Corbin Harney invites everyone to a Mothers Day weekend gathering

Corbin Harney invites everyone to a Mothers Day weekend gathering
and reunion at Peace Camp,
Nevada Test Site, May 11 - 13

I will post when I get back from this Gathering,honoring Corbin Harney, who is the Spiritual Leader of the Western Shoshone people. Corbin is currently suffering from prostate cancer which has reportedly spread to his bones.

A great teacher - Activists rally for ailing Shoshone leader Corbin Harney

Coconut oil powers island's cars

Coconut oil powers island's cars
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6634221.stm
By Phil Mercer
BBC News, Sydney

Papua New Guinea
People on the island of Bougainville in Papua New Guinea have found their own solution to high energy prices - the humble coconut.

They are developing mini-refineries that produce a coconut oil that can replace diesel.

From police officers to priests, the locals are powering up their vehicles and generators with coco-fuel.

Inquiries for the coconut power have come in from overseas, including Iran and Europe.

For years, the people of Bougainville have been dependent on expensive fuel imported onto the island.

Shortages have often caused many businesses in this part of Papua New Guinea to grind to a halt. High energy costs have not helped either.

Doesn't it sound good if you really run your car on something which falls off a tree and that's the good thing about it. Matthias Horn, Refinery operator

Increasingly, locals are turning to a cheaper and far more sustainable alternative to diesel. Coconut oil is being produced at a growing number of backyard refineries.

Matthias Horn, a German migrant and an engineer, operates one such refinery.

"They sometimes refer to me as the Mad German because how can you do that to your car... filling it with some coconut juice that you normally fry your fish in," he said.

"The coconut tree is a beautiful tree. Doesn't it sound good if you really run your car on something which falls off a tree and that's the good thing about it. You run your car and it smells nice and it's environmentally friendly and that's the main thing."

Mr Horn said his work had attracted interest from Iran.

Refineries like his also produce oils for cooking and cosmetics as well as soap.

Coconut power is not new in Bougainville.

The island endured years of civil unrest in which thousands of people were killed in a fight for independence in the 1990s. Dwindling supplies of diesel forced islanders to look for alternatives and the coconut was chosen.

In peacetime, new technology is propelling this sweet-smelling industry to greater heights.

Will be out of town for a few days

I will be out of town for a few days but will be posting as soon as possible

Japanese developers find way to create hot rice with cold water

Steam rises from a box of the emergency food "Hotto! Raisu" as water is poured over it in a demonstration at the Tsukuba Municipal Government headquarters in Ibaraki Prefecture.


Japanese developers find way to create hot rice with cold water


TSUKUBA, Ibaraki -- An environmental consulting firm and other developers here have come up with a non-perishable food pack that creates steaming hot rice with the simple addition of cold water.

The group has recently introduced the product, named "Hotto! Raisu," to the market.

By subjecting rice to 4,000 times normal atmospheric pressure, the developers were able to preserve rice for long periods in a soft form that holds moisture. When water is poured over an exothermic agent in the pack, steam warms the rice contained within, and after about 15 minutes, the dish is piping hot.

Officials say the product could be useful in areas that have been hit by natural disasters, when electricity is often unavailable. The product is not cheap, costing 10,000 yen for 30 packs with pickled ume plums, but its producers say they are ready to work on new ideas.

"If our sales increase, we want to work at developing new side dishes," one official said. (Mainichi)
Click here for the original Japanese story

Campaign for the Rights of the Living Dead

Campaign for the Rights of the Living Dead

A small political party in northern India is pushing for the reinstatement of the legal rights of people who have been declared dead by unscrupulous relatives trying to steal their assets.

Night of the Living Dead

The Mritak Sangh, or Association of the Dead, knows it is unlikely to win polls running through to next month in Uttar Pradesh, India’s most populous, and frequently lawless, state.

But Lal Bihari, 48, the party’s founder and president, said Saturday he hopes to highlight the plight of thousands of people who have had their lives taken away from them, usually by relatives in cahoots with corrupt government officials.

“We are using elections to highlight the problems of living dead,” said Bihari. “We know we cannot win elections but through election we can sensitize people and officials about this problem.”

His reasons for pursuing the cause stem from his own experience.

He was declared dead in 1976 by his uncle who connived with officials and took over his property, he says.

“To tell the world I am alive I lodged complaints with the police,” he told the Associated Press. “My efforts bore fruits and in 2004, I was declared alive by the government.”

The middle-aged man, usually dressed in crisp white clothes, frequently addresses small crowds who listen carefully to his election speeches.

He says there are at least 40,000 people who are facing this problem in Uttar Pradesh.

Nearly 110 million people are expected to vote in Uttar Pradesh’s seven-phase election that began on April 7. Results will be announced on May 11.

Bihari’s district Azamgarh, a dusty and impoverished area, is 300 kilometers southeast of Lucknow, the state capital, and will go to the polls May 3.
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