Food, Inc.

A family friend of mine is a big movie buff and I have attended a couple pre-screening events with her that are hosted through the Jewish Film Society. Today we saw a documentary entitled "Food, Inc." by director Robert Keener. The film gives insight to the capitalization and monopolization of the farming and ranching industries, which has changed rapidly in the last 70 years. Basically it gives an insider look on the loss of respect for all parties involved in the food production industry, from the farmers to the animals to the workers. Of course, the large corrporations behind these abuses failed to comment, and I don't blame them. And it is also no suprise that the Bush administration served as a catalyst to all of the injustices.

All of the changes in the food industry were sparked by the fast food movements of the 50's and the advancements in technology only fueled the fire. We see a poor, obese family, who can't affordto buy vegetables because they have to pay for their diabetes meds. They know they are in harms way but when it costs over $1.00 for merely a head of brocoli, why shouldn't they use their $1 to buy a whole hamburger from McDonalds? We also see the farmers who are stuck in a vicious circle of debt that enslaves them to the large corporations and screws them over at the same time. The solutions the movie presents would call for a large nation-wide overhaul of the entire food production system, which would have to start from the top down to really be feasable. But there we can all make small changes as well. One of the people interviewed is the founder of a organic dairy company, who "sold out" to Wal-Mart. But his point is one more organic product in Wal-Mart is more money for the movement. Every item we purchase is recorded and the patterns are noticed by the store owners. Basically, buying certified, organic products is like casting a vote for healthy, fair, respectful food production processes. To find out if a product is truely organic, you can look up any brand name at www.greenerchoices.org.

I highly suggest seeing the movie when it comes out publicly. It really made the importance of organic, fair farming hit home with me. It is not an easy movie to watch, but it is an important movie to watch.

Meet Serena, the Wonder Dog.

Meet Serena, the Wonder Dog. She is a beautiful, almost 2 year old Australian Shepard. I got her from NorCal Aussie rescue in January 2009 and they think she was about a year and a half at the time. Only God knows why someone gave her up because, aside from the occasional chewing issues, she is AMAZING! I mean, look at that smile. The woman from the rescue named her Serena because she is so serene. She likes to cuddle and hide things in the backyard. She even burried one of my Uggs there, but out of consideration for me, she burried it well enough that the rain did not ruin it. Now this dog is so cute I literally get stopped on the street so people can sing her praises. She enjoys walking on the beach, playing with other dogs, and walks in general. She loves to be around people, and is more happy to sit in the car patiently than be at home alone. If any of you are thinking of getting a dog, I highly recommend a shelter or rescue dog, because they often are WONDERFUL animals. I'm sure Serena will be the subject of many future posts, but don't worry I will try to keep my obsession to a minimum.