HuckleB

HuckleB's Journal

March 16, 2015

A PRINCIPLED CASE AGAINST MANDATORY GMO LABELS

http://fafdl.org/blog/2014/08/16/a-principled-case-against-mandatory-gmo-labels/

WHY YOU SHOULD OPPOSE MANDATORY GMO LABELING
http://www.itsmomsense.com/oppose-mandatory-gmo-labeling/

Why labeling of GMOs is actually bad for people and the environment
http://blogs.berkeley.edu/2012/06/06/why-labeling-of-gmos-is-actually-bad-for-people-and-the-environment/

Why GMO Food Labels Are a Bad Idea
http://www.realclearscience.com/2012/10/09/why_gmo_food_labels_are_a_bad_idea_249411.html

And the Mercury Decides: Say No to GMO Labeling, Even If It Feels Terrible
http://www.portlandmercury.com/BlogtownPDX/archives/2014/10/20/and-the-mercury-decides-say-no-to-gmo-labeling-even-if-it-feels-terrible

Why Mandatory Labeling for GMOs is a Very Bad Idea
http://www.davehitt.com/blog2/why-mandatory-labeling-for-gmos-is-a-very-bad-idea/

Whole Foods' Anti-GMO Swindle
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/09/15/whole-foods-anti-gmo-swindle.html

The Costs of GMO Labeling
http://thefoodiefarmer.blogspot.com/2014/04/the-costs-of-gmo-labeling.html

BAD IDEAS: GMO LABELS
http://www.thefarmersdaughterusa.com/2013/09/bad-ideas-gmo-labels.html

A Lonely Quest for Facts on Genetically Modified Crops
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/05/us/on-hawaii-a-lonely-quest-for-facts-about-gmos.html?_r=0

GMO Foods: Why We Shouldn't Label (Or Worry About) Genetically Modified Products
http://mic.com/articles/5226/gmo-foods-why-we-shouldn-t-label-or-worry-about-genetically-modified-products

GMO Opponents Are the Climate Skeptics of the Left
http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/science/2012/09/are_gmo_foods_safe_opponents_are_skewing_the_science_to_scare_people_.html

Labels for GMO Foods Are a Bad Idea
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/labels-for-gmo-foods-are-a-bad-idea/

Antivaccine versus anti-GMO: Different goals, same methods
http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/antivaccine-versus-anti-gmo-different-goals-same-methods/

March 16, 2015

Kavin Can’t Even: Food Babe, Did You Know that “Indian” Isn’t a Language?

http://skepchick.org/2015/03/kavin-cant-even-quickie-food-babe-did-you-know-that-indian-isnt-a-language/

"This will be an extremely short edition of “Kavin Can’t Even.” I have been taking one for the team and reading Vani Hari’s book, “Food Babe Way,” a New York Times bestseller. For the life of me, I cannot imagine how anyone believes that this book is factually accurate. Even her personal anecdotes are reductionist to the extreme. Case in point:

“Dad and Mom had my brother first and then, seven years later, me. They named me Vani, a name I hated as a child because my schoolmates made fun of it and no one could pronounce it. But in Indian, it means “voice”—how prophetic, because I’ve definitely developed one.”

-Food Babe Way, page 7

Vani must be aware that there is no language called “Indian.” India is a vast, diverse nation with a rich and varied culture, where over a hundred officially recognized languages are spoken. More accurately, “Vani” can mean “voice” or “expression of thoughts” in Hindi; the word originated from Sanskrit. If she is aware of this fact, does she not believe her audience to be savvy enough to look up the word “Hindi?”

I previously wrote a post called “Kavin Can’t Even: Food Babe Way Exotifies India, and Grossly Exaggerates or Lies About Her Dad.”I hadn’t noticed this line about the meaning of her name, though it would have fit perfectly in that post.

..."

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Link to Kavin's earlier post noted in the quote:

http://skepchick.org/2015/02/kavin-cant-even-food-babe-way-exotifies-india-lies-about-her-dad/

March 16, 2015

Study links Disneyland measles outbreak to low vaccination rates

http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-disneyland-measles-under-vaccination-20150316-story.html

"...

Using some simple math, the researchers show that the vaccination rate among people who were exposed to the measles during the outbreak was no higher than 86%, and it might have been as low as 50%.

...

In other words, the only way to explain how the measles spread from a single person at Disneyland to 142 people in seven states is that a substantial number of American parents have not had their children fully immunized with the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine.

“Clearly, MMR vaccination rates in many of the communities that have been affected by this outbreak fall well below the necessary threshold to sustain herd immunity, thus placing the greater population at risk as well,” the researchers concluded.

...

So why did the study authors go to all this trouble? In an outbreak involving a major tourist destination like Disneyland, there is no single state, county or even school district that can report the overall vaccination rate, the researchers wrote. As a result, mathematical modeling like this may give a clearer picture than any individual government agency.

..."

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Yes, such studies are necessary.

March 13, 2015

Europe has plenty of scientists and science that show GMOs are safe.

No seed development technology is labeled. There is no science-based justification for doing so.

Why don't you ask organic producers to label their foods as deriving from mutation breeding?

And if non-GMO is so good, why does it have to market itself by unjustly demonizing GMO plants?

PS:

A Decade of EU Funded Research Shows GMOs To Be Safe
http://ec.europa.eu/research/biosociety/pdf/a_decade_of_eu-funded_gmo_research.pdf

German Meta-Analysis Shows GMO Increase Yield And Reduce Pesticide Use
http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0111629

Scientists urge change to Europe's GMO regulation
http://in.reuters.com/article/2014/03/14/science-gm-idINDEEA2D00820140314

March 13, 2015

Michigan Referee's Death Prompts Calls for Tougher Laws

http://www.usnews.com/news/sports/articles/2015/03/12/michigan-referees-death-prompts-calls-for-tougher-laws

"Attacks on Michigan referees so alarmed Jim Dworman, an accomplished lawyer who also officiates high school basketball and football games, that he contacted his lawmaker two years ago about toughening penalties for such actions.

"People just weren't that interested," he said.

Everything changed with a single punch in a men's recreational soccer game near Detroit last summer. Referee John Bieniewicz, 44, was killed by the blow from player Bassel Saad. The 37-year-old pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter and will be sentenced Friday to up to 15 years in prison.

...

While statistics on the number of attacks on officials is limited, referees nationwide report such incidents are on the rise.

..."

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More on the murder story, specifically...
http://www.latimes.com/sports/sportsnow/la-sp-sn-soccer-referee-murder-20150313-story.html

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This is why I always make it a point to thank the refs before and after games, whether I'm playing or coaching, or my kid is playing.

It's a game, and it's about having fun and getting exercise. If you have to take it beyond that, then you need another hobby.

March 13, 2015