photo
parody

POLITICAL
PLUNDER OF THE WEEK:

More than 15,000 government scientists have endorsed a report
to Congress protesting government cover-ups of scientific
data. The report cites multiple examples of government manipulation
of science for the sake of political gain, saying the current
Administration has censored, suppressed and falsified important
environmental and health research. "Although surely the
worst, the Bush Administration is not the first, nor will
it be the last administration to mistreat and misuse science
and scientists," said Anthony Robbins, the former director
of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.
The interference has been directed at climate change research,
new birth control drugs, species protection, consumer safety
studies and agricultural research, the scientists said.
Learn more: /articles/article_10369.cfm

SMELLY
MEMO OF THE WEEK:

"Politically sensitive and controversial issues require
discretion…"

Excerpt
from a Bush Administration memo advising scientists to conceal
recent discoveries that antibiotic resistant bacteria are
contaminating the air in communities near factory farms.

QUICK
UPDATE:

In the last issue of Organic Bytes, we reported on the outbreak
of a new serious neurological disease in an Austin, MN factory
farm slaughterhouse. Since then, two additional slaughterhouses
have reported workers contracting this mysterious disease:
one in Indiana and one in Nebraska. Investigators believe
the spread of the disease is due to tiny bits of pig brains
in the factory air. Government officials have not issued
a recall on any of the pork products in question and claim
that local communities are not at risk.

WEB
VIDEO OF THE WEEK:

Watch this short entertaining video by our allies at True
Majority to see how the federal government is spending our
tax money. Tax policies may seem abstract, but not when
you visualize them in terms of cookies: http://www.truemajorityaction.org/oreos/index_oca.php

HEALTH
NEWS OF THE WEEK:


This quick Fluoride Action Network video shows us some of
the major concerns of fluoride in drinking water. Check
out the warning label on your toothpaste tube. It notes
that the amount of fluoride in a single brushing (.25 mg)
should not be swallowed, and if so, the label says you should
contact a Poison Control Center. Interestingly, that’s the
same amount that’s in an average glass of tap water. Learn
more and watch: http://www.fluoridealert.org/

image
parody

CONSUMER
TIP OF THE WEEK:
CLONED MEAT NOW IN U.S. FOOD SUPPLY
Although the USDA only recently removed a voluntary market
sale moratorium on foods from cloned animals, a Kansas cattleman
claims these products are already in the U.S. food supply.
"I have sold offspring of cloned animals into feedlots,
and they are in the food chain," said Donald Coover,
a cattleman and veterinarian. Coover says he has sold semen
from clones to many US meat producers in the past few years,
and that others have been doing the same. Despite strong
public opposition, the FDA has announced that these foods
do not need to be labeled as such, so consumers buying meat
dairy and eggs don’t know if the product came from a cloned
animal. Fortunately, the USDA has clarified that foods labeled
as "organic" cannot come from cloned animals.

Learn more: /articles/article_10496.cfm

SUSTAINABILITY
TIP OF THE WEEK:

OCA recommends that we all buy organic, but also "buy
local". Unfortunately buying local in the middle of
the winter for many Americans is quite a challenge. But
you’d be surprised at the diversity of foods you can grow
in your own house or apartment. You can’t get any more local
(or fresh) than food harvested from your own windowsill.
Foods that can be successfully grown indoors include salad
greens, tomatoes, green onions, garlic, alfalfa sprouts
and even avocado. Here are some tips and resources: /articles/article_10529.cfm

LESSON
OF THE WEEK:
BIODYNAMICS 101 (GOING A STEP BEYOND USDA ORGANIC)
As farmers and consumers go green, innovative ideas are
constantly being developed. Although biodynamic farming
is hardly a new concept (it’s roots go back to 1924), organic
foods grown with this method are just now starting to enter
the natural products mainstream. Surveys show most consumers
don’t really understand what biodynamic farming is all about.
Here’s a quick overview:

• Treating
  the farm as a living organism wherein where all aspects
  of the farm (i.e. water, soil, pests, fertility, etc.)
  are managed holistically.
• Intentional
  focus on biodiversity in plants, animals and soil bacteria.
• All
  input comes from the farm itself (as opposed to importing
  fertilizer or compost, for example).
• Utilizing
  observation of celestial activity to aid in aligning the
  farming system. Learn more in the Biodynamics
  section of OCA’s website: /old_articles/biodynamics.cfm