DEAD TREES

 

Dee Finney's blog

start date July 20, 2011

Today's date  February 13, 2012

page 135

 

TOPIC:  BARREN LAND - POLLUTION - NO LIFE LEFT

 

 


2-13-12 - A HORROR STORY =- DREAM - I would have to say I was living in a
non-place because nothing was real, yet it was in real life for everyone.
It's a simple story to begin with. My husband came home from work and I
went to make him dinner. I made him a sandwich of bread, butter, and
sausage. The problem is in when you think about the ingredients and that I
cannot physically eat anything I was feeding him which I will explain later.
I had to store mounds and mounds of ground hamburger and had no place to
put it, not to mention I couldn't eat it.


I decided we should go dancing to relieve the stress of life, but all my
husband had was work clothes, so I went to the store to buy him a pair of
black pants because all he owned was work clothes


I found a used clothing store that had a nice pair of black pants for $5
dollars, which was a good price, but I asked the clerk if she had any jewelry
I could buy reasonably priced that I could use for earrings or to pin on
my dress and she told me what she had but the prices were incredibly high
and I couldn't buy anything that expensive.


So I headed back home where my mother-in-law Audrey was there and she had
brought me some beautiful bright pink towels and afghans and blankets.
They were all so beautiful, but none were folded and there were so many of them
they were covering up the food I had yet to find a place for, they were
getting damp from the humidity in the air and would have to be put into the
dryer to dry and then refolded, and the room was already full of them and
the job was impossible.


Audrey means:
It has a double etymology : the first element Au-d- in both cases is
ultimately from the _Anglo-Saxon_
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anglo-Saxon_language) _Ethel_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethel_(disambiguation)) (also
spelled æðel) meaning "noble"._[3]_
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audrey#cite_note-2)
The second element -d-rey can be rǣd, rēd "advice, opinion, happiness",


I decided to go outside and find my friend Barbara because she liked to
take a book outside and read and get some sunshine at the same time.


Barbara means 'stranger'


So I went outside and saw that the land was being plowed up to grow food
and I had no idea where Barbara would be at that moment.


Just then some tractors came by me, on their way to plow up more land to
grow food, and these tractors were belching fumes out the rear end that made
the air completely unbreathable.


then along came other machines that were used to move land around to
construct buildings, bull dozers, big construction machines, things that looked
like tanks and all those machines were belching out fumes that made the air
even more unbreathable.


so I thought I would go find an area that had trees and when I got to where
the trees were, they were all dead. All the leaves were gone, the bark was
all peeling off the trees. There was not one live tree in any direction I
could see. the ground itself was barren of any life, no grass, no
flowers, not even weeds.


On my way back home, I saw a couple holes in the ground that looked like
manmade entrances to underground caves - all manmade.


I went over and looked into one of the openings into the ground and from
the dim light I could see that under the earth, someone had built an
underground structure of rough hewn blocks of stone that came from somewhere else,
probably cut by one of those machines.


There were no windows in the underground structures, and no light because
there were no windows. (There is a double meaning to 'no light - physical
and spiritual)


what was there to see anyway, everything was dead, the air was
unbreathable, there was no one to talk to because everyone had to have a job in order
to have a life at all and nothing good could grow without chemicals to help
it because nothing could grow naturally in an unnatural atmosphere.
I started to cry in the dream and woke up crying.


Dee

 

FUTURE EARTH?   BARREN LAND

THIS IS BARREN GROUND

NOTE:  MY DEAR FRIEND LEE CHIN TELLS ME WE CAN CREATE OUR OWN REALITY JUST BY THINKING GOOD THOUGHTS.  SO WE ARE GOING TAKE A LOOK AT WHAT NEEDS CHANGING.

I WILL TAKE THEM ONE STEP AT  A TIME THROUGH THE DREAM

HAMBURGER

Bacteria

Raw hamburger often contains dangerous pathogenic bacteria, such as salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes, Escherichia coli O157:H7, Staphylococcus aureus and Campylobacter jejuni, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service warns. You cannot smell, taste or see these bacteria in raw hamburger meat. Bacteria that gives hamburger meat a bad odor or rotten appearance are called spoilage bacteria and rarely make you sick. Raw hamburger is more likely to harbor dangerous bacteria than other types of meat because grinding beef exposes more of the meat to bacteria.

Food Poisoning

Pathogenic bacteria in raw hamburger meat can give you food poisoning. Food poisoning is characterized by nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, diarrhea, fever and dehydration. Some bacteria also cause other symptoms. For example, E. coli O157:H7, a bacteria found in raw hamburger, causes hemolytic uremic syndrome, which is fatal in 3 to 5 percent of cases, according to the National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse. About 5,000 people in the United States die every year from food poisoning

 

Since most all cattle are typically grass-fed at some point in their life cycle, some stores advertise their beef as grass-fed. However, this may be misleading because grass was not the predominant diet of the cattle. The key is what the cattle were fed in the 3 to 6 months prior to being slaughtered. This means you will need to contact the person who actually raised the cows, NOT the store manager, to find out the truth.

This deception may also be true of beef that is advertised as “free of added hormones”. When we asked one health food store attendant about their “hormone-free” beef, they said that it means no hormones were given to the cows within 3 to 6 months of slaughter (but previous to that, they were given hormones). These actual facts were included in one of their brochures about their beef—but later, removed.

Hormones for Weight Gain

Most commercially raised beef calves start around 80 pounds and gain up to 1,200 pounds in a period of about 14 months. This is not a natural event. This is accomplished by feeding them large quantities of grain (usually corn) and protein supplements, in addition to various drugs and synthetic hormones, as the beef industry puts it, to “promote efficient growth.”

Various combinations of hormones, estradiol, progesterone, and testosterone, and the synthetic hormones, zeranol and trenbolone acetate, may be given to cattle during their growing cycle. Another hormone, melengesterol acetate, may also be added to cattle feed to “improve weight gain and feed efficiency

When humans eat this drug and hormone-tainted beef, measurable amounts of hormones are transferred to humans. Some researchers warn that human consumption of estrogen from hormone-drugged beef can result in cancer, premature puberty and falling sperm counts.

Antibiotics

The largest use of antibiotics (over 50% of all antibiotic use) in the U. S. is for animals. The antibiotics are used to help the cattle gain weight but also to prevent disease outbreaks since disease is more prevalent in animals that are raised in such crowded conditions. About 9 million pounds of antibiotic feed additives are used annually in the cattleraising process.

Routine antibiotic use is contributing to the growing problem of antibiotic resistance in humans. In contrast to animals raised on large, commercial “factory farms,” animals raised in natural farm environments rarely require antibiotics. In addition to antibiotics, commercially raised cattle are given various vaccines and other drugs. The following is an example of a recommended course of care for a whole herd of cattle as shown on Pfizer.com:

  • CattleMaster 4+VL5: a 4-way viral plus 5-way leptospirosis vaccine and vibriosis protection
  • UltraChoice 8: a vaccine to prevent clostridial disease
  • Dectomax Pour-On or Dectomax Injectable: drugs to prevent and treat internal and external parasites
  • ScourGuard 3®(K)/C: a vaccine to prevent calf scours

Residues of these drugs and antibiotics can end up in the beef, thus exposing the consumer to a mirage of chemical and drug residues.

Irradiation Causes Carcinogenic By-Products

Much commercial beef is now being irradiated which means it has been treated with gamma rays produced by the radioactive material, cobalt 60, or electricity to kill bacteria. Radiation of meat or other foods has been proven to produce bizarre radiolytic by-products in foods that are carcinogenic (i.e. cancer-causing). As our cancer rates rise higher each year in the U.S., eating irradiated foods is in effect, an unfortunate experiment on the American public—where the long term effects remain to be seen. If you value your health, it is best to avoid eating irradiated foods, including irradiated meat.

No Labelling of Irradiated Meat.

Although all meat is not irradiated, it is typically not labeled as such, so it almost impossible to find out which beef has been irradiated. Your best choice is bet is to purchase non-irradiated meat—which means you will need to find out what happened to the beef once it left the farm where it was raised.

Avoid Pasteurized Milk.

This issue is virtually the same issue as with milk. Once milk is pasteurized or ultrapasteurized (even worse) to “protect” us, its nutritional properties are seriously damaged which has been proven to cause more harm than good for most who drink it. However, if milk is consumed in its natural, raw (unpasteurized) form, then it is typically an excellent, health-producing food for most who consume it (assuming the milk has come from healthy cows and has been stored properly so it is contaminant and infection-free).

Stop Irradiated Beef in School Lunch Programs.

Currently, school districts have the option of purchasing irradiated beef for their lunch programs, but parental notification is not required. If you are a parent, you can contact your
child’s school district to find out whether irradiated beef is being served for school lunches. If so, you can work with them to discourage the use of irradiated beef and other irradiated foods.

You can also contact the following website for more information on how to work with your school district to stop the purchase of irradiated foods: www.safelunch.org. In addition, contact your state representative and senators today to urge them not to support irradiated food in school lunches.

Mad Cow Disease in U.S. Beef

As of December, 2003, mad cow disease has now been officially identified in American beef— although it has long been suspected due to the frequently unregulated practice of feeding infected animal parts to cattle. How widespread mad cow disease is in U.S. beef is not currently known.

Prions are the infectious agents thought to cause mad cow disease, called bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in cattle, or the human version of mad cow disease, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD). CJD is a degenerative brain disorder which causes punctuate, sponge-like lesions in the brain, which later leads to dementia as well as other brain symptoms and a gruesome, early death. CJD is believed to be transmitted to humans by eating beef infected with bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE).

The classic form of CJD (in which symptoms may be sporadic early on) usually surfaces among men and women in their 60s, but has been identified in younger people as well. There is no current cure for CJD nor is it routinely checked for in individuals who have degenerative brain symptoms.

In November, 2003 in a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, for the first time, Swiss scientists identified a rogue protein implicated in CJD in human muscle tissue. They found traces of the so-called, diseaseassociated prion protein (PrPSc) in 8 out of 32 muscle samples, and in 10 out of 28 spleen samples, that were taken from 3 dozen patients who had died with the classic form of CJD.

PrPSc [prion protein] has so far only ever been found in tissue of the central nervous system. The Swiss researchers made the discovery by using a new chemical, phosphotungstic acid, which increased the sensitivity of conventional PrPSc tests threefold.

The discovery poses intriguing, but unresolved, questions about the molecular pathways taken by CJD to establish itself in humans, the scientists said. Patients with the rogue protein outside the central nervous system had "a significantly longer duration of disease and were more likely to have uncommon molecular variants" of the disease, they said.

Toxic Environmental Problems

In addition to dangers that commercially raised beef poses to your health, it also promotes extensive dangers to our environment. In the U.S., cattle production is a major source of environmental pollution in the U.S. as well as abroad. Substantial areas of forests, particularly the rain forests of Central America and the Amazon, are being cleared to make way for cattle. Deforestation contributes to the worldwide green house effect of global warming.

In the U.S., among the most severe problems are water pollution from the nearly 1 billion tons of fecal and urine waste produced by cattle each year. In addition, there are also enormous amounts of petrochemical fertilizers used to produce feed crops for cattle. Air pollution—both from waste and waste treatment methods of grain-fed cattle—are responsible for producing a significant portion of carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide (the 3 major gases that are largely responsible for global warming), along with other toxic gasses.

Inhumane Treatment of Cattle

Commercially raised cattle are treated as commodities, forced to gain huge amounts of weight in a short time via synthetic hormones and drugs, by being raised in a completely artificial environment. These cattle are deprived of some of the most basic requirements of life—fresh air, space, sunlight and normal social interaction.

Grass-Fed Beef

If you do desire to eat beef, the only real choice is grass-fed beef where the animals have been raised in a natural environment without toxic drugs or hormones. In addition, grass-fed beef has the omega 3 to 6 ratio in a more proper balance. Some websites on the internet offer variety of farmers that can provide sources of grass-fed beef.

However, even natural sources of beef are fraught with various problems:

  1. Beef is much more difficult to digest than other foods, especially if cooked,
  2. beef expends a much larger amount of your digestive enzymes to digest it, thus exhausting your own enzymes more readily, and at an earlier age,
  3. beef perpetuates an arachidonic cascade in the body, contributing to inflammatory conditions and pain,
  4. eating cooked meat rapidly uses up your mineral supply so additional mineral supplementation is required,
  5. beef contains “death hormones” liberated by the animal into its flesh at the time of its death, which ends up in the meat,
  6. raising beef uses up tremendous amounts of natural resources (that could be used to raise more sustainable crops) and contributes to large amounts of environmental pollution (including naturally raised beef).

Even before beef was so contaminated, worldwide research on eating cooked meat has shown that it is associated with chronic neurodegeneration in all major nations where eating meat is predominant (associated with mineral and enzyme exhaustion).

The Protein of Choice

The best protein choice of all may be adding exotic mushrooms to your dinner table, such as shitake, maitake, Portobello mushrooms, trumpet mushrooms, oyster mushrooms and much more.

In contrast to beef (or other animal proteins such as chicken), exotic mushrooms are:

  1. rich in very high in quality protein (higher than beef) but without the arachidonic cascade
  2. in contrast to beef, they are very easy to digest, do not create a huge deficit in your enzyme supply,
  3. contain no death hormones (or any other synthetic hormones),
  4. are an environmentally sustainable crop which promotes a healthier environment which helps to protect against global warming and these mushrooms typically contain natural, immune-boosting phytochemicals which supports better health.
  5. In addition, these exotic mushrooms are absolutely delicious—and may be easily prepared in many tasty ways.

Even for the most died-in-the-wool beef or chicken eater, cutting up exotic mushrooms into thin strips or in bite-size pieces, when cooked and spiced correctly, look like strips of meat or chicken and taste similar (really much better!) than the best animal protein you have ever had.

Look in your local grocery store for these delightful mushroom protein enhancers. You’ll be stepping up to better digestion, a better immune system—and best of all, better health.

Abnormal Omega Fatty Acid Ratio in Commercial Beef

Research Citation from PubMed

Fatty acid analysis of wild ruminant tissues: evolutionary implications for reducing diet-related chronic disease. Cordain L, et al., Eur J Clin Nutr. 2002 Mar;56(3):181-91. Department of Health and Exercise Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523, USA. cordain@cahs.colostate.edu

HYPOTHESES: Consumption of wild ruminant fat represented the primary lipid source for pre-agricultural humans. Hence, the lipid composition of these animals' tissues may provide insight into dietary requirements that offer protection from chronic disease in modern humans.

METHOD: We examined the lipid composition of muscle, brain, marrow and subcutaneous adipose tissue (AT) from 17 elk (Cervus elaphus), 15 mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus), and 17 antelope (Antilicapra americana) and contrasted them to wild African ruminants and pasture and grain-fed cattle.

RESULTS: Muscle fatty acid (FA) was similar among North American species with polyunsaturated fatty acids/saturated fatty acids (P/S) values from 0.80 to 1.09 and n-6/n-3 FA from 2.32 to 2.60. Marrow FA was similar among North American species with high levels (59.3-67.0%) of monounsaturated FA; a low P/S (0.24-0.33), and an n-6/n-3 of 2.24-2.88. Brain had the lowest n-6/n-3 (1.20-1.29), the highest concentration of 22:6 n-3 (elk, 8.90%; deer, 9.62%; antelope, 9.25%) and a P/S of 0.69. AT had the lowest P/S (0.05-0.09) and n-6/n-3 (2.25-2.96). Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) isomers were found in marrow of antelope (1.5%), elk (1.0%) and deer (1.0%), in AT (deer, 0.3%; antelope, 0.3%) in muscle (antelope, 0.4%; elk, trace), but not in brain.

CONCLUSIONS: Literature comparisons showed tissue lipids of North American and African ruminants were similar to pasture-fed cattle, but dissimilar to grain-fed cattle. The lipid composition of wild ruminant tissues may serve as a model for dietary lipid recommendations in treating and preventing chronic disease.

FROM 

No Labelling of Irradiated Meat.

Although all meat is not irradiated, it is typically not labeled as such, so it almost impossible to find out which beef has been irradiated. Your best choice is bet is to purchase non-irradiated meat—which means you will need to find out what happened to the beef once it left the farm where it was raised.

Avoid Pasteurized Milk.

This issue is virtually the same issue as with milk. Once milk is pasteurized or ultrapasteurized (even worse) to “protect” us, its nutritional properties are seriously damaged which has been proven to cause more harm than good for most who drink it. However, if milk is consumed in its natural, raw (unpasteurized) form, then it is typically an excellent, health-producing food for most who consume it (assuming the milk has come from healthy cows and has been stored properly so it is contaminant and infection-free).

Stop Irradiated Beef in School Lunch Programs.

Currently, school districts have the option of purchasing irradiated beef for their lunch programs, but parental notification is not required. If you are a parent, you can contact your
child’s school district to find out whether irradiated beef is being served for school lunches. If so, you can work with them to discourage the use of irradiated beef and other irradiated foods.

You can also contact the following website for more information on how to work with your school district to stop the purchase of irradiated foods: www.safelunch.org. In addition, contact your state representative and senators today to urge them not to support irradiated food in school lunches.

Mad Cow Disease in U.S. Beef

As of December, 2003, mad cow disease has now been officially identified in American beef— although it has long been suspected due to the frequently unregulated practice of feeding infected animal parts to cattle. How widespread mad cow disease is in U.S. beef is not currently known.

Prions are the infectious agents thought to cause mad cow disease, called bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in cattle, or the human version of mad cow disease, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD). CJD is a degenerative brain disorder which causes punctuate, sponge-like lesions in the brain, which later leads to dementia as well as other brain symptoms and a gruesome, early death. CJD is believed to be transmitted to humans by eating beef infected with bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE).

The classic form of CJD (in which symptoms may be sporadic early on) usually surfaces among men and women in their 60s, but has been identified in younger people as well. There is no current cure for CJD nor is it routinely checked for in individuals who have degenerative brain symptoms.

In November, 2003 in a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, for the first time, Swiss scientists identified a rogue protein implicated in CJD in human muscle tissue. They found traces of the so-called, diseaseassociated prion protein (PrPSc) in 8 out of 32 muscle samples, and in 10 out of 28 spleen samples, that were taken from 3 dozen patients who had died with the classic form of CJD.

PrPSc [prion protein] has so far only ever been found in tissue of the central nervous system. The Swiss researchers made the discovery by using a new chemical, phosphotungstic acid, which increased the sensitivity of conventional PrPSc tests threefold.

The discovery poses intriguing, but unresolved, questions about the molecular pathways taken by CJD to establish itself in humans, the scientists said. Patients with the rogue protein outside the central nervous system had "a significantly longer duration of disease and were more likely to have uncommon molecular variants" of the disease, they said.

Toxic Environmental Problems

In addition to dangers that commercially raised beef poses to your health, it also promotes extensive dangers to our environment. In the U.S., cattle production is a major source of environmental pollution in the U.S. as well as abroad. Substantial areas of forests, particularly the rain forests of Central America and the Amazon, are being cleared to make way for cattle. Deforestation contributes to the worldwide green house effect of global warming.

In the U.S., among the most severe problems are water pollution from the nearly 1 billion tons of fecal and urine waste produced by cattle each year. In addition, there are also enormous amounts of petrochemical fertilizers used to produce feed crops for cattle. Air pollution—both from waste and waste treatment methods of grain-fed cattle—are responsible for producing a significant portion of carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide (the 3 major gases that are largely responsible for global warming), along with other toxic gasses.

Inhumane Treatment of Cattle

Commercially raised cattle are treated as commodities, forced to gain huge amounts of weight in a short time via synthetic hormones and drugs, by being raised in a completely artificial environment. These cattle are deprived of some of the most basic requirements of life—fresh air, space, sunlight and normal social interaction.

Grass-Fed Beef

If you do desire to eat beef, the only real choice is grass-fed beef where the animals have been raised in a natural environment without toxic drugs or hormones. In addition, grass-fed beef has the omega 3 to 6 ratio in a more proper balance. Some websites on the internet offer variety of farmers that can provide sources of grass-fed beef.

However, even natural sources of beef are fraught with various problems:

  1. Beef is much more difficult to digest than other foods, especially if cooked,
  2. beef expends a much larger amount of your digestive enzymes to digest it, thus exhausting your own enzymes more readily, and at an earlier age,
  3. beef perpetuates an arachidonic cascade in the body, contributing to inflammatory conditions and pain,
  4. eating cooked meat rapidly uses up your mineral supply so additional mineral supplementation is required,
  5. beef contains “death hormones” liberated by the animal into its flesh at the time of its death, which ends up in the meat,
  6. raising beef uses up tremendous amounts of natural resources (that could be used to raise more sustainable crops) and contributes to large amounts of environmental pollution (including naturally raised beef).

Even before beef was so contaminated, worldwide research on eating cooked meat has shown that it is associated with chronic neurodegeneration in all major nations where eating meat is predominant (associated with mineral and enzyme exhaustion).

The Protein of Choice

The best protein choice of all may be adding exotic mushrooms to your dinner table, such as shitake, maitake, Portobello mushrooms, trumpet mushrooms, oyster mushrooms and much more.

In contrast to beef (or other animal proteins such as chicken), exotic mushrooms are:

  1. rich in very high in quality protein (higher than beef) but without the arachidonic cascade
  2. in contrast to beef, they are very easy to digest, do not create a huge deficit in your enzyme supply,
  3. contain no death hormones (or any other synthetic hormones),
  4. are an environmentally sustainable crop which promotes a healthier environment which helps to protect against global warming and these mushrooms typically contain natural, immune-boosting phytochemicals which supports better health.
  5. In addition, these exotic mushrooms are absolutely delicious—and may be easily prepared in many tasty ways.

Even for the most died-in-the-wool beef or chicken eater, cutting up exotic mushrooms into thin strips or in bite-size pieces, when cooked and spiced correctly, look like strips of meat or chicken and taste similar (really much better!) than the best animal protein you have ever had.

Look in your local grocery store for these delightful mushroom protein enhancers. You’ll be stepping up to better digestion, a better immune system—and best of all, better health.

Abnormal Omega Fatty Acid Ratio in Commercial Beef

Research Citation from PubMed

Fatty acid analysis of wild ruminant tissues: evolutionary implications for reducing diet-related chronic disease. Cordain L, et al., Eur J Clin Nutr. 2002 Mar;56(3):181-91. Department of Health and Exercise Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523, USA. cordain@cahs.colostate.edu

HYPOTHESES: Consumption of wild ruminant fat represented the primary lipid source for pre-agricultural humans. Hence, the lipid composition of these animals' tissues may provide insight into dietary requirements that offer protection from chronic disease in modern humans.

METHOD: We examined the lipid composition of muscle, brain, marrow and subcutaneous adipose tissue (AT) from 17 elk (Cervus elaphus), 15 mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus), and 17 antelope (Antilicapra americana) and contrasted them to wild African ruminants and pasture and grain-fed cattle.

RESULTS: Muscle fatty acid (FA) was similar among North American species with polyunsaturated fatty acids/saturated fatty acids (P/S) values from 0.80 to 1.09 and n-6/n-3 FA from 2.32 to 2.60. Marrow FA was similar among North American species with high levels (59.3-67.0%) of monounsaturated FA; a low P/S (0.24-0.33), and an n-6/n-3 of 2.24-2.88. Brain had the lowest n-6/n-3 (1.20-1.29), the highest concentration of 22:6 n-3 (elk, 8.90%; deer, 9.62%; antelope, 9.25%) and a P/S of 0.69. AT had the lowest P/S (0.05-0.09) and n-6/n-3 (2.25-2.96). Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) isomers were found in marrow of antelope (1.5%), elk (1.0%) and deer (1.0%), in AT (deer, 0.3%; antelope, 0.3%) in muscle (antelope, 0.4%; elk, trace), but not in brain.

CONCLUSIONS: Literature comparisons showed tissue lipids of North American and African ruminants were similar to pasture-fed cattle, but dissimilar to grain-fed cattle. The lipid composition of wild ruminant tissues may serve as a model for dietary lipid recommendations in treating and preventing chronic disease.

 

CATTLE FEED FROM MONSANTO

Action Alert on Monsanto's Gene-Altered Alfalfa

From Family Farm Defenders <familyfarmdefenders@yahoo.com
Jan. 5, 2005

GMO alfalfa action alert


Biotech Warning!


Attention: Dairy Farmers, Ranchers, Bee Keepers, Horse
Breeders, Conservationists, & Pet Owners!

Monsanto Seeks Approval for "Round-Up Ready" Alfalfa!
Public comment period ends Jan. 24, 2005!


On April 16th, 2004 Monsanto submitted a federal petition for commercial introduction of "Round-Up
Ready" (RR) alfalfa in the U.S, and on Nov. 24th the USDA began its required sixty day public comment
period. Given that alfalfa is a common perennial forage and cover crop used in a wide variety of animal
feeds and even eaten by humans, this latest move by Monsanto to bring another genetically modified
organism (GMO) into the world is now ringing alarm
bells across rural America.

What will be the impact on animals that now consume alfalfa ­ from cows and horses to chickens and bees?
Will there be adverse health impacts downstream in the human food supply? What about the environmental
consequences? Could this latest herbicide resistant GMO crop jeopardize the longterm utility of glyphosate
(aka "Round-Up") as "super weeds" emerge? Will alfalfa, itself, become an invasive plant largely
immune to conventional control techniques? If there are problems, who will assume liability - the
manufacturer, the distributor, the farmer, the consumer? Many of these questions have yet to be
resolved and should be before Monsanto is permitted to bring its biotech alfalfa into U.S. agriculture.

Monsanto began work on RR alfalfa in 1998 in collaboration with researchers at Montana State
University and within a year there were field trials underway in Wisconsin, Indiana, Iowa, and Idaho. In
1999, Monsanto officially licensed its RR technology for use on alfalfa to Forage Genetics, Land O'Lakes'
primary seed research partner. Land O'Lakes is among the major dairy co-ops in the U.S. and has been a
major advocate of GMOs since the FDA's controversial approval of recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH)
back in the early 1990s. If approved, RR alfalfa will be sold under the Croplan Genetics brand through Cenex
Harvest States and Land O'Lakes' Farmland Industries.

Other genetic manipulation of alfalfa is also underway. Researchers at the U.S. Dairy Forage
Research Center in Madison, WI are isolating genetic traits to make forage fiber more digestible. At the
University of Guelph scientists are trying to splice the bacterium, Pasteurella hemolytica, into alfalfa as
an oral vaccine agent for cattle pneumonia. Other University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers are
altering alfalfa to produce its own phytase enzymes to improve phosphorus utilization by livestock. It is
argued that this could reduce the need for imported mineral supplements such as di-calcium phosphate as
well as the threat of manure pollution from concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs).

Like Monsanto's other biotech varieties, farmers who use RR alfalfa will never own the plant or the seed.
Instead, they will be leasing a product under a one-sided technology use agreement (TUA) with many
restrictions. For instance, Monsanto reserves the right under these contracts to physically inspect (ie.
trespass) and remove crop samples to insure compliance. In Canada, Monsanto has a long history of
sending "extortion" letters to farmers whose fields ested positive for their other GMO crop varieties,
threatening lawsuits if they did not pay for their "use" of the patent.

The main rationale offered by the biotech industry for introducing RR alfalfa is that it provides farmers
with simpler weed suppression. This is in line with the vast majority of genetic research in agriculture
(98% according to one recent USDA survey) geared towards making production easier, not necessarily to
improve nutrition or protect the environment. There are already 90 weeds identified as significant in U.S.
alfalfa, with 20 major herbicides used, glyphosate among them.

Dubbed "Queen of the Forages," alfalfa is a perennial herbaceous legume, known as lucerne in many other
countries, originally from the European Caucasus and Central Asia. Since its introduction to North
America, alfalfa has been among the top four field crops in the U.S. (along with corn, soy, and wheat).
In 2004 the USDA estimated that 77.4 million tons was produced on 22.2 million acres, with an additional
88.5 million tons of alfalfa mixed hay produced on another 39.4 million acres.

Alfalfa is considered the best available animal feed for ruminants and is critical to the dairy industry,
providing up to a third of crude protein, half of the calcium, and a quarter of the energy needed on a daily
basis by a typical cow. Other livestock sectors which rely upon alfalfa include beef cattle, sheep,
chickens, turkeys, and horses. Pelletized alfalfa is a common component of many pet foods for everything
from iguanas and parakeets to hamsters and rabbits. Alfalfa also produces a large amount of nectar, up to
1900 pounds per acre, which is why it is so popular amongst beekeepers. In turn, honey bees, alkali bees,
and leaf cutter bees are important pollinators for alfalfa producers.

Concerns are growing, though, about the potential adverse impacts of RR alfalfa. Studies are just now
revealing the health fallout of too much GMO corn, soy, canola meal, and cottonseed cake in livestock
feed. Monsanto uses the Cauliflower Mosaic Virus (CMV) to insert RR traits in its GMO crops, and this
same promoter virus in alfalfa could have the potential to disrupt the balance of intestinal
microflora and reactivate other dormant pathogens. Other studies have shown a clear downward nutritional
shift in GMO crops. For example, beneficial phytoestrogens such as lignan and isoflavon are
reduced by 12-14% in RR soybeans compared to conventional soybean varieties.

As with other GMOs, there is the clear danger of "gene jumping" between RR alfalfa and conventional alfalfa
varieties, as well as between alfalfa and wild relatives, such as black medic ­ a common naturalized
weed in North America. Given the promiscuous genetic dominance of GMOs, this could mean rapid transfer of
glyphosate resistance, as well as the spread of other traits (such as enzyme or vaccine production),
especially if several GMO alfalfa varieties are approved and put into simultaneous production.

As has been well documented in the case of Bt corn and RR canola, there is obvious potential for "genetic
drift" between fields planted with Monsanto's RR alfalfa and other nearby alfalfa fields and pastures.
Besides wind, insects are particularly good at transporting pollen over long distance, and bees are
known to travel several miles in search of alfalfa. Most alfalfa hay is cut after some of blossoms have
already bloomed and the pollen is viable. Alfalfa allowed to reproduce also produces a lot of "hard
seed" that can remain viable in soil for years to come.

This threat is of special concern to alfalfa seed growers and dairy/livestock producers who stand to
lose their value-added markets and organic certification. Alfalfa seed production is concentrated
in just a few northwestern states and provinces and could be vulnerable to genetic contamination. For
many dairy farmers who rely on managed intensive rotational grazing (MIRG), Monsanto's RR alfalfa
offers no real benefits, since a healthy pasture has no real "weeds." In fact, straight alfalfa often
yields less fodder per acre than more diverse forage systems.

Herbicide resistant GMO crop varieties are widely perceived by farmers as just another way to encourage
dependence on expensive inputs. Predictably enough, the introduction of RR varieties did lead to a five
fold increase in glyphosate use across the U.S. Because alfalfa is perennial and often grown for 3-5
years in a row, the introduction of RR alfalfa could well increase overall herbicide use ­ by an estimated
200,000 more pounds per year in California alone. As with other GMO crops, the promised yield gains and
cost savings may not materialize, leaving farmers holding the bag for the higher seed price that always
comes with Monsanto's patented technologies.

An estimated 5% of U.S. alfalfa production is also exported ­ 2.9 million metric tones in 2002 worth $480
million. About 75% of this forage market is in Japan where consumer awareness and resistance to GMOs is
high. U.S. refusal to sign the Convention on Biological Diversity, including the Cartagena Protocol
(which went into effect on Sept. 11, 2003), or to even mandate segregation naturally fuels suspicions of
biotech "dumping" overseas and prejudices other GMO-free U.S. exports. Some also foresee the rapid
international spread of RR alfalfa through less formal means, such as casual travel of pollen, seed, and
fodder between the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. About 7% of alfalfa seed in the U.S. is also eaten by humans in
the form of sprouts, and such natural food consumers are also highly wary of potential GMO contamination.

Those in the business of prairie restoration, as well as many conservationists and officials interested in
controlling invasive plants on public and private lands, are concerned that the introduction of
herbicide-resistance traits in a perennial like alfalfa could make their job more difficult. After
just six years of planting RR crops across the U.S., the number of glyphosate-resistant weeds doubled. As
super weeds emerge, chemical control will shift to more toxic, persistent, and less desirable herbicides
such as 2,4-D and Paraquat.

The fact that alfalfa has a taproot up to 20 feet deep and complex symbiotic relationships with
nitrogen-fixing bacteria exacerbates the potential environmental consequences. Alfalfa is an important
crop in many field rotations, contributing up to 200 kg of soil nitrogen per acre per year. Researchers in
Arkansas, though, have found an adverse impact on symbiotic nitrogen-fixing bacteria associated with
soybeans after treatment with glyphosate. Scientists have also noted an increase in the presence of the
fungal disease, Fusarium, on RR crop varieties.

In weighing the relative costs and benefits of bringing RR alfalfa to market, many people remain
unconvinced. Is this technology really necessary to grow alfalfa or is it just another marketing
opportunity for agribusiness? Are there not cheaper weed control options that do not pose such serious
threats to the future of farming in the U.S.?

Comments on Monsanto's petition to the USDA to introduce "Round-Up Ready" alfalfa (be sure to
reference Docket #04-085-1) can be sent to:

Regulatory Analysis and Development, PPD
APHIS, Station 3C71
4700 River Road Unit 118
Riverdale, MD 20737

Email comments can also be submitted
to:regulations@aphis.usda.gov
An online form is also available at:
http://www.aphis.usda.gov/ppd/rad/cominst.html

For the Federal Register Notice (published 11/24/04),
Monsanto's GE alfalfa petition (submitted 4/16/04), as
well as the USDA/APHIS environmental assessment go to:
http://www.aphis.usda.gov/brs/not_reg.html or
call #301-734-5715

For more info on how you can get involved in this and
other related GMO issues, contact: Farmer to Farmer
Campaign: #877-968-3276 or Family Farm Defenders:
#608-260-0900

SAUSAGE:    READ THE DANGERS OF BEEF AND THEN ADD THIS:

FAQ about Sausage Additives

Sausage Binder:
Also known as Soy, Soy Protein, Soy Flour and other brand names. This ingredient is used to prevent weight loss and shrinkage to products being processed in the smokehouse, by helping to retain the natural juices (moisture) in the meat. This product also helps to bind the sausage together and can be use in meat products such as burgers to retain the natural juices from cooking out. Although not generally used in fresh sausages it may be added with good results. You should use the following ratios:

Smoked products: Use binder up to 5% of the meat weight.
Fresh products: Use binder up to 3% of the meat weight.

Sausage binder weights out at about 4 oz. per cup so 4 cups would equal about a lb.

Water:
Water is used in sausage making to add moisture to the meat. The added moisture will cook out of the meat before the natural moisture of the meat. Thus you have a product that is moister when cooked. Water is also added to lubricate the meat making it easier to stuff into casing. Adding water to the seasoning and ingredients helps carry them into the meat and distributes them evenly during the mixing stage. You can add water up to 10 % of the meat weight. Always use ice cold water.

Meat Cure:
Cures are used to prevent meats from spoiling when being cooked or smoked at low temperatures (under 140°F). Used for preventing bacteria growth, adding flavor and preserving the color of meat. Salt is the basic curing agent for meat. Sugar (dextrose) is used to counter the salt and with the correct amounts of sodium nitrite and/or sodium nitrate added you will have a safe, tasty and high quality product. Fortunately, most cures are ready mixed and ready to use.

Modern Cure:
This cure is sodium nitrite (6.25 %) mixed with salt (93.75 %) As the meat temperate rises during processing, the sodium nitrite changes to nitric oxide and starts to 'gas out' at about 130°F. After the smoking /cooking process is complete only about 10 - 20 % of the original nitrite remains. As the product is stored and later reheated for consumption, the decline of nitrite continues. Use 1 oz. for 25 lb. of meat or 1 level teaspoon of cure for 5 lbs. of meat. Mix cure with cold water.

Modern Cure #2:
Used with dry-cured products. Has 1 oz. of sodium nitrite with .64 oz. of sodium nitrate to each lb. of salt. Use with products that do not require cooking, smoking, or refrigeration. This cure, which is sodium nitrate, acts like a time release, slowing breaking down into sodium nitrite, then into nitric oxide. This allows you to dry cure products that take much longer to cure. (A cure with sodium nitrite would dissipate too quickly.)

Use 1 oz. of cure for 25 lbs. of meat or 1 level teaspoon of cure for 5 lbs. of meat. Mix cure with cold water.

When using a cure in a brine solution, follow a recipe.
Below are two recipes that work well. Always use plastic or stainless steel containers for your brines.

Poultry:
Brine Solution
5 gallon ice water (38 - 40°F)
1 1/2 lbs. powdered dextrose
1 lb. Canning or pickling salt
1 lb. cure (Prague Powder #1)

Directions:
Weigh the poultry and pump 10 % (of its weight) brine solution into the poultry. After pumping place the poultry in ice cold water for 3 hours. Remove the poultry and place in the brine solution. Keep this solution at 36 - 38°F for 3 days. Remove and process.

Hams:
Brine Solution
5 1/2 gallons ice water (38 - 40°F)
2 lbs. canning or pickling salt
1 1/2 lbs. powdered dextrose
1 1/2 lbs. cure (Prague Powder #1)

Directions:
Weigh the ham and pump 10% (of its weight) brine solution into the shank and bone areas of the cold ham, (38 - 40°F internal temperature). Place the ham in the brine solution and hold at 38 - 40°F for 5-7 days. Remove for processing.

Sweeteners:
Sugars are use to add flavor and to cover or mask salt. Sugars will cause browning when the product is pan fried or grilled.

Dextrose:
Only about 70% as sweet as cane sugar and quite a bit heavier. Helps reduce nitrate to nitrite as meats are cured. Used to counteract salt in brines.

Maple Sugar: Used in producing bacon. Adds flavor and aroma.

Canning and Pickling Salt:
A pure granulated salt which does not contain potassium iodide, dextrose or an anti-caking agent. In other words, it does not contain any additives. This salt product can be used in cooking, baking, canning, pickling (brines) and for the table. Please note that since there is no anti-caking agent added to Morton Canning and Pickling Salt, it may form lumps in humid weather or if exposed to moisture.

Iodized Salt: Contains potassium iodide, dextrose to stabilize the iodide and calcium silicate which is an anti-caking agent. This product is fine for baking, cooking and normal table use. However, since the anti-caking agent in this product is not water-soluble, we do not recommend this salt for canning and brining recipes as the calcium silicate may settle at the bottom and the water may cloud.

Powder Milk:
Acts as a binder and helps retain the moisture of the meat. You can use up to 12 % (of the meat weight) without affecting the taste of the sausage.

Fat Substitute:
Use instead of beef or pork fat. This product is usually oat derived. Can be used in all smoked & cooked sausage, beef & venison burgers, meatloaf, breakfast, polish & Italian sausage. Used to retain the moisture and natural juices in the meat during the smoking or cooking process, this also prevents shrinkage.


Encapsulated Citric Acid:
This is citric acid coated with hydrogenated vegetable oil which will melt and release into the meat product at 135°F. Used to give certain products such as summer sausage and snack sticks their distinctive tang without going through a lengthy fermentation cycle. Suggested usage for this purpose is 3 oz. for 25 lb. of meat. Encapsulated citric acid should be added near the end of the processing cycle as not to rupture the capsules during the mixing cycle. During processing the encapsulated citric acid is inactive until the temperature reaches 135°F and then the capsule is melted releasing the citric acid into the product. Once released a decrease in pH is achieved resulting in the distinctive "tang" associated with reduced pH products.

Also used to preserve color of fresh sausage during storage. Use 1/2 oz. to 1 oz. per 100 lb. of meat for this purpose.

 

BUTTER - SEE HAMBURGER  THEN ADD THIS:  Most of the unsalted butters on grocery shelves contain "natural flavorings." What are these flavorings, and why are they added to the butter?

Butter Flavoring Can Cause Lung Disease: Diacetyl, a Chemical Additive to Watch Out For
by www.SixWise.com


Between 1992 and 2000, eight former workers of a popcorn plant in Jasper, Missouri developed a rare lung disease called bronchiolitis obliterans. Known commonly as the "popcorn packer's lung," this disease has been linked to workers inhaling butter flavoring vapors used at the food plants where they work. The disease is so severe that some of the workers are now on lung transplant waiting lists.

Butter Popcorn

The flavoring that gives microwave popcorn its buttery taste may be causing a rare lung disease.

Back in November 2000, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) conducted a study involving 117 workers at the Jasper popcorn plant and found:

  • Plant workers had 3.3 times the rate of airway obstruction than a national sample.

  • Young employees who had never smoked were five times more likely to suffer from chronic cough and shortness of breath than a national sample.

  • 72 percent of workers reported work-related eye, nose or throat irritation.

  • The popcorn-production workers reported chronic coughs, attacks of wheezing, chest tightness and shortness of breath more frequently than other workers.

In January 2005, NIOSH recommended that employers take measures to limit their "occupational respiratory exposures to food flavorings and flavoring ingredients in workplaces where flavorings are made or used."

They also reported in the journal Chest that workers exposed to flavoring agents were almost four times as likely to develop inflammation in their airways, which indicates that harmful agents have been inhaled. And, links between butter flavoring exposure and lung disease in workers in Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska and Ohio have been reported.

In a lawsuit against the world's second largest flavor manufacturer, International Flavoring & Fragrances (IFF), 19 popcorn factory workers claimed the company knew about the risks of the butter flavoring. IFF was ordered to pay almost $53 million in settlements to four workers, which it appealed, and in early 2004 paid $20 million in damages to another worker.

The Culprit: Diacetyl

Although it has not been determined exactly what in the flavoring is causing harm, one chemical commonly used and thought to play a part in the lung disease cases is diacetyl.

The disease, bronchiolitis obliterans, is an obliteration of the lung's airways, which does not respond to normal asthma medications. It is thought that, once the flavoring chemicals are breathed in, they damage the airway lining and tissue, leading to scarring that hardens and crimps airflow.

Butter

Diacetyl imparts a yellow color to dairy products.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), "A cause-effect relationship between diacetyl and bronchiolitis obliterans has not been established, as food-processing workers with this lung disease were also exposed to other volatile food-flavoring agents."

However, they have listed the following potential symptoms of exposure to the chemical as:

  • Eye, mucous membrane, respiratory system, skin irritation Persistent cough
  • Phlegm production
  • Wheezing
  • Dyspnea (shortness of breath)
  • Unusual fatigue
  • Episodes of mild fever or generalized aches
  • Severe skin rashes

Potential health effects include irritation to the eyes, nose, throat and skin, and, as noted by OSHA, "Suspected cumulative lung damage-- bronchiolitis obliterans."

Diacetyl is naturally occurring in butter, beer, coffee, vinegar, and other food products, produced by yeast during fermentation. It is used as an artificial flavoring to add to the flavor of:

  • Butter
  • Cream or creaminess
  • Butterscotch

If you'd like to watch out for diacetyl in your own shopping, it's used in (aside from butter, cream and butterscotch):

  • Microwave popcorn and other snack foods
  • Some fast foods
  • Baked goods
  • Syrups
  • Processed cheese
  • Icings
  • Confections
  • Salad dressings
  • Marinades
  • Non- and low-fat dairy products
  • Sour cream
  • Cottage cheese

Recommended Reading

Warning: Phthalates in Cosmetics, Toys & More Can Pose Health Dangers

The World's 7 Most Potent Disease-Fighting Spices


Sources

Food Navigator October 7, 2005

USA Today: Is Butter Flavoring Ruining Popcorn Workers' Lungs?

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health

BREAD  = WHEAT 

NOTE:  I JUST WANT TO SAY UP FRONT THAT I'M ALLERLGIC TO BOTH WHEAT AND CORN AND HAVEN'T EATEN ANY WHEAT SINCE 185 AND STOPPED EATING CORN IN 2005.  BOTH FOODS MAKE MY LUNGS BECOME TOO CONGESTED TO BREATHE WITHIN A FEW MINUTES OF EATING THEM.

WHEAT IS THE MOST ALLERGIC INGREDIENT IN ANY FOOD FOR MOST PEOPLE.

CORN AND EGGS ARE SECOND

More Reasons to Avoid Wheat

Wheaty Indiscretions: What Happens to Wheat From Seed to Storage

By Jen Allbritton, Certified Nutritionist

Wheat--America’s grain of choice. Its hardy, glutenous consistency makes it practical for a variety of foodstuffs--cakes, breads, pastas, cookies, bagels, pretzels and cereals that have been puffed, shredded and shaped. This ancient grain can actually be very nutritious when it is grown and prepared in the appropriate manner. Unfortunately, the indiscretions inflicted by our modern farming techniques and milling practices have dramatically reduced the quality of the commercial wheat berry and the flour it makes. You might think, "Wheat is wheat--what can they do that makes commercial varieties so bad?" Listen up, because you are in for a surprise!

It was the cultivation of grains--members of the grass family--that made civilization possible.1 Since wheat is one of the oldest known grains, its cultivation is as old as civilization itself. Some accounts suggest that mankind has used this wholesome food since 10,000 to 15,000 years BC.2 Upon opening Egyptian tombs archeologists discovered large earthenware jars full of wheat to "sustain" the Pharaohs in the afterlife. Hippocrates, the father of medicine, was said to recommend stone-ground flour for its beneficial effects on the digestive tract. Once humans figured out how to grind wheat, they discovered that when water is added it can be naturally fermented and turned into beer and expandable dough.2

Botonists have identified almost 30,000 varieties of wheat, which are assigned to one of several classifications according to their planting schedule and nutrient composition3--hard red winter, hard red spring, soft red winter, durum, hard white and soft white. Spring wheat is planted in the spring, and winter wheat is planted in the fall and shoots up the next spring to mature that summer. Soft, hard, and durum (even harder) wheats are classified according to the strength of their kernel. This strength is a function of the protein-to-starch ratio in the endosperm (the starchy middle layer of the seed). Hard wheats contain less starch, leaving a stronger protein matrix.3

With the advent of modern farming, the number of varieties of wheat in common use has been drastically reduced. Today, just a few varieties account for 90 percent of the wheat grown in the world.1

When grown in well-nourished, fertile soil, whole wheat is rich in vitamin E and B complex, many minerals, including calcium and iron, as well as omega-3 fatty acids. Proper growing and milling methods are necessary to preserve these nutrients and prevent rancidity. Unfortunately, due to the indiscretions inflicted by contemporary farming and processing on modern wheat, many people have become intolerant or even allergic to this nourishing grain. These indiscretions include depletion of the soil through the use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides and other chemicals, high-heat milling, refining and improper preparation, such as extrusion.1

Rather than focus on soil fertility and careful selection of seed to produce varieties tailored to a particular micro-climate, modern farming practices use high-tech methods to deal with pests and disease, leading to overdependence on chemicals and other substances.

It Starts with the Seed

Even before they are planted in the ground, wheat seeds receive an application of fungicides and insecticides. Fungicides are used to control diseases of seeds and seedlings; insecticides are used to control insect pests, killing them as they feed on the seed or emerging seedling.7 Seed companies often use mixtures of different seed-treatment fungicides or insecticides to control a broader spectrum of seed pests.8

Pesticides and Fertilizers

Some of the main chemicals (insecticides, herbicides and fungicides) used on commercial wheat crops are disulfoton (Di-syston), methyl parathion, chlorpyrifos, dimethoate, diamba and glyphosate.9

Although all these chemicals are approved for use and considered safe, consumers are wise to reduce their exposure as much as possible. Besides contributing to the overall toxic load in our bodies, these chemicals increase our susceptibility to neurotoxic diseases as well as to conditions like cancer.10

Many of these pesticides function as xenoestrogens, foreign estrogen that can reap havoc with our hormone balance and may be a contributing factor to a number of health conditions. For example, researchers speculate these estrogen-mimicking chemicals are one of the contributing factors to boys and girls entering puberty at earlier and earlier ages. They have also been linked to abnormalities and hormone-related cancers including fibrocystic breast disease, breast cancer and endometriosis.13

Hormones on Wheat?

Sounds strange, but farmers apply hormone-like substances or "plant growth regulators" that affect wheat characteristics, such as time of germination and strength of stalk.11 These hormones are either "natural," that is, extracted from other plants, or synthetic. Cycocel is a synthetic hormone that is commonly applied to wheat.

Moreover, research is being conducted on how to manipulate the naturally occurring hormones in wheat and other grains to achieve "desirable" changes, such as regulated germination and an increased ability to survive in cold weather.12

No studies exist that isolate the health risks of eating hormone-manipulated wheat or varieties that have been exposed to hormone application. However, there is substantial evidence about the dangers of increasing our intake of hormone-like substances.

Chemicals Used in Storage

Chemical offenses don’t stop after the growing process. The long storage of grains makes them vulnerable to a number of critters. Before commercial grain is even stored, the collection bins are sprayed with insecticide, inside and out. More chemicals are added while the bin is filled. These so-called "protectants" are then added to the upper surface of the grain as well as four inches deep into the grain to protect against damage from moths and other insects entering from the top of the bin. The list of various chemicals used includes chlorpyrifos-methyl, diatomaceous earth, bacillus thuringiensis, cy-fluthrin, malathion and pyrethrins.14

Then there is the threshold test. If there is one live insect per quart of sample, fumigation is initiated. The goal of fumigation is to "maintain a toxic concentration of gas long enough to kill the target pest population." The toxic chemicals penetrate the entire storage facility as well as the grains being treated. Two of the fumigants used include methyl bromide and phosphine-producing materials, such as magnesium phosphide or aluminum phosphide.14

Grain Drying

Heat damage is a serious problem that results from the artificial drying of damp grain at high temperatures. Overheating causes denaturing of the protein26 and can also partially cook the protein, ruining the flour’s baking properties and nutritional value. According to Ed Lysenko, who tests grain by baking it into bread for the Canadian Grain Commission’s grain research laboratory, wheat can be dried without damage by using re-circulating batch dryers, which keep the wheat moving during drying. He suggests an optimal drying temperature of 60 degrees Celsius (140 degrees Fahrenheit).27 Unfortunately, grain processors do not always take these precautions.

Modern Processing

The damage inflicted on wheat does not end with cultivation and storage, but continues into milling and processing. A grain kernel is comprised of three layers: the bran, the germ and the endosperm. The bran is the outside layer where most of the fiber exists. The germ is the inside layer where many nutrients and essential fatty acids are found. The endosperm is the starchy middle layer. The high nutrient density associated with grains exists only when these three are intact. The term whole grain refers to the grain before it has been milled into flour. It was not until the late nineteenth century that white bread, biscuits, and cakes made from white flour and sugars became mainstays in the diets of industrialized nations, and these products were only made possible with the invention of high-speed milling machines.28 Dr. Price observed the unmistakable consequences of these dietary changes during his travels and documented their corresponding health effects. These changes not only resulted in tooth decay, but problems with fertility, mental health and disease progression.30

Flour was originally produced by grinding grains between large stones. The final product, 100 percent stone-ground whole-wheat flour, contained everything that was in the grain, including the germ, fiber, starch and a wide variety of vitamins and minerals. Without refrigeration or chemical preservatives, fresh stone-ground flour spoils quickly. After wheat has been ground, natural wheat-germ oil becomes rancid at about the same rate that milk becomes sour, so refrigeration of whole grain breads and flours is necessary. Technology’s answer to these issues has been to apply faster, hotter and more aggressive processing.28

Since grinding stones are not fast enough for mass-production, the industry uses high-speed, steel roller mills that eject the germ and the bran. Much of this "waste product"--the most nutritious part of the grain--is sold as "byproducts" for animals. The resulting white flour contains only a fraction of the nutrients of the original grain. Even whole wheat flour is compromised during the modern milling process. High-speed mills reach 400 degrees Fahrenheit, and this heat destroys vital nutrients and creates rancidity in the bran and the germ. Vitamin E in the germ is destroyed--a real tragedy because whole wheat used to be our most readily available source of vitamin E.

Literally dozens of dough conditioners and preservatives go into modern bread, as well as toxic ingredients like partially hydrogenated vegetable oils and soy flour. Soy flour--loaded with antinutrients--is added to virtually all brand-name breads today to improve rise and prevent sticking. The extrusion process, used to make cold breakfast cereals and puffed grains, adds insult to injury with high temperatures and high pressures that create additional toxic components and further destroy nutrients--even the synthetic vitamins that are added to replace the ones destroyed by refinement and milling.

People have become accustomed to the mass-produced, gooey, devitalized, and nutritionally deficient breads and baked goods and have little recollection of how real bread should taste. Chemical preservatives allow bread to be shipped long distances and to remain on the shelf for many days without spoiling and without refrigeration.

Healthy Whole Wheat Products

Ideally, one should buy whole wheat berries and grind them fresh to make homemade breads and other baked goods. Buy whole wheat berries that are grown organically or biodynamically--biodynamic farming involves higher standards than organic.34 Since these forms of farming do not allow synthetic, carcinogenic chemicals and fertilizers, purchasing organic or biodynamic wheat assures that you are getting the cleanest, most nutritious food possible. It also automatically eliminates the possibility of irradiation31 and genetically engineered seed. The second best option is to buy organic 100 percent stone-ground whole-wheat flour at a natural food store. Slow-speed, steel hammer-mills are often used instead of stones, and flours made in this way can list "stone-ground" on the label. This method is equivalent to the stone-ground process and produces a product that is equally nutritious. Any process that renders the entire grain into usable flour without exposing it to high heat is acceptable.

If you do not make your own bread, there are ready-made alternatives available. Look for organic sourdough or sprouted breads freshly baked or in the freezer compartment of your market or health food store. If bread is made entirely with l00 percent stone-ground whole grains, it will state so on the label. When bread is stone ground and then baked, the internal temperature does not usually exceed 170 degrees, so most of the nutrients are preserved.28 As they contain no preservatives, both whole wheat flour and its products should be kept in the refrigerator or freezer. Stone-ground flour will keep for several months frozen.28

Sprouting, soaking and genuine sourdough leavening "pre-digests" grains, allowing the nutrients to be more easily assimilated and metabolized. This is an age-old approach practiced in most traditional cultures. Sprouting begins germination, which increases the enzymatic activity in foods and inactivates substances called enzyme inhibitors.1 These enzyme inhibitors prevent the activation of the enzymes present in the food and, therefore, may hinder optimal digestion and absorption. Soaking neutralizes phytic acid, a component of plant fiber found in the bran and hulls of grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds that reduces mineral absorption.32 All of these benefits may explain why sprouted foods are less likely to produce allergic reactions in those who are sensitive.1

Sprouting also causes a beneficial modification of various nutritional elements. According to research undertaken at the University of Minnesota, sprouting increases the total nutrient density of a food. For example, sprouted whole wheat was found to have 28 percent more thiamine (B1), 315 percent more riboflavin (B2), 66 percent more niacin (B3), 65 percent more pantothenic acid (B5), 111 percent more biotin, 278 percent more folic acid, and 300 percent more vitamin C than non-sprouted whole wheat. This phenomenon is not restricted to wheat. All grains undergo this type of quantitative and qualitative transformation. These studies also confirmed a significant increase in enzymes, which means the nutrients are easier to digest and absorb.33

You have several options for preparing your wheat. You can use a sour leavening method by mixing whey, buttermilk or yogurt with freshly ground wheat or quality pre-ground wheat from the store. Or, soak your berries whole for 8 to 22 hours, then drain and rinse. There are some recipes that use the whole berries while they are wet, such as cracker dough ground right in the food processor. Another option is to dry sprouted wheat berries in a low-temperature oven or dehydrator, and then grind them in your grain mill and then use the flour in a variety or recipes.

Although our modern wheat suffers from a great number of indiscretions, there are steps we can take to find the quality choices that will nourish us today and for the long haul. Go out and make a difference for you and yours and turn your wheaty indiscretions into wheaty indulgences.

The Weston A. Price Foundation

FROM:  http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2003/07/26/avoid-wheat.aspx

ML
ONSANTO WHEAT
Posted on Sep 01, 2010 in Health, Food News, & Big Pharma

Source: AAP

Hayden’s Note:

First, they take our Corn. Then our Soy. Now our Wheat. Please read the articles linked at the bottom for more information on the dangers of consuming GMO foods. There has been hard data showing sterility, genetic disruption, genetic mutation in offspring, liver damage, neurological problems, etc. Monsanto can very well be described as one of the most dangerous threats we face right now. Information and education about the dangers of genetically modified foods is the only answer. Consumer demand and action!

West Australian cereal breeder InterGrain Pty Ltd has partnered with global grains developer Monsanto to develop tougher, higher-yielding types of wheat.

Under the collaboration, Monsanto has taken a 19.9 per cent stake in InterGrain for an undisclosed sum.

If the collaboration is a success, it could lift that stake to 26 per cent over the next five years.

InterGrain chief executive Bryan Whan said Intergrain and Monsanto would exchange wheat germplasm – material used for breeding wheat before it is recognised as a commercial variety.

We’re always on the lookout for new germplasm internationally so we can bring in new disease resistances and be ahead of the game,” Mr Whan said.

“All of this is ultimately about giving benefits to Australian grain growers through better varieties.”

InterGrain said that in the short term it would gain access to Monsanto’s breeding technology tools and services for genotyping (the process of determining the genes) and marker development, which was expected to result in higher-yielding wheat.

In the longer term, InterGrain would gain access to Monsanto’s genetically modified wheats.

“Monsanto is a world leader in the identification and development of those traits that can be introduced into those wheats such as better yield genes, tolerance to drought, better disease resistances, better use of nutrients like fertilisers,” Mr Whan said.

“They’re the biotechnologies needed to be able to make improvement in addition to the traditional conventional approaches.”

InterGrain was established in 2007 by the West Australian government and the Grains Research and Development Corporation.

Development Corporation.

TressCox Lawyers partner Andrew Chalet, who advised InterGrain, said it was encouraging to see some private sector funding going into agricultural biotech research in Australia.

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  1. Bill Gates Foundation Buys 500,000 Shares of Biotech Terrorist Monsanto
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FROM:  http://www.truthistreason.net/monsanto-buys-19-9-stake-in-intergrain-gmo-wheat

Dangers of GMOs and High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS)


Health Scandal of the Decade – Monsanto’s GMO Perversion of Food

In the 2010 growing season Monsanto plans to unleash its latest Frankenfood experiment on the American and Canadian public, a new version of mutated corn with eight abnormal gene traits (called Genuity SmartStax corn).



Monsanto’s Toxic and Mutated World – Is Sugar Safe to Eat?

It should come as no surprise when a Monsanto product poisons the earth and our food. Our planet has never recovered from the forty-year Monsanto-led PCB contamination that was banned in the U.S. in 1977.



Monsanto Frankenfoods Take Aim at Wheat

Monsanto is dusting off its wheat research and making a new effort to turn our wheat crop into one of its Frankenfoods – a serious cause for alarm for anyone who wants to eat normal food.



The Key Foods to Eat Organic

It remains a considerable challenge for the American public to find fresh food of adequate quality. We all know we should eat more fresh fruits and vegetables, but many of them are contaminated with pesticides, fungicides, and insecticides. See which foods have the highest pesticide loads and are the most important to eat organic.



Are Cargill’s Plant Sterols Dangerous?

By now you have certainly seen the ads – take plant sterols and lower your cholesterol. These wild cholesterol-lowering claims, which the FDA is ignoring because Cargill is pushing them, are associated with various health risks. Studies show they may be quite dangerous for your heart.



How High Fructose Corn Syrup Causes Obesity

I have repeatedly stated that high fructose corn syrup should be banned from the food supply. A new study confirms the diabolical nature of this substance to induce leptin resistance and consequent obesity – and future heart disease and diabetes. The study found that fructose consumption raised triglycerides in the blood, even though obesity and weight problems had not yet set in. This problem blocks leptin from getting into your brain, setting the stage for the first changes that lead to obesity. Then, when overeating occurred, the prior fructose consumption led directly to a handicapped metabolism and obesity.



AMA Condones High Fructose Corn Syrup

It was a pivotal moment that only comes around once in a while, as those wearing their vested interests on their sleeves are put on the hot seat and have to make a very public decision. Such was the case last week at the yearly policy meeting of the American Medical Association when a resolution was on the table to require the labeling of high fructose corn syrup products with an obesity warning. Embarrassingly, the AMA voted in defense of high fructose corn syrup, making its entire organization look like a ship of fools.



High Fructose Corn Syrup Makes You Stupid

We now know the real reason so many of our kids can’t finish high school. They have been fed too much high fructose corn syrup and they have become dumb. This is not a laughing matter. Coke and Pepsi are on the line for playing a significant role in wrecking the intelligence of several generations of children – as well as making them fat. Of course, birdbrains at the AMA want to give our kids statin drugs because they don’t have the guts to make a policy statement against high fructose corn syrup as a major cause of obesity.

FROM:  http://www.larryleptin.com/battles/gmo_food.htm

NEXT SECTION:   TOO MANY BEAUTIFUL AFGHANS, TOWELS, BLANKETS EEQUALS MATERIALISM

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This article is about philosophical materialism. For the popular usage see Materialistic.

In philosophy, the theory of materialism holds that the only thing that exists is matter or energy; that all things are composed of material and all phenomena (including consciousness) are the result of material interactions. In other words, matter is the only substance, and reality is identical with the actually occurring states of energy and matter.

To many philosophers, 'materialism' is synonymous with 'physicalism'. However, materialists have historically held that everything is made of matter, but physics has shown that gravity, for example, is not made of matter in the traditional sense of ‘an inert, senseless substance, in which extension, figure, and motion do actually subsist’… So it is tempting to use ‘physicalism’ to distance oneself from what seems the historically important but no longer scientifically relevant thesis of materialism. Related to this, physicalists emphasize a connection to physics and the physical sciences.”[1] Therefore much of the generally philosophical discussion below on materialism may be relevant to physicalism.

Also related with materialism are the ideas of methodological naturalism (i.e. "let's at least do science as though physicalism is true") and metaphysical naturalism (i.e. "philosophy and science should operate according to the physical world, and that's all that exists").

A variety of schools of thought call themselves "materialist", particularly those associated with Marxism, dialectical materialism and historical materialism. The term can be used pejoratively, for example in the popular usage of the term "vulgar materialism" by Marxists and post-Marxists.[2] Contrasting philosophies include idealism, other forms of monism, dualism and pluralism.

MATERIALISM  =COMMENTS FROM OTHER PEOPLE:

It's bad if thats the be all and end all of your existence.

Materialism is what helps make life what it is. Greed is what causes most human problems but also fixes many other problems. It provides a nice incentive to invention and innovation that mere contributing to society just doesn't have compared to good ol' fashioned greed. Granted, there are horrible, horrible downsides to greed (just watched Zeitgeist, pretty interesting points on the federal reserve), but there is also a wonderful side to greed that helps mankind build the world we live in today.

Materialism is simply a facet of greed in my opinion. The lust for better goods drives innovation in material sciences. Would we have the genetically and chemically altered crops that provide an abundance today if it wasn't for those who wanted more? Would we have the means of communication that the internet provides if it were left up to the ascetic? I do not believe the world we live in would even be possible if we didn't have a healthy interest in the material world. Whether or not this is a good world, however, is up to you.

always it was the "He who dies with the most toys wins" philosophy. Either that or valuing things more than people.

It only becomes bad if you start showing off your crap past a certain amount. Its ok to pull into your friends driveway with a new ferrari, because you feel good about it. But when you buy stuff just so you can say you have it, to make people feel jealous, is when it becomes bad.

Materialism can be bad, if it drives you to ignore the non-materials things that matter most. It can also be bad if, using Somethingironic's towel example, you have a perfectly useful towel but can't properly enjoy it for wanting a nicer towel.

Materialism is bad when your materialistic need actively interferes with other peoples ability to meet their minimum living standards (i.e. food, water, etc).

AIR POLLUTION

 

Air pollution is the introduction of chemicals, particulate matter, or biological materials that cause harm or discomfort to humans or other living organisms, or cause damage to the natural environment or built environment, into the atmosphere.

The atmosphere is a complex dynamic natural gaseous system that is essential to support life on planet Earth. Stratospheric ozone depletion due to air pollution has long been recognized as a threat to human health as well as to the Earth's ecosystems.

Indoor air pollution and urban air quality are listed as two of the world's worst pollution problems in the 2008 Blacksmith Institute World's Worst Polluted Places report

Before flue-gas desulfurization was installed, the emissions from this power plant in New Mexico contained excessive amounts of sulfur dioxide.
A substance in the air that can cause harm to humans and the environment is known as an air pollutant. Pollutants can be in the form of solid particles, liquid droplets, or gases. In addition, they may be natural or man-made.[2]

Pollutants can be classified as primary or secondary. Usually, primary pollutants are directly emitted from a process, such as ash from a volcanic eruption, the carbon monoxide gas from a motor vehicle exhaust or sulfur dioxide released from factories. Secondary pollutants are not emitted directly. Rather, they form in the air when primary pollutants react or interact. An important example of a secondary pollutant is ground level ozone — one of the many secondary pollutants that make up photochemical smog. Some pollutants may be both primary and secondary: that is, they are both emitted directly and formed from other primary pollutants.

Major primary pollutants produced by human activity include: