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Spencer arrived back from Haiti alive and well and full of stories. This was the Youth for Human Rights Tour. They met with various Haitian Government and UN agencies. I'll get him to write his stories so that I can post some here. Hopefully, he'll also put some these stories elsewhere.  I've included one photo here.

He loved the trip and met some really great people. He said there are a lot of wonderful people that really are trying to improve conditions there.

Enjoy the pictures. We'll get some stories up soon.

• Martin

I just came across a great artist. You can check out her blog and her website:

Laurel Sherrie's Art

I had done some research several years ago on MSG and thought I had taken it completely out of my diet. But more research had to be done. Please note below, vegetable protein also includes soya protein. So, if you think you are getting a product with protein in it, well, read on...

Monosodium Glutamate is in pretty much every packaged food that you can possibly purchase.  

There is a great book by John Erb, who was a research assistant at the University of Ontario. He wrote: “The Slow Poisoning of America”, as one of the many people blowing the whistle on MSG.

I spent a lot of time on the road some years ago.  I worked trade shows (Home Shows, Sportsman's Shows, etc.)  I tried to get hotels that had kitchenettes or kitchens.  This wasn't always possible.  I spent almost an hour in a grocery store somewhere near Seattle one evening after a show.  I was in the frozen dinner section.  I spent the time reading.  I'm sure I read the ingredient list of at least 20-30 different packages.  Some that were purported to be 'healthy'.  I was completely unable to find any product in that section without this horrible additive: monosodium glutamate.  Under at least one of the names below.

If you look, you will find MSG in one of its many names in processed foods, canned, frozen or boxed. Restaurants and fast food chains are the worst. You will even find it in some vitamin supplements.  If you are looking at a label for the words "MSG" or "monosodium glutamate" you will in all likelihood not find them.  

Below is a list of terms.  These products are MSG or have MSG in them.  

- Monosodium glutamate, monopotassium glutamate, glutamic acid

If any of these terms are used, then the product listed is MSG:

• hydrolyzed (such as hydrolyzed vegetable protein)
• Autolyzed
• natural flavor, or flavors, natural flavoring, flavorings
• Soy protein, wheat protein, whey protein, anything fortified protein

(They fool you by using the words Vegetable, Soy and Protein.)

- Calcium caseinate

- Sodium caseinate

- Yeast extract

- Seasonings

- Textured protein

- Carrageenan

- Gelatin

- Soy sauce

- Worcestershire sauce

- Bouillon, pork, chicken, beef

- Barley malt, malt extract, maltodextrin

- Enzymes

- Corn syrup, corn starch, dextrose

- Citric acid

These labels are technically legal.  

Rats are used a lot for testing food.  Rats do not naturally get fat.  Diet research companies using rats, need to use MSG to get them fat.  MSG somehow bypasses that full feeling and they want to keep eating.  Once they rats are fat, then these companies can test their diet products.  Go figure. This all has to do with the relationship of taste receptors and messages to your pancreas.  And insulin.  All gets sent haywire and you want to keep eating.  

Find natural foods.

This afternoon I was having a double Expresso in Pangea on Fort Harrison in Clearwater Florida while speaking to Geri, one of the owners. I struck up a conversation with another patron. She mentioned that she'd spent most of her adult life in India. Well, my father lived in India for 30+ years, so I asked her where she'd been. She told me that she'd lived in Vrindavan - the exact same town where my father had lived. Not only that she had visited the hospital where my father had worked. My father Doctor Glyn Jones, was a doctor at that hospital and a member of the Vedanta - a Hindu sect. I had been to Vridavan 20 years ago and it was wonderful hearing about it again from someone who had lived there more recently. Also, interesting were some of the changes occurring within India. She plans on writing a book - hopefully, she does so - I'll certainly read it. Here you can see a picture that I took - this was just outside the gates of the hospital.