Add a new word to your everyday vocabulary. Put it next to Zika Virus. Physicians in Brazil are sounding the alarm about a pesticide added to drinking water to stop the emergence of mosquitos. Pyripoxyfen is a chemical produced by Sumitomo Chemicals, an associate of Monsanto, that is commonly referred to as a growth inhibitor. It is an endocrine disruptor that interferes with immature insect growth, preventing normal development. Pyripoxyfen was first introduced in Japan in 1995. It has been used in the US to control pests on cotton plants. Its application uses have steadily expanded to include many domestic uses from controlling cockroaches to fleas on house pets. California has researched this effective poison. They have found that it is 95% effective against mosquitos, interfering with maturation and sometimes killing the larvae. They have found that when the pesticide is introduced to water bodies, it degrades by about 50% in 24 hours. But when the water contains organic matter, the poison is absorbed into the material and persists for longer periods. The Physicians commented: “Malformations detected in thousands of children from pregnant women living in areas where the Brazilian state added Pyriproxyfen to drinking water are not a coincidence, even though the Ministry of Health places a direct blame on the Zika virus for this damage.” GM Watch While there is no definitive connection between the use of a hormone disruptor used to kill insects and developmental deformities in humans, it bears looking at. Humans are not bugs, but many metabolic pathways are similar. For the women who have had babies born with developmental deformities it matters little who is to blame. They bear the tragic results. With over 4000 babies born with microcephaly to date, women in some of these S. American countries are trying to re-open the abortion debate. Others are not waiting and have obtained clandestine abortions. Sources: GM Watch University of Hertfordshire California Department or Pesticide Regulation Abrasco
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There should be some special retribution for those who profit by inflicting pain on others. A large puppy mill in the Fraser Valley of British Columbia has been raided and 66 dogs have been seized. The conditions for these unfortunates have been described as deplorable. But that doesn’t properly sum up the suffering that these animals have endured. The SPCA spokesperson has described the puppy mill operation as sophisticated and extensive. The couple named as the land owners in this case – Glen and Maria Lawlor – also have a daughter who was prosecuted and banned from owning dogs while she was living in Washington State. Global TV has reported that she and her husband are currently living in another Fraser Valley town – Chilliwack. Both puppies and adult dogs were in poor condition. The local SPCA has moved out its healthy animals and has quarantined its facility because of infestations of ringworm(a fungal infection), roundworms and giardia infections. In addition the animals are reported to be suffering injuries ranging from broken bones to missing eyes. Advertising for special and expensive puppies has been extensive on line. Both the Facebook entries and multiple webpage addresses now sport unable to locate notices. Following are a couple of copies of the type of advertising that these cruel people have used. Family Kennels. Bernese Mountain Dogs Pitsula has a litter of puppies that need to find homes. ... Bernese Mountain Dogs live in our home and they are not shy so expect a joyous ... By: Marria Lawlor. Bernesefamily.ca - Facebook, Langley, BC. 13 likes. We live in the country on 6 acres where there is lots of room for our great dogs. We are a family owned organic... If you choose to buy a dog from a breeder, thinking that they are lovely people and that they live on a great piece of property that is ideal for a kennel, think twice. I once worked with a man by the same name. We taught school together in Langley. He appeared normal and hardworking. Do your homework. Ask to see the parents of any puppy you are considering. Open your eyes to the real conditions of the animals. Never buy a puppy from a pet store. They are far too often obtained from such hellish places. Sources: Global News CBC News Lunar New Year celebrations in the Mong Kok district of Hong Kong broke down into chaos and rioting as police cleared away street vendors. While the vendors were temporary, they were deemed illegal and orders went out to clear them. Traditionally the street vendors would sell their wares to the many celebrants. Protesters and police fought pitched battles leaving dozens injured and 61 arrested. The streets were littered with bricks and public property damaged. The violence was greater than that seen during street demonstrations in 2014. The chief HK chief executive condemned the violence and expressed sympathy for the injured police personnel. He announced that investigations into whether the mayhem was orchestrated by those opposed to Beijing’s increasing control of the former British colony. In January thousands took to the streets of HK to protest the disappearance of five booksellers. Chinese agents are believed to have abducted them. One of the disappeared appeared on a mainland TV station confessing to a hit and run in the PRC December 2003 and stated that he was willing to accept “any punishment”. Another book seller, Lee Bo, holds a UK passport and his disappearance and subsequent surfacing in mainland China had the UK foreign secretary expressing “deep concern” over his treatment. While HK was guaranteed more freedom than mainland China when they returned to the PRC, some freedoms have been eroded. The freedom of expression is one of those guaranteed. Book sellers and publishers have been able to offer publications that were banned by the central government. Those in the PRC are celebrating the Year of the Monkey. According to the official news agency Xinhua, the riots in HK are not newsworthy. When I entered “Hong Kong riots” into their search section I got the following message: From RFC 2068 Hypertext Transfer Protocol -- HTTP/1.1: 10.5.1 500 Internal Server Error The server encountered an unexpected condition which prevented it from fulfilling the request. Sources: Al Jazeera South China Morning Post Time Diabetes is a life-long disease that is on the increase around the world. It brings a myriad of complications to the lives of those with the disease and to their caregivers. The economic losses on both a personal and employment fronts are increasing as well. News coming from research conducted at Harvard by Professor Douglas Melton has raised the hopes that diabetes will be cured. For many years, researchers had tried to transplant the cells that produce insulin into a diabetic person’s pancreas. The cells were quickly identified by the immune system and dispatched. Encapsulating the cells with a coating that allowed crucial materials in and out worked, but only for a short time. Scar tissue grew and blocked the tiny channels. Professor Melton and his team have found a promising new way to coat the insulin producing cells. Taking material from brown algae(seaweed), they produced a substance that shields the transplanted cells from the immune system, yet allows the transport of vital materials. Tests on mice are very promising. The transplanted cells produced insulin and they survived the length of the experiment --more than six months. The cells were injected into the body cavity of the mice. While it is early days for this research, if it proves successful, the economic benefits will be staggering. In 2009 the American Diabetes Association published a breakdown of costs in their country due to diabetes. At that time there were 30 million people with the disease in the US. It was estimated that each of the sufferers was paying about $13, 700 a year in medical expenses. When one disease is generating approximately USD 245 billion each year in one country, the effect on the medical industry will be significant. Currently one in eight health dollars in the US is consumed with diabetes care, both directly and on chronic conditions arising. WHO estimated the global annual mortality from diabetes in 2008 to be 1.3 million. That figure was expected to rise. In 2008 lower limb amputations in developed countries were 10 times more prevalent in those with diabetes. Sources: Medical News Today American Diabetes Association World Health Organization
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Barbara McPherson
Blogger, gardener, farmer. Working toward food security and a 30 foot
diet. Addicted to reading. Love this planet, especially my little corner
on Vancouver Island, Canada Archives
October 2016
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