BluegrassBulletin.com

Why We Are Raising Better Food At Our Farm

The world wakes up everyday to horrific stories of how much of our food is unfit for consumption.  Genetically modified, pesticide laden, artificially enhanced food is the norm in the supply chain.  But there are alternatives.

We travelled the country over the past two years searching to find out what others are doing about it.  In Michigan, Florida and California for example the move toward non-GMO foods, naturally grown without chemical pesticides is an exploding industry.  Just take a look at the footprint inside your local Kroger store devoted to "organic" food selections.  Just a year or so ago it was an aisle or two.  Today it is an expanding section of their marketplace.

Look at the success of stores like "Whole Foods" and you will see a trend that spells a change in where we get the food we eat.  That's why we have redirected our farming efforts toward helping supply the growing market for wholesome foods here at Steepleview Farm.

If you need any more reason to change your food buying habits, here is a story out of Yakima Washington that might help persuade you.

There is something seriously wrong in the fertile Yakima Valley region of Washington. A surging number of babies are being born with major birth defects, and the reasons why are eluding state health officials.

As reported by CNN, a nurse in the area, Sara Barron, was the first to report on a particularly horrifying condition: anencephaly -- a condition in which babies are born without much of their brain and skull.

Her shocking finding and report eventually prompted an investigation by the state health department. Investigators found some disturbing results.

Over a three-year period, there were 23 cases concentrated in three southern Washington counties -- Yakima, Benton and Franklin. That's a rate (8.4 per 10,000 live births) that is four times the national average (2.1 per 10,000 live births), CNN reported.

What could be causing such a phenomenon? Is it just one of those weird coincidences, or is something more sinister at play?

Mandy Stahre, with the Washington State Department of Health, conducted the investigation into the high rates of anencephaly. She says she and other investigators are stumped.

"We have not found an answer, and that's a very frustrating part, because this is such a devastating diagnosis for a woman to have," she told CNN.

Barron, however, says she wonders if state health authorities did not find anything because they didn't look hard enough at all possible causes.

So, exactly how did the state conduct its investigation? Stahre said investigators examined data in each parent's medical record -- what sort of prescription drugs they were taking and preexisting medical conditions.

"But medical records don't have details about diet or pesticide exposure," CNN's Elizabeth Cohen reported, "two key considerations for this type of birth defect." [Natural News]

At Steepleview Farm we raise the food we sell to you the same way we raise it for ourselves, 100% pesticide free, in the field, not under plastic, instead it's the best "under the sun".

Hospitals: Unsafe At Any Price?

If you think for one minute that your local hospital is some sort of heaven sent charity looking out for your best interest, think again.  They are huge profiteers looking for ways to cut expenses, charge more money and compete with other hospitals for business. What is worse, they are the source of illness and death.

As I pointed out recently, a study at Johns Hopkins revealed that nearly 100% of hospital acquired central line infections are preventable, but, because patients who get infected in the hospital stay longer and rack up bigger bills, the hospitals have no incentive to make their facilities safer.

Now it appears that 18 people may have been infected with a very rare but deadly illness during neurosurgery.

Doctors and hospital officials from Novant Health Forsyth Medical Center in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, are notifying 18 neurosurgery patients that they might have been exposed to Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, a serious and incurable neurological disorder.

According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, CJD affects about one person in every one million people per year worldwide.

Even though the surgical instruments were sterilized by standard hospital procedures, they should have gone through enhanced sterilization procedures used when there are confirmed or suspected cases of CJD.

In September, 13 patients received similar warnings from two hospitals in New Hampshire and Massachusetts, when a patient who had undergone neurosurgery was later suspected to have CJD.

The hospitals shared the specialized surgical equipment that was used to operate on the patient and continued to use it until the suspicion of exposure to the disease surfaced. [WLWT]

Medical Marijuana In Kentucky?

One state after another has begun the process of legalizing the recreational use of marijuana.  Other states, persuaded that there are tangible medical benefits from marijuana, are permitting its consumption to treat a variety of health issues.  This year the Kentucky legislature is being pushed to pass a medical marijuana bill.

A hearing before the House Committee assigned the duty to consider the bill was packed.  Emotional testimony came from people who had been helped by marijuana when no other medical treatment was effective.

Testimony from others told of how, in Colorado for example, marijuana extracts helped seizure victims communicate with their families.

The following video shows a woman, plagued by cerebral palsy and severe stuttering, regain her ability to speak only because she was able to consume marijuana.  Examples like this are going to be part of the discussion as Kentucky becomes one of the many states wrestling with whether to allow people to consume this plant to treat their afflictions.

I Know It's Infowars, But.......

My sources for news are quite eclectic.  And though I do read a number of rather incendiary stories from time to time, I try not to repeat them unless I also find the same info verified on a second source.  I couldn't do that for this story but, considering that the links are pretty much confirmation, here we go.

Alex Jones at Infowars.com is reporting that the U.S. "Department of Health and Human Services has ordered 14 million doses of potassium iodide, the compound that protects the body from radioactive poisoning in the aftermath of severe nuclear accidents, to be delivered before the beginning of February."

According to a solicitation posted on the Federal Business Opportunities website, the DHHS asks contractors to supply, “potassium iodide tablet, 65mg, unit dose package of 20s; 700,000 packages (of 20s),” a total of 14 million tablets. The packages must be delivered on or before February 1, 2014.

A search of the FedBizOpps website returns no other results regarding the purchase of potassium iodide from any government agency, suggesting that the DHHS bulk buy of the tablets is unprecedented in recent times.

The ongoing crisis at the Fukushima nuclear power plant has prompted concerns that the purchase is connected to the threat posed by radioactive debris washing up on the shores of the west coast or the potential for another natural disaster occurring in Japan which could impact the U.S.

Last month it was revealed that 71 U.S. sailors who helped during the initial Fukushima relief efforts are suing the Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) after they returned with thyroid cancer, Leukemia, and brain tumors as a result of being exposed to radiation at 300 times the safe level.

Obama's Green Plans Killing The Earth

Corn farmers love the ethanol program.  They are getting record high prices for their crops, they have found support industries developing strains of corn and types of equipment to substantially increase yields and they are big enough politically now to dictate to entire regions what ground will be planted.

Ethanol is really just distilled moonshine, with a chemical added to keep you from drinking it.  Same process as a mountain still, chemically treated and then added to your gasoline as part of the goofy idea that some how this is reducing "greenhouse gases".  And just to show you how little respect the "Greenies" have for your intelligence the must be laughing behind your back when you use the words "greenhouse gases" to picture something toxic.  Ever been to a greenhouse?  What gases?  Carbon dioxide which is given off by all living plants whether in a greenhouse or not?  The next time you use the term "greenhouse gases" to make a point about air pollution stop for a moment and savor the thought of how much of an idiot the "greenies" think you are.

So just how "green" is this ethanol program?  What you are about to read might surprise you.

The hills of southern Iowa bear the scars of America's push for green energy: The brown gashes where rain has washed away the soil. The polluted streams that dump fertilizer into the water supply.

Even the cemetery that disappeared like an apparition into a cornfield.

But the ethanol era has proven far more damaging to the environment than politicians promised and much worse than the government admits today.

As farmers rushed to find new places to plant corn, they wiped out millions of acres of conservation land, destroyed habitat and polluted water supplies, an Associated Press investigation found.

Five million acres of land set aside for conservation - more than Yellowstone, Everglades and Yosemite National Parks combined - have vanished on Obama's watch.

Landowners filled in wetlands. They plowed into pristine prairies, releasing carbon dioxide that had been locked in the soil.

Sprayers pumped out billions of pounds of fertilizer, some of which seeped into drinking water, contaminated rivers and worsened the huge dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico where marine life can't survive.

The consequences are so severe that environmentalists and many scientists have now rejected corn-based ethanol as bad environmental policy. But the Obama administration stands by it, highlighting its benefits to the farming industry rather than any negative impact.

"They're raping the land," said Bill Alley, a member of the board of supervisors in Wayne County, which now bears little resemblance to the rolling cow pastures shown in postcards sold at a Corydon pharmacy.

In some cases, such as its decision to allow wind farms to kill eagles, the administration accepts environmental costs because they pale in comparison to the havoc it believes global warming could ultimately cause.

Ethanol is different.

The government's predictions of the benefits have proven so inaccurate that independent scientists question whether it will ever achieve its central environmental goal: reducing greenhouse gases. That makes the hidden costs even more significant.

"This is an ecological disaster," said Craig Cox with the Environmental Working Group, a natural ally of the president that, like others, now finds itself at odds with the White House.

But it's a cost the administration is willing to accept.

Losing conservation land was bad. But something even worse was happening.

Farmers broke ground on virgin land, the untouched terrain that represents, from an environmental standpoint, the country's most important asset.

The farm industry assured the government that wouldn't happen. And it would have been an easy thing for Washington to check.

But rather than insisting that farmers report whenever they plow into virgin land, the government decided on a much murkier oversight method: Washington instead monitors the total number of acres of cropland nationwide. Local trends wash away when viewed at such a distance.

The Department of Agriculture began keeping figures on virgin land only in 2012 and determined that about 38,000 acres vanished that year.

But using government satellite data - the best tool available - the AP identified a conservative estimate of 1.2 million acres of virgin land in Nebraska and the Dakotas alone that have been converted to fields of corn and soybeans since 2006, the last year before the ethanol mandate was passed.[MyWayNews]

Still think that the plan is to improve our environment?  Or is it really just another example of the government being the enforcement arm of big business?

FDA Wants To Ban Trans Fats, So What Are They?

The FDA wants to remove "trans fats" from the "safe" for consumption food list, in essence, banning its use in food made and sold to the public for consumption.  On one hand it may look like the FDA is going too far, but then again, most people might not know what a "trans fat" really is.

As most liberty minded people will tell you, unlike health care, social security disability checks and food stamps, people really do have a "right" to food and water.  After all, God put everything we need to survive on this planet for us.  The right to hunt, to farm, to raise food and to gather food and drink clean water all attach as part of the right to life.  But does that mean you have the "right" to make a substance out of anything you find and then sell it as "food"?

That's what has happened with "trans fat".  It does not occur naturally, it is made by infusing normal fat with hydrogen, which makes it creamy and more solid.  You might have heard of "partially hydrogenated oils".  That's "trans fat".

However, this chemical process which changes normal fat into a different substance comes with a well known health risk.  "Trans fat" tends to clog arteries by raising your lipoprotein or LDL sometimes called the "bad cholesterol".

So when you hear of the FDA trying to ban an unhealthy food, don't think of them banning unpasteurized milk, farm to table meat products or trying to regulate "big gulps".  Instead think of them banning adulterated meat, genetically modified food or the addition of formaldehyde to your pickles.

Not all government is bad.

The End To Modern Medicine Coming With New Deadly Bacteria

Jonathan Turley's blog may be trying to make a point about how much money the US government is willing to spend to wage war while turning a blind eye to a greater threat than the Al Qaeda, but this new threat is one we need to be preparing for NOW.

Thomas Frieden, director of the Center of Disease Control and Prevention, put it in the starkest terms to try to get someone to pay attention. Indeed, Margaret Chan, director general of the World Health Organization, has warned that we are moving into a “post-antibiotic era.” That means “an end to modern medicine as we know it. Things as common as strep throat or a child’s scratched knee could once again kill.”

The CDC has been presenting data on the rise of bacteria resistant to carbapenems, the most powerful antibiotics that represent our final line of defense. CDC is reporting the appearance of the bacteria now in every stated and what it describes as the realization of the “nightmare” scenario for the medical field. Frieden puts the estimate now at over 2 million Americans with infections each year that are resistant to antibiotics. Of those, at least 23,000 people die as a result.

It might be worth your time to call your legislators and tell them that you want tax dollars re-directed from other less important pursuits to finding a way to combat this enemy which seens to be, so far, invincible.

Don't Feed Your Pets Chinese Dog Treats

The FDA has issued a warning regarding dog treats made in China.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) continues to caution consumers about a potential association between the development of illness in dogs and the consumption of chicken jerky products. The products—also called chicken tenders, strips, or treats—are imported from China. FDA continues to receive complaints of sick dogs that their owners or veterinarians associate with eating chicken jerky products.

Apparently there have been over 600 deaths attributed to the product.

Obamacare Has Arrived And The People Are Afraid

From the NRSC, here is a very powerful message about how much good citizens are worried about the effects of Obamacare on their very real lives.  And if you want to understand how bad the law really is, all you have to do is realize that the lawmakers have exempted themselves from its provisions.

 

I Don't Often Agree With Thomas Massie, But.......

Have you seen this article on Glenn Beck's "The Blaze"?

Freshman House Republican Thomas Massie told TheBlaze Monday that he has seen colleagues in private meetings argue against measures to defund Obamacare in order to have what they consider to be the law’s doomed policy go into effect for the electoral benefit of the GOP.

“In other words, they want Obamacare to be enacted so that the American public will feel the pain?” TheBlaze contributor Mallory Factor asked the congressman in video interview (below).

“To feel the pain,” Massie responded.

The Kentucky Republican won’t name names, but says in his short time in Congress he seen individuals step up during behind-closed-doors meetings with 10 or 12 Republicans to argue against ideas like attaching the funding of Obamacare to the next debt limit deal, based on the notion that ‘if we delay Obamacare after the elections, than we won’t win as many seats in the House and we wont win the Senate.’

“Just like they’re throwing the conservatives in the House of Representatives under the bus, some people are ready to throw everybody in the United States under the bus–under the Obamacare bus–for an electoral advantage,” Massie said. “Frankly, it’s disgusting.”

“Once we socialize all of our healthcare you’re not going to turn that back until something big happens.”

You will recall that Massie voted for Justin Amash over John Boehner for speaker of the House.  Though Massie isn't naming names, here's what Boehner had to say during a conference call this week about whether the House will allow a government shut-down if during the Continuing Resolution fight they try to de-fund Obamacare:

“When we return, our intent is to move quickly on a short-term continuing resolution that keeps the government running and maintains current sequester spending levels. Our message will remain clear: until the president agrees to better cuts and reforms that help grow the economy and put us on path to a balanced budget, his sequester — the sequester he himself proposed, insisted on and signed into law — stays in place.” [POLITICO]

And here's what the Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell had to say about the same thing:

"The problem is the bill that would shut down the government wouldn't shut down Obamacare," McConnell said. "Most of it is permanent law and not affected by that. It also wouldn't stop the taxes. Taxes that are going in on medical devices, taxes that are going in on health insurance premiums." [WKYT viaWYMT]

As I've pointed out before, though McConnell is probably right, in politics sometimes perception is reality.  In this case the perception is that the crazy guys like Massie and Amash are fighting for what the majority of Americans want, while Republican leadership in both houses of Congress are showing weakness.

Is McConnell technically right and Massie just having another temper tantrum?  Maybe, but at this moment in history, just in advance of the October surprise everybody is going to get when Obamacare really kicks in, a little crazy seems like what is needed.  Remember, William Wallace may have eventually been gutted, but not before he let loose a little "crazy" on an enemy a whole lot of people were willing fight to the death against behind his "crazy" leadership.

A word to the wise to my friends in the GOP.  This could be more of a defining moment than you realize.  Take full measure of the moment.