Sandra Williams's Blog
Posted by Sandra Williams
My daughter and I have been experimenting here with different ideas and organic foods to feed babies.
- Sweet potatoes almost always go over well and all you need to do is fire them in the oven and scoop out the inside once baked. Instant baby food!
- Bananas are also super easy to mash up and you could do it without a food mill.
- Avocados are nutritious, mild, yummy and one of the earlier foods you can offer a baby.
- Apples are an old favorite and when you make applesauce yourself you know it's fresh and does not have preservatives or added sugar.
- Carrots are easy to blend after cooking although they usually require a little water so they're not a thick paste.
Later, once your baby has tried them all you can combine ingredients into a stew and leave a little texture so they can learn how to chew up the bits.
We eventually blended up just about everything we ate when my children were babies and stored them in ice cube trays. They were later transferred into freezer bags.
I had a cookbook but it's really not necessary since you're using basic ingredients although it is important not to overcook baby's food so that nutrients aren't lost.
I wasn't worried about organic food back then but maybe I should have been. I still wonder if the hormones and chemicals in the food was part of the reason why one of my children developed so early.
For baby food recipes and a solid food guide for making your own baby food see WholesomeBabyFood.com
Posted by Sandra Williams
Ipperwash Provincial Park is being returned to the Chippewas of Kettle and Stony Point First Nations. The dispute has been going on since 1942 when the land was obtained for a military camp called Camp Ipperwash. By 1995 it came to a head with natives occupying their land again and building barricades to protect it.
Dudley George was shot and killed 12 years ago protesting the land dispute. "I think he would be pleased. He paid the ultimate price and is not here to enjoy," George's brother, Sam, said Thursday.(CTV.ca news staff, Dec.20, 2007)
The provincial government is forming a committee and meeting with aboriginals to figure out how to proceed with the land transfer. There has been some environmental damage along with damaged relations between First Nations and the government so both need to be healed.
It’s unfortunate that Dudley George died during the dispute but his spirit, his family and the land remains to honor his memory.
For more information read Ontario Returning Ipperwash Park to Natives.
Posted by Sandra Williams
According to a new report from the Environmental Investigation Agency, Wal-Mart is using timber obtained through illegal logging for some of their furniture. (Attention Wal-Mart Shoppers: How Wal-Mart’s Sourcing Practices Encourage Illegal Logging and Threaten Endangered Species EIA Report, 2007)
- China provides up to 84% of Wal-Mart's wood furniture. Unfortunately many of their sources are allegedly obtained through illegal logging according to the report and Russian law. China obtains much of their wood from the Russian far east which is where endangered tigers breed. If the tigers don't get killed from damage to the forests, they're poached for body parts used in traditional Chinese medicine.
- Destroying protected forests affects people, plants and animals. People are killing each other over the timber and it's often used to pay for war.
- It does sound as though Wal-Mart should have asked more questions on where the wood originated from. It appears that the price was more important than how it was obtained.I think that Wal-Mart will be much more careful in their future dealings with suppliers and manufacturers and hopefully do away with "no questions asked" policies.
See full report at: Environmental Investigation Agency
Related Article: Preserving Tropical Forests
Sources: New Evidence From EIA Undercover Investigation Highlights Wal-Mart’s Blind Eye to Illegal Logging WASHINGTON, Dec. 12, 2007 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/, Environmental Investigation Agency, 2007
Posted by Sandra Williams
Megabus.com is giving away 100,000 free trips! You can reserve your free trip until January 16, 2008 and book it for up to 45 days in advance.
- Megabus is a Chicago based company that offers service to 12 other Midwest cities. (Ann Arbor, Bloomington-Normal, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Detroit, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Minneapolis, Milwaukee, St. Louis and Toledo.) They also run in Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Millbrae, Oakland, Sand Diego, San Francisco, San Jose and San Ysidro.
Filling one seat on a full coach is equivalent to taking 56 cars off the road. The end result would be 3,850 fewer pounds of carbon emissions for every 100 miles according to Megabus.
"Megabus.com wants to increase awareness about reducing carbon emissions by encouraging bus travel," said Dale Moser, megabus.com president and CEO. "If giving away free seats will increase environmental awareness, then we are willing to do our part for the environment."(Chicago, Dec.3, 2007)
- If you want a free seat, log on to www.megabus.com, select your destination and departure date. Don’t forget the promotion code which is WIN2008. Even if there are no spots left, you’ll receive a discount.
I wish they would run something like that around here. We do get a free ride on the city bus here if it’s a smog day.
Posted by Sandra Williams
I just watched a special on CBC about the Men of the Deeps who are famous former miners that formed a choir. They reminisced about the history of mining in Cape Breton and how horrible the conditions were. Even with all the risks many miss mining because of the camaraderie and bonds they made that will never be broken.
- Many of the men had enormous adjustments because they had to move to obtain work after the mines closed. Some of them also had to learn a new skill at a later age. One 42 year old man got hired on as a call center representative. He's amused at the younger ones who talk as though they're smarter than him because of their computer skills.
Others told stories of lost relatives and sudden fatal explosions that killed friends. Another huge health risk many faced from all the coal dust in the air was black lung.
Here's part of the chorus of one of their catchy songs
"Dust in the air all through the mine.
It's concrete on your lungs and you're old before your time."
I also found a video of Men of the Deeps on YouTube. "Mining's a living. It's rough and it's tough. And being coal miners we're used to that stuff."
Related: Mining, Environment and Poverty
