What's Behind the Pink Ribbon?

 With October approaching, the breast cancer awareness month, everyone is getting ready to put on those pink ribbons and raise money to find the cure for breast cancer. You would never guess it, but there's something sinister lurking behind that cheerful pink ribbon. Companies who sell products with the pink ribbon on it, are mostly just trying to cash in on other's misfortune, or worse yet contribute to the cause of the disease. You have to read the fine print to find out how much these companies claim to be donating, it could sometimes even be as small as a penny! To add to the irony, cosmetic companies who sell products with the pink ribbons on them often contain ingredients that can cause cancer! (For example, cosmetic companies offer makeovers at the hospital to cancer patients  using their cancer causing products!) There's a whole hidden history behind this pink ribbon that the industry wants to hide. Here is an amazing video called Pink Ribbons, Inc. which tells the true history behind this pink ribbon. So next month instead of buying a product with a pink ribbon on it, make it your business to stop supporting the very companies who help create this awful disease, and raise awareness about the despicable pinkwashing!   

Because Babies Care...

 Who doesn't love a baby? With their soft and chubby skin and such innocents, who could not care about them? Well it turns out there are people who hate babies, these people work for corporations who sell you your baby care products! Many products you would never have suspected, are actually loaded with toxic chemicals. Soap, shampoo, conditioner, and bubble bath could all contain cancer causing chemicals. Just think, you could be bathing your baby in a soup of toxins! The argument of the corporations is there is such a small amount of these chemicals that it couldn't possibly harm them, plus it's only getting put on the skin! In case you didn't know, our skin is our largest organ and anything put on it can easily be soaked into the blood stream. Here are some products to be wary of.

September-Ban Unsafe Personal Care Products

 It probably has never crossed your mind what might actually be in the beauty care products that you put on your body every day such as deodorant, make-up, and even soap and shampoo. If you have thought of this you most probably pushed it away immediately, because who wants to think about safety when that new blush or perfume is calling your name? The dangers of personal care products is an issue not many people want to talk about, let alone listen too, but it is of such importance that everyone is informed about it. The sad truth  is that we pay so little attention to what's actually in these products that the companies that make them could put almost anything in them, and they do! No one wants cancer or any other horrible sickness, so how come more people aren't angry about the chemicals added to these products? Now is the time to face your fears and look this problem in the eye instead of ignoring it!

E. Coli 0157:H7

There are many strains of E. coli (Escherichia coli) most of which are harmless, but there are a few that can cause serious illness, even death! E. coli 0157:H7 is one of the more dangerous E. coli bacteria and is a mutated version of the harmless E. coli bacteria. Infection of E. coli 0157:H7 may lead to hemorrhagic diarrhea and, more rarely, kidney failure. For the most part, people who have healthy immune systems are relatively safe from this bacteria and it will leave their bodies in 5-10 days. But in some people, particularly the very young and the elderly, this infection can cause Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (HUS), in which red blood cells are destroyed and the kidneys fail. About 2-7% of E. coli 0157:H7 infections lead to this complication which usually ends in death. Of the children who are infected by this strain of E. coli 5% get HUS and die. Those who survive are often left with permanent disabilities, such as blindness or brain damage. This is a common contaminate found mainly in ground beef which most probably came from factory farm raised cows who were slaughtered in an unhygienic processing plant. Why are dangerous E. coli outbreaks mainly linked to factory farm raised animals? All you have to do is see how these animals are treated their whole lives, living in feedlots, wallowing in their own and others feces, and eating the remains of other animals! No wonder these animals very flesh would be unhealthy for us to eat! If living unhealthily isn't enough, at meat processing plants the animals are killed in an awful way, and handled in a completely unhygienic way. Oftentimes, the meat is infected by the stomach contents spilling onto the meat, afterwards it is simply packaged and sent off to be sold with little to no decontamination.
 Right now if you are a vegetarian (like me) you are probably heaving a sigh of relief because you don't eat that stuff anyway! Well, I have some bad news for you, E. coli 0157:H7 and other harmful strains can infect you as well! How would this be possible? Well, the feces produced by factory farm animals is usually pumped into a special "lagoon", these "lagoons" in storms will sometimes spill over and contaminate much of the land surrounding it. Also, sometimes farmers will spray the contents of the "lagoon" onto crops as a fertilizer, when in truth what they are doing is contaminating the crops with whatever diseases were in the lagoon of animal waste. Fruits and veggies will often be contaminated with E. coli 0157:H7 because they were either watered with contaminated water, or fertilized with factory farm "lagoon" contents. This is why it is extremely important to buy organic produce (USDA certified) and to know your farmer!
 There are many people who are trying to take on factory farms and meat processing plants on their disgusting treatment of animals both alive and dead. One woman, whose son was killed by E. coli contaminated meat, created a law called "Kevin's Law" (named after her son) which would allow the government to shut down food processing facilities that had failed multiple inspections. This law has yet to be passed because of the enormous opposition expressed by the food industry. So even though this months ban is coming to a close, I beg all of you to not go back and have fast food as often as you used to, and to not purchase any foods that could have come from a factory farm. Not only would this help our health, but the animal's as well.

Resources 

• Fast Food Nation, by Eric Schlosser
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Escherichia_coli_O157:H7 
• http://www.factory-farming.com/infectious_organisms.html
• http://www.cdc.gov/ecoli/2014/O157H7-05-14/index.html
• http://www.ucsfhealth.org/education/e_coli/

Factory Fresh Foods

 Ever wonder what hell would actually look like? You can get some idea by checking out a factory farm, a farm animal's hell on Earth! There are many reasons that factory farms are so horrible, namely: inhumane treatment of the animals, the uncleanliness of the whole farm, and the massive amounts of chemicals pumped into the animals to avoid diseases produced by the uncleanliness. The treatment of these animals who make up your burger or sandwich is enough to make you lose your lunch! Fast food is one of the factory farm industry's biggest costumers. There are a very few companies that actually own most of all meat production. 80% of all beef is produced by Tyson, Cargill, Swift, and National Beef. The same thing is happening for pork and chicken, pork being mostly controlled by Tyson, Cargill, Swift, and Smithfield and chicken is mostly controlled by Tyson.

Ingredients Revealed

 Ever wonder what exactly is in your Taco Bell burrito, or why your McDonald's burger will last 14 years with no signs of aging? The simple answer is chemicals, lots and lots of chemicals! Not only does fast food contain tons of sugar, salt, and fat that causes obesity, but also harmful chemicals that these companies list as "seasonings" or "preservatives".

August - Ban Fast Food

 Between trans-fats, calorie counts, and E.coli infected meats, fast food is anything but desirable. Fast food fuels minimum wage and the world's growing obesity. There have been many studies linking fast food to health problems, and many people have attempted to take a few of the fast food giants to court. So if we all know that fast food is terrible for us, why do we continue to eat the crap? The answer to that lies in the ingredients list. Many fast foods may contain addictive chemicals in their ingredients to keep you hooked on their food. Some of these ingredients include: MSG (Monosodium Glutamate), Cassein (referred to as the nicotine of fast food), and over doses of sugar, fat, and salt. Fast food companies have committed greater crimes than just addicting you to their food. Let's explore some top fast food companies' criminal record starting off with McDonald's.