Willie Nelson sends an open letter to Obama about Family Farms

Willie Nelson certainly knows a thing or to about sustainable food and farm policies –he’s the leader of Farm Aid.

Obama supported the farm bill - otherwise known as the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 - for its increased funding for hunger and conservation programs, but admits it's far from perfect (McCain, for the record opposed the bill and call on Bush to Veto it).

Here is his letter to Obama:

As President of Farm Aid, I'd like to take this opportunity to whole-heartedly congratulate you on your historic victory. I'd also like to offer you every resource that Farm Aid has available to assist you in creating a new farm and food policy that supports a sustainable family farm system of agriculture.

I started Farm Aid in 1985 when family farmers were being forced off their land as a result of federal policy that paved the way for industrial agriculture. This shift replaced independent family farmers with factory farms that have wreaked havoc on our communities, our environment and our public health.

There is broad agreement that our farm and food system needs to be drastically reworked. The good news is that the work of building an alternative to the industrial food system is well underway and Farm Aid is proud to have been a leader in this work, something we call the Good Food Movement. The Good Food Movement has grown and thrived almost entirely without the support of the federal government. However, now is the right moment for the leadership of our country to take a role in this important movement. In fact the future of our economy, our environment and our health demand it.

Our family farmers are a national resource with incredible potential to be the protagonists in solving the challenges we currently face. Family farmers are on the cutting edge of thriving local food systems and economies, alternative energy production and environmental stewardship. Family farmers are marketing the fruits of their labor close-to-home at farm stands, farmers markets and Community Supported Agriculture programs (CSAs), helping local money to circulate in local communities where it can do the most good. Family farmers are growing green energy and harnessing the power of the sun and wind. They are transitioning to sustainable production methods to grow food that is good for our health and our planet. These steps are strengthening our local economies, reducing our reliance on fossil fuels, protecting our natural resources and increasing our national security.

As the national organization working on behalf of family farmers for the last 23 years, Farm Aid has helped family farmers stay on the land, organized communities to fight factory farms in their own backyards, and educated eaters about the choices they can make to guarantee healthy, fresh food from family farms. Over our history, we have grown, partnered with, and sustained a network of more than four hundred grassroots farm and food organizations across the nation. As you begin to implement programs to support a family farm system of agriculture, Farm Aid and our vast resource network is here to work with you.

Now is the time for our country to recognize and call on family farmers' ingenuity, strength and value to our past and our future. We can have strong local economies, green energy, a clean environment, healthy citizens and good food—all of these start with family farmers. I look forward to working with you to make this vision of a family farm system of agriculture a reality.

Read more here.

Who reads Carolina Naturally

Some of our readers today have been in:

Peru; Scotland; England; Wales; Canada; Serbia and Montenegro; France; Germany; Romania; Australia; Turkey; Poland; Colombia: Malta

And every state in the United States.

Have Migraines - Maybe No Cancer

Heard this on the TV news this evening as I passed the set so I do not have any more details but according to some study somewhere women who suffer from migraines have a 30% LESS chance of developing breast cancer than women who do not suffer from migraines.

If this is true it would be a great starting point on a new way to treat breast cancer. If the study of migraines yields a treatment or a cure for cancer yippie!

New Gecko

French scientists say they hatched a new gecko species from an egg plucked from its nest in a South Pacific island and carried it 12,000 miles to Paris in a box lined with Kleenex.

France's National Museum of Natural History said it was the first time a new lizard species has been cataloged based on an individual raised from an egg.

Given the Latin name Lepidodactylus buleli, the gecko makes its home near the tops of the trees that line the west coast of Espiritu Santo, one of the larger islands of the Vanuatu archipelago east of Australia, the museum said.

OK, so she is so ... dumb

Jon Stewart skewers Sarah again!

All Together Now

The BEATLES in their Yellow Submarine

Hey, you picked her!

While I know Palin is a ditz (as do most people) there is no need to try and paint her any more stupid than she is and try and blame her for losing the election. Who cares if she came out in only a towel. It's over and she was a bad seed gone to rot ... so let's let her.

Campbell makes a point.

But it still is funny about Mizz Pale-lyn

Massive salmon

This massive salmon carcass was found last week near Anderson, California.
It's 4 1/2 feet long and weighed around 85 pounds.


More on the giant salmon over at Cryptomundo.

Dutch outcry over naming ship after Nazi

It ought to be a proud milestone in the Dutch seafaring heritage - the construction of a new ship its owner claims will be the world's largest. But there's one problem: its name.

Edwin Heerema, founder of the company that has commissioned the $1.7 billion vessel, wants to name it the Pieter Schelte after his late father, Pieter Schelte Heerema, who was renowned as a maritime engineer but was condemned for his service in the murderous Nazi Waffen SS.

The choice of name has provoked outcry from politicians and Jewish groups, and revived painful questions about Dutch collaboration with the country's World War II occupiers.

"For people who know his pitch-black history, this ship should not be named for him. Not now, not ever," said Ronny Naftaniel, director of CIDI, which monitors anti-Semitism in the Netherlands. He said Edwin Heerema's desire to honor his father was understandable up to a point, but the choice of name was "tasteless and unethical."

Edwin Heerema's company, Swiss-based Allseas Group SA, rejected criticism.

"Pieter Schelte Heerema was widely appreciated in the industry during his life and the companies that came from his heritage have an excellent name in the offshore industry," spokesman Jeroen Hagelstein e-mailed in response to questions.

But it's an awkward matter for the government. It gave Allseas' Netherlands subsidiary a $1 million tax break for its part in designing the ship, and now acknowledges it didn't notice the name until a Dutch journalist, Ton Biesemaat, raised the issue.

Mobster loses weight and liberty

It really wasn't his day after all ...
Soon after an alleged mobster woke up in a private Italian clinic following liposuction surgery, he lost more than just weight.

Domenico Magnoli, 27, lost his liberty, too, when police officers disguised as nurses and visitors bearing flowers and chocolates came into his room and arrested him, police said.

"We performed a little operation of our own," quipped Carabinieri paramilitary police Col. Aldo Jacobello.

Magnoli was arrested on a French warrant that had sought his arrest since February 2007 for allegedly trafficking in cocaine, Jacobello told The Associated Press in a telephone interview.

"Our Carabinieri were all in plainclothes, with a couple of them disguised as nurses and others as visitors bringing chocolates and a bouquet of flowers," Jacobello said. Earlier in the day, other officers, dressed as hospital cleaning staff, had entered the La Madonnina clinic in Cosenza, in Calabria, southern Italy, to assess the situation, police said.

Magnoli had just woken from anesthesia Thursday evening when he was arrested, said Vincenzo Greco, health director of the clinic.

Police allege that Magnoli, born in Cannes, France, has links to the Piromalli crime clan in the 'ndrangheta syndicate.

The 'ndrangheta is a criminal organization based in Calabria that operates drug trafficking rings between South America and Western Europe, and is now more powerful than the Sicilian Mafia, prosecutors say.

Thai intellectual arrested

One of Thailand's most prominent intellectuals has been arrested on a charge of insulting the country's monarchy, an offense that could send the 75-year-old to prison for 15 years, his lawyer said Friday.

Sulak Sivaraksa, 75, was arrested Thursday for remarks made during a speech he gave in December last year to mark International Human Rights Day, lawyer Somchai Homla-or said.

Sulak denied the charges and was freed on bail, the lawyer said. Insulting the monarchy, known as the crime of "lese majeste," carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison.

Sulak has been arrested several times before on lese majeste charges, but was never convicted, Somchai said.

The lawyer would not quote the passages from the Dec. 11, 2007 speech on philosophy, society and human rights that the police considered offensive. He said Sulak considered his critical remarks to be an effort to protect the monarchy.

Police recently said they are investigating about 30 such cases. A 41-year-old Australian writer is in jail awaiting formal charges for allegedly inappropriate passages in a novel.

In recent years, a nationalist fervor that emphasizes devotion to the monarchy has swept Thailand, making authorities more sensitive to possible criticism.

Thais in 2006 celebrated the 60th anniversary of King Bhumibol Adulyadej taking the throne. In the same year, a coup toppled Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was accused of showing disrespect to the monarchy as well as corruption.

Thaksin's opponents continue to fight against his political machine, which they sometimes accuse of seeking to establish a republic. The government, led by Thaksin's allies, consistently avows its loyalty to the crown.

Almost all Thais revere the monarchy, and especially admire the 80-year-old king. However, the lese majeste charge is often used for political purposes as a way of smearing its targets.

The British-educated Sulak has been associated with reformist movements in Thailand since the 1960s, when he was the intellectual mentor to students who went on to take part in an uprising against a military dictatorship in 1973.

He fled abroad after a right-wing counterrevolution in 1976, the first of several periods he spent in exile.

A colorful figure who often wears traditional Thai clothing, Sulak is closely associated with Buddhist humanist causes, and is known to friends as a staunch monarchist.

Malaysian blogger freed

Malaysian authorities freed the editor of an anti-government news Web site Friday after a court decided that his arrest under a law allowing indefinite detention was illegal.

High Court Justice Syed Ahmad Helmy Syed Ahmad ruled that the home minister acted outside his powers in having Raja Petra Kamaruddin detained Sept. 12 for allegedly causing ethnic tensions.

Five hours later, a weary-looking Raja Petra was brought from a prison camp in northern Malaysia to the court in Shah Alam city near Kuala Lumpur, where he embraced his tearful wife and daughters after being formally released.

"I'm really glad it's over. I'm really tired. The judge's decision proves there is no justification for my detention," Raja Petra told reporters.

The government has accused Raja Petra, 58, of threatening public security and causing ethnic tension by publishing writings that ridiculed Islam in the Muslim-majority country.

He has infuriated authorities by publishing numerous claims of alleged wrongdoing by government leaders on his highly popular Web site, Malaysia Today. The government has denounced most of Raja Petra's allegations as lies.

He is also on trial in a separate case in which he has been accused of sedition by implying that Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak was involved in the murder of a Mongolian woman. If convicted, he faces up to three years in jail.

The legal controversies come at a time when the government's popularity has hit an all-time low and the ruling party is riven with factional fighting.

Raja Petra's arrest was condemned by civic groups, lawyers and online commentators.

His lawyer, Malik Imtiaz Sarwar, quoted the judge who ordered his release as saying that the grounds given for his detention were insufficient and the arrest under the Internal Security Act was unlawful.

The act allows imprisonment without charge for an initial two-year period, with indefinite extensions possible.

The court order was "definitely a wonderful step in terms of civil liberties in Malaysia," Malik Imtiaz said.

It was not the first time a court has ordered the release of detainees under the act, and the ruling does not prevent the government from rearresting Raja Petra. The government can also appeal the ruling.

Some of Malaysia's most popular blogs offer strong anti-government commentaries and present themselves as a substitute for mainstream media, which are controlled by political parties or closely linked to them

This time we listened

”Aber unserer überreichen “Zusland” ist die Diktatur über arg. “Ach, wir haben bekannt jene als ein lang Zeitrechnung ICH heraushören Sie Objekt “und ist nicht erforderlich zu bringe jene zu unserer Abruf wieder Aber , ICH auffordern Sie , falls Sie kennen jene , wieso ausführen Sie nicht bemühen sich , wieso ausführen Sie einräumen dieser Menschen wer bist in Potenz zu rauben Sie Schritt für Schritt , offen und in still , über man Bereich über ihrer Rechte hinter andere , bis zu noch nichts , nichts überhaupt wirst sein link- aber ein Mechaniker Zustand Anlage präsidierte über beim Verbrecher und Betrunkenen? Ist ihrer Geist bereits so zerdrückte beim beschimpfen jene Sie stehenlassen es ist ihrer richtig beziehungsweise , ihrer * Moralisch Betriebszeit * zu ausmerzen dieses Anlage? ”

Die Weiß Brause Verband

Deutschland 1942

This time we listened and did exactly that ... we changed the system.

Just in case you cannot read German here it is is English.

”But our present “state” is the dictatorship of evil. “Oh, we’ve known that for a long time,” I hear you object, “and it isn’t necessary to bring that to our attention again.” But, I ask you, if you know that, why do you not bestir yourselves, why do you allow these men who are in power to rob you step by step, openly and in secret, of one domain of your rights after another, until one day nothing, nothing at all will be left but a mechanized state system presided over by criminals and drunks? Is your spirit already so crushed by abuse that you forget it is your right - or rather, your *moral duty* - to eliminate this system?”

The White Rose Society

Germany 1942

It is as always ... History repeats and the good people of the earth listen and learn!

Carolina Blue ... despite what the Haters howl

What to know a dirty little secret?!

Here it is, the picture that Republicans do not want you to see.

A sea of blue in North Carolina for Barack Obama and Joe Biden.



But, wait, it gets dirtier.

Here is what one of our tightest state-wide wins looked like, Bev Perdue for Governor.



From there, it just gets dirtier and dirtier.

Our new US Senator, Kay Hagan.



And, finally, do you want to see the future?

Do you want to see the next Democratic Senator from North Carolina?

His name is Roy Cooper and THIS is what his map looked like when we woke up on Wednesday, November 5th.

So hop on board the Cooper for Senate bandwagon.

Originally published at BlueNC

Daily Horoscope

My daily horoscope says:

Allow your imagination to wander pretty much without restraint.

How cool is that?!

Toy Hall of Fame points to new addition: the stick

In this photo released by The Strong National Museum of Play, Chris Bensch, curator of collections, holds a stick in front of a toy showcase at the Museum in Rochester, N.Y., Thursday Nov. 6, 2008. The stick was inducted into the Toy Hall of Fame on Thursday.

A magic wand, a fishing rod or a royal scepter?

The lowly stick, a universal plaything powered by a child's imagination, landed in the National Toy Hall of Fame on Thursday along with the Baby Doll and the skateboard.

The three were chosen to join the Strong National Museum of Play's lineup of 38 classics ranging from the bicycle, the kite and Mr. Potato Head to Crayola crayons, marbles and the Atari 2600 video game system.

Curators said the stick was a special addition in the spirit of a 2005 inductee, the cardboard box. They praised its all-purpose, no-cost, recreational qualities, noting its ability to serve either as raw material or an appendage transformed in myriad ways by a child's creativity.

"It's very open-ended, all-natural, the perfect price - there aren't any rules or instructions for its use," said Christopher Bensch, the museum's curator of collections. "It can be a Wild West horse, a medieval knight's sword, a boat on a stream or a slingshot with a rubber band. ... No snowman is complete without a couple of stick arms, and every campfire needs a stick for toasting marshmallows.

"This toy is so fantastic that it's not just for humans anymore. You can find otters, chimps and dogs - especially dogs - playing with it."

Longevity is a key criterion for getting into the hall, which the museum acquired in 2002 from A.C. Gilbert's Discovery Village in Salem, Ore. Each toy must not only be widely recognized and foster learning, creativity or discovery through play, but also endure in popularity over generations.

While dolls have been around since ancient times, the Baby Doll with its realistic newborn features emerged in the late 18th century and has been through hundreds of incarnations. Today's models can crawl, drink and even talk via voice-activated commands.

"It is generally thought of as lovable and cuddly, even if it can doze off or cry during play," said Susan Asbury, an associate curator. "Toy designers have spent decades making it ever more lifelike and true to form. ... It promotes imaginative play and brings out the nurturing side in all of us."

The first skateboarders in the 1950s cruised walkways on California beaches trying to match the speed, turns and tricks performed by surfers they watched offshore.

Apart from being fun, practicing ollies, grinds and primos "promotes individualism ... artistic expression and it's also very athletic," skateboard icon Tony Hawk said in a video message played at the induction ceremony.

More Information

museumofplay.com

Only in Oklahoma ...

Dateline PRYOR: Hey, the dog can drive!

A dog waiting in a car while at a car wash slipped the vehicle into gear and drove in a loop before the car came to a stop.

Pryor police officer Brent Crittenden said the dog's owner was washing the vehicle when the 70-pound pit bull jumped on the dash and somehow shifted the car into reverse.

The car backed out of the car wash bay, continued onto a highway and then looped around before coming to a stop at an automated car wash lane.

Crittenden said the vehicle was impounded because its owner was unable to provide proof of insurance.

Because the dog was registered with the city, Crittenden said the owner was allowed to walk the pooch home.

*****

Dateline LAWTON: Gums wrappers as legal tender!

A 28-year-old man who attempted to pay for his bar tab with gum wrappers was arrested after a scuffle with a police officer on Tuesday night, authorities said.

A bartender told police the man was playing pool with an open bottle of beer and spilled some of it on the table. She said he first tried to pay his $32 tab with a credit card, which was declined.

When police arrived and ordered the man to pay his tab, they reported that he began counting out gum wrappers as if they were cash.

The man was detained on a complaint of disorderly conduct and assault on a police officer.

South Carolina burglar uses 2 masks

It could be called the case of the careful cat burglar.

Authorities said a man wore not one, but two masks when he broke into a house in Beaufort on Wednesday.

The Beaufort Gazette reported the suspect got away with a woman's purse and several other items.

He was draped in a sheet, but when the victim's son chased the burglar and tore the sheet off his head, it revealed only a white-faced mask similar to the one worn by the villain in the movie "Scream."

Beaufort Police Maj. Matt Clancy said the whole thing was "definitively unusual."

I hope the judge throws all the books at him!

Authorities said a 22-year-old Tampa man used his grandfather as a shield while he was being arrested.

According to an arrest affidavit, the man pulled his 72-year-old grandfather out of a chair and in front of officers Wednesday morning.

The man kept fighting after his grandfather was removed for the scene.

He was charged with two counts of felony battery and resisting arrest with violence and was taken to jail.

Some people really are somewhat lacking

From the "What an Idiot!" Department:

Would-be cleaners take note: A blowtorch is not a good substitute for a broom. Coweta County authorities said Galen Winchell set fire to his west Georgia home Wednesday as he cleaned cobwebs from exterior eaves with a blowtorch. Winchell noticed the blaze when he saw smoke pouring from the attic.

Coweta Fire Investigator James Gantt says the fire was contained to one part of the house, but the entire home had smoke and water damage.