Category Archives: farming

Your food

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The Organic Farmers network of New York has posted this:

Message

Begin forwarded message:
> From: “Amy Little” <amylittle@hvc. rr.com>
> Date: March 14, 2013 11:36:40 AM CDT
> Subject: Action needed today on Biotech and GIPSA Riders
>
> From: Amy Little, NESAWG
> Action Alert and Mobilization TODAY
>
> The Senate released its Continuing Resolution (appropriations legislation) that includes “riders” on 2 big issues. Legislative riders are controversial policy provisions that “hitch a ride” on appropriations bills that otherwise deal only with funding matters in order to escape full and open debate in the committee that has jurisdiction over the relevant policy area.
> 1. The “Biotech Rider” would undercut current biotech safety regulations by striping federal courts of their authority to halt the sale and planting of illegal, potentially hazardous GE crops, and compel the USDA to allow continued planting of that same crop upon request regardless of its potential to cause transgenic contamination in the food supply and ecosystem.
> 2. The “GIPSA Rider” overrides the GIPSA rule that protects farmers from abuses by the meat industry, by denying contract producers protection under the Packers and Stockyards Act .
>
> TODAY, Senator Jon Tester plans to introduce two amendments that removes those riders from  the Continuing Resolution. Many organizations that participate in NESAWG are issuing alerts and mobilizing phone calls and emails.
>
> Please consider making a call to your Senator’s DC office, alerting your lists to take action, and spreading the word quickly.
> You can find your Senators’ phone numbers here: http://bit.ly/ findmySenator
>
> Many organizations have issued alerts, here is the basic message:
>
> “Please tell the Senator to vote for two amendments to the Continuing Resolution introduced by Senator Jon Tester of Montana that protect family farmers from abuses by the meat industry and support review of biotechnology products. These two amendments will stand up for family farmers, ensure that independent producers have a fair chance in the livestock market, and ensure that courts can review biotechnology products.”
>
>
> From the NSAC Blog: This is an affront to justice and fairness for farmers and is an unfortunate example of legislating on an appropriations bill on behalf of a very few powerful corporations.
>
> Phone calls are needed right now, but Food and Water watch has an on-line letter campaign athttps://secure3. convio.net/ fww/site/ Advocacy? pagename= homepage& page=UserAction& amp;id=591& autologin= true& JServSessionIdr0 04=w8pdw3w8a5. app340a

In harmony with nature

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Bhutan is the first country to go entirely organic.  Good for them!  Note that they see this as not only a practical idea, but they incorporate their spirituality in their reverence for nature.  It’s not easy, as the article states, because it’s hard to reorient oneself to farming without chemicals.  Chemicals are just too, too easy.  It takes creative thinking and hard work to do the right thing.

<sigh> I wish the so-called progressive America did the same.  (Remember when the United States used to lead the world?)

No, we’re not the leaders anymore….

…we’d much rather do stupid stuff like genetically engineer a life form and then persecute farmers into bankruptcy for using that technology unknowingly.

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In other environmental news, Canadian Prime Minister Harper is being urged to walk away from yet another trade agreement.

From the article:

The Australian government decided in 2011 it would stop including these rights and investor-state dispute settlement in its trade and investment agreements. Many countries, including South Africa and India, are rethinking their investment treaties because of the way corporations and law firms have abused them to undermine democracy and public policies globally. Several Latin American countries are cancelling their investment treaties for the same reason.

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Again, I ask, “remember when the U.S. used to lead the world….?”  Why are other countries doing the right thing while America lists like a battered ship in the sea?

Toxic Trash Water

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Environmental Working Group has a report up on the toxins coming out of the tap. (hat tip to common dreams).

Even in Silent Spring, Rachel Carson put forth the idea that science could “correct” the mistakes made with the science of chemical pollution…so it’s depressing, but not out of character for science to combat water pollution with…more chemicals.  Chlorine is a poison (so is fluoride, but that’s for another blog).

Again, nature does it best with natural water filtration.  Here is a report on natural swimming pools–water filtration is by the same idea–using plants and stones for the water to naturally detoxify itself.

More here.  Aren’t these beautiful to look at as well as functional?  Here’s more from Australia…crikey, they’re all over the place!

Here’s a site explaining natural water filtration in a teaching mode.  It lays it out on how our zeal to tear down trees and pave the landscape has greatly interfered with the natural way of water filtration.  It touches on the importance of beaver dams–how they were destroyed because they were implicated in floods, but they were actually contributing positively by aiding water filtration–another myopic view by scientists who didn’t understand the “orchestra” of nature.  And who would have thought that flies have a positive impact?  Not I.

And here is a site on filtering water for yourself (I’m not linking to it for obvious reasons):  wilderness-survival-skills.com/how-to-make-a-water-filter.html

Finally, there’s this– an innovative showering system.  Makes me smile–I’d feel like I were showering in a jungle, but what the hey.  I’d think I’d rather go for a swim in the natural pool.  Also, this would make more sense if you’re using a biodegradable soap, such as Dr. Bronner’s. 

Lastly, all of this that benefits us also benefits the animals that inhabit this place with us.

Making free speech illegal

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…is what the Indiana Senate is trying to do with trying to make it illegal for animal rights activists to publish photos of animal abuse.

Story here.

People have a right to know if  farms are abusing animals.  And journalists have every right to publish that information without going through the police.  This is outrageous.

You will note that Rose Acre Farms complained about the bad publicity they received after video of their operations was made public.  Story here of the abuse. Well, of course they don’t like activists who photograph the abuse–it’s not the abuse that bothers them–it’s the bad publicity!  And if they can keep the photos from reaching the public, who refuse to buy their eggs, well then…

Once again, folks, know where your food comes from–I buy Amish chicken that is raised cage free, without hormones or antibiotics. Same with the eggs, which are locally produced.  And humbly thank the chickens for their sacrifice.

Haiti food shortage and disappearing money

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As if these folks don’t have enough to deal with–Haiti is in serious trouble with food shortages due not only to the after-effects of the 2010 earthquake, but from drought and flood…  Good Grief.  (Incidentally, I first read about this on a Guardian blog which is “supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation”–I refuse to link to it because of the so-called “doomsday seed bank” which is a megalomaniacal venture.  Playing God with seeds–and you can bet it won’t be the “little people” who will partake in the seed distribution if “doomsday” occurs…if you want to read the Guardian article, you’ll have to search for it yourselves.)

I know it sounds so “out there” reading the above link—but Monsanto has a proven record of destruction, not production.  And the Rockefellers have put money into eugenics.  Given Bill Gates’ business practices (by requiring a monopoly of his products, he shut out better operating systems, therefore acquiring his millions by false means–not true capitalism where the best product gets the market share.)

I couldn’t believe what I was reading in the article about corn being engineered to contain spermicide.  So…I looked on the web and found this by Alternet.  Wow.

This was an interesting quote:

Scientists and corporations alike embrace biopharmaceuticals with glee: “Imagine being able to harvest enough globulin (a compound that fights arthritis) for the whole world in all of fifty acres?” writes Dr. William O. Robertson for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. “Imagine being able to find the protein healthy people use to prevent arthritis or breast cancer and being able to produce it in large quantities in rice and tobacco.”

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It’s just stunning how myopic these scientists are—especially with the knowledge that GM corn and other products are suspected of causing gut inflammation from GMO intolerance??  Destroying the immune system….to make people…better??  Note that he includes tobacco in products to be used by folks….yeah, now there’s a healthy product. /snark

As Brian Tokar brings up in the article, there are too many unknowns–it’s always an oversight by scientists to consider the effects to all of nature and how much humans’ health is affected by nature.

Here’s another article on pharming….and it’s in Indiana, where you can get away with anything while the press and politicians look the other way:          popsci.com/scitech/article/2005-06/pharming-underground

And another article here…also in Indiana:  intelihealth.com/IH/ihtIH/WSIHW000/8124/21291/338465.html

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Okay, back to Haiti (sorry, got a little off topic there–am detoxing and I’m ADD a little more than usual. 🙂

The Guardian article brings up getting seeds to Haitians (and Africans)—which I thought was a great idea…until I saw the Gates Foundation and Monsanto supporting this….not hard to see that it is a propaganda piece to benefit them.  It can’t be just “coincidence” that they are in a deal with Monsanto and now promoting this idea of seeds to Haiti.  My fear is that these poor vulnerable folks are the guinea pigs for the Gates/Rockefeller/Monsanto venture. Disaster capitalism, my friends.

The misspent donations in Haiti.  Glad to see that people are still trying to help Haiti recover.  Haiti has to be the poster country for disaster relief mismanagement!

From the article:

 

In March 2010, UN countries pledged $5.3 billion over two years and a total of $9.9 billion over three years in a conference March 2010. The money was to be deposited with the World Bank and distributed by an internationally controlled fund called the Interim Haiti Recovery Commission Fund (IHRC). The IHRC was co-chaired by Bill Clinton and Jean-Max Bellerive, then the Haitian Prime Minister. 41 The IHRC was created by executive order of Haitian President Preval to exist for a period of 18 months beginning on April 21, 2010.42

This money effectively bypassed all the Haitian public governmental bodies. 43

By July 2010, Bill Clinton reported only 10 percent of the pledges had been given to the IHRC.

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Feeling that they functioned solely as rubber stamps, the Haitian members complained of being “completely disconnected from the activities of the IHRC”; given no background information on the projects they are supposed to fund; given no time to “read, nor analyze, nor understand- and much less respond intelligently- to projects submitted”; no follow-up on the previously approved millions in funds; and not knowing the names of IHRC consultants nor their respective tasks.” As if to prove their point the IHRC meeting, held in the Dominican Republic, continued despite the absence of co-chair and Haitian Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive.

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(Once again, the Clintons screw things up.  They say Reagan was the “teflon” president because nothing ever stuck to him…well Clinton ranks right up there with him.)

While typing, the chemtrails phenomenon popped into my head– I remember reading a connection between Gates and chemtrails and was wondering about their effects on rainfall.  My thinking is that it can’t just be climate change that is creating the drought.  I found this blog on it, but it was a general synopsis.  Then I found this.  It is an observation of the interference with rain clouds by chemtrails.

A side note~~  A petition against the Gates Foundation’s $27 million investment in Monsanto.  Um-hmm…follow the money, folks.

 

Evil Environmental laws and the UN

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Really, now, the conservative toadies for the oil companies reeeeeally need to come up with some new words besides: “Freedom”

“Liberty” , “way of life”, and this is a good one “our heritage”….to manipulate the public into doing things that are the opposite of what is in their best interests…

…since when is polluting water, land, and air part of our heritage??

If I recall correctly, the Native Americans lived here for over 10,000 years and one could drink from any stream, swim in any river, and eat fish from any body of water and not get poisoned from fertilizers, mercury, plastic, pesticides, nor herbicides….THAT, my friend, IS our heritage!

 

Farmers protests

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I missed this when it was first published.  The family farm is in danger of being run over by not only Monsanto, but the Too Big To Fail corporate farms.  God help us.

The rightwing radio nooz casters mentioned the Indiana farmer with the case before the Supreme Court against Monsanto.  Vernon Bowman was portrayed as a greedy farmer who tried to get away with “stealing” Monsanto technology without paying for it.  I was just stunned.

More farmer protests here.

And British farmers’ action.

Protests in Poland.

And in India–farmers protesting pipelines.

In Canada.

Taiwan.

And here is a piece of history--farmers protesting the 1977 Food Bill–when the blizzard struck.

From the last link:

The protesters stayed, camped out on the Washington Mall. During that time a blizzard hit the city with 20-inches of snow. Farmers used their tractors to help dig out the city. Some tractors transported doctors and nurses to hospitals. AAM women even cooked and cleaned in hospitals when other staff couldn’t make it in.

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This from Occupy Monsanto. Stone Soup Day April 8, 2013.

 

Gluten and dementia

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I’ve touched on this previously, but wanted to put out the links I’ve found about the connection between Celiac and dementia.  This really hits home because of my Mom’s suffering, which I am more and more positive comes from undiagnosed Celiac.

This is an interesting link about how someone might have Celiac, but the symptoms are neurological, not in the gut.

From the site:

British clinician, Dr. Maios Hadjivassiliou, a world renown authority on gluten, reported in The Lancet that gluten sensitivity can be at times exclusively a neurological disease.2 In other words, people suffering from gluten intolerance can have absolutely no digestive symptoms but will have issues with brain dysfunction.

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This is my Mom, in a nutshell.

Here’s another short and sweet site with a connection. Note that it says that the Celiac diet only helped one patient.  I would question that because the sample is too small and it doesn’t state what exactly the person was eating.  I have actually seen sites and cookbooks that claim to gluten free and they had gluten in the recipes.  And I would also want to know if the diet contained GMO food, which is also suspect at causing Celiac.

Another site here. Note that they say they saw a reversal of symptoms…nothing short of miraculous!

They often talk about how our compromised gut allows Candida (yeast) to get waaaay out of control, which also affects brain function.  They talk about it here on celiac.com and a post here on the NY Times site –-these are very good descriptions on what we go through–it’s also a good description of heavy metal poisoning sufferers. Note IrishHeart’s description of holding her husband’s sleeves when they went out–that shyness/autistic-like symptom.  Been there, done that…still have *those* days…

Another neurological affliction linked to Celiac is Ataxia–your balance is off and you look like you’re drunk (walking sideways)  when you walk.  People have been mistakenly diagnosed with multiple schlerosis when their symptoms were from Celiac disease.

Remember the teacher who wanted to carry a gun in school?  Remember the constant movement of her eyes?

From the site:

About 80% have problems with their eyes, in which their eyes move involuntarily back and forth.

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Now look again at that video here. I would say she’s probably a Celiac and has heavy metal poisoning.  (That will be $100 for a diagnosis. :p )

Once again, I am in awe of our miraculous bodies and how the body will constantly try to fix itself….if only given the proper tools of organic (gluten free) diet, clean air, clean water, and exercise….