MSG please read

Take care in reading labels when buying.

Article on MSG

Here's an interesting article that warrants a read....we will be extra vigilant in checking labels from now on....

The content of this article has links to substantiate its claims - Scary stuff

MSG (a slow poison) - Very interesting

The food additive MSG (Mono-Sodium Glutamate) is a slow poison. MSG hides behind 25 or more names, such as Natural Flavoring." MSG is even in your favorite coffee from Tim Horton's and Starbucks coffee shops!

I wondered if there could be an actual chemical causing the massive
obesity epidemic, and so did a friend of mine, John Erb. He was a research
assistant at the University of Waterloo in Ontario , Canada , and spent
years working for the government. He made an amazing discovery while
going through scientific journals for a book he was writing called The Slow
Poisoning of America ..

In hundreds of studies around the world, scientists were creating
obese mice and rats to use in diet or diabetes test studies. No strain of
rat or mice is naturally obese, so scientists have to create them. They
make these creatures morbidly obese by injecting them with MSG when they are first born.

The MSG triples the amount of insulin the pancreas creates, causing
rats (and perhaps humans) to become obese. They even have a name for the
fat rodents they create: "MSG-Treated Rats."

When I heard this, I was shocked. I went into my kitchen and checked
the cupboards and the refrigerator. MSG was in everything -- the Campbell's
soups, the Hostess Doritos, the Lays flavored potato chips, Top
Ramen, Betty Crocker Hamburger Helper, Heinz canned gravy, Swanson frozen prepared meals, and Kraft salad dressings, especially the "healthy low-fat" ones.

The items that didn't have MSG marked on the product label had
something called "Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein," which is just another name
for Monosodium Glutamate.

It was shocking to see just how many of the foods we feed our children
everyday are filled with this stuff. MSG is hidden under many different
names in order to fool those who read the ingredient list, so that they
don't catch on. (Other names for MSG are "Accent, "Aginomoto," "Natural
Meat Tenderizer," etc.)

But it didn't stop there.

When our family went out to eat, we started asking at the restaurants
what menu items contained MSG. Many employees, even the managers, swore they didn't use MSG. But when we ask for the ingredient list, which they
grudgingly provided, sure enough, MSG and Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein were everywhere.

Burger King, McDonald's, Wendy's, Taco Bell, every restaurant -- even
the sit-down eateries like TGIF, Chili's, Applebee's, and Denny's -- use MSG
in abundance. Kentucky Fried Chicken seemed to be the WORST offender: MSG was in every chicken dish, salad dressing. and gravy. No wonder I loved to eat that coating on the skin -- their secret spice was MSG!

So why is MSG in so many of the foods we eat?
Is it a preservative, or a vitamin?

Not according to my friend John Erb. In his book The Slow Poisoning
of America , he said that MSG is added to food for the addictive effect it
has on the human body.

Even the propaganda website sponsored by the food manufacturers lobby
group supporting MSG explains that the reason they add it to food is to make
people eat more.

A study of the elderly showed that older people eat more of the foods
that it is added to. The Glutamate Association lobbying group says eating
more is a benefit to the elderly, but what does it do to the rest of us?

"Betcha can't eat [just] one," takes on a whole new meaning where MSG
is concerned! And we wonder why the nation is overweight!

MSG manufacturers themselves admit that it addicts people to their
products. It makes people choose their product over others, and makes
people eat more of it than they would if MSG wasn't added.

Not only is MSG scientifically proven to cause obesity, it is an
addictive substance. Since its introduction into the American food supply
fifty years ago,MSG has been added in larger and larger doses to the
pre-packaged meals,soups, snacks, and fast foods we are tempted to eat
everyday.

The FDA has set no limits on how much of it can be added to food. They
claim it's safe to eat in any amount. But how can they claim it's safe when
there are hundreds of scientific studies with titles like these:

"The monosodium glutamate (MSG) obese rat as a model for the study of
exercise in obesity." Gobatto CA, Mello MA, Souza CT , Ribeiro IA. Res
Commun Mol Pathol Pharmacol. 2002.

"Adrenalectomy abolishes the food-induced hypothalamic serotonin
release in both normal and monosodium glutamate-obese rats." Guimaraes RB, Telles MM, Coelho VB, Mori C, Nascimento CM, Ribeiro. Brain Res Bull. 2002 Aug.

'Obesity induced by neonatal monosodium glutamate treatment in spontaneously hypertensive rats: An animal model of multiple risk factors."
Iwase M, Yamamoto M, Iino K, Ichikawa K, Shinohara N, Yoshinari Fujishima.
Hypertens Res. 1998 Mar.

"Hypothalamic lesion induced by injection of monosodium glutamate in
suckling period and subsequent development of obe sity." Tanaka K, Shimada
M, Nakao K Kusunoki. Exp Neurol. 1978 Oct.

No, the date of that last study was not a typo; it was published in
1978. Both the "medical research community" and "food manufacturers" have
known about the side effects of MSG for decades.

Many more of the studies mentioned in John Erb's book link MSG to
diabetes, migraines and headaches, autism, ADHD, and even Alzheimer's.

So what can we do to stop the food manufactures from dumping this
fattening and addictive MSG into our food supply and causing the obesity
epidemic we now see?

Several months ago, John Erb took his book and his concerns to one of
the highest government health officials in Canada . While he was sitting in
the go vernment office, the official told him, "Sure, I know how bad MSG is.
I wouldn't touch the stuff." But this top-level government official refuses
to tell the public what he knows.

The big media doesn't want to tell the public either, fearing issues
with their advertisers. It seems that the fallout on the fast food industry
may hurt their profit margin. The food producers and restaurants have been
addicting us to their products for years, and now we are paying the price
for it. Our children should not be cursed with obesity caused by an addictive food additive.

But what can I do about it? I'm just one voice! What can I do to stop the poisoning of our children, while our governments are=2 0insuring financial protection for the industry that is poisoning us?

This message is going out to everyone I know in an attempt to tell you
the truth that the corporate-owned politicians and media won't tell you.

The best way you can help to save yourself and your children from this
drug-induced epidemic is to forward this article to everyone. With any
luck, it will circle the globe before politicians can pass the legislation
protecting those who are poisoning us.

The food industry learned a lot from the tobacco industry. Imagine if
big tobacco had a bill like this in place before someone blew the whistle on
nicotine?

If you are one of the few who can still believe that MSG is good for
us and you don't believe what John Erb has to say, see for yourself. Go to
the National Library of Medicine at http://www.pubmed.com/. Type in the words "MSG Obese" and read a few of the 115 medical studies that appear.

We the public do not want to be rats in one giant experiment, and we
do not approve of food that makes us into a nation of obese,
lethargic,addicted sheep, feeding the food industry's bottom line while
waiting for the heart transplant, the diabetic-induced amputation,
blindness, or other obesity-induced, life-threatening disorders.

With your help we can put an end to this poison.
Do your part in sending this message out by word of mouth, e-mail, or by
distribution of this printout to your friends all over the world and stop
this "Slow Poisoning of Mankind" by the packaged food industry.

Blowing the whistle on MSG is our responsibility, so get the word out.

These outages....

Considering that most of the North Coast of Mombasa mainland has unpredictable and numerous outages nearly every day, it is not in the least surprising that one cannot find an email address (in this technologically advanced 21st Century), for the Ministry of Energy or one (except an online form) for Kengen, either. Nor one for the Electricity Regulatory Commission (formerly Board). They've changed their name!

You see if they gave their contact emails, i.e. displayed them under contact information at their websites, they would be inundated by a lot of emails from people who might have the courage to write to them about their expensive and shoddy 'services'.

It is also very ridiculous that while on one hand the KPLC advertises that they can connect people 'mara moja', they will not be able to give them an uninterrupted supply. That 'service' will leave a lot to be desired and will be full of frustration for those who get attracted to this prompt 'service'. For they know not what they are letting themselves in for - 'where ignorance is bliss......

Those of us who live in Nyali and it's environs could tell them otherwise.

First, the bills will really floor them when they get them at the end of the month!

Second - despite paying for their connection through their proverbial noses, they will not get a constant and uninterrupted and constant supply. In fact, they will not be able to do any predictable work which involves electricity due to the very real and frustrating thought that the power will and can go off without due notice at any time. And while it might just go for a second or a couple of minutes, whatever they might have been doing using it, will all go to waste due to this erratic 'service'.

Third - when they will try to ring the emergency numbers, most of them will be engaged or not be answered. And if they do get an answer, they will most likely not be given any reasonable reason for these persistent outages and if, like me, they start making noise about this, the person at the other end will either hang up or start making empty promises.

Over a week ago, I had been promised by Mr. Mkomba, that by the end of that week, our outages would be a thing of the past and that we would get a normal and predictable service. But of course, as I have mentioned earlier, this was an empty promise, as usual and it was made under a kind of duress. He had to say this to delay me from writing an email such as the present one, I think.Since then, the power has gone off here umpteen numbers of times and when I've tried calling Mr. Mkomba to remind him of what he had told me, I managed to get through to him only once! Subsequent calls all went unanswered!

The one person who answers is their (KPLC), Customer Relations Manager, Mr. Vidzo. Hats off to him! He tries his level best to give me a sensible answer but, I think he too, is running out of excuses.

Since these constant outages mess up our electrical appliances despite the Sollatek devices (they start misbehaving first), who will be responsible for the unbelievable expense and waste that they cause? Isn't it high time that the people who suffer from these outages get together and sue KPLC for damages?

Change in traffic rules.....

Driving around in this country, one gets a very nasty feeling of traffic
rules having been changed without road users being officially informed
about them.

The following are some of the most irritating...

1. Pedestrians have become totally irresponsible when they are either
alighting from public transport and/or crossing roads. They never seem
to bother to look right or left before stepping into the path of an
oncoming vehicle. Could this be because, when there is an accident,
NOBODY bothers asking the suicidal pedestrian if s/he bothered checking
before deciding to cross? It is ALWAYS assumed that it is the driver's
fault and everybody descends on him/her without a bit of evidence. And
to add insult to injury, the offending pedestrian is NEVER taken to
task. In other countries which apply better laws on the road, even
charge pedestrians for this misdemeanour, not just the driver.

2. On a highway, we are taught in driving schools, slow and heavy
traffic is supposed to stick to the left lane leaving the right one free
for faster traffic and for overtaking. But, in this country the rules
have been reversed and one gets the impression that all of the slower
traffic drivers were trained in countries where they drive on the right.
Nearly every slow traffic will be populating the fast lane thereby
forcing the other faster lot to overtake from the wrong side and making
them highly frustrated when both lanes have slow moving lumbering
nincompoops.

3. Traffic police seem to be able to do nothing about all of this,
either. They never seem to enforce the right traffic rules.

4. Having people selling all kinds of things at intersections. This
creates traffic jams when cars ahead start stopping to buy things from
these vendors not to mention that it is a dangerous pursuit in this age
of people being robbed and held up. How does one know that a vendor is
not a crook in disguise? Again, can't the traffic police regulate this
as well as the umpteen beggars/crooks(?), who also descend at your
window the minute you stop?

5. Matatus and tuk tuks stop and turn anywhere they wish, with
impunity. God help the person who tangles with them! They have become
awful pests.

Can the people and police concerned please bring order back onto our roads?