Genetically Modified Food

I am starting the last week of my Writing for the Biotechnology Industry class from North Eastern University out of Boston, MA. Before this class I knew nothing about scientific writing and in my previous five years of college courses in writing had never even used the APA style for references. I in my complete love for writing was extremely excited to learn Scientific writing and thus be able to better market my writing capabilities in the future.

I had no idea that this writing class would open my eyes to a world of science that I honestly did not know even existed. I know I live in a cave. Well, no not really but I do keep my nose to the grind stone and with school, a family of four kids, and either working or searching for work I don't usually watch a lot of television or read the newspapers. I know bad habits for a writer. I must admit this blog is forcing me to find out what is going on in the world around me.

I recently wrote a scientific review article for my Writing for the Biotechnology Industry class and learned so much interesting information that was both scary and exciting. I'm not really sure how I feel yet about finding out that whether I like it or not, I eat genetically modified food probably every day. When I sort it out I'm sure I'll share.

Our professor gave us a list of topics we could choose from for our scientific review articles our really big paper that we had been building up to writing over the last several weeks. I chose to take on "transgenic food and allergies in children". I am a mom with four children and two of them have food allergies so it made sense to me.

You may have heard me mention the title on my Facebook or Twitter as I was working on it or checked it out because of my Writing Updates Blog. The title is

More needs to be Done to Protect Children from Allergenic Transgenic Food

it can be found on my Online Writing Portfolio if you would like to read more. But I'm talking about it today because it could lead people who only read the title to the wrong conclusions. 

Yes, more needs to be done BUT there has never been a diagnosed case of an allergic reaction to a transgenic or Genetically Modified food. The biggest issue that I found was that we do not force the companies that produce genetically modified food to label it at this time. This is a suggestion that was made in several of the scientific articles that I reviewed and one that I carried through into my paper. 

It is the protection from the possibility of potential allergens that labeling will provide. I'm sure producers are afraid that such labeling will keep the population from purchasing their products and instead turning to local growers and farmers markets for their purchases. Which we should be doing anyway but that is another day's rantings. 

So get interested like I have recently in finding out just what it is that you are eating and what is going on in the biotechnology industry there is a lot of really great things out there like the rice that can grow fortified because of biotechnology with all sorts of good for you things in it so that people in developing countries can be healthier. They are using biotechnology to produce foods that used to be allergenic but will someday no longer elicit those reactions. And they have identified what causes hay fever and are working on that issue. 

So read learn and decide for yourself then let me know or just tell me now, what do you think about all this genetically modified food and biotechnology stuff? 

New Cigarette Warnings

all images were taken from the FDA site 

I just read in the on my local news website about "FDA Reveals Graphic Warnings For Cigarettes".
Of course my next step was to go to the source, check out the FDA site.

I guess they think that if you make bigger warnings on highly addictive, medically proven cancer sticks that people will want to quit.

YEAH and I have a chunk of ocean front property in Kansas I'd like to discuss selling to the FDA too.

all images were taken from the FDA site 

REALLY, bigger warnings are not going to matter, quitting campaigns and free quitting help from the Government aren't saving lives either.

What needs to be done and what has to be done to save lives and end all this nonsense is to
MAKE CIGARETTES ILLEGAL. 


We all know that the only reason they haven't been made illegal is because the tobacco industry is well involved in the government and the government makes big bucks from the cigarette taxes collected from these poor addicted individuals who are killing themselves and those they love.

I smoked when I was young and rebellious. I quit several times but continued smoking on and off up until I had my fourth child and I'll be the first to admit, I was an idiot. Remember it is highly addictive and I grew up in a smoking environment, it was natural for me to want to try it. Honestly I still enjoy smelling the smoke of cigars and pipes when it wafts by me. So call me hypocritical, I don't care.

Smoking cigarettes is bad and kills. The FDA doesn't need to force bigger more graphic warnings they need to outlaw a dangerous drug. If your addicted to cigarettes you don't care how big the warning is just that your next fix is inside that box.

all images were taken from the FDA site 

My (highly addictive caffeine filled) coffee cup is empty, so I guess my Coffee Bean Babblings are finished for this morning. I'll climb down off my soap box and say that these are purely my opinions as always and if I hurt anyone's feelings I'm sorry that is not what I mean to do.

If your a smoker and need help quitting please visit smokefree.gov. 

So, if you agree, leave me a comment. If you disagree, leave me a comment too. 

Let me know, what do you think, are the new warnings going to help? 

Happy Father's Day

As I sit here sipping my coffee, I'm trying to type quietly since my dh is still sleeping about five feet away. It is Father's Day and we will be celebrating by being nicer than usual to my husband, somehow. LOL

For me it is also a day of remembering because my father passed away unexpectedly when I was 19. It was quite a shock. I wrote about it in my Simple Family Stories blog where I write about the moments from my life since meeting my husband.

Today I thought it would be appropriate to share some of my favorite memories of my dad.

The last conversation we ever had in person was when I told him that I was going to Michigan with my friend. He said that he loved me and didn't want me to go, but that he knew I was an adult and could handle myself. He told me that I could call if I needed anything and gave me a hug and a kiss. Then off I went on the adventure that would start the rest of my life.

Going to the beach in Florida and swimming together with him and his girlfriend and her family. I remember he would always throw us. He would put his hands together and let us put our foot in and then he'd throw us into the air. We loved being thrown over and over again.

Waking up in the night to find him sitting in his chair watching Star Trek and curling up with him in that chair feeling safe and protected.

Going fishing or flying kites together when I was young were great memories.

So, dads make some memories with your children.
Enjoy them love them and respect them and they in turn will love and respect you too. I was never an easy child I've always been stubborn and wanted my own way but those same traits that make difficult children, also make strong, self-assured adults.

Have a Happy Father's Day and enjoy those that you have remember those that are gone.

Please leave a comment share your favorite father's day memory.

Admiration is Tough

Yesterday I went off on one of my little bunny trail tangents on the internet to land nicely on a little website called Divine Caroline.

It is a writing website that looked intriguing so I began to "build" or fill in the questionnaire that would begin my studio, much like a facebook profile. Most of the questions were cute and interesting, different little things like the "top 5 things always on your to do list" and "three things you would take to a desert island". But when I got to the question "The woman I most admire is..." I was stumped it honestly took me over an hour to decide what to write in that space.

WHY? For me that was such a loaded question and one that I hadn't really taken any time to consider in a very long time, if ever. Many names and thoughts came into my head and were reasoned away. Here is a little of the process that went on.

*I could put my mom.
She was strong, she worked three jobs at the same time for a while to support our little family of girls after her divorce. She put up with a lot of crap when we were teenagers.
------But I can't use my mom, that would be lame, like a cop out everyone admires their mom.

*I could put my sister. She fights for her life every day now battling diabetes and trying to manage her sugar, she has nearly died more times than I want to think about. Her strength and determination to keep battling and get her college degree makes my life seem like a cake walk.
------But I can't use my sister, again that would be lame, like a simple answer siblings are supposed to admire and recognize the strengths in each other.

*I could put Jan.
She is a pastor's wife and a great role model I met her when my children were young and she helped me, along with my mom and sister to decide just what type of mother I was going to be. When it was good to take a stand and how to deal with certain issues. Since my family was several hours away, she was the person I'd go crying to, in person, when I was at my wits end and needed ideas.
------No, I can't put that, she's a pastor's wife women always admire them, I have to be original.

Maybe a woman writer.
*Nora Roberts, I love quite a few of her books. Or maybe J.K. Rowling, the Harry Potter series is amazing. Maya Angelou I love her poetry. Anne Rice, I don't think I've read anything of hers I didn't like.
------Nope not a woman writer there are to many I love, I can't just randomly choose only one.

Someone really famous.
Like Carrie Underwood I watched her all season on AI and love her music. Then there is Fantasia she has quite a back story too. What about Oprah, Sally Jesse Raphael and Barbara Walters, but then there is Ellen DeGeneres and Whoopi Goldberg. I love music by Anne Murray, Madonna, Faith Hill, Sara Groves and Reba.
------This list is to long. It has been a long time since I started this process.

It is just one little question.

Finally, I decided I'd go with Kirstie Alley. I watched her struggle since Cheers with her career and her weight and with her being on dancing with the stars I voted for her every week. I also struggle with my weight and I'd love to learn to dance and she is not to personal and close to me so...

The answer by default to the question of..,

The woman I admire most is Kirstie Alley.

That was tough. No more questions please I'm going for another cup of coffee, that is all the babbling for today.

Please leave me a comment and let me know who the woman you most admire is. I hope it is easier for you than it was for me.