Natural Cures Not Medicine: Refrigeration Without Electricity

Something interesting that I found while surfing around. Reblogging with the link. :)

Mohammed Bah Abba
Country: Nigeria
Region of Impact: Nigeria


Project Overview:

Mobah Rural Horizons, is a Rural Development and Consulting Organization that designs, invents, and disseminates appropriate technologies for poor rural areas. The project is a fresh foods preservation system that uses two clay pots. This system requires no electricity supply to preserve and prolong the storage life of perishable fresh food items.

Problem Addressed:

For people who live in hot climates with little electricity, food spoils quickly. Produce spoils in within three days without refrigeration, forcing farmers to rush their crops to the market and sell them at undervalued prices. This has a lot of consequences to the farmers, and their families, because it affects their village life and leads a decrease in income in the poor rural areas. For Kano City, which is around 60 miles from many farmers, the fresh produce that is grown rots along the way, causing its farmers to earn smaller profits and provide for fewer people.

Refrigeration is a method for storing foods around the world, but places in Africa like Kano City do not have the resources to support a stable supply of electricity to make refrigerators a viable option.

Technology Solution:

Mohammed Bah Abba designed an elegantly simple food storage device that is made up of two earthenware pots which utilize the principles of evaporation to create electric-free refrigeration. In between the two pots is a layer of fine, wet, river sand, and on top is a moist jute bag. When kept in a dry, well-ventilated, and shady location, water evaporates, cooling the inner container. As a result, Mohammed's desert refrigerator allows produce to stay fresh for weeks, so less food is wasted, and farmers are able to increase their profits so that they can continue to provide for their communities. Mohammed sells around 30,000 coolers a year to farmers and other people who want to preserve food for their families and communities.

About The Tech Museum of Innovation

The Tech Museum is a hands-on technology and science museum for people of all ages and backgrounds. The museum—located in the Capital of Silicon Valley —is a non-profit, experiential learning resource established to engage people in exploring and experiencing applied technologies affecting their lives. Through programs such as The Tech Challenge presented by Cisco, our annual team-design competition for youth, and internationally renowned programs such as The Tech Awards presented by Applied Materials, The Tech Museum endeavors to inspire the innovator in everyone.

According to Gizmodo.com, this is how you build one:

"Materials and Tools Required 

two terra cotta pots with a 2-3 inch difference in diameter. The smaller pot should be glazed and preferably lacking a drainage hole. If the inner container is double glazed (on its inner and outer walls), non-potable water—say seawater—can be employed. 

a bag of sterile sand 

a square of burlap cloth large enough to cover the top of the inner pot 

a trowel 

Building It 

1. If your pots have drainage holes, plug them with a bit of cork, caulk, or other waterproof material. If you don't, moisture from the sand will seep into the lower pot and immerse the stored goods or seep out the bottom of the larger one. 

2. Put down a one-inch deep, level layer of sand in the bottom of the large pot. Set the smaller pot on top of that layer and center it in the larger one. Make sure that the smaller pot's lip is even with the larger one's. 

3. Fill sand in around the sides of the of the two pots, leaving about an inch of space below the lip. 

4. Pour cold water over the sand until it is thoroughly saturated. Put your food into the smaller pot. Cover that with a burlap cloth, also soaked with water. That's it! Just be sure to refill the water regularly, about once or twice a day."

Read more at http://www.naturalcuresnotmedicine.com/2013/11/new-invention-makes-refrigeration.html#t0Z0TIIWxx6dtjjM.99

Movies that moved me #2. Brokeback Mountain

At times all you need is a two hour movie to force you to think beyond certain.

Growing up in country like India where Bollywood is the worshiped and gay means kohl-eyed-fluorescently-dressed weird men people don’t get the true idea of homosexuality.

Coming to the point, what I am talking is about rather thought provoking-introspection-evoking movie called Brokeback Mountain. The film deals with two homosexual men struggling to identify themselves and carving out space and time for themselves in the society. The sheer subtlety of the movie shook me. It was the first time I actually understood what love can be between homosexuals, how tough can it be for them to express what they feel.

I downloaded the movie thinking it to be as another Anna Hathaway’s rom-com but the content actually mocked the sheer stupidity of my expectation: the very concept of love that is fed in our minds through not just society but the media around us.

Beautifully shot amidst the breath taking beauty of mountains, the movie triggers a great thought process. The love between Jack and Ennis left me in tears and made me wonder how can we not expect and adore the “love” between people belonging to same sex!? Why is that people associate physical malfunction to the very existence of the concept of homosexuality?

This movie came to my notice at a very important juncture.

Now that I recall my day, I recollect how it started with a very short-apparently-not-so-important conversation about homosexuality. My friend shared her experience as a SBI worker where she came across a lesbian couple as their potential client. She explained how stupid and terrifying it was for her that her client-to-be was a lesbian. She went to her place to get a form filled but was unable to do so as she didn’t know how to show her relation with her lesbian partner. Moreover when she called her boss, she was advised to leave the place asap.

I couldn't help but nod through her chat but somewhere she lost the respectful place in my eyes.

But then problem is not entirely of hers. India is lagging behind in more than one way but it is the society that needs utmost attention. Like in the movie where Ennis recalled how his dad made sure he and his brothers see the brutal end of the guy who dared to live with other guy, in India too a child is trained to repel the idea of homosexuality and keep away from any gay or lesbian.

I, myself, wasn’t prepared for this subject but the movie not only showed me the actualities of such relationships but left me swayed by their love. No doubt credit goes to the brilliant brilliant actors for portraying the roles so damn well.

Not just society, movies like these make me sad about the quality of cinema in India and the pitiful thinking of its audience. Media went crazy when Ranbir Kapoor did towel scene in Saawariya or when Ram Kapoor “kissed” (okay if you call it so :/) Priya on small screen. We ourselves bound the audience in the realms of socially presentable form of love. Movies like Brokeback Mountains mock us in the face. They actually reflect to the huge gulf our creativity has between what we make and what the reality is. Screw the portrayal or conviction; we don’t have any strong movie on a subject like this.

However, this post is to share the respect this movie has inspired for homosexuals in me. If you are looking for some good-solid-content-based movie this is hard to miss. And not to forget it features two immensely talented and good looking actors *bonus point*.

*One of my favorite moments in the movie*

Movies that moved me #1. The English Patient

I'll suggest you watch this amazing movie before reading the post as that helps you relate or otherwise I hope you feel like watching it after reading my post.

Certain movies just make you realize how little we live, how little we feel…how little we imagine. So much power around, in this world, hidden under garb of our ignorance and self fulfillment. Power of companionship, power of care…power of love.

Movies like The English patient.

It is so much in love..it gives you zeal,it gives you strength, strength to walk in desert for 3 days, strength to trade your very existence…strength to open your heart to the possibility to feel.

It is easy to live enveloped in anger, it is easy to stay mum ,whats difficult is to love, to open your heart to someone…to let someone in and give them the ownership of yourself. To let the love consume you, intoxicate you with its possibility. Love is what drives you to live to the fullest…to absorb each moment. It is love that evokes true craving. Craving of have that person around just for your self, your being!

“Each night I cut out my heart but in the morning it was full again!”- Almasy 

Love is not to have him, love is to have faith in him and let him go. Hana cared too much but her compassion made her stronger…enough to open her wounds again…her ability to open herself to the possibility of good drove her to Kip. She broke her curse, a curse she self imposed.

People suffer so much, give so much and get nothing but are still going and going strong! Hana didn't actualize her relation with Kip but she didn’t ruin her moments with him. With the desire to meet again they parted, they moved ahead with memories of pure compassion…moments when they stood for each other.

No matter how much the movie talks about violence and war, it’s the hope flickering through long trees that it leaves its audience with.

Be the gypsy. Experience. Absorb. Live. Feel!

*one of my favorite moments in  the movie*