Re: request for information

Bargyla Rateaver (brateaver@earthlink.net)
Mon, 19 Jul 1999 12:44:04 -0700

I can tell you something about the cochineal insect. In Madagascar, the arid
region inland, in the southern part of the island, the land was covered with
cactus, and that was what the cattle had to eat. Some brilliant male brain
decided that the reason the arid section was arid was that the cactus was
using up all the moisture---(it rains once every 10 yrs, maybe)-- so the thing
to to was to eradicate the cactus.
So the cochineal insect was imported, --I thought I remembered from
Australia??-- and sure enough, it did its job and eliminated almost all the
cactus.
So did that make the region more moist, the soil more water holding, more
able to grow other things?

Absolutely not. Ever since, cactus is very scarce, the cattle are bony, and
they don't have much to eat. It was a terriblea decision and there is no way
to combat the problem, since the cactus is only slowly reappearing.

Renewable News Network wrote:

> >From rnn@rnn.com Mon Jul 19 09:30:16 1999
> Date: Mon, 19 Jul 1999 09:28:07 -0400 (EDT)
> From: Renewable News Network <rnn@rnn.com>
> To: san-x@rnn.com
> Subject: request for information
>
> Dear list people.
>
> I was wondering if I could get some pointers on how to read consumer
> product labels, what they mean, and what the alternatives are?
>
> Last holiday season I received a can of deodorant. Putting aside any
> meaning in such a gift - it was a stocking stuffer - another way
> to buy a piece of the holiday spirit; the ingredients bothered me,
> starting with SD alcohol 40-B, PROPANE (and) BUTANE (and) ISOBUTANE,
> WATER, PROPYLENE GLCOL, etc.
>
> Here's the article that inspired me to try to get a grip on the
> possibly dangerous products out there.
>
> Yours truly,
> Ross
>
> encl:
>
> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> http://www.bobharris.com/
>
> Just how exactly do they make pink lemonade pink?
>
> Prompted by you, my demented readers, I did a little poking around, and
> sure enough, there is an answer. And that answer is
>
> Crushed beetle eggs.
>
> Bleaugh!
>
> That's really the truth. Now, not all pink lemonade uses this particular
> dye, so check your label, but it turns out that the red coloring often
> used is something called "cochineal extract," which extracted from the
> eggs of the cochineal beetle.
>
> The cochineal beetle, incidentally, is a little squirmy thing that lives
> in cactus plants in Peru and the Canary Islands. Which, if you ask me, is
> precisely where the cochineal beetle belongs, not in a cold summertime
> drink many of our kids chug by the gallon.
>
> The label doesn't always say "cochineal extract." Sometimes, if they
> purify the extract, they call it "carmine." Swell. It's still crushed
> insect eggs. A rose (coloring) by any other name
>
> And while beetle eggs are supposedly pretty safe, not everything Big
> Brother packs in your lunchbox is. Check out www.safe-food.org if you're
> curious about what the hell else is throbbing around in your fridge.
>
> Y'know what? For me, here's the distressing part: I'm a vegetarian and it
> turns out I eat crushed beetle eggs all the time. If you eat ice cream or
> yogurt or candy that has a red, pink, or purple tinge, guess what? You're
> gargling beetle juice. Call me crazy, but it seems like that ought to be
> on a label somewhere.
>
> "The lemons in this pink lemonade contain no pork, beef, mollusk, or
> kangaroo DNA, and the ade part became pink without the use of insects,
> spiders, or garter snakes."
>
> Just like Mom used to make.
>
> ___________________________
>
> Bob Harris is a radio commentator, political writer, and stand-up
> comedian. His new book, Steal This Book And Get Life Without Parole, will
> be published soon by Common Courage Press.
>
> To receive a free email subscription to The Scoop, just send a blank email
> to BobHarris-subscribe@listbot.com.
>
> ...you can find recent columns reprinted in the current print
> editions of Dollars & Sense, Extra!, and the Funny Times. Meanwhile,
> Mother Jones online (http://www.motherjones.com) now carries The Scoop
> every week. I am honored to be associated with these people. They rule.
>
> Send announcements, stories, and notices of interest to:
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