Who Is the FDA Really Protecting?

FDA's Mission Statement

The FDA is responsible for protecting the public health by assuring the safety, efficacy, and security of human and veterinary drugs, biological products, medical devices, our nation's food supply, cosmetics, and products that emit radiation. The FDA is also responsible for advancing the public health by helping to speed innovations that make medicines and foods more effective, safer, and more affordable; and helping the public get the accurate, science-based information they need to use medicines and foods to improve their health.

Anyone who has been in a grocery store in the USA knows that there are thousands of choices to make. The assumption is that all of the food is safe for consumption and it will do no harm. People study for years to be a doctor or a lawyer or an accountant or a tradesman but know one has to go to school to learn how to buy food or feed their families so their family stays healthy and they do not get sick.

I had a father-in-law who may have not been well educated in school but knew more than most. One of his brightest statements was 'figures lie and liars figure'. People buy and feed their families and everyone will eventually die but know one really knows the relationship between food and disease and how much different types of food shortens a person's life.

I wrote an e-book several years ago about all this. The title was called 'Capitalism is Killing Us All'.

The goal of the food companies is to make money for their stock holders. The goal of the drug companies is exactly the same to make money for their stockholders.

It is a complicated situation. The goal of the food companies should be to produce food that keeps people healthy so that they do not get obese and so they do not need drugs to keep them alive. If everyone was healthy and did not require a lot of food than the food companies would not sell as much food and not make as much money and no body would need drugs and so the drug companies would also not make as much money.

Taking this argument a step further - if something that only cost a few dollars could keep you from getting sick or keep you from getting diabetes or cancer why do we have to buy expensive drug invented by man to keep us healthy. You can see where I am going with this. Those of you who are old enough to remember how polio was a dreaded disease but was a large portion of the drug industry disappeared almost over night after Dr. Salk invented the polio vaccine.

Drug companies do not want to cure anybody even though the FDA only allows drug companies to say that they cure disease. Drug companies want to keep people alive so that they continually need to buy drugs to stay alive and consume more drugs and make more money for the drug companies.

So who is the FDA really protecting? Yes they keep the food industry and drug industry in check but who is really benefiting and at what cost?

If people eat more than they need to who benefits? The person eating the food or the the company producing the food? Anybody who has eaten something sweet for breakfast knows that they will be hungry for more food earlier in the day than the person who ate a healthier breakfast. The challenge is knowing what is considered a healthier breakfast? The phrase that 'figures lie and liar figure will come into play by who is manipulating the data to make their product the product of choice. for breakfast.

This whole topic is very complicated because everyone has different bodies and no one eats one type of food all the time and no one usually dies from one helping of anything unless the food contains poison or a bacteria. The FDA does a good job in keeping our food safe from poisons and bacteria but a poor job from protecting us from food additives that make something taste better, or increases the shelf life, or make it look better. These are all things that help the food companies make more money but who knows what the long term effect is on the person consuming the product and since there is no immediate effect who really cares. Concerns for additives only come up when a competitor wants people to buy their product and not someone else's product. For example artificial sweeteners vs. sugar vs stevia all have reports that come out on a periodic basis to make arguments for their product.

One of the most compelling arguments we hear from the food and drug industries is that the average age of people is more now than it was a hundred years ago. This is another one of those figures lie and liars figure arguments.. This is true except when you compare our life expectancy with the rest of the world. We are a dismal 39th in the world when compared with other industrialized countries and how much better would are life be if we had access to more fresh fruits and vegetables, ate less meat, exercised more.

We may have to do this outside of the the traditional ways of getting our food by starting local coop farms, growing food our selves, eating more live food and less prepared food. What would happen to the food industry and the drug industries if everyone got healthier? Our need for hospitals and drugs would go down, we would need less health insurance, we might help the medical industry from going down the tubes. If we wait for others to help us we will wait in vain. If you want this to happen we need to start from the bottom up and not wait for the existing institutions to do the right thing...

Peter Blackman was an Engineer, Insurance Agent and Financial Advisor is now interested in making a difference and giving back. It is time to be bold and do what is good for everyone rather than what is just good for the few. Peter has his own home-based business and has been able to put together training for anyone who joins his organization. We start off by showing people how to get off on the right foot and treat their new business as a business teaching what kind of record keeping is necessary to get all the deductions that are possible with this type of business. Peter is also Science and Technology Editor for One Planet Magazine and on line free Magazine [http://www.ezfamilyhealth.com] http://www.squidoo.com/businessdeductions

Real Estate Investment - When is the Bottom Really the Bottom?

The real estate market continues to spiral downward on its way to bottom. Every day, the press continues to report more and more bad news. Foreclosure rates are up and home sales are down over last year. "Short sale" has become an all-to-familiar phrase in the industry. The question that is being asked is, "When will the value of real estate stabilize?" Can anyone accurately predict when the market will actually will reach bottom?

The press and most others are not asking the right questions. The real estate market should not be considered as one giant ocean without tributaries, but rather as streams and rivers representing local markets that flow together to form that larger body known as the real estate market.

In some small towns, the local market can be made up of an entire town. It doesn't matter whether the house is located on "A" Avenue or clear cross town on "P" Street. Relative value would not be affected by location. In larger towns or small cities, neighborhoods would govern "locational" values. While in larger cities, two perpendicular streets may each have different value.

The type of real estate investment also reflects what market a property is in. A single family house, an office building or a mall are all different markets even if they are in the same town or neighborhood. Each property's value will depend on these factors. Is there any wonder why it is so hard to predict when the nation will hit "bottom"?

Real estate is a unique form of investment. As I have written, it takes many different forms when considered as an investment. If you consider income producing properties, then the value can only ultimately increase as much or as fast as the income it produces. The market corrects relatively quickly because the income of the property can not sustain the debt service on the borrowed funds at the inflated price. Investment real estate is a business, i.e. income must be more than expenses in more years than not to be sustainable. Consequently, you can only hype that product for so long before the bubble pops.

The home market is a different story. It takes longer to correct because it is farther away from a "perfect" market. Primary or secondary residential properties do not produce income from tenants. However, they do have expenses such as real estate taxes, insurance and debt service. As prices for these properties escalate, so do the expenses, especially the debt service. However, as prices escalate, fewer and fewer people can afford to buy the asset since, in a perfect market, they would not qualify for financing. As we saw, though, this controlling mechanism was abated by banks and government lowering lending standards, reducing down payment requirements, and having low initial interest rates on loans. These artificial mechanisms allowed more and more people to qualify for homeownership which then consequently bid up the value of homes to an unsustainable high. When the inevitable downturn occurred due to the combination of oversupply, the price of oil and higher interest rates, the boom turned to a bust and we have a falling market.

Many factors will influence when the bottoming of the broader market will occur. That question, like others posed by the press, is irrelevant to the investor. You can not time the real estate market any more than you can time the stock market. Each purchase or sale must be evaluated through the unique prism of the time, place and circumstances when it is occurring. If, after thoughtful analysis, it doesn't make economic sense, then the investment should not be made or a current holding should be sold. Too often we see what we want or hope to see rather than what is actually there.

Thomas F. Campenni CPM, CCIM has more than 35 years of experience as a broker and is licensed in Florida, New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. Since 1992, Tom's focus has been working with a smaller client base so that he can provide the kind of individualized service that results in greater return for his clients and, consequently, greater client satisfaction. In addition to his real estate brokers' licenses, Tom also holds insurance licenses in New York and Florida and has earned the CCIM (Certified Commercial Investment Member) and CPM (Certified Property Manager) designations. Please visit http://www.thomascampenni.com or email him at Tom@thomascampenni.com for additional information.

Does American Manufacturing Really Matter?

The "Post-Industrial"Theory

It has recently become fashionable to talk about the U.S. as a "post-industrial" economy. The essential argument is that as national economies mature they move from making things (i.e. industrial economy) to designing things and providing the services necessary to support the making of things (i.e. post-industrial economy). Any pain felt in the older sectors of the economy, so the theory holds, is only temporary, as capital moves to newer economic sectors, and older workers are retrained and likewise moved into growth sectors. Under this theory, the economy's wealth never disappears, it just changes from one form into another (e.g. like energy).

Not All Economic Sectors Are Created Equal

Historical trends show that manufacturing is the economic engine. Since the advent of the first industrial revolution in the late 18th century, begun in England and driven largely by coal, the wealth of a nation has been determined by the vigor and competitiveness of its manufacturing sector. And since the time of the second industrial revolution, in the mid-19th century, driven largely by steam and other emerging energy technologies, the U.S. has been the leader in manufacturing technologies and production. History has clearly shown that nations which export manufactured products tend to generate higher rates of growth in GDP which supports higher individual incomes and produces the tax revenue necessary to produce a better quality of life for a nation's citizens.

Trends of American Manufacturing Under Fire

As a manufacturing engineer, I have come to discover that much of America's manufacturing sector has moved abroad to foreign markets. But I am not just talking about the making of products. I'm talking about the ability* to make products. Industrial equipment needed for manufacturing production, such as CNC Laser Cutters (used to process sheet metal) are now made in other countries and imported. What happens when America's economy depends on other nations for its manufacturing infrastructure? For starters, foreigners begin directing warnings to America's president, protesting Protectionist activities. They do not want America to "Buy American." They want America to buy European or Chinese products. That's because they know that the engine of an economy is manufacturing. And they want America's manufacturing sector to remain in their country rather than here.

Wealth Producing and Wealth Consuming Sectors

A national economy begins to decline as its wealth-producing sector shrinks. Wealth-producing sectors of the economy include manufacturing, agriculture, and mining. Manufacturing is traditionally defined as the process of transforming raw materials into new products by the application of physical, chemical, or mechanical processes, and includes many separate industries: aerospace, textile, computers, automobiles, pharmaceuticals, steel, printing, etc. When it comes to investing in the American economy, a distinction must be made between wealth-producing and wealth-consuming sectors of the economy, such as government, banking (yes, banking), information services, hospitality, education, insurance, health care, and consumer services. These sectors maintain and use physical wealth, but they do not create it. They depend on manufacturing and other wealth-producing sectors of the economy for their growth.[i]

Conclusion

American manufacturing is historically responsible for the relatively higher standard of living enjoyed by Americans compared to other countries, and a thriving manufacturing sector is necessary to allow that trend to continue. Manufacturing drives the engine of the US economy: this sector is responsible for 90% of new patent applications, annually. Manufacturing drives growth and innovation, investment in technology, new products and processes, and provides Americans with some of the best consumer products ever created.

If the manufacturing sector continues to move overseas, so also will the wealth previously enjoyed by Americans.

[i]. See David Friedman, "No Light at the End of the Tunnel, "Los Angeles Times, June 15, 2002; reprinted on New America Foundation web site.

Joel Barrett is a Manager and AutoCAD Engineer for a metal fabricating company in Buchanan, MI.
Berrien Metal Products, Inc.
Phone: 800-978-5300
Fax: 269-695-5300
Email: joel@metalfabrications.com
Website: http://www.metalfabrications.com

World Oil Prices - Who Really Sets World Oil Prices?

I watched the CBS News show "60 Minutes" Sunday night, and saw the piece on world oil prices done by Steve Croft. I realize that their format doesn't allow for a detailed, in-depth investigation of any topic, but this seemed to be a broad-brushed finger pointing session.

Have you ever watched a skilled magician do his act? He will divert your attention with activity in one hand, and do the "magic" with the other hand. That's what this segment reminded me of.

Croft and his gaggle of "experts" led viewers to believe that the commodity speculators were entirely to blame for the spike in oil prices in 2008, and also responsible for its collapse in the last quarter of 2008.

But is Croft telling the truth?

Maybe. But only partially, in my opinion.

World oil prices are set on two criteria, or two particular oil products; West Texas Intermediate Crude (Sweet Crude), and North Sea (Brent Crude). Those prices are set in New York and in London, not by the oil producing nations of OPEC.

West Texas Sweet comes from the oldest major producing fields on the planet. North Sea Brent comes from the most difficult and highest cost oil field on the planet. So, world oil prices are set based upon the two places on earth where the production cost is highest.

There are places where oil is plentiful and easy to produce. It's almost like sticking a pipe into the sand and oil comes out. The production costs for those kinds of oil fields is much lower than in the North Sea, so those oil fields are much more profitable.

But do you ever hear anyone telling you that? No. What you hear on all the news shows and from government jabberers is that OPEC has the rest of the world in its clutches.

Next point to challenge is the blaming of the speculators. In any transaction, there is a buyer and a seller. Both parties are making their best effort to profit from the transaction. When someone buys a future contract on a commodity like oil, they are betting that either the price will rise or that the price will fall before a certain future date. Buyer and seller are both gambling, and one will be right.

So who are the speculators? I don't know. But the major commodity exchanges are in New York and London. There are speculators buying and selling in every single commodity, from bacon to frozen orange concentrate to crude oil. Curious that no one is crying about speculation in the other commodity markets.

My business is as a Claims Consultant and a Risk Manager. It seems to me that commodities futures contracts are very similar to buying insurance to protect against certain losses. Skilled insurers make a profit, and unskilled insurers lose money. No different here in the oil business.

Remember also that during the same time period, the US Treasury and Federal Reserve flooded the world with trillions of new dollars, causing inflation everywhere. You did notice that prices for nearly everything escalated in 2008, didn't you?

Finally, in an oil-related story, Georgia state government regulators recently assessed fines against about a dozen gas stations that allegedly did "price gouging" during the run-up on oil prices in 2008. That must mean that property rights in the State of Georgia don't mean anything. A merchant who spends HIS OWN MONEY to buy a product should be free to sell that product to whomever he chooses for whatever price buyer and seller can agree to. No one forced any buyer to buy gas from these stations at any price. The sellers offered their product and willing buyers bought it. However, seems that some of those buyers like Fascism more than Capitalism, since they called the State bullies and complained. I hope that the stations marked for punishment are fighting back in the courts.

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Is Real Happiness Really Possible?

Happiness.  It is a concept that humans have struggled with for millenia.  How is happiness defined? What makes us happy? What should make us happy?  Is happiness on a national or global level more important than individual happiness?  Is happiness something that can even be measured, and if so, what kind of scale would you use to measure it?  Is contentment the same as happiness?

Few people would argue against the individual's right to be happy, but the question of how that happiness is obtained cannot be ignored, nor can the consequences that a single person's pursuit of happiness might create for others.  Living in a social society has always meant the sacrifice of some individual happiness for the increased happiness of the greater population. 

In modern western society, the concept of individual happiness is very closely tied to material possessions and comfortable housing.  Happiness is measured by the number of things that can provide us with momentary diversions and pleasurable physical circumstances.  If we feel good, then we are happy.  It is a rational, logical assumption informed by a rational, logical philosophical history, but one that has produced many unfulfilled lives and years of deep dissatisfaction.

Happiness is something that we can decide to have more of in our lives, and work towards creating on a conscious level.  It is not something that necessarily 'just happens'.  It is a frame of mind that humans can create within themselves, regardless of existing external conditions.  This is a choice that human beings do actually have, but in practice, most of us feel powerless when it comes to consciously creating happiness as a daily part of life.  We tend to marvel at the person on TV that has lost both limbs and their entire family in a car crash, only to be able to smile and derive happiness from what they have, rather than become mired in sadness over what they have lost.

Defining Happiness

The first, and possibly most important, step towards making happiness a familiar part of your life is to define what happiness is for yourself.  Too often people are completely conditioned to truly believe that certain things do make them happy, when in fact exactly the opposite is true.  Inhabitants of the West live in a world full of fast-paced activities and pressure to succeed, but are rarely given any time to think about what success might mean to us as individuals, and why we are constantly moving at such a frantic pace. Not to mention what effect this constant pressure might be having on us physically and mentally!  Who has time to think about happiness?  Do I feel good? Then I must be happy, so lets get back to the important stuff, like work and fulfilling our obligations.  Happiness has almost been relegated into the luxury category, and to expect extended periods of happiness during your lifetime is almost perceived as mildly hedonistic.

In contrast, the tiny island state of Bhutan has, since the mid-seventies measured what is referred to as their GNH indicator. This stands for Gross National Happiness.  It is a national measure taken regularly, much the same as GDP, and one that is taken seriously by the Bhutanese government.  It is, obviously, a very subjective index, and one that is measured using subjective methods, but it does stand as a testament to the important place that personal happiness has in Bhutanese society.

The encouragement to take the time and actually think about whether one is actually happy - or merely existing - reflects the values held by the people of that country, and concurs with the idea that this is absolutely necessary for a healthy life and to understand what it is that your soul is craving to lighten the load of your existence.

So you need to give yourself permission to take some time for reflection on how things actually make you feel in the moment - as you are experiencing them.  Only then will you be able to discover what direction you should start to move towards in your quest for happiness. 

You will also need to give yourself permission to actually be happy. This may sound ridiculous to some, but how many of us go on vacation, only to fret about what is happening back at the office the entire time, completely negating the positive benefit any time away might have?  Guilt and self-flagellation have become incredibly popular in western society for some reason, and the idea that it is possible to fulfill all of  your duties and be happy at the same time is a little difficult for some to swallow.

So give yourself permission to be happy and to go out and explore the world, in order to define what happiness is to you on a very personal scale.  Once you have done this and started to build up an idea of what is actually going to move you towards happiness - take one step.

Don't think about how long it is going to take you to get where you are going. Don't think about all of the obstacles that are going to stand in your way in the pursuit of your happiness, (because there will be some). Think about the single step you are taking until that step is complete, and nothing else. Revel in the knowledge that what you are doing is contributing directly to your future happiness, even if what you have to do during this particular step is not entirely appealing. Feel the happiness that you will feel when you have achieved whatever it is you are trying to do, or have whatever it is you are trying to obtain. Infuse every part of this first step with the energy that you will have when you are putting final piece of the puzzle in place. 

By entering completely into the process -  the now - of what we are doing moment to moment, we can move into a state of flow with the universe that supports and makes effortless what might otherwise be tedious or frustrating.  This state of ease with ourselves and our world will encourage more of the same to come us through the laws of natural attraction.  It also creates within ourselves a sense of peace and satisfaction that can only be described as happiness.

It will take some time to better develop the ability to enter fully into what you are doing, but once you are able to do this and have completed the first step, you will have the sense of achievement that comes with completing something you set out to do - no matter how small. This little boost will propel you towards step two, and make it that little bit easier, that little bit more enjoyable, and soon you will be celebrating the completion of step two and rapidly moving towards step three - all the time giving yourself little happiness and achievement boosts along the way.

By the time you actually arrive where you want to be in your life, you may find that it is quite different from the picture you had when you started. But you will also find that the process of living your life one step at a time has given you a lifetime of satisfaction and peace.  As with any personal or spiritual search, the quest for happiness has as many paths are their are humans on the planet, but like every important journey, it begins with a single step.

Jen Cooper works online from where ever she happens to be at the time.

Learn more about how to do this for yourself by visiting http://www.neurons.ws or [http://www.livedontwork.com]

Buying Tires? Don't Be Fooled - Here's How To Tell How Old A Tire Really Is

Buying tires can be nerve-racking. You don't want to pay too much for them, but by the same token, you don't want to make a costly mistake either. You don't have to worry about it much when you're buying a new car. Ah, but if you're buying a used car and the previous owner is telling you he just put this brand new set of stickers on it for you, how can you tell if he's being honest? Thankfully, there's only one place you have to look to be sure.

The side of the tire casing can tell you a lot. In addition to the standard fare like the manufacturer name and the maximum air pressure, you can find a series of digits called the tire identification number (some people call this the tire serial number). You can usually find it embossed close to the inside of the rubber closest to the rim of the wheel. It will tell you a couple of things you need to know before you buy.

According to the United States Department of Transportation (DOT) National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NTSA), all tires manufactured since the year 2000 must include a set of digits that allows people to determine the tire's age. Those digits are the last four digits of the identification number.

The first two digits (of those last four) represent the week of the year that the tire was produced. The last two digits in that sequence represent the year. So if you find the tire identification number and see the last four digits of "5107," you know that the tire was produced in week 51 (the week of Christmas) in the year 07 (2007, in this case).

If you can't find any tire identification number on the tires, or you the last 4 characters aren't numbers, you know that the tires must have been manufactured before the year 2000. And if you can't find the tire identification number, ask the seller to show it to you. Most reputable used car dealers will know exactly where it is.

It's important to be an informed consumer when spending significant sums of money. Knowing how old a set of tires really is can take some of the worry out of buying used tires or even buying a used car.

If you're looking for a quality set of tires for your car or truck, you can't do better than Cooper. Cooper Tires are the premier brand of tires on the American road and http://www.coopertiresfacts.com is the one place that can tell you everything you need to know before you buy. Regardless of how you drive, you can find everything you need to know about Cooper Tires online at Cooper Tires Facts. Drive Safely.