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CJE Friday News Briefs
Political Scandals Engulf Obama White House-Venezuela Hit By Toilet Paper Shortage Crisis-Israel to approve four West Bank settlements-A Tragedy Close to Home: Genital Mutilation in the US-Military Sex Abuse Prevention Official Ran On-Base Prostitution Ring-In the Reign of the Gay Magical Elves-Fish Species Moving North Due To Climate Change-Abusive Cavity Searches at Gitmo Designed to Quell Ongoing Hunger Strike-Corrupted, perverted, homophobic, woman hating, corporate controlled and Paid Off: US supreme court rules for Monsanto in Indiana farmer’s GM seeds casePolitical Scandals Engulf Obama White House-Venezuela Hit By Toilet Paper Shortage... more-
- joeeddy
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New App Lets You Boycott Koch Brothers, Monsanto And More By Scanning Your Shopping Cart
In her keynote speech at last year’s annual Netroots Nation gathering, Darcy Burner pitched a seemingly simple idea to the thousands of bloggers and web developers in the audience. The former Microsoft MSFT +0.94% programmer and congressional candidate proposed a smartphone app allowing shoppers to swipe barcodes to check whether conservative billionaire industrialists Charles and David Koch were behind a product on the shelves.
Burner figured the average supermarket shopper had no idea that buying Brawny paper towels, Angel Soft toilet paper or Dixie cups meant contributing cash to Koch Industries through its subsidiary Georgia-Pacific. Similarly, purchasing a pair of yoga pants containing Lycra or a Stainmaster carpet meant indirectly handing the Kochs your money (Koch Industries bought Invista, one of the world’s largest fiber and textiles companies, in 2004 from DuPont).
At the time, Burner created a mock interface for her app, but that’s as far as she got. She was waiting to find the right team to build out the back end, which could be complicated given often murky corporate ownership structures.
She wasn’t aware that as she delivered her Netroots speech, a group of developers was hard at work on Buycott, an even more sophisticated version of the app she proposed.
“I remember reading Forbes’ story on the proposed app to help boycott Koch Industries and wishing that we were ready to launch our product,” said Buycott’s marketing director Maceo Martinez.
The app itself is the work of one Los Angeles-based 26-year-old freelance programmer, Ivan Pardo, who has devoted the last 16 months to Buycott. “It’s been completely bootstrapped up to this point,” he said. Martinez and another friend have pitched in to promote the app.
Pardo’s handiwork is available for download on iPhone or Android, making its debut in iTunes and Google GOOG +3.26% Play in early May. You can scan the barcode on any product and the free app will trace its ownership all the way to its top corporate parent company, including conglomerates like Koch Industries.
Once you’ve scanned an item, Buycott will show you its corporate family tree on your phone screen. Scan a box of Splenda sweetener, for instance, and you’ll see its parent, McNeil Nutritionals, is a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson JNJ +0.77%.
Even more impressively, you can join user-created campaigns to boycott business practices that violate your principles rather than single companies. One of these campaigns, Demand GMO Labeling, will scan your box of cereal and tell you if it was made by one of the 36 corporations that donated more than $150,000 to oppose the mandatory labeling of genetically modified food.
Deciding to add that campaign to your Buycott app might make buying your breakfast nearly impossible, as that list includes not just headline grabbers like agricultural giant Monsanto but just about every big consumer company with a presence in the supermarket aisle: Coca-Cola, Nestle, Kraft, Heinz, Kellogg’s, Unilever and more.
Buycott is still working on adding new data to its back end and fine-tuning its information on corporate ownership structures. Most companies in the current database actually own more brands than Buycott has on record. The developers are asking shoppers to help improve their technology by inputting names of products they scan that the app doesn’t already recognize.
And if this all sounds worthy but depressing, be assured that your next trip to the supermarket needn’t be all doom and gloom. There are Buycott campaigns encouraging shoppers to support brands that have, say, openly backed LGBT rights. You can scan a bottle of Absolut vodka or a bag of Starbucks coffee beans and learn that both companies have come out for equal marriage.
“I don’t want to push any single point of view with the app,” said Pardo. “For me, it was critical to allow users to create campaigns because I don’t think it’s Buycott’s role to tell people what to buy. We simply want to provide a platform that empowers consumers to make well-informed purchasing decisions.”
Forbes reached out to Koch Industries and Monsanto for comment and will update this story with any responses.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/clareoconnor/2013/05/14/new-app-lets-you-boycott-koch-brothers-monsanto-and-more-by-scanning-your-shopping-cart/In her keynote speech at last year’s annual Netroots Nation gathering, Darcy... more-
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Supreme Court hands a big win to Monsanto on GMO seeds
In a blow to opponents of GMOs and Monsanto, the Supreme Court today ruled unanimously that an Indiana soybean farmer violated the company’s patent by saving its trademark Roundup Ready seeds.
By Claire Thompson | 13 May 2013 5:48 PM
Every time a farmer buys seeds from Monsanto, she or he must sign a contract agreeing not to save seeds from the crop. Monsanto’s many vociferous critics condemn this practice for the way it traps farmers in a costly cycle of dependence on the company’s products. The farmer in this case, Vernon Bowman, signed such an agreement when he originally bought Monsanto’s Roundup Ready soybeans. But he found a clever way to get around the restrictions. Tom Laskawy explains:
“For years, Bowman would grow a first crop of Monsanto seed, which he would purchase legally, and then would buy some commodity seed from his local grain elevator for his second crop. While aware he could not save seeds from the first crop he grew, Bowman would later plant the commodity seeds, spray the plants with Roundup, and was then able to identify which were resistant to the herbicide when they didn’t die. Bowman saved those seeds and saved money, since he had bought the commodity seeds for his second crop at a steep discount without paying Monsanto or signing its licensing agreement.”
Farmers can sell saved seed to local grain elevators, which often resell the mixed seed packs for animal feed or industrial uses. In buying these so-called commodity seeds from the grain elevator, Bowman rightly assumed, as The Washington Post explains, that “those beans were mostly Roundup Ready — resistant to the weedkiller glyphosate — because that’s what most of his neighbors grow.” Bowman saved and replanted the Roundup Ready seeds from his second crop for eight years before Monsanto caught on and sued.
The New York Times reports:
“Mr. Bowman’s main argument was that a doctrine called patent exhaustion allowed him to do what he liked with products he had obtained legally. But Justice Kagan said it did not apply to the way he had used the seeds.
“Under the patent exhaustion doctrine, Bowman could resell the patented soybeans he purchased from the grain elevator; so too he could consume the beans himself or feed them to his animals,” she wrote.
“But the exhaustion doctrine does not enable Bowman to make additional patented soybeans without Monsanto’s permission,” she continued, “and that is precisely what Bowman did.” …
“Accepting that theory, she wrote, would create an “unprecedented exception” to the exhaustion doctrine. “If simple copying were a protected use,” she wrote, “a patent would plummet in value after the first sale of the item containing the invention.”
Sustainable-farming advocates and GMO critics intensely followed the case in the hopes that a ruling against Monsanto would finally put some limits on that company’s power in the agriculture industry. But the case was also “closely watched by researchers and businesses holding patents on DNA molecules, nanotechnologies and other self-replicating technologies,” the Associated Press reports.
Indeed, it seems the Supreme Court was more concerned about patent law than agricultural issues. The Washington Post reports:
“While the case was about soybeans, the broader issue of patent protection is important to makers of vaccines, software and other products. Corporations were worried about what might happen if the decision had gone the other way.
But, as the justices had indicated at oral arguments in the case, they believed Bowman’s practices threaten the incentive for invention that is at the heart of patent law.”
The court’s decision crushed the hopes of many in the anti-Monsanto camp. The Environmental Working Group’s General Counsel Thomas Cluderay said it “tightens the seed giant’s stranglehold on American agriculture” and “will no doubt pave the way for greater use and development of genetically engineered seed products and use of toxic pesticides, such as Roundup, on our farm fields.”
But sadly, the fact that the ruling was unanimous indicates that there probably never was much of a chance of it going the other way.In a blow to opponents of GMOs and Monsanto, the Supreme Court today ruled unanimously... more-
- coolplanet
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Study Links Glyphosate To Autism, Parkinson's and Alzheimer's
A new review of hundreds of scientific studies surrounding glyphosate—the major component of Monsanto’s Roundup herbicide—sheds light on its effects within the human body. The paper describes how all of these effects could work together, and with other variables, trigger health problems in humans, including debilitating diseases like gastrointestinal disorders, diabetes, heart disease, obesity, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease.
Glyphosate impairs the cytochrome P450 (CYP) gene pathway, which creates enzymes that help to form and also break down molecules in cells. There are myriad important CYP enzymes, including aromatase (the enzyme that converts androgen into estrogen) and 21-Hydroxylase, which creates cortisol (stress hormone) and aldosterone (regulates blood pressure). One function of these CYP enzymes is also to detoxify xenobiotics, which are foreign chemicals like drugs, carcinogens or pesticides. Glyphosate inhibits these CYP enzymes, which has rippling effects throughout our body.
Because the CYP pathway is essential for normal functioning of various systems in our bodies, any small change in its expression can lead to disruptions. For example, humans exposed to glyphosate have decreased levels of the amino acid tryptophan, which is necessary for active signaling of the neurotransmitter serotonin. Suppressed serotonin levels have been associated with weight gain, depression and Alzheimer’s disease.
This paper does not claim to yield new scientific discoveries. Instead, it looks at older studies in a new light. Critics will say the links between glyphosate and health problems made in this paper are purely correlational, but this work is important because it brings all of the possible health effects of glyphosate together and discusses what could happen: something the U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Food and Drug Administration have failed to do.
http://www.mdpi.com/1099-4300/15/4/1416
Link To Abstract
Also see:
http://www.nationofchange.org/new-study-proves-bt-toxins-gmos-toxic-mammalian-blood-1367936953
Another study regarding toxicity of BT toxin (endotoxins) in non target species.
"According to a new study, the ‘Cry’ toxins that Monsanto’s GMO crops have been genetically modified to produce are a lot more toxic to mammals than previously thought, primarily to the blood."
http://gmoevidence.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/JHTD-1-104.pdf
This is very important due to the prevalence of BT in the majority of our food crops and the fact that people are ingesting much more than this study even covered, specifically animals as well through their feed.
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I have been saying for years that I suspect that chemicals and pesticides can be correlated to the increase in these diseases as well as diabetes and obesity and that Glyphosate specifically should be banned. They couldn't kill us all with Agent Orange but they keep trying don't they? I hope we do see more unbiased independent testing on this now because I also believe if they are allowed to continue we will see causation.
More at the linkA new review of hundreds of scientific studies surrounding glyphosate—the major... more-
- JanforGore
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GMO labeling bills proposed in House And Senate: We have the right to know
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LICQCxq1FqU&feature=player_embedded
http://gmoreport.blogspot.com/2013/04/us-proposal-would-require-labelling-on.html?spref=tw
A decades-long push to require the labeling of foods containing genetically modified ingredients in the United States received a significant boost Wednesday, when bipartisan bills on the issue were simultaneously proposed in the House and Senate.
Advocates of such measures are reacting with excitement, noting that the new bills appear to be far better positioned than previous such attempts, in terms of both public and Congressional support. If the bills pass, the United States would join 64 other countries that have already put in place similar laws or regulations.
The legislative moves mark the first time that such a bill has been proposed in the U.S. Senate in more than a dozen years, a period during which the use of genetically modified crops has expanded exponentially.
Further, while that earlier iteration, from 2000, was the work of just a single Democratic senator and was unable to attract any additional co-sponsors, the new bill has already received official support from nine senators and 21 representatives, including two Republicans.
“Americans have the right to know what is in the food they eat so they can make the best choices for their families,” Senator Barbara Boxer, a key sponsor of the new bill and author of the 2000 proposal, said Wednesday.
“This legislation is supported by a broad coalition of consumer groups, businesses, farmers, fishermen and parents who all agree that consumers deserve more – not less – information about the food they buy.”
Indeed, public opinion on the matter appears to be overwhelmingly on the side of the new proposal, which would direct the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the main government regulator on food-related issues, to require food producers to clearly label their products if they contain genetically engineered (GE) components.
According to multiple polls in recent years (including here and here), more than 90 percent of people in the United States favor the FDA requiring the labeling of foods containing genetically modified ingredients.
Yet for years, the FDA has pushed back against such requests, despite having the legal authority to mandate such a change. Rather, today’s policy continues to be informed by 1992 guidance in which FDA administrators stated that GE foods were not “materially” different from conventional foods.
The rationale for this stance was simply that consumers were unable to physically sense the difference between conventional and genetically modified foods.
“Unfortunately, the FDA’s antiquated labeling policy has not kept pace with 21st century food technologies that allow for a wide array of genetic and molecular changes to food that can’t be detected by human senses,” according to a press release put out by the bill’s main sponsors, Senator Boxer and Representative Peter DeFazio.
Further, such a test appears inconsistent with regard to the 3,000 other substances for which the FDA does require labeling.
“The fact of the matter is that, for far too long, the FDA has been playing politics over science,” Colin O’Neil, the director of government affairs at the Center for Food Safety, a Washington advocacy group, told IPS.
“Corn that produces its own insecticide, or a fish that grows twice as fast as normal, or an apple that doesn’t turn brown for 30 days – we know these are material changes and that those are novel foods.”
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I know, don't get your hopes up. But at least this is something that may actually have legs to it. Substantial equivalence is being challenged. It's about time...
It was over four years ago that I first started posting/reporting about genetically modified seeds/Monsanto here. To see this level of support for labeling now and to see the global resistance is very encouraging. Despite all of the money and favors Monsanto and the big ag lobby enjoys the resistance to this is staggering and I think we are reaching a tipping point. Unfortunately Current will not be here to have me and others report on this. I have enjoyed being able to bring news about GMOS and other related topics regarding sustainable agriculture here and I hope it has helped to pass this important news on to others. I will be continuing to do so on my GMO Report blog which is linked in this post. I hope those who have been following what is going on with our seeds and food on a global level check out the blog. We will take back our food. Also, anyone who did not see the Monsanto Round Up reports can find them in the tag while it lasts. Thanks.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LICQCxq1FqU&feature=player_embedded... more-
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Monsanto plans $400M expansion in Chesterfield
Monsanto plans $400M expansion in Chesterfield -
Exposed: Monsanto’s Mission To Pharmaceutically “Enhance” GMO Foods
Exposed: Monsanto’s Mission To Pharmaceutically “Enhance” GMO Foods
21st April 2013
By Dr. Michelle Kmiec
Guest Writer for Wake Up World
We have all been concerned about the implications of Genetically Modified (GM) foods. And one company that has received much controversy is Monsanto; established in 1901 in St. Louis, Missouri.
Their involvement in countless controversial endeavors is nothing short than an attack on humanity!
As a refresher, let’s briefly take a look at some of Monsanto’s accomplishments.
Artificial Food Substitutes such as Saccharin (artificial sweetener) – blamed for many health issues including cancer.
Polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) – One of the Greatest Pollutants to Air, Water, and Soil, partially banned in 1973 due to serious health complications including cancer.
Dayton Project & Manhattan Project – The development of Atomic and Nuclear Weapons
Partnered with Bayer - a chemical and pharmaceutical company
Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) – Widely used Insecticidal, later banned in 1972 due to serious health complications including cancer as well as the near extinction of many birds including the Bald Eagle.
Herbicide Orange (Better Known as Agent Orange) – Used during the Vietnam War, nearly 1,000,000 people were either killed or permanently damaged by its use (including US soldiers). Reportedly over 4.5 million people were exposed, and an estimated 500,000 children were later born with defects. Today, health problems continue to persist due to environmental changes resulting from the extensive use of Agent Orange.
First to develop the Genetically Modified Plant in 1982
Bought G.D. Searle & Company (Searle) – a pharmaceutical company which focuses on agriculture and life sciences.
The following mergers of Pharmaceutical companies is enough to make your head spin. It’s amazingly complicated and interestingly intertwined!
Instead of paraphrasing, I thought it best for you to read it for yourself straight from Pfizer’s website (The world’s largest research-based pharmaceutical company)
“In the United States, Pharmacia traces its roots back to 1886. It was then that W.E. Upjohn, M.D., established The Upjohn Pill and Granule Company of Kalamazoo, Michigan, (USA). The company continued its growth throughout the 19th century, eventually evolving into an innovative, international company. Two years later, the Searle and Hereth Co. was formed by a young druggist named Gideon Daniel Searle, as an innovative company developing many “firsts.” These firsts include the first bulk laxative, the first motion sickness drug, the first oral contraceptive, the first once-a-day calcium channel blocker for the treatment of hypertension, and many other innovative products. Likewise, Searle discovered and introduced aspartame, a hugely successful sugar substitute.
The Searle and Hereth Co. was incorporated in 1908 as G.D. Searle and Co. in Chicago, and in 1985, became the pharmaceutical unit of Monsanto.
In 1995, Pharmacia & Upjohn was formed through the merger of Pharmacia AB and The Upjohn Company. Pharmacia & Upjohn became a global provider of human health care products, animal health products, diagnostics and specialty products. In 1998, Pharmacia & Upjohn relocated its global headquarters from the United Kingdom to the United States.
In April 2000, Pharmacia & Upjohn completed a merger with Monsanto and Searle creating Pharmacia, a dynamic new competitor in the pharmaceutical industry. This top-tier company’s innovative medicines and other products saved the lives of many and enhanced health and wellness. Following the merger, Pharmacia continued Searle’s agreement with Pfizer to co-promote Celebrex, which was originally co-developed by Searle and Pfizer.
In August 2002, Pharmacia completed the spin-off of its agricultural subsidiary, Monsanto Company.”
Whew! And guess who is the common denominator? Monsanto!
Continuing with Monsanto’s dirty laundry list:
Developed Celebrex – a controversial drug involved in many years of litigation (as well as a brief recall) due to extensive reported health damages – including deaths. As of 2010, Celebrex has made over 35 billion in profits.
Recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone (rBGH) – A synthetic hormone injected into cows to increase milk production. rBGH is controversial due to health implications of cattle and an increased need for antibiotics resulting in new resistant bacterial strains. Though the U.S. does not believe there are health implications to humans, other countries have linked an increase of cancer due to synthetic hormones. The following countries ban the use of rBGH, rBST (Recombinant Bovine Somatotropin) as well as other synthetic (and “natural”) hormones in cattle:
All 28 Countries of the European Union
Canada
Australia
New Zealand
Japan
Israel
Purchased DEKALB Genetics Corporation – Largest distributor of genetically modified agricultural seeds, with corn at the top of the list.
Joint collaboration with Badische Anilin- und Soda-Fabrik (BASF) – a chemical company now working with Monsanto in the development of Biotechnology (Better known as Genetically Modified Foods)
Have you had enough yet? Well take a deep breath because the real scary part is about to be revealed!
Announced on August 28, 2012 Monsanto and Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc. formed a “Strategic Alliance”. Why strategic? Together they intend to “… advance biological technologies in the field of agriculture…”
“The new alliance brings Alnylam’s broad RNAi-based intellectual property (IP) and proprietary technologies to Monsanto’s new BioDirect™ technology, which aims to deliver innovative biological solutions for farmers.”
So they are going to bring solutions for farmers? Well, that’s what they want you to believe…
Let’s take a look at what “RNAi-based intellectual property” actually is. Better known as RNAi therapeutics - here is the explanation in the words of Alnylam:
“RNAi (RNA interference) is a revolution in biology, representing a breakthrough in understanding how genes are turned on and off in cells, and a completely new approach to drug discovery and development.
RNAi is a natural process of gene silencing that occurs in organisms ranging from plants to mammals. By harnessing the natural biological process of RNAi occurring in our cells, the creation of a major new class of medicines, known as RNAi therapeutics, is on the horizon.”
Now based on everything so far, an obvious pattern emerges leading to an undeniable outcome:
Synthetic Food + Pharmaceuticals + Genetically Modified Foods & Organisms + RNAi Therapeutics = Pharmaceutically Enhanced Food
But wait…it gets even better!Exposed: Monsanto’s Mission To Pharmaceutically “Enhance” GMO Foods... more-
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Texas Fertilizer Plant Explosion : False Flag Theories Include Missiles, Crashing Helicopters, Drones, Animated Cartoon Characters, “Gun Grabbers,” And Obama, Obama, Obama
Hopefully they forever remain theories and rants . . .
http://latestbloomer.uskoa.com/texas-fertilizer-plant-explosion-false-flag-theories-include-missiles-crashing-helicopters-drones-animated-cartoon-characters-and-obama-obama-obama/Hopefully they forever remain theories and rants . . .... more-
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The Other Texas Explosion - April 16, 1947 |The Political Pragmatic
On April 16, 1947, almost 65 fives years ago to the day, a cargo ship exploded in Texas City, Texas, causing the deadliest explosion and worst industrial disaster in U.S. history.
The Grandcamp, a converted World War II ship, was taking on a load of fertilizer at a dock next to a complex of Monsanto chemical factories, offices and labs. The ship's carpenter found that a few bags of ammonium nitrate fertilizer were on fire. He tried dousing it with a few buckets of water and a fire extinguisher. When he called for a hose, the ship's captain forbade it, fearful that water would destroy the cargo. As the fire spread, firefighters tried spraying the burning ship from the dock. Spectators, including schoolchildren crowded the dockside to watch the action. The fire grew.
The Grandcamp exploded.
More than 200 people were killed on the dock. The captain and 32 of the Grandcamp's crew died; 10 somehow survived. People died everywhere, blown up by the blast, decapitated by flying metal, sliced by falling glass, burned by flaming metal and chemicals, crushed by falling buildings. Thousands more suffered injuries. Bodies and parts of bodies were strewn all over town. One survivor reported getting stuck in a slippery tangle, looking down to see that it was human intestines.
Read more.......On April 16, 1947, almost 65 fives years ago to the day, a cargo ship exploded in... more-
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US farmers may stop planting GMOs after poor global yields
Some US farmers are considering returning to conventional seed after increased pest resistance and crop failures meant GM crops saw smaller yields globally than their non-GM counterparts.
Farmers in the USA pay about an extra $100 per acre for GM seed, and many are questioning whether they will continue to see benefits from using GMs.
"It's all about cost benefit analysis," said economist Dan Basse, president of American agricultural research company AgResource.
"Farmers are paying extra for the technology but have seen yields which are no better than 10 years ago. They're starting to wonder why they're spending extra money on the technology."
One of the biggest problems the USA has seen with GM seed is resistance. While it was expected to be 40 years before resistance began to develop pests such as corn rootworm have formed a resistance to GM crops in as few as 14 years.
More at the linkSome US farmers are considering returning to conventional seed after increased pest... more-
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Medical Documentary on Genetically Modified Food - Genetic Roulette - The Gamble of Our Lives
Never-Before-Seen-Evidence points to genetically engineered foods as a major contributor to rising disease rates in the US population, especially among children.
Gastrointestinal disorders, allergies, inflammatory diseases, and infertility are just some of the problems implicated in humans, pets, livestock, and lab animals that eat genetically modified soybeans and corn.
Eating genetically modified food is gambling with every bite.Never-Before-Seen-Evidence points to genetically engineered foods as a major... more-
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Reporters Fired For Exposing U.S. Milk Contamination & Monsanto
The top execs at Monsanto Corp. must be running around HQ these days like director James Cameron post-Titanic, screaming “We’re king of the world!” It’s an understandable reaction. Between a likely Supreme Court win, the recently passed Monsanto Protection Act, and the company’s victory over a government antitrust investigation, the company has been on quite a winning streak.The top execs at Monsanto Corp. must be running around HQ these days like director... more-
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How the Monsanto Protection Act Became Law
How the Monsanto Protection Act Became Law
Chris Paulus
Occupy.com / News Analysis
Published: Monday 1 April 2013
Monsanto is no stranger to our political and judicial system—especially when it comes to influencing it.
Once again, the largest corporations and their governmental cohorts succeeding in sealing their dominance over our lives without any oversight, transparency or leniency. This time it concerns food safety, as Monsanto and lobbyists have shoved through dangerous legislation that effectively makes any oversight of GMO food void.
The Monsanto Protection Act, which President Obama signed into law this week, will strip judges of their constitutional mandate to protect consumer rights and the environment, while opening up the floodgates for the planting of new untested genetically engineered crops, endangering farmers, consumers and the environment. The result is that GMO crops will be able to evade any serious scientific or regulatory review.
The insistence of our government, and of corporations, is stunning. Like the civil liberties-violating CISPA law that is now being re-introduced in Congress after a year of languishing, Monsanto and its lobbyists are re-introducing the same provisions in the 2013 Farm Bill as they did in 2012. Lobbyists and politicians are relying on Americans’ amnesia to push through their secretive, sweeping agendas.
Modest amendments to the Farm Bill proposal in 2012 were shot down. The Sanders Amendment, introduced by Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, was struck down by a 73-26 vote, 28 of which were Democratic. Sanders sponsored earlier legislation popularly known as the Vermont Right to Know Genetically Engineered Food Act, but Vermont lawmakers allowed the bill to stall after a representative threatened to sue the state if it passed, based on claims that food oversight should not be delegated to the states but handled by the FDA.
Additionally, according to Open Secrets, Monsanto spent nearly $6 million on lobbying in 2012 and contributed about $500,000 to federal candidates in the last election.
As a couple of other examples of the breadth of Monsanto’s political influence, The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, a purportedly philanthropic organization fund established by Bill Gates, purchased 500,000 shares in Monsanto back in 2010, valued at more than $23 million.
And then there's the election last fall in California where Proposition 37, which would have mandated the labeling of genetically modified organisms in the state, was debated at great cost - and violations of the truth - before its eventual defeat. Monsanto poured about $8,112,000 into advertising and political campaigns against the legislation. The same organization claimed that the No to 37 campaign, largely funded by Monsanto, fabricated a quote that bore the FDA official logo. The quote read:
“The [FDA] says a labeling policy like Prop 37 would be ‘inherently misleading.’”
The campaign supporting Proposition 37 sent a letter to the Justice Department demanding action against the No to 37 campaign for its flagrant violation of law, specifically section 506 of the U.S. Criminal Code. But we should expect no comment or action from the department.
Regarding its influence on the judicial system, Monsanto recently wrapped up a Supreme Court case in which it pressed charges against an Indiana soybean and wheat farmer, Vernon Hugh Bowman, whom it accused of breaking a patent agreement on second-generation Roundup Ready soybean seeds.
Bowman bought the seeds from a grain elevator after a farmer, who had purchased Monsanto’s seeds legally, sold them to the grain elevator. The case made it all the way to the Supreme Court, whose line of justices includes a former lawyer for Monsanto: Clarence Thomas. Thomas did not recuse himself from the case. The verdict has yet to be decided, but food advocacy groups are apprehensive about the ruling.
Monsanto devotes about $10 million a year and 75 staffers to investigating farmers for possible patent violations. Ninty-three percent of soybeans, 88 percent of cotton and 86 percent of corn in the U.S. are grown with Monsanto’s patented seeds.
Just as central and major commercial banks are attempting to control the economy, just as corporations and other large entities are attempting to control our politics and elected officials, just as large oil companies are attempting to control the debate on climate change and the environment in general, biotech and agriculture giants are attempting to control food production through patented, genetic manipulation, using dirty political clout to support it and a lack of judicial or legislative oversight to continue it.How the Monsanto Protection Act Became Law Chris Paulus Occupy.com / News Analysis... more-
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'Monsanto Protection Act': 5 Terrifying Things To Know About The HR 933 Provision
The "Monsanto Protection Act" is the name opponents of the Farmer Assurance Provision have given to this terrifying piece of policy, and it's a fitting moniker given its shocking content.
President Barack Obama signed a spending bill, HR 933, into law on Tuesday that includes language that has food and consumer advocates and organic farmers up in arms over their contention that the so-called "Monsanto Protection Act" is a giveaway to corporations that was passed under the cover of darkness.
(click on the link to find the five terrifying things)The "Monsanto Protection Act" is the name opponents of the Farmer Assurance... more-
- Vierotchka
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Alicia talks about the Monsanto Protection Act
While Alicia and I were on the computer earlier, we came across a picture of "GMObama". She had some questions and I thought it would be fun to record our conversation. So, here's a candid look at how we discuss topics surrounding GMOs. We are both still learning about a healthier lifestyle and are enjoying the journey. I did have to edit out her brother when he ran into the room! Love her sweet and genuine responses....she is such a character!
http://youtu.be/Jc5FNI6XGf8While Alicia and I were on the computer earlier, we came across a picture of... more-
- Radical_Centrist
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'Monsanto Protection Act': 5 Terrifying Things To Know About The HR 933 Provision
The "Monsanto Protection Act" is the name opponents of the Farmer Assurance Provision have given to this terrifying piece of policy, and it's a fitting moniker given its shocking content.
President Barack Obama signed a spending bill, HR 933, into law on Tuesday that includes language that has food and consumer advocates and organic farmers up in arms over their contention that the so-called "Monsanto Protection Act" is a giveaway to corporations that was passed under the cover of darkness.
There's a lot being said about it, but here are five terrifying facts about the Farmer Assurance Provision -- Section 735 of the spending bill -- to get you acquainted with the reasons behind the ongoing uproar:
Full Story: http://www.ibtimes.com/monsanto-protection-act-5-terrifying-things-know-about-hr-933-provision-1156079#The "Monsanto Protection Act" is the name opponents of the Farmer Assurance... more-
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NEW RESEARCH: GMO FOOD FAR WORSE THAN WE THINK
Disturbing new research published in the Journal of Applied Toxicology indicates that genetically modified (GM) crops with “stacked traits,” that is, with multiple traits such as glyphosate-herbicide resistance and Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) insecticidal toxins engineered together into the same plant, are likely far more dangerous to human health than previously believed, due to their synergistic toxicity.
Resistance to glyphosate, the active ingredient in the herbicide Roundup, has been engineered into many GM plants, so that fields can be sprayed indiscriminately with herbicide without destroying the crops. While the GM glyphosate-resistant plants survive, they subsequently contain residues of glyphosate and its various metabolites (e.g. aminomethylphosphonic acid) that present a significant health threat to the public.
In this latest study the glyphosate-containing herbicide Roundup was tested on human embryonic kidney cells at concentrations between 1 to 20,000 parts per million (ppm). It was found that concentrations as low as 50 ppm per million, which the authors noted were “far below agricultural dilutions,” induced cell death, with the 50% of the cells dying at 57.5 ppm.
The researchers also found that the insecticidal toxin produced by GM plants known as Cry1Ab was capable of causing cell death at 100 ppm concentrations.
Taken together the authors concluded “In these results, we argue that modified Bt toxins are not inert on nontarget human cells, and that they can present
combined side-effects with other residues of pesticides specific to GM plants.”
These disturbing findings follow on the heels of recent revelations that Roundup is several orders of magnitude more toxic than previously believed. Only 5 days ago (Feb. 14) the journal Archives of Toxicology reported that Roundup is toxic to human DNA even when diluted to concentrations 450-fold lower than used in agricultural applications. This effect is likely due to the presence of the surfactant polyoxyethyleneamine within the Roundup formulation which may dramatically enhance the absorption of glyphosate into exposed human cells and tissue.
Full Article: http://www.occupymonsanto360.org/2012/03/14/new-research-gmo-food-far-worse-than-we-think-2/Disturbing new research published in the Journal of Applied Toxicology indicates that... more-
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Extreme Weather And GMO Crops Devastate Monarch Butterfly Migration
"In just two years, the annual migration of North American monarch butterflies has declined by 59 percent, and scientists are blaming extreme weather and “changed farming practices,” according to the New York Times. In other words, monster storms and monster Monsanto.
The area of forest occupied by the butterflies, once as high at 50 acres, dwindled to 2.94 acres in the annual census conducted in December, Mexico’s National Commission of Natural Protected Areas disclosed at a news conference in Zitácuaro, Mexico. …
The latest decline was hastened by drought and record-breaking heat in North America when the monarchs arrived last spring to reproduce. Warmer than usual conditions led the insects to arrive early and to nest farther north than is typical, Chip Taylor, director of the conservation group Monarch Watch at the University of Kansas, said in an interview. The early arrival disrupted the monarchs’ breeding cycle, he said, and the hot weather dried insect eggs and lowered the nectar content of the milkweed on which they feed.
That in turn weakened the butterflies and lowered the number of eggs laid.
End of excerpt.
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Also see:
http://www.sfgate.com/news/science/article/Monarch-butterflies-drop-ominously-in-Mexico-4352533.php
Monarch Butterflies Drop Ominously In Mexico
The number of monarch butterflies making it to their winter refuge in Mexico dropped 59 percent this year, falling to the lowest level since comparable record-keeping began 20 years ago, scientists reported Wednesday.
It was the third straight year of declines for the orange-and-black butterflies that migrate from the United States and Canada to spend the winter sheltering in mountaintop fir forests in central Mexico. Six of the last seven years have shown drops, and there are now only one-fifteenth as many butterflies as there were in 1997.
The decline in the monarch population now marks a statistical long-term trend and can no longer be seen as a combination of yearly or seasonal events, the experts said.
end of excerpt.
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Also See:
http://www.i-sis.org.uk/Glyphosate_and_Monarch_Butterfly_Decline.php
Glyphosate and Monarch Butterfly Decline
Glyphosate destruction of monarch butterfly breeding grounds suspected
Dr Eva Sirinathsinghji
A fully referenced and illustrated version of this report is posted on ISIS members website and is available for download here
Please circulate widely and repost, but you must give the URL of the original and preserve all the links back to articles on our website
Monarch butterfly migration abundance has been declining over the last 17 years; a new study finds [1]. Extreme weather conditions, over-logging of their migratory destination in Mexico and the herbicidal destruction of their breeding grounds in the US are to blame.
Monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus), also known as milkweed butterflies, are famous for their spectacular migration from North America to Mexico over the wintering months. The adults live for only 4-5 weeks, but another wonder of these butterflies is that one special generation born in the autumn lives for 7-8 months enabling them to make this astonishing journey that can be as long as 2 800 miles.
Millions descend on central Mexican forests every year to escape the harsh winters of North America. They hibernate until the warmth of spring brings them back to life, when they make the journey back to their breeding habitat on milkweed plants in North America. No individual makes the whole return journey, but instead the short-lived offspring lay eggs along the way, until their descendents make it back home.
This spectacular phenomenon is now showing significant signs of decline in a study led by Isabel Ramirez at Universidad Nacional Autonoma. They analysed data of the total area occupied by the butterflies in hibernation over the last 17 years (published online by World Wildlife Fund-Mexico since 1994) using two different statistical methods, and both showed significant decreases. These are standard regression analyses for determining the correlation between two variables, in this case colony area and time. The linear model assumes simple linear relationships between the two, while the exponential model assumes exponential decreases in area over time (as populations tend to grow or decrease exponentially, this is a common method for analysing population numbers). Although the numbers vary from year to year, the highest area reported was in 1997, where they occupied 20.97 hectares. In 2010, the lowest area was recorded, at just 1.92 hectares. The 2010-11 season has shown a slight increase to 4.02 ha. The results are presented in Figure 1.
end of excerpt.
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Response (moved from below for obvious reasons) regarding comments on videos taken:
This article does not speak about just one location: ("The number of monarch butterflies making it to their winter refuge in Mexico dropped 59 percent this year.) Mexico has also been experiencing severe drought. The US is also seeing one of the most extreme droughts this country has had that still persists. I tend to think the actual scientists doing these studies over successive seasons know what they are talking about. And in regards to GMOs, it is the effect on milkweed through exposure to Glyphosate which has also been quantified by actual scientists doing studies showing a decrease in availability of milkweed, not just by shooting one you tube video in one place.This is also not the first time GMOs have been linked to effects on monarch butterflies. If I didn't know any better I would think those actually supporting the fact that glyphosate is pushing out the main living source for these creatures worked for Monsanto... of course, you never get an answer about that though.
From link above: http://www.i-sis.org.uk/Glyphosate_and_Monarch_Butterfly_Decline.php
"In the summer months in North America, eggs are laid on milkweed plants. The larvae feed exclusively on milkweed leaves, making the abundance of monarch butterflies critically dependent on milkweed availability. The spread of GM crops and the concomitant use of herbicides however, are threatening the milkweeds survival and their numbers have been steadily decreasing. Milkweed commonly grows among maize and soya, of which 23 and 92 percent are currently glyphosate tolerant. Studies assessing milkweed populations in Iowa recorded a 90 [2] and 79 percent (unpublished) loss between 1999-2009 and 2000-2009 respectively. The authors go on to speculate that with such widespread glyphosate usage, milkweed may almost completely disappear from crop lands altogether."
_____"In just two years, the annual migration of North American monarch butterflies... more-
- JanforGore
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Stop Monsanto's GMO Trolls
Stop Monsanto's GMO Trolls in the Senate! Call now to stop the Monsanto Protection Act!
http://action.fooddemocracynow.org/sign/stop_the_monsanto_protection_act/Stop Monsanto's GMO Trolls in the Senate! Call now to stop the Monsanto... more-
- Radical_Centrist
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Argentina's Bad Seeds
By Glenn Ellis
As I flew in to Buenos Aires to make this film, all the talk was of President Cristina Kirchner’s latest gambit. Her foreign minister had pulled out of a meeting with the British foreign secretary to discuss the Falklands (or the Malvinas depending on your outlook). And for the people I rubbed up against in Argentina’s smart and chic capital, on discovering I was English, this, along with Maradona’s ‘hand of god’ moment, was the topic on everybody’s lips. "We won the war", they would say. "After the fighting we got rid of our dictators but you had another 10 years of Thatcher."
When I explained I was in the country to cover the soya boom, which has given Argentina the fastest growth rate in South America, but also allegedly caused devastating malformations in children, there was a look of disbelief. "Here, in Argentina? Why haven’t we heard about it?"
A good question: why had not anyone heard about it? And when I ventured a little further explaining I also wanted to cover what is best described as a dirty war in the North of the country where campesinos are being driven off their land, and sometimes killed, to make way for soya plantations - the bemusement increased. “That’s historical" people would say, "it’s been going on since the time of the conquistadores." So when I arrived with my crew at Argentina’s second city, Cordoba, 700 kilometres North West of the capital, to meet Alternative Nobel Laureate Professor Raul Montenegro, I was not quite sure what to expect.
Montenegro, a world-renowned biologist, looked the part of a pioneer, in khaki shirt and jungle boots. "I have pesticide in me", he said, almost as soon as he opened the door. "Here we all have pesticide in our bodies because the land is saturated with it. And it is a huge problem. In Argentina biodiversity is diminishing. Even in national parks, because pesticides don’t recognise the limit of the park." Montenegro is a man in a hurry. "You must see for yourself", he said pointing to his Land Rover and taking us a short drive out of Cordoba to a slight rise in the vast plain which surrounds the city. Here, as far as the eye can see, endless acres of soya stretched to the horizon. "More than 18 million hectares are covered by this GMO soya but it’s not solely a matter of soya because over this plant on this huge surface more than 300 million litres of pesticide are used."
More at the link
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Some responses removed to keep the thread on topic.
And as far as "blackballing" goes here, perhaps that may not be the word that best fits but nevertheless I and others do see the changes here and the lack of response and caring for these topics/ issues that once had both and it is discouraging to say the least. That is all I will have to say on it here anymore.By Glenn Ellis As I flew in to Buenos Aires to make this film, all the talk was of... more-
- JanforGore
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