What's Cooking at Our House: Staff of Life

From the oven: home-made whole wheat bread.

Bread, "the staff of life" in much of the world, isn't for everyone. Many people find their well-being improves after removing gluten from their diet. Some see the dramatic rise of obesity in the 1980s as causally related to the widespread adoption of specific types of wheat.

If you do eat bread, home-made whole wheat loaves are a real treat:

We include a few tablespoons of ground flax seed in the dough for a nutty flavor and the extra nutrient boost of omega-3 fatty acids and phytochemicals called lignans.

The excellent bread knife shown here was a gift from longtime correspondent Kevin K.

When home-made bread isn't practical, a crusty bakery-made loaf (in this case, pain de levain) is a treat when served with some regional cheeses and a glass of wine for those who partake of the grape:

Although it's often lost in a culture that glorifies extremes, "moderation in all things" is key to healthy living and enjoyment.

I know it sounds weird to the depoliticized mainstream, but "A healthy homecooked family meal and a home garden are revolutionary acts."


My friend and mentor Jim Kunstler was kind enough to invite me to his podcast program: KunstlerCast #330: A Conversation with Charles Hugh Smith.

I mention my "Hollywood ending" for 2013: a stock market collapse that utterly discredits the Federal Reserve's policies and all those who supported them. We also discuss the insane costs of sickcare.

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Things are falling apart--that is obvious. But why are they falling apart? The reasons are complex and global. Our economy and society have structural problems that cannot be solved by adding debt to debt. We are becoming poorer, not just from financial over-reach, but from fundamental forces that are not easy to identify or understand. We will cover the five core reasons why things are falling apart:

1. Debt and financialization
2. Crony capitalism and the elimination of accountability
3. Diminishing returns
4. Centralization
5. Technological, financial and demographic changes in our economy

Complex systems weakened by diminishing returns collapse under their own weight and are replaced by systems that are simpler, faster and affordable. If we cling to the old ways, our system will disintegrate. If we want sustainable prosperity rather than collapse, we must embrace a new model that is Decentralized, Adaptive, Transparent and Accountable (DATA).

We are not powerless. Not accepting responsibility and being powerless are two sides of the same coin: once we accept responsibility, we become powerful.

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Thank you, Frank S. ($150), for your outrageously generous contribution to this site -- I am greatly honored by your steadfast support and readership.