3/31/2009

Woman Behind the New Deal

"The Woman Behind the New Deal: The Life of Frances Perkins, FDR's Secretary of Labor and His Moral Conscience" * The current financial crisis is widely described as the nation's worst since the Great Depression. With the comparisons to the 1930s has come a renewed focus on the New Deal, the government initiative of social programs and public service jobs launched by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. A new book argues that no voice in the FDR administration was more influential in shaping the New Deal than Labor Secretary Frances Perkins, the first-ever woman cabinet member in the United States. The book is called The Woman Behind the New Deal: The Life of Frances Perkins, FDR̢۪s Secretary of Labor and His Moral Conscience. We speak with author Kirstin Downey.

http://www.democracynow.org/2009/3/31/the_woman_behind_the_new_deal

Workshop, On-Farm Poultry Processing

Animal Welfare Approved and Wild Turkey Farms invite area farmers to participate in a training and education session for anyone interested in on-farm poultry processing Poultry Processing Workshop Friday May 8, 2009Wild Turkey Farms in Salisbury, NC9:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Funded by a grant from Animal Welfare Approved and built by Wild Turkey Farms, this mobile processing unit (MPU) will give area farmers the ability to process poultry on-farm, avoiding transport stress and providing an economical alternative to custom slaughter. The unit will be available to Animal Welfare Approved farmers as well as other area farmers, subject to availability.

Techniques on humane slaughter and safe handling will be addressed as well as composting processing waste. We will also talk about the legal and food safety aspects of processing under the 1,000-bird exemption. Workshop leaders include Andrew Gunther, Animal Welfare Approved Program Director, Lee Menius of Wild Turkey Farms, Brian Rosa of the NC DENR Division of Pollution Prevention and a representative from the NCDA&CS Meat and Poultry Division.

To register for the free workshop, please email Emily Lancaster at Emily@animalwelfareapproved.org. Deadline for registration is April 30, 2009. Directions and workshop details will follow registration confirmation.

3/29/2009

Mother Nature's Dow

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/29/opinion/29friedman.html?_r=1&emc=eta1

Edible Garden at CA State Capital

http://www.cityfarmer.info/californias-state-capitol-to-get-edible-garden-says-wife-of-governor-arnold-schwarzenegger/#more-1272

We Don't Eat Grass

http://mail.live.com/default.aspx?wa=wsignin1.0
What Michelle and the kids and the crew did the other day was to drive a shovel right into the heart of that American icon: the lawn. They literally took the most pampered lawn in America, dumped it in the wheel barrel, and carted it away. All that was missing was a chorus of "This lawn is your lawn."
Is it possible that along with local, organic food, the First Garden can promote the thoroughly subversive idea that this symbol has seen its day?
. . .The low grassy surface has its roots in the English aristocracy, among folks who had so much food and land they didn't have to farm it, they only had to display it.
Today, lawns cover 40 million acres, making them the largest agricultural sector in America. They consume 270 billion gallons of water a week, or enough for 81 million acres of organic vegetables. They suck up $40 billion a year on seed, sod, and chemicals, leading one historian to compare them to "a nationwide chemical experiment with homeowners as the guinea pigs."

3/26/2009

Uh, Duh. . .

Clinton admits US blame on drugs
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says huge demand for illegal drugs in the US is partly to blame for gang violence in Mexico.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/-/2/hi/americas/7963292.stm

3/25/2009

Value the Neighborhood Honey Bees

http://www.chelseagreen.com/content/value-your-neighborhood-bees-and-fight-colony-collapse-disorder/

Cancun Moves Toward Sustainability

http://www.examiner.com/x-3068-Seattle-International-Travel-Examiner~y2009m3d24-Cancun-tourism-industry-takes-baby-steps-toward-sustainability

The Future Is Now--Oil Transition

http://www.chelseagreen.com/content/oil-has-peaked-now-begins-the-transition/

Farm Show and Tell, Mar. 30, Pittsboro

Monday, March 30, 2009
5:30-7:00-ish pm
CCCC Land Lab Farm “Show and Tell”
Pittsboro, NC
Rain or shine - please dress appropriately.

The Chatham County Center of North Carolina Cooperative Extension has organized a “show and tell” at the Central Carolina Community College (CCCC) Land Lab Farm from 5:30 pm until 7:00 pm or so for Monday, March 30. This farm visit is for farmers of all levels and also eaters interested in learning more about our local farms.

The Land Lab is the outdoor classroom for students enrolled in the Sustainable Farming Program at CCCC. Students can take classes in a wide range of topics, including organic vegetable production, livestock management, marketing, and much more. Students can enroll in continuing education classes or work towards an associate degree in sustainable agriculture. Learn more at http://www.cccc.edu/curriculum/majors/sustainableagriculture/

Next Monday we will see the spring production in full swing at the Land Lab: peas, carrots, kale, green onions, and potatoes have all been planted. Over-wintered cover crops will be looking full and beautiful and overwintered garlic and hoophouse crops will still be in the field. Laying hens are part of the crop rotation so we will see how chickens can provide nutrients and pest management as well as additional income! Students in the organic crop production class have their own production beds with a variety of spring crops.

We hope you will be able to join us! You do not need to register for this free event; the program will begin promptly at 5:30 pm. Please arrive a few minutes early so we can start on time.

The address is 764 West St., Pittsboro, NC 27312.
From the downtown traffic circle in Pittsboro, take 64 west.
Go about ½ a mile to the intersection of 64 and 87/902 at the light at Al’s Diner (on your left). Continue straight through the intersection to stay on 64. From the light, go 0.2 miles and turn right past the NAPA Auto Parts Store into the CCCC entrance. The Land Lab farm will be on your left as you approach the brick buildings. It is surrounded by an 8 foot high deer fence and hard to miss!

For more information on sustainable agriculture, visit Cooperative Extension’s Growing Small Farms website at http://www.growingsmallfarms.org.

Debbie Roos
Agricultural Extension Agent
Chatham County Center

North Carolina Cooperative Extension
919.542.8202
debbie_roos@ncsu.edu
www.growingsmallfarms.org

3/24/2009

Call Ahead for Grass-fed, Local Beef, Carthage, Mar. 26

Tim Emmert, 502 McReynolds Street in Carthage, Thursday, March 26th from 5-6pm. Bill & Dianna Osmolski from Green Acres Farm will have some of their grass-fed beef for sale either on the front porch or in the living room (depending on weather.) Patty and I have purchased from them for a little over a year and have been delighted by the quality of the beef.

The beef is raised on the Green Acres Ranch, processed at the USDA facility in Robbins, and then frozen. You'll be buying the beef frozen so you may want a cooler (or at least a plastic bag.) Price list is below.

Please let us know whether you will visit on Thursday, we'd like to give Bill & Dianna a rough estimate of how many coolers to bring. Thanks, hope this is of interest to some of you.

Tim

MARCH 2009 PRICE LIST
Stew Beef ($3.50/lb)
Shoulder Roast ($3.99/lb)
Cube Steaks ($4.25/lb)
Ground Beef ($4.50/lb)
London Broil ($4.99/lb)
Sirloin Steaks ($5.99/lb)
Sirloin Tip Steaks - Boneless ($6.99/lb)
T-Bone Steaks ($7.99/lb)
Rib Eye Steaks ($8.99/lb)

Cut the Lights, Saturday

http://www.earthhourus.org/main.php

Save Our Sandhills, Mar. 26, Sou. Pines

What Makes Our Sandhills Unique?

Save Our Sandhills, Thursday, March 26 presents PowerPoint presentation, “An Ode to Longleaf.”

“An Ode to Longleaf” will discuss what was and is our Sandhills, an area with a rich history because of the Longleaf pine. Early explorers described “a vast forest of the most stately pine trees." 98% of this forest is now gone.

In order for the longleaf ecosystem to flourish, fire takes an important place in rejuvenation. The Sandhills has an exceptional biodiversity adapted to and dependent upon fire, utilizing rescribed burns. In an area under pressure from development, there are many things each of us can do to save our Sandhills. Please come and discuss a variety of ideas.

Refreshments will follow. All are welcome to stay to discuss upcoming organizational events.

Thursday March 26 at 7 PM in the Southern Pines Civic Center at the corner of Ashe Street and Pennsylvania Avenue.

See Interview About Urban Farm Tour

http://www.faypwc.com/PWC_Connections_TV.htm [featuring Heather Brown of Sustainble Sandhills]

SS Dates to Save

SAVE THESE DATES!

Saturday, April 11, 2009 | Urban Farm Tour 10 - 3 pm

Tuesday, April 14, 2009 | Sustainable Film Series "The Power of Community: How Cuba Survived Peak Oil" 6:30 pm

Tuesday, May 19, 2009 | Community Action Team Meeting, SCC, 6:30

I look forward to seeing each of you on May 19th for our next CAT meeting. The meeting will again be held at Sandhills Community College in the Dempsey Student Center Clement Dining Room from 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm.

What can you do make the team more successful?

SPREAD THE WORD! Tell your friends, neighbors and coworkers about the meeting. VOLUNTEER! We need volunteers in order to meet our goal and to take on new projects. If you are interested in helping out, please contact Amanda Blue. We are currently looking for volunteers to help with:
Urban Farm Tour, April 11, 2009, Moore and Cumberland Counties – We need help recruiting sponsors and volunteers, doing administrative tasks and serving as site docents. Film Series – We need volunteers to help guests sign in and answer general questions. Would you be interested in bringing snacks to share with the group? Community Action Team Meetings – We need volunteers to serve as champions for projects in your community. MEETING LOCATION! Do you know of a great place for us to host a CAT meeting? If so, please contact Amanda Blue. (amandab@sustainablesandhills.org)

Amanda Blue, Community Action Team Coordinator
Sustainable Sandhills
PO Box 144, Fayetteville, NC 28302 (on-site)
709 Seven Lakes North, West End, NC 27376 (off-site)
(910) 484-9098 office

How Cuba Survived Peak Oil

Sustainable Sandhills' next film in our Sustainable Film Series will be "The Power of Community: How Cuba Survived Peak Oil" on April 14th at Sandhills Community College. Join us for this inspiring documentary and bring a friend, it is free!!!

3/23/2009

Food Not Lawns

http://www.examiner.com/x-3746-Boston-Green-Living-Examiner~y2009m3d20-Food-not-lawns-the-underground-food-revolution-that-promotes-suburban-sustainability

Too Much Poo

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=102062969&sc=emaf

Washing, Drying Efficiently

http://www.chelseagreen.com/content/dont-be-an-energy-glutton-how-to-wash-and-dry-your-clothes-efficiently/

3/20/2009

Church-based Community Ag

http://blog.sojo.net/2009/03/18/gods-garden-church-based-community-agriculture/

To Create New Models

http://www.chelseagreen.com/content/an-open-letter-to-wage-slaves-yesyou/

How to Grow Oysters

http://www.chelseagreen.com/content/how-to-grow-oyster-mushrooms-indoors/

Land Use for Indigenous Rights

Land boost for Brazilian Indians
Brazil's top court approves a large reservation for the sole use of Amazonian Indians, in a boost to indigenous rights.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/-/2/hi/americas/7954121.stm

It's Happening!

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/19/dining/19garden-web.html?_r=1
[Obamas putting in garden at White House]

3/19/2009

Carcinogens In Baby Products

http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/green/greenblog/2009/03/childrens_bath_products_tainte.html

Need Your Small Plastic Flower Pots

Dear Friends, please save your smaller plastic flower pots, even as small as the four- or six pack. I'm potting up seedlings for sharing and market. I also need your used 16 oz. water bottles and egg cartons (doz). Let's keep prices low and recycle our junk! (You can just sort of throw the stuff out your car door at 345 North Page Street.)
Thanks! Maureen

How to Enjoy Your Sprouts

http://www.chelseagreen.com/content/simple-and-tasty-recipes-you-can-make-using-your-homegrown-sprouts/

Please Don't Kill My Bees

http://www.chelseagreen.com/content/value-your-neighborhood-bees-and-fight-colony-collapse-disorder/

Lawyers Urge Bush Be Arrested

http://www.democracynow.org/2009/3/17/lawyers_group_urges_bush_be_arrested

3/18/2009

On Sale Garden By the Moon

http://www.gardeningbythemoon.com/index.html

Earth Hour, Mar. 28, 8:30

Have you registered your campus, local government,
or other to participate in Earth Hour?

Turn out. Take action. Be part of this historic event.
March 28, 2009, 8:30 pm local time

The World Wildlife Fund is asking individuals, businesses, governments
and organizations around the world to turn off their lights for one hour
- Earth Hour - to make a global statement of concern about climate
change and to demonstrate commitment to finding solutions.

So far, 850 cities in the US have signed up to participate but as of
today, only the cities of Charlotte, Winston-Salem, and Lincolnton from
North Carolina are registered participants.

We need other NC organizations to step up! It's easy and all you have to
do is go to www.earthhourus.org and register.
Have you registered your campus, local government, or other to participate in Earth Hour?

Turn out. Take action. Be part of this historic event.
March 28, 2009, 8:30 pm local time

The World Wildlife Fund is asking individuals, businesses, governments
and organizations around the world to turn off their lights for one hour
- Earth Hour - to make a global statement of concern about climate
change and to demonstrate commitment to finding solutions.

So far, 850 cities in the US have signed up to participate but as of
today, only the cities of Charlotte, Winston-Salem, and Lincolnton from
North Carolina are registered participants.

We need other NC organizations to step up! It's easy and all you have to
do is go to www.earthhourus.org and register.

Let's fill up that map on the Earth Hour website!

Food, Farming Lectures, UNC and Duke

no. 5 in a six part series on food and farming....every other Wed at UNC or Duke... great speakers, see below

The Institute for the Environment at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke University, in partnership with the student organizations Farmhand (Duke) and FLO Food (UNC-CH), announce a six-part seminar series discussing food systems. The seminars are supported by the Robertson Collaboration Fund, and organized by Dr. Elizabeth Shay (UNC-CH) and Dr. Deborah Rigling Gallagher (Duke).

The seminars showcase the theory and practice of sustainable agriculture and food production and supply – key elements for sustainable community development and the rapidly evolving sector of sustainable enterprise.

Presentations will be made by leaders in the movement for food systems that are secure, efficient, just, and health-promoting. They will share

The facts about the operations and products of their enterprises
Their motivation for pursuing sustainable models
The barriers they face
Their views on how their industries fit into the local and regional food systems and how they are evolving.
Seminar locations and speakers are subject to change; the conference organizers ask that you please RSVP to ensure you are notified of any changes. Please email foodseminar@gmail.com

Schedule

Education & Outreach

March 18, 2009, 7 pm

Duke University, Von Canon A in the Bryan Center

Disseminating knowledge and building a network committed to constructing more sustainable food systems through education and outreach. Speakers include Robin Kohanowich (Central Carolina Community College’s Sustainable Agriculture program), Dr. Nancy Creamer (NC State University’s Center for Environmental Farming Systems), and Dr. Alice Ammerman (UNC-CH’s Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention).

Campus Concerns
April 1, 2009, 7 pm
UNC-Chapel Hill, Murphey Hall 116

Bringing socially responsible food production to university campuses and providing healthy food options for students. Speakers include representatives from Bon Appetit vendor, and from UNC-CH and Duke dining services.

Ground-source Heat Pumps

http://www.chelseagreen.com/content/the-3-things-you-need-to-know-about-ground-source-heat-pumps/

Sand-filtered Drinking Water

http://www.chelseagreen.com/content/project-harvest-rainwater-with-sand-filters/ [one thing we have here is SAND]

Easy Compost Bin

http://www.chelseagreen.com/content/build-your-own-compost-bin-from-reused-shipping-pallets/ [or just pile it up and cover with straw or old blanket]

Biodiversity in Pinehurst, Mar. 21

Coping with Critters......Coexisting with Wildlife in Your Yard

Presented by the Pinehurst Conservation Commission, Greenway Wildlife Habitat Committee
Sat., March 21 10:30 AM - Noon
Pinehurst Village Hall, 395 Magnolia Road
This is the second of the GWHC spring backyard habitat workshops to guide homeowners in their efforts to manage pests in their gardens
Paul Tillman, Wildlife Animal Control Agent, will give local homeowners guidance on understanding wild animals and using "best practices" management of unwanted wildlife in their gardens.
Open to the public at no charge. For information call 295-1900.

3/17/2009

Apr. 3, 4, Carrboro

http://www.beyondpesticides.org/forum/

Obama Outraged, AIG Bonuses

Obama 'outraged' at AIG bonuses
An angry Barack Obama calls for a block on $165m of bonus payouts to executives of ailing US insurance giant AIG.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/-/2/hi/business/7945774.stm

3/16/2009

No Idling, Please

http://www.utne.com/Environment/Idling-Engines-Are-the-Devils-Workshop.aspx?utm_medium=email&utm_source=iPost

School Lunches Fall Prey, Lobbyists

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Healthy-People-Healthy-Planet/School-Lunches-and-Lobbyists.aspx?utm_medium=email&utm_source=iPost

Factory Farms, Illness

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Natural-Health/Meat-Poultry-Health-Risk.aspx?utm_medium=email&utm_source=iPost

Seeds at 1940s Prices

http://tomatobob.com/

Recession Gardening

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090316/ap_on_bi_ge/recession_gardening

3/15/2009

Foie Gras Parable

http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/dan_barber_s_surprising_foie_gras_parable.html

No-Till Farming, Carbon

http://allalongtheedge.blogspot.com/2009/03/npr-talks-no-till-farming.html

Putting US to Shame

http://www.yesmagazine.org/article.asp?ID=3330

Cow Flop to Flower Pot

http://www.chelseagreen.com/content/from-cow-flop-to-flowerpot-using-excess-manure-naturally/

Pork Pathogens

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/15/opinion/15kristof.html

3/14/2009

Fermentation Revival

http://www.mefeedia.com/entry/fermenting-culture/15215863
Where DOES our food come from?

3/11/2009

Acidic Seas, Extinction

Acidic seas fuel extinction fears
Increasing levels of acidity in oceans could trigger a mass extinction of sea life, a leading scientist warns.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/-/2/hi/science/nature/7936137.stm

No More Dough, Transparency

http://action.firedoglake.com/page/s/Transparency

Interview with Permaculture Co-Founder Mollison

http://www.seedsofchange.com/cutting_edge/interview.asp?UID=2009031102561554

Voting With the Dollar

http://www.coopamerica.org/programs/responsibleshopper/

3/08/2009

Dog Eating Its Own Tail

http://www.commondreams.org/view/2009/03/07-2

Rising Sea Levels Warning

http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2009/03/08-2

Moore County Beekeepers, Mar. 10

The March meeting of the Moore County Beekeepers Association will be held on March 10th at 7pm in the Moore County Agricultural Center in Carthage. Don Hopkins, state apiary inspector supervisor, will discuss "Spring Inspections". Refreshments. All visitors welcome!

3/07/2009

Jon Stewart video re: CNBC

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/03/05/jon-stewart-eviscerates-c_n_172057.html

3/06/2009

Open House Celebrity Dairy, Mar 7, 8

Come on out and see our baby goats, llamas, pigs, guineas, chickens, and
one peacock this weekend March 7th and 8th from 12-5pm
We will be selling lunch, beverages, free range eggs, and our
award-winning goat cheese.

Check out our website theinn@celebritydairy.com for directions or give us a call at 919-742-5176.

We look forward to seeing you there!!

The Inn at Celebrity Dairy

Phone: 919-742-5176
Email: theinn@celebritydairy.com
Web: www.celebritydairy.com
Directions: www.celebritydairy.com/inn/inn_directions.htm
Photo Album: http://tinyurl.com/4e64n

3/04/2009

Lobbying Money Trail

"Sold Out": New Report Follows Lobbying Money Trail Behind Deregulation that Helped Cause Financial Crisis
In a new report, Robert Weissman of Multinational Monitor points to twelve deregulatory steps that led to the financial meltdown. It also does an analysis of the amount of money Wall Street poured into Washington in campaign contributions and lobbying over the last ten years. Their answer? A staggering $5.1 billion over the past decade.
http://www.democracynow.org/2009/3/4/sold_out_new_report_follows_lobbying

World According to Monsanto

http://www.organicconsumers.org/monlink.cfm

3/03/2009

War, What Is It Good For

New York Times
March 3, 2009
Op-Ed Columnist
Wars, Endless Wars
By BOB HERBERT
The singer Edwin Starr, who died in 2003, had a big hit in 1970 called “War” in which he asked again and again: “War, what is it good for?”

The U.S. economy is in free fall, the banking system is in a state of complete collapse and Americans all across the country are downsizing their standards of living. The nation as we’ve known it is fading before our very eyes, but we’re still pouring billions of dollars into wars in Afghanistan and Iraq with missions we are still unable to define.

Even as the U.S. begins plans to reduce troop commitments in Iraq, it is sending thousands of additional troops into Afghanistan. The strategic purpose of this escalation, as Defense Secretary Robert Gates acknowledged, is not at all clear.

In response to a question on NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday, Mr. Gates said:

“We’re talking to the Europeans, to our allies; we’re bringing in an awful lot of people to get different points of view as we go through this review of what our strategy ought to be. And I often get asked, ‘Well, how long will those 17,000 [additional troops] be there? Will more go in?’ All that depends on the outcome of this strategy review that I hope will be done in a few weeks.”

We invaded Afghanistan more than seven years ago. We have not broken the back of Al Qaeda or the Taliban. We have not captured or killed Osama bin Laden. We don’t even have an escalation strategy, much less an exit strategy. An honest assessment of the situation, taking into account the woefully corrupt and ineffective Afghan government led by the hapless Hamid Karzai, would lead inexorably to such terms as fiasco and quagmire.

Instead of cutting our losses, we appear to be doubling down.

As for Iraq, President Obama announced last week that substantial troop withdrawals will take place over the next year and a half and that U.S. combat operations would cease by the end of August 2010. But, he said, a large contingent of American troops, perhaps as many as 50,000, would still remain in Iraq for a “period of transition.”

That’s a large number of troops, and the cost of keeping them there will be huge. Moreover, I was struck by the following comment from the president: “There will surely be difficult periods and tactical adjustments, but our enemies should be left with no doubt. This plan gives our military the forces and flexibility they need to support our Iraqi partners and to succeed.”

In short, we’re committed to these two conflicts for a good while yet, and there is nothing like an etched-in-stone plan for concluding them. I can easily imagine a scenario in which Afghanistan and Iraq both heat up and the U.S., caught in an extended economic disaster at home, undermines its fragile recovery efforts in the same way that societies have undermined themselves since the dawn of time — with endless warfare.

We’ve already paid a fearful price for these wars. In addition to the many thousands of service members who have been killed or suffered obvious disabling injuries, a study by the RAND Corporation found that some 300,000 are currently suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder or depression, and that 320,000 have most likely experienced a traumatic brain injury.

Time magazine has reported that “for the first time in history, a sizable and growing number of U.S. combat troops are taking daily doses of antidepressants to calm nerves strained by repeated and lengthy tours in Iraq and Afghanistan.”

Suicides among soldiers rose in 2008 for the fourth consecutive year, largely because of the stress of combat deployments. It’s believed that 128 soldiers took their own lives last year.

Much of the country can work itself up to a high pitch of outrage because a banker or an automobile executive flies on a private jet. But we’ll send young men and women by the thousands off to repeated excursions through the hell of combat — three tours, four tours or more — without raising so much as a peep of protest.

Lyndon Johnson, despite a booming economy, lost his Great Society to the Vietnam War. He knew what he was risking. He would later tell Doris Kearns Goodwin, “If I left the woman I really loved — the Great Society — in order to get involved with that bitch of a war on the other side of the world, then I would lose everything at home. All my programs... All my dreams...”

The United States is on its knees economically. As President Obama fights for his myriad domestic programs and his dream of an economic recovery, he might benefit from a look over his shoulder at the link between Vietnam and the still-smoldering ruins of Johnson’s presidency.

3/01/2009

Cow Disaster

http://animalrights.change.org/blog/view/researchers_even_organically_raised_cows_are_a_climate_bomb