Author Archives: RF_Alum

Opposing GMOs

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This is our third successive commentary on GMOs, and we usually don’t obsess about any one subject. However, the Denver Post had an editorial that I just couldn’t pass it up. The editorial cleverly begins with the question, “If we could go back in time and avert the Irish potato famine, in which a million people died, who would possibly oppose it. The same blight remains destructive of potato crops today, but a GMO potato has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration that will resist it.

Perhaps even more interesting is that the Campbell Soup Company has announced three fourths of their products contain GMOs and that they will begin labeling their products as such in 12 to 18 months. “The company is betting on the good sense of consumers and their trust in scientific consensus. Let’s hope its faith is warranted.” Campbell supports a mandatory federal requirement for GMO labeling in order to avoid an impossible patchwork of state laws with different requirements. The Post is hopeful that the Campbell decision will “…demystify GMOs and lead to greater public understanding of their potential to battle malnutrition and reduce the use of pesticides.”

I can’t think of a better way to end this post other than to quote final sentences of the editorial. “The anti-GMO movement, fueled by the organic food industry and anti-corporate activists, has maintained for years that all it wants is to provide the public with more information. Campbell Soup is about to call their bluff.”

Okay, I can’t stop myself from adding a bit more. I’ve been a lifetime consumer of Campbell soups, but I now intend to look at their products first while food shopping. They deserve the first look for their approach to resolving a contentious issue. I’m certain they came to the announced approach after carefully considering impact on their bottom line. I intend to do my tiny bit to reward their decision.

GMO Labeling Update

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The “Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act of 2015” has been reintroduced by Representative Mike Pompeo (R-KS) that would prevent individual states from requiring GMO foods from being labeled. Pompeo explained, “GMOs are safe and have a number of important benefits for people and our planet.” “The bill would also tighten the standards companies must use to designate their food as GMO-free: Crops must not be planted with bioengineered seeds, and animals must not be fed bioengineered food.”

The evidence that GMO foods are safe continues to increase. The Journal of Animal Science describes a study that examined billions of animals fed with non-GMOs and compared the results to animals fed at least 90 percent GMOs. “The study found GMOs completely safe and nutritionally equivalent to non-GMOs.”

The safety of GMO foods is being reinforced by continuing studies, but some GMO advocates worry about unintended consequences of Pompeo’s bill. It would give the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authority to establish national standards and regulations for GMOs and give the Department of Agriculture full discretion over how to implement the law. That would give anti-GMO activists in the government the power to impose restrictions and unjustified regulatory hurdles.

What if? Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions

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what-ifThis is a wonderful book by Randall Munroe that was loaned to me by a Grandson who correctly judged that I would be impressed. I was so impressed that I bought copies for other grandchildren and friends. It is easy for someone to learn whether they would enjoy the book by checking out Munroe’s xkcd.com web site. He says that just over half of the questions analyzed in the book are new and that the rest had been posted on the web site. Munroe, who has an obviously strong background in physics, uses clever descriptions and illustrates the book with stick figure drawings.

The book presents detailed scientific answers to questions people have posed to Munroe. As to the accuracy or wisdom of the answers, the disclaimer exhorts, “Do not try any of this at home. The author of this book is an Internet cartoonist, not a health and safety expert. He likes it when things catch fire or explode, which means he does not have your best interests in mind.” I found the frequent humor to be a wonderful addition to the often serious science being discussed. One person had asked “What if I took a swim in a typical spent nuclear fuel pool?” Munroe discusses the question and concludes that you’d be safe as long as you didn’t dive to the bottom of the pool and pick up something. He decided to check with a friend who works at a research reactor. The answer was, “You’d die pretty quickly, before reaching the water, from gunshot wounds.” Continue reading →

Glory on Mars

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glory-on-marsThe subtitle of this book by Kate Rauner is “Colonization Book 1.” For full disclosure, the author is a frequent contributor to this web site. This book is her third “speculative fiction” book (if I’m counting correctly). You can see all of her publications on her Amazon page. I’ve read all three of the books, and I judge that this is the best. She has a sequel to “Glory on Mars,” which I haven’t yet read.

To get on with the review, the short description on Amazon begins with the sentence, “A one-way journey to Mars may be a mistake.” I’d say that summarizes the prominent feeling I had from reading the book. One of the characters talks about the emotional difficulty of living in tight quarters with a few other people and struggling to keep up with the constant challenges while “living in a culvert.” I think the book should be required reading for anyone considering making a one way trip to Mars. It paints a bleak picture of the living conditions and there isn’t much excitement unless something life threatening has happened. There are the hints of being deprived of things we take for granted. There is one unexplained reference to the fact that the settlers use toilet paper for the last time before beginning their trip that eventually delivers them to the Mars colony.

The book follows Emma, the main character, from the time she is on Earth making final preparations to leave on the third mission of the colonization process carrying. She and three others join settlers who had been there expanding the habitat by making blocks from Martian sand. Thick walls are required to protect the settlers from radiation. One of the eight already there, the colony doctor, had tragically and unexplainably died by walking out into the hostile environment without a protective suit. She had announced a delusion of “going to see a huge old oak tree.” The incident was causing the controllers to realize they didn’t understand the psychological stresses on the settlers. Emma’s boyfriend appeals to her to back out of the flight. Of course Emma decides to proceed despite that and appeals from her parents.

One of the most intriguing aspects is that the mission takes a kitten to Mars that was born on the moon. It is fun to read that the cat learns to cling to special pads on the walls while in the zero gravity of the trip to Mars. The cat often shows up to entertain by chasing bits of material floating around, scratching the fingers of settlers playing with him (no “cat scratch fever,” I assume) swiping at the tilapia that are being grown in a tank, and just acting like a cat in general. Adding a cat to the mission is a nice touch, although the cat depicted on the cover looks large and mean and the cat in the story is small and friendly.

The book is filled with wonderful descriptions of science and technology that will be required for space travel, building a colony on Mars, and exploring. It also has colorful descriptions of emotions experienced by the settlers. Frustration and anger show up more frequently than fear and joy. There are instances of satisfaction when something new is accomplished. I particularly liked the fact that the botanist is proud to show off her new cannabis plants; she had brought the seeds with the intention of using the plants to make a soothing tea for times when there is excess stress.

There are also moments of tenderness and hints of romance. The women have chips implanted to prevent pregnancy unless they chose to deactivate them. There is no sex described, but embryos have been transported to mars that can be used when it is time to begin populating the colony with children. One mission includes four women who can either chose to become pregnant with an embryo implant or “the old fashioned way.”

I intend to post a review on Amazon with a five star rating. “Glory on Mars” is worth your time if you have an interest in space travel, the possibility of colonizing Mars, or just want some fun and interesting reading.

The Proof of the Pudding

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The Phrase Finder explains that the longer version “the proof of the pudding is in the eating” makes more sense and that the often quoted “proof is in the pudding” makes no sense. It means “To fully test something you need to experience it yourself.” The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations dates it to the 14th century. The first written example located was dated 1605 and was “All the proof of a pudding is in the eating.” It is speculated that “pudding” in the original usage was what we would call sausage today.

Iranian Hostage Crisis

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A review of a book about the crisis precedes this posting, and there are some recent developments. A New York Times article describes how Americans taken hostage at the U.S. Embassy in Tehran in 1979 have been granted compensation. A recent spending bill gives each of the 53 hostages or their estates up to $4.4 million, although there are still apparently some legal hurdles to be overcome. Legal claims had previously been blocked in the courts, but a decision to force a Paris-based bank BNP Paribas to pay a $9 billion penalty for sanction violations suddenly made money available for the hostages and other victims of state-sponsored terrorism. “Congress was also motivated by many members anger over the Iran nuclear accord.”

There are 37 of the original 52 hostages still alive who will be eligible for full payments. “Spouses and children are authorized to receive a lump payment of as much as $600,000.” An additional $2.8 billion will aid victims of the September 11, 2001 attack and their family members.

Beyond the current information of the compensation for hostages there is information in the review of the book about the crisis that haunts me. Iran is dominated by radical mullahs with no interest in the future of the world. They believe millions who die in a holy war will be ushered into paradise. Nuclear deterrence means nothing to them, because a nuclear holocaust “merely” results in more martyrs. The good news is that Iran released the hostages the day Ronald Reagan was sworn in as President. They were worried about what actions he might take, with indicates they were more pragmatic than their strict religious beliefs indicated.