Books: Food, Inc.

March 31, 2010 | Advertising,Books,Economics,Education,Ethics,Family,Food,Health,Journalism,MSM,Politics,PR,Research,Safety,School,U.S. government

I just finished reading Food, Inc.: How Industrial Food is Making us Sicker, Fatter and Poorer — And What You Can Do About it, edited by Karl Weber and compiled as a companion piece to the movie, which I also just watched. I actually watched the movie (by Robert Kenner) first, not realizing that was the correct order of things.

I’ve read Eric Schlosser’s Fast Food Nation, watched King Corn: You Are What You Eat, a documentary by Ian Cheney and Curt Ellis, and read quite a bit on food, the food industry in the United States and food safety (or lack of it). Food, Inc., gathers much of the information out there and puts it all in one place.

In any case, if you eat, you might be interested in this book and film. The film was done first. The book contains information from people who weren’t in the film. Schlosser says the film and the book are not just about food. They’re also about threats to the First Amendment and the corrupting influence of centralized power.

Contributors include (listed in order they appear in the book)

• Eric Schlosser, author of Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal from 2001 and the movie in 2006
• Food & Water Watch, a nonprofit consumer organization that works to ensure clean water and safe food
• Robert Kenner, director of this and other documentaries
• Gary Hirshberg, president and CE-Yo of Stonyfield Farm, producer of organic yogurt
• Humane Society of the United States
• Peter Pringle, a British investigative reporter and foreign correspondent
• Ronnie Cummins, Organic Consumers Association
• Robert Bryce
• Anna Lappé, co-founder of the Small Planet Institute and the Small Planet Fund
• Cool Foods Campaign
• Arturo Rodriguez, president of the United Farm Workers; Alexa Delwiche, who worked as a researcher for UFW; and Sheheryar Kaoosji, a research analyst for Change to Win
• Pesticide Action Network North America
• Muhammad Yunus
• FoodFirst Information and Action Network
• Michael Pollan
• American Community Gardening Association
• Joel Salatin
• Sustainable Table
• Marion Nestle
• Sherri White Nelson, Heifer International
• Center for Science in the Public Interest
• Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
• Preston Maring

I think the information provided by this book and film is very important, though not half as fun as reading Barbara Kingsolver’s take on food issues in her book, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, which I’m reading now. In fact, her book was written before Food, Inc., and I wondered, hey, did they read Kingsolver? Because if they didn’t, they should. But sure enough. She was listed in the “to learn more” section at the end of the book.

Critter, 2

March 30, 2010 | Iowa

Remember the critter in our barn, the one that turned out to be an ermine? Yeah, it didn’t make it. I was surprised at how small it was. I thought maybe it had a nest. But this one can’t be fully grown, can it?

Sign of Spring, 2

March 29, 2010 | Iowa,Spring

We saw these ducks cross the street, so we went back to see where they went. Not sure how far away from home they are.

Eggs

Family

Sign of Spring

March 27, 2010 | Iowa,Spring

I saw the first Winnebago on the road yesterday. It’s like seeing the first robin in these parts.

Warning

March 24, 2010 | Iowa

This sign hangs in my local coffee shop.

Buh-bye

March 18, 2010 | Iowa,Spring,Weather,Winter

You’re what? Snow. Girl. Melted! (a la B-52s)

Yep. Here lies what’s left of Snowgirl. Look closely. That’s her cute little carrot nose and stick arms. That pile of snow in the middle is, I think, what’s left of her pretty hat. So long, Snowgirl.

I’d feel more smug about telling her not to let the door hit her on the way out, but I don’t think she and her pal Old Man Winter are done with us yet. That’s right. Snow in the forecast for tonight and tomorrow. Oh well. At least we had two glorious days with 50 degrees.

Library

March 17, 2010 | Books,Family,Iowa

I’m still stacking books. The shelves are almost full! Here’s a look back at what it took. I have some “before” pictures, but WordPress won’t let me upload any more photos right now. I guess I wore it out.

Books: Pinkalicious

March 10, 2010 | Books

We just read Pinkalicious by sisters Victoria Kann & Elizabeth Kann. We enjoyed Goldilicious so much that we wanted to read this one, which was actually published first. Now, we’ll just have to get our hands on Purplicious, and our “licious” life will be complete.

Books: Listen to the Wind

March 9, 2010 | Books

We just read Listen to the Wind: The Story of Dr. Greg & Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and Susan L. Roth (who also did the collages).

It’s the children’s version of Three Cups of Tea, which I read two years ago. It tells the story of building a bridge and a school for the children of Korphe.

The story was very simple, so I had to answer questions about veils on girls and why they wear them and boys don’t. I also explained that girls in that part of the world often aren’t allowed to go to school.

The Pearson Foundation has a nice video of Mortenson and his daughter explaining the Pennies for Peace program, which was set up to educate children and give them a way to help.

He also has a “youth” version of his book and a song, featuring Jeni Fleming and his daughter, Amira.

Speaking of pennies, maybe we should send that fancy Lincoln bicentennial penny and the rest from my son’s money unit at school to Pennies for Peace. Eh?