Lucy, maybe the confusion is because what one researcher calls "high" is different from what another calls "high". In the article below, high is only relative to food sources. On the other hand, the level of Vitamin A that was recently in the news as possible health risk is from high dose vitamins, so it's probably out of the ball park compared to the "high" Vit A in food. I wanted to give this as a link, but I couldn't get it right. So here's the whole thing from PubMed. Is it what you were referring to? Am J Clin Nutr. 2007 Feb;85(2):497-503. Links Vitamin A, retinol, and carotenoids and the risk of gastric cancer: a prospective cohort study.Larsson SC, Bergkvist L, Naslund I, Rutegard J, Wolk A. Division of Nutritional Epidemiology, The National Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden. susanna.larsson@ki.se BACKGROUND: Vitamin A may influence gastric carcinogenesis through its essential role in controlling cell proliferation and differentiation. However, epidemiologic studies of vitamin A, retinol (preformed vitamin A), and provitamin A carotenoids in relation to the risk of gastric cancer have documented inconsistent results. OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study was to examine the associations between intakes of vitamin A, retinol, and specific carotenoids and the risk of gastric cancer in a prospective population-based cohort study of Swedish adults. DESIGN: The study cohort consisted of 82 002 Swedish adults aged 45-83 y who had completed a food-frequency questionnaire in 1997. The participants were followed through June 2005. RESULTS: During a mean 7.2-y follow-up, 139 incident cases of gastric cancer were diagnosed. High intakes of vitamin A and retinol from foods only (dietary intake) and from foods and supplements combined (total intake) and of dietary alpha-carotene and beta-carotene were associated with a lower risk of gastric cancer. The multivariate relative risks for the highest versus lowest quartiles of intake were 0.53 (95% CI: 0.32, 0.89; P for trend = 0.02) for total vitamin A, 0.56 (95% CI: 0.33, 0.95; P for trend = 0.05) for total retinol, 0.50 (95% CI: 0.30, 0.83; P for trend = 0.03) for alpha-carotene, and 0.55 (95% CI: 0.32, 0.94; P for trend = 0.07) for beta-carotene. No significant associations were found for beta-cryptoxanthin, lutein and zeaxanthin, or lycopene intake. CONCLUSION: High intakes of vitamin A, retinol, and provitamin A carotenoids may reduce the risk of gastric cancer.

tsmith, none of this was news to those sufficiently interested to look into it several years ago. Reading something like the Shock Doctrine by Naomi Wolf might make sense of the revelations you are apparently just now having. Stressbaby, pit greenhouses really seem to be quite a bit more efficient given you have some slope on your property to allow for drainage. I have a design that I have been playing with which takes advantage of the insulative qualities of the soil which should give me quite a bit of the height I need without all of the insulation necessary for knee walls. South facing with a solid north wall and nearly half height knee walls to the east and west (block masonry painted a dark color or faced with dark red recycled brick). Triple glazing for the clear walls and roof (old french doors sandwiched with plexiglass), with automatic passive vents in the south knee wall and roof peak (knee wall vents composed of standard automatic foundation vents and roof vent cupola (same?)). Heated by circulating water pipes in the gravel floor (for dispersion of heat and humidity), underlain by a cement pad with drainage pipes leading down grade. The one factor missing was a good solar hot water heater system, these evacuated solar tubes just sounded like they would be a perfect fit! I could probably bury the hot water storage tanks behind the back wall so that they would have the soil for insulation as well. Plastic oil drums would probably be sufficient for storage. I think that they are a neat idea to play with. Probably pretty cheap too with craigslist recycled materials. The most expensive things would be the pad and the tubes. The only ongoing expense seems like an electric pump, probably hooked up to a thermostat, for water circulation!

Aspergers & Autism were mentioned; IMO we've always had it; it's just that they can diagnose a name now. My friends son is diagnosed; I bet a million dollars her deaf hub has it too & it's more apparent now that the world has gotten so fast paced. They were able to function back in the day because life was simpler. As technology has grown; her hub has gotten more withdrawn. Schooling has changed as well. Kindergarten is nothing like it used to be; they're thrown into a new way of life & expected to be able to sit & work. Schools make it hard to not medicate an ADHD kid & depending on the school & child; they may also be on antipsychotics which will come with their own risks as the child grows. As for cancer & other things; I don't doubt environment plays a part. I've suspected dental xrays for a while. I think with some cancers; their better at diagnosing earlier; such as the leukemias. They also know that HPV causes many cancers. We eat foods grown with who knows what; then there is the employees that harvest said crop (or foods).. Some use contract crews; meaning workers here with green cards; they could be in the fields peeing on the blueberry bushes. I worked with them for a plant nursery; things they do in their country are still done here... I know my dads Leukemia was caused by the chemicals at our gas station. We used to get the chemicals all over us. We'd spray our hands down with it to get the grease off. I've had the gas pump give me showers; had oil drip all over me; same with antifreeze. Then there is Oxygenated gasoline which has always scared the heck out of me. I hated to breathe it; used to give me headaches. I will not be surprised if it bites me in the rear one day. Some of us used to slather baby oil & go lay out; of course this comes with a price too. They're seeing people with lung issues from it. The skin is porous; anything we touch; or use- lotions; baby oil; hair dye; even makeup- it's absorbed by the skin. Mineral Oil - Good For Skin ? then there is Petroleum Jelly on Your Face? - Think about these things with newborn babies & if you want to make yourself even crazier; what is in disposable diapers that gels up when wet? Does it make more sense that younger people are being diagnosed with cancers? I also feel that some are genetics; even when it did not run in families; it's possible that 2 people carrying dormant genes had kids that will have issues; like the Ehlors Danlos. I'm pretty sure both my parents had it; but it did not affect them the way it is me & my daughter.

yes another countries native plant is often a weed somewhere else, for the most i would think that any sort of control to get rid of exotics would almost be out of the question. even within australia a native from one region is a pest in another if not contained. look at the huge range of exotics pasture grasses and now hybrids from these also that abound in grazing areas these grow to the almost total exclusion of native grasses, and those who use them have no charter to contain them within their own boundries so they spread to roadsides and choke out any bi-odiversity along the way. as i see it this is bi-product of not doing it sustainably. and once these exotics escape into public areas local councils excercise no management of them they just run amok. len mail len lens garden page