Big Organic

This article was hard to read because it was sideways and I couldn't figure out how to turn it right side up. I find it ridiculous that people can want labels that give a story. I want to know the facts about the food not how the animal lived. I think that a big part of organic is people saying what they think that people want to hear and not necessarily what they believe in. I want to really know where my food is coming from. I don't want the story book version I want to go to a local farm and see how they do it first hand. I think that organic is to overpriced and that a lot of it is not really what we think of as organic. I think that there are a few farmers that are doing it the "right" way and a whole bunch of others who are just pretending that they are. Organic farming is better for the animals but by how much as Michael Pollen says, is there life really any better than those of normally farmed chickens. I find it hard to believe that organic is greater in any large way.

Elixirs of Death

I did not know that insects were lab rats in WWII to see if chemicals were deadly to humans. That is a sobering thought because if the pesticides we use kill insects what do they do to us? Arsenic is deadly to humans but still arsenic spays are used to kill bugs. This seems a little counter intuitive. If we are spraying our food with poison to keep it alive are we really saving it? There is so much propaganda surrounding the DDTs that no one can really know all the facts. There have bee lies spread from the very beginning. Chemicals are very harmful things but because you grow up with them around all the time they seem less deadly. You know you don't want chemicals but when you do have them on your food they don' seem to have any effect. This is because a lot of chemicals are stored in the fats and are passed on , they have few if any obvious signs. There are so many harmful chemicals out there that a lot of people have never heard of but that have serious effects. The chemical Endrin can cause vomiting, convulsions and brain damage. Many of these chemicals are seriously harmful but few people know about them. I was shocked to learn that there were so many types of pesticides and I didn't recognize most of them, I was also not aware of the effects that they could have.

DDT

I think that DDTs are bad and should not be used. It is not a black and white case though. It does kill mosquitoes which carry the malaria virus which is of course a good thing. But it also has a negative effect on the environment and other organisms that have been affected by DDTs. Such as birds who lay eggs with softer shells. I think that it is possible to make another pesticide that does not have a negative harm on the environment. Humans are not the most important organism in the world we have to consider all other living things before we make such radical decisions. If we were to cure malaria instead of getting rid of the mosquitoes we would not hurt anyone and we would no longer have an epidemic. If DDTs live in the mothers milk it is passed down from generation to generation. It accumulates in the species instead of dissipating. It will take a very long time if it ever leaves the system of a species. It might be helpful in Africa where they could use malaria prevention, but it would hurt the species in Africa as much as it would help the humans. DDTs are not necessarily bad but they are not all good either. The risks need to be weighed before anyone takes any action.

Raw Milk :History

Raw milk is a scary thing, and I'm glad that I have only ever had pasteurized milk. But I do not think that raw milk is evil. My Oupa liked on a farm and he used to drink milk from a cow the way that we drink water from a hose. I think that it all depends on how we do it. I can't believe that there is a link between TB and raw milk. That is not something I would have guessed before reading this article. My mother is a strong believer that people should not drink cows milk, that it is wrong on a fundamental level. It is scary that so many diseases came from raw milk. I also believe that in the past thinks were more sanitary, but progress happens for a reason.It is probably better that milk is pasteurized even if some people would like to drink raw milk. I did not know about the links to diseases like TB and I would like to know exactly how that works, what is it that causes TB in patients who drink raw milk.

Raw Milk : Legal Battle

I think that it is ridiculous that people are not allowed to transport raw milk. You are allowed to buy it you just can't bring it home. I am upset at how rigid our system is in Canada. I think that you should let people do what they want if they are not hurting anybody. Who cares if people transport raw milk. I would like to follow up on this man and see if he ever gets to meet with Premier McGuinty. I think that there should be farms where they produce raw milk. If they do it by hand a lot of the diseases that are transmitted by machinery with not be applicable. I think that raw milk need to be seriously tested and there needs to be measures put on it so that children do not become sick, but if adults know the risks I think that they should be allowed to buy raw milk.

Myths about Organic Produce

I was really upset that organic uses pesticides. That is one of the major reasons to buy organic. I am happy that there is produce that does not use pesticides but I think that organic should all be pesticide free. It is really important to make sure that all organic products are as healthy as they can be, that's what people pay for. I don't like that all that matters is where the pesticide comes from. That has no effect on if it is toxic or not. What is the point of buying organic food if it is not healthier, besides environmental gains. How does it benefit me to eat organic food. It is more expensive but it is no healthier. Also it is not all that much better for the environment. I believe that the article said that organic farming is not using GMO's and I don't want that I don't think that you can modify somethings DNA and have be perfectly healthy. I think that its a good idea to not use GMO's and I am fully in support of that practice. I think that it might still be a good idea to buy organic because they are probably a little better than regular produce but I can't imagine that it would be by much. I'm not sure that it is worth the extra cost just yet. When the practices become more "organic" I think that it will become a better choice, but right now it is about even, though leaning toward the organic side.

Neonicitinoids

The worlds food supply is in serious danger. It is disgusting that the pesticides live in the seed. It travels and effects all part of the plant. Therefore it effects all animals that eat the plants. The EPA decided that they would release the pesticides even though they knew that it was toxic to honey bees. Because they did not do field studies, it was not confirmed and therefore it was not known that it would hurt bees. It was scary to learn that the pesticide company's so their own studies and the present it to the EPA instead of the EPA doing the study. The company's are making the studies lean in their favor no matter what happens to the bee because they want to make money. It is sad that the EPA accepts that the studies that they do are real. It is also not open to review so other people can not redo the tests and see if they get the same results. It is sad that the EPA feels that need to cover up the effects of the pesticides. Its scary that the pesticides stay in the soil, and may have long term effects. The EPA knew about the possibility of CCD but they are saying that they are not sure so it doesn't matter. In England they think that it does matter so they are doing further studies. The EPA decided that a label is good enough. It says not to use it around bees. But that doesn't really work because they stay in the soil and the plants and it gets pollinated throughout the food chain.