Tuesday TV Movie Alert
Although I am not a big fan of Tom Selleck, I can never pass up a show smart enough to have a Golden Retriever as one of its cast members. A 2-hour TV movie will be on CBS this Tuesday at 9pm. It is the 4th in a mystery series. So, mark your calendars to watch or tivo the movie.
Ahh, don’t you yearn for those easier times, when a little pacifier was all it took to produce calm? I know I do … especially when I have to consider how much our world seems to be falling apart at the seams.
It is just really scary reading these articles about the food crisis, as the crisis is really one for us all and not just that of our beloved animals. The problem is, we are lazy and used to having certain products, or believing certain foods are necessary for our happiness. While it would be smarter to merely eat to live, we instead, live to eat. The fact that the following article is on page 1 of the Washington Post should be an alert to the seriousness of this dilemma.
Tainted Chinese Imports Common – In Four Months, FDA Refused 298 Shipments
By Rick Weiss, Washington Post Staff Writer, May 20, 2007
Dried apples preserved with a cancer-causing chemical. Frozen catfish laden with banned antibiotics. Scallops and sardines coated with putrefying bacteria. Mushrooms laced with illegal pesticides.
These were among the 107 food imports from China that the Food and Drug Administration detained at U.S. ports just last month, agency documents reveal, along with more than 1,000 shipments of tainted Chinese dietary supplements, toxic Chinese cosmetics and counterfeit Chinese medicines.
For years, U.S. inspection records show, China has flooded the United States with foods unfit for human consumption. And for years, FDA inspectors have simply returned to Chinese importers the small portion of those products they caught — many of which turned up at U.S. borders again, making a second or third attempt at entry.
Now the confluence of two events — the highly publicized contamination of U.S. chicken, pork and fish with tainted Chinese pet food ingredients and this week’s resumption of high-level economic and trade talks with China — has activists and members of Congress demanding that the United States tell China it is fed up.
Dead pets and melamine-tainted food notwithstanding, change will prove difficult, policy experts say, in large part because U.S. companies have become so dependent on the Chinese economy that tighter rules on imports stand to harm the U.S. economy, too.
“So many U.S. companies are directly or indirectly involved in China now, the commercial interest of the United States these days has become to allow imports to come in as quickly and smoothly as possible,” said Robert B. Cassidy, a former assistant U.S. trade representative for China and now director of international trade and services for Kelley Drye Collier Shannon, a Washington law firm. As a result, the United States finds itself “kowtowing to China,” Cassidy said, even as that country keeps sending American consumers adulterated and mislabeled foods.
It’s not just about cheap imports, added Carol Tucker Foreman, a former assistant secretary of agriculture now at the Consumer Federation of America. Our farmers and food processors have drooled for years to be able to sell their food to that massive market,” Foreman said. “The Chinese counterfeit. They have a serious piracy problem. But we put up with it because we want to sell to them.”
And, there’s more to the story . . .
____________________________________________________________________________
Of course, just when you think that maybe they have a handle on what caused the thousands of dog and death deaths, you see an article like this one from Animal Wellness.
Pet Food Recall leaves bitter taste – What they’re not telling you
Animal Wellness Magazine, June/July 2007 Issue
While obviously of grave concern, many experts don’t feel that melamine is responsible for the acute renal failure animals experienced after eating the recalled foods.
“Neither melamine nor aminopterin are likely to be the real cause of the illness – the symptoms of toxicity don’t match either one,” says Dr. Hofve. “Toxicology data on melamine suggests that it can cause kidney stones and other chronic effects, but acute renal failure does not really accord with that. Some are calling melamine a ‘marker’ for something else that hasn’t yet been determined.” Theories abound as to how melamine got into the wheat gluten. Federal Drug Administration veterinarian Stephen Sundlof told CNN that it could have been added as a “cheap filler”. But according to Michael W. Fox, B. Vet. Med, Ph.D., D.Sc., M.R.C.V.S, melamine is “not cheap” and costs about 50% more than wheat gluten. “I believe the China contaminant is the tip of the iceberg, and could become the scapegoat,” says Dr. Fox. In fact, he speculates that the Chinese wheat was genetically engineered or modified (GMO), and this is the source of the problem.
“It most probably was,” he states, “since it was not imported for human consumption, and was possibly an experimental crop with anti-fungus blight and viral disease genetic insertions that could have gone haywire as a result of ‘overexpression’. Melamine, the parent chemical for a potent insecticide cyromazine, could possibly have been manufactured within the wheat plants themselves as a genetically engineered pesticide.” Alternatively, the culprit could be glyphosate, says Dr. Fox, an herbicide that is absorbed by crops that are genetically engineered so that they escape harm while the weeds in the field around them die.
To date, the FDA has not stated whether or not the wheat is GMO. Mark Ullman, legal counsel for ChemNutra, the company that imported the wheat gluten told Animal Wellness that the wheat gluten “was not supposed to be [genetically modified] but that ChemNutra did not specify non-GMO on its order” so in fact it may well have received a genetically engineered product. Thus far, GMO wheat has been frowned upon for human consumption in North America, but the FDA does not regulate its presence in pet food or animal feed. Furthermore, as with human products, genetically engineered foods do not have to declare their “altered” status on North American labels.
_____________________________________________________________
Please, please, please . . . think about what you are putting into your mouths and your beloved dogs’ mouths. Read the labels and remember that the fewer the ingredients, the better. Massive amounts of chemicals, preservatives and vitamins only need to be added when the ingredients are so poor and lacking in nutritional value.
Think about the years of ingesting so much of this stuff and then relate it to the compromised immune systems of us all that ultimately lead to the development of disease and dysfunction. And, then consider the virtues of going organic and living more healthy lives.
I have only recently expanded the foundation’s store and I have worked hard to find the best and safest products for both us and our animals. I have provided powerful facts that explain just how dangerous many of our crops are due to pesticides. We all need to work hard at staying informed.
We are a small mom & pop operation with just 2 folks trying to get out a huge array of wonderful products. Honestly, very little is made monetarily for all the effort. The real reward comes from knowing that more folks are doing better for themselves and their furry companions. And, the hope is that such changes can take a bite out of the high cancer rates. Please take some time to check out the . . .
1. Organic meats and poultry from Blackwing (for you & your dog)
2. Chemical-free, grass-fed, free-range Bison (Dr. Becker’s) ; Venison Treats
3. Organic Plato Chicken Dog Treats
4. Organic Sweet Potato Chews and Chips
5. Organic Canine Life dog food pre-mix
6. Organic and dye-free Plush dog toys
7. Organic and dye-free Tugs
These are ALL items that we use ourselves and that we DEPEND on. But, I can’t tell you how distressing it is to realize that one of the most popular dog treats in the country is one filled with the most questionable, poor and unhealthy ingredients. Look at the following list and marvel at the number of ingredients. Check out all the chemicals, check out the looooooong listing of vitamins that need to be added to provide nutritional value because there is absolutely nothing there of merit that has any value.
If you can’t pronounce an ingredient in a product, your dog shouldn’t be eating it. Also realize that manufacturers use unfamiliar terms to disguise unsavory ingredients. For instance, if MSG wasn’t harmful, it wouldn’t be hidden. And, it is hidden in many of the ingredients listed below. You can learn more about MSG in this GReat PDF on Excitotoxins
Okay, so here are the 34 ingredients of that HIGHLY POPULAR dog treat:
Gelatin, Wheat Protein Isolate, Glycerin, Soy Protein Isolate, Sodium Caseinate, Natural Poultry Flavor, Hydrogenated Starch Hydrolysate, Vegetable Oil (Preserved with Propyl Gallate), Sodium Tripolyphosphate, Lecithin, Ground Flaxseed, Calcium Carbonate, Magnesium Monostearate, Monoglycerides of Edible Fatty Acids, Choline Chloride, Potassium Sorbate (A Preservative), Minerals (Magnesium Oxide, Zinc Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Manganese Sulfate, Potassium Iodide), Vitamins (dl-Alpha Tocopherol Acetate , Vitamin B12 Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate, Niacin Supplement, Vitamin A Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Biotin, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride [Vitamin B6], Thiamine Mononitrate [Vitamin B1], Folic Acid), Chlorophyll.
I will be back with a post identifying the product and the scary information about many of the ingredients. So do stay tuned . . . if you dare. In the meantime, check out the healthy, organic treats I listed above or go to my foundation’s site and try making treats on your own from healthy and whole ingredients
Judge Slams Ex-EPA Chief Over Sept. 11
By Larry Neumeister, Associated Press Writer
NEW YORK – A federal judge blasted former Environmental Protection Agency chief Christine Todd Whitman on Thursday for reassuring New Yorkers soon after the Sept. 11 attacks that it was safe to return to their homes and offices while toxic dust was polluting the neighborhood.
U.S. District Judge Deborah A. Batts refused to grant Whitman immunity against a class-action lawsuit brought in 2004 by residents, students and workers in lower Manhattan and Brooklyn who said they were exposed to hazardous materials from the collapse of the World Trade Center.
“No reasonable person would have thought that telling thousands of people that it was safe to return to lower Manhattan, while knowing that such return could pose long-term health risks and other dire consequences, was conduct sanctioned by our laws,” the judge said.
She called Whitman’s actions “conscience-shocking,” saying the EPA chief knew that the fall of the twin towers released tons of hazardous materials into the air. A call to a spokeswoman for Whitman was not immediately returned.
The judge let the lawsuit proceed against the EPA and Whitman, permitting the plaintiffs to try to prove that the agency and its administrator endangered their health. The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages and reimbursement for cleanup costs and asks the court to order that a medical monitoring fund be set up to track the health of those exposed to trade center dust.
In her ruling, Batts noted that the EPA and Whitman said repeatedly — beginning just two days after the attack — that the air appeared safe to breathe. The EPA’s internal watchdog later found that the agency, at the urging of White House officials, gave misleading assurances.
Quoting a ruling in an earlier case, the judge said a public official cannot be held personally liable for putting the public in harm’s way unless the conduct was so egregious as “to shock the contemporary conscience.” Given her role in protecting the health and environment for Americans, Whitman’s reassurances after Sept. 11 were “without question conscience-shocking,” Batts said.
_______________________________________________________________
It was not surprising to learn that the former EPA Chief recently refused to testify before a congressional subcommittee on post-9/11 air quality. But, I sure did get a kick out of Congressional Chairman Nadler’s response:
It is my fervent hope that the former EPA employees, and in particular Ms. Whitman, will willingly cooperate with the Subcommittee’s inquiry. And moreover, I would strongly urge the Administration to encourage her appearance, given her absolutely central role in these matters, so that the American people may finally hear her direct answers to lingering, unanswered questions about the federal government’s failed response to the environmental aftermath of the World Trade Center attacks. That is the only way to get to the truth and do right by the heroes and victims of 9/11. And it is the only way we can ensure that our federal government is prepared to protect the health and safety of Americans should, G-d forbid, anything like this happen again in the future.
The real surprise came a mere three days later, when in a turnaround, Whitman agreed to testify at the house inquiry. It will actually mark her First-Ever Congressional Appearance on a Hearing Dedicated Solely to EPA’s Response to the NYC WTC Attacks. I am just embarrassed for all the heroes and victims of 9/11 that such an inquiry took so many years to come about. I guess that is what happens when ‘Big Brother’ feels his actions are unassailable.
_______________________________________________________________
It is what we DON’T yet know about the long-term effects of the air quality at the World Trade Center site that is so frightening. So many put their lives on the line and are now suffering lingering illnesses. And, many of our beloved dogs worked the site, in both disaster and therapy roles. This environmental issue is especially significant given my own history. Let me explain. . . . . .
Many folks ask how I have been able to create and run this huge Land of PureGold site. Well, I’ve been at it since 1997, but the main reason is that I am on a disability retirement and only do very limited private practice and school psychology consultant work now, although I used to work fulltime as a school psychologist in a public system, teach graduate school, and work extensively in private practice. In the Harford County Public School System in Maryland, I worked in a small, non-ventilated, non-windowed office at Edgewood Middle School for eight years. It was consumed by mold and despite continual complaints, nothing was done.
My secretary and fellow psychologists suffered from respiratory problems constantly, and my secretary and I both had unexplained, spontaneous nose bleeds as well. My health deteriorated to the point that I was unable to drive to work without falling asleep at the wheel. I now suffer from a multitude of disorders (mixed connective tissue disease, extreme environmental allergies, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome) and remain at home a good deal of the time.
By the way, that office I worked in. Well, after I went out on disability and the problems increased, the parents started complaining due to their children having increased breathing problems and asthma attacks. And, guess what? The school was closed and major abatement needed to be done with those men in the protective suits having to clean up the contamination. And, where was the worst concentration found? Yup, my office. That’s where the STACHYBOTRYS MOLD, plus others, was highest. Stachybotrys is that mold that has been featured on numerous news magazine shows, as it usually sends folks running from homes, and then needing to rebuild as their old homes cannot be salvaged.
Because my own health problems and disability are a function of air quality issues, I have had a particular interest in the health of the responders at Ground Zero. In fact, I have cataloged hundreds of pivotal articles related to this issue since October 2001.
As five years have now gone by since the attacks, we
have now begun to get a picture of how dangerous Big Brother can be when ‘he’ decides what it is we should and should not be told. The ramifications are far-reaching, especially given the following news video detailing a study about the effect of the damage on babies exposed to the toxins in utero.
Watch it please.
Toxins From 9/11 May Have Caused Developmental Problems In Children
For folks in Michigan, this looks like a wonderful event and way to support Leader Dogs for the Blind, a much needed and extremely valuable organization.
On June 24th Leader Dogs for the Blind & the Southeastern Michigan Veterinary Medical Association (SEMVMA) will host their 4th Annual Walk-a-thon at Bloomer Park in Rochester Hills.
The Walk-a-thon is a family (and dog!) fun day with a 5K run at 7:30 a.m. and walk at 10:00 a.m.
All proceeds go to fund the programs and services of of Leader Dogs for the Blind.
Just click here to register and get all the necessary forms.
Ann Taylor of Roscoe took her 11 golden retriever puppies to Alpine Fireside Nursing Care Home for a visit. Residents were able to cuddle, play and nap with the 6-week-old puppies.
Land of PureGold Foundation 