Betel Nut: A Fave Pastime In Guam, Big Business Creating Environmental Degradation In Taiwan
Posted by Michelle Moquin on October 15th, 2009
Good morning.
I thought I was done with my stint on sustainability…but when you think about it, our goal towards sustainability should always be in the forefront of our minds….world wide.
Here’s one for you, Anna & Peter and the rest of you Chamorros. This article starts us in Guam, meanders our way through the sexy streets and profitable plantations of Taiwan, leading us to the end result: Ecological disaster, and death among the people.
Nation’s Biggest Cash Crop May Get Taxed For Disaster-Prone Planting Methods
By Jeff Marchesseault – Guam News
GUAM – Chewing a certain mildly narcotic palm nut is an time-honored pastime in Guam and a way of life for many islands across the Pacific. And it has become such a lucrative cultural phenomenon in Taiwan, at least two feature films have been made on the subject over the last ten years.
But, all pop artistry, lore and tradition aside, the never-ending party may soon face the sobering dictums of social accountability in the Republic of China. Taiwan’s hot, sexy betel nut industry is now under scrutiny for causing environmental degradation. And reformers want to exact their toll.
Unlike betel nut sales on Guam — where the population is smaller, chewers are fewer, and competition is less intense — in Taiwan the betel nut trade is big business. So big that the $620 million industry flourishes under a government that allows illegal growing on public lands. It also apparently does little to regulate a traditional marketing gimmick in which attractive, scantily clad young female clerks package the product behind neon-lit glass kiosks along city streets while hawking the little green nuts to motorists and wearing nothing more than see-through lingerie.
But if Taiwan’s progressives have anything to say about it, the bountiful harvest could soon get a big bite in the booty. According to an article appearing in The China Post recently, Minister of Agriculture Chen Wu-hsiung says that if a proposed health tax on betel nuts is levied, part of the revenue “should be put toward a sustainable land development fund.”
The Post story points out that such a policy initiative would support draft legislation aimed at land conservation and ecological protection. Outspoken critic and ruling Kuomintang Legislator Ting Shou-chung charges that land leased by the Council of Agriculture (COA) for forestation has long been used to cultivate betel nuts and that the COA should contribute part of any betel nut tax revenue to the sustainable land development fund, as a means of ‘righting that wrong’.
Ting says that betel nut groves engulf more than 50,000 hectares of land throughout Taiwan, making it the nation’s biggest cash crop. He also says that while the plantations may be profitable for a chosen few, their black market agribusiness makes the properties mudslide-prone because betel nut palms have a very shallow root system.
This accusation is made all the more poignant as a result of recent flooding, mudslides, death and disaster in the nation.
Finally, the lawmaker asserts that it’s high time for growers to start paying their fair share of the government’s revenue-draining health care bill. Five thousand new oral cancers and 2,300 oral cancer deaths are reported in Taiwan every year. And The China Post reports the considerable losses come “primarily as a result of betel nut chewing.”
Read The China Post story, “Betel nut revenue should contribute to land fund: COA”, October 12, 2009.
Do I have any readers from Taiwan? I would love to hear your opinion of the above article.
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Belinda: How awesome – thanks for spreading the word! I love it when this works. I don’t know if you are familiar with the Trader Joe stores, but I noticed an ad on my blog informing us of the red-listed fish that they sell. Bummer. I love Trader Joes but I was so disappointed that they sold red-listed fish. I did my part and sent them a singing fish voicemail telling them I support sustainability. I hope you and your family and friends do the same. Thank you!
SB, Ak, Doug: Some interesting conversations getting started about Afghanistan. I did some net perusing this morning around the subject myself. It has been an area that I haven’t given much time to lately. I hope that the topic continues.
Peacin’ out once again…..
Gratefully your blog host,
michelle
Aka BABE: Your Bad Ass Bitch Editor
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October 15th, 2009 at 5:17 pm
Thanks Michelle for featuring the betel nut.
Hafa adai
October 15th, 2009 at 5:18 pm
PREVENT CELL-PHONE ELBOW, BLACKBERRY THUMB AND OTHER MODERN-DAY MALADIES
Rather than being a sign of aging, certain aches and pains are in fact a sign of the age in which we live — for instance, bunions, hammertoes and aching feet came into awareness as women began wearing high heels for longer hours. The list of modern-day maladies continues to grow, especially those with high-tech causes — doctors now are diagnosing cell-phone elbow, Blackberry thumb and Guitar Hero wrist, among others.
I spoke with Leon Benson, MD, professor of clinical orthopaedic surgery at University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine and spokesperson for the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, to find out what he sees in the way of such modern maladies in his practice. He told me that there’s nothing inherently wrong with modern technology in and of itself — it’s how we use it (or more to the point, how we overuse or misuse it) that’s the problem.
CELL-PHONE ELBOW
Have you noticed that your pinkie and ring fingers go numb and tingly when you’ve been on your cell phone a long while? You may have cell-phone elbow, the proper medical name for which is ulner nerve neuropraxia. It’s caused by holding your elbow bent for long stretches of time. This irritates a nerve in the elbow, the ulnar nerve, which extends into the fingers of the hand, Dr. Benson explains. It can also be caused by spending long hours at your keyboard, if your elbows are bent at more than a 90-degree angle.
The Fix:
The first and most obvious solution, says Dr. Benson, is to curb your use of all phones, because landlines require bent elbows, too. Other strategies that may be helpful…
Switch hands. If you have to talk for a while, make it a point to switch the phone from hand to hand.
Use a hands-free headset.
At the computer, make sure your elbows are not bent at more than a 90-degree angle.
BLACKBERRY THUMB
Multiple text messages mean multiple repetitive thumb motions, which can cause stiff and achy thumbs — leading to a newly common repetitive stress injury known as Blackberry thumb, a form of tendonitis. Repetitive use also may aggravate any underlying arthritis.
The Fix:
Moderation is the key, says Dr. Benson. Avoid excessive use of handheld devices, most especially if you feel stiffening or soreness in your thumb. Another helpful strategy suggested by Daily Health News contributing medical editor Andrew Rubman, ND, is to soak the afflicted joint in warm water with added Epsom salts, while stretching your fingers. Hold the stretch for five seconds… then curl fingers into a fist and hold that for five seconds… then relax for five seconds. Repeat this a few times over a five-minute soak.
WII INJURIES: GUITAR HERO WRIST AND MORE
The phenomenon known as “Guitar Hero wrist” was first called to the attention of the public at an awkward moment: Detroit Tigers pitcher Joel Zumaya was sidelined for three games for wrist and forearm inflammation after playing too many games of Guitar Hero. And Dr. Benson told me he regularly sees weekend Wii-warriors — people who overdo it with their new toys, spending long hours playing virtual versions of tennis, golf and baseball. These, too, are repetitive stress injuries typically diagnosed as tendonitis of the shoulder, wrist, elbow or knees (depending on the type of sports equipment you’re pretending to swing). And then there also are the lacerations, black eyes and bumps and bruises that result from overenthusiastic participation. Dr. Benson also noted that since the Wii controller is quite small and light, many participants “overswing” their arms when simulating the sport activity, because the real weight of a tennis racket, golf club or baseball bat isn’t there. As a result, this enthusiastic motion often causes injury, either when the participant strikes an object (e.g., coffee table) nearby or overstretches a shoulder or elbow from too much follow-through.
The Fix:
Once again, it’s a matter of common sense. Read the instructions, use the equipment as directed and don’t overdo — it’s the same advice you get when you play sports in the real world.
COMPUTER-RELATED TRIPS AND FALLS
Identifying hazards is an important part of managing safety in the home, but few people think of their computers as a possible source of trouble. That needs to change, say researchers in the July 2009 issue of American Journal of Preventive Medicine. In an analysis of the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System database, a team of Ohio researchers found that people experienced 9,279 computer-related injuries (cuts, bruises, sprains and fractures) in 2006, up from 1,267 in 1994. Not coincidentally, computer ownership increased by 309% from 1993 to 2003.
The Fix:
As with most accidental injuries, the majority of these mishaps can be prevented by making the effort to focus on setting up a safer environment. Examine your workstation, and take steps to make it safer, including setting computer equipment closer to the center of the desktop, away from the edge. If they’re not on the floor, anchor heavy components, such as CPUs, against a wall. Secure electrical cords, tucking them safely out of the way using clips, clamps, adhesive or wraps. Make sure you have a clear path whenever you move your computer. More than half of injuries occur when people relocate computers.
FALLING TVs
The new must-have home-entertainment technology is the flat-screen television, which is creating a new danger as these heavy devices have been known to detach from the wall or tumble off their holders, injuring people of all ages and sometimes even killing children.
The Fix:
This one is pure common sense — make sure your flat-screen TV is properly installed, using brackets and following the manufacturer’s instructions. Position the television so that it’s not likely to be jostled or bumped into regularly.
GENERAL ADVICE
Just because these particular injuries are ultra-contemporary in nature doesn’t mean they won’t benefit from old-fashioned natural remedies. Dr. Rubman suggests that nonpharmaceutical techniques (such as alternating hot and cold applications, also called contrast bath therapy and/or topical applications of either icy-hot preparations containing capsaicin and menthol, or specialized penetrating botanical formulae such as Deep ‘91 by Intensive Nutrition Inc. in California) may provide some external relief. Also, he adds, there are many anti-inflammatory combinations involving substances such as fish oil, bromelain, papain, willow bark extract, serratiopeptidase, and a myriad of antioxidant vitamins, minerals and co-factors that can be helpful.
Source(s):
Leon Benson, MD, professor of clinical orthopaedic surgery, The University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, and spokesperson for the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS), Rosemont, Illinois.
October 15th, 2009 at 5:41 pm
Hurray for the betel nut. My parents love them. Maybe that’s why I can’t get them to leave Guam and come live with me here in Las Vegas.
October 15th, 2009 at 5:50 pm
Michelle
I, too, tried to bring some betel nuts with me from Guam. They got confiscated.
October 15th, 2009 at 5:52 pm
Michelle
I, too, tried to bring some betel nuts with me from Guam. They got confiscated.
October 15th, 2009 at 5:54 pm
Isabel, and Chesa, I, too, tried to bring some betel nuts with me from Guam. They got confiscated too. And my name is Jesus.
October 15th, 2009 at 6:00 pm
Still, readers here are unable to prove that Obama and the Democrats have the power and authority vis a vis the Constitution to seize control over health-care.
The General Welfare clause is a limited grant of power. It is not a means to an end. It IS the end. The means to congress are the enumerated powers outlined in Article One Section Eight. That is why James Madison said that if general welfare could mean anything any generation felt they should mean, then there was NO reason to LIST the enumerated powers. And all “necessary and proper” actions must refer back to the enumerated powers as well.
If we believe that general welfare can be anything, then the power of the federal government is unlimited. THAT IS WRONG!
To avoid that grave danger the founders inserted the 9th and 10th Amendments to GUARANTEE that the federal powers were STRICTLY limited. They straight-jacketed the federal powers. What federal powers were granted were of the greatest import up to and including capital punishment, defense of invasion, and warfare.
I recommend this pdf file (the main text is not so long, much is just footnotes).
http://www.tenthamendmentcenter.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/original-meaning-of-an-omission.pdf
And this audio:
http://www.tenthamendmentcenter.com/2009/03/01/thomas-jefferson-and-the-principles-of-98/
October 15th, 2009 at 6:02 pm
Every time I go home, I make it a priority that I get my betel nut high.
October 15th, 2009 at 6:07 pm
Would you guys quit already. You are making it sound like we on Guam are drug addicts. Yes, we like our betel nut. But it is a mild high that the older generation has a special liking for.
Oh and were are our two island spokes persons on this topic.
Peter? Anna?
Are you going to sit by and let the world think Guam is full of chamorros searching for a high?
Nenette
October 15th, 2009 at 6:09 pm
The fixation by the president and his administration with Snowe is bizarre. How many compromises will be made just to say one republican voted for reform? Too many already from my point of view.
October 15th, 2009 at 6:10 pm
They needed to get this out of committee so it can be fully engaged by all of Congress…now the WH has what it needed at this step. Going forward, every Rep and Senator vote matters on the bills as they the two congressional bodies put this together into a final bill.
October 15th, 2009 at 6:12 pm
We here in PRC. Love the betel nut too.
October 15th, 2009 at 6:23 pm
Michelle
Everyone is talking about the cloud that looks like a space ship that appeared over our capital, Banjul.
Is Madaline coming to get some new girlz? I want to be one.
Ujana
October 15th, 2009 at 6:41 pm
Please. Someone point to somewhere in the Constitution that gives the government the power to force me into this program or pay for the health care of others (outside the military).
And NO it is not the general welfare clause.
October 15th, 2009 at 6:47 pm
All my friends love the betel nut and we are under 30. Here in Taiwan it is very fashionable. I saw the entry about Madaline coming to get some girlz.
Michelle, I want to be a girlz. please ask her to come to Tiawan, too.
Lian
October 15th, 2009 at 6:52 pm
Michelle
I sent this to my mother and she suggested that I post it here too.
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Our dark journey into depression
We already know that mood disorders are running rampant in America — but it may be a lot worse than anyone thought.
I was alarmed when I read the numbers in Psychological Science: Half of all young adults suffer from anxiety disorders, 41 percent of them experience major depression, and a third are drinking too much.
These numbers double previous estimates.
It doesn’t take much to put two and two together on this one. These disorders are on the rise as our diets and lifestyles are at their worst. There’s a direct relationship, and I’ll tell you more about that in a moment.
But right now, I’m more concerned by this survey. Assuming the new numbers are accurate, and I have no reason to doubt them yet, the problem here is not the stats. It’s how they’ll be used — to push antidepressants.
Armed with this new information, Big Pharma could try to market these sometimes unnecessary drugs to “at-risk” people who show no signs of mental illness. They’ll tell you it’s a protective measure, but you and I both know their real dream is to sell these meds to every single one of us.
Antidepressants are some of Big Pharma’s most profitable drugs — and some of the most dangerous. Already, 27 million Americans take them, and now the drug lords will be working overtime to make sure the other 270 million of us join them, or at least have a chance to take one of their other equally bad mood meds.
They want us to believe that mental illnesses such as depression and anxiety can strike anyone out of the clear blue sky, and the only possible solution comes in a pill bottle.
But mental disorders don’t strike suddenly and for no reason. Some folks think that stress, relationship problems, or the loss of a job — situations we all face, all the time — can cause these conditions, and in some cases that may be true.
For the most part, however, these mental illnesses are caused by nutritional and hormonal deficiencies. Our diets aren’t just making us fatter, they’re literally rotting our brains, and that’s especially true of our younger generations who’ve been raised on nutrition-free processed foods.
Keep eating that way into adulthood — as many do — and you’ll find your brain practically starving. No wonder so many people end up mentally ill.
And there is not a single drug — not even one — that can fix it.
So if you’re battling mental illness, work with your doctor to find the real solution. Eat right and avoid carbs. In some cases, you may need specific nutrients or hormones to help correct the deficiency — the lack of essential fatty acids, methyl donors, tryptophan and the B vitamins are often at the heart of the problem.
The most important thing is that you give your brain the food it needs — not a drug that will hurt it even more.
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I also would be ecstatic to be a Girlz. I know that my mother isn’t too sure that Madaline is for real. But, me, I’m willing to take a chance. I’m in London right now, but I would go where ever I need to go to be picked up.
I love what I am doing here, but the opportunity to be a Girlz is too much to resist. So please, please consider me a candidate to be a candidate.
Evelyn
October 15th, 2009 at 6:55 pm
I assume, Ld, you’re conducting the same search on behalf of Social Security, Medicare and unemployment insurance?
October 15th, 2009 at 7:00 pm
In England the buzz about the Space ship Cloud over Moscow is a minor frenzy. If you could consider me for a Girlzship I would be so greatful. I am 23. in boffo shape and willing to work very hard to please.
Ina
October 15th, 2009 at 7:00 pm
Lucky guess. You assume correctly.
Where does the Constitution say the federal government has those powers as well. Also, federal funds to education and thousands of other programs.
October 15th, 2009 at 7:01 pm
Howie
Can you ask Carl if the clouds are really alien ships?
Frank
October 15th, 2009 at 7:02 pm
Ummm yeah, it is the general welfare clause. You don’t get to throw the answer out and then ask what the answer is.
And where in the Constitution does it say that we should pay for the health care of the military?
October 15th, 2009 at 7:03 pm
CVP: The federal government has the authority to fund the military and it could be argued that those injured as a result of that power are the responsibility of the federal government vis a vis that enumerated power.
If you have an argument that they shouldn’t receive help AFTER the government maimed them, make it.
October 15th, 2009 at 7:05 pm
When was the last time a republican controlled senate went out of its way to the point of drastically changing the legislation to gain the support of a single democrat congressman??
October 15th, 2009 at 7:06 pm
Blue dogs slogan should be – we care about fiscal responsibility when it comes to America but we are willing to spend whatever it takes to go to war abroad. ITS such a joke – not supporting the public option is not being deficit conscious. It is being brain-dead.
October 15th, 2009 at 7:10 pm
Michelle
Why isn’t Madaline appearing in the USA? There are plenty of girls here who want an opportunity to work for you Michelle. My office has at least 11 women who know at least 20 who would jump at the chance.
Test me, if I can not produce then you can leave me behind.
You are an American Michelle. Why not give us a shot at the jobs?
Gloria
October 15th, 2009 at 7:12 pm
I really don’t understand and perhaps someone hear can explain to me, why are 60 democrats in the senate catering and pandering to a single republican senator even if it means severely weakening the reform in the legislation that comes out of the senate.
To me, the legislation is of far greater importance than the ability of congress to garner bipartisanship. The future of this country is relying on this legislation but Olympia snow from maine voting in the final vote for the bill will be forgotten long before Obama’s term is up.
October 15th, 2009 at 7:15 pm
The iphone is finally coming to Guam.
++++++++++++++++++++++++
GTA Partners With Apple To Bring Official iPhone Service To Guam
Guam- GTA Teleguam has announced they have worked out a deal with Apple to provide exclusive iPhone service to the island later this year.
GTA Executive Vice President of Wireless and GUdTV Andrew Gale and Executive Vice President of Sales & Marketing Roland Certeza broke the details on K-57′s Patti On The Radio show Friday morning. They say the exclusive service will be for the iPhone 3G & 3G S.
Gayle and Certeza also say they will provide more details and will offer advance orders soon. The iPhone 3G & 3G S service is expected before the end of the year.
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Oh and Michelle if Madaline is flying around looking for Girlzs, then she could do worst than by hovering over Guam. i can’t think of anything I would rather do than become a GIRLZ. So would a lot of other girls on Guam and throughout the Marinas .
Hafa ada to you Madaline
October 15th, 2009 at 7:18 pm
The answer is simple WTA. The dems have no balls or principles.
October 15th, 2009 at 7:19 pm
The Grayson effect has yet to instill spines in all the jellyfish. Pray it happens sooner rather than later.
October 15th, 2009 at 7:21 pm
I don’t know what is more interesting. a betel nut, and congressional opinionated nut, or one of the nuts who believe in Madaline.
October 15th, 2009 at 7:23 pm
Yes you are young and probably with a tiny weewee. Stay home with your momie. Give the women a break. They need their rest from laughing at your advances.
Lora
October 15th, 2009 at 7:24 pm
BEER DRINKERS BEWARE: PSORIASIS RISK AHEAD
More than seven million Americans suffer from psoriasis, a chronic skin disorder that causes flare-ups of red itchy patches and often considerable pain. People who have it are, understandably, always eager to find what they can do to contain the condition. Now, according to a recent study, for some it may be as simple as just saying “no” to that frosty can of beer.
The study, from Harvard and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, investigated data from the long-term Nurses’ Health Study, including participants’ alcohol consumption over a 14-year period. During a follow-up in 2005, the researchers asked the women if they had psoriasis — 2,169 reported they did. Digging deeper, researchers also found that those who drank alcohol — specifically five or more cans of regular beer per week — had a significantly increased risk of developing psoriasis. Although only women were studied here, men may find similar effects from beer drinking. The study author, Patrick Dominguez, MD, theorized that this might have to do with the gluten in beer, especially because light beer, which has much less gluten, had little affect on risk for psoriasis.
WHAT TO DO?
I called Mark Stengler, ND, who treats many patients with psoriasis, to get his response to the finding. Dr. Stengler says that because psoriasis is believed to be an autoimmune disorder, it is likely that gluten would heighten the autoimmune response and increase inflammation of the skin. In his practice, he directs psoriasis patients to try a gluten-free diet for at least several weeks to determine if this might be helpful, saying that many find it is. If it does help, he says to continue avoiding gluten for several more months, then add in small amounts of gluten-containing foods until your skin breaks out again. This will let you know how much gluten your body can handle. Dr. Stengler adds that patients might try giving up all alcohol for a time as well to see if it, too, plays a role in their psoriasis. Alcohol is pro-inflammatory, he explains, it “feeds fungal organisms in the body such as candida, which in turn may heighten the autoimmune response for psoriasis.”
A gluten-free diet can be challenging because many seemingly unrelated products, such as soy sauce, contain wheat. Consequently it requires making careful label checks for a time to be sure that a given product is in fact gluten-free. But for those who have psoriasis, the pay-off could easily be worth the effort it takes.
Source(s):
Mark A. Stengler, ND, a naturopathic physician and leading authority on the practice of alternative and integrated medicine. He is author of Bottom Line/Natural Healing newsletter, author of The Natural Physician’s Healing Therapies (Bottom Line Books), director of the La Jolla Whole Health Clinic in La Jolla, California and adjunct associate clinical professor at the National College of Natural Medicine in Portland, Oregon. To learn more about his work, visit http://www.drstengler.com.
October 15th, 2009 at 7:26 pm
Zen Lill
Where are you?
Your exercise class is waiting.
October 15th, 2009 at 7:27 pm
I just finished reading your article on the betel nut. Never had it. But I want one.
October 15th, 2009 at 8:13 pm
It is always good to return to this time. I get to see what all the fuss was about in the past. So you still don’t have universal health care. It seems that the money is still talking very loud. Where is Anonz?
Where are you Anonz? Are you in your basement counting your money, or are you counting ways to make more, or ?????? I’m interested. I’ll wager a tidy sum that more than a few who read this is tool
AH
October 16th, 2009 at 5:21 am
Michelle, any clue as to where Zen Lill is? I know it is NOMB, I am only asking if she is OK. It is unusual to not hear from her.
Interesting article about the Betel Nut.
Al
October 16th, 2009 at 9:17 am
Frank (#14), I asked ‘Carr’ about the clouds you speak of and it is no big deal, it was just Madeline uncloaked and hiding her ship by using cloud cover — Nothing to worry about.
Mr. Alexander H., it is a pleasure to hear from you and I Agree with your statement that Anonz and his financial equals are hiding and counting their vast amounts of cash. As you know, “War makes more.” Welcome to my ‘present’
– A horrible time for those who need health care but cannot afford it.
I hope to talk to you again soon. Until then enjoy what my ’present’ has to offer.
HOWIE