Photo by joka2000
For those of you enjoying raw vegan picnics and family gatherings I hope you are having a wonderful 4th of July. I’m not real big on holidays in general and frankly, almost every year I ask myself why I didn’t leave the country to avoid the fireworks on the 4th of July. I like the big professional displays but the crazy people setting off fireworks all over the place just works my nerves. It’s not exactly helpful to my little dog who was just prescribed valium for night time anxiety attacks either.
The beach community where I live is located on a peninsula on the SW Washington Coast. Back in the 50’s much of the land on the peninsula was subdivided & sold into lots. Many people who lived in Seattle and Portland bought the lots for recreational use so they could come down here to go fishing, claming, horseback riding, hunting, beach combing, etc. The lots were and still are often used for tent or trailer camping. On some lots people built small cabins or cottages which is what happened on our lot in the late 70’s. But the lot on the east side of our property and across the street one lot west are both vacant and the families that own them come down and camp in the summer. They both have families staying on them this week. The lot directly across from us, while it has a house, also has a tent set up in the yard to house relatives. Top that off with having a RV park on the north side of our property. Now the permanent residents on my street are all pretty much retired and very quiet, but when the campers come down it can get pretty noisy, especially on 4th of July. Then you add the smoke from all the fireworks to the smoke from the campfires and the air can get a little thick. I’m not really complaining, just explaining why the 4th of July doesn’t make me giddy.
Mary is off to work the local 4th of July Parade as part of her job with the local Chamber of Commerce office. We bought a bunch of photo albums yesterday so we could organize and sort photos and I may get started working on that today. I went into the store with her to help her pick them out. Still kind of a big deal for me.
So we took some photos of the yard last week and I’ve been wanting to post the photos but I’m just now getting around to it. It seems like everything has grown so much in just the one week since I took these. Anyway, here are the photos and I’ll try to post some new ones next month.
I wanted to recommend a book I recently checked out of the Library. “Your Right to Know” by Andrew Kimbrell, Center for Food Safety. It’s subtitled ‘Genetic Engineering and the secret changes to your food’ and described as ‘An Illustrated Shopper’s Guide’.
First of all, the book is just beautiful. The layout, the photos and illustrations are very attractive and super slick. The information is wonderfully easy to read and it’s almost presented in a magazine format. Most of the content is stuff I recently learned in my studies on this topic. The book makes it very clear that almost all fresh fruits and veggies sold in the US are NOT genetically engineered. I’ve not seen that clearly stated elsewhere & I appreciated that information. About 75% of processed food on the other hand contains at least one GE product. Another reason to eat raw. It also comes with a pocket shopping guide slipped into a pocket in the back cover. If you are already educated about this topic I doubt you’ll learn anything new, but this beautiful book would be a great gift for someone who was sympathetic and wanted to learn more. Today I’m starting a new book called “Plenty” by Alisa Smith and J.B. Mackinnon. It’s about a couple who commit to spend a year only eating food grown within 100 miles of their home. It should be interesting.
I’ve been thinking a lot about the grown locally issue. Yesterday I was reading an internet story that said Wal-Mart was going to start pushing organic products. My first thought was “YES!” This is going to hugely influence the production of organic products. But would you believe there are nay-sayers? I tried to keep an open mind as I was reading a story outlining some of the concerns.
According to a May 12th story in the New York Times here are some of the concerns.
1. It will lower the standards for the production of organic foods and will undercut the environmental benefits of organic farming.
2. That Wal-Mart did not care about the principles behind organic agriculture and would ultimately drive down prices and squeeze organic farmers.
3. That their one size fits all business model is going to wreck organic the way it’s wrecking retail stores, driving out all competitors.
4. They’re going to end up outsourcing from overseas and places like China where there are very dubious organic standards and labor conditions that are contrary to what any organic consumer would consider equitable.
Wal-Mart says it want to democratize organic food, making products affordable for those who are reluctant to pay premiums of 20-30 percent. That appeals to me.
I gotta tell you the arguments against Wal-Mart organics not only sound weak but in my mind they smack of protectionism. My interest in local food production has to do with reducing the environmental impact of shipping food around the world, discouraging the planting of fruits and veggie varieties selected to withstand shipping instead of selected for flavor or nutrition, and discouraging mono cultures and seed monopolies. I don’t have much interest in protecting local farmers. I don’t really think a farmer in my state or country is any more entitled to make a living then a farmer in China or Mexico. National boarders are invisible from space. If we could find a clean way to quickly transport food around the world then I would have no problem buying food from China, India, or Argentina.
I’ll wrap this up for the day with my weekly weight loss stats & the usual rigmarole.
Weekly Weight Loss
7/4/07 = 431.0 (-3.6 for the week)
6/27/07 = 434.6 (-3.2 for the week)
6/20/07 = 437.8 (-3.0 for the week)
6/13/07 = 440.8 (-6.4 for the week)
6/6/07 = 447.2 (-4.6 for the week)
5/30/07 = 451.8 (-3.4 for the week)
5/23/07 = 455.2 (-3.8 for the week)
5/16/07 = 459.0 (-5.0 for the week)
5/9/07 = 464.0 (-5.8 for the week)
5/2/07 = 469.8 (-5.0 for the week)
4/25/07 = 474.8 (-2.8 for the week)
4/18/07 = 477.6 (-5.2 for the week)
4/11/07 = 482.8 (-7.0 for the week)
4/04/07 = 489.8 (-5.4 for the week)
3/28/07 = 495.2 (-2.4 for the week)
3/21/07 = 497.6 (-6.6 for the week)
3/14/07 = 504.2 (-8.8 for the week)
3/07/07 = 513.0 (-15.2 for the week)
2/28/07 = 528.2
Yesterday’s 2 quart Green Smoothie Recipe:
225 grams Earthbound Farms Mixed Baby Greens [Organic baby lettuces (red & green romaine, red & green oak leaf, lollo rosa, tango), organic red & green chard, organic mizuna, organic arugula, organic frisée, organic radicchio.]
102 grams Raw Onion
25 grams Raw Garlic
21 grams Fresh Lemon Juice
683 grams Frozen Mango
15 grams Organic Whole Flax Seeds
32 ounces filtered tap water
I had an additional 48+ ounces of water and 2 Rolaids. No other food, beverages, supplements, or medications.
Nutritional Breakdown utilizing Nutridiary:
Calories: 633
Fiber: 24 grams
Fat: 7 grams, 9% of total calories
Carbohydrates: 150 grams, 83% of total calories
Protein: 14 grams, 8% of total calories
Elimination: 2BM, normal
Menses: Most recent: 6/3/07, Prior: 5/3/07, Prior: 4/5/07, Prior: 03/10/07, Prior: 2/11/07
Exercise for yesterday:
10 minutes neck stretches
Packed up some more boxes of books.
Walked around Walgreen’s looking for Photo Albums.
Statistics:
Height: 5 foot, 11 inches. (180 centimeters)
Weight loss since March 1 2007: 97.6 pounds (44.27 kilograms)
Weight today: 430.6 pounds (195.32 kilograms)
Weight yesterday: 431.0 (195.5 kilograms)
Weight March 5th 2007: 515.6 pounds (233.87 kilograms)
Weight March 1st 2007: 528.2 pounds. (239.59 kilograms)
17 comments:
I really disagree regarding Walmart. Sure, a local farmer has just as much right to make a living as one in Mexico but wouldn't it be better for everyone if there was no Walmart and the Mexican farmers could farm their land and sell their goods locally and the US small farmers could sell their goods locally? Well, it probably wouldn't be better for Walmart and that's the whole point.
With Walmart promoting organics, they're just extending their reign to another source of profit. Their interest is not in protecting the earth or our bodies, despite what their literature might say. They want you to come in for tomatoes in January and buy some clothes or cosmetics on your way out.
Hi Paige,
I think discussion on these topics is wonderful. Thanks for taking the time to share your point of view.
I don’t think Walmart is evil. The problems people have with Walmart can be addressed legislatively if there is sufficient political will. I believe the frustration people have with Walmart is actually a frustration with human nature. Walmart effectively meets the needs of many people which is why they are so successful. If you want people to not shop at Walmart because you are anti-globalization, or anti-corporation, or anti-exploitation of employees, you will be frustrated that other people continue to patronize the store despite these issues. If people didn’t go to the store, it wouldn’t grow and expand, and wouldn’t be a problem. The real problem is the people who frequent this store without regard to the impact, thus the real problem is human nature. If people were not so selfish, they would also enact legislation that would regulate Wal-mart in areas of concern. But people, including me, are selfish. And why shouldn’t Wal-Mart try to sell me cosmetics and clothes. I use those things, don’t you?
I personally would like to see a democratic socialist world government. I’m not a fan of capitalism. But we in the US live in a Capitalistic society and it appears to me that Wal-Mart has just played the game extremely well. When we look to the future I don’t think we should try to turn back the clock. Mom & Pop stores and family farms are a part of our history. Corporate farms and corporate food distribution is our future. The sooner we face up to this the sooner we can start a real conversation about how to enact laws to regulate and control these industries so that the greatest numbers of people are served and protected, which includes protecting the environment where we all live.
I find it interesting that when environmentalists bring up the benefits of buying locally, they never bring up the benefits of selling locally. Perhaps environmentally conscious business should concentrate their sales locally so as to not use up resources shipping elsewhere. Perhaps we should start a movement asking organic growers in the US to save fuel by only selling their produce in the US and to not ship organic produce any to foreign countries.
I hope you don’t mind me engaging in a little debate with you Paige. Again, I find this stuff very interesting and I really do appreciate you taking a moment to share your thoughts on my blog. Take care.
VW
Hi Valerie just love the Yard pics! Bubble share is such a neat way to show them :) I have a few local farmers that I buy from and at a fraction of the cost of the market. Getting to know these people has been a great thing for me socially too. I have offered to come weed and harvest and that surprises them I tell ya. Of course nothing is really ready yet so I drive by all the time just waiting for the "table" to go up in the yard.
I recently read The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan. He traces four different meals back to their origins, starting with a meal from McDonald's, moving through organic farms, a sustainable farm in Virginia, and finally, a meal he mostly foraged for in Northern California. His writing is brilliant and would be interesting no matter what the topic. He's just such an excellent science writer that his explanations for things, like how hybridized corn has changed agriculture on the entire continent, are several cuts above what you usually find. The insight into the government/military/war reasons that some subsidies were granted and the huge impact some of that had were astounding to me. One of the best books I've read in the past year.
The ideal that some want a capitalist society and that the rest of us should deal with it and accept that is a huge smack to people who have fought and die for change. There are literally tens of thousands of americans who fight daily for a non capitalistic way of life, who fight these corporations that care nothing about the people, their health, this earth, in the name of profit, (that will NEVER be MY future or my children's future. I will fight to death for that) Like most "green consumerism", it is just another fad to jump onto to. If success means to use seatshop labor, to keep pay at barely mininum wage (Walmarts on this end pay their workers 6.15 an hour, plus, these workers use 1/3 of that alone to pay for health care), destroying our Earth to make more profits for themselves....
When I worked at wal-Mart, I made 6.00 an hour. Now, we were not allowed overtime, but was often asked to stay extra "For the good of the company". we were not allowed to unionize because "that would not be part of the Wal_mart creed". I could not live (healthy) off their pay because, although Walmart made 3.5 million dollars a day there, they could not "afford" to pay us a decent wage, but they could afford to build another walmart 15 minutes away.
I had to give up my health insurance because I couldn't afford to keep it.
People say, "No one forces people to work or shop at Wal-Mart" but think about it. Wal-Mart moved to down, crushes all LOCAL (there's that word) markets, cutting out jobs for those who worked there. If they are like me, they may not have the resources to go farther away to find new jobs, But looks what just opened up, a brand spanking new wal-mart, with it's low pay, shoddy insurance, and sweatshop goods, who can resist?
Is that how it's going to be now? "Well, it's cheap for me, so it's perfectly okay?" "Well, they have more money than me, so I'm gonna sit back and let them do whatever?"
I don't put profits over people, or accept that "there's nothing I can do".
Good luck with your weight loss, and all the best of luck in life.
Here are some links for you to check out.
http://www.1worldcommunication.org/Walmart.htm
http://www.boycottwalmart.org/
http://media.www.independentcollegian.com/media/storage/paper678/news/2004/02/05/Forum/The-Evils.Of.WalMart-599083.shtml
Hi Anonymous Commenter,
Looks like both of the above comments were posted within five minutes so I’ll assume one anonymous person posted both.
So you’ve brought up some interesting thoughts that I’d like to comment on.
Capitalism generally refers to an economic system in which the means of production are mostly privately owned and operated for profit, and in which investments, distribution, income, production and pricing of goods and services are determined through the operation of a free market. (Thank you Wikipedia for the definition)
If you are personally against Capitalism, then what type of economic system are you in favor of? Socialist economy? Communist economy? Something else?
The United States currently operates a free market capitalist economy. Any US military personal fighting in defense of the United States is fighting to defend a Capitalist economy. I don’t know who you are referring to when you say that tens of thousands of Americans fight daily for a non capitalistic way of life. Are you talking about activists?
You say you are going to fight to the death against corporations. We like to joke around about what we’ll be doing when the revolution comes. Sounds like you’ll be leading a platoon. I’ll probably be cowering in a bunker somewhere hoping my organic medjool dates hold out until everybody runs out of ammunition.
The links you listed in your comments detail various shortcomings of Walmart. I think that you and I would be in agreement about the dangers of corporations operating unchecked. I just don’t see eliminating corporations as a likely outcome or necessarily desirable. Instead, I think we need to get them in line. Corporations need to be way more accountable to the public. The ways that we could implement this are many and varied. We, as the citizens of the US, could elect representatives who will set a minimum wage that will provide for the needs of an average family. We could also limit expansion. We could require large monetary compensation for business that are “crushed”. Install strong employee unions. And so on.
I see the real problem being that Corporations have used their profits to effect government legislation here and abroad to their benefit while we, the sleepy public, have let them get away with it. I think we need to wake up and check their behavior and the way to accomplish that is by education. I don’t think we can use the traditional media channels as they are now controlled by the corporations. But fortunately for us, the corporations don’t yet have control of the internet.
I think that dialog and interest based negotiation will be more effective in the long run then vilification of a corporate entity. I sometimes wonder if it’s not Walmart’s competitors who fan the flames of hatred against Walmart. Wouldn’t it be funny to find out at some future date that the most well known leaders and authors condemning Walmart are actually working for Walmart competitors as part of some huge corporate conspiracy?
The world is a very interesting place.
VW
Valerie,
This is one of those days I feel I could have written your blog - though not as eloquently as you
:-)
Agreed - on all points - right down to Wal-Mart.
Sitting here, just having finished my second helping of green smoothie (today is spinach/mango/strawberry), enjoying the cool photos posted by you and Mary and feeling thankful for independence - in thought, choices and attitudes.
Lifting my glass of the Emerald brew and wishing you, Mary and Lil Bit the most peaceful 4th possible.
Hugs,
Jean
Every time I walk into Wal Mart, and that is as little as possible, I am depressed for days afterward because I fear that one day Wal Mart will be the world and we will buy their crappy stuff and their second rate produce because that is all there will be. You may be hiding out in a bunker, but you will have no organic dates to save.
Until we adopt a global consciousness and realize that companies like Wal Mart cannot be good for us and bad for others, our world will not change.
I always say one day people will wake up and find Wal Mart tattooed across their foreheads and wonder how it ever came to this. Well, it came to this when no one defended their neighbor's right to earn a living in their own town, when no one supported the produce stands that went out of business, because Wal Mart had everything cheaper.
What would be wrong with competitors of Wal Mart fanning the flames of hatred? You do not have to go far to learn of their shocking business practices or the unbelievable amount of influence they wield in this country, our government, and governments around the world. If I had the money I would become a competitior and try to stop the ever growing monopoly that is Wal Mart. How would that redeem them in any way? What difference does it make who is fanning the flames? The fire is burning and consuming all us and leaving us few options.
Wal Mart is not friend to you, to our country, or the other countries it exploits. Be prepared to eat whatever they offer, grown in some country with no regulations, or in this country once the regulations are removed in order to meet Wal Mart's demands, because they will control that as well.
I do not feel comfortable putting my life and my future in the hands of greedy corporations and I do not think I am greedy like them and simply lack their opportunity to exploit. I know I am not like them and if I ever have the opportunity to do something to prevent what seems inevitible, I will do it. For now I stay away from their stores, and their falling prices, and the bleak future they portend.
I would agree that some people are greedy and all people are self centered in some situatons, but I absolutely do not agree that greed is a basic component of human nature. I believe it is learned, not innate. All of my dealings with humans have borne this out. When push comes to shove, the caring outshines the greed and apathy every time. Wal Mart's success comes from exploitation of the uninformed or the misinformed, not biological selfishness.
Gracie,
Thanks for stopping by. When I get a little more fit I want to visit some U-pick farms. I think I would enjoy harvesting more then weeding. Although now that I’m learning about all the weeds that are actually edible greens weeding might take on a new interest. (Smile)
Veralee,
Thanks for the book recommendation. My library has a copy so I reserved it. There are 15 people in line in front of me so it may be a few weeks before it’s my turn. I don’t know much about the politics of subsidies so I will be interested to see what the author has to say on the subject.
Jean,
Thanks for the Emerald Brew Toast. I have actually had a very peaceful day but the pop pop pop is starting up even though it’s another 3 hours until dark.
Anonymous,
Tell me. Short of disappearing from the planet, is there anything that Walmart could do to become an acceptable business in you opinion? Would you like them to carry higher quality goods, or pay their workers more, or build smaller stores, or what exactly would they have to do differently so that you wouldn’t hate them anymore?
I hope all of you enjoyed a day off from work. Talk to you soon.
VW
I really like your blog... just wanted to say that the point about foreign organic standards being questionable is a valid one to consider. Also, I feel it is a good thing to support your local farmers. If we kill our farming industry, we give away a lot of power to the countries we will need to buy our food from in the future. Extreme way of describing it, but you get the idea... Thanks for sharing! Keep it up!
My only issue with large chains selling organic foods is the locality. At all 3 of my neighborhood grocery stores almost all of the organic produce they sell comes from California. I happen to know that there is an abundance of organically grown luscious produce available from LOCAL farmers. Why can't these places understand that it has to be BOTH FRESH and ORGANIC to provide optimal nutrition!!!
If WalMart is going to sell fresh, local organic produce then I will buy it for sure!
Valerie,
Have you seriously done your research and come to the conclusion that you would trust Wal Mart with our food supply? If you have, then you are certainly entitled to your opinion and it appears, from the success of Wal Mart, that you are in good, or at least vast, company.
As you know, they have serious big money ties to our govenment. Look at the communities who tried desperately to keep them out and lost, despite the will of the people. This is not capitalism well executed, it is money successfully purchasing privilige.
With all the controversy now about organic standards and regulations for those growing our food, both organic and otherwise, do we want to allow Wal Mart and their clout to influence already shaky standards? This is a big deal for people who cook their food, but it is a huge deal for those of us who choose to eat it raw.
I do not shop at Wal Mart for a variety of reasons, but greatly fear that one day I will have no choice. I have no ability to influence consumer standards except with the dollars I spend, be they few. I will continue to use my influence, however small, wisely, and I encourage everyone else to do the same.
As for people shopping there because they are selfish, I disagree. I think many people shop there because they have been encouraged to believe that they cannot afford to do otherwise. I recently saw an interview with a Wal Mart shopper who was asked if she would pay an extra dollar for a pair of jeans so that the woman making the jeans could feed her family. The shopper answered, no. I do not believe that she represents all shoppers and I am sure many people would agree to pay the extra to help, if they believed it would help. But I also think she has been led to think she must protect her family at the cost of the other woman's. This is not selfishness, this is a particularly heinous form of nationalism that has been encouraged by our government. Companies like Wal Mart capitalize on these fears. Don't you think we should do what we can to change things, one dollar at a time?
Not criticizing, just encouraging educated exchange.
Encouraging Thoughtfulness,
Connie
Hi Connie,
Thanks for taking a moment to share your thoughts. Is there anything that Walmart could do to earn your trust and to get you to shop there? What business practices would they have to change to become responsible members of the business community?
VW
HuH? I think I missed something! I thought there was a discussion going on. Lol! Best of luck to you.
I agree with Connie about Wal-Mart but also feel led to say that I have grown my own produce for years. I have been fortunate to have a large yard in Virginia with plenty of sunshine and wonderful soil.
But when unable to grow my own, when I lived in Oakland California I frequented the wonderful farmer's markets.
Do you think Wal-Mart could ever duplicate the smell, taste, sight, freshness and succulence of produce that was still gowing 24 hours before I bought it?
I have been reading your blog and wanted to encourage you to continue on your road to regaining your health.
Hi Anonymous,
Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to leave me a note. Many people have told me that they not only enjoy wonderful produce from their yard but that they also find the activity of gardening to be very grounding. My little adventures this summer growing lettuce and other greens in patio boxes has been fun for me.
To answer your question, I don’t think Walmart, or Safeway, or Thriftway, or Albertsons, or Trader Joes can duplicate the smell, taste, sight, freshness and succulence of produce that was picked hours before you bought it. I’m actually very intrigued by people who are experimenting with growing food on suburban lots. I have a link to a very cool website on the lower left hand side of the blog called Path to Freedom about a family doing extraordinary things on a tiny lot in Pasadena. I’m also interested in some of the green roof top projects that are popping up around the world. Take care.
VW
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