1.  GIVE IT UP. Every Lent it never fails: my Facebook news feed is loaded with Christian acquaintances posting what superfluous toy or food they have decided to deprive themselves of for 40 days.  I vaguely recall a passage in the gospels where Jesus rebukes the Pharisees for publicly displaying their fasting and how god will not “count” it on the list he is supposedly making and checking (twice).  You poor martyrs!  How terrible that you have to do without soda, candy, chocolate, video games, TV, etc for a WHOLE FORTY DAYS.  Have you given any thought as to all those who live in abject poverty and NEVER have ANY of that stuff?  How arrogant of you to think that your god will reward you for giving up such luxuries when so many starve to death every day because they have nothing to eat?  Four years ago I gave up eating all processed sugars, sodas, fast food and excess.  I have never owned a video game and have not owned a TV for 3 years.  I do this because it benefits my health and encourages exploration of the world.  I fail to see how you giving up candy for Lent and complaining about it does anything to benefit you or those who go without every day of their lives.  For Lent, try giving up God and see how clear things become.

2. FISH. If you have ever cooked a meal for Christians on a Friday in Lent, you know about how they “deprive” themselves on Fridays in Lent (only 4-5 Fridays in the year) and make a big deal to make sure everyone knows they can’t “eat meat”.  The last time I checked, fish was meat.  This whole fish on Fridays tradition has an interesting metamorphoses through history.  Fasting rules for Catholics in particular used to be very strict.  It progressed from no meat allowed on EVERY Friday of the year to only Wednesday and Fridays during Lent and then lastly to “no meat” on only Fridays during Lent.  Then, as people tend to do, the faithful found a loophole in their rules because they did not “count” fish as meat by saying that it came from water animals, not land animals.  After decades of their flock bending the rules so they could have fish on Fridays, the Catholic Church under Pope Paul VI decided to allow Fish on Fridays in 1966.  Now, I don’t mind accommodating my vegan friends, people with allergies or intolerance to certain foods.  What does bother me is the “poor me” message that “fasting” Christians bring to my dinner table and to the world.    McDonald’s even caters to their “fast” season, commercializing and capitalizing on the pointless tradition of one religion.  I fail to see how eating expensive fish, now in short supply is a sacrifice.

Another problem with Christians eating Fish on Fridays is overfishing and how much Christianity has helped to decimate global fish populations.1 Fish is an expensive, rare meat on our over-fished planet.  Christians are happy to help themselves to the almost extinct Tuna and Salmon in the name of their religious “fasting”.  Eating a delicacy is a far cry from depriving one’s self in the name of Jesus. I also fail to see how encouraging people to consume fish during Lent is an example of good stewardship of the earth.

3. OBESITY. The thin priest will talk about it, but the fat ones won’t touch the subject.  Gluttony, one of the ‘seven deadly sins’, plagues a large swath of the faithful across all Christian divides.  They sit in their pews and hear about how they should give in charity, deny themselves pleasures.  Yet they exit church each Sunday to find a doughnut at the community hall and fail to connect how eating 2 to 3 times the amount of calories needed to live each day equates to starving children dying in third world countries.  Even here on American soil, families are finding it difficult to find enough food to survive and the pious obese flock to church every Sunday to be reassured by their pastor that they are checking off all the necessary dates to be admitted into heaven.  This type of hypocrisy abounds during Lent when the biblical reading encourage homilies about abstinence, moderation, charity and self denial.  Obesity is perhaps the most un-Christian behavior of all, exercising gluttony, sloth, greed, addiction, destruction of your “god-given” body and a complete lack of compassion for those who have no food to eat.  I fail to see how being 200 pounds overweight exemplifies Christian behavior.

4. TRADITION. If you ask a Christian why they celebrate Lent, the common response is because Jesus went into the desert for 40 days.  There he supposedly ate no food and was tempted by the Devil.  The irony in this is that to remember this improbable story, Christians “deprive” themselves of American comforts and “fast” on Fridays, even though they found the loophole of eating meat.  It is almost as meaningless as reenacting the cannibalism of eating the flesh and blood of Jesus with wafers and cheap wine.  Oh wait… they already do that.

5. HISTORY. Let’s put the record straight.  There are rumors out there that Pope Paul IV had monetary interest in seeing a budding new fishing industry succeed.  It is not improbable, but still devoid of sources.  Pope Paul IV was rumored to have had a mistress who’s husband owned a fishing fleet.  What is known about Pope Paul IV was his strong Antisemitism and his major role during the Inquisition.   In 1555 he issued canon law forcing Jews to live separate from Christians, which created the Roman Ghetto.  He strengthened and reorganized the Inquisition and believed that outside of Catholicism there was no salvation.   He also had fig leaves painted over the nudes in the Sistine Chapel. 2, 3

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REFERENCES

1. The Pope and the Price of Fish, Full article

2. Pope Paul IV, Biography

3. NNDB

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Bonobo monkeys are similar to Chimps.  The major difference is their social behavior.  Chimp communities are run by males, prone to fighting, group battles and infanticide.  Bonobo communities are run by the females.  They spend a large part of their day grooming each other, having sex with multiple partners and playing in groups.  Bonobos show a great deal of compassion for each other and even for other animals. Their motto could

Bonobos having sex missionary style, a favorite sex position of the Bonobos

easily be “make love, not war”.  Because the females have sex with all the males in the group, non of the males will kill the baby bonobos because there is no way of knowing whose baby is whose.

Recent studies have concluded that Bonobos also share like humans.  Socially, the Bonobo monkey is the closest cousin to humans.  Bonobos are strikingly human like.  Learn more about Bonobos on Nova’s documentary video “Ape Genius”

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Dawkins has covered this in his book [amazon ASIN="978-0618918249"]The God Delusion[/amazon], but this 10 year study has concurred that the more religious a region is, the higher its social ills and immoral behaviors will be.

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EWG performed a study on chemicals found in newborn’s umbilical chords.  Among the compounds found in the tissues samples were BPA, Teflon, flame retardant found in couches and bedding, the total number of toxic chemicals was 232.  Many of the chemicals found in the babies umbilical chords were components of make up and personal products that women continue to use throughout pregnancy.

The EWG put out a list of ways to avoid the most harmful toxins during pregnancy (as always).

From MNN:

Among the substances newly discovered, in addition to BPA, included a toxic flame retardant chemical (tetrabromobisphenol A) designed for computer circuit boards, chemicals used in synthetic fragrances (galaxolide and tonalide) for common cosmetics and detergents, and a member of the notorious Teflon chemical family (perfluorobutanoic acid) that helps make non-stick, and grease, stain and water-resistant coatings for a number of everyday consumer products.”

Continue Reading…

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When a women is pregnant, the makeup she wears, the deoderant she uses and the lotions she uses may effect her baby’s behavior later down the road.  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has found that high levels of phthalates found in a women’s blood during pregnancy directly correlate with behavioral issues in their child at ages 4-9 years.

Phthalates are non-organic chemicals used in lotions, makeup products, soaps, nail polish, perfumes and shampoos.  “Phthalates are part of a group of chemicals known as endocrine disruptors, that interfere with the body’s endocrine, or hormone system.”1 Phthalates is also known as BPA when used in plastics.

Children whose mothers tested with a high level of Phthalates in their blood during pregnancy consistently reported behavioral issues in their 4-9 year olds associated with Oppositional Defiant Disorder, Conduct Disorder and ADHD.

To avoid phthalates in personal care products, buy only all natural products and read the ingredients.  If you can’t pronounce an ingredient or have never heard of it, look it up on the EWG website before buying.  Most Phthalates in personal products are called one of the following:

BzBP (benzylbutyl phthalate)

DBP (di-n-butyl phthalate) and DEP (diethyl phthalate)

“fragrance” is another ingredient to avoid.  If a chemical blend is a trade secret, manufactures are not legally required to disclose the contents on the lable.  They simply denote this as “fragrance”, which likely contains parabens or phthalates.

The best paraben free products to replace your most common personal care products are:

Deoderant: Crystal Salt

Toothpaste: PerioBrite

Shampoo and Conditioner: [amazon ASIN="B001JAH2V0"]Hugo Naturals[/amazon]

Lipgloss, cosmetics: [amazon ASIN="B000WRZSCQ"]Honeybee gardens[/amazon]

Lotion: [amazon ASIN="B0012NZ9LY"]Hugo Naturals[/amazon]

Hand and Body soap:[amazon ASIN="B001ET77YI"]Dr. Bronners[/amazon] or find home made soaps from your local farmer’s market.

Nail polish: just don’t use it!  Nail polish is basically paint that you absorb through your skin.

Learn more: The Do-Nothing Method to Healthier Skin ::   BPA powder on your receipts?!

References:

1. Science Daily

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Recent studies have linked high levels of PBDEs in women’s blood to a difficult time getting pregnant.  PBDEs are a type of flame retardant found in fabrics, furniture and mattresses.  They are most prevalent in foams.

PBDEs, or polybrominated diphenyl ethers, are a class of organobromine compounds that became commonplace after the 1970s when new fire safety standards were implemented in the United States. The flame retardants are used in foam furniture, electronics, fabrics, carpets, plastics and other common items in the home. - Science Daily

It is not clear how PBDEs interfer with fertility, but reserach has suggested they effect hormone levels.  Household dust from foam, couches, curtains, sheets, and mattresses is the main culprit for human absorbtion of PBDEs.  Tempurpedic beds do not contain PBDEs

Read more: Non-stick pans wreak havok on your Thyroid

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So why should we care about 8-hydroxyquinoline sulfate ?  For starters it is found in some hair products and denture/dental products.

It is in so many products despite it’s ability to cause cancer in lab rats and toxicity of the human digestive, respiratory and circulatory systems.

8-Hydroxyquinoline sulfate is a metal chelating agent extracted from coal tar. It has been used in a wide variety of products, from “bag balm” for cows to cosmetics and drugs, for its ability to inhibit the growth of imidazolidinylurea microbes. 1

The compound was previously used a preservative in cheese until it was deemed “harmful if swallowed” by the FDA, which has since banned it from all foods. 2 At some point in it’s history it was used as a pesticide, but is not considered obsolete. 3

A 2001 document on the effects of 8-hydroxyquinoline sulfate on livestock prepared for the USDA by the Organic Materials Review Institute states that “Although it is not generally reported as a carcinogen or teratogen, a test of the food additive formerly used as cheese preservative (8-hydroxyquinoline sulfate) found tumors in the bladder, brain, and uteri of rats and mice when administered intervaginally.” 4

According to the EWG, 8-hydroxyquinoline sulfate is considered a moderate health hazard with the ability to cause cancer, toxicity of the stomach, digestive tract, respiratory tract and cardiovascular system even in low exposure.  It’s use in cosmetic products is either prohibited or strictly limited in most major countries.  Finally, there have been no studies on the long term effects when left on the skin and absolutely no studies done on how much is absorbed into the bloodstream 5

Sources:

1. ACS Chemistry

2. FDA

3. http://www.pesticideinfo.org/Docs/ref_regulatoryINT.html#WHOObsolete

4. SkinDeep and OMRI NOSB Tap Materials Database

5. EWG

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Having just visited the gynecologist for a yearly examination, I noticed an overwhelming ill feeling a few hours after leaving the doctor’s office.  For the rest of the day I had a mix of a headache, abdominal cramps, nausea, fatigue, and an upset stomach.  The symptoms would come and go without pattern.  I generally just fell unwell.  I have had this feeling after every doctor visit where lube is used vaginally to insert some instrument (or someone’s hand).  They squirt out that nasty lube and smear it all over their hand or tool before sliding it in.  I had to know what was in that stuff.

Methylparaben

The only active ingredient listed in the most common lube used in paps, Femglide, was Methylparaben. After switching cosmetics, cleaning supplies, soaps, etc  to non toxic, all natural products, the last thing I wanted was a paraben being generously applied to my vagina where it is quick to be absorbed into my bloodstream.  A little research lead me a long way:

Methylparaben, designated as food additive E218 in Europe, is a preservative that inhibits the growth of bacteria and fungi in many products, but it is frequently used in cosmetics. 1

Femglide and SlipperyStuff is touted as “sperm friendly” and one of the least harmful personal lubricant available.  Methlyparaben in Femglide is a know mutagen, causing cells it contacts to mutate.  Why that is considered “sperm friendly” evades me.  Methylparaben, which is currently banned in the EU is also a skin irritant and is known to cause allergic reaction in humans.  That would explain why I felt like crap after the doctor used a half cup on her hand.

The EWG states that “one or more animal studies show brain and nervous system effects at moderate doses.”  Methylparaben is also known to cause cancer, endocrine disruption, and interference with gene expression. (I think the sperm are doomed at this point).  It is is considered by the EWG a high health hazard with the ability to cause cancer, toxicity of the stomach, digestive tract, respiratory tract and cardiovascular system.

Armed with this information, it would be safe to caution against using personal lubrication when trying to conceive if you want live, healthy sperm.  Also, if you have issues with yeast infections, using a personal lubrication with Methylparaben in it is not advisable because it may kill the healthy bacteria in the vagina.

Femglide and personal lubes are not the only products in the US containing the chemical Methylparaben.  Sun screens, lotions, conditioners, hemorrhoid creams and get this: spermicides are just a few product types that may include Methlyparabens.  See an entire list here.

Did I mention that Methlyparaben is not the only nasty ingredient in Femglide?  Yes, there is PEG-4.  I’ll let Treehugger.com explain why this chemical is so toxic:

“Polyethylene glycol, better known by its acronym, PEG, isn’t a single ingredient but a class of ethylene glycol polymers that moisturize, keep products stable, and enhance the penetration of other ingredients, both good and bad. PEGs are typically followed by a number correlating to how many units of ethylene glycol they comprise, in the form of say PEG-4 or PEG-100; the lower the number, the more easily the compound is absorbed into the skin.

While PEGs can be mild irritants, they’re less than desirable primarily because they help traffic funky chemicals across your epidermis, including a slug of impurities they’re often contaminated with. According to a report in the International Journal of Toxicology by the Cosmetic Ingredient Review, pollutants found in various PEG compounds include ethylene oxide (used to manufacture mustard gas), 1,4-dioxane, polycyclic aromatic compounds, and heavy metals (lead, iron, cobalt, nickel, cadmium, arsenic).” 3

The EWG says that PEG-4 is restricted in cosmetic use and is not safe for application on damaged or broken skin.  Have a slight tear downstairs during your papsmear ladies?  Well, why not smear PEG-4 all over it?  PEG-4 is a human carcinogen and has been banned in Canada, yet the FDA allows it’s use in food products.  You won’t see it listed as PEG-4 in your food, rather it is called POLYETHYLENE GLYCOL when placed on a food lable. 4

So for my next papsmear, I am officially allergic to Methylparaben.  “No thanks doc, I’ll pass on the paraben-chemical goop, but thanks for asking.”

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Sources:

1. ACS Chemistry

2.  EWG

3. Treehugger.com

4. EWG on PEG-4

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You know that glossy, powdering feel of a receipt when the cashier hands you your “proof of purchase?”  Possibly worse than BPA in your plastic water bottle, BPA powder on that grocery receipt can easily get in your mouth and into your body.  Now you have two reasons to say “no thank you” to the receipt:  Saving paper and staying BPA free.

From Treehugger.com:

“Thermal imaging papers, the ones use in most cash registers, and carbonless copy papers (the ones used for most credit card receipts) both use BPA to provide the “magic” behind printing those receipts. According to Science News, when created, the papers are coated with a “powdery layer” of BPA and invisible ink. When pressure and/or heat are applied, the two materials merge together on the paper and you get color, aka your printed receipt.

BPA in water bottles, for example, is referred to as having nanograms of particles leaching out. BPA in cash registers receipts on the other hand typically has 60 to 100 milligrams of free BPA, much more than you would find in your water bottle. To make matters worse, the BPA in receipts is free, meaning that the individual molecules are “loose and ready for the uptake” unlike water bottles or food containers where the particles are bound and have to be heated in order for you to be exposed. Thus far, no specific studies have been done to quantify just how much BPA we may be exposed to or whether it can stay on our fingers long enough for us to touch food and ingest it, or even if it can just permeate our skin.”

Continue reading…

So I would say “no thanks” to the receipt.  If you think you need a receipt to return something, ask them to put it in the bag and wash your hands if you handle it.  Another way to avoid BPA would be to buy online where your receipts are all electronic, there is no store using space, lighting, etc and you don’t have to drive around town using gas.  Hmmmm…

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Behavioral scientists have provided a window into how religion resides in the human brain.  A study published in in the Nov. 30 early edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences discusses how people infer their own opinions and judgments onto their “god”, using their own moral instincts to conclude that the imaginary being they worship must think similarly. From Science Daily:

The final study involved functional magnetic resonance imaging to measure the neural activity of test subjects as they reasoned about their own beliefs versus those of God or another person. The data demonstrated that reasoning about God’s beliefs activated many of the same regions that become active when people reasoned about their own beliefs.

The researchers noted that people often set their moral compasses according to what they presume to be God’s standards. “The central feature of a compass, however, is that it points north no matter what direction a person is facing,” they conclude. “This research suggests that, unlike an actual compass, inferences about God’s beliefs may instead point people further in whatever direction they are already facing.”

Read more at Science Daily

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