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Thursday, August 25, 2011

11

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"There's Justice In The Universe"
Ben & Jerry's gets all their milk from dairies that have pledged not  to inject their cows with the Monsanto-developed genetically engineered bovine growth hormone (rBGH). Why, then, can't Haagen Dazs, Breyers Baskin-Robbins, etcetera do the same?

These ice cream brands continue to use milk from cows injected with rBGH, a hormone that's been banned in Canada, New Zealand, Japan, Australia and all 27 nations of the European Union. Meanwhile, Haagen Dazs and Breyers have the audacity to call their ice cream "All Natural."

John Robbins, writing in the Huffington Post, notes that:

    “... [I]njecting the genetically engineered hormone into cows increases the levels of a substance called IGF-1 in their milk. Monsanto's own studies found that the amount of IGF-1 in milk more than doubled when cows were injected with rBGH. Studies by independent researchers show gains as much as six-fold ...

    [T]he excessive levels of IGF-1 found in the milk of cows injected with rBGH may pose serious risks of breast, colon and prostate cancer.”

Pre-menopausal women with even moderately elevated blood levels of IGF-1 are up to seven times more likely to develop breast cancer.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-robbins/is-your-favorite-ice-crea_b_686629.html

http://documents.foodandwaterwatch.org/texas.pdf

http://cornucopia.org/dairysurvey/Ratings_Alphabetical.html

http://cornucopia.org/dairysurvey/OrganicDairyReport/cornucopia_milkintregrity.pdf

Take Action:
http://www.democracyinaction.org/dia/organizationsORG/oca/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=4756
Bisphenol-A (BPA), a toxic chemical, is being used in carbonless cash register receipts. Studies have linked exposure to BPA in lab animals to a number of problems, from obesity to diabetes, early onset puberty, impaired immune function, breast cancer, etcetera.  The amount of BPA on such cash receipts is sometimes 1,000+ times the amount that causes the concern promoting legislation in regards to other consumer products (but not with this).

40% of the receipts we receive from our gas station are contaminated / from fast food restaurants, from the grocery store, from the post office--we can't help but touch them, and our skin absorbs the chemicals it comes in contact with.

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504763_162-20011903-10391704.html

http://www.care2.com/greenliving/bpa-found-on-cash-register-receipts.html

http://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/translating-uncle-sam/stories/bpa-is-plastic-poisoning-our-food

Take Action:
http://www.anh-usa.org/anh%E2%80%93usa-files-petition-to-ban-bpa-in-cash-register-receipts/

[On petitions, I suggest using your first initial (not full spelling of first name).]
Written by Editorial Dept of OilPrice.com 

"Global warming has been a buzzword in the media and politics for some time now with many famous faces jumping on the bandwagon asking us to change our ways before it’s all too late. But with all the news stories and scientific reports flying around the basics are often overlooked.

So what exactly is global warming?

Global warming is simply a rise in the temperature of the earths atmosphere. The IPCC (The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Control) concluded that it is mankind and our burning of fossil fuels and deforestation that has been the main contributor the rise (one degree Fahrenheit since 1900) But they have also observed that natural phenomena such as volcanoes and solar radiation have added to the warming.

The climate panels latest report predicts that the climate could rise by a further 3 to 9% by 2100, if our carbon dioxide emissions continue to increase. So climate change is not going to just disappear and the situation is likely to get much more severe unless we act...

Why is the earths atmosphere increasing in temperature?

"...the greenhouse gases that our fossil fuels and other pollutions create are staying within the earths atmosphere and trapping inside heat that would normally escape. This trapped heat is then warming the planets lower atmosphere and surface. The result of this is a change in the earths climate, which although it doesn’t sound that serious could have a devastating effect on this planet. We have seen a steady increase in sea levels... with an increase in droughts, etc…

"But this is just the start! If we continue adding carbon dioxide to the atmosphere at our current rate, the climate could rise in temperature by a further 3 to 9% which would have a much more severe impact on people and places than we are currently seeing. This is why governments and big business have started taking global warming seriously.

Climate Doomsday:
"There has also been a very disturbing report recently about how global warming could potentially trigger a climate doomsday by releasing the 10,000 gigatons of methane gas that are currently frozen in the worlds' deep oceans and permafrost (as a greenhouse gas methane is about 25 times more potent than carbon dioxide...

"But if we are to combat global warming successfully, everyone needs to start working together. Not just governments, but each of us can also have a positive impact by supporting the drive for renewables."


The Doctors Said...

The Doctors Said -

Years ago, my friend and I were on vacation.  We'd pulled into a bowling alley in Hayward, Wisconsin.  We'd just barely sat down at the bar when an older guy came down and sat next to us.  I figured he was going to hit us up for a drink -- but instead, he ordered up a shot of whiskey for himself and determinedly slapped his money down on the counter.  He ruefully looked at us and told us that he'd just got out of the hospital for a bleeding ulcer / and that the doctors told him that if he had even just a single drink that it'd kill him.  When the bartender sat the drink down in front of him, he carefully picked it up and carefully studied it for a moment.  Then he suddenly tipped his head back and quickly downed it.  I didn't know what to think.  Then, about thirty seconds later, the fellow asked, "Can you give me a ride to the hospital?" We did. Within a few hours, the alcoholic was dead.

Leave My Drinkin' Alone!

When my father was working with MHMR's Alcoholic Treatment Program, there was an alcoholic who said one day, after a group session,"You can treat my alcoholism all you want to; but, Damn it! you leave my drinkin' alone!".  [Though a bit humorous in retrospect, nonetheless, he was dead eventually from cirrhosis of the liver.]

Postlogue:
I post these stories because someone I know is now on their deathbed as the result of long term alcohol abuse. It's not a pretty picture / jaundiced skin, swollen abdomen, prolonged anguish & little hope of 'personal redemption'.  Those who start drinking, smoking etcetera at a young age rarely have a clue.....
I live on a hill west of the Balcones Fault Line with thin alkaline soil -- the geology of which influences which trees and shrubs do best for me.

I prefer these large trees:
Shumard Oak - reasonably hardy, reasonably fast growing, classic shape.
Cedar Elm - very hardy, open canopy.
Chinquapin Oak - though deep soil is preferred, it does well with minimal watering.
Monterrey Oak - tough, nice shape.
Live Oak - though I avoid it, it's okay if you do not live where people have fireplaces and possibly hauling oak wilt infested wood into the area / my neighbors all have them & they're beautiful. But, if Oak Wilt hits, uh oh.

Medium trees:
Chinese Pistache - hardy, great globe shape.
Drake Elm - is hardy /okay, if you like the shape and limb pattern.
Winged Elm - very  hardy / wood is fibrous.

Small trees:
Mexican Buckeye - extremely hardy, deep green leaves.
Crabapple - tough as nails (plant away from walkways because it produces lots of fruit).
Lacey Oak & Vasey Oak - very good natives.
Flaming Sumac - tough, beautiful in autumn.
White Fig & Black Fig - lots of edible fruit.

Bushes -
Burford Holly - evergreen can grow to great size, easily shaped, very hardy, red berries in winter.
Japanese Persimmon - evergreen with attractive large leaves and edible fruit.
Althea (Rose of Sharon) - okay if decent soil for moisture retention, lots of colors to choose from.
Crepe Myrtle - everybody knows about the different varieties of these (I like Basham Party Pink best, but I have other varities as well).

Ground Cover -
'Zoysia japonica' - grass for under trees with heavy shade after the St. Augustine is shaded out / can be established from seeds as well as plugs or runners.  It fills in the space where neither Bermuda nor St. Augustine don't do well. Though not recommended for people in the cooler climes, it's great for here in conjunction with warm weather grasses.
Bermuda grass - for dry open areas.
St. Augustine - for around trees that don't yet provide thick shade. (water so that if this grass looks happy, then the tree is happy).
Asian Jasmine - hardy, but has to be contained.
Purslan - edible landscaping with a variety of colors (daytime blooms).
Peppermint - fragrant, easy to contain.

Note: I like to keep 4 o'clock (fragrant flowering plant), red Saliva and small Lantana under trees.

Note: I especially like the Montezuma Cypress and Leyland Cypress (evergreen) for their hardiness, size and shape.

*Before planting, always research.*

http://www.beg.utexas.edu/UTopia/centtex/centtex_rock.html

Kinds of plants that either I simply don't like or haven't worked well for me:
Afghan Pine, Black Japanese Pine, Bradford Pear, Chinese Tallow, Maples, Hackberry, Chinaberry.
While I must give credit to the Texas Republicans for their attempt at being thorough in their party platform, I find it to be more a litany of 'thou shalt nots' than anything else.  The "We believe the Minimum Wage Law should be repealed" & "We oppose a one-world government in direct opposition to our basic principles and eroding our sovereignty... oppose the implementation of one world currency" is entertaining (especially since corporate globalization is the manifest catalyst for such).

The Democrats' platform is more idealistic but less entertaining.

http://www.txdemocrats.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/TDP2010Platform.pdf

http://static.texastribune.org/media/documents/FINAL_2010_STATE_REPUBLICAN_PARTY_PLATFORM.pdf

Political Party:
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to attain and maintain political power within government, usually by participating in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions. Parties often espouse an expressed ideology or vision bolstered by a written platform with specific goals, forming a coalition among disparate interests.
If you have an area that gets blistered by the summer sun, you have a great spot to raise Purslane.  It takes almost no watering and provides thick green ground cover with bountiful flowers. I have it in 8 different rich and vibrant colors growing on top of a layer of pea gravel.  Small butterflies love it.

http://www.tclawnservices.com/images/purslane%20assorted.jpg
http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/archives/parsons/98promotions/april/april.html
http://landscaping.about.com/cs/weedsdiseases/a/purslane.htm
Are mosquitoes, ticks or fleas bothering you? Try 'Mosquito Barrier Garlic'.  It lasts for a couple of weeks at a time and is economical (very effective in small doses).  For spot treatment, I just mix it and use a small hand spray bottle.  If you use a pressure pump sprayer ro cover large areas, remove the screen filter in the spraying tip first as the very fine pulp particulate from the garlic extract will plug it (though it cleans away easily).  I bought a quart at EcoWise for $30, but you can order it online as well if your favorite organic gardening store doesn't yet carry it.

http://www.mosquitobarrier.com/
http://www.mosquitobarrier.com/facts.html
http://www.mosquitobarrier.com/order.html
Years ago, we put an open bottomed compost bin (solid sides and lid) in our back yard.  We started throwing food scraps and plant matter into it. At first, there was a stench [Yes, I know it's because we were lazy and didn't add enough dry plant material and keep it turned under] -- but it soon disappeared.  The solution was that Black Soldier Flies had laid eggs and the larvae were rapidly turning the moist food into an odorless wet manure that other kinds of fly larvae cannot survive in (which the earthworms were enjoying).   They only live several days as adult flies. They live only to breed and lay eggs -- then die.  Most of their life is spent as larvae.

Soldier flies are not a nuisance like the dreaded house fly. The adults have no workable mouth-parts, so they don't scavenge for food like the house fly. Indeed, they're such peaceful and iridescently beautiful black wasp shaped insects, the few that you can spot add to the serenity of a peaceful landscape.

I've been throwing food scraps and such into the bin for about ten years.  The depth builds up over the winter, but as soon as warm weather arrives the BSFs get busy.  By midsummer, the depth is back down to about 8 inches again.  I imagine the earthworms and the close-by tree are appreciative of all their hard work.  And a raccoon makes it a regular weekly stop as well (he slides the lid to one side).  I have no idea 'if' (or possibly why) it's related, but the spiders and gecko lizards that used to be a nuisance disappeared after introducing this bin to our yard's ecosystem. Even the number of houseflies in the area of the house significantly decreased.

Some people use the BSF larvae aka 'Phoenix worms' as high quality food for pets, fish, chickens or as livestock feed. Texas A&M is even developing commercial feedlot uses (reduce manure bulk and use the grubs as a food stock supplement). Other commercial uses are also being found for the larvae.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermetia_illucens
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/03/050309135653.htm
http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/verm/msg09092026510.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eex3bvJBCDA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nEmh3SGwjRg&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oa5AJjfgdyc&feature=related
British Petroleum started drilling API Well#60-817-44169 into the Macondo oil reservoir in October.  After 3 weeks, natural gas got into the well & 2 weeks later a hurricane damaged the original rig which was replaced by Transocean's "Deepwater Horizon".  BP then funded 78 days at the well even though their 'target time' was 51 days. 

Owing to delays, on April 20th (the day the well erupted) they were into the 80th day -- since on March 8th gas had begun seeping into the well.  A series of frustrating delays were costing BP $1 million daily for the rig lease and contractors fees.  This intensified BP's increasing reluctance to heed Transocean's and Haliburton's advice as they 'pushed' everything in order to put this troublesome well behind them.

For more of the story:
http://theweek.com/article/index/203971/bps-8-dumbest-mistakes

[What this tale reminds me of is the details in the chain of events that led up to the sinking of the Titanic (that was also caused by arrogance, short sightedness and greed)].

http://edition.cnn.com/2010/US/06/08/oil.rig.warning.signs/index.html?hpt=T2

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/25/us/25mms.html?th&emc=th

http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/environment/2007-07-30-mercury_N.htm