Is America's breadbasket aquifer running dry ????

America's breadbasket aquifer running dry; massive agriculture collapse inevitable


by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor

(NaturalNews) It's the largest underground freshwater supply in the world, stretching from South Dakota all the way to Texas. It's underneath most of Nebraska's farmlands, and it provides crucial water resources for farming in Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma and even New Mexico. It's called the Ogallala Aquifer, and it is being pumped dry.
See the map of this aquifer here: http://www.naturalnews.com/images/O...

Without the Ogallala Aquifer, America's heartland food production collapses. No water means no irrigation for the corn, wheat, alfalfa and other crops grown across these states to feed people and animals. And each year, the Ogallala Aquifer drops another few inches as it is literally being sucked dry by the tens of thousands of agricultural wells that tap into it across the heartland of America.

This problem with all this is that the Ogallala Aquifer isn't being recharged in any significant way from rainfall or rivers. This is so-called "fossil water" because once you use it, it's gone. And it's disappearing now faster than ever.

In some regions along the aquifer, the water level has dropped so far that it has effectively disappeared -- places like Happy, Texas, where a once-booming agricultural town has collapsed to a population of just 595. All the wells drilled there in the 1950's tapped into the Ogallala Aquifer and seemed to provide abundant water at the time. But today the wells have all run dry.

Happy, Texas has become a place of despair. Dead cattle. Wilted crops. Once-moist soils turned to dust. And Happy is just the beginning of this story because this same agricultural tragedy will be repeated across Oklahoma, Nebraska, Kansas and parts of Colorado in the next few decades. That's a hydrological fact. Water doesn't magically reappear in the Ogallala. Once it's used up, it's gone.

"There used to be 50,000 head of cattle, now there's 1,000," says Kay Horner in a Telegraph report (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/83...). "Grazed them on wheat, but the feed lots took all the water so we can't grow wheat. Now the feed lots can't get local steers so they bring in cheap unwanted milking calves from California and turn them into burger if they can't make them veal. It doesn't make much sense. We're heading back to the Dust Bowl."

The end of cheap food in America?

It's a sobering thought, really: That "America's breadbasket" is on a collision course with the inevitable. A large percentage of the food produced in the United States is, of course, grown on farmlands irrigated from the Ogallala. For hundreds of years, it has been a source of "cheap water," making farming economically feasible and keeping food prices down. Combined with the available of cheap fossil fuels over the last century (necessary to drive the tractors that work the fields), food production has skyrocketed in North America. This has led to a population explosion, too. Where food is cheap and plentiful, populations readily expand.

It only follows that when food becomes scarce or expensive (putting it out of reach of average income earners), populations will fall. There's only so much food to go around, after all. And after the Ogallala runs dry, America's food production will plummet. Starvation will become the new American landscape for those who cannot afford the sky-high prices for food.

Aquifer depletion is a global problem

It's not a problem that's unique to America, by the way. The very same problem is facing India, where fossil water is already running dry in many parts of the country. It's the same story in China, too, where water conservation has never been a top priority. Even the Middle East is facing its own water crisis (http://www.npr.org/templates/story/...). This has caused food prices to skyrocket, leading directly to the civil unrest, the riots and even the revolutions we've seen taking place there over the last few months.

The problem is called aquifer depletion (http://www.eoearth.org/article/Aqui...), and it's a problem that spans the globe. It means that today's cheap, easy food -- grown on cheap fossil water -- simply isn't sustainable. Once that water is gone, the croplands that depend on it dry up. Following that, erosion kicks in, and the winds blow away the dry soils in a "Dust Bowl" type of scenario.

A few years after that, what was once a thriving agricultural operation is transformed into a dry, soil less death pit where nothing lives.

The Ogallala supply is going to run out and the Plains will become uneconomical to farm," says David Brauer of the Ogallala Research Service, part of the USDA. "That is beyond reasonable argument. Our goal now is to engineer a soft landing. That's all we can do." (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/83...)

Such is the legacy of conventional agriculture, which is based almost entirely on non-sustainable practices. Its insane reliance on fossil water, petroleum fertilizers, toxic pesticides and GMOs will only lead our world to agricultural disaster.

Be prepared and be safe

I want all NaturalNews readers to be prepared, informed and safe when facing our uncertain future. We know that trouble is stirring around the world, and much of it is either caused by or will lead to food shortages.

The GMO companies, of course, will exploit this situation to their advantage, claiming that only GMOs can grow enough food to feed the world. This is a lie. GMOs and patented seeds only enslave the world population and lead to great social injustice. The days of food slavery are fast approaching for those who do not have the means to grow at least a portion of their own food.

As part of our effort to help people become more self-reliant -- with greater food security -- throughout 2011 and 2012 I plan to bring you more articles, videos and webcast events that focus on home food production, self-reliance, family preparedness and sustainable living. Recently we announced a live webcast event on financial preparedness but the available seats at that event sold out in a matter of days (http://www.naturalnews.com/Economic...).

Based on the huge demand for this event, we have decided to roll out a second preparedness event in April, focused on food preparedness and security. Watch for an announcement on that soon.

In the mean time, I am personally working on growing more of my own food and will be creating a new series of videos and articles based on some of what I learn along the way. From living in South America and producing quite a large amount of food there, I have a fair amount of experience on home food production, but of course there's always more to learn, right?

My gut feeling on all this is that learning to grow and store some portion of your own food is going to become a crucial survival skill over the next few years. And that means understanding water, soil, open-pollinated seeds, organic fertilizers, soil probiotics, insect pollination, growing with the seasons, sprouting, food harvesting, food drying, canning, storage and much more. It's a whole set of skills that have faded away in America in just two generations, leaving very few people who now know how to live off their own land.

What's becoming increasingly obvious from events such as the drying up of aquifers is that home food production is going to become a critical survival skill. I want NaturalNews readers to know and practice these skills as much as possible so that you can experience the comforts (and freedoms!) of genuine food security.
Watch for more stories about preparedness, home food production and self-reliant living here on NaturalNews.

Sources for this story include:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/83...

More news of antibiotics in animal feed.....

This article comes from a newsletter I receive( promoting GMO's and alike) I get this newsletter so I understand the WHOLE picture. What it does is confirm the drive we have to provide for our own animal feed issues and to steer clear of commercial feeds. Read and see just what the FDA, you know the ones who have made it their life's mission to keep raw foods from the public, especially dairy, but..... what are they doing in the cases for REAL CONCERN?

Antibiotics in DDGS may raise some concerns 04 Mar 2011



Of the distillers grains produced in North America, 90% is going into animal feeds with 80% of that going into ruminant diets. Now, public concern has arisen over the safety of the product.

The reason for this concern is a recent survey of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) which found that 53% of the US distillers grains (DDGS) sampled had antibiotic residues.

General fear is that these residues could potentially lead to the development of bacterial resistance in animals and eventually also in humans.

Wet or dry milling

DDGs are primarily produced through dry or wet milling. In dry milling, the whole grain is milled and used for ethanol production.

Wet milling, on the other hand, separates out all of the grain components and only uses the starch for ethanol production. The remaining portion of the grain is used to create a variety of other marketable products.

With each method, the grain or the starch is added to water to create a mash. The mash is heated and enzymes are added to the mixture which allows the starch to breakdown and form glucose.

Protecting the yeast

Next, the mash is fermented. During fermentation, yeast is added to the mixture. The yeast converts the glucose to alcohol. However, during this step bacteria can compete with the yeast, utilizing the glucose to grow. This in turn reduces the amount of ethanol produced from the fermentation process.

In order to combat these competing bacteria, antibiotics are added to the fermentation process. Antibiotics can kill the unwanted bacteria during the fermentation process allowing the yeast to utilize all of the glucose.

Separation of solids

Once fermentation is complete and all of the glucose has been converted to alcohol, the alcohol is separated from the water and solids through a distillation column.

After distillation all that remains are the solid (wet cake) and liquid (thin silage) components of silage. The silage is made up of protein, fibre, oil, and non-fermented starch at a concentration three-fold greater than that in the original corn.
Additionally, antibiotic residues from the fermentation will be present.

Dosing problem

Antibiotics have been used in fuel ethanol production for decades in order to improve production efficiency by reducing levels of contaminating bacteria present during the fermentation of ethanol, allowing for a more productive fermentation.

Antibiotic resistance develops in bacteria during ethanol production due to the misuse of antibiotics. This includes antibiotic overdosing when no effect is observed and underdosing when efficient control is observed.
Overdosing affects the rate of fermentation. Underdosing, on the other hand, leads to a lack of effectiveness of antibiotics. It also carries a greater risk of causing resistance, as bacteria can become accustomed to the antibiotic in low doses and thus develop resistance mechanisms.

FDA responsibility

It is the responsibility of the FDA Centre for Veterinary Medicine (FDA/CVM) to approve the use of drugs in animal feeds, as well as monitor and establish limits for feed contaminants.

Antibiotic residues in distillers grains used as feed or feed ingredients are considered feed additives and regulated by the FDA.

FDA’s primary concern is that antibiotic residues may be present in distillers grains and that those residues could be transferred to animal tissue upon ingestion.

Viginiamycin

The only antibiotic currently approved for use in ethanol production is virginiamycin.

The FDA/CVM issued a letter of no objection for the use of virginiamycin in the fermentation phase of alcohol production at 2 to 6 ppm.

In addition, the CVM did not object to potential residues of 0.2 to 0.5 ppm in distillers by-products. This statement was based on an animal diet containing no more than 20% DDGS.

Moreover, it was stated that the FDA/CVM is unlikely to take regulatory action against DDG-containing feed with residual levels of virginiamycin below 0.5 ppm.
Activity not tested

Although antibiotic residues have been confirmed in distillers grains by the FDA, the activity level of those residues has never been tested.

It is possible that the residues present have been inactivated by the ethanol production process, as the antibiotics are exposed to high and low temperatures and a wide pH range.

Further studies will help to confirm the potential implications of feeding distillers grains with antibiotic residues.

Related article: Multiresidue detecting antibiotics in DDGS

Distillers grains glossary

In order to separate the liquid portion of the silage from the solid portion, centrifugation is used. The wet portion, or thin silage, is evaporated further to produce a thick syrup called condensed solubles. The condensed solubles can then be added to the wet cake to produce a variety of products.

•DWGS – condensed solubles mixed back with partially dried wet cake to create 65% moisture distillers wet grains with soluble;

•DDS – dried condensed solubles or distillers dried soluble;

•DWG – dried wet cake without condensed soluble known as distillers wet grains;

•DDG – further dried DWG to produce dried distillers grains;

•DDGS – dried DWG with solubles to 10 to 12% moisture creating distillers dried grains with soluble;

•MDGS – 50% moisture wet cake with condensed soluble creating modified distillers grains with solubles.

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Dirt! The Movie, explores the vital importance of soil and why we must do everything possible to preserve and protect it


by Ethan A. Huff, staff writer

(NaturalNews) Life on earth depends on the health and vitality of a seemingly simple and often overlooked natural element -- dirt. Ignorance, greed, and plain lack of appreciation has led to the widespread decimation of this precious resource throughout at least the last century. A documentary Dirt! The Movie tells the important story of soil and why it is absolutely essential that we start treating the soil right, not only to preserve the integrity of the environment but also to simply maintain life on the planet.

Narrated by actress Jamie Lee Curtis, Dirt! offers insight into the environmental, economic, social, and political impact that soil has around the world. Packed with countless billions of microscopic organisms, soil ultimately provides life and fertility to plants, animals, and humans. It also purifies and heals the very systems that sustain us, without which nothing could survive.

Many modern interventions, including industrialized and pesticide-based farming methods, have all but depleted the health of much of the world's soil. One expert in the film explains that one-third of the world's topsoil has been depleted just within the past century. Topsoil, of course, is the outermost layer of soil that contains the highest concentration of organic matter, including the microorganisms that convert waste and replenish vital nutrients. Without it, life could not be sustained.

Far from just a dire tale of the way things are, Dirt! provides a lens through which to view the situation as an opportunity to reverse it and restore proper soil health to much of the world. By starting to replant and bio-diversify agriculture now, the system can be largely repaired within ten years, says one film expert. And by bringing back the organic agricultural methods that utilize natural systems of soil regeneration from year to year, the world's soils can be raised from dead to life.

To learn more about Dirt! The Movie, check out:
http://www.dirtthemovie.org/

The Dervaes Family Trademarks "Urban Homesteading"

Just saw this over on a forum I read from time to time, so much for; "Path to FREEDOM!" Please take a gander at the article below, you'll see what I mean.

http://blogs.ocweekly.com/stickaforkinit/2011/02/pasadena_family_trademarks_the.php

I really was NOT caught up in a hype over the Dervaes" Family", but it just goes to show you their true colors( "green", and it's ALL about money, not teaching about a healthier lifestyle) These sort of people truly make me ill! 

Plus how ridiculous that these trademarks are even allowed, sort of reminds me of the McDonald's "million dollar coffee lawsuit"  Geeeesh!

Watch OUT!

1% tax proposed, so much for anyone earning $250K or less, not paying more taxes. Remember that if it is called a license, fee, surcharge,etc.... that they are just fancy, glorifed names for TAX!  I hope you'll all search into H.R. 4646, incorrectly named "Debt Free America Act"

What's happening in your area of the world? Update on ours.

    Lots of things spinning around in my head now to put them in some sort of order. Let's start here at home; we've been run ragged by our zucchini, harvesting 6-8 a day. The plan is to slice and dehydrate( our freezer space is limited) as many as possible for use in soups and casseroles. I found a few recipes for Zucchini chips, which we of course will try and if everyone likes them we'll make a few batches( not sure how long they'll store) We're going to grate and freeze some for breads and cookies and we're enjoying them fresh in salads and as steamed/ cooked side dishes too. Our peppers are now in full swing, the tomatoes are beginning to ripen slowly and the carrots are tender and oh! so sweet. The only problem is, this always happens, our lettuce mix has bolted due to the heat and it's still to hot to replant more( we've tried and it just doesn't fair well) so our salads consist of chard and spinach and a few beet greens.  The beets are ready to harvest, not sure what we'll do with all of them as we only need a few jars of relish, pickled beets and plain ole canned beets. They really took off in the cooler wet weather and my feeling is if left in the ground until time to dig for storage they'll rot or get so large they'll be woody. Maybe we'll try to dehydrate some, never heard of it being done but it's worth a shot, otherwise the chickens will have enjoyment of the ones we can't use.  The Painted Mountain corn is growing well, ears are large but still have yet to set on their colors. The raspberries, elderberries and chokecherries are all absolutely loaded this year so we're working on taking full advantage of these as well.  We have apple jelly and butter leftover from last season, as well as peach butter and jam and plum jelly so with the added berry jellies, jams, butter and syrups we'll have a very nice selection to choose from and I almost forgot, a dear friend in TX, gifted us some fig jam, Mmmm, Mmmm. Soon we'll be readying beds for our fall greens. When the peppers, in the hoop house have ended their production we'll remove the plants and try our hand at raising some carrots, radishes, onions and lettuce and work to keep it us and producing well into Nov.( with some heat at night). Montana just doesn't have enough daylight in winter to sustain growing longer than this anyway. This is the reason we planted tomatoes, a few pepper plants, okra and eggplant for a later harvest, in hopes of storing them in the refrigerator, to extend our fresh produce season before relying on the root crops, cabbage, potatoes, turnips, squash, pumpkins and carrots stored in the cellar. When you eat seasonally you do have to think a bit outside the box. This was one reason behind our building the hoop house, otherwise we'd be out of fresh produce( tomatoes, salad greens, eggplant, cantaloupe, etc....) by the end of Oct. and that is a long time.

We surprised Cortney with an added late birthday gift. You see she is a HUGE Country music buff and when she heard that Jason Aldean was coming to the city, for the local fair she was so excited. Well, it also gave us good motivation to cleaning up some items to be recycled. The money earned from the recycling paid for the tickets with some to spare for fair time snacks*wink*  Of course Cortney had no idea this was the plan, until we presented her with reserved tickets right down in front of the stage, she was speechless for about an hour, then she never stopped talking about it!  On top of this a friend called and asked if she'd like to go earlier in the afternoon, the day of the concert, and look around and ride some rides. We met up with them after we'd secured our seats. It sounded as if they had a great time, rode lots of rides and walked around looking and window shopping. The concert had to be relocated from it's original location, the Metra, to in front of the grandstands like in days gone by before the Metra was built. If you recall back on Father's day the Metra was hit by a tornado and was severely damaged. Many of the concerts( Brad Paisley, Carrie Underwood and a Rock band) scheduled, cancelled, because they didn't want to play in an outdoor venue. The weather was cloudy and cool( 62F for the high), with spotty rain, so we all took/ wore added long sleeve coats or sweaters. Thankfully it didn't rain, but their was a steady breeze making it quite chilly after the sun went down.  The opening act was a group called The McClymont's. Here is a free download of one of their singles. They were good, but their background music drown them out, so it was hard to understand the words to their songs. Jason Aldean soon was on stage singing all of his hit songs, a few singles and even a new song to be released on an album to be released the end of November. I know the words to songs but never realize who sings them, so was surprised to hear many songs and tie  them to his name. Cortney was waiting for his hit single; "Big Green Tractor" and when he left the stage he hadn't sung it. I told her to wait, the crowd would cheer him back for a few more songs. After approximately 5 minutes he came out singing....... you got it! " Big Green Tractor". The crowd was singing along, so loudAldean. Of course he was encouraging this and commented after the song that the crowd was wonderful and crazy!  We slipped out in the middle of the last song, to beat the crow, and do some walking around before heading home. It was fun but I realized that I'm getting old, me and 11pm don't mix well, LOL! Good thing Mike was driving, because it was all I could to to keep my eyes open long enough to make it into the house and into bed, Whew!

So much is going on in our country right now, it's mind boggling. Did anyone see Glenn Becks show on the 12th? Now I'm not a Glenn Beck follower( we can't even get his program unless via Internet) and I don't always agree with everything he says or does but this show was inspiring and heartfelt. My prayer is that it will be a wake up call for many who seem oblivious to what is really happening and light a torch in their hearts and lives. Now onto the announcement of the Mosque on the sight of 9-11 and the support of the President, under the guise of Religious Freedom. Here is another video that states the irrationality in this announcement. Once again we are told to "listen" and obey, for they know what is best for everyone, even though in polls across the media, people have voiced that this is wrong and yet again they refuse to "listen"!  Maybe they'll hear us in November, when I pray, the people make our "Will" known, LOUD AND CLEAR!
How about yet another bail out? I urge you to watch Glenn Beck's show and then investigate and educate yourself, so that you are prepared for lies ahead for our country.

Our weather has been so cool and wet all summer, with only a handful of days into the mid to high 90'sF and now the last few days we've been in a real cool down( high 50'sF and low 60'sF), feeling much like Fall temperatures. Praying this isn't a preview to what is coming! A few years back we had a hard freeze in mid August, killing everything that wasn't covered. Some weather forecasters are saying( for what it's worth) that for those of us in the North, could be in for a Winter Armageddon ! 

Mike is on vacation this coming week and we have a list, approximately a mile long, of things that NEED to be done. Firewood is one of those, not only finishing splitting and stacking the wood we have but to collect more wood that was given to us. This wood is pretty dry already and we'll most likely haul it home and split some and leave the rest stacked in chunks as reserve. Our hopes, every year, are to collect wood in the winter and in early Spring, split and stack it, but it never quite works out this way for one reason or another. We're also replacing our garage roof with a metal one, the hail a few weeks back, damaged it beyond our hopes of holding off for another year. This means that the pump we'd hoped to get up and running this summer/fall for irrigation won't happen. We are going to get electric run out to the site and put in a small pump with pressure tank and build an insulated pump house for winter watering of animals. It will be a blessing not to have to haul water via 5 gallon buckets from the house anymore.

Other items on our agenda are getting our heifer bred or buying our own bull to bred with( which means building a stronger corral), making room in the freezer for the 35+ chickens, 4 turkeys and our cow and by end of January using enough to make room for a pig. What a blessing to have the problem of space in your freezer.

Well..... off to make some raspberry jam and slice zucchini for the dehydrator. :o)

So tell us what's new in your life  and what's on your mind, we love hearing from you :o)
Next week posting will be sparse, to take FULL advantage of Mike's time off *wink*
Blessings for your weekend

Is this the beginning of the trend?

Rawsome store raided by poilice, guns drawn, video on You Tube and The LA Times article and surveillance video   It seems that CA tends to be the starting point for many laws/ licenses/ fees.  I just thought some of you might want to be aware of the fact, that this may be, "coming to a place near you", sooner than later.

That confirms it.........., I'm NUTS!!!!!!

If this wasn't so ridiculous, I think I might scream!  To think that people actually get paid to come up with this junk

http://www.naturalnews.com/z029098_o..._disorder.html


Choosing healthy foods now called a mental disorder

by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor

(NaturalNews) In its never-ending attempt to fabricate "mental disorders" out of every human activity, the psychiatric industry is now pushing the most ridiculous disease they've invented yet: Healthy eating disorder.

This is no joke: If you focus on eating healthy foods, you're "mentally diseased" and probably need some sort of chemical treatment involving powerful psychotropic drugs. The Guardian newspaper reports, "Fixation with healthy eating can be sign of serious psychological disorder" and goes on to claim this "disease" is called orthorexia nervosa -- which is basically just Latin for "nervous about correct eating."

But they can't just called it "nervous healthy eating disorder" because that doesn't sound like they know what they're talking about. So they translate it into Latin where it sounds smart (even though it isn't). That's where most disease names come from: Doctors just describe the symptoms they see with a name like osteoporosis (which means "bones with holes in them").

Getting back to this fabricated "orthorexia" disease, the Guardian goes on to report, "Orthorexics commonly have rigid rules around eating. Refusing to touch sugar, salt, caffeine, alcohol, wheat, gluten, yeast, soya, corn and dairy foods is just the start of their diet restrictions. Any foods that have come into contact with pesticides, herbicides or contain artificial additives are also out."

Wait a second. So attempting to avoid chemicals, dairy, soy and sugar now makes you a mental health patient? Yep. According to these experts. If you actually take special care to avoid pesticides, herbicides and genetically modified ingredients like soy and sugar, there's something wrong with you.

But did you notice that eating junk food is assumed to be "normal?" If you eat processed junk foods laced with synthetic chemicals, that's okay with them. The mental patients are the ones who choose organic, natural foods, apparently.

What is "normal" when it comes to foods?

I told you this was coming. Years ago, I warned NaturalNews readers that an attempt might soon be under way to outlaw broccoli because of its anti-cancer phytonutrients. This mental health assault on health-conscious consumers is part of that agenda. It's an effort to marginalize healthy eaters by declaring them to be mentally unstable and therefore justify carting them off to mental institutions where they will be injected with psychiatric drugs and fed institutional food that's all processed, dead and full of toxic chemicals.

The Guardian even goes to the ridiculous extreme of saying, "The obsession about which foods are "good" and which are "bad" means orthorexics can end up malnourished."

Follow the non-logic on this, if you can: Eating "good" foods will cause malnutrition! Eating bad foods, I suppose, is assumed to provide all the nutrients you need. That's about as crazy a statement on nutrition as I've ever read. No wonder people are so diseased today: The mainstream media is telling them that eating health food is a mental disorder that will cause malnutrition!

Shut up and swallow your Soylent Green

It's just like I reported years ago: You're not supposed to question your food, folks. Sit down, shut up, dig in and chow down. Stop thinking about what you're eating and just do what you're told by the mainstream media and its processed food advertisers. Questioning the health properties of your junk food is a mental disorder, didn't you know? And if you "obsess" over foods (by doing such things as reading the ingredients labels, for example), then you're weird. Maybe even sick.

That's the message they're broadcasting now. Junk food eaters are "normal" and "sane" and "nourished." But health food eaters are diseased, abnormal and malnourished.

But why, you ask, would they attack healthy eaters? People like Dr. Gabriel Cousens can tell you why: Because increased mental and spiritual awareness is only possible while on a diet of living, natural foods.

Eating junk foods keeps you dumbed down and easy to control, you see. It literally messes with your mind, numbing your senses with MSG, aspartame and yeast extract. People who subsist on junk foods are docile and quickly lose the ability to think for themselves. They go along with whatever they're told by the TV or those in apparent positions of authority, never questioning their actions or what's really happening in the world around them.

In contrast to that, people who eat health-enhancing natural foods -- with all the medicinal nutrients still intact -- begin to awaken their minds and spirits. Over time, they begin to question the reality around them and they pursue more enlightened explorations of topics like community, nature, ethics, philosophy and the big picture of things that are happening in the world. They become "aware" and can start to see the very fabric of the Matrix, so to speak.

This, of course, is a huge danger to those who run our consumption-based society because consumption depends on ignorance combined with suggestibility. For people to keep blindly buying foods, medicines, health insurance and consumer goods, they need to have their higher brain functions switched off. Processed junk foods laced with toxic chemicals just happens to achieve that rather nicely. Why do you think dead, processed foods remain the default meals in public schools, hospitals and prisons? It's because dead foods turn off higher levels of awareness and keep people focused on whatever distractions you can feed their brains: Television, violence, fear, sports, sex and so on.

But living as a zombie is, in one way quite "normal" in society today because so many people are doing it. But that doesn't make it normal in my book: The real "normal" is an empowered, healthy, awakened person nourished with living foods and operating as a sovereign citizen in a free world. Eating living foods is like taking the red pill because over time it opens up a whole new perspective on the fabric of reality. It sets you free to think for yourself.

But eating processed junk foods is like taking the blue pill because it keeps you trapped in a fabricated reality where your life experiences are fabricated by consumer product companies who hijack your senses with designer chemicals (like MSG) that fool your brain into thinking you're eating real food.

If you want to be alive, aware and in control of your own life, eat more healthy living foods. But don't expect to be popular with mainstream mental health "experts" or dietitians -- they're all being programmed to consider you to be "crazy" because you don't follow their mainstream diets of dead foods laced with synthetic chemicals.

But you and I know the truth here: We are the normal ones. The junk food eaters are the real mental patients, and the only way to wake them up to the real world is to start feeding them living foods.

Some people are ready to take the red pill, and others aren't. All you can do is show them the door. They must open it themselves.

In the mean time, try to avoid the mental health agents who are trying to label you as having a mental disorder just because you pay attention to what you put in your body. There's nothing wrong with avoiding sugar, soy, MSG, aspartame, HFCS and other toxic chemicals in the food supply. In fact, your very life depends on it.

Oh, and by the way, if you want to join the health experts who keep inventing new fictitious diseases and disorders, check out my popular Disease Mongering Engine web page where you can invent your own new diseases at the click of a button! You'll find it at: http://www.naturalnews.com/disease-...

Sources for this story include:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2...

This was one of five tornadoes that hit the Billings area today at 4:30 pm. This video does contain the use of bad language in the very beginning. So far no injuries are reported, PTL!  Several building were destroyed. This particular building is the designated Civil Defense building, I guess they found out it isn't structurally safe for tornado protection.  This sort of stuff just isn't in the norm for Montana, makes me worry about what the rest of the summer has in store for us.

This storm passed right over our place,PTL we only say lightening, thunder, 3/10th of an inch of rain in 20-30 minutes and some wind toward the tail end of the storm.

HR778 Raw Dairy Bill

http://www.naturalnews.com/028757_raw_milk_FDA.html

This is a good article and you can read the bill for yourselves( link in the article) before asking your Senators and House Rep(s). to support this.

It simply boggles my mind that here in MT voters approved Marijuana for medical use, yet Raw Dairy is considered such a threat to the public's safety. Don't be fooled the FDA isn't having such an issue over this because of your health safety, it's about control/ power and $$$$.

Be aware.....

UDDERLY RIDICULOUS

Feds invade farm for 5 a.m. inspection
Serve warrant on farmer up to milk cows

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Posted: April 22, 2010
10:55 pm Eastern


By Bob Unruh
© 2010 WorldNetDaily


Federal agents invaded an Amish farm in Pennsylvania at 5 a.m. to inspect cow-milking facilities then followed up the next day with a written notice that the farmer was engaged in interstate sale of raw milk in violation of the Public Health Services Act.




A failure to correct the situation could result in "seizure and/or injunction," the warning letter from Kirk Sooter, district director of the Philadelphia office of the Department of Health and Human Services, told farmer Dan Allgyer of Kinzer, Pa., on Wednesday.

The farm invaded Tuesday is the one agents visited in February, driving past "Private Property" signs to demand Allgyer open his property for their inspection, saying, "You have cows. You produce food for human consumption."

The case is being publicized by the National Independent Consumers and Farmers Association, which promotes traditional methods of linking farmers with consumers.

Spokeswoman Deborah Stockton told WND Allgyer "is the type of farmer who exemplifies what we are trying to restore." On her organization's website is the commitment "to promote and preserve unregulated direct farmer-to-consumer trade that fosters availability of locally grown or home-produced food products."

She reported she got details directly from Allgyer of Tuesday's early morning inspection, which highlights the growing conflict between farmers who want to provide health food locally and federal regulators.

Allgyer could not be reached immediately for comment.

(Story continues below)




The farmer told NICFA he came out of his house about 4:30 a.m. for his milking routine and noticed a lot of traffic on Kinzer Road.

Shortly later, the cars were coming up his lane.

"I stood back in the dark barn to see what they were going to do. They drove past my two 'Private Property' signs, up to where my coolers were, with their headlights shining right on them," Allgyer reported.

He called to the five men as they were preparing to knock on his home, where his wife and family remained asleep.

"Two were from the FDA, agent Joshua C. Schafer who had been there in February and another. They showed me identification, but I was too flustered to ask for their cards. I remember being told that two were deputy U.S. marshals and one a state trooper. They started asking me questions right away. They handed me a paper, and I didn't realize what it was," he said.

"Schafer told me they were there to do a 'routine inspection.' At 5:00 in the morning, I wondered to myself? 'Do you have a warrant?' I asked, and one of them, a marshal or the state policeman, said, 'You've got in your hand buddy.' I asked, 'What is the warrant about?' Schafer responded, 'We have credible evidence that you are involved in interstate commerce,'" the farmer reported.

WND telephone calls and e-mails to the FDA requesting comment did not generate a response.

Allgyer said he confirmed his identification but then said he wouldn't answer anything further.

He said he questioned their arrival at his farm at 5 a.m. when the warrant clearly stated it was valid during "reasonable times during ordinary business hours," but one of the agents said "ordinary business hours for agriculture start at 5 a.m."

The agents spent their time "rooting around, like a couple of pigs, in the freezer and cooler area and took many pictures," Allgyer reported.

"They came in the dark, shining bright flashlights while my family was asleep, keeping me from milking my cows, from my family, from breakfast with my family and from our morning devotions, and alarming my children enough so that the first question they asked my wife was, 'Is Daddy going to jail?'" Allgyer said.

The subsequent warning letter was an all-inclusive notice that federal regulations prohibit "the delivery into interstate commerce of milk and milk products in final package form for direct human consumption unless they have been pasteurized."

"It is your responsibility to ensure adherence with all requirements. … Failure to make prompt corrections could result in regulatory action without further notice," the letter said.

The letter directed Allgyer to notify Compliance Officer Richard Cherry of the corrections.

Stockton warned the requirement now is for federal agents to claim they have "credible evidence" regarding a case, but a proposed federal change would strike those words in the law and replace them with "reason to believe."

"The phrase 'reason to believe' would be inserted 14 times into the code with S 510," she said. "If this bill goes through, the FDA will have control of farms. They will not need 'credible evidence' to act. They will essentially be given a free hand to act as they want. And look at how they already act, even with the existing constraints in place."

Allgyer previously had told the officers that as a private farmer, he does not sell to the public.

Advocates say raw milk is healthier.

According to natural-foods blogger Kimberly Hartke, Kevin Trudeau touts raw milk in his New York Times best-seller "Natural Cures They Don't Want You to Know About," and Sally Fallon Morell's cookbook, "Nourishing Traditions," which has sold 350,000 copies.

On a forum page at Chronwatch-America.com, a participant concluded, "The food produced on that farm is probably far safer than anything you get at the grocery store."

That opinion was endorsed on the Food Freedom blog, where one participant wrote, ""Factory foods are the ones making people sick & getting recalled."

The Weston A. Price Foundation, which is among the nonprofits that educate consumers about more natural food-production methods, said demand for such products is growing.

"Raw milk … is a supremely healthy food that should be available to those who want it," said Morell, the foundation's president.

In January, Canadian farmer Michael Schmidt won a court victory when he was found not guilty of selling raw milk to members of a cow-sharing consortium.

In a previous U.S. case, Mennonite farmer Mark Nolt of Maryland had his farm raided by SWAT-type agents. He was fined more than $4,000 and had his equipment confiscated for providing unpasteurized milk to participants in his program.

"Organic" abuse, it's everywhere! This speaks for itself.

I just can't believe it...... seriously, glad I don't live in India

~Hat Tip Of the Sovereign Sentient Being

By Ravi Kumar~My News


The Indian government is finally talking tough, the Ministry of Science and Technology is planning to purpose a new law which will see a jail term for anyone who oppose a genetically modified (GM) product.

The purpose law will prosecute any Indian citizen who opposes or questions the product of any genetically modified (GM) food or medicine and is punishable by at least a minimum of six months behind bars.

The clause to silence critics of GM food is contained in the Biotechnology Regulatory Authority of India (BRAI) Bill 2009 prepared by the Department of Biotechnology, which is a wing of the ministry of science and technology headed by Prithviraj Chavan.

‘Misleading public about organism and products’ is one of the crimes for which punishment has been prescribed in Section 63, Chapter 13 of the Bill which deals with various “offences and penalties”.

The clause specifically deals with critics of biotech products including GM food crops.

It reads, “Whoever, without any evidence or scientific record misleads the public about the safety of the organisms and products specified in Part I or Part II or Part III of the Schedule I, shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which shall not be less than six months but which may extend to one year and with fine which may extend to two lakh rupees or with both.”

GM products covered under the Schedule I include genetically engineered plants and organisms, DNA vaccines, cellular products, gene therapy products, stem cell products and other such genetically engineered or transgenic products.

The list also includes vaccines for use in humans or animals that contain living genetically engineered organisms, cellular products including products composed of human, bacterial or animal cells as well as genetically engineered micro- organisms that may have application in agriculture, fisheries, forestry or food production.

Curiously, while every little term in the proposed law such as a “company” or a “director” has been defined, no explanation or definition has been given for terms used in section 63 such as “evidence”, “ scientific record” and “ misleading”. If the Bill becomes a law and comes into force, anyone questioning the safety of Bt brinjal or stem cell therapy “without evidence or scientific record” can be put behind bars.

This is a scary scenario because many of the technologies mentioned in the Bill are still in the realm of research and have not been proven safe for humans.

Not just this, the Bill has another provision to punish anyone who “without reasonable excuse, resists, obstructs, or attempts to obstruct, impersonate, threaten, intimidate or assault an officer of the Authority or any person assigned to discharge any function under this Act, or in exercising his functions under this Act” with a jail term of three months and a fine of up to Rs 5 lakh. In short, this clause seeks to punish anyone holding a demonstration or rally near the BRAI or where any official of the authority is visiting.
“This is a gag order, absolutely draconian and violative of Article (19) (1) ( a) of the Indian constitution which guarantees the fundamental right to freedom of speech and expression,” said Supreme Court lawyer Prashant Bhushan.

“It is definitely meant to scare people so that they don’t say anything against GM technology. Even journalists writing critical articles can be punished.” The Bill has been criticised by several civil society activists.

“If this law was in force today, environment minister Jairam Ramesh, who has questioned the safety of GM crops, would have been behind bars because he would have violated it,” said Devinder Sharma of the Forum forBiotechnology and Food Security.

“It is a dirty attempt to turn science into a ghetto, where all of us will be subjected to unhealthy GM products pushed down our throats by a willing government.” Kavitha Kuruganti of Kheti Virasat Mission said the Bill was meant to harass civil society groups concerned about the application of hazardous technologies.

“Who will decide what is misleading’, and on what basis? How about the ones who are making misleading claims about safety even when there is no conclusive proof of safety?” asked Kuruganti.

Aruna Rodrigues, whose public interest writ against GM crops is in the Supreme Court, said the Bill failed to recognise the basic scientific fact that all GM organisms are inherently hazardous.

She also questioned the ministry of science and technology hosting the BRAI when the subject actually was related to food safety, health and environment.

The proposal to set up an independent authority for biotechnology regulation has been in the pipeline for more than five years now, but the process of setting this up is being hastened after the recent moratorium imposed on Bt brinjal by environment minister Jairam Ramesh.

The Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) – which is currently the apex regulatory body for biotechnology – is housed in the environment ministry.

Ramesh had asserted that the approval to BT brinjal granted by GEAC was not final. He also plans to convert it into an ‘appraisal’ committee. Piqued by this move,the department of biotechnology has speeded up the process of setting up BRAI, which will be housed within the department.

The proposed legislation has no clauses on public participation in the process of approval.

The Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety (under the Convention on Biological Diversity) which has been invoked in the preamble of the Bill, clearly states that signatory countries should “consult the public in decision- making process regarding living modified organisms”. The liability clauses in this legislation are also very weak, experts pointed out. It has no explicit clauses on redressal, compensation, remediation or cleaning up in case of damage due to genetically modified organisms.

Thought this was interesting.......

I receive a news letter on things going on around the world, related to animal feed and this was one of the headliners this last week. Never hurts to see what even the big time feed industries are finding out. Since we mix our own poultry grain feed, I like to keep up to date of scientific findings and then judge for myself to see if it is accurate.


Implications of sorghum in broiler chicken nutrition
18 Feb 2010

Sorghum is a common grown grain in Australia. Due to some anti nutritional factors it is not much appreciated in chicken feeds. Kafirin seems to be the main problem.
Sorghum-based diets have been associated with inconsistent, and even sub-optimal, growth performance of broiler chickens.

Sorghum is unique in that it contains kafirin, phytate and may contain condensed tannin; these factors can negatively influence the nutritive properties of sorghum.

Both phytate and tannin have the capacity to complex proteins in the gut and depress protein digestibility and intestinal uptakes of dietary and endogenous amino acids (AA).

A substantial proportion of sorghum protein is composed of kafirin, which is relatively poorly digested and contains a paucity of lysine (lys). Therefore, as kafirin proportions of sorghum protein increase, digestibility of AA and lys concentrations decline.

Because of variable AA concentrations in sorghum protein, the accuracy with which intended dietary levels of AA are met in formulating sorghum-based diets may not be precise.

Starch digestibility
Kafirin is also associated with harder grain textures and higher starch gelatinisation temperatures and the digestibility of starch in sorghum is generally inferior to other grains.

The particle size and method of grinding sorghum influences broiler performance but the optimal particle size appears to be dependent on grain texture.

Sorghum is vulnerable to ‘moist-heat’ because it induces disulphide cross-linkages in β- and γ-kafirin located in the periphery of protein bodies that represents a barrier to the more digestible, centrally located α-kafirin component.

Starch granules are intimately associated with protein bodies and the protein matrix in sorghum endosperm and starch digestibility is also compromised by the formation of disulphide cross-linkages, which impede starch gelatinisation and enzymic degradation.

This raises the possibility that steam-pelleting sorghum-based diets at high temperatures may constitute sufficient ‘moist-heat’ to compromise nutrient utilisation.

Enzyme supplementation
The identification of the most appropriate processing methods of sorghum-based diets should prove advantageous and inclusion of exogenous proteases with the capacity to degrade kafirin may hold promise.

In low-tannin, phytase-supplemented, sorghum-based diets the more important causes of inconsistent broiler performance may be the kafirin content, variable concentrations and digestibilities of AA and grain texture coupled with inappropriate processing methods.

Implications of sorghum in broiler chicken nutrition by P.H. Selle, (Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Sydney), D.J. Cadogan, (Feedworks, Romsey, Victoria), X. Li and W.L. Bryden (School of Animal Studies, University of Queensland, Gatton) all in Australia.

Heads up, I knew it was to good to be true

Tuesday, February 16, 2010 8:53 AM CST

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Parker: Animal I.D. battle isn't over



Contrary to what you are being told, National Animal Identification System is not dead - just renamed, reworded and still very much alive.

That was the message brought to the Ozarks Property Rights meeting in Gainesville last Thursday by Republican congressional candidate Bob Parker, who said he hated to bring that news. "Being one of those who has worked hard over the past four or five years to stop NAIS, nothing would please me and my co-workers more than to be able to report that indeed NAIS has gone away. But sadly it is still here under a new name and coming at us with a reshuffled approach." Parker read excerpts from a fact sheet released Feb. 5 by USDA that outlined the new approach.

Parker said the animal identification program will now be called the Federal Animal Disease Traceability System and premise identification registration numbers are now "unique location identifiers." Parker pointed out that the USDA paper says that since so much taxpayer money has been spent on efforts to implement NAIS that as much of the failed program as possible must be salvaged and used in the new program such as use of the NAIS "840" ear tags. They say it would be fiscally irresponsible to disregard all elements of NAIS, he said.

USDA acknowledged that massive public opposition to their proposed NAIS program has caused them to revise the prior policy and offer a new approach.

Parker noted that while USDA says the framework for the new approach will emphasize state's participation, they are very clear and emphatic on one major point which seems non-negotiable in their view. They intend to enforce animal identification at the level of interstate commerce as they said they would do under the original NAIS plan. This would force Missouri producers into their program as the state has practically no in-state feed lots or major slaughter facilities causing nearly all of the state's livestock production to cross state lines, Parker said.

Addressing the issue of states like Missouri that have passed laws prohibiting forced participation in NAIS, the fact sheet points out that this program is no longer called NAIS and the new framework will spell out what states must do for their animals to be able to move in interstate commerce.

Parker expressed disdain for those elected officials who quickly put out news releases bragging how they were instrumental in stopping NAIS. "They evidently didn't read the rest of the story and were quick to make political hay. They do their constituents a real disservice by touting a hollow victory," he said.

OPRC president Russell Wood said the fact sheet Parker was referencing can be found at the group's web site www.ozarkprc.com, www.r-calfusa.com or www.USDA.gov.com under Questions and Answers: new animal traceability framework.

http://www.houstonherald.com/articles/2010/02/16/news/doc4b7aaaeaac718467235798.prt

Just a heads up folks

A quick 2010 election note today. Again, part of prepping is doing our part as citizens to ensure a good political landscape for our kids and grandchildren. With that in mind, I write to you today about a vital,upcoming, election that I have heard about. The election is next Tuesday, the 19th, in Massachusetts. It is of grave importance for we Montanans also.

The grave election will be the special election to fill the US Senate seat of Ted "Swimmer" Kennedy. The election pits a complacent Party apparatchik, Comrade [Attorney General] Martha Coakley, against State Senator Scott Brown. Coakley cannot be bothered to actually meet with voters. Instead, she works tirelessly with Party officials, and their pack of special interest dogs, to spin a stream of lies against her opponent. I lived under a Party regime for years. This is what the party substitutes for actual work on solutions, ad hominem attacks on those who challenge the right of the Party's "philosopher kings" to rule we peasants as they please.

Comrade Coakley's campaign has been characterized by violence against opponents that is reminiscent of faschistii violence of the 20s. Dear Leader is even campaigning for her. No doubt here, the Party wants to maintain their stranglehold on the Legislative Branch. If Brown were to be elected, the Peoples' Party would lose their "majority" in the Senate and there is a chance that the Senate might become a Senate again, rather than a rubber stamp for Beloved Leader's drive to destroy our nation in the name of "progressive ideals".

Brown, and his supporters, realize how vital this election is. So they are soliciting help, and donations, from anywhere in the USA (before it becomes the USSA). I am going to see about volunteering to call voters. Brown has stated that one of his first acts in office, if elected, would be to oppose the "health care reform bill" and work for genuine health care reforms. He has been a National Guard member for over twenty years and advocates policies which are based on common sense, not Party agitprop.

Our US Senators have done much good for the citizens of Montana. But they now serve only the Party; supporting "hate crimes" legislation that effectively says that military members or White folks cannot have "hate crimes" committed against them. How reminiscent of South Africa, post-1994.

Plus both Baucus and Tester support the grotesque, socialist, "health care reform bill" that would force all Americans to buy a product or be fined, cut the quality of health care generally, set Party hacks up as health care "gatekeepers", and give lavish exemptions and benefits to Party minions such as unions, "kommunity o'ganizahs", and porkulus for states which joined the Dark Side to vote for this odious "legislation".

We need another real American in the US Senate, not another sycophant. Please consider supporting damage control for our sinking nation by aiding Brown in defeating the Dark Lord's, Sauron/Obama, candidate for the new Peoples' Senate.

Welcome to the Second American Revolution.

It is incredible how as soon as a people becomes subject, it promptly falls into such complete forgetfulness of its freedom that it can hardly be roused to the point of regaining it, obeying so easily and willingly that one is led to say...that this people has not so much lost its liberty as won its enslavement.—Etienne de la Boetie


I found this today on a forum I visit. It's appropriate don't you think?

NOW is the time to remember, not to fall in forgetfulness. It is of the utmost importance to be vigilant in letting our leaders know that all the bills, they are bringing to life, WILL be their demise from office. Their next election period, they NEED to be voted out. They obviously aren't listening to "WE THE PEOPLE" and are instead pursuing their own selfish agendas. In the next election it is our God given right to make our voices heard.

It seems that I'm not the only one with this on their heart. Please visit Thistle Cove Farm; http://thistlecovefarm.blogspot.com/2009/11/politics-bend-over-please.html and read what is on their hearts.

Update on our local murder, :o(

This is the article that appeared on our local news web page. They lowered the bond to 500K. I took the liberty to delete town, and county info, for our privacy. It's below, I still have troubles operating this blog stuff. Our county has no record of a murder in this town and it's been a decade since the last murder in the county. Our town is in shock and as most small towns also is buzzing with rumors*sigh* The boys are the real victims now. Please hold them up in prayer.

Updated:("May 22, 2009 7:02 PM EST"); May 22, 2009 05:02 PM MDT One man is dead and another in custody after a shooting Thursday night just outside of_( our town). According to________ County Sheriff's Officer Lt. Josh McQuillan, the shooting happened just after 10:00 p.m. last night. ________ County Attorney says the suspect, Larry Daniels, 65, is in custody at the ____________ _________ Detention Facility. Daniels has been charged with deliberate homicide and appeared before ______ County Justice of the Peace Friday morning via teleconference. Bond was set at $500,000. The victim died of gunshot wounds, an autopsy will be completed in________. Investigators from the Montana Department of Justice, Division of Criminal Investigation, are assisting the __________ County Sheriff's Office.

Okay, I found info. and need to recant, in using elderberry against Swine flu( H1N1) or Avian flu(H5N1)!!!

Posted for those stocking their preps - a bit of a surprise for me!

http://www.the-health-gazette.com/he...ral-antivirals

Natural AntiviralsSubmitted by Health Gazette on Thu, 2006-05-11 08:55.

Alternative MedicineRegular readers know that I have no time for the nonsense relating to imagined bird-flu pandemics. However. I regarded the following item of sufficient novelty to be of some interest. You may judge its merits for yourself.Research suggests certain natural foods may be as effective against virus H5N1 as commercial antivirals.(PRWEB) May 10, 2006 --

A Biology teacher from Australia, named Stephen Jones, has done extensive research into the H5N1 virus and compiled a list of natural foods that are effective against it and listed others that are detrimental.The list may come as a surprise to many people since foods such as spirulina and echinacea are listed as detrimental. This strange occurrence is largely due to the fact that the virus is immune to 2 cytokines that the body produces (TNF-a and IL-6). Cytokines are compounds produced by the body’s immune system that attack and remove foreign bodies. The problem is that when a foreign body is immune to certain cytokines, the body sees that its immune response is not working and tries even harder, which can lead to what is called a cytokine storm, where the body becomes flooded with these compounds and they eventually destroy the body itself.

Foods such as Echinacea actually stimulate the production of these specific cytokines; hence consuming it is not a good idea if one suspects they may have the virus.During the 1918 Spanish Flu many healthy young people died from cytokine storms due to their immune systems overreacting. Consuming foods which suppress the production of cytokines TNF-a and IL-6 and enhance the production of the ones that actually are effective against the virus will aid the patient greatly.Other foods that create mucous in the respiratory tract, such as bananas, are also listed as detrimental due to the fact that the predominant breeding ground of the virus is the respiratory tract and another way in which a patient may suffer is due to the body's over production of mucous in this area.Folk Medicines and Herbs to use and avoid with Bird FluBelow is a list of foods that are said to contain substances that are natural antivirals, immune boosters or they decrease cytokines TNF-a and IL-6.

Alternative medications that are most likely to help us during a severe pandemic:

Garlic (allicin) - Very effective antiviral. Best if fresh (raw) and crushed. Must be consumed within 1 hour of crushing. Dosage is initially 2 to 3 cloves per day but later reduce until no body odour occurs. No toxic effects noted. (Pubmed PMID 9049657)

Vitamin C - Boosts the immune system and is an antiviral by blocking the enzyme neuraminadase. Viruses need neuraminadase to reproduce. There are anecdotal stories of people taking large amounts of Vitamin C (children ½) surviving the Spanish Flu. Research shows that it may reduce the production of cytokines TNF-a and IL-6. A study on 470 people involved giving the test group 1000 mg hourly for 6 hours and then 1000 mg 3 times daily after reporting flu symptoms. Symptoms decreased by 85%. (Pubmed PMID 10543583, 634178, 16169205, 12876306)

Green Tea (possible Tamiflu/Relenza alternative)- Very effective antiviral. Also decreases the production of the cytokine (catechins) TNF-a. Inhibits neuraminidase. May have antiviral activity that is equal to other antivirals such as Tamiflu. (Pubmed PMID 16137775)

St Johns Wort (Hypericum) - Very effective antiviral. Also decreases the production of the cytokine IL-6. Hypericum is an extract from St John’s Wort. There have been some very successful field trials in commercial flocks infected with H5N1 in Vietnam. (Pubmed PMID 7857513, 11518071, 11362353, 7857513, 11518071)

Vitamin E - Immune booster. Also decreases the production of the cytokine TNF-a. (Pubmed PMID 155882360, 10929076) Experiments involved using mice. Very suitable for immune compromised people, especially the elderly. Effects enhanced when taken with Vitamin C.

Apple Juice - Antiviral. Fresh apple juice including the pulp and skin has greater antiviral activity than heated commercial apple juice. More research is needed. Effectiveness on H5N1 is unknown. (Pubmed PMID 32832, 12452634)

Resveratrol - Antiviral. In addition to inhibiting neuraminidase, Resveratrol also sends a message to cells to stop manufacturing viruses. This is a proven antiviral found naturally in red wine, peanuts, mulberries, Japanese Knotwood root (richest source), raisins and red grapes. Resveratrol supplements are relatively inexpensive, are more stable than wine and is available in liquid form for absorption in the mouth. No toxic effects noted. (Pubmed PMID 1583880, 12817628, 15985724)

Scuttellaria (Skullcap) - Antiviral. A herb used as a tea. It has no side effects and is also a mild tranquilliser. Research suggests neuraminidase, which is a substance needed by the H5N1 virus to reproduce, may be inhibited.

Cranberry Juice - Early research shows that it may be an antiviral, making viruses less able to invade or multiply. Effectiveness on H5N1 is unknown. (Pubmed PMID15781126)

Cat’s Claw (Uncaria tomentosa) - Decreases the production of the cytokine TNF-a. Also boosts immune system. The number of white blood cells was significantly increased during treatment. No toxicity was noted. (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?CMD=search&DB=pubmed) Active constituents can be found in the leaves, bark, vine, and roots. Water extraction from bark used. Children and pregnant women are to avoid. Has a potentially damaging effect on the DNA of proliferating cells. (cancers, foetuses, growing children)

Curcumin (Tumeric Spice) - Decreases the production of the cytokine TNF-a. This is the yellow compound in turmeric spice. Research shows that this may be very good for preventing a cytokine storm although this is not proven. Must be taken with food or gastritis or peptic ulcers may occur. Pregnant women and feeding mothers should avoid this. The medicinal properties of curcurnin cannot be utilised when used alone due to rapid metabolism in the liver and intestinal wall. When combined with Piperine found in black pepper the absorption is increased with no adverse effects. Obtainable from health stores in tablets, liquid, capsules already combined with piperine. Dosage is 500mg to 4000mg daily.

Astragalus root (Astragali Radix) - Boosts immune system. (Pubmed PMID15588652)Tea tree Steam Inhalation - Reduces the cytokine TNF-a. Add 2 drops of tea tree oil in a bowl of steaming water. Cover head with a towel and inhale for 5 to 10 minutes. Relieves congestion and fights infection. Its effectiveness is unknown. (Pubmed PMID 11131302)

The following substances may be best to avoid during a H5N1 pandemic

Elderberry juice (Sambucal) - AVOID - Increases production of cytokines TNF-a and IL-6. This substance is very effective against the common flu but may not be desirable for the H5N1 virus. Increases in these cytokines may trigger a lethal cytokine storm. (Isr Med Journal2002 Nov;4:944-6)

Micro Algae (Chlorella and Spirulina) - AVOID - Increases production of cytokine TNF-a. (Pubmed PMID 11731916)

Honey - AVOID - Increases production of cytokines TNF-a and IL-6. (Pubmed PMID12824009)

Chocolate - AVOID - Increases production of cytokines TNF-a and IL-6. (Pubmed PMID 12885154, PMID 1091792

Echinacea - AVOID - Increases production of cytokines TNF-a and IL-6. Although it is often used for normal flu, research shows that it may increase the chance of cytokine storms for H5N1. (Pubmed PMID 15556647, 9568541)

Kimchi - AVOID - Increases production of cytokines TNF-a and IL-6. (Pubmed PMID15630182)Dairy products & Bananas - AVOID - These foods increase mucous production.

References:http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/ (search using Pubmed ID number listed after each food)

Urgent information, not sure whether or not news media is reporting this.....

Because we don't watch TV news, I'm not sure this is being reported. This info. was found on The Tree of Liberty( I have a link on my favorite links widget) It's important, whatever you may think to inform yourself for your protection as well as that of your family. In an earlier post( should show up under Recipes in my TAGS) I posted a Four Thieves Vinegar and how to make Elderberry tinture. I pray you've already done so, as these items will become scarce if an epidemic or pandemic comes steam rolling our way. Please read the info. below and check out the added links at the bottom. Human Swine Flu Spread to Texas and Likely Import from MexicoRecombinomics Commentary 00:55April 24, 2009(MODS...please merge this thread with the Ominous signs coming from Mexico thead) Thanks in advance.http://www.recombinomics.com/News/04...ne_Mexico.htmlNow, five more cases have been seen -- all found via normal surveillance for seasonal influenza. None of the patients, whose symptoms closely resembled seasonal flu, had any direct contact with pigs."We believe at this point that human-to-human spread is occurring," Schuchat said. "That's unusual. We don't know yet how widely it is spreading ... We are also working with international partners to understand what is occurring in other parts of the world."Two of the new cases were among 16-year-olds at the same school in San Antonio "and there's a father-daughter pair in California," Schuchat said. One of the boys whose cases was reported on Tuesday had flown to Dallas but the CDC has found no links to the other Texas cases.Only one of the seven cases was sick enough to be hospitalized and all have recovered, Schuchat said.The above comments in Reuters describe several points made in today’s CDC conference call. The additional confirmed cases leave little doubt that the swine flu is transmitting human-to-human and has now been confirmed in three distinct locations in two states (see updated map), confirming sustained transmission.The infection of classmates in San Antonio, as well as the father and daughter in California further highlight efficient transmission. The hospitalization of one patient, who had been on a ventilator, raises concerns that infections will produce a wide range of presentations.The location of the confirmed cases in states that border Mexico, as well as media reports of pneumonia in Canadian travelers returning from Mexico, strongly suggests that the outbreak of influenza in Mexico is also swine flu.The confirmed cases in the United States likely represent a pandemic of H1N1 swine flu. At this point, most confirmed cases in the United States have been mild and there have been no confirmed fatalities. However, in Mexico there has been a high case fatality rate among young adults, 25-44, with atypical pneumonia, which has similarities with the 1918 pandemic.Moreover, the 1918 pandemic was composed of eight gene segments representing recombination between H1N1 seasonal flu and H1N1 swine flu.An efficiently transmitted swine flu can lead to co-infection with H1N1 seasonal flu. Oseltamivir resistance (H274Y) has become fixed in H1N1 seasonal flu, raising concerns that recombination or reassortment will lead to Tamiflu resistance in the swine flu, which is already resistant to amantadine and rimantadine. Moreover, the existing trivalent seasonal flu vaccine will likely offer little protection.The spread of swine flu in the United States, and likely import from Mexico, creates a major cause for concern. Canada Issues Alert on Severe Respiratory Disease in MexicoRecombinomics Commentary 02:22April 23, 2009http://www.recombinomics.com/News/04...ico_Alert.htmlThe Public Health Agency of Canada has told quarantine services to be on alert for travellers returning from Mexico after a number of severe respiratory illnesses (SRI) were reported in some regions of the country.PHAC, in an April 20 report, said Mexican officials informed the Canadian health agency that the "case-fatality rate was relatively high" and that most cases involved healthy adults between the ages of 25 and 44. A number of health-care workers were also affected.Although no cause has been confirmed, some samples were positive for influenza A and B.The above comments on an alert issued by Canada offer some insight into the situation in Mexico. The reports out of Mexico are decidedly mixed. Some reports describe an increase in influenza cases which is attributed to a late spike in influenza B, which when combined with influenza A, gives an abnormally high number of cases this late in the season. Other reports discuss revaccinating at risk groups with the current trivalent vaccine.Samples have been sent to Canada for a comprehensive analysis.The increased influenza-like illness and fatalities was announced as the CDC issued an MMWR dispatch on H1N1 swine flu. Two cases have been confirmed in children (9F and 10M) and family members had mild symptoms but were not tested. The precise location of the clusters in southern California has not been released, but one cluster is in San Diego Country, while the other is 100 miles away in Imperial County (see updated map). Additional suspect cases in Imperial County have been noted and it is likely that these cases are near the border with Mexico. Some media reports also note that some contacts have not been interviewed because they were in Mexico.It remains unclear if these two outbreaks are related. All reported cases in California have been mild, and the two confirmed cases were influenza A positive, but failed to sub-type for seasonal flu. It is unclear if sub-typing failures have led to the confusing reports out of Mexico.More information on these cases, and results of analysis in Canada, would be useful. Similarly, a more precise location and number of confirmed and suspect cases in the United States would be useful. More info. Links; http://www.recombinomics.com/News/04...ne_Mexico.html http://www.recombinomics.com/News/04...ico_Alert.html http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UT...,25.488281&z=5