Everyone wonders at some moment if “maybe, just maybe, organic might be better for me”.

Sadly enough statistics were used recently to prove there is no difference. An article that appeared on Yahoo, written by Emily Sohn and posted at Discovery News boldly compared Organic and Non Organic foods and declared that “Organic is not more nutritious”, and went on to say not more healthful. No reason to buy organic they stated. Headline was “Organic Veggies Not More Nutritious” with a tag line of “Growing organic vegetables may be better for the environment, but eating them may not necessarily be more healthful”. Huh??

The headline makes sense, groups are constantly arguing about the nutrition level of chemically treated and organic foods … but to say that they “may not necessarily be more healthful” is just plain stupid. Did Emily Sohn do that to get attention or is it Discovery that is lying to get market share? What about pesticide, chemical fertilizer, chemical herbicide, growth hormone, genetic modification, medication or antibiotics. Healthful?

Ironically, deeper in the article it quotes the source of the news, Pia Knuthsen, a senior research scientist at the Danish National Food Institute’s department of food chemistry, based at the University of Copenhagen, as saying “Still, there are many good reasons for the consumer to select organic food products, including absence of pesticide residues in foods, animal welfare, and environmental protections.”

If you can imagine the writers like Sohn, and scientists who try to trick people either with misleading statistics or by companies like Discovery doing headline marketing to the people that don’t have time to read the article. A quick glance and you “know” that t first sight, for those, who don’t think about it, would mean that why to bother paying for organic then? The whole article was about comparing the nutrients in organic and non organic food.

When the reality is that we DO NOT buy organic food for more nutrition, we DO buy it for LESS pesticides, and LESS chemicals. It is a shame that we have to pay so much more for them, but if people would only buy those then big conglomerate farms wouldn’t have the choice anymore, and the prices would come down.

It just makes me sick when the government, the USDA comes out with their little ideas of how much poison is ok to have in each food item. Sure, maybe it’s ok to have a certain level of poison in a fish, or in a vegetable if you have only one of them, and you only have a little bit at once, or in a day. What if you didn’t read all their guidance, and you eat more than they suggest? What if you ate for breakfast, and lunch and dinner stuff that had the same poison in them, so it’s all added up??? Did they ever think about that when they suggested the poison levels in food? Why didn’t they just say no to poison in food? Why? Doesn’t the USDA work for the People? Don’t they receive the majority of their wages and benefits from the taxes of the People? Do they have conscience?

Here there are some links:
The Mayo Clinic’s opinion about organic food and advice which is pretty good except for the first paragraph, which goes back to my original argument: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/organic-food/NU00255/NSECTIONGROUP=2

Here’s some pesticides on your veggies for your pleasure:

Here is Sohn’s article and horribly inaccurate line.
Discovery News Misleading Headlines

Discovery and Sohn should post a correction and an apology! I’ll let you know if I get one.

By the way, the title is a quote used by Mark Twain and attributed by him to British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli (1804–1881): “There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics.” No one has been able to find it in any of Disraeli’s memoirs.

“… done little to curtail the obstacles, harassment and intimidation tactics journalists are facing by federal officials and local police, as well as BP employees and contractors, while covering the worst environmental catastrophe in U.S. history.”

If the police are used to keep American people away from its land, then this is NOT democracy. We do NOT live in democracy.

Read more about it here.

YOUR DAILY MILK

If you are wondering… Ben & Jerry’s uses milk that is from cows that had no hormone injections… So instead of drinking poisoned milk, maybe we should just have ice cream.

rBGH was developed by Monsanto, and they make billions of dollars every year selling it. The Chairman, President and CEO of Monsanto is Hugh Grant and the main number for the corporate office is (314) 694-1000, but he is probably too busy to talk to you. Try to call Scarlett Lee Foster, she is Vice President of Investor Relations. Her number is 314-694-8148 … tell her what you think about rBGH in your milk.

International Scientific Committee Warns of Serious Risks of Breast and Prostate Cancer from Monsanto’s Hormonal Milk

Safe Milk

Even if someone doubts Global Warming or the hole in the Ozone, is there any doubt that our planets resources are finite? Read more about Earth Hour.

I don’t understand ignorant people, but can accept that they do exist. However, there is a line where ignorance becomes stupidity. This guy in New Hope, Pa. crosses that line and it’s just unbelievable. Even if he thinks that global warming is “nonsense” I am still stunned by his response:

“The resident of New Hope, Pa., and owner of Gerenser’s Exotic Ice Cream planned to illuminate his store with extra theatrical lighting.

“I’m going to get everyone I know in my neighborhood to turn on every light they possibly can to waste as much electricity as possible to underline the absurdity of this action … by being absurd,” he said.” – from Yahoo News

Why is his extra lighting good? What does he want to accomplish or achieve? Does he prove anything beyond showing the world he is an idiot? We are in the middle of a recession, too many people have lost their jobs and struggle with little or no money. Obviously he has too much. He enjoys wasting it and bragging about it. If he has so much money to waste, why doesn’t he help people in need instead?

What is his real goal? What does he want to prove? That he has the right to burn as much electricity as he can? He can waste with no limits?

Well, I wouldn’t waste a dime in his store that’s for sure….

Here’s some of the email chain. I’ve left out the names of both parties.

Friend:
“…I’ve been living here for 12 years, my daughter was a month old when we moved in… I would like information if we are breathing in these gases from the dump and if there are more cases of cancer in my zip code!

Thank you so much in advance for your help!

Hopefully my fears will be put to rest.”

Florida Department of Health:
“Landfills emit gases. The type and volume of emitted gas varies widely depending on the fill composition, landfill construction, and the age of the landfill.

Because gas emissions vary widely between landfills, air testing would be necessary to determine the health risk, but because air testing around landfills is not required by law it is rarely done.”

Friend:
“Thank you for your time and help.

Just curious … if gas emissions from the dump could be a health risk, then why wouldn’t air testing be done routinely?”

Florida Department of Health:
“The state does not require routine testing around landfills, drop off facilities, or sewage treatment plants. I’m unfamiliar with the regulatory history of air monitoring at these facilities. The state environmental agency has jurisdiction at these facilities.”

***********************

So, if you are concerned about a landfill close to you in Florida, we can tell that they do emit gases – (oh ya … so that’s what smells!) – but no one knows if they are bad for you, and no one is checking. Maybe they are good for you?

Most importantly the Florida Department of Health website has their mission:
“Promote, protect and improve the health of all people in Florida. ”

Yeah, that’s right.

Wow, I thought it was Palm Beach County that put the DUH in Florida!