I shop at Wegmans and generally do enjoy the experience. Since seeing the website, wegmanscruelty.com
, I have stopped purchasing eggs from Wegmans. (e:kara)'s post led me to the wegmans website, which responded to the documentary. Here is Danny's response to the case of the rotten eggs. Read the official Wegmans response and then watch the film located on the the left of wegmanscruelty's webpage. Don't anyone fly off the handle as I have once heard someone say. I'm not bashing Wegmans. Actually no I am, I'm sick of them charging full price for everything now. The problem is more with that you can't sell cage free eggs for $.99 dozen, rather than with Wegmans or Danny. As far as I know nobody sells "cruetly free" eggs at that price.

Wegmans Egg Farm

Statement from Dr. Joy Mench
View recent television news coverage from inside our egg farm that aired on the ABC affiliate in Rochester, WHAM Channel 13:     
May 4, 2006     
May 9, 2006     

We Are Proud of Our Egg Farm
(updated 05-09-2006)

About our farm and our practices...
We've been told that our egg farm, run for nearly 30 years by three generations of the Wadsworth family and a team of talented and committed employees, is one of the best in the country. It was started to ensure the freshest and highest quality eggs for our customers. Today, there are 750,000 chickens at the farm, and we are proud of our low mortality rate of less than 8%. Cage-free and free-range hens often have a much higher mortality rate because there is greater exposure to predators, disease, cannibalism, and extreme weather conditions.

Our customers and employees know we are always willing to look at doing things better or differently. We are not close-minded and are willing to look at the implications of cage-free production. If there is a significant shift in consumer demand, we'd give serious consideration to some cage-free production, provided it was the right thing for the health of the animals and for the employees at the farm. Our sales of cage-free eggs have risen slightly over the past year, but the volume is still very small.

In November of 2005, our farm participated in its annual audit of the United Egg Producers (UEP) Certified program, which outlines a set of science-based standards for cage space, air and water quality, nutritious food, and other animal care practices. The USDA conducted this audit, and we received a score in the high 190's (out of a possible 200). Our score in 2004 was also in the high 190's.

Last year, we began working with Dr. Joy Mench, professor of animal science at the University of California at Davis. Dr. Mench is an expert in animal behavior who co-authored the book "Poultry Behaviour and Welfare." She is also a member of the scientific panel that developed the standards for the UEP program. We asked Dr. Mench to visit our farm and consult with us for two reasons: first, to see if we were indeed doing as good a job with animal husbandry as we believed, and second, to learn if there was anything that could be improved. We are always looking for ways to improve, not just at our farm but across our entire organization.

We also work with Dr. Benjamin Lucio-Martinez, a veterinarian, who visits our farm and monitors the health and well being of our hens as part of Cornell University's Poultry Diagnostic and Extension Service.

A little background...
Three people broke into our farm more than once in 2004. They allegedly filmed hens in one laying house during the break-ins and called on law enforcement authorities to investigate our practices.

In the end, it was determined there was no evidence of animal abuse. The New York State Police and the Wayne County District Attorney's office jointly conducted the investigation, and Wegmans fully cooperated.

Food safety and food security are non-negotiable for us. We welcome customer debate on any topic, but we cannot tolerate illegal entry into our laying houses because of the obvious risk that a disease, like avian flu, could be tracked in. We have strict bio-security measures in place at our farm. Those who broke in three times not only broke the law, they put our hens at risk and the jobs of the farm's 80 employees.

Last summer, these same individuals released a 30-minute film that paints a false picture of conditions at our farm. It includes misleading and inaccurate statements, and we have questioned from the beginning whether all of the images came from our farm or might have been staged.

Why choice is important...
The activists are asking that we operate a farm without cages. Eggs produced by cage-free hens are available at Wegmans. These eggs cost more to produce, so the retail price is much higher than Wegmans eggs. Three nationally-known specialty food stores are often lauded for switching to cage-free eggs only. Wegmans is a full-service supermarket, not a specialty food store. Price is important to our customers, who expect to find eggs at an affordable price and value them as an inexpensive source of high quality protein. Some simply can't afford to pay more. We don't believe we should force all of our customers to pay more than double the price for a dozen eggs just because a few people think we should.

If you have shopped at our stores and know us well, we hope you trust us to be honest and forthcoming. If you don't know us at all, we realize that's a lot to ask, but we appreciate the chance to tell you about our egg farm.

We are proud of our eggs

Check out the "coming next week" feature.


Would someone buy this house and let me live in it please?

Maybe if enough people beg he will let me post the "other" pic.

"Sometimes if I want to put on a smile, I just slam my head into my first."





"Read my fist not my lies"








Some people like to make latex fists.


I have seen this billboard in Canada. It always is scary to drive past it, like some guy in a pick up truck is going to come and hack me to pieces after i cross that point along the road.


Angry Iraqi fists

I met the Bishop who owns the house I live in. He is going to sell ASAP, therefore, I need to get out. This sort of sucks, but what can I do? Where to go? The bishop is in his 80's, he doesn't live here anymore. He really seemed distressed about selling. I suggested he get a property manager (me?) to fill vacant apartments and run the house. This place could be making him money, but he doesn't have the right person running it. I wish I had more communication with him, but he is always in India and I don't have his phone number in Maine. I do respect his decision to sell though.

It seems I will need a roommate. Since I would like to have joint custody of my rabbit, it needs to be someone who likes animals, but doesn't have any predator animals themselves. Leetee has mentioned that she had a cat and a rabbit peacefully coexist before, but my ex would never allow that. Whoever it happens to be, I hope that we can come to some basic agreements before hand regarding how we want our home to run.

If anybody knows anyone let me know. I think I am fairly easy to get along with, but I also realize that I am someone that needs space.

I'm going to miss this place. I really was looking forward to having it to myself.

I just witnessed the price of gas being changed at the Landes and Blackwell across the street. $3.04 to $3.07 per gallon. Can anyone guess what it will be a month from now?

update: This is a contest. Please have your guess in by Friday 7/28/06!

It is almost 1am. I'm sitting on my front stoop and notice Hummer owner from Envyus circling around the gas station across the street two times (In her hummer). I'm thinking, look, there is no more gas for you, the station is closed. Then she pulls up in front of me and asks do you live here. Yes, I do live here. There is a man sleeping on the back porch of your house. OK. What do you want me to do about it?. Hummer owner rolls up her tinted window to make cell phone call. Three minutes later three cop cars come to remove man passed out on back porch steps. He has a false leg which made him look like he was completely bent out of shape. All the while Hummer sits idling until she is safe to go into her apartment. Man completely passed out on neighbors step is a threat to Hummer woman.

We have had more communication with the land lady (for lack of a better word) . The house will not be demolished. Things are going good and I should have at least until November maybe even until next spring to stay. If I could stay until then my life would be so much easier. I'm excited still to see what History i can find on the house. If all goes well I'll be living on my own starting in September. That is such an exciting feeling.

Aquí esta un poquito del sabor de Cuba. Disfruta.


El rio yumurí

Missing Image ;(

Las calles de la Habana

El pueblo de trinidad

El mirador

Un pajarito

La guagua se va

una Bucanero para tus espíritus

La costa

Un secreto

¡Que rica la sonrisa!

Una habitación por alquilar

Missing Image ;(

Los quapos

Las montañas

Missing Image ;(

Los marineros

Un buen amigo. Está en las puertas del Convento de Santa Clara

The other night I talked to a woman that (e:paul) has recorded ranting on Elmwood. See his post
Many of you may have seen this woman around the strip within the last year. Interestingly enough, she was on one of her rants directed at what you or I couldn't see. She was sitting on our curb front on Elmwood as often people do. I said hello, but there wasn't a response. Then I said "How are you?" The next part took me by surprise. We ended up having a very interesting dialogue. It seems she has another side to her and aparently you can pull her out of a rant just by saying hello. She shared with me some of her struggles, we exchanged names and I said goodbye. The conversation probably lasted 30 minutes or so. She didn't really stop talking after telling her I had to go in, so as she talked I gently and steadily shut the door.

On another note, this morning we got a call letting us know the Bishop who owns our house is ready to sell. A realtor will be here on Tuesday and they will decide whether to sell ASAP or next Spring. Of course this complicates my situation as Steve was planning on moving out in September and I was to continue living here. The price is right and I like living here. I'm probably not going to be able to afford living on my own and the other thing is who could I possibly live with?

The other thing I'm concerned about is that they will sell to some creep who just wants to tear the house down. Maybe on Monday I could get to the Historical Society to do some research on the house. It's possible I could convince the Bishop to screen potential buyers for their intentions. We don't need another house on Elmwood destroyed for greed's sake.