STORY TO BE TOLD

Top 12 Toxic Fruits and Vegetables

by Melissa Breyer

How would you like a dose of 67 pesticides with your celery? If you’re eating non-organic celery, that’s the number of pesticides you may very well be ingesting. According to the 2010 edition of Environmental Working Group’s Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides, the top 12 pesticide-contaminated fruits and vegetables contain 47 to 67 different pesticides per serving. This year celery is starring in the number 1 spot (up from number 4 last year), peaches moved down, and there are a few new contenders on the list.

I love Environmental Working Group (EWG), the hard-hitting and diligent nonprofit focused on public health. EWG analyzes nearly 100,000 produce pesticide reports from the USDA and the FDA–they then determine what fruits and vegetables contain the highest, and lowest, amounts of chemical residue and present the information in a handy shopper’s guide. I love (love, love) this list, it is so practical and puts the ability to eat safely in everybody’s hands. It’s a brilliant workaround.

Shoppers can use the list in two ways. If you are unable to buy organic produce, avoid the “Dirty Dozen” and instead opt for the “Clean 15.” If you can buy limited organic, purchase organically-grown items from the Dirty Dozen, and continue buying non-organic selections from the Clean 15. Of course, in a perfect world we wouldn’t be contending with pesticides at all–but in this imperfect world at least we have some tools to help navigate around the n-methyl carbamates and organophosphate pesticides. (Did you know that some of the most commonly used pesticides today were originally derived from nerve gasses developed during World War II? Fun fact. Sigh.)

Anyway, by avoiding the 12 most contaminated fruits and vegetables, you can lower your pesticide consumption by nearly 80 percent. So, at least there’s that. Here’s where to start, number 1 being the most contaminated:

The Dirty Dozen

Try to buy these 12 fruits and vegetables grown organically. But also know that many small farms can’t sustain the paperwork and fees to be certified Organic, even though they practice organic methods. If you shop at a farmer’s market and want to buy products not listed as organic, ask the vendor anyway, there’s a good chance many of the products were grown without the use of pesticides.

1. Celery
2. Peaches
3. Strawberries
4. Apples
5. Domestic blueberries
6. Nectarines
7. Sweet bell peppers
8. Spinach, kale and collard greens
9. Cherries
10. Potatoes
11. Imported grapes
12. Lettuce

The Clean 15

Produce with a strong outer layer seems to have defense against pesticide contamination. Although buying only organic is the first choice, if you are unable to do so, EWG recommends these non-organic fruits and vegetables which contain little to no pesticides, number 1 being the cleanest:

1. Onions
2. Avocados
3. Sweet corn
4. Pineapples
5. Mango
6. Sweet peas
7. Asparagus
8. Kiwi fruit
9. Cabbage
10. Eggplant
11. Cantaloupe
12. Watermelon
13. Grapefruit
14. Sweet potatoes
15. Sweet onions

Although the government says that consuming pesticides in low amounts doesn’t harm you, studies show an association between pesticides and health problems such as cancer, attention-deficit (hyperactivity) disorder and nervous system disorders and say exposure could weaken immune systems. Last month, the President’s Cancer Panel, generally not the most alarmist of bodies, stated that “our lackadaisical approach to regulation may have far-reaching consequences for our health” and recommended giving preference to food grown without pesticides, chemical fertilizers and growth hormones.

After all, as previously mentioned, many of these chemicals are derived from chemical warfare agents repurposed to kill insects, how healthy can that be for us? The herbicide Agent Orange (developed by Monsanto, maker of the most widely-used herbicide, Roundup…grrrr) was used in the Vietnam War in the herbicidal warfare program–a form of chemical warfare meant to destroy the plant-based ecosystem, agricultural food production, and plant cover. Many Vietnamese people were exposed to Agent Orange, resulting in approximately 400,000 deaths and disabilities, and 500,000 children born with birth defects. And that makes sense, why would chemical concoctions designed to kill plants and insects not be harmful to humans?

One other note: The pesticide tests used for gathering this information were conducted after the food had been power-washed by the USDA. Although some pesticides are found on the surface of foods, other pesticides may be taken up through the roots and into the plant and cannot be removed. Which is to say, washing is not an effective fix.

source taken from: http://www.care2.com/

How Smart is a Fish?
by Melissa Breyer

Dogs are easy. You talk, they respond–smart! Fish, not so easy. It’s not like we get the frequent opportunity to really interact with them–and for anyone who’s seen a goldfish repetitively doing the rounds in its bowl, it’s easy to buy into the old adage that fish have only a three-second memory. (Although, do you remember Gus, Central Park Zoo’s “neurotic” polar bear? Much like a goldfish in a bowl, the old guy repetitively circled his habitat in the same exact manner day in and day out. But no-one accused him of having only a three-second memory–he got diagnosed with obsessive compulsive disorder caused by boredom, and got an animal therapist. Only in New York…)

Anyway, recent research may suggest the possibility that a fish circles its bowl because it is really is just impossibly bored, not because it doesn’t remember that it just did it again and again and again. What does Dr. Kevin Warburton, adjunct researcher with Charles Sturt University’s Institute for Land, Water and Society, have to say about the three-second memory of a fish? “Rubbish!”

Warburton, who has been studying fish behavior for years says, “There’s been a lot of work done over the last 15 years on learning and memory in fish and it as been found that fish are quite sophisticated. Fish can remember prey types for months; they can learn to avoid predators after being attacked once and they retain this memory for several months; and carp that have been caught by fishers avoid hooks for at least a year. That fish have only a three second memory is just rubbish.”

Research suggests fish are actually quite sophisticated (Source: stock.xchng)

I've heard many people say fish have only split seconds memory but through out my experience after buying yellow cichlit fishes, I think they can remember very well especially when it is dinner time. They will swim real fast up and down waiting for me to feed them.

I guess different fish just have different memory spans. They are smarter than what we thought.

Here is an article about the fish's memory that I read
News in Science - Three-second fish memory 'rubbish'
Darren Osborne
ABC

Forget what you know: Fish have a memory that lasts much more than three seconds and are capable of deception and learning, say Australian researchers.

Dr Kevin Warbuton, an adjunct researcher at the Institute for Land, Water and Society at Charles Sturt University in Albury, New South Wales has been studying fish for more than three decades and says they're much better at memory than we give them credit for.

Warbuton's research has been focused on Australian freshwater fish, particularly in southeast Queensland.

He says the idea that fish have a short memory is wrong.

"It's absolute rubbish," says Warbuton. "There's been a lot of work done over the last 15 years on learning and memory in fish and it has been found that fish are quite sophisticated.

"Fish can remember prey types for months; they can learn to avoid predators after being attacked once and they retain this memory for several months."

Warbuton believes fish are capable of learning, albeit at a cost. For example, his research on the silver perch revealed something unexpected.

"With one type of prey, the fish got more and more efficient at catching their food," he says. "But when we put two different types of prey in together, their overall efficiency dropped. We think it was because they suffered from divided attention. It's a cost of learning."
Art of deception

According to Warbuton, fish are also capable of exhibiting human-like behaviours, such as deception.

"Fish can recognise other individuals and modify their own behaviour after observing interactions between other individuals.

"Siamese fighting fish will attack other members of the same species more aggressively if they've seen them lose contests with other fighters."

Warbuton says cleaner fish - reef fish that eat parasites off other larger fish - will also be on the lookout to assess the situation and work out how best to take advantage.

"What's fascinating is that they cooperate more with clients when they are being observed by other potential clients," says Warburton. "This improves their image and their chances of attracting clients."
Misguided belief

Dr Ashley Ward, a fish biologist at the University of Sydney says where the three-second memory urban myth came from is hard to find.

"It seems to come from an advert many years ago, but nobody is sure what it was for," he says.

Ward believes the misconceptions surrounding the intelligence of fish may stem from the early days of zoology.

"Back then [zoologists] tested their abilities based on what a human could do … so obviously the fish would fail."

Ward says we now know of numerous of examples of fish displaying amazing memory skills.

He refers to one anecdote from the United States, where a Professor Charles Eriksen spent several months feeding a pond of fish while calling out "fish-fish".

After a break of five years, Eriksen returned to the pond and called out "fish-fish". Immediately a number of the surviving fish swam to the surface waiting to be fed.

According to Ward, the frillfin gobbie, which during low tide lives in rock pools that are spaced apart, has an amazing memory.

"If it gets frightened by a bird it jumps from one rock pool to another. To do this, it has to remember the topographic layout of the pools without being able to see them," says Ward.

"Another example is the trigger fish, which is found around northern Australia," he says. "They have been shown to use tools and other smart tricks to outwit their prey."

source taken from: http://www.abc.net.au/

As I was on the way out to a friend's house on June 1, 2010 morning, I saw an image of moon. Why is it I can see moon in the morning. The sky is so clear and bright.

All about moon - Around the Earth in 28 Days:

The important part is to remember that the Moon has a 28 day orbit around the Earth. From there you need to think about what that really means. Where are you? Where is the Moon? A little visualization and you will understand where you see the Moon in the sky each day. It is important to see the whole cycle of one orbit, understand that and everything should make sense.

For sake of description let’s start with the few days each orbit the Moon is passing between us and the Sun, because it is near the Sun you cannot see the Moon lost in the Sun’s glare. Also the side facing us is facing away from the sun, the nightime side (or dark side) of the Moon, is in darkness and likewide unseen. We call that period New Moon.

Most of the time the Moon does not pass directly in front of the Sun, but above or below it. On those rare occasions it does pass in front of the Sun we get treated to a solar eclipse. Partial eclipses, when the moon blocks part of the sun, are fairly common, about once a year. Total eclipses, when the lineup is perfect, happen about once a year somewhere in the world if you are willing to travel. If you wait in one spot it may be centuries before you see one.

After New Moon the Moon moves into the evening sky, first as a thin crescent, but each night a little more lit up as it moves out from between us and the Sun and around the other side. This is known as a Waxing Moon and will be what you see in the evening sky each night over a period of two weeks after New Moon.

Seven days after New Moon you will see a half illuminated Moon high in the afternoon or evening sky, this is First Quarter. By this time the moon is one quarter is way around one orbit. It makes no difference if the moon is in a daytime sky or a nighttime sky, you can see it either way as long as it is overhead.

Past First Quarter the moon becomes more than half illuminated, this is called a Gibbous Moon. You have to love these old words that have been handed down to us from generations of moon watchers. The phases of the moon used to be very important to farmers and fishermen who timed their lives by the Moon’s cycles. When to plant, when to harvest, when the fish were schooling... important questions if your livelyhood depended on it.

14 days after New Moon the moon is directly away from the Sun, fully illuminated and we call it Full Moon. During this time the moon rises right around sunset and sets near sunrise just as you would expect as they are about oppositely positioned in the sky.

After Full Moon the Moon moves into the morning sky on its way to meet the Sun again, each day becoming a little less lit up as we see more of the night side of the Moon. This is called a Waning Moon and this is what you see in the morning sky, starting with a Gibbous Moon and gradually becoming a Crescent Moon as you watch each day.

To summarize... For about two weeks after New Moon you will see a Waxing Moon in the afternoon and evening sky. Full Moon then marks the halfway point in the cycle. For the following two weeks you will see a Waning Moon in the morning sky at which point we get back to New Moon and the cycle starts again.

All of this is complicated by the turning of the Earth each day. You have to remember you are on a giant merry-go-round called the Earth, and someone has given it a good spin so that we go once around each 24 hours. While the Moon orbits in its slow stately 28 day orbit you are watching it go wizzing by once a day. It takes a little stretching of the mind, but if you think about where the Moon is and where you are it might start to make sense.

The real trick is to see the whole pattern, this merely takes being observant and noting where the Moon is each day, so that you become familiar with it movements. Maybe write down where you see the Moon each day, or even draw the phase each day over the course of a month. If you do you will be several steps ahead of so many of our fellow citizens who have become detached from the natural cycles around them and have forgotten that sense of wonder it takes to learn about our world. I always feel connected to the cosmos each day I walk across a supermarket parking lot and see the Moon in the sky.

source of Artical taken from:
by SiliconOwl: http://askville.amazon.com/