Where's the beef? 1,000,000 pounds of ground beef and beef products recalled in less than one month

Colorado Firm Recalls (466,236 pounds) Ground Beef Products Due To Possible Salmonella Contamination and earlier in July (386,483 pounds) due to possible e. coli (see previous post).

I can't make this stuff up! The link below is direct to the federal governments recall page. Over one million pounds of beef products in under one month have been recalled? What happens to all this "bad" meat? And the good news..."this strain of Salmonella is resistant to many commonly prescribed drugs." Is that government speak for... antibiotics! No kidding? Could it have anything to do with the antibiotics fed to the cattle.

Please tell me I'm not the crazy one?

As a result of an ongoing investigation into an outbreak of Salmonella Typhimurium DT104 associated with ground beef products, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) notified FSIS of the problem. Epidemiological investigations and a case control study conducted by CDPHE and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) determined that there is an association between the fresh ground beef products and 14 illnesses reported in Colorado. The illnesses were linked through the epidemiological investigation by their less common pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) pattern found in PulseNet, a national network of public health and food regulatory agency laboratories coordinated by the CDC.

This particular strain of Salmonella, Salmonella Typhimurium DT104, is resistant to many commonly prescribed drugs, which can increase the risk of hospitalization or possible treatment failure in infected individuals.

Colorado Firm Recalls Beef Products Due To Possible E. coli O157:H7 Contamination

This government recall was made the day after I saw the movie Food Inc. (The movie trailer is on YouTube if you want to see what you are in for. Kindly note: I'd eat dinner before you head to the show.) Scary stuff... 380,000 lbs of beef. Now, that's alota beef. Wonder what happens to all that meat? Hmmmm...

Colorado Firm Recalls Beef Products Due To Possible E. coli O157:H7 Contamination

E. coli O157:H7 H7 is a potentially deadly bacterium that can cause bloody diarrhea, dehydration, and in the most severe cases, kidney failure. The very young, seniors and persons with weak immune systems are the most susceptible to food borne illness. Individuals concerned about an illness should contact a physician.

Disappointed in MSN - Substantive article is replaced with non-news nonsense!

Sunday morning when I logged on to my personal MSN email account to check practice schedules and remove the SPAM telling me I'd won million$, there was an article that was (gulp)of interest and not the non-news nonsense they inundate us with. It was a subject near and dear to me and it was under the guise of weight loss. Perfect! The article was well written and well researched (although they didn't bore the reader with the hundreds of studies to back up claims, for example, that eating blueberries and other plant foods are better for you than fast food.)

I was hooked and read the comments. Several bloggers appeared to be the typical "industry plants" (see previous post) and it was great. There was a dialogue and bloggers were engaged and posting. (With today's technology why can't MSN block the individual that was posting more than his/her two cents? At least twenty posts under the same name?) I replied to a "Doc" (obviously not an MD) who was touting the benefit's of cow's milk and was obviously industry. Logged off at 8:00AM.

Fast forward through a busy Sunday with baseball practices and Sunday dinner and there were over 200 comments posted...Yippee! Excellent commentary and dialogue had continued all day. And then as quickly as MSN posted a substantial, meaningful article that engaged many of us with discussion and analysis... it was gone. Disappeared I tell you. And in it's place? The sexiest beaches in the world with a woman on a surf board.

Help me boycott this non-news nonsense that we are inundated with on a daily basis. Yes, some call it guilty pleasure. I call it crap! Don't open, forward or otherwise give these knuckleheads a click they don't deserve.

Oh by the way...happy Monday morning!

Monsanto Announces Its Exit From the Growth Hormone Business

Monsanto Announces Its Exit From the Growth Hormone Business

Interesting article...

A picture says a thousand words...

Despite the rain...rain...rain, we had a great time at Three Mile Island (as always). Shared laughs with cousins and uncle and made new friends! (www.3mile.org)

p.s. All fish caught in photos were catch and release.

Waiting for the dinner bugle and enjoying the view. (Main reason I go...no shopping, cooking, or clean up!)

As we wait for the launch to the island, it's the last communication using an electronic device. Not easy to disconnect from the world...but we found things to do that don't involve screens.







Serious ping pong tournaments in the rec hall on the main dock. (Notice player closest to viewer.) Losers had to dive in to the lake and jump off the wicked high dive. Not so fun when it's pouring rain and the water is warmer than the air.

One...two..three...

No excuse needed to nap, read and relax...

Next year anything over 3.5lbs will end up on our dinner plates.

Unless of course...

Enjoyed a campfire through the drizzle.

Inexpensive and safer way to store and reheat food

My Italian friend's mother used this economical trick when storing leftovers. Place food in a glass bowl and cover with a salad plate. See example to right. You can now stack other food on top of the sturdy "lid" and the salad plate can be left on to reheat.

Kindly note: If you don't drink water that's been sitting in the hot sun in a plastic container because it "tastes like plastic" why reheat food in plastic, microwavable containers. All those chemicals leeching in to your food can't be good for you. Why take the risk when there are plenty of safer options!

Food Inc. Movie Review

The Phoenix News Features Factory food

If you are what you eat...are you cheap, fast and easy? Cattle in their natural state are designed to graze on grass and tomatoes to grow on vines. Wanna see what happens when we mass produce and engineer food to make it cheaper, faster and easier?" American's have never been sicker or fatter...

I changed my diet eight years ago when treated for breast cancer at the age of 37 and am thankful that movies such as Food Inc are peeling back the layers and shedding light on the reality of diet, disease and even death.

Did you know that most of the movie stars on the big screen don't eat mass produced food? (They may be paid to sponsor a product but very few consume it.)

Is the government really our advocate and protecting our health?

Since the Food Inc Movie is a horror movie (and I hate horror movies) I choose not to bring our children. I did notice a few children in the theatre that looked to be between nine and twelve. I’m certain as a mother of three that Food Inc. will become mandatory viewing for all 8th grade health classes. (You’ll need a note from your parents to be able to view it.)

Most of the individuals responsible for the industrialization of our food supply are not illiterate snake oil salesmen but individuals that hold advanced degrees and are considered "experts." Now…that’s scary!

Common sense is not so common anymore. - Voltaire

Supermom101 takes a vacation...

Kindly note: I'm checking out for a week (mentally and physically) while I "vacation" with the kids for a week at an AMC (Appalachian Mountain Club) "resort" located on Lake Winnepesake in New Hampshire (http://www.3mile.org/). Why would a self proclaimed "camp Hyatt" alumnae choose to be without running water, electricity or flushing toilets for seven days? Find out next Saturday...

To life, laughter and love...

p.s. Wish us sunshine.

Beware of industry web sites and bloggers trying to disguise themselves as concerned individuals!

"Common sense is not so common."
-Voltaire

We've all seen the annoying infomericals that pop up when we google. How to loss 20 lbs and still eat everything you want. However, a much more tainted and covert propaganda that is especially pervasive in the blogging community is the establishment of industry funded websites and bloggers that try and pass themselves off as concerned individuals. These "so called individuals" post comments and direct the reader to a specific website that contains "expert" research and opinions that not surprisingly sell the wonders of their products. Two recent blog imposter's directed readers to: http://www.milkismilk.com/ and http://www.sweetsurprise.com/

The good news is if industry is doing this...they are on the defensive. Most consumers I know are feed up with the misinformation, misguidance, food pyramid nonsense that we and our families are inundated with on a daily basis while we and our children get sicker and sicker. Keep up the enlightenment all you bloggers and posters! It's easy to see through the industry veil and find the imposter's.

For the record, I have no problem with an individual "monetizing" their blog to sell products. I am a capitalist at heart (majored in economics in college and am a HUGE fan of Adam Smith and The Wealth of Nations) but this is much more subtle and pervasive. These websites/blogs are industry people actively participating in a public relations campaign to "get their message out there." Blogging is our opportunity to get our message out there! Several friends and family know first hand of the koolaid drinking that goes on within industry and their experts. So, just keep your senses up when surfing the web and use common sense when viewing a comment, website or blog:

-Who are these experts? Are they paid by the sponsor of the web page for their "expert" opinion? (Doesn't hurt to google the name and check out who their peers are, where they publish and who funds their research, i.e. industry, academic - both?) Although they may hold many degrees don't forget to ask yourself who signs their pay check?
-Is this truly an individual or a corporation or industry association?
-What products are they selling and why?
-Do "they" really have my health in their best interest or are they just selling me their products?

Happy surfing!

p.s. YIKES! Just looked up dairy and breast cancer on webmd and an advertisement for cow's milk came up complete with a celebrity wearing the ridiculous moustache! The above button was handed out at our May elementary school picnic that focuses on health and fitness. I (of course) added the red line...

Official Food, Inc. Movie Site - Hungry For Change?

Official Food, Inc. Movie Site - Hungry For Change?

SIGN THE PETITION! Have you ever wondered why your school lunch program offers three types of cow's milk (including chocolate) but no soy or water? That's because (and I quote) "The Federal Government sees no nutritional value in water" and will not reimburse the school lunch programs if water is a choice. YIKES! Wonder what they think about fruits and vegetables...

We have always encouraged our children to be active in organized sports and I can't see myself saying, "hey kid's grab that water bottle full of cow's milk before you head on to that field."

As former President Ronald Regan said, the nine scariest words he ever heard: "I'm here from the government and here to help."

Change your diet and change your life!