The International Myeloma Working Group (IMWG) has issued practical recommendations on the use of MRI in patients with multiple myeloma (MM) and in patients with asymptomatic disease, such smoldering MM and monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS).
>SNIP<
For smoldering MM, the consensus statement recommends "that patients with more than one unequivocal focal lesion (diameter of >5 mm) should be considered to have symptomatic myeloma that requires therapy (grade B). Patients with equivocal focal lesions should repeat the MRI after 3 to 6 months, and in cases of MRI progression, patients should be considered as symptomatic patients who need therapy (grade C; panel consensus). The biopsy of such lesions should be encouraged. Regarding diffuse MRI marrow pattern, we need additional studies before its incorporation into the definition of symptomatic myeloma."
For MGUS, the statement notes that "WB-MRI identifies patients with MGUS with focal lesions that possibly reflect infiltration by monoclonal plasma cells in the bone marrow. These patients seem to have increased risk of progression to myeloma. To date, MRI is not recommended as part of the routine workup for patients with MGUS unless there are clinical features that increase suspicion."
For MM, the statement explaines that "MRI is the imaging gold-standard method for the detection of bone marrow involvement in MM (grade A). We stress that MRI detects bone marrow involvement and not bone destruction. MRI of the spine and pelvis can detect approximately 90% of focal lesions in MM, and thus, it can be used in cases where WB-MRI is not available (grade B). MRI is the procedure of choice to evaluate a painful lesion in patients with myeloma, mainly in the axial skeleton, and detect spinal cord compression (grade A). MRI is particularly useful in the evaluation of collapsed vertebrae, especially when myeloma is not active, where the possibility of osteoporotic fracture is high (grade B)."
MUCH MORE here
Friday, January 30, 2015
What Monsanto Doesn’t Want You To See
But the biotech giant doesn’t want Americans to know about its onetime support of labeling. Since 2012, Monsanto has spent more than $22 million to fight state ballot initiatives to label GMOs and millions more to lobby Congress against mandatory labeling.
Our question for you, Monsanto: Why do you oppose Americans’ having a right to know about GMOs when you supported it for Europeans?
LINK
Thursday, January 29, 2015
Roundup Herbicide: A Kidney-Killer?
A new observational study confirms the hypothesis that Roundup herbicide (glyphosate) is behind the mysterious global epidemic of chronic kidney disease that has taken thousands of lives.
Roundup Herbicide
Back in early 2014, in an article titled "Roundup Weedkiller Linked To Global Epidemic of Fatal Kidney Disease," we first reported on a paper proposing a causal link between exposure to the world's most popular herbicide (glyphosate) and a mysterious and deadly kidney disorder afflicting agriculture intensive areas in Sri Lanka.
The paper would eventually garner such widespread attention that it compelled the Sri Lankan government to order a ban on Roundup in March of 2014, but it has since been reported that it is still being made widely available for purchase.
You can review the study abstract to get further background on their hypothesis:
"Abstract: The current chronic kidney disease epidemic, the major health issue in the rice paddy farming areas in Sri Lanka has been the subject of many scientific and political debates over the last decade. Although there is no agreement among scientists about the etiology of the disease, a majority of them has concluded that this is a toxic nephropathy. None of the hypotheses put forward so far could explain coherently the totality of clinical, biochemical, histopathological findings, and the unique geographical distribution of the disease and its appearance in the mid-1990s. A strong association between the consumption of hard water and the occurrence of this special kidney disease has been observed, but the relationship has not been explained consistently. Here, we have hypothesized the association of using glyphosate, the most widely used herbicide in the disease endemic area and its unique metal chelating properties. The possible role played by glyphosate-metal complexes in this epidemic has not been given any serious consideration by investigators for the last two decades. Furthermore, it may explain similar kidney disease epidemics observed in Andra Pradesh (India) and Central America. Although glyphosate alone does not cause an epidemic of chronic kidney disease, it seems to have acquired the ability to destroy the renal tissues of thousands of farmers when it forms complexes with a localized geo environmental factor (hardness) and nephrotoxic metals."
Since the publication of this paper, critics have argued the hypothesis suffers from a lack of data, and that any discussion of health concerns associated with this herbicide are simply anti-biotech propaganda.
Roundup Linked to Kidney Disease Epidemic In First Observational Study of Its Kind
In answer to critic's concerns, a newly published study titled "Drinking well water and occupational exposure to Herbicides is associated with chronic kidney disease, in Padavi-Sripura, Sri Lanka," fills the alleged data gap. Researchers sought to identify risk factors associated with chronic kidney disease of unknown etiology (CKDu) among paddy farmers; a disease which they described as 'the most important health issue in the dry zone of Sri Lanka.'
The study method was described as follows:
"A case control study was carried out in Padavi-Sripura hospital in Trincomalee district. CKDu patients were defined using health ministry criteria. All confirmed cases (N = 125) fulfilling the entry criteria were recruited to the study. Control selection (N = 180) was done from people visiting the hospital for CKDu screening. Socio-demographic and data related to usage of applying pesticides and fertilizers were studied. Drinking water was also analyzed using ICP-MS and ELISA to determine the levels of metals and glyphosate." [Read the entire study here]
Up to 5 Times Higher Risk of Kidney Disease In Those Exposed To Glyphosate
JUMP for much more and links
Roundup Herbicide
Back in early 2014, in an article titled "Roundup Weedkiller Linked To Global Epidemic of Fatal Kidney Disease," we first reported on a paper proposing a causal link between exposure to the world's most popular herbicide (glyphosate) and a mysterious and deadly kidney disorder afflicting agriculture intensive areas in Sri Lanka.
The paper would eventually garner such widespread attention that it compelled the Sri Lankan government to order a ban on Roundup in March of 2014, but it has since been reported that it is still being made widely available for purchase.
You can review the study abstract to get further background on their hypothesis:
"Abstract: The current chronic kidney disease epidemic, the major health issue in the rice paddy farming areas in Sri Lanka has been the subject of many scientific and political debates over the last decade. Although there is no agreement among scientists about the etiology of the disease, a majority of them has concluded that this is a toxic nephropathy. None of the hypotheses put forward so far could explain coherently the totality of clinical, biochemical, histopathological findings, and the unique geographical distribution of the disease and its appearance in the mid-1990s. A strong association between the consumption of hard water and the occurrence of this special kidney disease has been observed, but the relationship has not been explained consistently. Here, we have hypothesized the association of using glyphosate, the most widely used herbicide in the disease endemic area and its unique metal chelating properties. The possible role played by glyphosate-metal complexes in this epidemic has not been given any serious consideration by investigators for the last two decades. Furthermore, it may explain similar kidney disease epidemics observed in Andra Pradesh (India) and Central America. Although glyphosate alone does not cause an epidemic of chronic kidney disease, it seems to have acquired the ability to destroy the renal tissues of thousands of farmers when it forms complexes with a localized geo environmental factor (hardness) and nephrotoxic metals."
Since the publication of this paper, critics have argued the hypothesis suffers from a lack of data, and that any discussion of health concerns associated with this herbicide are simply anti-biotech propaganda.
Roundup Linked to Kidney Disease Epidemic In First Observational Study of Its Kind
In answer to critic's concerns, a newly published study titled "Drinking well water and occupational exposure to Herbicides is associated with chronic kidney disease, in Padavi-Sripura, Sri Lanka," fills the alleged data gap. Researchers sought to identify risk factors associated with chronic kidney disease of unknown etiology (CKDu) among paddy farmers; a disease which they described as 'the most important health issue in the dry zone of Sri Lanka.'
The study method was described as follows:
"A case control study was carried out in Padavi-Sripura hospital in Trincomalee district. CKDu patients were defined using health ministry criteria. All confirmed cases (N = 125) fulfilling the entry criteria were recruited to the study. Control selection (N = 180) was done from people visiting the hospital for CKDu screening. Socio-demographic and data related to usage of applying pesticides and fertilizers were studied. Drinking water was also analyzed using ICP-MS and ELISA to determine the levels of metals and glyphosate." [Read the entire study here]
Up to 5 Times Higher Risk of Kidney Disease In Those Exposed To Glyphosate
JUMP for much more and links
Sunday, January 25, 2015
Vietnam Veterans of America- Need Help Filing A VA Claim?
Locate Your Local Service Officer
You can search by state or last name to find your local service officer. Choose one option. To search by state, please choose your state from the menu below. If you are looking for service officers in Puerto Rico, Philippines, or Guam, please use codes PR, PI, GU located in the dropdown list.
Need Help Filing a VA Claim? Jump Here.
You can search by state or last name to find your local service officer. Choose one option. To search by state, please choose your state from the menu below. If you are looking for service officers in Puerto Rico, Philippines, or Guam, please use codes PR, PI, GU located in the dropdown list.
Need Help Filing a VA Claim? Jump Here.
Friday, January 23, 2015
Monsanto’s Roundup Found in Animals with Birth Defects
Danish farmer Ib Borup Pederson had reared hogs for decades. So he was alarmed when he observed a growing incidence of malformations and birth defects in his newborn piglets. The deformities included: gaps in piglet’s skulls, deformed bones, missing limbs, and a female piglet with testicles.
Realizing that he had switched the feed three years earlier to Monsanto’s genetically-modified seed and because he had never witnessed such high numbers of birth defects in his piglets before, he suspected that the GM-seed or the glyphosate could be to blame. He had the piglets assessed by the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Leipzig, Germany and Hvidsten, Denmark and by the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Sadat City University in Egypt (source: Townsend Letter, January 2015).
Glyphosate, a pesticide used in Monsanto’s genetically-modified seed, has also been called the “Darth Vader chemical.” The researchers found glyphosate in the lungs, livers, kidneys, brains, muscles, and gut walls of the piglets. Their findings were published in the journal Environmental and Analytical Toxicology. It was found in the highest concentration in the lungs and hearts of the animals, with lower concentrations in the muscles. The researchers conclude that “further investigations are urgently needed” to determine whether there is a link between the glyphosate concentrations and the birth defects.
In an earlier study in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, researchers identified a link between glyphosate pesticides and lymphoma—a type of cancer of the lymph nodes and lymphatic system. The scientists found that glyphosate exposure doubled an individual’s risk of the cancer.
Glyphosate, also known as Roundup, has been linked to other serious health conditions and environmental degradation.
As far back as 2009, France’s highest court found Monsanto guilty of lying about the safety of Roundup, including falsely advertising it as “biodegradable,” “environmentally-friendly,” and even claiming that it “left the soil clean.”
In an interview, Dr. Stephanie Seneff, a research scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) discussed glyphosate as possibly “the most important factor in the development of multiple chronic diseases and conditions that have become prevalent in Westernized societies.”
Glyphosate has been linked to other diseases, including: breast cancer, kidney failure, and celiac disease. For more information about glyphosate and genetically-modified seeds, check out the excellent book Seeds of Deception: Exposing Industry and Government Lies about the Safety of the Genetically-Engineered Foods You’re Eating by Jeffrey M. Smith, a former executive at an independent laboratory testing for genetically-modified organisms in food.
Related:
*Exposure to Monsanto’s Roundup Pesticide Doubles Cancer Risk
*Monsanto Partners with Media Conglomerate to Share its Message
*Is Monsanto Making Us Sterile?
A Lot of LINKS Here
Realizing that he had switched the feed three years earlier to Monsanto’s genetically-modified seed and because he had never witnessed such high numbers of birth defects in his piglets before, he suspected that the GM-seed or the glyphosate could be to blame. He had the piglets assessed by the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Leipzig, Germany and Hvidsten, Denmark and by the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Sadat City University in Egypt (source: Townsend Letter, January 2015).
Glyphosate, a pesticide used in Monsanto’s genetically-modified seed, has also been called the “Darth Vader chemical.” The researchers found glyphosate in the lungs, livers, kidneys, brains, muscles, and gut walls of the piglets. Their findings were published in the journal Environmental and Analytical Toxicology. It was found in the highest concentration in the lungs and hearts of the animals, with lower concentrations in the muscles. The researchers conclude that “further investigations are urgently needed” to determine whether there is a link between the glyphosate concentrations and the birth defects.
In an earlier study in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, researchers identified a link between glyphosate pesticides and lymphoma—a type of cancer of the lymph nodes and lymphatic system. The scientists found that glyphosate exposure doubled an individual’s risk of the cancer.
Glyphosate, also known as Roundup, has been linked to other serious health conditions and environmental degradation.
As far back as 2009, France’s highest court found Monsanto guilty of lying about the safety of Roundup, including falsely advertising it as “biodegradable,” “environmentally-friendly,” and even claiming that it “left the soil clean.”
In an interview, Dr. Stephanie Seneff, a research scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) discussed glyphosate as possibly “the most important factor in the development of multiple chronic diseases and conditions that have become prevalent in Westernized societies.”
Glyphosate has been linked to other diseases, including: breast cancer, kidney failure, and celiac disease. For more information about glyphosate and genetically-modified seeds, check out the excellent book Seeds of Deception: Exposing Industry and Government Lies about the Safety of the Genetically-Engineered Foods You’re Eating by Jeffrey M. Smith, a former executive at an independent laboratory testing for genetically-modified organisms in food.
Related:
*Exposure to Monsanto’s Roundup Pesticide Doubles Cancer Risk
*Monsanto Partners with Media Conglomerate to Share its Message
*Is Monsanto Making Us Sterile?
A Lot of LINKS Here
Thursday, January 22, 2015
Monsanto's Herbicide Causes DNA Damage, Cell Death
A new peer-reviewed scientific study has found that soybean farmers in Brazil who are using Monsanto's flagship product Roundup suffer from DNA damage and high cell death, reported RT on Wednesday.
The scientific team focused on farmers in Rio Grando do Sul, Brazil, exposed to fungicides, herbicides, and insecticides from the company, especially the chemicals Glyphosate and 2,4-D.
While the former is currently sprayed on crops twice more than it used to be five years ago, the latter has been used since the 1940s, meaning that soil and water are likely highly contaminated by the substance.
The study, published by the Elsevier, recommends “monitoring [of] genetic toxicity in soybean farm workers exposed to pesticides.”
However, farmers would not be the only ones contaminated, according to the Natural Society, citing a German study published in Ithaca that found that glyphosate levels in the blood and urine of city dwellers were often up to 20 times the allowable levels in drinking water.
Although the U.S. Department of Agriculture does not regularly test the toxicity of the chemical in humans; allegedly because of its high cost, other previous studies have already assessed it, coming to similar conclusions. The famous research team led by Gilles-Eric Séralini at the University of Caen, France, revealed in particular that the Roundup product completely destroyed kidney cells, even under low exposure.
Meanwhile, thousands of farmers using Monsanto's products still “mysteriously” died from kidney diseases – as the World Health Organization refused to directly indicate Monsanto's responsibility, but rather evoked a “possible cause” of their deaths.
The scientific team focused on farmers in Rio Grando do Sul, Brazil, exposed to fungicides, herbicides, and insecticides from the company, especially the chemicals Glyphosate and 2,4-D.
While the former is currently sprayed on crops twice more than it used to be five years ago, the latter has been used since the 1940s, meaning that soil and water are likely highly contaminated by the substance.
The study, published by the Elsevier, recommends “monitoring [of] genetic toxicity in soybean farm workers exposed to pesticides.”
However, farmers would not be the only ones contaminated, according to the Natural Society, citing a German study published in Ithaca that found that glyphosate levels in the blood and urine of city dwellers were often up to 20 times the allowable levels in drinking water.
Although the U.S. Department of Agriculture does not regularly test the toxicity of the chemical in humans; allegedly because of its high cost, other previous studies have already assessed it, coming to similar conclusions. The famous research team led by Gilles-Eric Séralini at the University of Caen, France, revealed in particular that the Roundup product completely destroyed kidney cells, even under low exposure.
Meanwhile, thousands of farmers using Monsanto's products still “mysteriously” died from kidney diseases – as the World Health Organization refused to directly indicate Monsanto's responsibility, but rather evoked a “possible cause” of their deaths.
Tuesday, January 20, 2015
How to Prove Your Disability for VA Claims
Oftentimes only people with disabilities know the extend of their own suffering and difficulties, but there are times when letting the outside world know how you feel, as best as you can, is important.
In the case of applying for disability claims, there are some things you should know for giving yourself the best chance at success, as noted in this recent column by Ken Cruickshank, a retired Navy Master Chief Petty Officer and the Veterans Services Officer for Tulare County in California.
Among the most important points made by Cruickshank:
-You should apply for a service-connected disability benefit as soon as possible after your discharge date, which will help you prove it was service-connected
-The verification process is the first step, and you typically need three items of support: medical evidence of a current, chronic (continuous) disability; evidence of having suffered a disease, injury, or event while engaged in active service; and evidence linking these two items together.
Two Categories to Know
Your claim will fall under one of two categories: direct service connection or presumptive service connection.
Direct service connection meets all of the three conditions mentioned earlier, while presumptive disability refers to a health condition that could possibly have arisen during service.
For a more detailed explanation of what you should know before you apply, check out Cruickshank’s column by clicking here.
LINKS HERE
3 New Multiple Myeloma Updates.... Research and Treatment
Multiple Myeloma Advances: Noted Hematologist Envisions Big Changes in Treatment Paradigms -
Clinicians who treat patients with multiple myeloma have witnessed a sea change in the past 15 years. Yet another revolution appears right around the corner, with emerging monoclonal antibodies generating promising results in clinical trials and research on risk stratification revealing how to identify which patients should be treated early, according to Jesús F. San Miguel, MD, PhD.
LINK
How to attack and paralyze myeloma cells
Multiple Myeloma is one of the most common blood cancers, mainly diagnosed in elderly patients. As life expectancy increases, the frequency of the disease has therefore increased during the last decades. Both deeper insights into disease biology including interactions between malignant plasma cells and their bone marrow environment, and the design and clinical testing of new drugs have led to a considerable improvement in the prognosis of this mostly incurable disease during the last years. The right timing and the choice of the best treatment match for the particular myeloma stage and the needs of the individual patient are essential for optimal disease control.
LINK
Researchers turn clinical experience in multiple myeloma treatment into instructive review for physicians
Multiple myeloma is a malignant disease characterised by proliferation of clonal plasma cells in the bone marrow and typically accompanied by the secretion of monoclonal immunoglobulins that are detectable in the serum or urine. Increased understanding of the microenvironmental interactions between malignant plasma cells and the bone marrow niche, and their role in disease progression and acquisition of therapy resistance, has helped the development of novel therapeutic drugs for use in combination with cytostatic therapy. Together with autologous stem cell transplantation and advances in supportive care, the use of novel drugs such as proteasome inhibitors and immunomodulatory drugs has increased response rates and survival substantially in the past several years. Present clinical research focuses on the balance between treatment efficacy and quality of life, the optimum sequencing of treatment options, the question of long-term remission and potential cure by multimodal treatment, the pre-emptive treatment of high-risk smouldering myeloma, and the role of maintenance. Upcoming results of ongoing clinical trials, together with a pipeline of promising new treatments, raise the hope for continuous improvements in the prognosis of patients with myeloma in the future.
LINK
Clinicians who treat patients with multiple myeloma have witnessed a sea change in the past 15 years. Yet another revolution appears right around the corner, with emerging monoclonal antibodies generating promising results in clinical trials and research on risk stratification revealing how to identify which patients should be treated early, according to Jesús F. San Miguel, MD, PhD.
LINK
How to attack and paralyze myeloma cells
Multiple Myeloma is one of the most common blood cancers, mainly diagnosed in elderly patients. As life expectancy increases, the frequency of the disease has therefore increased during the last decades. Both deeper insights into disease biology including interactions between malignant plasma cells and their bone marrow environment, and the design and clinical testing of new drugs have led to a considerable improvement in the prognosis of this mostly incurable disease during the last years. The right timing and the choice of the best treatment match for the particular myeloma stage and the needs of the individual patient are essential for optimal disease control.
LINK
Researchers turn clinical experience in multiple myeloma treatment into instructive review for physicians
Multiple myeloma is a malignant disease characterised by proliferation of clonal plasma cells in the bone marrow and typically accompanied by the secretion of monoclonal immunoglobulins that are detectable in the serum or urine. Increased understanding of the microenvironmental interactions between malignant plasma cells and the bone marrow niche, and their role in disease progression and acquisition of therapy resistance, has helped the development of novel therapeutic drugs for use in combination with cytostatic therapy. Together with autologous stem cell transplantation and advances in supportive care, the use of novel drugs such as proteasome inhibitors and immunomodulatory drugs has increased response rates and survival substantially in the past several years. Present clinical research focuses on the balance between treatment efficacy and quality of life, the optimum sequencing of treatment options, the question of long-term remission and potential cure by multimodal treatment, the pre-emptive treatment of high-risk smouldering myeloma, and the role of maintenance. Upcoming results of ongoing clinical trials, together with a pipeline of promising new treatments, raise the hope for continuous improvements in the prognosis of patients with myeloma in the future.
LINK
Thursday, January 15, 2015
Fox News Reporters Fired For Trying To Expose Monsanto Were Right, Gets Heard A Decade Later [Video]
Today, more people are in-the-know when it comes to the complicating dangers of foods that are or contain anything genetically modified (GM) and the practices of the corporation synonymous with said GM products, Monsanto.
The Inquisitr made sure to report on the latest pertaining to Monsanto and anything that is GM. Late last year, Maui County in Hawaii voted in favor of banning GMOs. This caused Monsanto to file a lawsuit against the county because it affected their business. Apparently, Monsanto had the judge overseeing the case in their back pocket, which resulted in them winning. The dance continues as Hawaii County Officials are trying to appeal the court ruling. It is safe to say that such shenanigans wouldn’t be tolerated in Russia or China, since they have zero tolerance for anything GM.
Because of the aggressiveness the organic movement has shown against GM products, people who originally stood up against companies like Monsanto are finally being recognized. This includes two former Fox News reporters who were fired. The reason for their termination is because they were about to expose something that the organic community knows about today: GM bovine growth hormone (rBGH) in milk.
According to True Activist, the story of the two Fox News reporters who were fired for exposing rBGH was originally told in the documentary The Corporation. Steve Wilson and Jane Akre were working on a series of health concerns related to rBGH, which they discovered did not comply with safety requirements highlighted by Health Canada. For some reason, that part was not included in the final published version of the report by the corporation that made it, Monsanto.
Steve Wilson and Jane Akre were going to expose this to the public on Fox News, but the report was put on hold after Monsanto’s high-priced lawyers in New York sent a threat to the news channel. Fearing a lawsuit, the general manager tried to do all they could to stop the report. Eventually, Steve and Jane were fired.
In a follow-up article by Nation of Change, Monsanto tested rBGH (formally known as Posilac) on rats for 90 days. While in its testing stage, Monsanto was busy promoting rBGH as the “most tested product in history,” specifically to push it as safe. Apparently, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) favored Monsanto and gave it the rubber stamp for human consumption. Health Canada, however, tested rBGH on their own and came up with very different results. Utilizing testing in the United Kingdom, they found rBGH can be absorbed by the human body, thus possibly being toxic. As a result, the Canadian regulatory bodies saw the potential for serious human health problems and denied rBGH for human consumption.
It should probably be reported the reason why Steve Wilson and Jane Akre were terminated for exposing the truth is because of the time. Back in 1997, the general public weren’t knowledgeable to the dangers of GM products. Not to mention, Monsanto at the time was quite powerful because nobody challenged them. As for The Corporation, it was released back in 2003, a time when GMOs were starting to be recognized but primarily as something good (solution to world hunger, better food, etc.).
Now, more than a decade later, Steve Wilson and Jane Akre are finally being heard as the report they tried to bring to the public on Fox News back in 1997 is now mainstream knowledge among scientists, think tanks, organic farmers, and health experts around the world. As a matter of fact, rBGH is now linked to both breast and prostate cancer.
With more countries banning the company from ever having their GMOs and other GM products in their country, it may just be a matter of time.
Video Link
The Inquisitr made sure to report on the latest pertaining to Monsanto and anything that is GM. Late last year, Maui County in Hawaii voted in favor of banning GMOs. This caused Monsanto to file a lawsuit against the county because it affected their business. Apparently, Monsanto had the judge overseeing the case in their back pocket, which resulted in them winning. The dance continues as Hawaii County Officials are trying to appeal the court ruling. It is safe to say that such shenanigans wouldn’t be tolerated in Russia or China, since they have zero tolerance for anything GM.
Because of the aggressiveness the organic movement has shown against GM products, people who originally stood up against companies like Monsanto are finally being recognized. This includes two former Fox News reporters who were fired. The reason for their termination is because they were about to expose something that the organic community knows about today: GM bovine growth hormone (rBGH) in milk.
According to True Activist, the story of the two Fox News reporters who were fired for exposing rBGH was originally told in the documentary The Corporation. Steve Wilson and Jane Akre were working on a series of health concerns related to rBGH, which they discovered did not comply with safety requirements highlighted by Health Canada. For some reason, that part was not included in the final published version of the report by the corporation that made it, Monsanto.
Steve Wilson and Jane Akre were going to expose this to the public on Fox News, but the report was put on hold after Monsanto’s high-priced lawyers in New York sent a threat to the news channel. Fearing a lawsuit, the general manager tried to do all they could to stop the report. Eventually, Steve and Jane were fired.
In a follow-up article by Nation of Change, Monsanto tested rBGH (formally known as Posilac) on rats for 90 days. While in its testing stage, Monsanto was busy promoting rBGH as the “most tested product in history,” specifically to push it as safe. Apparently, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) favored Monsanto and gave it the rubber stamp for human consumption. Health Canada, however, tested rBGH on their own and came up with very different results. Utilizing testing in the United Kingdom, they found rBGH can be absorbed by the human body, thus possibly being toxic. As a result, the Canadian regulatory bodies saw the potential for serious human health problems and denied rBGH for human consumption.
It should probably be reported the reason why Steve Wilson and Jane Akre were terminated for exposing the truth is because of the time. Back in 1997, the general public weren’t knowledgeable to the dangers of GM products. Not to mention, Monsanto at the time was quite powerful because nobody challenged them. As for The Corporation, it was released back in 2003, a time when GMOs were starting to be recognized but primarily as something good (solution to world hunger, better food, etc.).
Now, more than a decade later, Steve Wilson and Jane Akre are finally being heard as the report they tried to bring to the public on Fox News back in 1997 is now mainstream knowledge among scientists, think tanks, organic farmers, and health experts around the world. As a matter of fact, rBGH is now linked to both breast and prostate cancer.
With more countries banning the company from ever having their GMOs and other GM products in their country, it may just be a matter of time.
Video Link
ORANGE HEART FUND CAMPAIGN
During the past five months we have continued working with the local Veteran Organizations as well as Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA) local chapters. There can be no question that the DVA has failed to live by its motto: “To care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow, and his orphan." This is exemplified by its malfeasance, falsifications and deceptions regarding the true impact of Agent Orange on the children of those "who have borne the battle" in Vietnam.
Let us introduce you to Gordon Lenke, a Vietnam Veteran that was exposed to Agent Orange many times and wounded while serving in Vietnam. He has a child suffering from deformities caused by his exposure to Agent Orange. Gordon joined VST as a volunteer and has been meeting with veteran groups and their families throughout Northern Idaho and Northeastern Washington. He has also handled the distribution of hundreds of copies of "FORGOTTEN" to our Congressional Delegation and to all VVA State Presidents. Gordon also serves on VST's Board of Directors.
I was asked to address the September Spokane Valley VVA Town Hall meeting. At the end of my presentation I stated that, "scientists have stated that we must get an Epidemiological Study of Vietnam Veterans completed with independent money and independent scientists because we cannot trust our Government to tell us the truth." Many Vietnam Veteran families who attended this meeting had children harmed by their dads' exposure to Agent Orange and indicated a strong approval of this statement.
At the Spokane Valley meeting one of the veterans suggested we should start a fundraising campaign by collecting "scrap metal," an idea that was totally new to me. Therefore, Pacific Steel & Recycling, Inc. (a large Northwest Company) was contacted. They stated that this was not only possible but they would help us. Pacific Steel & Recycling has 32 recycling facilities located in Idaho, Washington, Montana, Wyoming, Utah, Arizona, Colorado, North and South Dakota. Most of the facilities are located in Idaho, Washington and Montana.
The first question is; will this really work and generate revenue?
To answer this question we need to first look at the process:
1. Pacific Steel & Recycling (Pacific Steel) has agreed to provide the large containers in which metal scrap can be deposited. There will be no cost for this service.
2. As the containers are filled, Pacific Steel will deliver new empty containers, pick up the full containers and take them back to the Spokane facility for processing. There will be one collection location in the Coeur d'Alene area and another in Post Falls where scrap metal can be dropped off. You will be notified of the locations in a couple of days. The "Trading Company" has already committed for the Post Falls area.
3. The process is completely computerized. As the scrap metal is processed it will be tracked as belonging to the Orange Heart Fund and revenue is transferred directly to the Orange Heart Fund Account. ($80 per ton of scrap metal, delivered.)
The next and key question is; How can this possibly generate enough money to get the Vietnam Veteran Epidemiological Study completed, which is the first step in fixing the problems related to our children being deformed and ill due to the exposure of their fathers to Agent Orange?
Here is the answer. 210 of you called or e-mailed us regarding the Agent Orange Survey. But for various reasons only 124 of you (3.54% of the Vietnam Veterans in our area) actually took the Agent Orange Survey. If the 200 of you who called in could get other veterans and friends to join you and contribute up to 1 ton for each of you over the 7 day test period, we would generate $16,800. Underscore this with the fact that the Coeur d'Alene Press may be publishing an article about our Scrap Metal Program ("Program") during the seven day test period. We will also be advertizing.
Now, multiply these dollar amounts by the 32 Pacific Steel locations and assume that the same 6.2% of Vietnam Veterans at each location agree to participate. The amount generated increases to approximately $537,600 for the 32 seven (7) day periods. Following the introduction program, metal scrap containers will continue to be placed and picked up around towns throughout Pacific Steel's market areas.
Is this possible? You bet it is, and with only the small percentage of Vietnam Veterans that responded to the CDA Press articles that introduced the Agent Orange Survey. Has this ever been done before? NO! According to Steve Ball, Manager of the Pacific Steel & Recycling plant in Spokane, this is a first and it can work. Can you imagine what would happen if we got 10% or 20% of just our own Vietnam Veterans to step forward and help raise the money to get the required Vietnam Veteran Agent Orange Epidemiological Study completed? It would be a resounding notification that we are proud of the service we were called to perform. It also tells our Government and the DVA that we have not faded away and that our children, grandchildren, great grandchildren will continue to grow.
YES, it is possible. Consequently, VST has established the "ORANGE HEART FUND" to receive the proceeds from the Scrap Metal Program. A new logo has been created specifically for this campaign. The Logo and Banner are attached (the Banner is six feet long). The 7 day test Program will be launched in Northern Idaho and the Spokane area on January 20th with help from the Coeur d'Alene Press. Based on the results, we will expand the Program throughout the Pacific Steel Northwest locations, then Nationwide. If 6.2% of our 3,700,000 Nationwide Vietnam Veterans generate 1 ton each, that equals $18,352,000.
The success of this Program will depend entirely on the number of Vietnam Veterans that are willing to help with physical and verbal support. That means we need YOU. We must have your help NOW in getting your neighbors and friends to contribute their scrap metal to the Program. We need volunteers to help at the Container locations - three teams of 4 to man 4-hour shifts. We also need to develop a "Pickup brigade" to help people bring their scrap to the Container locations. We can take old washers, dryers, stoves, barbeques, car parts, hardware, all types of scrap metal. If you know any farmers, ask them to donate. They frequently have lots of scrap metal lying around. Large amounts will be scheduled for pickup by Pacific Steel.
In the Spokane area donations can be delivered directly to Pacific Steel & Recycling located at 1114 North Ralph. Take Freya North to Trent. Turn Left (West) on Trent, then in two short blocks turn Right (North) on Ralph. At the entrance simply state that your scrap metal load is for the Orange Heart Fund. You will receive an "Orange Heart Fund Card" confirming your donation. We also need a Spokane "Pickup Brigade."
We have waited over 45 years for our Government and the DVA to get the job done and they have failed, time and time again. We can get the job done ourselves. Raise the money needed, hire highly qualified Epidemiological and DNA scientists to complete the research and develop the programs needed to help care for our children deformed by their fathers' exposure to Agent Orange.
Please let us know that you, and possibly your family, can help. We need all of you if we are to succeed in getting the care needed for our hurting children. Call 208-457-1305 to volunteer.
Let's not wait any longer for our Government and the DVA to keep their promises. Let's get the job done without them. NOW!
Richard E Phenneger
Veteran Services Transparency, Inc.
rep@VSTNow.org
208-457-8382
Gordon Lenke
Veteran Services Transparency, Inc.
208-457-1305
Wednesday, January 14, 2015
Veteran Fights for $250K in Benefits for Agent Orange-Caused Condition
Don Rabush says he is owed more than $250,000 in retroactive benefits from the VA
Frustrated and fed-up, Vietnam veteran Don Rabush calls his fight to get Veterans Affairs benefits for an ailment caused by Agent Orange one of the worth battles he’s ever faced.
The Army second lieutenant has been working to get nearly 40 years of retroactive benefits after suffering a heart attack in 1974.
Though a doctor at the time told him the attack was not war-related, the decision was reversed in 2010 when doctors discovered Rabush suffered a heart condition from contact with Agent Orange. He encountered the chemical during his five and a half years of service.
“In Vietnam, I was fighting the Viet Cong. This is a more vicious enemy. These are people who hide behind bureaucracy not to serve veterans," Rabush told NBC 7 Tuesday.
When Rabush filed for benefits in 2010, the VA granted them. Officials are not disputing Rabush’s ailments or their cause, but when the benefits should start.
Rabush said he should get them retroactively to 1974, but the VA says they should start in 2010 when he filed his new claim.
At issue, says VA Pension Management Center Manager Gary Chesterton, is a form Rabush submitted in 1974, which the VA says was a procedural form, not a claim form.
Disabled American Veterans representative Guy Anastasia told NBC 7 Rabush’s checks say otherwise.
“I did research. I went to the legal staff here and in D.C. to verify it can be used for adjudication purposes. It can be,” Anastasia said.
VA officials say it could be months before a decision is made in Rabush’s case.
The veteran said the fight isn’t about the more than $250,000 he stands to get if he wins. Instead, Rabush said it’s more about making sure he and other veterans who risked life and limb get the benefits they need to lead a healthy life.
“It’s common knowledge that VA claims their motto is — for those that are veterans — is ‘Delay, deny until they die.’ And believe me, I’ve felt all of that,” said Rabush.
Chesterton said 87 percent of the people who work in the office are veterans, and they grant benefits as the law allows.
The Disabled American Veterans office is working with congressional leaders to craft legislation to prevent similar issues in the future.
LINK
Frustrated and fed-up, Vietnam veteran Don Rabush calls his fight to get Veterans Affairs benefits for an ailment caused by Agent Orange one of the worth battles he’s ever faced.
The Army second lieutenant has been working to get nearly 40 years of retroactive benefits after suffering a heart attack in 1974.
Though a doctor at the time told him the attack was not war-related, the decision was reversed in 2010 when doctors discovered Rabush suffered a heart condition from contact with Agent Orange. He encountered the chemical during his five and a half years of service.
“In Vietnam, I was fighting the Viet Cong. This is a more vicious enemy. These are people who hide behind bureaucracy not to serve veterans," Rabush told NBC 7 Tuesday.
When Rabush filed for benefits in 2010, the VA granted them. Officials are not disputing Rabush’s ailments or their cause, but when the benefits should start.
Rabush said he should get them retroactively to 1974, but the VA says they should start in 2010 when he filed his new claim.
At issue, says VA Pension Management Center Manager Gary Chesterton, is a form Rabush submitted in 1974, which the VA says was a procedural form, not a claim form.
Disabled American Veterans representative Guy Anastasia told NBC 7 Rabush’s checks say otherwise.
“I did research. I went to the legal staff here and in D.C. to verify it can be used for adjudication purposes. It can be,” Anastasia said.
VA officials say it could be months before a decision is made in Rabush’s case.
The veteran said the fight isn’t about the more than $250,000 he stands to get if he wins. Instead, Rabush said it’s more about making sure he and other veterans who risked life and limb get the benefits they need to lead a healthy life.
“It’s common knowledge that VA claims their motto is — for those that are veterans — is ‘Delay, deny until they die.’ And believe me, I’ve felt all of that,” said Rabush.
Chesterton said 87 percent of the people who work in the office are veterans, and they grant benefits as the law allows.
The Disabled American Veterans office is working with congressional leaders to craft legislation to prevent similar issues in the future.
LINK
Tuesday, January 13, 2015
‘No Bugs, More Food?’ Parent Finds GMO Propaganda In Common Core Science Book
Over the last couple of years, some parents have become cautious of what foods to feed their children, especially with the discovery that genetically modified (GM) foods may be hazardous to a child’s health. The Inquisitr has assisted these parents by reporting on the latest pertaining to GM foods, which could start as early as infancy with GM baby formula and continuing to elementary school with lunch milk containing GM bovine growth hormone (rBGH).
As a result, cautious parents are reporting pros with their children on GM-free diets, and no-GM product businesses, such as Chick-fil-A and Chipotle, are prospering.
However, parents aren’t the only ones who assist in a child’s upbringing, though they should be the most important. Following the old phrase, “It takes a village to raise a child,” teachers accompany in a child’s development, eight hours a day, five days a week, on average. Sometimes, what they teach is in defiance to a parent’s lessons. In this case, a parent is upset that children are being taught genetically modified organism (GMO) propaganda in sixth grade.
According to AltHealth Works, Dawn Jordan, a parent in Missouri (Monsanto’s home state), was shocked to find a section in her niece’s science book, Science: A Closer Look, dedicated to GMOs, specifically GM crops. The section touted four positive bullet points about GMOs which are listed below.
*GMOs can produce more food.
*GMOs have more nutrients.
*GMOs fight disease and insects.
*GMOs need fewer chemical pesticides.
Of course, none of the negatives discovered through scientific testing and research have been included in the textbook. Also, the teacher assisted in the GMO agenda by writing in an answer for one of the questions that asked children to list three ways GMOs could be helpful to humans. Dawn Jordan provides a statement on the teacher’s assistance in promoting GMOs.
“When my niece sent me her homework, I noticed her teacher wrote ‘no bugs, more food’ as a suggestion to her as to what to write about… which disgusts me that a teacher in a public school system has no knowledge whatsoever on the actual truth about GMOs and is merely doing what she is told, without proper research first.”
In a follow-up article by Buy Non-GMO Seeds, it reports that the textbook is published by McGraw-Hill, and is being distributed to schools across the country. It is unknown how many of the books were actually distributed.
This is not the first time Monsanto or another pro-GMO organization or entity has influenced the children of America to support their agenda. Monsanto funded the production of a coloring book titled Look Closer to Biotechnology that was riddled with pro-GMO propaganda. A heavily-biased activity book that listed alleged positives of GMOs but none of the negatives would have been distributed among the public if it weren’t for activists. Summarized, this isn’t the first time Monsanto has attempted to manipulate the minds of children in their favor, and it won’t be the last.
To all you parents out there, now that you’ve read of Monsanto’s agenda of teaching your children about GMOs in their favor, what are your views? Do you find Monsanto and GMOs to be an issue best stopped through education, or are activists just paranoid?
LINK
Friday, January 9, 2015
Panama City Beach, Florida Voted Number One Spring Break Destination for 2015
Northwest Florida Continues to be “The Spring Break Capital of the World”
Panama City Beach, FL (PRWEB) January 09, 2015
Panama City Beach, Florida has been voted as the number one Spring Break destination by college students.
A recent study, conducted by Collegiate Marketing Group – which manages top Spring Break destination site pcbeachspringbreak.com – polled 5,000 students asking where they plan on heading for Spring Break in March, 2015. Students were asked to compare six popular Spring Break hot spots, including Daytona Beach, FL, South Padre Island, TX, Myrtle Beach, SC, South Beach Miami, FL, Panama City Beach, FL, and Cancun, Mexico (the only non U.S. based destination).
Panama City Beach was voted number one by an overwhelming 87 percent of students polled.
“It’s no mistake that Panama City Beach has been Spring Break’s top destination for the past 20 years,” said Carm Giardina, a representative of Collegiate Marketing Group. “This study continues to make it official.”
The sun and fun destination of Panama City Beach is regarded as one of the southern United States’ hottest travel spots, recording more than six million visitors each and every year. But it is Spring Break that gave this small beach town its place on the map. As Giardina puts it, “Spring Break is the reason the world knows about Panama City Beach, Florida.”
Situated along the Northwest Florida panhandle, “Panama City Beach is easily accessible to just about anyone driving or flying from within east of the Mississippi River,” continued Giardina. “That’s a lot of people that are within close proximity.”
People come to Panama City Beach not just for the amazing beaches and comfortable sub-tropical weather, but for the affordable hotel rates (still relatively cheaper than most other hot spot destinations), and great beach dining experiences.
Students looking to party the night away are treated to Panama City Beach’s elite night life experience, including some of the biggest and best clubs in the U.S. hosting some of the country’s biggest and most talked about events each year. “It’s no secret that this place is a paradise for the college crowd,” said Giardina.
For more information about Spring Break in Panama City Beach, including all the up-to-date information on the best places to stay, eat and have fun, visit http://www.pcbeachspringbreak.com.
About Panama City Beach:
Highly regarded as “the best beach this side of paradise”, Panama City Beach offers 27 miles of sugar white sandy beaches, emerald green waters along the shoreline, and boasts an average of 320 days of beautiful sunshine per year. The weather is sub-tropical, with a year-round temperature averaging 74 degrees, what many would consider perfect weather for relaxing and definitely a key reason why Panama City Beach travel is so popular.
LINK
Thursday, January 8, 2015
GMO Farmer: ‘I Won’t Eat My Own Crops’
Thanks to Monsanto, he feels he has no choice
Like a thousand other farmers across the US, Kirk Bair is a farmer looking for ways to grow food economically and with as little labor as possible – but what are the moral implications of planting food you are aware is toxic, and selling it to your friends and neighbors? Is Bair in the right for planting GMO seed, even if conventional seed is hard to come by?
Bair has said:
“When you put a herbicide gene inside a corn seed, soybean, wheat, whatever you’re working with, you’re eating that. You’re ingesting it.”
It is clear that Bair realizes the health dangers of GM crops, but he plants them anyway? Why? He feels he has no choice, and there is a multi-billion dollar industry calling the shots.
“I’ve got some good looking ears coming,” said Kirk Bair, admiring his genetically modified corn crop, developed with Monsanto’s technology.
When asked why he has planted GM corn, Blair states:
“To use conventional corn, non-GMO, I’d have to till, apply pre-emergence herbicide. It’s more economical and more convenient to use GMO corn on real ground. I only use it because I felt like I had to. My seed supplier said, ‘Kirk it’s harder and harder to get a hold of conventional seed.’”
In less than a decade, the US has gone from planning 100% conventional seeds to almost 90% genetically modified seeds. Corn, soybeans and cotton are some of the most commonly grown GM crops – all considered staples.
Even though Blair grows GM crops, he says:
“I want to know what I am eating and I don’t want to eat GMO foods.”
Imagine that – a farmer who won’t eat his own crops. He has even supported labeling initiatives in California stating:
“People need know what they’re eating. People want to know what they’re eating.”
Read: 800 Scientists Demand Global ‘GMO Experiment’ End
This is a strange phenomenon – when farmers will knowingly plant crops they realize are dangerous to human health. Are they right about giving in to Monsanto, Bayer, and Syngenta when banned GM crops are being found in Europe, or when they are growing in Oregon and Minnesota fields without permission?
What about cross-pollination? Is a farmer’s ability to grow non-GMO completely compromised already to such a degree that she or he has to just shut down their tilling machines like a defeated warrior laying down his sword?
One biotech company claims the following reasons that farmers plant GM crops:
“Because they benefit from the technology – after all, 17.3 million farmers around the world do so, and their numbers grow each season.
In addition to higher yields and higher farm income, their reasons include:
Increased management flexibility
Easier adoption of no- or reduced till farming, which saves time, equipment usage, and carbon emissions
Improved weed control
Soil preservation
Less worry about pest damage
Less time spent on crop walking and/or insecticide application
Savings in energy use – mainly associated with less spraying and tillage
Savings in machinery use (for spraying and possibly reduced harvesting times)
Improved quality (e.g., lower levels of mycotoxins in GM insect-resistant maize)”
To the astute reader, there are several items on this list that are completely false – ‘less worry about pest damage’ could elicit an entire book of refutation. GM crops have increased worry about pest infestation. The emergence of superweeds and superbugs was in tandem with GM planting.
The ‘savings in machinery’ is arguable too, as more and more herbicide and pesticide use likely eats up any saved costs from having to spray more often – not less. The soil is also not preserved with GM crop planting – but destroyed. This has been proven many times over.
Multiple studies have looked at GM planting and its effects on the soil. One such study explains:
. . .residues of Bt maize plants that are ploughed into the soil following harvest suppress its ability to respire (produce carbon dioxide), it also reduces mycorrhizal colonisation and seriously alters bacterial populations within the soil ecosystem. This function of soil is vitally important for regulating plant growth and vitality, and for increasing availability of minerals and nutrients.
. . . Bt toxins persist in the soil for a considerable amount of time, which impedes the soil flora recovery and impacts upon plant health and growth in subsequent growing seasons.”
Addressing the other items on the list like improved quality are questionable, as are many other of the fallacious reasons given by EuropaBio.
Many farmers simply won’t accept the biotech misinformation that has been dished out for decades. The Rodale Research Institute on Organic Farming and Gardening lists thousands of farmers who know a better way. Since the 1940s and prior, this country has been growing food without chemicals and GM technology. It is more than possible, and now more than ever, vital.
It is understandable how farmers could initially feel drawn to the Big Ag model, based largely on the calculating lies of the biotech industry – but hopefully more farmers are seeing through biotech’s façade.
Bair seems to have seen behind Oz’s curtain to some degree, but he and other farmers like him obviously need public support to choose non-GM seeds and grow them.
You don’t fight a multi-billion dollar industry on a few acres. Perhaps Bair will join the ranks of Dr. Theirry Vrain, a former pro-GMO scientist who now whistleblows on the entire industry. That would be redemption.
Jump for Live Links
Like a thousand other farmers across the US, Kirk Bair is a farmer looking for ways to grow food economically and with as little labor as possible – but what are the moral implications of planting food you are aware is toxic, and selling it to your friends and neighbors? Is Bair in the right for planting GMO seed, even if conventional seed is hard to come by?
Bair has said:
“When you put a herbicide gene inside a corn seed, soybean, wheat, whatever you’re working with, you’re eating that. You’re ingesting it.”
It is clear that Bair realizes the health dangers of GM crops, but he plants them anyway? Why? He feels he has no choice, and there is a multi-billion dollar industry calling the shots.
“I’ve got some good looking ears coming,” said Kirk Bair, admiring his genetically modified corn crop, developed with Monsanto’s technology.
When asked why he has planted GM corn, Blair states:
“To use conventional corn, non-GMO, I’d have to till, apply pre-emergence herbicide. It’s more economical and more convenient to use GMO corn on real ground. I only use it because I felt like I had to. My seed supplier said, ‘Kirk it’s harder and harder to get a hold of conventional seed.’”
In less than a decade, the US has gone from planning 100% conventional seeds to almost 90% genetically modified seeds. Corn, soybeans and cotton are some of the most commonly grown GM crops – all considered staples.
Even though Blair grows GM crops, he says:
“I want to know what I am eating and I don’t want to eat GMO foods.”
Imagine that – a farmer who won’t eat his own crops. He has even supported labeling initiatives in California stating:
“People need know what they’re eating. People want to know what they’re eating.”
Read: 800 Scientists Demand Global ‘GMO Experiment’ End
This is a strange phenomenon – when farmers will knowingly plant crops they realize are dangerous to human health. Are they right about giving in to Monsanto, Bayer, and Syngenta when banned GM crops are being found in Europe, or when they are growing in Oregon and Minnesota fields without permission?
What about cross-pollination? Is a farmer’s ability to grow non-GMO completely compromised already to such a degree that she or he has to just shut down their tilling machines like a defeated warrior laying down his sword?
One biotech company claims the following reasons that farmers plant GM crops:
“Because they benefit from the technology – after all, 17.3 million farmers around the world do so, and their numbers grow each season.
In addition to higher yields and higher farm income, their reasons include:
Increased management flexibility
Easier adoption of no- or reduced till farming, which saves time, equipment usage, and carbon emissions
Improved weed control
Soil preservation
Less worry about pest damage
Less time spent on crop walking and/or insecticide application
Savings in energy use – mainly associated with less spraying and tillage
Savings in machinery use (for spraying and possibly reduced harvesting times)
Improved quality (e.g., lower levels of mycotoxins in GM insect-resistant maize)”
To the astute reader, there are several items on this list that are completely false – ‘less worry about pest damage’ could elicit an entire book of refutation. GM crops have increased worry about pest infestation. The emergence of superweeds and superbugs was in tandem with GM planting.
The ‘savings in machinery’ is arguable too, as more and more herbicide and pesticide use likely eats up any saved costs from having to spray more often – not less. The soil is also not preserved with GM crop planting – but destroyed. This has been proven many times over.
Multiple studies have looked at GM planting and its effects on the soil. One such study explains:
. . .residues of Bt maize plants that are ploughed into the soil following harvest suppress its ability to respire (produce carbon dioxide), it also reduces mycorrhizal colonisation and seriously alters bacterial populations within the soil ecosystem. This function of soil is vitally important for regulating plant growth and vitality, and for increasing availability of minerals and nutrients.
. . . Bt toxins persist in the soil for a considerable amount of time, which impedes the soil flora recovery and impacts upon plant health and growth in subsequent growing seasons.”
Addressing the other items on the list like improved quality are questionable, as are many other of the fallacious reasons given by EuropaBio.
Many farmers simply won’t accept the biotech misinformation that has been dished out for decades. The Rodale Research Institute on Organic Farming and Gardening lists thousands of farmers who know a better way. Since the 1940s and prior, this country has been growing food without chemicals and GM technology. It is more than possible, and now more than ever, vital.
It is understandable how farmers could initially feel drawn to the Big Ag model, based largely on the calculating lies of the biotech industry – but hopefully more farmers are seeing through biotech’s façade.
Bair seems to have seen behind Oz’s curtain to some degree, but he and other farmers like him obviously need public support to choose non-GM seeds and grow them.
You don’t fight a multi-billion dollar industry on a few acres. Perhaps Bair will join the ranks of Dr. Theirry Vrain, a former pro-GMO scientist who now whistleblows on the entire industry. That would be redemption.
Jump for Live Links
The Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation and GNS Healthcare Announce Collaboration to Identify Potential New Multiple Myeloma Therapies
Initiative will deploy predictive big data analytics to analyze patient data from landmark CoMMpass Study™ to speed drug discovery and development for patients with multiple myeloma
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. & NORWALK, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--GNS Healthcare (GNS), a leading provider of analytics solutions for driving personalized interventions that improve population health, and the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF), a leader in accelerating the development of breakthrough multiple myeloma therapies, today announced a collaboration to speed the discovery of innovative treatments for patients with multiple myeloma. The effort will combine the unprecedented genomic and clinical data from the MMRF’s landmark CoMMpass Study™ with revolutionary GNS machine learning platforms and rapid computer simulations. The work supports the development of computer models of myeloma disease that may uncover novel molecular pathways that can prevent progression of disease and address the unmet treatment needs of patients with multiple myeloma.
JUMP for Much More
"This work embodies the transformative role for big data analytics to uncover specific treatment protocols that have a much better chance of success for individual patients,"
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. & NORWALK, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--GNS Healthcare (GNS), a leading provider of analytics solutions for driving personalized interventions that improve population health, and the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF), a leader in accelerating the development of breakthrough multiple myeloma therapies, today announced a collaboration to speed the discovery of innovative treatments for patients with multiple myeloma. The effort will combine the unprecedented genomic and clinical data from the MMRF’s landmark CoMMpass Study™ with revolutionary GNS machine learning platforms and rapid computer simulations. The work supports the development of computer models of myeloma disease that may uncover novel molecular pathways that can prevent progression of disease and address the unmet treatment needs of patients with multiple myeloma.
JUMP for Much More
"This work embodies the transformative role for big data analytics to uncover specific treatment protocols that have a much better chance of success for individual patients,"
Smoking Not a Risk Factor for Multiple Myeloma
Cigarette smoking is not a risk factor for multiple myeloma, according to the results of a pooled analysis of nine case-control studies published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention.
Gabriella Andreotti, MD, of the National Cancer Institute, and colleagues undertook this study in an effort to clarify any relationship between cigarette smoking and multiple myeloma. Previous research had indicated no relationship between the two, but many of these studies may have been underpowered to detect an association, according to the researchers.
For this pooled analysis, Andreotti and colleagues used questionnaire data that included information on cigarette smoking from nine studies that included 2,670 cases of myeloma and 11,913 control cases.
Results showed no increased risk of multiple myeloma among ever smokers (OR = 0.95; 95% CI, 0.87-1.05), current smokers (OR = 0.82; 95% CI, 0.73-0.93), or former smokers (OR = 1.03; 95% CI, 0.92-1.14) compared with never smokers.
“These associations did not change measurably when participants who ceased smoking within 2 years prior to the completion of the questionnaire were re-categorized as current smokers from former smokers,” the researchers wrote. “However, we did find that participants who stopped smoking after age 56 had an almost 40% higher risk of multiple myeloma than those who stopped at age 33 or younger.”
Interestingly, the data showed that women who were ever smokers (OR = 0.83; 95% CI, 0.72-0.96) and current smokers (OR = 0.71; 95% CI, 0.58-0.86) had significantly lower risk for multiple myeloma than did women who were never smokers. The researchers wrote that the reasons for this reduced risk were unclear, but added that the “null exposure-response relationships with smoking frequency, pack-years, and duration of smoking among women argue against smoking being a real protective factor.”
Jump to Original Plus Related Stories
Gabriella Andreotti, MD, of the National Cancer Institute, and colleagues undertook this study in an effort to clarify any relationship between cigarette smoking and multiple myeloma. Previous research had indicated no relationship between the two, but many of these studies may have been underpowered to detect an association, according to the researchers.
For this pooled analysis, Andreotti and colleagues used questionnaire data that included information on cigarette smoking from nine studies that included 2,670 cases of myeloma and 11,913 control cases.
Results showed no increased risk of multiple myeloma among ever smokers (OR = 0.95; 95% CI, 0.87-1.05), current smokers (OR = 0.82; 95% CI, 0.73-0.93), or former smokers (OR = 1.03; 95% CI, 0.92-1.14) compared with never smokers.
“These associations did not change measurably when participants who ceased smoking within 2 years prior to the completion of the questionnaire were re-categorized as current smokers from former smokers,” the researchers wrote. “However, we did find that participants who stopped smoking after age 56 had an almost 40% higher risk of multiple myeloma than those who stopped at age 33 or younger.”
Interestingly, the data showed that women who were ever smokers (OR = 0.83; 95% CI, 0.72-0.96) and current smokers (OR = 0.71; 95% CI, 0.58-0.86) had significantly lower risk for multiple myeloma than did women who were never smokers. The researchers wrote that the reasons for this reduced risk were unclear, but added that the “null exposure-response relationships with smoking frequency, pack-years, and duration of smoking among women argue against smoking being a real protective factor.”
Jump to Original Plus Related Stories
Tuesday, January 6, 2015
DIY Household Cleaners Instead of Toxic Chemicals
You consider your dish cleaner, glass cleaner, carpet freshener, aerosol fragrances, fragrance candles, furniture polish, bathroom cleaners etc mostly safe right? Many of you do not blink before buying a bottle or a can of some cleaning product. But when you consider that you can make them yourself for less of a cost to your wallet, why not make it yourself? You could get your children involved with supervision and help them to learn what to do for their own future. Give them the power of self sufficiency.
If you say well I do not have time then you really have to ask yourself some questions:
1.Do you have time to get ready go to the store and go out purchase what you need every time you run out?
2.Do you have the gas money to continually go purchase more chemicals that could be causing health problems in your home?
3.Do you have the money to invest in your health that could be avoided if you just made your own instead?
4.Do you have the money to take your children or your pets to the hospital or the vet?
5.Wouldn’t it be easier to just plan ahead, buy what you need in a larger amount and make it yourself?
6.Would you truly be better off doing what you have always done?
Jump to our friends at Children Of Vietnam Veterans Health Alliance INC. for much more!
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