Category Archives: Guest posts

E. coli – Another Reason to Buy USA

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[This post is by a local blogger, who has blogged for a while under the radar. I’m promoting this for a wider audience -Liz]

My April 3, 2011, post to this blog was about the dangers of consuming food and drugs from foreign countries (see “Eat At Your Own Risk: Foreign-Made Food and Drugs.“) This week, a particularly virulent strain of E. coli appeared on the scene, as people in Europe (and four in the US who recently returned from Germany) came down with nasty symptoms, including stomach cramps and bloody diarrhea. Currently, 1,833 cases of the E. coli infection have been confirmed, according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. What makes this strain of E. coli even more dangerous is that it attacks not only the digestive system, but also produces a by-product called the “shiga” toxin that may damage the kidneys. Reports indicate that this strain of E. coli originated in produce, primarily bean sprouts, grown in northern Germany. However, sprouts, cucumbers, and tomatoes grown in Denmark, the Netherlands, and Spain are also suspect.

What exactly is E. coli? It’s a bacteria (Escherichia coli) that is commonly found in our intestines, and helps our bodies to break down and digest food. Certain strains of E. coli, however, move from the digestive system into the bloodstream, where they can cause serious infections. E. coli can contaminate crops when manure is used to fertilize crops, or if water contaminated with E. coli is used to irrigate the crops.

According to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA),the government recently has stepped up testing of food from Germany and Spain, although very little in the way of produce is imported to the US from those countries or from other European countries. (I have found a lot of produce sold in US grocery stores from Mexico, and Central and South America.)

Be aware that meat and produce from the United States is not 100% safe from E. coli contamination either. There was a small outbreak in the US (145 reported cases) of a similar E. coli strain reported by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) in 2010. That outbreak originated from US-produced shredded romaine lettuce. In general, however, according to Don Kraemer, deputy director of the FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, the United States has “one of the safest food supplies in the world.” Reported outbreaks of E. coli worldwide are evidence that this is true.

Treatment for the present outbreak of E. coli is primarily accomplished by keeping patients hydrated with water, and by dialysis, which is used to scrub the blood of patients with infected bloodstreams. In the case of E. coli infections, antibiotics don’t help, and may make symptoms worse because they may increase the release of toxins into the bloodstream.

Precautions that we can take to protect ourselves from E. coli contamination are: (1) eat meat that is cooked well – not red or pink; (2) wash produce well (I use a vegetable and fruit spray) before eating, even if wrappers or labels say the produce has already been washed; (3) wash hands well before preparing food, and (4) wash countertops where food is prepared.

The final precaution that we can take to protect ourselves and our families against E. coli is to buy food and produce made and grown in the USA. With fewer E. coli outbreaks from USA food, buying food and eating “grown in USA, and “product of USA” food just makes good sense – not to mention that it helps our economy. This summer, buy locally grown produce, shop at community farmers’ markets, and look for “Made in USA,” and “Product of USA” labels on food and produce.
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This week’s recommended products:
•Fruits and vegetables that are “Product of USA,” including “locally grown” fruits and vegetables (as they come into season.)

•All Natural Veggie Wash Fruit and Vegetable Wash – Made in USA by Beaumont Products, Inc., Kennesaw, GA
Sources :
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/06/04/earlyshow/saturday/main20068944

http://www.cdc.gov/ecoli/2010/ecoli_o145/index.html

http://kidshealth.org/kid/stay_healthy/food/ecoli.html

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-06-03/water-dialysis-only-treatments-for-deadliest-european-e-coli-outbreak.html

Crossposted at usabuyusa.blogspot.com
 

Legislative FAIL

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There are many dumb laws on the books. So many, in fact, that there are several popular websites whose sole purpose is to feature the most idiotic laws in each state.  One state is on its way to passing a law so ridiculous that the youtube video mocking it has already received over 800,000 views.

The Tennessee Senate, continuing a long and glorious tradition of creating laughable-if-it-weren’t-so-hateful legislation, has passed what has been coined the “Don’t Say Gay Bill.”  For those who aren’t familiar, SB 49 makes it a misdemeanor for a teacher to acknowledge that gay people exist in prepared materials or instruction. On one hand, the absurdity of the bill cries out for the kind of comic relief Mr. Takei so brilliantly delivers in the video above.  On the other, this cynical pander to extremists is yet another hateful attempt to vilify the LGBT community.

It almost goes without saying that where you find this particular variety of clownish antagonism, you’ll likely find my Republican opponent for Sterling District Supervisor, Eugene Delgaudio.  Unable to suppress his bizarre fixation with persecuting the gay community, Delgaudio released a statement over the weekend seeking credit for passage of this very stupid law (as taken from his national hate site, which I won’t link to):

Public Advocate’s pivotal last minute role in the historic vote to defend the family held in Tennessee last week began with an email from PA President Eugene Delgaudio on Thursday May 12 at 5:26 p.m. Eastern Standard Time from his offices in Falls Church, Va. to his top volunteers and staff.

Delgaudio said:

(quote) Public Advocate has a Nashville based- volunteer in Nashville right now pushing passage of the bill (Director Mark Clayton) in Tennessee right now and on site in the capitol until this battle is over…..our plan is to explain to every Senator our memberships’ support for passing this bill and to stand up to the lies of the homosexual lobby and know that we are with them.

the opposition has spread lies with their own obscene video and the news media is assisting the homosexual lobby by calling it the “don’t say gay” bill when it, the bill, simply states “just say traditional values– heterosexual practices”.(unquote)

Considering his recent essays on TSA pat downs and Tampa’s Gasparilla Pirate Festival, it’s certainly not surprising to see Delgaudio draw attention to his frenzied opposition to gay rights.  What is particularly disturbing about his support of this bill is that it is indicative, in my opinion, of the type of laws he’d like Loudoun County to pass.  Should he return to a board that is more aligned with his ideology, the extreme agenda he will try to implement will be no laughing matter.

Al Nevarez, Candidate for Loudoun County Supervisor, Sterling District – al4sterling.com

What Gives With the Republican Candidates?

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Weird what is happening in the Republican Party.  When an anti-Sharia demonstration was held in front of LCDC HQ, party members shrugged their shoulders and said, ” no worries,”  just a matter of freedom of speech.  Maybe; but doesn’t a major party have a responsibility to speak out against hate-speech?  None of the party elders, including young Mat Latourneu has stood for proper behavior.   

Passing by the Republican tent down in South Riding the other day sis and I saw Ramadan, and Republicans said this was all much about nothing since  Ramadan isn’t a practising Muslim.  Who knows what his religion is?  But why does it matter if he is or is not?  That’s the problem missed by the Republican mob.  So why would any Muslim vote Republican this year. 

Then there is Delgaudio with his hate speech against gays, and York, then Republican, then independent, and now Republican being hugged by Delgaudio, who voting record isn’t popular with the African-American community.  Weird stuff.  Well, perhaps not weird.  They are all neo-conservatives after all.    Buono is pushing a N-S superhighway that will devastate the environment.   Nope.  Weird cast of characters, from the green behind the ears Matt to the socially challenged Delgaudio, to the “business is all” Buono, to the “I just want to be elected and will do whatever it takes to do it,” York.  Wow.  Real progressives, all.

LEC 9011

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Promoted by Epluribusunum – This post is especially insightful in light of yesterday’s developments, in which Supervisor Burton withdrew his support from the CBPO in part because of too much uncertainty regarding which parcels would be affected and how. I note in particular the chorus on the LTM forum decrying Burton as an “opportunist” for taking exactly the position the LEC are demanding. It suggests that nothing could possibly make them happy, and lends yet more support to the theory that LEC is nothing but a Republican campaign organization. A fraud.

Roy Jacobsen, President of the Loudoun Environmental Council marched up to the BoS podium and presented a list of 9011 properties affected by the proposed Chesapeake Bay Preservation Ordinance.   He was quoted in the Leesburg Today.

“Staff was asked for a list of impacted parcels caused by the implementation of the CBPO. They said it would take two to three weeks…Then they said four to six months. Here’s a list,” Jacobsen said. “We had our engineers using the county’s GIS system compile this. This calls to question whether the county is trying to provide this list or not… is it just incompetence or is it a cover up?”

Continue reading →

Thank you President Obama – Osama is no more

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(Great guest post by our friend, and veteran, Tony, I have edited it a bit for clarity – P13)

I was working in the Pentagon as a Department of the Army Civilian on 9/11 and lost two friends and know a retired army officer who is now a legislator in Texas who was severely burned that day.  I also know:

1.  that Osama bin laden (from Saudi Arabia) was behind these attacks.  In fact as I was evacuating the Pentagon I heard two Army officers say that “Osama did this”.

2. that President G.W. Bush said that we wanted Osama “Dead or Alive” as they used to say in the Wild West. (but never could catch him)

3. that somehow  Osama got away from us in the Tora-Bora region of Afghanistan.

5. that Osama had no connection with Sadaam of Iraq but for whatever reason we attacked Iraq and lost thousands of troops dead or wounded/mentally and physically.

6. that we have  spent trillions of dollars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

7. that I am proud to have been a member of the military and that the SEALS were outstanding!

8. that President Obama  made the right call NOT to release pictures of a dead Osama.  It serves no useful purpose and could incite those misguided folks who support Osama to riot in the streets or attack us or our allies.  It is enough to know that Justice has been done and fulfilled President Bush’s promise to bring Justice to the Terrorists (As President Bush said after 9/11 “We will bring the Terrorists to Justice or Justice to the Terrorists”).

9. that our current  president, Barack Obama, has what it takes to be a leader and our Commander-in-Chief.

10. that we need to THANK our Department of Defense  and our commander-In-Chief for keeping our promises.

Now if we could only get Congress to sing God Bless America on the steps of the Capitol as they did after 9/11!

A School System Family

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(This Post was written on Saturday by School Board member Robert Ohneiser after attending a LCPS employee’s funeral, but I neglected to post it up until now. I sincerely apologize for the delay. Thank you Bob for your contribution! – P13)

Can you really have a family of four thousand members most of whom are teachers?

I am now a believer. This morning (Saturday – P13), the Christ the Redeemer Church was filled to the brim with teary eyed family members which I believe were mostly teachers and administrators of the Loudoun County School System. As a school board member I attended the funeral of Laurie McDonald out of respect/admiration for her contribution to our community over some 38 years.

While listening to the positive comments by her peers regarding the fun they had at principal meetings I realized that school board members have been denied access to such meetings even if we promise to sit quietly on the side of the room to observe. Not only are school board members denied such access to the information flow among the leaders of the school sytem but now I realize that as a person of interest I had been denied the opportunity to see the McPrincipals in action. (McManus, McGinley and McDonald). Perhaps being able to watch the leaders of the school system is such a way might have allowed a better chance to viscerally appreciate what this wonderful woman brought to her job everyday. The setting today was impressive and I am convinced the teachers of Loudoun County have formed a bond that even death has a tough time breaking.

If I have the privilege of serving for another term on the school board I am going to revisit the level of transparency with which the school system is run and ask for a vote of the new members to allow any of us at any time to have access to management meetings. With a student population fast approaching 70,000, an employee base of nearly 10,000 with a yearly budget approaching $800 Million one has to start to question if school board members can really stay engaged in their representative responsibilities by having the primary source of their information delivered through one person’s perspective.

I was very proud of our school system today because at its heart are people who are truly caring of each other and of our children just like a good family would.

The Cost of Losing Union Strength

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There was a time when “charity” meant helping those who had fallen to calamity — sudden illness, accident or misfortune to prevent productive work, to such an extent that the social safety net could not hold at bay tragic loss. More recently, however, I notice that appeals to donate (which come at an ever-increasing rate) are for aid to the “working poor.” Food, clothing, shelter, child care, scholarships. How is it that we are in a position of being asked to constantly and personally subsidize families who are working full time? And who is the real beneficiary of our generosity? Does it bother you that we are being asked to privately make up the difference between what a worker is earning and what it takes to actually stay decently alive? That donated difference equals additional profits to those who then control political campaigns and public policy with their affluence.

What choice do we have? To write public policy that requires a “living wage,” means higher prices for goods and services, so we pay as we choose to purchase. To refuse to donate to charity means that we will increasingly live in a social order that will become chaotic as the least among us are unable to both work and provide for healthy family life. So we will increase our portfolios on the misery of others, or upon the appeals to “charity.” If we truly believe that hard honest work should be rewarded in a capitalist society, then we might want to seriously rethink our attitudes toward unions. Just hoping (and culturally demanding) that parents who have to work two jobs to pay the rent will be there to nurture and provide adequately for children is simple fantasy.

“With union membership declining, workers are less able to demand and win a fair share of the economic pie. The “union effect” on pay is dramatic: unionized workers earn 20 percent more in wages and 28 percent more in total compensation than non-union workers. The beneficial effects of unions sometimes extend even to non-union employees because their employers tend to improve pay in order to compete for workers. For example, a high school graduate whose workplace is not unionized but whose industry is 25 percent unionized is paid 5 percent more than similar employees in less unionized industries.” – Economic Policy Institute

I know unions are not perfect. What is? But their demise is creating a permanent underclass that we will continue to pay for, one way or another.

District 4 is Now the Jennie Dean District

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March 24, 2011
Dear friends,
 
I am pleased to tell you that District 4 is now the Jennie Dean District.   The vote by the Board of Supervisors stimulated much discussion; but in the end, the supervisors decided to go along by a wide margin.  As a result, probably for the first time in the history of Virginia, and certainly in Loudoun, a district has been named after an African-American!   Loudoun leads the way, again! 
 
Just returned from the victory party.  It feels great being part of creating something not only all African-Americans can be proud of, but also all Virginians.  But the real praise rests with the Baptist Prosperity Church, its Pastor and the children and mothers who came tonight, one of whom was the oldest living descendant of Jennie Dean, a woman in her nineties who felt it important to lobby for an historical vote.  They set up their own rally, created home-made signs, sent emails, and called around the county and the region to build support.  They were the true victors, making this a grass-roots effort, and that’s the way it should have been.  I have no idea of what party any of them are and never asked.  This was about the people, about doing the right thing, not about party.
 
To get to this point of course required a lot of preparation by a lot of people, as well as discussions with the Library of Virginia in Richmond, the Virginia Historical Society, and the Black History Committee at the Balch Library, all coordinated and led by the members and friends of the Prosperity Baptist Church, especially Reverand Lawson, and true progressives around the county and region.  Kelly Burk of  Leesburg led off this evening on a very positive tone with a discussion of the historical facts and significance related to the vote.  One of the things I am particularly proud of was how bi-partisan the effort was.  In my case, I contacted all of the Supervisors, including Republicans and Independents.  Though the financial well-being of the church was a campaign project (which did very well), I worked as a private citizen, not as a candidate, to advance the name change for District 4.  Of course, anything a candidate does is considered “political” by someone, so it was also wonderful to hear Sally Kurtz in a loud, strong voice of reason, with beauty, intelligence and passion, remind all who might doubt, that this effort by so many people was the best kind of politics, something to be proud of.   She also rightly reminded us that it was the kind of politics one runs to, not from.  Only someone very shallow of character could think otherwise.  Jim Burton, Andrea McGimsey and Kelly Burk were also brilliant in their support.  Even Eugene Delgaudio rose to provide a wonderful, warm tribute.  
 
Success was indeed bi-partisan and in the best tradition of what politics is supposed to be about —  helping people and doing the right thing.   That’s our Loudoun, our Virginia, and now our Jennie Dean District, and this was a very important moment in my life, for sure.
 
Have a great evening.  
 
Larry Roeder

Workers have rights

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Originally published in the Purcellville Gazette, March 4, 2011
By John P. Flannery

Con Ed Union Workers - "Dig we must for a growing New York."

My grandfather, Charles Flannery, worked for Con Edison in New York, and was a member of a union; his union negotiated for working conditions, for pay, sick and retirement benefits.

My paternal grandmother had her children at home in her walk up apartment in the Bronx.

My grandfather told me, “we’d never have been able to raise your father and his brother and his sisters if it wasn’t for the union at Con Ed; we couldn’t have bargained for these wages and benefits individually.”

Ultimately, my father and his brother worked for Con Ed, and so did my younger brother Charles for a time.

Edward Bennet Williams, a great criminal defense lawyer, used to say to his clients, “We all hang together, or we all hang separately.” Continue reading →

Where do we go from here?

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Our Pres, wants to end DADT but our VA Senators are against it. (surveys show that 75% of Americans are in favor of ending DADT. As a retired LTC myself I know that there are gays and lesbians serving in the military now as they have been for the 20 years I wore the uniform, so what is the issue?)

Our pres. wants to put Defense dollars where they will do the most good and wants to follow SEC Def’s suggestions but our two Dem Senators are against closing the no longer needed base in Norfolk VA. that the Sec Def wants to close.

This is part of the reason why I am frustrated.  I also want everyone to know that I do not consider what I am doing as “in-fighting”, I prefer to call it “soul searching and reflection”. For example, why did our base stay home in this past election????

Our house of Rep.. under the leadership of Nancy Pelosi has passed many good pieces of legislation that were stymied in the Senate so we need to get the rules changed so that veto-proof voters are not needed for EVERY piece of legislation and we need to get a true “Campaign finance” law in place . For example, Citizens United can now donate MILLIONS without disclosing where the money came from.  However, as was noted to day by Rep. Bill Pascell (D) NJ., we did not do enough to work on JOBS!

I agree with E.J. Dionne, jr. who wrote in the 15 November issue of the Washington Post that the “lame duck” “congress has an opportunity to “test whether Democrats have spines made of Playdough and whether President Obama has decided to pretend that capitulation is conciliation”