Yeah, as if there had been any question about it. But a new report out says there’s a link between the use of pesticide DDT and development of Alzheimer’s later in life. According to the EPA website:
DDT (dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane) was developed as the first of the modern synthetic insecticides in the 1940s. It was initially used with great effect to combat malaria, typhus, and the other insect-borne human diseases among both military and civilian populations and for insect control in crop and livestock production, institutions, homes, and gardens. DDT’s quick success as a pesticide and broad use in the United States and other countries led to the development of resistance by many insect pest species.
The book that spilled the beans on the early dangers of DDT – a classic of investigative reporting in book form – was Rachel Carson’s “Silent Spring”:”
The New Yorker started serializing Silent Spring in June 1962, and it was published in book form (with illustrations by Lois and Louis Darling) by Houghton Mifflin on Sept. 27. When the book Silent Spring was published, Rachel Carson was already a well-known writer on natural history, but had not previously been a social critic. The book was widely read—especially after its selection by the Book-of-the-Month Club and the New York Times best-seller list—and inspired widespread public concerns with pesticides and pollution of the environment. Silent Spring facilitated the ban of the pesticide DDT[3] for agricultural use in 1972 in the United States.
The use of DDT has been contentious, seems like, most of my adult life. Looking back on my childhood, I sometimes wonder if my father’s long goodbye from Alzheimer’s was related to pesticides.
I remember as a kid we had a number of fruit trees on our property up in Seattle. And a persistent problem with weeds. So products like DDT, malathion, and an assortment of othere “things you wouldn’t do today, necessarily, we commonly used.
Remember, this was at a time when “long-chain science” had not really evolved. People used whatever worked and the long-term cause and effect (like smoking) was just not questioned.
Today, there’s evolving evidence that this lack of understanding about the things we put in the ground – and in our food – is going to come back and haunt us for a very long time, even though the US discontinued DDT earlier than most of the rest of the world.
For now, what can you do about it? Besides us a good vegetable scrub]? Not much. Except be concerned that when government and industry gang up on one side of a health issue (like GMO foods) they have an evolving track record.
Of being dead wrong.
Poison Fish
Oh, this is a great one: Local East Texas fishermen are being told not to eat locally caught bass or catfish in the Neches River basis. And what’s odd about this is that it includes a couple of reservoirs (Sam Rayburn and Steinhagen). According to a report on local media, the pollution is from mercury and dioxin.
Here’s where it gets weird: Dioxin and mercury are usually industrial pollutants. Which means what? Well, Ures truly has his eye on this because the levels could be from a leaching process of a landfill, or – the #1 suspect in my book, though maybe wrong (we’ll see…) – would be from waste water injection from the petroleum industry hereabouts…
Land of Exploitation
Reader RD make an interesting note that I overlooked on group of people in my (cough-syrup-assisted) Monday column:
Evening George – tonight’s “sarcasm”
“Anyone who dares stand up to Western European (and American) exploitation is likely to find the same response that has been handed other parts of” (America). We could try the rape of our own lands, north and south America – what happened to the Indigenous people that were here when “we” took over.
Oh well – Another day in a world gone mad.
It was purely time constraints that kep me from mentioning the genocide against America’s First Peoples. Most people have “reservations” about remembering that.
The Ure Minimum
Reader Mike H saw this tweet and thought it reminded him of something – yessir! The Ure Minimum which is why we’re all freezing our butts off. But don’t mind me…just cranky.
Thing is (and why I mention this often enough) is that any idiot can get along so-so when trends are not changing. But to move up to the top (or front) of the pack, you need to work on recognizing trend changes before everyone else in the herd, or you’re toast. “Average” is a fate worse than death…
What’s the old skydiver saying my son left with last week? “Everyone’s going to die. But not everyone’s going to live.”
The Google Orgy Loss
As the new continues to pour out from Ed Snowden about how people’s privacy has been destroyed by undisclosed data sharing between big outfits (like Google) and the government, off in the background the former head of Formula 1 racing has successfully seed to force Google to block distro of six images of him that were making it around the net. Show him (age 70 something) in an S&M orgy.
Cold Treatments
Been getting a lot of good, just not medical, advice about how to treat my current “light case of death” which is a much better description of a chest cold than simply calling it a “chest cold.” Why, that’d be like having a winter storm without giving it a name and doing non-stop promos around the clock with it.
Reader Bill suggested this:
So Geo, the way you do it is this.
1. Be taking a good battery of herbs and supplements on an ongoing basis to keep your bodily state of health and immune system at max
2. When you FIRST notice some symptom (and not before) that seems like a flu related (throat, cough, nose running etc) start taking echinacea caps. Also start using Zinc Lozenges (keep IT from going into your lungs). Raise the amount of vit C you are taking a lot.
Works for me have NEVER had a flu shot and never will. Last time I had anything like flu was 25 years ago.
take it or leave itSince the flu is supposedly a virus you should use one of the several alternative treatments that KILL viruses.
The easiest one is colloidal silver. Myself I have the equipment from Sota to make my own AND the correct formula/instructions for making it properly. Kills all the viruses you can think of and then some.
You know, I had forgotten about the CS…I will add that and hopefully it will speed up the recovery. Also added black elderberry to the mix yesterday. I may die of this thing yet, but I will leave behind vast fortunes in the natural cold treatments industry…
Reader Sherlyn is among those supporting elderberry:
My chiropractor sent me this which I find interesting. In addition, I have had success using Sambucol, a patented elderberry syrup, and Patis 30, a high strength nanoparticle silver solution. This method is certainly easy to do and cheap, but I have not used it myself. Dr Mark’s recommendations have proven to be spot on for me over 95% of the time.
Of course, if you are in perfect health, none of this is pertinent. But like I always say, if you don’t have a cold now, you will have one sometime. Like taxes and corrupt politicians, they’re a modern fact of life, seems like…
Great Learning in Humor
Chris up at www.thechronibleproject.org offers this delightful list of things you might not know:
Okay so this has nothing to do with ancient Hebrew but sometimes you receive those emails that make you laugh and need to be passed on. For me this is rare, but when humor teaches also, you have me.
So…
Stuff You Didn’t Know You Didn’t Know!
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Men can read smaller print than women can; women can hear better.
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Coca-Cola was originally green.
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It is impossible to lick your elbow.
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The State with the highest percentage of people who walk to work: Alaska.
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The percentage of Africa that is wilderness: 28%. (now get this…)
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The percentage of North America that is wilderness: 38%.
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The cost of raising a medium-size dog to the age of eleven: $ 16,400.
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The average number of people airborne over the U.S. in any given hour: 61,000.
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Intelligent people have more zinc and copper in their hair.
(I plan to recycle my “pullouts” now –G)
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The first novel ever written on a typewriter, Tom Sawyer.
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The San Francisco Cable cars are the only mobile National Monuments.
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Each king in a deck of playing cards represents a great king from history.
Spades – King David
Hearts – Charlemagne
Clubs -Alexander, the Great
Diamonds – Julius Caesar
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111,111,111 x 111,111,111 = 12,345,678,987, 654,321.
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If a statue in the park of a person on a horse has both front legs in the air, the person died in battle. If the horse has one front leg in the air, the person died because of wounds received in battle. If the horse has all four legs on the ground, the person died of natural causes.
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Only two people signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4; John Hancock and Charles Thomson. Most of the rest signed on August 2, but the last signature wasn’t added until 5 years later.
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Q. Half of all Americans live within 50 miles of what?
A. Their birthplace.
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Q. Most boat owners name their boats. What is the most popular boat name requested?
A.
Obsession.
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Q.. If you were to spell out numbers, how far would you have to go until you would find the letter ‘A’?
A. One thousand.
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Q. What do bulletproof vests, fire escapes, windshield wipers and laser printers have in common?
A. All were invented by women.
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Q. What is the only food that doesn’t spoil?
A. Honey.
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Q. Which day of the year, are more collect calls made than any other day of the year?
A. Father’s Day.
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In Shakespeare’s time, mattresses were secured on bed frames by ropes. When you pulled on the ropes, the mattress tightened, making the bed firmer to sleep on. Hence the phrase…’Goodnight , sleep tight’.
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It was the accepted practice in Babylon 4,000 years ago that for a month after the wedding, the bride’s father would supply his new son-in-law with all the mead he could drink. Mead is a honey beer and because their calendar was lunar based, this period was called the honey month, which we know today as the honeymoon.
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In English pubs, ale is ordered by pints and quarts… So in old England , when customers got unruly, the bartender would yell at them ‘Mind your pints and quarts, and settle down’.
It’s where we get the phrase ‘mind your P’s and Q’s’.
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Many years ago, in
England, pub frequenters had a whistle baked into the rim, or handle, of their ceramic cups. When they needed a refill , they used the whistle to get some service.
‘Wet your whistle’ is the phrase inspired by this practice.
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At least 75% of
people who read this will try to lick their elbow!
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YOU KNOW YOU ARE LIVING IN 2014 when…
1. You accidentally enter your PIN on the microwave.
2. You haven’t played solitaire with real cards ever.
3. You have a list of 15 phone numbers to reach your family of three.
4. You e-mail the person who works at the desk next to you.
5. Your reason for not staying in touch with friends and family is that they don’t have e-mail addresses.
6. You pull up in your own driveway and use your cell phone to see if anyone is home to help you carry in the groceries.
7. Every commercial on television has a Web site at the bottom of the screen
8. Leaving the house without your cell phone, which you didn’t even have the first 20 or 30 (or 60) years of your life, is now a cause for panic and you turn around to go and get it !
10. You get up in the morning and go on-line before getting your coffee
11. You start tilting your head sideways to smile. :)
12 You’re reading this and nodding and laughing.
13. Even worse, you know exactly to whom you are going to forward this message.
14. You are too busy to notice there was no #9 on this list.
15. You actually scrolled back up to check that there wasn’t a #9 on this list.
I’m now going to see if there’s a rehab center around that specializes in post-cough syrup withdrawal. More Thursday morning. Wednesday, some more serious talk about “How We Future” for Peoplenomics subscribers…
Write when you break even.
George george@ure.net