Jessss's Comments

Organic foods (by which I am referring to fruit and vegetables - meat is a separate matter) aren't necessarily fresher. Fruit and vegetables taste better when they are fresher regardless of whether they are organic or not. Not all organic foods come from small, independent farmers. Both organic and non-organic foods are produced by both small, independent farmers which sell locally, and large, industrial scale producers, which transport across the country, which leads to another point - organic foods aren't inherently more ethical or supportive of local, independent businesses.

Organic food is not healthier. Organic farmers still use pesticides. They are just natural pesticides, however just because they are natural, it doesn't mean that they are less damaging to your health, and are still often poisonous. Natural poisons are still poisons. Arguing that something is better because it is natural is an example of the naturalistic fallacy. There is also no compelling body of research to suggest that organic foods are more healthful. In fact most of the research suggests there is no substantial difference in nutrition.

Organic food is not more environmentally friendly. Natural pesticides are usually far less effective than synthetic, targeted pesticides and as a result, they have to use far more of it to achieve adequate protection, which leads to higher levels of environmental contamination. Organic crops also produce a lower yield, and so require more land, time, water, fuel, and other recourses to produce the same quantity of equivalent non-organic foods.

Organic food does not taste better. The current scientific consensus based on the literature of double-blinded taste tests of organic vs. non-organic foods suggests that in the majority of cases, neither humans nor animals are able tell the difference between organic and non-organic fruit and veg. Sure there are plenty of people here who will offer anecdotes to the contrary, however they are just that - anecdotes. Anecdotes which are subjective to confirmation bias, and which do not hold true when the appropriate controls are in place.

If you want better tasting fruit and vegetables that support local, independent farmers, buy fresher fruit and vegetables produced by local, independent farmers.
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@Moonpie, organic food uses organic pesticides, which are not only still mostly toxic, but less effective than conventional pesticides. This means that much greater quantities are used, leading to more runoff polution in surrounding areas.
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This is highly implausible. What light penetrates the ear drum will only be met with the solid bone encasing the middle ear. Even if any light were still able to penetrate the bone, look up any anatomical drawing of the human skull and you'll see that the inner ears lie beneath the lowest point of the temporal lobe. In other words, the light wouldn't even be hitting the brain. Considering all of the above, even if the light somehow does manage to reach the brain, the existence of photoreceptive cells in the brain that can be stimulated by direct light exposure is questionable.

In addition, there are serious conflicts of interest for a number of authors of the study. The 2nd and 3rd authors are CEOs of a company selling a (very expensive) device that claims that by using its product to shine LED lights into your ears, you can treat Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). 2 other authors (including Takala) are shareholders of this company, and the lead author is a live-in partner of an employee of the company. You'll also notice that these authors have a hand in every single study making similar claims. In other words, they have no independent evidence supporting their claims.

I'm an auduologist and I shine lights into peoples' ears for a living. Perhaps I should start charging an additional fee for "mood influencing properties".
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@Neil D, in Australia, there is no shape of the continent of Australia at the bottom of the McDonalds logo. Also, we do call napkins serviettes, although nobody except perhaps the much older generation refers to "sanitary napkins" as such. We call them pads. I doubt any Australian would bat an eyelash if you asked for napkins in Australia.
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I used to have that book! I remember one of the stories was about children who stole and ate the baker's chickens, so he threw them into his dough-making machine, made them into bread, and fed them to his remaining chickens.
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Craig is correct. These same images were used to promote the Syndey International Food Festival a couple of years ago. In fact I recall it being featured on Neatorama.
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Yes, you can have both. While on average, Americans are becoming fatter, many of those who live in poverty (who do not represent the average American) are also still starving.
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I was never taught how to cook, so when I moved out of home I bought a variety of simple cook books and followed the recipes. Over time I learned how to create my own recipes. I still don't get it when my friends who have lived out of home for years say to me that they can't cook. If you can't cook, it just means you're either too lazy or too stupid to follow instructions.
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Profile for Jessss

  • Member Since 2012/08/04


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