For "Foodie Friday:
"Fishing practices worldwide are damaging our oceans—depleting fish populations, destroying habitats and polluting the water. Informed consumers can help turn the tide."
Learn about the Issues Learn What You Can Do
"Humans have been fishing the oceans for thousands of years. But over the past five decades technology has allowed us to fish farther, deeper and more efficiently than ever before. Scientists estimate that we have removed as much as 90 percent of the large predatory fish such as shark, swordfish and cod from the world's oceans. In 2003, the Pew Oceans Commission warned that the world's oceans are in a state of "silent collapse," threatening our food supply, marine economies, recreation and the natural legacy we leave our children."
To help the oceans recuperate, carry the pocket guide that's right for your region to help you choose ocean-friendly seafood wherever you live or travel: http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/cr_seafoodwatch/download.aspx
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Japan's whale hunt stops due to anti-whaling group
"The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society has successfully forced Japan's whale hunt to end early, according to CNN News.
"We have experienced the dangerous attacks from them, it might take the life of crews. Considering the safety as the first priority, we decided to halt the whaling temporarily," Hirosh Kawamura, of the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, told the news source.
There is a global moratorium on whaling. However, Japan hunts annually under a legal loophole that allows whaling for "scientific research."
According to the International Center of Trade and Sustainable Development (ICTSD), Japan sells its whale meat, taking advantage of the loophole.
The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society is a non-profit organization registered in the Netherlands, Australia and New Zealand, according to the ICTSD.
On their website, the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society's boat is pictured as a giant black ship with a skull flag at its bow.
Australia, the Netherlands and New Zealand have not supported Japan's complaints about the Sea Shepherd's interferences.
“I’m glad this season is over. Australia doesn’t believe there should ever be another whaling season again," Australian Environment Minister Tony Burke told the ICTSD.
Australia had filed a court case against Japan in the International Court of Justice regarding its whaling practice." From: http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com/clickToGive/ars/article/Japans-whale-hunt-stops-due-to-anti-whaling-group581
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But the Japanese are still hunting and killing whales somewhere, as their meat is being sold on Amazon. Amazon Marketplace sellers pay a monthly fee and 10% commission on sales.
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Tell Amazon to Stop Selling Whale Meat
"Japan continues to undermine international laws by hunting whales and trading in whale meat. These great whale species are afforded full legal protection by the International Whaling Commission (IWC) and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES); yet Amazon.com, through its wholly owned subsidiary Amazon.jp in Japan, is actively involved in the sale of hundreds of whale, dolphin and porpoise products. These include endangered fin whale products from Iceland, as well as endangered whale meat from the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary.
Some of the whale products sold by Amazon.jp are highly polluted with mercury and constitute a significant risk to the health of consumers. In February 2011, the Environmental Investigation Agency analyzed several whale products from Amazon.jp and found that the majority of those tested contained mercury levels exceeding Japanese national limits.
As Amazon.com Inc. profits from Amazon.jp’s sale of whale products, it is responsible not only for facilitating the sale of products from endangered and protected species, but also for allowing the sale of contaminated food products which pose a potential health threat to the people consuming them." Video: http://bcove.me/vw3rlpal
TAKE ACTION
Please urge Amazon.com President & CEO Jeff Bezos to do the right thing by permanently and immediately banning the sale of all whale, dolphin and porpoise products on Amazon's web sites: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/3/tell-amazon-to-stop-selling-whale-meat/
"Update 2/22: Just 24 hrs after the launch of our campaign, Amazon has pulled whale meat from its shelves. While we’re encouraged by this development, Amazon has yet to issue a formal policy change on whale, dolphin, and porpoise meat. It's important for Amazon to hear from people about this issue until officials commit to a formal and complete halt on sales of these animals."
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When Never EVER to Use Fish Oil
"There's a tremendous amount of confusion about omega-3 oils and it is my intention to help clear up some of the confusion with this article.
First let me preface this with saying that fish oil really started the omega-3 market, and most of the research on the benefits of animal-based omega-3 fats (DHA and EPA), even to this day, are based on studies using fish oil.
Fish oils are typically extracted from menhaden, sardines, and herring; fish that are generally not consumed by the average person. These types of fish are indeed very high in EPA and DHA, and the health benefits of these fats are well established.
Health Benefits of Omega-3 Fat
In fact, most of the health benefits associated with omega-3 fats are linked to animal-based omega-3 fats like EPA and DHA, not plant-based omega-3 fats like ALA.
Even the US FDA, which denies most nutritional claims, acknowledges the cardiovascular benefits of animal based omega-3 fats:
- Antiarrhythmic: counteracting or preventing cardiac arrhythmia
- Antithrombotic: tending to prevent thrombosis (a blood clot within a blood vessel)
- Antiatherosclerotic: preventing fatty deposits and fibrosis of the inner layer of your arteries from forming
- Anti-inflammatory: counteracting inflammation (heat, pain, swelling, etc.)
- Improves endothelial function: a major factor in promoting the growth of new blood vessels
- Lowers blood pressure
- Lowers triglyceride concentrations
Researchers are also attributing a number of other health benefits to omega-3 fat, including:
- Healthier, stronger bones
- Protecting your tissues and organs from inflammation
- Improved mood regulation
- Brain and eye development in babies
- Reduced risk of Parkinson’s disease
- Reduced risk of Alzheimer’s disease
- Reduced risk of death from ALL causes
Unfortunately, the majority of people who take supplemental omega-3 to protect and improve their health are taking fish oil.
I say unfortunately, because as you will find out, at least 25 percent and maybe even as much as half of the fish oil on the market are damaged products that can do more harm than good…
Why Fish Oil Isn't Your Ideal Source of Omega-3
Yes, despite all the established health benefits of animal-based omega-3 fats, fish oil is actually NOT the ideal source of these fats.
The primary drawback with fish oil is the problem with oxidation, which can occur at any point during the processing, or after you open the bottle. Dr. Moerck explains:
"There are a number of ways in which fish oil can be processed. One is by just simply squeezing the fish -- in some cases with cod liver oil to actually remove the livers from the cod -- and then remove the oil from those by classical mechanical techniques.
In some cases, to get the last few ounces of oil out of the fish, they use solvents, or they use fish oil as a solvent by taking fish oil that's already been processed, using it as an extraction method to get more fish oil out.
Every time fish oil is subjected to contact with oxygen, however, it starts going rancid. It starts oxidizing."
At first glance, it may appear as though fish oil is better simply because it contains a higher ratio of omega-3 fats. However, krill oil is far more efficient, so you actually need far less.
Functional Nutrition explains:
"In fish oil, the omega-3 molecules are attached to triglycerides, which means they must undergo hydrolysis before being absorbed into cells. Krill, in contrast, is attached to phospholipids, [and]… our cell walls contain fats in the phospholipid form…
… The phospholipid structure of the omega-3s in krill oil therefore makes them more rapidly absorbable and allows for easier entry of the omega-3s into our cells and on to the mitochondria and nuclei. The rapid absorption has an added benefit for consumers: There is virtually no aftertaste or fishy reflux that some experience with fish oils."
The conjugation of phospholipids — mainly phosphatidylcholine — with DHA and EPA gives krill oil an edge over fish oil in a number of ways… The phospholipids, by virtue of their connection with omega-3s, are exactly right for proper brain function. Furthermore, they are a part of the eicosanoids system — an extremely important hormone-messenger system in the cells of the body."
This is because it is not a straightforward comparison. The amount of DHA and EPA that you need to be concerned with is the amount that actually winds up in your cell and your cell membranes.
This is where krill is the clear winner
Unpublished new data suggest krill oil is absorbed 10 to 15 times better than fish oil. This is because the triglyceride molecule that fish oil is in must be broken down in your gut to its base fatty acids of DHA and EPA. About 80-85 percent is never absorbed and is eliminated in your intestine, which causes about 50 percent of people to have burp back and not tolerate fish oil.
Then once the fatty acids are absorbed into your blood stream, your liver has to attach it to phoshphatidyl choline for it to be used by your body. The amazing beauty of krill is that all of it is in the correct form in the original pill so your body uses virtually 100 percent of it. Additionally it has the powerful antioxidant astaxanthin which prevents the perishable DHA and EPA from going rancid.
And as Dr. Moerck stated above, a large percentage of the fish oil being sold is actually rancid before you even open the bottle as it doesn't contain this protective antioxidant.
Many doctors in Europe are switching from conventional drugs to krill oil to support healthy, normal lipid levels and cardiovascular health. And the great news is that it seems to work at a lower dose, so you may only need one 500 mg capsule per day. " More at: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/10/16/rudi-moerck-on-fish-oil.aspx
More great news about krill and cholesterol levels.
"Krill is actually superior to fish oil when it comes to optimizing cholesterol profiles.
This study showed that a krill dose that provides 1/3 less DHA and EPA had a far more profound influence on the HDL and triglyceride to cholesterol ratios, which are well established as two of the most potent blood predictors of heart disease."
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On This Day:
Persian Gulf War ground offensive begins, Feb 24, 1991:
"After six weeks of intensive bombing against Iraq and its armed forces, U.S.-led coalition forces launch a ground invasion of Kuwait and Iraq.
On August 2, 1990, Iraq invaded Kuwait, its tiny oil-rich neighbor, and within hours had occupied most strategic positions in the country. One week later, Operation Shield, the American defense of Saudi Arabia, began as U.S. forces massed in the Persian Gulf. Three months later, the United Nations Security Council passed a resolution authorizing the use of force against Iraq if it failed to withdraw from Kuwait by January 15, 1991.
At 4:30 p.m. EST on January 16, 1991, Operation Desert Storm, a massive U.S.-led offensive against Iraq, began as the first fighter aircraft were launched from Saudi Arabia and off U.S. and British aircraft carriers in the Persian Gulf. All evening, aircraft from the U.S.-led military coalition pounded targets in and around Baghdad as the world watched the events transpire in television footage transmitted live via satellite from Baghdad and elsewhere.
Operation Desert Storm was conducted by an international coalition under the command of U.S. General Norman Schwarzkopf and featured forces from 32 nations, including Britain, Egypt, France, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait. During the next six weeks, the allied force engaged in a massive air war against Iraq's military and civil infrastructure, encountering little effective resistance from the Iraqi air force. Iraqi ground forces were also helpless during this stage of the war, and Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein's only significant retaliatory measure was the launching of SCUD missile attacks against Israel and Saudi Arabia. Saddam hoped that the missile attacks would provoke Israel, and thus other Arab nations, to enter the conflict; however, at the request of the United States, Israel remained out of the war.
On February 24, a massive coalition ground offensive began, and Iraq's outdated and poorly supplied armed forces were rapidly overwhelmed. By the end of the day, the Iraqi army had effectively folded, 10,000 of its troops were held as prisoners, and a U.S. air base had been established deep inside Iraq. After less than four days, Kuwait was liberated, and a majority of Iraq's armed forces had either been destroyed or had surrendered or retreated to Iraq. On February 28, U.S. President George Bush declared a cease-fire, and Iraq pledged to honor future coalition and U.N. peace terms. One hundred and twenty-five American soldiers were killed in the Persian Gulf War, with another 21 regarded as missing in action."
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Yesterday:
After taking Maddie and Misty for their walk-about, Jay and I attacked my RV port, again. I want to get my motor home back in there before the hot weather.
The yard sale stuff is all donated, except for one more box and a huge microwave. We vacuumed the storeroom, and moved a bunch of large items around, to make more room. We discarded a lot of junk stuff too, as the driving rains had soaked some things. We had to move the 'cream of the crop' for the flea market, out of the RVport. We set it up on a table at the back of the Puddle Jumper's carport where it will be safe from the weather and handy to load into the van. One more morning, and it will be done. It was pretty warm working out there, and I was wishing that I had worn a tank top instead of a T-shirt.
When we have it all moved, we will cover it, ready for this summer's dusty days.
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