An unfortunate mix of drought, failed harvests and rising food prices have brought severe food shortages to the east and the Horn of Africa. The severe food crisis is already affecting around 10 million people in parts of Kenya, Ethiopia, Djibouti and Somalia. Rains have failed over two seasons, with a strong La Niña event having a dramatic impact across the east coast of Africa. Now that this year’s wet season has officially ended, there is little prospect of rain or relief before September.
Charities have launched the biggest ever campaigns to tackle what they call a ‘creeping disaster’ in Kenya, Somalia, Uganda, Ethiopia. For Somali refugees arriving in neighbouring Ethiopia, rates of severe malnutrition are as high as 23%, according to Oxfam. A 4% incidence normally constitutes an emergency.
Up to 1,000 Somalis a day are also streaming across the Kenyan border to Dadaab, already the largest refugee settlement in the world, with 367,000 residents. Some 2.5 million people require food aid in Somalia, but access is tough, particularly in the south, where an Islamist insurgency has made it nearly impossible, for aid groups to operate. To the west, in Ethiopia, 3.2 million people require humanitarian assistance. Pastoralist communities there have seen 80% of their livestock die in some places, according to Oxfam, with the lost income making it extremely difficult for people to buy food.
In Uganda 600,000 people need assistance, and in Djibouti 120,000. But the greatest number of people in need, 3.5 million, are in Kenya’s arid northern regions, whose marginalisation by the government has magnified the effects of the increasingly frequent droughts. In Turkana malnutrition rates are more than twice the emergency level.
“High food prices, fluctuating rainfall, a rising population and ever dwindling natural resources have created the perfect storm,” said Leigh Daynes, director of communications for Plan, in the UK.
Aevia — Consider the Source

There are many designs and many different types of materials used to construct storm rooms. Some features that should be common to all of them are:

• The room must not have any windows
• The room should not be constructed in a flood zone or storm surge zone
• All surfaces of the room should be able to withstand winds of up to 250 mph and wind-borne projectiles
• The room’s door should open inward to assure easy opening after the storm in the case that fallen debris blocks the door
• The room should be securely anchored to a concrete foundation to resist overturning or lifting

Some storm safe rooms will look much like a septic tank constructed of reinforced concrete. Others have walls constructed of fiberglass, carbon fiber, or Kevlar, a product used in bullet-proof vests. The fibers are bonded to structural foam, sandwiched between layers of plywood.
If you are building your safe room strictly for tornado protection, allow a minimum of five square feet per person for an anticipated wait time of two hours. If you are building to ride out a hurricane, you should allow at least 10 square feet per person as your total time in shelter could be as much as seventy two hours; maybe more if you have to wait upon rescuers to remove debris blocking your exit.
Other considerations might include allowing for ventilation and toilet facilities. A safe room’s number one function is to protect you from the storm. But don’t forget the aftermath. Your room should include a first aid kit along with any required medications, an emergency radio, batteries, flashlight, basic tools, blankets, food and lots of clean water.
Instead of throwing away or recycling soda bottles, reuse them. Bottle clean tap water before your well or municipal water supply becomes contaminated by storm water. Label these bottles with the date filled and then stockpile them in your safe room. In an age when our water supply is susceptible to numerous industrial, natural and terrorist threats, we should be storing such water bottles at every school, church, synagogue, mosque, and community center with an available closet.
Aevia — Consider the Source

Knowing your way around fats can help you beat the Reaper

Trans Fat
These fats are created during food processing when liquid oils are converted into semi-solid fats — a process called hydrogenation. This creates partially-hydrogenated oils that tend to keep food fresh longer while on grocery shelves. The problem is that these partially-hydrogenated oils contain trans fats which can also increase low-density lipoprotein LDL-cholesterol and decrease high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol — risk factors for heart disease.
 
Saturated Fat
Saturated fats are the “solid” fats in your diet. For example, if you open a container of meat stew, you will probably find some fat floating on top. This fat is saturated fat. But other saturated fats can be more difficult to see in your diet. In general, saturated fat can be found in the following foods:

• High-fat cheeses
• High-fat cuts of meat
• Whole-fat milk
• Cream Butter
• Ice cream and ice cream products
• Palm and coconut oils

As you look at this list, notice two things. First, animal fats are a primary source of saturated fat. Secondly, certain plant oils are another source of saturated fats. You may think you don’t use palm or coconut oils, but they are often added to commercially-prepared foods, such as cookies, cakes, doughnuts, and pies. Solid vegetable shortening often contains palm oils and some whipped dessert toppings contain coconut oil.
Diets high in saturated fat have been linked to chronic disease, especially heart disease.
 
Dietary Cholesterol
Cholesterol is a fatty substance that’s found in animal-based foods such as meats, poultry, egg yolks, and whole milks. When you follow the tips to reduce your saturated fat intake, in most cases, you will be reducing your dietary cholesterol intake at the same time. For example, if you switch to low-fat and fat-free dairy products, you will reduce your intake of both saturated fat and cholesterol.
Total Cholesterol is the total measured cholesterol in your blood. This number includes all types of cholesterol such as HDL and LDL. HDL stands for high-density lipoprotein. The HDL cholesterol is often called “good” cholesterol because it helps carry cholesterol away from your body’s organs and to your liver where it can be removed. LDL stands for low-density lipoprotein. The LDL cholesterol is sometimes called “bad” cholesterol because it’s the type of cholesterol that is linked with a higher chance of heart disease.
 
Polyunsaturated Fats and Monounsaturated Fats
Most of the fat that you eat should come from unsaturated sources: polyunsaturated fats and monounsaturated fats. In general, nuts, vegetable oils, and fish are sources of unsaturated fats that can help improve blood cholesterol levels. Polyunsaturated fats can also be broken down into two types:

• Omega-6 polyunsaturated fats — these fats provide an essential fatty acid that our bodies need, but can’t make.
• Omega-3 polyunsaturated fats — these fats also provide an essential fatty acid that our bodies need. Omega-3 fatty acids, particularly from fish sources, may have additional health benefits.

Monounsaturated fats may benefit insulin levels and blood sugar control, which can be especially helpful if you have type 2 diabetes.
Knowledge that certain fats can promote health, while others can destroy it, is the first step. Knowing what to look for in nutrition labels will help you chart a healthy course. But, when all else is said and done, any fat that is solid at room temperature should be avoided.
Aevia — Learn about the Cardiovascular System

Dr. William Carey, Auburn University Professor, outlines a ten point system to help improve forest tree seedling survival. At a meeting, sponsored by International Forest Company, Dr. Carey explains his planting techniques and insists you give seedlings “tender loving care” from the time they leave the nursery until planted in the field.
Commandment Number One –
Do not allow seedlings to dry out. – Ample moisture is the key factor in seedling survival; seedlings must never be allowed to dry out from the nursery to planting. Plant immediately in the field. Remember “if they dry, they die”.
Commandment Number Two –
Transport seedlings carefully. – Rough handling can damage root systems and predispose seedlings to stress.
Commandment Number Three –
Avoid temperature extremes. – Fluctuations in temperature, especially excessive heat, during storage and transport can result in seedling trauma during outplanting.
Commandment Number Four. –
Plant promptly. – Once seedlings are lifted, minimize storage time, especially early in the season and avoid extended transport time.
Commandment Numbr Five. –
Do not trim or prune seedling roots. – Seedlings need every single tiny root to absorb moisture and nutrients from the ground. The more root surface, the better the growth.
Commandment Number Six. –
Do not wash or shake gel from seedling roots. – Gel applied to roots at the nursery prevents drying out during transport, decreases planting shock, and improves acclimation to the planting site.
Commandment Number Seven. –
Plant bareroot seedlings after October, preferably after December 15 and before April. – Cooler temperatures are more conducive to seedling survival and healthy growth.
Commandment Number Eight. –
Plant seedlings deeply. – Greater exposure to the soil and its water content – even one-half inch of added depth of planting – significantly improves survival rates.
Commandment Number Nine. –
Use mechanical planting, if possible. – Although slightly more expensive, planting mechanically yields better results and is an investment that pays off.
Commandment Number Ten –
Do not attempt to plant seedlings that have frozen in the pack. – Freezing irreversibly damages the root system, leading to seedling death.
Aevia — Consider the Source

World food prices rose to a record in December 2010 on higher sugar, grain and oilseed costs. In the coming decades, there are going to be many more hungry mouths to feed, and as food crop prices rise dramatically, agriculture will become a more lucrative business, encouraging countries to switch economic focus.
Kurdistan has the two primary ingredients to form a successful agricultural economy: Plentiful water from the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, and hectares upon hectares of fertile land that can produce crops. These natural resources have yet to be used efficiently. The water is largely not used; much of it is wasted instead of being dammed and channeled to irrigate agricultural land. With the lack of proper statistics it’s difficult to be accurate, but it’s a fair estimate to say that only around 20 percent of the land is being used for farming. There are many incentives for Kurdistan to make use of its abundant water and fertile land.
Biofuel is going to be only one aspect of a Kurdish agricultural economy. FAO has estimated that global food production will have to rise 70 percent by 2050 as the world population expands by 2 billion.
Aevia — Consider the Source

Price Charles spoke at a food conference hosted by the Washington Post. on May 4, 2011 at Georgetown University. In his speech, he criticized government subsidies for large-scale agriculture, and spoke against industrial pollution and global dependence on oil.  ✂ Transcript

Journey to Forever has established an online biofuels library with a wide variety of books and articles available at no charge.
Consider the Source: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel_library.html