What we're reading in the Arena.

Irma Devastates Florida Orange Crop, Harms Other Produce

2017-09-14T10:01:00.001-07:00

Irma Devastates Florida Orange Crop, Harms Other Produce: Florida fruit growers and farmers have just barely begun to assess the damage Hurricane Irma wrought on the state's citrus, sugar cane and vegetable crops — but they expect it will be significant.

Japanese Brewer To Acquire San Francisco Icon Anchor Steam

2017-08-22T06:59:00.001-07:00

Japanese Brewer To Acquire San Francisco Icon Anchor Steam: Sapporo Holdings last week announced an agreement to purchase Anchor Brewing Co. for a reported $85 million. The deal does not include Anchor Distilling, which will continue as an independent company.

Europe Is Running Out Of Butter

2017-08-16T06:24:00.001-07:00

Europe Is Running Out Of Butter: A sharp increase in global demand has caused the wholesale price of butter to nearly double in Europe, causing a butter crisis.

What Amazon Wants From Whole Foods: Data on Shopping Habits

2017-07-04T13:46:00.001-07:00

What Amazon Wants From Whole Foods: Data on Shopping Habits: Why is Amazon spending nearly $14 billion for Whole Foods ? One reason: People who buy yoga mats and fitness trackers on Amazon might also like grapes, nuts and other healthy items at the organic grocery chain.

Are Hot Dogs Healthier Without Added Nitrites?

2017-07-03T08:34:00.001-07:00

Are Hot Dogs Healthier Without Added Nitrites?: Oscar Mayer is touting its new hot dog recipe that uses nitrite derived from celery juice instead of artificial sodium nitrite, which is used to preserve the pinkish colors of processed meats and prevents botulism. Kraft Heinz, which owns Oscar Mayer, says sodium nitrite is among the artificial ingredients it has removed from the product to reflect changing consumer preferences.

Ford Brothers Wholesale Meats, Inc. Recalls Beef Products Due to Misbranding and Undeclared Allergens

2017-05-10T08:56:00.001-07:00

Ford Brothers Wholesale Meats, Inc. Recalls Beef Products Due to Misbranding and Undeclared Allergens: Ford Brothers Wholesale Meats, Inc., is recalling 4,015 pounds of beef patties due to misbranding and undeclared allergens, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service announced Monday.

Why do "beef" patties contain any soy?

Argentine Lemon Ban Trump Protectionism or Sanitary Measure?

2017-04-19T10:46:00.001-07:00

Argentine Lemon Ban Trump Protectionism or Sanitary Measure?: President Donald Trump appears to have soured on Argentine lemons — at least on his predecessor's decision to end a 16-year ban on imports of the fruit.

Trump Vows to Solve Dairy Dispute with Canada

2017-04-19T10:43:00.001-07:00

Trump Vows to Solve Dairy Dispute with Canada: President Donald Trump is promising to find a solution to a trade dispute with Canada that has left dairy farmers in Wisconsin and New York without a market for their product.

Farmers Dismayed That USDA Delays Fair Practice Rule

2017-04-13T12:49:00.001-07:00

Farmers Dismayed That USDA Delays Fair Practice Rule: A rule designed to protect the legal rights of farmers who grow chickens and hogs for the nation's largest meat processors has been delayed by at least six months, halting an initiative rolled out in the final days of Barack Obama's administration.

A Simple Sniff

2017-04-13T09:40:00.001-07:00

A Simple Sniff

Smartphone Addiction Leads to Personal, Social, Workplace Problems

2017-04-13T07:17:00.001-07:00

Smartphone Addiction Leads to Personal, Social, Workplace Problems

I don't think addiction is the correct term to use in this case.

Defects in Epithelial Tissue Organisation – a Question of Life or Death

2017-04-13T07:09:00.003-07:00

Defects in Epithelial Tissue Organisation – a Question of Life or Death

Surprising Brain Change Appears to Drive Alcohol Dependence

2017-04-13T07:09:00.001-07:00

Surprising Brain Change Appears to Drive Alcohol Dependence

Blue Apron Acquires BN Ranch

2017-03-24T07:41:00.001-07:00

Blue Apron Acquires BN Ranch

The "Blue Apron" phenomenon (there are other companies that do much the same) escapes me. It's so much cheaper just to buy the ingredients yourself.

Except for the shopping, I really don't see how you're saving any time and energy. Certainly you're spending more.

Expert: Bird Flu Outbreak Nation's Worst Since 2015

2017-03-24T07:38:00.001-07:00

Expert: Bird Flu Outbreak Nation's Worst Since 2015: A bird flu outbreak that has led officials to euthanize more than 200,000 animals in three Southern states already is the nation's worst since 2015 and new cases are still popping up, an expert said Wednesday.

Stories like this push me towards plant based eating...

Deep South Freeze Means Fewer Blueberries and Peaches

2017-03-23T20:08:00.001-07:00

Deep South Freeze Means Fewer Blueberries and Peaches: Last week's deep freeze in the Southeast appears to have nearly wiped out Georgia's blueberries and South Carolina's peaches and seriously damaged a number of other crops like strawberries and apples.

Lobster-Crazy China Sets Record for US Crustacean Imports

2017-03-20T09:24:00.001-07:00

Lobster-Crazy China Sets Record for US Crustacean Imports: The expanding market for lobsters in China is continuing to grow, with the country setting a new record for the value of its imports of the crustaceans from the United States.

How long before the lobsters are over harvested?

US Dairy Leaders Promise Steadfast Commitment to Mexico

2017-03-16T09:34:00.001-07:00

US Dairy Leaders Promise Steadfast Commitment to Mexico: The leaders of three major U.S. dairy organizations on Wednesday promised to continue a strong commitment to their time-tested partnership with Mexico's dairy industry and consumers.

Industry Tracker: Bottled Water Overtakes Soda in US

2017-03-12T10:32:00.001-07:00

Industry Tracker: Bottled Water Overtakes Soda in US: An industry tracker says bottled water overtook soda as the No. 1 drink in the U.S. by sales volume last year.

Personally, I drink tap water-- but I live in an area where the water quality is excellent.

Feds Probe Listeria Outbreak Linked to Cheese; 2 People Dead

2017-03-12T10:30:00.001-07:00

Feds Probe Listeria Outbreak Linked to Cheese; 2 People Dead: Authorities are investigating a multistate listeria outbreak linked to a recalled cheese that has sickened several people and killed two, in Connecticut and Vermont.

Food Delivery of the Future? Robots Bringing Meals to DC

2017-03-12T10:29:00.001-07:00

Food Delivery of the Future? Robots Bringing Meals to DC: Some hungry customers in the nation's capital may be surprised to discover a robot is delivering their pastrami on rye.

What happens when the weather is bad?

Review: Kipling's Jungle Book + movies

2017-03-04T17:24:00.002-08:00

To be clear, I’m only going to include commentary on the part of The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling that relate to with the boy raised in the jungle by wolves, Mowgli. The book itself is a collection of stories, some of which have nothing to do with Mowgli.

Baloo Murray

I will begin with the 2016 movie, The Jungle Book.
I didn’t want to like this movie. I first watched it in bits and pieces on a trans Atlantic flight, and found it amusing. But that was on a long flight when other options were limited. Then I watched it again on Netflix, and found parts of it laugh out loud funny. Particularly funny are the scenes With Bill Murray as Baloo the Bear in the Monkey Temple.
Read the rest.

My education biases upfront

2017-03-04T17:17:00.000-08:00

Thursdays have become the day on which I choose to opine on education. Since making that choice and subsequent announcement, this is the fourth entry in the series. It's about time that I discuss my history and biases.

My schooling

I've mentioned previously that I was educated in the public schools, but I will add that those schools were in the Midwest. The term Midwest is relatively vague because people don't define the region consistently, but I don't want to be any more specific than that. I just wanted to indicate that I didn't attend school in the Northeast or on either coast.

My husband was also educated in the public schools, in fact, his mother taught and later became a vice principal in the same distract. When our children reached school age, it wasn't even a question, they entered public school. Neither finished school in the public system, but for very different reasons. Technically, they were considered private school students at graduation because they graduated from an online high school.
Read the rest.

Menopause, chemicals and other tidbits

2017-03-04T11:00:00.003-08:00

I haven't finished writing up all the notes I took while listening the vegan diabetes summit, otherwise known as the Mastering Diabetes Online Summit. However, I traveled this weekend, beginning on Friday, then my return got delayed by weather and thus have seen my planned publishing schedule get shredded. I will finish the diabetes summit, because the days remaining to be summarized offered some of the most interesting presentations— at least in my view. Now that the summit is past, and my schedule shredded, it may be that I will space the commentaries out a bit. As I was already doing that, I doubt anyone would notice even if I didn't announce it.

In any event, having finally arrived home, for today, here are links to recent news or items relating to diet or health.

Apparently chemicals in fast food wrappers can get into the food they contact. An obvious solution is to not buy food prepackaged in wrappers… but that’s not likely to be an easy sell.
Of 407 fast-food packaging samples tested, 33% had detectable levels of fluorine, a marker for a class of highly fluorinated chemicals known as PFASs (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), reported Laurel Schaider, PhD, of the Silent Spring Institute in Newton, Mass., and colleagues.
“Silent Spring”? This makes me think that there’s an agenda behind these findings. However,
Previous research has linked PFASs with cancer, thyroid disease, immunotoxicity, low birth weight, and decreased fertility. These chemicals are used in food packaging because of their water- and grease-resistant properties, and research has shown they can leach into food, the authors wrote in Environmental Science & Technology Letters.
Facts are facts. Don’t buy the stuff and avoid the issue. It isn’t as hard as most people think.

Read the rest.

Mastering Diabetes Summit Day 4, Part 2

2017-03-04T10:58:00.000-08:00

This is the sixth in a series in which I am commenting on the Mastering Diabetes Online Summit, otherwise known as the Vegan Diabetes Summit. The two hosts, Cyrus Khambatta and Robby Barbaro, manage their type one diabetes (T1D) with a raw, high carb low fat diet, consisting of mostly fruit. Links to the videos and audio recordings of the event expired Thursday, February 9th at 9:00 PM Pacific time. However, I have notes for most of the talks though day seven (Day 8 was all about testimonials) and I will continue to present them until I've gone through them all.

Please remember: I am not a nutritionist or medical professional. I am stating what these presenters claimed, mostly without any fact checking. When I know a statement is false, I say so. However, no endorsement is implied for statements presented without additional commentary or fact checking. These are not recaps, merely some notes and commentary I made while listening.

Joel Fuhrman MD

Curing young T1Ds, or extending the honeymoon? That's not the title of Fuhrman's talk, but it is the most critical topic and claim that he made during his hour.
Read the rest.