Trump Administration Attempts to Bury the Results of Congress Mandated US Climate Change Report
Photo Credit: NY Times Tom Brenner
In lieu of the results of the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Report this past October, there has been an increased global awareness of the dire issue of Climate Change and it’s possible effects on our world. Many countries have been stepping up to the challenge and looking for ways to curb their direct connection to the climate change problem. Unfortunately, our administration has not been taking it as seriously. The U.S. released it’s own Climate Report this past Friday, some think the administration chose the nations biggest shopping holiday as a distraction from people knowing about the report, but the results were not tampered with. It is yet to be seen whether the administration is going to make changes to help the country, and the world based on this report, but for the time being it is a win that they followed the law, and the congress mandated report was released to the public.
“The 1,656-page National Climate Assessment, which is required by Congress, is the most comprehensive scientific study to date detailing the effects of global warming on the United States economy, public health, coastlines and infrastructure. It describes in precise detail how the warming planet will wreak hundreds of billions of dollars of damage in coming decades.”
A copy of the report can be found here.
Americans Could Not Eat Without Immigrant Workers, Find Out Their Stories
In our current political climate there is much debate on the immigration laws for our country. It is very sad to see the way that immigrants who are seeking legal asylum are being treated at our boarders as we speak. It is important for all Americans to know how important immigrants are to the very fabric of our society. They are the backbone of our entire food system and without them most American’s would not be able to eat.
To show support for, and to give these hardworking immigrants a voice The New Food Economy has just come out with a new article series called “The Hands That Feed Us”which highlights the stories of many of our immigrant food service, and farm workers.
Some of the facts from The New Food Economy:
“In berry fields and on cattle ranches, in slaughterhouses and processing plants, in the dish rooms and back kitchens of countless restaurants, immigrant workers—people born elsewhere, who now call this country home—are a crucial source of labor, ingenuity, and expertise. We eat, all of us, thanks to the work they do.”
“Almost everything we putin our mouths was at some point raised, picked, carried, packed, cooked, or served by immigrant hands. Nearly 70 percent of farm laborers in the United States are foreign-born, while about 22 percent in food preparationand processing are. In the nation’s large, global cities the proportion of immigrants in restaurant work tend to be even higher—in New York City, roughly 70 percent of cooks and food preparation workers were born in another country.”
By giving them a voice, and showing their humanity it may help people to realize we have many more similarities than differences.
To read the entire series click here.
Too Much Caffeine Can Be Bad For The Heart
It’s common for us to think that we are invincible. Many avid coffee drinkers think that they can down 5 cups a day and because “there body is used to it” they don’t feel the same effects as other people would with that amount of caffeine. The reality is that no matter who you are, your body will be affected by the caffeine you are putting into it, and that can cause more serious issues, without you even knowing it.
Currently the FDA considers 400 milligrams of caffeine a day to be a safe amount, that is equivalent to about 2-3 cups of drop coffee.
For reference here are some stats from the New York Times on the amount of caffeine in different beverages: An 8-ounce cup of brewed coffee may contain 95 to 165 milligrams of caffeine, while a cup of instant coffee delivers 63 milligrams. One ounce of espresso has 47 to 64 milligrams; 8 ounces of brewed black tea, 25 to 48 milligrams; 8 ounces of brewed green tea, 25 to 29 milligrams; 8 ounces of cola, 24 to 46 milligrams, whereas a 12-ounce energy drink can contain as much as 300 milligrams. Much smaller amounts of caffeine can be found in chocolate, decaffeinated coffee, some candies and even some foods like waffles.
When you drink coffee the caffeine stimulates the hormone cortisol, and there has been some evidence that an increased level of cortisol can cause damage to a lot of the bodies areas if constantly being secreted.
The NY Times Columnist gives the biggest reason he found to reduce your caffeine intake and reduce heart disease risk:
“A 2012 British study of 466 healthy men and women, average age 62, who had no history or signs of coronary heart disease found that in the 40 percent who reacted to a stressful task with a significant rise in cortisol, calcium deposits in their coronary arteries increased significantly over the course of three years. High calcium levels are associated with more arterial plaque and a greater risk of heart attack.
Even in a sample of healthy young women, researchers have found that a stress-induced rise in blood pressure was associated with a 24 percent increased chance of developing calcium deposits in their coronary arteries 13 years later.”
Everything in moderation is usually a good rule of thumb to live by, but in case you forget that, remember the harmful effects those extra 4,5,6 cups of coffee are doing to you first.
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