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This is me when it comes to blogging.

Genetically Modified Organisms

GMO FACTS

GMOs, or “genetically modified organisms,” are plants or animals that have been genetically engineered with DNA from bacteria, viruses or other plants and animals. These experimental combinations of genes from different species cannot occur in nature or in traditional crossbreeding.

Virtually all commercial GMOs are engineered to withstand direct application of herbicide and/or to produce an insecticide. Despite biotech industry promises, none of the GMO traits currently on the market offer increased yield, drought tolerance, enhanced nutrition, or any other consumer benefit.

Meanwhile, a growing body of evidence connects GMOs with health problems, environmental damage and violation of farmers’ and consumers’ rights.

Are GMOs safe?
Most developed nations do not consider GMOs to be safe. In more than 60 countries around the world, including Australia, Japan, and all of the countries in the European Union, there are significant restrictions or outright bans on the production and sale of GMOs. In the U.S., the government has approved GMOs based on studies conducted by the same corporations that created them and profit from their sale. Increasingly, Americans are taking matters into their own hands and choosing to opt out of the GMO experiment.

Are GMOs labeled?
Unfortunately, even though polls consistently show that a significant majority of Americans want to know if the food they’re purchasing contains GMOs, the powerful biotech lobby has succeeded in keeping this information from the public. In the absence of mandatory labeling, the Non-GMO Project was created to give consumers the informed choice they deserve.

Where does the Non-GMO Project come in?
The Non-GMO Project is a non-profit organization with a mission of protecting the non-GMO food supply and giving consumers an informed choice. We offer North America’s ONLY third party verification for products produced according to rigorous best practices for GMO avoidance (for more info, click here). Our strategy is to empower consumers to make change through the marketplace. If people stop buying GMOs, companies will stop using them and farmers will stop growing them.

Do Americans want non-GMO foods and supplements?
Polls consistently show that a significant majority of North Americans would like to be able to tell if the food they’re purchasing contains GMOs (a 2012 Mellman Group poll found that 91% of American consumers wanted GMOs labeled). And, according to a recent CBS/New York Times poll, 53% of consumers said they would not buy food that has been genetically modified. The Non-GMO Project’s seal for verified products will, for the first time, give the public an opportunity to make an informed choice when it comes to GMOs.

How common are GMOs?
In the U.S., GMOs are in as much as 80% of conventional processed food.Click here for a current list of GMO risk crops.

Why does the Non-GMO Project verify products that have a low risk of containing GMOs?
Some ingredients that seem low-risk may have less-visible high-risk ingredients.  Take, for example, dried fruit.  Raisins and similar fruit are sometimes packed with a small quantity of oil to keep them moist.  This oil, when used, is sometimes high-GMO-risk.  As such, it is critical that we do take the time to look carefully at ingredient spec sheets during the verification process, to ensure that risks like this are effectively mitigated, even in apparently low-risk products.

Contamination incidents have occurred with seemingly “low-risk” products (rice, starling corn, flax). Non-GMO Project Verification supports manufacturers in being able to quickly and proactively respond to unexpected contamination issues.

Verifying only high-risk products puts a heavy burden on consumers to know what products are at risk of containing GMOs.  Many people, even in the world of Natural Foods, don’t know what a GMO is, let alone which crops and processed ingredients are high-risk.  As such, labeling only products that contain high-risk ingredients could give an unfair competitive advantage to products that contain ingredients containing corn, soy, etc.  Taking the cereal aisle for our example, if we verified only high-risk products, a shopper might see the seal on a box of verified corn flakes, but not on the wheat-based cereal box next to them, produced with the same high standards by the same company. This could leave them thinking the corn flakes were non-GMO, but that they should avoid the wheat product, even though there’s no GMO wheat on the market.  Given the lack of understanding of the issue, this presents some serious issues.

Through verifying low-risk products, the Non-GMO Project’s work builds consumer interest and industry investment in Non-GMO, even for crops that aren’t genetically engineered yet.  Biotech is constantly working to patent and commercialize new organisms (salmon, apples, etc.), and the more companies that have committed to Non-GMO production, the more resistance these new developments will see prior to release.

What are the impacts of GMOs on the environment?
Over 80% of all GMOs grown worldwide are engineered for herbicide tolerance. As a result, use of toxic herbicides like Roundup has increased 15 times since GMOs were introduced. GMO crops are also responsible for the emergence of “super weeds” and “super bugs:’ which can only be killed with ever more toxic poisons like 2,4-D (a major ingredient in Agent Orange). GMOs are a direct extension of chemical agriculture, and are developed and sold by the world’s biggest chemical companies. The long-term impacts of GMOs are unknown, and once released into the environment these novel organisms cannot be recalled.

How do GMOs affect farmers?
Because GMOs are novel life forms, biotechnology companies have been able to obtain patents with which to restrict their use. As a result, the companies that make GMOs now have the power to sue farmers whose fields are contaminated with GMOs, even when it is the result of inevitable drift from neighboring fields. GMOs therefore pose a serious threat to farmer sovereignty and to the national food security of any country where they are grown, including the United States.

How can I avoid GMOs?
Choose food and products that are Non-GMO Project Verified!

Click here to see a complete list.

Check the site for additional info.

NON-GMO Project

READING FRENZY - !!!!

Books Im looking @ -

How to get anyone to do anything : R. Philip Hanes

Grant Writing for Dummies ( 4th Edition ) : Dr. Beverly A. Browning

Never apply for a job again : Darrell W. Gurney

Complete Idiot's guide to Grant Writing ( Third Edition ) : Waddy Thompson

The only Grant-Writing Book You'll ever need ( Third Edition ) : Ellen Karsh and Arlen Sue Fox

Ninja Innovation : Gary Shapiro

It's your BIZ: Susan Wilson Solovic (w/ Ellen R Kadin - Foreword By: Edie Weiner )

Run Your Own Corporation: Garret Sutton, ESQ

The EVERYTHING Guide to Crowdfunding: Thomas Elliot Young

Encyclopedia of MANAGEMENT (6TH Edition): GALE Cengage Learning

Financial Management (Second Edition): Joe K. Shim and Joel G. Siegel

*****Trump University Real Estate 101: Gary W. Eldred, PHD, Foreword by Donald Trump

How to win sales & Influence Spiders: Catherine Seda

The Social Media Bible:  Lon Safko & David K. Brake 

The Social Media Bible: ( Third Edition ) Lon Safko

Marketing: ( Fourw Edition ) Richard L. Sandhusen

Franchise Bible: ( 6th Edition ) Erwin J. Keup

Negotiate the Best Lease for your business: (2nd Edition) -Attorneys Janet Portman & Fred S. Steingold

A treasury of African Folklore: Harold Courlander

Start your own Event Planning Business: Entrepreneur Press & Amy Jean

Jobs - Houston

Safety Director

Tired of Corporate America? Interested in being your own boss? We are seeking a Safety Director to join us as a Partner in a new business venture! We are looking for someone who has excellent interpersonal skills, successful at building relationships, and entrepreneurial drive to help us pioneer a brand new safety division of our consulting company. 

The increased demand of our current services has brought to light the need for a safety division. We have an established consulting practice focused on small and mid-sized businesses and are now looking for a Strategic Business Partner Specialized in Safety to represent and develop the safety side of our organization. 

The primary responsibilities for this role will be: effectively lead and manage all aspects of the safety division, develop a turnkey safety management system, provide preventative safety initiatives, monitor compliance, advise on appropriate actions as it relates to safety, and assist with ISNetworld. 
We are looking to fill this role immediately as we already have clients inquiring about our safety services. So if we have peaked your interest, please send your resume to safety.mgmt.resumes@gmail.com for consideration!

LINE COOKS AND OTHER POSITIONS

http://houston.craigslist.org/fbh/4536753758.html

compensation: Dependent upon experience and position, highly competitiveThe Pass & Provisions; named one of Bon Appetit's Top Ten best new restaurants in the US, is two unique dining experiences housed in a historic warehouse in Houston's fourth ward, is currently seeking motivated, and career minded candidates for all positions both Front and Back of the house. The two concepts, while strikingly different in style, set out to achieve a delicate balance of service and execution all the while creating a fun, entertaining and enjoyable dining experience. 

Current Open Postitions:

Pastry and Line Cooks- The Line Cook is responsible for working one of the following stations in the kitchen: Pastry, Roast, Wood Oven, Garde Manger. He/she will be in direct contact with the Chefs or Sous Chefs for all instructions on the station such as, but not limited to, menu changes. The Line Cook should be an expert at his/her particular station while having a working knowledge of all stations in the kitchen. He/she should be able to read and follow recipes and standards, train employees, and maintain health department, food quality, and restaurant standards. Some experience preferred. 

Servers and Backwaiters- The Server's responsibility is to serve guests in an accommodating and professional manner and to ensure total guest satisfaction. The Server is responsible for a specific station and should always be present on the floor making sure that service runs smoothly. The Sever will not only be knowledgeable and passionate about food, wine, and service in general, they will also possess a commanding knowledge of the food, wine, and service. He/she will be the main personal contact and ambassador to guide guests through their meal. An ability to lead their team will control the pace and flow of all the tables in their station. The Server will answer any questions, take all the orders from a table, and be available when dishes are being delivered to ensure they are correct and enjoyed by our guests. He/she should have the ability to provide highest standard of service; advanced communication and interpersonal skills; exceptional organizational skills; complete knowledge of service methods according to service handbook; detailed knowledge of silverware and glassware; basic accounting knowledge; general knowledge of the company and its policies; complete knowledge of service sequence and flow; ability to use POS system; ability to multi-task; ability to perform under pressure; strong sense of teamwork; and ability to work with others. Candidates will preferably have at least 2 years of serving experience in a upscale or fine dining restaurant. 

Hosts- The Host/Hostess is the first and last point of contact with the guest and is responsible for greeting, seating and saying goodbye to guests as well as maintaining the flow of the restaurant during service. He/she will also take and confirm reservations over the phone, retrieve messages and return phone calls in a clear, concise and accurate manner. The host/hostess will report directly to the Floor Manager and General Manager. This ideal candidate will have at least 1 year of experience as a host/hostess and knowledge of Open Table.

Bartenders- will assist professional, efficient and accurate service of all types of beverage including all wines on the list, beers, and cocktails both for the bar and dining rooms. He/she should have basic knowledge of classic cocktails, wine service and craft beers. He/She should be able to provide highest standard of service; advanced communication and interpersonal skills; exceptional organizational skills; complete knowledge of service methods according to service handbook; general knowledge of the company and its policies; complete knowledge of service sequence and flow; ability to use POS system; ability to multi-task; ability to perform under pressure; strong sense of teamwork; and a strong ability to work with others. Candidates will preferably have at least 2 years of bartending experience in a upscale bar or restaurant.

Interested candidates should respond with resumes pasted to the body of the email.

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Gaps in the healthcare system

When it comes to“developed” countries, America arguably has the worst of healthcare systems. Some might argue that it is based on the fact that many Americans have trouble affording healthcare. This notion would make sense considering America spends more money than any other developed country in health care services. Stemming from innovative drugs to imaging scans. Most countries use some type of rate-setting: the government sets specific prices for medical services that any hospital and doctor can charge. For this reason healthcare is simpler. These hospitals know that there is only one price for such surgeries like knee replacement or a kidney transplant. Yet, due to all of the behind the scenes negotiations between hospitals and insurance companies in the United States, there will continuously be many discrepancies in healthcare prices. The institute of Medicine defines equity as “providing care that does not vary in quality because personal characteristics” like income or location. The United States does not do a very good job of this. There are big differences in how Americans with different incomes use the health-care system. Lower income Americans are more likely to skip around their recommended care. Like other measures, this reflects the high costs and insurance gaps of the American System.