05 January 2010
31 December 2009
5 eyes for 1 eye
are we safe yet?
breeding animosity, destabilizing country after country, we're the best recruiting propaganda anti-us militants could ever want.
2009 in perspective: glenn greenwald on the five wars us is
fighting in muslim countries, democracy now!
breeding animosity, destabilizing country after country, we're the best recruiting propaganda anti-us militants could ever want.
2009 in perspective: glenn greenwald on the five wars us is
fighting in muslim countries, democracy now!
29 December 2009
heifer international: the white man knows everything
why do people think other people should do things the way they do? i'm as guilty as the next guy, but when hunger and the earth are concerned, it's a big deal. such is the issue with heifer international. hungry people do not need to further deplete their land, water, and crops with western-bred animals. lactose intolerant africans, asians, and latinos do not need milk.
animal aid director andrew tyler writing in the independent urges people don't follow the herd and give a cow for christmas. his objections are "to the commercial forces that are seeking to persuade people of the poor world that their best nutritional interests are served by buying into modern, high-throughput farmed animal production processes. with that comes an addiction to high capital input systems, additional stresses on precious water supplies, environmental destruction, a loss of control over the means of production, bad health, a nightmare animal welfare scenario and more human poverty and malnourishment."
but people are hungry. why not give them meat? in what's wrong with the heifer project? gary kowalski states "an acre of prime agricultural land can produce 40,000 pounds of potatoes, or 30,000 pounds of carrots, or 50,000 pounds of tomatoes, but only 250 pounds of beef. the grain that could feed twenty people suffices for just one cow." he goes on to say, "thus in country after country, food security has suffered as people switch from rice, beans, and corn to eggs, dairy and meat to satisfy their nutritional needs. worldwatch institute documents the trend in taking stock: animal farming and the environment. the authors point out that taiwan increased its consumption of meat and eggs by 600% between 1950 and 1990. while the island nation was a grain exporter at the beginning of this forty year span, it depended on massive imports of grain by the end of the period in order to feed its growing population of livestock. food self-sufficiency is undermined when people increase their reliance on animal protein."
and further, "mexico is one of the countries where heifer works. twenty-five years ago, livestock consumed only 6% of that nation's grain. by 1990, the figure had climbed to 50%, as increased numbers of cattle required more imported feed. most of the meat produced in mexico and other latin america nations is exported for dinner tables north of the border while the little that remains at home is usually priced out of reach of the poor."
mark bittman's new york times article rethinking the meat-guzzler states "though some 800 million people on the planet now suffer from hunger or malnutrition, the majority of corn and soy grown in the world feeds cattle, pigs and chickens. this despite the inherent inefficiencies: about two to five times more grain is required to produce the same amount of calories through livestock as through direct grain consumption, according to rosamond naylor, an associate professor of economics at stanford university. it is as much as 10 times more in the case of grain-fed beef in the united states."
one might point out that you can graze livestock on land that is otherwise not usable, yet heifer international states that it promotes zero-grazing techniques! this means penning in animals which still require food and water and is questionable in terms of the health and humane treatment of the animals. there are further concerns about introducing non-native western farm species, biodiversity, and the cost of veterinary treatment.
not to mention the environment. according to the united nations food and agriculture organization "the livestock sector generates more greenhouse gas emissions as measured in co2 equivalent–18 percent–than transport." goveg.com states that "eating 1 lb. of meat emits the same amount of greenhouse gases as driving an suv 40 miles." further, "according to environmental defense, if every american skipped one meal of chicken per week and substituted vegetarian foods instead, the carbon dioxide savings would be the same as taking more than a half-million cars off u.s. roads." people have pointed out the impact that the chinese living as americans do (with 2 cars per family) would have. just imagine if china (and the rest of the world) ate as much meat as americans do (half a pound per day--twice the global average).
solutions are desperately needed for the food security crisis but they must come through an organic (in all senses), local, grassroots process rather than westerners spreading their questionable practices to non-westerners.
alternatives to giving a cow:
food for life global
sustainable harvest international
fruit tree planting foundation
(many of the resources cited here were found on do life right.)
animal aid director andrew tyler writing in the independent urges people don't follow the herd and give a cow for christmas. his objections are "to the commercial forces that are seeking to persuade people of the poor world that their best nutritional interests are served by buying into modern, high-throughput farmed animal production processes. with that comes an addiction to high capital input systems, additional stresses on precious water supplies, environmental destruction, a loss of control over the means of production, bad health, a nightmare animal welfare scenario and more human poverty and malnourishment."
but people are hungry. why not give them meat? in what's wrong with the heifer project? gary kowalski states "an acre of prime agricultural land can produce 40,000 pounds of potatoes, or 30,000 pounds of carrots, or 50,000 pounds of tomatoes, but only 250 pounds of beef. the grain that could feed twenty people suffices for just one cow." he goes on to say, "thus in country after country, food security has suffered as people switch from rice, beans, and corn to eggs, dairy and meat to satisfy their nutritional needs. worldwatch institute documents the trend in taking stock: animal farming and the environment. the authors point out that taiwan increased its consumption of meat and eggs by 600% between 1950 and 1990. while the island nation was a grain exporter at the beginning of this forty year span, it depended on massive imports of grain by the end of the period in order to feed its growing population of livestock. food self-sufficiency is undermined when people increase their reliance on animal protein."
and further, "mexico is one of the countries where heifer works. twenty-five years ago, livestock consumed only 6% of that nation's grain. by 1990, the figure had climbed to 50%, as increased numbers of cattle required more imported feed. most of the meat produced in mexico and other latin america nations is exported for dinner tables north of the border while the little that remains at home is usually priced out of reach of the poor."
mark bittman's new york times article rethinking the meat-guzzler states "though some 800 million people on the planet now suffer from hunger or malnutrition, the majority of corn and soy grown in the world feeds cattle, pigs and chickens. this despite the inherent inefficiencies: about two to five times more grain is required to produce the same amount of calories through livestock as through direct grain consumption, according to rosamond naylor, an associate professor of economics at stanford university. it is as much as 10 times more in the case of grain-fed beef in the united states."
one might point out that you can graze livestock on land that is otherwise not usable, yet heifer international states that it promotes zero-grazing techniques! this means penning in animals which still require food and water and is questionable in terms of the health and humane treatment of the animals. there are further concerns about introducing non-native western farm species, biodiversity, and the cost of veterinary treatment.
not to mention the environment. according to the united nations food and agriculture organization "the livestock sector generates more greenhouse gas emissions as measured in co2 equivalent–18 percent–than transport." goveg.com states that "eating 1 lb. of meat emits the same amount of greenhouse gases as driving an suv 40 miles." further, "according to environmental defense, if every american skipped one meal of chicken per week and substituted vegetarian foods instead, the carbon dioxide savings would be the same as taking more than a half-million cars off u.s. roads." people have pointed out the impact that the chinese living as americans do (with 2 cars per family) would have. just imagine if china (and the rest of the world) ate as much meat as americans do (half a pound per day--twice the global average).
solutions are desperately needed for the food security crisis but they must come through an organic (in all senses), local, grassroots process rather than westerners spreading their questionable practices to non-westerners.
alternatives to giving a cow:
food for life global
sustainable harvest international
fruit tree planting foundation
(many of the resources cited here were found on do life right.)
racism and war
iraq veterans against the war: panel: racism and war: the dehumanization of the enemy: part 2: mike prysner
(via exocubicstudio)
(via exocubicstudio)
placebo
the things he carried, jeffrey goldberg, the atlantic, november 2008
in particular, note that the author smuggled a polyurethane bag attached to his body undetected and passed through security with forged boarding passes and no identification. all of this over a year ago.
in particular, note that the author smuggled a polyurethane bag attached to his body undetected and passed through security with forged boarding passes and no identification. all of this over a year ago.
26 December 2009
'i want you to keep me accountable' -- barack obama
"i didn't campaign on a public option." -- barack obama
"any american will have the opportunity to enroll in the new public plan or an approved private plan, and income-based sliding scale tax credits will be provided for people and families who need it." (from obama's campaign literature)
track this and other promises on obameter.
"any american will have the opportunity to enroll in the new public plan or an approved private plan, and income-based sliding scale tax credits will be provided for people and families who need it." (from obama's campaign literature)
track this and other promises on obameter.
22 December 2009
another corporate bail out
Dear Senators Udall and Bennet:
As your constituent, I urge you to vote against the Senate health bill as it currently stands. Our nation's current health care system has failed because of a corrupt private health insurance industry. Rather than address this failure and rein in private insurers, this bill provides the health care industry with 30 million new customers who will be forced to buy overpriced, poorly regulated health insurance though these Americans can least afford it. No wonder health insurance stock market prices are rising.
Without a government-run insurance entity or regulations to guarantee everyone access to decent health insurance, an individual mandate is immoral. In combination with the removal of the public option, the rollback of a woman's right to choose, and unfair, unequal exemptions for Nebraska, we are better off without this bill.
This bill is no longer a reform; it is yet another corporate bail out. Please withdraw your support for this bill.
As your constituent, I urge you to vote against the Senate health bill as it currently stands. Our nation's current health care system has failed because of a corrupt private health insurance industry. Rather than address this failure and rein in private insurers, this bill provides the health care industry with 30 million new customers who will be forced to buy overpriced, poorly regulated health insurance though these Americans can least afford it. No wonder health insurance stock market prices are rising.
Without a government-run insurance entity or regulations to guarantee everyone access to decent health insurance, an individual mandate is immoral. In combination with the removal of the public option, the rollback of a woman's right to choose, and unfair, unequal exemptions for Nebraska, we are better off without this bill.
This bill is no longer a reform; it is yet another corporate bail out. Please withdraw your support for this bill.
19 December 2009
16 December 2009
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