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Friday, June 12, 2009

Re: FW: Surprising Information

Kathleen wrote:
     
In our current economic situation, every little thing we buy or do affects someone else and perhaps even their job. So, after reading this email, I think this lady is on the right track. Let's get behind her because every little bit helps!!
      
My grandson likes Hershey's candy. It is marked made in Mexico now. So I do not buy it any more. My favorite toothpaste Colgate is made in Mexico now.  I have switched to Crest. You have to read the labels on everything.
This past weekend I was at Kroger. I needed 60W light bulbs and Bounce dryer sheets. I was in the light bulb aisle and right next to the GE brand I normally buy was an off brand labeled, "Everyday Value." I picked up both types of bulbs and compared the stats - they were the same except for the price. The GE bulbs were more money than the Everyday Value brand but the thing that surprised me the most was the fact that GE was made in MEXICO and the Everyday Value brand was made in - get ready for this - the USA in a company in Cleveland , Ohio. So throw out the myth that you cannot find products you use every day that are made right here. So on to another aisle - Bounce Dryer Sheets....yep, you guessed it, Bounce cost more money and is made in Canada . The Everyday Value brand was less money and MADE IN THE USA! I did laundry yesterday and the dryer sheets performed just like the Bounce Free I have been using for years and at almost half the price! So my challenge to you is to start reading the labels when you shop for everyday things and see what you can find that is made in the USA - the job you save may be your own or your neighbor's! If you accept the challenge, pass this on to others in your address book so we can all start buying American, one light bulb at a time! Stop buying from China .......... (We should have awakened a decade ago......) Let's get with the program.... help our fellow Americans keep their jobs and create more jobs here in the U.S.A.


Hey Kathy,

Well, I'm afraid that it's far far too late for things like this to help US now. If they ever would have at all. I had the bumper sticker and wore the T-Shirt. Buy American! Well not really, but I did agree 26 years ago in 1983 I was all for the whole Buy American Crusade and still am... I did do allot of personal campaigning with my coworkers at General Dynamics, back wen I had a good paying Union Job. Remember American Unions?... Remember when an American Skilled Laborer could make $16 to $21 dollars an hour in Texas!??? But that Big Big Rollin Stone has already been rollin down that steep steep hill for a long long time now and it has picked up too much steam along with everything that it has crushed, along the way... With most all big Cooperations now being Multi National and many hidden in Shell Cooperations as well. There's really no telling where the Profits actually go after we spend all our money on their products and services. I mean, Bill Gates lives in Germany!:O And where do the Rockefeller's live now??? Where do their massive profits go? And how do we even begin to figure out where Internet and Telecommunications Job s and Revenues end up? It's very hard to trace where products are actually made these days and even harder to find out where the profits go or where they are spent in turn. You really can't tell just from reading labels. They only put what the laws of the land force them to put on them and no more than that for sure. Even if a product was made in the good ol USA. You can bet that a large portion of the Parts and Materials are made, grown, produced Over Seas. And many of the factory workers and day laborers these days are illegal Aliens who send allot of their hard earned money back home to Grandma and Grandpa. I really find the examples in this story very hard to believe as well. I read allot of labels my self, since I always try to buy American and since I have Diabetes (I read all  the labels of my food). And in my experience, I generally find more Name Brands with a Made in the USA emblem on them, not the other way around. I find most Imports have Generic or Store Brand Names on them, except perhaps with local food brands, like Milk or other things that spoil if transported long distances and or stored for long periods of time. As tight as Pocket Books are these days. Most of US have no other choice but to buy the best deals we can. AKA, off to Wally World!:O Besides, in this case, it hardly seems fair to fault Mexico for Producing Chocolate, since Chocolate originated and is grown Mexico and Central America... Here is some interesting info I found on Chocolate and how it's grown and produced...

Largest chocolate producing country

Number 1. Mexico
Well known for being the origin of chocolate, Mexico is probably the first place on earth where chocolate was introduced. Chocolate has played an important role in Mexican communities for almost five hundred years and it looks as if this strong relationship will never end. Chocolate was first discovered in Mexico in 1519 when Hernán Cortés Pizarro, a Spanish conquistador, was granted an audience with Moctezuma, Emperor of Mexico, at his breakfast table. Impressed by the amazing drink, "chocolatl", which was made from cocoa beans, Hernán Cortés Pizarro brought cocoa trees and the chocolatl's recipe back to Spain and began to introduce this drink all across the European continent.

Today, chocolate remains a highly valued commodity like in pre-Hispanic Mexico. This sweet substance is an important staple for Mexican people which bring millions of dollars to the country every year. In Mexico, chocolate is popularly used to make a wide array of Mexican confections such as a hot chocolate drink. For Mexican people, hot chocolate is considered as the national drink which almost everyone in the country drinks every day. Additionally, pepper and spices are also served with hot chocolate.

Number 4. United States of America
One of the biggest chocolate distributors of the world, the United States of America have produced numerous chocolate products for many countries around the world, and the American chocolate business has now grown at a faster pace than anywhere else in the world. Beginning in 1765, during the American Revolutionary War, the first chocolate factory was established in America and rapidly followed by many others. Thomas Jefferson, the third President of the United States of America, who became a great lover of hot chocolate, once wrote in a letter to John Adams in 1785, "The superiority of chocolate, both for health and nourishment, will soon give it the same preference over tea and coffee in America which it has in Spain". His prediction was absolutely correct because now chocolate is popularly consumed by most Americans, and its demand has grown steadily.

Interestingly, chocolate was also used for some extra purposes in the United States of America. During World War II, the U.S. government produced Military Chocolate for two purposes, firstly as a morale boost for of the Allied Armed Forces, and as a pocket-sized emergency ration. The majority of chocolate that were issued to military personnel was produced by the Hershey Company. Additionally, Chocolate has been taken into space as part of the diet of U.S. astronauts.
Read More...
http://www.chocolate-world.net/chocolate-in-different-country

Easier - Chocolate is a food made from cacao beans. Many candies and desserts contain chocolate. People often give chocolate as a gift on holidays such as Valentine's Day and Halloween.
 
Harder - Cacao beans come from a large pod that grows on a tropical tree. These beans are roasted, shelled, and ground into a paste. The cacao paste is mixed with sugar and cooked at a high temperature to make chocolate.
 
People love chocolate. Each American eats almost 12 pounds of chocolate per year. There are many different types of chocolate such as milk chocolate, dark chocolate, and white chocolate.
 
The Mayan people were some of the first to grow large plantations of cacao as early as 600AD. Both the Maya and Aztec people used cacao as a form of money. Early explorers brought chocolate to Europe. It was later brought to North America. During World War II, soldiers got chocolate candy bars as part of their rations.
http://42explore.com/choclat.htm

Where does chocolate come from?
Does it grow on trees?

Photo of Fair Trade Cacao TreeWhere does chocolate come from? Actually, it DOES grow on trees. It all starts with a small tropical tree, the Theobroma cacao, usually called simply, "cacao." (Pronounced ka-KOW. Theobroma is Greek for "food of the gods.") Cacao is native to Central and South America, but it is grown commercially throughout the tropics. About 70% of the world's cacao is grown in Africa.

A cacao tree can produce close to two thousand pods per year. The ridged, football shaped pod, or fruit, of the cacao grows from the branches and, oddly, straight out of the trunk. The pods, which mature throughout the year, encase a sticky white pulp and about 30 or 40 seeds. The pulp is both sweet and tart; it is eaten and used in making drinks. The seeds, were you to bite into one straight out of the pod, are incredibly bitter. Not at all like the chocolate that comes from them.

http://www.facts-about-chocolate.com/where-does-chocolate-come-from.html


Where does your chocolate come from?
Encouraging Fair Trade

Photo - Growing Fair Trade ChocolateAlthough Fair Trade chocolate may be a relatively new movement, the conditions that it strives to prevent are not.

When you take a bite into that luscious chocolate bar, source of ecstatic pleasure, do you stop to think about who grew the cacao that made your chocolate fantasy possible? Possibly one of the more than 15,000 child slaves working on cacao farms in west Africa. Does that chocolate still taste good?

By the way, did I mention that cacao farming has stripped the world of hundreds of thousands of acres of rainforest? Or, that despite the fact that the U.S. alone spends $13 billion a year on cocoa products, many cacao farmers are impoverished?

The statistics are sobering, yet large chocolate manufacturers still insist that, because of the way cocoa is traded at global markets, it is impossible for them to tell which cacao is grown by slaves and which isn't. Estimates are that up to 40% of cocoa is slave grown. And you thought Abe Lincoln abolished slavery. http://www.facts-about-chocolate.com/fair-trade-chocolate.html




Introduction: Growing Cacao for Chocolate

Chocolate's Rainforest Home
All the chocolate we eat comes from one rather special plant—the cacao tree.

This small tree grows best in tropical rainforests, where it receives just the right amount of rain, shade, humidity, wind, and nutrients.

Cacao comes from the Americas.
Cacao trees flourished in Central and South America long before people knew what luscious possibilities they held. Now that chocolate has become a world-famous favorite, it's grown globally.

Cacao farming can impact the rainforest.
To increase the size of their farms, some cacao farmers must clear out sections of rainforest. This not only destroys the homes of rainforest creatures, it also damages the conditions cacao needs to grow.
http://www.fieldmuseum.org/CHOCOLATE/grow_intro.html


   

From Bean to Bar:
How is Chocolate Made?

Photo - Chocolate BarEver wondered, "how is chocolate made?" Let's pick up with the arrival of the cacao beans at the factory (or click here to learn about how cacao is grown).

At the factory, the cacao beans are first sifted for foreign objects- you know, rocks, machetes, whatever got left in the bag. The cacao is weighed and sorted by type so that the manufacturer knows exactly what type of cacao is going into the chocolate. Some manufacturers use up to twelve types of cacao in their recipes, and they must carefully measure so that the flavor is consistent time after time.

Next, the cacao beans are roasted in large, rotating ovens, at temperatures of about 210-290F. Roasting lasts from half an hour up to two hours. The heat brings out more flavor and aroma, and it dries and darkens the beans.


Then the cacao beans are cracked and winnowed, that is, their outer shells are cracked and blown away, leaving the crushed and broken pieces of cacao beans, called "nibs." At this point, we have something edible and really chocolatey, but they're also really bitter. You might try some cacao nibs on a salad. Mmm.

But how is chocolate made? We've gone through all these steps and we still don't have a chocolate bar! Be patient, it can take up to a week!
http://www.facts-about-chocolate.com/how-is-chocolate-made.html


Best of all, here are some good Videos on, where is chocolate made - Google Videos


04:46 -  2 years ago





youtube.com
h**p://www.webcastgroup.com/webcast/window_new/asx2.asp?WebcastID=1942&Bandwidth=high ... chocolate How it's made ...
youtube.com



16:14 -  3 years ago





video.google.com
Learn how they make Chocolate...from CoolStuffBeingMade.com ...
video.google.com


Double Chocolate Protein Cookie Recipe - Ep 34 - Made Fit TV
10:00 -  4 months ago 5min.com
my Double Chocolate Protein Cookies. They contain slow digesting complex carbohydrates, healthy fats, lots of protein, and minimal sugar. Watch this week's Made Fit TV episode ...
5min.com

where is chocolate made - Google Videos
http://video.google.com/videosearch?hl=en&q=where+is+chocolate+made&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=DxczSqazH4W_twf17dD5Dg&sa=X&oi=video_result_group&resnum=4&ct=title#



Dang! Now I really want some Chocolate!!!;) Have to go get some!;)

Don


Kathleen wrote:


 Kathy





 

In our current economic situation, every little thing we buy or do affects someone else and perhaps even their job. So, after reading this email, I think this lady is on the right track. Let's get behind her because every little bit helps !!
 

My grandson likes Hershey's candy. It is marked made in Mexico now. So I do not buy it any more. My favorite toothpaste Colgate is made in Mexico now.  I have switched to Crest. You have to read the labels on everything.

This past weekend I was at Kroger. I needed 60W light bulbs and Bounce dryer sheets. I was in the light bulb aisle and right next to the GE brand I normally buy was an off brand labeled, "Everyday Value." I picked up both types of bulbs and compared the stats - they were the same except for the price. The GE bulbs were more money than the Everyday Value brand but the thing that surprised me the most was the fact that GE was made in MEXICO and the Everyday Value brand was made in - get ready for this - the USA in a company in Cleveland , Ohio .

So throw out the myth that you cannot find products you use every day that are made right here.

So on to another aisle - Bounce Dryer Sheets....yep, you guessed it, Bounce cost more money and is made in Canada . The Everyday Value brand was less money and MADE IN THE USA! I did laundry yesterday and the dryer sheets performed just like the Bounce Free I have been using for years and at almost half the price!

So my challenge to you is to start reading the labels when you shop for everyday things and see what you can find that is made in the USA - the job you save may be your own or your neighbor's!

If you accept the challenge, pass this on to others in your address book so we can all start buying American, one light bulb at a time! Stop buying from China ..........

(We should have awakened a decade ago......)

Let's get with the program.... help our fellow Americans keep their jobs and create more jobs here in the U.S.A.

 





--

God Bless,

Don

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And here's an alternative DonSongs download site that also has smaller 64Kbps M3U versions for Dialup connections and it has Streams of the complete album too if you just want to listen online without saving the MP3's. http://www.archive.org/details/DonBishopDonSongs002



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