Michael Twitty has a post up on the Paula Deen debacle bringing awareness to his efforts to bring slave culinary contributions to the forefront.
Category Archives: farming
Morning on a Plantation
Michael Twitty has a post up in the words of a slave –a morning on a Plantation.
All things ALEC
Center for Media and Democracy has several links up on ALEC:
(most of these are from the week prior to the 40th birthday bash in Chicago)
They long for the bygone era.
ALEC agenda.
More *cough* scholarship funds for those poor, poor legislators…
I, for one, would like to know the reasons that Larry Summers, a hedge fund manager, would be the optimal choice for Federal Reserve. WTH?
Pissed off at how much you’re taxed….well, how does this grab ya? You at least expect your taxes to go towards useful things like roads, police, fire, schools….but, no, it is going to subsidize these folks.
This is the latest–the treatment of the protestors by Chicago P.D. A note in the comments section said that over 900 people were arrested.
~~~~~~~~
On to other things–
Pandora’s lunchbox. Basically, like Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride tells GAPS patients….nothing processed is good for you–avoid it like the plague. Try to eat more raw than cooked food. Cooking destroys the enzymes in food–enzymes are used in all processes in your body. This includes digestion of proteins and other nutrients so that your body can utilize them. It won’t do your body any good if it lacks the enzymes to digest the nutrients.
~~~~~~~
Lastly, there’s nanotechnology everywhere. Is anybody regulating it? Well, yes and no. The FDA is regulating silver nanoparticals, but you know the FDA on the nanotechnology as a whole….throw it out there and hope nobody notices. Be sure to click on the links for Grist’s take (I knew there was a reason that I felt like I had sludge in my gut after eating M&M’s); also the link for Purdue’s report on the fish; and the effect on DNA. Yep.
Liberal media, where are you? **edited
The Sky is Pink
…because the oil and gas industry says so…
Clearly, with all the evidence out there, the oil and gas industry has been allowed to get away with so much because Congress is so beholden to them.
Very little is said about solar or wind power when members of Congress are spouting the latest “the American people want…” schtick….and nobody ever proposes that the American public needs to reexamine their own energy usage.
Funny how during WWII, they didn’t have a problem asking folks “Is this trip necessary?” to save gas and keep tires from wearing out.
But now…?
*crickets*
It’s good to know some Americans are taking it upon themselves to reduce their gas usage by riding bikes. I know that is not always possible especially for disabled folk…but perhaps that problem could be solved if bikes were designed with disabled in mind? Surely some nerdy engineer could figure out how to design a bike that would be safe and easy for not-so-disabled folk?
Anyway, we are part of the problem, too. But we still need to tax the hell out of the oil and gas industry, for one–they’re less likely to cause trouble in D.C. with $$$ lobbyists if they don’t have wads of cash lying around…
Farm land needed in or near Rochester New York
Mud Creek farm, the organic Community Supported Agriculture sent a plea out for farm land. If any of my dear readers know someone who knows someone perhaps you can help them:
We are looking for land to farm next year!
The rumors are true. Mud Creek Farm CSA is getting kicked off the land at the end of the year. But we still want to grow vegetables for our hundreds of loyal member families!
FACTS:
For the last five years we have been on a year-to-year lease from a wonderful older gentleman in Victor, whose family now wants to sell the land. We are not in the position to purchase it. We are looking for another leasing situation in the vicinity of Victor or closer to Rochester (South-east side). We think we can do even better than the land we’re on, which is limited in space and has floodplain issues. We have some local options we’re considering, but thought we’d ask you for suggestions.CAN YOU HELP US?
We need flat, well-drained, tillable land — ideally at least fifteen acres. If you have less than fifteen acres we may be able to piece together something if your neighbors have fields too. We need access to water for irrigation.
We are limiting our search to 30 minutes drive from downtown Rochester.
We need to find a spot (ideally right next to a few acres for U-Pick) to distribute to CSA members. This requires a parking lot area for about 50 cars, access to electricity and potable water. This “people traffic” will be the hardest part to find a home for, but it is a central part of what Mud Creek Farm is about.
We are looking to start farming there immediately, so ideally the land right now is in hay, pasture, organic crops, or fallow. Corn or other crops will mean chemical sprays, so we’d have to wait a few years.Email me if you have leads: erin@mudcreekfarm. com
THANK YOU!!!
—–
Erin Bullock, Mud Creek Farm
http://www.mudcreekfarm. com
585-455-1260
High levels of arsenic found in wells near fracking sites
(hat tip to organic consumers)
From the Texas Tribune.
University of Texas at Arlington researchers tested 100 private water wells in 2011 …
Those with dangerously high levels of arsenic — about one-third of the wells — tended to be much closer to natural gas wells than those that were not contaminated.
~~~~~~~~~~
The study’s authors were cautious but I think this is pretty solid. What would be better is if the wells were tested by the university BEFORE fracking began. Then it would be pretty hard to deny that fracking is the cause of the high levels of arsenic. That absolutely should be a requirement before fracking is allowed in an area–the wells should be tested by independent labs (universities are great, as long as they’re not being bankrolled by corporate interests such as Halliburton) . And they should be re-tested after fracking has commenced.
And the water usage in fracking is rarely brought up–that concerns me as much as poisoning the water. How many gallons of precious water is used for this dirty process? How much does this drain the aquifers?
~~~~~~~~~~
Biotech food launches new website
Propaganda...gotta love it. Not. Ninety-three percent of Americans want GMO labeling…why isn’t Congress doing what the American people want?? I mean, they keep stating “the American people want…” so they must be concerned with honoring our wishes….right? /just a little sarcasm there, folks
~~~~~~~~~~
One really has to wonder if the folks at the FDA have too much time on their hands or have completely lost their minds when you read stories like this.
I think we should all live in bubbles so there is no way that we could ever, ever, ever come in contact with salmonella or any other bad bug. /snark
I want eggs by free range chickens, but I can’t always get them. It makes sense that the nutrition is better with free range eggs–look at the variety in their diet. Clearly, the FDA is infiltrated with Big Ag corporations that want to squeeze out the organic farmer.
~~~~~~~~~~~
Speaking of organic food–I am starting to see the fruits of my labor with the heirloom tomato, Cosmonaut Volkov. I had one the other night with mayonnaise on it…and OMG, it was delicious! It tasted like tomatoes used to taste like before the hybridized the taste out of them! Oh, wow, it was just like they tasted back in the 60s. I kid you not.
~~~~~~~~
More on the GMO war–of course, it always comes down to who is funding it. Gah, the “NO” list reads like a list of defense contractors.
~~~~~~~~
Organic food sales are increasing. People are waking up to the poison in their food. Good for them.
~~~~~~~~~
Michael Pollan and Mark Hertsgaard on how sustainable farming practices can help with climate change.
What tainted food?
Spocko has this up on the ultra-secret of who poisoned people. WTH? This is effing crazy that people are not told who and what made them sick. Really disturbing.
Keep in mind, folks, that when I briefly worked for the state’s health dept, they were not telling people about the link between DEET and seizures when they were pushing folks to use it to repel mosquitoes. They also did not tell them that citronella (along with other natural things) can do just as good a job of repelling them. When I questioned the health dept. director why folks were not told this, his lame excuse was that citronella had to be applied every thirty minutes. So they denied folks their own autonomy in giving them the information and letting them decide whether they wanted to take that risk or be a little inconvenienced.
The Crazy Amy link is something to behold. Wow. Her eyes are “off” which makes me wonder if she has mercury/heavy metal poisoning…I’ve noticed that the eyes are affected a lot with it.
PR Watch
…has a few links up:
ALEC anniversary being celebrated in Chicago. A few folks thought they’d drop by….
MOVIE SCREENING: On Wednesday, August 7, at 6 p.m. Common Cause, the Center for Media and Democracy, and others will host a screening of the Bill Moyers documentary the “United States of ALEC” followed by a panel discussion. The screening will be held at the University Center, 525 South State Street in Chicago.
RALLY: At noon on Thursday, August 8, a coalition of groups, spearheaded by the Chicago Federation of Labor, is calling on people to gather outside the ALEC conference at the Palmer House Hotel, located at 17 East Monroe Street for a march and rally. You can tell them you are coming here.
~~~~~~~~~~~
Public Television pulls funding for documentary on the Kochs…because the Kochs are million dollar contributors. Selling their soul doesn’t come cheap, you know…
Eagle 
You must be logged in to post a comment.