Genetic Roulette

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  • #200674
    rosiemaji
    Member

    [quote=”VictoriaLST”]For thousands of years, we have been genetically engineering our food. We learned to cross-pollinate crops for a larger seed heads, greater sugar content, more protein. We bred a prize bull to certain cows for higher milk production or more meat. We genetically engineered for food and for vanity (how else did the wolf become the Chihuahua?).

    We have genetically engineered for thousands of years, we just didn’t know how to do it quickly. Now we do. The danger lies in relying on a single type of seed to the exclusion of others. As for the engineering? I really prefer a Golden Retriever…..
    [/quote]

    What you describe here is not gentic engineering. It is genetic [b]selection[/b][u][/u] within a species. Nature does this according to her own schedule in order for a species to adapt to changes in the environment. We have done this for ages to select the characteristics in plants and animals that suit our purposes. Genetic engineering, on the other hand, is inserting genetic material from an entirely unrelated species into the genetic material of another species. Nature never does this. There is a profound difference here.

    #200675
    rosiemaji
    Member

    Maravilla is totally right. There is so much information out there about the dangers of GMO crops and their links to human diseases and the fact that they don’t increase yields but destroy soil. The same goes for Round-up ready crops. Round-up is sprayed right on the food that is later harvested. When Round-up resistant weeds emerge, they have to spray even greater amounts of harmful chemicals to kill the resistant weeds. And then this stuff goes in our food, chemical residues and all. Now there is Bt and Round-up ready corn in the same seed. I wouldn’t eat that, no matter how good it tastes. If you read, read read, you will come to the same conclusion that I and many, many others have concluded – these companies make these Frankenseeds so they can be patented and they can make billions of dollars. And they have not been tested for safety. Thank goodness, Costa Rica would have none of it.

    #200676
    maravilla
    Member

    and why should you be concerned? do you buy ANYTHING that is processed or packaged? if so, it probably contains one of these ingredients: HFCS, corn, soy, or beet sugar. all of those things are GMO without any labeling at all. does your soft drink contain HFCS? do you eat sugarless foods that might contain aspartame, which is also a GMO? these foods are prevalent in Costa Rica. if you want your entire food supply to be narrowed down to just the things that monsanto and the other companies will control, you and the rest of us (sadly) will only have about 6 or 7 things to eat. i care too much about what i put into my body to ignore this issue and when i think of all the people i know with mystery illnesses, gut problems esp leaky gut, migraines, autism and a host of other ailments that are now being linked to GMOs, i really don’t think it’s an issue that we can ignore, even IF Costa Rica is not growing gmo crops. please don’t turn this isn’t an argument about who is right and who is wrong — the science and the research speak for itself if only people would take the time to review the info instead of parroting the propaganda.

    #200677
    VictoriaLST
    Member

    “Natural selection” is, at its base, a change due to environmental pressures. It is not a choice.

    “Genetic engineering” involves a choice. We start with the wolf and chose characteristics that yield a Golden Retriever.

    We start with a 10cm ear of corn and end up with a 50cm ear that is sweeter, more tender, and bi-colored.

    We take a gene from one species, insert it into another species and get a new source of insulin or vitamin A enrichment.

    Are people still going to starve? Probably. Die of disease? Probably. But research will always pay a dividend.

    #200678
    maravilla
    Member

    you are still presenting a specious argument with incorrect terminology. it is clear that you do not have a good understanding of the issues and that the opinion you offer is not based on research, but rather what you have chosen to glean from the corporate party-line. there is no starting point from which we could have a discussion, but i would like to suggest that you watch at least one of these films to get some clue what you are talking about.

    http://geneticroulettemovie.com/

    http://www.filmsforaction.org/Watch/Food_Inc/

    http://www.filmsforaction.org/Watch/Food_Matters_2008/

    http://www.filmsforaction.org/Watch/The_World_According_to_Monsanto/

    http://www.filmsforaction.org/Watch/Genetically_Modified_Food_Panacea_or_Poison/

    #200679
    maravilla
    Member

    and then there is this longterm study just released.

    http://www.takepart.com/article/2012/09/19/gmos-give-rats-huge-tumors-organ-damage

    i am sure you are a very nice person, victoria, but you are woefully misinformed, uninformed, and are proffering a stance that is contrary to everything that is known about GMOs. because this issue affects everyone, and the future of all food on the planet, don’t you think you owe it to yourself to be fully informed so that you can speak intelligently on the issue?

    #200680
    rosiemaji
    Member

    Thanks for the links Maravilla. It gives much material for thought especially for those who do not understand the true implications of GMOs in our food and for those who do not realize how much of our food contains GMOs. Most of the prepared foods we see in Costa Rica are imported from the US and thus most certainly contain GOM ingredients. The fact that these foods are more expensive compared to the same foods in the states has been one good reason for me to stay away from them. With our ability to grow our own food on our farm and the abundance of fresh foods available at the ferias in Costa Rica at really affordable prices, we eat a better diet in Costa Rica than we do in the states. Of course, GMOs aren’t the only ingredients found in foods in Costa Rica that one might want to avoid – hormones, antibiotics, MSG and artificial sweeteners are all found in foods made and produced in Costa Rica. However, unlike GMO ingredients, some (but not all) of these can be found on the food label. These things have found their way into a whole slew of foods and it makes “growing our own” so much more attractive.

    #200681
    johnnyh
    Member

    We are doomed! Yes doomed. And nobody seems to care. That’s what George Carlin said. Part of the plan is to get rid of millions of us peasants. They forces of evil are winning.

    #200682
    maravilla
    Member

    Before you leave California for Costa Rica, please vote yes on Prop 37 so at least they will label products with GMOs so people can make an informed choice to either eat them or not.

    #200683
    camby
    Member

    [quote=”maravilla”]This movie is available online until September 22. Please watch it and share it with everyone you know. The GMO issue is one that affects all of us, including our animals, and our planet. If you have health problems, you might want to investigate whether you are unwittingly consuming GMOs in your packaged food. So far there are no GMO crops in Costa Rica and those of us who are fighting this issue want it to stay that way. If you are still living in California, vote Yes on Prop 37. We have the right to know what is in our food.
    http://geneticroulettemovie.com/%5B/quote%5D

    will check it out, why is it until 9/22?

    #200684
    camby
    Member

    [quote=”johnnyh”]We are doomed! Yes doomed. And nobody seems to care. That’s what George Carlin said. Part of the plan is to get rid of millions of us peasants. They forces of evil are winning.[/quote]

    very true, sad to say, the US and its friends leading the attack…may the Tico/a’s resist

    #200685
    camby
    Member

    [quote=”maravilla”]they’re always at it and they won’t stop until they control the world’s food supply. if you’re inclined to give me grief about this issue, save your breath.[/quote]

    my plan, eventually, is possibly to settle in CR and have some land to grow at least some of my own food…if our control gurus dont mess it up

    #200686
    camby
    Member

    [quote=”VictoriaLST”]So companies want to engineer plants that have a greater yield and make their own pesticides so that we can reduce the spraying of harmful chemicals on our plants (and into the air) and feed more people. How is that a problem?[/quote]

    it mutates in your gut and causes a lot of changes in your body at cell level….
    Look up Jeffrey Smith and his presentation-Seeds of Deception. Also, the site Natural News

    http://www.responsibletechnology.org/
    http://www.seedsofdeception.com/
    http://www.naturalnews.com/

    #200687
    camby
    Member

    [quote=”VictoriaLST”]For thousands of years, we have been genetically engineering our food. We learned to cross-pollinate crops for a larger seed heads, greater sugar content, more protein. We bred a prize bull to certain cows for higher milk production or more meat. We genetically engineered for food and for vanity (how else did the wolf become the Chihuahua?).

    We have genetically engineered for thousands of years, we just didn’t know how to do it quickly. Now we do. The danger lies in relying on a single type of seed to the exclusion of others. As for the engineering? I really prefer a Golden Retriever…..
    [/quote]

    not the same thing as chemical and gene manipulation, esp by people that have ties to population control groups

    #200688
    camby
    Member

    [quote=”maravilla”]that’s the propaganda, but it isn’t the truth. the yields are not bigger, and they need to use more powerful pesticides because the bt stuff isn’t effective, so basically they have not accomplished anything. gmo’s will not save the world from starvation — there is plenty of food; in fact there is a food surplus. if you would take the time to watch the video and become familiar with the lies they have been spreading, you wouldn’t have to raise these issues because they are not real issues — they are what those chemical companies want you to believe. and now there are more virulent pests that are immune to the bt crops, so they’ve actually created a bigger problem than they had before.[/quote]

    true, somewhere,I posted on my blog about the UN white paper, that found the proper methods of organic farming have big yeilds and enough to feed the planet……..es pin some areas of good climate, like CR and many areas of C/S America

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