Fw: Organic Bytes: Planting Peace at the RNC, Slow Food, Rats on enfood and More...

[Guest guest]

From: Organic Consumers Association <oca@...>Subject: Organic Bytes: Planting Peace at the RNC, Slow Food, Rats on enfood and More...epifany97523@...Date: Tuesday, September 16, 2008, 8:22 AM

Hello Michele ,

We are resending Organic Bytes issue #144, which was originally sent last week. Unfortunately, our web server company was having problems with their servers at the time, so many of you received various types of error messages when you attempted to click on any links in this issue. They have remedied the problem, so feel free to read, re-read and click to your hearts content. We will have a new issue of Organic Bytes later this week. Thanks for your organic patience!

ORGANIC BYTES #144Health, Justice and Sustainability News Tidbits with an Edge!9/16/2008

IN THIS ISSUE:

OCA Plants Peace at the Republican National Convention

Sixty Thousand Organic Consumers and Locavores Visit "Slow Food Nation"

Lesson of the Week: School Lab Rats Freak Out on GE Food

Web Tool of the Week: The Earth Clock

Movie of the Week: The Battle in Seattle

Essay of the Week: Good News in Catastrophic Times: We Are Hard-Wired to Care and Connect

GNA Alert of the Week: Million Doors for Peace

Web Survey of the Week: How Much Do You Know About Synthetic Biology?

Web Forum Post of the Week: Grinding Your Own Grains

Top Headlines of the Week

Written and edited by Craig Minowa and Ronnie Cummins

OCA Plants Peace at the Republican National Convention The Organic Consumers Association's "Planting Peace" brigade actively participated in a series of rallies, street protests, and concert/teach-ins at the Republican National Convention last week, along with tens of thousands of other participants. OCA's Planting Peace contingent supplied organic food and literature to musicians, volunteers, and protesters at the "Ripple Effect" concert and march on September 2, which culminated in a massive and dramatic street march on the RNC.

Throughout the week, despite tear-gas, police dragnets, and intimidation (heavily-armed police at one point pointed their guns and threatened OCA's lawyer and Political Director, is Baden-Meyer), OCA staff and volunteers spread the positive message that a local, energy-efficient, and Fair Trade system of organic food and farming represents a lifesaving cure for America's current "quadruple crisis" of food, health, climate, and energy. As OCA Director Ronnie Cummins emphasized at a St. educational event on September 1, called the "Tumblewood Cabaret", "We must make the nation's green and organic economy the dominant economy."

Please check out OCA's Planting Peace website and campaign, designed to bring about cooperation and synergy between the peace movement, the climate crisis movement, and the organic community.

Donate Now!

___________________________________

Sixty Thousand Organic Consumers and Locavores Visit "Slow Food Nation"In an amazing demonstration of mass public support and creativity, sixty thousand people attended the nation's first Slow Food Nation convention in San Francisco on Labor Day weekend, underlining America's need and desire for a new system of food and farming that is local, organic, and Fair Trade--not to mention delicious. Among the major themes at the conference was a call to eliminate labor exploitation in the natural and organic food sector.Learn more---Visit the website of Slow

Food Nation

___________________________________

Lesson of the Week:School Lab Rats Freak Out on GE Food Schools in Wisconsin are showing kids the dangers of genetically engineered (GE) junk food with some unique science class experiments. Sister Luigi Frigo repeats the experiment every year in her second grade class in Cudahy. Students feed one group of mice unprocessed whole foods. A second group of mice are given the same junk foods served at most schools. Within a couple of days, the behavior of the second group of mice develop erratic sleeping schedules and become lazy, nervous and even violent. It takes the mice about three weeks on unprocessed foods to return to normal. According to Frigo, the second graders tried to do the experiment again a few months later with the same mice, but the animals have already learned their lesson and refuse to eat the GE food.Learn more

__________________________________

Web Tool of the Week: The Earth ClockWe just came across this amazing web tool last week. At first we thought it was a bit depressing, but then we decided it's a great motivator to remind us all of the limited time we have to make positive change. Watch population growth, CO2 emissions, oil depletion, desertification and more all on one screen and all in real time. This web tool assesses the statistics related to these issues in one time and in one place. Let it blow your mind and motivate you to step up your efforts. Watch

________________________________

Movie of the Week: The Battle in SeattleIn 1999 many of you helped Organic Consumers Association take a stand for organic food and farming, fair trade, and active democracy when tens of thousands of ordinary people, like us, stopped the World Trade Organization (WTO) from meeting in Seattle. We have a historic opportunity this month to rally together again to raise awareness of the WTO's failed, poverty-perpetuating and environmentally devastating policies - and demonstrate how ordinary people can change everything. The new feature film, "BATTLE IN SEATTLE," showcases activists as heroes protecting people and the planet from destruction at the hands of callous corporations.Get involved, inspired, and take action!

___________________________________

Essay of the Week:Good News in Catastrophic Times: We Are Hard-Wired to Care and Connect "Scientists who use advanced imaging technology to study brain function report that the human brain is wired to reward caring, cooperation, and service. According to this research, merely thinking about another person experiencing harm triggers the same reaction in our brain as when a mother sees distress in her baby's face. Conversely, the act of helping another triggers the brain's pleasure center and benefits our health by boosting our immune system, reducing our heart rate, and preparing us to approach and soothe. Positive emotions like compassion produce similar benefits. By contrast, negative emotions suppress our immune system, increase heart rate, and prepare us to fight or flee." Learn more

___________________________________

GNA Alert of the Week: Million Doors for PeaceHelp the peace movement show its strength on September 20, 2008, by being one of 25,000 volunteers who visit 40 of their neighbors to collect a million signatures on a petition calling on every member of Congress to end the war. Learn more and take action

________________________________

Web Survey of the Week: How Much Do You Know About Synthetic Biology?A team of undergraduate students, the Calgary iGEM Ethics Team, are competing for a prize at the November 2008 International Genetically Engineered Machine Competition. While most of the iGEM competitors experiment with genetic engineering, designing, building, and operating synthetic biological systems in living cells, the Calgary iGEM Ethics Team will be the first to submit research on the ethical, legal, and social issues related to synthetic biology. Help them raise awareness of the ethical issues relating to genetic engineering.Participate in their survey

________________________________

Web Forum Post of the Week: Grinding Your Own GrainsIn response to an article on Victory Gardens posted on the OCA website and highlighted in last week's issue of Organic Bytes, a member of the OCA web forum posted the following comment:

"You might add that in addition to growing our vegetables we might also grind our own grains for truly fresh, nutritious baked goods. Most Americans have no idea what fresh bread tastes or even looks like. Buy organic grains only, and look into the many different types of grain mills available. You'll be very happy with the results."

Go to OCA's Web Forum to join discussions on a wide variety of OCA related topics with thousands of other like-minded people.

________________________________

Top Headlines of the Week

Organic Transitions: Building an Anti-Economy

Federal Court Allows USDA to Suppress Testing for Mad Cow Disease

US News & World Report Covers the Irradiation Controversy

New Study: Escalating Oil Prices Mean Organic Food Will Soon Be Cheaper than Industrial Food

Drug-Resistant 'Superbug' in Australia Fueling Fear of Epidemic

Let OCA sift through the media smog and bring you the top new and analysis of the day. The OCA website has 20 or more news articles posted each day, and a library of over 4,000 articles covering issues including health, justice, food and farming, politics, and the environment. Bookmark OrganicConsumers.org

__________________________________

Mobilizing Organic Consumers In ORThrough the Organic Consumers Fund's Grassroots Netroots Alliance project, voters are pressing the politicians to support strict organic standards, mandatory labels for genetically engineered food, and the conversion of U.S. farmland to organic. Find out who's answering the call in OR here.

*Learn more about OCA related action alerts and other news in OR here.

*Join OR discussion groups in our forum.

*Post events in OR on our community calendar

___________________________________

LISTEN TO PODCAST WITH ORGANIC BYTESAccording to NaturalNews.com, the #1 health/wellness podcast on the internet is "Real Health" with Dr. Steve. This podcast will now be highlighting each issue of Organic Bytes with in-depth interviews of OCA staff. Tune-in to the podcast today to hear OCA experts talk about the news stories we're covering in this issue of Organic Bytes. http://web.mac.com/drsteve720/Site/Podcast/Podcast.html

___________________________________

SIGN-UP FOR OCA'S ACTION ALERTS

Subscribe to Organic Bytes

Subscribe to OCA's Emergency Action Alerts

___________________________________

******** support our supporters*********

DR. BRONNER'S MAGIC SOAPS HELPS LEAD WAY IN ORGANIC BODY CARENEW! Dr. Bronner's USDA Certified Organic personal care products AVAILABLE NOW IN OUR NEW WEB STORE!Dr. Bronner's is supporting the Organic Consumers Association's "Coming Clean" campaign for strong organic body care standards. For more info on Dr. Bronner's go here!

Please forward this publication to family and friends, place it on web sites, print it, duplicate it and post it freely. Knowledge is power!

__________________________________

NOTE TO CO-OP AND NATURAL FOOD STORE SUBSCRIBERS:Organic Bytes is a great tool for keeping your staff and customers up to date on the latest issues. Feel free to forward this email to your staff and print for posting on bulletin boards and staff break tables. You are also welcome to use this material for your newsletters. There's an attractive print-friendly PDF version of this available for free download at http://www.organicconsumers.org/organicbytes.cfm_________________________________

ORGANIC BYTES is a publication of:ORGANIC CONSUMERS ASSOCIATION 6771 South Silver Hill DriveFinland, Minnesota 55603Phone: (218)- 226-4164 Fax: (218) 353-7652__________________________________

SubscribeSafe Unsubscribe

You are subscribed as: Michele Horton --- cave junction, ORepifany97523@...

Manage your profile here