Carbon Storage Surprises Experts

A recently completed GRDC project studying the productivity of soils under continuous cropping has unexpectedly found soil carbon increases much higher than any modeled predictions have calculated to date. Interestingly the commentary still only refers to carbon inputs (ie biomass breakdown), not the carbon pumped in directly via green living plants into the rootzone. Perhaps that is why the models are getting it so wrong.

A Food/Climate Manifesto

Commentary from Grist on the recent Manifesto on Climate Change and the Future of Food Security holds up Vandana Shiva, Indian food-sovereignty activist, as an incredible voice for change. The manifesto is an agro-ecological response to the challenges posed by climate change. Wonderful reading all round - agriculture does indeed hold many answers.

Change is the Norm

This wonderful wonderful essay by Fred Provenza, Professor Department of Wildland Resources Utah State University, links the thoughts and experiences of scientists and mystics, then suggests that both these world views have implications for how we view nature and manage natural resources. He warns that in our hubris, we overestimate our ability to predict and control the processes of nature, and it is in our dismal attempts to cling to the past and predict the future that we miss the opportunity to embrace the moment.

Home Gardeners Saviours to Our Seed Banks

Multinational corporations started taking control of seeds around thirty years ago. Now, ten corporations own over half the world's commodity seed supply. Meanwhile, some small gardening businesses are noticing more customers want organic and heirloom seeds. Experts think that trend might be important for the world and that those seeds might be the hope of future food supplies.

DNA Mysteries

It is incredible that GM proponents continue to stick to their simplistic beliefs in how DNA works when the scientific world of genetics is literally being turned upside. A single gene, for example, can make more than one protein. And they are discovering a jungle of invading viruses, undead pseudogenes, shuffled exons and epigenetic marks - all missing from the classical concept of the gene.

GM Corn Linked to Low Fertility

A long-term feeding trial commissioned by the Austrian government found mice fed on GM corn or maize had fewer offspring and lower birth rates. Typically, GM advocates have argued that the fact the US population has been eating GM food for more than a decade is  proof of its safety....but what sort of proof is that?? The US is ranked as one of the sickest nations in the world - something is going wrong. WAKE UP!

Modified Genes Spread to Local Maize

Transgenes from genetically modified (GM) maize (corn) crops have been found in traditional 'landrace' maize in the Mexican heartland. And the evidence has had a stormy past in getting published.

Food Matters Movie Screening

From personal experience, Food Matters has been changing the eating habits of many people, and well worth checking out. There is a public screening of the movie in Wauchope Australia on 3rd December (no, not in Canada as it has on the website!). You might find a screening near you if this doesn't suit (US and Canada included).

Animal Magnetism

A new scientific study shows that grazing cattle and sleeping deer tend to align their bodies along the north/south axis of the earth's magnetic field. Many believed they were simply positioning themselves according to prevailing winds or the sun's rays, but his study disproves that.

Capturing Energy from Sunlight

The process, which is loosely based on plant photosynthesis, uses solar energy to split water into hydrogen and oxygen gases. When needed, the gases can then be re-combined in a fuel cell, creating carbon-free electricity whether the sun is shining or not.

Tidal Power

The race to develop Scotland's seas into the "Saudi Arabia of marine power" is about to start, with plans for 500 underwater turbines in the Pentland Firth. An Australian company is already preparing a serious bid for the huge tidal farm that it says will power one million homes.

Light Pollution

Correcting light pollution could save billions of dollars a year in energy costs and also help slow climate change and its oh so simple. To get a sense for the magnitude of modern light pollution, consider: When Galileo studied the Milky Way 400 years ago, it was so bright that it cast shadows on the ground. Today most Americans no longer live in a place where they can see it with the naked eye. Then there are the emerging links of night light and cancer...

Plastic Pollution

This is a powerful little video on the environmental devastation being wrought by plastic bags. It has been calculated that if 1 out of 5 people in the US used cloth bags, 1,330, 560, 000,000 plastic bags would be prevented from reaching the environment over a lifetime. There were many other statistics and visuals that even surprised me.

Mothballs Banned

Mothballs will become a thing of the past because of new EU restrictions on a chemical - naphthalene - of which many of the small, white balls are made. Moth balls have long been used to protect garments from moths and moth larvae.

This article also alludes to recent EU "marketing standards" that set precise measurements for the appearance, weight and size of 26 types of fruit and vegetables...which subsequently got scrapped. However, the notorious "straight bananas" regulation which dictates that the fruit must be "free from malformation or abnormal curvature" will remain in place because "no objections from banana growers, buyers, traders or consumers have been received regarding this requirement".

Buried at Sea

In an eco-friendly measure, increasing numbers of people are choosing to be buried at sea. Traditionally a send-off for former sailors and naval personnel, it has been adopted by people who believe it to be a greener burial option.

Buying a New Homeland

This seems extreme - the Maldives will begin to divert a portion of the country's billion-dollar annual tourist revenue into buying a new homeland - as an insurance policy against climate change that threatens to turn the 300,000 islanders into environmental refugees, the country's first democratically elected president. Australia was being considered because of the amount of unoccupied land available! Wow, I like this president - his history, his message, his future.

Geomantica Magazine

For those needing an esoteric dose of information, the latest edition of Geomatica magazine is out with lots of stories on geomantic energies and at the end a list of geomantic/permaculture workshops around Australia.

Hugh Lovel and Lloyd Charles Visit

Both Hugh Lovel and Lloyd Charles will be visiting a biodynamic property in Narrabri on 20th November. If anyone is interested in coming along for the ride - to ask questions or listen to the conversations, contact me for more details. You'll need to bring along all your own personal requirements - chair, hat, cup and lunch.

BFA Organic Roadshows

When? Armidale: Friday 28th November 8.30am - 3.30pm
Coffs Harbour: Saturday 29th November 8.30am - 3.30pm

Where? Armidale: New England Regional Art Museum, Kentucky St, Armidale, NSW
Coffs Harbour: Coffs Harbour Racing Club, Howard St, Coffs Harbour

I'll be giving a small presentation at the Armidale roadshow - would love to meet you there!

What's New...

I have to admit that there have been moments of doubt about turning my back on all that I have created so far, and there was concern about the ongoing costs of running this newsletter without an income - but wonderfully, some independent consultants and suppliers began to pledge their support to help keep the service going. Despite the quirky miscellaneous reporting, they do see value in it.

After a bit of to-ing and fro-ing the following deal has been put together for any interested person/business or entity that works within the biological arena:

Pay a $500 one-off annual 'advertising' fee (starting January 2009) that guarantees a minimum of 5 newsletter stories or links about you during the year - be they case studies, product information etc. Wherever relevant, your link will be listed under a particular service or product on the website. In addition, your own dedicated webpage on the FTSU website can be created on request (using your input, updates and pictures).

This offer will not exclude stories on any other paying or non-paying business or consultancy  - the spirit and style of the newsletter will not alter. I intend to continue to pass on ANY information that takes my fancy, as I always have (and that will always remain my prerogative!).

Feel free to contact me about these ideas, to book in your request for next year, or other suggestions you may have to offer.

TM21

I mentioned a prebiotic-like product from BEST Australia called TM21 last newsletter (see under BEST Australia) and later had these photos emailed through from a WA subscriber of an algal infested dam (holding 90 million litres) treated with TM21.

Before:

13 Days Later:

Not bad! I don't know the details of the treatment, but please feel free to email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it directly.

Health

Medicines Also Give a Dose of Phthylates

Widely used as plasticizers, phthalates have been linked to abnormal reproductive tracts, sperm damage and reduced testosterone in animal tests as well as some human studies. And its been discovered that prescription drugs can deliver a dose of this chemical day by day. For people taking medications coated with these compounds, their exposure exceeds other, well-known sources, such as plastics, perfumes and lotions, by ten to 1,000-fold.

Even 'Safe' Products Leak BPA

Products marketed for infants or billed as "microwave safe" release toxic doses of the chemical bisphenol A when heated. Tests also revealed that BPA, commonly thought to be found only in hard, clear plastic and in the lining of metal food cans, is present in frozen food trays, microwaveable soup containers and plastic baby food packaging. "There is no such thing as safe microwaveable plastic."

Google Tool Detects Flu

A lot of ailing Americans enter phrases like "flu symptoms" into Google before they call their doctors. That simple act, multiplied across millions of keyboards in homes around the country, has given rise to a new early warning system for fast-spreading flu outbreaks, called Google Flu Trends, and it may be able to detect regional outbreaks of the flu a week to 10 days before they are reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This idea might spread to a myriad of other situations too...

The Power of Music

I mentioned the medicinal benefits of the Bee Gees in the last newsletter - and the story of music continues. The link between music and athletic performance is just one example of the inroads scientists and doctors are making into understanding the amazing power that music has over your mind and body. It  really can kill pain, reduce stress, better your brain and basically change how you experience life.

Gut Bacteria and Weight Gain

A single molecule in your intestinal wall, activated by the waste products from gut bacteria, plays a large role in controlling whether you are lean or fatty. The importance of gut bacteria obviously, and unsurprisingly, goes beyond just breaking down food - and you can only imagine the unintended side-effects of antibiotics and other toxins that pass through...and if you read down, there is an emerging theory about 'infectobesity' - suggesting that obesity may be caused by a virus or other disease-causing organisms.

Bottled Water As Contaminated as Tap Water

10 major bottled-water brands were tested for contaminants. Thirty-eight low-level contaminants turned up in the water, with each brand containing an average of eight chemicals. Disinfection products, caffeine, Tylenol, nitrate, industrial chemicals, arsenic and bacteria were all detected.

Drug Harm Reaches a Record

The number of reports of serious problems, including deaths, linked to medications hit a record in the first three months of this year. The FDA received nearly 21,000 reports of serious drug reactions, including over 4,800 deaths, over that period. Two drugs accounted for a disproportionately large share of the problems.

Vaccination Rights

This is a wonderful overview of issues related to vaccinations from a mother's point of view - a mother that has experienced it all first hand. The facts behind the politics and the science are presented using meticulous documentation right through to Gardasil and the recent clamp downs on mandatory vaccination in America. Money is now being raised by governments to produce a genetically engineered oral vaccine for newborn babies that would inject raw DNA from 30-40 infectious disease agents...  

Tracking Obesity

In Manchester, Britain's third largest city with half a million people, residents will begin carrying electronic tracking tags that log how far they run or cycle each day. The tag will even help track how many calories residents burn. Those who hit the running trail every morning will be rewarded with coupons at stores and even days off work.

Unis and Drug Companies Getting Closer

Drug companies have long been a source of funding for academic laboratories, but the two entities typically stayed at arm's length. But drug companies want to ensure the relationships are furthering their underlying goal of speeding up the validation and exploitation of drug targets, and academia is becoming amenable to opening its doors to drug firms-if it means access to new technology and the potential to diversify funding streams amid dwindling government grants. Talk about conflicts of interest and loss of integrity!

Miscellaneous

Strong brands are a powerful weapon in a company's armoury, and when new rules emerged in the 1990s allowing colours to be registered as a trademark, the fight for brand recognition stepped up a gear, encapsulated in the ongoing case in Australia that sees confectionery giant Cadbury defending the colour purple. What a weird world!

Events

For all November events

For all December events

* BFA Organic Roadshow - Armidale NSW 28th November 2008.

* BFA Organic Roadshow - Coffs Harbour NSW 29th November 2008.

Postscript

Clever advertising!