Monday, June 28, 2010

Democracy

Wouldn't it be fun to walk down the street and be arbitrarily questioned and subsequently arrested. It happened to about 900 people this weekend.

What's the big deal after all. It's a special event that happens once every 10 or 20 years. You should have known better anyway, it was all over the news.

What about the next special event? What about the next protest? What about the next walk around your block? Where does it begin and end? How do we determine when it's appropriate to take away peoples rights and when not?

Personally I don't feel safer living in country that has the power to arbitrarily arresting you for no reason except the place that you're walking.

Here is what happened to 2 different people:
Wearing dark jeans, a dark t-shirt and no shoes, Mr. MacDonald said he was arrested for obstruction of police, but that he was released without charge. He said he suspects he was arrested for wearing a bandana, but said it was on his head, not his face.


“They surrounded us and told us to leave,” he said, “but how was I supposed to read the situation?” He said police never once told them how to leave or when the last warning would be before arresting him. He was initially arrested for obstructing the police, he said, but released without being charged.

The arrest figure of more than 900 people includes only those who were taken to the detention centre, not those who were temporarily detained by police, Const. Murphy said. Most people were released without being charged.


Thursday, June 10, 2010

RePost Grass Fed cows better than grain!

Jennifer Sygo, National Post · Thursday, Jun. 10, 2010

Do cows get enough respect? In our increasingly eco-and health-conscious world, beef and dairy products make an easy target. After all, raising cattle requires a great deal of energy and water inputs, and yields a heavy output of methane, a greenhouse gas that is thought to contribute to climate change. Couple that with clinical evidence that shows a diet rich in red meat could increase our risk of developing heart disease and cancer, and you've got a recipe that calls for the avoidance of bovine-based products at the dinner table.

But maybe there is more to the health benefits in beef and milk than meets the eye. A new study, published in the May edition of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, has drawn enough attention to warrant a second look. In the study, slightly more than 1,800 heart attack sufferers in Costa Rica were matched with an equal number of individuals with similar demographics and health profiles, but who had not suffered a heart attack. In analyzing the subjects' adipose (fat) tissue, researchers from Harvard and the University of Michigan found higher levels of conjugated linoleic acid, or CLA, a compound previously touted for its potential heart-health and cancer-fighting benefits, in the tissue of those who had not had heart attacks.

The twist, however, is that higher levels of CLA were associated with consumption of beef products from grass-fed cows. While raising cows on grass is still common in Costa Rica, it has become a relative rarity in North America, as the majority of cattle are raised on grain. This raises the question: Are there other potential benefits to raising cows on a diet of greens?

COWS ON GRASS

What happens when you feed a cow grass, instead of a more typical (at least in recent decades) corn-and grain-based diet? Put simply, you get a different kind of cow. According to a small but growing body of research, grass-fed cows produce meat and milk with a more favourable fatty acid (read: fat) profile than grain-or corn-raised cattle.

Not only do grass-fed cows produce a higher level of CLA, but according to a review published in the March edition of the Journal of Nutrition, they also have higher levels of a precursor to CLA, known as trans vaccenic acid, as well as heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids (yes, those are the same fats that you usually have to eat fish to get -- cows can produce them naturally when they graze on grass). Beyond the beef, the milk of cows raised on grass seems to be healthier, with higher levels of CLA than grain-fed beef.

Even more interesting, it seems that, while grass-fed beef does contain a similar amount of saturated fat as grain-fed beef, the profile of the saturated fats can actually be less harmful to humans vs. grain-fed meats. (There are several types of saturated fats in food, each of which can characterized by their length, which in turn affects their potential for raising your risk of heart disease.) Translation: Grass-fed beef not only contains more of the stuff that seems to help your heart, it has fewer of the compounds that could harm it.

GRASS-FED TASTE?

Health benefits aside, there is some debate as to whether or not consumers prefer the taste of grass versus grain-fed beef. Since the majority of us were raised on beef from feedlots, research from the U.S. suggests we tend to prefer the taste of grain-fed beef. That doesn't mean grass-fed beef is unpalatable; it just has a slightly different taste that might require some getting used to.

SO, WHERE'S THE GRASS?

In the '80s, we were asked "where's the beef?" Now, the question might be "where's the grass?" If grass-fed cows are indeed healthier for us (and there is evidence to indicate that it's healthier for the cow, too), then why aren't more of our cows fed grass vs. grain? The answer is complex, but cost is a big factor: It simply takes longer to raise a cow exclusively on grass than on a mixed or grain-based diet. Higher production costs then translate to more expensive product for the consumer.

So why devote oneself to pasture-raising cattle when the process is more painstaking and less profitable? For some, it's simply a way of life, passed down through generations. For others, it's about sustainability, with farming practices that could range from better conditions for the cattle, to protecting habitat of local animals and birds. But since there is no governing body to oversee standards of practice when it comes to producing grass-fed beef and milk, it's up to the individual to learn about the practices at each farm. While that might seem like a nuisance to some, it's a great way to connect with those who produce our food first-hand.

If you're interested in trying grass-fed beef or dairy products, your best place to start is your local farmer's market. Look for products from cows that graze on grass through the summer, and hay in the winter, and try a few different products to see how you like the taste. You can also check your local health-food supermarket for grass-fed products. Either way, while you might pay a premium, the payoff in terms of your health might well be worth it.

- Jennifer Sygo is a dietitian in private practice at Cleveland Clinic Canada ( clevelandclinic.ca),which offers executive physicals, prevention and wellness counselling and personal health care management in Toronto.

jsygo@rogers.com


Read more: http://www.nationalpost.com/news/canada/toronto/beefs+about+feed+cows/3134565/story.html#ixzz0qUNJWi5O
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