James Howard Kunstler:
Remarks to the Commonwealth Club of California (transcript)
Author of The Long Emergency
Two years ago in my book, The Long Emergency, I wrote that our nation was sleepwalking into an era of unprecedented hardship and disorder – largely due to the end of reliably cheap and abundant oil. We're still blindly following that path into a dangerous future, lost in dark raptures of infotainment, diverted by inane preoccupations with sex and celebrity, made frantic by incessant motoring.
The coming age of energy scarcity will change everything about how we live in this country. It will ignite more desperate contests between nations for the remaining oil and natural gas around the world. It will alter the fundamental terms of industrial economies. It will ramify and amplify many of the problems presented by climate change. It will require us to behave differently. But we are not paying attention.
As the American public continues sleepwalking into a future of energy scarcity, climate change, and geopolitical turmoil, we have also continued dreaming. Our collective dream is one of those super-vivid ones people have just before awakening, as the fantastic transports of the unconscious begin to merge with the demands of waking reality. The dream is a particularly American dream on an American theme: how to keep all the cars running by some other means than gasoline. We'll run them on ethanol! We'll run them on biodiesel, on synthesized coal liquids, on hydrogen, on methane gas, on electricity, on used French-fry oil. . . !
The dream goes around in fevered circles as each gasoline-replacement is examined and found to be inadequate. But the wish to keep the cars going is so powerful that round and round the dream goes. Ethanol! Biodiesel! Coal Liquids. . . .
And a harsh reality indeed awaits us as the full scope of the permanent energy crisis unfolds. The global oil production peak is not a cult theory, it's a fact. The earth does not have a creamy nougat center of petroleum. The supply in finite, and we have ample evidence that all-time global production has peaked.
Of course, the issue is not about running out of oil, and never has been. There will always be some oil left underground – it just might take more than a barrel-of-oil's worth of energy to pump each barrel out, so it won't be worth doing.
The issue is not about running out – it's about what happens when you head over the all-time production peak down the slippery slope of depletion. And what happens is that the complex systems we depend on for everyday life in advanced societies begin to falter, wobble, and fail – and the failures in each system will in turn weaken the others. By complex systems I mean the way we produce our food, the way we conduct manufacture and trade, the way we operate banking and finance, the way we move people and things from one place to another, and the way we inhabit the landscape.
I'll try not to dwell excessively on the statistics since I am more concerned here with the implications for everyday life in our nation. But it is probably helpful to understand a few of the numbers.Oil production in the US peaked in 1970. We're now producing about half of what we did then, and our own production continues to run down steadily at the rate of a few percentage points of recoverable reserves each year. It adds up. In 1970, we were producing about 10 million barrels a day. Now we're down to less than five – and we consume over 20 million barrels a day. We have compensated for that since 1970 by importing oil from other nations. Today we import about two thirds of all the oil we use. Today, the world is consuming all the oil it can produce. As global production passes its own peak, the world will not be able to compensate for its shortfall by importing oil from other planets. Nor is there any real likelihood that new discoveries will be adequate to compensate. Discovery precedes production, of course, because you can't pump oil that you haven't discovered. Discovery of oil in the US peaked in the 1930s – and production started declining roughly thirty years later. Discovery of oil peaked worldwide in the 1960s, and now the signs suggest the world has peaked. Discovery of new oil worldwide in recent years has amounted to a tiny fraction of replacement levels. In fact, we may be burning more oil just in our exploration efforts than we will get from the oil we're discovering.
The oil industry has been dominated by what are called supergiant fields. The four reigning supergiant fields of oil our time were discovered decades ago and are now in decline. the Burgan field of Kuwait, the Daqing of China, Cantarell of Mexico, and Ghawar of Saudi Arabia. Together in recent decades they were responsible for 14 percent of the world's oil production, and they are now in decline. All except Ghawar of Saudi Arabia have been declared officially past peak by their own governments and Ghawar is showing clear signs of trouble – though Aramco itself won't say so. Ghawar has provided 60 percent of Saudi Arabia's production. Saudi Arabia's total production is down 8 percent in the year past, despite a massive increase in drilling rigs, and the incentive of high prices.
Last year, the Mexican national oil company, Pemex, declared its supergiant field, Cantarell, to be officially past peak and in decline. As in the case with Ghawar and Saudi Arabia, Cantarell has been responsible for 60 percent of Mexico's oil production. Cantarell is now crashing at an official decline rate of at least 15 percent a year – perhaps steeper. Mexico has been our No. 3 source of oil imports (after Canada and Saudi Arabia). The crash of Cantarell means in just a few years Mexico, our No. 3 source of imports, will have no surplus oil to sell to the US. It also means that the Mexican government will be strapped for operating revenue – and you can draw your own conclusions about the political implications.
The North Sea and Alaska's North Slope were some of the last great discoveries of the oil era. Plentiful North Sea and Alaskan production took away OPEC's leverage over the oil markets. This led to the oil glut of the 1990s, driving oil prices down finally to $10 a barrel. It is also what induced the American public to fall asleep on energy issues. It seemed as if cheap oil was here to stay. Forever.
Both The North Sea and Alaska are now past peak and in depletion. Prudhoe Bay proved to be Alaska's only super giant oil field. Several other key fields were discovered. None were even 1/6th the size of Prudhoe Bay. North Sea oil was produced using the latest-and-greatest new technology for drilling and guess what: it only allowed the region to be drained more rapidly and efficiently. Now 57 of Norway's 69 oil fields are past peak and the average post-peak decline rates average 17 percent a year. The UK's share of the North Sea has declined to the extent that England is now a net energy importer.
Russia, despite current high levels of post-soviet era production, peaked in the 1980s, and may now be past 70 percent of its ultimate recoverable reserves. Iran is past peak. Indonesia, an OPEC member, is so far past peak it became a net oil importer last year. Venezuela is past peak. Iraq and Nigeria are consumed by political insurrection. The companies developing Canada's tar sands have announced this past year that their costs will double original estimates – in other words, whatever comes out of the ground there will be very expensive.
Meanwhile, in the background, completely ignored by the US media, an additional problem is developing on the oil scene. Net world production is going down by just under 3 percent a year, but total exports from the top ten exporters are going down at an even steeper rate. Geologist Jeffrey Brown, among the excellent technicians at TheOilDruim.com website, writes that the top ten exporters are showing a net export decline rate of 7 percent the past year, trending toward a 50 percent export decline over the coming ten years. Why? Because on top of production decline rates, nations like Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Venezuela are using more of their own oil at home with rising populations and more automobiles.
A few additional background items. Most of the easy-to-get, light and sweet crude oil is gone. We got that out of the ground in the run-up to peak. We found that high quality oil in temperate places onshore, like Texas, where it was easy and pleasant to work, and the stuff was relatively close to the surface. The remaining oil is, each year, proportionally made up more of heavy and sour crudes that are hard to refine and yield less gasoline. Most of the refinery capacity in the world cannot process these heavy and sour crudes and there is no world-class industrial effort to build new ones – and on top of that, existing world refinery infrastructure is old and rusty.
Finally, most of the remaining oil in the world exists either in geographically forbidding places where it is extremely difficult and expensive to work, like deep water out in the ocean or in frozen regions, or else it belongs to people who are indisposed to be friendly to us.The natural gas situation is at least equally ominous, with some differences in the technical details – and by the way, I'm referring here not to gasoline but to methane gas (CH4), the stuff we run in kitchen stoves and home furnaces. Natural gas doesn't deplete slowly like oil, following a predictable bell curve pattern; it simply stops coming out of the ground very suddenly, and then that particular gas well is played out. You get your gas from the continent you're on. Natural gas is moved to customers in the US, Canada, and Mexico in an extensive pipeline network. To import natural gas from overseas, it has to be liquefied, loaded in a special kind of expensive-to-build-and-operate tanker ship, and then offloaded at specialized marine terminal, all adding layers of cost. The process also obviously affords us poor control over not-always-friendly foreign suppliers.
Half the homes in America are heated with gas furnaces and about 16 percent of our electricity is made with it. Industry uses natural gas as the main ingredient in fertilizer, plastics, ink, glue, paint, laundry detergent, insect repellents and many other common household necessities. Synthetic rubber and man-made fibers like nylon could not be made without the chemicals derived from natural gas. In North America, natural gas production peaked in 1973. We are drilling as fast as we can to keep the air conditioners and furnaces running.
That's the background on our energy predicament. Against this background is the whole question of how we live in the United States. I wrote three books previously about the fiasco of suburbia. There are many ways of describing it, but lately I refer to it as the greatest misallocation of resources in the history of the world. Why? Because it is a living arrangement with no future. Why doesn't it have a future? Because it was designed to run on cheap oil and gas, and in just a few years we won't have those things anymore.
Having made these choices, we are now hobbled by a tragic psychology of previous investment – that is, having poured so much of our late-20th century wealth into this living arrangement – this Happy Motoring utopia – we can't imagine letting go of it, or substantially reforming it.
We have compounded the problem lately by making the building of suburban sprawl the basis of our economy. Insidiously, we have replaced America's manufacturing capacity with an economy based on building evermore suburban houses and the accessories and furnishings that go with them – the highway strips, the big box shopping pods, et cetera – meaning that our economy is now largely based on building more and more stuff with no future – on a continued misallocation of resources. Roughly 40 percent of the new jobs created between 2001 last year were in housing bubble related fields – the builders, the real estate agents, the mortgage brokers, the installers of granite countertops. If you subtracted the housing bubble from the rest of the economy in recent years, there wouldn't be much left besides hair-styling, fried chicken, and open heart surgery. Much of this housing bubble itself was promulgated by an equally unprecedented lapse in standards and norms of finance – a tragedy-in-the-making that has now begun to unwind.
What are we going to do about our extreme oil dependence and the living arrangement that goes with it? There's a widespread wish across America these days that some combination of alternative fuels will rescue us; will allow us to continue enjoying by some other means what has been called "the non-negotiable American way of life." The wish is perhaps understandable given the psychology of previous investment.
But the truth is that no combination of alternative fuels or systems for using them will allow us to continue running America the way we have been, or even a substantial fraction of it. We are not going to run Wal Mart, Walt Disney World, Monsanto, and the interstate highway system on any combination of solar or wind energy, hydrogen, nuclear, ethanol, tar sands, oil shale, methane hydrates, thermal depolymerization, zero-point energy, used french-fry oil, or anything else you can name. We will desperately use many of these things in many ways, but we are likely to be disappointed by what they can actually do for us, particularly in terms of scale – apart from the fact that most or all of them are probably net energy losers in economic terms.
For instance, we are much more likely to use wind power on a household or neighborhood basis rather than in deployments of Godzilla-sized turbines in so-called wind farms. The key to understanding what we face is that we have to comprehensively make other arrangements for all the normal activities of everyday life. It is a long, detailed "to do" list that we can't afford to ignore.
The public discussion of these issues is impressively incoherent. This failure of the collective imagination is reflected in the especially poor job being done by the mainstream media covering this story – in particular, The New York Times, which does little besides publish feel-good press releases from Cambridge Energy Research Associates, the oil industry's chief public relations consultant.
These days, the only aspect of these issues that we are willing to talk about at all is how we might keep all our cars running by other means. We have to get beyond this obsession with running the cars by other means. The future is not just about motoring. We have to make other arrangements comprehensively for all the major activities of daily life in this nation.We'll have to grow our food differently. The ADM / Monsanto / Cargill model of industrial-scale agribusiness will not survive the discontinuities of the Long Emergency – the system of pouring oil-and-gas-based fertilizers and herbicides on the ground to grow all the cheez doodles and hamburgers. As oil and gas deplete, we will be left with sterile soils and farming organized at an unworkable scale. Many lives will depend on our ability to fix this.
We will find out the hard way that we can't afford to dedicate our crop lands to growing grains and soybeans for ethanol and biodiesel. A Pennsylvania farmer put it this way to me last month: "It looks like we're going to take the last six inches of Midwest topsoil and burn it in our gas tanks." The disruptions to world grain supplies by the ethanol mania are just beginning to thunder through the system. Last months there were riots in Mexico City because so much Mexican corn is now being already being diverted to American ethanol production that poor people living on the economic margins cannot afford to pay for their food staples.
You can see, by the way, how this is a tragic extension of our obsession with running all the cars. In the years ahead, farming will come back much closer to the center of American economic life. It will necessarily have to be done more locally, at a smaller-and-finer scale, and will require more human attention. Many of the value-added activities associated with farming – making products like cheese, wine, oils – will also have to be done much more locally. This situation presents excellent business and vocational opportunities for America's young people. It also presents huge problems in land-use reform. Not to mention the fact that the knowledge and skill for doing these things has to be painstakingly retrieved from the dumpster of history.
We're going to have to move people and things from place to place differently. It is imperative that we restore the US passenger railroad system. No other project we could do right away would have such a positive impact on our oil consumption. We used to have a railroad system that was the envy of the world. Now we have a system that the Bulgarians would be ashamed of.
The infrastructure for this great task is lying out there rusting in the rain. This project would put scores of thousands of people to work at meaningful jobs, at every level, from labor to management. It would benefit all ranks of society. Fixing the US passenger rail system doesn't require any great technological leaps into the unknown. The technology is thoroughly understood. The fact that from end-to-end of the political spectrum there is no public discussion about fixing the US passenger rail system shows how un-serious we are.
There's another compelling reason we should undertake the great project of repairing the US passenger rail system: it is something that would restore our confidence, a way we could demonstrate to ourselves that we are competent and capable of meeting the difficult challenges of this energy-scarce future I call the Long Emergency. And it might inspire us to get on with the other great tasks that we will have to face.
By the way, it is important that we electrify our railroad system. All the other advanced nations have electric rail systems which allow them to run on something other than fossil fuel or to control the source point of the carbon emissions and pollution in the case of coal-fired power generation. Electric motors are far simpler and way more efficient even than diesel engines. The US was well underway with the project of electrifying our railroad system, but we just gave up after the Second World War as we directed all our investment to the interstate highway system instead.
We're going to have to move things by boat. But we've just finished a fifty year effort in taking apart most of the infrastructure for maritime trade in America. Our harbors and riverfronts have been almost completely de-activated. The public now thinks that harbors and riverfronts should only be used for condo sites, parks, bikeways, band shells and festival marketplaces. Guess what: we're going to have to put back the piers and warehouses and even the crummy accommodations for sailors. We're going to have to move a lot more stuff by water or our ability to do commerce will suffer. Meanwhile, if we use trucks, it will be for the very last local increment of the journey. Leaders in business and municipal politics will have to wrap their minds around this new reality.
We are probably in the twilight of Happy Motoring – as we have known it. The automobile will be a diminished presence in our lives. I'm not saying that cars will disappear, but it will become self-evident that our extreme dependency will have to end. It is possible, but not likely, that affordable electric cars will come on the market before we get into serious trouble with oil. More likely, we'll be facing an entirely new political problem with cars as motoring becomes increasingly only something that the economic elite can enjoy.
For decades, motoring has been absolutely democratic. Everybody from the lowliest hamburger flipper to the richest Microsoft millionaire could participate in the American motoring program. Right now, let's say six percent of adults in this nation can't drive, for one reason or another: they're blind, too old, too poor, et cetera. What if that number rose to 13 percent, or 26 percent of Americans because either the price of fuel or the cost of a vehicle rose beyond their means. Do you suppose that a whole new mood of grievance and resentment might arise against those who were still driving cars? And how would the large new class of non-drivers feel about paying taxes to maintain the very expensive interstate highway systems?
Back to the task list:We're going to have to make other arrangements for commerce and manufacturing. The national chain discount stores that took over American retail in recent decades will not survive the discontinuities of the Long Emergency. Their business equations and methods of operations will fail, in particular their remorseless cancer-like drive toward replication and expansion. They will lack the resilience to adapt due to their gigantic scale of operations – a scale that will no longer be appropriate to the contracting available energy "nutrients".
The so-called "warehouse on wheels" composed of thousands of trucks circulating incessantly around the interstate highways will not work economically in a new era of scarcer and expensive oil. Not to mention the 12,000-mile supply line to the factories of Asia which we have tragically come to depend on for so many of our household goods.We have to check all our assumptions at the door about how things will work in the years ahead. Lately, thanks to Tom Friedman and other cheerleaders for the global economy, we've adopted the notion that globalism is a permanent condition of life. I think we will be disappointed to learn the truth – that globalism was a set of transient economic relations made possible at a particular time by very special conditions, namely half a century of cheap energy and half a century of relative peace between the great powers.
Those conditions are about to end, and with them, I predict, will go many of the far-flung economic relations that we've come to rely on. When the US and China are contesting for the world's remaining oil resources, do you think it's possible that our trade relations might be affected? These are things we had better be prepared to think about it. China has way outstripped its own dwindling oil supply. China has gone all over the world in recent years systematically making contracts for future delivery of oil with other nations, including Canada, as that nation ramps up production of the tar sands in Alberta.
I want to remind you that there is such a thing as the Monroe Doctrine, an American foreign policy position that essentially forbids nations outside the western hemisphere from intruding in or exploiting affairs in this part of the world. It may be an old and perhaps an arrogant policy – but I predict the time will come when the United States will invoke it in order to preserve our access to Canadian oil supplies. And if-and-when that occurs, what do you suppose that will mean to our trade relations with China? How many plastic wading pools and salad shooters will WalMart be ordering then?
These are the kinds of things we are not thinking about at all, and which leave us woefully unprepared to face a very uncertain future.Getting back to retail trade in the US – it is important to recognize the damage that the national discount chain stores have already done in systematically destroying local commercial economies. If you travel around the main street towns of this nation, as I do, you see places in Pennsylvania, and Michigan, and Alabama, and Oklahoma, and Connecticut, and in my region of the upper Hudson Valley in New York that look like former soviet backwaters. The destruction, the abandonment and desolation in the fabric of our towns is just out of this world.
This era of chain store supremacy will not continue far into the future, and as it wobbles and falls we will be faced with a tremendous task of rebuilding the fine-grained, multi-layered local networks of economic interdependency that the chain stores destroyed. As that rebuilding occurs we will restore social roles as well as economic roles that have long been absent in our home places.In destroying local retail infrastructures, the chain stores wiped out a whole mercantile middle class. These were the people ran local businesses, who sat on the library and hospital boards, who sponsored the little league baseball, who employed their neighbors and had to behave decently toward them, as well as treating their neighbors decently in matters of trade. They were people who uniformly had to take care of at least two buildings in town – the place where they did business and the place where they lived. These were the people who were the caretakers of our communities, and the extermination of this class of citizens has been devastating.
We don't know how we are going to make things again in America, for instance, ordinary household products. We're not going to re-live the 20th century, when the US was on a great upswing of energy resources and we made everything for ourselves from toasters to record players. Where I live, in the upper Hudson and Mohawk Valley region of New York, most of the factories have actually been knocked down in the past 20 years. The water power is still there in many of these places, but the buildings are gone. Among all our other wishes, there is a wish that we will innovate stunning new methods for making things, such as nanotechnology. I'd repeat that we'd better check all our assumptions at the door and that we are liable to be disappointed by what these wishes will eventually lead to.
I think the truth is, we are going to have fewer things to buy. The blue-light-special retail orgy of recent decades will fade into history, and shopping will retreat into the background of daily life. Consuming things will not be our sole reason for living.
The role of finance as we know it today will be severely challenged by the Long Emergency. Declining energy supplies have one particular grave implication for industrial societies: that they can no longer take for granted the 3 to 7 percent annual growth in gross domestic product that has been assumed to be normal throughout recent history. In fact, the energy picture – the dwindling of a particular, extraordinary, one-time, very special resource – implies a general contraction of productive activity. Our expectations for growth are vested in tradable paper certificates – currencies, stocks, bonds, and other instruments that represent our confidence that society will produce more wealth, and that this increase can be enjoyed in the form of profits and dividends. What happens when that consensus about reliable increase falls apart? What happens to the entire edifice of finance when these abstract certificates are no longer backed by the faith of people who have been trading them?
We can see the beginning of this process right now in the unwinding of the home mortgage sector. This recent experiment in the abolition of moral hazard, in the suspension of norms-and-standards in lending, in the fobbing off of risk, is climaxing in one of the great debacles of modern economics. It was based on the idea that immense numbers of promises for future payment could be bundled into bonds, resold, and parlayed to leverage evermore abstract casino-like bets masquerading as investments. This is anything but investment in future productive activity.It is now being discovered that at the foundation of all this jive-finance activity lie bundles of broken promises, "non-performing loans," as they're called. It remains to be seen how this mortgage-and-housing bubble fiasco will play out, but I think it will be one of the major events leading to an overall loss of presumed wealth for American society. And is likely, as well, to infect the jury-rigged structures of global finance to a disastrous degree.
The key to all our everyday activities in the future is scale. We will probably have to live more locally than has been the case in recent decades. I think we can state categorically that anything organized on the gigantic scale, whether it is an agricultural system, or a finance system, or a corporation, or a chain of stores, or a school, or a government, is going to run into trouble.
School is another item on our "to do" list of things that we have to make other arrangements for. The gigantic centralized public school systems all over America that depend on the massive fleets of yellow school buses for collecting the students every morning around the 50-mile-radius `pupil sheds' – this way of doing things will probably encounter failure. Not to mention that we used the same kind of sprawling, one-story, flat-roofed buildings in Florida as in Minnesota – and given the situation with natural gas we'll have trouble heating these buildings in the colder states. Of course there are plenty of reasons to suspect that schools this large, designed like medium security prisons, are not optimum settings for learning even if oil and gas were plentiful.
Complicating the issue is the fact that our school systems are at the center of the psychology of previous investment. We have put so much of our collective wealth in these sprawling, oversized, vehicle-dependent institutions – with all their fabulous amenities of swimming pools, video labs, and free parking – that it will be very difficult for us to let go of them – even after it is self-evident that they are no longer working.
What will replace our giant centralized public schools? School districts will be starved for cash in the Long Emergency. I doubt that we will be able to replace the centralized schools with a whole new system of smaller buildings distributed more equitably around the places where people live. If anything, I suppose a replacement may arise out of home schooling, especially as home schools aggregate into larger neighborhood units so that every parent doesn't have to duplicate the vocational role of teacher (and of course not all parents would even be capable of acting in that role).
The destiny of higher education ought to be especially troubling. The giant universities are exactly the kinds of institutions that will prove unwieldy and unsupportable in the Long Emergency. College will cease to be the mass consumer activity it became in the cheap energy heyday. If it survives at all, it is likely to be – as earlier in history – an activity for a much smaller economic elite.
The question of class relations per se will be affected by our energy situation, since it is necessarily linked to our economy. The Long Emergency is going to produce a lot of economic losers – a whole new group I call the formerly middle class. They will lose jobs, vocations, and incomes that they will never get back. They are going to be full of grievance, anger, resentment, and bewilderment at the loss of their entitlements to the "non-negotiable" American way of life, including home ownership and affordable happy motoring. They are likely to express these feelings politically. We will be lucky if they do not turn to demagogues who promise to mount one sort of campaign or another to restore the entitlements of suburbia. Such a campaign would be an enormous exercise in futility and a gross waste of our scarce remaining resources. But it is the kind of thing that happens when a society comes under extreme stress, and we had better be prepared for it. Social friction may also be prompted as agriculture comes closer to the center of our economic life, and we're faced with conflict between those who retain wealth in productive land and those who must resort to working in agriculture to make a living. In history, this typically sets the stage for the radical redistribution of property, seizure of land, in short, for political revolution. It could happen here.
We are certain to experience epochal demographic shifts in any case. The 200-year-long trend of people leaving the rural places and the small towns to go to the big cities will very likely go into reverse. Our hyper-gigantic cities and so-called metroplexes are a pure product of the 200-year-long upward arc of cheap energy. Like other things of gigantic scale, our cities will get into trouble. They are going to contract substantially. The cities that are composed overwhelmingly of suburban fabric will be most susceptible to failure. Orlando, Houston, Atlanta. The cities that are overburdened with skyscrapers will face an additional layer of trouble – the skyscraper, like the mega-city, was a product of cheap energy, and we are going to have trouble running them, especially heating them without cheap natural gas.
As our cities contract, I think they will re-densify at their centers and around their waterfronts, if they are located favorably on water, and depending on how (or if) rising ocean levels might affect them. The process of contraction in our cities is likely to be difficult, disorderly and unequal. Some cities will do better than others. In my opinion, Phoenix and Tucson will be substantially depopulated. They will face additional problems with their ability to produce food locally and with water. In Las Vegas, the excitement will be over. That will be a good thing since it has become the holy shrine of America's new chief religion: the worship of unearned riches – based on the belief that it is possible to get something for nothing – a belief that underlies, by the way, a great deal of the delusional thinking abroad in this land about the ability of alternative fuels and energy schemes to rescue our current mode of living.
It is hard to be optimistic about the destiny of our suburbs. My referring to them as the greatest misallocation of resources in the history of the world pretty much says it all. There will be a wish to rescue them, of course, but it is unlikely to go beyond the wishing stage. We will be a less affluent society in the years ahead than we were when we built the suburbs in the first place, and we will have fewer resources to fix them or retrofit them. The Jolly Green Giant is not going to come and move the houses closer to the shopping – to undo the vast absurdities of single-use-zoning.
We could reform our codes and regulations which have virtually mandated a suburban sprawl outcome in every American locality – but it's a little late for that. The horse is out of the barn on that one. And anyway, I believe the mortgage-and-housing bubble fiasco will mark the end of the whole project of suburbanization per se. I don't believe the production home builders will ever recover from it in our lifetimes; we certainly don't need a single additional WalMart or fried food joint; and the energy problems we face will eventually overcome all our wishes to keep that system going, whether we like it or not.
Realistically, I think we will have to return to a set of traditional ways of inhabiting the terrain – towns, smaller-scaled cities composed of walkable neighborhoods, and a productive rural landscape with more of a human presence than we see in today's countryside. We have thousands of smaller towns and cities waiting to be re-inhabited and re-activated. Most of them occupy geographically important or valuable sites, especially the ones near fresh running water.
For the past two decades I have been associated with the New Urbanist movement. The New Urbanists were architects, planners, and developers who recognized the tremendous weaknesses and liabilities of the suburban pattern and have been campaigning to reform the way we build things in this country. Their methods are consistent with what we are going to need in the decades ahead to refashion human habitats that have a future and which are worth caring about.
The great achievement of the New Urbanists was not in the projects and new towns that they designed and caused to get built in recent years, but in their heroic act of retrieving lost knowledge from the dumpster of history – a whole body of principles, methods, and skills necessary to design places worth living in. This was knowledge and principle that we had thrown away in our mad rush to become a drive-in utopia. We threw it away thinking that we could replace urban design and artistry with mere traffic engineering and statistical analysis. The result of that is now visible for all to see in the tragic landscape of the highway strips and the single-income housing pods. What we managed to do was build a land full of scary places that turned us into a nation of scary people. But this was the final tragedy of suburbia: we put up thousands of places that aren't worth caring about, not understanding that when we had enough of them, we might be left with a nation not worth defending.
So there you have a comprehensive "to do" list of efforts we can make to meet the challenges of the permanent global energy crisis, things we can do to mount an intelligent response to these circumstances that reality is sending our way. Growing more of our food locally; restoring our railroads and other forms of public transit; rebuilding local networks of commerce and economic interdependency; reorganizing education at an appropriate scale for the future.
We cannot assume a seamless transition between where we are today and where we're going. It maybe turbulent and disorderly. We cannot assume that technology alone will rescue us. In fact, one of the major obstacles to clear thinking these days is the mistaken belief that technology and energy are the same thing; that they are interchangeable; that if you run out of one, you can just plug in the other.
Energy and technology are related to each other but they are not the same. Technology may help us get energy resources, or use energy resources, but it is not an energy resource itself. We assume magical properties for technology largely because, in our lifetimes, the energy has always been there behind it, steady, dependable, and cheap.
What's more energy and technology both entail very insidious side effects. Energy throws off entropy, a protean force of disorder and loss that manifests in everything from the wasted heat coming out of an engine tailpipe to the immersive ugliness of the American commercial highway strip – which is entropy-made-visible.
Technology throws off diminishing returns, in the sense that the more complex you make things, often the worse the effect on society as a whole. My favorite example is the telephone system. For more than two decades we have invested billions in computerizing every phone system in the land. The net result, after all that investment and effort, is that it is practically impossible to reach a live human being on a telephone – not to mention the monumental ten-times-a-day aggravation of getting booted into a computerized phone menu leading to the purgatory of terminal "hold."
I hope we can overcome our tendencies to try to get something for nothing and to engage in wishful thinking. The subject of hope itself is an interesting one. College kids on the lecture circuit always ask me if I can give them some hope. Apparently, they find this view of the future to be discouraging. It may mean fewer hours playing Grand Theft Auto with a side order of Domino's pepperoni pizza, but there are many positive implications for our lives in the future. We may once again live in places worth caring about, where beauty and grace are considered everybody's birthright. We may work side-by-side with our neighbors, on things that are meaningful. Instead of canned entertainments, we may hear the sounds of our own voices making music, see the works of our own dramatists and dancers.
Hope is something we really have to supply for ourselves. We are our own generators of hope, and we do it by demonstrating to ourselves that we are capable of facing the circumstances of our time, of working competently to meet these challenges, and of learning the difference between wishing and doing. In fact, what we need is not so much hope, but confidence in our inherent abilities and the will to act.
We've got a lot to do. We've got to put down the iPods and get busy. There's no time for hand-wringing and whining. As Yogi Berra said, our whole future's ahead of us.
4/17/2007
4/16/2007
Good-bye, Kurt
Published on Friday, April 13, 2007 by CommonDreams.org
Peace Be With You, Kurt Vonnegut
by Harvey Wasserman
As the media fills with whimsical good-byes to one of America’s greatest writers, let's not forget one of the great engines driving this wonderful man—he HATED war. Including this one in Iraq. And he had utter contempt for the men who brought it about.Kurt Vonnegut was a divine spark of liberating genius for an entire generation. His brilliant, beautiful, loving and utterly unfettered novels helped us redefine ourselves in leaving the corporate America in the 1950s and the Vietnam war that followed.
Having seen the worst of World War II from a meatlocker in fire-bombed Dresden, Kurt’s Sirens of Titan, Cat’s Cradle, Slaughterhouse Five and God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater, cut us the intellectual and spiritual slack to seek out a new reality. It took a breathtaking psychic freedom to merge the interstellar worlds he created from whole cloth with the social imperatives of a changing age. It was that combination of talent, heart and liberation that gave Vonnegut a cutting edge he never lost.
Leaving us in his eighties, Kurt also leaves us decades of anecdotes and volumes of writings—and doodlings—about which to write. But lost in the mainstream obituaries—including the one in the New York Times—is the ferocity with which he opposed this latest claque of vicious war-mongers.
Vonnegut gave his last campus speech in Columbus. He and I met here many years ago, after another speech. Not knowing me from Adam, he was gracious enough to give me his home address.
Out of the blue, I sent him a book-length poem about the passing of my parents. I was shocked when he called me on the phone about it. I asked for his help in finding a publisher. He said to publish it on my own, and gave me advice on how to do it, along with a blurb for the cover.
From then on we talked by phone. His conversation was always friendly, funny, insightful. When last I asked him how he was, he replied: “Too fucking old!”
Last year, apparently on the spur of the moment, he agreed to speak again at Ohio State. It would be his last campus lecture.
When word spread, a line four thousand students long instantly formed at a university otherwise known only for its addiction to football.
Anyone expecting a safe, whimsical opener from this grand old man of sixties rebellion was in for a shock. “Can I speak frankly?” he asked Professor Manuel Luis Martinez, the poet and writing teacher who would “interview” him. “The only difference between George W. Bush and Adolph Hitler is that Hitler was actually elected.”
Holding up a book about Ohio 2004, he said: “You all know, of course, that the election was stolen. Right here.”
Explaining that this would he his “last speech for money,” Vonnegut said he couldn’t remember his first one. But it was “long long ago.
“I’m lucky enough to have known a great president, one who really cared about ALL the people, rich and poor. That was Franklin D. Roosevelt. He was rich himself, and his class considered him a traitor.
“We have people in this country who are richer than whole countries,” he said. “They run everything.
“We have no Democratic Party. It’s financed by the same millionaires and billionaires as the Republicans.
“So we have no representatives in Washington. Working people have no leverage whatsoever.
“I’m trying to write a novel about the end of the world. But the world is really ending! It’s becoming more and more uninhabitable because of our addiction to oil.
“Bush used that line recently,” Vonnegut added. “I should sue him for plagiarism.”
Things have gotten so bad, he said, “people are in revolt against life itself.”
Our economy has been making money, but “all the money that should have gone into research and development has gone into executive compensation. If people insist on living as if there’s no tomorrow, there really won’t be one.
“As the world is ending, I’m always glad to be entertained for a few moments. The best way to do that is with music. You should practice once a night.
“If you want really want to hurt your parents, go into the arts.” He then broke into song, with a passable, tender rendition of “Stardust Memories.”
By this time, the packed hall was reverential. The sound system, appropriately tenuous, forced us all to strain to hear every word.
“To hell with the advances in computers,” he said after he finished singing. “YOU are supposed to advance and become, not the computers. Find out what’s inside you. And don’t kill anybody.
“There are no factories any more. Where are the jobs supposed to come from? There’s nothing for people to do anymore. We need to ask the Seminoles: ‘what the hell did you do?” after the tribe’s traditional livelihood was taken away.
Answering questions written in by students, he explained the meaning of life. “We should be kind to each other. Be civil. And appreciate the good moments by saying ‘If this isn’t nice, what is?’
“You’re awful cute” he said to someone in the front row. He grinned and looked around. “If this isn’t nice, what is?
“You’re all perfectly safe, by the way. I took off my shoes at the airport. The terrorists hate the smell of feet.
“We are here on Earth to fart around,” he explained, and then embarked on a soliloquy about the joys of going to the store to buy an envelope. One talks to the people there, comments on the “silly-looking dog,” finds all sorts of adventures along the way.
As for being a Midwesterner, he recalled his roots in nearby Indianapolis, a heartland town, the next one west of here. “I’m a fresh water person. When I swim in the ocean, I feel like I’m swimming in chicken soup. Who wants to swim in flavored water?”
A key to great writing, he added, is to “never use semi-colons. What are they good for? What are you supposed to do with them? You’re reading along, and then suddenly, there it is. What does it mean? All semi-colons do is suggest you’ve been to college.”
Make sure, he added, “that your reader is having a good time. Get to the who, when, where, what right away, so the reader knows what is going on.”
As for making money, “war is a very profitable thing for a few people. Jesus used to be so merciful and loving of the poor. But now he’s a Republican.
“Our economy today is not capitalism. It’s casino-ism. That’s all the stock market is about. Gambling.
“Live one day at a time. Say ‘if this isn’t nice, I don’t know what is!’
“You meet saints everywhere. They can be anywhere. They are people behaving decently in an indecent society.”
The greatest peace, Vonnegut wraps up, “comes from the knowledge that I have enough. Joe Heller told me that.
“I began writing because I found myself possessed. I looked at what I wrote and I said ‘How the hell did I do that?’
“We may all be possessed. I hope so.”
We were joined for after-speech drinks by the professor and several awe-struck graduate students. Kurt expressed an interest in renewable energy, so I sent him another book, and he called back with another blurb, and more advice on how to publish it.
We planned to have dinner. I wanted more than anything to introduce my daughters to him. But when I finally made it to New York, he was too ill. Now he’s gone. When a national treasure and a being of beauty like Kurt Vonnegut invites you to dinner, don’t make plans, hop on the next plane.
The mainstream obituaries are emphasizing Kurt’s “off-beat” career and the “mixed reviews” for his books. Don’t believe a word of them.
Kurt Vonnegut was a force of nature, with a heart the size of Titan, an unfettered genius who changed us all for the better. He was possessed of a sense of fairness and morality capable of inventing religions that could actually work.
Now he’s having dinner with our beloved siren of social justice, Molly Ivins, sharing a Manhattan, scorching this goddam war and this latest batch of fucking idiots.
It hurts to think about it. But we should be grateful for what we got, and all they gave us. So it goes.
Harvey Wasserman read Cat’s Cradle, Sirens of Titan and Slaughterhouse Five in college, sought Boku-Maru, and has never been the same. He writes at www.freepress.org and www.solartopia.org
Peace Be With You, Kurt Vonnegut
by Harvey Wasserman
As the media fills with whimsical good-byes to one of America’s greatest writers, let's not forget one of the great engines driving this wonderful man—he HATED war. Including this one in Iraq. And he had utter contempt for the men who brought it about.Kurt Vonnegut was a divine spark of liberating genius for an entire generation. His brilliant, beautiful, loving and utterly unfettered novels helped us redefine ourselves in leaving the corporate America in the 1950s and the Vietnam war that followed.
Having seen the worst of World War II from a meatlocker in fire-bombed Dresden, Kurt’s Sirens of Titan, Cat’s Cradle, Slaughterhouse Five and God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater, cut us the intellectual and spiritual slack to seek out a new reality. It took a breathtaking psychic freedom to merge the interstellar worlds he created from whole cloth with the social imperatives of a changing age. It was that combination of talent, heart and liberation that gave Vonnegut a cutting edge he never lost.
Leaving us in his eighties, Kurt also leaves us decades of anecdotes and volumes of writings—and doodlings—about which to write. But lost in the mainstream obituaries—including the one in the New York Times—is the ferocity with which he opposed this latest claque of vicious war-mongers.
Vonnegut gave his last campus speech in Columbus. He and I met here many years ago, after another speech. Not knowing me from Adam, he was gracious enough to give me his home address.
Out of the blue, I sent him a book-length poem about the passing of my parents. I was shocked when he called me on the phone about it. I asked for his help in finding a publisher. He said to publish it on my own, and gave me advice on how to do it, along with a blurb for the cover.
From then on we talked by phone. His conversation was always friendly, funny, insightful. When last I asked him how he was, he replied: “Too fucking old!”
Last year, apparently on the spur of the moment, he agreed to speak again at Ohio State. It would be his last campus lecture.
When word spread, a line four thousand students long instantly formed at a university otherwise known only for its addiction to football.
Anyone expecting a safe, whimsical opener from this grand old man of sixties rebellion was in for a shock. “Can I speak frankly?” he asked Professor Manuel Luis Martinez, the poet and writing teacher who would “interview” him. “The only difference between George W. Bush and Adolph Hitler is that Hitler was actually elected.”
Holding up a book about Ohio 2004, he said: “You all know, of course, that the election was stolen. Right here.”
Explaining that this would he his “last speech for money,” Vonnegut said he couldn’t remember his first one. But it was “long long ago.
“I’m lucky enough to have known a great president, one who really cared about ALL the people, rich and poor. That was Franklin D. Roosevelt. He was rich himself, and his class considered him a traitor.
“We have people in this country who are richer than whole countries,” he said. “They run everything.
“We have no Democratic Party. It’s financed by the same millionaires and billionaires as the Republicans.
“So we have no representatives in Washington. Working people have no leverage whatsoever.
“I’m trying to write a novel about the end of the world. But the world is really ending! It’s becoming more and more uninhabitable because of our addiction to oil.
“Bush used that line recently,” Vonnegut added. “I should sue him for plagiarism.”
Things have gotten so bad, he said, “people are in revolt against life itself.”
Our economy has been making money, but “all the money that should have gone into research and development has gone into executive compensation. If people insist on living as if there’s no tomorrow, there really won’t be one.
“As the world is ending, I’m always glad to be entertained for a few moments. The best way to do that is with music. You should practice once a night.
“If you want really want to hurt your parents, go into the arts.” He then broke into song, with a passable, tender rendition of “Stardust Memories.”
By this time, the packed hall was reverential. The sound system, appropriately tenuous, forced us all to strain to hear every word.
“To hell with the advances in computers,” he said after he finished singing. “YOU are supposed to advance and become, not the computers. Find out what’s inside you. And don’t kill anybody.
“There are no factories any more. Where are the jobs supposed to come from? There’s nothing for people to do anymore. We need to ask the Seminoles: ‘what the hell did you do?” after the tribe’s traditional livelihood was taken away.
Answering questions written in by students, he explained the meaning of life. “We should be kind to each other. Be civil. And appreciate the good moments by saying ‘If this isn’t nice, what is?’
“You’re awful cute” he said to someone in the front row. He grinned and looked around. “If this isn’t nice, what is?
“You’re all perfectly safe, by the way. I took off my shoes at the airport. The terrorists hate the smell of feet.
“We are here on Earth to fart around,” he explained, and then embarked on a soliloquy about the joys of going to the store to buy an envelope. One talks to the people there, comments on the “silly-looking dog,” finds all sorts of adventures along the way.
As for being a Midwesterner, he recalled his roots in nearby Indianapolis, a heartland town, the next one west of here. “I’m a fresh water person. When I swim in the ocean, I feel like I’m swimming in chicken soup. Who wants to swim in flavored water?”
A key to great writing, he added, is to “never use semi-colons. What are they good for? What are you supposed to do with them? You’re reading along, and then suddenly, there it is. What does it mean? All semi-colons do is suggest you’ve been to college.”
Make sure, he added, “that your reader is having a good time. Get to the who, when, where, what right away, so the reader knows what is going on.”
As for making money, “war is a very profitable thing for a few people. Jesus used to be so merciful and loving of the poor. But now he’s a Republican.
“Our economy today is not capitalism. It’s casino-ism. That’s all the stock market is about. Gambling.
“Live one day at a time. Say ‘if this isn’t nice, I don’t know what is!’
“You meet saints everywhere. They can be anywhere. They are people behaving decently in an indecent society.”
The greatest peace, Vonnegut wraps up, “comes from the knowledge that I have enough. Joe Heller told me that.
“I began writing because I found myself possessed. I looked at what I wrote and I said ‘How the hell did I do that?’
“We may all be possessed. I hope so.”
We were joined for after-speech drinks by the professor and several awe-struck graduate students. Kurt expressed an interest in renewable energy, so I sent him another book, and he called back with another blurb, and more advice on how to publish it.
We planned to have dinner. I wanted more than anything to introduce my daughters to him. But when I finally made it to New York, he was too ill. Now he’s gone. When a national treasure and a being of beauty like Kurt Vonnegut invites you to dinner, don’t make plans, hop on the next plane.
The mainstream obituaries are emphasizing Kurt’s “off-beat” career and the “mixed reviews” for his books. Don’t believe a word of them.
Kurt Vonnegut was a force of nature, with a heart the size of Titan, an unfettered genius who changed us all for the better. He was possessed of a sense of fairness and morality capable of inventing religions that could actually work.
Now he’s having dinner with our beloved siren of social justice, Molly Ivins, sharing a Manhattan, scorching this goddam war and this latest batch of fucking idiots.
It hurts to think about it. But we should be grateful for what we got, and all they gave us. So it goes.
Harvey Wasserman read Cat’s Cradle, Sirens of Titan and Slaughterhouse Five in college, sought Boku-Maru, and has never been the same. He writes at www.freepress.org and www.solartopia.org
4/15/2007
4/08/2007
Moore Co. Beekeepers, April 10
April meeting of the Moore County Beekeepers
Tuesday, April 10, 2007, 7:00 PM
Agriculture Center in Carthage
A "What Do You Know" session consisting of a series of questions displayed on-screen. Members will have time to answer each question, and after everyone has completed all the questions we will go over each one to make sure we are all in agreement on each particular category. Bring a pencil.
If time allows, we may also have a short program on Bee Stings.
If time allows, we may also have a short program on Bee Stings.
Democracynow.org
DemocracyNow.org Headlines for April 6, 2007
Pentagon: No Pre-War Ties Between Iraq & Al Qaeda
Additional 12,000 National Guard Soldiers To Be Sent To Iraq
Number of Iraqis Detained by U.S. Skyrocketing
British Sailors Were Gathering Intel on Iranians Before Capture
UN Warns Poor Will Suffer Most Because of Climate Change
Study Says Southwest USA Could Face Permanent Drought
Amnesty: Situation at Guantanamo Deteriorating
U.S. Admits It Is Working to Undermine Zimbabwean Gov't
Miami Theater Cancels My Name is Rachel Corrie
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/04/06/142230
Pentagon: No Pre-War Ties Between Iraq & Al Qaeda
Additional 12,000 National Guard Soldiers To Be Sent To Iraq
Number of Iraqis Detained by U.S. Skyrocketing
British Sailors Were Gathering Intel on Iranians Before Capture
UN Warns Poor Will Suffer Most Because of Climate Change
Study Says Southwest USA Could Face Permanent Drought
Amnesty: Situation at Guantanamo Deteriorating
U.S. Admits It Is Working to Undermine Zimbabwean Gov't
Miami Theater Cancels My Name is Rachel Corrie
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/04/06/142230
4/07/2007
Solid Waste in NC,
[contact YOUR legislator]
HOT LIST
A PUBLICATION OF THE CONSERVATION COUNCIL OF NORTH CAROLINA
April 5, 2007
Dear Legislator:
This week's HotList examines solid waste in North Carolina.
In response to proposals to place up to 4 mega-landfills in North Carolina, landfills that could receive garbage from up and down the eastern seaboard, the state legislature passed a 12 month moratorium on the siting of new landfills in North Carolina last year. The idea behind the moratorium was to give the state time to craft new regulations to govern landfill operations in our state.
The state worked diligently and new recommendations recently came out of the Division on Solid Waste. The "Solid Waste Management Act of 2007" (SB1492/HB1233) will put these recommendations into effect, and we encourage you to support this legislation.
Passage will give the state the additional tools to manage solid waste as our state grows.
Mike NelsonDirector of Government Relations Conservation Council of NC 919-839-0020
Solid Waste Management Act of 2007
Legislation that was introduced this year, "Solid Waste Management Act of 2007," (SB 1492 / HB 1233) is a good bill that addresses many of the concerns with landfill operations. But what steps can the state take to minimize the necessity of landfilling waste?
Land fills are expensive to build; they are politically unpopular; and they often raise concerns about environmental justice. There is a lot we can do to minimize the need for new landfills, and in the process create jobs and business opportunities right here in North Carolina.
NC is home to a growing number of recycling companies--companies that employ our workers and make money from taking refuse and recycling it into useable products. By diverting waste from landfills and redirecting it to business interests, we can create a win-win-win situation that benefits government, business, and the environment.
Here are a few key points about recycling.
Recycling saves energy. It's usually takes less energy to manufacture goods from recycled material than from virgin products, therefore recycling saves money for the business community. DENR reports that if we were to increase the recycling rate in the US from the current 30.6% recovery scenario to 35% by 2008, energy savings would be the equivalent of 13.7 billion gallons of gas.
Recycling saves landfill space. Each pound of waste that it is recycled rather than going into a landfill extends the lifespan of existing landfill operations. Siting new landfills is expensive and burdensome for local governments, and often negatively impacts surrounding communities. Extending the lifecycle of existing landfills will save local governments money and time.
North Carolina's 'recycling economy' is one of the fastest growing job engines in the state. Companies across North Carolina are recycling things like plastic bottles, wood waste, and cardboard, and creating new products which they sell for a profit. The complaint heard most often from recycling businesses is that they can't get enough supply. For example, recyclers often struggle to compete against relatively low tipping fees to get materials.
With a greater supply of recyclables, these businesses could expand, thus hiring more employees and expanding our state's tax base. The state can help by adopting policies that drive materials out of the waste stream and into the hands of recyclers.
The NC Division of Pollution Prevention and Environmental Assistance recently conducted a survey to track recycling's impact on jobs and North Carolina's economy.
Some of the findings include:
Recycling companies now occupy old textile factories and other industrial plants abandoned by some of the state's more traditional industries.
Recycling companies in North Carolina range from Fortune 500 manufacturers to single proprietary, family owned businesses, handling hundreds of different types of materials and products.
Recycling employs approximately 14,000 people across the state.
Recycling employs more people than the bio-tech and agricultural livestock industries in North Carolina.
In 1994, recycling employed 8,700 people, rising 60% in 10 years to its current level.
Recycling jobs as a percentage of the state's total employment has increased 40% in 10 years, from 0.25% of the total labor force in 1994 to 0.35% in 2004.
Fifty-four percent of the businesses surveyed forecast creating more recycling-related positions in the next two years.
The number of companies listed in the state's recycling markets directory increased from 306 in 1994 to 532 in 2004, a 74% increase.
Legislative Summaries
H36 Hazardous Materials Task Force Recommendations This legislation improves the oversight of hazardous waste facilities, as recommended by the Governor's Hazardous Materials Task Force. It requires commercial hazardous waste facilities to provide financial assurance for clean-up measures, and off-site screening for potential leakage of hazardous substances into the environment. It requires applicants for permits for hazardous waste facilities to consult with local government and emergency response agencies. Support.
H49 Remove Vegetation From Billboards This legislation would change the Department of Transportation outdoor advertising selective vegetation removal policy to authorize a five-hundred foot removal zone, as recommended by the Joint Legislative Transportation Oversight Committee. Oppose.
H77 Promote Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency This legislation promotes the development of renewable energy and energy efficiency in North Carolina, implementing a 20% renewable energy and energy efficiency portfolio standard. Support.
H332 Preservation of Farmland This legislation would appropriate funds, $10 million, for the aquisition of agricultural conservation easements, or for farmland preservation. Support.
H449 Funds for Sylvan Heights Water Fowl Park This legislation would provide funds ($150,000) for the construction of Phase II of the Sylvan Heights Water Fowl and Eco-center in Scotland Neck. Support.
H463 Conservation Tax Credit Modifications This legislation would give tax credit to any corporation that invests in real property located in North Carolina, such as public beach access use, public access to public waters or trails, or fish and wildlife conservation. Support.
H557 NC GREEEN Act This legislation would work towards a renewable and energy efficient economy in North Carolina by establishing a green business fund, to be administered by the state energy office, that would provide seed grants to encourage the development of NC's green economy. Support.
H838 Ban Incandescent Light Bulbs This legislation would prohibit the sale of general service incandescent light bulbs in the state. Support.
H839 State Energy Office Funds This legislation would give a total of $15,000,000 over two years from the General Fund to the Department of Administration to the State Energy Office to be used for energy related programs and purposes. Support.
H1115 Swine Farm Env. Performance Standards/Funds This legislation would make permanent the swine farm animal waste management system performance standards that the General Assembly enacted in 1998, and assist farmers with the early adoption of innovative swine waste management systems. The bill would also rename the Emergency Drinking Water Fund as the Bernard Allen Clean Well Water Fund and establish a reporting requirement under this fund. Support.
H1134 Cleanup of Abandoned Manufactured Homes This legislation would protect public health and the environment by encouraging counties to develop plans for deconstructing abandoned manufactured homes and removing reusable or recyclable components. The legislation would impose an environmental remediation tax on the sale of new and used manufactured homes to fund the deconstruction of abandoned manufactured homes. Support.
H1154 Oak Island/Erosion Setback Line This legislation, which applies to the Town of Oak Island, alters setback rules in cases of beaches that have undergone renourishment programs. Altering the setback rules undermines sound planning principles and prudent coastal management rules that have been in place for some time. Oppose.
H859 / S603 Extend the Sunset for Nutrient Runoff This legislation would extend the sunset on the law that sets the per pound factor used by the Environmental Management Commission to calculate nutrient off-set payments, and requires that the nutrient off-set payment for nitrogen be calculated as it was prior to certain rule amendments. Oppose.
H990 / S1522 Land & Water Conservation Bond Act of 2007 This legislation authorizes the issuance of general obligation bonds of the state, subject to a vote of the qualified voters of the state, to address statewide needs regarding land conservation, water quality protection, historic preservation, and job creation. Support.
H1073 / S927 Green School Construction Loan Fund/Program This legislation would create the green school construction revolving loan fund to be used for no interest loans to local boards of education for certain energy related construction, commissioning, and installation projects. It would also establish the green school construction program, a voluntary program for the construction or major renovation of high performance school buildings. Support.
H1233 / S1492 Solid Waste Management Act of 2007 The "Solid Waste Management Act of 2007" includes a number of substantive changes to the state's laws that govern solid waste. This act would clarify the circumstances under which an application for solid waste management could be denied; increase penalties on solid waste violations; clarify that parent/affiliate companies are financially responsible; require environmental impact and traffic studies by all applicants; provide for state-level review of proposed multi-jurisdictional facilities; and establish a disposal fee and a transfer fee to for remediation funds. Support.
S3 Promote Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency This legislation promotes the development of renewable energy and energy efficiency in North Carolina, implementing a 10% renewable energy and energy efficiency portfolio standard. Support.
S150 Remove Vegetation From Billboards This legislation would change the Department of Transportation outdoor advertising selective vegetation removal policy to authorize a five-hundred foot removal zone, as recommended by the Joint Legislative Transportation Oversight Committee. Oppose.
S215 Litter Reduction This legislation would reduce roadside and other littering, as well as encouraging recycling by requiring a deposit on beverage containers and requiring redemption centers to accept returned beverage containers and refund the deposits. Support.
S241 Conservation Tax Credit Modifications This legislation would give tax credit to any corporation that invests in real property located in North Carolina, such as public beach access use, public access to public waters or trails, or fish and wildlife conservation. Support.
S273 Funds for Sylvan Heights Water Fowl Park This legislation would provide funds ($150,000) for the construction of Phase II of the Sylvan Heights Water Fowl and Eco-center in Scotland Neck. Support.
S505 Income Tax Credit for Energy Efficient Homes This legislation would provide an Income Tax credit for the building or improvement of energy efficient homes. Support.
S539 Chapel Hill Energy Efficiency Incentives This legislation would amend the Charter of the Town of Chapel Hill, allowing the town to provide development incentives in return for reduction in energy consumption. Support.
S569 Wildlife Conservation Property Tax Relief This legislation would provide property tax relief from qualified wildlife conservtion land. Support.
S634 NC GREEN Act This legislation would work towards a renewable and energy efficient economy in North Carolina (GREEEN= to Grow a Renewable and Energy Efficient Economy in NC) by establishing a green business fund, to be administered by the state energy office, that would provide seed grants to encourage the development of NC's green economy. Support.
S668 Energy Conservation in State Buildings This legislation would promote energy and water conservation in state, university and community college buildings. Support.
S670 Energy Devices that use Renewable Resources This legislation would ensure that city ordinances, county ordinances, and deed restrictions, covenants, and other similar agreements cannot prohibit the installation of devices that use renewable sources of energy. Support.
S679 Consolidation of Commissions This legislation would would do away with all the existing environmental regulatory commissions and create a new consolidated full-time “Environmental Management Commission.” The bill would eliminate the following commissions: existing Environmental Management Commission, Coastal Resources, Marine Fisheries, Mining, Radiation Protection, Sedimentation Control, Soil and Water Conservation, Water Pollution Control System Operators, Water Treatment Facility Operators, Well Contractors Certification. It would transfer responsibility for rulemaking on solid waste management, drinking water, and wastewater from the Commission on Health Services to the new mega-commission. Oppose.
S853 Disapprove Animal & Vermin Control Rule Last year, the NC Commission on Health Services adopted a rule to protrect pre-schoolers from arsenic treated wood on playgrounds. This bill would disapprove that rule. Oppose.
S939 State Energy Office Funds This legislation would give a total of $15,000,000 over two years from the General Fund to the Department of Administration to the State Energy Office to be used for energy related programs and purposes. Support.
S1553 Recyling Discarded Computer Equipment This legislation would the establish the North Carolina Producer Responsibility Program for the recycling of discarded computer equipment. Support.
HOT LIST
A PUBLICATION OF THE CONSERVATION COUNCIL OF NORTH CAROLINA
April 5, 2007
Dear Legislator:
This week's HotList examines solid waste in North Carolina.
In response to proposals to place up to 4 mega-landfills in North Carolina, landfills that could receive garbage from up and down the eastern seaboard, the state legislature passed a 12 month moratorium on the siting of new landfills in North Carolina last year. The idea behind the moratorium was to give the state time to craft new regulations to govern landfill operations in our state.
The state worked diligently and new recommendations recently came out of the Division on Solid Waste. The "Solid Waste Management Act of 2007" (SB1492/HB1233) will put these recommendations into effect, and we encourage you to support this legislation.
Passage will give the state the additional tools to manage solid waste as our state grows.
Mike NelsonDirector of Government Relations Conservation Council of NC 919-839-0020
Solid Waste Management Act of 2007
Legislation that was introduced this year, "Solid Waste Management Act of 2007," (SB 1492 / HB 1233) is a good bill that addresses many of the concerns with landfill operations. But what steps can the state take to minimize the necessity of landfilling waste?
Land fills are expensive to build; they are politically unpopular; and they often raise concerns about environmental justice. There is a lot we can do to minimize the need for new landfills, and in the process create jobs and business opportunities right here in North Carolina.
NC is home to a growing number of recycling companies--companies that employ our workers and make money from taking refuse and recycling it into useable products. By diverting waste from landfills and redirecting it to business interests, we can create a win-win-win situation that benefits government, business, and the environment.
Here are a few key points about recycling.
Recycling saves energy. It's usually takes less energy to manufacture goods from recycled material than from virgin products, therefore recycling saves money for the business community. DENR reports that if we were to increase the recycling rate in the US from the current 30.6% recovery scenario to 35% by 2008, energy savings would be the equivalent of 13.7 billion gallons of gas.
Recycling saves landfill space. Each pound of waste that it is recycled rather than going into a landfill extends the lifespan of existing landfill operations. Siting new landfills is expensive and burdensome for local governments, and often negatively impacts surrounding communities. Extending the lifecycle of existing landfills will save local governments money and time.
North Carolina's 'recycling economy' is one of the fastest growing job engines in the state. Companies across North Carolina are recycling things like plastic bottles, wood waste, and cardboard, and creating new products which they sell for a profit. The complaint heard most often from recycling businesses is that they can't get enough supply. For example, recyclers often struggle to compete against relatively low tipping fees to get materials.
With a greater supply of recyclables, these businesses could expand, thus hiring more employees and expanding our state's tax base. The state can help by adopting policies that drive materials out of the waste stream and into the hands of recyclers.
The NC Division of Pollution Prevention and Environmental Assistance recently conducted a survey to track recycling's impact on jobs and North Carolina's economy.
Some of the findings include:
Recycling companies now occupy old textile factories and other industrial plants abandoned by some of the state's more traditional industries.
Recycling companies in North Carolina range from Fortune 500 manufacturers to single proprietary, family owned businesses, handling hundreds of different types of materials and products.
Recycling employs approximately 14,000 people across the state.
Recycling employs more people than the bio-tech and agricultural livestock industries in North Carolina.
In 1994, recycling employed 8,700 people, rising 60% in 10 years to its current level.
Recycling jobs as a percentage of the state's total employment has increased 40% in 10 years, from 0.25% of the total labor force in 1994 to 0.35% in 2004.
Fifty-four percent of the businesses surveyed forecast creating more recycling-related positions in the next two years.
The number of companies listed in the state's recycling markets directory increased from 306 in 1994 to 532 in 2004, a 74% increase.
Legislative Summaries
H36 Hazardous Materials Task Force Recommendations This legislation improves the oversight of hazardous waste facilities, as recommended by the Governor's Hazardous Materials Task Force. It requires commercial hazardous waste facilities to provide financial assurance for clean-up measures, and off-site screening for potential leakage of hazardous substances into the environment. It requires applicants for permits for hazardous waste facilities to consult with local government and emergency response agencies. Support.
H49 Remove Vegetation From Billboards This legislation would change the Department of Transportation outdoor advertising selective vegetation removal policy to authorize a five-hundred foot removal zone, as recommended by the Joint Legislative Transportation Oversight Committee. Oppose.
H77 Promote Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency This legislation promotes the development of renewable energy and energy efficiency in North Carolina, implementing a 20% renewable energy and energy efficiency portfolio standard. Support.
H332 Preservation of Farmland This legislation would appropriate funds, $10 million, for the aquisition of agricultural conservation easements, or for farmland preservation. Support.
H449 Funds for Sylvan Heights Water Fowl Park This legislation would provide funds ($150,000) for the construction of Phase II of the Sylvan Heights Water Fowl and Eco-center in Scotland Neck. Support.
H463 Conservation Tax Credit Modifications This legislation would give tax credit to any corporation that invests in real property located in North Carolina, such as public beach access use, public access to public waters or trails, or fish and wildlife conservation. Support.
H557 NC GREEEN Act This legislation would work towards a renewable and energy efficient economy in North Carolina by establishing a green business fund, to be administered by the state energy office, that would provide seed grants to encourage the development of NC's green economy. Support.
H838 Ban Incandescent Light Bulbs This legislation would prohibit the sale of general service incandescent light bulbs in the state. Support.
H839 State Energy Office Funds This legislation would give a total of $15,000,000 over two years from the General Fund to the Department of Administration to the State Energy Office to be used for energy related programs and purposes. Support.
H1115 Swine Farm Env. Performance Standards/Funds This legislation would make permanent the swine farm animal waste management system performance standards that the General Assembly enacted in 1998, and assist farmers with the early adoption of innovative swine waste management systems. The bill would also rename the Emergency Drinking Water Fund as the Bernard Allen Clean Well Water Fund and establish a reporting requirement under this fund. Support.
H1134 Cleanup of Abandoned Manufactured Homes This legislation would protect public health and the environment by encouraging counties to develop plans for deconstructing abandoned manufactured homes and removing reusable or recyclable components. The legislation would impose an environmental remediation tax on the sale of new and used manufactured homes to fund the deconstruction of abandoned manufactured homes. Support.
H1154 Oak Island/Erosion Setback Line This legislation, which applies to the Town of Oak Island, alters setback rules in cases of beaches that have undergone renourishment programs. Altering the setback rules undermines sound planning principles and prudent coastal management rules that have been in place for some time. Oppose.
H859 / S603 Extend the Sunset for Nutrient Runoff This legislation would extend the sunset on the law that sets the per pound factor used by the Environmental Management Commission to calculate nutrient off-set payments, and requires that the nutrient off-set payment for nitrogen be calculated as it was prior to certain rule amendments. Oppose.
H990 / S1522 Land & Water Conservation Bond Act of 2007 This legislation authorizes the issuance of general obligation bonds of the state, subject to a vote of the qualified voters of the state, to address statewide needs regarding land conservation, water quality protection, historic preservation, and job creation. Support.
H1073 / S927 Green School Construction Loan Fund/Program This legislation would create the green school construction revolving loan fund to be used for no interest loans to local boards of education for certain energy related construction, commissioning, and installation projects. It would also establish the green school construction program, a voluntary program for the construction or major renovation of high performance school buildings. Support.
H1233 / S1492 Solid Waste Management Act of 2007 The "Solid Waste Management Act of 2007" includes a number of substantive changes to the state's laws that govern solid waste. This act would clarify the circumstances under which an application for solid waste management could be denied; increase penalties on solid waste violations; clarify that parent/affiliate companies are financially responsible; require environmental impact and traffic studies by all applicants; provide for state-level review of proposed multi-jurisdictional facilities; and establish a disposal fee and a transfer fee to for remediation funds. Support.
S3 Promote Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency This legislation promotes the development of renewable energy and energy efficiency in North Carolina, implementing a 10% renewable energy and energy efficiency portfolio standard. Support.
S150 Remove Vegetation From Billboards This legislation would change the Department of Transportation outdoor advertising selective vegetation removal policy to authorize a five-hundred foot removal zone, as recommended by the Joint Legislative Transportation Oversight Committee. Oppose.
S215 Litter Reduction This legislation would reduce roadside and other littering, as well as encouraging recycling by requiring a deposit on beverage containers and requiring redemption centers to accept returned beverage containers and refund the deposits. Support.
S241 Conservation Tax Credit Modifications This legislation would give tax credit to any corporation that invests in real property located in North Carolina, such as public beach access use, public access to public waters or trails, or fish and wildlife conservation. Support.
S273 Funds for Sylvan Heights Water Fowl Park This legislation would provide funds ($150,000) for the construction of Phase II of the Sylvan Heights Water Fowl and Eco-center in Scotland Neck. Support.
S505 Income Tax Credit for Energy Efficient Homes This legislation would provide an Income Tax credit for the building or improvement of energy efficient homes. Support.
S539 Chapel Hill Energy Efficiency Incentives This legislation would amend the Charter of the Town of Chapel Hill, allowing the town to provide development incentives in return for reduction in energy consumption. Support.
S569 Wildlife Conservation Property Tax Relief This legislation would provide property tax relief from qualified wildlife conservtion land. Support.
S634 NC GREEN Act This legislation would work towards a renewable and energy efficient economy in North Carolina (GREEEN= to Grow a Renewable and Energy Efficient Economy in NC) by establishing a green business fund, to be administered by the state energy office, that would provide seed grants to encourage the development of NC's green economy. Support.
S668 Energy Conservation in State Buildings This legislation would promote energy and water conservation in state, university and community college buildings. Support.
S670 Energy Devices that use Renewable Resources This legislation would ensure that city ordinances, county ordinances, and deed restrictions, covenants, and other similar agreements cannot prohibit the installation of devices that use renewable sources of energy. Support.
S679 Consolidation of Commissions This legislation would would do away with all the existing environmental regulatory commissions and create a new consolidated full-time “Environmental Management Commission.” The bill would eliminate the following commissions: existing Environmental Management Commission, Coastal Resources, Marine Fisheries, Mining, Radiation Protection, Sedimentation Control, Soil and Water Conservation, Water Pollution Control System Operators, Water Treatment Facility Operators, Well Contractors Certification. It would transfer responsibility for rulemaking on solid waste management, drinking water, and wastewater from the Commission on Health Services to the new mega-commission. Oppose.
S853 Disapprove Animal & Vermin Control Rule Last year, the NC Commission on Health Services adopted a rule to protrect pre-schoolers from arsenic treated wood on playgrounds. This bill would disapprove that rule. Oppose.
S939 State Energy Office Funds This legislation would give a total of $15,000,000 over two years from the General Fund to the Department of Administration to the State Energy Office to be used for energy related programs and purposes. Support.
S1553 Recyling Discarded Computer Equipment This legislation would the establish the North Carolina Producer Responsibility Program for the recycling of discarded computer equipment. Support.
Mega-Landfill Legislation, NC
Legislative Watch: Landfill Bills Advance, and Hugo Neu Hits the Road
Since last year's General Assembly adopted a temporary moratorium on the permitting of new mega-landfills, the watch has been on. What would the legislature do this year with this issue over the longer term, and how would the companies proposing to site huge new dumps in our state react?
This past week, the first of those hanging footpieces fell. The Hugo Neu corporation announced that it was pulling out of plans to site a regional "auto fluff" landfill near the small town of Navassa in Brunswick County. The corporation's decision followed forward progress of two bills in N.C. House committees last week. Both bills (sponsored by Rep. Bonner Stiller, R-Brunswick) would have the effect of giving control of the proposed landfill site back to the county, which opposes the landfill. Hugo Neu felt the cold breeze blowing and bowed out of the fight.
In the longer run, important legislation to provide a more systematic regulatory framework for dealing with such issues has been prepared and introduced. CCNC lobbyist Mike Nelson says that, during the past months of "moratorium" time, "The state worked diligently and new recommendations recently came out of the Division on Solid Waste. The 'Solid Waste Management Act of 2007' (SB1492/HB1233) will put these recommendations into effect, and we encourage [legislators] to support this legislation. Passage will give the state the additional tools to manage solid waste as our state grows."
The "Solid Waste Management Act of 2007" would clarify the grounds for denying an application for a solid waste management permit; increase penalties on solid waste law violations; clarify that parent/affiliate companies are financially responsible for violations by their subsidiaries; require environmental impact and traffic studies by all applicants; provide for state-level review of proposed multi-jurisdictional facilities; and establish a disposal fee and a transfer fee to cover costs of remediation.
Since last year's General Assembly adopted a temporary moratorium on the permitting of new mega-landfills, the watch has been on. What would the legislature do this year with this issue over the longer term, and how would the companies proposing to site huge new dumps in our state react?
This past week, the first of those hanging footpieces fell. The Hugo Neu corporation announced that it was pulling out of plans to site a regional "auto fluff" landfill near the small town of Navassa in Brunswick County. The corporation's decision followed forward progress of two bills in N.C. House committees last week. Both bills (sponsored by Rep. Bonner Stiller, R-Brunswick) would have the effect of giving control of the proposed landfill site back to the county, which opposes the landfill. Hugo Neu felt the cold breeze blowing and bowed out of the fight.
In the longer run, important legislation to provide a more systematic regulatory framework for dealing with such issues has been prepared and introduced. CCNC lobbyist Mike Nelson says that, during the past months of "moratorium" time, "The state worked diligently and new recommendations recently came out of the Division on Solid Waste. The 'Solid Waste Management Act of 2007' (SB1492/HB1233) will put these recommendations into effect, and we encourage [legislators] to support this legislation. Passage will give the state the additional tools to manage solid waste as our state grows."
The "Solid Waste Management Act of 2007" would clarify the grounds for denying an application for a solid waste management permit; increase penalties on solid waste law violations; clarify that parent/affiliate companies are financially responsible for violations by their subsidiaries; require environmental impact and traffic studies by all applicants; provide for state-level review of proposed multi-jurisdictional facilities; and establish a disposal fee and a transfer fee to cover costs of remediation.
Bee Colony Collapse Disorder
What's Happening to the Bees?
http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/040507ED.shtml
Beekeeper James Doan first began finding empty hives last fall. Entire bee colonies seemed to have up and vanished, leaving their honey behind. Noting the unusually wet fall in Hamlin, New York, he blamed the weather. Unable to forage in the rain, the bees probably starved, he reasoned. But when deserted hives began appearing daily, "we knew it was something different," he says.
http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/040507ED.shtml
Beekeeper James Doan first began finding empty hives last fall. Entire bee colonies seemed to have up and vanished, leaving their honey behind. Noting the unusually wet fall in Hamlin, New York, he blamed the weather. Unable to forage in the rain, the bees probably starved, he reasoned. But when deserted hives began appearing daily, "we knew it was something different," he says.
Hardest On the Poor
Billions face climate change risk
Billions of people face shortages of food, water and increased risk of flooding from climate change, experts warn.
Full story:http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/-/2/hi/science/nature/6532323.stm
Billions of people face shortages of food, water and increased risk of flooding from climate change, experts warn.
Full story:http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/-/2/hi/science/nature/6532323.stm
4/05/2007
Conservative--Really
William Fisher The Right Seeks to Rein In Presidential Power
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/040407J.shtml
William Fisher conducts an exclusive Truthout interview with Bruce Fein, who served as associate deputy attorney general under President Ronald Reagan and is a founder of a conservative movement known as the Liberty Coalition.
The Coalition has launched a new initiative known as the American Freedom Agenda, in which leading voices in the conservative movement are demanding that the Democrat-controlled Congress restore checks and balances within the government and rein in the power of President George W. Bush.
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/040407J.shtml
William Fisher conducts an exclusive Truthout interview with Bruce Fein, who served as associate deputy attorney general under President Ronald Reagan and is a founder of a conservative movement known as the Liberty Coalition.
The Coalition has launched a new initiative known as the American Freedom Agenda, in which leading voices in the conservative movement are demanding that the Democrat-controlled Congress restore checks and balances within the government and rein in the power of President George W. Bush.
What a Gotcha!
First they create the problem with procesed food and high fructose corn syrup, and now this:
GM Insulin In the Field
Firm in GM insulin breakthrough
Insulin produced by GM plants - with a human gene added - could be on
the market in three years, a Canadian company says.
Full story:http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/-/2/hi/health/6518787.stm
GM Insulin In the Field
Firm in GM insulin breakthrough
Insulin produced by GM plants - with a human gene added - could be on
the market in three years, a Canadian company says.
Full story:http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/-/2/hi/health/6518787.stm
4/04/2007
Subprime Loans, CC Debt
Subprime Lending Crisis: Millions of Families Face Losing Their Homes toForeclosure *Subprime loans have led to one million American families losing their homes in the past decade, a new study by the Center for Responsible Lending has found. In the last ten years, the subprime loan industry has emerged as a major, and controversial, player in the housing market. We speak with an attorney at the Center for Responsible Lending.
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/04/04/1343214
* In Debt We Trust: America Before the Bubble Burst *
We take a look at a new documentary by veteran journalist and mediacritic
Danny Schechter called "In Debt We Trust: America Before the Bubble Burst."
The film shows how "the mall replaced the factory as America's dominant
economic engine and how big banks and credit card companies buy our Congress
and drive us into what a former major bank economist calls modern serfdom."
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/04/04/1343218
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/04/04/1343214
* In Debt We Trust: America Before the Bubble Burst *
We take a look at a new documentary by veteran journalist and mediacritic
Danny Schechter called "In Debt We Trust: America Before the Bubble Burst."
The film shows how "the mall replaced the factory as America's dominant
economic engine and how big banks and credit card companies buy our Congress
and drive us into what a former major bank economist calls modern serfdom."
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/04/04/1343218
Hot Activism In The Sandhills
Scotland County Of Tomorrow (SCOT) planned a Rally to be held before the Public Hearing which was to be April 2 nd at the regular April Board of Commissioner's meeting. Although the Public Hearing has been cancelled, communications from County Manager John Crumpton and Board Chair J. D. Willis indicate that, although negotiations are on hold, the Waste Management application remains on file, and Waste Management has been invited to reconsider the application at any time.
_______________________________
From the Fayetteville Observer on 4/3:
Tempers flair over landfill
By Allison Williams Correspondent
LAURINBURG — With a bagpiper leading the way, people protesting a regional landfill marched to the monthly meeting of Scotland County commissioners Monday night.
But when they got there, Chairman J.D. Willis would not allow any of the protesters — who had registered in advance — to address the board during its public forum. Protesters booed and Willis threatened to call police.
"Throw them out," one member of the audience called out, referring to county commissioners.
"If you don't get out, we're going to call police to come get you out," Willis replied, banging his gavel as protesters shook homemade signs and printed banners that said, "No Megadump."
Willis said that protesters would be allowed to speak when a public hearing on a proposed landfill is scheduled. The hearing had been set for Monday night, but when a state committee proposed more stringent landfill requirements, the county put the hearing on hold. Many people thought that the landfill was dead.
Waste Management Inc., said the new requirements would make a regional landfill in Scotland County too expensive to build. But protesters say Willis' comments that the public hearing will be rescheduled proves that it isn't over yet.
Protesters began the evening at a parking lot across the street from the county government building. They held a rally about an hour before the commissioners' meeting began.
Speakers came from across southeastern North Carolina, many of them from communities that are fighting or have fought landfills. A large group of women arrived in matching T-shirts that read, "Citizens for a Safe Vibrant Community," and carrying hand-lettered signs. The women fought a construction and demolition landfill in the small town of Sandyfield in Columbus County.
People came from Richmond, Duplin and Moore counties. Fred McQueen helped fight a proposed landfill in neighboring Richmond County.
He warned people in Scotland County not to be complacent because Waste Management has appeared to back away from the idea of building a landfill that would accept waste from six states and Washington. County commissioners are clearly still interested, he said.
"It's not J.D. and the county commissioners that backed down," McQueen said. "It was Waste Management that backed down."
A March letter from Chairman Willis to Waste Management says, "If and when your company is prepared to complete the negotiations over the host agreement, we would be glad to reconsider the application for the preliminary franchise at that time."
The idea of a landfill was first raised in 2005.
Proponents said the landfill would bring in much-needed revenue to a county with one of the highest tax rates in the state.
Opponents said the landfill would cause enormous environmental problems.
In July, the General Assembly passed a moratorium on building new commercial landfills. Some people thought that would mean an end to a regional landfill, but discussions continued.
Last month, the N.C. Division of Waste Management proposed guidelines that would require landfills to have two underground liners and expensive monitoring systems. Scotland County
Manager John Crumpton said the changes would mean an extra $80 million to build the proposed regional landfill.
Again, the idea of a landfill seemed to be dead.
Bob Davis is co-chairman of Scotland County of Tomorrow, one of the groups protesting the landfill.
"They called this off once before," he said, but the issue returned and he's not sure it won't happen again.
When Willis refused to let him or others speak Monday night, he said, it emphasized his point that the landfill is not dead.
Helen Livingston said protesters are celebrating some victories — the proposed guidelines for one — but won't rest until changes are signed into law and Waste Management closes up shop in Scotland County.
"It's not over," she said.
----------------------------------
The Fayetteville Observer reporter left before the Board returned from closed session. The Laurinburg Exchange article adds:
"Several citizens were allowed to address Commissioners after the Board returned from closed session but Willis had not informed them they would have the chance to speak during the meeting when he initially closed the public forum".
www.nomegadump.org
The SCOT RALLY:
THE PURPOSE OF THE SCOT RALLY IS THREEFOLD :
1) TO CELEBRATE
The new legislative landfill proposals have received thorough, detailed work. We rejoice in their filing last week, and thank legislators for their responsiveness to our requests for safer landfill regulations. Full relief from County Medicaid payments empowers low wealth counties to say no to undesirable economic development. We appreciate this step towards One North Carolina, and are grateful to legislators who understand the significance of this relief.
2) TO EDUCATE
Scotland County has turned away both a Hazardous Waste site and a Nuclear Waste site in the past. We can be proud of our role in turning away one of the top ten mega-dumps in the US.
Scotland County is one of the bright lights in the state in its recycling successes. Even though recycle pick-up has gone from every week to every other week, the volume has not dropped considerably. Our convenience centers are models for the state. We can utilize our past successes to create more progress to handle solid waste in ways that further promote reduce, reuse and recycle. The State is backing its efforts with funding to assist with the shift to the new solid waste plan.
We are fortunate that Scotland County has this opportunity to look to the future, rather than be one of the last to succumb to waste industry pressures for hosting a mega-dump … already antiquated technology.
We take this opportunity to request that Scotland County end all negations with Waste Management: Return the application on file, stop requesting that our representatives block the proposed new landfill safety regulations, and validate that immediate Medicaid relief places the county's financial outlook on a level where the risks of health and economic losses from a huge mega-dump are neither necessary, nor are they in the best interest of Scotland County
3) TO COLLABORATE :
SCOT works with other organizations around the state to insure that NC exercises a progressive, preventive approach to Solid Waste Management. Other counties supporting us today include Richmond, Moore, Duplin, Cumberland, Columbus, Brunswick and Camden. State wide environmental groups have joined forces to develop and support the new legislative bills.
_______________________________
From the Fayetteville Observer on 4/3:
Tempers flair over landfill
By Allison Williams Correspondent
LAURINBURG — With a bagpiper leading the way, people protesting a regional landfill marched to the monthly meeting of Scotland County commissioners Monday night.
But when they got there, Chairman J.D. Willis would not allow any of the protesters — who had registered in advance — to address the board during its public forum. Protesters booed and Willis threatened to call police.
"Throw them out," one member of the audience called out, referring to county commissioners.
"If you don't get out, we're going to call police to come get you out," Willis replied, banging his gavel as protesters shook homemade signs and printed banners that said, "No Megadump."
Willis said that protesters would be allowed to speak when a public hearing on a proposed landfill is scheduled. The hearing had been set for Monday night, but when a state committee proposed more stringent landfill requirements, the county put the hearing on hold. Many people thought that the landfill was dead.
Waste Management Inc., said the new requirements would make a regional landfill in Scotland County too expensive to build. But protesters say Willis' comments that the public hearing will be rescheduled proves that it isn't over yet.
Protesters began the evening at a parking lot across the street from the county government building. They held a rally about an hour before the commissioners' meeting began.
Speakers came from across southeastern North Carolina, many of them from communities that are fighting or have fought landfills. A large group of women arrived in matching T-shirts that read, "Citizens for a Safe Vibrant Community," and carrying hand-lettered signs. The women fought a construction and demolition landfill in the small town of Sandyfield in Columbus County.
People came from Richmond, Duplin and Moore counties. Fred McQueen helped fight a proposed landfill in neighboring Richmond County.
He warned people in Scotland County not to be complacent because Waste Management has appeared to back away from the idea of building a landfill that would accept waste from six states and Washington. County commissioners are clearly still interested, he said.
"It's not J.D. and the county commissioners that backed down," McQueen said. "It was Waste Management that backed down."
A March letter from Chairman Willis to Waste Management says, "If and when your company is prepared to complete the negotiations over the host agreement, we would be glad to reconsider the application for the preliminary franchise at that time."
The idea of a landfill was first raised in 2005.
Proponents said the landfill would bring in much-needed revenue to a county with one of the highest tax rates in the state.
Opponents said the landfill would cause enormous environmental problems.
In July, the General Assembly passed a moratorium on building new commercial landfills. Some people thought that would mean an end to a regional landfill, but discussions continued.
Last month, the N.C. Division of Waste Management proposed guidelines that would require landfills to have two underground liners and expensive monitoring systems. Scotland County
Manager John Crumpton said the changes would mean an extra $80 million to build the proposed regional landfill.
Again, the idea of a landfill seemed to be dead.
Bob Davis is co-chairman of Scotland County of Tomorrow, one of the groups protesting the landfill.
"They called this off once before," he said, but the issue returned and he's not sure it won't happen again.
When Willis refused to let him or others speak Monday night, he said, it emphasized his point that the landfill is not dead.
Helen Livingston said protesters are celebrating some victories — the proposed guidelines for one — but won't rest until changes are signed into law and Waste Management closes up shop in Scotland County.
"It's not over," she said.
----------------------------------
The Fayetteville Observer reporter left before the Board returned from closed session. The Laurinburg Exchange article adds:
"Several citizens were allowed to address Commissioners after the Board returned from closed session but Willis had not informed them they would have the chance to speak during the meeting when he initially closed the public forum".
www.nomegadump.org
The SCOT RALLY:
THE PURPOSE OF THE SCOT RALLY IS THREEFOLD :
1) TO CELEBRATE
The new legislative landfill proposals have received thorough, detailed work. We rejoice in their filing last week, and thank legislators for their responsiveness to our requests for safer landfill regulations. Full relief from County Medicaid payments empowers low wealth counties to say no to undesirable economic development. We appreciate this step towards One North Carolina, and are grateful to legislators who understand the significance of this relief.
2) TO EDUCATE
Scotland County has turned away both a Hazardous Waste site and a Nuclear Waste site in the past. We can be proud of our role in turning away one of the top ten mega-dumps in the US.
Scotland County is one of the bright lights in the state in its recycling successes. Even though recycle pick-up has gone from every week to every other week, the volume has not dropped considerably. Our convenience centers are models for the state. We can utilize our past successes to create more progress to handle solid waste in ways that further promote reduce, reuse and recycle. The State is backing its efforts with funding to assist with the shift to the new solid waste plan.
We are fortunate that Scotland County has this opportunity to look to the future, rather than be one of the last to succumb to waste industry pressures for hosting a mega-dump … already antiquated technology.
We take this opportunity to request that Scotland County end all negations with Waste Management: Return the application on file, stop requesting that our representatives block the proposed new landfill safety regulations, and validate that immediate Medicaid relief places the county's financial outlook on a level where the risks of health and economic losses from a huge mega-dump are neither necessary, nor are they in the best interest of Scotland County
3) TO COLLABORATE :
SCOT works with other organizations around the state to insure that NC exercises a progressive, preventive approach to Solid Waste Management. Other counties supporting us today include Richmond, Moore, Duplin, Cumberland, Columbus, Brunswick and Camden. State wide environmental groups have joined forces to develop and support the new legislative bills.
GM Insulin In the Field
Firm in GM insulin breakthrough
Insulin produced by GM plants - with a human gene added - could be on the market in three years, a Canadian company says.
Full story:http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/-/2/hi/health/6518787.stm
Insulin produced by GM plants - with a human gene added - could be on the market in three years, a Canadian company says.
Full story:http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/-/2/hi/health/6518787.stm
4/03/2007
Finally, Our Leaders Must Follow
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17911853/
Bush Adm. rebuked on emissions. Cruise down the right-hand side of the site for more specific data.
Bush Adm. rebuked on emissions. Cruise down the right-hand side of the site for more specific data.
4/02/2007
The Poor Get Poorer
from democracynow.org
West Underfunding Global Warming Recovery for Poorer Nations
In environmental news, the New York Times reports the U.S. and Western Europe are spending billions of dollars to deal with the consequences of global warming while ignoring treaty obligations to pay for those same efforts in poorer countries.
The U.S. and Western Europe account for emitting two-thirds of carbon dioxide. African countries account for just three percent but have been the hardest hit.
Spending on environmental recovery and adaptation in the world’s most vulnerable areas has reached just forty million dollars per year. Meanwhile a new UN report on climate change is set to predict global warming will continue to most severely effect the world’s poorest nations.
The intergovernmental panel on climate change says global warming could melt of most of the Himalayan glaciers by the year 2030 and increase hunger in Africa.
Stephanie Tunmore of Greenpeace International: "Greenpeace research shows that it is technical and economically feasible to halve global CO2 emissions by 2050 with a massive uptake of renewable energy and energy efficiency. Governments and policy makers need to listen to what the scientists are telling to act immediately and decisively. We need an energy revolution while there's still time."
West Underfunding Global Warming Recovery for Poorer Nations
In environmental news, the New York Times reports the U.S. and Western Europe are spending billions of dollars to deal with the consequences of global warming while ignoring treaty obligations to pay for those same efforts in poorer countries.
The U.S. and Western Europe account for emitting two-thirds of carbon dioxide. African countries account for just three percent but have been the hardest hit.
Spending on environmental recovery and adaptation in the world’s most vulnerable areas has reached just forty million dollars per year. Meanwhile a new UN report on climate change is set to predict global warming will continue to most severely effect the world’s poorest nations.
The intergovernmental panel on climate change says global warming could melt of most of the Himalayan glaciers by the year 2030 and increase hunger in Africa.
Stephanie Tunmore of Greenpeace International: "Greenpeace research shows that it is technical and economically feasible to halve global CO2 emissions by 2050 with a massive uptake of renewable energy and energy efficiency. Governments and policy makers need to listen to what the scientists are telling to act immediately and decisively. We need an energy revolution while there's still time."
Fish Fry, Malcolm Blue Farm, April 13
Malcolm Blue's Annual
Down On the Farm Fish Fry
Friday, April 13th from 11-8pm
$8 Great food, drink, music, and fun on the farm
For tickets, email Malaika
Please pass on this message to everyone!
Caterers--David and Kim Talbert
Music--Bluegrass Tarheels at noon; McKenzie Brothers at 5 pm
4/01/2007
Summer Concert Schedule, Aberdeen
The Rooster’s Wife presents
Summer on the Porch
The Postmaster’s House, South Street, Aberdeen, NC
Gates open at 5:30 Picnics welcome. Rain or shine.
More info: (910)944-7502 or the roosterswife@yahoo.com
May 13
Willa Brigham Master Storyteller opens for the Carolina Chocolate Drops
May 27
The Danny Daughtridge Trio opens for Polecat Creek
June 10
Sarah Seawell and Tim Wilson open for Idgy Vaughn
June 24
Candlewyck
July 8
Bill Sheffield
July 22
Carolina Circus Clowns open for the mad Tea Party
Aug. 12
Victoria Vox opens for Strictly Clean and Decent
Aug. 26
Jon Shain
Sept. 9
the Java Mules open for Gael Warning
Sept. 23
Michael Reno Harrell
The Rooster’s Wife is a private non-profit association organized to celebrate the performing arts in Aberdeen , North Carolina.
The Postmaster’s House, South Street, Aberdeen, NC
Gates open at 5:30 Picnics welcome. Rain or shine.
More info: (910)944-7502 or the roosterswife@yahoo.com
May 13
Willa Brigham Master Storyteller opens for the Carolina Chocolate Drops
May 27
The Danny Daughtridge Trio opens for Polecat Creek
June 10
Sarah Seawell and Tim Wilson open for Idgy Vaughn
June 24
Candlewyck
July 8
Bill Sheffield
July 22
Carolina Circus Clowns open for the mad Tea Party
Aug. 12
Victoria Vox opens for Strictly Clean and Decent
Aug. 26
Jon Shain
Sept. 9
the Java Mules open for Gael Warning
Sept. 23
Michael Reno Harrell
The Rooster’s Wife is a private non-profit association organized to celebrate the performing arts in Aberdeen , North Carolina.
Created to serve the community by preserving our cultural heritage and
presenting the talent of the next generation, the Rooster’s Wife is committed to
offering affordable programs for every age to enjoy.
Janet Kenworthy
www.bluestreetdesigns.com
(910)944-7502
Janet Kenworthy
www.bluestreetdesigns.com
(910)944-7502
3/31/2007
Moore Co Farmers Mkts
Moore County Farmers Markets Open two locations:
Morganton Road, Sou. Pines, Thursday morning (9 am) April 19th
First Health in Pinehurst next to the Fitness Center, Monday afternoon (3 pm) April 23rd.
Morganton Road, Sou. Pines, Thursday morning (9 am) April 19th
First Health in Pinehurst next to the Fitness Center, Monday afternoon (3 pm) April 23rd.
3/30/2007
More on Gore from truthout
Kelpie Wilson Wearing My Hair Shirt
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/032907B.shtml
Kelpie Wilson writes: "Al Gore is really doing it, bringing climate awareness to the doorsteps of opinion makers and forcing them to consider all of its implications. Of course, no good deed ever goes unpunished in this country."
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/032907B.shtml
Kelpie Wilson writes: "Al Gore is really doing it, bringing climate awareness to the doorsteps of opinion makers and forcing them to consider all of its implications. Of course, no good deed ever goes unpunished in this country."
3/29/2007
In The Gulf
Pentagon Launches Gulf Exercise
The developments come as the US military launched a new exercise in the Gulf. It was the first time the Pentagon used a second aircraft carrier in a Gulf exercise since the US-led invasion of Iraq.
Iran Threatens Iraq Meeting Boycott
Meanwhile Iran is warning it may boycott a meeting with Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice next month unless six Iranians detained by U.S. forces in Iraq are released. The meeting on Iraq’s future follows a lower-level summit earlier this month in Baghdad.
Saudi King: U.S. Occupation of Iraq “Illegitimate”
One of the Bush administration’s closest allies in the Middle East has issued his harshest words to date on the U.S. occupation of Iraq. Speaking at a meeting of Arab leaders in Riyadh, Saudia Arabia’s King Abdullah called the occupation “illegitimate.” Abdullah also called for an end to the U.S.-led boycott of the Palestinian government.
Saudi King Abdullah: “[Fatah and Hamas] succeeded in putting an end to their disputes and agreeing on a national unity government. In light of this positive develop, it is important to end this crippling blockade which has been imposed on the Palestinian people."
Abdullah’s comments come amid news he also turned down a state dinner at the White House for next month.
The developments come as the US military launched a new exercise in the Gulf. It was the first time the Pentagon used a second aircraft carrier in a Gulf exercise since the US-led invasion of Iraq.
Iran Threatens Iraq Meeting Boycott
Meanwhile Iran is warning it may boycott a meeting with Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice next month unless six Iranians detained by U.S. forces in Iraq are released. The meeting on Iraq’s future follows a lower-level summit earlier this month in Baghdad.
Saudi King: U.S. Occupation of Iraq “Illegitimate”
One of the Bush administration’s closest allies in the Middle East has issued his harshest words to date on the U.S. occupation of Iraq. Speaking at a meeting of Arab leaders in Riyadh, Saudia Arabia’s King Abdullah called the occupation “illegitimate.” Abdullah also called for an end to the U.S.-led boycott of the Palestinian government.
Saudi King Abdullah: “[Fatah and Hamas] succeeded in putting an end to their disputes and agreeing on a national unity government. In light of this positive develop, it is important to end this crippling blockade which has been imposed on the Palestinian people."
Abdullah’s comments come amid news he also turned down a state dinner at the White House for next month.
Tomatoes, Peppers
From: http://www.elsonhaas.com/articles/article_02.html
Tomatoes & Sweet Peppers
These "fruits of the vine" are full of healthful nutrients that include
vitamin C, B-vitamins, carotenoids, and other phytonutrients, especially
the prostate-helpful and tissue-supporting lycopenes.
Both red and green bell peppers were found to have many pesticide
residues from the most neurotoxic of the pesticides. In the FDA's
measurement of both U.S. and Mexican crops, 64% of peppers contained at
least one pesticide, while 36% contained two or more. These vegetables
also may be waxed which makes it difficult to remove the residues and
other chemicals within the waxes. One study found that as many as 30
different pesticides are used to spray tomatoes.
Because the skins of tomatoes are thin and absorbent, and since this is
a staple in many salads, soups and sauces, tomatoes are worth buying
organically grown. At certain times of year, the price of organic plum
tomatoes is competitive with non-organic varieties. And farmer's markets
may be the best source of all for fresh unsprayed tomatoes, or better
yet, grow your own.
Tomatoes & Sweet Peppers
These "fruits of the vine" are full of healthful nutrients that include
vitamin C, B-vitamins, carotenoids, and other phytonutrients, especially
the prostate-helpful and tissue-supporting lycopenes.
Both red and green bell peppers were found to have many pesticide
residues from the most neurotoxic of the pesticides. In the FDA's
measurement of both U.S. and Mexican crops, 64% of peppers contained at
least one pesticide, while 36% contained two or more. These vegetables
also may be waxed which makes it difficult to remove the residues and
other chemicals within the waxes. One study found that as many as 30
different pesticides are used to spray tomatoes.
Because the skins of tomatoes are thin and absorbent, and since this is
a staple in many salads, soups and sauces, tomatoes are worth buying
organically grown. At certain times of year, the price of organic plum
tomatoes is competitive with non-organic varieties. And farmer's markets
may be the best source of all for fresh unsprayed tomatoes, or better
yet, grow your own.
3/26/2007
Politicians or Citizens?
Published on Saturday, March 24, 2007 by The Progressive
Are We Politicians or Citizens? by Howard Zinn
As I write this, Congress is debating timetables for withdrawal from Iraq. In response to the Bush Administration’s “surge” of troops, and the Republicans’ refusal to limit our occupation, the Democrats are behaving with their customary timidity, proposing withdrawal, but only after a year, or eighteen months. And it seems they expect the anti-war movement to support them.
That was suggested in a recent message from MoveOn, which polled its members on the Democrat proposal, saying that progressives in Congress, “like many of us, don’t think the bill goes far enough, but see it as the first concrete step to ending the war.”
Ironically, and shockingly, the same bill appropriates $124 billion in more funds to carry the war. It’s as if, before the Civil War, abolitionists agreed to postpone the emancipation of the slaves for a year, or two years, or five years, and coupled this with an appropriation of funds to enforce the Fugitive Slave Act.
When a social movement adopts the compromises of legislators, it has forgotten its role, which is to push and challenge the politicians, not to fall in meekly behind them.
We who protest the war are not politicians. We are citizens. Whatever politicians may do, let them first feel the full force of citizens who speak for what is right, not for what is winnable, in a shamefully timorous Congress.
We who protest the war are not politicians. We are citizens. Whatever politicians may do, let them first feel the full force of citizens who speak for what is right, not for what is winnable, in a shamefully timorous Congress.
Timetables for withdrawal are not only morally reprehensible in the case of a brutal occupation (would you give a thug who invaded your house, smashed everything in sight, and terrorized your children a timetable for withdrawal?) but logically nonsensical. If our troops are preventing civil war, helping people, controlling violence, then why withdraw at all? If they are in fact doing the opposite—provoking civil war, hurting people, perpetuating violence—they should withdraw as quickly as ships and planes can carry them home.
It is four years since the United States invaded Iraq with a ferocious bombardment, with “shock and awe.” That is enough time to decide if the presence of our troops is making the lives of the Iraqis better or worse. The evidence is overwhelming. Since the invasion, hundreds of thousands of Iraqis have died, and, according to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, about two million Iraqis have left the country, and an almost equal number are internal refugees, forced out of their homes, seeking shelter elsewhere in the country.
Yes, Saddam Hussein was a brutal tyrant. But his capture and death have not made the lives of Iraqis better, as the U.S. occupation has created chaos: no clean water, rising rates of hunger, 50 percent unemployment, shortages of food, electricity, and fuel, a rise in child malnutrition and infant deaths. Has the U.S. presence diminished violence? On the contrary, by January 2007 the number of insurgent attacks has increased dramatically to 180 a day.
The response of the Bush Administration to four years of failure is to send more troops. To add more troops matches the definition of fanaticism: If you find you’re going in the wrong direction, redouble your speed. It reminds me of the physician in Europe in the early nineteenth century who decided that bloodletting would cure pneumonia. When that didn’t work, he concluded that not enough blood had been let.
The Congressional Democrats’ proposal is to give more funds to the war, and to set a timetable that will let the bloodletting go on for another year or more. It is necessary, they say, to compromise, and some anti-war people have been willing to go along. However, it is one thing to compromise when you are immediately given part of what you are demanding, if that can then be a springboard for getting more in the future. That is the situation described in the recent movie The Wind That Shakes The Barley, in which the Irish rebels against British rule are given a compromise solution—to have part of Ireland free, as the Irish Free State. In the movie, Irish brother fights against brother over whether to accept this compromise. But at least the acceptance of that compromise, however short of justice, created the Irish Free State. The withdrawal timetable proposed by the Democrats gets nothing tangible, only a promise, and leaves the fulfillment of that promise in the hands of the Bush Administration.
There have been similar dilemmas for the labor movement. Indeed, it is a common occurrence that unions, fighting for a new contract, must decide if they will accept an offer that gives them only part of what they have demanded. It’s always a difficult decision, but in almost all cases, whether the compromise can be considered a victory or a defeat, the workers have been given some thing palpable, improving their condition to some degree. If they were offered only a promise of something in the future, while continuing an unbearable situation in the present, it would not be considered a compromise, but a sellout. A union leader who said, “Take this, it’s the best we can get” (which is what the MoveOn people are saying about the Democrats’ resolution) would be hooted off the platform.
I am reminded of the situation at the 1964 Democratic National Convention in Atlantic City, when the black delegation from Mississippi asked to be seated, to represent the 40 percent black population of that state. They were offered a “compromise”—two nonvoting seats. “This is the best we can get,” some black leaders said. The Mississippians, led by Fannie Lou Hamer and Bob Moses, turned it down, and thus held on to their fighting spirit, which later brought them what they had asked for. That mantra—“the best we can get”—is a recipe for corruption.
It is not easy, in the corrupting atmosphere of Washington, D.C., to hold on firmly to the truth, to resist the temptation of capitulation that presents itself as compromise. A few manage to do so. I think of Barbara Lee, the one person in the House of Representatives who, in the hysterical atmosphere of the days following 9/11, voted against the resolution authorizing Bush to invade Afghanistan. Today, she is one of the few who refuse to fund the Iraq War, insist on a prompt end to the war, reject the dishonesty of a false compromise.
Except for the rare few, like Barbara Lee, Maxine Waters, Lynn Woolsey, and John Lewis, our representatives are politicians, and will surrender their integrity, claiming to be “realistic.”
We are not politicians, but citizens. We have no office to hold on to, only our consciences, which insist on telling the truth. That, history suggests, is the most realistic thing a citizen can do.
Howard Zinn is the author, most recently, of “A Power Governments Cannot Suppress.”
Are We Politicians or Citizens? by Howard Zinn
As I write this, Congress is debating timetables for withdrawal from Iraq. In response to the Bush Administration’s “surge” of troops, and the Republicans’ refusal to limit our occupation, the Democrats are behaving with their customary timidity, proposing withdrawal, but only after a year, or eighteen months. And it seems they expect the anti-war movement to support them.
That was suggested in a recent message from MoveOn, which polled its members on the Democrat proposal, saying that progressives in Congress, “like many of us, don’t think the bill goes far enough, but see it as the first concrete step to ending the war.”
Ironically, and shockingly, the same bill appropriates $124 billion in more funds to carry the war. It’s as if, before the Civil War, abolitionists agreed to postpone the emancipation of the slaves for a year, or two years, or five years, and coupled this with an appropriation of funds to enforce the Fugitive Slave Act.
When a social movement adopts the compromises of legislators, it has forgotten its role, which is to push and challenge the politicians, not to fall in meekly behind them.
We who protest the war are not politicians. We are citizens. Whatever politicians may do, let them first feel the full force of citizens who speak for what is right, not for what is winnable, in a shamefully timorous Congress.
We who protest the war are not politicians. We are citizens. Whatever politicians may do, let them first feel the full force of citizens who speak for what is right, not for what is winnable, in a shamefully timorous Congress.
Timetables for withdrawal are not only morally reprehensible in the case of a brutal occupation (would you give a thug who invaded your house, smashed everything in sight, and terrorized your children a timetable for withdrawal?) but logically nonsensical. If our troops are preventing civil war, helping people, controlling violence, then why withdraw at all? If they are in fact doing the opposite—provoking civil war, hurting people, perpetuating violence—they should withdraw as quickly as ships and planes can carry them home.
It is four years since the United States invaded Iraq with a ferocious bombardment, with “shock and awe.” That is enough time to decide if the presence of our troops is making the lives of the Iraqis better or worse. The evidence is overwhelming. Since the invasion, hundreds of thousands of Iraqis have died, and, according to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, about two million Iraqis have left the country, and an almost equal number are internal refugees, forced out of their homes, seeking shelter elsewhere in the country.
Yes, Saddam Hussein was a brutal tyrant. But his capture and death have not made the lives of Iraqis better, as the U.S. occupation has created chaos: no clean water, rising rates of hunger, 50 percent unemployment, shortages of food, electricity, and fuel, a rise in child malnutrition and infant deaths. Has the U.S. presence diminished violence? On the contrary, by January 2007 the number of insurgent attacks has increased dramatically to 180 a day.
The response of the Bush Administration to four years of failure is to send more troops. To add more troops matches the definition of fanaticism: If you find you’re going in the wrong direction, redouble your speed. It reminds me of the physician in Europe in the early nineteenth century who decided that bloodletting would cure pneumonia. When that didn’t work, he concluded that not enough blood had been let.
The Congressional Democrats’ proposal is to give more funds to the war, and to set a timetable that will let the bloodletting go on for another year or more. It is necessary, they say, to compromise, and some anti-war people have been willing to go along. However, it is one thing to compromise when you are immediately given part of what you are demanding, if that can then be a springboard for getting more in the future. That is the situation described in the recent movie The Wind That Shakes The Barley, in which the Irish rebels against British rule are given a compromise solution—to have part of Ireland free, as the Irish Free State. In the movie, Irish brother fights against brother over whether to accept this compromise. But at least the acceptance of that compromise, however short of justice, created the Irish Free State. The withdrawal timetable proposed by the Democrats gets nothing tangible, only a promise, and leaves the fulfillment of that promise in the hands of the Bush Administration.
There have been similar dilemmas for the labor movement. Indeed, it is a common occurrence that unions, fighting for a new contract, must decide if they will accept an offer that gives them only part of what they have demanded. It’s always a difficult decision, but in almost all cases, whether the compromise can be considered a victory or a defeat, the workers have been given some thing palpable, improving their condition to some degree. If they were offered only a promise of something in the future, while continuing an unbearable situation in the present, it would not be considered a compromise, but a sellout. A union leader who said, “Take this, it’s the best we can get” (which is what the MoveOn people are saying about the Democrats’ resolution) would be hooted off the platform.
I am reminded of the situation at the 1964 Democratic National Convention in Atlantic City, when the black delegation from Mississippi asked to be seated, to represent the 40 percent black population of that state. They were offered a “compromise”—two nonvoting seats. “This is the best we can get,” some black leaders said. The Mississippians, led by Fannie Lou Hamer and Bob Moses, turned it down, and thus held on to their fighting spirit, which later brought them what they had asked for. That mantra—“the best we can get”—is a recipe for corruption.
It is not easy, in the corrupting atmosphere of Washington, D.C., to hold on firmly to the truth, to resist the temptation of capitulation that presents itself as compromise. A few manage to do so. I think of Barbara Lee, the one person in the House of Representatives who, in the hysterical atmosphere of the days following 9/11, voted against the resolution authorizing Bush to invade Afghanistan. Today, she is one of the few who refuse to fund the Iraq War, insist on a prompt end to the war, reject the dishonesty of a false compromise.
Except for the rare few, like Barbara Lee, Maxine Waters, Lynn Woolsey, and John Lewis, our representatives are politicians, and will surrender their integrity, claiming to be “realistic.”
We are not politicians, but citizens. We have no office to hold on to, only our consciences, which insist on telling the truth. That, history suggests, is the most realistic thing a citizen can do.
Howard Zinn is the author, most recently, of “A Power Governments Cannot Suppress.”
3/25/2007
Mar. 29, Sandhills CC, Journey Thru Islam
Mark your calendars for 3/29 at 7:00PM
Crossing the Line, A Journey Through Islam
Thursday March 29th at 7:00pm in Stone 111 Sandhills Community College
Crossing the Line, A Journey Through Islam
Thursday March 29th at 7:00pm in Stone 111 Sandhills Community College
Learning Resources will host a very special presentation by
local photo journalist Laura Gingerich.
In October 2006, Ms Gingerich traveled through the Middle East, to Lebanon , the West Bank ,
Pakistan and Afghanistan documenting the relief efforts of Life for Relief and Development.
Life for Relief and Development is a Muslim organization based in the U.S.
Just a few months prior, Beirut and much of Lebanon was ravaged by a war between
the Israeli and Hezbollah armed forces. Laura's talk will feature
the National Geographic quality photographs
of her exploration, as a western woman traveling on her own,
of her exploration, as a western woman traveling on her own,
through this critically important part of our world.
This program is the signature event for "2007, A Year of Moore Exploration",
This program is the signature event for "2007, A Year of Moore Exploration",
a collaboration between
- Sandhills Boyd Library
- Southern Pines Library
- Given Library
- O'Neal School Library
- Moore County Public Library
- The First Health Library
- Moore County Public School libraries
This program is free and open to the public.
Ms. Gingerich's photographs are scheduled to be on display in
Ms. Gingerich's photographs are scheduled to be on display in
the Boyd Library Hastings Gallery through June and July of this year.
3/23/2007
NC Birding Trail, Weymouth Woods, Mar. 29
You are invited to an informational meeting
The NC Birding Trail
Thursday, March 29, 2007
Registration begins at 1:30pm
Weymouth Woods Sandhills Nature Preserve, Southern Pines, NC
We hope to attract a broad range of interests from the greater Sandhills area: site managers and natural resource agencies, tourism councils, local community leaders, and more. The meeting will include information about:
North Carolina Birding Trail
c/o North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission
1722 Mail Service Center Raleigh NC 27699-1722
(919) 604-5183
www.ncbirdingtrail.org info@ncbirdingtrail.org
The NC Birding Trail
Thursday, March 29, 2007
Registration begins at 1:30pm
Weymouth Woods Sandhills Nature Preserve, Southern Pines, NC
We hope to attract a broad range of interests from the greater Sandhills area: site managers and natural resource agencies, tourism councils, local community leaders, and more. The meeting will include information about:
- The NC Birding Trail history, background and progress
- Economic and community development potential
- Conservation education opportunities
- What to expect as we develop the Trail in the Piedmont region
North Carolina Birding Trail
c/o North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission
1722 Mail Service Center Raleigh NC 27699-1722
(919) 604-5183
www.ncbirdingtrail.org info@ncbirdingtrail.org
3/22/2007
School Lunches
"Lunch Lady" With a Mission: Getting Kids to Eat Healthy
http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/032107HB.shtml
Driven to reform school lunches as concerns grow over childhood obesity and diabetes, Ann Cooper is not your typical lunch lady. The former chef, who spent much of her 30-plus-year career working in white-tablecloth restaurants and catering for celebrities, is now best known as the "Lunch Lady" in Berkeley, California, schools. In cafeterias there she has tossed out fried, frozen and sugary foods and replaced them with fresh, seasonal, and mostly organic meals.
http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/032107HB.shtml
Driven to reform school lunches as concerns grow over childhood obesity and diabetes, Ann Cooper is not your typical lunch lady. The former chef, who spent much of her 30-plus-year career working in white-tablecloth restaurants and catering for celebrities, is now best known as the "Lunch Lady" in Berkeley, California, schools. In cafeterias there she has tossed out fried, frozen and sugary foods and replaced them with fresh, seasonal, and mostly organic meals.
3/20/2007
3/19/2007
Experts Agree, It's the Warming
The number of these stories grows from one a week to four a day...even corporations want policy now:
World's Most Important Crops Hit by Global Warming Effects
http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/031907EA.shtml
Global warming over the past quarter-century has led to a fall in the yield of some of the most important food crops in the world, according to one of the first scientific studies of how climate change has affected cereal crops. Rising temperatures between1981 and 2002 caused a loss in production of wheat, corn and barley that amounted in effect to some 40 million tons a year.
Shawn Dell Joyce Sustainable Living:
Scientists Have Plan to FightWarming
http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/031907EB.shtml
"What if I told you that we already have everything we need to resolve the crisis of global warming, except action? Would you believe me? How about believing two Princeton University economists?" asks Shawn Dell Joyce.
Statistical Analysis Debunks Climate Change Naysayers
http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/031907EC.shtml
Despite the fact that the hundreds of scientists and reviewers on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change announced February 2nd in Paris that global warming is "very likely" caused by human activity, governments and other policy-makers may still justify inaction because of naysayers like Danish weather scientist Henrik Svensmark, who maintains that global climate change can be attributed to the proportion of cosmic rays in our atmosphere.
Investors to Press US Congress on Global Warming
http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/031907ED.shtml
Joining a rising corporate chorus itching to sink money into clean energy projects, big investors will press the US Congress to pass laws attempting to tackle global warming. The dozens of investors include Merrill Lynch, The Capital Group, and the California Public Employees Retirement System, the largest US pension fund, said a source at Ceres, a Boston-based coalition of investors and environmentalists.
World's Most Important Crops Hit by Global Warming Effects
http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/031907EA.shtml
Global warming over the past quarter-century has led to a fall in the yield of some of the most important food crops in the world, according to one of the first scientific studies of how climate change has affected cereal crops. Rising temperatures between1981 and 2002 caused a loss in production of wheat, corn and barley that amounted in effect to some 40 million tons a year.
Shawn Dell Joyce Sustainable Living:
Scientists Have Plan to FightWarming
http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/031907EB.shtml
"What if I told you that we already have everything we need to resolve the crisis of global warming, except action? Would you believe me? How about believing two Princeton University economists?" asks Shawn Dell Joyce.
Statistical Analysis Debunks Climate Change Naysayers
http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/031907EC.shtml
Despite the fact that the hundreds of scientists and reviewers on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change announced February 2nd in Paris that global warming is "very likely" caused by human activity, governments and other policy-makers may still justify inaction because of naysayers like Danish weather scientist Henrik Svensmark, who maintains that global climate change can be attributed to the proportion of cosmic rays in our atmosphere.
Investors to Press US Congress on Global Warming
http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/031907ED.shtml
Joining a rising corporate chorus itching to sink money into clean energy projects, big investors will press the US Congress to pass laws attempting to tackle global warming. The dozens of investors include Merrill Lynch, The Capital Group, and the California Public Employees Retirement System, the largest US pension fund, said a source at Ceres, a Boston-based coalition of investors and environmentalists.
Still Big Oil
[Investment tip: Exxon-Mobil has virtually no investment strategy for alternative fuels, so that corporation is a poor bet on where to put your money. Go Green.]
It's STILL the oil: Secret Condi Meeting on Oil Before Invasion
by Greg PalastSunday, March 18, 2007
Four years ago this week, the tanks rolled for what President Bush originally called, "Operation Iraqi Liberation" -- O.I.L. I kid you not.
And it was four years ago that, from the White House, George Bush, declaring war, said, "I want to talk to the Iraqi people." That Dick Cheney didn't tell Bush that Iraqis speak Arabic … well, never mind. I expected the President to say something like, "Our troops are coming to liberate you, so don't shoot them."
Instead, Mr. Bush told, the Iraqis,"Do not destroy oil wells."
Nevertheless, the Bush Administration said the war had nothing to do with Iraq's oil. Indeed, in 2002, the State Department stated, and its official newsletter, the Washington Post, repeated, that State's Iraq study group, "does not have oil on its list of issues."
But now, we've learned that, despite protestations to the contrary, Condoleezza Rice held a secret meeting with the former Secretary-General of OPEC, Fadhil Chalabi, an Iraqi, and offered Chalabi the job of Oil Minister for Iraq. (It is well established that the President of the United States may appoint the cabinet ministers of another nation if that appointment is confirmed by the 101st Airborne.)
In all the chest-beating about how the war did badly, no one seems to remember how the war did very, very well -- for Big Oil.
The war has kept Iraq's oil production to 2.1 million barrels a day from pre-war, pre-embargo production of over 4 million barrels. In the oil game, that's a lot to lose. In fact, the loss of Iraq's 2 million barrels a day is equal to the entire planet's reserve production capacity.
In other words, the war has caused a hell of a supply squeeze -- and Big Oil just loves it. Oil today is $57 a barrel versus the $18 a barrel price under Bill "Love-Not-War" Clinton.
Since the launch of Operation Iraqi Liberation, Halliburton stock has tripled to $64 a share -- not, as some believe, because of those Iraq reconstruction contracts -- peanuts for Halliburton. Cheney's former company's main business is "oil services." And, as one oilman complained to me, Cheney's former company has captured a big hunk of the rise in oil prices by jacking up the charges for Halliburton drilling and piping equipment.
But before we shed tears for Big Oil's having to hand Halliburton its slice, let me note that the value of the reserves of the five biggest oil companies more than doubled during the war to $2.36 trillion.
And that was the plan: putting a new floor under the price of oil. I've have that in writing. In 2005, after a two-year battle with the State and Defense Departments, they released to my team at BBC Newsnight the "Options for a Sustainable Iraqi Oil Industry." Now, you might think our government shouldn't be writing a plan for another nation's oil. Well, our government didn't write it, despite the State Department seal on the cover. In fact, we discovered that the 323-page plan was drafted in Houston by oil industry executives and consultants.
The suspicion is that Bush went to war to get Iraq's oil. That's not true. The document, and secret recordings of those in on the scheme, made it clear that the Administration wanted to make certain America did not get the oil. In other words, keep the lid on Iraq's oil production -- and thereby keep the price of oil high.
Of course, the language was far more subtle than, "Let's cut Iraq's oil production and jack up prices." Rather, the report uses industry jargon and euphemisms which require Iraq to remain an obedient member of the OPEC cartel and stick to the oil-production limits -- "quotas" -- which keep up oil prices.
The Houston plan, enforced by an army of occupation, would, "enhance [Iraq's] relationship with OPEC," the oil cartel.
And that's undoubtedly why Condoleezza Rice asked Fadhil Chalabi to take charge of Iraq's Oil Ministry. As former chief operating officer of OPEC, the oil cartel, Fadhil was a Big Oil favorite, certain to ensure that Iraq would never again allow the world to slip back to the Clinton era of low prices and low profits. (In investigating for BBC, I was told by the former chief of the CIA's oil unit that he'd met with Fadhil regarding oil at Bush's request. Fadhil recently complained to the BBC. He denied the meeting with the Bush emissary in London because, he noted, he was secretly meeting that week in Washington with Condi!)
Fadhil, by the way, turned down Condi's offer to run Iraq's Oil Ministry. Ultimately, Iraq's Oil Ministry was given to Fadhil's fellow tribesman, Ahmad Chalabi, a convicted bank swindler and neo-con idol. But whichever Chalabi is nominal head of Iraq's oil industry in Baghdad, the orders come from Houston. Indeed, the oil law adopted by Iraq's shaky government this month is virtually a photocopy of the "Options" plan first conceived in Texas long before Iraq was "liberated."
In other words, the war has gone exactly to plan -- the Houston plan.
So forget the naïve cloth-rending about a conflict gone haywire. Exxon-Mobil reported a record $10 billion profit last quarter, the largest of any corporation in history. Mission Accomplished.
Greg Palast is the author of the New York Times bestseller, Armed Madhouse: From Baghdad to New Orleans -- Sordid Secrets and Strange Tales of a White House Gone Wild. A new edition, updated and expanded, will be released April 24.
Palast hits the road with the new Armed Madhouse tour beginning April 21 in Chicago; then to Madison, Portland, Eugene, San Francisco, San Jose, Los Angeles, Santa Fe, New York (with Randi Rhodes) and Washington. The original tour was sponsored by Code Pink, Buzzflash, Working Assets, DemocracyNow! and many more. Add your group to the list by contacting us.
Watch Palast's original BBC Newsnight Report.
Subscribe to Palast's writings at www.GregPalast.com
It's STILL the oil: Secret Condi Meeting on Oil Before Invasion
by Greg PalastSunday, March 18, 2007
Four years ago this week, the tanks rolled for what President Bush originally called, "Operation Iraqi Liberation" -- O.I.L. I kid you not.
And it was four years ago that, from the White House, George Bush, declaring war, said, "I want to talk to the Iraqi people." That Dick Cheney didn't tell Bush that Iraqis speak Arabic … well, never mind. I expected the President to say something like, "Our troops are coming to liberate you, so don't shoot them."
Instead, Mr. Bush told, the Iraqis,"Do not destroy oil wells."
Nevertheless, the Bush Administration said the war had nothing to do with Iraq's oil. Indeed, in 2002, the State Department stated, and its official newsletter, the Washington Post, repeated, that State's Iraq study group, "does not have oil on its list of issues."
But now, we've learned that, despite protestations to the contrary, Condoleezza Rice held a secret meeting with the former Secretary-General of OPEC, Fadhil Chalabi, an Iraqi, and offered Chalabi the job of Oil Minister for Iraq. (It is well established that the President of the United States may appoint the cabinet ministers of another nation if that appointment is confirmed by the 101st Airborne.)
In all the chest-beating about how the war did badly, no one seems to remember how the war did very, very well -- for Big Oil.
The war has kept Iraq's oil production to 2.1 million barrels a day from pre-war, pre-embargo production of over 4 million barrels. In the oil game, that's a lot to lose. In fact, the loss of Iraq's 2 million barrels a day is equal to the entire planet's reserve production capacity.
In other words, the war has caused a hell of a supply squeeze -- and Big Oil just loves it. Oil today is $57 a barrel versus the $18 a barrel price under Bill "Love-Not-War" Clinton.
Since the launch of Operation Iraqi Liberation, Halliburton stock has tripled to $64 a share -- not, as some believe, because of those Iraq reconstruction contracts -- peanuts for Halliburton. Cheney's former company's main business is "oil services." And, as one oilman complained to me, Cheney's former company has captured a big hunk of the rise in oil prices by jacking up the charges for Halliburton drilling and piping equipment.
But before we shed tears for Big Oil's having to hand Halliburton its slice, let me note that the value of the reserves of the five biggest oil companies more than doubled during the war to $2.36 trillion.
And that was the plan: putting a new floor under the price of oil. I've have that in writing. In 2005, after a two-year battle with the State and Defense Departments, they released to my team at BBC Newsnight the "Options for a Sustainable Iraqi Oil Industry." Now, you might think our government shouldn't be writing a plan for another nation's oil. Well, our government didn't write it, despite the State Department seal on the cover. In fact, we discovered that the 323-page plan was drafted in Houston by oil industry executives and consultants.
The suspicion is that Bush went to war to get Iraq's oil. That's not true. The document, and secret recordings of those in on the scheme, made it clear that the Administration wanted to make certain America did not get the oil. In other words, keep the lid on Iraq's oil production -- and thereby keep the price of oil high.
Of course, the language was far more subtle than, "Let's cut Iraq's oil production and jack up prices." Rather, the report uses industry jargon and euphemisms which require Iraq to remain an obedient member of the OPEC cartel and stick to the oil-production limits -- "quotas" -- which keep up oil prices.
The Houston plan, enforced by an army of occupation, would, "enhance [Iraq's] relationship with OPEC," the oil cartel.
And that's undoubtedly why Condoleezza Rice asked Fadhil Chalabi to take charge of Iraq's Oil Ministry. As former chief operating officer of OPEC, the oil cartel, Fadhil was a Big Oil favorite, certain to ensure that Iraq would never again allow the world to slip back to the Clinton era of low prices and low profits. (In investigating for BBC, I was told by the former chief of the CIA's oil unit that he'd met with Fadhil regarding oil at Bush's request. Fadhil recently complained to the BBC. He denied the meeting with the Bush emissary in London because, he noted, he was secretly meeting that week in Washington with Condi!)
Fadhil, by the way, turned down Condi's offer to run Iraq's Oil Ministry. Ultimately, Iraq's Oil Ministry was given to Fadhil's fellow tribesman, Ahmad Chalabi, a convicted bank swindler and neo-con idol. But whichever Chalabi is nominal head of Iraq's oil industry in Baghdad, the orders come from Houston. Indeed, the oil law adopted by Iraq's shaky government this month is virtually a photocopy of the "Options" plan first conceived in Texas long before Iraq was "liberated."
In other words, the war has gone exactly to plan -- the Houston plan.
So forget the naïve cloth-rending about a conflict gone haywire. Exxon-Mobil reported a record $10 billion profit last quarter, the largest of any corporation in history. Mission Accomplished.
Greg Palast is the author of the New York Times bestseller, Armed Madhouse: From Baghdad to New Orleans -- Sordid Secrets and Strange Tales of a White House Gone Wild. A new edition, updated and expanded, will be released April 24.
Palast hits the road with the new Armed Madhouse tour beginning April 21 in Chicago; then to Madison, Portland, Eugene, San Francisco, San Jose, Los Angeles, Santa Fe, New York (with Randi Rhodes) and Washington. The original tour was sponsored by Code Pink, Buzzflash, Working Assets, DemocracyNow! and many more. Add your group to the list by contacting us.
Watch Palast's original BBC Newsnight Report.
Subscribe to Palast's writings at www.GregPalast.com
Governed by Fear
In his first inaugural address in 1932, President Franklin D. Roosevelt famously warned: "the only thing we have to fear is fear itself." His was a positive vision of a future in which fear would be put in its place by a society that believed in itself. Today, whether through color-coded terror alerts, the specter of mushroom clouds, or the fears of new global pandemics, our political leaders seem intent on inciting our fears.
But what does it mean to govern by fear?
In the last of NY Salon's series of conversations about fear in contemporary society, The Nation's Christopher Hayes, The Economist's Megan McArdle and Sociology Professor Frank Furedi will discuss the social, cultural, and political dimensions of fear in a special talk this Tuesday in New York City, March 20, 7:00 to 8:30pm, The New School, New York City
Featuring:
Christopher Hayes, Puffin Writing Fellow, Nation Institute; Contributing Writer, The Nation
Frank Furedi, Professor of Scoiology at the University of Kent in Canterbury
Megan McArdle, Countries Editor, The Economist
Moderated by Jean Smith, Director, NY Salon
Click here to read speakers papers and for further info.
But what does it mean to govern by fear?
In the last of NY Salon's series of conversations about fear in contemporary society, The Nation's Christopher Hayes, The Economist's Megan McArdle and Sociology Professor Frank Furedi will discuss the social, cultural, and political dimensions of fear in a special talk this Tuesday in New York City, March 20, 7:00 to 8:30pm, The New School, New York City
Featuring:
Christopher Hayes, Puffin Writing Fellow, Nation Institute; Contributing Writer, The Nation
Frank Furedi, Professor of Scoiology at the University of Kent in Canterbury
Megan McArdle, Countries Editor, The Economist
Moderated by Jean Smith, Director, NY Salon
Click here to read speakers papers and for further info.
Money Sent Home
L America migrant money tops aid
By Duncan Kennedy BBC News, Mexico City
Remittances could reach $100bn in four years' time
The amount of money sent home by Latin American migrant workers to their families has reached more than $62bn.
This figure now exceeds the combined total of all direct foreign investment and foreign aid to Latin America.
According to the Inter-American Investment Bank, the figure could reach $100bn in four years' time.
The biggest share of money, $23bn, was sent back to Mexico, mostly from workers living in the United States remitting small sums each month.
Foreign remittances now rank along with oil and tourism as Mexico's biggest foreign currency earner.
The Inter-American Development Bank, which supports the region with aid and other help, says the remittances will increase by about 15% a year during the next four years.
The bank describes the money as a very effective poverty reduction programme because it keeps between 8m and 10m families above the poverty line.
But it says it also means the economies of the region are not generating enough jobs to keep workers from leaving in the first place.
Another problem is that much of the money is sent back in small amounts and so it is difficult to track.
The average is between $100 and $150 a month.
That in turn makes it an unpredictable source of revenue for governments to tap into. The bank says it wants people to get away from what it calls cash to cash flows and into account to account transfers but the bank says the recent crackdown on illegal immigrants by the US authorities could hinder efforts to get migrants to use banks.
By Duncan Kennedy BBC News, Mexico City
Remittances could reach $100bn in four years' time
The amount of money sent home by Latin American migrant workers to their families has reached more than $62bn.
This figure now exceeds the combined total of all direct foreign investment and foreign aid to Latin America.
According to the Inter-American Investment Bank, the figure could reach $100bn in four years' time.
The biggest share of money, $23bn, was sent back to Mexico, mostly from workers living in the United States remitting small sums each month.
Foreign remittances now rank along with oil and tourism as Mexico's biggest foreign currency earner.
The Inter-American Development Bank, which supports the region with aid and other help, says the remittances will increase by about 15% a year during the next four years.
The bank describes the money as a very effective poverty reduction programme because it keeps between 8m and 10m families above the poverty line.
But it says it also means the economies of the region are not generating enough jobs to keep workers from leaving in the first place.
Another problem is that much of the money is sent back in small amounts and so it is difficult to track.
The average is between $100 and $150 a month.
That in turn makes it an unpredictable source of revenue for governments to tap into. The bank says it wants people to get away from what it calls cash to cash flows and into account to account transfers but the bank says the recent crackdown on illegal immigrants by the US authorities could hinder efforts to get migrants to use banks.
3/18/2007
The Slow Food Revolution
[Hey, maybe Southern Pines could be a slow city. . .]
The first Slow Food film of 2007 will be shown in Winston Salem at Parkway United Church of Christ, Fellowship Hall, 2151 Silas Creek Parkway (corner of Irving St. and across from Forsyth Tech). Parking lot accessible via Irving St.
Meet-up begins at 7:00 p.m., and the movie will begin at 7:30. Admission is free but we encourage donations to Slow Food to help defray the cost of our programs. Contact Laura Frazier for more info: 336-971-3834.
Tuesday, March 20, 2007: "The Slow Food Revolution""Traditional foods are at risk of disappearing forever, as a speed-obsessed world turns increasingly to fast foods. To counter this trend, there is an international gastro-economic movement known as Slow Food. Its aim is to protect traditional culture, the environment and biodiversity by encouraging regional food production. The movement is now active in 45 countries.
"This film travels around the globe to record this phenomenon. Italy is the home of the Slow Food movement and there is a revival of growing such regional foods as Bronte pistachios, Sorrento lemons and the original Neopolitan tomatoes. Towns, like Orvieto, have declared themselves to be "slow cities," free of fast food outlets, neon and noise.
"In Mexico indigenous farming communities have revived ancient ways, cultivating vanilla beans and the nutritious amaranth. In Australia there is an increasing interest in Aboriginal knowledge of native "bush tucker" and a school program reconnects children to the land and its riches. The Botanical Ark in Queensland grows endangered food from all over the world, saving plants from extinction.
Beautifully photographed, Slow Food Revolution is a celebration of the sustainability, seasonality and quality of the earth's bounty."
(Description from www.filmakers.com/indivs/SlowFood.htm.)
The first Slow Food film of 2007 will be shown in Winston Salem at Parkway United Church of Christ, Fellowship Hall, 2151 Silas Creek Parkway (corner of Irving St. and across from Forsyth Tech). Parking lot accessible via Irving St.
Meet-up begins at 7:00 p.m., and the movie will begin at 7:30. Admission is free but we encourage donations to Slow Food to help defray the cost of our programs. Contact Laura Frazier for more info: 336-971-3834.
Tuesday, March 20, 2007: "The Slow Food Revolution""Traditional foods are at risk of disappearing forever, as a speed-obsessed world turns increasingly to fast foods. To counter this trend, there is an international gastro-economic movement known as Slow Food. Its aim is to protect traditional culture, the environment and biodiversity by encouraging regional food production. The movement is now active in 45 countries.
"This film travels around the globe to record this phenomenon. Italy is the home of the Slow Food movement and there is a revival of growing such regional foods as Bronte pistachios, Sorrento lemons and the original Neopolitan tomatoes. Towns, like Orvieto, have declared themselves to be "slow cities," free of fast food outlets, neon and noise.
"In Mexico indigenous farming communities have revived ancient ways, cultivating vanilla beans and the nutritious amaranth. In Australia there is an increasing interest in Aboriginal knowledge of native "bush tucker" and a school program reconnects children to the land and its riches. The Botanical Ark in Queensland grows endangered food from all over the world, saving plants from extinction.
Beautifully photographed, Slow Food Revolution is a celebration of the sustainability, seasonality and quality of the earth's bounty."
(Description from www.filmakers.com/indivs/SlowFood.htm.)
The Season's Last Concert, Mar. 23
The Rooster’s Wife
presents
presents
Doug and Telisha Williams
in
A House Concert
March 23, 2007 8 p.m.
Corner of High and Blue
Downtown Aberdeen
R.S.V.P. 944-7502
or
A House Concert
March 23, 2007 8 p.m.
Corner of High and Blue
Downtown Aberdeen
R.S.V.P. 944-7502
or
3/17/2007
Weekend March on The Pentagon, One Man's Journey
Exploding Into Action
Posted on Mar 13, 2007
By Amy Goodman
The United States is entering the fifth year of its violent, failed occupation of Iraq, a war that has lasted longer than the U.S. was involved in World War II. Through the grimly deepening quagmire, a strengthening, pervasive U.S. antiwar movement is emerging. An increasingly powerful voice comes from soldiers and their families, turning grief into action. Take the Arredondo family.
On Aug. 25, 2004—Carlos Arredondo’s 44th birthday—a U.S. Marine van arrived outside his house. He thought that his son Alex had managed to come home from his second deployment to Iraq to surprise him. Instead, the Marines informed him that Alex had been killed in action in Najaf.
Carlos lost his mind. He asked, he begged, the Marines to leave. He pleaded. They didn’t leave, so he ran to his garage and grabbed a hammer, gasoline and a blowtorch. He began pummeling the van. He climbed in, pouring the gasoline. His mother, distraught and wailing, tried to pull him from the van. The blowtorch accidentally sparked, and Carlos was blown from the van into the yard, in flames.
Then his wife, Melida, arrived. She saw her husband burning. Carlos’ younger son, Brian, 16 years old, in Bangor, Maine, later saw the incident on television. This was the day he learned that the brother he loved and emulated was dead.
Carlos suffered burns on more than one-quarter of his body. The physical healing was the easy part. It is the emotional healing that he pursues in his tireless and remarkable odyssey to end the war. To honor Alex’s memory, he has been crisscrossing the country, from Capitol Hill to Crawford, Texas, pulling a flag-draped coffin. He calls it his public mourning: “I want the caskets coming home to be very public. The government doesn’t want you to see them.”
Carlos stopped for a few days this week in New York. He parked outside the military recruiting station in Times Square, where activists have established what they call the Endless War Memorial. For six days ending Friday, March 16, sunrise to sunset, hundreds of people are taking turns reading the names of the Iraq war dead—all the dead whose names could be discovered. The roughly 3,200 U.S. military fatalities, the other “coalition” casualties, the journalists and the 7,733 Iraqi names they were able to find. The organizers point out that there are 200 unnamed dead Iraqis for each of the thousands they have gathered (based on a study by the British medical journal Lancet that estimated more than 650,000 Iraqi dead).
The scene is surreal and unforgettable. Passers-by stop by the flag-draped coffin Carlos has rolled out of the back of his pickup truck. There are Army boots of loved ones lost, and large photos of grieving Iraqi women and one of Alex in an open casket. This is all set against the massive video display atop the recruiting station. Among its slogans: “There is nothing on this green earth stronger than the US Army.” Above that, an even larger display promotes Fox News and Bill O’Reilly and flashes phrases like “Gitmo justice.” The famous Dow Jones news zipper runs its endless recitation of stock quotes and the daily count of dead and injured. A video ad for sunglasses flashes the words “Never Hide.”
Carlos is heading next to Washington, D.C., to lead this weekend’s march on the Pentagon.
As we part, Carlos shows me the latest recruiting letter sent to his son Brian. It contains a fake red, white and blue credit card with Brian’s name on it. It says: “This is not a credit card. It is money in the bank.” An earlier letter promises him a bonus of up to $20,000. “What can you do with $20,000? A new car? Pay off credit cards? Help your family? ... Remember the decisions you are making right now will have a huge impact on how the rest of your life turns out.” Which is exactly why Carlos prays his surviving son will not join up.
Meanwhile, around the corner, each name read represents a once living, breathing, complex human being whose life was snuffed out as a result of this four-year-old war. Alongside the named dead are living people, like Carlos, following their consciences, making connections, building a movement, each day bringing the end of the war one day closer.
Amy Goodman is the host of “Democracy Now!” a daily international TV/radio news hour airing on 500 stations in North America.
© 2007 Amy Goodman; distributed by King Features Syndicate
Posted on Mar 13, 2007
By Amy Goodman
The United States is entering the fifth year of its violent, failed occupation of Iraq, a war that has lasted longer than the U.S. was involved in World War II. Through the grimly deepening quagmire, a strengthening, pervasive U.S. antiwar movement is emerging. An increasingly powerful voice comes from soldiers and their families, turning grief into action. Take the Arredondo family.
On Aug. 25, 2004—Carlos Arredondo’s 44th birthday—a U.S. Marine van arrived outside his house. He thought that his son Alex had managed to come home from his second deployment to Iraq to surprise him. Instead, the Marines informed him that Alex had been killed in action in Najaf.
Carlos lost his mind. He asked, he begged, the Marines to leave. He pleaded. They didn’t leave, so he ran to his garage and grabbed a hammer, gasoline and a blowtorch. He began pummeling the van. He climbed in, pouring the gasoline. His mother, distraught and wailing, tried to pull him from the van. The blowtorch accidentally sparked, and Carlos was blown from the van into the yard, in flames.
Then his wife, Melida, arrived. She saw her husband burning. Carlos’ younger son, Brian, 16 years old, in Bangor, Maine, later saw the incident on television. This was the day he learned that the brother he loved and emulated was dead.
Carlos suffered burns on more than one-quarter of his body. The physical healing was the easy part. It is the emotional healing that he pursues in his tireless and remarkable odyssey to end the war. To honor Alex’s memory, he has been crisscrossing the country, from Capitol Hill to Crawford, Texas, pulling a flag-draped coffin. He calls it his public mourning: “I want the caskets coming home to be very public. The government doesn’t want you to see them.”
Carlos stopped for a few days this week in New York. He parked outside the military recruiting station in Times Square, where activists have established what they call the Endless War Memorial. For six days ending Friday, March 16, sunrise to sunset, hundreds of people are taking turns reading the names of the Iraq war dead—all the dead whose names could be discovered. The roughly 3,200 U.S. military fatalities, the other “coalition” casualties, the journalists and the 7,733 Iraqi names they were able to find. The organizers point out that there are 200 unnamed dead Iraqis for each of the thousands they have gathered (based on a study by the British medical journal Lancet that estimated more than 650,000 Iraqi dead).
The scene is surreal and unforgettable. Passers-by stop by the flag-draped coffin Carlos has rolled out of the back of his pickup truck. There are Army boots of loved ones lost, and large photos of grieving Iraqi women and one of Alex in an open casket. This is all set against the massive video display atop the recruiting station. Among its slogans: “There is nothing on this green earth stronger than the US Army.” Above that, an even larger display promotes Fox News and Bill O’Reilly and flashes phrases like “Gitmo justice.” The famous Dow Jones news zipper runs its endless recitation of stock quotes and the daily count of dead and injured. A video ad for sunglasses flashes the words “Never Hide.”
Carlos is heading next to Washington, D.C., to lead this weekend’s march on the Pentagon.
As we part, Carlos shows me the latest recruiting letter sent to his son Brian. It contains a fake red, white and blue credit card with Brian’s name on it. It says: “This is not a credit card. It is money in the bank.” An earlier letter promises him a bonus of up to $20,000. “What can you do with $20,000? A new car? Pay off credit cards? Help your family? ... Remember the decisions you are making right now will have a huge impact on how the rest of your life turns out.” Which is exactly why Carlos prays his surviving son will not join up.
Meanwhile, around the corner, each name read represents a once living, breathing, complex human being whose life was snuffed out as a result of this four-year-old war. Alongside the named dead are living people, like Carlos, following their consciences, making connections, building a movement, each day bringing the end of the war one day closer.
Amy Goodman is the host of “Democracy Now!” a daily international TV/radio news hour airing on 500 stations in North America.
© 2007 Amy Goodman; distributed by King Features Syndicate
Purification Ritual
Mayan Leaders Perform Purification Ritual Following Bush Visit In Guatemala
Mayan spiritual leaders conducted a purification ritual Thursday at a pyramid President Bush visited earlier this week.
The Mayans had led protests against Bush’s trip to the Iximche ruins.
Mayan leader Jorge Morales Toj: "The purpose of the ceremony is to get rid of the bad spirits, to saturate this ancestral place and to ask for better and good paths."
Mayan spiritual leaders conducted a purification ritual Thursday at a pyramid President Bush visited earlier this week.
The Mayans had led protests against Bush’s trip to the Iximche ruins.
Mayan leader Jorge Morales Toj: "The purpose of the ceremony is to get rid of the bad spirits, to saturate this ancestral place and to ask for better and good paths."
And Here in The Americas
Ex-CIA agent blasts White House
Ex-CIA agent Valerie Plame says senior US officials "recklessly"revealed her secret identity in 2003.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/-/2/hi/americas/6460227.stm
$4.4bn debt relief for L America
Five of the poorest nations in Latin America and the Caribbean are to have their $4.4bn (£2.3bn) debt cancelled.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/-/2/hi/americas/6461277.stm
Mexico City embraces gay unions
The first civil partnerships among same-sex couples are celebrated in Mexico City under new legislation.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/-/2/hi/americas/6461159.stm
Ex-CIA agent Valerie Plame says senior US officials "recklessly"revealed her secret identity in 2003.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/-/2/hi/americas/6460227.stm
$4.4bn debt relief for L America
Five of the poorest nations in Latin America and the Caribbean are to have their $4.4bn (£2.3bn) debt cancelled.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/-/2/hi/americas/6461277.stm
Mexico City embraces gay unions
The first civil partnerships among same-sex couples are celebrated in Mexico City under new legislation.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/-/2/hi/americas/6461159.stm
3/16/2007
It's the Oil
Bolivian oil bill to go to senate
Bolivia's lower house passes legislation that increases taxes on foreign oil companies.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/-/2/hi/americas/6451233.stm
Bolivia's lower house passes legislation that increases taxes on foreign oil companies.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/-/2/hi/americas/6451233.stm
Profit Determines Food Policy
"If you go back to the Great Depression or before - and frankly for much of our sojourn on earth - people couldn't afford to eat meat twice or three times a day. We ate beans and vegetables and fruits and things, much of it coming from our own gardens." Terrence McNally
How to Solve the Diabetes Epidemic
http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/031407HA.shtml
The government and the food industry know that diabetes is linked to lifestyle and diet; yet profit continues to determine food policy, and nutrition remains a scant part of medical education. Dr. Neal Barnard offers a solution to the crisis.
How to Solve the Diabetes Epidemic
http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/031407HA.shtml
The government and the food industry know that diabetes is linked to lifestyle and diet; yet profit continues to determine food policy, and nutrition remains a scant part of medical education. Dr. Neal Barnard offers a solution to the crisis.
Warmest Since 1880
Winter warmth breaks all records
This year's winter in the northern hemisphere was the warmest since records began in 1880, US experts say.
Full story:http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/-/2/hi/science/nature/6456897.stm
This year's winter in the northern hemisphere was the warmest since records began in 1880, US experts say.
Full story:http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/-/2/hi/science/nature/6456897.stm
3/15/2007
Equinox Fire, Drumming, Potluck, 3/21
Remember!
We celebrate Spring Equinox
at The Farm
Wed, Mar. 21 starting at 6:00 pm
Bring your favorite dish and a drum or music maker
Join in celebrating balance and
The beginningof Spring
Court Halt on GMO Alfalfa
Court Halt on GMO Alfalfa Shows USDA Failure
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/031507O.shtml
A court decision overturning US government approval for a Monsanto biotech alfalfa
underscores complaints made for years that the USDA is failing to adequately oversee genetically-altered crops. US District Court Judge Charles Breyer of the NorthernDistrict of California immediately halted seed sales and ordered that any planting must cease after March 30 following his determination that the USDA violated the law in allowing unrestricted commercial planting of the crop. The judge said theUSDA should have prepared an environmental impact statement before deregulating the Roundup Ready alfalfa.
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/031507O.shtml
A court decision overturning US government approval for a Monsanto biotech alfalfa
underscores complaints made for years that the USDA is failing to adequately oversee genetically-altered crops. US District Court Judge Charles Breyer of the NorthernDistrict of California immediately halted seed sales and ordered that any planting must cease after March 30 following his determination that the USDA violated the law in allowing unrestricted commercial planting of the crop. The judge said theUSDA should have prepared an environmental impact statement before deregulating the Roundup Ready alfalfa.
Center for Global Initiatives, American South
The UNC Humanities Program would like you to know about an exciting program at UNC Chapel Hill.
On April 19 and 20, the Center for Global Initiatives will host a conference entitled Navigating the Global American South.
With a focus on public health, this conference will explore regional approaches to public health and examine the interaction of these issues between the American South and other world regions.
To receive the discounted rate of $80 ($25 for students) please register by March 16 at:
On April 19 and 20, the Center for Global Initiatives will host a conference entitled Navigating the Global American South.
With a focus on public health, this conference will explore regional approaches to public health and examine the interaction of these issues between the American South and other world regions.
To receive the discounted rate of $80 ($25 for students) please register by March 16 at:
globalsouth.unc.edu
For more information, please visit globalsouth.unc.edu
or contact gi@unc.edu.Wayne J. Pond Director
3/14/2007
GM Rice
If you'd like to contact the US Dept of Agriculture about this, here's there contact info:
U.S. Department of Agriculture
1400 Independence Ave., S.W. Washington, DC 20250
Deputy Administrator,
Legislative & Public Affairs Courtney Billet
courtney.r.billet@aphis.usda.gov
202-720-2511 FAX 202-720-3982
Rm 1147-S Washington, DC 20250
Human genes in rice spark new GM row
By Stephen Daniells 06/03/2007
Genetically modified rice containing human genes has received preliminary approval in the US, sparking new concerns and fears on both sides of the Atlantic. California-based Ventria Bioscience has received approval from the US Department of Agriculture to cultivate over 3,000 acres of the rice in Kansas. The issue of GM approval within the EU is one of the most contentious in agriculture.
The recent announcement that US authorities had traced amounts of unapproved genetically modified (GM) food in samples of rice prompted the EU to clamp down on all imports from the US. The immediacy of this action illustrated the stringent controls the EU has in place to guard against unauthorised products entering the food chain, and also reflected consumer fears over the technology.
The new rice is genetically engineered to produce lactiva and lysomin - two proteins found naturally in breast milk, and reported to have significant potential against diarrhoea. Indeed, a clinical trial using the rice has been published in the Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition, and reports that 140 children suffering from diarrhoea and admitted to the hospital recovered significantly quicker and were less likely to relapse after taking an electrolyte solution containing lactiva and lysomin than children in the placebo group. "Diarrhoeal illnesses are a major reason for children seeing their physician and a major cause of emergency room visits," said Robert Wittler, from Kansas University School of Medicine at Wichita. "This is an important study as decreasing the duration of diarrhoea lessens the likelihood of children becoming significantly dehydrated and allows children to return to day-care and school quicker and their parents who work outside the home can return to work sooner."
Despite the potential benefits against childhood diarrhoea - the second leading killer of under-fives globally - the news has been described as "very disturbing" by GeneWatch UK, according to the Daily Mail. Researcher Becky Price: "There are huge, huge health risks and people should rightly be concerned about this."
Moreover, Friends of the Earth, campaigners against GM that have been propagating the opinion that GM foods should be banned from the food chain because they posed a potential risk to health, have also been putting their viewpoint across.
Campaigner Clare Oxborrow told the Daily Mail: "Using food crops and fields as glorified drug factories is a very worrying development. "
If these pharmaceutical crops end up on consumers' plates, the consequences for our health could be devastating. "The biotech industry has already failed to prevent experimental GM rice contaminating the food chain. "The Government must urge the U.S. to ban the production of drugs in food crops. It must also introduce tough measures to prevent illegal GM crops contaminating our food and ensure that biotech companies are liable for any damage their products cause."
"Life is a Mystery to be Lived, not a Problem to be Solved"
FarmGirl Arts & Consulting
Laura C Frazier, M.A., M.Div.
Kernersville, NC 27284
(336) 971-3834
U.S. Department of Agriculture
1400 Independence Ave., S.W. Washington, DC 20250
Deputy Administrator,
Legislative & Public Affairs Courtney Billet
courtney.r.billet@aphis.usda.gov
202-720-2511 FAX 202-720-3982
Rm 1147-S Washington, DC 20250
Human genes in rice spark new GM row
By Stephen Daniells 06/03/2007
Genetically modified rice containing human genes has received preliminary approval in the US, sparking new concerns and fears on both sides of the Atlantic. California-based Ventria Bioscience has received approval from the US Department of Agriculture to cultivate over 3,000 acres of the rice in Kansas. The issue of GM approval within the EU is one of the most contentious in agriculture.
The recent announcement that US authorities had traced amounts of unapproved genetically modified (GM) food in samples of rice prompted the EU to clamp down on all imports from the US. The immediacy of this action illustrated the stringent controls the EU has in place to guard against unauthorised products entering the food chain, and also reflected consumer fears over the technology.
The new rice is genetically engineered to produce lactiva and lysomin - two proteins found naturally in breast milk, and reported to have significant potential against diarrhoea. Indeed, a clinical trial using the rice has been published in the Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition, and reports that 140 children suffering from diarrhoea and admitted to the hospital recovered significantly quicker and were less likely to relapse after taking an electrolyte solution containing lactiva and lysomin than children in the placebo group. "Diarrhoeal illnesses are a major reason for children seeing their physician and a major cause of emergency room visits," said Robert Wittler, from Kansas University School of Medicine at Wichita. "This is an important study as decreasing the duration of diarrhoea lessens the likelihood of children becoming significantly dehydrated and allows children to return to day-care and school quicker and their parents who work outside the home can return to work sooner."
Despite the potential benefits against childhood diarrhoea - the second leading killer of under-fives globally - the news has been described as "very disturbing" by GeneWatch UK, according to the Daily Mail. Researcher Becky Price: "There are huge, huge health risks and people should rightly be concerned about this."
Moreover, Friends of the Earth, campaigners against GM that have been propagating the opinion that GM foods should be banned from the food chain because they posed a potential risk to health, have also been putting their viewpoint across.
Campaigner Clare Oxborrow told the Daily Mail: "Using food crops and fields as glorified drug factories is a very worrying development. "
If these pharmaceutical crops end up on consumers' plates, the consequences for our health could be devastating. "The biotech industry has already failed to prevent experimental GM rice contaminating the food chain. "The Government must urge the U.S. to ban the production of drugs in food crops. It must also introduce tough measures to prevent illegal GM crops contaminating our food and ensure that biotech companies are liable for any damage their products cause."
"Life is a Mystery to be Lived, not a Problem to be Solved"
FarmGirl Arts & Consulting
Laura C Frazier, M.A., M.Div.
Kernersville, NC 27284
(336) 971-3834
Contra Dance Saturday
SANDHILLS CONTRA DANCERS
2007 SPRING SCHEDULE
March 17 with Tremblay’s Dream
April 28 (to be announced)
May 29 with Corner House
Lesson at 7:30 p.m.
Dance from 8:00 to 11:00
Old West End Gym
137 Old West End School Rd.
Off NC HWY 211
West End, NC
Adult Non-members: $8.00
Student Non-members: $6.00
12 and under: $1.00
2007 SPRING SCHEDULE
March 17 with Tremblay’s Dream
April 28 (to be announced)
May 29 with Corner House
Lesson at 7:30 p.m.
Dance from 8:00 to 11:00
Old West End Gym
137 Old West End School Rd.
Off NC HWY 211
West End, NC
Adult Non-members: $8.00
Student Non-members: $6.00
12 and under: $1.00
The SCDS is a nonprofit educational organization dedicated to
the preservation, study, teaching, enjoyment and continuing evolution
of traditional and historical dance, music and song.
Visit us at: www.geocities.com/sandhillscontradancers
Visit us at: www.geocities.com/sandhillscontradancers
US Mortgage Market, World Economy
World stocks tumble on US fears
European stocks drop as fears about the US economy and mortgage market hit Asia and Wall Street.
Full story:http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/-/2/hi/business/6448719.stm
European stocks drop as fears about the US economy and mortgage market hit Asia and Wall Street.
Full story:http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/-/2/hi/business/6448719.stm
GM Corn Toxicity
Strong Suspicions of Toxicity in One GMO Corn
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/031307T.shtml
The controversy over the innocuousness of Monsanto's transgenic corn MON863 should resume after the March 13 publication in "Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology," of a study suggesting this genetically modified organism is toxic to the liver and kidneys.
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/031307T.shtml
The controversy over the innocuousness of Monsanto's transgenic corn MON863 should resume after the March 13 publication in "Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology," of a study suggesting this genetically modified organism is toxic to the liver and kidneys.
Canaries and Honey Bees
You can think of bees the way that miners used to think of canaries. The canary would, because of its smaller size and faster metabolism, react to bad air quickly. In considering honey bee colony collapse and multiple bee diseases and pests, and, given the ways that agribusiness develops and uses stronger and stronger chemicals, one can extrapolate an early warning system for humans.
3/13/2007
Your Local Farmers Mkt
Local farmers/gardeners need your second-hand plastic plant pots. You can call Maureen (692-9413) or leave pots at her house. Thanks!
List of GM Foods
[By the way, did we know that Monsanto invented pigs?]http://www.truefoodnow.org/shoppersguide/guide_printable.html
Peace March, Sat., March 17
Marching for Peace
Saturday, March 17
Fayetteville NC
The march begins at noon
Pre-rally show at the Health Dept parking lot at 10 am.
The Rally starts at 1 pm
Rowan Park, Fayetteville
To carpool, Moore County folks meet in the parking lot
behind the Sunrise Theater
10:00
IMPORTANT This Tuesday Evening, TODAY
Town Council Public Hearing on
the adoption of
a Planned Urban Development (PUD)
for Southern Pines
Douglass Community Center
Pennsylvania Ave
Tuesday 7:00 PM
3/12/2007
Moore Co. Beekeepers, Mar. 13
Monthly meeting, Moore County Beekeepers
7:00, Tuesday, Mar. 13
Ag. Extension Building, Carthage
Green Roofing
Green Roofs: Building for the Future
http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/030607EC.shtml
From the US Food and Drug Administration building in Washington, DC, to Heinz Corporate headquarters in Pittsburgh, Pa., an increasing number of buildings are swapping shingles for sedums. The movement is called green roofing, but, far from an industrial paint job, it evolves around technology that's ecologically sound - and proving so useful that some major cities and the entire state of Maryland are eagerly exploiting the potential of this once-forgotten facade.
http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/030607EC.shtml
From the US Food and Drug Administration building in Washington, DC, to Heinz Corporate headquarters in Pittsburgh, Pa., an increasing number of buildings are swapping shingles for sedums. The movement is called green roofing, but, far from an industrial paint job, it evolves around technology that's ecologically sound - and proving so useful that some major cities and the entire state of Maryland are eagerly exploiting the potential of this once-forgotten facade.
3/09/2007
Ay, Caramba! Bush in Brazil
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/sfgate/detail?blogid=15archive/&entry_id=14220
[then google protests and marches. . .]
[then google protests and marches. . .]
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