CAFO's Conscentrated Animal Feeding Operations

     I will never be past the fact that these operations are heart wretchedly inhumane, but worse than that is the living conditions the animals exist in. The unhealthy existence of disease in the animals, and over-medication post a real concern for our future health. Super-bugs, flesh eating bacterial infections, and antibiotic resistant viral infections are brewing up in these farms; They will  spread a future pandemic and it is just a matter of time. I understand that without these farms there would not be enough food for everyone, but looking at the negative global impact they are making makes it frightening. Even though the USDA is slow (to say the least) at responding. The question is, "Are we cutting off our nose despite our face"? Are we not looking hard enough into future preservation, but rather focusing on a quick profit now?
      The farming industry is attempting to iron out its communication problems, or lack there of  is stated by (Mundy & Thompson, 2010).  The recent egg recall where over a half a billion eggs were recalled, is a great example of how relaxed government regulations are. The conditions were labeled as "critical" by one USDA inspector, but this was not reported. Oh my gosh! What is an inspectors job and why are they there?
The real concern and question are how many CAFO's has this been taking place in? Who regulates all of the farms out of the United States? We get meat and dairy from them too!  This is ridiculous...
 I have been doing a lot of research on my project paper and recently purchase a book titled Inside the Outbreaks, The Elite Medical Detectives of the Epidemic Intelligence Service by Mark Pendergrast. Mr. Pendergrast has been so kind as to share some valuable information with me that can be found in my paper.

Mundy, A., & Tomson, B.,  Egg Inspectors Fail to Raise Alarms (2010)  Wallstreet Journal Article under Politics, September 10th. retrieved 9/26/2010 
http://www.anh-usa.org/factory-farming

It Is a Mad World

Of all the topics to choose from in my Composition class, I once again  am back on Factory Farming. I am not a vegetarian, but I am an animal lover. I am putting my feelings aside this time, rehearsing my Serenity Prayer, and focusing on the health concerns rather than the inhumane aspect if; I truly am empathetic about  the growing health concerns. So I ask myself one again, why am I back here? The hardening fact is that misinformation in very unsettling to me, and  I personally do not like the twisted truth.  Another maddening aspect is the amount of grocery stores in America. Within a 3 mile radius of my home in California, not only are there 20 different grocery store chains, there are numerous duplicates. Where is all this food coming from and what the heck is in it? When I say food I mean digestible consumable ingredient including chips, candy, mystery sandwiches, drinks.....oh my gosh...lets not forget all the fast food places! Now...do you get my drift?
What ever happen to home made, from the farm to the table?

Friendships Are Personal

It is ironic that I am going to write on friendship, yet I tend to be reclusive.
I have come to realize, based on past experiences that as a general rule people do not speak about there friends, but rather have a relationship with them. In observation, why is it then that people are offended when you mention God and Jesus? Are we programed to think of believers as desperadoes, or are we focused too much on what others think? What about this: A conversation takes place and Jose's name comes up, how is his name intertwined in the story? When we talk about Jesus or God' are there names presented the same way, or is His name presented with bias? If we read a Biography on a person's life then act the way that person did does that make him/her our friend? So then if you were to talk about ( the person in the biography) in a conversation, presenting him/her as your friend, wouldn't that seem a bit odd? Do you see where I am going with this? Perhaps then, Jesus would be a person/spirit others would want to get to know if our level of  presentation were different. Friendships are personal, and if we love the way someone has lived in the past, then walk the walk. We believers our blessed with gifts of glory when we do this, as I have many a testimony. I am not a person to brag but I am truly thankful!
Have a wonderful day!
Love Suzanne

Being Alone...A Choice or Are We Following?

I recently visited my mother and father who both are in their seventies now. Even though it was wonderful to see them a sadness came over me.  Four o'clock in the morning my mother makes coffee, sits in the recliner with her blanket and falls back asleep. She wakes back up when my father rustles to get his morning coffee, then proceeds to makes his breakfast. They both sit at the table in silence while my father watches his news. He gets up and goes back to his office while she cleans up; every morning. I was with them for 35 days and nothing about their routine changed.  They do not commingle with friends, go to the market together, walk together or anything. At least they didn't for the 35 days I was their.
   When I visited my grandmother over 25 years ago she was alone, in her recliner with the television remote control. She lived alone in a Florida community with plenty of other seniors and even a shuttle service. Still she sat at home alone, no friends, repeating the same routine everyday.
      I sit alone at home reading, writing and doing housework while my teenage son is in school. One of my daughters is living on her own now, the other is almost eighteen. My husband works either on his computer or away from home every week. Although I push myself to meet people in this new location I surrender to being alone in my home. I got up early this morning, made coffee and am fighting falling back to sleep again before I have to make breakfast for my men. This is clearly a cycle that I am going to break, but is there a gene I am missing here or will my children be lonely too?