Irradiated Foods Cause Severe Neurological Damage

Wednesday, April 01, 2009 by: Sherry Baker, Health Sciences Editor
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Key concepts: Food, Foods and Irradiated foods
http://www.naturalnews.com/025971.html

(NaturalNews) In a study just published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, scientists from the University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW-Madison) report on cats developing severe neurological symptoms due to a degradation of myelin, the fatty insulator of nerve fibers called axons. Because myelin facilitates the conduction of nerve signals, when it is lost or damaged there can be impairment of sensation, movement, thinking and other functions, depending on what particular nerves are affected. This loss of myelin is found in several disorders of the central nervous system in humans -- the best known being multiple sclerosis (MS).

So what caused the cats to develop neurological problems? Although the researchers' statement to the media practically buries the fact, a close read shows the animals were fine until fed irradiated food. What's more, when they were taken off the irradiated diet, the animals' nervous systems began healing.

The new study took place when the researchers were faced with reports of a mysterious illness in pregnant cats. A commercial company had been testing various diets on the animals to see how the food impacted growth and development in the felines. The food used, it turns out, had been irradiated. Irradiation, which is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for many human as well as animal foods, involves exposing foods briefly to a radiant energy source such as gamma rays or electron beams in order to kill bacteria.

Some of the cats eating the irradiated cat food exhibited very severe neurological symptoms, including movement disorders, vision loss and even paralysis. "After being on the diet for three to four months, the pregnant cats started to develop progressive neurological disease," said Ian Duncan, a professor of medical sciences at the UW-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine and an authority on demyelinating diseases, in a statement to the media.

The sick cats were shown to have widely distributed the very severe demyelization of the central nervous system. Their neurological symptoms were very much like those seen in people with MS and other demyelization disorders. When the felines were taken off the irradiated foods, they began to recover slowly. However, according to Dr. Duncan, the restored myelin sheaths were no longer as thick as normal myelin sheaths.

The finding is important, the scientists concluded in their study, because it shows the central nervous system retains the ability to reestablish myelin -- so strategies that could be developed to spur the growth of new myelin sheaths anywhere nerves themselves are preserved could be a possible therapy for treating a host of severe neurological diseases in humans. "The key thing is that it absolutely confirms the notion that remyelinating strategies are clinically important," Duncan stated.

Curiously, although the scientists' related their findings to possible human applications, they were quick to dismiss a possible connection between people, irradiated food and health risk. "We think it is extremely unlikely that (irradiated food) could become a human health problem," Duncan explained in the media statement. "We think it is species specific."

However, not everyone agrees irradiated food is fine for humans or animals. According to the Center for Food Safety, studies have shown irradiation produces volatile toxic chemicals such as benzene and toluene, which are known or suspected to cause cancer and birth defects. A 2001 study found an association between colon tumors and 2-alkylcyclobutanones (2-ACB's), a new chemical compound detected only in foods that have been irradiated.

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Music can Restore Vision after Stroke

Monday, March 30, 2009 by: Sherry Baker, Health Sciences Editor
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http://www.naturalnews.com/025951.html

Key concepts: Stroke, Health and The brain

(NaturalNews) Natural health doesn't only encompass exercise and nutrition. A new study by UK scientists from Imperial College London, the University of Birmingham and other institutions just published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Science demonstrates sound can be used to facilitate healing. By listening to their favorite music, stroke patients with impaired vision were able to see better.

According to the American Heart Association, stroke is a leading cause of serious, long-term disability in the United States. Around 60 percent of stroke patients have impaired visual awareness, known as "visual neglect", as a result of damage from a stroke in parts of the brain that control vision, attention and action. The result of visual neglect is a loss of awareness of objects in the side of space opposite to the side of the brain that was injured. For instance, if a stroke occurs in the right hemisphere of the brain, a person tends to lose awareness of visual information in the left side of space.

"Visual neglect can be a very distressing condition for stroke patients. It has a big effect on their day-to-day lives. For example, in extreme cases, patients with visual neglect may eat only the food on the right side of their plate, or shave only half of their face, thus failing to react to certain objects in the environment," Dr. David Soto, the lead author of the study from the Division of Neurosciences and Mental Health at Imperial College London, said in a statement to media.

Researchers studied three patients who had lost awareness of half of their field of vision as a result of a stroke. The research subjects completed tasks while listening to their favorite music, while listening to music they didn't like at all, and in silence. The result? All three were able to identify shapes and red lights in their stroke-impaired side of vision much more accurately while they were listening to music they liked than while listening to music they didn't like or while performing the tasks in silence.

For part of the research, patients were told to press a button when they saw a red light. One research subject could point out the light in 65 percent of cases while he was listening to favorite music, but he only perceived the light 15 percent of the time when there was no music or music he didn't like was played.

What caused the improvement in visual awareness seen in these patients? The researchers think it could be a result of the research subjects experiencing positive emotions when listening to favorite music. The scientists looked at functional MRI scans to see how the patients' brains functioned during the different tasks. They found that when tasks were performed to pleasant music, areas in the brain linked to positive emotional responses from stimuli were activated. At the same time, the patients' awareness of the visual world was improved.

"We wanted to see if music would improve visual awareness in these patients by influencing the individual's emotional state. Our results are very promising, although we would like to look at a much larger group of patients with visual neglect and with other neuropsychological impairments. Our findings suggest that we should think more carefully about the individual emotional factors in patients with visual neglect and in other neurological patients following a stroke," Dr. Soto stated in the press release. "Music appears to improve awareness because of its positive emotional effect on the patient, so similar beneficial effects may also be gained by making the patient happy in other ways. This is something we are keen to investigate further."

For more information:
http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/newsande...

About the author

Sherry Baker is a widely published writer whose work has appeared in Newsweek, Health, the Atlanta Journal and Constitution, Yoga Journal, Optometry, Atlanta, Arthritis Today, Natural Healing Newsletter, OMNI, UCLA's "Healthy Years" newsletter, Mount Sinai School of Medicine's "Focus on Health Aging" newsletter, the Cleveland Clinic's "Men's Health Advisor" newsletter and many others.

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Daily Red Meat Raises Chances Of Dying Early - Study of Half Million People

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/23/AR2009032301626.html?hpid=topnews

Daily Red Meat Raises Chances Of Dying Early
Study Is First Large Analysis Of Link With Overall Health
  
The new study says, "If people want to be healthy and live longer, consume less red and processed meat," global nutrition professor Barry Popkin said. (By James M. Thresher For The Washington Post)
 
By Rob Stein
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, March 24, 2009; Page A01

Eating red meat increases the chances of dying prematurely, according to the first large study to examine whether regularly eating beef or pork increases mortality.

The study of more than 500,000 middle-aged and elderly Americans found that those who consumed about four ounces of red meat a day (the equivalent of about a small hamburger) were more than 30 percent more likely to die during the 10 years they were followed, mostly from heart disease and cancer. Sausage, cold cuts and other processed meats also increased the risk.

Previous research had found a link between red meat and an increased risk of heart disease and cancer, particularly colorectal cancer, but the new study is the first large examination of the relationship between eating meat and overall risk of death, and is by far the most detailed.

"The bottom line is we found an association between red meat and processed meat and an increased risk of mortality," said Rashmi Sinha of the National Cancer Institute, who led the study published yesterday in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

In contrast, routine consumption of fish, chicken, turkey and other poultry decreased the risk of death by a small amount.

"The uniqueness of this study is its size and length of follow-up," said Barry M. Popkin, a professor of global nutrition at the University of North Carolina, who wrote an editorial accompanying the study. "This is a slam-dunk to say that,

'Yes, indeed, if people want to be healthy and live longer, consume less red and processed meat.' "

There are many explanations for how red meat might be unhealthy:
Cooking red meat generates cancer-causing compounds;

red meat is also high in saturated fat, which has been associated with breast and colorectal cancer; and meat is high in iron, also believed to promote cancer. People who eat red meat are more likely to have high blood pressure and cholesterol, which increases the risk of heart disease.

Processed meats contain substances known as nitrosamines, which have been linked to cancer.

Although pork is often promoted as "white meat," it is believed to increase the risk of cancer because of its iron content, Sinha said.

Regardless of the mechanism, the research provides new evidence that people should follow long-standing recommendations to minimize consumption of red meat, several experts said.

"The take-home message is pretty clear," said Walter Willett, a nutrition expert at the Harvard School of Public Health. "It would be better to shift from red meat to white meat such as chicken and fish, which if anything is associated with lower mortality."

The American Meat Institute, a trade group, dismissed the findings, however, saying they were based on unreliable self-reporting by the study participants.

"Meat products are part of a healthy, balanced diet, and studies show they actually provide a sense of satisfaction and fullness that can help with weight control. Proper body weight contributes to good health overall," James H. Hodges, the group's executive vice president, said in a written statement.

For the study, researchers analyzed data from 545,653 predominantly white volunteers, ages 50 to 71, participating in the National Institutes of Health-AARP Diet and Health Study. In 1995, the subjects filled out detailed questionnaires about their diets, including meat consumption. Over the next 10 years, 47,976 men and 23,276 women died.

After accounting for other variables that might confound the findings, such as smoking and physical activity, the researchers found that those who ate the most red meat -- about a quarter-pound a day -- were more likely to die of any reason, and from heart disease and cancer in particular, than those who ate the least -- the equivalent of a couple of slices of ham a day.

Among women, those who ate the most red meat were 36 percent more likely to die for any reason, 20 percent more likely to die of cancer and 50 percent more likely to die of heart disease. Men who ate the most meat were 31 percent more likely to die for any reason, 22 percent more likely to die of cancer and 27 percent more likely to die of heart disease.

In contrast, those who consumed the most white meat were about 8 percent less likely to die during the study period than those who ate the least, the researchers found. Poultry contains more unsaturated fat, which improves cholesterol levels, and fish contains omega-3 fatty acids, which are believed to help reduce the risk of heart disease.
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The risk also rose among those who consumed the most processed meat, which included any kind of sausage, cold cuts or hot dogs. Women who consumed the most processed meat (about an ounce a day) were about 25 percent more likely to die overall, about 11 percent more likely to die of cancer and about 38 percent more likely to die from heart disease, compared to those who ate the least. The men who ate the most processed meat were 16 percent more likely to die for any reason, about 12 percent more likely to die of cancer and about 9 percent more likely to die of heart disease.

Experts stressed that the findings do not mean that people need to eliminate red meat from their diet, but instead should avoid eating it every day.

"You can be very healthy being a vegetarian, but you can be very healthy being a non-vegetarian if you keep your red-meat intake low," Willett said. "If you are eating meat twice a day and can cut back to once a day there's a big benefit. If you cut back to two or three times a week there's even more benefit. If you eliminate it entirely, there's a little more benefit, but the big benefit is getting away from everyday red-meat consumption."

In addition to the health benefits, a major reduction in the eating of red meat would probably have a host of other benefits to society, Popkin said: reducing water shortages and pollution, cutting energy consumption, and tamping down greenhouse gas emissions -- all of which are associated with large-scale livestock production.

"There's a big interplay between the global increase in animal food intake and the effects on climate change," he said. "If we cut by a few ounces a day our red-meat intake, we would have big impact on emissions and environmental degradation."

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HR 875: The Criminalization of Organic Farming and the Take over of the US Food Supply

The Criminalization of Organic Farming and the Take over of the US Food Supply

!! CALL TO ACTION !!
http://www.gnhealth.com/calltoaction.html

To find your local House of Representative Member Click Here:
http://www.house.gov/house/MemberWWW_by_State.shtml

To Find your local Senator click here:
http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/
senators_cfm.cfm?State=IN

A solemn walk through HR 875

By Sue Diederich and Linn Cohen-Cole

http://www.gnhealth.com/calltoaction.html
Last updated March 16, 2009 at 1AM Eastern to correct formatting issues, and to add a related YouTube video by Free Speech TV.

The Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture (PASA) sent out information about HR 875, which lists 'facts' to counter 'myths' and 'rumors' on the internet.  It gives no specifics to back up its 'facts,' so the following close up view of the bill and accompanying commentary offers readers a chance to decide for themselves what is myth and what is fact. 

Sue Diederich heads the Illinois Independent Consumers and Farmers Association, an organization formed to protect the rights of farmers and consumers to deal directly with each other without government interference. Neither of us are lawyers, but we both can read.  We invite progressive headliners to read the bills themselves and provide their own analysis.  The Left needs to understand what their conservative brothers and sisters in farming view as an alarming attempt to seize absolute control of all attempts at private (non-corporate), healthy, organic food growing and sharing. ~LCC

People seem to expect HR 875 to be titled "The Criminalization of Organic Farming and the Take over of the US Food Supply." When they don't see any words to that effect anywhere in the bill, they declare "this bill is fine" and those seeing dangers are "alarmists."  Do they think the industrial side is composed of fools?  These are the same people who make cheery cereals with cartoon characters on the box when, inside, high fructose corn syrup is all over the cereal which comes from Bt-corn associated with diabetes.  HFCS is, too, and there is an epidemic of diabetes here even among children.  They know how to package.  Why do people understand that industrial food inside a box can be a problem and yet are so innocent about looking at the bills, not realizing there is packaging there, too, or how much is at stake that the public and even legislators not see since this is about taking control. The industrial side isn't stupid. 

Understanding parts of the bill at times depends on smelling smoke as you read it. Here in the US, we still have only smoke ... an Ohio state ag department SWAT team raid on an organic coop, Pennsylvania ag department raids on horse and buggy Mennonites, California setting coliform levels so low fresh milk dairy farmers would need cows that produced pasteurized milk right out the udder, arrest and handcuffing of a single mother in front of her children for selling goat milk, the USDA paying its agents bonuses for foreclosing on farms, ...  But in the EU where 60% of the Polish farmers are now gone because of identical bills enacted into law there, and 60 UK farmers have committed suicide, there is fire.  And in Iraq, where they have been rendered helpless serfs by the theft of their country's seeds and criminalization of farmers' collection of their own seed, it is roaring.  And in India where 182,000 farmers have committed suicide since the WTO and IMF got hold of agriculture and our Big Ag firms went in there, and 8 million farmers have left the land, it is out of control.  

The World Trade Organization (WTO), run by the multinational meat packers and genetic engineering corporations, want HR 875, here.  The bills are "harmonized" rules for globalization of food and lower food safety standards to allow for it.  Those corporations are members of NIAA, a corporate consortium that brought NAIS, created by Anne Veneman, to the USDA to be made into law.  

We begin with PASA offering Food & Water Watch's take on the bills to its members. PASA's assertions are in Times New Roman.

Myths and Facts H.R. 875 –The Food Safety Modernization Act 

PASA members: The following information about a bill now before Congress, HR 875, was developed by our friends at Food and Water Watch, and forwarded to us by the National Sustainable Ag Coalition (NSAC), of which PASA is a member.

This Myth/Fact sheet was developed to help answer some of the rumors that are fairly rampant on the Internet right now. We will keep a close eye on the situation, and share further updates from NSAC as they become available.  

MYTH:  H.R. 875 "makes it illegal to grow your own garden" and would result in the "criminalization of the backyard gardener." 

FACT:   There is no language in the bill that would regulate, penalize, or shut down backyard gardens. This bill is focused on ensuring the safety of foods sold in supermarkets. 

Though private residences are not specifically included, nor are they specifically excluded. While this does not immediately affect homeowners growing tomatoes in the backyard, entered testimony leaves the door open for just that in the future. Referring back to the Bio-Terrorism Act, in a discussion on this very topic and entered in the official record of debate on the interim rule, the same argument exists here and no new definitions or exclusions have been provided in HR 875 - and "reasonable" is a subjective term in theory as well as practice...

(13)  FOOD ESTABLISHMENT-

(A) IN GENERAL- The term 'food establishment' means a slaughterhouse (except those regulated under the Federal Meat Inspection Act or the Poultry Products Inspection Act), factory, warehouse, or facility owned or operated by a person located in any State that processes food or a facility that holds, stores, or transports food or food ingredients.

Now, every home in the country holds food after buying it from the grocery store. Will they be included too?  Heck, no. They're going to be magnanimous and say that, while they could, they won't right now.

Response excerpted from the same Interim Rule:

"FDA has concluded that private individual residences are not ''facilities'' for purposes of the registration provision of the Bioterrorism Act. Under the Bioterrorism Act, the term ''facility'' includes ''any factory, warehouse, or establishment.''

Congress did not specify any definition for these terms. Under their common meanings, the terms can include private residences. For example, accordingtoWebster's II New Riverside University Dictionary (1994), the most relevant definition of ''establishment'' is ''a business firm, club, institution, or residence, including its possessions and employees.''

However, ''[I]n determining whether Congress has specifically addressed the question at issue, the court should not confine itself to examining a particular statutory provision in isolation....  It is a fundamental canon of statutory construction that the words of a statute must be read in their context and with a view to their place in the overall statutory scheme." FDA v. Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corp., 529 U.S. 120, 121 (2000). 

READ THE REST OF THIS ARTICLE HERE >

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The multiple ways Monsanto is putting normal seeds out of reach

by Linn Cohen-Cole

People say if farmers don't want problems from Monsanto, just don't buy their GMO seeds.

Not so simple.  Where are farmers supposed to get normal seed these days?  How are they supposed to avoid contamination of their fields from GM-crops?  How are they supposed to stop Monsanto detectives from trespassing or Monsanto from using helicopters to fly over spying on them?  

Monsanto contaminates the fields, trespasses onto the land taking samples and if they find any GMO plants growing there (or say they have), they then sue, saying they own the crop.  It's a way to make money since farmers can't fight back and court and they settle because they have no choice. 

.

And they have done and are doing a bucket load of things to keep farmers and everyone else from having any access at all to buying, collecting, and saving of NORMAL seeds.

1.  They've bought up the seed companies across the midwest.  

2.  They've written Monsanto seed laws and gotten legislators to put them through, that make cleaning, collecting and storing of seeds so onerous in terms of fees and paperwork and testing and tracking every variety and being subject to fines, that having normal seed becomes almost impossible (an NAIS approach to wiping out normal seeds).  Does your state have such a seed law?  Before they existed, farmers just collected the seeds and put them in sacks in the shed and used them the next year, sharing whatever they wished with friends and neighbors, selling some if they wanted.  That's been killed.  

In Illinois which has such a seed law, Madigan, the Speaker of the House, his staff is Monsanto lobbyists. 

3.  Monsanto is pushing anti-democracy laws (Vilsack's brainchild, actually) that remove community' control over their own counties so farmers and citizens can't block the planting of GMO crops even if they can contaminate other crops.  So if you don't want a GM-crop that grows industrial chemicals or drugs or a rice growing with human DNA in it, in your area and mixing with your crops, tough luck.  

Check the map of just where the Monsanto/Vilsack laws are and see if your state is still a democracy or is Monsanto's.  A farmer in Illinois told me he heard that Bush had pushed through some regulation that made this true in every state.  People need to check on that.

4.  For sure there are Monsanto regulations buried in the FDA right now that make a farmer's seed cleaning equipment illegal (another way to leave nothing but GM-seeds) because it's now considered a "source of seed contamination."  Farmer can still seed clean but the equipment now has to be certified and a farmer said it would require a million to a million and half dollar building and equipment ... for EACH line of seed.  Seed storage facilities are also listed (another million?) and harvesting and transport equipment.  And manure.  Something that can contaminate seed.  Notice that chemical fertilizers and pesticides are not mentioned.  

You could eat manure and be okay (a little grossed out but okay).  Try that with pesticides and fertilizers.  Indian farmers have.  Their top choice for how to commit suicide to escape the debt they have been left in is to drink Monsanto pesticides.

5.  Monsanto is picking off seed cleaners across the Midwest.  In Pilot Grove, Missouri , in Indiana (Maurice Parr ), and now in southern Illinois (Steve Hixon).  And they are using US marshals and state troopers and county police to show up in three cars to serve the poor farmers who had used Hixon as their seed cleaner, telling them that he or their neighbors turned them in, so across that 6 county areas, no one talking to neighbors and people are living in fear and those farming communities are falling apart from the suspicion Monsanto sowed.  Hixon's office got broken into and he thinks someone put a GPS tracking device on his equipment and that's how Monsanto found between 200-400 customers in very scattered and remote areas, and threatened them all and destroyed his business within 2 days.

So, after demanding that seed cleaners somehow be able to tell one seed from another (or be sued to kingdom come) or corrupting legislatures to put in laws about labeling of seeds that are so onerous no one can cope with them, what is Monsanto's attitude about labeling their own stuff?  You guessed it - they're out there pushing laws against ANY labeling of their own GM-food and animals  and of any exports to other countries.  Why?  

We know and they know why.

As Norman Braksick, the president of Asgrow Seed Co. (now owned by Monsanto) predicted in the Kansas City Star (3/7/94) seven years ago, "If you put a label on a genetically engineered food, you might as well put a skull and crossbones on it." 

And they've sued dairy farmers for telling the truth about their milk being rBGH-free, though rBGH is associated with an increased risk of breast, colon and prostate cancers.

I just heard that some seed dealers urge farmers to buy the seed under the seed dealer's name, telling the farmers it helps the dealer get a discount on seed to buy a lot under their own name.  Then Monsanto sues the poor farmer for buying their seed without a contract and extorts huge sums from them.

Here's a youtube video that is worth your time.  Vandana Shiva is one of the leading anti-Monsanto people in the world.  In this video, she says (and this video is old), Monsanto had sued 1500 farmers whose fields had simply been contaminated by GM-crops.  Listen to all the ways Monsanto goes after farmers.

Do you know the story of Gandhi in India and how the British had salt laws that taxed salt?  The British claimed it as theirs.  Gandhi had what was called a Salt Satyagraha, in which people were asked to break the laws and march to the sea  and collect the salt without paying the British.  A kind of Boston tea party, I guess.

  

Thousands of people marched 240 miles to the ocean where the British were waiting.  As people moved forward to collect the salt, the British soldiers clubbed them but the people kept coming.  The non-violent protest exposed the British behavior which was so revolting to the world that it helped end British control in India.  

Vandana Shiva has started a Seed Satyagraha - nonviolent non-cooperation around seed laws - has gotten millions of farmers to sign a pledge to break those laws.  

American farmers and cattlemen might appreciate what Gandhi fought for and what Shiva is bringing back and how much it is about what we are all so angry about - loss of basic freedoms.  [The highlighting is mine.]

The Seed Satyagraha is the name for the nonviolent, noncooperative movement that Dr. Shiva has organized to stand against seed monopolies. According to Dr. Shiva, the name was inspired by Gandhi’s famous walk to the Dandi Beach, where he picked up salt and said, “You can’t monopolize this which we need for life.” But it’s not just the noncooperation aspect of the movement that is influenced by Gandhi. The creative side saving seeds, trading seeds, farming without corporate dependence-–without their chemicals, without their seed.

“All this is talked about in the language that Gandhi left us as a legacy. We work with three key concepts."

"(One) Swadeshi...which means the capacity to do your own thing--produce your own food, produce your own goods...."

“(Two) Swaraj--to govern yourself. And we fight on three fronts-–water, food, and seed. JalSwaraj is water independence--water freedom and water sovereignty. Anna Swaraj is food freedom, food sovereignty. And Bija Swaraj is seed freedom and seed sovereignty. Swa means self--that which rises from the self and is very, very much a deep notion of freedom. 

"I believe that these concepts, which are deep, deep, deep in Indian civilization, Gandhi resurrected them to fight for freedom. They are very important for today’s world because so far what we’ve had is centralized state rule, giving way now to centralized corporate control, and we need a third alternate. That third alternate is, in part, citizens being able to tell their state, 'This is what your function is. This is what your obligations are,' and being able to have their states act on corporations to say, 'This is something you cannot do.'"

“(Three) Satyagraha, non-cooperation, basically saying, 'We will do our thing and any law that tries to say that (our freedom) is illegal… we will have to not cooperate with it. We will defend our freedoms to have access to water, access to seed, access to food, access to medicine.'"

 

Take action -- click here to contact your local newspaper or congress people:
Demand anti-trust investigations into Monsanto activities at the state and federal level.

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Got lucky in meeting libertarian and conservative farmers and becoming friends, learning an incredible amount about farming and nature and science, as well as about government violations against them and against us all. They are nothing like what (more...)

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"Food safety" bills now in Congress were written by Anne Venemann, former Monsanto counsel, and by the WTO (composed of Monsanto, Cargill, Tysons, the biotech companies, the big pharmaceuticals, etc.).  They were introduced by Rosa DeLauro, whose husband works for Monsanto, and Food Democracy Now says that Michael Taylor, former Monsanto lawyer who approved rBGH, may get a job inside the White House running "food safety."  The bills would industrialize all farms, eliminate most of our farmers (as similar legislation is doing in the EU now), and threatens biodiverstity and organic seeds - our means to avoid GMOs.  The bills are immense in reach (gardens and homes are not excluded), vague in detail, draconian in penalties (applied by "the Administrator," with no judicial review.)  

Let your legislators and local paper know what you think and want:  http://www.peaceteam.net/action/pnum942.php

 

Capitol Switchboard: (202) 224-3121 
Capital switchboard toll free numbers: 800-965-4701 800-828-0498.

Speaker:  nancy.pelosi@mail.house.gov,   Introduced the bill:  rosa.delauro@mail.house.gov,

Co-signers: jerrold.nadler@mail.house.gov, eleanor.norton@mail.house.gov, linda.sanchez@mail.house.gov, diana.degette@mail.house.gov, peter.defazio@mail.house.gov, shelley.berkley@mail.house.gov, sanford.bishop@mail.house.gov, timothy.bishop@mail.house.gov, andre.carson@mail.house.gov, eliot.engel@mail.house.gov, anna.eshoo@mail.house.gov, sam.farr@mail.house.gov, bob.filner@mail.house.gov, gabrielle.giffords@mail.house.gov, raul.grijalva@mail.house.gov, john.hall@mail.house.gov, maurice.hinchey@mail.house.gov, mazie.hirono@mail.house.gov, eddie.johnson@mail.house.gov, marcy.kaptur@mail.house.gov, barbara.lee@mail.house.gov, nita.lowey@mail.house.gov, betty.mccollum@mail.house.gov, james.mcdermott@mail.house.gov, james.mcgovern@mail.house.gov, gwen.moore@mail.house.gov, christopher.murphy@mail.house.gov, chellie.pingree@mail.house.gov, timothy.ryan@mail.house.gov, janice.schakowsky@mail.house.gov, mark.schauer@mail.house.gov, louise.slaughter@mail.house.gov, fortney.stark@mail.house.gov, betty.sutton@mail.house.gov, debbie.wasserman.schultz@mail.house.gov

 

MORE DETAILS...

Some cannot believe that the HR 875 in Congress for a vote will criminalize seed banking.   This bill will allow for Monsanto to take control of all seeds in the US.

Here's the bill, broken down:  http://www.opednews.com/articles/A-solemn-walk-through-HR-8-by-Linn-Cohen-Cole-090314-67.html

Another article about the ways Monsanto is putting seeds out of reach.
http://www.opednews.com/articles/The-multiple-ways-Monsanto-by-Linn-Cohen-Cole-090203-854.html

 

http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h111-759
http://www.opencongress.org/bill/111-h759/show

H.R. 759 (FDA overhaul), 111th Congress
Food and Drug Administration Globalization Act of 2009

* HR 759 overhauls the entire structure of the FDA.
* It's more likely to move through congress than HR 875.
* It contains provisions that could cause problems for small farms and food processors.

 

H.R. 814 ("NAIS on steroids"), 111th Congress Tracing and Recalling Agricultural Contamination Everywhere Act of 2009

* a mandatory animal identification system

H.R. 875 (creation of FSA), 111th Congress Food Safety Modernization Act of 2009

To establish the Food Safety Administration within the Department of Health and Human Services.

http://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/

Food & Water Watch's Statement on H.R. 875 and other food safety bills (like H.R. 759)

The dilemma of how to regulate food safety in a way that prevents problems caused by industrialized agriculture but doesn't wipe out small diversified farms is not new and is not easily solved.  And as almost constant food safety problems reveal the dirty truth about the way much of our food is produced, processed and distributed, it's a dilemma we need to have serious discussion about.

Most consumers never thought they had to worry about peanut butter and this latest food safety scandal has captured public attention for good reason - a CEO who knowingly shipped contaminated food, a plant with holes in the roof and serious pest problems, and years of state and federal regulators failing to intervene.

It's no surprise that Congress is under pressure to act and multiple food safety bills have been introduced.

Two of the bills are about traceability for food (S.425 and H.R. 814).
These present real issues for small producers who could be forced to bear the cost of expensive tracking technology and recordkeeping.

The other bills address what FDA can do to regulate food.

A lot of attention has been focused on a bill introduced by Rep. Rosa DeLauro (H.R. 875), the Food Safety Modernization Act.  And a lot of what is being said about the bill is misleading.

Here are a few things that H.R. 875 DOES do:

-It addresses the most critical flaw in the structure of FDA by splitting it into 2 new agencies -one devoted to food safety and the other devoted to drugs and medical devices.

-It increases inspection of food processing plants, basing the frequency of inspection on the risk of the product being produced - but it does NOT make plants pay any registration fees or user fees.

-It does extend food safety agency authority to food production on farms, requiring farms to write a food safety plan and consider the critical points on that farm where food safety problems are likely to occur.

-It requires imported food to meet the same standards as food produced in the U.S.

And just as importantly, here are a few things that H.R. 875 does NOT do:

-It does not cover foods regulated by the USDA (beef, pork, poultry, lamb,
catfish.)

-It does not establish a mandatory animal identification system.

-It does not regulate backyard gardens.

-It does not regulate seed.

-It does not call for new regulations for farmers markets or direct marketing arrangements.

-It does not apply to food that does not enter interstate commerce (food that is sold across state lines).

-It does not mandate any specific type of traceability for FDA-regulated foods (the bill does instruct a new food safety agency to improve traceability of foods, but specifically says that recordkeeping can be done electronically or on paper.)

Several of the things not found in the DeLauro can be found in other bills - like H.R. 814, the Tracing and Recalling Agricultural Contamination Everywhere Act, which calls for a mandatory animal identification system, or H.R. 759, the Food And Drug Administration Globalization Act, which overhauls the entire structure of FDA.  H.R. 759 is more likely to move
through Congress than H.R. 875.   And H.R. 759 contains several provisions
that could cause problems for small farms and food processors:

-It extends traceability recordkeeping requirements that currently apply only to food processors to farms and restaurants - and requires that recordkeeping be done electronically.

-It calls for standard lot numbers to be used in food production.

-It requires food processing plants to pay a registration fee to FDA to fund the agency's inspection efforts.

-It instructs FDA to establish production standards for fruits and vegetables and to establish Good Agricultural Practices for produce.

There is plenty of evidence that one-size-fits-all regulation only tends to work for one size of agriculture - the largest industrialized operations.
That's why it is important to let members of Congress know how food safety proposals will impact the conservation, organic, and sustainable practices that make diversified, organic, and direct market producers different from agribusiness.  And the work doesn't stop there - if Congress passes any of these bills, the FDA will have to develop rules and regulations to implement the law, a process that we can't afford to ignore.

But simply shooting down any attempt to fix our broken food safety system is not an approach that works for consumers, who are faced with a food supply that is putting them at risk and regulators who lack the authority to do much about it.

LINKS TO ARTICLES (PDFs)...

A History of Monsanto

Monsanto fined $1.5m for bribery

Monsanto Hijacks Safe Food Coalition

Monsanto's High Level Connections to the Bush Administration  

US drugs giant faces lawsuit

Monsanto wins Canada seed battle

USDA Chief Tom Vilsack: Another Shill for Monsanto

Monsanto, Agent Orange and Dioxins

Monsanto: A Review of Their Criminal Acts

WANTED: Monsanto for crimes against the planet

LINKS TO ARTICLES...

Monsanto Whistleblower: Genetically Engineered Crops May Cause Disease
Jeffrey Smith, NewsWithViews.com, August 28, 2006

Monsanto vs. Farmers: The Final Battle?  
Barbara Peterson, Conspiracy Planet, February 2009

HR 875: Monsanto Frankenfood Conspiracy Bill
Linn Cohen Cole, Conspiracy Planet, March 12, 2009  

Monsanto Bills Set to Destroy Organic Farming
Linn Cohen-Cole, Conspiracy Planet, February 17, 2009

EPA Investigations into Monsanto and Dioxin
Rachel’s Hazardous Waste News #400, July 28, 1994

Monsanto Charged with Bribing Indonesian Environment Official January 7, 2005,
ENS Newswire, January 7, 2005

Monsanto’s Harvest of Fear: Domination of America’s Food Chain
Donald Barlett & James Steele, VANITY FAIR, May 2008

EPA Memorandum on Criminal Investigation of Monsanto Corporation on Cover Up of Dioxin Contamination in Products
United States Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response

 

Green Spring Cleaning: Save the Paper Towels

Green Spring Cleaning: Save the Paper Towels

http://sierraclub.typepad.com/greenlife/

With winter behind us, it's time to embrace the season of rejuvenation by reducing clutter and attacking grime. This week we're providing tips to green your spring cleaning and give your home a fresh beginning.

Tip #2: Clean With Reusable Wipes and Scrubbers

Spring cleaning doesn't have to result in a trash can full of used paper towels. Instead, try reusable scrub brushes or homemade cloth cleaning rags. Synthetic sponges are petroleum-derived and can contain triclosan. Greener options for natural sponges include those made of wood-pulp cellulose. Your best bet? Cultivate luffa (a.k.a. "loofah") in your garden and grow your own "sponge gourds."

Cleaning Rags Made From Old Clothes

Posted Jan 21, 09 -Filed Under "green" living ideas, Uncategorized, reuse fabric items

http://www.funinthemaking.net/2009/01/21/cleaning-rags-made-from-old-clothes/

It’s not like I came up with the idea to make clothes into rags: people have been using damaged clothing and other textiles as rags forever. This post is just a reminder. Have you been buying your cleaning rags? If so, why? I ask because cotton cloth rags work great and are easy to make.

I made nice cleaning cloths out of a pair of worn out flannel pajama pants. Old towels, worn flannel sheets, damaged blankets, cloth diapers ready to be passed on, stained or torn linens, old t-shirts and socks all make good cleaning rags!

Pick flannel or other cotton fiber clothing because it is soft and absorbent and usually lint free. Use it to wash your windows or clean your kitchen floor whatever…. It’s also great at polishing the chrome in the bathroom or dusting your bookshelf.

How to: Cut or tear the piece of clothing in manageable sized pieces (18 x 18 inches more or less). If you want to tear the fabric, sometimes it is easier to use a pair of scissors to cut the first half inch than tear. If you have never tried this before, the fabric will tear in a straight line following the weave. Quickly cut out any buttons, zippers, waistbands, hem, or anything else that might scratch whatever you are cleaning.

Save any buttons for future projects or give them to someone who can use them.

Made-made material like polyester, spandex, and nylon aren’t my favorite for cleaning because they are not as absorbent. I use worn out clothing made out of this stuff for rags that I don’t plan to wash and use again. They would be good for paint rags or auto maintenance.

Keep a pile(s) of rags on hand. I have a stack of cleaning rags with my cleaning supplies and another stack of “disposable” rags in the work shop.

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Detox for Life: The Three Crucial Steps of the Detox Program

Saturday, March 21, 2009 by: Leisa Wheeler N.D., citizen journalist
See all articles by this author
http://www.naturalnews.com/025899.html

(NaturalNews) Detoxification is a natural healing process needed more than ever in today`s toxic world. With the onslaught of chemicals in our food, air and water, we can all do with undergoing a specific program of periodic cleansing. An approach that is designed to lower the toxic burden accumulated in our tissues, while supporting the organs of elimination in a supportive and nurturing environment, is the type of program that will offer the most effective results in our pursuit of outstanding health.

What is detoxification?

We have all heard about the role of detoxification in creating great health; and many of us have experienced the detox process, some by attending a health retreat designed for this purpose, and some by virtue of a supervised fast or cleansing program initiated by a naturopathic practitioner.

But what exactly is detoxification, and what is happening in the body when we engage in this type of specialized program?

Essentially, detoxification is the body`s ongoing process of neutralizing and eliminating toxins from the tissues and organs of the body. It is the job of the liver to take harmful chemicals, toxins and byproducts of metabolism from the bloodstream, and alter them into safer substances to be excreted via the organs of elimination.

This process is always happening automatically, just like we breathe and our hearts beat, and it`s not something we need to think about on a day to day basis. It is a natural state of the body to be continually cleansing, and most of the time we don`t even notice it is happening.

With the amount of potentially harmful chemicals in our environment, our food, our personal care and cleaning products, in air and water pollution, and in the recreational drugs and medications that many people take; our body burden of toxic substances can rise. It is estimated that there are 50,000+ chemicals in production, with 10,000 of these used in food processing.

When the liver is unable to deal with an excess amount of circulating toxins, they can continue to move through the body, causing disruption and damage, before eventually being stored mainly in the fat cells of our organs and tissues, often being stored for years or decades.

Depending on the type of toxins held in the body, we can experience all sorts of chronic and degenerative conditions that have their underlying cause in an overwhelming burden of chemical overload. For example, one molecule of mercury can inhibit the function of up to 1000 zinc molecules.
By engaging in a "detoxification program" we are actively assisting and supporting the body in its own natural cleansing actions, to help in ridding the body of substances that may be detrimental to our health.

Why a specialized detox?

Before essential nutrients can become available to the cells for renewal and repair, we need to remove:

Metabolic waste
Excess proteins (fibrosis)
Mucous
Fat
Calcium
Heavy metals
Chemical residues
Drugs
Pollution
Radiation

Is there only one disease?

Many schools of thought promote the concept of there only being "one disease", that of toxaemia.

This theory proposes that if the body can be kept free and clear of toxic debris and waste, and if good nutrition is provided, the body`s natural healing processes will enable it to heal from any disease.

All effective natural healing methods combine some type of detoxification process.

What is involved in a detoxification program?

In the natural medicine world, a detox is a specific program of dietary changes and often herbal support to:

1)lower the amount of chemicals being ingested,
2)to provide nutrients that enhance the body`s natural processes,
3)to support the organs of elimination in clearing toxins out of the body quickly and safely

There are many styles of detox programs, but the best ones are those undertaken in an environment where all of these factors can be addressed, and there is an opportunity to rest and relax and focus on healing.

1)Lowering ingested chemicals

The first part of detoxification involves lowering the ingestion of not only chemicals in the diet, but often also lowering the amount of food consumed, to give the digestive system a rest and to allow energy to be diverted to cleansing rather than digesting.

Fasting is a universal natural response to disease, and there are several ways to fast; water only, juices, and mono foods being the most common.

To this end, most detox diets will involve a period of fasting, such as drinking only freshly made vegetable juices for several days. Only organic produce should be used for the juicing, to ensure no pesticides or other chemicals or contaminants are consumed.

After a juice fast, it is sensible to spend a period of time eating plain organic fruits and vegetables to allow the body time to adjust to whole foods again, while keeping the burden of ingested toxins to a very low level.

Water fasting can be too extreme for most people in today`s world, as we are carrying such a load of toxins that we need more than just our stores of nutrients to help the body to detoxify them properly. Many people are already malnourished and depleted, so water fasting is not appropriate in these cases.

Fresh organic juice provides a plentiful supply of enzymes to assist in the breakdown of toxic matter, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants to protect from free radical damage.

24 hours after starting a juice program, pancreatic enzymes are no longer needed for the digestion of food and can start digesting waste matter in the body. Not only do they start breaking down debris in the colon, but they can travel through the body and start digesting damaged cells, microbes, metabolic waste, acids, fibrosis, atherosclerotic plaques and deposits in the joints

2)Providing nutrients

As toxins are being released for excretion during the fasting phase, these substances can be highly reactive and create free radical damage. Not only as they circulate, but when they are processed through the first phase of liver detoxification, dangerous metabolites can be produced. A high level of antioxidants can offset this danger and protect the liver and the cells of the body.

This is why juice fasting can be so advantageous, as it supplies an enormous amount of concentrated vitamins, minerals and antioxidants that are easily absorbed. Organic juice means no toxins are being ingested and by being in a clean environment this lowers the daily burden.

Some detox programs also support the body with green nutrition such as wheat or barley grass, chlorella or spirulina. These green foods supply a high dose of nutrients, protein for the binding of toxins, and chlorophyll which is a powerful blood cleanser.

Healing nutrients:

By juice fasting and supplementing with concentrated green nutrition and herbs with fiber, we offer our body all it needs to cleanse and heal:

Enzymes
Vitamins
Minerals
Antioxidants
Carbohydrates
Chlorophyll
Protein
Fiber

Enzymes: enzymes are specialized proteins that accelerate or instigate chemical reactions within our cells. Malfunction of just one type of enzyme can be fatal.

All animals eat foods which also contain enzymes for their own digestion

Enzyme reserves can be depleted by cooked food; the demands on digestion from cooked foods means that enzyme activity is used for digestion rather than cleansing and healing purposes elsewhere in the body.

Enzymes are at the heart of physiologic healing, they have been called the "spark of life", a deficiency of which has been linked to chronic and degenerative illnesses

Metabolic enzymes build, cleanse and heal the body:

"After two decades of microscopic analysis of the cellular systems of thousands of people who have been guests at Hippocrates, we discovered and confirmed that digestive enzymes and enzymes found within plant foods clearly enhance the electrical frequency in and around cells of the body."
Dr. Brian Clements
Author of "Hippocrates LifeForce, Superior health and longevity"
Director Hippocrates Health Institute, Florida, for over 25 years

Vitamins: essential for life, they are co-factors in enzymatic reactions and required for producing energy needed for detoxification.

Minerals: essential for life, they are co-factors in enzymatic reactions, are required for
energy production, and are utilized in the liver for the binding of toxins.

Antioxidants: required for neutralizing free radical damage caused by circulating toxins, and by Phase 1 liver detox processes.

Carbohydrates: provide fuel for energy.

Chlorophyll: cleansing, blood building, antibacterial, antiseptic, alkalizing and oxygenating.

Protein: is found in concentrated green nutrition and is needed for binding toxins via the liver.

Fiber: acts like an intestinal broom to drag toxins, mucoid plaque and heavy metals out of the bowel, and provide fuel for the good bacteria colonies.

3)Supporting the organs of elimination

There are many organs and systems involved in the detoxification process, but some are more important than others and supporting their function results in a more thorough and pleasant detox.

Liver: the liver is the organ which does the most work during a detox. It takes pollutants out of the bloodstream, identifies them and makes them safe for excretion.

The first stage of this is called Phase 1 Liver Detox and that involves making fat soluble toxins more water soluble, so that they can be eliminated through the bowels or the kidneys. The outcome of Phase 1 is highly reactive toxic metabolites waiting for Phase 2 treatment. A high level of antioxidants are needed to balance and neutralize these substances.

Phase 2 Liver Detox uses various protein molecules to bind these intermediate products and make them safe to be eliminated.

Bowel: a lot of toxins are excreted through the bowel, so a well-functioning, moving bowel is an essential part of the detox. Many detox programs include bowel herbs, bulking fiber such as psyllium husks, products like bentonite clay which bind toxins, or cleanses such as enemas or colonic irrigation.

By cleansing and supporting the bowel in this way, we ensure the maximum removal of toxic substances.

Kidneys: the kidneys are another organ that filters and processes a large number of toxins. During a cleanse, drinking plenty of fluid supports kidney function, and using juices such as watermelon, celery, cucumber or black cherry can all enhance their detoxification ability.

Kidneys are also the repository for our "chi" energy or lifeforce, so plenty of rest, meditation, keeping warm and gentle movement, will all help to revitalize and nourish our kidney energy.

Skin: the skin can release many toxins, especially when it is helped by dry skin body brushing, and by spending time in a sauna. Both of these practices enhance the effectiveness of our detoxification, not only by allowing the release of toxins through the skin, but by moving our lymphatic system which drains and transports many waste products.

Breath: yes, you often will have "detox breath" during a cleanse! Our lungs are powerful
movers of toxic matter, and deep breathing during yoga or meditation is another tool we use
to support our body.

How long do we fast for?

Short fasts, or fasting one day a week are not a good practice.

During the first day of the fast, glucose levels drop and glycogen reserves can be depleted. The body will then start to draw on protein from the tissues to create glucose.

Following day one, the body adapts and starts to use fat as a source of energy and preserves protein. One day fasts will deplete body protein and serve no purpose for deeper detoxification of stored toxins in fat tissues.

Three days is a minimum, but the general rule is to fast until you feel hungry again. Not from habit, but from a true hunger.

Intermittent fasting can extent lifespan by 20-30%

"Studies have shown that fasted cells have the capacity for assimilation and growth characterized by the cells of young animals, demonstrating beyond doubt that fasting rejuvenates cellular function."
Sergius Morgulis, "Fasting and Undernutrition". University of Nebraska, E.P. Dutton, New York 1923.

What is a healing crisis?

A healing crisis is also known as the "Herxheimer Reaction" where the body tries to eliminate toxins at a faster rate than they can be disposed of, resulting in a possible increase in symptoms, or at times nausea, diarrhea, headaches, dizziness or mood swings.

Many people are reluctant to participate in a detoxification program because they are worried about feeling ill or experiencing some type of healing crisis during the detox.

The first day there are often the common symptoms such as the "caffeine withdrawal" headache, but days two and onwards are when the deeper toxins are being removed

These symptoms, however, are much more likely to occur when the organs of elimination are not properly supported. During a professional cleansing program, these reactions are minimized, as every element is designed to move toxins quickly out of the body, for a pleasant and comfortable experience.

How will I feel afterwards?

A comprehensive supervised detox program of at least a week`s duration once or twice a year works well. After spending that period of time cleansing, building your nutritive status, resting and healing, you will feel like a different person!

Skin often becomes clearer, eyes become brighter, energy and vitality expands, sleep is improved, aches and pains are gone, the bowel works better, mental clarity and concentration is improved, and many people shed a few extra kilos over the week.

By lowering your body burden of toxins, you may very well be helping to prevent the chronic health consequences that can come from long term exposure to the thousands of chemical pollutants saturating our environment today.

What a wonderful gift to give yourself!

Sources:
The Hundred Year Lie by Randall Fitzgerald
Lifeforce by Dr. Brian R. Clement
Be Your Own Doctor by Ann Wigmore
Detox and Live by Hilda Hemmes
Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Juices by Norman Walker

About the author

The author, Leisa Wheeler N.D. is a Naturopath, proven Health & Healing Mentor and Raw Food Coach. She founded Embracing Health, a business dedicated to bringing you health information that can change your life.
Leisa runs Embracing Life! Six Day Detox, Healing and Raw Food Retreats around Australia, (www.embracinghealth.com.au/retreat), teaches people about the benefits of a whole foods lifestyle, writes on many health topics in her blog www.EmbracingHealthBlog.com and has released a DVD on mind-body medicine www.emotionalaspectsofhealingdvd.com You can sign up for Leisa's free fortnightly Embracing Health Tips & Tidbits Newsletter at www.embracinghealth.com.au/subscrib...


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Oppose HR 875 Legislation For Monsanto To Harm Small Organic Farms

Monsanto is involved in legislation to destroy all small
and family farming! OPPOSE BILL HR 875

http://www.gnhealth.com/calltoaction.html

!! CALL TO ACTION !!

"Food safety" bills now in Congress were written by Anne Venemann, former Monsanto counsel, and by the WTO (composed of Monsanto, Cargill, Tysons, the biotech companies, the big pharmaceuticals, etc.).  They were introduced by Rosa DeLauro, whose husband works for Monsanto, and Food Democracy Now says that Michael Taylor, former Monsanto lawyer who approved rBGH, may get a job inside the White House running "food safety."  The bills would industrialize all farms, eliminate most of our farmers (as similar legislation is doing in the EU now), and threatens biodiverstity and organic seeds - our means to avoid GMOs.  The bills are immense in reach (gardens and homes are not excluded), vague in detail, draconian in penalties (applied by "the Administrator," with no judicial review.) 

Let your legislators and local paper know what you think and want:  http://www.peaceteam.net/action/pnum942.php

 

Capitol Switchboard: (202) 224-3121
Capital switchboard toll free numbers: 800-965-4701 800-828-0498.

Speaker:  nancy.pelosi@mail.house.gov,   Introduced the bill:  rosa.delauro@mail.house.gov,

Co-signers: jerrold.nadler@mail.house.gov, eleanor.norton@mail.house.gov, linda.sanchez@mail.house.gov, diana.degette@mail.house.gov, peter.defazio@mail.house.gov, shelley.berkley@mail.house.gov, sanford.bishop@mail.house.gov, timothy.bishop@mail.house.gov, andre.carson@mail.house.gov, eliot.engel@mail.house.gov, anna.eshoo@mail.house.gov, sam.farr@mail.house.gov, bob.filner@mail.house.gov, gabrielle.giffords@mail.house.gov, raul.grijalva@mail.house.gov, john.hall@mail.house.gov, maurice.hinchey@mail.house.gov, mazie.hirono@mail.house.gov, eddie.johnson@mail.house.gov, marcy.kaptur@mail.house.gov, barbara.lee@mail.house.gov, nita.lowey@mail.house.gov, betty.mccollum@mail.house.gov, james.mcdermott@mail.house.gov, james.mcgovern@mail.house.gov, gwen.moore@mail.house.gov, christopher.murphy@mail.house.gov, chellie.pingree@mail.house.gov, timothy.ryan@mail.house.gov, janice.schakowsky@mail.house.gov, mark.schauer@mail.house.gov, louise.slaughter@mail.house.gov, fortney.stark@mail.house.gov, betty.sutton@mail.house.gov, debbie.wasserman.schultz@mail.house.gov

 

MORE DETAILS...

Some cannot believe that the HR 875 in Congress for a vote will criminalize seed banking.   This bill will allow for Monsanto to take control of all seeds in the US.

Here's the bill, broken down:  http://www.opednews.com/articles/A-solemn-walk-through-HR-8-by-Linn-Cohen-Cole-090314-67.html

Another article about the ways Monsanto is putting seeds out of reach.
http://www.opednews.com/articles/The-multiple-ways-Monsanto-by-Linn-Cohen-Cole-090203-854.html

 

http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h111-759
http://www.opencongress.org/bill/111-h759/show

H.R. 759 (FDA overhaul), 111th Congress
Food and Drug Administration Globalization Act of 2009

* HR 759 overhauls the entire structure of the FDA.
* It's more likely to move through congress than HR 875.
* It contains provisions that could cause problems for small farms and food processors.

 

H.R. 814 ("NAIS on steroids"), 111th Congress Tracing and Recalling Agricultural Contamination Everywhere Act of 2009

* a mandatory animal identification system

H.R. 875 (creation of FSA), 111th Congress Food Safety Modernization Act of 2009

To establish the Food Safety Administration within the Department of Health and Human Services.

http://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/

Food & Water Watch's Statement on H.R. 875 and other food safety bills (like H.R. 759)

The dilemma of how to regulate food safety in a way that prevents problems caused by industrialized agriculture but doesn't wipe out small diversified farms is not new and is not easily solved.  And as almost constant food safety problems reveal the dirty truth about the way much of our food is produced, processed and distributed, it's a dilemma we need to have serious discussion about.

Most consumers never thought they had to worry about peanut butter and this latest food safety scandal has captured public attention for good reason - a CEO who knowingly shipped contaminated food, a plant with holes in the roof and serious pest problems, and years of state and federal regulators failing to intervene.

It's no surprise that Congress is under pressure to act and multiple food safety bills have been introduced.

Two of the bills are about traceability for food (S.425 and H.R. 814).
These present real issues for small producers who could be forced to bear the cost of expensive tracking technology and recordkeeping.

The other bills address what FDA can do to regulate food.

A lot of attention has been focused on a bill introduced by Rep. Rosa DeLauro (H.R. 875), the Food Safety Modernization Act.  And a lot of what is being said about the bill is misleading.

Here are a few things that H.R. 875 DOES do:

-It addresses the most critical flaw in the structure of FDA by splitting it into 2 new agencies -one devoted to food safety and the other devoted to drugs and medical devices.

-It increases inspection of food processing plants, basing the frequency of inspection on the risk of the product being produced - but it does NOT make plants pay any registration fees or user fees.

-It does extend food safety agency authority to food production on farms, requiring farms to write a food safety plan and consider the critical points on that farm where food safety problems are likely to occur.

-It requires imported food to meet the same standards as food produced in the U.S.

And just as importantly, here are a few things that H.R. 875 does NOT do:

-It does not cover foods regulated by the USDA (beef, pork, poultry, lamb,
catfish.)

-It does not establish a mandatory animal identification system.

-It does not regulate backyard gardens.

-It does not regulate seed.

-It does not call for new regulations for farmers markets or direct marketing arrangements.

-It does not apply to food that does not enter interstate commerce (food that is sold across state lines).

-It does not mandate any specific type of traceability for FDA-regulated foods (the bill does instruct a new food safety agency to improve traceability of foods, but specifically says that recordkeeping can be done electronically or on paper.)

Several of the things not found in the DeLauro can be found in other bills - like H.R. 814, the Tracing and Recalling Agricultural Contamination Everywhere Act, which calls for a mandatory animal identification system, or H.R. 759, the Food And Drug Administration Globalization Act, which overhauls the entire structure of FDA.  H.R. 759 is more likely to move
through Congress than H.R. 875.  

And H.R. 759 contains several provisions
that could cause problems for small farms and food processors:

-It extends traceability recordkeeping requirements that currently apply only to food processors to farms and restaurants - and requires that recordkeeping be done electronically.

-It calls for standard lot numbers to be used in food production.

-It requires food processing plants to pay a registration fee to FDA to fund the agency's inspection efforts.

-It instructs FDA to establish production standards for fruits and vegetables and to establish Good Agricultural Practices for produce.

There is plenty of evidence that one-size-fits-all regulation only tends to work for one size of agriculture - the largest industrialized operations.

That's why it is important to let members of Congress know how food safety proposals will impact the conservation, organic, and sustainable practices that make diversified, organic, and direct market producers different from agribusiness.  And the work doesn't stop there - if Congress passes any of these bills, the FDA will have to develop rules and regulations to implement the law, a process that we can't afford to ignore.

But simply shooting down any attempt to fix our broken food safety system is not an approach that works for consumers, who are faced with a food supply that is putting them at risk and regulators who lack the authority to do much about it.

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