Uncategorized (page 51)

Senator Christopher "Kit" Bond (R-MO), the Hudson Institute's Dennis Avery, and The Wall Street Journal all write articles espousing the benefits of biotechnology and especially of genetically engineered foods. As Senator Bond puts it, "The world's hungry and sick cannot afford the hysteria and unworkable propositions advanced by those who can take their next meal for granted. It will be up to the policy makers and scientists to ensure that reason, not hype, prevails as we proceed with the biotechnology revolution."

Robert Cohen, the anti-milk guy, is busy spewing his ridiculous rhetoric about the "dangers" of milk and diary products. Speaking at Syracuse University, Cohen denounced the dairy industry's "Got Milk" campaign as misleading and morally irresponsible. "We've been brainwashed. I've found out everything they've been saying is untrue," said Cohen.

Radical activists opposed to genetically engineered (GE) foods and the consumption of meat have declared today “A National Day of Action Against State Repression” and are planning to stage…

An eminently debunkable report from British food nannies claims that new "miracle" crops produced by the "Green Revolution" of the 60s and 70s could lead to future brain damage. Their flimsy "evidence" says there is a lack of minerals and vitamin A in the world's food supply. But their hypothesis ignores recent breakthroughs by biotech researchers who have produced "golden rice" with rich levels of vitamin A, intended to vastly improve the diet of many Third World nations.

Reacting to the University of Michigan's plans to divest its tobacco stock holdings, columnist George Bullard warns, "But don't be surprised if the next U of M probe looks at sugar, bacon and butter. Those industries fail to warn about the hazards of obesity. And fatty foods contribute to the deaths of near 1 million Americans a year… Do bakers make cherry turnovers especially sweet to hook children?"

From the BBC: "A leading conservative candidate to succeed Pope John Paul II has warned that the Antichrist foreseen in the Book of Revelations is already among us. Cardinal Giacomo Biffi, 71, said that the modern Antichrist, identified in the Book of Revelation as a seven-headed beast, was most likely now disguised as a philanthropist supporting creeds like vegetarianism, animal rights or pacifism..."

In London, Greenpeace protesters who took "direct action" to destroy field-trial crops of genetically engineered produce were cleared of wrongdoing by a British jury, who made the unfathomable decision to ignore the rule of law that protects private property.

TIME magazine's profile on "The New Radicals," who successfully invaded Seattle but enjoyed far less wallop in Washington, cites the Internet as the organizational thread that links previously unrelated anti-choice fringe groups.

Chinese scientists acknowledge that Monsanto's decision to share its breakthrough research mapping the genetic code for rice has saved Chinese bioengineers "15 years of work" as they search for ways to boost rice harvests to feed a population expected to reach 1.6 billion by mid-century.

The Economist magazine's take on the D.C. protests: "The list of sponsoring organizations is a Who's Who of non-governmental organizations - from the fringe (the National Queer Commission) to the obscure (the Nicaragua Network Peace and Social Justice Center of South Central Kansas) and the tediously predictable (the Young Communist League). This is all a little odd."