I wanted to catch up on a few things.
But first…it’s difficult, if you live in the eastern U.S., not to be terrified about what’s happening to winter. Yesterday it was 69 degrees here in Boston, and throughout the Northeast, temperatures set records–not just by a degree or two, but by five to fifteen degrees. Lots of people were out bicycling and otherwise enjoying the warm weather, but beneath the surface, there is an anxiety. For me, the feeling is something like when I used to watch horror movies and wonder how helpless earthlings must have felt as invaders threatened the planet. Of course, in this case, the threat is us.
Europe is experiencing the same concerns. Yesterday’s Financial Times examined the potential economic effects on northern and southern Europe of global warming, concluding that northern Europe could potentially benefit, at least for a while, from milder climate, while southern Europe will likely be devastated economically. I suspect similar outcomes in the U.S.
I think what is so troubling about this winter’s warmth is the sense that the pace of change might be speeding up.
–There was an interesting item Friday on NPR about cloning, since a number of readers expressed concerns about my report on the FDA’s assessment that cloned meat and milk are no different from conventional produced products. (Thanks to Lynn McGaha for locating the link.) The network’s science editor pointed out that there are still a number of steps to come before food from cloned animals is actually sold, and from a market perspective, there is much resistance by not only the American public, but by the rest of the world.
While on NPR’s Health and Science section, I found another interesting item about efforts to implement tighter regulations on California’s farmers to reduce problems with E.coli. Then when I went back today to find the item, I couldn’t locate it. But what impressed me in the piece was the frequent assertion by regulatory officials and farmers to effect, "You’re never going to get rid of the E.coli completely." And I wondered, why doesn’t that attitude apply to raw milk? Instead, it’s zero tolerance for raw milk.
One discouraging report I did find on NPR examines the aggressive efforts to sell high-caffeine energy drinks to teenagers. The food companies like to get them young.
–Finally, I wanted to acknowledge the insightful comments from my posting, "Some Ideas for Reducing Our Pill Dependency". Miguel, Elizabeth McInerney, and Linda Diane Feldt all gave me much to chew on. I can only marvel with them at the sophisitcation of our bodies–a sophistication that, as Linda suggests, is sometimes so subtle it requires very careful attention to pick up on. I also realize ever more clearly that what the pill companies are primarily pushing is convenience. Brewing teas, making raw milk butter, and grinding juices take time and energy. We may have experienced first hand that the time and energy are worth it in terms of good health: how to sell that simple concept?
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