May 12, 2022

Hidden toward the back of yesterday’s paper was an interesting take on the perils facing a reef near Miami, Florida.  Colin Foord and J. D. McLay have partnered to form Coral Morphologic to bring the undersea world of the coral reef to light by posting stunning images and amazing closeups of underwater creatures on social media.  The images have set time-lapsed video of swaying, glowing coral to music and projected it onto buildings. They even sell a coral-themed beachwear line.  “We aren’t all art.  We aren’t all science.  We aren’t all tech.  We are an alchemy,” Foord said.  One of their most popular projects is the Coral City Camera, which just passed 2 million views and usually has about 100 viewers online at any given time.  The project has documented one year in the life of a coral reef, something that has never been done before.

When I looked online, I found coral reefs provide habitat for 25% of all known marine species, many of which provide sustenance and livelihood to half a billion people globally.  Reefs also protect coastal communities from extreme climate events like storm surges.  Despite the crucial environmental role, the world’s oceans have lost 50% of their living coral reef since 1950, and if action is not taken scientists estimate all coral reefs could be dead by 2050.  Destructive fishing practices and pollution take their toll, but the greatest impact comes from climate change.  The warming oceans prompt coral bleaching and raise the risk of diseases that can cause mass coral die-offs.  Stronger storms and changes in water chemistry can destroy reef structures, and altered currents sweep away food and larvae.  The global reefs are in peril.

The Coral City camera is located in Miami’s Government Cut.  The livestream has revealed that staghorn and other corals can adapt and thrive even in a highly urbanized undersea environment, and the reef supports 177 species of fish, dolphins, manatees, and other sea life.  McKay also films reef creatures in their Miami lab, growing coral in tanks to get them ready for closeups in glorious color.  These images are soundtracked with ambient sounds, or according to McKay, “something very oceanic.”  Their “Coral City Flourotour” will be shown on the New World Center Wallscape this week as the Aspen Institute hosts a climate conference in Miami Beach.  Foord is speaking on a panel about how the ocean’s natural systems can help humans learn to combat the impacts of climate change.  Together they are trying to make a positive impact.

THOUGHTS:  Climate change refers to last part of Coral Morphologic’s name, as morphologic means having to adapt because the environment is always changing.  “I think when we can recognize that we’re all this one family of life and everything is interconnected, that hopefully we can make meaningful changes now, so that future generations don’t have to live in a world of wildfires and melted ice caps and dead oceans,” Foord said.  While this should be a non-partisan issue, how to achieve the goal is not.  Without making tough decisions resulting in tough change, we will continue to destroy the reef that keeps us safe.  Act for all.  Change is coming and it starts with you.

May 11, 2022

I had mentioned several weeks ago that it was my intent to plant the Cherokee Purple (Solanum lycopersicum) tomato plants Melissa had purchased in the bed along the north side of the house.  Over the last years I never actually weeded this bed.  Instead, I took the weed eater several times and cut the area down to the ground, then cut out the small trees that seemed to love this side of the house.  When I went out to prep the bed it became apparent how much work it would take to get the bed read for planting.  I started looking for an alternative way to plant the tomatoes inside the patio fence.

My intent to plant the inground tomatoes outside the fence was to protect them from Zena.  When Eddie stayed with us several weeks ago the two of them took up the game of chase, where they tore around the pool and through the beds, finally ending by flopping down in the foliage of the Naked Ladies (Amaryllis belladonna) that proliferate the middle of the largest bed.  I did not pay much attention as the leaves were due to die anyway.  However, I was concerned when Zena began to romp through the Red Canna Lilies (Canna indica) I had transplanted last year and that come from Melissa’s grandmother’s yard.  My solution was to purchase 18-inch (45 cm) high fencing that I placed around the lilies, as well as the strawberries (Fragaria ananassa) that were beginning to flower.  I knew Zena could jump the fence if she wanted, but eventually she will be able to jump anything she wants so I thought I would try.  This did the trick as Zena now romps around the pool and avoids the fenced beds.

I knew my intent to plant the tomatoes inside the fence was now bolstered.  The cages around the container vegetables and the fencing around the inground beds were both working separately.  I re-prepped the bed by the bramble (Rubus fruticosus) and planted four of the purples and then caged the plants and fenced the bed.  Next, I expanded the strawberry fencing and caged the last two purples and the two Roma-like San Marzano (Lycopersicon esculentum.  Finally, I expanded the fencing around the lily and caged the beefsteak-like Delicious (Lycopersicon lycopersicum) and a Red Sweet 100 (Solanum lycopersicum) cherry tomato.  Maybe if I use a hoe, I might be able to prepare the north bed for the squash I had intended.

THOUGHTS:  When I purchased vegetables from the local market, they were all hybrid plants while the tomatoes Melissa purchased from the grower were heirlooms.  While heirlooms are grown from seed, hybrids are created by cross pollination using two different species.  Creating a hybrid version of a plant ensures genetic diversity, creates a stronger version of the two parent plants, and can create new vegetables and fruits.  Seedlings from heirloom seeds will replicate the parent, while seedlings from hybrid seeds could exhibit traits of one or both parents, may be something totally surprising, or it may be sterile and not grow at all.  First-generation hybrids make sense, but second-generation hybrids are iffier.  Humans do not have that problem.  The intent was we are all a single species.  Act for all.  Change is coming and it starts with you.

May 10, 2022

Hidden next to the obituaries in the sports section of our local newspaper was an article on the strike by childcare workers in the US.  Hundreds of day care centers across America were closed Monday as workers in 27 states and the District of Columbia went on strike for better wages.  The workers called Monday, “A Day Without Childcare”.  The intent was to draw attention to an industry where these essential workers are not paid enough to cover their own essentials.  As many as 400 providers were on strike Monday, significantly disrupting childcare operations.  Despite the inconvenience, many parents support the fight for higher wages for care providers.

When I looked online, I found the lack of accessibility to childcare in the US places a burden on the economy and labor force.  The closures and mandates brought on by the pandemic cause increased hardship to find quality childcare.  Childcare statistics for the US indicate 58% of working parents (6.38 million parents), rely on childcare centers, and 57% of working families spent more than $10,000 on childcare in 2020.  That is an average of at least 10% of household income.  Center for American Progress reports in the US it costs $300 per week to send a child to a family care center, $340 per week to send a child to a childcare or daycare center, and $612 per week for a nanny.  Roughly half of Americans have trouble finding childcare, and 27% of those say it is because there are not enough open childcare slots.  While two-thirds of parents in the US have few childcare options, 51% live in communities classified as childcare deserts.

Organizers of the childcare rallies are demanding better wages and subsidies industry wide.  Meanwhile, few of the providers make a profit and many are in the red.  The demand for childcare is far greater than the supply and workers often earn poverty level wages with few benefits.  The median wage is $13.22 an hour and most childcare providers are women, with a disproportionate number being women of color.  Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle recognized the importance of childcare at the onset of the pandemic, but that realization has diminished with the failure of the administration’s Build Back Better plan.  BBB proposed federal investments in childcare and pre-K to set a cap on the amount families pay for services and establish minimum salary requirements for workers.  Now, that does not seem essential.

THOUGHTS:  As childcare workers demand higher wages the industry is dealing with a staff shortage, as many workers can find higher pay elsewhere.  “We’re competing with McDonald’s, a half-mile up the street,” said Meredith Burton, director of a childcare center.  Parents are squeezed as the cost of one child in childcare takes the first US$7.50 per hour out of your take home check.  The critical time for childhood education is preschool through 8 years old, and children lag their peers without support.  We need to find ways to pay workers and support the parents.  These children are our legacy.  Act for all.  Change is coming and it starts with you.

May 09, 2022

This morning I resurfaced an article from two weeks ago about the possible extinction of over one-fifth of the reptile species in the world.  The study examined 10,196 reptile species including turtles, crocodilians, lizards, snakes, and the tuatara (pig nosed turtle), the only surviving species of a line dating back more than 200 million years.  Researchers found 21% of species are either critically endangered, endangered, or vulnerable to extinction as defined by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).  The study also identified 31 species that are already extinct.  Previous IUCN status reports found about 41% of amphibian species, 25% of mammal species, and 14% of bird species are threatened with extinction.  Reptiles face the same threats as other species, namely agricultural deforestation, logging and development, urban encroachment, and hunting by people.  Climate change and invasive species exacerbate the risk.

When I looked online, I found reptiles (class Reptilia) are a paraphyletic grouping comprising all sauropsid (lizard-faced) amniotes except Aves (birds), who are considered a separate class.  The earliest proto reptiles originated around 312 million years ago during the Carboniferous period and increasingly adapted to life on dry land.  In addition to the living reptiles, there are many diverse groups that are now extinct, in some cases due to mass extinction events.  Modern non-bird reptiles inhabit all the continents except Antarctica.  Reptiles either have four limbs or are descended from four-limbed ancestors (like snakes).  Most reptiles lay eggs, but several species are viviparous, meaning the fetus develops in the mother but in a non-mammalian placenta rather than being contained in a shell.  The key difference between reptiles and amphibians is their association with water for reproduction.  Reptile eggs are surrounded by membranes for both protection and transport, which adapt them to reproduction on dry land.  

I always found dinosaurs to be one of the most fascinating of reptiles.  Cultural depictions of dinosaurs have occurred since the word was coined in 1842 and range from realistic to the fantastic (monster movies).  There has been a Dinosaur Renaissance since the mid-twentieth century as science radically changed depictions of dinosaurs.  Cultural depictions have been used to reinforced misconceptions about dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals as a “prehistoric world” that portrays different periods of extinct animals (from the Dimetrodon to mammoths to cavemen) living together.  Other misconceptions that were once scientific consensus have also been overturned, such as dinosaurs being slow and unintelligent. 

THOUGHTS:  I grew up as the age of dinosaurs exploded in the last half of the 20th century.  I collected nearly 40 different types of plastic dinosaurs and could recite the length, weight, and period when each of them lived.  Other cultures have been fascinated with reptiles and have woven them into their creation stories.  My favorite is the World Turtle who carries the earth on its back or supports the heavens and is portrayed in several cultures.  When we take the time to research both living and extinct forms of reptiles, we find how fascinating and diverse they are, and we see the intricate role of reptiles is in our lives and the environment.  Both would be less without a fifth of these living species.  Act for all.  Change is coming and it starts with you.

May 07, 2022

Melissa signed up this year for a stall at our local farmers’ market.  The market is open in the town center on the first Saturday of the month throughout the summer.  While several stores in the area sell individual succulents, they are rarely offered in an arraignment of different types.  Melissa thought this might provide an appealing niche.  Over the last month we have worked on gathering the necessary equipment to be a vendor at the market.  That meant the tent, table and chairs, and display stands, not to mention the succulent arraignments themselves.  The mayor of the city used some of the covid relief money provided the city to cover the vendor fees for the market (thank you!).  There were 20 different vendors, including three food trucks, crafts, fresh eggs, vegetable plants, and flowers, along with Melissa’s succulents.  As summer continues fresh fruit and vegetables will also be featured.

When I looked online, I found the USDA defines a farmer’s market as: “a multi-stall market at which farmer-producers sell agricultural products directly to the general public at a central or fixed location, particularly fresh fruits and vegetables.”  Vendors also sell prepared foods, plants, flowers, baked goods, and craft items. While there may be a requirement that all products sold must be “local”, the term is subject to interpretation.  Food is the most important commodity sold at a farmer’s market, and the idea behind the markets is to cut the middleperson (grocery store) out of the supply chain.  You can buy fresh produce directly from the growers.  The vendors for our market were all from within several miles of town.

The first recorded farmers’ markets date back over 5,000 years to Egypt when farmers along the Nile would come together to sell their produce.  The first market in the US opened in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1634.  Other markets soon followed in larger New English cities like Hartford (1643), New York City (1686), and Philadelphia (1693).  The popularity of farmers’ markets grew over the next 200 years, but interest began to wane in the early 1900’s with the rise of the local grocery store.  It was not until the health consciousness of the 1970’s that the farmers’ markets returned to popularity.  The appeal of farmers’ markets took another boost between 1994 and 2008, when the number of markets rose 300% in 14 years.  Farmers markets have continued to expand in numbers, although they were curtailed sharply by restrictions during 2020 and 2021.

THOUGHTS:  Today’s farmers’ markets are as numerous as the community grocery store.  They can range in size from three or four vendors to hundreds of farmers.  Tokyo boasts the largest farmers market in the world with over 1,700 stalls.  Food deserts, or areas where residents find it difficult to find healthy, affordable foods, are a problem in many urban areas.  Farmers’ markets have emerged as one approach to improve food accessibility in these areas.  The food available in the deserts is often “fast” or highly processed food with little focus on nutrition.  The markets provide accessibility to a local population that would otherwise have none.  Availability of food should be a right, not a privilege.  Act for all.  Change is coming and it starts with you.

May 06, 2022

Melissa had signed Zena up for a six-week puppy training course and the first session was today.  The circuitous route the GPS took us to get to the trainer’s house was only made more difficult when I missed one of the turns and was routed through back streets to arrive at our destination.  We had been asked to stop in the drive and call when we arrived.  The trainer said his larger dog was “aggressive” and needed to be in the house.  When we arrived, we saw the small dachshund liked to dig searching for moles in the yard.  When we called, he put his dogs in the house to give Zena full access to the back yard.  My first thought was these were traits that might need to be trained for his own pets, but I held my tongue.  As we entered the garage converted into a training studio, he explained he used the clicker approach to train dogs.

When I looked online, I found Clicker training (or mark and reward) is the same as positive reinforcement training, with the added benefit of a clicker, with the clicker being a small noisemaker.  The technique is based on the findings that rewarded behaviors are more likely to be repeated later.  Rather than focusing on what your dog is doing wrong, clicker training concentrates on what your dog is doing right. When you reinforce positive results, you can have a significant effect on how your dog decides to behave.  Dogs repeat behaviors that get them what they want and positive reinforcement training rewards the dog for behaviors you desire.  The clicker then tells your dog exactly which behavior you are rewarding.  When you click at the right time you “mark” the moment your dog did what you wanted.  That means the dog does not have to guess which behavior they are being rewarded for and will learn faster.

The trainer went on to explain the clicker is merely a way to mark a moment.  There is nothing magical about the specific noise, except you likely never make it around your dog outside of training.  That means you can substitute anything as a marker if it is distinct from other ways you communicate with your dog.  Although he had a clicker, the trainer used the marker word “Yes” as a marker to reinforce Zena’s response.  It was amazing to see how fast Zena caught on to the trainer.  In the hour she learned hand signals for sit, lay down, and come (with a lot of treats).  Most of the time was spent on training Melissa and I to be good puppy parents.

THOUGHTS:  After leaving the trainer’s house Melissa thought she knew where we were.  Rather than winding back through the neighborhood we turned left and came to a main road that led to the highway.  Three blocks later and we were on the Interstate.  I chose to follow the GPS on the way over to take the quickest route, but we got lost.  On the way back Melissa used her memory to find a more direct route.  We did not even have a clicker.  Both puppies and humans learn faster and retain more information using positive reinforcement.  Corporal punishment will eventually train children to behave, but willingness to learn comes from positive reinforcement.  You just need to find the right clicker.  Act for all.  Change is coming and it starts with you.

May 05, 2022

I received a text from my sister that her family are making tacos to celebrate Cinco de Mayo.  Smithsonian magazine wrote on the origin of the taco in a 2012 issue.  The taco crossed the US border along with the silver miners immigrating from Mexico.  “Taco” was the word the 18th century miners used to describe the small charges they used to extricate ore.  Tacos apparently began in the homes of working-class communities as inexpensive ways to feed their families.  Their popularity spread to the US along with Mexican migrants working in mines and railroads at the turn of the 20th century.  The first mention taco in a US newspaper was in early 1905.  Taco popularity increased when it began to use American ingredients and is now firmly in place as a staple of Cinco de Mayo celebrations in the US.

When I looked online, I found Cinco de Mayo (Spanish “Fifth of May”) is a yearly celebration held on May 5.  The festival commemorates the anniversary of Mexico’s General Ignacio Zaragoza’s victory over the French Empire at the Battle of Puebla in 1862 which provided a needed morale boost for the Mexicans.  President Juárez declared the anniversary of the Battle of Puebla as a national holiday on May 9, 1862, called the “Battle of Cinco de Mayo”.  On the downside, Zaragoza died from an illness several months after the battle, and a larger French force ultimately defeated the Mexican army at the Second Battle of Puebla the following year.  The commemoration is no longer observed as a national holiday in Mexico, but public schools are closed on May 5.  The day is still an official holiday in the State of Puebla, where the Battle took place, and in the neighboring State of Veracruz.

Cinco de Mayo is now associated with the celebration of Mexican American culture in the US.  Celebrations began in (Mexican) California in 1863 and have been observed annually since.  The day gained nationwide popularity in the 1980’s with the advertising campaigns by beer, wine, and tequila companies, and now generates beer sales on par with the Super Bowl.  Cinco de Mayo is sometimes mistaken by non-Mexican Americans for Mexico’s Independence Day.  Mexican Independence Day is celebrated on September 16, and commemorates the Cry of Dolores in 1810, which initiated the war of Mexican independence from Spain.  Cinco de Mayo is featured in the entertainment media and has become a global celebration of Mexican culture, cuisine, and heritage.  Nothing like tacos and a good party.

THOUGHTS:  The popularity of the taco in the US can be attributed to Glen Bell, the founder of Taco Bell.  Bell popularized the u-shape, hard shelled taco made in advance to provide an inexpensive “fast” food.  As Taco Bell grew in popularity among non-Mexican Americans so did the taco, and the popularity of the taco sparked campaigns for the general (unofficial) celebration of Cinco de Mayo.  Tex-Mex is just one examples of the many ethnic foods enjoyed in the US that are nothing like the original.  When we explore the original versions, we are brought closer to the culture from which they sprang.  Act for all.  Change is coming and it starts with you.

May 04, 2022

Melissa’s mom had set up a bird house for the blue birds that frequented our patio to nest.  When we arrived, the blue birds continued to nest in the house.  The birds would come in the spring and reestablish their nest, then leave after the hatchings were gone.  Other birds began to take an interest in the house at the end of last year, along with a squirrel.  This spring we saw several contests as various species tried to gain control of the house.  This became a daily battle between the blue jays, mockingbirds, blue birds, and house sparrows.  Eventually the sparrows seemed to win and established their nest, but the battle for space continued.  After last night’s storms Zena was taking particular interest in snuffling my new tomato plants.  I saw the nest material had been partially pulled out of the entrance hole to the house and I knew something was wrong.

When I looked online, I found that northern mockingbirds (Mimus polyglottos), blue jays (Cyanocitta cristata), and red squirrels (Sciurus vulgaris) are all known to attack and eat bird eggs, nestlings, and occasionally kill adult birds.  Mockingbirds can be very aggressive and will attack and even kill other birds if they feel their nests or babies are threatened.  Mockingbirds will kill other birds in defense, but they are not likely to kill birds to eat them.  Blue Jays are very territorial and will chase other birds from a feeder for an easier meal.  They may raid other birds’ nests, stealing eggs, chicks, and nests, but this is not common.  Squirrels go as far as raiding a bird’s nest for food, and the red squirrels are the most carnivorous.  They can climb into the nest or birdhouse holes and get to the eggs and chicks.  Nesting birds under attack by a squirrel often abandon their nests, leaving their eggs and chicks at the mercy of the squirrel.  If they do not flee, the adults are occasionally killed.  All three were possible suspects.

Zena continued to snuffle the tomatoes beneath the bird house despite my calls, so I went over to see what had caught her interest.  One of the adult house sparrows (Passer domesticus) was lying dead in the container.  Zena did not try to eat the bird, but she was interested in this motionless animal.  I thought it best to remove the carcass to keep Zena from further exploration in the tomatoes.  While I was at it, I decided to clean the nest material from the bird house.  The amount of nest pulled through the hole suggested the interior was filled with nesting material.  You need to use gloves to do this and thoroughly wash your hands afterwards to avoid diseases.  When I opened the nest box, I found I was right.  It was full of old nest.   

THOUGHTS:  I have read you should clean your bird house at least once a year, and preferably twice.  This allows potential occupants to start with clean fill for their nest.  I have been lax in this, and that may be why the blue birds chose not to nest this year.  Unlike the aeries built by eagles over years, smaller birds generally build a new nest and the old ones tend not to survive the winter.  During the pandemic many things have been allowed to accumulate.  Perhaps we should clean out the old nest (ways) and make a fresh start.  Act for all.  Change is coming and it starts with you.

May 03, 2022

I mentioned Zena’s predatory behavior when she had encountered a large caterpillar on the patio deck last week.  I felt bad as she first stomped it with her front paws and then ended up chewing it.  It must not have tasted very good as Zena spit it out almost immediately.  While this did not do much for the caterpillar she ate, it may help other caterpillars Zena finds if she remembers the first encounter.  When I went outside with Zena yesterday afternoon, I noticed the same type of caterpillar slowly working its way along the chain link fence that surrounds the patio.

When I looked online, I found the eastern tent caterpillar (Malacosoma americanum) is a species of moth in the family Lasiocampidae, the tent caterpillars or lappet moths.  It is univoltine, which means it produces one generation per year.  The tent caterpillar is a social species that forms communal nests in the branches of trees.  It is sometimes confused with the gypsy moth and the fall webworm, and may be erroneously referred to as a bagworm, which is the common name applied to unrelated caterpillars in the family Psychidae.  The caterpillars are hairy with areas of blue, white, black, and orange.  Tent caterpillars are among the most social of larvae.  The adult moth lays 200 to 300 eggs in a single batch in late spring or early summer and fully formed caterpillars are found in the eggs by three weeks.  The small caterpillars lie dormant until the following spring, when they emerge from their eggs just as the buds of the tree begin to develop.

Several of the trees at our house developed tents last fall indicative of the caterpillars.  When they hatch the small caterpillars stay with the tent until they finally venture out into the world to form cocoons and hatch into tent moths.  The tent caterpillars will vigorously thrash the anterior part of their bodies when they detect predators and parasitoids.  These bouts of thrashing can be initiated by a single caterpillar but move rapidly through the colony resulting in group displays of dozens of caterpillars.  The displays create a moving target for predators or species that would lay eggs on or in the body of the caterpillar.  The cherry leaves they chew are cyanogenic and the caterpillars will regurgitate cyanide-laden juices when disturbed.  We do not have any cherry trees in the patio area.  Perhaps the caterpillars on our deck are looking for some.

THOUGHTS:  The eastern tent caterpillar is toxic to horses and has been linked to mare reproductive loss syndrome.  Experimental studies have shown that when pregnant mares are fed eastern tent caterpillars, they abort, but it is unclear if this is from the caterpillar’s toxicity or for other reasons.  Zena is not a mare or old enough to be pregnant, so I am not worried.  All plants and animals have found ways to ensure their survival.  For some it is sheer numbers, for others camouflage, and then there are the bright colors often associated with toxicity.  Humans adapted similar ways to ensure our early survival but have since risen to the top of the food chain.  Now we use these mechanisms to protect us from each other.  Act for all.  Change is coming and it starts with you.

May 02, 2022

I was forwarded an article posted by KOSU (91.7 FM) about the newly formed Potawatomi Fire basketball team.  Like any new team, the players were confident they would win a championship this year.  Afterall, as player Mustapha Traore said, “Out here there’s nothing but land and basketball.”  The Citizen Potawatomi Nation’s new minor league basketball team kicked off its inaugural season March 4 in The Basketball League (TBL) after being unveiled last September.  The team logo and name were selected at a time when sports mascots and logos are drawing national attention, but brand recognition is still important.  The Potawatomi were originally called Bodewadmi, or the People of the Place of the Fire, and the tribal seal features a pipe and tomahawk over a log fire.  The Potawatomi Fire are looking to bringing the fire to the TBL.

When I looked online, I found the Potawatomi Fire is the first tribally owned sports team in Oklahoma, and one of only a handful of professional teams owned by tribal nations in the US.  The Citizen Potawatomi Nation already operates two casinos, gas stations and grocery stores, and several small businesses, but the Fire are part of a growing number of “casino adjacent” businesses growing across Oklahoma.  The Tribe’s investment serves as a lure for business partnerships from surrounding communities and to keep money circulating at home rather than being spent elsewhere.  Tribal Chairman John Barrett said “We have a huge payroll.  We have 2,200 employees.  And whenever you’re putting out that kind of money in a payroll, and another $450 million or $400 million in vendor purchases, you want those dollars . . . to turn at least four times before they leave the tribe’s economy.”  This is buying local at its heart.

The Potawatomi Nation installed a new basketball court, updated the scoreboard, and remodeled the changing and locker rooms to accommodate the TBL team.  Investments have been heavy with the team as well.  Players receive housing, a bus to get to the games, a per diem stipend, and other things not available with other TBL teams.  The players in turn are adding value to the community.  Player Deon Lyle knows he and the other players can be assets to the Tribe and the Shawnee area.  “We’re not here to just shut up and dribble.” said Lyle, “They’re taking care of us very well, and they’re not just having us here to entertain.  We’re here to, you know, be a part of the community and do more than just be a basketball player.”  The Fire are currently in fourth place at 12-4 in the Central, one of six TBL Divisions.

THOUGHTS:  Chairman Barrett likes to think of the tribe’s investments as in line with their view of the world and their vision for the future, the “Seven Fires” prophecy.  The prophecy describes a turbulent time in Potawatomi history when the tribe was visited by seven prophets, and its telling has helped the Potawatomi people understand who they were, are and will be in the future.  The Tribe looks at investments in terms of 50 years, not just 10.  While a willingness to invest in the local future may not produce immediate corporate gains, it is the way to create a stable local economy.  Jacob Marley viewed of the world as a hard and cruel place where you must learn to fend for yourself and died to regret it.  Act for all.  Change is coming and it starts with you.