Wednesday, December 19, 2012

96 + 1 Books for Foodies

 The real #1 Foodie book in my opinion is Cultivating Food Justice: Race, Class and Sustainability (MIT Press, 2011) by Julian Agyeman and Alison Hope Alkon

Explains #FoodJustice better than anything else I've read.

 

Here's some more books for the foodies in your life:

1        Turn Here Sweet Corn by Atina Diffley
2        The $64 Tomato by William Alexander
3        The Dirty Life by Kristen Kimball
4        The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan
5        The Hundred-Foot Journey by Richard C. Morais
6        The Everlasting Meal by Tamar Adler
7        Tomatoland by Barry Estabrook
8        The Secret Life of Food by Clare Crespo
9        This Life Is in Your Hands by Melissa Coleman
10        Plenty (Eating Locally on the 100-Mile Diet) by Alisa Smith, J.B. Mackinnon
11        Urban Homesteading-Heirloom Skills for Sustainable Living by Rachel Kaplan with K. Ruby Blume
12        Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon and Mary Enig
13        The Unhealthy Truth by Robyn O’Brien and Rachel Kranz
14        Stolen Harvest by Vandana Shiva
15        Wheat Belly by William Davis
16        Slaughterhouse by Gail A. Eisnitz
17        Righteous Porkchop by Nicolette Hahn Niman
18        Folks, This Ain’t Normal by Joel Salatin
19        The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer
20        The Art of Fermentation by Sandor Katz
21        Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver
22        Teaming with Microbes: A Gardener’s Guide to the Soil Food Web by Jeff Lowenfels and Wayne Lewis
23        Wild Fermentation: The Flavor, Nutrition, and Craft of Live-Culture Foods by Sandor Ellix Katz and Sally Fallon
24        The Viking in The Wheat Field by Susan Dworkin
25        The Phytozyme Cure: Treat or Reverse More Than 30 Serious Health Conditions with Powerful Plant Nutrients by Michelle Cook
26        An Everlasting Meal, Tamar Adler
27        Eat & Run by Steve Friedman Scott Jurek
28        Greenhorns: 50 Dispatches from the New Farmers’ Movement by Paula Manalo
29        Eat the City: A Tale of the Fishers, Foragers, Butchers, Farmers, Poultry Minders, Sugar Refiners, Cane Cutters, Beekeepers, Winemakers, and Brewers Who Built New York by Robin Shulman
30        Bread Bones and Butter, Jeffrey Hamelman
31        Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon and Mary Enig
32        Turn Here Sweet Corn
33        Obligate Carnivore
34        Eat and Run
35        Bidoche, Fabrice Nicolino
36        BET THE FARM by Frederick Kaufman
37        GUT AND PSYCHOLOGY SYNDROME by Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride.
38        Farm City by Novella Carpenter
39        A Homemade Life by Molly Wizenberg
40        The Holistic Orchard: Tree Fruits and Berries the Biological Way by Michael Phillips
41        Greenhorns
42        The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth: The Surprising, Unbiased Truth About What You Should Eat and Why by Jonny Bowden
43        Folks, This Ain’t Normal, Joel Salatin
44        Goat: Meat, Milk, Cheese by Bruce Weinstein, Mark Scarbrough and Marcus Nilsson
45        Aquaponic Gardening by Sylvia Bernstein
46        Life Rules by Elllen LaConte
47        Folks this Ain’t Normal by Joel Salatin
48        Holy Cows and Hog Heaven by Joel Salatin
49        The Art of Fermentation By Sandor Katz
50        Organic Manifesto by Maria Rodale
51        Farewell, My Subaru: An Epic Adventure in Local Living by Doug Fine
52        The Good Food Revolution: Growing Healthy Food, People, and Communities by Will Allen and Charles Wilson
53        The Joy of Foraging: Gary Lincoff’s Illustrated Guide to Finding, Harvesting, and Enjoying a World of Wild Food by Gary Lincoff
54        Flour Power: A Guide To Modern Home Grain Milling by Marleeta Basey
55        Fateful Harvest by Duff Wilson
56        Deep Nutrition: Why Your Genes Need Traditional Food by Catherine Shanahan and Luke Shanahan
57        Save Our Soil by Christopher Bird
58        Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. Barbara Kingsolver.
59        Folks, This Ain’t Normal by Joel Salatin
60        The Ecology of Eden by Evan Eisenberg
61        Gaia’s Garden – Toby Hemenway
62        The Resilient Gardener: Food Production and Self-Reliance in Uncertain Times by Carol Deppe
63        Everything I Want To Do Is Illegal: War Stories From the Local Food Front  by Joel Salatin
64        The One-Straw Revolution: An Introduction to Natural Farming (New York Review Books Classics) by Masanobu Fukuoka, Larry Korn, Wendell Berry and Frances Moore Lappe
65        Beautiful Corn: America’s Original Grain from Seed to Plate by Anthony Boutard
66        The Art of Fermentation by Sandor Ellix Katz
67        Sowing Seeds in the Desert by Masanobu Fukoka
68        The Humanure Handbook: A Guide to Composting Human Manure  by Joseph Jenkins
69        The Feast Nearby by Robin Mather
70        Gathering by Diane Ott Whealy
71        The Heirloom Gardener by Jere and Emiliee Gettle
72        Nutrition by Rudolf Hauschka, Marjorie Spock and Mary T. Richards
73        Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon
74        The Good Life byHelen and Scott Nearing
75        Organic Manifesto by Maria Rodale
76        Plenty: One Man, One Woman, and a Raucous Year of Eating Locally by Alisa Smith and J.B. Mackinnon
77        100-mile diet
78        Vegetable Gardening the Colonial Williamsburg Way by Wesley Green
79        Beating the Food Giants by Paul A. Stitt
80        Eating Animals by Jonathon Safran Foer
81        Unjunk Your Junk Food-Healthy Alternatives to Conventional Snacks by Andrea Donsky
82        Sugar Blues by William F. Duffy
83        Full Moon Feast: Food and the Hunger for Connection by Jessica Prentice
84        Silent Spring by Rachel Carson
85        The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pillan
86        Turn Here Sweet Corn by Atina Diffley
87        Folks, This Ain’t Normal by Joel Salatin
88        Salt: A world History by Mark Kurlansky
89        Nourishing Traditions
90        Pacific Feast by Jennifer Hahn
91        The Makers Diet. Dr Jordan Ruben
92        Tomatoland: How Modern Industrial Agriculture Destroyed Our Most Alluring Fruit by Barry Estabrook
93        Teaming with Microbes, Jeff Lowenfels & Wayne Lewis
94        Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer
95        The End of Overeating: Taking Control of the Insatiable American Appetite by David Kessler
96        The Weekend Homesteader: A Twelve-Month Guide to Self-Sufficiency by Anna Hess

Sunday, December 16, 2012

idleCalgary




 A veil of secrecy around a Plan to introduce transparency. Rampant mismanagement. Council apathy. Bureaucratic betrayal. Administrative abuse of a vision from 18,000 Calgarians. 

A slap in the face of future Calgary. A dead plant as a gift to the citizens.

Momentum is not building for imagineCALGARY and just by stating such on a website does not make it true. The imagineCalgary Plan has been seriously mismanaged by the administration and bureaucracy of City Hall.
 
The groups listed below are according to imagineCalgary "...actively implementing the imagineCALGARY Targets and Goals within their organizations."

The website erroneously states: "Members of the imagineCALGARY Partnership and citizens, corporations, community agencies and the civic government of Calgary are now using the Plan and working together to shape the city’s future."

Again, organizations are not working together, the Plan is not being taken seriously by council or admin and the future is not being shaped by imagineCalgary... its a neglected, withering vision.

So what does this all mean? 

Simply, that civic engagement is really a cruel and costly comedy of errors. The result is a lengthy, dust collecting tome which the City of Calgary has no intention of truly implementing and has somehow evolved into a form of appeasement with the local sustainability culture. Citizen and organizational silence is bought via the opportunity to passively participate in this increasingly comical venture at the very unfunny cost of the future of Calgary. 

What council and administration is clearly saying to citizens is this... 

1. We really want your input, 
2. We want you to believe we value your input, 
3. We'll go to great lengths to promote and drape ourselves in this input,
4. There's not a hope in hell we'll ever take citizen input seriously.'
5. We'll continue telling citizens the exact opposite, shamelessly.


The list below has not changed significantly in 3 years.

Also, many of the groups below are small, social justice/environmental orgs that already adhere to sustainability protocols, with imagineCalgary failing miserably to make a dent outside the perimeter of the choir.


 ImagineCalgary is idle, stagnanting and withering... How ironic is that?

Current Partners
Alberta Ecotrust Foundation
Bridgetown Works
Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR)
City of Calgary
Cultural District Renaissance Society of Alberta
Enmax
Families Matter
Flextronics Calgary Centre
Light up the World
LINKages Society of Alberta
Old Y Centre
Peratos Consulting
REAP Business Association
Sierra Club of Canada
The Unique Blend
Theatre Calgary
Torode Commercial Ltd.
Tour de Nuit

Friday, December 14, 2012

Resurrecting The Urban Hen Egg Laying Pilot Project in Calgary



Dear Mayor Nenshi, Ald Carra & Mgr Bowen,

Please read the letter sent today, 14Dec2012 to Animal & Bylaw Services, requesting the reintroduction of the Urban Hen Egg Laying Pilot Project.

The volume of City of Calgary official policy that supports both the concept of a pilot project and the removal of the bylaw against egg laying hens is simply enormous.

"...the Urban Hen Egg Laying Pilot Project will align the City of Calgary with its numerous guiding/vision documents (imagineCalgary, Food Assessment & Action Plan, Fair Calgary, 2020 Sustainability Direction, et al) that support a local, sustainable, healthy food system and the tenets of food justice, food security and the right to food for all Calgarians."

Link: http://www.calgary.ca/CA/cmo/Pages/Office-of-Sustainability.aspx

On behalf of the members of CLUCK, I request that you support reintroducing the Urban Hen Egg Laying Pilot Project.

For your consideration and action,

Paul Hughes
CLUCK


-------- Original Message --------
Subject:     Urban Hen Egg Laying Pilot Project: Resurrection
Date:     Fri, 14 Dec 2012 12:54:43 -0700
From:     Paul
Reply-To:     paul
Organization:     CLUCK
To:     Andrew Bissett & Paul Hughes

Hi Andrew,

I'm requesting that you discuss with Tracey Birch the reintroduction of this pilot project to the SPC/CPS Committee.

A tremendous amount of work has already gone into the design, terms, conditions, references, targets and governance of the Urban Hen Egg Laying Pilot Project. Most of this work (95%) was performed by Animal Bylaw via Bill Bruce (rtd) and his team. I encourage Bylaw to continue to show leadership on this issue and resurrect the pilot. You have my assurance that CLUCK members will willingly cooperate in the implementation of the pilot.

Perhaps more importantly, the Urban Hen Egg Laying Pilot Project will align the City of Calgary with its numerous guiding/vision documents (imagineCalgary, Food Assessment & Action Plan, Fair Calgary, 2020 Sustainability Direction, et al) that support a local, sustainable, healthy food system and the tenets of food justice, food security and the right to food for all Calgarians.

Link: http://www.calgary.ca/CA/cmo/Pages/Office-of-Sustainability.aspx

For your consideration and action,

--
Paul Hughes

CLUCK

Thursday, December 13, 2012

Epic Big Walls

In Columbia. 
(Calgary has epic big walls, but they're a nice shade of grey... sigh.)



































Courtesy of FatCap.com

Monday, December 10, 2012

Sunday, November 25, 2012

Calgary Centre = Checkpoint Charlie

Checkpoint Charlie
 
Calgary Centre

International Meatless Day & International Vegetarian Day

The International Meatless Day campaign was first started in India in 1986 by the Sadhu Vaswani Mission- a social service organization with a spiritual aim dedicated to serving mankind, especially the poor and downtrodden. It is also a significant day for Animal Right's groups. November 25 is also called International Vegetarian Day aka SAK Meatless Day the birthday of Sadhu Vaswani.


Monday, November 19, 2012

Sunday, November 4, 2012

Car Free Diem

Go Car Free.

Last 8 of 10 years we've been Car Free. It's a challenge, but give it a try. Say good bye to buying gas. Insurance. Registration. Repairs. Parking. Scraping snow & ice off the windshield. Warming up your car. Washing your car. Shitty drivers. Road rage. Traffic delays. Construction. Traffic tickets. 

You can take a bus or a train. You can walk. Ride your bike. Take a taxi. Try rideshare. Carpool. A rental. Carshare. Skateboard. Rollerblade.

Try it.

For a day. A week. A month. A year. A lifetime...

Car Free Diem.






Wednesday, October 31, 2012

The #1 hurdle to housing families in Calgary

I have asked numerous times that a damage deposit & 1st month's rent fund be created. This is the #1 hurdle to families becoming housed in Calgary.

The fund would be accessed as a loan. Repayment based on financial capacity.

Here's what damage deposit and 1st month's rent looks like on a $2000/month rental...

$2000 + $2000 = $4000 This must be paid before taking possession. Very difficult for a young family to both be unstable/homeless and save $4000.  

A single person, renting a basement suite at $800/month... $800 + $800 = $1600... Again, difficult to accomplish when not in a stable home environment. 

The City of Calgary has some very expensive maps, they just don't follow them

Here's an example from City of Calgary's "Social Outlook":
"A lack of sustainable funding also challenges
the ability of many agencies to provide longterm
support. At the same time, there is a lack
of coordination among service providers, and
competition for funding limits their ability to fully
explore and capitalize on partnership opportunities.
Access to programs and services could benefit
from partnerships between organizations such
as schools, family resource centres, mainstream
organizations, immigrant serving agencies and
ethno-cultural groups"
(Hurlock et al, 2004; Howard
Research, 2001, Boakye, 2009).


Social Outlook www.calgary.ca/CSPS/CNS/Documents/social_outlook_2011-2016.pdf

Saturday, September 15, 2012

Art Thieves Strike Public Art Project in Calgary

Three pieces of original art have been stolen from the Battistella Pixel Public Art & Hoarding Project in Kensington, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

The project was an original idea from my son Mac. Mac came home one day in the spring of 2012 and said, "Hey Dad, there's a fence up by the tracks, why don't you put up some art there?". 

Here's the article in Metro.

If you have any info, please contact me or the Calgary Police Service.

These are the pics and the artists:

Andrew Lester

Jolies Rauchbaar

Lynda Vowell

Mac Hughes (l) & Andrew Lester (r)


Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Media/News Release: Canadian Right to Food Trial Verdict: Wednesday, Sept 5, 2012 in Courtroom 1106 at 1:30 p.m. Calgary Courthouse.

For Immediate Release

After 5 days of evidence and testimony, the Canadian Right to Food Charter Challenge Trial (Possession of Urban Chickens)  concluded on March 9, 2012. After 180 days (5 months, 28 days), a decision will be made in the Canadian Right to Food Trial. Judge Catherine Skene will render her decision in Calgary on Sept 5, 2012.

The CR2FT originated with a bylaw infraction for the possession of urban chickens in Calgary, Alberta. It has since evolved into a complex legal argument.

The trial involved:
1. Challenging two Municipal Government Act items
2. Challenging six Charter Challenge items (Sections 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d, 7 15, 27)
3. One United Nations Human Rights Declaration Assertion (UNHRD, Article 25)

The Right to Food has never been challenged or cited in Canadian Law.


22 countries now have a Right to Food enshrined in their constitution as a result of each nation embracing their international obligations, as set forth in the UNHRD.



The charter challenge decision will impact all 35 Million Canadians.



Canadian Right to Food Trial Verdict: 

Wednesday, September 5, 2012 in Courtroom 1106 at 1:30 p.m. Calgary Courthouse.

Contact:

Paul Hughes
c403.383.3420
paul@paulin8.com

-30-

Friday, August 24, 2012

Art in the Public Realm: Call for artists!


START: Sunnyside Triangle ART Project -- CALL FOR ARTISTS!

Art in the Public Realm

START: Sunnyside Triangle ART Project

CALL FOR ARTISTS!

What is it?

A large art installation on the Sunnyside Triangle site.

Panels are 4' x 4' on 1/4" plywood.

To participate, please contact Paul @403.383.3420 or by email.

Share this post with artists and your art community!

Thank you!

Paul


New Date for Canadian Right to Food Trial Decision: 05Sept2012


Canadian Right to Food Trial Update:Proceeding with the bring forward request to have this matter set for the new date of Wednesday, September 5, 2012 in Courtroom 1106 at 1:30 p.m. Calgary Courthouse.
~Paul FoodJustice Hughes



http://cluckcanada.blogspot.ca/2012/08/new-date-for-canadian-right-to-food.html




Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Epic delays on Contaminated Sites in Calgary: The New Urban Pollution: Visual

This graphic from UEP's council approved 2012-14 budget says it all, especially:


PM3.2 Cumulative number of current vacant former gas station sites actively pursued for the 
purpose of returning to productive community use. 

According to this chart, we have projected a total of 2 sites returned to productive use, from some 27+ hectares (66+ acres).

The UEP wants to increase its inventory by almost 400%, yet continues to be deficient in addressing fundamental remediation of the properties.



Solution
The vacant former gas station sites are located in high traffic areas. Short term uses include farmer's markets and other sales/retail & cultural events. Sites are fenced and could display public art. Many sites are unkempt and in highly visible locations, creating a new type of contamination, visual pollution, in our neighbourhoods. Site Environmental Remediation could include numerous strategies currently employed by industry.

Alternatively, responsibility for remediating these sites could be transferred to a another party, based on 

Remediation Liabilities Related to Contaminated Sites


Regardless, the current approach is neither effective nor is the outcome desirable, as pictured below.