12/31/2008
More On "Clean" Coal
Our own Chandra Taylor (Conservation Council of NC) in the news--
updated 8:26 a.m. EST, Wed December 24, 2008
Tennessee sludge spill runs over homes, water
By Samira J. Simone CNN
(CNN) -- A wall holding back 80 acres of sludge from a coal plant in central Tennessee broke this week, spilling more than 500 million gallons of waste into the surrounding area.
Environmental Protection Agency officials are on the scene and expect the cleanup to to take four to six weeks.
The sludge, a byproduct of ash from coal combustion, was contained at a retention site at the Tennessee Valley Authority's power plant in Kingston, about 40 miles east of Knoxville, agency officials said.
The retention wall breached early Monday, sending the sludge downhill and damaging 15 homes. All the residents were evacuated, and three homes were deemed uninhabitable, a TVA spokesman told CNN.
The plant sits on a tributary of the Tennessee River called the Clinch River.
"We deeply regret that a retention wall for ash containment at our Kingston Fossil Plant failed, resulting in an ash slide and damage to nearby homes," TVA said in a statement released Tuesday.
TVA spokesman Gil Francis told CNN that up to 400 acres of land had been coated by the sludge, a bigger area than the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill.
Video footage showed sludge as high as 6 feet, burying porches and garage doors. The slide also downed nearby power lines, though the TVA said power had been restored to the area.
Francis said Environmental Protection Agency officials were on the scene and estimated the cleanup could take four to six weeks.
Some of the goop spilled into the tributary, but preliminary water quality tests show that the drinking water at a nearby treatment plant meets standards.
"I don't want to drink it. It doesn't look healthy to me," Jody Miles, who fishes in the Clinch River, told CNN affiliate WBIR. "Do you reckon they can bring all this life back that's going to die from all this mess?"
Still, there is the potential for more sludge to enter the water supply through waste runoff.
"We're taking steps to stabilize runoff from this incident," Francis said.
Although video from the scene shows dead fish on the banks of the tributary, he said that "in terms of toxicity, until an analysis comes in, you can't call it toxic."
One environmental attorney called that statement "irresponsible." The ash that gives sludge its thick, pudding-like consistency in this case is known as fly ash, which results from the combustion of coal.
Fly ash contains concentrated amounts of mercury, arsenic and benzine, said Chandra Taylor, staff attorney for the Southern Environmental Law Center.
"These things are naturally occurring, but they concentrate in the burning process and the residual is more toxic than it starts," she told CNN.
Appalachian environmentalists compared the mess with another spill eight years ago in eastern Kentucky, where the bottom of a coal sludge impoundment owned by Massey Energy broke into an abandoned underground mine, oozing more than 300 million gallons of coal waste into tributaries.
The water supply for more than 25,000 residents was contaminated, and aquatic life in the area perished. It took months to clean up the spill.
"If the estimates are correct, this spill is one and a half times bigger," said Dave Cooper, an environmental advocate with the Mountaintop Removal Road Show, a traveling program that explains the effect of an extreme form of mining.
While the full scope of the TVA spill is being determined, coal critics are already concerned about its long-term effects.
Cleaning up the mess, which could fill nearly 800 Olympic-size swimming pools, could take months or years, Taylor said.
"We're very concerned about how long it's going to take" to clean the spill, she told CNN.
Cooper agreed, saying, "It's 4, 5 feet deep. How are you going to scoop it up? Where are you going to put it?"
updated 8:26 a.m. EST, Wed December 24, 2008
Tennessee sludge spill runs over homes, water
By Samira J. Simone CNN
(CNN) -- A wall holding back 80 acres of sludge from a coal plant in central Tennessee broke this week, spilling more than 500 million gallons of waste into the surrounding area.
Environmental Protection Agency officials are on the scene and expect the cleanup to to take four to six weeks.
The sludge, a byproduct of ash from coal combustion, was contained at a retention site at the Tennessee Valley Authority's power plant in Kingston, about 40 miles east of Knoxville, agency officials said.
The retention wall breached early Monday, sending the sludge downhill and damaging 15 homes. All the residents were evacuated, and three homes were deemed uninhabitable, a TVA spokesman told CNN.
The plant sits on a tributary of the Tennessee River called the Clinch River.
"We deeply regret that a retention wall for ash containment at our Kingston Fossil Plant failed, resulting in an ash slide and damage to nearby homes," TVA said in a statement released Tuesday.
TVA spokesman Gil Francis told CNN that up to 400 acres of land had been coated by the sludge, a bigger area than the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill.
Video footage showed sludge as high as 6 feet, burying porches and garage doors. The slide also downed nearby power lines, though the TVA said power had been restored to the area.
Francis said Environmental Protection Agency officials were on the scene and estimated the cleanup could take four to six weeks.
Some of the goop spilled into the tributary, but preliminary water quality tests show that the drinking water at a nearby treatment plant meets standards.
"I don't want to drink it. It doesn't look healthy to me," Jody Miles, who fishes in the Clinch River, told CNN affiliate WBIR. "Do you reckon they can bring all this life back that's going to die from all this mess?"
Still, there is the potential for more sludge to enter the water supply through waste runoff.
"We're taking steps to stabilize runoff from this incident," Francis said.
Although video from the scene shows dead fish on the banks of the tributary, he said that "in terms of toxicity, until an analysis comes in, you can't call it toxic."
One environmental attorney called that statement "irresponsible." The ash that gives sludge its thick, pudding-like consistency in this case is known as fly ash, which results from the combustion of coal.
Fly ash contains concentrated amounts of mercury, arsenic and benzine, said Chandra Taylor, staff attorney for the Southern Environmental Law Center.
"These things are naturally occurring, but they concentrate in the burning process and the residual is more toxic than it starts," she told CNN.
Appalachian environmentalists compared the mess with another spill eight years ago in eastern Kentucky, where the bottom of a coal sludge impoundment owned by Massey Energy broke into an abandoned underground mine, oozing more than 300 million gallons of coal waste into tributaries.
The water supply for more than 25,000 residents was contaminated, and aquatic life in the area perished. It took months to clean up the spill.
"If the estimates are correct, this spill is one and a half times bigger," said Dave Cooper, an environmental advocate with the Mountaintop Removal Road Show, a traveling program that explains the effect of an extreme form of mining.
While the full scope of the TVA spill is being determined, coal critics are already concerned about its long-term effects.
Cleaning up the mess, which could fill nearly 800 Olympic-size swimming pools, could take months or years, Taylor said.
"We're very concerned about how long it's going to take" to clean the spill, she told CNN.
Cooper agreed, saying, "It's 4, 5 feet deep. How are you going to scoop it up? Where are you going to put it?"
End-Of-Year Personal Message from Maureen
On this last day of 2008 I want to thank you for your continued friendship and support and to tell you some of the aspects of my last year of public work. Yes, I’m retired and eager to attend to my home and urban farm—I hope—my only base of operations for the next thirty years!
Retired, I’m better able to attend to my duties with The Conservation Council of North Carolina, Sustainable Sandhills, and Save Our Sandhills, and I’ve recently joined the board of The Moore County Historical Association, where I’ll focus upon sustainable, heritage gardens at The Shaw House here in Southern Pines. Once I’ve gotten this urban farm up and running and have more time, I’ll join the volunteer gardeners at The Weymouth Center, where I’ve enjoyed being writer-in-residence off and on for the past twenty years. Who knows? Poetry skills may resurface once the jargon/babel of educationese subsides. . .
I’ve had a 12’x12’ Carolina room/greenhouse built on the deck, and my good friend Lyuba is designing a workable plan in the gardens. A language teacher from Russia, she is smart, strong as a horse, and so opinionated that she convinces me to clear mountains of useless furniture, books and files OUT of my house. The assault continues, she liking nothing so much as extracting order from chaos. Her daughter needed a project for high school graduation and has adopted my Farm Up the Street, will continue to work with her mom on my environs ‘til March, then turn in her portfolio. Marvelous to have two hard-working women in my gardens!
Son Gray completes Alexander Technique studies in June, when his girlfriend, Jessica Burns, also finishes her degree in Environmental Science at East Illinois U. They will return from Urbana to North Carolina to see what’s next. Most interested right now in soil rejuvenation using mycelia and compost, they will set up mushroom experiments in my backyard using cultures from Fungi Perfecti. See Mycelium Running by Paul Stamets.
Daughter Carley is married and living with husband Steve Lucci in Durham, NC, where she works and attends The Whole You Institute from which she’ll graduate in the spring. She has great hands, has worked on me with reiki, Swedish massage, aromatherapies and spinal alignments. See www.rwnaturalhealing.com for her product line. Her studies include nutrition, and, while perusing her books, I read Alkalize or Die by Baroody. I’ve ordered a copy and have started its dietary suggestions.
With nine or ten extra hours in a work day, I’m excited as a child in a candy shop. This town and this farm are all I need to stay busy and useful. I’ll continue vending at the Moore County Farmers Market, April-September, also leaving plants on consignment at the local seed/feed, where my worm tea—not for drinking, rather, a fertilizer--is a big seller. I have a bee hive for pollination, three Guinea hens wandering and keeping fleas, ticks, and such off the property, my cats and strays to keep rabbits and voles contained, ten laying hens—gorgeous Black Australorps—who give me about six eggs a day, various fruit trees, and long beds for vegetables and cut flowers. Drip lines and rain barrels supplement water for so many plantings and heavy composting keeps soils in place and full of nutrient, everything organic.
So! Having a good time here in Southern Pines, NC, with many progressive, like-minded friends to keep me focused. Maybe you noticed that NC turned Blue in the presidential elections, almost as exciting as having Obama elected. Expecting big changes! But we know that we must BE the changes we wish to see.
Retired, I’m better able to attend to my duties with The Conservation Council of North Carolina, Sustainable Sandhills, and Save Our Sandhills, and I’ve recently joined the board of The Moore County Historical Association, where I’ll focus upon sustainable, heritage gardens at The Shaw House here in Southern Pines. Once I’ve gotten this urban farm up and running and have more time, I’ll join the volunteer gardeners at The Weymouth Center, where I’ve enjoyed being writer-in-residence off and on for the past twenty years. Who knows? Poetry skills may resurface once the jargon/babel of educationese subsides. . .
I’ve had a 12’x12’ Carolina room/greenhouse built on the deck, and my good friend Lyuba is designing a workable plan in the gardens. A language teacher from Russia, she is smart, strong as a horse, and so opinionated that she convinces me to clear mountains of useless furniture, books and files OUT of my house. The assault continues, she liking nothing so much as extracting order from chaos. Her daughter needed a project for high school graduation and has adopted my Farm Up the Street, will continue to work with her mom on my environs ‘til March, then turn in her portfolio. Marvelous to have two hard-working women in my gardens!
Son Gray completes Alexander Technique studies in June, when his girlfriend, Jessica Burns, also finishes her degree in Environmental Science at East Illinois U. They will return from Urbana to North Carolina to see what’s next. Most interested right now in soil rejuvenation using mycelia and compost, they will set up mushroom experiments in my backyard using cultures from Fungi Perfecti. See Mycelium Running by Paul Stamets.
Daughter Carley is married and living with husband Steve Lucci in Durham, NC, where she works and attends The Whole You Institute from which she’ll graduate in the spring. She has great hands, has worked on me with reiki, Swedish massage, aromatherapies and spinal alignments. See www.rwnaturalhealing.com for her product line. Her studies include nutrition, and, while perusing her books, I read Alkalize or Die by Baroody. I’ve ordered a copy and have started its dietary suggestions.
With nine or ten extra hours in a work day, I’m excited as a child in a candy shop. This town and this farm are all I need to stay busy and useful. I’ll continue vending at the Moore County Farmers Market, April-September, also leaving plants on consignment at the local seed/feed, where my worm tea—not for drinking, rather, a fertilizer--is a big seller. I have a bee hive for pollination, three Guinea hens wandering and keeping fleas, ticks, and such off the property, my cats and strays to keep rabbits and voles contained, ten laying hens—gorgeous Black Australorps—who give me about six eggs a day, various fruit trees, and long beds for vegetables and cut flowers. Drip lines and rain barrels supplement water for so many plantings and heavy composting keeps soils in place and full of nutrient, everything organic.
So! Having a good time here in Southern Pines, NC, with many progressive, like-minded friends to keep me focused. Maybe you noticed that NC turned Blue in the presidential elections, almost as exciting as having Obama elected. Expecting big changes! But we know that we must BE the changes we wish to see.
GM Bt Corn vs. Honey Bees
Bee Learning Behavior Affected by Eating Toxin from GE Corn
By Ken Roseboro, ed.
The Organic and Non-GMO Report, December 2008
A recent study found that honey bees fed on the active form of purified Cry1Ab protein, the genetically modified protein found in GM Bt corn, can be affected in the learning responses necessary to associate nectar sources with odorants.
The scientists wanted to determine if GM Bt is one of the causes for colony collapse disorder, a mysterious affliction that is killing honeybees worldwide.
In this study bees consuming artificial nectar containing 5000ppb of Cry1Ab continued to respond positively to a learned odor even in the absence of a food reward, while normal bee behavior is to become discouraged and seek more abundant food sources.
This learning response is important in bee foraging behavior and it has attracted the attention of CCD researchers since it is known to be inhibited by the insecticide imidacloprid.
The new finding is particularly interesting since it lends weight to a previous suggestion that Bt toxins may have other, non-lethal effects which become apparent only when the normal (i.e. lethal) effect is absent. If there were to be multiple modes of Bt action then many more non-target organisms would likely be at risk from GM Bt corn. Bt Researcher Angelika Hilbeck says that more research is needed that looks at the impacts of both the Bt toxin and imidaclopid on bee behavior.
From Bee Culture, The Magazine Of American Beekeeping
www.BeeCulture.com
By Ken Roseboro, ed.
The Organic and Non-GMO Report, December 2008
A recent study found that honey bees fed on the active form of purified Cry1Ab protein, the genetically modified protein found in GM Bt corn, can be affected in the learning responses necessary to associate nectar sources with odorants.
The scientists wanted to determine if GM Bt is one of the causes for colony collapse disorder, a mysterious affliction that is killing honeybees worldwide.
In this study bees consuming artificial nectar containing 5000ppb of Cry1Ab continued to respond positively to a learned odor even in the absence of a food reward, while normal bee behavior is to become discouraged and seek more abundant food sources.
This learning response is important in bee foraging behavior and it has attracted the attention of CCD researchers since it is known to be inhibited by the insecticide imidacloprid.
The new finding is particularly interesting since it lends weight to a previous suggestion that Bt toxins may have other, non-lethal effects which become apparent only when the normal (i.e. lethal) effect is absent. If there were to be multiple modes of Bt action then many more non-target organisms would likely be at risk from GM Bt corn. Bt Researcher Angelika Hilbeck says that more research is needed that looks at the impacts of both the Bt toxin and imidaclopid on bee behavior.
From Bee Culture, The Magazine Of American Beekeeping
www.BeeCulture.com
12/30/2008
From BBC
Artistic clues to coastal change *How 200-year-old paintings can help modern engineers deal with coastal erosion, a study shows.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/-/2/hi/science/nature/7790416.stm
Smiles and scowls 'in our genes' *The facial expressions we make to show or hide our emotions are hardwired into our brains, a study concludes.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/-/2/hi/health/7798687.stm
'Huge year for natural disasters' *Losses from natural disasters rose by 50% in 2008, underlining need for action on climate change, re-insurers Munich Re say.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/-/2/hi/business/7803624.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/-/2/hi/science/nature/7790416.stm
Smiles and scowls 'in our genes' *The facial expressions we make to show or hide our emotions are hardwired into our brains, a study concludes.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/-/2/hi/health/7798687.stm
'Huge year for natural disasters' *Losses from natural disasters rose by 50% in 2008, underlining need for action on climate change, re-insurers Munich Re say.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/-/2/hi/business/7803624.stm
12/19/2008
Climate Hangs on Coal
Climate outcome 'hangs on coal' *If the growth in CO2 emissions is to be constrained, the world cannot afford a coal renaissance, a major scientific meeting is told.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/-/2/hi/science/nature/7789249.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/-/2/hi/science/nature/7789249.stm
12/18/2008
Most Important Number on Earth
http://www.motherjones.com/news/feature/2008/11/the-most-important-number-on-earth.html?welcome=true
12/16/2008
12/10/2008
12/03/2008
Sustainable Ag at USDA, Please!
The Obama Administration will be appointing a lot of positions at the US Dept. of Agriculture, and this creates a great opportunity for the incoming President to make good on his pledge of change. Putting people who care about sustainable ag at the top in USDA would be a welcome change indeed.
The website below provides information on some strong candidates for key USDA posts, and has a sample letter for use in submitting your suggestions to both the Obama transition team and the NC and SC congressional delegations. Please review these candidates and considering weighing in on this highly important subject.
http://asap.sustainability.uiuc.edu/members/rebeccaroach/citizen-groups-lobby-to-shape-obamas-usda-posts/
The site has a link for submitting your letter to the Obama transition team. Contact info and/or links for Carolina Senators and Congresspeople is below.
You will find several past CFSA Sustainable Agriculture Conference keynote speakers on the list. In addition, we are aware that Jim Riddle, a frequent SAC speaker and friend to family-scale organic farmers, is a candidate for an appointed position with the USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service, which oversees the National Organic Program.
Please take time to help our community influence these critical personnel decisions.
Thanks
Roland
PS: Although Michael Pollan’s name has been floated for the position of Secretary of Agriculture, he has said publicly that he would not accept the appointment.
Rep. Bob Etheridge (NC, 2d Dist) Rep. Mike McIntyre (NC, 7th Dist)
Phone: 202-225-4531 Phone: 202-225-2731
Fax: 202-225-5662 Fax: 202-225-5773
Ag Aide: Benjamin Bell Ag Aide: Kim
Sega
Sen. Lindsey Graham (SC)
Phone: 202-224-5972
Fax: 202-224-3808
Ag Aide: Laura Bauld
For contact info for other Members of the NC and SC Congressional Delegations, visit:
North Carolina: Senate Members
Kay Hagan, D- North Carolina, http://www.kayhagan.com/pages/contact
Burr, Richard R- North Carolina
Representatives
Butterfield, G.K., D-North Carolina, 1st
Jones, Walter B., R-North Carolina, 3rd
Price, David, D-North Carolina, 4th
Foxx, Virginia, R-North Carolina, 5th
Coble, Howard, R-North Carolina, 6th
Myrick, Sue, R-North Carolina, 9th
McHenry, Patrick T., R-North Carolina, 10th
Shuler, Heath, D-North Carolina, 11th
Watt, Mel, D-North Carolina, 12th
Miller, Brad, D-North Carolina, 13th
Larry Kissell, D-North Carolina, 8th, http://www.larrykissell.com/
South Carolina: Senate Members
DeMint Jim R- South Carolina
Representatives
Brown, Henry, R-South Carolina, 1st
Wilson, Joe, R-South Carolina, 2nd
Barrett, J.Gresham, R-South Carolina, 3rd
Inglis, Bob, R-South Carolina, 4th
Spratt, John, D-South Carolina, 5th
Clyburn, James E., D-South Carolina, 6th
Roland McReynolds, Esq
CFSA Executive Director
PO Box 448
Pittsboro, NC 27312
Ph: 919-542-2402
Fax: 919-542-7401
www.carolinafarmstewards.org
The website below provides information on some strong candidates for key USDA posts, and has a sample letter for use in submitting your suggestions to both the Obama transition team and the NC and SC congressional delegations. Please review these candidates and considering weighing in on this highly important subject.
http://asap.sustainability.uiuc.edu/members/rebeccaroach/citizen-groups-lobby-to-shape-obamas-usda-posts/
The site has a link for submitting your letter to the Obama transition team. Contact info and/or links for Carolina Senators and Congresspeople is below.
You will find several past CFSA Sustainable Agriculture Conference keynote speakers on the list. In addition, we are aware that Jim Riddle, a frequent SAC speaker and friend to family-scale organic farmers, is a candidate for an appointed position with the USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service, which oversees the National Organic Program.
Please take time to help our community influence these critical personnel decisions.
Thanks
Roland
PS: Although Michael Pollan’s name has been floated for the position of Secretary of Agriculture, he has said publicly that he would not accept the appointment.
Rep. Bob Etheridge (NC, 2d Dist) Rep. Mike McIntyre (NC, 7th Dist)
Phone: 202-225-4531 Phone: 202-225-2731
Fax: 202-225-5662 Fax: 202-225-5773
Ag Aide: Benjamin Bell Ag Aide: Kim
Sega
Sen. Lindsey Graham (SC)
Phone: 202-224-5972
Fax: 202-224-3808
Ag Aide: Laura Bauld
For contact info for other Members of the NC and SC Congressional Delegations, visit:
North Carolina: Senate Members
Kay Hagan, D- North Carolina, http://www.kayhagan.com/pages/contact
Burr, Richard R- North Carolina
Representatives
Butterfield, G.K., D-North Carolina, 1st
Jones, Walter B., R-North Carolina, 3rd
Price, David, D-North Carolina, 4th
Foxx, Virginia, R-North Carolina, 5th
Coble, Howard, R-North Carolina, 6th
Myrick, Sue, R-North Carolina, 9th
McHenry, Patrick T., R-North Carolina, 10th
Shuler, Heath, D-North Carolina, 11th
Watt, Mel, D-North Carolina, 12th
Miller, Brad, D-North Carolina, 13th
Larry Kissell, D-North Carolina, 8th, http://www.larrykissell.com/
South Carolina: Senate Members
DeMint Jim R- South Carolina
Representatives
Brown, Henry, R-South Carolina, 1st
Wilson, Joe, R-South Carolina, 2nd
Barrett, J.Gresham, R-South Carolina, 3rd
Inglis, Bob, R-South Carolina, 4th
Spratt, John, D-South Carolina, 5th
Clyburn, James E., D-South Carolina, 6th
Roland McReynolds, Esq
CFSA Executive Director
PO Box 448
Pittsboro, NC 27312
Ph: 919-542-2402
Fax: 919-542-7401
www.carolinafarmstewards.org
12/02/2008
Job Opening with Conservation Council of NC
GLOBAL WARMING PROJECT COORDINATOR
The Conservation Council of North Carolina (CCNC) seeks an experienced organizer to serve as the full-time Project Coordinator for their joint partnership with the League of Conservation Voters Education Fund Global Warming Project.
In 2007, LCVEF, in partnership with state partners, launched a major campaign to elevate global warming in the 2008 presidential primaries. The Heat Is On campaign (www.heatison.org) was active in the early-voting states for more than a year. In 2008-2009, LCVEF & CCNC plan to work to make global warming a top priority for citizens, and particularly for North Carolina’s congressional delegation.
The Project Coordinator will oversee the day-to-day planning and implementation of our program.
The Project Coordinator will work closely with CCNC’s staff and coalition partners to coordinate state-level activities, conduct outreach to opinion leaders, generate earned media, and engage voters and the congressional delegation about the urgency and importance of global warming.
Responsibilities:
• Work with CCNC staff and LCVEF staff to develop and implement a year-long plan to elevate global warming as a top-tier priority in North Carolina
• Work with coalition partners to coordinate outreach and organizing efforts
• Meet with opinion leaders (reporters, editorial boards, state elected officials, donors, etc.) to engage them on the threats and opportunities associated with climate change
• Conduct outreach to non-traditional allies concerned about global warming
Qualifications:
The ideal candidates will have a college degree and several years experience in organizing and advocacy. Skills should include:
• Strong communication skills including public speaking and advocacy writing
• Strong networking skills
• Ability to work independently in a fast-paced campaign environment
• Familiarity with the issue of global warming an asset
• Strong leadership skills to build and maintain a team
• Basic computer skills
Position:
The Project Coordinator is a full-time position starting January and running through 2009. The position will be based in Raleigh, NC.
Interested Applicants: Please submit a letter of interest and resume to:
ccnc@conservationcouncilnc.org with the subject heading: NC Project Coordinator
Deadline: Applications will be accepted through December 12th, 2008
http://www.conservationcouncilnc.org
http://www.heatison.org
Conservation Council of North Carolina is an equal opportunity employer
The Conservation Council of North Carolina (CCNC) seeks an experienced organizer to serve as the full-time Project Coordinator for their joint partnership with the League of Conservation Voters Education Fund Global Warming Project.
In 2007, LCVEF, in partnership with state partners, launched a major campaign to elevate global warming in the 2008 presidential primaries. The Heat Is On campaign (www.heatison.org) was active in the early-voting states for more than a year. In 2008-2009, LCVEF & CCNC plan to work to make global warming a top priority for citizens, and particularly for North Carolina’s congressional delegation.
The Project Coordinator will oversee the day-to-day planning and implementation of our program.
The Project Coordinator will work closely with CCNC’s staff and coalition partners to coordinate state-level activities, conduct outreach to opinion leaders, generate earned media, and engage voters and the congressional delegation about the urgency and importance of global warming.
Responsibilities:
• Work with CCNC staff and LCVEF staff to develop and implement a year-long plan to elevate global warming as a top-tier priority in North Carolina
• Work with coalition partners to coordinate outreach and organizing efforts
• Meet with opinion leaders (reporters, editorial boards, state elected officials, donors, etc.) to engage them on the threats and opportunities associated with climate change
• Conduct outreach to non-traditional allies concerned about global warming
Qualifications:
The ideal candidates will have a college degree and several years experience in organizing and advocacy. Skills should include:
• Strong communication skills including public speaking and advocacy writing
• Strong networking skills
• Ability to work independently in a fast-paced campaign environment
• Familiarity with the issue of global warming an asset
• Strong leadership skills to build and maintain a team
• Basic computer skills
Position:
The Project Coordinator is a full-time position starting January and running through 2009. The position will be based in Raleigh, NC.
Interested Applicants: Please submit a letter of interest and resume to:
ccnc@conservationcouncilnc.org with the subject heading: NC Project Coordinator
Deadline: Applications will be accepted through December 12th, 2008
http://www.conservationcouncilnc.org
http://www.heatison.org
Conservation Council of North Carolina is an equal opportunity employer
11/30/2008
11/29/2008
11/23/2008
The Family Farm and the G D
http://www.commondreams.org/view/2008/11/22-1 [indicates that family farms, not the war effort, are what lifted us from the Great Depression.]
Counting to Twelve
Counting to Twelve
KEEPING QUIET
Now we will count to twelve and we will all keep still.
For once on the face of the earth,
let's not speak in any language;
let's stop for a second,
and not move our arms so much.
It would be an exotic moment
without rush, without engines;
we would all be together in a sudden strangeness.
Fisherman in the cold sea would not harm whales
and the man gathering salt would not look at his hurt hands.
Those who prepare green wars,
wars with gas, wars with fire,
victories with no survivors,
would put on clean clothes and walk about with their brothers
in the shade, doing nothing.
What I want should not be confused with total inactivity.
Life is what it is about.....
If we were not so single minded about keeping our lives moving,
and for once could do nothing,
perhaps a huge silence might interrupt this sadness
of never understanding ourselves
and of threatening ourselves with death.
Perhaps the earth can teach us,
as when everything seems dead in winter and later proves to be alive.
Now I'll count up to twelve
and you keep quiet and I will go.
Pablo Neruda
KEEPING QUIET
Now we will count to twelve and we will all keep still.
For once on the face of the earth,
let's not speak in any language;
let's stop for a second,
and not move our arms so much.
It would be an exotic moment
without rush, without engines;
we would all be together in a sudden strangeness.
Fisherman in the cold sea would not harm whales
and the man gathering salt would not look at his hurt hands.
Those who prepare green wars,
wars with gas, wars with fire,
victories with no survivors,
would put on clean clothes and walk about with their brothers
in the shade, doing nothing.
What I want should not be confused with total inactivity.
Life is what it is about.....
If we were not so single minded about keeping our lives moving,
and for once could do nothing,
perhaps a huge silence might interrupt this sadness
of never understanding ourselves
and of threatening ourselves with death.
Perhaps the earth can teach us,
as when everything seems dead in winter and later proves to be alive.
Now I'll count up to twelve
and you keep quiet and I will go.
Pablo Neruda
11/22/2008
11/20/2008
Edible Landscape, Afton, VA
http://www.ediblelandscaping.com/
[to order fruit trees, shrubs, more edibles for your backyard farm]
[to order fruit trees, shrubs, more edibles for your backyard farm]
Sweet Potato Doughnuts, Carrboro FM
Did someone say fresh, local doughnuts this Saturday at the market?
On Saturday, November 22nd, Ricky Moore, executive chef from Glass Halfull Restaurant, cooks homemade sweet potato doughnuts drizzled with a local apple cider cinnamon glaze. Hungry yet? This is a morning not to miss! Bring the family and friends because this breakfast will be devoured by people of all ages! To learn more about Chef Ricky Moore and Glass Halfull, visit their website at http://glasshalfullcarrboro.com.
On Saturday, November 22nd, Ricky Moore, executive chef from Glass Halfull Restaurant, cooks homemade sweet potato doughnuts drizzled with a local apple cider cinnamon glaze. Hungry yet? This is a morning not to miss! Bring the family and friends because this breakfast will be devoured by people of all ages! To learn more about Chef Ricky Moore and Glass Halfull, visit their website at http://glasshalfullcarrboro.com.
11/19/2008
11/18/2008
11/13/2008
Bush Adm. Pushes More Deregs
* Bush Admin Pushes Through Last-Minute Deregulation that May Be Hard to Undo * The Bush administration is quietly trying to push through a wide array of federal regulations before President Bush leaves office in January. Up to ninety proposed regulations could be finalized, many of which would weaken government rules aimed at protecting consumers and the environment.
We speak to Matthew Madia of the watchdog group OMB Watch.
http://www.democracynow.org/2008/11/13/bush_admin_pushing_through_last
We speak to Matthew Madia of the watchdog group OMB Watch.
http://www.democracynow.org/2008/11/13/bush_admin_pushing_through_last
11/12/2008
11/11/2008
Where's Help For the Rest of Us?
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/11/opinion/11herbert.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin
11/10/2008
11/09/2008
Gore on Election, Climate
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/09/opinion/09gore.html?_r=1&ei=5070&emc=eta1&oref=slogin
http://www.ondayone.org/node/661
http://www.ondayone.org/node/661
Bring sustainable gardening to The White House! Encourage Obama to model the changes we need to see! Blog it! Write him at change.gov!
And even if your space is small, check out Pimp My Patio!)
Bring sustainable gardening to The White House! Encourage Obama to model the changes we need to see! Blog it! Write him at change.gov!
And even if your space is small, check out Pimp My Patio!)
11/08/2008
Benefits of Organic Growing, Nov 17
The Organic Market, Organic Certification, Benefits of Organic
Monday, Nov 17, 5 - 6:00 dinner, 6 - 8:00 progam
Moore County Agriculture Center, 707 Pinehurst, Ave., Carthage
Tony Klesse, Production Manager, Eastern Carolina Organics, is the presenter. Also hear from current Eco farmers about selling for organic markets.
$10 registration fee, contact 910 947 3188 by Nov. 14 to reserve a space.
Monday, Nov 17, 5 - 6:00 dinner, 6 - 8:00 progam
Moore County Agriculture Center, 707 Pinehurst, Ave., Carthage
Tony Klesse, Production Manager, Eastern Carolina Organics, is the presenter. Also hear from current Eco farmers about selling for organic markets.
$10 registration fee, contact 910 947 3188 by Nov. 14 to reserve a space.
Conservation Insider Bulletin, Nov 7
Conservation Insider Bulletin
Published weekly for the Conservation Council of North Carolina
Conservation News to Peruse & Use
Editor: Dan Besse, cib@conservationcouncilnc.org
November 7, 2008—ELECTIONS RESULTS EDITION
That cheering you hear is conservationists nationwide celebrating the end of the Bush Reign of Error, as change sweeps the electorate. We review key results nationally and in North Carolina, this week in CIB:
Campaign Watch: Green Day
Of course, our lead story of the week (the year?) is the Obama victory and the change it portends for national environmental policy. This week we include notes on the environmental role in that victory. Looking beyond the presidential contest, we also review a raft of Election Day results of critical environmental significance.
LCV Celebrates Big Day at the Polls: The national League of Conservation Voters (LCV) held a nationwide telephone briefing on Thursday to review environmental successes in the 2008 elections. LCV was an early and enthusiastic backer of the historic Barack Obama candidacy. LCV staff reported that its paid and volunteer voter contact efforts targeted green-leaning voters in six swing states (including North Carolina); Obama won all six.
In Congressional contests, LCV is also celebrating a strong performance by its endorsed candidates. Of 116 Congressional candidates endorsed by LCV or its associated state groups, 92 won and only 18 lost. As of Thursday afternoon, six contests (including both the Alaska Senate and House races) were still too close to call. Winners included seven of the 13 contests involving incumbents designated among the anti-environmental "Dirty Dozen" non-honorees. (Two of the other six were the Alaska races.) Full details are at www.lcv.org.
LCV noted that overall it and its 35 state partner groups spent a cumulative $13 million in supporting or opposing candidates in this 2008 election cycle, and that 78% of the supported candidates (Congress and state legislatures) won. Representative of the kind of candidates LCV supported is Gary Peters, who defeated "Dirty Dozen" member Rep. Joe Knollenberg to take Michigan's 9th Congressional District seat. Peters, who was known for his work at the state level to protect the Great Lakes, campaigned for Congress on the issue of reviving the domestic auto industry through investment in production of cleaner, more efficient vehicles.
In North Carolina, LCV went three for five, backing winners Kay Hagan in the U.S. Senate race, newly elected Larry Kissell (8th Congressional District), and re-elected Rep. Heath Shuler (11th District). Unfortunately, underdog Congressional contenders Roy Carter (5th District) and Daniel Johnson (10th District) fell short in very tough districts. LCV was particularly jazzed up about its statewide efforts on behalf of the Obama and Hagan campaigns. LCV noted that it spent more than $500,000 in North Carolina to contact voters here over 188,000 times via mail, phone, and canvass. Obama won North Carolina by a razor-thin margin of about 14,000 votes. LCV's ranking of Elizabeth Dole (defeated by Hagan) among its "Dirty Dozen" targets helped to frame Dole's image as an advocate for Big Oil.
CCNC Picks Do Well Statewide: CCNC enjoyed a similarly successful campaign in its statewide and state legislature efforts in 2008. Overall, CCNC's endorsed statewide candidates for governor (Bev Perdue), attorney general (Roy Cooper), and treasurer (Janet Cowell) swept to wins. In legislative races (CCNC's primary campaign focus), all 22 endorsed Senate candidates and 44 of its 48 endorsed House candidates won. (Two House races, one win and one loss, were close enough that recounts are possible.) For more details, here is the legislative contest summary from CCNC political director Brownie Newman:
There is much to report on the positive front from the Legislature. First and foremost, all but one of our pro-environmental candidates were re-elected on Tuesday. Wins include our six state Senators who occupy tough swing districts:
· Donald Davis (D-Greene), District 5 won the open seated created by the retirement of John Kerr. He defeated state Rep. Louis Pate for the position. The CPAC should feel good about supporting Davis in a tough five candidate primary as well as in the General Election. He should be a strong leader on our issues.
· Neal Hunt (R-Wake), District 15 survived the blue wave that washed across much of the urban and suburban areas of the state, winning over Democratic challenger Chris Mintz.
· Josh Stein (D-Wake), District 16 picked up the seat created by Janet Cowell’s run for State Treasurer. Stein was expected to win in the General, but as with Donald Davis, the Conservation PAC can feel good to have supported Stein where it counted in the tough Primary Election as well.
· Steve Goss (D-Watauga), District 45 still stands where lightning has now struck twice. He again won a district that by all objective measures should not be held by a Democrat. Two years ago, the Senate Republicans could be forgiven for overlooking this sleeper race but this year have no such excuse. Goss won re-election in this heavily Republican district by a margin of 53-46.
· Joe Sam Queen (D-Haywood), District 47 won his re-match with Keith Pressnell. For the first time, the race was not a complete squeaker with Queen achieving a 53-46 spread.
· John Snow (D-Cherokee), District 50 cruised to victory in his far western district by a 57-42 margin. Since Snow’s upset win in 2004, the Republicans have so far failed to recruit a strong candidate to run against Snow in a district where they should be highly competitive.
Conservation Council endorsed candidates also fared well in the NC House. Environmental champion and Speaker of the House Joe Hackney will return to the chamber with a strong hand as his Democratic majority retained their overall position in the chamber, offsetting a couple of losses with several pickups. Before outlining our long list of wins in tough districts, let me note the races where our endorsed candidates did not win:
· Barbara Garrity-Blake (D-Carteret) lost her bid to unseat Rep. Pat McElraft in District 13 by a 56-43 margin. Garrity-Blake ran a strong campaign but was swimming upstream in this Republican-leaning district.
· Al Swanstrom came up just short in his effort to unseat Rep. Nelson Dollar (R-Wake) in District 36. He lost by the smallest of margins with a 50-49 spread.
· Ed Ridpath lost his race against Rep. Paul Stam (R-Wake) in District 37 by a 53-46 margin.
· The one CPAC-endorsed incumbent to lose on election night is apparently Jim Harrell (D-Alleghany) who is behind in the vote total by a tiny number of votes.
On the plus side, we have a large number of strong environmental legislators who occupy tough swing districts who retained their seats on election day. Here are races we consider to be of particular note:
· Alice Underhill (D-Craven) retained her seat in House District 3 by a margin of 49-47. Many people continue to believe that Underhill may be the only Democrat that has the capacity to retain this seat.
· Grier Martin (D-Wake) held District 34 by a healthy margin.
· Ty Harrell (D-Wake) won re-election to House District 41 in what was one of the most targeted districts in the state by both parties.
· Alice Borden (D-Alamance) won a blowout in District 63 despite earlier nervousness among Democrats that this seat may be tough to hold this cycle.
· Cullie Tarleton (D-Watauga) won re-election to the seat (District 93) he captured two years ago in the Boone area.
· Jane Whilden (D-Buncombe) picked up the District 116, which was vacated by environmental Freshman of the Year Charles Thomas.
· Phil Haire (D-Jackson) won an easy victory in House District 119 although he only narrowly held the seat two years ago.
Complete 2008 CCNC endorsements are posted at www.ccnccpac.org and complete results will be available there soon.
Smart Growth Candidate Prevails in Wake County Voting: In addition to the national and state-level races, there were local elections with environmental ramifications across North Carolina, including both county officials and bond issues. We're not ready yet to provide a survey of noteworthy local results, but we do want to mention one, highlighted a week ago in the last 2008 pre-election CIB.
In a bellweather contest for Wake County Commissioner, smart growth advocate Stan Norwalk defeated incumbent Commissioner Kenn Gardner by a margin of 55-45 out of over 400,000 votes cast. Norwalk, a founding leader of the local planned-growth advocacy group WakeUp Wake County, won despite heavy spending on attacks against him. A group called the "N.C. Homeowners Alliance" tried to paint Norwalk as a kind of Mad Taxer because of his support for the use of land transfer taxes to help pay for the costs of public infrastructure required by new development. This so-called "Homeowners Alliance" was financially underwritten by realtor organization contributions in its campaign of anti-Norwalk mailers and robocalls. Their failure in this contest may indicate that voters are beginning to lose patience with such fulminations.
Washington Watch: Transition Team and EPA Rumors
This is the first presidential election which we can recall in which the prevailing candidate has made a major environmental issue one of the centerpieces of his campaign. For Obama, clean energy has not been a secondary topic or a minor commitment. It has been at the heart of his economic action package—in fact, his centerpiece economic proposal is a ten-year, $150 billion plan for investment in solar, wind, biofuels, and efficient vehicles to address oil dependency, fight global warming, and create enduring jobs.
Given that emphasis, it should come as no surprise that environmental leaders are playing a prominent role in the very earliest acts of Obama's transition from campaign to governance. In fact, the head of Obama's transition team, John D. Podesta, is a member of the League of Conservation Voters' (LCV) national board of directors. Podesta is a former chief of staff for the Clinton White House, who currently heads a major progressive policy research foundation, the Center for American Progress. Another member of the Obama transition team, Carol Browner, is former EPA head under Clinton and also a current member of the LCV board of directors. (By the way, CCNC executive director Carrie Clark is another of the 30-member LCV board. Pretty rarified company...)
Obama's emphasis on environmental policy means that the next head of the Environmental Protection Agency is likely to have real influence within his administration. Therefore, we take note of the early rumors on who may be in line for that post. Among the supposed candidates: Robert F. Kennedy Jr., president of the Waterkeeper Alliance and a leading environmental activist. Other names making the list of rumored possibilities include Lisa Jackson, head of New Jersey's Dept. of Environmental Protection; Robert Sussman, former deputy administrator of the EPA under Clinton; Kathleen McGinty, who has been an aide to Al Gore, chair of the Clinton Office of Environmental Policy, and head of the Pennsylvania Dept. of Environmental Protection; Mary Nichols, chair of the California Air Resources Board; and Dan Esty, a leading Obama energy advisor who heads Yale's Center for Environmental Law and Policy.
Published weekly for the Conservation Council of North Carolina
Conservation News to Peruse & Use
Editor: Dan Besse, cib@conservationcouncilnc.org
November 7, 2008—ELECTIONS RESULTS EDITION
That cheering you hear is conservationists nationwide celebrating the end of the Bush Reign of Error, as change sweeps the electorate. We review key results nationally and in North Carolina, this week in CIB:
Campaign Watch: Green Day
Of course, our lead story of the week (the year?) is the Obama victory and the change it portends for national environmental policy. This week we include notes on the environmental role in that victory. Looking beyond the presidential contest, we also review a raft of Election Day results of critical environmental significance.
LCV Celebrates Big Day at the Polls: The national League of Conservation Voters (LCV) held a nationwide telephone briefing on Thursday to review environmental successes in the 2008 elections. LCV was an early and enthusiastic backer of the historic Barack Obama candidacy. LCV staff reported that its paid and volunteer voter contact efforts targeted green-leaning voters in six swing states (including North Carolina); Obama won all six.
In Congressional contests, LCV is also celebrating a strong performance by its endorsed candidates. Of 116 Congressional candidates endorsed by LCV or its associated state groups, 92 won and only 18 lost. As of Thursday afternoon, six contests (including both the Alaska Senate and House races) were still too close to call. Winners included seven of the 13 contests involving incumbents designated among the anti-environmental "Dirty Dozen" non-honorees. (Two of the other six were the Alaska races.) Full details are at www.lcv.org.
LCV noted that overall it and its 35 state partner groups spent a cumulative $13 million in supporting or opposing candidates in this 2008 election cycle, and that 78% of the supported candidates (Congress and state legislatures) won. Representative of the kind of candidates LCV supported is Gary Peters, who defeated "Dirty Dozen" member Rep. Joe Knollenberg to take Michigan's 9th Congressional District seat. Peters, who was known for his work at the state level to protect the Great Lakes, campaigned for Congress on the issue of reviving the domestic auto industry through investment in production of cleaner, more efficient vehicles.
In North Carolina, LCV went three for five, backing winners Kay Hagan in the U.S. Senate race, newly elected Larry Kissell (8th Congressional District), and re-elected Rep. Heath Shuler (11th District). Unfortunately, underdog Congressional contenders Roy Carter (5th District) and Daniel Johnson (10th District) fell short in very tough districts. LCV was particularly jazzed up about its statewide efforts on behalf of the Obama and Hagan campaigns. LCV noted that it spent more than $500,000 in North Carolina to contact voters here over 188,000 times via mail, phone, and canvass. Obama won North Carolina by a razor-thin margin of about 14,000 votes. LCV's ranking of Elizabeth Dole (defeated by Hagan) among its "Dirty Dozen" targets helped to frame Dole's image as an advocate for Big Oil.
CCNC Picks Do Well Statewide: CCNC enjoyed a similarly successful campaign in its statewide and state legislature efforts in 2008. Overall, CCNC's endorsed statewide candidates for governor (Bev Perdue), attorney general (Roy Cooper), and treasurer (Janet Cowell) swept to wins. In legislative races (CCNC's primary campaign focus), all 22 endorsed Senate candidates and 44 of its 48 endorsed House candidates won. (Two House races, one win and one loss, were close enough that recounts are possible.) For more details, here is the legislative contest summary from CCNC political director Brownie Newman:
There is much to report on the positive front from the Legislature. First and foremost, all but one of our pro-environmental candidates were re-elected on Tuesday. Wins include our six state Senators who occupy tough swing districts:
· Donald Davis (D-Greene), District 5 won the open seated created by the retirement of John Kerr. He defeated state Rep. Louis Pate for the position. The CPAC should feel good about supporting Davis in a tough five candidate primary as well as in the General Election. He should be a strong leader on our issues.
· Neal Hunt (R-Wake), District 15 survived the blue wave that washed across much of the urban and suburban areas of the state, winning over Democratic challenger Chris Mintz.
· Josh Stein (D-Wake), District 16 picked up the seat created by Janet Cowell’s run for State Treasurer. Stein was expected to win in the General, but as with Donald Davis, the Conservation PAC can feel good to have supported Stein where it counted in the tough Primary Election as well.
· Steve Goss (D-Watauga), District 45 still stands where lightning has now struck twice. He again won a district that by all objective measures should not be held by a Democrat. Two years ago, the Senate Republicans could be forgiven for overlooking this sleeper race but this year have no such excuse. Goss won re-election in this heavily Republican district by a margin of 53-46.
· Joe Sam Queen (D-Haywood), District 47 won his re-match with Keith Pressnell. For the first time, the race was not a complete squeaker with Queen achieving a 53-46 spread.
· John Snow (D-Cherokee), District 50 cruised to victory in his far western district by a 57-42 margin. Since Snow’s upset win in 2004, the Republicans have so far failed to recruit a strong candidate to run against Snow in a district where they should be highly competitive.
Conservation Council endorsed candidates also fared well in the NC House. Environmental champion and Speaker of the House Joe Hackney will return to the chamber with a strong hand as his Democratic majority retained their overall position in the chamber, offsetting a couple of losses with several pickups. Before outlining our long list of wins in tough districts, let me note the races where our endorsed candidates did not win:
· Barbara Garrity-Blake (D-Carteret) lost her bid to unseat Rep. Pat McElraft in District 13 by a 56-43 margin. Garrity-Blake ran a strong campaign but was swimming upstream in this Republican-leaning district.
· Al Swanstrom came up just short in his effort to unseat Rep. Nelson Dollar (R-Wake) in District 36. He lost by the smallest of margins with a 50-49 spread.
· Ed Ridpath lost his race against Rep. Paul Stam (R-Wake) in District 37 by a 53-46 margin.
· The one CPAC-endorsed incumbent to lose on election night is apparently Jim Harrell (D-Alleghany) who is behind in the vote total by a tiny number of votes.
On the plus side, we have a large number of strong environmental legislators who occupy tough swing districts who retained their seats on election day. Here are races we consider to be of particular note:
· Alice Underhill (D-Craven) retained her seat in House District 3 by a margin of 49-47. Many people continue to believe that Underhill may be the only Democrat that has the capacity to retain this seat.
· Grier Martin (D-Wake) held District 34 by a healthy margin.
· Ty Harrell (D-Wake) won re-election to House District 41 in what was one of the most targeted districts in the state by both parties.
· Alice Borden (D-Alamance) won a blowout in District 63 despite earlier nervousness among Democrats that this seat may be tough to hold this cycle.
· Cullie Tarleton (D-Watauga) won re-election to the seat (District 93) he captured two years ago in the Boone area.
· Jane Whilden (D-Buncombe) picked up the District 116, which was vacated by environmental Freshman of the Year Charles Thomas.
· Phil Haire (D-Jackson) won an easy victory in House District 119 although he only narrowly held the seat two years ago.
Complete 2008 CCNC endorsements are posted at www.ccnccpac.org and complete results will be available there soon.
Smart Growth Candidate Prevails in Wake County Voting: In addition to the national and state-level races, there were local elections with environmental ramifications across North Carolina, including both county officials and bond issues. We're not ready yet to provide a survey of noteworthy local results, but we do want to mention one, highlighted a week ago in the last 2008 pre-election CIB.
In a bellweather contest for Wake County Commissioner, smart growth advocate Stan Norwalk defeated incumbent Commissioner Kenn Gardner by a margin of 55-45 out of over 400,000 votes cast. Norwalk, a founding leader of the local planned-growth advocacy group WakeUp Wake County, won despite heavy spending on attacks against him. A group called the "N.C. Homeowners Alliance" tried to paint Norwalk as a kind of Mad Taxer because of his support for the use of land transfer taxes to help pay for the costs of public infrastructure required by new development. This so-called "Homeowners Alliance" was financially underwritten by realtor organization contributions in its campaign of anti-Norwalk mailers and robocalls. Their failure in this contest may indicate that voters are beginning to lose patience with such fulminations.
Washington Watch: Transition Team and EPA Rumors
This is the first presidential election which we can recall in which the prevailing candidate has made a major environmental issue one of the centerpieces of his campaign. For Obama, clean energy has not been a secondary topic or a minor commitment. It has been at the heart of his economic action package—in fact, his centerpiece economic proposal is a ten-year, $150 billion plan for investment in solar, wind, biofuels, and efficient vehicles to address oil dependency, fight global warming, and create enduring jobs.
Given that emphasis, it should come as no surprise that environmental leaders are playing a prominent role in the very earliest acts of Obama's transition from campaign to governance. In fact, the head of Obama's transition team, John D. Podesta, is a member of the League of Conservation Voters' (LCV) national board of directors. Podesta is a former chief of staff for the Clinton White House, who currently heads a major progressive policy research foundation, the Center for American Progress. Another member of the Obama transition team, Carol Browner, is former EPA head under Clinton and also a current member of the LCV board of directors. (By the way, CCNC executive director Carrie Clark is another of the 30-member LCV board. Pretty rarified company...)
Obama's emphasis on environmental policy means that the next head of the Environmental Protection Agency is likely to have real influence within his administration. Therefore, we take note of the early rumors on who may be in line for that post. Among the supposed candidates: Robert F. Kennedy Jr., president of the Waterkeeper Alliance and a leading environmental activist. Other names making the list of rumored possibilities include Lisa Jackson, head of New Jersey's Dept. of Environmental Protection; Robert Sussman, former deputy administrator of the EPA under Clinton; Kathleen McGinty, who has been an aide to Al Gore, chair of the Clinton Office of Environmental Policy, and head of the Pennsylvania Dept. of Environmental Protection; Mary Nichols, chair of the California Air Resources Board; and Dan Esty, a leading Obama energy advisor who heads Yale's Center for Environmental Law and Policy.
11/06/2008
Ditto, Michael
Wednesday, November 5th, 2008
Friends,
Who among us is not at a loss for words? Tears pour out. Tears of joy. Tears of relief. A stunning, whopping landslide of hope in a time of deep despair.
In a nation that was founded on genocide and then built on the backs of slaves, it was an unexpected moment, shocking in its simplicity: Barack Obama, a good man, a black man, said he would bring change to Washington, and the majority of the country liked that idea. The racists were present throughout the campaign and in the voting booth. But they are no longer the majority, and we will see their flame of hate fizzle out in our lifetime.
There was another important "first" last night. Never before in our history has an avowed anti-war candidate been elected president during a time of war. I hope President-elect Obama remembers that as he considers expanding the war in Afghanistan. The faith we now have will be lost if he forgets the main issue on which he beat his fellow Dems in the primaries and then a great war hero in the general election: The people of America are tired of war. Sick and tired. And their voice was loud and clear yesterday.
It's been an inexcusable 44 years since a Democrat running for president has received even just 51% of the vote. That's because most Americans haven't really liked the Democrats. They see them as rarely having the guts to get the job done or stand up for the working people they say they support. Well, here's their chance. It has been handed to them, via the voting public, in the form of a man who is not a party hack, not a set-for-life Beltway bureaucrat. Will he now become one of them, or will he force them to be more like him? We pray for the latter.
But today we celebrate this triumph of decency over personal attack, of peace over war, of intelligence over a belief that Adam and Eve rode around on dinosaurs just 6,000 years ago. What will it be like to have a smart president? Science, banished for eight years, will return. Imagine supporting our country's greatest minds as they seek to cure illness, discover new forms of energy, and work to save the planet. I know, pinch me.
We may, just possibly, also see a time of refreshing openness, enlightenment and creativity. The arts and the artists will not be seen as the enemy. Perhaps art will be explored in order to discover the greater truths. When FDR was ushered in with his landslide in 1932, what followed was Frank Capra and Preston Sturgis, Woody Guthrie and John Steinbeck, Dorothea Lange and Orson Welles. All week long I have been inundated with media asking me, "gee, Mike, what will you do now that Bush is gone?" Are they kidding? What will it be like to work and create in an environment that nurtures and supports film and the arts, science and invention, and the freedom to be whatever you want to be? Watch a thousand flowers bloom! We've entered a new era, and if I could sum up our collective first thought of this new era, it is this: Anything Is Possible.
An African American has been elected President of the United States! Anything is possible! We can wrestle our economy out of the hands of the reckless rich and return it to the people. Anything is possible! Every citizen can be guaranteed health care. Anything is possible! We can stop melting the polar ice caps. Anything is possible! Those who have committed war crimes will be brought to justice. Anything is possible.
We really don't have much time. There is big work to do. But this is the week for all of us to revel in this great moment. Be humble about it. Do not treat the Republicans in your life the way they have treated you the past eight years. Show them the grace and goodness that Barack Obama exuded throughout the campaign. Though called every name in the book, he refused to lower himself to the gutter and sling the mud back. Can we follow his example? I know, it will be hard.
I want to thank everyone who gave of their time and resources to make this victory happen. It's been a long road, and huge damage has been done to this great country, not to mention to many of you who have lost your jobs, gone bankrupt from medical bills, or suffered through a loved one being shipped off to Iraq. We will now work to repair this damage, and it won't be easy.
But what a way to start! Barack Hussein Obama, the 44th President of the United States. Wow. Seriously, wow.
Yours,
Michael Moore
MichaelMoore.com
MMFlint@aol.com
Friends,
Who among us is not at a loss for words? Tears pour out. Tears of joy. Tears of relief. A stunning, whopping landslide of hope in a time of deep despair.
In a nation that was founded on genocide and then built on the backs of slaves, it was an unexpected moment, shocking in its simplicity: Barack Obama, a good man, a black man, said he would bring change to Washington, and the majority of the country liked that idea. The racists were present throughout the campaign and in the voting booth. But they are no longer the majority, and we will see their flame of hate fizzle out in our lifetime.
There was another important "first" last night. Never before in our history has an avowed anti-war candidate been elected president during a time of war. I hope President-elect Obama remembers that as he considers expanding the war in Afghanistan. The faith we now have will be lost if he forgets the main issue on which he beat his fellow Dems in the primaries and then a great war hero in the general election: The people of America are tired of war. Sick and tired. And their voice was loud and clear yesterday.
It's been an inexcusable 44 years since a Democrat running for president has received even just 51% of the vote. That's because most Americans haven't really liked the Democrats. They see them as rarely having the guts to get the job done or stand up for the working people they say they support. Well, here's their chance. It has been handed to them, via the voting public, in the form of a man who is not a party hack, not a set-for-life Beltway bureaucrat. Will he now become one of them, or will he force them to be more like him? We pray for the latter.
But today we celebrate this triumph of decency over personal attack, of peace over war, of intelligence over a belief that Adam and Eve rode around on dinosaurs just 6,000 years ago. What will it be like to have a smart president? Science, banished for eight years, will return. Imagine supporting our country's greatest minds as they seek to cure illness, discover new forms of energy, and work to save the planet. I know, pinch me.
We may, just possibly, also see a time of refreshing openness, enlightenment and creativity. The arts and the artists will not be seen as the enemy. Perhaps art will be explored in order to discover the greater truths. When FDR was ushered in with his landslide in 1932, what followed was Frank Capra and Preston Sturgis, Woody Guthrie and John Steinbeck, Dorothea Lange and Orson Welles. All week long I have been inundated with media asking me, "gee, Mike, what will you do now that Bush is gone?" Are they kidding? What will it be like to work and create in an environment that nurtures and supports film and the arts, science and invention, and the freedom to be whatever you want to be? Watch a thousand flowers bloom! We've entered a new era, and if I could sum up our collective first thought of this new era, it is this: Anything Is Possible.
An African American has been elected President of the United States! Anything is possible! We can wrestle our economy out of the hands of the reckless rich and return it to the people. Anything is possible! Every citizen can be guaranteed health care. Anything is possible! We can stop melting the polar ice caps. Anything is possible! Those who have committed war crimes will be brought to justice. Anything is possible.
We really don't have much time. There is big work to do. But this is the week for all of us to revel in this great moment. Be humble about it. Do not treat the Republicans in your life the way they have treated you the past eight years. Show them the grace and goodness that Barack Obama exuded throughout the campaign. Though called every name in the book, he refused to lower himself to the gutter and sling the mud back. Can we follow his example? I know, it will be hard.
I want to thank everyone who gave of their time and resources to make this victory happen. It's been a long road, and huge damage has been done to this great country, not to mention to many of you who have lost your jobs, gone bankrupt from medical bills, or suffered through a loved one being shipped off to Iraq. We will now work to repair this damage, and it won't be easy.
But what a way to start! Barack Hussein Obama, the 44th President of the United States. Wow. Seriously, wow.
Yours,
Michael Moore
MichaelMoore.com
MMFlint@aol.com
Dem Women, Moore County, Nov. 8
The Democratic Women of Moore County will be meeting this Saturday, at 10 AM November 8 at Democratic Headquarters in Carthage. Tessie Taylor will be the guest speaker. Tessie was the Moore County delegate to the Democratic Convention in Denver last August. She will be talking about her experience as a delegate and her highlights of the convention. We will also be celebrating our election day victories!! See you Saturday
11/05/2008
Hopes and Stocks Rise
Obama wins historic US election *Democratic Senator Barack Obama says "change has come to America", after being elected the first black president of the United States.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/-/2/hi/americas/us_elections_2008/7709978.stm
Obama makes victory speech *President elect Barack Obama has addressed supporters in Chicago after beating John McCain to become the next US president.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/-/2/hi/americas/us_elections_2008/7710040.stm
Democrats score huge Congress win *Republicans lose ground in the race for Congress, projections indicate, with Democrats taking five Senate seats.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/-/2/hi/americas/us_elections_2008/7707760.stm
Stocks rise after Obama victory *Shares in Asia make gains following the election of Democrat Barack Obama as the next US president.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/-/2/hi/business/7710106.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/-/2/hi/americas/us_elections_2008/7709978.stm
Obama makes victory speech *President elect Barack Obama has addressed supporters in Chicago after beating John McCain to become the next US president.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/-/2/hi/americas/us_elections_2008/7710040.stm
Democrats score huge Congress win *Republicans lose ground in the race for Congress, projections indicate, with Democrats taking five Senate seats.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/-/2/hi/americas/us_elections_2008/7707760.stm
Stocks rise after Obama victory *Shares in Asia make gains following the election of Democrat Barack Obama as the next US president.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/-/2/hi/business/7710106.stm
11/03/2008
Curiosity, Studs Terkel
Pioneering Radio Broadcaster Studs Terkel, 96, Dies
And the legendary radio broadcaster, writer, oral historian, raconteur and chronicler of our times, Studs Terkel, died Friday at the age of ninety-six in his home town of Chicago. Over the years, he has worked as an activist, a civil servant, a labor organizer, a radio DJ, an ad writer and a television actor. In 2005, he appeared on Democracy Now! just weeks after undergoing open-heart surgery. Doctors said Studs Terkel, at ninety-three, was the oldest patient known to have undergone such a procedure. He talked about how he survived it.
Studs Terkel: “My curiosity is what saw me through. What would the world be like, or will there be a world? And so, that’s my epitaph. I have it all set. Curiosity did not kill this cat. And it’s curiosity, I think, that has saved me thus far.”
And the legendary radio broadcaster, writer, oral historian, raconteur and chronicler of our times, Studs Terkel, died Friday at the age of ninety-six in his home town of Chicago. Over the years, he has worked as an activist, a civil servant, a labor organizer, a radio DJ, an ad writer and a television actor. In 2005, he appeared on Democracy Now! just weeks after undergoing open-heart surgery. Doctors said Studs Terkel, at ninety-three, was the oldest patient known to have undergone such a procedure. He talked about how he survived it.
Studs Terkel: “My curiosity is what saw me through. What would the world be like, or will there be a world? And so, that’s my epitaph. I have it all set. Curiosity did not kill this cat. And it’s curiosity, I think, that has saved me thus far.”
Because He's Black
Vote for him - because he's Black
by Greg Palast for HuffingtonPost.com
No question, Mr. Bruce was my favorite teacher in junior high.
I went to this Loser-ville school in the San Fernando Valley. It was all Chicano kids and working class white losers like me. Everyone had to take 'metal shop' so we could work the bottom-end jobs in the Chevy plant.
My brain was dying - until Mr. Bruce showed up, the new science teacher. DOCTOR Bruce, actually - the only Ph.d teacher in the place.
At lunch hour, instead of hanging out in the teachers' lunchroom, Mr. Bruce would invite me and my friends into his classroom. Over coffee made on a Bunsen burner, he would talk about topics from Einstein to Buddha while munching on this strange stuff called "organic" food.
He was simply like no adult I'd ever met - an exceptional guy who could make us dull-brained students sizzle.
My parents had him over for Sunday brunch and he talked about his work as a 'honey-dipper' in the Deep South where he grew up. The honey-dipper was the guy who hunted for lost glasses and whatever else was dropped in outhouse cesspools. Dr. Bruce said he enjoyed the work because it taught him pleasures of quiet grace, of dignified acceptance.
The kids were crazy about him, but not all the parents. Some called to complain about the school hiring him.
So he left. Months later, Mr. Bruce mailed me a letter from Japan where he'd taken a university post.
It's odd, but it was only this year that I put it all together: his exclusion by the other teachers, his job as a honey-dipper, his need to escape America.
Dr. Bruce, of course, is Black.
So, I'm going to do something that Dr. Bruce would think little of. I'm going to vote for the Black man. Because he's Black.
The truth is, I'm wary of Barack Obama. His cozy relations with the sub-prime loan sharks who funded his early campaign; his vote, at the behest of his big donor ADM corporation, for the horrific Bush energy bill.
But there's one thing that overshadows policy positions, one thing he cannot change once in office: the color of his skin. The same as Mr. Bruce's.
I'm going to say something that I know the Obama campaign will just hate; but that many others are feeling but won't say out loud. We must vote for Barack Obama because he's Black.
For four centuries, our nation has poisoned itself with the corrosive venom of racism. From the slave trade, to our still-segregated schools, to the Bush family stealing the White House by cynically, and sinfully, calling Florida Black voters felons; to the exile of a brilliant science teacher four decades ago.
The time has come to cleanse the wound that will not heal.
********
Greg Palast's investigative reports appear on BBC Television and in Rolling Stone Magazine. Palast is the co-author, with Robert F. Kennedy Jr., of "Steal Back Your Vote," the investigative comic book available for no charge at StealBackYourVote.org and www.GregPalast.com
Palast is a Nation Institute/Puffin Foundation Fellow for investigative reporting.
by Greg Palast for HuffingtonPost.com
No question, Mr. Bruce was my favorite teacher in junior high.
I went to this Loser-ville school in the San Fernando Valley. It was all Chicano kids and working class white losers like me. Everyone had to take 'metal shop' so we could work the bottom-end jobs in the Chevy plant.
My brain was dying - until Mr. Bruce showed up, the new science teacher. DOCTOR Bruce, actually - the only Ph.d teacher in the place.
At lunch hour, instead of hanging out in the teachers' lunchroom, Mr. Bruce would invite me and my friends into his classroom. Over coffee made on a Bunsen burner, he would talk about topics from Einstein to Buddha while munching on this strange stuff called "organic" food.
He was simply like no adult I'd ever met - an exceptional guy who could make us dull-brained students sizzle.
My parents had him over for Sunday brunch and he talked about his work as a 'honey-dipper' in the Deep South where he grew up. The honey-dipper was the guy who hunted for lost glasses and whatever else was dropped in outhouse cesspools. Dr. Bruce said he enjoyed the work because it taught him pleasures of quiet grace, of dignified acceptance.
The kids were crazy about him, but not all the parents. Some called to complain about the school hiring him.
So he left. Months later, Mr. Bruce mailed me a letter from Japan where he'd taken a university post.
It's odd, but it was only this year that I put it all together: his exclusion by the other teachers, his job as a honey-dipper, his need to escape America.
Dr. Bruce, of course, is Black.
So, I'm going to do something that Dr. Bruce would think little of. I'm going to vote for the Black man. Because he's Black.
The truth is, I'm wary of Barack Obama. His cozy relations with the sub-prime loan sharks who funded his early campaign; his vote, at the behest of his big donor ADM corporation, for the horrific Bush energy bill.
But there's one thing that overshadows policy positions, one thing he cannot change once in office: the color of his skin. The same as Mr. Bruce's.
I'm going to say something that I know the Obama campaign will just hate; but that many others are feeling but won't say out loud. We must vote for Barack Obama because he's Black.
For four centuries, our nation has poisoned itself with the corrosive venom of racism. From the slave trade, to our still-segregated schools, to the Bush family stealing the White House by cynically, and sinfully, calling Florida Black voters felons; to the exile of a brilliant science teacher four decades ago.
The time has come to cleanse the wound that will not heal.
********
Greg Palast's investigative reports appear on BBC Television and in Rolling Stone Magazine. Palast is the co-author, with Robert F. Kennedy Jr., of "Steal Back Your Vote," the investigative comic book available for no charge at StealBackYourVote.org and www.GregPalast.com
Palast is a Nation Institute/Puffin Foundation Fellow for investigative reporting.
Mud Eruption From Drilling
Mud eruption 'caused by drilling'
Leading geologists from around the world decide that a mud volcano disaster in Indonesia was triggered by oil and gas exploration.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/-/2/hi/science/nature/7699672.stm
Leading geologists from around the world decide that a mud volcano disaster in Indonesia was triggered by oil and gas exploration.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/-/2/hi/science/nature/7699672.stm
11/02/2008
You Know This Election Is Important
[from Dan Besse]
Fellow conservationists,
I was out early yesterday afternoon working an early-voting line. By late afternoon, I was canvassing door-to-door for Obama. I'm going back out again later this afternoon.
You already know why this election is important. It pits the ticket of drill-baby-drill, double-the-nukes, and follow-the-Bush against leaders who understand what we have to do to fix climate change and save our planet for our children.
The early voting numbers are in, and early turnout was extraordinary. More than one-third of registered voters in North Carolina have already voted. Based on the makeup of the turnout so far, best estimates are that Obama is ahead by as much as six points among those who have already voted in our state.
But the other side has just kicked off its famed 72-hour get-out-the-vote machine. They're starting their "surge" (and by now, I'm sick and tired of that word). The outcome of the election for president (and senator, and governor, and on down the line) hangs in the balance of what we do between now and 7:30 p.m. Tuesday.
That's what WE do to get out our own voters. Today, tomorrow, and Tuesday--please take two hours--or more, if you can--to help get out the vote. Call your local Obama office to sign up for a shift on the phones, on the doors, or at the polls. And if you don't have your local office contact info, here's a link where you can get it:
http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/nchome
I wouldn't be pestering you two days before the vote if I didn't know that this is both the most important and the closest election in North Carolina in my lifetime. And that what we do now will decide the outcome.
A lot of folks are arguing about whether North Carolina will be red or blue come Tuesday night. Well, I want it to be green! Let's make it happen. Thanks! Dan
Fellow conservationists,
I was out early yesterday afternoon working an early-voting line. By late afternoon, I was canvassing door-to-door for Obama. I'm going back out again later this afternoon.
You already know why this election is important. It pits the ticket of drill-baby-drill, double-the-nukes, and follow-the-Bush against leaders who understand what we have to do to fix climate change and save our planet for our children.
The early voting numbers are in, and early turnout was extraordinary. More than one-third of registered voters in North Carolina have already voted. Based on the makeup of the turnout so far, best estimates are that Obama is ahead by as much as six points among those who have already voted in our state.
But the other side has just kicked off its famed 72-hour get-out-the-vote machine. They're starting their "surge" (and by now, I'm sick and tired of that word). The outcome of the election for president (and senator, and governor, and on down the line) hangs in the balance of what we do between now and 7:30 p.m. Tuesday.
That's what WE do to get out our own voters. Today, tomorrow, and Tuesday--please take two hours--or more, if you can--to help get out the vote. Call your local Obama office to sign up for a shift on the phones, on the doors, or at the polls. And if you don't have your local office contact info, here's a link where you can get it:
http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/nchome
I wouldn't be pestering you two days before the vote if I didn't know that this is both the most important and the closest election in North Carolina in my lifetime. And that what we do now will decide the outcome.
A lot of folks are arguing about whether North Carolina will be red or blue come Tuesday night. Well, I want it to be green! Let's make it happen. Thanks! Dan
11/01/2008
Today, Saturday Is Last Day to Vote Early
The Moore County Board of Elections decided to extend the hours during which you can early-vote Saturday. All three early voting locations--the Agricultural Center in Carthage, the new Recreation Center in Aberdeen, and the Old West End Gym-- will be open until 5 pm.
If you have not early-voted already, please consider voting today.
If you need directions to one of the voting locations, or should you need any information about candidates, please call the Moore County Democratic Party HQ between 9 am and 1 pm. The number is 947-1933.
Races for President and the Senate are going to be close in North Carolina. Every single Democratic vote is extremely important. Please make sure your voice is heard!
If you have not early-voted already, please consider voting today.
If you need directions to one of the voting locations, or should you need any information about candidates, please call the Moore County Democratic Party HQ between 9 am and 1 pm. The number is 947-1933.
Races for President and the Senate are going to be close in North Carolina. Every single Democratic vote is extremely important. Please make sure your voice is heard!
10/29/2008
Visit Ayrshire Farm, Nov. 5
Think farming season is winding down?
You might be surprised to see how many of our local farmers produce well into the fall and even through the winter to keep the supply of locally grown food moving through our local restaurants, grocery co-ops, and farmers' markets (yes, don't forget, we have year-round farmers' markets now, like Carrboro and Durham)!
On Wednesday, November 5 at 4:30 pm, you'll have an opportunity to visit Ayrshire Farm, the state's first certified organic farm, where farmer Bill Dow will welcome visitors to see an array of fall vegetables, including radicchio, fennel, lettuce, rapini, mizuna, tatsoi, arugula, peppers, nasturtiums, cress, heirloom apples, and more.
Bill specializes in supplying the top restaurants in Chapel Hill and Durham with fresh produce and herbs. You can also find him at the Carrboro Farmers' Market. Ayrshire Farm is also part of the mid-Chatham Farmers' Alliance CSA (community supported agriculture program): http://www.harlands-creek-farm.com/midchathamfarmerscsa.html
Bill will talk about season extension techniques and general production and marketing strategies that have led to 28 successful years of farming.
Whether you are a farmer, an educator, or just an eater, you won't want to miss this opportunity to learn from one of our organic farming pioneers!
See photos at:
http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/chatham/ag/SustAg/farmphotonov1405.html
http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/chatham/ag/SustAg/farmphotomay1605.html
http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/chatham/ag/SustAg/farmphotojuly1006.html Please arrive at 4:30 pm because we will have only a little over an hour of light left (daylight savings time ends Nov. 2).
Directions to Ayrshire Farm (602 Friendly Pooch Lane, Pittsboro, NC 27312):- From the courthouse circle in downtown Pittsboro, take 64 west towards the stoplight at Hwy 87 (you'll see Al's Diner on your left)- From the stoplight at Al's Diner, continue 5.4 miles on Hwy 64 west and turn left on Hadley Mill Rd. (you'll see white butane tanks on hill on left at the corner)- Go 1.1 miles and turn right on Jay Shambley Rd. (gravel road)- Go 0.5 miles and turn left on Friendly Pooch Lane- Go about 0.5 miles and the farm will be at the end of the road I hope to see you there! Debbie
Debbie Roos
Agricultural Extension Agent
Chatham County Center
North Carolina Cooperative Extension
919.542.8202
debbie_roos@ncsu.eduwww.growingsmallfarms.org
You might be surprised to see how many of our local farmers produce well into the fall and even through the winter to keep the supply of locally grown food moving through our local restaurants, grocery co-ops, and farmers' markets (yes, don't forget, we have year-round farmers' markets now, like Carrboro and Durham)!
On Wednesday, November 5 at 4:30 pm, you'll have an opportunity to visit Ayrshire Farm, the state's first certified organic farm, where farmer Bill Dow will welcome visitors to see an array of fall vegetables, including radicchio, fennel, lettuce, rapini, mizuna, tatsoi, arugula, peppers, nasturtiums, cress, heirloom apples, and more.
Bill specializes in supplying the top restaurants in Chapel Hill and Durham with fresh produce and herbs. You can also find him at the Carrboro Farmers' Market. Ayrshire Farm is also part of the mid-Chatham Farmers' Alliance CSA (community supported agriculture program): http://www.harlands-creek-farm.com/midchathamfarmerscsa.html
Bill will talk about season extension techniques and general production and marketing strategies that have led to 28 successful years of farming.
Whether you are a farmer, an educator, or just an eater, you won't want to miss this opportunity to learn from one of our organic farming pioneers!
See photos at:
http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/chatham/ag/SustAg/farmphotonov1405.html
http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/chatham/ag/SustAg/farmphotomay1605.html
http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/chatham/ag/SustAg/farmphotojuly1006.html Please arrive at 4:30 pm because we will have only a little over an hour of light left (daylight savings time ends Nov. 2).
Directions to Ayrshire Farm (602 Friendly Pooch Lane, Pittsboro, NC 27312):- From the courthouse circle in downtown Pittsboro, take 64 west towards the stoplight at Hwy 87 (you'll see Al's Diner on your left)- From the stoplight at Al's Diner, continue 5.4 miles on Hwy 64 west and turn left on Hadley Mill Rd. (you'll see white butane tanks on hill on left at the corner)- Go 1.1 miles and turn right on Jay Shambley Rd. (gravel road)- Go 0.5 miles and turn left on Friendly Pooch Lane- Go about 0.5 miles and the farm will be at the end of the road I hope to see you there! Debbie
Debbie Roos
Agricultural Extension Agent
Chatham County Center
North Carolina Cooperative Extension
919.542.8202
debbie_roos@ncsu.eduwww.growingsmallfarms.org
10/28/2008
Who Will Take the Electoral College?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/us_elections_2008/7693060.stm
10/27/2008
US Financial Inequality Rivals Africa's
http://www.iht.com/articles/reuters/2008/10/23/america/OUKWD-UK-USA-INEQUALITY-UN.php
10/26/2008
Organic Workshop, Hoke Co, Oct. 28
Hoke Organic Workshop
HOW can I raise vegetables at home using organic methods?
HOW does vermicomposting work?
HOW can I use organic methods to care for my lawn and landscape?
HOW would I create a native-plant garden for bees and butterflies?
HOW do I read my soil test, to add organic amendments to my soil?
Learn HOW at the Hoke Organic Workshop
“We’ll show you HOW!”
Tuesday, October 28, 2008 6pm – 8 pmMcLaughlin Building Auditorium
423 East Central Avenue, Raeford
Admission: Adults and teens $2.00 DOOR PRIZES!
Children 12 and under: free with accompanying adult
Come and learn HOW to: ~Make water-saving drip irrigation systems ~Keep bees for honey and pollination
~Start seeds successfully for your garden
~Join the Hoke County Junior Master Gardeners
~Start your own small organic farm… And Much More!
Presented by: The Hoke County Center of the North Carolina Cooperative Extension
For More information, call 910-875-3461 or e-mail Mary Hollingsworth at mary_hollingsworth@ncsu.edu
~ Proceeds will benefit Hoke County Cooperative Extension programming and the Hoke County Junior Master Gardeners ~
HOW can I raise vegetables at home using organic methods?
HOW does vermicomposting work?
HOW can I use organic methods to care for my lawn and landscape?
HOW would I create a native-plant garden for bees and butterflies?
HOW do I read my soil test, to add organic amendments to my soil?
Learn HOW at the Hoke Organic Workshop
“We’ll show you HOW!”
Tuesday, October 28, 2008 6pm – 8 pmMcLaughlin Building Auditorium
423 East Central Avenue, Raeford
Admission: Adults and teens $2.00 DOOR PRIZES!
Children 12 and under: free with accompanying adult
Come and learn HOW to: ~Make water-saving drip irrigation systems ~Keep bees for honey and pollination
~Start seeds successfully for your garden
~Join the Hoke County Junior Master Gardeners
~Start your own small organic farm… And Much More!
Presented by: The Hoke County Center of the North Carolina Cooperative Extension
For More information, call 910-875-3461 or e-mail Mary Hollingsworth at mary_hollingsworth@ncsu.edu
~ Proceeds will benefit Hoke County Cooperative Extension programming and the Hoke County Junior Master Gardeners ~
10/23/2008
Telemarketer Over the Edge
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/23/opinion/23collins.html?_r=1&ei=5070&emc=eta1&oref=slogin
10/22/2008
$3 Million to Re-elect Elizabeth Dole
http://www.kayhagan.com/action/buyingherseat
[Dole has been ineffective in office, has been rubberstamping Bush policies, is now having to 'buy' her seat.
Elect Kay Hagan, endorsed by Democrats, conservationists, educators. And vote early!]
[Dole has been ineffective in office, has been rubberstamping Bush policies, is now having to 'buy' her seat.
Elect Kay Hagan, endorsed by Democrats, conservationists, educators. And vote early!]
10/21/2008
Long-Range Planning, Sou. Pines, Oct 21
INAUGURAL MEETING
TOWN OF SOUTHERN PINES
LONG-RANGE PLANNING ADVISORY COMMITTEE
TUESDAY, OCT 21 AT 5:30 - 7:30 PM
NEW CITIZEN DROP-IN CENTER
161 E. NEW HAMPSHIRE AVENUE
DOWNTOWN SOUTHERN PINES
small store front just up from Corfu Restaurant)
DROP-IN CENTER GRAND OPENING 7:30 - 9:30 PM
TOWN OF SOUTHERN PINES
LONG-RANGE PLANNING ADVISORY COMMITTEE
TUESDAY, OCT 21 AT 5:30 - 7:30 PM
NEW CITIZEN DROP-IN CENTER
161 E. NEW HAMPSHIRE AVENUE
DOWNTOWN SOUTHERN PINES
small store front just up from Corfu Restaurant)
DROP-IN CENTER GRAND OPENING 7:30 - 9:30 PM
Joes, the Plumbers
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/20/opinion/20krugman.html?_r=1&ei=5070&emc=eta1&oref=slogin
10/20/2008
10/19/2008
10/18/2008
10/17/2008
It's Already Stolen
ROLLING STONE: IT'S ALREADY STOLEN
Investigation by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Greg Palast released today
Don’t worry about Mickey Mouse or ACORN stealing the election. According to an investigative report out today in Rolling Stone magazine, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Greg Palast, after a year-long investigation, reveal a systematic program of "GOP vote tampering" on a massive scale.
- Republican Secretaries of State of swing-state Colorado have quietly purged one in six names from their voter rolls.
Over several months, the GOP politicos in Colorado stonewalled every attempt by Rolling Stone to get an answer to the massive purge - ten times the average state's rate of removal.
- While Obama dreams of riding to the White House on a wave of new voters, more then 2.7 million have had their registrations REJECTED under new procedures signed into law by George Bush.
Kennedy, a voting rights lawyer, charges this is a resurgence of 'Jim Crow' tactics to wrongly block Black and Hispanic voters.
- A fired US prosecutor levels new charges - accusing leaders of his own party, Republicans, with criminal acts in an attempt to block legal voters as "fraudulent."
- Digging through government records, the Kennedy-Palast team discovered that, in 2004, a GOP scheme called "caging” ultimately took away the rights of 1.1 million voters. The Rolling Stone duo predict that, this November 4, it will be far worse.
There's more:
- Since the last presidential race, "States used dubious 'list management' rules to scrub at least 10 million voters from their rolls."
Among those was Paul Maez of Las Vegas, New Mexico - a victim of an unreported but devastating purge of voters in that state that left as many as one in nine Democrats without a vote. For Maez, the state's purging his registration was particularly shocking - he's the county elections supervisor.
The Kennedy-Palast revelations go far beyond the sum of questionably purged voters recently reported by the New York Times.
"Republican operatives - the party's elite commandos of bare-knuckle politics," report Kennedy and Palast, under the cover of fighting fraudulent voting, are "systematically disenfranchis[ing] Democrats."
The investigators level a deadly serious charge:
"If Democrats are to win the 2008 election, they must not simply beat McCain at the polls - they must beat him by a margin that exceeds the level of GOP vote tampering."
Block the Vote by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. & Greg Palast in the current issue (#1064) of Rolling Stone. [Media enquiries - Dave Falkenstein, Sunshine Sachs & Assoc, via interviews@gregpalast.com.]
Note - Kennedy and Palast are releasing, simultaneously with the Rolling Stone investigative report what they call, the vote-theft 'antidote': a 24-page full-color comic book, Steal Back Your Vote, which can be downloaded or obtained in print from their non-partisan website, StealBackYourVote.org
For updates and video reports, go to RollingStone.com, www.GregPalast.com and StealBackYourVote.org.
Investigation by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Greg Palast released today
Don’t worry about Mickey Mouse or ACORN stealing the election. According to an investigative report out today in Rolling Stone magazine, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Greg Palast, after a year-long investigation, reveal a systematic program of "GOP vote tampering" on a massive scale.
- Republican Secretaries of State of swing-state Colorado have quietly purged one in six names from their voter rolls.
Over several months, the GOP politicos in Colorado stonewalled every attempt by Rolling Stone to get an answer to the massive purge - ten times the average state's rate of removal.
- While Obama dreams of riding to the White House on a wave of new voters, more then 2.7 million have had their registrations REJECTED under new procedures signed into law by George Bush.
Kennedy, a voting rights lawyer, charges this is a resurgence of 'Jim Crow' tactics to wrongly block Black and Hispanic voters.
- A fired US prosecutor levels new charges - accusing leaders of his own party, Republicans, with criminal acts in an attempt to block legal voters as "fraudulent."
- Digging through government records, the Kennedy-Palast team discovered that, in 2004, a GOP scheme called "caging” ultimately took away the rights of 1.1 million voters. The Rolling Stone duo predict that, this November 4, it will be far worse.
There's more:
- Since the last presidential race, "States used dubious 'list management' rules to scrub at least 10 million voters from their rolls."
Among those was Paul Maez of Las Vegas, New Mexico - a victim of an unreported but devastating purge of voters in that state that left as many as one in nine Democrats without a vote. For Maez, the state's purging his registration was particularly shocking - he's the county elections supervisor.
The Kennedy-Palast revelations go far beyond the sum of questionably purged voters recently reported by the New York Times.
"Republican operatives - the party's elite commandos of bare-knuckle politics," report Kennedy and Palast, under the cover of fighting fraudulent voting, are "systematically disenfranchis[ing] Democrats."
The investigators level a deadly serious charge:
"If Democrats are to win the 2008 election, they must not simply beat McCain at the polls - they must beat him by a margin that exceeds the level of GOP vote tampering."
Block the Vote by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. & Greg Palast in the current issue (#1064) of Rolling Stone. [Media enquiries - Dave Falkenstein, Sunshine Sachs & Assoc, via interviews@gregpalast.com.]
Note - Kennedy and Palast are releasing, simultaneously with the Rolling Stone investigative report what they call, the vote-theft 'antidote': a 24-page full-color comic book, Steal Back Your Vote, which can be downloaded or obtained in print from their non-partisan website, StealBackYourVote.org
For updates and video reports, go to RollingStone.com, www.GregPalast.com and StealBackYourVote.org.
10/16/2008
Workshop, Raising Backyard Chickens, Oct. 27
October 27, 2008: Raising Backyard Chickens 101 Workshop from 6:00–9:00 pm at the Archdale Center of Randolph Community College. Sponsored by North Carolina State University and Cooperative Extension. Information taught in this class will be applicable to those who are interested in raising pastured poultry.
Call 336-862-7980 for more information.
There is no charge for this class.
Call 336-862-7980 for more information.
There is no charge for this class.
10/15/2008
10/14/2008
Former McCain Supporter
http://www.democracynow.org/2008/10/13/former_mccain_supporter_accuses_the_senator
10/13/2008
Public Hearing, Air Pollution Deregulation, Oct. 28
NC Environmental Management Commission Public Hearing
October 28, 2008 7:00 PM
NC Division of Air Quality
Parker-Lincoln Building, Room AQ-526
2728 Capital Blvd.
Raleigh, NC 27604
AIR POLLUTION DEREGULATION: A GIANT STEP BACKWARD
We the people have a growing understanding of the dangers of deregulation—irresponsible, negligent deregulation. Now here comes the North Carolina Division of Air Quality with a proposal to deregulate more than 1,400 big air pollution sources. And they are using sleight-of-hand tricks to mask the harm.
On Tuesday October 28th in Raleigh the NC Environmental Management Commission will hear comments on this proposal to gut the health-based standards which have been in effect for decades. If adopted, the exemption would remove forever the requirement that industrial boilers limit air poisons at the property boundary. These boilers include coal-fired power plants, asphalt plants, paper mills and more. The poisons which these plants would never have to limit include arsenic, benzene, formaldehyde, hydrogen sulfide and more than a hundred others.
DAQ has added insult to potential injury by justifying the boiler exemption with a large human exposure study. The fatal flaw in the study is the use of an EPA computer model which measures inhalation only. For nearly twenty years the hardworking Science Advisory Board has conducted detailed analyses of air poisons to create the existing toxic air pollutant rules. The SAB sets specific limits for each toxin based on human exposure through every pollution pathway: water, soil and ingestion as well as inhalation. Toxic compounds deposited on soil, plants and water may be metabolized by microorganisms and ingested by fish, other animals and humans. Fat-soluble bio-accumulative substances concentrate in dairy products.
I repeat: the Human Exposure Model estimates risk from inhalation only. It cannot capture the health risks posed by, for example, formaldehyde, which is water soluble. The HEM under-reports the health impacts of dioxin—the world’s most dangerous poison. People living near smokestacks must be protected from the ingestion of dioxin.
The state’s study tells only a piece of the truth, the effect of which is a lie. The lie is that these industrial boilers are safe.
The question is obvious: why would anyone propose this exemption at all? The answer is also obvious: coal plants, asphalt plants, paper mills and others cannot now meet the pollution limits. We say if they can not meet these health-protective standards, the companies need to add pollution controls.
Moreover, the DAQ’s cost-benefit analysis which underlies the economic hardship loophole fails to take into account the costs to families of emergency room visits, missed work and school, health insurance, medicines and equipment, and chronic conditions.
We community organizers know that the people must lead. League members and concerned North Carolinians are going to Raleigh on October 28th to stand up for health-protective pollution limits and to say No to this dangerous deregulation.
Janet Marsh
Executive Director, Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League
BREDL@skybest.com
The NC DAQ is located at Exit 11 on I-440, the Raleigh Beltline.
Complete directions are posted at
http://daq.state.nc.us/motor/ms_grants/direct.shtml
October 28, 2008 7:00 PM
NC Division of Air Quality
Parker-Lincoln Building, Room AQ-526
2728 Capital Blvd.
Raleigh, NC 27604
AIR POLLUTION DEREGULATION: A GIANT STEP BACKWARD
We the people have a growing understanding of the dangers of deregulation—irresponsible, negligent deregulation. Now here comes the North Carolina Division of Air Quality with a proposal to deregulate more than 1,400 big air pollution sources. And they are using sleight-of-hand tricks to mask the harm.
On Tuesday October 28th in Raleigh the NC Environmental Management Commission will hear comments on this proposal to gut the health-based standards which have been in effect for decades. If adopted, the exemption would remove forever the requirement that industrial boilers limit air poisons at the property boundary. These boilers include coal-fired power plants, asphalt plants, paper mills and more. The poisons which these plants would never have to limit include arsenic, benzene, formaldehyde, hydrogen sulfide and more than a hundred others.
DAQ has added insult to potential injury by justifying the boiler exemption with a large human exposure study. The fatal flaw in the study is the use of an EPA computer model which measures inhalation only. For nearly twenty years the hardworking Science Advisory Board has conducted detailed analyses of air poisons to create the existing toxic air pollutant rules. The SAB sets specific limits for each toxin based on human exposure through every pollution pathway: water, soil and ingestion as well as inhalation. Toxic compounds deposited on soil, plants and water may be metabolized by microorganisms and ingested by fish, other animals and humans. Fat-soluble bio-accumulative substances concentrate in dairy products.
I repeat: the Human Exposure Model estimates risk from inhalation only. It cannot capture the health risks posed by, for example, formaldehyde, which is water soluble. The HEM under-reports the health impacts of dioxin—the world’s most dangerous poison. People living near smokestacks must be protected from the ingestion of dioxin.
The state’s study tells only a piece of the truth, the effect of which is a lie. The lie is that these industrial boilers are safe.
The question is obvious: why would anyone propose this exemption at all? The answer is also obvious: coal plants, asphalt plants, paper mills and others cannot now meet the pollution limits. We say if they can not meet these health-protective standards, the companies need to add pollution controls.
Moreover, the DAQ’s cost-benefit analysis which underlies the economic hardship loophole fails to take into account the costs to families of emergency room visits, missed work and school, health insurance, medicines and equipment, and chronic conditions.
We community organizers know that the people must lead. League members and concerned North Carolinians are going to Raleigh on October 28th to stand up for health-protective pollution limits and to say No to this dangerous deregulation.
Janet Marsh
Executive Director, Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League
BREDL@skybest.com
The NC DAQ is located at Exit 11 on I-440, the Raleigh Beltline.
Complete directions are posted at
http://daq.state.nc.us/motor/ms_grants/direct.shtml
10/10/2008
10/08/2008
Carbon Free, Nuclear Free, Oct. 22
NC WARN presents: Carbon Free and Nuclear Free
Protecting our climate and economy with renewable energy, with Dr. Arjun Makhijani
Wednesday, October 22, 7:30 pm. Community United Church of Christ, Raleigh (Cnr. of Dixie Trail & Wade Ave.)
Free admission
Dr. Makhijani, a leading voice on U.S. energy issues since the 1970s, has laid out a Roadmap for solving the climate & energy crises in a technically and economically viable manner.
“The necessity for drastic action to reduce CO2 emissions is now widely recognized … A zero-CO2 U.S. economy without nuclear power is not only achievable – it is necessary for environmental protection and security … Complete elimination of CO2 and of nuclear power could occur as early as 2040.”
From Carbon-Free and Nuclear-Free: A Roadmap for U.S. Energy Policy by Arjun Makhijani.
“[Arjun’s] Roadmap could liberate us from an energy policy that is trashing our climate and our mountaintops." S. David Freeman, former Chairman, Tennessee Valley Authority
“Arjun has produced … an urgent action plan to move the Earth in a dignified way out of intensive care.” Dr. Helen Caldicott, Founding President, Nuclear Policy Institute
Download or purchase the book, Carbon-Free and Nuclear-Free at www.ieer.org
NC WARN
N.C. Waste Awareness & Reduction Network
P.O. Box 61051
Durham, NC 27715-1051
919-416-5077
email: ncwarn@ncwarn.org
www.ncwarn.org
Protecting our climate and economy with renewable energy, with Dr. Arjun Makhijani
Wednesday, October 22, 7:30 pm. Community United Church of Christ, Raleigh (Cnr. of Dixie Trail & Wade Ave.)
Free admission
Dr. Makhijani, a leading voice on U.S. energy issues since the 1970s, has laid out a Roadmap for solving the climate & energy crises in a technically and economically viable manner.
“The necessity for drastic action to reduce CO2 emissions is now widely recognized … A zero-CO2 U.S. economy without nuclear power is not only achievable – it is necessary for environmental protection and security … Complete elimination of CO2 and of nuclear power could occur as early as 2040.”
From Carbon-Free and Nuclear-Free: A Roadmap for U.S. Energy Policy by Arjun Makhijani.
“[Arjun’s] Roadmap could liberate us from an energy policy that is trashing our climate and our mountaintops." S. David Freeman, former Chairman, Tennessee Valley Authority
“Arjun has produced … an urgent action plan to move the Earth in a dignified way out of intensive care.” Dr. Helen Caldicott, Founding President, Nuclear Policy Institute
Download or purchase the book, Carbon-Free and Nuclear-Free at www.ieer.org
NC WARN
N.C. Waste Awareness & Reduction Network
P.O. Box 61051
Durham, NC 27715-1051
919-416-5077
email: ncwarn@ncwarn.org
www.ncwarn.org
10/06/2008
Fire Ant Management, Oct. 15
NC Cooperative Extension in Chatham County will offer a program on fire ant management on Wednesday, October 15, 2008. There is no charge for the program that begins at 7:00 p.m. in the Agriculture Building in downtown Pittsboro. Participants are required to call 919.542.8202 to pre-register for limited seating no later than October 13, 2008. Extension Agents Al Cooke and Sam Groce will conduct the program. Cooke reports that calls have been coming in from "all over the county" about how to control fire ants. He emphasizes that many available products can be used to manage fire ants, "but how those products are used is more important." Neither Cooke nor Groce will promise that you will eliminate fire ants. Their presentation will focus on understanding the life within a fire ant mound and using the ants' habits to our advantage. They will present strategies recognized as effective for dealing with fire ant mounds along with their advantages and disadvantages. As a livestock Agent, Groce points out that there are very few products that can be used in pastures or forage crops. "This is both a safety and a legal issue. It is a violation of Federal law to use pesticides in a location not specified on the label." Both Agents agree that fall is an excellent time for treating fire ant mounds. "Ants are actively foraging in the fall. If we can reduce the numbers now, there may be fewer queens mating and establishing new mounds next year." Pesticide Recertification credit has been approved for 2 hours credit in the categories of G, H, I, K, L, N, O, D, X. The credits for this class will be awarded for the year 2009 on your license. The program is appropriate for both professionals and non-professionals. Seating will be limited for the program. Participants are required to call 919.542.8202 or e-mail jane_tripp@ncsu.edu to pre-register no later than October 13, 2008.
Debbie Roos
Agriculture Agent
Chatham County Center
N.C. Cooperative Extension
919.542.8202
Debbie_Roos@ncsu.eduwww.growingsmallfarms.org
Debbie Roos
Agriculture Agent
Chatham County Center
N.C. Cooperative Extension
919.542.8202
Debbie_Roos@ncsu.eduwww.growingsmallfarms.org
Dem Women, Moore County, Oct. 11
The Democratic Women of Moore County will be meeting this Saturday, Oct.11 at 10 AM at Democratic Headquarters in Carthage. Dr. Susan Purser, Superintendent of Moore County Schools will be the speaker, her talk, "How do we measure success in our schools," an examination of No Child Left Behind and standardized testing. Meeting is open to the public and anyone interested is welcome to attend. For more info call Democratic Headquarters at 947-1933.
Nine women from the Democratic Women of Moore County recently attended the DWNC state convention in Greensboro last month. At the convention the DWMC received second place for the Betty Ray McCain Communications Award which was presented to Mindy Fineman and Ann Langford for outstanding achievement in creatively communicating the Democratic message to its members and to the community at large. The DWMC also received the Power of 10 Membership Challenge Award. Bobbi Burrell, past president of the DWMC was presented the "STAR" award at the conference.
Nine women from the Democratic Women of Moore County recently attended the DWNC state convention in Greensboro last month. At the convention the DWMC received second place for the Betty Ray McCain Communications Award which was presented to Mindy Fineman and Ann Langford for outstanding achievement in creatively communicating the Democratic message to its members and to the community at large. The DWMC also received the Power of 10 Membership Challenge Award. Bobbi Burrell, past president of the DWMC was presented the "STAR" award at the conference.
10/05/2008
10/04/2008
Community Food Systems, CCCC
Building Community Food Systems – NEW This Fall!
Looking for a way to get involved? The goal of this course is to empower and support consumers and agriculture workers in understanding and developing local food systems; including funding and organizational development of project initiatives; policy and politics which facilitate or impede progress and the practical application of these tools in local projects. Monday, 10/6/08 to 11/24/08, 6 to 8:30 pm, Weekend field trip TBD. Tes Thraves, $56.25
Call 919-542-6495 ext 223 - Chatham County Community College, Pittsboro
Looking for a way to get involved? The goal of this course is to empower and support consumers and agriculture workers in understanding and developing local food systems; including funding and organizational development of project initiatives; policy and politics which facilitate or impede progress and the practical application of these tools in local projects. Monday, 10/6/08 to 11/24/08, 6 to 8:30 pm, Weekend field trip TBD. Tes Thraves, $56.25
Call 919-542-6495 ext 223 - Chatham County Community College, Pittsboro
Drum Circle, Sou. Pines, Oct. 10
Flynne's Coffee Bar, downtown Southern Pines, 7-9 p.m.
Bring your own drum, tambourine or other percussive instrument or borrow one when you get there. No experience necessary.
Bring your own drum, tambourine or other percussive instrument or borrow one when you get there. No experience necessary.
10/02/2008
Pet Food Recall
[many of these brands are at WalMart]
NEW YORK, September 13, 2008 - The ASPCA® (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals®) today advised pet owners to discontinue using certain dog and cat foods manufactured by Mars Petcare US, which has voluntarily issued a nationwide recall because of potential contamination with Salmonella serotype Schwarzengrund.
This voluntary recall only affects several brands of dry pet foods in the United States including Pedigree, Special Kitty, Paws & Claws, Natural Dog Food, Red Flannel, Country Acres, Buju & Ziggie, Member's Mark, Natural Cat Food, Retriever, Bruiser, Doggy Bag, PMI Nutrition, and Pet Pride. For a complete list of affected brands and more information on the recall, please visit http://www.petcare.mars.com/.
NEW YORK, September 13, 2008 - The ASPCA® (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals®) today advised pet owners to discontinue using certain dog and cat foods manufactured by Mars Petcare US, which has voluntarily issued a nationwide recall because of potential contamination with Salmonella serotype Schwarzengrund.
This voluntary recall only affects several brands of dry pet foods in the United States including Pedigree, Special Kitty, Paws & Claws, Natural Dog Food, Red Flannel, Country Acres, Buju & Ziggie, Member's Mark, Natural Cat Food, Retriever, Bruiser, Doggy Bag, PMI Nutrition, and Pet Pride. For a complete list of affected brands and more information on the recall, please visit http://www.petcare.mars.com/.
10/01/2008
First Jornalist to Win Alternative Nobel
AMY GOODMAN, HOST OF DEMOCRACY NOW!, FIRST JOURNALIST TO WIN "ALTERNATIVE NOBEL" New York City, NY
– Award-winning journalist and host of Democracy Now! Amy Goodman is the first journalist to receive the Right Livelihood Award, widely recognized as the world's premier award for personal courage and social transformation. The annual prize, also known as the Alternative Nobel, will be awarded in the Swedish Parliament on December 8, 2008.
The Right Livelihood Award was established in 1980 to honor and support those "offering practical and exemplary answers to the most urgent challenges facing us today". Goodman has been selected for “developing an innovative model of truly independent grassroots political journalism that brings to millions of people the alternative voices that are often excluded by the mainstream media.”
Pioneering the largest public media collaboration in the country, Democracy Now! is a daily grassroots, global TV/radio/internet news hour airing on more than 750 public radio and television stations and at http://www.democracynow.org.
Goodman said, “I am deeply honored that grassroots, independent journalism and the hard work of my colleagues at Democracy Now! are being recognized in these critical times. I strongly believe that media can be a force for peace. It is the responsibility of journalists to give voice to those who have been forgotten, forsaken and beaten down by the powerful. It is the best reason I know to carry our pens, cameras and microphones out into the world. The media should be a sanctuary for dissent. It is our job to go to where the silence is.”
Goodman and two Democracy Now! producers were arrested last month at the Republican National Convention while reporting on street demonstrations. Charges were dropped after widespread public outcry. The video of Goodman's arrest was among the most watched YouTube video's during the convention week. It has now been viewed over 860,000 times.
Amy Goodman writes a weekly syndicated column with King Features which runs in major newspapers throughout North and South America. She is co-author with her brother, journalist David Goodman, of three New York Times bestsellers: Standing Up To the Madness: Ordinary Heroes in Extraordinary Times; Static: Government Liars, Media Cheerleaders, and the People Who Fight Back; and The Exception to the Rulers: Exposing Oily Politicians, War Profiteers, and the Media That Love Them.
Goodman’s reporting on East Timor and Nigeria won the George Polk Award, the Robert F. Kennedy Prize for International Reporting, and the Alfred I. DuPont-Columbia Award.
Her other awards include the first ever Communication for Peace Award presented by the World Association of Christian Communication, the Puffin/Nation Institute Award for Creative Citizenship, The Paley Center for Media “She Made It” Award, and the Gracie Award for American Women in Radio and Television Public Broadcasting. Goodman has also received awards from the Associated Press, United Press International, and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
Goodman shares the 2008 Right Livelihood Award with Krishnammal and Sankaralingam Jagannathan of India, and their organisation, Land for the Tillers’ Freedom, for their work dedicated to realising in practice the Gandhian vision of social justice and sustainable human development; Asha Hagi of Somalia “for continuing to lead at great personal risk the female participation in the peace and reconciliation process in her war-ravaged country.”; and Monika Hauser of Germany, gynaecologist and founder of medica mondiale, “for her tireless commitment to working with women who have experienced the most horrific sexualised violence in some of the most dangerous countries in the world, and campaigning for them to receive social recognition and compensation.”
For more information about the 2008 Right Livelihood Award, please visit http://www.rightlivelihood.org.
– Award-winning journalist and host of Democracy Now! Amy Goodman is the first journalist to receive the Right Livelihood Award, widely recognized as the world's premier award for personal courage and social transformation. The annual prize, also known as the Alternative Nobel, will be awarded in the Swedish Parliament on December 8, 2008.
The Right Livelihood Award was established in 1980 to honor and support those "offering practical and exemplary answers to the most urgent challenges facing us today". Goodman has been selected for “developing an innovative model of truly independent grassroots political journalism that brings to millions of people the alternative voices that are often excluded by the mainstream media.”
Pioneering the largest public media collaboration in the country, Democracy Now! is a daily grassroots, global TV/radio/internet news hour airing on more than 750 public radio and television stations and at http://www.democracynow.org.
Goodman said, “I am deeply honored that grassroots, independent journalism and the hard work of my colleagues at Democracy Now! are being recognized in these critical times. I strongly believe that media can be a force for peace. It is the responsibility of journalists to give voice to those who have been forgotten, forsaken and beaten down by the powerful. It is the best reason I know to carry our pens, cameras and microphones out into the world. The media should be a sanctuary for dissent. It is our job to go to where the silence is.”
Goodman and two Democracy Now! producers were arrested last month at the Republican National Convention while reporting on street demonstrations. Charges were dropped after widespread public outcry. The video of Goodman's arrest was among the most watched YouTube video's during the convention week. It has now been viewed over 860,000 times.
Amy Goodman writes a weekly syndicated column with King Features which runs in major newspapers throughout North and South America. She is co-author with her brother, journalist David Goodman, of three New York Times bestsellers: Standing Up To the Madness: Ordinary Heroes in Extraordinary Times; Static: Government Liars, Media Cheerleaders, and the People Who Fight Back; and The Exception to the Rulers: Exposing Oily Politicians, War Profiteers, and the Media That Love Them.
Goodman’s reporting on East Timor and Nigeria won the George Polk Award, the Robert F. Kennedy Prize for International Reporting, and the Alfred I. DuPont-Columbia Award.
Her other awards include the first ever Communication for Peace Award presented by the World Association of Christian Communication, the Puffin/Nation Institute Award for Creative Citizenship, The Paley Center for Media “She Made It” Award, and the Gracie Award for American Women in Radio and Television Public Broadcasting. Goodman has also received awards from the Associated Press, United Press International, and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
Goodman shares the 2008 Right Livelihood Award with Krishnammal and Sankaralingam Jagannathan of India, and their organisation, Land for the Tillers’ Freedom, for their work dedicated to realising in practice the Gandhian vision of social justice and sustainable human development; Asha Hagi of Somalia “for continuing to lead at great personal risk the female participation in the peace and reconciliation process in her war-ravaged country.”; and Monika Hauser of Germany, gynaecologist and founder of medica mondiale, “for her tireless commitment to working with women who have experienced the most horrific sexualised violence in some of the most dangerous countries in the world, and campaigning for them to receive social recognition and compensation.”
For more information about the 2008 Right Livelihood Award, please visit http://www.rightlivelihood.org.
Wide-spread Acts of Civil Disobedience
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/oct/01/climatechange.scienceofclimatechange
Form Designed to Tell Them Off
http://www.acmeclimateaction.com/files/ACME_watch_business_letter.pdf
Please Help Local Coalition for Human Care
If you can help in the ways mentioned below or know of others who can, please pass this along. The Southern Pines United Methodist food pantry the gives out food every Monday morning is also in need of persons who might be willing to help on a weekly or monthly basis. Feel free to contact me or the church if you can help.
Best regards,
Gail Scott 692-3054
Dear Friends of the Coalition,
Thanks to your commitment and support of the Coalition, forty-seven families received help at the Coalition yesterday. This is not an all time record but it is a record for September 30th!
The Coalition served 611 families this September and 412 families
in September of 07. As you know, the need is great.
Our wonderful volunteers worked so hard, on their feet, assisting
clients until almost 2 pm.
Please help us spread the word that the Coalition is in dire need of Food, Clothes, Funds and Volunteers!
Thank you very much for all that you do for the Coalition and for our neighbors in Moore County who struggle to have the most basic
of human needs. You are so kind.
Caroline Eddy, Executive Director
Sandhills/Moore Coalition for Human Care
1500 W. Indiana Ave.
Southern Pines, NC 28387
910-693-1600 fax 910-693-1051
coalition@pinehurst.net
Best regards,
Gail Scott 692-3054
Dear Friends of the Coalition,
Thanks to your commitment and support of the Coalition, forty-seven families received help at the Coalition yesterday. This is not an all time record but it is a record for September 30th!
The Coalition served 611 families this September and 412 families
in September of 07. As you know, the need is great.
Our wonderful volunteers worked so hard, on their feet, assisting
clients until almost 2 pm.
Please help us spread the word that the Coalition is in dire need of Food, Clothes, Funds and Volunteers!
Thank you very much for all that you do for the Coalition and for our neighbors in Moore County who struggle to have the most basic
of human needs. You are so kind.
Caroline Eddy, Executive Director
Sandhills/Moore Coalition for Human Care
1500 W. Indiana Ave.
Southern Pines, NC 28387
910-693-1600 fax 910-693-1051
coalition@pinehurst.net
9/30/2008
Will McCain Learn Anything?
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/30/opinion/30herbert.html?ei=5070&emc=eta1
Revolt of the Nihilists
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/30/opinion/30brooks.html?_r=1&ei=5070&emc=eta1&oref=slogin
9/29/2008
9/28/2008
9/27/2008
Nobel Laureates in Science Endorse Obama
61 Nobel Laureates in Science Endorse Obama
A group of 61 Nobel Laureates has gotten together to endorse Barack Obama for President. Their letter and the signatories are below. This is the largest number of Nobel Laureates to ever endorse a candidate for office.
An Open Letter to the American People
September 25, 2008
This year's presidential election is among the most significant in our nation's history. The country urgently needs a visionary leader who can ensure the future of our traditional strengths in science and technology and who can harness those strengths to address many of our greatest problems: energy, disease, climate change, security, and economic competitiveness.
We are convinced that Senator Barack Obama is such a leader, and we urge you to join us in supporting him.
During the administration of George W. Bush, vital parts of our country's scientific enterprise have been damaged by stagnant or declining federal support. The government's scientific advisory process has been distorted by political considerations. As a result, our once dominant position in the scientific world has been
shaken and our prosperity has been placed at risk. We have lost time critical for the development of new ways to provide energy, treat disease, reverse climate change, strengthen our security, and improve our economy.
We have watched Senator Obama's approach to these issues with admiration. We especially applaud his emphasis during the campaign on the power of science and technology to enhance our nation's
competitiveness. In particular, we support the measures he plans to take – through new initiatives in education and training, expanded research funding, an unbiased process for obtaining scientific advice, and an appropriate balance of basic and applied research – to meet the nation's and the world's most urgent needs.
Senator Obama understands that Presidential leadership and federal investments in science and technology are crucial elements in successful governance of the world's leading country. We hope you will join us as we work together to ensure his election in November.
Signed,
Alexei Abrikosov Physics 2003
Roger Guillemin Medicine 1977
Peter Agre Chemistry 2003
John L. Hall Physics 2005
Sidney Altman Chemistry 1989
Leland H. Hartwell Medicine 2001
Philip W. Anderson Physics 1977
Dudley Herschbach Chemistry 1986
Richard Axel Medicine 2004
Roald Hoffmann Chemistry 1981
David Baltimore Medicine 1975
H. Robert Horvitz Medicine 2002
Baruj Benacerraf Medicine 1980
Louis Ignarro Medicine 1998
Paul Berg Chemistry 1980
Eric R. Kandel Medicine 2000
J. Michael Bishop Medicine 1989
Walter Kohn Chemistry 1998
N. Bloembergen Physics 1981
Roger Kornberg Chemistry 2006
A group of 61 Nobel Laureates has gotten together to endorse Barack Obama for President. Their letter and the signatories are below. This is the largest number of Nobel Laureates to ever endorse a candidate for office.
An Open Letter to the American People
September 25, 2008
This year's presidential election is among the most significant in our nation's history. The country urgently needs a visionary leader who can ensure the future of our traditional strengths in science and technology and who can harness those strengths to address many of our greatest problems: energy, disease, climate change, security, and economic competitiveness.
We are convinced that Senator Barack Obama is such a leader, and we urge you to join us in supporting him.
During the administration of George W. Bush, vital parts of our country's scientific enterprise have been damaged by stagnant or declining federal support. The government's scientific advisory process has been distorted by political considerations. As a result, our once dominant position in the scientific world has been
shaken and our prosperity has been placed at risk. We have lost time critical for the development of new ways to provide energy, treat disease, reverse climate change, strengthen our security, and improve our economy.
We have watched Senator Obama's approach to these issues with admiration. We especially applaud his emphasis during the campaign on the power of science and technology to enhance our nation's
competitiveness. In particular, we support the measures he plans to take – through new initiatives in education and training, expanded research funding, an unbiased process for obtaining scientific advice, and an appropriate balance of basic and applied research – to meet the nation's and the world's most urgent needs.
Senator Obama understands that Presidential leadership and federal investments in science and technology are crucial elements in successful governance of the world's leading country. We hope you will join us as we work together to ensure his election in November.
Signed,
Alexei Abrikosov Physics 2003
Roger Guillemin Medicine 1977
Peter Agre Chemistry 2003
John L. Hall Physics 2005
Sidney Altman Chemistry 1989
Leland H. Hartwell Medicine 2001
Philip W. Anderson Physics 1977
Dudley Herschbach Chemistry 1986
Richard Axel Medicine 2004
Roald Hoffmann Chemistry 1981
David Baltimore Medicine 1975
H. Robert Horvitz Medicine 2002
Baruj Benacerraf Medicine 1980
Louis Ignarro Medicine 1998
Paul Berg Chemistry 1980
Eric R. Kandel Medicine 2000
J. Michael Bishop Medicine 1989
Walter Kohn Chemistry 1998
N. Bloembergen Physics 1981
Roger Kornberg Chemistry 2006
9/26/2008
9/19/2008
Food--From Bad to Worse
Local food?
Grow your own chickens, anyone? Consumers Union: FDA Will Not Require Labeling of Genetically Engineered Animals That Are Sold As Food
http://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2008/09/18-15
PS Read the comments too.
Grow your own chickens, anyone? Consumers Union: FDA Will Not Require Labeling of Genetically Engineered Animals That Are Sold As Food
http://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2008/09/18-15
PS Read the comments too.
Blocking the Black Vote
Lost Homes, Lost Votes: Are Republicans Trying to Block Foreclosed Homeowners from Voting in Michigan? * The Democratic National Committee and the Obama campaign have filed a federal lawsuit to block a controversial voter suppression tactic in Michigan. The Michigan Messenger reported this week that the chairman of the Republican Party in Macomb County is planning to use a list of foreclosed homes to block people from voting in the upcoming election as part of a Republican effort to challenge some voters on Election Day. Listen/Watch/Read
www.democracynow.org/2008/9/18/lost_homes_lost_votes_are_republicans
Historic 2008 Election Could See Unprecedented Attempts to Bar African American Voters * As we continue on the subject of voter suppression and race, we turn to Queens College political science professor and bestselling author Andrew Hacker. In the latest issue of the New York Review of Books, Hacker writes, "Obstacles to getting blacks to vote have always been formidable, but this year there will be barriers—some new, some long-standing—that previous campaigns have not had to face." Listen/Watch/Read
www.democracynow.org/2008/9/18/historic_2008_election_could_see
www.democracynow.org/2008/9/18/lost_homes_lost_votes_are_republicans
Historic 2008 Election Could See Unprecedented Attempts to Bar African American Voters * As we continue on the subject of voter suppression and race, we turn to Queens College political science professor and bestselling author Andrew Hacker. In the latest issue of the New York Review of Books, Hacker writes, "Obstacles to getting blacks to vote have always been formidable, but this year there will be barriers—some new, some long-standing—that previous campaigns have not had to face." Listen/Watch/Read
www.democracynow.org/2008/9/18/historic_2008_election_could_see
9/15/2008
Lehman, Global Finances
Lehman Bros files for bankruptcy
Top US investment bank Lehman Brothers files for bankruptcy protection, in a move that is rocking global financial markets.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/-/2/hi/business/7615931.stm
Top US investment bank Lehman Brothers files for bankruptcy protection, in a move that is rocking global financial markets.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/-/2/hi/business/7615931.stm
9/14/2008
From Democratic Women of Moore County
This Thursday, Sept. 18 @ 7:30 PM at Owens Auditorium of Sandhills Community College, the upcoming Ruth Pauley Lecture
Topic: “Embedded in Iraq” panel discussion with reporters from 4 local newspapers ( Charlotte, Fayettville, Raleigh and the Pilot) The lectures are free to the public and a reception follows.
Monday, Oct. 13 @ 10:30 AM – Candidates Forum: Betty Mangum, Democrat and Jamie Boles, Republican, running for NC House representing Moore County. This event is being sponsored by NARFE (National Active & Retired Federal Employees), Their membership is primarily republican, so Betty needs our support - please try to attend. It will be held at the Community Congregational Church, 141 N. Bennett St. (Corner of Bennett and New Hampshire), Southern Pines.
Thursday, October 16 from 5-7 PM - RALLY FOR CHANGE… with Betty Mangum, Abraham Odeh, Tony Berk, and Jim Wimsatt representing Barak Obama. Wine, cheese, & snacks will be served, at Watts Auman Farm on Hwy 73, West End (Peach Farm), Sponsored by the Seven Lakes and West End Area Democratic Precincts. Everyone welcomed. Questions: contact Bill and Jean Schmidt at billschmidt@nc.rr.com
Topic: “Embedded in Iraq” panel discussion with reporters from 4 local newspapers ( Charlotte, Fayettville, Raleigh and the Pilot) The lectures are free to the public and a reception follows.
Monday, Oct. 13 @ 10:30 AM – Candidates Forum: Betty Mangum, Democrat and Jamie Boles, Republican, running for NC House representing Moore County. This event is being sponsored by NARFE (National Active & Retired Federal Employees), Their membership is primarily republican, so Betty needs our support - please try to attend. It will be held at the Community Congregational Church, 141 N. Bennett St. (Corner of Bennett and New Hampshire), Southern Pines.
Thursday, October 16 from 5-7 PM - RALLY FOR CHANGE… with Betty Mangum, Abraham Odeh, Tony Berk, and Jim Wimsatt representing Barak Obama. Wine, cheese, & snacks will be served, at Watts Auman Farm on Hwy 73, West End (Peach Farm), Sponsored by the Seven Lakes and West End Area Democratic Precincts. Everyone welcomed. Questions: contact Bill and Jean Schmidt at billschmidt@nc.rr.com
Turmoil in Bolivia
Move to tackle Bolivian turmoil Chile calls an emergency meeting of the Union of South American Nations to help resolve the crisis in Bolivia.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/-/2/hi/americas/7614784.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/-/2/hi/americas/7614784.stm
9/13/2008
Conservation Insider Bulletin, Sept 12
Conservation Council of NC Endorsements: Here it is—CCNC's comprehensive November endorsement slate! Included are 48 N.C. House candidates, 22 N.C. Senate candidates, and three Council of State candidates. The slate includes Republicans and Democrats, incumbents and challengers. Endorsement decisions are made by the CCNC Board of Directors upon recommendation of the Conservation PAC board. Factors taken into account include the voting and leadership record of incumbents, issue questionnaire responses, recommendations from local environmental leaders, and candidates' interest in receiving the CCNC endorsement. Drumroll...the envelope please:
N.C. House:
Alice Underhill, District 3, (D-Craven)
Angela Bryant, District 7, (D-Nash)
Marian McLawhorn District 9, (D-Pitt)
William Wainwright, District 12, (D-Craven)
Barbara Garrity-Blake, District 13, (D-Carteret)
Robert Grady, District 15, (R-Onslow)
Carolyn Justice, District 16, (R-Pender)
Danny McComas, District 19, (R-New Hanover)
Joe Tolson, District 23, (D-Wilson)
Jean Farmer-Butterfield, District 24, (D-Wilson)
Larry Hall, District 29, (D-Durham)
Paul Luebke, District 30, (D-Durham)
Mickey Michaux, District 31, (D-Durham)
Dan Blue, District 33, (D-Wake)
Grier Martin, District 34, (D-Wake)
Jennifer Weiss, District 35, (D-Wake)
Al Swanstrom, District 36, (D-Wake)
Ed Ridpath, District 37, (D-Wake)
Deborah Ross, District 38, (D-Wake)
Linda Coleman, District 39 (D-Wake)
Ty Harrell, District 41, (D-Wake)
Margaret Dickson, District 44, (D-Cumberland)
Rick Glazier, District 45, (D-Cumberland)
Lucy Allen, District 49, (D-Franklin)
Jimmy Love, District 51, (D-Lee)
Joe Hackney, District 54, (D-Orange)
Verla Insko, District 56, (D-Orange)
Pricey Harrison, District 57, (D-Guilford)
Alma Adams, District 58 (D-Guilford)
Maggie Jeffus, District 59, (D-Guilford)
Earl Jones, District 60, (D-Guilford)
Alice Bordsen, District 63, (D-Alamance)
Melanie Goodwin, District 66, (D-Richmond)
Larry Womble, District 71, (D-Forsyth)
Larry Brown, District 73, (R-Forsyth)
Bill McGee, District 75, (R-Forsyth)
Julia Howard, District 79, (R-Iredell)
Jim Harrell, District 90, (D-Alleghany)
Cullie Tarleton, District 93, (D-Watauga)
Tricia Cotham, District 100 (D-Mecklenburg)
Becky Carney, District 102 (D-Mecklenburg)
Ruth Samuelson, District 104 (R-Mecklenburg)
Martha Alexander, District 106 (D-Mecklenburg)
Bob England, District 112, (D-Rutherford)
Susan Fisher, District 114, (D-Buncombe)
Jane Whilden, District 116, (D-Buncombe)
Ray Rapp, District 118, (D-Madison)
Phil Haire, District 119, (D-Jackson)
N.C. Senate:
Marc Basnight, District 1 (D-Dare)
Don Davis, District 5 (D-Greene)
Doug Berger, District 7 (D-Franklin)
Charlie Albertson, District, (D-Duplin)
Neal Hunt, District 15, (R-Wake)
Josh Stein, District 16, (D-Wake)
Bob Atwater, District 18, (D-Chatham)
Tony Rand, District 19, (D-Cumberland)
Ellie Kinnaird, District 23, (D-Orange)
Tony Foriest, District 24, (D-Caswell)
Bill Purcell, District 25, (D-Scotland)
Katie Dorsett, District 28, (D-Guilford)
Linda Garrou, District 32, (D-Forysth)
Stan Bingham, District 33, (D-Davidson)
Fletcher Hartsell, District 36, (D-Cabarrus)
Dan Clodfelter, District 37, (D-Mecklenburg)
Malcolm Graham, District 40, (D-Mecklenburg)
Austin Allran, District 42, (R-Catawba)
Steve Goss, District 45, (D-Watauga)
Joe Sam Queen, District 47, (D-Haywood)
Martin Nesbitt, District 49, (D-Buncombe)
John Snow, District 50, (D-Cherokee)
Council of State:
Beverly Perdue, Governor
Roy Cooper, Attorney General
Janet Cowell, Treasurer
Between now and November, CIB will return to certain key endorsements for more detailed review.
Carter Attacked for Green Stance: CIB has previously noted U.S. Rep. Virginia Foxx's (R-NC5) enthusiasm for the drill-everywhere-now campaign of the OilHeads leading her November ticket. This week, we observe that she is fundraising on the issue with email blasts attacking her opponent (Roy Carter) for his more moderate stance. Foxx rails against the "liberal Democrat Congress" and warns that her opponent is running TV ads against her, saying, "He is a radical environmentalist named Roy Carter who has criticized my support of the "all of the above" energy plan. He is already toeing the liberal Democrat party's line by opposing drilling in America's vast oil resources in Alaska and offshore." Of course, with a sorry 10% rating on the national League of Conservation Voters (LCV) scorecard for all of the last three years, one doesn't have to be out of the American mainstream to qualify as a "radical environmentalist" on the Foxx scale. In fact, we'd worry about a candidate that she doesn't attack on that score.
(CIB Editor's Note: CCNC does not make endorsements in federal contests. Opinions expressed regarding candidates in those races are those of the Editor only, except as noted when reporting endorsements or comments from other parties.)
Coast Watch: Hatteras Settlement Upheld
When is a judicial "consent decree" not a consensus? When one side takes the issue to Congress. Local off-road vehicle fans in Dare County are trying to get Congress to overturn a federal District Court order setting out times and limits on beach driving along the Cape Hatteras National Seashore. Conservationists and the National Park Service (NPS) are defending the order.
This spring, U.S. District Court Judge Terrence Boyle issued an order (by consent agreement of the parties) to restrict beach driving in the national park, in order to protect wildlife that use the beach for nesting. Birds and sea turtles using the beach include several endangered species. The NPS reports that survival rates of one endangered bird are already up.
Disgruntled off-roaders, supported by the Dare County Commission, went to Congress, where U.S. Senators Richard Burr (R-NC) and Elizabeth Dole (R-NC) introduced legislation to dump the limits. This week, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee voted down the bill by the narrowest of margins, 11-12. It was a party-line vote with the Democrats siding with conservationists and wildlife and the Republicans voting against them and for the off-road drivers. (Raleigh News & Observer, 9/11/08.)
CIB suspects that Teddy Roosevelt is spinning in his grave. Dole and Burr should watch out for a night-time visitation from the ghost of the original Rough Rider.
Administrative Watch: Moreau Steps Down at EMC
To the sorrow of many conservationists, long-time N.C. Environmental Management Commission (EMC) chair Dave Moreau announced last week that he intends to step down as commission chair. Moreau was appointed to the post by Gov. Jim Hunt in 1993 and has served in the role since that time through the administrations of Hunt and current Gov. Mike Easley. That's a total of 15 years, including two full six-year terms and the first three years of a third.
In a letter to Easley dated September 2, Moreau indicated that he was available to serve until Easley or his successor named a new chair. Moreau's current term as an EMC member does not expire until 2011. The appointment as chair of the EMC is made separately and lasts at the pleasure of the governor.
Moreau is a scientist and former head of the planning school at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, as well as the N.C. Water Resources Research Institute based at N.C. State University. He has led the EMC through intense controversies over both air and water quality issues, including wetlands rules, nitrogen oxides limits, mercury restrictions, riparian buffer rules, drinking water reservoir cleanup plans, and stormwater management controls. He does not always side with environmental advocates, but is broadly respected among the environmental community for his expertise and open approach.
Molly Diggins, state director of the Sierra Club, called Moreau's retirement the "end of an era".
N.C. House:
Alice Underhill, District 3, (D-Craven)
Angela Bryant, District 7, (D-Nash)
Marian McLawhorn District 9, (D-Pitt)
William Wainwright, District 12, (D-Craven)
Barbara Garrity-Blake, District 13, (D-Carteret)
Robert Grady, District 15, (R-Onslow)
Carolyn Justice, District 16, (R-Pender)
Danny McComas, District 19, (R-New Hanover)
Joe Tolson, District 23, (D-Wilson)
Jean Farmer-Butterfield, District 24, (D-Wilson)
Larry Hall, District 29, (D-Durham)
Paul Luebke, District 30, (D-Durham)
Mickey Michaux, District 31, (D-Durham)
Dan Blue, District 33, (D-Wake)
Grier Martin, District 34, (D-Wake)
Jennifer Weiss, District 35, (D-Wake)
Al Swanstrom, District 36, (D-Wake)
Ed Ridpath, District 37, (D-Wake)
Deborah Ross, District 38, (D-Wake)
Linda Coleman, District 39 (D-Wake)
Ty Harrell, District 41, (D-Wake)
Margaret Dickson, District 44, (D-Cumberland)
Rick Glazier, District 45, (D-Cumberland)
Lucy Allen, District 49, (D-Franklin)
Jimmy Love, District 51, (D-Lee)
Joe Hackney, District 54, (D-Orange)
Verla Insko, District 56, (D-Orange)
Pricey Harrison, District 57, (D-Guilford)
Alma Adams, District 58 (D-Guilford)
Maggie Jeffus, District 59, (D-Guilford)
Earl Jones, District 60, (D-Guilford)
Alice Bordsen, District 63, (D-Alamance)
Melanie Goodwin, District 66, (D-Richmond)
Larry Womble, District 71, (D-Forsyth)
Larry Brown, District 73, (R-Forsyth)
Bill McGee, District 75, (R-Forsyth)
Julia Howard, District 79, (R-Iredell)
Jim Harrell, District 90, (D-Alleghany)
Cullie Tarleton, District 93, (D-Watauga)
Tricia Cotham, District 100 (D-Mecklenburg)
Becky Carney, District 102 (D-Mecklenburg)
Ruth Samuelson, District 104 (R-Mecklenburg)
Martha Alexander, District 106 (D-Mecklenburg)
Bob England, District 112, (D-Rutherford)
Susan Fisher, District 114, (D-Buncombe)
Jane Whilden, District 116, (D-Buncombe)
Ray Rapp, District 118, (D-Madison)
Phil Haire, District 119, (D-Jackson)
N.C. Senate:
Marc Basnight, District 1 (D-Dare)
Don Davis, District 5 (D-Greene)
Doug Berger, District 7 (D-Franklin)
Charlie Albertson, District, (D-Duplin)
Neal Hunt, District 15, (R-Wake)
Josh Stein, District 16, (D-Wake)
Bob Atwater, District 18, (D-Chatham)
Tony Rand, District 19, (D-Cumberland)
Ellie Kinnaird, District 23, (D-Orange)
Tony Foriest, District 24, (D-Caswell)
Bill Purcell, District 25, (D-Scotland)
Katie Dorsett, District 28, (D-Guilford)
Linda Garrou, District 32, (D-Forysth)
Stan Bingham, District 33, (D-Davidson)
Fletcher Hartsell, District 36, (D-Cabarrus)
Dan Clodfelter, District 37, (D-Mecklenburg)
Malcolm Graham, District 40, (D-Mecklenburg)
Austin Allran, District 42, (R-Catawba)
Steve Goss, District 45, (D-Watauga)
Joe Sam Queen, District 47, (D-Haywood)
Martin Nesbitt, District 49, (D-Buncombe)
John Snow, District 50, (D-Cherokee)
Council of State:
Beverly Perdue, Governor
Roy Cooper, Attorney General
Janet Cowell, Treasurer
Between now and November, CIB will return to certain key endorsements for more detailed review.
Carter Attacked for Green Stance: CIB has previously noted U.S. Rep. Virginia Foxx's (R-NC5) enthusiasm for the drill-everywhere-now campaign of the OilHeads leading her November ticket. This week, we observe that she is fundraising on the issue with email blasts attacking her opponent (Roy Carter) for his more moderate stance. Foxx rails against the "liberal Democrat Congress" and warns that her opponent is running TV ads against her, saying, "He is a radical environmentalist named Roy Carter who has criticized my support of the "all of the above" energy plan. He is already toeing the liberal Democrat party's line by opposing drilling in America's vast oil resources in Alaska and offshore." Of course, with a sorry 10% rating on the national League of Conservation Voters (LCV) scorecard for all of the last three years, one doesn't have to be out of the American mainstream to qualify as a "radical environmentalist" on the Foxx scale. In fact, we'd worry about a candidate that she doesn't attack on that score.
(CIB Editor's Note: CCNC does not make endorsements in federal contests. Opinions expressed regarding candidates in those races are those of the Editor only, except as noted when reporting endorsements or comments from other parties.)
Coast Watch: Hatteras Settlement Upheld
When is a judicial "consent decree" not a consensus? When one side takes the issue to Congress. Local off-road vehicle fans in Dare County are trying to get Congress to overturn a federal District Court order setting out times and limits on beach driving along the Cape Hatteras National Seashore. Conservationists and the National Park Service (NPS) are defending the order.
This spring, U.S. District Court Judge Terrence Boyle issued an order (by consent agreement of the parties) to restrict beach driving in the national park, in order to protect wildlife that use the beach for nesting. Birds and sea turtles using the beach include several endangered species. The NPS reports that survival rates of one endangered bird are already up.
Disgruntled off-roaders, supported by the Dare County Commission, went to Congress, where U.S. Senators Richard Burr (R-NC) and Elizabeth Dole (R-NC) introduced legislation to dump the limits. This week, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee voted down the bill by the narrowest of margins, 11-12. It was a party-line vote with the Democrats siding with conservationists and wildlife and the Republicans voting against them and for the off-road drivers. (Raleigh News & Observer, 9/11/08.)
CIB suspects that Teddy Roosevelt is spinning in his grave. Dole and Burr should watch out for a night-time visitation from the ghost of the original Rough Rider.
Administrative Watch: Moreau Steps Down at EMC
To the sorrow of many conservationists, long-time N.C. Environmental Management Commission (EMC) chair Dave Moreau announced last week that he intends to step down as commission chair. Moreau was appointed to the post by Gov. Jim Hunt in 1993 and has served in the role since that time through the administrations of Hunt and current Gov. Mike Easley. That's a total of 15 years, including two full six-year terms and the first three years of a third.
In a letter to Easley dated September 2, Moreau indicated that he was available to serve until Easley or his successor named a new chair. Moreau's current term as an EMC member does not expire until 2011. The appointment as chair of the EMC is made separately and lasts at the pleasure of the governor.
Moreau is a scientist and former head of the planning school at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, as well as the N.C. Water Resources Research Institute based at N.C. State University. He has led the EMC through intense controversies over both air and water quality issues, including wetlands rules, nitrogen oxides limits, mercury restrictions, riparian buffer rules, drinking water reservoir cleanup plans, and stormwater management controls. He does not always side with environmental advocates, but is broadly respected among the environmental community for his expertise and open approach.
Molly Diggins, state director of the Sierra Club, called Moreau's retirement the "end of an era".
9/12/2008
Krugman on Campaign
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/12/opinion/12krugman.html?_r=2&hp&oref=slogin&oref=slogin
Putting Small Acreage to Work
Are you a farmer who is looking for new income-producing opportunities? Do you have land and desire to farm? The Randolph County Center of North Carolina Cooperative Extension invites the public to a series of classes about Putting Small Acreage to Work. Classes addressing basic business planning, marketing, and several specific enterprises will be held on Monday nights during October and November. Topics are as follows: October 6, The Business Concept Model; October 13, Marketing the Small Farm; October 21, Growing Grapes for the Fresh Market; November 3, Aquaculture Possibilities for the Piedmont; November 10, Grains for the Small Farm; and November 17, Growing Blackberries.
Instructors will include personnel from North Carolina State University, NC Cooperative Extension, and Randolph Community College.
Classes will be held from 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. at the Cooperative Extension office at 112 W. Walker Ave., in Asheboro. The charge for attending all classes is a one-time fee of $15 per individual or $20 per couple. Alternatively, individuals can pay $5 per class. Call 336-318-6000 by October 1 to register for one or more classes. Registration fees can be sent by mail or paid at the door.
Also during this time, North Carolina State University and Cooperative Extension personnel will teach a class titled “Raising Backyard Chickens 101” at the Archdale Center of Randolph Community College, at 110 Park Drive, from 6:00 – 9:00 p.m. on October 27. Information taught in this class will be applicable to those who are interested in raising pastured poultry. Call 336-862-7980 for more information. There is no charge for this class.
For accommodations for persons with disabilities, contact Wanda Howe at 336-318-6000, no later than five business days before the event.
Instructors will include personnel from North Carolina State University, NC Cooperative Extension, and Randolph Community College.
Classes will be held from 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. at the Cooperative Extension office at 112 W. Walker Ave., in Asheboro. The charge for attending all classes is a one-time fee of $15 per individual or $20 per couple. Alternatively, individuals can pay $5 per class. Call 336-318-6000 by October 1 to register for one or more classes. Registration fees can be sent by mail or paid at the door.
Also during this time, North Carolina State University and Cooperative Extension personnel will teach a class titled “Raising Backyard Chickens 101” at the Archdale Center of Randolph Community College, at 110 Park Drive, from 6:00 – 9:00 p.m. on October 27. Information taught in this class will be applicable to those who are interested in raising pastured poultry. Call 336-862-7980 for more information. There is no charge for this class.
For accommodations for persons with disabilities, contact Wanda Howe at 336-318-6000, no later than five business days before the event.
9/11/2008
US Ambassador Expelled
Bolivia to expel US ambassador
President Evo Morales accuses the US ambassador to Bolivia of encouraging the break-up of the country and orders him to leave.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/-/2/hi/americas/7609487.stm
President Evo Morales accuses the US ambassador to Bolivia of encouraging the break-up of the country and orders him to leave.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/-/2/hi/americas/7609487.stm
9/10/2008
9/09/2008
Low Pay, Big Rewards
We have an URGENT need for more volunteers.
The Food Pantry and Clothing Volunteers are staying much later than ever and we are considering adding a second shift in both departments. The Employment office needs three more volunteers to ensure that each day is covered. The Resale Shops need afternoon shift workers from 1 - 4 pm. The Screening Dept will be scheduling four screeners a day in Nov and Dec.
The need is TREMENDOUS but I feel sure there are people that will help. Please consider, if you have the time to work another shift
possibly in another department. If you are interested, give us a call at 693-1600 and we will get your message to Gert Strine, our wonderful Director of Volunteers.
If you can believe it, we are averaging 30 households a day now
at the Gilmore Building. Your work is very IMPORTANT! You are making life better for many children and adults who live in poverty in Moore County.
Sincerely,
Caroline Eddy, Executive Director
Sandhills/Moore Coalition for Human Care
1500 W. Indiana Ave.
Southern Pines, NC 28387
910-693-1600 fax 910-693-1051
coalition@pinehurst.net
The Food Pantry and Clothing Volunteers are staying much later than ever and we are considering adding a second shift in both departments. The Employment office needs three more volunteers to ensure that each day is covered. The Resale Shops need afternoon shift workers from 1 - 4 pm. The Screening Dept will be scheduling four screeners a day in Nov and Dec.
The need is TREMENDOUS but I feel sure there are people that will help. Please consider, if you have the time to work another shift
possibly in another department. If you are interested, give us a call at 693-1600 and we will get your message to Gert Strine, our wonderful Director of Volunteers.
If you can believe it, we are averaging 30 households a day now
at the Gilmore Building. Your work is very IMPORTANT! You are making life better for many children and adults who live in poverty in Moore County.
Sincerely,
Caroline Eddy, Executive Director
Sandhills/Moore Coalition for Human Care
1500 W. Indiana Ave.
Southern Pines, NC 28387
910-693-1600 fax 910-693-1051
coalition@pinehurst.net
9/08/2008
Embedded in Iraq III, Pinehurst, 9/18
The Ruth Pauley Lecture Series begins its 22nd season with “Embedded in Iraq III” featuring print and photo journalists from the Fayetteville Observer in a roundtable discussion moderated by the Pilot’s David Woronoff.
The discussion will be on September 18th at 7:30 p.m. in Owens Auditorium on the Sandhills Community College campus in Pinehurst. Admission is free and open to the public, no tickets required. For additional information, call 910-245-3132.
The discussion will be on September 18th at 7:30 p.m. in Owens Auditorium on the Sandhills Community College campus in Pinehurst. Admission is free and open to the public, no tickets required. For additional information, call 910-245-3132.
MBB plays Grand Opening, Dog Nation Grill, Carthage, 9/12
The McKenzie Brothers Band
September, 12 2008 at Dognation Grill - Carthage
TBA, Carthage, 28327
Cost : FREE - Open to the Public!!
GRAND OPENING of the Dognation Grill in lovely Carthage, NC!! Who better to kick things off with than the MBB! Make plans now to come on out.
September, 12 2008 at Dognation Grill - Carthage
TBA, Carthage, 28327
Cost : FREE - Open to the Public!!
GRAND OPENING of the Dognation Grill in lovely Carthage, NC!! Who better to kick things off with than the MBB! Make plans now to come on out.
9/07/2008
9/06/2008
Dem Women, Moore County, Sept. 13
The next meeting for the Democratic Women of Moore County
Saturday, Sept 13th at headquarters, Carthage at 10 AM.
We will be discussing how to help support our candidates for the upcoming election. Speaker will be Swede Boreen, US veteran, describing about his experiences during the bombing of Pearl Harbor (USS Oklahoma).
Hope you can join us. Feel free to bring a friend. Go DEMOCRATS!!!! We want this to be a winning election!!!
Saturday, Sept 13th at headquarters, Carthage at 10 AM.
We will be discussing how to help support our candidates for the upcoming election. Speaker will be Swede Boreen, US veteran, describing about his experiences during the bombing of Pearl Harbor (USS Oklahoma).
Hope you can join us. Feel free to bring a friend. Go DEMOCRATS!!!! We want this to be a winning election!!!
Donate Obama Campaign
[from barack obama website]
Yesterday God told me to make a donation to the Obama Campaign, after denying any conversations with Sarah Palin calling for the Iraq War or the building of a natural gas pipeline in Alaska. God did admit, however, to asking Sarah to name her first born Track, but offered no explanation for this behavior. Never being inclined to argue with God, I sent my money.
On behalf of the world's moose population and small town librarians running from the rage of Evangelical censors everywhere, I appeal to you to keep Cain and Not so Able out of the White House.
It's going to take millions more in donations to compete against John McCain and the machinery of Karl "the Cutter" Rove. They are raising more money than ever -- collecting huge checks from the Religious Right, Washington lobbyists and special interest PACs who will do everything to cling to power in Washington as unemployment rises, the market crashes and millions lose their homes and head off to the trailer parks.
Yes, he can be a bit low key and academic, but Obama he is truly bright and is not taking any contributions from Washington lobbyists and political action committees.
So cough up some cash. It is what God would want you to do and many a moose will be grateful.
https://donate.barackobama.com/donateinvite
Yesterday God told me to make a donation to the Obama Campaign, after denying any conversations with Sarah Palin calling for the Iraq War or the building of a natural gas pipeline in Alaska. God did admit, however, to asking Sarah to name her first born Track, but offered no explanation for this behavior. Never being inclined to argue with God, I sent my money.
On behalf of the world's moose population and small town librarians running from the rage of Evangelical censors everywhere, I appeal to you to keep Cain and Not so Able out of the White House.
It's going to take millions more in donations to compete against John McCain and the machinery of Karl "the Cutter" Rove. They are raising more money than ever -- collecting huge checks from the Religious Right, Washington lobbyists and special interest PACs who will do everything to cling to power in Washington as unemployment rises, the market crashes and millions lose their homes and head off to the trailer parks.
Yes, he can be a bit low key and academic, but Obama he is truly bright and is not taking any contributions from Washington lobbyists and political action committees.
So cough up some cash. It is what God would want you to do and many a moose will be grateful.
https://donate.barackobama.com/donateinvite
9/05/2008
9/03/2008
Protest Journalist Abuse in MN
http://allalongtheedge.blogspot.com/2008/09/protest-journalist-harrassment.html
Coke in China
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7595283.stm
[coca-cola to purchase Chinese fruit juice company]
[coca-cola to purchase Chinese fruit juice company]
How We Became Slaves to Oil Industry
http://www.brasschecktv.com/page/421.html
[history of how America shifted from alcohol to gasoline]
[history of how America shifted from alcohol to gasoline]
9/02/2008
Palin Checked by FBI? Didn't Happen
http://marcambinder.theatlantic.com/archives/2008/09/palin_and_the_fbi_background_c.php [Yet another 'misstatement' by the McCain campaign]
McCain Caught In Another Lie
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/sep/02/uselections2008.republicans20085?gusrc=rss&feed=worldnews
"Palin was never a member of the AIP [Alaskan Independence Party]." False according to The Guardian, UK
"Palin was never a member of the AIP [Alaskan Independence Party]." False according to The Guardian, UK
When Our Only News Is Crafted. . .
If the only “news” we know is crafted by those who have seized the tools of power and wield it for their own purposes, democracy can turn to facism before our blind eyes.
Award winning journalist and host of "Democracy Now" Amy Goodman and two of her staff were brutally arrested while covering the Republican National Convention. All three were clearly identified by press passes, two of the three with the highest clearance. See
the horrifying report:
http://www.democracynow.org/, 9/2/08.
Award winning journalist and host of "Democracy Now" Amy Goodman and two of her staff were brutally arrested while covering the Republican National Convention. All three were clearly identified by press passes, two of the three with the highest clearance. See
the horrifying report:
http://www.democracynow.org/, 9/2/08.
9/01/2008
Of What Moral Stuff Are We Made?
http://allalongtheedge.blogspot.com/2008/09/of-what-moral-stuff-are-we-made.html
8/31/2008
Family Cow
Sell the second car. Buy a family cow.
http://www.motherearthnews.com/Sustainable-Farming/2001-12-01/Ideal-Small-Farm-Cows-Dexter-Cattle.aspx
http://www.motherearthnews.com/Sustainable-Farming/2001-12-01/Ideal-Small-Farm-Cows-Dexter-Cattle.aspx
8/30/2008
More on McCain's Pick
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/30/opinion/30collins-.html?_r=1&ei=5070&emc=eta1&oref=slogin
King's Entire Dream Speech
http://www.usconstitution.net/dream.html Please revisited the entire speech. We've been force-fed the easily digestible parts now for decades.
But many of us would gladly trade MLK JR. holiday for a shot at fulfilling the yearnings in King's magnificent dream, especially now, during reminders of how New Orleans has suffered and will suffer again under our current federal leadership.
But many of us would gladly trade MLK JR. holiday for a shot at fulfilling the yearnings in King's magnificent dream, especially now, during reminders of how New Orleans has suffered and will suffer again under our current federal leadership.
"Profound" Downturn--UK
Darling warns of economic crisis
Chancellor Alistair Darling says the UK is facing the worst economic crisis in 60 years and warns of a "profound" downturn.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/-/2/hi/business/7589291.stm
Chancellor Alistair Darling says the UK is facing the worst economic crisis in 60 years and warns of a "profound" downturn.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/-/2/hi/business/7589291.stm
8/29/2008
8/28/2008
8/27/2008
Honduras Shuns U.S. Influence
Shunning US, Honduras Joins ALBA
Honduras has become the latest Latin American country to join ALBA, the Bolivarian Alternative of the Americas. ALBA was established as a counterweight to US-led trade agreements in Latin America. Honduran officials say founding member Venezuela has offered to double its foreign aid, dwarfing assistance from US-controlled bodies like the World Bank. The move marks a sign of further rejection of US influence in Latin America. In the 1980s, Honduras was the staging ground for the US-led effort to overthrow the Sandinista government in Nicaragua. Nicaragua is also an ALBA member, along with Cuba, Bolivia and Dominica.
Honduras has become the latest Latin American country to join ALBA, the Bolivarian Alternative of the Americas. ALBA was established as a counterweight to US-led trade agreements in Latin America. Honduran officials say founding member Venezuela has offered to double its foreign aid, dwarfing assistance from US-controlled bodies like the World Bank. The move marks a sign of further rejection of US influence in Latin America. In the 1980s, Honduras was the staging ground for the US-led effort to overthrow the Sandinista government in Nicaragua. Nicaragua is also an ALBA member, along with Cuba, Bolivia and Dominica.
Challenge to Wal-Mart
Labor Groups Challenge Retail Giant Wal-Mart on Pressuring Employees to Vote Against Obama
Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer, is being accused of violating federal election laws by urging its employees to vote against Senator Barack Obama in the November election. Last month, the Wall Street Journal revealed Wal-Mart has been warning its managers that an Obama victory would lead to unionization at Wal-Mart stores.
A coalition of prominent labor groups recently filed a complaint against Wal-Mart with the Federal Elections Commission.
http://www.democracynow.org/2008/8/27/labor_groups_challenge_retail
Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer, is being accused of violating federal election laws by urging its employees to vote against Senator Barack Obama in the November election. Last month, the Wall Street Journal revealed Wal-Mart has been warning its managers that an Obama victory would lead to unionization at Wal-Mart stores.
A coalition of prominent labor groups recently filed a complaint against Wal-Mart with the Federal Elections Commission.
http://www.democracynow.org/2008/8/27/labor_groups_challenge_retail
8/26/2008
8/23/2008
8/22/2008
8/21/2008
On the End of American Exceptionalism
http://www.democracynow.org/2008/8/20/the_limits_of_power_andrew_bacevich
8/19/2008
WWW--(Well Worth Watching)
http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/08152008/watch.html
Imperial habits die hard. . .
Imperial habits die hard. . .
State of Emergency--Peru
[from Democracynow.org]
Peru Declares State of Emergency Following Indigenous Protests
Peru’s government has declared a state of emergency in three northern provinces following nine days of protests by indigenous groups in the Amazon basin. Members of sixty-five Indian tribes are protesting a law that would make it easier for communal land to be sold to developers. The protests began when the Indians blocked an important natural gas installation and oil pipeline. Peru’s Environment Minister Antonio Brack condemned the protests.
Antonio Brack: “The indigenous groups have occupied the Corral Quemado bridge, closed the marginal motorway and threatened to shut off the oil and gas pipelines in Camisea, and the Peruvian state can’t allow this to happen.”
But indigenous activists vowed to keep fighting to protect their land.
Indigenous activist: “We conserve the environment. We are not ignorant. We are prepared. We know that foreigners want to buy our Amazon lands, because they know they are the world’s lungs. We will not allow this. We will die fighting for our rights.”
Peru Declares State of Emergency Following Indigenous Protests
Peru’s government has declared a state of emergency in three northern provinces following nine days of protests by indigenous groups in the Amazon basin. Members of sixty-five Indian tribes are protesting a law that would make it easier for communal land to be sold to developers. The protests began when the Indians blocked an important natural gas installation and oil pipeline. Peru’s Environment Minister Antonio Brack condemned the protests.
Antonio Brack: “The indigenous groups have occupied the Corral Quemado bridge, closed the marginal motorway and threatened to shut off the oil and gas pipelines in Camisea, and the Peruvian state can’t allow this to happen.”
But indigenous activists vowed to keep fighting to protect their land.
Indigenous activist: “We conserve the environment. We are not ignorant. We are prepared. We know that foreigners want to buy our Amazon lands, because they know they are the world’s lungs. We will not allow this. We will die fighting for our rights.”
Bush Doctrine Meets Reality
http://www.regressiveantidote.net/Articles/My_Army_Went_To_Iraq_And_All_I_Got.html
8/18/2008
8/16/2008
8/14/2008
Possum Living
http://www.amazon.com/Possum-living-without-almost-money/dp/0553136259
[Does anybody have a copy of this book or video?]
[Does anybody have a copy of this book or video?]
8/13/2008
8/12/2008
Beekeepers Meet This Evening, Aug. 12
Moore County Beekeepers meet August 12 at 7PM, Agriculture Building in Carthage, Room 3.
Sanford Toole will present a program entitled " Africanized Honey Bee - Emergency Responders."
Sanford Toole will present a program entitled " Africanized Honey Bee - Emergency Responders."
8/09/2008
8/07/2008
Inconvenient For the Economy
http://allalongtheedge.blogspot.com/2008/08/inconvenient-truth-for-economy.html
8/06/2008
Food Bank Buying the Farm
http://www.boston.com/news/local/vermont/articles/2008/08/03/for_vermont_foodbank_farm_buy_is_a_perfect_fit/
8/05/2008
Sandhills Feed on Bennett St, Sou. Pines
Sandhills Feed has coyote and fox urine granules to keep away predators. The product is also labeled to keep away cats, voles, moles and shrews.
Their chicken and duck feeds are none-medicated, better for the fowls.
They are on Bennett St behind Bo's Food Store.
Their chicken and duck feeds are none-medicated, better for the fowls.
They are on Bennett St behind Bo's Food Store.
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