Monday, October 3, 2011
Thursday, September 16, 2010
October 10, 2008 - Friday One Country’s Table Scraps, Another Country’s Meal
October 10, 2008 - Friday
One Country’s Table Scraps, Another Country’s Meal
Current mood: awake
One Country's Table Scraps, Another Country's Meal
Bill Marsh and Kari Haskell/The New York Times; Photograph by Tony Cenicola/The New York Times
Into the Trash It Goes A family of four's monthly share of American food waste. View full graphic.
By ANDREW MARTIN
Published: May 18, 2008
Grocery bills are rising through the roof. Food banks are running short of donations. And food shortages are causing sporadic riots in poor countries through the world.
Food, a Shrinking Burden
You'd never know it if you saw what was ending up in your landfill. As it turns out, Americans waste an astounding amount of food — an estimated 27 percent of the food available for consumption, according to a government study — and it happens at the supermarket, in restaurants and cafeterias and in your very own kitchen. It works out to about a pound of food every day for every American.
Grocery stores discard products because of spoilage or minor cosmetic blemishes. Restaurants throw away what they don't use. And consumers toss out everything from bananas that have turned brown to last week's Chinese leftovers. In 1997, in one of the few studies of food waste, the Department of Agriculture estimated that two years before, 96.4 billion pounds of the 356 billion pounds of edible food in the United States was never eaten. Fresh produce, milk, grain products and sweeteners made up two-thirds of the waste. An update is under way.
The study didn't account for the explosion of ready-to-eat foods now available at supermarkets, from rotisserie chickens to sandwiches and soups. What do you think happens to that potato salad and meatloaf at the end of the day?
A more recent study by the Environmental Protection Agency estimated that Americans generate roughly 30 million tons of food waste each year, which is about 12 percent of the total waste stream. All but about 2 percent of that food waste ends up in landfills; by comparison, 62 percent of yard waste is composted.
The numbers seem all the more staggering now, given the cost of groceries and the emerging food crisis abroad.
After President Bush said recently that India's burgeoning middle class was helping to push up food prices by demanding better food, officials in India complained that not only do Americans eat too much — if they slimmed down to the weight of middle-class Indians, said one, "many people in sub-Saharan Africa would find food on their plate" — but they also throw out too much food.
And consider this: the rotting food that ends up in landfills produces methane, a major source of greenhouse gases.
America's Second Harvest — The Nation's Food Bank Network, a group of more than 200 food banks, reports that donations of food are down 9 percent, but the number of people showing up for food has increased 20 percent. The group distributes more than two billion pounds of donated and recovered food and consumer products each year.
The problem isn't unique to the United States.
In England, a recent study revealed that Britons toss away a third of the food they purchase, including more than four million whole apples, 1.2 million sausages and 2.8 million tomatoes. In Sweden, families with small children threw out about a quarter of the food they bought, a recent study there found.
And most distressing, perhaps, is that in some parts of Africa a quarter or more of the crops go bad before they can be eaten. A study presented last week to the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development found that the high losses in developing nations "are mainly due to a lack of technology and infrastructure" as well as insect infestations, microbial growth, damage and high temperatures and humidity.
For decades, wasting food has fallen into the category of things that everyone knows is a bad idea but that few do anything about, sort of like speeding and reapplying sunscreen. Didn't your mother tell you to eat all the food on your plate?
Food has long been relatively cheap, and portions were increasingly huge. With so much news about how fat everyone was getting — 66 percent of adult Americans are overweight or obese, according to 2003-04 government health survey — there was a compelling argument to be made that it was better to toss the leftover deep-dish pizza than eat it again the next day.
For cafeterias, restaurants and supermarkets, it was just as easy to toss food that wasn't sold into trash bins than to worry about somebody getting sick from it. And then filing a lawsuit.
"The path of least resistance is just to chuck it," said Jonathan Bloom, who started a blog last year called wastedfood.com that tracks the issue.
Of course, eliminating food waste won't solve the problems of world hunger and greenhouse-gas pollution. But it could make a dent in this country and wouldn't require a huge amount of effort or money. The Department of Agriculture estimated that recovering just 5 percent of the food that is wasted could feed four million people a day; recovering 25 percent would feed 20 million people.
The Department of Agriculture said it was updating its figures on food waste and officials there weren't yet able to say if the problem has gotten better or worse.
In many major cities, including New York, food rescue organizations do nearly all the work for cafeterias and restaurants that are willing to participate. The food generally needs to be covered and in some cases placed in a freezer. Food rescue groups pick it up. One of them, City Harvest, collects excess food each day from about 170 establishments in New York.
Food, a Shrinking Burden
"We're not talking about table scraps," said Joel Berg, executive director of the New York City Coalition Against Hunger, explaining the types of wasted food that is edible. "We're talking about a pan of lasagna that was never served."
For food that isn't edible, a growing number of states and cities are offering programs to donate it to livestock farmers or to compost it. In Massachusetts, for instance, the state worked with the grocery industry to create a program to set aside for composting food that can't be used by food banks.
"The great part about this is grocers save money on their garbage bill and they contribute a product to composting," said Kate M. Krebs, executive director of the National Recycling Coalition, who calls the wasting of food "the most wrenching issue of our day."
The City of San Francisco is turning food waste from residents and restaurants into tons of compost a day. The city has structured its garbage collection system so that it provides incentives for recycling and composting.
There are also efforts to cut down on the amount of food that people pile on their plates. A handful of restaurant chains including T.G.I. Friday's are offering smaller portions. And a growing number of college cafeterias have eliminated trays, meaning students have to carry their food to a table rather than loading up a tray.
"It's sort of one of the ideas you read about and think, 'Why didn't I think of that?' " Mr. Bloom said.
The federal government tried once before, during the Clinton administration, to get the nation fired up about food waste, but the effort was discontinued by the Bush administration. The secretary of agriculture at the time, Dan Glickman, created a program to encourage food recovery and gleaning, which means collecting leftover crops from farm fields.
He assigned a member of his staff, Mr. Berg, to oversee the program, and Mr. Berg spent the next several years encouraging farmers, schools, hospitals and companies to donate extra crops and food to feeding charities. A Good Samaritan law was passed by Congress that protected food donors from liability for donating food and groceries, spurring more donations.
"We made a dent," said Mr. Berg, now at the New York City hunger group. "We reduced waste and increased the amount of people being fed. It wasn't a panacea, but it helped."
With the current food crisis, it seems possible that the issue of food waste might have more traction this time around.
Mr. Bloom said he was encouraged by the increasing Web chatter about saving money on food, something that used to be confined to the "frugal mommy blogs."
"The fundamental thing that I'm fighting against is, 'why should I care? I paid for it,' " Mr. Bloom said. "The rising prices are really an answer to that."
Currently watching:
Ghostbusters (Widescreen Edition)
Release date: 2006-03-14
Read more: http://www.myspace.com/noreasonwhy79/blog?page=7#ixzz0ziayAMpt
One Country’s Table Scraps, Another Country’s Meal
Current mood: awake
One Country's Table Scraps, Another Country's Meal
Bill Marsh and Kari Haskell/The New York Times; Photograph by Tony Cenicola/The New York Times
Into the Trash It Goes A family of four's monthly share of American food waste. View full graphic.
By ANDREW MARTIN
Published: May 18, 2008
Grocery bills are rising through the roof. Food banks are running short of donations. And food shortages are causing sporadic riots in poor countries through the world.
Food, a Shrinking Burden
You'd never know it if you saw what was ending up in your landfill. As it turns out, Americans waste an astounding amount of food — an estimated 27 percent of the food available for consumption, according to a government study — and it happens at the supermarket, in restaurants and cafeterias and in your very own kitchen. It works out to about a pound of food every day for every American.
Grocery stores discard products because of spoilage or minor cosmetic blemishes. Restaurants throw away what they don't use. And consumers toss out everything from bananas that have turned brown to last week's Chinese leftovers. In 1997, in one of the few studies of food waste, the Department of Agriculture estimated that two years before, 96.4 billion pounds of the 356 billion pounds of edible food in the United States was never eaten. Fresh produce, milk, grain products and sweeteners made up two-thirds of the waste. An update is under way.
The study didn't account for the explosion of ready-to-eat foods now available at supermarkets, from rotisserie chickens to sandwiches and soups. What do you think happens to that potato salad and meatloaf at the end of the day?
A more recent study by the Environmental Protection Agency estimated that Americans generate roughly 30 million tons of food waste each year, which is about 12 percent of the total waste stream. All but about 2 percent of that food waste ends up in landfills; by comparison, 62 percent of yard waste is composted.
The numbers seem all the more staggering now, given the cost of groceries and the emerging food crisis abroad.
After President Bush said recently that India's burgeoning middle class was helping to push up food prices by demanding better food, officials in India complained that not only do Americans eat too much — if they slimmed down to the weight of middle-class Indians, said one, "many people in sub-Saharan Africa would find food on their plate" — but they also throw out too much food.
And consider this: the rotting food that ends up in landfills produces methane, a major source of greenhouse gases.
America's Second Harvest — The Nation's Food Bank Network, a group of more than 200 food banks, reports that donations of food are down 9 percent, but the number of people showing up for food has increased 20 percent. The group distributes more than two billion pounds of donated and recovered food and consumer products each year.
The problem isn't unique to the United States.
In England, a recent study revealed that Britons toss away a third of the food they purchase, including more than four million whole apples, 1.2 million sausages and 2.8 million tomatoes. In Sweden, families with small children threw out about a quarter of the food they bought, a recent study there found.
And most distressing, perhaps, is that in some parts of Africa a quarter or more of the crops go bad before they can be eaten. A study presented last week to the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development found that the high losses in developing nations "are mainly due to a lack of technology and infrastructure" as well as insect infestations, microbial growth, damage and high temperatures and humidity.
For decades, wasting food has fallen into the category of things that everyone knows is a bad idea but that few do anything about, sort of like speeding and reapplying sunscreen. Didn't your mother tell you to eat all the food on your plate?
Food has long been relatively cheap, and portions were increasingly huge. With so much news about how fat everyone was getting — 66 percent of adult Americans are overweight or obese, according to 2003-04 government health survey — there was a compelling argument to be made that it was better to toss the leftover deep-dish pizza than eat it again the next day.
For cafeterias, restaurants and supermarkets, it was just as easy to toss food that wasn't sold into trash bins than to worry about somebody getting sick from it. And then filing a lawsuit.
"The path of least resistance is just to chuck it," said Jonathan Bloom, who started a blog last year called wastedfood.com that tracks the issue.
Of course, eliminating food waste won't solve the problems of world hunger and greenhouse-gas pollution. But it could make a dent in this country and wouldn't require a huge amount of effort or money. The Department of Agriculture estimated that recovering just 5 percent of the food that is wasted could feed four million people a day; recovering 25 percent would feed 20 million people.
The Department of Agriculture said it was updating its figures on food waste and officials there weren't yet able to say if the problem has gotten better or worse.
In many major cities, including New York, food rescue organizations do nearly all the work for cafeterias and restaurants that are willing to participate. The food generally needs to be covered and in some cases placed in a freezer. Food rescue groups pick it up. One of them, City Harvest, collects excess food each day from about 170 establishments in New York.
Food, a Shrinking Burden
"We're not talking about table scraps," said Joel Berg, executive director of the New York City Coalition Against Hunger, explaining the types of wasted food that is edible. "We're talking about a pan of lasagna that was never served."
For food that isn't edible, a growing number of states and cities are offering programs to donate it to livestock farmers or to compost it. In Massachusetts, for instance, the state worked with the grocery industry to create a program to set aside for composting food that can't be used by food banks.
"The great part about this is grocers save money on their garbage bill and they contribute a product to composting," said Kate M. Krebs, executive director of the National Recycling Coalition, who calls the wasting of food "the most wrenching issue of our day."
The City of San Francisco is turning food waste from residents and restaurants into tons of compost a day. The city has structured its garbage collection system so that it provides incentives for recycling and composting.
There are also efforts to cut down on the amount of food that people pile on their plates. A handful of restaurant chains including T.G.I. Friday's are offering smaller portions. And a growing number of college cafeterias have eliminated trays, meaning students have to carry their food to a table rather than loading up a tray.
"It's sort of one of the ideas you read about and think, 'Why didn't I think of that?' " Mr. Bloom said.
The federal government tried once before, during the Clinton administration, to get the nation fired up about food waste, but the effort was discontinued by the Bush administration. The secretary of agriculture at the time, Dan Glickman, created a program to encourage food recovery and gleaning, which means collecting leftover crops from farm fields.
He assigned a member of his staff, Mr. Berg, to oversee the program, and Mr. Berg spent the next several years encouraging farmers, schools, hospitals and companies to donate extra crops and food to feeding charities. A Good Samaritan law was passed by Congress that protected food donors from liability for donating food and groceries, spurring more donations.
"We made a dent," said Mr. Berg, now at the New York City hunger group. "We reduced waste and increased the amount of people being fed. It wasn't a panacea, but it helped."
With the current food crisis, it seems possible that the issue of food waste might have more traction this time around.
Mr. Bloom said he was encouraged by the increasing Web chatter about saving money on food, something that used to be confined to the "frugal mommy blogs."
"The fundamental thing that I'm fighting against is, 'why should I care? I paid for it,' " Mr. Bloom said. "The rising prices are really an answer to that."
Currently watching:
Ghostbusters (Widescreen Edition)
Release date: 2006-03-14
Read more: http://www.myspace.com/noreasonwhy79/blog?page=7#ixzz0ziayAMpt
October 10, 2008 - Friday Old nylons, new uses
October 10, 2008 - Friday
Old nylons, new uses
Current mood: awake
Old nylons, new uses
By Huddler's Green Home Community Posted Thu Sep 25, 2008 3:04pm PDT
Huddler's tight-knit community of eco-minded consumers share their knowledge about sustainable products and services ranging from electric cars to organic toothpaste. Click here to participate.
We dedicate this to all our stockings that have bit the dust.
Many women have felt the frustration of being all dressed up when disaster strikes -- a run in your nylons. Maybe it's small and in an inconspicuous spot and can be salvaged with clear nail polish.
But if the run is beyond hope, here are some great alternative uses for your damaged stockings.
Nylons can:
Tie up things, like plants that need to be staked.
Filter old paint from one can into a new can. Just stretch the nylon across the top of the new can and pour the old paint through it. It will filter out lumps and dried paint.
Store scraps of soap. Collect enough pieces, and tie the stocking off. It will made a good soap scrubber
Protecting very small items, like handkerchiefs and doilies, in the washing machine and dryer (low temp). They may need ironing afterward, but lace trim and hem-stitching will be safe from the zippers and rivets of other clothes, and they won't find their way into the lint trap.
Be made into sachets ... put in some lavender flowers, cedar chips, or your favorite potpourri; tie a knot; cut above the knot; repeat up the leg and then toss the little bundles in drawers, shoe boxes, the pockets of stored coats ... wherever.
Remove cat hair from furniture. Pull the stocking over your hand, and wipe down your couches and chairs. It creates static and the hairs come right up.
Find lost contact lenses, earrings, or other such tiny items. Put the stocking over the end of the vacuum hose and gently vacuum the area where the item was dropped.
Repel deer and other animals from your garden. They hate the smell of humans, so you can use nylons with ivory soap staked in the garden to keep the deer away.
Shine shoes like the best of them.
"Scrub" silver, Plexiglas, and other easily scratched surfaces.
Store things like screws, nails, nuts, etc. Pour the items into the stocking, tie it off and hang it over a work table.
Be attached to the discharge hose of your washing machine to catch lint before it goes down the drain and clogs pipes.
Be pulled over a yardstick to dust under the fridge, washer, dryer, or under any hard to reach area.
Be used like a bungee cord to tie things down. Keep an old pair in your car trunk.
Become a pet toy -- for cats, fill the nylon foot with pieces of old fabric, then tie off the opening. Add a bit of catnip for an extra treat. For dogs, put a tennis ball in an old stocking and tie a knot.
Apply varnish or finish in the hard-to-reach places where a brush won't fit.
Keep kids warm -- on extra cold days, use clean old stockings as mitten liners for children. They are ideal because they can provide warmth at least up to the elbow.
Keep kids entertained -- nylons can be used to make a crafty seed sprouting creature.
Bind piles of newspapers and magazines. Cut the top of a pair of nylons off and voila! You have a large rubber band.
Reduce your heating bill. Make a stocking snake to prevent drafts by filling the leg of a nylon with sand and tie the end shut. Place at the bottom of the door to prevent cold air from seeping inside.
Haul around small toys, like action figures. This works great for road trips.
Replace expensive stuffing in homemade pillows or dolls. When the stuffed toy wears out, you can take the nylons out and use them again.
Protect shoes from scuffing while traveling. Store one shoe in each leg of the nylons.
Create an outdoor hand-washing station. Put a bar of soap into an old nylon and tie it to an outdoor faucet. If you don't have a convenient outdoor tap, an old laundry detergent container can be filled up with water. Tie the soap to the handle. You can use a hammer to poke a hole near the bottom of the container, and stick a golf tee inside to create a lower level of water flow. Now you can wash your hands after gardening, walking the dog, and playing or working outside.
Be used to create a non-slip bar of soap for kids' bath time. Put the bar of soap into the nylon, and tie off the edges. Cut off any tail. This makes the soap have better grip for kids.
Be used as a disposable headband. Cut the nylon across the leg to create circles. In a pinch they can also be used as hair bands for ponytails.
Be turned into an inexpensive softball that won't hurt kids or your furniture. Stuff an old stocking with other old pairs of nylons, and sew the top closed.
Scrub your back when you can't reach -- place a bar of soap in the middle of a stocking, and tie off both ends. Now you can grab each end of the stocking and seesaw your back clean.
Help someone with a broken arm or leg get dressed. Cut the foot part off of a stocking, and stretch it over the cast. This nylon will keep clothing from getting caught on the cast.
Make you rich quick -- go to a bank, pull the nylons over your head and ... um … maybe not. ;)
Read more: http://www.myspace.com/noreasonwhy79/blog?page=7#ixzz0zianSjjs
Old nylons, new uses
Current mood: awake
Old nylons, new uses
By Huddler's Green Home Community Posted Thu Sep 25, 2008 3:04pm PDT
Huddler's tight-knit community of eco-minded consumers share their knowledge about sustainable products and services ranging from electric cars to organic toothpaste. Click here to participate.
We dedicate this to all our stockings that have bit the dust.
Many women have felt the frustration of being all dressed up when disaster strikes -- a run in your nylons. Maybe it's small and in an inconspicuous spot and can be salvaged with clear nail polish.
But if the run is beyond hope, here are some great alternative uses for your damaged stockings.
Nylons can:
Tie up things, like plants that need to be staked.
Filter old paint from one can into a new can. Just stretch the nylon across the top of the new can and pour the old paint through it. It will filter out lumps and dried paint.
Store scraps of soap. Collect enough pieces, and tie the stocking off. It will made a good soap scrubber
Protecting very small items, like handkerchiefs and doilies, in the washing machine and dryer (low temp). They may need ironing afterward, but lace trim and hem-stitching will be safe from the zippers and rivets of other clothes, and they won't find their way into the lint trap.
Be made into sachets ... put in some lavender flowers, cedar chips, or your favorite potpourri; tie a knot; cut above the knot; repeat up the leg and then toss the little bundles in drawers, shoe boxes, the pockets of stored coats ... wherever.
Remove cat hair from furniture. Pull the stocking over your hand, and wipe down your couches and chairs. It creates static and the hairs come right up.
Find lost contact lenses, earrings, or other such tiny items. Put the stocking over the end of the vacuum hose and gently vacuum the area where the item was dropped.
Repel deer and other animals from your garden. They hate the smell of humans, so you can use nylons with ivory soap staked in the garden to keep the deer away.
Shine shoes like the best of them.
"Scrub" silver, Plexiglas, and other easily scratched surfaces.
Store things like screws, nails, nuts, etc. Pour the items into the stocking, tie it off and hang it over a work table.
Be attached to the discharge hose of your washing machine to catch lint before it goes down the drain and clogs pipes.
Be pulled over a yardstick to dust under the fridge, washer, dryer, or under any hard to reach area.
Be used like a bungee cord to tie things down. Keep an old pair in your car trunk.
Become a pet toy -- for cats, fill the nylon foot with pieces of old fabric, then tie off the opening. Add a bit of catnip for an extra treat. For dogs, put a tennis ball in an old stocking and tie a knot.
Apply varnish or finish in the hard-to-reach places where a brush won't fit.
Keep kids warm -- on extra cold days, use clean old stockings as mitten liners for children. They are ideal because they can provide warmth at least up to the elbow.
Keep kids entertained -- nylons can be used to make a crafty seed sprouting creature.
Bind piles of newspapers and magazines. Cut the top of a pair of nylons off and voila! You have a large rubber band.
Reduce your heating bill. Make a stocking snake to prevent drafts by filling the leg of a nylon with sand and tie the end shut. Place at the bottom of the door to prevent cold air from seeping inside.
Haul around small toys, like action figures. This works great for road trips.
Replace expensive stuffing in homemade pillows or dolls. When the stuffed toy wears out, you can take the nylons out and use them again.
Protect shoes from scuffing while traveling. Store one shoe in each leg of the nylons.
Create an outdoor hand-washing station. Put a bar of soap into an old nylon and tie it to an outdoor faucet. If you don't have a convenient outdoor tap, an old laundry detergent container can be filled up with water. Tie the soap to the handle. You can use a hammer to poke a hole near the bottom of the container, and stick a golf tee inside to create a lower level of water flow. Now you can wash your hands after gardening, walking the dog, and playing or working outside.
Be used to create a non-slip bar of soap for kids' bath time. Put the bar of soap into the nylon, and tie off the edges. Cut off any tail. This makes the soap have better grip for kids.
Be used as a disposable headband. Cut the nylon across the leg to create circles. In a pinch they can also be used as hair bands for ponytails.
Be turned into an inexpensive softball that won't hurt kids or your furniture. Stuff an old stocking with other old pairs of nylons, and sew the top closed.
Scrub your back when you can't reach -- place a bar of soap in the middle of a stocking, and tie off both ends. Now you can grab each end of the stocking and seesaw your back clean.
Help someone with a broken arm or leg get dressed. Cut the foot part off of a stocking, and stretch it over the cast. This nylon will keep clothing from getting caught on the cast.
Make you rich quick -- go to a bank, pull the nylons over your head and ... um … maybe not. ;)
Read more: http://www.myspace.com/noreasonwhy79/blog?page=7#ixzz0zianSjjs
October 9, 2008 - Thursday jaden needs glasses
October 9, 2008 - Thursday
jaden needs glasses
Current mood: blah
Category: Life
so i just got back from jaden's optometrist's appointment and it has been confirmed that he is farsighted (in other words he needs glasses to read his book, not the board).
in jay and my families, all eye disorders run rampant. i just would never guess jaden cos he can spot spongebob on a cheese package from one side of wal*mart to the other.
the teachers and doctors guess that he will do better in school & his behavor will improve cos he can see, but i know this runs deeper. adhd with delayed learning doesn't get healed with glasses. i have adhd, ocd, and acellerated learning & glasses did not control my behavior. i still think jaden needs to sit on his own with the same if not more 1 on 1 time with his teacher or aide. the kids sit at island tables of like 6 kids and it is more than his attention can handle.
i am glad his vision will be in check in 2 weeks when he gets his glasses in & i will try to post some pics of him with them on. i am just not looking forward to the teachers complaining again. it's hard to get decent schooling for your kid when they have learning disabilities here. some schools only offer a tidbit of occupational therapy. the private and charter schools won't take them as they say they are not equipped and take away from the other kids learning. the general consensus i seem to get is i should dope him up on pills and get him to shut up. i am close to caving, but i know if he is listless, he is not learning either, so i rather not have the chemically enhanced jaden.
one of these days i'm gonna hit the fucking power-ball & get him a private tutor...
Currently reading:
Hillbilly: A Cultural History of an American Icon
By Anthony Harkins
Read more: http://www.myspace.com/noreasonwhy79/blog?page=7#ixzz0ziadowZD
jaden needs glasses
Current mood: blah
Category: Life
so i just got back from jaden's optometrist's appointment and it has been confirmed that he is farsighted (in other words he needs glasses to read his book, not the board).
in jay and my families, all eye disorders run rampant. i just would never guess jaden cos he can spot spongebob on a cheese package from one side of wal*mart to the other.
the teachers and doctors guess that he will do better in school & his behavor will improve cos he can see, but i know this runs deeper. adhd with delayed learning doesn't get healed with glasses. i have adhd, ocd, and acellerated learning & glasses did not control my behavior. i still think jaden needs to sit on his own with the same if not more 1 on 1 time with his teacher or aide. the kids sit at island tables of like 6 kids and it is more than his attention can handle.
i am glad his vision will be in check in 2 weeks when he gets his glasses in & i will try to post some pics of him with them on. i am just not looking forward to the teachers complaining again. it's hard to get decent schooling for your kid when they have learning disabilities here. some schools only offer a tidbit of occupational therapy. the private and charter schools won't take them as they say they are not equipped and take away from the other kids learning. the general consensus i seem to get is i should dope him up on pills and get him to shut up. i am close to caving, but i know if he is listless, he is not learning either, so i rather not have the chemically enhanced jaden.
one of these days i'm gonna hit the fucking power-ball & get him a private tutor...
Currently reading:
Hillbilly: A Cultural History of an American Icon
By Anthony Harkins
Read more: http://www.myspace.com/noreasonwhy79/blog?page=7#ixzz0ziadowZD
October 9, 2008 - Thursday "famous" people fom Delaware
October 9, 2008 - Thursday
"famous" people fom Delaware
Current mood: awake
Category: Movies, TV, Celebrities
A
John Andrews (1746–1813), minister and academic
[edit] B
Phineas Banning (1830–1885), businessman and general
Alice M. Batchelder (born 1944), attorney and jurist
Joseph R. "Joe" Biden, Jr. (born 1942), Delaware's U.S. Senator (1972-present) and the 2008 Democratic candidate for Vice President
Sheena Benton (born 1982), Miss Delaware USA 2005
Valerie Bertinelli (born 1960), actress; born in Claymont
Cedella Booker (Born 1926-2008), Mother of late the reggae singer Bob Marley, Born in Jamaica; Lived in Delaware from 196?-76
Nicole Bosso (born 1986), Miss Delaware USA 2007
Charles Brandt, former chief deputy attorney general of Delaware and author
Dennis Brockenborough, trombone player for the Mighty Mighty Bosstones
Colin Burns, (born 1982), professional soccer player in Sweden, plays for Ljungskile SK; born in Newark, Delaware
William Sharp Bush (17??–1812), U.S. Marine Corps officer during War of 1812; born in Wilmington
[edit] C
Joseph M. Carey (1845–1924), lawyer, rancher, judge, politician; born in Milton
Joe Carnahan (born 1969), film director; born in Delaware
Matthew Michael Carnahan, screenwriter
John W. Causey (1841–1908), farmer and politician; born in Milford
Alfred D. Chandler, Jr. (born 1918), professor of business history at Harvard Business School; born in Guyencourt
Anne Rogers Clark (1929–2006), dog breeder and trainer
John M. Clayton (1796–1856), former U.S. Senator and Secretary of State
Ashley Coleman (born 1981), Miss Teen USA 1999
Joseph P. Comegys (1813–1893), lawyer and politician from Dover
Charles "Tarzan" Cooper (1907–1980), professional basketball player
Thomas Cooper (1764–1829) lawyer and politician, former U.S. Representative from Delaware
R. Crumb (born 1943), artist and illustrator; lived in Milford
Elisha D. Cullen (1799–1862), lawyer and politician, former U. S. Representative from Delaware
[edit] D
Jessica Darlin (born 1976), former porn star; born in Wilmington
Delino DeShields (born 1969), former Major League Baseball player; born in Seaford
Philemon Dickinson (1739–1809), Continental Congressman from Delaware
Dave Douglas, professional golfer in the 1940s and 1950s
Victor Marie du Pont (1767–1827), member of the Delaware General Assembly
Charles I. du Pont (1797–1869), manufacturer and politician
Sara Dylan (born 1939), first wife of singer-songwriter Bob Dylan; born in Wilmington
[edit] E
Mark Eaton (born 1977), professional ice hockey player; born in Wilmington
General Richard H. Ellis (1919–1989), commander in chief of the Strategic Air Command; born in Laurel
Raúl Esparza (born 1970), actor; born in Wilmington
Oliver Evans (1755–1819), inventor; born in Newport
[edit] F
* Jennifer Fitzgerald (born Huffman, on March 22, 1979)
Wayne Franklin (born 1974), professional baseball player; born in Wilmington
[edit] G
Thomas Garrett (1789–1871), abolitionist and leader in the Underground Railroad
Commodore John P. Gillis (1803–1873), officer in the United States Navy; born in Wilmington
Joseph (Joey) Graham (born 1982), professional basketball player; born in Wilmington
Dallas Green (born 1934), former pitcher, manager, and executive in Major League Baseball; born in Newport
[edit] H
Willard Hall (1780–1875), lawyer, politician, served inDelaware General Assembly; from Wilmington
Orien Harris (born 1983), professional football player; born in Newark
Walt Hazzard (born 1942), college, Olympic and professional basketball player; college basketball coach; born in Wilmington
Henry Heimlich (born 1920), physician, invented the Heimlich Maneuver; born in Wilmington
Anthony Higgins (1840–1912), lawyer, Civil War veteran, U.S. Senator from Delaware
General Thomas Holcomb (1879–1965), 17th Commandant of the United States Marine Corps; born in New Castle
Cisco Houston (1918–1961), folk singer closely associated with Woody Guthrie; born in Wilmington
John Hunn (1818–1894), farmer and abolitionist; from Odessa
Doug Hutchison (born 1960), actor; born in Dover
[edit] J
Kensey Johns, Jr. (1791–1857), U.S. Representative from Delaware
Eldridge R. Johnson (1867–1945), co-created the Victor Talking Machine Company, born in Wilmington
Commodore Jacob Jones (1768–1850), officer in the U.S. Navy; born near Smyrna
[edit] K
Dyre Kearney (died 1791), lawyer, delegate for Delaware to the Continental Congress; from Dover
Pat Kenney (born 1968), professional wrestler (stage name: Simon Diamond); born in Wilmington
Patrick Kerr (born 1956), television actor; born in Wilmington
[edit] L
Isaac Lea (1792–1886), conchologist, geologist, business man; born in Wilmington
Leach, Ethel Pennewill Brown (1878-1959), artist
Judith LeClair (born 1958), bassoonist (New York Philharmonic), of faculty of Juilliard School; from Newark
John Bernard "Hans" Lobert (1881–1968), Major League Baseball player,, coach, manager and scout; born in Wilmington
[edit] M
John Mabry (born 1970), professional baseball player; born in Wilmington
Thomas MacDonough
Eleazer McComb
Marshall Kirk McKusick
Kevin Mench
John J. Milligan
Hugh M. Morris
[edit] N
Daniel Nathans
[edit] O
John W. O'Daniel
Montell Owens
[edit] P
William Jackson Palmer
John Patten (1746–1800), farmer and politician from Dover, former U.S. Representative
William Peery
Ryan Phillippe (born 1974), actor; born in New Castle
Teri Polo (born 1969), actress; born in Dover
Howard Pyle
[edit] R
Judge Reinhold (born 1957), actor; born in Wilmington
Eugene Reybold
Thomas Rodney
David Roselle
Cynthia Rothrock
[edit] S
Mary Ann Shadd (1823–1893), educator, newspaper publisher, abolitionist and suffragist; born in Wilmington
Chris Short
Elisabeth Shue (born 1963), actress; born in Wilmington
Melanie Sloan
Thomas Alfred Smyth
Ian Snell
Presley Spruance
Brian Steckel
Susan Stroman (born 1954), choreographer, director; born in Wilmington
James Sykes (1725–1792), lawyer, served in Delaware General Assembly and Continental Congress; from Dover
Dave Sheridan (born 1969), actor
[edit] T
Sean Patrick Thomas (born 1970), actor; born in Wilmington
Jim Thompson (born 1906), businessman; born in Greenville
George Thorogood (born 1951), blues-rock musician; from Wilmington
James Tilton (1745–1822), physician, soldier, delegate in the Continental Congress; from Dover
[edit] V
James C. Van Sice, Rear Admiral in the U.S. Coast Guard; born in Wilmington
[edit] W
Herta Ware (1917–2005), actress and political activist; born in Wilmington
Johnny Weir (born 1984), figure skater, three-time U.S. national champion; resides in Newark
Samuel Wharton (1732–1800), merchant and politician from Dover, served as a Continental Congressman from Delaware.
Kathleen Widdoes (born 1939), actress; born in Wilmington
Thomas Wynne (1627–1691), physician, Justice of Sussex County from 1687–1691
[edit] Y
Cori Yarckin (born 1982), actress and singer; born in Seaford
[edit] Z
Aleksandra Ziółkowska Boehm (born 1949), writer of Polish origin, lives in Wilmington
Currently listening:
Future Future Future Perfect
By Freezepop
Release date: 2007-09-25
Read more: http://www.myspace.com/noreasonwhy79/blog?page=7#ixzz0ziaXgYfj
"famous" people fom Delaware
Current mood: awake
Category: Movies, TV, Celebrities
A
John Andrews (1746–1813), minister and academic
[edit] B
Phineas Banning (1830–1885), businessman and general
Alice M. Batchelder (born 1944), attorney and jurist
Joseph R. "Joe" Biden, Jr. (born 1942), Delaware's U.S. Senator (1972-present) and the 2008 Democratic candidate for Vice President
Sheena Benton (born 1982), Miss Delaware USA 2005
Valerie Bertinelli (born 1960), actress; born in Claymont
Cedella Booker (Born 1926-2008), Mother of late the reggae singer Bob Marley, Born in Jamaica; Lived in Delaware from 196?-76
Nicole Bosso (born 1986), Miss Delaware USA 2007
Charles Brandt, former chief deputy attorney general of Delaware and author
Dennis Brockenborough, trombone player for the Mighty Mighty Bosstones
Colin Burns, (born 1982), professional soccer player in Sweden, plays for Ljungskile SK; born in Newark, Delaware
William Sharp Bush (17??–1812), U.S. Marine Corps officer during War of 1812; born in Wilmington
[edit] C
Joseph M. Carey (1845–1924), lawyer, rancher, judge, politician; born in Milton
Joe Carnahan (born 1969), film director; born in Delaware
Matthew Michael Carnahan, screenwriter
John W. Causey (1841–1908), farmer and politician; born in Milford
Alfred D. Chandler, Jr. (born 1918), professor of business history at Harvard Business School; born in Guyencourt
Anne Rogers Clark (1929–2006), dog breeder and trainer
John M. Clayton (1796–1856), former U.S. Senator and Secretary of State
Ashley Coleman (born 1981), Miss Teen USA 1999
Joseph P. Comegys (1813–1893), lawyer and politician from Dover
Charles "Tarzan" Cooper (1907–1980), professional basketball player
Thomas Cooper (1764–1829) lawyer and politician, former U.S. Representative from Delaware
R. Crumb (born 1943), artist and illustrator; lived in Milford
Elisha D. Cullen (1799–1862), lawyer and politician, former U. S. Representative from Delaware
[edit] D
Jessica Darlin (born 1976), former porn star; born in Wilmington
Delino DeShields (born 1969), former Major League Baseball player; born in Seaford
Philemon Dickinson (1739–1809), Continental Congressman from Delaware
Dave Douglas, professional golfer in the 1940s and 1950s
Victor Marie du Pont (1767–1827), member of the Delaware General Assembly
Charles I. du Pont (1797–1869), manufacturer and politician
Sara Dylan (born 1939), first wife of singer-songwriter Bob Dylan; born in Wilmington
[edit] E
Mark Eaton (born 1977), professional ice hockey player; born in Wilmington
General Richard H. Ellis (1919–1989), commander in chief of the Strategic Air Command; born in Laurel
Raúl Esparza (born 1970), actor; born in Wilmington
Oliver Evans (1755–1819), inventor; born in Newport
[edit] F
* Jennifer Fitzgerald (born Huffman, on March 22, 1979)
Wayne Franklin (born 1974), professional baseball player; born in Wilmington
[edit] G
Thomas Garrett (1789–1871), abolitionist and leader in the Underground Railroad
Commodore John P. Gillis (1803–1873), officer in the United States Navy; born in Wilmington
Joseph (Joey) Graham (born 1982), professional basketball player; born in Wilmington
Dallas Green (born 1934), former pitcher, manager, and executive in Major League Baseball; born in Newport
[edit] H
Willard Hall (1780–1875), lawyer, politician, served inDelaware General Assembly; from Wilmington
Orien Harris (born 1983), professional football player; born in Newark
Walt Hazzard (born 1942), college, Olympic and professional basketball player; college basketball coach; born in Wilmington
Henry Heimlich (born 1920), physician, invented the Heimlich Maneuver; born in Wilmington
Anthony Higgins (1840–1912), lawyer, Civil War veteran, U.S. Senator from Delaware
General Thomas Holcomb (1879–1965), 17th Commandant of the United States Marine Corps; born in New Castle
Cisco Houston (1918–1961), folk singer closely associated with Woody Guthrie; born in Wilmington
John Hunn (1818–1894), farmer and abolitionist; from Odessa
Doug Hutchison (born 1960), actor; born in Dover
[edit] J
Kensey Johns, Jr. (1791–1857), U.S. Representative from Delaware
Eldridge R. Johnson (1867–1945), co-created the Victor Talking Machine Company, born in Wilmington
Commodore Jacob Jones (1768–1850), officer in the U.S. Navy; born near Smyrna
[edit] K
Dyre Kearney (died 1791), lawyer, delegate for Delaware to the Continental Congress; from Dover
Pat Kenney (born 1968), professional wrestler (stage name: Simon Diamond); born in Wilmington
Patrick Kerr (born 1956), television actor; born in Wilmington
[edit] L
Isaac Lea (1792–1886), conchologist, geologist, business man; born in Wilmington
Leach, Ethel Pennewill Brown (1878-1959), artist
Judith LeClair (born 1958), bassoonist (New York Philharmonic), of faculty of Juilliard School; from Newark
John Bernard "Hans" Lobert (1881–1968), Major League Baseball player,, coach, manager and scout; born in Wilmington
[edit] M
John Mabry (born 1970), professional baseball player; born in Wilmington
Thomas MacDonough
Eleazer McComb
Marshall Kirk McKusick
Kevin Mench
John J. Milligan
Hugh M. Morris
[edit] N
Daniel Nathans
[edit] O
John W. O'Daniel
Montell Owens
[edit] P
William Jackson Palmer
John Patten (1746–1800), farmer and politician from Dover, former U.S. Representative
William Peery
Ryan Phillippe (born 1974), actor; born in New Castle
Teri Polo (born 1969), actress; born in Dover
Howard Pyle
[edit] R
Judge Reinhold (born 1957), actor; born in Wilmington
Eugene Reybold
Thomas Rodney
David Roselle
Cynthia Rothrock
[edit] S
Mary Ann Shadd (1823–1893), educator, newspaper publisher, abolitionist and suffragist; born in Wilmington
Chris Short
Elisabeth Shue (born 1963), actress; born in Wilmington
Melanie Sloan
Thomas Alfred Smyth
Ian Snell
Presley Spruance
Brian Steckel
Susan Stroman (born 1954), choreographer, director; born in Wilmington
James Sykes (1725–1792), lawyer, served in Delaware General Assembly and Continental Congress; from Dover
Dave Sheridan (born 1969), actor
[edit] T
Sean Patrick Thomas (born 1970), actor; born in Wilmington
Jim Thompson (born 1906), businessman; born in Greenville
George Thorogood (born 1951), blues-rock musician; from Wilmington
James Tilton (1745–1822), physician, soldier, delegate in the Continental Congress; from Dover
[edit] V
James C. Van Sice, Rear Admiral in the U.S. Coast Guard; born in Wilmington
[edit] W
Herta Ware (1917–2005), actress and political activist; born in Wilmington
Johnny Weir (born 1984), figure skater, three-time U.S. national champion; resides in Newark
Samuel Wharton (1732–1800), merchant and politician from Dover, served as a Continental Congressman from Delaware.
Kathleen Widdoes (born 1939), actress; born in Wilmington
Thomas Wynne (1627–1691), physician, Justice of Sussex County from 1687–1691
[edit] Y
Cori Yarckin (born 1982), actress and singer; born in Seaford
[edit] Z
Aleksandra Ziółkowska Boehm (born 1949), writer of Polish origin, lives in Wilmington
Currently listening:
Future Future Future Perfect
By Freezepop
Release date: 2007-09-25
Read more: http://www.myspace.com/noreasonwhy79/blog?page=7#ixzz0ziaXgYfj
October 3, 2008 - Friday i thought a fish was a new prison bitch...
October 3, 2008 - Friday
i thought a fish was a new prison bitch...
Current mood: apathetic
Category: News and Politics
OCTOBER 2, 2008
Mackerel Economics in Prison
Leads to Appreciation for Oily Fillets
Packs of Fish Catch On as Currency, Former Inmates Say; Officials Carp
By JUSTIN SCHECK
Article
Comments
.. -->[[[[iframe]]]]-->
When Larry Levine helped prepare divorce papers for a client a few years ago, he got paid in mackerel. Once the case ended, he says, "I had a stack of macks."
Mr. Levine and his client were prisoners in California's Lompoc Federal Correctional Complex. Like other federal inmates around the country, they found a can of mackerel -- the "mack" in prison lingo -- was the standard currency.
Larry Levine
"It's the coin of the realm," says Mark Bailey, who paid Mr. Levine in fish. Mr. Bailey was serving a two-year tax-fraud sentence in connection with a chain of strip clubs he owned. Mr. Levine was serving a nine-year term for drug dealing. Mr. Levine says he used his macks to get his beard trimmed, his clothes pressed and his shoes shined by other prisoners. "A haircut is two macks," he says, as an expected tip for inmates who work in the prison barber shop.
There's been a mackerel economy in federal prisons since about 2004, former inmates and some prison consultants say. That's when federal prisons prohibited smoking and, by default, the cigarette pack, which was the earlier gold standard.
Prisoners need a proxy for the dollar because they're not allowed to possess cash. Money they get from prison jobs (which pay a maximum of 40 cents an hour, according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons) or family members goes into commissary accounts that let them buy things such as food and toiletries. After the smokes disappeared, inmates turned to other items on the commissary menu to use as currency.
Books of stamps were one easy alternative. "It was like half a book for a piece of fruit," says Tony Serra, a well-known San Francisco criminal-defense attorney who last year finished nine months in Lompoc on tax charges. Elsewhere in the West, prisoners use PowerBars or cans of tuna, says Ed Bales, a consultant who advises people who are headed to prison. But in much of the federal prison system, he says, mackerel has become the currency of choice.
Fish Stories
A College Championship That's a Different Kettle of Fish
For Massachusetts Fishermen, A Weighty Debate About Fair Play
Supersize Me: Whale Meat Resurfaces on Iceland Menus
In Great Britain, A Fish Culture Clash: To Eat or Release?
A Politically Incorrect Fish Makes a Comeback
Boaters Beware: Things Are Jumping On Missouri River
Mackerel supplier Global Source Marketing Inc. says demand from prisons has grown since 2004. In recent years, demand has switched from cans -- which wardens don't like because inmates can turn them into makeshift knives -- to plastic-and-foil pouches of mackerel fillets, says Jon Linder, a vice president at supplier Power Commissary Inc., in Bohemia, N.Y.
Mackerel is hot in prisons in the U.S., but not so much anywhere else, says Mark Muntz, president of Global Source, which imports fillets of the oily, dark-fleshed fish from Asian canneries. Mr. Muntz says he's tried marketing mackerel to discount retailers. "We've even tried 99-cent stores," he says. "It never has done very well at all, regardless of the retailer, but it's very popular in the prisons."
Outstripping the Tuna
Mr. Muntz says he sold more than $1 million of mackerel for federal prison commissaries last year. It accounted for about half his commissary sales, he says, outstripping the canned tuna, crab, chicken and oysters he offers.
Unlike those more expensive delicacies, former prisoners say, the mack is a good stand-in for the greenback because each can (or pouch) costs about $1 and few -- other than weight-lifters craving protein -- want to eat it.
So inmates stash macks in lockers provided by the prison and use them to buy goods, including illicit ones such as stolen food and home-brewed "prison hooch," as well as services, such as shoeshines and cell cleaning.
Associated Press
Freshly fished mackerels.
The Bureau of Prisons views any bartering among prisoners as fishy. "We are aware that inmates attempt to trade amongst themselves items that are purchased from the commissary," says bureau spokeswoman Felicia Ponce in an email. She says guards respond by limiting the amount of goods prisoners can stockpile. Those who are caught bartering can end up in the "Special Housing Unit" -- an isolation area also known as the "hole" -- and could lose credit they get for good behavior.
For that reason -- and since communications between inmates and nonprisoners are monitored by prison officials -- current inmates can't discuss mackerel transactions without risking discipline, say several lawyers and consultants who represent incarcerated clients.
Ethan Roberts knows about mackerel discipline first hand. Mr. Roberts, who was released in 2007 after serving eight years on a methamphetamine charge at prisons including the La Tuna Federal Correctional Institution in Texas, says he got busted for various piscine transactions. "I paid gambling debts" with mackerel, he says. "One time I bought cigarettes for a friend who was in the hole."
Mr. Roberts and other ex-inmates say some prisoners make specially prepared food with items from the prison kitchen and sell it for mackerel.
"I knew a guy who would buy ingredients and use the microwaves to cook meals. Then people used mack to buy it from him," says Jonson Miller, an adjunct history professor at Drexel University in Philadelphia who spent two months in federal prison after being arrested at a protest on federal property.
Mr. Miller was released in 2003, when prisoners were getting ready for cigarettes to be phased out, and says inmates then were already moving to mackerel.
Since the Pensacola Federal Prison Camp commissary in Florida was only open one day a week, some inmates would run a "prison 7-Eleven" out of their lockers, reselling commissary items at a premium in exchange for mackerel, says Bill Bailey, who served three months last year on a computer-hacking charge. "I knew one guy who would actually pay rent to use half of another guy's locker because his locker wasn't large enough to store all his inventory," he says.
Big Haul
The Pensacola lockers, at about 4 feet high, could store plenty of macks, he says, a good thing for inmates who played poker, since a winning hand could result in a big haul. A spokeswoman for Pensacola said prison authorities discipline inmates who are caught bartering. At Lompoc, says spokeswoman Katie Shinn, guards "are not aware of such a problem with mackerel." When officials do catch inmates bartering, she says, punishments can include a loss of commissary privileges or moving to a less desirable cell.
There are other threats to the mackerel economy, says Mr. Linder, of Power Commissary. "There are shortages world-wide, in terms of the catch," he says. Combined with the weak dollar, that's led to a surging mack. Now, he says, a pouch of mackerel sells for more than $1 in most commissaries.
Another problem with mackerel is that once a prisoner's sentence is up, there's little to do with it -- the fish can't be redeemed for cash, and has little value on the outside. As a result, says Mr. Levine, prisoners approaching their release must either barter or give away their stockpiles.
That's what Mr. Levine did when he got out of prison last year. Since then, he's set up a consulting business offering advice to inmates and soon-to-be prisoners. He consults on various matters, such as how to request facility transfers and how to file grievances against wardens.
It's similar to the work he provided fellow inmates when he was in prison. But now, he says, "I get paid in American dollars."
Currently playing:
Zombies Ate My Neighbors
i thought a fish was a new prison bitch...
Current mood: apathetic
Category: News and Politics
OCTOBER 2, 2008
Mackerel Economics in Prison
Leads to Appreciation for Oily Fillets
Packs of Fish Catch On as Currency, Former Inmates Say; Officials Carp
By JUSTIN SCHECK
Article
Comments
.. -->[[[[iframe]]]]-->
When Larry Levine helped prepare divorce papers for a client a few years ago, he got paid in mackerel. Once the case ended, he says, "I had a stack of macks."
Mr. Levine and his client were prisoners in California's Lompoc Federal Correctional Complex. Like other federal inmates around the country, they found a can of mackerel -- the "mack" in prison lingo -- was the standard currency.
Larry Levine
"It's the coin of the realm," says Mark Bailey, who paid Mr. Levine in fish. Mr. Bailey was serving a two-year tax-fraud sentence in connection with a chain of strip clubs he owned. Mr. Levine was serving a nine-year term for drug dealing. Mr. Levine says he used his macks to get his beard trimmed, his clothes pressed and his shoes shined by other prisoners. "A haircut is two macks," he says, as an expected tip for inmates who work in the prison barber shop.
There's been a mackerel economy in federal prisons since about 2004, former inmates and some prison consultants say. That's when federal prisons prohibited smoking and, by default, the cigarette pack, which was the earlier gold standard.
Prisoners need a proxy for the dollar because they're not allowed to possess cash. Money they get from prison jobs (which pay a maximum of 40 cents an hour, according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons) or family members goes into commissary accounts that let them buy things such as food and toiletries. After the smokes disappeared, inmates turned to other items on the commissary menu to use as currency.
Books of stamps were one easy alternative. "It was like half a book for a piece of fruit," says Tony Serra, a well-known San Francisco criminal-defense attorney who last year finished nine months in Lompoc on tax charges. Elsewhere in the West, prisoners use PowerBars or cans of tuna, says Ed Bales, a consultant who advises people who are headed to prison. But in much of the federal prison system, he says, mackerel has become the currency of choice.
Fish Stories
A College Championship That's a Different Kettle of Fish
For Massachusetts Fishermen, A Weighty Debate About Fair Play
Supersize Me: Whale Meat Resurfaces on Iceland Menus
In Great Britain, A Fish Culture Clash: To Eat or Release?
A Politically Incorrect Fish Makes a Comeback
Boaters Beware: Things Are Jumping On Missouri River
Mackerel supplier Global Source Marketing Inc. says demand from prisons has grown since 2004. In recent years, demand has switched from cans -- which wardens don't like because inmates can turn them into makeshift knives -- to plastic-and-foil pouches of mackerel fillets, says Jon Linder, a vice president at supplier Power Commissary Inc., in Bohemia, N.Y.
Mackerel is hot in prisons in the U.S., but not so much anywhere else, says Mark Muntz, president of Global Source, which imports fillets of the oily, dark-fleshed fish from Asian canneries. Mr. Muntz says he's tried marketing mackerel to discount retailers. "We've even tried 99-cent stores," he says. "It never has done very well at all, regardless of the retailer, but it's very popular in the prisons."
Outstripping the Tuna
Mr. Muntz says he sold more than $1 million of mackerel for federal prison commissaries last year. It accounted for about half his commissary sales, he says, outstripping the canned tuna, crab, chicken and oysters he offers.
Unlike those more expensive delicacies, former prisoners say, the mack is a good stand-in for the greenback because each can (or pouch) costs about $1 and few -- other than weight-lifters craving protein -- want to eat it.
So inmates stash macks in lockers provided by the prison and use them to buy goods, including illicit ones such as stolen food and home-brewed "prison hooch," as well as services, such as shoeshines and cell cleaning.
Associated Press
Freshly fished mackerels.
The Bureau of Prisons views any bartering among prisoners as fishy. "We are aware that inmates attempt to trade amongst themselves items that are purchased from the commissary," says bureau spokeswoman Felicia Ponce in an email. She says guards respond by limiting the amount of goods prisoners can stockpile. Those who are caught bartering can end up in the "Special Housing Unit" -- an isolation area also known as the "hole" -- and could lose credit they get for good behavior.
For that reason -- and since communications between inmates and nonprisoners are monitored by prison officials -- current inmates can't discuss mackerel transactions without risking discipline, say several lawyers and consultants who represent incarcerated clients.
Ethan Roberts knows about mackerel discipline first hand. Mr. Roberts, who was released in 2007 after serving eight years on a methamphetamine charge at prisons including the La Tuna Federal Correctional Institution in Texas, says he got busted for various piscine transactions. "I paid gambling debts" with mackerel, he says. "One time I bought cigarettes for a friend who was in the hole."
Mr. Roberts and other ex-inmates say some prisoners make specially prepared food with items from the prison kitchen and sell it for mackerel.
"I knew a guy who would buy ingredients and use the microwaves to cook meals. Then people used mack to buy it from him," says Jonson Miller, an adjunct history professor at Drexel University in Philadelphia who spent two months in federal prison after being arrested at a protest on federal property.
Mr. Miller was released in 2003, when prisoners were getting ready for cigarettes to be phased out, and says inmates then were already moving to mackerel.
Since the Pensacola Federal Prison Camp commissary in Florida was only open one day a week, some inmates would run a "prison 7-Eleven" out of their lockers, reselling commissary items at a premium in exchange for mackerel, says Bill Bailey, who served three months last year on a computer-hacking charge. "I knew one guy who would actually pay rent to use half of another guy's locker because his locker wasn't large enough to store all his inventory," he says.
Big Haul
The Pensacola lockers, at about 4 feet high, could store plenty of macks, he says, a good thing for inmates who played poker, since a winning hand could result in a big haul. A spokeswoman for Pensacola said prison authorities discipline inmates who are caught bartering. At Lompoc, says spokeswoman Katie Shinn, guards "are not aware of such a problem with mackerel." When officials do catch inmates bartering, she says, punishments can include a loss of commissary privileges or moving to a less desirable cell.
There are other threats to the mackerel economy, says Mr. Linder, of Power Commissary. "There are shortages world-wide, in terms of the catch," he says. Combined with the weak dollar, that's led to a surging mack. Now, he says, a pouch of mackerel sells for more than $1 in most commissaries.
Another problem with mackerel is that once a prisoner's sentence is up, there's little to do with it -- the fish can't be redeemed for cash, and has little value on the outside. As a result, says Mr. Levine, prisoners approaching their release must either barter or give away their stockpiles.
That's what Mr. Levine did when he got out of prison last year. Since then, he's set up a consulting business offering advice to inmates and soon-to-be prisoners. He consults on various matters, such as how to request facility transfers and how to file grievances against wardens.
It's similar to the work he provided fellow inmates when he was in prison. But now, he says, "I get paid in American dollars."
Currently playing:
Zombies Ate My Neighbors
October 3, 2008 - Friday Watchmen movie
October 3, 2008 - Friday
Watchmen movie
Current mood: chipper
Category: Movies, TV, Celebrities
Sneak peek at the upcoming 'Watchmen' film
By DERRIK J. LANG, AP Entertainment Writer 4 minutes ago
LOS ANGELES — Who watched some of "Watchmen"?
Select members of the press. That's who.
Director Zack Snyder previewed and discussed three scenes from his upcoming graphic novel adaptation Wednesday. The film is based on Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons' award-winning graphic novel of the same name about a group of subversive superheroes in hiding.
Snyder, who directed "300," said the movie was originally slated to be set in modern times and explained how he slowly persuaded studio Warner Bros. to stay true to the graphic novel's alternate 1985 setting, where Richard Nixon remains president and outlaws superheroes.
"I was like, 'What if we just set it back a little further, like 1990?'" said Snyder. "And then we just said that 1985 is cooler because then it would be more of a period movie. That was how, for me anyway, I got as much of the graphic novel back in."
Snyder began the preview — spoiler alert! — with the first 12 minutes of the film. The Comedian (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) is watching TV when a shadowy figure breaks into his apartment, attacking and eventually throwing him through a window to a bloody death below.
The opening credit montage detailed the early history of "Watchmen" characters from the 1930s to the 1970s. The montage featured the original Minutemen characters including Silhouette (Apollonia Vanova), who was killed alongside her girlfriend in the 1940s.
Next, Snyder showed a sequence detailing the origin of Dr. Manhattan (Billy Crudup), which began with the blue superhero standing on Mars recalling his love affair with a fellow physicist and the experiment that transformed him into a matter-bending superbeing.
The final scene previewed focused on the second incarnations of Silk Spectre (Malin Akerman) and Nite Owl (Patrick Wilson) breaking into a prison to rescue fellow superhero Rorschach (Jackie Earle Haley) immediately after the duo had sex in Nite Owl's ship.
"Watchmen" is scheduled to tick into movie theaters March 6, 2009, but the film's release could be in jeopardy because of a lawsuit filed earlier this year by Twentieth Century Fox, which claims to have the rights to distribute a film based on the graphic novel.
"We're just working on the movie," Snyder said of the lawsuit. "I'm not a lawyer, so it's hard for me to comment on that. I probably shouldn't, I guess. We've just been forging ahead. If they wanted to come and stop us, I guess they would, but they haven't yet."
Snyder was also adamant that since no more "Watchmen" source material exists from the graphic novel, a sequel or prequel to his "Watchman" — currently clocking in at a beefy 2-hour-and-43-minute running time — could never be created. At least not one he'd direct.
"There can't be a sequel," said Snyder when asked about rumored sequel clauses in actors' contracts. "There won't be prequel. Not with me involved in it, anyway. They might be able to find someone to do it, but it won't be me. That's crazy talk."
Currently reading:
Watchmen
By Alan Moore
Watchmen movie
Current mood: chipper
Category: Movies, TV, Celebrities
Sneak peek at the upcoming 'Watchmen' film
By DERRIK J. LANG, AP Entertainment Writer 4 minutes ago
LOS ANGELES — Who watched some of "Watchmen"?
Select members of the press. That's who.
Director Zack Snyder previewed and discussed three scenes from his upcoming graphic novel adaptation Wednesday. The film is based on Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons' award-winning graphic novel of the same name about a group of subversive superheroes in hiding.
Snyder, who directed "300," said the movie was originally slated to be set in modern times and explained how he slowly persuaded studio Warner Bros. to stay true to the graphic novel's alternate 1985 setting, where Richard Nixon remains president and outlaws superheroes.
"I was like, 'What if we just set it back a little further, like 1990?'" said Snyder. "And then we just said that 1985 is cooler because then it would be more of a period movie. That was how, for me anyway, I got as much of the graphic novel back in."
Snyder began the preview — spoiler alert! — with the first 12 minutes of the film. The Comedian (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) is watching TV when a shadowy figure breaks into his apartment, attacking and eventually throwing him through a window to a bloody death below.
The opening credit montage detailed the early history of "Watchmen" characters from the 1930s to the 1970s. The montage featured the original Minutemen characters including Silhouette (Apollonia Vanova), who was killed alongside her girlfriend in the 1940s.
Next, Snyder showed a sequence detailing the origin of Dr. Manhattan (Billy Crudup), which began with the blue superhero standing on Mars recalling his love affair with a fellow physicist and the experiment that transformed him into a matter-bending superbeing.
The final scene previewed focused on the second incarnations of Silk Spectre (Malin Akerman) and Nite Owl (Patrick Wilson) breaking into a prison to rescue fellow superhero Rorschach (Jackie Earle Haley) immediately after the duo had sex in Nite Owl's ship.
"Watchmen" is scheduled to tick into movie theaters March 6, 2009, but the film's release could be in jeopardy because of a lawsuit filed earlier this year by Twentieth Century Fox, which claims to have the rights to distribute a film based on the graphic novel.
"We're just working on the movie," Snyder said of the lawsuit. "I'm not a lawyer, so it's hard for me to comment on that. I probably shouldn't, I guess. We've just been forging ahead. If they wanted to come and stop us, I guess they would, but they haven't yet."
Snyder was also adamant that since no more "Watchmen" source material exists from the graphic novel, a sequel or prequel to his "Watchman" — currently clocking in at a beefy 2-hour-and-43-minute running time — could never be created. At least not one he'd direct.
"There can't be a sequel," said Snyder when asked about rumored sequel clauses in actors' contracts. "There won't be prequel. Not with me involved in it, anyway. They might be able to find someone to do it, but it won't be me. That's crazy talk."
Currently reading:
Watchmen
By Alan Moore
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