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Contents of Page 2 |
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| Legends of Old: | Cottontail Boy and Bluejay | |
| Feature Story: | Hopi and Navajo delegation warned Lehman Brothers | |
|
Letters to the Editor: |
To Be A Tribe... Or Not; Maya Spirits | |
| Organic Consumers: | Avoid Genetically Engineered Sugar | |
| Elder's Meditations: | Chief Councilor, Leonard George | |
| Health: | FDA Scientists Revolt Against Corrupt Food and Drug Administration Officials | |
| Plant Medicine: | Mullein - Verbascum thapsus | |
| Fluoride: | Fluoride May Contribute to Early Puberty | |
| Animal Rights and Wrongs: | A | U.S. Navy Needlessly Slaughters Whales |
| Endangered Sacred Sites: | Oldest Skeleton in Americas | |
Now he scoffed at her. He said, "You there who goes along hindmost. It is said
of you that your vulva distends as large as the land that extends up the
valley."
But she grew tired presently and Blue jay said to her from above, "Aunt, I said
nothing to you. I respect you. Cottontail Boy is given to saying things like
that. I was even angry at him myself. Wait a moment and let me advise you, for
you are just to avenge yourself. Build a fire there at the entrance. Build a
fire there; and when you hear him cough ["lik, " 'lik", 'lik"" - - sound of
choking cough] and choke, you will know that he is suffocating. Then you will
smear yourself with pitch all around the crotch of your legs and squat over the
fire. Then, just as Cottontail Boy dashes out, he will run squarely into this
and stick."
Over
the past year, we warned its readers
about the forced introduction of
genetically engineered sugar beets into
the U.S. food supply in 2008. The health
and environmental effects of these crops
are relatively unknown and have
historically resulted in an increase in
pesticide use. Most of the mainstream
table sugar, cereal and candy companies
have refused to ban genetically
engineered sugar in their products,
including American Crystal and Kelloggs.
While OCA and its allies continue to
work to remove this new biotech food
from the mainstream market, before it
becomes as ubiquitous as genetically
engineered corn, soybeans and rBGH, we
have some tips for consumers:
In
an inspiring scene of solidarity, the
likes of which hasn't been seen since
the 1930s, more than 200 workers at a
Chicago plant have refused to leave work
after being unexpectedly laid off.
Executives at the company, Republic
Windows and Doors, announced massive
layoffs after banks informed the company
of credit cutbacks. Although Bank of
America received a $25 billion taxpayer
funded bailout, the financial behemoth
continues to constrict credit, including
cutting off operating credit to Republic
Windows and Doors. In response to the
layoffs, members of United Electrical
Workers Local 1110 called for a sit-in
at the factory. Worker backlash of this
kind hasn't been seen in the U.S. since
the Great Depression. Protesting workers
wear signs reading, "You got bailed out,
we got sold out."
After years of pressure from scientists,
citizen groups and health advocates, the
FDA has posted a statement to its
website that is nothing less than a
watershed event in oral hygiene history
(it's actually quite a bit more exciting
than that may sound). Although the FDA
has previously adamantly denied any and
all scientific evidence pointing to
negative health impacts from mercury
fillings, the FDA has now posted the
following to its website: "Dental
amalgams contain mercury, which may have
neurotoxic effects on the nervous
systems of developing children and
fetuses...Pregnant women and persons who
may have a health condition that makes
them more sensitive to mercury exposure,
including individuals with existing high
levels of mercury bioburden, should not
avoid seeking dental care, but should
discuss options with their health
practitioner."
The
OCA alerted consumers on October
29th about a proposed rule that
represents the broadest rewrite of
federal organic regulations in
history. OCA welcomes the new
proposed rules in terms of closing
loopholes relating to pasture and
forage requirements that had
previously allowed dairy companies
like Aurora and Horizon to source
their milk from giant industrial
feedlots. Unfortunately, the new
proposed rules also include a number
of new cumbersome regulations that
would cause tremendous hardship, or
even put the majority of organic
livestock farmers out of business.
OCA also objects to the part of the
proposed regulations that would
allow non-organic cattle to be
brought onto a certified organic
dairy farm and then be considered
organic. The OCA has joined together
with the Cornucopia Institute and a
number of the nation's leading
organic certifiers to encourage the
USDA to revise its proposed rule to
crack down on factory farm abuses,
and uphold organic integrity,
without making it impossible for
existing organic farms to operate
and thrive.
Mullein
is an easily recognizable plant found throughout
Michigan in fields, meadows, and anywhere the ground has
been disturbed. It is a biennial, putting forth a
rosette of fuzzy leaves upon the ground the first year,
and sending up its characteristic yellow flowered stalk
the second. After seeding, the plant dies. The dead
brown stalk is an excellent indicator of where to look
for first year rosettes, as they can often be found
within 15-20 feet from the dead stalk. All parts of the
plant offer an abundance of healing medicine.
Dubbed
Eva de Naharon, or Eve of Naharon, the female skeleton has been dated at
13,600 years old. If that age is accurate, the skeleton—along with three
others found in underwater caves along the Caribbean coast of the
Yucatán Peninsula—could provide new clues to how the Americas were first
populated.
Confirmation
of Eve of Naharon's age could further revolutionize the thinking about
the settlement of the Americas.