Common Sense Living

Here is an exerpt from an atricle at the Washington Post on the Delay of the Food Safety Act that you should read carefully -

“Dingell wrote the House bill, which would grant vast new authorities to the Food and Drug Administration and mark the first serious reform of food safety laws in 70 years. The measure was headed for easy passage in Senate until the spring, when Feinstein said she wanted to add language that would ban a controversial chemical, bisphenol A or BPA, from food packaging.

Feinstein’s BPA proposal won applause from some public health groups but sparked immediate protest from the chemical industry, food manufacturers and major business interests, who pledged to withdraw their support for the bill if it included a ban on BPA.

BPA has been linked in animal studies to cancer, reproductive problems and other disorders. The chemical has been used in commercial products since the 1950s and is found in thousands of items from sunglasses to compact discs. But researchers are most concerned about BPA in food packaging because it is found to leach from the packaging into food and beverages. BPA has been detected in the urine of 93 percent of the U.S. population, according to estimates by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Some scientists believe that BPA, a synthetic form of estrogen, could affect the endocrine system and disrupt child development.

Did you notice anything odd here? OK, I bolded it to give you a clue…

Big industry will withdraw thier support of the bill?

Excuse me?

Who is running this country?

It is big industry’s job to follow the rules – not make them. At least that’s what I remember from high school social studies. Seems to me the government is supposed to by by the people, for the people. Anyone remember that line?

The history of the house bill that passed last year is interesting too -

From GovTrack.us -

Jul 29, 2009: This bill failed in the House of Representatives by roll call vote. The vote was held under a suspension of the rules to cut debate short and pass the bill, needing a two-thirds majority. This usually occurs for non-controversial legislation. The totals were 280 Ayes, 150 Nays, 3 Present/Not Voting. Vote Details.

Jul 30, 2009: This bill passed in the House of Representatives by roll call vote. The totals were 283 Ayes, 142 Nays, 8 Present/Not Voting. Vote Details.

Despite Dr. Rima’s rantings, the house bill (which is HR 2749, not HR 1279) doesn’t look all that terrible. It does exempt individuals, farmers, and fishermen.  I’m not sure how they separate small commercial farms from industrial farms, or just where they draw the line.  I haven’t read the entire bill.

I still think you should take the time to let your Senators know that you are concerned. I know Dr. Rima’s style is a bit overboard, but she is on a mission! You can’t deny that. And it is absolutely true that if Congress doesn’t think we’re watching, they will quietly pass whatever big industry wants. We have to let them know we’re watching.

The House Bill requires the FDA to determine the safety standards. If they do as well with food as they have with drugs, we’re in trouble.

This is not to say that the food safety system doesn’t need to be overhauled. It does. But to hand our food safety over to the FDA who has a corrupt history and supports big industry first, and our health last is not a very good idea, don’t you agree?

And the FDA’s preferred methods of making food safe will only further decrease the nutrient value. And as you saw above, the commerical industries will have too much say in how that is accomplished.

At least at this point, our right to buy locally grown and/or raised food seems to be preserved. I don’t trust the commercial food or drug industries, or our agencies that regulate them. I want my right to not consume them, to be able to buy my food from local farmers, or grow it myself to be protected. I really am a Rebel With a Fork

And yes, BPA should be banned!

So should GMO’s.

The FDA should be dismantled and a new agency formed that actually does the job of protecting us. Let those high paid scientists tell us what they really think instead of the FDA gagging them.

If big industry doesn’t like the fact that they have to stop killing us – that’s tough!

Just my 2 cents…

Has any of this changed the way you shop or eat?

Have you taken any ‘mouse warrior’ action on these bills?

Do you find the timing of the egg crisis to be a little suspect? Oh, don’t look so shocked. Wouldn’t be the first time. Watch how fast this bill moves now.

I was thinking… always dangrous, right?

Everyone thinks exercise means running or going to the gym. I never liked running much, and since my daughter was born, I don’t have time for the gym. But that doesn’t mean I don’t get plenty of exercise.

I was cleaning my beach today. We had another major algae bloom and let me tell you – that is some back breaking work. I need one of these harvester things But I was thinking -

I was building my muscles

I broke a good detoxifying sweat

I got plenty of vitamin D

Some of you play volleyball. Some of you golf, or garden, or bowl, or walk the dog. You don’t really need some fancy workout program for basic healthy exercise.

Now toning and advanced stuff, I guess you might want something a little more advanced, but for the most part – get out and do something you like to do.

So then, while I was cleaning up my emails, I ran across an article that Jon Benson sent me that I never published. oops. It was a pretty good one too – and its on the topic of exercise and your brain. So here it is…

Exercise And The Brain
Jon Benson
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If you ever needed another good reason to exercise, I’ve got one for you:

Exercise makes your brain bigger.

Actually this isn’t entirely accurate. To be more specific, exercise was found to increase brain size slightly, but far more important to increase “spatial reasoning.”

This is the ability to recognize patterns, remember phrases, numbers, and so-on. This was discovered by researchers at the Universities of Chicago and Pittsburgh.

It is also one of the most important factors to the prevention of Alzheimer’s and dementia.

My mom suffered with dementia the last ten years of her life. But unlike most dementia patients she was fully functional thanks to exercise. She drove and had a mind that was unbelievably sharp right up until an accident injured her beyond the ability to exercise.

After that, she mentally went downhill rapidly. Thankfully, she passed in peace… and she had ten wonderfully active years thanks to her willingness to take up weight training at the age of 71.

She eventually walked up to 3 miles per day and trained in the gym 3 days per week.

That kept her mind sharp, along with fish oil and N-Acetyl L-Carnitine, a wonderful brain nutrient.

Once again, we see the power of exercise. It increases the QUALITY of your life.

Quantity is no where near as important to me as quality.

Your brain will thank you, as will the rest of your body.

One of the best ways to start exercising when you are over 40 is by using the routines covered in “Fit Over 40″.

This book profiles 53 different men and women, age 40 to 80, all sharing their workouts, nutrition plans, and mental empowerment techniques.

It is a MUST-HAVE for anyone wanting to begin exercising or improve their level of fitness after the age of 40.

For a free fat-burning course from Fit Over 40, go here –

 Free Fatburning Course

The latest from the GMO Wars! (From the Natural Solutions Foundation)

As we’ve said before… the GMO invasion continues and unless it is stopped, there will be NO CHOICE.
Action Item: http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/568/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=2049

This just in from our friends at the Organic Consumers Association: the OCA is leading a boycott Kellogg campaign due to the company’s pro-GMO stance. In response to consumer complaints, this is what the company says — please carefully read this short paragraph, it confirms exactly what we’ve long asserted:

“Biotech ingredients are [sic] safe and have become common in the open market. Sixty to seventy percent of packaged foods in the U.S. include biotechnology crops. Even organic ingredients can contain biotech ingredients due to cross-pollination.“
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Keep S. 510 from controlling our Food and Our Lives! Click here:

http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/568/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=4613

For an In Depth Discussion of What Is At Stake If We Lose on S. 510, click here:

http://www.healthfreedomusa.org/?p=6300

We Still Need to Keep The Pressure On
New URGENT Action Item: Senate May
Sneak Disastrous Fake “Food Safety Bill” Through Unless We Act NOW!

Take Action NOW: http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/568/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=4613

Short, But Not At All Sweet: We WILL Lose Access to Clean, Unadulterated Food If We Do Not Act Now In Huge Numbers. Even if you have taken action on this issue before, make sure you take action on this new item.  We need hundreds of thousands of emails to stop this bill – we’ve kept it off the floor for 9 months through our pressure.  This is vitally important.  Please act and motivate your contacts to do the same.

http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/568/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=4252

November, 2009, looked like the end of the road for health freedom and healthy food.  Giant industrial segments of the Uber-Cartel had set their sights on eliminating, once and for all, local, clean, unadulterated and organic food growing while bringing Codex into full effect in the US.  After passing HR 1279, the House version of this horrific bill, the Senate took up the matter of this bill. 

And it seemed that there was simply too much power for us, who are, as the past president of BP called us, “the little people” to push back this onslaught of dedicated might, money and power.  But that is exactly what we “little people” have done. 

First, we made it so politically uncomfortable for members of the Senate that they could not openly take up the Uber-Cartel’s cause.  And then we kept on pushing them back with our emails – 150,000 of them in one weekend after which Senator Harkin said that the Bill would not be voted upon because the Senate has received “a few” emails over that weekend.  And we kept on pushing, helped along by our friend, the long time Washington lobbyist and insider.  From him we learned that the end of the Senate session before August recess was the most dangerous time for us.  If they could get away with it, the Senate would pass S. 510 by “unanimous consent” as if the bill were totally uncontroversial.  He also told us that if we could pressure the bill off the voting schedule, it was unlikely that we would have another battle to pass this bill in the fall when Congress reconvenes.

We, collectively, took his advice and the bill never came to a vote.  In the autumn, we have to make sure that the same kind of pressure yields the same results: NO food fascism!

Please take this simple action now to protect our right to eat real food –

http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/568/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=4252

I will be working on finding a list of all of the representatives who voted to pass HR 1279 and publishing it.

By fitness and nutrition author Jon Benson

I took a big, huge, massive sigh of relief today.

Finally… the FDA did something right when it comes to bogus “magic” diet-fatburn pills.

A panel of experts reviewed Vivus Inc.’s new wonder-pill “Qnexa” today.

They gave it the thumbs-down.

Why?

Oh… pesky little reported side-effects like… (are you ready for this?)…

Heart Attacks
Stroke
Increased Risk of Suicide (yikes!)
Memory/Concentration Loss

You know… “minor” stuff like that.

GEEZ. What the hell are these drug companies thinking?

Oh, right…

Quick-Fix =
Big-Bucks

Got it.

So, I am going to believe that YOU are much smarter than the morons who tried to get this drug past the FDA.

I’m going to assume you want a solution to this obesity pandemic and your own fatloss issues (if you have them) that do NOT involve risking your life for a thinner you.

“Oh, Marge… she looks so thin in her casket…”

THIS IS NOT A GOOD EULOGY! : )

Listen: I get it. I really do.

I’m an athlete and we are always looking for tricks to help increase our performance. But your body is simply too smart for these fatloss-pills people are trying to pass off as “a break-through medical discovery.”

Nonsense… more like heart-breaking medical waste of time.

One day… perhaps even in my lifetime… someone will invent a chemical that actually works to shed bodyfat without harming the body. That will be a great day for all of us.

Even so, I can all but promise you that this chemical will have its nasty side-effects and/or be limited in duration or power.

Nothing, repeat NOTHING you can pop in your mouth will give you the JOY that managing your dietplan and bodyweight can give you.

NOTHING!

It’s one of the greatest feelings in the world.

And here’s a fantastic clue for you: The reason we want to be thin is because of the FEELING it gives us. Most everything we do is based on feelings.

Quick-fixes negate the most powerful thing about feelings: Earning the right to have them!

Think of it this way: Would you feel more alive and powerful if you climbed a mountain or if you took a helicopter ride to the summit?

Sure, the helicopter is easy… but which is more personally rewarding?

Think of your own body transformation goals as your personal mountain to climb.

No helicopters… just really good guides (I volunteer) and solid climbing tools (like a great real-world dietplan, solid workouts that work WITH your schedule, and realistic but exciting goals.)

Your goals will become your base camps along your summit of your personal journey to the best you possible.

Color me silly, but I think that sounds FAR more empowering and rewarding that popping pills.

As you probably know I wrote one of the top books in the world on “real-world” weighttloss (spelled that way so the spambox won’t eat your email… : ) I made this dietary System as easy as possible… but NO plan is “easy” and there is NO quick-fixes out there without serious pricetags.

That said, I have some “rebel tricks” to share with you today… and they won’t put you six feet under before your time.

Just click on the page below and then click on “Articles”… then you’ll see it. It’s the first article, “3 Diet Secrets Revealed”.

Go here:

Video Plus Articles Homepage

You can’t sell this stuff in a bottle… but it works to get the bodyfat off and keep it off.

Remember:

Don’t Quit… Get Fit.

Sincerely,

J O N B E N S O N

—-> SPECIAL NOTE: On the article page above, be sure to read until the bottom. If you like that article you can now just click a button and share it with your friends on Facebook, Twitter, or any number of cool sites.

The button looks like this:

P.S. If you pick up my dietplan (on the article page above) you’ll find in the Member’s Area three supplements that actually DO work to help you burn-off-fat… but they do not work like magic. They work like they’re supposed to: Realistically, and without harming your body. I take them. So should you.

HYPERTHERMIA: TOO HOT FOR YOUR HEALTH
Heat-Related Illness Advice for Older People

Hot summer weather can pose special health risks to older adults. The National Institute on Aging (NIA), part of the National Institutes of Health, has some advice for helping older people avoid heat-related illnesses, known as hyperthermia.

Hyperthermia is an abnormally high body temperature caused by a failure of the heat-regulating mechanisms of the body to deal with the heat coming from the environment. Heat fatigue, heat syncope (sudden dizziness after prolonged exposure to the heat), heat cramps, heat exhaustion and heat stroke are commonly known forms of hyperthermia. Risk for these conditions can increase with the combination of outside temperature, general health and individual lifestyle.

Lifestyle factors can include not drinking enough fluids, living in housing without air conditioning, lack of mobility and access to transportation, overdressing, visiting overcrowded places and not understanding how to respond to hot weather conditions. Older people, particularly those with chronic medical conditions, should stay indoors on hot and humid days, especially when an air pollution alert is in effect. People without air conditioners should go to places such as senior centers, shopping malls, movie theaters or libraries. Cooling centers, which may be set up by local public health agencies, religious groups and social service organizations in many communities, are another option.

Health-related factors that may increase risk include:
– Being dehydrated.
– Age-related changes to the skin such as poor blood circulation and inefficient sweat glands.
– Heart, lung and kidney diseases, as well as any illness that causes general weakness or fever.
– High blood pressure or other conditions that require changes in diet. For example, people on salt-restricted diets may increase their risk. However, salt pills should not be used without first consulting a doctor.
– Reduced perspiration, caused by medications such as diuretics, sedatives, tranquilizers and certain heart and blood pressure drugs.
– Taking several drugs for various conditions. It is important, however, to continue to take prescribed medication and discuss possible problems with a physician.
– Being substantially overweight or underweight.
– Drinking alcoholic beverages.

Heat stroke is a life-threatening form of hyperthermia. It occurs when the body is overwhelmed by heat and unable to control its temperature. Someone with a body temperature above 104 degrees Fahrenheit is likely suffering from heat stroke and may have symptoms of confusion, combativeness, strong rapid pulse, lack of sweating, dry flushed skin, faintness, staggering, possible delirium or coma. Seek immediate emergency medical attention for a person with any of these symptoms, especially an older adult.

If you suspect that someone is suffering from a heat-related illness:
– Get the person out of the sun and into a shady, air-conditioned or other cool place. Urge them to lie down.
– If you suspect heat stroke, call 911.
– Encourage the individual to shower, bathe or sponge off with cool water.
– Apply a cold, wet cloth to the wrists, neck, armpits, and/or groin, places where blood passes close to the surface of the skin, and the cold cloths can help cool the blood.
– Offer fluids such as water, fruit and vegetable juices, but avoid alcohol and caffeine.

For a free copy of the NIA’s AgePage on hyperthermia in English or in Spanish, contact the NIA Information Center at 1-800-222-2225 or go to <http://www.niapublications.org/agepages/hyperther.asp> or <www.niapublications.org/agepages/hyperther-sp.asp> for the Spanish-language version.

The NIA leads the federal effort supporting and conducting research on aging and the medical, social and behavioral issues of older people. For more information on research and the aging, go to <www.nia.nih.gov>.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) — The Nation’s Medical Research Agency — includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. It is the primary federal agency for conducting and supporting basic, clinical and translational medical research, and it investigates the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit <www.nih.gov>.