The same year that the Elders gathered in Snook, Texas to consume chicken fried bacon, a terrible wildfire scorched Bastrop State Park (September and October 2011). The Drought Jeff Goodell, in his book The Heat Will Kill You First: Life and Death on a Scorched Planet, talks with a south Texas farmer about a drought-ravaged […]
Jeff Goodell’s book The Heat Will Kill You First is proving to be fascinating. As an Austin resident, he is able to describe global climate change and give recent examples from south and central Texas [ed. note: WLBOTT corporate headquarters is located in Central Texas]. Droughts, floods, hurricanes, crop loss, but perhaps most bizarrely, the […]
Once upon a time, long ago but not too long ago, Elder UC#3, UC#4-SU, Sally T. Intern, UC#2 and I met up at Sodolak’s Original Country Inn in Snook, Texas. The quest: a pilgrimage to the origin of Chicken Fried Bacon. Our get-together was in August of 2011, during a serious Texas drought. We both […]
I recently began reading the excellent book The Heat Will Kill You First, by Jeff Goodell. Executive summary: We’re doomed. Goodell dedicates some of the book to discussing air conditioning and how this technology has allowed people to live in hotter climates but also has become a major contributor to global warming. Goodell explains how […]
Ms. Paper Wasp shortly after stinging Elder UC#4. The Devil’s Sting A poignant story by Drew Bratcher about nine year old’s encounter with a paper wasp. (Paris Review). I am nine years old, soon to be ten. When people ask me what I want to be when I grow up, I say “country singer,” I […]
Our initial intent was to describe, in great detail, the 105 Lighthouses of Iceland. But our attention was soon redirected when we learned of Þrídrangaviti. Without a doubt, Þrídrangaviti is one of the most dramatic, unique and visually stunning lighthouses in Icelandic territory. The lighthouse is built atop an enormous, 120-foot basalt stack in the […]
WLBOTT is excited about our first official diplomatic visit to Iceland! Passports First order of business: getting passports for our ambassador UC#1 and his wife, UC#1SU. Elder G has agreed to be our Chief of Protocol for our embassy in Iceland. He, too, requires a passport. I’d be honored to serve as the “Chief of […]
Today WLBOTT congratulates the new Icelandic president, Halla Tómasdóttir. First things first…. How do you pronounce Halla Tómasdóttir? Halla Tómasdóttir From The Guardian: A feminist entrepreneur who started an investment fund with the musician Björk at the height of Iceland’s 2008 financial crisis and gave a TED talk on applying “feminine values” to finance is […]
Turns out there are many natural formations named “The Seven Sisters.” Let’s look at a few of them. Seven Sisters Mountain, Alberta Canada We couldn’t help but notice the proximity of Seven Sisters Mountain and Ma Butte. (Oh, grow up.) Seven Sisters Peaks, British Columbia Just down the road, in British Columbia, are the Seven […]
On his birthday, UC#3 shared with us his admiration for monolithic concrete structures. We had brunch at Rudder Tower. They had some dining room set up at the top floor – was a fave for parental units when they visited. I will note Rudder Tower at A&M and the Stalin Seven Sister Towers are widely […]