Day 108 - World Trade Organization (WTO)

The World Trade Organization (WTO) is the only global international organization dealing with the rules of trade between nations. The goal is to help the produces of goods and services, exporters, and importers conduct their business. The organization was established in 1995.

The WTO's main activities are:

1. To negotiate the reduction or elimination of obstacles to trade and agree on rules governing the conduct of international trade.
2. To administer and monitor the application of the WTO's agreed rules for trade in goods, trade in services, and trade-related intellectual property rights.
3. To monitor and review the trade policies of our members, as well as ensure transparency of regional and bilateral trade agreements.
4. To settle disputes among our members regarding the interpretation and application of the agreements.
5. To build capacity of developing country government officials in international trade matters.
6. To assist the process of accession of some 30 countries who are not yet members of the organization.
7. To conduct economic research and collect and disseminate trade data in support of the WTO's other main activities.
8. To explain to and educate the public about the WTO, its mission and its activities.

To learn more about the WTO, its mission, its activities, and its goals, visit the WTO's Official Website.

Exercise: Today I completed a 45 minute run. I started at a speed of 4.0 and then increased my speeds every five minutes by 0.5 until I got up to 6.0. Then I went back down by increments of 0.5. The last five minutes was a cool down. I went about 3.5 miles.

Eat: A final tip from Cooking Light on how to choose the healthiest bread products is to "Choose whole grains". According to Cooking Light, "terms like "health nut", "9-grain", and "multigrain" all sound healthy, but they don't necessarily mean the breads are made with whole grains." Instead, they recommend to choose breads that say "100% whole grain" or "100% whole wheat" on the package. Also, if you look at the ingredients list, the first ingredient should be whole-wheat flour, whole grain, whole oats, or whole rye instead of "enriched".

Two more ways to tell if your bread is whole grain is to look for the FDA-approved claim, linking consumption of the product to reduced risk of heart disease and some types of cancer; and look for the black and yellow whole grain stamp. This stamp, created by the Whole Grains Council, guarantees that at least half a serving of whole wheat will be found in each serving of the product. The stamp is a voluntary program, so not all whole-grain products will carry it.

Relax: Before heading into work this morning, I was able to catch up on the latest episode of The Biggest Loser while sewing up some flowers for the Glam Finale. It was relaxing and productive!