Palomar Mountain Fun w/ IBR by 4kammer at Garmin Connect - Details

Palomar Mountain Fun w/ IBR by 4kammer at Garmin Connect - Details

We chose the hottest day of the year (so far!) to climb the beast: up south grade, water stop at the store, down east grade, turn around and climb back up east grade and finally down south grade. Air quality was also pretty bad: was wondering why my chest hurt and thought it was just dehydration. Either way, an honest day on the bike and good enough climbing to get ready for the e'tap next month!!!

From IBR: Derek Cowling, Vince Pandes, Peter Plaissance, Georgina Kress, Reggie Pineada, Mark Flunker, Dan Bridgman and me. Dullie Malikyar and his friend Eric also joined in.

Thor speaks with Albertino about Team Raceplan

Which supplements work.... the bigger the bubble size, the more searches on Google. The higher the bubble, the more scientific proof it works.

Qik - IBR crew heading to Red Trolley by Kam Zardouzian

Cycling in Tehran, Iran popular dating back to the 1940's

FIFA.com - The battle of Tehran

This is a lot of read just to point out the first sentence in the third paragraph!
I'm so proud of my people!!!


The Tehran duel between Persepolis and Esteghlal may be one of multiple derbies in Iran, but it is the one that engrosses the country like no other. Known locally as the Surkhabi derby, it is regarded as one of the biggest in Asia.

Given the two teams’ stature, it should come as no surprise that many of Iran's finest all-time players have graced the fixture with their presence. This roll call of star names includes Hossein Kalani, the leading marksman at the 1972 AFC Asian Cup, as well as Ali Daei, Mehdi Mahdavikia and Ali Karimi, three Iranian winners of the AFC Asian Player of the Year award. The likes of former Persepolis icon Mehdi Hasheminasab and Esteghlal favourite Ali Vahedi Nikbakht, meanwhile, have both risked the wrath of their old faithful by later turning out for their clubs’ fierce rivals.

The origins
Founded in 1945, Esteghlal were originally known as Docharkheh Savaran and were a multi-sports outfit with an emphasis on cycling. That was until the year 1949, when the club turned its focus solely on football and changed its name to Taj, going on to gain huge popularity with victory in a number of tournaments, including the 1970 edition of the AFC Asian Club Championship (now AFC Champions League).

Iranian local league winners three times and victors of six Iranian titles in the professional era, the last of these in 2008/09, the blue-shirted side have also claimed five Iranian Cups and added a second continental crown in 1991.

Persepolis, for their part, had to endure many years of struggle before establishing their current fan base, believed to be the largest in Iran. Founded in 1963, the club started life in the third division and failed to make much of a stir until they incorporated several talented players from Shahin after their dissolution in 1967. That helped kick-start their meteoric climb to the summit of Iranian football, a journey that has featured eight league title wins and attracted vast numbers of followers.

The first official meeting between the two took place on 5 April 1968 at the Shahid Shiroudi Stadium, ending in a 0-0 draw. Meanwhile, as is so often the case, the fact that Persepolis's red-shirted supporters traditionally come from the country’s working classes, in direct contrast to those of Esteghlal, only serves to heighten the pair’s intense rivalry.

Facts and Figures
Over the next 41 years since that first encounter, the pair have met on another 66 occasions. Esteghlal currently have the edge with 20 wins to their arch-rivals’ 16, with a further 30 draws underlining just how tight and tense these games invariably are. Indeed, the last six meeting have all ended 1-1, with the last outright victory a 2-1 Persepolis success in 2006.

Persepolis’s tally remains hindered by their sluggish start, having lost three of the first four meetings and failed to claim victory until Surkhabi derby number eight. They have, however, scored more goals than their enemies, finding the net 66 times compared to Esteghlal’s 62.

As far as individual records are concerned, Ali Parvin has made 20 appearances as a player and 22 as coach for Persepolis, closely followed by the 18 derbies played by Afshin Peryovani. On the other side of the divide, Karo Haghverdian and Ali Jabari have both played 17 derbies in the blue of Esteghlal.

Sifar Iranpak is Persepolis’s top derby scorer with seven, just one ahead of Hossein Kalani, while Jabari, Gholam Hussein and Hasheminasab have all notched five goals for Esteghlal in Surkhabi action.

Tales of derbies past
Esteghlal may be leading in terms of derbies won, but it is their rivals who have enjoyed the most emphatic victories. On 15 November 1972, Persepolis achieved their first Tehran derby win by a convincing 4-1 scoreline, following this up less than a year later with a record 6-0 success, which remains the highest-scoring meeting between the two sides.

They have also endured leaner times, however, including a run of nine derbies without victory between 1990 and 1996. Yet this was followed by a similar barren period for Esteghlal, which continued through until 2001.

Perhaps the most controversial meeting came back in December 2000, which followed Hasheminasab’s close-season switch from Persepolis to Esteghlal. Hasheminasab’s late strike for his new club was cancelled out by a spectacular last-gasp effort from future Bayern Munich man Karimi in a 2-2 draw.

The rivalry today
Going into derby number 68, the two sides are level on points in third place in the league, though Esteghlal have a superior goal difference. Victory for either team will bring them closer to leaders Sepahan, though the pacesetters do currently enjoy a healthy 12-point cushion.

Appointed as coach in December, Persepolis idol and legendary Iran striker Daei will be keen to extend his winning run to three games, having presided over recent victories over Rah-Ahan and Peykan. His opposite number Abd Al Samad Mervawi, for his part, will be determined to lead his team back to winning ways after consecutive draws. Spearheading the Esteghlal bid should be Arash Borhani, whose ten-goal haul has him in fourth place on the divisional scoring chart.

Cigarette litter hotline gets a makeover - SignOnSanDiego.com

LOVE IT....it's about time for this. 

I would love it even further when this expands to help report belligerent motorist, especially those who endanger the lives of cyclists.

Cigarette litter hotline gets a makeover - SignOnSanDiego.com

Cigarette litter hotline gets a makeover

By Mike Lee, UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER

Friday, January 22, 2010 at 12:04 a.m.
Cigarette butts are the most-littered item in the world, particularly on beaches.

/ Nancee E. Lewis / U-T 2006 file photo

Cigarette butts are the most-littered item in the world, particularly on beaches.
CIGARETTE LITTER LINE

To report someone tossing a cigarette butt from a vehicle, leave an anonymous message at (877)-211-BUTT.

An anti-littering campaign that nearly flickered out two years ago has been revived with a makeover that allows for better tracking of motorists who toss cigarettes out of their cars.

The Cigarette Litter Hotline also has expanded from San Diego County to Orange, Riverside and Imperial counties.

“Once established, this really is a model that can be rolled out regionally, statewide and even in other states,” said Ken David, a spokesman for the local chapter of the nonprofit Surfrider Foundation, which operates the program with volunteers.

The group took over the hotline in July 2008 after county officials discontinued it, said local Surfrider chairman Manase Mansur.

Cigarette butts are regarded as the most-littered item in the world and are found on beaches by the hundreds of thousands nationwide. During rainstorms like those that battered the region this week, they are swept by storm drains to the ocean, where they harm sea life. They also can cause fires if they are tossed into dry brush.

Surfrider announced its upgrades yesterday. The improvements allow the California Highway Patrol to more easily send warning letters to people who have been anonymously reported to a toll-free number. The system relies on residents spotting “litterbutts” and calling in a license plate number along with the time and place of the incident.

The new electronic reporting program developed by Surfrider replaces the time-consuming process of tracking calls with paper records and handing them to the CHP, which then issued the warnings.

“We’ll be able to have more accurate information and send out more letters than we were able to before,” said CHP officer Mary Bailey in San Diego.

CHP doesn’t issue citations to people who are reported on the hotline, but officers do hand out tickets if they see people flicking butts from cars or trucks. Penalties can include a fine up to $1,000 and eight hours of community service picking up litter. Tossed cigarettes that cause fires may lead to felony charges.

“We need the eyes of the public to identify smokers that are endangering public safety by tossing lit cigarettes from vehicles,” said Chief Gary Dominguez of CHP’s Southern California division.

The hotline started in 2004 as a cooperative effort between county health officials, the local chapter of the American Lung Association and others. It averaged about 1,100 calls a month for at least three years, in part because concerned motorists programmed the old phone number into their cell phones to make reporting easier.

“People are very passionate about this,” said Debra Kelley, a top official at the lung association office in San Diego. “I think it’s the whole concept of careless, irresponsible smokers … who think the world is their ashtray. It’s just an affront.”

The hot line closed in mid-2008. Surfrider adopted the program and quickly opened up a new line.

“Once it became apparent that there were no more government funds, our Surfrider executive committee said this is just too important of an issue and too important of a tool to let it drop,” Mansur said.

He said the county had been spending about $50,000 a year on the program but he expects Surfrider can run it for about half that cost using volunteers and the new reporting system.

The number of calls dwindled to about 700 recently while Surfrider slowed its advertising and upgraded the system. Mansur expects calls will increase now that the program is back in the public eye, and he’s looking at installing a voice transcription system that will speed processing.

Kelley thanked Surfrider for taking over the program. “We were one of the parents of the baby and we gave it up for adoption,” she said. “It’s in a happy home now.”

Daredevil Space Diver To Leap Toward World's First Supersonic Free-Fall From 120,000 Feet

Or, I found my next sport....

Daredevil Space Diver To Leap Toward World's First Supersonic Free-Fall From 120,000 Feet | Popular Science

By Bjorn Carey Posted 01.22.2010 at 1:49 pm 3 Comments

Felix Baumgartner: Sven Hoffmann / Red Bull
Here’s Felix Baumgartner’s plan: Float a balloon to 120,000 feet. Jump out. Break the sound barrier. Don’t die. Simple, right?

If Baumgartner, a world famous base jumper and skydiver, pulls off the feat, he’ll set the record for the world’s highest jump and become the first person to break the sound barrier with his body alone. During the jump, he’ll also collect data on how the human body reacts to a fall from such heights, which could be useful for planning orbital escape plans for future space tourists and astronauts.

Dubbed the Red Bull Stratos and sponsored by the energy drink company, the jump will send Baumgartner to the stratosphere in a small space capsule, lifted by a helium-filled balloon. Once he reaches 120,000 feet after three hours of ascension, ground control will give him the “all clear” sign and he’ll pop open the door and jump, as video cameras on the capsule and his suit record his descent. Within 35 seconds or so, Baumgartner will hit supersonic speeds and break the sound barrier. No one really knows what will happen at that point, but the scientists seem confident that he’ll maintain consciousness. He will free fall for roughly six more minutes, pulling his chute at about 5,000 feet and coasting for 15 minutes back to solid ground.

Just what happens to his body as it goes from subsonic to supersonic and back to subsonic speed is of great interest to scientists, and so he’ll be hooked up to an electrocardiogram monitor during the jump. He’ll also be outfitted with accelerometers and GPS units to confirm his acceleration and speed, and from that the stress on his body. But that’s pretty much it for gear—because he’s wearing a pressurized suit filled with 100 percent oxygen, his crew is rightly wary of putting too many electronics and power sources in his suit that could accidentally set him on fire. Any data they collect will then be made public and turned over to the military and NASA.

The plan is to make the jump sometime in 2010. After they complete test jumps at 25,000, 60,000, and 90,000 feet, they’ll watch the Doppler radar and wait for calm weather and then pick the launch location, which for now they can only say will be somewhere in North America. The goal is to drop Baumgartner near the launch site, but even with low wind conditions he could drift some 150 miles away.

But first they have to test all the gear to make sure that it will work as it transitions from the freezing, no-pressure environment at 120,000 feet to the extreme heat of the dive. It’s the same as with any other flight test program, says Jonathan Clark, the team’s medical director (whose work in high-altitude space jumps we profiled in 2007). “Only in this case, Felix Baumgartner is the aircraft.”

Red Bull as put together this video, putting everything into perspective:


Previous Article: Astronauts Finally Get Internet Access on Space Station, Send First Tweet From Space

The Definitive Guide to Oils | Mark's Daily Apple

I found the below post to be helpful in confirming my choices for cooking and eating oils.

Coconut oil for cooking, Olive and Avocado oils for raw eating such as on salads and/or dipping, whole raw flax seeks in my oatmeal, fish oils for supplements, and peanut oil for drizzling for flavor.

The rest.....I'm out!!!

The Definitive Guide to Oils | Mark's Daily Apple - Your Daily Dose

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The Definitive Guide to Oils Posted: 20 Jan 2010 09:29 AM PST Before you can hope to make it as a speculator and start slingin' barrels for big money, you've got to understand exactly what's gushing forth from the earth's crust. Yes, that's right – it doesn't start and stop just with crude, and there's far more to oil than dinosaur bones. In fact, most experts agree that the bulk of crude oil is derived from prehistoric single-celled plankton remains. Then you've got the abiogenic theory, which posits that… Er, wrong oils. Sorry. Today's post is actually about edible oils. Well, they're all technically edible – they can all be swallowed and digested – but as for being palatable, let alone healthful? That remains to be seen. Not all oils are created equal, especially given the fact that most of the ones people use nowadays are actually created in an industrial laboratory. No oil "exists naturally," mind you. Olive oil isn't harvested by leaving open containers under leaking, dripping olives on the branch, nor is that liquid sloshing around inside a coconut pure oil. I'm not trying to disparage processing in and of itself. It takes a certain amount of processing to get any sort of oil, but a good general rule is to avoid consuming the oils that require processing on a large scale. If it involves an industrial plant, multiple stainless steel vats, a deodorizer, a de-gummer, and the harsh petroleum-derived solvent known as hexane, I wouldn't eat it. But that's just me (and Grok, who probably wasn't processing wild rapeseed to get the precious canola oil). But this is the Definitive Guide to Oils. Everything goes. No stone left unturned. No oil left un-tasted and bereft of analysis for fatty acid profile, oxidative potential, and rancidity proclivity. Canola Canola oil comes from rapeseed, a completely unpalatable seed rich in erucic acid, which is bitter and rather toxic. Canola oil is rapeseed oil stripped of erucic acid, as I detailed in this previous post. It gets a lot of attention from doctors as a "heart healthy" oil (one of the "good" fats) rich in omega-3s, but the fact that canola processing generally uses upwards of 500 degrees means a good portion of the Omega-3s could be rancid on the shelf. 61% MUFA 21% Omega-6 PUFA 9-11% Omega-3 PUFA 7% SFA Flax Seed I mentioned the seed and its oil a few times, and, after being initially supportive of flax consumption, I now recommend minimizing intake. People generally use flax oil as an Omega-3 supplement, rather than for cooking – and this is a good choice, seeing as how flax is almost entirely made of PUFAs, which are prone to rancidity and oxidation when exposed to heat. Meat eaters, though, would be better off just taking fish oil. The DHA and EPA in fish oil are far more useful than the ALA in flax seed oil. Strict vegetarians, have at it – just don't use flax seed oil to sautee your tofu. 19% MUFA 24% Omega-6 PUFA 47% Omega-3 PUFA (from ALA) 8-9% SFA Corn Corn oil boggles my mind. I can't wrap my head around how extracting gallons upon gallons of liquid oil from a lowly corncob is actually possible. How isn't it too much work for the payoff? I mean, I'm no corn eater, but I've chomped a few kernels in my day, and I don't understand how squeezing oil out of this non-vegetable sounds like a good idea to anyone. 24% MUFA 59% PUFA (mostly O-6) 13% SFA Olive (and variations) Olive oil got a pretty good breakdown last year, so unless I'm leaving out some recent momentous news breaking out of the highly secretive olive oil world, there's not much more to say. It's a delicious salad oil, a decent sautéing oil, and it can even be used as moisturizer and shaving lotion. Olive oil is one area where CW gets it right. Enjoy this one, and keep a bottle of extra virgin, cold pressed olive oil on hand for salad dressings. It also does a decent job standing up to heat, but will lose it's delicate flavors if heated too high. This is a good enough reason for me to use a different fat/oil when cooking at high temps. (Why waste precious (and often expensive!) olive oil when lard, for instance, will do the trick?) 73% MUFA 3.5-21% Omega-6 PUFA 1% Omega-3 PUFA (not even worth mentioning, really) 14% SFA Coconut MDA's darling, coconut oil is truly a star. I went over why yesterday, and in past posts, but the gist of it is this: it's a tasty, shelf-stable (no hydrogenation required) tropical oil with a ton of saturated fatty acids. In fact, it's almost purely saturated, which is why most doctors and nutritionists will probably advise against its consumption. Not us, though. We love SFA. The refined coconut oil stands up to heat a bit better, and it doesn't have a distinctive taste, but I can't recommend it. Unrefined virgin oil is a murky, cloudy mess – but a delicious, creamy mess. Eat the unrefined by the spoonful. 6.2% MUFA 1.6% PUFA 92.1% SFA Palm Palm oil is controversial; just check out the comments section on my last post on the subject. Many palm oil plantations encroach upon the rapidly dwindling natural habitats of the orangutan, which are already in short supply in this world. The consensus seems to be that sustainable palm oil, especially the more complex, nutritious unrefined red palm oil, can be found. You've just got to look a little harder at the labels. West African red palm oil, for example, is considered to be pretty safe environmentally. Oh, and palm oil is also highly saturated and heat stable. Red palm oil is also stable, but it deserves special mention for its nutrient density – lots of CoQ10, Vitamin E, and SFAs. 39% MUFA 11% PUFA 50% SFA Fish Fish oil is another one of the widely accepted "good" fats. This time, though, we agree with Conventional Wisdom. The Omega-3 fatty acids, EPA and DHA, are unequivocally beneficial to us. They help balance our O6-O3 ratios (to a more appropriate, pre-agricultural level), while they also promote proper cell function, good lipid numbers, and improved insulin sensitivity. To bone up on more fish oil information, check out my Definitive Guide on the subject. EPA and DHA levels vary by brand and type of fish. Check the label for yourself, or look at this handy table if you're getting your fish oil from actual seafood. Avocado Who doesn't love a plump avocado with the right amount of give? If you can't get your hands on a good one, the next best thing might be a bottle of avocado oil. Its fatty acid profile is similar to that of olive oil, but it has an even higher smoke point, making it a decent choice for cooking. Personally, I still wouldn't use it for high heat cooking. The light, subtle taste lends itself far better to salad dressing, if you ask me. Buy in dark bottles to minimize oxidation. 70% MUFA 12% Omega-6 PUFA 1% Omega-3 PUFA 12% SFA Walnut Walnut oil is one of the better tasting nut oils. It is high in Omega-6s, sure, but walnut oil isn't something you're going to use every day, or even every week. The stuff tastes great, though, and a small splash goes a long way at the end of a cooking session or onto a tossed salad. I definitely would advise against using this on a regular basis, especially for cooking, and you should always store it in a dark, cool spot in the house. For those that "do dairy", try mixing a bit with some full-fat Greek yogurt, or unsweetened fresh whipped cream and berries: amazing. 23% MUFA 53% Omega-6 PUFA 10% Omega-3 PUFA 9% SFA Macadamia Nut I love this oil, but I also love the parent nut. The oil assumes the buttery, smooth, rich flavor of the macadamia nut, making it an interesting – but favorable – choice for salad dressings. It's also remarkably high in MUFAs and low in PUFAs, so it won't throw your ratios all out of whack. Makes a surprisingly good homemade mayonnaise, and can be used to sauté and cook in a pinch. The only drawback is its price; macadamia nut oil can get expensive. 71% MUFA 10% PUFA 12% SFA Sesame Seed The premier "flavor oil." Sesame seed oil, especially the toasted variety, offers an unmatched and irreplaceable flavor profile. Certain Asian dishes work best with a bit of sesame oil, but if you're wary of using it over high heat (which you probably should be), you can always add it to the dish after cooking. Despite the high PUFA content, sesame oil also contains a ton of antioxidants that can help minimize heat oxidation. I wouldn't use this more than semi-regularly, though. Good to keep in your pantry (or fridge), but not an everyday item. 43% MUFA 43% PUFA 14% SFA Peanut Restaurants like to tout that they use "healthy" peanut oil in their deep fryers. Okay, the relatively MUFA-rich peanut oil may be a better choice than corn or sunflower oil for high heating, but it's still a legume (already off limits) oil prone to rancidity. In the UK, it's known as groundnut oil. Avoid both. 46% MUFA 32% PUFA 17% SFA Sunflower Seed Insanely high in PUFAs with little to no Omega-3s to balance them out, sunflower seed oil is a pretty bad choice for sauteeing, baking, roasting, and even salad making. Trouble is it's everywhere, and it has a reputation for being healthy. Just don't keep the stuff in your house (not a problem; it's flavorless, odorless, and completely boring), and keep dining out in cheap chain restaurants to a minimum (or you could do what I do and request everything be cooked in butter), and you should be able to avoid sunflower seed oil. 19% MUFA 63% PUFA 10% SFA Safflower Like sunflower seed oil but worse, the oil derived from the "bastard saffron" is about 75% Omega-6 PUFAs with not a speck of Omega-3 in sight. It's also lower in MUFAs and SFAs. What's not to dislike? 14% MUFA 75% PUFA 6% SFA Cottonseed At least most of the oils I've mentioned come from technically edible plants, in some form or another. Cottonseed oil, however, comes from cotton. You know, the stuff that shirts are made of? Yeah. It's everywhere, from margarines to cereal to shortening to frozen desserts to bread, because it's cheaper than other oils (you can thank its status as one of Monsanto's big four genetically modified crops for that) and it only needs "partial hydrogenation" to maintain stability. Luckily, that won't be an issue for PBers who already avoid all that stuff in the first place. Warn your friends and family, though. 17% MUFA 52% PUFA 26% SFA Grape Seed Skip this stuff. It does have a buttery taste, and it gets a lot of hype as a worthy replacement for olive oil, but it's got high oxidation potential, especially if you follow the recommended instructions and use it for deep frying or high heat sauteeing. It's rather pricey, too, so there's no good reason to use it. 16% MUFA 70% PUFA 9% SFA Soybean Oil Soybean oil is about as ubiquitous as corn and canola (again, thanks to Monsanto). In fact, you'll often see an ingredient list include "canola and/or soybean oil." Huh? Do food manufacturers honestly not know what kind of fat is going into their product? Best avoid the crapshoot and skip anything that "might contain" soybean oil altogether. The fact that it's often partially hydrogenated suppresses my appetite even further. No thanks. 23% MUFA 51% Omega-6 PUFA 6% Omega-3 PUFA 14% SFA As you can tell, seed and nut oils probably shouldn't make up a significant portion of your diet. Some, like coconut, olive, macadamia, palm, avocado, and fish, are great, but the vast majority of oils are unnatural and way too high in PUFAs. And just remember, with some of the more questionable/borderline oils, a little bit goes a long way. I haven't covered every edible oil known to humankind in this article. For information on other oils reference these tables and start up a discussion in the comment board or the forum. What are your preferred edible oils and why? Let me know your thoughts. Grok on! P.S. If you liked this article share it with your friends by clicking the "Share This" link below. Get Free Health Tips, Recipes and Workouts Delivered to Your Inbox Related posts: The Definitive Guide to Fish Oils A Quick Guide to Edible Seeds The Definitive Guide to Saturated Fat

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Industrial farming head just says ‘no’ to call for civility

Industrial farming head just says ‘no’ to call for civility | Grist

For those of you wondering if we can have a more civil discourse over food and agriculture in this country, American Farm Bureau President Bob Stallman has an answer for you: Fat chance!

According to Stallman [MS Word], the top challenge facing farmers isn’t the rising cost of seed, fertilizer, and pesticides. Or the alarming growth of superweeds (a new report says that over 50 percent of fields in Missouri harbor weeds resistant to the herbicide RoundUp, upon which the entire GMO production style is based). Or the threat posed by climate change, which could reduce U.S. grain yields substantially soon and by 80 percent within decades.

No, the top challenge facing farmers is, and I quote, “the nonstop criticism of contemporary agriculture.”

Stallman continues:

[A] line must be drawn between our polite and respectful engagement with consumers and the way we must aggressively respond to extremists who want to drag agriculture back to the day of 40 acres and a mule.

Our adversaries are skillful at taking advantage of our politeness. Publicly, they call for friendly dialogue while privately their tactics are far from that.

Who could blame us for thinking that the avalanche of misguided, activist-driven regulation on labor and environment being proposed in Washington is anything but unfriendly.

The time has come to face our opponents with a new attitude. The days of their elitist power grabs are over.

A good portion of Stallman’s speech was a call for unity among farmers—whether they are organic, grass-fed types or GMOers—and against, well, us. But that wasn’t all. There was also an attack on climate change legislation—and this is an angle I think proponents of the bill need to be prepared for—because it will “cut the number of acres devoted to food production”—possibly up to 59 million acres, he said—in favor of trees. This number is highly suspect, of course, having come from a USDA analysis that Ag Chief Tom Vilsack himself has declared flawed. There was also a hit on developing nations disguised as clear-eyed “realism” when Stallman suggested that they would never be able to take responsibility for feeding themselves:

Unfortunately, the hard facts are, that for parts of the world, we cannot improve the depth of topsoil, create rainfall, make the climate more temperate, or ensure economic and social justice for farmers.

Best just to send the GMOs and Roundup, I guess. Oh, and Stallman, representative of the part of the industry that benefits most from direct, cash payouts from the federal government—on the order of $12 billion a year—called for budget austerity for everyone else. Yes, the AFB is starting its own Deficit Reduction Task Force no doubt to do for the rest of government spending what they’ve done for agriculture. And remember, said Stallman, the only “sustainability” that matters is “economic sustainability.” Is that before or after you cash your subsidy check, Bob?

But most of the speech involved an extended, if veiled, suggestion that an attack on conventional agriculture is an attack on abundant, reasonably priced food. This is, of course, demonstrably false. The data shows that non-chemically intensive practices yield almost exactly the same. Yet another inconvenient truth that industry tries to ignore and anyway is sort of beside the point. What Stallman is really doing is setting the stage for the coming battle over agricultural subsidies, set for renewal in 2012. The way things are must not change, suggests Stallman. And lucky for Stallman, they probably won’t.

We received a taste of what’s to come just the other week when the USDA announced minimal changes to an eligibility rule for subsidies. It involved the current loose definition of what it means to be “actively engaged” in farming and was something that Obama had promised to fix during his campaign, even to the point of making it part of his Rural Agenda. What happened? Well, my sources suggest that none other than Senate Ag Chair Blanche Lincoln, she of the sub-40 percent polling numbers, couldn’t stomach the financial loss to her large-scale rice and cotton-growing constituents that tightening eligibility would entail. And so, reform got a sucker punch from bare-knuckled politics, which is pretty typical where ag policy is concerned. Sadly, there remains no political upside to opposing the agricultural status quo.

What’s truly discouraging in Stallman’s speech is that he and his compatriots don’t see the opportunity here. Forget throwing off the chains of industrial agriculture, what about calling for more farmers? Or trying to tap into the growing excitement over food and how it’s grown? Or touting agriculture as a promising and under-appreciated engine of future job growth? Or even reveling in the coming financial and technological windfall from climate change mitigation? Instead we get paranoid fantasies, accusations of climate hoaxes and even calls to privatize Social Security. Ah, well. Better luck next year, eh, Bob?

On eating & nutrition

Vitamins & Your Health -Wellness Wednesdays

At the root of Insulin Resistance Syndrome (IRS) are unhealthy food choices. In our overabundant commodity food crop culture, our exposure to lower quality foods produced from the government subsidized crops like corn, soybeans, rice, and wheat is creating metabolic imbalances in our bodies of epidemic proportions. Because these crops are cheaper for the farmer to sell them than it is to produce them (thanks to the subsidy), manufacturers use these crops to produce "foods" that are calorie-dense and nutrient-poor.

Therefore, the centerpiece to preventing and reversing IRS is healthy food choices. Go to your food pantry and your refrigerator and throw out anything that contains the following ingredients: high-fructose corn syrup, partially hydrogenated soybean oil (or any kind of partially hydrogenated oil), refined flour, or sugar (as the first or second ingredient). If you have nothing left in your pantry to eat, you need a serious dietary paradigm shift. Now replace those "foods" with some real food like 100% whole grains (oats, brown rice, etc.), a variety of vegetables (click here if you need some ideas), lean proteins (eggs, poultry, fish, tofu, etc.), and some fruit, berries, and nuts.

Kam's note: just make sure that the meat you buy is Animal Welfare approved.   Click through to their web site to use their handy farm locator for your area.  List of AWA shops and vendors can be found here.

On eating meat and natural tendency towards vegan - The Cycling Network

On eating meet and natural tendency towards vegan - The Cycling Network

The following is shared as a supplement to the above and from my continued research.

Several food labels to consider when purchasing meats and/or ordering meat-based dishes at restaurant.

1. Certified Organic: this could mean that the animal is fed certified organic feed, but there is no guarantee that the animal was raised properly. As an example, as seen in the poultry industry, animals are crowded in cages or barns with little to no sun-light (darkness keeps them calm) and while they are fed organically certified feed (which can be corn based feed not really ideal for them), their lives are pretty much miserable. Same goes for how egg-producing chickens are raised. So, Certified Organic tells part of the story, but not the whole thing.

2. Farm Raised: this could be just a marketing label. Don't let it fool you to think that the animals range freely on the farm land with ample access to water and food. Consider, what is a definition of a farm? Is it the Little House on the Prairie or could it also bee a large track of dirt land that houses animals. Isn't a "farm" the place where live stock is raised, even if it's just a huge building in the middle of the city? Farm Raised does not necessarily mean no cruelty to animals.

3. Locally Raised: think about the carbon footprint of consuming foods, which means considering the amount of gasoline and energy used to transport an animal from the location where it is raised, to a certified slaughterhouse where it is killed and processed, to a store or farmer's market where you buy it, and the trip back to your house where you cook and eat it. Or, to the restaurant where you drive to and order it. Because most states have given up inspecting slaughter houses, this task has been assigned to Federal Inspection and all slaughtering has to be done by FDA approved and monitored slaughter houses that are far and few. Consider, for example, that if you live next to a farm that raises livestock, that animal has to be transported away to an FDA approved slaughterhouse, killed and processed, shipped back to a store where you can buy it. Think about how much energy is spent growing and moving that animal around so you can eat a piece of meat.

They call this the Local Consumption Dilemma, which means that while demand for meat exists in local markets and that local farmers aim to satisfy that demand, the processes in place to process, monitor and distribute that meat burns up a lot of energy, which adds to the cost and risk of consuming that meat.

4. Certified Grass Fed: this means that animals, especially cows and pork, are not fed corn as the primary component of their diets. Corn, as a filler, lacks the nutrition needed for these animals to properly grow and fight diseases such as the infamous Mad Cow, strains of Salmonella and other food infections and intoxications (see here to learn about the different between the two).

Corn fed animals that get sick, can pass on illness not only to humans who consume them, but strains of diseases can show up elsewhere, in other meat and non-meat foods such as spinach. Remember the people who died from eating spinach?

This is so because although illegal in Japan and Europe, in the U.S. and Canada it remains common to include the blood, bone, and unwanted flesh of all types of farmed animals in the feed of chickens, turkeys, and pigs. Of all the animal flesh and bone meal that is processed into food for farmed animals, almost half is fed to chickens and turkeys, 13 percent is fed to pigs, and 10 percent is fed to cows.

So, grass fed is a step in the right direction, but again not the whole of the story.

If you're like me, right about now you're shaking your head and wondering so what is there to do? Does the combination of organically grass fed cruelty free environmentally friendly minimally foot printed meat and dairy that are affordable even exist?

Now can you see the argument for a vegan diet? For me, moving away from eating meat and towards vegan is not a question of nutrition as it is about the process of clearing my conscious, reducing my personal foot print, contributing to social sustainability, and ultimately contributing to the eventual elimination of cruelty to animals.

Simply put, I don't want to eat the meat of animals that have been raised, killed and processed in a cruel fashion.

It's your choice. No one has the right to judge you and that's not what this is about. If you choose to eat meat, at least do the following:

1. visit your local farmer's market and get to know the people who sell meats and dairy products there. Ask them about their farm and where they get their inventory. Ask about how the animals are raised and treated on their farm. Be kind and listen to them. Ask if they are open to visitors to their farm (this could be a good indication if they are telling the truth). And if you feel comfortable with them, and only if you feel comfortable with them, patronize them and build a relationship with them to buy your meat and dairy products from them.

2. Look for Animal Welfare Approved labels on the products you purchase. In my research and opinion, this label is currently more important that certified organic and/or grass fed labels. Ideally, you would want all of these to exist together, but if you had to choose one, seek out the Animal Welfare Approved label.


3. Please, please, please avoid fast food chains at all cost. Every dollar you spend with these organizations is fuel for the continued cruelty to animals and validation that the current system of food production and processing is working (which is not). Most folks consider fast food to be the McDonald's, BurgerKing, Taco Bells of the world. Add to this list the franchised operated restaurants such as Friday's, Denny's, Soup Plantation, even some foods at Starbucks. A good rule of thumb is to avoid franchise chains. You're better off getting carrots and nuts at the market than eating a warm, nice tasting meal at franchise establishments.

Finally, I hope this information is helpful to you. My intent is not to fuel the fear engine, but rather to get you thinking and talking about food, nutrition and sustainability.

Keep the dialog open and continue reading, learning and researching on your own.

In health,

Kam

On eating meet and natural tendency towards vegan - The Cycling Network

On eating meet and natural tendency towards vegan - The Cycling Network

The following is shared as a supplement to the above and from my continued research.

Several food labels to consider when purchasing meats and/or ordering meat-based dishes at restaurant.

1. Certified Organic: this could mean that the animal is fed certified organic feed, but there is no guarantee that the animal was raised properly. As an example, as seen in the poultry industry, animals are crowded in cages or barns with little to no sun-light (darkness keeps them calm) and while they are fed organically certified feed (which can be corn based feed not really ideal for them), their lives are pretty much miserable. Same goes for how egg-producing chickens are raised. So, Certified Organic tells part of the story, but not the whole thing.

2. Farm Raised: this could be just a marketing label. Don't let it fool you to think that the animals range freely on the farm land with ample access to water and food. Consider, what is a definition of a farm? Is it the Little House on the Prairie or could it also bee a large track of dirt land that houses animals. Isn't a "farm" the place where live stock is raised, even if it's just a huge building in the middle of the city? Farm Raised does not necessarily mean no cruelty to animals.

3. Locally Raised: think about the carbon footprint of consuming foods, which means considering the amount of gasoline and energy used to transport an animal from the location where it is raised, to a certified slaughterhouse where it is killed and processed, to a store or farmer's market where you buy it, and the trip back to your house where you cook and eat it. Or, to the restaurant where you drive to and order it. Because most states have given up inspecting slaughter houses, this task has been assigned to Federal Inspection and all slaughtering has to be done by FDA approved and monitored slaughter houses that are far and few. Consider, for example, that if you live next to a farm that raises livestock, that animal has to be transported away to an FDA approved slaughterhouse, killed and processed, shipped back to a store where you can buy it. Think about how much energy is spent growing and moving that animal around so you can eat a piece of meat.

They call this the Local Consumption Dilemma, which means that while demand for meat exists in local markets and that local farmers aim to satisfy that demand, the processes in place to process, monitor and distribute that meat burns up a lot of energy, which adds to the cost and risk of consuming that meat.

4. Certified Grass Fed: this means that animals, especially cows and pork, are not fed corn as the primary component of their diets. Corn, as a filler, lacks the nutrition needed for these animals to properly grow and fight diseases such as the infamous Mad Cow, strains of Salmonella and other food infections and intoxications (see here to learn about the different between the two).

Corn fed animals that get sick, can pass on illness not only to humans who consume them, but strains of diseases can show up elsewhere, in other meat and non-meat foods such as spinach. Remember the people who died from eating spinach?

This is so because although illegal in Japan and Europe, in the U.S. and Canada it remains common to include the blood, bone, and unwanted flesh of all types of farmed animals in the feed of chickens, turkeys, and pigs. Of all the animal flesh and bone meal that is processed into food for farmed animals, almost half is fed to chickens and turkeys, 13 percent is fed to pigs, and 10 percent is fed to cows.

So, grass fed is a step in the right direction, but again not the whole of the story.

If you're like me, right about now you're shaking your head and wondering so what is there to do? Does the combination of organically grass fed cruelty free environmentally friendly minimally foot printed meat and dairy that are affordable even exist?

Now can you see the argument for a vegan diet? For me, moving away from eating meat and towards vegan is not a question of nutrition as it is about the process of clearing my conscious, reducing my personal foot print, contributing to social sustainability, and ultimately contributing to the eventual elimination of cruelty to animals.

Simply put, I don't want to eat the meat of animals that have been raised, killed and processed in a cruel fashion.

It's your choice. No one has the right to judge you and that's not what this is about. If you choose to eat meat, at least do the following:

1. visit your local farmer's market and get to know the people who sell meats and dairy products there. Ask them about their farm and where they get their inventory. Ask about how the animals are raised and treated on their farm. Be kind and listen to them. Ask if they are open to visitors to their farm (this could be a good indication if they are telling the truth). And if you feel comfortable with them, and only if you feel comfortable with them, patronize them and build a relationship with them to buy your meat and dairy products from them.

2. Look for Animal Welfare Approved labels on the products you purchase. In my research and opinion, this label is currently more important that certified organic and/or grass fed labels. Ideally, you would want all of these to exist together, but if you had to choose one, seek out the Animal Welfare Approved label.


3. Please, please, please avoid fast food chains at all cost. Every dollar you spend with these organizations is fuel for the continued cruelty to animals and validation that the current system of food production and processing is working (which is not). Most folks consider fast food to be the McDonald's, BurgerKing, Taco Bells of the world. Add to this list the franchised operated restaurants such as Friday's, Denny's, Soup Plantation, even some foods at Starbucks. A good rule of thumb is to avoid franchise chains. You're better off getting carrots and nuts at the market than eating a warm, nice tasting meal at franchise establishments.

Finally, I hope this information is helpful to you. My intent is not to fuel the fear engine, but rather to get you thinking and talking about food, nutrition and sustainability.

Keep the dialog open and continue reading, learning and researching on your own.

In health,

Kam

On eating meet and natural tendency towards vegan

On eating meet and natural tendency towards vegan - The Cycling Network

I originally sent this to my family and close friends. After some colorful feedback, I am sharing it because the information is valuable for everyone, especially athletes.

This is not a chain post.... it is written by me and I am responsible for its content.

All the same, I have not been a fan of reading information such as what I'm about to share and am shaking my head as I write this one. Please excuse me.

I justify taking your time because you are important to me and this issue is significant enough that I am taking time to share it with you.

During the past few months I have been educating myself on the status of our food industry and have some information I wish to share with you.

I am not asking for money, your support of a charity, nothing like that at all. It is not my intent to feed the fear engine that is abundantly preset in our daily lives. I'm not wanting us to hold hands, light candles, wear Patchouli and sing Kumbaya.

My intend is simply to share with you that my discoveries have significantly altered my nutritional intake to where I am not wanting to eat meat any longer.

Over the past few months I have weened myself off meat, poultry, dairy and eggs for no other reason other than I can not justify eating these animals and products knowing what has been done to them from the moment of their birth to when they die.

In my coaching and continued progression as an athlete seeking knowledge in health, fitness and wellness, I have always advocated the incorporation of lean meats (such as buffalo/bison, turkey, chicken, eggs and fish) in my personal and athletes' diets to provide the essential protein building blocks necessary for recovery from physical training.

Now, after a lot of research, I am finding that the same benefits of consuming lean proteins can be achieved without actually eating meat. And, that the consumption of commercially available meats and products is actually counter-healing to us and should be avoided, unless the source of growth and production of these meats and products can be personally verified to be drug and cruelty free.

For me, at the age of 43, I am arguably in the best shape of my life. I continue to train hard and can keep up with professional athletes who are almost 1/2 my age! My nutritional needs continue to be demanding and I am continuously looking for advantages to help me recover, heal and gain a health/fitness advantage.

So, please hear me when I tell you that food should be thought of as "medicine" in that it's primary purpose is to heal you and not just fill your stomach.

Consider filling your diet with raw/organic nuts and nut butters, loads of organic fruits and vegetables of all kinds, quinoa and rice, oatmeal, protein powder, and not-farm-raised seafood if you find a craving for protein.

Avoid meats and farm products unless you personally know their source and can vouch for the cruel-free methods of raising, killing and processing them.

You don't need to be a Nazi about this.... make a small change here and there: It's taken me about 6 months to reverse my craving for meat.

When ordering/buying food, think of your pet and know that animals are sentient beings with awareness: they are aware of their environment and process those factors internally. If we eat meat that is commercially raised, we consume all the hormones that the animal released in their system during their miserable lives before being killed.

This is going to sound woo-woo and I can't believe I'm about to say this, but the spirit of the animal that gives up its life for our consumption should be thanked Consider the rituals Native Americans performed when killing buffalo to sustain the survival of their people. They gave thanks to the spirit of that animal and killed without excess.

We are what we eat. We can all afford to be more cognizant of what we eat because our consumption fuels an industry that is not right on many levels, including its impact on your health and the health of your loved ones.

Do not eat fast foods...don't even patronize them because every dollar spent with them is another vote for them to continue butchering our food source, not to mention the negative health consequences on you and your family.

I care about you and want absolute health and wellness for you, which is why I took time to write.

Open up your fridge and take a close look inside. You don't need to throw anything out. Just make a note to make small changes next time you shop for food.

In mine, I have:
• almond butter
• organic peanut butter
• 9 different varieties of hot sauce
• organic mustard
• lots of nuts: Brazil, almond, sesame, cashews, walnut, pecan
• dried fruits: cherries, raisins
• Veggies: carrots, zucchini, avocado, two bags of organic spinach, potato, onions, organic celery
• tempeh
• frozen wild salmon, ahi and scallops: avoid farm-raised seafood please
• organic frozen peas and edamame
• garlic
• brown rice tortillas
• almond cheese
• Brags liquid amino acid
• Tamari sauce

In my pantry I have:
• organic canned beans
• wild salmon bought at Costco
• 3 different kinds of rice cakes
• coconut milk
• red quinoa
• white quinoa
• mung beans
• brown rice
• wild rice
• almond milk
• canned organic pumpkin
• dates
• 3 different protein powders: organic chocolate rice, chocolate soy and Rainbow Light Vegan vanilla protein energizer (my new favorite, which also comes in chocolate)

Fruits:
• lemons
• apples
• pears
• banana

Supplements:
• Metagenic lemon flavored fish oils
• Metagenic methalated folic acid
• CoQ10 bought from Costco
• men's one a day, but not centrum, formula multi vitamin & mineral: a good way to gauge the absorbency of a multi vitamin is to put one in a small glass of water overnight. if it's not completely dissolved by the morning, don't take it as your body will not absorb it. It's also important to get both vitamin AND minerals.
• Triphala: an auyervedic mixture of herbs to help balance my dosha
• Milk Thistle: for liver
• Vitamin C: 1000mg
• Olive leaf extract: for when I feel my immune system needing a boost
• Branch Chain Amino Acids for training purposes and recovery

You can sustain a healthy intake with the above example of foods and supplements

If you use a reverse osmosis water filtration system, please supplement your water with a few drops of liquid trace minerals.

You can sustain a healthy dietary intake with a variation of the above.

Let me know if you have any questions, comments, or if I can help you clean up your diet and promote better health and healing.

My best wishes for a great 2010 and healthy, prosperous new decade.

Kam