permaculture

[John Schinnerer <eco_living@yahoo.com>]

Aloha,

First off - appropriate seeds (in quantity!) would apparently be very
useful in Afghanistan.  I heard today that crops aren't getting saved
(seed, that is) and/or planted (overwintering stuff - due to conditions
and/or lack of seed) and they'll *really* be screwed for local food
next year.  And...it's good to hear news like Nick just posted.

Second (OT for any purists on the list; stop reading now!  Everyone
else please spread it around, I've not seen this in US media at all) -
met a UK citizen a week ago (Martyn Joseph, Welsh activist
singer/songwriter) who has UK friends working for food aid groups over
there and gets e-mails from 'em almost daily.  The UK aid workers say:

Nobody can effectively get food aid into and around Afghanistan due to
constant bombing raids.
Aid groups would need at least a three-day halt to bombing to transport
and distribute food effectively.
A week or two at most until first snows arrive (transport more
difficult; food more essential).
US airdrops are *pathetically* inadequate to make up for stalled food
aid.  Statistics as of today - during about *three weeks* of bombing,
we've dropped a *total* of one (1) day's rations for roughly *half* the
population (raw numbers from article in today's Seattle Times, but of
course they didn't put it in quite this light).
US airdrops have hit tents and people, injuring refugees and civilians
(I heard killed a few as well, but no way to confirm).
US airdrops can (and do) land in minefields, where food can't be
retrieved or mines kill and maim people trying to retrieve it.


=====
John Schinnerer, MA
--------------------
- Eco-Living -
Cultural & Ecological Designing
Food - Shelter - Community
john@eco-living.net
http://eco-living.net

__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Make a great connection at Yahoo! Personals.
http://personals.yahoo.com