Healthy soil and sustainable growing

[Doug Willhite <drwillhite@earthlink.net>]

http://chihuahuavalley.net


Begin forwarded message:

From: Organic Consumers Association <oca@mail.democracyinaction.org>
Date: May 7, 2009 5:08:20 AM PDT
Subject: Organic Bytes: Crises, Standards, & Solutions
Reply-To: oca@mail.democracyinaction.org


May 7, 2009 Organic Bytes #172 Health, Justice and Sustainability News
from the Organic Consumers Association In This Issue
Quotes of the Week: On the Contemporary Crisis
Alert Update of the Week: Swine Flu: Reprieve or Lull Before the Storm?
Health Tip of the Week: Swine Flu and the Pandemic of 1918 -- How  
Homeopathy Cured Flu Victims
Alert of the Week: Safeguard Organic Standards
Consumer Tip of the Week: Organic & Sustainable on a Food Stamp Budget
Web Video of the Week: Pete Seeger at 90
Headlines and Articles of the Week
Subscribe | Unsubscribe | Read Past Issues | OCA Homepage | Donate


Quotes of the Week On the Contemporary Crisis
"The economy, as the structuring axis of all the social life, has  
become hostile to life and to the integral development of the  
peoples. It has to be rerouted to its true nature, that of  
guaranteeing the material basis of life and of society."

Leonardo Boff --- Learn more

"If you wanted to create global pandemics, you'd build as many of  
these factory farms as possible. That's why the development of swine  
flu isn't a
surprise to those in the public health community. In 2003, the American
Public Health Association--the oldest and largest in world--called for a
moratorium of factory farming because they saw something like this would
happen. It may take something as serious as a pandemic to make us  
realize
the real cost of factory farming."

Dr. Michael Greger, Humane Society of the U.S. --- Learn More



Alert Update of the Week Swine Flu: Reprieve or Lull Before the Storm?
Scientists and health officials, who scared the wits out of us last  
week, are today trying to reassure us that the first wave of the  
Swine Flu--now spreading across the Northern Hemisphere--is  
apparently not as virulent and life-threatening as future mutated  
waves of this H1N1 virus might be in the Fall. Mexican health  
officials and the Wall Street Journal also revealed a few days ago  
that the pigs in Mexico that likely set off the epidemic are not  
native Mexican pigs, but rather pigs from Smithfield Foods' factory  
farms in the U.S. that were shipped to Mexico.

The rather alarming bottom line, however, is that CAFOs (Concentrated  
Animal Feeding Operations) pose a deadly threat to our health (learn  
more).

Swine CAFOs, such as Smithfield, as well as giant poultry operations,  
such as those operated by Tyson Foods and Perdue, produce cheap food  
by cramming thousands of animals together inside hellish disease- 
ridden factory farms, injecting pigs and chickens with powerful  
vaccines and antibiotics to keep them alive, thereby putting enormous  
pressure on swine and bird viruses and pathogens like MRSA to evolve  
into dangerous killers. Filthy and disease-ridden factory farms for  
pigs and chickens, maintained by exploited and often unhealthy farm  
workers, kept in operation only with massive injections of animal  
drugs, are a biological time bomb set to explode. Experts are hoping  
a mutated H1N1 Swine/Bird Flu virus will not kill millions when it  
returns to the Northern Hemisphere later this year. Unfortunately,  
many scientists warn us that it is not a question of if, but rather  
when, a future swine/bird/human virus will kill millions--unless we  
shut down the CAFOs and transform the current insane global  
industrial/factory farm agriculture system into a chemical and drug- 
free organic system, whereby local and regional organic farms produce  
healthy food for local and regional markets.

Tell President Obama to shut down factory farms now, before it's too  
late.



Health Tip of the Week Swine Flu and the Pandemic of 1918-- How  
Homeopathy Cured Flu Victims
A recent comprehensive epidemiological study of some 61,000 confirmed  
cases of Spanish Flu from 1918-19 by Canadian physician, Dr. Andre  
Saine, shows that patients treated with a form of alternative  
medicine called homeopathy had death rates of 0.7 percent compared to  
death rates in the untreated and from conventional care of 30 percent  
or more. Is homeopathy something that we should be looking into as a  
possible source of prevention and cure for the H1N1 virus?


Learn More


Alert of the Week Safeguard Organic Standards
The National Organic Standards Board is supposed to serve as the  
organic community's watchdog on organic standards. Twice yearly, the  
NOSB holds public meetings. The Organic Consumers Fund, the voice of  
organic consumers in the nation's Capitol, has already submitted  
written comments, and we will also present testimony in person at the  
May 4-6 meeting, in Washington, DC. Our comments cover several topics  
the NOSB will be discussing and voting on in May, including:

* Biodiversity

* Modified atmospheric packaging that creates an appearance of  
freshness even after food has spoiled

* Organic fraud in the personal care products market

* Needed oversight of the UDSA NOP by a peer review panel

* Nanotechnology

* Phasing out non-organic versions of ingredients when organic  
becomes available

* On-farm burning of elemental sulfur (and the resulting emission of  
sulfur dioxide, a source of acid rain) to create sulfurous acid for  
crops like wine grapes that like acidified soil

Please endorse OCF's comments and add your own




Consumer Tip of the WeekOrganic & Sustainable on a Food Stamp Budget
Although the organic food movement has been criticized for selling  
expensive food, organic sales are still increasing, despite the  
economic crisis. A surprisingly large percentage of organic  
enthusiasts are low to middle-income consumers who were not born with  
a silver spoon in their mouth. Documenting how this can be done,  
Siobhan Phillips and her husband embarked on an experiment to eat  
only SOLE foods - sustainable, organic, local or ethical foods - on  
the government-defined, food-stamp minimum: $248 per month for two  
people.

Read Their Story Here


The OCA = A Half Million People Working Together Towards One Goal
We know times are tough for everyone right now. That's why the OCA  
continues to work to organize its more than 500,000 supporters to  
fight for consumers, family farmers, our environment, and our most  
precious assets, our children. We want to continue fighting the good  
fight, as well as bring you Organic Bytes, but we need your donations  
to survive these financially difficult times. If you enjoy Organic  
Bytes and believe the world is a better place with OCA's nonprofit  
work, please consider donating today. Any size donation is helpful  
and appreciated.

Donate


Web Video of the Week The Power of Music--Pete Seeger at 90
Watch this American Masters piece from PBS on Pete Seeger, who is  
celebrating his 90th brithday this week. Seeger has spent his  
lifetime and his musical career focusing on issues of peace, social  
justice and the environment. His birthday serves as a good  
opportunity to showcase how this individual has used the power of  
music to affect millions for a better future.


Watch Now


Headlines and Articles of the Week


1) Putting Organic Baby Food to the Test
Grist Magazine compares popular organic baby food brands' prices,  
packaging and corporate practices.
Learn more

2) Parabens Hidden on Product Ingredients Labels as 'Honeysuckle  
Extract'
Some companies are tricking consumers into thinking their products do  
not have Parabens, but the potential toxin is actually present and  
hidden in the ingredients list as "Japanese Honeysuckle", a natural  
source of Parabens but chemically identical to the synthetic variety.
Learn more

3) Study Finds Food-Wrapper Chemicals in Blood
"A new scientific study has for the first time found a new group of  
chemicals used in coatings on food wrappers in human blood..."
Learn more

4) Honeybee Collapse Strikes Japan
Up to Fifty Percent of Honeybees Gone The phenomenon is known as  
colony collapse disorder, in which large numbers of worker bees  
simply vanish. This wide scale collapse of bee populations could mean  
food shortages...
Learn more

5) When Big Business and Academia Mix, Where is the Line? Monsanto  
has appointed a new member to its board of directors. David Chicoine  
will receive nearly a half million dollars for his new position with  
Monsanto, and, at the same time, he will continue to serve as the  
Land Grant president with the University of South Dakota, overseeing  
academic ag research funded, in part, by Monsanto. Is it enough for  
him to claim there will be no bias?
Learn more

For an Overview of Monsanto's Greenwashing efforts see: Blood Money:  
Monsanto and Its Philanthropy



LOCAL CA NEWS OF THE WEEK CA--Get Involved Locally
Learn more about OCA related action alerts and other news in CA here.
Join CA discussion groups in our forum.
Post events in CA on our community calendar.


Message from our Sponsors
California Almonds are the Best
At Living Tree Community Foods, we have been buying almonds from  
California family farmers since 1979. More than any documentation,  
more than any certificate, established business relations, spanning  
decades, based upon a handshake and a smile are surely the best  
assurance. We refuse to give up. We refuse to deal with an anonymous,  
multinational conglomerate in Europe. We refuse to participate in  
"outsourcing" American almond growers.

Henceforth we shall offer only California almonds. We do so with joy  
and gladness.

California farmers are leading the struggle to bring back your  
original almonds. To support them is to say yes! to what is decent  
and alive in America today!

Abraham Lincoln was right. In his inauguration address he said: Why  
should there not be a patient confidence in the ultimate justice of  
the people? Is there any better or equal hope in the world? By  
supporting California almond growers we are but realizing Lincoln's  
visions of a "new birth of freedom".

Jesse Schwartz, Ph.D.
President
Living Tree Community Foods
www.livingtreecommunity.com



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