The following was stated: "The natural ability to withstand spider mites in cotton is grossly inefficient to begin with...a fraction of loss of grossly inefficient control is negligible to worry about to begin with." H.Kuska comment. No documented was provided. My understanding is that it depends on the variety. For example: "The rate of increase of two spotted spider mites was lower on the okra leaf cultivar Siokra, than on the normal leaf cultivar, Deltapine 90, indicating that Siokra is more resistant." The above is from: Title: Spider Mites (Acari: Tetranychidae) Affect Yield and Fiber Quality of Cotton Author: WILSON, L. J. Published in: Journal of Economic Entomology, Volume 86, Number 2, April 1993 , pp. 566-585(20) http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/esa/jee/1993/00000086/00000002/art00054 ----------------------------------------- What information does the article provide regarding "a fraction of loss of grossly inefficient control is negligible to worry about"? The article does not give actual numbers, but one can get an estimate from the graphs. When the % tannin is about 0.45, the number of mites is about 400. When the % tannin is about 1.0, the number of mites is about 175. The regular C12 cotton at seedling stage has about 1 % tannin, and the BT-C12 cotton has 0.5 % tannin. ----------------------------------------------------- My point is using this article is to demonstrate that my statement regarding the statement: "Because the genetic material is insect-specific, it poses no threat to the health of the crop or any other species." which was: H.Kuska comment: That sounds like an ideal solution but is it realistic? Nature has only so many biochemical routes available to it." can be documented with an example. This is the explanation that the authors propose for the effect of the Bt insertion. "Carbon and nitrogen metabolism are the most basic and major metabolic processes in plants. They are respectively related to the synthesis of carbohydrates and proteins. Gossypol and tannin are products of carbon metabolism in cotton plants; Bt protein expression is in the form of synthetic Bt protein, a nitrogen metabolic process (Yang et al. 2005). The insertion of the Bt gene usually enhances nitrogen metabolism in Bt cotton to promote the Bt protein expression. And selection for enhanced nitrogen metabolism will continue to be a priority in Bt cotton breeding program. It was reported that Bt cotton cultivars had higher intensity of leaf nitrogen metabolism than their wild parents, especially during squaring and boll-setting period (Chen et al. 2004). Enhanced nitrogen metabolism is bound to impact carbon metabolism, thus weakening the synthesis of condensed tannins in the cotton plant (Zhang and Guo 2000; Gao et al. 2008). In the present study, gossypol and tannin contents in Bt cotton leaves were substantially lower than in non-Bt cotton leaves. Similar results were observed by Olsen et al. (1998) who reported that total phenolic and tannins in Bt cotton were significantly reduced compared to conventional cotton. Also, Hagenbucher et al. (2013b) reported that Bt cotton contains reduced levels of induced terpenoids because of effective suppression of Bt-sensitive lepidopteran and suggested that lack of herbivore-induced secondary metabolites in Bt cotton was beneficial to non-target herbivores. Our results show that the occurrence of spider mites was more serious on Bt than non-Bt cotton, and the fitness of the mites to Bt cotton was higher than to non-Bt cotton. Thus, it is believed that the decreased generation time and the increased number of eggs laid by cotton spider mite were attributed to reductions in gossypol and tannin contents arising from gene insertion in Bt cotton."

Hi AuroraWA: You are right about the genetic factor which raise the risk of PD & plus more sensitive to pesticides. Not everyone is allergic to raisins like my kid, she has hay fever and many food allergies, which make her sensitive to pesticides. Raisins also has sulfur dioxide added as preservative. Sulfur dioxide is highest in yellow raisins, and that's her favorite for the past years. Thank God that my kid stops stuttering and neck-muscle-spasm after removal of raisins and dirty-dozen produce from her diet. Sam's Club, Walmart, and Trader's Joe all have organic produce at decent price. Genetic factor: if I have 1/4 cup of wine, I break out in rash rather than muscle-spasm. There's a genetic factor in Parkison's which makes a person more sensitive to pesticides. In my previous link on PD and hereditary, a twin posted on how his identical twin has PD, and he doesn't, see below link: "My identical twin brother has had Parkinson's for 14 years or so and has diskonesia; a side effect from the drugs he takes to manage his parkinsons. As we know identical twins start out from one egg and split into equal parts. Needless to say I don't have Parkinson's and can guarantee I will not get it. My twin brother is confined to his unit where he lives mostly and has cracked 9 ribs as well as his sturnum with the many falls caused by parkinsons." http://www.caring.com/questions/parkinsons-disease-hereditary Here's an excerpt from WebMD: "The UCLA researchers also found that people with a common variant of the ALDH2 gene are particularly vulnerable to these ALDH-inhibiting pesticides, according to a university news release. People with the variant are two to six times more likely to develop Parkinson's than those without the variant when exposed to the pesticides. The levels at which the pesticides inhibit ALDH are much lower than those at which they are currently used, according to the study in the Feb. 5 online issue of the journal Neurology ... "These pesticides are pretty ubiquitous, and can be found in our food supply and are used in parks and golf courses and in pest control inside buildings and homes." http://www.webmd.com/parkinsons-disease/news/20140203/more-pesticides-linked-to-parkinsons-risk From the below link: "According to the Parkinson’s Disease Foundation: Epidemiological research has identified several factors that may be linked to Parkinson’s, including rural living, well water, manganese and pesticides. Some studies have demonstrated that prolonged occupational exposure to certain chemicals is associated with an elevated risk of PD [Parkinson’s disease]. These include the insecticides permethrin and beta-hexachlorocyclohexane (beta-HCH), the herbicides paraquat and 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid and the fungicide maneb. In 2009, the US Department of Veterans Affairs added Parkinson’s to a list of diseases possibly associated with exposure to Agent Orange.” Separate research has further revealed that ambient exposure to organophosphate pesticides also increased the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease.6 Rotenone and paraquat are two additional pesticides linked to an increased risk of Parkinson's disease, and both are lipophilic, meaning they resist breaking down in water and accumulate in your fat. Both are also known to cross your blood-brain barrier. Dousing our crops with large amounts of glyphosate ��" the active ingredient in Monsanto’s broad-spectrum herbicide Roundup ��" may be another factor in the rising rates of Parkinson’s disease we’re now seeing,7 as these residues are found in all virtually all food containing genetically modified ingredients. " Here is a link that might be useful: Pesticides that trigger PD This post was edited by Strawberryhill on Wed, Oct 8, 14 at 9:39

Hi Jim: thank you for the link to Charleston Tea Plantation ...I'll definitely order some for Christmas ... I love the taste of green tea. Hubby drinks coffee, but that doesn't appeal to me. A friend sent me a link to how tainted foods from China are, such as contaminated vinegar with anti-freeze (lethal poison). A grandmother in Vietnam was healthy until she turned 98 years old and drank wine tainted with rubbing alcohol ... she became blind & sick and died afterwards. http://www.wired.com/2011/08/china-food-risk/ Pets are also affected by tainted foods from China. From Wikipedia about the 2007 pet food recalls "By the end of March, veterinary organizations reported more than 100 pet deaths amongst nearly 500 cases of kidney failure,[1] with one online database self-reporting as many as 3,600 deaths as of 11 April.[2][3] The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has received reports of several thousand cats and dogs who have died after eating contaminated food .... the actual death toll could potentially reach into the thousands.[6][7] Overall, several major companies have recalled more than 5300 pet food products, with most of the recalls coming from Menu Foods.[4] The contamination was caused by melamine in the affected foods. The Chinese company behind the contaminated wheat gluten has initially denied any involvement in the contamination. Reports of widespread and possibly intentional adulteration of Chinese animal feed with melamine have raised the issue of melamine contamination in the human food supply, both in China and abroad.[11] On 27 April, the U.S. FDA subjected all vegetable proteins imported from China, intended for human or animal consumption, to detention without physical examination, including: wheat gluten, rice gluten, rice protein, rice protein concentrate, corn gluten, corn gluten meal, corn byproducts, soy protein, soy gluten, proteins (includes amino acids and protein hydrosylates), and mung bean protein.[12] In a teleconference with reporters on 1 May, officials from the FDA and U.S. Department of Agriculture said between 2.5 and 3 million people in the United States had consumed chickens that had consumed feed containing contaminated vegetable protein from China.[13] Current research has focused on the combination of melamine and cyanuric acid in causing renal failure. Reports that cyanuric acid may be an independently and potentially widely used adulterant in China have heightened concerns for both pet and human health.[14] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_pet_food_recalls Dr. Oz TV-show tested high arsenic levels in major-brands apple-juice, such as Mott and Minute Maid, with China as their supplier. http://www.doctoroz.com/article/dr-oz-investigates-arsenic-apple-juice The Wall Street Journal has a list of foods most imported from China, here's an excerpt from below link: "Chinese imports dominate some food categories to a striking extent. In a testimony before a subcommittee of the House Foreign Affairs Committee in May (pdf), food safety expert Patty Lovera noted that China accounted for 80% of tilapia, 51% of cod, 49% of apple juice, 34% of processed mushrooms, 27% of garlic and 16% of frozen spinach consumed in the U.S. in 2011." Here is a link that might be useful: Wall Street Journal on foods imported from China

Flannel shirt, I guess (though I'm not exactly an afficionado of the season[s] in which I need it). Temp has been 56 - 60 or so in house in recent evenings ... and it's too early to turn on the furnace, yet. Five layers on the torso does the job ... and a washcloth with a safety pin to make a loop to go over my wrist so the fingers on the mouse don't freeze ('tother hand sits under the butt, on occasion as required). ole joyfuelled