CITIES

MORE BAD DAYS IN NEW ORLEANS

GLEN FORD AND PETER GAMBLE, BLACK COMMENTATOR - The overwhelmingly black
New Orleans diaspora is returning in large numbers to resist relentless
efforts to bully and bulldoze them out of the city's future. "Struggle
on the ground has intensified enormously. A number of groups are in
motion, moving against the mayor's commission," said Mtangulizi Sanyika,
spokesman for the African American Leadership Project. "Increasing
numbers of people are coming back into the city. You can feel the
political rhythm."

Mayor Ray Nagin's commission has presented residents of flood-battered,
mostly African American neighborhoods with a Catch-22, carefully crafted
to preclude New Orleans from ever again becoming the more than
two-thirds black city it was before Hurricane Katrina breached the
levees. Authored by Nagin crony, real estate development mogul and
George Bush fundraiser Joseph Canizaro, the plan would impose a
four-month moratorium on building in devastated neighborhoods like the
lower Ninth Ward and New Orleans East. During that period, the
neighborhoods would be required to come up with a plan to show how they
would become "viable" by reaching an undefined "critical mass" of
residents. But the moratorium, itself, discourages people from
rebuilding their neighborhoods - just as it is intended to do - thus
creating a fait accompli: residents will be hard pressed to prove that a
"critical mass" of habitation can be achieved. . .

The commission is empowered only to make recommendations, but with the
help of corporate media, pretends their plan is set in stone. . .
Activists believe the way to play this situation is for residents to
forge ahead on their own. "Trying to figure out the logic of that
illogical proposal is a wasted effort - all you're going to do is wind
up going in circles," said Sanyika. . .

The city council has attempted to block Nagin's collaboration with
corporate developers - a hallmark of his tenure - voting to give itself
authority over where to place FEMA trailers. . . Nagin vetoed the bill,
but the council overrode him. The council has also endorsed equitable
development of neighborhoods, rather than shrinking the city. . . . . .

Ray Nagin is probably the most disoriented person in the country, these
days - the fruit of his own venality, sleeziness, and opportunism. A
corporate executive, sports entrepreneur and nominal Democrat, he
contributed to the Bush campaign in 2000 (Democrats dubbed him "Ray
Reagan") and endorsed a Republican candidate for governor in 2003. Now
he doesn't have a clue as to where the power lies or where his base is
centered. . .

The citizens of New Orleans are paying the cost for the mistakes of the
late sixties and early seventies, when aspiring electoral and corporate
officeholders convinced black folks that mass movements were no longer
necessary. Progress would trickle down from the newly acquired heights.
Popular political capital could be wisely invested in the few, the
upwardly mobile.

http://www.blackcommentator.com/167/167_cover_fighting_no_theft.html

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THE ECOCITY FARM

TREE HUGGERS - The developers of the Ecocity Farm reckon all you need
is a standard urban house block. They've come up with a commercial
aquaponic system that effectively recycles its own water and waste,
while being space efficient due to it's vertical stackable design.
Barramundi fish are harvested alongside vegetables. Waste from the fish
is reduced, via a biodigester, to water soluble feedstock for the
hydroponically grown plants. Plans are even afoot to prototype a process
that converts human food scraps into fish meal. According to the
designers the concept can produce 12 times the quantity of food from
conventional farming. And the idea is develop the system to a complete
all-in-one, out-of-the-box unit that can be franchised worldwide.
Traditional farmland is preserved as the package can be used in urban
blocks or even on building rooftops. Farmers will then be able to
service their customers with minimal transport and energy costs.

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2006/11/ecocity_farm.php#perma

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