Stop The Senate From Eroding Organic Standards

Hey, I am a big fan of non genetically modified foods, and non pesticide laden organically grown produce... I just got this notice that the sneaky claws of big industry are getting Bill Frist & the good ol' boys in D.C to potentially erode and weaken the carefully defined standards for what amounts to organic food production.

This week, the U.S. Senate will vote on a "rider" to the 2006 Agriculture Appropriations Bill that will reduce control over organic standards from the National Standards Board and put this control in the hands of politically compromised federal bureaucrats and former industry lobbyists that now work at the USDA .

With everyone distracted by other more high profile federal business, the Senate may quietly reopen and subvert the federal statute that governs U.S. Organic standards (the Organic Food Production Act a.k.a OFPA). Unfortunately most Senators seem to be listening to industry lobbyists who would benefit from weakened standards. If you are interested in ths issue send a quick letter to your Congressperson online here: http://www.organicconsumers.org/sos.cfm


Organic consumer activists contend that the USDA cannot be trusted, as their directors are appointees with interests who previously proposed in 1997-98 that genetic engineering, toxic sludge, and food irradiation would be OK on organic farms. Their vision is opposed to truly organic farming, and the chemical industry linked bureaucracy and factory farming industry lackeys at the USDA suggested in 2004 that heretofore banned pesticides, hormones, tainted feeds, and animal drugs would be OK to use again.

Activist keeping an eye on the issue would prefer to let the organic community and the National Organic Standards board resolve the differences over issues like synthetics and animal feed internally, and then proceed to a open public comment period.

In the past, grassroots mobilization and mass pressure by organic consumers have been able to stop the USDA and Congress from degrading organic standards. This time Washington insiders tell us that the fix is already in. So we must take decisive action now. Contact your Senators, sign the petition and send it on to everyone you know who cars about the quality of foods and environment


So before ya download the MP3'z below, do me a lil favor will ya:

* Call the toll free U.S Capital Switchboard here: 877-762-8762

* or send a quick note to your Congressperson online here:
http://www.organicconsumers.org/sos.cfm


Anyhow, today, I'm recovering from a busy weekend, and sitting in a control room , overseeing the videotaping of two mock trials at a lawschool...



Ironically, despite all the mics, gear, racks etc. my lowly win 98 control room computer that operates remote cameras, has no sound card, so I cannot hear any of the wonderful MP3z floating around in the blogosphere... so I am instead enraptured with the comments of law professors explaining the finer nuances of cross examinations to students...

I wish I was cranking these tunes yer about to hear ...

Here's one of the grand old men of alternative rock, Mr. Lou Reed performing with Soul Asylum at the inaugural concert for the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame at Municipal Stadium in Cleveland Oh, recorded September 2, 1995.



Lou Reed w/ Soul Asylum - Sweet Jane



Texan born and now Frisco's fave Alt. freakish chanteuse on the loose from her Anti Records release Catalpa... recorded somewhat lo-fi stylee in an SF living room, this 2003 breakthrough got her named the " hillbilly Billie Holiday" in the U.K press and paved the way for her latest and more finely tuned effort Escondida.

Jolie Holland - Black Stars


Among the folks who helped bring Jolie's music to the wider world are a musical community of underground music making misfits in Frisco including guys like her producer Lemon DeGeorge and his studio Crib Nebula.

There are so many wonderful creative people intermingling and performing in the unknown zones of the Bay Area music scene that it is truly hard to describe or chart em all. Her drummer Dave Mihaly is a real character and I first saw him in a jazzy psychedelic combo that ruled the late 80's underground basement jazzoid scene, and they were called Bardo. Here's a track from the 1993 Quaternity CD by his next band that followed in Bardo's footsteps with some of the same personnel, The After The End of The World Quartet. They were a bit more mellow and used to play weekly at a bar I used to do sound at and sure enough, you don't know what you got til it's gone. As a drummer, Mr. Mihaly has played in many fine, and often obscure groups including Mushroom & Rent Romus' LORDS OF OUTLAND . I had the fine, warm and distinct pleasure to spend a late night/early morning bonfire jam with him and several others including the always amazing Jules Beckman on SF's Ocean Beach just prior to returning home for the Sept 11th 2001 WTC news hitting all our worlds. It's so strange to of all that horror & evil existing in the world, when there are also so many great musicians and wild untamed free spirited souls abounding as well...

Check out this track Dave composed for the After The End Of The World Quartet

ATEOTWQ - Shiny Noise



Here's one of Dave's other projects, the group Mushroom, that features him,saxophonist/flutist Erik Pearson, Pat Thomas and a cast of whomever they require.

Mushroom - Blues for Bobby Seale

Recently Pat Thomas put together a new CD on his Black Beauty label that features Caroleen Beatty fronting the Mushroom collective as she sings some obscure funky 60's & 70's covers from Bill Withers, Pentangle, Jefferson Airplane, and Ginger Baker’s Airforce and even "Let The Sunshine In" from Hair . huh?

maybe we'll feature that some other time...


Occasional Rancid keyboardist Vic Ruggiero fronts the The Slackers, a great traditional style ska band who give a rhythmic spin to a classic son of New Jersey fave...


The Slackers - Wanted Dead or Alive ( Bon Jovi cover )

The late and almost mythical Nina Simone is Feelin' Good, and this track has lotsa others doing the same, thanx to new exposure on HBO's Six Feet Under and via the Verve Remix Project.

Nina Simone - Feelin' Good





I'll let a random few hundred of my favorite lurkers & stray visitors suck these tracks up via search engines and whatnot, and we'll see ya later in the week...

toodles...