Genetically Modified foods...Really???

Den of the Beastly Bear

Hi Folks!

I've been fulminating this little rant for a while now.

Like most "created" crisis's the ingredients are the same:

A little bit of truth.

A lot of disinformation.

A dash of ignorance.

A healthy dose of fear.

Remove all common sense.

Now with all ingredients mixed together, whip up to a media frenzy, and WA-LA... created crisis!

The particular one that is chaffing my ass these days is the whole *here use deep reverberating Godlike voice* GENETICALLY MODIFIED FOOD CRISIS!!!

I'm sure you're all familiar, so I won't rehash here.

But I will summarize: Scientists (always evil in these) have genetically modified our wheat, fruits, and vegetables to the point that they are now actually dangerous to consume.

First of all, we humans have been genetically modifying things for centuries...we just called it something different. Selective breeding.

Want proof? Look down at your feet, or in your lap.

That dog, or cat curled up there...a product of genetic modification!!!

Whether it's a Great Dane or Chihuahua, Shitzu or Bulldog none of these occurred in nature!!!

Look outside, admire your beautiful lawn of Kentucky Blue Grass...genetically modified.

Go to your local greenhouse, tell the helpful clerk you'd like to buy a rose bush...they will gladly point you to an area where they have no less than 30 varieties for sale and the ability to order about 150 more, all products of genetic modification!

"Ah Beastly" you say "but these are not food!"

Let me tell you boys and girls, l-o-n-g before technology allowed us into the DNA of plants and animals your food was genetically modified!

Take that morning cup of coffee you enjoy everyday, genetically modified. That's why a pound doesn't cost as much as the family car.

You see once people started roasting coffee beans to drink as a beverage, two things were discovered.

1) the highland species produced the largest, most flavorful beans. Was very hardy, but produced relatively low yield of beans.

2) the lowland species produced bounties of beans that were smaller and lacking in flavor, and they were less hardy and prone to frost damage.

So, enterprising fellows a couple hundred years ago, cross bred the two in an effort to create a hardy bush, resistant to frost that produced large quantities of large, flavorful beans. This new, genetically modified plant made commercial coffee production possible.

The cream for that coffee, and the milk in your cereal, the butter for your toast? Thank the guys that selectively bred domestic cattle to produce the Dairy Cow...genetically modified.

Enjoy a banana on your cereal? Bananas as we know them...genetically modified.

Broccoli, cauliflower? Man made...by genetic modification.

You probably like apples! Delicious, Granny Smith, Fuji, Gala...all genetic modifications.

People used to spend careers, even their whole lives dedicated to creating a fleshier tomato, a drought resistant wheat, a seedless orange....or a Persian cat!!! 

Sure technology has allowed us to speed up the process...and there have been some notably failures.

Killer Bees come to mind.

But every time I hear some blowhole spewing forth about how genetically modified foods are killing us... as they sit there eating their organic banana and Granny Smith apple I just shake my head.

I've tried to educate them...but it's much like trying to teach a pig to sing, all it does is waste your time and annoy the pig!

The world as you know it is genetically modified folks, like it or not...me? I embrace the fact that roses smell sweeter because someone spent their life in that pursuit!

Well, that's my two cents worth...

Here's hoping your day is rosy!

Be Well!!!

Beastly Bear

My mind? Blown...lol

Den of the Beastly Bear

Hello Folks!

Being sick does things to the mind...

Sitting here contemplating what I'll write about today,

my wife brought me a cup of coffee and a donut. I drank the coffee, ate the donut...still at a loss when I was overcome by a sneezing fit.

Sinuses running like a river, I grabbed the closest thing possible with which to blow my nose...a paper towel on my chair side table.

Blowing my nose like a trumpet, I was suddenly showered with white powder! WHAT THE HELL???

For a moment my mind thought "Oh my god, did that come out of my nose?!? Was I unknowingly snorting cocaine in my sleep? Is the air so dry I have dust in my head? Has my brain dried up and blown away???"

And then it hit me, that was the paper towel Mama Bear had brought me the donut on...a powdered sugar covered donut! Whew...that was a relief! My head was not disintegrating!!! Despite my lack of cohesive thoughts!

7 hrs. Later....

Been chatting with my Idaho mountain pal Magical Mystical MiMi who is currently laid up with back pain after a little spill.

Reminded me of an incident that happened to me years ago.

When Kathy and I first got married we lived in a trailer/mobile home(depending on the part of the country you're from) with a wooden deck leading up to the door. With 5 steps up to the deck.

One winter we had a snow and ice storm...snow first, then freezing rain on top. I was leaving for work, Kathy didn't have to be up for a couple of hours so I gave her a quick kiss goodbye, told her I loved her and I'd see her that evening. She mumbled a "Have a good day..." Before rolling over and snuggling into the covers.

As I stepped out onto the deck, I saw we'd gotten just a couple inches of snow, but a thick coating of ice over top. Being a burly, almost 300 lb. guy I easily broke through but it was still slippery going.

As I got to the steps, I saw the snow had drifted up the steps making them look like a ski ramp rather than steps. But hey, I'm big and burly right?

All I have to do is step down hard with my heel and I'll break right through right? 

Oh, I could not have BEEN more wrong!

My foot came down hard...and suddenly both my feet were at eye level! As I hung there, in the milliseconds before gravity reasserted itself, the thought came to me "This is really gonna hurt!" quickly followed by "I wonder how long I'll lay here before someone finds me?"

At that point gravity(that spiteful bitch) snatched me back to earth, landing with the top step just below my shoulder blades. Then I proceeded to bounce down each step until landing in a heap on the cement pad at the bottom.

As I lay there motionless, waiting for the pain to begin and doing the part by part function check...you know.
Ankles...good.
Knees...ok.
Hips...no pain there.

When the door opens.
Kathy sticks her head out and calls "Joe???"
"Down...here..." I croak out, seems "ribs" did not get the ok yet!
"Oh my GOD, what happened??? It sounded like a car ran into the trailer!!! The whole trailer shook!" 
(The bedroom was in the BACK of the trailer)
"Fell...down...steps..."
This is when my compassionate wife starts laughing...
"Oh god, are you ok...hahaha I mean do you need help?!? Hahaha"
"No, stay inside...I think I'm ok..."

It took me a couple minutes to get rolled over and stand up, none the worse for wear...and head into work.

I was doing ok, until I had driven to the first store on my route. About an hour and a half drive away, and
I tried to get out of my semi, THAT was a challenge!

Unloading I'd loosen up again, only to stiffen up during the drive to the next...and that was my day.

Needless to say heating pads and Advil were order of the day when I got home.

My wife still laughs that my falling down steps sounded like a car accident...
I don't find it nearly as funny.

Be careful out there folks, it's slippery!

Be Well!

Beastly Bear