A unique African tree could dramatically improve the yield of crops planted under its canopy by providing natural, renewable fertilizer, says a new study.
The tree has the potential to aid farmers throughout Africa, South America, and much of south and Southeast Asia, according to the researchers. msnbc story
maybe this is should be one of those "new New Orleanians"?
Essays, links and visuals highlighting an alternative, resilient place at the strategic crescent of one mighty river.
Friday, August 28, 2009
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Putting Disaster In Its Place
the umbrella | putting disaster in its place
August 29, 2009 marks the fourth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina—the disaster that will define life for years to come in a region spanning from coastal Louisiana to Mobile, Alabama.
And yet, so what do we make of this? With global media proliferation and 24-hour news cycles, just think of the dozens of disasters you can name since the 2005 Atlantic tropical storm season. Indeed, residents of the region are learning how to cope with the realization that the world has moved on. After all, isn’t that one of the major lessons survivors can share? Once the camera lights are dimmed, international aid agencies packed up, only the lonely truth remains: You are on your own.read rest of article
August 29, 2009 marks the fourth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina—the disaster that will define life for years to come in a region spanning from coastal Louisiana to Mobile, Alabama.
And yet, so what do we make of this? With global media proliferation and 24-hour news cycles, just think of the dozens of disasters you can name since the 2005 Atlantic tropical storm season. Indeed, residents of the region are learning how to cope with the realization that the world has moved on. After all, isn’t that one of the major lessons survivors can share? Once the camera lights are dimmed, international aid agencies packed up, only the lonely truth remains: You are on your own.read rest of article
Monday, August 17, 2009
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Darlene Wolnik
director-marketshare program | marketumbrella.org
200 Broadway, Suite 107 | New Orleans, LA 70118
email: darlene@marketumbrella.org
tel: 504-861-4485 | fax: 504-861-4489
direct: 504-208-1579 | mobile: 504-343-6365
skype: darwolnik
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marketumbrella.org: cultivating the field
of public markets for public good
Friday, August 14, 2009
Goodbye 3320 St. Peter
Tomorrow at noon, I sell my lot. I sell it to a couple that I like, that I think should be in our city, and in our neighborhood, so that is excellent news. I can add to my savings which is also excellent news. I help my neighbors get someone who can build right away so they have neighbors-also excellent news.
But it is a sad day nonetheless as I will not be owning the beautiful new green house I and architect Janna have been planning. I will not own a place so my friends and family can always find me and know they have a place too if they need it.
I was over there yesterday and looked at the place that my house would have faced, at the place I would have probably grown old looking at and said oh well...
It is less painful every time I go, so I think soon I can go and say hey great house and feel no pang. I hope so anyway.
Instead, I am on the move and unsure of where my future home is. I really hope it is close to these friends and this place, as I have always found it to be peaceful and engaging at the same time.
Yet, I am doing very well on Saint Ann right now and seem to be in much less turmoil without these decisions to make. I live easily, have engrossing work, have enjoyed my friends a great deal lately, and I am off to Australia for work next week and then will take a few days, a week to go see family and friends back in Cleveland. Bought a kayak recently and spend many mornings in the cool, quiet bayou enjoying it. Have time for my new bike and riding it in big loops down Royal. Lots of fun...
But when I return this fall, I do need to end the refugee status of 4 years. I need to find a home and stop moving, try to answer the "where do you live" question with one sentence.
Had an email this week from a friend who is almost at decision phase about selling the house she had owned and lived in before the storm and has not gone back to yet; instead moving around, not deciding. Her anguish and some embarrassment at her indecision is understood by me. But I know she had to do what she could, what kept her out of trouble and I think she did fine.
I think I did too and I'm proud of my care of me.
So for now, I'll just own that.
But it is a sad day nonetheless as I will not be owning the beautiful new green house I and architect Janna have been planning. I will not own a place so my friends and family can always find me and know they have a place too if they need it.
I was over there yesterday and looked at the place that my house would have faced, at the place I would have probably grown old looking at and said oh well...
It is less painful every time I go, so I think soon I can go and say hey great house and feel no pang. I hope so anyway.
Instead, I am on the move and unsure of where my future home is. I really hope it is close to these friends and this place, as I have always found it to be peaceful and engaging at the same time.
Yet, I am doing very well on Saint Ann right now and seem to be in much less turmoil without these decisions to make. I live easily, have engrossing work, have enjoyed my friends a great deal lately, and I am off to Australia for work next week and then will take a few days, a week to go see family and friends back in Cleveland. Bought a kayak recently and spend many mornings in the cool, quiet bayou enjoying it. Have time for my new bike and riding it in big loops down Royal. Lots of fun...
But when I return this fall, I do need to end the refugee status of 4 years. I need to find a home and stop moving, try to answer the "where do you live" question with one sentence.
Had an email this week from a friend who is almost at decision phase about selling the house she had owned and lived in before the storm and has not gone back to yet; instead moving around, not deciding. Her anguish and some embarrassment at her indecision is understood by me. But I know she had to do what she could, what kept her out of trouble and I think she did fine.
I think I did too and I'm proud of my care of me.
So for now, I'll just own that.
Sunday, August 09, 2009
Activism clarified
A lot of activists expect that for every action there is an equal and opposite and punctual reaction, and regard the lack of one as failure... But history is shaped by the groundswells and common dreams that single acts and moments only represent. It's a landscape more complicated than commensurate cause and effect. Politics is a surface in which transformation comes about as much because of pervasive changes in the depths of the collective imagination as because of visible acts, though both are necessary. And though huge causes sometimes have little effect, tiny ones occasionally have huge consequences… History is like weather, not like checkers. A game of checkers ends. The weather never does."
Rebecca Solnit
Rebecca Solnit
Friday, August 07, 2009
Foods found here help you
I think this belongs here (on my New Orleans blog) since its about liver health(!!) and also shows a number of every day foods we eat here in the Alligator Bioregion:
Leafy Greens: Spinach, spring mix, mustard greens, and other dark leafy greens are good sources of fibre and powerhouses of nutrition. Research demonstrates that their high concentration of vitamins and antioxidants helps prevent hunger while protecting you from heart disease, cancer, cataracts, and memory loss.
Beans and Legumes: Legumes are the best source of fiber of any foods. They help to stabilize blood sugar while keeping you regular. They are also high in potassium, a critical mineral that reduces dehydration and the risk of high blood pressure and stroke.
Garlic and Onions: This dynamic duo of foods contains phytochemicals that break down fatty deposits in the body, while also breaking down cholesterol; killing viruses, bacteria, and fungi; and protecting against heart disease. With a little help from garlic and onions, you can burn fat while warding off illness.
Cayenne: This hot spice lessens the risk of excess insulin in the body by speeding metabolism and lowering blood glucose (sugar) levels, before the excess insulin can result in fat stores. Spice up your next meal with cayenne and lessen those love handles.
Turmeric: The popular spice used primarily in Indian cooking is one of the highest known sources of beta carotene, the antioxidant that helps protect the liver from free radical damage. Turmeric also helps strengthen your liver while helping your body metabolize fats by decreasing the fat storage rate in liver cells. Add a teaspoon of turmeric into your next curry dish to help your body fight fat.
Cinnamon: Researchers at the United States Department of Agriculture showed that a quarter to one teaspoon of cinnamon with food helps metabolize sugar up to twenty times better than food not eaten with cinnamon. Excess sugar in the blood can lead to fat storage. Before you sip that chai tea latte or eat your oatmeal, sprinkle on the cinnamon.
Flax Seeds and Flax Seed Oil: These seeds and oil attract oil-soluble toxins that become lodged in the fatty tissues of the body. Once attracted, they help to escort fat-soluble toxins out. That spells fewer fat stores and a trimmer you.
Leafy Greens: Spinach, spring mix, mustard greens, and other dark leafy greens are good sources of fibre and powerhouses of nutrition. Research demonstrates that their high concentration of vitamins and antioxidants helps prevent hunger while protecting you from heart disease, cancer, cataracts, and memory loss.
Beans and Legumes: Legumes are the best source of fiber of any foods. They help to stabilize blood sugar while keeping you regular. They are also high in potassium, a critical mineral that reduces dehydration and the risk of high blood pressure and stroke.
Garlic and Onions: This dynamic duo of foods contains phytochemicals that break down fatty deposits in the body, while also breaking down cholesterol; killing viruses, bacteria, and fungi; and protecting against heart disease. With a little help from garlic and onions, you can burn fat while warding off illness.
Cayenne: This hot spice lessens the risk of excess insulin in the body by speeding metabolism and lowering blood glucose (sugar) levels, before the excess insulin can result in fat stores. Spice up your next meal with cayenne and lessen those love handles.
Turmeric: The popular spice used primarily in Indian cooking is one of the highest known sources of beta carotene, the antioxidant that helps protect the liver from free radical damage. Turmeric also helps strengthen your liver while helping your body metabolize fats by decreasing the fat storage rate in liver cells. Add a teaspoon of turmeric into your next curry dish to help your body fight fat.
Cinnamon: Researchers at the United States Department of Agriculture showed that a quarter to one teaspoon of cinnamon with food helps metabolize sugar up to twenty times better than food not eaten with cinnamon. Excess sugar in the blood can lead to fat storage. Before you sip that chai tea latte or eat your oatmeal, sprinkle on the cinnamon.
Flax Seeds and Flax Seed Oil: These seeds and oil attract oil-soluble toxins that become lodged in the fatty tissues of the body. Once attracted, they help to escort fat-soluble toxins out. That spells fewer fat stores and a trimmer you.
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