Salad Is Slaughter

The whole organic food movement has always struck me as a scam. Organic foods don’t taste any different to me. The key to great tasting veggies is to let them ripen on the plant and eat them as soon as their picked. And the alleged health benefits? I was always skeptical. And don’t even get me started about biodynamic farming bullshit. Now comes this from Britain:

Organic food ‘no benefit to health’

Parents who want their children to eat healthily should focus more on serving them extra fruit and vegetables and less on giving them expensive organic produce, according to one of the country’s leading nutrition experts.Lord Krebs, former head of the Food Standards Agency, said families were becoming ‘deeply confused’ by conflicting messages about healthy eating.

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The agency is reviewing all the evidence on nutritional differences between organic and non-organic food to see if it needs to alter its recommendations to consumers; at present, these are that there is no safety or health reason for switching to organic.

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According to Krebs, an eminent scientist and principal of Jesus College, Oxford, there is still no reliable, peer-reviewed evidence to show that there is any clear health benefit to eating this ‘green’ produce.

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A spokesperson for the agency said: ‘The weight of current scientific evidence does not support claims that organic food is more nutritious or safer than conventionally produced food. However, a number of new studies have recently emerged focusing on nutritional differences between organic and non-organic food.’

Thanks to tkingdoll at skepchick for the pointer.

Finally, I might have found a minister who might be worth following. Or he’s just another hypocritical swindler fleecing his flock.  Okay, it’s probably option 2:

Missing NY rev. found at Ohio strip club

RIVERSIDE, Ohio - Police say a pastor who was reported missing from his home in western New York has been found at an Ohio strip club.

A police officer patrolling the K.C. Lounge parking lot Friday morning in the Dayton suburb of Riverside spotted out-of-state license plates on 46-year-old Craig Rhodenizer’s car.

The FBI and New York authorities had been searching for Rhodenizer, who disappeared Wednesday after telling his wife he was getting his computer fixed at Best Buy. He is the pastor of a church in Lyndonville, N.Y.

World’s ‘Oldest University’ Unearthed in Egypt

Polish archaeologists have unearthed 13 fraternity houses believed to be the first traces ever found of ancient Egypt’s University of Alexandria, the head of the project said Wednesday.  “This is the oldest university ever found in the world,” Grzegory Majderek, head of the Polish mission, told EGI.

The fraternity houses, with a capacity of 500 students, are part of the 5th century University, which functioned until the 7th century, according to a statement from Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities.  All the fraternity houses are of identical dimensions. Each contains rows of stepped benches in a form of semicircle and an elevated bar, apparently for the serving drinks, the Antiquities Department statement said.  Also found were beer kegs, mugs, and tequila bottles.

“This is the first material evidence of the existence of academic life in Alexandria,” Majderek said. Knowledge of earlier intellectual pursuits in the Mediterranean coastal city came through historical and literary documents and materials.

Ancient Alexandria was home to a library, which was founded about 295 B.C. and burned to the ground in the 4th century. Ruins were never found, but Alexandria was an intellectual center where scholars are thought to have produced the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Old Testament, and edited Homer’s works.

“The really interesting thing to me is that the University of Alexandria fraternities used Greek letters to identify themselves,” said Majderek.  “We knew that the Greeks had a lot of academic influence, but to find examples of Greek fraternities in ancient Egypt was astounding.”

The archaeologists also reported finding papyrus documents.  “Translations have just begun, so we don’t have anything definite yet,” explained Majderek.  “However, our preliminary findings indicate that the texts describe various hazing and initiation rituals that pledges had to endure in order to join the fraternity.  Most of the hazing and initiation rituals involved drinking, while others can only be described as homo-erotic.”

Research on the ancient University of Alexandria fraternities is being expanded, and a separate study on University of Alexandria sorority houses may begin next year.

Posted by: Mike Perative on 6/1/2004 7:17:37 AM

Why does his lawn look so good?

Dear Dick,

Like you, I am an atheist.  Lately have started to question my religious beliefs.  My neighbor is a Minister of some Christian religion.  He is always friendly, but something about him really bugs me - namely, his lawn.  The thing is beautiful.  The grass is always trimmed.  There is never a bare spot.  His curbs are perfectly edged.  The bushes and trees are always trimmed and in perfect condition.  In contrast, my lawn has bare spots, always seems in need of a trim, and is covered with weeds.  I’m starting to think that divine intervention is involved.  Is God trying to convince me to join this man’s religion?

John Deere
Moline, IL

Dear Mr. Deere,

Your neighbor the preacher has instituted something know as a tithe on his congregation.  A tithe is a tenth part of one’s annual income contributed voluntarily or due as a tax, especially for the support of the clergy or church.  Since many in his congregation are unemployed, or employed but poor, the church had a shortage of income, and the minister had to take a pay cut.  Because of the pay cut he had to fire his gardening staff.

In order to make up the difference in the church’s coffers, the preacher expanded the notion of tithing to include giving of one’s time and labor.  During the day when you are at your job, contributing to western civilization by producing goods and services and adding money to the economy, his parishioners are over at the ministers house weeding, trimming, edging, mowing, planting, and watering his yard.  In this way the parishioners have worked off their obligatory tithe and the minister doesn’t miss the loss in income.

What your lawn needs is fertilizer (be careful not to put down too much or you will burn the grass), grass seed, and a new sprinkler system.  Or you could just start your own religion.

Posted by: Richard E. Normus on 6/14/2004 7:11:47 AM

Bishop Issues Communion Warning

The Roman Catholic bishop of Colorado Springs has said Catholics should not receive Communion if they are Oakland Raiders fans.  Bishop Michael Sheridan said Raiders fans should receive the sacrament only if they recant and repent in the confessional. However, he said no one would be enforcing the rule in the Communion line.

While several U.S. bishops have issued similar warnings to Catholics who defy church teaching, Sheridan is believed to be the first to expand that directive to football fans.   Archbishop Raymond Burke of St. Louis said he would not give Communion to Chicago Cubs fans, while Archbishop Sean O’Malley of Boston is denying Communion to Montreal Canadiens and New York Yankees fans.

Sheridan made his comments in a May 1 pastoral letter published in the diocese’s newspaper and sent to each parish in the diocese. It is the second largest in Colorado, covering 125,000 Catholics in 10 counties.  The bishop’s statement drew sharp criticism from some quarters.

“I think it is an outrageous intrusion into what is supposed to be a private matter. It is frightening,” said sports fan Michael Murphy,  “It goes against everything that we believe is important to democracy since we founded this country.”

Sheridan did not return a call Friday from EGI.  But he told other media outlets that he singled out the Oakland Raiders because they are “intrinsically evil.” He also decried Los Angeles Lakers fans.

In practice, his warning will probably not have much impact on Catholics taking Communion because most football fans prefer to spend Sunday mornings watching the Fox Pregame show instead of attending mass.

Archbishop Charles Chaput of Denver has not taken a stand so far on whether defiant Catholic Raiders fans should receive Communion, but he has criticized them, saying they offer a “dishonest public witness.”  He has however, banned Vancouver Canucks fans from receiving Communion.

 Posted by: Missy Enformed on 5/24/2004 9:21:44 AM