Archive for July, 2010
Genetically Altered Salmon Moves Toward Approval In U.S.
Guess which one is genetically altered… Source: AquaBounty
What do we have to do to stop this madness? No doubt the U.S. Government will decide that there’s no need to tell people if the salmon we’re served or sold is a genetically-altered Frankenfood. From the New York Times:
The Food and Drug Administration is seriously considering whether to approve the first genetically engineered animal that people would eat — salmon that can grow at twice the normal rate.
The developer of the salmon has been trying to get approval for a decade. But the company now seems to have submitted most or all of the data the F.D.A. needs to analyze whether the salmon are safe to eat, nutritionally equivalent to other salmon and safe for the environment, according to government and biotechnology industry officials. A public meeting to discuss the salmon may be held as early as this fall.
Some consumer and environmental…
John Cleese Rants on “Soccer” vs. “Football”
John Cleese from the documentary The Art of Soccer (Football) from A to Z:
Some Kind Of Wanderful
The AmWand
The dudes at VICE crack the crazy behind AmWand, a so-called Zero Point Energy healing device:
Three grown men recently gyrated their wands inches above my lower back while I laid facedown on a red couch. Every few minutes they asked me whether I was “feeling anything.” They were hoping that twirling stainless-steel tubes full of “granulated minerals” over my body would relieve an ailment that has caused me niggling yet constant nerve pain for years. It had no discernable effect on my discomfort, but hundreds of people across the world believe these wands contain a powerful healing energy.
My wanding experience took place inside a charming 100-year-old house in Mount Vernon, New York. The homeowner, 39-year-old Paul Saenz, had invited me there for a demonstration of the AMwand, one of the many wellness products manufactured by the multilevel marketing company Amega Global. Paul is a part-time musician, a father of two,…
Free-Range Eggs May Be Less Healthy Than Regular Eggs
From Science Daily:
Contrary to popular belief, paying a premium price for free-range eggs may not be healthier than eating regular eggs, a new study reports. Scientists found that free-range eggs in Taiwan contain at least five times higher levels of certain pollutants than regular eggs.
Their findings appear in ACS’ bi-weekly Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.
In the new study, Pao-Chi Liao and colleagues note that free-range chickens are those that have continuous access to fresh air, sunshine, and exercise, in contrast to chickens that are confined to cages. Demand for eggs from free-range chickens has increased steadily due to their supposed better nutrition qualities, including higher levels of certain healthy fats. But scientists suspect that free-range chickens may risk getting higher levels of exposure to environmental pollutants, particularly PCDDs and PCDFs, potentially toxic substances that are produced as by-products of burning waste. Also known as dioxins, these substances may cause…
Slowed Food Revolution
Photo: Christopher Thomas (CC)
Obama seeks to boost demand for organic food but doesn’t offer meaningful support for the people who grow it. Heather Rogers reports for the American Prospect:
Morse Pitts has been cultivating the same land in New York’s Hudson Valley for 30 years. His operation, Windfall Farms, is the very picture of local, sustainable agriculture. From early spring to late fall, the farm’s 15 acres are luxuriant with snap peas, squash, mint, kale, and Swiss chard. Its greenhouses burst with sun gold tomatoes and an array of baby greens. Pitts, who is in his 50s and is tall with gray hair, doesn’t use chemical fertilizers or pesticides or any genetically modified seeds. He cultivates biodiversity, not just vegetables.
Twice a week, he hauls his produce 65 miles south to Manhattan to sell at the lucrative Union Square farmers market. His converted school bus runs on biodiesel he makes from used…
Ooh-Ah, Doctor Who!
Eric Cantona. Photo: Georges Biard (CC)
It’s not often that the worlds of sci fi and soccer overlap, but the Daily Star reports that former French footie star Eric Cantona (his mega-success at Manchester United led to the terrace chant “Ooh-Ah Cantona”) will be part of the cast on Britain’s classic TV show Doctor Who:
Football legend Eric Cantona is set to inject a bit of Ooh Ah into Doctor Who.
The former Manchester United star is being lined up for a role as an evil alien alongside Time Lord Matt Smith. And producers are hoping the Frenchman might show off some of his famous Kung Fu moves in his baddie part.
Cantona, 44, famously attacked a fan with a high kick during a match against Crystal Palace in 1995.
But since then, the footballer has become a serious actor and had a series of roles, including a part in a Brit flick Looking For Eric.…
Al-Qaeda Launches English-Language Mag For Wannabe Terrorists
Flag of Al-Qaeda in Iraq
Now that Western countries such as Germany, the UK and US are increasingly breeding so-called “homegrown” Islamic terrorists, it’s at least marginally comforting that most of them are so incompetent that their explosive devices seldom detonate. Perhaps with this in mind, Al-Qaeda has launched an online magazine in English, instructing would-be jihadists on topics such as “Make a Bomb in the Kitchen of Your Mom,” as reported by AP:
Al-Qaida launched its first online propaganda magazine in English on Tuesday, a move that could help the terror group recruit inside the U.S. and Europe.
The magazine, called Inspire, is being run by al-Qaida’s branch in Yemen, which has been linked to the failed Christmas Day bombing attempt of a U.S.-bound airliner.
The launch suggests that, as al-Qaida’s core has been weakened by CIA drone airstrikes, the group hopes to broaden its reach inside the U.S., where officials have seen…
