More Swine Flu Goodness: Masks Don't Protect

As pointed out so expertly on naturalnews.com, those paper masks you see people wearing about town in Mexico City and other places where the swine flu has broken out do not protect against the swine flu or other airborne diseases as is widely assumed.

The newscasts often show them in that context, and that could be a dangerous piece of subconscious information.

The masks are worn by surgeons in order to prevent themselves from transmitting their own germs to their patients but not to avoid the germs of their patients.

Yet the assumption among the swine flu-fearing citizens of North America is that these paper-thin masks will somehow protect them from germs when in reality they aren't helping much at all. Germs can still easily get through the small holes in the masks.

Some people might get a false sense of security wearing these masks for the swine flu and put themselves into potentially harmful situations they otherwise wouldn't, so it's important that the media as well as people around the world spread the word that these masks don't really protect people from swine flu.

The FDA has said as much even though they usually aren't the most trustworthy source. You'll need a full-fledged, tight gas mask in order to truly protect yourself against the swine flu.

But for now, lay low and focus on keeping your immune system strong as we wait for this swine flu "pandemic" to pass.

Swine Flu Prevention Tips

The swine flu is here to stay and even though most people who read this blog are probably healthy enough to fight it off, it's a good idea for me to go ahead and post some basic tips on the swine flu outbreak and how to prevent it.

The first tip is that this flu is spread much like the regular flu we've all heard so much about, so keep close contact with strangers to a minimum as much as possible and stay away from germ-infested areas like hospitals and airports as much as possible.

Be really careful at the gym as well, you should disinfect all equipment before and after you use it and bring a towel with you if possible, especially in states like Texas where swine flu has been reported.

Here are some basic tips and etiquette for swine flu prevention:

Stay home from work or school- If you get sick, make sure you keep yourself in check and don't spread the flu to others, and go to a doctor if symptoms get bad or you suspect swine flu. This one is common sense but should be re-iterated.

Wash hands often- All flus are transmitted the same way but the risk can be prevented with simple hygiene. Grab a bottle of hand sanitizer if you live in an at-risk area and use constantly until the coast is clear.

Avoid touching eyes, nose, or mouth- This is the easiest way to spread swine flu after contacting it.

Feed your immune system to stop swine flu- Vitamin C, zinc, plenty of sunlight, etc. are all good ideas to keep your body ready, willing, and able to fight off all diseases. Swine flu can strike younger people in the 20-30 range but a good immune system is still the best defense against any disease.

Vegetarian Festival Hits Detroit Area

Go to http://www.vegmichigan.org/ to check out some of the events going on in Ferndale, Michigan today.

It's a good thing when vegetarian lifestyles are celebrated as opposed to blasted like they often are in the mainstream media, at least on TV shows and in movies and advertisements, that is.

More vegetarians are obviously good for the planet.

Growing food will reduce emissions from methane gas from animals as well as waste runoff from all of the farm animals as well.

Plus, a vegetarian diet movement would save food overall when you take into account how necessary it is to commit lots of food resources to feeding the massive cows and keep them alive long enough to turn into beef.

Why doesn't the media see vegetarianism for what it is, a noble sacrifice for the planet and a healthy way to live?

Personally, I eat a lot of meat but I would cut that down to once per day (including chicken) if I could if not less. I think less meat consumption would be a good compromise for everyone but Americans obviously don't want to hear it.

Let's do our best to spread the word that vegetarianism is smart and not such an uncool thing to do in the future.

Earth Day Celebrations and Tips

The celebration of Earth Day is upon us and everyone is looking for ways to help the environment.

But the most important way to celebrate the day and to keep the planet healthy is to SUPPORT LOCAL BUSINESS AND FARMS AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE.

Put Global Warming, whether you believe in it or not, aside for a second on this Earth Day and follow me here.

It is without hesitation that I tell you that the cause of the Earth's problems, of the massive pollution of the Puget Sound in the Seattle area, of the awful state of our air and water, of the giant dead zones in the ocean...is the corporate pox upon the Earth, mainly through America.

They are the ones who eschew regulations in the name of obscene profit. Money is the most powerful motivator in the world and even one minor tweak or concession can cause MASS LOSS OF PROFITS for the wealthy elite.

They are the ones who drive local farmers out of business or cause them to use their corn for poisonous, obesity-causing, unnatural high fructose corn syrup, and the ones who allow runoff from massive corporate farms' animal manure to pollute the waterways.

Saving the Earth in this day and age is about a return to personal responsibility, about looking after each other and supporting good, honest businesses and people rather than the slave labor corporations like Wal-Mart and the massive industrial DDT and growth-hormone-pumping farms that are the cause of almost all of our problems.

As the Earth heads towards uncertain times, question everything. Question who new taxes and laws are really looking after (hint: follow the money), and question the very existence of Earth Day. Why do we need one in the first place?

Every day should be Earth Day.

Maybe some day we will have a true reason to have an Earth Day celebration.

We must attack the roots of the greed that has gotten us to this point. It's not about CO2 emissions as much as it is the overall toxicity of the instruments of mass capitalism.

Spread the word, do your own research. This is merely a blog on Earth Day and I have other work to do so I couldn't state this as elegantly as I wanted to do.

Let's make it happen and let's take care of each other. Let's watch out for the little guy.

More Urban Greening Projects

The people of Detroit are a resilient bunch, well, a good deal of them at least. Unfortunately it doesn't take many people to screw things up for the rest of the city's citizens.

The people who have stayed behind are often quite upbeat, gritty, and idealistic about their sickly city.

On Saturday, park cleanup projects went down across the city which is a very important thing because all Detroit kids often see are blight and decay and burned out houses. Just getting in touch with nature is so important for inner city kids to see the big picture and what life is really all about.

I drove through one park on the southwest side where trash was strewn all over the place and there were only about three pieces of rusty playground equipment. It seemed like a potentially beautiful site just off of I-96 freeway but people had been dumping things there like trash of all kinds and even a small boat near the back.

The irresponsibility of a few citizens can easily mess up what a bunch of dedicated people can do in no time. That makes it much more honorable that so many people are so persistent with all the greening projects.

One lady I met taught local boys how to grow crops like potatoes and then had them sell them at a local market for spending cash. That's a beautiful thing right there.

The solutions to many of our inner cities' natural problems or at least support for a healthy lifestyle someday comes on the back of green projects like this and others.

Spread the word and let's try to beautify our urban areas as much as possible in the future.

HR 759 and HR 875: Both are Bad, but 759 Should Be Focus

Two bills that threaten to change the agricultural industry in America for the worse are set to make their way to the house to be voted upon soon.

HR 759 and HR 875 are both complex, gigantic behemoths that each require tons of study and lawyer-types to understand, but in the end, you simply need to know that they are both BAD NEWS for anyone who's a fan of healthy, environmentally sound farming practices.

ORGANIC FOOD COULD BE EVEN MORE DIFFICULT TO COME BY IF THESE BILLS PASS.

Already organic food prices are too high for many struggling families to pay. These bills would make life hell on small farms by forcing them to adhere to tough standards, and by standards I mean the standards of large industrial farms.

To large farms, the standards are pesticide poisons by the gallon and other "modern" methods that make a mockery of everything nature attempts to provide to us.

HR 759 is the bill we need to watch most. It is most likely to pass and will be up for vote around memorial day so write your congressmen and women and reps now and voice your displeasure.

Big industrial farms are the reason why this so-called safety bill is being passed and now they want punish smaller farms and use them as scapegoats.

We're not having that, are we?

Do we want to see disease rates skyrocket across the board as pesticides and genetic modification in our food becomes commonplace?

Science can never replace nature. Never. Let's take care of business and SPREAD THE WORD because if this passes, there's no going back.

Don't Forget to Grab Some Sun Rays!

The sun is finally shining down with all of the energy and warmth of a typical spring here in Michigan and across the midwest, and that means one thing according to what the media would have you believe: stay inside!

Am I right? Okay, so I exaggerated a bit, but the public has definitely been spooked into avoiding sun by many media sources because of skin cancer threats. They are quite valid, I must say, but that type of exposure and problem has been overblown a little bit.

Going out and taking the dog for a nice walk or cruising around with the top down in a convertible and everyday things of that nature is not much of a risk for the most part and only a small SPF sun block is usually needed.

On top of that, the health benefits for going out and getting some sun are too great to ignore.

People who stay inside too much are at risk for insomnia because the sunlight regulates our natural sleeping patterns and rhythms and allows us to store the right amount of melatonin for use later in the night after the sun goes down. People sleep better when they get out and enjoy the sun during the day.

Even if you're stuck at work, there's no excuse for not getting up and taking a break outside.

Also, most cases of vitamin D deficiency are the result of lack of sunlight as opposed to not drinking enough milk as the money-grubbing dairy campaigns would have you believe. Sunlight is the best source for natural Vitamin D and there is growing evidence that vitamin D deficiencies can lead to some pretty bad diseases such as multiple sclerosis, although more research is needed.

Be sure to get at least a solid amount of sun each day when the opportunity presents itself.