A Raw Issue

Hi all, Michelle here. I am happy to share my space with a campaign I believe in:

They steal out money, then make us pay for their wrong doing, we end up scared, broken and quite...the way they want us. And now...now they are telling us what kind of milk we can drink. Well, they have gone a step too fricking far. I would like to welcome Elisabeth Ryan from "Campaign for Raw" to share her thought with us.

We always want what we can’t have, so perhaps this explains why there has been such an increase in demand for raw milk in Ireland lately. Since it became public knowledge that the government was on a one way mission to ban raw milk there has been a huge upsurge in demand. The problem is that with the ban on the sale of raw milk looming; farmers who have the desire to sell raw milk aren’t really in a position to make the necessary (albeit small) investments needed to enable them to bottle on site and get their product to market. Currently, just three producers are selling to the public, David Tiernan from Louth and Aidan Harney in Kildare as well as the Allens in Ballymaloe, and customers have been flocking to buy it. Tiernan’s milk has also been available through retailers, including Sheridans Cheesemongers and A. Cavistons.

David Tiernan and Elizabeth

Fifteen years ago, the Irish government banned the sale of raw cow’s milk for direct human consumption (as milk). An EU directive then superseded this ban, allowing for the sale of raw milk in member states.

Unfortunately, during the years following, the fact that the sale of raw milk in Ireland was now legal escaped everyone’s notice and a public consultation held on the sale of raw goats and sheep’s milk in 2008 didn’t make much of a stir.

It was really only in late 2010 that a few producers actually became aware that they could then sell raw milk. Shortly after, however, the FSAI made it clear that their recommendation to the government was to ban it all over again!

The Campaign for Raw Milk has been encouraging the public to contact their local TDs and the Department of Agriculture. Parliamentary questions  raised in the Dáil and letters and emails have all elicited the same blanket response from the Minister for Agriculture.

It appears from the limited communications that the government’s main concerns with any validity relate to public safety and international reputation.

Plenty of other countries allow the regulated sale of raw milk with no reputational damage and of the estimated 100’000 people in Ireland drinking raw milk (mainly farming families) just two cases of illnesses related to raw milk have been confirmed in the last decade.

So, what are the risks? Mainly E.. coli, Salmonella and Campylobacter. Let’s not undermine these bugs, but, let’s also be clear that all foods carry a potential risk, some more than others, but all foods...

There are many questions; Why is raw milk banned when other foods with risks associated remain legal? Why can the government not work with farmers to develop a system of regulations to minimise risks? Why are we the consumer viewed as too stupid to make an informed choice?

These questions and more will be examined at a debate in the Sugar Club in Dublin on 6^th September. Panellists will include representatives from both sides. RSVP to irishrawmilk@gmail.com and see details on www.rawmilkireland.com

Hats and Inspiration

I would like to welcome  Krystal Wade to my blog, today she will share how she manages to work, be a mom, a writer and a blogger. She is a member of organized hitchhiking for eleven years, her 50 mile commute  gives her plenty of time to zone out and think about characters in full, brilliant details. She lives just outside Washington, D.C with her husband and three children.

I wear many hats. Mother, Wife, Employee, Writer—these are just a few, but they are the most important. There are times when I’m not sure which one to wear, or times I have many on at once.

Writer—the hat which defines me—is often the one that gets pushed to the side. I try to make time for it, but the Mother, Wife and Employee hats get jealous. They scream at me to take the Writer and shove it in the back of a closet to collect dust—not because they don’t care, but because there are so many things to care about.

When I sit down to work on one of my many novels, Mother hat cries to me, “But you haven’t bathed your daughters—and don’t tell me they can wait another day. Have you smelled them?”

Writer cringes and falls off my head, replaced by the aggravated Mother. While the girls soak in the tub and I dream of the next lines I’ll write once finished rinsing the suds, Wife hat yells at me, “Don’t think of those nasty monsters from your book while your husband is down there waiting to spend time with you.”

I sigh and shove Writer in my pocket, dry and dress the girls, then go sit next to my husband on the couch for a few minutes. He’ll glance at me like I’m crazy; he knows how bad I like to put Writer on my head.

After not enough time wearing the Wife hat, I pull Writer back out and get to work—only to be interrupted by the Mother/Wife combo with a harrumph.

“Did you see that ring around the tub while you were bathing the girls? When’s the last time you used Clorox? And the laundry, don’t even get me started. Oh, and don’t forget to clean the stainless steel—warned you that stuff was a pain in the ass!”

I hate the Mother/Wife combo!

Closing my laptop, I rush a load of laundry in, clean the ring around the tub, wipe down that annoying stainless steel and then return to writing.

Sometime I’m amazed I’ve finished a novel. Was that really me? I don’t even know where I find time to come up with the ideas. People always ask where I get my inspiration from, and my response is, “On my fifty mile commute to work.” Yes, the Employee hat gives me the most inspiration. The very thing I’d love to give up so I can spend more time wearing the Mother and Wife hats.

At times I worry if I ever become a famous published author, I’ll have to keep the Employee hat on just so I can come up with new ideas. But then I laugh, I’d have to be published first.

For more information about Krystal check out: her funny Blog, read her cool Twitter and like her on Facebook

Enthusiastic

Thought of today

“We act as though comfort and luxury were the chief requirements of life, when all that we need to make us happy is something to be enthusiastic about.”
- Einstein

I see more and more people work longer hours, watch more TV, read rubbish magazines, filling their heads with waist and propaganda, and a lot of people changing careers....what you really need to change is your life habits. It is not OK to be passive, get active in both your body and mind. Learn, do some courses, expand your life experience.

What are you enthusiastic  about?  

Legend of the seeker

Hi all,

This is a guest post written by Babs Moore, she is an avid fan of "Legend of the Seeker." So I wanted to share her interest with you.

Enjoy

Michelle

This short-lived TV series is based on Terry Goodkinds Sword of Truth novels of which there are 11 in total. They are also sometimes known as "Richard & Kahlan" novels.
Richard is our hero; he is a simple woods guide from Hartland a place where there is no magic. Kahlan is our co-heroine, she is from The Midlands and a place where magic flourishes, and she is also a Confessor and therein is destined to live a lonely life as Confessors are feared because of their powers.

Confessors are a race of women sworn to find the truth and are the justice or peacekeepers of the Midlands, their decisions are final and binding and once they unleash their power on you, you lose your free will and you’re only thought is how to please your mistress.

Our story begins when Kahlan is on her mission to find the Seeker and help him defeat the evil tyrant that has threatened to wipe out all Confessors and be supreme ruler of all territories. Richard sees her while she is on the run and goes to help - Richard has no idea who or what she is and not once the danger is passed they go their separate ways. She eventually finds the Wizard who is the only one allowed to "name" a Seeker - Zedd, introduces her to Richard and proceeds to explain the legend of the Seeker. A seeker is a hero who arises in a time of great trouble and is a champion of the people; he is aided by the Sword of Truth which though he is only one man helps him fight with the strength of many and all the Seekers who have gone before him.

 Zedd becomes a mentor to Richard and in course to us the reader as he guides Richard and Kahlan on their perilous quest to defeat Darken Rahl and save the world from evil, we learn that Wizards First Rule (the title of the 1st book!) is that people will believe a lie because they think it MIGHT be true or because they WANT it to be true, we learn that Passion rules reason and that the greatest harm can come from the best intentions! we meet lots of interesting characters along their quest but what is amazing about these two is that once you start reading the books OR even watching the series, you feel like they are your best friends and you care what happens to them.

The fan website, where we keep each other informed; www.saveourseeker.com

Guest post with Derbhile Dromey

If you want to find out how a primary school teacher teaches creative writing then stop off on

"The Pink Cage" author ~ Derbhile Dromey fantastic blog.

I really enjoyed writing this for her blog as I have been a long time follower of her on twitter, and of course her blog.