2013年11月29日 星期五

Avena+ Test Bed – Agricultural printing and altered landscapes

http://www.creativeapplications.net/processing/avena-test-bed-agricultural-printing-and-altered-landscapes/

Avena+ Test Bed – Agricultural printing and altered landscapes

Avena_Field
Created by Benedikt GroßAvena+ Test Bed is a project that explores the relationship between landscape, agriculture and digital fabrication by intercepting the process of precision farming by generative design. The emphasis of the project lays in speculating about new models which would enhance current agricultural practices, and to then imagine their possible implications.
With the advent of Precision Farming, agriculture has become fully mapped and will transform farming to a highly digital activity. This in combination with other changes underway in the countryside, mainly the paradigm shift from food to biogas production and various EU subsidy schemes to promote diversity, will lead to disruptive changes within the next few years for the (European) countryside.
The project uses the idea of “Agricultural Printing” to explore the possibilities of digital fabrication carried over into farming. The experiment applies algorithms to partition and to create an environmentally beneficial arrangement of plantation to establish, or improve, the connectivity for fauna and flora between habitats.
Avena_PixelsThis increased diversity also eases typical problems of monocultures e.g. less vermin → reduced usage of pesticides. Furthermore a farmer could “rent out” the areas for several months a year as compensatory area in the same fashion like the CO2 emissions trading scheme works (in the EU every new land for building has to be compensated). Hence in the near future a farmer might not just produce oats, peas, beans and barley, but also print “environment compensations areas” into his fields.
The process included conversion of circumference points to area/polygon with a python script and then exported to a geojson file. Fine tuning of the bounds.geojson file was done in QGIS and illustrator (Benedict had to write an importer/exporter). The new pattern was generated in paper.js, based on bounds.geojson and exported to svg and png. Custom Processing sketch baked the bounds.geojson and the pattern.png (with a pixelsize of 3 mx 3m) to a “print file” for the tractor. There was one file for each “color”: oat seed and flower/herb seed mix. The final oat.geojson and flowers.geojson were converted to shapefiles in QGIS. These files were then imported (oat.shp and flowers.shp) to “Farmworks” (= the CS Suite of a farmer, to convert everything to agricultural machinery speak binary files.
Created using Processing, Javascript, ArcGISQGISShapely
avena testbed benedikt groß_06
The circumference of the plot is recorded on site using GPS coordinates. 11.5 hectares (320 m x 920 m) in Unterwaldhausen, South Germany
avena testbed benedikt groß_13avena testbed benedikt groß_12
Benedikt uses the data collected to devise best algorithm for the plot division and route planning.
avena testbed benedikt groß_11avena testbed benedikt groß_10avena testbed benedikt groß_09avena testbed benedikt groß_08
The data is provided back to the farmer contained on USB memory sticks. Location mapping is done using External GPS/GLONASS reference station for maximum accuracy
avena testbed benedikt groß_07
The planting process simulation.
avena testbed benedikt groß_04avena testbed benedikt groß_02
Mid-Final result. 85% oats (Avena Sativa), 15% eleven different flowers and herbs. Photo of the test bed, flowers are hardly visible (end of May). By the end of July 2013 the test bed will be harvested to produce biogas.
avena testbed benedikt groß_01

Picture below taken in July 2013
P6211371

2013年4月9日 星期二

The Health Benefits Of Orange Pith Uncovered



柑橘類水果如橘子早已被稱為高黃酮含量的飲食。黃酮類化合物是強有力的抗氧化劑,可以保護我們的身體免受多種疾病,包括癌症心臟疾病雖然柑橘類水果本身有黃酮含量,但濃度最高的類黃酮被發現的橙色水果和果皮之間(白色部分)其中含量最多的類黃酮物質在柚皮素,在所有的柑橘類水果和番茄研究發現,在柑橘類水果的柚皮素可以抑制腫瘤的生長,可以修復受損的DNA。此外在老鼠身上進行的一項研究發現,柚皮素還可以幫助燃燒多餘的脂肪,通過刺激肝臟代謝。此外,柚皮素也增加高密度脂蛋白膽固醇(好)膽固醇和降低LDL(壞)膽固醇。

2013年4月2日 星期二

The Amazing Health Benefits of Drinking Lemon Water



The Amazing Health Benefits
of Drinking Lemon Water

by Ann Heustad, R.N.
After visiting some friends recently who drank copious amounts of water spiked with fresh organic limes and lemons from trees in their yard and freely offered this delicious concoction to all their guests, the following article reminded me of the value of our mutual dedication to planetary health and wellness through simple healthful remedies.
There are basic lifestyle habits that are important to incorporate into your daily life, and this is certainly one of them. However, we are talking about organic lemons that are tree ripened. If you are buying commercial lemons from the store, learn kinesiology and muscle test the lemons you buy so that you know one way or another whether the lemons you are purchasing are actually therapeutic for you.
“When life gives you a lemon... squeeze it, mix it with six ounces of distilled water and drink twice daily.”
The value of eating lemons is reported by Jethro Kloss in his book Back to Eden:
“The medicinal value of the lemon is as follows: It is an antiseptic, or is an agent that prevents sepsis [the presence of pathogenic bacteria] or putrefaction [decomposition of tissue]. It is also anti-scorbutic, a term meaning a remedy which will prevent disease and assist in cleansing the system of impurities.”
Due to the digestive qualities of lemon juice, symptoms of indigestion such as heartburn, bloating and belching are relieved. By drinking lemon juice regularly, the bowels are aided in eliminating waste more efficiently thus controlling constipation and diarrhea.
On page 659 of Back to Eden, Mr. Kloss points out that, “The lemon is a wonderful stimulant to the liver and is a dissolvent of uric acid and other poisons, liquefies the bile, and is very good in cases of malaria. Sufferers of chronic rheumatism and gout will benefit by taking lemon juice, also those who have a tendency to bleed, uterine hemorrhages, etc.; rickets and tuberculosis. In pregnancy, it will help to build bone in the child. We find that the lemon contains certain elements which will go to build up a healthy system and keep that system healthy and well. As a food, we find, owing to its potassium content, it will nourish the brain and nerve cells. Its calcium builds up the bony structure and makes healthy teeth.
“Its magnesium, in conjunction with calcium, has an important part to play in the formation of albumen in the blood. The lemon contains potassium 48.3, calcium 29.9, phosphorus 11.1, magnesium 4.4. Lemons are useful in treating asthma, biliousness, colds, coughs, sore throat, diphtheria, la grippe [flu or influenza], heartburn, liver complaint[s], scurvy, fevers and rheumatism.”
Since many people today suffer from what they used to call biliousness, it is important to edify our readers to the definition.
Biliousness -- 1. A symptom of a disorder of the liver causing constipation, headache, loss of appetite and vomiting of bile. 2. excess of bile; a bilious fever.
Why the lemon works so well
On page 19 of A.F. Beddoe's book “Biological Ionization in Human Nutrition,” he states that: “Man does not live off the food he eats but off of the energy that is produced from the food he eats.”
The energy you get from your food comes from the atoms and molecules of energy in your food. A reaction takes place as cationic food enters the digestive tract and encounters anionic digestive enzymes.
To explain further, an ion is part of a molecule con-atom or a group of atoms that carry an electrical charge. Ions which carry positive charges are “cations.” Lemons are considered to be anionic, having more electrons (negatively charged ions) of energy as compared to cations (positively charged ions) in their atomic structure. Saliva, hydrochloric acid, bile and the stomach's other digestive juices are also anionic.
Lemon is one of the only foods on the planet that has more anions than cations in its atomic structure.
When considering the electromagnetic properties of food Dr. Beddoe points out that all foods are considered cationic with the exception of fresh, raw lemon juice. Some have suggested that the reason fresh lemon juice is similar to digestive enzymes is due to the low amount of sulfur in lemons. It should be noted that pasteurized and packaged lemon juice is cationic and, therefore, ineffective as a health remedy.
Who Can Benefit From Lemon Water
Dr. Beddoe continues on page 194: “Lemon water is used in every person that can tolerate it. That is, if there is no allergy to lemon (a very few have a true allergy to lemon) and no active ulcers, then all adults and most children should use the lemon water. The purpose of the lemon is to:
  1. provide a natural strengthening agent to the liver enzymes when they are too dilute.
  2. The liver can make more enzymes out of fresh lemon juice than any other food element.
  3. The lemon helps fix oxygen and calciums in the liver because it regulates blood carbohydrate levels which affect the blood oxygen levels.”
In the above book, Dr. Beddoe also cites an article by Dr. Michael Lesser on the medical promise of citric acid in “Anabolism, Journal of Preventive Medicine.” He uses this article to validate the value of using fresh lemon juice daily: “It appears that citric acid, the major carrier of biochemicals in the body's energy system, shows important promise, primarily because of its excellent properties as a chelator. Its ability to form soluble complexes with calcium offers major promise in the successful treatment of pancreatic stones and has also been employed to dissolve kidney stones. Since calcium deposits are of major significance in the much greater problem of hardening of the arteries, citric acid may possibly contribute to a safe and effective reversal of this widespread degenerative disease.”
Even though medical doctors are not currently employing lemon juice in the treatment of the above conditions, this article substantiates the fact that one of the benefits of fresh lemon water is the way the citric acid is able to act upon the body's systems differently than any other food.
Lemon Remedies Published by Jethro Kloss in Back to Eden
  • For sore throat, dilute lemon juice with water and gargle frequently. Dilute one-half lemon juice with one-half water. It is even better to use straight lemon juice.
  • A slice of lemon bound over a corn overnight will greatly relieve the pain.
  • A slice of lemon bound over a felon [pus formation on a finger joint] will not fail to bring the pus to the surface where it can be easily removed.
  • To relieve asthma, take a tablespoon of lemon juice one hour before each meal.
  • For liver complaints, the juice of the lemon should be taken in a glass of hot water one hour before breakfast every morning.
  • To break up la grippe [flu or influenza], drink a large glass of hot water with the juice of a lemon added, while at the same time have the feet in a deep bucket or other vessel of water with mustard added to it. The water should be deep enough to where it comes nearly up to the knees. Keep adding hot water to the patient's tolerance and until the patient begins to perspire freely (about 20-30 minutes). Be sure there is no draft on the person while this is done. The patient should be near a bed so he can get in it easily and avoid any danger of getting chilled. If convenient, a full hot bathtub would be good in place of the foot-bath. The lemon water should be taken every hour until the patient feels that all the symptoms of the cold are gone.
  • A teaspoon of lemon juice in half a glass of water relieves heartburn.
  • For rheumatism, one or two ounces of lemon juice diluted in water should be taken three times a day: one hour before meals and at bedtime.
  • In cases of hemorrhage, lemon juice diluted in water and taken as cold as possible will stop it.
  • Scurvy is treated by giving one to two ounces of lemon juice diluted with water every two to four hours.
  • In excessive menstruation the juice of three to four lemons a day will help check it. Best to take the juice of one lemon at a time in a glass of cold water.
Mr. Kloss explains how lemon juice can even help someone with stomach ulcers:
“How can one with an inflamed or ulcerated stomach partake in the juice? Would not a strong acid like that of the lemon act as an irritant? That would depend on how it was taken. If in quantity, yes. But to take it very weak at first [diluted sufficiently in water], it will cease to burn. The sufferer afflicted with ulcerated stomach has to use great perseverance to affect a cure, and it can be cured if care and patience is used. The gastric juice in the stomach is four times as strong as lemon juice.”
In these cases, I recommend one to two tablespoons of Aloe Vera Gel before the lemon water. Taking 500 mg. of Bromelin has also proven to be helpful.
Buying a sweet lemon
Some lemons are more sweet than others. A rule of thumb for selecting a lemon that is both sweet and high in mineral content, is to pick one that has a high specific gravity measurement and is heavy for its size. By comparing equal-sized fruit, the one with the greatest weight will have the most mineral content and sugar. A thick skinned lemon will not be as heavy as a thin skinned lemon and will not have the desired sweetness or mineral content.
The method I use to ensure the purchase of sweet lemons is to look at the stem end of the lemon. There are two ends on the lemon. One end has a point where the blossom started to grow; the other end has a stem or a dimple where the stem used to be located. On the stem end of a highly mineralized, sweet lemon, you will see little lines radiating out of the stem like sunbeams. These little lines can look like a star shaped structure and is called a calyx. The calyx may have three, four, five or more points to the star. The greater the number of points on the calyx, the higher the mineral content of the lemon.
How much lemon to use
If you are in good health and weigh less than 150 pounds, squeeze the juice of one half a lemon (one ounce) into a glass of purified water and drink this mixture twice a day (one whole lemon a day.) If you weigh over 150 pounds, squeeze the juice out of an entire lemon (two ounces) into a glass of purified water and drink this mixture twice a day (two whole lemons a day.) The lemon juice can be diluted more according to taste.
To help your body get the energy from the food you are eating, drink lemon water regularly. Next to drinking plain purified water, drinking lemon water daily is the most important thing you can do for your health.http://www.quantumbalancing.com/news/lemon%20water.htm

2013年4月1日 星期一

加入TPP 靠汗水不是口水

轉載

馬政府早已設定目標,將在2020年加入跨太平洋夥伴協定(TPP)。經濟部日前表示將透過國際遊說、舉辦說明會、說帖等方式來創造有利的氛圍。2020年距離現在還有七年,外交部長林永樂日前在立法院答詢時進一步表示,在一些條件配合下,我國在2016年以前加入TPP是有可能的。
本報社論日前已經表示,加入TPP是我國的「百年大計」,必須要高度重視,但如果政府持續以這種「嚼口水」方式做為爭取入會的主要方法,我們非常擔心七年之後將一事無成;因為如果不經過「流汗水」的過程,屆時入會氛圍再好,我們大概也無法提出該組織成員能夠接受的開放度,反之又會面對國內的反彈、示威,不太可能會獲得國會的支持。
眾所周知,TPP被美國預期為21世紀的自由貿易協定典範,也就是其自由貿易的涵蓋度超越目前所有的自貿協定;連澳洲、紐西蘭、加拿大等簽署自貿協定經驗豐富的國家,雖然參與了諮商,卻也都戰戰兢兢,多方抗拒美國要求的自由化範圍。
然而,目前諮商已經設定將在今年年底以前完成,外界高度矚目其對未來國際貿易產生的影響;這也迫使日本安倍政府宣布參加諮商,成為其創始諮商國來參與設定規則,以免其設定的自由化程度讓日本在未來難以達成而妨礙加入。日本的加入讓TPP成員的經濟總規模約為全球的四成,若其貿易和投資完全自由,對其他未加入的國家就施加了巨大的競爭壓力。
因此,加入這個「高品質」自由貿易協定的決定,絕非參加一場浪漫的婚禮,而是要全國上下將心理調適過來,準備大量開放國內的產品和服務市場,讓外國產品和企業進入國內和我們的廠商「公平」競爭;只要我們的廠商技不如人,就只能退出市場。當然,這樣的開放也換到了所有的參與國開放他們的市場,只要我們的產品好、服務好,就可以進入對方攻城掠地、頓時快速成長為跨國企業。也就是說,加入TPP是要成為其他參與國更直接的「敵人」,掀起一場艱苦的商業浴血戰,絕不是在國際上找到一些抬高我們身價,公平待我的「朋友」。
但因為理論上各國開放競爭的總效益超過成本,也就是「餅會做大」,因此各國還是朝著貿易自由化的方向努力,連相對競爭力較弱的越南和馬來西亞也把握機會,積極參與了新協定的諮商。而且,參加這個協定不會受到對岸的制肘,只要有決心、有步驟,的確可以突破目前自貿協定不足、貿易逐漸被邊緣化的威脅。
只是,要獲得國人的支持,必須依照公共政策的基本原理,對受害者之傷害適當彌補,協助其轉移資源去進行具有競爭力的生產活動。以國內衝擊可能最大的農業而言,這表示政府應該挪移部分國內資源,協助農業積極轉型,生產高質的農產品或轉移到休閒或觀光農業等具有競爭力的產業;而製造業的弱勢產業也應該獲得改善生產力的協助。
以兩岸ECFA農業不開放的案例來看,政府已經蹉跎兩年的歲月,沒有任何積極方案來應對未來簽署自由貿易協定的需要。其實,中央政府一年的總預算達到1.5兆元,只要調撥各部會的預算挪出1%就有150億元;十年下來就有1,500億元,啟動各種結構調整的方案,這似乎足以調整農業結構,應付未來簽署各種自貿協定的需要。至於製造業的弱勢產業,也許每年50億元,十年撥款500億元也足以應對。
但如果不進行完整周延的研究,只靠一個大量簡化後的概括性總體模型的研究報告推論,也沒有任何積極的調適方案,三不五時動動口水就想加入TPP,真的難矣。
【2013/04/02 經濟日報】http://udn.com/

2012年12月7日 星期五

藏地的阿尼們










親愛的朋友:
您好。
夏季過去了,當台灣偶爾還可以享受溫暖的陽光,西藏現在已經大雪紛飛。前些日子回去西藏,阿尼們對於您們的善心讓她們及失怙的孤兒能有遮避風雪之處,都非常感謝。
而這些功德,最初僅是我曾經許諾的願景,如果沒有您們的護持,它不可能成就今天阿尼佛學院的初步規模。看著老邁的阿尼終於得以入住修行,看著年幼的阿尼可以習字讀經,甚至一些沒有雙親的孤兒能在這個遮風避雨之地得到照顧,我的發心因為您們的支持越來越具體落實,佛法慈悲的種子不只落在我的心中,也茁壯在您們的護持之下,這些都是您們的力量帶給我深深的震撼與感動。
如今,阿尼佛學院部分關房已經完成,菩提寺銅色山大殿外觀也已初步完成,當年種下的樹苗今年夏天也冒出新芽。在明年大雪過後,我相信阿尼佛學院的興建必能在您們的祝福之下加快腳步完工;然而,除了硬體設施的陸續完成之外,教育及醫療的提供刻不容緩,這個將會是更沉重的承諾,因為它需要更多且持續的資源挹注,我將它放在我的肩上,期待在我涅槃之際,能看見山脊上的阿尼及孩童安得其所。而這一切的承擔,也都是您們多年來給予我信心的支持。
12月9日期待您能參加,與我們一同為自己祈福,為台灣祈福,為風雪中的西藏人民祈福。
敬祝 順心快樂
                                                                                                     丹增旺秋
                                                                                                               於台灣銅色山中心