MOLD

Posted on July 30, 2011 by PAUL MILLER

… MOLD … certainly out of sight … hidden … something we truly do not choose to evaluate though its effect upon human health is quite devastating …

The "New" Hidden Pandemic Sweeping Across America

Posted By Dr. Mercola … July 30 2011 … READ COMPLETE ARTICLE HERE … http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/07/30/dr-thrasher-on-the-health-dangers-of-mold.aspx?e_cid=20110730_DNL_art_1

Dr. Jack Thrasher has a PhD in cell biology from the UCLA School of Medicine, and is an expert on the impact of mold on human health. Here, he discusses the health effects of toxic molds and bacteria, as well as his recommendations for remediation.

Jack Thrasher, PhD, is extremely knowledgeable on the topic of mold and how it impacts your health. Interestingly, from a toxicity point of view, some mycotoxins that molds produce are actually far more toxic than heavy metals, in terms of concentration. Mold mycotoxins also tend to affect more biological systems in your body than pesticides or heavy metals do.

"For example, stachybotrys produces mycotoxins referred to as trichothecene. They inhibit protein synthesis. It infects every organ of your body from your toes to the top of your head,"Dr. Thrasher says. "I really think that the molds are much more dangerous from that point of view."

This flies in the face of what is commonly appreciated about toxic contaminants. Most would assume that pesticides or heavy metals would be far more dangerous. However, mold is a very significant health issue. And despite the fact that molds have been around forever, mankind has not developed greater tolerance against them than more modern chemical toxins. Part of that is because they tend to rapidly mutate.

"Let’s take a look at Cryptococcus for example," Dr. Thrasher says. "Cryptococcus used to be endemic to the desserts of southwest United States. Now there is a new species… that was accidentally released up in Vancouver, Canada. It’s spreading from the northwest throughout the country. It’s a mutated form, [and] highly pathogenic to humans. About 25 to 30 percent of the humans who have become infected with it die… When they mutate they avoid our immune system.

The other thing they can do is produce chemicals that suppress your immune system at the same time. So therefore, I don’t think we’ll ever become resistant to these organisms."

Mold—A Hidden Pandemic in America?

According to Dr. Thrasher, the prevalence of mold in America is so great, he refers to it as pandemic. As many as 40 percent of all American schools and at least 25 percent or more of all homes are believed to be affected by mold and microbial growth due to water intrusion. A large portion of the problem stems from shoddy construction.

He explains:

"One thing that I have seen and observed by working with individuals in the field who understand construction, is that construction is extremely poor in the homes we have today. Plus, they’re using building materials that are tremendous good food material for the microbes.

When I was a child… all the homes were built with genuine lath and plaster on the inside. [Now] you walk in and knock on any wall and you have what we call wallboard. That wallboard loves and is a good growth medium for all forms of mold. Everyone that I can think of, almost everyone now has carpets. The backside of carpets is also a great growth medium for mold and bacteria.

… The other type of home that I’m seeing that is of tremendous potential problems to the homeowner is homes that are built with a basement… [T]hey put the concrete down, and there is no water barrier between the earth and the concrete wall of the basement.

The same thing with the foundation, there is no water barrier. So when you water your yard, when there are heavy rains and things like this, the moisture… goes right to the foundation and into the basement or underneath the house, and then the moisture wicks up through the home, increasing humidity.

All of that increasing humidity, anything above 60 percent is going to lead to growth of mold and bacteria… People have to be very careful about this situation. That’s the reason why I call it a pandemic."

Gutters can also cause problems. You need to be mindful of the drainage from your roof. I didn’t realize this myself, and suffered the consequences when one of the gutters on my home drained onto the ground directly beside the wall, and the water seeped straight through to my basement. So you want to make sure the downspout is far enough away from the building. Ideally, it should empty at least 5 to 10 feet from the wall.

You also want to take care that the soil next to the walls of your home slopes away from the walls, to prevent water from collecting around the foundation. And make sure your lawn sprinklers do not spray the walls. Other common construction issues that can contribute to water intrusion and subsequent mold proliferation include:

· Using polyethylene PVC piping instead of copper or galvanized piping, which can be easily punctured by nails or staples

· Bath tubs installed with improper sealing around the drain

· Improperly sealed sinks and garbage disposal

· Installing particleboard (waferboard) after it has been rained on during construction

Bacteria—Another Health Risk Related to Mold Damage

Growing right along with mold are what’s called ‘gram negative’ and ‘gram positive’ bacteria. Just like mold, they require moisture and organic material to thrive, and the synergistic action between mold and bacteria further increase and worsen inflammatory health conditions.

"The gram positive are group of bacteria that are being totally overlooked," Dr. Thrasher says.

"These positive bacteria consist of several bacilli, cocci, and one group called the actinomycetes. The actinomycetes contain several different groups of bacteria like mycobacterium. We’re all familiar with… mycobacterium tuberculosis.

There are 139 other species of mycobacterium that can grow in our environment and 11 to 12 of those in the indoor environment are very serious human pathogens and can cause a condition called mycobacterium avium complex… and this is a very dangerous situation. It causes serious infection of the lungs and can spread throughout the body. Many of the symptoms are those of hypersensitivity pneumonitis. The condition can go on and develop into an asthma-like condition and then also into sarcoidosis particularly of the mediastinum.

Then the other group are the streptomyces… Streptomyces gave rise to a lot of antibiotics. Also, streptomyces are a source of many of the chemotherapeutic agents that are used today. These organisms are growing in the indoor environment."

Gram negative bacteria are also extremely harmful. When they die, they release their cell walls, which are referred to as lipopolysaccharide, or endotoxins. These endotoxins can severely exacerbate asthma and other conditions because they are highly inflammatory. According to Dr. Thrasher, research indicates the inflammation they cause can also affect your brain and other organs.

Filed under: Blogroll | Comments Off

lawsuit which bears watching

Posted on July 30, 2011 by PAUL MILLER

… This is a lawsuit which bears watching as it has significant implications for Mon$anto & it’s GMO friend$ …

David vs. Goliath …

Australia farmer sues neighbors over GM

by Staff Writers … Sydney (AFP) July 28, 2011 … http://www.seeddaily.com/reports/Australia_farmer_sues_neighbours_over_GM_999.html

An Australian farmer on Thursday launched legal action against his neighbour after genetically modified canola blew onto his farm, prompting authorities to strip him of his organic licence.

Believed to be Australia’s first lawsuit over GM crops, organic farmer Steve Marsh is suing his neighbour Michael Baxter.

Marsh wants compensation for the loss of his lucrative organics title and subsequent business losses, according to his lawyer Mark Walter, who said it could set an important precedent for GM farming.

"This is a landmark case," said Walter.

"It’s the first time Australian laws about competing land uses involving GM and non-GM crops has been tested."

Marsh had spent 10 years building up his organic food business and was devastated by the loss of his certificate, with about 70 percent of his land now unusable for organic farming.

"We’ve had our farm for 20 years, but since losing our organic accreditation last December we haven’t been able to fulfil contracts," Marsh said.

"We have invested a great amount of time and money to bring organic produce to market. Now all that hard work has been for nothing."

Marsh wants the Supreme Court to rule that Baxter was negligent and pay him compensation.

But agricultural lobbyists warned that the case could set a dangerous precedent about land use.

"This is something that hasn’t been very common among Australian farmers, for one farmer to seek damages from what might happen from a next door neighbour," said Rob Gillam, president of the Pastoralists and Graziers Association.

"Whether or not this case is really over GM, or it’s over one farmer’s farming interfering with someone next door."

The GM issue was thrust into the spotlight this month when a group of Greenpeace activists broke into a government research farm and destroyed a genetically modified wheat crop in what they described as a safety protest.

Funds are being raised for Marsh’s case by the Safe Food Foundation, a non-profit group campaigning on GM, chemicals, irradiation and other food safety issues.

Filed under: Blogroll | Comments Off

Where is “corporate” admission

Posted on July 30, 2011 by PAUL MILLER

… Where is “corporate” admission of wrong doing … guilt … or remorse … apology …?

Caterpillar Inc. to Pay $2.55 Million to Resolve Clean Air Act Violations

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) today announced a settlement with Caterpillar Inc. to resolve alleged Clean Air Act violations for shipping more than 590,000 highway and non-road diesel engines without the correct emissions controls. Caterpillar also allegedly failed to comply with emission control reporting and engine-labeling requirements. Caterpillar will pay a $2.55 million penalty, continue a recall of noncompliant engines and reduce excess emissions. Engines operating without proper emissions controls can emit excess nitrogen oxides (NO_x), particulate matter and other air pollutants that impact people’s health, potentially causing respiratory illnesses and aggravating asthma.

"The enforcement of vehicle emissions standards, labeling and reporting requirements is critical to protecting the air we breathe and ensuring that companies play by the rules,” said Cynthia Giles, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. “Today’s settlement will protect public health and create a level playing field for companies that meet their environmental obligations.”

“This settlement demonstrates our commitment to enforcing the Clean Air Act’s requirement that engine manufacturers take steps to ensure engines are equipped with emissions controls that are essential to protecting public health from harmful air pollution,” said Ignacia S. Moreno, assistant attorney general for the Environment and Natural Resources Division of the Department of Justice. “Caterpillar will pay a substantial civil penalty for shipping engines that did not comply with these Clean Air Act requirements, and under this settlement, it must continue its recall and correction of engines that do not have correctly configured emissions controls.”

The Clean Air Act requires the use of certified after-treatment devices (ATDs) that control engine exhaust emissions once the emissions have exited the engine and entered the exhaust system. Typical ATDs include catalytic converters and diesel particulate filters. Correct fuel injector and fuel map settings are also crucial for proper engine emission control. Caterpillar allegedly shipped over 590,000 engines to vehicle assemblers without the correct ATDs and with improperly configured fuel injector and map settings. In some cases, the mis-configured engines were incorporated into vehicles which resulted in excess emissions of NOx and particulate matter into the environment.

The consent decree requires Caterpillar to continue its recall of non-compliant engines to install the correct ATDs and correct the fuel injector and fuel map settings. In addition to the recall, Caterpillar will mitigate the effects of the excess emissions from its engines through permanent retirement of banked emission credits. Caterpillar will also improve its reporting of emission control system defects, as required under the Clean Air Act.

The state of California, through the Air Resources Board, is also settling its claims for violations arising from the sale of improperly configured engines in California. California will receive $510,000 of the civil penalty.

The settlement was lodged today in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia and is subject to a 30-day public comment period.

Release date: 07/28/2011 … Contact Information: Stacy Kika, Kika.stacy@epa.gov, 202-564-0906, 202-564-4355 …http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/d0cf6618525a9efb85257359003fb69d/684d1a6f813f6811852578db0059148e!OpenDocument …More information on the settlement: http://www.epa.gov/compliance/resources/cases/civil/caa/caterpillarinc11.html

Filed under: Blogroll | Comments Off

It truly does not matter the political color

Posted on July 30, 2011 by PAUL MILLER

… It truly does not matter the political color as our Red and Blue Congre$$ members are joined with corporate at the hip around EPA revolving door …

Away From Debt Talks Glare, GOP Trying to Roll Back Environmental Regulations

July 28, 2011 9:32 AM EDT …http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/188387/20110728/republicans-environment-debt-talks-environmental-regulations-republicans-epa-republicans-environment.htm

While the scramble to strike a debt deal dominates headlines, Republicans have been filling an appropiations bill with measures that would sharply curtail environmental regulations, The New York Times reported.

One proposal would prevent the Bureau of LandManagement from designating new wilderness areas for preservation, while another would permit more uranium prospecting near Grand Canyon National park. A measure barring the Fish and Wildlife Service from adding any new plants or animals to the endangered list was rejected in a rare bipartisan vote.

Republicans say they are trying to remove cumbersome regulations that inhibit economic growth — U.S. Rep. Mike Simpson, R-Ind. said that "overregulation from the [Environmental Protection Agency] is at the heart of our stalled economy." But critics have charged that the rollbacks would trade the government’s ability to safeguard natural resources for economic gain.

"The new Republican majority seems intent on restoring the robber-baron era where there were no controls on pollution from power plants, oil refineries and factories," said U.S. Rep. Henry A. Waxman, D-Calif., U.S. Rep. Norm Dicks, D-Wash., called the provisions a "wish list for polluters."

Politicians on both sides of the aisle have long used the tactic of attaching what are known as "riders" to bills, but observers said that Republicans have been unusually ambitious in seeking to exploit the gridlock in Washington to secure long-sought limitations on environmental regulation.

"You have a fatal political momentum," said David Goldston, director of government affairs for the Natural Resources Defense Council, an environmental advocacy group. "They are going to load up this bill in an unprecedented fashion

Filed under: Blogroll | Comments Off

To Shed Pounds

Posted on July 29, 2011 by PAUL MILLER

… To Shed Pounds

Posted By Dr. Mercola … July 29 2011 …http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/07/29/foods-that-keep-you-thin.aspx?e_cid=20110729_DNL_art_1

To be thin, you need to make smart food choices, watch your portion sizes and stay active. Yahoo Shine has made a list of nutritious, wholesome foods that can help keep you slender. Here are some of them:

Apples: Apples are a good source of dietary fiber, which contributes to a healthy digestive system and reduces cholesterol — and also fills you up without calories.

Almonds: An ounce of almonds contains 167 calories, but has about 6 g of protein and 3 g of fiber, both nutrients that can make you feel full.

Eggs: Research shows that eating eggs at breakfast can help you fight weight gain all day long.

To read more the rest of the list, you can click on the link below.

One of the most pervasive MYTHS about weight loss is that you can lose weight by just restricting your calories and increasing your exercise. If you believe this and are seeking to lose weight, let me warn you that you will be in for a load of heartache as this is a myth that is not based in reality.

The key is the quality of your calories and exercise. Typically you will need to replace your grain carb and sugar calories with high quality protein and fats and replace cardio exercise with high intensity training like Peak 8. I realize that this might conflict with your previous understanding of a healthy diet, but that is clearly what the bulk of the science and anecdotal evidence supports.

In today’s world, filled with ‘convenience foods’ of all sorts, it’s harder than ever to keep your weight under control. In the decades since processed foods took over the market place, people have strayed further and further away from fresh whole foods, and this, I believe, is the main crux of the problem. So let’s take a look at what the typical American is eating. According to the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), the top nine foods eaten by Americans are:

Whole cow’s milk	White bread	Refined sugar
2 percent milk	White flour	Soda, primarily colas
Processed American cheese	White rolls	Ground beef

Is it any wonder why we are having health problems when SO MANY are eating foods that are not designed to keep them healthy? This table does not list the foods in any particular order, but soda is the number one source of calories in the US. Once you know that fructose and other sugars, along with refined grains, are the primary culprits behind the obesity epidemic, it’s really no wonder thatover 2/3 of all American adults are now overweight or obese…

Proper Nutrition Promotes Weight Loss

Rather than listing individual foods that can help you maintain a healthy weight, I’m going to give you some pointers on healthy choices within the three primary groups of nutrients that all people need:

1. Carbohydrates

2. Proteins, and

3. Fats

I believe that once you understand that you need all three, and know which foods within each group to focus on, "dieting" will be a thing of the past for you. Your body is designed to maintain a healthy equilibrium, both in terms of optimal health and weight, and it will do its best to stay that way provided you give it the proper tools—the proteins, healthy fats, good carbs and micronutrients—that it needs to thrive.

If you feel hungry, irritable, sleepy or sluggish after a meal, it’s a sign that your meal did not contain the appropriate ratios of carbs, fats and proteins for you, so it’s important to listen to your body.

When it comes to weight loss, I believe there are two primary dietary recommendations that directly conflict with most people’s dietary choices but could make a very big difference for them:

1. Severely restricting carbohydrates (sugars, fructose, and grains) in your diet, and

2. Increasing healthy fat consumption

To Lose Weight You MUST Limit Fructose to Less than 15 Grams per Day

It is important to understand that the foods you eat are three times more important for controlling your weight than your exercise. It’s very easy to sabotage yourself with sugary foods and beverages; especially beverages containing high fructose corn syrup, which many sports- and energy drinks are chock full of.

Consuming fructose and other sugars just before or during exercise will cause your blood sugar and insulin levels to spike and crash, most likely resulting not in increased hydration, but in reduced athletic performance. Not only that, but consuming fructose after your workout will completely shut down your body’s production of HGH! This includes items that are typically viewed as healthy, such as fruit juice or even large amounts of high fructose fruits.

According to Dr. Robert Lustig, fructose is "isocaloric but not isometabolic." This means you can have the identical amount of calories from fructose or glucose, fructose and protein, or fructose and fat, but the metabolic effect will be entirely different. Different nutrients provoke different hormonal responses, and those hormonal responses play an important role in determining what happens to those calories, including how much ends up being stored as fat. This is why calorie-counting doesn’t work for weight loss.

One of the most thorough scientific analyses published to date on the topic of fructose and weight gain found that fructose consumption leads to decreased signaling to the central nervous system from two hormones, leptin and insulin, both of which play key roles in hunger and satiety, as well as weight control.

Leptin is responsible for controlling your appetite and fat storage, as well as telling your liver what to do with its stored glucose. When your body can no longer "hear" leptin’s signals, weight gain, diabetes and a host of related conditions may occur. Insulin is also a potent regulator of fat accumulation. The analysis concluded that:

"The long-term consumption of diets high in … fructose is likely to lead to increased energy intake, weight gain, and obesity."

So please understand that the number one step of any weight loss and weight maintenance plan is to severely restrict or eliminate fructose from your diet. My recommendation is to keep your total fructose intake below 25 grams of fructose per day, if you’re in good health. Most people will also benefit from limiting your fructose from fruit to 15 grams a day, and, if you need to lose weight, you likely will need to limit your total fructose consumption to 15 grams a day total, including that from fruit.

Fruit	Serving Size	Grams of Fructose
Limes	1 medium	0
Lemons	1 medium	0.6
Cranberries	1 cup	0.7
Passion fruit	1 medium	0.9
Prune	1 medium	1.2
Apricot	1 medium	1.3
Guava	2 medium	2.2
Date (Deglet Noor style)	1 medium	2.6
Cantaloupe	1/8 of med. melon	2.8
Raspberries	1 cup	3.0
Clementine	1 medium	3.4
Kiwifruit	1 medium	3.4
Blackberries	1 cup	3.5
Star fruit	1 medium	3.6
Cherries, sweet	10	3.8
Strawberries	1 cup	3.8
Cherries, sour	1 cup	4.0
Pineapple	1 slice (3.5" x .75")	4.0
Grapefruit, pink or red	1/2 medium	4.3

Fruit	Serving Size	Grams of Fructose
Boysenberries	1 cup	4.6
Tangerine/mandarin orange	1 medium	4.8
Nectarine	1 medium	5.4
Peach	1 medium	5.9
Orange (navel)	1 medium	6.1
Papaya	1/2 medium	6.3
Honeydew	1/8 of med. melon	6.7
Banana	1 medium	7.1
Blueberries	1 cup	7.4
Date (Medjool)	1 medium	7.7
Apple (composite)	1 medium	9.5
Persimmon	1 medium	10.6
Watermelon	1/16 med. melon	11.3
Pear	1 medium	11.8
Raisins	1/4 cup	12.3
Grapes, seedless (green or red)	1 cup	12.4
Mango	1/2 medium	16.2
Apricots, dried	1 cup	16.4
Figs, dried	1 cup	23.0

Which Carbs Promote Health and Optimal Weight?

It’s also important to understand that while carbohydrates include sugars, grains, fruits and vegetables, not all of these help promote optimal health and weight. All sugars and grains (including organic ones) promote insulin resistance, which sets you firmly on the path toward ill health.

One of the best ways to improve your health and weight is to make sure your carbs are primarily in the form of fresh, minimally processed high quality vegetables, ideally locally-grown and organic, with a majority of them consumed raw. One simple way to boost your vegetable intake is to juice them. I am firmly convinced that juicing is one of the key factors to giving you a radiant, energetic life, and truly optimal health. And for every vegetable you pack onto your plate, you’ll have less room for all those other simple carbohydrates that can expand your waistline.

You can review my comprehensive approach to how to juice on my vegetable juicing page.

However, whether you opt to eat them raw or juice them, some vegetables contain more health-promoting nutrients than others. And some, such as carrots and red beets, also have higher sugar content than others, which you’ll want to avoid if you’re currently overweight, are insulin resistant or diabetic, or have any chronic disease.

When selecting fruits, stick to those that are low in fructose, such as apricots, cantaloupe, lemons, limes, passion fruit, plums and raspberries. The following lists detail some of the best and worst vegetables for your health:

Highly Recommended Vegetables
Asparagus	Escarole
Avocado (actually a fruit)	Fennel
Beet greens	Green and red cabbage
Bok Choy	Kale
Broccoli	Kohlrabi
Brussel sprouts	Lettuce: romaine, red leaf, green leaf
Cauliflower	Mustard greens
Celery	Onions
Chicory	Parsley
Chinese cabbage	Peppers: red, green, yellow and hot
Chives	Tomatoes
Collard greens	Turnips
Cucumbers	Spinach
Dandelion greens	Zucchini
Endive

Use sparingly due to high carbohydrate levels
Beets	Jicima
Carrots	Winter Squashes
Eggplant	Most fruits except for limes and lemons

Vegetables to Avoid
Potatoes

Can Fats Help You Manage Your Weight?

Yes, they can. Saturated fats from animal and vegetable sources (such as grass-fed red meat, raw dairy, and tropical plants oils) are, contrary to what you’ve been told for the past several decades, vitally important for optimal health, and they provide a concentrated source of energy, which you’ll need once you cut down on energy-dense sugars and grains.

Trans fats (think margarine and vegetable oils) are the fats you want to avoid as much as possible. These are the types of fats that will clog your arteries and promote heart disease.

Saturated fats, on the other hand, provide the building blocks for your cell membranes and a variety of hormones and hormone-like substances that are essential to your health. They’re also carriers for important fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K, and required for the conversion of carotene to vitamin A, for mineral absorption, and for a host of other biological processes.

Fats also slow down absorption of your meal so that you feel satiated longer, which in and of itself can help you shed some pounds if your problem is frequent snacking due to constant hunger. Protein will further curb your hunger, which I’ll discuss below.

Sources of healthy fats include:

Olives and olive oil	Coconuts and coconut oil	Butter made from raw, grass-fed organic milk
Raw Nuts, such as, almonds or pecans	Organic pastured egg yolks	Avocados
Grass-fed meats	Palm oil	Unheated organic nut oils

I recommend using coconut oil for cooking, frying and baking, and saving the olive oil for salad dressing only, as it is easily damaged by heat. Also, if you need to increase calories you will need large amounts of these types of fats. When I’m in need of fat, I may have a quarter pound of butter in one day. I typically combine four tablespoons of butter with two tablespoons of coconut oil, a scoop of Pure Protein Power for protein and flavor, then chia or psyllium powder to thicken the mixture. It is an absolutely delicious snack that provides plenty of healthy fats and high quality calories.

This is an amazingly potent appetite-suppressant for many hours. However the caution is here is that your body will need to be shifted to fat burning metabolism mode, otherwise it won’t work well. If you are eating the typical foods in the first table in this article you will need to shift off of them for 2-3 weeks before you can start using high levels of fats for fuel.

Lastly, another healthful fat you want to be mindful of is animal-based omega-3. Deficiency in this essential fat can cause or contribute to very serious health problems, both mental and physical, and may be a significant underlying factor of up to 96,000 premature deaths each year. For more information about omega-3′s and the best sources of this fat, please review this previous article.

It’s important to balance your omega-3 to omega-6 fat ratios, and typically this requires you to increase your omega-3 intake by taking a high quality animal-based omega-3 supplement, while simultaneously avoiding vegetable oils (trans fats), which are the primary source of damaged omega-6 fats.

Protein Helps Cut Hunger

The issue of satiety is a big one, especially when trying to manage your weight, and food manufacturers know this. According to anarticle in The Food Navigator, published last year, the US diet food market—which is typically focused on increasing satiety without the calories—is valued at $3.64 billion annually! Unfortunately, most "diet foods" are among the worst foods there are. Nearly all of them are processed and pre-packaged, and many contain high amounts of fructose, not to mention a slew of chemical additives.

This goes back to what I said earlier: you cannot judge the "diet-worthiness" of a food based on calories alone. You have to look at thesource of those calories, and regardless of how many calories the fructose amounts to, remember that the vast majority of that fructose will turn directly into fat!

As I mentioned earlier, healthy fats can help you feel fuller longer, but protein beats both fats and carbs when it comes to satiety. Eggs (especially the yolks) and whey protein are excellent breakfast options for this reason. I typically also have a whole avocado for breakfast along with some red onions on my vegetable pulp from juicing, and four organic pastured raw egg yolks..

High quality protein sources include:

Raw dairy products (milk, cheese, yoghurt, etc)	Organic free range ostrich, chicken and eggs
Lean, grass-fed beef and bison	Wild-caught, mercury-free fish, such as salmon
Whey protein	Raw nuts and seeds

When choosing protein sources, it’s extremely important to find high-quality varieties. Avoid grain-fed CAFO beef, pasteurized dairyand farm-raised fish.

Of the protein sources listed here, whey is perhaps the best of them all. But again, quality makes all the difference. Most whey products are from isolates that use putrid proteins that are even more toxic than trans fats. Make sure your whey is derived from grass-fed dairy cows, and minimally processed, without added artificial sweeteners and flavors.

Final Thoughts

If you’re like most Americans, you’re probably carrying a few extra pounds. I’m here to tell you that not only is it possible to take off the extra weight with a little thoughtful planning, it is also possible to keep the weight off by following a few sensible dietary guidelines. For more comprehensive details, please see my nutritional plan, which is divided into beginner, intermediary and advanced, so that you can slowly work your way toward a healthier lifestyle without too much fuss.

Filed under: Blogroll | Comments Off

How to Get Off the Grid

Posted on July 29, 2011 by PAUL MILLER

… Perhaps this is something to consider …?

Open-Source Blueprints Explain How to Get Off the Grid

http://www.good.is/post/open-source-blueprints-explain-how-to-rebuild-civilization?utm_campaign=daily_good&utm_medium=email_daily_good&utm_source=headline_link&utm_content=Open-Source%20Toolkit%20Helps%20You%20Get%20Off%20the%20Grid

Creating a commune from scratch is no joke: despite his crunchiest intentions, man cannot live on kale alone. If an intentional community wants to make bread, they’ll need a combine to harvest grain. If they want wood beams for building homes, they’ll need a sawmill. These technological requirements for even the simplest modern civilizations are the inspiration behind Open Source Ecology, an agricultural commune and machinist collaborative that goes beyond the mission of getting off the grid: It seeks to rebuild society from the ground up.

The team is in the process of developing a toolkit of the "50 different Industrial Machines that it takes to build a small civilization with modern comforts," called the Global Village Construction Set. It includes everything from a tractor to a 3-D printer, pieced together with interchangeable parts, motors and power units as if it were a "life-sized lego set." They currently have eight prototypes available on their Wiki, complete with designs, how-to videos for assembly, and budgets. OSE wants the kit to lower "the barriers to entry into farming, building, and manufacturing" for the DIY community, and even extend their ideas for use in the developing world.

Of course, pulling off this kind of project takes serious expertise; founder and director Marcin Jakubowski has a Ph. D. in fusion physics and is a TED 2011 Fellow. Jakubowski and the rest of the team are putting their theories into practice on their Factor e Farm (pictured above), 30 solar-powered acres of former soybean fields in rural Missouri that they’ve transformed into a sustainable village using the construction set.

Filed under: Blogroll | 2 Comments »

Yet another “off-the-books” war

Posted on July 29, 2011 by PAUL MILLER

… Yet another “off-the-books” war perpetrated by America and we have the temerity to wonder why folks in the Middle East do not trust us …?

War crimes

Stephen Lendman …Date: July 30, 2011 … Subject: WAR: About that War … http://www.freedomsphoenix.com/Article/Print-Page.htm?EdNo=001&Info=0156244

Among them is waging war on truth, Western managed news calling lawless imperial wars liberating ones. No wonder John Pilger says journalism is the first casualty of war, adding:

"Not only that: it has become a weapon of war, a virulent censorship (and deception) that goes unrecognised in the United States, Britain and other democracies; censorship by omission, whose power is such that, in war, it can mean the difference between life and death for people in faraway countries…."

In their book, "Guardians of Power," David Edwards and David Cromwell explained why today’s media are in crisis and a free and open society at risk. It’s because press prostitutes substitute fiction for fact. News is carefully filtered, dissent marginalized, and supporting wealth and power substitutes for full and accurate reporting.

It’s a cancer, corrupting everything from corporate-run print and broadcast sources, as well as operations like BBC and what passes for America’s hopelessly compromised public radio and TV. They put out daily managed and junk food news plus infotainment, treating consumers like mushrooms – well-watered and in the dark.

During wars, in fact, they cheerlead them, reporting agitprop and misinformation no respectable journalist would touch.

On the Progressive Radio News Hour, Middle East/Central Asia analyst Mahdi Nazemroaya, in Tripoli, said some journalists also perform fifth column duties, collecting intelligence and locating targets to supply NATO bombing coordinates, notably civilian targets called military ones.

In a July 28 email, he said tell listeners that "NATO is trying to negotiate with the government in Tripoli." More on that below. He added that they’re also "planning a new stage of the war against the Libyan people through (predatory) NGOs and fake humanitarian missions." A likely UN Blue Helmet occupying force also, paramilitaries masquerading as peacekeepers Gaddafi controlled areas won’t tolerate.

NATO, in fact, calls civilian targets legitimate ones, including one or more hospitals, a clinic, factories, warehouses, agricultural sites, schools, a university, one or more mosques, non-military related infrastructure, a food storage facility, and others.

Notably on July 23, a Brega water pipe factory was struck, killing six guards. It produces pipes for Libya’s Great Man-Made River system (GMMR), an ocean-sized aquifer beneath its sands, making the desert bloom for productive agriculture, and supplying water to Libya’s people.

The previous day, a water supply pipeline was destroyed. It will take months to restore. The factory produced vital pipes to do it, a clear war crime like daily others. Moreover, the entire GMMR is threatened by a shortage of spare parts and chemicals. As a result, it’s struggling to keep reservoirs at a level able to provide a sustainable supply. Without it, a humanitarian disaster looms, very likely what NATO plans as in past wars.

On July 27, AFP said that:

"NATO warned that its warplanes will bomb civilian facilities if (Gaddafi’s) forces use them to launch attacks." At the same time, a spokesman said great care is taken to minimize civilian casualties.

NATO lied. Daily, it’s attacking non-military related sites to destroy Libya’s ability to function in areas loyal to Gaddafi. Earlier, in fact, a spokesman claimed there was "no evidence" civilian targets were hit or noncombatants killed, except one time a major incident was too obvious to hide. Reluctantly it admitted a "mistake," covering up a willful planned attack, knowing civilians were affected.

Libya (satellite) TV calls itself "a voice for free Libya….struggling to liberate Libya from the grip of the Gaddafi regime…." In fact, it’s a pro-NATO propaganda service, reporting misinformation on air and online.

On July 25, it headlined, "No evidence to support Gaddafi’s allegations that civilian targets were hit," when, it fact, they’re struck daily.

Nonetheless, it claimed only military sites are bombed, saying Tripoli-based journalists aren’t taken to affected areas, "suggesting NATO’s gunners are hitting military targets, at least in the capital."

In fact, corporate and independent journalists are regularly taken to many sites struck. Independent accounts confirm civilian casualties and non-military facilities bombed. Pro-NATO scoundrels report managed news, complicit in daily war crimes.

On July 28, Libya TV claimed "captured Gaddafi soldiers say army morale is low," when, in fact, most Libyans support Gaddafi. Millions are armed. Gaddafi gave them weapons. They could easily oust him if they wish. Instead, they rally supportively, what Western media and Libya TV won’t report.

Moreover, captured soldiers say what they’re told, likely threatened with death or torture if they refuse, especially in rebel paramilitary hands, under NATO orders to terrorize areas they control.

As a result, civilian casualties mount, up to 1,200 or more killed and thousands wounded in pro-Gaddafi areas, many seriously as war rages. In addition, unknown numbers of combatant casualties on both sides aren’t known, nor is the civilian toll in rebel held areas.

Nonetheless, daily sorties and strikes continue. Since mid-July alone through July 27, they include:

July 14: 132 sorties and 48 strikes

July 15: 115 sorties and 46 strikes

July 16: 110 sorties and 45 strikes

July 17: 122 sorties and 46 strikes

July 18: 129 sorties and 44 strikes

July 19: 113 sorties and 40 strikes

July 20: 122 sorties and 53 strikes

July 21: 124 sorties and 45 strikes

July 22: 128 sorties and 46 strikes

July 23: 125 sorties and 56 strikes

July 24: 163 sorties and 43 strikes

July 25: 111 sorties and 54 strikes

July 26: 134 sorties and 46 strikes

July 27: 133 sorties and 54 strikes

Daily patterns are consistent. However, information on numbers and types of bombs, as well as other munitions aren’t given. Instead, misinformation claims a humanitarian mission protects civilians – by terrorizing, killing, and injuring them, solely for imperial aims. It’s why all US-led wars are fought, never for liberating reasons.

The entire campaign is based on lies. It’s standard war time procedure, to enlist popular support for campaigns people otherwise would reject.

In fact, no humanitarian crisis existed until NATO arrived. Moreover, in paramilitary controlled areas, Amnesty International confirmed only 110 pro and anti-Gaddafi supporter deaths combined, most likely more of the former than latter as rebel cutthroats rampaged through areas they occupy. Currently, the numbers of dead and injured civilians are many times that amount, largely from NATO attacks.

NATO, in fact, is code language for the Pentagon, paying the largest share of its operating and military budgets. Except for Germany and Britain, other members pay small shares, most, in fact, miniscule amounts.

Since NATO began bombing on March 19, daily attacks inflicted lawless collective punishment against millions in Gaddafi supported areas. Affected is their ability to obtain food, medicines, fuel and other basic supplies, exposing another lie about humanitarian intervention.

On July 25, OCHA’s fact-finding team said Tripoli contained "pockets of vulnerability where people need urgent humanitarian assistance." Medical supplies are running low. The last major delivery was in January, and concerns are increasing about the "unsustainable food supply chain for the public distribution systems, especially as Ramadan approaches (on or around August 1 to about August 29) and the conflict persists."

Moreover, "Libyan oil experts warned that fuel stocks could run out in two weeks." Public transportation costs have tripled. Food prices have also soared. Tripoli residents experience electricity cuts, and clean water supplies are endangered.

Before conflict erupted, Libyans had the region’s highest standard of living and highest life expectancy in Africa because Gaddafi’s oil wealth provided healthcare, education, housing assistance and other social benefits. Imperial war, of course, changed things. Libyans now hang on to survive.

Seeking an End Game

On July 26, UPI headlined, "NATO seeks urgent exit strategy in Libya," knowing this phase of the war is lost. Nonetheless, future strategies and campaigns will follow.

For now, however, "NATO is seeking an urgent exit strategy (to end) fighting and decide the future of (Gaddifi), even if that means letting him stay in the country though out of power, it emerged Tuesday after British and French foreign ministers met in London."

In tribal Libya, Gaddafi’s power, in fact, is far less than reported, social anthropologist Ranier Fsadni saying:

"Gaddafi’s feeling for tribal Libya is certainly one factor that explains how he has managed to rule the country for so many years. (However), (t)here is no tribal office giving a single man a monopoly of institutional power at the apex….Several factors account for his longevity in power," including sharing Libya’s oil wealth.

UPI said diplomacy is driven by a failed military campaign. As a result, "(i)ntense mediation efforts are underway at different levels at the United Nations and Europe, in African, European and Middle Eastern capitals and Russia."

Neither side is commenting, but some observers think operations may wind down in weeks, based on an unannounced face-saving solution, despite continued destabilization and future conflict planned. It’s similar to Balkan and Iraq war strategies, a combination of tactics until Washington prevailed.

Libya faces the same end game, though years could pass before it arrives. As a result, Libyans can expect continued hardships. When imperial America shows up, that strategy persists until it prevails, no matter the pain and suffering inflicted.

Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.

Also visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com and listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network Thursdays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.

http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour/.

Filed under: Blogroll | Comments Off

« Previous Page — Next Page »

Authentically Wired

Recent Posts

Archives

Tags

Calendar

Blogroll

Follow “Authentically Wired”

July 2011
S	M	T	W	T	F	S
« Jun				Aug »
					1	2
3	4	5	6	7	8	9
10	11	12	13	14	15	16
17	18	19	20	21	22	23
24	25	26	27	28	29	30
31