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POPSObama: I'm So Awesome, I'll Just Grade Myself. Hey Look, I Got A B+ ...Two states " Wyoming and California " had fewer than 50 percent of those eligible enrolled to receive food stamps. Many of the states that struggled were among the most populous, including New York, where 61 percent of eligible citizens participated; Florida, where 57 percent participated; and Texas, where 55 percent were enrolled... Stop ObamaCare! Sign the National Petition Opposing State-Run Healthcare http://bit.ly/7n60Qd
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POPSEnd the Use of Live Pigs for Training at Baystate Medical Center The study Dying to Learn: Exposing the Supply of Dogs and Cats to Higher Education also found that both medical and veterinary students can learn just as well through alternative teaching methods that can include hands on training at shelters for vet students and simulators for medical students. Dying to Learn site: http://www.dyingtolearn.org/cruella.html
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POPSMore Race-based policies from the Obama administration
His entrance into the dust-up between a Massachusetts police officer and Dr. Henry Gates proves that as far as our President is concerned, if you're white, you're not right. He played the race-card in a grand Presidential trump, accusing a white cop of violating a black man's rights. He refused to even consider that his friend, the esteemed doctor, behaved like a titty baby. The Administration's own numbers show that rural America is a diverse community. There is no need for Government intervention. Morris Dees of the Southern Poverty Law Center acknowledges that the rise in "hate" groups is astounding, in the last five years, we’ve seen a 30% increase in the number of hate groups. There you have it. All those years of Government mandated affirmative action programs have failed. If the goal was to improve racial relations, they missed it by a country mile. Further proof that the last thing the rural community needs is a bunch of liberal urbanites dictating how we live.
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POPSWarning: Eating Meat May Cause Sickness, Paralysis and Death
In short, E. coli didn't just "happen" to the meat industry -- it's a consequence of industrial practices. But nowhere in the article (or in the halls of the USDA or the largescale beef producers for that matter) is the possibility of moving away from this corn-based system raised as a solution for the industrial system. Surprisingly, the article includes virtually no proposed solutions for this crisis -- just vague assurances that the USDA isn't "standing still" on the issue. In reality, the industry focuses exclusively on "managing" the ongoing presence of E. coli O157 though the development of an E. coli vaccine for cows, and irradiation or chemical washes for the meat. All of which are attempts to mask the risks of a failed system and represent an institutionalizing of the underlying failures. And none of which make me ever want to touch industrial meat again. Indeed, if there ever was a powerful argument for eating only grass-fed beef from small producers, this article is it. T
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POPSWarning: This product may cause sickness, paralysis, and death Given the number of times that beef has been recalled due to contamination in just the past few years, doesn’t it make sense to stop eating it? How many of you have stopped? Stephanie Smith didn’t stop. She is currently in a coma, near death, and paralyzed from eating a single hamburger. E. coli O157 got into industrial beef in the first place because the meat industry insists on feeding cows corn—something they cannot easily digest—instead of grass. Among other things, corn feeding requires cows to be fed a steady dose of antibiotics, which has led to the rise of antibiotic resistance among various pathogens. But more importantly, it has caused very real changes in the cow’s gut which has allowed this toxic strain of E. coli to take hold, a strain that research suggests cannot survive in the gut of cows that eat only grass. The simple solution would be to feed cows grass. But, that solution cannot fatten cattle quickly enough to suit our current appetite for it.
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POPSSocialized Farming In rural America, the LDP is a topic at backyard barbecues and local diners along with the high school football team and the weather. Despite its name, it is neither a loan nor, in many cases, payment for a deficiency. It is just cash paid to farmers when market prices dip below the government-set minimum, or floor, if only for a single day. ad_icon The LDP has become so ingrained in farmland finances that farmers sometimes wish for market prices to drop so they can capture a larger subsidy. "Most smart farmers are cashing in on it," said Bruce A. Babcock, director of the Center for Agricultural and Rural Development at Iowa State University. "It shows me that farmers are being overcompensated."
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POPSNo Drought Required For Federal Drought Aid
"In this county, we got a lot of questions from producers: 'Why are we eligible?' " recalled Tom Schneider, the head of the USDA office in Manitowoc County, where livestock owners got $1.5 million. "Our answer was 'Because we were told you were eligible.' " Several Wisconsin counties qualified on the basis of a two-year-old disaster declaration for a January 2001 snowstorm. "It was a nasty winter storm," recalled Teresa Zimmer, the USDA official in Green County. Asked how the storm affected ranchers, she said, "There were several days where livestock owners couldn't get to the market . . . to sell their animals." Ranchers in Green County collected nearly $1.5 million. One of those who got a payment was Cornell Kasbergen, who helps run family dairy farms in Green County and Tulare County, Calif. Family members received a total of $72,000 in livestock funds, records show. It was a program that was available that we took advantage of, did we have any losses? I couldn't tell you.
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POPSBand together now, or be herded together later. Basically, this family started a co-op, which is a private membership organization where families band together and buy food in bulk and many times locally. The power in this country (unions, retail, FDA, USDA and mega-farmers as well as Dow & Monsanto) are pulling out no stops to shut down small farms and anything not chemically created. We should have the right to eat food grown on a farm without a mega-corporation making money. We should have the right to band together to cut costs without the mega-grocery stores & WalMart taking their cuts. We used to have these rights and while we are busy blogging, twittering & texting-they are being yanked away by coercion and force.
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POPSFamily Farmers: No NAIS in our name National Animal Identification System (NAIS) is designed to protect the health of livestock and the economic well-being of those industries by quickly and effectively tracing an animal disease to its source. So sayeth the federal government. NAIS poses the greatest threat to local and sustainable agriculture since the Nixon administration. NAIS was originally designed to give huge corporations help with export markets. It will not stop animal disease or improve food safety. So sayeth those who oppose another layer of bureaucracy that severely cripples the livelihood of independent farmers and ranchers. NAIS is not legislation but a program designed by USDA bureaucrats with the help of businessmen and manufacturers of ID tags and will only enrich the corporations that already control most of our food supply. So sayeth everyone who knows how government really works.
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POPSThe Wallaby's Revenge - Invade US Australia comes close to holding the record in mucking up its environment by importing plants and animals that nearly destroyed Australia's uniqu flora and fauna. They even had to build thousands of miles of fences to keep non-indigenous rabbits from invading new territory. Now we have a company that thinks its genetically engineered for withstanding colder zones Eucalyptus trees should be sold in US. They grow like weeds and suck up water big time - goodbye native pine trees!
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POPSNon-Organic Organic Food Likewise, the program was supposed to set uniform standards for how organic foods are produced. Yet 65 of the standards recommended by the board since 2002 simply have been ignored by the administrator. For example, the board proposed specific rules to ensure that organic dairy farmers provide "access to pasture" for their cows, but Robinson's team has refused to implement the proposal. Thus, a giant milk purveyor such as Dean Foods (Horizon dairy products) is allowed to sell "organic" milk from cows that are confined in factory conditions rather than allowed to graze in open pastures. By failing to set rules that apply to everyone, the USDA is permitting private, for-profit organic certification firms to create their own standards, which means corporate interests can shop around for the most lenient certifiers. You might think that the USDA would see the organic labeling program as a way to earn consumer trust in the integrity of these products. But, no. Robinson told The Washingto
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POPSRaising a Kid Costs $221,000 (FYI to would-be parents) "Families with more income spend more on child-related costs, the report said. A family that earns less than $57,000 annually will spend about $160,000 on a child from birth through high school. Those with an income between $57,000 and $99,000 spend about $221,000 and those with higher incomes are expected to spend roughly $367,000 through age 17. Costs of raising a child are highest in the urban northeast and lowest in the urban south and rural areas. The USDA report helps courts and states determine child-support guidelines and foster care payments. It does not address costs specifically related to childbearing and paying for college. "
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POPSsuck on our yachts this is a short paragraph fro an article about Goldman Sachs- and their non-apology about ruining the world economy- there is much more at the source- but i felt that this one paragraph summed it up well............
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POPSFood, Inc. And Monsanto's counter response here (http://www.monsanto.com/foodinc/).
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POPSNAIS – it's not about food safety, it's about favoring big agribusiness
More: Producer objections to NAIS involve issues of cost, privacy, and liability. Some producers are worried that meatpackers would transfer liability for bacterial contamination of processed meat back to the farm of origin. Others see NAIS as a threat to the confidentiality of producer records; they're concerned that foreign governments, packers, or other buyers might gain access to those records for their own benefit. Tags that remain on an animal throughout the supply chain could be scanned, and the data retained by buyers to build a database of a producer's products and values. Some worry that packers might use the information they gain from RFID tags for an unfair advantage… Owners of independent livestock markets are concerned about the bookkeeping and reporting burden NAIS creates for them. Some states have already required FFA members to comply with NAIS before they're allowed to participate in livestock projects.
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POPSInfographics: Organic Industry Structure Did you know that Odwalla is owned by Coke? Or that Naked Juice is owned by Pepsi? Spectrum Organics, Garden of Eden, Celestial Seasonings and others- owned by Heinz. Boca Foods and Back to Nature- owned by Kraft. Dagoba Chocolates- owned by Hershey. Morningstar Farms- owned by Kellogg. Horizon and White Wave - owned by Dean. Nature's Farm- owned by Tyson. Annie's Naturals- owned by Solera Capital. Maranatha- owned by American Capital Strat. Ltd. Power Bars- owned by Nestle. Seeds of Change- owned by M&M Mars.
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POPSCAFOs Are Killing Us (NAIS Sucks) Bravo! Ms Blasko hit them where they cannot ignore her. But they probably will anyway because someone is going to make money from the NAIS. She speaks for millions when she lists the seven ‘inconvenient truths’. What the USDA and Ag Dept are doing in unconscionable. I don’t know how many of you understand the dire situation our food system has been put in, but Ms Blasko’s remarks will gone a long way to informing you. Please read, for a better understanding of how to protect your health and the health of your loved ones. Ms Blasko says: ‘I am deeply troubled by what I’ve learned about NAIS. Not only is it expensive, intrusive, discriminatory, and deliberately hostile to small farmers; it is downright unconstitutional. Go back to the drawing board. Stand up to big-ag and industrial food processors’.
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