spotlight on Taking Back Sunday

conspiracy?

I heard this on the TV news a couple of days ago then yesterday read this article from the Washington Post. The FDA is banning generic drugs made in India, for what amounts to no good reason. The article says,

"The Food and Drug Administration said yesterday that it was halting importation of 28 drugs made by the giant Indian generic drug maker Ranbaxy Laboratories because of manufacturing deficiencies at two of the company's plants.

Douglas Throckmorton, a physician with the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, said there was "no evidence of harm to consumers" from drugs made at the Dewas and Paonta Sahib plants, both in India. He called the import ban 'a preventive action.'

FDA officials said numerous tests of the drugs have found they are not contaminated, sub-potent or unsafe and urged patients taking the drugs not to stop."

There something really fishy about this to me. Here's how I see it: There is nothing wrong with these drugs. They are cheaper than American brand name drugs. American drug companies aren't happy. So they're pressuring the FDA to have these Indian drugs kept out of the country. Conspiracy theory? Maybe. But it also might be true. The pharmaceutical lobby is one of the most powerful ones in the nation. They put lots of pressure on government officials. Why? In short so they can continue to make money. Greed makes me sick.

You might think I'm being paranoid, but it wouldn't be the first time a special interest lobby has changed governmental policy. How about the food pyramid and the USDA's recommendation for healthy eating? Take milk for example - it does a body good right? That's what the adverts say right? And how much milk and dairy products does a person need? What about meat, how much do we need? Are people actually being encouraged to eat healtheir? Is the food pyramid based on what we need or is it based on what special interests groups have paid the government to promote?

Here are a couple of articles if you're interested in reading more:
http://www.oligopolywatch.com/2004/09/12.html
http://www.nutritionalconcepts.com/Articles/USDA%20Won%27tTellYou.htm
http://www.rollcall.com/issues/49_35/vested/3114-1.html?type=printer_friendly
http://nutrition.suite101.com/article.cfm/problems_with_the_food_pyramid

I'm not a conspiracy theorist, but I do believe that money runs our government and that legislators aren't concerned about the best interests of our nation, but themselves. There, that's my soapbox for today.

beach

Last week we had the great privilege of having a vacation at the Jersey shore. Here's a pic of Adelle (L) and Carmen (R) getting doused by the waves:

Ordinary Radicals

The Ordinary Radicals - Trailer from Jamie Moffett on Vimeo.

serious and not so serious

First the serious. On any given night there are about 73,000 homeless people on in L.A. In a really awesome article called "Finding L.A.'s Hidden Homeless" the LA Times describes the things homeless people do to meet their housing needs.

Next, the not so serious. This has to be my dream cheeseburger - the Krispy Kreme bacon cheddar burger:

my kind of greeting cards

Finally! Greeting cards that truly express the way feel and that I would gladly spend money on. They're called "Unmentionables" and are described like this on the web site:

"Are you too nice to tell jerks how you really feel? Then let these little monsters do it for you. With this handy booklet in your pocket, shabby waiters, chatty strangers and loud-cell-phone-talkers have finally met their match."

heavy metal monk

This is no joke. Brother Cesare Bonizzi, also known as Frate Cesare and Fratello Metallo ("Brother Metal") really is a heavy metal monk. He is an Italian monk who got 'converted' to heavy metal. How crazy is this? Follow this link to the BBC news story where they interview him and his bandmates. And check out his website. Its weird but he he actually kind of fits into the metal scene (in a weird monkish kind of way) with his fat beard and long robe. Too cool! Watch the YouTube video below (its all in Italian, but shows him performing). Who says monks can't ROCK!!!