tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-230128552024-03-07T05:01:02.951-03:30alison dyer"People need wild places... We need to be able to taste grace and know once again that we desire it." Barbara Kingsolver, authorAlison Dyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15967240545529887281noreply@blogger.comBlogger165125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23012855.post-43708682099776774812022-04-05T09:51:00.000-02:302022-04-05T09:51:23.521-02:30Mary Dalton addresses St. John's City Council for National Poetry Month. Three poets will be featured this month. My videopoem will be aired April 19... stay tuned!<iframe width="480" height="270" src="https://youtube.com/embed/tF0u-Neokss" frameborder="0"></iframe><div class="blogger-post-footer">a.k.d.</div>Alison Dyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15967240545529887281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23012855.post-21151969852596601702018-04-09T15:45:00.001-02:302018-04-09T15:45:17.055-02:30Poetry Cure - All Lit Up CanadaPleased to be the featured poet today, for All Lit Up Canada's National Poetry Month (2018=Poetry Cure). Check link for my interview of poem "White Birch (moonchild)". Book on special price for month of April!<br />
<a href="https://alllitup.ca/Blog/2018/Poetry-Cure-I-d-Write-the-Sea-Like-a-Parlour-Game-by-Alison-Dyer">https://alllitup.ca/Blog/2018/Poetry-Cure-I-d-Write-the-Sea-Like-a-Parlour-Game-by-Alison-Dyer</a><div class="blogger-post-footer">a.k.d.</div>Alison Dyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15967240545529887281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23012855.post-82066980200004507692018-04-09T15:38:00.001-02:302018-04-09T15:41:41.185-02:30<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BhWpthcBRxE/?taken-by=alllitupcanada">Part of my "White Birch (moonchild)" poem on @alllitupcanada today</a><div class="blogger-post-footer">a.k.d.</div>Alison Dyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15967240545529887281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23012855.post-30309087455607079562018-03-31T13:13:00.004-02:302018-03-31T13:13:42.037-02:30Finalist - 2018 J.M. Abraham Poetry AwardI'm thrilled to be a finalist for the 2018 J.M. Abraham Poetry Award, for my book <i><span style="color: #674ea7;">I'd Write the Sea Like a Parlour Game.</span></i><br />
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">a.k.d.</div>Alison Dyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15967240545529887281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23012855.post-23089311022804838132018-01-07T16:18:00.002-03:302018-01-07T16:18:53.862-03:30A cold snap across Canada. In St. John's, it's minus 16C today with the windchill. But a brief walk in the nearby White Hills was both enervating and soothing. Back home, brewed some rosehip tea on the woodstove from a handful of hips collected on the walk.<br />
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">a.k.d.</div>Alison Dyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15967240545529887281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23012855.post-13446282998106226242013-03-28T18:38:00.000-02:302013-03-28T18:40:21.351-02:30Andy Jones wins Winterset AwardYeah, this isn't about braving waves or speaking out on development issues. No, this is quite a different post. It's about celebrating tradition and a bit (a lot) of myth, storytelling, superb creativity and writing, amazing illustration.... It's about recognizing one of Canada's (but we claim him gratefully in Newfoundland) greatest storytellers: Andy Jones, who today won the 2012 BMO Winterset Award for his book Jack & Mary in the Land of Thieves. An award worth $10,000. Way to storytell Andy. You are one of our very best.<br />
<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">a.k.d.</div>Alison Dyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15967240545529887281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23012855.post-83676306302766035892012-06-06T23:22:00.001-02:302012-06-06T23:24:20.672-02:30Check out my recent article, Paddling in Paradise (that's Newfoundland, of course), in Hanoi's East <em>and </em><br />
West Traveler Magazine. You may have to fly to Vietnam to read it...<div class="blogger-post-footer">a.k.d.</div>Alison Dyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15967240545529887281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23012855.post-24882288557427490722010-05-09T23:14:00.005-02:302010-05-09T23:20:32.611-02:30south coast. just one image<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB7ALQGcf0c6ZvcSKwOFKy4vP-Abttdif7-gsw0BXU7LxAOFHLLlZTkzyS5_3zPci1owZBx4d43foDqAWRva9d5Zwnrr2e23jpTzDyDFkkBHhZj9kL_fQLqrBRSWwCh39pp1qXCA/s1600/P8130168.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469452097165055298" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB7ALQGcf0c6ZvcSKwOFKy4vP-Abttdif7-gsw0BXU7LxAOFHLLlZTkzyS5_3zPci1owZBx4d43foDqAWRva9d5Zwnrr2e23jpTzDyDFkkBHhZj9kL_fQLqrBRSWwCh39pp1qXCA/s320/P8130168.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />paddling south coast of newfoundland. mainly cliffs. big ones. gigantic. gargantuan ones. ah, but you can't imagine (unless you've been in any) but here, in a small harbour just off, a view from man o'war cove (resettled - aren't they all!). no cliffs, surprisely, just a pretty little harbour.<div class="blogger-post-footer">a.k.d.</div>Alison Dyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15967240545529887281noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23012855.post-7973421391047062982010-04-01T22:28:00.002-02:302010-04-01T22:41:24.596-02:30Local food, heritage seeds, preserving biodiversityFood security discussions are raising again the importance of preserving agricultural biodiversity and sourcing local foods. I thought it might be a good time to revisit an article I wrote a few years ago. Some info is dated, much is not. "Led down the garden path," was published in 2004 in the Halifax Chronicle Herald, The St. John's Telegram and the Atlantic Co-operator. Hope it provides food for thought!<br /><br /><br /><strong>Led down the garden path<br /><em>In the face of genetically engineered crops, farmers and others are struggling to preserve biodiversity</em></strong><br /><br />by Alison Dyer<br /><br />It’s definitely deceiving. A trip down the supermarket aisle today would make us believe we have more food variety than ever. But the foods that make up these products actually come from fewer and fewer sources. <br /><br />“There are millions of plants, of which at least 30,000 are edible. We rely on no more than 30 to feed us. Rice, wheat and maize provide 65 per cent of the world's protein intake. Three crops.” So starts a slide show produced by Primal Seeds, a network dedicated to food security.<br /><br />In the last few decades, plant breeding has favoured fewer and fewer varieties to accommodate large-scale industrial agribusiness. A tomato variety is bred for uniformity, enabling a monoculture crop to ripen and be harvested at the one time, and be easily sorted and packed by machinery. It’s bred for a skin tough enough to withstand the 1,000 kilometre trip it needs to make. And it is usually bred for more weight, and more profit. But these traits are often at the expense of others. Like taste. Remember that same tomato you buy in the produce section that is as exciting to the palate as coloured water?<br /><br /><strong>Safety at risk</strong><br /><br />Many farmers, gardeners and food security groups are concerned about the garden path down which modern agriculture is leading us. They talk about the need to preserve and plant heritage seeds. For some, it may be that they want to know what grandmother’s garden looked like.<br /><br />“It’s our living heritage, our story. Many of these seeds were grown by our great grandparents, they [brought them] from places that they emigrated from…to North America,” says Andrea Berry, the Atlantic regional rep of Seeds of Diversity. Or they were “varieties that were traditional to aboriginal communities that were used here in their agricultural tradition. Continuing to grow these seeds is making that connection to our living past.” <br /><br />The single most important issue in preserving heritage seeds, however, is that of preserving biodiversity. “So many varieties of fruits and vegetables that we eat, through the commercialization and industrialization of our food system, have been lost because they weren’t appropriate for large-scale production,” says Berry. A United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) report estimates that 75 per cent of crop varieties worldwide were made extinct in the 20th century.<br /><br />“We’re whittling away our genetic diversity, and what that does is put our environment and food supply at risk,” says Berry. Jack Hanlon, would have agreed. The famous botanist and plant breeder noted that genetic diversity “stands between us and catastrophic starvation on a scale we cannot imagine.”<br /><br />“Traditionally the way genetic diversity was shared between farmers and gardeners, they’d meet at garden fences and say ‘that’s an interesting pumpkin you’ve got there’. That fall they’d save those seeds and share them. That was an informal way that genetic diversity got shared around the community,” explains Berry. <br /><br />And these local varieties have some very important characteristics. “These are seeds that have been nourished for generations by farmers. Often these seeds have been selected for local conditions. So they tend to be hardier,” says Laura Telford, executive director of the Canadian Organic Growers. <br /><br />Diversity helps plants evolve and adapt to changing conditions. In contrast modern hybrids, bred for high yields, are reliant on expensive inputs such as chemical fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides and irrigated systems. “Such uniformity invites crop failure as pests and diseases spread easier,” continues the Primal Seeds slide show, “once the buffer of diversity is removed.”<br /><br />“If you think to the Irish potato blight – all these people growing the same variety…along comes this blight that affected that particular variety and wiped out the entire nation’s potato supply which was a staple for them,” reminds Berry. <br /><strong><br />Corporate values</strong><br />Over the years, the number of companies offering seeds has also dwindled, bought out by larger companies offering fewer hybrids. “The total commercial market for seeds at present is around $30 billion. According to Rabobank International estimates, this business could triple to around $91 billion,” reports the Hindu Business Line. It’s a lucrative business, particularly when twinned with the makers of pesticides necessary for the maintenance of these seeds. Today, Monsanto, Dupont and Syngenta, three vast agro-chemical corporations, now control one quarter of the world's entire seed supply. <br /><br />Other trends that threaten the world’s food security are seed patenting and the introduction of genetically engineered crops. “It actually puts local farmers out of work, they can’t afford the seed,” says Telford. “You can’t save the seed the next year which is really an issue for third world farmers, and also for biodiversity – you have to throw away your seed and start over each year.”<br /><br />In Canada, farmers are looking very closely at GMO (genetically modified organism) crops. In the 1990s, genetically modified canola drifted onto non-GMO crops and contaminated canola seed throughout the region. Monsanto has been pushing hard to get GMO wheat introduced into farmer’s fields.<br /><br />“It’s the issue that our organic farmers are wound up about these days, and farmers don’t tend to be an activist lot, it takes a lot to get them wound up,” says Telford. <br /><br />“Wheat is our biggest export crop and there are lots and lots of acres of organic wheat,” says Telford who explains the issue has united both conventional and organic farmers. “The Canadian Wheat Board recently commissioned a study that said if Canada goes GE wheat, all of Canada – and that includes organic and conventional farmers – will lose 80 percent of their international markets.”<br /><br />Meanwhile, Monsanto has heard the grumblings. The multinational announced earlier this week that it is “deferring all further efforts to introduce Roundup Ready wheat, until such time that other wheat biotechnology traits are introduced.” In other words, they’ve decided to wait it out. Monsanto has not withdrawn its application for the regulatory registration of Roundup Ready wheat. Rather the company is still looking at the “potential commercialization of other biotechnology traits in wheat, estimated to be four to eight years in the future.”<br /><br />“It’s great news for farmers and for consumers that Monsanto is backing off its plans to introduce Roundup Ready Wheat,” says Telford. “However, we hope that this decision will not take the onus off the government to make the right decision. The only permanent solution for keeping this product off our grocery store shelves is to refuse to license it.”<br /><br /><br /><strong>Breathing life into old ways</strong><br /><br />In Atlantic Canada, two co-ops are involved in a heritage seed program that may have important implications for wheat growers across the country. “For two years we got funding to do some evaluation work in the field on different possible varieties of wheat that could be grown in the Maritimes under organic conditions,” says agroecologist Jennifer Scott, who spearheaded the project between the Maritime Certified Organic Growers and Speerville Flour Mill. “We thought we’d go back to some of the older varieties because they might work better in an organic system,” says Scott. <br /><br />“Another motivation was the whole [GMO] wheat (issue)…to maintain our organic integrity, all of the organic growers would have to have their certified organic source of seed and be very sure there wasn’t any [GMO] contamination,” says Scott. <br /><br />Stu Fleischhaker, a farmer and co-founder of Speerville, took on the growing of one heritage variety, Acadia. “Acadia was one of the last wheats that was bred specifically for Eastern Canada. It was last grown in the early ‘50s. When we went to look for seed there simply wasn’t any.” <br /><br />Fleischhaker recalls how they got about a dozen seeds from the government gene bank in Saskatoon, but only one germinated. “It was virtually extinct. What saved us was a wheat breeder in Prince Edward Island still had some of the old Acadia and he gave it to us, so we were able to go from there and bring it up to commercial scale,” he says.<br /><br />While Fleischhaker no longer grows this particular variety – last year was particularly hard for wheat growers in the region in general and resulted in poor yields – he believes there is definite potential for it and other heritage varieties like Selkirk and Red Fife. He says that Speerville is still marketing his Acadia grain in addition to other heritage grains like spelt and kamut. “Some of the modern wheat varieties a lot of people can’t eat any more, they’re allergic to [them]. Some of the older varieties, like spelt, they can tolerate.” <br /><br />And Fleischhaker’s experience with the seed or gene bank makes a good point. “Best way to conserve seeds is for them to be useful, you can’t just have museums,” says Scott.<br /><br /><strong>Connecting the dots</strong><br /><br />That’s the idea behind Seeds of Diversity. “It’s a country-wide seed exchange… a national adaptation of that backyard seed sharing,” explains Berry. “Members are invited to grow heritage varieties in their gardens of fruits, vegetables, save the seeds and offer [them] to other members … through the Seed Exchange directory. It’s like a seed catalogue but members … don’t ask for payment for their seed,” says Berry about their membership of 1,600 across the country. “Many of the varieties are endangered and are not offered in seed company catalogues.” <br /><br />Seeds of Diversity also has a project with the national seed bank. “[Members] sign up and get a variety…to grow out in their own garden. [They provide] a service to the national gene bank by refreshing the variety, that the seeds don’t go stale and become infertile,” says Berry. <br /><br />And in many localities across the country now, Seedy Saturdays are organized by different groups offering a seed-sharing and information event for gardeners.<br /><br />For Fleischaker raising heritage breeds, whether crops or livestock – the latter do not require antibiotics like modern varieties – is critical for the preservation of a rural way of life. “The fact that we’re no longer focussed on local economy has changed a lot of how we look at things and it’s affected dramatically our food system,” says Fleischaker. “Most people don’t know how far removed we’ve gotten from maybe where we should be.”<br /><br /><strong>Sidebar: Consumer Power </strong><br /><br />- Ask for local. “You wouldn’t believe what a difference consumers can make when they go into a store and say they’d prefer local (food),” says Scott. “Co-op Atlantic has been very good about having the Atlantic Tender classic Beef…and Summerside Pork too. Co-op Atlantic should be patted on the back for some of their initiatives.”<br /><br />- Buy local. “Sourcing your food from a local producer, [not] necessarily heritage varieties, but it supports and strengthens our rural communities, and … our local food systems,” says Berry. “Find out if there’s a Community Shared Agricultural program, a weekly food box system in your area.”<br /><br />- If you garden, grow a heritage variety. Atlantic companies like Hope Seeds and Perennials specialize in heritage seeds. Or signup for Seed of Diversity’s gene bank project. <br /><br />- Educate. “Finding out about GMOs [and] what that means to our environment and food supply,” says Berry.<br /><em><br />Copyright 2004 Alison Dyer</em><div class="blogger-post-footer">a.k.d.</div>Alison Dyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15967240545529887281noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23012855.post-407699252139132452010-03-26T21:24:00.002-02:302010-03-26T21:28:10.764-02:30another roll nearly mastered!This has been a good winter season at the pool sessions. My offside is pretty darn good. So decided to learn another roll. Thought it was the storm roll - but a variation of same. That is, with one hand on paddle blade, another positioned just below, extend paddle out and over until it is fully extended and facing completely down in water, change hands, and come up the other side. Cool trick! I've only managed to do it once. Something about getting the right blade angle to enable sufficient grip.. anyway - all fun under the water!<div class="blogger-post-footer">a.k.d.</div>Alison Dyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15967240545529887281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23012855.post-67719063794892093892010-03-14T20:25:00.018-02:302010-03-14T22:17:29.038-02:30Paddling Conception Harbour<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZwxPyvyhQV-CPx8RXsoeadeLe89msSpGjgqtiLhPYmtiwXHKYqNg8Ww0l3CM44TK3R5kQlmQsh4D0XrJhJAp8x-3OAgbSengBYgG1ZHRwEfP-Po1Ggi5n8JHR2IYybB9TWvZHwA/s1600-h/P3140686.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448628875626001330" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZwxPyvyhQV-CPx8RXsoeadeLe89msSpGjgqtiLhPYmtiwXHKYqNg8Ww0l3CM44TK3R5kQlmQsh4D0XrJhJAp8x-3OAgbSengBYgG1ZHRwEfP-Po1Ggi5n8JHR2IYybB9TWvZHwA/s320/P3140686.JPG" border="0" /></a><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448628880354273922" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgihvfL1TC80wf91E9YdnTqDufb8zdmcCjw-5egAr1CHL1L_RBVyDibT1gVjuXPfl54niXZSi3PJKoBrmdRD_EEJYulF-POcO-OmjPe2-WEn9i7p5PdY9UWaDpRszTUQCrSUQD1_w/s320/P3140688.JPG" border="0" /><br /><br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448628884531984674" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7aNfTrzOLH_6fqr59sPmdrnscnUisK0IbJHpPikIOnh_DUsY-eo5j43pmLDlKmOvJhj78SQHlALy91IUhyRGbD011HndKbsBB6ZliQY7Xco5SrNvd2QiJS_jQlCiZounjXIfZXw/s320/P3140693.JPG" border="0" /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448628894849578690" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9dYyLcLkh7s_5xkvBFJS9LhG8wVDahwYhTc3EDzUi3sU3G33lFNyypGyjmwvbnvRW690pq8EKcbAhq-yzBbTgjKf0FEG4afeAiN3UX4buuJOcHQPuPmfw8OaE_9LZVGMnpbyFuA/s320/P3140699.JPG" border="0" />[for a trip report on Conception Harbour/Avondale, see: <a href="http://www.kayakers.nf.ca/sea_kayaking/trip_reports/avondale1.html">http://www.kayakers.nf.ca/sea_kayaking/trip_reports/avondale1.html</a>]<br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1vGTM2fiEoVrok7cI8xSb3aa4xlPjIIuZUn7Cx9yMAowISzkrVZryR4oaH9HCwtOi62yo6u2LQ4-YvHdQb9QSOseLWzRmpf1LQ3lxFoO701Qg_-Y2nP_OhIEWxNVcG28W_FQsoA/s1600-h/P3140704.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448628867247383906" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1vGTM2fiEoVrok7cI8xSb3aa4xlPjIIuZUn7Cx9yMAowISzkrVZryR4oaH9HCwtOi62yo6u2LQ4-YvHdQb9QSOseLWzRmpf1LQ3lxFoO701Qg_-Y2nP_OhIEWxNVcG28W_FQsoA/s320/P3140704.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div>Simply sweet: Forecast of +4C, sunny, light (to neglible) wind. Sunday. Translates quickly into=forego responsibilities and join friends paddling. Twist my arm. </div></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><p>One (or both) arms duely twisted, 7 of us headed out of Conception Harbour in <a href="http://www.kayakers.nf.ca/sea_kayaking/trip_reports/tripimages/avondale%20conception%20hr%20map2.jpg">Gaster's Bay </a>(Conception Bay, Newfoundland - about 45 mins drive from St. John's) for a lovely wee spring paddle (~14km), seeing new hills (sprinkled with snow they look large and prominent on the landscape); carving through ice (do not suggest doing this with a wooden greenland paddle - half of paddle is superior according to Derek - maneuverability being everything), with a clear view up the bay to the fine spread of sedimentary rocks of Bell Island. </p><br /><br /><p>Paddling out of <a href="http://www.kayakers.nf.ca/sea_kayaking/trip_reports/avondale1.html">Conception Harbour,</a> or nearby Avalondale, at the bottom of Conception Harbour is a sure (well, as sure as sure can be when kayaking) bet for night or winter paddling. Lots of takeouts and possibilities for beach cookups.</p><p></p><p>The first stretch of ice took some hammering to get through... then it got a little easier.....</p><p></p><p></p><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dy86yxbIvvITKedLlPL4b_ZNIHvAIXPW0vMbbgQMONo2yKOaJ4ERRsFLSYB1GRa5kWGn9PbZJ-4HtI' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><div class="blogger-post-footer">a.k.d.</div>Alison Dyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15967240545529887281noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23012855.post-52141739651170212782010-02-23T23:42:00.002-03:302010-02-23T23:46:27.654-03:30Pool timeAt the pool again this evening. Managed to get my offside re-entry roll. It's great to be able to practice these maneouvres in warm water. New kid on the block learned to roll on Saturday, and learn his off-side roll and re-entry roll tonight! Some of us take soooo much longer to learn. But it's all great kayaking news.<div class="blogger-post-footer">a.k.d.</div>Alison Dyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15967240545529887281noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23012855.post-75764931304279946472010-02-09T20:46:00.003-03:302010-02-14T18:33:00.413-03:30St. John's Development on my mindClose to 400 people jammed into the Foran Room at City Hall on Monday night for a public forum on Smart Growth and, with standing room only, people spilled into the hallway & adjoining council meeting rooms. It was quite a sight to behold. Canadian satirist Mary Walsh, local retailer guru Dave Hopley, local socioeconomic consultant Stratt Canning and others (including songwriter Ron Hynes) had striking points to make from the podium. It may be a turning point in the development of this City/community. Hear CBC.ca/nl on the go for some of the speeches.<div class="blogger-post-footer">a.k.d.</div>Alison Dyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15967240545529887281noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23012855.post-89319320216941962072010-01-31T21:05:00.003-03:302010-01-31T21:14:46.346-03:30ROCK & ROLL ON!!!!!!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnuR_ukD0gJ7s7-q4JB7sdfXwfXMpHN-euKOrTNXwJKoxvIVrgkuk14bg7yTSEkla0XOD7VkNct1DgF6WK1jKDO3fGUKSDJaOZBEZ6lc17eBS5tSih1ZGBAhexMt-GtRyCoRTYEA/s1600-h/EzraToothMarchb.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5433068811261274306" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnuR_ukD0gJ7s7-q4JB7sdfXwfXMpHN-euKOrTNXwJKoxvIVrgkuk14bg7yTSEkla0XOD7VkNct1DgF6WK1jKDO3fGUKSDJaOZBEZ6lc17eBS5tSih1ZGBAhexMt-GtRyCoRTYEA/s320/EzraToothMarchb.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div></div><br /><div>I GOT IT, FINALLY.</div><br /><div>Last night at the pool, got my OFFSIDE ROLL!!! Whahoo.</div><br /><div>Thanks to Brian Duffett for great coaching. I'm on one big high. And, I still have all my teeth!</div><br /><div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">a.k.d.</div>Alison Dyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15967240545529887281noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23012855.post-91601804459314011292010-01-25T11:51:00.001-03:302010-01-25T11:56:12.945-03:30DIY Fortis - play the game!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRE34WaYaQg5VrGi0A6equDZqoapO7nP4dlWUc3EfuC6bOKUzo6J9QRh7Ke_dnHNK2R0gbHC_MA-rQTU-piSW3G_G1dwrbrAir6iG6jCGvMRQ-z0lIQviJHf7xw_9p1oMdzDh1Pg/s1600-h/tajmahal.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5430698985766449618" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRE34WaYaQg5VrGi0A6equDZqoapO7nP4dlWUc3EfuC6bOKUzo6J9QRh7Ke_dnHNK2R0gbHC_MA-rQTU-piSW3G_G1dwrbrAir6iG6jCGvMRQ-z0lIQviJHf7xw_9p1oMdzDh1Pg/s320/tajmahal.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>It's the Taj - Basilica Faceoff!<a href="http://www.cbc.ca/nl/blogs/seen/2010/01/diy-fortis.html">http://www.cbc.ca/nl/blogs/seen/2010/01/diy-fortis.html</a></div><br /><div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">a.k.d.</div>Alison Dyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15967240545529887281noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23012855.post-43647850424614597002010-01-24T22:17:00.002-03:302010-01-24T22:23:02.564-03:30Fortress FortisIf you haven't been following this, please check out Facebook Group Fortis <a href="http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#/group.php?gid=275230981018&ref=mf">Redevelopment: St. John's Citizens for Cooperative Development.</a> St. John's is at a critical point. What is decided in the next year or two will decide the future architectural landscape (and from it: aesthetic, cultural, economic, heritage, etc.) of this place. Get involved, please. Become a member of Fortis Redevelopment. Follow the discussions.<div class="blogger-post-footer">a.k.d.</div>Alison Dyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15967240545529887281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23012855.post-47044746843309301102009-12-17T14:11:00.003-03:302009-12-17T14:15:20.020-03:30Riddle Fence #4How wonderful to be asked to read for the launch of Newfoundland's literary journal <a href="http://riddlefence.com/">Riddle Fence</a>. So, you missed it? At the Ship Inn (um, Pub) past monday. Readings by such exuberant writer/readers as: George Murray, Craig Francis Power, Catherine Safer. A grand evening.<div class="blogger-post-footer">a.k.d.</div>Alison Dyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15967240545529887281noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23012855.post-92113678658154423042009-12-09T00:02:00.006-03:302009-12-09T01:10:38.399-03:30Fortis - the Grinch that wants to steal St. John's<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1PZJ22MGSx5ex0XkYh-b5iYQv_tb84ve4YMkW00lxlJfuzoh1Pv9jIJXWKAQtlEVmIFBgbSOqxH3NGTDFpSEbZIBQIkCbhsKARfjfEwZtlrSQNflXv1DX0hqjmw2Il-HhhxyoiA/s1600-h/apartment_building_CoolClips_arch0004.jpg"></a><br /><div><strong>Fortis - the grinch of St. John's - part 1</strong></div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div>One day, children, Santa will not come to St. John's. </div><br /><br /><div><em>No - NO - Why? </em></div><br /><br /><div>Well see, he'll not see any chimneys, he'll not see the houses shouldering each other on steep hills, eyebrows cocked toward the harbour. Sure, he won't see the harbour, boys and girls, and neither will yee.</div><br /><br /><div><em>Sure, that's not possible. Everyone knows that St. John's is special - we're not like every other city, no. People want to come here because we're special, no?</em></div><br /><br /><div>Aye, but some people, some groups of people want to, well, get rich and shag our harbour and public views.</div><br /><br /><div><em>NO.. but who'd be such a grinch?</em></div><br /><br /><div>These days it'd be Fortis. </div><br /><br /><div><em>Fart ass?</em></div><br /><br /><div>No, Fortis, child.</div><br /><br /><div><em>What's a Fortis?</em></div><br /><br /><div>Fortis, child is a corporation is looking to abuse the city regulations. </div><br /><br /><div><em>What City regulations are they?</em></div><br /><br /><div>Regulations that were fought hard and true years ago to save a few heritage buildings for you and yours to come. </div><br /><br /><div><em>And what does this Fortis want to do?</em></div><br /><br /><div>They want to tear down a block of historic buildings - in a designated heritage zone - and build a 15-storey office block.</div><br /><br /><div><em>Nay, they can't do that, can they?</em></div><br /><br /><div>Supposedly not. But then, well, money talks.</div><br /><br /><div><em>But isn't there somewhere else they can build an office tower?</em></div><br /><br /><div>Aye, good question child. Yup, course there is. Plenty of space west of the downtown. And even out by the airport. There's space a plenty.</div><br /><br /><div><em>And if they did that, then wouldn't they get want they wanted - and wouldn't all the people that live downtown and all the people that come to work downtown and all the people that come to shop downtown and all the people that come to visit downtown and all the little stores downtown wouldn't they all be happy?</em></div><br /><br /><div>Aye, child, I think they would all be happy and prosperous.</div><br /><br /><div><em>And live happily ever after?</em></div><br /><br /><div>Aye child, they just might.</div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">a.k.d.</div>Alison Dyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15967240545529887281noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23012855.post-63732126728265119372009-12-05T22:37:00.004-03:302009-12-05T22:53:47.365-03:30tease me, please me<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAWudB4x-XNwFOJNUquRQO3z7dzPSZiGP1l7z106DM4fYj_s6eFsFUy5Zvybmi71Lh8GJcfWspyvMZ11jLY9lcwTM6-fIScP0VqiryBVJsCJl8Q0MAVpxZT-2jevwqf6mHr3lKQw/s1600-h/P8120118.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5411942072306401986" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAWudB4x-XNwFOJNUquRQO3z7dzPSZiGP1l7z106DM4fYj_s6eFsFUy5Zvybmi71Lh8GJcfWspyvMZ11jLY9lcwTM6-fIScP0VqiryBVJsCJl8Q0MAVpxZT-2jevwqf6mHr3lKQw/s320/P8120118.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgClJubJS6t2s5ZtNPyllP_vw091Ix3u0Tod3-9MJqX76U-u7YS5BuhYSxF_892ENxrMHaDKUO_bgpkojXOaVEa5pdhBSBXPzTQUh5xmxq8m1FSiBXrywhu-CyIniouw6HPFlXJ-g/s1600-h/P8110090.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5411942070320352050" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgClJubJS6t2s5ZtNPyllP_vw091Ix3u0Tod3-9MJqX76U-u7YS5BuhYSxF_892ENxrMHaDKUO_bgpkojXOaVEa5pdhBSBXPzTQUh5xmxq8m1FSiBXrywhu-CyIniouw6HPFlXJ-g/s320/P8110090.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyC-vEy-OyUl6uCQOU1a02DDuB1V-dqCLyf0tUbGnDYeiKptIImLiLEURj3lWzcYUWEnNKLSTOz5U1YQEump91EVbQHi6oZhVIf5MJF6Rm0Kgz-MxptZZDhxGYoK673FLKFbn02w/s1600-h/P8110074.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5411942062339718242" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyC-vEy-OyUl6uCQOU1a02DDuB1V-dqCLyf0tUbGnDYeiKptIImLiLEURj3lWzcYUWEnNKLSTOz5U1YQEump91EVbQHi6oZhVIf5MJF6Rm0Kgz-MxptZZDhxGYoK673FLKFbn02w/s320/P8110074.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix27InrzqQNHqhM7132IU2PFifZ-LPot1swKCtjPewESIhO4S6DZK8tc_BU36LLbHahaLTI6WgYhrktLNjyyITiOpQNALncU63eUKn-pWIbmr7wjGUo7KEW7ljEseLzVc_Sd-9TQ/s1600-h/P8090034.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5411942051247289330" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix27InrzqQNHqhM7132IU2PFifZ-LPot1swKCtjPewESIhO4S6DZK8tc_BU36LLbHahaLTI6WgYhrktLNjyyITiOpQNALncU63eUKn-pWIbmr7wjGUo7KEW7ljEseLzVc_Sd-9TQ/s320/P8090034.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">[photos: © Alison Dyer 2009]<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">a tease of photos from a south coast trip this summer<br />I’ll get there, I’ll write about it, maybe, yes, definitely,<br />sometime, soon, any time now. you know. I want too.<br />some amazing trip.</span><br /><div></div></div></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">a.k.d.</div>Alison Dyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15967240545529887281noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23012855.post-31701576168867149222009-12-03T15:44:00.006-03:302009-12-03T15:57:00.144-03:30Tasting Grace; a caribou yearling in Placentia Bay<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8m8xr50ViEqIoQwYNxq3J_U_k7F0MKcfNaayPP9KcpihBYV5Wnm8cpYjzXVFpMeMupNk_Cr58wD9BD6oN-mcDno1Ara-m8kys-40JxKJokupaZZ4PuTZJgIV6Ldi_xCtuldyjcw/s1600-h/yearling+in+the+reach+placentia+bay+09.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5411092591483227570" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8m8xr50ViEqIoQwYNxq3J_U_k7F0MKcfNaayPP9KcpihBYV5Wnm8cpYjzXVFpMeMupNk_Cr58wD9BD6oN-mcDno1Ara-m8kys-40JxKJokupaZZ4PuTZJgIV6Ldi_xCtuldyjcw/s320/yearling+in+the+reach+placentia+bay+09.JPG" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;"> [Caribou Yearling, Placentia Bay, 2009 Alison Dyer]</span><br /><br /><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Take time to taste, acknowledge Grace. Whether you are in the woods, on the water, or simply walking a piece of urban wildness. Many of us are fortunate enough to taste Grace. Beyond that we should think, just for a few moments, of how to incorporate it into our everyday and how to open it up for others. Savour Grace, then share it.</span></div><br /><br /><div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">a.k.d.</div>Alison Dyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15967240545529887281noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23012855.post-15667928066066077512009-12-03T11:47:00.004-03:302009-12-04T12:22:39.225-03:30storm<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBy-kWyFTjuyPieroO3OFz_leZrHEkeHRtEk7oz6S5QWMOFZCwd4sviZ4SzbBtXuL2UAdA725W07b7Dv_iCwVp9T4-xJ5Oxc7kMC8NY7s9757KW_66tVHPW6kIrlhginwnSY8Jsw/s1600-h/P8270346.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5411201204829782786" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBy-kWyFTjuyPieroO3OFz_leZrHEkeHRtEk7oz6S5QWMOFZCwd4sviZ4SzbBtXuL2UAdA725W07b7Dv_iCwVp9T4-xJ5Oxc7kMC8NY7s9757KW_66tVHPW6kIrlhginwnSY8Jsw/s320/P8270346.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><strong></strong></div><br /><br /><br /><div><strong>storm</strong></div><br /><br /><br /><div><strong></strong><br />thunder rakes in like a Hells Angels convoy<br />under a battery of black leather clouds<br />fear scattering adults<br />trees screeching kids<br />sunset pastels erased, replaced<br />by sprays of leaden rain<br />grey naked outcrops reaching up as shields<br />until there is no room left for a mere mortal.<br /><span style="font-size:78%;">© Alison Dyer </span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">a.k.d.</div>Alison Dyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15967240545529887281noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23012855.post-88441453007820503252009-11-22T17:24:00.013-03:302009-11-22T22:12:32.150-03:30Biotech Beets, no thanks maan!<span style="color:#000000;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><strong>Biotech beets? No thanks, maan!</strong><br /><br />Pickled beets. Harvested from the back garden in fall when the sun takes a shorter path behind the outcrops; cut up and pickled in a toasty warm kitchen with the stove blasting enough heat to melt all of Antarctica. Pickled beets are nice with just about any meal served, from traditional Newfoundland Sunday dinner [a ‘tastyful’- as my kids would say - mix of cooked whole potatoes, carrots, cabbage, onion, salt beef] to a sushi sidekick. And then there’s sugar beets. What’d we do without them?</span><span style="font-family:Georgia;"> </span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:Georgia;color:#000000;"></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#000000;">Here are two articles: <strong><span style="color:#cc33cc;">one recent on new problems facing biotech beets, another from 10 yrs ago on the</span></strong> <span style="color:#cc33cc;"><strong>whole dang GMO thing</strong>.</span> Enjoy! (with or without pickled beets).</span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"><br /><span style="color:#330033;"><em>Thursday, November 19, 2009</em><br /><strong>Bitter fight developing over sugar beets</strong><br />Virtually the entire sugar beet crop in the United States is genetically engineered to protect it from herbicides. Now, a lawsuit claiming the biotech beets pose a risk to other varieties could threaten sugar production.</span></span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="color:#330033;"><strong> [to read rest of article:</strong> <a href="http://marketplace.publicradio.org/display/web/2009/11/19/pm-beets/">http://marketplace.publicradio.org/display/web/2009/11/19/pm-beets/</a><br /></span><br /></span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /><span style="color:#330033;"><span style="color:#990000;"><strong><span style="color:#009900;">ABC’s of the New Food:</span><br /><span style="color:#33cc00;">A doubter’s guide to genetically-altered grub</span></strong></span> </span><br /><br /><span style="color:#330033;">Brave new world or biological catastrophe? Either way, genetic engineering (GE) is a technology that promises to jet stream us into an unchartered world. But GE food. Who’s eating the stuff? You, me and the baby next door. Our supermarket shelves are stocked with food containing GE ingredients.<br /></span><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="color:#330033;">Who is creating GE food? Why? Now that’s interesting. How about some of the makers of such late 20th century toxic nightmares as Agent Orange and PCBs. And if we believe some of their public relations departments, they are on a philanthropic mission to help feed the world.<br />But already the GE menu is serving up a dollop of controversy: from sick lab rats fed on GE potatoes, to unhealthy cattle injected with growth hormones, to a GE substance linked to several human deaths.<br /></span><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="color:#330033;">Developing alongside this revolutionary technology is a cryptic vocabulary, sugar-coated by its proponents, given bite by its critics, making for some indigestible fare. Here then is a short guide for the gastronomically-perplexed.<br /></span><br /><br /><span style="color:#330033;">A Antibiotic Resistance marker genes, added to most GE food to indicate that it has been successfully engineered, is raising a concern - that they make animals and humans more susceptible to antibiotic-resistant bacteria. </span><br /><br /><br /><span style="color:#330033;">B Bacillus thurigiensis (Bt). Bt, in its natural form, has been used as a biopesticide for a half century by organic farmers. Now biotech companies are creating crops with a built-in pesticide. But research suggests that the buildup of Bt toxins in the soil, from GE Bt crops, are harming beneficial insects and will hasten the evolution of Bt-resistant insects. </span><br /><br /><br /><span style="color:#330033;">C Cartagena, Columbia, where the passage of an International Biosafety Protocol Treaty was prevented earlier this year by six grain-exporting countries including Canada. Over 135 nations supported the Protocol which would have tightened regulations on the international transfer and trade of GE seeds, grains and food (see Labelling).<br /></span><br /><br /><span style="color:#330033;">D Dairy Cows in the U.S. can be injected by farmers with a GE bovine growth hormone (rBGH) to increase milk production. Citing animal health problems, Canada’s Health Department recently rejected approval of rBGH for use in Canada.<br /></span><br /><br /><span style="color:#330033;">E Are We the Experiment? Leading GE company Monsanto’s director of corporate communications told the New York Times last October that the company should not have to vouchsafe the safety of its biotech food. "Our interest is in selling as much of it as possible. Assuring its safety is the FDA’s [U.S. Food and Drug Administration] job."<br /></span><br /><br /><span style="color:#330033;">F Frankenfood is what many Europeans call GE food, still reeling from mad cow disease that shook their faith in food regulators. Many are now calling for an EU moratorium on these foods, following the vindication of British scientist Dr. Arpad Pusztai, whose explosive research showed that GE potatoes fed to rats damaged their internal organs and immune systems.<br /></span><br /><br /><span style="color:#330033;"><span style="color:#3333ff;"><strong>G Genetically Modified Organisms (aka transgenic)</strong></span> can be plant, animal or any life form that has had its genes artificially altered by gene-splicing - or recombinant - techniques.<br /></span><br /><br /><span style="color:#330033;">H Horizontal gene transfer. Transferring genes horizontally between species that do not interbreed is central to creating transgenic organisms. To do this, genetic engineers use vectors, like viruses and other infectious agents. Critics say these methods may create new viral and bacterial pathogens (see Antibiotic, and Virus).<br /></span><br /><br /><span style="color:#330033;">I Introgression of genes - the flow of genes between plant species mainly through cross-pollination. Some scientists say that the same characteristics that enable GE crops to grow in marginal environments could be passed onto their wild relatives. This could upset ecosystems and result in costly weed control.<br /></span><br /><br /><span style="color:#330033;">J "Just Say No to GEOs" is the message from Hain, a self-proclaimed leading U.S. natural foods company. Responding to consumer pressure, its products now have a ‘Pure Food’ label indicating they are free of GE organisms (see Labelling).<br /></span><br /><br /><span style="color:#330033;">K "Keep the organic label off GE food" says the Council for Responsible Genetics, a U.S. group of scientists and public health advocates. Should the U.S. Department of Agriculture adopt a proposed regulation allowing GE foods to be sold under the organic label, consumers will be unable to choose non-GE foods.<br /></span><br /><br /><span style="color:#330033;">L Labelling of GE foods is not required by current laws in North America, but consumers in Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Japan are now demanding it of their governments. Labelling advocates say consumers need the freedom to choose what they feed their families, and stress that the early detection of harmful food will be difficult or impossible without labelling (see Unexpected).<br /></span><br /><br /><span style="color:#330033;">M Monsanto. Once a major chemical conglomerate who brought the world Agent Orange and PCBs, Monsanto reengineered itself in 1985 into a ‘life sciences’ company. With an estimated worth of $35 billion U.S., it is the world’s dominant biotech corporation, and uses GE in its drug, food ingredient and agricultural divisions. Monsanto will likely appeal Canada’s decision to refuse approval of the use of its bovine growth hormone on Canadian dairy cows.<br /></span><br /><br /><span style="color:#330033;">N ‘Novel’ foods, the industry term for genetically modified foods. </span><br /><br /><br /><span style="color:#330033;">O Organic farmers in the U.K. are concerned that their crops could be cross-pollinated and contaminated by GE crops growing nearby. Loss of their organic status and business could thus result (see Keep and Bt).<br /></span><br /><br /><span style="color:#330033;">P Patents are a cornerstone of the GE industry, providing ‘intellectual property rights’ over living things. Critics claim that patents threaten biodiversity, saying that a few corporate-owned GE crops will replace natural crops. And others stress that the world’s food supply will become controlled by a few powerful GE companies or ‘gene giants’.<br /></span><br /><br /><span style="color:#330033;">Q Quotable quote: "Genetic engineering is often justified as a humane technology, one that feeds more people with better food. Nothing could be further from the truth. With very few exceptions, the whole point of genetic engineering is to increase the sales of chemicals and bio-engineered products to dependent farmers." - David Ehrenfield, Professor of Biology at </span><br /><br /><span style="color:#330033;">Rutgers University, in Resurgence magazine.<br />R Roundup-Ready. First Monsanto produced the herbicide Roundup. Then it created GE soybeans and canola seed tolerant of the herbicide. Farmers can spray these Roundup-Ready crops without killing them. Critics say the herbicide resistant genes could transfer to neighbouring weeds. </span><br /><br /><br /><span style="color:#330033;">S Suicide Seed. When is a seed not a seed? When it’s a Kamikaze-style suicide seed (see Terminator).<br /></span><br /><br /><span style="color:#330033;">T Terminator or Traitor Technology, a technique of genetically programming a plant to prevent its seeds from regerminating in a second growing season, has received wide opposition. Critics say that the technology, dominated by a handful of agro-industrial companies, may undermine the wellbeing of poor Third World farmers who depend on farm-saved seed. </span><br /><br /><br /><span style="color:#330033;">U Other Unexpected effects. The death of 37 people and disabling of hundreds of others has been linked to the GE-produced food supplement Trytophan. The company was allowed to sell it in the U.S. without safety testing as they had been selling Trytophan produced with non-GE methods for years. Because the GE product was not labelled as such, the cause of the poisoning took months to discover . </span><br /><br /><br /><span style="color:#330033;">V The Virus Hazard. Most GE crops contain virus genes to give the crop resistance to invading viruses. (A virus resistant squash, for use as baby food, is up for approval.) Some scientists are concerned that inserted virus genes could combine with a wild virus to produce a super, deadly virus.<br /></span><br /><br /><span style="color:#330033;">W The late Dr. George Wald, Nobel Prize Laureate in Medicine, and one of the first scientists to speak out about the dangers of GE. In 1976 he wrote "Up to now, living organisms have evolved very slowly, and new forms have had plenty of time to settle in. Now whole new proteins will be transposed overnight into wholly new associations, with consequences no one can foretell...Potentially it could breed new animal and plant diseases, new sources of cancer, novel epidemics."<br /></span><br /><br /><span style="color:#330033;">X A nutty Xperiment - when a gene from the brazil nut was spliced into a soy bean, strong allergic reactions in people allergic to nuts but not soy beans resulted when they ate the GE soy product. </span><br /><br /><br /><span style="color:#330033;">Y - You are what you eat. Some GE foods already on our supermarket shelves are: soybeans (used in breads, baby foods and formulas - soya occurs in about 60 per cent of processed food); canola oil; corn (in corn syrup, corn starch, sweeteners, corn chips); insect resistant potatoes; transgenic tomatoes; yeast (used in bread, spreads, food supplements, pizza base, beer and other processed foods).<br /></span><br /><br /><span style="color:#330033;">Z - Zeneca. Across the pond, U.K.-based Zeneca recently merged with Astra of Sweden to create another gene giant. According to the Rural Advancement Foundation International, the biotech multinational is racing to patent ‘Verminator’ which, they say, will produce "junkie plants that are physically dependent on a patented chemical cocktail."</span><br /><br />(First published in The Telegram, Saturday May 1/99)<br />© Alison Dyer<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span><div class="blogger-post-footer">a.k.d.</div>Alison Dyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15967240545529887281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23012855.post-29336309513915225392009-11-19T16:38:00.005-03:302009-11-21T14:17:52.403-03:30Low down on low flush - for World Toilet Day<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCX5cBrr3PmkyoJl_oreq7nJUYBoJMNheaf5FD7l9_QOPzfkyl7hCtJVphJRYffhTMFBFX_eLYA1EQdUCfuCoRrnN0ZWbOYG0XTtwJIEeQek5YxZOGI67qXOuBuGtq3qnOV0tqDg/s1600/PB190584.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5405913633149241154" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; width: 150px; height: 200px; text-align: center;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCX5cBrr3PmkyoJl_oreq7nJUYBoJMNheaf5FD7l9_QOPzfkyl7hCtJVphJRYffhTMFBFX_eLYA1EQdUCfuCoRrnN0ZWbOYG0XTtwJIEeQek5YxZOGI67qXOuBuGtq3qnOV0tqDg/s200/PB190584.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);"><em><span style="font-size:85%;">just in time for World Toilet Day...</span></em></span></span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /><strong>The Low-down on Low flush</strong><br /><br />Some of them have a dirty reputation. And while they’re the law in the U.S., stories about homeowners trickling over the border to Canada to buy elicit older and bigger brothers abound. The low-flow toilet, since its introduction in the early 1990s, has produced quite a flush of debate.<br /><br />Believe it or not, there are regularly updated reports and studies on toilets that ‘exceed customer performance expectations.’ I don’t expect much from my toilet. In fact, it might well be the poster child for neglected appliances. But when some recent household plumbing highlighted the possibility of new bathroom fixtures I got eyes and face, so to speak, into the lowdown on toilets.<br /><br />For example, did you know that testing the efficacy of the low flow is now done with a soybean mixture encased in latex (condom) in 50 gram specimens? Similar in density and moisture content to human waste, this may kill the soybean industry as a palatable alternative protein. But I digress.<br /><br />So, what does a green need to know about going low? Well, let’s take a brief look at the histoire of the pissoir: In the home, the toilet uses the most water, accounting for about 30 per cent of indoor water use. Older model (pre-1980) toilets flush with 20 litres of water (that’s about what the average person living in Africa uses per day). Considering that over the course of a lifetime, one flushes the toilet nearly 140,000 times, using one of these hummers is akin to wasting a waterfall.<br /><br />In the ‘90s, the 13 litre toilet came on the market. Then in 1996 the Ontario provincial building code required 6 litre toilets (often called ultra-low-flush) for all new homes. This all time low legislation has not been met in any other province or territory although some municipalities, like Vancouver, have decided to see how low they can go including offering rebates on low-flow toilets a program which, St. John’s does not have. (But with the increasing costs associated with the new sewage treatment system, such a program would benefit everyone by helping to reduce the amount of water being processed).<br /><br />In the U.S., federal law states that toilets may not exceed 1.6 gallons per flush (gpf)—that’s about 6 litres-- and many of their High-Efficiency Toilets (HETs) go beyond that standard and use less than 1.3 gpf. This is a nice twist to prevalent thinking that everything is larger in the U.S. Seems they can still flush it with less. And in case you’re wondering, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has adopted 350 grams as a minimum performance threshold (the average male dump is 250 grams) for High-Efficiency Toilets (HETs).<br /><br />Meanwhile, down under, Caroma, the dominant supplier of sanitary fixtures to the Australian and New Zealand market, tested for plumbing problems using its dual-flush (half flush for liquid waste; full flush for solid) toilet system. The manufacturer concluded that to achieve water conservation objectives the entire plumbing system should be of the highest standard. In other words, and as others have found out, low flow toilets may experience problems when installed in locations with degraded or damaged drain line systems (e.g., root intrusion, sagging or broken lines, buildup of solids, etc.).<br /><br />Still, let’s say your plumbing is dandy. The thing to remember is that not all toilets are made equal. Many first generation low flow models didn’t flush properly. But over the years, flushing systems have been redesigned and improvements in glazes, for example, help ensure that the bowl is as aerodynamic as possible. A good place to look at information on low flush toilet ratings is </span><a href="http://www.terrylove.com/crtoilet.htm"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">www.terrylove.com/crtoilet.htm</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">. This TV/plumber personality has produced a consumer report on toilets taking into account such concerns as gram ratings, ease and cost of repairs, sound when flushing, and how well the bowl is rinsed.<br /><br />One more cautionary note. Toilets can be gravity flushed (the most common) or pressure-assisted. While the latter requires still less water it can be noisy and may be problematic in homes with older plumbing.<br /><br />Fine. I’m ready to go shopping (as long as I don’t have to bounce on the bedspring, so to speak). And choices in St. John’s have improved over the past couple of years though I still can’t find my favourite—the ‘Toto’ listed on Love’s website—in St. John’s. Still, retailers like Kent and Home Hardware carry a selection of 6 litre models providing both single and dual-flush options, the former starting at $90.</span></div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /><div align="left"><br />Meanwhile, if you’re not quite ready to buy a new toilet, you might consider retrofitting your old one to make it less of a water hog. Several types of devices can be installed in an existing toilet tank to reduce the amount of water used in flushing that work by: water displacement (plastic bag or bottle); water retention (toilet dams); or alternative flushing (early closure or dual-flush). Local plumbing supply or hardware stores can help find out which type will work best for your toilet. But don't put rocks or bricks in your toilet tank: Over time they’ll break down and can cause damage.</div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /><div align="left"><br />And if you’re really cheap but determined to save that pure drinking water that’s flushing your bowl, consider adopting this adage: "</div><a href="http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=If+it"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">If it's yellow, let it mellow, if it's brown, flush it down."</span></a><br /><br /><div align="left">(© Alison Dyer 2009 )</div></span></span><div class="blogger-post-footer">a.k.d.</div>Alison Dyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15967240545529887281noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23012855.post-81075357452336884432009-09-30T22:36:00.003-02:302009-11-21T14:20:12.388-03:30The Case of the Contract Killer<strong>The Case of the Contract Killer</strong><br /><span style="font-family:lucida grande;"><br />Violetta di Chioggia, Rosa Bianca Solanam melongena, Tom Thumb Latuca Sativa.<br /><br />Recognize any of these names? Seen any of their faces around recently? No? This may come as a shock, but these are just a few of thousands who’ve gone missing. In fact, they’re on a hit list.<br /><br />Oh, and did I mention they’re vegetables. Does that make a difference? It shouldn’t. <br /><br />You see, we humans are accomplices in what could very well be our own demise. We’ve (if not knowingly) allowed a few corporations to whittle down our variety of food crops from thousands to a handful. I can see the mugshot of that herbicide-burping superbug now, chomping down and wiping another crop from our increasing paltry list. No, really, come back to the table and listen – you eat? Then this affects you.<br /><br />We humans have eaten some 80,000 plant species over time. Now, three-quarters of all our produce comes from just eight species and, as biologist, author and locavore Barbara Kingsolver tells it, the field is “quickly narrowing down to genetically modified corn, soy, and canola.” Our food crops, Kingsolver says, could well make an endangered species list. We are, quite simply, undermining the security of our very own food system.<br /><br />With genetically modified foods, we’re further undermining the security of that system with crop species being held against their will by a handful of powerful corporations intent on fooling around with their genes. Splicing together traits that aren’t even nodding acquaintances in nature can produce a vigorous plant for one generation, but the next generation is likely unpredictable and has no staying power.<br /><br />But let’s back up and see how and why these disappearances started. Well, it has to do with the craving for tomatoes (or raspberries) at a time when even songbirds are sucking on dried up dogberries. And it also has to do with advances in long distance trucking. You see, up until the middle of last century, most North Americans were still eating fruits and vegetables that came from nearby farms, which also meant eating in season. Then marketers realized a market for out-of-season produce, like those tomatoes (or raspberries) titillating the taste buds of a society that was getting used to instant gratification. And then those tomatoes (or raspberries) needed larger and refrigerated trucks, and a super highway system to get these aliens to market.<br /><br />Enter agribusiness into the contract. New breeds of produce were bred so that those tomatoes (or look at any produce at your local grocery retailer) could stand up to mechanized picking, packing, shipping and displaying on supermarket shelves. This uber tomato proved it could go the distance, but a few things got lost in the meantime: like flavour, often pest resistance and, no surprise, genetic diversity. There can, after all, only be one uber tomato, so uniformity and blandness became the trade-off signatures. Long distance travel, says Kingsolver, lies at the heart of the plot to murder flavourful fruits and veggies. Then the agribusiness breeding of indestructible produce ensured a market for tennis ball-like tomatoes. Farmers had little choice but grow what people (thought they) wanted, and seed catalogue offerings dropped more and more old-time trusted varieties. Today, not only plant varieties but whole species have been lost while six companies—Monsanto, Syngenta, DuPont, Mitsui, Aventis, and Dow—now control 98 percent of the world’s seed sales.<br /><br />There’s a few organizations that are on the look out for Violetta and friends. Slow Food International promotes agricultural biodiversity and has a twist on the save-the-endangered species line. Eat it. To save those rare species, the seed must be grown, plant harvested and eaten. Ditto that heirloom pig.<br /><br />Closer to home, groups such as FEASt (Food Education Action – St. John’s), Farmers’ Markets and community gardens are springing up across the province, putting local food back on the menu and in the minds of residents.<br /><br />Bottom line? Come clean. Don’t continue to be an accomplice to contract killing. Eat local. Reject uniformity. Check out grandma’s garden. Dissent. And have a flavourful day.</span><br /><span style="font-family:lucida grande;">© Alison Dyer 2009</span><div class="blogger-post-footer">a.k.d.</div>Alison Dyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15967240545529887281noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23012855.post-54515019477429873572009-08-24T01:56:00.001-02:302009-08-24T01:58:02.081-02:30paddling with spirits and titansComing sometime in September.... photographs of my latest trip this summer in Bay Despair (bay d'espoir, or as originally called, bay of spirits). A visual, auditory and emotional feast. I will post some photographs of this enthralling coast. Until then, paddle well. Alison<div class="blogger-post-footer">a.k.d.</div>Alison Dyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15967240545529887281noreply@blogger.com1