Obama & his family only eat organic.

Timeline Photos
@[182336115175012:274:Occupy Monsanto] — with Fernando Contreras and 15 others. …read more    

Seeds have become the intellectual property of corporations, or they are patented as inventions. If you wish to use them, you need permission from the patent holder. You can’t harvest seeds for replanting the next year, a tradition practised since the dawn of agriculture.

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A group of scientists and food activists is launching a campaign Thursday to change the rules that govern seeds. They’re releasing 29 new varieties of crops under a new “open source pledge” that’s intended to safeguard the ability of farmers, gardeners and plant breeders to share those seeds freely. More here: http://www.cornucopia.org/2014/04/plant-breeders-release-first-open-source-seeds #seeds #science …read more    

This could be interesting 🙂

Timeline Photos
Any Capetonians interested in doing a seed swap?
Should I organise an event?
Please share with people who you think might be interested – Cape Town only.
@[359873370799856:274:GMO – Did You Know?] @[653051814709909:274:NO GMO South Africa] @[161554073887929:274:African Centre for Biosafety] @[332581810142793:274:Talborne Organics] @[118793238149496:274:Biogrow] @[120085081342618:274:Green Renaissance] …read more    

REGISTER FREE FOR THE 2014 FOOD REVOLUTION SUMMIT. THIS NINE DAY EVENT IS FREE AND YOU WON’T WANT TO MISS IT. Fantastic line-up including Amy Goodman, Jane Goodall, Woody Harrelson and Lots More!

2014 Food Revolution Summit by John & Ocean Robbins April 26-May 4
foodrevolution.org
Get knowledge you need from experts you can trust during the Food Revolution Summit from April 26-May 4. Join for free! …read more    

NO to Patents on Genes. Stop Biopiracy.

EU debates biopiracy law to protect indigenous people
www.theguardian.com
Pharmaceutical companies would need to compensate indigenous people for using their knowhow in creating new medicines …read more    

‘Scuse us for going on about the Bees – but they’re kind of important…

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Over 4,000 vegetables in Europe alone depend on the essential work of bees and other pollinators.

But currently, more and more bees are dying. The bee decline affects mankind too. Our lives depend on theirs.

#SaveTheBees —> http://sos-bees.org/#petition …read more    

Tell them,
Timeline Photos
Please share. …read more    

You know the first ones to abandon a sinking ship are the rats…

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What does Monsanto's CEO know that YOU don't? – Monsanto's CEO, Hugh Grant, sold 95,000 shares of Monsanto stock on the open market in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $110.33, for a total transaction of $10,481,350.00. – Join us at @[239021922957477:274:Divest Monsanto Now]! and learn more here: http://bit.ly/1lD1Q6G #StopMonsanto #DivestMonsanto #GMOs #contamination

Source link: http://tickerreport.com/banking-finance/190775/insider-selling-monsanto-company-ceo-unloads-95000-shares-of-stock-mon/#
www.carighttotknow.org …read more    

Look at this wonderful project for May! (Just make sure you’re not planting GM Trees…)

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Calling all tree-huggers and leaf-lovers!

This May we're heading to the Reforest Fest, just outside of Cape Town, helping to plant over 8,000 trees with the wonderful folks at @[140517169299357:274:GreenPop] — and you're invited!

Head over here for all the details — and we'll hopefully see you there!

>> http://on.fb.me/PzSHNT << …read more    

Aaaaaargh! The ARROGANCE!

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Over 1240 scientist signatories have demanded that a study previously published on the toxic effects of GMO maize and RoundUp that was retracted by the journal Food and Chemical Toxicology (FCT) be reinstated. This is a massive backlash against an industry that has tried to silence well-qualified scientists from publishing the truth about GMOs

Read more: http://naturalsociety.com/hotly-debated-study-gmo-republished-1240-scientists-will-supressed/#ixzz2z6slbC13

Genetically engineered products are not tested by the FDA nor proven safe for human consumption and some studies show quite the opposite. To learn more about GMOs please visit the GMO Inside FAQ and Resources page: http://gmoinside.org/faqs

Source link for Monsanto quote: http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2012/01/the-very-real-danger-of-genetically-modified-foods/251051 #GMOs #GEMaize #stopMonsanto #NonGMO …read more    

We stand by Desmond Tutu on this one. Our present food system is highly mechanized & heavily reliant on fossil-fuels throughout every phase from farming, processing, transport, packaging & waste etc. Eating fresh, local produce eliminates most of our petro-dependance, it builds local economies (not multinational corporate profits) AND – the health of our communities, animals & environment will improve 🙂

Tutu: Climate Crisis Demands ‘Anti-Apartheid-Style Boycott’ of Fossil Fuel Industry
www.commondreams.org
Desmond Tutu: ‘We have allowed the interests of capital to outweigh the interests of human beings and our Earth.’ (Photograph: AFP/Getty Images)Archbishop of South Africa and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Desmond Tutu is saying their is no longer any excuse for not doing everything humanly possible to… …read more    

♥ InYourPalm.org
#InYourPalm

I was asked to shoot something impossible: An orangutan in front of a computer. The production house based in California never told me exactly how they would use the footage, except that it was for a campaign to save the orangutans. I hope it worked out … …read more    

Lets all support and vote UBUNTU for a NO GMO South Africa.

The Food Supply – Louise Clark and Sid Organe Discuss Solutions
The Ubuntu Party has promised South Africa a People’s Bank to free us all from debt slavery. They assure us that free energy is a reality and organic food ga… …read more    

USA invading resource-rich developing countries – set to more than double their presence in Africa, opening offices in Angola, Tanzania, Ethiopia & Mozambique, & expanding offices in Kenya, Ghana, Morocco & Libya.

US commerce secretary spells out economic facet of ‘pivot to Asia’
business.inquirer.net
U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker April 17 laid out the commercial-economic angle of the Obama Administration’s “rebalance”—better known as “pivot”– to the Asia-Pacific region. …read more    

Thank you to Veit for the translation. This is of special relevance to South Africans as Agent Orange Maize & AO Soy (tolerant to hefty doses of 2,4-D) were approved in 2012 & 2013, despite the devastation that 2,4-D caused in KZN some years back.

Photos of NO GMO South Africa
It's just great to see Brazil working seriously on this issue! Hope for a stimulating effect! 🙂 —> hv translated the doc to english (corrections always wellcome! >O<)

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The National Agency of Sanitary Surveillance (ANVISA) in Brazil receives dossier about the impacts of 2,4-D and associated transgenic plants.

The GEA Group Studies in Agrobiodiversity at ANVISA filed a dossier on health impacts caused by pesticides based on 2,4-D and the tolerant to these herbicides. The 2.4-Dichlorofenoxyacetic (2,4-D) is being reevaluated by the National Agency of Sanitary Surveillance, which has until June to present their findings on maintain, restrict or withdraw the product from the market.

The term was recommended by the Federal Public Ministry of Brazil last December, after holding a public hearing to assess the risks of an eventual commercial release of transgenic soybean and maize resistant to the product. These varieties were developed by Dow AgroSciences and are under review by the National Technical Committee on Biosseguranaça – CTNBio, agency which has not yet rejected a single application for commercial release of genetically modified organism.

Besides being ingredient of Agent Orange used in the Vietnam War, the herbicides 2,4-D are neurotoxic and affect the reproductive system. They are also mentioned as potential carcinogens and endocrine disrupters. More serious is yet the likelihood – relatively high in certain contexts – that the product is contaminated with dioxins, highly carcinogenic molecules.

The poison was banned in 1997 in Denmark, Sweden and Norway and more recently in some provinces of South Africa as well as in Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul municipalities Their use in public places is banned in the Canadian state of Quebec, Newfoundland, Labrador and Nova Scotia.

A study cited in the dossier estimates that an eventual release of transgenic crops tolerant to 2,4-D can increase up to 30 times the use of 2,4-D in the U.S., only in the case of maize. Besides the increase in the quantities used – and hence environmental contamination and poisoning the population generally – the commercial release of these seeds would create serious risks, and few understood to the health of the consumer. In fact, the product is not metabolized the same way in transgenic and conventional plants, and new metabolites may undergo chemical changes during digestion, generating toxic dioxins and furans in the human body.

Altogether there are 49 institutions that endorse the document, including the National Cancer Institute, the Brazilian Association of Collective Health, the Brazilian Center for Research on Health and the Federal Council of Nutritionists. It also received support from the 4th Plenary Conference + 2 Food and Nutrition Security National Meeting, held last week by the brazilian National Food and Nutritional Security (CONSEA).

To the biologist Gilles Ferment, study author and researcher at GEA/Nead (Study Group on Agricultural Biodiversity and Center for Education from Distance), "the nearly 100 studies that met to submit to ANVISA allow us to conclude that the release of this package seed pesticides can cause severe and persistent damages over time for rural workers, consumers and the environment in general."

To view the original document in portuguese visit:

http://muralvirtual-educaoambiental.blogspot.com.br/2014/04/anvisa-recebe-dosse-sobre-impactos-do.html

——————–
Anvisa recebe dossê sobre impactos do 2,4-D e das plantas transgênicas associadas.

O GEA Grupo de Estudos em Agrobiodiversidade protocolou na Anvisa um dossiê sobre impactos à saúde causados pelos agrotóxicos à base de 2,4-D e pelas plantas tolerantes a esses herbicidas. O 2,4-Diclorofenoxiacético (2,4-D) está sendo reavaliado pela Agência Nacional de Vigilância Sanitária, que tem até junho para apresentar suas conclusões sobre manter, restringir ou retirar o produto do mercado.

O prazo foi recomendado pelo Ministério Público Federal, que em dezembro passado realizou audiência pública para avaliar os riscos de uma eventual liberação comercial de sementes transgênicas de soja e milho resistentes ao produto. Essas variedades foram desenvolvidas pela empresa Dow Agrosciences e estão sob análise da Comissão Técnica Nacional de Biosseguranaça – CTNBio, órgão que até hoje não rejeitou um único pedido de liberação comercial de organismo geneticamente modificado.

Além de ter sido ingrediente do Agente Laranja usado na Guerra do Vietnã, os herbicidas à base de 2,4-D são neurotóxicos e afetam o sistema reprodutivo. São ainda apontados como potenciais carcinogênicos e desreguladores endócrinos. Mais grave ainda é a probabilidade – relativamente alta em determinados contextos – de o produto estar contaminado com dioxinas, moléculas altamente cancerígenas.

O veneno foi proibido em 1997 na Dinamarca, Suécia e Noruega e mais recentemente em algumas províncias da África do Sul, bem como em municípios catarinenses e do Rio Grande do Sul. Seu uso em ambientes públicos está proibido nos estados canadenses de Quebec, Newfoundland, Labrador e Nova Scotia.

Um estudo citado no dossiê estima que uma eventual liberação de sementes transgênicas tolerantes ao 2,4-D pode aumentar em até 30 vezes o uso do 2,4-D nos EUA, apenas no caso do milho. Além do aumento das quantidades usadas – e consequentemente da contaminação ambiental e da intoxicação da população em geral – a liberação comercial dessas sementes iria gerar riscos sérios e ainda poucos entendidos para a saúde do consumidor. De fato, o produto não é metabolizado da mesma maneira nas plantas transgênicas e nas convencionais, e os novos metabólitos podem sofrer transformações químicas durante a digestão, gerando dioxinas e furanos tóxicos no organismo humano.

Ao todo são 49 instituições que endossam o documento, entre elas o Instituto Nacional do Câncer, a Associação Brasileira de Saúde Coletiva, o Centro Brasileiro de Estudos sobre a Saúde e o Conselho Federal de Nutricionistas. O documento também recebeu apoio da plenária do Encontro Nacional 4

More on the War on Bees by
Millions of bees poisoned by pesticides
netzfrauen.org
Early April, along the river Rhine near Leverkusen, bee keepers noticed millions of bees with symptoms of poisoning. Now some first results by the Julius Kühn institute show a compound from the family of neonicotinoides to be responsible. Research still goes on. These compounds are used as active in… …read more    

This is what happens when all the bees die –

Total Insanity: US Approves Bee Death Pesticide As EU Bans It
www.infiniteunknown.net
Corporate politics is business as usual inside the United States, as I am once again shocked to report the EPA has sided with industry lobbyists over public health in approving a highly dangerous pesticide that the European Union recently decided to ban over fears of environmental devastation. Not o… …read more    

For those of you who missed this victory 🙂

Chef Jamie Oliver Proves McDonald’s Burgers “Unfit for Human Consumption” |Higher Perspective
higherperspective.com
Political Blindspot | Hamburger chef Jamie Oliver has won his long-fought battle against one of the largest fast food chains in the world – McDonalds. After Oliver showed how McDonald’s hamburgers are made, the franchise finally announced that it will change its recipe, and yet there was barely a pe… …read more    

N. Swanepoel shared this correspondence between Dr. Ray Tong & Dr. WA Swanepoel with us:

Complete Genes May Pass from Food to Human Blood
www.plosone.org
PLOS ONE: an inclusive, peer-reviewed, open-access resource from the PUBLIC LIBRARY OF SCIENCE. Reports of well-performed scientific studies from all disciplines freely available to the whole world. …read more    

Did any woman ever consent to having glyphosate in her body or breast milk? And then these chemical criminals, in total denial of mounting scientific evidence, have the cheek to say “Oh, but it’s not harmful”. ?!?

Glyphosate Herbicides Now in Pregnant Women’s Breast Milk
articles.mercola.com
A test reveals that 30 percent of American women have glyphosate in their breast milk, even those who are trying to avoid chemical contaminants. …read more    

EU rejects imported applesfrom USA which are sprayed with carcinogenic chemical Diphenylamine (#DPA)

Europe bans chemical commonly used on apples, hitting Northwest exports
www.oregonlive.com
Last month, the European Union banned all imports of fruit with even a low level of diphenylamine, commonly known as DPA, over fears it could turn into a carcinogen. Conventional apples are commonly treated with DPA, which has been approved for use by the Environmental Protection Agency. …read more    

Monsanto Sales:
Q1 2014 Agro Chemical sales INCREASED by 23% from Q1 2013.
Q1 2014 Seed & Genetic Traits sales DROPPED by 4,5% from Q1 2013.

Goodies …read more    

And the Koch Brothers also support legislation to Block GMO Labelling:
Timeline Photos …read more    

Farmageddon in SA – the true cost of cheap meat, is a wake-up call to change our current food production & eating practices. Farmageddon makes the case against ‘factory farming’.

FARMAGEDDON IN SOUTH AFRICA ” PhilipLymbery.com
www.philiplymbery.com
I arrived into Cape Town and headed to the Spier estate, famous for its wines, to meet with Angus McIntosh, a farmer who passionately believes in rearing his animals on grass. After tea and homemade bakes, we were with his three thousand laying hens and mixed herd of cattle on rotational grazing. …read more    

GMWatch: “In 2008 the Brazilian food safety agency began re-assessing the herbicide glyphosate for safety. It still hasn’t finished. Now the Federal Public Prosecutor (MPF), impatient with the delay, has filed a lawsuit to make the agency speed up its work.”

Brazil’s Public Prosecutor files lawsuit against food safety agency over glyphosate
www.gmwatch.org
GMWatch is an independent non-profit making organisation founded in 1998. We seek to counter the enormous corporate political power and propaganda of the biotech industry. …read more