Next So Cal Roundup

The manager at one of our local Bartell's stores said Whitman's chocolates was bought by Russel Stover's. This week Whitman's Samplers are on sale for $5.99 there. I don't think four boxes is too much, do you ?

Russel Stover is privately owned Jo, so doesn't need to disclose financial information. And yes, they own Whitmans and Pangburns. They pretty much control the boxed candy market.

Harold, how is it that you know so much about who owns which chocolate? Hmmmm?

As long as nobody messes with See's, I'm good.

Hey Jo, you gotta check out these Xmas mice!

http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/680252/#new

Gypsy - I knew about Campbells/Godiva/Hershey thru reading stock reports, and business journals. I had to look up Russell Stover since it is privately owned and I don't recall ever reading anything about them.
See's is a true Los Angeles, California born and bred company. But now owned by Warren Buffet as one of his Berkshire Hathaway companies. (I think you're safe. Buffet usually leaves his companies alone. He buys good companies for a reason, and doesn't meddle with them.)
I think we're a little bit ot. Harold

This message was edited Nov 8, 2007 10:05 PM

That's okay...my thread, Harold.... hehe...you can talk about whatever you want! I'll have to thank Warren them if he's smart enough to leave See's alone...obviously he's tasted their chocolates.

I thought Russell STover had already owned Whitman's....When I lived in Fla. (West Coast), and would go visit my DD in Orlando...the one nice thing about the trip was that we had to go right by a Russell Stover Outlet Store in Wildwood, FL....It was one of the places that they made the candy and you could buy "seconds" in 3 pound boxzes at a big discount. They sold Whitman's in the store way back then. Jo

I just found this in an Email this morning....Hits the mark, huh? LOL Jo

Chocolate . . . thanks for bringing it up, Jo.

At first thought . . . avoid the familiar brown wrapper . . . not that easy.

//www.hersheys.com/products/ Would have to memorize that list.

Didn't know the greatest percentage of cocoa beans come from an area of Africa where child slave labor occurs and ALL of the big chocolate mfgs buy from there.

Very poor people selling their children to work the cocoa beans in hopes that the child can send money back home; Child is paid nothing, poorly fed, beaten. Evidently chocolate manufacturers have been made aware of it in recent years and are working with those governments to protect the children. Nice to know they ARE concerned and taking action.

MORE food for thought when REACHING for ANY brand chocolate bar (Is it slave free?)

Reminds me of Madonna's coffee table book-everyone said to boycott the publisher
And look at the list of subsidiaries you would have to boycott:

anymore.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Time_Warner_subsidiaries


Guess we all have to pick our battles . . . I won't buy Iowa Beef Packer's beef (in all the grocery stores here) as it is NOT "Iowa" beef; it is shipped in from Canada and who knows where else. Like Jo with her standards on chocolate, my ax to grind is to be sure to buy products that come from Iowa. We even have a store called the Iowa Store which makes us sure we are buying Iowa Products; we try to support local farmer's markets, and make sure we buy Iowa beef, pork, & poultry. It's more expensive . . better quality .. .. .. and we feel good to be supporting people trying to make a living in Iowa.

Can't save money on the good prices Sam's Club gives on their chicken because it is not from Iowa; have to pay a larger price at the market that sells Iowa chickens.

It cost money to stick to your values.

I'm the same way with Calvin Klein. Haven't been able to buy that brand since they had ad campaigns using children that I objected to. We also have our financial adviser pick mutual funds that avoid certain businesses. Takes a little more effort, but I have to look at myself in the mirror. We buy from local businesses whenever possible.

Yesterday I noticed a lot of "conventionally grown" vegetables at my store in place of organic. It seems one of the local organic farms suffered major damage in the fire - the rancher's home burned to the ground, they lost their greenhouse, and their entire crop of green beans, which apparently is their biggest cash crop. Hope they get the help to recover and stay in business. I wish I could join their CSA, but most of the produce is not what we eat. :-(

It does cost money, but I've kept thinking for a long time that there should be a store that sells only American made. Yes, I know that might be a short list of products by now, but I still think it could be done / should be done.

The whole idea of boycotting can get complicated. It requires dedication. So many companies are so co-mingled it can be a chore to figure it all out. Many people began boycotting "made in China" - just try that! But don't realize that if components come from China and is incorporated into a product made here, it need not be identified as from China. Who would have thought we were importing wheat from China? Check out Sara Lee. Chinese wheat gluten is/was used in many US made food products (maybe even in some things made in Iowa.) Harold

Okay, I've taken a look at Hershey's line...I can pass on all of those. I do love chocolate, but it's one of the things I just don't allow myself to buy since I love it too much. And I don't buy Calvin Klein either. I pretty much think that anything being produced in a LOT of other countries is going to involve child labor. We have such a high standard of living in this country that we can value children, pets, etc., whereas in many other countries just staying alive is the issue and children just something that comes with life and not planned for, not cherished. I don't know if we can protect the children. If they can't work at all, perhaps they starve. I think the real issue has to be in the long run to somehow raise the standard of living in these places so that children can be allowed to have a 'childhood'. So that the people in these countries may also have the luxury of being horrified by child labor. I would certainly hope that is the case and not that there may be various cultures who quite often view children as chattel.

My mother had NO PROBLEM utilizing her built in source of child labor ! LOL

Good one, Mike!

Sherry, good thoughts and I agree.

It may also be more costly not to check to see if if the product you're buying has parts made in China when quality is called into question...brake pads, rotors made in China. Tools that are not of the quality that they should be. Foods that have ingredients that make us ill. (do they eat these products in China? Does it not affect them?) I would think that at some point items from China may become 'quality', as happened with 'made in japan', but most of all that we are encountering for ourselves is crap right now, pure and simple. It may be worth having to try not to buy items from China simply to protect ourselves

J.D.....Have you been lurking all this time? I'm sure your mother only did what she thought was good for you...lol.
Harold, we're going to have to make you our product researcher. We've eaten Orowheat Branola for probably 30 years and Orowheat sold to a Mexican company...Bimbo..and for whatever reason (cost, I would believe probably being the factor) promptly eliminated Branola. After much trail and error settled on Sara Lee bread and now I can see that I'm going to have to see if there's a bread we like that does not use wheat from China. Oh boy...

I think most of us here are old enough to remember the early Walmart ads on TV - the ones with the big Walmart semi with MADE IN USA barrelling down the highway. I wonder whatever happened to that concept? Sam Walton must be spinning.
Now Walmart is one place I never set foot in.

I refuse to go to walmart solely because it's full of screaming brats and parents who don't discipline their kids.

I was thinking about the original WM concept also...where'd it go? I have to admit that I started going to WM this year. Before that I would not go there, period. I've been seduced by cheap tee's and pants for garden work..sigh...but the main thing is that I love them being open 24 hours. My daytime hours are usually filled and I can go shopping at midnight, or during our fire evacuations, at 1-2 in the morning. The first night we were evacuated, instead of sitting in a motel room without even a book while the DH slept, DS and I went to WM for food and books.

I buy garden stuff there - they have a brand of kitty litter that is good for growing water plants. :-)

Yes, I've sold out my principles...and so cheaply, too. I can, however,make a stand on the chocolate. Yep, pick your battles.

gypsy: Why not buy your garden grubs in Savers or Goodwill? They have lots of books too if you just read and toss. It doesn't bother us to shop there.

Oh, I love the thrift shops, but it takes more time shopping and looking than I have to spare. I can go to Wm and buy 6 pair of the same thing and be outta there. I buy black, brown tee'shirts in bulk...same with pants, leggings. I'm not too into shopping and now that I'm not working, basically wear the same things over and over...lol..buy Crocs 3 pair at a time, same with Birkies. No decisions to be made, although I'm sure people see me wear the same things every day and ask whether or not I ever change clothes..lol...It's amazing how much money I can spend considering that I don't really buy anything. Today I'm out burying my money in holes in the ground..all of the plants that I buy. Books I don't usually buy because I worked in the library for years and I'm still in there every day. The middle of the night WM book buys were just because I can never be without a book to read and being the middle of the night couldn't get to the library. I don't sleep much when we're away from home or on the road, so while the DH sleeps in the motel, I'm usually up most of the night reading.

Harold S and Jo I am here in your neck of the woods and met Marie last night on Bell and the 101 for dinner. She said she is going to come out for the RU or atleast real close to it but hopefully then.

California is part of the Southwest too ya know, we should combine our groups. lol

I am in Phoenix area for the Nascar race. Darn agricultural check point keeps me from buying plants here. I like your cotton fieleds, I was shocked. You guys don't freeze like my Sunset zone 11 so I assume cotton is out for me anyhow.

We do need to talk more in Cal. earlier than a month and a half before the RU.

Oh Dawn....we could talk about Roundup all year! Hehehe.
I'm sure it takes Don and Pam a full year to get over one and think about another....not sure they thought they were signing up for lifetime duty when they started this. But, once again, we're all looking forward to it.

This message was edited Nov 11, 2007 8:32 AM

We are never stopped at CA border - just waved thru. And we sometimes have a van loaded with boxes. Wonder why you are searched? Live dangerously. You want to grow cotton?
You're pretty close to us. We are in west Glendale near the stadium and about 2 miles off 101. We avoid Bell Road with a passion and we stay off the roads on racing days plus today is a football game. Our square mile is blocked in and need a pass to get back in if you leave. PITA. Good time to stay home and work in the yard. Enjoy your visit. Harold

Dawn...I wish you were closer to Sierra Vista...we could connect....but have a great time anyhow....see you at the RU. Jo

We've moved in and out of state quite a few times and I'd always brought lots of plants with me. No problem. I don't know about now but they used to just take a soil sample and had a forwarding address to contact me if they found a problem...strange way to do it, I know, but we never had to leave anything.

My understanding is we can bring plants back from California to Arizona. I do not know why it would not work the other way around Dawn. It freezes here to just not that often.

Marie - passenger vehicles do not have to stop at Arizona's border check anymore. But California does funnel all vehicles thru a check point just across the river in Blythe, but we are always waved thru without even stopping. I can't remember the last time they stopped us long enough to ask if we had any fruit, vegetables, plants, etc.

They made us stop but there was nobody to wave you on or keep you. Seems odd to even have it.

You're right. I think the last several times there was no one standing outside the booth. Strange. Wonder if they are going the way Arizona did and eliminate passenger cars. So did you buy some plants while here?

No partly because our trip was so short and we spent a lot of time at the track. Greg is not a gardener so I need more time so I can shlep around to Nursuries. HD was the only one close by and they have what we have here.

We sure like it there and have such a good time. Hope to meet more of you.

Dawn we will ahve to do some plant shopping next time you are here. although California probably has a better selection than here.

Our nursury at HD has the exact sme plants. I think the grass is always greener somewhere else. giggle

We are for sure going to have to load up plants if you and Rodica come for the RU. You guys think you are having a heat wave but we have been in the 90's.

Any news about the next RU from the hosts?

Lol.....I think we're probably pushing them a bit... in the background I hear, "no,no, no...not yet!"

I do believe we have every intention of loading up on plants!!! (in our case the grass is greener in California!)