Bagaimana Transaksi Wang Haram?
Nasrudin Hassan at-Tantawi
Hukum menerima bantuan
dari wang yang haram.
Muqaddimah
Isu ini bukanlah perkara baru di dalam Islam. Ini kerana hal ini juga pernah berlaku pada zaman Nabi saw apabila Saidina Abu Bakar ra merujuk kepada Baginda saw mengenai wang haram yang diperolehinya.
ولما نزل قوله تعالي: {ألم * غُلِبَتِ الرُّومُ * فِي أَدْنَى الْأَرْضِ وَهُمْ مِنْ بَعْدِ غَلَبِهِمْ سَيَغْلِبُونَ} [الروم:1-3]، كذبه المشركون وقالوا للصحابة: ألا ترون ما يقول صاحبكم، يزعم أن الروم ستَغلب. فخاطرهم أبو بكر رضي الله عنه، بإذن رسول الله صلي الله عليه وسلم، فلما حقَّق الله صدقه، وجاء أبو بكر رضي الله عنه، بما قامرهم به، قال عليه الصلاة والسلام: "هذا سحت، فتصدَّق به". وفرح المؤمنون بنصر الله، وكان قد نزل تحريم القمار بعد إذن رسول الله صلي الله عليه وسلم له في المخاطرة مع الكفار
Mafhum daripada hadith ini adalah Saidina Abu Bakar al-Siddiq r.a pernah bertaruh [di awal Islam sewaktu perjudian belum diharamkan secara menyeluruh] dengan seorang Musyrik [yang mencabar ketepatan Al-Quran dari surah al-Rum ayat 1 dan 2 yang mengisyaratkan kejatuhan Rom] bahawa Kerajaan Rom akan tewas. Kemudian apabila Rom benar-benar jatuh maka Saidina Abu Bakar ra telah memperolehi harta pertaruhan itu [ianya haram kerana judi dan tujuan Saidina Abu Bakar ra hanyalah untuk membuktikan kebenaran al-Quran], apabila Abu Bakar datang kepada Rasulullah SAW menceritakan perihal harta haram yang diperolehi melalui hasil taruhan [judi] itu,
Rasulullah bersabda : "Ini kotor, sedekahkanlah ia". Selepas peristiwa ini, barulah turun perintah pengharaman judi secara sepenuhnya sekalipun dengan orang kafir.
Menginfaqkan harta yang diperolehi dari cara yang haram
Pendapat pertama
Dibolehkan untuk menginfaq harta yang diperoleh dari hasil yang haram. Pendapat ini adalah pendapat jumhur.
Sheikh Dr Yusof al-Qardhawi [1]
“Kebenarannya adalah bahawa harta tersebut adalah kotor [ haram ] dengan dinisbahkan kepada orang yang memperolehinya dengan cara yang tidak halal akan tetapi ianya baik [ halal ] dengan dinisbahkan kepada faqir miskin untuk tujuan kebaikan
Haram ke atas orang yang memperolehinya dengan cara yang tidak halal tetapi dibolehkan kerana tujuan kebaikan tadi seperti menyedekahkannya. Ini kerana, harta tersebut tidak haram bagi zatnya akan tetapi ianya haram hanya kerana individu tertentu kerana sebab yang tertentu.
Transaksi harta haram biasanya berlaku dalam 4 keadaan ;
I. Individu tersebut mengambil harta haram itu untuk kegunaan dirinya dan keluarganya. Keadaan ini telah jelas pengharamannya
II. Harta haram [Harta riba’ yang diperolehi melalui system perbankan] dibiarkan kekal dalam bank yang berurus niaga secara riba’. Perbuatan ini juga adalah haram
III. Harta yang diterima atau diperolehi melalui hasil yang haram ini dimusnahkan [dibakar dll]. Hal ini ada di dalam riwayat yang menceritakan hal keadaan salafus-soleh yang wara’. Akan tetapi perkara ini telah ditolak oleh al-Imam al-Ghazali rhm di dalam kitab al-Ihya’.
IV. Harta tersebut digunakan dalam transaksi yang bertujuan kepada kebaikan seperti untuk disedekahkan kepada orang-orang faqir miskin, anak-anak yatim, ibnu al-Sabil ataupun mana-mana pertubuhan kebajikan, dakwah dan kemasyarakatan Islam. Perkara sebegini adalah dibenarkan.
Al-Imam al-Ghazali rhm
Sekiranya ada yang bertanyakan apakah dalil yang membolehkan untuk disedekahkan dengan sesuatu yang haram?, dan bagaimana pula bersedekah dengan sesuatu yang bukan miliknya[2] ?. Sedangkan di sana terdapat sekumpulan [ulamak] yang tidak membenarkan perkara tersebut kerana ia adalah haram. Sememangnya di sana terdapat satu riwayat yang menyatakan al-Fudhail tidak menerima sedekah yang diterima dari hasil yang haram.
Sheikh Atiyyah Saqor [3]
"Wajib melupuskan harta yang haram ketika bertaubat, ia boleh dilakukan dengan memulangkan kembali harta itu kepada tuannya (jika diketahui) atau kepada warisnya, dan jika tidak mampu diketahui, hendaklah diserahkan kepada faqir miskin bagi memisahkan diri darinya [harta yang haram] dan bukannya bagi meraih pahala (dari serahan itu).
Imam Ibnu Qayyim[4]
Jika sesuatu harta yang didapati dari sumber haram itu diketahui pemiliknya (seperti harta haram hasil curi dan diketahui pemiliknya), cara melupuskannya adalah dengan memulangkan kembali wang curi itu kepada tuannya serta meminta maaf dan kemudian melakukan taubat kepada Allah swt. Sekiranya dia gagal memulangkan kepada tuannya maka hendaklah dia memulangkan kepada warisnya. Sekiranya dia gagal juga, barulah harta itu disalurkan kepada sedeqah
Dalil yang membenarkan
فأمر رسول الله صلي الله عليه وسلم، بالتصدُّق بالشاة المصلية التي قدِّمت إليه فكلَّمته بأنها حرام، إذ قال صلي الله عليه
وسلم: "أطعموها الأساري"
Mafhum hadith
Hadith ini menceritakan bahawasanya pernah dihidangkan kepada Nabi saw daging kambing. Lalu daging tersebut menyatakan kepada Nabi Muhammad saw bahawa ia adalah haram. Lalu Nabi saw menyuruh sahabat untuk memberikan ia kepada orang lain untuk dimakan [menyedekahkannya].
Rasional hadith
Perbuatan Nabi saw yang menyedekahkan daging kambing [yang haram] untuk disedekahkan.
al-Athar Saidina Hasan ra
وسئل الحسن رضي الله عنه، عن توبة الغال (مَن يأخذ من مال الغنيمة قبل أن يقسم، وما يؤخذ منه بعد تفرُّق الجيش)،
فقال: يتصدَّق به.
Mafhum athar
Athar ini menceritakan mengenai taubat bagi orang yang mengambil ghanimah sebelum ianya dibahagikan. Saidina Hasan ra mengatakan bersedekah dengan apa yang diambilnya tadi membuktikan taubat bagi perbuatannya yang mengambil harta dengan cara yang haram.
Rasional athar
Walaupun athar ini menceritakan mengenai ghanimah yang pada asalnya halal, tetapi sekiranya ia diambil dengan cara yang tidak betul maka hukumnya tetap haram kerana harta ghanimah bukanlah pemilikan dia seorang. Ianya perlu dibahagikan mengikut apa yang diajarkan oleh Allah swt. Tuntasnya, apabila ia tidak diambil dengan kaedah yang telah digariskan oleh Allah swt maka ianya tetap haram. Justeru, bagi mereka yang melakukan dosa besar [melakukan sesuatu yang haram] wajib bertaubat dan Saidina Hasan ra menyatakan salah satu cara membuktikan dia bertaubat adalah dengan menyedekahkan apa yang telah diambilnya dengan cara yang salah.
Persamaan hal ini dengan kes di atas adalah kedua-kedua harta tersebut adalah diperolehi melalui hasil yang haram. Hukum haramnya tetap ke atas orang yang melakukan iaitu dia tidak
boleh membelanjakan wang tersebut demi dirinya atau kepentingan keluarganya. Penyelesaiannya adalah wang tersebut perlu diberikan kepada orang lain [faqir miskin] kerana wang tersebut tidak haram pada zatnya untuk orang lain.
Qiyas
Sheikh Dr Yusuf al-Qardhawi menyatakan bahawasanya harta sebegini berada dalam timbangan samada untuk dimusnahkan atau digunakan untuk jalan kebaikan. Ini kerana harta tersebut telah menjadi rosak di sisi pemiliknya. Secara dharuri melalui pengetahuan kita, menggunakan harta tersebut kearah kebajikan adalah lebih baik dari membuangnya ke dasar lautan [memusnahkannya]. Ini kerana, sekiranya kita membuang ia ke dasar lautan maka sesungguhnya benda tersebut hilang dari sisi kita tanpa kita memperoleh faedah daripada perbuatan kita tadi.
Akan tetapi, sekiranya kita menginfaqkan ia kepada faqir miskin nescaya mereka akan mendoakan pemiliknya keberkatan daripada Allah swt. Selain itu, mereka yang faqir tadi boleh memenuhi tuntutan keperluan mereka di samping tuan [harta haram] yang menyedekahkannya tadi memperolehi ganjaran di sisi Allah swt.
Di dalam masalah yang berkaitan penerimaan bantuan dari hasil judi dan situasinya adalah penerima mengetahui wang bantuan tersebut adalah datang dari hasil judi maka wang tersebut perlulah dikembalikan kepada orang yang memberikan atau wakil kepada yang memberikan kerana wang yang diperolehi dari hasil yang haram perlu [wajib] dilupuskan [6]. Ini kerana hukum asal menggunakan wang yang diperolehi dari hasil yang haram hukumnya juga adalah haram. Hal ini dikuatkan dengan kaedah “ bahawa menolong dan menyebarkan yang haram itu juga adalah haram “[7].
Pendapat kedua
Segala bentuk wang yang haram perlu disimpan [dibekukan]. Ini kerana ditakuti harta tersebut jatuh ke tangan mereka yang zalim bukan kepada mereka yang adil. Justeru, dengan menyimpan [membekukan] wang tersebut, ia dapat memelihara harta tersebut daripada jatuh ke tangan orang yang zalim. Antara yang menggunakan pendapat ini adalah Sheikh al-Islam Ibn Taimiah[8]
Dalil bagi pendapat kedua adalah
1. Firman Allah swt di dalam Surah al-Baqarah
Wahai orang-orang Yang beriman! belanjakanlah (pada jalan Allah) sebahagian dari hasil usaha kamu Yang baik-baik, dan sebahagian dari apa Yang Kami keluarkan dari bumi untuk kamu. dan janganlah kamu sengaja memilih Yang buruk daripadanya (lalu kamu dermakan atau kamu jadikan pemberian zakat), padahal kamu sendiri tidak sekali-kali akan mengambil Yang buruk itu (kalau diberikan kepada kamu), kecuali Dengan memejamkan mata padanya. dan ketahuilah, Sesungguhnya Allah Maha Kaya, lagi sentiasa Terpuji "
2. Daripada al-Hadith yang diriwayatkan oleh Ibn Mas’ud ra[9]
ما رواه ابن مسعود – رضي الله عنه – أن رسول الله - صلى الله عليه وسلم - قال: "والذي نفسي بيده لا يكسب عبد مالاً من حرام فينفق منه فيبارك له فيه، ولا يتصدق فيقبل منه ولا يتركه خلف ظهره إلا كان زاده إلى النار"
Rasional dalil
Secara umumnya, dalil di atas menunjukkan bahawasanya Allah tidak akan menerima sedekah melainkan hal keadaan pemberian itu adalah baik. Jadi sedekah dengan harta ini tidak akan diterima melainkan dengan harta yang halal dan diperolehi melalui cara yang mengikut syarak. Syarat untuk amalan yang baik itu diterima [sedekah] adalah melalui infaq harta yang halal.
Jawapan al-Imam al-Ghazali[10]
Adapun kata-kata : kita tidak bersedekah dengan harta melainkan dari harta yang baik [halal] adalah apabila kita mengharapkan pahala dari pemberian sedekah tersebut untuk diri kita. Perbincangan kita sekarang adalah pelupusan harta yang haram dari sisi kita bukan untuk kita mendapatkan pahala buat diri kita. Di antara melupuskan harta tersebut dengan dimusnahkan dan diinfaqkan maka kami cenderung pada pandangan untuk harta tersebut diinfaqkan.
Pendapat ketiga
Hasil dari harta haram perlu dimusnahkan. Sebahagian kecil daripada ulamak-ulamak salaf seperti Qadhi Fudhail al-‘Iyyadh
Walaupun sebahagian besar ulamak yang menerima pandangan bahawasanya duit haram yang diperolehi boleh disedekahkan, akan tetapi masih ada ulamak yang menolak menggunakan duit haram yang disalurkan sebagai sedekah / bantuan.
وحُكي عن الفضيل أنه وقع في يده درهمان، فلما علم أنهما من غير وجههما، رماهما بين الحجارة، وقال: لا أتصدق إلا بالطيِّب، ولا أرضي لغيري ما لا أرضاه لنفسي!
Cara untuk tassorruf [ transaksi ] dengan harta dari hasil yang haram
Pendapat pertama
Digunakan untuk maslahah[11] umum orang Islam dan ini adalah pendapat Sheikh al-Islam Ibnu Taimiah rhm
Pendapat kedua
Digunakan dengan memberi sedekah secara umum[12] dan ini adalah pandangan Hanafiah, Malikiah, Imam Ahmad dan ulamak-ulamak mazhabnya serta Imam Ghazali daripada mazhab Syafi’e
Pendapat ketiga
Digunakan untuk maslahah umat Islam yang faqir (dll) bukan untuk membina masjid. Pendapat ini adalah dari Suruhanjaya Fatwa Penerbitan di Arab Saudi[13] dan Penasihat Gedung Kewangan Kuwait
Pendapat keempat
Digunakan untuk jihad di jalan Allah swt dan ini adalah salah satu pandangan Sheikh al-Islam Ibn Taimiah
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Pencerahan [ Nota Tambahan ]
Apa yang dimaksudkan dengan harta itu haram
Harta yang haram adalah harta yang haram digunakan dan untuk dimanfaatkan oleh pemiliknya. Contohnya Abu terlibat dengan perniagaan yang berunsurkan riba’ dan dia mendapat keuntungan melalui riba’. Maka haram bagi Abu untuk menggunakan keuntungannya tadi demi kepentingan dan manfaat bagi dirinya dan keluarganya. Akan tetapi, sekiranya duit riba’ tersebut disedekahkan kepada faqir miskin untuk manfaat mereka maka itu adalah halal kerana pengharamannya adalah dengan sebab riba’ bukan kerana duit tersebut haram.
Allah tidak menerima sedekah melainkan dengan harta [pemberian] yang baik
Harta yang haram sudah tentu bukan dari hasil dan pemberian yang baik. Malah ia bukan dari milik kita. Bagaimana untuk kita memberi sedekah pada suatu benda yang bukan dari pemilikan kita?.
Secara mudahnya, memberi sedekah dari harta haram ini merupakan kewajipan untuk memisahkan diri pemilik dari harta yang haram. Perkataan sedekah itu diterjemah sebagai memberi bantuan kepada golongan faqir dan miskin. Orang yang menginfaqkan hartanya dari hasil yang haram tidak akan mendapat pahala kerana bersedekah tetapi dia akan mendapat pahala dari sudut yang lain[14] antaranya ;
1. Menahan dirinya daripada harta tersebut dan mengambil manfaat daripadanya dalam apa jua keadaan.
2. Meletakkan harta tersebut pada tempatnya iaitu ke jalan kebajikan.
3. Melaksanakan kewajipan iaitu melupuskan harta haram disisinya dll.
____________________________________________________________________________________
Mulaahazah [ Perhatian ]
Membincangkan isu transaksi wang haram yang dibolehkan pada keadaan tertentu bukan bermakna ia menjadi satu keharusan untuk sebuah kerajaan mengekalkan atau menggalakkan sesuatu amalan [ muamalah ] yang diharamkan oleh Allah swt. Sebaliknya persoalan ini , fokus kepada penerima seperti faqir miskin atau rakyat.
Sementara pihak kerajaan [ pemberi ] mempunyai sudut perbahasan yang berbeza dengan perbahasan mengenai penerima [ rakyat ] .
Ringkasnya, bagi sebuah kerajaan sayugia berikhtiar agar membebaskan diri dari sistem muamalah yang diharamkan oleh Allah swt sebagaimana menjadi kewajipan jua bagi sebuah kerajaan tidak menjalankan kegiatan - kegiatan yang diharamkan seperti industri perjudian . Ini bagi memastikan kerajaan tersebut diredhai oleh Allah swt pentadbiran dan pembendaharaannya .
Kerajaan yang terpaksa berurusan dengan sumber haram seperti melibatkan wang cukai dari industri arak [ yang diharamkan kepada orang Islam tetapi tidak kepada non muslim - berbeza isu judi ] maka.....
saya berpendapat , biarpun ada pandangan ulama' yang mengharuskan wang itu di hulurkan kepada rakyat sebagai bantuan faqir miskin dan seumpamanya [ sebagaimana perbahasan panjang di atas ] dan rakyat harus menerimanya pula rakyat tidak wajib mengusul periksa sumber kewangan tersebut , namun adalah terlebih afdhal dan wara' [ bagi pihak kerajaan - terutama kerajaan Islam ] mengasingkan tabung atau pembendaharaan yang di perolehi dari sumber yang tidak halal . Kemudiannya memastikan hanya wang yang jelas halal disalurkan [ disuap ] kepada rakyat . Ianya terlebih afdhal jika kerajaan boleh bertindak demikian .
Wallahualam bissowab.
Nasrudin bin Hassan At tantawi
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[1] Laman web Sheikh Dr Yusuf al-Qardhawi (www.qaradawi.net) di dalam : فتاوى و أحكام
إنفاق المال المكتسب من حرام
[2] Ini kerana setiap barang yang diperolehi dari sumber yang haram bukanlah menjadi milik bagi orang yang memperolehinya
[3] Min Ahsani al-Kalam fi al-Fatawa (2/65)
[4] Zad al-Ma'ad, Ibn Qayyim, 4/251
[6] Sheikh ‘Athiyyah Saqar ; Min Ahsani al-Kalam fi al-Fatawa
[7] Sheikh Dr Yusof al-Qardhawi ; Bab 1 Halal dan Haram
[8] Kitab لفتاوى الكبرى (4/210-213)
[9] Imam Ahmad di dalam Kitab المسند (1/387)
[10] Kitab إحياء علوم الدين (5/83)
[11] Maslahah umum di sini bermaksud adalah digunakan untuk kegunaan ramai bukan seorang individu
[12] Keadaan yang kedua ini adalah lebih menyeluruh kerana termasuk kepadanya diberikan kepada faqir miskin
[13] Lihat : مجموع فتاوى اللجنة الدائمة (13/354)
[14] Sheikh Dr Yusuf al-Qardhawi
Friday, October 8, 2010
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Aspartame producer Ajinomoto
America's Deadliest Sweetener Betrays Millions, Then Hoodwinks You With Name Change
Posted by: Dr. Mercola
March 02 2010
Aspartame producer Ajinomoto is launching a new initiative that will rebrand the sweetener as “AminoSweet”.
Aspartame is used in many foods and beverages marketed as low calorie or sugar-free. However, its reputation has been clouded somewhat by studies that have investigated reports of ill effects.
Just to remind you, the side effects of aspartame can include:
Headache
Change in vision
Convulsions and seizures
Hallucination
Nausea and vomiting
Joint pain
It can cause many, many other problems as well.
Aspartame is the most controversial food additive in history, and its approval for use in food was the most contested in FDA history. In the end, the artificial sweetener was approved, not on scientific grounds, but rather because of strong political and financial pressure. After all, aspartame was previously listed by the Pentagon as a biochemical warfare agent!
It’s hard to believe such a chemical would be allowed into the food supply, but it was, and it has been wreaking silent havoc with people’s health for the past 30 years.
The truth is, it should never have been released onto the market, and allowing it to remain in the food chain is seriously hurting people – no matter how many times you rebrand it under fancy new names.
The Deceptive Marketing of Aspartame
Sold commercially under names like NutraSweet, Canderel, and now AminoSweet, aspartame can be found in more than 6,000 foods, including soft drinks, chewing gum, table-top sweeteners, diet and diabetic foods, breakfast cereals, jams, sweets, vitamins, prescription and over-the-counter drugs.
Aspartame producer Ajinomoto chose to rebrand it under the name AminoSweet, to “remind the industry that aspartame tastes just like sugar, and that it’s made from amino acids – the building blocks of protein that are abundant in our diet.”
This is deception at its finest: Begin with a shred of truth, and then spin it to fit your own agenda.
In this case, the agenda is to make you believe that aspartame is somehow a harmless, natural sweetener made with two amino acids that are essential for health and present in your diet already.
They want you to believe aspartame delivers all the benefits of sugar and none of its drawbacks. But nothing could be further from the truth.
How Aspartame Wreaks Havoc on Your Health
Did you know there have been more reports to the FDA for aspartame reactions than for all other food additives combined?
In fact, there are over 10,000 official complaints, but by the FDA’s own admission, less than 1 percent of those who experience a reaction to a product ever report it. So in all likelihood, the toxic effects of aspartame may have affected roughly a million people already.
While a variety of symptoms have been reported, almost two-thirds of them fall into the neurological and behavioral category consisting mostly of headaches, mood alterations, and hallucinations. The remaining third is mostly gastrointestinal symptoms.
Unfortunately, aspartame toxicity is not well-known by doctors, despite its frequency. Diagnosis is also hampered by the fact that it mimics several other common health conditions, such as:
Multiple sclerosis Parkinson's disease
Alzheimer's disease Fibromyalgia
Arthritis Multiple chemical sensitivity
Chronic fatigue syndrome Attention deficit disorder
Panic disorder Depression and other psychological disorders
Lupus Diabetes and diabetic complications
Birth defects Lymphoma
Lyme disease Hypothyroidism
How Diet Foods and Drinks CAUSE Weight Problems
In recent years, food manufacturers have increasingly focused on developing low-calorie foods and drinks to help you maintain a healthy weight and avoid obesity. Unfortunately, the science behind these products is so flawed, most of these products can actually lead to increased weight gain!
For example, researchers have discovered that drinking diet soda increases your risk of metabolic syndrome, and may double your risk of obesity – the complete opposite of the stated intention behind these “zero calorie” drinks.
The sad truth is that diet foods and drinks ruin your body's ability to count calories, and in fact stimulate your appetite, thus boosting your inclination to overindulge.
Unfortunately, most public health agencies and nutritionists in the United States recommend these toxic artificial sweeteners as an acceptable alternative to sugar, which is at best confusing and at worst harming the health of those who take their misguided advice.
Even More Toxic Dangers of Aspartame
Truly, there is enough evidence showing the dangers of consuming artificial sweeteners to fill an entire book -- which is exactly why I wrote Sweet Deception. If you or your loved ones drink diet beverages or eat diet foods, this book will explain how you've been deceived about the truth behind artificial sweeteners like aspartame and sucralose -- for greed, for profits, and at the expense of your health.
As mentioned earlier, almost two-thirds of all documented side effects of aspartame consumption are neurological.
One of the reasons for this side effect, researchers have discovered, is because the phenylalanine in aspartame dissociates from the ester bond. While these amino acids are indeed completely natural and safe, they were never designed to be ingested as isolated amino acids in massive quantities, which in and of itself will cause complications.
Additionally this will also increase dopamine levels in your brain. This can lead to symptoms of depression because it distorts your serotonin/dopamine balance. It can also lead to migraine headaches and brain tumors through a similar mechanism.
The aspartic acid in aspartame is a well-documented excitotoxin. Excitotoxins are usually amino acids, such as glutamate and aspartate. These special amino acids cause particular brain cells to become excessively excited, to the point that they die.
Excitotoxins can also cause a loss of brain synapses and connecting fibers. A review conducted in 2008 by scientists from the University of Pretoria and the University of Limpopo found that consuming a lot of aspartame may inhibit the ability of enzymes in your brain to function normally, and may lead to neurodegeneration.
According to the researchers, consuming a lot of aspartame can disturb:
The metabolism of amino acids
Protein structure and metabolism
The integrity of nucleic acids
Neuronal function
Endocrine balances
Furthermore, the ester bond in aspartame breaks down to formaldehyde and methanol, which are also toxic in their own right. So it is not surprising that this popular artificial sweetener has also been found to cause cancer.
One truly compelling case study that shows this all too well was done by a private citizen named Victoria Inness-Brown. She decided to perform her own aspartame experiment on 108 rats over a period of 2 years and 8 months.
Daily, she fed some of the rats the equivalent (for their body weight) of two-thirds the aspartame contained in 8-oz of diet soda. Thirty-seven percent of the females fed aspartame developed tumors, some of massive size.
How to Ditch Artificial Sweeteners, and Satiate Your Sweet Tooth
If you suffer from sweet cravings, it’s easy to convince yourself you’re doing the right thing by opting for a zero-calorie sweetener like aspartame. Please understand that you will do more harm than good to your body this way.
First, it’s important to realize that your body craves sweets when you’re not giving it the proper fuel it needs.
Finding out your nutritional type will tell you exactly which foods you need to eat to feel full and satisfied. It may sound hard to believe right now, but once you start eating right for your nutritional type, your sweet cravings will significantly lessen and may even disappear.
Meanwhile, be sure you address the emotional component to your food cravings using a tool such as the Meridian Tapping Technique (MTT). More than any traditional or alternative method I have used or researched, MTT works to overcome food cravings and helps you reach dietary success.
And, if diet soda is the culprit for you, be sure to check out Turbo Tapping, which is an extremely effective and simple tool to get rid of your soda addiction in a short period of time.
Non-Acceptable Alternative Sweeteners
I have written a few articles on fructose earlier this year, and I will be writing many more, so please be aware that I am absolutely convinced that fructose ingestion is at the core of our obesity epidemic.
And I’m not only talking about high fructose corn syrup, which is virtually identical to table sugar. The only major difference between the two is HFCS is much cheaper so it has contributed to massive increase in fructose ingestion, far beyond safe or healthy.
Please understand you need to keep your fructose levels BELOW 25 grams per day. The best way to do that is to avoid these “natural” sweeteners as they are loaded with a much higher percentage of fructose than HFCS.
Fruit Juice
Agave
Honey
Please note that avoiding these beyond 25 grams per day is crucial, even if the source is fresh, raw, and organic. It just doesn’t matter, fructose is fructose is fructose…
Acceptable Alternative Sweeteners
For those times when you just want a taste of something sweet, your healthiest alternative is Stevia. It’s a natural plant and, unlike aspartame and other artificial sweeteners that have been cited for dangerous toxicities, it is a safe, natural alternative that's ideal if you’re watching your weight, or if you’re maintaining your health by avoiding sugar.
It is hundreds of times sweeter than sugar and truly has virtually no calories.
I must tell you that I am biased; I prefer Stevia as my sweetener of choice, and I frequently use it. However, like most choices, especially sweeteners, I recommend using Stevia in moderation, just like sugar. In excess it is still far less likely to cause metabolic problems than sugar or any of the artificial sweeteners.
I want to emphasize, that if you have insulin issues, I suggest that you avoid sweeteners altogether, including Stevia, as they all can decrease your sensitivity to insulin.
Lo han is another sweetener like Stevia. It’s an African sweet herb that can also be used, but it’s a bit more expensive and harder to find.
So if you struggle with high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes or extra weight, then you have insulin sensitivity issues and would benefit from avoiding ALL sweeteners.
But for everyone else, if you are going to sweeten your foods and beverages anyway, I strongly encourage you to consider using regular Stevia or Lo han, and toss out all artificial sweeteners and any products that contain them.
Posted by: Dr. Mercola
March 02 2010
Aspartame producer Ajinomoto is launching a new initiative that will rebrand the sweetener as “AminoSweet”.
Aspartame is used in many foods and beverages marketed as low calorie or sugar-free. However, its reputation has been clouded somewhat by studies that have investigated reports of ill effects.
Just to remind you, the side effects of aspartame can include:
Headache
Change in vision
Convulsions and seizures
Hallucination
Nausea and vomiting
Joint pain
It can cause many, many other problems as well.
Aspartame is the most controversial food additive in history, and its approval for use in food was the most contested in FDA history. In the end, the artificial sweetener was approved, not on scientific grounds, but rather because of strong political and financial pressure. After all, aspartame was previously listed by the Pentagon as a biochemical warfare agent!
It’s hard to believe such a chemical would be allowed into the food supply, but it was, and it has been wreaking silent havoc with people’s health for the past 30 years.
The truth is, it should never have been released onto the market, and allowing it to remain in the food chain is seriously hurting people – no matter how many times you rebrand it under fancy new names.
The Deceptive Marketing of Aspartame
Sold commercially under names like NutraSweet, Canderel, and now AminoSweet, aspartame can be found in more than 6,000 foods, including soft drinks, chewing gum, table-top sweeteners, diet and diabetic foods, breakfast cereals, jams, sweets, vitamins, prescription and over-the-counter drugs.
Aspartame producer Ajinomoto chose to rebrand it under the name AminoSweet, to “remind the industry that aspartame tastes just like sugar, and that it’s made from amino acids – the building blocks of protein that are abundant in our diet.”
This is deception at its finest: Begin with a shred of truth, and then spin it to fit your own agenda.
In this case, the agenda is to make you believe that aspartame is somehow a harmless, natural sweetener made with two amino acids that are essential for health and present in your diet already.
They want you to believe aspartame delivers all the benefits of sugar and none of its drawbacks. But nothing could be further from the truth.
How Aspartame Wreaks Havoc on Your Health
Did you know there have been more reports to the FDA for aspartame reactions than for all other food additives combined?
In fact, there are over 10,000 official complaints, but by the FDA’s own admission, less than 1 percent of those who experience a reaction to a product ever report it. So in all likelihood, the toxic effects of aspartame may have affected roughly a million people already.
While a variety of symptoms have been reported, almost two-thirds of them fall into the neurological and behavioral category consisting mostly of headaches, mood alterations, and hallucinations. The remaining third is mostly gastrointestinal symptoms.
Unfortunately, aspartame toxicity is not well-known by doctors, despite its frequency. Diagnosis is also hampered by the fact that it mimics several other common health conditions, such as:
Multiple sclerosis Parkinson's disease
Alzheimer's disease Fibromyalgia
Arthritis Multiple chemical sensitivity
Chronic fatigue syndrome Attention deficit disorder
Panic disorder Depression and other psychological disorders
Lupus Diabetes and diabetic complications
Birth defects Lymphoma
Lyme disease Hypothyroidism
How Diet Foods and Drinks CAUSE Weight Problems
In recent years, food manufacturers have increasingly focused on developing low-calorie foods and drinks to help you maintain a healthy weight and avoid obesity. Unfortunately, the science behind these products is so flawed, most of these products can actually lead to increased weight gain!
For example, researchers have discovered that drinking diet soda increases your risk of metabolic syndrome, and may double your risk of obesity – the complete opposite of the stated intention behind these “zero calorie” drinks.
The sad truth is that diet foods and drinks ruin your body's ability to count calories, and in fact stimulate your appetite, thus boosting your inclination to overindulge.
Unfortunately, most public health agencies and nutritionists in the United States recommend these toxic artificial sweeteners as an acceptable alternative to sugar, which is at best confusing and at worst harming the health of those who take their misguided advice.
Even More Toxic Dangers of Aspartame
Truly, there is enough evidence showing the dangers of consuming artificial sweeteners to fill an entire book -- which is exactly why I wrote Sweet Deception. If you or your loved ones drink diet beverages or eat diet foods, this book will explain how you've been deceived about the truth behind artificial sweeteners like aspartame and sucralose -- for greed, for profits, and at the expense of your health.
As mentioned earlier, almost two-thirds of all documented side effects of aspartame consumption are neurological.
One of the reasons for this side effect, researchers have discovered, is because the phenylalanine in aspartame dissociates from the ester bond. While these amino acids are indeed completely natural and safe, they were never designed to be ingested as isolated amino acids in massive quantities, which in and of itself will cause complications.
Additionally this will also increase dopamine levels in your brain. This can lead to symptoms of depression because it distorts your serotonin/dopamine balance. It can also lead to migraine headaches and brain tumors through a similar mechanism.
The aspartic acid in aspartame is a well-documented excitotoxin. Excitotoxins are usually amino acids, such as glutamate and aspartate. These special amino acids cause particular brain cells to become excessively excited, to the point that they die.
Excitotoxins can also cause a loss of brain synapses and connecting fibers. A review conducted in 2008 by scientists from the University of Pretoria and the University of Limpopo found that consuming a lot of aspartame may inhibit the ability of enzymes in your brain to function normally, and may lead to neurodegeneration.
According to the researchers, consuming a lot of aspartame can disturb:
The metabolism of amino acids
Protein structure and metabolism
The integrity of nucleic acids
Neuronal function
Endocrine balances
Furthermore, the ester bond in aspartame breaks down to formaldehyde and methanol, which are also toxic in their own right. So it is not surprising that this popular artificial sweetener has also been found to cause cancer.
One truly compelling case study that shows this all too well was done by a private citizen named Victoria Inness-Brown. She decided to perform her own aspartame experiment on 108 rats over a period of 2 years and 8 months.
Daily, she fed some of the rats the equivalent (for their body weight) of two-thirds the aspartame contained in 8-oz of diet soda. Thirty-seven percent of the females fed aspartame developed tumors, some of massive size.
How to Ditch Artificial Sweeteners, and Satiate Your Sweet Tooth
If you suffer from sweet cravings, it’s easy to convince yourself you’re doing the right thing by opting for a zero-calorie sweetener like aspartame. Please understand that you will do more harm than good to your body this way.
First, it’s important to realize that your body craves sweets when you’re not giving it the proper fuel it needs.
Finding out your nutritional type will tell you exactly which foods you need to eat to feel full and satisfied. It may sound hard to believe right now, but once you start eating right for your nutritional type, your sweet cravings will significantly lessen and may even disappear.
Meanwhile, be sure you address the emotional component to your food cravings using a tool such as the Meridian Tapping Technique (MTT). More than any traditional or alternative method I have used or researched, MTT works to overcome food cravings and helps you reach dietary success.
And, if diet soda is the culprit for you, be sure to check out Turbo Tapping, which is an extremely effective and simple tool to get rid of your soda addiction in a short period of time.
Non-Acceptable Alternative Sweeteners
I have written a few articles on fructose earlier this year, and I will be writing many more, so please be aware that I am absolutely convinced that fructose ingestion is at the core of our obesity epidemic.
And I’m not only talking about high fructose corn syrup, which is virtually identical to table sugar. The only major difference between the two is HFCS is much cheaper so it has contributed to massive increase in fructose ingestion, far beyond safe or healthy.
Please understand you need to keep your fructose levels BELOW 25 grams per day. The best way to do that is to avoid these “natural” sweeteners as they are loaded with a much higher percentage of fructose than HFCS.
Fruit Juice
Agave
Honey
Please note that avoiding these beyond 25 grams per day is crucial, even if the source is fresh, raw, and organic. It just doesn’t matter, fructose is fructose is fructose…
Acceptable Alternative Sweeteners
For those times when you just want a taste of something sweet, your healthiest alternative is Stevia. It’s a natural plant and, unlike aspartame and other artificial sweeteners that have been cited for dangerous toxicities, it is a safe, natural alternative that's ideal if you’re watching your weight, or if you’re maintaining your health by avoiding sugar.
It is hundreds of times sweeter than sugar and truly has virtually no calories.
I must tell you that I am biased; I prefer Stevia as my sweetener of choice, and I frequently use it. However, like most choices, especially sweeteners, I recommend using Stevia in moderation, just like sugar. In excess it is still far less likely to cause metabolic problems than sugar or any of the artificial sweeteners.
I want to emphasize, that if you have insulin issues, I suggest that you avoid sweeteners altogether, including Stevia, as they all can decrease your sensitivity to insulin.
Lo han is another sweetener like Stevia. It’s an African sweet herb that can also be used, but it’s a bit more expensive and harder to find.
So if you struggle with high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes or extra weight, then you have insulin sensitivity issues and would benefit from avoiding ALL sweeteners.
But for everyone else, if you are going to sweeten your foods and beverages anyway, I strongly encourage you to consider using regular Stevia or Lo han, and toss out all artificial sweeteners and any products that contain them.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
High blood pressure (HBP)
What is high blood pressure?
High blood pressure (HBP) or hypertension means high pressure (tension) in the arteries. Arteries are vessels that carry blood from the pumping heart to all the tissues and organs of the body. High blood pressure does not mean excessive emotional tension, although emotional tension and stress can temporarily increase blood pressure. Normal blood pressure is below 120/80; blood pressure between 120/80 and 139/89 is called "pre-hypertension", and a blood pressure of 140/90 or above is considered high.
The top number, the systolic blood pressure, corresponds to the pressure in the arteries as the heart contracts and pumps blood forward into the arteries. The bottom number, the diastolic pressure, represents the pressure in the arteries as the heart relaxes after the contraction. The diastolic pressure reflects the lowest pressure to which the arteries are exposed.
An elevation of the systolic and/or diastolic blood pressure increases the risk of developing heart (cardiac) disease, kidney (renal) disease, hardening of the arteries (atherosclerosis or arteriosclerosis), eye damage, and stroke (brain damage). These complications of hypertension are often referred to as end-organ damage because damage to these organs is the end result of chronic (long duration) high blood pressure. For that reason, the diagnosis of high blood pressure is important so efforts can be made to normalize blood pressure and prevent complications.
It was previously thought that rises in diastolic blood pressure were a more important risk factor than systolic elevations, but it is now known that in people 50 years or older systolic hypertension represents a greater risk.
The American Heart Association estimates high blood pressure affects approximately one in three adults in the United States - 73 million people. High blood pressure is also estimated to affect about two million American teens and children, and the Journal of the American Medical Association reports that many are under-diagnosed. Hypertension is clearly a major public health problem.
High blood pressure (HBP) or hypertension means high pressure (tension) in the arteries. Arteries are vessels that carry blood from the pumping heart to all the tissues and organs of the body. High blood pressure does not mean excessive emotional tension, although emotional tension and stress can temporarily increase blood pressure. Normal blood pressure is below 120/80; blood pressure between 120/80 and 139/89 is called "pre-hypertension", and a blood pressure of 140/90 or above is considered high.
The top number, the systolic blood pressure, corresponds to the pressure in the arteries as the heart contracts and pumps blood forward into the arteries. The bottom number, the diastolic pressure, represents the pressure in the arteries as the heart relaxes after the contraction. The diastolic pressure reflects the lowest pressure to which the arteries are exposed.
An elevation of the systolic and/or diastolic blood pressure increases the risk of developing heart (cardiac) disease, kidney (renal) disease, hardening of the arteries (atherosclerosis or arteriosclerosis), eye damage, and stroke (brain damage). These complications of hypertension are often referred to as end-organ damage because damage to these organs is the end result of chronic (long duration) high blood pressure. For that reason, the diagnosis of high blood pressure is important so efforts can be made to normalize blood pressure and prevent complications.
It was previously thought that rises in diastolic blood pressure were a more important risk factor than systolic elevations, but it is now known that in people 50 years or older systolic hypertension represents a greater risk.
The American Heart Association estimates high blood pressure affects approximately one in three adults in the United States - 73 million people. High blood pressure is also estimated to affect about two million American teens and children, and the Journal of the American Medical Association reports that many are under-diagnosed. Hypertension is clearly a major public health problem.
Friday, February 12, 2010
Saiful says.......
Sebahagian intipati menarik sepanjang tiga hari pertama keterangan Saiful:
* Saiful serahkan polis seluar dalam berwarna biru gelap jenama Levis, yang dipakai semasa kejadian dan baju kemeja hijau jenama G2000;
* Saiful juga serahkan baju kemeja biru lembut jenama Ralph Lauren, yang dipakai pada masa kejadian dan cecair pelincir KY Jelly pada 28 Jun 2008, dua hari selepas kejadian;
* Saiful turut serahkan sehelai lagi seluar dalam berwarna kelabu jenama Levis yang dipakainya semasa membuat laporan polis pada 28 Jun 2008, yang diambil di tepi mesin basuh di rumah tunangnya;
* Saiful turut mengesahkan 10 barang kes lain, termasuk calitan dari bawah lidah, badan dan sekitar dubur serta sampel darah untuk profil DNA;
* Saiful pergi ke kondominium tersebut dengan hanya perlu menyebut perkataan “Mokhtar” sebagai kata laluan;
* Saiful hanya bekerja dengan Anwar empat bulan iaitu awal Mac 2008 sehingga 28 Jun tahun 2008. Berhenti sebagai pembantu peribadinya kerana tidak sanggup lagi diliwat oleh majikannya itu;
* Saiful berhenti kerja kerana tidak rela lagi diperlakukan seperti dalam pertuduhan;
* Mahkamah kemudian membenarkan perkataan “lagi” dikeluarkan;
* Saiful mula bekerja seminggu sebelum pilihan raya umum ke-12. Ditugaskan sebagai sukarelawan iaitu mengatur jadual perjalanan pilihan raya dan program pilihan raya bagi Anwar;
* Setelah dua bulan bekerja, iaitu pada April dia dilantik sebagai pembantu peribadi tetapi tiada surat pelantikan diberikan kepadanya;
* Selaku pembantu peribadi, empat tugas Saiful ialah mengatur pertemuan sulit Anwar untuk berkomunikasi dengan ejen ahli-ahli Parlimen yang ingin lompat parti, membantu Ibrahim Yaakub iaitu pembantu khas Anwar bagi mengatur jadual Anwar, membuat filing dokumen sulit Anwar seperti penyata bank dan mengawal selia telefon bimbit peribadi Anwar pada setiap pagi seperti memeriksa SMS dalam telefon itu;
* Saiful dibayar gaji secara rasmi RM1,000 sebulan dan diberikan elaun ASD$1,000 dan HKD$10,000, bergantung pada lawatan yang diikutinya;
* Bekas pelajar jurusan Kejuruteraan Kuasa Elektrik Uniten terkandas kerana kerana gagal dalam peperiksaan;
* Saiful telah pergi ke tiga buah hospital, termasuk dua hospital swasta, untuk membuat pemeriksaan kerana sakit perut dan dubur. Dia juga tidak membuang air besar selama dua hari;
* Anwar dikatakan tawar bantuan kewangan untuk Saiful belajar; dan
* Mahkamah juga melawat kondominum itu dua kali minggu lalu.
* Saiful serahkan polis seluar dalam berwarna biru gelap jenama Levis, yang dipakai semasa kejadian dan baju kemeja hijau jenama G2000;
* Saiful juga serahkan baju kemeja biru lembut jenama Ralph Lauren, yang dipakai pada masa kejadian dan cecair pelincir KY Jelly pada 28 Jun 2008, dua hari selepas kejadian;
* Saiful turut serahkan sehelai lagi seluar dalam berwarna kelabu jenama Levis yang dipakainya semasa membuat laporan polis pada 28 Jun 2008, yang diambil di tepi mesin basuh di rumah tunangnya;
* Saiful turut mengesahkan 10 barang kes lain, termasuk calitan dari bawah lidah, badan dan sekitar dubur serta sampel darah untuk profil DNA;
* Saiful pergi ke kondominium tersebut dengan hanya perlu menyebut perkataan “Mokhtar” sebagai kata laluan;
* Saiful hanya bekerja dengan Anwar empat bulan iaitu awal Mac 2008 sehingga 28 Jun tahun 2008. Berhenti sebagai pembantu peribadinya kerana tidak sanggup lagi diliwat oleh majikannya itu;
* Saiful berhenti kerja kerana tidak rela lagi diperlakukan seperti dalam pertuduhan;
* Mahkamah kemudian membenarkan perkataan “lagi” dikeluarkan;
* Saiful mula bekerja seminggu sebelum pilihan raya umum ke-12. Ditugaskan sebagai sukarelawan iaitu mengatur jadual perjalanan pilihan raya dan program pilihan raya bagi Anwar;
* Setelah dua bulan bekerja, iaitu pada April dia dilantik sebagai pembantu peribadi tetapi tiada surat pelantikan diberikan kepadanya;
* Selaku pembantu peribadi, empat tugas Saiful ialah mengatur pertemuan sulit Anwar untuk berkomunikasi dengan ejen ahli-ahli Parlimen yang ingin lompat parti, membantu Ibrahim Yaakub iaitu pembantu khas Anwar bagi mengatur jadual Anwar, membuat filing dokumen sulit Anwar seperti penyata bank dan mengawal selia telefon bimbit peribadi Anwar pada setiap pagi seperti memeriksa SMS dalam telefon itu;
* Saiful dibayar gaji secara rasmi RM1,000 sebulan dan diberikan elaun ASD$1,000 dan HKD$10,000, bergantung pada lawatan yang diikutinya;
* Bekas pelajar jurusan Kejuruteraan Kuasa Elektrik Uniten terkandas kerana kerana gagal dalam peperiksaan;
* Saiful telah pergi ke tiga buah hospital, termasuk dua hospital swasta, untuk membuat pemeriksaan kerana sakit perut dan dubur. Dia juga tidak membuang air besar selama dua hari;
* Anwar dikatakan tawar bantuan kewangan untuk Saiful belajar; dan
* Mahkamah juga melawat kondominum itu dua kali minggu lalu.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
History of Industrial Technology
Brief
Industry the world over constantly strives to improve its production output without increasing its manufacturing costs. The greatest leap in industry was during the 18th century when machine power replaced manually operated machinery. But it was not until the 1970's that the next great leap occured, during the sixties semiconductors started to make themselves known, out went the valve and in came the transitor, which was only a tenth of the size of the valve and required minimal power to operate.
During the late sixties microprocessors came into being and this created a giant leap in how industry would operate. Up until then machinery was controlled by control panels that consisted mainly of relays, the wiring need was immense as was the panel size. Having to make alterations to the manufactring process meant a lengthy downtime as the panels were re-wired or added to. So it was inevitable that the technological advances in microprocessor development would change this for ever.
In the late 1960’s a group of engineers in America came together and looked at how the micropocessor could be used to revolutionize industrial control, one of the problems they faced was that programming was essentially the role of electronic engineers who understood both high and low level languages - Cobol - C - Basic and Assembly. Industry mainly employed Electrical engineers who understood electrical wiring diagrams and relay control. So it was decided to use the power and speed of the microprocessor to provide both manufacturing process control/monitoring along with interpruting a program that could be written similar to an electrical wiring diagram - it was called Ladder programming, the the PLC (Programmable Logic Controllers) was born. Once electrical engineers learnt how to use the PLC, it became easy for them to modify and write programs to operate production processes and even more importantly to use the PLC to diagnose faults and so reduce downtime.
The electronic industry is divided into two main sectors, microprocessor and power, now that the microprocessor had found its place in industry it was up to power electronics to make its mark, this occured with the introduction of Triacs and Thyristors that were now capable of conducting 100’s of amperes, this meant that the relay and contactor world was about to take a large reduction in sales, these power components were unaffected by the problems that relays suffered, no arcing was produced as did in relay contacts when its contacts close, no mechanical wear and tear, no need for slow switching operation.
And so the new industrial revolution was born, power electronics joined with microprocessor technology and created Servo control that allowed motors to be more accurately and reliably controlled, Temperature control was increased to within a few tenths of a degree, Sensor technology replaced the need to have human visual inspection, and so on. With all these new advances production speed increased ten fold.
The demand for further increased productivity seems to be a never ending quest, managers in the 1980’s and 1990’s were finding it difficult to increase productivity without the right information that would allow them to make correct decisions at the right time. So SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data acquisition) was born, this allowed the shopfloor technology to be monitored and controlled in real time from a central location, production data could then linked into the company servers and databases that could be introduced into analysis tools that would allow managers to graphically see how the company was performing, this became today's MES (Manufacturing Execution System).......
Industry the world over constantly strives to improve its production output without increasing its manufacturing costs. The greatest leap in industry was during the 18th century when machine power replaced manually operated machinery. But it was not until the 1970's that the next great leap occured, during the sixties semiconductors started to make themselves known, out went the valve and in came the transitor, which was only a tenth of the size of the valve and required minimal power to operate.
During the late sixties microprocessors came into being and this created a giant leap in how industry would operate. Up until then machinery was controlled by control panels that consisted mainly of relays, the wiring need was immense as was the panel size. Having to make alterations to the manufactring process meant a lengthy downtime as the panels were re-wired or added to. So it was inevitable that the technological advances in microprocessor development would change this for ever.
In the late 1960’s a group of engineers in America came together and looked at how the micropocessor could be used to revolutionize industrial control, one of the problems they faced was that programming was essentially the role of electronic engineers who understood both high and low level languages - Cobol - C - Basic and Assembly. Industry mainly employed Electrical engineers who understood electrical wiring diagrams and relay control. So it was decided to use the power and speed of the microprocessor to provide both manufacturing process control/monitoring along with interpruting a program that could be written similar to an electrical wiring diagram - it was called Ladder programming, the the PLC (Programmable Logic Controllers) was born. Once electrical engineers learnt how to use the PLC, it became easy for them to modify and write programs to operate production processes and even more importantly to use the PLC to diagnose faults and so reduce downtime.
The electronic industry is divided into two main sectors, microprocessor and power, now that the microprocessor had found its place in industry it was up to power electronics to make its mark, this occured with the introduction of Triacs and Thyristors that were now capable of conducting 100’s of amperes, this meant that the relay and contactor world was about to take a large reduction in sales, these power components were unaffected by the problems that relays suffered, no arcing was produced as did in relay contacts when its contacts close, no mechanical wear and tear, no need for slow switching operation.
And so the new industrial revolution was born, power electronics joined with microprocessor technology and created Servo control that allowed motors to be more accurately and reliably controlled, Temperature control was increased to within a few tenths of a degree, Sensor technology replaced the need to have human visual inspection, and so on. With all these new advances production speed increased ten fold.
The demand for further increased productivity seems to be a never ending quest, managers in the 1980’s and 1990’s were finding it difficult to increase productivity without the right information that would allow them to make correct decisions at the right time. So SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data acquisition) was born, this allowed the shopfloor technology to be monitored and controlled in real time from a central location, production data could then linked into the company servers and databases that could be introduced into analysis tools that would allow managers to graphically see how the company was performing, this became today's MES (Manufacturing Execution System).......
Monday, January 18, 2010
L129A1 Sharpshooter
The L129A1 Sharpshooter is a gas-operated weapon that carries a 20-round magazine. It is 945mm long and weighs 5kg. It will be manufactured by Lewis Machine & Tool Company in the United States. Features include a single-piece upper receiver and free-floating, quick-change barrels available in 305mm, 406mm and 508mm. It has four Picatinny rails with a 540mm top rail for night vision, thermal and image intensifying optics.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Just what are Krill?
Krill are small, shrimp like creatures that are abundant in the waters of the arctic regions. In many regions they are the primary feed for the great whales, seals, penguins, sea birds, squid and fish. An adult whale eats up to 8,000 pounds of krill each day during feeding season.
Krill have been harvested as a food source for both humans and domesticated animals since the 1800s. The oil derived from Krill is rich in phospholipids, the building blocks for cell membranes, and Essential Fatty Acids including Omega-3, 6 and 9.
Krill have been harvested as a food source for both humans and domesticated animals since the 1800s. The oil derived from Krill is rich in phospholipids, the building blocks for cell membranes, and Essential Fatty Acids including Omega-3, 6 and 9.
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Sugar May Be Bad, But This Sweetener Is Far More Deadly ..Kurangkan makanan bergula..
Scientists have proved for the first time that fructose, a cheap form of sugar used in thousands of food products and soft drinks, can damage human metabolism and is fueling the obesity crisis.
Fructose, a sweetener usually derived from corn, can cause dangerous growths of fat cells around vital organs and is able to trigger the early stages of diabetes and heart disease.
Over 10 weeks, 16 volunteers on a controlled diet including high levels of fructose produced new fat cells around their heart, liver and other digestive organs. They also showed signs of food-processing abnormalities linked to diabetes and heart disease. Another group of volunteers on the same diet, but with glucose sugar replacing fructose, did not have these problems.
Dr. Mercola's Comments:
This study takes its place in a growing lineup of scientific studies demonstrating that consuming high-fructose corn syrup is the fastest way to trash your health. It is now known without a doubt that sugar in your food, in all it’s myriad of forms, is taking a devastating toll.
And fructose in any form -- including high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) and crystalline fructose -- is the worst of the worst!
Fructose is a major contributor to:
Insulin resistance and obesity
Elevated blood pressure
Elevated triglycerides and elevated LDL
Depletion of vitamins and minerals
Cardiovascular disease, liver disease, cancer, arthritis and even gout
A Calorie is Not a Calorie
Glucose is the form of energy you were designed to run on. Every cell in your body, every bacterium -- and in fact, every living thing on the Earth--uses glucose for energy.
If you received your fructose only from vegetables and fruits (where it originates) as most people did a century ago, you’d consume about 15 grams per day -- a far cry from the 73 grams per day the typical adolescent gets from sweetened drinks. In vegetables and fruits, it’s mixed in with fiber, vitamins, minerals, enzymes, and beneficial phytonutrients, all which moderate any negative metabolic effects.
It isn’t that fructose itself is bad -- it is the MASSIVE DOSES you’re exposed to that make it dangerous.
There are two reasons fructose is so damaging:
Your body metabolizes fructose in a much different way than glucose. The entire burden of metabolizing fructose falls on your liver.
People are consuming fructose in enormous quantities, which has made the negative effects much more profound.
Today, 55 percent of sweeteners used in food and beverage manufacturing are made from corn, and the number one source of calories in America is soda, in the form of HFCS.
Food and beverage manufacturers began switching their sweeteners from sucrose (table sugar) to corn syrup in the 1970s when they discovered that HFCS was not only far cheaper to make, it’s also about 20 times sweeter than table sugar.
This switch drastically altered the average American diet.
By USDA estimates, about one-quarter of the calories consumed by the average American is in the form of added sugars, and most of that is HFCS. The average Westerner consumes a staggering 142 pounds a year of sugar! And the very products most people rely on to lose weight -- the low-fat diet foods -- are often the ones highest in fructose.
Making matters worse, all of the fiber has been removed from these processed foods, so there is essentially no nutritive value at all.
Fructose Metabolism Basics
Without getting into the very complex biochemistry of carbohydrate metabolism, it is important to understand some differences about how your body handles glucose versus fructose. I will be publishing a major article about this in the next couple of months, which will get much more into the details, but for our purpose here, I will just summarize the main points.
Dr. Robert Lustig[i] Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Endocrinology at the University of California, San Francisco, has been a pioneer in decoding sugar metabolism. His work has highlighted some major differences in how different sugars are broken down and used:
After eating fructose, 100 percent of the metabolic burden rests on your liver. But with glucose, your liver has to break down only 20 percent.
Every cell in your body, including your brain, utilizes glucose. Therefore, much of it is “burned up” immediately after you consume it. By contrast, fructose is turned into free fatty acids (FFAs), VLDL (the damaging form of cholesterol), and triglycerides, which get stored as fat.
The fatty acids created during fructose metabolism accumulate as fat droplets in your liver and skeletal muscle tissues, causing insulin resistance and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Insulin resistance progresses to metabolic syndrome and type II diabetes.
Fructose is the most lipophilic carbohydrate. In other words, fructose converts to activated glycerol (g-3-p), which is directly used to turn FFAs into triglycerides. The more g-3-p you have, the more fat you store. Glucose does not do this.
When you eat 120 calories of glucose, less than one calorie is stored as fat. 120 calories of fructose results in 40 calories being stored as fat. Consuming fructose is essentially consuming fat!
The metabolism of fructose by your liver creates a long list of waste products and toxins, including a large amount of uric acid, which drives up blood pressure and causes gout.
Glucose suppresses the hunger hormone ghrelin and stimulates leptin, which suppresses your appetite. Fructose has no effect on ghrelin and interferes with your brain’s communication with leptin, resulting in overeating.
If anyone tries to tell you “sugar is sugar,” they are way behind the times. As you can see, there are major differences in how your body processes each one.
The bottom line is: fructose leads to increased belly fat, insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome -- not to mention the long list of chronic diseases that directly result.
Panic in the Corn Fields
As the truth comes out about HFCS, the Corn Refiners Association is scrambling to convince you that their product is equal to table sugar, that it is “natural” and safe.
Of course, many things are “natural” -- cocaine is natural, but you wouldn’t want to use 142 pounds of it each year.
The food and beverage industry doesn’t want you to realize how truly pervasive HFCS is in your diet -- not just from soft drinks and juices, but also in salad dressings and condiments and virtually every processed food. The introduction of HFCS into the Western diet in 1975 has been a multi-billion dollar boon for the corn industry.
The FDA classifies fructose as GRAS: Generally Regarded As Safe. Which pretty much means nothing and is based on nothing.
There is plenty of data showing that fructose is not safe -- but the effects on the nation’s health have not been immediate. That is why we are just now realizing the effects of the last three decades of nutritional misinformation.
As if the negative metabolic effects are not enough, there are other issues with fructose that disprove its safety:
More than one study has detected unsafe mercury levels in HFCS[ii].
Crystalline fructose (a super-potent form of fructose the food and beverage industry is now using) may contain arsenic, lead, chloride and heavy metals.
Nearly all corn syrup is made from genetically modified corn, which comes with its own set of risks.
The FDA isn’t going to touch sugar, so it’s up to you to be proactive about your own dietary choices.
What’s a Sugarholic to Do?
Ideally, I recommend that you avoid as much sugar as possible. This is especially important if you are overweight or have diabetes, high cholesterol, or high blood pressure.
I also realize we don’t live in a perfect world, and following rigid dietary guidelines is not always practical or even possible.
If you want to use a sweetener occasionally, this is what I recommend:
Use the herb stevia.
Use organic cane sugar in moderation.
Use organic raw honey in moderation.
Avoid ALL artificial sweeteners, which can damage your health even more quickly than fructose.
Avoid agave syrup since it is a highly processed sap that is almost all fructose. Your blood sugar will spike just as it would if you were consuming regular sugar or HFCS. Agave’s meteoric rise in popularity is due to a great marketing campaign, but any health benefits present in the original agave plant are processed out.
Avoid so-called energy drinks and sports drinks because they are loaded with sugar, sodium and chemical additives. Rehydrating with pure, fresh water is a better choice.
If you or your child is involved in athletics, I recommend you read my article Energy Rules for some great tips on how to optimize your child’s energy levels and physical performance through good nutrition.
Fructose, a sweetener usually derived from corn, can cause dangerous growths of fat cells around vital organs and is able to trigger the early stages of diabetes and heart disease.
Over 10 weeks, 16 volunteers on a controlled diet including high levels of fructose produced new fat cells around their heart, liver and other digestive organs. They also showed signs of food-processing abnormalities linked to diabetes and heart disease. Another group of volunteers on the same diet, but with glucose sugar replacing fructose, did not have these problems.
Dr. Mercola's Comments:
This study takes its place in a growing lineup of scientific studies demonstrating that consuming high-fructose corn syrup is the fastest way to trash your health. It is now known without a doubt that sugar in your food, in all it’s myriad of forms, is taking a devastating toll.
And fructose in any form -- including high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) and crystalline fructose -- is the worst of the worst!
Fructose is a major contributor to:
Insulin resistance and obesity
Elevated blood pressure
Elevated triglycerides and elevated LDL
Depletion of vitamins and minerals
Cardiovascular disease, liver disease, cancer, arthritis and even gout
A Calorie is Not a Calorie
Glucose is the form of energy you were designed to run on. Every cell in your body, every bacterium -- and in fact, every living thing on the Earth--uses glucose for energy.
If you received your fructose only from vegetables and fruits (where it originates) as most people did a century ago, you’d consume about 15 grams per day -- a far cry from the 73 grams per day the typical adolescent gets from sweetened drinks. In vegetables and fruits, it’s mixed in with fiber, vitamins, minerals, enzymes, and beneficial phytonutrients, all which moderate any negative metabolic effects.
It isn’t that fructose itself is bad -- it is the MASSIVE DOSES you’re exposed to that make it dangerous.
There are two reasons fructose is so damaging:
Your body metabolizes fructose in a much different way than glucose. The entire burden of metabolizing fructose falls on your liver.
People are consuming fructose in enormous quantities, which has made the negative effects much more profound.
Today, 55 percent of sweeteners used in food and beverage manufacturing are made from corn, and the number one source of calories in America is soda, in the form of HFCS.
Food and beverage manufacturers began switching their sweeteners from sucrose (table sugar) to corn syrup in the 1970s when they discovered that HFCS was not only far cheaper to make, it’s also about 20 times sweeter than table sugar.
This switch drastically altered the average American diet.
By USDA estimates, about one-quarter of the calories consumed by the average American is in the form of added sugars, and most of that is HFCS. The average Westerner consumes a staggering 142 pounds a year of sugar! And the very products most people rely on to lose weight -- the low-fat diet foods -- are often the ones highest in fructose.
Making matters worse, all of the fiber has been removed from these processed foods, so there is essentially no nutritive value at all.
Fructose Metabolism Basics
Without getting into the very complex biochemistry of carbohydrate metabolism, it is important to understand some differences about how your body handles glucose versus fructose. I will be publishing a major article about this in the next couple of months, which will get much more into the details, but for our purpose here, I will just summarize the main points.
Dr. Robert Lustig[i] Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Endocrinology at the University of California, San Francisco, has been a pioneer in decoding sugar metabolism. His work has highlighted some major differences in how different sugars are broken down and used:
After eating fructose, 100 percent of the metabolic burden rests on your liver. But with glucose, your liver has to break down only 20 percent.
Every cell in your body, including your brain, utilizes glucose. Therefore, much of it is “burned up” immediately after you consume it. By contrast, fructose is turned into free fatty acids (FFAs), VLDL (the damaging form of cholesterol), and triglycerides, which get stored as fat.
The fatty acids created during fructose metabolism accumulate as fat droplets in your liver and skeletal muscle tissues, causing insulin resistance and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Insulin resistance progresses to metabolic syndrome and type II diabetes.
Fructose is the most lipophilic carbohydrate. In other words, fructose converts to activated glycerol (g-3-p), which is directly used to turn FFAs into triglycerides. The more g-3-p you have, the more fat you store. Glucose does not do this.
When you eat 120 calories of glucose, less than one calorie is stored as fat. 120 calories of fructose results in 40 calories being stored as fat. Consuming fructose is essentially consuming fat!
The metabolism of fructose by your liver creates a long list of waste products and toxins, including a large amount of uric acid, which drives up blood pressure and causes gout.
Glucose suppresses the hunger hormone ghrelin and stimulates leptin, which suppresses your appetite. Fructose has no effect on ghrelin and interferes with your brain’s communication with leptin, resulting in overeating.
If anyone tries to tell you “sugar is sugar,” they are way behind the times. As you can see, there are major differences in how your body processes each one.
The bottom line is: fructose leads to increased belly fat, insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome -- not to mention the long list of chronic diseases that directly result.
Panic in the Corn Fields
As the truth comes out about HFCS, the Corn Refiners Association is scrambling to convince you that their product is equal to table sugar, that it is “natural” and safe.
Of course, many things are “natural” -- cocaine is natural, but you wouldn’t want to use 142 pounds of it each year.
The food and beverage industry doesn’t want you to realize how truly pervasive HFCS is in your diet -- not just from soft drinks and juices, but also in salad dressings and condiments and virtually every processed food. The introduction of HFCS into the Western diet in 1975 has been a multi-billion dollar boon for the corn industry.
The FDA classifies fructose as GRAS: Generally Regarded As Safe. Which pretty much means nothing and is based on nothing.
There is plenty of data showing that fructose is not safe -- but the effects on the nation’s health have not been immediate. That is why we are just now realizing the effects of the last three decades of nutritional misinformation.
As if the negative metabolic effects are not enough, there are other issues with fructose that disprove its safety:
More than one study has detected unsafe mercury levels in HFCS[ii].
Crystalline fructose (a super-potent form of fructose the food and beverage industry is now using) may contain arsenic, lead, chloride and heavy metals.
Nearly all corn syrup is made from genetically modified corn, which comes with its own set of risks.
The FDA isn’t going to touch sugar, so it’s up to you to be proactive about your own dietary choices.
What’s a Sugarholic to Do?
Ideally, I recommend that you avoid as much sugar as possible. This is especially important if you are overweight or have diabetes, high cholesterol, or high blood pressure.
I also realize we don’t live in a perfect world, and following rigid dietary guidelines is not always practical or even possible.
If you want to use a sweetener occasionally, this is what I recommend:
Use the herb stevia.
Use organic cane sugar in moderation.
Use organic raw honey in moderation.
Avoid ALL artificial sweeteners, which can damage your health even more quickly than fructose.
Avoid agave syrup since it is a highly processed sap that is almost all fructose. Your blood sugar will spike just as it would if you were consuming regular sugar or HFCS. Agave’s meteoric rise in popularity is due to a great marketing campaign, but any health benefits present in the original agave plant are processed out.
Avoid so-called energy drinks and sports drinks because they are loaded with sugar, sodium and chemical additives. Rehydrating with pure, fresh water is a better choice.
If you or your child is involved in athletics, I recommend you read my article Energy Rules for some great tips on how to optimize your child’s energy levels and physical performance through good nutrition.
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