MUENCHHAUSEN Dec. 1, 2014

MUENCHHAUSEN

AN ELECTRONIC NEWSLETTER ABOUT ENVIRONMENT,

RENEWABLE RESOURCE TECHNOLOGY,

AND RELATED TOPICS

By BOOTSTRAP PRESS, INC.

BETHESDA, MD

JJGREENBARON(at)VERIZON.NET

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DECEMBER 1, 2014

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WELCOME!

The Green Baron (TGB) welcomes one and all who take the time to read Muenchhausen. He aims to “tell it like it is” as much as possible, and avoid advocacy and ideological positions. There are enough of those to go around in other publications.

The Green Baron also welcomes comments from anyone who may read Muenchhausen. Please send comments to the e-mail address above.

 

“THE WALLS HAVE EARS!”

Pavol Demeš currently is a senior Transatlantic fellow of the German Marshall Fund of the United States, and is a former Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Slovak Republic. Before the “Velvet Revolution” of November 1989, by which the Communist regime of then-Czechoslovakia was overthrown mostly bloodlessly, he had been a bio-medical researcher at Comenius University (Bratislava, Slovakia). Answering TGB’s query about environmental matters in Slovakia then and now, he explained to TGB that before the Velvet Revolution, any private discussions about environmental degradation best were conducted where no listening devices or government informants were feared to be present. In those days, this was a fairly dangerous topic and, as an old saying has it, “The walls have ears!”

To be sure, this situation no longer obtains in Slovakia or the Czech Republic. (Note that Czechoslovakia split into Czech Republic and Slovakia through the “Velvet Divorce”, the bloodless separation of the two nations effective Jan. 1, 1993. Demeš told TGB that Slovakia works conscientiously to improve its environment; moreover, as a state-member of the European Union (EU), Slovakia is obliged to work toward meeting environmental standards of that international body. Still, given the country’s history, especially as a part of the Soviet Bloc until late 1989, Slovakia still has a hard row to hoe. TGB wishes the Slovak all success in this endeavor. Demeš discussed these and other cogent topics at the presentation of Czech and Slovak Freedom, held Nov. 14 at the Wilson Center in Washington, DC.

Demeš: Environment discussion no

longer dangerous.

The Wilson Center meeting brought back to TGB a memory of a pollution event that occurred in Prague, the capital of Czechoslovakia in early 1990 (now Czech Republic). The level of sulfur oxide air pollutants (SO_x) had reached 1,000 parts per million, so the city government banned the use of all motor vehicles for the day. Exceptions were made for emergency vehicles and, interestingly, the beer delivery trucks.

KEYSTONE XL IN LIMBO IN THE US?

Currently, that is the way TGB sees it at least for the near term. It is quite possible that the
next Congress that will convene in January 2015 will pass a bill to authorize construction of those portions of the pipeline that have yet to be built. TGB believes that President Obama would almost certainly veto such a bill.

Another current economic factor could delay or cancel Keystone XL construction, and slow down hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”) for gas and oil, as well. This is the recent, rather precipitous decrease in the price of crude oil and resultantly prices of products made from it. TGB reads reports that drilling and production projects, especially in areas where geography and climate present difficulties, may be placed on long-term hold, or even abandoned. If “crude” prices remain as low as they are currently, or perhaps decrease further, exploration and drilling would not make commercial sense.

CELIAC DISEASE FROM GM GRAIN?

This could be an avenue for further research into this disease that afflicts those who consume gluten from wheat, barley, rye, and certain other grains. This malady manifests itself in the form of attacks on the fine hairs, or villi, of the small intestine, believed to be caused by attacks by the human body’s immune system. Symptoms can range from minor gastric annoyances to near-total food rejection. But where does GM (genetically modified) grain come in?

Over the centuries and millennia of human history, wild or “einkorn” wheat was “domesticated”. Nature’s original wheat, with a diploid chromosome system, as domestication proceeded to produce desired qualities, evolved, or were made to evolve into wheat with a tetraploid and even hexaploid number of chromosomes in its individual cells. Tetraploid wheat yields semolina flour, used in pasta and certain types of bread and cake. Hexaploid wheat, however, is the type most in use, and it is the main source of the flour used in our familiar breads and cakes, as well as foods such as bulgur and many breakfast cereals. Recent research suggests that fewer symptoms of celiac disease might show up if einkorn wheat in used. TGB believes that such research should be pursued further. He has not, however, any idea of how this type of research and study might apply to rye, barley, and grains of similar types. Nevertheless, TGB hopes to discuss this topic more in the future.

 

Modern vs. einkorn wheat: Note difference

in appearance.

WELCOME TO WINTER

Meteorological winter begins December 1. Welcome aboard!