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http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sudhvir-singh/as-un-meets-fight-superbu_b_12089402.html?utm_hp_ref=green&ir=Green  
As UN Meets, Fight Superbugs at the Dinner Table.  
By Darian Woods and Dr Sudhvir Singh

Microorganisms are becoming increasingly untroubled by the drugs we depend on to treat infections, like antibiotics. The threat posed by antimicrobial resistance is expected to cause more deaths than cancer by mid-century, prompting a meeting of world leaders at the UN on Wednesday. A critical part of our fight against antimicrobial resistance is fixing what we eat.

Micro-organisms are breeding faster than we can invent new antimicrobials. The facts are frightening. E. coli breeds a new generation every 23 minutes yet we haven't developed a new class of antibiotic for diseases like E. coli in 40 years. Harvard Medical School illustrated this by demonstrating how a 2x4 feet petri dish can quickly be overwhelmed by resistant new strains of the disease. The antimicrobial development pipeline is dry, and the food industry -- the single largest consumer of antimicrobials -- must bear responsibility for preserving the effectiveness of these life-saving drugs.

Antimicrobial-resistant diseases pose grave threats to world health -- a big problem now but even bigger for the next generation. An estimated 700,000 people died of resistant diseases last year. A report commissioned by the UK Government predicts this will grow to 10 million by 2050 if nothing is done.

Our food is part of the solution. The more that antimicrobials are used as animal growth promoters and for preventative reasons, the less that antimicrobials can be preserved for curing disease in humans and animals. In the United States, over two-thirds of antibiotics are used in pigs, chicken, cattle and other livestock. Over 700 million pigs are slaughtered a year in China, most raised in farms routinely treated with the same antibiotics we tell doctors to prescribe judiciously to patients.

The EAT Foundation brings together scientists, politicians and business leaders to catalyze and implement solutions to feed the world sustainably. In June 2016 EAT hosted expert veterinarians, microbiologists, politicians and representatives from the food industry at a forum in Stockholm. The evidence was clear: antimicrobials are overused in agriculture, and this is worsening antimicrobial resistance, threatening human health. Antimicrobial overuse in one country leads to more resistant diseases that cross borders. May's grim discovery of E. coli resistant to the last-resort antibiotic colistin in the United States illustrates this.

The good news is that we know what works. While 100% antibiotic-free is not the goal -- proper infection control will require some antibiotics to treat sick animals -- the EAT Stockholm Food Forum showcased how several countries have phased out unnecessary antibiotic use whilst increasing food production.

Pooling funds to develop fish vaccines effectively eliminated the need for most antibiotics in Norwegian salmon farming. Allowing only veterinarians to prescribe antimicrobials for animals was one of the measures that allowed Denmark to dramatically reduce its antimicrobial use whilst growing its pork industry. Establishing strong targets allowed the Netherlands to make a 56% reduction in antimicrobial use in animals over six years. Antimicrobials are now only sparingly used for producing food in these countries. Yet many countries remain slow to adopt the bold policy changes needed to halt the spread of these diseases, hence the opportunity at this week's Heads of Government meeting at the UN.

What comes out of the UN will be important. The international community needs to loudly declare that the science is strong enough for action on farms. The draft declaration states that animal health is an intrinsic part of the problem and solution. In its words, antimicrobial resistance is "mainly due to inappropriate use of antimicrobial medicines in human, animal, food, agriculture and aquaculture sectors." And the problem is of serious global, non-partisan concern: "Many 20th century achievements are being gravely challenged."

The UN's draft declaration, by supporting the Global Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance, also tacitly supports phasing out the use of antimicrobials as growth promoters in meat, a risky practice that can offer very small production gains in lieu of better conditions on farms. The European Union implemented this necessary ban in 2006. The UN's declaration won't go as far as Nordic countries have -- for instance, limiting the number of days an antibiotic can be prescribed -- but we need to head in that direction.

You can make a difference too. Have you thought about how antibiotics are used in your food? Choosing to buy groceries that don't come out of antibiotic-heavy factory farms sends a message that you don't want to be a part of compromising our children's health.

But without consistent labelling, how can you make the right choice? In response to consumer pressure, some food companies have been vocal about reducing their over-reliance on antimicrobials. On August 1 McDonald's announced that it had phased out the routine use of medically important antimicrobials in chicken sourced for its American restaurants, a year earlier than planned. Chain Reaction is a report on fast food restaurant's antimicrobial practices. Choosing food that states "raised without antibiotics" is a start. Intensive farms tend to use more antimicrobials: opt for grass-fed or free range meat or eggs instead. Another choice is to reduce or cut out meat altogether.

As world leaders discuss the urgent challenge of antimicrobial resistance at the UN, consumers can act now. Governments and the food industry are listening: use your food choices to tell them to keep antibiotics effective.


Darian Woods graduated in 2016 with a Master of Public Policy from University of California, Berkeley. His thesis, commissioned by the EAT Foundation, investigates how the agricultural industry contributes to antimicrobial resistance and what can be done about it.

Dr Sudhvir Singh has a background in Internal Medicine and is the Policy Director of the EAT Foundation.

Thanks to Dr Anthony So (Director, ReAct - Action on Antibiotics) for helpful comments in drafting this article.


This post is part of a series produced by The Huffington Post and the EAT Foundation, in conjunction with the high-level side event, "Urban Food Systems: The Nutrition Challenge," during the 71st United Nations General Assembly in New York. The EATx at UNGA is a collaboration with the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. #EATx #eatforum

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

 
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https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/09/160919144140.htm  
Mosquito preference for human versus animal biting has genetic basis  
Mosquitoes are more likely to feed on cattle than on humans if they carry a specific chromosomal rearrangement in their genome. This reduces their odds of transmitting the malaria parasite, according to a new study.  
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http://www.huffingtonpost.com/karin-krchnak/tick-tock-healthy-water-a_b_12088798.html?utm_hp_ref=green&ir=Green  
Tick-Tock: Healthy Water and the SDGs  
It only seems like a New York minute since the 17 Global Goals for Sustainable Development were adopted, but this week marks the one-year anniversary as the UN General Assembly (UNGA) meets in the Big Apple to discuss, among other things, how the implementation of the SDGs is progressing and the obstacles in the way to achieving them.

One year down, fourteen to go - as I said, tick-tock. While I'm watching the clock, I'm also thinking how the global community can keep progress moving in the right direction. Clearly, one major way we can help meet all 17 goals is to invest early in water security.


Photo Credit: © Meridith Kohut/WWF-US

Contribution deadline

At the High Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development in New York earlier this year, Elizabeth Stuart from the Overseas Development Institute said, "Agenda 2030 implementation is like a pension...the longer you leave paying in, the less rewards you see." Those words struck a chord and got me thinking about how the principles behind 401(k) accounts in the US can also be applied to water security. It's better to invest in protection early and often than have to invest in restoration or other fixes to solve problems later down the line. But, when is the contribution deadline for investing in water and sustainable development? Two, five, or ten years from now when it will be too late? These are the questions we should be asking.

Balancing act

The biggest challenge for the global community in making contributions to the SDGs is balancing the competing uses of water; ensuring that the needs of everyone, particularly the poorest and most vulnerable, are met while maintaining secure and healthy ecosystems. Conservation depends on healthy communities that sustainably manage their natural resources. At the same time, the long-term sustainability of development projects depends on integrating these projects with surrounding ecosystems. When water projects are created in silos, taps run dry; untreated waste pollutes drinking water and habitats; and both large- and community-scale infrastructure fail in the face of climate change. When integrated, these projects help protect freshwater ecosystems, which provide the basis for clean water supply, flood control, food and numerous other services people depend upon.

With this in mind, it's easy to see why water is a recurring theme running through most of the 17 goals. We should look at the water related targets in every goal to ensure that they can be all be achieved through the unique approaches each country will use to tackle them.

Transparency paper or practice?

Another obstacle on the road to achieving the goals is transparency. Decisions about water are too frequently made without adequate information, behind closed doors, and at the expense of basin health and vulnerable communities. We know that when information about river basin health is synthesized and delivered via a practical public platform that everyone understands, stakeholders are empowered to improve decision-making. In an era of data democratization and increased civil activism, we as a water community need to promote tools and processes that bring more transparency and collaboration to water management if we are ever to meet our 2030 deadline.

Basin report cards are a powerful tool for transparency and one of the ways WWF is contributing to achieving the SDGs, working with our partners at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Sciences (UMCES). Developed from the bottom-up and rooted in science, report cards identify what is most important to water users in a given basin, create a common understanding of the basin's health, incorporate indicators on climate change and resiliency, and foster a shared vision for the basin's future.

These report cards give us a baseline against which to measure progress toward the SDGs and provide data that is essential to meeting them. This data will assure existing funders that their money is being well-spent, and encourage prospective partners to contribute. Finally, because each report card will be a hyper-local effort, community engagement and collaboration across water users are prerequisite. And the best part? You don't have to be a hydrologist to know how the river is doing and where it's headed.

A collective water story

With the UNGA and Clinton Global Initiative, all eyes are on New York this month. Water will be on everyone's agenda, but thankfully the conversations around our global water crisis won't be confined to conference halls and meeting rooms.

To bring the story of our global water crisis to the people, I'm helping launch our new outdoor photography exhibition Water Stories by Mustafah Abdulaziz on September 21 as part of Photoville - using stunning large scale images lit up by the East River at Brooklyn Bridge Park. The exhibition is the result of collaboration with the HSBC Water Programme, in partnership with Earthwatch, WaterAid, and WWF. It also happens to coincide with NYC Climate Week, further highlighting the growing water challenges across America and the world.

Despite the loud ticking clock and the hefty investment that will be needed to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, WWF's efforts won't stop until we have helped the water community meet the growing global challenges and ensure the availability and sustainable management of water for all.

This post is part of a series produced by The Huffington Post to mark the occasion of the one-year anniversary of the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs, or, officially, "Transforming Our World: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development"). The SDGs represent an historic agreement -- a wide-ranging roadmap to sustainability covering 17 goals and 169 targets -- but stakeholders must also be held accountable for their commitments. To see all the posts in the series, visit here.


Photo Credit: © Meridith Kohut/WWF-US


Photo Credit: © Meridith Kohut/WWF-US


Photo Credit: © Meridith Kohut/WWF-US

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

 
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http://voices.nationalgeographic.com/2016/09/19/what-to-expect-at-cites-a-sneak-peak-at-upcoming-endangered-species-meeting/  
What to Expect at CITES: A Sneak Peak at Upcoming Endangered Species Meeting  

Even for experienced eyes, sifting through the roughly 200 documents to be considered at the upcoming Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) 17^thConference of Parties (CoP17) is a challenge.

CITES protects about 5,600 animal species and 30,000 plant species through restrictions on commercial trade, and much discussion at the meeting, to be held September 24 to October 5 in Johannesburg, South Africa, will concentrate on whether to tighten or loosen trade restrictions for specific species.

There are 62 such proposals, which would affect close to 500 species, ranging from tropical timbers like rosewood and agarwood to marine species like corals, nautiluses, sharks, and rays to iconic mammals like African elephants and lions, and lesser known ones like pangolins, as well as a host of reptiles and amphibians.

Delegates from the 183 parties to the treaty will review assessments on the threats from trade and then decide whether or not to include the proposed animals and plants in one of three appendices, each with a differing level of protection. The most stringent, Appendix I, prohibits commercial trade in wild-taken species, not ones bred in captivity or propagated artificially. The next level is Appendix II, which limits trade through permits. Appendix III provides international support to help a country enforce its national controls.

Another category of issues to be discussed are the various measures to reduce illegal trade by changing the way trade is managed, such as recognizing the link between corruption and wildlife crime, establishing systems to stop wild-caught animals from mixing with captive-bred ones in the trade, and developing a photo identification database to identify seized tiger skins.

Here are some items to watch:

• First up are a number of proposals related to African elephants. Expected to be contentious, they will likely take up a good portion of energy at the meeting. The most publicized are three listing proposals, but also on the agenda are proposals to regulate trade in mammoth ivory, destroy ivory stockpiles, close legal domestic ivory markets, target ivory demand reduction strategies, restrict the use of live animal exports, and create a decision-making mechanism for a future ivory trade.

Currently, all African elephants are included in Appendix I, except for those in four countries: Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe—which are included in Appendix II. Despite that designation, an annotation to the listing keeps their ivory in Appendix I, which bans its sale. (It is interesting to note that that same annotation allowed two ivory sales from those four countries on the condition that they not propose any additional commercial ivory sales until 2017.)

Two of the proposals seek to remove the annotation for Namibia and Zimbabwe so that their elephants can have “straight-up” Appendix II listing, which in turn could allow more ivory sales. A third proposal takes the opposite approach, and seeks to move the populations of the four countries to Appendix I, thereby removing the need for the annotation and maintaining the existing ban on international trade in ivory. The catch is that even if this last proposal is adopted, a country can “enter a reservation” (which it can do with any species listing), allowing it to reject the listing while not violating the entire treaty.

Also controversial are two proposals related to an ivory decision-making mechanism. In 2007, CITES began thinking about how to set rules for the future authorization of ivory trading. The idea was to have criteria that applied to all requests rather than having to make decisions on a country-by-country basis. Work on that mechanism was supposed to be completed by 2013, but disagreements led to an extension of the deadline until this CITES meeting. But a persistent lack of progress and agreement has prompted eight African countries to propose that the entire idea be dropped, which Namibia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe don't want. They propose adoption of a mechanism and say that if one is not adopted, they will consider the annotation (that keeps their ivory in Appendix I) as pro non scripto, meaning “as though it had not been written”—in effect opening up trade.

• Also sure to spark interest is the continued shift toward using CITES to regulate commercially valuable timber, as embodied in five proposals on rosewood (Dalbergia) that could affect about 250 species. One of the proposals wants to list all the species in that genus under Appendix II (except for those already in Appendix I), and the four others focus on various subsets of the species, such as one for 13 species native to Mexico and Central America.

• Sharks and rays will also be considered. High demand for gill plates has led to a proposal to include all devil rays (Mobula) in Appendix II. Two additional proposals seek Appendix II listings for silky and thresher sharks. But the road forward for these shark species will likely be bumpy, especially when compared to the listing of five shark species at the last CoP, largely because questions remain as to whether silky and thresher sharks meet the criteria for inclusion.

• Following the IUCN Red List's 2016 assessment that all pangolin species are critically endangered, range states seek to give all pangolin species the highest level of protection. Arguably the most trafficked mammal, five proposals (two on Indian pangolins, one on Philippine pangolins, one on Chinese and Sunda pangolins, and one on all four African species) seek to transfer these scaly anteaters from Appendix II to Appendix I.

• African lions are also on the agenda. A drop in populations prompted nine African states to propose their transfer from Appendix II to Appendix I to ban all trade in African lions and their parts. In addition, there are a couple of other proposals related to regulation on the harvest and export of lion hunting trophies.

• Heated debate surrounding legalizing rhino horn trade will likely be spurred by several side events and by Swaziland's proposal to alter its listing for its rhinoceros populations so that it could sell horn from natural deaths, seizures, and non-lethal harvests. Other rhino-related measures seek to add strong new provisions on fake horn, increase penalties to deter killing and trafficking, encourage data sharing on rhino horn seizures, systematize sample collection for forensic analysis of horn, implement stricter domestic controls to regulate the re-export of rhino horn, and account for and secure rhino horn stocks.

• African grey parrots are another species to watch. Highly sought after as pets for their intelligence, these parrots have experienced significant declines across their range in central and West Africa. A proposal sponsored by nine countries asks to transfer the species to Appendix I in order to stop the unsustainable commercial trade in these wild birds.

The above represent just a fraction of a very full agenda at CoP 17, and numerous other items up for consideration will have a critical impact for years to come. Little wonder that CITES Secretary-General John Scanlon has described it as “one of the most critical meetings in the 43 year history of the Convention.”

We will keep tabs on the proceedings and post regular updates from Johannesburg here.

Laurel Neme is a freelance journalist and author of Animal Investigators: How the World's First Wildlife Forensics Lab Is Solving Crimes and Saving Endangered Species and Orangutan Houdini. Follow her on Twitter and Facebook.

The National Geographic Special Investigations Unit (SIU) is dedicated to shining light on commercial-scale exploitation of wildlife and other valued resources, identifying weaknesses in national and international efforts to protect wildlife, and empowering institutions and individuals working for a better world. Stories cover a range of human activity, from crime to heroism.

You can find all of the SIU's stories at Wildlife Watch. Click here to meet the team.

 
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http://www.huffingtonpost.com/greater-good-science-center/can-a-change-in-mindset-h_b_12089440.html  
Greater Good Science Center: Can a Change in Mindset Help Teens De-stress?  
By Sarah Wheeler

The hallways of high school often feel like battlegrounds--with potential social stressors lurking around every corner. When teens g...

Read more: Teens, De-Stress, Mindset, Change, Research, Excluded, Environment, Popularity, Social Stress, Discussion, Healthy Living News

 
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http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2016/09/19/infinity-burial-suit_n_12088808.html  
This Mushroom Suit Absorbs Your Body After You Die  
...

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https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/09/160917132341.htm  
Reptilian anachronism: American alligator older than we thought  
From climate to the peninsula's very shape, not much in Florida has stayed the same over the last 8 million years. Except, it turns out, alligators.  
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http://99u.com/articles/54421/dont-let-email-zombies-eat-up-your-day/  
Don't Let Email Zombies Eat Up Your Day  

Let's face it: Email is killing our productivity. The average person checks their inbox 11 times per hour, processes 122 messages a day, and spends 28 percent of their total workweek managing their inbox. Outside of work, more than 80% of workers monitor their email over the weekend, nearly 60% tend to their inboxes on vacation, and 6% admit to checking email while their wife was in labor or during a funeral. So much for life's precious moments!

And for those of you who think that Slack is killing email, think again. Recent projections suggest that worldwide email usage will grow by 12% in the coming years. What's more, it ain't just the “olds” who are obsessed with email. It turns out that email addiction is more—rather than less—prevalent among the younger generation. One recent study found that millennials are more frequent users of email than any other age group: They are more likely check email from bed (70%), from the bathroom (57%), or—most disturbingly—while driving (27%).

Like some evil workplace zombie, email is literally sucking away our time, our attention, and our energy. Frustrated by its debilitating impact on our working lives, I spent a year delving into the science behind our email addiction for my new book, Unsubscribe. These are four of my favorite research-backed strategies for minimizing the time you spend on email and maximizing the hours you spend on meaningful work.

1. Check your email in “batches” for less stress and more happiness. 

There are two types of emailers: reactors, who rely on notifications and near-constant monitoring of their inboxes to nibble away at their email throughout the day, and batchers, who set aside specific chunks of time to power through their email, so they can ignore it the rest of the day. Not surprisingly, batchers are significantly more productive when it comes to getting shit done, and according to recent research, they're also less stressed and more happy.

To get yourself into the groove of batching, try blocking out two to three daily email check-in times on your calendar, perhaps 30 minutes a piece. If at all possible, schedule an additional 45-90 minutes for creative work before you check your email for the first time. Then, when you do turn your attention to your inbox, no matter what you find there—what fires you have to put out, what unwanted questions you have to respond to—you've already gotten some good work done that day.

2. Neutralize your “fear of missing out” by using VIP email notifications.

If you'd like to stick to specific blocks of time for checking email, but you have a special someone who will freak out if you don't tend to their email within five minutes of receiving it—or if the whole idea of ignoring your inbox just makes you too anxious—compromise by using VIP notifications. On an iPhone, you can designate certain people as VIPs so their emails go to a separate VIP inbox. You can also configure your notifications to play a special tone when that inbox gets a message. If you have an Android phone, you can use the Gmail app to set up a similar system for notifications when messages arrive from designated “priority senders.”

And your VIPs don't have to be fixed. I change mine regularly based on what projects have priority at the moment and what I'm feeling anxious about. If I notice I can't stop peeking at my inbox because I want to know if I scored the dream apartment I just applied for, or I'm awaiting a time-sensitive reply from a client for a project that's on deadline, then I just pop that person onto my VIP list. Now I no longer have to monitor my inbox like a maniac because I know I'll be alerted as soon as the message arrives.

3. Boost your focus by closing your email when you're doing other tasks.

Research has shown that just having your email program open in the background of your computer screen as you focus on another task, even if the window is minimized, can decrease performance. Even if your email isn't front and center, your brain still knows it's there in the background and devotes a certain amount of energy to monitoring it, which drains your focus for executing on the task at hand.

Avoid such distractions by quarantining your email in a separate area from your main workspace. This might mean setting up a separate monitor just for email or checking your email only on a mobile phone or tablet. Checking your email in a physically separate space can actually make your incoming messages—and any attendant anxiety or urgency—feel more distant and less pressing. The less cluttered your primary work screen is, the more serene your mind is, and the easier it is to focus.

Pro Tip: This advice about “quarantining” apps with constant push notifications also applies to Slack or other collaborative apps that emit constant notifications and updates. The tax on your attention is lower if you keep them running on a separate, glance-able screen nearby (or on your phone if a second screen isn't an option) rather than on your primary computer screen. It sounds silly, but interruptions sabotage your short-term memory, so one of the problems that sets us back is literally remembering what we were just working on. If your primary screen is reserved for your primary task, rather than buried under a bunch of Slack and social media windows, you're more likely to be able to return to it quickly after an interruption.

4. Know that multi-tasking with email reduces your IQ and your creativity.

Every time you stop doing a task you are working on to check your email, you incur what researchers call a “switching cost.” Particularly if you're doing any kind of work that requires deep concentration (aka creative flow) such as writing, coding, or assembling a presentation, it typically takes at least 25 minutes to get properly back into the task after you've interrupted yourself. (I'm no great shakes at math, but I'm pretty sure that means if you check your email twice while doing an hour of creative work, you've basically gotten nowhere.) Another study done in the UK found that when people tried to juggle managing their inbox with doing their work, their IQ fell by 10 points—the equivalent of working without a night of sleep or smoking reefer on the job. So the next time you want to interrupt yourself for a quick glance at your inbox, remember that it could literally make you dumber.

—

This post is adapted from the book Unsubscribe: How to Kill Email Anxiety, Avoid Distraction, and Get Real Work Done, by Jocelyn K. Glei, the founding editor of 99U and author of Manage Your Day-to-Day. It's available on Amazon now.

 
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https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/picture/2016/sep/19/steve-bells-if-watson-d2s-booby-trap-for-jez-bi-wan-corbyn  
Steve Bell's If ... Watson-D2's booby-trap for Jez Bi-Wan Corbyn  
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https://www.pinterest.com/pin/255016397629547770/  
Shop for Osmo Mobile  

Shop for Osmo Mobile + Tripod + Extension Rod on the official DJI Online Store…

 
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http://thenextweb.com/dd/2016/09/19/coding-game/  
Want to get better at coding? You just need to play this game  

Coding is the new English. At least, that's what websites like Codecademy want you to think. But maybe you've held off on trying to improve your coding skills, because you still thought it wasn't fun enough. Turns out there's no excuse for you anymore. With Codingame, you practice your coding skills by playing an in-browser shooter game. The challenge is to defeat the enemies coming at your ship by putting in the right commands in the console to the right. There are multiple code languages to choose from like C++, Javascript, PHP and Swift. Depending on what you pick, the game changes…

This story continues at The Next Web  
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http://thenextweb.com/mobile/2016/09/19/nyc-emergency-alert/  
Smartphones in NYC get emergency alert in search for bombing suspect  

This morning around 8:00 AM EST most smartphone owners in the New York area were surprised to receive an emergency alert on their device. Because of the loud sound it makes even when the phone is muted, it shook a lot of people during their morning commute. On the subway, everyone's phones went off simultaneously w/emergency alert about Ahmad Khan Rahami. Like something out of a dystopian movie — Pamela Engel (@PamEngel12) September 19, 2016 It's the first time this kind an emergency alert has been sent to aid the search for a wanted suspect — normally the system is used only in…

This story continues at The Next Web  
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http://twitter.com/DavidMaxBraun/status/777945676290326528 
What to Expect at CITES: A Sneak Peak at Upcoming Endangered Species Meeting https://t.co/K33ez78H5v via @NatGeo 
https://t.co/K33ez78H5v 

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http://www.notimpossiblenow.com/the-latest/hunger-not-impossible  
NOT IMPOSSIBLE LABS LAUNCHES PROGRAM TO FEED HUNGRY YOUTH AND VETERANS  
Hunger: Not Impossible leverages mobile technology to give homeless or food-insecure youth and vets access to healthy, ready-to-eat meals.Sunday, September 18, New York, NY Today at the UN Social Good Summit, Not Impossible Labs announced its latest project, Hunger: Not Impossible (HNI), ...

Continue reading

 
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http://movieposteroftheday.tumblr.com/post/150631584737  
US one sheet for THE ALCHEMIST COOKBOOK (Joel Potrykus, USA,...  

US one sheet for THE ALCHEMIST COOKBOOK (Joel Potrykus, USA, 2016)

Designer: Juan Miguel Marin

Poster source: IMPAwards

 
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British quad for FAHRENHEIT 451 (François Truffaut, UK,...  

British quad for FAHRENHEIT 451 (François Truffaut, UK, 1966)

Designer: unknown

Poster source: Posteritati

 
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http://twitter.com/GlobalInspirers/status/777938180540686336 
What to Expect at CITES: A Sneak Peak at Upcoming Endangered Species Meeting https://t.co/o4zFJ2Km0D 
https://t.co/o4zFJ2Km0D 

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http://twitter.com/wilsonvoight/status/777934695510249472 
What to Expect at CITES: A Sneak Peak at Upcoming Endangered Species Meeting https://t.co/6pCGl5t2kR 
https://t.co/6pCGl5t2kR 

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http://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/photos-of-the-day-sept-19-2016/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_photos-of-the-day  
Photos of the Day: Sept. 19, 2016  

Explore the news of the day with these images from around the world.  
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http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/theatlantic/infocus/~3/-Z6EFFJPkKI/  
Far From the War, Yemen's Remote Mountain Villages (21 photos)  

For nearly two years now, Yemen has been torn by a ferocious war involving rebel forces, extremist groups, government militias, and foreign bombing campaigns. For the majority of Yemenis who live in the countryside, far from the centers of fighting, life was difficult to begin with, and for many, the war has had little impact. Reuters photographer Abduljabbar Zeyad recently traveled to western Yemen to photograph the lives of some of these villagers as they work, study, and play, high on Dhalamlam Mountain.

 
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http://www.huffingtonpost.com/eric-holt-gimenez/the-monsanto-merger-blues_b_12039050.html?utm_hp_ref=green&ir=Green  
The Monsanto Merger Blues  
This week, hundreds of farmers from the National Farmers Union are converging on Washington DC to plead with decision makers to say "no" to a blockbusting roster of agribusiness mergers.

Farmers--and consumers--have reason to worry. This level of corporate consolidation will give these companies unprecedented power over our farms, our land and our food.

Chemical giant Bayer has just announced its intention to purchase Monsanto, the world's leading seed and pesticide supplier. Not to be left behind, DuPont and Dow, and Syngenta and ChemChina--the rest of the "Big Six" that already control 51% of seed and 72% of the pesticides in the international market--are in frantic merger negotiations. If they consolidate, three companies would control nearly 60% of the world's seeds. Why the rush to merge? Saturated markets have dropped profit margins. Corporate consolidation is the only way to increase returns to shareholders.

None of this has anything to do with feeding people.

We already produce 1 ½ times more than enough food to feed every person on the planet. Unfortunately, over a billion of the world's people are too poor to buy this food - so they go hungry. Corporate mergers aren't going to change that.

As suppliers consolidate, farmers lose power and choice and get stuck with high input prices and no alternatives at a time of painfully low grain prices. The only way to make their bottom line is to expand operations, getting ever bigger to cover their fixed costs. It's the way of capitalist agriculture. Too bad for young farmers seeking to break into agriculture--the land and technology bar has just been raised again. Monopolization increases the tendency of land consolidation- which means bigger farms and fewer farmers.

Seeds, inputs, machinery, financing, insurance, and big data provided by the corporate giants are made to deliver larger and larger batches of uniform products to retailers, that are also consolidating and vertically integrating. (Even Amazon, who is recruiting an army of agronomists, is planning to sell food through huge supply centers, where taxis and drones will ultimately deliver food to consumers.)

Big food and ag corporations need big farms and big (expensive) technology. Where will farmers get the money to upgrade? Land.

Banks now hold workshops in which they advise producers to sell their land as a business measure to recapitalize operations. They urge farmers to "financialize" by selling the US heartland to international investors whose time horizon is governed by the click of a mouse. Land will concentrate in the hands of those looking to reap profits from hundreds of thousands of land transactions carried out in the cybersphere far from the farms, the consumers seeking healthy, sustainably produced food, and beyond the empty bellies of the world's poor.

Institutional investors have already bought about $40 billion of agricultural land - they'd buy more if they could, but many farmers aren't yet willing to sell. In five years, however, 63% of agricultural land will be inherited or sold. The question is, who will take over? Financial investors or family farmers?

Right now, the front line of resistance to the continued corporatization and consolidation of agriculture in the United States is the commodity producer of corn and soybeans - the family farmers that are in Washington DC this week with the National Farmers Union voicing opposition to consolidation of the industry that determines their livelihoods.

But it's not just their livelihoods that are impacted by these potential mergers - it's our food and agricultural system as a whole. Food activists seeking to transform our food and agricultural system need to stand with those on the frontlines against the continued corporatization and financialization of agriculture. Contrary to the food movement's "good food" narrative, this means allying with conventional family farmers, especially those stuck on the pesticide-GMO-subsidy treadmill the movement so vehemently excoriates. We've got a lot to learn from them:

Family farmers have been pushing back against the corporate takeover of agriculture for more than a century. If farmers find a way to make money, the industry will find a way to take its cut. You saw it happen to commodity farmers when prices were high several years ago, and you see it now with large processors and big box retailers wanting to profit from the organic and sustainable food movement that farmers built. If farmers voluntarily pit themselves against each other because we are growing different things or using different production methods, the only winner will be the corporate food system. It's not easy to bring a diverse group of farmers - conventional commodities, livestock, dairy, fruits & vegetables, organic - together under one big tent. But we do it because we are fighting for the survival of the family farm, and we can't afford to choose up sides against each other.

- Jana Linderman, President Iowa Farmers Union

As far as corporate consolidation goes, it is time for the food movement to tactically align itself with the family farm movement, and with organizations like the National Farmers Union. It is in everyone's interest to keep the monopolies from consolidating, and ultimately to keep farmland ownership in the hands of farmers--not financial investors. This may be a bitter pill for some, but it is a far sight better than turning over our food system to corporate shareholders and financial investors.

Food and agricultural activists are calling on the US Department of Justice to evoke antitrust laws and stop the merger. Now is the time for the food movement to ally with those whose livelihoods depend upon stopping the continued financialization and corporatization of agriculture. Our food future depends on it.

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River at Risk: Oil, Gas, Nukes Threaten New York Health  


The Hudson River is under threat, again. Just when we thought we were in the clear - and that river towns up and down the Hudson Valley could enjoy scenic river views for restaurants, new housing, parks and other critical economic development - we're playing defense, again. Oil barges, nuclear plants and gas pipelines all now threaten the integrity of the river.

Remember that not too long ago the river was the dumping ground for toxics and municipal waste and that it's still recovering from General Electric's inexcusable release of PCBs into public waters. Had it not been for Hudson Valley voices - like the Riverkeeper and those who care about Clearwater (thank you, Pete Seeger) - we'd still have sludge and fecal matter floating by Manhattan.

Now it's a different kind of threat. While it's not sewage, it's equally serious, if not more so. It's oil, it's nuclear and it's gas. Ignore for a moment that these are all wrong directions for our energy transition - as non-renewable, toxic and expensive fuels - they're all threatening the critical health of the Hudson River.

First and foremost, oil is the most urgent threat. The U.S. Coast Guard is keen to let the oil industry now use the river for crude oil transport and build 43 berths in 10 locations along the Hudson River. The potential for oil spills is real and frightening (for both human and marine life), and the Coast Guard's move also threatens to scrape and scar the river bottom (with anchors and anchor chains) and further endanger sturgeon and other critical species.

The oil industry, to be clear, is already pushing oil pipelines on land throughout the Hudson Valley, moving volatile crude oil on rail (known as "bomb trains") and putting our river at immediate risk. Now the industry, aided and abetted by the Coast Guard, wants to escalate this volatile equation and place more oil precariously on the water, a bet that no elected official in their right mind should wage. We can put a stop to this, and should, by telling a taxpayer-funded agency, the Coast Guard, to guard against industry interest and protect the greater good, our river, and all the human and marine health and economies that depend on it. (Send your comments to the Coast Guard here.)

Second, nuclear plants are currently killing billions of fish, eggs and larvae in the river. Power plants along the Hudson River are withdrawing 1.2 trillion gallons every year. Sound benign? It's not. Yet, the industry-friendly Nuclear Regulatory Commission refuses to protect public interest. Plants like Entergy's Indian Point nuclear power plant, which continues to break down and leak radioactive waste and sit insecurely a few dozen miles north of Manhattan, use the river's water to cool their facilities and discharge the heated water back into the Hudson - killing billions of organisms annually. Unlike humans, our Hudson fish hate hot tubs.

It doesn't have to be this way, but we continue to allow private industry to use public assets to pay for this problem. It's time for that to end and to support New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo's call for shutting down Indian Point (and Riverkeeper's work to protect millions of New Yorkers from nuclear disaster).

Third, a high pressure Spectra Energy pipeline, carrying fracked gas for export (so that other countries can have higher carbon footprints) is expanding under the Hudson and adjacent to the failing Indian Point nuclear facility, making a combustible situation even more volatile. While New York's Senators Chuck Schumer and Kristen Gillibrand and Governor Cuomo have called for a halt to the pipeline construction, because of the "threat to the quality of life, environmental, health and safety of residents across the Hudson Valley and New York State without any long-term benefit to the communities it would impact," the construction continues.

Spectra Energy is leaving in its wake destroyed wetlands, clear-cut forests and increasingly endangered Hudson Valley health (don't get me started on the toxic particulates the pipeline will exhaust near my neighboring hometown of Peekskill). Most disconcertingly, the high-pressure pipeline runs within bomb shot of Indian Point's aging nuclear plant, making our region a sitting duck for those who wish to do serious damage. Again, our taxpayer funded Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, a close friend of the private industry, refuses to protect public interest. This, too, must end. (Find out more about how to protect fellow New Yorkers here.)

The fight to protect our Hudson River is back on. In fact, it never ended, but it feels like we're back in the mid-1900s again. This time with different contaminants and dangers, all of which pose serious security and safety risks to human and Hudson River health. We don't need another superfund site but rather serious foresight to ensure that cleanups don't become a river town pastime. Calling on all who care. It's time to rise up for our river.

Michael Shank, PhD, is a resident of Peekskill in the Hudson Valley and teaches sustainable development NYU's Center for Global Affairs.

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Egg by Antonett Ewan

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