The Future of Food

As Earth Day passes again, I would like to share a documentary that I share with people who are new to the idea of food shortages, genetic modifications and the corporatization of biological life forms.

The Future of Food is a good way to wake up friends and relatives. Although the truth can be tough to believe,there are no outlandish claims made and everything in the video can easily be researched and verified.




You can get the DVD for a friend at their website: click here

"As we move on into this so-called biotech revolution and we start producing more and more transgenic manipulations, we'll start seeing pieces of DNA interacting with each other in ways that are totally unpredictable...

I think this is probably the largest biological experiment humanity has ever entered into."

- Ignacio Chapela

Food Rationing

More reports regarding food rationing from the World's Breadbasket:

In the Business Times Online: click here
In the New York Sun: click here
In the Guardian: click here



WalMart and Costco are at the forefront of retailers dipping their toes in the water on food rationing and modifying the usage of purchasing information.



If you additional information regarding this unfortunate situation, please forward it on to me.

Food Rationing in the U.S.?

Thought it couldn't happen here? Think again. Costco stores are rationing rice in California stores. Watch the video report from Mountainview, California here.

Not only is that a concern...they are rationing based on previous usage! You mean they have been tracking our purchases and that will affect how much food they will allow us to have in the future? If you are surprised by any of this, you should spend more time reading.


Representative Mike Conaway from Midland, TX is reputed to have

"I had a guy in the wheat industry tell me we may be rationing flour," said U.S. Rep. Mike Conaway, R-Midland, a member of the House Agriculture Committee. "We're going to get a wake-up call on increasing food prices." (Read story @ Houston Chronicle).

Hug a farmer!

Morning Music - George Bush Does R.E.M

Ok...maybe it's because I'm a child of the 80s, maybe it's because I enjoy art made from other art...but I got a kick out of this. A very creative person (I haven't discovered who yet) put edited a series of clips in such a manner that "the Decider" appears to be singing his own version of R.E.M.'s "It's the End of the World as We Know It".



I was going to wait until after the holidays to put this one up, but as the song itself is time sensitive to 2007, I felt it should be posted today.

First Shot in the Revolution?

The Ron Paul Revolution has been quite interesting to follow. I have loaded pictures from the Ron Paul Boston (Austin) Tea Party fund raising rally in Austin, Texas. There were people from many walks: Businessmen, soldiers, hippies, parents, students, different races and socio-economic backgrounds.

I feel the picture below is the right cover shot for today's event.

Click on the photo below or here to see today's photos.

(Photo by Erik Kuykendall)

You can see the graph of donations as they came in through the day. It appears he broke another record. Actually another record was broken for him as he wasn't involved.

The video was taken by a young man named Jimmy and I thought some might like a video peek at the event, too:

Lion Hugs Woman

Ok...I had to search out something a little lighter. The following video is of an African lion hugging and loving on a Colombian woman who rescued it about 6 years ago.



Of course, they probably aren't thinking about the pending trade deal with Colombia. Yes...I know...can't seem to let that stuff go.

When Colombian President Alvaro Uribe made his visit to Peru on December 11th, President Alan Garcia pledged to assist his ally in his quest for free trade:

"I want to say to everyone, Peruvians and especially to Colombians: This treaty of free trade that Peru has signed with the U.S. will not be complete until Colombia has signed the free trade treaty with the United States."

19 chief executives sent a letter on Dec. 11 sponsored by the Emergency Committee for American Trade, representing CEOs from Microsoft, Citibank, McGraw-Hill, GM, Oracle, Intel, Coca-Cola, 3M, Procter & Gamble, Target, Wal-Mart and Exxon Mobil. The letter urged Congress to extend the U.S.-Peru trade pact to Colombia.

That must have been some thorn in it's paw!

World Banks Donate $100bn to Bail Out U.S. Sub-Prime Markets

The answer is more credit!!!

The worlds banks are joining together to make more than $100 billion *"available" this month.

The Federal Reserve is injecting $40 billion; the Bank of England $46.4 billion, the European Central Bank $20 billion, the Swiss National Bank $4 billion and the Bank of Canada is providing $3 billion. Sumitomo Mitsui, one of Japan's 3 largest banks was asked to invest $5 billion in a fund to bail out banks with sub-prime losses, but has not committed to it yet.

*By "making available", they mean dump money into our markets to try to bail out the economy as it is sliding due to the collapse of our sub-prime market.

So what is the credit crunch all about?

From the National Post's "Financial Post", Drew Hasselback stated:

Banks are hoarding cash against possible losses on investments related to the U.S. mortgage market, in which even borrowers with poor credit ratings were able to get loans. The problems in the wonky U.S. mortgage market are now so widespread that commercial banks are reluctant to lend to each other because the true extent of their mortgage losses remains unknown.

Too many funds are tied up in complicated, mortgage-related investments that can't be instantly unwound. This puts a strain on investors who want to pull their money out of the markets immediately. It also puts a strain on banks who want to loan money to customers. Because they're so busy trying to pay out the investors racing out of the market, the banks have less cash available for people who need loans.

The measures announced on Wednesday are supposed to make it easier for banks to access more cash. This extra "liquidity" would make it easier for banks to pay out the investors who want out of the market, and to provide loans to those who want to borrow.

It must be the fault of immigrants!

Did I mention that Congress just passed a defense policy bill that will authorize $696 billion in military programs, including $189 billion for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Things that make you go, "hmmmmmmmmmm".

Thank you to my lovely wife for giving me the heads-up on this one. It was difficult locating information on the story ...especially within the U.S. press.