Officials from Iowa and the United States Department of Agriculture have confirmed a pet cat in the United States has tested positive for the H1N1 virus.  This is the first time a feline has contracted the H1N1 virus in the United States, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA).

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Last week, I participated in a community-based conversation about vaccinations at our local library that included two of our medical center’s nursing staff and a bunch of smart, well-researched, concerned moms. Though I’ve written two previous posts about vaccinations, I was compelled to write yet another to share the conclusion I and others came to at the end of this community discussion.

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A new ad campaign, sponsored by three government agencies, will feature Elmo and Gordon teaming up. They’ll spread the message on how not to spread germs: wash hands frequently, cough and sneeze into your elbow, and keep your hands away from your face.

The best part? They don’t mention the swine flu vaccine in any of the 30-second PSAs. See?

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I’m dying to write a light-hearted post, but I keep coming across new news on the potential risks involved with Gardisil, the teen vaccine intended to stave off cervical cancer, and the swine flu vaccine and I feel that I must continue to get the word out on vaccines. The more I read and listen, the more suspicious I am becoming that our national vaccination policy is a well-meaning government program that, like so many others, is caught up in nasty politics and big business.

As a side note, it is difficult to write about these matters without sounding alarmist. My goal here is to encourage parents to educate themselves about vaccines. Like any medical issue, citizens need to take responsibility for their own health. It is too easy to just do what the doctor says. See my last post about vaccinating baby for more resources that can help educate you about the potential hazards of vaccinations.

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First, you need to know this: most widely available doses of the swine flu vaccine will contain thimerosal, a mercury-laden preservative that has been removed from most vaccines on the Recommended Immunization Schedule over fears of neurological effects.

Also, there are ways you can protect even the littlest members of your family, without giving them a vaccine.

What? It’s either stock up on the Tamiflu or line up for the vaccine? Not so fast, there…

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Cities that are worst hit are closing schools, shopping malls, theaters and other public places. Screening centers authorized for carrying out the H1N1 test are flooded with unwell people eager to get tested even as the Government struggles to keep panic at bay.

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The swine flu vaccine, in many cases, will also contain thimerosal.

Now, scientists in Denmark have discovered the first strain of H1N1 that is resistant to Tamiflu. Officials there issued a statement, quoted by Reuters:

It does not constitute a risk to public health and does not cause changes to the recommendations for the use of oseltamivir (Tamiflu).

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Now the Washington Post confirms that most of the swine flu vaccines that will be available in the fall, probably in October, will contain thimerosal.

Considering that children are among the first ones pushed to get the vax, this is worrisome.

Thimerosal is about half mercury. It is an antibacterial additive allowing caregivers to administer shots in multi doses. Really, the main benefit is that it’s more cost effective than single dose shots. But mercury is a known neurotoxin, one that pregnant women and children carefully steer clear from when choosing fish meals.

So why should we trust that thimerosal in vaccines is any safer?

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Of the 45 initial deaths from H1N1 (between April 15 and June 16), 6 were pregnant women. Although that doesn’t sound like a lot, proportionally it’s huge. It’s 13 percent of swine flu deaths, whereas only 1 percent of the population overall is pregnant at any given time. They face a higher death risk and a higher hospitalization risk.

In general pregnant women get sicker for longer.

Experts know they’re climbing an uphill battle with preggos. Many are hesitant to take anything during pregnancy, and OBs don’t generally prescribe medications unless absolutely necessary.

So should all pregnant women jump on this vaccine bandwagon, especially for a shot that is just starting to be tested?

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As you may remember, the National Institutes of Health has begun recruiting volunteers, some as young as 6 months, to test the new vaccines.

The first time the government had a major round of swine flu vaccines, many complained of adverse side effects and filed claims against the companies. But this time, the government has nipped it in the bud. We’re protecting the companies before we even know what those side effects might be.

That’s because vaccines aren’t as profitable for manufacturers as other drugs, so the makers took a stance that worried government officials, thus leading to the legal immunity. The attitude of the companies was,

Do we really need this?

I don’t know about you, but I’m asking the same thing.

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The first wave of shots is to be tested on healthy adults, but once safety is assured, they’ll look to try them new vax on babies as young as 6 months.

However, it seems that the government is simultaneously rushing the vaccine while protecting the pharmaceutical companies from lawsuits.

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This column highlights the top economic stories of the week.

Many Japanese, want what amounts to a revolution in a politically risk-averse nation: the ousting of the Liberal Democratic Party, which has governed Japan for more than a half-century. More on this story here.

The world’s largest retailer, Wal-Mart Stores is on a mission to determine the social and environmental impact of every item it puts on its shelves. And it has recruited scholars, suppliers, and environmental groups to help it create an electronic indexing system to do that. More on this story here.

Europe is gearing up for a major swine flu outbreak in the Fall. New calculations from the U.K.’s Department of Health suggest that, in the worst-case scenario, 63,000 people in the country could die after contracting the H1N1 flu virus in the first wave of the pandemic. More on this story here.

Economic downturns have historically been times in which there are more startup businesses than usual.  This particular recession is a great time to start a green business.  One easy place to start, for someone without a great deal of startup capital or knowledge base, would be to start a mobile food vendor business.  More on this story here.

Nabucco and other new gas pipelines may make Europe’s energy more secure, but market liberalisation matters too. More on this story here.

The opening session of Intersolar North America was packed and full of energy. The solar trade show almost tripled its exhibition space and more than doubled the number of exhibitors from last year, when the first North America Intersolar show was also hosted in San Francisco. More on this story here.

These examples make me wonder about all vaccines, but particularly the  H1N1 vaccine.  I can’t help but put this one in my “suspicious” category as well, even though it hasn’t been around very long. Everything I read about this one smells like someone making money. The southern hemisphere has already gone through flu season and swine flu ran its course. So far the swine flu is no more deadly than the regular old flu that comes through year after year. The shot is full of controversial ingredients, including mercury or squalene as the adjuvant (squalene is the ingredient in the soldier-mandated anthrax vaccine from the first Gulf War and the cause of Gulf War Syndrome). The H1N1 vaccine is another fast-tracked vaccine which means it has undergone very few safety studies. They are finding that 2-4 shots must be given to ensure effectiveness. That can mean up to 48mcg of mercury, more than 3 times the “safe” amount for an adult that weighs 125lbs (if the shot you get uses Mercury as the adjuvant). Lastly, I think it’s interesting that one of the U.S.’s most famous doctor’s wife and children will not be getting the H1N1 vaccine. Check out this clip of Dr. Oz on CNN (sounds like his wife wears the pants in their family):

This post contains additional media. Click here to view the full post..

A nurse at our community meeting said it best: “Probably the best thing you can do this flu season is make sure you are prepared to hunker down at home for 2-4 weeks if the swine flu hits your home town hard. That means having enough food, Tylenol, and anything else you need so that you don’t have to leave the house.” Personally, I’m more worried about the long-term effects of the vaccine than I am getting the virus. We plan to be prepared  to stay home vs risking putting a highly controversial vaccine into our or our baby’s bodies.

Here’s the problem with “suspicious” vaccines: mindful, research-oriented parents like me are beginning to distrust the entire vaccination industry and government recommendations because of the controversy surrounding vaccines that are pushed by the CDC yet have been proven ineffective (Gardisil, chickenpox), are inappropriate (Hep B), where the disease can be prevented by less risky means (Gardisil), or where the risks from getting the vaccine could be worse than getting the disease itself (all vaccines mentioned above).  Many of us parents have become paralyzed, only partially vaccinating or not vaccinating our kids at all.

Unfortunately, there are no clear answers, and, given the dynamics of big business and government pockets, it is hard to know who to trust. Dr. Mercola recently wrote an article pleading with parents to not give their children the H1N1 vaccine due its potential dangers and the unwarranted fear of the flu itself. In it, he mentions the size of government contracts for H1N1 producers. I know someone needs to produce (necessary) vaccines and they should be paid for it, but, at what point, does greed come into play?

One of the main reasons I am generally tentative about vaccinations is that, in addition to my fears of short-term severe reactions, I am increasingly more concerned about the long-term effects of vaccines on our health, given the rise of unexplained autoimmune disease, autism, and neurological disorders that seem to have risen in parallel with the number of vaccinations we are administering to our children. Frankly, given these concerns plus the CDC push of seemingly unnecessary vaccines, I am having a hard time signing up to give my daughter any vaccines.  Yet I and many other mothers I talk to are concerned that, perhaps, some vaccines warrant being given. We wonder how stupid we will feel if our child contracts one of the actually deadly diseases because we chose not to vaccinate for it. We are on our own, as usual, taking ours and our children’s health into our own hands.

This column highlights the top economic stories of the week.

Hopes for an accelerated recovery during the second half of 2009 were diminished this week as most of the economic headlines turned negative after several months of encouraging signs. Job losses exceeded economists’ expectations, with the nation’s unemployment rate now standing at a new 26-year high. More on this story here.

Obama Administration Readies $3 Billion for Renewable Energy. The $3 billion in grants are designed to temporarily replace the production tax credit that has been a critical factor in the growth of renewable energy capacity in U.S. More on this story here.

Just months after the swine flu pandemic panicked the world, varying strains of the Ebola virus have been discovered in pigs, and they may be jumping between swine and humans effortlessly. More on this story here.

San Francisco’s Mayor Gavin Newsom passed into law an ordinance that requires all residential and commercial building owners sign up for recycling and composting services.  More on this story here.

There has been some controversy this week over whether global warming is an actual phenomenon or whether it is simply propaganda pushed by the liberal media. On Wednesday, Fox hosted Alan Carlin, a “legendary” EPA official and co-author of an internal document disproving global warming. The document was subsequently “suppressed,” by the EPA. More on this story here.

Have you heard of the “agritainment industry?” According to the Economist, it has taken off with a bang. The UK’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) says that a tenth of farms have diversified into a variety of sports and recreation activities to supplement their earnings. A growing “agritainment” sector includes bed-and-breakfast accommodation, wedding venues and shooting ranges (both real and paintball). 

These examples make me wonder about all vaccines, but particularly the  H1N1 vaccine.  I can’t help but put this one in my “suspicious” category as well, even though it hasn’t been around very long. Everything I read about this one smells like someone making money. The southern hemisphere has already gone through flu season and swine flu ran its course. So far the swine flu is no more deadly than the regular old flu that comes through year after year. The shot is full of controversial ingredients, including mercury or squalene as the adjuvant (squalene is the ingredient in the soldier-mandated anthrax vaccine from the first Gulf War and the cause of Gulf War Syndrome). The H1N1 vaccine is another fast-tracked vaccine which means it has undergone very few safety studies. They are finding that 2-4 shots must be given to ensure effectiveness. That can mean up to 48mcg of mercury, more than 3 times the “safe” amount for an adult that weighs 125lbs (if the shot you get uses Mercury as the adjuvant). Lastly, I think it’s interesting that one of the U.S.’s most famous doctor’s wife and children will not be getting the H1N1 vaccine. Check out this clip of Dr. Oz on CNN (sounds like his wife wears the pants in their family):

This post contains additional media. Click here to view the full post..

A nurse at our community meeting said it best: “Probably the best thing you can do this flu season is make sure you are prepared to hunker down at home for 2-4 weeks if the swine flu hits your home town hard. That means having enough food, Tylenol, and anything else you need so that you don’t have to leave the house.” Personally, I’m more worried about the long-term effects of the vaccine than I am getting the virus. We plan to be prepared  to stay home vs risking putting a highly controversial vaccine into our or our baby’s bodies.

Here’s the problem with “suspicious” vaccines: mindful, research-oriented parents like me are beginning to distrust the entire vaccination industry and government recommendations because of the controversy surrounding vaccines that are pushed by the CDC yet have been proven ineffective (Gardisil, chickenpox), are inappropriate (Hep B), where the disease can be prevented by less risky means (Gardisil), or where the risks from getting the vaccine could be worse than getting the disease itself (all vaccines mentioned above).  Many of us parents have become paralyzed, only partially vaccinating or not vaccinating our kids at all.

Unfortunately, there are no clear answers, and, given the dynamics of big business and government pockets, it is hard to know who to trust. Dr. Mercola recently wrote an article pleading with parents to not give their children the H1N1 vaccine due its potential dangers and the unwarranted fear of the flu itself. In it, he mentions the size of government contracts for H1N1 producers. I know someone needs to produce (necessary) vaccines and they should be paid for it, but, at what point, does greed come into play?

One of the main reasons I am generally tentative about vaccinations is that, in addition to my fears of short-term severe reactions, I am increasingly more concerned about the long-term effects of vaccines on our health, given the rise of unexplained autoimmune disease, autism, and neurological disorders that seem to have risen in parallel with the number of vaccinations we are administering to our children. Frankly, given these concerns plus the CDC push of seemingly unnecessary vaccines, I am having a hard time signing up to give my daughter any vaccines.  Yet I and many other mothers I talk to are concerned that, perhaps, some vaccines warrant being given. We wonder how stupid we will feel if our child contracts one of the actually deadly diseases because we chose not to vaccinate for it. We are on our own, as usual, taking ours and our children’s health into our own hands.

Just months after the swine flu pandemic panicked the world, varying strains of the Ebola virus have been discovered in pigs, and they may be jumping between swine and humans effortlessly.

Researchers, who reported their findings in the journal Science, are concerned that pigs are providing a melting pot where the virus could mutate into something deadlier. And they warned that the emergence of Ebola in the human food chain is “of serious concern.”

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All kids in the study had lab-confirmed influenza, but the ones who got the shot ended up at the hospital more. And not because they had better health insurance, either.

As you may know, the CDC now recommends that all children, up to age 18, receive the flu vaccine. Because, as a Harvard study showed last year, kids carry germs. Adults who live in a population more concentrated with kids are more likely to get sick.

Get the flu shot; don’t mind the mercury.

While everyone is waiting impatiently (or quite patiently, in my case) for the swine flu vaccine, there is something y’all should know: the seasonal flu vaccine isn’t all that effective. And for kids, it just might increase the chances that you get a bonus trip to the hospital.

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While the world quivers over a potential Swine Flu pandemic, a far deadlier outbreak of dengue fever has gone comparatively under-reported in South America and Australia.

Hundreds of thousands have been infected in South America, and in Australia the outbreak is being called the worst seen in 50 years. While the swine flu scare may be an overreaction in comparison, both outbreaks do highlight a clear link between environmental degradation and the spread of disease.

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The media has been having a heyday with the fear of a “swine flu” pandemic, and rumors and fear-mongering have taken the stage. One doctor tries to cut through the crap with his article, “Swine Flu: New Pandemic or Just Makin’ Bacon?”

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The problem comes in a new form of the tragedy of the commons.  Concentrated Animal Feedlot Operations (CAFO’s) create an environment in which disease can fester, mutate, and become virulent very quickly.  The goverments of the world subsidize these CAFO’s and the externalities of their operations with tremendous spending on public health.  In a previous post, I argued that these CAFO’s should be forced to pay the price for these externalities.  Adam Smith, the father of modern economic theory, and a mainstay of Republican and conservative arguments about environmental versus economic issues, argued that the free hand of the market would level the playing field, and that if people didn’t want CAFO’s, they would choose to support small family farms.  Unfortunately, the latter costs more…or does it?

If CAFO’s were held accountable for the obesity, disease, and other public health epidemics they cause, or for the unquantifiable cost of creating antibiotic resistant bacteria (did you know that more than half of all antibiotics administered in the U.S. are given to livestock in CAFO’s, and less than 10% of that total is actually used to treat infections in animals?  The remaining 90% is given to animals to make them grow faster and put on more weight more quickly, creating fattier and less nutritious meats full of residual chemicals and hormones, and causing untold harm to the end consumer’s personal health).

A petition going around asks that more attention be given to this subject.  Please sign it and pass it along.

Scott Cooney is the author of Build a Green Small Business:  Profitable Ways to Become an Ecopreneur (McGraw-Hill).

Twitter Scott

These examples make me wonder about all vaccines, but particularly the  H1N1 vaccine.  I can’t help but put this one in my “suspicious” category as well, even though it hasn’t been around very long. Everything I read about this one smells like someone making money. The southern hemisphere has already gone through flu season and swine flu ran its course. So far the swine flu is no more deadly than the regular old flu that comes through year after year. The shot is full of controversial ingredients, including mercury or squalene as the adjuvant (squalene is the ingredient in the soldier-mandated anthrax vaccine from the first Gulf War and the cause of Gulf War Syndrome). The H1N1 vaccine is another fast-tracked vaccine which means it has undergone very few safety studies. They are finding that 2-4 shots must be given to ensure effectiveness. That can mean up to 48mcg of mercury, more than 3 times the “safe” amount for an adult that weighs 125lbs (if the shot you get uses Mercury as the adjuvant). Lastly, I think it’s interesting that one of the U.S.’s most famous doctor’s wife and children will not be getting the H1N1 vaccine. Check out this clip of Dr. Oz on CNN (sounds like his wife wears the pants in their family):

This post contains additional media. Click here to view the full post..

A nurse at our community meeting said it best: “Probably the best thing you can do this flu season is make sure you are prepared to hunker down at home for 2-4 weeks if the swine flu hits your home town hard. That means having enough food, Tylenol, and anything else you need so that you don’t have to leave the house.” Personally, I’m more worried about the long-term effects of the vaccine than I am getting the virus. We plan to be prepared  to stay home vs risking putting a highly controversial vaccine into our or our baby’s bodies.

Here’s the problem with “suspicious” vaccines: mindful, research-oriented parents like me are beginning to distrust the entire vaccination industry and government recommendations because of the controversy surrounding vaccines that are pushed by the CDC yet have been proven ineffective (Gardisil, chickenpox), are inappropriate (Hep B), where the disease can be prevented by less risky means (Gardisil), or where the risks from getting the vaccine could be worse than getting the disease itself (all vaccines mentioned above).  Many of us parents have become paralyzed, only partially vaccinating or not vaccinating our kids at all.

Unfortunately, there are no clear answers, and, given the dynamics of big business and government pockets, it is hard to know who to trust. Dr. Mercola recently wrote an article pleading with parents to not give their children the H1N1 vaccine due its potential dangers and the unwarranted fear of the flu itself. In it, he mentions the size of government contracts for H1N1 producers. I know someone needs to produce (necessary) vaccines and they should be paid for it, but, at what point, does greed come into play?

One of the main reasons I am generally tentative about vaccinations is that, in addition to my fears of short-term severe reactions, I am increasingly more concerned about the long-term effects of vaccines on our health, given the rise of unexplained autoimmune disease, autism, and neurological disorders that seem to have risen in parallel with the number of vaccinations we are administering to our children. Frankly, given these concerns plus the CDC push of seemingly unnecessary vaccines, I am having a hard time signing up to give my daughter any vaccines.  Yet I and many other mothers I talk to are concerned that, perhaps, some vaccines warrant being given. We wonder how stupid we will feel if our child contracts one of the actually deadly diseases because we chose not to vaccinate for it. We are on our own, as usual, taking ours and our children’s health into our own hands.

This new column highlights the top economic stories of the week.

At the outset of this week, it looked like the Swine flu might be the largest influenza epidemic since the virus that wiped out a significant portion of the world’s population at the end of the first World War. Local economies everywhere have been affected given that people have stopped going out for fear of “The SuperFlu.”

Not to mention the fact that pork sales are down even though it’s common knowledge that the virus cannot be attained through food. Although, new cases of the flu have been spotted in Europe and Latin America, it looks as though things are easing up, and that the worst is over.

Jazzfest kicked off its 40th year anniversary last weekend under beautiful breezy blue skies.   Despite the global economic mood, the festival goers seemed more  upbeat this year as programs to rebuild the New Orleans economy are slowly taking root and beginning to yield visible results.

And there has been much talk about clean coal. West Virginia Mountain Top Removal coal protests heated up this week. Also, CNN Money interviewed George Soros this week. The billionaire says sometimes his firm’s investments conflict with his personal views. But that coal is a viable source of energy once you take the carbon out.

But the automobile industry definitely seemed to top the economic news this week. GE showed the way forward with advanced hybrids and EVs just as Chrysler’s woes have left the world wondering as to the future of GM. While Fiat’s proposed acquisition of GM’s European group signified hope for Chrysler, NPR is of the view that convincing consumers to buy cars from a bankrupt company would seem to be a Sisyphean task. Can Chrysler do it — or to be more precise, can Fiat, which never had much success in the American market, do it?

And what can we expect next week?

Well, for starters, President Barack Obama plans to roll out a set of proposals on international tax policies on Monday, in an announcement with potential implications for U.S. multinational firms. Let’s see what happens.

Follow us on twitter: twitter.com/inspiredeconomy

These examples make me wonder about all vaccines, but particularly the  H1N1 vaccine.  I can’t help but put this one in my “suspicious” category as well, even though it hasn’t been around very long. Everything I read about this one smells like someone making money. The southern hemisphere has already gone through flu season and swine flu ran its course. So far the swine flu is no more deadly than the regular old flu that comes through year after year. The shot is full of controversial ingredients, including mercury or squalene as the adjuvant (squalene is the ingredient in the soldier-mandated anthrax vaccine from the first Gulf War and the cause of Gulf War Syndrome). The H1N1 vaccine is another fast-tracked vaccine which means it has undergone very few safety studies. They are finding that 2-4 shots must be given to ensure effectiveness. That can mean up to 48mcg of mercury, more than 3 times the “safe” amount for an adult that weighs 125lbs (if the shot you get uses Mercury as the adjuvant). Lastly, I think it’s interesting that one of the U.S.’s most famous doctor’s wife and children will not be getting the H1N1 vaccine. Check out this clip of Dr. Oz on CNN (sounds like his wife wears the pants in their family):

This post contains additional media. Click here to view the full post..

A nurse at our community meeting said it best: “Probably the best thing you can do this flu season is make sure you are prepared to hunker down at home for 2-4 weeks if the swine flu hits your home town hard. That means having enough food, Tylenol, and anything else you need so that you don’t have to leave the house.” Personally, I’m more worried about the long-term effects of the vaccine than I am getting the virus. We plan to be prepared  to stay home vs risking putting a highly controversial vaccine into our or our baby’s bodies.

Here’s the problem with “suspicious” vaccines: mindful, research-oriented parents like me are beginning to distrust the entire vaccination industry and government recommendations because of the controversy surrounding vaccines that are pushed by the CDC yet have been proven ineffective (Gardisil, chickenpox), are inappropriate (Hep B), where the disease can be prevented by less risky means (Gardisil), or where the risks from getting the vaccine could be worse than getting the disease itself (all vaccines mentioned above).  Many of us parents have become paralyzed, only partially vaccinating or not vaccinating our kids at all.

Unfortunately, there are no clear answers, and, given the dynamics of big business and government pockets, it is hard to know who to trust. Dr. Mercola recently wrote an article pleading with parents to not give their children the H1N1 vaccine due its potential dangers and the unwarranted fear of the flu itself. In it, he mentions the size of government contracts for H1N1 producers. I know someone needs to produce (necessary) vaccines and they should be paid for it, but, at what point, does greed come into play?

One of the main reasons I am generally tentative about vaccinations is that, in addition to my fears of short-term severe reactions, I am increasingly more concerned about the long-term effects of vaccines on our health, given the rise of unexplained autoimmune disease, autism, and neurological disorders that seem to have risen in parallel with the number of vaccinations we are administering to our children. Frankly, given these concerns plus the CDC push of seemingly unnecessary vaccines, I am having a hard time signing up to give my daughter any vaccines.  Yet I and many other mothers I talk to are concerned that, perhaps, some vaccines warrant being given. We wonder how stupid we will feel if our child contracts one of the actually deadly diseases because we chose not to vaccinate for it. We are on our own, as usual, taking ours and our children’s health into our own hands.

This post contains additional media. Click here to view the full post.

The Meatrix is a clever animated short that explains how incredibly cruel, destructive and dangerous factory farming truly is. Even the recent over-hyped outbreak of swine flu has been linked to poorly managed factory farms in Mexico, that are actually owned by US Agribusiness giant Smithfield Foods, the world’s largest industrial pork producer. “Industrial farms are super-incubators for viruses,” said Bob Martin, former executive director of the Pew Commission on Industrial Animal Farm Production, and a vocal critic of “contained animal feeding operations.”

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