The less known health benefits of the humble radish.

The humble radish is best known for garnishing food. Few would have known that this humble vegetable is packed with potent health benefits. Radishes are one of the alkalising vegetables.

Fruits and vegetables are the answer to a healthy and balanced body, which functions optimally thus leading to a longer life span. Alkaline vegetables are the call of the time. About 80% of our food intake should be alkaline vegetables and alkaline fruits and no more than 20% of the entire food intake should be acidic. Acid and Alkaline Food can mean the difference between happiness and health, or sickness, depression and medical bills. Click on above link for more info.

An acid body is a magnet for sickness, disease, cancer and aging. Eating more alkaline foods helps shift your body's pH and oxygenates your system. Alkaline foods keep your body healthy and functioning correctly, preventing cancer.- Werner

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Radish rose garnishes are fun and attractive ways to present many dishes, including salads, meat dishes, or vegetable trays. They are very easy to do and no tools other than a sharp knife are required.

To make a radish rose, wash and cut off a small portion of the top and bottom of the radish. Starting at the taproot end - and starting about halfway down the radish, cut a circular shaped slit, ending near the edge of the radish but not going all the way through. Now do this again on the opposite side, then on the two uncut sides to make four cuts total. Behind these first cuts, just a little higher on the radish, make four more cuts in the same manner. If using a large radish, you can make an extra four cuts between the petals on top, as shown in the picture above.

Once you have made all the cuts, gently pull the petals outward, taking care not to break them off entirely, then drop into ice water for about 30 minutes for them to fully open. Presto! You have a beautiful radish rose garnish!

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Radish Leaves with Spiced Yoghurt Recipe. In the West, radish leaves tend to be discarded, although they are actually an interesting green vegetable in their own right. Click on the obove link for more info.

Health Benefits of Radishes.
By Aparup Mukherjee.

Radishes are moderately high in Vitamin C and contain properties that appear to be beneficial for symptoms of colds, flu, fever, cough, respiratory problems, and digestive disorders. For digestive problems, put a handful of radish leaves in boiling water, cover, and let sit for about 20 minutes. Strain, add honey to taste and drink as a tea. For colds, flu, and the associated symptoms, grate one radish and mix with honey to taste. Let this mixture stand for 10 hours in a dark place. Take 2 teaspoons three times a day as a cough syrup. Radish, the well known part of your salad, is a root crop, pungent or sweet in taste with a lot of juice.

Radishes can be white, red, purple or black, long cylindrical or round in shape. They are eaten raw, cooked or pickled. The oil obtained from the seeds of radish is also used. The other parts of radish which are consumed are the leaves, the flowers, the pods and the seeds. The scientific name of radish is Raphanus Sativus which belongs to the Brassicaceae family. Radish is also known as Daiken in some parts of the world.

The benefits of radish against certain ailments and on certain body parts are listed below:

• Jaundice: Radish is very good for the liver and the stomach and it is a very good detoxifier too, that is, it purifies blood. It is miraculously useful in jaundice as it helps removing bilirubin and also checks its production. It also checks destruction of red blood cells during jaundice by increasing supply of fresh oxygen in the blood. The black radish is more preferred in jaundice. The leaves of radish are also very useful in treatment of jaundice.

• Piles: Radish is very rich in roughage, i.e. indigestible carbohydrates. This facilitates digestion, retains water, cures constipation (one of the main causes for piles) and thus gives relief in piles. Being a very good detoxifier, it helps heal up piles fast. Its juice also soothes the digestive and excretory system and this also relieves piles.

• Urinary Disorders: Radishes are diuretic in nature, i.e. increase production of urine. Juice of radish also cures inflammation and burning feeling during urinating. It also cleans the kidneys and inhibits infections in kidneys and urinary system. Thus it helps a great deal in curing urinary disorders.

• Weight Loss: Radishes are very filling, i.e. fills your stomach and satisfies your hunger easily without giving you many calories, as they are low in digestible carbohydrates, high in roughage and contain a lot of water. It is a very good dietary option for those determined to lose weight.

• Cancer: Being a very good detoxifier and rich in vitamin-C, folic and anthocyanins, radish helps cure many types of cancer, particularly those of colon, kidney, intestines, stomach and oral cancer.

• Leukoderma: The detoxifying and anti carcinogenic properties of radish make it useful in treatment of Leukoderma. The radish seeds are used in this case. They should be powdered and soaked in vinegar or ginger juice or cows urine and then applied on the white patches. Eating radish also aids treatment of Leukoderma.

• Skin Disorders: Vitamin-C, phosphorus, zinc and some members of vitamin-B complex, which are present in radish, are good for skin. The water in it helps maintaining moisture of the skin. Smashed raw radish is a very good cleanser and serves as a very efficient face pack. Due to its disinfectant properties, radish also helps cure skin disorders, such as drying up, rashes, cracks etc. and also refreshes it.

• Kidney Disorders: Being diuretic, cleanser and disinfectant, it helps cure many kidney disorders. Its diuretic properties help wash away the toxins accumulated in the kidneys. Cleansing properties clean kidneys up and lessens accumulation of toxins in the blood, thereby decreasing their concentration in the kidneys. Its disinfectant properties protect the kidneys from any infections too. Thus it is good for overall health of the kidneys.

• Insect Bites: It has anti pruritic properties and can be used as an effective treatment for insect bites, stings of bees, hornets, wasps etc. Its juice also reduces pain and swelling and soothes the affected area.

• Fever: It brings down the body temperature and relieves inflammation due to fever. Drink radish juice mixed with black salt. Being a good disinfectant, it also fights infections which cause fever, thereby helping cure it.

• Respiratory Disorders, Bronchitis and Asthma: Radish is an anti congestive, i.e. it relieves congestion of respiratory system including nose, throat, wind-pipe and lungs, due to cold, infection, allergies and other causes. It is a good disinfectant and also rich in vitamins, which protect respiratory system from infections.

• Liver & Gallbladder: Radish is especially beneficial for liver and gallbladder functions. It regulates production and flow of bile and bilirubin, acids, enzymes and removes excess bilirubin from the blood, being a good detoxifier. It also contains enzymes like myrosinase, diastase, amylase and esterase. It protects liver and gallbladder from infections and ulcers and soothes them.

• Other Benefits: Apart from above benefits, radish is a good appetizer, mouth and breathe freshener, laxative, regulates metabolism, improves blood circulation, is a good treatment for headache, acidity, constipation, nausea, obesity, sore throat, whooping cough, gastric problems, gallbladder stones, dyspepsia etc. Finding it hard to digest the above stuff? Well! I suggest you have some slices of radish. That may help you and enhance your appetite for the health benefits of vegetables and herbs.

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My thought for today. - Werner
The smallest good deed is better than the grandest good intention.—Unknown

More water for thought.

Following are three interesting e-mails which supplement my previous blog posting. The first one is from J., a Doctor of Osteopathy. There is more to water and Reverse Osmosis filtering systems than we realise. - Werner - Click on picture to enlarge!

1. Yes, I do have a few ideas on the subject. I used to manufacture high end filtration systems for colon hydrotherapy installations in the UK, so have had to cover much of this in the past.

Your son brings up some valid points with regards to tank water, and it being 'naturally distilled'. However, there is a world of difference energetically between rain water and that which has been distilled by electricity. Not only is electrically distilled water 'dead' energetically, it is also totally demineralised. This 'dead' nature can be dealt with by other technologies such as Grander or Plocher, or their many similes available these days to revitalise the water. Rain water on the other hand combines with many gases in the atmosphere as it falls to Earth, to pick up nitrogen / sulphur / carbon / oxygen and various other atmospheric gases which dissolve in water, thus partially remineralising the water. It will not pick up the earth-based minerals such as calcium, magnesium etc as they are by and large not present in the atmosphere, at least not naturally.

Rain water will of course also pick up atmospheric pollutants very well, as well as seeded chemicals in the atmosphere - to counter this rain water used for drinking or cooking should also be filtered through at least carbon block which will remove many environmental pollutants. Mankind has been living off rain water in many parts of the globe for tens of thousands of years - the fact it is demineralised largely is just not an issue - you will pick up those minerals from your food if you are eating fresh organically or biodynamically grown produce. They do not have to be in the water, as long as they get into your body somehow. Even quality supplements will do it, though personally I believe it is best to get them as nature intended - from food and water.

The water issue is a very important one, but it is always good to remember the big picture. Good water will not make up for poor nutrition from one's diet (assuming of course that one's bowel is working efficiently enough to even assimilate all those nutrients), nor bad lifestyle, which is frequently strongly demineralising in its own right.

Which brings me to the next subject - that of pH. Once again, big picture. It is worth considering a few things with pH. Firstly, many if not most westerners do the following:

-drink coffee, alcohol and carbonated beverages (all strongly acidic)-consume little fruit or vegetables (depending on mineral content, these are by and large alkalising)- consume excessive protein (strongly acidifying), particularly animal proteins whether meat or fish.- consume excessive grain-based carbohydrates, and processed grain products (also quite acidifying)

So the pH picture is more than just about water. If you have a strongly acidic diet, then drinking alkaline water may be of benefit to redress the balance to some degree, though is somewhat missing the point! Out of interest one of the easiest ways of alkalising water is to make herbal teas - most herbal teas are reasonably alkaline (from high mineral content). The degree of alkalinity will depend on the herb concerned, how it was grown, how it has been processed, whether it is fresh or dry, etc.

Most ground waters and bore waters tend to be alkaline due to the presence of large amounts of calcium and other minerals through which they naturally filter.

RO is not a panacea, though does produce clean water, and is one of the few techs that will remove fluoride. The big problem with RO is also that it is notoriously inefficient (usually around 20%), i.e. for every litre that an RO system generates, 4 litres go down the drain. If one is harvesting the 'waste' water for the garden or for one's vegetable patch, this could be tolerable as it is not really going to waste. If however it is just hooked up to go down the sewer, personally I don't know how such water waste could be justified in Australia, nor anywhere else. It is just unsustainable in the current climate of fresh water limitation.

There are some new filtration systems that are capable of removing fluoride, but but but ... The cartridge saturation point for fluoride may come in rather early in the cartridge life. E.g. say the cartridge concerned is rated at 10,000 litres before a replacement is needed - the fluoride saturation point may occur after only 500 or 1000 litres, after which it will not bind any more fluoride at all. I haven't yet seen or heard of any credible standard filtration systems that will remove fluoride. If a manufacturer is making such claims, it is worth asking them to provide data supporting their claims, with fluoride level check at various points in the cartridge life (i.e. when new, and at various points in its stated life). Any half decent filter cartridge manufacturer should have done these tests - they are not expensive nor difficult to do for a company involved in the cartridge business, though could be prohibitive for the average individual.

I am not sure if the above has helped clarify things or further confuse the subject, but hopefully it has opened a few possibilities. If I was to install a water system of my own, I would be collecting rain water assuming I was not living in a large metropolitan area, nor near any known aerial polluters (almost any heavy industry). But I would also do the following:

Firstly, the nature of the tank. Most tanks these days are either made of plastic or corrugated iron. Both of these have issues, as do liners for tanks. Plastic tanks may well leach unacceptable levels of plastic compounds into the water, especially if they are sitting outside in the sun as almost invariably happens here in Australia. Corrugated iron tanks may leach various metallic compounds into the water, unless they are epoxy lined. Epoxy lined tanks will leach their compounds too, so there is no clear answer here. Ideally one would use glass tanks, or glass lined tanks (not fibreglass) - if you can find them. If glass though, it will also need to be kept in the dark to prevent algal growth - some algal toxins are far more poisonous than fluoride! Next best bet would be surgical stainless steel tanks - but expensive if you buy new. Old dairy tanks may be a solution, but I suspect they are mostly made from the lower grades of stainless, which have issues with nickel release. Surgical stainless has much lower nickel release, but it is still present. But many of these compounds can be filtered out - see below. At the end of the day, there is no perfect solution. Also worth considering that every other species on this planet manages very well drinking water sitting on the ground, contaminated with all sort of natural products (bacteria and their toxins, aluminium in clays, plant toxins, faecal matter etc etc).

Secondly, remineralisation. Simple solution for this - throw some rocks into your tank!! This could be a slab of marble, or rock lime (calcium carbonate), or better still - a variety. Just avoid rocks which are known to contain toxic compounds such as malachite and many others. Some would choose to also add crystals in the tank, both for physical chemical effects, as well as energetic ones (assuming one believes in the energetic nature of rock compounds). That will deal with the pH issue, as well as mimicking to some degree the pick up of minerals as waters rise to the surface from aquifers.

Thirdly - filter your tank water. Personally I would use a simple three stage design of three inline cartridges. First one should be a sediment cartridge, probably 5 micron (these are cheap disposables, that will protect the life of your more expensive cartridges). Followed by an activated carbon block cartridge which will remove various organic pollutants. [Some choose to also use a granular carbon cartridge, which has slightly different absortive properties to carbon block]. Lastly I would put in a ceramic cartridge, with or without impregnated silver lining - these will usually filter down to 1 or 0.5 micron, and remove quite a few further pollutants. There are companies now doing cartridges that will include all of the above (without the sediment cartridge) in a single cartridge, but they are generally quite pricey. Note that if you include a ceramic cartridge, you may need to pump the water through the filter if you want flow at a faucet - if you have it plumbed into your house for example.

A couple of alternatives could be to use straight rainwater, then run it through one of those Nikken countertop filtration units, which purportedly remineralise (they have a heap of rocks in the bottom holding tank). They filter through an impregnated silver 'candle', which contains carbon block and ceramic media in one cartridge. You could also use any of the other countertop filtration units which use the same filtration technology (e.g. Stefani). Note that these methods are very slow filters, and will not give you running filtered water. Generally they will only filter about 1 to 2 gallons per day, so no good if you want a running filtered rain water tap.

Of course the nature of your roof that you are collecting from (what material is it made from?) will alter the quality of the water, as will the cleanliness of your guttering.

Another important consideration with rain water is stagnation. For rainwater collection to be worthwhile, one needs a reasonable size tank, especially if one has times during the year for months at a time when there is no rain. The larger the tank, the more the stagnation issue. I don't have a solution to this one, though if you are up in Cairns with regular rains, it is probably worth shedding some of your tank water (if full) prior to heavy rains to keep your tank water as fresh as possible.

To deal with water 'revitalisation', it may be worth also looking into some of the 'homeopathic' treatments such as Grander or Plocher. If you were to add such a device, probably best to do it as the final stage after filtration, though it may not matter that much. It is hard to quantify what these devices do, but if one believes in the concepts of homeopathy, one should have little trouble understanding the concepts of these energetic water conditioning devices.

This may all sound like overkill, and it is!! However, the cost to set up the filtration system should be under $500, maybe even half of that. If you need to pump your water, a pump may set you back a few hundred dollars. Grander devices are not cheap, and could be another few hundred dollars depending on which unit one used. Plus the cost of the tank of course, which could be anywhere between 100 and 10,000 dollars depending on size. If one already has a tank, just adding triple stage filtration will be a vast improvement, and I have seen these retailing on the net for as little as $200, including the first set of cartridges. Running costs are reasonable.

One last thing I will add concerning showering and bathing: there is nothing like rain water in the bathroom! Showering in municipal town water tends to release much of the chlorine unless it is filtered out, and this will be breathed straight in through your lungs. One may be reasonably safe from the fluoride as it doesn't off-gas like chlorine as far as I know. Bathing will also encourage absorption through the skin of these compounds, plus copper, lead, asbestos and various other materials that may come into direct contact with municipal water supplies. If one was to set up a whole house rain water system, it could be all filtered, or one could filter only the kitchen supply for drinking and cooking, and use untreated rainwater for bathroom use. All depends on how high one wants the running costs to be.

Outside of all the above discussion (and this is by no means the last word, just elements I have picked up and thought about over the years) there is one important thing to remember. BIG PICTURE! I can't emphasise this enough. For example it makes little sense to be paranoid about water supply if one uses fluoridated toothpaste, is a smoker, eats poor food, or if one is living in a house with new carpets, fresh chemical paint, chemical cleaning agents, etc etc. The off-gassing chemicals from many internal house environment products are much more toxic than fluoride and chlorine will ever be. It is all about total chemical load, and how good your liver and other organs of elimination are at clearing these out of the body.

Please forgive me if I have been overly verbose in this reply - unfortunately I have thought about this stuff for too long, so have come to realise the multiple levels of complexity in the question. If only it could be simple. But I do hope that it may be of some help. J.

2. This is an amazing lot of information, thank you. I of course am concerned at the lack of minerals in the R O water and of course, the terrible waste of water, using about 3 x the amount of water. My large dog drinks a huge amount of water, downstairs we leave a bucket of tank water each day, but upstairs I have no choice but to give him the r o water - it is painfully slow to pour out a huge bowl of water which as the weather warms up more and more, I have to change now about 4 – 5 x daily at least - I change the water again about 11 p.m. at night and by 8 in the morning, it is starting to go off - I was astonished that I noticed his bowel of water “stinky” and worsening as the weather got more humid and hotter - he is in an enclosed back veranda (upstairs with us) with 6 windows and a doorway of course.

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3.Water filtration systems are quite confusing. I myself use an under sink Reverse Osmosis. I have thought about a filter for the shower head but the chlorine in our water is not that strong – not like some areas plus my tolerance is now quite high. This could be an option, or go for the whole of house if you can afford the cost. Re loss of minerals these could be obtained from foods or natural supplements. Rain water is distilled but as soon as it hits a roof it is contaminated with dust, pesticides, diesel and car exhaust residue that has travelled in the air and deposited itself on the roof. Tank water is also contaminated with insects and droppings and will need to be filtered to take these containments out and boiled to remove bacteria.

Regarding acid vs alkali water – maybe we can eat more alkaline foods or occasionally dose on Sodium Bicarbonate as per Dr Mercola theories (helps fight infection if we are more alkali)

I found this article on the EI resource which may be worth reading – you may have already seen it:http://www.ei-resource.org/treatment-options/treatment-information/water-filtration-and-home-water-filters/

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To read more on this subject, click on ”Older Posts.” And, for information on the “The Nikken water technology,” the finest water filter & magnetizer in the world. Go to item 6 in the post below.

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My thought for today. - Werner

Being defeated is only a temporary condition; giving up is what makes it permanent. Marilyn vos Savant.

An interesting discussion about the pros and cons of fluoride removal filters.

Since we have been denied our democratic right by the Bligh government, who mandated water fluoridation without giving the population a choice, fluoride removal filters have become the issue for people who don’t want drink this toxic poison from the aluminium and fertiliser industries. Following is an e-mail exchange between a number of people discussing the various filters in use. For people who have not yet decided on a filter system, this may be of interest to them.

What Anna Bligh put in, people are desperate to take out. What a waste of money. The government makes a mockery of our National Anthem, which starts: “Australians all let us rejoice. For we are young and free; . . . . “ Unfortunately, we are not “rejoicing” nor are we “free” anymore.

It is a shame that the Queenslanders who don’t want to drink this poison are forced to spend money to remove fluoride from their drinking water, when drinking tea, which contains large amounts of fluoride, or giving away free toothpaste with fluoride to families, would have been a cheaper option. This government has wasted over 40 Million dollars on the infrastructure to bring this poison into our homes. Click picture to enlarge!

For interesting health and fluoride topics, go to:

Health Vine.

The following input is from five people, whose names I have removed as they are irrelevant and space wasting. I have numbered the different entries, and if any of you can contribute to this discussion, please feel free to do so. – Werner

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1. Dr Mercola is a big advocate of reverse osmosis water over distilled because he feels that distilled water leads to nutritional deficiencies. I’ve never thought this since the rain that falls from the sky is distilled water. Of course the best water is after it’s fallen and run through a river etc. etc. So interesting comment below that people have lived ripe old ages drinking tank water. So tank water is distilled water that’s been sitting in a tank!

Regardless, my take is do whichever feels right and is most convenient. Distilled water requires boiling which may not be suitable for a tropical environment. It’s like boiling the kettle for 4 hours – it generates a lot of heat. Reverse osmosis wastes a significant amount of water, which might work out quite costly for some.
(Please note this is from a person who lives in the USA and sells filters.)

2. Some people find reverse osmosis (RO) filtered water too acidic. According to Dr Joseph Mercola, RO filtered water can indeed be a bit acidic because the water absorbs carbon dioxide from the air, which converts to carbonic acid. Dr Mercola said this can be easily remedied by adding about half a teaspoon of a high quality salt - like Himalayan salt - in about one gallon of water.

Click here, http://products.mercola.com/himalayan-salt/ for a video discussion about Himalayan salt between Dr Mercola and a natural health expert from Germany. In an article by Dr Mercola, he questions with good reason the safety of long-term ingestion of distilled water and believes 'an RO system likely removes the broadest spectrum of contaminants of any home filter system' and its the system he personally recommends to optimize the safety and purity of water.

You can note in Caree's first dot point comment that, as she understands, it appears that all water that falls from the sky is also slightly acidic (like RO-filtered water) and it absorbs carbon dioxide and then forms carbonic acid, which Dr Mercola noted RO-filtered water does. A lot of people have lived to ripe old ages with good teeth on tank water! So why not on RO-filtered water?

3. Your comments on Reverse Osmosis filtered water and pH are kind of confusing. This is how I understand it: All water that falls from the sky is slightly acidic. It absorbs carbon dioxide on the way, forming carbonic acid. Water becomes alkalised via natural minerals and salts. Ocean water is alkaline. Tank water is notoriously acidic. Treated town water tends to be more alkaline due to the addition of lime. Reverse osmosis filtration removes minerals etc leaving the water more acidic.

Distillation does the same thing. Acidic water is great on our skin and hair, but our insides require a pH of around 7.35 to 7.44 (blood pH). A quality Reverse Osmosis unit is multi-stage. It should first filter sediment, at around 5 microns, then pass into at least 2 more filter cartridges to remove water treatment chemicals, heavy metals etc and take the water to a neutral pH. Any system which does not do this will lower the efficiency of the RO membrane. After the RO membrane, another cartridge should be used to bring the water back to a healthier pH, (around 7.5). Some units even add an extra “alkalising” cartridge to bring the pH up to around 8. The quality of your RO unit will affect the acidity and quality of the filtered water it produces. Some of the really cheap units do not neutralise the water prior to reaching the RO membrane and this will reduce its ability to remove other impurities.

For examples of 5 stage and 6 stage RO units, click on this link. http://www.gwarehouse.com.au/

Yes you can also add salt to increase the pH of your water, according to Mercola, ½ tspn to 1 gallon (4.4litres)

Bicarb soda on its own can dilute gastric acid too much, but in combination with citric acid, will alkalise water as well – a little more bicarb than citric acid is ideal.

4. Reverse osmosis water made with low pressure membranes (the ones universally sold in under sink systems) contains at least 15-19 PPM dissolved solids therefore there is not the problem of CO2 absorption as for distilled water. This RO water as Ph 7 or more than 7.

Anyway, the best strategy is finding a calcite filter manufacturer that can guarantee maximum purity of the product and use a calcite post-filter. This adds about 5-10 PPM calcium to the water which becomes quite alkaline Personally, I use this technique:

I put the RO water in a Durand pot (click on this link) and I put a little spoon of pharmaceutical grade calcium + magnesium citrate (I bought at Carina Night & Day Pharmacy) in ratio 6:1. Then I let the ceramic filter of the Durand pot slowly filters the water. The most of calcium and magnesium remains in the upper pot and only a few submicron particles pass to the lower pot but they are enough to alkalize the water very much. I also add very little zinc oxide which is very important for the immunity system and a couple of drops of iodine (Lugol’s Solution).

This technique is also very powerful to absorb the residual fluorine ions because the most of them bind with calcium and magnesium, which sediment in the upper pot and do not pass through the ceramic filter. If someone wants to use this technique to improve the fluoride decontamination, Magnesium Citrate (very soluble) should be replaced by magnesium oxide powder, which is not water soluble and remains in the upper pot.

5. We have been using RO for years and then we add minerals that alkalise- this can be done with xooma which I used to use, which is coral calcium- its fairly expensive over the years. We now have a Nikkon water mineraliser- so once you have it just replace the ioniser yearly for about $120 – it does alkalise and add minerals- my Ayurveda consultant had one that was a filter and then over rocks- but the filter did not remove the fluoride. My son uses good salt as he drinks huge amounts due to his training and it seems to be working for him. My daughter started using the alkalised water and felt it really helped her skin- as she drinks far to much alcohol which acidifies her body and my hunch is her liver is not functioning how it should - 24 year olds!

The 15 litre Durand Stoneware fluoride reduction system is what we are using, which is available from Enviromart Cairns. - Werner

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6. The Nikken water technology, the finest water filter & magnetiser in the world. To find out more about this water filtering and fluoride removal technology, get in contact with:

Peter Roggenkamp. Independent Nikken Wellness Consultant. Peter would be delighted to send further information. Ph: 4045 1155. Mob: 0418 184456 Email: roggenkamp@bigpond.com

Pi Mag 15 litre water system $550 + GST. Of the four filters one needs replacing about every 6 months, one every year, one every two years and one every five years. They average about $53 each.

Pi Mag 2 litre Aqua Pour Expres $494:40 + GST Two filters average about $35 each. Recommended for small areas e.g. caravan small kitchen etc.

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My thought for today. - Werner
We can't solve problems by using the same thinking we used creating them. Albert Einstein

The “goodness” of fluoride in the water, the perpetual government spin.

By the late 1980s, approximately 90 percent of the population of NSW had access to fluoridated water. In a recent e-mail to me, Desley Boyle, the MP for Cairns (North Queensland) and some of her government advisers told me how good the teeth were in NSW because of water fluoridation.

"Epidemic of child tooth decay in NSW." An article in the “Daily Telegraph” 9.1.010 put a different light on the above claims. Click on this link to read the article. – Werner

The Australian social system explained.

Don’t forget to give a thought to Peter Spencer, who is on a hunger strike because his land was taken away from him by the government without paying for it. The following tale may suitably apply to him. - Werner

The possum and the grasshopper.

The possum works hard in the withering heat all summer long, building his house and laying up supplies for the winter.

The grasshopper thinks he's a fool, and laughs and dances and plays the summer away.

Come winter, the possum is warm and well fed.

A social worker finds the shivering grasshopper, calls a press conference and demands to know why the possum should be allowed to be warm and well fed while others less fortunate, like the grasshopper, are cold and starving.

The ABC shows up to provide live coverage of the shivering grasshopper; with cuts to a video of the possum in his comfortable warm home with a table laden with food.

The Australian press informs people that they should be ashamed that in a country of such wealth, this poor grasshopper is allowed to suffer so while others have plenty.

The Labor Party, Greenpeace, Animal Rights, The Greens and The Grasshopper Housing Commission of Australia demonstrate in front of the possum's house.

The ABC, interrupting a cultural festival special from Nelson Mandela Gardens with breaking news, broadcasts a multi cultural choir singing "We Shall Overcome".

Sharan Burrow rants in an interview with Tony Jones that the possum got rich off the backs of grasshoppers, and calls for an immediate tax hike on the possum to make him pay his "fair share".

In response to pressure from the media, the Government drafts the Economic Equity and Grasshopper Anti Discrimination Act, retroactive to the beginning of the summer. The possum's taxes are reassessed. He is taken to court and fined for failing to hire grasshoppers as builders, for the work he was doing on his home, and an additional fine for contempt when he told the court the grasshopper did not want to work.

The grasshopper is provided with a Housing Commission house, financial aid to furnish it and an account with a local taxi firm to ensure he can be socially mobile. The possum's food is seized and re-distributed to the more needy members of society - in this case the grasshopper.

Without enough money to buy more food, to pay the fine and his newly imposed retroactive taxes, the possum has to downsize and start building a new home.

The local authority takes over his old home and utilises it as a temporary home for asylum seeking cats who had hijacked a plane at Sydney Airport as they felt threatened they had to share their country of origin with mice.

On arrival they tried to blow up the airport because of Australia's apparent love of dogs.

The cats had been arrested for the international offence of hijacking and attempted bombing but were immediately released because the police fed them pilchards instead of salmon whilst in custody.

Initial moves to make them return to their own country were abandoned because it was feared they would face death by the mice.

The cats are granted asylum in Australia and proceed to devise and start a scam to obtain money from people's credit cards!

A 60 Minutes special shows the grasshopper finishing up the last of the possum's food, though spring is still months away, while the Government house he is in, crumbles around him because he hasn't bothered to maintain it.

He is shown to be taking drugs.

Inadequate local government funding is blamed for the grasshopper's drugs "Illness".

The cats seek recompense in the Australian Courts for their treatment since arrival in Australia.

The grasshopper gets arrested for stabbing an old dog during a burglary to get money for his drug habit. He is imprisoned but released immediately because he has been in custody for a few weeks. He is placed in the care of the probation service to monitor and supervise him.

Within a few weeks he has killed a guinea pig in a botched robbery.

A commission of enquiry, that will eventually cost $10 million and state the obvious, is set up.

Additional money is put into funding for a drug rehabilitation scheme incorporating anger management for the grasshoppers.

Legal aid funds for a Parliamentarian's wife who happens to be a lawyer representing asylum seekers is not only made available but increased.

The asylum seeking cats are praised by the government for enriching Australia's multicultural diversity and dogs are criticised by the government for failing to befriend the cats.

The grasshopper dies of a drug overdose.

The usual sections of the press blame it on the obvious failure of government to address the root causes of despair arising from social inequity and the grasshopper’s traumatic experience of prison.

They call for the resignation of the Opposition Leader who supported the possums.

The cats are paid $1 million each because their rights were infringed when the government failed to inform them there were mice in Australia.

The possum, the dogs and the victims of the hijacking, the bombing, the burglaries and robberies have to pay an additional percentage on their credit cards to cover losses, their taxes are increased to pay for law and order, and they are told that they will have to work beyond 65 because of a shortfall in government funds.

THE END

My thought for today. – Werner

Life is pleasant. Death is peaceful. It's the transition that's troublesome. Isaac Asimov.

Lord Monckton confronts Prime Minister Kevin Rudd

A letter from the Viscount Monckton of Brenchley, sent to Kevin 07. He takes Kevin Rudd to task, see first paragraph below. Click on this link to read the full letter - Werner

1 January 2010

His Excellency Mr. Kevin Rudd,

Prime Minister, Commonwealth of Australia.

Prime Minister,

Climate change: proposed personal briefing

Your speech on 6 November 2009 to the Lowy Institute, in which you publicly expressed some concern at my approach to the climate question, has prompted several leading Australian citizens to invite me come on tour to explain myself in a series of lectures in Australia later this month. I am writing to offer personal briefings on why “global warming” is a non-problem to you and other party leaders during my visit. For convenience, I am copying this letter to them, and to the Press. . . . . . .

The ETS facts that Rudd and Wong would prefer we wouldn’t know.

Following is an interesting “Letter to the Editor” published in the "Rockhampton Morning Bulletin;" written by Terence Cardwell. This will lend credence to my posting in this forum “Copenhagen a dead horse?” Terence Cardwell, has spent 25 years in the Electricity Commission of NSW, working, commissioning and operating the various power units. His last was the 4 X 350 MW Munmorah Power Station near Newcastle. This is a person who knows what he is talking about –does Penny Wong?

After you have read what Terence had to say, you may wonder why Kevin Rudd is prepared to let a good Australian, like Peter Spencer die, and destroy other Australian farmers as well. What for, his flawed ETS cause? - Werner

I quote”

I have sat by for a number of years frustrated at the rubbish being put forth about carbon dioxide emissions, thermal coal fired power stations and renewable energy and the ridiculous Emissions Trading Scheme.

Frustration at the lies told (particularly during the election) about global pollution. Using Power Station cooling towers for an example, the condensation coming from those cooling towers is as pure as that that comes out of any kettle.

Frustration about the so called incorrectly named man made 'carbon emissions' which of course is Carbon Dioxide emissions and what it is supposedly doing to our planet.

Frustration about the lies told about renewable energy and the deliberate distortion of renewable energy and its ability to replace fossil fuel energy generation. And frustration at the ridiculous carbon credit programme which is beyond comprehension.

And further, frustration at some members of the public who have not got a clue about thermal Power Stations or Renewable Energy. Quoting ridiculous figures about something they clearly have little or no knowledge of.

First, coal fired power stations do NOT send 60 to 70% of the energy up the chimney. The boilers of modern power stations are 96% efficient and the exhaust heat is captured by the economisers and reheaters and heat the air and water before entering the boilers.

The very slight amount exiting the stack is moist, as in condensation and CO2. There is virtually no fly ash because this is removed by the precipitators or bagging plant that are 99.98% efficient. The 4% of energy lost is heat through boiler wall convection.

Coal fired Power Stations are highly efficient with very little heat loss and can generate massive amounts of energy for our needs. They can generate power at efficiency of less than 10,000 b.t.u. per kilowatt and cost wise that is very low.

The percentage cost of mining and freight is very low. The total cost of fuel is 8% of total generation cost and does NOT constitute a major production cost. As for being laughed out of the country, China is building multitudes of coal fired power stations because they are the most efficient for bulk power generation.

We have, like the USA, coal fired power stations because we HAVE the raw materials and are VERY fortunate to have them. Believe me no one is laughing at Australia - exactly the reverse, they are very envious of our raw materials and independence. The major percentage of power in Europe and U.K. is nuclear because they don't have the coal supply for the future.

Yes it would be very nice to have clean, quiet, cheap energy in bulk supply. Everyone agrees that it would be ideal. You don't have to be a genius to work that out. But there is only one problem---It doesn't exist.

Yes - there are wind and solar generators being built all over the world, but they only add a small amount to the overall power demand.

The maximum size wind generator is 3 Megawatts, which can rarely be attained on a continuous basis because it requires substantial forces of wind. And for the same reason only generate when there is sufficient wind to drive them. This of course depends where they are located but usually they only run for 45% -65% of the time, mostly well below maximum capacity. They cannot be relied on for a 'base load' because they are too variable. And they certainly could not be used for load control.

The peak load demand for electricity in Australia is approximately 50,000 Megawatts and only a small part of this comes from the Snowy Hydro Electric System (The ultimate power Generation) because it is only available when water is there from snow melt or rain. And yes they can pump it back, but it costs to do that. (Long Story).

Tasmania is very fortunate in that they have mostly hydro electric generation because of their high amounts of snow and rainfall. They also have wind generators (located in the roaring forties) but that is only a small amount of total power generated.

Based on a average generating output of 1.5 megawatts (of unreliable power) you would require over 33,300 wind generators.

As for solar power generation much research has been done over the decades and there are two types. Solar thermal generation and Solar Electric generation but in each case they cannot generate large amounts of electricity.

Any clean, cheap energy is obviously welcomed but they would NEVER have the capability of replacing Thermal power generation. So get your heads out of the clouds, do some basic mathematics and look at the facts, not going off with the fairies (or some would say the extreme greenies.)

We are all greenies in one form or another and care very much about our planet. The difference is most of us are realistic. Not in some idyllic utopia where everything can be made perfect by standing around holding a banner and being a general pain in the backside. Here are some facts that will show how ridiculous this financial madness the government is following.

Do the simple maths and see for yourselves. According to the 'believers' the CO2 in air has risen from .034% to .038% in air over the last 50 years.

To put the percentage of Carbon Dioxide in air in a clearer perspective; If you had a room 12 ft x 12 ft x 7 ft or 3.7 mtrs x 3.7 mtrs x 2.1 mtrs, the area carbon dioxide would occupy in that room would be .25m x .25m x .17m or the size of a large packet of cereal.

Australia emits 1 percent of the world's total carbon Dioxide and the government wants to reduce this by twenty percent or reduce emissions by .2 percent of the world's total CO2 emissions. What effect will this have on existing CO2 levels? By their own figures they state the CO2 in air has risen from .034% to .038% in 50 years.

Assuming this is correct, the world CO2 has increased in 50 years by .004 percent.

Per year that is .004 divided by 50 = .00008 percent. (Getting confusing -but stay with me). Of that, because we only contribute 1% our emissions would cause CO2 to rise .00008 divided by 100 = .0000008 percent. Of that 1%, we supposedly emit, the governments wants to reduce it by 20% which is 1/5th of .0000008 = .00000016 percent effect per year they would have on the world CO2 emissions based on their own figures.

That would equate to an area in the same room, as the size of a small pin! For that they have gone crazy with the ridiculous trading schemes, Solar and roofing installations, clean coal technology. Renewable energy, etc, etc. How ridiculous it that? The cost to the general public and industry will be enormous, crippling and even closing some smaller business. Unquote.

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And here is an artist’s impression of the latest Carbon dioxide removal technology. Click to enlarge picture.

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We have to give credit to the “Rockhampton Morning Bulletin” for allowing such lengthy letters (1500 words in this case) the “Cairns Post” allows 150 words, the Courier Mail about half of that and the “Sunraysia Daily” of Mildura Victoria, 300 words. – Werner