Sunday, May 20, 2012

Good Links on Economics and the Environment



Ellen Brown Student Loans Fail Usury Test
http://atimes.com/atimes/Global_Economy/NE16Dj03.html

Ellen Brown The Revolution Will Not Be Televised: Quiet Drama in Philadelphia
http://www.opednews.com/articles/The-Revolution-Will-Not-Be-by-Ellen-Brown-120519-744.html

[Excerpted] "Last week, the city of Philadelphia's school system announced that it expects to close 40 public schools next year, and 64 schools by 2017. The school district expects to lose 40% of its current enrollment, and thousands of experienced, qualified teachers. 

But corporate media in other cities made no mention of these massive school closings -- nor of those in Chicago, Atlanta, or New York City. Even in the Philadelphia media, the voices of the parents, students and teachers who will suffer were omitted from most accounts..." 


[end excerpt read the article at the link above]

Bee Kills in the Corn Belt: What's GE Got to Do With It?By Heather Pilatic, Reader Supported News 18 May 12
http://readersupportednews.org/opinion2/271-38/11497-bee-kills-in-the-corn-belt-whats-ge-got-to-do-with-it

[Excerpted] "In the last few weeks beekeepers have reported staggering losses in Minnesota, Nebraska and Ohio after their hives foraged on pesticide-treated corn fields. Indiana too, two years ago. What's going on in the Corn Belt?

No farmer in their right mind wants to poison pollinators. When I spoke with one Iowa corn farmer in January and told him about the upcoming release of a Purdue study confirming corn as a major pesticide exposure route for bees, his face dropped with worn exasperation. He looked down for a moment, sighed and said, "You know, I held out for years on buying them GE seeds, but now I can't get conventional seeds anymore. They just don't carry 'em."

This leaves us with two questions: 1) What do GE seeds have to do with neonicotinoids and bees? and 2) How can an Iowa corn farmer find himself feeling unable to farm without poisoning pollinators? In other words, where did U.S. corn cultivation go wrong?

[end excerpt read the article at the link above]

The Organic Watergate By Cornucopia Institute | Press Release
http://readersupportednews.org/news-section2/312-16/11510-the-organic-watergate
19 May 12

[excerpted] The nation's leading organic farming watchdog, The Cornucopia Institute, is challenging what it calls a "conspiracy" between corporate agribusiness interests and the USDA that has increasingly facilitated the use of questionable synthetic additives and even dangerous chemicals in organic foods. In its new white paper, The Organic Watergate, Cornucopia details violations of federal law, ignoring congressional intent, that has created a climate of regulatory abuse and corporate exploitation.
 
When Congress passed the Organic Foods Production Act of 1990 it set up an independent advisory panel, the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) that, uniquely, has statutory power. Any synthetic input or ingredient used in organic farming or food production must be reviewed by the NOSB to assure that it is not a threat to human health or the environment.
 
The Cornucopia report charges the USDA with "stacking" the NOSB with agribusiness executives that all too often have "sold out" the interests of organic farmers and consumers....

[end excerpt]

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