Blog 2 The Future

Zapping sleepers’ brains boosts memory - health - 05 November 2006 - New Scientist

2006-11-05T18:28:00.000-05:00

Zapping sleepers’ brains boosts memory - health - 05 November 2006 - New Scientist: "don’t know if there "

Here's a possible suspect for my own slight memory problems. I have thie great brain that is incredibly useful in solving problems. Unfortunately, I am almost incapable of remembering simple algabraic formulae or other similar things. What I end up doing amounts to reinventing the wheel. Sometimes I have found myself creating my own formulae through trial and error only to find there was a shorter and easier way to accomplish the same thing. I simply could not remember it.

This problem seems to be going away slowly in time, but at 35 it's a bit too late. I did horribly in high-school. Worse yet, it seems that my son has the same problem. I already know that I suffer from a slight problem of sleep apnea and/or problems getting a decent sleep due to my snoring. After this article I am led to wonder if getting less "deep" sleep can create memory problems.

14 WFIE, The Tri-State's News Leader: New Treatment Spots, Kills Bad Oral Bacteria

2006-11-03T23:21:00.000-05:00

14 WFIE, The Tri-State's News Leader: New Treatment Spots, Kills Bad Oral Bacteria: "search out and "

Now here's something worthwhile I have been waiting on! New treatments for teeth to completely rid us of tooth decay! About 12 years ago I had speculated on such a thing and many people thoought I was nuts. My reasoning was that tooth decay and other such problems are caused by bacteria "poop" from various organisms that live in our mouths. It's like a permanent infection people are born with. I always figured that if you could target these bacteria with a chemical or a bacteria that likes to eat these bacteria without harming the good bacteria and the teeth themselves, you could effectively rule out tooth decay.

Well, the time has come. Expect it any time in the next 3 years!

World’s Largest Rice Company Halts All Imports from USA

2006-09-30T13:02:00.000-04:00

Bayer’s "illegal GE rice" continues to "inflict damage" on US rice industry

AMSTERDAM - September 29 - In yet another blow to the US rice industry, the world’s largest rice processing company, Ebro Puleva,(1) which controls 30% of the EU rice market, has confirmed to Greenpeace International that it has stopped all imports of rice from the USA to the EU due to the threat of contamination by genetically engineered (GE) rice.

Left wing luddite rag Common Dreams reports that "illegal GE contamination" is found in rice products all over Europe. As a result of Bayer’s "recklessness" (i.e. because of Ebro Peluva's anti-competitive and illegal anti-WTO move to ban US rice), the global food industry is facing massive costs associated with this contamination, including testing costs, product recalls, brand damage, import bans and cancelled imports and contracts.

In a letter to Greenpeace(2), the Chairman of Ebro Puleva states: “We regret that US rice is facing a problem with GM rice and decided to stop any imports of US rice since August 2006.”

Ebro Puleva has also indicated that it will not consider purchasing from the US until the situation is under control. Instead, the company will purchase rice from other countries, with the exception of China, which continues to have problems with GE contamination of its rice.

“By imposing a blanket ban on rice imports from the US, Ebro Puleva has acknowledged how real and costly the risk of GE contamination is,” pointed out Jeremy Tager, GE campaigner, Greenpeace International. “With GE now as uneconomic as it is unacceptable, governments in countries that grow or import GE must stop placing farmers, consumers, the environment and industry at such high risk.”

At least three multi-million dollar class action lawsuits have been filed by US rice farmers against Bayer CropScience already, as farmers struggle to protect their livelihoods. Ebro Puleva has said they expect to bring legal actions against Bayer as well.

In January this year, Bayer’s GE LL601 rice was detected in rice intended for export from the US. This variety has not been approved for human consumption anywhere in the world. It has only been grown in field trials that ended in 2001, and yet in September 2006, testing commissioned by Greenpeace and then by various European government agencies showed a broad variety of products on supermarket shelves in Europe had been contaminated by Bayer’s GE rice. Following the Greenpeace exposé German supermarket chain Edeka announced that they would cease selling all US long grain rice. A number of European retailers, millers and processors have followed suit.

“It is now time for governments to respond strongly as well. They cannot leave enforcement of food safety laws to industry alone. We urge the EU to enforce its laws more vigorously and ensure that all member states comply, particularly those that have thus far refused to enforce EU law,” concluded Jeremy Tager.

Neither Greepeace, nor any EU government agency has been able to demonstrate that the LL601 gene has not appeared naturally, nor have they been able to demonstrate any harm from the presence of the gene. Calls and emails to Greenpeace on this story have not been returned.

Slashdot reports that Bayer Crop Sciences has petitioned the US Department of Agriculture to approve a genetically modified rice variety that has been at the heart of a recent contamination scandal.

"Marketed under the brand name LibertyLink, these [varieties] were engineered to tolerate the toxic herbicide glufosinate ammonium. The company in July notified the US regulatory body that it had discovered trace amounts of an unapproved GM rice in samples of commercial rice seed."

USDA states:

"A review of the scientific data by USDA and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration concluded that there were no human health, food safety or environmental concerns associated with this GE rice.

The petition for deregulation, submitted by Bayer CropScience, is in accordance with APHIS' regulations concerning the introduction of GE organisms and products. APHIS has prepared a draft environmental assessment (EA) for LLRICE601. The scientific evidence indicates there are no environmental, human health or food safety concerns associated with this GE rice."

USDA is seeking comment on the petition and invites comments on the EA. Consideration will be given to comments received on or before Oct. 10. Send an original and three copies of comments to Docket No. APHIS-2006-0140, Regulatory Analysis and Development, PPD, APHIS, Station 3A-03.8, 4700 River Road, Unit 118, Riverdale, Md. 20737-1238. Comments may be submitted via the Internet at http://www.regulations.gov/

Thanks

2006-09-30T07:35:00.000-04:00

Mike, thanks for inviting me in.

I think the most positive things we can do are those that are small steps in the right direction. I'm still trying to figure out what those steps are for me. I know one of them is risking being in business for myself and thus actively being part of the local economy. Not that I don't miss being a Salary Man...

Inaugural Post, BEST DO IT SO

2006-09-30T04:31:00.000-04:00

The Invitations have been sent. Did you receive one? Are you an Extropian? Should you be on the B2tF team? You are invited to join the team of the new extropian blog, Blog 2 The Future. There is still work in the world for extropians to do, goals to reach for, achieve, and opposition to vanquish. You are needed for this blog team. BEST DO IT SO.