The Future of Food Film

It's a sad commentary on our society when even foods that we should be free to assume are healthy, aren't. By now I think most people have heard of GMOs-- or Genetically Modified Organisms, but I wonder how many of us realize what they really are and how they affect us. I know I learned quite a few things I didn't already know when I watched the film, "The Future of Food." If you are reading this, I would request that you would watch the first six minutes of this documentary. In it's full-length it's about an hour and a half. I'm just asking that you watch until the 5:55 time appears on the bottom of the viewer. If you eat food everyday, these issues affect you.



From Hulu:
"The Future Of Food offers an in-depth investigation into the disturbing truth behind engineered foods that have quietly filled U.S. grocery store shelves for the past decade."

3 Music Websites Worth Visiting

Pandora.com and Last.fm. Type in titles and artists you like, and these sites will find music that has a similar sound/style and let you listen for free. What a great way to find new music!

Midomi.com If you've ever had a tune in your head and wondered what it was called or who sang it, this site lets you hum or sing part of it and locates matches for you. Nice, eh? (It also works with classical/instrumental pieces.)

(After visiting these sites, you can go to playlist.com and create free playlists and listen music organized the way you want it, for free from your computer!)

Urban Legends

This is a fun website to visit whenever you get an e-rumor: truthorfiction.com
Some of the categories they set the record straight on include: politics, celebrities, medical, warnings, etc.

Humanitarian Opportunities

A couple of weeks ago I got a World Vision humanitarian catalog in the mail-- they use donations to (among other things) purchase animals for families in poverty-stricken countries. I thought it was a great idea, but was a little disappointed at the prices involved-- and discovered that not all of the money went directly to helping the people in need. A portion of the donations pay for fund-raising and administration costs... certainly it is still a very good cause...but I discovered that perhaps one of the best humanitarian efforts to support is Latter-Day Saint Charities.

I was curious if Latter-day Saint Charities had any similar programs to those of World Vision, or if they were limited to emergency relief, and a few special projects. I was happy to discover that they work with many other agencies to provide a wide range of humanitarian services. To see a list of worldwide projects click the link here. I'd recommend browsing through; it's quite interesting! Because other Church funds pay for administration and fund-raising, 100% of any donations to the Humanitarian Fund go directly to purchasing items or services for the needs of individuals. Through the web-site ldsphilanthropies.org you can donate online, and may even specify which program you would like your contribution to go toward. Neat, eh?

Another interesting web-site to look at is Kiva.org --Rather than giving money, a short-term loan enables people in need to invest in their livelihood and lift themselves out of poverty. For example: a woman could use a small loan to purchase a sewing machine and some fabric--an initial investment that would allow her to sell her work for a profit, repay the loan, and continue to have an income. Loan increments can be as small as $25, and you can chose who will benefit from the loan. When the loan is re-payed (generally within a few months), you can loan again to a different entrepreneur, or you may withdraw your money.

What the fruit?

Now that it's early voting season, I realize that I know next to nothing about the candidates who are running closer to home. Trying to figure out who I do and don't want to vote for is a little frustrating, and leads me to express (as my British high school teacher would say,) "What the fruit?!"
Happily, there is VoteSmart.org again. Enter your zip code and see who's running. On the right side of each candidate's profile are helpful links including the"Issue Positions" link. Some candidates have provided information about what they would support if elected. Other candidates, such as those running for re-election, have not provided information, but may have voting records for you to view. If a candidate has not provided issue information and doesn't have a voting record to see, there is usually at least a campaign web-site for you to peruse. It's still not as easy as it ought to be to find out about the candidates, but it's a start.
Other good sources of information are county web-sites, and Voter Information booklets, with overviews of the candidates and the proposals-- these can usually be viewed PDF, or are available at county libraries.
Go forth, informed citizens, and cast your ballot!

Where to Recycle

Check it out! There actually are places to recycle glass, plastic, etc. outside of Salt Lake County! I found this handy pdf file online; it tells you where you can recycle what. For Davis County, there are recycling bins outside of the gates at the landfill, so presumably you wouldn't have to pay to go in.

http://www.recycle.slco.org/pdf/Recycling_Outside_SLCo2.pdf