CLARIFICATION of: A Knuckleball is a Curveball that Doesn't Give A Damn - Bob Ueker

CAUTION(!):  Unhinged RANT!!
This is more a "just venting" thing and will be poorly written and choppy in thought..at best.
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I have had a sibling who has battled two forms of cancer for the past four years. One has required surgery, multiple radiation therapy, and two "full powered" chemotherapy treatments...only to see it coming back. The other is slow moving, weakens the bone mass to "peanut brittle", and is...incurable. Yet this bone cancer has brought all of the above treatments with it as well (Separate treatments for each form of cancer).

While the afflicted endure multiple types of treatments and high levels of pain, not to mention suffering.... Cancer also exerts high levels of stress, mental anguish, and, in some instances, pain to those "near and dear" to the patient. In addition, cancer treatments rack up financial bills that rival congressional spending...These bills are even higher if the patient does not have insurance.

So, you ask, what am I ranting about(?) Well...three separate myths that have persisted in our cultural thought throughout the past several decades.

MYTH 1: "Shucks, what a shame. He/she has cancer...unavoidable, I suppose."

WRONG! For at least the last 15 years, we have been inundated with science that tells us the many various ways/things we can do to lessen the risk or even avoid getting cancer. Yet, we collectively gorge on sodas, fast food, and highly processed foodstuffs all while addicted to tobacco products. It is all about choices. The choice between fresh produce, fruit, meats, etc, versus pre-packed, micro wave ready processed dinners. The choice between getting up and moving around and not just sitting in a recliner watching TV. The choice to choose a quality older age...to not be a burden to others OR YOURSELF.

Yes, I feel empathy and heartbreak for my sibling and the others that I see, but, 9 out of 10 could have either lessened the impact or avoided this illness altogether with some simple choices. ("There, I said it!")

MYTH 2: "Aren't we something? Thanks to the strides in modern technology and nutrition, we are living a lot longer than even a single generation ago!"

NO, not really. If it wasn't for the daily breakthroughs in modern medicine to COUNTERACT modern nutrition we would be dying sooner than our great grandfathers/mothers. (Just my opinion, no factual basis for this one)

MYTH 3: "We need Health Insurance for Everyone."

 Oh give me a freaking break(!). I have witnessed, first hand, what it means to not have health insurance. The dirty little secret "they" forgot about when Lawmakers passed "Obama Care" was a little publicized rule (Law?) that ALL hospitals follow in this country: A patient cannot be turned away from medical care because of inability to pay.  Let me repeat that...A patient cannot be turned away from medical care because of inability to pay....My aforementioned sibling, despite having been a medical professional for more than 25 years, had no health insurance (that is a sore subject for another rant). Despite the lack of insurance, they received quality care from competent doctors, got the latest drugs and therapy, and in a timely manner. All they had to do was sign a document that they would make a a small monthly payment to the hospital (the hospital eventually sells the debt to a collection service, who will make obnoxious attempts to collect, eventually collecting a profit by attaching to the patients estate upon their death)....Oh, and after racking up a SEVEN FIGURE bill, Medicaid swooped in and provided some relief on future treatment costs...because the "sib" qualified for disability...(heavy sigh)

Huh? Tell me again why I pay exorbitant premiums, as a self employed individual, to the health insurers (with exclusions, I might add)?? AND explain to me why "we" mortgaged the future on "Health Reform"??

Finally, I'll end with a true absurdity that any of you can witness at almost any super market, on almost any day....The grossly over weight man/woman, in the electric shopping cart, cruising the aisles while breathing pure oxygen through a nose tube (oxy tank between their feet), ......and, wait for it.......smoking a cigarette! (And if you look close enough, they probaly have a permanent medical port in their arm)...Ever wonder how a person can be breathing pure oxygen, while smoking a lit cigarette...without blowing up?

CORN - The GOOD, The BAD, The UGLY

Corn…Just the thought of it makes my taste buds tingle. Eating fresh roasted corn on the cob, (swimming in butter!) is one of my most vivid childhood memories. I used to accompany my grandfather (a “black land” farmer in central Texas) to pick those golden ears of corn, right from the cornstalk. I still love a roasted ear of corn. But, in the current health climate, corn stirs many to thoughts of villainy and hatred. So, I have decided to pull down my sombrero and throw my serape over my shoulder as we take a look at the “The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly” surrounding corn. (Hopefully, there are a few Clint Eastwood fans out there)

THE GOOD

Corn, in its natural form, actually has a lot of nutritional as well as health benefits.

For starters, it is high in fiber which fosters lower cholesterol and is beneficial to a healthy colon thus, helping to fight colon cancer. That golden ear is also rich in folate, providing  B12 and B6 vitamin compounds, integral to the generation of new cells, a big deal before and during pregnancy. Eating moderate amounts of corn has shown to be helpul in the treatment of diabetes, renal dysfunction, constipation, and hemorrhoids.
Also, it contains beta-cryptoxanthin, which helps promote healthy lungs and may even assist in the prevention of lung cancer…

THE BAD

As we have learned, corn, in and of itself can be very beneficial. The “bad” is how the crop has invaded nearly every part of our life through the use of its many chemical properties…or, actually, the chemical change of the inherent properties.

“Big Ag” is synonymous with large scale food production. In the last 50+ years, chemists have discovered literally hundreds of uses for the chemical compounds found in corn and few of them are healthy for us. We have already learned that our meat industry relies heavily on corn as a quick fattening feed for livestock and that a diet of corn is unhealthy for the animal and thus, humans. It doesn’t stop there. High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is used in nearly any packaged or processed food product you can name. But, it doesn't stop there. As an example, let’s grab a cheeseburger, fries, and a soda…remember, every ingredient listed has some form of corn in it:

THE BUN: HFCS, WHEAT GLUTEN, MONOGLYCERIDES, CALCIUM STEAROYL LACTYLATE, CALCIUM SULFATE, ASCORBIC ACID, CALCIUM PROPIONATE (PRESERVATIVE)

THE CHEESE: HFCS, MONOGLYCERIDES, CALCIUM STEAROYL LACTYLATE, CALCIUM SULFATE, ASCORBIC ACID

THE MEAT: GRAIN FED, IRRIDATED, and possibly treated with a variation of CHLORINE

THE FRIES: HFCS, not to mention the oil used in deep frying

THE SODA: HFCS, DEXTROSE, CARAMEL COLORING, SACCHARIN, GLUCOSE  

Nearly every one of these products, especially HFCS have shown the potential for causing severe health risks in laboratory testing. 

THE UGLY

Where to begin? Let’s start with corn seed. Over the past 20 years, corn has become a genetically modified and engineered crop. The largest producer of GE seed is the Monsanto Company with an estimated 90% market share. Genetically Engineered seeds are resistant to bugs and various crop diseases. While it is true that these advances in seed genetics have radically boosted harvest yields, it is the murky veil of secrecy and heavy handed tactics they use for corporate protection that are disturbing.

The non-profit Center for Food Safety listed 112 lawsuits by Monsanto against farmers for claims of seed patent violations.. The Center for Food Safety's analyst stated that many innocent farmers settle with Monsanto because they cannot afford a time consuming lawsuit. Monsanto is frequently described by farmers as "Gestapo" and "Mafia" both because of these lawsuits and because of the questionable means they use to collect evidence of patent infringement.

As of May 2008, Monsanto is currently engaged in a campaign to prohibit dairies, which do not inject their cows with artificial bovine growth hormone from advertising this fact on their milk cartons.

When the Federal Trade Commission did not side with Monsanto on this issue, the company started lobbying state lawmakers to implement a similar ban. Pennsylvania Agriculture Secretary Dennis Wolfe attempted to prohibit dairies from using labels stating that their milk does not contain artificial bovine growth hormone, but public outcry led the Governor to step in and reverse his secretary's position, stating: "The public has a right to complete information about how the milk they buy is produced”. (SOURCE)

Monsanto has also been loathe to release the results of their ongoing lab studies on their products, saying only that both their seeds and the previously owned ARTIFICIAL BOVINE GROWTH HORMONE (rBGH) pose no risk in the food chain. However, independent research is beginning to show that genetically modified corn may be a leading cause of organ damage. (Huffington Post)

In closing, It is clear that an ear of corn has numerous nutritional as well as potential health benefits; that making chemical changes can be unhealthy; and that owning the monopoly on a product can lead to deceit and corruption.

Monsanto and the food giants should heed the warning made famous in a TV advertisement for one of

THEIR first corn by-products: “It’s not nice to fool Mother Nature!”