Soy has enjoyed a meteoric rise in popularity over the past 20 years. When I first began making tofu 30 years ago no one had ever heard of “to-fu” and it certainly wasn’t in stores like it is now. The beans were old fashioned soybeans and the taste (what there is of it) was quite different from the packaged stuff now.

Unfortunately, the crap in the stores in the US now is NOT the good stuff people think they are getting. Soy is one of (if not THE) most genetically modified foods on the planet: Frankenstein Food. Watch and see what results from people buying into the SOY MADNESS over the next 25-30 years.

Monsanto’s dominance draws antitrust inquiry
Patented seeds are go-to for farmers, who decry their fast-growing price

By Peter Whoriskey
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, November 29, 2009

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/28/AR2009112802471.html?wprss=rss_business

For plants designed in a lab a little more than a decade ago, they’ve come a long way: Today, the vast majority of the nation’s two primary crops grow from seeds genetically altered according to Monsanto company patents.

Ninety-three percent of soybeans. Eighty percent of corn.

The seeds represent “probably the most revolutionary event in grain crops over the last 30 years,” said Geno Lowe, a Salisbury, Md., soybean farmer.

But for farmers such as Lowe, prices of the Monsanto-patented seeds have steadily increased, roughly doubling during the past decade, to about $50 for a 50-pound bag of soybean seed, according to seed dealers.

The revolution, and Monsanto’s dominant role in the nation’s agriculture, has not unfolded without complaint. Farmers have decried the price increases, and competitors say the company has ruthlessly stifled competition.

Now Monsanto — like IBM and Google — has drawn scrutiny from U.S. antitrust investigators, who under the Obama administration have looked more skeptically at the actions of dominant firms.

During the Bush administration, the Justice Department did not file a single case under antimonopoly laws regulating a dominant firm. But that stretch seems unlikely to continue.

This year, the Obama Justice Department tossed out the antitrust guidelines of its predecessor because they advocated “extreme hesitancy in the face of potential abuses by monopoly firms.”

“We must change course,” Christine Varney, the Obama administration’s chief antitrust enforcer, said at the time.

Of all the new scrutiny by Justice, the Monsanto investigation might have the highest stakes, dealing as it does with the food supply and one of the nation’s largest agricultural firms. It could also force the Obama administration, already under fire for the government’s expanded role in the economy, to explain how it distinguishes between normal rough-and-tumble competition and abusive monopolistic business practices.

www.newmediaexplorer.org/…/pesticidedanger.jpg

New Report: GMOs Causing Massive Pesticide Pollution

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/andrew-kimbrell/new-report-gmos-causing-m_b_362888.html

Andrew Kimbrell -  Nov. 21, 2009

Executive Director of the Center for Food Safety

There is one fact about genetically engineered foods that there is no debate about: no one wakes up in the morning eager to buy gene-altered food. There’s good reason for this. Genetically modified foods do nothing for the “eating public”. They provide no extra nutrition, flavor, safety or any other trait that people actually want. Instead, these food products only offer risks, which include potential toxicity, allergenecity, and lower nutritional value.

This presents a tough problem for the Monsantos of the world, who are pushing these GM foods. How can you sell something to the public that offers no benefits to them? And, because of their lobbying power, the biotech companies have ensured that their products are not labeled. So Monsanto’s real request of the public is “be unknowing guinea pigs for foods that make us a lot of money and offer you nothing but risk.”

Obviously this message is a PR nightmare, so Monsanto has come up with a spin that is old as public relations itself: “accept and buy our products because they will help the world.” More particularly, their ads displayed in mass transit systems around the country and regularly on NPR claim that GM foods “will feed a hungry world” and “reduce the load of pesticides” used in agriculture.

Not surprisingly, both these claims turn out to be self-serving myths. Earlier this year the Union of Concerned Scientists issued a detailed report entitled “Failure to Yield”. The report’s findings were straightforward and incontrovertible. After 21 years of research, billions of dollars of investments in public and private funds, and more than 13 years of commercialization, GM crops have done nothing to significantly increase yield: so much for the “feeding the world’s hungry” spin.

Now, a new report from The Organic Center, “Impacts of Genetically Engineered Crops on Pesticide Use: The First Thirteen Years”, exposes the “less pesticide” myth. The report, which was released on Tuesday, was authored by Dr. Charles Benbrook, a leading agricultural scientist….

Related: By Rady Ananda

Poison on the Platter video link

http://radyananda.wordpress.com/2009/06/13/poison-on-the-platter-video-link/

This full length film chronicles the disastrous consequences of GM food in India. The United States does not require GM food be labeled here. Seventy percent of US food is genetically modified.

“Sejal” posted this 30-minute video on the web a few weeks ago, writing:

“‘Poison on the Platter’ is an eye-opening film, made by Mahesh Bhatt and Ajay Kanchan, illustrating how all of our lives are gonna be (adversely) affected by genetically modified foods. It is no more a farmer’s issue alone, it’s a matter of the consumers’ right to food safety…

Acoma Pueblo

In baseball when the man on first base runs toward second this is an attempt to steal the base. When the other team is unconcerned that the runner will advance to second base and does not try to get him out, this is called, “defensive indifference”.

Are you guilty of “defensive indifference” when it comes to your home? Are you just letting it “slide” when it comes to your living and working environments? Take control and make the right moves so you and your family can live a healthier, happier, and more harmonious life. Simple Green Shui techniques can make a world of difference.

Today’s Element…AIR

Start today and feel the immediate results:

1. Clean your air vents and wash air conditioner filters monthly.
2. Ventilate your space by creating an “Air Bath”. Open the windows and plug in a fan!
3. Make your home/office a Tobacco Smoke Free property.
4. Music changes the air vibration in our homes. Play your favorite tunes for energy renewal.
5. If energy feels stagnant, hang a pleasant sounding wind chime by a door or window. It will keep the air moving and is relaxing to listen to.
6. Aromatherapy changes the scent of the air and boasts the energy in a room. Incense, scented candles, and potpourri can be a wake-up call to our senses and improve our moods.
7. Bring nature indoors. Plants purify the air by naturally removing toxins.
8. Use “people-friendly” cleaning products. Your environment should be a safe place to breathe.

Our civilization has changed dramatically. Today our feet are on cement instead of earth. We unknowingly eat genetically engineered foods, instead of natural garden fresh foods. We breathe pollution instead of fresh air. “Defensive indifference” has a place in baseball, but has no place in our homes and work places.

Debra Duneier, President

Green Shui, LLC

Make the commitment to “go green” and manage stress naturally on Earth Day this Wednesday, April 22nd.  With the increased level of stress we are managing, it’s important to take steps to protect your adrenal glands.  Adrenal fatigue can set in after your adrenals have been forced to work extra hard for a long period of time.   Try and incorporate the following into your day to day activities to help your body better cope with stress and manage your hormone levels.

1. Increasing nutrient intake by eating a diet that includes plenty of quality protein with regular meals of high nutritional value
2. Limiting or avoiding the intake of hydrogenated fats, excess caffeine, refined carbohydrates, alcohol and sugar
3. Supplementing with a good multi-vitamin, B-complex vitamin, vitamin C, magnesium, adaptogenic herbs, and DHEA supplements
4. Supporting local organic farmers and sustainable farming by purchasing pesticide-free produce
5. Avoiding genetically engineered foods, preservatives, dyes, as well as synthetic hormones, antibiotics, and drugs in animal products
6. Taking time to evaluate daily and situational stressors and practice stress management
7. Getting plenty of sleep so the adrenals can repair overnight
8. Adding the practice of gentle exercise, meditation or yoga
9. Undergoing diagnostic adrenal testing, including comprehensive saliva tests to determine cortisol levels and amounts produced to determine your body’s reaction to adrenal stress
10. Adding bioidentical hormone therapy when necessary to help sustain adrenal function

Get your hormone levels tested if you’re feeling a reduced ability to deal with stress, you are depressed, fatigued, have anxiety, are having trouble falling asleep or you just don’t feel like yourself.  Many of our patients have experienced relief from bioidentical hormone therapy in combination with a customized nutrition and fitness program.

Managing stress naturally is a good practice all year round, “go green” this Wednesday for Earth Day and keep it going!

my dear friend Jeffrey Smith, one of the world’s leading anti-GM food researchers, is featured in this movie created by award winning Parisian journalist, Marie Monique.read more about The World According to Monsanto.

Josh Brandon

This morning, Greenpeace activists quarantined BC Premier, Gordon Campbell’s constituency office in Vancouver to protest his refusal to implement mandatory labelling of genetically engineered foods.  The activists hung banners that read “What’s in your food? Demand the right to know” and “Campbell’s Genetically engineered BC”. The morning action kicked off GE Free Day, a province wide day of action to celebrate GE Free food and to protest the release of GE in our food system and our environment.  To find out more about GE Free Day, go to www.greenpeace.ca/cropcircle

The budget.  If it weren’t for that pesky little issue, I wouldn’t be writing on this topic.  I’d just buy everything organic, and my guess is that you would too.  But since neither of us has unlimited funds, here a few tips I try to keep in mind when deciding whether it’s worth the extra $$ to buy organic:

1)  Always buys organic corn, soy, and canola, and any product containing one of these ingredients.  Corn, soy, canola, and cotton are the top four genetically modified (GM) crops, and until we know more about GM foods, you’re better off staying far, far away from them.  Very few rigorous studies have been conducted on these foods because of loopholes in the FDA approval process, and most of the evidence available suggests that they can cause reproductive problems, organ defects, infant mortality, and increased food allergies.  For more information, see the hot-off-the-press Genetic Roulette: The Documented Health Risks of Genetically Engineered Foods.  It’s a painstakingly-researched, fascinating book.  Also visit www.responsibletechnology.org.

2)  If you have to choose between buying organic produce or buying organic animal products, sink your money into the latter.  There are many times more pesticides in meats than in produce.  Conventionally-raised animals consume pesticide-laced diets themselves, which means that they are consistently building up the toxins in their flesh. 

My favorite source for organic, grass-fed beef and lamb is Paidom Meats.  Check them out if you live in or near Texas.  I’ve never found a better price, and their quality is unbeatable.  You do have to buy in bulk, so consider splitting an order with a friend to keep the up-front cost manageable (and your freezer from overflowing).

3)  According to the FDA, some kinds of fruits and vegetables retain higher concentrations of pesticides, even after washing and peeling.  Here’s a list compiled by the Environmental Working Group of the twelve most contaminated fruits and veggies (a.k.a. The Dirty Dozen):
          Peaches
          Apples
          Bell Peppers
          Celery
          Nectarines
          Strawberries
          Cherries
          Pears
          Grapes
          Spinach
          Lettuce
          Potatoes

The same organization, the EWG, also offers the least contaminated varieties:
          Onions
          Avocados
          Corn (but you should buy this organic anyway for GM reasons)
          Pineapple
          Mangoes
          Asparagus
          Peas
          Kiwis
          Bananas
          Cabbage
          Broccoli
          Eggplant
To get more information and a free, printable card listing these foods, go to www.foodnews.org.

4) Finally, buy local whenever you can.  Visit your farmers’ market.  Even if the produce isn’t organic, the food is fresher and is picked at its peak ripeness, which means the nutritional content is higher.  In addition, you can ask the growers what kind of pesticides and how much of them they use.  Even when the farmer uses chemicals, they are likely at a much lower level than commercial growers use.  If you live in the Houston metro area, I highly recommend the Bayou City Farmers’ Market, held every Saturday morning and Wednesday afternoon near the intersection of 59 and Kirby.  Check out their website for more information and directions here.

When presenting the relatively wide range of topics in this column, one risks offending some persons with each article. I have had the pleasure of reading several responses over the past year from persons from many countries and their letters were always written with a high standard of civility regardless of their views.

Dr Robert Lucas’ letter in response to my article on Genetically Engineered Foods, which was published last Sunday, was a departure from this standard. His submission essentially supported my article. However, this was not immediately obvious given his style of writing. Introducing extraneous issues and using insulting language can be an effective method of distracting readers from considering the essence of an argument. Dr Lucas’ letter provides an opportunity to return to this important topic of genetic engineering.

Of the approximately 30 points raised in my article, Dr Lucas focused on five of them. I stated my concern about the link between genetically engineered foods and the transfer of allergies. Dr Lucas confirmed the link but incorrectly assumed that allergies were long-term health effects.

I wrote that the long-term effects of consuming genetically engineered foods are unknown. Given the relatively short time that humans have been consuming genetically engineered foods this fact is obvious. However, Dr Lucas had some difficulty resolving this with his earlier assumption about allergies.

I wrote about the coincidence of the HIV/AIDS appearing during the time of the genetically engineered experiments on viruses, and the similarity of HIV/AIDS with genetically engineered viruses. Dr Lucas did not dispute this fact. Neither did he dispute the fifty new human attacking viruses that have been discovered during the period of these experiments. However, he did clarify that antibiotics and vaccines are used to treat bacteria and viruses respectively.

I wrote that antibiotic markers in genetically engineered foods may contribute to the decreased effectiveness of disease fighting antibodies. After introducing extraneous issues and arguing with himself, Dr Lucas did not challenge this fact.

There are some scientists who are so blinded by the novelty of new technology, and the lure of the opportunity to participate in scientific history, that they refuse to allow themselves to acknowledge the potential harmful aspects of the technology until it is literally too late. Engaging in scientific debate with such persons is therefore futile.

Scientists risk compromising their integrity when they choose to represent the industry in which they conduct their research. Examples are evident with scientists who represented the tobacco, toxic manufacturing, pesticide, and herbicide industries and who refused to acknowledge the clear link between their products and the damage to human health and the environment until the damage was overwhelming. Regrettably, some scientists in the biotechnology industry are following a similar pattern of refusing to consider the potential harmful effects of this industry.

The essential thrust of the article was that genetic engineering is a relatively new technology that was allowed to operate with very limited to non-existent government regulations worldwide. The risks to human health and the environment can be higher in unregulated or inadequately regulated scientific environments.

Genetic engineers were generally ignorant of the potential consequences of this technology on human health and the environment. The combination of this ignorance, and being allowed to operate in a relatively unregulated environment, raised the risks to human health and the environment to unacceptable levels, and unplanned negative consequences associated with genetic engineering have already been well documented. Some governments have since instituted better regulations, but risks remain.

Barbadians are currently being forced to eat genetically engineered foods, since it is estimated that most of the imported foods in supermarkets in Barbados are genetically engineered. The article called on the Ministry of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, which has the responsibility of protecting Barbadian consumers, to do so by ensuring that such foods are properly labelled so that persons can choose whether they wish to consume them. The article also recommended that the genetic engineering laboratories at the University of the West Indies, both in Barbados and Jamaica, should be independently audited. Dr Lucas did not address any of these concerns.

Dear Readers:

Around 1980, the US Supreme Court ruled that micro-organisms could be patented. Thus began what can be described as a mad rush to tamper with the genes of various organisms in laboratories around the world, in the hope of constructing marketable life forms.

Some laboratories concentrated their efforts on genetically engineered organisms, randomly splicing, say, human genes with spiders’ and observing the results. Other laboratories concentrated on the more potentially lucrative genetically engineered foods in an effort to make food crops resistant to insects and herbicides. Insect resistant crops are achieved by introducing toxins into the crop to make them poisonous to insects. Herbicide resistant crops are achieved by changing the nature of the crop so that when sprayed with heavy concentrations of herbicide, the surrounding weeds die, but the food crop remains.

The long-term health effects of genetically engineered foods are unknown. However, genetically engineered foods may be the cause of the upsurge in asthma, allergies, and antibiotic resistant diseases. When genes are taken from one source and spliced into a food group, then the allergenic properties of the source is also transferred which can trigger life threatening allergic reactions. Each genetically engineered food also contains markers to indicate that the organism has been successfully engineered. These markers are generally resistant to antibiotics and are believed to contribute to the decreasing effectiveness of disease fighting antibiotics.

Approximately two-thirds of all imported foods in local supermarkets are estimated to be genetically engineered, and these foods are not required to be labelled. Barbadians are therefore being forced to consume genetically engineered foods against their will. The justification for not labelling genetically engineered food is the assumption that such food is materially equivalent to conventional food.

The world has had to suffer unnecessarily because of incorrect assumptions determined due to commercial pressures. Wrong assumptions from the pesticide industry have left a legacy of contaminated soil and water around the world. Wrong assumptions made by various manufacturing industries have left a legacy of toxic waste sites around the world. Wrong assumptions made by the tobacco industry have left a legacy of heart disease and lung cancer. Wrong assumptions already made by genetic engineers pose grave threats.

Perhaps the greatest of these threats is in the area of genetically engineered viruses and bacteria. Unlike natural organic material that simply degrades, genetically engineered waste material does not naturally degrade but can jump or cross over into other species causing them to undergo changes at a genetic level. Discarded genetic laboratory waste has the potential to contaminate all life.

Coincidentally, HIV/AIDS was first observed during the time of the first genetically engineered viruses. HIV/AIDS also behaves like a genetically engineered virus in that it has the ability to cross over into other species. In 1975, genetic engineers feared creating and inadvertently releasing dangerous viruses and bacteria pathogens into the environment. They therefore agreed to stop all such research until countries enacted sufficient regulations to control this new branch of science. Since the US Supreme Court ruling that essentially overturned this agreement, over 50 new human attacking micro-organisms have been discovered, with some being invulnerable to all known antibiotics.

Genetic engineering experiments are being carried out in laboratories at UWI campuses in Barbados and in Jamaica. If it is felt that such experiments are necessary and desirable in the Caribbean, then given the high risks and grave consequences associated with such research, it is highly recommended that independent audits be carried out of UWI’s labs and genetic disposal protocols as a matter of extreme urgency.

The Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs has inherited the responsibility of protecting Barbadian consumers. One effective protective measure would be to ensure that all genetically engineered foods are labelled before they are placed on our supermarket shelves. Barbadians should not be forced to participate as human trials in the current genetically engineered food experiments.

Regards,

Grenville Phillips II

Sample Review: Soul-Full Eating: A (Delicious!) Path to Higher Consciousness

This is a whole new diet twist – forget you’re a body and instead see yourself as a Soul. That’s right, in her provocative new book, Soul-Full Eating – A (Delicious!) Path to Higher Consciousness, former international model turned Transformational Life Coach Maureen Whitehouse gives us a path to higher consciousness that cleans up our dietary habits along the way to enlightenment. Whitehouse’s mantra is: Eat with love, what’s grown with love, prepared with love and served with love. In other words, she is asking us to consider what we’re eating, where it came from, why we’re eating it, and to also be grateful that we’re eating it at all. The author has found that considering these factors and learning what foods resonate with our Soul is a clear path to healthier way of consuming food.

Soul-Full Eating is certainly not your typical diet book. A refreshing change in the self-help approach, it very engagingly offers a complete approach to spiritual and personal development right alongside tips for eating well. In a personal and nurturing way, Whitehouse encourages us to accept, honor and appreciate our individual dietary needs. The well-researched and often cutting-edge information is presented in a ways that help us to become aware of the simple, yet dynamic changes we can make in how we select, prepare and eat food to increase our personal energy and feelings of well-being.

At the beginning of the book, Whitehouse explains her overall concept and steps that start to incorporate this approach into your life (buying produce locally, choosing organic, avoiding “mind-less” fast foods, etc.). Then she goes on to offer a primer on a range of basic nutritional topics from protein, to fats, to salt, to sugar, adding in contemporary issues like genetically engineered foods and the importance of enzyme-rich “live” foods. She also provides explanations and resources for the best approaches to diet available today – including Raw Foods, Macrobiotics, Ayurveda, Acid/Alkaline Balance, Food Combining and the “New” Kosher. Whitehouse advises her readers to use the information to experiment and eventually settle on the diet that feels individually most satisfying. Not only does Whitehouse engagingly discuss background to increase your spiritual and nutritional awareness, she also illuminates the life-altering effects that seeing with a Soul-Full perspective can have in your life by sharing her own experiences and that of her father (who recovered from heart disease by taking a Soul-full approach to eating and living after being told his best option was to go under the surgeon’s knife). While reading Soul-Full Eating, it becomes obvious that eating consciously can have a profound effect on your life. The depth of the author’s mission will touch your heart and inspire you into taking action.