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Keeping in Touch:  Michael Pollen's Open Letter to the.....  |
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ruralfarmgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
4309 Posts
Rene'
Prosser
WA
USA
4309 Posts |
 Posted - Oct 16 2008 : 10:34:53 AM
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Next President of the United States...
We all know of Mr. Pollen because of his books (required reading for our Sisterhood badges). Books like; "in Defense of food, The Omnivores Dilemma, The botany of Desire, A place of my own and Second nature.
He has become one of those Authors that I have a "love/hate" relationship with... He is brilliant and his books are thought provoking, so much so that I usually feel, while reading them that I have my head in a vice and have a deep desire to yell at the top of my lungs "HOW IN THE HECK DID WE GET HERE". Upon the conclusion of them I go into hibernation for a few hours while the feeling of being “totally ticked off” ravages through every fiber in me... but then, somehow... I settle in to the things I have just learned and it fuels me into positive actions... maybe not BIG things like "change the whole world" actions, but certainly "change my world actions"...
I don't know him personally, although I would say, if asked that, "he" along with John Robbins (diet for a new America & the food revolution, www.foodrevolution.com) and Paul Pitchard (healing with whole foods, www.healingwithwholefoods.com) (all authors) have propelled to change more than any others. All were new ways of thinking for me.
So when I saw that Mr. Pollan had submitted an open letter in the New York Times addressed to the "next president" I knew it was a must read. I am hoping that you will feel the same.
The letter is provided in the link below:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/12/magazine/12policy-t.html?_r=3&oref=slogin&oref=slogin&oref=slogin
I am more and more convinced that what we farmgirls are about... the rest of the world needs to know. Some of you may think "sure, you’re the sisterhood coordinator" you are supposed to say that. For me, I am sisterhood coordinator BECAUSE I feel this way ~ it came first. The things we do and think and believe and live... aren’t just cutesy "chic"... they are "Save our world kind of things. They are save "your" local farmer~ save "your" world kinds of things to me. At 45 (soon to be 46) I don't any longer want to invest my time in things that don't matter~ so throwing myself into my tasks as sisterhood coordinator I take very seriously. We may be coming to a point in time where the skills one can learn here aren’t just fun and trendy, but functional.
I have watched these “news trends” for some time. And this is what "I know for sure". Many of the issues surrounding our food have been being spotlighted by "health food experts and others" for a long time... By the time it usually hits the main stream media... It is a HUGE deal~ I don’t think that we can close our eyes to this issue as there is such disconnect between our food sources and our food. Supporting your local farmer may seem political to some, but to me it is “bite sized” change… If we each focus on changing “our” world and my world bumps into your world.. that is change we can see and feel.
If you don’t know where to start, let me suggest this; Get active as a chapter leader, you don’t have to have all the answers, just be willing to be open to them. BUY local when you can (consider making the food items that MaryJanesfarm provides a staple in your home, as it is the farm that sustains us as farmgirls) and consider becoming active in the sisterhood ~ as there are so many skills and things one can learn that will shift your thinking and your abilities. (as a side note this isn’t a farm requested commercial, it comes from my heart, my convictions, and my own experience…. I hope you will join me in being a catalyst for change in “YOUR WORLD”.
So If I need to ask forgiveness ahead of time for "preaching from my soap box" I sincerely do so now. In return I hope that you will take the time to read up on the issues and make your own decisions.
Rene~Prosser Farmgirl #185
http://farmchicksfarm.blogspot.com/
Mavens are "information specialists", or "people we rely upon to connect us with new information."[6] They accumulate knowledge, especially about the marketplace, and know how to share it with others
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LivingWell4You
True Blue Farmgirl
1411 Posts
Karen
Hillsboro
MO
USA
1411 Posts |
Posted - Oct 16 2008 : 1:45:18 PM
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Wow, Rene! I started reading the article and have a couple of wonderful quotes from it already. It's nine pages long(!) so it's going to be a must print-and-read for me - you know how I love to highlight. It's one I'm going to want to keep handy.
Here are the quotes I love from page 1:
"...you will need not simply to address food prices but to make the reform of the entire food system one of the highest priorities of your administration: unless you do, you will not be able to make significant progress on the health care crisis, energy independence or climate change. Unlike food, these are issues you did campaign on — but as you try to address them you will quickly discover that the way we currently grow, process and eat food in America goes to the heart of all three problems and will have to change if we hope to solve them."
"It is no coincidence that in the years national spending on health care went from 5 percent to 16 percent of national income, spending on food has fallen by a comparable amount — from 18 percent of household income to less than 10 percent……You cannot expect to reform the health care system, much less expand coverage, without confronting the public-health catastrophe that is the modern American diet."
Dawn, if you read this, there's a great statistic!
God bless -
Karen ~ Chickherder & Farmgirl Sister #311
P.S. Okay, I'm copying the article into Word and I saw this quote at on page 5: "But while there are alternatives to oil, there are no alternatives to food." Now there's a quote we all need to memorize! |
Edited by - LivingWell4You on Oct 16 2008 1:50:42 PM |
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ruralfarmgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
4309 Posts
Rene'
Prosser
WA
USA
4309 Posts |
Posted - Oct 16 2008 : 2:05:06 PM
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Thanks Karen,
See what I mean by feeling like you head is in a vice (LOL)? I too, printed it out and will have to read, and re-read, and re-read again as there is so much in the content.
Rene~Prosser Farmgirl #185
http://farmchicksfarm.blogspot.com/
Mavens are "information specialists", or "people we rely upon to connect us with new information."[6] They accumulate knowledge, especially about the marketplace, and know how to share it with others
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LivingWell4You
True Blue Farmgirl
1411 Posts
Karen
Hillsboro
MO
USA
1411 Posts |
Posted - Oct 16 2008 : 2:25:26 PM
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Rene, you are rockin' my world. I'm starting to get ideas. Have to keep them under control until the house (my house) is in order (literally). I've spent the last hour(!!!) checking out slow food St. Louis, which led me to eatwild which led me somewhere else...........There's a family beef farm 10 miles from my house!!! We don't eat enough beef to warrant buying half a cow but now I have the information. I am armed! I am ready! To quote Barbara Kingsolver: "Ready.......set.......ready?"
God bless -
Karen ~ Chickherder & Farmgirl Sister #311 |
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ruralfarmgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
4309 Posts
Rene'
Prosser
WA
USA
4309 Posts |
Posted - Oct 16 2008 : 2:40:13 PM
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hahahaha I know that in the beginning it is a lot to take in.. but I promise it becomes routine and not work. I walked around with my head in my hands for a couple months when I was just beginning this journey.. and it all felt draining at times, now it makes me happy and energizes me.. Karen I know you know what I mean..
Now I just need to find someone to hold my hand and help me get the weight off.... we just have to have a Holistic Nutritionist in the midst don't we?
Rene~Prosser Farmgirl #185
http://farmchicksfarm.blogspot.com/
Mavens are "information specialists", or "people we rely upon to connect us with new information."[6] They accumulate knowledge, especially about the marketplace, and know how to share it with others
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homemom
True Blue Farmgirl
1593 Posts
Ruth
Warwick
RI
USA
1593 Posts |
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Contrary Wife
True Blue Farmgirl
2164 Posts
Teresa Sue
Tekoa
WA
USA
2164 Posts |
Posted - Oct 16 2008 : 4:35:22 PM
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Yes, it would be great, but don't hold your breath. Politics is all about the money. Sorry if I sound cynical, I think the change we will see will come from people like us, making the polititans take notice.
Rene, you are my hero. Or as one of the other Mavens like to say, my shero. ;^)
Teresa Sue
Farmgirl Sister #316
MJ's Heirloom Mavens Badgebadger
MJ's Heirloom Mavens Bookclub Coordinator
"Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly." The Dalai Lama |
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kissmekate
True Blue Farmgirl
890 Posts
Kate
Delano
Minnesota
890 Posts |
Posted - Oct 16 2008 : 8:43:25 PM
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Wow, what a great article. The only thing I didn't like or agree with was the bar code referencing how the food was produced. (or maybe I misunderstood this?) He made good arguments up until then. That part made him sound like a nut job.
He should have left that part out, because the last few paragraphs were just as well written as the first eight pages.
I seriously doubt either major candidate read this article anyways. Which is sad, because you know it is true.
It makes me want to try my hand at Victory Gardening next year. I wish I didn't have such a black thumb and NO patience.
And Teresa Sue, it will take the equivalant of the recent economic crisis to get the attention this needs. Sadly, by then, it will be too late.
Don't miss out on a blessing, just because it isn't packaged the way you expected. ~MaryJo Copeland |
Edited by - kissmekate on Oct 16 2008 8:45:53 PM |
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chickabella
True Blue Farmgirl
177 Posts
D. A.
Austin... ish,
Texas
177 Posts |
Posted - Oct 17 2008 : 12:29:29 AM
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Rene' - preach it, sister! Seriously. It's my goal to help bring about healthier food/meat production, and it starts with each of us as individuals. Grow our own, help others start theirs, and buy local. Let our grocery stores know we want organic. Let our congresscritters* know that these are (some) of our priorities. I hear you loud and clear, Rene', and I support your passion.
*RIP, Molly Ivans.
Farm blog: http://farmnatters.blogspot.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/dasparky
Heart of Texas Farmgirls Chapter; Farmgirl Sisterhood Member #275
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ruralfarmgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
4309 Posts
Rene'
Prosser
WA
USA
4309 Posts |
Posted - Oct 17 2008 : 07:58:52 AM
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Thanks so much~ we are truly sisters!
Rene~Prosser Farmgirl #185
http://farmchicksfarm.blogspot.com/
Mavens are "information specialists", or "people we rely upon to connect us with new information."[6] They accumulate knowledge, especially about the marketplace, and know how to share it with others
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Ms.Lilly
True Blue Farmgirl
826 Posts
Lillian
Scotts Mills
OR
USA
826 Posts |
Posted - Oct 17 2008 : 08:20:20 AM
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This is a subject near and dear to my heart in fact it is becomming my passion. Thank You Rene' for posting about this. I have printed it off for future reference.
Lillian |
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ruralfarmgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
4309 Posts
Rene'
Prosser
WA
USA
4309 Posts |
Posted - Oct 17 2008 : 08:38:37 AM
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Awe Lillian,
I think I had discovered that about you, I feel a kindship with those that have passion.... I printed it off too:)
Rene~Prosser Farmgirl #185
http://farmchicksfarm.blogspot.com/
Mavens are "information specialists", or "people we rely upon to connect us with new information."[6] They accumulate knowledge, especially about the marketplace, and know how to share it with others
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Annika
True Blue Farmgirl
5602 Posts
Annika
USA
5602 Posts |
Posted - Oct 17 2008 : 09:11:20 AM
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I am printing it too. Wow!
Annika
Farmgirl & sister #13
Mud Hen Queen
MJ's Heirloom Maven's Librarian
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kristin sherrill
True Blue Farmgirl
11303 Posts
kristin
chickamauga
ga
USA
11303 Posts |
Posted - Oct 17 2008 : 09:48:46 AM
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I am printing now, too. Wow, it's long. I have his book, Omnivore's Dilema, too. Haven't gotten through the whole thing yet, but will now.
Thanks for bringing this to our attention. I would not know half the stuff I'm learning if not for this forum. Ya'll are so informative. Thanks.
I'll have to take this on the plane with me. And the book, too.
Kris |
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oldfashioned girl
True Blue Farmgirl
2391 Posts
monica
oatman
az
USA
2391 Posts |
Posted - Oct 30 2008 : 9:05:09 PM
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Rene, Thank you for the article! I think this was the guy I saw on t.v.! I will have to print it out! You go girl!!!
Monica
farmgirls rule!
www.justducky48.etsy.com |
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Keeping in Touch: Michael Pollen's Open Letter to the..... |
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Michael Pollen's Open Letter to the.....
