Disqus - Latest Comments for MarkHufford

Re: Mesquite: a protein-rich ancestral food that is making a comeback

MarkHufford — Fri, 17 Aug 2018 09:27:14 -0000

I get it that MND doesn't have time or staff to edit the stories. I was just surprised that my comment didn't get approved. I don't comment often, and didn't realize there would be a significant delay for reviewing and approving the comments. Anyway, glad the comments finally saw the light of day. It was the freelance writer's fault that there was no mention of the dangers inherent in harvesting this "super food."

Re: Mesquite: a protein-rich ancestral food that is making a comeback

MarkHufford — Wed, 15 Aug 2018 07:29:14 -0000

Although the author fails to mention it, care needs to be taken when harvesting this "super food". Mesquite beans that have gotten wet or are on the ground can harbor a carcinogenic aflatoxin. For an unknown reason, the editors of Mexico News Daily seem to have deleted my previous post about this. There is ample information about it in a website called DesertHarvesters.org, with which I have no affiliation. Please be careful out there!

Re: Mesquite: a protein-rich ancestral food that is making a comeback

MarkHufford — Tue, 14 Aug 2018 23:39:31 -0000

Important to note that mesquite beans improperly harvested can be the source of carcinogenic aflatoxin. From DesertHarvesters.org:

WHEN: Harvest mesquite pods before the summer rains, and never wet or wash your pods—Harvest Early, Harvest Dry. This practice reduces the growth of molds/fungus on pods. There is a relationship between an invisible fungus (Aspergillus flavus) and a natural carcinogen known as aflatoxin B1. Recent research at the University of Arizona by Dr. Nick Garber, Dr. Sadhana Ravishankar, and the Mesquite Harvest Working Group showed a clear correlation between aflatoxin levels and rainfall. Many mature pods harvested after a single rainfall (a single event during which they got wet) were unsafe for human consumption due to high aflatoxin levels. These same studies found mesquite pods harvested before the rains had safe aflatoxin levels—well below the minimum levels allowed by aflatoxin sampling of food products. The Tucson mesquite pod harvest season is mid to late June. Ripe pods range in color from yellowish tan to reddish or purplish (not green), and are dry and brittle. They come off the tree easily.

WHERE: Harvest pods from the tree, not the ground. When you harvest from the ground there is greater risk of the pods having come into contact with fecal matter, herbicides, pollutants (like oil dripped from cars), fungus from the soil, or irrigation water that may increase the amount of fungus or mold on the pods. You can find quality pods on trees in washes, small drainages, city parks (as long as sprinkler irrigation has not come into contact with the pods), backyards, and along low-traffic neighborhood streets. Often, city trees are the most abundant producers because they receive supplemental water in the form of runoff from nearby rooftops, patios, and streets—especially when people have set up water-harvesting earthworks around or beside the trees.

Re: Anacapa Ocean - Channel Islands National Park Cams

MarkHufford — Tue, 22 May 2018 12:01:42 -0000

Sounds to me like just wind and waves. Is there other noise you're referring to?

Re: 13 Reasons to Make Loreto (Baja California Sur) Your Next Getaway

MarkHufford — Fri, 21 Apr 2017 10:24:34 -0000

Short answer is there's an international airport just a couple miles from town. Air Alaska from L.A., West Jet from Calgary, or AeroCalafia from Tijuana. Or drive down Route 1 from Tijuana or up Route 1 from Cabo/La Paz.

Re: North Carolina’s Moral Monday Movement Kicks Off 2014 With Massive March in Raleigh

MarkHufford — Sat, 08 Feb 2014 17:56:52 -0000

Great coverage, Ari. Keep up the good work! Despite the ridiculously gerrymandered state legislative maps, 2014 is the year that NC starts its march back to compassionate governance.

Re: Bernie Sanders tells Ed Schultz: Southern Democrats are tired of being abandoned by the party

MarkHufford — Sun, 20 Oct 2013 10:41:50 -0000

Previous commenters are right on the money about Governor Dean and bringing back the 50-state strategy. It was the best thing for Southern Democrats and the national party in a very long time. Rahm E. was a petty idiot to push for its cancellation.

I was one of the first five organizers hired under the plan, stationed in the western third (33 counties) of North Carolina.

We led assessments and strategic planning in all 33 county parties in the region; helped with recruiting and conducted trainings on the use of what is now VoteBuilder; did candidate, fundraising, and grassroots field work trainings; and led a regional branding and messaging effort with input and enthusiastic funding from the local parties.
When faced with a well-articulated message about real Democratic principles, spoken by local voices, the electorate responded. In 2006 we re-elected every Democratic state legislator in our region, and turned two state senate seats and two state house seats from red to blue. We also turned 16 county commissioner seats and 4 sheriff seats. We also defeated "Chainsaw Charlie" Taylor, a 14-year incumbent who, as Chair of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on the Interior, was responsible for gutting budgets for all national parks and national wildlife refuges (as well as being a right-wing zealot)

In 2008, Obama won North Carolina by about 25,000 votes, the first Democrat to do so since Jimmy Carter. That would not have happened without the infrastructure strengthened by the 50-state strategy and the commitment of the national party to play ball everywhere. The plan energizes Democrats everywhere, creates bench strength, and offers concrete, localized information to those folks who vote against their own self-interests. It also forces right-wingers to spread their campaign spending more thinly.

Re: Where kids, dogs get to show off - Bainbridge Island Review

MarkHufford — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 15:24:33 -0000

Sounds like a lot of fun for everyone!
Just a reminder to bring water for your four-legged friend, or to bring them by the PAWS booth for a drink and a cool-down (across from the drive-through mailboxes below the post office).

Re: Animal welfare groups backing animal control program - Central Kitsap Reporter

MarkHufford — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 13:39:50 -0000

Thank you to Rachel Brant for her reporting on this matter.
This is certainly a public safety issue and our decision-making commissioners need to hear what the public feels about these potential cuts of 30 to 40 percent. Animal control does a lot more than handle noise complaints. They are the go-to department when there is a dangerous dog running around or when animals carrying potentially communicable diseases are acting strangely.
The fact is that cuts of the magnitude they're considering would likely result in KHS not signing a contract, and the job of animal control being doled out to some inexperienced "contractor." Do county residents really want "Joe's Pet Wrangler Service" responding to dangerous situations, instead of the highly experienced, trained officers that are now in place?
Nobody is perfect, and of course someone can cite some situation in the past that didn't necessarily please everyone involved. But by and large, KHS animal control does a really good job, and also handles the animals in question in a humane manner. It's the level of compassion and competence that our communities must demand.
If you'd like to read the full letter that nonprofit animal control groups sent to commissioners, visit www.pawsbainbridge.org . There's a link to it from our website front page.
Mark Hufford
Executive Director
PAWS of Bainbridge Island and North Kitsap

Re: Animal welfare groups backing animal control program - Bremerton Patriot

MarkHufford — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 13:38:09 -0000

Thank you to Rachel Brant for her reporting on this matter.
This is certainly a public safety issue and our decision-making commissioners need to hear what the public feels about it potential cuts of 30 to 40 percent. Animal control does a lot more than handle noise complaints. They are the go-to department when there is a dangerous dog running around or when animals carrying potentially communicable diseases are acting strangely.
The fact is that cuts of the magnitude they're considering would likely result in KHS not signing a contract, and the job of animal control being doled out to some inexperienced "contractor." Do county residents really want "Joe's Pet Wrangler Service" responding to dangerous situations, instead of the highly experienced, trained officers that are now in place?
Nobody is perfect, and of course someone can cite some situation in the past that didn't necessarily please everyone involved. But by and large, KHS animal control does a really good job, and also handles the animals in question in a humane manner. It's the level of compassion and competence that our communities must demand.
If you'd like to read the full letter that nonprofit animal control groups sent to commissioners, visit www.pawsbainbridge.org . There's a link to it from our website front page.
Mark Hufford
Executive Director
PAWS of Bainbridge Island and North Kitsap