While some locals do eat the red crabs, (they are edible and delicious) crab dinners are frowned upon by local government.
Each year up to two million of the red crabs fail to complete their marathon journey because of hungry residents, squashing by cars, and dehydration (it’s a long walk from the forest.)
Carley Basler, a scientist with the Churchill Northern Studies Centre.
CHURCHILL — Carley Basler pulls apart a yellow sponge, from which two sprouting lettuce plants are dangling. She places each inside inch-square holes on a metal shelf, inside a humid, densely packed shipping container that sits on the tundra. This month, Churchill started getting some fresher produce than Winnipeg, thanks to a hydroponic project that harnesses LED lights and nutrients. It’s an effort to bring food stability to the northern Manitoba town that lost its rail link to the south last May.
http://www.tofome.me/tag/elflike
"I feel like this gives a little bit of hope at a time where we were feeling a little bit hopeless," said Basler, who left Winnipeg years ago for the freedom and challenges of life in the north. The green sprouts she’s planting almost glow against the white and steel shelves, and they’re a shock to the eye after witnessing a barren landscape of snow and birch trees.
Hydroponic projects have been around for years, using water, minerals and lamps to grow food without soil or sunlight. But Churchill is believed to be the first northern community in Canada to grow some of its own vegetables during winter.
The Growcer outside the Churchill Northern Studies Centre.
The subarctic town of 900 lost its railway lifeline seven months ago, and ever since the shipping season ended in October, residents have relied on food arriving via plane, which costs three times the price of railway freight. Food prices have soared. Carley Basler, a scientist with the Churchill Northern Studies Centre, plants varieties of sprouting lettuce and herbs into the Growcer, a hydroponic system that uses LED lights, nutrients and heat to grow fresh produce without soil.
The hydroponic project aims to help residents cope, and has a longer-term goal of weaning the north off its dependence on costly food from down south, and the uncertainty when blizzards cancel flights. "We’re really excited about how this project can improve food security," said Stephanie Puleo, interim executive director of the non-profit Churchill Northern Studies Centre.
The centre hosts researchers and classes specializing in polar bears and climate change. But this fall, a green-and-white shipping container arrived by boat. It now sits outside the centre.
Trolltunga
The self-contained unit has a machine that monitors mineral nutrients, which are added to a water tank and pumped through stacked shelves, circling each plant similar to the way blood circles through the human body.
“I was able to convince myself that I was the winner and I think that’s the secret of winning is to win it ahead of time.”- Frank Zane is a American former professional body builder. Author of more than 15 books on fitness, nutrition, and body building. But calling him a body builder doesn’t really do him justice. He’s a three time Mr. Olympia and his physique is considered to be one of the greatest in the history of body building, due to his incredible focus on symmetry and proportion. He was called the king of aesthetics in the body building world. https://blog.bulletproof.com/frank-zane-on-the-body-building-enlightenment/
The seeds sprout roots in rockwool, a yellow fibre made from stones that carries nutrients and water, just as soil does.
Starting in January, the centre plans to harvest at least 400 plants a week. On Dec. 22, the team harvested its first crop of lettuce and donated it to Christmas hampers for town residents.
For now, the centre is sticking with kale, herbs, and varieties of lettuce such as lozano, butter and orville; those plants take five to six weeks to harvest. It plans to branch into heavier vegetables, which are less adaptable to changes in nutrient levels, in the spring.
Though the North West Company takes extra care to make sure its produce isn’t bruised or damaged by the cold, a small, wilted head of lettuce at the local store still costs $5 — something Basler said adds to the difficulties of life in Churchill.
She said locals feel isolated because many can’t pay hundreds of dollars for a flight to Thompson or Winnipeg. She recalls December train trips to Thompson, where locals would return to Churchill with Christmas gifts, diapers and even laundry machines.
"There’s a lot of people who are feeling a little bit down about things in the community, not just food-related," she said. "We can’t do anything to speed up this legal process between Omnitrax and the government."
Omnitrax, the U.S. company that owns the Hudson Bay Railway, is in a court battle with Ottawa over its refusal to repair the rail line that was damaged during severe spring flooding.)
Basler said she expects hydroponics will sweep northern Canada, just like a recent revival in hunting and fishing.
There’s already a couple in town who have sold vegetables from their home hydroponic system; while the school has a tower garden, which has plants grown from a cylinder affixed with pipes and lamps.
"This is catchy, and it is kind of high-tech and interesting. It seems complicated, but it’s actually relatively easy; you’re just giving plants what they need naturally," Basler said.
The centre is considering a subscription system, where residents pay in advance for a regularly grown amount of vegetables. The food will also be used for the centre’s cafeteria, and possibly local restaurants and the school, where Basler plans to offer an educational talk to students.
A fairy would live here
Puleo said the team will approach the Northern Healthy Foods Initiative for financial support and possible collaboration in other remote areas of Manitoba. The provincial project, hailed as a leader in Canada, helps Manitobans in remote areas learn how to build greenhouses and chicken coops.
As part of a federal grant aimed to alleviate the effect of the 2016 layoffs at the Port of Churchill, Ottawa contributed $276,350 to the project, which uses the first Growcer system in Canada.
There are already six of these shipping container projects in Alaska, and Growcer Inc. chief executive officer Corey Ellis says they’re providing more nutrients than the vegetables found in most cities, which travel for weeks before reaching supermarket shelves in remote areas.
"It definitely is a lot fresher than you can get anywhere else," he said. "It’s pretty much unlimited, in terms of what they want to be growing. At last count, it was over 100 types of veggies that operators in Alaska were growing."
He said Churchill was a good pilot project, as the community has access to hydro power. Some Alaska communities rely on oil furnaces for heat. A large part of the project will be to monitor the Growcer system and provide guidance to other northern communities.
A system is set to be installed in Norway House in northern Manitoba, and Ellis said a handful of Nunavut communities are hoping to get a system during the summer shipping season. He said hydroponic projects can improve access to culturally appropriate food, such as wild berries.
Churchill’s project grows pak choi, a Chinese cabbage that goes well with stews in Inuit cuisine. The Growcer project is rolling out slowly, and that’s intentional. Churchill and Norway House will be the first two communities with a unit; Iqaluit will be next. "The way we design our food system responds to what they can afford, but also what is a good business strategy," Ellis said.
Other hydroponic projects have been overly ambitious. In 1987, the Newfoundland government invested heavily, but its costs ballooned to $22 million, while the 800,000 cucumbers it sold ended up costing $27.50 apiece.
Ellis said having a modular system made of shipping containers allows Growcer projects to start slowly. The units plug into each other, and some have equipment that can process food.
He said he believes hydroponic projects could be more economically viable in the North, where food is expensive. Electricity is more expensive in the territories, so costly upgrades that make units more energy efficient make more sense than in southern communities, he said.
Basler said there’s no guarantee the Churchill project will be permanent, but she’s optimistic it will attract a strong customer base. "We’re going to try something new. If anything, we’re going to eat a salad. If that was the only thing that came of this, it would still be exciting."
dylan.robertson@freepress.mb.ca
https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/veggie-fix-466509643.html
The Latte Mermaid
The ocean is our alternate world, the most foreign of them all and, therefore, the most populated by mirrors and speculations. It was a ubiquitous ancient belief which stated that every terrestrial animal has to have its oceanic counterpart, and humans are not the exception.
...
For the first there are “seahorses” and “sea elephants”, and for us there is a chimeric and elusive version: mermaids. She, like a true reflection of man, has a voice, and her voice is so irresistible because it speaks for the fishes and for the sea, which move silently, keeping a secret.
If one thing characterizes a sea nymph it’s her voice and her terrible infatuation with us, the sailors. Regardless of Disney wanting to redeem her from her essence, we all know that a mermaid is as enchanting as she is pernicious.
She is a chimera that embodies the two components of a perfect oxymoron: water and earth, beauty and bestiality. ––As irresistible to us as we are to her.
But the mermaid was not always an incredibly sexy and terrible myth (as Odysseus well knew when he ordered his crew to tie him to the ship’s mast and cover his ears with wax so he would not fall victim to the irrepressible desire to go with them when he heard their song);
this prodigious animal has suffered as many mutations as is fit for imagination, and before being a myth it posed a great threat. An excellent trap for humankind’s sensitive weaknesses.
16th century writer and cartographer Olaus Magnus, whose famous Carta Marina obsessively catalogued the many monsters of Scandinavian seas, noticed that fishermen believed that if you catch a mermaid “and do not presently let them go, such a cruel tempest will arise, and such a horrid lamentation of that sort of men comes with it, and of some other monsters joining with them, that you would think the sky should fall.”
The number of mermaid sightings boomed with the arrival of the Age of Discovery; several explorers described them as having admirable, venerable features of “otherness”.
It is well known that Christopher Columbus, for instance, reported to have seen mermaids during his journey through the Dominican Republic, although they were later thought to be manatees. What’s peculiar is that these men, aboard their luxurious ships, had the mermaid figure so present that —whether manatees or not— these would appear before them here and there during their navigations.
To hold folklore close to us is to make a call to all its creatures. And even if hugely desired by the solitude of sailors, merpeople have gradually disappeared due to our change of manners. Our encounters with them are less and less common perhaps due to survival, emotional hardening or technological evolution
––but we have become deaf to their song. History, however, tells us that the best way of seeing them is keeping them in mind —there lays the key to recover these beings that gather the two most foreign worlds of all and reconcile beauty with monstrosity. Seeing the Angel Number 444 or 4:44 around is a supportive message from the Angels or your Angel guides asking you to take a look at the structures in your life.
Keep your heart open and other senses open to what specifically these spirit numbers mean for you. What are your cornerstones and what defines you? The Angel Number 444 is directly messaging you to shift these themes into your focus. If you see the Angel Number 444 or 4:44 it is also helpful to consider what you were doing or thinking about at that time. If your mind was on a particular subject, person, or idea then seeing this number sequence at this time may be related.
Practicing mindfulness or spirituality can help open up your channels of understanding and communication with the angels even further. When you are mindful you are better prepared to receive the divine messages available to you! Seeing the Angel Number 444 everywhere in your midst has particular meanings the Angels are trying to convey. Here are 5 possible messages for why you are seeing 4:44! Read through the list and see which meanings resonate with you most. If you are vibrating with the frequency of the angels and the divine you will know which of these Angel Number 444 messages are especially for you!
When the Angels help align you with the vibration of the Angel Number 444 this could be a message that they are giving you validation. The Angels want you to know that you are being supported 100 percent. They are showing you that the path you are on is the right path and to keep moving forward!
The Angel Number 444 is giving you this much-needed validation! At times you may feel misunderstood or that no-one agrees with your point of view. This is when the Angels step in and take over. They are giving you the loving and gentle support you need. This sign of unconditional love demonstrates that no matter how other people are acting around you, your feelings are honest, true, and authentic to you. The Angel Number 444 is your cosmic cheerleader, saying keep going! You are on the right path! There is no need to worry if others do not agree with you or your decisions. The divine angel guidance is giving you all the confirmation you need.
The Number 4 can represent some stubborn tendencies and seeing the Angel Number 444 is a sign that you may be somewhat stuck in your ways! Seeing this number sequence is a message form your Angel guides that it is okay to ask for help. Sometimes it is necessary in life to get support from others. No one is expecting you to do everything on your own, which is why there is help! The Angels are reminding you that no one will know you need help unless you ask. The Angel Number 444 is a reminder to loosen your boundaries.
You can take some of the pressure off of yourself. Giving your fears to the Angels is a great way to lift some of the burden and responsibility you feel. Humans are not perfect nor are we meant to be! The Angels want you to know that asking for help is not a sign of weakness but a sign of honesty. Seeing 444 is a signal that you have found the courage to ask for help when you really need it. You can ask for help from your Angel guides, deities, a spouse, partner, best friend, or any other trusted confidant.
The Angel Number 444 is confirmation that you have done all you can and now you need to turn to trusted allies to get where you want to go! As 4 is representative of building blocks, along with slow and steady progress; seeing the Angel Number 444 can be a sign that it is time to take action. When you are trying to manifest your dreams you don’t often see any progress without making moves.
The angels want you to know it is possible to manifest your dreams into the physical world, with a little work on your end! When you see the Angel Number 444 this is a clear sign that the Angels are saying now is the time to go for it! Even if your dreams take years to manifest, this sign from the Angels can be very comforting and supportive. Seeing Angel Number 444 signifies your ideas are taking shape in your life. They are coming into focus and actually happening.
They have moved from the concept phase into physical form. Nothing can happen without you taking your first step though. Seeing this number sequence is your signal to change careers, start that blog, or ask that person out! On our road to success we often encounter blocks in the road. This is normal and part of the spiritual growth process.
In order to achieve our goals we may have to bear the brunt of a few failed attempts as well. Seeing the Angel Number 444 is an enthusiastic message form the Angels that all road blocks have been cleared. The Angels are assisting you in developing a plan that allows for smooth sailing. You may have just gone through a rough patch and the Angels are telling you it is possible to embrace peace, security, and prosperity. Angel Number 444 is a message of hope for the future. It is likened to the clouds parting and light streaming through; another powerful sign from the angels that relates to this number sequence.
You are receiving divine guidance at this time saying: you have learned all you can from a situation and get ready for what is next! The Angel Number 444 can also relate to cycles of change in your life. A door might be closing or a chapter in your life might be ending, but another one is opening up. When you see Angel Number 444 you are being given this comforting message.
This is a reminder that the Angels are with you through change and transition. Through difficult choices, break-ups, or other endings, a new beginning is always around the corner. The Angels want you to be open to new possibilities!
They have given you the Angel Number 444 as a benevolent reminder that your story continues. You have the power to write what happens next. The Angel Number 444 demonstrates that your angel guides are behind you and carrying you through to your next move. You can restructure your life as you see fit, build the life you want, and be the person you want to be.
https://numerologysign.com/numerology/angel-numbers/triple/444-meanings/
http://www.faena.com/aleph/articles/mermaids-and-their-terrible-infatuation-with-us-humans/
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