Tuesday, December 19, 2006

Tidbits


CHICO THE LAMB
I read this story today in the Farm Sanctuary "Thank You" email and just about cried when I saw how cute this damn lamb is.
His name is CHICO and he was rescued by two girls who got to know him and couldn't deal with seeing him off to slaughter.
"Before leaving, the two friends wrote letters to the camp, urging the director to spare his life and release him to their care. They had not heard back from the camp by the time the girl and her family came to the shelter for a visit. Thankfully, though, our education department staff learned of Chico's plight from the girl, and Farm Sanctuary eagerly agreed to help save him.
Not long after, the farm camp agreed to relinquish guardianship. Chico was brought to the shelter from the camp in the family mini-van, riding in the back with the two girls, who comforted him the whole way. Their caring words assured him that he would be going somewhere very special, and that no harm would ever come to him. Excited for the first few hours of the drive, he bleated curiously and looked out the windows. By the end, he was sleeping peacefully in the back. The life Chico was meant to live had finally begun, and the girls learned a very important lesson. Speaking up for farm animals in need can make a true impact that can forever change their lives for the better. Now, Chico's long life can be full of salt licks and head scratches, and romps through the rolling fields at Farm Sanctuary with his other rescued sheep friends."
Read the full story here: http://www.farmsanctuary.org/adopt/rescue_chico.htm



NUTRITION FOR YER EARZ
I know this is a food politics blog but.....I was hiking today with my dogs listening to my ipod. I thought about all of the confused folk out there who will get 20 ipod gift cards and have no idea what to buy with them. I have a mix of suggestions, a.k.a my favorite records of 2006.
In no particular order, here are some winners for you to consider: (band, album name, description)
1. White Rose Movement, KICK, for those who like to boogie to brit rock electro with a 'tude.
2. The French Kicks, TWO THOUSAND, mellow indie rock with feeling.
3. Mew, AND THE GLASS HANDED KITES, a more theatrical version of Pinback - and yes, he does pull of the vocals live....its AMAZING!
4. Sound Team, MOVIE MONSTER, for those that love Spoon or the Strokes
5. The Rapture, PIECES OF THE PEOPLE WE LOVE, just plain good. Emotion and fun rolled into one. Again, the vocals are impressive and lyrics will make you cry if you really listen!
6. TV on the Radio, RETURN TO COOKIE MOUNTAIN, this is wacky in the best way. Captain Beefheart of today.
7. Grizzly Bear, YELLOW HOUSE, mellow and impressive tunes for the coolest of kids only.
8. Beck, THE INFORMATION, every song on here (except for one that sounds like Eddie Vedder took over the microphone) is good.
9. Swan Lake, BEAST MOANS, okay, the first song on here is just insanely great. The mix of sounds makes my brain overload on happy juice.
10. Human Television, LOOK AT WHO YOU ARE TALKING TO, kinda Red House Painters-ish, just plain pleasant as heck.



Last item of the day: SALMON FARMING IN CHILE
I know salmon is downright delicious. It used to be my favorite when I ate fishies. I suppose I did not know the extent of what it takes to feed these carnivores?! What is odd is that the farmed salmon eat WILD caught fish. (huh? The salmon are good enough to eat wild caught goodies but humans should eat the farmed junk?) It takes 3 pounds of wild fish to produce 1 pound of salmon! If you add the fish caught to make oil added to the meal, the figure is much higher. Chile is home to the largest unchecked salmon farming industry. Many Chilean farmed salmon are raised in high densities, often with 100,000 to 200,000 packed into pens where they swim around in a poopy antibiotic soup. This leads to major disease breakout which means more antibiotics are necessary, resulting in antibiotic-resistant strains of disease. The vicious cycle continues as more powerful antibiotics are needed to fight these diseases. Other marine life also ingest uneaten pellets meant for the salmon in addition to some fecal matter from the salmon. Chile's salmon production of 600,000 tons of fish sewage is equivalent to that of greater Santiago - Chile's largest city housing 6 million people. EEEWW!
Salmon feces and uneaten pellets on the ocean floor release arge quantities of nitrogen into the water, in turn exacerbating red tides (marine algal blooms whose toxins harm marine life and make shellfish poisonous to eat.)
I wish I could recommend safe salmon but I don't know if I can!? If you want more info about the ocean and what we need to do to save it from turning into a pool of poop check out the following: www.oceana.org

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