Open Street Maps goes Open Database License Agreement (ODbL)

The OSMF License Working Group is excited and pleased to announce the
completion of legal drafting and review by our legal counsel of the new
proposed license, the Open Database License Agreement (ODbL).

The working group have put much effort in to inputting OSMs needs and
supporting the creation of this license however OpenStreetMap's
expertise is not in law. Therefore, we have worked with the license
authors and others to build a suitable home where a community and
process can be built around it. Its new home is with the Open Data
Commons http://www.opendatacommons.org

. We encourage the OSM community
join in the Open Data Commons comments process from today to make sure
that the license is the best possible license for us.

The license remains firmly rooted in the attribution, share-alike
provisions of the existing Creative Commons License but the ODbL is far
more suitable for open factual databases rather than the creative works
of art. It extends far greater potential protection and is far clearer
when, why and where the share-alike provisions are triggered.

The license is now available at
http://www.opendatacommons.org/licenses/odbl/ and you are welcome to
make final comments about the license itself via a wiki and mailing list
also at http://www.opendatacommons.org/licenses/odbl/ up until 20th
March 23:59 GMT. To be clear, this process is led by the ODC and
comments should be made there as part of that process.

Attached below is our proposed adoption plan and the latest will be at
http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Open_Data_License/Implementation_Plan
. This is not cast in stone and we welcome direct comments on the
discussion page for the plan:
http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Talk:Open_Data_License/Implementation_Plan

.
In summary, we'd like to give time for final license comments to be
absorbed, ask OSMF members to vote on whether they wish to put the
current version of the new license to the community for adoption and
then begin the adoption process itself. The board has decided to wait
until the final version before formally reviewing the license.

Our legal counsel has also responded to the OSM-contributed Use Cases
http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Open_Data_Licence/Use_Cases and his
responses have been added there. OSMFs legal counsel also recommends the
use of the Factual Information License
http://www.opendatacommons.org/licenses/fil/ for the individual
contributions from individual data contributors, and any aggregation
covered by the ODbL.

There other open issues that we seek OSM community support and input on.
If you would like to help, please give input at
http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Open_Data_License/Implementation_Issues

For instance: Who actually should be the licensor of the ODbL license?
The OSM Foundation is the logical choice but are there any alternatives?
And implementation What Ifs ... for example, what if the license is not
accepted?

Thank you for your patience with this process. The license working group
looks forward to working with community input and an opening up of the
process.

--------------
All dates approximate for review.

License Plan

27th February:
* This draft adoption plan made public to legal and talk list
with the draft license text made available by the Open Data Commons
(with facility for comments back) . Local contacts asked to assist in
passing on the message, and subsequent announcements.

2nd March:
* Working group meeting. Finalise implementation plan following
review of plan comments; What If scenario planning.

12th March:
* Working group meeting. Review of community feedback received
to date.

20th March:
* End of ODbL comment period.

28 March:
* ODbL 1.0 is expected to be released by Open Data Commons at The
Open Knowledge Conference (OKCon) London event.

31st March:
* OSMF Board endorses licence and asks OSMF members (as of 23rd
January) to vote (1 week) on whether ODbL 1.0 should be put to the
community for adoption.

What follows is based on a positive response from the OSMF members...

+ 1 week:
* Website only allows you to log in and use API when you have
set yes/no on new license. New signups agree to both licenses. Sign up
page still says dual licensing so that we can release planet etc. People
who have made zero edits are automatically moved over to new license and
are emailed a notice.
* Website to allow users to voluntarily agree to new license.
Design allows you to click yes, or if you disagree a further page
explaining the position and asking to reconsider as there may be a
requirement to ultimately remove the users data. This will help stop
people accidentally clicking 'no'. Sign up page now states you agree to
license your changes under both CCBYSA and also ODbL.

+ 2 weeks?
* Require people to respond to the licensing question. How? Should
we deny API access otherwise?

+1 month:
* Working group meeting. Assessment of number of no responses
and number of people who haven't said either way. Emails ready to send
to contact those who have not clicked yes or no. Personal outreach to
those who have said no.

+ 2 months??
* Final cut-off. What do we do with the people who have said no or
not responded?

Low cost, low flow, home made hydraulic ram pump (no welding required)

source http://www.judyofthewoods.net/ram_pump.html

If you have a water supply (spring, brook or river) below the point where you need the water, and the source is higher than the lowest part of the property, then a hydraulic ram pump may be the solution. Hydraulic ram pumps are powered by a portion of the water running through it. If the cost of a commercial pump puts you off, or the water volume is too little to operate the pump, you can make one to suit your conditions at very little cost. There are two excellent books published by Intermediate Technology on making your own ram pump. One is "Hydraulic Ram Pumps: A Guide to Ram Pump Water Supply Systems" by T.D. Jeffrey, T.H. Thomas, A.V. Smith, and P.B. Glover. The other is "A Manual on the Hydraulic Ram for Pumping Water" by S. B. Watt. I would recommend you get both; they do complement each other. They also explain how to design and build the whole system. The pumps featured in the books do require welding and threading equipment, and the smallest pump has a 2" diameter body which requires a fair amount of water to operate. However, the principle also works on a smaller scale, and I have made a pump from standard brass 28 mm compression fittings, with 28mm, 22 mm and 15 mm pipe (all readily available) and with soldering equipment. It is not scientifically worked out, but it works and is about as efficient as a commercial pump, and it takes the elbow grease out of pumping by hand or the expense and complications of an electric pump. I don't know what the maximum lift would be with a pump this size, but in a test with my own it pumped water approximately 15 - 20 feet up with a drive head of about 5 - 6 feet. Even in such a small pump the pressure is enormous, and I believe it could pump water much higher. This pump also works on relatively small volumes of water. Even the smallest commercial pump requires large volumes of water to power it, making a ram pump unsuitable for many situations, where this smaller pump would still be able to operate. I have even operated the pump on about 25 gallons a day during a dry summer by running it intermittently from a holding tank. However, the pump only delivers about one 10th of the volume, wasting the rest, so I only ended up with about two gallons out of that tank. It also required manually opening and closing the stop cock or some complicated automated system (self-siphoning may be a possibility I have not yet tested, but the tight pipe bends may hinder the flow too much).

I built this pump nearly 12 years ago, and did not take pictures during the build. Due to limited material choice, some parts have corroded, and some of the information is based on memory, so the instructions are a little incomplete, but hopefully there is enough information to build your own. A lot of the measurements for this pump were indeed rule of thumb - "that looks about right", and it worked. Of course, your thumb may differ in size from mine, but you get the idea.....


click to enlarge, and drag corners
for large annotated pictures go to my Flickr page

How the hydraulic ram pump works

Water enters the ram from the thick drive pipe and runs out of the impulse valve, which is held open by a spring (or weight in larger pumps). As the momentum increases, the pressure of the water will drag the impulse valve shut. This creates a shock wave inside the ram body, pushing water past the delivery valve (a non-return valve). As the pressure subsides the impulse valve opens and the cycle begins again. This takes place more than 100 times a minute, depending on the head pressure and tuning of the impulse valve, and each pulse pushes up a small quantity of water through the thinner delivery pipe. The air chamber cushions the flow. The tiny snifter valve below the chamber allows a small quantity of air into the air chamber with every pulse to replace air lost into the deliver pipe. A small squirt of water will come out on the recoil.

Building the pump

Materials

approx. 1 meter of 28 mm copper pipe for body and pressure chamber
22 mm copper pipe for supply pipe
15 mm copper pipe for delivery pipe
connectors as needed
two 28 mm compression 'T's
one 28 mm compression elbow
one 28 mm solder blank end (optional) one 15 mm ball valve
one 28 mm to 15 mm reducer (solder type)
one 28 mm to 22 mm reducer (solder type)
flat piece copper for valves (pipe cut open and hammered flat on metal surface)
small bore pipe to form guide for impulse valve
inner tube for delivery and snifter valves and mounting shock absorbers
rubber and copper disk (psst! don't tell Her Madge - a coin) for impulse valve
tiny nut and bolt cut from earth connector of light switch for snifter valve flap
two nuts and bolts for the impulse and the delivery valve (brass or s/s)
a steel spring removed from a cabinet ball and spring closure (brass would be better if found) for the impulse valve
1/2 tea strainer (wire globe type) clipped to tank outlet
approx 1 ft of 22 mm i/d reinforced automotive rubber pipe as shock absorbing section in supply pipe
two hose clamps for above
one 20 gallon tank as buffer and filter at spring
one 22 mm tank connector
two exhaust pipe brackets to hold pump body to base
section of steel I-beam for base
concrete to hold pump base
solder, flux

Note on fittings - these compression fittings are typical for the UK, and are somewhat different from those available in other countries. Your fitting may look different, but should still work. It is important to use threaded fittings, as the rubber gaskets in the pump body would be damaged when assembling a pump made with solder fittings. Threaded fittings also allow access to the inside of the pump in case of debris entering it, or to replace worn gaskets. Although I used joint tape, it is probably not necessary, as a slight seepage is of no consequence in the pump setting, and the amount of water lost miniscule.

You may be able to obtain the short length of pipe and fittings for the body from a plumber doing a remodeling job. If you buy new materials, shop around. I have bought the fittings at an agricultural iron mongers for about one third the price a builder's merchant charged! The most difficult thing to obtain is the right size brass nuts, bolts, and spring. DIY shops have very little choice - if you get the right length bolt, it may be too thin. You may be able to scavenge them from some old electrical equipment, as did I, if only I could remember what from. Make sure it is solid brass as any plating will soon wear off. Valve gaskets can be cut from inner tube, preferably car tube, as it makes flatter gaskets. Avoid seams. The spring for the impulse valve came from a cabinet ball snap closure. It was just the right size and tension, but made of galvanized wire, which did not last long. You may be able to make one from s/s or brass wire. This is the part which needs some experimentation.

Delivery and snifter valve assembly

Cut a disk of sheet copper (a piece of opened up pipe, hammered flat) to fit inside the approx. 2 1/2 inch section of 28 mm pipe. Drill one hole in the center to take a small bolt, and holes all around to allow as much water through as possible, but not so many to weaken the disk. Leave a solid edge for the gasket to overlap enough to prevent leakage. File the holes clean with a round needle file and rub surface with abrasive paper to prevent sharp edges and to ensure the gasket makes good contact. Solder the disk into the pipe about 1/2 inch below the edge. Rest the disk on a piece of 15 mm pipe cut to the hight of the disk position. Keep it to the center and avoid excess solder, or you will solder this pipe to the disk too.

Drill a 1 mm diameter hole about halfway down the pipe, and clean the edges. Drill another hole about 1/4 inch below, making it the size of a tiny bolt. Cut a small flap of inner tube to cover the 1 mm hole and extend beyond the bolt hole, and cut a small hole in the rubber for the bolt. Attach the rubber flap with the bolt and nut. If you can't find a tiny brass nut and bolt, you can improvise with the small grub screw and the threaded counterpart of the earth terminal of a redundant plastic electrical socket. The threaded brass block should be sawn in half to reduce drag.



Cut a disk of inner tube to fit snuggly inside the pipe, but not touching the pipe, as the flap must be able to move freely. Cut a small hole in the center and bolt it on top of the metal valve disk with a small washer between the gasket and the nut.

Impulse valve assembly

This one is more tricky to make, and will need some experimenting and improvising with available materials. I will describe the one I made, but there are many ways of doing it. The main principle is a rigid disk with a rubber surface (for good contact) on a guided support which allows the disk to travel in a straight line. The disk is held away from the opening with a spring or weights, which should not prevent the shock wave from slamming the valve shut. The valve disk should be smaller than the inside diameter of the valve body to allow water to pass around it to exit from the outlet holes which need to be big enough to allow the water to pass through with as little resistance as possible to build up momentum. In practice this is a compromise between the disk size and the outlet holes. If the outlet holes are too big, then the disk would have to be correspondingly big to cover the holes in the shut position, thereby allowing little water to pass around the disk when open. The area of the holes should be about equal to the area of the space around the disk, taking into account a small area where the disk overlaps the outlet plate to ensure a tight seal.



Cut a section of 28 mm pipe to about 2 - 3 inch length. Make a flat piece of copper to cover the top which overlaps the edge to give a sufficient mounting surface for the valve stem guide. Shape is not important, though square is probably easier, unless you already happen to have a suitable round disk. Drill a large enough hole in the center to allow the spring to pass through without catching the edge, and drill more smaller holes around this big one, using the above thumb formula. I am not sure why I did not make a larger hole instead. The reason may have been drill size. I suppose, one large hole should work as well, as long as it is a smaller than the valve disk to allow the sealing overlap. Make sure the holes and surface are smooth. Solder a frame to the top of the plate to hold a piece of tube just big enough to allow the bolt to pass through and guide it in a straight line. I happen to have had some thin copper tube scavenged from a gas installation of an old caravan. There were two diameters, one fitted snuggly inside the other. The inner was just big enough for the bolt (taking into account that the thread will be filed off the bolt inside the guide tube), but did not have enough substance to split it into four extended legs to support it above the plate, but the larger tube served that purpose. I then soldered the legs to the top plate. The guide tube should also be small enough for the spring to but against it, and not slip inside. The height should allow for the spring to be in the relaxed position with the valve disk about the same distance below the top plate in the open position as the space around the disk. It should also allow room for compression of the spring when the valve shuts, i.e. the spring should also be long enough to allow this compression without the bunched up wires crowding the small space between the guide and the top of the plate, which would happen with a short and tightly coiled spring. To assemble the valve drop a copper or brass disk onto the bolt head followed by a rubber disk, a washer and a nut to secure the disks. Measure the length of the spring and the guide tube and file the thread off the bolt for this length to prevent snagging, and leave thread on the last section for the nut and counter nut. Drop the spring onto the bolt and feed the bolt from inside the valve body through the center hole and the guide tube and secure the bolt in place with the nut and counter nut.

Assembling and installing the pump

Assembling is very easy, just follow the diagram. One point to watch out for is the location of the snifter valve. When inserting the deliver valve assembly between the elbow and 'T' make sure the snifter valve is on the opposite side of the delivery pipe exit to prevent the air being lost up the delivery pipe. The top of the pressure chamber can be capped with a blank end or simply hammered flat, bent over like a toothpaste tube, and sealed with solder run into the joint. It is critical that there is enough water to power the pump, as any reduced flow would simply trickle out of the open impulse valve without causing the shock wave to slam it shut. The pipes need to be filled and no air should enter the pipe. It is also important that no debris enters the pump as it can easily jam the valve open. Some kind of intake tank is advisable, and a filter at the tank exit. I used a 25 gallon plastic tank and clipped one half of a s/s fine wire mesh tea strainer (the wire globe type with sprung handle) over the tank connector nut - just happened to be perfect fit. The water also came from a covered spring with very little debris entering it. The drive pipe needs to be as straight as possible, with any bends kept very gradual. Stop cocks must not hinder the flow, therefore a ball valve would be best suited. The jolt of the valve slamming shut creates a fair amount of pressure in the pipe, and it needs to have some shock absorbing section of strong reinforced rubber hose in the upper section. The pump body must be fixed to a base rigidly, but with some cushioning. I clamped the pump to a section of 'I' beam which is embedded in concrete, and used exhaust pipe clamps, cushioned with some inner tube wrapped around the pump body. There is a stop cock on both pipes entering and leaving the pump. For the longer delivery pipe Medium Density Polyethylene is best suited for longer sections, and can easily be joined at or near the stop cock with a copper to MDPE adapter.

MALUNGGAY NOODLES

Dr. Lorna Valera”s

MALUNGGAY NOODLES

Ingredients: 2 ½ c flour

1 c malunggay leaves, dried

¾ c water

2 eggs

2 tsp. salt

Procedure: 1. Mix all ingredients.

2. Knead until smooth and elastic.

3. Dust with flour and roll.

4. Extrude or cut.

5. Boil.

6. Rinse and drain.

Note: 1. If you dry after extruding or cutting, it is called “dried miki.”

2. If you fry after rinsing, it is called “pancit canton.”

http://www.bic.searca.org/bmarc/biolife_jan_feb08.pdf

Posted in How To, recipes, special diet | Tags: Dr. Lorna Valera, How to make malunggay noodles, how to make moringa noodles, malunggay, Malunggay noodles, moringa recipe

Panchakavya – an Organic Growth Promoter for Plants

By Dr. Periasamy Alagesan* and M. Mahadevan
January 2009

The Authors are Post Graduate Researchers at the Centre for Advanced Research in Zoology, Yadava College, in Madurai, India.

1. Introduction

The progress of ancient Indian civilization pivoted around cow and its progeny. Cows were the symbol of prosperity, measure of wealth and hence. The cow is greatly respected, worshipped and is believed to be the abode of all the Gods. The one product that is revolutionizing parts of Rural Tamil Nadu today is Panchakavya, an organic product blended from five offerings that evolve from the cow, used in Indian medicine since time immemorial and now being used, with astonishing results, to safeguard plants and soil micro-organisms and to increase fruit and vegetable production.

The Sanskrit word Panchakavya means “mixture of five products”, and it has been used in traditional Hindu rituals throughout history. Panchakavya is a concotion prepared by mixing five products of Cow. The three direct constituents are dung, urine, and milk; the two derived products are curd and ghee. When the above five products of the cow are suitably mixed and used, these have miraculous positive influence on living organisms. In recent years Panchakavya has found a prominent position in the context of organic farming in Tamil Nadu.

2. Nutrient Content and Important Components of Panchakavya

• Cow dung: It has undigested fibre, epithelial cells, bile pigments and salts rich in nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, sulphur, micronutrients, intestinal bacteria, fungi and microbial organisms. It contains 82% water and solid matter 18% which constitutes minerals – 0.1%, ash -2.4%, organic manure -14.6%, ca and Mg -0.4%, so³ -0.05%, Silica-1.5%, N -0.5%,P-0.2% and K-0.5%
• Cow’s urine: It contains uric and hippuric acids in large quantities along with minerals like sodium, chloride, sulphates of calcium and magnesium, potassium hippurate etc. It is a rich source of urea and acts as a nutrient as well as a hormone. It contains water 91% and solid matter 19% which includes minerals1.4%, ash 2.0%, manure 6.0%, ca and Mg 0.15%, Silica 0.01%, N1.0%, K 1.35% and P in traces. Urine contains most of the N(63%), and S(50%), wastes which are readily soluble.
• Cow’s milk: It contains protein, fat, carbohydrate, amino acid, calcium hydrogen, lactic acid and also Lactobacillus bacterium. Many microorganisms could ferment either five or six carbon sugars, but the Lactobacillus bacterium could ferment both.
• Ghee: It has vitamin A, vitamin B, calcium, fat, etc, and is also rich in glycosides, which protect the wounded portion from infection.
• Curd: Cows curd is rich in microbes (Lactobacillus) that are responsible for fermentation.

3. Preparation of Panchakavya

A modified prescription for making 20 litres of Panchakavya is given below (Natarajan, 2003)

3. a) Materials Required

1. Cow dung mixed with water – 5 kg
2. Cow’s urine – 3 litres
3. Cow’s milk – 2 litres
4. Curd – 2 litres
5. Ghee – 1 kg
6. Ripe yellow Banana – 12 pieces
7. Tender Coconut water – 3 litres
8. Sugarcane juice – 3 litres
   (or ½ kg of jaggery mixed with 3 litres of water)

Wide mouthed mud pots are used for preparation of Panchakavya. The measured amount of cow dung and ghee were added first into the container and kept for about three days for fermentation. On the fourth day the remaining products were added to the container and kept for seven more days. The contents were stirred for 20 minutes each; both in the morning as well as evening to facilitate aerobic microbial activity. After ten days of incubation, different concentrations were prepared and used as foliar spray for plants.

3. b) Physico Chemical Properties of Panchakavya: (Perumal et al., 2006)

• pH : 3.7
• Electrical Conductivity (Dsm^-1) : 0.40
• Nitrogen : 1.28%
• Phosphorus : 0.72%
• Potassium: 2.23%
• Organic Carbon: 17.45%

3. c) Cost

The cost of production of a litre of Panchakavya is around Rs. 30

4. Field Application of Panchakavya

On the 21st day, 1 litre of the Panchakavya solution is mixed with 10 litres of water, and then applied the solution in the soil. The Panchakavya is sprayed on crops to get the best results. Seeds can be soaked and seedlings can be dipped in 3 per cent solution of Panchakavya for about 30 minutes before sowing to get good results from the crops.

5. Benefits

5. a) Effect of Panchakavya on Plants

• Acts as a growth-promoter and immunity booster
• Increases the weight and quality of the yield
• Increases the shelf life of vegetables and fruits
• Increases the sugar content and aroma of fruits
• Advance harvesting by 15 days
• Reduces the water requirement by 30% (Natarajan, 2004)
• Profuse and dense roots, penetrating to deep layers

Various crops such as rice, a variety of vegetables, fruit crops such as mango, banana, guava, acid lime cash crops such as sugarcane, turmeric, jasmine and moringa and plantation crops have responded extremely well to application of Panchakavya.
Somasundaram et al., (2004) reported that Panchakavya contains the growth regulatory substances such as Indole Acetic Acid, Gibberalic Acid and Cytokinin and essential plant nutrients. It also contains beneficial, effective micro organisms, predominately lactic acid bacteria, yeast, actinomycetes, photosynthetic bacteria and certain fungi besides beneficial and proven biofertilizers such as Azotobacter, Azospirillum and Phosphobacterium. Jayasree and George (2006) observed a significant high yield and quality in chilli plant, Capsicum annuum treated with Panchakavya. Ravikiran (2005) opined that Panchakavya is not only an effective pesticide but also a natural fertilizer. Panchakavya also promotes growth, boost immunity in the plant system to repel pests and control diseases (Prabu, 2006).

5. b) Other Applications

• In the fishponds, the addition of Panchakavya increased the growth of phyto and zoo plankton, which contributed to improved fish feed availability and thus increased fish growth.
• Earthworms grew faster and produced more vermi-compost when treated with this solution.
• When fed to cows, at 200 ml per day, they turned healthier and produced milk with high fat content. Their rate of conception increased, and the various common ailments were completely cured. Similar effects were found in sheep and goats.
• When mixed with the poultry feed or drinking water at the rate of 5 ml per bird per day, the birds became disease-free and healthy. They laid larger eggs for longer periods. In the broilers, the weight gain was impressive and the feed to weight conversion ratio improved.

5. c) Panchakaya on Human Health

It enhances the appetite, digestion, and elimination of wastes. It elevates the mood and sound sleep. It increases blood circulation to all organs thereby the ageing process is retarded and hence, Panchakavya becomes a “Kayakalpa medicine”. Panchkavya is very effective in treating AIDS patients, Diabetes mellitus, Ischemic heart disease, stroke, Arthritis, Peptic ulcer, Constipation, Infertility, Asthma, Thyroid diseases, renal failure and even early stages of cancer (Natarajan, 2003).

6. Conclusion

Panchakavya is easy to prepare, environmentally safe, economically sound biofertilizer. In agriculture, the application of the biopesticide, Panchakvya obtained from five products of cow will avoid pollution problems to a greater extent. India being agriculture based country, it could play a vital role in organic farming and considerably reduce and replace the use of chemical fertilizers.

References

• Natarajan, K. (2003) Panchakavya – A Manual. Other India Press, Goa, India. 32 pp.
• Perumal, K., K. Praveena, V. Stalin and B. Janarthanam (2006) Assessment of selected organic manures as plant growth hormones and their impact on the growth attributes of Alium cepa Lin.Current Science,8: 46-51
• Natarajan, K. (2004) Pancha Kavya - Natural Farming. Indigenous Agriculture News 4(1):18-20
• Somasundaram, E., N. Sankaran and T. M. Thiyagarajan (2004) Modified Panchakavya for better yield. www.hindu.com/seta/2004/02/12stories/2004021200211500.htm
• Jayasree.P and A. George (2006) Do biodynamic practices influence yield, quality, and economics of cultivation of chilli (Capsicum annuum L.)? Journal of Tropical Agriculture, 44 (1-2): 68-70
• Ravikiran, G (2005) Cow gives pesticide too! THE HINDU, Wednesday, 5. 10. 2005
• Prabu, M.J. (2004) Dasagavya: organic growth promoter for plants. www.hindu.com/seta/2004/02/12