Ecological Cartoon, Feminine Farmers, Is Chemical Free Enough?, Mineral Balancing and Disease, The Importance of Silica, Mining to Go Ahead on Liverpool Plains, Acid Rain from Agriculture, Trees a Cheap Solution to Air Pollution, The Waterboxx, Scottish Sheep Clear to Eat, Aussie Chooks Not on Steroids, Jellyfish Becoming the Weeds of the Oceans, Weed Resistance, GM Fish Approval Coming, GM-Spin Meltdown in China, Did Monsanto Really Win the GM-Alfalafa Court Case?, GM Approval by Individual EU Countries, Limitation on GM Patents, Climate Change has Negatives AND Positives, Treating Water at Its Source, Plastic Soccer Shirts, Dissolving the Dead, What's New..., Australian Farmer of the Year Awards, The Power of Engagement, Slow Food Sunshine Coast, Rise to the Equation, Health (additives in food, trusting a drug manufacturer, brand name or health claim?, ineffective flu vaccines, Stephanie's story, government censorship, disease and intelligence), Quote, Cartoon, Miscellaneous, Events, Postscript

 Ecological Cartoons

Annie Leonard used to spout jargon on ecology, but is now America's pitchperson for a new style of environmental message. Out with boring PowerPoints and turgid reports; in with witty videos that explain complex issues in digestible terms. Her first video 'The Story of Stuff' has reached over 12 million people. She has now put together 'The Story of Bottled Water' and 'The Story of Cap and Trade". [Brilliant - all of them]

Feminine Farmers

The concept of women in farming is apparently super-hot right now. In a feminine approach to farming—and you don't necessarily have to be a female to do it—growers favor relationships, community, and thinking long-term about how decisions will impact future generations. It's about nurturing, not domination, and working with your community.

Is Chemical Free Enough?

Organic producers can no longer focus solely on a chemical-free approach to creating a sustainable agricultural practice. They must work to actively restore stable soil humus levels - which has the co-benfits of increasing farm productivity and yields, as well as helping growers adapt to climate extremes.

Mineral Balancing and Disease

A system dominated by chemical solutions that treat symptoms rather than address root causes is destined to falter at some point. We are seeing this fatal flaw in the current health care crisis. There is a similar bankruptcy in the management of plant and animal health. Every year since the “chemical experiment” in agriculture began, there has been an increase in the number of chemicals applied to our soils and food and yet every year the amount of pest pressure (on a global scale) has increased.

The Importance of Silica

Clays are alumina silicates and sand is largely silicon, so how could there be a shortage of silicon? The answer lies in the form of silicon that enters the plant. Something we have done in conventional agriculture appears to have compromised the conversion of insoluble silicon into the plant available form. Interestingly, the plant understands the protective potential of silicon, even if we don’t. When a disease begins, the plant directs all available silicon to the attack site, to strengthen the surrounding cells and stop or slow the spread of the pathogen. [A wonderful overview of recent research into silica and its role in agriculture and human health]

Mining to Go Ahead on Liverpool Plains

A Chinese Government-owned company, Shenhua Watermark, expects to start extracting coal from a new open-cut mine south of Gunnedah within three years. It has yet to be decided how Shenhua will meet the mine’s water needs, required mainly for washing the coal before transport to port.  

Acid Rain from Agriculture

In the 1970s and ‘80s, sulfur dioxide pollution from industry and transportation were the principle causes of acid rain. The Clean Air Act dramatically reduced those sources. But acid rain has returned and it’s coming from nitrogen emissions produced by agriculture. Some is from power plants, some is from automobile emissions, but much is coming from soils, particularly fertilized agricultural soils.

Trees a Cheap Solution for Air Pollution

Native woods and trees in urban areas, including gardens, provide haven for wildlife, reduce air pollution, surface run-off and flooding. Research shows asthma rates among children aged four to five falls by a quarter for every additional 343 trees per square km, as they help keep the air clean and breathable and reduce ambient temperature.

The Waterboxx

The "Waterboxx" is the brainchild of Dutch businessman. It collects any amount of water -- from inches of rainfall to minute droplets of condensation -- and delivers it slowly and steadily. Just 3 inches of rainfall per year is enough to keep the box's water supply replenished. It can also be screwed into the ground, both to prevent theft and to secure it to sloping or rocky land. "We can use the box to reforest California, and we can use it to restore our water tables to safer levels again."

Scottish Sheep Clear to Eat

Nearly a quarter of a century after the nuclear reactor at Chernobyl in the Ukraine exploded and spewed radioactivity across the world, it has finally stopped making Scottish sheep too “hot” to eat.

Aussie Chooks Not On Steroids

More than three-quarters of Australians mistakenly believe chicken produced locally in Australia contains added hormones and steroids. This is despite the fact that the Australian poultry industry ceased these practices nearly half a century ago. At that time, the Australian Government made it illegal to add hormones or steroids to chicken. [I was aware of this, but no mention is made of the rampant use of antibiotics in this industry - and I suspect won't be in any future marketing campaign]

Jellyfish Becoming the Weeds of the Oceans

All around the world, jellyfish are behaving badly—reproducing in astonishing numbers and congregating where they’ve supposedly never been seen before. It’s hard to tell what may be causing jellyfish to proliferate. The fishing industry has depleted populations of big predators. Pollution, too, may be fuelling the jelly frenzy. Perhaps part of the solution is to include it in haute cuisine... 

Weed Resistance

Leading international herbicide researcher Harry Strek, leader of Bayer Crop Science’s integrated weed management and weed resistance biology team in Germany said the issue of herbicide resistance, across most of the major chemical groups, was already a big issue and was only going to get bigger, citing research showing that by 2018, 50% of agricultural weed species will be glyphosate resistant. There are already significant problems with Group A ‘fops and dims’ and Group B sulfonylurea resistance and emerging problems with trifluralin resistance meaning Australia has some of the highest instances of weed resistance in the world.

GM Fish Approval Coming

A Massachusetts company says it's on the verge of receiving federal approval to market a quick-growing Atlantic salmon that's been genetically modified with help from a Pacific Chinook salmon. They call their super salmon an 'advanced hybrid' rather than a transgenic fish. Company researchers have added a growth hormone gene from the Chinook salmon as well as an on-switch gene from the ocean pout. Salmon normally feed only during the spring and summer, but when the on-switch from the pout's gene is triggered, they eat year round.

GM-Spin Meltdown in China

Bt cotton in China is often cited as an example of a successful GM crop. In fact, its widespread use has merely replaced the cotton borer with a serious pest that not only attacks cotton but also many other crops. The publicity surrounding two papers released in China highlight the 'spin' being used to hide the problems.

Did Monsanto Really Win the GM Alfalfa Court Case?

The US Supreme Court recently ruled on the first-ever case involving genetically modified crops. Immediately Monsanto hit the wire with self-congratulatory announcements that they “won” the day and the media responded, replicating Monsanto’s PR text over and over across the nation. Fortunately, the Court’s decision on alfalfa genetically modified to resist the chemical herbicide Round-up (the crop in question) actually maintains the ban on planting the engineered seed, although you’ll have to dig to find that news.

GM Approval by Individual EU Countries

The European commission proposes allowing national governments to make up their own minds on whether to permit their cultivation. Austria, Bulgaria, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, and Luxembourg have banned cultivation; Spain, Sweden, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, and Britain are in favour. Green groups are opposed: "It's going in two directions at the same time: ostensibly allowing more banning, but also easier authorisation at the EU level." 

Limitation on GM Patents

Monsanto cannot prohibit the marketing in the EU of soy meal containing, in a residual state, Monsanto's patented DNA genes. Since 1996 Monsanto has held a European patent relating to its glyphosate tolerant soybean beans. Roundup Ready soybean plants are cultivated on a large scale in Argentina, where there is no patent protection for Monsanto’s invention. In 2005 and 2006, European companies imported soy meal from Argentina into the Netherlands. Tests carried out at Monsanto’s request revealed the presence of traces of the DNA characteristic of ‘RR soybean,’ which indicated that the imported soy meal had been produced using that type of soybean plant - but there is nothing they can do about that now.

Climate Change has Negatives AND Positives

Climate change science has been focused on science, not people; on negative outcomes, not opportunities; and on economy-wide and nation-wide changes rather than at the level of the farm business. Tallying up the papers presented at the Climate Adaptation Futures conference, it was found that 65% focused on the negatives and only 12% on positives. The remainder were neutral. “Clearly, there have to be opportunities. Change doesn’t always bring only negatives.”

Treating Water at Its Source

With urban runoff increasingly being blamed for dirtying the nation's waters, the search is on for solutions that involve filtering or soaking up rainwater where it falls. Some of the solutions involve porous sidewalks, more vegetation and bioswales, green roofs.  

Plastic Soccer Shirts

The "Orangemen" from the Netherlands wore Nike jerseys made entirely from plastic bottles that had been destined for Asian trash heaps. Nike also outfitted eight other teams in uniforms made of recycled plastics. Fans who want to dress like Nike-sponsored World Cup teams can purchase "plastic bottle" jerseys. Nike says the campaign will divert nearly 13 million plastic bottles, or about 560,000 pounds of waste, from the landfills. It takes about eight plastic bottles to make one jersey.

Dissolving the Dead

Undertakers in Belgium plan to eschew traditional burials and cremations and start dissolving corpses instead. The move is intended to tackle a lack of burial space and environmental concerns as 573lbs of carbon dioxide are released by each cremated corpse. Under the process, known as resomation, bodies are treated in a steel chamber with potassium hydroxide at high pressure and a temperature of 180c (350f).

What's New....

With runs already on the board, the Organic Matter Foundation is empowering farmers using education in the South Pacific. Using biological principles Mike Smith and his team extend invitations to volunteers who wish to participate, gratefully receive donations, and love to give presentations to community groups about their experiences and results. [What an exciting program!]

Australian Farmer of the Year Awards

Nominate for one of the Australian Farmer of the Year Awards and showcase your achievements. The Australian Farmer of the Year Awards are about inspiring the next generation to follow a career in farming and raising the profile of the important role farmers’ play in Australian agriculture. Nominations close Wednesday, August 18, 2010. [As Penny Scott challenges - wouldn't it be great if all the awards were won by ecoag farmers. The public would rapidly realise that something was afoot in the world of nature!]

The Power of Engagement

The Power of Engagement® provides a new and challenging perspective on how to: Enhance communications and engagement with, family, staff, customers and clients; Communicate with cultural and family complexities; Manage confronting conversations; Implement and maintain change. Dubbo 29th - 30th July. 

Slow Food Sunshine Coast

Please come and join Slow Food Sunshine Coast Hinterland members and friends for this fun fundraiser dinner in Nambour (28th August) to send our delegates to Terra Madre, the international 'Peasants United Nations' in Turin, Italy. Chef, Peter Wolfe, is preparing a tantalising menu with dishes incorporating ingredients that are farmed (domesticated or introduced) married to indigenous and/or wild-harvested foods. [I am trying to get myself there at the moment]

Rise to the Equation

The Sacred Geometry Teacher Nassim Haramein of Hawaii, will be at the Nexus Conference,  Sunshine Coast 26th July, and workshopping at Chermside 29th July, Burleigh Waters 31st July, Uki 1st August, Mullumbimby 3rd August, Byron Bay 4th August, Sydney 7th August. His main work is the bridging the Physics with the Metaphysics, carrying on where Einstein left, taking Buckminster Fuller's work to the next octave, stating that everything is a torus, from the proton, to the living cell, to the human, the planet earth, and even the sun etc.

Health

Additives in Food

With supermarket chain Aldi soon to remove another eight food additives from its product lines, consumer and industry groups are once again debating the danger (or otherwise) of what we eat. But how are consumers supposed to know when they are buying food containing potentially harmful additives? Often additives are listed on the sides of food packaging as codes with a vague description of their function: ''colour'' or ''anti-oxidant''.

Trusting a Drug Manufacturer

One of the more dangerous companies with a recurrent history of life threatening recalls is now being commissioned by the US government to make a new vaccine. Baxter has had 40 Class I recalls just since 2003, not counting the four this year. Not long ago Baxter “accidentally” sent vaccines contaminated with LIVE deadly avian (bird) flu to a research facility in Europe.

Brand Name or Health Claim?

Brand names such as Unilever’s Slim.Fast can be interpreted as health claims but the manner of interpretation is not yet set in tone. An EC health claims expert said he believed the brand name Slim.Fast was itself a health claim, although Unilever said this was not the case because it does not make any, “precise claim about the rate and amount of weight loss consumers will experience when using this brand.” [Oh the deceptive world of marketing!]

Ineffective Flu Vaccines

Over the last four years, Canada has had a grand total of 16 "flu-associated" fatalities for their pediatric age category -- which includes everybody under the age of 18. The majority of whom -- 60% or more -- remained unvaccinated. By comparison, during the same four-year time span, the identical U.S. pediatric group had 553 flu-associated deaths. Compared on a per capita basis, the U.S. exhibits a stunning 3.2 times death rate over Canada.

Stephanies Story

This is a powerful short personal Australian story about a vaccine damaged baby. This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it will be talking in Ayr 30th July, Townsville 31st July, Cairns 1st August and Grafton in September TBA.

Government Censorship

Having tracked this issue over the last year, it is alarming to see a State authority stepping in beyond its own mandate and effectively censoring information on vaccinations. This investigation has gone beyond the role of protecting individuals who have been harmed by practitioners and into the realm of suppression, censorship and denial of natural justice, commonsense and fairness.

Disease and Intelligence

Parasites and pathogens may explain why people in some parts of the world are cleverer than those in others. The brains of newly born children require 87% of those children’s metabolic energy. In five-year-olds the figure is still 44% and even in adults the brain—a mere 2% of the body’s weight—consumes about a quarter of the body’s energy. Any competition for this energy is likely to damage the brain’s development, and parasites and pathogens compete for it in several ways.

Quote

"Light travels faster than sound. That's why some people appear bright, until you hear them speak." - Unknown 

Cartoon

Miscellaneous

I am such a fan of Charles Eisenstein's essays - they have introduced some incredibly profound thought-provokers for me. This latest interview with him travels across many topics, but hints at the content of his book 'The Ascent of Humanity'. I was particularly drawn to his discussion on the mythology of the Tower of Babel towards the end - it certainly reflects our never-ending technocratic drive to improve agriculture and health...

Events

All events listed in these newsletters can also be found at Events on the website in date order.

* Rise to the Equation (and Nexus Conference) - Sunshine Coast Qld 26th July 2010.

* Rise to the Equation - Chermside Qld 29th July 2010.

* The Power of Engagement - Dubbo NSW 29th - 30th July 2010.

* Vaccination Choices and SIDS - Ayr Qld This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

* Vaccination Choices and SIDS - Townsville Qld This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

* Rise to the Equation - Burleigh Waters Qld 31st July 2010.

* Vaccination Choices and SIDS - Cairns Qld This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

* Rise to the Equation - Uki NSW 1st August 2010.

* Rise to the Equation - Mullumbimby NSW 3rd August 2010.

* Rise to the Equation - Byron Bay NSW 4th August 2010.

* Rise to the Equation - Sydney NSW 7th August 2010.

* Slow Food Sunshine Coast Dinner - Nambour Qld 28th August 2010.

Postscript

Holy begonias! Do you know what 1 million begonias looks like? It looks like this Carpet of Flowers in Brussels, Belgium. Every other year, since 1971, the Grand Place courtyard turns into a Carpet of Flowers to promote the lovely begonia.