Regarding MG's assertion that non-conventional ag would require the cultivation of 50% of the Earth's dry surface: According to many sources, the earth's land area is approximately 150 million square kilometers. I think most of us here, being to some extent experts in food production, would agree that in the temperate latitudes, given soil of average arability, annual precipitation of above 15 inches per year, and decent management, the production of food for 500 people per km2 is quite reasonable. I am speaking of a largely non-flesh diet and using all easily available fertilizer sources, notably human and animal effluent. Depending on the climate, many staple food crops can produce human food very abundantly and sustainably. In the tropical latitudes, due to much higher rates of photosynthesis, the production could feed probably much in excess of 500 people per km2. Of course north of about 45 degrees latitude the productivity per land area drops greatly. In any case, we can conservatively take a production sufficient for 500 people per km2 as a global average. So for approximately 7 billion people we arrive at 14 million km2 of averagely arable land, without need of artificial irrigation or degrading land via large-scale grazing. That happens to be extremely close to current estimates of total global arable land, but my description of use (intelligent vs maximized for profit) would allow far more land into the category. Beyond that are huge areas of more fragile lands that can be used in different ways, again with sensible management. All that is required is much more human labor and attention to the matter.

jclepine, steve, it is very common for kids on the spectrum or w/related disorders to be addicted to video/tv, however, newer studies have disproved the idea that tv causes the disorder. In fact, I can see with my son that the input from tv actually calms him. It's one of the few things that he can hyper-focus on enough to shut out background distractions when he's overstimmulated. That's where the addicition comes in. As I have learned about these disorders I've come to realize that I have it, so do my siblings, their children, my dad and at least one of his 3 brothers had symptoms of it and so did my grandmother. When my dad was growing up TV had not even been invented so it could not have caused his symptoms of this, however, as an adult he was totally addicted to tv. Fortunately everyone in my family is very high-functioning (no significant speech delay's and very high iq's for example) so we've all turned out just fine even w/o knowing we had a "disorder" or getting any treatments for it. My kids are the first to be recognized by the "professionals". I don't believe there is a "cure" for the genetic part of this, however, there are environmental triggers that worsen the symptoms. Those often come in the form of un-natural food additives. I've read a lot about the "gluten free, cassein free" (GFCF) diet and improvements that some families see using that. It's pretty drastic to take all wheat, most grains, and all milk products out of our diet. There are other effects of that -vitamin/mineral deficiencies- and I believe it should be avoided unless there is clear evidence that these sensitivities truly exist for the individual. In fact, now that I know my son is sensitive to thiamine mononitrate, I suspect many kids who see success on GFCF diet may do fine on whole organic wheat that is not enriched. There are no accurate tests for any of these sensitivities. It's not scientific, and a lot is instinct based on observations only. Many times our sensitivities are "hidden" until we eliminate it from our diet for a while and then reintroduce. For example, I never had any signs of allergy to nitrates but I've kept them out of my diet as a side effect of my kid's diet. The other day I ate some beef jerky that was cured w/sodium nitrate and suffered 2 days of incurable headache. Sodium nitrate (salt peter) has been used to cure meat for centuries so it could have triggered symptoms in my family members for generations. I was mercury poisoned as a toddler (drank 1/2 baby food jar of liquid mercury) and my sister and brother also played with it (dad was a metalurgist & brought it home from work) so that may have been a factor. Also, since we were never chelated it's possible that the mercury still in my body & sister's body added to the symptoms we see in our children due to prenatal exposure- this could explain why my brother's kids have fewer symptoms. But all that aside- back to the topic of this thread- I work in a science field too and I have to agree that today everyone works in their own "silo" as a specialist w/little to no knowledge about related fields of study. This narrow view is scary due to all the interaction information that is missed. No matter what they say as a marketing ploy, big corporations are not concerned about the environment or the greater good- the executives are measured on the bottom line and so if you follow the money you'll see what they care about. I say that as an insider to a large corporation (different industry). Food additives and genetic alterations come into our food chain because they are believed to increase the bottom line. Studies about their effects are sidestepped because they take away from the bottom line. If the consumer continues to build a market for naturals and organics at least some smaller businesses will step in to make it available to the niche market. I'm with digit, I'll grow as much of my own food as possible, make my own fertilizers/ammendments and, and buy organic where it's affordable. I make lots of "convenience foods" from scratch to accomodate my busy schedule & the kid's special diet. Those skills aren't hard to learn. I've started saving veggie seed this year so I won't have to buy seed that I don't know where it came from. BT4M

Posted by missmshell z4 Carthage,NY (My Page) on Tue, Apr 6, 10 at 9:23 Darrin, give you all the credit in the world. I have twin uncles with autism. When I was a kid my grandmother babysat me every day after school so I was with them a lot. Like mentioned before, there were good days and then there were bad ones. I remember that sometimes the smallest little things could set one of them off. Couple smart cookies they are tho! My grandmother can no longer take care of them so they live in group homes now and I dont get to see them much anymore. Sure miss em. Michelle,...Totally appreciate your emotional and moral support bunches!! Whoa, twin autistic uncles?! Now there's a sobering eye opener, as it were. Never heard of or even remotely considered twin autistics before! Moreover, to me, the concept verges on inconceivable. That said, not every autistic individual is like Roy. That's why the condition(?), anymore, is referred to as "Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)", aka "Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD)," thereby addressing a wide range of perceptual, cognitive and otherwise sociobehaviorally debilitative possible combinations. Some individuals are "high functioning", some non-verbal,...some this, some that. Trouble is, all too often, when you try to explain what the deal is, all too many still seem to be locked into "Oh yeah,...like Rain Man," **shrug** Then, y'gotta go "Yesss,...but," which is actually good, in a way, because it is a way to enlighten those who are actually willing to listen. But, it can also be a bit tedious, and sometimes y'wonder if you actually got through, or if they were just playing be nice to it and it'll go away. **again - shrug** - Anyway, elsewise, with Roy, we've become fairly adept at anticipating what is-or-is-not likely to set him off (commands, demands and probing questions, mostly). Actually, I am generally better than Elly at finessing Roy into behaving properly and doing what needs to be done. Like your uncles, in many (sometimes sneaky) ways, Roy is indeed quite the "smart cookie"! Although we learned, long ago, never to underestimate his potential creative/cognitive capacity, Roy still surprises us at times! For one thing, he's totally wizard at playing video games! ========== Posted by lilangel181 zone 5 (lilangel181@aol.com) on Tue, Apr 6, 10 at 11:30 Oh Darrin, That is quite a plate-full! Hugs and all the support I can offer to you and your wife for everything yall do! Have you ever tried doing a weekend respite program? Where someone else looks after the child for an afternoon, or a day or even a weekend to give parents time to just relax. I need to turn off the computer now... apparently we're having a tornado watch/warning. I'm not worried... I grew up in tornado alley! ~Laura Laura,...Thanks uber muchly for your emotional support!! While respite service has been made available to us, and we seriously considered it, ultimately we chose to decline, for several...

Thank you, Dr. Henry, for that paper on toxic GM-effects on goats. Corn & soybean & canola & cottonseed are genetically modified, the Republic Magazine stated that other grains are safe: "Other than corn, no GM grains are sold on the market. Look for 100-percent wheat pasta, couscous, rice, quinoa, oats, barley, sorghum, and dried beans (except soybeans). Most GM ingredients are products made from the “Big Four:” corn, soybeans, canola, and cottonseed. Sugar beets and 50% of Hawaii papaya are genetically modified." **** from Straw: That's why I buy sugar-cane products, rather than sugar made from beets. I fed my kid those Pepperidge Farm cookies (made from cottonseed oil) and she broke out in rashes and scratched herself bloody. I ate those cookies and had the worst hayfever: runny nose & sneezing. Went shopping yesterday: They had strawberries for $2.50 versus organic strawberries for $3.45. I sniffed both: the organic strawberries was more fragrant, versus the regular with a slight chemical scent. After sniffing both for several times, my nose was in pain (I stuck my nose too close). I realized that it's the pesticides sprayed on that inflamed my nose. My nose burned for hours afterwards Two years ago I tasted grape at the store, and had a tummy ache. Strawberries is known for the most pesticides I'm very sadden by UK’s Daily Mail report that an estimated 125,000 farmers in India have committed suicide because of crop failure and massive debt since planting GM seeds. Recent Center for Human Rights and Global Justice report: "Indian farmers bought genetically modified Bollgard Bt cotton seeds from the Gates Foundation-backed Monsanto corporation ... 85 percent of cotton grown in India being Monsanto-controlled Bt cotton by 2009. However, the seeds were expensive, and spiralling prices (coupled with planting restrictions from the multinationals selling the seeds) led farmers to hefty loans. Almost 300,000 cotton workers have committed suicide to date, some of them by drinking the same insecticides they were sold by multinationals." From Straw: Years ago I watched a documentary film "Seeds of deception" where Mexican agriculture scientists voiced concern with GM seeds corrupting the bio-diversity of local seeds, which are well-adapted to drought and adverse local conditions. Dr. Frank Lipman, from http://www.drfranklipman.com/basic-questions-on-gmos/ stated, "The major benefit of all commercial GMO’s is that they are bred to either tolerate direct application of herbicides and/or have the ability to produce their own pesticides. They have not been bred to increase yield, become drought tolerant, improve nutrition or to have any other benefit to the consumer. So at present they have no health benefit, their benefits are purely economic." *** From Straw: It's about power, money, and control. Politics and economic factors are factors, besides ill health. The vindictive dirt-throwing, defamation attacks against international scientists, and bullying tactics of big corporations made me more sick than the ill-effects of GM-foods. We are saved from our wheat being genetically-modified, thanks to the farmers voicing concerns that our wheat can't be exported, if genetically modified. More from Dr. Lipman: "In Europe, over 175 regions and over 4500 municipalities have declared themselves GM-free zones. And in 2009, Germany along with France, Hungary, Italy, Greece, Austria, Poland and Romania banned Monsanto’s MON 810 GM corn because of its documented dangers to biodiversity and human health. Additionally, states in Australia, regions in New Zealand and Brazil and the countries like Venezuela, Zambia, Sudan, Angola and others, all want to be GM-free.The balanced reporting of the press in Europe of the dangers of GMO’s made a significant contribution to the decision to reject GMO’s. Below link is a detailed list from Republic Magazine on which foods are GM-tainted: Here is a link that might be useful: List of GM foods vs. non-GM This post was edited by Strawberryhill on Sat, Mar 1, 14 at 15:06