Beating a Dead Horse

No, not that one...

This one...

Over on Pam's Musings, we were treated to her voyage to the dark side - namely the Wal-Mart. A lively little tale of her reluctant visit to a store that she reviles. So, leave it up to me to pour a little kerosene on the fire.
One of the things that surprised her (and me) was that the Wal-Mart sells organic vegetables. Cool, right? Wrong.

This cool little article was linked from the Huffington Post, and details how the boys from Arkansas (pronounced are-can-saw) are under investigation over trying to pass off non-organic foods as organic. Hoo-boy! How 'bout them prices!
It's a shame, because some people were excited by the prospect, only to find out that they were duped.
Sorry to burst your free-range bubble, but something in the back of my sick mind told me that I should do a little web search over "Wal-Mart organic vegetables". Viola (pronounced woa-la!) ... there it was. And here's the ... ahem ... meat of the piece:

It has been accused of using misleading labelling that is "tantamount to consumer fraud" by an organic farming watchdog, the Cornucopia Institute. The body has handed its complaints to the US Department of Agriculture (USDA).

The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection is also conducting an investigation into whether Wal-Mart is placing "natural" produce on shelf space labelled as containing organic items.

The Cornucopia Institute claimed to have found dozens of examples of Wal-Mart's mislabelling products - from "all- natural yogurt" to soya milk "made from organic soybeans".

It isn't a very long article, but this one is. It details how some farmers are a little anxious that Wal-Mart is presumably going organic. They think that they will use their market strength to drive down prices that farmers get for their produce. Selling organic food cheap at the Wal-Mart is another way that they can use their pricing and purchasing strength to put the screws to the little guy (pronounced f***ing them in the ass). Put down your rice cakes and check it out. I can't say I was surprised.

My advice: Check out Whole Foods Market or Wild Oats Markets. There are stores in most metropolitan areas, and the foods are real and organic. Or, better yet, find a local produce stand. You can't beat local.

So, there ya go ... one more reason to hate the world's largest retailer. As if you needed another one. I'm here to help.

But, hey ... look on the bright side... that Miss Oklahoma is OK, ain't she?

Lauren Nelson of Oklahoma models her swimsuit during the Miss America 2007 pageant at the Aladdin Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, January 29, 2007. Nelson was named as Miss America 2007.

Can you walk on the beach in heels?

The Philosophy

Writing is like farting. Your own always smells pretty good, no matter how much it might stink to other people. So, in that spirit, thanks for letting me stink up the place while ...

(a) This headache and mild feeling of uneasiness goes away...

or

(b) It graduates into the full case of the flu that I suspect is coming, flu shot notwithstanding.

Meanwhile...
The Ice Balls are Coming. And you thought I was goofy last week, didn't ya?

TAMPA, Fla. - Raymond Rodriguez was changing a tire when an 18-inch chunk of ice plummeted from the sky with a piercing whistle, then a metallic crunch. The ice chunk crushed the roof of a nearby Ford Mustang on Sunday morning. No one was hurt. "It's not an act of God," said Carlos Javage, whose son's car was wrecked by the mystery ice. "This came off an airplane."

Aw, c'mon Carlos ... airplanes are made by God, right? If you're really religious, like the Bible says we are, then isn't everything an act of God? Everything except the Republican National Convention, which I'm pretty sure is presided over by the Prince of Darkness or Dick Cheney. The good news is, that the FAA said that since the chunk wasn't blue, it meant that it didn't come from an airplane's lavatory. Now, there's an act of God.

And...
I'm not so sure that the euthanization of Barbaro is a complete heart-breaker for me. After all, they did everything they could. Horses are pretty much like potatoes on toothpicks to begin with, and running them around a track for our entertainment is a bit risky at best. Mostly, it was sad for the owners, who stood to make a lot of money off of Barbaro's sperm, so I can understand their sadness. Their big payday was spoiled by ... an act of God.
Anyway, I've covered it, so there isn't much sense to re-smelling old farts.

Besides, there are more important things in the world of the humans. Stop by My Thinking Spot and let kara know that the Bloggers are thinking about her. She's taking a little break, but that doesn't mean that we have to stop thinking about her. In the grand scheme (which is the only scheme that matters) headaches, ice chunks and dead horses really aren't that important.