Batteroo: voltage booster for AA and AA cells

The Battero is a voltage booster that is a sleeve that goes round your AA or AAA battery cells, very common cells used in the US market. That means it can boost the voltage to your items get more use out of the battery. Normally, a 1.5vdc AA battery is considered dead when it reaches 1.2v. The Batteroo boosts the voltage higher so the device thinks the battery has more juice than it does.

The Batteroo got a lot of criticism because it make outrageous claims like extending battery life 800%. That is not true, but it does extend battery life. The concept of a voltage booster is also called  Joule Thief. The concept is simple, but the key for the Batteroo was miniturizing the components to fit as a sleeve around the AA battery.

More Batteroos scheduled to be sold in Jan 2017. Stay tuned. I'll be testing one of these.

I haven't seen any Joule Thief flashlights out there. Most flashlights concentrate on guzzling power to get a high brightness to blind a UFO. But if you want a power-sipping LED light that works on dead batteries, go here to Etsy.

EDIT: Further Batteroo testing by several people revealed the Batteroo does nothing to improve battery life. So it appears it's not even a tiny Joule Thief.

1. EEVBlog video here, with toy train test.  
2. EEVBlog post about the Batteroo testing. You will need a free account to comment.
3. Wikipedia entry on Batteroo.

I assumed there was some potential here if they really miniaturized a Joule Thief, and improved battery life about 20-40%, but test results indicate that it's a total scam.

San Jose State University's Kiumars Parvin claimed, "We tested the Batteriser sleeve in our lab and we confirmed that the Batteriser taps into 80 percent of energy that is usually thrown away."

Now if you don't know how marketers talk, you will totally misunderstand the above statement. The statement does not say "it uses up all of the other 80% of the battery power". It says "it taps into (uses some of) the wasted 80% of battery power."

In the test by UL (safety organization), a Garmin Golf GPS using Batteriser was shown to have a lifespan of 10 hours and 12 minutes, in contrast to the 1 hour and 43 minutes of operating time without a Batteriser.^[8] However, later the test was independently duplicated by TechnologyCatalyst to demonstrate that Garmin runs OK for over 17 hours on ordinary AA batteries, and the report by UL was based on the sloppy test design.

 Test design matters, quite a bit, apparently. A better test might be how many milliamps the device uses with and without the Batteroo. Power meters on different devices are designed differently and can be misleading.

Monsanto corn damaged intestines

Monsanto's GM corn MON810 has damaged rat intestines, according to a new study stored at the NIH. Damaged intestines can lead to poor nutrient uptake, leading to a host of diseases and conditions, although the symptoms may be subtle. This GM corn contained delta toxins, the same emitted by Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt).

Source
GM Watch. 2016-11-24.
Study at the NIH. 2016-11.

Tiny batteries with nanopores charge in 12 minutes

A new battery type, made with nanopores, could store more energy in a smaller space and improve battery technology.

Highlights:

1. They are 80,000 times thinner than a human hair. I wonder if they could be made flexible.
2. One billion nanoholes could fit on a postage stamp. 
3. Recharges thousands of times. (Not likely, current batteries don't even do that.)
4. It could take 3-5 years to commercialize this product. 
5. These batteries have the potential to triple a cell phone's battery life and give electric vehicles a 300-mile driving range. 
6. It took two decades to bring the initial lithium-ion battery to the market.

Source
National Geographic, 2014.
Follow NatGeoGreen on Twitter.

USDA: 85% of foods tested contain pesticides

The USDA runs a program called the Pesticide Data Program where it tests foods for pesticide residues. The 2015 report (released Nov 2016) says 85% of foods tested contained pesticides. One sample of strawberries contained 20 pesticides. Only 15% of foods were free from pesticides.

1. There were 10,000+ samples collected.
2. Apples, cherries (fresh and frozen), cucumbers, grapefruit, grapes, green beans, lettuce, nectarines, oranges, peaches, pears, potatoes, spinach, strawberries, sweet corn (fresh and frozen), tomatoes, and watermelon.
3. Because PDP data are mainly used for risk assessments, PDP laboratory methods are geared to detect the lowest possible levels of pesticide residues.
4. Samples were taken from a variety of US states. Both domestic items and imported items were sampled.

Source
Archive.is backup link to PDF.

Parmasan cheese might contain wood cellulose

Some Parmesan cheeses contain at least some cellulose, and some contain no cheese at all. It says right on the bottle: cellulose.

• Castle Cheese Inc is doctoring it's Parmesan cheese with wood cellulose. They make the Market Pantry brand for Target.
• Cellulose is a safe additive, and an acceptable level is 2 percent to 4 percent, according to Dean Sommer, a cheese technologist at the Center for Dairy Research in Madison, Wisconsin.
• The FDA regulates what can legally be called Parmesan or Romano according to standards established in the 1950s to ensure that manufacturers wouldn’t sell cheeses wildly different in composition.

Source
Bloomberg.

Aloe vera gels may not contain aloe vera

Consumers be warned: Popular aloe vera gels may have no aloe vera in them at all! Gels from Target, Walmart and CVS were tested and found to have no aloe vera at all.

Beware of store brands. This is similar to another story where store brand Walgreen's vitamins didn't have the amount of vitamin in them that the label said.

• The U.S. Food and Drug Administration doesn’t approve cosmetics before they’re sold and has never levied a fine for selling fake aloe.
• Aloe’s three chemical markers — acemannan, malic acid and glucose — were absent in the tests. 
• In all the samples, lactic acid, a component that indicates degraded aloe vera, was absent.
• The four gels that Bloomberg had analyzed were Wal-Mart’s Equate Aloe After Sun Gel with pure aloe vera; Target’s Up & Up Aloe Vera Gel with pure aloe vera; CVS Aftersun Aloe Vera Moisturizing Gel; and Walgreens Alcohol Free Aloe Vera Body Gel.

Source
Foxnews.
The actual Bloomberg report.

EM Drive produces thrust without exhaust

NASA confirms the EM drive works. Their study here. Energy goes in, and thrust comes out, but there is no exhaust. It seems to defy Newton's law of conservation of momentum.

Source
Forbes. Nov 23, 2016.

Demand for organic feed increasing

This mill wants farmers to have animal feed which doesn't sicken their animals. Sick and dead animals are expensive for farmers.

Farmers describe how GMO feed makes their animals sick:

Many things were tried, but the one common thread among the farmers on the film was that they all ditched GMO feed for a non-GMO blend. The improvements were significant and they were noticed in a short period of time. The cows and pigs continued to improve more and more as time went on.

Danish farmer switches to non-GMO feed, health of pigs improve dramatically.

Iowa farmer switches to non-GMO feed, drug costs for animals cut in half. Jim Blomgren switches to non-GMO seed, which is cheaper.

Long-term toxicology study on pigs fed GMO feed. PDF. ISSN 1177-4258. Journal of Organic Systems, 2013. Flawed study claims GMO feed is safe. Discussion here.

Source
Scratch and Peck.

Swearing grandma makes vegan Thanksgiving food

I just thought it was funny.

Link.

Kindle Fire 7" to be $33.33 on Black Friday

Go to this link, or search for it on Amazon. This will be the version that has ads, but if you don't connect to the internet, the ad won't change. That's what I did with my Kindle K3, and it was fully functional without connecting to the internet.

WARNING: electronics often are produced specially for Black Friday sales. These electronics are produced cheaply, using cheaper components, and don't last as long, and usually have a slightly different model number just for Black Friday. Thus these products will sometimes not last as  long. Cheaper does not mean a better value.

Source
ZDNet.
BJ's Wholesale to feature $33.33 Kindle Fire with ads.

Local Gov't can Prohibit GMOs says US Court of Appeals

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit issued its decisions Friday on whether federal and Hawai'i state laws preempt Hawai'i counties' authority to regulate genetically engineered (GE) crops and pesticide use. Of significance to state and local communities throughout the U.S., the Ninth Circuit ruled that federal law—specifically, the Plant Protection Act—does not prohibit states and counties from passing local laws to regulate and ban commercially-grown GE crops.

At the same time, however, the court ruled that under Hawai'i law, counties and municipalities do not have the authority to regulate GE crops (as some in other states do), and that Hawai'i state law places such authority in the hands of the State alone.

Source
Ecowatch.

Food Democracy Now report on glyphosate in food

Highlights:

1. Chronically ill humans had significantly higher glyphosate residues in urine than healthy humans.
2. Their instrumentation includes Gas Chromatography (GC-FID, GC-FPD, GC-TSD, GC-ECD, GCMS, GCMSMS) and Liquid Chromatography (LC-FD, LC-UV, LC-RID, LC-MSMS).
3. Glyphosate is absorbed into the plant's cells so it cannot be washed off. This is a big concern for this pesticide. 
4. There are specific concerns over the link between glyphosate and Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma and a few other cancers. 
5. There is a graph of glyphosate levels vs effects on pg 14. Even tiny levels of a poison can cause harm.
6. Why is glyphosate assumed to be safe? Because it does not exceed US limits, but even low levels can cause problems.

Is IARC the only gov't agency not paid off by Monsanto?

PDF file, 29 pgs. "Glyphosate: Unsafe on any plate." Archiv.is link.

High levels of glyphosate found in many American foods

American foods, including Cheerios, Doritos, Oreos, Goldfish and Ritz crackers and Stacy’s Pita Chips were found to have high levels of glyphosate. Levels found in these product are well above the levels found by independent peer-reviewed studies which show that ultra-low levels of glyphosate can cause organ damage starting at 0.1 parts per billion (ppb). This is 1,750 times lower than what the EPA currently claims is safe. The highest levels detected were found in General Mills' Original Cheerios, which were simply off the charts, at 1,125.3 ppb!

Other foods from this test which contained glyphosate: Kellogg corn flakes, Frosted Flakes, Raisin Bran. Some of these are exported to the UK.

Other brands that contained glyphosate: Kellogg's, Pepsico, Stacy's, General Mills, Lucy's, Back To Nature, Nabisco, Little Debbie, Campbell's soup. 

Tests were done in an FDA-registered lab using the gold standard for testing.

Protect your family, educate yourself.

Sources
Article: Food Democracy Now.
Actual test results from Detox Project. 

Sonoma County (California) bans GMO crops

Sonoma County voted to ban all GMO crops in the county. The reason being organic crops can be contaminated with GMO pollent, and then Monsanto can sue the farmers and take their farms. Also, people don't want organic produce contaminated with GMO genes, such as the ones that produce the Bt toxin that also hurts people.GMOs are bad for farmers because it's too easy to violate Monsanto's draconian agreement.

Source
Ecowatch.

Edison's nickle-iron cell making a comeback.

The alkaline nickle-iron battery is making a comeback. It is reusable, non-polluting, and can be slowly charged over 40 years. It is very tolerant of over- and under-charging and short circuits.

1. Self-discharge rate: 10-15% per month, so it needs trickle charging.
2. Stored energy: 30-50kw/kg (2.2 lbs).
3. Normal cell voltage: 1.2vdc
4. Energy per USD: 1.5-6.6vdc

Source
Off Grid Quest.

How is unemployment since 2008?

First, it is incorrect to say "x% of people are unemployed" because some people are retired, quite a few actually. So we say "x% of civilian workers are unemployed", which is the definition of the U3 unemployment number. This looks at how many people who are able to work, are actually unemployed.

There are several ways to track unemployment in the US. The most common number used by the US major media is the U3 rate. Here are how all the rates are defined.

1. U-1, persons unemployed 15 weeks or longer, as a percent of the civilian labor force;
2. U-2, job losers and persons who completed temporary jobs, as a percent of the civilian labor force;
3. U-3, total unemployed, as a percent of the civilian labor force (this is the definition used for the official unemployment rate); (note: this does not count gov't workers)
4. U-4, total unemployed plus discouraged workers, as a percent of the civilian labor force plus discouraged workers;
5. U-5, total unemployed, plus discouraged workers, plus all other marginally attached workers, as a percent of the civilian labor force plus all marginally attached workers; and
6. U-6, total unemployed, plus all marginally attached workers, plus total employed part time for economic reasons, as a percent of the civilian labor force plus all marginally attached workers.

But we need to define some more terms.

1. The unemployed: The official concept of unemployment (as measured in the CPS by U-3 in the U-1 to U-6 range of alternatives) includes all jobless persons who are available to take a job and have actively sought work in the past four weeks.
2. Discouraged workers (U-4, U-5, and U-6 measures) are persons who are not in the labor force, want and are available for work, and had looked for a job sometime in the prior 12 months. They are not counted as unemployed because they had not searched for work in the prior 4 weeks, for the specific reason that they believed no jobs were available for them. 
3. The marginally attached (U-5 and U-6 measures) are a group that includes discouraged workers. The criteria for the marginally attached are the same as for discouraged workers, with the exception that any reason could have been cited for the lack of job search in the prior 4 weeks. 
4. Persons employed part time for economic reasons (U-6 measure) are those working less than 35 hours per week who want to work full time, are available to do so, and gave an economic reason (their hours had been cut back or they were unable to find a full-time job) for working part time. These individuals are sometimes referred to as involuntary part-time workers.

As of Q3 of 2016, the U3 is 3.5% of workers are unemployed. But the U6, which includes the under-employed, is 9.8%, so there's about 32.5 million workers unemployed. Rush Limbaugh said on the radio today that 90 million people are unemployed. If he means 90 million workers, that is false.

The labor participation rate (number of all people who are actually working) is 63%. So that means 37% are unemployed. 325,000,000 * .37 = 120.25 million people are not working. This is not the same as unemployed civilian workers. This number includes the retired also. People who are not working is not the same as civilian workers who are unemployed.

Be careful you understand what words the media is using, and what those words mean. Vague words made by talking heads are often disingenuous and meant to mislead.

Links
U3 graph here 2006-2016.
2d graph by year and month where a colored square indicates unemployment rate.
The current US population is 325,000,000.

Relationships are what matter most.

One of the few books to cover all the basics, and not being limited to a psychologist's pet theory, this book is a great handbook for relationships of all kinds. You deserve happiness, learn how to get it here: on Leanpub. 

Leanpub is where authors get more royalties than Amazon.

Glyphosate found in children's vaccines

Glyphosate has been found in childhood vaccines and has been confirmed by independent laboratories. These vaccines were found to contain glyphosate in the ppb range: MMR (Merk) II, DTAP Adacel (Sanofi Pasteur), Influenza Fluvirin (Novaris), HepB-Energix-B (Glaxo Smith Kline), Pneumonoccal Vax Polyvalent Pneumovax 23 (Merk).

There are more and more studies that show even low amounts of glyphosate are toxic to mammals and other animals.Go to this collection of studies and look for a tag like "glyphosate". This page has links to more collections of studies about glyphosate and other pesticides.


Source
Ecowatch.

How to make 4000% return on investment in 2 hours

From a Stanford professor's assignment: each team was given $5 to make money in 2 hours. The winning team made $600! Read the article to find out how.

Honda releasing hydrogen-powered car in 2016

Honda is planning to release a hydrogen-powered car in March 2016 that, in an emergency, could even power your house.The clean-energy car called the FCV, which emits only water as a waste product, will have a range of 300 miles (480km) and seating for up to five people But problems with hydrogen fuel, such as a lack of infrastructure to support a nationwide fleet of cars, will need to be solved before the technology is adopted.

While hydrogen power burns more cleanly, it does require using energy to split the hydrogen gas from water. The FCV will have a range of 300 miles (480km) between fill-ups and seating for up to 5 children.

Source
Dailymail.
The 2016 Honda Clarity fuel-cell car. Autoweek.
The Honda Clarity. Honda.com.

Study says Splenda (Sucralose) not safe

A study by the Center for Science in the Public Interest, says Splenda is not safe. The study was based on mice, who were fed Splenda daily, and later saw a definite increase in certain types of cancers.

Many foods contain Splenda, sometimes listed as sucralose. These items that contain Splenda are often labeled "low calorie" or "diet". This includes many sodas in the US. 

Source
US Food Safety.com

Indian court blocks GMO mustard!

India leads the way with blocking GMO seeds and plants and this latest decision by an Indian court blocks GMO mustard seed from being grown. Indians are committing suicide due to the high cost of GMO seed. When they use GMO seed they have to buy seed every year, they cannot save seed on their own. The Indian farmers are having so many financial problems with GMO seed they are committing suicide in record numbers from the crushing Monsanto debt.

This site says GMO seeds are not linked to suicides and there is no good source for this statement. This statement was traced back to Vandana Shiva, who is an Indian environmentalist who has said repeatedly that Monsanto’s “suicide seeds” have triggered a “genocide” in India.

More info

1. More stories on mustard seed in India.
2. "Rising rates of suicide blamed on GMO seed". Smaller farms suffer the most. The problem with GMO seeds in India is that they are often “not bred for that area, for rain-fed agriculture, so they fail more frequently,”

The Pacific Gyre

The Pacific Gyre, or Great Garbage Patch, is a patch of floating plastic debris about the size of Texas. It affects the food chain because plastics absorb pollutants and the fish higher up the food chain become too toxic for human consumption. It is north of Hawaii approximately between Japan and San Francisco. The garbage patch was discovered by Capt. Charles Moor in 1997.

This garbage patch is a problem for many reasons.

1. It's growing non-stop. Both tsunamis and ships dump garbage into the ocean.
2. Plastic particles get smaller but never change their chemical composition. As the particles get smaller, the plankton eat the particles, fill their stomachs with plastic (which they can't digest), and starve to death as they can't get any real food into their stomachs.
3. Plastics attract and concentrate several poisonous compounds like DDT. As the animals get bigger, they concentrate more pollutants in their system, to the point where top predators die from poisoning. 
4. Hanging nets floating around can trap air breathers, like dolphins and turtles, and drown them. 
5. About 70% of the debris actually sinks to the ocean floor. Source. 
6. About 705,000 tons of the debris are fishing nets that have broken and floated away. Source.
7. Since the garbage patch is so far from any country's coastline, no country wants to take responsibility for it.
8. About 80% of the garbage comes from land-based sources in the US and Asia. Source.

There are actually several garbage patches in the Pacific alone. Click the image for a larger size.

Below is the Pacific Ocean Garbage Patch.

Below is a graphic of the structure of one of the Pacific Garbage Patches.

The garbage patches above only include floating plastics. Some plastics sink and those aren't even counted here.

Animals eat the plastic and slowly starve to death, because they think it's food. Notice the plastic parts in the bird's stomach below.

The garbage patch is so big, and so much is added to it every day, that it might be impossible to clean up. For more information see the videos and links below.


Videos for more info

1. Part 1 of 3 of a video from Vice. Total time is 60 minutes.
2. Let's Talk Trash. About 50 minutes.
3. Plasticized. A feature film. About 48 minutes.
4. Capt. Charles Moore on TedX talks about the garbage patch.
5. Youtube search for 'garbage patch'. LOTS more videos here.

More info
Nat Geo article on Pacific Garbage Patch.

Study: How glyphosate affects gut bacteria

Recently, a study, called "The Effect of Glyphosate on Potential Pathogens and Beneficial Members of Poultry Microbiota In Vitro", was done on the effects gut bacteria and pathological bacteria when exposed to glyphosate. The study is in Curr Microbiol. The abstract is here. The abstract is also on SpringerLink for free. The full study is paywalled (meaning, you have to pay to see the whole study).

1. Highly pathogenic bacteria highly resistant to glyphosate. 
2. Beneficial bacteria are moderate to highly susceptible to glyphosate exposure. That means one doesn't have to ingest much glyphosate to have a problem.

The abstract:

The use of glyphosate modifies the environment which stresses the living microorganisms. The aim of the present study was to determine the real impact of glyphosate on potential pathogens and beneficial members of poultry microbiota in vitro. The presented results evidence that the highly pathogenic bacteria as Salmonella Entritidis, Salmonella Gallinarum, Salmonella Typhimurium, Clostridium perfringens and Clostridium botulinum are highly resistant to glyphosate. However, most of beneficial bacteria as Enterococcus faecalis, Enterococcus faecium, Bacillus badius, Bifidobacterium adolescentis and Lactobacillus spp. were found to be moderate to highly susceptible. Also Campylobacter spp. were found to be susceptible to glyphosate. A reduction of beneficial bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract microbiota by ingestion of glyphosate could disturb the normal gut bacterial community.

Below is a partial table of the study results on different bacteria.

Sources
Full study as PDF.
Full study online. PDF available.

Download all Gutenberg English books

How to download all Project Gutenberg English books

This link talks about some ideas. But the question is from 2011.

From Project Gutenberg: How to get all ebooks.

PG: How to Mirror the site. They recommend using 'rsync', available for Linux and Windows.

PG: getting a certain file type (EPUB, HTML, MOBI, etc).
Ex: wget -w 2 -m -H "http://www.gutenberg.org/robot/harvest?filetypes[]=html"
Replace "html" with your filetype, which is one of these: epub.image, epub.noimages, txt, kindle.images, kindle.noimages, mp3 or html.

Or use wget and start with this URL: http://www.gutenberg.org/robot/harvest (most of these are zip files which contain txt files)

Download data to make a CD or dual-layer DVD. The most recent file is from 2010, so it's not updated often.

More info
The list of PG mirrors. Very wide text format.

Roundup linked to billions in healthcare costs

National Geographic reports that Roundup may account for billions of USD in healthcare costs. Some of the problems that glyphosate is suspected to cause, supported by study correlation, are kidney and liver damage, imbalances in the intestinal microbiome and intestinal functioning, cancer, genotoxicity, endocrine disruption, reproductive and developmental reduction, neurological damage, and immune system dysfunction. Glyphosate is thought to block or mimic hormones causing hormone-related problems. Even the Endocrine Society says EDCs (some pesticides act as an EDC) are a danger.(Their page has recent studies on how chemicals act as EDCs and their adverse effects.)

The researchers detailed the costs related to three types of conditions: neurological effects, such as attention deficit disorders; obesity and diabetes; and male reproductive disorders, including infertility. The researchers concluded that there is a greater than 99 percent chance that endocrine-disrupting chemicals are contributing to the diseases...

Some common  EDCs that are known to cause problems: bisphenol-A (BPA), used in hard plastics, food-can linings, and paper receipts; two phthalates used as plasticizers in vinyl products; DDE, the breakdown product of the banned insecticide DDT; organophosphate pesticides, including one called chlorpyrifos used on grain, fruit, and other crops; and brominated flame retardants known as PBDEs that were extensively used in furniture foams until they were banned in Europe and the United States.

Sources
NatGeo.
See this study from Andrology by L. Trasande.
This Google Scholar search shows studies showing issues affecting healthcare costs in Europe.
PDF of similar paper from env-health.org. 25 pages.

Crops sprayed with Roundup just before harvest, more food found with glyphosate

Roundup/glyphosate is not just used on GMO crops, it is widely used on non-GMO crops. But for a product to be labeled organic it cannot have Roundup sprayed on it. When Roundup is sprayed on food crops it gets into the food system and glyphosate and its metabolites are found in urine. These are just a few examples of what crops are sprayed with Roundup and which foods have been found to have glyphosate in them.

Crop dessication: "Pre-harvest crop desiccation (also siccation^[1] ) refers to the application of a herbicide to a crop shortly before harvest.^[2] Herbicides used include glyphosate, diquat and glufosinate."

Glyphosate sometimes sprayed on wheat before harvest.

Oats, wheat, and flax are sprayed with Roundup. (I don't have evidence that Roundup causes cancer but this article shows what is being sprayed with Roundup. Rules will vary by country so different crops will be sprayed with Roundup.)

Anecdotal evidence: People who are intolerant to gluten in the US can go to Europe and eat bread with no problems, the rules regarding pesticides are more strict in Europe.

1. Glyphosate residues regularly found in bread. HCGA 2008 report. PDF.
2. FDA finds baby food contains glyphosate. (After years of pressure the FDA finally decided to start testing foods for glyphosate and they found it.)
3. Glyphosate found in 11 of 24 breakfast foods.
4. Norwegian study finds more glyphosate in foods.
5. Glyphosate found in 51 streams. If it's in the streams, it can easily get into food plants. Some farms get their water from streams.
6. Glyphosate found in wines that weren't even sprayed!
7. 60% of bread in the UK found to contain pesticides. (2014, PDF from PAN.)

If pesticides are so safe why are biotech companies so against labeling foods? And why do biotech hide studies about glyphosate? Actions speak louder than words.

Human urine contains glyphosate

Glyphosate found in urine of ALL people studied. German study.

93% of people tested have glyphosate in their urine. "93% of the urine tested by the University of California San Francisco lab tested positive for glyphosate residues. No glyphosate was found in the tap water samples."

FDA finds glyphosate in baby foods

Earlier in 2016 the FDA began testing foods for glyphosate. It has recently found glyphosate in baby foods containing oats. Keep in mind that does not mean all baby foods were tested. The current "safe" level of glyphosate in oats, from the EPA, is 30ppm.

Link to FDA PDF.  Backup of PDF on archive.is.

Pro-GMO Soylent bar making people sick

There are many ingredients in this food bar that could make people sick, and no one knows if it's the GMOs or not. The food bar is a favorite among Silicon Valley techies but it's not rated high on tasted.

Source
Newyorker.

PAN releases body of studies showing danger of glyphosate

Oct 11, 2016. The Pesticide Action Network released a body of studies showing the danger of glyphosate.

Adverse human impacts detailed in the review include acute poisoning, kidney and liver damage, imbalances in the intestinal microbiome and intestinal functioning, cancer, genotoxicity, endocrine disruption, reproductive and developmental reduction, neurological damage, and immune system dysfunction.

Glyphosate is sprayed on numerous crops and plantations, including about 80% of genetically engineered, or GE crops, as well as a pre-harvest desiccant, which results in high food residues.  

Scientists and regulators continue to give undeserved weight to studies paid for by Monsanto but not peer-reviewed. Science means being open-minded enough to entertain all possiblilities, regardless of how uncomfortable those possiblities are. Ignoring uncomfortable possibilities is not science, it's religion. And pandering to corporations is not science either.

The PDF file is here. http://pan-international.org/wp-content/uploads/Glyphosate-monograph.pdf 96 pages.Contents:

Tensions rise in Missouri Bootheel due to drifting GMO pollen

Malden, Missouri.Dicamba spray drift is killing crops of farmers who didn't plant dicamba-resistant GMO strains. Last year (2015) Monsanto released strains of dicamba-resistant soybeans and cotton, but the form of dicamba used on these GMO crops has not been approved by the EPA yet.

The southeast region of the state is a part of a multistate swath where damage from suspected illegal herbicide drift has slashed yields for farmers who did not plant crops resistant to the herbicide, dicamba. Fallout from the damage is pitting neighbor against neighbor and straining, or simply ruining, relationships in the area’s tight-knit farming communities.

Insurance companies do not cover losses sustained from pesticide spray drift, meaning civil suits are the only way farmers can recoup losses. Losses can add up to hundreds of thousands of dollars (USD). The amount of coverage a farmer can buy is the average of crops harvested during the last 10 years. If overspray is killing their crops year after year, the insurance they can get drops, year after year.

Hundreds of thousands of dollars have been lost due to spray drift.

Source
STL Today.

Charge your phone with a banana

Yes, this should work, given that you use 2 different types of metals, one for the positive lead one for the negative lead. Any acidic solution will work, whether it's from an orange, lemon, apple, or, I guess, even a banana.

Source
Device Byte.

Generate 1 kw of electricity with a 1C degree temperature gradient

Fujifilm has developed a thermoelectric material that will generate 1kw of electricity with a temperature difference of only 1 degree C. Peltier devices, available on Amazon and Ebay, can also generate electricity but generally require a thermal gradient of 100 degrees F or more to get 4-5 volts DC, and not that many milliamps.

I want one!

More thermoelectric gadgets on the market at Pinterest.

Info on a Tin-Selenide TE material.

Europe's food safety org to release studies on glyphosate

The EFSA said it will release studies to the public about glyphosate, from a news release recently. The European Food Safety Authority says transparency is an important part of its mission.

Sources
EFSA Website.
I think this is the EFSA page for this raw data, which others can double check.

Glyphosate and cancer risk, study graph

This graphic at Weedcontrolfreaks is interesting as it graphs the possibility of glyphosate causing cancer (or not) on an easy-to-read graph.

The graph is repeated below.

Phony "panel" misleads public into thinking glyphosate is safe

A panel was formed to refute the IARC's 2015 study that said glyphosate is a "probably human carcinogen". While they claim it's a peer-reveiwed study, there is no link to the study and no list of people who reviewed it. The study is here (Archive.is link). All panel members, and their CV, listed here (Archive.is link). 12 out of 16 panel members (75%) have worked for Monsanto before. Their objectivity is preposterous.

Remember how Monsanto lies about studies, hides EU studies, break the laws in India, steals farms, and has paid a scientist to preach for Monsanto.

And the EPA is still earning its bribes: "Glyphosate, the key ingredient in Monsanto Co's Roundup herbicide, is not likely carcinogenic to humans, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said on Friday as it outlined its current position on the controversial chemical." Source: Reuters.com.

Monsanto's response to the 2015 IARC report that glyphosate is a probable human carcinogen:
Source: Monstanto's website.

History of "safe" products list

For years and years these products were all declared safe in the US, that there were no problems at all. And then the lawsuits started, one after the other. Each link below links to a story about the substance.

1. Asbestos.
2. Aspartame.
3. Bisphenol-A.
4. Cigarettes.
5. Food adulteration in the US.
6. Lead.
7. Thalidomide.

Other items the US gov't said was "safe": 2,4-d (2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid, a herbicide), acetamiprid, Agent Orange, asbestos, aspartame, cigarettes, DDT, DES, diazinon, epoxiconazole, flame retardant in the US, fluroxypyr, fracking, Glyphosate, imidacloprid, isoproturon, lead paint, malathion, mercury fillings, microbeads, organophosphates, parathion, PCBs, pirimicarb, prochloraz, tebuconazole, tetrachlorvinphos, thalidomide, Vioxx.

State told city mayors to keep Zika trap sites a secret

1. Some states are spraying a neurotoxin called Naled, brand name Dibrom (morbid spelled backward) to kill the mosquitos.
2. Florida Dept of Health used multiple meetings, phone calls and conversations, to hide trap sites, so no paper trail was made. That alone is suspicious.

Source
Health Nut News. Site also has daily Zika virus map animated update.

Database of glyphosate studies by disease studied

This list of studies by Greenmedinfo.com contains Roundup studies grouped by disease. You can also search on diseases to narrow your results. This database seems to link to the free NIH database of studies which often has the full studies to read for free. But you can sign up at the NIH if you want to bookmark studies via their site.

Some of the disease groups are: glyphosate toxicity, lymphoma, DNA damage, low testosterone, skin cancer, neurotoxicity.

The studies are also grouped by adverse reaction.

This looks interesting. 

German study found glyphosate in urine of ALL people studied

"When testing for glyphosate contamination in an urban population, a German university found significant contamination in all urine samples with levels 5 to 20 times above the legal limit for drinking water."

Source
Ithaca-Journal.

Books on food politics, and how the corporations keeps people unsafe

1. Books to buy

Food Politics by Marion Nestle.
Eat, Vote, Drink. An illustrated guide to food politics in the US. by Marion Nestle.
Safe Food, by Marion Nestle.

2. Free books

2.1 No registration necessary
Food Crimes Report. PDF.

2.2 Paywalled or registration required
At digitalbookindex.org, some of these books are free. Some links redirect to other sites.


2.3 Unknown or a mix of the above.

Toxic haze kills 100,000 in and near Indonesia

(It took some time to gather data on this 2015 event but here we go.)

Toxic haze deaths from July to October 2015 were concentrated in Indonesia, with deaths from cardiovascular disease, and some by respiratory disease. (I wouldn't call it "respiratory disease", disease takes longer than that to appear. I'd call it "severe/fatal respiratory distress".) Fires were set by farmers all over the region to clear land for agriculture.

Source
CNBC, Sep 19, 2016.

Study shows Roundup linked closely to disease

A study in Entropy by Dr. Stephanie Seneff and Anthony Samsel says Roundup leads to many common Western diseases like mood swings, stomach problems, heart disease and diabetes. The latter 3 are inflammatory disorders, and mood swings hasn't been shown to be an inflammatory condition (yet).

Glyphosate interrupts the metabolic pathway of helpful gut bacteria just like in plants. Glyphosate escapes into the bloodstream and disrupts neural pathways leading to mood swings, auto immune diseases, and digestive disorders.Chronic inflammation typically does not appear as pain, but the inflammation is still there, an unheard warning signal from your body. US medical schools don't teach much about the effect of diet on the body, much less GMOs and pesticides on the body. So the US medical profession is largely ignorant of such data, unless they investigated this on their own.

Remember, Roundup is not just used on GMO crops. It's used on many more crops. Spraying Roundup in the crops kills them all at the same time, which helps in harvesting.

Anecdotally, I've been on an organic diet for 5 months, especially avoiding non-organic corn, all gluten, and non-organic soy. My gut problems have improved significantly. But it takes time for the body to heal itself after decades of damage.

We really need a consumer-grade device to detect Roundup (phase 1) and the more commons pesticides (phase 2).

Related stories:
Glyphosate found in 11 of 24 breakfast foods.
93% of people studied have glyphosate in their urine.
Americans more exposed to glyphosate than Europeans.
Glyphosate found in 51 streams.
Glyphosate in your supplements and pills.


Source
Food Renegade.
Paper in Entropy. 2013.

GMO crop use shows widespread environmental damage

From the largest GMO crop study yet (soon to be demonized by Monsanto), GMO crops cause the increase of pesticides and that leads to more and more pesticide-resistant weeds, causing more and more problems for farmers. The study data was gathered from 1998-2011.

From the study: On average, adopters of GE glyphosate-tolerant (GT) soybeans used 28% (0.30 kg/ha) more herbicide than nonadopters, adopters of GT maize used 1.2% (0.03 kg/ha) less herbicide than nonadopters, and adopters of GE insect-resistant (IR) maize used 11.2% (0.013 kg/ha) less insecticide than nonadopters...  For both soybean and maize, GT adopters used increasingly more herbicides relative to nonadopters, whereas adopters of IR maize used increasingly less insecticides. The estimated pattern of change in herbicide use over time is consistent with the emergence of glyphosate weed resistance.

And this is also telling:

“In the beginning, there was a reduction in herbicide use, but over time the use of chemicals increased because farmers were having to add new chemicals as weeds developed a resistance to glyphosate,” Ciliberto said.

Source
Sustainable Pulse. Sep 18, 2016.
Science Advances. Aug 31, 2016. Open access article.

Nina Conti: Ventriloquist

Nina Conti puts a new spin on ventriloquism. There are several videos on Youtube, try this one here.

Cotton grower sees better crop after dropping GMO seeds

African cotton grower sees better harvest ahead after he stopped using GMO seeds. The grower stopped using GMO seeds because the short fibers were ruining his reputation and revenue.

Source
Agweb. Sep 19, 2016.

Norwegian study shows more Roundup in food

Abstract:

This article describes the nutrient and elemental composition, including residues of herbicides and pesticides, of 31 soybean batches from Iowa, USA. The soy samples were grouped into three different categories: (i) genetically modified, glyphosate-tolerant soy (GM-soy); (ii) unmodified soy cultivated using a conventional “chemical” cultivation regime; and (iii) unmodified soy cultivated using an organic cultivation regime. Organic soybeans showed the healthiest nutritional profile with more sugars, such as glucose, fructose, sucrose and maltose, significantly more total protein, zinc and less fibre than both conventional and GM-soy. Organic soybeans also contained less total saturated fat and total omega-6 fatty acids than both conventional and GM-soy. GM-soy contained high residues of glyphosate and AMPA (mean 3.3 and 5.7 mg/kg, respectively). Conventional and organic soybean batches contained none of these agrochemicals. Using 35 different nutritional and elemental variables to characterise each soy sample, we were able to discriminate GM, conventional and organic soybeans without exception, demonstrating “substantial non-equivalence” in compositional characteristics for ‘ready-to-market’ soybeans.

The study goes on to break down and show the nutrients for the different classes of soybeans (Roundup Ready, conventional pesticides, organic). Differences between organic and other soybean crops:

1. The organic soybeans had significantly more barium but no other statistically significant variations were found in the other nutrients measured.
2. The organic soybeans had significantly more glucose, fructose, sucrose, and maltose (all types of sugars). 

Other notes:

1. Glyphosate has been found in all parts of the plant. It cannot be washed off. Thus, people are ingesting glyphosate wherever glyphosate is sprayed.

Source

1. Rodale's Organic Life. April 25, 2014.
2. The study: "Compositional Differences in Soybeans on the Market: Glyphosate accumulates in Roundup Ready GM Soybeans." Food Chemistry. June 2014.

GMO industry co-opts the concept of sound science

The concept of sound science means the results are not skewed or hidden by vested interests, or are influenced by dogma or profits.

Corruption, payoffs, and hiding poor science abounds in the GMO industry. So people have less trust in GMO science than ever before.

Read the article and see for yourself.

Source
HuffPo.

Maker charges $600 for EpiPen, EpiPencil is $30usd

The maker of the EpiPen charges $600usd retail for one pen. There were some coupons floating around for a discount, but I don't know if they are still around.

So, make your own equivalent, called the EpiPencil.

Former Monsanto exec admits they faked data on Roundup studies

Former Monsanto Executive Admits Company Faked Scientific Data To Gain Regulatory Approval

1. Former managing director of Monsanto India, Tiruvadi Jagadisan, is the latest to join the critics of Bt brinjal (eggplant).
2. “The Central Insecticide Board was supposed to give these approvals based on the location and crop-specific data from India. But it simply accepted foreign data supplied by Monsanto" says Jagadison now age 84.

Source
Mint News Press. Feb 9, 2016.

Monsanto damn themselves in emails

2012 Seralini 2 year study with rats supported at last.

Quotes:

Perhaps most astonishing was the fact that the Seralini study was the first long-term study of the effects of a GMO diet in the world after almost two decades of widespread proliferation of GMO crops. No one else until then had made tests over the entire two year life span of rats—no government, no university, no food end-user like Nestle, Unilever, Kellogg or Kraft Foods or any such mega food concerns using GMO in their products. All previous studies were merely a brief three months or less, far too short a time to determine the possible effects of a GMO diet, as Seralini’s study dramatically confirmed. (The study here was retracted after pressure from pro-Monsanto industry.)

Seralini’s 2012 study also independently confirmed carcinogenic effects of Monsanto’s Roundup herbicide paired with the GMO corn.

Keep in mind that GMO corn, containing Roundup, is also used to make corn syrup, which is in 90%+ of packaged products in the US. And GMO corn is not the only problem. Many other non-GMO crops are sprayed with Roundup to kill them all at the same time to make harvesting easier.

On 19 September, 2012 according to the emails seen by Foucart, Nebraska University professor Richard Goodman, a former Monsanto employee who continued research work that was primarily funded by Monsanto and the agribusiness industry, informed Monsanto about the publication of the Séralini’s article. Goodman wrote his Monsanto contact that he “would appreciate” it if Monsanto could provide him with criticisms against the Seralini piece. Monsanto replied to Goodman, “We’re reviewing the paper. I will send you the arguments that we have developed.” A few days later, Goodman was named “associate editor” responsible for biotechnology, i.e. GMO, a specially-created post at Food and Chemical Toxicology journal, by Wallace Hayes, then editor.

Source
Journal Neo.org.

Is consuming aluminum toxic?

What's the link to Alzheimers?

This post looks for reliable studies and reliable sources to figure out if there is a link to aluminum exposure and intake, and Alzheimer's disease.

- From Medscape, updated Apr 15, 2015:

1. Dietary aluminum is ubiquitous but in such small quantities that it is not a significant source of concern in persons with normal elimination capacity.
2. Approximately 95% of an aluminum load becomes bound to transferrin and albumin intravascularly and is then eliminated renally.
3. Toxic effects are dependent upon the amount of metal ingested, entry rate, tissue distribution, concentration achieved, and excretion rate.
4. At physiological pH, aluminum forms a barely soluble Al(OH)₃ that can be easily dissolved by minor changes in the acidity of the media.
5. In healthy subjects, only 0.3% of orally administered aluminum is absorbed via the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, and the kidneys effectively eliminate aluminum from the human body.
6. If a significant aluminum load exceeds the body's excretory capacity, the excess is deposited in various tissues, including bone, brain, liver, heart, spleen, and muscle. This accumulation causes morbidity and mortality through various mechanisms.
7. Aluminum brain concentrations should be lower than 2 μg/g. (2 micrograms of aluminum per gram of brain tissue.)
8. Aluminum causes an oxidative stress within brain tissue. Since the elimination half-life of aluminum from the human brain is 7 years, this can result in cumulative damage via the element's interference with neurofilament axonal transport and neurofilament assembly.  
9. A possible etiologic link between aluminum exposure and Alzheimer disease emerged from a 1965 study showing that aluminum causes neurofibrillary tangles in the brains of rabbits (this was not a human study). Subsequent research has largely failed to support this hypothesis, however. For example, the clinical manifestations and underlying neuropathology of aluminum-induced encephalopathy in dialysis patients bear no resemblance to those of Alzheimer disease.
10. Excess aluminum has caused anemia, which looks similar to lead poisoning.  
11. Aluminum toxicity is usually found in patients with renal impairment.

 Summary: No, aluminum does not cause Alzheimer's.

- From "Aluminum and silica in drinking water and the risk of Alzheimer's disease or cognitive decline: findings from 15-year follow-up of the PAQUID cohort". NIH. Dec 8, 2008. (This was a study done in France.)

1. Using a Cox model, a high daily intake of aluminum was significantly associated with increased risk of dementia. Conversely, an increase of 10 mg/day in silica intake was associated with a reduced risk of dementia. However, the geographical exposure to aluminum or silica from tap water was not associated with dementia. 
2. Although knowledge of the pathophysiology of AD has greatly progressed over the past decades, its causal mechanisms are far from clear.
3. Cognitive decline was greater in subjects with a high daily Al intake (greater than 0.1 mg/day or an increase of 0.1 mg/day). However, Al had no significant association with the values of the MMSE scores (a measure of global mental status) at inception in the cohort. (NOTE: "cognitive decline" is not Alzheimer's.)
4. Among the 20 most influential subjects (about 1% of the sample) 7 had a high consumption of aluminum (> 0.100 mg/day). 

Summary: There might be an association of Aluminum intake from water, with dementia.

- World Health Organization paper from 2010. PDF here, about 23 pages.

1. Airborne aluminium levels range from 0.0005 μg/m over Antarctica to more than 1 μg/min industrialized areas (WHO, 1997). 
2. In drinking water systems in Canada that have surface water sources and use aluminium salts, the mean total aluminium concentration was estimated to be 101 μg/l.
3. In a survey of 186 community water supplies in the United States of America (USA), median aluminium concentrations for all finished drinking-water samples ranged from 0.03 to 0.1 mg/l (30ug to 100ug); for facilities using aluminium sulfate coagulation, the median level was 0.1mg/l, with a maximum of 2.7 mg/l (2700 ug/l) (Miller et al., 1984). (Using the 2700 ug/l, and 0.3% is absorbed into the body, the body would be absorbing 8.1 ug/l of water of aluminum. Then 95% of that is eliminated through the kidneys so the body is left with .405 ug/l of aluminum.)
4. In a study of 10 Sprague-Dawley rats, Aluminium did not accumulate in a dose-dependent manner in the organs and tissues examined.
5. No adverse effects on body weight or longevity were observed in Charles River mice (54 males and 54 females per group) receiving 0 or 5 mg of aluminium (as potassium aluminium sulfate) per kilogram of diet during their lifetime (Schroeder & Mitchener, 1975a; WHO, 1989)
6. Two groups of Long-Evans rats (52 of each sex) received 0 or 5 mg of aluminium (as potassium aluminium sulfate) per litre of drinking-water during their lifetime. No effects were found on body weight; average heart weight; glucose, cholesterol and uric acid levels in serum; and protein and glucose content and pH of urine. The lifespan was not affected (Schroeder & Mitchener, 1975b; WHO, 1989).
7. Behavioural impairment has been reported in laboratory animals exposed to soluble aluminium salts (e.g. lactate, chloride) in the diet or drinking-water in the absence of overt encephalopathy or neurohistopathology. Both rats (Commissaris et al., 1982; Thorne et al., 1987; Connor, Jope & Harrell, 1988) and mice (Yen-Koo, 1992) have demonstrated such impairments at doses exceeding 200 mg of aluminium per kilogram of body weight per day. (This is far more than a person would get from city water treated from aluminum sulfate.)
8. There is little indication that aluminium is acutely toxic by oral exposure despite its widespread occurrence in foods, drinking-water and many antacid preparations (WHO, 1997).

WHO summary:

On the whole, the positive relationship between aluminium in drinking-water and AD [Alzheimer disease], which was demonstrated in several epidemiological studies, cannot be totally dismissed. However, strong reservations about inferring a causal relationship are warranted in view of the failure of these studies to account for demonstrated confounding factors and for total aluminium intake from all sources.

Post Summary

It's still not clear if Aluminum is corellated with dementia (or Alzheimer's, which is a different diagnosis) or if there is causation.

If you have any studies you would like me to add, put a link in the comments to this post and what you thought was interesting to add.

Fecal bacteria transplant update

This is a longer post but well-worth reading as the information has effects on many diseases at once.

What is fecal transplant (FT)?

It's when feces from a healthy donor is given to an unhealthy person. FT is non-invasive. No cuts are made, sometimes it is given through a tube in the nose, a capsule form containing freeze-dried bacteria, enema, or other non-invasive ways. Side effects are few.

What are microbiota? 

Microbiota are all the bacteria and microscopic organisms that live in your gut. They help you turn food into vitamins that can be absorbed into the blood stream. There are good bacteria (which help you digest food), and bad bacteria. Under certain conditions, like a chronic lack of fiber, or eating too much sugar or processed foods, the bad bacteria out compete the good bacteria and this syndrome might be linked to diabetes and other illnesses.

Some bullet points:

1. Fecal transplants have been used for at least 1700 years. Source. 
2. 99% of the DNA inside us comes from bacteria. Source. 
3. Limited cases show the treatment is effective in Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, chronic fatigue syndrome and irritable bowel syndrome.
4. FT can be given by nasogastric or nasoduodenal tube, colonoscope, enema, or capsule. 
5. Thinner people have a wider variety of Bacteroidetes, a large tribe of microbes that specialize in breaking down bulky plant starches and fibers into shorter molecules that the body can use as a source of energy. (Source)
6. One bacterium associated with obesity might be a stomach bacterium called Helicobacter pylori. Research by Martin Blaser of New York University suggests that it helps to regulate appetite by modulating levels of ghrelin—a hunger-stimulating hormone, but the use of antibiotics has all but made H. pylori extinct in human stomachs.
7. Since FT is so new, it's probably not covered by any medical insurance in the US.

In China they used to make "poop soup" containing fecal matter and fed it to newborns. This jump started the babies' immune systems and gut bacteria populations. They called it "yellow soup". Initial studies show fecal transplant (FT) works in treating Parkinson's disease, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, myoclonus dystopia, multiple sclerosis, obesity, insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, and autism.

What are the bad diets like?  What problems might bad diets cause?

At this point scientists have very reasonable theories on how this works, but the truth is they cannot claim they know everything about this issue.

But a bad diet is a diet consistently high in sugar, processed foods and low in fiber. The good bacteria need the fiber to survive. It's their food. So grab those prunes and munch with pride!

When would a person need a fecal transplant? 

Fecal transplants are not yet legal for humans in the US except under limited circumstances, like a persistent C difficile infection, Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis. But this link says the cure rate is "nearly" 100% out of 200 patients. More studies must be done on how to package, ship and ingest the bacteria so they live and can benefit the person.

A study: "The Impact of Diet and Lifestyle on Gut Microbiota and Human Health".
From NIH. (Lots of good info here!)

1. Both short- and long-term dietary change can influence the microbial profiles. I.e. a little "cheating" in the diet can still be bad. 
2. Most of the microbes are bacteria, the gut can also harbor yeasts, single-cell eukaryotes, viruses and small parasitic worms. Not all of these organisms are harmful by themselves, but they can make the populations of good bacteria decrease, which IS harmful. 
3. The most common bacteria in adults are Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus, Bacteroides, Clostridium, Escherichia, Streptococcus and Ruminococcus. Approximately 60% of the bacteria belong to the Bacteroidetes or Firmicutes phyla.
4. The Human Microbiome Project (Wikipedia page) shows that bacteria populations vary a lot among individuals. 
5. Gut microbes produce a large number of bioactive compounds that can influence health; some like vitamins are beneficial, but some products are toxic.
6. The use of a range of fibers, may be the best way of maintaining a healthy gut microbiota population. (Other studies say avoid sugar, and processed foods.)
7. Bacteria such as Bifidobacterium can generate vitamins (e.g., K, B12, Biotin, Folate, Thiamine). B12 is very important for neurological function, and a lack of B12 can cause some symptoms of depression.  
8. The Bacteroidetes phylum bacteria tend to dominate numerically during youth but numbers decline significantly by old age, whereas the reverse trend occurs for bacteria of the Firmicutes phylum.
9. High fat diets induce increased circulating levels of bacteria-derived LPS in humans, possibly as a consequence of increased intestinal permeability (related to leaky gut syndrome?). LPS is an immune system modulator and potent inflammatory agent linked to the development of common metabolic diseases.

Links

1. "How gut bacteria make us fat and thin." Scientific American. June 1, 2014. READ THIS if nothing else.
2. List of clinics that do FT here. 
3. Wikipedia link to "fecal microbiota transplant".

Heterodox Academy wants to improve free speech

For 20+ years universities across the US and other countries have found their free speech limited by parties who want "safe spaces" because their fragile emotional state means they cannot deal with people who disagree with them. Not only that but PC people threaten speech and idea diversity, though they claim to be diversity themselves. The Hetrodox Academy wants to crush the PC madness and allow more dissenting viewpoints across more college campuses.

The resolutions urge (1) the Faculty Senate at schools to adopt the University of Chicago's Principles on Freedom of Expression, or (2) implement a non-obstruction policy against shouting down controversial speakers, or (3) asks the university to explicitly include viewpoint diversity in its faculty hiring and curriculum policies.

Speakers have been cancelled just because someone was "offended", and in the past many universities have supported this lack of diversity in viewpoints. The Hetrodox Academy attempts to remedy that.


Source
Reason.com.

Does the flu shot contain mercury compounds?

Yes, it does. Mercury is a highly toxic element which causes permanent neurological damage. Damage is even more severe for growing infants and children exposed to mercury. However, it is not clear if mercury compounds, like Thimerosal are safe.

The CDC says flu vaccines in multi-dose vials contain Thimerosal. This is what is normally given to the public en masse. Dr. Oz says Thimerosal is 49% mercury. This paper (PDF, 2006, from Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices) says no flu vaccine should be given to any pregnant women, ever. Is that because of the toxicity of Thimerosal?

From Vaxtruth:

1. 2 ppb is the maximum amount of mercury that deems water “safe” for drinking.
2. Anything over 200 ppb mercury is considered TOXIC. Source: EPA website.
   
3. There is up to 300 ppb mercury is in the “thimerosal-free” flu vaccine.
4. There is 25,000 ppb mercury given in the flu shot containing 25 mcg of thimerosal as a preservative.

This link contains studies about the toxicity of Thimerosal.

TLDR: Thimerosal is not safe for humans.

No safe spaces for Univ of Chicago students

The University of Chicago warns students there will be no safe spaces where free speech is not tolerated. This includes "emotionally fragile" students, who also will not be given trigger warnings by the university. The university said they are supportive of free speech.


Source
Reason.com. Aug 25, 2016.

Hepatitis from strawberries in Tropical Smoothies Cafe

There have been some cases of hepatitis from strawberries in Virginia at Tropical Smoothies Cafe. The strawberries were from Egypt.

There have been 23 confirmed cases of hepatitis A linked to frozen strawberries used at Tropical Smoothie Cafes across Virginia.

It's almost like you need your own tricorder to test for pesticides and disease in all US food now.

Source
Barfblog.

ChumBuddy sleeping bag is too funny!

The ChumBuddy sleeping bag looks like a shark is eating you. Great for Jaws fans. At $200usd your "Jaws" will probably drop.

Heavy metals in Nigerian spices, 2016

Some of these will affect Europeans and Americans. I have made bold the things that might affect products in America or Europe.

Abstract:

BACKGROUND:
Natural spices are commonly used by the people in Nigeria. They may be easily contaminated with heavy metals when they are dried and then pose a health risk for the consumers.

OBJECTIVE:
The aim of this study was to determine the levels of heavy metals in some commonly consumed natural spices namely Prosopis Africana, Xylopia aethiopica, Piper gineense, Monodora myristica, Monodora tenuifolia and Capsicum frutescens sold in the local markets of Awka, Anambra state, South East Nigeria to estimate the potential health risk.

RESULTS:
The range of heavy metal concentration was in the order: Zn (14.09 - 161.04) > Fe (28.15 - 134.59) > Pb (2.61 - 8.97) > Cr (0.001 - 3.81) > Co (0.28 - 3.07) > Ni (0.34 - 2.89). Pb, Fe and Zn exceeded the maximum allowable concentrations for spices. The Target Hazard Quotient (THQ) of the spices varied from 0.06-0.5. Estimated daily intakes (EDI) were all below the tolerable daily intake (TDI). The lead levels in Prosopis africana, Xylopia aethiopica (Grains of Selim), Piper gineense (aka West African pepper, Ashanti pepper, Benin pepper, false cubeb, Guinea cubeb, uziza pepper), Monodora myristica (Calabash nutmeg) and Capsicum frutescens (aka Piri Piri, Kambuzi pepper, Malagueta pepper, Tabasco pepper, Siling labuyo) which are 8-30 times higher than the WHO/FAO permissible limit of 0.3 mg/kg.

Source
"Heavy Metals Hazards from Nigerian Spices." 2016. NIH website.

50 US Gymnastics coaches banned for abusing girls

List here.

At first a girl named McCabe filed abuse complaints against her coach, and the complaint was simply filed away and ignored. Later a list of coaches who were abusing girls, and banned from the US Gymnastics team, was found.

Some coaches were even left off the sexual abuser list.

Story here.

The Coke Sharing Can Splits in Two

The Coke Sharing Can, which fits regular vending machines, splits into 2 pieces to share with a friend.

Ice Cream Lock Secures Your Treat

Ice Cream Lock keeps your favorite flavor under high security. I have no idea how this works since cardboard ice cream containers are very flexible.

Heavy metals in bottled water

Abstract:

New regulations regarding the presence of contaminants in bottled water went into effect in California in January 2009. These requirements include testing, reporting, and notification to regulate the presence of heavy metals in bottled natural spring water sold in California. In the study described in this article, six sources of bottled natural spring water were purchased and analyzed for silver, arsenic, barium, beryllium, cadmium, cobalt, chromium, copper, mercury, molybdenum, nickel, lead, antimony, selenium, thallium, vanadium, and zinc. All of these metals except beryllium, mercury, and thallium were detected in at least one of the bottled natural spring water sources. No concentrations were above either federal or California maximum contaminant levels but arsenic concentrations exceeded California public health goals in all six sources. Improving the California notification requirements for bottled water contaminants would result in a process more similar to the notification process for tap water and would result in better-informed consumers.

So, the rumors are true. California is doing something good. 


Source
"Heavy Metals in Bottled Water". 2011. Study on NIH website.

5TB external USB drive for $130, on Amazon

Prices for storage are coming down quickly. See here. But you will probably have to partition this drive into multiple logical drives for this to work on your OS.

Edit Nov 6, 2016: now $130usd!!

Max partition sizes for 32-bit OS: Microsoft KB.

1. A 32-bit OS supports disk partitions up to 2TB. If your hardware is 64-bit but your OS is 32-bit the 2TB limit still applies. 
2. A 64-bit OS supports a (theoretical) 9.4 billion TB disk partition. But the OS is not the only thing that matters, the file system type also matters. 
3. The newer GUID Partition Table supports more disk partitions. MS KB article.

A physical hard drive can be divided into partitions, or "logical drives". The number of partitions depends on your OS. The max size of partitions also depends on your OS. The max file size depends on what type of partition it is.


Types of partitions (file systems)

1. FAT32: Max file size: 2GB (this is not big enough for many movies especially in HD). Max partition size is 8TB. Techsupport.com. Wikipedia. Filesystem limits from Wikipedia.
2. exFat: Max file size: 16Eib. Max partition size: 64ZiB.

If any of this is incorrect please leave a comment with a link to the correct information.

New: book on relationships released

I've just released my book on relationships, and how to find the right person for you. 30+ years of study, and multiple models crammed into one book. $2-4usd, your choice, with 45 day money back guarantee. Free sample available in PDF, EPUB or MOBI formats.

Seriously, there isn't another book like this out there with all this on one p lace. It's finding that perfect person, using science.

Go here for "Relationship Magic". But it's just science that looks like magic. 

Firefly population dying

The firefly population appears to be decreasing in 13 countries, as reported in a 2010 report. Urban lights confuse the insects, leading to reduced reproduction, and increased use of pesticides of many types helps kill them off.

To get involved and report filefly sightings, go to Museum of Science, Firefly Watch. Fireflies can glow in yellow, orange, green, even blue!

Source: Accuweather.
See more at Firefly dot org.

Neat map of wind, rain, clouds, pressure, or temperatue

Windyty is a website which can show a heatmap of temperature, wind speed, barometric pressure, snow, cloud cover or waves.

It also comes as an app for Android.

I'll never sleep through another tornado again (true story).

Try it!

Free ebook on recycling

"Recycled Thoughts" is a free ebook on recycling, repurposing, and being "green".

50 holistic doctors dead

50 holistic doctors have been killed in the last 12 months as pressure to label GMOs increases and data about the toxicity of our food and water becomes more public. While that SEEMS like a lot, the article didn't really present any evidence of foul play, not that there wasn't any, there just wasn't any evidence.

Source

Newstarget which leads to HealthNutNews.

New TiddlyWiki 5.1.12

TiddlyWiki is a single HTML file where you can take notes. You can open it in any browser and edit those notes, just like a wiki. The TiddlyWiki concept is most closely related to the old Apple Hyperstack cards of the 1980s, or an actual Wiki, like Wikipedia. Go to the TiddlyWiki link in the next paragraph and what you see is an actual TiddlyWiki about TiddlyWiki. Each "card" is called a Tiddler.

TiddlyWiki has a new version, 5.1.12. This version supports markdown. You can have a whole wiki in a single self-modifying HTML file. You can also host it on a website for free at www.tiddlyspot.com. You will be able to edit your TiddlyWiki but others without the password will not. That is, others can edit your TiddlyWiki, but they will not be able to save their changes.

TiddlyWiki is useful for storing and finding information like:

1. Todo lists with check boxes.
2. Planning a wedding, party, graduation, or other event.
3. Taking notes on a new language.
4. Summarizing a computer language.
5. Storing recipes. 
6. Storing project notes.  
7.  Reminders with alarms.
8. Organizing just about any information. 

What's new

1. New text editor toolbars
2. New bitmap editor toolbars with usable drawing tools
3. Upgraded KaTeX and CodeMirror plugins
4. Experimental Evernote import by dragging .enex files
5. Added a bulk delete button to advanced search "Filter" tab
6. Introduction of the new WikifyWidget
7. New "internals" plugin that allows results of parsing and rendering to be previewed
8. Many bug fixes

We're not done yet

With summer comes gardening, work, and other plans and sometimes I don't have time to create another post. But never fear, we are not dead yet! It just gets busy in the summer for me sometimes. I'll post when I can.

Rio: no water venue is safe, superbacteria found

No water venue is safe to use for the Olympics in Rio. It comes with a superbacteria that causes meningitis and is resistant to antibiotics.

Source
Accuweather Video.

Is Red Dye #40 harmful to most people?

(Red 40, red 3, yellow 5. Make from petroleum? Cancer risk? )

In the US, three dyes compose 90% of dye consumption in the US:  Red 40, yellow 5, yellow 6. In 2010, CSPI published a report stating that most food dyes likely cause cancer, cause allergic reactions in some children, or are not adequately tested. This report mentions:

Red 40, Yellow 5, and Yellow 6 contain benzidene, a human and animal carcinogen permitted in low, presumably safe levels in dyes.2 The FDA calculated in 1985 that ingestion of free benzidine raises the cancer risk to just under the “concern” threshold (1 cancer in 1 million people). Bound benzidene also has been detected in dyes in much greater amounts than free benzidene,7,8 but routine FDA tests measure only free contaminants, overlooking the bound moiety.2 Intestinal enzymes release bound benzidene, “so we could be exposed to vastly greater amounts of carcinogens than FDA’s routine tests indicate,” says Jacobson—especially considering today’s children are exposed to multiple dyes and flavoring agents and other added chemicals in foods.9

Red 40
Red 40 dye, also called Allure Dye (international number E129), or FD&C Red Dye 40, is made from petroleum products but industry claims it's so refined it's not dangerous. It's also called "Azo Dye". It might be listed as "Red 40 Lake" on the ingredients. A "lake" form of a dye is one that water will not wash off, it's not water soluble. This is mostly used in pills where the manufacturer does not want the dye to be washed off if it contacts a bit of water.

In Europe, foods that contain the dyes that might causes sensitivity must be labeled. In 2009 the European Food Safety Authority re-evaluated the use of Red 40 dye. The panel found that red #40 did not have genotoxicity with Salmonella, nor cause cancer. The panel recommends limiting red #40 (Acceptable Daily Intake) to 0-7mg/kg of body weight. But since the weight of red dye in US foods is not listed, this ADI is useless for consumers.


Here are some studies on red dye.

1. 1989. Study abstract here. "The no-adverse-effect levels in this study were 5.19% (2829 mg/kg/day) for male rats, and 1.39% (901 mg/kg/day) for female rats." It is unknown how many mg of dye people eat on average because this information is not on nutrition labels. The ingredients are listed but not the amounts of each ingredient.
2. 1992. Azo dyes are not mutagenic.
3. 1997. Red dye #3 increases growth of human breast cancer cells. 
4. 2002. Red dye #40 found to be most genotoxic.

The results of studies are mixed because they look for different things. But it certainly is within the realm of possibility that some kids will become hyperactive to red #40 if they consume it. When in doubt, avoid it. It does contain benzidine which is a known carcinogen.

Red 40 sources
FD&C red 40 chemical info.