Category Archives: Big Ag

The Yes Men

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It is a continual source of amusement and awe at the stuff I come across looking up other stuff.

For instance, the Yes Men — an activist group against the Bhopal disaster,

We never hear that part of the information Wikileaks leaked is about the stuff done by corporations.

Note at the bottom where Dr. Ingrid Eckerman, a member of the International Medical Commission on Bhopal, has been denied a visa to India since 2008. Incredible that someone trying to help the people damaged by this disaster is denied access.

This may be why (from the link to the IMC wiki page):

The IMCB publicly condemned Union Carbide and reiterated the company’s full liability not only for responsibility in causing the deadly gas leak, but also for the confounding role of its behaviour with respect to pre-accident preventive and exposure mitigating efforts, and the timely and effective application of the appropriate medical measures at the time of the accident. This included the lack of transparency about the composition of the gases released, resulting in the absence of rational methods of care and planning resulting in loss of sight and in some cases life, and creation of suspicion and conflict among professionals and the population. There was also a lack of emergency preparation which would have made the public and professionals aware of the potential toxins inside the plant and how to respond to an accident.

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Fracking came to mind with the mention of lack of transparency about the composition of the toxins released.  Remember the nurse who was sickened because they refused to tell her what chemicals she was dealing with? This from American Nurses association for information on toxins and their effects.   Take note of the UNIONS strength in numbers at calling attention to this and demanding transparency.

More reasons why they don’t want people to know what’s in it—

It is now well known that persistent and chronic gas-related health effects are present in the Bhopal population.[3][4][5] However, the full spectrum of effects is yet to be defined, especially in those exposed as children or in utero, and as manifested in survivor reproductive health.[6][7] There has been a lack of systematic collection of relevant information in these reproductive effects, and also with respect to cancer development or other chronic illnesses as sequelae of the gas exposure.

Recent investigations have shown that local well water has become contaminated by the improper storage of a large amount of hazardous waste in the facility, or on its grounds.[8] This toxic waste is especially hazardous to those still suffering the effects of direct exposure to the gas.

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See, if you don’t know what’s in it, you can’t connect the symptoms to the chemical that caused it.  Kind of like genetically modified organisms, eh?  If people don’t know what’s in their food, they can’t connect ill health to it.

A trojan horse…and another part of a horse…on DN

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Democracy Now had a couple of noteworthy segments up this morning–

Another *cough* fair trade deal that is characterized as NAFTA on steroids.  Great.  /snark

…because Clinton’s NAFTA didn’t do enough to destroy this country….one can only wonder at the forced GMO seeds  upon these countries–forced vaccination–and other unconstitutional actions that will affect us, as well.  We don’t live in a vacuum–what goes around comes around…

See previous post on how much influence corporations have on our government, and the ramifications of that influence.  The public loses its representation….and yet, we’re still taxed.

Max Blumenthal has written an insider’s view of Israel.   Prime Minister Netanyahu asserts he has the U.S. where he wants us.  He is still trying to drum up fear of the Iranians having a nuclear weapon…but methinks it’s more a fear that if the U.S. no longer sees Iran as a threat, they won’t be giving the bucks to Israel.

I’m glad he was on DN–because we get a picture of the rightwingers of Israel who are racist against not only the Palestinians, but Africans as well.  It’s chilling how they think of the Africans as a cancer on their society.   No wonder the rightwingers in America like Israel so much–they have so much in common.

Funny how we don’t hear that from the mainstream media, eh?

A picture flashed in my head when he said the youth march through the streets.  It’s unnerving how much that is like the Nazis.

I’m also glad that Blumenthal makes the point that there are peacemakers amongst the warhawks, as well, who are against what is happening, but perhaps feel powerless to do anything about it.  (sounds familiar, eh?)  I think this is true of every nation–that there are many unheard voices that are against violence and war but never get to speak out.

 

America to the highest bidder

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…while the nooz is busy distracting the American public with “shutting down the government” nonsense….America is quietly being sold to the highest bidder while taxpayers foot the bill.  Warning: probably not the thing to read while you’re eating.

 

Mark Fiore’s Cartoon of the nasty business:

 

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More dark money in government associated with the Kochs.   More here.   Further proof that the rich are not being taxed enough if they have this kind of money to throw around.

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Latest on the Raw Milk Wars.

Again, a person has a right to decide what goes into their body.  Right to Privacy.

A dairy farmer in my area told me that he drank raw milk every morning.  This was before my own education on it, and I was aghast that he would risk his health drinking unpasteurized milk.  Haha.  He was one wise man.

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The Pee and Poo Show **edited

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The title is funny, but the subject is serious — flushing human waste into clean drinking water just doesn’t make sense.  I was thinking that you could only utilize a composting toilet in the country, where you could have room to separate compost piles by year.  But I was wrong, as this  brilliant couple illustrates.

I love how they have utilized their space to raise vegetables and fruit and bees and collecting rainwater.  Absolutely sustainable.

Who knew we could save the world through poop? 😛

If you look at the comments, someone has added a link to the humanure website.  They also question separating the pee and poop–I think this gal wanted to use the urine right away for the nitrogen to fertilize her vegetables and such, but everyone has different goals, so separating it may not be a big to-do for them.

From Joe Jenkins, author of the Humanure Handbook:

Of course, there are those who question this without reading it.  If they did, they would know that the pathogens are broken down by microbes that eat them — that’s why on organic farms, e.coli is not a problem, but on factory farms, e.coli is rampant–too much in a small space for the ecological system to do its natural work of breaking them down.  **edited to add:  the chemicals on non-organic farms also interfere with microbes.  What kills the insects also kills the microbes.