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Saturday, September 3, 2016

The Great and Wide River

When water first formed and flowed across the earth, there began a path made of a tiny and consistent drips that began to find a way down a hill and puddle in a leveled hollow.  As time inched on, the drips became greater, the path became wider, and the puddle spilled over and met the puddle that had formed below it.  Soon, they grew together and thickened, etching a way down the mountain, finding the easiest path to the bottom.

As the eons passed, the trickle became a stream, then a river, wide and deep and living.  The Living River made of a million trickles, of a billion drops, made its way to the sea.

On either side of the Living River were two peoples.  On one side were the Yutes and on the other, the Emes.  Neither ever took their eyes off the other, and even during relatively quiet periods of peace, they always held their rocks in hand, ready.  Every once in a while, they would face off, and with the Living River between them, would yell and throw stones at each other.  As the great, uneasy numbers would swell, the crowds would press against the shore, and the usual shouting would change to threats and curses and screams.  Suddenly, one voice from each side of the river would rise above all others and shrill, “The Living River must change, it must change, it must change… and only I can make it do so.”   Of these two, one silenced the other, and the masses pushed the loudest screamer into the vast, wide and wild Living River.  There was a horrific splash, and then, the multitude would sneer and scoff and turn away from the water.  The Living River would continue its course.   

This went on, back and forth, forth and back, until, once in a very long and simmering while, the Yutes and the Emes would became so angry with the Living River, that they stopped yelling at each other and cursed the water itself.  On these rare days, the masses attacked the river and rushed into the violent waters.  As the people trampled one another and crawled over each other, many drowned.  The dead bodies drifted with the current, some catching on brambles and stones, damming the river in parts.  And for a time, the river flowed around the obstructions and found new ways around the hitches, and for a long while, the people believed the Living River had changed.   


As time finds its way and as the dead, bloated bodies dislodged and washed away, the Yutes and Emes forgot the rage they had harbored towards the Living River.  They felt the stones they still held in their hands and paced the shore uneasily.  They waved their arms and screamed until one voice on either side rose above the others... 
Hello Again!

In 2012, I believed we were on the verge of great change.  We were, and still are.  So here, in spite of the chaos that change often carries with it, I remind you of this... within chaos there is order, within order, there is chaos.  They are one in the same.  

I am glad to be back!

For our families, our neighbors, our friends, and our communities… PRESERVATION

Monday, June 25, 2012

This Fifth Day of Summer Could Have Brought Better News...

There are currently three low-pathogenic H7 avian flu outbreaks at commercial farms in Mexico.  So far, 587,160 birds are sick, 211,242 are dead, and more than 600,000 have been culled to try to stop the contagion.  This outbreak is the first known occurrence of avian flu of this strain in Mexico. 


http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/cidrap/content/influenza/avianflu/news/jun2512newsscan.html

Keep 'em Growing in Your Kitchen Window... Just in Case

I started a little experiment this spring that appears to be going well, so I thought I’d share it with you.

In addition to planting heirloom seed that produces viable seed that can be harvested for the following year’s garden, I decided to try my hand at potatoes purchased at the local health food store.  I selected several organic red potatoes and organic sweet potatoes and started them in water in my kitchen window.  One of each actually rooted and grew, which surprised me somewhat because of the growth retardant put on potatoes.  It did take a couple of months to see the first roots, but they did indeed start.  

Shake, Rattle and Roll... Earthquakes


6/25/12
25 earthquakes in Alaska
2 earthquakes in Arizona
33 earthquakes in California
1 earthquake in Washington State
1 earthquake in Nevada
2 earthquakes in Montana
1 earthquake in Texas

Sunday, March 18, 2012

Avian Flu Updates

Even though I try to post daily updates for the spread of H5N1 on the "Animal Death and Disease Log for 2012," I want to provide this link so that you can check the progression of the disease yourself.  H5N1 and all its variants are horribly insidious.  (Click on the title for the link.) 

Friday, March 16, 2012

The Next Bump in the Bumpy Plateau

I have never believed that a sudden, all encompassing, and acute “collapse” would occur on a global basis after the world reached global peak oil.  I do believe, however, in the inevitable decline of functioning economies that present in fits and starts in reaction to having passed peak oil.  What looks like credit, housing, unemployment, hunger, and governing crises, are in reality the world’s attempts to reset to the restrictions placed upon it by the continuous reduction of cheap energy.     


White Nose Syndrome

Just a quick update... 

White nose syndrome, responsible for the death of over over 5.5 million bats has been found and confirmed in Maryland. 

The two biological desasters that will absolutely permanently reduce food production in this country are the loss of our bee population and the lost of our bat population.  White nose syndrome is forcing the slow extinction of the latter with cutting-edge precision. 

Watch this one closely.

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Life WILL Find a Way… Stowaway Seeds Making their Way to the Antarctic

I have often wondered how a world grappling with Global Warming could survive the death of species that have lived in various climates that are changing so rapidly, they don’t have the opportunity to adapt or “migrate” to warmer or cooler climates suited to their survival. 

Well, now I know. 

Monday, January 23, 2012

This is the Way the Oil World Ends…

This is the Way the Oil World Ends…
This is the Way the Oil World Ends…
Not with a Bang…

…but with the European Union, the UN Security Council and the United States freezing the assets of Iran’s Central Bank.  The continued attempt to starve Ahmadinejad into submission has moved this war of words, posturing and saber rattling into the realized realm of calculated high stakes with definable and measurable features.  136.3 billion barrels of proven oil reserves is deliriously mouth watering to a world dying of thirst for black gold.  Iran’s got it, we want it and we’ll take it.

Sunday, January 1, 2012

Welcome Aboard...


2012
2011 In Review

Let's start the New Year with an ironic chuckle, shall we?  Exactly one year ago today headlines around the world read:

“Thousands of Dead Blackbirds Fall from the Sky in Beebe, Arkansas”

Ironically, January 1, 2012 starts off with the exact same headline, but with an added twist:

“Thousands of Dead Blackbirds Fall From the Sky in Beebe Arkansas, While Tens of Thousands of Dead Drum Fish Wash Ashore Along the Arkansas River”


And we’re off…

A Brief Recap of 2011
Events That Took Our Attention Away From What Really Mattered

January
News:
Mohamad Bouazizi dies after setting himself ablaze in protest triggering anti-government protests in Tunisia 
Suicide bomber attacks Moscow airport kills 37, injures 180
Protestors in Tunisia oust Ben Ali from power
Estonia adopts the Euro
7.1 magnitude earthquake his Chile
Parts of Brazil get a month’s worth of rain in 24 hours, causing mudslides and killing over 900
Tunisian president flees, Prime Minister takes over

Animal deaths and diseases of note:
Thousands of blackbirds fell dead over a 1-mile span in Beebe, Arkansas; Fish die off in Colorado, North Carolina, Texas, Maryland, Florida, Arkansas, California; 55 buffalo die in New York due to mysterious illness; Bird die off in South Dakota, California, Louisiana, Texas, Kentucky; 200 cows found dead in Wisconsin.

February
News:
6.2 magnitute earthquake his New Zealand
Libyan rebels call for Gadhafi’s resignation
Wildfires in Australia
Italian Prime Minister Berlusconi accused of paying 17 year old for sex and using his influence to cover it up
More than 200 killed in Benghazi massacre in Libya
Mubarak steps down
Police move in on Bahrain protesters

Animal deaths and disease of note:
Dolphins found dead in Louisiana; Bird die off in Ohio not due to the avian flu; Invasion of at least 50,000 blackbirds and crows in Indiana; White Nose Syndrome found in Virginia; Fish die off in Florida, Arkansas.

Sunday, November 27, 2011

Viral Disease Wipes Out East African Crops

It is so difficult to consider the affects of the viral disease that is sweeping across East Africa and will ultimately result in starvation for many people there, when right around the corner from where I live there are homeless people camping out in our local Occupy living on whatever food they can gather through donations.  I suppose the difference between the hungry at Occupy and the hungry in East Africa is that there is still food that can be donated here.  There, even if people wanted to donate, they couldn't. 

It is expected that 175,000 people will starve to death in one region alone in Kibuka as a result of this devastating crop loss.  That number is only expected to increase as harvests continue to fail in  several different nations.  

Friday, November 11, 2011

Got an Extra $50,000,000 Laying Around?

Wells Fargo has joined US Bancorp in opening offices that are designed exclusively to appeal to and pamper the super rich.  If you have $50 million to invest, you too can be counted worthy of one of Wells’ programs.

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

What Lives are Made Of...

After the earthquake and tsunami last March in Japan, people on the West Coast have lived with the horrible possibility that they have been subjected to a very real, yet entirely invisible reminder of Japan’s devastation:  radiation.  Now we can look forward to a tangible record of the disaster as well, as 5 to 20 tons of debris that washed into the Pacific Ocean heads our way.  That’s 5 to 20 tons of things – cars, boats, appliances, boots, washbasins, furniture, buoys, and rooftops – that were once a part of the lives of tens of thousands of people. 

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

The Price of Peanut Butter is About to Go Through the Roof - and Not of Your Mouth!

A Quick Summary:

One of the many manifestations of climate change is drought.  As I’ve written many times, the southern belt of the United States is suffering horribly, particularly Texas and Georgia. And it’s Georgia we’ll be looking at for the moment.

Saturday, October 1, 2011

Is This a Case of "The Right Hand Not Knowing What the Left Hand is Killing?”




Tuesday, September 27, 2011

White Nose Syndrome Update

The US Fish and Wildlife Service provides continuously updated information on the spread of White Nose Syndrome in bat populations.  Please click on the link below for articles that explain what White Nose Syndrome is and also provides maps that document the spread of the disease.  Loss of large populations of bats will have devastating consequences for our food production capabilities.  We need to stay alert to this one.  
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

Sunday, September 25, 2011

Are You Prepared?

Preparation for disaster takes on different flavors depending upon the types of disasters being prepared for.  In order to get ready for any eventuality I'm providing you with three links to get you started.  Good luck!

CDC:  Emergency Preparedness and Response
 
Homeland Security:  Preparing Your Family
 
FEMA:  Prepare for a Disaster

Monday, September 5, 2011

Is Monsanto Creating Superbugs?

In a study at Iowa State University, entomologist Aaron Gassmann discusses the development of Superbugs as a result of the use of Monsanto’s genetically modified corn seed.  Dr. Gassmann found that the western corn rootworm might be developing resistance to and overcoming the affects of the pesticides used in the seed to kill them.       

(See http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YH4OwBYDQe8 to view The World According to Monsanto.)

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Global Refugee Camps

Interactive map showing all of the refugee camps in the world provided by MillionSoulsAware.org.  Click on the title above for access.

Thursday, August 25, 2011

Columbia University Study - El Nino and Armed Conflicts Linked

In a study conducted at Columbia University and published in Nature, it was determined that the number of armed conflicts double during El Nino years. The research looked at armed conflicts between 1950 and 2004 in the tropical parts of South America, Africa, Asia-Pacific region, and included parts of Australia.  The data showed that fully 1/5 of them could be linked to the 4 to 7 year El Nino climate cycles. 

What I find so interesting about the study is that even though a correlation was established, the authors could only speculate as to the underlying factors that might actually trigger the violence.  They suggest that the armed conflicts are a result of the heat that causes failed harvests, and the subsequent loss of food and income.

They also speculate that additional results of the erratic weather, are an increase in the number of hurricanes, an increase in the area and durations of droughts, and the increase in disease.  

Sunday, August 21, 2011

As Day Turns Into Night

It wasn't the first time day turned into night.  The people stood still, looking at the horizon, squinting their eyes, their shoulders already weary form what was about to come.  They quickly gathered their children together and brought them inside, closing the doors behind them and shutting all the windows tightly.  As the cloud moved closer, the air became heavy with stifling heat, and breathing was hampered.  The dust storm was here, and those caught outside sought shelter wherever possible, in cars, in buildings, and under bridges.  Clothing was pulled up to protect eyes and noses from the stinging, flying dust, and lips were pinched closed to keep the fine powder out of lungs.  There was nothing to do but huddle... huddle, sweat, weep and wait it out as one dried-out field after another blew through the city. 

*******************************

This may sound like America in the 1930's, but it isn’t.  It's Phoenix, Arizona, 2011, and it has had 3 large dust storms hit in the last 6 weeks.  Dust storms aren’t unusual for this part of the country, but the sheer size and power of these storms are. 

Thursday, August 18, 2011

Obama’s New Initiative to Meet Military Fuel Demands

Even though the world has passed peak oil production, no one in authority ever speaks of it except to deny its existence.  They will generally talk about supply and demand, as if oil is renewable and readily available, and infer that the price highs and lows are nothing more than a reaction to the whims of consumers.  But over the last 5 years, oil price volatility can be seen much differently.  Up until then, a spike in the price of oil would kill demand, causing the price to drop and stabilize, until the next spike in usage.  Now, the increase in oil prices still kills demand, but emerging economies soak up every drop of oil consumers in industrialized nations can’t afford to purchase.  So, rising oil prices aren’t about killing demand any longer, they are about shifting product.  

Saturday, August 13, 2011

What to Expect: Food Prices Up, Available Meat Down

It’s going to be a double-whammy for American’s trying to cope with a reduction in meat production and an increase in food prices next year.     

Because of the heat wave, drought and flooding in many areas, there has been a reduction in the production of corn, soybeans and wheat.  This immediately translates to an increase in food prices, including the price of food we will need to feed our livestock.  Add to that an increased difficulty our cattle will have reproducing due to heat, and we are looking at double-trouble.

Friday, July 29, 2011

Community Supported Agriculture

Community Supported Agriculture
 
CSAs have been formed both by small farmers and consumers so that both can benefit through the exchange of foodstuffs for either labor or membership.  They are attracting political attention and support, and appear to be the next step towards sustainable living in this country.
 
I am providing links so that you can get additional information about CSAs, and hopefully locate one near you.
 
Find one and participate!
 

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

The Death of the American Middle Class

Almost three years after the initial crisis of the financial markets, the crash of the housing market, the crash of the stock market, and the astronomical rise in unemployment, we seem to still be listening to Mr. Ben Bernanke and government representatives telling us it’s all getting better.  We are also getting ready to play the pre-election, finger-pointing blame game, as many Americans ramp up, and prepare to repeat the mantra “it will all get better if we just elect…” You fill in the blank.  But…

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Stretching Your Grocery Dollar - Meat Replacements

From Hunting and Gathering In the New Millennium:  Not Having to Live Without
The Little Things… are two recipes for mock meat.  These can be used to replace meat entirely, or used to add to meat to stretch your dollar.  Both are excellent, healthy alternatives that can be made from vegetables you grow in your own backyard garden.  Enjoy!

Monday, June 13, 2011

How We Live - The Amerian Dream Gone Awry

For so long, we have lived in plenty.  All any of us need do is look outside our front doors and see wealth.  It pours onto our streets, can be seen in our architecture, our food production, our entertainment, in the things we buy and in the things we throw away.


Saturday, May 21, 2011

Mark Fiorino

The Incident

February 13, 2011 Mark Fiorino, age 25, was stopped in Philadelphia by a police officer for carrying a holstered, 40 caliber Glock, in plain view on his left hip.  The officer drew his own weapon, defensively aimed at Mr. Fiorino’s chest and asked “Yo, Junior… what are you doing?” The officer did not identify himself as a police officer, but did tell Mr. Fiorino that his name was Sergeant Michael Dougherty, when asked.  Sergeant Dougherty called for backup, ordered Mr. Fiorino to his knees, and finally ordered him to lay face down.  Through the course of verbal directives, orders, and unprofessional language on the part of the police officers involved, it was discovered that Mr. Fiorino had been voice recording the entire incident.  The police did not confiscate the voice recorder, nor was he arrested for recording the incident, however, and forty minutes after Sergeant Dougherty drew his weapon, Mr. Fiorino was released. 

Monday, May 9, 2011

The Power of Madison Avenue: How the Lie Dances Around the Truth

The right to informed consent is defined as “the agreement by a person to a proposed course of conduct after the lawyer has communicated adequate information and explanation about the material risks of and reasonably available alternatives to the proposed course of conduct.” In re Collmar, 417 B.R. 920, 923 (Bankr, N.D. Ind. 2009).  And although is should apply to all interactions in which the individual is or can be subjected to abuse by entities and corporations that have power to harm them, it only applies to “medical procedures.”  For everything else, we have to depend on watchdog organizations, government regulators and corporate disclosure. 

Monday, April 25, 2011

Dehydrated Meals for Long Term Storage


Once you’ve tried them, and have decided that you like them, triple the recipe and store them by vacuum packing with an oxygen absorber enclosed. Remember that these foods are dehydrated, NOT dried.  Dried foods retain a certain level of moisture, which will ruin food storage.

Sunday, April 17, 2011

For the Hand That Rocks the Cradle, Is the Hand That Rules the World

For a very long time I believed the sentiments of that poem, and still do to a certain extent.  It is true that “the hand that rocks the cradle is the hand that rules the world,” it’s just that mothers aren’t doing the rocking any longer. 

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Processing Acorns and Pine Nuts

Acorns

First you will need to gather the acorns by picking them up off the ground or laying a tarp beneath the tree and shaking them loose.  Toss out any that are discolored, damaged in any way, or that have no caps, and then put them in a large pot of cold water to soak.  Be sure to remove any that float – they are inedible.

Monday, April 4, 2011

Bees: Colony Collapse Disorder

 

 

Before you use any of these recipes always try them out on a few leaves of one of the plants that is bothered by insects to make sure it does no harm to the plant itself.  Once you determine it is safe, spray in the early morning or late in the evening when beneficial insects aren’t typically about.  Also, make sure you spray the underside of leaves where bugs tend to like to hide.

 

I'm only listing recipes that can be taken from foods you can grow yourself in your own backyard garden.

 

Thursday, March 31, 2011

Outbreaks of Foot and Mouth Disease


Current outbreaks include:  Vietnam, North Korea, South Korea, Bulgaria, China, and in Kwa-Zulu Natal  (Western Coast of Africa) to one degree or another.

Efforts Made to Contain Foot-and-Mouth Disease

Viet Nam News, March 31, 2011

China's Xinjiang Reports Foot-and-Mouth Outbreak in Pigs
The Straits Times, March 31, 2011

Bulgaria to Build a Fence along Turkish Border – Official
The Sophia Echo, March 31, 2011

Foot-and-Mouth Disease Taking Toll in Koreas
JAVMA News, March 30, 2011

Crime Blamed for Outbreak
The New Age, March 31, 2011
Kwa-Zulu Natal  (Western Coast of Africa)

Bulgarian Farmers Rebel Against FMD Culling Plans
The Sofia Echo, March 31, 2011

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

World War III - The Players


The European Union (EU)

An economic and political union with 27 member states

News Updates for March 29, 2011

Egypt is still Mubarakstan

More than two months after the start of the popular uprising that overthrew President Hosni Mubarak, Egyptians are increasingly fearful that although he is gone, his regime is still alive and kicking.

guardian.co.uk, March 29, 201

Kenya:  Seed Company Warns Against Hoarding

The Kenya Seed Company has warned stockists and suppliers not to hoard or export seeds meant for local farmers. This follows complaints of a shortage of seeds and reports that some suppliers are exporting them.

allAfrica.com, March 28,2011


Kikwete Shows Way to Fight Urban Poverty

Directs food reserve agency to release stocks into markets to cut high prices:
President Jakaya Kikwete has directed the National Food Reserve Agency (NFRA) to strategically intervene in grain markets in a bid to lower skyrocketing prices and assist the urban poor.

IPPmwsi.com, March 29, 2011


China's Grain Imports Volume Hits Record High

The volume of China's grain imports, including soybeans and corn, exceeded 60 million tons in 2010, hitting a record high, said Chen Xiwen, deputy director of the Office of Central Financial Work Leading Group and director of the Office of Central Rural Work Leading Group, recently.

People's Daily Online, March 29, 2011


Rising Corn Acreage Failing to Meet U.S. Feed, Ethanol Use
U.S. corn planting will expand to cover the second-largest area since World War II this year and still fail to meet demand for feed and ethanol, driving prices to their highest in at least 34 years.

Bloomberg, March 29, 2011


Feeding Our Enemies

Food aid does not reward North Korea’s bad behavior:
When the U.N. issues a report stating six million people are in need of international food aid, the U.S. is usually game for helping out. But when those six million people live in North Korea, the U.S. government sensibly takes a moment to think through the probable political implications.

mndaily.com, March 29, 2011
http://www.mndaily.com/2011/03/29/feeding-our-enemies

Friday, March 25, 2011

News Updates March 25, 2011

Wall Street Journal, March 25, 2011
U.N.:  North Korea Faces Critical Food Shortage
SEOUL—North Korea's government food distribution system will run dry in May and put one-quarter of the country's 24 million residents at risk of starvation, the U.N. World Food Program said in an assessment that may influence whether the U.S. and other countries provide assistance to the country



BBC, March 24, 2011
Pakistan "Crop Shortage" Warning
Lowering wheat prices would create food shortages in Pakistan and encourage smuggling, officials say, responding to criticism from the UN.
On Wednesday the UN's food relief agency said the government set prices too high and malnutrition was rising.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-12847052


AdisorOne, March 24, 2011
World Food Shortage Risk Inspires of Crop  ETF
With the risk of global food shortages growing by the day, commodities investors in the exchange traded fund (ETF) market are looking to sink their teeth into what they see as growing agribusiness opportunities.''

Japanese Jittery Over Shortages, Food Safety
 Residents in Tokyo and other major Japanese cities scrambled to find bottled water and basic foodstuffs Thursday amid changing reports about tap water and produce tainted by radiation from the country's crippled nuclear reactors.

Nunatsaiz Online, March 24, 2011
Despite subsidies, Arctic Food Costs Poised to Rise, Oil prices, bad weather, global demand could negate Nutrition North
Officials with the North West Co. have said they expect to see prices on foods covered by Nutrition North Canada drop five to seven per cent when the program kicks in April 1.

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

News Update March 23, 2011


Alertnet
March 22, 2011
Malians Tune In For Food Security News
BAMAKO, Mali (AlertNet) - Television viewers across Mali can now get the latest news on which parts of the West African country face a risk of food shortages and malnutrition.

Voice of America
March 22, 2011
UN Reports Shortages of Food, Other Essentials in Libya
United Nations aid agencies report food and other essential supplies are running out in Libya.  They say it is becoming increasingly difficult to provide humanitarian assistance to thousands of internally displaced people as the war in the country heats up.

Bloomberg
March 23, 2011
Thailand Planning Fewer Rice Harvests in Pest Fight Means Drop in Exports
Thailand world’s largest rice exporter, plans to reduce planting to curb pests and improve quality, an official from the Thai Rice Mills Association said.
The government’s plan may eventually reduce exports by about 2 million metric tons a year, Pramote Vanichanont, honorary president of the Bangkok-based association, said in an interview, without giving a timeframe.

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

U.S. Drought Conditions and Water Harvesting

Since a good chunk of the Sun Belt is currently experiencing droughts to one degree or another, and since the drought in Texas is considered extreme, I’m adding these links so that you can check your specific areas, and find out more about water harvesting.  

USDA Office of the Chief Economist
Weather and Climate Publications

Drought Monitor
http://www.drought.unl.edu/dm/index.html

U.S. Department of Energy, Best Management Practice:  Alternate Water Sources, https://www1.eere.energy.gov/femp/program/waterefficiency_bmp14.html

How to Build a Rainwater Collection System:

Rainwater Calculator: 


Rain Harvester using 55 gallon barrels: 

News Update for March 15, 2011


Global Food Shortages
The Wall Street Journal
March 7, 2011
U.S. Farmers Head Into Key Stretch for Harvests
The world is consuming grains faster than farmers are growing them, draining reserves and pushing prices to the levels that fueled food riots in poor countries three years ago.

Reuters
March 15, 2011
Analysis:  Record food prices to spur planting, investment
Farmers will sow more acres and pour more funds into agriculture this year to boost yields across the top producer nations as record high food prices jolt markets and send buyers scurrying for supplies.http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/03/15/us-food-production-idUSTRE72E2J520110315

Channel News Asia
March 14, 2011
Government price controls and hoarding impact Thailand food shortages
Thailand faces shortages of staples as the global cost of food skyrockets; the country faces shortages of cooking oil and sugar due to government price controls and hoarding.

Allafrica.com
March 15, 2011
Uganda:  NGO urges farmers to plant drought-resistant crops
Ugandans have been urged to plant drought-resistant crops in a bid to safeguard the country against the impending food shortages due to the prolonged dry spells

Voice of America
March 15, 2011
Zimbabwe not prepared for looming drought
State officials said Monday that Zimbabwe will have to appeal for international assistance to feed the needy since its 2011 national budget does not have a provision for food handouts.

Sunday, March 6, 2011

The Declaration of Independence - 2.0

After reading the Declaration of Independence in Grade School, a certain section of the document stuck in my head for some reason, and has managed to stay with me even to this day.  Let me share that portion with you now…

“Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed.”

These words carry a bold and amazingly dangerous truth, and although we believe that it speaks to the tyranny of oppressive and corrupt political systems, it is actually true of any form of power or assumed authority that dictates some act or action over the will of the individual, the group or the people without their informed consent.   

For example, for the last 30 years I’ve watched as an anti-smoking campaign took over America one state at a time quite subtlety, and under the façade of “fatherly” admonishment and gentle, loving correction.  The powers that be, had advertised the need to eliminate the filthy habits of “evil smokers” and that by restricting, regulating and eliminating this “sinful behavior” all would benefit, smokers and non-smokers alike.  Of course, the biggest selling point was that it would save the lives of countless thousands of innocents - the children. 

It was, and is still, a brilliant, slick Madison Avenue campaign that garnered the support of all “good people” alike.  After all, who in their right mind would ever say “Let the children die of second hand smoke?????” Sadly, this exercise in fatherly admonition was and is so effective and so profoundly alluring that the exact same formula has been used on many, many occasions, and applied by way of accusation to any number of additional “sinful behaviors” attributed to the people.  I think the most astonishing aspect of this slick process of accusation of sinfulness is the frenzied and adamant belief by most people that we, the people, are actually the authors of this pronounced “goodness.”  We actually believe that it was birthed from our own thoughts and as a result of our own unique ideals rather than it having been placed there through manipulated suggestion.  And believe me, I’m not pointing fingers here – I am just as guilty as the next guy in promoting this form of manufactured “goodness.”   

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

The Passion of Terms

So often I’m told that not only is Peak Oil a myth, its only true function is to fuel debate and controversy during political discussion or to encourage heated exchange at the dinner table.  How many times, I wonder, have people come to blows over the term “peak oil,” and how many of those people were ready to defend it or oppose it to the death?  Extremes aside, it makes absolutely no difference whatsoever what anyone calls what is happening in the world today.  Call it woddle doddle if you’d like.  Let’s just make sure we are all talking about the same thing.

For me, saying “peak oil” is a simple way to describe a systemic failure without having to micro-analyze every aspect of the failure itself.  Faltering economies, banking systems, and currencies, along with food shortages, an exploding population, water shortages, poverty, and starvation are all a part of a larger picture – which needs to be called something.  But what?  

I suppose where my confusion comes in, is that I don’t find it difficult at all to give cheap oil credit for all of the wonderful accomplishments we’ve made in science, medicine, and technology, or for the incredible rise in our standard of living – and believe me, I’ve enjoyed every minute of it.  But, what I don't understand why is it so hard to recognize that what brought us up this ladder is also just as capable of pushing us down the other side?

In any case, I’m open for suggestions.  What would YOU call it?

Monday, February 28, 2011

Just a Heads Up...

The price of one pint of organic grape tomatoes has increased a dollar in the past week, going from $3.48 to $4.48; and PBS reported this morning that gasoline in New York has jumped to $4.21 per gallon. 

Got heirloom seeds?