Thursday, September 9, 2010

[Peckers_Pics] Muscle Wars; Sept 10, 2010 - Safe PICS For All Ages, Rated G corrected



 
Muscle Wars; Sept 10, 2010
Safe PICS For All Ages, Rated  G
 
Consider joining:

Take Action:

Diet & Fitness:

  • Did you complete your Diet Journal today?  Get it done!
  • Did you do any physical activity?  If not, make a point of it by tomorrow! 
  • It is our hope that these photos shall inspire you!

Today's Health/Excercise Tip:
Is Gulf Seafood Safe to Eat?
By Diane Wedner
 
From April to July, BP's Deepwater Horizon oil spill unleashed at least 172 million gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico, at its peak closing 88,522 square miles of the nation's primary fishing grounds.

Now two months after the oil well has been capped, government officials – including President Obama – are telling consumers that the region's fish makes fine eating.

Despite official assurances, consumers are wary. In a nationwide Associated Press survey conducted in August, more than half the respondents said they weren't confident Gulf seafood was safe to eat.

So should you go ahead and order that shrimp cocktail? The answer depends on whom you ask.

"I'm eating shellfish – even oysters" from the Gulf, says Michael Blum, Ph.D., a professor in New Orleans' Tulane University's Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology. "I really believe they're safe."

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), too, "feels confident in the safety of seafood coming from these waters," says agency spokeswoman Meghan Scott. But, she adds: "We cannot give a blanket statement that all seafood from all Gulf waters is safe."

Even if you ate fish contaminated with small amounts of oil, you'd probably just get an upset stomach and diarrhea, according to the University of Minnesota's National Center for Food Protection and Defense. But exposed over time, some chemicals, including the dispersant used to clean up the oil, could cause cancer.

Here's why the government insists that Gulf seafood is fine:

1. Gulf seafood is tested.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the FDA have agreements with five Gulf states to share information and testing responsibilities. Here's how most fish is examined:It starts with a sensory test, also known as a "sniff test." Highly trained FDA and NOAA "sensory assessors" smell as many as 36 fish samples per day, both raw and cooked. They can detect contaminants even down to one part per million. The FDA's limit of contaminants for oysters, for example, is 66 parts per million.

Ten experts sniff and rate each sample, and their accuracy rate is about 80%, according to NOAA. If fish fail the sniff test, they don't go to market and that section of the Gulf stays closed.

If they pass, a 200-gram mixture of all fish caught in a specific location is sent to regional labs and NOAA's Northwest Fisheries Science Center in Seattle, where it's tested for potentially cancer-causing polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), the primary ingredients of oil and tar.

If the fish pass this detailed chemical test, the waters from that location reopen to fishing.

"The standards for reopening the fisheries are really conservative," says Brian Gorman, a spokesman for NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service. "We're ensuring to a very high degree that product won't make it to the docks if it's contaminated."

Even so, Gulf fish will continue to be tested closely for months, according to NOAA.

"We've been doing this for 20-30 years, and know what we're doing," Gorman says. "We don't expect any insurmountable problems."

2. The entire Gulf wasn't contaminated by the oil spill.
Most of the oil stayed near the Deepwater Horizon rig, which was closed to fishing.

In July, at the spill's peak, NOAA closed 88,522 square miles (36.6%) of the total 241,864 square miles of federal Gulf fishing waters. About 20% has been tested, declared oil-free and reopened.

3. Nature self-cleanses some of the oil.
Shrimp and "finfish" – those with fins, not shells – clear oil contamination out of their bodies within days, according to NOAA. Oysters and crabs may take several weeks.At the same time, the Gulf is loaded with microbes that "eat" oil, so what's left in the water is disappearing. The U.S. Geological Survey announced recently that only 52.7 million gallons of crude remains, less than a third of what gushed from the broken well. The rest was removed by tankers, dissolved by chemical dispersants, or nature took care of it.

Hazards Remain
But just because the oil is diluted and out of sight "doesn't necessarily mean [it's] benign," cautions NOAA chief Jane Lubchenco, Ph.D. The remaining oil could harm wildlife for years, she says.

University of Georgia scientists estimate that as much as 80% still lurks under the surface, and could settle on the sea floor.

If oil is buried where there's little oxygen and doesn't degrade, a disturbance could make it float back up and "exert its toxic effect on the ecosystem," says Richard Condrey, Ph.D., an associate professor in Louisiana State University's Department of Oceanography and Coastal Sciences.

"It's a land mine," he says.

Other scientists are worried about oil specks found in blue crab larvae. This could mean that oil is infiltrating the Gulf's food chain and may have harmful long-term effects.

Bigger fish feed on crab larvae and are consumed by even bigger fish. Eventually, large species like tuna might ingest enough contaminants that they begin to die off.

"It's important to separate [fish] `fit for consumption' and [fish that are] `fit,'" says Harriet Perry, Ph.D., director of the University of Southern Mississippi's Center for Fisheries Research and Development.

"Finding oil in the larvae raises concerns about the potential long-term ecological health of the species that feed on blue crabs," she says. Dispersants: Another Toxin
There's yet another potential problem: the chemical dispersants that BP used to break up the oil.

In August, the EPA released the results of a study saying that dispersants used in the Gulf are "no more toxic to aquatic life than oil alone."

The FDA backed that statement, saying that "scientific data to date indicate that dispersants do not accumulate in seafood."

But not all marine scientists agree. Some are concerned about the concentration of dispersant in the Gulf and how it might pass into seafood.

"If you ask, `Are dispersants safe in general, and what are their effects on organisms?' – that hasn't been well studied," Blum says. "We do know they can be toxic."

Still, he's not bothered enough to stop eating Gulf shellfish. The perception of harm doesn't match the evidence, he says. "You don't have to be that worried."

Lee Kagan, M.D., a Sherman Oaks, Calif., internist who just returned from treating patients in a remote area of Louisiana, agrees.

"You have to decide if you want to rely on the experts, and personally, I and my family have," he says. "I ate three locally-cooked meals of Gulf shrimp, scallops, crab, everything!" he says. "I heard of no patients coming in with illness related to tainted seafood."

Seafood Toxins: Not Just a Gulf Problem
For the most part, fish are one of the healthiest foods. They provide protein and nutrients such as vitamins A and D, iodine, selenium, phosphorus, potassium, iron and calcium. They're low in saturated fat, and some are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which help lower triglycerides and increase high-density lipoproteins (HDL or "good") cholesterol.

But those benefits have to be weighed against other potential dangers. Much of the world's seafood, whether from oceans, lakes or streams, may contain harmful chemicals.

Here are some of the toxins commonly found in seafood:

  • Mercury occurs naturally in the environment and is dispersed through industrial pollution. It turns into methylmercury in the water, which is more toxic than other forms of mercury. Nearly all fish and shellfish contain traces of the toxic element, according to the FDA.

    Most people face no harm from it, but pregnant women and children are at higher risk of mercury poisoning. Symptoms include hair loss, fatigue, depression, difficulty concentrating and headaches.

    Generally speaking, large fish that are high on the food chain – such as tuna, swordfish and shark – have a greater chance of contamination from mercury and other pollutants. Your safest choices include wild salmon, sardines, catfish, shrimp, flounder, haddock, trout and hake, according to the FDA.
  • Listeriosis bacteria sometimes occur in smoked fish, such as salmon, trout, whitefish, cod, tuna or mackerel. Symptoms include fever, chills, muscle aches, diarrhea and upset stomach.
  • Vibrio parahaemolyticus and Vibrio vulnificus are bacteria found in undercooked or raw seafood, such as shellfish or sushi. It causes vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, blood-borne infection.
  • Scombrotoxin, or histamine, is a bacterial food poisoning sometimes found in fish. It causes a rash, diarrhea, sweating, vomiting and other symptoms.

Some people face greater health risks from food-borne illnesses, according to the FDA. Those who shouldn't eat raw fish (such as oysters or sushi) or partially cooked fish (such as seared tuna) include:

  • Pregnant women (avoid shark, swordfish, king mackerel, tilefish)
  • Young children
  • Older adults
  • People whose immune systems are compromised
  • People who have decreased stomach acidity

Safe Seafood Shopping
Here are FDA suggestions about how to choose fish wisely:

  • Ask your grocer or fishmonger where the fish is from and whether it's fresh.
  • When shopping for shellfish, check for certification tags with the processor's number. That indicates that the shellfish were harvested and processed according to national safety guidelines.
  • Trust your senses. Fish should smell fresh and mild. Avoid seafood with fishy, sour or ammonia-like odors.
  • Whole fish and fillets should have firm, shiny flesh; the gills should have no slime. Frozen fish lose some of their shine but are safe to eat.
  • Discard cracked or broken shellfish.
  • Do a "tap" test on live clams, oysters and mussels. They close when their shells are tapped. If they don't close, don't buy them.
  • Live crabs and lobsters should show leg movement.
And Now, Our War of the Fittest!
This group is called "Peckers PICS."  The English -  slang definition of "pecker" is to pluck at the truth. Therefore, we peck at items such as Gay Men's Health, Male Fitness, Gay (LGBT) Politics & Issues.  In this section you may peck at each photo in order to decide the winner of the "war of the fittest!"  Whereas, you should select the guy that may inspire you to exercise and "get fit!"   Warning: This may stoke you!
Remember your participation in discussion of health / news articles - appearing in this message is greatly appreciated!
1
 
2
Dan M
 
3
Matt Schiermeier
 
4
 
5
 
6
Earl Sandor
 
7
Craig Malozzi
 
8
 
9
Fabio Cannavaro
 
9a
 
10
Jarrad Boumann
 
11
Robert Murphy
 
12
Stephen Tiller
 
13
Lindsay Gilbee
 
14
Adam Cooney
 
15
Chris Cuba
 
16
Eric Bivoino
 
17
 
18
Travis Lutter
 
19
Pete Sell
 
20
Matt Hamill
 
21
 
22
Sean
 
23
 
24
JR
 
24a
 
24b
 
25
 
26
 
27
Armon Adibi
 
28
Ben Kirby
 
29
 
30
 
31
Alen Clippinger
 
32
 
33
 
34
 
You Decide!
Gay Pride - Barcelona; Aug 26. 2010
Stoked?
Gay Pride - Barcelona; Aug 26. 2010
Air Force Academy's alumni group cancels event to honor gay soldiers

By Michael Riley / The Denver Post / 9/9/10

WASHINGTON -- With the ban on gays serving openly in the military inching closer to repeal, gay soldiers and their advocates scheduled a dinner this November on the Air Force Academy campus, planning to invite the academy's superintendent and a member of Congress.
 
The two groups sponsoring the event signed a contract and put down a deposit, but the dinner was canceled last month by the academy's alumni organization, which controls the venue where it was to be held.
 
A spokesman said the event placed the school's leadership in the tough spot of appearing to endorse repeal of the current ban, known as "don't ask, don't tell."
 
The turnabout has set off a fusillade of charges and countercharges, focusing attention on the institution that is known as the most conservative of the service academies just as the military studies the possibility of welcoming openly gay fighters.
 
A spokesman for the group OutServe, one of the dinner's sponsors whose members include gay Air Force Academy graduates currently serving, called the cancelation "blatant discrimination."
The event was meant not as a political statement but to recognize the contribution of gays and lesbians to the country's armed forces, said the spokesman, who is a lieutenant in the active-duty military.
 
Gary Howe, executive vice president of the alumni association -- known as the Association of Graduates -- said the groups are trying to embarrass the Air Force Academy at a delicate moment in the debate.
 
"To think that holding such an event on the United States Air Force Academy (campus) would not be political, I think they're blowing smoke," Howe said.
 
Colliding perceptions
 
The dinner and cancelation underscore the complexity of the issue. The Pentagon endorsed repeal early this year, but the ban remains in place. The House has approved it, but repeal awaits a vote in the Senate.
 
Impatient and increasingly active, gay service members and advocates are pushing boundaries at every level. OutServe, for example, is made up of hundreds of active-duty personnel who would be discharged if their identities became known before repeal was implemented.
 
The dinner's organizers say the event -- scheduled for Nov. 12 -- would have been limited to highlighting the biographies of several gay and lesbian AFA graduates who had had successful military careers but are now out of the Air Force.
 
Opponents "perceive the dinner as being something very different than what we perceive it to be," said Greg Mooneyham, a former combat pilot and the director of Blue Alliance, a group of gay and lesbian academy alumni and the event's other sponsor.
 
The dinner was scheduled at Doolittle Hall, which is at the center of the Air Force Academy campus but can be rented by the general public for events. The hall and grounds around it are leased from the Air Force by the academy's alumni group.
 
U.S. Sen. Mark Udall was invited but had yet to accept. And at least one of the groups had begun to reach out to cadets to invite them to attend.
 
The scale of the event honoring gay fighters would have been unprecedented at the Air Force Academy -- and a highly unusual event on any military installation.
 
But its supporters say it would serve to lay the groundwork for a transition to an open military by showing that gays and lesbians have already made successful soldiers.
 
Howe said that despite the contract and deposit, he canceled the event when he learned more details, including the invitation to a lawmaker and the participation of OutServe, which he views as a political organization.
 
"The superintendent of the academy works for the chief of staff of the Air Force, and as far as I know, he hasn't said what he thinks" about repeal, Howe said.
 
"We will not support any group who is trying to change Air Force policy. That's not what we're about," he said.
 
Easing toward repeal
 
Speaking before a Senate committee earlier this year, Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said he personally supported ending the policy, enacted by Congress in 1993.
But in May, the joint chiefs of the Army, Navy, Marines and Air Force asked Congress to hold off on repealing the policy until after a Pentagon study was done.
 
In recent months, the Pentagon has been careful to ease the tradition-bound institutions of the military toward repeal, surveying more than 400,000 current service members and their families about the move and undertaking the months-long study due to President Barack Obama by Dec. 1.
 
Don't ask, don't scrum
 
Some of the difficulties ahead are underscored by recent events at the Air Force Academy itself, which critics say has a more conservative culture than the Naval Academy or West Point.
In 2008, a humanities professor was disciplined for inviting members of the Blue Alliance to a class to talk about "don't ask, don't tell" without her superiors' permission.
 
In the fall of the same year, the academy's military leadership threatened to disband the women's rugby team after complaints that it had become a "breeding ground of lesbianism," a member of the team at the time said.
 
"They basically said, 'We've heard these accusations, and . . . if there is any truth to it, then there is a possibility that the entire team would be disbanded,' " said one of the former team members, now a second lieutenant in the Air Force.
 
Though he had yet to accept the invitation, Udall said he was "disappointed" to learn the dinner had been canceled.
 
"Supporting our service members, no matter their sexual orientation, is and has always been a top priority," Udall said.
 
Mooneyham said the groups still hope to hold the dinner on the same date -- and in conjunction with a Blue Alliance board meeting -- but it will be in a venue off the Air Force Academy campus.
 
 

"Every gay and lesbian person who has been lucky enough to survive the turmoil of growing up is a survivor. Survivors always have an obligation to those who will face the same challenges."

....Jake

Remember:  Boycott Target and Best Buy for donating money towards anti-gay political candidates/organizations and to Proposition 8 (California) to prevent gay marriage. The Formal Boycott began this past weekend. I stopped shopping these stores - even though I want a new washer/dryer and new clothes for the Fall.  I would not purchase "Blood Diamonds," nor should a person / organization be contributing funds to both Hitler / Nazi's and the Jews at the same time!   Obviously giving money to the Jews and not Hitler/Nazi's is the right thing to do.   Hence, these companies violated my trust and well-being.   They gave money to my enemy who would terminate me from my job, deny me housing and send me to a Internment camp.  Therefore, goodbye Target and Best Buy!  The CEO's of these companies have been insensitive to our reaction and do not even comprehend their actions!  What takes so long to "fire" these Neanderthals?

   

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 



__._,_.___


All members of "Peckers PICS" are requested to join our "Obama Biden 2008" group as it runs in conjunction to this group.  Both groups shall not repeat articles from one group to another.  However, to gain full knowledge of Gay rights, members must belong to the Obama group as well as this group.  Therefore, please accept your invitation to join. 

To join the Obama group please click (or copy and paste the link into your browser) @  http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ObamaBiden2008/join

Thank you!
 

"Every gay and lesbian person who has been lucky enough to survive the turmoil of growing up is a survivor. Survivors always have an obligation to those who will face the same challenges."

...Jake (Moderator)



Your email settings: Individual Email|Traditional
Change settings via the Web (Yahoo! ID required)
Change settings via email: Switch delivery to Daily Digest | Switch to Fully Featured
Visit Your Group | Yahoo! Groups Terms of Use | Unsubscribe

__,_._,___
Posted by at

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)