Daily Mail
"Orangutan Attempts to Hunt Fish With Spear"
http://tinyurl.com/3qb48s
Real or not, still an interesting story.

An Orangutan fishing with a spear. Next step in primate evolution or just a 'fluke' either way this is exciting. People studying apes for years have seen them create primitive tools, such as chimpanzees using special sticks to draw out termites from a mound.

Green Consumption

Greed in The Name of Green
Monica Hesse, Washington Post
http://tinyurl.com/2v9kwp "Congregation of the Church of the Holy Organic, let us buy."

A well written, scathing commentary on the trend towards "green consumerism." A trend of the affluent buying public that thinks in all seriousness we can buy our way to greater environmental consciousness.

Companies of all kinds attempt to produce "greener" goods by embracing sustainable and organic materials of all kinds; lovingly made by hand from people paid fair wages and working in nice working conditions. All these people should be applauded for their efforts, we need more effort like this. However, before getting rid of your current -insert consumer good here- we must ask simply, "do I, or we, need it?"
What's wrong with your current furniture, clothing, etc? Even something made from 100% renewable, non-toxic materials still requires use of energy and resources to construct and transport from source (hemp field, FSC timber field, etc.) to factory or craft-shop, to a distributor, or direct to your house. Your old things have already been paid for and manufactured. If they're still wearable, functional etc. It is much greener to keep using them, rather than buy replacements labeled green. Also saves green ($$$).

If you need to replace things, and get new ones, by all means choose the greener option, sure you're paying more, but you're doing more, you're subsidizing a more socially responsible way of producing goods and services; averting dumping of chemicals into the environment; supporting the economy of the people that made the item and other goodly things.
Be a wise consumer, who knows their limits, and when it's time to decline. Many of the greenest goods are some you already have.

Great Show

Lancaster's own 21 Century Dreamtime Lions open up for Asheville's Telepath at the Chameleon Club.

Combining reggae, downbeat, dub, afro-beat, hip-hop and more, Telepath and Dreamtime Lions complemented each other well on stage.

It dawned on me, I still don't love live music, even when the bands complement each other like the above.
I've loved Telepath ever since I saw them play the first time, their music style and sound is very much original, (at least to this musical neophyte) hearing them live the first time, perfect atmosphere, the depth of the sound, beautiful, rich. The second time in a larger space with much stronger equipment, it was almost to loud for comfort. That was not the case with 21 Century Dreamtime Lions, their sound was rich and clear throughout the night.

A really positive vibe went throughout the main stage area that night, many people kicked off their shoes and jackets to dance in front of the stage.

Writing about Battle of The Bands last week, could music journalism be in my future?
I could take a handful of music appreciation classes at Millersville, as well as expose myself to a lot more music than usual, especially the tremendous myriad of sounds unheard by my ears.

Ah, the Fukuoka workshop over the weekend:

Over the weekend, we built A-frames, dug swales, and sowed clover seeds at a farm outside Salunga. It’s hard work! But satisfying on many levels.

Digging swales is a method for retaining water on a field where you have little irrigation available. You build an A-frame out of Bamboo, 2x4s, whatever, a weight is suspending in the middle to find the contours in a field. After the contours are marked, a trench a length the A-frames sides, a spade deep and wide is dug. That was just Saturday…

Making seed balls is an ancient method of “planting” crops revived by Fukuoka-san and used in no-till planting. Very simply, seeds are mixed with moistened dirt, sometimes compost and manure, and simply broadcast onto the field. Clover’s used as a cover crop to help stabilize the nitrogen levels in soil that has not been used for non-conventional farming. A significant advantage of seed balls is that they will not attract many birds.

PS I hate the term “conventional farming” when applied to typical farming that involves machinery, plowing, and that most baneful invention for agricultural “progress” petrochemical pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers. The kind of farming practiced through DigIt and elsewhere is more in line with agriculture practiced for 1000s of years, in particular no petrochemicals

losing a few kilos, how I did it with observations on such.

Yes, I like to use the metric system, just like the rest of the world.

Between the beginning of January, and the first week of this month, I dropped about 7-kilos (15-pounds) how did I do it?

I hate exercise plans, and I do not believe in special "diets" I just exercised and ate better. The former, mostly swimming and cycling.

Swimming is my life, plain and simple, so I try to swim for a couple hours a week or so, whatever amount of time I can manage.

On an older road bike, I take to the roads and alleys around my city and to school every so often. I notice though, the more I bike, the more I want to bike. I now bike virtually everywhere, even places I'd never dream of biking before.

I simplified my pallet as far as food goes. I cut out most junk food, soft-drinks and tried eating more vegetarian food, especially finding alternatives to meat and milk with low amounts of sugar.

The Walkout

War is not confined to the weekends, resistance to wars should not as well.

On Thursday March 20th, members of various student organizations at Millersville University organized a walkout around 11 a.m. inviting students all over to come out and support any and all resistance to wars, present and future. The time and day of the week were chosen because wars go on regardless of college classes, tests, and assignments.
A small 'cemetery' was created with over 3900 Popsicle sticks with the names of the soldiers written on them.
Bob Lowing, a Lancaster man with Inter-Church Peace Witness discussed the war, and the lack of peace programs at college campuses in this country,
Saying, in this country the military is the only way for many, including people of color, that they can get a college education. Quoting local activist Conrad Moore "who do you have to kill to get a college education?"
USN veteran Ryan Berrick spoke about how American actions in the middle east are regarded by the people of the region, and to sum it up, they do not like what we're doing in Iraq, they don't see us as liberators, despite the message of the politicians and pundits.

A rally consisting of veterans and supports set up nearby to support the troops by setting up donation boxes to send goodies to the troops overseas.

Around 1 p.m. after taking a break from the rally, the police informed both rally organizers they needed to disperse because of an "unspecified threat" without argument or hassle, everyone dispersed peacefully within moments. Sadly, this precluded veterans from speaking at the rally.

Now for an anecdote:
A veteran, and possibly a couple others, pulled up all of the Popsicle sticks in the cemetery that the group spent several hours planting in the ground, not to mention several hours making in the nights beforehand. I understand the guy was really nice about it, "they're my friends" he said. I still find the act sad, they were a memorial to not just his friends, but our friends and relatives as well who have died in this war.

The argument they would be rained on, or stepped on, while certainly true neglects that cemeteries, and memorials get rained on and possibly vandalized themselves, if we were worried about that, we would have not set up our cemetery.

Photographs that the MSM will not, and do not, display were here. They are hard to write about, these are the horrors of war. The words of the aforementioned politicians and pundits cannot apologize or justify the horrors seen here, mangled bodies of U.S serviceman, and the people of Iraq who like Americans merely wish to live in peace.

welcome to Lancaster Sen. Clinton, I wish I could have watched it on TV.

There is nothing like seeing someone famous speak in the flesh. However, risking your health is hardly worth it, as though I agreed much with what Sen. Clinton had to say tonight, I still felt like it was just another political speech to arouse people into thinking she is change, and even though she says she'll create change, no matter who's in office, positive change has yet to come with all the obstacles that will be put up ahead.

I went with two good friends around 4:15 p.m. and arrived around 4:35 p.m. a buddy of one of my friends tried to get us in near the door, but that didn't go over well with some people behind us who bitched and moaned to get us to move to the back, citing "it's fair" and acting as if they're much more entitled to see Hillary speak over us, yeah whatever, I'll say you represent one of the big problems of a capitalist society, the sense of "entitlement" without truly doing anything to earn it, oh better yet, I'd say you represent an even worse aspect of American people in general, the all to pervasive childish sense of entitlement.
I'm sure they would have extended such courtesy to their friends. (Or should I say former friends)

After waiting for two and a half hours in the rain, wind and cold, my party and at least 150 others were turned away from going inside Pucillo Gym. Oh yes, my friends and I complained, thinking of fun questions to ask Hillary, one friend joked that we better not ask anything "controversial" so as to avoid getting tazered or something, my other friend and I said in unison "don't taze me bro!" and laughed.

While in line, I felt the need to "draw" with my finger in the dust on the side of a trailer some things I felt at the time, namely, we need universal single payer health care, as well as "end ALL wars" and my personal favorite "FUCK CAPITALISM!"

A handful of Ron Paul supporters came out to remind people that he's still in the running, including a good friend of mine who started to say "I love you like a brother Alvie, but I can't believe you're out here" I told him it was for class, he replied, "okay that makes sense" it was good to see him all the same, as I don't see him much at all these days. Thankfully all were good guests of the school as no one had any issues with either side.

Despite the weather, I like Hillary's speech, I agree much of what she thinks will be positive change for America's future, even if it's not my vision, she offers a good a positive vision. However, not one person no matter how tenacious can truly correct all the wrongs of not just the current administration, but relationships and lifestyles of the past that will not be sustainable for the future, all of which cannot be truly addressed well in one term, or even two.

My article as I wrote it, blemishes and all:

America can initiate positive change when confronting any issue, “we are going to feel good about the country!” said New York Senator Hillary Clinton in a speech she gave on her campaign tour through Lancaster County Pennsylvania.

Sen. Clinton spoke about issues of concern to Pennsylvanian’s at Millersville University’s Pucillo Gym, Tuesday March 18^th at 7 p.m. to approximately 3000-people inside and outside the gym who waited 4-hours or more to see her speak despite the gray and dreary weather that afternoon.

Sen. Clinton delivered an energized and positive speech that covered a broad variety of topics that she promises to address if elected President. Major issues Sen. Clinton discussed ranged from economics (namely oil prices, and housing) to addressing other social issues such as the war in Iraq, education, and healthcare. Saying she as president will address such issues to improve America’s ability to compete and succeed in the global economy. That will help ensure a better future for the environment, national security and America’s children. Sen. Clinton said she intends to do as such by creating incentives for companies to stay here in the U.S. to produce goods and services.

Discussing current housing issues, Sen. Clinton plans a moratorium on housing foreclosures and work on addressing the institutions that helped create these problems in the first place.

Addressing high gas and oil prices and America’s unstable sources of oil, Sen. Clinton said, “we will no longer hold hands with the Saudis, we will hold them accountable!” discussing the need for America to develop cleaner alternative energy sources here at home that will free us from importing petroleum from unstable parts of the world, create more jobs at home, and improve our national and environmental security, by creating “smart investments in clean energy” to help us achieve those goals.

Sen. Clinton discussed America’s healthcare problems, saying first off that she would immediately bring up the stem cell research bill that President Bush vetoed and bring that back to life to fully exploit the potential that stem cell research holds. Improving America’s healthcare is “a moral and economic challenge” promising to increase healthcare funding so that more Americans can afford proper healthcare that can help keep minor medical issues from becoming major issues.

Senator Clinton concluded her speech to a raucous applause over her message that we can all work together to create positive change for America and the world.