false 27 30 16 true 5754688 read 1 true 1173011 currently-reading 13 true 1173010 to-read http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/13605434 to: The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals (Paperback) by Michael Pollan
Ok friends, I LOVED this book. It was a little long and it kind of meandered and changed tone in the last 1/3 but it was good all the way through. This book is about the industrial food chain and the author's adventures in trying to trace where his food comes from. He researches the 3 different processes that go into 3 types of meals: an industrially produced meal (McDonald's), an organic meal (Whole Foods) and a hunter/gatherer meal (he kills/collects everything he eats for this meal). If you don't have time to read it all, I recommend Parts I and II. It is truly thought provoking.

I've always enjoyed driving through the midwest and checking out all the cornfields. They seem so pastoral and old-fashioned and wholesome. Turns out this is not so true. From what Michael Pollan writes, corn is actually a freak of nature. It probably started as a genetic mutation from grass somewhere in South America. Corn actually shouldn't be a prosperous species but it has been helped along immensely by human hands. The tassle at the top of the stalk is the male reproductive organ and the cob is the female reproductive part. Since the cob is sheated in so many layers there is little chance that the tassle's fruit can get into the cob to start the reproduction process. Somehow it worked out a long time ago and humans figured out how to grow corn. The maize of South America gave way to our current industrialized food system that relies tremendously on mass produced and genetically modified corn.

When I hear this I think- "Hmm, we eat a lot of corn-based products, what's the big deal?". Here are the reasons why this is a big deal,

1. Corn is a cheap raw material that can be turned into lots of different "foods". Industrial farms feed cattle and chickens corn because it is cheaper to store a bunch of cattle or chickens in a confined animal feeding operation (CAFO) rather than letting them roam on a pasture and eat a natural diet of grass and insects (for the chickens).

2. Because chickens and cows have not evolved to eat corn, they get sick. In order to prevent them getting sick, they are given anti-biotics.

3. Corn is also used because it will fatten up the cows and chicken more quickly, which then allows the industry to kill and sell and profit sooner.

4. Industrial-sized farms use pesticides and fertilizer to grow their crops which pollute the land. The extra synthetic nitrogen that is not used up by the crop either evaporates and falls as acid rain (contributes to global warming), or it sinks down into the water table, or it gets washed away by rains into the rivers where human beings get their water.

Other key points to note:

1. Organic does not necessarily = sustainable.. You can have organic asparagus flown in from Argentina but that doesn't mean it is good for the planet. Local organic is best because it reduces our reliance on fossil fuels. In addition, just because chickens are "free-range" does not mean they actually live outside and have space to roam. They could be living in a CAFO with a little door that leads to a small patch of grass that is not sufficient for the thousands of chickens inside the CAFO.

2. The treatment of pigs is ESPECIALLY alarming to me! They are raised in CAFOs in cages suspended a little above the ground so that they can shit and it falls to the floor. The cages are stacked so the pigs are shitting on top of each other. Maybe this is fine because pigs seem to like to root around in shit however, the setup is still alarming because they do not have space to turn around in their cages. Because they are weaned from their mother in such a short amount of time (compared to a natural weaning) they have a propensity to suck and bite. They are lined up with each pig facing the next pigs rear so they chew the tail of the pig in frotn of them. The pig whose tail is being chewed oftentimes does not care because of its deplorable condition. The industry has now put into place a procedure called "tail docking"- without anesthesia they cut each pig's tail to a nub. They leave the nub there because it is really sensitive so, when confined to the cage again and the tail is bitten, the pig will squirm and try not to have it's tail bitten. I think this is absolutely horrid.

3. I am still a meat eater but I am looking for ways to find meat that is not industrially produced. I don't mind eating animals but I do not support the living/dying conditions that industrial farms provide.

READ THIS BOOK!

Thanks for reading this especially long review! ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/22102363 Roxy's review of Why Popcorn Costs So Much at the Movies: And Other Pricing Puzzles
by Richard B. McKenzie

I addeed this to my to-read list too! Did you stumble upon it yourself or was it recommended? ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/22145164 Why Popcorn Costs So Much at the Movies: And Other Pricing Puzzles (Hardcover) by Richard B. McKenzie
bookshelves: to-read
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/20787652 The Simple Living Guide (Paperback) by Janet Luhrs
bookshelves: currently-reading
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/20785090 to: First, Break All the Rules: What the World's Greatest Managers Do Differently (Hardcover) by Marcus Buckingham
Hey people,

I really actually liked this book. We read it for our work book club (we meet once/month to discuss a work-related article/book). As I read the book I found my self saying "God, I wish ___ (insert any manager I've ever had) had read this book." There are so few great managers...

Here are the things I learned:

As a manager (ok so I'm not one but whatever) you should not think that each employee has unlimited potential. Being well-rounded in general but excellent at nothing is crappy in the work force. You should figure out what they are good at and help them excel there. Enrourage your employees' strengths and do not try to fill in their weaknesses.

Also, you do not have to treat all employees the same. You can spend more time with your high achievers because you actually want to keep them around. Also, since each person is unique you should just adjust to what they need.

Since I have not read it super recently I'm forgetting all the juicy good stuff but seriously, it was great! I think everyone who has to work should read it! I have a copy and will lend it to you.

:) Mandy ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/14997016 to: The Alchemist (Paperback) by Paulo Coelho
I have heard two conflicting opinions on this book:

1. It changed my friend's life and he would be out doing something somewhere across the world if he wasn't bound to home by family.

2. My other friend said something must have been lost in translation because it wasn't that great.

I'm curious to read it now! ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/14996404 A Good Man Is Hard to Find and Other Stories (Hardcover) by Flannery O'Connor
bookshelves: to-read
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/13605512 to: Vernon God Little (Paperback) by D.B.C. Pierre
This is an interesting book! I'd never heard of it but Erinn lent it to me. The main character is a modern day Holden Caufield. I especially like his use of the word "fucken" throughout much of the book. It revolves around a high school massacre that the main character is a suspected accomplice to. However, it's really not about high school massacres so much as this quirky kid in a quirky town and his outlook on the world. It won the Mann Booker prize. Read it, friends! ]]>