Sustainable food production

Today the UN presented findings of the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment project, an effort aimed at gauging the health of the world's ecosystems and how human activity is affecting it.

(I find it interesting that this posting on sustainable food production follows yesterday's posting on humane food production which referred to a previous posting about my favorite bologna. How's that for a progression?)

From the press release:

A landmark study released today reveals that approximately 60 percent of the ecosystem services that support life on Earth – such as fresh water, capture fisheries, air and water regulation, and the regulation of regional climate, natural hazards and pests – are being degraded or used unsustainably. Scientists warn that the harmful consequences of this degradation could grow significantly worse in the next 50 years.

“Any progress achieved in addressing the goals of poverty and hunger eradication, improved health, and environmental protection is unlikely to be sustained if most of the ecosystem services on which humanity relies continue to be degraded,” said the study,  Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA) Synthesis Report, conducted by 1,300 experts from 95 countries. It specifically states that the ongoing degradation of ecosystem services is a road block to the Millennium Development Goals agreed to by the world leaders at the United Nations in 2000.

In other words, the degradation of the environment and the unsustainable exploitation of natural resources will keep us from making progress toward eliminating poverty, hunger, disease, and war. And things might get a lot worse during the lifetimes of many people who are alive today. Great.

One of the main findings:

Humans have changed ecosystems more rapidly and extensively in the last 50 years than in any other period. This was done largely to meet rapidly growing demands for food, fresh water, timber, fiber and fuel. More land was converted to agriculture since 1945 than in the 18th and 19th centuries combined. More than half of all the synthetic nitrogen fertilizers, first made in 1913, ever used on the planet has been used since 1985. Experts say that this resulted in a substantial and largely irreversible loss in diversity of life on Earth, with some 10 to 30 percent of the mammal, bird and amphibian species currently threatened with extinction.

Humane food production

Today I had an interesting conversation over a sushi lunch with one of my coworkers. We got to talking about how Big Agriculture is responsible for inhumane treatment of livestock, exploitative treatment of food industry workers, and exploitative treatment of farmers.

I must admit, neither I nor my coworker is vegetarian. Just look at my posting from the other day. See? (I hope I never find out how Romanian makes their sausages.) But we consume our animal protein with some amount of guilt. Because agriculture is more cruel than it needs to be.

When I got home from work, I opened up the Tribune. On the front page is a story that noted chef Charlie Trotter has decided to take foie gras off the menu because of the way ducks are mistreated. Now, that kind of cuisine is a bit beyond my means, so Trotter's decision won't affect me directly. But still, good for Charlie! The article offered the differing opinion of another chef, Rick Tramonto, who was quoted as saying, with respect to the raising of veal calves, "Yes, there are certain farms that are going to treat those veal better than others, but still at the end of the day, it's killing thoes babies, right?"

Hmm... I guess it doesn't matter if anyone mistreats me, since, at the end of the day, I'll end up in the grave anyway. Right?

More diversions...

When I'm feeling blue, and my nose runs, and it seems like spring will never arrive, where do I find comfort? The Fish Keg! (Where else?) Friday night I picked up some fried shrimp from the Fish Keg, whose shrimp I have been enjoying for thrity years. Mmmm.... to me, this is the very definition of comfort food. In all the years I've been going there, it has not changed, and the shrimp, packed in a brown paper bag, has never disappointed. This small, no-frills carryout is a rock of stability on the north side of Chicago. (You can read a review here.)

As long as I'm on the subject of food, another one of my favorite places is just a short distance away, not far from the Jarvis Red Line stop: Romanian Kosher Sausage Company. Its nondescript brick building at the corner of Touhy and Clark does little to invite the passerby. But try their salami, bologna, or knockwurst; you'll be hard pressed to find better. Some of the big supermarket chains around Chicago carry Romanian products, but the Rogers Park store has the best, most reliable selection.

Diversions

Looking down the "previous posts" lists, I notice I've been writing quite a bit about social justice issues. Heavy stuff. I need a break from that.

One of my guilty pleasures lately is Homestar Runner. (Note how it has a welcome page!) You'll need a fairly good computer and a high speed internet connection to fully appreciate this site.

Homestar Runner is a site created by a couple of guys, "The Brothers Chaps," who do a lot of cool stuff with Macromedia Flash. I think it's a full time job for them, financed by revenues from the Homestar Runner store, where you can get your very own Trogdor T-shirt. (Trogdor the Burninator is a dragon created by another character named Strong Bad.) That a lot of time is put into it is evident by the quality of the work.

Last week, the Brothers Chaps released a new Flash-based game that is, as usual, a work of genius: Stinkoman 20X6! If, back in the late '80s, you never had the opportunity to play on a Sega or a Nintendo system, now you can see what you missed, and you don't even need to shell out the bucks for the game controller and cartridges. Back when I was in college, my roommate had a Sega system, and the look and feel of this Stinkoman game is dead on. It even has the bad English translations!

Bush won?

Andersonville Neighbors for Peace is organizing a forum on election fraud. The forum is to be held on April 7 at 7pm at the North Shore Baptist Church at the corner of Berwyn and Lakewood in Chicago. Speakers include Dr. Lora Chamberlain of the Illinois Progressive Democrats and Dr. Ron Baiman, author of "United States of Ukraine?" Their thesis is that fraud took place in the 2004 presidential election, and that the fraud tilted the election in favor of Geroge W. Bush.

Unfortunately, I won't be able to attend the forum. That same evening I'll be involved in another forum dealing with 1st Amendment rights.

Did Bush win? The initial tally in Ohio showed that Bush won by 140,000 votes. Third party candidates Nader and Badnarik requested a recount, which revealed that the margin was less than 120,000 votes. The inflated initial margin of victory was the result of numerous, significant errors, all of which somehow favored Bush.

But there is even significant doubt as to whether the 120,000 vote margin accurately reflects the intent of the Ohio electorate. There were reports of voter registration forms being improperly rejected, of voters in heavily-Democratic precincts waiting in long lines, of malfunctioning voting machinery, and of other irregularities. With nearly 6 million votes cast in Ohio, these factors could have easily changed the outcome of the election.

To those of us who have doubts about the last presidential election, our problem is that it's easy to come off looking like a kooky conspiracy theorist. Short of having a certifiably fair revote, there simply is no way to divine the intention of the electorate.

All we know for sure is that there are problems with the way we hold elections. Problems that our government doesn't seem all that eager to correct.

Update: Moratorium on Senn Naval Academy

There was another meeting of the Senn Tomorrow Task Force this past Monday. I had written previously about how the committee had voted 14-2 to recommend a moratorium on the naval academy at its February 28 meeting. For those of us who oppose the naval academy, this vote was a welcome victory. Perhaps the tide was turning! Perhaps.

At Monday's meeting, the chairman of the task force presented a draft of the letter, which was generally well received. It will be sent to Chicago Public Schools CEO Arne Duncan, and in the words of the chairman: "We've done what we said we were going to do." In other words, the moratorium is off the table. At least until Mr. Duncan chooses to respond.

As one of the "uninvited attendees" (as the non-voting attendees are called) quipped: "If a letter falls in Arne Duncan's letter tray, does it make a sound?"

March 19/20: Two years of war

On the evening of March 19, 2003, President Bush addressed the world, stating that military action had commenced against the Ba'athist regime in Iraq. (In Iraqi local time, fighting started in the early morning hours of March 20, which is sometimes cited as the date the war began.)

At that moment, I was riding the 'L' to O'Hare Airport -- the start of a trip to California. I noticed some of my fellow passengers were carrying signs, evidently on their way to a protest. I'd have to miss that one. But I doubt I would have had much enthusiasm for protesting back then. To be sure, I was greatly disappointed in how the Bush administration had handled the Iraq situtation. Our overtly belligerent stance had angered our allies and an cost us the backing of the UN Security Council. The United States would be perceived as the aggressor. Not good.

On the other hand... I had seen then-Secretary of State Colin Powell's presentation before the UN. I was impressed. Secretary Powell got me -- hook, line, and sinker -- and had me convinced that war, though unpleasant, was necessary. It wasn't until later, when I learned that much of what Powell had presented to the UN was false, that I decided that this war was unjust.

I was staying with my grandfather in California during the first days of the war. He'd flip through the news channels, shouting at the TV: "Bah! It's nothing but cheerleading on these stations!" It was a sign of frustration from a man who wanted to hear the question asked: Could it have been done differently? In the following months, we ousted Saddam and declared victory. But we didn't go home. And money didn't stop flying out of our treasury. And our soldiers didn't stop dying.

I hear there will be protests throughout Chicago tomorrow. Once again, I won't have the oppotunity to participate. But this time, I have confidence they are protesting for a just cause.

Welcome!

A couple of months ago, one of my coworkers sent me a link to an odd little website: Zombo.com. I'm not sure who is responsible for it, or what it means... But after visiting the site, don't you feel welcome?

A short time after discovering Zombo (where the unattainable is unknown), I found, via Chicago Tribune columnist Eric Zorn's blog, an interesting essay by Olia Lialina titled A Vernacular Web, which has a section on the "welcome page."

Zombo is an interesting example of a website that is all welcome page. Actually, that's not quite true -- for a few seconds at the end of the animation, a link pops up; you have to be quick, or it disappears, and the animation starts over. If you click the link, a page comes up that says, simply: "Sorry this is not working right now. ThankZ for your patience." That's it. That's the whole website! Every time I check in on Zombo, I'm a little worried that it will be "completed" -- which, to me, would ruin it. It's enough for me to feel welcome.

Militarization of Chicago Public Schools: Part I

Lately, I've been researching the role of the US armed forces in public education, specifically in the Chicago Public Schools. There's a lot to cover, so on a blog, I think this works best in serial format. Part I of the series is about No Child Left Behind, a.k.a. NCLB.

The pertinent section of NCLB is Title IX, Section 9528(a)(1). The paragraph reads as follows:

(1) ACCESS TO STUDENT RECRUITING INFORMATION- Notwithstanding section 444(a)(5)(B) of the General Education Provisions Act and except as provided in paragraph (2), each local educational agency receiving assistance under this Act shall provide, on a request made by military recruiters or an institution of higher education, access to secondary school students names, addresses, and telephone listings.

(The full text of NCLB is available online at the Department of Education website.)

In plain English, this says that every school receiving NCLB funds IS REQUIRED, when requested, to provide students' personal information to the military. A school that refuses to do so risks losing NCLB funding. (According to Section 9528(a)(3), a school can also be denied funding if it refuses to allow military recruiters on campus.)

Section 9528(a)(2) goes on to state that the parent of a student can request, in writing, that the school not release the information for that student. The school is obligated to inform the parents about this opt-out provision. In the real world, however, this information is not conveyed such that everyone is made aware of it; it might be posted on a seldom-visited website or printed in a thick manual that few read cover to cover.

The process for opting out of Section 9528(a)(1) varies by school district. The deadline for the Chicago Public Schools is March 15. Which, at the time of this writing, is soon. Fortunately, some alert Chicagoans have been getting the word out.

We learn the sad truth

Well, this isn't the good stuff I alluded to in my previous post. I'm still doing some research on that. (Anyway, there's some conceit in saying "stay tuned" in that it assumes that there's someone out there anxiously waiting to see what'll show up next on this blog.) In the meantime, I thought I'd post a little something...

I've previously posted about the Lefkow family murders, most recently here. As most people know by now, the perpetrator has been identified as a troubled man who had once brought a case before Judge Joan Lefkow, a man named Bart Ross. I had suggested that white supremacist Matt Hale, or some of his followers, might have had something to do with the murders, but the new information exonerates him. Which demonstrates why I was prudent to use cautious language in my earlier postings. Anyone could point to a motive, considering Hale had previously solicited Lefkow's murder -- but a motive is not sufficient to prove guilt.

So in the end, we find that it was a lone, deranged individual who did this. Someone who was afflicted with paranoid delusions that "the system" was singling him out for persecution. Someone who inexplicably concluded, through tortuous logic, that Judge Lefkow was somehow part of a conspiracy against him. It's a heartbreaking story in that you can imagine how it might have turned out differently. And you want it to have turned out differently.

Busy, busy...

It doesn't look like I'll have time for new entries for a few days, and I'm feeling under the weather besides. Stay tuned... some good stuff is in the works.

Tribune editorial nails it

I don't often agree with the Chicago Tribune editorial board. (Their endorsement of President Bush last fall is a case in point.) But today's editorial on white supremacist Matt Hale was right on target. Here are a few paragraphs:

[Hale] said he wanted the perpetrator "caught and prosecuted." He sounded genuinely offended that anyone would dare think that he could have anything to do with such a deed.
...
Please. Spare us the crocodile tears.
...
[T]he idea of Hale publicly deploring such a crime does beg for a review of his words and deeds.

Hale has preached hatred and winked at violence across Illinois and beyond. He has never accepted responsibility for the death and mayhem his words incited, much less expressed regret for any of it.

I wrote about some of that "death and mayhem" a few days ago here.

Turnover on Winthrop Avenue

In a previous entry, I mentioned the proposal for developing 5217 N. Winthrop and contrasted it with the building that was put up across the street, at 5218. The 5217 project, including the zoning variance, was approved at the last meeting of Alderwoman Smith's planning and zoning committe.

In the last couple of weeks, I've noticed some activity on other properties on the block. 5224 N. Winthrop, a six flat, is now empty, work lights are visible through its windows, and its garage has been demolished. And there's a big dumpster outside 5201 N. Winthrop, although I don't know if this property is changing hands, and I've heard they don't have the required permits for renovations.

Is all this good news or bad?

One good thing about all this is that it looks like none of these buildings will be torn down and replaced with an oversized red brick condo. Another good thing is that it shows a trend toward greater investment in the neighborhood. The people who buy the condos will bring wealth with them, and that could help commerce.

But gentrification isn't such good news to those who are displaced by it. The bagger at the Jewel, the cashier at Blockbuster, the gas station attendant -- they all need a place to live. One of the units in 5217 will be sold at below market value under an affordable housing program. But that one unit is offset by dozens of low rent units that have been lost.

Certainly, the neighborhood started a decade or so ago from a point where there was too much concentration of poverty. The pendulum is swinging.

Metapost: Site meter added

Without a site meter, sometimes blogging feels a lot like talking to yourself.

I got the free site meter from www.sitemeter.com. I give them a small amount of information about myself, and they collect statistics about traffic to this site. They also give me that little button over there on the sidebar.

Questions? Suggestions? Complaints? Feel free to post a comment.

America's homegrown terrorists

This week it's been hard for me to keep from thinking about the shocking murders of my neighbor, Michael Lefkow, and his mother-in-law, Donna Humphrey, in Lefkow's home. We shouldn't jump to conclusions, but it seems likely that this was in retaliation for federal judge Joan Lefkow's judgment against white supremacist Matt Hale. Regardless of whether this is the case, this horrible tragedy has brought back memories of another tragedy, one in which there is little doubt of Hale's involvement.

At the beginning of the Fourth of July weekend, 1999, I came home from work, ready to enjoy the holiday. That was before I turned on the TV.

The murderous rampage of Benjamin N. Smith, an associate of Hale, was all over the news. That day he drove through Chicago's North Shore suburbs (where I lived at the time), shooting at people -- blacks, Asians, Jews. Two died, including Northwestern University basketball coach Ricky Byrdsong. Nine others were wounded. That evening, the perpetrator was still at large, and the community was terrified. It wasn't until the next day that Smith was found, and faced with arrest, he took his own life.

When Hale later commented on the tragedy, he said that as far as he was concerned, the loss consisted of one white man (meaning Smith).

I first heard about Hale when I was a student at the University of Illinois in the early '90s. I remember reading in the Daily Illini about this kid distributing anti-Semitic pamphlets around central Illinois. I, like many others, naively passed him off as an attention-seeking punk who, if left alone, would grow tired of being ignored and give up his little hobby. Conversely, if everyone got all riled up, and some did, it would only feed his ego.

When I hear what the bigots have to say, I can hardly believe anyone actually believes that crap. But left unchallenged, the lies spread halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to put its shoes on. While we have a right to free speech in this country, when someone abuses that right in order to slander others, the injured party doesn't have to take it lying down. We need to give Justice a voice, and Truth its walking shoes, or risk hateful words turning into hateful acts. We saw this in 1999. We may have seen it again this week.

The Senn Tomorrow Committee: Naval academy moratorium?

Last night (2/28), there was a meeting of the "Senn Tomorrow Committee" at Senn High School.

What is this committee? The committee's charter is to advise CPS chief Arne Duncan on how to make Senn a better school. Alderwoman Mary Ann Smith selected members of the community -- teachers, community activists, religious leaders, and others -- to serve. Those not invited, such as myself, are welcome to attend as uninvited attendees. Discussions of Senn's future are intended to be "as broad as possible and include the physical plant, the educational program, after-school programs, and other additions to Senn." (quoting from the mission statement)

But, as one committee member put it, the elephant in the room that could not be ignored was the naval academy that is slated to open this fall on Senn High School premises. Though this academy was strongly supported by the Mayor, by Duncan, by Alderwoman Smith, and by a unanimous vote of the CPS school board, it is far less popular within the community.

The committee welcomed a Senn sophomore as a new member last night. She related how some students she knew planned to transfer from Senn next year if the naval academy is there. They do not feel that the military academy does anything to meet their needs -- needs that are presently unmet. Instead, it will serve to militarize the school, which they oppose. Morale is very low at the school.

It was noted that Senn's Local School Council (LSC) had unanimously rejected the naval academy proposal, in direct opposition to the school board's vote. The fact that the LSC's input was blatantly disregarded raises concerns about the decision-making process. Either the correct process was not followed, or the LSCs have less power than was thought.

A motion was made to advise Arne Duncan to put a moratorium on the naval academy but also to continue seeking other ways to improve Senn. The motion passed by a wide margin. It may be a fool's hope that there will actually be a moratorium, but it can't hurt to ask.

As for my opinion, I think the naval academy at Senn is a highly questionable idea. Although there have been assurances that the academy will not be used to recruit kids into the military, I am doubtful. These assurances are being made in the context of a war in Iraq where we are facing personnel shortages. And while there may be a place for military academies, I don't see them as a cure for what ails the Chicago Public Schools.

The next Senn Tomorrow meeting will be on Monday, March 14 at 6:30 at Senn. Save Senn, a group opposing the academy, will hold a community forum on Tuesday, March 8 at 6:30 at Senn.

Keep Judge Joan Lefkow in your thoughts

Yesterday, February 28, there was a double murder in the Lakewood-Balmoral section of Edgewater. Just a few blocks from where I live. The victims were the husband and mother of federal judge Joan Lefkow. The investigation is still in the early stages, but there is speculation that the perpetrator(s) may have been motivated by Lefkow's role in a trademark infringement case involving white supremacist Matt Hale. I'll wait for more facts to come out before writing more on this.