Who *am* I?

Okay. Now for the big dilemma.

I am a feminist. Not a radical feminist, but I believe in individuality for women, I believe in independence, both financial and emotional. So I need to know...

After you married, did you change your name?

I am struggling with this one. My license says one thing, my passport another. Sometimes I am hyphenated, other times I am not.

If I call to book an appointment with the dentist, for example, I don't know "who" I am. Perhaps I am filed under Julia Married Name... No? Okay, try Julia Maiden Name. Okay. How about Julia Hyphenated Maiden-Married Name. Arggghhhh.

I have a huge identity crisis and I would love to hear others' thoughts on the issue. Is it an issue? Did you take your husband's name? Do you think that you give something up by taking their name? Do you feel it is important that your kids have the same name as yourself?

I am of the mindset that I either keep my "maiden name" which is in actuality my father's name or go by my "married name" which is my husband's name. What's the difference? They're both men's surnames, right?

Dying to hear the popular vote on this one!

Milk, anyone?

Okay, I'm on a green rant again. Apologies in advance.

I know, I know, you can't avoid pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, bovine-growth hormones...

Wait.

You CAN (and should) avoid bovine growth hormone. It's banned in Canada. It's banned in the U.K. It's not banned in the U.S.A. and it is bad news, people.

I am not a big fan of milk to start with. Especially cow's milk, whose original intended function in nature was to take a 100 pound calf and turn it into a 1600 pound heifer or steer. Do you want to be a heifer? No. I didn't think so.

Pure, natural "good for you" cow's milk (even without bovine growth hormone) contains Insulin-Like Growth Factor-1. This hormone results in rapid cell growth and is intended to turn a calf into a cow. Period. That's it's function. Now the last thing I need is to any kind of growth spurt. I do not need rapid cell growth. In fact, that sounds like a decidedly bad thing to me. When you add Bovine Growth Hormone, you quadruple this hormone.

People. Milk is a HUGE industry. A multi-billion dollar industry. Complete with quotas, overstocks and massive advertising campaigns urging you to drink more, more, more.

It is in the best interest of big business and government milk boards for us all to drink our milk. It is not necessarily in your best interest to drink milk. Hate me if you must, but I think I'm onto something here.

Don't take my word for it! If you are (shudder) feeding BGH milk to your kids, please try to find out a little bit about it. Perhaps buy milk without it or even wean them off of it. Even a heifer gets weaned off of milk!

Ask for Organic Milk instead of a Starbucks Bovine Growth Hormone Latte!


Press Release: Starbucks Still Serving Up Coffee Drinks Laced with Bovine Growth Hormone

Lecture over!

Whole Foods?

Okay. It will be a happy day for me when this store franchises across the border and into my country. Or will it?

What do you guys think about Whole Foods? I am a big proponent of organic produce. We don't have enough up here and I really think you need to do everything you can to reduce your toxic body burden.

Whole Foods has franchised into the U.K. but not into Canada. Yet. Any opinions on this store and it's produce?