Friday November 21, 2008, 6:54 am

Besides what we already know about the harmful effects to people, animals and the environment of GMOs, factory farms, and all unsustainable farming methods, we have just heard in France -on the evening news, no less!- that the use of chemical pesticides, as required in intensive and GMO farming, is responsible for alarmingly reduced sperm counts, and higher rates of birth defects and childhood cancers, as well as serious hormone disruption, causing the rise in conditions such as undescended testicles, linked to later risk of testicular cancer.

National TV news in France is never controversial and they always avoid giving news that could alarm people-- so it was amazing to hear the anchorman explaining 'yes, it's true we haven't reported on this before' and 'yes, the number of babies born with defects is noteworthy, but we never said so before' and 'it's because of pesticides in many cases; this is the case of a baby whose parents are farmers and his mom was in contact with pesticides during her pregnancy. And the baby's penis is abnormally tiny...'

They did not include that pesticides are also potent neurotoxins, long term exposure can result in reduced IQ and learning disability, associated with permanent brain damage. Since they end up in the water supply, everyone reaps the negative effects.

All of these health problems have been proven in research studies carried out in the U.S., U.K. and Norway, during the 80s and 90s, and the results are widely availabe on the Net (for ex., http://www.kidsforsavingearth.org/mnchec/articles/pesticides.htm ) And I would imagine that Americans have been informed of these public health issues for several years now.

All the more reason to try to convince Mr President-Elect on the importance of these food and agriculture issues that are discussed in the letter, which, by the way, was originally published in the New York Times.

Only public demand and strong public pressure will ever bring any action on this.

Friday November 21, 2008, 7:01 am
Well, if boys' penises can be proven to be getting smaller due to pesticide use, I think we can depend on some bans in the future...

Friday November 21, 2008, 7:18 am

That's what I hope !
Can you imagine all the households in France crying out over this?

Has this been announced on CNN or CBS ?

Sunday November 23, 2008, 12:07 am
GREAT BRITAIN: HIGH COURT WIN IN PESTICIDE FIGHT -

GEORGINA DOWNS had launched her independent UK Pesticides Campaign in 2001 - SEVEN YEARS TO BE VINDICATED & FAULT GOVT ASSESSMENT METHODS OF PESTICIDES RISK

David Adam, environment correspondent guardian.co.uk, Friday November 14 2008 15.13 GMT:

High court rules that Georgina Downs has produced "solid evidence" that people exposed to chemicals used to spray crops have suffered harm.



An environmental campaigner today won a landmark victory against the government in a long-running legal battle over the use of pesticides.

The high court ruled that Georgina Downs, who runs the UK Pesticides Campaign, had produced "solid evidence" that people exposed to chemicals used to spray crops had suffered harm.

The court said the government had failed to comply with a European directive designed to protect rural communities from exposure to the toxins. It said the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) must reassess its policy, and investigate the risks to people exposed. Defra had argued that its approach to the regulation and control of pesticides was "reasonable, logical and lawful".

Downs, who lives on the edge of farm fields near Chichester, West Sussex, launched her independent UK Pesticides Campaign in 2001. The judge described how she was only 11 years old when first exposed to pesticide spraying "and began to suffer from ill health, in particular flu-like symptoms, sore throat, blistering and other problems".

Downs said the government had failed to address the concerns of countryside residents "who are repeatedly exposed to mixtures of pesticides and other chemicals throughout every year, and in many cases, like mine, for decades".

People were not given prior notification about what was to be sprayed near their homes and gardens, she complained.

In his ruling, Justice Collins pointed out that the 1986 Control of Pesticides Regulations stated that beekeepers must be given 48 hours notice if pesticides harmful to bees were to be used.

The judge said: "It is difficult to see why residents should be in a worse position."

Speaking after the ruling, Downs said her seven-year battle concerned "one of the biggest public health scandals of our time". She called on Gordon Brown to block any Defra appeal.

"The government "should now just admit that it got it wrong, apologise and actually get on with protecting the health and citizens of this country."

The case centred on how the government assessed the risk posed by pesticides. The current method is based on occasional, short-term exposure to a "bystander"; it assumed individuals would be exposed to an individual pesticide during a single pass.

Downs said: "The judge has agreed with my long-standing charge that this bystander model does not and cannot address residents who are repeatedly exposed."

She said: "The fact that there has never been any assessment of the risk to health for the long-term exposure for those who live, work or go to school near pesticide-sprayed fields is an absolute scandal, considering that crop spraying has been a predominant feature of agriculture for over 50 years."

A Defra spokesman said: "The protection of human health is paramount. Pesticides used in this country are rigorously assessed to the same standards as the rest of the EU and use is only ever authorised after internationally approved tests. These explicitly include impacts on people who live next to fields, consumers who eat treated crops and farmers who do the spraying.

"We will look at this judgment in detail to see whether there are ways in which we can strengthen our system further and also to consider whether it could put us out of step with the rest of Europe and have implications for other member states."

Sunday November 23, 2008, 6:07 pm
Pamylle! What a comment- LOL.

Monday November 24, 2008, 4:52 am

Monday November 24, 2008, 4:59 am

Monday November 24, 2008, 5:08 am

Tell Prez-Elect Obama "No to Vilsack as Secretary of Agriculture" - "No to GE/GMO Foods"

Vilsack, a cheerleader for genetically engineered crops, chemical and energy-intensive industrial agriculture--is no friend of organic food and farming.

Tom Vilsack's appointment would represent a major disappointment to organic consumers, as well as others who are intelligently concerned about their health, public health issues, the environment...and the shrinking size of global penises.

This is an Organic Consumers Association petition.

Monday December 1, 2008, 8:04 am
Part of the problem besides the corporations getting rich is the FDA. It is run by Psychiatrsts who rotate. Psychiatry is backed by the pharmaceutical industry who makes a living off the sick!
Watch this video it is very cute www.thestoryofstuff.com

Monday December 1, 2008, 8:26 am
The solution would be to make sure we had good people in the FDA and who did not have stocks and shares in the pharmaceutical companies.