MEDIA ROOTS — When Naomi Klein’s seminal book The Shock Doctrine hit the scene, the U.S. political Left was forced to look beyond simply complaining about conservatives or Washington corruption and was stimulated to pay closer attention to the actions of Wall Street and the world of economics. With the introduction of concepts, such as economic hitmen and disaster capitalism, … Read More
BBC– The bio-tech company Monsanto can sell genetically modified seeds before safety tests on them are completed, the US Supreme Court has ruled. A lower court had barred the sale of the modified alfalfa seeds until an environmental impact study could be carried out. But seven of the nine Supreme Court Justices decided that ruling was unconstitutional. The seed is … Read More
SF GATE– Farmers planting strawberries and other crops in California will soon have to contend with cancer-causing poison instead of bugs, worms and fungus if regulators get their wish. The California Department of Pesticide Regulation has proposed registering methyl iodide as a pesticide in California to the dismay of scientists and environmental groups, who say it is so toxic that … Read More
GRIST– Like a tractor driven by a drunk, the Obama administration keeps zigzagging on food/ag policy–sometimes veering in the direction of progressive change, other times whipping back toward the agrichemical status quo. In the last couple of days, there’s been a sharp turn toward the status quo. As I reported yesterday, Obama plucked Islam “Isi” Siddiqui from the nation’s most … Read More
