“It is our very search for perfection outside ourselves that causes our suffering.” ~The Buddha

Thursday, 20 February 2014

Climate Change Invites Deadly Pathogens

Another example of man-made havoc has arisen with global warming; diseases are making their roundabouts now that ice is now beginning to melt where it shouldn't. It is now come to our attention that as the earth warms, species are prone to more disease their bodies are not accustomed to fighting off. The Arctic beluga whale population is now seen infected with the parasite common to domestic cats, known as toxoplasma gondii.

Toxoplasma gondii is known to cause severe damage to the brain eyes and organs and can remain dormant in the human system; once it becomes reactive it can cause severe symptoms up into death aboriginals are warned to stay away from beluga meat.

Animals which rely on a particular range of temperatures are more prone to becoming diseased or infected with viruses due to the new thawed-out land they now roam. Pathogens are quickly moving in and animals may be seeing their way out. We should be concerned for ourselves as well, the animals aboriginals eat and clothe themselves in can carry disease and can spread to more concentrated human populations very easily, taking care of our earth really determines the health of our people.




Wednesday, 19 February 2014

Massacres Missing in Media

Bodies are littered in the streets of the Izghe village in Borno State, Nigeria. It is suspected that a terrorist group by the name of Boko Haram took the men into the streets and executed them before they began going door to door in a search for more victims. Boko Haram launched a campaign of mass violence in 2009 and claims to be fighting for an Islamist state. The terrorist group is well  known in Borno State to be extremely violent carrying out aimless attacks on civilians.
Victims of the Izghe village were shot or had their throats slit, many barely escaped the attack leaving 106 people dead; the most recorded since their campaign has launched. Earlier this week a little over 30 people were murdered on the streets of Konduga. Unfortunately military strengths were taken away when a group of soldiers were ambushed by Boko Haram and there may be no end to the suffering of many. Spread the word, people need to know to take action

Tuesday, 18 February 2014

Wolves on the Prowl



By: Daniela Silva
Mexican grey wolves are claiming territory once again as their population increases, 83 wolves were found spread across new mexico and Arizona; Which is a excellent amount being that only in 1976 they were introduced in the federal endangered species list. Seven out of the fourteen packs that were reintroduced into the wild have new pups that have joined and are avoiding human contact, which really is fantastic for the conservation of the species.

Unfortunately with this being said the population is still very much experimental, and the genetic diversity of the wolves may lead to inbreeding, which is a problem for the pups we may be seeing in the future. There must be a greater amount of wolves reintroduced in order to boost the gene pool of these animals, until then scientists continue to study the behavior of the Mexican grey wolves to find various ways of preserving the elegant creature.

Monday, 17 February 2014

Child-Predator too Close to Home.

By: Daniela Silva

Welcome to the Internet: A predator’s playground indeed. A valuable lesson was taught to a young boy by the name of Eric when he had met a attractive girl by the name of Ashley Matthews, and with time he came to know and chat more personally with the young girl or who he thought was a young girl. Eric began to feel uncomfortable, and being close to his mom, she noticed and began to question.

Her instinct drove her to search through young Eric's computer, and immediately noticed Ashley's profile, noting the picture and information given felt as though it was just a put-on and that there was much more behind that pretty face of hers, and with Eric's approval Mr. Norton a member of Durham regional police began the investigation.

A month later Ashley Matthews was uncovered as a 38 year old man by the name of Stephen Alexander Martin previously teaching Eric at Sir William Stephenson school in whitby also employed as the schools photographer. A shocking break in the search for the true person behind the made up Ashley. Young teens are much too trusting on the Internet and need gentle guidance when talking about the predators that are lurking behind the many pages of chat rooms.

Be aware of your child and their feelings, ensure proper security and safety measures are being taken on the internet. Your kid may one day thank you for it!



Sunday, 16 February 2014

The Demise of the Queen

By: Daniela Silva
The beautiful plight of the monarch may be coming to an end, the species are dying out and yes, we can witness the extinction of a wonderful species within our lifetime. Due to the  heavy destruction of the milkweed plant the monarchs have already declined by 44% of their population becoming a critically endangered species.
The steady extinction of the species don't just affect the pollination of flora, but it also affects tourism and the jobs of many in California and mexico, where the Monarchs are big business; but what is killing the butterflies?

GMO corn,soybean crops and GMO herbicides is one of the  leading problems of the butterflies resulting in the destruction of  a majority of the milkweed plants which is the only plant the eggs can be laid on as well. With Monsanto owning 90% of the worlds crops, there is a limited amount of space for the monarch to actually flourish, which leaves it up to us, the people to take control and do something about it.

Saturday, 15 February 2014

Tangelo Park Hero

By: Daniela Silva
What does it take to be a hero? courage, strength, super powers or simply just kindness and will? Harris Rosen; a  millionaire previously employed in Disneyland, had “adopted”  a Florida neighborhood by the name of Tangelo park in 1993. Crime continuously manifested itself in the small community and many young teens never stuck around to graduate. Parents distraught and hopeless lost their ability to really focus on parenting and providing mature support for their own community, however this all changed when a man decided something needed to be done.


With hard work and dedication  the crime rate was astonishingly in half and with no catches to the scholarship program Mr.Rosen had implemented on the communities high schools, the  graduation rate  increased from a miserable 25% to an Aspiring 100%. Along with the scholarship Mr. Rosen had also provided  free daycare for children, books, tuition, room and board for students and a family resource center  with parenting classes and counselling for parents.


Mr. Rosen had put his heart into helping this community become stable and ensured that every student became successful and gained control of their own future; his act of kindness has impacted the lives of many, created an education system that is hard to beat and provided a higher standard of living.

Who is the hero in your community?


Friday, 14 February 2014

A cancer killer



By : Daniela Silva
Grape seed extract is a marvelous natural ingredient in the fact that it attacks cancer cells and leaves the healthy cells unharmed.
A common type of berry, the grape was introduced into America over 300 years ago; with 8,000 varieties of this berry the primary types of grapes originate from America and Europe. With only 100 calories within a cup grapes offers a considerable amount of vitamins K and C and packed full of antioxidants
Grape seed extract originates from the seed of the grape and gives benefits to those with cardiovascular conditions such as poor circulation and high cholesterol, it has been found to be useful with diabetes related eye disease, loss of vision, and swelling associated with injury. In current events grape seed extract is being examined for its potency in the treatment of leukemia and Alzheimer disease.  
Past research on the seed extract has shown that the grape seed extract  is a solution for a wide variety of cancers including colorectal cancer. Foods rich in flavanols; such as grapes apples and varieties of berries are proven to greatly reduce the risks of colon cancer.
Advanced cancers and grape seed extract
The compounds within the grape seed extract react and particularly aims for various cancer cells; with an increase of colorectal cancer, the study is very timely for a ample amount of people.
By the time this cancer is found, people are in the late stages of cancer, but with further study it is shown that less grape seed extract is required to kill cancer as compared to early stages of cancer. It is strongly believed that this process is done by oxidative stress on the cancer cells.

Sunday, 9 February 2014

A cure for cancer? Perhaps.



Consumed around the world in food and beverages, ginger has potent medicinal properties that are increasingly studied  for its efficiency to eradicate cancer in many medical facilities. Ginger has proven to have such a impressive medicinal ability that its cancer-killing abilities even surpass the most advanced pharmaceutical prescriptions that are dedicated to eradicate cancer.
A Study based on the function of ginger essence revealed that when it is given to cancer-stricken mice; developed prostate cancer reduced by 56%. With no negative side effects gingers anti-cancer roles were also observed to further reduce inflammation, and provide the “patient” with a rich source of antioxidants as a bonus.

Ingesting this rhizome is not only good for its ability to reduce inflammation nor its antioxidants; but it also better improves your cardiovascular health and eliminate strains of Helicobacter pylori ( Primary causes of stomach ulcers) and if you're pregnant, it definitely helps with the nausea. If you plan on increasing your intake of ginger, try and stick to all organic, all the better for you!

Monday, 3 February 2014

Peace in pieces.

Syrian peace talks no longer justify the amount of deaths that occur in Syria, at least 100 people a day lose their lives in the attempt to make the most out of the rubble they used to call home.
With the last peace talk on Friday, the number of deaths a day have not declined, and many are still suffering in the hands of the government. On February 1st, oil drums full of explosives and tightly packed shrapnel were used against the Syrian people by the government; a cruel war crime indeed. These Shrapnel packed oil drums have now taken the lives of 700 people, and since 2011, the war itself has costed the lives of more than 130,000 people and is responsible for the homelessness of over 6 million people.




Sunday, 2 February 2014

Do GMO's affect you?

By: Daniela Silva

     When providing a balanced diet for your children, to what extent do you control the nutritional value and safety of their food? One of the most important things you can do to help your child’s overall health is to maintain a healthy diet; full of organic, natural, raw material. Labels also help us make decisions as to what would be a healthier choice for our families. Nonetheless, more than 70% of produce in grocery stores have genetically modified (GM) ingredients that we cannot identify, owing to an absence of labeling. Almost all produce is distributed by Monsanto a company specialized in biotechnology; in other words, specialized in manipulating biological development for their own industrial use. In what way can this be healthy? How may we identify what is safe to eat?  
       Monsanto is a company that seeks to be a hero in a world of famine, using biotechnology to reduce water usage and waste, which by me; that doesn't sound bad at all. However despite their efforts there is more waste being generated and it is impacting the health of consumers, and obviously negatively impacting the ecosystem as well. Mass suicides in India’s agricultural work fields are said to be a result of Monsanto’s Bt cotton, and with further study on Monsanto’s other product; Bt corn, is now considered a pesticide by many.  Both The institute for responsible technology and the organic consumers association are concerned of the long term effects of the toxin as a result of the corn’s capability of producing the pesticide in every kernel of corn. It has been banned in 64 countries to have GM foods without labels.  However it is still kept in our grocery stores
    What is significantly alarming is that we don’t know to what extent genetically modified foods are safe for consumption; how much GM foods occupy our grocery stores. Some tests on store bought produce show that genetically modified foods can link to leukemia, anemia, allergens, and horizontal gene transfer. Whereas Monsanto has stated the food to be”… “generally recognized as safe” (GRAS) in the United States, and are considered safe by food safety experts globally.”  Beneficial or not, we are not given the opportunity to make a decision democratically whether or not if it should be on our grocer’s shelves. In addition it is difficult to identify genetically modified products so we are not able to avoid these foods as a whole. As a consumer, I support banning non-labeled GMO foods; do research your local grocery stores and genetically modified products. You’ll be glad you did.