. . . foreign firms are “mining our natural resource to grow crops such as alfalfa … and they’re shipping it overseas back to their country where they’ve depleted their water source.”

Gary Saiter, board chairman and general manager of the Wenden Domestic Water Improvement District, said utility records showed the surface-to-water depth at its headquarters was a little over 100 feet (30 meters) in the 1950s, but it’s now now about 540 feet (160 meters).

https://apnews.com/article/d911d5219c8f41dc44d65fb2af6b04df

Tooling Up for Hydroponics

The world’s demand for food is expected to double within the next 50 years, while the natural resources that sustain agriculture will become increasingly scarce, degraded, and vulnerable to the effects of climate change. In many poor countries, agriculture accounts for at least 40 percent of GDP and 80 percent of employment. At the same time, about 70 percent of the world’s poor live in rural areas and most depend on agriculture for their livelihoods.

Increasing water availability for agriculture holds great promise for improving nutrition through increasing food production, generating income, enhancing water access, promoting hygiene, and empowering women.

Tooling Up for Hydroponics

“Vitamin D supplementation resulted in a statistically significant reduction in the proportion of participants experiencing at least one acute respiratory tract infection.”

This was the conclusion of a meta-analysis conducted by Adrian R. Martineau, MD, PhD, from the Queen Mary University of London, United Kingdom, and colleagues. According to the authors, acute respiratory infections are a substantial cause of illness and death, and in 2013, they accounted for one tenth of ambulatory and emergency department visits in the United States and approximately 2.65 million deaths worldwide.

Consider the Source

 Consider the First Source!

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word choreographed an assembly of amino acids into an exquisite array of specific proteins. Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.” In so doing God demonstrated a penchant for genomic writing, preceeded by an amazing series of prebiotic events, in a highly orchestrated presentation of evolutionary overcontrol.

More about God’s Handiwork!

In testimony on February 16, 2017, before the House Committee on Agriculture, Angela Rachidi with the American Enterprise Institute made four main points before the House Committee on Agriculture. Here is her opening statement:

Chairman Conaway, Ranking Member Peterson, and other Members of the Committee, thank you for the opportunity to testify this morning on restrictions on purchases in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP.

My name is Angela Rachidi, and I am a research fellow in poverty studies at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI). Prior to joining AEI, I spent almost a decade at the New York City Human Resources Administration (HRA) as the Deputy Commissioner for Policy and Evaluation. HRA is New York City’s main social service agency and administers SNAP. During my time at HRA, the city provided SNAP benefits to almost 2 million New Yorkers each month.

In my role, I studied all aspects of the program. Most relevant for today is my experience—under the direction of then-Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Commissioners for Health Thomas Friedan and Thomas Farley, and HRA Commissioner Robert Doar—drafting a proposal for a demonstration project in New York City to restrict the use of SNAP benefits to purchase sweetened beverages. We proposed a restriction as a way to support the overarching goal of the program, which is to improve nutrition. Regrettably, it was denied by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) in 2011.

In the years since I left HRA, the public health problems caused by sweetened beverages have not solved themselves. I am here today to urge the Committee to support demonstration projects that test whether a sweetened beverage restriction in SNAP can improve the health and well-being of SNAP recipients.

I will make four main points to support this recommendation:

1. Obesity and related health problems remain one of the most challenging public health issues of our time, affecting millions of poor and non-poor Americans, with sweetened beverages identified as one the main contributors.

2. The integrity of SNAP as a publicly-funded program rests on how well its implementation matches the stated goals of the program. Congress has stated that the purpose of SNAP is to support nutrition among low-income households, which is directly contradicted by allowing sweetened beverages to be purchased.

3. This public health problem is complex and requires a comprehensive approach that includes multiple strategies, including changes to SNAP.

4. A demonstration project to test a sweetened beverage restriction in SNAP is consistent with bipartisan efforts to support evidence-based policymaking. Through rigorous evaluation, a demonstration project could assess whether government efforts can achieve potential gains, such as better health, without adversely affecting other measures of well-being.

Consider the Source

 Consider the First Source!

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word choreographed an assembly of amino acids into an exquisite array of specific proteins. Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.” In so doing God demonstrated a penchant for genomic writing, preceeded by an amazing series of prebiotic events, in a highly orchestrated presentation of evolutionary overcontrol.

More about God’s Handiwork!

The Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) recently held its annual conference, where investors and scientists gather to discuss the future of energy. The agency’s director Ellen Williams said the battery storage technology developed under her organization’s oversight is “on the verge of transforming America’s electrical grid” within the next five to 10 years.

ARPA-E researchers are exploring new materials as a potential alternative for lithium-ion batteries, as well as the development of more efficient super-conductors. Since energy sources like solar and wind don’t guarantee a consistent stream of power, a more capable storage system could help the world transition to more sustainable energy supplies.

The lack of specifics from ARPA-E prompted one skeptic to comment “Much cackling. No eggs. Wake me up when you have a product.”

Consider the Source

 Consider the First Source!

When we align our objectives with the Divine will, when we strive for the attainment of a worthy goal, when we begin our work with a well defined plan, and when we have ability to work together with others effectively, we have already achieved the trajectory for success. For we know that “all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”

Learn how to enjoy boundless opportunity and unlimited progress!

Australia achieved 3 GW or 3,000 MW of wind power generation for the first time. The largest wind power inputs came from South Australia with 1066 MW, and Victoria with 1021 MW. Australia’s largest wind farm contributed 388 MW.

Australia has excellent wind power potential, especially in some of the coastal areas. A study found that it could generate about 30% of its electricity from wind by 2025, if it maintained the pace of installing new turbines.

Renewable energy has many advantages, and in some cases it is cheaper to install than fossil fuel plants. When the energy storage industry catches up to wind power, there will not be any reason to resist either one of them. Costs are within reach and energy storage will mean there will be a way to accumulate electricity for use when winds die down.

Consider the Source

 Consider the First Source!

When we align our objectives with the Divine will, when we strive for the attainment of a worthy goal, when we begin our work with a well defined plan, and when we have ability to work together with others effectively, we have already achieved the trajectory for success. For we know that “all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”

Learn how to enjoy boundless opportunity and unlimited progress!

Tesla will finally be passing along details on its long-awaited batteries designed for home use, plus a “utility-scale” battery. They will likely be manufactured in its new Gigafactory in Nevada.

A Tesla spokesperson has confirmed the announcement:

“We have decided to share a bit about what we will announce on the 30th,” Jeff Evanson, Tesla’s VP of investor relations wrote in a message. “We will introduce the Tesla home battery and a very large utility scale battery. We will explain the advantages of our solutions and why past battery options were not compelling.”

According to Elon Musk the “Major new Tesla product line — not a car — will be unveiled at our Hawthorne Design Studio on Thurs 8pm, April 30.”

Consider the Source

 Consider the First Source!

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word choreographed an assembly of amino acids into an exquisite array of specific proteins. Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.” In so doing God demonstrated a penchant for genomic writing, preceeded by an amazing series of prebiotic events, in a highly orchestrated presentation of evolutionary overcontrol.

More about God’s Handiwork!

A recent study found COPD patients who ate more of four foods – fish, grapefruits, bananas and cheese – seemed to have better lung function. Antioxidants might be the reason, although that’s far from proven.

COPD, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, is an umbrella term for emphysema and chronic bronchitis – two progressive lung conditions that increasingly limit patients’ ability to breathe. Coughing is a common symptom, but the key signs of COPD are shortness of breath and fatigue with activity and eventually even at rest. While it’s usually detected in middle-aged or older adults, the condition develops gradually. At least 80 percent of patients are current or former smokers, while others have a genetic form of COPD. Even though COPD is a lung disease, it also affects a patient’s ability to eat enough and can lead to unhealthy weight loss, extreme thinness and muscle wasting. According to the National Institutes of Health, COPD is the third leading cause of death in the United States.

“The hallmark of COPD is that you have a sort of obstruction in your airway – you’re having a hard time expelling carbon dioxide,” says Ilaria St. Florian, a registered dietitian. “We breathe in oxygen; we breathe out carbon dioxide. And because that becomes more difficult, breathing becomes more labored.” As a result, metabolism goes into overdrive, and patients burn more calories.

To keep up their strength, people with COPD have to significantly change their diets: the foods they eat and how they eat. For patients battling fatigue and loss of appetite, St. Florian offers these tips:

• Patients “really want to get the most bang for their buck when they’re eating,” she says. “So we recommend not to have big meals – it’s too much of a load at one time.” Smaller, more frequent meals work better.
• Make sure to get enough protein. “If patients are losing muscle, their dietary protein can synthesize new muscle,” St. Florian says. “That’s really important.”
• Healthy fats – as in monounsaturated fats from canola oil, avocados and nuts – are heart healthy and provide extra calories for patients who aren’t eating a lot.
• Dairy products may produce mucus, which can be uncomfortable for some patients, St. Florian says. So ice cream isn’t a good idea.
• To avoid filling your stomach, don’t drink fluids with meals. “Of course, it’s important to stay hydrated,” she says. “Just drink those fluids between meals.”
• To avoid aspirating food – having it go down into the lungs with the risk of pneumonia – St. Florian tells patients to eat very slowly. And if they use oxygen, to wear it while they’re eating.

Consider the Source

 Consider the First Source!

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word choreographed an assembly of amino acids into an exquisite array of specific proteins. Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.” In so doing God demonstrated a penchant for genomic writing, preceeded by an amazing series of prebiotic events, in a highly orchestrated presentation of evolutionary overcontrol.

More about God’s Handiwork!

While the dollar skew in science is seemingly all pervasive, the recent declarations concerning the efficacy, or lack thereof, in vitamin and mineral supplements would appear to betray the corporate line. On the one hand, big-agri would like you to believe that nutrient rich foods can be produced from nutrient depleted soils. On the other hand, big-pharma wants you buying supplements. This, of course, makes it difficult for the politically motivated at the FDA and USDA to remain on step, and for our elected representatives to please their actual owners.

Nutrient gaps were rare on the family farm. Raw milk, for example, was never a problem for those consumers who were just a few steps and a few minutes from the cow. That cow was grass fed on a pasture that was not only expansive, it featured an appropriate bovine population density. The cow poop that hit the soil was totally digested in a matter of days on ground that benefitted from a high microbial biomass. Compare that to the pat that only disintegrates because it is dried by the sun, pounded by the rain, fissured by the freeze, and scattered by the wind.

The microbes that once populated the gut were close cousins to those living in the soil. There were no supplements designed to promote “regularity” because traditional farm dwellers didn’t need them. Likewise, the genetically modified organisms (GMOs), that are designed to resist pests and ripen on the truck, won’t be necessary once the chemical industry has completed its program of sterilizing the soil while also short circuiting the physiological drop or accelerating the pick.

The GMO problem is rooted in agenda science which is, in itself, a betrayal of true science. The personal values of one who engineers a food crop for big money, without regard to paltry nutritional worth, clearly don’t align with the high purpose of the scientific discipline. Then again, there is very little science being done without funding.

The integrity of science depends ultimately upon consumer sovereignty. If buyers refuse to buy from packagers or grocery stores that don’t provide GMO labeling, it doesn’t matter who owns the politicians. If we express a preference for foods produced on biodynamic farms, the mammon service will be forced to cannibalize its own corporatocracy. If we push back from the antibiotics, the hormones, the pink slime, and the high fructose corn syrup of the damn pusher man, we can again become arbiters of our own destiny.

Solar is not alternative energy and nutrition is not alternative medicine. Without the sun there would be no fossil fuels or petroleum based fertilizers. Without good nutrition, there would be no health. The alternative paradigm is at the heart of the deception and it all maps back to Genesis.

Consider the Source

 Consider the First Source!

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word choreographed an assembly of amino acids into an exquisite array of specific proteins. Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.” In so doing God demonstrated a penchant for genomic writing, preceeded by an amazing series of prebiotic events, in a highly orchestrated presentation of evolutionary overcontrol.

More about God’s Handiwork!

A sugar that naturally occurs in animals but not humans could be the reason why people are at higher risk for cancer when they consume red meat, researchers at the UC San Diego School of Medicine reported Monday.

The scientists found that feeding the sugar Neu5Gc to mice engineered to be deficient in it — like humans — significantly promoted spontaneous cancers. Their study did not involve exposure to carcinogens or artificially inducing cancers, further implicating Neu5Gc as a key link between red meat consumption and cancer, according to UCSD.

Consider the Source

 Consider the First Source!

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word choreographed an assembly of amino acids into an exquisite array of specific proteins. Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.” In so doing God demonstrated a penchant for genomic writing, preceeded by an amazing series of prebiotic events, in a highly orchestrated presentation of evolutionary overcontrol.

More about God’s Handiwork!