New Geologic Map of Vermont Is Released

Bedrock isn’t just for Fred and Barney. The US Geological Survey, in conjunction with the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources and the University of Vermont, announced the release of the new “Bedrock Geologic Map of Vermont”, which was unveiled by VT Governor Peter Shumlin in a ceremony at the State House on April 11^th.

I am personally excited to see the culmination of this project because I have worked personally with Nick Ratcliffe of USGS and Marjorie Gale of UVM to coordinate the mapping of the Barre granite pluton, the source of world-famous Rock of Ages’ Barre gray granite. This comprehensive new geological map replaces the 1961 edition, which proudly hangs on display at our Visitors Center, right beside its predecessor, the 1861 edition. Originally the intention was to release the new map during the sesquicentennial of the 1861 edition and on the 50^th anniversary of the 1961 edition, a planned release for the fall of 2011. Although that deadline was missed, I am delighted by the unveiling of this great new geological resource.

To learn more or to order the new map, please follow the link below:

http://www.anr.state.vt.us/dec/geo/StateBedrockMap2012.htm

REVERSING ENTROPY?

Like taxes and the price of gasoline, entropy is on the rise, at least within a closed system. Perhaps you are not familiar with the word. If not, let me define it for you with a word picture—entropy is the difference in the tidiness of your home/apartment before and after you had children. Children are, by their very nature, little entropy factories, busily churning out entropy to satisfy the unquenchable entropy thirst of the Cosmos. While entropy can be measured in various ways depending on the scientific discipline, entropy is, in its simplest form, disorder—the relentless change from a more-ordered to a less-ordered state. Many of our To-Do lists are sponsored by entropy—the windows get dirtier, never cleaner; the paint on the porch gets duller, never shinier; the laundry gets more wrinkled, not less wrinkled. In a word—Entropy.

Entropy is the one-way highway for time, and its sign post to boot. Entropy is how we tell yesterday from today, how we tell the beginning from the end. For example, pour a little milk into your coffee in the morning and watch it start to disperse. Now imagine a friend has filmed this activity with the video feature on his smart phone. You watch the video one way; then you reverse the video and watch it run backwards. How do you know which way is backwards—entropy.

“But can entropy be cheated?”, you might ask. “What about those entropy-tricking devices like refrigerators, freezers and air conditioners?”  “Don’t they by their very nature reverse entropy, removing heat from one space and adding it to another?”  Alas, these machines are like clever magicians, creating merely the appearance of entropy-interruptus. For you see, in addition to the heat they expel, they create additional heat as they work to perform their task, actually increasing entropy in the rooms they occupy. The increase in that entropy is best observed when you get your power bill—the seeming allusion of entropy reversal keeps the shareholders of your utility smiling, for like the magician’s assistant, they recognize the ruse and profit from it.   (A Carnot engine in reverse can accomplish the same feat while neither lessoning nor increasing entropy, but that’s a story for another time.) 

“So what’s this got to do with tourism?” you wonder. Well, water runs downhill because it is the easiest path for it to take. There are far fewer possible ordered states than disordered states of existence, so entropy is the easiest state for a system to be in. And unless an action from the outside of the system reverses the process, entropy will continue to increase until it has reached its maximum state. (In the case of the Cosmos, think heat death.)

Like the Cosmos, we have an insatiable affinity for entropy—relationship entropy, career entropy, fitness entropy—the list goes on ad infinitum. My point is this: make the effort to reverse as much entropy in life as you can. And in regards to travel, when you take a vacation with your family, practice being “in the moment” and make the most out of every moment together. Don’t just spend time with your family, invest it. Make some great family memories this summer and rob Old Man Entropy every time you can. 

And when you think of taking a great family vacation, keep Vermont in mind. Hiking, biking, camping, fishing, boating, touring attractions and historic sites, zip-lining over gorgeous scenery, shopping, dining—Vermont offers something great for every member of your family. But wherever you go on vacation or whether you camp out in your own backyard, make it count!

THE MOST INTERESTING MAN IN THE WORLD

You may not be aware of it, but the most interesting man in the world lives right here in Vermont

. I am speaking of none other than Jonathan Goldsmith, the actor who plays the role of “the most interesting man in the world” in a popular beer commercial. Recently WCAX TV news interviewed him to learn more about the man behind this grandiose appellation:

http://www.wcax.com/story/16192523/meet-the-most-interesting-man-in-the-world

And that interview caused me to pause and consider: “Who is the most interesting person in the world?” For the purposes of my own thought experiment, I eliminated the gender bias but limited myself to living human beings rather than considering the most interesting person who has ever lived.

Of course, my answer to that question might be markedly different than yours because we have different interests and different backgrounds and different knowledge bases. For instance, you might live right down the street from someone you consider to be the most interesting person in the world, and I might not even know that person because we should not make the mistake of equating interesting with famous. And, on the other hand, I can think of several famous people who do not seem to me to be the least bit interesting.

While each of us will surely not identify the same person as the most interesting in the world, my purpose in suggesting the exercise is not so that we all might find agreement, but rather, that each of us may consider why we made the selection we did and to learn from it. Ask yourself “Who do I believe to be the most interesting person in the world?” Then use that answer as a means of self-discovery. What talents, abilities, experiences, etc. does this person possess that you find compelling and interesting?  Once you’ve established a list, then decide, item by item, trait by trait, if you wish to incorporate that virtue/trait/ability into your own life.

Then write down your goal of fostering that particular trait in your own life and plan out the steps you can take to make accomplishing that goal a reality in your life. For isn’t it true, that the most interesting people are not static, but growing, learning, adapting every day?

Here’s to growth! Travel the path of life well!

BARRE BULLY

Today occasions the arrival to Vermont of President Barak Obama.  After a gala luncheon in the ballroom of the Sheraton Hotel in Burlington, the President will address a larger crowd at the University of Vermont. General admission tickets, beginning at $100, have been sold out for weeks. Vermont, with its population of fewer than 700,000 and its 3 electoral votes, is not a political powerhouse in terms of popular or electoral votes. So it is no surprise that Vermont is not a destination mecca for sitting Presidents or presidential campaign hopefuls. To host a President is a rare honor for Vermont.

Rarer still is a Presidential visit to Barre. This August marks the centennial of the arrival of Theodore Roosevelt, who spoke to throngs in Barre to gain support for the Progressive Party of 1912, a movement he helped found when he broke away from the Republican Party after a difference of opinion. It should be noted that although Roosevelt was no longer a sitting President, his larger-than-life image and trust-busting policies made him a controversial and flamboyant figure.

Barre will be commemorating the centennial of President Theodore Roosevelt’s visit to Barre this summer and will likely incorporate those celebrations into Barre’s annual Home Coming event. As more details become available, I’ll post them here.