Well when something is like a year past its use-by date, that helps.

If only everyone used that standard.

Me visiting my parents:  This salad dressing is best by 1999.  May I toss it?
Mom:  Oh... it's probably still good.

Oh man, my mom does that all the time. She's always got several things well past the expiry, including cans and jars of stuff that have never been opened and aren't the type of thing she likes, so she probably won't be opening them anytime soon. AND the other day she had some chocolate that was most likely years and years past its best by date (she had it when we lived in our old house, and we moved in 2003...), and she ate it anyway. She still has some candy from then.

But then when we went to a grocery store with imports, she complained that they were selling expired candy bars (dated earlier 2011 or 2010). ... I mean, I know selling something is different, but when you likely ate a 10 year old chocolate earlier that day... 2010 ain't so bad.

In California, you're supposed to take pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) to a hazardous waste disposal site.  They're a problem, especially if flushed, because they're not removed during the waste water treatment process and we end up consuming trace amounts of them when drinking water.  The potential of them being sold to the 3rd world beats drinking other people's medicine.

I also sorted our medicine cupboard...found an astounding number of things that expired in like 2006....so much free space now!
Here you are meant to take expired/unneeded meds to the pharmacy "for proper disposal". I always wonder if they don't just toss them in the trash, particularly in this city. Rumour has it that they end up in 3rd world countries but I'm not sure I believe that.

if it's like the UK then it's incinerated so as to not become a problem in general water.  Unfortunately, an EU legelsative thingy (good terminology from me there....hey I've had a couple of beers) came in so we couldn't send expired meds or returned to 3rd world countries.  It was a shame as a lot of the big companies can tell you how much a particular drug has degraded for so many months after the expiry date.

I have a bit of good news, but there is a tiny story to lead up to said story. I got an articel printed in my local newspaper about the benefits of veganism. And here is the kicker...it made front page (that part I did not now about).

I work at my local health food store, and I am also the one who teaches all the food classes there as well (all vegan of course and the classes are packed...who knew). One of the regualr customers who I knew from elsewhere started attending my classes. Then she finanly asked me if I wold do a private seminar. I told her yes I would. We set up the date and time and we were a go. She informed me about 1 week before the event that the newspaper would be there. I panicked, but then relaized, 'Hey, I will do what I do.'

There were about a dozen and a half people at the event and it went off without a hitch. Food was good and the people loved it. The journalist called a few days later and got the interview. It came out online in September 28 and I got not one phone call. So I figured it was not going to print and that no one had read thee online article. But on September 29th my phone started ringing off the hook. People were calling about the classes that I teach at the health food store and then they started asking about privare seminars.

I got stories about how some had cured themselves through food choices alone and how others had lost family members. Some truly great stories. Classes are still packed and I have gone from teaching 2 classes a month to now 4 classes a month and they keep on coming in. People are curious and they want to make changes, but so many do not know where to start. So I tell them, if they come to my class, they will get 8 new recipes a month, for I make 2 dishes every class.

What a wonderful job I have. I am truly blessed to show people how to make even the smallest cahnges in their lives by food alone.

Here is the article:
http://www.tcpalm.com/news/2011/sep/27/cooking-lady-touts-benefits-of-vegan-dining-at/

that's frickin' sweet, Treklady.
I wish there were places with classes like Yours in every major city in the U.S.! Sometimes all it takes is for people to try good vegan food, and their doubts and misconceptions turn into a newfound love for eating well. :)

Shoot, if we could just get them to see how much money they would save not buying the gross stuff...but it's hard to get them to think.

I actually DID get the laundry all caught up. All that ironing done. Wow.

hahah awesome. jfm, everyone!