Re: [compost_tea] Re: BIG MONEY FOODWEB?
Hi Allan -
You asked if I have had any buy-out offers since I'm the "James Brown of the
Foodweb". It is kind of you to compare me to someone as well known as James
Brown, I appreciate the compliment.
I've had some fairly surprising offers. All of them related to someone
wanting me to be less-than-honest about products.
I had someone try to distract me from not-so-good testing results on their
product by offering to buy land in Hawaii for a research farm that I could
run. It was tempting, but I would never have been comfortable.
If money was what I wanted, if that was all that was important to me, I'd be
working for Monsanto, or Ciba-Geigy, or any number of well-funded companies.
It's not like lures haven't been dangled.
I was once asked what dream I had not managed to fulfil yet in my life. They
kept insisting there had to be some unfulfilled desire of mine not related to
work. Being the suspicious character I am, I invented something outrageous,
just to see how they would respond. So I said, "I'd like to be one of the
pioneers in the first moon colony."
At the time, I was forty-something, well on the way to the 5 decade mark, and
acceleration in a space ship to escape earth's gravity would probably kill
me. There's no way I would be allowed to go on a moon mission, and truth be
told, I don't think I'd really want to go.
But this guy said to me, "I can arrange that. If there's a moon mission, we
could get you on it."
I was stunned. There's no way he could make that come true, and he knew it.
I said as much, but he said he'd make sure I got my wish.
I knew then that this person was just a smooth-talking con artist. He'd
promise me anything to make me dependent on him. He promised to obtain
something no one could possibly obtain for me. Quite an interesting ploy,
wasn't it? If I had believed him, would I be honest about problems with his
product?
Probably not, huh? Sneaky, huh?
---------
I think about throwing in the towel every once in awhile when people insult
me by suggesting all I want is to make money. It really annoys me when they
think twist me saying "data are needed", into something I never said, like
--- "you have to test with my lab".
I do not ever say "you have to test with my lab", but people trying to
distract others from seeing that solid data are needed like to smear someone
like me by putting outrageous words in my mouth.
We need appropriate data to answer the question. Sometimes it means we have
to have data about total and active bacteria and fungi. Sometimes it means
having brix data. Sometimes it means trying out paramagnetism. Sometimes it
means sending samples to a USDA lab, and sometimes to University labs.
You send samples to the place that gives you the info you need. Do not
mistake me saying "need data" with "use my lab". I don't operate that way.
But I am learning how to spot snake-oil salesmen. These guys use a couple
common approaches to distract un-suspecting people and escape the scrutiny
they don't want focused on them and what they are doing.
One approach is to attack someone else. Or insinuate wrong-doing, or hint at
less than ethical behavior. Wave a non-existent "expert" around to support
one's opinion. Less negative approaches are to get the person dependent on
you. Make a promise and keep stringing the victim along.
Here's another example from my ever-growing list:
SFI did some testing on a product. I pointed out a problem. The other
company and SFI went back and forth on the results, and the other company
finally dropped SFI as a testing lab, because I wouldn't lie about the
results. One of the employees of that company has since told me that their
president told the employees that I "had been chasing the company president
and trying to get him into a sexual relationship."
Now, I had hugged the guy on occasion to say hello and good-bye, but nothing
more sexual than that. I've never even kissed the guy. We went out to
dinner a few times.
I figure what he is doing is distracting his employees from the real problem
by accusing me of questionable behavior. He says I was chasing him, and he
refused to have anything to do with me, so that's why I won't approve his
product. His explanation covers up the real reason, which is that his
product doesn't measure up to the standards.
People who give data, state facts, are blunt and don't fool around getting to
the point are threats to snake-oil salesmen. When explanations are fuzzy,
incomplete, non-existent, filled with arm-waving, no data, no solid
information, then beware. Sure signs that there's a slippery slope ahead.
------------------
In a recent post, someone implied that I was just trying to increase sample
flow to my lab by suggesting some experiments that would include testing with
my lab. By suggesting that I am behaving in a less than ethical manner, the
person distracts others from the research that needs doing.
Why would someone attack me for suggesting solid science? Why try to imply
there's something wrong with me suggesting that we should run samples through
my lab? Because I had the audacity to suggest that his favored explanation
for using brix might not be valid.
Hum, let's see. Attack and distract. Get people arguing instead of getting
the data we need.
Can we all agree to side-step this distraction, and keep focused on the
research that needs doing?
1. Make a good tea (#1) with lots of good organisms in it, and make a poor
tea (#2) with poor organisms in it.
2. Measure brix in plot 1, plot 2, plot 3 and plot 4 just before applying
the tea.
3. Apply tea #1 to plot 1 and check brix. Apply yea #2 to plot 2 and check
brix. Apply water to plot 3 and Check brix. Apply the nutrient mix to plot
4 and check brix.
4. Check leaves to make certain the tea did or did not get applied
correctly.
5. Check brix through the remainder of the day to document different
responses.
No matter what mechanism is suggested, and whether people agree with the
wording on the hypotheses or not, data will allow us to state what the
relationship is for the plants in these conditions.
Instead of attacks, let's have solid information.
Any volunteers?
Thanks for all your patience -
Elaine Ingham
President, Soil Foodweb Inc.
www.soilfoodweb.com
.
Received on Wed Dec 04 2002 - 09:21:50 EST
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.3.0
: Tue Feb 07 2012 - 14:26:32 EST