Millions March Against GM Crops
theguardian
Organisers celebrate huge global turnout and say they will continue until Monsanto and other GM manufacturers listen…Details here.
Conservative MP Absent From a Child Poverty Forum in Southwestern Manitoba.
Are hungry kids a priority for the Harper government? by Larry Powell The forum (for the riding of Dauphin - Swan River - Neepawa) was sponsored by the Mission and Services Committee of the Neepawa United Church. It drew about 80 people to the church on Wednesday. But only four of the five candidates (see below) took part in the debate - Ray Piché (Liberal), Kate Storey (Green Party), Inky Mark (Ind.) and Laverne Lewycky (NDP) . The 5th candidate, the sitting Conservative MP for the area, Robert Sopuck (represented by the empty chair on the right), did not attend. His office manager in Neepawa, Christine Waddell, said he was in Inglis, a small community in the western part of the riding for the evening. She did not elaborate. But she did explain that a campaign worker was mistaken when he told forum organizers earlier that Mr. Sopuck would, in fact be there. Piché , the Liberal candidate, said the MP's absence showed “disrespect” for the rest of the candidates
Comments
In this context, GM stands for "Genetically-Modified." That's when multinational corporations including Monsanto manipulate their seed by inserting a gene from another species (in this case, a plant bacteria). This makes the resulting crop resistant to herbicides like Monsanto's flagship product "Roundup," which kills the weeds but spares the crop itself. There are several problems with this, however. Notwithstanding Monsanto's long-standing assurances that Roundup is safe, a mounting body of scientific research has and is showing otherwise. It is actually a major factor in an important disease of cereal crops - such as fusarium - when those crops are planted in subsequent years to ones where Roundup was applied. Research shows Roundup may be a factor in the decline of amphibians, worldwide. Earlier Canadian research indicates Roundup (or its active ingredient) lead to miscarriages in farm women who've been exposed to it. A study done less than a year ago in the UK confirms what regulators had known much earlier - that it causes birth defects in lab animals. If you wanted to pursue this further, you could read my in-depth article on the topic, called "Field of Nightmares - Ottawa continues to embrace the widespread use of Roundup on Canadian farms by letting corporate seduction trump scientific evidence." http://www.pathslesstravelled.com/2012/09/field-of-nightmares.html It was published in the Canadian peer-reviewed journal, Alternatives last year. Happy reading, Lindy! Take care!