Audio Scripts - 349

Task #4 – Organic Food

A major trend in the food industry is the increasing popularity of organic food. Yes,
organic is more expensive. There is no denying that, just as there is no denying the
health risks associated with eating non organic strawberries. Most are unaware
that non organic strawberries are one of the most chemically contaminated fruits
you can buy. Why? Because farmers apply two chemicals to every crop: a pesticide
to protect the fruit from insects and a fungicide to protect the roots from fungus.
Both the pesticide and the fungicide contain chemicals that have been linked to
breast cancer in woman and to a 50% reduction in sperm count in men. By eating
organic strawberries, you can substantially reduce your exposure to these risks.

The author goes on to say that organic food is hard to find. This is simply not true.
All you have to do is go to your local grocery store and you will find organic food.
Many of the bigger stores, for example, even have organic sections. Not only that
but Wal-Mart now offers a wide variety of organic produce. In fact, I buy a lot of
organic products at Wal-Mart, such as milk and cottage cheese and, yes, even
organic rice.

As for non organic versus organic milk, of course, there’s no difference in taste.
Why should there be? The whole point of organic milk is not to change the taste
but to eliminate pesticides and other man-made chemicals from the milk
production process. A big part of that process is the genetically engineered growth
hormone rBGH. Farmers give their cows rBGH which, in turn, makes the cows
produce far more milk than is naturally possible. Worse, rBGH stays in the milk
and enters your body when you drink it. Moreover, research has linked rBGH to

between 2000 and 2005, and it’s only getting worse. And you want my tax dollars
to fund another joy ride to the Moon, or worse, Mars? I don’t think so.

But what about all the wonderful inventions that have come from investing in
space? Imagine if instead of ski boots, we had a functioning health care system;
and instead of edible toothpaste, we had an educational system that actually
worked, or a high-speed rail system linking the major cities. But no, what do we
have? Joy sticks. Seriously, we don’t need to sink any more money into space
exploration. What we need is more social responsibility down here on Mother
Earth.

And what about space travel? Imagine, honeymooning on the Moon or Mars. Very
romantic. And expensive. Case in point: a round trip ticket on a Russian Soyuz
spacecraft heading to the International Space Station will cost you a cool $25
million. Will space travel get any cheaper? Not likely. Space tourism is, and will
always be, the playground of the super rich.

Finally, those who support funding a new era in space exploration argue that we
must answer the big question: Are we really alone in the cosmos? My answer to
that is: Who cares! We have children going hungry; our bridges and roads are
falling apart; our jobs have vanished overseas and our educational system is a
disgrace. I say forget the little green men and the honeymoon suite on Mars, and
focus on the average guy and gal struggling to make ends meet on Main Street.


fruits and vegetables on our tables, such as bananas and peaches, would not be
there if mega bats did not pollinate plants and trees.

Next are micro bats. As the name implies, micro bats are quite small, about the
size of a mouse. To find food, micro bats use echolocation, high frequency sounds
they bounce off insects. The most common micro bat is the vesper or evening bat.
Like mega bats, micro bats play an important role in the environment. The average
vesper bat, for example, can eat one thousand mosquitoes in one night. By doing
so, they control the mosquito population.

never recovered.

At war’s end, many in the North wanted Lee hung for treason. However, Lee never
stood trial. Lincoln wanted reconciliation not revenge. Track
#10
Audio Scripts - 353

Task #2 – Seamounts

Seamounts are of great interest not only to biologists but to the commercial fishing
industry as well. And for good reason. The nutrient rich water around a seamount
is home to an immense variety of fish, many of which have commercial value. One

Track
#11