Short stories: Life lessons

In Pursuit of Dreams Gone Wrong

From the time I stepped into the room of my high school years, I started to dream big just like any other students who have full of promises to themselves and their family. But for me then, life was just too hard to grasp and that every time school vacation approaches, I immediately look for summer jobs. Most of the time, I ended up as a laborer in construction company. My young body developed into a hardened and stout physique because of hard labor that I was in. I have no regrets working as a construction worker because I know I am a big help to my poor family. My being a son of a poor family helped me understand the true meaning of life.

Right after I finished my education, I never stop working until such time that I am already threading all kinds of jobs available. But it seems that all the hard work that I have is not enough to ease my family’s predicament. Subsequently, I found myself applying for abroad. First, I passed all the tests required for my application but not without paying a huge sum of money borrowed from a neighbor with a 10% interest. There was full of excitement when I set foot in Chiang Kai Sheik International Airport. “At last I am now in Taiwan” thus I uttered with glee.

My job wasn’t easy but it’s worth of a task because I am earning more than what I used to get in my country. And after two years of hard work in Taiwan, I am finally backed home with a few dollars neatly stuffed in my pocket. In all of the salary I earned in Taiwan was remitted to my family in a regular basis. Fate was really not on my side because having worked abroad did not helped turn my family’s fortune. Knowing that I have siblings to support, I tried for another chance to go abroad and what I got was the worst experience ever happened to my life. And the next thing I know was that, I was already preparing to board a vessel somewhere in the central part of the Philippines.

It was 1st of April 2001 in late Sunday afternoon when we left Manila for Subic the former US Military Base and now a Freeport bustling with businesses and other activities that makes the place livelier during the night. And after a few hours of travel, the car came to a halt in front of a cozy restaurant where a group of men are waiting in one of the table. We were told by a man (business agent) who accompanied us from Manila to go inside the restaurant because a short briefing will be conducted by the men who are expecting our presence. One of

Travel destinations: Cebu, Philippines

If you are looking for a place to go with lots of green around and with hospitable and fun-loving people who could share you an exciting travel, then go to Cebu, Philippines. Cebu is called the “Queen City of the South,” because it is the center for trade and education in the southern part of the Philippines, and it boosts of its rich environment.

Cebu is one of the better international destinations in the world and boosts of its rich natural resources and beautiful spots where tourist could share exciting experiences. Cebu as an international destination has flights from Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Japan, Taiwan, And South Korea almost everyday. From Manila, the capital of the Philippines, Cebu is just an hour away by plane and by boat it takes twenty two hours. Either way, you could always enjoy the trip and it pays if you reach your destination as Cebu proves to be one of the best places to go when you love nature and love to relax and refresh.

Cebu is rich in natural resources and boosts of its miles and miles of forest greens. There is the Central Cebu National Park which is 15,393 hectares wide clustered with all the wilds you would find adorable and soothing. The Sudian National Park is 696 hectares, not so wide but it is lovely with its greens covering it.

Cebu has world-class beach resorts that offers exciting experiences for guests. A look around Cebu proves your travel very meaningful by visiting the Cawasan Falls and the Bolok-Bolok Mineral Springs. Not to mentions all the other majestic views you could see around Cebu which makes a day not enough to see all that you want to see around.

Cebu is a very historical place. This is the place where Ferdinand Magellan, a Portuguese explorer and his men landed in 1521. Here, Magellan planted a giant cross which was named, Magellan”s Cross. It was planted on the very spot where the first Filipinos were baptized. But although Magellan was able to colonize the Filipinos, more Filipinos resisted Spanish attempts of colonization, one of them was Lapu-Lapu who became the first Filipino hero. He has a bronze statue standing in Cebu today which is one of the beautiful spots that Cebu could be proud of. Aside from these spots, one could also visit the Basilica Minore del Santo Nino which houses the oldest religious relic in the country.

Cebu offers many sports and recreation for guests who wish to have a more meaningful and exciting experience, such as golf, tennis, cock fighting, water sports like scuba diving, wind surfing, sailing, boating, swimming, snorkeling, water skiing, jet skiing, shopping, good food and entertainment.

There are lots of good restaurants to choose from and enjoy good food, beaches to enjoy the cool and clear waters and hotels which are comfortable yet affordable.

For guests who want to add more spice to their travel, they could go to the island of Mactan, Moalboal and Camotes islands, to enjoy a good dive. The calm and clear waters of Argao, Badian and Malapascua offers an ideal place for kayaking.

Cebu is a place to visit. It is a majestic place with lots of excitement and fun to offer the guests. Be one of them and experience the joy and fun of living.

The Importance of Conservation of Traditional Native Crops and Crop Related Diversity During the Second Green Revolution

The Importance of Conservation of Traditional Native Crops and Crop related diversity during the Second Green Revolution

By Dr. Ashok Panigrahi, formerly Principal Investigator, UGC Maj. Res. Proj. Org. Farming Project Director, Navdanya Project- Sustainable Development of Ecosystems in Orissa, Bls.

Any discussion on agriculture in India must begin with a history of the practices followed here (our own) and borrowed from the west (thrust from outside) starting from the pre green revolution time.

State of agriculture before the second world war:

In the US – Machine driven or Mechanized

In Europe including UK – driven by chemical fertilisers

In Japan – mainly involved irrigation

In India and else where in Asia – Rainfed cultivation using compost

During the colonial days, Sir Albert Howard, M.A.,CIE was brought to India by the British to train Indian peasants the art and science of chemical agriculture. He ended up learning organic farming from the Indian peasants and went on to develop and publish the famous ‘Indore Process’ which was followed widely in the Agriculture world in the 1930s .

During the same time the development of hybrid corn pioneered a new era in agriculture which combined the use of genetics, machines, artificial chemical fertilisers and irrigation to achieve enormous increases in corn yields. It subsequently engulfed other crop varieties including rice.

In the 1940s synthetic chemical pesticides were added to make up the so called technological package in world agriculture.

In the 1990s, the ‘seed’ became the central focal point for all the driving forces that created the agricultural revolutions with the entry of multinational industrial houses into the seed sector.

Leading Agro Biotech Corporations & their Agribusiness,’99.

Corporations Total

Sales Agribusiness Sales Seed

Production Ranking (global) Agro-

Chemical Sales Ranking (global) Pharmaceutical

Sales (their

Original busi.) Research &

DevelopmentInvestments

‘Life Science’ Group ( involved mainly in genetic modification of various crop plants )

Aventis $20.5 billion $4.6 billion n/a 1 $13.9 billion $3 billion

Novartis*

(Syngenta) $20.3 billion $4.4 billion 3 2 $9.8 billion $2.2 billion

Monsanto(98) $ 8.6 billion $4 billion 2 3 $2.8 billion $1.3 billion

AstraZeneca*

(Syngenta) $18.4 billion $2.7 billion 6 5 $14.8 billion $2.9 billion

‘Industrial Science’ Group ( involved mainly in production of various agrochemicals )

Bayer $27 billion $3.1 billion n/a 6 $5 billion $2.1 billion

DuPont** $26.9 billion $3 billion 1 4 $1.6 billion $1.6 billion

Dow $18.9 billion $2.3 billion —— 8 —— $0.85 billion

BASF $29.5 billion $1.7 billion —— 9 $2.5 billion $1.3 billion

The dawn of 1st Green Revolution – introduction of the hybrids, HYVs and Agrochemicals, ACFs & SCPs, in agroecosystems –

The 2nd world war ended sooner than expected. Following the war in the US, there were huge stock piles of war surplus chemicals manufactured to produce the explosives. These were mainly nitrogenous and phosphatic in composition. Scientists were engaged to find out new use for these war surplus chemicals and they located it in the agricultural fields the world over as artificial chemical fertilizers. Other scientists were also engaged to design and generate crop varieties which could consume jumbo doses of these ACFs and nobel laureate Norman Borloug was one of them who produced the “miracle wheat” in Mexico in 1966. He visited India in 1967 and declared, if he was a member of Indian Parliament he would have leapt up from his seat every 15 minutes to yell at the top of his voice ‘ fertilizer’, ‘give the farmers more fertilizer.’

At the beginning of the 1950s, the US foreign policy establishment was reeling from the loss of China to communism and the US was engaged militarily in Korea. The US interests in Asia and the Pacific were also threatened with the rise of revolutions demanding equitable distribution of resources and land reforms etc. The US determined to contain the spread of communism decided to achieve the same not through direct military involvements but through palliative reform measures not directed at feeding Asia’s growing population but for the US business interests. The GATT signed during that period is an example. This went on to give rise the new GATT, WTO, TRIPs, IPR, modification of our own Patents Act and formulation of the PVP Act, National Agriculture Policy etc. throwing our peasantry, agriculture and biodiversity to their eliminations.

Two huge US establishments, the Ford Foundation and the Rockefeller Foundation were involved in the process from the very beginning. Between them they set up IRRI at Manila in the Philippines in the early 1960s to breed HYV rice varieties in order to increase rice production in Asia. They also helped in the establishment of the CRRI and Agriculture Universities in India in the late 1950s to push through long term US business agenda.

The IRRI generated the ‘miracle rice’ IR-8 and released the same to the Asian farmers in 1966 and thus launched the Green Revolution ( I ) . This, and its early progeny IR- 20 (1969) and IR -24 (1971), rapidly replaced 1000s of diverse native traditional rice varieties as farmers by and large adopted these new varieties as‘seeds of hope’ widely in Asia. Unfortunately their hopes were soon crushed as the miracle rice succumbed to the brown plant hoppers. It was found out that the these uniform susceptible varieties ( IR – 8, IR- 20 and IR- 24) cultivated widely in Asia, gave the brown hoppers an unprecedented feeding ground. Brown plant hoppers also transmitted the grassy stunt virus that destroyed rice crop in 1,20,000 hectare in Indonesia alone in 1977 resulting in food loss to the tune of 2 million tons, that is enough to feed 6 million people.

Among the 1000s of rice accessions maintained at the IRRI’s gene bank only one could stand up to the grassy stunt virus and it was a wild rice called Oryza nivara, collected from Orissa in 1963. O. nivara is otherwise an economically useless variety but it had the character which no other rice variety had. Only 3 plants in the IRRI’s single accession contained a gene that was resistant to grassy stunt virus. This gene was immediately passed over to the IRRI’s new rice varieties including its super star,IR-36, through cross breeding . By 1982, IR-36 alone was cultivated on 11 million hectares of Asia’s rice lands thus acquiring the dubious honour of being the world’s single most widely planted rice variety in history.

However, by the mid 1980s , the resistance provided by O. nivara against stunt virus was breaking down in farmers fields and IRRI’s valuable rice varieties stood as vulnerable as ever leaving its breeders helpless. O. nivara was found to be a metaphor for the problems faced by the rice farmers of Asia. Since IR-8, IRRI has , in fact, transformed the lives, cultures and opportunities of countless local communities who depended on rice for their livelihood. To perform well and yield to their declared potentials, IRRI’s HYV rices required too much chemical inputs, access to credit and irrigation thus giving birth to new forms of social orders. While some benefited from the new rice varieties, a huge majority of the rice farming communities of Asia became

indebted, lost control over their food production systems and became caught in a spire of dependency. When the urban consumers got cheaper though tasteless rice, the rural producerslost the valuable ecological balance in their agroecosystems.

In the Indian context, we find today most of the land in Punjab are

impaired and dead. The minimum level of soil fertility is lost. Most of Punjab’s soil are diseased and dying and this is an openly admitted fact. The consumption of agrochemicals in Punjab has increased thirty folds since the inception of Green Revolution in that state and in India. The total amount of subsidy on ACFs has increased to rupees forty four thousand crores and this subsidy cost in distributed over all Indians including us. Punjab farmers get the benefit and we bear the cost. Between 1971 – 1981, 95% of small farmers of Punjab were lost or disappeared. The rate of profit from agriculture which once stood between 25% – 80%, has now comedown to 6% and yet things continue in the same way. This is one of the major factors for the farmers’ suicides in Punjab, AP and elsewhere in India and it is one of the gifts of the 1st Green Revolution to India.

The other gifts are soil – food and ground water poisoning owning to excessive use of agrochemicals – ACFs and Pesticides. These agrochemicals not only have caused the death and elimination of the natural predators of the agricultural pests but also of the pollinating bees besides the domesticated animals and human beings. Nitrate poisoning caused cattle epidemic in Nagpur in 1976, and it causes blue baby syndrome in human beings.

Pearson(1985) sums up that about 10,000 human beings die every year owing to pesticides in developing countries. Besides these agrochemicals between them help grow the pest population either directly or indirectly. When ACFs make the crop plants soft and tender, the pesticides build up resistances in pests.

The Dawn of the 2nd Green Revolution – the introduction of Genetic Modifications in Crops –

With the growth of a new branch of biological science called Biotechnology, scientists postulated that the same could be exploited for agricultural advantages. Thus, genetically modified (GM) crops such as Bt.Cotton were developed in the early 1990s.Till date over a 100 of them are under cultivation round the earth. It was said that these transgenic crop plants would reduce pesticide dependence, would have the ability to detract, repel or kill the pests and tolerate herbicides, weedicides, fungicides;

another category of agrochemicals developed to be produced and used to combat the weed plants,( all plants other than the crop plants ) and harmful fungi.

It thereby opened doors for additional industries for agriculture. In other words, agriculture was made too much industry dependent; fertilizer, pesticide, weedicide, herbicide, fungicide, nematocides and so on. With the creation of transgenic crops like Bt. Cotton and GM maize like GE crops a new industry entered into the field of agriculture the world over. Thus the place of origin of seeds was taken away from the plants to the scientists laboratories, nullifying Darwin’s laws of natural selection and artificial selection. Thus also, the farmers were reduced to consumer – producers from producers only.

Transgenic crops were accepted by many countries ( if not all ) including India under the impressions that they would ensure food production and prevent crop failure as far as seed quality and pest menaces were concerned. The same is clearly reflected in our own National Agriculture Policy, 2000. But what happened subsequent to that is everybody’s knowledge. Let us examine the case of Bt. Cotton crop in US. According to the chemical used data provided by the US Department of Agriculture, the total million pounds applied between 1946 and 2000 were as under –

1946 = 78 ; 1966 = 64.9 ; 1971 = 73.4 ; 1976 = 64.2 ; 1982 = 19.4 ; 1992 = 19.8 ; 1998 = 14.8*; 2000 = 40.5*.

It is to note that Bt. Cotton was widely cultivated in the US from the year 1996. It, however, failed to reduce crop’s pesticide- dependence in just within 4 years. In India, the cultivation of Bt. Cotton is the single largest factor for the hundreds of farmers’ death in Andhrapradesh and Vidarbha region of Maharastra.

With the origin of GM/GE/Transgenic crops, big multinational industrial houses entered into the seed sector. They wanted to sale their seeds protected by Patent Laws, to farmers every year as their own inventions. This motive is reflected in 2 associated technologies they integrated into the process of such seed generations.

* Terminator Technology (also called TPS or Technologies Protection System –or- GURTs or Generic Use Restriction Technologies) – It is the technique by which the seeds are made male sterile. The technology employed is aimed at preventing the farmers from sowing the seeds from their harvests for the next crops, thus compelling them to buy the seeds for every crop they wish to grow.

* Traitor Technology – It refers to a technology that allows a plants’ genetic traits to be turned ‘ on or off ’ when a certain chemical is applied to the plant or seed. In other words, it is the technology by which sterility is chemically controlled. The industry thus suggests that farmers would be able to activate or deactivate genetic traits such as disease resistance in crop by applying a certain proprietory chemical prescribed by the seed company for the plant or seed that they would have to buy.

The New Threat – arising out of the new terminator technology is a global one and it is against small and marginal farmers, national food security and biodiversity. Over 1.5 billion of our small and marginal farmers ( peasants, in the proper sense) who save their seeds including the HYVs traditionally stand to lose their seed source.

Communities that lose control over their seeds risk losing control over their farming systems and becoming dependent on outside seed sources together with the prescribed proprietory inputs that come along with the seeds. In the changed system where a great majority of the farming communities don’t have access to seed security, food security stand to be disrupted as the same would be impracticable. Hence, our food security will be a myth in the coming days unless we restructure our own system. Fortunately, Indian farmers are encouraged “to save, conserve, exchange and sell their own saved traditional native seeds ( except the branded seeds of protected varieties)” under the Input Management chapter of our National Agriculture Policy, 2000.

In the words of:-

1. Ishopanishad – The universe is the creation of the supreme power meant for the benefit of all his creations. Individual species must, therefore, learn to enjoy its benefits by forming a part of the system in close relationship with one another. Let not only one species encroach upon the others’ rights.

2. Anon – Native biodiversities, a source of pride for each country, composing as it does, a shining part of the national heritage.

3. M.S Swaminathan – Our national food security depends on our ability to conserve all our biological wealth (= biodiversity).

Biodiversity is the degree of biological varieties in nature and not in nature itself. Diversity of species in natural habitats is high in warm moist areas and decrease with increasing latitude and altitude. That is precisely the reason why, tropical moist forests contain half of the worlds’ biological diversity although they occupy only 7% of the worlds’ land area.

Transgenic plants with terminator technology are a direct threat to the biodiversity because there exists a natural phenomenon of horizontal gene transfer between closely grown plants beyond the species, genera and even kingdom barriers. If this happens, countries like ours, rich in biodiversity stand to lose biodiversity soon.

Genetically modified plants have very week immune systems and for that they depend heavily on the application of a chemical designed to uplift their natural defenses against pests and disease. If the fate of the GE crop plants are like this, how can the small and marginal farmers afford to cultivate such plants which demand excessively high cost external inputs for their existence?

In essentiality, GM crops lead to ‘ bioserfdom’ – that is they threaten to hold farmers hostage to multinationals through sterile seeds and chemically dependent plants.

Other facts:-

Transgenic plants produce toxins and allergens owing to genetic modifications. GM Soya cultivated widely in the US and Brazil has such protein in it which is allergic to many human beings. Fibers of Bt. Cotton is found to be allergic to many even in India. So is the case of Bt. Potato, now widely used as potato chips.

Transgenic plants with Bt. gene cause death of monarch butterfly larvae. Even pollen grains from Bt. plants are enough to cause their death.

Transgenic crops with Bt. gene consumed by cows and visited by honey bees render their milk and honey contaminated with Bt. protein, now known to be allergic to many human beings.

Terpenoid gossypol is a trait used to make cotton resistant to caterpillar pests. The cotton seed meal from this crop has been found to be poisonous to swine and turn the yolk in chicken eggs darker.

Transgenic corn is not approved for human consumption; it is meant for the cows. A few years ago pollen from the GM corn fields were drifted away to pollute adjacent corn fields leading to digestive problems in the consumers of such corn. It was such incidents that compelled scientists to adopt terminator technology lading to- not solving the problem rather compounding the same.

Independent scientists like Robert Hartley, Jeremy Rifkin etc. have compiled at least 50 harmful effects of GM foods which include soya sauce, pop corn, candy bar, potato chips and have preferred to level terminator technology as thano (=death) technology. They have also leveled such applications of biotechnology as- wreaking havoc with the planet’s biospheres.

Cauliflower mosaic virus (CaMV) now widely used as a promoter in transgenic crops, is potentially too dangerous because it is a para retro virus and is very similar to Hepatitis B virus and HIV. In the system of non targeted species (like the vertebrates and human beings), it may (lab. tests have shown so) produce recombinant highly virulent virus that may activate oncogenes and cause cancer. This is the opinion of scientists like Professor Joseph Cummins of the University of West Ontario and a host of other independent scientists. Viral affects of our coconut crop and death of plants in the wild west may be due to CaMV infections.

What should we do now ?

We save our seeds.Under the provisions of the Inputs Management chapter (protection of plant varieties) of the National Agriculture Policy 2000, farmers are “allowed their traditional rights to save, use, exchange, share and sell their farm saved seeds.” Under the provisions of the Sustainable Agriculture chapter (agro biodiversity) farmers have been empowered –”conservation of bio-resources through ex-situ preservation in gene banks, as also in–situ conservation in their natural habitats through biodiversity parks.” These activities have been assured “high priority to prevent biodiversity extinction with emphasis on the importance of conservation of the indigenous breeds facing extinction”. It has been promised “to enlist the country’s vast agro biodiversity in a time bound programme.”

Biodiversity means all the plant and animal resources of the planet; when agro-biodiversity includes all those plants and animals of agricultural importance. It includes animals as earthworms, bees, predatory organisms and plants as green manuring, mixed cropping, trap crop and agro-forestry. These were more or less known well to the Indian farmers before 1960s. The green manuring plants, dhaincha (Sesbania), sun hemp (Crotolaria) and Gliricidia are good in kharif and Azolla, senji (Melilorus) and gour (Cyamposis) are good in rabi. Between them they on decomposition, enrich the soil with 60 – 200 kg Nitrogen per hectare in 45 – 60 days. Trap crops protect the main crops like cabbage by mustard, corn by sorghum cotton by corn, groundnut by corn pea and tomato by marigold. In the words of Masanobu Fukuoka, ‘ human salvation lies in returning to nature; the ecological devastation must be reversed before it is too late’.

As far as rice is concerned, all indigenous varieties are not poor yielder, a mistake made by the proponents of the Green Revolutions in this country. They failed to appreciate the fact that some of the natives were better high yielding themselves. Dr.R.H. Richaria, an Internationally renowned Indian rice scientist was known to have documented some such HY – natives, selected and improved through peasants and indigenous people of India which could outmatch and outweigh the best yielding rice HYVs. This was done by Dr. Richaria at least 15 years before the launch of the Green Revolution. Richaria’s highest yield was 54 quintals per acre or 13.6 tons per hectare achieved in Salem and the lowest yield was 24 quintals per acre or 6 tons per hectare achieved in West Bengal from his indigenous improved rice varieties (the basis of cultivation not being known). The presenter himself achieved 28 quintals per acre organically in the fields of a peasant at Mayurbhanj in kharif of 2004-05, using internal inputs only.

Many of the Indian rice varieties have known medicinal properties which have been traditionally used in Ayurveda, Unani systems of medicine and by traditional healers for generations. As per Ayurveda some native Chhattisgarh rice varieties have such medicinal values as tonic aphrodisiac, curative of dysentery, curative in skin infections, useful in the treatment of rheumatism, early removal of placenta in cow after delivery and rice water, an excellent healer of inflammatory disorders. These rice varieties are known locally as – Laicha, Bhejari and Dhanwar. Meharaji, another native rice, has been used as tonic for women after child birth. Saraiphool is known to provide strength to the physically weak persons, Karhani gives relief in case of paralysis. Inhalation of fumes of rice bran of Baisur cure headache and Rasari is used in the treatment of chronic cough. This is widely known among the village elders in Chhattisgarh.

Besides rice grains, soil of rice growing fields are also known to be of medicinal use in Chhattisgarh. The rice soil of Chhattisgarh are of 3 major types – Kanhar (Vertisols); Dorsa (Alfisols) and Matasi (Inceptisols). Such soils are also used in the treatment of over 30 acute and 10 chronic ailments.

Literature is available to show that other countries in south east Asia also exploited the medicinal values of their native rice varieties. Rice bran is known to contain Vitamin – B which cures beriberi. In Malayasia aqueous extracts of boiled green rice is used in eye as a lotion and in the treatment of inflammations of inner body tissues. In China sprouted rice grains are used as digestive stimulant, give tone to muscles and as antiflatulant. The Chinese also believe rice as healer of spleen infections.

Njavara, the unique short duration (60 – 70 days) land rice of Kerala is valued highly for its medicinal properties. This rice strain is aromatic, sweet to taste, easily digestible and has germicidal properties and this is why it is mostly used in treatment only and hardly eaten except in exigency. Njavara rice is used in the treatment of rheumatism, arthritis, neurological disorders and as muscle relaxant by the Ayurvedic physicians.

The presenter was also requested to send some amount of a 60 day paddy (Sathia) to a person in Mumbai for the treatment of an old age person in 2004 and later learnt that the patient got relief.

Some native rice varieties of India and abroad are known to contain substantial amounts of allolochemicals which when released through their leaf, root and pollen restrict the growth and development of other plants (weeds). Such native Indian rice varieties have been documented as Bala, Dular, India AC –1423 and IET – 1444. Japan has one such variety called Novin -29 , and the US has 2 such varieties, Cuba – 6558A and Cuba – 65V58.

In view of the above, it is essential to conserve the different traits of rice varieties so evolved through the combined process of natural selections and artificial selections in different ecoclimatic conditions over the centuries with their fragrance, taste, medicinal and high yielding properties. It is essentially the same for other crops also. Besides, the all important seed has entered into a regime of company monopoly. Farmers have to save their own seeds for the sake of ensured crop and food security. Seed security is more important than food security. If farmers do not save their own seeds urgently they are sure to fall in to trap of the big multinational seed companies and from which they cannot move out. If this happens, all Indians will be reduced to laboratory guinea pigs in the hands of the multinational seed companies very soon.

The necessity to conserve the different rice varieties so adapted to different eco-climatic conditions, important to and now available with the farmers has no doubt stirred them most. They have already started the process. Sri R.K.Behera of Bhandeswar in Balasore and Sri B.Dwivedy of Tentala in Mayurbhanj have conserved 18 & 17 native & nativised rice varieties respectively. Navdanya-PPBSA, Balasore has conserved over 550 rice strains, natives and nativised, till date. Seeds of these varieties are selectively donated to affected farmers in disaster areas like in Erasama, Nandigram (WB) and Nagapattinam(TN) as “seeds of hope,” Navdanya’s disaster management programme.

Another need of the time is sustainability in agriculture which can be achieved only when the farmer strictly avoids all purchased external inputs and relies extensively on farm generated internal inputs, there by reducing the market dependence for growing the crop or crops. The change in system will have to ensure proper maintenance of ecological balance and basic biological functions of soil- water – humus – nutrients continuum. For that the farmer has to abandon the current practice of monoculture of crops and switch over to polyculture, agro forestry, green manuring and integrated crop-live stock system.

Dependence on biodiversity, adoption of vermin technology for enhancing soil fertility and biological – botanical control of pests and diseases are of paramount importance in such a system. It will thus nourish and resuscitate the dying or dead soil, improve the environment, reduce pollution of food and water and generate tasty, healthy and abundant food.

When you met your spouse: Stories of how married couples met

It was the French writer and statesman Victor Hugo who wrote how it feels to be entering upon old age. Feeling that your time is almost up. But then finding a new sense of relevance.

I am 66 and she is 24. That is a 42 year age difference. Ok? Or not ok?

She is Asian from the Philippines, and I will say very beautiful, though she disputes that. I am English in origin, residing near Melbourne, Australia, still in employment though my society would happily pension me off and no doubt consign me to a rest home.

She says I am handsome, though I have reservations about that.

We met for the first time. Yes, but I will show you what I mean. On Yahoo Messenger.

Holy smoke! Where would I be today without yahoo messneger online chat?

I was not looking for her. I had a conversation with an old friend, who suddenly vacated her chair to catch a bus. In the Philippine city of Tacloban on the island of Laete. On Yahoo Messenger that day. All my friend had to do before walking off, was to close her computer screen in the internet cafe. By sheer accident, she failed to do this, and a message appeared asking, “who are you?”.

Prompted by her question and a touch curious, I explained that I had a conversation “interruptus” situation.

That is how we first met. It was brief. She explained that she was in the process of contacting a guy she had met.

Why it developed from that shaky and unwanted start, I am not entirely sure. But when I got an image of her face, maybe from her Yahoo profile, something inside me decided hen and there that this was a lovely face.

So we met for the second time when I saw an image of her face.

Maybe the third time was when we spoke on the telephone and began exchanging text messages.

The fourth time we met was at 1.30 on the afternoon of 8 January 2007, when I arrived from Manila, and saw her standing waiting at the door of the small provincial airport, and I saw this delightful radiant young woman. Perhaps at that moment more than any other I felt that my advanced age rendered me incompatible.

The fifth time we met was at the resort on the island of Samar, around sundown, when Ai broke her ground rule of no sex for the first two days together. She said, “Do you want to make love?”

The sixth time we met was on a time and date unspecified, when our intense sexual activity caused her to conceive a child, now due in October.

the seventh time we will meet is on 3 April, when I am to meet her again, presently 10 weeks pregnant, in Manila, before flying next day down to Tacloban.

A daily diary of our meeting and our relationship is posted at jamesandaileen.blogspot.com

I shall add chapters to this story and welcome comments and questions.

I am not yet aware if I can post pictures here.

Two Way Of The Most Advantages Of Crock-Pot Cooking

The two main advantages of crock-pot cooking are that they:



* Save Time

* Save Money



Time-Saver



Crock-pot cooking for me is synonymous with time-saver. We each have different phases of life and this season is definitely my crock-pot phase — maybe out of desperation. No matter what stage we’re in though, crock-pot cooking can always be a benefit.



Here’s a scenario: It’s five o’clock and you’ve finally finished helping with the homework with two of your children, and then your third child returns from piano — ready to start homework — and has a question about algebra. Soccer practice starts in exactly one hour. And not to mention that you’ve got three loads of laundry spewed across your bed and ready to be folded. The phone rings — a reminder to bring snacks to soccer practice, it’s your turn. The kids are hungry; hubby will be home in thirty minutes. Do you make that call? For more details visit to www.cajuns-recipes.com. Honey, could you bring home in & out again, the usual?” Or do you simply whip up a salad to go with your chicken cacciatore that’s been cooking slowly and succulently in your crock-pot all day. This truly is my life and I’m working towards the latter scenario becoming a more prevalent one.



Perhaps you remember crock-pots back when you were a kid — along with Barry Manila, mood rings, and banana seats — all popular in the 1970’s. Crock-pots are now making a comeback, and for Vegas supporters, so is Barry Manila. The essential ingredient here is not that we’re all going retro but rather that life is busy and we’re seeking time-management helps that work. Five o’clock can be the busiest, so preparing food the night before and putting it in containers overnight or chopping and dicing earlier in the day can be the most convenient and healthy solution.



Money-Saver



This type of cooking saves money on many levels. As I mentioned earlier, if you’re organized and have your pizza in a pot cooking all day — you won’t be tempted to call Dominos at five pm. Eating out does get expensive, especially for an entire family and if it becomes a habit. Cooking in the crock is a longer process than in the oven or on the grill and because of these meats is really tender, even with cheaper cuts of meat. Therefore it really has the potential of reducing our grocery bills.



In the summertime it’s hot — especially where I’m living in the desert — so any excuse not to heat up the house is a good one. Energy bills are definitely affected. To know more logon to www.atkins-diets-recipes.com. There are numerous crock-pot cookbooks out there with healthy and tasty family-friendly recipes. Incorporating crock pots back into our lives can be one of the first and simplest of many steps in achieving organization and balance in our lives.

Is Apples new MacBook Air worth the price?

It is the slimmest of all, the envy of most, and the boast of its creators. Can you guess its name? No, it is not seven of nine on the Star Trek Voyager series; it is the new Apple MacBook Air Notebook. You’ve all seen the advertisement on television and on the Internet. It’s so slim it slides comfortably into a legal sized manila envelope.

Of course, its ultra thin, sleek and shiny and weighs only three pounds. It can hitch a ride in a backpack, shoulder bag or briefcase. Moreover, it’s environment friendly. No, it does not have friendly talks with the environment. However, when it outlives its usefulness, you can toss it into the yard or burn it without harming the Ozone layer or other people’s health. Thus far, the MacBook Air is the only computer made with environment safety in mind.

And it’s all in the realm of competitive technology. No other term seems more apt, especially, when each year a newer version of the same gizmo bombards the public. Apple Inc. and Microsoft Corporation are two of the strongest technology contenders that butt heads to stay ahead of the computer and gizmo rivalry. This time, Apple may have nicked Microsoft’s chip with the MacBook Air. It’s a piece of modern technology devout Mac lovers would cherish.

But is slim really better?

At US $1799.00, the MacBook Air is equipped with a mobile 13.3-inch screen, 1.6 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor with 4 MB and 80 GB. At the front, neatly embedded in its slim contour is a built-in isight camera. It is .16 by .76 in height, offers a battery life of up to five hours and is has wireless feature. In addition, the delicate MacBook Air has a micro-DVI, USB 2.0 port, an audio port and a remote disk feature, all artistically concealed in another port within the cover. In comparison to other notebooks, it’s faster and can zip from one window to another faster than one can exhale. Illuminated keys make it easy to work in poor lighting situations. Many of its parts are recyclable and one does not need a bulky laptop bag to take it to the park.

So how does this lightweight champ stand up to other cheaper models? And what are its weaknesses?

The MacBook Air is not sold fully loaded. It contains many features as a Windows PC and you would need to purchase additional software and accessories to give it some more spunk.

Its wireless connection limits one’s ability to surf the internet. The MacBook Air is built for wireless only. In the absence of a Wi-Fi network or a Starbuck’s cafe, there would be no internet access. And it is not equipped with a port for an Ethernet cable to connect to an external router or cable/modem, which can make one feel like he/she is lugging around a one-legged cripple.

Also noticeable is the absence of an Optical Disk Drive, a computer’s peripheral device that stores data on optical disks. It utilises electromagnetic waves to read or write data. And its ability to burn CDs or DVDs is limited by its single USB port and the absence of a FireWire port.

The MacBook Air’s most appealing features are its weight and slimness. But is it really worth spending a few hundred dollars more for less weight? You be the judge.

Trusting friends more than family

Have you been screwed up by a person you called friend? I was!

I knew this person in an un-conventional way, through chatting in the Internet, and we clicked in an instant. We were oceans apart but our friendship flourished by exchanging emails, text messages and phone calls. I met her for the first time when she flew to Manila to send off her husband, then fiancee. The next meeting was quite brief as I had to met her at the domestic airport before she flew home to her province after sending off her husband again. We have been friends for more than three years but I felt, its been more than that. We were just so close to each other and share a deep connection. We even called each other sis.

Early last year, she went to Manila for a training in care giving. I was one of those people she get in touched with right away. I was happy to know for it will be an opportunity for us to hang out with each other often. And yes, we did spend time together malling, watching movies, shopping, eating-out. She even slept-over at my place and sometimes just dropped by the office to have a quick lunches or snacks with me. I took her to my aunt’s birthday celebration and she just mixed in right away.

Then, this screw-you mess happened. She asked me if I could lend her money that she needed for her training. That time, I had no available fund so I asked my officemate to lend me the money with interest. I am sort of my friend’s guarantor. The so called friend promised to pay the money back topped with interest three days after. The transaction went smoothly.

Three days later, I didn’t received any text messages or phone calls from her but still I’ve waited until the next day to touch base with her. I was able to reached her and she gave me reasons why she can’t meet me, blah blah. Okay, I just pleaded with my officemate to hang on a little longer for the payment. No problem with her. A week, two weeks, three weeks had passed and still no sign of money coming in. And finally the bombshell, she just stopped keeping in touch with me.

I was lost. I was in denial that she couldn’t do it to me. I trusted her so much. I still hung on to her words.

But a part of me dictates that I should accept that sh*t happens. And I was really in deep dung.

I went into great length in chasing her, emailing her sister, sending snail mail, etc. Only then I found out that I was betrayed by my so called dear friend. It turned out that it wasn’t actually her who needed the money but another

Memoirs: Meeting Rock Hudson

A bunch of sailors were sitting around having lunchtime chow at the Underwater Demolition Team mess tent in Manila, The Philippines. Considering the lousy K-ration food we usually had at the tent city near the Navy Fleet Landing just down the Pasig River, an invitation to join the UDT guys for a meal featuring fresh meat, vegetables and ice cream was a real treat. I’m sure of the exact date, August 15, 1945, because it was one for the history books.

After the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki the previous week, the announcement had been made just hours before that the Japanese government was asking for surrender terms. To those who remember those hysterically happy days, the final surrender ceremony took place about the battleship USS Missouri two weeks later in Tokyo Bay, presided over by General MacArthur.

To my shipmates and all the other service men and women in the Pacific, the war’s end had even deeper meaning. At the time, our amphibious ships were part of the build-up for the final landings on Japan’s main island of Honshu, scheduled just 60 days away. After the horrendous Navy and Marine casualties during the previous 1945 campaigns on Iwo Jima and Okinawa, our expected losses in the landings and support of the ground forces for the invasion were to be as high as half a million Americans. The sudden end of the war meant we were going to survive and go home.

Therefore, it was a very happy group of sailors who assembled at the UDT chow tent. Most of us knew each other from other campaigns and assignments, but there was a new guy at our chow table. He was my age, 19, but while I resembled a kid playing dress-up sailor, he was a big, husky guy who looked like he could pose for an ad in a bodybuilder magazine.

We got to talking about … of course … what we were going to do after the war. My ambition was to get to college, complete my degree and become a famous writer or illustrator. Other guys said they were going back to the farm, open a gas station, or work in their dad’s store or make a million on Wall Street.

One sailor slapped the big fellow on the back and laughed, “What are you gonna do, Roy, become a pro wrestler?” We all laughed, but Roy Fitzgerald was serious with his answer. “I’m going to Hollywood and become an actor.” That brought on some more laughs. We talked some more that day, and continued to meet together for the next month, getting to know each other as only guys who share war experiences can do.

Within

Book reviews: Storm Front, by Jim Butcher

Need help exorcising a wayward spirit? Want to find out if your spouse really is having that sordid affair? Lost your car keys, again? Never fear. Simply grab your telephone directory and look up the only practicing professional wizard in the country. Be warned however that while his rates are very reasonable you will be billed for travel expenses should he have to travel outside the immediate Chicago city limits. Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden is his name but use it at your own risk because if you know his name then it is likely that he will know yours, and you don’t want too know the manner of creepy, dangerous and down right deadly things a wizard can do if he knows your true name.

Things are a bit tight for poor Harry at the moment, poor being the operative word in the sentence I’m afraid. You see not many people feel that Harry isn’t a reputable source of information. In fact he is usually the last resort for people who have already been sent on their way by the police, private investigators and every crack pot psychic in town so his finances are feeling a bit of a squeeze. So naturally when his good friend Detective Murphy of the Chicago P.D calls him in to consult on a particularly it turns your stomach so much you wont eat again for the rest of the week its so disgusting’ case Dresden is more than happy to concentrate on the dollar signs spinning around in front of his eyes then the copious amounts of smelly red liquid staining the carpet. However when the gruesome killings are linked to some serious black magic Dresden finds himself caught somewhere in the middle of the domestic dispute from hell.

Everything about this book grabs at your attention. The blood splattered front cover looks like a beat up manila folder covered in worn sticky tape and scribbled handwriting. The tag line Magic It can get a guy killed’ is prominent on each of the fabulous books in this series. Storm front is a gritty detective novel, a hilarious laugh a minute spectacle of magic and the weird and wonderful things that word entails.

Be careful, once you read Storm front you will be hooked on Jim Butcher’s writing for all time. Your library will soon be stocked with the entire Dresden collection and you too will wait with bated breath for the next installment.

Travel destinations: Tagaytay City, Philippines

Tagaytay City is an ideal destination for a quick escape from the hustle and bustle of Metro Manila being that it is only 60 kilometers away. Perched at more than 650 meters above sea level, this town on a mountain ridge offers breath-taking views of Taal Lake that surrounds Taal Volcano. From its highest point, one can get a glimpse of several provinces in Southern Luzon: Laguna, Cavite, Batangas and Quezon. Because of its cool climate, it is the perfect place for leisure activities such as golf, picnics, horseback riding, and camping. It is also a popular destination for sightseeing because of it breathtaking view of the Taal Lake and Volcano. Numerous hotels, spas and restaurants have set up home in Tagaytay making it one of the most tourist friendly destinations in the Philippines.

The weather in this mountaintop haven offers a splendid clime to many dining hangouts and tourist havens. The place is also synonymous to fabulous food, spiritual retreat or communing with nature. Urbanites also drive up to Tagaytay to simply buy locally grown fruits, honey, flowers, vegetables, plants and handicrafts.

A trip to Tagaytay and its neighboring areas is not complete without sampling its many specialty restaurants. Here are some:

Sonya’s Garden –

Just off the road to Nasugbu-Lemery, Sonya’s Garden is a restaurant inside what is virtually a greenhouse.

The dining area, wrapped in a mix of plastic, galvanized iron sheet and fish net, lies next to a flower garden. The smell of fragrant flower wafts in the air as one walks into the hall.

The set menu includes home-made pasta with a choice of two sauces (white sauce with chicken and a sprinkling of mango and a red sauce with sun dried tomatoes). Bottomless “dalandan” (a local citrus with a cross between an orange and lime) is served along with a generous bowl of salad and a choice of dressings.

Shrimp (or chicken), mushrooms, nuts and other ingredients you can put on your pasta or munch separately are thrown in, plus a small bowl of jackfruit.

Sonya’s people grow some of the vegetables and ingredients in the menu. The dessert-grilled sweet potatoes soaked in caramel sauce-is quite a delight to the palate.

Josephine’s-

Josephine’s is a glitzy restaurant overlooking Taal Lake. Its reputation goes a long way, built over a decade of indulging Pinoys’ taste for home-cooked dishes.

The restaurant’s ambiance is a cross between modern and traditional, but dining at Josephine’s offers a touch

Next Page »