Merck Bypasses Parental Consent to Have Vaccinations Administered

I just had to share the stunning reality that Governor Jerry Brown has recently visited upon the parents of California children. He has signed into law a bill that allows children as young as 12 to consent to STD vaccinations without parental consent or knowledge. Sadly, this is not an issue of public safety, this is an issue of Merck’s ability to purchase legislation. Please read below, via The Canary Party. View the bill at AB 499 – Minors: Medical Care: Consent Bill.

FL County Bans Fluoride in Drinking Water…Why?

Pinellas County, Florida voted 4-3 to stop fluorinating their drinking water, ending a decades long practice of exposing their residents to an unnecessary chemical.

We are often exposed to fluoride and its base anion fluorine in unexpected forms. Here are a few examples of fluorinated pharmaceuticals from the Fluoride Toxicity Research Collaborative:

Excuse me, there’s WHAT in my milk?

Many people find the organic vs. conventional controversy to be over-played and under-proven. What’s the big deal, they spray pesticides in the field, you wash them off at home. Even though there are some flaws in that plan, I see where it’s coming from. But what about your milk? If a cow is injected with a drug…let’s say… rBGH (recombinant bovine growth hormone, a.k.a. rBST for recombinant bovine somatotropin), a drug that increases milk production up to 10%… how do you get that out of your milk/cheese/ice cream? Does someone do it for you? Surely no one is giving cows drugs that could effect your health as a consumer. Surely.

Up until October 2010, you and I could have argued this point all day long. We both could have presented evidence backing our own theories and walked away both thinking we were right. Thanks to an October 2010 Ohio court case, however, it’s been settled in a public forum with no real room for further dispute.

100% Orange Juice…Kind Of

So, about your morning OJ. Fresh squeezed. Not from concentrate. Pure and Natural. I have some unfortunate news. That Tropicana flavor that goes so good with your morning munchies? It’s fake. Conventional (vs. organic) orange juice companies store juice in oxygen-free vats (done through a process called de-aeration) for up to a year. It ensures that their customers get “real” orange juice all year long, not just when the oranges are in season. The downside of this practice is that the flavor is stripped from the juice, leaving them with some pulpy, orange-ish water. Alissa Hamilton describes the next step well (Civil Eats),

“Juice companies therefore hire flavor and fragrance companies, the same ones that formulate perfumes for Dior and Calvin Klein, to engineer flavor packs to add back to the juice to make it taste fresh. Flavor packs aren’t listed as an ingredient on the label because technically they are derived from orange essence and oil. Yet those in the industry will tell you that the flavor packs

Pesticides on Flowers, You Say?

I want to link to an article today just to make you think a little on how so many seemingly innocuous things that surround us are contaminated with chemicals. Check out this article, The Dark Side of the Flower Industry, and think about getting organic or (gasp) picking your own wildflowers for your sweetie next time you’re feeling romantic.

The Nuclear Problem

UPDATE: See Senator Bob Corker’s response to this article at bottom of page. Thanks to both senators for contributing.

After extensive research (found below the response letter) I recently, I sent an email to my state senator, Lamar Alexandar, expressing my concern over the continued building of new nuclear reactor sites around the United States. Without any true way to dispose of nuclear waste, it’s irresponsible of anyone to continue generating it when there are alternative energy sources to be explored and developed.

His response? Sent from: Correspondence_Reply@Alexander.senate.gov, September 9, 2011

Thanks for getting in touch with me and letting me know what’s on your mind regarding nuclear power.

The National Academy of Sciences of the United States – as well as the National Academies of Japan, Germany, China, and other nations – has concluded that human activity is having a significant impact on global temperature increases. Although I believe it is appropriate for Congress to take reasonable steps to reduce the effects of climate change, many of the plans that are being discussed would cause significant job loss and put a tremendous financial burden on American Families.

The way both to deal with global warming and to keep our jobs is to encourage what is being called the “Nuclear Renaissance” and start making nuclear energy the backbone of a new industrial economy. I propose that the United States build 100 new nuclear power plants during the next 20 years. This would double

Coming Soon!

Really compelling stuff! If it doesn’t start showing up by midnight on September 9, 2011, start posting comments about how lazy I am!