today's links

1. Today's NYT article about E. coli bacteria in ground beef is why I will never eat a hamburger unless I know exactly where that burger came from. It's scary and disgusting and is just about enough to turn me vegetarian again.

2. But on the upside, the government is actually supporting the local food movement. USDA has launched a program called "Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food" that, among other things, encourages people to eat locally and provides money for things like farmers' markets. I find this very encouraging, to say the least.

3. On that note, here's the NPR story on the new USDA initiative...

4....and here's the requisite follow-up interview with a gal who thinks the answer to bringing fresh produce to all Americans is to - get this - open MORE WAL-MART STORES in urban areas like Chicago. There's got to be another solution, don't you think?

5. Last, but not least, what should we be more afraid of: the flu, or the flu shot? Apparently, some scientists in Canada have a study that is currently under peer review that shows a person who has the regular seasonal flu vaccine is actually twice as likely to get the H1N1 virus. Only Canada is taking this seriously, and several Provinces have suspended flu vaccination programs until the population is inoculated against the swine flu first. First thing tomorrow I'm canceling our flu shot appointments, which were supposed to be Wednesday afternoon. And then I guess I'll keep my fingers crossed.

Comments

kclblogs said…
i'm more afraid of the flu shot, which you probably already guessed.
Thanks for the warning. Due to J's myriad health issues, he is in the group of people who absolutely MUST have both a H1N1 flu shot and the seasonal shot (people with asthma must NEVER have the inhaled version, for those who didn't know and might need to know). I now know to wait until he's had the H1N1 before I schedule the seasonal. Due to said health considerations, the flu could be especially deadly for J. Thanks!
Caffeine Girl said…
I can't get over that e-coli story. Very scary. I wonder if the meat is safer at Whole Foods?
Suze said…
You know what, Caffeine Girl? Even Whole Foods had a recall a little while back, maybe a year or two ago. I think it's probably more unusual there, though. Me, I'm sticking to small, local farmers from whom I buy directly.

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