ORGANIC BYTES: Elections, Food Contamination, and Your Health

[Guest guest]

Hello rachelle, ORGANIC BYTES: Elections, Food Contamination, and Your Health 8/24/2006 Written and edited by Craig Minowa and Ronnie Cummins IN THIS ISSUE "ORGANIC CONSUMERS POLITICAL CANDIDATE SURVEY" SPREADING ACROSS U.S MAKE A DONATION TO PUT ORGANIC ISSUES ON THE TABLE IN 2006 ELECTIONS USDA ANNOUNCES U.S. RICE SUPPLY HAS BEEN CONTAMINATED GENETICALLY ENGINEERED "FRANKENGRASS" SPREADS INTO THE WILD AFTER 70-YEAR BAN: HEMP MAY SOON BE LEGALLY GROWN ON U.S. SOIL TIP OF THE WEEK: THE MOST DANGEROUS INGREDIENTS IN CONVENTIONAL FOODS STUDY SAYS FAMILY MEAL IS GOOD FOR YOUR HEALTH QUICK WATER FACTS QUICK TIDBIT: BACTERIA GUM WEBSITE OF THE WEEK: NATURAL HEALTH TELESEMINARS "ORGANIC CONSUMERS POLITICAL CANDIDATE SURVEY" SPREADING ACROSS U.S. ---ENCOUARGE POLITICAL CANDIDATES IN YOUR AREA TO RESPOND Last week, the Organic Consumers Fund kicked off a nationwide candidate survey, in order to help you, the voter, identify local, state, and Congressional politicians seeking office in 2006 who support policies that move us toward a more sustainable world. In a mere six days, nearly eight hundred volunteers have entered nearly 500 candidates and contacted them over 4000 times. And this is just the beginning. If you haven't already done so, we need your help to make this survey a success. A few minutes of you time time, in conjunction with the efforts of thousands of others across the country, can have a powerful impact on the elections. Please go now to the OCF voter action page and follow the step-by-step instructions to encourage candidates in your area to take part in the "Organic

Consumers 2006 Political Candidate Survey." Once your local, state, and Congressional candidates respond, the OCF website will automatically rank them in terms of their response on key issues of health, justice, and sustainability, thereby helping you know who to vote for in November. Please locate candidates in your area and send them the survey here: http://www.organicconsumersfund.org/voterguide.cfm _ MAKE A DONATION TO PUT

ORGANIC ISSUES ON THE TABLE IN 2006 ELECTIONS Every year, agribusiness, biotech, and other powerful special interest groups spend hundreds of millions of dollars lobbying public officials to pass and change legislation in their favor. The new Organic Consumers Fund (OCF) is the only citizen driven lobbying group of its kind focused on moving the country in an organic and sustainable direction. In order to do this, we need your help. Unlike corporate lobbyists, our only source of funding is you. The OCF's goal is to raise $50,000 in grassroots donations in the next 30-60 days, so that we can spread the Candidate Survey to thousands of candidates. Last week we raised over $5000 for this effort. Later in the fall we'll publish our Voter Guide, to help people decide who deserves their vote. We are fortunate to currently have a funder that will match every dollar you donate. Please donate now and help us begin to move in New Directions by putting organic issues on the

table in the 2006 elections. Donate now: http://organicconsumersfund.org/donations.cfm _ USDA ANNOUNCES U.S. RICE SUPPLY HAS BEEN CONTAMINATEDUSDA Secretary Mike Johanns has announced that domestic and export stocks of long grain rice has been contaminated by a genetically engineered variety of rice that is not approved for human consumption. Johanns said that the contamination was admitted to be the fault of Bayer

Corporation, but the USDA doesn't know how widespread the contamination is. According to Johanns the biotech rice poses no health risks, but could damage the U.S. $1 billion rice export market, since many nations refuse to import genetically engineered rice. Japan has already announced a ban on long grain rice imports from the US. Last year, Japan and the EU banned US corn imports as a result of yet another GE contamination scandal. Learn more: http://www.organicconsumers.org/2006/article_1584.cfm _ GENETICALLY ENGINEERED "FRANKENGRASS" SPREADS INTO THE WILD An experimental variety of genetically engineered bentgrass has escaped from its test plot in Oregon and has been found growing in the wild as far as three miles away, according to scientists from the U.S. EPA. The biotech plant, designed for golf courses, has not been approved by the USDA, but has already been found dispersing among native grasses in six different locations. Scientists say they don't know how will behave in the wild but admit it may have a strong advantage over native grasses, and could therefore irreversibly damage the ecosystem as it spreads. According to Tom Stohlgren, an ecologist at the US Geological Survey's National Institute of Invasive Species Science, the experimental bentgrass "can tend to outcompete

other species...It doesn't need to sexually reproduce - it's like The Blob. It could potentially hit rare species or national parks." Learn more: http://www.organicconsumers.org/2006/article_1575.cfm AFTER 70-YEAR BAN: HEMP MAY SOON BE LEGALLY GROWN ON U.S. SOIL After receiving thousands of emails and letters from grassroots constituents, including organic consumers, the California Senate has

approved a bill (26-13) that would allow farmers to grow industrial hemp. Senate Republican Tom McClintock spearheaded the bill on the Senate floor and noted that hemp "bears no more resemblance to marijuana than a poodle bears to a wolf...you would die from smoke inhalation before you would get high." Industrial hemp was inaccurately equated with marijuana in a 1937 ban on the crop, despite the fact that it was a staple crop for U.S. Farmers for decades, including George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. The $270 million U.S. hemp market is currently supplied by Canadian farmers. With the current bill, California lawmakers believe they can get around the federal ban by restricting the sale of California-grown hemp to the state itself, thereby not infringing on any interstate commerce laws. The bill now goes back to the California Assembly.Learn more: http://www.organicconsumers.org/2006/article_1568.cfm _ TIP OF THE WEEK: THE MOST DANGEROUS INGREDIENTS IN CONVENTIONAL FOODS 1) Sodium nitrite -- causes cancer, found in most processed meats like hot dogs, bacon, sausage. Used to make meats appear red (a color fixer chemical). 2) Hydrogenated oils -- causes heart disease, nutritional deficiencies, general deterioration of cellular health, and much more. Found in cookies, crackers, margarine and many "manufactured" foods. Used to make oils stay in the food, extending shelf life. Sometimes also called "plastic fat." 3) Excitotoxins -- aspartame, monosodium glutamate and others (see below). These neurotoxic chemical additives directly harm nerve cells, over-exciting them to the point of cell death, according to Dr. Russell Blaylock. They're found in diet soda, canned soup, salad dressing, breakfast sausage and even many manufactured vegetarian foods. They're used to add flavor to over-processed, boring foods that have had the life cooked out of them. Source: A new book by Mike Adams, entitled "Grocery Warning" takes a

scientific look at a plethora of problematic ingredients in the everyday foods we eat. Learn more: http://www.organicconsumers.org/2006/article_705.cfm STUDY SAYS FAMILY MEAL IS GOOD FOR YOUR HEALTHAccording to a decade long study from the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA), teens who regularly have meals with their family are less likely to get into

fights, think about suicide, smoke, drink, use drugs, and are more likely to have later initiation of sexual activity, and better academic performance than teens who do not. Rutgers University anthropologist Robin Fox emphasizes the importance of positive intention in family meals. "It's like the American Indians. When they killed a deer, they said a prayer over it," says Fox. "That is civilization. It is an act of politeness over food. Fast food has killed this. We have reduced eating to sitting alone and shoveling it in. There is no ceremony in it." The CASA study also showed that eating with parents is also an important factor for the nutrition and eating habits of adolescents, with research showing that family meals and parental presence at meals is associated with higher intake of fruits, vegetables, and dairy products. Learn more: http://www.organicconsumers.org/2006/article_752.cfm QUICK WATER FACTSAccording to United Nations figures, 2.6 billion people consume unsafe and polluted water every day. As the population blooms, the issue of access to fresh water is literally one of life or death. Last weekend's Financial Times pointed out some interesting facts about everyday water consumption: It takes 53 liters of water to produce one orange.1 pint of milk: 250 liters1

egg: 450 liters1kg of potatoes: 500 liters1 loaf of bread: 550 liters1 kg of butter: 18,000 liters1kg of wool: 200,000 liters1 car: 150,000 liters Source: Financial Times http://www.organicconsumers.org/2006/article_1593.cfm QUICK TIDBIT: BACTERIA GUMScientists have developed a new gum

that contains the bacteria Lactobacillus, which they say can help prevent tooth decay. The "good" bacteria causes tooth damaging "bad" bacteria (Streptococcus mutans)to clump together, preventing them from adhering to the teeth. Scientists are also working on a deodorant wherein the same Lactobacillus bacteria would stop the odor-producing bacteria in the armpit.Learn more: http://www.organicconsumers.org/2006/article_1588.cfm __ WEBSITE OF THE WEEK: NATURAL HEALTH

TELESEMINARSSave gas and time by attending seminars online. This week, we're recommending a series of free teleseminars on natural health, conducted by Dr. Elson Haas, noted physician, author and teacher. The series includes: "Becoming & Staying Healthy: Detox & Autumn Healing" (Sept. 13) "Nutritional & Seasonal Medicine: Addressing the Foundation of Good Health (Sept. 27) "Holiday Health & Handling Stress: Balancing Personal Needs & External Demands" (October 11) Learn more and attend: http://www.elsonhaas.com/"Get off your ass and take your government back." ~Rocky Ward

Want to be your own boss? Learn how on Small Business.