Why are people malnourished in the richest country on Earth?
Source: www.nationalgeographic.com
Compared to what people ate decades, centuries and even longer ago, much of what we eat today is empty calorie, disease causing ‘food’.
See on Scoop.it – The Food rEvolution
The South American nation is making an effort to alleviate poverty and hunger among its poorest citizens.
Source: www.takepart.com
‘Hunger’ is no longer a politically correct term to describe people who do not have enough to eat. The official term is now, ‘food insecurity’. Do you suffer from food insecurity. We do. Both physically and emotionally. We do not have the funds to eat healthfully and we are afraid that we will continue to not have the funds to eat healthfully.
See on Scoop.it – The Food rEvolution
“Earlier this month, billionaire siblings Charles and David Koch made it publicly clear that they hate subsidies of all kinds — even the ones they benefit from as oil producers. Although it is refreshing to hear that even oilmen are now against oil subsidies, it would be even more refreshing if the Kochs were willing to lead by example — that is, if the Kochs were willing to return their share of the billions that fossil fuel companies receive every year in government largesse”.
Source: www.foe.org
Did you hear the one about the Koch Brothers putting on the pressure for public TV to not air ‘Citizen Koch’, a less than flattering documentary about them? Since they are large contributors to public TV, there was no choice but to give in to their demand. So much for ‘freedom of the press’.
See on Scoop.it – The Cultural & Economic Landscapes
We’re all aware of the health benefits of dietary fiber. But what is dietary fiber and how do we metabolize it? Research by U-M scientists and their colleagues has begun to uncover how our gut bacteria metabolize the complex dietary carbohydrates found in fruits and vegetables.
Source: www.uofmhealth.org
I am fascinated by the Human Microbiome Project and the fact that, "Trillions of bacteria live in human intestines – there are about ten times more bacterial cells in the average person’s body than human ones. Known as ‘microbiota’, these bacteria have a vital role to play in human health: they are central to our metabolism and well-being."
Michele Simon was a speaker in the 2012 Food Revolution Summit. Recently she released a report, produced in tandem with Friends Of the Earth, to bring attention to the dire situation of declining bee populations caused by pesticides. You can find the report here, and read a summary below. If you like to eat, then you should care about what’s happening to bees. Did you know that two-thirds of our food crops require pollination – the very foods that we rely on for healthy eating – such as apples, berries, and almonds, just to name a few. That’s why the serious declines in bee populations are getting more attention, with entire campaigns devoted to saving bees. A strong and growing body of evidence points to exposure to a class of neurotoxic pesticides called neonicotinoids—the fastest-growing and most widely used class of synthetic pesticides—as a key contributing factor to bee declines. The European Union banned the three most widely used
Source: foodrevolution.org
Transparency is so necessary in the food and pesticide industries.
Just like Hobby Lobby, Eden Foods has sued the Obama administration, claiming its owner’s religious rights should trump employees’ rights to access contraception.
Source: grist.org
Has this country gone mad? Are we regressing to a place we fought so hard to get beyond? What is this reactionary craziness
? We have the constitution right to keep church and state separate. What does SCOTUS plan to do? Return us to a ‘church state’? This is the real issue and it really concerns those of us who are conscious that this is the direction things seem to be going in and will go in if people do not wake up in time.
See on Scoop.it – The Food rEvolution
After a hugely successful video marketing campaign, Chipotle has come up with a four episode, scripted comedy, "Farmed and Dangerous" a Hulu video series.
See on www.takepart.com
See on Scoop.it – The Cultural & Economic Landscapes
Flush the Johns turned out to be all about publicity for the DA.
In my opinion, prostitution should be legal. It is so hypocritical for it to be illegal. Look at the Netherlands and how it is handled there. Making prostitution illegal is not going to change anyone’s natural or unnatural urges. It is just going to continue to publicly smear many reputations and waste the taxpayers money. Not a good stunt for someone looking to move up in public office to target this situation with a prostitution sting.
See on www.newsday.com
See on Scoop.it – The Cultural & Economic Landscapes
The future of housing and independent living.
See on www.myindependentliving.org
• the working poor who cannot make ends meet
• increasing poverty, hunger and homelessness
• decreasing government assistance i.e. SNAP cuts planned for millions of dollars
• the decrease of food pantry donations (can be seasonal or economically cyclical)
• residential foreclosures and growing homelessness
In addition, we have been personally experiencing first-hand the descent into challenging times over the last six years. I consider us, and many people like us, part of The Poor Middle Class, as I call it. I do not see a return to the kind of middle class life that our parents enjoyed after WWII. I do not see a return to conspicuous consumption that many of us got away with before 2008. The lines have been drawn. There are the ‘material haves’ and the ‘material have-nots. We have-nots have the opportunity to see things and live life in a very different way. We also do not have to go it alone.
Change can cause panic and fear. It can also be inspirational. We are personally choosing inspiration, with creative solutions and community support. That is what Back to Basics is all about for anyone who wants to live a sustainable life. It involves becoming self-sufficient for future survival and having fun learning how to make the transition. It has given me a new purpose in life, my Ikigai, as one of my Back to Basics articles describes.
