Readers:
As you may be aware, the 2010 Olympics are destined for Vancouver, BC., right next door to me here in sunny Surrey! Right now, downtown Vancouver is one of the most unattractive sights I have ever seen. As you may or may not know, the corner of Main & Hastings in downtown Vancouver has the dubious distinction of being the poorest postal code in Canada. This area is referred to as an "open-air drug market" 24 hours a day.
I think it will be very interesting to see what happens to this area as the Olympics creep closer. I will do all my own photography and reporting.
Would anyone be interested in reading such an undertaking? I would put up 2-3 blogs on it a month. What say you, almighty readers?
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Monday, September 29, 2008
Melamine Causes Cadbury Chocolate Recall
Cadbury, British candy makers, have said they are recalling 11 types of Chinese made chocolates found to contain melamine in the milk used to produce them. Police in northern China raided a network accused of adding the banned chemical to milk and apparently have not reached the end of the deadly maze of places this contaminant is hiding.
A Cadbury spokesperson has been quick to say that it is too early to say how much of the chemical was in the chocolates made at its Beijing plant, and another company official assures that the factory was responsible for a very small percentage of global sales and sales – only 0.5% to Australia, Taiwan, Nauru, Hong Kong and Christmas Island.
"It's too early to say where the source was or the extent of it," said the spokesman, who declined to be identified because of company policy. The company went on to say its dairy suppliers are generally cleared by government milk testing.
A Cadbury spokesman (who refused to give his name or explain why he refused to give his name), from the company's London office, said there was no way the contaminated chocolate could find its way into other countries because the factory only supplies Australia, Taiwan, Nauru, Hong Kong and Christmas Island. "That factory in Beijing only exports to those markets. It's only a small factory.”
"The product made in China makes up 0.5 per cent of global sales, and this (the subject of this recall) is less than that because it's only chocolate," he said.
“Cadbury's chocolates sold in the United States are not affected by the recall”, said Kirk Saville, a spokesman for Hershey's, Cadbury's sole U.S. distributor. Saville said he is also "positive" no Hershey's suppliers receive milk products from China, making their products safe.
Separately, Kraft Foods (the maker of Oreo cookies) and Mars (the maker of M&Ms and Snickers candy) have publicly stated they believe Indonesian authorities were mistaken in their findings of melamine in their products.
"We don't use any milk ingredients from China in any Oreo products, no matter where they are made or sold," said Claire Regan, a Kraft spokeswoman by way of explanation for their not accepting the test results as factual.
Mars said, in a statement on its website, it is confident there's no melamine in any of its chocolate or candy made in China. They claim to have had their milk products tested and found to be contaminant free. They called the Indonesian results "completely inconsistent" with test findings from other government and independent labs in Asia and Europe.
Hong Kong supermarket chain PARKnSHOP also pulled its Chinese-made Oreo, M&M and Snickers products as a precaution, spokeswoman Pinky Chan said.
Countries around the world have removed items containing Chinese milk ingredients from store shelves or banned them outright.
Authorities in China had previously arrested at least 18 people and detained more than two dozen suspects in connection with the scandal.
A Cadbury spokesperson has been quick to say that it is too early to say how much of the chemical was in the chocolates made at its Beijing plant, and another company official assures that the factory was responsible for a very small percentage of global sales and sales – only 0.5% to Australia, Taiwan, Nauru, Hong Kong and Christmas Island.
"It's too early to say where the source was or the extent of it," said the spokesman, who declined to be identified because of company policy. The company went on to say its dairy suppliers are generally cleared by government milk testing.
A Cadbury spokesman (who refused to give his name or explain why he refused to give his name), from the company's London office, said there was no way the contaminated chocolate could find its way into other countries because the factory only supplies Australia, Taiwan, Nauru, Hong Kong and Christmas Island. "That factory in Beijing only exports to those markets. It's only a small factory.”
"The product made in China makes up 0.5 per cent of global sales, and this (the subject of this recall) is less than that because it's only chocolate," he said.
“Cadbury's chocolates sold in the United States are not affected by the recall”, said Kirk Saville, a spokesman for Hershey's, Cadbury's sole U.S. distributor. Saville said he is also "positive" no Hershey's suppliers receive milk products from China, making their products safe.
Separately, Kraft Foods (the maker of Oreo cookies) and Mars (the maker of M&Ms and Snickers candy) have publicly stated they believe Indonesian authorities were mistaken in their findings of melamine in their products.
"We don't use any milk ingredients from China in any Oreo products, no matter where they are made or sold," said Claire Regan, a Kraft spokeswoman by way of explanation for their not accepting the test results as factual.
Mars said, in a statement on its website, it is confident there's no melamine in any of its chocolate or candy made in China. They claim to have had their milk products tested and found to be contaminant free. They called the Indonesian results "completely inconsistent" with test findings from other government and independent labs in Asia and Europe.
Hong Kong supermarket chain PARKnSHOP also pulled its Chinese-made Oreo, M&M and Snickers products as a precaution, spokeswoman Pinky Chan said.
Countries around the world have removed items containing Chinese milk ingredients from store shelves or banned them outright.
Authorities in China had previously arrested at least 18 people and detained more than two dozen suspects in connection with the scandal.
Pesticides and the Bees
The Soil Association in the United Kingdom is bringing a problem forward that has people buzzing with concern. This problem could become a global hornets’ nest of controversy if not solved soon as it exists, to a greater or lesser degree, in every country in the world. Some countries have already taken more steps than others; but, if the world’s food chain is remain robust and nourish all 6.725 billion of us adequately every country is going to have to cooperate.
The Soil Association in the UK is urging the government to ban pesticides linked to honeybee deaths around the world. While the UK has not taken strong enough measures yet, the Italian government recently joined France, Germany and Slovenia in banning chemicals that have been identified as helping to kill the honeybee population.
Photograph: Judi Bottoni/AP
Peter Melchett, the Soil Association's policy director, said: "It is typical of the lax approach to pesticide regulation in the UK that we look like being one of the last of the major farming countries in the EU (European Union) to wake up to the threat to our honeybees."
The pesticides causing concern are known as neonicotinoids. They are approved in the UK to kill insects on a range of crops including oilseed rape (canola), barley and sugar beet. Bees are drawn to the bright yellow flowers of oilseed rape (canola) flowers so intensely that the use of these pesticides on this crop is of particular concern to beekeepers.
The two neonicotinoids of greatest concern are Imidacloprid and Clothianidin. In May 2008, Germany suspended sales of these pesticides after 700 beekeepers along the Rhine reported that two-thirds of their bee populations had died following an application of clothianidin.
France banned the use of imidacloprid on sunflowers in 1999 and on sweet corn in 2003 when it was determined that one-third of their honeybee population had been lost to pesticides.
Imidacloprid is made by Bayer and is its bestselling pesticide being used in 120 countries. Bayer has always maintained that neonicotinoids are safe for bees if correctly applied.
"Extensive internal and international scientific studies have confirmed that neonicotinoids do not present a hazard to bees," Utz Klages, a spokesman for Bayer CropScience, said recently.
Unfortunately, many countries are taking the same stand as the UK and are loath to ban the use of pesticides on crops. Again, it would appear to be forsaking the big picture (the future) for the small monetary gains to be had now. Listen to what authorities in the UK are saying.
The National Farmers' Union said it was opposed to any ban on pesticides. Paul Chambers, NFU plant health adviser, said: "Banning pesticides using the precautionary principle is not based on good science. Pests and disease are the problems facing honeybees in the UK. The government needs to put more money into researching honeybee health."
The Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs also attributed the decline in honeybee populations to a variety of factors. A DEFRA spokesman said: "There are no plans to ban pesticides."
Beekeepers worldwide have reported catastrophic losses of from 30% to 90% of their honeybee colonies during the last two years. Two-thirds of all major crops rely on pollination, mainly by honeybees.
The Soil Association in the UK is urging the government to ban pesticides linked to honeybee deaths around the world. While the UK has not taken strong enough measures yet, the Italian government recently joined France, Germany and Slovenia in banning chemicals that have been identified as helping to kill the honeybee population.
Photograph: Judi Bottoni/AP
Peter Melchett, the Soil Association's policy director, said: "It is typical of the lax approach to pesticide regulation in the UK that we look like being one of the last of the major farming countries in the EU (European Union) to wake up to the threat to our honeybees."
The pesticides causing concern are known as neonicotinoids. They are approved in the UK to kill insects on a range of crops including oilseed rape (canola), barley and sugar beet. Bees are drawn to the bright yellow flowers of oilseed rape (canola) flowers so intensely that the use of these pesticides on this crop is of particular concern to beekeepers.
The two neonicotinoids of greatest concern are Imidacloprid and Clothianidin. In May 2008, Germany suspended sales of these pesticides after 700 beekeepers along the Rhine reported that two-thirds of their bee populations had died following an application of clothianidin.
France banned the use of imidacloprid on sunflowers in 1999 and on sweet corn in 2003 when it was determined that one-third of their honeybee population had been lost to pesticides.
Imidacloprid is made by Bayer and is its bestselling pesticide being used in 120 countries. Bayer has always maintained that neonicotinoids are safe for bees if correctly applied.
"Extensive internal and international scientific studies have confirmed that neonicotinoids do not present a hazard to bees," Utz Klages, a spokesman for Bayer CropScience, said recently.
Unfortunately, many countries are taking the same stand as the UK and are loath to ban the use of pesticides on crops. Again, it would appear to be forsaking the big picture (the future) for the small monetary gains to be had now. Listen to what authorities in the UK are saying.
The National Farmers' Union said it was opposed to any ban on pesticides. Paul Chambers, NFU plant health adviser, said: "Banning pesticides using the precautionary principle is not based on good science. Pests and disease are the problems facing honeybees in the UK. The government needs to put more money into researching honeybee health."
The Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs also attributed the decline in honeybee populations to a variety of factors. A DEFRA spokesman said: "There are no plans to ban pesticides."
Beekeepers worldwide have reported catastrophic losses of from 30% to 90% of their honeybee colonies during the last two years. Two-thirds of all major crops rely on pollination, mainly by honeybees.
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Creative Recycling At Its Best!
It's wonderful when creativity takes over and something that would normally add alot of waste to our landfills is recycled into something unique, creative and worthwhile.
That's exactly what happened in Stockholm, Sweden. Instead of letting a no longer serviceable jumbo jet bake in the desert (no deserts around) or get scrapped; they came up with a win-win situation for everyone.
Flights get delayed, airlines go bankrupt, overbook or get caught in changing weather patterns and many people end up sleeping on airport floors or trying to fit a human body into those tiny chairs comfortably for hours. How to benefit both the airline and the passenger?
What could be more logical than to take an old jumbo and turn it into a hostel? That is what they did in Stockholm and it opened this December, 2007. This one is all hostel accommodation, three beds to a room;but, there is also the flight deck, set up as a private, more high-end suite.
Passengers who have made use of this facility seem to feel that every airport should have one of these, "instead of the crappy airport hotels that you have to drive offsite for".
"This is the budget price alternative Arlanda (airport) has needed for quite a long time and also a new landmark at Arlanda offering a unique experience for the guests," says hostel owner and the man behind Jumbo Hostel, Oscar Diös.
"I was getting ready to expand my hostel business in 2006 when I heard about an old wreck of an aircraft for sale at Arlanda. Since I had for a long time wanted to establish my business at Arlanda I didn’t hesitate for a second when this opportunity struck," Oscar Diös explains.
In December 2007, Sigtuna authorities granted a building permit for establishing Jumbo Hostel at the entrance to Arlanda airport. In January 2008, the aircraft was moved to a construction site parking where the first phase of the conversion has begun with the dismantling of the old interior, new paint and new decorations for the rooms.
Four hundred fifty seats were taken out and the plane is sanitized in its entirety. The hostel is built like any house, subjected to the same demands on climate control and isolation. It adheres to all common energy standards. Heating is achieved with an air-air inverter."
"This is the budget price alternative Arlanda (airport) has needed for quite a long time and also a new landmark at Arlanda offering a unique experience for the guests," says hostel owner and the man behind Jumbo Hostel, Oscar Diös.
"I was getting ready to expand my hostel business in 2006 when I heard about an old wreck of an aircraft for sale at Arlanda. Since I had for a long time wanted to establish my business at Arlanda I didn’t hesitate for a second when this opportunity struck," Oscar Diös explains.
In December 2007, Sigtuna authorities granted a building permit for establishing Jumbo Hostel at the entrance to Arlanda airport. In January 2008, the aircraft was moved to a construction site parking where the first phase of the conversion has begun with the dismantling of the old interior, new paint and new decorations for the rooms.
Four hundred fifty seats were taken out and the plane is sanitized in its entirety. The hostel is built like any house, subjected to the same demands on climate control and isolation. It adheres to all common energy standards. Heating is achieved with an air-air inverter."
Cross Sections of the Inside of Jumbo Hotel
Other Ingenious Hotel Rooms Made From Recycled (and unexpected) Materials
This plane was one of the last allied planes out of Vietnam. There are two suites as pictured: one in the cockpit and one in the tail. It's a Bristol Freighter.
Recycled Boat into Hotel
Recycled Train
Recycled Bristol, Boat and Train Hotel Rooms can be found at Woodlyn Park, New Zealand.
Friday, September 26, 2008
Some Help Needed Readers
I could use some input. Do you find the articles to be too long, too short, or just right? Are there any subjects you would like researched or would like to get more information on? Don't hesitate to leave comments and let me know what you want to read. Thanks.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Portugal Steps Up To The Plate
Wave snakes approximately 459’ long and 11.5’ in diameter have been spotted just recently off the coast of Portugal. They are red in color and; from a distance; they can be easily lost in the turbulence of the Atlantic Ocean. What are they? Another escapee from a lab somewhere? Giant underwater monsters heading to the surface for sunbathing or some more nefarious reason? Hardly!
Tuesday, September 23, 2008, was the first time these wave snakes, as they are being called, were seen. But instead of causing fear and hysteria, their sighting is being heralded as a world’s first in the hunt for clean energy. Actually, these red snake-like devices were inaugurated as part of world’s first commercial-scale wave-power station located three miles from the coast of the northern Portuguese town Aguçadoura.
These wave snakes have been 10 years in the making by an Edinburgh-based company named Pelamis Wave Power. At the heart of the Aguçadoura power station are the three cylindrical wave energy converters which move up and down on the endless supply of waves. The open sea is never calm; so, there will never be any “down” time. This plant then converts the motion into electricity, without emitting any of the carbon dioxide responsible for warming the planet.
"The future of wave energy starts today," said Manuel Pinho, Portugal's economics minister. "Finland is very good in mobile phones; Portugal wants to be good in renewable energy. We are among the top five in the world; and, we are just in the beginning of the process.”
Pinho went on to add, "Renewable energy is the source of energy for the future and we think this can create an industrial revolution and a lot of opportunities for jobs and research and we want to be ahead of the curve."
At peak out, with the three wave machines they have now, the plant near Aguçadoura will be able to general enough (2.25 MW) to supply the annual needs of about 1,500 family homes. Eventually, the station will be expanded to include another 25 machines for a total of 28. With that many machines it will be able to generate up to 21MW of power. This will save 60,000 tons of CO2 from entering our atmosphere compared to a fossil fuel plant.
"If you compare it to wind energy, wave is more predictable and is more sustained typically," said Ian Sharp of Babcock and Brown, the company that built and commissioned the Aguçadoura wave farm.
Each device is 142m (459’) long, has a diameter of 3.5m (11.5’) and is made from 700 tons of carbon steel. Each wave converter is composed of four articulated sections that move up and down independently as the waves pass along it. At each of the hinges between the sections, hydraulic rams use the wave motion to drive generators to produce up to 750KW of power at peak output.
The electricity generated will be carried by undersea cable to a substation in Aguçadoura, which will then feed the power into the Portuguese national grid.
The Portuguese are really taking the lead in renewable technologies. Besides, this flagship wave-power project, they are investing heavily in other technologies. They are already spending £250m ($500m) on more than 2,500 solar photovoltaic panels to build the world's largest solar farm. This solar farm in eastern Portugal near the small town of Moura will supply 45MW of electricity each year, enough to power 30,000 homes.
In the past three years, the country has also trebled its hydroelectric capacity and quadrupled its wind power sources – northern Portugal has the world's biggest wind farm with more than 130 turbines and a factory that builds the 40m-long blades.
Pinho wants Portugal to rival Denmark or Japan in its commitment to developing renewables industries – he predicts his country will generate 31% of all its power from clean sources by 2020. The target means increasing the generation of electricity from renewable sources from 20% in 2005 to 60% in 2020. My prayers are with you Portugal!!
Tuesday, September 23, 2008, was the first time these wave snakes, as they are being called, were seen. But instead of causing fear and hysteria, their sighting is being heralded as a world’s first in the hunt for clean energy. Actually, these red snake-like devices were inaugurated as part of world’s first commercial-scale wave-power station located three miles from the coast of the northern Portuguese town Aguçadoura.
These wave snakes have been 10 years in the making by an Edinburgh-based company named Pelamis Wave Power. At the heart of the Aguçadoura power station are the three cylindrical wave energy converters which move up and down on the endless supply of waves. The open sea is never calm; so, there will never be any “down” time. This plant then converts the motion into electricity, without emitting any of the carbon dioxide responsible for warming the planet.
"The future of wave energy starts today," said Manuel Pinho, Portugal's economics minister. "Finland is very good in mobile phones; Portugal wants to be good in renewable energy. We are among the top five in the world; and, we are just in the beginning of the process.”
Pinho went on to add, "Renewable energy is the source of energy for the future and we think this can create an industrial revolution and a lot of opportunities for jobs and research and we want to be ahead of the curve."
At peak out, with the three wave machines they have now, the plant near Aguçadoura will be able to general enough (2.25 MW) to supply the annual needs of about 1,500 family homes. Eventually, the station will be expanded to include another 25 machines for a total of 28. With that many machines it will be able to generate up to 21MW of power. This will save 60,000 tons of CO2 from entering our atmosphere compared to a fossil fuel plant.
"If you compare it to wind energy, wave is more predictable and is more sustained typically," said Ian Sharp of Babcock and Brown, the company that built and commissioned the Aguçadoura wave farm.
Each device is 142m (459’) long, has a diameter of 3.5m (11.5’) and is made from 700 tons of carbon steel. Each wave converter is composed of four articulated sections that move up and down independently as the waves pass along it. At each of the hinges between the sections, hydraulic rams use the wave motion to drive generators to produce up to 750KW of power at peak output.
The electricity generated will be carried by undersea cable to a substation in Aguçadoura, which will then feed the power into the Portuguese national grid.
The Portuguese are really taking the lead in renewable technologies. Besides, this flagship wave-power project, they are investing heavily in other technologies. They are already spending £250m ($500m) on more than 2,500 solar photovoltaic panels to build the world's largest solar farm. This solar farm in eastern Portugal near the small town of Moura will supply 45MW of electricity each year, enough to power 30,000 homes.
In the past three years, the country has also trebled its hydroelectric capacity and quadrupled its wind power sources – northern Portugal has the world's biggest wind farm with more than 130 turbines and a factory that builds the 40m-long blades.
Pinho wants Portugal to rival Denmark or Japan in its commitment to developing renewables industries – he predicts his country will generate 31% of all its power from clean sources by 2020. The target means increasing the generation of electricity from renewable sources from 20% in 2005 to 60% in 2020. My prayers are with you Portugal!!
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
More Contaminated Products From China
There has been a second alert of contaminated product from China hitting Canadian shelves.
This time the alert concerns coffee – nectar of the Gods, in my mind.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is warning that certain types of Mr. Brown 3-in-1 instant coffee (coffee, sugar and milk) are being recalled because they might contain the same melamine powder that has contaminated so much of the milk supply in China.
The CFIA said in a statement Tuesday (Sept. 23, 2008) that the instant coffee products were initially recalled in Taiwan and that their Canadian importer, Thai Indochine Trading Inc., is following suit after melamine was discovered in batches of powdered milk at several major dairies throughout China.
The three coffee blends, sold in 450 gram packages containing 30 bags of 15 grams each, were sold in British Columbia, Alberta and Manitoba. They have not been linked to any illnesses so far.
On Sunday (Sept. 21, 2008), the CFIA issued a similar warning for Nissin Cha Cha Dessert, a product sold in Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia.
The products involved in Tuesday's announcement are:
- Instant Coffee 3-in-1 Mandheling Blend Coffee with a universal product code of 4 710085 122523;
- Instant Coffee 3-in-1 Blue Mountain Blend Coffee with a UPC 4 710085 200597
- Instant Coffee 3-in-1 Arabica Coffee with a UPC 4 710085 122509
T & T Supermarkets, a well-known Chinese supermarket in British Columbia, was the first to voluntarily remove all possible contaminated products from their shelves before the information indicated it was necessary. Everyone in the food industry should have the integrity shown by T & T.
This time the alert concerns coffee – nectar of the Gods, in my mind.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is warning that certain types of Mr. Brown 3-in-1 instant coffee (coffee, sugar and milk) are being recalled because they might contain the same melamine powder that has contaminated so much of the milk supply in China.
The CFIA said in a statement Tuesday (Sept. 23, 2008) that the instant coffee products were initially recalled in Taiwan and that their Canadian importer, Thai Indochine Trading Inc., is following suit after melamine was discovered in batches of powdered milk at several major dairies throughout China.
The three coffee blends, sold in 450 gram packages containing 30 bags of 15 grams each, were sold in British Columbia, Alberta and Manitoba. They have not been linked to any illnesses so far.
On Sunday (Sept. 21, 2008), the CFIA issued a similar warning for Nissin Cha Cha Dessert, a product sold in Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia.
The products involved in Tuesday's announcement are:
- Instant Coffee 3-in-1 Mandheling Blend Coffee with a universal product code of 4 710085 122523;
- Instant Coffee 3-in-1 Blue Mountain Blend Coffee with a UPC 4 710085 200597
- Instant Coffee 3-in-1 Arabica Coffee with a UPC 4 710085 122509
T & T Supermarkets, a well-known Chinese supermarket in British Columbia, was the first to voluntarily remove all possible contaminated products from their shelves before the information indicated it was necessary. Everyone in the food industry should have the integrity shown by T & T.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Kibera's FIRST Farm Ever is Organic
Sometimes the strength of the human spirit to overcome obstacles and soar unfettered to heights miles away from their beginning brings tears to my eyes. The following is such a story. Every life should at one time or another be touched by a Victor Matioli of their own.Victor Matioli grows plump organic pumpkin, aromatic coriander, and spinach that has been declared by those that eat it “very soft, sweet and tasty.” Victor is an organic farmer with a half-acre farm in a former rubbish dump in the heart of east Africa’s biggest slum.
The sight of tall, golden sunflowers planted to help neutralize the contaminated soil, drew so much attention growing amid the rusted shacks, garbage and dirt paths of Kibera that the gardeners had to put up a “No Photographing” sign to allow them to work in peace. Since the reputations of the farmers are well known – they are all reformed criminals – the sign is taken very seriously indeed.
The unlikely organic farm along with its equally unlikely reformed caretakers has its start in the turmoil that gripped Kenya at the start of the year. The densely-packed slum, home to up to a million people, was overrun with ethnic clashes and street battles between riot police and protesters demonstrating over flawed presidential elections.
One of the greatest concerns facing the country now was a looming hunger crisis with those in the slums having the potential to be the hardest hit of all. Su Kahumbu, managing director of Green Dreams
Her initial plan of a mass distribution of seeds to small-scale farmers in the Rift Valley to enable them to plant before the April rains was halted by a lack of funding. After that disappointment, a friend told her about a group of young, unemployed men in Kibera with an outrageous plan. They wanted to learn to farm -- inside the slum.
When she was showed photographs of their would-be garden patch, she thought, “You MUST be joking”. There was so much garbage there, there seemed to be little room left for anything else. The rectangle of land bordered the railway line that cuts through Kibera and was being used as a refuse dump by nearby residents.
Piled high were plastic cartons, cans, broken bottles, chicken and goat bones, as well as innumerable "flying toilets" - polythene bags filled with human waste, a grim reminder of the slum's lack of sewage facilities. But when Kahumbu saw the enthusiasm among Matioli's 36-member Youth Reform Group, she agreed to help them get started. The men, mostly in their 20s, some having served jail terms, set about cleaning the site in late April.
Instead of making the problems around them worse and simply dumping the rubbish elsewhere, it was painstakingly compacted and tied down under tarpaulins on one side of the plot. The soil which hadn’t seen the light of day for years still contained traces of refuse, mainly old strips of plastic, and Su Kahumba sent samples away for analysis. In the meantime, her brother laid down a network of drip irrigation pipes linked to a water tank.
The soil tests revealed high; but, not dangerous, levels of zinc, which could be drawn out by planting sunflowers among the vegetables. Still, Kahumbu felt that it would be wrong to teach the men conventional farming methods.
"The toxin levels in Kibera are already high and I did not think it was fair to add to them," she said. So, it was agreed that, soil quality and surroundings aside, Kibera's first modern-day farm would be organic. Fertilizer would come from vegetable scraps turned into compost, and from plant-nourishing "worm juice" produced by the earthworms kept in a half-barrel of soil. Within two months of planting, the first vegetables were successfully harvested. The farmers buy some of the produce; the rest sells swiftly within the slum.
Netting 10p ($0.20) for a cabbage and £1 ($2.00) for a pumpkin, Matioli's collective made a profit last month - a modest sum; but, one that made him confident of the farm's sustainability. "People here are really interested in learning about our organic methods," said Matioli.
Cows and Deer Stand In Alignment
European scientists have made a discovery that has previously gone unnoticed by animal behaviorists everywhere.
They studied satellite images of cows and deer worldwide and have discovered that these animals align themselves with Earth’s north-south magnetic fields when they graze or rest. It has been known for many years that birds, turtles, and salmon use magnetic guidance to migrate, cattle or deer were not previously known to possess an inner magnetic compass.
Farmers have found that cattle stand perpendicular to the sun to heat up their bodies on cold, sunny days, or stand parallel to the wind during winter days with particularly strong winds, the scientists noted.
However the common alignment of cattle during days with optimal weather had not been particularly noted by either farmers or scientists. "Amazingly, this ubiquitous phenomenon does not seem to have been noticed by herdsmen, ranchers, or hunters," said the study, co-written by Sabine Begall of Germany's University of Duisburg-Essen.
"Because wind and light conditions could be excluded as a common denominator determining the body axis orientation, magnetic alignment is the most parsimonious explanation," says the study published in the August 25 edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.
The scientists used Google Earth software to study the alignment of 8,510 cows in 308 pastures around the world and 2,974 red and roe deer in 241 locations in the Czech Republic.
They studied satellite images of cows and deer worldwide and have discovered that these animals align themselves with Earth’s north-south magnetic fields when they graze or rest. It has been known for many years that birds, turtles, and salmon use magnetic guidance to migrate, cattle or deer were not previously known to possess an inner magnetic compass.
Farmers have found that cattle stand perpendicular to the sun to heat up their bodies on cold, sunny days, or stand parallel to the wind during winter days with particularly strong winds, the scientists noted.
However the common alignment of cattle during days with optimal weather had not been particularly noted by either farmers or scientists. "Amazingly, this ubiquitous phenomenon does not seem to have been noticed by herdsmen, ranchers, or hunters," said the study, co-written by Sabine Begall of Germany's University of Duisburg-Essen.
"Because wind and light conditions could be excluded as a common denominator determining the body axis orientation, magnetic alignment is the most parsimonious explanation," says the study published in the August 25 edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.
The scientists used Google Earth software to study the alignment of 8,510 cows in 308 pastures around the world and 2,974 red and roe deer in 241 locations in the Czech Republic.
Monday, September 22, 2008
Update on Contaminated Milk in China
In a very recent blog, I said, “Unfortunately, some of the contaminated milk had already been sold to Bangladesh, Myanmar and some African countries. There has been no evidence so far that any of the tainted products have been sold overseas.”
Unfortunately, contaminated milk from China has shown up in one of the products whose mother company is in the Netherlands. Dutch dairy company Friesland Foods is recalling all its plastic bottled milk in Hong Kong and Macau after one of Chinese-made products was found to be contaminated with one of the same chemicals blamed for the deaths of the Chinese babies. Melamine was found in their “Lady” brand strawberry milk. Friesland Foods Hong Kong ordered the recall “as a measure of precaution”.
Unfortunately, contaminated milk from China has shown up in one of the products whose mother company is in the Netherlands. Dutch dairy company Friesland Foods is recalling all its plastic bottled milk in Hong Kong and Macau after one of Chinese-made products was found to be contaminated with one of the same chemicals blamed for the deaths of the Chinese babies. Melamine was found in their “Lady” brand strawberry milk. Friesland Foods Hong Kong ordered the recall “as a measure of precaution”.
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