Cancer epidemic? You betcha!

The recent death of celebrity Patrick Swayze to cancer brings a good opportunity to think about of what is causing the modern cancer epidemic and what can be done about it.

The video below comes from the excellent, award-winning documentary "The Corporation" by Canadian Mark Achbar, which you can find here.



Also worth reading are Dr. Samuel Epstein´s comments, available in this PDF.

http://www.thecorporation.com//media//Epstein.pdf

Enjoy
FC
PS: VIDEO FIXED. To the anonymous reporter: keep sucking it.

Natural alternative to Aspartame might come from Argentina

Two years ago, I read this interesting comment about an unknown plant dubbed Stevia. I saved the post.

I was surprised this week to read that Coca Cola is going to use it as natural sweetener to replace controversial/unhealthy artificial sweeteners like Aspartame.

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2005:
" Why not a STEVIA coke.. its about time these large companies got on the back of the FDA and got stevia legalised... its a sham that i dont have the choice to have that natural sweetner in products i like. Call your congressperson!"

http://www.diet-blog.com/archives/2005/06/14/coke_zero_confused_anyone.php

May 31, 2007:

Coke teams up with Cargill to launch new sweetener
"Giants of food and drinks aim to develop their own natural rival to NutraSweet and sucralose, to meet health demand"

http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/consumer_goods/article1864667.ece

"It has spent the past three years developing Stevia plantations in China, Paraguay and Argentina."

For those who can read Spanish, more info about Coke/Cargill's moves in .AR, here:
http://www.clarin.com/diario/2007/06/01/elpais/p-02202.htm

My translation of a key paragraph:

"Originating in Paraguay and Northern Argentina, Stevia is produced in the country in industrial scale only by the Tobbaco Cooperative in the province of Misiones, which in 2004 used 100 has of land for the plant, and plans to produce about 500 tons. This co-operative associated with a laboratory from Mar del Plata for Stevia post-processing".
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So... I would start investigating this Stevia plant if I had a piece of productive land. Since I don't... I'll leave this exercise for young entrepreneurs like Mike... :). Who knows, maybe this natural sweetener without the health problems of Sugar or Aspartame could be even used in Cookies!. ;-)

Good for people like me with bloody chronic liver disease... my doc told me to avoid artificial sweeteners whenever possible, and it's harder to do every day as the profit-hungry companies are starting to add it to more products every passing day, from cookies to 'flavoured water' to gelatin (even the non-Diet ones, damn you, Royal!).

PS: This is the closest to an admission about the dangers of artificial sweeteners (if those were safe, why would they need to change to something "healthy"?.

If you think that artificial sweeteners like Aspartame are 100% safe over long term use... you are not aware of all the material casting doubt on artificial sweeteners.

The Solution to Bird Flu...

Scotland Probably Has First Case Of UK Bird Flu (H5N1)
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/healthnews.php?newsid=41129

Who would have thought... the solution is in this ~40 yrs old song by Tom Lehrer....

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All the world seems in tune
On a spring afternoon,
When we're poisoning pigeons in the park.
Ev'ry Sunday you'll see
My sweetheart and me,
As we poison the pigeons in the park.

When they see us coming, the birdies all try an' hide,
But they still go for peanuts when coated with cyanide.
The sun's shining bright,
Ev'rything seems all right,
When we're poisoning pigeons in the park.

Lalaalaalalaladoodiedieedoodoodoo
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;-)