Paying attention to where our food comes from

Check out this New York Times article and a Daily Kos posting about the recent tainted pet food scandal. Worse, it looks like it may not be just pet food that's been tainted. Apparently some food imports from China contain melamine, a coal by-product which is used to make it appear that the food is more protein-rich than it really is. From the Times article:

The Food and Drug Administration has already banned imports of wheat gluten from China after it received more than 14,000 reports of pets believed to have been sickened by packaged food. And last week, the agency opened a criminal investigation in the case and searched the offices of at least one pet food supplier.

The Department of Agriculture has also stepped in. On Thursday, the agency ordered more than 6,000 hogs to be quarantined or slaughtered after some of the pet food ingredients laced with melamine were accidentally sent to hog farms in eight states, including California.

The pet food case is also putting China’s agricultural exports under greater scrutiny because the country has had a terrible food safety record.

In recent years, for instance, China’s food safety scandals have involved everything from fake baby milk formulas and soy sauce made from human hair to instances where cuttlefish were soaked in calligraphy ink to improve their color and eels were fed contraceptive pills to make them grow long and slim.

And if you're in the market for a new car...

You might consider this option.

Get read for the cute!

Okay, after seeing the otters at the Monterey Aquarium a couple of months ago, I couldn't resist posting this. If I had to be an animal, being an otter would definitely be near the top of the list. :-)

It's worth watching this all the way to the end.

And one more food-related topic: the FDA is being petitioned to soften the definition of what constitutes chocolate. Read the Washington Post article here. Earlier this week, the Center for Food Safety was running a counter-petition against the proposed change.

I'm back!

Yes, I've been away for awhile. :-) Here are some quick updates.

I spent nine amazing days down in Puerto Vallarta. Went with some friends from SF and Seattle and ran into other friends from SF and Portland that I didn't know were going to be there. And by the end of the week, we had made new friends from Houston, Chicago, San Diego, Los Angeles, Dallas... and PV, of course.

What a crazy week! I arrived around 11pm on the Saturday before Easter, met Tommy, Ken, Lynn, and Kevin, and before you could say "peso" we were out for a night of clubbing, some of us returning to the condo at dawn. That became our pattern for the week: dancing most of the night, sleeping until noon, and hitting the beach by 4pm. Perfect!

We met a great group of guys from Houston and had the opportunity to spend some time at the INCREDIBLE villa they had rented on the beach. Two elevators and eight people on staff! What a beautiful house! And such wonderful hosts.

Mid-week Danny and Aaron showed up to complete our group. We had begun to really know our way around and the rhythm of the city, at least La Zona Romantica where our condo and most of the gay scene is located.

I'd share more, but as they say, what happens in PV stays in PV. (Along with a pair of Prada sunglasses, a cell phone, and an ATM card that we managed to lose.)

MY RETURN TO SF WAS A REAL COMEDOWN... I left the club Monday morning leaving myself just enough time to shower and collect my luggage before heading to the airport. The top story that day was the Virginia Tech shooting. Yes, back to America, land of assault weapons.

Upon arriving home, I learned that my dear old friend Robert had a serious bicycling accident in Sydney and was in a coma. We were all on edge for most of the week, but by the following Sunday he had regained consciousness, and his strength and vitality gave us a good feeling that he would recover fully.

Robert is truly a unique man. I've known him for 13 years now. He's brilliant, handsome, quirky, and such an attentive host. Back when we traveled as a pack in the mid-90s, Robert was always quietly working his magic behind the scenes, making things happen: creating a makeshift BBQ out of a flower pot, keeping in touch via walkie-talkie, etc. And such an explorer... he certainly enrolled me in a few "interesting" experiments over the years. He has always followed his own path, successful not only by the common standard but also, I think by his own. He's held on to his integrity all of these years.

We're all pulling for you, Flak!!! Get well soon! xoxoxo

UPDATES

I've collected the minimum $2500 dollars I need to participate in the AIDS LifeCycle and am now halfway to my $5000 fundraising goal. I have to admit to being a little spooked about riding after Robert's accident, but I got back on my bike this week and went on a 40 mile ride with Justin. Still have plenty of training to do! If you'd like to contribute, check out my ride page.

A few updates on the mysterious loss of bee colonies across the country here, here, and here.

And also on the agriculture and food front, an interesting story on how U.S. agricultural policies intersect with the cost of food and the rise of obesity in America.

Gay reparative therapy... Comedy Central style

I leave Saturday for a week in the sun in Puerto Vallarta. Can't wait!

Enjoy this two part video (one and two) from The Daily Show. And adios! :-)

A couple of food-related news notes

Saw these two stories today...

First, the Food & Drug Administration is considering relaxing the rules around food irradiation and letting irradiated foods be labeled as "pasteurized." Pasteurization currently refers specifically to a process of killing bacteria by heating food to a certain temperature. In my book, changing the term amounts to misleading people. If food is irradiated rather than heated, it should say so.

Secondly, the FDA has also recently decided to allow the sale of cloned animals as food. My biggest concern is not of any specific danger in eating cloned animals. Rather, cloning livestock is another step down the path of industrializing agriculture. The resulting loss of biodiversity increases the risk of some devastating impact to our food supply. Witness the current unexplained loss of bee colonies that has the potential to seriously hinder the pollination of a wide variety of crops.

If you live in Califonia and are concerned about the cloned animal issue, a bill has been introduced requiring that food containing cloned animals is labeled as such. That leaves the choice with the consumer. You can support the bill here.

AIDS LIFECYCLE UPDATE: Yesterday I went on my longest training ride yet, 64 miles from Sausalito to Point Reyes. The last ten miles or so were a bit painful, but overall the day was great. And I was reminded of how fortunate I am to live in an area that has good access to so much open space. Marin County is gorgeous!

Thanks for the invite, James. xoxoxo