Will Veggies Make You Live Longer?

Some scientific studies show that in communities where elders live the longest—they eat less meat than the rest. It’s hard to say if it’s their greens or their genes. But, there’s no question that  we as a people and our planet would be healthier by eating  more veggies and less red meat, generally.


Growing livestock for meat production and processing requires an immense amount of water and land—more than any other form of food. To produce 1 pound of feedlot beef requires about 2,400 gallons of water and 7 pounds of grain. Cornell University scientists estimate that the U.S. could feed 800 million people with the grain that livestock eat.
Meat production is also one of the top contributors to our most serious environmental challenges—from deforestation to air and water pollution.

Last year, even the World Bank scientists came out against the meat industry, estimating that meat production is responsible for at least 51% of greenhouse gases.
If you're still looking for ways to go green for 2010, doing the veggie thing once a week may be a great next step. Find your local Farmers Market and support a few local organic farmers. You'll be making better choices for our planet. And, you might even live longer. :)

The Agricultural Bill HR 2749 had passed in the House in July 2009, but has yet to pass in the Senate under a different name, "Food Safety Enhancement Act."



The Obama government and others, including John McCain, are trying to enact this bill to micromanage every bite of food you take, lower dosages for vitamins and minerals, prosecute anyone who grows or sells Rosemary and Thyme, hand over all pharmaceutical business to the global players such as Monsanto (for one) and basically disallow anyone who holds a pen of chickens in their yard to provide eggs for their family. The "organic" label in the market will disappear and be unlawful to produce.

There is much more to this bill so please research it for yourself and consider what this means for ourselves , our children and quality of life.

Please write your Senators and Congressman regarding this Agricultural Bill. If we do not speak out now then when??

Thank you for your research Cheryl

Here is more information on HR2749:

* HR 2749 would impose an annual registration fee of $500 on any “facility” that holds, processes, or manufactures food. (Hmmm...I think I am storing and processing food in my home kitchen. I occasionally make my own bread or jam or salads. Guess I'd better register with the Federal government and hand over $500 buckaroos.)



* HR 2749 would empower FDA to regulate how crops are raised and harvested. It puts the federal government right on the farm, dictating to our farmers. ( I think the Feds have already been doing this to some extent. This just hands the FDA more power on steroids....instead of at the point of market, it is on the private property of the farm.)


* HR 2749 would give FDA the power to order a quarantine of a geographic area, including “prohibiting or restricting the movement of food or of any vehicle being used or that has been used to transport or hold such food within the geographic area.” (You better not drive your SUV to the Farmer's Market to transport that food to your home...the food police are on your tail. Martial law for Farmer's Markets)


* HR 2749 would empower FDA to make random warrantless searches of the business records of small farmers and local food producers, without any evidence whatsoever that there has been a violation. ( You're screwed. Don't even think about taking that pie to the wake of your friend's dead relative.)


* HR 2749 charges the Secretary of Health and Human Services with establishing a tracing system for food. Each “person who produces, manufactures, processes, packs, transports, or holds such food” [Is this not every home in the US?] would have to “maintain the full pedigree of the origin and previous distribution history of the food,” and “establish and maintain a system for tracing the food that is interoperable with the systems established and maintained by other such persons.” 

* HR 2749 creates severe criminal and civil penalties, including prison terms of up to 10 years and/or fines of up to $100,000 for each violation for individuals. (Punishment by fiat? Who enforces this? The FDA now assumes the right to implement fines and penalties without judicial review? Are we having fun yet?)

Please  Make your calls to your Congressman but most relevent  to your Senators.

**Make Your Call Now**

For contact information use this link:


http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm?State=NY

World View of Global Warming

The Snows of Kilimanjaro, which give their name to a short story by Ernest Hemingway and his film adaptation starring Gregory Peck and Ava Gardner, have been a symbol of romanticism that has engulfed the African continent for centuries. But in recent years have also become a symbol of climate change.

 

A new study in the permafrost of the highest mountain in Africa, published today in the journal 'Proceedings of the National Accademy of Sciences' (PNAS) reinforces this idea. The research findings reveal that the glaciers located both in the crater on the slopes of the summit of Kilimanjaro could disappear within 20 years if nothing is done to reverse the current trend of global climate warming.



 

Portage Glacier 1914

Portage Glacier 2004

Glaciers across Western China and the Tibetan Plateau are shrinking, threatening more water shortages

In northern Guangdong, farmers who had good wells now must carry water past dried up fish ponds.

China is the rousing giant of global warming. It stands as a developing nation outside the guidelines of the Kyoto treaty, yet with more than one billion people and a huge energy-gobbling economy, it is one of the most influential countries in climate change.

Greenland's huge icecap, second only to Antarctica, is also showing signs of change, although measurements are preliminary. Outflow glaciers like this one on the central east coast, as measured by NASA airborne radar and laser, appear to be thinning and flowing more rapidly. The National Climate Data Center (NOAA) reports that 2002 saw the greatest measured surface melt of Greenland ice in 24 years of satellite records. Two deep ice cores from there provide a detailed Northern Hemisphere climate record extending beyond the last ice age.

Some of us are adjusting nicely..

Hummm  I wonder where the man is that was sitting in that chair......

SOS Climate Change

It is always a good thing to look at the information provided to us from

around the world. There are things happening to the earth that are

alarming and although areas of consern are being addressed a portion of

the damage which has been reported appears to be irreversible already.

Use your translator, if necessary, to look at SOS Cambio Climatico. I will

be intrested to read your comments. I found the site to be extremely well

done with much information.

Thank You for your interest and your feedback.

Carl

Go Green Any Where You Like

This is as Green as it gets!

Going Green is in vogue today. Some argue that the planet is in mortal danger;that we are destroying it at an alarming rate. They make the case that we all as a Human Race must conserve our resources by limiting our consumption and pollution. Wheather or not you buy into the idea of Gobal Warming, the melting ice caps, the gradual pollution of our air and water entirely or in part, having a cleaner earth, preserving our natural resources, using our technology to engage creative power sources and have clean air to breath just makes sence.

I think most of us have seen pictures of engineers perched on their high tech bikes or driving little cars that use little or no fuel. Most look a little strange but I guess I have to applaud the effort and personal commitment to the cause.

Even the comedian George Carlin got on board by telling his audience that"Kilometers are shorter than miles. Save gas, take your next trip in Kilometers."

The "Tree Huggers" as Green concious people are sometimes called, keep on inventing their gadgets to make their personal contribuations and sometimes just go over the top and around the bend!

This is a picture of a washing machine combination toilet, if you haven't figured it out yet. It uses the dirty wash water to flush the toilet. I just Love It! It gets my vote for the most creative contraption that I have seen in awhile.

Carl