Monsanto’s Patents on Life

By Katherine Paul, Ronnie Cummins
Organic Consumers Association, Feb. 27, 2013

For related articles and more information, please visit OCA's Politics and Democracy page and our Millions Against Monsanto page.

Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court began hearing arguments in a seed patent infringement case that pits a small farmer from Indiana, 75-year old Vernon Hugh Bowman, against biotech goliath Monsanto. Reporters from the New York Times to the Sacramento Bee dissected the legal arguments. They speculated on the odds. They opined on the impact a Monsanto loss might have, not only on genetically modified crops, but on medical research and software.

What most of them didn’t report on is the absurdity – and the danger – of allowing companies to patent living organisms in the first place, and then use those patents to attempt to monopolize world seed and food production.

The case boils down to this. Monsanto sells its patented genetically engineered (GE) "Roundup Ready" soybean seeds to farmers under a contract that prohibits the farmers from saving the next-generation seeds and replanting them. Farmers like Mr. Bowman who buy Monsanto’s GE seeds are required to buy new seeds every year. For years, Mr. Bowman played by Monsanto’s rules. Then in 2007, he bought an unmarked mix of soybeans from a grain elevator and planted them. Some of the soybeans turned out to have been grown from Monsanto’s patented Roundup Ready soybean seeds. Monsanto sued Mr. Bowman, won, and the court ordered the farmer to pay the company $84,000. Mr. Bowman appealed, arguing that he unknowingly bought soybeans grown from Monsanto’s seeds, not the seeds themselves, and that therefore the law of "patent exhaustion" applies.

The press and public have fixated on the sticky legal details of the case, and the classic David vs. Goliath nature of the fight. But win or lose, Mr. Bowman’s predicament is part of a much bigger problem.

The real issue is this: Why have we surrendered control over something so basic to human survival as seeds? Why have we bought into the biotech industry’s program, which pushes a few monoculture commodity crops, when history and science have proven that seed biodiversity is essential for growing crops capable of surviving severe climate conditions, such as drought and floods?

As physicist and environmentalist Vandana Shiva explains, we have turned seed, which is the heart of a traditional diversity-rich farming system across the world, into a powerful commodity, used to monopolize the food system. According to a recent report by the Center for Food Safety and Save our Seeds, three companies – Monsanto, DuPont and Syngenta – control 53 percent of the global commercial seed market. They have pressured farmers to replace diverse, nutritional seeds, seeds that are resilient because they’ve been bred by small-scale farmers to adapt to local climates and soil conditions, with monocultures of genetically engineered seeds. In the U.S. these crops are predominately corn and soybeans. According to the report, entitled "Seed Giants vs. U.S. Farmers," 93 percent of soybeans and 86 percent of corn crops in the U.S. come from patented, genetically engineered seeds.

Monsanto profits handsomely from selling its patented seeds. But the real profits are in selling farmers its proprietary pesticides, like Roundup. Farmers can spray huge amounts of Roundup on Monsanto’s Roundup Ready soybeans, killing everything except the soybean plants. It’s a win-win for Monsanto. And it’s sold as a win to farmers, who have been told that by following the Monsanto method, they’ll increase their yields and make more money. Monsanto even claims that its GE crops are the answer to world hunger.

But little of what Monsanto has promised, to farmers and the world, has proven true.

Since farmers first began buying into Monsanto’s scheme in 1995, the average cost to plant one acre of soybeans has risen 325 percent, according to the Center for Food Safety’s report. Corn seed prices are up by 259 percent. Those increases don’t include the cost of the lawsuits Monsanto has aggressively filed against farmers the company claims have violated patent agreements. By the end of 2012, Center for Food Safety calculates that Monsanto had received over $23.5 million from patent infringement lawsuits against farmers and farm businesses.

And the rest of us? What have we gained from this aggressive monopoly of seeds and crops? Nothing. In fact, the losses continue to mount.

Monsanto promised that its GE crops would help the environment by reducing the need for pesticides. But according to the USDA, farmers used up to 26 percent more chemicals per acre on herbicide-resistant crops than on non-GE crops. And as several dozen aggressive "superweeds" have become resistant to glyphosate, the primary herbicide used on GE crops, the biotech industry is ramping up its war on weeds with a new generation of GE crops that can surviving spraying with 2,4 D, paraquat, and other super-toxic herbicides.

As for GE crops being necessary to feed the world, that promise has also been debunked. In 2010, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) warned that the loss of biodiversity will have a major impact on the ability of humankind to feed itself in the future.

According to "A Global Citizens Report on the State of GMOs: Failed Promises, Failed Technologies:"

The fable that GMOs are feeding the world has already led to large-scale destruction of biodiversity and farmers’ livelihoods. It is threatening the very basis of our freedom to know what we eat and to choose what we eat. Our biodiversity and our seed freedom are in peril. Our food freedom, food democracy and food sovereignty are at stake.

It’s safe to say that the majority of the general public would love to see the small farmer from Indiana knock Monsanto down a peg. Last year, a Monsanto ally threatened to sue the state of Vermont if legislators passed a law requiring labels on all foods containing genetically modified organisms (GMOs).  Lawmakers capitulated, despite the fact that voter support was running at more than 90 percent. Later in the year, Monsanto and large food corporations spent $46 million to defeat a citizens’ initiative in California that would have required mandatory labeling of GMOs.

Monsanto may be Public Enemy Number One, but a win for Mr. Bowman is hardly a win for mankind. It’s time we ask ourselves: How long are we going to let Monsanto bully farmers and politicians into controlling the very source of life on earth? How long will we tolerate the growing monopolization and genetic engineering of seeds by an aggressive cabal of chemical and pesticide corporations who pose a deadly threat to our health, our environment and the future of our food? And when does "how long" become too late?

Katherine Paul is director of development and communications at the Organic Consumers Association.

Ronnie Cummins is founder and director of the Organic Consumers Association. Cummins is author of numerous articles and books, including "Genetically Engineered Food: A Self-Defense Guide for Consumers" (Second Revised Edition Marlowe & Company 2004).

Source:  http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_27105.cfm

An artist’s journey from homelessness to the Academy Awards

Forced to make life decisions that a child should not have to face.

INOCENTE is an intensely personal and vibrant coming of age documentary about a young artist’s fierce determination to never surrender to the bleakness of her surroundings.

Inocente

At 15, Inocente refuses to let her dream of becoming an artist be caged by her life as an undocumented immigrant forced to live homeless for the last nine years. Color is her personal revolution and its extraordinary sweep on her canvases creates a world that looks nothing like her own dark past — a past punctuated by a father deported for domestic abuse, an alcoholic and defeated mother of four who once took her daughter by the hand to jump off a bridge together, an endless shuffle year after year through the city’s overcrowded homeless shelters and the constant threat of deportation.

Despite this history, Inocente’s eyes envision a world transformed…where buildings drip in yellow and orange, where pink and turquoise planets twinkle with rescued dreams, and one-eyed childlike creatures play amongst loved babies and purple clouds. Inocente’s family history is slowly revealed through her paintings.

 Inocente’s story proves that the hand she has been dealt does not define her, her dreams do. 

Told entirely in her own words, we come to Inocente’s story as she realizes her life is at a turning point, and for the first time, she decides to take control of her own destiny. Irreverent, flawed and funny, she’s now channeling her irrepressible personality into a future she controls. Her talent has finally been noticed, and if she can create a body of work in time, she has an opportunity to put on her first art show. Meanwhile, her family life is at a tense impasse—if she legally emancipates herself from her mother to strike out on her own, she’ll risk placing her brothers in foster care, but to stay is unbearable.

INOCENTE  is both a timeless story about the transformative power of art and a timely snapshot of the new face of homelessness in America, children. Neither sentimental nor sensational, INOCENTE will immerse you in the very real, day-to-day existence of a young girl who is battling a war that we rarely see. The challenges are staggering, but the hope in Inocente’s story proves that the hand she has been dealt does not define her, her dreams do.

Since working on the documentary, Izucar, now 19, moved into her own apartment — which she shares with her two adopted pet bunnies — and she had a successful art show in New York City.





Since the economic crash of 2008, the homeless population is exploding and families are its fastest growing segment. The INOCENTE documentary gives you a rare glimpse inside the struggle of how one of the 1.5 million homeless children in the U.S. is living today – the largest and fastest growing group of them being the undocumented.

Children are the new face of homelessness in our country and yet they remain faceless. For most of these children, it is a shameful secret— which is why, despite their incredible numbers, you see so few homeless children on the street and you so rarely hear their stories.

Homeless kids are twice as likely to experience anxiety and depression than non-homeless children and 1 in 6 will develop emotional problems. Twenty-five percent witness violence in their homes. To compound the crisis, the social services that serve the homeless are being cut. It’s the perfect storm of desperation and chaos for the kids caught in the spiral.

Ways to Take Action: www.inocentedoc.com

2013 Photos, Interviews, Video ~ Academy Awards

The Academy Awards Show is Near and Excitement Fills The Air!

The Academy Awards 2013 Photos, Interviews, Video

See interviews with The Academy Award Nominees, all vying for a coveted gold Oscar statue this Sunday.

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Vickie Jones Bell – The Soulful Artist

By Surinder Moore

Vickie Jones Bell began her art career exploring South Western style abstract painting techniques.  She graduated with a degree in Art Education from the University of Maryland and since then Vickie has incorporated a more spiritual and soulful theme into her art.

Vickie Jones Bell

Inspired by the kindred spirit that women share, Vickie began to infuse her paintings with various depictions of African-American culture.  A profound sense of sisterhood and bonding comes through in Vickie’s paintings, and the richness of African American culture is expressed throughout her art by using bold colors, ethnic imagery and intricate patterns.  Vickie uses taping, stenciling, and splattering methods to achieve the multi-layer effect in her artwork and using Acrylic paints allows her to expand the applications.

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Sea Shepherd Australia :: Whale Poachers’ Refuelling Vessel Sun Laurel Enters Australian Waters

Sea Shepherd Australia :: Whale Poachers’ Refuelling Vessel Sun Laurel Enters Australian Waters

Trees are the lungs of the world

They breath for the planet.

 ~by John Lightle

Blue Trees

Visitors to Vancouver’s Biennale celebration experienced unrest as they noticed trees near the park turning blue.  Guests along Seattle’s abandoned Burke-Gilman railroad trail witnessed nearly the same condition.  New Zealand’s picturesque Brick Bay regard the same disorder leaving an entire scientific community with no reasonable explanation to the phenomena.  Answering to the blueing effect found in three separate biospheres, Australian artist/sculptor Konstaintin Dimopoulos announced the identification in a cause for concern.

“What happens to a forest in one country affects other countries.  Trees are the lungs of the world.  They breathe for the planet,” Konstantin said addressing his latest multinational effort.

Konstaintin’s Blue Trees project, using biodegradable pigment  as opposed to paint, colors trees pushing environmental concern beyond a passive notion into conscientious activism.  Community officials and event coordinators siding on Konstaintin’s behalf contract the sculptor to display his work in highly-visible, high traffic areas. From there, Konstaintin establishes a portable studio, blending his pigment and water mixture, saturating tree trunks and low-lying branches.  The contrasting salient blue hue against verdant green leaves creates a stunning visual image.  Deciduous trees exhibiting autumn foliage appear strikingly formidable as the two colors blend against an urban background.

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SUGAR

How Sweet It is!

How much sugar is in your child's cereal?

Ever wonder how much sugar your child's cereal contains? The Rudd Center presents this quick video to answer the question and pose one of our own. Check out the video "How Sweet It Is!"

Cheerios and Honey Nut Cheerios contain possible GMO ingredients such as cornstarch and sugar. This video will show the about of sugar used in Honey Nut Cheerios.

http://www.cerealfacts.org

SOURCE: A Distinctive Style Magazine 

 

MARVELOUS MELISSA

By RacheL SokoL

Dancing with the Stars (DWTS) is one of ABC’s highest-rated reality shows, and just wrapped up its fifteenth season. What made this season so special and fun was that fan favorite celebrities from previous seasons were brought to strut their stuff on the dance floor once again—with a professional partner.

DWTS, Melissa Rycroft

After the glitz and glam subsided, in the end, Melissa Rycroft—a correspondent for Good Morning America and Entertainment Tonight—and her pro-dance partner Tony Dovoloni emerged the winners of Dancing with the Stars: All-Stars.

The duo—who was also paired up when Rycroft first competed in Season 8—received DWTS’s coveted glimmer-ball trophy.

Just two days after her exciting November 2012 victory, the ever-cheerful Rycroft spoke with A Distinctive Style once again from her Dallas home about the entire experience—and how she went from feeling like an underdog to a top cat!

“I’ve Grown”

 

“It just doesn’t feel real—I still have to tell myself I won,” she gushes. “The first time I was on the show, right after I was on The Bachelor Season 13, I was very guarded. I sometimes feel when I watch clips from my Season 8, I look like a little girl; my eyes are so big....” Her voice trails off, remembering. “It’s been three and a half years since then. Now, I have a husband, a child. (Husband Tye Strickland is an insurance agent; the couple has a young daughter, Ava) I’ve grown up a lot since then, and this time around, Tony (Dovoloni) and I had more fun with it all. Plus, you have a different type of freedom on DWTS. Unlike The Bachelor, cameras aren’t with you twenty-four seven. They’re there when you practice, but you have your own life.”

READ MORE>>>

A Distinctive Style Magazine is about passion, in all its forms. In every issue we treat readers to a wide range of art, innovation, creativity and passion.

 

A Distinctive Style magazine is a pioneer in the digital online experience, proving that utilizing this medium is not only a green practice, but can actually enhance the reading experience. The online magazine can access a variety of media not available in a traditional print format, and incorporates music as well as video and audio interviews. Imagine reading about a singer/songwriter and then being able to immediately click on an audio clip and listen to their music.
 
SEE MORE about A Distinctive World and the work we're doing>>>

Israel and Iran: A love story?

A Love Story?

When war between Israel and Iran seemed imminent, Israeli graphic designer Ronny Edry shared a poster on Facebook of himself and his daughter with a bold message: "Iranians ... we [heart] you." Other Israelis quickly created their own posters with the same message -- and Iranians responded in kind. The simple act of communication inspired surprising Facebook communities like "Israel loves Iran," "Iran loves Israel" and even "Palestine loves Israel."

Ronny Edry of Israel accidentally created an online movement for peace in the Middle East when he posted a Facebook image that declared "Iranians, we will never bomb your country."

The People vs CSG: the birth of CSG Free Communities (final version)

Micro pigs, do they make good pets?

Micro Pigs

The pets, which grow to be just 14in tall, have become so popular that they are now almost impossible to get hold of in Britain. They have even been snapped up by celebrities, including Harry Potter actor Rupert Grint, who plays Ron Weasley.

“Demand for micro pigs is soaring and we are inundated with enquiries every day,” said Jane Croft, 42, who breeds them. “It’s amazing how popular they have suddenly become and just how many people want pigs as pets.”

Source: A Distinctive Style 

READ MORE/SEE VIDEO>>>

Disabled Since Birth with a Passion for Fashion

Passion for Fashion… “It was my duty to show the fashion industry that my wheelchair had nothing to do with my passion.” ~ JILLIAN MERCADO

 

By Jullian Mercado—Growing up I would watch my mother put her makeup on and wished one day it would be me in that Revlon red lipstick. We would head downtown to Macy’s down by 34th street, my mother in her Calvin Klein shoes, me in my wheelchair.


READ MORE>>>

Lakota Healthy Start Building Campaign-Indie GoGo

indiegogo.com/projects/268593/x/49413

"Help Save Lakota Babies' Lives"

Facebook: Lakota Healthy Start
Twitter: @LakotaHealthySt

The highest infant mortality rate (IMR) in the country is on the Pine Ridge  Reservation in South Dakota, home to the Oglala Lakota. 13 babies die out of every 1000 live births. Healthy Start is a program that lowers the IMR to just 5 deaths per 1000 live births, below the USA national average of 7 deaths per 1000 live births.

The Healthy Start Program was forced to leave their offices due to high levels of asbestos. What was given to them as a replacement office was a mold-infested trailer with holes in the roof.

The Healthy Start Building Campaign Team is committed to building a culturally-relevant, sustainable, off-the-grid building that will serve as an icon of hope where the unemployment is as high as 85%.

We hope that you will join us on Indie GoGo and not only donate, but help spread the world about this issue.

Thank you, Kitty Farmer for the Healthy Start Building Campaign Team - Ritch, Michael, Eric, Henry, Donald, Roberta, Lacey and Mac.

 Photo credit: Deanne Fitzmaurice (deannefitzmaurice.com) [vimeo 54480747 w=500 h=281]

Lakota Healthy Start Building Campaign-Indie GoGo from Kitty Farmer on Vimeo.

.

Lakota Healthy Start Building Campaign-Indie GoGo

indiegogo.com/projects/268593/x/49413 "Help Save Lakota Babies' Lives"

Facebook: Lakota Healthy Start
Twitter: @LakotaHealthySt

The highest infant mortality rate (IMR) in the country is on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota, home to the Oglala Lakota. 13 babies die out of every 1000 live births.

Healthy Start is a program that lowers the IMR to just 5 deaths per 1000 live births, below the USA national average of 7 deaths per 1000 live births.

The Healthy Start Program was forced to leave their offices due to high levels of asbestos. What was given to them as a replacement office was a mold-infested trailer with holes in the roof.
The Healthy Start Building Campaign Team is committed to building a culturally-relevant, sustainable, off-the-grid building that will serve as an icon of hope where the unemployment is as high as 85%.

We hope that you will join us on Indie GoGo and not only donate, but help spread the world about this issue.

Thank you, Kitty Farmer for the Healthy Start Building Campaign Team - Ritch, Michael, Eric, Henry, Donald, Roberta, Lacey and Mac.

Photo credit: Deanne Fitzmaurice (deannefitzmaurice.com)

Lakota Healthy Start Building Campaign-Indie GoGo from Kitty Farmer on Vimeo.

Jeremy Irons on a journey of discovery, disbelief and hope

Environmental Documentary with Jeremy Irons

Trashed takes Jeremy Irons on a journey of discovery, disbelief and hope. Candida Bradys docu-feature about waste and the environment received a special screening at 2012 Cannes Film Festival.

Jeremy Irons is no stranger to taking centre stage, but he may have found his most important role as investigator and guide in TRASHED, Candida Brady’s new documentary for which Irons is the Executive Producer.

The documentary looks at the risks to the food chain and the environment through pollution of our air, land and sea by waste. The film reveals surprising truths about very immediate and potent dangers to our health.

It is a global conversation from Iceland to Indonesia between the film star Jeremy Irons and scientists, politicians and ordinary individuals whose health and livelihoods have been fundamentally affected by waste pollution. Visually and emotionally the film is both horrific and beautiful: an interplay of human interest and political wake-up call.


READ MORE/SEE VIDEO>>>

Vegan Recipes for a Fit, Happy, Healthy You ~ by Melissa Costel, Foreword by Tony Horton

The more than 7 million vegetarians and 3 million vegans in the United States alone are proving that chowing down on planet-friendly fare not only helps them look and feel better, but it can be delicious too. In her debut cookbook, Karma Chow creator and celebrity chef, Melissa Costello shares an exciting collection of 125+ recipes that will be a welcome addition for anyone already following a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle or for the growing number of people embracing more plant-based meals. As personal chef to celebrity fitness guru Tony Horton, creator of the bestselling P90X® fitness system, Melissa is constantly finding creative ways to keep Tony and her other clients happy, fit, and fueled.

With her "keep it simple" and "make it tasty" approach, she offers a smorgasbord of dairy- and animal- free appetizers and desserts, breakfasts, and dinners, holiday- and company-worthy menus. Recipes include: Mac & Cheeze, Karma Burgers with Chipotle "Mayo," Thai-Style Tempeh Lettuce Wraps, Supreme-Oh Burritos, Roasted Butternut Squash Soup, Korean-Style Tempeh Tacos with Red Dijon Slaw, Enchilada Casserole with Ranchero Sauce, Artichoke and White Bean Dip, Cilantro Cauliflower Smash, Pad Thai in Peanut Coconut Sauce, Stuffed Mushroom Poppers, Indian Spiced Coconut Yam Soup, Chili Sweet Potato Fries, Un-Shepherd's Pie, Strawberry Crème Mousse with Pistachio Nut Topping, Banana Carob Bread Pudding, Apple/Pear Crisp, Brownie Bites, Chocolate Truffles, and Cardamom Chocolate Chippers (a Tony Horton favorite!).

For more information & ordering details>>>

The top 10 breakfast cereals most likely to contain GMO corn

by Mike AdAMs (www.naturalnews.com)

By now, nearly everyone interested in healthy living is aware of the recent research linking Monsanto's GMO corn to cancer tumors and an increase risk of premature death in both men and women. News of the research is spreading like wildfire across the 'net, and support for Proposition 37, which seeks to label GMOs in foods, is growing by the day.

But the media has not yet reported on the everyday foods being sold in grocery stores right now and made with Monsanto's genetically modified corn (GM corn). Which foods are most likely to contain Monsanto GM corn? To answer this question, I visited a local grocery store in Austin, Texas and purchased 10 breakfast cereals made with high levels of non-organic corn.  According to the Center for Food Safety, up to 85% of the corn grown in the U.S. is genetically modified. This means corn- based cereals that use non- organic corn have a very high likelihood of containing GM corn.

SEE MORE>>>>>>

“A-Frame” Designer Eyeglasses

by Ron Arad for pq

London designer Ron Arad has created a range of sunglasses and spectacle frames that can be adjusted to fit any face by sliding the lenses along an A-shaped wire over the nose. The same wire forms a hinge mechanism that automatically closes the arms when the glasses are taken off. Each design in the collection is named after a different London Underground station. These are the first in a series of frames by Arad for new eyewear brand pq.

With frames designed by the artist, architect, thinker, designer and teacher Ron Arad, pq is here to bring something new to the world of glasses. New ideas are important. Most trousers look like trousers, most sweaters look like sweaters, most glasses look like glasses, but there is room for something new as well. That’s what pq is here to bring. Individuality is a big part of pq. Not only frames that are a little bit different but frames that can make you a little bit different too.

MORE...

Photography from Farm Communities by Paul Mobley

When photographer Paul Mobley set out to capture the soul of our country’s farm communities, he encountered an enduring rural culture that remains rooted in the principles of tradition, family, integrity and hard work. Traveling across the country from Tennessee to Montana, Mobley and his camera were welcomed time and again into the homes of over two hundred farm families, who graciously shared their personal histories and private thoughts, along with the fruits of their labor. Visit after visit, Mobley came to know the independent farmer’s spirit from both behind the lens and across the dinner table.

READ MORE...

Dana Arbib and Farah Malik Helping Others

Dana Arbib and Farah Malik’s lives have long been intertwined with social justice, humanitarian work and accessories. After Farah’s work at a human rights education non-profit organization and Dana’s close connection to her father’s extensive philanthropy work, it was a natural fit that any path they took would be charged with a social edict. Dana and Farah—the former a Libyan Jew and the latter a Pakistani Muslim—decided to put their love of accessories to good use for both the consumer and the artisan. The resulting fashion line, A Peace Treaty, began in 2008 with the goal to highlight the often under-appreciated work of hand-crafting cultures in politically unstable regions of the world.

“When we started in 2008, there was a growing understanding of eco-fashion but still not very much emphasis or attention was placed on the human rights implications in fashion production,” Dana said. “A Peace Treaty is a social business setting up sustainable projects to revitalize cottage industries and family businesses at risk of closing down, but it also imparts knowledge, attitude change and a long-term readjustment within consumer culture and behavior.”

READ MORE...

40 farmers under 40

By Matt Hickman

Meet the new crop of American farmers — young and energetic idealists who are bringing local, sustainable food back to the table.

Who do you picture when you think of an American farmer? A leathery-handed AARP type who rises at dawn, works the fields all day and returns home when Sally Mae rings the supper bell? If so, you aren’t too far off. According to the USDA, the average American agrarian is a white male aged 55 or older. And some studies show that the presence of young farmers, 18 to 35, is actually in decline.

But while they might be dwindling in numbers, young farmers are growing in visibility. And they’re a motley, stereotype-shatteringcrew, for sure.

They’re urban, they hold advanced degrees and they’re often female. They sprout up in not-so-bucolic places like Brooklyn, Oakland, Atlanta and Indianapolis, and they sometimes work as educators, eco-entrepreneurs, yogis, journalists, filmmakers, activists and doting parents on the side. They’re passionate and adventurous. And most notably, they’re focused on sustainability and community building.

The following list features 40 American farmers under the age of 40, compiled with help from dozens of people in the farming industry — from farmers themselves to those who help them in the nonprofit sector to those in the media who cover them. They aren’t in any particular order (farmer No. 5 isn’t necessarily better than farmer No. 15, for example), and in no way should this list be considered scientific. Think of it more as starting point, a beginning to a larger conversation about the collective hope for the future of American farming.

Straw hats off to older farmers — they’re the agricultural backbone of this country — but it’s also time to acknowledge that Young MacDonald has a farm, too. These 40 up-and-coming farmers are happily working the earth from Roy, Wash., to Tivoli, N.Y., and the crops they grow are just as diverse as their backgrounds. Without further ado, let’s meet the gang …

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Do You Adapt to Change or Resist It?

We know things need to change, in our own lives and out in the world. You can ask almost anyone what needs to change in life and they will have answers. Ideas and opinions of what needs to change are as varied and diverse as the people offering them.  

When the idea for change comes from within ourselves, we usually like it. It is inspiring. But when change comes in as an independent with a mind of its own, it can seem like a rebellious teenager. Just when we think things are calm it sulks around, keeps us awake at night, and makes us want to gain greater control.
 

Wise souls among us know that change is all we can truly depend on. We can’t escape it, though we try, and in many cases we must let it be. Mostly we try to avoid change because we have no idea what is in the future and we really don’t want to alter our world view. We decide it is best to keep things as they are, or how they used to be. Plus, we don’t want to experience the feelings of loss that often accompany change. What if we terribly miss what we had?

The idea of change, and change itself, brings up unnecessary fear which then causes unwarranted stress on the body and mind. I believe one of our tasks as human beings is to overcome fear, especially the useless fears that pervade our modern lives. I see fear restricting the body, mind, and spirit, shrinking one’s life experience into an uncomfortable little box. It takes our minds to dark narrow places where we lose a broader, more balanced perspective.

 

We will always have the unknown future in front of us, unpredictable circumstances will occur in our lives, our country and its people will do or say things we don’t like. At these times, we have the opportunity to either grow our fear or live every moment as if it were sacred, remembering that even the most unusual of circumstances can be profoundly healing and enriching, bringing in higher wisdom and understanding.

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12 Natural Solutions to Alleviate Stress

Stress is the intensity of how you believe you can cope with an identified threat. It isn’t your actual ability to cope, but your perception of your ability to cope. Stress becomes a problem when you think you can’t cope well with a perceived threat.
 

Mild stress can be used to inspire you, build motivation, and encourage you to press forward in spite of obstacles. Some stress is needed for energy, courage, and triumph; to win, such as in sports events and games. It can help a mother lift a car off her child or assist an emergency room nurse to do her job speedily and accurately. Another kind of stress is the big malady of our day. It builds up over time due to worry and fear and leads to physical and emotional disease.

In the last issue, my article How to Relieve Stress for Life reviewed things you can do to protect yourself from the harmful side effects of stress. The goal is to manage your response to the bombardment of stressors in daily life. You cannot avoid the stressors, but you can cope with them differently by altering your perception of them. One way to begin is to heal your nervous system so it isn’t on high alert. Instead, it can be in a state of balance and calm that is easily returned to after surprising news or a particularly stressful time.

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Obesity in Children: Desperation for Substance

The problems associated with child obesity are vast. There is an enormous strain on the healthcare industry while retired military leaders have warned of a serious threat to national security because many young people are unfit to enlist.
 

There are many suggestions on what to do. We all know them by heart. Eat right. Exercise. What else is there? The military folks propose a revised school lunch, citing that kids who have junk food at school put on the pounds. I agree that nutritious, healthy food is best.

The revised school lunch plan seems like good sense, but can the cause of obesity be addressed through school lunches? When I went through grade school in the 1970’s, our 40-cent lunches consisted of Sloppy Joes, pizza, spaghetti, fried fish sticks, or cheeseburgers with French fries and not much else that could be called healthy. Most of us dumped the soggy side vegetables and went outside to the ice cream window to get our 10-cent ice cream sandwich or fudge bar. We were not obese. None of us.

What is different from then to now? For starters, we didn’t have vending machines offering us junk food in school. We were physically active, required to run, jump, skip, hop, and climb on a regular basis through daily Physical Education and recess. After school many of us walked or rode our bikes home. Then, we played outside. We ran around, jumped rope, created things, rode bikes, used our imagination, skate boarded, climbed trees and walls, roller skated, and the boys set up sports games in the street. We were on the move.

 

READ MORE>>>

Ignorance and Corporate Greed

A load of poisonous gas was dropped into our neighborhood last week. Nobody complained, everyone went about their business as if nothing was happening, a cat went missing, and the earth’s ozone layer took another hit. Just another day in paradise.

The gas-drop arrived in a perfectly legal, professional-looking package: a white truck belonging to a pest extermination company accompanied by two men in uniform. The mission: rid recently purchased home of termites. The outcome: termites and their eggs dead, ground soil poisoned and no longer suitable for organic gardening, one dead cat. Trees, bushes, birds, butterflies, and helpful insects of all kinds were undefendable, plus any person within the vicinity of the home was exposed. But exposed to what?

The gas is sulfuryl fluoride, otherwise known as Vikane. Introduced in 1957 as a neurotoxin guaranteed to leave anything dead, it has been touted as the only viable solution to saving one’s home from termite destruction. Around the mid-1950’s there were other chemicals introduced to Americans, too. They were designed to make life more convenient, and chemical companies richer. This all coincided with a major blight of our day – the rise in cancer rates, and of particular concern because of its correlation, breast cancer. 
 
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Health department raids community picnic and destroys all food with bleach

We were told our food was unfit for consumption and demanded that we call off the event...

The evening was everything I had dreamed and hoped it would be. The weather was perfect, the farm was filled with friends and guests roaming around talking about organic, sustainable farming practices. Our guests were excited to spend an evening together. The food was prepared exquisitely. The long dinner table, under the direction of dear friends, was absolutely stunningly beautiful. The music was superb. The stars were bright and life was really good. And then, …for a few moments, it felt like the rug was pulled out from underneath us and my wonderful world came crashing down. As guests were mingling, finishing tours of the farm, and while the first course of the meal was being prepared and ready to be sent out, a Southern Nevada Health District employee came for an inspection.

Because this was a gathering of people invited to our farm for dinner, I had no idea that the Health Department would become involved. I received a phone call from them two days before the event informing me that because this was a “public event” (I would like to know what is the definition of “public” and “private”) we would be required to apply for a “special use permit.” If we did not do so immediately, we would be charged a ridiculous fine. Stunned, we immediately complied.

We were in the middle of our harvest day for our CSA shares, a very busy time for us, but Monte immediately left to comply with the demand and filled out the required paper work and paid for the fee. (Did I mention that we live in Overton, nowhere near a Health Department office?) Paper work now in order, he was informed that we would not actually be given the permit until an inspector came to check it all out. She came literally while our guests were arriving! In order to overcome any trouble with the Health Department of cooking on the premises, most of the food was prepared in a certified kitchen in Las Vegas; and to further remove any doubt, we rented a certified kitchen trailer to be here on the farm for the preparation of the meals.

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We all deserve to know what chemicals we’re consuming

“We all deserve to know what chemicals we’re consuming – whether we’re biting into an apple, applying eye shadow or filling up a glass of tap water – we have a right-to-know.”

“So thank goodness for EWG. They tell us all of that vital information and so much more!”

“As President of the Cancer Schmancer Movement, I can’t imagine what life would be like without EWG. Their big end-of-year fundraising drive ends in a little more than two weeks, and if they don’t make their goal they won’t have the resources they need to do all that important research. So darlings, I’m asking you today to make a donation to EWG and support the work we all rely on.”

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Is it possible to have a successful career and a happy family life ?

By Dr. Claudia Welch, DOM (from the Fall 2012 Issue of A Distinctive Style Magazine)

The last year or so has produced a few editorials and blogs about choice, success and how we spend our time. They struck a chord with us and went viral. And they may help us be healthier and happier, even on our deathbeds.

Anne-Marie Slaughter’s Why Women Still Can’t Have It All from the July/August 2012 Atlantic Magazine became the most widely read piece in the Atlantic website’s history. It was a thoughtful exploration of the difficulties that remain for women who “want it all.”
 

Slaughter suggested that women are not both able to have a successful career and a happy family at the same time—and won’t be—until our social structure changes.

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Jackie Evancho Singing “Songs from the Silver Screen”

Think: this girl is a 12-year-old professional soprano. A Pittsburgh, Pen­nsylvania native. She was first discovered on America’s Got Talent at age 10 and has recently made several television appearances to celebrate the release of her third album. Who comes to mind?

Jackie Evancho.

Her recently released album, Songs from the Silver Screen, is her newest collection for Columbia/Syco Records and offers her melodic interpretations of music from iconic movies.

In her first two full-length albums, Dream With Me and Heavenly Christmas, Jackie explored musical classics from arias to holiday standards. For this album, she collaborated with Grammy-winning producer/ engineer Humberto Gatica, who worked closely with superstars like Michael Bublé, Madonna, Michael Jackson, and Mariah Carey.

Just this past summer, PBS asked Jackie to make a second Great Performance Special. The event, called “Jackie Evancho: Music of the Movies,” featured many of the songs from the new album, including “Some Enchanted Evening” from South Pacific, “My Heart Will Go On” from Titanic, “Can You Feel The Love Tonight” from The Lion King and the aforementioned ‘The Music of the Night.’

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Natural Foods with Daniel Chapman

On The Holistic Health Show this week you will hear from Daniel Chapman, Founder and CEO of Redd Remedies®

Redd Remedies formulas include Traditional Chinese Medicine, Ayurvedic medicine, aromatherapy, European herbals, vitamin and minerals.

The natural foods industry saved my mom’s life! In the late 1950′s, a dentist suggested that if my Mom were to change her diet, she would see many of her health issues go away. There was nothing to lose. She was in poor health; suffered with bouts of anxiety, always tired…and the list goes on. To her amazement, changing her diet worked! She started eating organically grown foods and she quickly started feeling better. Her journey towards health took a leap forward when she and my Dad, deciding that they had to share their discovery with their family, friends, and community, started a health food store in 1961.

One person at a time, lives were changed; connections were made between what we put into our bodies and their levels of health and performance. The focus was always on offering only the very best in every area and providing education so the connection between food and health could be made by many others. With Redd Remedies, I have been able to take my Mom and Dad’s idea of sharing the message of health a step further.

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Fall 2012 Eco Designs by Deborah Lindquist

In a recent photo shoot, Deborah Lindquist captures country living with her eco-couture apparel.

 

Designer Deborah Lindquist works with sustainable, organic, and recycled fabrics to create bespoke eco-couture apparel and home decorative accessories.

Deborah Lindquist showcases her fall line in a photo shoot at the country home of Brit girl, Erin Saltman. Surrounded by her loving and attentive animals which include chickens, horses, dogs, and pot belly pigs, she looks just as much at home in her flower gardens and country surroundings as she does in her usual urban setting. She’s a bit eccentric in her wardrobe and her fashion sense is a blend of edgy/femininity with a bit of punkish influence. She wears a combination of eco couture sweaters, bustiers, and evening wear for fall 2012. She certainly has a nice life…..


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The Effects of Pesticides in Food

By Lisa Garber Nation of Change

When asked by a skeptical friend why you buy organic, do you find yourself tongue-tied? Was it obesity? Or thyroid problems? Why should you buy organic? There are numerous reasons to skip the mainstream supermarket food and shop at an organic grocer, but just one of those reasons revolves around the effects of pesticides.

Keep this list handy the next time you find yourself wondering if you should buy a carton of conventional strawberries rather than organic to potentially save a few pennies. Remember that all of the following conditions will cost you much more than money; the effects of pesticides will cost you your health.

There are 7 nasty and crazy effects of pesticides.

The Effects of Pesticides – Cancer

The dreaded diagnosis of cancer has been linked in over 260 studies worldwide to agrochemicals. Worse, scientists have linked pesticides with several types of cancers, including that of the breast, prostate, brain, bone, thyroid, colon, liver, lung, and more. Some researchers from USC found that “those who lived within 500 meters of places where methyl bromide, captan and eight other organochlorine pesticides had been applied, they found, were more likely to have developed prostate cancer.”

But even indirect exposure, such as through parental use, has been found to affect children in a terrible way. A study published in Environmental Health Perspectives has linked parental use of pesticides with an increased risk of brain cancer in children. “Parental exposures may act before the child’s conception, during gestation, or after birth to increase the risk of cancer,” the study said. And when the parents are exposed to the pesticides may also play a role in the different cellular changes that lead to cancer.

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One out of 5 children face hunger in America

Children face hunger in America …

ONE OUT OF EVERY FIVE!

As a member of the No Kid Hungry community, you are committed to fighting childhood hunger with Share Our Strength. Please watch this short video to learn what we’re up against and ways we’re working on eradicating childhood hunger. Then click the buttons below to SHARE the video and the No Kid Hungry pledge to help us grow the movement to end childhood hunger.


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Symphony Orchestra in the Congo

An Inspiring Story of the Only Symphony Orchestra in Central Africa

Did you know that the only symphony orchestra in Central Africa is located in the capital of the Congo – a war-torn country plagued by poverty and despair?

“Joy in the Congo” seems an unlikely title for a story from the Congo, considering the searing poverty and brutal civil war that have decimated that country. Yet in Kinshasa, the capital city, we heard about an unforgettable symphony orchestra — 200 singers and instrumentalists defying the poverty, hardship, and struggles of life in the world’s poorest country…and creating some of the most moving music we have ever heard. Follow Bob Simon to the Congo to hear the sounds and stories of the Kimbanguist Symphony Orchestra.

This video tells the amazing story of the Symphonic Orchestra Kimbanguiste, revealing the difficult circumstances under which these musicians labor: they come from all over the city; most travel on foot to get to rehearsals six days a week; and the bulk of the instruments have been donated, salvaged and repaired or purchased from second-hand shops. Despite all of these difficulties, the orchestra manages to make the most beautiful music: listen to Johann Strauss’s The Blue Danube Waltz (An der schönen blauen Donau).

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