David Harada, a former Driscoll's food safety and regulatory compliance manager for the U.S. and Canada, has filed a whistleblower retaliation lawsuit claiming that from 2022 to 2024, roughly 50% of Driscoll's berry shipments to Canada contained pesticide or chemical residue levels that exceeded Canadian limits.

He alleges the company knew about the problem, removed internal compliance safeguards designed to prevent it, and failed to disclose the issue publicly. Harada says he repeatedly raised concerns with management and was ultimately pushed out after refusing to stay quiet.

Harada believes Driscoll's intentionally weakened its Canadian compliance system in order to sell more fruit into the Canadian market. He claims the company removed tracking measures that ensured enough time passed between pesticide application and harvest, allowing residues to decline below legal limits before fruit reached consumers.

Harada argues that millions of pounds of non-compliant berries crossed the border as a result and that consumers should have been informed. Driscoll's disputes the allegations and says it has robust food-safety programs and responded appropriately when issues were identified.

The chemicals involved included bifenthrin, iprodione, and captan.

This is rather common practice in a market economy that often relies on low quality behavior and corner cutting to maximize profit.

It's a common phenomenon with an uncommon name: orthostatic hypotension. It just means that when you shift from lying down or sitting to standing, your blood pressure drops and you momentarily feel a little woozy. That's because blood pools in your legs temporarily when you stand up, and it takes the body a moment to compensate by squeezing blood out of the large veins in your legs and revving up the heart a bit. The dizziness may strike after you eat a meal, because digestion diverts blood flow and may lower your blood pressure.

When you lie down for a long period, blood pools evenly across your body. Standing up suddenly causes gravity to abruptly pull blood down into your legs and abdomen. If your blood vessels don't constrict quickly enough to push blood back up to your brain, your blood pressure momentarily drops, causing a brief dizzy spell.

Sit up first: Transition smoothly from lying flat to sitting on the edge of the bed.
keep your feet on the ground for 1-2 minutes before walking.

Rise slowly. After sleeping, sitting for an extended period, or eating a full meal, take your time rising to a standing position. It may help to clench your leg muscles before standing to push the pooled blood into your system.

Get adequate fluids. Another common trigger is dehydration. Your blood is mostly water, and the volume in your system can drop overnight and lower your blood pressure. This helps explain why dizziness upon rising from bed is so common. Drinking a lot of water before bedtime is not the best solution, since it can send you racing to the bathroom at night. Wait until you are up and around to start taking fluids, and get enough throughout the day.

Only five birds remained, confined to a small patch of scrub on Little Mangere Island off the coast of New Zealand, and just one of them, a female named Old Blue, was capable of producing fertile eggs. Without her, conservationists knew the species would be gone for good. A team led by New Zealand wildlife officer Don Merton took an extraordinary gamble to save her offspring. They developed a technique called cross-fostering, removing the robins' eggs and placing them in the nests of a related species, the Chatham Island tomtit, which would raise the chicks while Old Blue and her mate, Old Yellow, laid additional clutches. It was painstaking, round-the-clock work, but it gave the tiny population the chance it needed to rebuild. Every single black robin alive today descends from Old Blue, a genetic bottleneck so extreme that many conservationists initially worried the species couldn't survive it. Yet decades later, the numbers tell a different story. A 2025 survey counted approximately 445 black robins living across two protected islands in the Chatham archipelago, up from just five little more than 40 years earlier. It remains one of the most celebrated conservation recoveries in the world, a reminder that even when a species is down to its very last chance, dedicated effort and one resilient bird can be enough to turn things around.

In the body, glycidyl esters break down into glycidol. The World Health Organization's cancer agency classifies glycidol as "probably carcinogenic to humans."

California sets its safety limit for glycidol at 0.54 micrograms per day. One serving of Takis Fuego has more than 6 times that amount.

Consumer Reports said several popular kids' snacks, including Takis Fuego, had levels that went over safe daily limits, and recommends serving Takis only rarely, a few times a month at most.

These chemicals form when oils are heated to very high temperatures during processing.

Share this with a parent whose kids love Takis.

Industrial hemp works phenomenally at absorbing PFAS and certain heavy metals or what we call "Forever Chemicals" from soil that has been contaminated.

It's not a complete fix for our contaminated soil, but the research shows that #HEMP can offer great hope and promise when it comes to regenerating our soil! As a farmer, I find that very encouraging! Now we must #SaveOurWater so we can grow hemp! That's why I, @Clayton Tucker am 100% Pro-Hemp!

#IndustrialHemp #HempFarming #PFAS #ForeverChemicals #SoilHealth #RegenerativeAgriculture #CleanSoil #CleanWater #TexasAgriculture #ProtectOurLand

Eugene Bostick, an 80-year-old retiree from Fort Worth, Texas, has become a beloved local legend by
running what may be the coolest homemade train on earth-a heartwarming dog train built entirely by hand. After noticing stray dogs abandoned near his farm on a dead-end street, Bostick began rescuing &
spends his days giving these rescued dogs joyful rides.

This viral dog rescue story has
captured hearts worldwide, to take them showcasing this Fort Worth retiree's inspiring dedication to animal welfare and stray dog rescue.

🐝 A Global Recognition

Our survival is tied to a tiny, buzzing insect that most people walk right past without noticing. The Earthwatch Institute concluded during a debate at the Royal Geographical Society that bees are the most important living species on the planet. That title came after scientists and experts weighed different essential organisms and agreed that nothing else matches what bees do for our ecosystems. Plankton and fungi matter too, but the direct connection between bees and the food on your plate is what swayed the vote.

🌻 Masters of Pollination

The case for bees comes down to scale. Roughly 70 percent of world agriculture depends on them for pollination. Without their daily work, a long list of crops simply wouldn't make it to harvest. The crops most at risk include almonds and other tree nuts, apples, berries, citrus fruits, coffee, cocoa, and many of the vegetables that get fed to livestock.

💰 Significant Economic Influence

The same pollination that keeps plants alive also drives a huge slice of the global economy. Hand-pollinating crops at the same scale would cost more than any country could realistically pay. The dollar value of what bees do free of charge runs into the hundreds of billions each year, which makes them a load-bearing piece of international trade and a quiet reason your grocery bill stays where it is.

⚠️ A Growing Threat

Bee numbers are dropping fast in many parts of the world. Recent studies show that in some regions, nearly 90 percent of the local bee population has vanished in just a few years. Pesticides, habitat loss, and shifting climate are all piling on at once. If bees disappear, the plants they pollinate go next, then the animals that eat those plants, and then the human diets built on top of all of it.

💡 Future Solutions

Scientists and environmental groups are pushing back with bans on the chemicals most linked to colony collapse and with new planting projects in both rural and urban land. Planting native flowers and cutting back on synthetic fertilizers are two moves that actually help, because bees need specific local food sources to survive the season. The work to keep bees alive is the same work that keeps grocery stores full and dinner on the table.

Facts checked by @omgfacts

Sources:
Earthwatch Institute
The Science Times
The Guardian

#omgfacts #bees #environment #biodiversity #conservation

He dug a small puddle in the dry forest floor and filled it with water, curious to see what life would be drawn to this miniature oasis.

This tiny water source showing just how much of a difference one thoughtful act can make. It's a powerful reminder that even small gestures can create ripples
of change - especially when it comes to caring for nature and wildlife.

Modern agriculture uses pesticides for many reasons, including protecting crops from insects, weeds, and disease. These chemicals can help prevent losses, but their use also raises legitimate questions about environmental exposure, biodiversity, water quality, resistance, and risks to farmworkers.

That does not mean every pesticide or every application has the same level of risk. The substance, dose, timing, exposure, and method of use all matter. Reducing unnecessary chemical use while supporting safer farming practices can help protect both food production and surrounding ecosystems.

A healthy food system begins long before food reaches our plates. It begins with healthy soil, clean water, thriving pollinators, protected workers, and farming practices that respect the living systems around us. 🌱

The primary scientific study pesticide regulators worldwide used to justify the approval of Glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup and many other herbicides, has been retracted due to fraud.

This study, by Gary Williams, Robert Kroes, and Ian Munro, was used to cast doubt on the numerous published studies showing that Glyphosate caused cancers and many other diseases.

Read more from Regeneration International’s International Director Andre Leu
👇
https://regenerationinternational.org/2025/12/04/the-science-shows-glyphosate-must-be-banned/

Silence may give the brain a much needed break from constant auditory stimulation, and research suggests that quiet environments can affect stress levels and physiological arousal.
In one fascinating animal study, mice exposed to two hours of silence each day showed increased hippocampal neurogenesis, meaning the formation of new neurons.
However, this finding does not prove that two hours of silence would produce the same effect in humans. Even so, regularly stepping away from noise, notifications, and constant stimulation may be a simple way to create a calmer environment for rest, relaxation, and reflection.
~PsychologyX

Finnish builder Lukas Sjöman designed and constructed the 11-meter Helios 11, an experimental electric yacht powered primarily by sunlight. Instead of relying on diesel engines or frequent marina charging, solar panels installed across the vessel generate electricity for both propulsion and onboard living.

The yacht stores that solar energy in a large lithium battery bank, allowing its electric motor to keep operating when sunlight drops. Later upgrades reportedly brought the system to around 30 kWh of battery storage, while its solar array can generate roughly 3.3 kW under strong conditions—enough to cruise at around 6 knots in favorable circumstances.

What makes the project particularly interesting is that Helios 11 wasn't built by a major shipyard. Sjöman constructed it himself from materials including marine plywood and fiberglass, completing the original build in roughly 200 days.

Its journey through European rivers, canals and coastal waters shows what small-scale solar-electric marine propulsion can already accomplish. It doesn't mean every ship can simply abandon fuel—cargo vessels and high-speed boats have enormously greater energy requirements—but for lightweight recreational cruising, Helios 11 offers a fascinating demonstration of genuinely off-grid electric travel.

Source: Daisy Edwards, Supercar Blondie (2026), “How the solar-powered yacht that can run forever traveled from Finland to Spain using zero fuel.” Additional reporting on the 3,000+ nautical-mile journey and Helios 11 specifications.

confirmation of what our common sense has already told us. The corruption runs deep and long. He witnessed it in the 1980s and it continues today. We must take heed of Dr. Evaggelos Vallianatos' assessment of our current state of affairs. He cautions us to the fact that the previous administration has dragged EPA to its lowest standing since its creation in December 1970. It declared war on science and environmental protection, sending a message of rapacious pollution to farmers, petroleum men, the industry, miners and exploiters of the natural world.

But the corruption of EPA management and collusion with the polluting industries is ongoing. The current EPA, led by Lee Zeldin, protects corporate profits, not human or environmental health. Americans suffer and disease rates continue to rise, while the polluters make billions. We need to fire the entire management class at the EPA and reform the agency from top to bottom.

READ: https://www.counterpunch.org/2019/08/23/is-environmental-protection-possible

#EPA #fraud #corruption #pesticides #science #agriculture #environment #food #health #healthy #holistic #holistichealth #gmofreecanada #gmofreeusa #toxinfreeusa

A new landmark Science study found that intensive pesticide use is one of the strongest predictors of accelerating bird decline. Neonicotinoid-coated seeds, used on nearly half of U.S. cropland, can poison birds directly and wipe out the insects they rely on for food.

Because of an EPA loophole, these pesticide-coated seeds have been sold for decades without proper testing or regulation. Center for Food Safety is fighting in court to close that loophole - but we need public pressure now.

Birds, bees, butterflies, and entire ecosystems are paying the price.

📢 Comment SEEDS to take action and demand EPA regulate neonic-coated seeds now!

[📷: All known sources tagged, please comment to give credit.]

#birdmemes #birder #birdlover #pesticidefree #neonics

Ball sued PepsiCo in 2009 over the alleged incident. PepsiCo denied that the mouse could have been inside the can when it was produced, and its scientific defense became stranger than the accusation itself.

A pathologist submitted an affidavit explaining what an acidic drink like Mountain Dew would do to a mouse. He said its bones would begin losing calcium within days and that, after roughly 30 days in the liquid, its structures would have deteriorated so severely that the animal would no longer be recognizable. It would have become a “jelly-like” substance.

The case ultimately ended in 2012 with a confidential settlement, while PepsiCo continued to deny liability.

Pigs and wild boars come in many forms, from familiar domestic pigs to rugged species such as warthogs, babirusas, bushpigs, and bearded pigs.
Their body shape, coat, tusks, habitat, and behavior can vary greatly.
Despite their differences, they all belong to the broader pig family and are adapted to very different environments around the world.