Daniel Lubetzky

Check out this video if you are looking to lighten up your day!

Given all the bad publicity that Chinese companies have gotten for the lax standards and unethical practices employed by the food industry there, resulting in numerous deaths due to consumption of poisoned milk, honey, baby formula, and other food products, it is not surprising that Chinese manufacturers and importers of Chinese food products would not want to publicize the origin of the source of their products.

But it doesn’t make it less ethical.

And the FDA, US Customs and other US agencies do not do nearly enough to protect consumers against these deceptive and dangerous practices.

People often get surprised when they learn that some of the food they may be eating may be manufactured in China, because the manufacturers go very far to try to hide this.  The labels of Mrs. Mays products hide their “Made in China” claim with tiny print on the far side under the wrapper foil. I learned this when analyzing their packaging after they tried (unsuccessfully) to copy our products’ packaging, names, and features.

But the challenge can be even more elusive with the import of raw materials – like honey or peanuts.  And the challenge is no less critical to manufacturers, because of the high incidences of contamination of raw materials in these products from China.

Now a great website, TrueSourceHoney.com, aims to help consumers and food manufacturers trace where honey comes from.  As reported in Food Business News countries like “Indonesia, Malaysia, Taiwan, Thailand, the Philippines and Mongolia raise few bees and have no history of producing honey in commercial quantities, yet have recently exported large amounts of honey to the United States,” much of it counterfeit from China. 

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by Adeena Schlussel on behalf of Daniel Lubetzky

Food Business News reports that despite knowing that diets full of fruits and vegetables reduce the risk of leading diseases, many Americans are still slaking on their fruits and veggie consumption.  The Center for Disease Control found that only approximately 33% of adults  eat fruit two or more times a day, and only 26% eat vegetables three or more times a day. While there are initiatives working to boost this number, it is important for Americans to internalize the benefits of being KIND to your body (and of course to your taste buds and the world as well)!

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by Adeena Schlussel on behalf of Daniel Lubetzky

A recent article in the New York Times illustrates current alternative group therapies being deployed i Gaza meant to relieve heightened and continual stress in the region. Dr. James Gordon is leading the efforts via his Center for Mind-Body Medicine and claims that the program has already proven significant reductions in stress and depression that permeate the Gaza strip.  Hopefully these therapies will continue to lighten hardships in the region and decrease the difficulties of dealing with the ongoing conflict.

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by Adeena Schlussel on behalf of Daniel Lubetzky

A recent article by Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, OneVoice Board Member and leader in the effort to build the Cordoba House downtown, eloquently portrays a key argument in the ongoing debate; as Imam Rauf puts it “the level of attention [that this debate has garnered] reflects the degree to which people care about the very American values under debate: recognition of the rights of others, tolerance and freedom of worship.” The community center, in its essence, aims to promote tolerance and foster community engagement, both with the support of the downtown community. 

The article is crucial and a great one, but one point that was not mentioned  (and that has not been prominent in the ongoing debate) is that Imam Rauf is not travelling across the world, the country, or the city to enact his vision.  The very reason that the community center will be built in the proposed area is that Imam Rauf has been leading religious services in the very same area – just two blocks away – for many years. While the plan is often portrayed as a deliberate and disrespectful decision, the choice to build a mosque near ground zero is in reality a function of the fact that this area is Imam Rauf’s neighborhood. Perhaps this point can quell people’s unfounded fears and put an end to ignorance.

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By Adeena Schlussel on behalf of Daniel Lubetzky

Check out this amazing JavaScript Animation sent to us by our friends at Madwell.  The Wilderness Downtown is a HTML 5/Canvas interactive JavaScript piece that displays a multimedia music video across various browser windows created by Chris Milk for Arcade Fire’s most recent single.  Click on the link to experience it for yourself.