Wednesday, September 30, 2009
How soybeans fight disease
Soybeans contain high levels of health-beneficial compounds like tocopherols, which contain antioxidants. Thesy can be used in the development of functional foods for treating and preventing diseases such as cancers and cardiovascular. A type called α-tocopherol has the greatest antioxidant activity, and is the form converted to vitamin E in the human body, reports the American Society of Agronomy.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Flu hysteria: waste in every way
The consequences of Egypt's knee-jerk and all-around wrong reaction to swine flu fears include garbage-flooded streets and schooll problems. Covered in the NY Times here.
Super chefs' garden secrets
Robin's piece featuring tips from great restaurant chefs who have organic gardens. Here in the Examiner.
Woofstock? Go Mobile for fun and food
A couple of Robin's recent Mobile travel pieces in print and online. Examiner article here. Prime article here.
Canine mind-reading & mind-readers
TIME article about a new Canine Cognition Center. Visits the old debate: does cowering mean a dog feels “guilty” or is this, as we believe, a learned ability to act submissive when an owner gets angry?
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Just Say No to Antibacterial Burgers
Writes Wash Post's Ezra Klein: "There's also the argument that the pennies we're saving on each burger are being spent in our hospitals. A 2005 study out of Tufts University estimated that antibiotic-resistant infections add $50 billion to the annual cost of American health care. On the other side of the coin, a National Academy of Sciences study found that eliminating non-therapeutic antibiotics from animals would cost only about $5 to $10 per person per year. I'd pay that for a lower risk of super-staphylococcus." See the story here.
Like canaries in the coal mine....
Body malformations found among wildlife add to evidence against EDCs - endocrine disrupting compounds - found in things from bisphenol-A/BPA plastics to pesticides. Miller-McCune's excellent news team has the story here. Today's Washington Post has another piece about surveys showing widespread mutations in fish and other aquatic life (males with egg cells, etc.) here.
Monday, September 14, 2009
Counterpunch/solutions to egg hatchery chick grinding
Interesting solution posed here and another thoughtful insight here Hatchery Horrors The video from the Iowa chick hatchery appears in KNOW early September...wire report here.
Natural flea control - excellent free guides!
I've switched to a non-toxic anti-flea product called Only Natural Pet All in One Flea Remedy for dogs and cats. Basically, it's diatomaceous earth, or DE, a mineral from prehistoric algae fossils. Has apparently been used for pest control in agriculture and gardening for centuries. It seems to work, though haven't tested it in the coastal south where beach fleas swarm. Some articles about natural flea control appear here and here and here. PLUS here are links to NRDC's very good Simple Steps backgrounder and excellent Green Paws Pocket Guide about commercial flea and tick products - what to avoid, what to look for.
Fatty foods trick your brain
Your brain may sabotage your efforts to recover from that ice cream or burger splurge. UT Southwestern Medical Center research suggests that fat molecules from certain foods makes their way to the brain and cause the brain to send messages to the body’s cells, warning them to ignore the appetite-suppressing signals from leptin and insulin, the hormones involved in weight regulation.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Better body and health with animal-free eating
Met Olympic and world bodybuilding champ Kenneth Williams at VegFest at GWU in D.C. yesterday. This longtime vegan proves animal-derived food is not needed for athletic performance. There are plenty of super-athletes who are vegetarian/near-vegetarian, and some who are vegan, but they don't share their performance diet secrets as generous Kenneth does. BTW, wish folks who think vegans have few food choices would've been there - mouthwatering main dishes and desserts (and you thought we just ate salads...though the salads we make are generally great). Kenneth made many intelligent points yesterday during his talk at the festival, including the sad fact that animals are being used in scientific research in pursuit of treatments for human diseases caused by eating animal-derived foods. Check out Vegan Muscle Power here.
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Lida Moser: photography vérité
Lenny Campello's excellent post about amazing photographer Lida Moser, whose name should be better-known. Street scenes and portraits that burrow into the mind.
Friday, September 11, 2009
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Big Food and health care
My sky-high health insurance premiums are an incentive for others to make unhealthy choices. Michael Pollan makes some good points here about Big Food and health care costs.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Hubble Kaleidoscope scoop
"Despite excitement over the discovery that space is all crazy-looking, a number of legislators have threatened to cut funding for NASA's kaleidoscopic program. An outspoken critic of the agency, Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) said she hopes NASA scientists don't just use the kaleidoscope a few times and then lose interest and never touch it again, like they did with the Brookhaven Neutrino Spirograph, Fermilab's Particle Slingshot, and the Very Large Slip 'n Slide Array in New Mexico." Onion scoop here.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Ben’s Cruise for Compassion
4th Annual Ben’s Cruise for Compassion takes place Friday, September 18, from 7 – 10 p.m. Location: Watermarks’ Harbor Queen at the Annapolis City Dock. The cruise is after Ben, a dog rescued as a result of the 2007 Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF) v. Woodley trial. The cruise - just $55 per ticket - includes an evening of food and entertainment...and well-behaved dogs are welcome aboard. Tickets via credit card at 410-263-8683. There will also be a raffle for VIP tickets to see Dancing With The Stars in LA, including airfare and hotel. Details at http://www.pawspetboutique.com under “News & Events.” All proceeds from the raffle and cruise donated to ALDF.
Flea control - legit vs. counterfeit
Many scientiests and animal health care professionals such as Dr. Michael Fox advise not to use chemical and pharmaceutical anti-flea and tick products except as a last resort. Though these products offer a convenient quick fix, due to a growing number of consumer complaints, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is currently conducting reviews.
Many anti-flea product ingredients are excreted from people's companion animals, thus posing an environmental health hazard. Already we know this is the case with chemicals applied to animals used in agriculture - livestock - that people eat. Also, some reports suggest that the target bugs build tolerance, making the products less effective.
Visit the insightful Flea Control Secrets blog maintained by the author of a new book, “Flea Control Secrets,” which is available on the web as an e-book. I’ll be reviewing the book and posting a Dog Tips review in the coming weeks. The blog features visual comparisons of legitimate vs. counterfeit packaging for Frontline. Fake versions of Frontline and other popular products is yet another problem, and some legitimate mail order companies have stocked and shipped the fakes.
Two articles worth reading...but note that there are many others equally worth reading. My personal tip: add organic apple cider vinegar to water bowls and wipe your animals down with apple cider vinegar. My Dog Tips contain some other tips as well.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124329165300152331.html
http://www.greenpaws.org
Saturday, September 5, 2009
A Golden Rule for God's Green Earth
Clark Strand writes on Washingtonpost.com: "The Golden Rule ("Do unto others as you would have them do unto you") is the foundation of Christian moral teaching. But lately I've begun to wonder if that gold standard of ethical behavior really equips us for an age of global environmental concerns. Jesus teaches us to include other people in our prayers--even our enemies. But what about other species of plant and animal life? What about the atmosphere? What about the Earth?" Read on.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Chicks thrown into grinder - is cruelty worth cheap food?
Chicago animal welfare group has released a new video shot at an Iowa chicken "processing" plant in which unwanted chicks are ground up alive. More proof of cruelty supported by most consumers ... standard op procedure in animal agriculture. BTW, most reporters ignorantly label animal welfare as rights. AP newswire report here.
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