I just finished listening to an interesting but provocative interview with Barbara Kingsolver, author of Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. In this book, Kingsolver reports of a one-year journey with her family to understand more clearly the impact of their family-dining on the global economy and environment. Her experience is wonderful, enriching, and deeply disturbing. I recommend the book (I'm getting it from the library), and an excellent interview on NPR's Speaking of Faith.


It is not a "granola Bible" as some might expect, but an encouragement to personal sacrifice, responsibility, and individual accountability.

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Putting a face on "made in China"...

Last night while I was making dinner I noticed that the can of Albertson's brand Black Beans I was using was obviously stamped "Made In China" on the top of the can. I was amazed. I haven't seen many "Made In China" logos at the grocery store, but obviously from the recent related food recalls, they are present.


With the pervasiveness of Chinese production on my mind, I couldn't help but notice and be touched by this gripping story in today's LAT that puts a human face on the Chinese side of the current export quality issues. The story tells of one of the owners of Lee Der Toy company which had millions of dollars worth of toys recalled. It turns out, that the problem wasn't theirs, but a criminal supplier who forged quality documents and sold lead-based paint pigment to Lee Der. Ultimately this bankrupted Lee Der after 10-years of production and the founder hung himself in the factory. Reminds me of the recent documentary The High Cost of Low Prices". Enjoy.


Safety problems bear down on Chinese manufacturer - Los Angeles Times

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