Public interest attorney Steven M. Druker, as executive director of the Alliance for Bio-Integrity, initiated a lawsuit that forced the FDA to divulge its files on genetically engineered foods. In the first half, he discussed what he considers to be the biggest scientific fraud of our age - how politically appointed administrators have covered up the warnings of their own scientists about the risks of GMO foods, and the lack of rigorous testing. When you look at all the evidence, from the FDA's own scientists, and many other scientists, it's clear that "genetically engineered foods entail a higher level of risk than conventional foods. That level of risk is unacceptable...No consumer should have ever have been subjected to that new amount of risk without very careful safety testing," he remarked, adding that "it's outrageous that a whole slew of these foods was allowed onto the marketplace in the United States in flagrant violation of federal food safety laws."
As far back as 2001, an expert panel of the Royal Society of Canada released a report that faulted the then current regulatory system, noting that it's scientifically unjustified to say that genetically engineered foods are safe, and the default presumption should be that unintended side effects can occur, and there has to be careful testing to rule out negative consequences. This report was ignored in the US, Druker pointed out, "and the mainstream scientific establishment tries to pretend...that every respected scientific organization has concluded these foods are safe." That's not true-- the Royal Society, the Public Health Association of Australia, the Academy for Environmental Medicine, and editors of the esteemed medical journal, The Lancet, have all questioned the safety of GMO foods, he cited.
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In the latter half, Rosemary Ellen Guiley, a leading expert in the metaphysical and paranormal fields, talked about nightmares and dreams, and the messages they convey. We all have disturbing dreams from time to time, when we're in scary situations. The most common theme of nightmares have to do with being in danger, pursued or attacked, or having to flee for safety, she detailed. There is often an underlying cause to nightmares-- something that has upset our balance during waking hours,and we carry that anxiety into the dream state, she said.
Nightmares, she continued, can be generated by bad sleeping habits, certain medical conditions (such as sleep apnea), a large number of pharmaceutical medications, poor nutrition, or even inherited physiological conditions. Interestingly, the author Bram Stoker was said to conceive the idea for Dracula during a nightmare, after an earlier dinner of bad seafood. There are some beneficial uses for nightmares, such as when they are recognized as early warnings of health issues, or cues to get ourselves out of stressful situations, Guiley offered. She also spoke about the power of precognitive dreams, and how symbolism can be interpreted in dream content.
News segment guests: Cal Orey, Lauren Weinstein