Stop CISPA

The New Era

Now that the apocalyptic fantasies for 12/21 have passed with nary a whisper, let us get to work on the serious issues that face us, instead of hoping for some event to destroy or re-create our world anew, allowing us to avoid responsibility.

My wishes for the New Era:

• Humane treatment, healthy living spaces and nutritious food for all animals, especially those we raise for our consumption or companionship. 
• Healthy means of raising crops that give back to the soil & community as much as the end product fills our bellies. May that food be nutritious and safe as well, and enough for all.
• Healthy planet - we clean up our messes, and stop making new ones. 
• Healthy relationships - learn to listen twice as much as we speak, and remember respect goes both ways. 

In short, let the New Era bring health for all beings, all interactions, and for the planet itself.

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Stepping off my soapbox for now... here's things I've shared or found in other venues:

Beautiful poem by Morpheus Ravenna Faith in the Incandescent Sun - "Solstice Night".

via Twitter: Gorgeous! '@MotherEarthNews: A stunningly beautiful corn variety..."Carl's Glass Gem" goo.gl/WioYZ' a rare Cherokee corn

Speaking of food: I'm not a huge fan of lentils, but this lentil stew recipe is amazing. I substituted the root veggies called for in the recipe with what I had on hand, and also substituted sausage for the bacon (again, what I had on hand). I could see this being made as a vegetarian dish as well. The extra olive oil & balsamic vinegar added at the end makes the dish outstanding.

Sleeping all tucked into their backs, the geese look like becalmed ships in a harbor:

via Twitter: Just watched Lucky, rooster #1, chase off Baron, rooster #2 from romancing one of the hens. Now THAT is "c*ck blocking".

And speaking of Lucky, think he's trying to find something in his back pocket in this pic.

May the season, and whatever holidays you might celebrate, bring you happiness, peace & well-being.

Anti-SOPA & PIPA Blackout Starts Now

No chickens, geese, ducks or dogs: today's farm post is blacked out in protest of the current SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) and PIPA (Protect IP) bills that are currently being considered in Congress.

SOPA: http://www.opencongress.org/bill/112-h3261/show
PIPA: http://www.opencongress.org/bill/112-s968/show

"Whole Fools"? Maybe.

So, I shot my mouth off on this blog. Not unlike real life, where if something pisses me off, I'll say and do something about it. As I've matured I've become better at acting instead of reacting, but can still get caught up in drama now & then. Thus my recent rant about CEO Mackey's post in the Wall Street Journal, where he proposed (old, tired & busted) free market solutions to health care issues, based on (old, tired & busted) classist assumptions.

This morning, I read another person's take on the Whole Foods outrage. Wish I had bookmarked the article, but in essence, the writer was of the opinion that all the anger from "the liberals" was because the original organic movement was spurred on by lefties, and so lefties have felt a false sense of ownership in Whole Foods; thus, the feelings of betrayal.

As a lefty, I think the writer had a darn good point there.

When I really think about Whole Foods, they do indeed have an amazing array of organic products, good benefits for their employees, and perform wonderful charity work. But then again:

1. No unions allowed. All those nifty benefits can be taken away on a whim, and there's no recourse for the employees but to "like it or lump it."

2. Whole Foods talks up "buy local" (at least here in Austin), but what they've mostly done is buy out local organic markets and re-brand. They then purchase from farmers & producers who can provide in bulk. Being a nationwide chain will put one in that position - you want to offer a standard product that will be easy to warehouse & track. However, I believe this buying in bulk is contributing to the erosion of organic controls by corporate farms wanting to get in on the profits.

3. In Whole Food's effort to make a good profit and become a one-stop shop, they're offering more & more non-organic goods (some with shifty "natural" claims) to provide a wider variety, but at premium prices.

I was in the process of weaning myself off of Whole Foods anyways when the WSJ op-ed hit the media, so the outrage gave my goal a huge burst of momentum. After reading the above writer's take on the issue, however, I decided to think through once more my reasons to no longer shop at Whole Foods. Ultimately, my reasons for continuing to shop elsewhere are:

1. I want to support small, local farms. It doesn't have to be 100% organic; sustainable growing methods will be just fine. It's my belief that I can trust a local farmer a bit more than a larger/corporate grower because not only is the local farmer working to build trust and good customers, I can also question the farmer directly, and even see the farm if they'll let me. More of my dollars stay in the local community, and recirculate into more local produce grown. [Yes, I am in a privileged position to be able to buy at farmers markets & have access to local goods, but the momentum for wide-spread change has to start somewhere.]

2. I want to support local & humanely raised cattle, chickens and pigs. Pretty much the same reasons as #1 above. Bonus if the animals are free-ranging, grass fed, or pasture-raised. Costs are high, but not much (if at all) higher than Whole Foods.

3. I want to cut down my shopping expenses. Whole Foods is an insanely good marketer of their wares, and it is a tremendous challenge to go in there with my list, and ONLY come out with the things I planned to buy. With cash in hand at the farmer's markets, or through my local co-op - and MUCH less distraction - I can get what I need and more easily keep my budget intact.

Where it's going to be challenging, sans Whole Foods: shopping for gluten-free* baked goods. WF has done a great job in producing their own high-quality, tasty gluten-free products. Then again, with WF charging eight dollars for a six-pack of gluten-free buns, there's even more economic incentive to get off my backside and learn how to bake properly. It's another one of those skills I've been meaning to learn anyway, and the cost savings here will be well worth the time and effort.

When all is said and done, I'd much rather have a positive mindset applied to a task at hand than a negative one. So I'm oddly grateful to Mackey and the above-mentioned writer for helping me rethink & affirm my resolve to no longer shop at Whole Foods. Thanks, dudes!

P.S. to visiting family & friends: don't worry, we'll still take you to the Austin flagship Whole Foods if you wish to go. :-)

P.P.S. : Mackey can still kiss my shiny white hiney.

*I'm intolerant to the gluten in wheat, and possibly barley and rye as well.

Feverish and Fevered

The recovery from the Summer cold proceeds apace. I like to tell myself that I'm giving the immune system a "tune-up" before the Fall cold & flu season starts. Yeah, that's it! In the meantime, here's what's got me gnawing on my keyboard. If you don't want to read about my leftist political leanings, this will be the blog entry to avoid, okay? Still friends? Okay!

The Corporate Co-Opt of Local: where corporations try to hijack the "buy local" movement by either re-branding their stuff to a new name, or talk up how your taxes paid through their business supports the local community. Sorry, but "buy local" means supporting home-grown businesses, craftsfolk and farmers. Corporate double-speak FAIL.

The Corporate Co-Opt of Organic: hating this. Hating this with the intensity of a thousand burning suns.

Just Added: Corporate Crap Number Three: Oil Industry Astro-turf Rally Plans Against Climate Change Bill. You know, if the concerns are legit, why the astroturfing? Farktards. I'm looking forward to the day when we repeal the law that says a corporation is to be treated like an individual person. Failing that, revoke every one of their @#$!! charters. Now.

Whole Foods CEO trashes health-care reform initiative: Because the free-market has done SO MUCH to improve access to health care. Riiiiiiight. Insurance lobbyists, politicos and corporations are whipping up a media frenzy, scaring folks who might actually have intelligent input on this issue instead into believing such bullsh*t like "death panels", "pull the plug on grandma", and the like. The Whole Foods CEO is free to have his opinion. I am free to shop elsewhere, and am doing so. Great UK spoof on the whole thing: Americans Without Health Insurance Attack Plan to Give Them Health Insurance.

UPDATE: An edit-for-edit comparision of what WF CEO Mackey originally wrote in his op-ed versus what Wall Street Journal posted. I still don't agree with his opinion, but the WSJ edits do put a harder spin on the piece. Dang, just when it was getting comfy on this high horse... (thanks for the link, Karen!).

What else? The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, the continued racist bullsh*t directed at the President, the violence at Town Hall meetings (and to think, liberals had to stand apart in "Free Speech Zones" during the Bush era), and to top it off, I saw District 9 today. Good movie, but left me feeling like there's no hope for humanity. We all suck.

This is what happens when I don't get outside enough. I need to go hug my geese. Once I'm over this cold, that is.

[Pic: Dr. Girlfriend and Godzilla, at a time when the grass was actually this color called "green".]

Locavorism for the Win!

The co-op through which I sell eggs - the Bountiful Sprout - held a vendor/member/advertising "meet and greet" at our local community center today. There was a free showing of the documentary "Food Fight", live music, face-painting, and hands-on crafts for the kids. The vendors ranged from bakers to herbalists to ranchers to veggie farmers, and members got to meet and talk to the vendors more in-depth about their products and philosophies.

I provided examples of the differences between commercial, caged chicken eggs and pasture-raised chicken eggs. "City" folks and teens were amazed at the difference in yolk color, and most had never seen a goose egg before . "Old"-timers told funny stories about being raised around chickens and geese. Folks who know me, know that I'm pretty shy and don't talk about myself that much (well, except on this blog), but I feel so passionate about local food systems - and my girls, of course! - that I about talked everyone's ear off.

Fell into a discussion with one of the co-op's board members, who is putting together a town-focused social network where folks can skill share and call out for assistance. We talked about how many are craving a sense of community and connection, and that this can be one way of creating a more cohesive community. Especially if the economy continues to tank.

I was thrilled to talk more with local producers of pasture-raised pork and beef, and made plans to budget money for shares in the upcoming harvest.

Meeting with everyone, making presentations, and seeing people's excitement in what we're doing with the co-op has left me feeling re-energized and re-motivated to push forward on developing our orchard. There's a huge need for a larger variety of local, organic fruits and nuts. Our town also has a small food bank, and it'd be great to have something to give every season. I may even set up a gleaning opportunity if we have enough trees/produce to do so.

One thing I forgot to bring - snacks and drinks. I started to have a sugar crash, and ended up eating a coconut/date macaroon from the vendor next to me, and drinking a cup of organic coffee from the vendor across the way. This means Spouse gets to watch me bounce off the walls for the rest of tonight, lucky guy! ("no, not really" I'm sure he'd say) Think I better find a project to pour this energy into while it lasts.

Small Farm Livestock Owners - Comment on NAIS

This entry is for those of us who raise and maintain our own small population of livestock, whether as pets, for milk and eggs, or for meat. Those of us who also like to eat local and purchase such things from small sustainable farms, please read as well. Many thanks!

Not familiar with the government's proposed NAIS program? Please read this: http://nonais.org/but-what-is-nais/ Then if you feel moved, please read below on how to comment on the Federal Register during this window of allowed public input. Further below is one woman's submission.

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Karen writes:

I submitted my comments to the Federal Register for the new proposed NAIS regulation. I will copy and paste them below as an example of what one might write. I encourage EVERYONE to comment on this proposed rule, even if you do not own the livestock currently proposed to be affected (this opens the door to the rest) AND even if you will never own any livestock. If you like to eat local foods, this WILL affect you. To comment, click on this link: http://www.regulations.gov/fdmspublic/component/main?main=DocketDetail&d=APHIS-2007-0096
The first entry is the regulation itself. To comment, click on the yellow balloon next to that document:

I would also suggest taking the time to read the many other excellent comments for ideas. Remember that it sometimes takes a few days before your comments appear.

Go to this link to read Karen's (not related to Auntie Karen) comments to the proposal.