The Deadliest Catch

1:54 PM in Aqua, catch, deadliest, the

The Discovery Channel says its program last year, Deadliest Catch, on the king crab fishery in Alaska was the most successful series introduced in ten years. So naturally they want a repeat.

The new series, with the same name, starts on 9 Pm Tuesday March 28. In this new series the film crews accompanies king crab boats fishing in the fishing for the first time under a quota based fishery. The new series drama is more about fishermen, their luck, the skill of finding crab and the industry in general.

I dont comment much on made for tv stuff, but the past series did a tremendous job popularizing crab and fishing in general many people got their first impression of commercial fishing from the show.

Link to the series information

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The Science and Engineering of Smores

9:52 AM in and, Aqua, engineering, of, science, smores, the

We realize this post is a few days too late for the first major camping weekend of the summer, but the truth is, we needed a tune-up on our smores theory and practice ourselves.  So now, while the extensive refresher training we completed over the last few days is still at the front of our minds, we wanted to put out a short treatise on the intricacies and nuances of marshmallow roasting and smore eating.

The first step in creating a smore is to initiate the thermal oxidation of some woody biomass.  To avoid marshmallow ignition, we want radiant heat from the coals rather than heat from the gas-phase oxidation occurring in flames. That requires full primary combustion of the wood, which takes a considerable amount of time.

The second step is to select a marshmallow roasting device from a nearby tree or shrub, taking care to avoid the species Toxicodendron vernix.  The geometric outlay of the device is to some degree a matter of personal preference, but weve found that a half inch diameter at the base tapering to approximately a quarter inch at the business end, and 2.5-3 feet long, to be optimal for most common campfire heat intensities and standard-size marshmallows.

Similarly, the optimal linearity of the device is a subjective matter.  Some prefer a higher degree of linearity to facilitate a uniform axial rotation during roasting. Others prefer some curviness to allow the roaster to reach preferred roasting locales within the campfire from any position around the fire ring, including those toward which the smoke is not traveling, and independent of other smore engineers who may be occupying prime roasting real estate.

Nearly all experts agree, however, on the advantage of a barbed tip to prevent marshmallow disengagement from the device during the later stages of roasting, when the rigidity of the melty marshmallow core has deceased significantly.  Similarly, there is nearly universal agreement that removal of the bark from the tip of the device prevents inadvertent transfer of bark particles to the marshmallow.

In theory, pure radiative heat from glowing embers produces the most satisfactory roasting experience.  However, in practice, maintaining sufficient heat flow from a bed of embers over the course of tens of minutes that comprise a typical roasting session is challenging (as is having the patience to wait for the wood to finish burning down to coals).  Thus, the optimal sustained roasting environment often requires a combination of actively burning wood and pockets of glowing embers.

With the marshmallow applied to the roasting device, and roasting commenced over an appropriate heat source, the sugars in the outer shell of the marshmallow will begin to caramelize.  The primary chemical challenge during roasting is to uniformly caramelize the entire shell without charring or igniting any part of it.  The preferred technique among experts is a slow, rotisserie-style rotation at 4-6" from the embers, though few possess the patience to functionally sustain such an activity for the duration of the roasting operation. Another challenge is roasting the surface closest to the base end of the roasting device.  There may be some advantage to loading the marshmallow onto the device axially to minimize the surface area facing the base end (since the flat side of the marshmallow is smaller than the curved section), and then lightly smooshing the marshmallow to convert some of the base-facing surface into side-facing surface.

When the marshmallow is satisfactorily caramelized, it can be assembled into a smore, with graham crackers and chocolate as co-ingredients.  In some circles, a preferred embodiment of the smore is one which can be eaten cleanly (i.e., without loss of melted marshmallow to the eaters face or hand, or to the ground).  In such an embodiment, the chocolate and graham must be of the correct pliability, such that biting into the smore results in neither excessive compression of the marshmallow nor shattering of the graham cracker components.  The desired pliability can be achieved by mild heating of the graham and chocolate for 4-5 minutes while roasting the marshmallow (resulting in a final temperature of 100 - 105 °F).  More intensive heating melts the chocolate and toasts the graham, effectively exacerbating the problem.

A proper grip on the smore can also help keep the smore intact while biting.  As this hand model is demonstrating, a firm grip in one quadrant of the graham, using the end section of the first two fingers and the thumb, is optimal for minimizing transfer of marshmallow to the hand while maximizing the exposed area on which to apply the bite.  Large bites, up to the size of the entire smore, also minimize brittle fracture of the graham into the hand.

After roasting one- or two dozen marshmallows, the roasting device can be saved for future use, but a bit of maintenance and cleaning will help preserve its integrity and avoid attracting ants.  A first step in cleaning is commonly to remove as much marshmallow residue as possible by mouth.

Particularly recalcitrant residue can be removed by charring the tip, followed by wiping with an appropriate material, such as a t-shirt or nearby grass.  The health benefits of any residual char that may be transferred to future marshmallows are unclear, but related products are highly valued in some types of cuisine (an explanation of the scientific function of biochar in the digestive tract can be found near minute 19 in the video accompanying the previous link, although the entire episode provides a much more compelling narrative if one is amused by the non-sequitor nature of Japanese cartoons).  The roasting device can be stored somewhere relatively clean and out of the fire pit until needed again.

In conclusion, many factors must be considered to produce an optimally roasted marshmallow and a satisfactorily engineered smore.  We hope this primer has helped elucidate some of those factors, but we welcome additions and suggestions to incorporate into the second edition of this text.

What is your preferred marshmallow-roasting protocol?

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The Dunebarrow

12:03 AM in Aqua, dunebarrow, the

Growing up, we were (Jake was) very spoiled, as least in terms of wheelbarrows.  We had one with fully steel construction, 25 gallon body at least 12 gauge thick, and one continuous piece of 1.5" diameter pipe that formed both handles and a rounded bumper in front of the wheel.  The tire is pneumatic, but weve never seen it flat, and the shock absorbance it provides allows one to roll over gopher holes and stray pieces of firewood without spilling so much as a single wood chip.  [Please picture Tim Allen grunting on Home Improvement here.]  The rounded bumper is key because it allows the operator to completely empty the wheelbarrow by tipping it vertical and rotating the whole thing left and right on the bumper, which provides an effective pivot point.  It was only after moving away and searching for a wheelbarrow of our own that we realized just how rare a specimen that old wheelbarrow was.  Fortunately, we were able to find something somewhat similar on Craigslist, but it needed a little work.  Heres how we modified it.

This is the pinnacle wheelbarrow technology, the model to which we strive in this exercise.  Photo credit: Mom.

Heres our starting point.  The bearings in the tire are completely shot and theres no real pivot point other than the tire itself.  Its very difficult to completely empty it, other than picking the whole thing up and shaking it like an angry caveman.

Our initial inclination was to replace the tire with one of those no-flat all rubber wheelbarrow tires and a piece of all-thread rod from Home Depot since the parts were readily available, but then the handles were only knee-high, and we secretly knew that an all-thread axle wasnt really the right way to do it.  Besides, this isnt an episode of Pimp My Wheelbarrow.

We got an actual 8" axle bolt and a golf cart tire.  Having a one-sided tire required that we get a spacer for the other side, which we got from the same place as the axle.  We should have gotten the nuts there, too, because it turns out 5/8" ID fine-thread nuts are somewhat hard to come by.  Home Depot and Lowes dont carry them, and theyre four times as expensive at Ace Hardware (as in like $1.40!) as they were online from OMB.  Also, the original axle was a 1/2" bolt, while we could only find tires to fit 5/8" axles, so we had to drill out the supports.  Apologies to any antique collectors who would have preferred us to keep it original.  Oh yeah, it also snowed while we were waiting for the parts to come.

We made the bumper from a piece of electrical conduit leftover from our row cover project.  The biggest challenge of the project was figuring out how to bend it since the standard 3/4" conduit bender tool has too large a radius of curvature.  We tried to approximate the tool by taking a log with a little larger radius than we needed and cutting a groove into it to bend the conduit around.  It kind of worked, but theres obviously still some kinking.  But, good enough!

The 5/8" axle would be hard to fit through a 3/4" section of tubing, so we attached it to the body of the wheelbarrow and the front support brackets.

The finished product, a.k.a., the Dunebarrow.

Now it dumps wood chips like a boss.  Just in time to clean out the chicken bedding!

How have you modified your wheelbarrow?  Do you know where to find wheelbarrows like the kind we had growing up?  Let us know in the comments section below!

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Bishop Oscar Cantú of Las Cruces Summarizes Pope Francis Visit to the U S

12:17 AM in Aqua, bishop, cantãº, cruces, francis, las, of, oscar, pope, s, summarizes, the, to, u, visit

In a piece published in the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops Blog "To Go Forth," Bishop Oscar Cantú of Las Cruces summarized Pope Francis visit to the United States on Sept. 24-27. Bishop Cantú wrote the piece in his capacity as chair of the USCCBs Committee on International Justice and Peace. 

Here are  the themes that Bishop Cantú summarized in his post:

Poverty 
(To the U.S. Congress) “How much has been done in these first years of the third millennium to raise people out of extreme poverty!”...“Now is the time for…combating poverty, restoring dignity to the excluded, and at the same time protecting nature.”

(To the U.N. General Assembly)“To enable … real men and women to escape from extreme poverty, we must allow them to be dignified agents of their own destiny.”....Developing nations should not be “subjected to oppressive lending systems which … generate greater poverty, exclusion, and dependence.”

Immigration
(To the U.S. Congress): We, the people of this continent, are not fearful of foreigners, because most of us were once foreigners.”...“Our world is facing a refugee crisis of a magnitude not seen since the Second World War.”...Immigrants “travel north in search of a better life…for their loved ones. Is this not what we want for our own children?”

The Environment
(To the U.S. Congress):“I call for a courageous and responsible effort to ‘redirect our steps’, and to avert the most serious effects of the environmental deterioration caused by human activity."...“I am convinced that we can make a difference and I have no doubt that the United States – and this Congress – have an important role to play.”

(To the U.N. General Assembly): "A right of the environment’ does exist … because we human beings are part of the environment.”...“Any harm done to the environment … is harm done to humanity.”...“The poorest are those who suffer most … and suffer unjustly from the abuse of the environment.”...“The ecological crisis, and the large-scale destruction of biodiversity, can threaten the very existence of the human species.”...“I am … confident that the Paris Conference on climatic change will secure fundamental and effective agreements.”

Peace
(To the U.S. Congress):“Why are deadly weapons being sold to those who plan to inflict untold suffering…? [S]imply for money: money that is drenched in blood….”“[I]t is our duty … to stop the arms trade.”

 (To the U.N. General Assembly):“There is urgent need to work for a world free of nuclear weapons….”He affirmed the P5+1 Agreement with Iran as “proof of the potential of political good will and of law, exercised with sincerity….”[S]top and … prevent further systematic violence against ethnic and religious minorities’ and … protect innocent peoples.”...End “social and economic exclusion, with its baneful consequences: human trafficking, the marketing of human organs and tissues, the sexual exploitation…, slave labour, including prostitution, the drug and weapons trade, terrorism, and international organized crime.”...

In Summary
"In his speech to Congress, Pope Francis lifted up the Golden Rule. “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you” (Mt 7:12)," said Bishop Cantú. "He noted that “[t]his Rule points us in a clear direction. Let us treat others with the same passion and compassion with which we want to be treated. Let us seek for others the same possibilities which we seek for ourselves. … In a word, if we want security, let us give security; if we want life, let us give life; if we want opportunities, let us provide opportunities. … The Golden Rule also reminds us of our responsibility to protect and defend human life at every stage of its development.: In many ways, the Golden Rule sums up his approach to foreign policy and global concerns. “Do unto others.…”

Here are the texts of  Pope Francis full speeches to Congress and the U.N. General Assembly

The USCCB site has links to several other speeches or homilies by Pope Francis in the U.S., including the one at Curran-Fromhold Penitentiary in Philadelphia. "I am here as a pastor, but above all as a brother, to share your situation and to make it my own. I have come so that we can pray together and offer our God everything that causes us pain, but also everything that gives us hope, so that we can receive from him the power of the resurrection," the pontiff told the audience at the Philadelphia penitentiary.

Here is a video of his interaction with prisoners at the facility. 

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An Unfortunate Choice of Words for the Local Holiday Food Drive

9:21 PM in an, Aqua, choice, drive, food, for, holiday, local, of, the, unfortunate, words

At the risk of being called a "Debbie Downer" during this time of giving, I feel I must add my two cents to the otherwise noble effort by a group of businesses to partner with Roadrunner Food to collect non-perishable food items during the holidays.

The image on the left is a scan of the paper bag that was inserted in between the various sections of The Albuquerque Journal  this week. The paper bag presented a misleading message to the public:"Solve Hunger" by donating food. A better word would be "Help Alleviate Hunger."

To actually solve hunger, we must solve some of the structural problems that cause hunger, one of which is poverty and related factors like unemployment, underemployment, low wages, lack of access to affordable and nutritious food, a high level of debt and other causes. There are 50 million of our neighbors who do not know where their next meal is coming from, including 360,000 in New Mexico who are at risk of hunger.

"Despite the end of the Great Recession and a falling unemployment rate, the nation continues to be plagued by a very uneven recovery; low employment rates; stagnant wages; inadequate public investments; and inadequate public safety net programs. Yes, there has been progress. But it has been too slow," the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) said in its recently unveiled Plan of Action to End Hunger in America.

And how much difference does the food drive make?  It certainly helps increase the amount of food available to Roadrunner Food Bank and all the Feeding America affiliates around that country. That is an important reason why we all should participate in this holiday drive. Go to your local grocery store (instead of emptying your pantry) and buy $10 or $15 worth of non-perishable food items and leave them by your mail box on Saturday. Or better yet, take them directly to your nearest post office.

"More than half the households in New Mexico have to make really tough decisions every day," said an editorial in todays edition of The Albuquerque Journal, one of the sponsors of the food drive.  "Sixty-one percent choose between spending on food and utilities. Sixty-six percent between food and transportation. Fifty-nine percent between food and medical care. Forty-eight percent between food and housing. But there’s an easy choice more fortunate New Mexicans can make today and Saturday. That’s to fill the brown grocery bag in Thursday’s Journal with nonperishable food,"

The brown paper bag also contains some handy tips to help Roadrunner Food Bank, including signing up for programs where retailers donate a portion of your holiday purchases to our local food bank. And you are also given an opportunity to text a donation.  Here is why the financial donations are important.

"Feeding America, the nation’s largest hunger relief organization, annually serves 46.5 million people across the U.S. through its network of 200 food banks, according to its "Hunger in America 2014" study," said an article The Huffington Post. "But what you may not know is that these organizations have limited resources themselves. While approximately 100 million pounds of food is donated to Feeding America food banks each year via canned food drives, these items alone won’t solve the issue of hunger that so many Americans face. Tight budgets, limited volunteers, finite donations, and the short turnarounds required between receiving fresh foods and distributing them to families in need can be challenges in addressing the issue of hunger – and doing so with nutrient-rich foods."

The holiday food drive should give us at least a small opportunity to show solidarity with those who receive the food. One way to do this is to be aware of the reasons why families are in their current predicament.  It doesnt help when the campaign tells us that we are actually solving hunger through our holiday donations.

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A Prayer for Justice at the Roundhouse Rotunda Ahead of the 2016 Session of the State Legislature

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2016

Witness for the People

Our State of the State Address

Monday, January 18   1:30 PM

"Where there is no vision, the people perish."  Proverbs 29.18

Featuring the
New Mexico Peace Choir, directed by Christy Conduff, in the Rotunda of the Roundhouse
following the Martin Luther King Day Celebration sponsored by the Santa Fe NAACP

As our state legislature prepares to shape a new budget during this 30 day session
Let Our Voices Be Heard proclaiming the priorities for their work on behalf of the people of New Mexico.  

For more information, contact Rev. Holly Beaumont, (hbeaumont@iwj.org)

Here are a couple of videos from the 2015 commemoration, which featured the Rev. Dr. James Forbes, Senior Minister Emeritus of The Riverside Church in New York City, and President of the Healing of the Nations Foundation.



Rev. Bert Scott, representing the Interfaith Hunger Coalition, was one of several faith leaders to offer a reflection/prayer.

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Update on the Row Cover Chicken Tractor

1:31 PM in Aqua, chicken, cover, on, row, the, tractor, update

Last fall, we wrote about a chicken tractor we built to fit directly over our (at the time) only garden bed.  We hypothesized that the inherent stiffness of the woven wire fence top would provide some structural integrity, and help shed the snow off to the sides before it could pile up.  Unfortunately, we put too much faith in the fencing material, and one heavy snow was all it took to buckle it.  When we got some time this spring, we made a few improvements to it that will hopefully help it survive this next winter in a little better shape.

When it happened the first time, we put a stick in the middle to hold up the wire.  It worked for a while, as long as we only got snow in increments of one inch or less.  (Also, we didnt figure out a good way to close off the ends in time, and our kale died. :-(  In the spring, we found that covering the ends with garbage bags and holding them in place with sticks was a workable redneck solution for the coldest nights.)

When the heavy snow came, it pushed the stick right down into the dirt and buckled the fencing anyway.  (An unintended consequence of double digging in the fall!) Time for some repairs!

In the spring, we bolstered the structure with a 2 x 4, in which we cut grooves in the ends and screwed it into the hoop parts.  We couldnt find one quite long enough, so the far end has a couple of bridging pieces to cover the extra distance.  A real craftsman would have found the right length board, and put it in the center of the hoops!

We also upgraded the mechanism for moving the chicken catcher piece.  Its now fixed to a rope that goes from end to end, suspended from the main beam by screw-in eyelets.  Now we can just pull on one part of the rope to herd the chickens toward us, and on the other part to give them more room...and all from the comfort of the door side of the tractor!

Heres a shot of how the eyelet hangs at the door end.  Doesnt look like much, but it was cheap, and it works pretty slick.  Those are our two primary concerns.

How do your chicken tractors or row covers hold up in the snow?  Have you had to make any improvements to their structural integrity?  Let us know in the comments section below!

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Dominican Leadership Conference Representative at UN to Speak in Albuquerque about Pope Francis Encyclical on the Environment

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"Our goal includes bringing the perspective of the United Nations to our Dominican Family and to support global action for justice and peace nationally." -Dominican Leadership Conference

Sister Margaret Mayce, OP, the NGO (non-governmental organization) representative for the Dominican Leadership Conference at the UN, is the featured speaker at the monthly presentation sponsored by the Dominican Ecclesial Institute (D+E+I) in Albuquerque on Sunday, October 25, 1:00 -3:00 PM,UNM Continuing Education Building, 1634 University Blvd. NE (map).

The topic of Sister Margarets address is "Sustaining God’s Creation," continuing with the D+E+Is reflections on Pope Francis’ encyclical on the environment Laudato Si.

Sister Margarets work with worldwide governmental representatives on environmental issues will give a broad dimension to the crisis the Pope addresses in his encyclical.

Sister Margaret has also worked on other issues at the UN, including womens rights. Here is a piece that she wrote in February of this year.
 
If you plan to attend the talk, please RSVP to: contact@deiabq.org or 505-243-0525
Free to D+E+I members; others $10 free-will offering is appreciated.

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Circo for the Community Rescheduled for March 5

2:58 PM in 5, Aqua, circo, community, for, march, rescheduled, the

The Circo for the Community fundraiser, originally scheduled for this Saturday, January 23, has been rescheduled for Saturday, March 5.

The performance will benefit the New Mexico Conference of Churches, La Mesa Arts Academy, New Mexico Interfaith Power and Light, and the New Mexico Faith Coalition for Immigrant Justice and the Albuquerque Aerialist Collective. Tickets are $40 and can be purchased on the NMCC site or at the door (you can write a check for any of these organizations). The cost of the ticket includes dinner and a reception.

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Doubling Up on the Millennium Development Goals

3:42 PM in Aqua, development, doubling, goals, millennium, on, the, up

The target year to fulfill the Millennium Development Goals was 2015. So how did the global community do? And what comes next?  In answer to the first question, the results are mixed, with advances made in each of the categories but the targets not fully attained, according to a report from the United Nations.

In answer to the second question, the move toward eradicating hunger and poverty continues with the Global Goals for Sustainable Development, which set targets for the next 15 years (2030). Instead of eight goals, there are 17 goals (more than twice as many targets). The 17 goals are actually subsets of three major goals: 1. End extreme poverty. 2.Fight inequality & injustice. 3. Fix climate change.

 A key term is sustainable.  Under the old MDGs, there was only one goal dealing directly with environmental concerns. The new set of goals contains six goals that deal directly with environmental concerns (Clean Water and Sanitation, Affordable and Clean Energy, Climate Action, Life Below Water, and Life on land). One could argue that two other goals are also tied to sustainability and the environment: Sustainable Cities and Communities, and Responsible Consumption and Production).

There is an additional goal that was not part of the original eight MDGs. When reviewing the original set of MDGs peace activist Father John Dear noted that the reduction of conflict and the promotion of peace was a missing ingredient to address global poverty. Goal 16, Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions, in the new set of targets addresses this concern. Additionally, eradicating hunger and eradicating poverty have been made into separate goals. The old MDGs had the two targets in a single goal.  These goals provide a clear blueprint of the steps that are needed to end hunger and poverty and save our planet. We hope the 2030 report shows significant progress in meeting those targets.  Below are links to each of the 17 goals, including quotes about each target from prominent individuals.

1 No Poverty  

End poverty in all its forms everywhere  

"In this new century, millions of people in the worlds poorest countries remain imprisoned, enslaved, and in chains. They are trapped in the prison of poverty. It is time to set them free. Like slavery and apartheid, poverty is not natural. It is man-made and it can be overcome and eradicated by the actions of human beings. And overcoming poverty is not a gesture of charity. It is an act of justice. It is the protection of a fundamental human right, the right to dignity and a decent life. While poverty persists, there is no true freedom."   Nelson Mandela

2 Zero Hunger  

End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture

"The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little."

Franklin D. Roosevelt

 3. Good Health and Well-Being

Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages 

 

"The essence of global health equity is the idea that something so precious as health might be viewed as a right."

Dr Paul Farmer

4. Quality Education

Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all
 

"In some parts of the world, students are going to school every day. Its their normal life. But in other parts of the world, we are starving for education... its like a precious gift. Its like a diamond…" Malala Yousafzai

 5. Gender Equality
 Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls 

 "Women’s status in society has become the standard by which humanity’s progress toward civility and peace can be measured"

Mahnaz Afkhami

 6. Clean Water and Sanitation

Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all 

 "Although we take it for granted, sanitation is a physical measure that has probably done more to increase human life span than any kind of drug or surgery" Deepak Chopra

 

 7. Affordable and Clean Energy

Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all 

 

"The answer is to end our reliance on carbon-based fuels...?If we succeed, we create booming new industries, wealth, clean secure energy and maybe we prevent the greatest disaster so far in human history, saving millions of lives while improving billions more. If we fail, basically its business as usual while things slowly get worse all around us"   Al Gore 

 8. Decent Work & Economic Growth
Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all 
 

"People were poor not because they were stupid or lazy. They worked all day long, doing complex physical tasks. They were poor because the financial institution in the country did not help them widen their economic base" Muhammad Yunus

9. Industry, Innovation & Infrastructure 
Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation 

"It turns out that advancing equal opportunity and economic empowerment is both morally right and good economics, because discrimination, poverty and ignorance restrict growth, while investments in education, infrastructure and scientific and technological research increase it, creating more good jobs and new wealth for all of us."  Bill Clinton

10. Reduced Inequalities
Reduce inequality within and among countries

 "We cannot seek achievement for ourselves and forget about progress and prosperity for our community... Our ambitions must be broad enough to include the aspirations and needs of others, for their sakes and for our own"   Cesar Chavez

11. Sustainable Cities and Communities

Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable

 "In the planning and designing of new communities, housing projects, and urban renewal, the planners both private and public, need to give explicit consideration to the kind of world that is being created for the children who will be growing up in these settings" Urie Bronfenbrenner

 

 12. Responsible Consumption and Production
 Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns

"The situation the Earth is in today has been created by unmindful production and unmindful consumption. We consume to forget our worries and our anxieties. Tranquilising ourselves with over-consumption is not the way"  Thich Nhat Hanh



 

13. Climate Action 

Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts

 

"This is not a partisan debate; it is a human one. Clean air and water, and a liveable climate are inalienable human rights. And solving this crisis is not a question of politics. It is our moral obligation."  Leonardo DiCaprio

 14.  Life Below Water

Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development

"It is a curious situation that the sea, from which life first arose should now be threatened by the activities of one form of that life. But the sea, though changed in a sinister way, will continue to exist; the threat is rather to life itself."  Rachel Carson

 15.  Life on Land

Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss 

 

"We owe it to ourselves and to the next generation to conserve the environment so that we can bequeath our children a sustainable world that benefits all."  Wangari Maathai

 16. Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels

"Every time we turn our heads the other way when we see the law flouted, when we tolerate what we know to be wrong, when we close our eyes and ears to the corrupt because we are too busy or too frightened, when we fail to speak up and speak out, we strike a blow against freedom and decency and justice."  Robert F. Kennedy

17. Partnerships for the Goals
Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development

"Our problems are man-made, therefore they may be solved by man. And man can be as big as he wants. No problem of human destiny is beyond human beings."  John F. Kennedy

 

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Farmed Shrimp from South Asia in the News

9:38 AM in Aqua, asia, farmed, from, in, news, shrimp, south, the

A recent story in the Globe and Mail titled: The big challenge in making farmed shrimp safe to eat, states that Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), continues to find illegal substances in samples of shrimp imported from Thailand.  The story by JESSICA LEEDER — Global Food Reporter, in Monday’s 2010-11-22 globe and mail also points out that recent sample checks, by the CFIA on Thai imports have uncovered residues of antibiotics deemed illegal for food production in Canada and the United States.

Although the Canadian Food Inspection Agency only scans a fraction of incoming seafood – five per cent is the agency’s target – inspectors are still finding tetracyclines (antibiotics commonly used to treat acne) nitrofurans (an antimicrobial drug and known carcinogen banned in Canada) and fluoroquinolones (broad-spectrum antibiotics used in human medicine) in the shipments they test. None should be consumed by humans. They’re also supposed to be illegal in Thailand, a global shrimp farming giant that pledged years ago to flush drugs out of its system, which yields 550,000 tons of shrimp per year.

 “We can’t inspect one hundred per cent of every piece of fish that comes in the country, otherwise there won’t be anything to eat,” said Jeanelle Boudreau, a fish policy officer with the CFIA’s fish and seafood network. The agency is constantly adjusting its inspections to focus on “areas where there might be more issues for non-compliance,” she said.

The full Globe and mail Story can be read at this link.

“In general, it would be fair to say it [antibiotic use] has fallen dramatically in shrimp farms around the world,” said Peter Bridson, manager of the Seafood Watch Program a the Center for the Future of Oceans at the Monterey Bay Aquarium in California. “That doesn’t mean to say it’s good now,” said Mr. Bridson, who also sits on the Shrimp Aquaculture Dialogue steering committee. “It’s just that it was horrific before.” 

The Thailand shrimp farming industry is made up of thousands of small farmers. The Thai department of fisheries states that it has undertaken a major campaign to educate farmers on best practices, however reducing yield losses often outweighs concerns over sustainability. The use of Antibiotics to keep stock from becoming ill remains a tempting option to the small farmer hoping to get the best yield. Clearly more education on sustainable and chemical free farming methods is needed.

One thing you can do as a consumer is monitor what you buy and where it comes from. Buy what you trust and have the best available information on. If possible opt for foods Labeled organic or from known sustainable sources. 

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Meanwhile in the Basement

8:53 AM in Aqua, basement, in, meanwhile, the

While the outdoor system is cycling, I’m continuing to grow indoors. I have a few rainbow chard plants that are now growing tremendously. I’ve also started some sweet peppers and heirloom tomato seedlings that I plan to transplant into the outdoor system. So far the tomatoes are growing very well, at about five inches tall. At over a year old, the pepper seeds delayed germination; however, they finally sprouted and now stand at half an inch tall. The system has many fewer plants than it can support currently: nitrate is about 30ppm at least. I plan to put this nitrate rich water into the outdoor system to kick start it for the transplants.

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Rainbow Chard 5/17/2011

Rainbow Chard with Tomato and Pepper Seedlings 5/17/2011

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A Short Video from the New Mexico Faith Coalition on Immigrant Justice

3:54 PM in a, Aqua, coalition, faith, from, immigrant, justice, mexico, new, on, short, the, video

Archbishop John Wester of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe has scheduled an immigration symposium at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church on Wednesday (tomorrow) evening.  The audience will almost certainly include members of the New Mexico Faith Coalition for Immigrant Justice, which put together this short but powerful video with a message from an immigrant family.

A full version of the video will be shown at the Circo for the Community fundraiser on Saturday, March 5, which benefit the NMFCIJ as well as New Mexico Interfaith Power & Light, the New Mexico Conference of Churches, La Mesa Arts Academy and the Albuquerque Aerialist Collective.  (We posted a video from the NMFCIJ earlier this week).Tickets are $35 and can be purchased on the NMCC site or at the door (you can write a check for any of these organizations). The cost of the ticket includes dinner and a reception.

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Prayers and Reflections for the Third Sunday in Lent

8:10 AM in and, Aqua, for, in, lent, prayers, reflections, sunday, the, third

Todays Readings
Isaiah 55:1-9    Psalm 63    I Corinthians 10:1-13    Luke 13:1-9

from Bread for the World

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