses on the huge corn palaces in places like Sioux City, Iowa and Mitchell, South Dakota, but crop art also existed in Canada, as did butter sculpturing. One of the practitioners of this fine art lived close by and produced the "Life Size" sculpture made of butter pictured above. Simpson provides this information:

 “Ross Butler, a Canadian artist known for his lifelike animal sculptures, began working for the Canadian dairy industry in the 1940s, and in 1952 modeled an equestrian Queen Elizabeth II for a Toronto show. It drew so much attention that he was invited to re-create it for the coronation that summer in London. But the thought of so much butter being wasted in a sculpture drew angry newspaper letters from Britons, who were still facing food shortages. The anger was compounded by a newspaper typographical error that reported the sculpture was to be made of 15,000 pounds of butter rather than 1,500. The incorrect amount would have been enough to supply a week’s butter ration to 120,000 people. Butler and his sponsors defended themselves, first by correcting the typo, then by pointing out that the Canadian industry was shipping tons of butter to Britain as part of the celebration, and finally by assuring people that the butter would not be wasted but would be recycled. Nevertheless, it took considerable effort to offset the unexpected bad publicity.”

I suppose it would be in bad taste if the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair (upcoming virtually in March) displayed a lot of food that was being wasted.

   Lest you think this is all ancient history, having occurred in the early 1950s, there was another butter sculpture incident in Toronto sixty years later in 2012.  If you think a Life Size butter sculpture of Winston and the Queen was huge, imagine how big this one was. 

   That is a bust made of butter of the late Rob Ford, brother of the current Premier of Ontario, which was on display in the CNE in 2012.  The 230 kg depicts the Mayor reading a Margaret Atwood book, while resting against a steering wheel. Apparently Ms Atwood and others were upset about library funding issues and Ford had recently been chastised for driving while distracted.

But What About The Land of Cockaigne?

   I sometimes use trickery to try to get someone to read this blog. For example,  I wrote earlier about London's new cricket factory, under the heading ENTOMOPHAGY. The assumption is the reader will see such an odd word and peek at the post rather than go to Wikipedia, where there is, for example,  a good definition of  "The Land of Cockaigne."  It is written about in the book above as well. It is a land of plenty where fences "were made of sausage and houses were roofed with bacon." (p.9) The kind of place mentioned in the song, "The Big Rock Candy Mountain", where there are lemonade springs, where the bluebird sings and the farmers's trees are full of fruit and the barns are full of hay and the chickens lay soft boiled eggs. 

While Canada can never be an agricultural paradise or Cockaigne, perhaps the current pandemic will at least teach us to pay more attention to the food we can grow and eat and where it is from.

Sources:

 Although there is a Wikipedia entry for Ross Butler, there is information about him close by in Woodstock. See: Ross Butler Gallery; this exhibition brochure - "Ross Butler, Branding, Butter, and Bulls" and the Ontario Agriculture Hall of Fame. 

   The Ford butter sculpture did indeed exist. See: "CNE Masterpiece: A Well-buttered Ford Reading Atwood, Leaning on a Steering Wheel: Who Said Rob Ford Wasn't Smooth," Niamh Scallan, The Toronto Star, Aug. 23, 2012 and "Toronto Mayor Rob Ford Made Into Massive Butter Sculpture," ca.news.yahoo.com, Aug. 24, 2012.

The book above: Corn Palaces and Butter Queens: A History of Crop Art and Diary Sculpture, Pamela H. Simpson. U of Minn. Press, 2012. I have the only copy in London. I am not sure why.

The Bonus: Miller & Miller Auctions  LTD.

 This provides yet another example of the bonus being better than the content. While doing the kind of exhaustive research required for an endeavour such as this, I stumbled upon this about Ross Butler: "Ross Butler, Canadian Artist. How Dawes Black Horse Brewery Made His Sculptures Famous," [he sculpted using things other than butter.] 

If you bother to check that link you will see it comes from the website of Miller & Miller. 

And, if you bother to check that link you will find The Miller Times - "an online magazine sharing intriguing stories and little-known facts about the unique items we come across at Miller and Miller Auctions." 

There is much on these websites that you will enjoy and you are likely to spend the rest of your day on one or the other of them.

Miller and Miller is apparently located in New Hamburg. I have never been there and they don't know me - that is, this is not a promotional gimmick. Given the way their website and blog looks, they would likely be embarrassed to find out they were mentioned in a blog that looks like this one. One is reminded of another classy establishment, RM Auctions in Blenheim. It was purchased by Sotheby's. 

The Library Business

  

   I worked in some libraries and in the "About This Blog" section of this blog, promised that I would write about them.  Making such a promise indicates I wouldn't have done well in a career in Marketing. Realizing that libraries are not the most marketable of subjects is the reason I put the alluring photo at the top to lure you in.  Having checked to see why I am blogging, I also learned that I am not good at keeping promises since I promised a post a day and now owe you 1,350, a deficit unlikely to be overcome. I have even fallen behind in posting about libraries, so here goes. If you would rather read about more interesting things, my first post was about SEX and I did write about the DIRTY BOOKS sometimes found in libraries. 

   Although you have become used to not paying for information and are aggrieved when obstructed by the increasing number of firewalls, you should know that information is not free. Libraries have to pay a lot for it.  I thought about this recently when I received a couple of library-related emails from a market research firm offering advice about how do deal with the fact that there is not enough in the budget to purchase all of the material requested by  those who can be very demanding, even though they are not paying directly for the book or magazine they wish to borrow.

The Library Business is Tougher Than You Think - The University Library

  In this case, the emails had to do with the very big problem faced by academic institutions which have to purchase subscriptions to journals with very big price tags covering a wide variety of disciplines, all of which are supremely important, if only to the enraged faculty member who thinks the periodical absolutely essential to the mission of the university. The first market research report has the title - "Survey of Academic & Research Library Plans for Journal Subscription Cancellations".  It noted that: "These subscriptions are the heart of a research library’s scholarly services and often constitute the majority of materials spending, making them particularly vulnerable in an economic downturn." The second report was for those librarians who have to deal with the the serial cancellations: "Survey of Academic & Research Library Plans for Ala Carte Purchases of Scholarly Journal Articles." Among the few things revealed is that the libraries will have to pay thousands of dollars to retrieve the articles required by faculty that were in the journals to which they no longer have subscriptions. To learn more, the librarian will have to pay $129 for the 52 page report.

The Public Ones

    The budgets for public libraries are limited as well and the demands of the tax-paying citizen are likely just as tough to deal with as those of the faculty member. The decisions that need to be made are also tough ones. I thought of this recently when I looked at some recent purchases made by our local public library system (London Public Library) - purchases I am not criticizing. I suppose it is simply a question of supply and demand and definitely not quality. I would think, however, that some of the librarians who had to make these decisions, wish they could have bought more books rather than more copies of some books. Still even when multiple copies of some books were purchased, the demand outstripped the supply and I am sure the complaints outstripped the compliments. 

   The authors of those books which were purchased in large quantities are likely happy, although not as happy as they would be if consumers bought rather than borrowed the books. It is also good to be able to provide books to those who can't afford them, particularly during a pandemic. On the other hand, it might be better to have more good books on the shelves than lots of copies of mediocre ones.  That there are not is not because of the librarian. 

   For those interested, here are some numbers based on searches of the catalogue of the London Public Library. About the billionaire author, James Patterson, who often does not write 'his' books I will only offer a summary.  I just looked at the first fifteen of his titles (there would be many, many more) and there were 462 copies of those fifteen books. It looks like usually about 30 copies of each title are purchased.  Here are some more examples and in all of them you will see that the demand still far exceeds the supply:

Troubled Blood - Robert Galbraith - 78 holds on first copy returned of 47 copies.

One by One - Ruth Ware - 207 holds on first copy returned of 70 copies.

Invisible Girl - Lisa Jewell - 184 holds on first copy returned of 70 copies.

A Song For the Dark Times, Ian Rankin, 54 holds of first copy returned of 38 copies.

Daylight, David Baldacci,  211 holds on first copy returned of 25 copies. 

  These are just numbers and others could have been chosen. They do indicate that the demand is high for some titles and there is no reason to blame the librarian for ordering them or the reader who has chosen them, unless one wants to tackle the larger issues related to the purpose of the public library.

The Marketing of Library Services - The Public Ones

   Apparently public libraries have been busier than usual because of the pandemic and the few statistics above offer some support for that notion. Although the libraries are closed right now, one can sit at home and order a book from any library in the city and it will be delivered to the one closest to you. I have no doubt that those employed within them have plenty to do.

  That has not prevented them from offering to do more.  In the last email a new "Pick" service was offered as were the services of a staff member who will assist you in finding more books in the category you choose and then deliver them to you.  Also promoted was a new magazine platform and one can use it to get popular magazines that are behind firewalls erected to keep out non-subscribers.

 Other services are offered and apart from ordering films and music one will soon be able to borrow an Ontario Parks pass, the demand for which is likely to be high if spring ever comes.

   

The Academic Ones

   It is more difficult to determine what is going on in university libraries. The few libraries still remaining at Western are closed, but they were well-positioned for the pandemic. For the past few years the library leaders have been deemphasizing the libraries as places to study or facilities in which to store printed matter, in favour of making the material available online. The digital books and periodicals still have to be purchased and some of the packaged digital products costs thousands of dollars - for annual subscriptions.  That there is not much time left for promotion and marketing is understandable. They are also likely spending a lot of time explaining to a student or faculty member why they can't order a particular book or journal and pointing out that good information is expensive.

Post Script:

   When I did work in libraries, I often took positions that were contrary to those held by colleagues, a tendency which can probably be explained by the facts that what I lacked in proper training was made worse by poor judgement.  And, perhaps even before I grew old, I was old-fashioned about some things. For example, I like libraries that are vast edifices full of books and magazines (see, for example, my series - "Periodical Ramblings.")

   Among public librarians there is now floating, what appears to be a contagious idea, with which I do not agree. I am old fashioned and think that, given that books are expensive, one should have to sign them out of the library. As well, one should have to return them on time and be penalized for not doing so. I addressed the first issue in a very long post which you can read here: The Mystery of the Missing Books.  I understand the sentiment behind the elimination of fines - poor people can't afford them - but I am not convinced eliminating them is a good idea. I will leave it up to you to debate the issue and come up with a better alternative.

Detour

Diversions

   The pandemic has kept us inside and the political issues are depressing so I am offering here an escape for those looking for something to do on this cold and snowy day. Travelling is ruled out, but travelling virtually is not. I am sure you are a user of Google Maps and perhaps even Google Earth or Google Street View. The latter allows people to see where your house is, just as googling lets them find out more about you. The suggestion here is that you use Google Street View to do some global exploration - virtually.

   If you are the timid type, you might want to stay close to home, or perhaps your spouse is just yearning to do some shopping, which like travelling is generally disallowed.  If so, you can go to Google Maps and type in "Kingsmill's Department Store." Not only will you see Dundas Street when it looked a lot better, you can actually go into Kingsmill's and have a look around when stores looked a lot better. The two grabbed images below are not good examples and you should have a virtual look, since Kingsmill's closed a while back.

Dundas Street

Kingsmill's

  

   The more adventurous of you probably want to venture farther and you can use Google Street View to do so -well not really Google Street View, but Random Street View, which uses Google Street View to take you on a global tour. It would be rather tedious to type in the names of a street in, say, Vienna or a path in Botswana, even if you knew them, and do so over and over for other locations. Random Street View does the work for you. It selects locations around the world and presents them randomly. If you prefer to stay in-country, you can select 'Canada' and travel the Alaska Highway, or just go down Melville Street in Wellington, Ontario on a fall day. Here are two examples from different areas of the globe.

Path in Slovenia

Open Road in Botswana

 

   If you are both adventurous and competitive, viewing random road shots from around the earth may not be enough, particularly if the nude sunbather accidentally caught in the shot was scrubbed from the picture by the folks at Google. For you, there is GEOGUESSR. It is a game invented by some Swedish IT guys back in the very bad winter of 2013, which was kind of like being in a pandemic in Ontario now.  The object is to guess the geographical location and there are various competitive options.  If you are adventurous and competitive, but also miserly, you will have to stick with Random Street View which is free. GeoGuessr started out that way, but eventually Google started charging them for the use of the data and images. 

Sources:
   While doing this, I discovered that there is still a Kingsmill's website, but it has now disappeared.  Apart from using Google Maps, you can also view some photos of Kingsmill's in Jennifer Grainger's, London Free Press: From the Vault. 
    Like me, you have probably used Google Street View to see where an old girl friend lives, or to see how well or poorly a class mate has done, but were unaware of Random Street View. I was as well, but apparently the pandemic has resulted in an increase in users  which is reported on here: "The Pandemic-Induced Popularity of Google Street View," by Sophie Haigney, The New Yorker, Feb. 6, 2021 (misers beware, it may be behind a firewall, where even Google can't go.)
   There are Wikipedia entries for all the things discussed. 

The Bonus:

I have run out of time, but if the above is of interest, you may want to check out MapCrunch. I didn't have time.

We are doing what we can doing these hard times to support local restaurants, The gestures are not heroic ones, they typically just involve ordering take-out food. We did so again recently and I thought the well-done lettering on the take-out bag should be recognized and it is from an establishment still on Dundas Street, where Kingsmill's used to be. The food was good as well and there was plenty of it.

For those of you still reeling over my recent piece about Druthers and the dubious nature of most news stories, visit this Associated Press website to find out what really didn't happen this week: Not Real News.

Druthers

 Newspapers

    So many newspapers have closed in recent years there is a Wikipedia entry for "The Decline of Newspapers." It is odd then, that I received another new one last week. You may recall my post about The Epoch Times back in January. This week our subject is Druthers which is pictured above. That is the third issue and 100,000 copies of it are being distributed across the country. The title, as the masthead indicates, means what it implies, as in "If I had my druthers, we all would know the truth," and apparently that is all that Druthers publishes.  You can decide for yourself at druthers.net where you can access and assess all the issues currently available. 

   Not only does Druthers give you the truth, it also points you to other places where more of it is found. On p. 5 of the issue above you will find "Websites of Interest" and the first one listed is "Vaccine Choice Canada" and the second is "The World Doctors Alliance." The first one cannot be said to be vaccine friendly and the second appeared in the headline: "World Doctors Alliance" Shares False and Misleading Claims About the Covid-19 Pandemic." Still, one wants to trust the publisher Shawn Jason Laponte, who says on the last page: "Please world, be kind to one another. We really are just one big earth family. Thank you. I love you. Keep on passing it on." He is publishing Druthers "Because Mainstream Media Sucks!" One London reader was impressed enough to offer to hand out copies at his place of work. Before you make such a decision do have a look at Druthers where you can also buy this T-shirt. 

Vaccines

   I thought most Canadians were worried about not getting the vaccine which, at this point, is a legitimate thing to be worried about. I forgot about the fact that vaccines cause autism and that many movie stars and wealthy and influential people like Robert F. Kennedy Jr. are ardent anti-vaxxers. But, if you are a vaccine fence sitter, where can you go for the real truth?

      The few employees still remaining at Statistics Canada have been looking into it. That chart is from, "Misinformation During the Covid-19 Pandemic," by Karine Garneau and Clemence Zossu and here is some prose to go with it and the news is not good:

During the pandemic, nine in ten Canadians (90%) used online sources to find information about COVID-19. The three main sources were online newspapers or news sites (63%), social media posts from news organizations or magazines (35%), and social media posts from other users or influencers (30%).

The survey found that many Canadians were not in a regular habit of checking the accuracy of information they found online, with only 21% reporting they always check the accuracy and 37% saying they often check. However roughly 36% of Canadians reported that they only sometimes (24%) or rarely (12%) checked the accuracy of COVID-19 information they found online, which facilitates the sharing of potentially misleading, false or inaccurate information.

The most common reason identified by the 1.5 million (6%) Canadians who never verified the accuracy of the information was that they trusted the source (53%). Of the other reasons, 22% reported that they did not think about checking the accuracy of the information, 20% did not care about checking, 11% said they did not know how to check and 10% did not have time to check. Men and women both reported similar proportions for the reasons they didn’t fact check the information found online.

  While the pandemic is serious, the infodemic is as well and is likely to last longer:

An infodemic is an overabundance of information, both online and offline. It includes deliberate attempts to disseminate wrong information to undermine the public health response and advance alternative agendas of groups or individuals. Mis- and disinformation can be harmful to people’s physical and mental health; increase stigmatization; threaten precious health gains; and lead to poor observance of public health measures, thus reducing their effectiveness and endangering countries’ ability to stop the pandemic.

   

Sources:

  An early report about Druthers is found here: "New Covid Conspiracy Newspaper With Extremist Ties Eyes Canada-Wide Distribution," by Rayne, Dec. 18, 2020 at Antihate.ca.

  For a recent article: "How This Man's Newspaper is Pushing Anti-Covid-Restrictions Rhetoric Across Canada," Alex McKeen, The Toronto Star, Feb.7, 2021.

The Bonus: 

  You have probably read about the new Novavax, vaccine that is going to be produced here in Canada (in a Montreal facility still under construction.) See: "Novavax's Vaccine Will Be Produced in Canada. What Do We Know About It?" Patricia Treble, Maclean's, Feb. 4, 2021.

Novavax was developed in Maryland. This from Reuters:

Chief Executive Stanley Erck and three of his top lieutenants have sold roughly $46 million of company stock since the start of last year, according to a Reuters review of securities filings, capitalizing on a near 3,000% rally in Novavax shares fueled by investors betting on the success of the shot under development. The lucrative liquidations, which have not previously been reported, underscore the transformation in Novavax’s fortunes during the global pandemic and the opportunity for its executives to lock in big profits from market optimism.

The Gaithersburg, Maryland-based company was worth only $250 million until about a year ago, when news of its experimental vaccine and its participation in Operation Warp Speed drove its valuation up to as much as $11 billion.

At least there is some good news to report.