The Cornucopia Institute has just released their groundbreaking report Behind The Bean — The Heroes and Charlatans of the Natural and Organic Soy Foods Industry.

The Cornucopia Institute’s Organic Soy Full Report and accompanying Scorecard rates companies that market organic soy foods, such as soymilk, tofu and “veggie burgers,” based on ten criteria that are important to organic consumers—showcasing companies that are truly committed to the spirit and letter of the organic law while exposing those that do not rate highly or were unwilling to share their sourcing and production practices in our survey.

The scorecard sheds light on questions such as:

- Do the soybeans come from American organic farmers, or are they imported from China, India or South America?

- Is the company devoted to supporting organic agriculture by sourcing only organic soybeans and marketing only organic products?

- Does the company use loopholes in the organic standards to source cheaper non-organic ingredients even when organic ones are available?

Part I of the comprehensive report explores the reasons for asking these questions, including why organic consumers should be wary of Chinese imports, given the lax oversight by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) over organic certifiers working in China.

Part II of the report exposes the “dirty little secret” of the “natural” soy foods industry: the widespread use of hexane in processing. Hexane is strictly prohibited in organic food processing, but is used to make “natural” soy foods and even some that are “made with organic ingredients,” such as Clif Bars®. Hexane is a neurotoxic petrochemical solvent that is listed as a hazardous air pollutant with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Both the report and scorecard highlight the good news in the organic soyfood industry: in every market and product category, there are true heroes, both national and local manufacturers, supplying ethically-produced organic food that are worthy of consumer support.

POSTSCRIPT: It would be interesting to do a Soy Bean DNA science fair project, wouldn’t it?

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I know that you will enjoy this story as much as I did. It is always uplifting and rewarding to hear about others who are like minded, and caring individuals, whether it be for humanity or “all creatures great and small”.

It is ironic that some will ask, “Was this verified by snopes?” The answer is yes, however the irony, for me, is in the asking. This story, whether true or a fable reminds us all of what humanity MUST be! Have a joyous and prosperous day and enjoy the following:

A female humpback whale had become entangled in a spider
web of crab traps and lines.

She was weighted down by hundreds of pounds of traps that
caused her to struggle to stay afloat.

She also had hundreds of yards of line rope wrapped around
her body, her tail, her torso, a line tugging in her mouth.

A fisherman spotted her just east of the Faralon Islands
(outside the Golden Gate ) and radioed for help.

Within a few hours, the rescue team arrived and determined
that she was so bad off, the only way to save her was to dive
in and untangle her — a very dangerous proposition. One slap
of the tail could kill a rescuer.

They worked for hours with curved knives and eventually freed her.

When she was free, the divers say she swam in what seemed like
joyous circles. She then came back to each and every diver, one at
a time, nudged them, and pushed gently, thanking them.

Some said it was the most incredibly beautiful experience of their lives.

The guy who cut the rope out of her mouth says her eye was following him the whole time, and “I will never be the same”.

~~~~~

May you be so fortunate… To be surrounded by people who will help
you get untangled from the things that are binding you. And, may
you always know the joy of giving and receiving gratitude.

I pass this on to you in the same spirit.
Madeline

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The mother tiger, after recovering from the delivery, suddenly started to decline in health, although physically, she was fine. The veterinarians felt that the loss of her litter had caused the tigress to fall into a depression. The doctors decided that if the tigress could surrogate another mother’s cubs, perhaps she would improve.

After checking with many other zoos across the country, the depressing news was that there were no tiger cubs of the right age to introduce to the mourning mother. The veterinarians decided to try something that had never been tried in a zoo environment. Sometimes a mother of one specie s will take on the care of a different species. The only ‘orphans’ that could be found quickly, were a litter of weanling pigs. The zoo keepers and vets wrapped the piglets in tiger skin and placed the babies around the mother tiger. Would they become cubs or pork chops?

Take a look…

Now, please tell me one more time ………?
Why can’t the rest of the world get along?

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Chinese farmer Wu Yulu started inventing robots with scraps of metal, nails and screws that he found in rubbish sites in 1986. His persistence paid off. Now he drives his rickshaw pulled by his self-made walking robot near his home in a village at the outskirts of Beijing. China Daily

What would you like to invent?

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The  Amazing Cucumber

This information was in The New York Times  several weeks ago as part of their “Spotlight on the Home” series that  highlighted creative and fanciful ways to solve common  problems.

1. Cucumbers contain most of the vitamins you need  every day, just one cucumber contains Vitamin B1, Vitamin B2, Vitamin  B3, Vitamin B5, Vitamin B6, Folic Acid, Vitamin C, Calcium, Iron,  Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium and  Zinc.
 
 2. Feeling tired in the afternoon, put down  the caffeinated soda and pick up a cucumber.  Cucumbers are a  good source of B Vitamins and Carbohydrates that can provide that  quick pick-me-up that can last for hours.
 
3. Tired of your bathroom mirror  fogging up after a shower?  Try rubbing a cucumber slice along  the mirror, it will eliminate the fog and provide a soothing, spa-like  fragrance.

4. Are grubs and slugs ruining your planting  beds?  Place a few slices in a small pie tin and your garden will  be free of pests all season long.  The chemicals in the cucumber  react with the aluminum to give off a scent undetectable to humans but  drive garden pests crazy and make them flee the area.
 
5. Looking for a fast and  easy way to remove cellulite before going out or to the pool?   Try rubbing a slice or two of cucumbers along your problem area for a  few minutes, the phytochemicals in the cucumber cause the collagen in  your skin to tighten, firming up the outer layer and reducing the  visibility of cellulite.  Works great on wrinkles  too!!!

6. Want to avoid a hangover or terrible headache?   Eat a few cucumber slices before going to bed and wake up refreshed  and headache free.  Cucumbers contain enough sugar, B vitamins  and electrolytes to replenish essential nutrients the body lost,  keeping everything in equilibrium, avoiding both a hangover and  headache!!

7. Looking to fight off that afternoon or evening  snacking binge?  Cucumbers have been used for centuries and often  used by European trappers, traders and explores for quick meals to  thwart off starvation.
 
8. Have an important  meeting or job interview and you realize that you don’t have enough  time to polish your shoes?  Rub a freshly cut cucumber over the  shoe, its chemicals will provide a quick and durable shine that not  only looks great but also repels water.
 
9. Out of WD 40 and need  to fix a squeaky hinge?  Take a cucumber slice and rub it along  the problematic hinge, and voila, the squeak is gone!

10.  Stressed out and don’t have time for massage, facial or visit to the  spa?  Cut up an entire cucumber and place it in a boiling pot of  water, the chemicals and nutrients from the cucumber with react with  the boiling water and be released in the steam, creating a soothing,  relaxing aroma that has been shown the reduce stress in new mothers  and college students during final exams.
 
11. Just finish a  business lunch and realize you don’t have gum or mints?  Take a  slice of cucumber and press it to the roof of your mouth with your  tongue for 30 seconds to eliminate bad breath, the phytochemcials will  kill the bacteria in your mouth responsible for causing bad  breath.
 
12.  Looking for a ‘green’ way to clean your faucets, sinks or stainless  steel?  Take a slice of cucumber and rub it on the surface you  want to clean, not only will it remove years of tarnish and bring back  the shine, but is won’t leave streaks and won’t harm you fingers or  fingernails while you clean.

13. Using a pen and made a  mistake?  Take the outside of the cucumber and slowly use it to  erase the pen writing, also works great on crayons and markers that  the kids have used to decorate the walls!!
 
Pass this along to  everybody you know who is looking for better and safer ways to solve  life’s everyday challenges ( or want to do unusal science fair projects! )

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The big news today is GEOSET, which is short for Global Education Outreach for Science, Engineering and Technology. GEOSET is a digital library of educational videos that make science, engineering and math more accessible for kids. It is being put together by a professor at the Florida State University named Sir Harold Kroto, who just happens to also be a Noble Prize winner. Read his autobiography, it is inspirational!

The goal of this project is to make science fun for kids by providing them with free access to some of the most entertaining, interesting and cutting-edge science video demonstrations around. These videos come from college students, science professionals and from other educated individuals so they are not your average YouTube science flicks. These quality videos are not only free to watch, but they are also free to download.

Teachers, including homeschool teachers and parents, can utilize this database to enhance the value and timeliness of their science, math and technology curriculum.

This really is an amazing undertaking for both kids and for scientists. This database will undoubtedly provide students and scientists with information and visual demonstrations that will impact the science world for generations to come. Just think if this digital video database had been possible in the eras of early scientists like Galileo and Einstein.

I wonder what we could have learned from their first hand descriptions and demonstrations of the concepts and technologies that they were experimenting with and developing. Unfortunately, we will never know, but we can still learn from modern scientists and science innovators.

Thank you Florida State University and thank you Professor Kroto, we will be forever in your debt.

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The dedication Al Gore has for saving the planet from global warming is seen not only in his public speeches, documentaries and research sponsorships, but it is also seen in his personal generosity. He plans to donate the prize money that comes with the Nobel Peace Prize to his non-profit organization Alliance for Climate Protection. This money will go towards research and outreach programs sponsored by Alliance for Climate Protection in an attempt to spread the word about global warming and to encourage people to take action now to solve this problem.

Global warming is a serious issue that impacts every life on this Earth. Because of this, it is important that kids learn all they can about global warming and start working on solutions for this global problem. Teachers can make a huge difference by addressing renewable energy education in the classroom.

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