From the Editor:
Membership Drive
First of all, I would like to thank everyone who signed up as a new member of The Weston A. Price Foundation. I haven’t heard the official word from the Foundation yet, but according to our calculations it looks like we made it to our goal! Thanks everyone!
My son Casey and I will be going to the Wise Traditions Conference this month. Wish us luck with our trip! I plan to come back enthused with more information and ideas to make our Chapter even better!
I will be unavailable to answer email until after Nov. 14th, so please forward your inquiries to Victoria.
And speaking of Victoria, as many of you know, Victoria’s email address got taken over by a computer virus, phishing scam, aliens or something and sent out messages to everyone in her address book saying that she was in Africa in need of $3500 to get back. Victoria is safe at home, and now has a new email address. (veebioenergy@gmail.com). Please delete her old address from your address books.
A local member told me that her email once sent out sexy messages to everyone in her address book. How embarrassing! This virus does not seem to have spread or done any other damage, so all in all it could have been much worse.
Someone else suggested that we could have used the opportunity to raise money for the Eugene Chapter. So if anyone would like to contribute to the newly created Help Get Victoria Home from Africa Fund, you may donate here. In reality we will use the money to buy some new DVDs at the conference to show at “Popcorn Review” showings in 2008.
~ Lisa
November Events:
Meeting & Potluck Lunch
Topic: The topic this month is Detoxification: Herbs, foods, elimination/provocation diets and liver support. Our daytime meetings are regularly held on the second Monday of each month. We have a different topic each month, and the potluck has wonderful foods. Please bring a Nourishing Traditions style dish and join us! If you need driving instructions or have other questions call Victoria at 343-3699. “The Popcorn Review”The Importance of Vitamin D
This month we will be presenting “Vit D: When, Why, Where & How Much” by Dr John Cannell, MD. Dr Cannell is a founding member of the Vitamin D Council, (www.vitamindcouncil.com) where you can read many research papers and other articles about the value of Vitamin D and the vital role it plays in good health. From the Vitamin D Council website:
Adequate Vitamin D levels is also important for preventing winter depression. In our area there are several months in which it is not possible to make enough Vitamin D from the sunlight (even if you were willing to sunbathe every day throughout the winter). This DVD was created at Dr. Cannell’s lecture at the Weston A Price Foundation 2005 Annual Convention. We are requesting a $5-10 donation to the Eugene Chapter at the door. Space is limited, so please contact us to reserve your seat. Food Preparation ClassHealthy Foods for the Whole Family
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Government Sneak Attack on California Raw Milk
No more raw milk after January 2008!
Anyone conserned about his or her health and the right to choose the foods that support good health should know about what is going on in California right now.
I know we don’t live in California, and this doesn’t effect us directly, but I feel it is important to help California remain one of the leaders in raw milk legislation. I have already writen a letter to Governor Schwarzenegger and plan to send more letters. I hope you will write some too!
~ Lisa
For more info see :
http://organicpastures.com/ab1735_ analysis.html
http://organicpastures.com/pdfs/ ab1735_press_ release.pdf
This page contains sample letters and contact information for government officials.
http://organicpastures.com/contact_lawmakers.html
Below is a letter from Mark McAfee, of Organic Pastures Dairy Company (OPDC).
Eight words are threatening to change your life: “or more than ten coliform bacteria per milliliter”
Those are the eight words added to dairy legislation in California on October 8, 2007.
Assembly Bill #1735 (AB 1735) was signed by the Governor and becomes law on January 1st 2008. Contained in this law are new standards for raw milk. These new standards require 10 coliform bacteria per ml or less. This standard does not increase the safety of raw milk and it will make the production of organic raw milk in California nearly impossible. Under the old tried and true old standards that have been in existence for forty years or more, coliforms could be 50 or 500. It did not matter.
Coliforms are not pathogenic. They do not cause disease. They actually act very effectively to protect raw milk against pathogens like E. coli 0157:H7. Coliforms make vitamin K, B-1, B-2, B-6 and B-12 and without coliforms, and the beneficial colicins they produce we would die.
These eight words in California law will in effect remove and deny your access to raw milk, because it is not possible to reliably produce raw milk with coliform levels at less than 10 per ml. Most milk samples simply have coliform counts higher than 10 per ml. That is just the nature of milk, a fact that is in USDA published peer reviewed journals show the value of good coliforms in food safety and surely this should be known by the CDFA in California.
The language contained in AB 1735 was placed there by CDFA to get rid of Raw Milk in California. Last year you might remember that CDFA ordered a recall of all OPDC raw milk products. Several months ago after threatened legal pressure CDFA settled with OPDC for a cash amount, mutual legal release, and the promise that OPDC would not sue CDFA or its personnel for the biased and unfounded recall. FDA, DHS, and CDFA concluded after several weeks of intensive testing of cows fresh manure and OPDC dairy products that there was no connection between any sickened children and OPDC raw dairy products.
AB 1735 is nothing more than a CDFA sneak attack trying its very hardest to once and for all get rid of raw milk and OPDC.
But don’t take my word for it. Go to the California Assembly website and check out the legislative notes. This attack was directed right at you and me and we were not even consulted. Read more here about how to investigate your legislator’s intentions.
It is time for you to call your representative in the Assembly and Senate, the Governor, and the Secretary of Agriculture to make sure your voice is heard.
It is also time to write to your local paper and post on your blog how you feel about these eight new words in California law.
The Agriculture Committee Staff claims that there was no argument or discussion about this issue and that there was unanimous consent during the vote when AB 1735 passed. There were supposedly public hearings held in January 2007, but neither Claravale nor OPDC was advised and no raw milk consumers were told either. These are the only two dairies in the state to be effected by the change of code and law.
If you want raw milk on the shelf or at the farmers market in California; it is time to fight for this right.
We do not loose are rights all in one day. We lose them little by little every day.
Stand up and let’s show them what we brave raw milk consumers are made of in California.
