In its latest iteration, the bill’s mandated deposits would go to lead-abatement efforts
What it is: Now dubbed the “Smart Container Act,’’ the bill that would try to institute a deposit on all plastic and glass bottles and aluminum cans will come up before the Assembly Environment and Solid Waste Committee on Monday. It is an issue that has been debated by New Jersey lawmakers for nearly three decades, never making it into law.
What it does: It would impose a 10-cent deposit on containers (other than refillable) less than 24 ounces and a 20-cent deposit on those contains over 24 oz. up to 2 liters. The bill (A-2281) would apply to juice, sports drinks, and bottled water, as well as soda, wine, and beer containers.
What is different about it this time: In the past, the money collected from consumers who buy the beverages would have gone into a fund for a range of uses, such as open-space preservation, litter cleanup, and other environmental projects. With concern about lead poisoning of children rising with the disclosure of lead-tainted water in public schools, the money raised by the deposit would be funneled to a special lead-abatement fund.
How the money would be spent: The fund will focus on reducing exposure to lead in schools and homes, according to an amendment to the bill. The money will be used toward lead-abatement efforts, including removal and replacement of old fountains, pipes, lead solder, and peeling paint in homes and schools.
Middle School and High School Winners of the Annual Protect Me With 3+ Poster and Video Contest Promote Vaccine Awareness
April 4, 2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, The Partnership for Maternal and Child Health of Northern New Jersey, in collaboration with the New Jersey Department of Health, today announced the winners for the fourth annual Protect Me With 3+ adolescent immunization awareness poster and video contest. The winning entries can be viewed at https://protectmewith3.com.
Middle School Poster Contest Winners:
1st place: Emily Phu, Churchill Junior High, East Brunswick, NJ
2nd place: Susannah Taylor, George Washington Middle School, Ridgewood, NJ
3rd place: Priyal Shah, John Adams Middle School, Edison, NJ
High School Poster Contest Winners:
1st place: Carmen Phu, East Brunswick High School, East Brunswick, NJ
2nd place: Nia Stewart, Academy of Allied Health & Science, Neptune, NJ
3rd place: Hannah Lee, Marlboro High School, Marlboro, NJ
Video Contest Winners:
1st place: Jessica Manzon and Jacqueline Karlin, Marlboro High School, Marlboro, NJ
2nd place: Katrina Gutierrez and Aaron Agustin, Academy of Allied Health & Science, Neptune, NJ
3rd place: Bret Silverstein, Academy of Allied Health & Science, Neptune, NJ
Both the winners and finalists in each category were honored at an awards ceremony and banquet held at the Conference Center at the Robert Wood Johnson Fitness and Wellness Center in Hamilton on April 3, 2016. The top three winners in the poster and video categories received prizes and the opportunity for their submissions to be distributed during statewide immunization awareness activities. The teachers whose classes submitted the most eligible entries in each category also received awards.
In its fourth year, the Protect Me With 3+ contest increases awareness about the importance of four adolescent immunizations: tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis (Tdap), human papillomavirus (HPV), meningococcal conjugate, and influenza (flu).
“The Protect Me With 3+ contest is an important opportunity to spread awareness about adolescent vaccines in a fun and creative way,” said Ilise Zimmerman, Executive Director of the Partnership. “We are so happy to have received a record number of entries into the contest and can’t wait to see what students and teachers come up with next year!”
“This year’s winners made some very creative and informative posters and videos that we are excited to use at statewide health events,” said Dr. Tina Tan, State Epidemiologist and Assistant Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Health.
New Jersey students in grades 5-8 were eligible to submit posters while students in grades 9-12 were eligible to submit either posters or videos. The public voted for their favorite entries from February 29 through March 13, 2016.
About the Partnership
The Partnership for Maternal and Child Health of Northern New Jersey is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) corporation, licensed by the New Jersey Department of Health (NJDOH). Its mission is to improve the health of women, children, and families. The Partnership has more than 20 years of experience mounting community-based, consumer-friendly and culturally competent educational programs to parents, caregivers, pregnant women and individuals of child-bearing age. For more information visit,https://partnershipmch.org/
To learn more about vaccinations, please visit the New Jersey Department of Health’s website: https://www.state.nj.us/health/cd/imm.shtml
Ridgewood Nj, a reader says ,”The (Elks)club membership is dealing with over zealous state reps ( in very fancy tuxedos mind you) who have been gunning for the lodge for years. It’s not business, it’s personnel. The membership has retained councel who will defend their interests. This includes the building that does NOT belong to ANYONE other than the clubs membership via a holding corporation to protect it from situations just like this. So forget your theory’s , forget about the library and forget about ANYONE getting anything that belongs to the lodge.”
Can we start a thread on the Financial Advisory Committee?
What is their mission? Are they supposed to be a nonpolitical group? Is it the bull pen for council positions?
How did the committee get so big? Who appointed them?
Will their job ever be complete or will they hang around forever?
We sincerely hope that the current Village Council will have the wisdom and
courage to act, thereby avoiding the urgency for another “independent” review of the Vil
lage budget and management process in the future.
Our committee focused only on the municipal budget and practices, not the Board of Education (BOE). Since
the BOE budget represents 64% of the property tax burden in Ridgewood, we hope that this report wi
ll also serve as a template for the BOE to establish a similar process for cost and efficiency improvements
.
Given the time and resource constraints mentioned earlier, the report is not an exhaustive study, but attempts to raise
issues and make actionable recommendations for the Village Council’s immediate attention and further
consideration. We held almost 50 hours of meetings, including with current and past Village representatives
and various Village constituents. We met with consultants in municipal government operational efficiency and
studied all of the Village’s collective bargaining agreements.
Finally, we carefully reviewed the Village’s budget trends over the past 10 years to understand key budget influences and, more importantly, what they tell us about Ridgewood’s future liabilities. Collectively, our Committee devoted hundreds of hours in an
effort to deliver recommendations that we hope will have great value for Ridgewood taxpayers.
While our committee has no authority to enact any of our recommendations, we appreciate and are honored
to have the opportunity to serve our community in this manner. We took the responsibility of Mayor
Aronsohn’s mandate seriously. We respectfully submit the following recommendations to the Village Council
with the hope that you will make every effort to act on them fully and expeditiously. We wish to be clear that
these recommendations do not, necessarily, represent the unanimous opinion of all members of our
committee. However, they do represent the consensus of the committee. It is the opinion of the committee that the consequences of failing to act on these recommendations have never been more momentous or urgent for the sustainability of our Village, as we know it, and for the rising fiscal burden on Village taxpayers.
The Members of the 2012 Financial Advisory Committee (alphabetically)
Rich Barclay
Bayard DeI\/Iallie
Ed Feldsott
Nancy Johansen *
Charlie Kime
John Maxwell
Jim McCarthy
David Sabath
Jim Schimmei
Fran Shovlìn
Roberta Sonenfeld *
Bob Zeller
Nothing above gives the FAC authority to submit letters to the editor and promote the agenda of the mayor.
That was the 2012 roster. Are they all still on? Some of them are just wanna-bees. No real financial expertise. A couple have oversized egos but can’t even manage their personal finances
Ridgewood NJ, YWCA Bergen County is offering its Vacation Day program for children in grades K-6 on April 11th through 15th from 7:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Trips and activities include Bowling, FunPlex, Jump On In, Planet 301 and Movies. Transportation and lunch is included. For complete details, please visit https://www.ywcabergencounty.org/programs/youth-services/vacation-day-program/.
The YWCA Vacation Day program provides full day care from 7:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. on designated school holidays. Based at the YWCA’s 112 Oak Street, Ridgewood facility, the program is supervised by the YWCA’s trained child care staff. The fee is $65 per child per day for families that are current YWCA members, and $85 for non-members. Advance registration is required by Tuesday, April 5, 2016.
Forms not received by deadline cannot be guaranteed and will be charged a late fee of $25. To register call Mary Agnello at 201-444-5600, ext. 352 or visit www.ywcabergencounty.org for details and registration forms.
YWCA Before and After School Programs are offered at schools in seven Bergen County districts: Allendale, Cresskill, Dumont, Old Tappan, Oradell, Ridgewood, and Westwood. All programs are licensed by the State of New Jersey, Department of Children & Families.
Ridgewood NJ, The Ridgewood Police Department has announced the 3rd annual Chief Michael Feeney, Jr. Police Academy scheduled from Thursday June 23rd to Friday July 1st. The academy is open to Ridgewood Residents entering 6th 7th and 8th grades in the fall of 2016.
Last year’s academy featured demonstrations from The Ridgewood Police Department, Bergen County Sheriff’s Department K-9 and Bomb Squad, Police Motorcycles, Ridgewood Emergency Services, FBI, Ridgewood Fire Department, Helicopter landing as well as demonstrations from various other agencies. A field trip to the Bergen County Law and Public Safety Complex in Mahwah is also scheduled.
Applications are available April 1st 2016 at the Ridgewood Police Station 2nd floor police desk. The deadline for applications is Wednesday June 1st 2016. The fee for the Academy is $50 per student which includes two shirts per student a baseball hat a string bag and transportation to our field trip.
According to the Ridgewood Police, “The Junior Police Academy has proven to be a valuable experience for all involved and has provided a vital link between the Police Department and the youth of Ridgewood. Further, the Junior Police Academy has afforded students a deeper understanding of the Police function as well as an increased ability to see what the Police and the community can do to serve the Village. The overwhelming success of our Junior Police Academy class has far exceeded the expectations of everyone involved. This program attracts a highly motivated group of recruits, and the Instructors thoroughly enjoy their interaction with these young people. We look forward to another great class.”
the staff of the Ridgewood blog Point: Manmade climate change is a real phenomenon.
Counterpoint: No, it’s not. Climate has been changing since before humankind existed.
And so the conversation has circled for decades. But what if there was an alternative way of understanding what’s happening to our planet?
For scientist William Goodenough, we are wasting resources barking up the wrong tree. He agrees the planet is in a natural warming cycle, but suggests a shift in Earth’s magnetic poles is a primary cause of climate change.
“Our politicians are diverting $22 billion in annual research that tries to connect climate change to our use of carbon,” says Goodenough, author of “The Three Concepts of Climate Change: Is AGW Politics or Science?” (www.whyclimatechange.net).
“That research proves inconclusive year after year. Many people suggest completely reorganizing our economy to meet a radical energy policy, to the tune of an unquantifiable amount of money and a great economic burden on the average American.”
Here’s how Goodenough explains key concepts of his alternative theory.
• No scientific instrument connects human activity to climate change. If there was direct evidence tying humanity’s activity to climate change, we would have heard of it by now. Nonetheless, the message in the media has continuously reinforced the connection. Advocates for manmade climate change have successfully linked the issue to environmental problems associated with humans, including air pollution. The result has been public confusion. • How the magnetic poles come into play. Earth’s magnetic poles are relocating by 3,000 miles. This shift is having a significant impact onrealized in computerized aircraft-control navigational systems, and that’s a clue it’s likely affecting Earth’s climate, too. The magnetic pole alters the direction of the enormous current flow through the Earth, causing magnetic chaos in our planet’s core. This weakens the magnetic shield that protects the planet from damaging solar particles. Pole shifting changes the direction of the interaction between the geophysical and the magnetic North Poles by moving the coldest area of the Arctic toward Asia, thereby significantly altering the climate while not changing total Earth temperature. • A multi-disciplined approach to understanding climate change is necessary. “AGW climate science” is a gross oversimplification of terms. The issue includes perpetual changes in total Earth temperature, the direction of the sun’s activity, and the planet’s distance and orientation to the sun during orbit. Also in need of consideration is how the sun’s activity, Earth’s core and magnetic forcing interact with Earth’s atmosphere. In most of today’s climate research, all necessary fields of study aren’t taken into account, including meteorology, climatology, geophysics, geomagnetism, archaeology, paleoclimatology and history.
“If you respect sufficient evidence,” Goodenough says, “you aren’t satisfied with mainstream theories on this problem and should be open to compelling new data.”
About William Goodenough
William Goodenough is author of “The Three Concepts of Climate Change: Is AGW Politics or Science?” (www.whyclimatechange.net). He is a technical analyst with decades of experience in scientific analysis of computer systems, control systems, pneumatic systems, power distributions systems, automated processes, hydraulic systems and fuel systems related to aerospace certification.
Ridgewood Nj , Business can lead to cutthroat competition – in more ways than one – but Tom Nix learned that the darkest moments also can lead to the greatest triumphs.
“It’s the worst experiences that sometimes teach us the most important lessons,” says Nix, a successful businessman and author of “Nixland: My Wild Ride in the Inner City Check Cashing Industry” (nixland.net).
The incredible rise of his multimillion-dollar enterprise, Nix Check Cashing, is a case in point. Nix encountered turbulent times in the inner city of Los Angeles as he built his company into a trusted institution among underserved communities.
He and his employees faced harrowing experiences, such as armed robberies and threats from the mob, which hoped to block some of his expansion plans.
The 1992 riots that erupted after a jury acquitted police officers in the beating of Rodney King proved especially distressing. Many businesses were looted or burned to the ground, and Nix scrambled to protect his check-cashing locations.
He was gratified to learn that loyal customers prevented some branches from being torched.
“We even had a gang member call us,” Nix says. “He said he had always been treated with respect at Nix, and his gang decided not to burn Nix because we were part of the community.”
Nix says his experiences taught him valuable lessons that relate both to business and life, such as:
• Take responsibility. This applies to everything that happens, including things you can’t control. Once when an economic downturn left him unable to pay bills, Nix contacted each creditor to explain his predicament and work out a plan. That upfront approach helped the business avoid bankruptcy. • Never play the victim role or blame game. Avoid replaying misfortunes over and over in your mind. Accept setbacks gracefully and concentrate on getting back on track. In the 1990s, a business deal that went awry nearly forced Nix to sell his company, but he focused on solving the problem and persevered. • Be courageous. The most debilitating human emotion is fear. Learn to keep it in perspective, minimize it when applicable and harness it to your benefit when need be. Nix says standing up to bullies as a child set the stage for standing up to the mob. • Maintain integrity. Operating with fair play and compassion is important in building trust. “The way community members protected some of our branches during the riots was a reflection of this,” Nix says.
“Treating people fairly and supporting community programs paid off.”
Good times may be more enjoyable, but challenging times provide more opportunity for growth, he says.
“Realize that bad people, tough times and mistakes are your teachers,” Nix says. “Always ask yourself, ‘What do I need to do to capitalize on these events?’ ”
About Tom Nix
Tom Nix, author of the memoir “Nixland” (Nixland.net), is a pioneer of the check-cashing industry. He built Nix Check Cashing into a multimillion-dollar operation before selling it in 2007. Recently, Nix has turned to public speaking and writing with the goal of helping people overcome obstacles and have similar success.
Well, it’s not our government, so it’s on us to Take Back Ridegwood!! Go Monday night to the Valley meeting. Sign the garage petition, talk to your neighbors and friends!! We have a choice we can roll over and do nothing, or get vocal, participate and give it all we got! I know it’s not easy… Exhausting, irritating but we are near a positive change…. The election. Stay strong people, we are near the end of a long and terrible reign.
REGISTER TO VOTE IN THE MUNICIPAL ELECTION
Final voting registration for the May 10th Municipal Election is April 19th. To register to vote, individuals may register in the Village Clerk’s office from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM or in the Ridgewood Library Lobby on April 19th from 4:30 PM to 9:00 PM.
A New Jersey lawmaker has an idea that hits a grand slam of nannyism.
It’s the rare occasion when we can celebrate an idea that is overly paternalistic, completely unnecessary, entirely unenforceable and laughably ridiculous, all at the same time.
Shutterstock image
DON’T TEXT AND WALK: Be aware of your surroundings, because texting while walking could land you in jail if one New Jersey lawmaker gets her way.
State Assemblywoman Pamela Lampitt, D-Camden, has proposed a bill to ban texting while walking.
Yes, while walking.
After being mocked by several news outlets in New Jersey, Lampitt apparently pulled the bill from consideration and the state has erased all traces of it from the state legislature’s website.
A one-line description of the bill still appears online, however. It says Lampitt’s legislation would have established a motor vehicle offense of “unlawful use of hand-held wireless telephone by pedestrians.”
Can you imagine receiving a traffic ticket for walking, on a sidewalk, with a cell phone in hand? That’s pretty much what the bill would have done. According to NJ.com, which first covered the proposal, the penalty for texting while walking would have been $50 and offenders could have been required to attend classes on highway safety.
Get caught more than once and you could end up in jail.
“Distracted pedestrians, like distracted drivers, present a potential danger to themselves and drivers on the road,” Lampitt said in a statement, according to NJ.com.
Lampitt was apparently not messing around with this idea. According to Philly.com, her proposal called for repeat offenders to be sent to jail for 15 days – where, one would assume, they would not be texting, interfering with traffic or walking very far.
Image via Ballotpedia
LAMPITT: State Assemblywoman Pamela Lampitt’s bill is a rare occasion to celebrate a Nanny State grand slam. It’s an idea that is overly paternalistic, completely unnecessary, entirely unenforceable and laughably ridiculous, all at the same time.
ALSO IN NEW JERSEY: State ban on churches selling gravestones takes effect
Being distracted by texting is indeed a measurable problem, and one that seems to be increasing as more people spend more time with their noses buried in their cell phone screens. The Governors Highway Safety Association estimates that there were 2 million injuries to texter-walkers during 2010, a three-fold increase since 2004.
But is throwing people in jail the right response?
Lampitt’s proposal will likely not become law in New Jersey – at least not this year – but she’s actually behind the times in some parts of the state.
In Fort Lee, New Jersey, a town already famous for politically manufactured traffic problems, it’s already illegal to text while walking around. Getting caught cellphone-in-hand will leave you with an $85 fine and ticket for jaywalking.
Thomas Ripoli, chief of the Fort Lee Police Department, told ABC News that the borough instituted the new fines in 2012 after having three fatal accidents involving pedestrians in the span of one year.
Other states might soon be following in New Jersey’s finger and footprints.
Texting while driving bans have been implemented in 46 states plus the District of Columbia. Fourteen states (including New Jersey) plus D.C. have bans on any and all cell-phone use by drivers.
Busy-body lawmakers in those states are now eyeing pedestrians. Variations on the “no texting while walking” bill have been introduced in Arkansas, Hawaii, Illinois, Nevada and New York, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. None of them have been passed into law.
Fines and jail time are completely inappropriate punishments for this type of activity, occasionally dangerous though it may be. Instead, hey, maybe just be aware of your surroundings and wait until you’re someplace safe to continue snapchatting with your friends.
And if any state is going to pass a law punishing people for texting while walking, we can only hope they make it a little bit of fun.
Instead of a traffic ticket and a fine, how about something that involves bears?
1. Do parents have the right to opt their children out of the PARCC tests?
New Jersey does not have an “opt out” provision, but, as New Jersey State Board of Education President Mark Biedron pointed out at the January 7, 2015 State Board of Education meeting, “nobody can force a child” to take a test.(1)
On September 9, 2015, NJ Commissioner of Education David Hespe sent a memo to school districts on how to accommodate students whose families or guardians refuse PARCC. He said “school districts should be prepared in the event that students choose not to participate in the assessment program and adopt policies and procedures for the appropriate supervision and engagement of these students during administration of the assessment. The specific policies adopted by school districts regarding students not participating in the assessment program are entirely within the school district’s discretion, in consideration of each district’s school environment and available staffing and resources and recognizing that a statewide rule could not take into account these local circumstances. However, in developing these policies, districts should be mindful of ensuring appropriate student supervision and creating alternative options for student activity during the test period, so long as the testing environment is not disrupted and, in this regard, a sit and stare policy should be avoided.”(2)
Districts and charter schools may not require that students who refuse the PARCC tests miss school on the days that their classmates are taking PARCC.
Last spring, more than 230 districts allowed students whose families refused the tests to read or take part in an alternative activity. Please email [email protected] to let us know how your district or charter schools is handling test refusals this spring.
back
Ridgewood Nj, from the Take Back Ridgewood Facebook page , Here is walker study from July 2015. The village administration and council had commented in July 2015 council meeting that the cost of this new structure can be paid by the parking revenues. What changed? Why is a 4 level plan not financially feasible now?
Ridgewood NJ, Reader say it is a well know fact in Village Hall circles that Ms Green and the Library Board has been looking at the Elks property for some years. If you recall a post here that the L:library Board have been talking about plans for a Performing Arts center in our around the Library. Im sure you could go to the Library Board past minutes and fine that .
Its just to much of a coincidence that this comes up with everything going on in town.I don’t trust these three. Also check current and past board member you will see that 2 Council people were on the board and our mayor was the representive from the Council to the Library. Then there in one of the developers that also was a former member of the board along with one or two of the finical board members. Check it out you will surprised who is involved
Ridgewood Elks assessed value was cut in half in 2014.Their assessed value went from $1,169,300 in 2014 to $584,600 in 2015.
As someone near retirement and looking to cut fixed costs I would like to have that deal. What other taxpayers had their property taxes cut in half? What brought this change about?
Just when you thought you’d heard it all the fly has learned that . . .In Uncategorized on March 1, 2007 at 2:59 pm
Library Board members have proposed buying the Ridgewood Elks Lodge building at 111 North Maple Avenue for library expansion purposes (additional parking and building expansion). Just what we need; another property taken off the tax rolls.
A Graydon Pool Improvements Committee has been formed. Reportedly, one plan under consideration by committee members is converting the existing facility into a year round “mini country club” and imposing significant fees for membership. Can you say “exclusively elite” 10 times fast? Hold onto your wallets tightly ladies & gentlemen!
North Jersey .com July 2015 : A couple of library board trustees said they want to move ahead with the original plan, which called only for the renovation of the library, and add in the construction of a performing arts center next to the library and village hall. This would turn the library and its surrounding area into the cultural hub the members are seeking.
From the Mayors web site : Approximately 40 Ridgewood residents, members of the business community and arts enthusiasts met with Aronsohn and Deputy Mayor Albert Pucciarelli two Saturdays ago to gauge interest in establishing a new performing arts center and the feasibility of turning the idea into a reality. The former bank site was mentioned several times during that meeting.
From the Ridgewood Blog : Also the wife of Glenn F.Jorgensen, founding president of the library board has been appoint chairwoman of the new tiger team ( Financial Advisory Committee ) Looks like the library is set for awhile.
And don’t forget PETITION SIGNING LOCATIONS ELKS CLUB
(111 Maple Ave-next to library-across from Kings)
SATURDAY FEBRUARY 20TH
11:00AM-4:00PM
Board of Trustees 2016 ( round up the usual suspects )
Associate Directors
· Glenn Jorgensen, Founding President
· Harlan Coben
· Daniel Cumming
· Tony Damiano *
· Elia Desruisseau
· Thomas Dougherty
· Paul Goldberg
· Joshua Grunat
· Jacques Harlow
· Gwenn Hauck *
· Phyllis Heilborn
· Teresa Hutchins
· Jeffrey Karpf
· Michelle Lenhard
· William Meakem
· Barbara Moreira
· Joan Popkin
· Deborah Primiano
· Albert Pucciarelli *
· Ellen Quinn
· Catherine Redlich
· Fred Strype
The Members of the 2012 Financial Advisory Committee (alphabetically)
Rich Barclay
Bayard DeI\/Iallie
Ed Feldsott
Nancy Johansen *
Charlie Kime
John Maxwell
Jim McCarthy
David Sabath
Jim Schimmei
Fran Shovlìn
Roberta Sonenfeld *
Bob Zeller
When Ted Cruz, John Kasich, and Donald Trump square off in Pennsylvania’s April 26 Republican presidential primary, they will find themselves competing for votes from a rapidly changing base.
At least 128,000 voters statewide have changed their registration since Jan. 1 to join the party. Nearly 85,000 of them had been Democrats; 42,000 were independents or third-party voters. The GOP has also racked up 55,468 more first-time registrants.
The changes reflect what experts are calling an unprecedented number of party switches before a primary election.
That raises questions: Are Democrats and other voters flocking to the GOP in support of one of its three candidates? Or could they be plotting to stuff the ballot boxes for a Republican they think their nominee can beat in November?
Populations who have had a primarily vegetarian diet for generations carried a genetic mutation which raised risk of cancer and heart disease
By Sarah Knapton, Science Editor
10:00PM BST 29 Mar 2016
Long term vegetarianism can lead to genetic mutations which raise the risk of heart disease and cancer, scientists have found.
Populations who have had a primarily vegetarian diet for generations were found to be far more likely to carry DNA which makes them susceptible to inflammation.
Scientists in the US believe that the mutation occured to make it easier for vegetarians to absorb essential fatty acids from plants.
But it has the knock-on effect of boosting the production of arachidonic acid, which is known to increase inflammatory disease and cancer. When coupled with a diet high in vegetable oils – such as sunflower oil – the mutated gene quickly turns fatty acids into dangerous arachidonic acid.
The finding may help explain previous research which found vegetarian populations are nearly 40 per cent more likely to suffer colorectal cancer than meat eaters, a finding that has puzzled doctors because eating red meat is known to raise the risk.
Researchers from Cornell University in the US compared hundreds of genomes from a primarily vegetarian population in Pune, India to traditional meat-eating people in Kansas and found there was a significant genetic difference.
