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Rhio's 1)
Seven Wonders of the World
2) To Inspire: ONE PRAYER To Laugh: Snowball, a parrot, LOVES to dance and take bows too! http://birdloversonly.blogspot.com/2007/09/may-i-have-this-dance.html To Learn How to Make Raw Nut Yogurt: www.youtube.com/watch?v=jGXjgE5RbRY 3) Are You Going to Do Your Part to Keep Raw Food Raw? In my experience, raw food enthusiasts have NOT been very active in political issues. What political issues am I talking about? Food Issues. Food Issues ARE POLITICAL, especially when some government agency or private corporation is trying to deprive you of food as Nature created it. Over the years I have given raw food lectures and also lectures about the genetic engineering of food. When I do raw food lectures, lots of people show up... when I do GE lectures, I've had 2 to 4 people show up, (although lately that has increased somewhat.) What is it with our community? Do we just not want to know what's going on? Have we somehow convinced ourselves that we are powerless to do anything about anything, before we even get started? Do we think the problems are just going to quietly go away if we just ignore them? Or are we just apathetic? And if so, why? In case you haven't noticed dear friends and readers, in the last year we have lost serious ground. Government agencies and private corporations keep trying to control what we eat. Almonds have been growing in CA for more than 150 years with no problems. Due to 2 salmonella incidents in recent years involving conventional, not organic almonds, an incredibly stupid decision was made. Raw almonds are now pasteurized with heat or with irradiation (the government allows companies to falsely claim that irradiation is pasteurization, 2 completely distinct processes) or the almonds may be treated with propylene oxide. According to Jesse Schwartz of the Living Tree Community "propylene oxide is a substance very much like ether. It is a highly toxic, flammable chemical compound. It was once used as a stock car racing fuel, but, we are told, it has been banned by the National Hot Rod Association as too dangerous to handle. It is also used as a military explosive, we were edified to learn. No one gets near the stuff unless dressed in a space suit equipped with a respirator, rubber hands and boots. We were further edified to learn that The United States Food & Drug Administration approved its use to "pasteurize" raw almonds. But we find this, somewhat difficult to understand, as propylene oxide is classified by the Environmental Protection Agency as a probable human carcinogen. “Probable”, although it has caused cancer in laboratory animals, because no one has been willing to imbibe the stuff to see what would happen. One would imagine that this would be of concern to an agency ostensibly charged with safeguarding the nation’s health. But then there are many things one could imagine. We learned further that propylene oxide belongs to the so-called “radiomimetic” genotoxic chemicals group, because it induces similar biological end-points as ionizing radiation. The chemical’s effects on food include gene mutation, DNA strand breaks, and neoplastic cell transformation." See full article which describes in wonderful detail the difference between the way organic and conventional almonds are grown and the probable cause for the salmonella infection outbreaks: http://www.livingtreecommunity.com/store2/articles/press_release_082707.asp Even with all of these treatments, the almonds are still labeled as raw... what a fraud!! In the works also is a plan that all leafy green vegetables, by law, be irradiated before you purchase them and raw milk has once again been outlawed. (I don't promote the drinking of dairy milk, however, I believe people should have that choice.) And then there is the ongoing problem of the cross contamination of regular crops with genetically engineered crops and the lack of any research at all by our government as to how GE foods affect humans, animals and the environment. No testing, no labeling - that's the policy here in the US... very different from Europe and other countries where labeling is mandatory and where they have stopped any new GE crops from being brought in, even though they're still allowing the older ones to come in because of the WTO and the Nafta and Gatt agreements. But word is, through the grapevine, that most of the GE stuff that goes into Europe is recycled into products that are then exported back to the US. Well, what a fine state of affairs that is!! When the comment period for addressing the issue of pasteurizing almonds was in effect (not widely publicized and much too short), very few comments were received according to the Almond Board of California which, together with the USDA and the FDA, has pushed through the pasteurization of almonds. Where are all the raw food enthusiasts that could have posted tons of comments and stopped this absurdity from going forward? All is not lost. We can still reverse this and there are many courses of action that would serve the purpose. Even though it would impact innocent organic almond growers and producers of raw almond butter (not a small matter), I would be in favor of a boycott of almonds. I think that would be the quickest route to retrieving our beloved raw almonds. Mike Adams (www.naturalnews.com) has proposed a boycott and several other people have proposed it as well. Something needs to be done and sooner rather than later. For a boycott to be effective, we would have to enlist the aid of vegetarian communities and other communities of health conscious people. While they may not agree with us on the issue of raw vs. cooked, we may be able to garner their support and participation on the basis of the curtailment of their dietary choices, treatment of the food with unnecessary chemicals and also on the deceitful designation of pasteurized almonds being labeled as raw. For the moment, you can still obtain raw almonds from a farmer's market or stand, (but that only helps people who live in CA, the almond capital of the US). The growers are allowed to sell up to 100 lbs. of raw almonds per day to each individual buyer at a farm stand or farmer's market, and I've heard that in CA people have organized to purchase that 100 lbs. and distribute it amongst themselves. Raw almonds will also be allowed to be sold that come from Europe or other countries. However, we are not sure what other treatments these imported almonds may encounter at the border when entering the country such as fumigation, etc. We just do not know what happens there, even though organic products do have some protection from the law... is the law being followed in all instances? And then there's the matter of price. What will these imported raw almonds cost us? On another note, while I don't believe that raw food enthusiasts necessarily have to adhere to 100% raw - that, in my opinion, is a personal choice - even those that claim to be all raw have deluded themselves into believing the hype about certain products such as agave nectar (most of it is not raw and may be mixed with corn syrup), raw chocolate (may or may not be raw, but definitely not a food for everyday use), maple syrup (boiled down for hours and hours), raw cashews (only a couple of sources are really raw), etc. A typical ice cream that is sold at a high end restaurant in NYC made from cashews, agave or maple syrup and vanilla extract is not raw friends, but sold as if it were. Is it a better stepping stone product? Of course it is, but let's not fool ourselves if we desire to be all raw. A really good mid-range restaurant here in NYC started out making their foods without agave nectar... but now it's in practically all the dishes they serve. Why is this? 4) Upcoming Events Exotic
Superfoods Presents Rhio, author of Hooked on Raw *********** 5) Introduction to Health Liberties Network The raw food, vegetarian and health conscious communities of the USA have long been in need of an organization that could come to the aid of individuals, families and wholistic doctors who find themselves in trouble and at the mercy of government agencies or at odds with entrenched allopathic medical treatments. Individuals and families should have the right to choose their diet and lifestyle and to accept or reject medical treatments. Karen Ranzi, author of the upcoming groundbreaking book Creating Healthy Children, and I are in the beginning stages of forming such an organization. It will be a non-profit and we have called it the Health Liberties Network and are looking for interested people to establish chapters in all 50 states. Below is our Vision Statement. We know that it is very ambitious and we understand that it may take many years, even a lifetime, to bring to fruition, but we feel a great need to get it started NOW. Karen and I have talked extensively and we both feel that as long as we are moving toward our goals, we will be satisfied, even if we may not be the ones to complete the project. The idea came about because of the many families in the raw food community who have lost custody of their children because of their lifestyle and dietary choices. We feel this is a precarious and untenable situation for these families and when it happens we would like to have our potential Network come to their aid in any way possible. We would like to enlist the aid of enlightened doctors, nurses, practitioners, researchers, lawyers, social workers, teachers, and others. We also note that when families lose their children, other raw food families are sometimes reluctant to come forward to support them because they don't want to have the spotlight turned on them, jeopardizing the safety of their family unit. I understand and empathize with this. I feel it will be up to people who have already raised their families or are not at risk of losing their own children that will be most needed for the Network. A suggestion for raw food families is for them to follow the lead of Jinjee and Storm Talifero (www.thegardendiet.com)who have documented the superb health and development of their own 5 children through videotape, even taking the videocamera with them into doctor visit checkups. I feel that this gives them a strong measure of protection. As I said before, we are just in the beginning stages. For our 3rd meeting in NYC recently, Dr. Jennifer Daniels came in from Syracuse to address the group. Dr. Jennifer Daniels is a medical doctor who lost her license because she treated a diabetic with diet and exercise instead of insulin. Dr. Daniels provided the patient with both options and the patient chose to make diet and lifestyle changes. Unfortunately, the patient, a 19 year old male, went on vacation and on a drinking binge which landed him in the hospital, the attending doctor asked why he was not on insulin and Dr. Daniels got reported to the OPMC (Office of Professional Medical Conduct). This patient through diet had reduced his blood sugar status from the 480s to 135, which is a success in terms of treatment. You can hear an interview I did with Dr. Daniels Part I (which addresses suspension of her medical license) and Part 2 (some surprising healing remedies) on www.tribecaradio.net - look in the podcasts for my show Hooked on Raw. What we wanted to know from Dr. Daniels was what actions a group like ours could have taken at the time to aid and support her. Fighting to retrieve her license cost her heavily with the loss of her clinic which provided services in a low income neighborhood of Syracuse NY. Her clinic while open was expansive and thriving and Dr. Daniels was fulfilling her dreams which were shattered by the unjust treatment she received at the hands of the OPMC. Dr. Daniels told us that all allopathic medical doctors are beholden to one (or two) of the following: the
Insurance Companies They choose one or two and then follow the parameters set out by those organizations and never stray. That is why you rarely see allopathic medical doctors who provide wholistic and alternative options to their patients. Dr. Daniels further stated that doctors are monitored in these times of computer records and analyses to see if their prescriptions are "up to par". That means... are they writing enough drug prescriptions? And doctors who are not are targeted for investigation. We asked why a doctor is not beholden to the patient's interests and Dr. Daniels stated that they simply are not. It is not the way the system works. Some of the solutions that Dr. Daniels offered are not to my personal liking, but I have to respect that for someone who has been through as much as Dr. Daniels, she was forced to reach these conclusions. Dr. Daniels says that in order to not be spotted or targeted a doctor needs to keep writing prescriptions even though they may offer alternative options that the patient takes. Dr. Daniels says that patients, to protect these kinds of doctors, should take the prescription and either fill it or throw it away, but at least it would be noted in the patient's records that a prescription was given. With the proliferation of drug usage in this country and the new findings that water supplies now contain prescription drugs, I do not think this is a good solution, but I understand why the doctor is proposing it. After all, we have now lost a true healer, one more wholistic doctor, who was forced out and is now going to set up shop in Jamaica and I don't mean Jamaica, NY... I mean we have lost the good doctor to Jamaica the country. They will be blessed. Dr. Daniels says that another thing that one can do if they find a doctor who gives wholistic options is to suggest to them that they get another stream of income. Now, this may be tricky to do, but if at all possible do it because the doctor is going to need it down the road whether he knows it or not at the present time. Invest in real estate, a laundromat, something that will provide income if and when the doctor is targeted by the OPMC. Dr. Daniels says this was the biggest problem that she had when she lost her license was finding work, any kind of work to support herself and her children. A doctor who is under investigation cannot even work as a cleaning lady in any organization that receives government assistance, so this cut out a lot of options for the doctor. Dr. Daniels finally developed a line of wholistic supplements and a series of CDs to sell, but it took a few years and a lot of heartache to finally stabilize a bit. I noted that the Chiropractors as a group had many many years of fighting for their right to exist because the allopathic doctors had tried to put them out of business repeatedly, culminating in a 1987 court decision which favored the chiropractors and found the allopaths guilty of a conspiracy against them. This decision was upheld by the US Supreme Court in 1990. I was wondering and put out the thought of organizing a class-action suit by wholistic doctors who either have been put out of their profession or forced to accede to the allopathic medical model. Perhaps if we could find these doctors and organize them, a class-action suit could be brought against the allopaths in much the same way that the chiropractors did. Dr. Daniels thought it was a good idea and gave suggestions for finding the doctors. We asked Dr. Daniels about finding funding for our organization and she stated that we should look to the companies that would want a group like ours to exist and succeed, such as manufacturers of supplements, or alternative medical devices. She said those type of companies would want a group like ours to succeed because it would only help them stay in business. For more insight from Dr. Daniels, listen to my two interviews with her on www.tribecaradio.net Below is our Vision Statement. We welcome all constructive input and comments. Vision Statement Long
Term Goal: To establish a US Constitutional Amendment guaranteeing
Freedom of Choice in Health Care. The right to accept or decline
any treatments, drugs or vaccinations offered by any form of medicine
or government agencies.
6) Upcoming guests on Hooked on Raw Internet Radio Show Upcoming interviews with Jinjee and Storm Talifero of www.thegardendiet.com, John McCabe, author of Sunfood Living and many other books, Andrew Faust on Permaculture, and Dr. Jennifer Daniels in 2-part shows: Tune in at: www.TribecaRadio.com Some shows are available on podcast. 7) Feedback & 80/10/10 On
Nov 25, 2007, at 10:29 PM, Susan Walker wrote: On
Jan 4, 2008 7:53 AM, Rhotline@rawfoodinfo.com wrote: Hi
Rhio, On May 22, 2008, at 3:41 AM, Lauren wrote: Dear
Rhio, Dear
Lauren, May 28, 2008 Dear
Rhio, June
14, 2008 Dear
Diana, If
you know of anyone who would appreciate receiving the Raw Energy
Hotline, please have them subscribe at http://www.rawfoodinfo.com/mail_list/mailchooselocationpg.html
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