Every sip of cow’s milk contains at least 59 different bioactive hormones. The genetically-modified milk we give our children contains growth hormones that are increasingly being linked to cancer growth and development as well as other serious health issues.

The average American drinks 22 gallons of milk a year. And don’t forget the 30 pounds of cheese and 17 pounds of ice cream we eat each year – which contains another 60 gallons of milk. So we each consume about 82 gallons of milk a year – I believe it since in my house we already buy 2 gallons of milk a week, and love both cheese and ice cream (Erin helps us keep our ice cream average).

In 1994, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the use of the recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone (rBGH). Injections of rBGH causes cows to produce up to 20 percent more milk. The growth hormone also stimulates the liver to increase Insulin-like Growth Factor 1 (IGF-1) levels in the milk by as much as 80%.

So why is IGF-1 so dangerous? Because by a freak of nature it is identical in cows and humans. This hormone has been found to be a key factor in the rapid growth and proliferation of breast, prostate and colon cancers.

So being a father of two girls it seems particularly disurbing, as IGF-1 is the only hormone known to make breast cancer grow once you have it. But also, research suggests that all those hormones are making young girls mature quicker and hit puberty younger.

As a little girl becomes a big girl, then a mature woman, she will naturally produce in her lifetime the equivalent of only one tablespoon of estrogen. Hormones work on a nanomolecular lever, which means that it takes only a billionth of a gram to produce a powerful biological effect. Should little girls be encouraged to pop estrogen, progesterone, and prolactin pills each day? If they drink cow’s milk, that is just what they are doing. If they eat cheese and ice cream, they ingest concentrated forms of these hormones.
Source: health101.org

European nations and Canada have banned rBGH to protect citizens from IGF-1 hazards. And I think our household will be following their lead and buying milk that is clearly labeled “NO rBGH” for now on. Also, buying European cheeses where rBGH milk is banned. In fact, we might make a harder push to buy much more organic everything! I know it will make our grocery bills go up significantly, but I think of it as preventative medicine for my daughters to avoid serious health issues. I’ll gladly pay today to avoid a tragedy someday.

But I also think we may need to reconsider our milk intake all together, because the more I look into it the more issues I see with milk. Is it possible we have been sold a myth about the healthfulness of milk? Why do only humans (and a minority at that) continue to drink milk in adulthood? How did we survive all those centuries before pasteurization and refrigeration which allows us to have milk?

“It’s not natural for humans to drink cow’s milk. Humans milk is for humans. Cow’s milk is for calves. You have no more need of cow’s milk than you do rats milk, horses milk or elephant’s milk. Cow’s milk is a high fat fluid exquisitely designed to turn a 65 lb baby calf into a 400 lb cow. That’s what cow’s milk is for!” — Dr Michael Klaper MD

Now that we have talked about the hormones found in all milk (regular and organic), we can mention the scores allergens, fat and cholesterol. Most cow’s milk has measurable quantities of herbicides, pesticides, dioxins (up to 200 times the safe levels), up to 52 powerful antibiotics (perhaps 53, with LS-50), blood (up to 1.5 million white blood cells per milliliter), pus (322 million cell-counts of pus per glass), feces, bacteria, viruses and traces of anything the cow ate.

Ugh, now even organic milk sounds nasty and I did not even go into HALF of the scary stuff I learned. Then again my uncle was a dairy farmer and he lived well into his 90s drinking milk right out of the vat with dead flies floating in it, so for now I am only going to worry about the growth hormones. Maybe it is even time to look into vegetal sources, like Almond or hemp milk? What’s next tofu cheese? Yikes – what is fatherhood doing to me?!?

Filed under: Fatherhood, Food | 5 Comments »

Another Judd Apatow film hits the big screen. His previous films were known for their raunchy crudeness and their hilarity: 40 year Old Virgin, Knocked Up, Pineapple Express, and about a dozen others film’s he has produced since being Adam Sandler’s roommate early in their comedic careers.

Get Him to The Greek is no different, it is irreverent, over-the-top raunchy and belly-splitting funny.

Russell Brand reprises his role as Aldous Snow from Apatow’s 2008 film Forgetting Sarah Marshall and is spot-on in recreating the great role of the wild, yet sensitive rock star. Jonah Hill plays his straight man and sidekick, who is given the tough task of getting Snow to a concert on time. Hill has been several Apatow films, including Superbad, Funny People and also Forgetting Sarah Marshall (although he is playing a different character in Get Him to the Greek.)

So let me first say that if Mom and Dad are reading this – do NOT go to this movie. You will NOT like it. However, if you have looser morals then my parents and can laugh at a movie that is wall-to-wall about sex, drugs and rock-n-roll, then go for it. You will laugh out loud, a lot.

Filed under: Movies | Comments Off on Get Him to The Greek

In a recent post I mentioned that I blew out a pair of flip-flops while at a restaurant and was able to fix them in the parking lot McGyver-style.

Well it has been requested by my hordes of readers that I show exactly what I did.

So please see the photo for how I took a piece of garbage from my car – a retail hook for hanging socks on a store peg – and used it to repair my $2 filp-flops so I was able to walk again.

I knew there was a reason I don’t clean my car out, you never know when you might need something.

Filed under: Whatever | Comments Off on Flip-Flop Blowout

Filed under: Fatherhood | Comments Off on Da Girls and Me

The Visitor

I had this movie on my watch list for some time – mostly because I really like Richard Jenkins and have never seen him play the central role in a film, he has always been more of a character actor with smaller supporting roles. The film is basically about a guy that is despondent with life since his wife died who meets a young bohemian couple who turn out to be illegal immigrants. One gets caught and deported. And while I clearly felt bad for the character that gets deported and didn’t like they way he was treated, I did take some issue with the repeated refrains of “He didn’t do anything wrong”. Because while its true he was a nice guy that just wanted to play music and live here, he was here illegally, so to say he didn’t do ANYTHING wrong is a little naive. However, it does show the darkside to the handling of illegals and puts a human face on those that just want a better life, so I am not trying to be a hardliner I just thought it should be noted. Also, although the movie has a serious and somber tone, I thought it missed out on some opportunities to inject some levity, Jenkins can be really funny and his fish-out-of-water character in this film could have easily led to some humorous moments.

Prince of Persia

Not a lot to say about this film. It was engaging and entertaining for the most part. I am a fan of the original video game, so there is some built-in fondness for it. I expected to be disappointed by Jake Gylenhall but was not, i thought he did great. And I expected Ben Kingsely to shine and he really didn’t – he seemed very underused as far as his potential. The one annoying part, that perhaps they had intended to be humorous is the 4 or 5 times the leads almost kiss. Why does there always have to be a love story? And I totally foresaw how neatly everything would be tied together at the end of the film, oh the advantages of a time-traveling plot device.

Toy Story 3

This was a great movie, it had all the charm of the other Toy Story films and is pact with humor and adventure. I laughed outloud at some of the Ken/Barbie scenes. (I had ot take Ella and Finn for a bathroom break during what I hear is the real scene-stealer of the movie – Spanish-speaking/dancing/romancing Buzz Lightyear). I remember thinking during the climactic escape scenes that it was one of the better action movies I had seen in a while, sorry Prince of Persia. I loved the Star Wars reference to Darth Vader throwing the Emperor to his death, but in this case it was the creepy and silent enforcer baby doll picking up the evil Lotso-Hugs Bear and throwing him into the trash – good stuff. The film had a really touching and nearly tear-inducing ending, where the gang of toys are passed on to a new owner that will love and play with them like Andy did. It was really sweet reminder of letting go of the past to make room for the future , but doing so in a way that enhances some else’s present and reminds you that your childhood will always be a part of who you are.

Filed under: Movies | Comments Off on The Visitor, Prince of Persia and Toy Story 3

Fatherhood is amazing. (and exhausting.)

Saturday I spent nearly the whole day with Ella and it was a lot of fun. We swam at the pool, which is turning into one of Ella and Is favorite summer activities. She is getting braver every time and actually swimming her own version of the doggie paddle.

After swimming I took her to a Chinese buffet. Erin is not big on buffets, but Ella and I love ’em. On this trip we had a few incidents. Ella dropped her whole first plate of food and I blew out my flip-flop and wasn’t able to walk around the restaurant. (luckily I have McGyver-like skills and fixed it.)

Then we were off to Toy Story 3 with all her friends (cousins). Ella and I had been looking forward to this movie coming out for months now. Ever since I took her to the double-feature of Toy Story 1 and 2. Ella brought a cute little bag loaded with candy and a water bottle, and then of course I still bought us a huge bucket of popcorn. She couldn’t wait to tell her cousins that she brought candy and wanted to share with them.

It was a really fun father/daughter day.

Sunday, my awesome wife let me sleep in, which was great since I was up late visiting with Kevo who stopped by for the first time in like 2 years! I was happy he got to hang out with the girls in the morning for a little while, because I talk about him to Ella enough that she was excited to see him.

Then Ella came and woke me up with a “happy father’s day” and an “I Love You”. Here is the card my girls made me (all three of them, since mom clearly helped) :

My dad sent me a father’s day card of a man riding a donkey, that said “If you want to sit on your ass all day its OK, you deserve it.” So I took it to heart and tried to be super lazy – but of course I still ended up doing some family stuff and working a few hours at night. But for me that’s a pretty relaxing day.

And now I am eating chocolate cake and drinking really good bottled root beer – some of my sweeter father’s day gifts.

Filed under: Fatherhood | 2 Comments »

A year ago today, an innocent woman was shot and killed. Within hours the whole world saw the video of her bleeding out on the streets of Iran. Her name was Neda Agha-Soltan and she became a symbol of the human cost to the protests against the oppressive and violent Iranian regime that clearly rigged last year’s presidential election. Neda was one of an estimated 76 people killed by the governments hired thugs during the peaceful street protests.

Neda is a Persian word for “voice”, “calling,” or “divine message,” and she has been referred to as the “Voice of Iran.”

Neda’s boyfriend at the time, Caspian Makan, said she wasn’t part of the Green Movement of Iran’s disputed election, saying she simply “wanted freedom for everyone and it was important to her that the homeland advance a step forward.”

“Love for mankind was part of [Neda’s] being,” said Makan, who was arrested and tortured for 6 days by the Iranian government, but has since fled the country.

Neda and Makan’s families were both badgered and bribed by the regime to blame her death on the protesters. When that failed the government publicly blamed the murder on “western” outsiders – first they said it was the CIA then they changed their story and accused a BBC reporter.

This all seems very familiar to the Tiananmen Square protests and massacre of 1989 and the attempted cover-up and arrests of dissidents that still happens today. Fitting since China is Iran’s most powerful ally.

It is poetic that a women should be the martyr for fight for democracy in Iran, one of the worst anti-women rights governments in the world. Iranian women also played a vital role in the Green Movement protests that brought millions of people into the streets last year.

For some crazy reason the United Nations just elected Iran to serve a four-year term on the Commission on the Status of Women. The U.N. calls the Commission “the principal global policy-making body” on women’s rights and claims it is “dedicated exclusively to gender equality and advancement of women.”

Let’s look at how Iran treats women:

• Punishment for a women accused of adultery is to bury them from the chest down and stone them to death. (If men are sentenced to stoning for a crime, they are only buried to the waist and if they escape during the stoning they are allowed to live.)
• Spousal rape is legal. Other rapes rarely get reported because women can get 80 lashes if they do not provide enough witnesses to prove the rape. Oh, and it takes two female witnesses to equal one male witness.
• Men can escape punishment for killing a wife caught in the act of adultery. In 2008, 50 of these so-called “honor killings” were reported during a seven-month period.”
• A woman can only get a divorce if her husband signs a contract granting that right, unless he is a drug addict, insane, or impotent. A husband is not required to cite a reason for divorcing his wife.
• Morality police roam the streets to harass or arrest women that are not completely covered head-to-toe in traditional Hijab.

Ok, i’ll stop the list there, but be sure there is much more. Let’s just say this is another example of the stupidity of the UN (of which American taxpayers pay 22% of the costs).

Read more on these important topics:
Death of Neda Agha-Soltan
2009-2010 Iranian election protests
Behind HBO’s Documentary “For Neda”
Tiananmen Square protests and Massacre of 1989

Filed under: News | Comments Off on Remembering Neda – The Voice of Iran

So I was surprised today to find out one of my overseas programmers that has been working for me for 3 months was a woman. I had no idea. Of course, when i admitted this to the programmers they laughed at me, because apparently Sumi is a common girl’s name over there. Who knew? Not me.

I joked with my wife that now I understand why Sumi was a slower worker and harder to communicate with. Just kidding of course.
(JOKE removed to prevent any misunderstandings)

So as if that wasn’t an interesting enough surprise, I also learned that she lives in an amazing part of India.

Here is what I found out about it:

Kerala, situated on the lush and tropical Malabar Coast, enjoys unique geographical features that have made it one of the most sought-after tourist destinations in Asia. Fondly referred to as “God’s Own Country”, Kerala was selected by the National Geographic Traveler as one of the 50 destinations of a lifetime and one of the thirteen paradises in the world. Its unique culture and traditions, coupled with its varied demographics, has made Kerala one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world.

Filed under: Whatever | Comments Off on God’s Own Country

10 years ago I had a press pass to the 2000 NBA Finals, and got to watch my favorite sports team the Indiana Pacers miss out on their only chance (so far) at an NBA championship. Who did they lose to? Some young punk Kobe Bryant (before his rape charges) and his then friend Shaq (I actually like Shaq).

Well skip ahead a decade to tonight and the Lakers just won their 5th title since then. Meanwhile the promising Pacers franchise was devastated mostly by the insanity of one guy – Ron Artest (of Malice in the Palace fame). So nevermind the Lakers dynasty adding another chapter and beating their rival Celtics for the first time in a game 7, way worse is the fact that Artest now has a frigging ring. The same nutball that used to drink Hennessy at halftime of games, now has a championship title and Reggie Miller doesn’t. And just to rub salt in my wounds he played a great game and is a big reason they won tonight and several other times this postseason. Ugh.

And who do they interview after the confetti fell? Ron Ron. Of course, he didn’t answer any questions because he was too busy shouting out to his hood and thanking his psychiatrist before plugging his newest single that’s coming out. Ugh ugh ugh.

And then they give the MVP to Kobe when it should have gone to Pau Gasol – one of the only players on the Lakers I actually like. Ugh, so depressing.

… When does next season start?

UPDATE: Ok, so today I watched Ron Artest press conference and was thrilled to hear him open his conference by basically apologizing to the Pacers – crazy. I loved Ron when he was a Pacer and I am big enough to forgive him and be happy for him. He’s still as nutty as a Chinese salad, but he seems sincere and his interview is hilarious: “Kobe passed me the ball. Kobe never passes me the ball. … Phil didn’t want me to shoot the 3, but I was like whatever, boom.”

Filed under: Sports | Comments Off on Ugh, so depressing

Ella has become my partner in the Deuce Vending business we started up last year.

She loves to stack the quarters and put them in the coin wrappers. (Even though banks nowadays just bust them out of the wrappers when you take them in – I think Ella would not be happy if she saw this happening after all her hard work.)

She also gets out a little pad of paper and marks down things like she is doing the accounting. The pads are mostly a list of zeroes and ones, but she makes up very complicated meanings to them all.

Its all very cute and makes it a fun activity. The only other part of the business she likes better then “counting quarters” is to eat all the surplus inventory!

Filed under: Fatherhood | Comments Off on My lil’ business partner