STINK ABOUT IT

More and more people are becoming aware of the massive damage being done by factory farms, and more are fighting the all-powerful corporations who are blighting our world with them. This $33 million award in a "pork nuisance suit" is not as rare as it seems: across the country, and across the world, neighbors are banding together to stop the installation of large confined-animal operations. After one too many complaints that animal feces are destroying peoples' quality of life in multiple ways, the EPA has finally promised to get tough on factory farms' pollution in compliance with the Clean Water Act. But some observers are skeptical, pointing out that, as Reuters puts it "Manure Curbs Don't Go Far Enough." Time will tell, right?

McDONALD'S AT A LOSS

McDonald's stock price hit a new 7-year low when the company announced it would post its first-ever quarterly loss. Meanwhile, organic-friendly chain Whole Foods is doing so well it will be added to the NASDAQ-100 index. I'm just sayin, is all.

UPDATE 2/14: Once again, on the same day, in a notable way, Whole Foods grows, McDonalds shrinks.

MILK SHAKES

Add Parkinson's Disease to the growing list of maladies proven to be caused by cow's milk. A comprehensive study from the Harvard School of Public Health found that dairy products increase mens' risk of Parkinson's. And although the story backpedals this association like crazy, it turns out this is not a new idea... this basic Parkinson's FAQ, among many others, suggests reducing animal protein in general and dairy products in specific and this page from parkinson.org warns that milk "can be very troublesome for some people with PD" and interferes with anti-PD drugs.