Red Ortega's blog

What is Organic Food?

As health issues are becoming more and more, a concern around the world. Several people are discovering the benefits of eating organic food.

In fact, some social entrepreneurs such as Chris Bech in Tablas Island, Romblon - has been initiating livelihood projects for the town to benefit in this emerging food trend.

But what really is organic food?

Organic food is produced by farmers who avoid the use of bio-persistent nonselective chemical pesticides, fungicides and fertilizers.

Farmers emphasize the use of renewable (or sustainable) resources and the conservation of soil and water to enhance environmental quality for future generations.

According to the USDA, organic food is produced by farmers who emphasize the use of renewable resources and the conservation of soil and water to enhance environmental quality for future generations.

Organic meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy products come from animals that are given no antibiotics or growth hormones. Organic food is produced without using most conventional pesticides; fertilizers made with synthetic ingredients or sewage sludge; bioengineering; or ionizing radiation.

Before a product can be labeled ‘organic,’ a Government-approved certifier inspects the farm where the food is grown to make sure the farmer is following all the rules necessary to meet USDA organic standards.

Companies that handle or process organic food before it gets to your local supermarket or restaurant must be certified, too.” Consumer Brochure, USDA National Organic Program.

Super Bowl 2011 Comes Soon

Here's some trivia for you as we all await for the Super Bowl 2011 online on February 6.

When the Packers lost Ryan Grant in the beginning of the year Aaron Rodgers knew he had to step up. And he certainly did. But no one expected much from the committee of backs Green Bay would use.

Brandon Jackson, John Kuhn, and James Starks total yardage equals 1,085. Rashard Mendenhall, the power back for the Steelers, rushed for 1,273 yards, a career high.

The committee of three had their moments of key plays throughout the year. Starks leads all running backs with 263 yards during the playoffs. Kuhn and Jackson were crucial on key third down plays throughout the season keeping many drives alive for the Packers.

However, Rashard Mendenhall has been a vital piece to the success of the Pittsburgh Steelers. He rushed for a career high 13 touchdowns this season.

Mendenhall is critical to the balanced game plan the Steelers play. He sets up the play action and knows how to protect his quarterback.

Which do you want America? A work horse, or a committee of three?

UFC 118 Weigh In Results

The UFC 118 weigh ins just finished and everyone made weight. Nothing extraordinary happened, nobody even stripped barenaked. So I guess all is set for the ufc 118 live stream tomorrow night.

It's the first time that UFC will be in Boston so all MMA fans there are really excited for this. Anyway, the full weigh-in results are below:

MAIN CARD (Pay-per-view)
Champ Frankie Edgar (154) vs. B.J. Penn (154) - for lightweight title
Randy Couture (220) vs. James Toney (237)
Kenny Florian (156) vs. Gray Maynard (156)
Marcus Davis (170) vs. Nate Diaz (171)
Demian Maia (184) vs. Mario Miranda (185)

PRELIMINARY CARD (Spike TV)
Joe Lauzon (156) vs. Gabe Ruediger (155)
Nik Lentz (155) vs. Andre Winner (154)

PRELIMINARY CARD
Dan Miller (185) vs. John Salter (185)
Nick Osipczak (171) vs. Greg Soto (170)
Amilcar Alves (171) vs. Mike Pierce (171)

UFC 117 Live Stream

This coming August 7 - mark your calendars for ufc 117 live stream because of the explosive event in UFC 117 featuring Silva vs Sonnen in the main event of that evening.

It was once rumored that this two is a match up to see then after those weeks Dana White came across to scheduled both of them in UFC 117 and now it is finally on. UFC 117 Live Stream Online Free will kickoff this weekend.

Be sure you have already purchased the pay-per-view with you so that on the night of the event you can watch it live on your television screen. Enjoy this event.

Empowering People

I was just trying to find the best things to sell on ebay when I stumbled upon some people who are doing more than just selling online. They are empowering people and their local industry.

How? By finding local suppliers and helping them sell their products online. It's really a win-win situation for everyone, specially the urban poor who don't have the knowledge to tap the global market.

Surely, this is one way to help ensure that you do your own little part in making this a better world for everyone.

All About Echinacea

Echinacea Tea is a popular herbal tea. Definitely give this healing herb a chance in your healing garden because of the many benefits of echinacea. You've no doubt heard about the wonderful properties of this plant.  Echinacea has been noted for the last several years as a powerful booster for your immune system.

Many individuals take this herb in capsule or tablet form as a supplement, especially during the winter months, to avoid contracting colds  and the flu during the winter months. You can also have it in Echinacea Tea which usually has no echinacea side effects.

This plant, with its large, bright flower is also known as the purple coneflower. There are three distinct varieties of Echinacea:  Echinacea pallid, Echinacea angustifolia and Echinacea pupuea.  All three have similar medicinal effects.

This plant is also used for respiratory infections by many herbalists.  In Europe, it's not unusual for medicinal doctors to prescribe this to their patients for a variety of remedies.

You might think with all these wonderfully effective health benefits, Echinacea would be near impossible to grow (aren't we conditioned to believe there's a catch behind every good thing?).  Well nothing could be further from the truth.  It's actually quite easy to grow.  One of the most amazing aspects of their success is their tolerance for dry conditions.

And you can actually grow this amazing plant from seed with little trouble.  Plant the seeds when your soil reaches between 55 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit in the spring.

You need do nothing more initially than sow the seeds on the surface.  Within 10 to 20 days, you should notice the seeds germinating. Once this happens, then you'll cover them with about one-eighth of an inch of soil.

When they reach the seedling stage, you'll want to thin the plants so they're about 18 to 24 inches apart.

This plant prefers shade over full sun.  You may also want to test your soil's pH balance before planting your seeds. This plant prefers neutral soil, with a rating of six to eight.

Echinacea bloom from June to October.  And oh yes, they attract the most beautiful of butterflies!  Even if you don't use the plant for health reasons, its presence in your garden lifts your spirit when you watch the butterflies hover around it!

Spain vs Netherlands Preview

This is a clip from an interview on the Spain vs Netherlands live stream preview. The fixture will happen live tonight for the World Cup 2010 finals in South Africa.

“I will tell the players [how to deal with Spain’s possessive football], but I won’t explain it here,” the manager said at a press conference.

“I don’t care even if the whole world calls Spain favorites. The game will be about two countries facing each other who want to win and who can win. We believe in ourselves. We have respect for Spain, but we don’t fear them.”

The Netherlands’ current national football team is perhaps not the best one – not in terms of achievement but in terms of performance. The Dutch became popular for the ‘total football’ in the 1970s with Rinus Michels and Johan Cruyff transforming into legends. But for a reason or another, the Netherlands couldn’t manage to win the World Cup despite reaching the final in 1974 and in 1978.

Germany vs Uruguay

The battle for third place in FIFA World Cup 2010 will feature the losers of the semifinals, it's germany vs uruguay live stream at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth, the kickoff time is 20:30 CET, 2:30 ET.

Germany defeated England 4-1 and Argentina 4-0 as they were the favorite against Spain but they got beaten 1-0. Uruguay meanwhile was defeated by Holland in the semifinals.

Germany vs Uruguay Live Stream Online is available for all of us. As these two teams will collide in this soccer game, we expect them to bring their A games and that it will be a game which will probably be tight.

We all know that Germany have the firepower to win this game as they can score a lot of goals. For Uruguay, they must have learned how Spain beat Germany and that they will use something that will surprise their opponent.

Yes, this is a game in which the offense of the Germans can explode any time of the game. Furthermore, hitman Miroslav Klose has a chance to break the 15 goals in the World Cup by Ronaldo of Brazil. Will he break it?

World Cup 2010 Live Stream Online Germany vs Uruguay is available on Justin tV. You can have the television feed on ABC. This is the game that we should watch as these two teams will have their players ready for the kickoff time.

Surrendering Endowment Policies

Is surrendering endowment policies a good idea? Often not, for two reasons.

First, the early years' premiums are often eaten up by commission payments. So if you surrender early, you could get less than you put in, or even nothing at all.

Second, a lot of the return you get from an endowment policy is paid as a terminal bonus, when the policy matures. It can be up to two thirds of its value.

That's two things you should consider before you surrender an endowment policy.

Uruguay vs Netherlands Live Stream

Can anything be more exciting today than the uruguay vs netherlands live stream that's coming later at 2:30 PM ET from the Cape Town Stadium? I'm sure there isn't.

Bert van Marwijk, the coach of the Oranje, firmly believes that his side will take their spot in the final come July 11, though he has urged his players not to allow their mental focus to slip.

“We have been down this road before in the past with other Dutch teams and the Dutch people have been let down time and again,” he reminded his squad via a press conference. “We have to take the duel with Uruguay very seriously because, mentally, it is difficult to get yourselves back into the mix after a victory against Brazil.

“It has now been two years that I have been trying to get the players to understand that in order to be world champions, they must shine regularly without ever letting up. We haven't succeeded in our mission yet. The target, to be crowned champions, is not yet achieved.”