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THINK RIGHT - continued

.... but as you read them this time think about what you have to be thankful for and put your worries and concerns in perspective. Remember that as he says, you truly do only pass this way once, therefore remember his words every day in every experience; "I expect to pass through this world but once; therefore, any good thing that I can do, or any kindness that I can show to any fellow creature, let me do it now. Let me not defer or neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again."

     Now I hope you can see why I chose the title for this "Think Right". You see, you don't want to "defer or neglect it", because you may not get a second chance. So when you see a friend, neighbor or relative who is in need, don't "defer". How many times have you said; "Oh, I will take care of that tomorrow." The 'that' in this case could be a phone call to a friend who you haven't seen in a while. It could be a donation to a local charity that you have put off for months. It can even be something as simple as a smile or a friendly word, or act of kindness toward someone in need. You know a simple gesture like a smile (which doesn't cost you anything) can change a person's perspective immediately. I will even go out on a limb and say that it could even change the course of his or her life.

     You know many people loved the movie "Pay It Forward". If you haven't seen it you may want to. When I watched this movie I enjoyed it and became wrapped up in it (as I tend to do with movies and theatre). Then I realized that all of the characters performing the pay it forward acts of kindness were actually doing them with the intention of receiving something in return. You see it is important in this whole scheme of things that you understand that your intent must be to "Give" without expecting "Anything What So Ever" in return. I know that may sound as if I am "preaching" to you, but sometimes our "Think Rights" require that I turn my collar around and put it right in your face. I will not apologize for that, because sometimes we all need a little "rubbing of the noses in it."

     So get out of your "Comfort Zone" and smile, say "Thank You", or pick up the phone and call that friend or relative whom you haven't called in years. Yes it might seem a little awkward, perhaps there will be a period of silence on the other end of the line as the other party clears the cobwebs from the memory of "just who the heck is on the phone". I can guarantee you however (from experience) that once the memory/name is clear there will be a smile on the other end of the phone that you will perceive without even seeing it.

      As you make that call remember the word of Robert Louis Stevenson: "A friend is a gift you give yourself." Be thankful for the gift, take care of it, nurture it, and enjoy it! Remember you gave it to yourself.

     So as we enter into our "Thanksgiving" celebrations we must all be thankful for what we have. It may be necessary for you to reboot your "Thankful Meter" in order to do this. Sometimes you have to get your "Poor Me" out of the way. If you are having trouble doing this look around at others. You may have to look as far as some of the poor individuals in another country who haven't even got a stitch of clothing (I am willing to bet that you do) or a speck of food to eat (I know that you do). So get the "Stinkin Thinkin" out of the way and be grateful. As Lionel Hampton put it "Gratitude is when memory is stored in the heart and not in the mind." So think with your heart!

 Onto the next article

EAT RIGHT - continued

Kelly Alderfer, ESW 180 YO FALL 2009    
Critical Thinking Short Essay - 1, "Focus on . . . Genetically Modified Food"

Part I - Focus On - Discussion:  Should labeling of genetically modified foods be required?  Why or why not?
    On my desk sit four food items that are regular staples in our home:  pasta sauce, cereal, apple sauce, and pretzels.  I normally wouldn't hesitate to purchase these items, but now that I have spent some time researching genetically modified foods, my shopping trip for just a few things took almost an hour!  Armed with the knowledge of what foods have been genetically modified and incorporated into our diet, without my knowledge, I now find food shopping very stressful.  Standing in the pasta and sauce isle of my local grocery store, I found myself in a sweat, being overly-concerned about the jar of spaghetti sauce I was holding.  Does this sauce contain the Flavr Savr™ brand of genetically modified tomatoes I read about?  And are genetically modified tomatoes (like the ones possibly in this jar) the source of my son's severe allergic reactions to food - causing him to break out in hives from head to toe, forcing me to stick him with an Epi-Pen™ when his air passage narrows?  (These hives are tricky too, because they don't always appear immediately after consuming the food; his hives show up while he's sleeping!)
    The "Focus-On" article from our textbook and online website opened my eyes to a crop of food I never knew existed.  And, since our textbook had very little explanation of genetically modified foods, I found myself scouring the internet and local library for information, agricultural reports, professional journals, PBS, and critics (like Greenpeace organizations) to gain as much knowledge as I could from different perspectives.  
    With that said, I give you a resounding "Yes!"  Labeling should be listed on every package of processed, fresh, and frozen food, condiment, and cooking essential (oils, spices).    The food items on my desk have no reference to genetically modification.  They stress their ingredients are all-natural, have no additives or preservatives, or starches.  They go so far as to state that they were home grown in the USA, but that is what worries me the most!  America is the highest producer of genetically modified foods!  By 2007, 49 percent of the corn crops in the United States were genetically modified.   (That's why the corn we got from Lancaster was so early this year!  And it was available and delicious right up until last week!)  Former President Bush encouraged other nations to accept our food shipments, but the consumers were not willing to let what they called "Frankedfood" be put in their grocery stores.  
    Two important questions I have are: "What do we really know about the long-term effects of genetically modified foods?" And: "What foods are genetically modified?'  The Port Townsend Food Co-op, Greenpeace, and Grist websites linked together to provide consumers with a True Food Shopping Guide, True Food Shopping List, as well as easy to follow steps to "green up" your menu.  I believe that bioscience, government, and agriculture groups should team up and provide consumers with much publicized research findings, lab test results, and clear and proper labeling so that we can make an informed and intelligent decision when purchasing food for our families.
    In a different case, like poverty-stricken countries where more than one-third of the population is close to starving, genetically modified foods like "Zerica" rice (see second part of question below) are a miracle food that can keep large families fed all year, plus provide a source of income.  I feel that having a reliable/better food source is a better choice than nothing at all.  But in the Western world, where there's a fast-food joint on almost every corner, genetically modified foods should be labeled due to possible toxicity levels and food allergens towards children and adults.
    In his article, "Genetically Modified Foods: Are they a Risk to Human/Animal Health?" Arpad Pusztai states how difficult it is for Americans to make an informed decision about genetically modified foods where there is almost no information available about its safety.  I learned part of a growing list of foods that are now genetically modified; such as: FlavrSavr™ tomatoes, maize, potatoes, rice, cotton, alfalfa, and soybeans.  Port Townsend Food Co-op provided four ingredients to look out for genetic modifications; such as: Corn (corn oil, corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, corn starch, corn meal), Soy (soy protein, soy lecithin, soy oil, soy isolates), Canola (canola oil), and Cotton (cottonseed oil).  Greenpeace urges consumers to check the labels for common genetically engineered ingredients like: soy sauce and canola oils (unless it is labeled organic or "non-GE").  And Grist suggests "Don't GMO there!"  Stating genetically modified crops have the monopoly making the world's farmers dependent on biotech companies, in which farmers are forced to buy new seed each season.  Grist called genetically modified foods "the test-tube kids of the farming world."  Concerns are being raised now as to health and environmental safety.  Several great resources provided by Grist offer general information on GMOs (genetically modified foods), "green" cleaning products, and how to find local organic food sources.
     I don't feel so "free" in America anymore.  I feel I am being lead blindly into "fake food" that is filled with unnatural elements that could quite possibly give my family illness, food or environmental allergens, or bacteria that we cannot fight off with our immune systems.  Even though the soil in our land is rich and irrigation systems are plenty, the risks of toxicity and allergens as well as resistance to bacteria is too great.  The U.S. Supreme Court needs to not only ban sugar beets (which happened on September 23, 2009 by Federal Judge Jeffrey S. White of San Francisco, California), but the rest of the crops too - until more testing is done to deem it safe for human and animal consumption.

Part II - Focus On "For Discussion" - Do you think a moratorium should be imposed on genetically modified crops until long-term studies prove them safe, or do you think the potential nutritional and environmental benefits outweigh the risks?
     It would seem that I would vehemently state "Yes" on a moratorium for genetically modified crops.  However, I feel that the United States should impose a moratorium on all our crops, as well as any crops that are imported from other countries, until proper and in depth testing is complete (publication to the country), and approval is given by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration).  And yes, I'm okay with it taken several years to happen, because then I know it was done in the public eye and done correctly - Americans need to know!
    If a moratorium were imposed on rice (for example) in the entire world, then struggling countries like Zaguiguia, Africa (where in 2002, drought left the entire population in poverty and hunger) would have fallen into starvation and many would have perished.  However, genetically modified rice has been a literal "miracle" food to their survival.  Farmers and families are benefitting greatly from Zerica (originally developed by scientists of the West Africia Rice Development Association - WARDA) because it is resistant to drought, common rice diseases, and pests.  It is hearty rice that needs little or no fertilizer and matures earlier (30-40 days) than traditional crops.  
    Farmers, who are mostly women, spend less time in the field (because of it easier maintenance), and are able to get their product on the market faster so their family's financial needs can be met.  Their main concern is having enough food on the table, and then paying for their children's schooling.  An added benefit is plenty of rice left to feed their large families all year long; it also offers more protein than any other rice (since close to thirty percent of the population is undernourished).  
    According to Rockefeller Foundation President, Gordon Conway (who funded WARDA's research and development for Zerica), "WARDA has brilliantly combined the high science of biotechnology with an approach that creates a central role for farming participation."  Now many farmers are being trained to become specialized seed producers - this once poor community has the potential to earn extra income by selling seeds to other farmers so that many more West, Central and East-African countries can benefit from this genetically modified rice.
    So, in this particular case, I think the benefits outweigh the risks.  The people of these areas are mostly poor farmers who cannot afford fertilizer or irrigation systems.  This genetically modified food, Zerica, benefits them greatly and should not be removed from their fields or their table.  Since they already had very little and were getting close to losing it all, including their lives, genetically modified rice crops are the answer and should be allowed, monitored, tested, and researched.  Yes, in a way I am suggesting they be guineas pigs for the rest of the world, but since they already had nothing, and were willing to take the risk of planting a possible harmful food, it's their choice to take.

Resources:
Food Co-op, The.  (2005). The True Food Shopping Guide.  Retrieved from:  
    http://ptfood.coop/index.php?page=true_food_shopping_guide.html.
Greenpeace.  (2004, July 20). True Food Shopping List.  Retrieved from: http://
    www.greenpeace.org/usa/news/true-food-shopping-list.html.
Grist.  (2008, August 5).  How Green is Your Grocery List?  Retrieved from: http://
    www.grist.org/article/register-your-beliefs.
Harsch, Ernest.  (2004, January).  Re: Farmers Embrace African 'Miracle' Rice."  Retrieved from: http://www.un.org/ecosocdev/geninfo/afrec/vol17no4/174rice.html.
Hahn, Dale B., & Payne, Wayne A., & Lucas, Ellen B.  (2009).  "Focus On...Genetically Modified Food."  Focus on Health.  (ppgs. 131-132).  New York, New York: MacGraw-Hill.
Pusztai, Arpad.  (2001). Genetically Modified Foods: Are they a Risk to Human/Animal Health?  Retrieved from:  http://actionbioscience.org/biotech/pusztai.html.
World Book. (2009). "Living Green." Producing and Obtaining Food. (ppgs. 9-11). Chicago, Illinois:  World Book, Inc.

SPECIAL NOTE:  A Supreme Court ruling in the summer of 1980 first legalized the patenting of genetically modified food (by a scientist at General Electric), but I can't use that in my essay because I lost the reference site!

 Onto the next article

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