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.

Star view from Hubble

NASA - Hubble view into Omega Centauri's cluster of nearly 10 million stars.

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.

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.