My blog postings are usually pretty serious in nature so this Friday I decided to add something a little fun to mix things up (and added the “fun stuff” category).. Enjoy!See source for this code @ http://www.beautifulpixel.com/

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Now that with the help of consulting companies such as Saatchi and Saatchi S (formerly Act Now Production) and BluSkye working feverishly with Walmart to make them more sustainable, we can begin to feel somewhat good that positive change is starting to take hold at America’s most disliked company(at least in popular media). The one standout which I’m not sure what sort of consulting company will take to bring to the lighter side is Monsanto. That’s right, the first company to produce, market and sell the first GMO, the same Monsanto that makes the bovine growth hormone, the number on selling toxic herbicide Roundup and a number of other chemicals, the company that would prefer that Organic labeling of foods would just go away and if you didn’t already know, one of the chief chemical companies that made agent orange during the Vietnam war. In fact when it comes to any one company’s negative impact on the world, I’m not sure which of the two, Walmart or Monsanto(or pick your favorite oil/coal company), in their current path deserves to be in first place. This is a first of at least two post that I will be making about Monsanto. To start us out, I felt it would be fitting to provide you with this documentary on Monsanto that aired on the French TV On March 11. We’ll have to wait and see if it will ever make its way to the US. I think this video deserves to be watched and Monsanto deserves our undivided attention. If you can’t give it attention then perhaps send some loving thoughts and positive energy their way. After all, if Monsanto continues to proliferate the world with their patented GMO versions of what formerly used to be called plants, then our very existence and the health of our future generations “may” well be at stake. I say “may” because frankly neither I nor even Monsanto knows the true effects or safety of their products. If they do know, then they sure aren’t telling the general public. Companies such as Monsanto seem to be ill prepared to bring a level of awareness and consciousness to even begin to question their actions midstream between quarterly reports. Can a peaceful revolution be started at a company such as Monsanto to transform it into one which is more benevolent and at one with nature? We can only hope.

I had to re-read my last post[Link to previous post] another time to get in touch with the angst that was eating me from the inside ever since I wrote the post. I realized that what was bothering me was the fact that in my mind, as I was writing that post, I had demonized everyone in the biotech industry and made them all wrong. I recognized that I was making everything a bit too black or white. In my path to raise my consciousness, I have worked very hard to entertain the world of greyness. I know and knew then full well that not everyone in biotech is evil, nor is anyone who is looking to genetically modify corn, but it was nonetheless a great experience to see myself go to a place that I think we all go to in times when we need assurance for our point of view. My ego definitely took the best of me and wanted to protect my stance at the cost of truth. I ultimately believe there are no bad people in the world-at most misguided ones.

Now that I can write with a bit more presence and humility, I do want to point out that today we still as a species need to bring greater awareness to our acts in the name of progress and sustainability. I don’t know what is the right balance when it comes to bio-fuels, the subject of my last post. Do we want to see the earth, its resources in the form of the soil to be depleted so that our cars are fueled? Do we want to see the same pesticides and herbicides that have been devastating the farm lands of the world to be used once again in creating bio-diesel? Is this where food needs to be diverted to for progress? What is progress and who decides if we’ve attained it? I find in times like this it helps to listen to as many sides as possible. In the following excerpt, wisdom from indigenous people of the world is one such viewpoint I’d like to share with you.

Last week 3000 worldwide delegates met at the seventh session of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues where Bolivian President Evo Morales gave the keynote address. I wanted to provide you with an excerpt of an interview session with Democracynow.org and Evo Morales regarding bio-fuels:

[Link to entire interview - text and audio/video]

JUAN GONZALEZ(Interviewer): You have raised some criticisms of some other Latin American leaders. You didn’t name any, but it’s obvious to many that some of your questioning is directed at presidents like Lula of Brazil, who has pushed biofuels. Have you talked to President Lula about this? And what’s been his response, if you have?
PRESIDENT EVO MORALES: [translated] We have had discussions at summits of heads of states, sharing some of our experiences. I am certain that these presidents will understand the cry of the people of Bolivia, of the people of Latin America and the whole world, which wants to have more food and not more cars. First food, then if something’s left over, more cars, more automobiles. I think that life has to come first.
But the most important thing—and this is the first time that I find I’m in agreement with the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund—they’ve publicly stated that if food prices are going up, it’s precisely because of the biofuels question, and it has a major impact. So if we have these points of agreement, then we have an obligation to together explain and persuade these international organizations, together with the social movements, so as to be able to change the policies of some governments or some presidents.

I became aware of this story published April 8th in the BioFuelsJournal website [See Link] titled “Enzyme From Cow’s Stomach Allows Corn Stalks and Stover to be Utilized for Ethanol Production”. Ok, when I heard that fertile land is being used up for feed for the ethanol and bio-fuel industry, destroying forests, diverting farmers attention from growing food crop to fuel crops, increasing the price of food globally, I thought that was not very forward thinking and fraught with greed(not green) but this has to take the cake. Now scientists at Michigan State University have inserted a gene from a cow’s stomach that essentially breaks down the corn, removing the need for additional enzyme in the bio-fuel preparation. Where were these scientists during the last 2 or so decades when countless people and organizations around the world fought GMO’s not only because they are bad for human health but because of cross pollination and destruction of bio-diversity? I’m still amazed that in the name of profit, engineers and scientists overlook this very simple reality. The last thing we need is cross pollination of this newly engineered corn with corn in the food supply. It will make the diarrhea caused from the original batch of GMO corn taco shells that hit the supermarket to seem like a minor irritation. It is sad but today I’m seeing more and more signs of short-sighted thinking in the part of the “green”/clean-tech industry, overlooking natural processes in the name of CO2 reduction and access to the ballooning green investment money. We can do better.

[See my retraction] 

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It’s a refreshing day when you hear a stock market commentator talk about saving starving children around the world while relating this state of affairs to the dropping value of the US dollar. After seeing his Sunday video, I thought today was a fitting day to bring this particular commentator Don Harrold to your attention in case you haven’t heard of him(don’t be thrown off by his outfit of the day!).
As a long-time stock trader and not really a successful one at that, I have to say that today I am actively working very hard to figure out my relationship with the stock market in it’s current instantiation. I’m trying to consciously put a framework together by which I can feel comfortable with how my money lives and breaths within the “system”, not simply choosing to shift money from socially irresponsible to responsible companies but actually deciding whether the current Stock Market is aligned with my values and the aspirations I have for my money’s work in the world. By bringing this commentator to your attention today, I’m not suggesting that you listen to Don Harrold or take his advice on the stock market, in fact I am not. I simply want to point out a beautiful shift that I see where a new bread of stock market “players” are calling it the way it is, at least to a greater degree and possibly making an impact on those who are listening to them. I have particularly found Don’s comments on the economy, unfettered consumption, the banking and the US financial system, all refreshing because you don’t hear this slant in mainstream financial media(perhaps that’s the trade offs between broadcasting via YouTube vs. Network TV). The reasons why I choose not to endorse or recommend him are 1)I don’t know him well enough 2)I have only been watching him from a purely analytical perspective and not for trading purposes and 3)because much of what I find that he gripes about is a direct result of the industry in which he is making a living at. Ultimately he is helping people “take advantage” of the market, ironically an institution which he feels is not all that healthy. He’s definitely in a different class than the CNBC-Cramer’s of the world and clearly on a more wholesome path. In future posts I hope to talk more about my views of the stock market. Nonetheless, if you are trader, he may be worth looking into(check out his other videos on YouTube.. you will be entertained) … if you’re out of the market, this may give you some hope that there are individuals doing their best to bring about positive changes in our financial systems, and at best give you motivation to go out and be the change yourself!

If you’ve looked at my list of favorite books on the site you’ll see “The power of now”, one of my all-time favorite books. As someone who never watches Oprah, I have to say that it came as a surprise to me to see these two icon’s come together for the start of a weekly event this past Monday covering Eckhart’s newest book “A new earth- Awakening to your life’s purpose”. I have to applaud them both for creating this forum. Oprah calls this the most important and exciting thing she’s ever done in her life. It’s a 10 week, live webcast, every Monday evening starting March 3rd where users can participate via email and a live video conference with Oprah and Eckhart. I never though I’d ever endorse Oprah, but today, I would encourage anyone who feels ready and interested in learning a more present and authentic way of being in the world to check this out. Although Eckhart can be seen in person or on sites such as Youtube, I feel the combination of his presence on Oprah’s event shows the global hunger for connection to something greater than ourselves. The shear numbers who attended this event and the fact that his books “A new earth” and “The power of now” are at #1 and #2 on the New York Times best seller list for paperback, point to the fact that people are interested in topics other than Tom Cruise and more importantly that they are actively participating in the much needed shift in global consciousness. The first event drew 500-700k simultaneous viewers from approx. 140 countries. They claim this is the largest event of its kind hosted on line. It’s not exactly the record-breaking Live Earth concert that last year drew 55Million stream in 24 hours but it represents a great hope for humanity. To get more info and see the first segment go to the links below.

Link on Oprah.com to sign up to see the live event:
Link to Download the recorded past events:
Link to Eckhart Tolle’s Website:

FYI, in case you are in the San Francisco Bay area, Sunday March 16, 2008 is the only local showing. Check out www.tiburonfilmfestival.com

“Dalai Lama Renaissance” is an 80 minute documentary film about forty of the world’s most innovative thinkers who travel to India in the Himalayan Mountains to meet with the Dalai Lama to solve many of the world’s problems. What happened was surprising and unexpected.

You can read more about “Dalai Lama Renaissance,” including watching three different trailers for the film, here: www.DalaiLamaFilm.com

I have always found David Lynch’s films rather “interesting” to say the least. I’ve only just begun to truly appreciate his style and ways of being. Perhaps its because he’s been more vocal, accessible and showing that he is and artist of great depth. In the spirit of looking consciously at everything that we do, I felt it would be fun to bring to our awareness the impact of technology in how we digest and assimilate films today. As you’ll see from David’s commentary on the iPhone, I wonder if we truly are missing something by looking at ever smaller and smaller video screens. One argument may be that media in this format, specially in the era of YouTube, represents universal access to content in ways impossible in the past, ie. forget about getting the story or message if we can’t even get the film otherwise. However, having been moved by films either on TV or the big screen and coming away with a “message or learning”, I’m curious if one is able to extract such jewels equally when one isn’t fully immersed in the experience due to distractions within our visual periphery. At least one Hollywood director doesn’t think so!

I’m not sure if this is a blogger’s faux pas, but I felt compelled to write an addendum to the first True Cost of Beef post. Initially I kept out the following details with the hope of keeping the original post short but alas I’m having to expand on it after all. I hope this bit of information can give greater context as to why I wrote the original post.

The mother of the first post was a conversation I had with a good friend of mine during a green/sustainability event in December 2007 at the law firm of Hansen and Bridgett in San Francisco where Taylor Francis a student of Al Gore was giving a presentation on global warming. The conversation with my friend, who happens to be a sustainability consultant, centered around eating meat and it’s impact on global warming. His contention was that we needed to decrease or even eliminate our consumption of meat in order to reduce the CO2 emissions (Methane given off by cows and deforestation of land for cow pastures). He felt that changing our diet would be no issue given that many people today are happy and healthy being vegan. In fact Taylor Francis, during his presentation which was created by Al Gore and his team, included a suggestion for everyone to cut down on their meat consumption. After the story about the recalled beef hit the news, I not only felt absolute sadness for the animals that were miss-treated and needlessly slaughtered but I also felt that this bit of news may further increase the anti-cow farming sentiment from some in the green/sustainability movement.

Knowing how unhealthy most beef in the world is raised and farmed it comes as no surprise to me that it is also not the most environmentally sustainable. In order to have a sound judgment about meat consumption, we need to look at this practice both universally and holistically. I feel CO2 reduction is not a justification for people to go out and stop consuming animal food. To look at this issue consciously we can’t unleash blanket statement such as the ones that I heard that evening. If in our discourse, we continue to bundle together all cows, all cow farmers, all cow farming practices, and all our collective bad eating habits and diets, then we are surely going to come up with conclusions that are at best erroneous, and at worst counter-productive. Can reducing our consumption of meats reduce the impact on atmospheric CO2, absolutely. Is it not a more conscious act to reduce our consumption based on our understanding of our body and soul’s needs and genuine and heartfelt respect for animals vs. through fears of global warming? Specially if both routes have the potential to bring about the same desired effect of reducing CO2 emissions?

This week Hallmark/Westland Meat Packing Co. of Chino, Calif. recalled 143 million pounds of beef, only a half a months shipment, enough to feed 2 burgers to every single man, women and child in the United states. They got busted when the humane society shot videos(link to videos) of how their cows were being mistreated. How lucrative is the business of cattle raising that a company can recall that much hamburger and still have a healthy business(no pun intended given that their cows are the ones that are not healthy?).  I’m sure there are many in the vegan/vegetarian camp, or those who’d prefer we all did not consume meat so that we’d reduce our Co2 emissions, all  who are ready to point out how this latest tragedy is a reason why we all must stop or reduce our consumption of meat. I’m not a vegetarian or a vegan, though I appreciate the benefits that such a diet can bring to those that need it or that feel good in it, however I don’t think this is the event that should be used to have us kick the meat habit cold turkey (pun intended). The main reason being that I have seen how a diet complimented with the right amount of animal products(see the book Nourishing Traditions in my book list) can be very healthy. We have the analysis of some of the healthiest populations in the world to point to this findings.(see history of Dr. Weston Price).  Lastly we shouldn’t lump all beef/meat together when we are looking to make conclusions about this industry.

Today is a more fitting occasion to truly rethink the real cost of meat/beef. Beef that is most healthy for human consumption must possess the following qualities. First and foremost the cows must be humanely treated and humanely slaughtered. We know far too well the effect of our own psyche and spirit on our health and body, and that concept applies equally to the bodies of the pets we keep in our homes to the bodies and the flesh of farm animals that we raise. Secondly cows must be grass fed, not corn fed, not vitamin fed, not organic-feed fed, but simply allowed to graze freely on organically maintained grass pastures (to find out more about the benefits of grass fed beef and milk check out the Weston Price foundation’s website). Lastly they must not be treated by pharmaceutical interventions such as antibiotics and certainly not fed any hormones. What is the impact of this form of animal husbandry? My sense is that it will mean an increase in the cost of beef. We recognize this phenomena full well at the meat counter at our health food store or farmer’s market where grass-fed beef is a premium. Once beef is produced in this fashion, we wouldn’t be able to buy 99 cents Whoppers or 50 cents cans of chili. This reality alone will drive down the consumption of meat. The “slow food” movement is already creating a new market for locally and sustainably farmed animal meats.  Some may feel this is an elitist viewpoint and that I am proposing that only those who can afford to go to store such as Wholefoods should be able to buy beef. What I am putting out there is a belief that the meat supply at its current low price in the US is unhealthy by design. Unhealthy in how it is farmed, unhealthy in how it is pushed by fast food chains as a cheap caloric source and ultimately unhealthy in the final product we introduce into our bodies. The current glut of beef in the market is not providing our bodies with healthy food calories. A reduction of beef by volume yet available at a higher quality will ultimately mean healthier citizens, reduction in green-house gases, and a happier healthier world for both people and animals. This shift of course will not happen overnight. Most people are not going to quit their daily McDonald’s run for a bi-weekly run to Wholefoods for organic grass-fed beef. It will require education at all levels. Side note: as humanity collectively begins to raise its consciousness and our bodies reach higher and higher vibrational levels, much like some of the gurus in the east and the west who must maintain a vegan diet, it may well become necessary to reduce our consumption of highly energy-dense foods such as beef or other animal-foods but till that time, and till we can formulate a “completely” healthy vegan diet that does not include soy, some of us may still need nourishment from this preferably humanely derived food-source.