There’s a lot of talk about genetically modified food in Washington right now, mostly due to I-522, which will require that food sold in the grocery store be labeled if it contains genetically modified (GMO) ingredients. Farmers markets and you-pick-’ems don’t have to tell you what you’re getting, though don’t get too paranoid. Just bear in mind that a fruit or vegetable labeled as “Organic” might be an organically grown genetically modified fruit or vegetable, the lack of pesticides due to the hardiness of the plant.

Alcohol and cheese are in some way exempt from labeling. In up to 70 percent of cheeses, bioengineered chymosin, known as rennin, is used to make the cheese, though they are only required to include the word “enzyme” in the list of ingredients versus actually naming what enzyme was used. However, an enzyme simply helps curd the milk into cheese; it doesn’t appear in the end product. (Like using lemon juice to make tofu … You don’t end up with lemony tofu. You just have tofu.) Alcohol would not need to be labeled as having been made from genetically engineered grain because alcohol is not considered a food under federal guidelines. If you’re scared of enzymes in your cheese and alcohol made from GMO corn, you might look at micro-brews, check out product websites, or make your own. From my understanding, home brewing and cheesemaking is a growing trend.

The people screaming that meat won’t have to be labeled are confused. There is currently no meat on the US market that has come from genetically modified animals. If such meat was being sold, under I-522 it would be labeled as GMO. So that super crazy salmon they’ve been talking about–the so-called Frankenfish–would carry a GMO label under I-522. Just because genetically modified corn and soy are used as animal feed does not mean that the animals themselves are genetically modified. I am more concerned about the animals being fed growth hormones to produce more meat and milk than I am about them eating some lab produced corn.

The anti-labeling people make me nervous. Anyone that is so paranoid about letting me know what I’m eating probably has something to hide. The idea that it will cost billions of dollars to add a little extra ink to a label makes me a little leery of trusting that they care about my well-being. How hard is it to slap some stickers to the side of a box? What are they hiding? Big companies going out of their way to hide what they’re doing make me uncomfortable.

I’m not scared of eating genetically modified food. I just want to know that it’s genetically modified before I eat it. I like having the option to choose.

Let's Make Dumplings at Amazon

I have been working on my site — Kimichee.com — all day. Tuning up the featured images, adding some chapters, adding actual excerpt stuff. It’s been kind of fun, though I hate how much stuff I don’t know: programming, WordPress, art, anything to do with graphic design.

I know what I like when I see it, but I don’t know how to create that kind of … er, synergy? … There’s no cohesion when I look at stuff. I have a hard time getting from point A-Z, without going through all the steps between. So my website is kind of bland right now. Hopefully I can talk my brother around to making it better for me.

So as long as you’re not looking for the beautiful, you’ll find a lot of my stories available to read on my Master List page at Kimichee. The stories are:

  • The Panic Pure [HK] Blurb: A neurotic billionaire, a sympathetic FBI agent, and a serial killer cannibal. It could be a match made in something. mm, suspense, thriller, Adult.
  • Vedran’s Hand [HK] Blurb: Dragon Knight is the Emperor’s Hand. His duty is to perform any task that his master asks of him. He kills with a frightening ease. He is beautiful and terrible. How could Vedran not love him? pre-slash, fantasy, action, mature.
  • Idlewile [HK] Blurb: Raised in an orphanage, recruited by the State, Idlewile is the nation’s Idol. It is a lonely pedestal, and he feels himself fading away. It seems like a miracle when the goddess of the golden screen, Jessica Turan, steps into his life, bringing with her the Drama King Chris Hart. mm, mf, romance, teen+.
  • From Diamond to Coal [SC] Blurb: A genius, a Congressman, adventure, romance, and superscience: There are many things happening in this story. First chapters are in the future, then it goes back to the beginning and starts as a contemporary romance. mm, sci-fi, romance, mature.

They’re all Raw Feed. They will be completed and available as ebooks.

I’ve added Chapters Seventeen and Eighteen of The Panic Pure to Kimichee, and I’ll be adding them here too. I just have to get caught up on everything.


Pacific Rim — Remember when I was raving about this movie several months ago when I saw it in the theater? Well, I’ve got it on DVD now, and while it’s a good movie, I think all the fanfic has totally spoiled me. Seriously, I’ve read that story where Hermann is a woman, Hermione, and she and Newt are totally the science couple; it was the greatest read of the season. Or I read that one where Raleigh is a werewolf and there’s all kinds of romance with Chuck Hansen. Hell, I’ve even dabbled a little myself.

Sometime between watching the movie in the theater and yesterday, Pacific Rim took on the glossy gleam of memory. Or maybe it was the drop in quality from Blu-Ray to DVD. Whatever happened, some of the magic was gone. Still a great action giant robot monster movie, but it was absolutely amazing on a giant screen.


Here, because I love you. Have a little something:

Title: Dude, There’s A Body In Your Bathtub
Author: Harper Kingsley
Genre: general, crime family, dead body, amoral people
Rating: teen+
Summary: Just 850 words of what the title says. There’s a body in the bathtub.

“Hey, dude, did you know you’ve got a dead body in your tub?” the obnoxiously loud voice of Sean asked.

Jude groaned and shoved his face hard into his pillow for a silent scream. Then he calmly lifted his head and asked, “Do you know who it is?”

“No clue,” Sean said. He stepped half through the doorway, his face still turned down the hall. He could see through the open bathroom door. “The body’s beat ragged.”

“There’s an unidentified body in the bathtub. Is that what you’re telling me?” Jude sat up in bed, not even bothering to pull the covers up to hide his skinny chest. He’d known Sean forever.

Sean shrugged and glanced at him. “Pretty much.”

“Great.” Jude scrubbed a hand across his face. “Just the kind of thing I love waking up to.”

He threw his legs over the side of the bed and stood up. He paused there a moment, his left hand ready to snatch out and catch the headboard. He didn’t fall. He took it as a win.

Jude hobbled over to his walker and grabbed hold of it. Never mind that using it made him feel like an old man, he preferred it to being trapped in a wheelchair. Surgery and physio had only been able to do so much.

Dressing was one of those tasks that took more time than he would have imagined pre-mangled legs. But he was grateful for everything he was allowed to experience, especially after all the wishes and prayers he had expended just to make it this far.

Finally he was wearing jeans and a knit sweater. He didn’t bother with the hassle of socks and slipped his bare feet into a pair of clogs. He was too cool to be embarrassed about unfortunate footwear.

“All right. Show me this body you speak of,” he said.

“Come on.”

Jude followed Sean down the hallway to the guest bathroom. He couldn’t help wondering if he should be more upset. A dead body in the bathtub should have him flipping out. Instead, he just felt irritated and wondered where he was supposed to dispose of it.

Sean pushed the door all the way open and waved his hand. “There he is.”

Jude looked and slumped forward against the handles of his walker.

There was a body in the bathtub. A big, dark haired guy with a smashed in face. He was lying on his back, his leather jacket open to show off his blood spattered gray tee shirt and the alley grime smeared across the knees of his jeans.

“Shit. I don’t know who that is, but we’re going to have to get rid of him,” Jude said. “Do we have any acid or anything?”

“Acid, really?” Sean huffed loudly. “Dude, you’ve got a dead guy in your bathroom and you’re talking about using acid. Isn’t there someone we should call? How did you manage to sleep through this guy being dumped here anyway?”

“Just lucky, I guess,” Jude said. “I was kind of drugged out of my mind last night.” At Sean’s look, he hastened to add, “It was the only way I could get to sleep.” He wasn’t ashamed. The pain had been bad.

“Where was Eric when this was all going down?” Sean asked.

Jude snorted. “He’s the one that did this. I don’t have a single doubt in my head about that. Though I’m kind of pissed he left the job half finished.” He rubbed his face. “Why the hell would he leave a body here for me to deal with?”

“Because we were out of the big garbage bags.”

He jumped and twisted his neck to see Eric walking toward him on catlike feet. “You scared the crap out of me,” Jude said.

Eric flashed his movie star smile and held up the box of heavy-duty large black garbage bags. “I’ll get everything ready to move. I promise this guy will be out of here tonight.”

Jude sighed and carefully maneuvered himself back out of the bathroom. “Why did you even bring this guy here in the first place?”

“It wasn’t my plan,” Eric said. “You were completely out of it, so you slept through this guy busting in. I had to handle him quick, but I didn’t have any supplies here to clean up after.”

“I guess that makes sense,” Jude said. They couldn’t call the authorities unless they wanted to be busted themselves. They had no choice but to handle things themselves. “Just make sure you clean it up good. No evidence.”

Eric gave him a thumb’s up. “On it.”

Jude looked at Sean. “Come on, dude. This is none of our business.”

Sean jerked a nod. “I’m glad to be out of it. This is not my scene.”

“Don’t worry. I would never drag you into it,” Eric said. “You’re a good kid, Sean. Stay that way.”

“What about me?” Jude asked. “Aren’t I a good kid?”

“Well, you’re all right,” Eric teased.

“Whatever.” Jude led Sean to his bedroom. He firmly closed the door behind them.

/ EXCERPT

* * *

Have a great day. Hope you enjoyed the read.

Let's Make Dumplings at Amazon

The Originals has become my current TV obsession. I’ve been watching the episodes on Hulu, but the regular show time is Tuesday’s on the CW. It’s a spin-off of The Vampire Diaries, which I’ve never watched, but it’s pretty standalone.

The first episode opens with Elijah returning to New Orleans to handle his brother Klaus’ issues. He finds out that his brother has impregnated a werewolf girl who has entangled herself with witches. From there, we are introduced to the main characters and the idea of Original vampires is explained.

Elijah is the main star of the first episode, but succeeding episodes are from the POV of the rest of the cast. So if you don’t like the tone, don’t worry. That first episode is just to introduce the characters and the background. It’s been getting better and better.

Klaus is definitely the Machiavellian star of the show, and his sister Rebekah carries her own. Marcel is very handsome and charming as a vampire king, and Cami–who I was pretty meh about–has turned out to have an interesting backstory of her own. Hayley is the smart-mouthed and plucky werewolf, and Davina is the caged girl–they are both trapped in the center of vampire and witchy hostilities.

Go check out the show on Hulu. I definitely recommend it for your watching pleasure.

Fortress in the Eye of Time at Amazon

I recently watched the movie “Miracle In Cell No. 7” and it was absolutely beautiful. The end made me cry.

The cover makes it look like some wacky “Three Stooges”-like comedy, but it’s not. It’s this incredibly touching drama about a mentally disabled man, Yong-goo, being sent to prison for rape and murder of a little girl. It’s a crime that he didn’t commit, but the system works against him and there’s no one to help him when he’s railroaded by the police. Once in prison, he bonds with his cell mates and through him they are all bettered in some way — rehabilitated.

What makes this such a powerful movie is Yong-goo’s young daughter Ye-seung. Gal So-Won’s acting was amazing for such a little girl. I really believed that Ye-Seung was desperate to see her father and was joyous just to be with him.

This was an amazingly good movie and I can’t recommend it enough. Seriously, this movie really got to me. It was so funny and touching and sad.

http://www.hancinema.net/korean_movie_Miracle_in_Cell_No_p_7.php