Posted on 02/09/2009 12:36:11 AM PST by nw_arizona_granny
Police, hospitals scramble through emergencies
John Coté,Nanette Asimov, Chronicle Staff Writers
Friday, April 10, 2009
Morgan Hill police had no way to check databases Thursday to see if a suspicious driver was wanted in a bank heist.
In some ways that wasn’t a big problem, however, because most banks in town were shut down for the day.
From inaccessible medical records to faulty 911 systems to ATMs that blinked “Out of Service,” the vandalism of fiber-optic cables that left a swath of the South Bay without most phone and Internet services Thursday demonstrated how people, businesses and government have come to depend on communications infrastructure.
“It’s been a really big wake-up call for us as a community and as an agency that we’re very vulnerable,” Morgan Hill police Cmdr. David Swing said at an emergency command post at the police station.
“I don’t know if anyone ever anticipated such a widespread outage like this that affected both cell and landline phone systems,” Swing said.
The department was left with no Internet or cell phone service and landline service only within the city of Morgan Hill until about 1 p.m., when computer networking giant Cisco Systems brought in a satellite-linked communications truck that allowed police to run some computers and phones.
Emergency calls had been routed to the Santa Clara County dispatch center in San Jose, where they had to be relayed via radio from station to station until the nearest responder was reached, like an old-fashioned phone tree, Swing said. Patrol cars and fire engines were placed in strategic spots around town.
Continues, shows what happens when the electric goes out, not banks, no atms, no medical records, banks closed, amazing amount of damage done with one cut phone line.
granny..........
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/04/10/MNIC17092I.DTL
—
Check out http://groups.yahoo.com/group/californiadisasters/
Phone service restored to most of San Jose area
Thursday, April 9, 2009
(04-09) 22:16 PDT San Jose, Calif. (AP) —
Phone service was restored Thursday night to most of the thousands of people in the San Jose area left without cell phone, Internet and landline service because of vandals who severed eight fiber optic cables, officials said.
San Jose police said there was evidence that someone removed a manhole cover and severed four fiber optic cables. The incident cut phone and Internet service for thousands in Santa Clara County, including Gilroy, Morgan Hill and San Martin, and parts of Santa Cruz County.
Hours later, authorities in San Carlos reported that four cables there had also been cut.
In addition to interruptions in phone, Internet and 911 service, ATMs in Gilroy and Morgan Hill were not working Thursday, said Santa Clara County spokeswoman Joy Alexiou.
Police in both cities are investigating the incidents as vandalism. Police said four of the six lines belong to AT&T Inc. The company announced it is offering a $100,000 reward for information leading to an arrest.
continues............
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/04/09/state/n103943D19.DTL
—
Check out http://groups.yahoo.com/group/californiadisasters/
That is my experience. ¡IT WORKS!
Some crops are better at opening up the soil than others due to their root system.
Ken
-— On Sun, 6/8/08, Nigel Kirby wrote:
From my experience, when I have just kept areas mulched, it hasn’t made
a lot of difference to the soil below the mulch. A good layer of decomposed
organic matter builds up on the surface but when I scrape that away the clay
soil can be seen underneath looking pretty much as it did when I first
mulched it. Even areas I have had covered for years with leaves to make leaf
mold look like this when I scrape the composted leaves away.
And I have a
lot of worms in my soil to pull the organic matter in!
What I have found to be the most effective in loosening my soil without
tillage has been planting cover crops. The roots do the loosening. I don’t
even turn my cover crops in anymore. Instead I just cut them down, cutting
from the top down to cut them into smaller pieces and then cover that with
some straw. In fact, I just pulled some mulch back today so I could sow some
seeds and the cover crops had completely vanished. The soil was much softer
in these beds than in areas where I haven’t cover cropped regularly.
http://lists.ibiblio.org/pipermail/livingontheland/Week-of-Mon-20080609/007281.html
http://lists.ibiblio.org/pipermail/livingontheland/Week-of-Mon-20080609/007285.html
How to control cucurbit/squash pests?
No it is the fact that Nothing grew there for years until they placed a
“garden” in it.. Seems that the saying “If you plant it, they will come” is
working very well here. Mono-cropping is probably the issue..Is there any
companion plants with the squash, as in Corn, beans, cosmos, etc., to
confuse the insects? More than likely not.. We have our gardens all a mix
and within beds with pathways and within the entire garden area are other
types of plants that draw beneficial insects to the kitchen garden area..
Most folks till up a big huge area and plant in rows with nothing but dirt
and great lines of mono-cropped vegetables begging to be devoured.. Nature
teaches us the need to mix things up with herbs, flowers, certain weeds, and
edibles and non-edibles shoulder to shoulder.. The soil being enriched by
the plants dying and rotting and forming a mulch.. Most folks just weed like
crazy and grow everything in lines.. Not natural..Of course it will draw
insects..Then they make the mistake in spraying all the insects in a great
war and creating a vacancy that is filled by more insects to be sprayed..
If I go out to the kitchen garden in my yard I will see aphids right now on
my newly planted tomatoes, but since my peas have been growing in that bed
and were already targeted by aphids, I also have predators and parasites at
work in the aphids.. There are aphids hulls with trap doors cut out of their
backs and more tiny parasitic wasps mating and laying more eggs on the new
brood of aphids, there are spiders, lace wings larva, lady bug larva, ground
beetles and many more because I don’t spray and have been using compost and
feeding the soil for 11 years now..
http://www.lifeaftertheoilcrash.net/Archives2008/OrlovPartOne.html
[Interesting comparison of America to Russia in a depression, note that the black part of the page has more of the article, if you highlight it, it comes up, there are several pges of them here:
http://www.lifeaftertheoilcrash.net/Prepare.html
granny]
[snipped]
Food and Clothing
Consumer society, as it currently exists in the United States, is propped up by the still relatively cheap and accessible energy, and by the fact that the Chinese, and other nations, are still willing to dispense goods to us on credit. This credit is secured by the promise of future economic growth in the United States, which is already being whittled down by the high energy prices. Thus, the energy crisis will in due course translate into a consumer goods crisis.
Therefore, as part of your exercise, assume that every supermarket and big box store is out of business, driven bankrupt by the high cost (and low availability) of diesel, electricity, and natural gas. Shop only at the local farmer’s markets, small neighborhood groceries, and thrift stores. Buy as few new things as possible: trash-pick what you can, and repair items instead of replacing them. Learn to grow or gather at least some of your food. If you do not wish to go strictly vegetarian, raising chickens and rabbits is not so hard. To buy staples such as rice, travel into town and buy them in bulk from small immigrant-owned groceries – you can be sure that these will be around even after the supermarkets are gone.
Shelter
If your lease or mortgage requires you to have a full-time job in order to afford it, find a way to change your living situation to one that you can keep even when there is no more work. If you can cash out your equity and buy a place that is smaller, but that you can own free and clear, do so.
Pay particular attention to how difficult a place will be to heat; do not assume that heating oil, natural gas, or large quantities of firewood will be available or affordable. Also, pay very close attention to the neighbors. Are they people you know and trust? Will they help you? Do not assume that there will be police protection or emergency services. If you live in an area with a history of ethnic strife, how sure are you that you will be able to find a common language and make peace with everyone there, even people whose culture and background are vastly different from yours?
Know where to escape to in case your primary residence becomes unlivable, either permanently or for a time. Your arrangements might be as simple as a friend’s couch, or a campsite that you rent by the season, or some land where you know you can camp, or an unused farm, ranging all the way to an alternative residence somewhere else in the world that you can relocate to.
Medicine
If you have or foresee significant ongoing medical needs, staying in the United States will pose a unique set of problems; you might even consider seeking refuge in one of the many countries that provide free basic and emergency medical care to their entire population. The United States is a very special case in having made basic medicine into a profit-making industry rather than a social service. The medical system here has become a parasite, bloated and ineffectual. The doctors are saddled with unreasonable regulations and financial liabilities.
When it comes to medicine, almost any country in the world will be better than one that is full-up with unemployed medical specialists, insurance consultants, and medical billing experts. In Belize, which is quite a poor country, I received prompt and excellent free emergency medical care from a Cuban medic. In the U.S., in similar circumstances, I had to wait 8 hours at an emergency room, then was seen for five minutes by a sleep-deprived intern who scribbled out a prescription for something that is available without a prescription almost everywhere else in the world. Then there ensued a paper battle between the hospital and the insurance company, lasting for many months, over whether the hospital could charge for a doctor’s visit on top of the emergency room visit. Apparently, in U.S. emergency rooms, doctors are optional.
There are specific steps you may be able to take to avoid having to depend on the medical system. Do whatever you can to be in good health, by getting enough sleep and exercise, and by avoiding unnecessary stress. Avoid processed food and junk food. If you do not feel well, get plenty of rest, instead of medicating yourself and attempting to keep to your schedule. Unless your life is in danger, try to do without maintenance regimens of prescription drugs, keeping in mind what will happen when you lose access to them. Be sure to have a living will that allows your family to have control of your medical care. Look for alternative medicines for symptomatic relief of minor complaints.
Money
For several decades now, the U.S. Dollar has been able to keep its value in the face of ever larger trade and fiscal imbalances largely because it is the currency most of the world uses when buying oil. Other nations are forced to export products to the United States because this is the only way for them to gather the dollars they need to purchase oil. This has produced a continuous windfall for the U.S. Treasury. This state of affairs is coming to an end: as more and more oil-producing nations find alternative ways of doing business with their customers, trading oil for Euros, or for food, the U.S. Dollar erodes in value. As the Dollar drops in value, the price of an ever-increasing list of essential imports goes up, driving up inflation. At some point, inflation will start to feed on itself, and will give rise to hyperinflation.
If your immediate thought is, “Hyperinflation in the U.S.? Impossible!” then you are not alone. A lot of people have trouble thinking about the possibility of hyperinflation, economists among them. Hyperinflation, they say, requires the government to emit vast amounts of money, which, being a good, prudent government, it simply will not do. But this government is drowning in red ink, and will do what desperate governments have always done: opt for inflating its debt away rather than defaulting on it, to retain at least some spending ability in the face of a collapsing tax base and dried-up foreign credit. The people at the Fed do have to be kept fed, after all.
Alan Greenspan, Chairman of the Fed, has voiced the viewpoint that since oil expenditure is such a small percentage of the overall economy, increased oil prices will have little effect on it, and, of course, he is right. I am, however, still a bit concerned about lower overall quantities of oil, regardless of the price, because these would result in less economic activity. What I would like Mr. Greenspan to reassure me on is, How is a small national economy going to be able to support a big national debt? By the way, I have an idea: print some money.
Others who doubt the inevitability of hyperinflation point to the weakness of trade unions, and say that workers in the U.S. are too badly organized to bargain collectively and secure cost of living adjustments that would propel the economy along an inflationary spiral. These people seem to feel that the workers will somehow continue to be able to work even as their entire paycheck disappears as they buy gasoline for their daily commute. They remind me of the proverbial farmer who trained his horse to stop eating, and almost succeeded, but unfortunately the horse died first. Those who have work that needs to be done will have to make it physically possible for someone to do it.
There are also plenty of people in this country – the ones who are closer the top of the economic food chain, or just feel like they are – who will pay themselves whatever they require, giving themselves, and those upon whose loyalty they must depend, any cost of living adjustment they deem necessary. They will continue doing so until they are bankrupt. Because wealth is distributed so unevenly, these people make a disproportionately large difference.
Lastly, there is a large group of people who feel that such matters are for economists to decide. But decide for yourself: in March of 1999, The Economist magazine ran an article entitled “Drowning in Oil.” In December of the same year, it was compelled to publish a retraction. Economists are starting to look a bit ridiculous, as their predictive abilities are repeatedly shown to be quite feeble. Moreover, the whole discipline of economics is starting to become irrelevant, because its main concern is with characterizing a system – the fossil fuel-based growth economy – which is starting to collapse.
Perhaps the difficulty in reconciling oneself to such a possibility stems from history and culture, not economics. Unlike the Russians or the Germans, whose historical memory includes one or more episodes of hyperinflation, it is hard for Americans to imagine living in a time when their paper money is not worth its weight in toilet paper. But such conditions have been known to occur. Savings boil off into the ether. People who still receive paychecks or retirement checks cash them immediately, and do their best to buy the things they need to survive as quickly as they can, before the prices go up again.
continued....,
http://lists.ibiblio.org/pipermail/livingontheland/Week-of-Mon-20080317/006622.html
Container Carrots
From “The Apartment Farmer” by Duane Newcomb.
Cool season crop. Rated excellent for indoor and outdoor containers.
Carrot are probably a near perfect plant for containers. They take little space, they really aren’t fussy about temperature (even though they’re rated a cool season crop), and they’ll stay in the ground a long time without spoiling. You can just go and pull one up at a time. In addition, carrots come in a variety of shapes and sizes. You can grow long, slender carrots (Gold Pak, Imperator); medium, fat carrots (Royal Chatenay, Spartan bonus;) middle, slender carrots (Danvers Half Long;) short, slender carrots (Little Finger;) and short, fat (Ox-Heart.)
How to Grow
Plant by scattering the seeds across the container surface, roughly 1 inch apart. Cover with about 1/2 inch of soil. After a few weeks, thin to 2 inches apart (use the young carrots in cooking or eat raw). In large containers, plant half the crop ten days before you plant the other half.
Caution here. If the carrot tip touches the bottom of the pot, the carrot will not develop to maturity. Simply make sure your container is deep enough for the variety you intend to grow.
For indoor containers, plant any time. Outside you should plant carrot seed on the approximate date of the last frost in you area. You can then continue to plant up to about sixty days before the first frost of fall. You can grow carrots all summer long except in the hottest areas. If the summer sun is exceptionally hot on the patio (above 90 degrees), provide some shade.
4-inch Pots (this means width of the pot, make sure your container is deep enough for the kind of carrot you are planting). You can grow Little Finger or Ox-Heart in 4 inch pots. Limit the pots to three to six Little Finger carrots, two to four Ox-Heart.
Under Lights. You can easily grow carrots with two 40-watt fluorescent tubes.
Typical Problems. My carrots cracked badly. This is a watering problem. If you let the soil dry out and water infrequently, the roots will crack open as they start to grow again.
My carrots didn’t come up well from seed. You didn’t keep the soil wet during the germination period. Try again. (Also, this can be caused by using seed that’s too old or was improperly stored).
Harvesting Tips. Start harvesting your carrots as soon as they reach finger size. They’re delicious at this stage. Large carrots often become woody.
http://www.gardenguides.com/how-to/tipstechniques/planning/successi.asp
Perennial Crops:
Asparagus
Rhubarb
Chives
Horseradish
Winter Onions
Crops that occupy the ground only the first part of the season:
Early Beets
Early Cabbage
Lettuce
Onion Sets
Peas
Radishes
Early Spinach
Mustard
Turnips
Crops that occupy the ground the major portion of the season:
Bush and Pole Beans
Lima Beans
Cabbage
Celery
Sweet Corn
Cucumbers
Eggplant
Muskmelons
Okra
Peppers
Potatoes
Pumpkin
Squash
Tomatoes
Watermelon
Swiss Chard
Crops to be planted in July or later for fall and winter gardens:
Bush Beans
Beets
Broccoli
Chinese Cabbage
Carrots
Cauliflower
Endive
Kale
Kohlrabi
Radishes
Spinach
Turnips
Collards
Lettuce
TOP 15 VEGETABLES IN ECONOMIC VALUE & intensive spacing guide
http://www.ext.vt.edu/pubs/envirohort/426-335/426-335.html#L3
http://cals.arizona.edu/pubs/garden/mg/vegetable/intensive.html
Tomatoes
Beets
Green bunching onions
Carrots
Leaf lettuce
Cucumbers
Turnip (greens + roots)
Peppers
Summer squash
Broccoli
Edible podded peas
Head lettuce
Onion storage bulbs
Swiss chard
Beans (pole, bush)
1 Values based on pounds produced per square foot, retail value per pound
at harvest time, and length of time in the garden.
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[Note the line about growing Roses with your Grapes........granny]
http://lists.ibiblio.org/pipermail/livingontheland/Week-of-Mon-20080421/006861.html
Interview with Bill Mollison
By Scott London
http://www.scottlondon.com/interviews/mollison.html
Bill Mollison calls himself a field biologist and itinerant teacher. But it would be more accurate to describe him as an instigator. When he published Permaculture One in 1978, he launched an international land-use movement many regard as subversive, even revolutionary.
Permaculture – from permanent and agriculture – is an integrated design philosophy that encompasses gardening, architecture, horticulture, ecology, even money management and community design. The basic approach is to create sustainable systems that provide for their own needs and recycle their waste.
Mollison developed permaculture after spending decades in the rainforests and deserts of Australia studying ecosystems. He observed that plants naturally group themselves in mutually beneficial communities. He used this idea to develop a different approach to agriculture and community design, one that seeks to place the right elements together so they sustain and support each other.
Today his ideas have spread and taken root in almost every country on the globe. Permaculture is now being practiced in the rainforests of South America, in the Kalahari desert, in the arctic north of Scandinavia, and in communities all over North America. In New Mexico, for example, farmers have used permaculture to transform hard-packed dirt lots into lush gardens and tree orchards without using any heavy machinery. In Davis, California, one community uses bath and laundry water to flush toilets and irrigate gardens. In Toronto, a team of architects has created a design for an urban infill house that doesn’t tap into city water or sewage infrastructure and that costs only a few hundred dollars a year to operate.
While Mollison is still unknown to most Americans, he is a national icon down under. He has been named Australia’s “Man of the Year” and in 1981 he received the prestigious Right Livelihood Award, also known as the Alternative Nobel Prize, for his work developing and promoting permaculture.
I sat down with him to discuss his innovative design philosophy. We met over the course of two afternoons in Santa Barbara in conjunction with an intensive two-week course he teaches each year in Ojai. A short, round man with a white beard and a big smile, he is one of the most affable and good-natured people I’ve met. An inveterate raconteur, he seems to have a story – or a bad joke – for every occasion. His comments are often rounded out by a hearty and infectious laugh.
*
Scott London: A reviewer once described your teachings as “seditious.”
Bill Mollison: Yes, it was very perceptive. I teach self-reliance, the world’s most subversive practice. I teach people how to grow their own food, which is shockingly subversive. So, yes, it’s seditious. But it’s peaceful sedition.
London: When did you begin teaching permaculture?
Mollison: In the early 1970s, it dawned on me that no one had ever applied design to agriculture. When I realized it, the hairs went up on the back of my neck. It was so strange. We’d had agriculture for 7,000 years, and we’d been losing for 7,000 years — everything was turning into desert. So I wondered, can we build systems that obey ecological principles? We know what they are, we just never apply them. Ecologists never apply good ecology to their gardens. Architects never understand the transmission of heat in buildings. And physicists live in houses with demented energy systems. It’s curious that we never apply what we know to how we actually live.
London: It tells us something about our current environmental problems.
Mollison: It does. I remember the Club of Rome report in 1967 which said that the deterioration of the environment was inevitable due to population growth and overconsumption of resources. After reading that, I thought, “People are so stupid and so destructive — we can do nothing for them.” So I withdrew from society. I thought I would leave and just sit on a hill and watch it collapse.
It took me about three weeks before I realized that I had to get back and fight. [Laughs] You know, you have to get out in order to want to get back in.
London: Is that when the idea of permaculture was born?
Mollison: It actually goes back to 1959. I was in the Tasmanian rain forest studying the interaction between browsing marsupials and forest regeneration. We weren’t having a lot of success regenerating forests with a big marsupial population. So I created a simple system with 23 woody plant species, of which only four were dominant, and only two real browsing marsupials. It was a very flexible system based on the interactions of components, not types of species. It occurred to me one evening that we could build systems that worked better than that one.
That was a remarkable revelation. Ever so often in your life — perhaps once a decade — you have a revelation. If you are an aborigine, that defines your age. You only have a revelation once every age, no matter what your chronological age. If you’re lucky, you have three good revelations in a lifetime.
Because I was an educator, I realized that if I didn’t teach it, it wouldn’t go anywhere. So I started to develop design instructions based on passive knowledge and I wrote a book about it called Permaculture One. To my horror, everybody was interested in it. [Laughs] I got thousands of letters saying, “You’ve articulated something that I’ve had in my mind for years,” and “You’ve put something into my hands which I can use.”
London: Permaculture is based on scientific principles and research. But it seems to me that it also draws on traditional and indigenous folk wisdom.
Mollison: Well, if I go to an old Greek lady sitting in a vineyard and ask, “Why have you planted roses among your grapes?” she will say to me, “Because the rose is the doctor of the grape. If you don’t plant roses, the grapes get ill.” That doesn’t do me a lot of good. But if I can find out that the rose exudes a certain root chemical that is taken up by the grape root which in turn repels the white fly (which is the scientific way of saying the same thing), then I have something very useful.
Traditional knowledge is always of that nature. I know a Filipino man who always plants a chili and four beans in the same hole as the banana root. I asked him, “Why do you plant a chili with the banana?” And he said, “Don’t you know that you must always plant these things together.” Well, I worked out that the beans fix the nitrogen and the chili prevents beetles from attacking the banana root. And that works very well.
London: You have introduced permaculture in places that still rely on traditional farming practices. Have they been receptive to your ideas?
Mollison: I have a terribly tricky way of approaching indigenous tribal people. For example, I’ll go to the Central Desert, where everyone is half-starved, and say, “I wonder if I can help you.” And I’ll lie and say, “I don’t know how to do this?” And they say, “Oh, come on, we’ll make it work.” By the time it’s done, they have done it themselves.
I remember going back to a school we started in Zimbabwe. It’s green and surrounded by food. The temperature in the classroom is controlled. I asked them, “Who did this?” They said, “We did!” When people do it for themselves, they are proud of it.
London: For some people — particularly indigenous tribes — the notion that you can grow your own food is revolutionary.
Mollison: When you grow up in a world where you have a very minor effect on the land, you don’t think of creating resources for yourself. What falls on the ground you eat. And your numbers are governed by what falls on the ground. Permaculture allows you to think differently because you can grow everything that you need very easily.
For example, the bushmen of the Kalahari have a native bean called the morama bean. It is a perennial that grows underground and spreads out when it rains. They used to go out and collect it. But after they were pushed off their lands to make room for game and natural parks the morama bean was hard to find. I asked them, “Why don’t you plant them here?” They said, “Do you think we could?” So we planted the bean in their gardens. Up to that point, they never actually thought of planting something. It stunned them that they could actually do that.
The same thing happened with the mongongo tree which grows on the top of sand dunes. They had never actually moved the tree from one dune to another. But I went and cut a branch off the mother tree and stuck it in the sand. The thing started to sprout leaves and produce mongongo nuts. Now they grow the trees wherever they want.
London: You once described modern technological agriculture as a form of “witchcraft.”
Mollison: Well, it is a sort of witchcraft. Today we have more soil scientists than at any other time in history. If you plot the rise of soil scientists against the loss of soil, you see that the more of them you have, the more soil you lose.
I remember seeing soldiers returning from the War in 1947. They had these little steel canisters with a snap-off top. When they snapped the tops off, they sprayed DDT all over the room so you never saw any more flies or mosquitoes — or cats. [Laughs] After the war, they started to use those chemicals in agriculture. The gases used by the Nazis were now developed for agriculture. Tanks were made into plows. Part of the reason for the huge surge in artificial fertilizer was that the industry was geared up to produce nitrates for explosives. Then they suddenly discovered you could put it on your crops and get great results.
London: So the green revolution was a kind of war against the land, in a manner of speaking.
Mollison: That’s right. Governments still support this kind of agriculture to the tune of about $40 billion each year. None of that goes to supporting alternative systems like organic or soil-creating agriculture. Even China is adopting modern chemical agriculture now.
London: I remember the late economist Robert Theobald saying to me that if China decides to go the way of the West, the environmental ballgame is over.
Mollison: I overheard two “Eurocrats” in Vienna talking about the environment. One said, “How long do you think we’ve got?” The other said, “Ten years.” And the first one said, “You’re an optimist.” So I said to them, “If China begins to develop motor vehicles, we’ve got two years.”
London: What kind of overconsumption bothers you the most?
Mollison: I hate lawns. Subconsciously I think we all hate them because we’re their slaves. Imagine the millions of people who get on their lawn-mowers and ride around in circles every Saturday and Sunday.
They have all these new subdivisions in Australia which are between one and five acres. You see people coming home from work on Friday, getting on their little ride-on mowers, and mowing all weekend. On Monday morning you can drive through these areas and see all these mowers halfway across the five acres, waiting for the next Friday. Like idiots, we spend all our spare time driving these crazy machines, cutting grass which is only going to grow back again next week.
London: Permaculture teaches us how to use the minimum amount of energy needed to get a job done.
Mollison: That’s right. Every house should be over-producing its energy and selling to the grid. We have built entire villages that do that – where one or two buildings hold the solar panels for all sixty homes and sell the surplus to the grid. In seven years, you can pay off all your expenses and run free. They use this same idea in Denmark. Every village there has a windmill that can fuel up to 800 homes.
London: The same principle probably applies to human energy as well. I noticed that you discourage digging in gardens because it requires energy that can be better used for other things.
Mollison: Well, some people like digging. It’s a bit like having an exercise bike in your bedroom. But I prefer to leave it to the worms. They do a great job. I’ve created fantastic soil just from mulching.
London: Does permaculture apply to those of us who live in cities?
Mollison: Yes, there is a whole section in the manual about urban permaculture. When I first went to New York, I helped start a little herb-farm in the South Bronx. The land was very cheap there because there was no power, no water, no police, and there were tons of drugs. This little farm grew to supply eight percent of New York’s herbs. There are now 1,100 city farms in New York.
London: Short of starting a farm, what can we do to make our cities more sustainable?
Mollison: Catch the water off your roof. Grow your own food. Make your own energy. It’s insanely easy to do all that. It takes you less time to grow your food than to walk down to the supermarket to buy it. Ask any good organic gardener who mulches how much time he spends on his garden and he’ll say, “Oh, a few minutes every week.” By the time you have taken your car and driven to the supermarket, taken your foraging-trolley and collected your wild greens, and driven back home again, you’ve spent a good hour or two — plus you’ve spent a lot of money.
London: Even though permaculture is based on scientific principles, it seems to have a very strong philosophical or ethical dimension.
Mollison: There is an ethical dimension because I think science without ethics is sociopathology. To say, “I’ll apply what I know regardless of the outcome” is to take absolutely no responsibility for your actions. I don’t want to be associated with that sort of science.
London: What do you think you’ve started?
Mollison: Well, it’s a revolution. But it’s the sort of revolution that no one will notice. It might get a little shadier. Buildings might function better. You might have less money to earn because your food is all around you and you don’t have any energy costs. Giant amounts of money might be freed up in society so that we can provide for ourselves better.
So it’s a revolution. But permaculture is anti-political. There is no room for politicians or administrators or priests. And there are no laws either. The only ethics we obey are: care of the earth, care of people, and reinvestment in those ends.
Author:
I wish I knew all that he knows:
http://lists.ibiblio.org/pipermail/livingontheland/Week-of-Mon-20080310/006616.html
Bio-Intensive Mini-Gardens—Recipe for Survival
http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_3659.cfm
* Cultivating Our Garden
Biointensive farming uses less water, land, machinery, and fertilizer
By John Jeavons
Context Institute—Reposted by GlobalCircle.net, 12.24.06
Straight to the Source
“They’re making people every day,
but they ain’t makin’ any more dirt.”
- Will Rogers
A sustainable community involves a dynamic inter-dependent relationship
between each of us and the resources that sustain our lives. Rather than
shirking human labor, trying to reduce the amount of it used or to increase
its productivity in unsustainable ways, we need to exalt in its proper use
and the maintenance of the very muscles involved in an effective human life.
Properly performed, labor is not tedious or enervating, but strengthening
and rewarding.
Using resources more efficiently - doing more with less - allows us to use
our personal energy more effectively. The field of electronics was recently
miniaturized on this basis. In fact, the world is on the verge of a major
new discovery - that there are major economies of small scale, such as the
miniaturization of agriculture. The sophisticated low-technology techniques
and the approaches involved in this kind of food-raising will make possible
truly sustainable agricultural practices globally.
Biointensive Mini-Farming
This miniaturization of agriculture is not new. Small-scale sustainable
agriculture has supported such widely dispersed civilizations as the Chinese
4,000 years ago, and the Mayans, South Americans, and Greeks 2,000 years
ago.
Ecology Action has dedicated almost a quarter-century to rediscovering the
scientific principles that underlie these traditional systems. The people in
Biosphere II in Arizona have been using techniques based on those outlined
by Ecology Action: they raised 80 percent of their food for two years within
a “closed system.” Their experience demonstrates that a complete year’s diet
for one person can be raised on the equivalent of 3,403 square feet!
This is an improvement over traditional Chinese practices, which required
5,000 to 7,200 square feet. In contrast, it takes commercial agriculture
22,000 to 42,000 square feet to grow all the food for one person for one
year, while bringing in large inputs from other areas. At the same time,
commercial agricultural practices are causing the loss of approximately six
pounds of soil for each pound of food produced.
Biointensive mini-farming techniques make it possible to grow food using 99
percent less energy in all forms - human and mechanical, 66 percent to 88
percent less water, and 50 percent to 100 percent less fertilizer, compared
to commercial agriculture. They also produce two to six times more food and
build the soil.
The Biointensive Method
The basics of this whole-system approach can be summarized as follows:
Most life in nature occurs at the interface of soil, water, air and sun.
Biointensive soil preparation practices create growing beds with more
surface area to maximize the effect of nature’s life processes. Double-dug
beds, with soil loosened to a depth of 24 inches, aerate the soil,
facilitate root growth, and improve water retention. The health and vigor of
the soil are maintained through the use of compost. Close seeding spacing is
used to protect the soil microorganisms, reduce water loss, and maximize
yields. Companion planting facilitates the optimal use of nutrients, light
and water, encourages beneficial insects and creates a vibrant
mini-ecosystem within the garden. The use of open-pollinated seeds helps to
preserve genetic diversity and enables gardeners to develop their own
acclimatized cultivars.
A focus on the production of calories for the gardener and carbon for the
soil ensures that both the gardener and the soil will be adequately fed and
that the farm will be sustainable.
How can the soil’s nutrient fertility be preserved with agriculture
continuously removing nutrients as one crop is harvested after another? One
answer is surprising. Each person’s urine and manure contain approximately
enough nutrients to produce enough food to feed that person. However, those
nutrients are not enough when they are spread thinly over the one-half to
one acre that it takes mechanized commercial agriculture to produce that
person’s food.
Biointensive mini-farms require much less area to produce the same yield of
crops, so the nutrients contained in one person’s wastes can be applied in a
more concentrated way. This enables the nutrients to be fully effective, and
high yields can result.
Because of this higher productivity, Biointensive practices could allow
one-half to three-quarters of the world to be left in wild for the
preservation of plant and animal diversity.
It has been said that Biointensive practices might make it possible to grow
food for all the people in the US in just the area now used for lawns. This
possibility could mean thriving agriculturally self-reliant cities with
‘green belts’ to produce all their food.
Scarcity vs. Abundance
Scarcity can be changed into abundance when sustainable, resource-conserving
agricultural practices are used.
* The world continues to deplete its soils approximately 7 to 80 times
faster with conventional forms of agriculture - even with organic
practices - than they are built up in nature. Probably only 50 to 100 years’
worth of world soil productivity remains for us to use. We are rapidly
depleting the soil base upon which civilization depends. In contrast,
sustainable Biointensive farming, if used properly, can build the soil up to
60 times faster than in nature while producing more food and conserving
resources.
* Economically, conventional agriculture in the US produces on the
average up to $100 per sixteenth of an acre; the net return on a $500,000
investment on the average 500-acre farm is about $12,000, or a little over 2
percent. We are depleting our agricultural economic base and indirectly our
farming community base. Biointensive economic mini-farming, in contrast, can
produce up to $20,000 on a sixteenth of an acre through increased yields,
decreased resource use, and direct marketing. It also offers a foundation
for community-based agriculture.
* The average age of the US farmer is 55, with few young people entering
farming. In fact, 0.2 percent of the population of the US is producing most
of the nation’s food. We are depleting the nation’s skill base. With
mini-farming approaches, everyone can be part of the rebuilding of farming
skills wherever they are.
* 75 percent of all the seeds ever used in agriculture are estimated to
have become extinct by 1990. Ninety five percent are expected to be extinct
by the year 2000. We are depleting our genetic base by overdependence on too
few highly specialized varieties. It is interesting to note that many, if
not most, normal open-pollinated crop varieties will produce equally high
Green Revolution-type yields with a fraction of the resources and few insect
and disease problems when Biointensive techniques are used because of the
healthy soil they produce.
* Conventional agriculture uses 100 times the energy in mechanical and
human forms per pound of food produced, compared to Biointensive farming.
This is because of current agriculture’s heavy dependence on machines and
energy-intensive chemical fertilizers. We are depleting our energy base.
Sustainable Biointensive practices, in contrast, recycle nutrients and are
productive enough to be done manually without high energy consumption.
* Agriculture accounts for 80 percent of all the water used by people on
this planet, and dozens of countries already have insufficient water for
growing all the food needed for their populations. Further, the agricultural
practices being used do not generally conserve water in our soil. The result
is that we are in the process of depleting our available water base.
Biointensive practices use a third to an eighth the water per pound of food
produced as conventional farming practices. Thus, the amount of water
available for farming, which is currently insufficient, can be more than
enough.
It Is Simple to Begin
The thought of beginning to learn to grow all one’s own food seems
overwhelming, but Ecology Action has designed a small one-bed growing unit
from which to begin growing personalized solutions. This unit is a
100-square-foot bed that includes equal areas of compost, diet, and income
crops. As we improve each 100-square-foot area of soil in our backyards or
on our farms, we begin to understand our climate and the varieties of plants
that thrive in our own micro-climates and mini-ecosystems. Each small
portion that we grow of our own food enables us to better appreciate the
farmers whose food we buy.
Voltaire in Candide suggests that if we each tend our own “garden,” the
entire world will be transformed. In the process, all of our work will be
filled with meaning. In this way, we will “grow people” who possess a whole
new understanding: that we must grow soil rather than crops - create rather
than consume. When we do so, the harvest for our nourishment will be
abundant beyond our greatest expectations!
John Jeavons is known internationally for his work developing small-scale
sustainable food production techniques. His food-raising techniques are
being used in 108 countries, rich and poor.
Ecology Action, founded 24 years ago, has taught the Biointensive method to
organizations and individuals in over 100 countries through tours and
workshops, and more than 30 publications - some in other languages. For more
information, write to Ecology Action, 5798 Ridgewood Road, Willits, CA
95490-9730.
Learn more at the Ecology Action website
http://www.growbiointensive.org/
NATIONAL SECURITY STUDY MEMORANDUM
Nixon - Kissinger
List of reports:
This is the html version of the file http://www.fas.org/irp/offdocs/nssm-nixon/NSSM_LIST.pdf.
[I was looking for #200 - Kissinger on Food....granny]
http://lists.ibiblio.org/pipermail/livingontheland/Week-of-Mon-20080310/006614.html
This article appeared as part of a feature in the December 8, 1995 issue of Executive Intelligence Review. See Feature Introduction and Table of Contents.
Kissinger’s 1974 Plan for Food Control Genocide
http://www.larouchepub.com/other/1995/2249_kissinger_food.html
by Joseph Brewda
On Dec. 10, 1974, the U.S. National Security Council under Henry Kissinger completed a classified 200-page study, “National Security Study Memorandum 200: Implications of Worldwide Population Growth for U.S. Security and Overseas Interests.” The study falsely claimed that population growth in the so-called Lesser Developed Countries (LDCs) was a grave threat to U.S. national security. Adopted as official policy in November 1975 by President Gerald Ford, NSSM 200 outlined a covert plan to reduce population growth in those countries through birth control, and also, implicitly, war and famine. Brent Scowcroft, who had by then replaced Kissinger as national security adviser (the same post Scowcroft was to hold in the Bush administration), was put in charge of implementing the plan. CIA Director George Bush was ordered to assist Scowcroft, as were the secretaries of state, treasury, defense, and agriculture.
The bogus arguments that Kissinger advanced were not original. One of his major sources was the Royal Commission on Population, which King George VI had created in 1944 “to consider what measures should be taken in the national interest to influence the future trend of population.” The commission found that Britain was gravely threatened by population growth in its colonies, since “a populous country has decided advantages over a sparsely-populated one for industrial production.” The combined effects of increasing population and industrialization in its colonies, it warned, “might be decisive in its effects on the prestige and influence of the West,” especially effecting “military strength and security.”
NSSM 200 similarly concluded that the United States was threatened by population growth in the former colonial sector. It paid special attention to 13 “key countries” in which the United States had a “special political and strategic interest”: India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, Turkey, Nigeria, Egypt, Ethiopia, Mexico, Brazil, and Colombia. It claimed that population growth in those states was especially worrisome, since it would quickly increase their relative political, economic, and military strength.
For example, Nigeria: “Already the most populous country on the continent, with an estimated 55 million people in 1970, Nigeria’s population by the end of this century is projected to number 135 million. This suggests a growing political and strategic role for Nigeria, at least in Africa.” Or Brazil: “Brazil clearly dominated the continent demographically.” The study warned of a “growing power status for Brazil in Latin America and on the world scene over the next 25 years.”
Food as a weapon
There were several measures that Kissinger advocated to deal with this alleged threat, most prominently, birth control and related population-reduction programs. He also warned that “population growth rates are likely to increase appreciably before they begin to decline,” even if such measures were adopted.
A second measure was curtailing food supplies to targetted states, in part to force compliance with birth control policies: “There is also some established precedent for taking account of family planning performance in appraisal of assistance requirements by AID [U.S. Agency for International Development] and consultative groups. Since population growth is a major determinant of increases in food demand, allocation of scarce PL 480 resources should take account of what steps a country is taking in population control as well as food production. In these sensitive relations, however, it is important in style as well as substance to avoid the appearance of coercion.”
“Mandatory programs may be needed and we should be considering these possibilities now,” the document continued, adding, “Would food be considered an instrument of national power? ... Is the U.S. prepared to accept food rationing to help people who can’t/won’t control their population growth?”
Kissinger also predicted a return of famines that could make exclusive reliance on birth control programs unnecessary. “Rapid population growth and lagging food production in developing countries, together with the sharp deterioration in the global food situation in 1972 and 1973, have raised serious concerns about the ability of the world to feed itself adequately over the next quarter of century and beyond,” he reported.
The cause of that coming food deficit was not natural, however, but was a result of western financial policy: “Capital investments for irrigation and infrastucture and the organization requirements for continuous improvements in agricultural yields may be beyond the financial and administrative capacity of many LDCs. For some of the areas under heaviest population pressure, there is little or no prospect for foreign exchange earnings to cover constantly increasingly imports of food.”
“It is questionable,” Kissinger gloated, “whether aid donor countries will be prepared to provide the sort of massive food aid called for by the import projections on a long-term continuing basis.” Consequently, “large-scale famine of a kind not experienced for several decades—a kind the world thought had been permanently banished,” was foreseeable—famine, which has indeed come to pass.
Here is a snippet of the Kissinger report 200, is it the basis of all our problems today?
It sure supports abortions and Kissinger is involved with obama and it fits what is going on now, we have no food growing here, so they can limit the amount that comes in.
Maybe our little gardens, will be the cog in the wheel that stops this plan.
granny]
Below a snippet, the entire declassified report is here:
General Goals and Requirements for Dealing With Rapid Population Growth
23. The central question for world population policy in the year 1974, is whether
mankind is to remain on a track toward an ultimate population of 12 to 15 billion — implying a
five to seven-fold increase in almost all the underdeveloped world outside of China — or
whether (despite the momentum of population growth) it can be switched over to the course of
Page 9
CONFIDENTIAL
CONFIDENTIAL
9
earliest feasible population stability — implying ultimate totals of 8 to 9 billions and not more
than a three or four-fold increase in any major region.
24. What are the stakes? We do not know whether technological developments will make
it possible to feed over 8 much less 12 billion people in the 21st century. We cannot be entirely
certain that climatic changes in the coming decade will not create great difficulties in feeding a
growing population, especially people in the LDCs who live under increasingly marginal and
more vulnerable conditions. There exists at least the possibility that present developments point
toward Malthusian conditions for many regions of the world.
25. But even if survival for these much larger numbers is possible, it will in all likelihood
be bare survival, with all efforts going in the good years to provide minimum nutrition and utter
dependence in the bad years on emergency rescue efforts from the less populated and richer
countries of the world. In the shorter run — between now and the year 2000 — the difference
between the two courses can be some perceptible material gain in the crowded poor regions, and
some improvement in the relative distribution of intra- country per capita income between rich
and poor, as against permanent poverty and the widening of income gaps. A much more vigorous
effort to slow population growth can also mean a very great difference between enormous
tragedies of malnutrition and starvation as against only serious chronic conditions.
Policy Recommendations
26. There is no single approach which will “solve” the population problem. The complex social
and economic factors involved call for a comprehensive strategy with both bilateral and
multilateral elements. At the same time actions and programs must be tailored to specific
countries and groups. Above all, LDCs themselves must play the most important role to achieve
success.
27. Coordination among the bilateral donors and multilateral organizations is vital to any
effort to moderate population growth. Each kind of effort will be needed for worldwide results.
28. World policy and programs in the population field should incorporate two major
objectives:
(a)
actions to accommodate continued population growth up to 6 billions by the
mid-21st century without massive starvation or total frustration of
developmental hopes; and
(b)
actions to keep the ultimate level as close as possible to 8 billions rather than
permitting it to reach 10 billions, 13 billions, or more.
29. While specific goals in this area are difficult to state, our aim should be for the world
to achieve a replacement level of fertility, (a two- child family on the average), by about the year
Page 10
CONFIDENTIAL
CONFIDENTIAL
10
2000. This will require the present 2 percent growth rate to decline to 1.7 percent within a decade
and to 1.1 percent by 2000 compared to the U.N medium projection, this goal would result in
500 million fewer people in 2000 and about 3 billion fewer in 2050. Attainment of this goal will
require greatly intensified population programs. A basis for developing national population
growth control targets to achieve this world target is contained in the World Population Plan of
Action.
30. The World Population Plan of Action is not self-enforcing and will require vigorous
efforts by interested countries, U.N. agencies and other international bodies to make it effective.
U.S. leadership is essential. The strategy must include the following elements and actions:
continued.........
http://www.fda.gov/oc/po/firmrecalls/fineland04_09.html
Fineland Corp Issues Alert on Undeclared Sulfites in Mong Lee Shang Brand Dry Bamboo Shoots
Contact:
Tony Deng
646-996-4780
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE — April 8, 2009 — Fine Land Corp of 239 Bay 20th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11214, is recalling Mong Lee Shang Brand Dry Bamboo Shoots because it contains undeclared sulfites. Consumers who have severe sensitivity to sulfites run the risk of serious or life-threatening allergic reactions if they consume this product.
Mong Lee Shang Brand Dry Bamboo Shoots is sold in an un-coded, 6 ounce, clear plastic package and was distributed nationwide. It is a product of Taiwan .
The recall was initiated after routine sampling by New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets Food Inspectors and subsequent analysis by Food Laboratory personnel revealed the presence of sulfites in Mong Lee Shang Brand Dry Bamboo Shoots which were not declared on the label. The consumption of 10 milligrams of sulfites per serving has been reported to elicit severe reactions in some asthmatics. Anaphylactic shock could occur in certain sulfite sensitive individuals upon ingesting 10 milligrams or more of sulfites.
No illnesses or allergic reactions involving this product has been reported to date. Consumers who have purchased Mong Lee Shang Brand Dry Bamboo Shoots are urged to return it to the place of purchase for a full refund. Consumers with questions may contact the company at 718-714-1850.
Please keep in mind that daily the recalls for Pistachio and Peanuts continue to come in, it appears that none are safe, even the Girl Scout cookies are recalled.
granny
http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/
This chili is similar to the Clean Out the Pantry Chili I made last July, because I just started opening cans and tossing stuff in.
But this is different.
The biggest difference is the spices I used and that my kids ate it this time. I also tried using jarred pasta sauce for the base, since I didn’t have any canned tomatoes in the house. It worked!
The Ingredients.
serves 6.
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained
1 (15-ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained
1 (15-ounce) can kidney beans, drained
1 (15-ounce) can corn, drained
1 (24-ounce) jar prepared pasta sauce
1 cup baby tomatoes (optional, they pop after slow cooking!)
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon corriander
1 teaspoon tumeric (not really a “poor” spice, it’s a substitute for saffron, but I had it in the cupboard. If you don’t have any, you can try a mixture of curry and cardamom, or just omit it all together)
1 cinnamon stick
The Directions.
I used a 6 quart crockpot. Drain the beans and corn, and put the can contents into your crock. Top with tomatoes, if using, and the pasta sauce. Stir in spices, and add cinnamon stick. Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours, or on high for about 4. If the tomatoes haven’t popped on their own, gently poke them with a wooden spoon to pop before serving.
The Verdict.
This was a very filling, and lovely chili without a hint of spice——just a great medley of flavor. The cinnamon provided enough of a “sweet” component to convince the kids that I had put brown sugar in their servings. I didn’t correct them.
I enjoyed the leftovers for lunch the next day over a baked potato.
Posted by Crockpot Lady
CrockPot Rice Pudding Recipe
The last time I attempted a rice pudding it didn’t go over very well. I tried too hard to “fancy it up”——this is a basic recipe, that is darn near perfect.
and it makes a LOT.
The Ingredients.
8 cups milk (I used half soy milk, and half fat free cow’s)
1 cup long grain white rice
1 cup sugar
then:
1/4 cup heavy cream or half and half
3 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
The Directions.
I used a 4 quart crockpot. Spray the stoneware insert with cooking spray, then combine the milk, rice, and sugar. Stir well and cook on low for 4-6 hours, or high for about 4. It took longer than I expected for my rice to become bite-tender-—I did low for 3 hours, then high for another 2.
When the rice is tender, mix in a large mixing bowl, the eggs, cream, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt. Scoop a 1/2 cup of the hot rice mixture into the mixing bowl and whisk. Keep adding 1/2 cup at a time of the rice and milk mixture into the egg bowl until about half of the milk and rice mixture is gone from the crockpot. Then pour everything back into the crockpot. Stir well. This is called “tempering your eggs”-—you have to do this step, or your eggs will scramble on you when you add them to the crock.
Cover and cook on high for 1 hour. Stir well, then take the lid off of the crockpot and unplug it. When the rice pudding is room temperature, you can refrigerate it. Some people like their pudding hot or warm, and some prefer it chilled——it’s completely up to you.
The Verdict.
Delicious! So way better than the last time...
I’d guess that this would serve 14 people as a dessert. We had it for dessert and for an afternoon snack for a bit under a week. Super good.
Trust me.
Posted by Crockpot Lady
CrockPot Mexican Breakfast Casserole
We went to a museum opening last weekend, and my brother’s mother-in-law, Shari (hi Shari!) told me that she had a breakfast casserole with green chiles that I should really make. She said she’d email me the recipe.
This isn’t her recipe. She hasn’t had the opportunity to email hers, and I didn’t have the patience to wait, or the perseverance to bug her.
so I made this up.
I think she’d like it.
The Ingredients.
serves 8, easily.
corn tortillas (I didn’t count them. Maybe I used 8? 7?)
8 eggs
2 cups fat free milk
2 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese
1 (7-ounce) can green chiles, drained
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 tiny onion, diced
1 cup corn (I had leftover fresh corn from the weekend, but frozen would totally work)
1 cup sliced mushrooms (optional)
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
The Directions.
I used a 4 quart round crockpot. Butter or Pam the inside of your stoneware. Put a layer of corn tortillas on the bottom-—you may have to tear some to make them fit nicely.
In a very large mixing bowl, combine all of the other ingredients, and whisk together. Pour about 1/2 of the mixture into the crockpot, on top of the tortillas. Put in another layer of tortillas, and top with the remaining egg/milk/cheese/other stuff mixture. Top with another layer of corn tortillas.
Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours, or on high for 4-5. If your crockpot seals well (my 4-quart has a plastic lid, and a lot of condensation builds up), uncover 15-20 minutes before serving and cook on high to release condensation and to firm up the top a bit. You know your breakfast is done when the eggs are fully cooked and the edges have begun to brown and the cheese gets a bit crispy on the sides.
Adam really likes crispy cheese-—the kids do not.
The Verdict.
I loved this. LOVED it. The chiles were not spicy in the slightest, and Adam added salsa to his bowl. The kids picked out the “green stuff” but ate the rest just fine. I served this for dinner a few days ago, and have been eating leftovers for breakfast and lunch the past 2 days.
If you don’t have corn tortillas in the house, or would prefer to go another way, you can pour the egg mixture on top of a bag of frozen hashbrowns, just like I did in this recipe.
If you have sausage or other meat you’d like to add, go for it, but take out the salt, and season to taste at the table.
Posted by Crockpot Lady
http://www.fda.gov/oc/po/firmrecalls/cub04_09.html
Cub Foods® Brand Queen Olives Stuffed With Minced Pimientos Recalled Due To Possible Glass Contamination
Contact:
Lee Ann Jorgenson
651.779.2132
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE — Stillwater, Minn. (April 10, 2009) – CUB FOODS® is voluntarily recalling Cub Foods brand Queen Olives Stuffed with Minced Pimientos because the jars have the potential to be contaminated with glass. The affected product was sold at Cub Foods stores in Minnesota and Iowa.
There have been no reported injuries associated with the identified product. However, because the safety of customers is a top priority and out of an abundance of caution, Cub Foods has voluntarily recalled the product.
This product recall includes all:
Product Name and Description: Cub Foods® Queen Olives Stuffed with Minced Pimientos, 7 oz
UPC#: 41130-48488
Customers who have purchased the affected product should bring it back to a Cub Foods store location for a full refund or exchange.
Customers with questions can contact SUPERVALU Inc. at 877.932.7948. Customers who have health-related concerns should contact their physician.
http://www.fda.gov/oc/po/firmrecalls/grissom04_09.html
Mrs. Grissom’s Salads Announces Voluntary Product Recall Due To Undeclared Anchovies
Contact:
Kenneth Funger
1-800-255-0517
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE — April 9, 2009 — Nashville, TN — Mrs. Grissom’s Salads is recalling ALL LOTS of the following cheese products due to undeclared anchovies:
Cheese products packaged under the Mrs. Grissom’s brand:
* Premium Cheese Spread, packaged in 11 oz, 24 oz, 48 oz and 5 lb plastic tubs
* Hot Jalapeno Cheese Spread or Dip, packaged in 11 oz plastic tubs
* Original Recipe Pimento Cheese Salad, packaged in 11 oz and 5 lb plastic tubs
* Jalapeno, Hot Cheese Dip, packaged in 8 oz plastic containers
* Gar-licious, Garlic & Onion Flavor Cheese Dip, packaged in 8 oz plastic containers
* Cheese n’Cheese, Double Cheese Dip, packaged in 8 oz plastic containers
* Bac’n Cheese, Bacon Flavor Cheese Dip, packaged in 8 oz plastic containers
* Ragin’ Cajun, Spicy Cheese Dip, packaged in 8 oz plastic containers
Cheese products packaged under the Grace’s HomeStyle Brand:
* Pimento Sandwich Spread, packaged in 11 oz and 24 oz plastic tubs
* Hot Jalapeno Pimento Spread or Dip, packaged in 11 oz plastic tubs
These products were distributed through retail grocery and dollar stores in Kentucky, Indiana, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia and West Virginia.
Mrs. Grissom’s Salads CEO Kenneth Funger said the omission was discovered April 8, 2009 during a routine inspection at the company’s processing and packaging plant in Nashville, Tennessee. The Worcestershire sauce used in these products contains anchovies, and people who have an allergy or severe sensitivity to fish run the risk of serious or life-threatening allergic reaction if they consume these products. We are recalling the products and revising the labeling to ensure persons with fish allergies are aware of its presence.
Funger said that the company has received no complaints or reports of an allergic reaction to the products.
Consumers who have purchased the products are urged to return it to the place of purchase for a full refund. Consumers with questions regarding this recall may call the company at 1-800-255-0517.
#
Update on Pistachio Product Recall
pistachios in shells
Setton Pistachio is voluntarily expanding its recall of roasted pistachios to include roasted in-shell pistachios and roasted shelled pistachios that were produced from all nuts harvested in 2008. The firm is also recalling raw shelled pistachios from the 2008 crop. The FDA continues to investigate Salmonella contamination in pistachios and pistachio products.
* Pistachio Product Recalls
* FDA Consumer Guidance
Health Reform
President Obama speaking at White House Forum on Health Reform.
The White House Regional Forums on Health Reform brought together people who have a stake in our health care system and people who have the ability to change it. Join the discussion, read about the Costs of Inaction, and learn more at www.HealthReform.gov.
News
April 10, 2009
Community Groups to Receive $1 Billion Boost From Recovery Act
HHS announced plans to make $1 billion available for the Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) program. More...
April 10, 2009
New Manual Teaches Strategies to Manage Depressive Symptoms in Substance Abuse Clients
The manual offers substance abuse counselors new insights on working with clients with depressive symptoms and substance use disorders. More...
April 10, 2009
SAMHSA Accepting Applications for FY 2009 National Child Traumatic Stress Initiative Community Treatment and Services Center Grants
The grants total approximately $60 million over three years. More...
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Of Interest: Floods in Cold Weather
Man measuring water and ice levels along riverbank. During a flood and its aftermath, know how to protect your personal health and safety. In winter and early spring, it is especially important to understand the health threats associated with exposure to cold weather and cold water.
* Staying Safe in Winter Weather Protect yourself from hypothermia and frostbite. When the power goes out, know what to do to stay safe and avoid carbon monoxide poisoning.
* Risk of Hypothermia from Standing in Cold Floodwater Standing in water which is cooler than 75 degrees F (24 degrees C) will remove body heat more rapidly than it can be replaced, resulting in hypothermia.
* Exposure to Bacteria Floodwaters may contain bacteria from human and animal wastes.
* Trench Foot (Immersion Foot) Protect yourself from this condition that can develop from standing in water.
Learn more about floods and flood recovery.
Previous “Of Interest”
send a recall e-card
Send a recall e-card
Peanut-Containing Product Recalls Top 3,900
The salmonella outbreak recall for peanut-containing products continues to grow and expand. Do not eat peanut-containing products on the FDA recall list. Please continue to recheck your pantry and dispose of recalled products.
http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2009pres/04/20090410a.html
News Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, April 10, 2009
Contact: HHS Press Office
(202) 690-6343
Community Groups to Receive $1 Billion Boost From Recovery Act
Act Provides New Resources for Community Services Block Grant
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) today announced plans to make $1 billion available for the Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) program. Funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the new resources will be allocated to states across the country. States will distribute the new funding to community groups that help Americans through tough economic times.
“Community organizations across the country are helping millions of Americans put food on the table and weather tough economic times,” said HHS Spokesperson Jenny Backus. “The Recovery Act will allow these organizations to help more Americans get back on their feet.”
Under the Recovery Act, organizations receiving CSBG funding must use the resources to help get our economy back on track. Funds must be used to reduce poverty, revitalize low-income communities, and assist low-income families become self-sufficient. Eligible entities use funds to provide services and activities addressing employment, education, housing, nutrition, and emergency services to combat the central causes of poverty.
Services currently provided by community organizations that receive CSBG funds include:
* Job training and placement assistance.
* Financial literacy programs such as credit counseling.
* Housing assistance programs that help keep Americans in their homes.
* Nutrition programs that provide meals for vulnerable families.
* Community agencies that bring public and private resources together to assist families in need.
“With unemployment rates at a 25-year high, American workers need help now more than ever,” added Backus. “Community groups will have the resources they need to continue to strengthen cities and towns across America.”
The $1 billion in new funds under the Recovery Act is in addition to CSBG’s regular annual operating budget of approximately $700 million. To see a state-by-state description of CSBG Recovery Act funding visit http://www.hhs.gov/recovery/programs/acf/csbgmap.html
The activities described in this release are being funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). To track the progress of HHS activities funded through the ARRA, visit www.hhs.gov/recovery. To track all federal funds provided through the ARRA, visit www.recovery.gov.
PRO/AH/EDR- Baylisascariasis - USA: (NYC), RFI
Friday, April 10, 2009 4:17 PM
From:
“ProMED-mail” promed@promed.isid.harvard.edu
Add sender to Contacts
To:
promed-ahead-edr@promedmail.org
BAYLISASCARIASIS - USA: (NEW YORK CITY), REQUEST FOR INFORMATION
****************************************************************
A ProMED-mail post
http://www.promedmail.org
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
http://www.isid.org
Date: 9 Apr 2009
Source: New York City Department of Health, Health Alert Network
http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/html/hcp/hcp.shtml#han [registration required]
Raccoon Roundworm Infection Identified in New York City
- An infant with eosinophilic meningoencephalitis from neural larva migrans
resulting in severe permanent brain damage, and
- A teenager with ocular larva migrans resulting in loss of vision in
one eye.
The New York City (NYC) Health Department asks providers to consider
and test for baylisascariasis in patients presenting with
encephalopathy with peripheral eosinophilia or a CSF eosinophilic
pleocytosis, ocular larva migrans, diffuse unilateral subacute
neuroretinitis (DUSN) or eosinophilic pseudotumor.
Suspected cases should be reported immediately to the NYC Health
Department for consultation and diagnostic assistance at 212-788-9830
during business hours or the Poison Control Center at 212-764-7667
after hours and on weekends.
******
On [30 Mar 2009], 2 cases of baylisascariasis among children from
Brooklyn were reported to the Health Department. The 1st case was
identified in a previously healthy infant who presented with an acute
onset of developmental regression, irritability, postural deficits and
seizures in [October 2008] resulting in a diagnosis of eosinophilic
meningoencephalitis. The patient had a history of geophagia [eating
soil] and travel to upstate New York. Serologic testing for _B.
procyonis_ was positive and anthelmintic and steroid therapy were
initiated but did not result in improvement. The child remains
hospitalized with permanent brain damage.
The 2nd child, a teenager, developed an acute onset of blindness of
the right eye in [January 2009]. This patient had not traveled outside
NYC during the incubation period. Visual inspection of the eye
revealed a larva and lesions consistent with ocular larva migrans
(OLM). The large dimensions and morphological characteristics of the
larva were consistent with _B. procyonis_ rather than _Toxocara
canis_, the more common cause of OLM in the United States. Serologic
testing is pending. Laser photocoagulation was conducted to
successfully destroy the larva, along with steroidal therapy, but the
child remains blind in the right eye. The Health Department is
conducting an investigation to attempt to determine when and how these
children became infected and to assess any risk to others.
Baylisascariasis is an uncommon disease caused by the raccoon
roundworm _B. procyonis_. Fewer than 30 cases have been reported in
the medical literature, although unpublished cases are known. While
most were infants or young children, adult cases have also been
reported. Infection occurs following ingestion of _B. procyonis_ eggs
which are shed in the feces of infected raccoons. Upon ingestion the
eggs hatch and the larvae migrate through the body. The larvae cause
particular damage to the eyes and central nervous system due to OLM or
neural larva migrans (NLM), although viscera and various somatic
tissues are commonly affected. The incubation period is not well
defined but estimated to be 2 to 4 weeks for NLM and 1 to 2 weeks for
OLM. Asymptomatic, mild and covert infections have been reported.
Onset and severity of illness is often associated with the number of
eggs ingested, the extent of larval migration, and the degree of
inflammation and necrosis. Young children, persons with pica and/or
developmental disabilities and those who have an exposure to raccoon
habitats are at greatest risk for severe, overwhelming, irreversible
neurologic disease or death.
Of 14 cases of NLM summarized recently, 10 were under 20 months of age
and 3 had a history of developmental delay (refs: i , ii). Outcomes
included death (5), severe/persistent residual deficits (9) along with
visual impairment, blindness and epilepsy.
Studies suggest that the parasite is very common among raccoons, with
carriage rate estimates as high as 90 percent among juvenile and 60-70
percent of adult raccoons sampled (iii). The eggs are extremely
resilient, can overwinter and persist in the environment for months to
years. Raccoons are the definitive host and humans are not capable of
shedding eggs. This alert asks providers to consider baylisascariasis
in the differential diagnosis for patients presenting with
encephalopathy and peripheral or CSF eosinophilia, diffuse unilateral
subacute neuroretinitis (DUSN) or eosinophilic pseudotumor, especially
if there is a history of exposure to raccoons or raccoon habitat.
DIAGNOSIS: Diagnosis of baylisascariasis is based on clinical illness,
exposure history and laboratory findings including a CSF eosinophilic
pleocytosis, a peripheral eosinophilia and deep white matter
abnormalities on MRI [Magnetic resonance imaging] (refs i,ii). For
OLM, peripheral eosinophilia is not always present, but ocular
examinations may reveal a migrating larva, larval tracks, or lesions
consistent with a nematode larva. _B. procyonis_ larvae grow
relatively large in size, [adult worms measure 15 to 20 cm in length
and 1 cm in width, see with photo:
http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,1607,7-153-10370_12150_12220-27261—,00.html
- Mod.JW]
This helps to distinguish them from _Toxocara_ larvae which [are only
one-fifth of that length. - Mos.JW]. Identification of larva in tissue
biopsies is diagnostic, but the chances of a biopsy containing a larva
are relatively low. Immunodiagnostic tests of serum or cerebrospinal
fluid (CSF) are helpful in suspected cases but are not widely available.
Please contact the Bureau of Communicable Disease (BCD) to discuss
suspect cases and obtain assistance with diagnostic testing.
Call BCD at 212-788-9830 during business hours and the
Poison Control Center at 212-764-7667 after hours and weekends.
TREATMENT: Anthelmintic treatment has had limited
effectiveness in preventing death or severe
outcome, except in cases with low infections and
early aggressive therapy. While data from animal
models show that preventive treatment is
effective before _B. procyonis_ larvae enter the
brain, most human cases are not recognized until
well after CNS damage has already occurred.
Theoretically if started within 1-3 days of
possible infection, anthelmintics should prevent
clinical disease by killing larvae before they
enter the CNS and should be considered for anyone
with a recent history of ingestion of raccoon
feces (refs ii, iii).
Time is of the essence in the treatment of this infection. Albendazole
is the treatment of choice because of its CNS penetration, minimal
toxicity and larvacidal activity. In addition, systemic
corticosteroids should be administered to reduce the damage associated
with the inflammatory response. Summaries of treatments administered
to published NLM (National Library of Medicine) cases are cited below
(i, ii, iv, v). Laser photocoagulation along with the administration
of systemic corticosteroids is the treatment of choice for patients
with OLM and diffuse unilateral subacute neuroretinitis (DUSN).
RESOURCES: For more information on baylisascariasis visit
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dpd/parasites/baylisascaris/default.htm
or
http://www.avma.org/reference/zoonosis/znbaylis.asp
Please call the
Bureau of Communicable Disease at 212-788-9830
with questions regarding testing, diagnosis, or management of
suspected cases of baylisascariasis. As always, we greatly appreciate
your cooperation and collaboration in our efforts to detect,
investigate and prevent infectious diseases in New York City.
Sincerely,
Sally Slavinski, DVM, MPH, ACVPM, Assistant Director
Zoonotic, Influenza and Vectorborne Disease Unit (ZIVDU)
Bureau of Communicable Disease
Annie Fine, MD, Medical Director
ZIVDU Bureau of Communicable Disease
References:
i Gavin et. al. 2005. Baylisascariasis. Clinical
Microbiology Reviews, Oct 2005, p. 703-718.
ii Murray and Kazacos 2004. Raccoon roundworm
encephalitis. CID 2004;39(10)1484-92.
iii Roussere et. al. 2003 Raccoon Roundworm Eggs
near Homes and Risk for Larva M igrans Disease,
California Communities. EID:9;December 2003 1516-22.
iv Gavin et. al. 2002 Neural larva migrans
caused by the raccoon roundworm Baylisascaris
procyonis. Pediatr Infect Dis J. 2002;21:971-5.
v Park et. al. 2000. Raccoon Roundworm
(Baylisascaris procyonis) Encephalitis: Case
Report and Field Investigation. Pediatrics
2000;106
http://www.pediatrics.org/cgi/content/full/106/4/e56
—
Communicated by:
ProMED-mail
promed@promedmail.org
[ProMED-mail would like to thank Dr. Marci
Layton, Assistant Commissioner, Bureau of
Communicable Disease, New York City (NYC)
Department of Health for permission to reproduce
this announcement from the NYC, Health Alert
Network. As mentioned above, there have been
fewer than 30 reports of illness attributable to
baylisascariasis in the medical literature to
date. ProMED-mail has reported on cases in
Ontario (Canada), California and Illinois (see
prior ProMED-mail posts listed below).
If there are other cases consistent with a
diagnosis of baylisascariasis in surrounding
states in the USA, ProMED-mail would greatly
appreciate receiving information on these cases.
Given the rarity of reported cases, if there are
other reports of cases elsewhere, ProMED-mail
would appreciate receiving information on those cases as well.
For the interactive HealthMap/ProMED map of Brooklyn, New York, see
http://healthmap.org/r/009d
- Mod.MPP
_Baylisascaris_ photo at:
http://www.stanford.edu/class/humbio103/ParaSites2006/Baylisascariasis/03-0039_1t.jpg
_Baylisascaris_ life cycle shown at:
http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/Vines/4892/wormlife.gif
- Mod.JW]
[see also:
2005
>> Does this look familiar? <<
Boy, history repeats don’t it..
been away today and last night, got a lot to catch up on..
Hope everyone is ok..
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