Motley Moose – Archive

Cross posted from Nourishing the Planet.

In Maputo, Mozambique I had the opportunity to sit in on a workshop organized by Prolinnova, the Spanish NGO Centro de Iniciativas para la Cooperación/Batá, and the National Farmers Union of Mozambique, UNAC, about different agricultural innovations. But the farmers weren’t there to be trained by the NGOs. Instead, they were in Maputo to share their experiences and learn from each other about different innovations each farmer was practicing in her or his community

Energindo Paulo, from Nicassa province, for example, was there to explain how to make pesticidas natural, natural, non-toxic pesticides to protect crops. His ingredients-including leaves from the Neem tree-were displayed on the floor in front of him as he talked about different methods for controlling pests. When Energindo finished his presentation, the group of 50 farmers asked questions about how to apply the pesticide-directly on the leaves-and how long they should wait after applying the pesticide to eat the produce-two or three days.

Throughout the morning, farmers presented other innovations and practices-including how to prevent diseases that affect their crops and fruit trees and how to raise farmed fish.

According to Santiago Medina of Batá, this workshop was the culmination of a series of workshops that Batá/Prolinnova/UNAC held in 2009 to help farmers identify innovations in their communities and then share them with other farmers. They plan to identify 12-14 innovations and practices identified at the workshops for a book which will be translated into three of Mozambique’s languages, allowing these different innovations to spread throughout the country. And the workshops help farmers value-and invest in-their own local knowledge.

Please feel free to use the text below to let your representatives know your opinion on this issue. Select and copy the text below then click here to send a message to your congressional representative and senators.

As a constituent, I urge you to support the repeal of the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy of our Armed Forces. As Americans, we have long been supporters of equal rights and equal access under the law. As Americans, we have long been supporters of personal responsibility and the rights of individuals to live their personal lives without the intrusion of the State.

Gays and lesbians have long answered the call for this nation in our armed services. Their sacrifices have been often ignored, or minimized because of sexual orientation, and the whims of a fickle society that often chooses to ignore their vital service over a matter of interpretation of Scripture–and an interpretation that is not shared by all members of either the Christian, Jewish, or Muslim faiths. This nation was founded upon the idea of religious freedom, and by allowing only a few voices to dominate the debate, and use that platform to deny our servicemen and servicewomen recognition of their sacrifice and duty, we allow those voices to refute that essential freedom.

Our freedoms exist not to protect popular speech or popular behaviors. Our freedoms exist to protect those who disagree. That is the essential nature of our freedoms, and I urge you support the free expression and the rights of all our citizens. It is not just the right thing to do for our citizens, it is the right thing for our party to stand for. We have allowed bigots and the small minded, who forget the lessons of the past, to dominate the debate, and I would welcome you to stand for our citizens and what our nation and Constitution represent.

Tomorrow is the anniversary of the original Iranian revolution, and our friend Kamin Mohammadi has a message for the Moose

Bloomberg came out with an article today that took remarks in an interview with President Obama so far out of context, they’re in China.

The article, titled Obama Doesn’t ‘Begrudge’ Bonuses for Blankfein, Dimon, has this quote in it.

“I know both those guys; they are very savvy businessmen,” Obama said in the interview yesterday in the Oval Office with Bloomberg BusinessWeek, which will appear on newsstands Friday. “I, like most of the American people, don’t begrudge people success or wealth. That is part of the free- market system.”

This is the second in a two-part series about my visit to the Rainman Landcare Foundation in Durban, South Africa. Cross posted from Nourishing the Planet.

The Rainman Landcare Foundation, founded by Raymond Auerbach, is training farmers living outside of Durban on how to grow food without the use of artificial pesticides, insecticides, or fertilizers, as well as permaculture methods that efficiently use water and build up soils. “But it won’t be enough to just grow organic food,” says Raymond. “You also need to market it.” Check out this video where Raymond explains how, in addition to teaching farmers organic agriculture practices, the Rainman Foundation helps them establish links with the private sector:

Earthmother Organic Store and Restaurant is an example of a business that is also providing a link for farmers to the private sector.  Check out this video of Danielle explaining how the store and restaurant gives farmers, like those trained by the Rainman Landcare Foundation, a market for their produce.

Last week Defense Secretary Gates and Joint Chiefs Chairman Admiral Michael Mullen indicated strong support for a repeal of DADT.  Sec. Gates, to the consternation of some, said that the military would conduct an 11-month review that, as Rep. Barney Franks later stated, would dictate how (but not whether) DADT would be repealed.

In what may be the most recent salvo in the fight to repeal DADT, word comes today that Daniel Choi, the gay military rights advocate, is back doing regular drill duty (that one weekend a month thing).

This is the first part of a series of posts analyzing the swing state Ohio. Part two can be found here.

Ohio

Is Ohio a liberal place? Or is it a conservative place?

I suspect far more people would say the latter rather than the former.

In many respects, Ohio is politically similar to Florida. Both are well-known swing states that hold a bountiful electoral prize. Both lean Republican. Both have large cites that function as pools of Democratic votes. Both also have considerable rural, Republican regions.

But in other ways they could not be more different. Sunny Florida is diverse, growing, and service-oriented. While Florida often votes Republican, it is not exactly conservative. Cold, northern Ohio is a rust-belt giant. It is not very diverse. It is definitely not growing. Florida is new. Ohio is old and conservative.

More below.

“On some positions, Cowardice asks the question, “Is it safe?” Expediency asks the question, “Is it politic?” And Vanity comes along and asks the question, “Is it popular?” But Conscience asks the question “Is it right?” And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular, but he must do it because Conscience tells him it is right.”

– Martin Luther King Jr.

There is an African proverb that says,” When there is no enemy within, the enemies outside cannot hurt you.” I was inspired to write this blog by the quote above by Martin Luther King Jr. I recently read a paper about Post Traumatic Stress Disorder existing in children that have not directly experienced any of the stress. This condition could be felt by and affect the children and the children’s children of those who have been victimized by villains from the past. This condition permeates all demographics.

Cross posted from Nourishing the Planet.

Madyo Couto has a tough job. He works under the Mozambique Ministry of Tourism to help manage the country’s Transfrontier Conservation Areas (TFCAs). These areas were initially established to help conserve and protect wildlife, but they’re now evolving to include other uses of land that aren’t specifically for conservation.

Madyo explained that in addition to linking the communities that live near or in conservation areas to the private sector to build lodges and other services for tourists, they’re also helping farmers establish honey projects to generate income. In many of national parks and other conservation areas, farmers resort to poaching and hunting wildlife to earn money. Establishing alternative-and profitable-sources of income is vital to protecting both agriculture and biodiversity in the TFCAs.

Stay tuned for more blogs about the links between wildlife conservation and agriculture.

I have fallen in love.

My love is sweet and soft and warm, comforting and supportive.

It is a long-distance relationship.  We haven’t even met, yet.  But we will.

Oh, Yes.  We will.

Diners, Drive-ins and Dives, my new favorite show, highlighted the The Nickel Diner in Los Angeles last night (well, last October, but my affair started February 9, 2010 at 8:07 PM).  I can’t begin to say how much I love this place, but a picture does say a thousand crisp and mapley words:

Consider this a warm, sweet and crunchy Open Thread.