I was particularly moved by Denver Post reporter Karen Auge’s story about the death of one homeless man and the efforts to uncover his backstory. What probably made people notice this death is the photo of a trio of maintenence workers on the 16th Street Mall who were trying to revive him. To the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless each of these lives matter but how often do the rest of us look the other way and ignore the plight of the homeless. At least in death, people cared to know about Rick Johnson.
If you’re looking to chill in New York City head to Times Square. Times Square? Are you kidding? One of the busiest, most chaotic places on Earth. Trust me. We were just there and everyone was relaxing. Mike Leonard of NBC’s Today Show has the story.
During the Clinton Administration there was a move to green up the national parks. One of the mandates was to source food locally. Today one of the most successful examples of this is Yosemite National Park. All the concessions are run by Delaware North and it has chosen not to go with commodities but rather to buy the produce, meats, eggs and dairy from local growers within a 150 mile radius of the park who use organic standards. Yosemite’s restaurants and concessions use the goods exclusively.
The relationship between Yosemite and small growers is reaping a harvest of good. Yosemite is helping support small businesses so that they can be sustainable. Yosemite also features them on their menus and educates the public about their contributions. Visitors to the park are able to have a connection to food and “eat their view.” The restaurants are able to offer menus with the freshest seasonal products at lower costs because they are not passing along shipping to the guests. For example this past spring The Ahwahnee had a four course prix fixe menu with seasonal food for $45. If they had used commodities the same menu would have cost $65 to $70.
When Percy Whatley became the executive chef of The Ahwahnee he realized he could save money with commodities but chose not too. He had lived off the land when he was young and helped push the park to go organic. With him as a catalyst, the park has come to realize the importance of buying locally and serving food from farm to table. Yosemite buys from larger growers like TD Willey in Madera but they also work with small growers and customize menus so they can purchase product that they have available. For example Brenda Ostrum of Mountain Meadows Farm in Mariposa plants more varieties of heirloom tomatoes requested by Yosemite and Seth Nietschke of Open Space Meats in Hornitos says the chefs work with him to buy what he has available. TD Willey agreed to plant fennel and fava beans at Yosemite’s request and Percy buys it all. The relationship is very symbiotic for Tom and Denness who plant 75 acres and are finding more and more pressures that are driving medium sized growers out of business.
It has also been a huge boost to small growers who are finding the economy difficult at the moment. Clients are buying less so to have an anchor client like Yosemite is good for their farm economy and also the economy of their communities. Brenda Ostrum who started farming around the same time Percy took over The Ahwahnee says that what makes small farms viable is support of the local community and people like Percy. She has only 5 acres for her eggs, chicken and tomatoes. Seth has only 40 to 50 head of cattle and employs two people. They are sustainable in part because of Yosemite’s mission. Farmers are proud to be associated with Yosemite and believe this is a natural marriage. Yosemite is on the cutting edge of this trend and visitors benefit because they are able to not only enjoy pristine wilderness but also the unique flavor of the region.
NOTE: THIS IS A REPRINT OF A BLOG FROM 11/27/2008 FOLLOWING BARACK OBAMA’S ELECTION. IT STILL RINGS TRUE AS HE PAYS HIS FIRST POST-PRESIDENTIAL VISIT TO ACCRA, GHANA IN WEST AFRICA WITH FIRST LADY MICHELLE AND DAUGHTERS SASHA AND MALIA OBAMA.
Our Ugandan driver picked us up from the airport in Entebbe on November 9. We were barely down the road before he asked us who we voted for in the election. He wanted to talk about Barack Obama. He wanted to tell us about the parties all over Kampala on the night Obama was elected. They were still going on days after the election to celebrate the achievement of this native son and brother.
As soon as people in Kampala learned we were Americans they wanted to engage in a discussion about our President-Elect. In the slums a man we met pumped the air with his fist and called out “Obama.” We asked him what his thoughts were about him. “He is African. He is my brother.” In mom’s arms nearby was a baby named Obama, a very popular name for African children right now. People wore Obama buttons, Obama t-shirts, Obama on their sleeves.
A video called “The Biography of Barack Obama” was on the market and news headlines screamed of his victory and how he would end poverty in Uganda and make this African nation the number one priority of his administration. There was even a newspaper column with 50 fun facts about Obama including the food he likes to eat, the television shows he enjoys and the fact that he failed to fulfill his promise to Michelle and give up smoking. People were so giddy that one worried they would be disappointed by the crush of expectations on this man who many viewed as a savior.
Others were a little more thoughtful in their assessments. Mr. Kayondo looked forward to a man who hopefully would dialogue and help end wars. Damien, a Nigerian professor who now teaches at a university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, said his triumph meant that Africans and African Americans for that matter could no longer make excuses and act as though they are limited by white society. Joseph and a young woman we met at an African market just said “let’s wait and see.”
For all the excitement this Presidency has brought to America, there is an equal amount of enthusiasm in east African nations like Uganda and Kenya. In those countries, they slog along with leaders who are corrupt and siphon off money for themselves instead of fixing roads and fighting poverty. But for now attention has turned to Barack Obama. He may be the next President of the United States but he is their President too.
As of this morning at 9 a.m. MT, Canadian Dave Carroll’s video “United Breaks Guitars” has had over 1.3 million hits on YouTube and the singer/songwriter says “it’s been a whirlwind.” He has received a deluge of emails, a flood of Facebook friends, requests for gigs and interviews, and even a call from Oprah’s people to be a guest on the show. “Every musician wants to get their stuff out there. I just didn’t necessarily expect it to happen in this way,” said Carroll. The 41 year old artist says his video has received far more attention than anything else he has done in his 15 year career as a musician.
As for United, well, it has been a learning experience. Carroll took the high road and it has apparently “struck a chord” with United. Not only did he and his band, Sons of Maxwell, produce a terrific music video but they also gave United the gift of a training tape so that all of us who fly the “Friendly Skies” will get better service. Carroll says the sequel to “United Breaks Guitars” will be flying through cyberspace soon.
For anyone who has ever had a nightmare flight on United Airlines and was unsatisfied with their customer service, you will enjoy this video. United did not care about Canadian Dave Carroll after they broke his Taylor guitar when his band, Sons of Maxwell, was going to a gig in Nebraska. So he wrote a song. A scathing song. A very scathing song. Thanks to YouTube, United had a PR headache on its hands and finally are trying to make things right. What a clever way to get attention.
One year ago I was in Beijing, China for a three month gig working at the Olympics. In November 2008 I headed to Kampala, Uganda again to do more television production work for BeadforLife (http://beadforlife.org) then immediately after a quick trip to Delhi, India for a wedding. No exotic destinations this summer but I’m hungry for an overseas trip. I’m already thinking about what to do for our 25th wedding anniversary in 2010. Saw this article about vacationing in Afghanistan. The land mines will be cleared out by October. Bamiyan seems like the place for an intrepid traveler to be.
