Newsy nosey.......

Tesco thwarts Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's chicken challenge

Tesco faced a storm of protests at today's AGM, including the American United Food and Commercial Workers' Union (UFCW) which is complaining about working standards at Tesco's US chain Fresh & Easy.This week Barack Obama wrote to a second letter to Tesco, this time to Sir Terry Leahy, its chief executive, urging him to engage with unions.Also, War on Want, the charity, this week accused Tesco of using slave labour after an investigation found that an Indian textile factory the UK company sources goods from pays staff just 16p an hour.War on Want, the charity group, alleges Tesco buys clothes from a Bangalore factory where workers can earn less than £7 a week.

What a sad indictment of our times that folks have no thought nor care for the treatment of the produce they put into their bodies, be it animal, vegetable or mineral - obesity is on the rise, people flock to the Doctor's surgery on a regular basis and what is the common denominator - crap food!! So long as the unthinking masses can shovel grub into their gobs it doesn't matter what or who has suffered, seems to be the same when it comes to clothing, just gotta have that retail therapy, so long as it does ME good mmmmmmmm, now all of this does get to my heart/emotions, this is the kinda thing that makes me sad and wanna cry -- how can we be happy/satisfied/content/joyful if what we do has caused another's suffering in any way shape or form???
Funnily enough I was asked to bake a carrot cake last week - the eggs, cream cheese and carrots were provided - all supermarket bought and what a difference the eggs were old and pale and the carrots were tasteless - the eggs cost no less than the local ones which can be got anywhere and everywhere in the village during spring and early summer, the egg season will be slowing down as the heat rises and the hens don't lay so many, so less eggs will get eaten - in this home. Another friend dropped some left over food before heading back and in this was some more supermarket eggs and I made pancakes at D's request the mix was a greyish colour rather than the usual bright and vibrant orangy yellow, I never did need proof but I certainly have it now!!
I can appreciate the folks who get pissed at some "celebrity" telling us how to live, I get pissed at anyone telling me how to live LOL - but as someone who is not wealthier than the average dude in fact I would say we have less than even the average {due to falling pound it has gone from over €5thou to less than}, I owe my bestest buddy a couple of thou and the dentist 18 mmmmm so any extra pennies earned are well gobbled up, pardon the pun hehehehe} Much gratitude and thankfullness that circumstance brought us here and enabled us to buy this house, considering I had always lived in rented accommodation it had never crossed my mind that I might become a house owner and D had handed everything over to Lorna when they parted company, so it wasn't from any conscious planning that we are here, 7 years on and my awareness/consciousness has definitely expanded LOL. Also I spent 5 years as a single mum of 2 - the dreaded kind - on benefits - I can empathise with the difficulties of making ends meet, but like so many in that predicament I did work for cash in hand, well how else is one supposed to survive and there is always some dude who is happy to exploit this - mine being a landowner who was also a magistrate!! I know it was over 20 years ago but 5 quid for looking after his horse every day - including high days and holidays - well you decide..........

OK before I get too emotional here are a couple of other snippets D found - the news they like to "tuck away"
The discovery of a toxic cargo on board a sunken Philippine ferry halts an operation to recover hundreds of bodies inside.
Ten tonnes of endosulfan were illegally in the cargo, destined for a Del Monte pineapple plantation, officials said. Read on.......
The man from Del Monte say OOOOOOO shiiiiiit - will you continue to get you del monte fruit then?

Mining giant defends Zimbabwe plan now aint this interesting , I hear Mr Brown says it is terrible what has happened in Zimbabwe blah blah blah - then we read this - their reasoning is that if they don't then the Chinese or the Russians will - they are not doing anything illegal - eh hem what about immoral then?

Watching the gheckos my mind wanders to Val - yep I liked those monsters too and am looking for places to get fiberfill {or fibrefill}, laughing at the frogs, our first spring in CasaraB was spent out on the campo and boy do the frogs sing here too - they only ever seemed to be silent for an hours siesta every afternoon, I had never heard such a noise before and it went on for at least a couple of months well felt like that.......I have now found some fabby yarn outlets, including hemp, through a blog I came across Purlpower shame we aren't a bit closer, sounds like my kinda gal LOL

Well a chilled day, staying cool and catching up with radio 4 progs I have missed, more of Glastonbury and the Mandala concert - next week is a busy one, what with La Era, Marta coming to stay tomorrow night, paying guests on Friday/Sat/Sun, better get some housework done.........but not today
Sa am thinking of you all and hoping the move goes smoothly - keep those new neighbours in check :) Lots of big breathes - let it ALL go - onwards and upwards to new opportunities/experiments and experiences xxx

Ah sweet Eli - you have been well gripped by the Phoenix Tears and Rick's story - there are many good dudes out in the world - all it needs is for all to unite and become the greater mass - the "thinking masses" rather than what we have now "unthinking masses" but it is changing as I write - it is one of the bonus's of this lifetime witnessing these great changes and the growing understanding of the interdependence{collective} that is replacing the independence[me me me] celebrating and sharing our differences and sameness, living and learning from one another........waking up and smelling the roses, [jasmine mock orange LOL] hearing the birds - people living their lives - children playing and laughing

Strange night sleep eluded me - unusual - lights in the room, went downstairs - outside the air felt really clean fresh special, sounds on the air - we didn't make it to market this morning.........
Brightest Blessings - let your life sparkle