Meme's

current events #1

It Came From the Media: What Prompted the Ruckus About "Pink Slime"? And Is It Unhealthy?

Recently, news about a certain food product has come to light. "Pink slime" (which the industry prefers to call "lean finely textured beef") has caused much ruckus since being shown to the public by the media since early March. It has been one of the top news stories for quite some time because citizens are generally concerned about their health. This disturbing term was derived by Gerald Zimsten, a former USDA scientist, who brought the process of making this substance to the public's attention. He felt strongly that the USDA should not be allowed to conceal the use of "pink slime" from the American public. He has reported that some 70% of this mixture is used in meats found in grocery stores. This substance is a mixture of fat and meat removed from a standard meat cut. They are spun through a machine to separate the beef bits from the fat. This mixture is squeezed through a thin tube and is puffed with ammonia gas. The gas reacts with the water in the meat to reduce acidity and kill bacteria. According to the article, this process was started in the 1980s. It wasn't until the 1990s that the ammonia treatment was added due to safety concerns. This media outburst has prompted fast food chains such as McDonalds and Safeway to address the media that they will discontinue their use of "lean finely textured beef." 

I believe that this substance should be properly labeled for what it really is. Instead of hiding ingredients from the consumers like most companies do, they should label the packages and tell us what we are about to eat. In schools, children should be told that their beef is really a slime consisting of connective tissue, ammonia, and added trimmings.  At fast food restaurants, customers should be told that their beef patty only has a small percentage of actual beef. In grocery stores, shoppers should be told that the chop meat they are about to buy has ingredients not labeled on the package. The public has a right to know what they are consuming. Although regular beef has a higher fat content than treated beef, it does not make it any better for us. Who knows, maybe people will continue to choose treated beef over untreated beef, because it is cheaper in stores. In conclusion, I think that the biggest issue with this topic is the transparency of it. Our government should not be allowing private industries to hide additives from the consumer. As people, we have a right to know what we are putting into our bodies, period. 

Article

Title: "It Came From the Media: What Prompted the Ruckus About "Pink Slime"? And Is It Unhealthy?"

Author: Deborah Blum

Publishing Date: March 23, 2012

Website: Discovery Magazine

Image link

http://hayspost.com/2012/03/28/brownback-joins-governors-standing-up-for-american-agriculture/

Current events #3

The Brain Hidden Epidemic: 
Tapeworms Living Inside People's Brains

If you suddenly become partially blind, aren’t able to walk in a straight line, or fall into a coma would you wonder why? If you found out that this was caused by tapeworms, how would you react? Don’t tapeworms live in people’s intestines, not in the brain? Apparently, tapeworms can live in the brain. And the disease is called Neurocysticercosis. Theodore Nash, who works at a clinic in Maryland, has seen many cases where tapeworms living in the brain can cause major issues, like seizures, comas, and cases where patients become paralyzed in parts of their body. Many people think this is caused by tumors, but really it is caused by tapeworms, and most people don’t know enough about this topic to recognize what their issues are caused by. Nash says it is hard to estimate just how many people have this disease, because it is so easily mistaken for a variety of brain disorders. Nash has been studying places all over the world, and he recognized that in certain areas are more popular for contracting tapeworms. Says Nash, “‘Neurocysticercosis is a very important disease worldwide.”’ Although it was only recently that Neurocysticercosis was brought to the attention of the public, this issue has been going on for a long time now, dating back into the 1900’s, slipping by unnoticed. Tapeworm in the brain is most likely caused by eating undercooked pork, which is necessary for the tapeworm to complete its journey.

In my opinion, tapeworm in the brain is very scary to contract. Because it can cause you to fall into a coma, be paralyzed on one side of your body, or make you partially blind, Neurocysticercosis does not sound like a pleasant disease. Imagine going to the doctor and getting an MRI scan to show a whitish blob in the brain. You are disturbed by the image immensely, and then you find out you have Neurocysticercosis, tapeworm in the brain. Suddenly, you have more than just getting the mail to worry about. Adult tapeworms can produce up to 50,000 eggs apiece, another reason to be scared. The tapeworm larvae often get stuck in ventricles, or fluid-filled cavities, in the brain, sprouting grapelike extensions. In this way the worm actively hides itself from immune cells. Protected and well fed, its cysts can thrive there for years, and nobody wants cysts that can thrive for years. As a tapeworm cyst grows, it may push against a region of the brain and disrupt its function. It may get stuck in a passageway, damming the flow of cerebrospinal fluid. This can cause hydrocephalus, or water on the brain, along with dangerously high pressure. A resulting brain hernia can result in stupor, coma, or death, all from a tapeworm. Hearing that such drastic things can happen from just a tapeworm is not something I would like to hear-ever! In conclusion, this article has taught me to be more careful and more aware of just how scary tapeworm can be.

Article title: "The Brain Hidden Epidemic:Tapeworm's Living Inside People's Brain's"

Article written by: Carl Zimmer

Publish date: May 15, 2012

Image URL: http://altered-states.net/barry/newsletter387/index.htm