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Sobering film... (The future of food)
JackN
<font color=#99FF99>Lightwave Alien</font>
in Zocalo v2.0
All I can say is just... WOW! :(
You can view it here:
[url]http://www.celsias.com/blog/2007/04/14/the-future-of-food/[/url]
More info on it here and order the DVD if you want.
[url]http://www.thefutureoffood.com/[/url]
You can view it here:
[url]http://www.celsias.com/blog/2007/04/14/the-future-of-food/[/url]
More info on it here and order the DVD if you want.
[url]http://www.thefutureoffood.com/[/url]
Comments
Jack - Make sure you are viewing this somewhat as propaganda.
Unfortunately I don't have the time at the moment to watch the whole video, the in the beginning, there is an implication that mono-cropping is a real problem. Then why is it my food selection is as diverse is at any point in history? I'd really like to here someones proposal on how they'd feed the 6 [b]b[/b]illion people in the world without mono cropping techniques?
The romantic notion of small family farms is one that has never existed! The reality is that small-holder farming on a broad scale, has been historically linked with low incomes and high birthrates, both of which will be far more damaging to the human population (both in terms of food production and environmental impact) then large, mechanized agriculture. Read [i]The End of Poverty[/i] by Jeffery Sachs, his arguments imply that you want farms to become so productive that you do not need all the population relying on agriculture as a source of income. Diversity of income generation, and a movement away from subsistence ag leads to lower birth rates and higher levels of food production.
This backlash against GMO is far, far too late. The use of GMO crops is so pervasive now, were this modified organisms to truly dangerous to humans, the environment, etc it would have made itself known. I have yet to hear a compelling argument against GMO usage, other than the two tired ones: "It's unnatural" and "We don't know what it will do to ___________", neither of which hold water under any logical scrutiny.
Jake
Jake
Jake[/QUOTE]
Make sure you watch the whole movie, especially the last 15 minutes or so. Just the thought of the "terminator" gene is quite unsettling.
Of course this is dramatized, just like the global warming issue, but it's food for thought.
I do think it's important to label food so that people can decide and vote with their money, because that's all the big corps understand. I sure would like to know if the food I'm eating is making me sick.
I'm not against the artificial or modified ingredients, because there is also a degree of food safety that comes with those, but it's just that as usual some corporate suits without any foresight beyond their wallets make decisions that may impact our future. Don't get me wrong, the farmers also know the value of money, so this is not a "us vs. them" issue, but what is right and wrong. The way I see it, we don't really have a choice, nature alone may not be able to sustain us and we have to take matters into our own hands. A lot of fish for instance that lands on our tables comes from fish farms and not from the ocean.
The movie tries to make a point that by going down to the genetic level we are playing with fire and the government isn't taking responsibility and the big corporations don't care if what they do is safe, they only care about profit.
I think we crossed 6 billion souls some time ago. :D
The invasive gene splicing, and worse the segments that they are using from bacteria (and yes they did say E-Coli was one of them) is just plain scary...
I'm thinking of the Killer Bees scenario several levels worse with our food crops.
There isn't just one function for each gene, so what else have they spliced in there along with the desired immunity to Round-Up?
Forget the worry of the world being overun by nanite goo, we are using our own code to poison ourselves with our food supply. There's an old saying about not sh**ing where you eat. Seems to apply here IMHO.
You know, It's one thing to do this this crap in a controlled environment in a lab somewhere, but the real world out here on planet Earth next to my house isn't a damn lab...
That above even the strong arm tactics for Patent Infringment really just pisses me off.
[QUOTE=JackN;159631]That above even the strong arm tactics for Patent Infringment really just pisses me off.[/QUOTE]
That's the thing that [i]really[/i] bugs me about Monsanto and similar companies. Suing someone for patent infringement because their farm was next to one using your products and the poor guy's crops got cross-pollinated (something completely outside his control) is pretty damn low.
:s
There is already evidence that the magnetic lines of force have been changing drastically in the last 50-100 years.
On a comical slant maybe they are evolving and they want nothing to do with the Queen bee anymore. Now they and King Bee are planning a revolt.. :p
The invasive gene splicing, and worse the segments that they are using from bacteria (and yes they did say E-Coli was one of them) is just plain scary...
I'm thinking of the Killer Bees scenario several levels worse with our food crops.
There isn't just one function for each gene, so what else have they spliced in there along with the desired immunity to Round-Up?
Forget the worry of the world being overun by nanite goo, we are using our own code to poison ourselves with our food supply. There's an old saying about not sh**ing where you eat. Seems to apply here IMHO.
You know, It's one thing to do this this crap in a controlled environment in a lab somewhere, but the real world out here on planet Earth next to my house isn't a damn lab...
That above even the strong arm tactics for Patent Infringement really just pisses me off.[/QUOTE]
Everyone should have to take a class in GMO work, once you realize how simple the process is, you'll wonder why it wasn't done decades ago.
GMO has the potential to be of great benefit to humanity, and may, as the world population continues to grow exponentially, become absolutely necessary for our survival. This is especially true as GMOs are applied to the third world, with items such as drought tolerant wheat and nutritionally enhances cassava species.
Finally, this tendency to portray Monsanto as this monolithic evil corporation only concerned with profits is so far off the mark. I know quite a few people who work for the company, including a now-retired executive, and they just like you and me, interested in doing good business, even interested in being good citizens. Are there possibly individuals that have less than good intent, yes, but by and large Monsanto's people are no different than you and me.
If you've read the Rama novels, there is a species in that series that used biological based technology for almost all their regular activities, from power generation to water filtration. I see that path being, in the long run, far more sustainable than relying solely on "hard" tech.
Jake
University of San Francisco has a theory
[url]http://www.latimes.com/news/la-sci-bees26apr26,0,7437491.story?track=mostviewed-storylevel[/url]
[QUOTE=JackN;159632]And we wonder why the bees are dying off...[/QUOTE]
IMHO not helped by GM plants
[QUOTE=Biggles;159634]That's the thing that [i]really[/i] bugs me about Monsanto and similar companies. Suing someone for patent infringement because their farm was next to one using your products and the poor guy's crops got cross-pollinated (something completely outside his control) is pretty damn low.[/QUOTE]
Amen, Brother (sorry watched Lost last night:D )
It was done decades ago. It was also done centuries ago. We have been cross-breeding species of plants for centuries to try and obtain beneficial characteristics in species we want or need, which is essentially what genetic modification is. The sweet pea is probably the most well-known example, but almost certainly not the oldest.
The problem with use of genetically modified foods is the potential for unintended transference of non-desirable traits along with the desirable ones. The most famous case of this is probably the transference of brazil nut allergy into GM soy beans. This shows that care must be taken when applying GM.
[QUOTE=In Between;159677]University of San Francisco has a theory[/QUOTE]
You bet me to it. I just read about that. :)
That's the thing that [i]really[/i] bugs me about Monsanto and similar companies. Suing someone for patent infringement because their farm was next to one using your products and the poor guy's crops got cross-pollinated (something completely outside his control) is pretty damn low.[/QUOTE]
I saw this film when I was an undergraduate and I have to say, I completely agree. Regardless of the other issues, to sue someone over this and win is ridiculous.
You can always allow part of your home to become used as a hive... :p
We have an octogon nook, and the roof and outside eves are an active Honey Bee hive.
Yesterday as it warmed up, the hive was appearantly aggitated by a colony of black ants, so the Bees decided to do som recon and ended up finding some access points into the house.
Luckily for me I wasn't considered the immediate threat, took some some fireplace matches and lit them and put them out for the smoke to chase them back into the hive and used some instant foam and plugged up the holes they had found.
All the bees that had made it into the house went to the windows for the light, so I let them out by removing the screens temporarily, and then just closed the windows until the ruccus died down.
These days with the hives collapsing by the dozens, I am inclined to tolerate the hive for the sake of plants and crops on my 16 acres...
:)
Anyway, Im pretty much with Biggles and Space Ghost on this one. Its been done throughout the ages, and yes, wierd results have popped up (referring to some types of dogs here), but it is in our nature (you could say its a cultural thing as opposed to a natural thing), to tamper with our surroundings, and the world wouldnt be what it is today if we hadnt.