The Illinois Presidential Inaugural Gala

Here are some video snippets of my night at the Illinois Presidential Inaugural Gala at the Renaissance Washington DC Hotel on January 19, 2009 - the eve of the inauguration of our new president and vice president, Barack Obama and Joe Biden. What a treat it was to go. Special thanks to The Southern Winds Band and Chad for the comp ticket. ;-)

Bush: A Review of 8 Years

Keith Olbermann: I love him. Here's his succinct, emphatic, and heart-wrenching list of the travesties wrought by GW Bush, Dick Cheney and those with whom they colluded at incalculable expense on inconceivable levels.

What do these crimes and violations against our citizenship, the world's people and nature say about our nation and our system of justice? If money and power can so readily supersede truth and accountability, do we have real democracy?

Olbermann / Bush Years: 8 In 8 Minutes (Friday, 16 January, 2009)
Full transcript

Proposition 2 is Passed in CA

Fantastic! California's Proposition 2—the Prevention of Farm Animal Cruelty Act—won 63% of the votes on Nov 4, so the statute passed. The proposition will prohibit confining some farm animals in a manner that does not allow them to turn around freely, lie down, stand up, and fully extend their limbs.

Unfortunately, the animals that will benefit from this—calves raised for veal, egg-laying hens and pregnant pigs—may have to wait until January 1, 2015 for any change in the deplorable treatment they currently receive. Farming operations have until that date to implement the new space requirements. Also unfortunately, a failure to comply will result only in misdemeanor penalties, including a fine not to exceed $1,000 and/or imprisonment in jail for up to 180 days.

The good news is that farm animal treatment is gaining exposure as an issue of tremendous importance. When we understand that the way we treat farm animals affects us directly and indirectly in multiple and significant ways—health, economy, and environmental sustainability, to name a few—we will make choices more circumspectly. Everyone gains, and most importantly our animal friends are accorded a life more worth living.

Photo by Phillie Casablanca. Creative Commons.

Fighting to Keep Food Local at Polyface Farm

Joel Salatin is an amazing writer, speaker, community-based agriculture advocate and owner of Polyface Farm in Swoope, VA. In this short video, he succinctly explains the methods he uses to farm. I've been a customer of Joel's for roughly a decade, and I continue to appreciate the many gifts he gives, including the best eggs, poultry and pork I've ever had. Joel informs as well as inspires, and you'll see why in this video. (Apologies ahead of time for the commercials in the video - I wish I could take them out...)

Also below: a video about a measure being proposed in California - Proposition 2 - to require more humane treatment of factory farm animals. If it is passed, it will be a great boon for animals, farmers, and consumers.

Update on Yoo-hoo Creature

This afternoon I received a letter from the Consumer Relations department at Cadbury Schweppes "America's Beverages" in Plano, Texas. They apologized "for any inconvenience this
situation may have caused," and stated that "we have forwarded your comments to our quality assurance team." As a gesture of good will, they enclosed two coupons, each worth "up to $4.29" for any of their regular or diet drinks.

I do appreciate them sending the letter. However, I wonder how they arrived at $8.58 as an agreeable gesture of conciliation for a consumer who imbibed a rancid, bacteria-laden drink of theirs with a dead snake in it (or worm, leach, salamander, newt, fluke or whatever it was) and its egg sac.

I also wonder how many other people around the world have unwittingly consumed tainted beverages from their factories. I wonder what their factories are like - what their "food" production system entails. I wonder where they get their water from. I wonder how rotten that drink would have to be in order for someone to get seriously sick from one sip. I wonder if Erica has been subjected to something insidiously disease-promoting. I wonder if the company is more aware than they may let on about serious quality issues.

I believe Cadbury Schweppes cares about our experience, and I will tell them this. But I wonder if it will change anything. I hope so!

Yoo-hoo Critter

Here are a few photos of an amphibious creature and her egg sac that were in the Yoo-hoo bottle Erica took a swig from on Tuesday, April 29, 2008. Evidently the critter was alive when it entered the Yoo-hoo food prep system, but was dead by the time Erica popped the bottle top.

How disgusting: bacteria-laden, dead-animal filled Yoo-hoo!

Erica seems to be fine, although she'll never forget the shocking taste of the rancid liquid and her subsequent horror in realizing what was in the bottle.

If you're tempted to buy Yoo-hoo, please think twice. And check out this CBS story from Nov '06 of a woman with a similar encounter: she found a human appendage in her Yoo-hoo.



Here's a video of Erica and Alexa describing the experience.



And here's most of the report I filed with the US Food and Drug Administration, after speaking with Yoo-hoo ("We've received a few similar calls"), Erica's doctor (who wouldn't see her because she had no overt, related symptoms after 3 days), the Anne Arundel County Department of Health ("We only license the stores and handle out of date products"), and the Maryland Department of Health ("Call the FDA").

• Description of Complaint/Injury: On Tuesday, April 29, 2008, my daughter, Erica, took a sip of a Yoo-hoo drink directly from the bottle and encountered a horrendous, offensive, toxic taste. Her friend, Alexa, looked in the bottle and said, “There’s something black in there.” I looked inside the bottle and noted the same, so I took the bottle to the kitchen sink and poured out the liquid so that I could detect what the black object was. Into the sink poured two objects: 1) a 3” snake-like animal, and 2) a jelly-like substance with multiple black bumps in it – presumably an egg sac.
• Amount Consumed & Date and Time Consumed: Erica swallowed perhaps 1-2 mouthfuls of the tainted Yoo-hoo liquid that was in the bottle. Date consumed: Tuesday, April 29, 2008
• Initials Symptoms: Erica’s immediate reaction to swallowing the liquid was one of extreme distaste. She spent a good deal of time washing out her mouth to try to alleviate this. After we discovered the animal and its sac, Erica was horrified (as Alexa and I were as well); Erica fell on the floor in disgust. The following day (Wednesday, April 30, 2008) Erica had a stomach ache. On Friday, May 1, 2008, her school nurse called me to say that Erica was sick and needed to return home from school. Erica went to her doctor.
• Brand Name of Product: Yoo-hoo Chocolate Drink
• Size and Package Type: 9 FL OZ (266mL) glass bottle
• Name and Location of Store where Purchased: Unknown store; bottle came from a 6 pack and was purchased in Maryland
• Package Code/Serial Number: Inked number on face of glass bottle: 305236-2035 CT897
• Expiration/Use by Date: None indicated
• UPC Code: 723584
• Toll free phone numbers or e-mail address listed on labeling: 1-800-966-4669
• Contact information made with manufacturer, distributor, or place of purchase: On Wednesday, April 30, 2008 I called Yoo-hoo customer service at 1-800-966-4669. Crystal S. opened up my case #[xxx]. I reported the incident in detail. She related that she had received a few other similar calls. She apologized on behalf of the company and said there was nothing really that they could do since I had disposed of the liquid. She said that if my daughter got sick that I should call.
  

If this isn't enough to sway you to not drink Yoo-hoo, then consider this list of ingredients. It doesn't exactly say "yum yum."

• Water, dairy whey, high fructose corn syrup and/or sugar, non-fat milk, corn syrup solids, cocoa (processed with potassium carbonate), soybean oil (partially hydrogenated), sodium caseinate (protein source), salt, tricalcium phosphate, dipotassium phosphate, xanthum gum, guar gum, mono-and diglycerides, vanillin (an artificial flavor), soy lechitin, calcium ascorbate (vitamin C), natural flavor, vitamin A palmiate, niacinamide (vitamin B3), vitamin D3 and riboflavoin (vitamin B2)

Sweet Misery - A Poisoned World

Sweet Misery - A Poisoned World is a compelling documentary about the toxic effects of aspartame, one of the most widespread chemical food additives in the world. WATCH THE MOVIE BELOW.

"Narrator Cori Brackett had a strange cause-and-effect experience with the diet cokes she was drinking and quickly found herself disabled and diagnosed with MS. Slowly able to walk and speak again, she believes her illness is linked to aspartame. After 7000 miles, and 25 hours of footage, Sweet Misery will reveal one of the most pervasive, insidious forms of corporate negligence since tobacco." imdb.com

Some facts about aspartame:

• Aspartame was approved for widespread use in the U.S. in July 1983. Within six months, brain tumor rates climbed 10%, diabetes went up 30% and brain lymphoma tumors skyrocketed 60%.
• Aspartame is also sold as NutraSweet and Equal.
• The National Institutes of Health in 1991 listed 167 symptoms and reasons to avoid the use of aspartame.
• Some of the most common symptoms caused by aspartame include headaches, migraines, dizziness, seizures, nausea, numbness, muscle spasms, weight gain, rashes, depression, fatigue, irritability, tachycardia, insomnia, vision problems, hearing loss, heart palpitations, breathing difficulties, anxiety attacks, slurred speech, loss of taste, tinnitus, vertigo, memory loss, and joint pain.
• Aspartame is made up of three chemicals: aspartic acid, phenylalanine, and methanol. Prescription for Nutritional Healing (James and Phyllis Balch) lists aspartame under the category "chemical poison."
• Some resources indicate that aspartame may be found in more than 9000 consumable products. It is becoming increasingly difficult to avoid.

Resources:
Read some consumer reviews of the movie
Aspartame: What You Don't Know Can Hurt You
Could You Be Suffering from an Aspartame-related Illness?
Alternative site for viewing the movie

From Sound and Fury Productions Inc., 2004 (89 minutes)