Organic standards weakened

Visit the source to speak out on this issue by submitting comments to the USDA.

clipped from www.democracyinaction.org ALERT: ANOTHER SNEAK ATTACK ON ORGANIC STANDARDS: USDA TO ALLOW MORE CONVENTIONAL INGREDIENTS IN ORGANICS Despite receiving more than ten thousand comments from consumers and family farmers opposing various aspects of a late May 2007 proposal, the USDA has approved an interim rule that will allow 38 new non-organic ingredients to be allowed in products bearing the “USDA Organic” seal. -Anheuser Busch will be allowed to sell its “Organic Wild Hops Beer” without using any organic hops at all. -Sausages, brats, and breakfast links labeled as “USDA Organic” are now allowed to contain intestines from factory farmed animals raised on chemically grown feed, synthetic hormones, and antibiotics. -Products labeled as “USDA Organic” and containing fish oil may contain toxins such as PCBs and mercury (note: nonorganic fishoil products have this same risk, but despite the USDA ruling, it is against the National Organic Standards to allow such toxins in organic foods).

Monday Melee 6/4

The Monday Melee is a Fracas project. You’re invited to participate. Get details and see the participant list here.

The Misanthropic: Name something you absolutely hate.
The ‘us against them’ tendency. Put a large enough group of people together and they’ll fragment into opposing groups. Clans, nations, religions, political parties, genders, ages: people always seem to find characteristics and criteria to use in order to unite and hold themselves apart from others. I wish we could be more harmonious.

The Meretricious: Expose something or someone that’s phony, fraudulent, or bogus.
New research reveals that sodium benzoate, a preservative commonly found in soft drinks (and other food products) can lead to cirrhosis and Parkinson’s. It has also been found that sodium benzoate, when combined with Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) under certain conditions, creates a carcinogenic called benzene. Let’s get safe ingredients in these products or get them off the market. source: Organic Consumers Association

The Malcontent: Name something you’re unhappy with.
Aging. I’m trying to do it gracefully, but it really bums me out sometimes. I’d like to be 25 again, in body if not in mind.

The Meritorious: Give someone credit for something and name it if you can.
My oldest is learning to drive a stick shift, and he’s handling the challenge with uncharacteristic patience and good humor.

The Mirror: See something good about yourself and name it.
I frequently carry out random acts of kindness.

The Make-Believe: Name something you wish for.
I’d like to have a Farmers’ Market that’s open every day within walking distance of my home.

Heroes Against Hunger

Every 3.6 seconds, one person dies of hunger. Most of the time this hunger is not caused by famine, but by disaster, war or the ravages of extreme poverty.

Join the Mercy Corps Heroes Against Hunger program to fight malnourishment and plant seeds of hope in poor communities around the world. Your monthly support goes to programs that not only speed critical food to families in need, but also teach vital agricultural skills and give nutritional advice to help those families ensure their food needs for years to come.

Mercy Corps exists to alleviate suffering, poverty and oppression by helping people build secure, productive and just communities. Since 1979, Mercy Corps has provided $1.3 billion in assistance to people in 100 nations. Mercy Corps is a Charity Navigator ‘Four Star Charity’.

Monday Melee 4/02

The Monday Melee is a Fracas project. You’re invited to participate. Get details and see the participant list here.

The Misanthropic: Name something you absolutely hate.
Cutthroat competition. Don’t get me wrong: I think competition is often beneficial, and it has certainly been at the root of quite of lot of innovation and progress. What I object to is the practice of winning by ruthless and unjust means; e.g., stepping on, defaming, using, stealing from, scheming against, and otherwise abusing others in order to come out on top. I would prefer to see people compete and achieve success in positive ways.

The Meretricious: Expose something or someone that’s phony, fraudulent, or bogus.
Once again, the President wants to put a person with clear industry allegiances in charge of a government body intended to safeguard the public interest. On March 1, 2007, Bush nominated Michael Baroody as chairman of the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). Baroody is a senior executive with the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), a trade group that regularly opposes product safety regulation and pollution prevention laws. NAM has gone so far as to call for weakening the CPSC, an organization that exists to keep manufacturers from selling products that put us and our families at risk. During his tenure at NAM, Baroody has led opposition to laws that protect children and the public from unsafe products and toxic health threats. source: Organic Consumers Association

The Malcontent: Name something you’re unhappy with.
Clutter. It’s annoying and hard to tame.

The Meritorious: Give someone credit for something and name it if you can.
Our local food bank distributed over 21 million pounds of food last year to needy families and individuals.

The Mirror: See something good about yourself and name it.
‘Dependable’ is my middle name. Well, not literally, although it would have demonstrated uncanny perception and a keen sense of humor on my parents’ part. I can always be counted on to follow through on commitments and to get things done in a competent and timely fashion.

The Make-Believe: Name something you wish for.
Feasible, affordable, long-term alternative energy solutions available to everyone, the world over, right now.

What’s really in pet food?

Visit the link to access an eye-opening report about pet food.

clipped from www.api4animals.org Plump whole chickens, choice cuts of beef, fresh grains, and all the wholesome nutrition your dog or cat will ever need. These are the images pet food manufacturers promulgate through the media and advertising. This is what the $11 billion per year U.S. pet food industry wants consumers to believe they are buying when they purchase their products. This report explores the differences between what consumers think they are buying and what they are actually getting.

Monday Melee 2/26

The Monday Melee is a Fracas project. You’re invited to participate. Get details and see the participant list here.

The Misanthropic: Name something you absolutely hate.
War. Time and again, diplomacy fails (or is never attempted) and war erupts, blazing a trail of destruction, violence, and death. Why must we resort to killing each other?

The Meretricious: Expose something or someone that’s phony, fraudulent, or bogus.
At the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, political appointees, not researchers and scientists, have the last word on standards recommendations for air pollutants.

The Malcontent: Name something you’re unhappy with.
I am highly distressed by the situation in the Middle East.

The Meritorious: Give someone credit for something and name it if you can.
During a recent school-sponsored food drive, a student asked for canned goods as her only birthday presents so that she could donate them.

The Mirror: See something good about yourself and name it.
I am creative and resourceful.

The Make-Believe: Name something you wish for.
I’d like to be able to successfully divide my attention between two tasks; for example, read a book while having an interesting conversation. Multi-tasking on steroids.

Moms Rising

Moms Rising is working to build a massive grassroots movement big enough to impact the outcome of the 2008 elections and beyond. Moms Rising gives mothers, and all who have mothers, a voice in shaping the laws and policies that affect our lives. You can sign online petitions on timely issues like health care, flexible work options, paid family leave, child care, living wages, and more, or you can just sign up to receive email alerts, all for free.

Monday Melee 2/12

The Monday Melee is a Fracas project. You’re invited to participate. Get details and see the participant list here.

The Misanthropic: Name something you absolutely hate.
Reality TV. Enough already. I don’t care much for television in general, but most of these shows are completely beyond the pale.

The Meretricious: Expose something or someone that’s phony, fraudulent, or bogus.
The hypocrisy of many opponents of stem cell research. Is it really better to throw away surplus embryos in a fertility clinic dumpster rather than using them for research that could lead to cures for debilitating diseases and save lives?

The Malcontent: Name something you’re unhappy with.
The cat needs a bath. Needless to say, it won’t be a lot of fun.

The Meritorious: Give someone credit for something and name it if you can.
My son’s school has an aggressive recycling and sustainability program.

The Mirror: See something good about yourself and name it.
I am a good listener.

The Make-Believe: Name something you wish for.
Cures for cancer, AIDS, and heart disease, just for starters.

Not by bread alone

“Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul.”

-John Muir

Wear red on February 2nd

Cardiovascular disease is public enemy number one. Everyone (men too!) can support the fight against heart disease in women by wearing red on February 2 — National Wear Red Day^SM. It’s a simple, powerful way to raise awareness of heart disease and stroke. By joining together with thousands of women, companies and organizations, and cities across America, you’ll help the American Heart association support ongoing research and education about women and heart disease.

Pay a visit to the site and take the Go Red Heart checkup today. You can also purchase Go Red products or make a donation. Spread the message to your family, friends, and associates.

The Monday Melee

The Monday Melee is a Fracas project. You’re invited to participate. Get details and see the participant list here.

Yes, I realize today is not Monday. But I’m jumping in late.

The Misanthropic: Name something you absolutely hate.
Discrimination of all types: racial, religious, age, gender, sexual orientation.

The Meretricious: Expose something or someone that’s phony, fraudulent, or bogus.
Proponents of drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge claim that it is necessary in order to reduce dependence on foreign oil. In truth, we cannot drill our way to independence; there is not enough oil in ANWR to make a noticeable dent. It’s a futile and pointless waste of a pristine wilderness area. I strongly believe we need to concentrate on finding alternative solutions for clean, renewable energy.

The Malcontent: Name something you’re unhappy with.
The weather. It’s winter. Blech.

The Meritorious: Give someone credit for something and name it if you can.
My kids have been doing a better job of taking care of their responsibilities without being reminded.

The Mirror: See something good about yourself and name it.
I am fit and healthy.

The Make-Believe: Name something you wish for.
A world at peace and in harmony with nature.

Dangerous thinspiration

Fracas has created a petition decrying the negative influence of the fashion and entertainment industries on the health and well-being of women. Young women are literally killing themselves in an effort to achieve a dangerously thin ‘ideal’ of beauty. Read the post and show your support by signing the petition.