GMO Pink Pineapple Is Coming – Ever Heard of Pink Pineapple Disease?

The newest addition to the pineapple marketplace, which will be grown in Costa Rica, is a genetically modified pineapple dubbed the Rosé. Are consumers are just clamoring for a sweeter pineapple with a more pleasing, pink color?

Although a new and “improved” pineapple doesn’t seem to be high on our priority list, The Food and Drug Administration has given Del Monte Fresh Produce the go-ahead for their new, genetically engineered, pink pineapple. According to the FDA:

(Del Monte’s) new pineapple has been genetically engineered to produce lower levels of the enzymes already in conventional pineapple that convert the pink pigment lycopene to the yellow pigment beta carotene. Lycopene is the pigment that makes tomatoes red and watermelons pink, so it is commonly and safely consumed.”

The statement from the FDA gives the pineapple (and genetically engineered crops in general) a glowing review. But why a pink pineapple?

Pineapple Consumption

Pineapple is the third most consumed fruit in the world, after mangos and bananas, with 24.8 million tons of pineapples produced each year. That may seem like a lot, but when compared to other GMO crops like corn (over a billion tons a year), soybeans (278 million), and sugar beets (247 million), pineapple is not a commodity product.

When you consider the amount of time and money that goes into obtaining approval for a new GMO product, the actual demand for pineapple doesn’t make it seem to be a good choice. Are we really getting a new pineapple because we need a sweeter pineapple? So why pineapple? Is it the demand?

 Pink Pineapple Disease

If you have ever eaten canned pineapple, chances are you’ve seen or eaten a piece of pineapple with a reddish or pink hue.

In fruit cocktail, it’s easy to assume cherry juice stained the pineapple, but that might not be the case at all.

Pineapples are susceptible to a disease called pink disease, which is caused by the bacteria Pantoea citrea. When this bacteria infects the pineapple fruit it turns pink in canned preparations. Manufacturers can’t tell if the fruit has been infected until it has been canned and the disease is expensive to treat.  The new pink pineapple is a brilliant solution to this problem. Rather than wonder why their canned pineapple is pink, red, or rust colored instead of the familiar yellow, consumers will see the Rosé pineapple. It will never occur to them to investigate, to discover they are eating fruit infected with a disease. This subtle deception will allow those who sell canned pineapple to normalize and pass off diseased pineapples as something else.

The bottom line? Pink is pleasing to the eye. But more importantly, pink is profitable (as Susan G. Komen knows). As each new GMO is released it becomes aching clear (if it wasn’t already) that the innovations sold as a way to feed the world are actually meant to feed wallets. We see the pink pineapple as a cosmetic choice made to protect and boost profit margins by selling diseased fruit unbeknownst to the customer.

P.S. Don’t confuse red pineapple with pink pineapple. Much of the media is making the mistake of showing the “red pineapple” (see image on the right). Genetically modified pink pineapple is supposed to be indistinguishable from regular pineapple on the outside. 

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176,000 Gallons+ Pipeline Leak Less than Three Hours From Standing Rock Protests

Activists in Standing Rock have been protesting the Dakota Access Pipeline for months now, claiming the pipeline will pollute the Missouri River, the Standing Rock Sioux tribe’s source of drinking water. The scenario that the Water Protectors are protesting is taking place less than three hours away in Billings County, ND. According to CNN:

State officials estimate 4,200 barrels of crude oil, or 176,000 gallons, have leaked from the Belle Fourche Pipeline in Billings County. Of that amount, 130,000 gallons of oil has flowed into Ash Coulee Creek, while the rest leaked onto a hillside, said Bill Suess, spill investigation program manager at the North Dakota Department of Health. Built in the 1980s, the pipeline is 6 inches in diameter and transports about 1,000 barrels of oil daily, he said. The leak happened December 5.”

The North Dakota Department of Health says the cause of the break is not known. The pipeline was immediately shut down upon the discovery of the leak. According to Belle Fourche Pipeline spokeswoman Wendy Owen, “Electronic monitoring equipment failed to detect the leak… and the pipeline may have ruptured when the hillside slumped.”

Proving the Protesters’ Point

An electronically undetected pipeline spill so close to the Standing Rock protests reinforces the protesters’ argument. With the operating company unable to detect the spill, who knows how long it might have continued and how much environmental contamination could have happened?

Supporters of the DAPL and the oil companies have claimed that this is a not indicative of the overall industry, claiming True Companies (the owner of Belle Fourche Pipeline) is unsafe, citing their record of 50 environmental incidents and over 200,000 gallons of oil leaked in the last 10 years. Ironically, throwing True Companies under the bus due to their safety record also proves the protesters’ point. If a company with 50 leaks and spills in 10 years doesn’t represent the industry’s safety standards, then where in that those standards does a company with over 200 incidents in the last six years fit? That second company is Sunoco, a subsidiary of Energy Transfer Partners, the company responsible for building the DAPL. Sunoco, one of the largest gasoline distribution companies in the U.S., is also the company responsible for an October leak of 55,000 gallons into a tributary of the Susquehanna River in Pennsylvania and is the leader in spilling crude oil in the U.S.

Just Because the Pipeline is Moved Does Not Mean It’s Safe

In a victory for the Water Protectors at Standing Rock, the U.S. Department of Army does not approve of building the pipeline underneath the Missouri river. But the pipeline is almost built. The damage will be done, and if Sunoco’s safety record is accurate, that damage will occur over and over again. Is “reducing the U.S. dependence on foreign oil” worth this certain environmental degradation? Why aren’t we working toward reducing our dependence on oil, period?

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Stop Exfoliating, Toning, and Moisturizing – Make Your Own Bacteria Your Beautician

Cosmetic companies have created an empire that has paved the way to dermal disaster. Bright, shiny bottles. Glittering labels. Designer fragrances. Million dollar ad campaigns. It’s no wonder modern beauty products are so appealing. Unfortunately, most of the beautifying blends consumers rely on for vanity, anti-aging, and hygiene are packed full of harsh chemicals and unregulated poisons. There’s more than an even chance these products are causing serious, lasting harm.

Why Cleansing is Corrosive

Poplar cleansers are offered in the form of creams, milks, lotions, foams, and mousses. Each one claims to target a specific skin type or problem. The surfactants commonly found in these cleansing products wash away sebum and dissolve the skin’s protecting enzymes and hydro-lipid barriers, eliminating the skin’s natural acid mantle. This diverse microbiome of beneficial bacteria acts as the skin’s natural defense to keep the good bacteria in and the bad bacteria out as it maintains natural moisture levels. When the microbiome is destroyed, pollutants, toxins, and harmful pathogens gain instant access to vulnerable skin.

Surfactants are comprised of sulfate, sulfonate, and phosphate-based ingredients and can be found in both standard and so-called natural cleansers. These stripping chemicals can stay on and in the skin for as long as 4 days, allowing deep penetration that can trigger systemic reactions. This can manifest as acne, dry dull skin, melasma, and premature aging. Antibacterial products are immediately and continually disruptive to the skin and encourage microbial mutation, making the skin a breeding ground for superbugs and pathogens.

Why Exfoliating is Problematic

The uppermost dermal layer of the skin is comprised of dead skin cells. This fact has given rise to the belief that these dead cells are useless and dirty and that they should be removed through daily diligence, but these cells also act as a protective barrier. Exfoliation leaves the young, underdeveloped cells underneath stressed and vulnerable, incapable of dealing with exposure, intruder invasion, and inflammation.

Most multi-step skincare regimens include an exfoliation component that makes you believe you’re properly clean because you’ve given yourself a thorough scrubbing. Plastic microbeads are an abrasive commonly found in everything from high-end bath gels to toothpaste. When used as an exfoliant in skin scrubs, they can cause tiny fissures to form that cause redness, itchiness, irritation, and sensitivity. Microbeads are an ecological disaster contributing to the vast plastic wasteland in the sea and contamination of the food chain (more on microbeads).

Why Toning is Harmful

Toners are often touted as balancing tonics for fresh and ultra clean skin. The truth is, toners are usually alcohol based astringents that disrupt and remove your natural acid mantle. Consistent use will cause low-grade inflammation that eventually weakens the dermal layers. Eventually, your skin will be broken down to a level of vulnerability that allows destructive substances to have a direct line into the bloodstream.

While toners seem to offer some relief for sufferers of oily skin, in actuality, excessive removal of oil will stimulate the sebaceous glands into secreting even more oil to compensate. Those with dry skin will only exacerbate their condition, leading to chronic dehydration and premature aging.

The effectiveness of this practice is short lived and counterproductive, leaving those with problematic skin to believe that their issues are simply on the increase. The reality is that they are continually destroying the delicate balance of beneficial bacteria that regulate the homeostasis of healthy skin.

Why Moisturizing Can Cause Damage

From rich and creamy to light and airy, modern moisturizers would have you believe that every (expensive name-brand) product was formulated with your exact skin type in mind. With alluring botanicals and stem cell technology, products claim that everything from freckles to crow’s feet can be banished with their modern hydrating formula.

Aside from the fact that the average options are full of alcohol derivatives (very dehydrating!) and fragrant irritants, these products are teeming with laboratory synthetics and man-made ingredients. They are held together with controversial preservatives like parabens, which were recently found to be present in 99% of all cancerous breast tissue.

After removing all traces of the skin’s natural defense system through an atomic cleansing routine, slathering on moisturizing concoctions significantly increases toxic exposure. Repeated contact increases the likelihood of cell mutation and abnormal cell development. Not only is this deeply aging, it could easily lead into cancerous territory.

How to Make Bacteria Your Beautician

The outlook may seem bleak, but there are wonderfully effective methods that use safe, truly natural, and elemental organic ingredients. Healthy, beautiful, glowing skin is not the preserve of airbrushed images and clinical trials.

A Better Way to Cleanse and Moisturize

Set aside the multi-step approach! Oil cleanses, tones, and moisturizes all at the same time. Just as you need nourishment to perform, so does your skin. Though it may seem counterintuitive to put oil on your skin, especially if you have acne or oily skin, this method is truly the only way to find balance. Feed the good bacteria in your natural skin microbiome with a stabilizing beauty routine of organic oils.

Jojoba Oil

Simply place a quarter-sized amount in your hand and massage it over your face. Remove with a tissue. Repeat if necessary. To moisturize, dab on a little extra oil and away you go.

Jojoba oil gently and effectively removes dirt, excess oils, and makeup. It dissolves hardened sebum deposits that accumulate in the pores, but it doesn’t strip the acid mantle or disturb the microbial balance. While nourishing and supporting the dermal layers, it cultivates and preserves your hydro-lipid barrier and protective enzymes. Plus, jojoba oil never goes rancid, so you can buy it in economical quantities that will keep forever.

Castor Oil

For a much deeper cleanse, try adding a small amount of organic castor oil into your oil cleansing routine. It can be implemented daily for problematic skin or weekly for general maintenance.

Only a tiny amount is needed, as it can be quite drying if applied excessively. By adding 10-20% castor oil to the mix, you will purge out impurities while maintaining adequate hydration and the integrity of your skin structure.

Castor oil is excellent for congested and acne prone skin. So often, these issues are dealt with by a sledgehammer approach that is ultimately damaging and counterproductive. By gently nudging the bacterial and sebum production into balance, you can reduce the sensitive, inflammatory nature of greasy or blemish prone skin. It preserves the acid mantle and encourages healthy cell turnover for a glowing complexion.

How to Exfoliate with Ease

Exfoliation itself isn’t the enemy; over application is the real problem. It can be useful to exfoliate in moderation, but never vigorously or more frequently than once per week. This can increase circulation of blood and lymph, as well as gently assist the body’s cell turnover.

Try dry brushing with natural bristles to boost this process. Body brushing with lymph stimulating oils such as rosemary, cypress, or eucalyptus will stimulate healthy circulation and gently even out the skin’s surface.

Soft pony bristle brushes can be used on the face for circulatory and lymphatic stimulation, using small, careful, upward strokes. Baking soda may also be used as a facial exfoliator. Mixed into a paste using oil or water, it can make for a zesty ablution now and again.

Final Thoughts

When you nourish your skin with replenishing, revitalizing, and rejuvenating oils you allow your skin to thrive by strengthening its own intelligent design. If you cultivate the perfect environment for a thriving community of beneficial microbes, you will accomplish better, lasting results.

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Antibiotic Side Effects Are Contagious – C. Diff Infections Are On the Rise

The gut microbiome is getting some recognition lately. Scientists are finding increasing evidence that the delicate balance of the gut is responsible for making and keeping us healthy. The focus of the microbiome has turned attention to antibiotics and the damage we are doing by overusing them. Antibiotics disrupt the natural balance of the gut, destroying beneficial bacteria and allowing pathogens to thrive unchecked. If you’re not using prescription antibiotics there are plenty of other sources you’re likely getting it from.

A microbiota is “the ecological community of commensal, symbiotic and pathogenic microorganisms that literally share our body space”- Wikipedia

The Nitty-Gritty

…a recent study found that occupying the same hospital room as someone who has been given antibiotics increases your likelihood of developing a bacterial infection…

C. diff is a bacteria that inflames the colon and is spread by spores from person to person. C. diff exists throughout organic environments (water, air, human and animal waste, earth, and food products) and for some people, the bacteria can exist in the intestine without ever making its host sick. When it does cause an infection, symptoms range from watery diarrhea and mild cramping to more severe cramping and diarrhea, kidney failure, fever, and dehydration. Potentially deadly,  C. diff is especially common in hospital settings due to the widespread use of antibiotics. Much like Candida, C. diff thrives when antibiotics wipe the good bacteria from the intestine, leaving it unable to fight off the infection. C. diff is also quite hardy, and the spores that spread it can survive outside of the body for up to 90 days.

With the Rise of Antibiotics Comes the Rise of Everyday Infections

Overprescribed to humans and animals, antibiotics have invaded our lives in multiple ways, forcing crafty bacteria, fungi, and viruses to adapt. The recommended conventional treatment for C. diff is antibiotics, which seems crazy, as antibiotics created the ideal environment for C. diff to thrive.

Rates of C. diff infections are rising in and out of hospitals and in populations not traditionally susceptible to it, like children or people without a history of antibiotic use. So why is it spreading to these populations? The reason behind the increase of C. diff infections in children can be explained by the increasing amounts of antibiotics they’re exposed to both internally and environmentally.

Even if you aren’t using antibiotics yourself, a recent study found that occupying the same hospital room as someone who has been given antibiotics increases your likelihood of developing a bacterial infection like Clostridium difficile colitis (or C. diff).

The world seems determined to impact our health through antibiotics in one way or another. The idea that someone taking antibiotics in the same room as you is enough to increase your chance of a bacterial infection is scary. Also scary; the question why does it affect you. If antibiotics have the potential to do that much damage to our vital and not even fully understood microflora, what have we been doing to ourselves and when is the bottom going to fall out of this whole thing?

Taking a Step Back

So let’s take a step back from antibiotics. If you’re reading this, on this website, you’ve probably started choosing the meat you eat very carefully, if you even eat meat at all. A diet consisting of fresh, raw, organic produce (big, beautiful salads with over twenty veggies in them) gives your body and immune system the nutrition it needs, and exercise also plays a part. In the event a bacterial or fungal infection occurs, paying attention to your body and catching it early gives you the chance to take care of yourself.

Of course, that isn’t everything, and sometimes we eat something we shouldn’t or there’s a particularly nasty little bug hanging around. Supplements like Oil of Oregano, Coptis Chinesis, or a good Detox can provide relief. Antibiotics are not your first answer.  Antibiotics were designed as a medicine of last resort, so make them that.

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The New GMO Apples – Meet the “Nonbronwing” Arctic Fuji, Granny, and Golden Delicious

Okanagan Specialty Fruits has won approval for its third GM apple, the non-browning Arctic Fuji, also known as the “botox” apple. The U.S. deregulation process for the first two, the Arctic Granny and the Arctic Golden apple, took five years, but the Fuji was approved in a mere eight months. Next, the company plans to seek approval for another GM apple, the Arctic Gala.

Okanagan uses gene silencing biotechnology, “…to turn down the expression of PPO,” which virtually eliminates the production of the enzyme polyphenol oxidase (PPO), the enzyme that causes the browning in fruit when apples are sliced, bitten, or bruised.

When Will GM Apples Be Available?

If you live in the Western United States, the Arctic apples may be available in a store near you. The company is said to have prototype packaging with an Artic label and a QR code ready for test marketing in January or February of 2017.

Neal Carter, a bioresource engineer in British Columbia, founded Okanagan Specialty Fruits in 1996, in Summerland, British Columbia.

It’s awesome to think we’re going to be able to do additional Arctic apples and do them this quickly from a regulatory point of view – it’s faster, it cuts down on costs, it’s how we like it,” – Neal Carter, FreshFruitPortal.com.

In the past, flavor-altering chemical additives were typically used to retard browning by the “fresh-sliced” apple processing industry. Carter believes this is what makes Artic apples a better choice.

On our packaging also we speak to the fact it’s preservative free; the fact that Arctic apples will go to market without a preservative treatment like an antioxidant being used with less chemicals being used to treat the apple, more of that apple flavor instead of the antioxidant calcium ascorbate flavor.”

Carter, the creator of the GM apples, is confident the product will “sell itself.” If it doesn’t, we’re confident they’ll do their best to force GM apples onto the consumers.

What’s the Concern?

GM apples are highly controversial. Neither farmers nor consumers seem to want anything to do with GM apples. There have been protests and petitions, media coverage has been mostly negative, and many negative comments have been posted on the company’s website. Even McDonald’s, Wendy’s, and Gerber have pledged not to use them.

Despite the controversy,  Artic apples received FDA approval in January 2015 without any independent safety tests or trials.

This whole thing is just another big experiment on humans for no good reason,” – Ronnie Cummins, president of Organic Consumers Association.

“Silencing” the genes that make apples turn brown when exposed to oxygen could have safety issues that will only be realized by hungry consumers. Regular apples turn dark brown when they are bad, as the enzymes do their job. Companies that pre-slice and package apples for other businesses (think sales to airlines, prisons, restaurants, buffets, salad bars, schools, biotech conferences, etc.) are the target market. Pre-sliced apples are often recalled for contamination and other safety reasons. There’s a concern that consumers won’t be aware of contamination or know if the apple they are eating is rotten if it can’t turn brown.

Some have speculated (in online comments) that this kind of gene modification seems much safer than the type Monsanto has become known for that makes plants resistant to massive amounts of Roundup, but “RNA interference,” may have unintended consequences:

This technology uses RNA to silence a target gene, but mounting evidence has shown that meddling with the genes could have unintended effects within the plant and also on organisms that eat the plant. […] The silenced gene is also heavily involved in a plant’s natural defense against pests and pathogens, which could lead to trees that are less healthy than non-GMO apples and rely on more chemical treatments to ward off pests and disease.” – Wenonah Hauter, executive director Food & Water Watch

It’s not just consumers and consumer advocates voicing their concerns. There is concern that the new unlabeled GMO apples may damage the apple industry’s image. The apple is a very trusted, iconic image. Many top apple industry executives and orchard owners have spoken out against GM apples.

Food companies and restaurants, apple growers and growers associations, and consumers don’t want GMO apples. Yet this company is introducing them,” – Ken Roseboro

And then there’s the well-known fear, especially from organic farmers, that genetically modified crops could spread and invade areas where they are not wanted. In response, scientists are working on developing techniques intended to keep GM crops contained (suicide genes). Many of the top apple industry players have already come out against them. They include the Northwest Horticultural Council, which represents Washington apple growers responsible for more than 60% of the U.S. crop, the U.S. Apple Association, and the British Columbia Fruit Growers Association.

As usual, this product only benefits the biotech industry and big food processing companies,” – The Center for Food Safety

How Can We Avoid Them

According to the agriculture publication, CapitalPress.com, about 1,000 to 1,200, 40-pound boxes of the Arctic Golden GMO apples will be sliced, packaged, and sold in grocery stores in the Western United States in January.

The company will require growers to label the apples as the “Arctic variety,” to be seen as apples are purchased, but no mandatory labeling identifying them as genetically modified will be required. It seems, at least initially, the Artics will be easy to spot. Of course, it may only be a matter of time before GM apples are in all non-organic apple sauce, baby food, apple juice, and other processed apple foods. Or, maybe they will go the way of the Flavr Savr Tomato.

The easiest way to avoid any GMOs is to always buy organic. Also, look for the Non-GMO Project Verified logo.

Non-GMO Project Verified

Avoid pre-sliced apples, which we should do regardless of GM concerns. Obviously, avoid the “Artic” label. And keep up with GMOs. Things change quickly.

Conclusion

AlterNet summed it up best:

After decades of promises from the biotech industry that genetically engineered (GE) food would feed the world, cure the sick, reduce agricultural dependence on toxic chemicals, and save countless crops from imminent collapse, the U.S. Department of Agriculture approved a product they think will solve a problem humans have struggled with for centuries… an apple that doesn’t brown when you slice it.  Seriously; we couldn’t make this stuff up.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SvyGIvNWh1g

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Charlo Greene – Cannabis Hero Faces Possible 54-Year Prison Term

Is She Targeted to Be Mary Jane’s Martyred Sister?

Alaska was the first state in the union to pass a law legalizing the use of marijuana. In the 1970s, a law was passed authoring in-home use. In 1998, a law was passed pertaining to medical use. In 2014, a law was passed making Alaska the third state in the union to legalize recreational use.

…the prosecutor blatantly lied to the grand jury, telling them that the Alaska Cannabis Club was a sole proprietorship, so there was no corporate liability shield.

The latest law legalized the manufacture, sale, and possession of marijuana. One would think Alaska was through with prosecuting its citizens for the possession or sale of marijuana. Tell that to Charlo Greene, president and CEO of the Alaska Cannabis Club who faces a possible 54-year prison term for 14 counts related to the sale of marijuana.

Greene, the registered owner of the Alaska Cannabis Club, is a former on-air reporter for KTVA news. While airing a news report about the Alaska Cannabis Club on September 22, 2014, she identified herself as its owner and dramatically quit her job, saying, “Everything you heard is why I, the actual owner of the Alaska Cannabis Club will be dedicating all of my energy toward fighting for freedom and fairness, which begins with legalizing marijuana here in Alaska. And as for this job, well, fuck it. I have a choice but, fuck it, I quit.” She then walked off camera leaving a co-worker to stumble through apologies.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBPsbgKeIFM

This event took place just weeks before the 2014 vote on legalization. Green believes the viral video helped bring in the 53% win for recreational legalization. The Alaska Cannabis Club was raided well after the law took effect.

Although Alaska passed laws legalizing the use and sale of marijuana, regulations and licensing for its sale lagged behind. Currently, the state has approved 83 licenses, 17 of which are for retail businesses. The first retail stores are scheduled to open in November 2016, two years after the final legalization law passed – 40 + years after the first law legalizing its use.

The Associated Press quoted Greene as saying, “We don’t sell any recreational marijuana. We don’t sell any medical marijuana. This is a place for cardholders to come and share their own cannabis.” It is unclear how the club worked and Greene declined to explain the details. Knowing how the “justice system” works due to our own experience, we can certainly support her decision to keep the details to herself prior to her day in court.

In September of 2015, Greene was charged with 8 counts, which could bring a total of 24 years in prison. She listed them as follows:

  • 4 felonies: each carrying a potential 5-year term
  • 4 misdemeanors: each carrying a year each
  • All of the charges are for possessing small amounts cannabis
  • All of the charges and allegations were made after Alaska legalized cannabis.

Since that time, her charges have changed, and not for the better. On September 29, she made the following post on her Facebook page: “I just found out I’m facing an additional 6 felonies – 30 more years. That <sic> 54 years in prison for a plant. Aaaaand the attorney I paid to handle my case, who’s been working it for the last year, just let me know she’s quitting to join the prosecution and not giving me back any of the money she was paid to finish my case.”

The lawyer who is now working for the district attorney’s office, was the 4th lawyer Greene has hired to represent her for these charges.

The following is the timeline of events according to Greene:

  • Alaska Cannabis Club was created on April 20, 2014
  • Incorporation papers were filed on May 4, 2014
  • November 4 of 2014, Alaska legalized recreational use of marijuana
  • September 22, 2014, Greene made “fuck it” speech on air, quitting her job
  • February 24, 2015, Alaska’s new law legalizing recreational use took effect
  • March 20, 2015, Anchorage Police Department (APD) made their first raid on the Alaska Cannabis Club
  • August 20, 2015, APD again raided the Alaska Cannabis Club
  • September 2015, initial charges
  • September 29, 2016,  new additional charges
  • February 26, 2016,  arrested at Canadian Border for alleged marijuana residue in purse

In a video, Ms. Greene states, “Each time the officers acted outside of the scope of the warrant, conducting unlawful body searches on patients, threatening all patients and club volunteers with arrest if they didn’t consent to taking mug shot-like photos on the scene, destroying cameras, seizing vehicles not included in the warrant, and not leaving the lawfully required notice behind. “

“What’s more, in order to secure the ten felonies and four misdemeanors I was charged with for creating the Alaska Cannabis Club, the prosecutor blatantly lied to the grand jury, telling them that the Alaska Cannabis Club was a sole proprietorship, so there was no corporate liability shield.”

Meanwhile, another previous shop owner who was previously prosecuted claims that 6 months in prison, 6 months of in-home detention, and 1 year of probation has become the common sentence handed down for these cases in Alaska. Why are they throwing the book at Greene?

On February 25, 2016, Greene was detained and strip-searched at the Canadian border. Customs officials allegedly found marijuana residue mixed with lint at the bottom of her purse. She was charged with “suspicion of smuggling marijuana residue” and sent back to the United States after being held in customs for 9 hours. Charges were dropped, but entry to Canada was denied on this and on a later occasion.

Green’s Cannabis Freedom Fund has raised a mere $2,806 dollars from 80 contributors in 16 days. She fought back tears in her video when she disclosed that of the 4,000 medical marijuana card holders her club serviced, only one stood up for her in court. (Click on the link above to make a donation.)

Where is the financial and emotional support for this woman who was awarded the High Times Courage in Media Award, a woman Elle identified as one of the “13 Most Potent Women in the Pot Industry”? A woman who stuck her neck out to help others when her state was failing to deliver the promise they made when they legalized marijuana use for medical purposes? A state that has now legalized it for recreational purposes?

It is time for a smart, savvy lawyer to step up and defend this young woman. It is time we rally around and give her our support. And it is well past time we repeal every ridiculous law criminalizing the use, possession, and sale of marijuana.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YeXVzuipNqA

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Mother Earth Organic Root Cider Review

Mother Earth Organic Root Cider is a blend of raw unfiltered apple cider vinegar, lemons, turmeric root, ginger root, horseradish root, garlic, beets, white onion, habanero peppers, and Serrano peppers (in order of prevalence). All of these whole food ingredients are GMO free, certified 100% organic, and raw. It’s also clear that the quality of ingredients is of paramount importance to Mark Welch, creator of the cider and owner of Barrier Island Organics.

The cider is not pasteurized. This had me curious, and Mark explained that the process they have implemented is a newly FDA-approved process that kills the pathogens.

When the cider is being made they add 9 pounds of vegetables for every 9 pints of vinegar. The process then calls for the mixture to sit at 50 degrees or above for 12 days before it is bottled. Then it must sit 6 days at 50 degrees or above before it can be shipped out. [This] ensures that all pathogens are killed. The PH must fall into certain parameters in both parts of the process. It’s the acidity that kills the pathogens, but what’s interesting is that the drink actually alkalinizes the body. The bottom line is because of this special process, the pathogens are dead, and the ingredients are never heated or pasteurized.”

I’m honestly more excited about this than I have been about a new product for a long time. I’m sipping on this cider every single day. This tonic will help the body’s detoxification processes, strengthen the immune system, reset gut flora, reduce inflammation, and so much more.

Everything in it is stuff we could all use more of. And it is highly concentrated.

We have a similar product called Shillington’s Total Tonic. It’s a decent product, but one I’ve never really pushed much because it’s expensive and I felt it was not as potent as it could be. Tasting the two side by side is a world of difference. And of course, you feel the difference too.

The cider has a 3-year shelf life but will likely last much longer than that, and you don’t need to refrigerate it. Use it as a daily tonic to help the body with all its functions, and take a bit more if you feel a cold, allergies, aches, or a headache starting. It’s the first thing I take in the morning, just a sip to wake me up. Depending on the cause, it may also eliminate stomachaches (though it could cause one too), and it can knock out a migraine.

My only complaint is I wish it contained cilantro. Shillington’s formula has it, and cilantro would be a great addition to really strengthen the chelating properties of the tonic, but Mark says, “Ugh, I hate cilantro. Maybe later.” In the meantime, I just keep throwing cilantro on my salads, and I do a shot of this Organic Cider with every meal.

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