Snow’s Bend Farm, a family-owned commercial grower near the Black Warrior River, said in a suit last week Whole Foods’ advertisements list the grower as a fresh andauthentic local supplier. But the grocer has never bought a single item from Snow’s Bend, says the suit filed in U.S. District Court in Birmingham. Whole Foods had no comment on the matter Monday, saying only that it hopes for a peaceful resolution.

Because consumers display a “lack of knowledge about the meaning of vague environmental marketing claims such as ‘recyclable,’ ‘degradable,’ or ‘environmentally friendly,”‘210 manufacturers have ample opportunity to manipulate consumer perceptions of environmental risks. For instance, McDonald’s apparently printed on hash-brown containers the three-arrow symbol that generally denotes recycled paper, even though McDonald’s officials conceded that the containers were not made of recycled paper, were not being recycled, and probably could not be recycled due to a promotional label glued to each package. Likewise, the manufacturer of Mr. Coffee boasted that its coffee filters were produced through a “chlorine-free process;” in fact, the company had merely switched from a process using pure chlorine to one using a chlorine compound. In other instances, the misrepresentations are more brazen: the Orkin Exterminating Company claimed that its lawn care pesticides were “practically non-toxic,” and Safe Brands Corporation advertised its antifreeze as “essentially non-toxic” and “the ultimate in . . . environmental safety.” In both cases, the FTC found that the products actually created significant risks of harm to health and the environment.

Facebook’s privacy policy

Just for fun, try substituting the words ‘Big Brother’ whenever you read the word ‘Facebook’

1 We will advertise at you

“When you use Facebook, you may set up your personal profile, form relationships, send messages, perform searches and queries, form groups, set up events, add applications, and transmit information through various channels. We collect this information so that we can provide you the service and offer personalised features.”

2 You can’t delete anything

“When you update information, we usually keep a backup copy of the prior version for a reasonable period of time to enable reversion to the prior version of that information.”

3 Anyone can glance at your intimate confessions

“… we cannot and do not guarantee that user content you post on the site will not be viewed by unauthorised persons. We are not responsible for circumvention of any privacy settings or security measures contained on the site. You understand and acknowledge that, even after removal, copies of user content may remain viewable in cached and archived pages or if other users have copied or stored your user content.”

4 Our marketing profile of you will be unbeatable

“Facebook may also collect information about you from other sources, such as newspapers, blogs, instant messaging services, and other users of the Facebook service through the operation of the service (eg, photo tags) in order to provide you with more useful information and a more personalised experience.”

5 Opting out doesn’t mean opting out

“Facebook reserves the right to send you notices about your account even if you opt out of all voluntary email notifications.”

6 The CIA may look at the stuff when they feel like it

“By using Facebook, you are consenting to have your personal data transferred to and processed in the United States … We may be required to disclose user information pursuant to lawful requests, such as subpoenas or court orders, or in compliance with applicable laws. We do not reveal information until we have a good faith belief that an information request by law enforcement or private litigants meets applicable legal standards. Additionally, we may share account or other information when we believe it is necessary to comply with law, to protect our interests or property, to prevent fraud or other illegal activity perpetrated through the Facebook service or using the Facebook name, or to prevent imminent bodily harm. This may include sharing information with other companies, lawyers, agents or government agencies.”

China announced this week that production and use of plastic bags in supermarkets and retail shops will be banned beginning June 1. This new law could have a considerably positive environmental impact, given that Chinese citizens “use as many as 3 billion plastic bags a day.” The law is part of a larger campaign to fight “white pollution” in China, which includes other forms of rampant plastic and styrofoam use as well.

This sign reads, in Spanish: Top sign: “You are in Zapatista rebel territory. Here the people give the orders and the government obeys.” Bottom sign: “North Zone. Council of Good Government. Trafficking in weapons, planting of drugs, drug use, alcoholic beverages, and illegal sales of wood are strictly prohibited. No to the destruction of nature.” Federal Highway 307, Chiapas.