The DISH

Unbossed and unbought news and information you can use

Vol. 13 Issue 7…Dedicated to the Dialogue on Race…February 14, 2010

 

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Intuit's Vibe

Deep Fat

By Stephen Blumenkranz



I've had all I want of trans-fatty acid.

I will not be silent. I can't remain placid.

I couldn't care if my French fries are flaccid.

It lays on my belly for days till it's passed.

 

I think they use it because it won't spoil.

It's not a quality natural oil.

It gets so hot that an ice cube will boil.

Watch how the liquid will bubble and roil.

 

I think it has a bad taste that's synthetic.

It's an industrial solvent, pathetic.

It sits around in your gut like emetic.

You could throw up. It is not copacetic.

 

They won't disclose that it's some kind of lard.

They boil it and steam it and heat till it's charred.

There's nothing they won't disallow or is barred.

They're keeping secrets, so be on your guard.

 

They keep the barrels stored under the fryer.

The stuff never spoils, though it makes me a liar.

It doesn't have like potential for fire.

Restaurants like it and are the best buyer.


I think the stuff tastes like motor oil gunk.

It's nothing but acid and piggy fat junk.

Look at the globby white goop of the gunk.

To say it tastes better is restaurant bunk.

 

The prefix of trans implies something beyond.

They make it with heat and a chemical bond.

It probably stews in a pressurized pond.

I have opinions and want to respond.

 

My foremost thought is it tastes like some lube,

The kind that a grease monkey squeezed from a tube.

He must be thinking we're some kind of rube.

I've some choice words for this chemistry boob.



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News You Use

Take GM Corn off the Shelves!



As Monsanto prepares to unleash its latest Genetically-Modified (GM) corn super-crop, the International Journal of Biological Sciences has revealed the true cost of these crops.

 

The study focused on three GM corn crops -- Mon 863, Mon 801 and NK 603 -- and found that they caused statistically significant rates of kidney and liver malfunction, as well as some heart, adrenal, spleen and blood damage in rats. These crops have been approved for consumption in the U.S. and many countries in Europe without proper research into their affect on human health.

 

GM technology inserts non-food genes into the DNA of food, sometimes making the crop more resilient to herbicides and other times, causing them to produce toxic proteins that act as pesticides themselves. This process changes the structure of the food drastically and presents humans with substances that have never been a part of the human or animal diet.

 

Some countries in Europe, including Germany and France, have banned GM crops. But the U.S. FDA has done us a potentially dangerous disservice by simply taking Monsanto's word that these crops are safe without any testing! This 90-day study was just the beginning, and these GM crops must be studied further instead of being immediately available for human consumption.


Tell the FDA to take these genetically modified corn varieties off the shelves until a peer-reviewed, two-year study can determine if they are safe for human consumption! Sign the petition at www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/755645429?z00m=19825385.





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Politics Y2K10

Codex Alimentarius: Savior or Satan

By John Burl Smith



Codex Alimentarius (Latin for "food code" or "food book") was created in 1962 as a trade Commission by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) of the United Nations (UN) to monitor the international food trade. It began as a collection of internationally recognized standards, codes of practice, guidelines and other recommendations relating to foods, food production and food safety. The Commission was charged with protecting the health of consumers and ensuring fair practices in the international food trade. The World Trade Organization recognizes Codex Alimentarius as an international reference for the resolution of disputes concerning food safety and consumer protection.

 

Officially, Codex Alimentarius covers all foods, whether processed, semi-processed or raw, but its attention has been directed primarily at foods marketed directly to consumers, rather than the food production process as a whole. In addition to standards for specific foods, Codex Alimentarius contains general standards covering matters such as food labeling, food hygiene, food additives and pesticide residues, and procedures for assessing the safety of foods derived from modern biotechnology. It also contains guidelines for the management of official (i.e., governmental) import and export inspection and certification systems for foods.

 

Under former Chancellor Helmut Kohl (1995), Germany became the host country for the Codex Committee on Nutrition. The German delegation (1996) proposed that no herb, vitamin or mineral be sold for preventive or therapeutic reasons and supplements be reclassified as drugs. Subsequently, the FAO and WHO stated that such guidelines were "to stop consumer overdosing on vitamin and mineral food supplements." The Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) followed with the statement that guidelines called "for labeling that contains information on maximum consumption levels of vitamin and mineral food supplements." WHO also demanded guidelines "ensure that consumers receive beneficial health effects from vitamins and minerals."

 

The WHO's Global Strategy on Diet, Physical Activity and Health was endorsed by the World Health Assembly in May 2004 and recognizes that a few largely preventable risk factors account for most of the world's diseases. Describing how cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancers and obesity-related conditions now account for some 60% of global deaths and almost half (47%) of the global burden of disease, the Strategy explains how healthier diet, nutrition and physical activity can help to prevent and control such illnesses.


Simultaneously during the 1990s, more and more people turned to natural health products globally. The "wellness" trend became a major movement in today's society. The more natural health products people use, the fewer drugs they bought. It became clear that natural health products and options have an amazing safety record and are remarkably effective, especially when compared to pharmaceutical drugs. This impacted the pharmaceutical industry's bottom line as consumers shifted away from drugs and toward natural health care. And, therein lies the rub among consumers concerned about Codex Guidelines for Vitamin and Mineral Food Supplements. Their fear is that the Codex Alimentarius Commission has become a stealth process to eliminate therapeutic grade vitamins, minerals, and amino acids from the marketplace by allowing only a few low-dose supplements to remain.


Supporters of Codex claim such fears are fanned by conspiracy theorists and any concerns are without merit. However, Dr. Roth Grossklaus, powerful Chairman of the Codex Committee on Nutrition and Foods for Special Dietary Uses (CCNFSDU), is a physician who believes that nutrition has no role in health. The "top-gun" for Codex nutritional policy has stated that "nutrition is not relevant to health." Grossklaus declared in 1994 that "nutrients are toxins." This statement arises from his reliance on toxicology (Risk Assessment) as his only tool in determining whether or not nutrients have a beneficial impact on human health.


Many consumers of natural health nutrients believe tainting natural health options is designed to deceive consumers that such products are "dangerous" and convince them that drugs are safer. Accordingly, they believe the smear campaign against natural foods is financed by the pharmaceutical, pesticide, biotechnology and chemical industries. Most prominent among them are Monsanto and Bayer which have launched a massive media campaign to paint Codex Alimentarius as a benevolent tool of "consumer protection," designed to hold the line against the threat of unsafe natural products like vitamins, minerals, and amino acids.


Initially, intentions behind Codex may have been altruistic, but it has since been taken over by some of the greediest and most destructive corporations on the planet, opponents say. Codex Alimentarius has a diverse opposition that come from many different backgrounds, but they are united around several issues. Most salient are the lack of transparency of Codex Alimentarius Commission's Committee on Nutrition and Foods for Special Dietary Uses (CCNFSDU), its undemocratic operation, conflicts of interest, standards implementation and the anti-nutrition stance of the Chairman Dr. Rolf Grossklaus.

 

The Committee's ties to pharmaceutical giants like Bayer, BASF, Hoechst, Monsanto and Schering go back to former German Chancellor Helmut Kohl. Kohl brought Dr. Grossklaus on board and he has represented a formidable foe of nutrition in the opinion of natural food consumers. They charge that almost single handedly he has redefined and reclassified the role of nutrients in regards to human health.

 

Even for those in the middle, Dr. Grossklaus represents a troubling dilemma. There is literally no biographical information about him available in the public domain. The scenario is like that of a deep cover CIA operative or the child of a high ranking Nazi that assumed the identity of a Jew killed in a concentration camp. Other than his date of birth and what he is presently doing, virtually nothing is known about his past -- parent, childhood, schooling or what he did before becoming CCNFSDU chairman. Who is Dr. Rolf Grossklaus? How is it possible for someone to head such a powerful committee and be unknown to the world? The man that controls one of the essential substances for human survival, food, could be from outer space. Is he savior or Satan? (Sources: www.healthfreedomusa.org, www.thenhf.com, www.naturalnews.com, and www.lifescience-bavaria.de)


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GMO Franken Foods are Deadly

By John Burl Smith

 

Synonymous to salmon swimming upstream against the tide of consumer concerns, the United States (US) continued to side with multinational corporations that pursue profits before health. During the latest Codex Commission on Food Labeling (CCFL) meeting in Calgary, Canada last May, virtually alone, the US continued to insist that "genetically modified organisms (GMO) foods need no labeling." Yet, 90 % of Americans, Africans and Europeans demand GMOs be labeled. Representatives of the 49th Parallel International Non-Governmental Organizations (INGOs) countered the US' argument by stating, "If, as the United States has claimed, there is no difference between GM foods and non-GM food, why do companies rush to patent their special GM food?"

 

The Codex Alimentarius Commission has ducked this issue while the EU, Brazil and all African countries demanded that GMOs be labeled so "consumers are able to make an informed choice." The National Health Federation (NHF) challenged the US, stating that "the only way GMOs would ever be sold is if consumers remain ignorant of what they are consuming." Over the past 19 years, biotech propaganda that increased crop yields will end world hunger has been proven false. Moreover, researchers have amassed evidence that GMOs have deleterious affects on animals, including humans.

 

Genetically modified (GM) soy accounts for 91% of soybeans planted in the US. Multinational biotech companies' massive introduction of untested, toxic and dangerous GMOs into plants, soil, animals and genes was simply to increase profits. Soy bean genes are blast with cytotoxins to make them resistant to the effects of Roundup (glyphosate), a Monsanto weed killer. This is done to ensure the gene slips past the plant's immune system. However, if something kills weeds, it will also kill human cells. Monsanto owns the majority of the world's seed companies (1970) and while creating GMOs, Monsanto forced farmers to sign contracts to only use Roundup on their fields.

 

Now that GM-soy dominates the world's food chain, a frightening story is being told by researchers. Recently, Italian researchers examined the toxicity of four popular glyphosate based herbicide formulations on human placental cells, kidney cells, embryonic cells and neonate umbilical cord cells and surprisingly found total cell death of each of these cells within 24 hours. The researchers reported several mechanisms by which the herbicides caused cell death including: cell membrane rupture and damage, mitochondrial damage and cell asphyxia. They concluded after testing G, AMPA and POEA individually, "It is very clear that if G, POEA, or AMPA has a small toxic effect on embryonic cells alone at low levels, the combination of the two of them at the same final concentration is significantly deleterious."


Although previously researchers proposed that the supposed "inert ingredients" alter the role of cell membrane disruptors in fish, amphibians, microorganisms and plants, independent of glyphosate, this is the first study to report similar findings in human cells. Researchers concluded that, "the proprietary mixtures available on the market could cause cell damage and even death, especially in food and feed derived from Roundup formulation-treated crops," which are pervasive in GM-soya. Moreover, a recent study by embryologists and biologists in Argentina found that glyphosate induced malformations in amphibian embryos, reduced head size, genetic alterations in the central nervous system, an increase in the death of cells that help form the skull, and deformed cartilage. These effects were repeatedly found in laboratory experiments.

 

Additionally, the toxicity of glyphosate was found in other animal studies. Several health issues directly related to GM-soybean consumption by rabbits showed altered enzymatic activity in their livers as well as higher metabolic activity. Microscopic analyses of the livers of mice fed Roundup Ready soybeans revealed altered gene expression and structural and functional changes. Many of these changes were reversed after the mice diet was switched to non-GM soy, indicating that GM-soy was the culprit.

 

Even more damning evidence came from Dr. Ermakova (2005) who found that 56% of rat offspring fed GM-soy flour died at birth compared to 8% of controls. "Also, 36% of pups from the GM soya group weighed less than 20g, compared to 6% of controls, and 6.7% fed the regular soya supplemented diet." They also found that pancreatic cells of mice fed Roundup Ready soy had profound changes and produced significantly less digestive enzymes. Furthermore, mice fed GM-soy had altered young sperm and even the embryos of GM fed parent mice had significant changes in their DNA. "Clearly, feeding humans GMOs is an arrogant insidious plot to control population with food."

 

Pioneering scientists in the 1970's believed that the genome was static and genes could be altered in a uniform manner where the organism would only express the intended modification. Research in the 1980's found that a dynamic genomic model was more probable. Now, they realize that inserting a new gene into a plant causes unintended consequences. Moreover, they found that it was impossible to introduce a new gene into an organism and get only intended results. As the fictional scientists in Jurassic Park learned -- life will find a way -- genes quickly changed based on a myriad of unknown circumstances that cannot be replicated in the lab even using the exact same procedures. The levels of instability of these newly created organisms were overwhelming, but most scientists kept silent about what was really happening.

 

Monsanto and biotech companies' sole priority is increased profits, rather than safety. Therefore, it is not surprising that they proceeded with GMO development even after knowing there are instability and unintended consequences from long-term GMO consumption. Researchers recently found clear links between GM-corn consumption and decreased fertility, immunological alterations in the gut and the exacerbation and creation of allergies.

 

Austrian scientists recently conducted the first ever long-term multi-generational feeding study of Monsanto GM-corn in mice. They found that mice fed GM-corn had significantly fewer pups per litter than the control group on the third and fourth generation. Furthermore, pups whose parents were fed GM-feed weighed less at birth and at weaning and experienced significantly higher mortality rates than those fed non-GM corn. Researchers reported a direct link between the decrease in fertility and the GM diet. Mice fed non-GM corn reproduced more efficiently.

 

It is clear multinationals, such as Monsanto, have turned humans into guinea pigs and the world into a giant laboratory for GMO products to test their ability to control population with food. Opponents of GMOs were painted as conspiracy theorists initially, now conclusive evidence tells of a more frightening plot than greedy profits. Controlling world population through food is a scenario that would not be possible without the UN Codex Alimentarius Commission and national governments working "hand-in-glove" with culprits like Bayer, BASF, Hoechst, Monsanto and Schering to infect the world's food supply with deadly toxins that introduce or make the body susceptible to disease and less reproductive. By tampering with the world's food supply, they have truly made possible a doomsday scenario. (Source: www.naturalnews.com)



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Hood Notes

Beware - Aspartame Has Been Renamed

By Ethan Huff



In response to growing awareness about the dangers of artificial sweeteners, what does the manufacturer of one of the world's most notable artificial sweeteners do? Why, rename it and begin marketing it as natural, of course. This is precisely the strategy of Ajinomoto, maker of aspartame, which hopes to pull the wool over the eyes of the public with its re-branded version of aspartame, called "AminoSweet".

 

Over 25 years ago, aspartame was first introduced into the European food supply. Today, it is an everyday component of most diet beverages, sugar-free desserts, and chewing gums in countries worldwide. But the tides have been turning as the general public is waking up to the truth about artificial sweeteners like aspartame and the harm they cause to health. The latest aspartame marketing scheme is a desperate effort to indoctrinate the public into accepting the chemical sweetener as natural and safe, despite evidence to the contrary.

 

Aspartame was an accidental discovery by James Schlatter, a chemist who had been trying to produce an anti-ulcer pharmaceutical drug for G.D. Searle & Company back in 1965. Upon mixing aspartic acid and phenylalanine, two naturally-occurring amino acids, he discovered that the new compound had a sweet taste. The company merely changed its FDA approval application from drug to food additive and, voila, aspartame was born.

 

G.D. Searle & Company first patented aspartame in 1970. An internal memo released in the same year urged company executives to work on getting the FDA into the "habit of saying yes" and of encouraging a "subconscious spirit of participation" in getting the chemical approved.

 

G.D. Searle & Company submitted its first petition to the FDA in 1973 and fought for years to gain FDA approval, submitting its own safety studies that many believed were inadequate and deceptive. Despite numerous objections, including one from its own scientists, the company was able to convince the FDA to approve aspartame for commercial use in a few products in 1974, igniting a blaze of controversy.

 

In 1976, then FDA Commissioner Alexander Schmidt wrote a letter to Sen. Ted Kennedy expressing concern over the "questionable integrity of the basic safety data submitted for aspartame safety". FDA Chief Counsel Richard Merrill believed that a grand jury should investigate G.D. Searle & Company for lying about the safety of aspartame in its reports and for concealing evidence proving the chemical is unsafe for consumption.

 

Despite the myriad of evidence gained over the years showing that aspartame is a dangerous toxin, it has remained on the global market with the exception of a few countries that have banned it. In fact, it continued to gain approval for use in new types of food despite evidence showing that it causes neurological brain damage, cancerous tumors, and endocrine disruption, among other things.

 

The details of aspartame's history are lengthy, but the point remains that the carcinogen was illegitimately approved as a food additive through heavy-handed prodding by a powerful corporation with its own interests in mind. Practically all drugs and food additives are approved by the FDA not because science shows they are safe but because companies essentially lobby the FDA with monetary payoffs and complete the agency's multi-million dollar approval process.

 

Changing aspartame's name to something that is "appealing and memorable," in Ajinomoto's own words, may hoodwink some but hopefully most will reject this clever marketing tactic as nothing more than a desperate attempt to preserve the company's multi-billion dollar cash cow. Do not be deceived.



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Disgruntled feels: Hungry! An Associated Press article by Sarah Karush, "String of snow days deprives many students of food," looked at the tens of thousands of young people whose only nutritional meals are provided through the free or reduced-price school lunch program. The forced school closings as a result of back-to-back snowstorms have left school children from Virginia to Pennsylvania hungry. Generally, when we think of children and snow days, we imagine happy kids playing winter games on their unexpected school vacation days. However, if you are hungry and cold, snow days can be long and boring. According to Karush, Marla Caplon, a food services supervisor for Montgomery County Public Schools, arranged for Manna Food Center, a local food bank, to bring boxes of food Friday to two still-closed elementary schools for distribution. Parents were notified of the food distribution via the school district's automated phone system. Caplon should be commended for her creativity in devising a way to ensure children will not go hungry.

 

Disgruntled wants to know: A lengthy, well-written and documented article by Deanna Spingola entitled Depopulation by Government Edict is making its rounds on the Internet. Basically, it provides an historical overview of the efforts by government from eugenics to genocide designed to reduce our numbers. She names some high profile individuals and organizations and places into context incidents in which our government has succeeded in culling our population using methods as diverse as forced sterilization to infecting large segments of the population with an array of deadly substances from HIV to the modern-day scourge of genetically modified organisms. This article should be required reading for everyone and can be accessed at www.NewsWithViews.com. With GMO foods, one wonders are we eating ourselves out of existence?


Disgruntled says: Toyota and Honda have dominated the recall news lately. Listening to and watching mainstream media one would think cars are the only products being recalled. If that is what you think, then think again! Just yesterday a California company expanded its recall of ground beef due to the fear of E. coli contamination. The original recall involved less than a million pounds of meat; now that number has soared to more than five million pounds. There are other products being recalled as well. These include pull toys, umbrella strollers, dog and cat food, and wind chime toys, and kids' lamps that have made the recall list just this week. By focusing all the coverage on the car recall, mainstream media have failed to keep the public informed of these other hazardous products.


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Mailbox: E-Mails, Faxes & Telephone Calls

 

Email www.cdc.gov/salmonella/montevideo/ ...Chicago man sues claiming salami made him sick ...By Carla K. Johnson...A Chicago man who says he got sick after eating salami linked to a nationwide salmonella outbreak has filed a lawsuit against a meat company and two of its former spice suppliers. Raymond Cirimele, 55, filed suit Thursday in Cook County Circuit Court, claiming Rhode Island meat company Daniele International Inc., Wholesome Spice in New York and Mincing Overseas Spice Company in New Jersey failed to prevent the outbreak. A similar lawsuit against Daniele and Wholesome Spice was filed by Harold Hanks, 61, of Lake Ozark, Mo., last week. Seattle attorney Bill Marler, who has handled numerous foodborne illness cases, represents the plaintiffs in both lawsuits. Daniele recalled more than 1 million pounds of salami last month. The company, which has temporarily stopped production of salami products, has changed its spice suppliers and is now using only irradiated pepper, said Daniele spokesman Jason Maloni. The Food and Drug Administration is investigating the supply chain of the black pepper used in the recalled meat after pepper collected by the Rhode Island Department of Health at Daniele tested positive for salmonella. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is tracking the outbreak, which has sickened 225 people so far, including 15 in Illinois and two in Missouri.


Email www.ap.com ...FDA announces recall of 2M defective needles ...By Matthew Perrone...Federal health officials announced the recall of 2 million medical needles Tuesday because of a risk they can push bits of silicone into patients' bodies. The Food and Drug Administration said Japanese manufacturer Nipro Medical Corp. has voluntarily recalled its Exel/Exelint Huber needles manufactured between January 2007 and August 2009. The needles are used to access injection ports, which are devices implanted beneath the skin of patients who require frequent injections. The ports connect to a vein and allow easy delivery of chemotherapy, antibiotics and other injectable drugs. Huber needles are designed to be non-coring, or to penetrate an injected material without retaining any of it. However, a months- long FDA investigation found that the needles can dislodge bits of silicone from the ports, potentially pushing them into the patient's bloodstream. The problem can also damage the ports themselves, resulting in problems delivering drug therapy. An inspection at Nipro's manufacturing plant in Japan found that 60 to 72 percent of the company's needles had the design problem, according to the FDA.


Email www.federalradionews.com...USDA sharpens rules for organic milk, meat...By Henry C. Jackson...What makes milk or meat organic? After a drawn-out debate, the Agriculture Department has significantly narrowed the definition to livestock that spend a third of the year grazing on pasture. New rules announced Friday say organic milk and meat must come from livestock grazing on pasture for at least four months of the year, and that 30 percent of their feed must come from grazing. The old rules said only that animals must have "access to pasture." It took years to craft the new regulations, which offer clarity for ranchers, food companies and consumers, who have forked over billions of dollars for organic food without a crystalline standard for livestock. The new rules take effect in June, and farmers and ranchers will have one year to comply. The rules also say 30 percent of animals' feed must come from grazing and that ranchers must have a plan to protect soil and water quality.

 

Email www.reuters.com ...Study links soda, pancreatic cancer...Writing in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, Pereira and colleagues said they followed 60,524 men and women in the Singapore Chinese Health Study for 14 years. Over that time, 140 of the volunteers developed pancreatic cancer. Those who drank two or more soft drinks a week had an 87 percent higher risk of being among those who got pancreatic cancer. Pereira said he believed the findings would apply elsewhere. "Singapore is a wealthy country with excellent healthcare. Favorite pastimes are eating and shopping, so the findings should apply to other western countries," he said. But Susan Mayne of the Yale Cancer Center at Yale University in Connecticut was cautious. "Although this study found a risk, the finding was based on a relatively small number of cases and it remains unclear whether it is a causal association or not," said Mayne, who serves on the board of the journal, which is published by the American Association for Cancer Research. "Soft drink consumption in Singapore was associated with several other adverse health behaviors such as smoking and red meat intake, which we can't accurately control for." Other studies have linked pancreatic cancer to red meat, especially burned or charred meat. Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest forms of cancer, with 230,000 cases globally. In the United States, 37,680 people are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in a year and 34,290 die of it. The American Cancer Society says the five-year survival rate for pancreatic cancer patients is about 5 percent.