Yoder, Kansas

An Amish buggy merges onto busy Route 96 in Central Kansas near Yoder, Kansas.

YODER, KANSAS: The Hutchinson News did a neat story about the Amish in Yoder, Kansas. The Hutchinson News, by the way, will always be Amish Cook country. I put a ton of time and effort into stitching together a Kansas audience for the column and The Hutch News is forever a special part of that. The article explores what happens when an Amish settlement gets "too liberal" for some more conservative Amish. In short: they move. This happens all the time and it was interesting to see an article exploring it. Conversely, it happens the other way too. An Amish settlement will sometimes be too conservative for someone so they'll pack up and move to a place where they can still practice their Amish faith but perhaps have a gas-powered fridge or a tractor. This is a photo I snapped in Yoder, Kansas, a bold buggy merging onto the freeway. Yikes! Anyway, click here to read the article.

LANCASTER PAPER BLASTS AMISH MAFIA: I will also repeat what the paper is saying: the show is F-A-K-E. So if you are fan, enjoy it...enjoy it just like you do Star Trek or Bewitched or CSI....it's FAKE! Enjoying a fake show is fine as long as you know it's fake. Click here to read the Lancaster paper's more eloquent editorial on the topic.

AMISH IN UTAH? No, there are no Amish in Utah, so an enterprising non-Amish businessman decided to capitalize on the void. You're not really getting an authentic Amish experience here, it'd sort of be like visiting an Italian restaurant in Fargo, North Dakota....you're getting a taste, but that's about it. Click here to read more.

MENNONITE HUMOR: A film-maker tries to dispel the myth of the somber, serious, austere Mennonite farmer. Click here for more.