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Do you realize the risk of “super bacteria” lurking in the water and sand
Like many Americans Adrian Ruiz and his family (Kyle, Texas) decided to spend Father’s Day weekend at the beach. According to KVUE ABC affiliate Mr. Ruiz is now “being treated for a bacterial infection [vibrio vulnificus] contracted during the trip to Port Aransas…that can develop into necrotizing fasciitis, or flesh-eating…He developed a fever that evening [Sat. June 18th] and awoke Sunday with a red rash on his leg that quickly progressed into…fighting to keep his leg.”
“If we would have known that there was flesh-eating bacteria in the water, we wouldn’t have gotten in. (Lashelle Ruiz, USA Today)”
A week earlier someone contracted the same type of infection in Galveston, TX, resulting in his leg being amputated. Doctors suspect the bacteria entered his leg from a scrape on his foot.
According to the CDC:
“Roughly a dozen Vibrio species are known to cause vibriosis in humans, with the most common in the United States being V. parahaemolyticus, V. vulnificus, and V. alginolyticus. The Vibrio species that cause vibriosis naturally live in brackish or salt water. People with vibriosis become infected by consuming raw or undercooked seafood or exposing a wound to seawater. Most infections occur from May through October when water temperatures are warmer….Vibrio causes an estimated 80,000 illnesses and 100 deaths in the United states every year.”
One of the Universal Laws/Truths that Taoists observed thousands of years ago states that one of the purposes of life (which includes all life) is to live and propagate. What we now call evolution is a continuation of this study that if something is alive, then it will do everything it can in order to survive. We are seeing this today with bacteria and viruses becoming more and more resilient to antibiotics and antibacterial agents. One could safely say that every time we try to kill viruses and bacteria we are in fact giving them a reason to evolve and become stronger. Consider the fact that if man was to create medicine to kill all bacteria and viruses it would also surely kill us as well, since these types of medicine and approaches do not discriminate between so called good and bad bacteria etc… So any bacteria that survive will by nature of this Universal Law evolve and become stronger.
This could be one reason why there has been an increase over the last few decades of people (and pets) becoming infected with these super bacteria and viruses.
The CDC, created a page on their website with a decent list of Prevention Tips:
- Don’t eat raw or undercooked oysters or other shellfish. Cook them before eating.
- Always wash your hands with soap and water after handing raw shellfish.
- Avoid contaminating cooked shellfish with raw shellfish and its juices.
- Stay out of brackish or salt water if you have a wound (including cuts and scrapes), or cover your wound with a waterproof bandage if there’s a possibility it could come into contact with brackish or salt water, raw seafood, or raw seafood juices.
- Wash wounds and cuts thoroughly with soap and water if they have been exposed to seawater or raw seafood or its juices.
- If you develop a skin infection, tell your medical provider if your skin has come into contact with brackish or salt water, raw seafood, or raw seafood juices.
If you are in a group more likely to get vibriosis :
- Wear clothes and shoes that can protect you from cuts and scrapes when in brackish or salt water.
- Wear protective gloves when handling raw seafood.
As a Taoist we would add a few more suggestions:
- Stay out of pools, lakes, ponds, oceans etc… unless absolutely necessary. If you are in a boat, canoe, kayak etc… then do everything possible to stay in the boat. Man was not designed for life in the water therefore we are very susceptible to water born illnesses.
- Assume that any body of water has bacteria that could potentially make one sick or even kill.
- Be especially vigilant when water temperatures are above 68 degrees F, since this particular bacteria thrives in “warmer” water.
- If you must enter the water then make sure you bathe before and after, especially immediately after, to help reduce risk of contamination/infection.
- Avoid raw shellfish
- Only eat shellfish from deep cold water during the fall and winter months. Shellfish produce a type of chemical to help them survive in warmer water which is also toxic to humans. Also, it is easier for bacteria to thrive on seafood in warm water.
- Make sure you clean and properly cook all seafood (all food for that mater). For added protection soak the meat in strong alcohol (vodka, rum etc…) to help clean the meat.
For those of you that love water sports, consider for a moment if you will…When you swim, ski, surf etc… in those lakes, rivers and oceans, the animals that live in that water (or fly above) also use the same water to urinate and defecate. Then consider that sewage (treated and untreated) is frequently pumped into the bays and oceans. So in essence (pun intended) you are swimming in toilet water. Is it any wonder there is so much bacteria?
The above advice also applies to swimming pools, no matter how often you clean them or how much chlorine or bromine you throw into the water. For those that like to swim in pools, ask yourself this before you enter the water next time…Would you take a bath with these people, would you drink their bath water?
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Research shows that walking not running is healthier
For thousands of years Taoism has advocated living at a slower pace. Many people are confounded when they realize that this principle of Taoism is even applied to exercise, actually it is especially applied to exercise. Wu Wei is one of the foundational principles which is usually translated as “doing without doing”. A more appropriate definition is allowing things to be done without meddlesome, combative, or egotistical effort.
Compare this to the modern/western approach which is to be as involved as possible (Carpe Diem), and control everything from beginning to end.
This Tao of Revitalization (the way of self healing and longevity) was often at odds with what the modern experts were advocating. Instead of taking life slower, bookstores and television programming are filled with experts telling people to keep the heart rate up, run or jog daily, renew your gym memberships, partake in the latest aerobics fashions and fads etc… Throughout this the Taoist would advise the opposite usually to the dismay of the student.
Perhaps this is changing, however, as modern research is beginning to confirm the Taoist teachings. In 2013, Dr. Samir Vermani, M.D., wrote an article for ABC News which shattered the belief that running is good for you. The article was based on Dr. Vermani’s research as well as a Danish health Medical study.
“Your one-hour spinning class may be a good workout, but simply taking the stairs may be better.
When the amount of calories burned is the same, standing and walking over the course of a day is superior to an hour of intense exercise in improving cholesterol and preventing diabetes, a new study found.
‘Get out of your chair as much as you can, take the stairs instead of the elevator, go by bike [and] leave your car at home,” said Hans Savelberg, associate professor in the Department of Human Movement Sciences at Maastricht University Medical Centre, in the Netherlands, and author of the study published today in the journal PLOS One.
Danish researchers followed 18 young people ages 19 to 24, all of normal weight, who performed three separate exercise regimens over the course of the study. In the first, participants did not exercise and sat for 14 hours. In the second, participants sat for 13 hours, but performed one hour of vigorous cycling. In the third, participants sat for 8 hours, but engaged in 4 hours of walking and 2 hours of standing.
Energy expenditure was the same in the vigorous exercise regimen and the standing and walking regimen. After each regimen, researchers tracked insulin sensitivity – a laboratory test to monitor development of diabetes – and cholesterol levels.”
Naturally, the group that sat less and moved more had lower cholesterol and improved insulin sensitivity. The researchers also found, however, that the group that engaged in 4 hours of walking and 2 hours of standing throughout the day had better results then the group that exercised intensely for one hour.
The researchers were shocked to find that the negative affects of sitting most of the day cannot be reversed by focusing ones energy into a one hour intense exercise class or workout routine.
“If you exercise for half an hour and are sedentary for the rest of the day, that represents an unhealthy lifestyle,” said Savelberg. “Long periods of non-sitting at a low intensity level should be classified as an active lifestyle. (ABC World News)”
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Anti-GMO movement records several major victories
You might not be aware, because the mainstream news has been relatively quiet, however, Genetically Modified Food and the companies that produce them had a few major setbacks in their quest to control global food production.
In 2015, Monsanto initially pushed a law through the Guatemalan Congress, that would have granted exclusive control of all seeds to just a few multinational companies, threatening the rich tradition of Mayan farming and potentially destroying what remains of their indigenous culture.
The Guatemalan government:
“…repealed the legislation dubbed the ‘Monsanto Law’, which [gave] the biotech giant special expansion rights into ecologically-sensitive territory, after widespread public protest. The demonstrations included groups of indigenous Mayan people, joined by social movements, trade unions and farmers’ and womens’ organizations. (Natural Awakenings & UpsideDownWorld.org)”
Effective July 1st, 2016 Vermont will become the first state requiring any GMO ingredients to be labeled as such on all products sold or manufactured in the state. This will trigger similar laws in Maine and Connecticut as their respective bills required neighboring states to pass GMO labeling laws first.
Early in March 2016, General Mills announced “that it will start labeling products that contain genetically modified ingredients to comply with a Vermont law shows food companies might be throwing in the towel, even as they hold out hope Congress will find a national solution. (Yahoo Finance)”
A bill known as the “DARK Act” (Denying Americans the Right to Know Act) was introduced by US Senator Pat Roberts (R-Kansas), that would have prevented states from labeling food as GMO. Thankfully this bill was defeated 48-49, however, what is alarming is how many Senators agreed that companies should not be required to label GMO ingredients. Or as others have stated, almost half of the Senators thought that Americans do not have the right to know what is in their food, however, at least it was defeated. If GMO food is as safe as Monsanto and other companies say it is, then why lobby and pressure Congress to make sure that it never appears on the labels as GMO?
As the world continues to take action towards protecting natural, heirloom and organic seeds, we continue to move closer to ensuring that the food we consume is as close as possible to what Nature and God intended.
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2016 Year of the Yang Fire Monkey
As we transition from the year of the Wood Goat to the year of the Yang Fire Monkey, it is time for us to reflect on what changes may occur so that we can be prepared no matter what situations may arise.
When we examine the last two Fire Monkey years (1896 and 1956) we will get a better understanding of what could occur/repeat this year. A cursory glance of the last two years of the Wood Goat will show the similarities we experienced in 2015.
Monkey years tend to reflect the nature of the animal being: unpredictable, quick to change, seeking new adventures, and also in Yang years the negative aspect can be enhanced; short tempered, quick to fight and prone to aggression etc…
Major events of 1956
- 20th Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union
- Morocco declares its independence from France.
- Pakistan becomes the first Islamic republic.
- Maria Desylla-Kapodistria is elected mayor of Corfu and becomes the first female mayor in Greece.
- The United Methodist Church in America decides at its General Conference to grant women full ordained clergy status.
- General Electric/Telechron introduces model 7H241 “The Snooz Alarm”, first snooze alarm clock ever.
- President Dwight D. Eisenhower signs the Federal Aid Highway Act, creating the Interstate Highway System.
- The first Lockheed U-2 spy plane flight over the Soviet Union.
- The world’s first commercial nuclear power plant is opened at Calder Hall in England.
- Suez Crisis: The United Kingdom, France, and Israel secretly meet in and make plans to invade Egypt. The United Kingdom and France begin bombing Egypt to force the reopening of the Suez Canal.
- 1956 Hungarian Revolution: More Soviet troops invade Hungary to crush a revolt… Thousands are killed, more are wounded, and nearly a quarter million leave the country.
- Suez Crisis: The United Nations General Assembly adopts a resolution calling for the United Kingdom, France, and Israel to withdraw their troops from Arab lands immediately.
- The United States Supreme Court declares illegal the state and municipal laws requiring segregated buses in Montgomery, Alabama, thus ending the Montgomery Bus Boycott.
Major events of 1896
- H. L. Smith takes the first X-ray photograph.
- The first study of the sensitivity of global climate to atmospheric carbon dioxide is published. Svante Arrhenius presents his findings in his paper.
- The opening ceremonies of the 1896 Summer Olympics, the first modern Olympic Games, are held in Athens.
- Plessy v. Ferguson: The U.S. Supreme Court introduces the “separate but equal” doctrine and upholds racial segregation.
- St. Louis–East St. Louis tornado: The costliest and third deadliest tornado in U.S. history levels a mile wide swath of downtown St. Louis, Missouri, incurring US$2.9 billion (1997 USD) in normalized damages, killing more than 255 and injuring over 1,000 people.
- Meiji-Sanriku Earthquake Twenty-seven thousand people died in a huge tsunami that swept over the seaport of Kamaishi, Japan
- International Socialist Workers and Trade Union Congress opens in London.
- The Philippine Revolution erupts.
- An extraordinary heat wave affects the northeastern United States.
- Skookum Jim Mason, George Carmack and Dawson Charlie discover gold in the Klondike, Yukon.
We can see from these past two Fire Monkey years that the world experienced Socialist Revolutions, racial strife, major weather events, war in the Middle East as well as economic advances that later turned into bubbles. Will any of these repeat in 2016, only time will tell.
Master Zhongxian Wu mentions that:
“According to Daoist Five Element cosmology and alchemy principles, these energies will manifest as Cold Water, Heat Fire, and Wind Wood.
In other words, we will experience dramatic weather patterns this year, with weather patterns shifting very quickly. This pattern will prove difficult for those of you who have weak gastrointestinal function, kidney function, or heart function.”
Regardless of what happens in the world this year, make sure you focus on your internal cultivation, remaining calm and balanced, as well as, strengthening your body, mind and spirit.
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Ref:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1896
https://worldhistoryproject.org/1896
5 tips to have this year be your best year ever
Every year, many people, before or after the ball drops and the fireworks end, make several “New Year’s resolutions”. Usually, people carry over unresolved items from the prior year. Others come up with a list that is so unattainable that it practically guarantees they will not be achieved. If you are not involved in Cancer research or the health-care field what are the odds that you will cure Cancer? If you are not an astronaut, forget about walking on the moon as well.
Another mistake people make is having plans that do not personally affect them or others. It’s more like a “wish list”, and for others it’s a “look good” list.
- Goals: As mentioned above, create goals that are realistic and attainable, however, do not pick goals that you are guaranteed of attaining either. If you know you are getting a promotion this month, then do not have that as a goal. Make sure you write your goals down and tell someone what they are. We all need someone to help hold us accountable. This is important: write down 6 month, 2 year and 5 year goals, as explained in the article, Attitude of Heaven: Taoist method of planning & attaining goals, then review those goals monthly and make any revisions that are necessary.
- Community: Make friends with or join groups of like minded people. Let’s say you want to lose weight, it is going to be much easier to do so with a group of people who also want to lose weight. Even better, make sure you know people who are already their “ideal” weight. Want to quit smoking, have friends that already quit and those that never smoked. The flip side of this coin is that you also need to distance yourself from those people that do not reflect your goals, or the new you that you are creating/enhancing.
- Activities: Actively participate in things that are going to help your goals/mission. Avoid things that are just going to take up your time, waste your energy and distract you from your mission and goals.
- Discipline/Honesty: Benjamin Franklin is credited with saying that “the early bird gets the worm”. Sometimes the difference between success and failure is not being willing to change. Often times people complain that they just do not have enough time to exercise, how do I find time to cook, meditate, go for walks etc…. After hearing this, ask them (or yourself), did you watch TV today, what time did you wake up etc…? Consider that the average American under 65 watches an average of 5 hours of TV every day, if your over 65 its closer to 7 hours per day (Cross-Platform Report). Imagine how much extra time you would have if you cut back to 4 hours per day. How about waking up 30 minutes earlier? Now you have an extra 1.5 hours in your day, and that is after only adjusting TV viewing and the time you wake up.
- Be honest with yourself. We all know if we need to lose weight, drink too much, are eating too much, not as healthy as we could be etc… Perhaps, resolve to not buy larger sizes, if those clothes are getting tight, time to put down the remote and do some internal exercise. Stop going to those fast food and chain restaurants, not only will your health improve, you will also save money.
- Invest in loss: Lao Tzu stated that in order to gain we must first be willing to lose. You will make mistakes, you will forget, the important thing is that you keep going. We have all heard that the best thing to do after falling off the horse….is to get back on it. So what if you have been trying to do something for the last few years and have not done it yet. Thomas Edison failed between 700-10,000 times (depending on who you ask) before finding the correct method for the light bulb. When asked he said, I did not fail, I simply found “X” number of ways it will not work.
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The 24 hour news cycle or 24 hour stress industry?
Do you remember what life was like before the 24 hour news industry? What was television, radio, newspaper and radio like before CNN, BBC, FoxNews, MSNBC and the countless other stations, channels and corporations whose purpose it is to report something 24 hours a day? Let us not forget the endless apps for smartphones and tablets that also offer news and notifications “pushed” to your device, morning, noon, night and even overnight.
Have you ever observed someone “glued” to the TV watching the latest “Breaking News”, or one of the endless updates on news reported earlier in the day?
Recently, this National Taoism Examiner had such an experience. Early in the morning, there were several people watching one of the 24 hour news networks, with such intensity that they could not look away from the TV while speaking to someone in the same room. When the phone rang they answered the phone with their eyes still fixated on the TV. After more than an hour of watching “repeating” news stories, they decided to go out for breakfast and do a little sight seeing and shopping. Upon returning, immediately the TV went back on and the news network (approx. 6 or 7 hours later) was still reporting the same exact news from earlier in the morning. More apparent updates, of the same news.
Terror attacks around the world, bombings in the Middle East, burglaries in your neighborhood, shootings outside a nightclub, a woman raped while walking home from the bus, daily car accidents on local roads, house fires reported that occur in cities several states (or countries) away, entertainers/celebrities being arrested, Federal Reserve raising interest rates, stock market going up, stock market crashing, global warming, global climate change, Ad nauseum…
It would be interesting to see a study comparing the levels of stress observed and reported pre-1980’s compared to today, and see if there is a correlation with the rise of the 24 hour news cycle.
How many people watch the morning news while having breakfast, what do you think the effect this has on ones digestion? Is it really suitable to start ones day with a barage of bad news? Imagine the effect on sleep patterns when people watch the news right before going to sleep.
In his book “8 Weeks to Optimum Health” Dr. Andrew Weil advises people to slowly wean oneself off the news addiction that many have become accustomed to. He relays a story of a person who looked at the front page from a major newspaper, from decades prior (approx. 100 years prior), only to discover that the headlines were almost identical to the ones being reported as “Breaking News” today.
Henry David Thoreau wrote in Walden:
“I am sure that I never read any memorable news in a newspaper. If we read of one man robbed, or murdered, or killed by accident, or one house burned, or one vessel wrecked, or one steamboat blown up, or one cow run over on the Western Railroad, or one mad dog killed, or one lot of grasshoppers in the winter—we never need read of another. One is enough.”
In Taoist cultivation one is encouraged to move in a completely different direction than 24 hour news; Lao tzu stated in the Tao Te Ching:
“Without going outside his door, one understands all that takes place under the sky; without looking out from his window, one sees the Tao of Heaven. The farther that one goes out from himself, the less he knows. Therefore, the sages got their knowledge without traveling; gave their right names to things without seeing them; and accomplished their ends without any purpose of doing so. (James Legge)”
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Get ready this winter has the potential to deliver powerful storms
According to Taoist cosmology winter officially began around November 7th. Some signs of winters arrival are already being felt in Colorado, USA and Northern Europe. Between November 17-19 the greater Boulder Colorado area recorded approx. 18” of snow.
Yet, some parts of the United States have been unusually warm, in particular the southeastern seaboard and especially Florida, which has maintained near summer level heat well into the middle of November.
According to Master Zhongxian Wu:
“this winter season will be extremely cold in most areas of the northern hemisphere, as compared with the last few winters. I expect this to be especially true in those areas that missed cold weather last winter, for instance, in the Stockholm area.… The Cold Water Qi (manifested as heavy mist, rainstorms and snowstorms) will officially kick in about two weeks from now. [two weeks from Nov. 7th]”
The national meteorologists are predicting that this winter will have a similar pattern as the winter of 1998 with a strong “El Nino” effect. If this is true, then we could see a repeat of “The Great North American Ice Storm of 1998, which ’caused massive damage to trees and electrical infrastructure all over the area, leading to widespread long-term power outages. Millions were left in the dark for periods varying from days to weeks, and in some instances, months. It led to 35 fatalities, a shutdown of activities in large cities like Montreal and Ottawa, and an unprecedented effort in reconstruction of the power grid. The ice storm led to the largest deployment of Canadian military personnel since the Korean War, with over 16,000 Canadian Forces personnel deployed, 12,000 in Quebec and 4,000 in Ontario at the height of the crisis.”
This would also be consistent with Master Wu’s prediction of heavy mist, rainstorms and snowstorms as a result of Cold Water Qi.
If we look at the winters from the last two Wood Goat years (1955 and 1895) we see a definite pattern beginning to develop.
- “The Storm of the Century, Great Christmas Flood of 1955”, affected most of the US west coast
- Great Blizzard of 1955 in Wyoming
- March of 1956 most of the North Eastern United States was hit by a major winter storm/blizzard.
- The Great Freeze of 1895 affecting most of Florida, brought temperatures down to 19 degrees in Orlando and 24 degrees in West Palm Beach, decimating the citrus industry.
- Houston, Texas recorded 22” of snow in February 1895. The same system also brought 24” of snow in Rayne Louisiana, 16” in Houma Louisiana (just south of New Orleans), 22” in Lake Charles Louisiana and 6” in Mobile Alabama
It is very important to protect your vital organs, especially your Kidneys, during very cold winters with a lot of snow and/or rain. Internal cultivation (Kidney exercise, Meridian Massage, 8 Directional Exercise, lower back exercises etc…) as well as eating warming foods and drinking warming tea (ginger, cinnamon etc…). Try to conserve your energy as much as possible and avoid drafts and sweating. Also, do not over use the heater in your home as that can cause disruptions of your energy as well.
Regardless of what happens in this winter, make sure you focus on your internal cultivation, remaining calm and balanced, as well as, strengthening your body, mind and spirit.
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The real American health epidemic
Chances are you have been told that America faces several epidemics: gun violence, AIDS, poverty, heart disease, cancer, etc…
If you look around, however, you may have noticed another growing epidemic that is seldom spoken of, especially in polite company.
It appears that obesity is the new trend in America. It is also a trend that creates an unrivaled vitriol when mentioned. Fat shamming, thin obsessed, weight nazi, are just a few labels hurled at those who question this trend. Articles have been written in defense of being fat and healthy versus those who are apparently “thin and fat”.
In 1960, the average American man weighed 166.3 pounds and the average woman 140.2 pounds. By 2002 those averages rose dramatically to 191 pounds for men and 164.3 pounds for women. The most recent data from the CDC from 2012 shows an average weight for men and women has risen further to 195.5 and 166.2 respectively. That means that as of 2012, the average American woman weighed the same as the average American man in 1960.
The CDC states in their obesity fact sheet that 35% of Americans are obese and that obesity costs the economy an estimated $147 billion per year (as of 2008) and the annual “medical costs were $1,429 higher than those of normal weight. (CDC)”
According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases:
- More than 2 in 3 adults are considered to be overweight or obese
- More than 1 in 3 are considered to be obese
- More than 1 in 20 adults are considered to have extreme obesity
- About one-third of children and adolescents ages 6-19 are considered to be overweight or obese
- More than 1 in 6 children and adolescents ages 6-19 are considered to be obese.
A report by researchers from the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, featured in the Journal of the American Medical Association, “estimated that 67.6 million Americans over the age of 25 were obese…and an additional 65.2 million were overweight. (LA Times)” For the first time in the history of the United States, obese people now outnumber those who are overweight! According to Lin-Yang, a research associate with Washington University’s Prevention Research Center, “This is a wake-up call to implement policies and practices designed to combat overweight and obesity.”
According to the CDC “Obesity is a leading cause in heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and certain types of cancer, some of the leading causes of preventable death.”
This means that most of the major health problems we are told are epidemics, are actually preventable by reducing our waist size and monitoring our diet and lifestyle.
According to Dr. Stephen T. Chang:
“When a person becomes excessively overweight, the whole body is burdened. For every inch you gain in girth, the body grows approximately four miles of blood vessels to nourish the extra tissues. Blood which would normally be sent to the head and brain remains in the abdominal cavity, aiding the digestive organs with their increased work load. The heart must work harder due to the increase in fatty tissue. Because of this undue strain, the heart gradually becomes critically weakened and more likely to collapse… Excess fat also obstructs the blood flow contributing to high blood pressure, puts stress on the spine and can cause back pain…. So there is not much to gain from being overweight.”
The economic effects listed earlier does not take into account the non-medical costs of obesity. For instance, airlines and car companies are beginning to make seats (as well as the overall size of the car) larger to accommodate larger Americans. Some companies, Subaru as an example have been criticized for not making their seats larger. Disney and Universal Studios have been sued in the past for their rides “not accommodating larger people”, as a result Universal Studios is making the seats in some of their rides larger. This extra cost will surely be passed onto consumers as the result of higher ticket prices.
Another problem with the growing size of the American waist line is that funeral parlors are finding it more difficult to carry caskets large enough for the recently deceased. Many of them have to special order extra large caskets that are often double the size of a traditional casket, and double the cost as well.
A few questions we can ask ourselves are; just how large is the average person going to get? When will enough be enough? Can Americans decide individually and collectively that lifestyles and diets need to be moderated and changed or will it take government control and regulation? How high does the percentage of obesity need to be before the country’s productivity suffers as people are unable to work sufficiently and efficiently?
How long will we continue to accept death and disease caused by things that are preventable?
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Caution swim at your own risk, has an entirely new meaning
Headlines like these are sure to grab people’s attention: “Unseen killer lurking in Florida waters takes Lake County man’s life” and “Woman gets flesh-eating bacteria at Dallas mud run, goes blind in one eye”. But how many people actually understand the risks, and think that these are just isolated events.
Many people relate to a peaceful walk along the beach, a nice gentle soaking or swim in the ocean-lake-river or pool as a great way to spend a vacation or unwind during the hot summer months. How many people realize the risk they are taking every time they do this? We all know not to jump in head first in shallow water (or if you do not know how deep the water is), never swim alone, don’t wear jewelry while swimming in the ocean, no yellow bathing suits, don’t swim if you are menstruating or bleeding, never swim right after eating etc… Yet, have you ever been told that if you have a cut, go soak in the ocean because the salt water will “clean it”?
For thousands of years Taoists have advised: that life should remain as natural as possible. Fish are designed to swim and live in water, doing so is safe for them, monkeys are designed to swing from trees and doing so is safe for them as well. Problems arise, however, when life, in particular man, begins to do things that we really are not designed to do.
Carson Yeager decided to enjoy a few hours on a pontoon boat and swim in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Florida, within 48 hours he was dead after contracting Vibrio vulnificus. He was only 26 years old.
According to the CDC, Vibrio vulnificus can cause:
“disease in those who eat contaminated seafood or have an open wound that is exposed to seawater. Among healthy people, ingestion of V. vulnificus can cause vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain. In immunocompromised persons, particularly those with chronic liver disease, V. vulnificus can infect the bloodstream, causing a severe and life-threatening illness characterized by fever and chills, decreased blood pressure (septic shock), and blistering skin lesions. V. vulnificus bloodstream infections are fatal about 50% of the time.
V. vulnificus can cause an infection of the skin when open wounds are exposed to warm seawater; these infections may lead to skin breakdown and ulceration. Persons who are immunocompromised are at higher risk for invasion of the organism into the bloodstream and potentially fatal complications. (CDC.gov)”
This particular bacteria can enter the body through any open wound, including scrapes, cuts and abrasions.
In June 2015 a Texas woman participated in a “mud run” and contracted a form of flesh eating bacteria that left her blind in one eye.
In 2013 it was reported that since 2001 there were over 400 reported cases of brain eating amoebas worldwide. Since 1962 more than 30 people have died from brain eating amoebas just in Florida. Naegleria fowleri, can enter the body through any opening (eyes, nose, mouth, ears etc…).
Suggestions were made regarding how to prevent these problems in a prior article on brain eating amoebas. Those tips still apply.
A good general rule, and going back to sound Taoist advice: If you enjoy the water use a boat, if you must swim then bathe before and immediately after, keep your head out of the water, and stay out of the water if you have any type of cut, scrape or abrasion etc… If you like to swim in pools, keep in mind that a swimming pool is no different than a bathtub, just larger. Would you take a bath with those same people in the pool? If you like to swim in the ocean or lakes, keep in mind that you are swimming in the same water that the animals use for their elimination, and they not only live in the water they also die in there as well. Ever had a fish tank, then you know how difficult it is to keep it clean. Can you ever get it 100% clean? Have you ever seen a large hand with bleach and cleaning agents clean a lake or the ocean?
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Monsanto found guilty of poisoning French farmer
Your National Taoism Examiner has written several articles regarding the dangers of Genetically Modified Organisms/Food and the companies that produce them, in particular Monsanto (see recommended articles below). There have been a few articles concerning the rising tide of change that is occurring in many countries as mass protests are causing countries to change laws and companies that produce food for the mass market to change their policies and ingredients.
One major item that has been missing from these announcements is a major legal defeat that would specifically list the dangers of GM food and/or the dangers of Monsanto and other companies that produce them.
That is until now. The following verdict was announced in which it specifically states that:
“A French court upheld on Thursday [10 September, 2015] a 2012 ruling in which Monsanto was found guilty of chemical poisoning of a French farmer, who says he suffered neurological problems after inhaling the U.S. company’s Lasso weedkiller. The decision by an appeal court in Lyon, southeast France, confirmed the initial judgment, the first such case heard in court in France, that ruled Monsanto was “responsible” for the intoxication and ordered the company to “fully compensate” grain grower Paul Francois. (Reuters.com)”
This is great news for those wanting an eventual ban on GM food, including toxic pesticides, as it lays the legal framework for future action. Monsanto, is now legally guilty of poisoning a person with the dangerous poisons they created. Interesting, that the court decisions led to settlements and not prison sentences. Unfortunately, for Mr. Francois, he cannot be awarded further monetary damages from this decision as he had already accepted a settlement from the 2012 case.
“According to Francois, he became ill shortly after applying the product [in 2004]. As stated in the lawsuit, the symptoms included difficulty breathing, headaches, and memory loss. (Inquisitr)”
Lasso weedkiller is banned in Belgium, Britain, Canada and France. It was never officially banned in the United States, however, they did “phase out” the product for so called commercial reasons.
As is usual for Monsanto they are denying all charges and promising to seek another appeal, this time with France’s highest court. Hopefully, the French high court’s judgment will not be compromised or bullied by Monsanto’s corporate influence. It is unlikely that court decisions of this nature and magnitude will occur in the United States any time soon, as many politicians receive tremendous donations from Monsanto and their executives. As stated before, the current FDA senior adviser Michael Taylor was a Monsanto lobbyist. So Monsanto is literally in charge of the United States food safety laws and regulations.
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