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Milk
Lynn Walters: Director of Programming
I finally saw the film about Harvey Milk on New Years Day. Wow! is my first thought. The film isn’t about just one person, but how a group of people, with faith (or confidence) can challenge the status quo and win.
Milk wasn’t in office long, but his influence is still felt. When I saw the pictures of San Francisco City Hall, what I remembered was not the tragedy that took place later in the movie, but the line of same sex couples getting marriage licenses in 2004.
Despite the tragedy of Proposition 8, the movie demonstrates how far we’ve come. In 1978, who would have guessed that in 20 years, same sex marriage would even be a possibility?
That doesn’t mean, of course, that we stop working towards it. It’s not inevitable. But, in another 20 years, the arguments against same sex marriage will, I hope, be as outdated and wrong as Anita Bryant and her crusade against homosexuals in the 1970s.
Lynn
3 comments
Comment from: Robert [Visitor] 
Milk, hmm what do I think about it? First of children should drink whole milk for there growing bones and teeth. Some people that our healthy may prefer 2% to keep the weight off. Some may like 1%, or skim. I have tried powdered milk it is awful! My favorite is organic milk here is the reason why. That's because the U.S. Department of Agriculture has four requirements to define milk as organic, and confusion abounds about each.
Milk that is labeled “USDA Organic” must come from cows that have not been treated with bovine growth hormone (BGH) to increase milk production. People who focus on this goal express concern that hormones in milk could raise the risk of hormone-related cancers, or lead to higher levels of an insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1) linked with cancer.
But BGH is a protein hormone, which means that if any does appear in milk, enzymes and acid in our digestive tract destroy it. Dale Bauman, a professor of animal science at Cornell University, emphasizes that if IGF-1 is slightly higher in milk from BGH-treated cows, it represents a tiny fraction of the IGF we all produce each day. Bauman reports that we would have to drink 95 quarts of milk to equal the IGF-1 we make daily in our saliva and other digestive tract secretions.
We need to differentiate between levels of IGF in our blood, which some studies link to a possible increase in cancer risk, and levels of IGF in our food. Several organic-related Web sites refer to a study in which vegans (who eat no animal products) showed 13 percent lower IGF than non-vegans. But, a closer look at that study shows that milk consumption was not related to blood levels of IGF. Research shows high blood levels of IGF are linked with overweight, lack of exercise, and diets too high in saturated fat, refined carbohydrates or total calories.
No antibiotics
A second characteristic of organic milk is that these cows are not treated with antibiotics. If a cow in an organic herd does need to be treated with antibiotics, she is not returned to the herd for a period of 12 months. Yet in conventional herds, milk from cows that receive antibiotics is not used until tests show it is antibiotic-free. Tanks of milk are routinely tested to ensure no antibiotic content.
A third requirement of organic milk is that cows’ feed is grown without pesticides, whether the feed is grass or grain. Recent USDA reports show that nonorganic milk may contain low levels of certain pesticides, but these are far below established tolerance levels. Using organic feed may support sustainable farming practices, yet research has not found it affects the nutritional value of the cows’ milk. Do coms get grazing time?
The final requirement for organic milk is that cows must have “access to pasture.” Many consumers assume this means cows graze in fields most of the year. But, the current standard does not require a specific length of time in pasture. A cow can graze in pasture only a limited time and still produce milk that is certified organic. By the way the movie "Milk", I'm sorry I relized that the topic of discussion was really great! It should win an oscar!
Milk that is labeled “USDA Organic” must come from cows that have not been treated with bovine growth hormone (BGH) to increase milk production. People who focus on this goal express concern that hormones in milk could raise the risk of hormone-related cancers, or lead to higher levels of an insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1) linked with cancer.
But BGH is a protein hormone, which means that if any does appear in milk, enzymes and acid in our digestive tract destroy it. Dale Bauman, a professor of animal science at Cornell University, emphasizes that if IGF-1 is slightly higher in milk from BGH-treated cows, it represents a tiny fraction of the IGF we all produce each day. Bauman reports that we would have to drink 95 quarts of milk to equal the IGF-1 we make daily in our saliva and other digestive tract secretions.
We need to differentiate between levels of IGF in our blood, which some studies link to a possible increase in cancer risk, and levels of IGF in our food. Several organic-related Web sites refer to a study in which vegans (who eat no animal products) showed 13 percent lower IGF than non-vegans. But, a closer look at that study shows that milk consumption was not related to blood levels of IGF. Research shows high blood levels of IGF are linked with overweight, lack of exercise, and diets too high in saturated fat, refined carbohydrates or total calories.
No antibiotics
A second characteristic of organic milk is that these cows are not treated with antibiotics. If a cow in an organic herd does need to be treated with antibiotics, she is not returned to the herd for a period of 12 months. Yet in conventional herds, milk from cows that receive antibiotics is not used until tests show it is antibiotic-free. Tanks of milk are routinely tested to ensure no antibiotic content.
A third requirement of organic milk is that cows’ feed is grown without pesticides, whether the feed is grass or grain. Recent USDA reports show that nonorganic milk may contain low levels of certain pesticides, but these are far below established tolerance levels. Using organic feed may support sustainable farming practices, yet research has not found it affects the nutritional value of the cows’ milk. Do coms get grazing time?
The final requirement for organic milk is that cows must have “access to pasture.” Many consumers assume this means cows graze in fields most of the year. But, the current standard does not require a specific length of time in pasture. A cow can graze in pasture only a limited time and still produce milk that is certified organic. By the way the movie "Milk", I'm sorry I relized that the topic of discussion was really great! It should win an oscar!
01/13/09 @ 14:56
Comment from: tjerow [Member]
Robert - I suggest you try visiting the farm where your milk is produced. I buy Organic Valley Milk from Wisconsin. It's produced by real Dairy Farmers with pastured grazed Holstien cows. Not by mega Organic farms in desert climates like California where a dairy cow doesn't belong. I'm looking forward to getting out of the frozen north (it's -20 degrees this morning) to City where the movie Milk is playing. It's not playing within 100 miles of me right now. I'm afraid Hollywood does not have a very good track record on gay themed films. Sorry it's probably not in the cards, but I haven't seen the film yet so it's hard for me to advocate.
01/15/09 @ 05:35
Comment from: Chrystal [Visitor] · http://www.rapidpig.com/Your+Uninstaller+++2.5.html
I think your make some good points. I really think you cover the topic well. I have found similar people's thoughts http://www.rapidpig.com/ITC+Library,+OpenType+Edition.html and they tend to say the same as you.
05/19/10 @ 03:53
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