A giant and dangerous snail from Africa has turned up in a street in Fuzhou China. Ecologists haven’t a clue how the slow moving critter made its way to the Middle Kingdom but they are reckoning it took a very long time. The spotted snail consumes fruits and veggies in large amounts and can single-handedly destroy a local agricultural industry…well, maybe not.

The snail does, however, host a pathogenic bacteria and parasites that will cause those who eat fruits or veggies that the not so little fellow have touched, can become infected with tuberculosis and meningitis. Meaning, if he doesn’t eat your veggies, he’ll splatter it with infestation that’ll get you. It is suspected that he came over on an import shipment accidentally.

“All I wanna do is go back home,” he said, “And I hope they don’t make me walk.”

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Beijing has been trying to reduce the smog in the city in the lead up to the Olympics. They start this Friday!! Whoopee! But, the Australian government is still not buying into the green Beijing, fresh air thing. In fact, the Australian government has voiced its concern about the effects that the air might have on its athletes. Yeah, and the Aussie government expects China do what that they haven’t done already?

The environmental minister down under said, ‘I think it’s a real issue for authorities there and also for the Australian team and for athletes generally, and I know that the Australian team medical staff will be monitoring the conditions really closely.’’

And I say, “Okay, so what do you recommend China do in the three days leading up to the Games?”

Or, is the minister just blowing smoke? Doesn’t he realize we need less of that? Let’s enjoy the Games and applaud China for putting on their best face. Is it the best? Could they do better? The point is, China is throwing a party and doing their darndest to do the best they can at it. How about some acknowledgment instead of criticism for a change?

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Bill Gates is a philanthropist. His wife and her staff have a full time job trying to spend all the money they made. And, they are not able to keep up. Well, Gates has another idea that he and Michael Bloomberg will spend $375 million on. Cleaner air. Cleaner lungs, too!

The two have pledged their pocket change to a global effort to stop smoking … the kind that humans do and don’t have to.Why doesn’t Gates and Bloomberg just buy all the tobacco companies and shut them down?

I know that’s not reasonable, but even $375 million is a LOT of money, I wonder how much difference it will make in the long run. It’s kind of like a church that needs a new building that costs $1 million. So, they raise $500k and try to make do.

As long as ther are people who think it is adult-like to huff and puff and blow out their brain cells, smoking will not stop, nor will it stop kids from wanting to be like dad and mom, or their big brothers or gang leaders. Losing battle? I don’t want to think so, but… How would you try to prevent people from pounding cancer sticks into their coffins?

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“Every day, 1.1 billion people have to wash with, bathe in and drink dirty water.
That’s the same as the population of North America and Europe.
We can’t live with that fact. Can you?”

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77Mv8pauMKc[/youtube]

After seeing this video I understood that there are places on Earth were people don’t have the time and the power to think about solar power, gas prices or car emissions. No food for tomorrow or water they can’t drink or shower with are bigger problems for them.

There’s not much I can do other than sharing this video with all the readers, friends or family.

This hard hitting viral video by World Vision wants to emphasize the fundamental importance of clean water for daily life, sanitation and hygiene. Everyone should have access to the basic human needs, don’t you think?

Twenty six years ago, I was 26-years younger (duh!) and didn’t mind the hassle of handling baby diapers. Now, there’s a new baby in the house. Right, a 26-year old and a 5-month year old. You can stop laughing now.

Image by Lance McCord

Messing around with cloth diapers is a pain, and with all the water used I am not sure it’s the best alternative anyway. But, disposable diapers don’t sit well with us. And, we can’t let the baby run around with her bottom out. What to do?

NaturalPath has a list of four green options for disposable diapers.

1. “Tushies brand diapers are gel free and made with non-chlorine bleached woodpulp and conventional cotton for natural high absorbency.” I explained that to Mia (my little girl) and she responded with a “I like the name” smile.

2. “Seventh Generation’s diapers and training pants are extremely absorbant and chlorine-free (chlorine bleaching, used in most mainstream diapers, produces the pollutant dioxin).” Mia asked, “Papa, what generation am I?” She didn’t like the name.

3. “The Swedish-based Nature Boy and Girl diapers feature a GMO-free cornstarch cover, rather than the typical plastic (making them compostable in municipal facilities). Mia’s response was “Huh?!”

4. “Tendercare diapers are made by Tushies in the US, but contain SAP and woodpulp, rather than cotton.” Not so absorbent say moms but they are thin and easy to get around in. Yeah, how would the mom’s know unless they … okay, I don’t want to think about that.

Honey! Let’s see if any of these green options work on Mia. Hmm … price?

Read more at NaturalPath.

Honey! Get the baby, I think we can really clean her up.

In this day and age it’s not enough to just bathe a baby, the baby needs to be kept safe from all sorts of chemicals, many found in cleaning products.

What’s up with that? Chemicals found in household cleaners and air fresheners, for example, have been linked to childhood asthma and asthma-like conditions, among other things.

Honey!!!

Here a few references if you want a safe and healthy baby.

1. Homemade cleaning solutions – Safe alternatives to things with pretty labels on shelves in store. A great start to your cleaning repertoire is distilled white vinegar, baking soda, and tea tree oil.

2. Grist’s Green Guide – a wealth of information for those wishing to clean green. “Just because a product says it’s natural doesn’t mean it’s nontoxic,” says Jeffrey Hollender, CEO of Seventh Generation, which produces genuinely eco-friendly cleaning supplies and household products.

3. The Safe Shopper’s Bible provides much good advice for selecting truly green, effective products and prevents “greenwashing.”

Here’s where you get your answers for Can your hair coloring cause breast cancer? – Is this brand of apple juice safe for babies? – Will the additives in this salad dressing harm you? – Which shampoo won’t sting your eyes?

4. Naturally Clean: The Seventh Generation Guide to Safe and Healthy, Non-Toxic Cleaning- invaluable tips for minimizing your — and your children’s — exposure to hazardous household products and insightful tips on keeping a clean, green nursery.

5. Green Nursery Tips – finally, 10 ways to ready your home for your new baby.

Honey! Get the baby, we got to make some changes.

Image by beggs

Obesity levels in China are rising fast or at least that’s what a recent study published in the July/August issue of the journal Health Affairs, said. More than a quarter of the adult population started eating more and more meat and dairy products which lead to serious health problems.

“What’s happening in China should be seen as a marker for what is going to hit the rest of the developing world if we fail to act,” said study author Barry Popkin, a professor of nutrition at the Carolina Population Center at the University of North Carolina.

“We need to find the right investments and regulations to encourage people to adopt a healthy lifestyle, or we risk facing higher rates of death, disease, and disability and the related costs,” he added.

Because people’s diets have changed over the last few years and they’re no longer rich in vegetables and carbohydrates and the Chinese no longer engage in physical activities they’re doomed to get fat and to die of cancer and coronary heart disease.

Among developing countries, Mexico is the only one to have more fat people than China. Can you imagine a fat world? That’d really be a disaster.

I still have a question though. Why is Buddha fat?

Remember how horny Labord’s Chameleons are?

There’s a guy in China who’s not going to die young of violent sex and he’s blaming it on a vegetarian lifestyle. Or more precisely, that’s what his doctor is telling him. When the guy saw that friends of his were suffering from obesity, high blood pressure, coronary heart disease and diabetes he decided to become fit, the vegetarian way.

It worked, but … he also lost his sex drive. The doctors are telling him, “Animal fats are necessary for human beings to maintain nutritional balance. Sex hormones are affected by eating an exclusively vegetarian diet by virtue of the absence of animal fats necessary to stimulate them.”

Maybe this guy, who lives in China’s northern province of Heilongjiang (that’s cold country, southern Siberia cold where there is nothing else to do but, you know…) needs to get him a pet Labord Chameleon, eh? Vegetarian diets cutting into sex drive? I’m not sure.

Do you know the answer?

While the population of the world continues to grow, so do the waistlines of the Aussies and Americans.  While much of the rest of the world goes hungry, not enough food because of the increase in production of biofuels among other considerations, 25% of adults down under are obese. Some 25% of Americans crush scales daily.

The World Health Organization says that about 1.6 billion people (25%) of the world’s population is overweight (not obese). That number is expected to increase by 40% in the next 10 years.

Of course, the growing waistlines of the world has an impact on the environment. As people grow rounder and rounder, so do the vehicles that transport them, and the energy required to move them about. Bigger people eat more, leaving less for those who need it.

How about we take everyone in Africa and let them switch places with Americans and Aussies for about ten years. That ought to do it. Seriously, something has got to be done.

Oprah just finished a 21-day cleanse. She eliminated caffeine, sugar, alcohol, gluten and animal products from her diet. She gained some awareness:

“What I know for sure is I’ve reached a new level of awareness about food, eating and the whole process of how it gets to my table. I used to say thanks before a meal out of perfunctory habit. Now I consider it true grace to be able to eat anything in a world of increasing food shortages and starving people.

This has been exactly what we intended: enlightening. I will forever be a more cautious and conscious eater. That’s my commitment for now. To stay awakened.”

Question for Oprah – How long is forever? And now that you are a more cautious and conscious eater, what difference will that make to the rest of the world? And, yes, Oprah, you can make a difference to the world other than giving all the studio guests a new car. It am not an Oprah fan, but a fan of everyone in the world having something to eat. I did my own cleanse, too.