A S'WELL Voyage to Mercury

The Space Alien finds hydration indispensable for maintaining a fresh, dewy complexion, and therefore never travels without a beautiful and practical S'WELL bottle full of pure, filtered water.

This was true on a recent mission to Mercury, the planet closest to the sun, where during uncommonly long days, temperatures fluctuate wildly between a frosty -280° degrees F and a scorching 800°F.

Surface of Mercury where Space Alien Stayed Hydrated

While exploring the rocky, crater-pocked surface of this tiny planet to gather samples of the spacecrafts Mariner (which crashed into Mercury in 2004) and Messenger (which met its end on that planet in 2015), the Space Alien enjoyed frequent sips of cool, refreshing water from a beautiful S'WELL bottle which maintains the temperature of hot or cold liquids for up to 12 hours under the most extreme conditions, and, best of all, appeals to the Space Alien's fine-honed aesthetic sensibility.

Sadly, an unfortunate collision with a meteor resulted in loss of the spacecraft samples intended for American universities and museums, but fortunately the Space Alien was not injured and the sturdy S'Well bottle, a gift from a thoughtful reader, sustained no damage.

The Space Alien loves this 17 Oz S'WELL bottle with its intergalactic cloud design. 

The DARK Act is Signed into Law. It will Deny Americans the Right to Know what is in their Food

On Friday, July 29, 2016, President Obama tossed American consumers a life preserver filled with lead as he signed S. 764, dubbed the DARK Act because it Denies Americans the Right to Know if their food is genetically engineered.

The DARK Act "White House Petition"  had received over 100,000 names and was therefore "considered," but the petition was in the end rejected. So for now, states may not be able to require genetically engineered food to be identified as such. Find more information at Illinois Right to Know GMO here.

The Space Alien is saddened but will not be deterred from efforts to bring to light the many problems associated with genetically engineered food.  The Space Alien cares!

To learn about some of these problems, the Space Alien hopes that readers will read Altered Genes, Twisted Truth by Steven Druker and GMO Myths and Truths, 3rd Edition, by Michael Antoniou et al. study the books offered in the sidebar, or ask their public library to acquire them.

The deception involved in bringing these foods to market was summarized recently by Steven Druker in Independent Science News.  To read this analysis click here.  And for a genetic scientist's view of the risks involved because of inadequate safety assessment of genetically engineered crops, click here.

The Space Alien was particularly distressed during a Philadelphia flyover this past week to see a former U. S. President (and spouse of the current Democratic nominee for that office)  chatting it up with the current U. S. Secretary of Agriculture seated at his right hand.

This Ag Sec has unfortunately been a strong supporter of genetic engineering and he is certainly no friend of mandatory, clear, on-package labeling.  This duo looked to the Space Alien like two kids on a date at a rock concert.  Is this a portent of things to come?  The Space Alien believes it is, and this is worrisome.

BFF's at the Democratic Convention

Why does Space Alien Love Scrub Daddy?

Living in space where temperatures fluctuate wildly between absolute zero and ten times the interior temperature of the sun, skin care is a must for the Space Alien.  That's why the SA always packs Scrub Daddy sponges for personal cleanup and exfoliation.  Soft when wet and mildly abrasive when dry, these miracle sponges never leave a scratch on the SA's sensitive skin.  

For those of us with kitchens, the smiley-faced Scrub Daddy is indispensable. 
The Space Alien believes it second only to the invention of the wheel in it's potential for good. 
So be like the Space Alien and pick up some of these lemon-scented household helpers for yourself!  
To learn more, and for purchasing information,  click here.

To buy Scrub Daddy sponges on Amazon: Click here. 

To buy a handy Scrub Daddy caddy: Click here.

Scrub Daddy

Added Sugars to be Labeled at Last!

The Space Alien is thrilled that the Food and Drug Administration will now require ADDED SUGARS to be labeled, but disappointed that this will not be enforced until July, 2018 (for large companies) or July, 2019 (for smaller companies), and is also concerned that Americans may find it difficult to understand the amounts of added sugar when expressed in grams.  To see the FDA bulletin on added sugar labeling, click here.

The Space Alien, cognizant of the health burdens associated with added sugar (to learn more click here),  hopes to help Americans make the leap from grams to teaspoons with some help from the SAG Bazaar (at the foot of this blog).

The Space Alien would like to remind human readers to observe these limits for added sugar:

Men: 37.5 grams = 9 teaspoons = 150 calories.

Women: 25 grams = 6 teaspoons = 100 calories.

The Space Alien cares!

When Were we Great?

The Space Alien is curious about the use of the word "again" in the slogan of a current presidential candidate:  "Make America Great Again."  This slogan implies that America was only great at some earlier time.  So when, exactly, was America great in this speaker's opinion?

The Space Alien wonders if he means the Great Ice Age when glaciers covered the North American continent.  The Space Alien loves winter sports and truly enjoyed slipping and sliding over thousands of miles of frozen landscape in the company of friendly wooly mammoths during that chilly era.

Photographed by the Space Alien

Perhaps, however, he means the Mesozoic Era when dinosaurs roamed the Earth.  Some of the Space Alien's best friends were dinosaurs and they are sorely missed.

Photographed by the Space Alien

The Space Alien wishes politicians and others using this term would clarify as to exactly when in the past America was so great that we would need to return to that time.

The Space Alien Takes a Holiday

All work and no play makes for a dull Space Alien.  The Indiana Dunes offer a relaxing getaway reminiscent of another lovely planet where the Space Alien first --- but we won't go there.  Let's just say that the Space Alien loves a hover over tummy-tickling dune grass followed by a refreshing splash in Lake Michigan, truly a Great Lake!

Should Corporations Enjoy the Same Rights as Humans?

Saturday, July 23, 2016

A perspicacious reader, having read the first few posts of the SAG, asked whether, besides GMOs and Small Electric Kitchen Appliances, anything else mattered to the Space Alien.   The answer is a full-throated YES!  Coming from deep space, the Space Alien cares deeply about many things.  Among these are matters relating to Corporate Personhood, or the notion that corporations should enjoy the same Constitutional rights as natural humans. 

Since the Space Alien accepts not being a natural person enjoying the same rights under the Constitution as natural persons, it cannot understand why corporations, which are, after all,  no more than legal constructs, should be so regarded.   The Space Alien has studied with great interest the website of Move to Amend, an organization seeking a Constitutional amendment to end  the practice of according to corporations rights properly limited to natural human beings.  To  learn more about Move to Amend,  click here.

Right now Move to Amend is gathering Congressional sponsors for this amendment.  The Space Alien trusts that when you have studied this website you will agree that such an amendment is long past due and will want to be in touch with your own Congressmen and Senators in this regard.

GMOs Could be Sold With Stealth Labeling!

The Space Alien watched in dismay on July 7, 2016  (Senate) and July 12, 2016  (House) as the U. S. Congress rushed to blindfold consumers by allowing Genetically Engineered foods to be "labeled" by coded means accessible only to those with smart phones and the time and knowledge to use special code reading applications. Please see more recent post about the DARK Act which Denies Americans the Right to Know.

This industry-driven move mimics the efforts of our military to keep secrets out of enemy hands.
So it appears to the Space Alien that to industry, consumers are the enemy.

Here is the Bill they voted on: S 764 (which included other things so do not be confused!)
Text of S 764

Here is how our legislators voted!  
YES means a vote for industry obfuscation! ☹️
NO means a vote for the American  consumer!  😊

Vote in U. S. Senate

Vote in U. S. House of Representatives

(Don't be confused; this is the labeling bill.)

The Space Alien is happy to report that in Space, as in almost all countries of the industrialized world, clear, on package labeling of genetically engineered foods is required.    Sadly, the United States Congress has not gotten the message.   Perhaps voters will deliver this message on Election Day!

The Space Alien's Favorite Small Electrical Kitchen Appliances

Whirling through space at terrific speeds, exceeding the speed of light, the Space Alien must travel light.  That's why small electrical kitchen appliances are de rigeur to allow the Space Alien to maintain good nutrition at all times.

With the help of the editor, the Space Alien offers this essay on the very best small electrical kitchen appliances for the health-conscious solo traveler!  To see a pdf document about them, click here .

To see a doc file about them click here.  The "live links" should work better in this version.

To learn more about preparing whole food, unprocessed, oil free plant based meals using these appliances, please visit your editor's Whole Food Plant Based Nutrition blog:  wfpbn.blogspot.com.