Aero garden

http://www.aerogarden.com/aerogarden-customer-service-support

Do GMO Crops Really Have Higher Yields?

A new paper by University of Wisconsin researchers suggests they don't.

By Tom Philpott | Wed Feb. 13, 2013 4:06 AM PST

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According to the biotech industry, genetically modified (GM) crops are a boon to humanity because they allow farmers to "generate higher crop yields with fewer inputs," as the trade group Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) puts it on its web page [1].
Buoyed by such rhetoric, genetically modified seed giant Monsanto and its peers have managed to flood the corn, soybean, and cotton seed markets with two major traits: herbicide resistance and pesticide expression—giving plants the ability to, respectively, withstand regular lashings of particular herbicides and kill bugs with the toxic trait of Bacillus thuringiensis, or Bt.
Turns out, though, that both assertions in BIO's statement are highly questionable. Washington State University researcher Charles Benbrook has demonstrated [2] that the net effect of GMOs in the United States has been an increase in use of toxic chemical inputs. Benbrook found that while the Bt trait has indeed allowed farmers to spray dramatically lower levels of insecticides, that effect has been more than outweighed the gusher of herbicides uncorked by Monsanto's Roundup Ready technology, as weeds have rapidly adapted resistance to regular doses of Monsanto's Rounup herbicide.
And in a new paper [3] (PDF) funded by the US Department of Agriculture, University of Wisconsin researchers have essentially negated the "more food" argument as well. The researchers looked at data from UW test plots that compared crop yields from various varieties of hybrid corn, some genetically modified and some not, between 1990 and 2010. While some GM varieties delivered small yield gains, others did not. Several even showed lower yields than non-GM counterparts. With the exception of one commonly used trait—a Bt type designed to kill the European corn borer—the authors conclude, "we were surprised not to find strongly positive transgenic yield effects." Both the glyphosate-tolerant (Roundup Ready) and the Bt trait for corn rootworm caused yields to drop.

Then there's the question of so-called "stacked-trait" crops—that is, say, corn engineered to contain multiple added genes—for example, Monsanto's "Smart Stax" product, which contains both herbicide-tolerant and pesticide-expressing genes. The authors detected what they call "gene interaction" in these crops—genes inserted into them interact with each other in ways that affect yield, often negatively. If multiple genes added to a variety didn't interact, "the [yield] effect of stacked genes would be equal to the sum of the corresponding single gene effects," the authors write. Instead, the stacked-trait crops were all over the map. "We found strong evidence of gene interactions among transgenic traits when they are stacked," they write. Most of those effects were negative—i.e., yield was reduced.
Overall, the report uncovers evidence of what is known as "yield drag"—the idea that manipulating the genome of a plant variety causes unintended changes in the way it grows, causing it to be less productive.
More encouragingly, the authors found that crop yields for GMO varieties are more stable year-to-year—that is, their yields fluctuate less than those of conventional varieties. As a result of this stabilizing effect, the authors conclude that "our results show how transgenic technology can improve farmers' ability to deal with a risky environment," especially given "current concerns about the effects of climate change on production uncertainty in agriculture." Simply by planting Roundup Ready or Bt crops, they claim, farmers face less risk from yield fluctuations.
That may be true, but it's a long way from "generating higher crop yields with fewer inputs." And it's not clear at all that GMOs' marginal advantages over conventional seeds when it comes to risk mitigation trump the benefits offered by organic ag in that department. Here's how the authors of a major paper published in Nature [4] last year put it:

Soils managed with organic methods have shown better water-holding capacity and water infiltration rates and have produced higher yields than conventional systems under drought conditions and excessive rainfall.

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Source URL: http://www.motherjones.com/tom-philpott/2013/02/do-gmo-crops-have-lower-yields

Links:
[1] http://www.bio.org/node/517
[2] http://www.motherjones.com/tom-philpott/2012/10/how-gmos-ramped-us-pesticide-use
[3] https://www.motherjones.com/files/maize_prod_nat-biotech_2013.pdf
[4] http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v485/n7397/full/nature11069.html

Findings -- Jamestown Rediscovery

http://apva.org/rediscovery/page.php?page_id=4

Excavation since 1994 has recovered over one million artifacts dating to the first half of the 17th century. The majority of the objects date to the first years of English settlement during the time the palisade walls of James Fort still stood (1607-1624). The site of James Fort was not washed into the river, as most people believed for the past 200 years. We have uncovered over 480 feet of palisade lines from the initial triangular fort, the east and north cannon projections (bulwarks), a section of the western bulwark ditch, eleven filled-in cellars, three wells, dozens of burials, and ten structures, all part of James Fort. Also, an addition to the fort has been discovered to the east of the triangular fort; this area remains largely unexplored. The following links show some of what we find as we discover "The Buried Truth."

~A.

Japan Tsunami Debris - Marine Debris Program

http://marinedebris.noaa.gov/tsunamidebris/debris_model.html

When will the debris from the tsunami in Japan reach the U.S.?

Many variables affect where the debris will go and when. Items will sink, disperse, and break up along the way, and winds and ocean currents constantly change, making it very difficult to predict an exact date and location for the debris' arrival on our shores.

A NOAA modeling effort shows that some buoyant items have reached the Pacific Northwest coast during winter 2011-2012. More debris is likely still dispersed north of the Main Hawaiian Islands and east of Midway Atoll.

Results are from 4/03/13.   (The dotted area off California is the densest...)

The model gives NOAA an understanding of where debris from the tsunami may be located today, because it incorporates how winds and ocean currents since the event may have moved items through the Pacific Ocean. This model is a snapshot of where debris may be now, but it does not predict when debris will reach U.S. shores in the future. It's a "hindcast," rather than a "forecast."

However, throughout the winter of 2012-2013, seasonal changes in North Pacific winds and currents will cause marine debris of mixed types to wash ashore on western coastlines of North America. Hawaii can also expect to see mixed debris during this time, since debris will likely travel west toward the Main Hawaiian Island with ocean currents.  

The model also takes into account the fact that winds can move different types of debris at different speeds. For example, wind may push an upright boat (large portion above water) faster than a piece of lumber (floating mostly at and below the surface).

 

 

~A.

Japan Tsunami Debris - Marine Debris Program

http://marinedebris.noaa.gov/tsunamidebris/debris_model.html

When will the debris from the tsunami in Japan reach the U.S.?

Many variables affect where the debris will go and when. Items will sink, disperse, and break up along the way, and winds and ocean currents constantly change, making it very difficult to predict an exact date and location for the debris' arrival on our shores.

A NOAA modeling effort shows that some buoyant items have reached the Pacific Northwest coast during winter 2011-2012. More debris is likely still dispersed north of the Main Hawaiian Islands and east of Midway Atoll.

Results are from 4/03/13.   (The dotted area off California is the densest...)

The model gives NOAA an understanding of where debris from the tsunami may be located today, because it incorporates how winds and ocean currents since the event may have moved items through the Pacific Ocean. This model is a snapshot of where debris may be now, but it does not predict when debris will reach U.S. shores in the future. It's a "hindcast," rather than a "forecast."

However, throughout the winter of 2012-2013, seasonal changes in North Pacific winds and currents will cause marine debris of mixed types to wash ashore on western coastlines of North America. Hawaii can also expect to see mixed debris during this time, since debris will likely travel west toward the Main Hawaiian Island with ocean currents.  

The model also takes into account the fact that winds can move different types of debris at different speeds. For example, wind may push an upright boat (large portion above water) faster than a piece of lumber (floating mostly at and below the surface).

 

 

~A.

GF2045

GLOBAL FUTURE 2045

The second international Global Future 2045 congress will take place on 15-16 June 2013 at the Lincoln Center in New York, and will be focused on discussion of a new evolutionary strategy for humanity aimed at overcoming the 21st century's civilization challenges. The strategy is based on carrying out two revolutions: spiritual and sci-tech. We believe this is the only way to overcome existing crises.

 

At the congress, a vision will be presented for the spiritual transformation of humanity, and new technologies will be demonstrated which are likely to form the basis of the sci-tech revolution. The congress will also showcase our Avatar science mega-project, aimed at accelerating the creation of technologies enabling a gradual transition from our biological bodies to an increasingly advanced artificial carrier of the human self.

 

The first GF2045 congress took place in Moscow in February 2012. Its main goal was a discussion of global threats and opportunities arising from the development of new technologies, and the formulation of recommendations for the realization of the optimal scenario for the future with regard to the expected usage of these technologies. In the world of international science, this was the first time at this level and in this form, that not only the key directions of innovations in the coming decades were examined, but also their ethical and philosophical aspects.

 

In the 3 days of the congress, over 1,500 participants took part, with 50 speakers from countries around the world, including the USA, the Netherlands and Australia. The congress received wide coverage in the press, and was positively assessed in scientific circles.

 

The congress was organized by the strategic social movement Russia 2045, a.k.a The 2045 Initiative.

 

The 2045 Initiative

 

Founded by Russian entrepreneur Dmitry Itskov in February 2011 with the participation of leading Russian specialists in the field of neural interfaces, robotics, artificial organs and systems.

 

The main goals of the 2045 Initiative: the creation and realization of a new strategy for the development of humanity which meets global civilization challenges; the creation of optimale conditions promoting the spiritual enlightenment of humanity; and the realization of a new futuristic reality based on 5 principles: high spirituality, high culture, high ethics, high science and high technologies.

 

The main science mega-project of the 2045 Initiative aims to create technologies enabling the transfer of a individual's personality to a more advanced non-biological carrier, and extending life, including to the point of immortality. We devote particular attention to enabling the fullest possible dialogue between the world's major spiritual traditions, science and society.

 

A large-scale transformation of humanity, comparable to some of the major spiritual and sci-tech revolutions in history, will require a new strategy. We believe this to be necessary to overcome existing crises, which threaten our planetary habitat and the continued existence of humanity as a species. With the 2045 Initiative, we hope to realize a new strategy for humanity's development, and in so doing, create a more productive, fulfilling, and satisfying future.

http://gf2045.com/program/

~A.

25 Years Ago: Destruction Of Iranian Navy Led To Tragic, Unintended Consequence - This Week in Connecticut History - Stonington-Mystic, CT Patch

25 Years Ago: Destruction Of Iranian Navy Led To Tragic, Unintended Consequence - This Week in Connecticut History - Stonington-Mystic, CT Patch

By Philip Devlin

Few people realize that the largest American naval confrontation at sea since World War II took place 25 years ago this month in April of 1988. While on patrol in the Persian Gulf during the protracted war between Iran and Iraq, lookouts on the missile-carrying frigate USS Samuel B. Roberts spotted a minefield.
The ship, named after a Guadalcanal war hero from California, attempted to avoid the minefield but accidentally contacted one that blew a large hole in her side. Heroic action from the ship's damage control team kept the vessel afloat, while ten wounded men were flown by helicopter to a hospital for help. Fortunately, no Americans died in the incident, but the retrieval of the Roberts had tragic consequences.

Meanwhile, the U.S. military began to formulate a tactical response. Hartford-born General George B. Crist was in charge of the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) in Florida at the time. He was the first Marine to oversee CENTCOM and directed the retaliatory response against Iran: "Operation Praying Mantis."

The USS Samuel Roberts contacted a mine on April 14, 1988—the anniversary date of the Titanic striking an iceberg in the North Atlantic. Subsequent investigation by Navy divers, who retrieved other mines nearby, confirmed that Iran was responsible for the mines. After President Ronald Reagan approved the plan, "Operation Praying Mantis" commenced on April 18, 1988. The first phase of the operation called for the disabling of two large Iranian oil platforms that were known to be monitoring the U.S. presence in the area. Two American destroyers contacted the personnel on one of the oil rigs and ordered them off. Some left the platform; others remained on it and began to open fire with 23 mm guns at the American ships. That turned out to be a big mistake, as the destroyers disabled the guns on the platform and then an attack by a Cobra helicopter finished the job. U.S. Marines subsequently boarded the platform, gave aid to a wounded man there, and then planted explosives to blow it up. Concurrently, another Surface Action Group (SAG) attacked the other Iranian oil platform. It was so heavily damaged by the ships, that the boarding of the platform by a SEAL team was deemed unnecessary.

Meanwhile, a kind of cat and mouse game involving Iranian attack jets and high speed Iranian attack boats known as Bodghammars—similar to American PT boats of World War II—unfolded. The Bodghammars first tried attacking "soft" targets such as oil freighters, but they soon came under attack by A-6 jets launched from the carrier Enterprise. Several of the fast attack Iranian boats were either destroyed or disabled. Additionally, The USS Wainwright, a missile-carrying frigate similar to the Roberts, came under attack by an Iranian ship. That proved to be a big mistake, as both the Wainwright and the USS Simpson fired missiles and destroyed it. Iranian F-4 fighters occasionally menaced the naval ships as well; however, when locked on by radar, the F-4s wisely turned away. The sole F-4 that attempted to attack a ship was hit by a missile. 

The final phase of the attack involved the Iranian frigate Sabalan, which attempted to fire upon American fighter jets. Once again, that proved to be a big mistake as a retaliatory strike by an American A-6 flown by Lieutenant Commander James Engler deposited a missile down the smokestack of the Sabalan, disabling it. Engler subsequently received the Distinguished Flying Cross for his actions. Another Iranian frigate—the Sahand—was sunk by missiles from the USS Strauss, a destroyer named for a famous American admiral.

Overall, five Iranian vessels were sunk and one was badly damaged in the largest surface engagement by the U.S. Navy since World War II. Many believe that this crippling of the Iranian navy helped to hasten a ceasefire in the eight-year war between Iran and Iraq.

One unfortunate result of the engagement, however, was the accidental downing of an Iranian airliner about 10 weeks later, when the cruiser USS Vincennes, commanded by Will Rogers III, was escorting the extraction of the damaged USS Samuel B. Roberts out of the Persian Gulf. Engaged by Iranian surface vessels, the Vincennes mistakenly fired upon a civilian airliner thought to be an attacking Iranian fighter jet. 190 people were killed, including 66 children.

Though an investigation subsequently exonerated Rogers for the action, his action remains controversial; furthermore, in 1993, a pipe bomb strapped to his wife's mini-van exploded while she was driving to school. She survived the attack, and the case remains unsolved.

~A.

Fwd: Who Needs Healthy Food When We Can Eat Cash?

April 28th, 2013 Newsletter The World's Most Widely Referenced Natural Medicine Database with 20,279 study abstracts indexed and growing daily. Learn More. Featured Articles Chemical Deception: Multiple Forms of Hormone-Disrupting Bisphenol Found In US Food Supply Written by Sayer Ji, Founder Bisphenol A (BPA) is only the tip of the toxicological iceberg, which industry exploits to delude the public into a false sense of safety, e.g. "BPA free!" Read More Who Needs Healthy Food When We Can Eat Cash? Codex Update Written by Scott Tips, JD Are you concerned about the future of your food? This is a must read! Thanks to investigative work like this it is no longer a secret that multinational corporations are behind the federation that is making our international food law... Read More Featured Videos Baby Taken From Couple for Seeking Second Medical Opinion "I'm going to grab your baby and don't resist and don't fight me." This is what a police officer told a Sacramento couple for merely getting a second opinion on their baby's health. This recent news story is shocking many, but the word is getting out… Watch Now Ousting Monsanto & Ushering In An"Earth Democracy"~ Vandana Shiva Dr.Vandana Shiva named by Forbes as one of the 7 most-influential women in the world breaks the silence, speaking truth to power, exposing atrocities associated with multinational corporations like Monsanto attempting to take over the very seeds that make life possible. Watch Now Past Popular Article Chocolate Gives Statins A $29 Billion Run For Their Money  Written by Sayer Ji, Founder With the cholesterol-lowering class of drugs known as statins being widely promoted for the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease, despite their having over 300 documented adverse health effects (including heart failure!), how does chocolate sound as a viable, heart-friendly alternative? Read More

spaceweather_2013_report.pdf

http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/microsites/ostp/spaceweather_2013_report.pdf

154 The Maine

The four agreements...

Lemons for Life

Amazing frozen lemons 

All it is.....is a frozen lemon 

  

Many professionals in restaurants and eateries are using or consuming the entire lemon and nothing is wasted. How can you use the whole lemon without waste? 

Simple.. place the washed lemon in the freezer section of your refrigerator. Once the lemon is frozen, get your grater, and shred the whole lemon (no need to peel it) and sprinkle it on top of your foods. 

  

Sprinkle it to your vegetable salad, ice cream, soup, cereals, noodles, spaghetti sauce, rice, sushi, fish dishes, whisky.... the list is endless. 

  

All of the foods will unexpectedly have a wonderful taste, something that you may have never tasted before.  Most likely, you only think of lemon juice and vitamin C. Not anymore. 

Now that you've learned this lemon secret, you can use lemon even in instant cup noodles. 

  

What's the major advantage of using the whole lemon other than preventing waste and adding new taste to your dishes? 

Well, you see lemon peels contain as much as 5 to 10 times more vitamins than the lemon juice itself.  And yes, that's what you've been wasting. 

 

But from now on, by following this simple procedure of freezing the whole lemon, then grating it on top of your dishes, you can consume all of those nutrients and get even healthier. 

  

It's also good that lemon peels are health rejuvenators in eradicating toxic elements in the body. 

  

So place your washed lemon in your freezer, and then grate it on your meal every day. It is a key to make your foods tastier and you get to live healthier and longer! That's the lemon secret! Better late than never, right? The surprising benefits of lemon! 

Lemon (Citrus) is a miraculous product to kill cancer cells. It is 10,000 times stronger than chemotherapy. 

Why do we not know about that? Because there are laboratories interested in making a synthetic version that will bring them huge profits. 

You can now help a friend in need by letting him/her know that lemon juice is beneficial in preventing the disease. Its taste is pleasant and it does not produce the horrific effects of chemotherapy. 

How many people will die while this closely guarded secret is kept, so as not to jeopardize the beneficial multimillionaires large corporations? 

As you know, the lemon tree is known for its varieties of lemons and limes. 

  

You can eat the fruit in different ways: you can eat the pulp, juice press, prepare drinks, sorbets, pastries, etc... It is credited with many virtues, but the most interesting is the effect it produces on cysts and tumors. 

This plant is a proven remedy against cancers of all types. Some say it is very useful in all variants of cancer. It is considered also as an anti microbial spectrum against bacterial infections and fungi, effective against internal parasites and worms, it regulates blood pressure which is too high and an antidepressant, combats stress and nervous disorders. 

The source of this information is fascinating: it comes from one of the largest drug manufacturers in the world, says that after more than 20 laboratory tests since 1970, the extracts revealed that It destroys the malignant cells in 12 cancers, including colon, breast, prostate, lung and pancreas... 

The compounds of this tree showed 10,000 times better than the product Adriamycin, a drug normally used chemotherapeutic in the world, slowing the growth of cancer cells. 

And what is even more astonishing: this type of therapy with lemon extract only destroys malignant cancer cells and it does not affect healthy cells. 

So, give those lemons a good wash, freeze them and grate them. Your whole body will love you for it!!!!! 

Live simply, Love generously, Care deeply, Speak kindly. 

-- THERE ARE NO STRANGERS, ONLY FRIENDS YOU HAVEN'T MET!!  

WSJ: best Rated Jobs 2013

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324874204578439154095008558.html?mod=wsj_share_facebook

Science and Nonduality: DVD

Ahhhhhh........
http://www.scienceandnonduality.com/dvd_vol3_online.shtml?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=About%20Science%20and%20Consciousness&utm_content=About%20Science%20and%20Consciousness+CID_e03f4a93fa57a3a32be1f36f70ab99be&utm_source=Email%20marketing%20software&utm_term=now%20available%20also%20for%20online%20viewing
~A.

The Great Cholesterol Cover-Up: STATIN NATION (Full Movie) - ...

WOW!!!

http://tv.greenmedinfo.com/the-great-cholesterol-cover-up-statin-nation-full-movie/?utm_source=www.GreenMedInfo.com&utm_campaign=5c4885f04e-Greenmedinfo&utm_medium=email

The Link Between Eating Red Meat and Heart Disease

This is a fascinating report and o different than what you'd expect! Read it for your health!
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/04/22/eating-red-meat.aspx?e_cid=20130422_DNL_art_1&utm_source=dnl&utm_medium=email&utm_content=art1&utm_campaign=20130422ProdTest2


~A.

20 Free Mind Power Gifts For Inspiration, Transformation and Liberation

Go ahead! Take a look!
http://www.mindpowermp3.com/static_page.php?pageid=210


~A.

The Link Between Nightshades, Chronic Pain and Inflammation

http://www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/link-between-nightshades-chronic-pain-and-inflammation?utm_source=www.GreenMedInfo.com&utm_campaign=4f567f64c7-Greenmedinfo&utm_medium=email


~A.

Yay Skip! I Like It!!!!

says Ship: "This is a 2011 video among several I am redoing to apply the panning effects I am now using which add motion. The video is made up of riffs on photos of flowers taken by my sister and fine artist Andrea Way. The soundtrack is an instrumental by Texan guitarist Andrew Hardin who is currently working in a folk/Amercana duo with Jeannie Burns called Hardin Burns."

Fwd: Handpicked: Earth Day Films

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