Tag: United States

  • Celebrate Cooperatives this October

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    Daniela
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    The Wisconsin Ag Connection encourages Americans to celebrate cooperatives this month: Wisconsin kicks off Cooperative Month in October, there is new evidence that people prefer to do business with cooperatives over investor-owned businesses. That’s according to Cooperative Network, which commissioned a survey through the St. Norbert College Strategic Research Institute that shows 47 percent of consumers…

  • Trans-Pacific Partnership Shrouded in Secrecy Has Far-Reaching Consequences

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    Daniela
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    A fellow blogger suggested, in a recent comment, that we should all pay close attention to The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) as it will have far reaching consequences for U.S. laws, workers rights, the environment and many other aspects of our lives. In response, I’m posting  Kevin Zeese’s coverage of the September 23rd protest that took place at…

  • US-Japan agree to make it easier to import each other’s organic products

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    Daniela
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    The Associated Press announces a new US-Japan deal that could lead to more organic options. The United States and Japan have agreed to make it easier to import each other’s organic products, the latest step in a global effort that could give consumers access to more — and cheaper — organic food. The Agriculture Department…

  • Dominican Republic Records 30 Percent Increase in Organic Food Production

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    Daniela
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    From the Fresh Plaza website: The Dominican Republic recorded in the past six years a steady 30 percent increase in the production of organic food, with which it has established itself as one of the world leaders in the marketing of these items.  The Ministry of Agriculture expressed in a statement today that the country…

  • Shut Up and Listen – Cont’d.

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    Daniela
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    Peasant communities all over the world are beginning to realize that, although intensive agriculture might boost crop yields in the short term with seemingly little effort, in the long term it pollutes water sources and depletes the soil.  Many have decided to abandon intensive agriculture and revert to the traditional farming practices used by their ancestors for…

  • Yet Another Reason to Buy Local

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    Daniela
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    This is another reason to be picky about where your meat comes from.  Better yet, stop eating meat altogether: From the Daily Kos: Put down your ham sandwich before you read this one, folks. The US Department of Agriculture is hoping to expand a pilot program replacing half the USDA inspectors in meat plants with…

  • President Obama’s Address to Nation on Syria

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    Daniela
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    In case you missed it, the President made his case for a targeted strike on Syria if diplomacy fails.   Obama’s speech comes after news that Syria has agreed to surrender its chemical weapons stockpiles to international control for eventual destruction, which Obama has indicated could avert a U.S. strike.

  • “America Can Be Too Proud”

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    Daniela
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    In keeping with today’s theme, here’s an article by Carole Motsinger about the Asheville based non-profit Global International that is focused on investing in long-term customized solutions created by local communities. Christopher Sacco, the co-founder and director of Groundswell International, who lived in Ecuador for eight years notes,  “One thing that I realize after this latest financial crisis…

  • Gates Foundation Invests in Monsanto Cont’d.

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    Daniela
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    Here’s a revealing comment by Szophee in the thread to the Gates Foundation article: Let’s see who’s behind this push for a new ‘Green revolution’ in Africa: The whole project is being led by the US and UK governments (and paid for by their taxpayers), along with the rest of the G8. USAid is playing its…

  • Ocean fish acquire more mercury at depth

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    Daniela
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    Reposted from Science Codex: Mercury—a common industrial toxin—is carried through the atmosphere before settling on the ocean and entering the marine food web. Now, exciting new research from the University of Michigan and the University of Hawai’i at Manoa School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST) combines biogeochemistry and direct marine ecology observations…