To stop our pollinators from disappearing, our lands from becoming permanently toxic, and the destruction of our world’s food sources, we must unite to stop Monsanto, Syngenta, Dow, Bayer, DuPont and BASF.
No science is immune to the infection of politics and the corruption of power.
Jacob Bronowski
The Queen of Amerindia
Somehow Bill Gates seems to be a puppet-master influencing policy and “science” behind everything from education, to food (GMOs), to the environment. Too bad he doesn’t build universities, fund college tuition, etc., rather than to spend on “advocacy” and “policy” groups. It would seem no matter how philanthropically motivated Mr. Gates attempts to picture himself, his main goal is always one of mega control and influence. Somehow he’s gone from the tech business to being an authority – and major influence – on just about everything. Whatever he’s up to, he keeps himself in front of influence and policy making – and the cameras, and often has a significant monetary investment in it also (Mondanto, GMO).
From www.guardian.co.uk/Wikileaks – US targets EU over GM crops
The US is on a rampage to root out anyone associated with Wikileaks disclosures. Meanwhile, we know little or nothing about why such an incredible amount of “sensitive” information was so easily available on a US military base in Iraq. Was this information not almost equally vulnerable to real terrorist enemies?
Somehow Julian Assange, Bradly Manning, and others have become “terrorist enemies” worthy of a world wide hunt down, while those in charge of the information – well, who are they? It’s another “how could we have known?” deja vu all over again.
And so far, what lives have been at risk (other than the whistle blowers)? Looks to us as if this is bit of embarrassing information is about the economic influence and domination of world food resources by the big chemical (Dow, Monsanto, Avantis, Bayer, etc) and biotech companies, not national security.
The Queen of Amerindia
Time to turn concrete back into soil and growing things, to make our environment sustainable. Guerrilla Gardening sprouts up in LA and is spreading everywhere.
Sustainable, healthy, environmentally and lifestyle – Design for Sustainable Lifestyle
This article is exceptionally good in covering the importance of good old fashioned farming practices. Well, maybe not some of them, like those that resulted in the US dust bowl of the 1930s. But what healed that disaster is what is being talked about here. Good, sustainable agricultural practices; water, land, and natural resource management that preserves food, water, and the environment in a non-technical way.
The west is currently trying to sell technical solutions to the African continent. But it has the same motivation that keeps it going – to our detriment and poor health – in the west. That is, dependence on artificial fertilizers, pesticides, and antibiotics – all “necessary” because of intense monoculture production. This is for profit, not for the health of the farmers, the consumers, or the land and environment.
Wherever the “technological food revolution” is being touted, there should be a look back at the Western culture where it started. One can see the poverty, desperation, and elimination of the small farmer, sustainable methods, loss of land and water resources, and poor health of the consumers.
We could go on, but this article really says it best. The only thing it fails to say is that the West should be heading this warning too, not just Africa.
Western policy bad for Africa
Turning land into farmland. Sustainable agriculture for farms and farmers, wherever they come from. A lesson that should inform everywhere.
http://www.grist.org/article/Kansas-City-pioneers-new-models-for-urban-farms/
Malawi has gone in a few short years from being a starving nation to one that has an abundance of food for its people, and a surplus to assist other African nations. This was done by good government, sidestepping corruption, and instituting good land management practices that match their environment. GMOs were not necessary to reach this outcome, but good government was. There are a couple of great short videos on this link.
The fight is on about salt in processed food. This article is an interesting light on how processed foods taste without it. It should raise alarm bells about not only the amount of salt in processed food, but what we’re eating underneath all that salt. First fat and sugar, now we find out how much salt is covering for nutritionally deficient food. It’s the usual line up of Cargill, ConAgra, Kraft, and so on and so on. What we know is that most of our processed food comes from a few major food ‘producers’, with a multitude of brands that are subsidiaries of the major food companies. And we are certain that more is invested in finding out what flavors are appealing than in what nutritional value is being delivered.
The major food producers are fighting back, and the latest argument is that without high amounts of salt, the Processed food “will disappoint the consumer and it won’t sell.” We are not against salt – we need small amounts of salt, and we use unbleached sea salt for the trace minerals we need and a little zip to top off a good, fresh, organic, whole foods. But salt should be the addition we choose; salt should Not be in our food as a cover up for the nasty flavors and textures that we shouldn’t be eating anyway. Take salt away from processed foods, and our primitive taste instincts would tell us – “oh, nasty, don’t eat that stuff.”
We recommend a small amount of unbleached sea salt, and no processed food.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/30/health/30salt.html?pagewanted=1&hp
Monsanto, Sygenta, Dupont, Bayer, the “gift” of GMOs and pesticides. The gift that makes us sick, ruins small farming (if they don’t sue you to economic death first). This “gift” that is talked of as what will solve the world’s need for food, is on the march to eventually starve us all. We can’t believe that the executives of these companies eat anything they produce.
Changing their tag line from “Without chemicals, life itself would be impossible” to “Imagine.” Oh, we can imagine, and it’s a nightmare in the making. We in Amerindia think these companies are propagating a crime against the people. All people.
This article really sums it up:
http://www.foodfirst.org/en/node/2927
The Queen of Amerindia
“If you have an interest in sustainable living, then we’d like to invite you to join the Permaculture Guild in our mission to support the permaculture community and encourage the spread of more conscious ways of growing and distributing healthy, nourishing foods and promoting the use of renewable sources of energy.”
http://www.permacultureguild.org/
High Fructose Corn Syrup is just that. They are going to change the name so you don’t suspect the chemicals used in it’s making, and this is a highly subsidized genetically modified crop. Bad science can’t defend it. HFCS Not!!
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/02/business/02syrup.html?emc=eta1
Powered by WordPress
Hosted on NetworkRedux