Brazil approves world's first gmo sugar cane

It doesn't matter if the sugar cane is GMO or not, if they spray it with glyphosate it will end up in our food. Glyphosate is sprayed on the leaves, and taken up by all of the plant. It cannot be washed off. Sugar cane is used in LOTS of foods that need a sweetener. Glyphosate is also used to kill a whole crop all at once to increase crop yields, whether the crop is Roundup Ready or not.

Source
Reuters.

Reusing soap slivers

How does one reuse soap slivers? There are several methods.

There used to be a mold where the top and bottom came off. You soak your slivers for 24 hours to make them soft, drain excess water, and press soft slivers into this mold. Then remove a new block of soap. But I can't find this mold on Amazon, Ebay, or Aliexpress. If you can find this soap press, please let me know in the comments.

Some people mash the soap into a muffin tin with a sturdy plastic cup. I would avoid using a glass since some might break in your hands and cause injury. 

Some people grate the soap, heat it up in a tin can (pop cans are too light for this), and pour into a waxed Dixie cup for a round soap. Some others use muffin tins, and pour the melted soap in there. You can use muffin tins from the Dollar Tree but spray them with oil before pouring melted soap into them. I'm going to try a silicone mold later because I can push the soap out through the bottom.

Aliexpress link to round silicone soap mold.

I  tried to microwave some slivers on 50% power but they just bubbled like popcorn.

If you have an idea that worked well, please leave a comment! Thanks!

New study shows toxic environs cause cancer

1. It's not just genetics, but a toxic environment can cause cancer, says a new study from the journal Cancer. 
2. Researchers examined hundreds of variables that contribute to the overall quality of the environment. These included air pollution, water pollution, pesticide and radon levels, access to health services, and healthy food. (Some studies suggest that tires going on the roads produce a black rubber dust which can make asthma worse.)
3. The researchers concluded that poor quality of air and built environment as well as high sociodemographic risk factors had the strongest associations to higher rates of cancer, particularly in urban areas. (Sociodemographic risk factors mean, besides other things, poor people can only afford older, cheap housing, which often has lead paint, asbestos, etc.)

 Source
Glyphosate.news.

BHA and BHT in cosmetics

Butylated compounds, includes BHA and BHT are commonly found in cosmetics.

Butylated compounds are found in creams, lip products, makeup, hair products, sunscreen, fragrance, antiperspirant/deodorant, and more. Some studies have shown they can influence hormones in the body, can be toxic to some organs, can cause with child development, and may cause cancer. The compounds have many names, but here's one: butylated hydroxyanisole. It has a CAS No. 25013-16-5.

From the NTP report on Butylated Hydroxyanisole:

Dietary exposure to BHA caused benign and malignant tumors of the forestomach (papilloma and squamous-cell carcinoma) in rats of both sexes and in male mice and hamsters (IARC 1986, Masui et al. 1986). Since BHA was listed in the Sixth Annual Report on Carcinogens, an additional study in experimental animals has been identified. Dietary administration of BHA to fish (hermaphroditic Rivulus marmoratus) as larvae caused liver cancer (hepatocellular carcinoma) in the adult fish (Park et al. 1990).

Currently there is not enough data to say whether BHA causes cancer in humans, but gathering more data on this can  take years.

The best action to take is to avoid butylated compounds, and help your kids do the same. Check all lotions, chapstick, lip gloss, and anything they put on their skin.

 

Sources

1. SafeCosmetics.org. 
2. National Toxicology Program, “Report on Carcinogens, Twelfth Edition. Butylated Hydroxyanisole,” 2011. https://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/ntp/roc/content/profiles/butylatedhydroxyanisole.pdf. [Last accessed 6/12/2017].
3. Environmental Working Group, “Skin Deep. Butylated Hydroxytoluene,” [Online]. Available: http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/ingredient/700741/BHT/. [Accessed 20 June 2013].
4. Environmental Working Group, “Skin Deep. Butylated Hydroxyanisole,” [Online]. Available: http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/ingredient/700740/BHA/. [Accessed 20 June 2013].
5. Labrador V et al., “Cytotoxicity of butylated hydroxyanisole in Vero cells,” Cell biology and toxicology, vol. 23, no. 3, pp. 189-99, 2007.
6. Lanigan RS, Yamarik TA, “Final report on the safety of assessment of BHT (1),” International journal of toxicology, vol. 21, no. Suppl 2, pp. 19-94, 2002.
7. Jeong SH et al, “Effects of butylated hydroxyanisole on the development and functions of reproductive system in rats,” Toxicology, vol. 208, no. 1, pp. 49-62, 2005.
8. Masui T et al, “Sequential changes of the forestomach of F344 rats, Syrian golden hamsters, and B6C3F1 mice treated with butylated hydroxyanisole,” Japanese journal of cancer research, vol. 77, no. 11, pp. 1083-90, 1986.
9. Botterweck AA, “Intake of butylated hydroxyanisole and butylated hydroxytoluene and stomach cancer risk: results from analyses in the Netherlands Cohort Study,” Food and chemical toxicology, vol. 38, no. 7, pp. 599-605, 2000.

[1] National Toxicology Program, “Report on Carcinogens, Twelfth Edition. Butylated Hydroxyanisole,” 2011.
[2] Environmental Working Group, “Skin Deep. Butylated Hydroxytoluene,” [Online]. Available: http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/ingredient/700741/BHT/. [Accessed 20 June 2013].
[3] Environmental Working Group, “Skin Deep. Butylated Hydroxyanisole,” [Online]. Available: http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/ingredient/700740/BHA/. [Accessed 20 June 2013].
[4] Labrador V et al., “Cytotoxicity of butylated hydroxyanisole in Vero cells,” Cell biology and toxicology, vol. 23, no. 3, pp. 189-99, 2007.
[5] Lanigan RS, Yamarik TA, “Final report on the safety of assessment of BHT (1),” International journal of toxicology, vol. 21, no. Suppl 2, pp. 19-94, 2002.
[6] Jeong SH et al, “Effects of butylated hydroxyanisole on the development and functions of reproductive system in rats,” Toxicology, vol. 208, no. 1, pp. 49-62, 2005.
[7] Masui T et al, “Sequential changes of the forestomach of F344 rats, Syrian golden hamsters, and B6C3F1 mice treated with butylated hydroxyanisole,” Japanese journal of cancer research, vol. 77, no. 11, pp. 1083-90, 1986.
[8] Botterweck AA, “Intake of butylated hydroxyanisole and butylated hydroxytoluene and stomach cancer risk: results from analyses in the Netherlands Cohort Study,” Food and chemical toxicology, vol. 38, no. 7, pp. 599-605, 2000. - See more at: http://www.safecosmetics.org/get-the-facts/chemicals-of-concern/butylated-compounds/#sthash.mC56wdYz.dpuf

FDA resumes testing foods for glyphosate

1. The FDA is one of very few labs that can handle testing of lots of foods. But they need to release the data too, like the amount of glyphosate found in ppm. Very much like lead, there is no safe limit where a person can be exposed to glyphosate. The EPA limits of glyphosate exposure are fake, disingenuous, and dangerous. 
2. Investigation started about collusion between top EPA official and Monsanto. Some people suspect data was cooked or data unfavorable to Monsanto was simply omitted in testing reports.
3. A group of 20 scientists and doctors say glyphosate is not safe at any level.

Source
Huffington Post.

New Spark drone only $500usd

Why is this a big deal? Because it has features of more expensive drones. The Spark from DJI has these high-end features:

1. 16 minutes of battery life. (Not bad for a drone this size.)
2. 12 megapixel camera (12 million pixels).
3. HD 720p real-time Wi-Fi transmits video 2km away.
4. Intuitive gesture controls so you can fly it without using a controller or smart phone. (I assume the camera would have to be looking at the user for this to work.)
5. Built-in motion tracking to keep important people or objects in frame. 
6. VPS range: 30m
7. Transmission range: 2km (1.2 miles)
8. Speed: 50km/h.
9. 2 axis gimbal
10. Requires smart phone to control: 
11. First person view: YES. Supports DJI goggles.
12. Return home function: YES.
13. Quickshot modes for making videos. DRONIE: drone watches target and flies up and backwards. ROCKET: Drone points camera down and flies straight up. CIRCLE: circle around your target. HELIX: fly upward circling around your target. 
14. TRACE: follow your subject from front or behind or circle around it. 
15. PROFILE: follow subject from a fixed perspective.

But this drone is not for beginners. The Mavic Pro is $1000 and is the next smallest drone.

To be released June 15, 2017.

Source
Popular Mechanics. May 24, 2017.

White "pineapple" strawberries a bust

We recently got some straweberries that taste like "pineapple", at least that's what the tag says. When they are ripe they are white, with a slight blush, and the seeds turn red. But they just aren't that great, they just taste like sour strawberries.

Would not buy again.

Look back: German study finds glyphosate in urine of all people tested.

Today we do a "look back" at important news: German study finds glyphosate (Roundup) in all urine samples tested. (Link has been fixed.)

PiTop: $89 open source laptop!

The PiTop is a laptop that has a Pine64 (similar to a Raspberry Pi) inside it. The PiTop has a 11.6" screen, keyboard, touch pad, 1.2MP camera, Bluetooth 4.0, and more. The MicroSD card slot supports up to 256GB cards. This is a low-end laptop with 2GB RAM, 12GB of storage, and it only runs Linux, not Windows. But there are many free apps for Linux like OpenOffice. This laptop will do fine for word processing, spreadsheets, but may not do great at streaming video.

The 11.6" screen version weights only 2.3lbs (1.04kg). 

This might be worth checking out. See full article here.

The main Pine64 site that sells the laptop.

Dicamba pesticide drift destroying more crops in Arkansas

1. Dicamba spray can be lifted by the wind onto neighboring fields. This drifting spray is killing thousands of acres of cotton, soybeans, fruit trees, and more.
2. Damage to people from dicamba shows up at much lower concentrations than originally though. (Source.)
3. Insurance companies do not cover losses from dicamba. (See here.)
4. And Monsanto has been sued over dead crops from spray drift.
5. There has also been an assault over continued spray drift onto a neighboring field.

Source
Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette.

Portable spectrometer

This might help you find pesticides in your food, or lead in your water. Read more here.

This would require smart phone. Estimated delivery Nov 2017.

Bee-killing neonicitinoids approval violated the law

1. A Federal Court in San Francisco has ruled that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) systematically violated the Endangered Species Act (ESA) – a key wildlife protection law – when it approved bee-killing insecticides known as neonicotinoids.
2. The EPA also has rules where the cost of approval (or non-approval) must also be taken into account. This lets industry influence the approval process far too much if the company asking for approval simply reports there is little cost associated with the pesticide.
3. Judge Maxine Chesney of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California held that EPA had unlawfully issued 59 pesticide registrations between 2007 and 2012 for a wide variety of  uses.
4. The more recent theory of bee colony collapse disorder is various pesticides, including neonicotinoids, harm the bees' immune system and allow infections of fungus and mite infestations on the bees, which eventually kills multiple hives. Hobby bee keepers have also reported large bee deaths when their hives are near a farmer's field.
5. Neonics., as they are often called, can be sprayed on plants, and their flowers, and when bees touch the flowers the pesticide gets on them.

Source
Center for Food Safety.