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A Little Girl’s Project Shows Us Why We Need To Choose Organic Produce

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As part of a simple school project a young student by the name of Elise was tasked with discovering how long it would take for a fully grown sweet potato to grow vines. The project itself is quite simple, and is a regular part of many elementary school curriculum’s since all that it involves is the sticking of toothpicks into the sweet potato and the suspension of it into a glass of water. If left near a window that receives sunlight the sweet potato should grow vines, which is the exact process that Elise was looking to monitor. (Click HERE for an exact step-by-step guide on how to do this)
Elise’s discovery however went a lot further than this when she initially purchased sweet potato failed to grow vines after three weeks of following the given instructions. Here is the full video featuring Elise’s discovery:



What initially started as a simple science experiment quickly evolved into a potent and unintentional piece of evidence in support of the purchase of organic rather than conventional produce. As Elise so adorably mentioned as a part of her explanation, the conventional sweet potato was sprayed with bud nip, alternatively known as Chlorpropham. Bud nip is just one of the many chemicals widely used in non-organic farming and agriculture.

What Is Bud Nip?

Bud Nip is a plant growth regulator used for the control of grass weeds on several fruit and vegetable plants. In potatoes, such as the sweet potatoes that we conventionally purchase, bud nip is used primarily to inhibit potato sprouting -the exact process that Elise was looking to create as a part of her experiment. On the surface bud nip seems relatively harmless, however certain studies show that it also comes with a fair level of potential side effects -many of which Elise mentions -that do more than an adequate job at justifying the ‘caution’ warning that it is labelled with.  Bud nip is considered moderately toxic for ingestion, an irritant for the eyes and skin and was responsible for a number of side effects and even death of several of the animals that it was tested on. Despite this, bud nip is regularly used directly on an abundance of non-organic produce, and indirectly on other produce due to its highly soluble nature in both soil and groundwater. This could potentially explain how even the organic sweet potato that Elise had purchased from the conventional grocery store did not sprout nearly as impressive as the final one that she had purchased from the organic food market. Elise’s experiment serves as a simple yet profound reminder of the option that we have to grow or purchase organic produce. It may currently be the more expensive of the two product options that exists, but when it involves our health it certainly cannot be overlooked.
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Warmhearted cop gives the shirt off his back to homeless man shivering in freezing New York City

Officer Carlos Ramos saw Robert William shivering in the freezing New York weather on Friday morning.  He had only a thermal undershirt on and was ripping up his other shirt to wrap around his feet as socks.  Ramos gave William the sweater he was wearing under his uniform

One New York City cop gave the sweater he was wearing to a homeless man who was dressed only in a thermal undershirt Friday when temperatures dropped to 23 degrees.
Officer Carlos Ramos, 29, was assigned to look for suspicious activity near the United Nations in midtown Manhattan when he spotted Robert William sitting on a sidewalk outside the Robert Moses Park dog run.

William was sitting barefoot because his shoes had gotten soaked, and had taken off his outer shirt to try and wrap it around his freezing cold feet.
Warm heart: NYPD Transit Bureau officer Carlos Ramos stopped and gave Robert William a sweater off his back in the frigid New York morning on Friday


Warm heart: NYPD Transit Bureau officer Carlos Ramos stopped and gave Robert William a sweater off his back in the frigid New York morning on Friday
Grateful: Robert Williams' shoes were wet and he had only a thermal undershirt on


Grateful: Robert Williams' shoes were wet and he had only a thermal undershirt on
'I saw he was in need and it was my job to help him,' Ramos told the New York Daily News.
'I saw he had no coat,' he said. 'It was a very cold day, because I was very cold even bundled up.'
He offered the thick, navy blue Champion sweatshirt he was wearing under his uniform and coat to William, who initially refused. 
'My concern was for him - his concern was for me staying warm,' Ramos told the Daily News.
Ramos finally convinced William to take the sweatshirt.
'He gave it to me. He said, "Don’t worry about it,"' William told the New York Post. 
'I felt good about having it.'
Makeshift: After Ramos left, William, wearing his new sweater, tore up his shirt to wear as socks


Makeshift: After Ramos left, William, wearing his new sweater, tore up his shirt to wear as socks.

The warmhearted officer told the Daily News that he regularly helps people out, especially when the weather is cold.

'A nice cup of coffee, a tea, whatever seems appropriate,' he said. 
Ramos has been a NYPD officer since 2007. He works in anti-crime and counterterrorism for the Transit Bureau.

William told the New York Post that he doesn't know how long he's been homeless for, but that he used to live uptown at West 163rd and St Nicholas Ave before an argument with a roommate saw him turfed out onto the streets.
Good Samaritan: Larry DePrimo won a host of fans last November when a photograph of him kneeling down to give a pair of boots to a homeless man in Times Square went viral


Good Samaritan: Larry DePrimo won a host of fans last November when a photograph of him kneeling down to give a pair of boots to a homeless man in Times Square went viral
As winter sets in and temperatures drop below , the plight of homeless people who make their beds on the streets of New York City becomes critical.

Ramos' warm-hearted deed comes almost exactly a year after a New York police officer Larry DePrimo won fans after buying Jeffrey Hillman, 54, a homeless man, a pair of boots.
Hillman was sitting barefoot in Times Square with blisters on his feet from the cold.
DePrimo bought Hillman a $100 pair of Sketcher's boots from a nearby store after Hillman told him he was fine - and that he'd never had a pair of shoes.
DePrimo was recently promoted to detective.

                                                (http://www.njnewsday.com/national...)

Top 10 Most Common GMO Foods

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Genetically Modified Organisms (referred to as GM or GMO) are found in up to 80% of the food sold in American supermarkets. GM plants are much more common than many people realize too. Here is a list of the 10 most common GMO foods so you can be more aware while grocery shopping.

1. Soy

Up to 90% of soybeans in the market have been genetically modified to be resistant to an herbicide called, RoundUp. This increased resistance to the herbicide allows farmers to use more RoundUp to kill weeds. However, this results not only in a genetically modified food product, but also a food product loaded with more chemicals.

2. Corn

Half of the US farms growing corn to sell to the conglomerate, Monsanto, are growing GMO corn. Most of this corn is going to be used for human consumption. Genetically modified corn has been linked to health problems, including weight gain and organ disruption.

3. Canola oil

Canola oil is derived from rapeseed oil. It is considered one of the most chemically altered oils sold in the US.

4. Cotton

Even cotton has been genetically modified to increase yield and resistance to disease. Most concern relates to the cotton oil which is a is a high-value cooking or frying oil and is sometimes used to make margarine. Cotton originates from India, and China, in particular, is considered higher risk for personal health.  

5. Milk

One fifth of the dairy cows in the United States has been given growth hormones to help them grow faster and increase their yield. These hormones can be found in some of the milk produced by these cows. These growth hormones have been shown to act in the human body.

6. Sugar

Genetically modified sugar beets were introduced to the US market in 2009. These sugar beets are modified to resist Roundup, like corn.

7. Aspartame

Aspartame is an artificial sweetener used instead of sugar by many people. There is some question concerning the safety of aspartame in the body, including its possible link to certain cancers. Aspartame is manufactured from genetically modified bacteria.

8. Zucchini

Genetically modified zucchini contains a toxic protein that helps make it more resistant to insects. This introduced insecticide, has recently been found in human blood, including that of pregnant women and fetuses. This indicates that some of the insecticide is making its way into our bodies rather than being broken down and excreted.

9. Yellow squash

Yellow squash has also been modified with the toxic proteins to make it insect resistant. This plant is very similar to zucchini, and both have also been modified to resist viruses.

10. Papaya

Genetically modified papaya trees have been grown in Hawaii since 1999. These Papayas are sold in the United States and Canada for human consumption. These papayas have been modified to be naturally resistant to the Papaya Ringspot virus, and also to delay the maturity of the fruit. Delaying maturity gives suppliers more time to ship the fruit to supermarkets.
These are just 10 of the most prevalent GMO foods found in the supermarket. There are many others currently for sale and being grown for the market. If you want to stay away from GMOs, always keep an eye out for a label that indicates food is organic or non-GMO.
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Avocado Seeds

Surprising health benefits and uses of Avocado Seeds:  http://positivemed.com/2013/05/27/avocado-seeds/

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