BioFuel and Food

The topic of biofuels is not always my favorite to talk about. It is complex, it is a very grey area when it comes to benefits versus drawbacks.

Yet overall as someone who supports social justice, sustainability, human rights, and cleaning up the mess we have made of the world, I welcome the era of biofuels that we seem to be at the beginning of.

Among the great points of the big debate is the issue of world hunger and the price of food. As many of you will know by now, there is a great deal of speculation and already some evidence that food prices will go up because so much food is being turned into fuel. Many critics say, this is the problem if we make the global focus bio fuels.

The initial issue I have with this argument is the idea that world hunger will worsen and that food prices will increase. It is a fact that IF the leaders of the world wanted to, there is enough food in the world to feed everyone. But when you introduce the politics and economics of food production, that food never reaches the hungry. So this is already a problem no matter what we’re using to fuel vehicles.

Then comes the issue of rising food prices, a much tougher one for me get into since I’m neither a farmer nor can I see the future in terms of prices. I do however believe that governments could cooperate to make sure prices would not get out of control. Again it requires that they WANT TO solve the problem, and based on history it is clear that ending hunger is NOT the priority of world leaders.

Of course there’s alot more to it and I hope to build on this discussion through both writing and podcasts. For now I want to recommend the latest edition of The State We’re In; specifically a conversation they have with a Brazilian farmer that, for me, is very interesting and informative.

bm236 The Story of Sierra Gorda

The following podcast features an interview I recorded during the TBLI sustainable investment/corporate social responsibility conference I attended in PAris last week. Pati Ruiz Corzo was one of the first people I met and we immediately began talking about the world, the environment, and her experiences in Sierra Gorda, a very special biosphere reserve in Mexico which she helped to found.

We Discuss:

  • How Sierra Gorda Began
  • Who lives there
  • How do people live
  • Emmigration to the US
  • Government support
  • International partners
  • Eco tourism
  • Teaching the community

 

Thanksgiving and Guinea-Bissau

It is no secret that I’m a huge admirer of my friend Pauline’s travels and writing in West Africa. She is my journalistic hero and Im so excited to see how her blog is evolving.  People should stop reading blogs about stupid new devices that cost too much money, and start reading about how people live their lives in places like Guinea-Bissau through the great observations of someone like Pauline.

Many of you are with family eating alot today and relaxing.  That is nice and I’m certainly somewhat jealous as I have to wait another week before finally seeing my family in New Jersey.  But in the mean time, I once again recommend you read Pauline’s blog as she is travelling in Guinea-Bissau and with every sentence I read I find myself wishing I was there with her.  One of my resolutions in the coming months, is to do just that…

bmtv63 Kosovo, the Month Ahead

Been reading about the next month and what it holds in store for Kosovo and the entire Balkan region. Would have made for an interesting time to be back in Belgrade around this time.

The following video is just a montage of images, texts, and audio that I’ve been taking in and evaluating. My g4 powerbook, after 3 years of service, is struggling with exporting video… It is time for a new computer and as always.. I appreciate tips in the tip jar.. and your moral support is nice too.

One Year Ago Somalia

Greetings from Amsterdam, where winter has set in nicely.

While I have a tremendous amount of love for independent podcasters out there, I still look to many alternative and even get what I get from mainstream media podcasts as part of the quest to piece together what is really happening in our world.  One of my favorites for this purpose is the Guardian’s daily podcast. The program is actually an excellent example of how newspapers and magazines could create an original podcast that makes use of, and even promotes, the material in their newspaper.  I get an excellent overview of the Guardian each day when I tune into this podcast.

Recently, in their Friday edition, they had a guest on who’s been writing about the one year anniversary of the invasion of Somalia by Ethiopia. Of course, always one of those regions of the world that is under-reported and in fact, quite difficult to get reports from, Ethiopia invaded after so-called Islamists took over Mogadishu and intended to form some kind of fundamentalist state in Somalia.  At least that’s what the few reports making the rounds taught us last year.

The reporter spoke about how when Ethiopia invaded to prevent that government from exercizing power , they were successful in that mission. However, in a familiar turn of events, after being there one year they are finding themselves the targets of frequent attacks and in desperate need of help.

It brings me back to what has become a classic question. To do or not to do, and if to do… then how? If your neighboring country is being taken over by an extremist group, do you try to stop them? Do you use a military to do so? My initial answer, and even more after seeing what happens, is NO.  Yet, I don’t believe in isolation. I don’t believe you ignore suffering when you know full well what is happening next door or anywhere in the world. Then what to do? What kind of engagement? What kind of action or dialog?

As I biked down to frisbee practice, re-listening to this report, I could not think of an answer.  I know I believe in nonviolence. I know there is plenty of evidence that this method of occupying a country by force is not only wrong but also disastrous.  So what then?  The only thing that comes to mind is to understand the problem before it happens. To look at the ingredients that lead to such a government taking power, that drive people to support such groups or policies, and work at an international level to alleviate these symptoms before they result in what we’ve seen in place like Somalia.

bm235 Online Community and State of Emergency

At a time when the Pakistani government is using the state of emergency declaration to crack down on opposition and media, many citizens are turning to the internet. Amer Sarfraz, one of the people responsible for the Pakistani online community Buzzvines, joins me to describe life under the state of emergency both online and off.

We Discuss:

  • Daily Life
  • Crackdown and Opposition
  • Internet Usage in PAkistan
  • What types of uses
  • Government crackdown in cyberspace
  • The limits of the government’s reach