Month: May 2016

Monsanto, Bees and Politics

| weaver1888

 

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I was thrilled to see the recent article in the Roanoke Times on the declining bee population. This is a major problem for agriculture because bees pollinate plants. Well, you say, there are genetically modified seeds produced by Monsanto that don’t require pollination. But these seeds contain the pesticide dioxin, a deadly chemical agent. That’s the same chemical agent Monsanto used in Agent Orange. the killer agent from Vietnam. Dioxin is so toxic that it wipes out non-GMO crops, bees, other insects, animals and human health. I personally do not want any food produced by a Monsanto seed. Remember this company gave us saccharin and aspartame. The world’s center of PCB manufacturing was Monsanto’s plant on the outskirts of East St. Louis, Illinois, which has the highest rate of fetal death and immature births in Illinois.
It’s not so much that this company has produced toxic substances for years, but they fight so hard to defend these products with money when they come under attack. Our government is so susceptible to money. The big fight right now is the proper labeling of GMO foods. You have a right to know that you are eating a product of pesticide laced seeds. A bill (S. 2609) was defeated two months ago in the Senate that would prevent states from requiring labels. But Monsanto is already back lobbying for a watered down federal law on labeling. Our legislators are so weak. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine voted against the earlier bill (S .2609, but what about now.  They both think a federal solution may be needed.

And then there is Bob Goodlatte. He is on the Agriculture committee. He is essential to Monsanto. Bob takes money from Monsanto for his campaign. Do Bob Goodlatte, Mark Warner and Tim Kaine understand this issue? I am biased by my belief that Monsanto is an evil company. Because these seeds are engineered to be toxic pesticides masquerading as food, the EU(Europe) has banned their use. This is a matter of life and death. Stop killing bees and properly label genetically altered food.

T. Michael Smith

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Four Freedoms

| weaver1888

 

I had the opportunity to take an adventure with some of my friends to the Taubman Museum of Art in downtown Roanoke, Virginia.  The museum is featuring the work of Norman Rockwell and we were fortunate to have a talk at our place by Della Watkins, the executive director of the Taubman, on Rockwell and his paintings. Rockwell’s Four Freedoms—Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Worship, Freedom from Want, and Freedom from Fear –are the paintings at the top of the page. The paintings were reproduced in The Saturday Evening Post over four consecutive weeks in 1943, alongside essays by prominent thinkers of the day. They were first published on February 20, February 27, March 6, and March 13, 1943 along with commissioned essays from leading American writers and historians including Booth Tarkington, Will Durant, Carlos Buloson, and Stephen Vincent Benet. The Four Freedoms paintings were the highlight of a touring exhibition sponsored by The Post and the Treasury Department. The exhibition and accompanying sales drives for war bonds raised approximately $132 million

The paintings had their genesis from The Four Freedoms Speech which was delivered on January 6, 1941 by Franklin Delano Roosevelt, president of the United States, to a joint session of Congress. Roosevelt’s hope was to provide a rationale for why the United States should abandon the isolationist policies that emerged from WWI. In the address, Roosevelt critiqued isolationism, saying: “No realistic American can expect from a dictator’s peace international generosity, or return of true independence, or world disarmament, or freedom of expression, or freedom of religion–or even good business. Such a peace would bring no security for us or for our neighbors. “Those, who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.”

The speech delivered by President Roosevelt incorporated the following text, known as the “Four Freedoms”:

The first is freedom of speech and expression—everywhere in the world.

The second is freedom of every person to worship God in his own way—everywhere in the world.

The third is freedom from want—which, translated into world terms, means economic understandings which will secure to every nation a healthy peacetime life for its inhabitants—everywhere in the world.

The fourth is freedom from fear—which, translated into world terms, means a world-wide reduction of armaments to such a point and in such a thorough fashion that no nation will be in a position to commit an act of physical aggression against any neighbor—anywhere in the world.

FDR lists the benefits of democracy, which include economic opportunity, employment, social security, and the promise of “adequate health care”. The first two freedoms, of speech and religion are protected by the First Amendment.  His inclusion of the latter two freedoms went beyond the traditional Constitutional values protected by the Bill of Rights. Roosevelt endorsed a broader human right to economic security (a job). He also included the freedom from fear against national aggression.

What has happened to our need to be free?  After the war, there was a lengthy period where all Americans prospered.  There really was a middle class that was the backbone of our American economy.  In 1975, the seeds of major change were sown with the founding of Microsoft by Bill Gates and Paul Allen.   A major revolution was underway led by rapid-fire technological change. Administrative jobs were replaced by computers as were mid-level bean counters.  Lives began to be turned upside down.

During the ten years of 1994-2004, four companies emerged that would change the landscape for everyone.  Amazon, Netflix, Google and Facebook changed buying patterns, the delivery of entertainment, the source of all information and human interaction.  Today our friends share articles and website offerings to let us know how they are doing.  Politicians and CEOs picked up the globalization theme and sold everyone on the idea that we didn’t need to make things, but we would control technology and therefore information.  So manufacturing went to China and Asia along with the jobs.  We were losing factory jobs and middle management jobs now  With the Patriot Act, we have given up on freedom and liberty as well as the American people..

Today we stand in America wondering where the spending will come from to support the economy. People tend to trim their opinions to match those of the group.  Only a fraction of the educated population of North America is prepared to think for themselves, even where matters of grave importance are involved.  The wiring of most people’s brains keeps them from thinking independently.  The brain is hard-wired to conform.

Conformity goes a long way to explaining the oblivion of Americans to the dire prospects of the US economy.  Our leaders use this tendency to conform to manipulate the perception of the economy in ways that jeopardize your future. Listen to this solution for the deficit.  They fiddled with inflation adjustments on Social Security and federal pensions.  Outlays for SS are about half of what they would have been had the adjustments not been made. They will lie to you.

Most Americans have little chance of enjoying a better life if they must pay for everything from their own resources. Living standards in the US are heading lower. Our government has overspent the available resources, will increasingly rely on predatory taxation, and will do all that is necessary to preserve the state at the expense of the people.

I miss the days of Norman Rockwell and FDR.

Presently, your government is making it very difficult to maintain financial assets abroad.  Many foreign banks will no longer take deposits from American citizens because of regulatory concerns.  Will you need special approval to travel abroad in the near future?

Full time work is an endangered species. Look for McDonalds to begin serving our food in kiosks with robotic servers.  Good jobs have disappeared and lower paying jobs will soon be giving way to technology.  Mercedes has driverless trucks on the autobahn.  But you can’t eat gigabytes.

 

FOOD

| weaver1888

 

When you turn 70, food takes on a new meaningin your life.  Old folks like me really look forward to eating! Our ability to lift, run, and jump seems to disappear, but our taste buds remain intact.  Eating gives us something to do three times a day and mealtime, particularly at our independent living center, often involves good conversation or not.  Eating is one joy you sit for and only have to lift a fork a few inches. We are fortunate at our place to have a dedicated and experienced cooking staff as well as a serving staff of mostly young people.

BUT there is controversy.  The quality of the food offerings is debated constantly and with passion.  “The fennel was so hard you couldn’t cut it with a knife.  I like fennel. Why can’t they cook it right?” “The Beef was tough on Sunday.  If that was tenderloin, I’ll sing in the atrium.” “The chocolate silk pie was delicious.”  “My sugar goes through the roof when I eat that.” “Why don’t we have gluten-free cookies?”

Our dining room tables always have a beautiful flower arrangement, a white table cloth and a comment card.  About 90 cards are filled out each month concerning the food and service.  Many offer praise to the wait staff.  Some have a suggestion on how to fix a certain dish or to request an addition to the menu.  Only about five or six have a true complaint.  But those writing these critical comments are quite serious.

Let’s talk green beans.  For some reason our staff doesn.t like to sting beans.  Of course, it is boring and time consuming.  But this is a valid complaint. Beans need to have the strings removed as do snap peas.

Northern versus southern green beans is a new chapter in the Civil War.  I grew up in the south and the green beans were cooked most of the day until my grandmother got a pressure cooker.  But she cooked her green beans often with “fatback” and they were cooked.  Northern green beans are crisp which means they are not cooked long at all. Sides are taken with considerable passion.  The solution was to offer both and keep the count even since there are folks who keep the score.

The most interesting food fight was The Great Spinach War.  The benefits of spinach are many. Leafy greens like spinach provide more nutrients than any other food, when compared calorie for calorie. Here are some spinach facts to consider: Many of us older folks appreciate spinach because it is a very nutrient-dense food. It is low in calories yet very high in vitamins, minerals and other nutrients. When you consume this healthy food, you don’t need to worry about your weight-loss diet as you take in abundant, valuable nutrients. This leafy green is an excellent source of vitamin K, vitamin A, magnesium, folate, manganese, iron, calcium, vitamin C, vitamin B2, potassium, and vitamin B6. It’s a very good source of protein, phosphorus, vitamin E, zinc, dietary fiber, and copper. Plus, it’s a good source of selenium, niacin, and omega-3 fatty acids

We love spinach and other leafy greens on our menu given all of these benefits.  But how do you cook it?  Therein lies the problem. Cooking spinach on the stove top is a fast and easy way to enjoy this dark, leafy green. The recipe can be as simple as sautéing the spinach with garlic in olive oil and topping it with a bit of lemon juice. I always add a pinch of red pepper flakes for some heat. A heartier recipe is with the flavors of cumin, cinnamon, chilies, garlic and ginger. To stir-fry, I heat some sliced or slivered garlic in olive oil, throw in a ton of spinach and stir-fry until hot and wilted. Season it with tamari and a garnish of sesame seeds.

To steam, I wash the spinach leaving water clinging to the leaves. I place it in a large pot over high heat and cover. Don’t walk away — the greens get tender and toothsome when just collapsed from the steam. This happens really fast, 3 to 4 minutes. For me, over steaming separates the moisture from the leaves and results in mushy, gloppy spinach.

Part of the controversy seems to be that some like their spinach mushy.  This is not a large crowd, but they are vocal.  They also want to forego all of the aforementioned spices.  Just pass the vinegar and leave me to my wonderfully cooked mush spinach.

I happen to like my spinach sautéed with olive oil and garlic.  This tastes great to me and I can eat a lot of it.  But there are some that are concerned about the amount of oil used in the cooking process.  One of our residents attended a food committee meeting with a Ziploc container holding something liquid.  Turns out it was oil that she had drained from her sautéed spinach.  I had to admit that it was a healthy amount.  She thought it was vegetable oil, but the chef assured her that it was olive oil.  She was happy about that, but still thought the volume was too high.  She preferred steamed spinach or a more modest amount of oil.

There are those who claim that that the steamed spinach has not been cooked enough.  They contend that it is akin to eating raw spinach.  Of course, many of us like raw spinach, particularly in our salads. It is also very good with a little olive oil drizzled over it.

Olive oil is a great oil for cooking.  Strong flavored olive oils can be used for frying fish or other strong flavored ingredients. Olive oil has a high smoke point, 410 degrees F, and doesn’t degrade as quickly as many other oils do with repeated high heating.  Our chefs use an extra virgin olive oil that has health benefits and wonderful Mediterranean flavor.

 

There are some myths which have recently circulated about olive oil. Olive oil has been used for thousands of years and is one of the cornerstones of the healthy Mediterranean diet. As far as making a saturated fat, all oil repeatedly heated to very high temperatures such as is done in commercial frying operations will oxidize and hydrogenate to a degree. Virgin olive oil is a highly monounsaturated oil and therefore resistant to oxidation and hydrogenation. Studies have shown oxidation and hydrogenation occurs to a lesser degree in olive oil than in other oils. But in any case, the amount of hydrogenation is miniscule and our chefs would never experience this problem.

Compromise is the name of the game when you’re trying to satisfy two hundred sets of taste buds.  The sautéed and steamed are offered on the buffet on alternative dates, but steamed spinach is always available from the kitchen.

Pinto beans are good. Pinto beans are a very good source of cholesterol-lowering fiber, as are most other beans. In addition to lowering cholesterol, pinto beans’ high fiber content prevents blood sugar levels from rising too rapidly after a meal, making these beans an especially good choice for individuals with diabetes, insulin resistance or hypoglycemia. When combined with whole grains such as brown rice, pinto beans provide virtually fat-free, high quality protein. But this is far from all pinto beans have to offer. Pinto beans are also an excellent source of molybdenum, a very good source of folate, and a good source of protein, vitamin B1, and vitamin B6 as well as the minerals copper, phosphorus, iron, magnesium, manganese, and potassium.  BUT PINTO BEANS SHOULD NEVER BE SERVED WITHOUT CORNBREAD AND VICE- VERSA.

Corn meal, the basic ingredient of corn bread, is a whole grain. Whole-grain foods contain the bran as well as the germ and endosperm of the fruited grain — and all of the nutrients they contain. Whole-grain foods provide needed fiber for the diet, which not only help regulate bowel movements but also absorb cholesterol and lower blood sugars as they move through the digestive system. A 1-oz. serving of cornbread contains 1.8 g of fiber. And because fiber is not digested, but simply passes through the digestive system, it is filling without adding any calories of its own. Calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, folic acid, folates and vitamins A, B-6 and B-12 are found in corn bread. A generous piece of cornbread has about 150 calories.

Our pintos are always accompanied by cornbread.

I admit that I live to eat. It’s the organizing principal of my days: At any given moment, it’s likely that I have already decided what my next meal will be, and often, even the meal after that. When I look back on a life that has taken some sharp turns here and there, I remember the food that accompanied those new directions, whetting my appetite for change. Other people take photographs, make scrapbooks or remember life’s big moments by what they were wearing. I remember what I ate.

It’s not that I’m a foodie, although I’ve been blessed with some of them in my life—true epicures who can differentiate between merely excellent gazpacho and soup that is out of this world. Nor am I a connoisseur, like the people who can taste the difference between grass-fed and conventional beef with a single bite, or sniff out the difference between Jamaican or Ethiopian coffee beans. I’m just a hungry man who will eat just about anything.

At this point, I’ve stopped judging myself for my food-focus, just as I’ve backed off (at least a little) from my worries about being on the pudgy side. Food, I’ve accepted, is just one way I connect with and orient myself to life. When I get hungry for something new, I indulge. It means I’m ready for a change, looking to add new flavors, textures and experiences to a life that might be feeling a little