Change the World Wednesday – Special VII

I am really annoyed, actually, make that a tad more than pissed off.

I had a FaceBook acct more than a year ago, decided after two months that it didn’t suit my purpose and closed the acct.

About two months ago I decided to give it another try. So I opened a new acct.

I just liked a page and went to refresh my page and they want me to confirm by a phone number my acct. There are no other options.

I refuse to divulge my phone number on the net for anybody.

I can’t even get into my acct to shut the damned thing….. Arrrrrggggghhhhh!

My FaceBloodyBook acct is inactive!

Rant over, now on with our regular programme…

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On with Reduce Footprints‘ Change the World Wednesday Daily Lenten challenges.

CTWW Daily Challenge – 29th March

Address your “standby” habits. Unplug cell phone chargers, coffee makers, space heaters and other appliances and devices when not in use.

No vampires in my house, I keep plenty of garlic on hand. Actually, I do have one, the TV, but I switch that off manually every night. The remote control is too dicky and doesn’t always work, so it’s easier not to bother.

CTWW Daily Challenge –  30th March

Take some time to read Huff Post Climate Change, which includes blogs, news, and community conversations about Climate Change.

Huff post is a valuable source of information and I have used it as a source here on Eco-Crap in the past. If you want to keep abreast of national and international eco-concerns, then Huff Post is good.

CTWW Daily Challenge –  31st March

Celebrate Earth Hour TODAY with millions of people around the globe by turning off your lights for one hour, beginning at 8:30 pm.

A contentious issue with me. Turning off your house lights for one hour makes you use another light source, an electric lantern or candles. I have read that to replace a light with just one candle increases your carbon footprint. It is a different story for monuments and government or civil structures to do the same because they do not use an alternative light source.

I do bow to the fact, that Earth Hour does make people conscious of green issues, therefore does have a positive effect.

CTWW Daily Challenge – 1st April

Find the lowest carbon impact method of getting around today (walk, bike, take public transportation or carpool).

No car, no choice. I walk or bus everywhere.

CTWW Daily Challenge – 2nd April

Reflect on, and discuss, the fact that the richest 20% of the world’s population consumes 80% of the world’s resources, and those who contribute least to the causes suffer most from the effects of climate change.

The haves, and the have nots. This can be translated as the 1% against 99%, this is a part of what Occupy Wall Street is about. Many think that OWS is about banking and and raping the country financially; it’s not. It is about all inequalities.

The haves have always trampled on the have nots. It is the have nots that have suffered throughout history. And, it won’t change, unless YOU do something about it. This is not something that can be left to the neighbours, because they are leaving it to the neighbours, so nobody is doing anything. Everybody just sits back thinking “Someone will do it!” But they WON’T because YOU are the ‘someone’ who is supposed to be doing it! The only people trying were the ones from OWS, and YOU stayed at home, so they have become a non-event because YOU didn’t support them.

Americans spend eight months of their lives with junk mail

CTWW Daily Challenge – 3rd April

End junk mail that wastes resources. Stop unwanted catalogs

I take my junk mail back to the shops and supermarkets when I pass them. Or if I catch the delivery people, I refuse to accept. One of the biggest sources of junk mail in my box is the evangelical churches; I hate it.

In Brazil we do not have any orgs that will help reduce junk mail. I do wish they would print it on paper that you could at least light the BBQ with, then it could be recycled eventually as ash on my garden.

Farmer's Markets, the way to go. Brings communities back together too.

CTWW Daily Challenge – 4th April

Buy food that’s being grown or produced locally, using local farms and local farmers’ markets where possible – . Bonus: Grow some of your own food and herbs in your garden, allotment or window sill, or join a community garden.

We’ve discussed this before. In Brazil that’s difficult. I used to sell veges and herbs at my front gate, but I don’t have the garden I had then. I have found a place that sells fresh milk from the gate. It is on the way to work. But to stop and get 2ltres (about 3 pints+) for R$6 ($4) it would cost me an extra R$5 in bus fares, in effect doubling the price of the milk. But oh, what a luxury to have real milk, not pasturised, not homogenised, not adulterated, nor sold in a cardboard box. They are reforming at the moment, but I have resolved that when things are underway again, I will stop and get some. As for the bonus, I do grow a little, peppers and herbs, sometimes tomatoes and passionfruit.

Well, that’s it for this week. Can’t wait to see what Small Footprints has lined up for Monday 9th April. See you there.

Pure Poison!

I’m having my Monday Moan… today.

Pespi Next

What you need to know:

Here is Pepsi Next’s ingredient list:

CARBONATED WATER, HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, CARAMEL COLOR, NATURAL FLAVOR, PHOSPHORIC ACID, SODIUM CITRATE, CAFFEINE, POTASSIUM SORBATE (PRESERVES FRESHNESS), ASPARTAME, CITRIC ACID, ACESULFAME POTASSIUM, SUCRALOSE.

Note that while sugar content has been reduced, it is still the second ingredient after water (in the form of high fructose corn syrup). There are still 4 teaspoons of sugar in a 12 ounce can!

True, about 6 teaspoons worth were removed. But unfortunately, Pepsi Next has simply replaced the missing sugar with artificial sweeteners, same as those used in its diet drink. And not just one or two, but a thoroughly sickening triumvirate including aspartame, acesulfame potassium, and sucralose.

Each of the three has its related health concerns, and artificial sweeteners in general mess with the body’s capability to deal with sweet. The dissociation between sweet taste and calorie intake may put the regulatory system that controls hunger and body weight out of sync, thus sabotaging weight loss plans.

Source: Fooducate Blog Read more

The ‘secret formula’ for high fructose corn syrup that really lives up to the name

Of all the things you hear about high fructose corn syrup, especially from the Corn Refiners Association (CRA), there’s a little something with a whole lot of fructose that doesn’t get much attention.

The CRA has spent big bucks on a campaign to try and convince us that high fructose corn syrup is the “same as sugar” since it contains either 42 or 55 percent fructose (called HFCS 42 and HFCS 55). Natural sugar, or sucrose, is comprised of 50 percent fructose and 50 percent glucose.

The main mantra from the CRA,  the one behind its attempt to have the high fructose corn syrup name on food products “officially” changed to “corn sugar,” is that HFCS really isn’t high in fructose after all, and naming it that when it was introduced back in the late 1960s was a really dumb idea they hope to correct in order to clear up consumer “confusion.”

But there’s another formulation, one that never enters into the picture being presented to consumers. It’s called HFCS 90, and it’s a high fructose corn syrup formulation that’s 90 percent fructose.

HFCS 90 isn’t new; it was developed in the 1970s, and you won’t read too much about it unless you know where to look. One of the most interesting references to HFCS 90 comes from a leading manufacturer of this unnatural, laboratory-created sweetener, Archer Daniels Midland (ADM), which has a page on its corporate website about its trademarked version of the product called Cornsweet 90.®

“Cornsweet 90 ®,” it says, “containing about 90% fructose, is ADM’s sweetest high fructose corn syrup. Its high sweetness makes it the ideal choice for reduced calorie foods such as beverages, jellies and dressings.”

From my research, it’s quite apparent that both the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration know about HFCS 90 and its food uses. Numerous studies, patents (including a method  for using HFCS 90 to produce a reduced-calorie beverage that was assigned to PepsiCo) and journal articles mention HFCS 90, and all the different foods that can be sweetened with it. So why don’t we consumers ever hear about it?

Source: Food Identity Theft Read more

Opinion:

These companies are running amok. It has to be stopped. Their advertising makes these poisons sound wholesome and healthy, it’s nothing but bullshit!

Society is also to blame. People today are so concerned with ‘brands’ and being seen to buy the expensive options, it’s really pathetic.

“High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is a sugar made from cornstarch. It is heavily used in processed foods. HFCS can be found in hundreds of foods, such as breads, cookies, crackers, juice drinks and sodas, and dairy products. Even some cough syrups contain HFCS. The issue of how healthy HFCS is for our bodies is highly debated. Some studies suggest a link between HFCS consumption and obesity. Other studies suggest the effects of HFCS on the body are no different than that of other sugars.” – From: Villadeguardarrama

It is my experience that the studies that warn us of the dangers of this toxic sugar substitute are made by independent assessors, whereas the studies that favour it have vested interests in the production and sale.

HFCS in whatever variant is in almost everything you buy today. Even if you try to avoid it, you can’t.

Homemade bread not only smells delicious, it's essential for your families health

The only way to rid ourselves of these abominable substances is to begin cooking and baking at home. Making our own juice, cakes, sweets, snacks, cookies, bread, ketchup, jams, etc. Starting from the ground floor (flour & sugar) up, not with pre-mixes.

Only by going back to our roots can we avoid being poisoned for the sake of profits.

I hate to say it ladies… but a woman that has kids belongs at home in the kitchen. It is only the pressure of working/career  mothers that has allowed these companies to poison our kids.

The future of the human race depends on it. Being emancipated is great, but the effect on the future is detrimental.