Community Blog

Sent in by Kimberly H.

This just came in from Virginia Independent Consumers and Farmers, please take action now to preserve our local food system.--Kimberly H.

Dear VICFA Supporter,

The U.S. Senate is expected to vote on a sweeping overhaul of the food safety laws, very soon - possibly as early as April 13. As it is currently written, the bill, S. 510, will actually make our food less safe. S. 510 will strengthen the forces that have led to the consolidation of our food supply in the hands of a few industrial food producers, while harming small producers who give consumers the choice to buy fresh, healthy, local foods

Please contact your Senators NOW to urge them to amend or oppose the bill! Contact information and talking points are below.

Congress needs to solve the real problems - the centralized food distribution system and imported foods - and not regulate our local food sources out of business. S. 510 is a "one-size-fits-all" approach that will unnecessarily burden both farmers and small-scale food processors, ultimately depriving consumers of the choice to buy from producers they know and trust.

TAKE ACTION:

Call both of your Senators. You can find their contact information at www.senate.gov, or call the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121 or toll-free at 877-210-5351. Ask to speak with the staffer who handles food safety issues.

Tell the staffer that you want the Senator to amend or oppose S. 510. If you get their voice mail instead of the staff, leave the following message:

"Hi, my name is _____ and I live in ______. I'm very concerned that S.510, the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act, imposes unfair and burdensome regulations on local food sources, which are very important to me. The Committee version of the bill does not address my concerns, and I urge the Senator to support the Tester Amendment to exclude small facilities and direct marketing farms from the most burdensome provisions of the bill. Please call me back at ____________."

You can also send an email to your senators by visiting the website of the

Western Organization of Resource Councils.

TALKING POINTS

VICFA joined with 86 other organizations to send a letter to the Senators urging that they amend S.510 to exempt small-scale and local producers from the more burdensome provisions of the bill. You can borrow some talking points from the letter (posted here) or use the ones below:

1. The major foodborne illness outbreaks and recalls have all been caused by the large, industrial food system. Small, local food producers have not contributed to the highly publicized outbreaks. Yet S. 510 subjects the small, local food system to the same, broad federal regulatory oversight that would apply to the industrial food system.

2. Increased regulations and record-keeping obligations could destroy small businesses that bring food to local communities. In particular, the reliance on hazard analysis and risk-based preventative controls, a concept similar to "HACCP", will harm small food producers. HACCP has already proven to be an overwhelming burden for a significant number of small, regional meat processors across the country. Applying a HACCP-type system to small, local foods processors could drive them out of business, reducing consumers' options to buy fresh, local foods.

3. FDA does not belong on the farm. S. 510 calls for FDA regulation of how farms grow and harvest produce. Given the agency's track record, it is likely that the regulations will discriminate against small, organic, and diversified farms. The House version of the bill directs FDA to consider the impact of its rulemaking on small-scale and diversified farms, but there are no enforceable limits or protections for small diversified and organic farms from inappropriate and burdensome federal rules.

4. Food safety and security both come from a diversified, vibrant local food system. Local foods give consumers the choice to buy from producers they know, creating a transparent, accountable food system without federal government oversight. State and local laws, which are often size-specific rather than one-size-fits-all, are more appropriate for local food producers.
Time is short. DO NOT WAIT TO ACT against this attack on our food freedom.

Sincerely,
VICFA Communications
Virginia Independent Consumers
and Farmers Association

I came across this article and was in absolute hysteria.

Here's my response:

I think this article is a bunch of crock: it furthers our ignorance and yearning for processed foods. Folks, unless you are an athlete you should not be consuming Gatorade or any of the similar products.

First off they contain HFCS (high fructose corn syrup) which is neither good for athletes or regular folks. It's sugar fat in a bottle.

Secondly, these drinks contain artificial sweeteners. And if you know anything about rat poison then you know the relationship between it and atificial sweeteners. YUP! YOU'RE THINKING RIGHT! GOOGLE IT!

Third, what the hell happened to WATER? This article did not even include water which is the most beneficial and natural for your body, hair, nails, skin attitude, energy levels, etc. Both soda and Gatorade contain horrible ingredients that are not natural for your body so your body has to try its best to process them effectively. Furthermore, some of these ingredients are harmful causing break outs, hair loss, stress and fatigue and of course your gonna crash eventually and then you'll just crave more sugar - it's a vicious cycle. They both contain empty calories and if you're trying to get that rubber tire from around your waist good luck while drinking either of these. Gatorade has BOOKOO (tons) of salt (sodium) and the more salt the more bloat and water weight which in essence just makes you look and feel fatter. Try mixing lemon with water. Or if you need the bubble affect try seltzer water and add fruits to it. My goodness folks.

I really need for many of you to get it together. Gatorade vs Soda? When are we going to stop being so ignorant? This is why we have so many health issues in America that could easily be solved by our society eliminating all of these harmful foods...but I guess we need money and we need some people to die anyway, right FDA approval board members?

Sent in by Jehmu Greene.

Without women the greatest moments in film this year would not have been possible. The Oscars are less than two weeks away, and "The Hurt Locker" director Kathryn Bigelow - doubly armed with directing awards from the Director's Guild and BAFTA (British Academy Awards) - is better positioned than any other woman in history to shatter the 81-year-old "Best Director" glass ceiling at the Oscars.
Watch and share this video with your friends, honoring Bigelow, Mo'Nique, Meryl Streep, and all the other incredible women who have been nominated for Oscars in 2010: http://bit.ly/oscarwmc
Join our campaign to support women in film, and we'll deliver a strong message to the Academy and Hollywood studio executives to ensure an even longer list of nominees next year. Celebrate women nominees for 2010 Academy Awards and support women in film: http://bit.ly/oscarwmc
Peace,
Jehmu, Rebekah, Leslie
& the WMC Team
Our work would not be possible without your support - and every dollar has a direct and powerful impact. Text WOMEN to 50555 to donate $10, or click here to donate online: https://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/937/t/10343/shop/custom.jsp?donate_page_KEY=5719

Did you know how badly women are under-represented in Hollywood? http://bit.ly/oscarwmc In 2009:

1. DIRECTORS: Women directors lost ground, accounting for just 7 percent of directors on the 250 top-grossing movies -- a drop of 2 percent. That's the same number as in 1987
2. EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Women comprised only 17 percent of executive producers, and two-thirds of the movies had no female executive producers.
3. CINEMATOGRAPH ERS: Only 2 percent of the 250 films credited female cinematographers.
4. EDITORS: Editing was the technical area with the most women employed. Women accounted for 18 percent of all editors working on the top 250 films of 2009. However, 78 percent of those films had no women in the editing suite. In 2008, women accounted for 17 percent of editors on the top 250 films.
5. WRITERS: Only 8 percent of writers were female, and 86 percent of the films had no female writers credited.

Women deserve equal opportunity and recognition for their work. Click here to celebrate the women who have been nominated for 2010 Academy Awards and sign onto Women's Media Center campaign supporting women in film: http://bit.ly/oscarwmc

The fact that they were making the ceremony seem like a n awards show is disturbing: the clothes, the dinner menu, who attended. How so nonchalant. Anything about what this all means for the average American? What does this unity truly signify for all peoples involved? Paula Deen, I love her but her words really aren't important for what just went down...she was so not the big picture! President Obama is drinking clear and every other word is is “president”. What does this really mean for us? Really?

This piece from MSNBC:

At the conclusion of about two hours of talks, Obama said he and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had agreed to "work even closer" on sharing information between law enforcement and intelligence agencies. Singh promised increased cooperation with Washington to battle terrorism.

By the way. Does Lincoln and Obama NOT look just alike?

Sent in by Arla B.

Dr. Vinay Goyal is an MBBS,DRM,DNB (Intensivist and Thyroid specialist) having clinical experience of over 20 years. He has worked in institutions like Hinduja Hospital , Bombay Hospital , Saifee Hospital , Tata Memorial etc. Presently, he is heading our Nuclear Medicine Department and Thyroid clinic at Riddhivinayak Cardiac and Critical Centre, Malad (W).

The following message given by him, I feel makes a lot of sense and is important for all to know.

The only portals of entry are the nostrils and mouth/throat. In a global epidemic of this nature, it's almost impossible to avoid coming into contact with H1N1 in spite of all precautions. Contact with H1N1 is not so much of a problem as proliferation is.

While you are still healthy and not showing any symptoms of H1N1 infection, in order to prevent proliferation, aggravation of symptoms and development of secondary infections, some very simple steps, not fully highlighted in most official communications, can be practiced (instead of focusing on how to stock N95 or Tamiflu):

1. Frequent hand-washing (well highlighted in all official communications).

2. "Hands-off-the-face" approach. Resist all temptations to touch any part of face (unless you want to eat, bathe or slap).

3. *Gargle twice a day with warm salt water (use Listerine if you don't trust salt). *H1N1 takes 2-3 days after initial infection in the throat/ nasal cavity to proliferate and show characteristic symptoms. Simple gargling prevents proliferation. In a way, gargling with salt water has the same effect on a healthy individual that Tamiflu has on an infected o ne. Don't underestimate this simple, inexpensive and powerful preventative method.

4. Similar to 3 above, *clean your nostrils at least once every day with warm salt water. *Not everybody may be good at Jala Neti or Sutra Neti (very good Yoga asanas to clean nasal cavities), but *blowing the nose hard once a day and swabbing both nostrils with cotton buds dipped in warm salt water is very effective in bringing down viral population.*

5. *Boost your natural immunity with foods that are rich in Vitamin C (Amla and other citrus fruits). *If you have to supplement with Vitamin C tablets, make sure that it also has Zinc to boost absorption.

6. *Drink as much of warm liquids (tea, coffee, etc) as you can. *Drinking warm liquids has the same effect as gargling, but in the reverse direction. They wash off proliferating viruses from the throat into the stomach where they cannot survive, proliferate or do any harm.