Showing posts with label health. Show all posts
Showing posts with label health. Show all posts

Thursday, 14 March 2013

Day 204: Food Monopoly and Equal Money Capitalism

For full article, please read:
GMOs, again…
http://www.b-fair.net/?p=5605



1. No health safety testing

Genetically engineered (GE) foods have never been safety tested by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), thanks to a 20-year-old policy that says it’s up to the biotech companies to determine the safety of genetically engineered (GE) foods. So while all other developed countries require safety testing for GE plants, the government agency in charge of protecting U.S. citizens lets biotech companies, who stand to make billions in profits from GE foods, conduct their own “voluntary safety consultations.”


2. No labeling

If the FDA isn’t going to test GE foods for safety, the least it could do is require labeling, so people can choose to avoid GMOs if they want. But so far, the FDA has rejected labeling under the controversial argument that GE foods are “substantially equivalent” to their non-genetically engineered counterparts.

 The U.S. and Canada stand alone as the only two industrialized countries yet to provide citizens the fundamental, democratic right to know what’s in the food they eat and feed their children.

The FDA’s refusal to support this basic right stands in direct defiance of the overwhelming will of the American people. The FDA has received over a million petitions from concerned citizens demanding that GMOs be labeled – the most received on any issue in the Agency’s history. The most recent poll shows that the overwhelming majority – 82 percent – of Americans want mandatory labeling laws. But our calls for transparency continue to fall on deaf ears.

Failure to label GMOs forces consumers to serve as test subjects for a massive GMO experiment, and makes it nearly impossible to trace health issues back to their source. It also prevents small farmers, the organics industry, and truly natural food producers from competing on an equal playing field.

5. Privatizing seeds

The FDA’s love affair with Monsanto has led to the privatization, and patenting, of the very source of life: seeds. Monsanto is allowed to sell its patented genetically engineered (GE) “Roundup Ready” soybean seeds, and other patented seeds, to farmers under a contract that prohibits the farmers from saving the next-generation seeds and replanting them. Farmers who buy Monsanto’s GE seeds are required to buy new seeds every year. Monsanto then sells the same farmers its proprietary pesticides, like Roundup, that can be sprayed in huge amounts on Monsanto’s patented Roundup Ready crops, killing everything except the GE plants.

It’s a win-win for Monsanto. But everybody else loses.



In an Equal Money System, Food will be a Basic Human Right. Food will no longer be detrimentally linked to money, where money decides the availability and quality of food and transparency of information. Food will no longer be tool for Profit but a Source of Life.

Within being put central to Life -- the development and growth of food will be in a such a way to support one's Human Body and support the Equilibrium of Life on Earth.

Different ways will have to be considered in terms of what additional tools can be used as to minimize harmful effects of agriculture on the land, air and ocean -- a holistic view will have to be applied.

Foodstuffs such as seeds, will not be able to be owned by anyone other than the Earth. It comes from the Earth – it makes no sense to claim it as one’s own and to create a monopoly around it. As such, seeds will simply be available.

Food labeling will be transparent and clear - so everyone will know exactly what it is they are getting and what went into the production of the specific food.

Food security will be guaranteed. Food will fulfil its role as Life Support and will be able to be enjoyed to its fullest potential. Starvation and Famine will be eradicated and all people will have access to their specific nutritional requirements to live their life to its utmost potential.

 
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Sunday, 3 February 2013

Day 184: The Relationship between Ecology and Economics in Equal Money Capitalism




 The Problem

One of the major fundamental problems of the current economic system is its relationship to Ecology. What has been forgotten or not considered, is that both the words 'ecology' and 'economy' have their origins in the same word: the Greek word 'οἴκος' - which means 'house'. The ecology is the study of the house, or the environment - where ecology studies what conditions and principles require to be in place in an environment for species to flourish in it. Economy, then is the management of the house or the environment. Knowing this, we would expect that both work very closely together and that, economics is in service of ecology - because what's the use of managing the environment if it's not in service of making sure that the conditions and principles in place are those that provide optimal support?

Though - in today's world, the opposite happens - the economy is seen to be more important than ecology. It's okay to try to establish an optimal environment, but only in so far as it does not harm the economy. Whaaaaat?! That's, like, the world in reverse. And then the environment is attempted to be valued in economic terms by placing a price on it - instead of looking at the basic value of a forest in terms of what its role is within the ecosystem that we all benefit from.

The Solution

In EMC - we place everything back in its rightful place - where first the conditions and principles are studied in terms of what is required to be in place for the environment and in an environment for species to flourish together as part of the same ecosystem - the same house. In this, we look at all the different kinds of environments - like nature, like a family, like your human physical body, like a school, like a company like a community. Once those conditions and principles have been identified, we can look at how to manage the resources the Earth provides in a way to satisfy these conditions and principles. The same approach will be applied for all Life - not only the human species - because animals for instance form part of an ecosystem and a balanced ecosystem is the one that is most supportive.

So studies like ecology, physics, sociology, education, psychology will form the basis of economics and not the other way around - where today, economics determines science in terms of what is currently being researched as that which is the most profitable.

Rewards

The idea that humans are more than the environment will be disengaged, as we will realize that both require to support each other if we're going to attempt to effectively share the same planet. The human, then, will transform from a parasite to an expression of Life.

Living within supportive environments will allow us to flourish as individuals, as communities, as a species, able to explore and expand ourselves to reach our full potential as a part of Life on Earth.

We will no longer have to break our heads about how to mitigate all the damaging effects of our economy and feel guilty about passing on our mess to the next generation - because we will bring children into a world that is already effective, that is already balanced, that is already equipped to adequately support itself and them.

Most problems that are created as a consequence of inadequacies within environments will be eliminated. This means - an extensive reduction in health problems, an extensive reduction of stress and midlife crises as a result of counter-supportive work-environments, an extensive reduction of psychological problems, an extensive reduction of extinctions of animal species, an extensive reduction of abuse in families - because within correcting the foundational problems within all kinds of environments, we eliminate the root causes of much of the dysfunctional behaviors on a physical, social and psychological level that we are faced with today.

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Tuesday, 27 November 2012

Day 145: Neo-Apartheid decides who Lives and who Dies


 
Every year, more than 10 million people die per year of communicable diseases (=infectious diseases). Of those 10 million, 9 million take place in developing countries.

Why does our Health Care System fail to address this?

The problem is that of Neo-Apartheid, where money decides who gets treated and who doesn’t.

Our Health Care System is based on the profit incentive, and will thus focus on those pharmaceutical research areas which are most likely going to bring in profit. Now obviously, people who don’t have money are then not considered – because no profit can be made.

So, Health Care then becomes not about what is Best for All as providing the best treatment for everyone – but only about providing treatment for those with money.

In today’s world, this gets translated in a pharmaceutical industry which is becoming more and more unproductive. The focus of research remains on non-communicable diseases such as cancer, because this is a disease which money can be made out of. And it’s not even about the people with the diseases – it’s all about the patents. So even though lots of money is still being pumped into ‘innovative research’ and where they come up with new molecules to patent – there are already treatments existent and most of them are cheaper – and a such, they are not therapeutic novelty. So what’s the point? Oh right, profit.

In the meantime, those research areas where the Health Care System could actually make a difference: are completely ignored. Why? Because poor people are not an attractive market for big companies. There is no care, there is no compassion, there is no love, there is no solidarity – there is only the Rule of Money.

It’s time to say good riddance to the Rule of Law as Money and to replace it with the Rule of Law as What is Best for All – so we can no longer justify the abuse and suffering taking place because of dysfunctional institutions which only hold money close to their hearts – we require institutions that Serve and Protect Life within the Principle of Equality and what is Best for All Life.

Visit www.EqualMoney.org - be part of the Change
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Wednesday, 14 November 2012

Day 134: Worldwide FOOD SCAM Exposed!

"Hip, Hip, Hooray! China has experienced an impressive growth in middle-class consumer spending!" That's generally seen as a 'good thing' in economics. But let's just take a moment to see what the consequences have been - or, in other words, what are the Chinese spending their money on? For one - they spend more money on crappy food that's filled with sugar. This is great news for companies like KFC, Coca Cola and McDonalds. The thing is, China has also been experiencing an explosion in Type 2 diabetes - the kind that is linked to bad eating habits, obesity and sedentary lives. So, yes - it kind of sucks for the Chinese, but it's again good news for the pharmaceutical companies - because all diabetes-patients have to be treated, and that means 'big bucks' for the pharmaceutical industry.

The same pattern occurred in America - where Diabetes, obesity and heart conditions have become a major health problem. Why? Same story: too much sugar.

So - what's the deal with sugar? You have to distinguish between glucose, fructose and sucrose. In short - sucrose is what you think of when you hear the word 'sugar' - the stuff you put in pastries or your coffee - and is made up of both glucose and fructose. Glucose is the 'good kind' of sugar, which the human body requires. Fructose is the 'bad kind' - it is a poison to the human body with many harmful effects. Now - most of your processed foods contains 'high fructose corn sugar' - and yes, you guessed it - it means your food is full of fructose - tastes good, but is addictive and toxic.

Now - aren't there scientific studies being done on these types of health-hazards, where, if certain foods have been established to be harmful, it'll have governments place a ban on those foods? Sure, though - as with everything - research requires money and those who fund the research own the results.

Who dominates the scene when it comes to research into sugar in the human diet? The Sugar Association. Who is the Sugar Association:
"The Sugar Association, founded by members of the U.S. sugar industry, began in 1943 as the Sugar Research Foundation, dedicated to the scientific study of sugar's role in food and communication of that role to the public. In 1947, the Association assumed its current name. Initially, the Association had two divisions: Sugar Information, Inc. focused on public education and communication; the Sugar Research Foundation developed and supported basic and applied scientific research. The Research Foundation became the World Sugar Research Organisation, Ltd., in 1968. The Sugar Association continues with its mission of educating health professionals, media, government officials and the public about sugar's goodness. "

The 'World Sugar Research Organisation' is created by the very people who profit from sugar being consumed: The sugar industry. Start seeing the problem?

In 1976, executives of the Sugar Association received the Silver Anvil award for excellence in 'the forgoing of public opinion' - which is kind of like an Oscar in the PR world for telling lies. I mean - public opinion is supposed to be what guides policy-making in democracy - and yet, these guys are being applauded for suppressing public opinion in relation to all known facts about sugar.

Their main aim has been to show that there is no conclusive evidence that sugar is harmful to the body and shouldn't be cut out from the diet or restricted in terms of consumption. They've perpetuated a general confusion about all sugar-related health problems that have been identified. How? Through only funding the type of research that promotes sugar (for instance by trying to prove sugar can somehow assist with depression), through funding research only as long as they have no conclusive evidence. For instance, if the scientists indicate that if they have another x amount of weeks to continue their research, they'll be able to provide irrefutable evidence that sugar is harmful - they'll make sure no more funds are made available to the study, so that the results remain somewhat inconclusive. When independent scientists do research, they'll declare the methods and results as being unscientific or meaningless. And so on and so forth.

If you go to their website (http://www.sugar.org/) - on the very first page - you'll immediately see their tactics at work in the little 'flash' messages on the left. I mean - "Sugar has been part of the human diet for 2,000 years" - like that's supposed to mean something. Or - "Sugar makes healthful foods taste good which leads to increased intakes of key vitamins and minerals" - LOL!

Their research on certain sugar-substitutes is actually what had them being banned in the USA! Obviously, if people buy substitutes of sugar instead of the 'real deal' - the sugar industry suffers. So, to take out the competition, they declared certain substitutes as harmful. Later studies showed that these results were bogus too.

So - now y'all liberal economists explain to me how this type of crap - which is obviously caused and perpetuated by the free market and profit-principle - has somewhere an 'invisible hand' in it that makes the outcome what is best for everyone! People are being manipulated, abused and lied to - to the point where the big guys don't care whether you live or die - literally. It's okay for you to eat poison, as long as it makes them money.

As long as we maintain a capitalist, market-driven economy, these scams will continue to dominate our lives and any form of democracy will be meaningless. It's time to destroy the incentive for hidden agendas through a transparent economic system of resource allocation and information distribution, based in the principles of what is truly best for all - which is what the Equal Money System is all about. Go cast your vote and give us your input at www.equalmoney.org!

By the way - there are signs indicating that Africa's consumption spending is on the increase. So - Africans - DON'T SPEND YOUR MONEY ON SUGAR AND PROCESSED FOODS. If you do, you'll end up having to pay ten times as much for covering the costs of your medical bills afterwards!

If you're currently suffering from Diabetes - I suggest reading Paul's Journey to Life for support.
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