The video above features Mark Kastel, the co-director and Senior Farm Policy Analyst at the Cornucopia Institute. The Cornucopia Institute, based in Wisconsin, acts as an organic industry watchdog. In his presentation, Mark raises serious issues currently facing the organic food industry, and how you can help.
Lawfully Tainted Organics—How Did that Happen?
You’ve probably heard the health conscious mantra popularized by Michael Pollan: “If you can’t pronounce it, you shouldn’t be eating it.”
The easiest way to side step synthetic food additives has been to simply eat certified organic foods. But we’ve seen an increasing number of questionable additives being approved for use in organics. There are currently almost 300 non-organic and synthetic compounds approved for use in organic farming or food production. The video shows a long list of such ingredients—all of which are supposed to have been carefully reviewed for safety prior to approval.
But just how rigorous were those reviews, and are these additives really safe and appropriate for use in organics? Mark rightfully points out that fighting for the integrity of the organic label is well-worth it, considering the fact that conventional foods are allowed to use thousands of synthetic processing aids and additives, plus residues from a myriad of agricultural chemicals and genetically engineered ingredients.
Research by the Cornucopia Institute reveals disturbing evidence showing that large corporate interests have infiltrated the process, and that the rules put in place to maintain organic integrity are severely compromised.
“… It seems evident that the people doing the supposedly careful scientific reviews and approving these chemicals have mostly been affiliated with the same corporate agribusinesses and the same food producers that are lobbying for their use,” Mark says.
“We thought organics would be different from the rest of the money-dominated corruption in Washington… But the corporations that have gobbled up most of the pioneering organic businesses are relentless in their short-sighted pursuit of profit.” Read more…
Happy 4/20! Curious about marijuana? These dogs, while not actually under the influence of marijuana (as far as we know), are here to give you some key facts about the drug.
I found your dog today. No, he hasn’t been adopted by anyone. Most of us who live out here have all the dogs we want and those who do not have dogs do so because they choose not to. I know you were hoping he would find a good home when you left him out here, but he did not. When I first saw him he was miles from the nearest house and he was alone, thirsty, thin and limping from a burr in his paw.
How I wish I could have been you as I stood before him. To see his tail wag and his eyes brighten as he bounded into your arms, knowing you would find him, knowing you had not forgotten him. To see the forgiveness in his eyes for the suffering and pain he had known in his never-ending quest to find you, but I was not you. And despite all my persuasion, his eyes saw only a stranger. He did not trust. He would not come.
He turned and continued his journey; one he was sure would bring him to you. He does not understand you are not looking for him. He only knows you are not there, he only knows he must find you. This is more important than food or water or the stranger who can give him these things.
Persuasion and pursuit seemed futile; I did not even know his name. I drove home, filled a bucket with water and a bowl with food and returned to where we had met. I could see no sign of him, but I left my offering under the tree where he had sought shelter from the sun and a chance to rest. You see, he is not of the desert. When you domesticated him, you took away any instinct of survival out here. His purpose demands that he travel during the day. He doesn’t know that the sun and heat will claim his life. He only knows that he has to find you.
I waited hoping he would return to the tree; hoping my gift would build an element of trust so I might bring him home, remove the burr from his paw, give him a cool place to lie and help him understand that the part of his life with you is now over. He did not return that morning and at dusk the water and food were still there untouched. And I worried. You must understand that many people would not attempt to help your dog. Some would run him off, others would call the county and the fate you thought you saved him from would be preempted by his suffering for days without food or water.
I returned again before dark. I did not see him. I went again early the next morning only to find the food and water still untouched. If only you were here to call his name. Your voice is so familiar to him. I began pursuit in the direction he had taken yesterday, doubt overshadowing my hope of finding him. His search for you was desperate, it could take him many miles in 24 hours.
It is hours later and a good distance from where we first met, but I have found your dog. His thirst has stopped, it is no longer a torment to him. His hunger has disappeared, he no longer aches. The burrs in his paws bother him no more. Your dog’s been set free from his burdens, for you see, your dog has died.
I kneel next to him and curse you for not being here yesterday so I could see the glow, if just for a moment in those now vacant eyes. I pray that his journey has taken him to that place I think you hoped he would find. If only you knew what he went through to reach it, and I agonize, for I know that were he to awaken at this moment, and if I were to be you, his eyes would sparkle with recognition and his tail would wag with love and forgiveness.
Our companion animals are living feeling beings who depend on us for care. They are not garbage to be thrown out with the trash or abandon along roadsides. Please think before you go dumping an animal off thinking it can fend for its self or that someone else is going to find and give it a home. The fact is, most will die, lonely, hungry, and terrified. So please be responsible by trying to find your companion animal a new home or by taking it to your local animal shelter.
Below is a video of one little dog named Rosie who was lucky enough to have been rescued by a very lucky earth angel.
http://www.hopeforpaws.org - Rosie was dumped in the desert with no food and no water. Temperatures were over 100 degrees, and she was terrified and wouldn’t let anyone get near her. I drove 3 hours north to give it a try. This video will tell the full story.
If you’re like most people, upon reading the title of this article you thought to yourself, “Oh boy, another smokey story about the benefits of pot.”
Hopefully, you’ll be pleasantly surprised to learn otherwise.
Cannabis, while most often associated with its psychoactive effects, is a dynamic plant. You may be surprised to learn that while the stigma around the plant is undoubtedly a hotly political one, the benefits of the plant are difficult to ignore. Truth is, it seems like the hate toward hemp is purely based on opinion – not fact or science. But to get to this point, it all starts with a better understanding of what cannabis is. Read more »»»
Your roving, sniffing reporter is back with a few more tips.
Achoo! With all this cold and unpredictable weather we’ve been having, it’s cold season for some of us pets. Holestic vets recommend elderberry tea to treat sneezy, runny noses (I think this may even help our humans too). Steep 1 tea bag or 1 teaspoon of elderberry flowers (available at health food stores) in 2 cups of boiling water for 15 minutes. Let the liquid cool, then strain out the tea bag or flowers (which can be toxic), and pour into your pet’s water bowl (1/2 cup at a time), and store the rest in the fridge until needed. Elderberry’s immunity-boosting antioxidants will help you recover in three to five days.
Many cat and dog owners have a lot of trouble getting pet fur off the furniture. We pets love sleeping on the sofa because it’s so comfortable we just can’t help ourselves, but there is a better remedy for removing fur then dragging out that awful vacuum cleaner (that scares some of us). Grab a pair of old, clean panty hose and stick your hand in one leg, then run your hand over the furniture. The tightly woven nylon fibers will easily pick up the pesky fur. Tip: For fur under the couch or bed, slip a leg of the panty hose over the end of a broomstick, secure with a rubber band, and slide it around under the furniture.
Many pet owners have plants and those kitties love to nibble on them. Well, we can put a stop to that. Try sprinkling used coffee grounds on top of the potting soil. Cats are repelled by the coffee ground scent, so they’ll stay away. Plus, coffee is rich in phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, and copper, which will help fertilize your plants. Then you can sit down and enjoy a cup of fresh coffee and watch your plants thrive while the cats nibble on catnip.
Like humans we get upset stomachs too, so here is a vet-approved remedy for doggie diarrhea: Pepto Bismol. Just like humans, the pink stuff will coat our stomachs and provide relief from abdominal pain, loose stools, and excessive gas, but check with your vet before dosing. General guidelines: 1/2 teaspoon for dogs under 10 pounds, 1 teaspoon for dogs 10 to 50 pounds, and 2 teaspoons for dogs over 50 pounds. Do not dose more than once in an eight hour period. CAUTION: Pepto Bismol is toxic to cats so use this tip on dogs only.
That’s all for this week pet lovers, but tune in for more helpful solutions next week!
The true motivation for a war is not always clear in spite of proclamations by a nation or its leaders. The war in Iraq’s purpose is still a mystery to many Americans because of the ever-changing goals proffered by the Bush administration and there are parallels with the current conservative war on women. On the surface, it appears that evangelicals are on a tear to restrict women’s right to choose their reproductive health, and although that is one of their primary goals, there is another pernicious motivation many Americans ignore even though it is obvious to women. Over the past couple of weeks, there have been important clues to what the conservative’s endgame is and although contraception, abortion rights, and women’s health issues are at the forefront, it is male dominance that drives the assaults. Read more »»»
This is some pretty scary stuff. They are messing with the very thing that gives us life. People, we really need to wake up and stop this.
This award winning documentary film explores the growing global threat of genetically engineered trees to our environment and to human health. The film features renowned geneticist and host of PBS’The Nature of ThingsDavid Suzuki, who explores the unknown and possibly disastrous consequences of improperly tested GE methods. Many scientists and activists are interviewed in the film, which serves as an effective and succinct tool for understanding the complex issue of GE trees. The film includes the testimony of many experts on the subject and serves as a valuable tool to inform students and those interested in environmental issues. The film has been well used in public forums, government as well as college and high school classrooms.
The film includes an interview with Percy Schmeiser, who lost the rights to his own crops to Monsanto, when Monsanto seeds contaminated his fields. As Schmeiser says in the film:
“It doesn’t matter how it gets there, destroying your crop. All of your crop, becomes Monsanto’s ownership and they can lay a lawsuit on top of it against you. Even if the contamination rate is 1%, all your other 99% of your crop goes to Monsanto. And that’s what startled the world, how farmers can lose their rights overnight, an organic farmer can lose his seeds and his rights overnight, and get subject to a lawsuit.”
The film shows how farmers like Schmeiser and indigenous people may lose their way of life and belongings in the face of new biotech friendly science and legislation. A Silent Forest won first place in the EarthVision Environmental Film Festival and a First Place in the Wild and Scenic Environmental Film Festival. The film is created by award-winning director Ed Schehl who has been making and promoting documentaries on environmentalism and social justice for 15 years. As new crucial forms of legislation and urgent needs for action arise, this film makes information available to the general public.
Heart attack and stroke in a can. Here’s an interesting study on diet soda that’s followed almost 2,600 older adults for a decade. They found that those who drank diet soda every day were 44 percent more likely than non-drinkers to suffer a heart attack or stroke.
