“Don’t go into business to get rich.
Do it to enrich people. It will come back to you.”
-Stew Leonard
What should keep you up at night about the food you consume?
Published under Food Industry, Health Sep 06, 2012A meta study by the Stanford School of Medicine recently found that eating organic food does not provide health benefits over consuming non-organic foods. It benefits the environment and arguably provides taste benefits, but may not impact the overall health of the consumer.
That said, buying and eating organic foods matters more on certain foods than others. Peaches, for example, tend to absorb more pesticides than most other fruits or vegetables.
More importantly, standards vary greatly by country. US produce is far less exposed to pesticides and harmful chemicals than food in China, which suffers from extreme disregard for health regulations relative to food growing and processing. Indeed, Chinese-made foods have caused enormous damage to people over the last decade, from the baby formula epidemic that caused countless deaths, to chronic substitution of claimed raw materials with cheaper, harmful substances.
What most troubles me about lax Chinese food standards is that many unethical manufacturers and importers go out of their way to hide their Chinese origin so many consumers are unaware that what they are feeding their children comes from China. I spotted some little candy bags a few months ago that were made in China but it was nearly impossible to find the ‘Made in China’ statement. Certainly the parents who were giving these out at their kid’s party had assumed the product was made in the US.
Apple juice companies have recently started agglomerating dozens of countries as the possible source of their juice, hiding China within lists that start with more marketable countries, like Argentina, even though most of their juice comes from China. And ‘Mrs Mays’ – a brand that was recently purchased by Dole – prints its Made in China notice in letters so tiny you’d need a magnifying glass to find it – on the lower back edge of their packages.
One area that truly should alarm us all is the abuse of farm animals and the use of antibiotics even on healthy chickens and cattle, to fatten them up and to prevent diseases given the dire conditions in which these animals are held (including tiny quarters where they are immobilized). It is beyond inhumane and harmful to our short- and long-term health. So organic meat may very well make sense.
We live in a day and age where our children, and even we, do not know what food looks like in nature. For decades, manufacturers have over-processed ingredients beyond recognition and added fillers that do not exist in nature. Our bodies are asking us, above all, that we go back to real food. Or as we say and make at KIND, to ingredients you can see and pronounce!
Whether you’re running to class or running to the finish line, nutritionists recommend KIND bars to keep your energy high and your taste buds happy.
Runner’s World selected KIND Dark Chocolate Cherry Cashew bars for an anti-oxidant rich post-run snack.
In this back-to-school season, it’s equally important for students to eat right as they run to class. FOX News Dallas suggests switching out the old peanut butter and jelly sandwich of lunchboxes past with KIND’s Peanut Butter Strawberry bars for a high-fiber, high-protein lunchtime boost.
Spotted by Daniel Lubetzky, by Julianna Storch
“Can Hezbollah Survive the Fall of Assad?”
Published under Iran, Lebanon, Middle East, Syria Sep 05, 2012Hanin Ghaddar sets the scene for more change to come in the Middle East in his New York Time‘s piece. With Assad’s position growing ever precarious in Syria, Ghaddar asks if Hezbollah militants in Lebanon will be able to survive.
Spotted by Daniel Lubetzky, by Julianna Storch
My Dad used to really admire Charles Krauthammer’s writing. When I was younger, so did I. I am not sure if my views evolved, or if he become far more conservative than I recalled, but over the last decade, I find him to be so immersed in an inflexible right-wing ideology lacking any subtlety that he is far less persuasive to mainstream readers. That said, sometimes he makes a lot of sense. As he did with this article, where he persuasively argues that “deterrence” is not the same with Iran as it was with the Soviet Union, and that for at least three solid reasons, security policy and strategy cannot rely on Iranians to be “deterred” from an attack or a counterattack. Sadly, I agree completely with his assessment. And it worries me greatly that the US Administration does not seem to realize that.
A Look on the Bright Side: The Moderate Majority
Published under Israel, Middle East, OneVoice Movement, Palestine Aug 31, 2012Alon Pinkas provides a hopeful take on the growing moderate majority within Israel and the American Jewish community for the Israel Policy Forum. With the OneVoice Movement, we will continue to amplify that moderate voice and leverage it towards creating a peaceful solution.
Spotted by Daniel Lubetzky, by Julianna Storch
“ISM Culpable in the Death of Rachel Corrie,” Reports NGO Monitor
Published under Israel, Middle East, Palestine Aug 31, 2012In light of the civil court case surrounding Rachel Corrie’s death this week, NGO Monitor released a statement holding the International Solidarity Movement (ISM) responsible for Corrie’s death. NGO Monitor calls attention to the often violent rhetoric and practice of the ISM with which Corrie was involved. If the ISM continues to encourage members to put themselves in dangerous and life-threatening situations, they will only cause further tragedy.
Spotted by Daniel Lubetzky, by Julianna Storch
“Action springs not from thought, but from a readiness for responsibility.”
– G. M. Trevelyan
OneVoice Movement Israel and J14 Building Walls to Break Down Barriers
Published under Israel, Middle East, Mideast Negotiations, OneVoice Movement, Palestine Aug 29, 2012
OneVoice Movement Israel spokesperson Tal Harris speaks to Israeli media in front of man-made ice wall, symbolising the freeze in peace negotiations.
OneVoice Movement Israel teamed up with J14 protesters in Tel Aviv to link calls for social justice and demands for ending the conflict for the first time. Together, they erected an ice wall to symbolize the “freeze” in peace talks that is becoming ever more costly for Israelis. See OneVoice Movement’s press release for the event after the jump.
Spotted by Daniel Lubetzky, by Julianna Storch
Fast Company‘s Ben Paynter took a lesson in KINDness from KIND‘s Do the KIND Thing movement. He learned of the challenges and rewards that come with attempts to inspire KIND acts across the nation. 
Spotted by Daniel Lubetzky, by Julianna Storch