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FWD:[Biodemocracy]Organic Bytes Issue #14

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HelloHere is the latest Issue of the Organic Consumers Association's

OrganicBytes - Our info packed, bi-weekly newsletter that gives you all the

latestorganic food news updates as fun and quick reading little tidbits.ORGANIC

BYTES ~~~ Organic news tidbits with an edge!Issue 14: May 31, 2003 By Organic

Consumers AssociationIN THIS ISSUE:CANADIAN COW LOSES MINDTWO SENTENCE

ARTICLEROBOT FARMERS SOON TO INVADE HEARTLANDWEIRD FOOD STORY OF THE WEEKUS VS

EU ON GEQUOTE OF THE WEEKNEWS FOR PRETTY PEOPLETOO PLUMP TO FLYINSTANT

PICKLESHOW TO TAKE OVER THE WORLD--------------------------CANADIAN COW LOSES

MINDMad cow disease (bovine spongiform encephalopathy) has surfaced in

AlbertaCanada, leading the U.S. to ban all imports of Canadian beef. The risk

ofhumans contracting the fatal Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, after eating

beeftainted with Mad Cow disease, is so alarming to consumers that news of

thediscovery led to an almost immediate drop in stock prices of McDonalds

andother burger-focused fast food chains.An epidemic of Mad Cow disease spread

through the UK and EU beef industry adecade ago, due to the routine practice

(prohibited on organic farms) offeeding slaughterhouse wastes back to animals.

Approximately 130 Europeanshave died from BSE-tainted beef thus far, with

predictions that thousandsmore will die of the disease over the next 20 years.

The notion that the USbeef industry can protect itself from a Mad Cow outbreak

by shutting offCanadian beef imports is ludicrous, given that both countries

operate undera so-called " ruminant-to-ruminant feed ban " which is laden with

loopholesand haphazardly enforced.Learn more---

<http://www.organicconsumers.org/madcow/greger052303.cfm>-----------------------\

---TWO SENTENCE ARTICLE!New research has shown that classical music helps cows

produce more milk.For an article on this topic with more sentences, go here

---<http://www.organicconsumers.org/rbgh/classical_music_milk_production.cfm>---\

-----------------------ROBOT FARMERS TO INVADE HEARTLANDScientists and engineers

have developed a new " pesticide robot " that shouldbe available on the market

within the year. Utilizing sophisticated smallcameras, the robot quietly moves

through farmers' fields and searches forweeds. Upon discovering a weed, the

robot spews a precision blast ofmilky-colored herbicide on the invader. The

developers of the product say itcould reduce pesticide use by as much as 80%,

saving money and theenvironment. Since only the weeds would be sprayed, the

actual food cropwould carry very little pesticide residue. Also under

development is asimilar robot that would physically uproot weeds, thereby

eliminating theneed for herbicides.Read all about it

---<http://www.organicconsumers.org/organic/052603_pesticide_robot.cfm>---------\

-----------------WEIRD FOOD NEWS STORY OF THE WEEKOn May 2, dining room workers

at the United Nations staged a strike, leavingthe food and drink unattended.

According to an early-May issue of Timemagazine, this led to " Baghdad style

(looting) chaos, " in which UN staff anddelegates robbed the restaurants bare of

food, liquor and silverware,including alcoholic beverages stolen by " some

well-known diplomats. " --------------------------US VS EU ON GEDespite the fact

that US international relations are at an all time low, theBush Administration

recently filed a formal complaint to the World TradeOrganization (WTO) against

the European Union (EU). Bush claims the EU's defacto ban against importing

genetically engineered foods is illegal. The EUsays it has every legal right to

ban the import of foods that they feelhaven't had adequate health and

environmental safety testing. According toCaroline Lucas, Member of European

Parliament from the UK, " The US istrying, yet again, to impose its unpopular

policies on Europe when it hasyet to rebuild the bridges it tore down in the

run-up to the war in Iraq.This could be the last straw. " Experts in the European

food industry aren¹tconcerned, predicting that even if the GE foods are forced

upon Europe bythe US, over 80% of European consumers have said they wouldn¹t buy

themanyway.Learn

more:<http://www.organicconsumers.org/corp/bushplan052303.cfm>------------------\

--------QUOTE OF THE WEEK " The government consists of a gang of men exactly like

you and me. Theyhave, taking one with another, no special talent for the

business ofgovernment; they have only a talent for getting and holding

office. " H. L. Mencken (1880 - 1956)--------------------------SHORT ATTENTION

SPAN STORIES:Too Plump to FlyLast week, the Federal Aviation Administration was

forced to reduce itsmaximum occupancy passenger numbers per airplane flight, due

to the factthat the average American is ten pounds heavier than they were just

tenyears ago when the last standards were made. Experts in weird thoughts,

suchas the author of the article you are presently reading, can only think

" Wow,that means the US is cranking out 270 million pounds of fresh, new human

fatevery year! " Just Cuz It's InterestingA can of Pepsi, like similar sodas, has

41 grams of sugar. This amounts toabout SEVEN TEASPOONS OF SUGAR.Instant

PicklesScientists at the Agricultural Research Service have proven that

vinegarworks well as a cheap and environmentally friendly pesticide for some

typesof weed control. Although organic farmers have known this for years,

aformal study is always a nice thing to have around. [source: ARS

NewsService]--------------------------WATERING DOWN ORGANIC STANDARDSThe New

York Times did a cover story in its health section last week on thegreenwashing

practices of the so-called natural body care industry. Thearticle highlighted

the fact that many body care companies are advertisingthemselves as " organic " ,

when in actuality the majority of the product's " organic " ingredient percentage

is simply water. One of these companies,Avalon, is under investigation by the

California State Organic Program afterthe OCA recently filed a formal complaint,

in regards to the company'slabeling practices. The OCA plans a nationwide ad

campaign to exposemisleading labels on body care products and to call for strict

organicstandards for cosmetics which mirror strict USDA National Organic

Programstandards for foods. To support this campaign contact the

OCA.<http://www.organicconsumers.org/bodycare/nytimes051903.cfm>----------------\

----------HOW TO TAKE OVER THE WORLDLast week, hundreds of concerned consumers,

activists and experts convenedin St. Louis, Missouri to protest the World

Agricultural Forum, aninternational convention hosted by Monsanto to promote the

company's visionof a future based on monopoly and monoculture. Opponents of

Monsanto'spolicies organized a counter-conference and protest, aptly

named " Biodevastation " . Apparently, there were powerful people in

Monsanto'shometown who found this sort of discussion unacceptable. More than

thirtypeople planning to attend the conference and/or the subsequent protest

werearrested on charges such as failure to wear a seatbelt, forgetting to use

aturn signal, riding a bicycle without a license, and of course, drugs (abottle

of vitamin

C).<http://www.organicconsumers.org/corp/051603_monsanto_biodevastation.cfm>----\

-----------------------------FOR MANY MORE FOOD ISSUE DAILY

HEADLINES:<http://www.organicconsumers.org/log.html>ORGANIC BYTES is a

publication of:ORGANIC CONSUMERS ASSOCIATION 6101 Cliff Estate Road Little

Marais, MN 55614Phone: (218) 226-4164, Fax: (218)

353-7652--NOTE TO CO-OP AND NATURAL FOOD STORE

SUBSCRIBERS:Organic Bytes is a great tool for keeping you staff and customers up

to dateon the latest issues. Feel free to forward this email to your staff

andprint for posting on bulletin boards and staff break tables. You are

alsowelcome to use this material for your newsletters. There's also a

superpretty print-friendly PDF version of this available for free download

at<http://www.organicconsumers.org/organicbytes.htm>----------------------------\

-----------------------If you would like to from the OCA News list:

please send anemail to <biodemocracy_request with

the word in the subject or

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