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To: JGoren who wrote (2331)	7/25/1999 12:10:00 AM
From: Dan Spillane	Respond to of 2539

That brings up yet another good point. Those farmers who will not plant the engineered papaya seed are hurting everyone else by growing fields which are serving as a reservoir for the disease.

To: JGoren who wrote (2331)	7/25/1999 4:59:00 PM
From: Dan Spillane	Respond to of 2539

The concept of "pure food" isn't a new one, it was used to work on minds in the past. ... We learn that Nazism was a more subtle phenomenon than we commonly imagine, more seductive, more plausible. ... Adolf Hitler and Heinrich Himmler were largely vegetarian (and also non-smoking teetotalers). One of Hitler's worries was that "the increasing consumption of whale oil was diminishing the population of whales," Proctor notes. Himmler once wrote about contemporary food: "The artificial is everywhere; everywhere food is adulterated, filled with ingredients that supposedly make it last longer, or look better, or pass as 'enriched,' or whatever else the industry's admen want us to believe." search.washingtonpost.com

To: JGoren who wrote (2331)	7/26/1999 12:37:00 PM
From: Dan Spillane	Respond to of 2539

BBC/UK Greenpeace destroys another field in UK Monday, July 26, 1999 Published at 12:25 GMT 13:25 UK GM crop destroyed in green protest The environmental group Greenpeace has admitted destroying half a GM crop test site in Norfolk as part of a protest action. news.bbc.co.uk [Note, this test was to specifically show an environmental benefit. Naturally, Greenpeace targets any experiment that might show the truth. Fascism, indeed...as I have been saying.]

To: JGoren who wrote (2331)	7/26/1999 1:03:00 PM
From: Dan Spillane	Respond to of 2539

2000 varieties of radiation-bred plants worldwide? China uses high-tech means to boost food production By Pro Farmer Editors 7/26/99 5:15:46 AM CST According to a news report from Beijing, nuclear technology is playing an increasing role in spurring growth in agricultural production in China. Experts at the China Atomic Energy Authority (CAEA) say they are using high-tech means in producing their food output to meet the growing needs of their population. The report states that application of isotopes and radiation in agriculture can help develop new varieties, promote crop and livestock production, enhance the quality, safety and security of food, and minimize pollution. So far, 513 new varieties of more than 40 plants have been bred by irradiation or in combination with other techniques in China, accounting of one-fourth of the world's total.

To: JGoren who wrote (2331)	7/26/1999 11:23:00 PM
From: Dan Spillane	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 2539

Plea from 84 scientists / The John Innes Centre Monday, 26 July 1999 By Prof Mike Gale Give GM Technology A Chance Sir - Despite the spectacular increases in crop productivity by modern agricultural practice and the breeding of improved varieties, more than 40 per cent of the world's crops are still lost each year to diseases, pests and competition with weeds - a figure comparable to medieval farming. Spraying crops with fungicides and pesticides is effective for many pests and diseases, though for others - notably those caused by viruses - no effective means of direct control exists. Together, crop losses and agrochemical prices amount to hundreds of billion of pounds each year. These, and the increasing awareness of the environmental impact of agriculture, emphasise the need for more sustainable production systems. Understanding how plant diseases are caused, and why some plants are resistant to some diseases, is the proper starting point for developing new methods that use minimal force in controlling disease. We are a typical cross-section of the international scientific community addressing these questions, who have been attending a major symposium. We have been discussing new evidence of the mechanisms that plants and their disease-causing antagonists have evolved in their never-ending battle with each other. It is now possible to devise very precise ways to harness Nature's own genetic means in the design of resistant crops through genetic modification. Instead of the current campaign of vilification of genetic modification as a technology, there should be a commitment to looking objectively at what it offers. Science working with Nature may be the only way to rectify the environmental record of agriculture to date, and ensure the survival and improved wellbeing of the world's population next century. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Prof Mike Gale and 83 others Attack and Defence in Plant Disease Norwich

To: JGoren who wrote (2331)	7/27/1999 1:08:00 AM
From: Dan Spillane	Respond to of 2539

"GM Terrorism" arrives... [My letter to the New Scientist, April 03, 1999] THE MOST amazing thing about the British is they are well protected against "old-fashioned" terrorism with guns and bombs, due to the situation in Northern Ireland. They even have special laws to protect the country. At the same time, they have proven extraordinarily vulnerable to attacks of "misinformational terrorism", as recently evidenced by the success of environmentalists in creating the genetically modified (GM) food scare. (full text) newscientist.com [From today's front-page article in The Independent, UK] "Des D'Souza, of AgrEvo, said he did not believe the protest was peaceful. "If trespassing, criminal damage is peaceful and causing anguish to Mr Brigham and his family - his brother had to be taken to hospital, he collapsed in a field today as a result of the stress of all this - if that is peaceful, please someone needs to rewrite the dictionary books for me." (full text) independent.co.uk