Plastic - death by convenience

Plastic, that great invention of convenience is becoming a scourge. Report from BBC.
Years ago in Mexico, as I would see plastic bags scattered across neighborhoods and vacant lots, blowing in the wind, I began to develop a real disdain for the bags and have often thought that very term for plastic bags - scourge but they are just the tip of the iceberg of our irresponsible waste.

Plastic may take hundreds of years to breakdown but as it is breaking down it becomes smaller and smaller particles and molecules of the original toxic material. In the Pacific there is an area called the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, GMA video. As these smaller and smaller pieces of plastic breakdown and become more numerous than plankton, animals begin to ingest them and thus these toxic chemicals find another way to enter the food chain. (Another way is through leeching into food stored or heated in plastic.) Here is a study on birds ingesting plastic.

Bisphenol A, one of the toxic substances in some plastics, has been reported to be linked to miscarriages in women with elevated levels of the toxin, video, some vulgar language.

Lot's more info...

Argentina - a blue print for the future of the USA?

Interesting article looking at Argentina's economic history and how the USA is heading in a similar direction.

Harvesting energy on the farm too.

Here is an article about what some are doing to produce energy for self-sustaining farms.

Truvia and the big business of highly processed foods

Wow, whenever I get on one of these tangents of researching health, food, or such subjects, I can spend hours finding and reading lots of scary info.
Truvia is a processed derivative of the natural sweetener Stevia. Why process a natural sweetener like Stevia? To obtain a patent and make money. Red flag enough to be concerned but I find references to Cargill, the maker of Truvia, using GMO-modified corn for one of the ingredients in Truvia. Here is an eye-opening article about Cargill.
Here are some articles looking at the problems with high fructose corn syrup.
Here is an article explaining more about GMO (genetically modified organisms) food.
I'm not saying that I base my life on what I read on the Internet but when that information points to a simpler life, more in harmony with God's creation then I will tend to agree.
May I suggest, read, educate yourself, look for locally grown, minimally processed foods.

The hype on vaccines

Here is another article on how vaccines are hyped up on their safety and effectiveness but really dangerous and ineffective.

Do you know the source of your meat?

Is your meat really what it claims to be and is it safe?
NY Times article

Here are my links for grass-fed meats from local producers. I encourage you to search for producers that are close to you or some from my list will ship to you.

Simplify

"We must achieve the character and acquire the skills to live much poorer than we do. We must waste less. We must do more for ourselves and each other. It is either that or continue merely to think and talk about changes that we are inviting catastrophe to make."

Wendell Berry, from the essay "Word and Flesh," in the book What Are People For? North Point Press, 1990.
Found here.

How To Protect Your Hard Earned Money From Financial Meltdown

On this amazing 87 minute DVD for 2009, Don and David McAlvany analyze the financial market chaos and its immediate impact on the real world economy . Order your FREE copy of "Conquering Chaos" today at www.orderdvdtoday.com or call 800 525 9556.

View the trailer.

excited about the prospect of having a dog again (and more animals)

As I am getting setup to live on my property, it is exciting to see the potential for applying what I am learning about a healthy lifestyle to the life of my animals as well. The classes and seminars I have been taking at Homestead have provided a lot of basics for understanding health from the ground up, literally, to plant, animal, and human. I just discovered on Dr Mercola's site, which I reference for human health, has also started an animal health site as well, mainly for dogs and cats. A lot of the same issues in the human health care system also applies in animal health and the veterinarian health care system. It is nice to see some of those trained in the system, able to see the weaknesses and speak out against the problems, and provide help for us as to how to best navigate through the system for true health.

"Cash for Clunkers" - Destroying valuable items to stimulate the economy?

What is done with your cash for clunker trade-in, many of which are still usable? It is destroyed.
Well that's helping the environment and the economy then, right? Are you paying cash for the new car or are you getting more in debt? And many of the new purchases are for foreign made cars. So much for really helping the fundamentals of the USA economy. As for the environment, what effect does new car production have on the environment? What effect does scrapping a working car have on the environment?
We have to look at the bigger picture. I like this quote:
“In every deliberation we must consider the impact of our decisions on the next seven generations.” The Iroquois Confederacy

Take a look at this tidbit from history:

During the Great Depression, millions of Americans couldn't afford to buy food. With food prices falling and huge surpluses of food building, the government decided to pass the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1933 which forced farmers to destroy crops and livestock in an attempt to artificially drive up food prices. The plan backfired and led to millions of Americans starving, prolonging the Great Depression for another six years.
From: http://inflation.us/cashforclunkers.html

Could cash for clunkers be just the beginning of more drastic measures to falsely prop up the failing economy but actually worsening the problem?

What is pasteurized milk?

Found this at http://www.rawmilk.org/raw-milk.php:

Processed dairy is any dairy that has been altered from its raw state by heating the dairy above a cow's body temperature. Pasteurization, irradiation, boiling or homogenization are the most commonly known forms of processing. Also, the processes of chemical treatment are used to enhance flavor, fortify and preserve bad-tasting milk that has been heat-treated and putrefactive. The common store type of milk is processed to the extent it turns blue. They add large amounts of dolomite (mined calcium carbonate, that is rock) to make it white and add irradiated hydrogenated vegetable oil as Vitamin D. Hydrogenated oil has the same molecular structure as plastic unlike natural raw milk. Additionally, irradiated oil is not Vitamin D yet the FDA allows them to call it that.

Found out where you can buy raw milk here.

e-waste

The results of our high-tech, high waste consumer society:
PBS

I have not reviewed all of the information on the PBS show but it definitely begs the question: How are we stewarding what we have?

TEXANS - Call governor to veto SB 1440

The bill would give the court wide and arbitrary powers to make a ruling based only on an affidavit from Child Protective Services.
Press Release from Parent Guidance Center.
For more info.
Please call the governor's office and ask him to veto this SB 1440.

Information and Referral Hotline [for Texas callers] :
(800) 843-5789
Citizen's Opinion Hotline [for Texas callers] :
(800) 252-9600
Information and Referral and Opinion Hotline [for Austin, Texas and out-of-state callers] :
(512) 463-1782
Office of the Governor Main Switchboard [office hours are 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. CST] :
(512) 463-2000
Citizen's Assistance Telecommunications Device
If you are using a telecommunication device for the deaf (TDD),
call 711 to reach Relay Texas
Office of the Governor Fax:
(512) 463-1849

State of the Economy - a Mess!

Here is an excellent article on the condition of the economy:

Mountain Vision

At the end of the page is a story, in layman's terms describing the derivatives market.

World Hunger

Here is an emotionally moving video on hunger in the world.

View this movie at cultureunplugged.com

No statistical facts but it makes a very strong case. Before we blame overpopulation, let's examine how the lack of some compares with the excesses of others.

swine flu statistics similar to death rates for normal flu

I did some checking concerning swine flu. From what I find the death rate is very similar to regular flu, at least in the USA. CDC reports 6552 probable and confirmed cases and 9 deaths.

This site has slightly higher case numbers but no more deaths:
USA
confirmed - 7751
suspected 1014
fatal - 9

Reports from Mexico show (not sure how this would compare to normal flu there):
confirmed cases - 5234
suspected cases - 3971
fatal - 212
The WSJ proposes that the reason for the higher death rate in Mexico could be the lack of quality health care and the delay in accurately identifying it.

Canada:
confirmed - 787
suspected - 5
fatal - 1

even the Wall Street Journal weighs in with insights on eating healthy

Wall Street Journal site

Raisins as a preservative - alternative to sodium nitrite

During digestion, sodium nitrite can break down into cancer-causing chemicals but there is a study that shows raisins can be used as a health-safe alternative for preserving foods:
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2003/05/31/raisins.aspx

All the more reason for me to like raisins! :-P

repeal of homestead property tax

A proposal from a couple of years ago to repeal the property tax for homesteads in Indiana:
http://www.munciefreepress.com/node/17712
I wonder where this is now...
Need this in Texas, too!

God's perfect balance

In my homesteading class today, we looked at the importance of soil and how to care for the soil. It is the foundation of all life. A pound of soil has over 900 billion living things in it. The health of the soil determines the health of the plants, which determines our health and the health of the animals which then continues to impact us when we eat the animals as well. It is amazing to see the synergistic, symbiotic cycle of life. A farm must be seen as a whole system of life on many levels, from the interconnectedness of the physical life systems but also on the level of the earth is a stewardship which God has given to us and how we relate to the life systems which God has designed in the earth is connected to our relationship with God. When we are out of order with how God has designed the earth to operate then it has serious consequences for life. Truly, the earth is groaning for the manifestation of the sons of God, those who are living and governing in the earth according to the design of Father God.

Raising Goats

Here is an interesting article about a man raising goats.
It is encouraging to me right now, as I am having a hard time finding about 10 acres I can afford to buy to start my place. I might need to start a little smaller.

Here is an article about using goats to control brush. It has information about fencing, predator control, and goats per acre which I might find useful. "The percentage of brush cover and the number of acres need to be considered when determining stocking rate. One goat per acre per percent brush cover is a good minimum beginning rate." Of course, this is not completely accurate, since if the acreage has no brush, it could still support some level of goat grazing on the grass.
In their study, "Stock density ranged from a high of 3 to a low of 1.5 goats per acre." But yet they also say, "Stocking rate dropped to 0.5 goats per acre."

Global Cooling?

There is a lot of evidence to support global COOLING, NOT warming. Do the research, don't get caught in the political propaganda machine. Some theorize that the increase in temperature in the past 150 years is just part of the earth's normal cyclical warming and cooling trends. We don't even have exact temperature data except for about the past 100 years and even the quality of that data has issues.
Here's my link to some info I have found.

new streaming setup

The new XH-A1 HiDef Video Camera has been nice. We have also refined the whole setup, so here is a brief outline of it now.


Macintosh computer – current configuration:
Mac Mini (1.83GHz, 4GB RAM), monitor, keyboard, mouse
CamTwist
for video streaming - must be in mpeg-4 or Windows Media Player format
Soundflower (to stream audio from a video)
network card for Internet connection
web browser with Adobe Flash (Firefox and Safari work)

Streaming Setup
Connect camera
start CamTwist
- highlight Video Source

• Webcam for live video

• Movie for video

• Desktop for PP presentation

• Slide Show for pictures (can be exported from PP presentation)

- click Select or to add a second source, select PIP

• to use PIP - can adjust the secondary picture in the main picture with the advanced window on the right – move it around with the black square, change size, etc
  

• or just switch between the two sources

log in to ustream.tv
Click My Shows
Click Broadcast Now, under the My Shows menu, not the one above

• Video Source – select CamTwist

• Audio Source – normally is Built-in Input, for movies select Soundflower (2ch) and set the audio output in the Mac System Preferences to Soundflower (2ch), as well. Soundflower configuration info
  

Click Start Broadcast
Should see at least some green in the VU meter and avoid red
Can adjust quality with bars on right
Select Server Monitor to see what is being broadcast
To put text on the video screen, I.e. instead of streaming pp
Select Text & Videos
New Text Layer
Type in the text and click Add
Click Preview or Push on air
can move it around, change colors, fonts, etc
just type over to update what is on screen

dangers of artificial sweeteners

There are way too many chemicals in our processed foods today. One example is artificial sugar substitutes. One is aspartame. Here is a site talking about the dangers of it, I like the domain name:
http://www.sweetpoison.com/
Do a search on whatever artificial sweetener and you should come of with plenty of sites exposing the dangers and probably extolling its virtues. Consumers beware, be informed.
There are plenty of natural alternatives to sugar, such as stevia, honey, agave, and others. Even sugar in moderation is better than the artificial sweetener chemicals.

Insight into God's purposes

I would encourage anyone interested in understanding more of what is happening behind the scenes in current events to these sites:
Scott Webster Ministries
Scott is on the Apostolic Core Leadership Team of the Kingdom Community Network of Congress WBN. He also heads the Atlanta Embassy of Elijah Center. Elijah Center, based in Trinidad, is the creative core of Congress WBN. Scott publishes a newsletter that gives insight of the underlying philosophies and mentalities that drive the events in society and how we must realign our hearts with God's principles to establish His rulership in our lives and the earth as a whole.

ICA is a financial and geo-political consultant company that offers a wealth of resources concerning current events. They have daily news briefings, a weekly audio commentary, and monthly newsletter.

Indians in South, Central America

Here are some links to news stories of struggles of some indians in South and Central America about which I want to research more for a current update:
EMBERA KATÍO
Nasa Indians

The Community web page

I found this on the web page of a Kingdom Community which is part of the Congress WBN:
"At TC, we see ourselves as a part of the “global church” which is not limited by geographical or geopolitical boundaries. We are a people who desire to develop a correct global perspective that empowers us to become a portal of divine activity into whatever nation within which God desires us to build. Our globalness also allows us to build seamlessly between our community, the communities within PTWN, and our affiliation with Congress-WBN."
I thought this was very interesting. It stirs my heart with the vision of God's purpose. Here is the page:
The Community
You can visit them if you are ever in NW Arkansas.