Guest guest Posted September 8, 2004 Report Share Posted September 8, 2004 Ag._columnist_whose_brain_exploded,_and_other_bad_things > " GM_WATCH " <info > Tue, 7 Sep 2004 22:55:39 +0100 > > GM WATCh daily > http://www.gmwatch.org > --- > Some recent excerpts from the enjoyable Bad Things > blog: http://badthings.blogspot.com/ > > EXCERPT FROM THE EXCERPTS: 'Harry Cline, an ag. > columnist whose brain exploded when confronted with > the idea that biotech wasn't necessarily the best > thing ever, gets excited -- six-pack of Viagra > excited -- when the OCA calls him a " biotech bully. " > His only response is to call them socialists. And > " out-of-staters. " Agribusiness: it's the new > red-baiting! [Western Farm Press]' > --- > Monday, August 02, 2004 > > The external review of the > Berkeley-Syngenta/Novartis agreement concludes that > it was a bad idea... Also, acccording to the Daily > Cal, Ignacio Chapela's tenure review was " highly > irregular. " No kidding. > http://www.dailycal.org/article.php?id=15730 > > Tuesday, August 03, 2004 > > NEWSFLASH: gene expression is complicated > Carlborg and Haley, " Epistasis: Too often Neglected > in Complex Trait Studies? " Nature Reviews Genetics 5 > (2004), 618-625. Abstract: > > ...Epistasis is a fancy way of saying that multiple > genes affect individual traits. I would argue that > it is in part an intuitive grasp of this fact that > makes people uncomfortable with the currently rather > crude techniques of genetic engineering. There's > more going on in the genome than 1 gene = 1 trait, > and throwing foreign DNA at it and hoping something > sticks (the fancy word for that is " microprojectile > bombardment " ) seems like a good way to fuck up > something more complicated than you understand. I'm > just saying. > http://www.nature.com/cgi-taf/Dynapage.taf?file=/nrg/journal/v5/n8/abs/nrg1407_f\ s.html > > the farming news > > Alan Guebert takes John Cassidy's New Yorker article > on free trade and applies the factor-price > equalization theorem to the WTO ag. subsidy > negotiations: > > This is important, because--all things being > equal--in a world of conflicting trade, " trade > between them (in this case, Brazil and the US) will > reduce wages in the high-paying country and increase > wages in the low-paying country until, eventually, > workers in both places end up making the same > amount. " > > By the way, the going rate for a skilled Brazilian > farm laborer is $6 a day. In China, it�s $1.75 a > day. In India, it�s $1 a day. > [by the way, the average U.S. farmworker wage is > currently $8.58/hr., so I guess we don't have much > to fear from Brazil.] > > Then he talks to a friend with Roundup-Ready corn > volunteers in his soybean field. The only problem is > he never planted Roundup-Ready corn. Guebert > consistently produces the most interesting thing you > can can read about farming in America. > > On the other hand, there's poor Harry Cline, a > columnist for Western Farm Press, who freaks out > when confronted with a (slightly wacky, stupidly ad > hom.) e-mailer who doubts the march of corporate > biotech progress. Watch the carnage as worlds > collide! > > Wednesday, August 11, 2004 > > towel thrown > > Sorry everyone, I kind of shot my wad on the wheat > genome this morning: still, I would like to point > out: the death of Roxanne's and impending doom in > Bordeaux. > > I also wanted to point out this news item [Honolulu > Advertiser]: > > After weighing the arguments, U.S. District Judge > David Ezra ordered the U.S. Department of > Agriculture to identify where four companies have > received permits for open-field testing of > pharmaceutical crops in Hawai'i and to reveal the > locations to the environmental watchdog group > Earthjustice and the Center for Food Safety, a > nonprofit that challenges food production > technologies. > http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2004/Aug/05/ln/ln07a.html > > Plus, more Chapela tenure-battle details from > Nature: > > As the senate continues its inquiry, Chapela is > hoping for a second tenure review. He has also filed > two claims that may precede a lawsuit. In April, he > accused the university of discrimination, saying > that he was denied tenure because he is Hispanic. > Early last month, he claimed he was victimized by > the university for speaking out against the Syngenta > deal. > http://www.nature.com/cgi-taf/DynaPage.taf?file=/nature/journal/v430/n7000/full/\ 430598a_fs.html > > Monday, August 30, 2004 > > in the news > > Birth of the Chez Panisse curriculum [Chron]; more > competition for Monsanto [st. L. P.-D.]; > http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/business/stories.nsf/Business/story/84AE92C6C7D\ 4562586256EFD0038D79E?OpenDocument & Headline=Monsanto's+rivals+want+a+bigger+piec\ e+of+biotech+crop+pie & highlight=2%2CRACHEL%2CMELCER > > Harry Cline, an ag. columnist whose brain exploded > when confronted with the idea that biotech wasn't > necessarily the best thing ever, gets excited -- > six-pack of Viagra excited -- when the OCA calls him > a " biotech bully. " His only response is to call them > socialists. And " out-of-staters. " Agribusiness: it's > the new red-baiting! [Western Farm Press] > http://westernfarmpress.com/news/8-27-04-column-new-bully/ > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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