Blogs of the Week

Check out some of the latest blogs on Centreville Patch and Chantilly Patch. Here's excerpts from a few. 

.  Jean Janssen, of the Centreville Smart Markets farmer's market, writes about a new study published in Harvard Women's Health Watch, that shows consumption of red meat leads to earlier death rates. She writes:

"What they do know is that red meat is high in saturated fat, cholesterol, and a form of iron that is not good for us. The story then suggests substituting chicken, nuts, and fish.

Nowhere in the story is there any mention of grass-fed beef, which is found most often at farmers’ markets but in grocery stores as well. Where have these doctors been? Was no doctor or technician working on this report who had heard about the significant differences between grass-fed, free-range beef and the beef they examined?"

  Both, says Mark Gibson, a candidate for the 11th congressional district. "We continually ask our elected officials for more and more, whether tax breaks or spending programs. As a result, the U.S. now has the lowest tax rates and the biggest government budget in the industrialized world. We benefit from a low rate of taxation and a high rate of government spending. But the tax code is uneven and inequitable because of its structure, application, and opacity."

. Court Appointed Special Advocates, or CASA, posted a video that explains how their volunteers are "often the one consistent adult in the life of an abused or neglected child living under the court’s protection. While social workers, teachers, or foster parents may come and go, the CASA volunteer remains on the case, helping protect a child’s fundamental right to be safe, to be treated with dignity, and to learn and grow in a safe and permanent home."

. Tanya Rapp writes of Ms. Kathy, who ran Wee Play classes, "I learned more about motherhood from her than she knows. She taught me how to know when to step back and not do everything for my kids, no matter the frustration that was encountered. She taught me to let them get messy and worry about the clean up later. She spoke to the kids in a way that told them that what they said mattered to her and never did she use the dreaded 'baby talk' with them. Most of all, she taught me that our kids do not have to be perfect in order for us (and others!) to measure our success as parents."

Want to share your voice with the community? Apply to blog on Chantilly Patch or Centreville Patch.