Toxic Soup Of Refuse
Posted by Michelle Moquin on June 3rd, 2009
Have you been reading my mind Al?
Today’s article is the continuation of yesterday’s write and the subject is just that: This huge monstrosity of plastic debris twice the size of Texas that is created from six million tonnes of discarded plastic! When I read the article I was flabbergasted. How could we have such a major disruption in our ecosystem and not have it be on the news every night. Thankfully, it was on Oprah, which I didn’t see, but everyone needs to be aware just how bad plastic is, and in my mind, taking over our beloved planet. More has to be done to stop this ever growing plastic island that is floating in the middle of the North Pacific.
And you’re right Al. Not only about the food that we consume, but about our medical system. Every time I give blood, I look around at all of the plastic being used and many of it just once and thrown away. I always have visions of that movie ‘Sex, Lives and Videotapes’, where the actor Andie McDowell is talking to her therapist and her biggest concern is where all of the garbage is going. I’m like her. I think about that same thing all of the time.
Anyways, back to subject: The floating isle of debris….
The toxic soup of refuse was discovered in 1997 when Charles Moore, an oceanographer, decided to travel through the centre of the North Pacific gyre (a vortex or circular ocean current). Navigators usually avoid oceanic gyres because persistent high-pressure systems — also known as the doldrums — lack the winds and currents to benefit sailors.
Mr Moore found bottle caps, plastic bags and polystyrene floating with tiny plastic chips. Worn down by sunlight and waves, discarded plastic disintegrates into smaller pieces. Suspended under the surface, these tiny fragments are invisible to ships and satellites trying to map the plastic continent, but in subsequent trawls Mr Moore discovered that the chips outnumbered plankton by six to one.
Is your jaw dropping? Are your eyes welling up with tears? Mine are. Read on…there’s more that will break your heart.
The damage caused by these tiny fragments is more insidious than strangulation, entrapment and choking by larger plastic refuse. The fragments act as sponges for heavy metals and pollutants until mistaken for food by small fish. The toxins then become more concentrated as they move up the food chain through larger fish, birds and marine mammals.
“You can buy certified organic farm produce, but no fishmonger on earth can sell you a certified organic wild-caught fish. This is our legacy,” said Mr Moore.
Because of their tiny size and the scale of the problem, he believes that nothing can be solved at sea. “Trying to clean up the Pacific gyre would bankrupt any country and kill wildlife in the nets as it went.”
We’ve been told to eat wild caught fish and that farmed fish is not as good because the farmed fish don’t have or build up the natural resistances to the environment that wild fish have. But what wild fish can stave off the toxic soup they’re swimming in and the heavy metals and pollutants that they are mistakenly eating? This saddens me to no end.
This month 151ft brigantine Kaisei (Japanese for Planet Ocean) will unfurl its sails in San Francisco to try to prove Mr Moore wrong. Project Kaisei’s flagship will be joined by a decommissioned fishing trawler armed with specialised nets. The goal is for the scientists and conservationists on the expedition to retrieve and recycle this plastic disaster. Is it possible and will retrieval do any good? Once again, we are dealing with the problem and not much is being done to prevent an even bigger island from being created from our throw-away plastic bottles and containers.
Here is the rest of the article:
“The trick is collecting the plastic while minimising the catch of sea life. We can’t catch the tiny pieces. But the net benefit of getting the rest out is very likely to be better than leaving it in,” says Doug Woodring, the leader of the project.
With a crew of 30, the expedition, supported by the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and Brita, the water company, will use unmanned aircraft and robotic surface explorers to map the extent and depth of the plastic continent while collecting 40 tonnes of the refuse for trial recycling.
“We have a few technologies that can turn thin plastics into diesel fuel. Other technologies are much more hardcore, to deal with the hard plastics,” says Mr Woodring, who hopes to run his vessels on the recycled fuel.
Plastics bags, food wrappers and containers are the second and third most common items in marine debris around the world, according to the Ocean Conservancy, which is based in Washington. The proportion of tiny fragments, known as mermaid’s tears, are less easily quantified.
The UN’s environmental programme estimates that 18,000 pieces of plastic have ended up in every square kilometre of the sea, totalling more than 100 million tonnes. The North Pacific gyre — officially called the northern subtropical convergence zone — is thought to contain the biggest concentration. Ideal conditions for shifting slicks of plastic also exist in the South Pacific, the Indian Ocean and the North and South Atlantic, but no research vessel has investigated those areas. If this exploratory mission is successful, a bigger fleet will depart in 2010.
Mr Woodring admits that Project Kaisei has limitations. “We won’t be able to clean up the entire ocean. The solution really lies on land. We have to treat plastics in a totally different way, and stop them ever reaching the ocean.”
Did you learn something about plastics? Is it not apparent that something major needs to be done?
I wish them luck. And I wish for everyone to consider what they buy when they go shopping and use less plastic. Or even better, If you love a product and know that the plastics they are using are not recyclable, e-mail them linking the article or write them and send them a print out of it. Their bottom line is no excuse anymore.
Thanks for reading.
Please do something.
We only have One Planet, One Earth.
~~~~~~~
Hi ZL: How are you? Sorry that I have not called. I am up to my eyeballs in paperwork these days. We’ll catch up soon.
Anna: I had to laugh at your comment to your Chamorros friends: “I do this out of love. It is not my job.” Oh, how many times I have said those same words in my mind to myself when I have felt that I have not been putting enough time into my morning blog. But then oops, I realize no one is demanding anything of me except myself. That’s when I tell myself to shut up and carry on. I’m doing what I can. By the way, you’re doing a great job committing yourself to writing here everyday too. Hafa Adai.
Curious Minds: That question came to my mind too. Hey TAO: Did you and/or Maddie ‘borrow’ that Brazilian plane and try to fool us with some phony debris? (Added 9:15am: Note: This is in no disrespect to those lives that were lost, nor to the families who have lost their loved ones.)
Hello Alexander: How are you? Thank you for the very interesting history lesson. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and I bet my readers did too. Please tell us more. It is a welcoming break from all that is being discussed on my blog.
Gratefully your blog host,
michelle
Aka BABE: Your Bad Ass Bitch Editor
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June 3rd, 2009 at 8:30 am
The news media are gleefully informing us that census poll says 70% of the population say we should do away with Affirmative action. Duh!
What would you expect the most privileged group in American history to say now that Affirmative action they rigged the government to give them has left them with seniority in all the key positions in government.
Why would white men want the government to do anything to try to level the playing field. Now they are the ones crying the loudest whenever they feel they may have to share their illegal gains from their Affirmative actions.
Pearl
June 3rd, 2009 at 8:46 am
Pearl, I’m with you girl. I hear this on my job all the time. Whites oppose it, hispanics are split down the middle and black endorse it.
Whites like to claim that discrimination is over so they can smile at you when they tell you why they are against discrimination in any form. I stand, smile and say “I see your point.” Actually the point I see is that they like the privileged position they have attained by discriminating against my people so f**k you.
Those same whites are so distressed by Judge Sotomayor’s ruling against those white firefighters. OTWs get discriminated against every day by the courts. Yet you never hear of it. But any angst suffered by the white boy has to be played ad nausea.
I for one flip the channel every time it is brought up.
Pearl
June 3rd, 2009 at 8:47 am
Hey guys we got another airline besides Northwest to bring us to Guam from Japan. Delta is now doing it once a day.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
First Delta Air Lines Flight Comes And Goes From Guam
Wednesday, 03 June 2009 16:56
Guam – The first flight for new carrier, Delta Air Lines, departed from Guam today for Japan. Delta announced that it is adding a daily nonstop flight between Guam and Tokyo-Narita, beginning with this first flight.
Delta has come to Guam due to a merger between the carrier and Northwest airlines, which has serviced the island for many years. The new flight from Japan will compliment the existing service by providing more convenient connections for travelers. The new flight will be opertaed by one of Delta’s 216-seat Boeing 767-300ER aircraft, which features 35 BusinessElite seats and 181 in economy class.
“The Guam Visitors Bureau is pleased to welcome Delta Air Lines to Guam and we look forward to forming a close partnership with them,” said Acting General Manager Ernie Galito, “It’s exciting for GVB and Guam to have a new partner to work with to grow our tourism industry.”
=================================
Hafa adai
Anna
June 3rd, 2009 at 8:51 am
SURPRISING HEART BENEFIT OF FLOSSING
Marjory Abrams, publisher of Bottom Line Publications, has a theory that dentists will eventually become first-line practitioners for assorted medical issues, thanks to increasing evidence connecting oral health and hygiene with chronic disease throughout the body. Here’s yet another study connecting flossing and inflammatory ailments that reinforces her vision. This time, researchers found that flossing reduces C-reactive protein (CRP) levels, a critical biomarker of inflammation in the body. High levels of CRP have been associated with increased cardiovascular risk including heart attack and stroke.
The flossing-CRP connection was made almost by accident. Cardiologist Steven R. Gundry, of the International Heart and Lung Institute in Palm Springs, California, told me that after years of haphazard flossing, he finally started doing it regularly and within a few months saw something startling. His CRP levels, which had been mildly elevated, had dropped into the normal range. Intrigued, he established a study with 300 cardiovascular patients and focused on those with CRP levels that were higher than the average risk level of 1.5 mg/L. After flossing regularly for six months, participants’ CRP levels were measured and they had dropped to average or low. “If I can get patients to floss, we’re more than halfway there,” he said. Dr. Gundry also puts patients on a healthy heart diet, which he believes reduces risk as well.
THE PATH FROM YOUR MOUTH TO YOUR HEART
The connection between lowered CRP and flossing is as follows, says Dr. Gundry…
• Bacteria that remain between the teeth go into capillaries in the gums and from there enter the bloodstream.
• The immune system’s white cells emerge to kill the bacteria, blowing themselves up (leukocytic apoptosis) in the process, potentially leaving behind a tiny crater in the endothelial cell lining of the blood vessel wall.
• Cholesterol is sent in to make a repair and… well, you can see how repeated white cell attacks on bacteria with cholesterol fix-ups eventually create arterial plaque. The immune debris that results is taken into circulation and may evoke inflammatory responses on endothelium or heart valve labrum.
• Damaged endothelial cells in blood vessels secrete CRP, thus elevating it in the blood and creating a biomarker for greater cardiovascular risk.
HOW MUCH TO FLOSS
Dr. Gundry says that he found flossing every other day was enough to lower his CRP levels to 1.5 mg/L. However, daily flossing will reward you with even lower CRP, he says. If you fall back into your neglectful ways, sorry to say your CRP level will climb right back up again. Flossing needs to be a life-long habit, for your heart as well as your dental health.
Source(s): ??Steven R. Gundry, International Heart and Lung Institute in Palm Springs, California. He is author of Dr. Gundry’s Diet Evolution (Crown).
June 3rd, 2009 at 9:13 am
I hear you Michelle. Some times you blog gets to shrill or too serious. I may not be an alien but I can lighten the mood a little. Here’s a little joke I was sent recently.
The
Pastor’s Ass
The pastor entered his donkey in a race and
It won.
The pastor was so pleased with the donkey
That he entered it in the
Race
Again , and it won again.
The local paper read:
“PASTOR’S
ASS OUT FRONT.”
The Bishop was so upset with this kind of
Publicity that he ordered
The
Pastor not to enter the donkey in another race.
The next day, the local paper headline
Read :
“BISHOP
SCRATCHES
PASTOR’S
ASS.”
This was too much for the bishop, so he
Ordered the pastor to get
Rid
Of the donkey.
The pastor decided to give it to a nun in a
Nearby convent.
The local paper, hearing of the news, posted
The following headline
The
Next day:
“NUN HAS BEST ASS IN TOWN.”
The bishop fainted.
He informed the nun that she would have to
Get rid of the donkey, so
She
Sold it to a farmer for $10.
The next day the paper read:
“NUN SELLS ASS FOR $10.”
This was too much for the bishop, so he
Ordered the nun to buy back
The
Donkey and lead it to the plains where it could run
Wild .
The next day the headlines read:
“NUN ANNOUNCES HER ASS IS WILD AND FREE.”
The bishop was buried the next day.
The moral of the story is . . . Being
Concerned about public opinion
Can
Bring you much grief and misery . . Even shorten your
Life .
So be yourself and enjoy life.
Stop worrying about everyone else’s ass and
You’ll be a lot happier
And
Live longer!
Have
A nice day!
June 3rd, 2009 at 9:23 am
I like that idea. Here’s my contribution.
Quote for the day:
“Whatever you give a woman, she’s going to multiply. If you give her sperm, she’ll give you a baby.
If you give her a house, she’ll give you a home. If you give her groceries, she’ll give you a meal.
If you give her a smile, she’ll give you her heart. She multiplies and enlarges what is given to her.
So – if you give her any crap, you will receive a ton of shit.”
Joanne
June 3rd, 2009 at 9:52 am
Hi Mischa,
Good topic, I don’t take plastic if I don’t have to, it reminds me of that line in ‘The Graduate’ where Dustin Hoffman is being mentored by a family friend that ‘plastics’ is the future, hmmm, look at the ‘future’ now : (
Re: my vmail to you and a call – no worries…call when you can, just thought while I had a mo’ I’d do some catch up with my favorite free thinker : ) I am wrapping my selling season and will be free and wild by June 15, cannot wait!
Pierre and Joanne, love the joke and the quote!
I have to admit that after reading 3-5 political comments here – sometimes – I welcome some change i.e. alien banter, AH history lessons, jokes, whatever…Sotomayor is in as far as I’m concerned, I pay no attention to background noise from naysayers, so I’m finished with that subject : ) I’m onto this: what are we going to do about all those white haired white guys in the house and congress, have you watched C-span to follow your fave piece of legislature? Holy cow…! Where are all the real people i.e. women and OTW and OTFO (other than freakin’ old!) wtf???
Ok, gotta get this day goin’ on now, enough dawdling with my latte and this blog, think I’ll go see who’s mad at me over at my own blog, tee hee…
Luv, Zen Lill
June 3rd, 2009 at 10:44 am
No Michelle,
I am not reading your mind. I have been going into the future (a little trick I picked-up somewhere)and back.
Actually it is my battery operarated, portable, pocketsized Blogometer that has many uses.
Hey, but that is fucked-up about the mess in the Pacific Ocean.
I saw a full sized sea turtle that got himself caught in a 4inch plastic ring as a baby. And that was the size of this turtles waist at full maturity. Talk about your corsetts. A full grown sea turtle 100lbs. at least with a 4inch waist, caught in a plastic hoop, it just grew that way.
This site really turned my stomach, they then showed underwater film of the mess. The diver could barely avoid entangling himself. No, I am glad I cannot see the future nor read minds, it does not take a psychic to see what lies ahead.
AL
June 3rd, 2009 at 10:49 am
Oh, hi Zen Lilly. How goes it? Took a look a your blog yesterday as well.
Al
June 4th, 2009 at 8:21 am
LIFESAVING CANCER COCKTAILS
Cancer cocktails — or, more scientifically, combination molecular targeted therapies — are currently considered the most promising avenue for curing or prolonging the lives of many people with cancer. The potential is so encouraging that recent news stories have recounted how patients are working on their own to mix therapies they think might work — getting different prescriptions from different doctors or even going on-line for so-called expert assistance. The temptation to “do it yourself” is understandable because even the distant possibility of remission or cure gives hope to someone who may be running out of options and precious time — while for others, taking the matter into one’s own hands seems like it might be the best route for a faster, more effective cure. I asked two well-known oncologists, Jeremy R. Geffen, MD, a leading expert in integrative medicine and oncology (which combines state-of-the-art conventional cancer treatments with safe and effective complementary therapies) and founder of Geffen Visions International in Boulder, Colorado, and Roy S. Herbst, MD, a professor and researcher at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, whether this is ever a good idea, considering the plethora of reliable as well as unfounded information available on the Internet.
PROMISING TREATMENT OR RISKY BUSINESS?
Over the past two decades, the use of molecularly targeted drugs that kill tumor cells with minimal side effects has significantly improved the survival and quality of life for many cancer patients. While few of these targeted drugs can cure cancer on their own, combinations of them, often used together with standard chemotherapy, can be highly effective. In fact, combination therapies have become conventional treatment in many cases, including for some kinds of colon cancer and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
However, physicians generally only prescribe combination therapies that have been proven safe and effective in carefully controlled clinical trials — and, frustratingly, the drug approval process for combination therapies is even slower than for single drugs. While doctors can prescribe drugs or combinations of drugs that haven’t been formally approved for a specific condition, most avoid doing so, and for good reasons. “There are potentially serious consequences involved in giving patients unapproved drugs or unapproved drug combinations,” said Dr. Geffen. “There are also significant ethical as well as medical-legal concerns. While understandable and appropriate, these concerns are nonetheless part of the day-to-day challenge of practicing oncology in today’s health care environment.”
That’s why some patients end up taking matters into their own hands, researching their options and finding different doctors to prescribe different drugs without disclosing what they are already taking. However, taking unapproved combinations of anticancer agents is a risky endeavor. The greatest risk, of course, is the possibility of adverse drug-to-drug interactions. “It’s unpredictable at best, and can be harmful — or potentially even fatal — at worst,” said Dr. Geffen.
DIETARY SUPPLEMENTS AND CANCER DRUGS
Another version of the same story involves dietary supplements such as vitamins, minerals and herbs taken in combination with cancer therapies. According to the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), studies show that significant numbers of cancer patients are using complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) therapies as part of their cancer regimen. Others take supplements to reduce the side effects of their chemotherapies and boost their immune systems. Many of these herbs, such as ginger, flaxseed and ginseng, have been proven clinically effective in treating the symptoms of cancer and the side effects of drugs. Yet, though they are available without prescriptions, Dr. Geffen warns there are risks involved in combining natural substances with chemotherapy. “The amount of reliable, scientifically rigorous information on the safety of these substances is relatively small,” said Dr. Geffen. “Some herbs can indeed lower the toxicity of chemotherapy drugs — but they may also simultaneously lower the drugs’ effectiveness. Ironically, some herbs can potentially increase the toxicity of chemotherapy, which could actually make people feel worse.”
A variety of herbs and botanical supplements can interfere with the way cancer drugs work by altering how the drugs are metabolized in the liver or transported out of cancer cells. “These are two mechanisms that explain why combining natural substances with chemotherapy can be a risky proposition,” said Dr. Geffen. “There are likely even more mechanisms that we don’t fully understand yet, which is why more research is needed and why patients should be cautious about this.”
MAKE DECISIONS BASED ON KNOWLEDGE, ?NOT FEAR
When it comes to do-it-yourself cancer cocktails, both Dr. Geffen and Dr. Herbst advise patients to “work with your oncologist and make informed, intelligent choices.” In other words, let thoughtful, intelligent discussion between patient and doctor be the guide. Here are some of their suggestions on how to make sure you are getting access to the best of what’s available:
• First, find an oncologist who is in sync with you, including how aggressively you want to fight your disease. “Work with an oncologist who has extensive experience in treating your particular cancer,” said Dr. Herbst. “By doing that, you could either learn about an early Phase I clinical trial to join or take the best combination of other drugs from studies that have proven effectiveness.”
• Ask your oncologist if he/she is willing to work with the latest combination therapies or a drug (chemotherapy or non-chemotherapy) that is currently being explored “off-label” to treat the cancer, if this offers hope for your particular diagnosis. “Oncologists will combine drugs for you — that’s what they’re trained to do,” said Dr. Herbst. “But these cocktails need to be rational combinations, they must be based on the findings of clinical data, even off-label.” Mixing a personalized cancer cocktail should only be done with a physician.
• If necessary, consider traveling to a major cancer center that is currently doing research with your particular kind of cancer. “I encourage people to seek out major cancer centers to look at new cancer treatments, where they may be able to join an early clinical trial program and can potentially get on drugs that have more activity and less toxicity,” says Dr. Herbst. You can find the latest information on early Phase I clinical trials or drugs being studied to treat your particular cancer from the National Cancer Institute at http://www.cancer.gov/clinicaltrials/search.
• Don’t fall prey to people who claim they can concoct a cancer cocktail for you. “On the Internet there are people who advertise that they can help you design a cancer cocktail — but you want to go where the data is, and where the clinical trials are,” said Dr. Herbst. “Until you know through exploring the research that something is better, it’s safer to stick to what has already been proven safe and effective. There are many drugs that people thought would be better, but by Phase III we learn that they are actually worse.”
• Consider adding a naturopathic perspective to your care. You’ve heard this before from Daily Health News contributing editor, Andrew L. Rubman, ND, who frequently recommends that naturopathic physicians be added to a patient’s medical team in order to provide wellness-building advice. Some cancer centers now have naturopathic physicians in their practices in order to help address these issues.
The future remains promising for many cancer patients and for cancer cocktails, said Dr. Herbst. “Currently, in the general population, we’re treating cancer based on what’s already known about a particular cancer, and we may use some combinations that work together in a so-called cocktail,” he said. “In the future, cancer cocktails will be custom-mixed for each individual patient based on the composition of his or her specific tumor.”
But remember, these “mixes” aren’t to be taken lightly based on something you read on a blog. It is understandable that when faced with a challenging circumstance like cancer, people may want to explore or even take desperate measures. In certain cases, risk-taking may even seem a logical choice. However, Dr. Geffen stresses that, “to maximize the chance for success, it is essential for patients and loved ones to make decisions based on knowledge and understanding, in partnership with their physician, rather than based on fear.”
Source(s): ?
Jeremy R. Geffen, MD, is president of Geffen Visions International, Inc., and director of integrative oncology of P4 Healthcare and Caring4Cancer.com. Dr. Geffen lectures widely about integrative medicine and comprehensive cancer care, and has testified before the United States Congress as an expert witness on integrative medicine and oncology. Dr. Geffen is author of The Journey Through Cancer: Healing and Transforming the Whole Person (Three Rivers Press). For more information visit http://www.geffenvisions.com.
Roy S. Herbst, MD, PhD, is professor of medicine and professor of cancer biology at the University of Texas, MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. Dr. Herbst’s research focus is on the diagnosis and treatment of lung cancers, and his research program is focused on the biology and therapy of lung cancer metastasis. Dr. Herbst has worked to develop a clinical/translational research program designed to test new therapies preclinically and then rapidly introduce them to the clinic to be studied in a scientific fashion using surrogate endpoints of tissue biopsy and imaging studies.