Tag: ethics

First they banned irradiation of foods, then GMOs, now they are starting on nanotechnology — all life-saving technologies.

Nanotechnology Now – Press Release: “Nanostructured water treatment products to be worth $2.2 billion in 2015” Warnings from nutritional hell, with apologies to El Bosco We live in a world where whole organisations make comfortable incomes by demonising technology. These self-styled “technology critics” early successes included active blocking of the use of irradiation to make…

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Sproutbreak — big media cover up — 50 deaths, nearly 900 maimed with HUS and 4000 sick: sprouts guilty

“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”(George Santayana). (Here’s *a reminder* for those who have forgotten or do not know.) Main lessons to be taken from this short history: The type of food label needed here ?- from Bill Marler Bean and various other seed sprouts are the suspects. Humans can carry and…

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Natural GMOs Part 88. The state of knowledge of antibiotic resistance and pathogenic E. coli in 1975.

In 1975 right at the start of the genetic engineering era, all of the genetic behaviour of gut germs that explains the evolution of the HUS German outbreak strain of E. coli was well established [by about 1957, years before genetic engineering in laboratories was ever used]. Evolution of new virulence capabilities in bacteria were clearly…

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Oxfam should get serious about malnutrition: Africa needs roads and nitrates

A recent UK Times opinion piece by rational optimist Matt Ridley has really hit the nail of the head about food security, linking together many issues that are repeatedly tackled at this website. The value of fertiliser. The needs of Africa. The tragedy of NGOs that harm people they want to help. Problems and delays caused by…

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The Panic Virus: By doing nothing we are doing something

The Panic Virus: A True Story of Medicine, Science, and Fear by Seth Mnookin “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” Wise words from George Santayana, US philosopher and poet (in Life of Reason, ‘Reason in Common Sense,’ ch. 12). William L. Shirer made these words the epigraph for his Rise and…

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Mandy and Fanny cartoon book for teaching kids about sustainable farming– from ISAAA

Welcome to ISAAA – India Biotech Information Center Mandy and Fanny: The Future of Sustainable Agriculture A novel educational cartoon publication featuring two characters, “Mandy” and “Fanny”, which illustrates the attributes of biotech/genetically modified (GM) crops –biotech maize (corn) and biotech cotton and are viewed as the “Tom and Jerry” of modern agriculture. The cartoon…

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Gosh! Whoever would have believed that anti-technology lobbyists would be biased and misleading with claims they make in public? No-wonder George Monbiot was fooled for years.

Fill in the XXXs below as you see fit. How the anti-XXX lobby misled us all with dodgy claimsGeorge Monbiot, The Age, MelbourneApril 6, 2011 When the facts don’t suit, the movement resorts to the folly of cover-up allegations.OVER the past fortnight I’ve made a deeply troubling discovery. The anti-XXX movement to which I once…

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Ignore poverty and hunger crises today, and dream of a new tomorrow with more biodiversity — that’s the ticket!

Biodiversity doesn’t feed people, but GM crops doMarch 30, 2011, ACSH Despatch During a United Nations meeting in Bali to discuss a treaty on plant genetics, La Via Campesina, which according to an article in The Atlantic, is said to be an international farmers’ movement comprised of 150 organizations in 70 countries, decided not to…

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Denialism at its best: “Greenpeace was never opposed to the use of DDT for malaria control.”

Patrick Moore – Rex Weyler Exchange about Confessions of a Greenpeace Dropout: The Making of a Sensible Environmentalist Rex Weyler announces to Patrick Moore that he is about to come out publicly with a critique of Patrick’s new book, Confessions of a Greenpeace Dropout: The Making of a Sensible Environmentalist. Here is Patrick’s response: RW:…

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Shock, horror–some organic farmers have been using synthetic fertiliser

One problem with idealistic proposals to expand world acreage devoted to organic farming is there is not enough manure in the world to satisfy the fertiliser needs of organic farmers if they were to attempt to feed more than a few percent of the total number of people. We don’t have enough nitrogen to feed…

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