food riots
food shortages and how they are handled
Tunisia and food
supply and demand of global food market
weather effecting crops
reasons for price increases
biofuel consumption
processed foods
history of developing countries and foods
mass farming in the US
mass farming in foreign countries to provide for the US & effects on the people
http://blogs.forbes.com/investor/2011/01/31/global-riots-opportunity-or-danger/
This author is interested in the progression of economic conflict and riots in various foreign countries. The main focus was on overall impact and what it means for the markets. He mentioned food in Egypt and various countries and their "soaring prices". I think his bias is that he is an American business writer with a negative perspective on all of these countries economy's plummeting. He has included facts from both sides because he did address the fact that these people are fighting for various things, including the high food prices. After reading this article I still have questions about why prices have been rising globally for these people and why the revolt has arisen so suddenly. I have questions about what this means for the American market, and did we have anything to do with the regime these people have lived under. I also would like to know more about the history of politics and democracy in these various places.
http://detnews.com/article/20110131/BIZ01/101310311/1001/rss21
The author was mostly informative about United States food prices rising. There wasnt too much of an arguement, and the interest was in food costs and their increases in different industries. The authors point is; food prices are rising all around, and even major brand labels will be raising the price of food. The author had an almost consumer bias, because he is reporting for the consumers. He has included the informative facts. The only other facts or perspectives he could provide would be more detailed reasons for the increase and how it effects big coporations like McDonalds. I would have liked to read more about the effect on farmers and the aspect of importing food into the U.S. Most of my questions revolve around why? The article provided some backround and facts, but I want to know more details and why this is happening, even ideas for how to combat it.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Plant Research
Strawberries!-I am interested in growing strawberries because I know that they are an excellent spring crop, and they are tasty! When I was younger, my favorite thing was going strawberry picking and I think it would be fun to grow some for the garden.
Tea (possibly chamomile)-I think growing tea in the garden would be unique, and hopefully turn out well. Brewing our own tea at the end of the semester would be very rewarding after spending the semester growing it. Adding a tea portion to the garden would add something new and interesting.
Catnip- Catnip is a drought tolerant herb, which are two sections of the garden. I am interested in growing it because it is a different herb to pursue, and I think it will add to the garden.
**German Chamomile-Herb. It has a two month growing time, and it can be a late or early crop. It will also grow back every year. It can be grown from seed or from the plant. It takes 4 to 8 days to germinate. The only special thing is that when the seed is planted, it shouldnt be completely covered in soil. It actually needs adequate light for the germination process. From seed to harvest, it takes between 70-80 days. I believe this will work with the semester. The plants need to be about 4 to 6 inches apart. It did not seem like it needed any specific soil requirements, but I did read about it doing alright in clay based soil and fertilizer was a good idea. Moderate watering (moist but not wet). I think overhead water would be best, depending on how much is put onto the plant. Chamomile does will with other herbs, onions and cucumbers. It also can be planted near stepping stones or pavement. One other note is that sometimes the chamomile seeds will blow in the wind and end up in random places.
Chamomile is medicinal, and is used to make a soothing tea. It is used to calm upset stomach, nerves and is good for digestion. It is also used as analgesic for burns, cuts and scrapes.
Strawberry- Fruit. The growing season is in the spring, and it is advised to plant them when the soil is not wet and on a cloudy day. From my research, not many people grow the strawberries from seed, but it is possible. If we do grow them from seed they must be frozen for 2 weeks and take 2-3 weeks to germinate. Most articles and stores sell the actual plant. The time to harvest is anywhere from 6-10 months, but it is also dependant on how the mature the strawberry plant is when you plant it. In 4 to 5 weeks, the plant will produce daughter plants and runners. I think it makes sense to plant, even if they aren’t ready in time for exhibition they might be ready during early fall for the next group of students. Since we don’t have to worry about frost, there is potential for the strawberries to continue growing, some plants can come back for up to 6 years. Strawberries need to be planted 12-18" apart in rows 3-4 feet apart. No specific soil requirements, but it is advised to have as much organic matter as possible and to use fertilizer. The soil's pH should be slightly acid, from 5.5 to 6.5.The soil is supposed to be worked very well, almost one foot into the dirt. Watering is 1-2 inches per week, or a moderate amount, especially when the flowers are blooming.
An interesting fact/tip is most website’s advised to pluck the flowers off of the plant before they become fruit in the first year. If the plant focuses on roots for the first year, it will yield a larger crop the next year.
Tea (possibly chamomile)-I think growing tea in the garden would be unique, and hopefully turn out well. Brewing our own tea at the end of the semester would be very rewarding after spending the semester growing it. Adding a tea portion to the garden would add something new and interesting.
Catnip- Catnip is a drought tolerant herb, which are two sections of the garden. I am interested in growing it because it is a different herb to pursue, and I think it will add to the garden.
**German Chamomile-Herb. It has a two month growing time, and it can be a late or early crop. It will also grow back every year. It can be grown from seed or from the plant. It takes 4 to 8 days to germinate. The only special thing is that when the seed is planted, it shouldnt be completely covered in soil. It actually needs adequate light for the germination process. From seed to harvest, it takes between 70-80 days. I believe this will work with the semester. The plants need to be about 4 to 6 inches apart. It did not seem like it needed any specific soil requirements, but I did read about it doing alright in clay based soil and fertilizer was a good idea. Moderate watering (moist but not wet). I think overhead water would be best, depending on how much is put onto the plant. Chamomile does will with other herbs, onions and cucumbers. It also can be planted near stepping stones or pavement. One other note is that sometimes the chamomile seeds will blow in the wind and end up in random places.
Chamomile is medicinal, and is used to make a soothing tea. It is used to calm upset stomach, nerves and is good for digestion. It is also used as analgesic for burns, cuts and scrapes.
Strawberry- Fruit. The growing season is in the spring, and it is advised to plant them when the soil is not wet and on a cloudy day. From my research, not many people grow the strawberries from seed, but it is possible. If we do grow them from seed they must be frozen for 2 weeks and take 2-3 weeks to germinate. Most articles and stores sell the actual plant. The time to harvest is anywhere from 6-10 months, but it is also dependant on how the mature the strawberry plant is when you plant it. In 4 to 5 weeks, the plant will produce daughter plants and runners. I think it makes sense to plant, even if they aren’t ready in time for exhibition they might be ready during early fall for the next group of students. Since we don’t have to worry about frost, there is potential for the strawberries to continue growing, some plants can come back for up to 6 years. Strawberries need to be planted 12-18" apart in rows 3-4 feet apart. No specific soil requirements, but it is advised to have as much organic matter as possible and to use fertilizer. The soil's pH should be slightly acid, from 5.5 to 6.5.The soil is supposed to be worked very well, almost one foot into the dirt. Watering is 1-2 inches per week, or a moderate amount, especially when the flowers are blooming.
An interesting fact/tip is most website’s advised to pluck the flowers off of the plant before they become fruit in the first year. If the plant focuses on roots for the first year, it will yield a larger crop the next year.
Sunday, January 9, 2011
6 Degrees of Separation
The three objects I want to research are:
-Contacts
I chose contacts because I wear them all day, every day. Once I thought about how they were made of plastic, I began to think about impacts in my eyes and what it even takes to make a contact. As for the environment, I am curious to learn if any of the components come from nature and how manufacturing contacts effects the environment. Is there any waste from the process?
-Coffee (particularly fair trade vs. non fair trade)
I think coffee will be interesting to research since it is a huge industry, particularly with Starbucks. I love drinking coffee and it is essential to many peoples lives. I am interested to learn about where coffee comes from and the environmental impact on choosing fair trade or not. How does it effect people and the ecosystem? This is an object that I am interested in digging deeper into its' origins.
-Paper
Paper is something that almost everyone uses daily. I know that paper comes from trees, but I want to take it a step further and learn about what happens to the trees and how quickly forests are being destroyed. Aside from trees, I want to know more about what is in paper. Im guessing there is bleach in it because of how white most paper is. I think that researching paper will be very interesting and enlightening because paper is everywhere. People always talk about the effects of plastic in the enviornment, what are the effects of paper and paper production?
-Contacts
I chose contacts because I wear them all day, every day. Once I thought about how they were made of plastic, I began to think about impacts in my eyes and what it even takes to make a contact. As for the environment, I am curious to learn if any of the components come from nature and how manufacturing contacts effects the environment. Is there any waste from the process?
-Coffee (particularly fair trade vs. non fair trade)
I think coffee will be interesting to research since it is a huge industry, particularly with Starbucks. I love drinking coffee and it is essential to many peoples lives. I am interested to learn about where coffee comes from and the environmental impact on choosing fair trade or not. How does it effect people and the ecosystem? This is an object that I am interested in digging deeper into its' origins.
-Paper
Paper is something that almost everyone uses daily. I know that paper comes from trees, but I want to take it a step further and learn about what happens to the trees and how quickly forests are being destroyed. Aside from trees, I want to know more about what is in paper. Im guessing there is bleach in it because of how white most paper is. I think that researching paper will be very interesting and enlightening because paper is everywhere. People always talk about the effects of plastic in the enviornment, what are the effects of paper and paper production?
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Wednesday Journal
Tonight I went to Soup Plantation. Although it is one of my favorite places to go, in the back of my mind I always wonder where all of that food comes from. It was really packed so new batches of food were flying out. What does it take to get all of the various ingredients? How do they make the veggies seem so fresh? I also wonder if they buy anything from local growers.
Defrosting my english muffin reminded me how much food is in my house. We over buy and sometimes food ends up in our freezer. Now we actually have an external freezer to hold everything. I think that food and its packaging is one of the main sources of waste. Even if something is made/grown locally, the packaging could be from elsewhere in the world. Just to get one english muffin, there is a plastic bag, paper box, with ink printed on it, and the tiny plastic bag clip. Is all of that really needed?
Defrosting my english muffin reminded me how much food is in my house. We over buy and sometimes food ends up in our freezer. Now we actually have an external freezer to hold everything. I think that food and its packaging is one of the main sources of waste. Even if something is made/grown locally, the packaging could be from elsewhere in the world. Just to get one english muffin, there is a plastic bag, paper box, with ink printed on it, and the tiny plastic bag clip. Is all of that really needed?
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