Nobody enjoys being stopped and guilt-tripped on the street by a canvasser, nor is it fun to look at your own dwindling cash-flow and wonder when you’re going to be the one receiving gratuity.  Whether you’ve dropped some loose change in a cup or donated hundreds to charities every year, the reality is that money does make a difference. But I’m not looking to tell you to just donate money.

The truth of the matter is, we’d all like to be actively contributing to solving some of the world’s crises on a day to day basis, but we have mouths to feed, burgers to flip and other things on our agendas. I know there are things in my life, like ultimate frisbee, which doesn’t necessarily contribute to the common good beyond my own interests, but damned if I’m going to quit that while I still have working knees. That’s the glory of charities, you’re donating your money so someone else solves the world’s problems for you. It’s like you’re hiring those dancing brooms from Fantasia to clean up the world.

But by “Do Something for Charity” I don’t just mean donate money. I mean participate in the culture of donating. For example: In March, I am participating in an event called The Big Climb in which I will race up 1,311 steps to benefit The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. I’m currently raising money for me team and need $135 more to reach my goal. Click here if you want to help out and donate.  The Big Climb is a fine example of meshing some of what you enjoy (be it running up flights of stairs or running in a marathon, etc.) with contributing to a good cause.

Two other examples of this (which I’ll note are shameless plugs for donations) are The CLAW and The Melon’s charity drive.

The CLAW (or Cartoonists League of Absurd Washingtonians) is a group of Washington based cartoonists who gather to await our robot overlords and prepare for the zombie apocalypse, all the while drawing tons of cartoons and having two awesome meetings a month. While our primary goal is to draw cartoons, we’ve integrated charity into what we do by offering a Young Cartoonists’ Scholarship composed of member dues and donations from local businesses and supporters.

The Melon in its annual drive for support has vowed to send half of all funds raised to Friends of the Orphans Haiti Earthquake Relief fund in honor of Molly Hightower, a native Tacoman who passed in the recent earthquake while working to aid children in need. We’re still looking for support btw .

Both CLAW and Melon are prime examples of integrating charity into what you do already. Not only is this a more active approach which helps promote your different issues and charities, but it’s a hell of a lot more fun.

So, donate to charity. But don’t just donate, do a relay, join a race, start a haircomb enthusiasts group which supports young barbers, I don’t know. Just make charity part of what you do already instead of just dropping a few coins in a cup.

YOUR TURN:

What are some of the events or organizations do you take part in to support charity? What can you recommend to others?

Since graduating college, some of my sparky idealism has worn away. As a result, I’m realizing it’s not as easy to make a serious impact on society as I once thought. For a while, this was a bit of a downer. I still hope to make a lasting impact, as many of us do, but haven’t found out yet where I am best suited to do so.  However, in thinking a lot about this, I came to the realization that there are some easy steps I could do to improve your life and your community and help contribute to a greater good. While this notion isn’t groundbreaking, I thought I’d present some of the ways in which I am trying to make a positive difference day to day in some clear easy steps in hopes that I may inspire others to do the same.

Step 1: Move your money into a Credit Union.

It’s no secret that the greed of Big Banks have not only greatly contributed to the current recession, and furthermore millions of taxpayer dollars have slipped into the hands of BB CEO’s thanks to the botched bailout.  If this is the first you’ve heard of this do a google search and type: I have been living under a rock for the past 2 years. Continuing to leave your money in the hands of Big Banks like Bank of America and Chase only supports a crooked system and crooked businesses. This is why you should pull your money out now and join a local Credit Union.

Credit Unions are locally-based, non-profits which act like co-ops. Which means, when you open an account with one of these banks, you own a piece of the company. Here’s some internet-style bullet points which should make the decision clear.

Why should I join a Credit Union?

1. Not supporting the crooked Big Banks and their economic poison.
2. Credit Unions are local institutions, which means the money stays within the community as opposed to supporting global or national interests.
3. CU’s are non-for-profit, which means they’re not out to make a serious profit. Of course they have to survive, so there are fees, but you know where their interest lies.
4. CU’s are co-ops, which means you own a piece of the company and can vote as to what direction you want the company to move.
5. Better interest rates. You make more money.

So to recap. By joining a CU you’re:  Supporting your community, not supporting a volatile system, and making more money.

When I first considered joining a CU, I was a bit concerned that their online system may not be advanced enough to handle transactions as well as my BB. I was pleasantly surprised that not only did my local CU have a system just as advanced as any BB, they also supported green by rewarding paperless accounts with even better interest rates.

Another concern of mine was receiving money abroad or when out of state. But like all banks, CU’s give you a nifty Debit/Credit card and most of the more established ones have a wide network. My CU doesn’t charge fees anywhere, and I can deposit and withdrawal in most 7/11’s or almost any other CU around the US.

Joining a CU may seem like a stretch at first, but it’s really easy to do. If you’re nervous about it, try moving some of you money first and sit on it for a couple months. You may not realize the impact on your wallet or community right away, but trust me, this is a step in the right direction. (Cue cheesy end of sitcom music.)

If this brief, non-data supported article didn’t convince you to act, maybe Bill Maher will.

Your turn:

Have you joined already joined a Credit Union? Why or why not? Share your experience!

Comic by RR Anderson. Some other CU comics by RR.

Need more convincing?:

http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/kplu/news.newsmain/article/0/1/1520862/KPLU.Local.News/Credit.Unions

Healthy menus and seasonal local produce are rare commodities at fast food restaurants but I predict that they will spawn a new generation of on-the-go citizens demanding a better option than our current Sad Meals from McDonalds that pander to already nutritionally-starved individuals.

“Serve with Love” is Burgerville’s mission statement.  With 39 restaurants in Washington and Oregon and expansion in the process, Burgerville began as a creamery in the 1920s and turned into a fast food local restaurant in 1961 serving fresh seasonal produce.

Burgerville has a special niche by serving all natural burgers, real ice cream shakes, and 100% authentic food free of hormones and harmful additives.  All local dollars earned by Burgerville are kept in local banks.  80% of food products come from 150 to 200 miles of the restaurants.  Burgerville also purchases wind power credits equal to the total energy use in all their restaurants which is equivalent to removing 1,700 cars from the road or planting 2,400 acres of trees.  They also use only trans fat free canola oil which is then recycled and turned into biodiesel.

Why aren’t more fast food restaurants popping up with this same idea?  Last year I read a review in a local paper about a long-time Tacoma resident moving back to the area and opening up Jimmy John’s chain, a fast food “gourmet” sandwich restaurant.  With my interest piqued from the story I headed over to Jimmy John’s where I was quite impressed with how fast they whipped up the sandwich on a line that would have made Henry Ford’s assembly line blush.  One taste of the sandwich made my stomach churn, but insistent that it MUST be good, I finished the whole sandwich and suffered an afternoon stomach ache from my bull-headed quest to find a good fast food restaurant.

The pull to Burgerville is their strong commitment to healthy nutritional food, 100% recycling, wind energy, biodiesel, and if that doesn’t convince you, they provide quite the health benefit package to employees.  Employees pay $15 a month and have no deductible and their benefits include vision and dental.  If an employee has a family, their out-of-pocket cost is $90 a month; if a parent and child, $30.  All salaried employees are given $3,500 a year for educational endeavors and there is a Jack Graves Scholarship Fund of $10,000 for students.

I met Jack Graves, Burgerville’s CFO, and I asked him if he eats his company’s food and if so, does he get sick of it.  He told me he eats at a different Burgerville every single day, 5 days a week, loves the food, and that he has never ever missed work and ran a marathon once with potential plans for more in the future.  When I asked him what he was most proud of, he said that it is knowing Burgerville’s dollars stay in the local community and that many of their suppliers’ children work in their restaurants, and that his company looks at their health coverage for employees as an investment, not as a cost.

Graves believes that Burgerville is a steward to the community, ensuring that their values align with those of families for good nutrition and fair compensation, including ensuring their farming partnerships provide quality care to their employees.  All the small farmers Burgerville works with treats their migrant workers fairly, provides places for their kids in school and provides good homes for the workers.

In the summertime, one can pick up a Blackberry or Strawberry milkshake after finishing up a side dish of Walla Walla Sweet Onion Rings or Sweet Potato Fries.

My personal favorite menu consists of the Spicy Anasazi Bean Burger, Pepper Jack Cheese, Chipotle Mayonnaise, Lettuce and Tomato on a Sesame Seed Bun with sweet potato fries and a chocolate hazelnut milkshake.

Currently, Burgerville is serving a roasted portobello Focaccia sandwich and panko portobello wedges.  They partnered with two Portobello  mushroom growers: Yamhill County Mushrooms, a Food Alliance certified sustainable farm, and family owned Ostrom Mushroom.  The focaccia bread is from Schwartz Brother’s Bakery in Seattle.

The closest Burgerville to Tacoma is in Centralia, Washington, opened in 1976 and offers free wi-fi.  Their address is 818 Harrison Avenue and they open at 7 a.m. and close at 10 p.m. seven days a week.  Every time I drive to Portland, I always stop in for my Anasazi burger and sweet potato fries, washed down with their wondrous Sumatran drip coffee.

We need to educate more people on eating local sustainable food and not contribute to the waste and nutritional deprivation of mainstream fast food restaurant businesses that care not for employees or consumers but rather their stockholders’ financial pockets.  What you eat really is who you are and has a much larger impact than your little world — you impact the life quality of animals, farmers, migrant workers, your local community’s health and finances, healthcare, and pollution contribution, amongst many others.

Burgerville is a solid example of what fast food restaurants could attain to if only consumers demanded it.  Imagine a world of fresh Oregon strawberries and fresh Pierce County rhubarb mixed together in a tasty dessert that is nutritionally satisfying as well as pleasuring the taste buds, made to order at a drive-through window on break from work.  You can, because Burgerville stands as a beam of light to our Pacific Northwest community and growing desire to work with nature rather than against her.

For the next 30 days I am going on a very strong detox cleanse with the added benefit of losing my winter love handles.  For Christmas my mother gave me “The Raw Divas Menu Planner” that outlines a month of menus, weekly shopping list, and detailed recipes.  Made easy for both a busy and lazy person like me, all I have to do is check the menu for the day and whip up my meal.  I admit that this is not a New Year’s Resolution nor a purely health-based rationale — Chris and I are going on our honeymoon in March to Puerto Rico and I don’t want to be caught dead with fluff on my hips as I stroll the beaches.

Currently I am sipping a modified-version of “Green Revolution Smoothie” — modified in the sense that I can never follow a recipe but always have to improve on it.  My version contains a banana, handful of dandelion greens, black dinosaur kale, raw cashews, pineapple juice and a teaspoon of probiotics.

The premise of body cleansing is based on the Ancient Egyptian and Greek idea of autointoxication, where ingested foods can putrefy and produce toxins that harm the body.  A rather large fight rages in the health communities as to whether detox “diets” improve a body’s system or not, but I’d like to point out some common-sense in the fray of fad vs. beneficial detoxing.

So why go on a cleansing detox diet, heralded as Gen X fad of health hippies who care more about sheik hip living than about balancing their checkbook and living in the real world?

Read More >>

My first thought upon waking up this morning was Plasmodium protozoan Malaria.  Why?  Because I have been studying Microbiology and recently read a fantastic book entitled Invisible Enemies: Stories of Infectious Disease by Jeanette Farrell.  The average person on the street shivers with fear when microbes are mentioned because the tiny microscopic bugs are associated with death and disease, despite scientific knowledge that disease-causing bacteria are a small fraction of the beneficial or non-harming microbes.

Without microbes, we would all be dead.  There might not even be any rain or snow since bacteria assist in their creation.  There definitely would be no plant or animal life, since scientists know that oxygen was originally produced by cyanobacteria.  Without beneficial bacteria hanging out on our skin and mucous membranes, we would have died long ago.  They help us digest our food, synthesize vitamins (E. coli synthesizes vitamin K, niacin, B12, etc.), and occupy niches otherwise empty for pathogenic microbes.  Probiotics, or good bacteria in our guts, help strengthen our immune system, reduce allergies, helps us digest food better, and in new research, probiotics may even be directly related to weight gain or weight loss, depending on one’s intestinal probiotic make-up.  Even more exciting is the new discovery that bacteria are passed on from mother to child and may be as much of a factor in obesity as genetics.

Our entire ecosystem depends on microbes — specifically, soil microbes that are responsible for decomposition of organic matter into reusable food sources.  Bacteria, fungi, and protozoa (all microbes) release enzymes that drive the life-giving carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulfur cycles in soil that facilitates organic matter turnover into nutrient-rich soil for plants.  Microbes make or break healthy soil by affecting its structure or even soil’s ability to hold water for plants.

These microbes—bacteria, fungi, and protozoa—release enzymes that drive the important carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulfur cycles in soil and facilitate turnover of organic matter, making nutrients available to plants.

Microbes affect soil structure by breaking down needed nutrients and retaining moisture for plants.  By monitoring microbes in the soil we can watch for early warning signs of nutrient and moisture depletion that affect plant growth.  Using pesticides and other chemicals to kill pathogenic microbes also kill beneficial microbes, causing a lose-lose situation for microbes, soil, and plants. Farming practices may disrupt the soil ecosystem and decrease the effectiveness of microbe communities, such as tilling the soil that disrupts their life cycle in soil.

Recently my soon-to-be-wedded-hubs smacked a bumper sticker on my car that stated “Admit it, Tacoma.  You are beautiful.”  This now sits above my “I Heart Tagro” bumper sticker.  Tagro, short for Tacoma Grow, has won three Environmental Protection Agency Awards and three sewage/biosolids awards since 1995.  We are nationally-known for our beautiful Tacoma sewage-turned-potting soil.  All-natural TAGRO products are made from pasteurized waste-water byproducts called biosolids, sawdust and other gardening elements.  Research at Washington State University and the University of Washington show that plants using TAGRO grow taller, greener, and produce more than plants grown in commercial or chemical products.  Since Pierce County has had septic waste issues in the not-so-distant past, TAGRO is a welcomed relief to unite friendly environment products with solid waste disposal.  Tacoma is on the forefront of the the recycling sewage movement into usable soil additives, and I can only hope that this venture spreads elsewhere in the country.

The cost of TAGRO is $8 per truckload (U-haul) if a Tacoma resident and $10 per truckload if a Pierce County resident.  Truly, those prices are unbeatable.  If you are looking for a small amount of potting soil, there is a free pile at the TAGRO facility or for a small fee, in individually-packed bags.

TAGRO builds up soil nutrients, fosters healthy microbial growth, and produces beautiful plants.  Soil microbes love good organic fertilizers.  Texas Scientists have discovered that microbes release nutrients from fertilizers at an impressive rate, unlocking those nutrients at the precise time strawberry plants need them the most.

When humans are long gone, microbes will still be around, accomplishing their important tasks.  We can be destroyed by them or choose to utilize them properly, replacing our foolish misconception that we are Nature’s Overlords to rather work in conjunction with the invisible world to unify humankind with our rightful place as a part (not the whole) of nature.

Just a few hours ago, John Allen Mohammad was executed by the Commonwealth of Virginia for his role in the DC Sniper shootings in 2002. He was, most surely, a deeply angry and disturbed man who committed truly atrocious acts. I hope his death brings peace and closure to the family and loved ones of his victims. However, I also wish that Tim Kaine, the governor of Virginia had stayed the execution.

I lived through the terror of the DC Sniper shootings just 3 months after moving from Oklahoma City to Washington, D.C. It was a scary welcome to a new city and made my seriously reconsider if I wanted to go to high school in a place where something like that could happen. However, the response of the people in and around DC was uplifting. Everyone banded together and did everything they could do to support each other. So that time was simultaneously a time of hope and fear for me and many in the area. Obviously, though, we all wish that these tragic murders had never happened at all.

I understand that for many, executing the person responsible for the death of their loved one is comforting and helps them come to terms with that death. It’s not a sentiment that I can imagine feeling myself, but I know that it’s important to others. I think there are a lot of great arguments against the death penalty, everything from its enormous cost to the discriminatory way it’s often applied. More importantly, though, I think we as a society lose an essential part of ourselves when we come together to condone the killing of a member of our society. After the series of violent slayings committed by Mr. Mohammad, we have chosen to respond with more violence instead of with grace and peace. I hope in the future we can stand up as a community and denounce violence in all its forms, whether it’s committed by individuals or collectively.

So I ask everyone to light a candle tonight and, if it’s within whatever your spiritual tradition you follow, pray for John Allen Mohammad, Lee Boyd Malvo (the kid who worked with Mohammad), and the families and loved ones of the victims and the perpetrators. I hope they can all find peace and comfort tonight.

In a Facebook update, a friend recently wrote that aborted fetal parts are used in vaccinations.  Appalled and angry that wrong information is being strewn about the town, I decided to check out the hype of vaccinations, and discovered quite a brew of ingredients that a responsible and conscientious person would not know without a little bit of research.

What I found is astoundingly disturbing, at best.

Millions of doses of vaccinations are administered to children in our nation each year.  To ensure that vaccines are potent, “sterile, and safe” requires chemical additives, which are added to inactivate a virus or bacteria and stabilize the vaccine, which preserves the vaccine and prevents it from losing its potency over time.  The Center for Disease Control claims that the amount of chemical additives in vaccines is very small, and that only trace amounts of thimerosal, which is mercury, are in vaccines.

The CDC lists these common ingredients in almost all vaccines:

Aluminum gels or salts of aluminum which are added as adjuvants to help the vaccine stimulate a better response to the vaccine. Adjuvants help promote an earlier, more potent response, and more persistent immune response to the vaccine.

The Vaccine Education Center at Philadelphia’s Children Hospital admits that even a small quantity of aluminum in food, water, or vaccines that is not eliminated by the kidneys begins to accumulate in the body, settling in the bones, some in the lungs and some in the brain.  By the time children become adults, they will have accumulated between 50 and 100 milligrams of aluminum, and yet they stick by the standard that aluminum in vaccines is just not harmful enough to allow a person to be perturbed by the idea.

Dr. Robert Sears, author of The Vaccine Book, quotes the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) who published a policy statement in 1996, “Aluminum Toxicity in Infants and Children,” which stated:

1. Aluminum can cause neurological harm.
2. A study from 30 years ago showed that human adults increase their urine excretion of aluminum when exposed to higher levels of the metal, which suggests that adults can clear out excess aluminum.
3. Adults taking aluminum-containing antacids don’t build up high levels of aluminum in their bodies.
4. Reports of infants with healthy kidneys show elevated blood levels of aluminum from taking antacids.
5. People with kidney disease who build up bloodstream levels of aluminum greater than 100 mcg per liter are at risk of toxicity.
6. The toxic threshold of aluminum in the bloodstream may be lower than 100 mcg per liter.
7. The buildup of aluminum in tissues has been seen even in patients with healthy kidneys who receive IV solutions containing aluminum over extended periods.

Whether the FDA is right or not in that the small amount of aluminum won’t cause too much harm, we still know that aluminum = bad, so why shoot up with it?

• Antibiotics which are added to some vaccines to prevent the growth of germs (bacteria) during production and storage of the vaccine.

• Egg protein is found in influenza and yellow fever vaccines, which are prepared using chicken eggs. Ordinarily, persons who are able to eat eggs or egg products safely can receive these vaccines.

• Formaldehyde is used to inactivate bacterial products for toxoid vaccines, (these are vaccines that use an inactive bacterial toxin to produce immunity). It is also used to kill unwanted viruses and bacteria that might contaminate the vaccine during production.  The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) states that formaldehyde is “a colorless, pungent-smelling gas; an important hazardous air pollutant. High concentrations may trigger attacks in people with asthma.”  The National Cancer Institute states that “formaldehyde is commonly used as an industrial fungicide, germicide, and disinfectant, and as a preservative in mortuaries and medical laboratories” and that it has been classified as a carcinogen (cancer-causing substance).  Research shows that exposure to formaldehyde can cause cancer of the nasal sinuses, nasopharynx, brain, and possibly leukemia.

• Monosodium glutamate (MSG) are used as stabilizers in a few vaccines to help the vaccine remain unchanged when the vaccine is exposed to heat, light, acidity, or humidity.  MSG is most commonly obtained via fermentation of carbohydrates, using a bacterial or yeast species from genera such as Microbacterium.  Many groups believe MSG is extremely harmful, but thus far the FDA has said that in minimal amounts found in food, it has little to no side effects.  A little research shows that thousands of people are wary by MSG, and typical websites such as www.truthinlabeling.org dumps a laundry list of common MSG side effects: obesity, irritable bowl syndrome, depression, frequent urination, swelling of the vagina, joint pain, fast heart rate (tachycardia) . . .  The Natural Health Information Center also reports MSG to be a group of chemicals known as ‘excitotoxins” that interfere with brain chemistry and are implicated in neurological diseases, such as brain cancer, Multiple Sclerosis, Fibromyalgia, and hyperactivity (ADHD), to name a few.  MSG, they claim, can overexcite brain cells to the point of cell death.

• Thimerosal is a mercury-containing preservative that is added to vials of vaccine that contain more than one dose to prevent contamination and growth of potentially harmful bacteria.

According to Natural News, companies offer multi-dose units of vaccinations which effectively lower the cost of vaccinations — while it lowers the cost, it also means that preservatives must be added to kill contaminants that may get into the vaccine while the lid is off the container — preservatives such as thimersal, a fancy name for mercury.  Thimerosal’s main use is as an antiseptic and antifungal agent, preventing terrible bacterial infections such as Staphlococcus, which, in one case in a 1928 incident killed 12 children inoculated with a diptheria vaccine that lacked the mercury preservative.

The Department of Defense classifies mercury as a hazardous material that could cause death if swallowed, inhaled or absorbed through the skin. Studies indicate that mercury tends to accumulate in the brains of primates and other animals after they are injected with vaccines. Mercury poisoning has been linked to cardiovascular disease, autism, seizures, mental retardation, hyperactivity, dyslexia and many other nervous system conditions. That’s why the FDA rigorously limits exposure to mercury in foods and drugs. Some common sources of mercury include dental amalgam fillings, various vaccines and certain fish contaminated by polluted ocean waters.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) admits that there is a “theoretical potential for neurotoxicity” of Thimerosal and that there had previously been an increase of thimerosal containing vaccines that had been added to the infant immunization schedule, which is why, in recent years, “Thimerosal has been removed from or reduced to trace amounts in all vaccines routinely recommended for children 6 years of age and younger, with the exception of inactivated influenza vaccine.”

No wonder a wave of angry moms are standing up and saying Wait Just One Minute to having their baby given multiple vaccinations all at once.  We have blindly obliged the vaccination profession too long, and believed the CDC’s soothing remarks that mercury levels are too low to cause noticable harm, that aluminum is mostly peed out anyway and that you get more aluminum from soy proteins, or that mercury is more common in fish, so what’s the big deal?

Cancer, autism, ADHD, Down’s Syndrome, and other adverse issues are on the rise, and yet we have no one point of reference to gain our “AHA, this is what is causing the uprising of neurological effects.”  Rather, we see an increase in healthcare problems and perhaps can coorelate that to adverse toxic overloading in our environment.  From the cream we apply to keep our faces supple to the chemicals put in our sheets to keep them flame retardant, all these toxins must be taken into effect together.

Dr. Blaylock, a neurosurgeon, recently wrote a report entitled “Vaccinations: The Hidden Dangers”  where he states that modern science tends to only look for one central cause of a problem rather than explore synergic toxicity of many agents (two toxins acting on the body together are more dangerous when working in combined efforts).  This tunnel-vision approach is by far the worst approach to a true scientific exploration of our world, and is a narrow view that must be discarded in the Age of Chemicals.

So should we rush out to boycott all vaccinations, including the Swine Flu vaccine?  Certainly not. If nothing else, history has shown us that we must find a way to deter pandemics, such as the Bubonic Plague or the 1918 Spanish Flu.  The Spanish Flu spread to nearly every part of the world, targeting healthy young adults, killing 50 to 100 million people.  As my Microbiology prof once said, perhaps it is a sacrifice we must make, that a few will be laid on the altar to save the masses.

Perhaps there is an alternative to aluminum, MSG, mercury, and the like that will soon be discovered.  Whatever the case is, people need to become educated on what is contained in vaccines and know what is being shot into their systems before yielding to the Soothsayers of our era.  There are ways to limit adverse effects, such as delaying an infant’s vaccinations or giving the common child vaccinations over a longer time period rather than all at once so the toxins don’t all hit the body’s system at once.  Do some research before undergoing vaccination, and also take a look at the ingredients in the vaccine at the CDC’s website: http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vac-gen/additives.htm

imagine at http://www.flickr.com/photos/alvi2047/3483848619

Like many of our readers, I’m currently struggling to find a job.  This means that I spend most days on the web, where I recently found the following Merritt for Mayor YouTube commercial, Jim Merritt A Leader We Can Believe In, with current school board candidate Jerry Thorpe providing the voice-over.

Let’s be honest, generally speaking the politics of produce don’t get much play in the media.  I’d like to think that we at The Melon are a unique exception.  Columnists like Jen Drake and Elliot Trotter have more than soiled themselves with budding movements like the Tacoma Food Co-Op and the North End’s “blossoming” community garden scene.  Even the illusive R.R. Anderson has converted his front lawn into a sunflower farm and I recently campaigned for school board on a green platform that included implementation of the state’s Healthy Farms, Healthy Kids bill.

But now, Joe La Sac (resident film director) has developed a film about Eating Locally in Pierce County which, I feel, deserves special attention.  Granted, much of it review for those already aware of stalled attempts to expand access to healthy alternatives in the area, but the claim that apparently Washington is “one of the hungriest states in the nation” and that “hunger levels in Pierce County exceed the state average” offers newfound urgency to the issue.  I would encourage readers to pay special attention to minutes 10:00-11:00 of the film and consider if local food security is a civic concern.  If so, which of the candidates running for City Council or Mayor are offering solutions to the problem.

Other questions to consider:

1:  Do the present arrangements of local farmers markets reinforce the belief that farmers markets are designed to cater to the Tacoma North End elite?

2:  How do we define “local food”?

3:  Historically, agriculture – as an industry – has always been based on some form of slave or subordinate labor (serfdom, slavery, share-cropping, migrant workers etc).  How can we insure that budding local food industries become successful while simultaneously providing meaningful jobs that can sustain families.

4:  Given Tacoma’s history as an industrial center, and the fact that our air/water quality  levels are among the state’s poorest, is it really safe to buy local Pierce County produce?  If so, from where specifically (I’m guessing not Vashon Island because of it’s relation to ARSARCO

WHO’S RUNNING FOR OFFICE WHO MIGHT HAVE THE ANSWERS?

Jim Merritt (Mayoral Candidate)

Marilyn Strickland (Mayoral Candidate)

Joe Lonergan (City Council Candidate)

Beckie Summers Kirby (City Council Candidate)

Marty Cambpell (City Council Candidate)

Roxanne Murphy (City Council Candidate)

Victoria Woodards (City Council Candidate)

Kevin Rojecki (City Council Candidate)

Jake Fey (City Council Candidate)

A roof leak at the Fern Hill branch of the Tacoma Library system has put that facility out of commission until further notice.

Ceiling tiles began falling last Saturday and books have been water damaged.

An inspection of the roof today revealed a substance that could be mold.

According to Tacoma Public Library Director Susan Odencrantz samples of the substance have been sent out for analysis and until the results are in the branch has been closed for the air quality safety of both patrons and library workers.

Library workers who normally work at that branch will be dispersed to other library branches for the duration.

For further information on the closure call 253-591-5666.