If you have been watching the news you may have seen a story about what happened in Zanesville, OH yesterday. Zanesville is less than 50 miles away from where I live (and we have family there) so I watched with horror as this all unfolded. A man who was incredulously permitted to own well over 50 exotic animals decided to let them loose and then take his own life. Before he killed himself he opened cages for 48 animals including grizzly bears, wolves, lions, Bengal tigers, and chimps.

I don’t know what the man was thinking but if he thought he was doing them a kindness by setting them loose then he was very much mistaken. When it was discovered what he had done it was dark and the weather was stormy. This meant that authorities had little choice but to shoot and kill all the animals they could find. Then the next day they killed the rest, minus a wolf or two that are still at large. I was so sad all morning after I found out that the solution was to kill all these beautiful animals. I know we couldn’t allow them to roam free and then freak out on innocent people but still… it breaks my heart.

And then after the sadness came the anger. What you may not hear on the news is that our current Governor and the local authorities are responsible for this.

I am pretty disgusted with my state right now. We USED to have a kick ass Democratic Governor and in January he put an emergency ban on exotic animal ownership in Ohio. This did not apply to those who already owned them BUT it also stated that any current owner who was convicted of cruelty to animals would have their animals confiscated. Our new Republican Governor decided to let this ban expire and he tabled it. This angers me because I don’t believe any citizen should be able to decide they want to keep Bengal tigers and Grizzly Bears in their backyard… it is insanity and it is cruelty to animals. This man supposedly had 18 Bengal Tigers!!! 18 for cripes sake… all dead now. If our law enforcement officials and our Governor were not total dunces, legislation would have been in place AND these animals would have been removed from this man’s property since he was convicted of cruelty to animals in 2005.

The Humane Society is calling for some action on this. If you live in Ohio I encourage you to complain, complain, complain until someone makes sure this never happens again.

Hot on the heels of a post about minimalism, I am posting about the benefits of ethical shopping. Aren’t the two mutually exclusive? I don’ think so.

We have so many problems globally and nationally that are a direct result of addiction to consumption. We are literally spending ourselves into a deeper, darker hole every year. Deciding to go minimalist is a wonderful step in combating this issue because it allows us to take a time out and evaluate what our values are. Once we see that “things” do not bring us happiness we can concentrate on our families, our hobbies, and all the activities and pastimes that truly add to the enjoyment of our lives… things which cannot be packaged in paper or plastic. With less consumption comes less stress about money and keeping up with a lifestyle that advertisements tell you should be your goal. Getting out of that consumer trap is very liberating and brings a sense of true freedom.

But I liken this tactic to going into a restaurant and being very dissatisfied with the way they do business so you simply decide to avoid eating out any more. The eatery will lose many customers but there will always be some who decide that what this particular place offers is the best their gonna get and keep going there. The eatery will also open up a few other locations under different names so that unhappy customers will think they are taking their business elsewhere but in actuality they are still supporting the same bad company. Nothing much changes. You could decide though that you will eat out on special occasions but only at places you have thoroughly vetted and that meet your demands for ethical business practices. You could also encourage your friends to eat at the winning places you have found. The bad business will start to notice that they are losing customers to these other businesses and will be none to happy. Even after extensive ad campaigns they see their competition getting an increasingly greater share of the market. They have no choice but to change the way they do business or become obsolete. By being picky about where you spend your hard earned dollars and by being vocal about your choices, you have made a difference in the mammoth job of changing the current economic system. Minimalism didn’t do that, conscious, ethical shopping did that.

In my mind minimalism and reducing our overall consumption are necessary steps in curbing our consumption addiction. But it will also be advantageous for us to be cognizant of the rest of our spending so that we make sure we get the most bang for our buck. We need to use both of these philosophies to create real change. This is more important than ever because we do not live in a capitalist society anymore. What we have here in the US is corporate socialism. Mega corporations have an unfair advantage in the market because they have people firmly entrenched in the fifth arm of the government. As Annie Leonard stated in The Story of Stuff…

In the United States there are about 900 advisory committees that provide peer review of scientific research, develop policy recommendations, and serve other functions to support good governance.

These committees influence legislation and policy in this country and corporations have a presence in all of them. There is no free market or open competition, not when the deck is stacked that way. We need to become activists for change in making sure corporations are not directing important policy, especially when it comes to the environment and human health. This can be done in large part by backing good legislation and making lots of noise about bad products and practices. The other thing we can do is funnel our money to companies who make ethical choices and who use their profits to better the world. It will not go unnoticed!

Even people who don’t have the time to volunteer, petition, picket, etc. can support ethical companies and causes by using their dollars as a voting mechanism. It is the easiest form of activism and frankly it drives me a little batty that more people don’t step up and USE the leverage that we all have. Why is the average mom okay with buying some Stouffer’s stuffing boxes and Nestle chocolate bars knowing that those dollars will go towards pushing formula in third world countries and to enslaving older children in labor? Would they feel the same if the boxes had pictures of malnourished babies and 12 year olds forced to work on cocoa plantations for 8 hours a day? We need to stop believing in the marketing and the pretty packaging and start finding out where our money is going and what it supports. Then we can decide who is worthy of our money and who is not.

A wonderful book that addresses this issue is Big Green Purse – Use Your Spending Power to Create a Cleaner, Greener World by Diane MacEachern. I have known Diane from green listservs and the blogging community for awhile and she is one incredibly smart cookie… plus her book ROCKS. It doesn’t encourage senseless spending or rampant consumerism but it does address the fact that everyone is still going to spend money on the products that matter to them. If money talks then we need to be aware of what our money is saying. It is all about using the power of our purses to affect change.

In the beginning chapters there are some great examples of how people influenced large companies to change their policies and/or product formulations to meet the demand of more ethical and aware consumers. It shows us that change is possible. I also like that is has a very measurable action plan in the book to decide to shift $1000 of your annual spending to green products. Its all about taking the products you already buy and will continue to buy and finding a better alternative. The first chapter goes over eco problems that can be addressed by reducing what you consume in the first place. The second chapter shows you how to evaluate companies and avoid greenwashing so you can narrow in on the best companies and products. Chapters 3-12 go through all the areas where you can shift your spending… cars, clothing, food, cosmetics, personal care products, cleaners, etc and shows you what to look for and what to avoid so you can make the best choice.

It is an important subject and an important book. I highly recommend it!

Pictured above: My fave Shopping cart baskets.

If you don’t quite understand why this is such a short sighted solution then this video should make it all very clear. Enjoy!

It amazes me that with so many animals living in shelters that we STILL have a need for pet stores and puppy breeders. It bothers me on so many levels. Even people who don’t profess to be “green” will often talk a good game about recycling and reusing because it is smart and efficient. But that’s resources. We can’t waste resources. But can we waste lives either? Why on earth would we choose to buy “new” when there are living, breathing, animals in shelters waiting for adoption. They go on waiting for homes while people who have to have a certain breed choose to shop at pet stores (many of which treat their animals badly) or they patronize breeders (many of which run their operations like factory puppy mills). It boggles my mind that we even have an industry for breeding specific animals or selling expensive animals when anyone who wants a pet can go right into their local shelters and adopt a pet for cheap… a pet who NEEDS you. Even if you think you HAVE to have a specific breed you may be able to find a rescue operation that caters to specific breeds. They have greyhound rescue centers, Labrador rescue centers, Rottweiler rescue centers, etc. You may just have to travel if you want a dog that way.

We have a new puppy in our lives (not ours, a relatives) and I love her like crazy but I admit I was a little peeved when I found out she came from a breeder. I mean you DO have a shelter less than 2 minutes from your door, hint, hint! I generally don’t like to guilt people but in this case… they can wallow in the guilt till their fingers get pruney.

Anyway, this new puppy has been making me want one and I swear I never thought I would. My two labs that I had since I was a kid died last year. One was a shelter animal  who had been abused and the other was her pup. I found my relationship with them changed after I had kids… and I feel guilty saying it but they seemed like more work I had to do and I resented them after awhile. I thought I would never want another but now that my kids are growing up I am feeling that twinge of puppy love.

Since we will likely be moving across country (yep that’s the plan) now is not a good time but when we get settled we “could” go shelter shopping. The kids would be thrilled. I have got to give it more thought but it would not even be a possibility that we could go order a dog from a breeder or go to a pet shop when so many animals are out there looking for homes.

According to the Shelter Pet Project:

• Each year approximately 4 million pets are adopted.
• Of the 8 million pets that enter animal shelters each year, approximately 3 million healthy and treatable pets are euthanized.
• It is estimated that 17 million people will acquire a pet within the next year. 
• To save all the healthy and treatable pets that are euthanized, we just need 3 million of these people to adopt.

So if you are looking to get a pet… got to a shelter. If you know someone who is thinking about getting a pet… encourage them to go to a shelter. Email them sad puppy photos if you have to! This is too important an issue. Anyway I got an email about this shelter project and had to write a quick post about it. If you are a die hard teacup poodle person and you breed or buy from breeders sorry to offend but animal shelter animals need to come first. With 17 million people buying pets there is NO reason we should ever have to euthanize good pets because nobody wants them.

This post is for my fellow Buckeyes (Ohio). No matter what side of the isle you are on… liberal or conservative I would hope that anyone who cares about the ethics and safety of food in Ohio will vote NO on Issue 2 come November.

This issue is no doubt being presented to us out of fear. Agribusiness in Ohio fears that one day they will be faced with legislation like what just went through California with Prop 2. Basically those dastardly Californians actually decided that livestock should have to be raised humanely. 

Ohio factory farmers want to head this type of legislation off by giving themselves a position of power NOW. By voting yes on Issue 2 in Ohio we will give agri-business representatives and their appointees the ability to create an agricultural board with unchecked power over livestock rules and regulations. Their power would be locked in by the constitution and never again would they have to worry about the people choosing for themselves how they want their food to be raised. It is a power grab. This issue will help ensure that they hold all the cards from now on.

If in the future the citizens of Ohio determine that some widely accepted agricultural practice is inhumane or unsafe for food production, we will have no recourse to fight it. Agribusiness will simply bring it to the board composed of all their own people, decide in their own favor,  and keep doing business as usual. There would be no plublic input, no forum for public comments, and no appeal. Their decision is FINAL.

Not only is it likely this board will be used to support unethical and inhumane production methods it could also be used to make it harder for small family farmers to operate, essentially allowing BIG agribusiness to weed them out.

Why should you care? Well, since we all eat food… and many of us try to eat lots of local food… I think we should have a say in the ethics and safety of our food production. We also have a right to choose our own food sources and we don’t want factory farms putting the little guys out of business and limiting our options. Even vegans will want to make sure that factory farms aren’t making their own rules for the humane treatment of animals. In short, factory farms and big agribusiness have no right to hijack our state constitution. If you are in Ohio vote NO on Issue 2!!

Well, it is official. I am now a Credo Mobile customer. I signed up for a 30 day trial a few weeks back.. you may remember me mentioning it.

During my trial I heard that my current cell company, Verizon, was funding an anti-environment rally and I knew I had to make this switch permanent. On Labor Day, thousands of people will be gathering for the coal-powered “Friends of America Rally” in Holden, WV. Don’t you love the name? Obviously if you support clean energy you must NOT be a friend of America… puhlease. They plan to rail against clean energy legislation and talk about how clean and green energy is a job killer.

The sponsors of this ridiculous event are oil, gas, and coal companies… AND Verizon. My NEW cell company, CREDO, launched a campaign calling on Verizon to drop its sponsorship.

It all boils down to this being yet another choice to send my money to a place where it will do the most good. It is an easy decision really. So far I really like the service, their online account interface is awesome, they have paperless billing, and EASY online bill pay, and since 1985 they have donated over $60 million to groups working for progressive change. Every time I pay my bill a percentage goes toward causes I believe in and certainly NOT to anti-environment rallies!

For anyone else thinking of switching… I think they are only offering to buy out your existing cell contract if you sign up by September 4th… just so you know.

If anything can get me riled up and hotter than a brushfire in Texas it is the idea of vaccinations being required or forced on us. We are a non vaccinating family so I like to keep up to date with what is going on in the vaccine world and this issue came up on the radar recently. According to Mike Adams at Natural News:

A new bill, the “Pandemic Response Bill,” S. 2028, has passed the Massachusetts state Senate and is now awaiting approval in the House. This bill suspends virtually all Constitutional rights of Massachusetts citizens and forces anyone “suspected” of being infected to submit to interrogations, “decontaminations” and vaccines.

It also sets fines up to $1,000 per day for anyone who refuses to submit to quarantines, vaccinations, decontamination efforts or to follow any other verbal order by virtually any state-licensed law enforcement or medical personnel. You can read the text yourself here.

It is outrageous that the government can force anyone to inject themselves with any substance but especially a potentially dangerous one.

According to the Organic Consumers Association, a leaked memo revealed that the swine flu vaccine has been linked to paralysis. It also contains contains novel adjuvants, including dangerous squalene which was in all probability responsible for Gulf War syndrome.

Visit the OCA web site to send a message to legislators that this NOT acceptable. They have a letter for MA residents and those in other states.

For many years I have used Verizon as my cell phone service carrier. Until we moved recently they also provided my land line but now we are a cell only family. Their service has been outstanding… for the most part. A few months back I let a very crafty salesman talk me into getting a Blackberry. I liked the phone but I didn’t like that $30 Internet charge for it each month. Several times I asked for just a regular phone but once that guy knew I had a thing for the Blackberry he made sure to needle me until I walked out with one. I can only blame myself for being weak… and over the last few months that wasted $30, since I rarely use the Internet feature, has been bothering me.

Then I read about My Plastic Free Life‘s decision to cancel her cell service, despite being happy with it, and go to Credo. That planted a seed in my head and then this week I got a mailing from them and decided to try Credo myself.

So what is Credo? They are a cell service that donates 1% of your cell bill to progressive causes like the ACLU, Feeding America, Democracy Now, Defenders of Wildlife, and many others. They also showed how AT&T and Verizon are sending money to places and people I would rather NOT support…. like Bush, Cheney, McCain, and other conservatives who try to block environmental and social legislation that I agree with. Both of these carriers have been known to stifle free speech by censoring web casts that are critical of Republican campaigns and blocking pro-choice text messages. So much for a free country…

So, as long as I am spending money anyway I thought it would be a good idea to send a portion of that money to progessive, liberal causes. I will also be saving money by switching and getting a  no frills phone. AND because I did not want to get a new phone (they had some nice free phones too) I ordered a refurbished phone and I get to keep my same number. Wahoo!

Phone service with a conscience, no new phone, same number… I also get to try it for 30 days risk free with a temporary number. If I find all is well I will make the switch and they are buying me out of my old contract so I won’t be out the $175 early termination fee. I guess I will gift my pink Blackberry away on Freecycle…

I was however one of the many that flooded his office with protests when he named Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack for a potential candidate as USDA Secretary of Agriculture. Vilsack is a BIG supporter of Monsanto, genetically engineered crops, and corn and soy-based biofuels (of which I am not a fan). It was apparent that this guy was the food and agriculture industry’s “boy”. So I did notice that and acted…as did many others. I knew I that I wouldn’t agree with every appointment Obama made, which is okay because he represents a diverse country of people…not just people like me. But Vilsack was going too far. It was reminicent of Bush appointing an oil man to direct environmental policy.

I have also noticed with great delight Obama’s appointment of Harvard Law School Professor Cass Sunstein to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs. This position entails coordinating the many different federal agencies, including the EPA, Energy Department, and OSHA. I am really happy with this choice. He knows a lot about economics and government regulation and cost benefit analysis. More interestingly though he is a vegetarian and animal rights activist and thinks animals should be entitled to legal  representation in courts. Wow! In a society that overall values animal life very little this is refreshing.

Sunstein co-wrote a book called Animal Rights: Current Debates and New Directions. This is in the description on Amazon:

Cass Sunstein and Martha Nussbaum bring together an all-star cast of contributors to explore the legal and political issues that underlie the campaign for animal rights and the opposition to it. Addressing ethical questions about ownership, protection against unjustified suffering, and the ability of animals to make their own choices free from human control, the authors offer numerous different perspectives on animal rights and animal welfare. They show that whatever one’s ultimate conclusions, the relationship between human beings and nonhuman animals is being fundamentally rethought. This book offers a state-of-the-art treatment of that rethinking.

It looks like a good read. I added it to my wish list.

Of course the headlines are already filled with ridiculous headlines of panic that claim Obama is trying to outlaw meat, hunting, and medical testing. But that is not what Sunstein is about necessarily. He just advocates for more responsible and ethical treatment of animals. Who really can stand up and say those are not good ideals to have?

I wish Sunstein had been appointed Secretary of Agriculture but I can already see from the media blitz why he wasn’t. Here is to hoping he can affect change anyway. :)

Photo credit

Every day we vote with our shopping dollars. Are we supporting unsustainable, toxic products and companies or are we supporting conscious, safe, and sustainable companies and products? When we go down the aisle of the grocery store and pick up a bottle of cleaning fluid or a box of cereal we are casting a vote in support of that product and that company…are you voting for the people and things you want to be?

Every day we vote with our forks. Everything that goes in our mouths and bodies is a vote in support of that industry. Are we supporting organics, ethics, and kind planetary practices? Are we supporting animal cruelty and factory farming?

We have lots to consider every time we take a bite of food or open our wallets…we vote everyday for the world we want.

Photo credit: Scandblue

Now the FDA has recently announced that it will allow food producers to start irradiating fresh spinach and iceberg lettuce in an attempt to kill E. coli O157:H7 and other bacteria that cause food-borne illnesses, despite health, safety, and nutritional loss concerns. Because a few shoddy farms with dirty practices resulted in some food born illness they want to irradiate our food. What the freakin heck is wrong with these people????

Instead of pulling up their big boy pants and taking dirty industrial agriculture to task for making us sick they decide we need to have our food sterilized. This is exactly what they did to raw almonds a few months back. One bad company caused some illness and then they passed a law that required all almonds to be pasteurized. When these companies do this to us we are the ones punished not them. First we get sick when they run their business in a manner that is dirty and unethical and then we get punished by having our food choices taken away. I guess taking these companies to task for their actions is too much to hope for.

Not only is irradiation not safe for us, it takes away our right to choose fresh foods that don’t glow from irradiation. We should be able to choose raw almonds instead of pasteurized and fresh spinach instead of nuked spinach shouldn’t we? This is truly alarming to raw food eaters everywhere because they are blocking access to the very foods that can make us healthy and heal us from the disease and sickness caused by the corporations they are protecting.

I say NO THANKS FDA! I am a big girl and I can make my own decisions and I want to be able to buy fresh spinach. Tell the FDA no thanks courtesy of this petition from The True Food Network.

. Read part one

Chapter 19 discusses Avian Influenza and chapter 20 talks about bioterrorism. They are closely related because they both work to taint our food and the USDA without fail will always try to claim that small family farmers are the ones propagating diseased food and/or are the ones most likely to be the source of a bioterrorism outbreak with their unsecured facilities.

Several years ago there was big scare about local chickens having the bird flu and Salatin shares some stories and theories. He even shares a widely held theory that the chicken industry “planted” the bird flu and accidentally let it get out of control. I buy that theory 100%. In fact I have a similar theory about almond growers and a salmonella outbreak. It was conventional almonds and not raw ones that were the source but somehow…miraculously raw almonds were the ones that got banned. Funny how things just work out like that for big agricorp? They get to stick it to their competitors when they should have been grabbing their ankles. ;)

Even when it is the large, industrial chicken farmers that are spreading disease it is the small family farmer that takes the heat. The USDA certainly won’t tell you Tyson did this to you….they want you to think that birds raised outside that can come into contact with air and other birds are the ones getting infected, when that could not be farther from the truth. They simply will not allow the media to portray their benefactors in a bad light. The local food chain is the fall guy.  I guess some people really are dense enough to believe that 100 chickens crammed into a small cage that eat manure and never see the light of day are safer to eat than a bird that gets fresh air, sunlight, and grass to eat.

Salatin goes on to compare small, local farms with that of industrial ones as far as access for bioterrorists goes. The USDA wants us to believe that industrial farms are immaculate, stainless steel wonder worlds that are guarded ferociously to protect all the wonderful people of this country. Small local farmers are dirty, careless, and certain to let any old terrorist on their property to taint food. Does this sound logical to you?

Industrial farms are almost devoid of people. Machines feed and water them, computers monitor temperature, and there is hardly anyone around. They are prime for terrorist infiltration. The actual processing facilities however, where they slaughter and process all that raw product is crawling with people, many of whom have no legal status to be in this country and do not even speak English. How hard would it be for a foreigner (because terrorists are always foreign don’t ya know) to get a job there and taint up to 10 tons of food? I don’t think it would be to hard….at all.

A smaller, local farmer would be much less likely to be targeted. It is also unlikely that they ever would be considered a viable target because they do not do the same volume and a terrorist will want maximum impact. The USDA is trying to make us fear the local food system when it would likely be the safest thing for us in the event of a bird flu outbreak or a bioterrorism event.

Chapter 21 addresses the NAIS or National Animal Identification System that the government wants to impose on us by 2011. Basically it would require microchips be implanted in all cows, pigs, chickens, horses, sheep, and goats. I think the program sounds crazy but supposedly it would make our food much safer if we tag all the animals. The fines you can rack up for stupid things, like forgetting to declare and animal dead or for having an extra chicken are outrageous. Also, the smaller farmers will have to tag each and every animal but industrial farms can have one tag per 10,000 animals. How fair is that??

Chapter 22 is about Mad Cow disease and how it became a problem. Also discussed is the disgusting practice of industrial farms to grind up animal remnants and manure (even from sick and diseased animals), mix it up with some grain and molasses, and feed it back to the living animals. It is practices like this that make mad cow disease possible but the USDA is not about to change things. They don’t really care about food safety.

If you recall a couple years back a company in Missouri called Creekstone Farms was upset because the mad cow scare in the US was causing foreign buyers to ban US meat products. Creekstone managed to secure a deal with a Japanese buyer that they could still do business if the farm tested every piece of meat they sold. Well, the USDA sued them! Why? The USDA said that if this farm tested every product then that would make all other meat processors who choose NOT to test look suspect in the consumer’s mind. So here the USDA is suing a company because that company is testing for mad cow disease. Creekstone eventually won that case but the USDA plans to appeal. If they really cared about food safety why would they sue companies testing for diseased meat?

Chapter 23 was not a favorite of mine. It talked of animal welfare and how farmer’s get vilified for buying chicks via mail order or using farrowing crates for sows. Salatin explains that when he orders 2000 chicks in the mail and the post office accidentally suffocates them or leaves them out in cold temperatures and they freeze to death this is the post office’s fault. Hence the farmer should not be vilified for a practice that would have been harmless to the chicks if not for careless post office workers. But I don’t buy that. The post office shouldn’t need to baby-sit your mail. If you elect to ship a living thing in the mail then deal with the backlash when it dies and people get mad.

The final chapter just sums thing up for us and tells us where we need to go from here. I particularly like this quote:

The political rationale for food safety ultimately rests in the notion that we are wards of the state. Not a free people.

I for one do not want the government telling me what I can and cannot eat. This is a basic freedom that I don’t think anyone should give up. The crack down on food is just getting worse everyday. Anything raw, even vegetables are getting the evil eye these days. Are we ready to throw ourselves under the bus of government protection because we are too stupid to know what is good for us? Are we ready to start eating sterilized, irradiated, processed, antibiotic laden “clean” foods for the rest of our lives?

Make your voice heard that this won’t be tolerated, find back door methods to get illegal foods such as raw dairy through cow share programs or donation based markets. Withhold your compliance from the tyrant that seeks to take our food freedom away…

[tags]Everything I Want to Do Is Illegal, book, review, Joel Salatin[/tags]

News Target

New Jersey For Informed Choice in Vaccination

We cannot let this happen. If New Jersey passes this law then other states will follow.

[tags]vaccination, New Jersey, law, exemption, forced vaccination[/tags]

. Read part one

Chapter 13 relates the story of how Salatin’s county tried to make it illegal to use a sawmill on agricultural property. For a farmer with over 400 acres of woodlands this represented a problem. Salatin was the only person to speak against this proposed ordinance and managed to get the county to change the language so that farmers could mill their own wood on their own property. However, Salatin becomes a criminal whenever he uses his sawmill to saw up some wood for his friends as he likes to do on occasion. I am amazed at how utterly ridiculous these ordinances can be.

Chapter 14 goes into zoning laws. Salatin would like to offer schools the opportunity to come and tour his farm…for a price. He cannot do this though because zoning laws prevent it. An educational institution has no place on agricultural property. He cannot invite the kids to recreate on his property either because that would make his operation an amusement park. He could have 10,000 non paying visitors come every day without a problem but as soon as one of them pays him…it is illegal. Talk about bass ackwards.

Salatin does hold annual seminars for industry professionals and it is illegal. But what choice does he have? The public needs to be educated about this type of farming and land management or it will be gone with the wind.

Zoning also prevents him from processing his farm foods on his own property. Never mind that it just makes good sense to do it that way. And he can’t sell the goods that his neighbors produce. If he were to do this it would make him a Wal-Mart in the eyes of the law. He would be a criminal for selling some leftover pumpkins for the gal next door. Writing this book was in fact illegal because he wrote it on his farm in an agriculturally zoned area without a special permit. I for one applaud him for breaking the law!

Much of this ridiculous policy got started because of the NIMBY attitude that so many have today. NIMBY stands for Not in My Back Yard. All it takes is few complaints about this or that that and then there are laws laid down to prevent “problems”. People are willing to give up freedoms that they don’t personally care about for a little temporary peace of mind…until the government comes knocking on their door that is. It will all come back to bite you on your arrogant tushie. ;) When we impose our will on others there will inevitably be someone allowed to impose theirs on us.

Chapter 15 discusses labor and how it is illegal to hire teens to work on the farm and run any kind of equipment. Apparently they get requests all the time from young men and women to join the team as apprentices and they can’t really allow this because the second they let a 16 year old licensed driver operate a cordless drill or drive a four wheeler to collect eggs they are in violation of labor laws. Salatin also feels that kids get involved with drugs and immoral lifestyle because we have made it illegal for them work with child labor laws. I see his point…somewhat…but DO feel as though we need at least some regulation in that arena. If a 16 year old wants to work 50 hours a week on a farm I think he or she should be able to. BUT having no regulation in that area would also allow employers and parents to force work on kids. I have a family member that was forced by his father to work full time from the time he was 12. Yes, maybe it kept him out of trouble and it taught him a trade but he lost his childhood and he still seethes about it 40 years later. Abolishing child labor laws is not the answer. In this chapter Salatin also discusses how the minimum wage laws can tie the hands of employee and employer.

In Chapter 16 the subject at hand is housing and this chapter really infuriated me. Salatin tells the story of how his son decided to build a house on their farm…a 700 square foot bungalow that would be a good starter home that his parents could move into down the road when they wanted to downsize. The county told them that nothing less than a 900 square foot home was acceptable. The county also told him that his expensive composting toilet was a no go as well. He had to have a septic tank and because the septic tank had to be near a waterway (I swear I am not making this up) the whole location of the house had to be changed. It took more than 2 years and a lot of money to get that house built to what the county considered livable and for it to be eligible for home owners insurance. It is outrageous that you cannot elect to raise a yurt or a teepee on your property and run electric to it if you so choose. What freaking business does the government have telling any of us we MUST live a certain way in a certain type of house.

Also discussed is the subject of conservation easements which farmers are applying for and getting to protect their lands only to find that they have forfeited all rights to build on it and grow it. They can’t even build a green house without violating the law. This is just another way we get suckered into opening the door for beurocrats to control us. The last few paragraphs of this chapter were my favorite…where he talks about how we elect to go to war and protect the liberties of other people while many of our own people are being terrorized daily.

“It is domestic tyranny and terrorism, fully licensed and sanctioned by the US government.”

Amen!

Chapter 17 discusses a subject I detest…insurance companies. It also discusses how small farmers get targeted for possible infiltration by bioterrorists. A tractor trailer full of food can sit around for hours at a truck stop while the driver catches some sleep but a small farmer who pops some kettle corn at home and transports it to a local farmer’s market a few miles away can be put out of business. Why? The kettle corn producer’s mini van could have been accosted by bioterrorists enroute so we can’t chance it. This is a true story.

Chapter 19 braves the subject of taxes. Salatin is hit hard for making economical and practical choices. Instead of buying loads of fertilizer that can be written off as expenses he builds a pond so that the green sludge can be used to fertilize his soil and the water can fertilize the pastures in times of drought. His solution saves him money and it is more environmentally responsible but he is heavily taxed when he does this because his pond is considered a land improvement in the eyes of the government.

Also, a farm that was bought by his parents in the 60s for $50,000 is now worth a million and when his mother dies the government wants to their $250,000 piece of the pie before they will allow him to keep it. Outrageous! Of course there is a solution to that little problem that I hope Salatin is aware of.

Okay…only one more segment and we will be done. Here is part 5.

[tags]Everything I Want to Do Is Illegal, book, review, Joel Salatin[/tags]

. Read part one

When I started reading this book I knew it would make me angry. I was not prepared for how angry it would make me. You may want to take a few kickboxing classes after reading this one. If I get a bit more colorful in this segment you know why…

In chapter 8 Salatin discusses organic certification and how the word has become illegal for him to use. Salatin actually stood in opposition to organic certification because he felt government regulating organic food would be a bad thing and his opinion was not a popular one.

His logic is amazingly clear though and by allowing government to regulate organics we have shot ourselves in the foot. Now the small, ethical, organic farmer has to compete with industrial organic and run the risk of getting smooshed when we all know that industrial organic goes against everything that the word “organic” used to stand for. 

I can see it in my mind all the smallish organic farmers thinking they could get some assistance from the government and be able to stick it to large industrial operations that were trying to cash in on the organic fad or squash it so it wouldn’t be a problem for them. Farmers lobbied for organic certification and got it, all the while allowing government to come in and serve as nanny over their operation. “Ha, ha…look at us. We are organic and you aren’t. Now everyone will know our food is better.”

Of course the nanny turned on them and is now changing the rules to allow for industrialized organic and weakened standards. If the consumer had been trusted to make their own decision and choose organic without a fancy certification how much better could it have been? How could big agricorp have fought that battle? Not very easily… but silly little farmers decided to give them leverage. Now big agricorp is saying something like this to the organic farmers, “See that, I am organic now too and everyone will foolishly think my food is just as good as yours…how do you like that biotch?!” Salatin articulates it much better in the book though. ;)

This chapter also discusses why Salatin feels strictly organic is not always better for people or planet.

In chapter 9 we learn about best management practices and specifically how that relates to handling manure. Salatin also shares with us some of his political ideals…such as the fact that he thinks all drugs (yes even crack cocaine and heroine) should be legal. He doesn’t feel that the government should be able to tell us what we can and cannot do with our own bodies. Some of his views were a bit shocking to me but they make sense. It should be no surprise that the government nannies are setting their sights on something we personally care about…we allowed them to get a foot in the door.

Chapter 10 addresses some of the ways that environmentalists have actually harmed the movement towards more sustainable agriculture by not looking at the food system as a whole.

Chapter 11 discusses the fear that people have learned to have toward any food that is not inspected and certified and the government LOVES it. If you don’t see USDA inspected on your food you should rightly expect that it could kill you.

Interestingly Salatin has supplied food to many chefs over the years that completely trust that the food he turns out is better tasting, healthier, and safer than anything that can be bought with a USDA seal of approval. Most gourmet chefs will step outside the USDA safe zone as much as they can. They are willing to stake their livelihood and reputation on it by serving these foods to their customers. That says a lot to me and it should say a lot to everyone.

Salatin points out that the whole system, family farm or government processing facility, depends on personal integrity. And integrity cannot be “policed, legislated, or inspected.”

Any one worker at a food processing plant can taint the food or contaminate it in some way and they are protected by their money and their army of lawyers. A small local farmer does not have that protection or that safety net, so who really has more incentive to turn out a safe product? It makes you think.

At the end of the chapter Salatin talks about how he would like to see local foods get a fair shake for a just a year’s time and see how things turn around. The fact that they can still serve their communities with two hands cuffed behind their back bespeaks the power they already have….the government won’t chance letting that beast get away from them. That is why the consumers need to fight.

Chapter 13 may not be the favorite among environmentalists as it once again talks about how myopic their thinking can be at times. Salatin refers to himself as an environmentalist at times but he sees that there is a big problem today with rabid environmentalists who give no leeway for any viewpoint but their own and who fail to see the whole picture or even include humans in their dream of a perfect world.

Two areas he sees as problems are those of forestry and logging and disposing of predators. Salatin feels that a healthier eco system includes cutting down some trees and that strict no cut zones have actually done more harm than good. It was a rather interesting read. I had never thought about it before but I have to admit that I am not against cutting trees if done in a reasonable and responsible manner. It can be done ethically and with minimal impact so strict no cut policies do not make sense in my mind.

Salatin also points out that wild animals and predators will always be a part of farming and that strict no kill policies harm farmers and what they are trying to accomplish. Wild animals are considered to be the property of the state and therefore not to be harmed. Some species might also be protected. But what is a farmer to do when their livelihood is being attacked by wild predators? They will do what they have to do and I have no issue with that either…but many environmentalists do. I am not against controlled hunting either.

Salatin mentions how he has had to deal with foxes, hawks, bears, and a few other species. Protecting his property and livelihood make some of his actions illegal and that is a shame. In this chapter he recounts how he called the state once and asked them too kindly come out and control their property. It was a hilarious read.

It brought to mind some of my experiences living in Arizona and a little friend I had called The Western Diamondback. They are a protected species and to me that means I cannot go out and hunt them to make myself a snakeskin purse. In my mind it does not mean that when they decided to take up residence on my property (where my kids and dogs played) that I had to set up a little snake condo for them and get used to some sort of cohabitation arrangement and basically hide indoors for the rest of our lives. Nope…my response to them was something along the lines of what Al Pacino said in Scarface… “Say hello to my little friend…” Does that make me a pseudo environmentalist or a big meanie? Not in my mind. Protecting animal species is all well and good but you can’t narrowly take humans out of the picture. There needs to be some balance or the state really does need to be at our beck and call whenever their property gets a little unruly. ;)

Oh boy… is this a book that doesn’t end?! Stay tuned for part 4.

[tags]Everything I Want to Do Is Illegal, book, review, Joel Salatin[/tags]

. Read part one

Chapter one addresses the assault on raw milk and how legislation in regards to milk was a dream killer for him. Ironically milk became unsafe as it became an industrialized product. Now the very same process that made it unsafe in the first place is the requirement. Never mind the fact that people drank milk straight from the cow safely for centuries before the industrial revolution tainted it. Now we are all encouraged (or forced if raw milk is illegal in your state) to drink milk that is homogenized or “sterilized”. The government is all too happy to tell you that you MUST drink milk they have “cleaned” for you.

The second chapter also addresses the fact that the food sales business has been made an impossibility for many with the regulations for zoning, licenses, equipment, building codes, OSHA, etc. It is next to impossible to start a grass roots, foods sales business anymore. You can’t grow a business from infancy and watch it grow. Government regulations are killing the American dream.

I love how Salatin mentioned that he longs for a food NRA. The NRA or National Rifle Association is a force to be reckoned with. People join this organization because they own guns and they want to keep them and preserve their first amendment rights. But there is no food freedom organization and that is because people don’t fight for what they never had. It is only when people get a taste of REAL food that they decide that the government crap that has been forced on them just won’t do…and they fight. Here is a quote from Salatin about what he wants to accomplish: 

I want folks incensed that their government has sold our collective freedom birthright for a bowl of global corporate outsourced pottage.

Virtually all of the processed foods currently sold at supermarkets could be supplanted with community-based entrepreneurial fare. Does your heart ache for this? Mine does.

Mine too. Unfortunately we live in a climate of fear. We have been told that unregulated food is tainted and unhealthy and that it surely carries disease. I say consider the source. If we grow some brains and think for ourselves and feed ourselves then the government no longer has control. In order to maintain the control they want they must manufacture fear and ANYTHING they say is suspect in my mind. Those that throw themselves under the bus of government protection will find they can’t crawl out from underneath it when the dust settles. If this situation continues to go unchecked we will only be able to eat food that government certified as safe and of course they get to decide what is safe and what is not. Will we be surprised when the food considered safe is the very same food offered by companies that can afford to wine and dine the decision makers?? Another quote from Joel Salatin:

In the name of offering only credentialed safe food, we will only be able to eat irradiated, genetically adulterated, inhumane, taste-enhanced, nutrient-deficient, emulsified, reconstituted, pseudo-food from Archer Daniels Midland, “supermarket to the world”.

It is too scary to think about but yet I believe 100% that this is exactly where we are heading. :(

In chapter 3 Salatin shares the review process of the chicken police and how they have threatened and intimidated him on many occasions asking that he make changes to his operation that are in NO way supported by law. They interpret the law as they see fit. Salatin sticks to his guns and fights with a lawyer at his side but many other farmers are forced out of business. Salatin was able to prove that his chicken product was 2500% times cleaner (microbes and bacteria) than that found in a grocery store…this did not even faze the chicken police….proving that safety is NOT what concerns them…control and money is.

In chapter 4 Salatin relates how a beef inspector once came to him and said that their beef currently hanging in a chilling room at a processing plant was being held while they investigate an accusation that he is selling uninspected beef products. Never mind the fact that the beef is already 7 days old and needs to be sold. The inspector threatens to hold what is a third of Salatin’s annual income for up to 6 months until it is rotten…while they investigate a complaint that may or may not have ever been made. Theses food inspectors can bankrupt you on a whim. And guess what they wanted to speed up the investigation? The names and addresses of all Salatin’s customers. I guess they wanted to identify those renegade consumers who were so blatantly ignoring the advice of their government.

You need read this chapter to see the hilarious conclusion but it goes to show how ridiculous and foolish these regulations are and why they have little to do with food safety and much to do with pressure from Kroger and Wal-Mart to shut the “little guys” down.

In chapter 5 we learn why it is illegal for Salatin to cure some of his pork to make bacon and why he had to outsource this process forcing him to price his bacon at $6 a pound. The most interesting part of this chapter is where he reprints a report from the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services discussing how they intended to crack down on farmers selling goat, sheep, and water buffalo cheese. In this report they discuss how they cannot allow consumers to make their own choices regarding what foods they can eat because most consumers do not have the required knowledge to make an informed decision. If it is for sale….people will eat it and assume it is safe. AKA we are too stupid to be able to decide for ourselves what we will and will not eat.

They also throw in a mention of how it is the children who will suffer as their duped parents feed them unsafe food from heinous local farms and farmer’s markets. As Salatin point out, it is ridiculous to think they give a rats behind about the children when they are totally amenable to allowing kids to eat processed junk food, drink soda, watch TV and play video games all day, and be pumped full of drugs like Ritalin. If they got a hold of some raw goat cheese…that would be catastrophic though.

Chapter 6 relates the story of how The Health Department (HD) determined that Salatin’s eggs were contaminated with Salmonella. Apparently one the chefs that he supplied fresh eggs too made some Eggs Benedict and Hollandaise sauce with Polyface eggs. The sauce was served from an open bowl that had sat in the kitchen for 5 hours and the restaurant itself was found to have some cleanliness issues.

But when a HD inspector saw Salatin’s unwashed eggs she determined that it was the eggs that caused the problem. She directly stated that unwashed eggs are inedible, despite the fact that there is NO regulation saying eggs must be washed. In fact, in France, it is just the opposite…washed eggs are illegal to sell whole as the coating provided by a hen on her eggs provides bacterial protection. This just shows how bass ackwards the US is in relation to food safety.

The HD did no testing to see if was the eggs that caused the salmonella outbreak…the opinion of an uneducated Health Department worker was all that was needed. Salatin did his own independent testing of his eggs and the chicken manure and no salmonella was found. The HD did not care.

Chapter 7 basically tells the story of how an attempt to sell chickens across states lines brought so much red tape that the chickens were required to travel over 500 miles from different processing facilities just to be sold 150 miles from the farm where they were raised. Creating a destructive and inefficient way to farm and sell product.

 Whew! Read part three.

[tags]Everything I Want to Do Is Illegal, book, review, Joel Salatin[/tags]

The following book review, or discussion rather, has gotten long (think novella) so I will break it up into different posts. This is part one.

I was thrilled when I heard about Joel Salatin’s new book, Everything I Want to Do Is Illegal. I think I was foaming at the mouth at the thought of getting my hands on it and yes, it is everything I hoped for. It is an honest look at how our freedom to participate in traditional food growing and purchasing has been taken away. Every year the government tightens the noose and forces the American farmer to industrialize and centralize his or her operation and they force the consumers to purchase food products that fall within the realm of their total and complete control. We have little freedom to make our own food choices anymore and MANY people don’t even know it.

I first learned about Joel Salatin and his farm in Virginia called Polyface farms in Michael Pollan’s book Omnivore’s Dilemma (read my review). Pollan was prompted to write about Salatin when the latter refused to ship T-Bones steaks toNew York. It went against Salatin’s approach to an efficient food system which included eating locally. This got Pollan’s attention and he decided to visit Polyface farms and write many chapters about the farm and the farmer in his runaway best seller. The book launched Polyface into the spotlight as the epitome of the nations’ ecological farms.

Although the book did brush upon Salatin’s struggles against government agencies and beurocrats, Everything I Want to Do Is Illegal provides us with a detailed look and it is frankly quite shocking. It furthered my own unpopular opinion that the great old US of A is heading towards a closed democracy. Our food is one of the foundations of our culture and our freedom and it is assaulted daily by a government who feels we cannot possibly make healthy or responsible food choices without them. The irony is that the food deemed acceptable by government is really the LAST thing we should be eating. I touched on this in my post about why I think our government wants to make us and keep us sick.  If we value freedom and health we must do one very important thing…withhold our cooperation with the tyrannical and intrusive government food system. As mentioned in the Forward section of the book, Ghandi once said:

How can a few thousand Brits control millions unless we comply? We now propose to withhold compliance!

These words need to invigorate us to fight for our freedoms that are being taken away even as we speak. This issue is just too important to ignore and reading this book will help you to understand that. Everything I Want to Do Is Illegal I is quite simply one of the most important books I have ever read.

The introduction contains an essay by Salatin that he published in Acres USA. The essay had the same title as the book and he came upon the title when he was invited toLondon to participate in a panel discussion about the pressing needs of a heritage based food system. One by one participants at the 30 person table highlighted what they perceived to be the biggest impediment facing our food system. Some talked about the trafficking of cheap organic food, another mention labor issues, and so on. When it came time for Salatin to speak he blurted out “Everything I want to do is illegal!” It is funny how such a simple sentence sums it up.

Read part two of this book discussion.

[tags]Everything I Want to Do Is Illegal, book, review, Joel Salatin, Michael Pollan, Omnivore’s Dilemma[/tags]

Are climate crisis threats real or is this just political hype?  The main issue of climate crisis is global warming, which refers to the temperature of the earth near surface air. It allows the earth to be habitable, as it absorbs some of the heat from the sun.

The problem is that greenhouse gases that have been released into the earth’s atmosphere are contributing to the rise in the surface air temperature. And this has an impact on global temperatures. Many reputable scientists show that the average temperature has risen in the last century.

It is alarming to me that so many climate crisis naysayers feel that this rise in temperature cannot possibly be caused by human activity. Yes there are other natural factors involved…water vapor, volcanic eruptions, etc. But the earth was designed (yes I believe it was designed) to handle this and keep things in balance. But I also believe that we began to throw that balance off with the coming of the industrial revolution and now we are just overwhelming the planet with our oil guzzling and energy vampirism. With the temperature already rising in reaction, scientists believe that temperatures will continue to rise at an even faster pace in the future.

Arctic ice is slowly disappearing over time. The warmer temperatures caused by the global warming effects are melting it. Polar bears, walruses, and penguins are feeling the effects of the melting ice as they find themselves stranded in the middle of the open sea. Ultimately, these animals are suffering and dying and I read a report recently that perhaps by 2050 polar bears will be no more. This REALLY bothers me…but what bothers me even more is the “so what” attitude I see so much of. I still hear people say that a little warming is a good thing.

Rising temperature is not the only issue. When we throw the earth’s balance out of wack you get extreme weather. Hurricanes get a boost in destructive power and intensity as if they were on speed as water temperature rises along with that of the atmosphere. Hurricanes will probably occur more often, be stronger and reach farther inland. Droughts and heat waves can also be linked to global warming, as can the rising of sea levels and flooding. Evaporation increases as temperatures warm and thus the amount of rainfall and snowfall is increasing too. The heavier rainfalls are driving people from their flooded homes.  This is why so many scientists are trying to move away from the term global warming and refer to climate crisis instead.

The ecosystems are seeing hardships, too. Some species of animals are slowly moving northward for livable conditions, while other species are slowly dwindling in numbers and struggling to survive extinction. Insects are thriving in warmer temperatures and in places they never acclimated to before. They are becoming a nuisance, they are devastating forests when winter frosts are no longer cold enough to kill them off seasonally, and every year we hear about more diseases being spread by mosquitoes. Disease and illness in general thrive in warmer temperatures as well. Is that the world we want to pass on to our children and grandchildren?

The answer for me is no but sadly I find I am a minority in my own local community. I wish it were not so political and issue because as a blue girl living in a red state I get lambasted all the time for my dedication to environmental issues. Many in my community hesitate to take up any environmental cause because they feel it would betray the ideals of their party. Since when did the environment become an issue that only liberals can care about???? It truly baffles me. Of course so does the weird stuff coming out of the mouth of Republican poster child Ann Coulter:

God says, “Earth is yours. Take it. Rape it. It’s yours.” 

Someone on a community forum recently asked if I would regret my passionate environmental stance if I found out definitively that climate crisis and global warming was a hoax. My answer is heck no! If (and that is a really big if) global warming was found to be a hoax in 10 years I would still support the ideals and goals behind the movement. Improved technology, more efficient products and transportation, less smog and pollution, more recycling, less affluenza, less stress on landfills and natural resources…are we supposed to somehow come to the conclusion that these are BAD things just because there is the potential that cleaning up our act, environmentally speaking, might be politically motivated for some?  

The thought that green living enthusiasts might somehow regret their contribution to a better, cleaner, and more hospitable world is mind boggling. Almost as mind boggling as the concept that celebrities (ie Gore and DiCaprio) cannot possibly have anything of value to contribute and their celebrity status nullifies their work…but that is for another post I think. 

It also baffles that me that when I ask people (and I ask this often) what there is too gain from perpetuating a climate crisis hoax I get no reasonable or logical answers. I have heard that it is a movement to make the US relinquish its sovereignty over the rest of the world (insert rolling eyes emoticon here). I have heard that carbon credits are just a scam…but I can’t believe anyone seriously thinks that thousands of people the world over are all perpetuating a hoax of this magnitude to make a buck on carbon credits. And of course recently I had someone admit that yes there really isn’t a lot to gain if it were hoax and the goals ARE good goals but he still can’t accept global warming or environmentalism because “If Al Gore had his way we would all be living in caves and eating raw vegetables while he flies around in private jets and lives in a mansion.” When I hear things like this it is obvious they have not seen An Inconvenient Truth, they have never visited any climate crisis web sites, and they have NO idea what the heck they are talking about. Or perhaps I missed the fact that Al Gore says we really should live in caves.  :)

So what do you think? Is climate crisis fact or fiction? And does it even matter?

More information on why global warming skeptics can’t be trusted…

 [tags]global warming, climate crisis, environmentalism, Al Gore, Leonardo DiCaprio, political, ann coulter[/tags]

I did some research this morning and I found dozens of places that say vaccination is state law…but the more I think about the more outrageous it seems to me that our government can enact and enforce a law that requires ALL people to undergo a medical procedure. It boggles my mind that they could do that when I actually think about it. What kind of medical procedure can they mandate next??? So is there a law stating that we have to vaccinate?

According to Prison Planet the answer is no…

In reality, there is no law that says you have to vaccinate your children and waiver forms for personal or religious exemptions are freely available.

A situation in Prince George’s County, MD. has attracted media attention and once again provided the platform for a propaganda push that falsely implies it is the law for children to be vaccinated with mass produced big pharma shots that are often not stringently tested and have been linked with dangerous side-effects.

There is no law in America, aside from those applying to medical workers, that says you or your child has to take any vaccine whatsoever, no matter what any executive order, requirement, mandate or policy dictates, there is no situation where you can go to prison for refusing a government vaccine under the U.S. constitution and the law of the land.

As in the case of all other vaccines, executive orders and court mandates merely state that the vaccine is “recommended”.

Here is the article. Pretty interesting stuff! Any thoughts?

My personal experience sees one problem with it…when I lived in Arizona I went to a protest when a AZ court ruled that 2 children of a non-vaccinating mother be forcibly immunized. The mother and father of the kids had never vaccinated (the kids were both pre-teens) and when they got a divorce the lovely husband decided to stick it to his wife by petitioning that the courts force his wife to vaccinate their kids. He won and the kids were held down, kicking and screaming, and then vaccinated for EVERY vaccine that they had missed up to that point. If there is no law than how can this stuff go on? Perhaps it was just a case where a judge had to choose which parents wishes should be honored and the father won out since vaccines are considered the “responsible” thing to do in society today.

If vaccines were mandatory according to law wouldn’t your pediatrician have to turn you in for breaking the law when you decline them? According to the Think Twice Global Vaccine Institute the only regulation in place for vaccines are governed by individual states and even then they are not blanket laws but merely requirements for state funded public education not children in general and law dictates that you have waivers to opt out if you so choose.

[tags]vaccines, law, state, public school, waiver, school board[/tags]