Committee Turnover in Congress

by: Jill Richardson

Wed Nov 03, 2010 at 21:17:41 PM PDT

I've also gone through and made a list of which Blue Dogs stay and go. And many more are going than staying. This election - and the loss of so many Blue Dogs to Republicans - made the Democratic party better, but it made the Congress worse.

The biggest impact will be to the House Ag committee. Out of 27 Democrats that went into this election, 21 of whom were Blue Dogs, only 12 will be returning to Congress, 10 of whom are Blue Dogs.  

Committee Turnover in Congress

by: Jill Richardson

Tue Nov 02, 2010 at 18:59:23 PM PDT

The following is a list of members of Congress, by committee, who will not be back in January either because they lost, retired, or ran for a different office than the one they had before.

Senate

Agriculture:
Blanche Lincoln (Walmart-AR) - Lost to John Boozman (R)

Ag Appropriations:
Robert Bennett (R-UT) - Lost in primary
Kit Bond (R-MO) - Didn't run, replaced by Roy Blunt (R)
Byron Dorgan (D-ND) - Retiring
Arlen Specter (D-PA) - Lost in primary

House

Agriculture: (Farm bill, Food safety-USDA)
John Boccieri (D-OH) - Lost
Bright, Bobby (AL-02) - Blue Dog, lost
Travis Childers (D-MS) - Blue Dog, Lost
Kathy Dahlkemper (D-PA) - Blue Dog, Lost
Brad Ellsworth (D-IN) - Blue Dog, Ran for Senate, lost.
Debbie Halvorson (D-IL) - Lost
Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (D-SD) - Lost
Steve Kagen (D-WI) - Lost
Frank Kratovil (D-MD) - Blue Dog, Lost to Andrew P. Harris (R)
Betsy Markey (D-CO) - Blue Dog, Lost
Earl Pomeroy (D-ND) - Blue Dog, Lost
Zachary Space (D-OH) - Blue Dog, Lost

Ag Appropriations:
Sanford Bishop (D-GA) - Blue Dog, Lost
Allen Boyd (D-FL) - Blue Dog, Lost to Steve Southerland (R)
Lincoln Davis (D-TN) - Blue Dog, Lost to Scott DesJarlais (R)

Education & Labor: (School lunch)
Carol Shea-Porter (D-NH) - Lost to Frank Guinta (R)
Joe Sestak (D-PA) - Ran for Senate
Michael Castle (R-DE) - Ran for Senate, lost in Primary
Phil Hare (D-IL) - Lost. This one hurts.

Energy & Commerce: (Food Safety-FDA)
Roy Blunt (R-MO) - Won for the Senate
Steve Buyer (R-IN) - Retiring
Bart Gordon (D-TN) - Blue Dog, Retiring, seat won by Diane Black (R)
Baron P. Hill (D-IN) - Blue Dog, Lost to Todd Young (R)
Charlie Melancon (D-LA) - Blue Dog, Lost
George Radanovich (R-CA) - Retiring
John Shadegg (R-AZ) - Retiring
Zachary T. Space (D-OH) - Blue Dog, Lost
Bart Stupak (D-MI) - Retiring, seat won by Dan Benishek (R)

Bees 'R' Us (Bee hives at Hayes Valley farm taken out by pesticide)

by: citisven

Fri Jul 23, 2010 at 14:03:24 PM PDT

From the Hayes Valley Farm (SF) blog:

Sometime between the late afternoons of Monday July 19 and Tuesday July 20, an unknown person(s) intentionally sprayed pesticide into the entrances and ventilation holes of the two San Francisco Bee-Cause (SFBC) honey bee colonies at HVF.  The same person(s) tried to do the same to a third, smaller colony on site, belonging to Chris Burley.

it goes on:

The killing of the two mature SFBC colonies was complete.  The thousands of bees that died immediately or rushed to the entrance for fresh air fell onto the screened bottom board and clogged up the entrance to the hive, making escape impossible for any of the other bees and turning each hive into a gas chamber.  Chris Burley's colony sustained a loss of approximately 60-70% of its individuals.

What We Can Learn from Cuba about Oil Spill, Conservation

by: Elisa

Wed Jul 07, 2010 at 12:06:02 PM PDT

I was inspired to write this piece because of a conversation I had with a friend, but also I know that Jill has written extensively about her trip to Cuba. I went in 2002, but haven't shared much outside of family and friends. Enjoy! -Elisa

A quick google search tells us that BP has failed to cap the oil spill that has spread to Florida, and by now, possibly the Caribbean. So many barrels of oil have leaked into the ocean that we are looking at long-term damage to our food supply, ecosystems, and air and water quality.

All of this can make even the least-informed parent fret, which is why I don't make it a habit to google oil spill news. But it has had an impact on the way I, and even my children, think. We have been walking to church -- almost a mile away. We make it a point to drive only when absolutely necessary. As for me, the seafood lover that I am, I have kept my crustacean appetite in check. There is nothing to kill the mood at dinner than the thought of crude-covered shrimp.  

An alternative school fundraiser? Yes, please.

by: Ashley_at_EqEx

Fri Sep 04, 2009 at 09:47:22 AM PDT

Fifteen years later, I'm so pleased to be a worker-owner at Equal Exchange, where we offer schools a different kind of fundraising. My co-worker, Virginia Berman, started the Equal Exchange Fundraising Program after getting requests from teachers and parents who wanted an alternative fundraiser. After three years, we've partnered with over 300 groups. And the momentum continues to grow every day.

So, what's special about this fundraiser? Well, for one it offers fairly traded and organic coffee, tea, chocolate, nuts and dried fruit. It's stuff that people already eat and drink, so it doesn't feel wasteful like typical fundraisers. Plus, it's fairly traded, so you can feel good knowing your fundraising dollars support small-scale farmer co-ops and their communities. Additionally, the products are organic. The farmers use sustainable farming methods, without all those nasty pesticides and fertilizers. It's better for them, it's better for you and your kids, and it's better for our earth.

Equal Exchange also developed a Fair Trade and co-op economics curriculum to accompany the Fundraising Program, to teach children that their everyday choices can make a difference in the lives of others. It's free to download on our web site! We really believe that change is on the horizon - and we need the help of future generations to make sure we are supporting farmers internationally, while also making efforts toward greening this planet of ours. All by choosing these yummy foods!

Sounds way better than a neon-pink kazoo keychain, if you ask me.

To sign up or to learn more about the Equal Exchange Fundraising Program, visit www.equalexchange.coop/fundraiser

Local Food, Farms and Jobs Act in Illinois

by: PhillyFoodFeed

Wed Aug 19, 2009 at 11:43:49 AM PDT

FDA: "Mess With BPA, and You're Messing With Us!"

by: JayinPortland

Wed May 20, 2009 at 18:16:55 PM PDT

In one instance, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's deputy director sought information from the BPA industry's chief lobbyist to discredit a Japanese study that found it caused miscarriages in workers who were exposed to it. This was before government scientists even had a chance to review the study.

"I'd like to get information together that our chemists could look at to determine if there are problems with that data in advance of possibly reviewing the study," Mitchell Cheeseman, deputy director of the FDA's center for food safety and applied nutrition, said in an e-mail seeking advice from Steven Hentges, executive director of the trade association's BPA group.

Wow.  I am speechless here, honestly.  I think I'm kinda known for being pretty cynical on these issues, but even I didn't believe something like that was possible...

Bisphenol A is a known endocrine disruptor commonly used in the production of many household items, from baby bottles to plastic food containers to soup cans to dental fillings; and exposure via tap water and house dust is now also thought possible.  Many studies have linked long term, low-level BPA exposure to everything from increased risks for obesity by triggering fat-cell activity, to diabetes, heart disease and an increased risk of developing breast cancer later in life from fetal exposure.

More below the fold...

Sampler Platter 05.13.09

by: JayinPortland

Wed May 13, 2009 at 15:15:00 PM PDT

• The FDA has sent a warning letter to General Mills, telling the company to stop promoting Cheerios as a health food.  (For a funny take on the Right Wing blogosphere's outrage (grrrr!) at FDA's "attack" on America cereal, see here.)  Meanwhile, Health Canada unfortunately seems to want to make it easier for food manufacturers to be able to market junk as "health food" in their country...

• Elementary school students are snacking on (and learning about) healthy local produce in Madison, Wisconsin.

• Can't say this is really a surprise - from Grist, Monsanto is now firing off their propaganda on National Petrol, errrrr, National Public Radio.  Great article debunking Monsanto's claims, but it's not like the oil companies, ADM and other corporate interests haven't already been scrubbing themselves "clean" in their own greenshowers over the airwaves of NPR for years and years and years...

• Fantastic article from Ken Olsen at High Country News on the intersection of agriculture, business, politics, power and salmon - and what government ultimately needs to do to help restore wild salmon runs in the Pacific Northwest.

More below the fold...  

King Arthur Flour, Trader Joe's and Soymilk

by: la motocycliste

Sun May 03, 2009 at 21:48:06 PM PDT

Study Released On Food Company Use Of BPA

by: JayinPortland

Sat May 02, 2009 at 15:02:38 PM PDT

The study included pretty much every major publicly-traded packaged foods manufacturer from what I can tell; however, it did not include small manufacturers or companies like Eden Foods, which currently only uses BPA in cans containing its tomato products.

The report finds that all companies surveyed use BPA, and only one company currently uses a BPA-alternative in some of its canned items.  The highest scoring company received a "C" overall, with the number 2 company receiving a "C-" and all others receiving a "D+" or lower.  Thirteen of the twenty companies (including the six who refused to respond) received "F"s.

More below the fold...

Is Microwave Popcorn the New Asbestos?

by: JayinPortland

Sat Apr 18, 2009 at 15:48:05 PM PDT

Most of the current round of lawsuits are coming from Ohio -

At least 43 workers have filed lawsuits that claim their lungs were damaged by inhaling fumes from the chemical. Some work at a local plant of Givaudan (ZHIV'-uh-dahn) Flavors Corp. of Cincinnati, which supplies the flavoring to food manufacturers. Many others are from a plant in Marion, Ohio, owned by ConAgra Foods, which is based in Omaha, Neb.

Bronchiolitis obliterans is an irreversible condition with no known cure, and extreme cases require lung transplantation.

More below the fold...

News from the USDA

by: Jill Richardson

Mon Apr 06, 2009 at 12:00:00 PM PDT

Cockroaches and Rat Poop Found In Second Setton Nut Plant

by: JayinPortland

Fri Apr 03, 2009 at 06:00:00 AM PDT

"Last month, New York agricultural authorities discovered nearly two dozen dead cockroaches, rodent droppings and one live cockroach on an ingredient rolling rack inside the Commack plant. It failed its state health inspection.... State inspectors went back for a visit Wednesday to swab the plant and take food samples to be tested for salmonella and other pathogens as part of the pistachio recall,... The test results are pending."

This Commack, New York plant is now the second Setton plant under investigation, along with Setton's Terra Bella, California plant from which the earlier recall was issued.  A separate recall of products from the Commack plant will be coming soon -

The Commack company said in a statement last night it plans a voluntary recall soon, related to the pistachios issue. It has engaged at least three outside public relations representatives since news of the California salmonella scare broke.

And the similarities don't end there - these guys are certified organic, too.  I wouldn't suggest ordering anything from that page, of course...

Food News: Vegan Pet Food? Smoke Shop Food Stamp Fraud?

by: Curtis Abbey

Sat Mar 28, 2009 at 03:59:25 AM PDT

Vegan pet food -- and the decision to force one's pet to go vegan -- is suddenly very buzzy. ABC News reports that it's a bit easier for a dog to go vegetarian than it is for a cat, and one person they interviewed said she suspects that "vegan" cats are supplementing their diets by hunting.

What would a vegan do in a situation where their vegan cat was caught with a mouse, or a fly, or whatever it is kitty attempts to dine on? Would you scold it? Or attempt to stop him/her from the action?

Warning this is a long blog!

Jumping With Jill The Rockstar Nutritionist

by: Curtis Abbey

Thu Mar 26, 2009 at 12:45:04 PM PDT

This Jump With Jill video shows how well Jill works with kids, as well as how informative her program is.