Junk Drawer: November, 2006

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November 13

The Haiku of W

This is a short poem made up entirely of actual quotations from George W. Bush. These have been arranged, only for aesthetic purposes, by Washington Post writer, Richard Thompson. A wonderful Haiku poem like this is too good not to share.

MAKE THE PIE HIGHER
I think we all agree, the past is over.
This is still a dangerous world.
It's a world of madmen and uncertainty And potential mental losses
Rarely is the question asked Is our children learning?
Will the highways of the Internet Become more few?
How many hands have I shaked?
They misunderestimate me.
I am a pitbull on the pantleg of opportunity.
I know that the human being And the fish can coexist.
Families is where our nation finds hope, Where our wings take dream.
Put food on your family!
Knock down the tollbooth!
Vulcanize society!
Make the pie higher!
I am the Decider!

(Pass this on. Help cure mad Cowboy disease before the next election!)

November 12

The 100 Mile Diet

Some of you may have heard of this by now. The daughter of a friend of mine recently had a 100 Mile Lunch day at her school to make kids more aware of where their food is coming from. Check out the website of this group in Vancouver, Canada.

The 100-mile Diet
http://100milediet.org/home/
"When the average North American sits down to eat, each ingredient has typically traveled at least 1,500 miles from farm to plate. That's a total disconnection from where our food is coming from. What would it be like to eat locally for one year? We drew a 100-mile circle around our home in Vancouver, Canada. The 100-Mile Diet was born."

http://100milediet.org/getting-started-guide/

The 100-Mile Index provides a statistical snapshot of our world’s globalized food system. The numbers are fascinating, troubling, funny and sometimes, just plain strange. Have a read and send them to a friend. Help grow this movement.

Minimum distance that North American produce typically travels from farm to plate, in miles: 1,500
Number of Planet Earths’ worth of resources that would be needed if every person worldwide lived like the average North American: 8
Planets saved if all of those people ate locally: 1
Ratio of minutes spent preparing food by English consumers who buy ready-made foods versus traditional home-cooking: 1:1
Estimated number of plant species worldwide with edible parts: 30,000
Number of species that currently provide 90 percent of the world’s food: 20
Share of each U.S. consumer food dollar that returned to the farmer in 1910, in cents: 40
Share that returned to the farmer in 1997, in cents: 7
Ratio of prisoners to farmers in the U.S. population: 5:2
Percentage of fresh vegetables eaten in Hanoi, Vietnam, that are grown in the city: 80
Percentage of all tomatoes in U.S. that are harvested while green : 80
Major river dams constructed to irrigate California, now the world’s number five agricultural producer: 1,200

Eating locally is not only good for the environment, it supports the local economy. Check out the website for tips on putting this plan into action, and consider hosting a 100 Mile Thanksgiving this year.

Ciao and Chow!