Organic Legion blog/news comments

She's Alive... Beautiful... Finite... Hurting... Worth Dying for.

Sat, 23 Jul 2011 06:50:27 GMT

Great and also very sad video! Thank you for posting it.

RE:Check this out

Fri, 22 Jul 2011 04:54:36 GMT

Yes it is a very helpful organization. We discovered it about two years ago and created a few petitions there and signed hundreds of these. Change.org is definitely going to be in our toolbar, let me know if you wish to see other websites and organizations. Thank you.

RE:The McDonald's Coffee Spill Lawsuit Is Not What You Think. Think Again!

Thu, 14 Jul 2011 17:53:02 GMT

And how sad it is we are discovering this only now! Appalling!!!

RE:The McDonald's Coffee Spill Lawsuit Is Not What You Think. Think Again!

Thu, 14 Jul 2011 17:51:10 GMT

You can watch the doc. on HBO if you have it. Thank you!

RE:Toxic Potatoes

Mon, 11 Jul 2011 15:24:20 GMT

Thank you Elise for this experiment!

RE:Charity: water

Mon, 4 Jul 2011 09:51:23 GMT

Also check out the video about water scarcity I added, thank you: http://organiclegion.org/videos.htm?b=&act=view-video&id=AEC5ECCA-C5B5-4BE6-9CE6-4D798A709FDE

RE:Charity: water

Mon, 4 Jul 2011 09:36:19 GMT

"3.575 million people die each year from water-related disease" from another informative website: http://water.org/learn-about-the-water-crisis/facts/

and this one is about privatization: http://www.waterjustice.org/

Most people are not aware of the global water crisis, let's raise awareness!
Thank you Ashley!

RE:Save Our Oceans

Sun, 3 Jul 2011 04:51:17 GMT

I agree! It's important to address those issues as well. It can become extremely frustrating when you try and do the right thing and ask for the help of others. It is my goal to try and raise a better awareness about our oceans to others, maybe someone the point will get across.

RE:Save Our Oceans

Sun, 3 Jul 2011 03:18:06 GMT

People tend to forget when it comes to pollution when one part of the environment affects every part of the environment and that intern affects every single form of life there is. It is a very real domino affect.

RE:Inviting YOU to Decode Cancer!

Wed, 22 Jun 2011 19:18:57 GMT

"Science is but a perversion of itself unless it has, as its ultimate goal the betterment of humanity" - Nikola Tesla

"Fundamental challenges to disciplines tend to come from outside. It is customary for students to be introduced to their fields of study gradually, as slowly unfolding mysteries, so that by the time they can see their subject as a whole, they have been so thoroughly imbued with conventional preconceptions and patterns of thought that they are extremely unlikely to be able to question its basic premises."

By Martin Bernal (Black Athena)

RE:Jacque Fresco and the Venus Project: What is it?

Mon, 13 Jun 2011 15:00:19 GMT

We tweeted to Mr. Jacque Fresco and asked him the questions above. Waiting...

Peru: Aymaras protest transnational mining company

Wed, 8 Jun 2011 15:24:45 GMT

The local governments elites will continue sell off their land and their people.
Failing to understand they do stand a chance in building a competitive economy and society, will bring failure and enslavement. Recalling the "Cochabamba Water Revolt" in Bolivia.

RE:Organic food is cheaper than conventional food.

Mon, 2 May 2011 15:48:38 GMT

The organic certification takes so much hardship. This is the very reason we are trying to reverse these subsides and change policies.

We speak out of what has been scientifically established, and out of many experienced organic farmers.

Here are the comparisons of organic and conventional chemical farming systems:

http://www.cnr.berkeley.edu/~christos/articles/cv_organic_farming.html

Years and years of trial and experimentation confirm all the economic benefits.

One of the longest running agricultural trials on record, more than 150 years, is the Broadbalk experiment at the Rothamsted Experimental Station in the United Kingdom.

"Until now, much of the light we’re generating here on our research farm has been hidden under the proverbial barrel, but we’re taking off the barrel and busting it up for firewood. We’re going let the light of the amazing research being done here shine on farmers, consumers and environmental activities."

Check the Rodale Institute Farming Systems Trial (FST). The data is from 23 years of research! http://www.rodaleinstitute.org/fst

This above is a FACT. We must inform people of the misconception that "Organic food costs more".

Subsidize it with 30 billions a year; Elimination of the cost of fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides; Demand growth; Soil preservation (which equals to increased yield/profit); Reduced seed costs; Reduction of 30% of fossil fuel energy compared to what is used to grow conventional corn and soybean; Reduced irrigation; And here comes the SCOOP for all of you that are deniers with no proof and unsound logic: LABOR INPUTS are only 15% HIGHER! (from the FST 23 year studies above).

After you take all this economic benefits into account, what does our logic tell us? Will organic food prices match those of the conventional food? Will all these benefits outweigh that extra 15% of labor input?

This is from Thomas Dobbs, a sustainable-agriculture economist at South Dakota State University:

"Dobbs makes a surprising estimate: if just one-third of American shoppers bought organic foods on a regular basis, most prices would come down to that 10 to 30 percent markup we're seeing on produce today."

Still seems expensive, but Dobbs says a third of U.S. consumers could afford to buy at today's prices if we chose to. The reason we can afford more than we think? We're already paying that much -- and more -- for supposedly cheap food.

http://www.grist.org/article/harrison-organics/

If anyone doesn't want to accept the fact that organic food prices can match those of the conventional food, the opposite is truer:

"There is mounting evidence that if all the indirect costs of conventional food production were factored into the price of food, organic foods would cost the same, or, more likely, be cheaper than conventional food."

http://ofrf.org/resources/organicfaqs.html

In less confusing words: Conventional food prices would skyrocket making organic food prices the new affordable food.

On a side note, we will be discussing the living wage soon as this battle and the one above are interconnected and require a huge political change; You can't have one without the other.

RE:Organic food is cheaper than conventional food.

Mon, 2 May 2011 15:45:51 GMT

Community, local agriculture has a great potential. In cold regions the food supply can be improved and increased.

"Food in the U.S. travels an average of 1,300 miles from farm to supermarket. Almost every state in the U.S. buys 85% of its food from some place else. In Massachusetts, for example, this food import imbalance translates to a $4 billion leak in the state economy on an annual basis. UMass studies have determined that Massachusetts could produce closer to 35% of its food supply. This 20% increase would contribute $1 billion annually to the economy of the Commonwealth.

Increased local food production would add a significant number of additional food dollars to the economy of many other states."

You might want to read this: The Potential for Urban Agriculture - http://www.crcworks.org/urbag.pdf

and this: Promising Community-Based Food System Initiatives - http://www.crcworks.org/promising.pdf

"Alaska is a state that has woefully little local agriculture -- estimates are that somewhere in the 2 percent to 4 percent of food consumed locally is produced in state, and that of the $2.5 billion annually spent on food by Alaskans, only $30 million goes to local producers (and this includes non-food crops such as hay).

Why does this matter? It matters because money spent in your local community will stay in your local community -- can you imagine what a boost even a portion of that $2.5 billion would represent to our local economy in these challenging times?

It matters because Alaska has an estimated 2 to 4 days worth of food in-state should shipping lines be shut down for any reason, as was the plan most recently in response to the bird flu epidemic scare. It matters in the name of food security. It matters in the name of environmental responsibility and greenhouse gas production. Community Supported Agriculture involves a community -- and last time I checked, my community was not Seattle (or California, or Mexico)."

Read more at: http://www.adn.com/2009/03/17/726667/its-important-to-truly-support.html#ixzz173tCzRlX

This is from a successful farmer in Alaska:

"We think about sustainability a lot in Alaska, however most of the discussion focuses on natural fish and wildlife populations and their relation to subsistence versus commercial harvest. There is little talk about sustainable agriculture, but there should be. Although one’s vision of Alaska might be one of a hunter alone on the tundra, we get most of our food like the rest of America – from large supermarkets run by huge corporations.

If the average piece of food travels approximately 1500 miles from producer to consumer in the rest of the country, it travels much farther to us in Alaska. For this reason, and many others, we should be concerned about sustainability on a local and community scale."

And this (second excerpt):

"If the son of a long line of Jewish tailors can carve out a niche in small scale agriculture, then I’m optimistic that this growing movement of community-centered agriculture can keep gaining momentum. We need to invest in community agriculture – it is at the core of sustainability."

http://fairbankscoop.wordpress.com/2009/10/30/essay-on-sustainable-agriculture/

The conclusion is: It's easy to pinpoint the drawbacks and the flaws of a new system to come as if it was painted in the perfect light. Instead, we should focus in discussing how we can make this happen for the good of all and keep in mind the potential and the genius of people.

RE:Organic food is cheaper than conventional food.

Mon, 2 May 2011 15:44:42 GMT

The USDA pays rent to farmers to keep land fallow.

This rent is not a bad deal for farmers but has nothing to do with keeping food cheap. That does not make any sense.

It's not a bad deal to corporate farmers at all.

It's done for recovery reasons but also to raise land value which will qualify for subsides and reactivate the transfer of money from consumers (tax) to corporate farmers.

This is not money to be discounted from the 7.5 billions or the 20 billions mentioned above as they were always part of it. They represent an indirect contributing factor of artificially keeping the current price of food.

These corporate farmers will continue over producing (creating oversupply) to drop the price below the guaranteed USDA price and keep cashing the difference (subsidy or deficiency payment).

What a nice game of politic and money that is!

This can all be resumed in what is no more, no less than a political transfer of wealth.

It will always mean that money being rewarded to the big ag is money taken away from the small, local agriculture that is more productive, environmentally sound and in the long term more cost effective.

From the link on the comment above, we can see that most of the money goes to the largest farms (chosen by crop type and quantity) which keep on buying smaller farms consolidating the market and creating monopoly. This also leads them to be eligible for more subsidies which can be used for more expansion and so on.

And the largest crops are: Corn, soy, wheat, cotton and rice, no need to mention who's behind these.

The second point is not how much we can save per month if we didn't pay the subsidies through taxes whether it's 70 dollars or more. It's paying these to sustainable, small farms, and if we would reverse the system, the price for organic food would decrease dramatically.

This does not necessarily mean we approve of such manipulation of the economy and suppression of the free market, it just proves the point that organic food price could match the conventional one.

RE:Organic food is cheaper than conventional food.

Mon, 2 May 2011 15:40:18 GMT

Agriculture can be resurrected. First, we need its decentralization. Organic Agriculture at a local level can offer many new jobs, and each and every one of these workers can be decently paid too.

The first question that people ask: Aren't we going to pay a lot more for our food if we make this happen?

Actually we wouldn't. It is a myth that is propagated by these agro-chemical giants to install fear and stall change.

The reason why we don't pay much at a supermarket for conventional food is because we are paying for it with our TAX MONEY.

The current chemical agriculture is heavily subsidized. Organic agriculture gets almost NOTHING.

Then we pay again with our taxes to clean up the damage to the environment as this is not a bill handed to them but to us, once more!

Also, organic agriculture has shown scientifically to cost less and produce more in the long term besides the nutritional benefits, the healthy soil and water.

An other factor is that prices will lower as this market grows.

One big truth twister is that these companies prefer to pay one guy spraying over the fields than 100 spreading manure because it is cheaper.

When we say it's cheaper, we almost make it sound like the company is getting a good break from its expenses to manage to survive.

The reality is: It would cost them more and they would cash in less mega-profits.

The reality is that they want to make ALL THE MONEY and Monsanto is one of them.

Big difference, isn't?

How do these companies make billions every year?

It's called: EXPLOITATION.

May be, just may be, in a system where this wouldn't be allowed, farm owners would have a chance to build a decent business, workers have a decent pay and consumers end up paying about the same without any environmental and health costs like mentioned above.

We need policy changes!

RE:Commercial Bee Farms Feed GM High Fructose Corn Syrup to Bees!

Sun, 1 May 2011 18:14:27 GMT

If you are an organic beekeeper, please leave your comments and thoughts about the CCD. Thank you!

The Most Terrifying Video You'll Ever See

Fri, 29 Apr 2011 20:14:59 GMT

This is a great logical explanation to climate change. If climate change is not man made, and we act to stop fossil fuel, the worst case scenario will be that we lose pollution, contamination and destruction. Instead, we embrace clean and renewable energy - not much of a loss really.

RE:a diamond with no shine

Wed, 19 Jan 2011 16:44:44 GMT

This is a good observation. I guess people are not willing to stop wearing diamonds even if it means blood.

RE:a diamond with no shine

Wed, 19 Jan 2011 14:58:41 GMT

There are a lot of organizations out there defending animal rights but when it comes to the diamond business, you don't see as many.

Only lately more awareness has been raised and believe it or not, it was partially due to the film: "Blood Diamond" with Leonardo Di Caprio.

RE:Check this Factory Farm Map. What does it look like to you?

Wed, 1 Dec 2010 17:27:54 GMT

I especially love the last sentence in the video below:
"If millions of pounds (toxic chemicals) were spread across the country by terrorists, we would go nuts but when it's done by fortune 500 companies it's business as usual."

RE:Check this Factory Farm Map. What does it look like to you?

Wed, 1 Dec 2010 17:26:38 GMT

Watch the brief trailer of this documentary if you haven't seen it already.

RE:Check this Factory Farm Map. What does it look like to you?

Wed, 1 Dec 2010 17:25:24 GMT

"Factory farms are regulated under a patchwork system that leaves communities vulnerable to often indifferent and underfunded state environmental enforcement. Factory farm permitting rules released by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 2008 only require permits for facilities that declare their intention to release manure directly into waterways. Common manure management practices -- like cesspool lagoons and applying manure to cropland -- don't require any permit at all.

Communities across the country are suffering from water contaminated by manure lagoon failures, waste seeping into aquifers, runoff from oversprayed fields and air pollution from overcrowded livestock operations.

Can you tell the EPA that it is time to regulate factory farms?"

TAKE ACTION HERE: http://action.foodandwaterwatch.org/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=5232

RE:Move Your Money Out of Chase, Bank of America and Too Big to Fail Banks!

Tue, 30 Nov 2010 00:02:43 GMT

There are not other ways to weaken them than this one single action. I did it already.
Thumbs up!

RE:Move Your Money Out of Chase, Bank of America and Too Big to Fail Banks!

Thu, 11 Nov 2010 17:20:46 GMT

RE:Move Your Money Out of Chase, Bank of America and Too Big to Fail Banks!

Thu, 11 Nov 2010 17:18:33 GMT

Comment from Kelly K:
"Now that companies can make unlimited donations into our elections, I figured I’d better vote with my dollars, too. Bye bye, B of A. Bye bye, Chase. Hello BECU. Couldn’t be happier!"

Comment from H in Chicago:
"I’d already moved $50,000 of my savings to a local community bank, but kept my Citibank checking account for the ease of ATM access, online bill pay, etc.

Well, just received a letter from them. Either I maintain $6,000+ in my account, or I get charged monthly fees. No more free overdraft protection, no more ATM fee rebates, no more free checking.

Guess they’re feeling the pain from everyone leaving in droves, eh?

Buh-bye, Citi."
http://moveyourmoney.info/comments

RE:Move Your Money Out of Chase, Bank of America and Too Big to Fail Banks!

Thu, 11 Nov 2010 17:18:01 GMT

One more from the same source above:

“One month ago. Goodbye Chase, Hello Redwood Credit Union.
It was easy and the inconvenience was minimal. If capitalism that actually benefits the folks at the bottom as much as the people at the top is to succeed, it will be through community oriented institutions and not the consolidated top down model that inevitably captures and pulls money to the upper echelon.
Move your money. Keep it local.”
Jay B.

RE:Move Your Money Out of Chase, Bank of America and Too Big to Fail Banks!

Thu, 11 Nov 2010 17:17:16 GMT

Some of the comments from people that moved their money:

"“My new credit union insures my money just as well as the big bank, but it also offers a ridiculously high interest rate on my checking account, refunds on ATM fees so I can use any ATM I want (even those $3 fees at the back of the convenience stores), really great customer service, and — best of all — free cookies on Fridays.
They can afford to do all of this because, as a credit union, their top priority is me, the member. Not CEO and shareholder profits, not bloated advertising budgets. And best of all, by moving my money to a local community bank, I’ve taken money away from the poorly-managed, impersonal big bank and given it to a bank that will actually use it to help me and people in my community.
I made a real difference, and while my tiny accounts are nothing to a company like Chase, they matter a lot to my local bank and my community. (And did I mention the free cookies?)”
Aja"

RE:Monsanto, Michael Specter and His Flawed, Misinforming Campaign of the:

Mon, 8 Nov 2010 22:32:25 GMT

I agree with you OL. One thing is to move forward in the right direction for the benefit of all, another is to continue exploiting these poor farmers, polluting with roundup and frankenfood. It will make us all sick, it needs to stop! That is NO FUTURE.

RE:American Victims Are Left To Suffer And Die

Mon, 27 Sep 2010 17:49:27 GMT

People over there are experiencing all kinds of symptoms. Not too hard to guess if Corexit rains on your head, it's in the air, in the water and in the food.

This is so surreal like.

RE:WATER POLLUTION

Mon, 6 Sep 2010 16:30:43 GMT

Look at all that corexit that was dumped in the gulf of Mexico. Irreparable damage. This is so upsetting!

RE:ABOUT WATER

Fri, 27 Aug 2010 21:54:21 GMT

Very informative. Thank you.