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Heart of DARKness What I saw at the anti-GMO crusade BY: Bill McMorris December 23, 2014 1:00 pm "Researchers in the United States are developing GMOs to increase crop yield, resist drought, and fight pests in the third world. Protesters had no qualms with hindering that progress. Ian Lancaster, a junior at Michigan-based Oakland University who plans to move to Paris after graduation to study existentialist philosophy, said that starvation in Africa isn’t our problem if we have to resort to GMOs. “Let’s be honest, we’re going to exploit Africa. It’s what we do,” he said. “It shouldn’t be the Bourgeoisie [that works to alleviate starvation]. It should be natural selection.” “Natural hierarchy,” a Detroit EMT with a pierced tongue and corn stalks painted on his face added. “I don’t think there is a scientific solution because science is self-defeating. It doesn’t recognize mistakes brought on by science,” the self-assured existentialist said. Like all silly ideas this o...

The Truth About Organic Farming Here’s the thing: there are a lot of myths out there about organic foods, and a lot of propaganda supporting methods that are rarely understood. It’s like your mother used to say: just because everyone is jumping off a bridge doesn’t mean you should do it, too. Now, before I get yelled at too much, let me state that I’m not trying to say that organic farming is bad – far from it. There are some definite upsides and benefits that come from many organic farming methods. For example, the efforts of organic farmers to move away from monocultures, where crops are farmed in single-species plots, are fantastic; crop rotations and mixed planting are much better for the soil and environment than conventional monocultures. Instead, I only want to point out that not everything is as it seems. So here are some of the myths of organic produce, and the realities behind them. http://nutritionwonderland.com/2009/12/the-truth-about-organic-farming/

GMOs: Does Regulation Ensure Safety? "Let me just share my two cents on this mode of thinking: first off, nothing about our lives is “natural”. We build things out of reinforced steel and other metals that never occur naturally. Houses never form in the wild, nor do clothes. X-ray machines don’t occur spontaneously, nor do heart transplants. So if you’re really dedicated to living naturally, you’ve got to rethink a lot more than GMOs. Secondly, we have been messing with creatures’ genetics and “playing God” for centuries. Over 50 million of us worldwide proudly own the products of this genetic manipulation – you might call them pets. Dogs, for example, have more physical variation within their species than there is in the entire rest of the order of carnivores. In other words, a pug’s skull is more different from a pit bull’s than a mouse’s is from a bear’s. If that’s not some serious genetic manipulation, I don’t know what is. We’ve bred not just different varieties of one spe...

Local Resources for Redwood Highway Willits Willits Chamber Commerce USA National Phenology Network - citizen scientists, government agencies, non-profit groups, educators and students of all ages monitor the impacts of climate change on plants and animals Ukiah Smart Growth Coalition U.S. BIOCHAR INITIATIVE home page - a non-for-profit organization promoting the sustainable production and use of biochar through research, policy, technology and “doing it” The Oil Drum - Discussions about Energy and Our Future The New Economics Institute - Promoting the building of strong local economies that link people, land, and community. The Mendocino Grain Project Sol-Solutions - Solar energy products Rodale Institute -organic farming - For over sixty years, we’ve been researching the best practices of organic agriculture and sharing our findings with farmers and scientists throughout the world, advocating for policies that support farmers, and educating consu...