Yet another reason I don't eat meat

There are SO many reasons why I don't eat meat, and why I refuse to feed it to my daughter. Here is another one.

Meat producers have started to spike the meat sold in supermarkets with carbon monoxide to improve the look of the rotting piece of flesh. CARBON MONOXIDE. Yeah, that stuff that you are supposed to get detectors for. It's also why your not supposed to let your car run in the garage...it can KILL you.

Have we gotten that desperate? Can't people just deal with the ugliness of their meat? It's not pretty, so sorry to tell you. It's a piece of the flesh of an animal that begins to rot as soon as the animal expires! No matter what you do, it can't look "good".

Ok, so to be fair, the amount of carbon monoxide they are using isn't thought to be harmful to your health. Frankly, I don't believe it, as "they" have been wrong before. That's not even really the point. The point is that the carbon monoxide makes the meat stay pink for weeks and not turn brown, like it typically does. This means, in plain English that the meat you expect to be fresh in your meat case at your grocery store, could actually be WEEKS old. This is unacceptable. You could be feeding your children meat that would have been thrown out weeks before, but because of carbon monoxide treatment, looks perfectly good.

The FDA has, in essence, shrugged at the request to label the packages in which carbon monoxide treatment has been used. It apparently thinks that the grocery stores will do a good enough job remembering how old each steak is. Please, please, please, my meat eater friends, be careful what you buy and where you buy it. If you are going to continue to eat meat, please try to buy organics. They may cost more, but the benefits far out weigh the consequences. And, really, what costs more, organic meat or a burial plot, funeral and headstone after you die of food-bourne illness? Just a thought.

To read more (trust me, I cant make this shit up) visit one of these links.
MSNBC
Washington Post
The Boston Globe
NY Times

So much to say and so little time

I really have many, many things I want to talk about today but I just don't have the energy or the stamina to do it. I am pretty tired and have just been feeling all around weird the last few days. Maybe its the weather. Maybe its the aliens who have kidnapped my brain and won't bring it back with out a ransom of 6 gold bars, 31 paper clips and a box of swiss rolls. I've got the gold bars and the paper clips, but couldn't resist eating the swiss rolls. So here I am brainless...might as well join the Republican party now that I've lost my brain (see, no good at neutrality) and go buy an SUV so I can be like everyone else. Yea. Ok, so off I go.

But first, I just learned that I am religious! Who knew? I took this quiz and it told me what I am! Here are the results:

1. Unitarian Universalism (100%)
2. Liberal Quakers (86%)
3. Mainline to Liberal Christian Protestants (84%)
4. Theravada Buddhism (84%)
5. Secular Humanism (84%)
6.Neo-Pagan (77%)
7. New Age (71%)
8. Mahayana Buddhism (70%)
9. Taoism (61%)
10. Nontheist (58%)
11. Bahá'í Faith (56%)
12. Jainism (56%)
13. Reform Judaism (51%)
14. Orthodox Quaker (49%)
15. Sikhism (49%)
16. Christian Science (Church of Christ, Scientist) (45%)
17. New Thought (43%)
18. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) (42%)
19. Scientology (39%)
20. Hinduism (36%)
21. Mainline to Conservative Christian/Protestant (36%)
22. Jehovah's Witness (32%)
23. Orthodox Judaism (30%)
24. Islam (23%)
25. Seventh Day Adventist (23%)
26. Eastern Orthodox (15%)
27. Roman Catholic (15%)

I am most amused by this because I was baptized Catholic! LMAO. Whew. Yeah, thats funny. Heres the site if you wanna try.
http://www.beliefnet.com/story/76/story_7665_1.html

Have fun with it!

My job so far

So, I'm sure that all 2 of you reading this know that I an currently interning at a radio station here in Cedar Falls. So let me tell you how that's going. I have to do beat calls every morning, which is rather tedious, in my opinion. There is never any news, which is good in all senses of civility and community, but it makes me feel like they are a waste of time. Oh well, its not like it takes a lot of time to do or anything. I call 3 police departments and 2 fire departments and say "Hi, this is Jessica from KCNZ radio...is there any news today? No? Ok, thanks." Takes me all of about 5 minutes each morning (thats with the inevitable "uh...I don't know...hold on...."*1 minute later* "nope, nothing.") So, its really not a big deal at all.

On the other hand, I have already conducted 2 interviews. The first I made the contact, set it up, wrote the questions and conducted it all by myself. Well, OK, Scott had to help me with the sound equipment and the recording, but other than that...all me baby!

This is Dave Franker, my very first interview and one of the nicest guys you will ever meet. He is a Lutheran minister and a former Army Chaplin. He is the accidental mayor of North Liberty. He didn't run for mayor, nor did he campaign for mayor. No money was spent and no mud was slung. The citizens of North Liberty mounted their own campaign (going door to door) telling their fellow citizens of North Liberty to write in Dave's name. He resisted their efforts at first, but then gave in and only provided them with two things. First, a list of his political record, so they could give out accurate information about him. And second, instructions to not speak negatively about the other candidates. So with only a write in campaign, he unseated the incumbent mayor. What a great story of progressive, grassroots politics, and frankly, it couldn't have happened to a nicer guy. I have actually met Dave, and we took a political training program together in 2004. It was a great time and I enjoyed every minute of it. I knew he was going places!

My second interview I did in conjunction with my supervisor, Scott. Mike Whalen made an appearance up here in Waterloo at a gas station and we went there and had an interview. I asked Mike why we should vote for him and what sets him apart. I also made him clarify his answer because he said that he hadn't spent his whole life in politics, so that made him better. I pointed out that Waterloo lawyer Bruce Braley hasn't either...so whats the deal? He said that his major platform issue is job creation and that if "I needed brain surgery, I'd go to a brain surgeon, so if we want to create jobs, lets go to someone who has actually created them." I could share my opinions on what he said, but now that I am interning for a media organization, I should censor myself and my opinions, especially since my supervisor (who probably wouldn't honestly care, but his boss might) knows how to find my blog if he wants to read it. So, if you want my opinions about any interviews I conduct, just let me know. I will be happy to share, but not on this public forum. I will try to remain as neutral as I can. Those who know me that neutrality is not my strong point, but I will do my best.

Anyway, off for now. Love to all-
Jessica