Memo to Monsanto

The March Against Monsanto is happening on a Worldwide level, May 25, 11 am PST (3 PM EST). 

Currently, marches are being planned on six continents, in 36 countries, totaling events in over 250 cities, and in the US, events are slated to occur simultaneously at 11 a.m. Pacific in 47 states.


Find lists of where Marches are planned at this link.

From the official site:

On May 25, activists around the world will unite to March Against Monsanto.

Why do we march?

• Research studies have shown that Monsanto’s genetically-modified foods can lead to serious health conditions such as the development of cancer tumors, infertility and birth defects.

• In the United States, the FDA, the agency tasked with ensuring food safety for the population, is steered by ex-Monsanto executives, and we feel that’s a questionable conflict of interests and explains the lack of government-led research on the long-term effects of GM products.

• Recently, the U.S. Congress and president collectively passed the nicknamed “Monsanto Protection Act” that, among other things, bans courts from halting the sale of Monsanto’s genetically-modified seeds.

• For too long, Monsanto has been the benefactor of corporate subsidies and political favoritism. Organic and small farmers suffer losses while Monsanto continues to forge its monopoly over the world’s food supply, including exclusive patenting rights over seeds and genetic makeup.

• Monsanto's GM seeds are harmful to the environment; for example, scientists have indicated they have contributed to Colony Collapse Disorder among the world's bee population.

What are solutions we advocate?

• Voting with your dollar by buying organic and boycotting Monsanto-owned companies that use GMOs in their products.

• Labeling of GMOs so that consumers can make those informed decisions easier.

• Repealing relevant provisions of the US's "Monsanto Protection Act."

• Calling for further scientific research on the health effects of GMOs.

• Holding Monsanto executives and Monsanto-supporting politicians accountable through direct communication, grassroots journalism, social media, etc.

• Continuing to inform the public about Monsanto's secrets.

• Taking to the streets to show the world and Monsanto that we won't take these injustices quietly.
  

One march on one day will not fix the Monsanto problem. If having the march bring some awareness, then it is worthwhile. If so many other countries at least have labeling to identify the GMO factor, there is not reason why we can at least know what the 

ingredients are or are not. 

Check out the Monsanto website so you can know that farmers can spray round up herbicide, where unsurpassed weed control goes hand in hand with proven crop safety. 

Not buying it!

Words of Wisdom

"Action is more important than prayer"

HH Dalai Lama

He stated that he himself meditates & prays daily, 

but gave a call to action~

Called upon the age 30 & below crowd to shape their Century. 

Don't focus on differences, but the Oneness of Humanity

Mother's Day

Very few women have been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.... 
but Mother Theresa received the Nobel Peace Prize~

In 1979, Mother Teresa was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, "for work undertaken in the struggle to overcome poverty and distress, which also constitutes a threat to peace."

She refused the conventional ceremonial banquet given to laureates, and asked that the $192,000 funds be given to the poor in India, stating that earthly rewards were important only if they helped her help the world's needy.

When Mother Teresa received the prize, she was asked,
"What can we do to promote world peace?"

She answered "Go home and love your family."

Building on this theme in her Nobel Lecture, she said: "Around the world, not only in the poor countries, but I found the poverty of the West so much more difficult to remove. When I pick up a person from the street, hungry, I give him a plate of rice, a piece of bread, I have satisfied. I have removed that hunger.

But a person that is shut out, that feels unwanted, unloved, terrified, the person that has been thrown out from society—that poverty is so hurtable and so much, and I find that very difficult."

Speaking of Nobel Laureates, the Dalai Lama spoke here yesterday. His message included the following concepts~

• We are all brothers & sisters
• The Oneness of Humanity is the foundation of inner peace, and world peace
• The more you have a sense of concern for others, you benefit yourself by doing so
• "In terms of community, Action is more important than prayer".
• The 21st Century should be the Century of Dialogue. 

Higher Consciousness & thoughts about Peace

Om Mani Padmi Hum
The mantra of compassion ~ Jewel of the Lotus Flower

The Dalai Lama is going to grace my town next week, for the first time. It is much anticipated, and a large sector of the community is abuzz about it. To have such a Spiritual leader present awakens us to a higher consciousness. Peace & Compassion are what we want & need in life, and at time I think how do we get there from here?

There was a "Tibet Night" celebration last night, and as a part of the event, local kids made Peace themed prayer flags, with poems and or art.  These two peace flags/poems really spoke to me.

The yellow banner had the line "Peace is nothing", which at first struck me as being a sad statement. As I gave it more thought, I realized the "nothing" part could mean Peace is no problems, no issues, or in the Zen aspect, "No Mind", or a mind at peace. 

Right next to it hung another prayer flag that contained the line:

"Peace is pretty much everything"

the next line read:"but wrong"

"Peace is a choice everyone has to make"

Prayer Flags with children's Peace art & poems

break up the concrete void. 

For the birds

Great Blue Heron
Willamette Valley ~ Oregon

Editorial Rant ~ Corporate Terrorism- part 1

It is absolutely true: Blowing people up with explosives is a horrendous act. Those who do such things deserve to be hunted down and brought to justice.
We’ve seen the powerful manhunt images of all those police cars and SWAT vehicles in pursuit of those who killed three innocent people in the explosions in Boston.
We didn’t see any such pursuit when the Upper Big Branch Mine in West Virginia blew up in 2010. Twenty-nine innocent miners died. Massey Energy was found to have repeatedly and flagrantly violated safety regulations, causing the murderous coal-dust explosion. Where was the manhunt for the corporate crooks who were responsible? We didn’t see any such pursuit when British Petroleum’s Deepwater Horizon oil rig blew up in 2010. Eleven innocent workers died. BP, Transocean and Halliburton were found to have used cheap, defective materials and ignored safety systems, causing the murderous explosion.

Where was the manhunt for the corporate crooks who were responsible?
 We didn’t see any such pursuit when the West, Texas, fertilizer plant blew up this month. Fifteen innocent people died. The company was twice found in the past to be improperly storing highly explosive anhydrous ammonia. A recent inspection found 1,350 times the amount of ammonium nitrate that would require government oversight.

Where was the manhunt for the corporate crooks who were responsible?

It is absolutely true. Blowing people up with explosives is a horrendous act. Those who do such things deserve to be hunted down and brought to justice.

ROSCOE CARON

Eugene 

I will add the recent gross negligence cases in Bangladesh-- the clothing factory fire in Nov 2012, where 117 died, & 200 were injured- making it the deadliest factory fire in the nation's history. 

Last week 362 clothing factory workers died & 900 more are missing, in a collapsed building. 

And one more issue-- why are there people with hammers & others risking their lives to try to find survivors? Why is there not  big equipment machinery & rescue teams???

As for BP:

BP pleaded guilty to each count charged in an information filed in U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of Louisiana, including 11 counts of felony manslaughter, one count of felony obstruction of Congress and violations of the Clean Water and Migratory Bird Treaty Acts. 

BP also admitted during its guilty plea that the company, through a senior executive, obstructed an inquiry by the U.S. Congress into the amount of oil being discharged into the Gulf while the spill was ongoing.  BP also admitted that the senior executive withheld documents, provided false and misleading information. 

BP’s public estimate of 5,000 barrels of oil per day. 

  The Flow Rate Technical Group, consisting of government and independent scientists, later concluded that more than 60,000 barrels per day were leaking into the Gulf during the relevant time, contrary to BP’s representations to Congress.

Corporate terrorism- part 2

Ahh yes, but business as usual...

The U.S. government banned BP from new federal contracts over its "lack of business integrity" in the spill, which could threaten its role as a leading U.S. offshore oil and gas producer.

But BP said on Tuesday that its mandatory debarment under the settlement did not affect any existing contracts or leases.

"The government has awarded BP over 50 federal leases since the Deepwater Horizon accident," said BP, which is the largest investor and deepwater leaseholder in the Gulf of Mexico with interests in 700 blocks and seven rigs now operating there.

Why the government allowed a plea deal is beynd me, not only was this a gross negligence case, where 11 people died, but they lied & obstructed justice as well. 

All these billions are chump change to a mega big oil company like BP. 

Pleading guilty to killing someone usually means going to prison…unless the perpetrator is a corporation.

This week, BP agreed to 11 counts of manslaughter for the workers killed during the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil disaster, when the Deepwater Horizon oilrig blew up.

But no one from the oil giant will serve time for the convictions. Instead, BP will pay a $4 billion fine, which is equivalent to what the company made in revenue every four days last year.

Also, BP will have five years to pay the fine. 

In closing, sure people need work, but they should not be literally dying for the right to work.  BP knew of problems, but a corporate decision to push forward was made. The West Texas fertilizer plant is saying records vanished in the fire, but what government agency was supposed to oversee operations & make sure safety practices were up to code, & maintain records?

We are rightfully outraged about terrorist acts, but somehow, we accept "corporate terrorism" where cutting corners, and breaking rules results in death & destruction, but those are just "accidents". 

BP did pay a price, but they are still in the Gulf, taking oil, and their fine, although the largest in history, is not much to them, because their profit for the year was 

$11.816 billion in 2012. 

They are not done yet...

Further legal proceedings not expected to conclude until 2014 are ongoing to determine payouts and fines under the Clean Water Act and the Natural Resources Damage Assessment. BP faces damages of up to $17.6 billion in the trial

Look at their dirty history though--

 The 2005 Texas City Refinery explosion which caused the death of 15 workers and resulted in a record-setting OSHA fine.

 The 2006 Prudhoe Bay spill, the largest oil spill on Alaska's North Slope.

^[14] In 2010 the Deepwater Horizon oil spill was the largest accidental release of oil into marine waters in the history of the petroleum industry, and resulted in severe environmental, health and economic consequences.

Still no jail time. with 26 workers deceased. 

Where is the outrage over these senseless deaths?

Moron- the "W: Presidential Library

Life force

I'm working on a post about some current  catastrophe topic... but just could not get into it this morning. Too much of that going on. Instead I am going to post about life & living things, because we need that balance in our lives. Humans seem to be pretty messed up, in how they interact with each other, and or their environment. Nature seems to have it together better, and or gives us a different perspective. It heals & has a grounding effect. Go sit with a tree, waterfall, river- surround yourself, really settle down.
There is so much chatter in our lives, you have to work at turning it off. It is worth the effort, to turn off the chaos & tune in to nature. No matter how many bad or senseless things happen, and the suffering it causes, the flowers still bloom, and the life cycle goes on. Springtime is showtime for Mother Nature.

Wild Iris flowers in bloom

I noticed a bird I'd never seen before in the parking lot at work! It is a Killdeer- a member of the Plover family- usually Shorebirds, but this bird does hang out inland as well. Must have a nest nearby, as it sounds it's alarm call, when people walk in & out of the building. 

Seeing that new-to-me bird & listening to it's unique songs, made me stop thinking about other heavier topics, if even for a brief time. Nature- it's a beautiful healing gift- we just need to be in the present & take the time to enjoy it. 

History will decide

I am NOT making this up! The new G W Bush presidential library  online gift shop
actually sells this item.


For $25 bucks, you can buy the
President George W. Bush Bobblehead doll.
 The official description:
"Unmatched craftsmanship and likeness of President  George W. Bush.

Apparently the new library has a glass jar full of hanging chads. If I were taking that tour, I might have felt sick & left right then & there.

If he had not done such horrific things, and have a long list of crimes against humanity, his presidency might otherwise have been comical.
He's a Bobblehead with blood on his hands.
Too bad he's not in the Gitmo prison, doing time for his known crimes.

http://shop.bushpresidentialcenter.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=811%5F81101%5F99%5F980431%5FNI