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The old man who farms with the sea
"experts including Dennis Bushnell, chief scientist at NASA's Langley Research Center, say seawater agriculture could prove to be an important weapon in the fight against climate change.
Hodges has already built such a farm in Africa. Political upheaval there shut much of it down in 2003. That's why he's determined to construct a showcase project in North America to demonstrate what's possible.
All he needs now is $35 million. That's where salicornia comes in.
A so-called halophyte, or salt-loving plant, the briny succulent thrives in hellish heat and pitiful soil on little more than a regular dousing of ocean water. Several countries are experimenting with salicornia and other saltwater-tolerant species as sources of food. Known in some restaurants as sea asparagus, salicornia can be eaten fresh or steamed, squeezed into cooking oil or ground into high-protein meal.
Hodges, who now heads the nonprofit Seawater Foundation, plugged salicornia for years as the plant to help end world hunger. Do-gooders applauded. The private sector yawned.
Then oil prices exploded. Hodges saw his shot to lift his fleshy, leafless shrub from obscurity."
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This is a time for vision. Investors aren't laughing at him now.
"experts including Dennis Bushnell, chief scientist at NASA's Langley Research Center, say seawater agriculture could prove to be an i... more -
Living with water scarcity: world must act now
Only if we act to improve water use in agriculture now will we meet the acute water-environment-poverty challenges facing humankind over the next 50 years. "With earth's water, land and human resources it is possible to produce enough food for the future - but it is probable that today's food production and environmental trends will lead to crises in many parts of the world" says David Molden Deputy Director General of the International Water Management Institute.
This is the opening prognosis given in the Earthscan publication Water for Food, Water for Life: A Comprehensive Assessment of Water Management in Agriculture. The Assessment, the first of its kind, brings together the work of over 700 specialists from hundreds of institutes around the world into the most comprehensive and authoritative assessment of water and food ever written, critically examining policies and practices of water use and development in the agricultural sector over the last 50 years.
Spearheaded by International Water Management Institute (IWMI), one of 15 CGIAR agricultural research centres striving to increase food production, increase rural incomes, and safeguard the environment, the report is co-sponsored by the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), FAO, the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, and the Convention on Biological Diversity in a bid to find solutions to the challenge of balancing the water-food-environment needs.
The assessment finds that 1/3 of the world's population live in areas where water scarcity must be reckoned with. While much of this water scarcity cannot be avoided, water problems can be averted through better water management.
Growing cities take more water, and environmental concerns are rising. A water-food-environment dilemma. Water use in agriculture is recognized as one of the major drivers of ecosystem degradation, causing habitat loss, drying up of rivers, and reduction in groundwater levels. Flows in the Colorado River in USA, the Yellow River in China, the Indus in India and Pakistan - all important food producing areas - dry up because of the water needed for irrigated agriculture. Clearly limiting agricultural water use is key for environmental sustainability. Therein lies the dilemma. More people require more water for more food; more water is essential in the fight against poverty; yet we should limit the amount of water taken from ecosystems.
snip
Since climate change is expected to hit these areas hard, better water systems will be a key to helping people cope with dry spells. Poverty, hunger, gender inequality, and environmental degradation continue to afflict developing countries not because of technical failings but because of political and institutional failings. There is need for drastic reform in the water sector. Governments must lead the reform process, but ironically state institutions themselves are in greatest need of reform. While water scarcity is here to stay, many of the problems associated with water scarcity can be avoided.
This will require that we deal with difficult choices and tradeoffs. Reconciling competing demands on water requires informed negotiations by the many stakeholders involved in water with transparent sharing of information. "The hope is in realizing the unexplored potential that lies in better water management along with non-miraculous changes in policy and production techniques" says Margaret Catley Carleson, Chair of the Global Water Partnership, "but world leaders must take action now." As Sunita Narain, 2005 Stockholm Water Prize Winner says, "this issue must become the world's obsession." Only if we act to improve water use in agriculture now will we meet the acute water-environment-poverty challenges facing humankind ov... more -
Banned President Bush interview
From the Youtube post: "You're an idiot. How sad is it that Fox news has everyone thinking that investigative reporting means kissing ass." From the Youtube post: "You're an idiot. How sad is it that Fox news has everyone thinking that investigative reporting means kissing... more
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What does it all mean? Yes? No? What is your take?
People I feel that this needs to be discussed because I have read posts where people are confused about what to do with their vote.
Green means: "I like it" or "Yes" or "Green light" (this story should be on Current TV News)
Red means "I don't like it" or "No" or "Red light" (this story should NOT be on Current TV News)
This is the way I understand that the voting system works, it doesn't have anything to do with whether or not you agree with the story, it means that you want the story to get on the air.
If somebody knows different then please do tell.
People I feel that this needs to be discussed because I have read posts where people are confused about what to do with their vote. ... more -
National day of protest against health insurance corporations! June 19th
38,000 Health Insurance Executives are coming to San Francisco. Join patients, nurses, doctors, and Americans of every stripe protesting in memory of the countless victims of the insurance industry. Join us and bring friends! 38,000 Health Insurance Executives are coming to San Francisco. Join patients, nurses, doctors, and Americans of every stripe protesti... more
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More talk than listening on climate bill in Senate
Even for the Senate, where members are well-known to prefer talking to listening, the amount of unilateral jabbering on the climate bill has been remarkable, with lawmakers both for and against it arguing repeatedly over how much time was allotted for them to speak.
It was also hard to keep track of who was on which side. The bill’s main sponsors are Senators Joseph I. Lieberman, independent of Connecticut, John W. Warner, Republican of Virginia, and Barbara Boxer, Democrat of California.
Typically, the floor debate is divided evenly between the two parties, but there has been constant confusion about whose time was being used.
At one point Senator Arlen Specter, Republican of Pennsylvania, was struggling to get his turn. “It’s my understanding that I have 15 minutes at 12:15 which I have been waiting for all morning,” he said.
A short argument followed — involving Mr. Specter, Senator Pete V. Domenici, Republican of New Mexico, Mrs. Boxer and Senator Bob Corker, Republican of Tennessee — over who should speak and for how long. As they bickered, Senator Jon Tester, Democrat of Montana, who was serving as the president pro tempore, made an announcement: “The time of the senator from Tennessee, three and a half minutes, has expired.”
Mr. Domenici was perplexed. “How did his time expire?” he asked.
“Through this conversation,” Mr. Tester explained.
To help give everybody time on center-stage, the senators on Tuesday proposed delaying the weekly party lunches by 10 minutes. The majority leader, Senator Harry Reid, Democrat of Nevada, said that was all right, but he also urged senators to be back in time for their official portrait.
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Why am I not surprised? Why would I ever expect to see a reasoned intelligent debate on this from a Congress that acts like nothing but a bunch of vindictive prima donnas? This is why we will never get effective legislation from Washington Dc on climate change. Too many only wanting their 15 minutes of fame in front of the camera, and too many making this a politically partisan issue when it is not.
And my God, what ignorance comes out of Senator Inhofe's mouth. He is an embarrassment to the state of Oklahoma. I really tried to be positive that this could be debated in Congress with that higher consciousness, but it is not possible when consciousness in and of itself is not present. This is why we have to press and demand what this bill must look like in order to be acceptable and effective... but alas, I fear no matter what we say they will continue to do what they want, which is why those working outside the confines of the beltway have made more progress regarding this crisis. This just proves the point.
However, that doesn't mean we stop pushing for what is right. I still say on the whole that states, businesses, and individuals will do more to address this crisis effectively than any Congress in this political system, but we cannot relent in making these representatives see how they will be accomplices to the catastrophe unfolding unless they look beyond poltiics to see the big picture. Damn them for their total lack of moral courage and for making a mockery out of the most crucial crisis this planet now faces on a global scale.
I have a one sentence message to Congress:
THIS IS NOT ABOUT YOU. Even for the Senate, where members are well-known to prefer talking to listening, the amount of unilateral jabbering on the climate bi... more -
USAspending.gov: where Americans can see where their money goes!
Have you ever wanted to find more information on government spending? Have you ever wondered where federal contracting dollars and grant awards go? Or perhaps you would just like to know, as a citizen, what the government is really doing with your money. The Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006 (Transparency Act) requires a single searchable website, accessible by the public for free that includes for each Federal award:
1. The name of the entity receiving the award;
2. The amount of the award;
3. Information on the award including transaction type, funding agency, etc;
4. The location of the entity receiving the award;
5. A unique identifier of the entity receiving the award.
Welcome to www.USAspending.gov, a relaunch of www.FederalSpending.gov, that provides citizens with easy access to government contract, grant and other award data.
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What a powerful tool! A great step towards government transparency! The following is excerpted from FedSpending.org:
The Federal government has launched USASpending.gov, a website mandated by the Federal Funding, Accountability, and Transparency Act. The website is based on the software that runs FedSpending.org. OMB Watch intends to continue to operate and upgrade FedSpending.org, adding new features and data to provide a more powerful accountability tool for citizens. http://fedspending.org/
Have you ever wanted to find more information on government spending? Have you ever wondered where federal contracting dollars and gra... more -
Junk news making you sick?
Hard-hitting journalism is nearing extinction on television, and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) just threw another shovel-full of dirt on its grave when it recently ruled that Rupert Murdoch's TMZ and Pat Robertson's 700 Club meet the test for "a bona fide newscast."
Media companies get their broadcast licenses for free. In return, the FCC says that if a TV show is not a bona fide newscast, and it airs a story about a political candidate, "it must afford equal opportunities to other such candidates for that office."
This is supposed to keep ideologues like Pat Robertson and Rupert Murdoch in check. But instead the FCC let them off the hook by adding TMZ and 700 Club to the list of bona fide newscasts; even though Congress defined bona fide as newscasts as those that hold "genuine news value" and are not intended to boost or aid any particular political candidate.
We need a lot less 'cheap junk news' and a lot more real news. Junk is not good for you. Keep the government out of the news as much as possible. Hard-hitting journalism is nearing extinction on television, and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) just threw another shovel... more -
25 Shocking Facts About the Pharmaceutical Industry
From Medicare fraud to CEOs worth billions of dollars, big drug companies are accused of putting profits above patients, spinning false PR campaigns and more. We've uncovered 25 of the most shocking facts about the pharmaceutical industry in this list.
From Medicare fraud to CEOs worth billions of dollars, big drug companies are accused of putting profits above patients, spinning fals... more -
Cost of Iraq War --- Not Suitable for Children or Heart Patients
I am speechless.
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Integral "Third-Way" Politics
While surveying the current American political landscape, it can be easy to feel as though the country is divided into two radically opposing populations: the Left and the Right. When watching the speeches, interviews, and debates on either side of the fence, there is such an incredible difference between the tone, rhetoric, and messages coming from the two major political parties that many pundits have commented that it is as though we live in two utterly different Americas, with very little overlap between the two. But the truth is, we do not live in two Americas, but in a single America composed of at least four or five different sets of values, all crammed together into a two-party political system that is becoming increasingly incapable of representing these wildly different perspectives. Many are beginning to recognize this systemic inadequacy and are searching for a genuinely Integral “Third Way” politics—a new way to break free from the restrictions of such rigidly calcified party lines, transcending both sides of the partisan divide, including the very best of both parties, without resorting to the effete compromise of mere centrism that has been typical of the political “Third Way” to date.
In order to fully understand and appreciate the different sets of values and beliefs that make up the flesh and bones of America, we must allow ourselves to step back and take a developmental view of American culture—one which can make sense of the full spectrum of perspectives that are currently at play in the political arena, while also being able to account for America’s rich political history, as the oldest functioning democracy in the world.
The premise of this sort of developmental view is simple: people evolve. As people evolve, they move through a particular sequence of stages, a sequence that has been long studied by Western psychologists and has been found to be essentially universal to every culture in the world. Taking a developmental view accounts for the “multiple intelligences” every human being possesses, including cognitive development and intelligence, values and beliefs, charisma and interpersonal skills, etc. There is a long list of these different sorts of intelligences, each growing along its own particular developmental track, but there is enough congruence in their overall development that we can begin to take a meta-view of our growth and development by using a very simple concept known as “Altitude.” Altitude is essentially a barometer of overall human growth, which uses the color spectrum to denote several major stages of development—each of which has slowly evolved over the course of human history, though still very much at play in today’s world:
While surveying the current American political landscape, it can be easy to feel as though the country is divided into two radically o... more -
How clean is the air that you're breathing?
The American Lung Association issued its annual report card on air pollution today, ranking cities most affected by three types of pollution: short-term particle pollution, year-round particle pollution and ozone pollution.
Find out how clean the air that you're breathing is, as well as if your city ranks among the highest polluted cities in the U.S. The American Lung Association issued its annual report card on air pollution today, ranking cities most affected by three types of pol... more -
Who is Stopping the Water Powered Car?
20 Billion dollars are being spent to stop water powered cars or hydrogen/oxygen powered cars, using 100% water as fuel is real. By spiltting water by electrolysis and creating hydrogen/oxygen gas, you can replace gasoline. We have been taught this is impossible! Engineers, scientists and professors may in fact tell tell you you're crazy to believe such non sense. They will also set out to prove you wrong. They base their laws of physics form 1825 thinking. Faraday's laws. Did you know that the first ICE engine ran on hydrogen from water? BMW has them! Hyunda will be making them. Japan indorses them. Many patents, inventions have been bought and there project is shelved, yes it is true. Some of the stubborn inventors who don't sell out disappear. Yes that's right. It happens in the US, Aus, NZ, UK and India. We are in a crunch to find alternative fuels. The pressure is on. War for oil is not the way to go. 20 Billion dollars are being spent to stop water powered cars or hydrogen/oxygen powered cars, using 100% water as fuel is real. By sp... more
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An alternate view on reality!
"The three founding directors, a Jew, a Christian and a Muslim, are working together for peace and justice by offering the American public media which shows another side of Middle Eastern issues."
Read on.... http://www.alternatefocus.org/Screeningroom.html "The three founding directors, a Jew, a Christian and a Muslim, are working together for peace and justice by offering the American pu... more -
White House undermines EPA on cancer risks
"The Bush administration is undermining the Environmental Protection Agency's ability to determine health dangers of toxic chemicals by letting nonscientists have a bigger — often secret — role, congressional investigators say in a report obtained by The Associated Press.
The administration's decision to give the Defense Department and other agencies an early role in the process adds to years of delay in acting on harmful chemicals and jeopardizes the program's credibility, the Government Accountability Office concluded...
After years of stops and starts, the GAO said, the EPA has yet to determine carcinogen risks for a number of major chemicals...
Environmentalists say these chemicals have been widely found at military bases and Superfund sites and in soil, lakes, streams and groundwater...
Last week, a confidential survey by an advocacy group of EPA scientists showed more than half of the 1,600 respondents worried about political pressure in their work."
"The Bush administration is undermining the Environmental Protection Agency's ability to determine health dangers of toxic chemicals b... more -
We torture, yes, no, maybe?
Helen Thomas questions Dana Perino about Bush admitting he signed off on torture. Perino lies like a rug. Makes this American proud of what we are doing. What happened to never do anything you have to lie about? Helen Thomas questions Dana Perino about Bush admitting he signed off on torture. Perino lies like a rug. Makes this American proud ... more
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Can You Appreciate Nature and Respect it?
You must Love yourself first, than Love others. Is that too much to ask?
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Yet another unforeseen cost to the Iraq war! (mentality)
To McCain & Hillbillary: Put YOUR daughters where YOUR mouths are!
Word up to Nancy Pelosi: at what cost are you willing to play mother to Bush?
"The Department of Defense statistics are alarming - one in three women who join the US military will be sexually assaulted or raped by men in the military. The warnings to women should begin above the doors of the military recruiting stations, as that is where assaults on women in the military begin - before they are even recruited."
"But, now, even more alarming, are deaths of women soldiers in Iraq and in the United States following rape. The military has characterized each death of women who were first sexually assaulted as deaths from "noncombat related injuries," and then added "suicide." Yet, the families of the women whom the military has declared to have committed suicide strongly dispute the findings and are calling for further investigations into the deaths of their daughters. Specific US Army units and certain US military bases in Iraq have an inordinate number of women soldiers who have died of "noncombat related injuries," with several identified as "suicides."
Read on... http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/042808A.shtml To McCain & Hillbillary: Put YOUR daughters where YOUR mouths are! ... more -
Good-Bye, Cheap Oil. So Long, Suburbia?
The proverbial s*** has hit the fan. The fact that oil IS a finite resource is coming to light and the former centerpiece of the American Dream is being transformed. Life as we know it to be is over. I told several friends in November 07 that by the end of 08 we'd see $200 oil prices per barrel... as of this article, we're hoovering around $120. America needs to wake up... fast. The proverbial s*** has hit the fan. The fact that oil IS a finite resource is coming to light and the former centerpiece of the Ameri... more
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