tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17625752655429647232024-03-12T14:52:31.119+10:00The Age of Warlords CookbookLooking at the future of food and violence in the WestMichael G Swiftehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16701957186059459981noreply@blogger.comBlogger33125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1762575265542964723.post-85817081586211056162013-05-02T14:21:00.001+10:002024-03-12T11:02:56.478+10:00My bleak future scenario starts in Lagos, Nigeria. <div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Normally treatments for film ideas are dry and functional. I didn't like that idea so I decided to novelise my opening scene. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bygonebureau.com/2010/12/22/fish-and-fufu/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlPdnCNTL0TdtvnB2jcapWyYAnE79OAeRvp85lXV_VQfYfgv0SbSzQpOG1wRqESHLrZNNgpkXgzh2kYqIwAVCRYGHpXZuYMd6eG3pjzeE5nFioUGjCiNSNBcHyEIyioTBjxpIwY9pxZV8/s400/lagos.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lagos, Nigeria. Click on the photo for a great travelogue about Nigeria and the Ghanaian dish Fufu</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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My bleak future scenario
starts in Africa's largest metropolis Lagos, Nigeria. Lagos is a
heaving, unforgiving city whose most historically significant figures
testify to its violence and its explosive creative output. It was the
home to afro beat originator Fela Kuti and the battle ground for the Ogoni
writer and environmentalist Ken Saro-Wiwa.<br />
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A big thanks to Greg, Jules, and Dave for their ideas and support. </div>
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<span style="color: #ffd966;">Novelisation: The Age of Warlords Cookbook</span><br />
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Opening scene. <br />
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Characters: Frances Onibino and Albert Onibino <br />
Location: Lagos, Nigeria. Africa's largest metropolis. December 13, 2014 <br />
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Frances Abimbola Onibino could see the lights of his once beloved IBI towers through the front windscreen of his limousine. On this night the lights were brighter than usual, for earlier that day the IBI Corporation had successfully launched AFRISAT, a powerful geo-positional satellite intended to revolutionise communications across all of Africa. Tonight Frances and his nephew Albert were travelling together to attend the official countdown to operation. AFRISAT had taken 10 years to bring to fruition, and in that time Frances had watched the uptake of wireless and mobile technology all across the continent. He knew from long experience that Africa could not afford hard communications infrastructure like Europe, America, and China. AFRISAT would help Africa surpass the rest of the world through use of wireless communications. <br />
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“You seem a lot calmer these days uncle” said his nephew Albert who sat beside him. “Well I'm glad I handed the reigns over to you. It's better for my health” said Frances, barely changing expression. Albert looked at Frances, a little perplexed “Thank you Uncle, I expect the sea air is doing you a world of good” he said as he looked back at his tablet and began typing. After a few key strokes he stopped suddenly, closed the tablet, looked intently at his uncle and said “I've hardly seen you in the last two years and have been meaning to ask you, but, fishing trawlers?...With fish stocks so low? How is this securely diversifying our interests?” Frances chuckled, as a wry smile shot across his face. He looked intently at Albert who glanced uncomfortably out the window then back with a half shy half questioning gesture. Frances continued observing his nephew who, in that moment noticed a vaguely familiar affection in his uncle's eyes. “When you get older and wiser” said Frances, “you will truly know when a risk is worth taking.” <br />
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The limousine arrived at IBI plaza in down-town Lagos to a media throng. A white-gloved valet opened the limo door as a volley of camera flashes bounced around. Frances exited first and acknowledged the crowd with a thin smile and a nod. “Mr Onibino, what do you have to say about today's successful launch?” asked a voice cutting through the media huddle. “I'm happy of course,” said Frances with a slightly wider and warmer smile “but you should talk to my nephew”. Frances gestured to his nephew to come and talk to the assembled media. Albert finished shaking hands with the Nigerian communications minister, walked over to the reporters and camera people who were shouting questions, raised his hand for them to stop and said “There'll be time for questions later, but right now let me just say this...this is a great day for Africa! With AFRISAT we will leap frog the rest of the world. Wealth for Naija, wealth for Africa.” he pointed a finger upward and shook it for emphasis “Look to the sky!” <br />
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Frances and Albert made their way up the red carpet, shaking hands with African and international dignitaries, business leaders, and celebrities. As Frances entered the expansive plaza atrium he looked up to see the AFRISAT replica that had been installed five years earlier. It was suspended from cables to give it the appearance of floating in air. He stood for a moment, transfixed, focussed on the image of a Yoruban orisha projected onto its side panel. Frances and Albert made their way to the stage and took their seats in view of the giant count down screen. As the background music faded away Frances leaned over to Albert and whispered “Before you give your speech I just want to say a few words.” Somewhat surprised, Albert replied “certainly uncle”. <br />
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As the MC, a Nigerian TV personality was winding up his introduction he looked over at Albert who gestured to his uncle. The MC announced Frances who walked up to the lectern, looked up at the replica and called to the crowd “10 years! 10 years ago I had a vision of Africa competing with the world and bringing our unique approach to innovation. So much has changed in that time! We need this technology more than ever.” He gestured again at the replica “Do you see on the side? It is the Yoruban orisha, Eshu.” He looked at the crowd intently “Many of you who are Yoruba will know that Eshu is the first orisha to be acknowledged, Eshu is in our doorways and our ceremonies, Eshu is the messenger who talks to Obatala and Olorun on our behalf, Eshu is also a trickster, both forgiving and cruel, a lot like life.” Frances looked around to catch the MC's eye and gestured him over. “Anyway, enough from me, my nephew is the man of the moment.” He shook hands with the MC and gave a little smile to Albert who was approaching the lectern then walked straight off the back of the stage and through the security cordon as Albert was starting his speech. Frances found his driver playing cards with a plaza security guard backstage. They were surprised to see him and quickly abandoned their game. Frances raised his hand “Relax boys” he turned to his driver and said “When you've finished your game I want you to drive me to Apapa. I need a new hat.” <br />
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The driver excused himself and moments latter had the limousine waiting at the private entrance. He drove Francis across the Eko Bridge and along the Ijora Causeway to Apapa Road. In Apapa Frances told the driver to stop outside a traditional menswear store and asked him to park nearby rather than directly out front to avoid drawing attention. Inside the menswear store he browsed briefly then selected a green Buba (shirt/top) with a matching Sokoto (trousers), matching Toms (shoes) and a cotton Fila (hat).” I'd like to wear these away” he said to the shop owner who offered him a bag for his suit “Don't bother,” he said to the smiling man “you keep it...and please...take my shoes”. Frances paid in cash, then looked at his watch. On the way out of the store he stopped to look in the mirror, chuckled to himself, and walked out the front door just as a bright golden light filled the street, showering the sea of roofs in the neighbouring Ajegunle ghetto. Blue rings appeared in the sky around a fading golden ball and began radiating outward growing larger till they disappeared on the horizon. Traffic came to a stand still. People stopped and got out of their cars. And while all were engrossed in the light show, Frances walked into a side street and disappeared.<br />
<br />Michael G Swiftehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16701957186059459981noreply@blogger.com2Brisbane, Australia-29.075375179558346 152.2265665-43.114169179558345 131.5722695 -15.036581179558347 172.88086349999998tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1762575265542964723.post-16107559533850893852012-02-16T20:12:00.000+10:002012-02-16T20:12:15.575+10:00Why I'm becoming a nomadWe are going to be talking about austerity for a long time. If not, then we'll be talking about the next great depression, or the last great depression, or end days, or whatever. The new measures to be rolled out in <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2012/feb/15/greece-stumbles-defiantly-towards-default">Greece under pressure from the EU</a>, and the response by the people have been a major talking point for future pundits of late. How the people of Greece respond to austerity will be closely watched and I hope that in the west many lessons will be learned. It will be a great shame if we don't because as many of the aforementioned pundits have been saying <a href="http://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/archives/20-signs-that-a-horrific-global-food-crisis-is-coming">"the rest of the west is next"</a>.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.joseflebovicgallery.com/Catalogue/CL_154_2011/Large/154_0053.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="248" src="http://www.joseflebovicgallery.com/Catalogue/CL_154_2011/Large/154_0053.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'Tramping for Tucker' by Lionel Lindsay from the Josef Lebovic Gallery</td></tr>
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To quote a recent article by Charlie Brooker in The Guardian <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/feb/12/banknotes-not-worth-their-paper">"Money is broken"</a>. He's right, and many writers have been trying to say the same for a good while now - though I think Mr Brooker gets the prize for brevity. The sense that our problems with money are intractable is inescapable given the west's failure to resolve the issues brought forth since the GFC and the excruciating money games being played out in Europe. Those of us here in the overprivileged west who are blessed with foresight have begun to adapt to the spectre of an uncertain future. Yard sharing, urban agriculture, <a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1658818436/symbionomics-stories-of-a-new-economy">alternative means of economic exchange</a>, schools of everything, survivalism lite, the Dark Mountain Project, the occupy movement, and many more responses have been issued forth. Some of these retain an air of western self interest while others look to develop frameworks that are mindful of, or can be shared with, the <a href="http://vinay.howtolivewiki.com/blog/">unprivileged world</a>. But can we fix money? I doubt it, and I have a feeling those gen y folk whom I'm told have an intuitive sense that <i>something is wrong</i> doubt it too.<br />
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The history of the west, the history of the last two millennia, is a rotting midden of externalities that the people of the unprivileged world and some in the west are forced to pick through. Us overprivileged types - of which Australians are of the highest order - are grudgingly given our right to consent as we enter into adulthood, and as our eyes open and the scales fall away we adjust to the truth of our condition reassured that we can comfortably close them again believing something is being done to remedy things. I have watched this reality unfold, bleary eyed, privileged, sometimes unbelieving, often giving in to immense freedom, in the safest country in the world. By dint of birthplace and by choice I have come to be privileged. As the truth of my present affluence has unraveled I have had a sense of unease - a feeling that has been growing since I left university and my cookie cutter degree - a sense that I should be without many 'things'.<br />
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I have had for several years now this idea of building an escape pod, a small parcel of items of irreplaceable value. Inspired by an event in Star Wars and the idea of jettisoning the unnecessary into space at an opportune moment, I plan to purge myself of my hoarded goods and chattels as I am propelled into the unknown clutching onto a few belongings and some big ideas. This idea has been a foil against my hoarding tendencies and an antidote to conformity and the relentless pressure to give in and give my consent in the hope that privilege will keep me safe. I have to note here that this choice is easy for me, no kids, no wife, no mortgage, little debt, and a long shit-list of people for whom I refuse to work. I am privileged even in my choice to reject, and I can be confident that I will be safe even if destitute.<br />
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An old friend who works in the book selling trade recently gave me a copy of Bruce Chatwin's 'The Songlines'. He had heard me talk about my aspirations toward nomadism and found the perfect book to help crystalise my ideas. Through it I felt my restlessness validated and my sense that I need to be both resourceful and embracing of otherness reinforced. Bruce Chatwin's compelling argument that with settlement and the aggregation of power comes the hegemony, war, and genocide strengthened my sense that this civilisation project was broken and hollow. His own nomadic drive, his forthrightness, and his well integrated experience of being 'the other' and of being with 'the other' make him a model for a life of truth searching. <br />
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Australian? Check out this article by <a href="http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/opinion/blogs/blunt-instrument/tough-past-makes-a-mockery-of-the-culture-of-entitlement-20120216-1ta1y.html">John Birmingham</a> Michael G Swiftehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16701957186059459981noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1762575265542964723.post-81441392150667152422011-10-25T12:31:00.000+10:002012-01-01T22:26:45.287+10:00My Manifesto<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange;">I wrote this piece for the crowdfunded book The Future We Deserve just over a year ago. Proof 1 edition is now available and includes this essay. The ideas and changes I talk about continue to develop so it's about time I put it up here. </span> </div><br />
It seems we manufacture ‘consent’ more than just about anything else in the west. Our media and commercial food industries are staking their claims on the last pieces of moral and aesthetic high ground in an effort to exploit our patterns of conspicuous consumption. Our tastes in food are being driven by our unprecedented access to global resources. This is all at a time when age old aphorisms like “teach a man to fish...” and “there's plenty of fish in the sea” are in the process of being rendered untrue. A time when catastrophic climate change and economic disintegration threaten to test the stability of western civilisations. Food is our fuel and when we are at our greatest need it is the one thing we value above all else.<br />
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Rick Stein recently said something that confirmed my feelings about how all of humanity relates to food and how sharing is valued in times of conflict. He was speaking from his studio kitchen after his recent South East Asian Odyssey when he remarked on the resilience of the Sri Lankan people during the recent civil war conflict saying "Food is about good times even if there are terrible things going on all around you". The former fish monger is known for his rapport with the people he visits and the engaging quality of his documentaries and cookbooks. The truth he has recognised is that humans need to share the act of eating and must work collectively to add value to food and to bring meals to the table in tough times. <br />
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Powdered egg is the one food that at the toughest of times will become a highly sought-after commodity. At the heart of western delicacies like sponge cakes, souffle, meringue, and many other sweet and savoury dishes is egg whites beaten to soft or stiff peaks. Egg whites are irreplaceable in western delicacies as nothing else can substitute for its particular qualities. My question is “Do powdered egg whites match up to the qualities of fresh egg whites?”. <br />
The west's media are currently obsessed with both the haute cuisine and boutique agriculture sectors. Our current knowledge base is at once expanding with knowledge of exotic and labour intensive ingredients, whilst also contracting due to masking of the true nature of our supply chains. <br />
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<div>In many countries with unstable governments, warlords are a fact of life and a constant force affecting economic and social stability. Unstable governments are forced to mediate the engagement of militant groups with the general population. In countries where crops have failed and food production and other economic infrastructure are also compromised those who have weapons have the power to control food. Max Blouin and Stéphane Pallage contend that poverty levels are now being managed to qualify for food aid and deliver control over larger food surpluses to warlords. They confirm the fundamental rule that in a time of scarcity, those with weapons and power have control over food. <br />
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African cities have been hot beds of cultural production since the wave of independence of the late 1950's and early 1960's. Despite every kind of economic manipulation and the legacy of centuries of colonialism African cities have produced cultural product that demonstrates astounding resilience. Pioneering Afro-beat musician Fela Kuti whose Lagos night club 'The Shrine' provided respite from dangerous streets spoke out strongly about the effects of economic exploitation by foreigners and his own countrymen. The creative legacy of African musicians speaks to their resilience and ability to use culture to transcend adversity. It is this quality of resilience that the large scale manufacturing of consent has stifled. Empathy and consideration of the conditions and successes of resilient people gives us the power to learn about resilience. <br />
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What do our contingency plans for the future say about our motivations? Survivalism lite is the name given to the movement (in the USA) toward relearning basic survival skills and developing stores of food and supplies for catastrophic futures. It is primarily about the preservation of the highest possible level of comfort for the individual and the family. <br />
The Dark Mountain Project also identifies risks to the 'civilisation' project but asks a much larger question “Has the civilisation project delivered us a society that is able to deal with catastrophic climate change and economic disintegration?”. It has begun to answer this question in two ways. The first is an intuitive “No!”, and the second is by stimulating new answers that look beyond the western civilisation to 'cultural contingencies' that recognise the true cost of western affluence.<br />
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<a href="https://pediapress.com/books/show/37aad0a62bb51acb301601bf0e58d4/">The Future We Deserve (Proof 1) is now available from PediaPress</a></div></div>Michael G Swiftehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16701957186059459981noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1762575265542964723.post-32110184217442101772011-09-14T18:41:00.000+10:002011-10-25T12:16:59.923+10:00Food, love, and war in words.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZv0koIoOHtkU66oegUIm55Zbu3Z0-oosFS5WRT2eDxLnE0MmpiA9AFEiMGuQ3kSCzCdIRLiybUbhEy0_5rig-UfeABJ_RoK94eRlrA5mMBDhdbvVRAVGmrHa222nufiUUMaa6Nk2-q0c/s1600/day-of-honey.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZv0koIoOHtkU66oegUIm55Zbu3Z0-oosFS5WRT2eDxLnE0MmpiA9AFEiMGuQ3kSCzCdIRLiybUbhEy0_5rig-UfeABJ_RoK94eRlrA5mMBDhdbvVRAVGmrHa222nufiUUMaa6Nk2-q0c/s320/day-of-honey.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><br />
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I've read background briefings in left leaning newspapers, watched the TV stories about conflict and history in the Middle East, and generally tried to keep an empathetic ear open in the hope of gaining some real understanding about the lives of people there. But nothing has done more to give me understanding about the Middle East than reading about food in times of conflict. <i><a href="http://www.anniaciezadlo.com/day-of-honey">Day of Honey: A Memoir of Food, Love, and War</a></i> by Annia Ciezadlo gets to the heart of life, friends, and family, and reveals the true source of resilience - human engagement over 'something' that must be truly and honestly shared - in this case that 'something' is food.<br />
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The power of this wonderful book comes from Annia's ability to engage and empathise with people struggling to survive amid physical danger and grieving societies fractured by suspicion and fear. The intimate details of day to day life that she provides are a testament to her willingness to listen and her hunger for truth. What makes her stories so grounded are the revelations of her senses, switched on to aromas, sights, and experiences. She shows how relations are made honest and more palpable by the sharing of a meal, a discussion about provenance, or the teaching of a technique.<br />
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I especially admire Annia's engagement with 'the other'. She is highly reflexive about her role as a foreign journalist, and exercises the humility and sensitivity needed to document culture deeply. By being mindful that 'the other' are hers through friendship and marriage, and sharing their grief, she balances the many pressures she faces and acknowledges that she has greater choices and privileges.<br />
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I was deeply, deeply, moved by this book, it's candor and honesty, and by Annia's fearlessness and humility in the face of war.<br />
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<a href="http://www.anniaciezadlo.com/day-of-honey">Day of Honey:A Memoir of Food, Love, and War by Annia Ciezadlo</a> is now available on ebook.<br />
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You can find her on <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/dayofhoney">Twitter</a> and <a href="http://www.facebook.com/DayofHoney">Facebook</a>.Michael G Swiftehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16701957186059459981noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1762575265542964723.post-11419594950480237872011-07-08T14:29:00.000+10:002011-09-19T15:48:30.064+10:00Malalai Joya says it bestMalalai Joya is a former Afghan parliamentarian, activist, advocate, and author. Joyas words are desperate and articulate. Below is a video of the speech that brought her to prominence. In it she calls out the warlords among the elite.<br />
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Joya's finger is on the pulse because she speaks for those on the ground who know very well that their leaders have an interest in continued conflict rather than supporting and protecting ordinary people.<br />
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A recent quote from Malalai Joya in an interview with <a href="http://www.onislam.net/english/politics/asia/452881-hope-in-afghanistan.html#authordes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">David Zlutnick</span></a> Documentary Filmmaker- TruthOut.org from the <a href="http://www.onislam.net/english/politics/asia/452881-hope-in-afghanistan.html">OnIslam website</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.onislam.net/english/politics/asia/452881-hope-in-afghanistan.html">"<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana, geneva; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">Now, my people, they're squashed between three powerful enemies: warlords, Taliban, occupation forces. With the withdrawal of these external enemies, my people will fight two internal enemies. They will fight steadfastly till the end because of the hatred that they have for the Taliban and also the warlords. In this presence of these occupation forces in Afghanistan, they double our miseries and make these warlords and Taliban more powerful. They make our struggle for justice, for democracy and women's rights much harder, as it now seems like Taliban times..."</span></a><br />
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Malalai Joya's latest book is titled "A Woman Among Warlords" published through <a href="http://books.simonandschuster.com/Woman-Among-Warlords/Malalai-Joya/9781439109472">Scribner </a>Michael G Swiftehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16701957186059459981noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1762575265542964723.post-76651248166662796392011-05-26T20:26:00.000+10:002011-05-26T20:29:57.181+10:00My visit to 'rabbit country'<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2JFxqUH6h_cS__l_3-vIXrdYhICsGC58vyMw7TewckSYwqJ9t0bL1s_CJo3gDeRAFw7LAT1185qZPCRK10nclVKWP0q0gCi1jHBIpRBNt5rK25AzKPH_HYSq7G8fT_D25L-AR1921JO4/s1600/IMG_1984.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2JFxqUH6h_cS__l_3-vIXrdYhICsGC58vyMw7TewckSYwqJ9t0bL1s_CJo3gDeRAFw7LAT1185qZPCRK10nclVKWP0q0gCi1jHBIpRBNt5rK25AzKPH_HYSq7G8fT_D25L-AR1921JO4/s320/IMG_1984.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Early morning in autumnal Ballan</span></div><br />
As you may well be aware I have a fascination with wild rabbits and their role as food in tough times. Australia has a rich history of fighting and eating wild rabbits. Rabbits were introduced in the state of Victoria in 1859 for <a href="http://hunting%20purposes/">hunting purposes</a> and quickly became an invasive pest. During the great depression rabbitohs sold rabbits door to door. Now both wild and farmed rabbits are highly regulated as a food while the ongoing struggle to develop biological controls over wild populations continues.<br />
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So before my recent working holiday in Melbourne (2000 k's on the train) I asked my mate Tony who grew up in the regional centre of Ballarat if he had any ideas about how I might find a rabbit hunter to interview. He told me about a little town called Ballan just outside Ballarat where he recalled seeing a sign at the pub advertising fresh rabbits. I was instructed to find Hudsons Hotel where Tony's uncle Kevin used to drink, and see if anyone can sell me a rabbit.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-EQpVlvIqITQuOslesFw63fbXFq08kST_RiX8vuJ22eDL7t2M9cpV-kFyKWEgK45TG_BjSnUhkFdNmAP17Se8DVUsk1DkGG5adogWuwXUb_1Li_jJyZsiAo4q_cbrsL1vgwqgKqsFMUE/s1600/IMG_1993.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-EQpVlvIqITQuOslesFw63fbXFq08kST_RiX8vuJ22eDL7t2M9cpV-kFyKWEgK45TG_BjSnUhkFdNmAP17Se8DVUsk1DkGG5adogWuwXUb_1Li_jJyZsiAo4q_cbrsL1vgwqgKqsFMUE/s320/IMG_1993.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">The unassuming Hudsons Hotel </span></div><br />
I had only left myself one day to get a rabbit and/or interview before my train ride back up north. I knew this was not enough to guarantee that I got a rabbit, but I resolved to make the most of the experience. Ballan was a comfortable one hour train ride from Melbourne that took me through hilly grazing country and dropped me in a very autumnal little township smothered in amber leaves. After arriving at Hudsons I had a couple of beers and discovered that the deceased father of the lady behind the bar was the last person to openly sell wild rabbits in Ballan. I booked a room and was escorted down a long faux wood panelled hallway into a demountable extension and as I was putting my bags down I met Dave, local sparky, and the pubs' self appointed welcoming committee. After dinner I checked in with the cooks in the kitchen, I was told I should talk to a fella called Muzzy who I discovered holding court at the end of the bar. I decided to catch up with him when he wasn't so busy and went outside for some fresh air. I bumped into Dave having a cigarette with his mate Benny, and told them I was looking to buy a rabbit, Dave said he'd make some calls as he was certain he could get a frozen rabbit from a mate. I asked both fellas about field dressing and butchering techniques. Benny was very forthcoming and rattled off answers to all my questions with complete confidence. He told me that there were times when he could have shot as many rabbits as he wanted from his bedroom window. He also told me that the rabbit calicivirus that controversially escaped from an island laboratory off the coast of South Australia in 1995 had come and gone and that rabbits were as plentiful as ever. Along with stories about just how abundant rabbits were he informed me that if you cook rabbit for 35 minutes in a pressure cooker the meat will fall off the bone.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmEmroK1zcUW0b7hFpBt-xKpmIne0i-lMXqUn-HFEsgk3hBmIiro15bHWilrS30Y-EcjCMSlVnUmKaLWqOsDgeeTYX4cm5YHLTybL8ccst9sgblaFUoX5j4WCD6ixl6bSV5ofaAIvkyrM/s1600/IMG_1990_1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmEmroK1zcUW0b7hFpBt-xKpmIne0i-lMXqUn-HFEsgk3hBmIiro15bHWilrS30Y-EcjCMSlVnUmKaLWqOsDgeeTYX4cm5YHLTybL8ccst9sgblaFUoX5j4WCD6ixl6bSV5ofaAIvkyrM/s320/IMG_1990_1.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">I saw this place in the main street. I wonder if they'll stock wild rabbit?</span></div><br />
When I arrived in Ballan I had the vague expectation that I was going to talk to an old man about old skills and a dieing art. How wrong I was! Rabbit hunting and processing skills were very much alive. I never got to talk to Muzzy as he seemed to hold court for ages and I had become the special guest of the welcoming committee who was using me as an excuse to get the jukebox cranking. I left at midday before Dave was able to find a rabbit but I left feeling reassured that the skills necessary for dealing with hard times were guaranteed to survive.Michael G Swiftehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16701957186059459981noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1762575265542964723.post-47470005574849657332011-03-29T13:37:00.000+10:002011-03-30T18:27:52.902+10:00Toasted brioche with vanilla dusted lady finger banana, cape gooseberry conserve, and Maggie Beer's vanilla bean and elderflower ice cream<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif9nt4Pzecy7RKlO-dXAZa1os1nHGBqkIJKZciyRhebOFEytJ8l0xfFT7Fc8uIOVuaOWhlgD4NS5WgtQ6iDk88_rbf3Poksce2jVocN2hHOEGKVs6yb5fAh7HeOmKJIVhNt7wH5zuG3jI/s1600/IMG_1660.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif9nt4Pzecy7RKlO-dXAZa1os1nHGBqkIJKZciyRhebOFEytJ8l0xfFT7Fc8uIOVuaOWhlgD4NS5WgtQ6iDk88_rbf3Poksce2jVocN2hHOEGKVs6yb5fAh7HeOmKJIVhNt7wH5zuG3jI/s320/IMG_1660.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div>I'm prone to burn out. I lose faith in the people who are meant to provide me leadership and try though I may I often find myself on the outer and wondering why I insist on speaking my mind. Twice when this has happened I have wound up washing dishes in one of Brisbane's best bistro's. The first time was when I dropped out of uni in 1998 and went to work for Philip Johnson's Ecco Bistro. It was there that I encountered cape gooseberries for the first time since my childhood.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbs56vkZ1JsC8TS-CZJrxZS46ffzV06IIhyphenhyphenGFFIa-SRJF3IkU7NA_wIbp-jsbvIYt1WyVg3U9y_MfX_0NfAFcMdfkxON5zvbRo1FoVdrWjynXYVWkZQZY_Z6aEdgFxZlB6I5KKgDtwl5E/s1600/IMG_1146.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbs56vkZ1JsC8TS-CZJrxZS46ffzV06IIhyphenhyphenGFFIa-SRJF3IkU7NA_wIbp-jsbvIYt1WyVg3U9y_MfX_0NfAFcMdfkxON5zvbRo1FoVdrWjynXYVWkZQZY_Z6aEdgFxZlB6I5KKgDtwl5E/s320/IMG_1146.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">A cape gooseberry in its lantern. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Physalis">Physalis peruviana</a></span></div><br />
The cape gooseberry is not a true gooseberry. It is in fact a type of tomato native to Peru and brought to Australia in the same way that lantana came here, via English gardening fashions. What makes the cape gooseberry so endearing and what fascinated me as a child is the delicate 'lantern' that surrounds them. But what makes them so memorable is their flavour. They vary in acidity from tart to sweet but when the sweetness and tartness are in balance the flavour is thrillingly electric! Over the years I have tried to find words to describe the flavour but only the words 'grown up tasting' come to mind.<br />
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Since rediscovering the cape gooseberry I have gone on a long journey and made many mistakes. It has been a true test of my jam making skills. Compared to strawberry or peach jam, gooseberry jam, as the older ladies at my mum's charity The Little King's Movement call it, is exceedingly tricky to perfect. The berries have a high water content and while I have been tempted to cut them up to release more of the pectin in the seeds, I am too attracted to the berries' colour and shape. So producing a jam/conserve of an appropriate consistency requires diligence and commitment. I've developed techniques to release the pectin whilst keeping the golden berries more or less in tact.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH_iJdvBTjDyc70ou5eG5ODWjvyVygQj5qROKGJMXvsoAMAnnPH6WwpdWNwkz5zDrzDwdRNtCXFfJQT9sRylKyVxL41Ehic0AyN5fr8Sko1oo7UXHAxEW0drCp4CW2v9qX0wfKLehuZ98/s1600/IMG_1310.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH_iJdvBTjDyc70ou5eG5ODWjvyVygQj5qROKGJMXvsoAMAnnPH6WwpdWNwkz5zDrzDwdRNtCXFfJQT9sRylKyVxL41Ehic0AyN5fr8Sko1oo7UXHAxEW0drCp4CW2v9qX0wfKLehuZ98/s320/IMG_1310.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">A cape gooseberry lantern after a few months in the garden</span></div><br />
In 2001 I went to wash dishes at Arc Bistro started by P.J.Macmillan who had been head chef at Ecco. He was ably assisted by Lynette Knowles, an alumnus of Le Bronx which Philip Johnson started on his return to Australia. Knowlesie would make a cape gooseberry conserve using brown sugar which was designed to be served with a banana and poppy seed upside down cake which had halved cape gooseberries placed in the bottom. Since then banana has been my favourite thing to pair with cape gooseberries.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6Y1RmbwYGy_9DriPUCCp33NK3KKAUJc6T2H1x7PfZa6HeHJcZ8wVnf4KH9ChtQVyJ8lj3D4zDueoVTl1k5qGTesB0SJINAfFTMh-Lfu1l3AzaPHfpGBIi8dzESKXuLJvSkY57Tyz6eIY/s1600/IMG_1612.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6Y1RmbwYGy_9DriPUCCp33NK3KKAUJc6T2H1x7PfZa6HeHJcZ8wVnf4KH9ChtQVyJ8lj3D4zDueoVTl1k5qGTesB0SJINAfFTMh-Lfu1l3AzaPHfpGBIi8dzESKXuLJvSkY57Tyz6eIY/s320/IMG_1612.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">A worthy cause</span></div><br />
Each year, dependent on availability, I make a small batch of jam/conserve for The Little King's Movement fete which falls in late September at the end of the cape gooseberry season (they are very seasonal). The jam/conserve is a favourite of the older ladies and also helps to lure my friends along. Over the years interest in my jam/conserve has grown steadily and since I feel that I have sufficiently refined my method, this year I am going to make a larger batch, with a label and all. My friend Kristina who co-owns the charming <a href="http://www.flamingocafe.com.au/">Flamingo Cafe</a> has agreed to buy some and my mum has given me permission to name it Little King's - Cape Gooseberry Conserve.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfqq3hrfgKEJXMxyAxP_C0R_OqbO5pMC6qdy7Krt_oZxhyphenhyphen0H87vwvC6tw-hHL2ErDk2H6i3NYAB1bpi8R0extB2zr3BjLrpE2F9C6ddIXFDURn2dX6aIDRSbFNBHYkBsWLFeQjxgVGWj0/s1600/IMG_1625.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfqq3hrfgKEJXMxyAxP_C0R_OqbO5pMC6qdy7Krt_oZxhyphenhyphen0H87vwvC6tw-hHL2ErDk2H6i3NYAB1bpi8R0extB2zr3BjLrpE2F9C6ddIXFDURn2dX6aIDRSbFNBHYkBsWLFeQjxgVGWj0/s320/IMG_1625.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Mum and Dad enjoying a special dessert</span></div><br />
So the 'hero' of the dish at the top is the cape gooseberry! And in keeping with Rick Stein's <a href="http://www.ricksteintour.com.au/index.html">'The hunt for Australia's top food blogger' competition</a> I've made a rustic dessert that reflects Australia's diverse cultural heritage, our significant food people, and Queensland's subtropical climate (cape gooseberries grow wild an hour west of Brisbane). Oh and I provided Splayds (invented in Australia) with which to eat the dessert. <br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;"><a href="http://www.ricksteintour.com.au/index.html?utm_source=blog&utm_medium=badge&utm_campaign=compentry" target="_blank"><img alt="Rick Stein Food Odyssey Live On Stage" src=" http://ricksteintour.com.au/images/RS_155x105-tile.jpg" /></a></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #f6b26b; font-size: large;">Toasted brioche with vanilla dusted lady finger banana, cape gooseberry conserve, and Maggie Beer's vanilla bean and elderflower ice cream</span><br />
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<ul><li>Brioche slices 8mm thick </li>
<li>Ripe but firm lady finger bananas</li>
<li>Cape gooseberry conserve</li>
<li>Vanilla dusting sugar</li>
<li>Maggie Beer's vanilla bean and elderflower ice cream</li>
</ul><br />
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Method: Dice bananas into 1cm pieces, add to a bowl, dust liberally with vanilla dusting sugar, and toss gently. Lightly toast the brioche slices and allow to cool a little. Place the brioche slice on a dessert plate. Place the diced banana at one end of the brioche slice and place a scoop of ice cream against the banana pieces. Dollop cape gooseberry conserve at the point where they meet and drizzle a little syrup over the bananas and ice cream, and serve. <br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #f6b26b; font-size: large;">Cape Gooseberry Conserve</span><br />
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<ul><li>2kg cape gooseberries</li>
<li>1.2kg white sugar</li>
<li>1 to 2 lemons</li>
</ul><br />
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Method: Preheat a deep heavy based saucepan on medium heat. Vigorously sweat the berries stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until they begin to simmer in their own juices. Reduce the heat to low and allow them to simmer for 10 minutes, then add 1kg room temperature white sugar and stir till the sugar dissolves. Simmer for at least an hour on low stirring regularly and pressing the berries against the side of the pan to release the seeds. When the berries are almost translucent add the juice of one medium lemon and allow to simmer for 10 minutes. As the berries are becoming fully translucent begin skimming the foam from the top of the mix and start tasting. If the mix is too tart add a little heavy sugar syrup (pre-prepared), if too sweet add a little more lemon juice. When you're happy with the flavour test the consistency by dropping a little of the mix on a chilled plate to test for thickness (the mix should develop a slightly crinkled skin). Continue to skim and be careful not to let it caramelise much. It is better to remove some of the syrup than allow to reduce too long.Michael G Swiftehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16701957186059459981noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1762575265542964723.post-11640927058775435802011-03-19T10:47:00.000+10:002011-03-23T14:46:12.001+10:00Day of Honey: A memoir of Food, Love, and WarI've never wanted to read a book more than this one! Day of Honey: A memoir of Food, Love, and War explores the idea that the pursuit of food and culture help maintain our humanity in times of war and violence. My heart is warmed whenever I hear it said that the preparing and sharing of food in war time brings comfort and some joy to a difficult life.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVEx-pvuxaK44j4E3LFW04mKVIwdHedMbEHENN0efVSnCGWtp75jQy9TKv0R6takw7C8r_28qtsvQhdxuDdoY_QmOtg3Xu2sIHE0oZegRpMCbr0Hll9G6q-VgglTOZyt7E9cMqZ4A4dm8/s400/day-of-honey.jpg" width="265" /></div>Michael G Swiftehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16701957186059459981noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1762575265542964723.post-4626153743895133932011-01-24T16:45:00.000+10:002011-03-23T14:46:23.987+10:00Eating for empathy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>It's time to pretend I'm stuck at home in London during the Blitz. I'll be doing this with the help of my new purchase 'Eating for Victory' which is a compilation of official WW2 instruction leaflets on cooking with food rations. I've had a brief look at the table of contents and I've decided to start with 'Crumb Fudge' and 'Dresden Patties' from the 'What's left in the Larder' chapter. It's certain to be enlightening!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1B6ur300We2EKLSwEFVT7NHxw3A9_fYzUNx0DpvDXDKT39wjWzWsmv5XohwkotiViZW0fzzY2NBrhY8cQK8PSxCAcSyFjZA8WXFElcCiTTGwlxyXh_PaH9ohHh9ZiNIM_KcxICFlpbQA/s1600/IMG_1506.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1B6ur300We2EKLSwEFVT7NHxw3A9_fYzUNx0DpvDXDKT39wjWzWsmv5XohwkotiViZW0fzzY2NBrhY8cQK8PSxCAcSyFjZA8WXFElcCiTTGwlxyXh_PaH9ohHh9ZiNIM_KcxICFlpbQA/s400/IMG_1506.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>Michael G Swiftehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16701957186059459981noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1762575265542964723.post-54801826244339131012011-01-07T19:36:00.000+10:002011-03-23T14:46:37.825+10:00Food Riots! Economic pressures in poorer countries and the social effects of food shortages<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://gulfnews.com/polopoly_fs/police-chase-protesting-youths-in-the-el-harrache-district-of-algiers-1.742377!image/105632347.jpg_gen/derivatives/box_475/105632347.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="275" src="http://gulfnews.com/polopoly_fs/police-chase-protesting-youths-in-the-el-harrache-district-of-algiers-1.742377!image/105632347.jpg_gen/derivatives/box_475/105632347.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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<li id="imageTitle" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-color: rgb(233, 231, 218); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; display: inline; float: left; font-size: 1.1em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 9px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 9px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline; width: 465px;">Police chase protesting youths in the El Harrache district of Algiers on Thursday. The violence came after price hikes for milk, sugar and flour in recent days.</li>
<li class="credit" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-color: rgb(233, 231, 218); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; float: left; font-size: 1.1em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 9px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline; width: 465px;">Image Credit: AP</li>
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The brief I have given myself for this blog is to look at the future of food and violence in the west. But of course my often stated agenda is to get westerners to look at life in developing countries and into their own country's past for examples of resilience and struggle in periods of violent upheaval. In that light I recently contacted <a href="http://steinhardt.nyu.edu/faculty_bios/view/Amy_Bentley">Amy Bentley</a> <i>Associate Professor of Food Studies at the NYU Steinardt School of Culture, Education and Human Development</i> and author of <i>Eating for Victory: Food Rationing and the Politics of Domesticity</i> after discovering her contribution to the book <a href="http://books.google.com.au/books?id=WmP-VAyHsK4C&printsec=frontcover&dq=food,+drink,+and+identity&source=bl&ots=o122dxWqhU&sig=XxQDj3fK_0CfF0QfTsE5qnMyRfs&hl=en&ei=ZM8mTcyhAcfRcc2CtZ0B&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CBgQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false">Food, drink and identity: cooking, eating and drinking in Europe since the Middle Ages</a>. Her chapter entitled <i>'Reading Food Riots: Scarcity, Abundance, and National Identity'</i> made me think about the social responses to the onset of scarcity and the role that markets and governments have to play in bringing affordable and culturally appropriate food to the people.<br />
So it was timely when today I found a Jan 7, 2011 article at <a href="http://gulfnews.com/business/economy/world-on-brink-of-social-unrest-over-food-prices-1.742319">gulfnews.com</a> about unrest in Algeria over "price hikes for milk, sugar and flour in recent days". The article entitled <a href="http://gulfnews.com/business/economy/world-on-brink-of-social-unrest-over-food-prices-1.742319">'World on brink of social unrest over food prices'</a> discussed food inflation in Africa and across Asia quoting unnamed "international organisations" as saying there is going to be a global "food price shock". This seems quite plausible to me as there has been much talk in the US about inflationary pressures around food and with many European governments unable to exercise control over economic factors affecting inflationary pressures.<br />
Amy Bentley's writings on food riots impressed me so much because she demonstrated empathy through her conclusions saying that rioting resulting from price hikes and lack of availability of staple and cultural foods was caused by "intense frustration and anger at being trapped in a global economic web in which they seem to have no agency".<br />
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<a href="http://tinyurl.com/286e4o5">Coconut crisis in Sri Lanka caused by loss of plantations to new housing developments!</a>Michael G Swiftehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16701957186059459981noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1762575265542964723.post-12977820953151133502011-01-02T16:30:00.000+10:002011-03-23T14:47:00.924+10:00Mexico's drug/war lords and the suffering farmers <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.agoranews.org/sites/agoranews.org/files/imgs/mexican%20drug%20cartel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="242" src="http://www.agoranews.org/sites/agoranews.org/files/imgs/mexican%20drug%20cartel.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Image from www.agoranews.org <a href="http://www.agoranews.org/news/behind-mexicos-bloodshed-part-1-2">Behind Mexico's Bloodshed Part 1&2</a><br />
<br />
Some argue the North American Free Trade Agreement has played a part in the current bloodshed in Mexico by driving farmers off the land and fundamentally shifting the economy into the drug trade to the US. While some politicians in Mexico argue that the majority of those who've died were engaged in the drug trade, more and more evidence is appearing that ordinary citizens are being brutalised, tortured, and killed by both drug lords and the Mexican military sent to tackle the problem.<br />
<br />
Molly Molloy in 'Who Is Behind the 25,000 Deaths In Mexico?' <a href="http://www.thenation.com/article/37916/who-behind-25000-deaths-mexico?page=0,1">The Nation July 23 2010</a><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #0b5394;">" “armed commandos” dressed like soldiers and wielding high-powered machine guns are witnessed at the scenes of hundreds of massacres documented since 2008." </span><br />
<div><br />
</div><div>Bruce Livesey in <a href="http://www.agoranews.org/news/behind-mexicos-bloodshed-part-1-2">Behind Mexico's Bloodshed</a> says:</div><div><br />
</div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #0b5394;">"While free trade wiped out Mexico's traditional agriculture, the drug cartels moved in."</span><br />
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px;"><br />
</span></span></div>Laura Carlsen in 'The Mexican Farmers' Movement: Exposing the Myths of Free Trade'<br />
<div><a href="http://www.ifg.org/analysis/wto/cancun/mythtrade.htm">International Forum on Globalization February 25, 2003</a><br />
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><br />
</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #0b5394;">"The reemergent Mexican farmers' movement reflects not only the serious crisis in the country's rural sector but also a crisis of faith in free trade itself"</span></div><div><br />
</div><div>Scott Henson, writer of the Texan criminal justice system blog 'Grits for Breakfast' argues in his post <a href="http://gritsforbreakfast.blogspot.com/2008/03/stop-digging-us-policies-enriching.html">'Stop Digging: US policies enriching Mexican drug cartels'</a> that a range of US policies including NAFTA and US agricultural subsidies have:</div><div><br />
</div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #0b5394;">"combined to enrich Mexican cartels unimaginably, even financing military-grade weapons purchases, most of which is smuggled in from the United States"</span><br />
<div><br />
<div>Food is something we have to do as humans. When contrived arrangements cause the production of food to diminish and dependent populations are pressurised, those desperate for a market will go to violent extremes. </div></div>Michael G Swiftehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16701957186059459981noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1762575265542964723.post-6227626499036680172010-12-23T19:45:00.000+10:002011-03-23T14:35:47.449+10:00Is it 'end game' time yet?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">It seems pretty clear that ConspiracyWatch.net with their investigator Tom Retterbush seem to think the apparent rise in gun purchases in the USA is cause for concern. If they didn't, why would they title their story thusly.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.conspiracywatch.net/2010/11/record-gun-sales-as-americans-prepare.html">"Record Gun Sales as Americans Prepare for Financial Collapse"</a></div></div><div style="text-align: center;">. </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_7vzq_SckGV8/TPCaGmnDDqI/AAAAAAAAAzE/e_QGTUkgmgw/s320/magnum.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_7vzq_SckGV8/TPCaGmnDDqI/AAAAAAAAAzE/e_QGTUkgmgw/s640/magnum.jpg" width="330" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>They even mentioned people stockpiling non-perishables, petrol, and water. Seems pretty end-gamey to me.Michael G Swiftehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16701957186059459981noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1762575265542964723.post-22186207530502159832010-12-23T18:25:00.000+10:002011-03-23T14:47:44.440+10:00A Worldwide Day's Worth of Food<a href="http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,2037749_2219823,00.html">A Worldwide Day's Worth of Food</a><br />
<div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://img.timeinc.net/time/photoessays/2010/what_i_eat/what_i_eat_01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="263" src="http://img.timeinc.net/time/photoessays/2010/what_i_eat/what_i_eat_01.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
</div><div>This is great! What an amazing array of diets and liefestyles! So artfully arranged. <br />
<br />
Found on twitter. The link to the photo essay (thanks <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/michaelpollan">@michaelpollan</a> )and also yours truly operating as <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/empathiser">@empathiser</a>. </div>Michael G Swiftehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16701957186059459981noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1762575265542964723.post-52363271857505853262010-11-13T16:20:00.000+10:002010-12-26T18:16:05.235+10:00Powdered Egg Whites: The first experiment.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE_5w1vmfewTQrb6MtjPTEULi2l4UwMY4olXucz4fUtSVToFVP2sRuIDSdjZHOLNSRvaH1i8qmvac3FtFEPlvD0AlE8WQy6MIDPzsgTu2lMx_V41qvQrUEzChe9cwCyb-x24-yOcsYDlA/s1600/IMG_1245.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE_5w1vmfewTQrb6MtjPTEULi2l4UwMY4olXucz4fUtSVToFVP2sRuIDSdjZHOLNSRvaH1i8qmvac3FtFEPlvD0AlE8WQy6MIDPzsgTu2lMx_V41qvQrUEzChe9cwCyb-x24-yOcsYDlA/s400/IMG_1245.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Well finally, as promised nearly a year ago, I have had a crack at a powdered egg whites dish. All the ingredients are either from my pantry or our little herb garden. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_tl25e-pVHrNA74Q9XZZtGrBtwXZocoVLOMwMJuuen-s83zbmfHstyqC2nT4OF8Ca-aWBveJitF_FqjcrhfCh9MQr4XRN5DNdNI8D_qQupSMu3vlZbYN3yTHXGBGsW87JojloKVDPNM4/s1600/IMG_1287.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_tl25e-pVHrNA74Q9XZZtGrBtwXZocoVLOMwMJuuen-s83zbmfHstyqC2nT4OF8Ca-aWBveJitF_FqjcrhfCh9MQr4XRN5DNdNI8D_qQupSMu3vlZbYN3yTHXGBGsW87JojloKVDPNM4/s400/IMG_1287.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This was the end result. Delicate and very tasty corn cake ramekins topped with a grilled red pepper and Italian herb salad. I gave these to the girls from <a href="http://sstag.tumblr.com/">Stag</a> who were recording in my house mate's home studio, and sweating it out to lay some new tracks on his valve driven reel to reel. I explained this blog to them and asked if they would appreciate a small meal like this if they found themselves in a war time situation. They said absolutely!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7FZP04JrN5DAs3O2UJK9qkVP8af7GqdvTqhqQTNu1qTJg0QQm0lI1QTocsbBRFC3PYfBU4IOMZWf1J2Mf5WXd8QPhR-W0Mt_ZNV2of7iMSmGg0emdJpqy1pjowDajOgFWCMN9m3xO0xY/s1600/IMG_1292.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7FZP04JrN5DAs3O2UJK9qkVP8af7GqdvTqhqQTNu1qTJg0QQm0lI1QTocsbBRFC3PYfBU4IOMZWf1J2Mf5WXd8QPhR-W0Mt_ZNV2of7iMSmGg0emdJpqy1pjowDajOgFWCMN9m3xO0xY/s320/IMG_1292.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">I learned a great deal from the process. According to <a href="http://www.pacefarm.com/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=xFq6VSghj-A%3d&tabid=752&mid=1666">Pace Farms</a> who sell massive amounts of powdered egg whites for commercial use in Australia, powdered egg whites should be mixed at a rate of 7:1 water to egg white powder. I made a huge oversight and failed to consider just how little I needed for my purposes. I used 100grams of egg white powder when I only really needed 25grams which is the equivalent to 6 medium egg whites. This meant I had to continually move up to a larger mixing bowl and ended up wasting loads of egg white mix. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT9QzK0UckeH68CylNiFryA2s7wBG56xKqyyocIjtUEqCZf6Me7s1WC9VSUp8h-w0DDvtxjC5UNknt1u4QTe5LrGxkIw14lSJXiTqxoT9O8SDfQMyPstBe6xfG_JQo_t2Wabebohv7fDM/s1600/IMG_1279.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT9QzK0UckeH68CylNiFryA2s7wBG56xKqyyocIjtUEqCZf6Me7s1WC9VSUp8h-w0DDvtxjC5UNknt1u4QTe5LrGxkIw14lSJXiTqxoT9O8SDfQMyPstBe6xfG_JQo_t2Wabebohv7fDM/s320/IMG_1279.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">While I did achieve soft peaks after lots of hand beating with my Swift Whip. I feel I haven't fully demonstrated the ability of powdered egg whites to adequately substitute for fresh egg whites. I feel I really do need to make a souffle or macaroons to prove the point though I feel access to a temperature controlled oven during The Age of Warlords would be limited. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It was my hope to make fluffy corn cakes in a heavy based pan as a single burner is likely to be what most families will possess or afford to run. I will have another go at corn cakes and try fluffy pancakes as well. I'll need to get myself one of those dope dealers scales and some baggies to measure quantities. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Corn Cake Ramekins topped with a Grilled Red Pepper and Italian Herb Salad</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Corn cakes</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">300grams corn kernels</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">300grams creamed corn</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">25grams powdered egg white (equivalent to 6 medium egg whites)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;">powdered garlic</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;">dried onions</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;">chilli flakes</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;">water</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;">salt</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;">Red pepper and herb salad</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">fire roasted red peppers</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">aged balsamic</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">extra virgin olive oil</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">fresh parsley, oregano, basil, and thyme </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Follow me on twitter <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/empathiser">@empathiser</a></div>Michael G Swiftehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16701957186059459981noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1762575265542964723.post-39905086596884061292010-09-18T15:27:00.000+10:002010-09-18T15:27:46.738+10:00The Future We Deserve an excellent project!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGVwC44JcpOtPc9GV15yv5MF2YHfjELlBmVXuEaPjtzE73rJ9lGdRUcqtfDUIi7Fd_ptWQK28kbOeI9jwD1c_MBpGv8HCbObuL_7wMMRzWC8DTYuRY0xVGfIymVpaDbQODxsm8DFGT34E/s1600/TheFWD+card.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGVwC44JcpOtPc9GV15yv5MF2YHfjELlBmVXuEaPjtzE73rJ9lGdRUcqtfDUIi7Fd_ptWQK28kbOeI9jwD1c_MBpGv8HCbObuL_7wMMRzWC8DTYuRY0xVGfIymVpaDbQODxsm8DFGT34E/s320/TheFWD+card.jpg" /></a><a href="http://thefuturewedeserve.com/">The Future We Deserve</a> is a collaborated book about possible futures that takes account of the very real possibility of castastrophic climate change and economic disintegration. It will be a collection of writings from dreamers, pundits, thinkers, inventors, campaigners, and activists looking at ideas, answers, technologies, culture, feelings, economics, and social strategy for an uncertain future.<br />
Vinay Gupta is the inventor of the Hexayurt (a portable, lightweight house deployed in Haiti after the recent earth quakes) and a curator of The Future We Deserve. He contacted me recently saying he loved the Age of Warlords blog title and asked me to write an essay for the book. Needless to say I am very excited as I have been following the Dark Mountain Project as it develops and would be glad to make a contribution to discussion around their challenging ideas.<br />
The Future We Deserve book will be made reality using Creative Commons licencing and funded using Crowd Sourcing through <a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/461743612/the-future-we-deserve-100-days-100-visions-of-the">Kickstarter</a>Michael G Swiftehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16701957186059459981noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1762575265542964723.post-5858781440525903712010-07-02T18:58:00.000+10:002010-07-02T19:16:21.669+10:00This is what I've been talking about! Terra VivosHoly crap! This is more than survivalism lite. This is the ultimate corporate expression of fear of The Age of Warlords.<div>While I would have hours of fun exploring the <a href="http://www.terravivos.com/home.htm">Vivos</a> underground hotel style bunker website. I'm going to let you go there and explore it for yourself. I will tell you that they have 11 threat scenarios, one of them called Planet x - Nibiru where a rogue planet passes by causing the earths poles to shift.</div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXtTthiYN2IlmCJuZNIujyO-Rl0XTN7HnfwuGhjoN8eauBQZzBrCFxujyvbOTJXGTBO664cipXzloKElug3_EEiU7r4ByuWh9eGPYC_-oBPA9CfW1uKRjxcyDGxW0ZbG-EBDTDAbML6t0/s1600/predictedtrue.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 77px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXtTthiYN2IlmCJuZNIujyO-Rl0XTN7HnfwuGhjoN8eauBQZzBrCFxujyvbOTJXGTBO664cipXzloKElug3_EEiU7r4ByuWh9eGPYC_-oBPA9CfW1uKRjxcyDGxW0ZbG-EBDTDAbML6t0/s400/predictedtrue.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489234607116704594" /></a><br /></div><div>I'd like to thank The Colbert Report 28/06/10 for bringing it to my attention. </div>Michael G Swiftehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16701957186059459981noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1762575265542964723.post-69969622455236640222010-07-01T23:18:00.000+10:002010-12-26T18:12:55.922+10:00Uncivilisation: "A crisis in the environment movement"<div>Flaccid. That's the word most often used to describe the debate between George Monbiot and Dougald Hine of The Dark Mountain Project at the inaugural Uncivilisation festival. </div><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAxIkz02aCmkcH1haKCb2FvJtsG7uAJycnQgiwBHVf9VXBfKK47cGHT2REkU0AFHxko5SiRBmiifVtp41jtalKSOZw-0hqEGHLIQNCUvAcJ5dOiampsfscavzJgZRjDh92uYgyHkG8iyc/s1600/DarkMountain_posterA4.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5488946436384413682" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAxIkz02aCmkcH1haKCb2FvJtsG7uAJycnQgiwBHVf9VXBfKK47cGHT2REkU0AFHxko5SiRBmiifVtp41jtalKSOZw-0hqEGHLIQNCUvAcJ5dOiampsfscavzJgZRjDh92uYgyHkG8iyc/s320/DarkMountain_posterA4.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 320px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 227px;" /></a><br />
<div>GeoMon admitted that "There is a crisis in the environment movement". He admitted that there is no one environmental movement but many movements working to similar aims. He also argued that not only are non-renewable resources going to last for longer than we think (tar sands and coal seam gas), but that the machinery of Industrial Capitalism is highly resilient and able to adapt to ensure it's survival. GeoMon argued that Industrial Capitalism has been drawing the lions share of great minds to itself for so long that it cannot help but have the advantage over all others when it comes to protecting its position. </div><div>Dougald Hine articulated the elements of the Dark Mountain manifesto but was out-gunned by GeoMon's depth of knowledge (he did most of the talking).</div><div>What came through strongly in the discussion was that the Dark Mountain Project is an environmental movement of sorts looking to push a different angle.</div><div>Despite GeoMon's erudite ways I still see the power of The Dark Mountain Project manifesto though I believe that they need to model the collapses in creative and well informed ways. </div><div><br />
</div>Audio recording of the discussion between Dougald Hine and George Monbiot.<br />
<div><a href="http://www.archive.org/details/MonbiotHineUncivilisation2010">http://www.archive.org/details/MonbiotHineUncivilisation2010</a></div><div><br />
</div><div>Vigorous/Vitriolic debate in the blogoshere.</div><div><a href="http://dwighttowers.wordpress.com/2010/05/31/dire-mountain-more-abysmal-than-abyss-mal/">http://dwighttowers.wordpress.com/2010/05/31/dire-mountain-more-abysmal-than-abyss-mal/</a></div><div><br />
</div><div>The inventor of the Hexayurt Vinay Gupta. Good discussion around GeoMon.</div><div><a href="http://thesietch.org/mysietch/keith/2010/05/31/a-church-full-of-underminers-and-george-monbiot/">http://thesietch.org/mysietch/keith/2010/05/31/a-church-full-of-underminers-and-george-monbiot/</a></div>Michael G Swiftehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16701957186059459981noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1762575265542964723.post-92090155163441053992010-05-27T18:11:00.000+10:002010-05-28T00:39:20.386+10:00GeoMon vs The Dark MountainThis weekend may see the most significant public debate about the future of the earth and the West's role in helping to save the environment or at least saving some semblance of life after civilisation.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrC-PTg2goUi6JiyKn34AzCWrb2T4WCTreoRFSrryWqiyzeLjHs2LYSe1eNedWL48P6HHABoKBO8BZkdaxBqqTI2APwFjIEs7-sfEcq06THcQilzhkj4KeQFZn8hTBoJYSWbRHT5jp8rE/s1600/Monbiot.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 194px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrC-PTg2goUi6JiyKn34AzCWrb2T4WCTreoRFSrryWqiyzeLjHs2LYSe1eNedWL48P6HHABoKBO8BZkdaxBqqTI2APwFjIEs7-sfEcq06THcQilzhkj4KeQFZn8hTBoJYSWbRHT5jp8rE/s200/Monbiot.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475892133754287490" /></a><br /><br />The first ever Dark Mountain Festival will be held in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Llangollen</span> north Wales and George <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Monbiot</span> (<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">GeoMon</span>) who has had a <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cif-green/2009/aug/17/environment-climate-change">running debate</a> with the Dark Mountain Project will be there to debate in person. George has always insisted that the West take responsibility for environmental destruction and Dark Mountain Project founders Paul <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Kingsnorth</span> and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Dougald</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Hine</span> head an ever growing movement that is deeply critical of Western civilisation and recognises that we may well have missed our chance to stop catastrophic climate change. Both <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">GeoMon</span> and the Dark Mountain Project are highly critical of the West's actions in it's stewardship of the earth but differ over the message that should be delivered to the people.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEircGVqAn6AeLiyPG78_u1rRd3GuvPTrU_r348ILgNyT9pRIhAQIQwHFmRy2P-eXCWKQDRZpOC4BJeVyDnQEt1zCq0yTKrLTvYGW9PQt-s266NmnA0VEgHq0TfRuOb_FW0rH60AAgfQxv4/s1600/Dougald.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 133px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEircGVqAn6AeLiyPG78_u1rRd3GuvPTrU_r348ILgNyT9pRIhAQIQwHFmRy2P-eXCWKQDRZpOC4BJeVyDnQEt1zCq0yTKrLTvYGW9PQt-s266NmnA0VEgHq0TfRuOb_FW0rH60AAgfQxv4/s200/Dougald.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475892127513329394" /></a><br /><div>I admire George <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Monbiot</span> a lot. He lives his values and writes articulately, always providing useful references. Most importantly he doesn't fly around the world giving talks and attending conferences instead choosing limited travel by train. George has been the steady voice of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">eco</span>-reason for me which is why this particular conflict is so significant. The Dark Mountain Project came into my field of view only a few months ago but given the changes in our knowledge of the current and imminent threats to the global climate and the obvious lack of international will to act, their point of view continues to become more and more relevant. </div><div><br /></div><div>Musician Chris <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">TT</span> who has an association with the Dark Mountain Project sums up the debate quite well in <a href="http://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/index.php/news/content/view/full/81208">this article</a>. He argues that the essence of the debate is about the reluctance of environmentalists to admit they are privately pessimistic about the future and don't share this pessimism due to the perceived need to grow public optimism. I'm inclined to agree with him.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUEaiiBHZ9OAENuPy-QSpT743Fcb2PszlDd3-sxTwycWiC3bD0FznOdHyU756cdMxtyjO_q7Xwh5o-SvmoWhXx9zz4xNBxZIr1d6eg-ngKNfB3SdtYbOFP6-MbP1EhKzoX071CIRpSWFM/s1600/Kingsnorth.jpeg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUEaiiBHZ9OAENuPy-QSpT743Fcb2PszlDd3-sxTwycWiC3bD0FznOdHyU756cdMxtyjO_q7Xwh5o-SvmoWhXx9zz4xNBxZIr1d6eg-ngKNfB3SdtYbOFP6-MbP1EhKzoX071CIRpSWFM/s200/Kingsnorth.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475892116638983202" /></a><br /></div><div>While I have much admiration for <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">GeoMon</span> I feel that he has got his knickers in a twist over this debate. In his <a href="http://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/index.php/news/content/view/full/81208">May 10/2010 article</a> in The Guardian <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">GeoMon</span> responds to the Dark Mountain thesis contending that Western civilisation is much more resilient than they assert listing a range of new fossil fuel resources and extraction methods. I didn't find his argument compelling. It seemed that he was arguing that the very practices that he rails against would sustain the system he knows to be the problem. </div><div><br /></div><div>Paul <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">Kingsnorth</span> in his May 19/2010 article <a href="http://www.dark-mountain.net/wordpress/2010/05/19/the-need-for-growth/">The need for growth</a> makes a strong argument for how utterly dependent Western civilisation is on economic growth and that such growth is necessarily dependent on <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">eco</span>-destructive practices. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">Kingsnorth</span> and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">Dougald</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">Hine</span> sharpen their critique of the green movement in their reply to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">GeoMon </span>entitled <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cif-green/2010/may/13/environment-dark-mountain">The environmental movement needs to stop pretending</a> asserting that more than anything else our lifestyles need to change. </div><div><br /></div><div>I find this debate to be exciting and extremely important! While I feel that the Dark Mountain Project tend to grandstand a little and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18">GeoMon</span> is defending what may well be a lost cause I feel that between them they have begun to flesh out the defining issue of our age. What seems a little amusing here is how <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19">GeoMon</span> comes out looking a bit like an establishment figure. </div><div><br /></div><div>The Dark Mountain Project have taken a very radical position which I find attractive. There is something very positive to me about new culture and contingency plans for a future that lack of political will seems to make very possible. While I wish for global cooperation and renewable energy solutions for the future I very much see the need for a critique of Western civilisation and the world that it has delivered to us. </div>Michael G Swiftehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16701957186059459981noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1762575265542964723.post-27203111299126539202010-05-25T23:33:00.000+10:002010-05-26T00:21:05.378+10:00My food hero!I was watching the Sri Lanka and Bali installment of Rick Stein's Far Eastern Odyssey tonight when he stopped to mention the impact of the civil war which was in full swing at the time of filming. He said something then that sums up my sentiments exactly <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CC0000;">"Food is about good times even if there are terrible things going on all around you".</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CC0000;"><br /></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CC0000;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin_BKcn7IbS3CV7171N_IO3nZBJYYlDIZL-mJmVCZkjYGK2IvJQDHWoKffrQI6b-qUihp3pviyiwjFPVHlxq8WUjkmC-5OoYlj8yeW0RqZuXQXEi6A_WgnzwsAtS0CgAIjKdWcaJ_RTK0/s1600/Rick-Stein.jpg"><img style="text-align: left;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px; " src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin_BKcn7IbS3CV7171N_IO3nZBJYYlDIZL-mJmVCZkjYGK2IvJQDHWoKffrQI6b-qUihp3pviyiwjFPVHlxq8WUjkmC-5OoYlj8yeW0RqZuXQXEi6A_WgnzwsAtS0CgAIjKdWcaJ_RTK0/s400/Rick-Stein.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475208531476451186" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#666666;">Despite his tendency to be accident prone and rather awkward in the studio kitchen I love Rick Stein. There is a simplicity to his approach to food that reflects his fundamental decency and capacity to relate to ordinary people. I have his book Mediterranean Escapes and have watched many of his television programmes like Food Heroes and have sensed in both that his recipes reflect the connections made with real people. </span></span></span></div><div><span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#666666;">I think his works also reflect the camaraderie he has with his production team. I can feel the sheer pleasure he takes in being with people while they do all manner food related activities. I get a real sense that he and his production team are able to put individuals and the general public at ease while shooting.</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CC0000;"><span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#666666;">It came as no surprise when I heard Rick utter that wonderful quote. It tells me that the lives and conditions of ordinary people are not far from his mind.</span></span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"></span><br /></span><div><br /></div><div> </div></div></span><br /></div></div>Michael G Swiftehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16701957186059459981noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1762575265542964723.post-41468296840568027232010-05-20T17:03:00.000+10:002010-05-21T11:42:30.419+10:00Finacial Times refuses to publish Niger delta anti Shell ad<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbjnaF49GxfNkgLfpmbrnVvqT-Y3OXEoRhhD75QD3dkXgx9L02NbOIsVI3LFhMkNtEiP521wUF6gqZEvAOsFdxWYD-9SVADE0cI_NDKMbtNMs_WlfLziazTZ4PHML6JWNQuDCfJIgP5lk/s1600/amnesty_shell_niger_ad.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 308px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbjnaF49GxfNkgLfpmbrnVvqT-Y3OXEoRhhD75QD3dkXgx9L02NbOIsVI3LFhMkNtEiP521wUF6gqZEvAOsFdxWYD-9SVADE0cI_NDKMbtNMs_WlfLziazTZ4PHML6JWNQuDCfJIgP5lk/s400/amnesty_shell_niger_ad.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5473244623151331138" /></a><br />This is the ad that the Financial Times would not run on 18th May 2010 highlighting the effects of Shell's practices on the Niger delta. The ad, which was timed to coincide with the Shell AGM and capitalise on the public disgust at the BP leak in the Gulf of Mexico deserves as much exposure as possible. Shell have a lot to answer for in Nigeria.<div>This <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/the-niger-delta-the-curse-of-the-black-gold-882384.html">article about the Niger delta</a> coincided with the release of a book in 2008 by Michael Watts entitled "The curse of black gold". It gives a vivid description of the levels of destruction and profound ecological and social corruption caused by Shell and it's friends. This <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/greenslade/2010/may/18/financialtimes-royaldutchshell">article by Guardian blogger</a> Roy Greenslade outlines just how flimsy the Financial Times reasoning for pulling the ad was. </div><div>The problem of Shell and oil in the Niger delta has been visited and revisited over and over. The saga of the Ogoni people and their spokesman Ken Sarowiwa has brought the actions of Shell out into plain site many times. Fela Kuti regularly critiqued the destructive power of greed and wealth and decried the fact that it was many of his own country men who brought such destruction and corruption to his country while holding hands with the Europeans.</div><div>I recently watched the documentary "Music is the weapon" where Fela Kuti outlines the conditions of his city Lagos, that was 1975. Even now artists like Daddy Showkey explain how the ghettos of Lagos are a killing field where bodies lie untouched in the street. </div><div>How little the world seems to care. The Financial Times stymied a rare and timely opportunity to prick the collective conscience of 'the west'. </div>Michael G Swiftehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16701957186059459981noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1762575265542964723.post-80718361606153163442010-03-22T23:42:00.000+10:002010-05-21T11:41:10.247+10:00Top ten "unliveable" cities: not my kind fun facts!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVJK1Bb2ViEb75Wi9uPQqfR63DhEYmRBX5IMPWy0EsbsuUr8SwL2EbZOLZpCj6uZfGGSvl8vROuN5t-gl-pdzXO-fJRQZajhOVpsXJmrjYfU0xCExn2BXN2gWyYgRsiEqCP1WS_1sJn7c/s1600-h/IMG_0654.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVJK1Bb2ViEb75Wi9uPQqfR63DhEYmRBX5IMPWy0EsbsuUr8SwL2EbZOLZpCj6uZfGGSvl8vROuN5t-gl-pdzXO-fJRQZajhOVpsXJmrjYfU0xCExn2BXN2gWyYgRsiEqCP1WS_1sJn7c/s400/IMG_0654.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451455625882369586" border="0" /></a><br />I was in my local coffee shop the other day when I spotted the above 'fun facts' style "article" in the glossy magazine that comes with the weekend national paper. I looked around the page and found no related article dealing with the issues raised by this set of 'fun facts'. I found this disturbing, cynical, and in a way macabre.<br />The Economist magazine makes a big deal of it's yearly <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">liveability</span> rankings with most attention given to the top ten most <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">liveable</span> cities. The article published by the <a href="http://www.economist.com/blogs/gulliver/2010/02/liveability_rankings">The Economist</a> does not list the top <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">unliveable</span> cities just the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">liveable</span> top ten. The Economist links you to the <a href="http://www.eiu.com/site_info.asp?info_name=The_Global_Liveability_Report&page=noads&rf=0">Economist Intelligence Unit</a> where the top ten and bottom ten are provided. If you want any more from the list you will have to buy the information.<br />This list is made offensive by the lack of attention paid to the human experience of living in these cities and the historical colonial contexts that have delivered them to us in such a parlous state. The list reeks of British and French colonial exploits. Some of these cities represent hot beds of cultural production and adaption with their denizens being shining examples of resilience amid <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">catastrophic</span> circumstances. There is much that is fascinating, important, and eminently readable about these cities. It would have been quite possible to put a positive spin on the list but it seems that the fashion for 'fun facts' and the apparent cynicism of editorial staff put a stop to that.<br />I am fascinated by these cities and take a keen interest in their culture, and history. Every part of their tortuous existence has helped to create peoples and cultures that celebrate survival. It is a sad shame that some editors living in the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">rarefied</span> air of their office blocks feel that the experience of so many struggling and suffering people can be over looked. They say these places are <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">unliveable</span>, but for whom? Certainly not the people who live there!<br /><br />Check this link for an article on <a href="http://www.rnzi.com/pages/news.php?op=read&id=51874">Port <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Moresby</span></a>Michael G Swiftehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16701957186059459981noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1762575265542964723.post-90783574273222006962010-03-16T14:50:00.000+10:002010-03-16T15:54:18.010+10:00The Road, some thoughts and a list of meals<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifEcbOEEJyFq203P9IGa9xcR49fjHmiJxkKTrahsP50Bfh7GxARdJhrW6b0EsPQ0h2PhEbXv78Po6buIvl92ulwfZd_qHTn506Pif_EnImnwCX9KUiRzgsNJLC6AjnDbFHi0TgVAD-8Zk/s1600-h/IMG_0631.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifEcbOEEJyFq203P9IGa9xcR49fjHmiJxkKTrahsP50Bfh7GxARdJhrW6b0EsPQ0h2PhEbXv78Po6buIvl92ulwfZd_qHTn506Pif_EnImnwCX9KUiRzgsNJLC6AjnDbFHi0TgVAD-8Zk/s400/IMG_0631.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5449105731730465794" border="0" /></a><br />Last night I finished reading Cormac McCarthy's 'The Road' and then went and saw the movie. This was the right thing to do because in my mind the both are part of one experience.<br />While I have some issues with the screen play and it's adherence to the detail of the novel and the subsequent effects on the narrative development and certain key themes, I think the movie was effective.<br />My great point of difference with 'The Road' is in the nature of the special world created by the writer. By this I refer to Joseph Campbell's notion of the hero/protagonist and the rules governing the special world where the hero and the audience finds themselves and makes their journey. In 'The Road' we find that the world is a place where almost all but a few humans and possibly a pet dog have survived some sort of cataclysm. It is but one of many scenarios of human destruction that may precipitate the Age of Warlords.<br />The choice of the destruction of most life is a device that places the focus on preserved food. There are no opportunities to hunt or farm and the world is seemingly heading towards sterility. This is a clever device that allows the writer to focus on many of the fears of 'preppers' and survivalists. It is the most dramatic of Age of Warlords scenarios as desolation, personal violence, and cannibalism are a day to day issue.<br />I have made the most of Cormac McCarthy's dramatic focus and made a list of all meals (eating events) in 'The Road' (the book). The list bears out the true nature of the foods we are likely to rely on at the most desperate stages of the Age of Warlords.<br /><br />Pg 3 corn meal cakes and syrup<br />Pg 8 a poor meal, cold<br />Pg 16 smokehouse ham and tin of beans<br />Pg 26 a can of coke from a vending machine<br />Pg 29 cold rice and cold beans<br />Pg 31 last of the cocoa<br />Pg 34 crackers and a tin of sausage, last half packet of cocoa<br />Pg 40 colony of dried morels<br />Pg 41 morels and fat pork, can of beans, tea and tinned pears<br />Pg 49 last of the morels and a can of spinach<br />Pg 72 a can of white beans<br />Pg 76 a can of sausages and a can of corn<br />Pg 79 a can of beets<br />Pg 80 last tin of food, pork and beans<br />Pg 88 corn cakes-sans rat turds<br />Pg 91 two corn cakes each<br />Pg 92 a handful of raisins<br />Pg 94 grain and dust from a hopper<br />Pg 107 handfuls of dirty snow<br />Pg 125 dusty hayseeds<br />Pg 127 dried up apples with seeds<br />Pg 131 dried up apples, grape flavoured drink<br />Pg 133 dried up apples, water<br />Pg 141 a can of pears, a can of peaches<br />Pg 151 a bar of chocolate<br />Pg 153 ham, eggs, beans, coffee, biscuits<br />Pg 162 ham, green beans, mashed potato, gravy, peaches and cream, coffee<br />Pg 165 canned ham and crackers with mustard and apple sauce, tea<br />Pg 174 with the old man-tin of fruit cocktail<br />Pg 178 with the old man-beef, crackers, coffee<br />Pg 185 a cold lunch<br />Pg 187 corn bread, beans, franks from a tin<br />Pg 193 curbside crackers<br />Pg 204 leftover skillett bread. last can of tuna fish, a can of prunes<br /> -205<br />Pg 212 the last of their provisions<br />Pg 224 preserved green beans and potatos<br />Pg 254 a can of peaches alone<br />Pg 269 a can of apple juice for the boy<br />Pg 278 cans warmed over the burner<br />Pg 296 half tin of peaches for the boyMichael G Swiftehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16701957186059459981noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1762575265542964723.post-30951984038949308102010-02-24T22:59:00.000+10:002011-01-10T22:42:01.035+10:00Preppers! Many Americans are getting ready for the end of the world!A little while back I mentioned a "rapture inspired blog" that had recipes for powdered egg. At that stage I had only just begun to find out about the practice of 'preparedness' and it's connection to some American churches. I felt it prudent not to question religious practices though it's clear that 'the rapture' and other forms of human disaster are the prime motivation. I did do a little research into the history of 'preparedness' doctrine in one significant Christian church and found a repeated directive from a modern church leader rather than a biblical reference.<br />
While I have been aware of the enduring popularity of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">survivalism</span> in the USA it is clear that 'prepping' or as Paul Harris in his article <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/feb/14/americans-prepare-for-apocalyptic-disaster"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span></span></a><span style="font-size: 100%;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/Americans%20stock%20up%20to%20be%20ready%20for%20end%20of%20the%20world">Americans stock up to be ready for end of the world</a> noted it had been dubbed "<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Survivalism</span> Lite" is an entirely new and rather more populous phenomenon. I have had a look at a fair few of the many preparedness sites online, not all are religiously inspired, many offer useful information about food preparation and good old fashioned skills, but there is very little discussion about the deeper questions.<br />
To me the 'prepping' movement (if it can be called a movement) seems to be driven by a sense of self preservation and fear of death and suffering. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Preppers</span> clearly are preparing to hunker down in their homes with supplies of food, medicine, and weapons to help them weather the storms of violence and other horrible happenings that the rapture or one of many forecast disasters may bring. This strikes me as being not inspired by empathy and a sense of rebuilding community, but by <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">individualism</span> and the desire to live the most comfortable possible life.<br />
As someone who was raised a catholic and who still values the principles of selflessness that Christianity shares with many of the values of secular-post-enlightenment philosophies, I find it hard to reconcile myself with preparedness as a practice. When the Western world enters the post-civilisation period <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">ie</span> The Age of Warlords, the bigger questions will be the same but the noise and fog of politics and power will have shifted and reveal an immediate need for community. The true Christian values that informed the enlightenment and subsequent democratic development will be as relevant as ever. I question the rightness of using increase and <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">privileged</span> now to protect ourselves from a possible future. <br />
</span>Michael G Swiftehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16701957186059459981noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1762575265542964723.post-31784709998054678432010-01-31T15:44:00.000+10:002010-02-07T14:42:36.648+10:00Processing wild rabbit for food can be very diseasy!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmeo8dnjHNu5F9ccQF2SZCwoiAhnp7MCsAgVNNy-PtAy1rRGt-znUhX-GwcB7Bv99FgETJLKHuJovC-CbmCINvPGrTKtVNueTeAH-9VLq11WMKP4FfZfCPG_MQe01XqCVs01a6Kfyg9zQ/s1600-h/Roa+-+Rabbit+Skeleton.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 306px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmeo8dnjHNu5F9ccQF2SZCwoiAhnp7MCsAgVNNy-PtAy1rRGt-znUhX-GwcB7Bv99FgETJLKHuJovC-CbmCINvPGrTKtVNueTeAH-9VLq11WMKP4FfZfCPG_MQe01XqCVs01a6Kfyg9zQ/s400/Roa+-+Rabbit+Skeleton.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435356411786247506" border="0" /></a><br />Roa - Rabbit - from <a href="http://www.prescriptionart.com/prescription-art/roa/roa-rabbit/prod_460.html">Prescription Art</a><br /><br />While researching for info on identifying and processing rabbit carcasses I came across important info about disease risks. I discovered that rabbits can carry the <a href="http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/ACD/reports/spclrpts/spcrpt06/Plague_SS06.pdf">bubonic plague virus</a> which can be easily transferred to humans through contact with the carcass and through fleas living in the animals fur. Rabbits can also transfer Tularemia (<em><a href="http://www.bt.cdc.gov/agent/tularemia/facts.asp"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Francisella</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">tularensis</span></a>) </em>through spores on the fur and through eating the meat (look for spots on the liver). Both of these can be deadly and even though we have treatments for each condition these may well be unavailable during <span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">the age of warlords.<br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><br /></span></span>While I have been unsuccessful in finding a useful guide to carcass identification I did find a great guide to safe processing of rabbit carcasses. <a href="http://www.thecookinginn.com/rabbit/rabbit.html">The Cooking Inn</a> has a great guide to dressing procedures for handling farmed and wild rabbit carcasses that shows what to look for in a properly dressed rabbit. Unfortunately a properly dressed rabbit has had its head, tail, and front and rear fore-legs removed leaving no obvious features clearly identifying it as a rabbit carcass.<br />The right leg is left in tact when preparing the carcass for skinning as it is the best point to attach a hanging hook. Given that it is advised that rabbit hunters process their catch in the field while it is still warm leaving the pelt on the rabbit I would ask that the right leg be left on the animal for identification. A cats paw is very easy to spot!<br /><br />Here is a link to an event I would have loved to have attended. <a href="http://sheepdrove.wordpress.com/2007/12/04/rabbit-discovered-at-slow-food-event/">Rabbit Discovered</a> was an event celebrating slow food with wild rabbit as the centre piece of the meal. People attending were given a demonstration of how to safely prepare and portion a wild rabbit carcass with opportunities to have a go at processing the carcass themselves.<br />From what I've been able to gather wild rabbits can now be sold un-eviscerated (un-gutted) allowing the purchaser to identify any issues with the liver revealing Tularemia.<span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><br /></span></span>Michael G Swiftehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16701957186059459981noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1762575265542964723.post-64901158838185724532010-01-22T23:06:00.000+10:002010-01-25T22:33:10.686+10:00But not this stuff!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCBI_eF-3zEn82Hww2cGZA9wPUYJDTvkSEEg7apLsmdbBZ-r9yRQ5C1-rP4cEnzLt1h0E551ub20T60c5F96KTcNtClapgvaErjH03ln_U4KybH4qIn2GAvi9VUTJ3CUb7EzBsOteBbbI/s1600-h/IMG_0200.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCBI_eF-3zEn82Hww2cGZA9wPUYJDTvkSEEg7apLsmdbBZ-r9yRQ5C1-rP4cEnzLt1h0E551ub20T60c5F96KTcNtClapgvaErjH03ln_U4KybH4qIn2GAvi9VUTJ3CUb7EzBsOteBbbI/s400/IMG_0200.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5429551105425343682" border="0" /></a>I said I loved canned food but this stuff won't be going into my pantry! There's been a bit of an ad campaign for this stuff and another brand called "Chop chop chicken" lately and I have always wondered about chicken in a can. Why is it that they're trying to sell a product like this to us now?<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivwP26mo40j_8XQMKGJs6_URBW17490lEeSzLfS7-oAZ7adou_KHsRHe7iBJc_N_oBwOAK07dNIc4oiiFIVYPFcQlIjKLRVidTz1dhjVQfQcoWEi_MxLKIHHHqmyhi8oXFtSIxIzsWe30/s1600-h/IMG_0210.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivwP26mo40j_8XQMKGJs6_URBW17490lEeSzLfS7-oAZ7adou_KHsRHe7iBJc_N_oBwOAK07dNIc4oiiFIVYPFcQlIjKLRVidTz1dhjVQfQcoWEi_MxLKIHHHqmyhi8oXFtSIxIzsWe30/s400/IMG_0210.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5429553849759163586" border="0" /></a><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Blech</span>! Noted Culinary Anthropologist <a href="http://www.margaretvisser.com/bio.htm">Margaret <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Visser</span></a> tells of how in Europe and North America the eating of a fowl on occasion was deemed a luxury to which everyone had a right. A roasted bird as the centre piece of a special meal would be quite a luxury in the age of warlords.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYpQYhtPZEuvO9LqqM7BXIt3EGM05ujBKxo_5KBVT5dsS-8LRixjLkIDP34o8q7312wdV7Y9UpJ-r2SNnZtK49FKQ0CqsZQrCgzO8mWB8405XR5e57Cz0_v5cjY0mo0Nb8IxMrse_P1TM/s1600-h/IMG_0212.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYpQYhtPZEuvO9LqqM7BXIt3EGM05ujBKxo_5KBVT5dsS-8LRixjLkIDP34o8q7312wdV7Y9UpJ-r2SNnZtK49FKQ0CqsZQrCgzO8mWB8405XR5e57Cz0_v5cjY0mo0Nb8IxMrse_P1TM/s200/IMG_0212.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5429559055472075970" border="0" /></a><a href="http://www.chelseagreen.com/authors/joan_gussow/">Joan <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Gussow's</span></a> dark vision of a future chicken fed by pipes and harvested for flesh seems a little closer. It says shredded chicken breast on the can but I wonder where they get the bits from?<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiabfCUcAhzNWL2H7_8HG2k_lVo1EUmDsfy1t_7Z8tObHOPqI_0Jc0It9b-Ap4gwJhcheoCsG1aXtLYQ58u3zPQJmd69Aa9WYrizeB-ITeH0rbSFUM15CNDBZ3idNKzVy6pjbqO4b3-GT0/s1600-h/IMG_0213.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiabfCUcAhzNWL2H7_8HG2k_lVo1EUmDsfy1t_7Z8tObHOPqI_0Jc0It9b-Ap4gwJhcheoCsG1aXtLYQ58u3zPQJmd69Aa9WYrizeB-ITeH0rbSFUM15CNDBZ3idNKzVy6pjbqO4b3-GT0/s200/IMG_0213.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5429562317164728354" border="0" /></a>I wasn't impressed when I opened the can.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIp0oJ4_fe8s5aA3BBCzq6iiPJe9VwnwBxX9QpbNklFuxOjFR1MWS-DdBmC_VHmIw-wBqWbVBZuJh9FaFdLynyNRG5VHOFQt9kLL9Q3nTd6l-EFP222oBz0RBLePpvFWi8FJcgAlBNb6w/s1600-h/IMG_0214.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIp0oJ4_fe8s5aA3BBCzq6iiPJe9VwnwBxX9QpbNklFuxOjFR1MWS-DdBmC_VHmIw-wBqWbVBZuJh9FaFdLynyNRG5VHOFQt9kLL9Q3nTd6l-EFP222oBz0RBLePpvFWi8FJcgAlBNb6w/s200/IMG_0214.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5429563454726243058" border="0" /></a>And even less impressed when I checked the texture, disappointing! The shred was too fine with no real 'meaty' shreds (so to speak).<br /><br />Shortly after this photo I spat my first mouth full in the bin and chucked the rest of the can away!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiabfCUcAhzNWL2H7_8HG2k_lVo1EUmDsfy1t_7Z8tObHOPqI_0Jc0It9b-Ap4gwJhcheoCsG1aXtLYQ58u3zPQJmd69Aa9WYrizeB-ITeH0rbSFUM15CNDBZ3idNKzVy6pjbqO4b3-GT0/s1600-h/IMG_0213.jpg"><br /></a>Michael G Swiftehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16701957186059459981noreply@blogger.com0