Chart Of The Day - The Daily Dish | By Andrew Sullivan
I'm gathering from medical literature and life experiences
to provide you the most up-to-date information
about gluten intolerance/celiac disease.
I wear many hats in life:
Naturopathic Physician
Wife of Acupuncturist
Mom of twins
Gluten-Free family since 2005
Former chef
and
Girl Scout Leader
Love to cook, love to write and most of all love to teach about thriving gluten-free.
Todd Bishop on Tuesday, March 9, 2010, 9:00pm PSTCycling | Google | Internet Search
Searching for cycling directions in Google Maps. Click for larger view. (Credit: Google)
A new Google Maps feature, developed in Seattle, will offer bike-friendly directions to cyclists across the U.S. -- routing them to trails, bike lanes and less-busy streets, and helping them avoid steep hills, freeways and other potential problems when they ride. In addition to directions, the company is also offering an optional bicycling map view in Google Maps to let cyclists see potential routes by looking at the map.
Apart from being a handy tool, it's a big moment for cycling, which now joins driving, public transit and walking as the primary modes of transportation for which the search giant provides directions. The team that made the feature is based in a Google office overlooking the Burke-Gilman Trail in Seattle's Fremont neighborhood.
Google is rolling out the feature tonight, as a beta. It will be available at first only for web browsers, but the team is also working on a native mobile version. Cycling directions will work throughout the U.S., and Google has partnered with the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy to provide more detailed information for about 150 cities.
Cycling directions have been one of the most-requested features for Google Maps, said Shannon Guymon, product manager for the Google Maps Directions team. The company readily acknowledges that it won't be able to please every cyclist, particularly the hard-core riders who might prefer to tackle those big hills or ride on a busy street if it means getting to their destination more quickly.
"There's a whole spectrum of cycling styles, I know." Guyman said. "We've had to choose something that strikes an appropriate balance. Our algorithm tends to be a little more conservative. We've tried to tune it for the broader population."
At the same time, it will be possible for users to adjust their route by dragging it across the map after getting directions. The Google Maps Directions team will also be adding to new data over time and taking into account feedback submitted through the "Report a problem" button in the lower right of the Google Maps interface.
People will be able to select bicyling directions from a drop-down menu when they search. The bicycling map view will show bike trails in dark green, streets with bike lines in a lighter shade of green, and bike-friendly streets as dotted line.
One Seattle-based cycling advocate said he's happy about the feature.
"It's another step toward making the bicycle a sustainable tool for community change," said DL Byron of BikeHugger.com, which is hosting the Google bike-directions team at upcoming cycling events. For example, he noted, people will be able to find good bike routes even if they're new to a region.
"We think it fits with Google's message of Don't Be Evil," Byron said. "What could be more evil for our planet than driving a car when you could ride or walk your bike somewhere?"
Whoo Hoo! Now you can choose cycling as a way to get from place to place on Google. Nice to see the choices expanding.
Maybe this is one reason that folks who follow a gluten-free diet find a weight loss occurring? If you eat a diet rich in plant foods and healthy meats, you will lose weight.
This is one time that we truly need to ask Congress "What are you supporting?", short term food production support or long term health?
March 3, 2010
LAST DAY FOR COMMENTS - Stop Genetically Engineered Alfalfa and Protect Organic Food!
GE Alfalfa "threatens the very fabric of the organic industry." - George Siemon, Organic Valley cooperative CEO
Dear Farm Friends,
Today is critical for protecting organic agriculture!
The USDA recently released a draft of its Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on Genetically Engineered "Roundup Ready" Alfalfa, and if we don't speak up, it's clear they intend to approve its commercial use. We can't let this happen.
You may not think about alfalfa much when you're drinking organic milk, but organic alfalfa is important to organic farming, as a nourishing animal feed that's also a nitrogen-fixing soil enhancer. Once GE alfalfa is introduced, its contamination of non-GE plants - including organic - is all but inevitable. And because alfalfa is fed to dairy cows and other livestock, contamination puts organic dairy and meat at risk, too! Learn more
In their EIS, the USDA states "There is no evidence that consumers care about GE contamination of organic alfalfa." We know that you do care. Let's not be Monsanto's guinea pigs!
Now is your chance to be heard. Tell the USDA to protect organic food and farmers from GE contamination, and NOT TO APPROVE Monsanto's GE Alfalfa. The comment period ends TODAY, March 3, at 5pm Eastern time.
There's been a lot of response already from concerned Farm Friends - thank you! - but USDA still needs to hear from as many people as possible. Tell your friends! You CAN make a difference. Tell the USDA that you care about GE contamination and your right to GMO-free organic foods.
Learn more and get talking points on our website. Then take action at the Center for Food Safety, or submit comments online to the USDA directly. (USDA link is http://www.regulations.gov/search/Regs/home.html#submitComment?R=0900006480a6b7a1)
After you write, let us know at rootstock@organicvalley.coop.
Thanks for all your support for family farmers and a sustainable organic future for all!
Sincerely,
The Farmers and Staff of Organic Valley Family of FarmsP.S. See our cooperative CEO George Siemon's post about GE alfalfa here, and today's article on the subject in Food Safety News.
This Farm Friends bulletin is a publication of:
Organic Valley Family of Farms, One Organic Way, La Farge, WI 54639
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http://www.organicvalley.coop/farm-friends/
Operation Cookie Drop
Donate boxes of cookies to our military troops!Operation Cookie Drop is a program that allows cookie customers to purchase Girl Scout cookies at site sales and donate them to US military personnel.
Through Operation Cookie Drop, both girls (and customers!) can learn the importance of giving back to their community and, in some small way, thank our military personnel. This is also a great way for customers with diet restrictions to support Girl Scouts in their neighborhoods.
Cookies are available for donation during pre-sales, January 8-24, 2010, or site sales, February 26-March 14, 2010. For a list of site sale locations in your neighborhood, click here.
At the 2009 cookie sale, Girl Scouts of Western Washington cookie customers donated more than 112,000 boxes of cookies -- nearly 3,000 more than the year before! The cookies collected go to military bases and the Puget Sound USO (United Services Organization) to distribute to all branches of the military.
Girl Scouts would like to give special thanks to our media partners Fisher Radio Seattle %u2013 KOMO Newsradio 1000 AM/97.7 FM and FREEDOM 570 KVI - and KOMO 4 for their partnership and for generously promoting this three week community service project to our Western Washington community!
An interesting article about living a gluten free life. It uses a bit of highly processed foods but there is lots of good information as well.
One of my pet peeves when I started baking gluten-free was that all the recipes used volume measures rather than weights %u2014 one person%u2019s %u201Cfull%u201D cup, is another%u2019s %u201Clevel%u201D cup. Knowing that this could create problems with rise with wheat-based recipes, I knew instinctively that this would create even more problems with gluten-free flours, where differences as small as 1-2 T can make huge differences,
I did a lot of poking around to try and find weight-conversions for many of the gluten-free flours. I am often baking with blends of GF flours that I have pre-mixed ahead of time, so it has also meant working out the weights of those mixes, but I feel it is worth it in the end!
I have put these volume-weight conversions into a print-ready table. Please feel free to download it and use it. I now have it taped on the inside of a cupboard door, and have a copy in a spreadsheet so I can quickly calculate weights of new flour mixes.
Found this on Facebook and just had to share. What a lovely way to know how much a cup of each type of flour weighs.
Who wants to help our local farmers? I would love to participate in a Crop Mob. Any local farmer want some help?
