Hello readers, for those of you who don't catch my weekend posts, don't miss this super yummy salad dressing/dip recipe I put up yesterday from my friend, Mary Jo.
So I've told you before how much I love Riesling wine. Well when I was up in Traverse a couple weeks ago for a girl weekend, we were at a place called Phils, and I had THE BEST glass of wine EVER. It's a local wine (to Michigan) so I've been on a mission to track it down here in Grand Rapids – it's from Brys Estates. I emailed the vineyard for help and found it the other day – I was so happy! Until I saw the price tag: $21. Granted, that's not terrible, but I'm more a $7-$12 bottle of wine kind of gal. SO I only got one and I plan to share it with my friend, Theresa, who loves and appreciate Riesling like I do. Any other Riesling lovers out there? Yes, I know it's very sweet, but hey, I used to like those disgusting wine coolers (that now taste like chemicals to me), so I've come a long way! I'm sure my palate will continue to mature. By the way, I also love these type of wine bottle stopper tops.
- Speaking of wine, did you see this post? Is Organic Wine Better? I shared in a comment there something I learned over the weekend that is SUPER frustrating, and another reason showing how screwed up the U.S. is.
- Did you know that most peanut butter is TOXIC? Also in that post I give you the alternatives that we use.
- If you or someone you love deals with digestive issues, learning problems, or any other health concern, they have probably heard how powerfully the GAPS Diet (or similar diets) can help, but likely are overwhelmed at the thought! Jill from Real Food Forager is selling her grain-free class (over 80 cooking videos!) and her grain-free and broth e-books in one bundle for 40% off – only $135. Get it here with the code NOGRAINS.
- Are any of you going to the Weston A. Price conference in Atlanta next month? I'm soooo sad that I can't make it this year, it's just too difficult to get away now that we're homeschooling. (I can hardly keep up when I'm here so I don't dare try to leave for almost a week.) It's always such a great time, though. You get to hang out with hundreds of peeps who GET IT. Seeing piles of butter on plates is not only completely normal, it's expected. You get the idea, so go if you can! Learn more here.
- The day before the conference there will also be a debate between Joe Mercola and Joel Salatin about GMOs – fun, huh? I'm sad to be missing that, too! It's a fundraiser to help one of my favorite organizations: the Farm to Consumer Legal Defense Fund. Learn more here.
- Read this great news on GMOs from my Facebook page!
- Doesn't this new book by Jimmy Moore (one of the sweetest guys in the world) look awesome?! Cholesterol Clarity: What the HDL is Wrong with My Numbers? Don't you wish someone could just spell it out in simple, easy-to-understand language and tell you what, if anything, you need to do about your cholesterol? Good news! That's precisely what Cholesterol Clarity is designed to do. Jimmy Moore, a prominent and highly respected health blogger and podcaster, has teamed up with Dr. Eric Westman, a practicing internist and nutrition researcher, to bring you one of the most unique books you'll ever read on this subject, featuring exclusive interviews with twenty-nine of the world's top experts from various fields to give you the complete lowdown on cholesterol.
- Today is Columbus day here in the U.S., and for the past couple of weeks the kids and I have been reading all about him as part of our curriculum. Then I read this article on what a jerk he was. Sadness! I hate it when you find out someone you thought was honorable really wasn't. Not that I believe everything in one article, but as I've read more and asked people I trust, apparently it's true, or at least a lot of it. 🙁 Unless one of you can tell me something different?
- Have you subscribed to my YouTube channel yet and seen my “Giant Bowl” video? The stupid stuff I do SO often shouldn't still amaze me, but it does.
- Local readers, come to our Grand Rapids chapter meeting Tuesday for movie night where we'll be watching and then discussing, “Seeds of Death, Unveiling the Lies of GMOs” – find the details here!
- You'll want to watch this short video on the ‘Three Things Ric Elias Learned While His Plane Crashed' – Ric Elias had a front-row seat on the plane that crash-landed in the Hudson River in New York in January 2009. Here’s what was going through his mind as the plane went down:
- Anyone else sick of all the PINK stuff everywhere? Here's Sarah's latest post: Komen (NOT) for the Cure. Here are my own rants on that issue.
- Readers from Washington State be aware of this! Between October 18 and November 5 the next big GMO-labeling vote will take place in the United States; this time in Washington State, where citizens will cast their votes for the people's initiative 522, “The People's Right to Know Genetically Engineered Food Act.” Read more from Mercola.com. Also watch the video below from Ronnie Cummins, the national director of the Organic Consumers Association (OCA) and the Organic Consumers Fund. Here's an excerpt: “There's now no longer any doubt in the minds of independent scientists and analysts that genetically engineered crops are unpredictable and hazardous both to animals and to humans. And of course their impact on the environment is also becoming clearer and clearer. Store owners and restaurant owners know quite well that if you label genetically engineered foods, consumers aren't going to buy them. Just because we've got the biotech industry and Monsanto on the defensive, they're not going to go quietly into the night, they're going to keep fighting, they understand that once consumers have truthful labeling on food products, you're not going to see genetically engineered foods on the market any longer.
- I'll close with this cute picture from my Facebook page last week:
Have a great week!
Soli says
Finally getting to check this, and yes I did know that about the wine. I have a family friend who would get bad headaches from wines in the US. Then she was on a trip to Italy with my mom, and no wines gave her headaches. Funny thing that…
Commenter via Facebook says
The article about Columbus was based on A People’s History of the United States by Howard Zinn. Zinn admitted to being a Marxist and an anarchist and his goal in writing the book was to rewrite history so as to destroy the idea that the United States has had a positive influence on the world. He was anti-American in every sense of the word. One of his favorite mentors was Noam Chomsky, who is also a Marxist and anarchist. Chomsky has been heavily influenced by John Dewey and Bertrand Russell. All of these men are/were also atheists, and were more impressed by the “enlightenment” of the French Revolution than by the ideals of the American Revolution. In addition, many of the Columbus quotes are taken out of context. In many cases, Columbus was describing what was happening, not what he wanted to happen or what he had caused to happen, but what was happening in spite of his best efforts. Many men who came with him on his subsequent voyages did not come for the same reason Columbus did – to spread Christianity – but rather for the gold, and it was these men who took advantage of the natives. Columbus did hope to find gold for the queen in order to finance future trips, but he died penniless and was not the greedy, horrible man that people like Zinn make him out to be.
Audry says
Thank you for defending Truth.
Commenter via Facebook says
I’ve read so many things about Christopher Columbus today that my head is spinning. Let me just put it this way, though because I think it about sums it up: if Albert Einstein had prostituted a single child, or had murdered one person, in the name of furthering scientific exploration, we’d be appalled. In a similar manner, Roman Catholics denounce the acts of scientists who use human embryos for research. I do not think it is more than a walk across the street from what Columbus did… And I am trying to understand why, still, we insist that his discoveries justify the atrocities that had been committed elsewhere. Even if 1/10th of the brutalities in this article were true……. I just cannot fathom why we insist on celebrating a person who didn’t even discover the mainland America, OR, discover the Americas first (Go Leif Erikson?)
Commenter via Facebook says
Kelly the Kitchen Kop, here’s an article worth reading: https://catholicexchange.com/should-catholics-celebrate-columbus-day/
Terri says
I think that we should be very careful about vilifying Columbus. Two sources that I respect have different opinions of him:
Wallbuilders: https://www.wallbuilders.com/libissuesarticles.asp?id=102148
Foundation for American Christian Education: https://www.face.net/
Did you know that the natives he took back with him on his first trip had been kidnapped by a neighboring warring cannibal tribe? They wanted to go with CC; at least then they had a chance. In fact, the root word of Caribbean means cannibalism. How many history books share that tidbit?
Also, syphilis went to Europe from the native Americans.
There certainly were cruel conquerors (I still am not convinced that CC was one of those. Others yes), but there were also cruel conquered.
KitchenKop says
@Terri – sorry I just found your comment in my moderation folder, that’s why it’s just showing up now!
Jeanmarie says
Thanks also for the link on wine. I added this comment to the page:
Thanks for bringing some light to issues in wine production. Sustainability encompasses far more than just what additives might be in the wine, or whether the grapes are sprayed, as important as that is.
In my California county, Mendocino, we have some really lovely wineries, including the first biodynamic (Frey). An issue that concerns us is the vast amount of water used to grow grapes. The vineyards are sucking water out of the ground faster than Nature can refill her aquifers. This is not good. There is no enforcement of regulations against overuse of water. Our water is being trucked out of the county with no compensation or replacement. This enriches a very, very few families in our poor county. I imagine there are similar issues in other dry California wine-producing regions.
Also, viniculture as practiced by the majority is still mono-cropping. Monoculture agriculture is incredibly destructive (read The Vegetarian Myth by Lierre Keith for a more eloquent expression of the issues.) Vast tracts of land are scraped of every living thing to be planted with only grape vines. Now, I love me some wine, but this is an unsustainable way to manage the land and creates opportunities for pathogens and pests that couldn’t get a foothold in a diverse ecosystem. Some more enlightened vineyards intercrop with wildflowers, clover and other plants that attract beneficial insects like pollinators (bees, butterflies, etc.) and build the soil. This creates a more healthy ecosystem, and I suspect they need to spray less.
Thanks again for bringing attention to these issues.
Read more: https://holisticsquid.com/is-organic-wine-better/#ixzz2hjAYwRhe
Jeanmarie says
The video was wonderful! Thank you for sharing!! I will pass it on.
Jeanmarie says
Kelly,
“Cholesterol Clarity” is terrific. I haven’t finished it yet, but it’s great, and something that can be shared with friends and family because it’s not too intimidating (like “Good Calories, Bad Calories” by Gary Taubes).
I haven’t read your link on Christopher Columbus, but he definitely was a major genocidal criminal in history, the evidence is in. He and Cortez and all those conquistadores. They literally did not believe the natives of the Americas were human, and justified unspeakable cruelty in the name of “Chrisianizing” them. (That’s not *my* idea of what it means to be a Christian.) They treated them far worse than they treated their dogs and horses. Now, maybe it was no worse than the behavior of any military leader of the time, maybe it’s not entirely fair to judge them by “modern standards,” but some things really are timeless, such as respecting the lives of others.
Audry says
On the original link,
“Oatmeal” speaks of Catholic Father and Bishop Bartolome de las Casas who died July 18, 1556. Sorry to “oatmeal” but the Church celebrates the Birth or Death of a Saint not some random day in the calendar. I’m sure he even mentioned that he was a Catholic and Bishop.
Audry says
We should be the socialist/anarchist?
Howard Zinn is one of the references that “theoatmeal guy who is slamming Columbus”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howard_Zinn
Socialism
Zinn described himself as “something of an anarchist, something of a socialist. Maybe a democratic socialist”,[62][63] He suggested looking at socialism in its full historical context as a popular, positive idea that got a bad name from its association with Soviet Communism. In Madison, Wisconsin, in 2009, Zinn said:
Let’s talk about socialism. I think it’s very important to bring back the idea of socialism into the national discussion to where it was at the turn of the [last] century before the Soviet Union gave it a bad name. Socialism had a good name in this country. Socialism had Eugene Debs. It had Clarence Darrow. It had Mother Jones. It had Emma Goldman. It had several million people reading socialist newspapers around the country. Socialism basically said, hey, let’s have a kinder, gentler society. Let’s share things. Let’s have an economic system that produces things not because they’re profitable for some corporation, but produces things that people need. People should not be retreating from the word socialism because you have to go beyond capitalism.[64]
Dani Shipp says
I was given good advice years ago (almost 20 years) when I started homeschooling my children; A truly objective history text does not exist. It is humanly impossible to leave all bias out of an article, paper or textbook. Even in a well-balanced presentation, the author has to chose what to include and what to leave out. Also, we have to be careful judging in absolute terms the (historical) actions of others through modern eyes without taking into consideration the culture at that time.
I prefer to start with historical sources that are pre-1960 and work from there.I also follow the recommendations of people or organizations I trust. I was a math/ science major and had a poor liberal arts education (1970’s).
Leah G says
We have always called it Homicidal Maniac Day. I think he did far more bad than good. Remember history is written by those with the upper hand.
Cathy F. says
Many years ago I read a translation of Columbus’ journals. Very inspiring. Be careful of drawing too many conclusions from biographical articles. Many times there are agendas. Columbus wasn’t perfect (who is?) but he was a devout Believer. His journals reflect his devotion to God and his efforts to do right. Wish I could remember the name of he book…but 30 years have a way of fogging up the memory.
ValerieH says
Reading his journals sounds like a good start to understanding what happened – assuming he wrote down everything.
Audry says
For about 500 years, lies have been told about the Catholic Church and Catholics in current events and history.
Here is a trustful source:
https://www.tfp.org/tfp-home/focus-on-history/the-catholic-spirit-of-christopher-columbus.html
KitchenKop says
I’d certainly hope that is a trustful source, but how do we know for sure? Unfortunately many Christians (including Catholic Christians) have screwed up pretty bad throughout history, sad but true!
Audry says
Let’s start with, where did the original link about Columbus on your post reference his information.
What were his references if he had any?
The True Church of Christ has from it’s beginning been most excellent in her Wisdom of keeping written records.
As well, Kings/Queens and others in power kept history records of what was happening.
The records are there. The facts are there.
Truth is not relative. There is only one Truth.
The TFP are a trustful source for all information about the Catholic Church. I highly recommend signing up for their newsletters on different subjects.
Considering, you are near my age, I presume you were catechized about as well as I was. Which is not at all in my case.
There is a quote from a non-Catholic that I can’t find at the moment, “The treasure of the Catholic Church has not been found wanting.” You have to go back to the Church’s roots to find it in today’s time. The books and the Traditions as well as traditions are still here. They’re being hidden by those who do have an agenda or have been led to believe the Catholic Church is different than it truly is.
Example from today, the media is trying to create a “virtual” Pope. They take his sentences out of context and make him appear to be completely liberal. In turn, they create a “virtual” Catholic Church.
This is from the Vatican website. All I did was google “vatican.va christopher columbus” And this is the result:
https://www.vatican.va/holy_father/leo_xiii/encyclicals/documents/hf_l-xiii_enc_16071892_quarto-abeunte-saeculo_en.html
Remember when I said the Church records her history.
Jill says
I have read a similar report of Columbus in the book, Lies My Teacher Told Me. It seems he should be called The Father of Human Trafficking. He and his son were pretty crazy brutal, from what I read there. Sad, sad stuff!
Audry says
That’s all from the same person. They have no real evidence.
Jennifer says
I’d definitely recommend doing more research on Columbus before making a decision on what you really believe about him. I’ll go out on a limb and say that one of the reasons you are now homeschooling your kids is that you were uncomfortable with some of the things that were being taught? The history surrounding Christopher Columbus is definitely something that today’s schools are teaching much differently than we ever learned. I think it’s important to do your own research and find the answers, rather than believing one or two sources (especially those that tend to lean toward the current trend of disparaging those who were involved in bringing Christianity to others, or who believed to be on a mission from God). Was Christopher Columbus perfect? Absolutely not. (All we like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way, and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.) But keeping the facts of his journey and time in the New World in the perspective of the time in which he lived, and the cultural “ideals” of that time is important when researching his life and actions. Definitely do a little digging and see what you turn up!
Also, on the peanut issue, do some digging into the use of Valencia peanuts – specifically those grown in New Mexico, which is incredibly dry and has an environment that is hostile to mold growth, even aflotoxins. I was really sad to see the NM peanut crop destroyed last year. Up until then, Trader Joe’s Organic peanut butter was 100% NM Valencia peanuts, which while not soaked, was definitely better than all the other options out there at the time.
KitchenKop says
Good scoop and advice, thanks!
Kel
Jeanmarie says
Columbus wasn’t just “imperfect,” and imperfection is no crime. He was a vicious, brutal genocidal criminal.
The fact that he was a Catholic is meaningless as far as guilt or innocence. There was not a lot of choice of religion available to Europeans at the time. Everyone was Catholic or subject to torture and death. He used his religion to justify his actions. Whether the Catholic Church of the time objected to his methods, I cannot say.
CindyL says
Columbus was not a vicious, brutal genocidal criminal. You are reading revisionist history if you believe so. The information in the article Kelly linked to was taken from the book “A People’s History of the United States” by Howard Zinn – an avowed atheist, anarchist and Marxist, whose goal in writing the book was to disparage the US and everything it stands for. The Columbus quotes are taken out of context. Columbus was describing what was happening around him, actions that were being perpetrated by others who came with him on subsequent trips or came to the new world by other means. Some of these Columbus “quotes” are not found in any of Columbus’ writings and are purely made up by Zinn to prove his point.
Audry says
Thank you for defending Truth.