SMILES, FROWNS, & KISSES . . .

April 25, 2013

N A T U R E ' S - W A Y

"If one way be better than another, that, you may be sure, is Nature's way."

Aristotle (384-322 BC)

April 24, 2013

Today (thankfully) Federal Legislation Introduced a Bill To Require The Labeling Of Genetically Engineered (GE) Foods. Currently genetically engineered food requires no labeling. Curious don't you think, that producers of GE foods do not label their products as such. Why? Because many of us wouldn't buy them.

Check the Center for Food Safety's web site http://www.centerforfoodsafety.org/ for more information. Click on the Take Action tab to see how you can get involved, including letting your Senator and Congressman know your thoughts. With the site's links, I sent emails to my Senator and Congressman to let them know I want them to pass the legislation noted above.

GE food is silently invading our kitchens. The FDA must approve GE foods before they can be sold, but makes no requirements that these foods be labeled. Are they safe? No one really knows the long term effect on our bodies or on our environment. Safe for us? The FDA says so (hmmm). Safe for our environment? Probably not. You see GE crops can cross pollinate - to weeds and other food crops, thus altering their DNA as well. Then, what effect will this have on the birds and insects that eat them? No one knows the long term effects on wildlife or how to control these super weeds once they take hold.

The Center for Food Safety also has an initiative to stop GE Salmon. As they escape captivity (which the industry says will never happen despite the fact that fish farm escapees already exist) and invade our oceans and streams, it is anticipated that they could wipe out the existing wild salmon population in less than 40 fish generations.

"Research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences notes that a release of just sixty GE fish into a wild population of 60,000 would lead to the extinction of the wild population in less than 40 fish generations."

"FDA says escape is unlikely and that the fish pose “no impact” to the environment. But each year millions of farmed salmon escape, outcompeting wild populations for resources and straining ecosystems. Any approval of GE salmon would represent a serious threat to the survival of native salmon populations, many of which have already suffered severe declines related to salmon farms and other man-made impacts."

"Additionally, the human health impacts of eating GE fish,

which would be the first-ever GE food animal, are entirely unknown."

Genetically Engineered foods is an industry that has grown steadily... and quietly. As consumers we need to stay aware and intervene where we can - like supporting the Center for Food Safety. Again I quote John Muir:

“When one tugs at a single thing in nature,

he finds it attached to the rest of the world.”

Why do we think we know better than Nature!

April 23, 2013

20 EARTH DAY (WEEK) PROJECT IDEAS FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY

For some ideas on what you and your family might do to lessen the human impact on our most precious resource, our beloved earth, check on the link below. Make it a fun project for the whole family!

http://greenliving.lovetoknow.com/Earth_Day_Projects

It has been said that due to our increasingly technologically oriented society, many of our children have lost touch with the outdoors. These children will some day be the leaders of our country. Will they be 'connected' enough to make environmentally wise decisions?

To view what many believe to be the seven biggest environmental threats to our environment, click here:

http://greenliving.lovetoknow.com/Seven_Biggest_Environmental_Threats

And what would a discussion about Nature be without a comment by Emily Dickinson? Sadly, the little honey bees are in trouble too.

“The pedigree of honey does not concern the bee;

A clover, any time, to him is aristocracy.”

Emily Dickinson (1830-1886)

April 22, 2013

-- E A R T H - D A Y -- C Y C L E S

In celebration of Earth day, and in appreciation for all She offers...

Cycles

Green and blue
Shade and hue
Dance in the morning light,
Fuchsia and pink
Make me think
Of the wonder of my sight.

Birds and bees
Sky bound trees
Orchestrate their songs,
Whispering winds
Flutter their wings
I wonder at the sound.

For sight and sound
Are so profound
They make for a curious life.
I ask of you
Do you feel it too
Or just take it all in stride?

The peppering rain
Again and again
Life giving as it falls,
What do we do
Me and you
Do we wonder at it all?

The sun gifts life
We rest by night
The cycle ever continues,
As man and beast
Reap the feast
Of what Nature has to give us.

Dependent are we
And this I see
Is something not to forget
The sights, the sounds
To these we’re bound
And must never disrespect.

An original poem by Nancy Elizabeth Luz

April 21, 2013

N O B I L I T Y

This may seem like an odd way to begin a discussion on nobility (aspiring to become a higher personification of oneself), but... I'm watching 'The Voice' on television tonight, something I don't typically do. I love live performances and great singing but the show chops up the entertainment a little too much for my liking. And let's face it, all those commercials are despicable are they not?

But tonight I'm struck by something else about the show. What is with the boxing ring and the 'VS' between contestant names? Does even something as feel good as aspiring-singers-giving-it-their-best have to be so adversarial? As each of the contestants entered the 'ring', they then had to face off, in each other's faces as they sang.

There is something subliminal in all of this. And it's not just The Voice. Most of what we see on television, since the days of The Survivor and Everybody Loves Raymond, are people pitted against one another. Must we be entertained by people treating each other badly? Not to mention the relentless barrage of reality shows (most of which are scripted by the way).

Seems to me we are missing something. Where has nobility gone? I bet kids today think 'nobility' is the Earl of Grantham on Downton Abbey and nothing more. It's time for television to wake up.

"I believe that every right implies a responsibility;

every opportunity, an obligation; every possession, a duty."

John D. Rockefeller, Jr. (1874-1960)

p.s. Downton Abbey is a great show. PBS continues to lead the pack in quality entertainment!