SlackTide

Farmer Power

Food sovereignty is all about ensuring that farmers, rather than transnational corporations, are in control of what they farm and how they farm it; ensuring too that communities have the right to define their own agricultural, pastoral, labour, fishing, food and land policies to suit their own ecological, social, economic and cultural circumstances.

hermit's thatch

Link: hermit's thatch.    

The highest good is like water.
Water gives life to the ten thousand things and does not strive.
It flows in places that people dislike, and so is like the Tao.
In dwelling, be close to the land.
In thought, go deep in the heart.
In dealing with others, be gentle and kind.
In speech, be true.
In governing, be just.
In affairs, be competent.
In action, be timely.
Only because it does not compete is it without fault.

-- Lao-tzu, 8

Celilo Legacy

Link: Celilo Legacy.

Celilo Legacy
Commemorating 50 Years Since the Loss of Celilo Falls

Fifty years ago on March 10, the great Celilo Falls was buried beneath the reservoir behind The Dalles Dam. This tragedy harmed the tribes that depended on the salmon harvested there, the salmon, the health of the Columbia River, and indeed the region as a whole.

Now, on the 50th anniversary of this loss, the people of Celilo Village invite you to take part in an historic commemoration dedicated to Celilo Falls.

Intentionally Misleading

"Well, if you're really interested in global warming and climate change, then it seems like to me that we ought to promote technologies to advance the development of safe nuclear power. It's a renewable source of energy, and at the same time has no emissions to it." George W. Bush to Juan Williams on Monday, Jan. 29, 2007.

I suppose if you don't count nuclear waste as an emission and that mining uranium is somehow renewable.  I have an idea to solve global warming: lets build a bunch of miniature suns to cook billions of gallons of water, release all the hot steam into a 'cooling' climate and send the waste hot water into the river.  All this at about 4-6% efficiency, what a good deal.  Whatever.

Ode to the Ghosts of Salmon

No matter how far a fish swims, it doesn't come to the end of the ocean. No matter how far a bird flies, it doesn't come to the end of the sky. Since the beginning, fish and birds have always been one with their elements. When there is a great need, a great use appears. When there is a small need, a small use appears. Thus the full use of things is always as it is. Wherever something is, it covers its own ground. If a bird cut itself off from the sky it would die. If a fish cut itself off from water it would die. Also, the life of the sky is the bird itself, the life of the water is the fish. The bird is life, the fish is life.

excerpt of Dogen's Genjokoan

"We're relieved that there are still fish in the river, that the federal government's abysmal salmon management hasn't let all of them disappear. But for us, it's really too little, too late," said Liz Hamilton, Executive Director of the Northwest Sportfishing Industry Association. "Our spring sportfishing season is already in shambles - again - and may turn out to be the worst we've ever experienced. Even if the final numbers end up meeting preseason forecasts, there is no good news here."

"The Italians Have Gone Mental"

  Sadly I cannot watch this game live, with no tv, but the web-audio is an acceptable substitute; and this my first post so far into the tournament.  More sadly for the Aussies is this crazy making penalty in the last seconds of injury time, giving Italy a 1-0 win into the quarterfinals of the World Cup. 

From the sounds of it, it was a legit call by the referee, however no real soccer fan likes to see the official have such a role in the outcome of a match, especially at this level.  But in the end a foul in the box is a foul in the box, maybe some will argue he should have let it all go?  I will have to wait to see the video to fully decide for myself.  Such is the 'Unlucky' of soccer as it sometimes goes.

As a fan of Italy, Mexico, and Hjolland, this is all I have left at this point.  Mexico was eliminated in overtime by Argentina and my Dutch boys were sent home yesterday in a good tough match with Portugal.  If only they could have been wearing their Oranje instead of the white's, but that's just my superstition.  So off we go from here with Italy holding strong.

Some soccer troubadours will dismiss the Italian style for being too conservative or lacking flair and interesting play.  But I am a firm believer in a solid defense first, along the old coaches addage that "a good offense will win games, but a good defense wins championships."  I think that was shown today with Australia, as they utterly could not break down the Italian back line, even while playing with a man advantage.  Next up . . . .

chop wood, carry water

The sage who wanders alone is like the wind that is not caught in a net, like the lotus not soiled by mud, leading others but not led by them.

-- Sutta-Nipata

 

Got Water?

Leave aside for the moment the specific notion of peak oil, really what we are facing is 'peak resources.'  While the bulk of the conversation now is around oil and energy use, shortly it will be about peak food and peak water.  Climate change models suggest spiking water intensities; more flooding, more droughts, wetter wet periods and drier dry periods.  As more water moves into concentrated weather patterns, it leaves us with growinig desert areas and new management issues.  See the global map highlighting water scarcity areas.

"The amount of water in the world is finite. The number of us is growing fast and our water use is growing even faster.
A third of the world's population lives in water-stressed countries now. By 2025, this is expected to rise to two-thirds.
There is more than enough water available, in total, for everyone's basic needs. The UN recommends that people need a minimum of 50 litres of water a day for drinking, washing, cooking and sanitation.
In 1990, over a billion people did not have even that.
Providing universal access to that basic minimum worldwide by 2015 would take less than 1% of the amount of water we use today. But we're a long way from achieving that.   

Water is life, and water is moving.  Water is very sensitive to our energies.  It is also equanimous and non-discriminitory, it will carry healing or disease equally, and distribute it equally to you or me and everyone.  Being conscious of your water use helps all living things, even if you now believe you live in a water rich area.  Remember, things are changing.  Where do you get your water from?  What is in it, what do you put in it?  How much do you let pour out and waste?  How skillful are you at using it sparingly and only what you need?  Is maintaining a green lawn or washing the car(s) a 'need'?  best, ~sal

O' Brother, where art Thou?

For those of you who find men in skirts confusing, it has nothing to do with gender identity.  It's quite simply men being men wearing skirts, liberating them from their recent monopoly by women.  Truth be known, especially in this modern context, most men don't have the cojones to let 'em fly.