Yes, Brandon, there are many people smarter than you and me put together that are challenging the propaganda and dogma that is out there about milk. And "clearly" contrary to your assertion, I've done a lot of reading on this subject. The CDC has plenty of smart folks in it, but like any government/corporate/scientific entity, are subject to politics. And food is a biggie. I'll be back (I've got to run to a local dairy and pick up some fresh Jersey milk!)with some other information that challenges your reliance on CDC (the same folks that threaten us with annihilation from various flu's every year)as the only source of info out there. That's not to say they don't provide important and useful information, but many of it's conclusions are swayed by money and politics. It's how the US does business. Money first, truth second. Cheers! And keep up your poking and prodding on forums! You remind me of my bro-in-law with your research and strong opinions. Keep challenging with debates! It shakes out of our complacency!

Thanks for the link Annie, I checked it out, and as of the date of that article, Seminis did sell to Territorial and Johnny's as well as Fedco. It could be that a couple of the brassicas I just bought from Fedco, as well as the Lollo Rosa lettuce from Burpee could have come from Seminis. I will have to call the companies and check. A short snippet from the article Annie posted: " Taking spinach into his own hands: Nash Huber doesnâÂÂt want to get stuck depending on a hybrid that might get dropped by a mega-company owner on a whim. He also doesnâÂÂt want to lose any of the vigor, disease resistance, etc. that hybrid has provided. So Nash is working on dehybridizing �" breeding an open-pollinated spinach that is well adapted to his needs. (pictured: Huber, left; Matthew Dillon, right) Posted February 22, 2005: The news of MonsantoâÂÂs agreement to purchase Seminis has received little attention from the media other than the financial pages and a few seed industry and anti-globalization web sites. But then again, why should it? How many consumers �" of food or seed �" have even heard of Seminis? And yet, as Seminis spinmeister Gary Koppenjan said, âÂÂIf you've had a salad, you've had a Seminis product." It is estimated that Seminis controls 40 percent of the U.S. vegetable seed market and 20 percent of the world market�"supplying the genetics for 55 percent of the lettuce on U.S. supermarket shelves, 75 percent of the tomatoes, and 85 percent of the peppers, with strong holdings in beans, cucumbers, squash, melons, broccoli, cabbage, spinach and peas. The companyâÂÂs biggest revenue source comes from tomato and peppers seeds, followed by cucumbers and beans. In large part, these numbers reflect usage of Seminis varieties within large industrial production geared towards supermarkets, but Seminis seeds are also widely used by regional conventional and organic farmers as well as market and home gardeners. JohnnyâÂÂs, Territorial, Fedco, NicholâÂÂs, Rupp, Osborne, Snow, and Stokes are among the dozens of commercial and garden seed catalogs that carry the more than 3,500 varieties that comprise Seminisâ offerings. This includes dozens of All-American Selections and an increasing number of varieties licensed to third parties for certified organic seed production. The brand-name companies under Seminis (such as Petoseed) have developed, released, produced and distributed varieties common to the market farmer and even home gardener. These include Big Beef, Sweet Baby Girl and Early Girl Tomatoes; Simpsons Elite and Red Sails Lettuces; Red Knight and King Arthur Peppers; Gold Rush and Blackjack Zucchinis; Stars & Stripes Melon; and Bush Delicata and Early Butternut squashes (see sidebar for other popular varieties)." So home gardeners DO have to check their seed, these are very popular varieties though the article is NOT saying that these...

Thanks, Ann, for your thoughts. I agree - I definitely don't want to be the buttinsky stepmother! But as the one responsible for the food in the house, I am just trying to "get it right" and at least attempt to instill some appreciation for or knowledge of decent nutrition. As for speaking with a nutritionist, my thought had been to suggest it so that *I* know how to feed a growing boy, not to use it as an "I told you so" opportunity. But no matter how I present it, chances are it will be seen as a negative thing, at least by my step-son. I do make pretty healthy meals and I make sure to include things my step-son likes to eat. I do serve at least two veggies and fruit at every meal, and we sometimes eat non-meat meals, although step-son lets me know he doesn't appreciate meals without meat. ;) I cook a lot and know where I can cut corners and do so when it makes sense. But I also don't want to be so stingy on calories that I short change a growing boy. That is part of my challenge. Regarding relationship-dynamics, I'm working on that with DH and step-son, however, not the inlaws. We're friendly and they're nice folks, but MIL knows what she knows and won't be convinced otherwise. I've learned it's not worth my blood pressure or time to educate or convince her of something because she can't be swayed. If having weight loss surgery didn't convince her of the need to eat right, nothing will. On top of that, DH and step-son have both asked her to stop giving step-son junk food "to go" every time she sees him (she gives him cans of ravioli, boxes of Little Debbie cakes, bags of candy, etc. to take home because she knows I don't buy that kind of stuff), but she won't stop buying him junk. The bottom line here is I can only do so much. I will continue to make healthy meals, stock the fruit bowl and be a role model for healthy eating habits. But I'm not going to nag or keep bringing this up, as it'll get me nowhere and quite possibly make things difficult amongst us. Despite this particular problem area, step-son and I actually have a pretty good relationship. He's a good kid, hard worker and straight A student. I guess I just feel more pressure than your average step-mom because he lives with us full time - he eats with us every night, not just on the weekends. Kimberly

So does no one 'stockpile' a small amount of cash in their home safe or under a mattress *should* all banks have a breakdown of sorts, leaving no way to get cash or use debit/credit cards? How would the necessities of life be purchased if the problem were to continue for several days? I thought it strange when a friend surprised me by telling me she kept several thousand dollars in cash in her home. I was 'floored' when oldest DD's new boyfriend confided he kept close to $20k in his home safe since he truly believes there will be a major hack in the not-to-distant future, and is insuring himself some monetary security. I've chosen to follow my friend and DD's boyfriend and usually have between $4-$5 k in my home safe, which in my mind would cover the essentials for a number of days. The downside of the 'money hoard' is the possibility of those who haven't made the choice to keep a few bucks handy, *should* the worst of fears become a reality, and turn to their neighbors/ friends/family to help them, which could become a worse case scenario and violence takes over. As a woman living alone, this thought makes me shudder, and i'm not sure if the thought has occured to my friend, who also lives alone. Am I being too much of a pessimist?