Winning entry for DuPont + igloo’s Changing the Face – Casa Poporului. Idea sparked off with Raresh Dragoiu of drr_____ fame.

Jury was composed of:

prof. arh. Dorin Stefan (DSBA)

arh. Bruno Andresoiu (igloomedia)

Anne-Line Citrene (DuPont France)

Gabi Rottes (DuPont Germany)

Some pictures from the exhibition, which can be seen at the University Underground Passage until the 7th of December (09):

yet2.com sees a lot of market interest in encapsulation technologies.

We are having a webinar on 4 that we think are particularly interesting. This live webinar features four new technologies and an overview of the market by Dr. Eugene Buff, yet2.com’s vice president of consulting. Not just a lecture, the webinar format offers ample opportunity for electronic interaction with the principals.

REGISTER NOW
https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/310003931

As of the writing of this blog post 84 companies have singed up to participate on Friday December 11, 11:00–12:30pm US Eastern Standard Time.

Moderator:

• Dr. Eugene Buff, yet2.com vice president, consulting

4 New Technologies:

• Microencapsulation for drug delivery, Cory Berkland, Orbis Bioscience
• Efficient membrane coating and production technology, Luc Vanmaele, AGFA
• Microencapsulated, water-dispersbile nanomaterials, Ken Yoon, Vive Nano
• Controlling free radical polymers using “Living Polymers,” Vendy Tomko, DuPont

Dr. Buff will present opening remarks and overview, followed by the four presentations in order at approximately 15-minute intervals. Each presenter will answer submitted questions at the end of his presentation.

Muy interesante artículo de Mondalisation que analiza la geopolítica de las semillas GM: http://www.biodiversidadla.org/layout/set/print/content/view/full/46246 o aquí:

“Las semillas genéticamente modificadas presentan un serio riesgo para la salud en las áreas de toxicología, alergia y función inmune, salud reproductiva, y salud metabólica, fisiológica y genética. No representan ningún beneficio”, dice la declaratoria de la AAEM.

La investigadora Silvia Ribeiro, del Grupo de Acción sobre Erosión, Tecnología y Concentración (ETC Group), quien desde hace más de 20 años estudia el tema de los transgénicos, asegura que los funcionarios que dicen que no hay daños a la salud es porque mienten o porque son “ignorantes”.

Algunos argumentan que las semillas OGM tienen mayor rendimiento, pero la Unión de Científicos Preocupados de Estados Unidos, después de analizar este tipo de cultivos por 13 años, demuestra que hay menores rendimientos y que sí hubo aumento de producción no se debió a transgénicos sino a manejos de tipo convencional.

¿Qué dice la Academia?

La declaratoria de la AAEM puntualiza que estudios en animales indican serios riesgos de salud asociados con el consumo de alimentos GM, que incluyen infertilidad, desregulación inmune, envejecimiento acelerado, desregulación de los genes asociados con la síntesis de colesterol, regulación de insulina, señalización celular y formación de proteínas, y cambios en el hígado, riñones, bazo y sistema gastrointestinal.

“Hay más que una asociación casual entre alimentos GM y efectos adversos para la salud. Existe causalidad (es decir, son la causa de las enfermedades), y está confirmada en diversos estudios animales”.

Éstos muestran la estructura y la función del hígado alteradas, incluyendo metabolismo alterado de carbohidratos y lípidos, así como cambios celulares que podrían conducir a la aceleración del envejecimiento y posiblemente llevar a la acumulación de especies reactivas de oxígeno.

También se han documentado cambios en riñón, páncreas y bazo, y problemas de infertilidad, al mostrar una disminución significativa en la descendencia a través del tiempo y un peso significativamente menor de la camada en ratones alimentados con maíz GM. Asimismo, se han detectado daños intestinales.

NOTAS/REFERENCIAS:

• El artículo completo: http://www.informador.com.mx/jalisco/2009/156296/6/organizaciones-advierten-de-la-incursion-de-transgenicos.htm
• La declaración completa de la Academia: http://www.unerdebate.com.ar/blog/2009/06/08/declaracion-academia-americana-de-medicina-ambiental/

Visit: www.tituswillcars.com

November 2009

We, small-scale farmers and fisher peoples, pastoralists, women, youth, indigenous peoples, other social movements and civil society organisations, have taken the challenge together to propose policies and actions that would lead to the eradication of hunger and malnutrition in our world.
We strongly believe that the actions to eradicate hunger and malnutrition must be based on a vision of a world where:

• food sovereignty is recognised and implemented by communities, peoples, states and international institutions;
• all peoples, societies and states determine their own food systems and have policies that ensure availability of sufficient, good quality, affordable, healthy, and culturally appropriate food;
• there is recognition and respect for women’s rights and their crucial contribution to food provision, and representation of women in all decision making bodies;
• terrestrial and aquatic environments and biodiversity are conserved and rehabilitated based on ecologically sustainable management of land, soils, water, seas, seeds, livestock and aquatic organisms;
• the diversity of traditional knowledge, food, language and culture, are all valued and respected;
• the way people organise and express themselves is accepted and peoples’ power to make decisions about their material, natural and spiritual heritage is defended;

We are proposing the policies and actions recognising that hunger and malnutrition have reached outrageous levels in the world today and that this is not accidental. When the prevalence of this scourge is seen in the context of the multiple crises in the world today, it is very clear that existing polices have compounded the problem and that there is a need for a new approach
We have also taken into consideration the known fact that this situation is not a result of a lack of food in the world, as enough food has consistently been produced for decades. Solutions have been, and are being, offered by states and international institutions, in the name of increasing food production and availability, without dealing with the root causes of the multiple crises. They are proposing solutions using the same framework that caused the problems in the first place.

Eradicating hunger and malnutrition requires mechanisms that incorporate social and environmental as well as economic measures. To implement these requires the decisive involvement of the organisations of small-scale food providers and consumers in any policies and programmes designed to address the problems
We welcome the working document, Policies and Actions to Eradicate Hunger and Malnutrition, which outlines our proposals for the needed changes and how these might be realised. The working document contains a number of polices and actions in the following areas:

• Sustainable, ecological food provision and access to territories and natural wealth
• Environment, climate change and agrofuels
• Market, trade, price polices and subsidies
• Ensuring access to adequate food
• Finance, debt and development aid
• Governance

We endorse the summary of the working document annexed to this letter with the conviction that it will be useful for governments and institutions and peoples and their organisations in efforts to eradicate hunger and malnutrition and to ensure the attainment of food sovereignty including the human right to adequate food.
The world does not need to stay locked up in a dead-end that only has the potential to lead us into deeper levels of problems. We therefore urge states and international institutions to work with us – the movements of small-scale farmers and fisher peoples, pastoralists, Indigenous Peoples, other social movements and civil society organisations – in a common endeavour to tackle and end the scourge of hunger and malnutrition.

(This letter and the summary as well as the working document are available online. To sign on, see the list of signatories and download the documents in English, French and Spanish, please go to www.eradicatehunger.org)

Summary of working document on policies and actions
to eradicate hunger and malnutrition

1. Background to the working document

The working document provides proposals for policies and actions to eradicate hunger and malnutrition. It is based on the experiences and political work of social movements, non governmental organisations (NGOs) and others from all over the world during past decades and currently. It is based largely on the food sovereignty framework that embraces the human right to adequate food.

These policies and actions have been prepared to inform governments, institutions and others, who are committed to eradicating hunger and malnutrition. They may also be helpful in discussions on these key issues within and between governments, institutions, social movements and NGOs. And they could be used by social movements, organisations and individuals in all regions as an input to their own proposals at local, national, regional and global levels.

2. Why change is needed

A billion people are hungry because they do not have the means to produce food for themselves or purchase it. The majority of these hungry people are rural small-scale food providers, workers and their families, who are unable to grow sufficient food or earn enough income from their production and labour to meet their food and health needs.

Women are especially hard hit. They are the principle providers of food for their families and communities, playing central roles in food production, processing and preparation. Yet they are subject to multiple forms of social, economic and cultural discrimination, which prevent them from having equality in access to food and control over productive resources and natural wealth.
Hunger and malnutrition are chronic structural problems and worsening in the wake of the food price, financial, energy and climate crises. The food price crisis has hit particularly hard those who depend on markets affected by global prices for their access to food.

Not only have most governments and international institutions failed to reduce hunger and poverty and build on the findings of international processes designed to find ways forward (e.g. the International Assessment of Agricultural Knowledge, Science and Technology for Development – IAASTD), but they have, instead, adopted and implemented policies that have exacerbated the problems.
There is an urgent need to change the power and economic structures and policies that have caused the current crises.

3. Vision

Actions to eradicate hunger and malnutrition must be based on a vision of a world where:
• food sovereignty is recognised and implemented by communities, peoples, states and international institutions;
• all peoples, societies and states determine their own food systems and have policies that ensure availability of sufficient, good quality, affordable, healthy, and culturally appropriate food;
• there is recognition and respect for women’s rights and their crucial contribution to food provision, and representation of women in all decision making bodies;
• terrestrial and aquatic environments and biodiversity are conserved and rehabilitated based on ecologically sustainable management
of land, soils, water, seas, seeds, livestock and aquatic organisms;
• the diversity of traditional knowledge, food, language and culture, are all valued and respected;
• the way people organise and express themselves is accepted and peoples’ power to make decisions about their material, natural and spiritual heritage is defended;

To realise this vision, a series of policies and actions are proposed that address the key issues which are needed to eradicate hunger and malnutrition. These are summarised below.

4. Sustainable food provision

There should be a shift from high input industrial agriculture and livestock production and industrial fisheries towards smaller-scale ecological food provision that secures local livelihoods and strengthens organisations and communities. Ecological food provision conserves nature, rehabilitates and values local and traditional knowledge and uses socially just and appropriate technologies, excluding GMOs. It maximises the contribution of ecosystems and improves resilience and adaptation of production

and harvesting systems, especially important in the face of climate change. Conversion towards smaller-scale ecological food provision requires support. Research systems need to be reframed and use inclusive and participatory methods. Losses post-harvest should be minimised.

Sustainable food provision also requires that gender equity is at the heart of genuine agrarian and aquatic reforms and that all local small-scale food providers – women and men and especially young people, small-scale farmers and fishers, pastoralists, indigenous peoples and workers – have secure access to and control over territories, lands, water, fishing grounds, seed varieties, livestock breeds and fisheries resources. This access should be respected by state and societal actors, in accordance with customary laws, governance and benefits rights. On no account should access to hitherto common property resources be privatized for the benefits of a privileged minority.

5. Environment, climate change and agro fuels

The production of food is increasingly vulnerable due to climate change, ecosystem destruction, loss of biodiversity, land conversion and agrofuel production. Thus, the adaptive ecological systems outlined above, that are more resilient to environmental shocks must be the foundation for environmentally-sound food provision. These systems will better secure food supplies and will also regenerate soil carbon and restore natural and developed habitats for water security.
Production systems must minimise greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs). In all countries GHGs must be kept at or reduced to a sustainable level (about 1 tonne CO2 per capita per year). The most effective way to reduce GHGs in food provision is to localise production and consumption, reduce the use of chemical fertilisers, reduce fossil fuel use and increase energy efficiency, including use of decentralised, alternative energy technologies and systems. To enable people and communities to tackle climate change effectively and sustainably, countries in the North must pay compensation and reparations of at least 1% of annual GDP to countries in the South.

An immediate moratorium on the production, trade and consumption of agrofuels, is called for, together with an in-depth evaluation of their social and environmental costs. This is required because, in general, the use of industrial agrofuels does not reduce GHG emissions and the corporate driven, industrial-scale production of agrofuels is converting land from food production and displacing local communities.

6. Markets, trade and price policies and subsidies

New market, trade and price policies and redirected subsidies that prioritise local and national production and consumption and the needs of people for food, are needed. Government procurement systems, publicly owned and managed food stocks, supply management policies and sound market regulation are essential to guarantee good and stable prices for small-scale food providers and to avoid speculation, hoarding and food price escalation.

Governments and international institutions should not finance and facilitate the operations of agribusiness corporations but should formulate and enact laws to reduce their power and, in the short-term, make them socially, environmentally and economically accountable to the public.

New international trade rules are urgently needed. These should be based on the rights of peoples and their governments to determine their desired levels of self sufficiency, market protection and support for sustainable food provision for domestic consumption. The ongoing negotiations in the World Trade Organisation (WTO), on Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) and Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) should be stopped and all trade and investment agreements that impact negatively on local and national food systems should be revoked.

Equally urgent are the prevention of dumping of low priced imports and a ban on all direct and indirect export subsidies. If available, subsidies should be provided for localised ecological food provision that creates employment, protects the environment and strengthens local and national economies.

7. Ensuring access to adequate food

In addition to the measures outlined above, assuring decent work for all and universal social security nets, especially for those who are most vulnerable, are crucial. Urban food insecurity is also a serious problem that cannot be addressed in isolation from the crisis in the countryside. Hunger and malnutrition in urban areas can be reduced through sustainable food provision through urban and peri-urban farms and gardens, and building “urban-rural linkages” in which cities are fed through sustainable provision from surrounding regions. All these will also drastically reduce the need for emergency food aid and humanitarian actions.

Emergency food aid will, however, still be necessary in the short-term but resources needed must be made available in sufficient quantities and in ways that do not undermine local economies and structures.

Peace, based on justice, civil and political rights, is a precondition for any lasting solution to wars, occupations and conflicts. Special support to people in all areas of conflict is needed to help them to maintain food production and secure access to food.

8. Finance, debt and development aid

Speculation and derivatives trade in sensitive sectors, especially food, agriculture, fisheries, water, weather conditions and climate must be heavily penalised and banned. Equally important is preventing corporate concentration in the insurance, credit and banking sectors. Financial institutions and conglomerates should not be allowed to become “too big to fail.”
The unconditional cancellation of the external debts of countries in the South and immediate dismantling of Structural Adjustment Policies (SAPs) and neoliberal policy regimes are crucial. Also important is repayment by countries in the North of their massive ecological debts and historical exploitation.

Aid donors must immediately fulfil their commitments to pay at least 0.7% of gross national income (GNI) in development assistance, without conditionalities other than programmes supported should be based on the priorities and plans of peoples and communities in the aid receiving countries, in ways that do not create aid dependency. The power of multilateral financial institutions and IFIs over development aid and credits must be removed, and aid programmes and arrangements must be subjected to national and sub-national democratic and public scrutiny.

9. Governance

The world’s food supplies and food producing natural wealth should be governed through transparent and accountable multilateral fora and regional and international agreements that are forged, implemented and monitored democratically with the full participation of people’s organisations and States.

States should promote policies and actions that actively support the measures outlined above that will realise food sovereignty and the progressive realisation of the human right to adequate food. Also, food providers, their communities and their organisations must have rights of access to information about policies, technologies, programmes, agreements, in appropriate and accessible forms.

All international institutions, and especially the Rome-based UN food and agriculture agencies, as well as the Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) must support states to formulate and implement the policies needed to effectively tackle hunger and realise food sovereignty. They should ensure that States have the policy space and political agency to limit and discipline the operations of corporations, as well as protect their domestic food and economic systems from international markets, and trade and investment agreements.

UN agencies, in particular, should actively: implement the recommendations of the International Conference on Agrarian Reform and Rural Development (ICARRD) and IAASTD; promote the adoption of the Covenant 169 of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) on Indigenous Peoples; implement the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UN DRIP); implement the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS); and support the formulation of international conventions that defend the rights of small-scale food providers, including fishing communities and pastoralists, along the lines of the UN DRIP and the proposed International Convention on the Rights of Peasants.

www.eradicatehunger.org

info@eradicatehunger.org

Titus-Will Cars is ready to celebrate the holiday season with a bang! In keeping with the festive mood of kindness, goodwill and giving – Titus-Will is giving their customers the best deals on Hyundai models.  From incentives to finance and payment options, ‘Hyundai Holidays’ at Titus-Will is one grand event for all!

Call: 1.888.226.8688

My husband produced one of the very first auto shows in Winter Park back in 2000, and so my family has always had a fondness for the venue. This is why the Concours d’ Elegance, a premiere auto show, excites us so. After a few down years, where the cars or management were a bit underwhelming, the Concours d’ Elegance returned with a vengeance this year and hit a homerun!

First, the cars were exciting, with many out-of-state entries showcasing true elegance, luxury, or prime vintage examples. Next, the City of Winter Park allowed many of the beautiful autos to be displayed on the green park itself, greatly expanding the flow of the show to a more traditional “art show” feel. By allowing the show to venture past the bricks of Park Avenue, show goers could leisurely make their way, spending even more time gawking at the mobile feast-for-the-eyes of cars and boats. Also, the sponsors and vendors were better quality along with the refurbished Park Avenue storefronts being debuted. The DuPont Registry was also a classy, big-time touch!

Congratulations to Tim Weber and the rest of the Concours d’ Elegance for a top quality, well-attended show!

Parto domattina presto per NYC, cercherò di aggiornare il blog anche da laggiù ma non so se ci riuscirò, spero avrete pazienza e spero di darvi alcune curiosità.

Intanto ecco il mio bagaglio:

“Il bagaglio di un povero o un saggio, poco o niente” (F. Guccini): Jeans Diesel 1 paio, 1 camicia Custò nero e oro, 1 camicia blu a righe Bagutta, 1 blu scura Thomas Pink con gemelli Dupont in onice, un lupetto Luca d’Alteri, un collo pari Bikkembergs e un collo a V Montezemolo, calzini, mutande e canottiere, 1 paio di snakers Bikkembergs, una cravatta Etrò e una Hermes. Per 12 giorni devono bastare (tanto si possono lavare!) Nello zaino Iphone, Nikon d40x con 18-200, navigatore satellitare NAvman con mappe America (andiamo a Atlantic City e Washington), 5 libri (2 di Conan Doyle, Poe, S. Van Dine, Cioran) 10 sigari toscani, un Dupont extend mini, occhiali da sole G. Ferrè, penna usb 64 gb, penna per scheda SD e Pastiglie Santa Maria Novella

Gobierno mexicano se rinde ante Monsanto

Los gobiernos panistas no sólo autorizan a la agroindustria trasnacional la siembra de maíz transgénico, sino que le otorgan casi 200 millones de pesos en estímulos fiscales. Monsanto, Híbridos Pioneer, Dupont y Dow Agrosciences obtienen 21 permisos y más de media centena de proyectos de inversión tecnológica, revelan documentos oficiales. No importó a las autoridades federales que México sea país de origen de una semilla que es patrimonio de la humanidad ni que se coloque en riesgo inminente a 31 de las 59 razas de maíz mexicano

Fabricante del Agente Naranja –herbicida utilizado en la guerra de Vietnam para la destrucción de cosechas y vegetación–, Monsanto obtiene la mayoría de los permisos solicitados por las industrias agropecuarias ante la Secretaría de Agricultura, Ganadería, Desarrollo Rural, Pesca y Alimentación (Sagarpa), para la siembra experimental de maíz transgénico en los campos mexicanos.

Además, la empresa originaria de Saint Louis, Missouri, Estados Unidos, ha sido beneficiada –junto con Híbridos Pioneer, Dupont y Dow Agrosciences– con casi 200 millones de pesos en “estímulos fiscales” durante las administraciones de Vicente Fox Quesada y Felipe Calderón Hinojosa, revelan documentos oficiales.

El 29 de octubre pasado, las empresas Monsanto, Dow Agrosciences y PHI México fueron notificadas que sus patentes podrán ser sembradas de “modo experimental” en tierras de Sonora, Chihuahua, Tamaulipas y Sinaloa, según muestra el Estatus de solicitudes de maíz 2009, emitido por la Dirección de Bioseguridad para Organismos Genéticamente Modificados (OGM), dependiente de la Sagarpa.

En estos estados, indica la organización ambientalista Greenpeace México, se encuentran 31 de las 59 razas de maíz que existen en México, lo que expone al riesgo de contaminación transgénica al 52 por ciento de las semillas originarias del país.

Las resoluciones se dieron apenas siete meses después de que Dow Agrosciences y PHI México manifestaran formalmente su interés por sembrar el organismo genéticamente modificado DAS-01507-1. Se aprobó la siembra de la patente en el Valle del Yaqui, Sonora, donde también se encuentran unas nueve variedades del maíz nativo de México.

En un comparativo de la lista de solicitudes de la Sagarpa, con el mapa de los territorios de los pueblos indígenas y las razas y variedades del maíz que existen en ellos (contenido en la edición Maíz transgénico en México, riesgos y costumbres de la revista Ciencias, de la Facultad de Ciencias de la Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México), se puede observar que en el Valle del Yaqui, Sonora, donde se encuentra asentada la población indígena con el mismo nombre, existe el Maíz Blando de Sonora, Chapalote, Dulce Norteño, Dulce, Dulcillo Noreste, Elotes Occidentales, Harinoso, Onaveño, San Juan y Tuxpeño.

Eduardo Pérez Pico, representante de Monsanto México, dice en entrevista con Contralínea que cada uno de los permisos avalados por la dependencia que encabeza Francisco Mayorga Castañeda y la Secretaría de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales (Semarnat), a cargo de Juan Rafael Elvira Quezada, costarán a la agroindustria cerca de 1 millón de pesos por proyecto.

El ingeniero agrónomo, egresado del Instituto Tecnológico de Monterrey, anuncia que “si las investigaciones avanzan pronto”, la etapa comercial podría iniciar en tres años, con una inversión inicial de 400 millones de dólares, de los que Monsanto pretende asumir unos 250 millones de dólares.

Negocio redondo

Además del mercado de negoc

ios que significa México para la agroindustria, el gobierno federal ha financiado a tres de las grandes en el ramo. Desde el primer año de la administración foxista, las trasnacionales han obtenido estímulos fiscales del Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (Conacyt), que preside el guanajuatense Juan Carlos Romero Hicks, hasta por 193 millones 859 mil 598 pesos.

Información publicada en el Diario Oficial de la Federación indica que los “estímulos”, otorgados bajo el pretexto de inversión en innovación tecnológica, iniciaron en 2001 con tres proyectos de la empresa Híbridos Pioneer de México, que significaron al erario 10 millones 927 mil 500 pesos.

Los montos y las participaciones fueron en aumento anualmente y, de los más de 10 millones registrados el primer año, se pasaron a los 12 millones 131 mil 642 pesos en 2002 para PHI México –empresa de Dupont, además de representante y subsidiaria de Pioneer Hi-bred Int–; 11 millones 545 mil 891 pesos en 2003 y otros 13 millones 994 mil 763 pesos en 2004.

Es en 2005 cuando las ahora

permisionadas por el gobierno federal, Dow Agrosciences y Monsanto se allegan de “estímulos fiscales” por 20 millones 447 mil 766 pesos, mediante 15 proyectos de investigación. En el penúltimo año de la gestión de Vicente Fox, el proyecto que más recursos representó a la hacienda pública fue el de “Desarrollo de líneas puras y producción de híbridos experimentales de Maíz (Invernadero)”, que costó a la hacienda 7 millones 782 mil 861 pesos.

Durante el año de transición de la administración de Fox a la de Calderón, las trasnacionales obtuvieron un incremento global superior a los 11 millones de pesos. De los más de 20 millones de 2005, los estímulos se incrementaron a 31 millones 666 mil 153 pesos. Y, aunque las cifras indican que PHI fue la que obtuvo mayores beneficios, con 21 millones 442 mil 51 pesos, Monsanto también incrementó sus “apoyos” al pasar de 5 millones 780 mil 906 pesos a 7 millones 978 mil 795 pesos en un año fiscal.

Anualmente la empresa de Saint Louis ganaba mayores recursos, que pudieron ingresar a las arcas de la hacienda pública vía impuestos, pues la primera productora de semillas a nivel mundial era estimulada con recursos millonarios. De acuerdo con el informe publicado en el Diario Oficial de la Federación, con fecha del 3 de marzo de 2008, SAM750414HN4-2007-2 fue el proyecto que mayores beneficios tuvo, con 5 millones 374 mil 154 pesos. No obstante, ninguna de las claves de Monsanto, que aparecen registradas en las listas oficiales, especifica cuál fue el uso de los recursos.

El salto cuantitativo se dio durante 2008 y 2009, cuando las exenciones para las empresas de la agroindustria se centraron en Monsanto y Dow Agrosciences. Ambas acapararon 30 millones 896 mil 157 pesos. Del segundo año de la administración de Felipe Calderón al primer semestre del año en curso alcanzaron la suma de 26 millones 263 mil 532 pesos.

Adelita San Vicente Tello, ingeniera agrónoma por la Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana y representante de la asociación civil Semillas de Vida, critica la entrega de “estímulos fiscales” a la agroindustria, pues “la tecnología de Monsanto ha sido muy cuestionada en los mercados europeos, donde se les ha impedido la entrada. Además, es absurdo que hablen de una inversión cuando es el gobierno quien les está financiando investigación a través del Conacyt, en tanto que el campo permanece en abandono. Lo que ellos buscan es apropiarse de los recursos genéticos de nuestras semillas”.

Sin embargo, para el representante de Monsanto, Eduardo Pérez Pico, los apoyos sirven para “invertir en el desarrollo de la tecnología que pueda tener el país y así redituar en el mismo”. Dice que todo lo que a la fecha ha invertido Monsanto en investigación está dedicado a maíces convencionales, sorgo, algodón, soya y otro tipo de cultivos donde desarrollan mejoramiento genético.

Los permisos y el juicio

De acuerdo con los 21 permisos autorizados por la Sagarpa y la Semarnat –hasta el 29 de octubre pasado–, nueve corresponden al interés de Monsanto, el resto representa una asociación entre las empresas Dow Agrosciences y PHI México. No obstante, la patente MON, propiedad intelectual de Monsanto, aparece en 17 de las peticiones, bajo la solicitud de sus supuestas competidoras en el ramo de la agroindustria.

Este tipo de prácticas, donde Monsanto promueve su patente a través de otras compañías, ha llevado a la empresa a los tribunales estadunidenses. De acuerdo con información del periodista Christopher Leonard, de la agencia internacional de noticias The Associated Press (AP), el Departamento de Justicia en Saint Louis, Missouri, investiga si “Monsanto ha violado las normas de defensa de la competencia en su intento por ampliar su dominio del mercado de los cultivos genéticamente modificados”.

“Los cuestionamientos son sobre cómo la compañía de semillas más grande del mundo vende y otorga licencias de sus genes patentados. Monsanto tiene acuerdos de licencia con empresas de semillas que permiten a dichas empresas insertar genes de Monsanto en el 96 por ciento de los cultivos de soya de Estados Unidos, y el 80 por ciento de todos los cultivos de maíz. Los rivales de Monsanto alegan que la empresa utiliza los acuerdos de licencia para exprimir a sus competidores y controlar a las empresas más pequeñas de semillas, acusación que Monsanto niega”, informa el periodista especialista en agronegocios.

Entre las empresas que han entablado juicios contra Monsanto se encuentran Syngenta y Dupont, quienes “han alegado que violan la ley de competencia de Estados Unidos. Syngenta presentó su demanda en 2004 y resolvió el caso el año pasado. Dupont presentó una demanda el pasado verano, el caso está pendiente en un tribunal federal en San Luis”, dice AP.

Pérez Pico, director de desarrollo de tecnologías y asuntos regulatorios para Monsanto en Latinoamérica Norte, dice desconocer del juicio que lleva la empresa en Estados Unidos; no obstante, confía en que las autoridades “sabrán llevar el caso”.

Contaminación transgénica

Además de la permanencia de la patente, en los permisos de las empresas ajenas a Monsanto, los representantes de las organizaciones civiles que se oponen a la siembra experimental de transgénicos señalan que las autorizaciones se han otorgado en zonas donde prevalecen las semillas nativas del maíz; en consecuencia, advierten, existe el riesgo de perder especies en el norte del país a causa de la contaminación transgénica o “flujo génico” como lo llama la agroindustria.

Las autorizaciones de Sagarpa y Semarnat, publicadas por la Dirección de Bioseguridad para OGM, indican que las autorizaciones se dieron en el Valle del Yaqui, Huatabampo, San Ignacio Río Muerto, Cajeme y Bácum, Sonora; Cuahutémoc y Delicias, Jiménez, Chihuahua; Río Bravo y Díaz Ordaz, Tamaulipas; y Los Mochis, Culiacán, Angostura, Novolato, Ahome y Guasave, Sinaloa.

En esta zona se encuentra el Maíz Blando de Sonora, Chapalote, Dulce Norteño, Dulce, Dulcillo Noreste, Elotes Occidentales, Harinoso, Onaveño, San Juan y Tuxpeño, entre otras especies.

Aleira Lara, coordinadora de la Campaña Agricultura Sustentable y Transgénicos de Greenpeace México, indica que es imposible la coexistencia de cultivos transgénicos con convencionales y orgánicos. “Esto se agudiza aún más si hablamos de la liberación al medio ambiente en el centro de origen y diversidad genética del maíz, México, pues tenemos las plantas madre, 59 razas, cerca de 200 variedades adaptadas a nuestras tierras. Esta riqueza genética es lo que se está poniendo en riesgo con la introducción de maíz transgénico”.

Hasta el momento, la organización ambientalista tiene documentados casos de contaminación de transgénicos en Oaxaca, Sinaloa, Tamaulipas, Puebla, Veracruz, Yucatán, Guanajuato, Distrito Federal, y Chihuahua, por lo que “es realmente una mentira que el gobierno mexicano diga que se va a preservar nuestra riqueza genética cuando ya tenemos casos de contaminación”.

La ambientalista dice que a partir de las importaciones que el gobierno mexicano hace de Estados Unidos, se inicia una fuente de contaminación, ya que Estados Unidos no segrega sus cultivos convencionales de sus cultivos transgénicos, y “el maíz forrajero que estamos sembrando viene revuelto con estas variedades genéticamente modificadas”.

Aleira Lara critica que en México no hay un sistema de rastreabilidad que señale si el maíz que se está importando para la alimentación de ganado vaya destinado específicamente a ello; de lo contrario, “va a tener fugas de transgénicos”.

“El cultivo del maíz es de los más promiscuos porque tiene polinización abierta; las ráfagas de viento pueden trasladar el polen de un cultivo transgénico a uno no transgénico y contaminarlo. Éste ha sido el problema con la posible coexistencia.

“En México no sólo existe ese factor de polinización abierta, sino que nuestros campesinos tienen la práctica común de intercambiar sus mejores semillas para irlas mejorando. Ése es el mejoramiento tradicional entre variedades de una misma especie. Gracias a ello, hay variedades resistentes a cualquier variación agronómica”, explica.

Herbicida asesino

Para Eduardo Pérez Pico, director de desarrollo de tecnologías y asuntos regulatorios para Monsanto en Latinoamérica Norte, la oposición de las organizaciones sociales, campesinas y ambientalistas no tiene razón de ser, pues hay que abrir paso a la tecnología.

Monsanto, dice, ha venido operando en el país desde hace 50 años en diferentes negocios, y de 2000 a la fecha se ha convertido en una empresa ciento por ciento dedicada a la agricultura. “El maíz es uno de los cultivos más importantes para México y hoy en día tenemos participación importante en las semillas mejoradas de híbridos que los agricultores utilizan en muchas partes del país”, presume.

No obstante, la empresa que ahora dice querer ayudar al campesinado mexicano tuvo un pasado oscuro con la fabricación del herbicida llamado Agente Naranja. Documentos desclasificados del gobierno estadunidense, que posee Contralínea, muestran la demanda interpuesta por los veteranos de la guerra de Vietman contra Monsanto y otras empresas del ramo.

Bajo el expediente 05-1953-CV, la Asociación de los Veteranos de Guerra denunció a Down Chemical, Uniroyal, Hercules, Diamond Shamrock, Thompson Chemical, TH y Monsanto por la fabricación del llamado Agente Naranja, químico que causó cerca de 400 mil muertos y otros 500 mil nacimientos de niños con malformaciones.

Los demandantes son el ex Viet Cong, soldados de Vietnam del Norte y los ciudadanos vietnamitas. “Ellos buscan la recuperación de las lesiones supuestamente sufridas como resultado de las operaciones militares durante la guerra de Vietnam, en la que los Estados Unidos utilizó el Agente Naranja y herbicidas similares para la defoliación y la destrucción de los cultivos”, dice el documento.

Oportunidad de negocio

Con el argumento que querer ayudar a los campesinos mexicanos, la agroindustria inicia con la siembra experimental de transgénicos. No obstante, Víctor Suárez Carrera, dirigente de la Asociación Nacional de Empresas Comercializadoras del Campo, indica que la entrada de las trasnacionales a los campos mexicanos representa un negocio de 300 o 400 millones de dólares por semilla de maíz transgénico.

Las cifras corresponden a los cálculos del empleado de la trasnacional, Pérez Pico, quien indica que esperan obtener un mercado con 280 millones de dólares y cerca de 2 millones de campesinos productores de maíz, ubicados en el norte del país.

Esta decisión, dice Suárez Carrera, “representa la forma en la que la actual administración se desenvuelve. No como servidores públicos ni secretarios de Estado, sino como agentes de ventas de Monsanto. Es preocupante ver cómo en México se están tomando estas decisiones de grave impacto social, económico y ambiental, y que incluso pueden representar daños irreversibles”.

Los hombres de maíz

Alfredo López Austi

n, historiador especialista de la antigua religión mesoamericana e investigador del Instituto de Investigaciones Antropológicas de la Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), dice que el maíz para los mexicanos no sólo es el sustento económico, sino parte de su cosmovisión, es la vida misma.

“El maíz es el alimento principal de los mexicanos, pero a partir de ello adquiere un sentido en todos los ámbitos de la vida. Por ejemplo, en la cosmovisión viene a ser una de las figuras más importantes para representar el árbol cósmico, el eje del mundo y en relación con el hombre viene a ser el paradigma para la vida del ser humano: es la semilla”, dice el exconferencista en París en la Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales.

El investigador universitario explica que como país de origen y diversificación genética de por lo menos el 15.4 por ciento de las especies que componen el sistema alimentario mundial, México tiene responsabilidad de preservar las especies, por lo que la autorización de siembra experimental de maíz transgénico podría representar grandes pérdidas.

“Esto va a afectar la cosmovisión y nuestros intereses económicos, porque el campesino se verá seriamente afectado. La cultura no se crea de la nada, no es producto de la intención del hombre, descansa en la vida cotidiana, es el arma que tiene el ser humano para vivir, defenderse como individuo inserto en colectividades de distintas dimensiones; el maíz es parte de ello”.

El académico del Instituto de Investigaciones Antropológicas de la UNAM indica que en la cultura maya, como en otras culturas indígenas, se cree que el hombre nace de la pasta del maíz; los huastecos repiten lo mismo. Toda la geometría del cosmos no es nada más una curiosidad, sino un esquema con que el hombre está construyendo los elementos particulares de su propia interpretación del mundo en el que vive y de sí mismo, “todo esto está impregnado por el maíz”. (ER)

Concentrado anual de los estímulos fiscales a la agroindustria

Fuente: Conacyt

Tabla 2

Fuente: Conacyt

Distribución de las razas y algunas variedades de maíz en los territorios de los pueblos indígenas

Fuente: revista Ciencias, número 92-93, octubre de 2008-marzo de 2009, Facultad de Ciencias de la UNAM

Autor: Érika Ramírez

http://contralinea.info

This past week Neil, Warren, Kim and I spent the week in Vegas for the SEMA Show where we debuted the 2010 Tjin Edition Camaro SS in the Air Lift. Overall it was a good week seeing a lot of old friends and making some new but I think I could have been done with the show by mid week… anyways, here are some pictures of the Camaro and the rest will be up tomorrow.

Oh yeah, the won the GM Design Award for “Best GM Vehicle” at SEMA!

The super cool Real World house in the Dupont neighborhood of D.C.

I loathe checking my email.  I really do.  Because usually it just disappoints me by reminding me about my paper due the next day that I haven’t started or how my favorite band is playing the weekend that I happen to be going home.  So when I saw one with a subject line that read: “Cool opportunity in DC,” I eagerly opened it, only to realize that this was not a cool opportunity… this was an AMAZING, TOTALLY AWESOME, opportunity.

I was going to get to meet the Real World cast!

When word spread around GW that The Real World would be filming here, the student body went a little crazy. It’s all anyone could talk about. Where would they be living? Where would they be partying? How would we get an invite back to the swanky MTV pad?  I had been trying to spot these reality stars since September, but clearly my embarrassingly impressive stalking skills applied solely to Facebook, as I had no success tracking down any of the members.

But then I was offered the chance to meet and interview them! There was no way I’d be passing that up.

After two days of endless bragging and obnoxious excitement, it was time to go to the house.   Expecting to meet the stereotypical Real-Worlders – the “jock”, the “nice guy” the “party girl” the “bisexual”-  I stepped into the brownstone mansion in Dupont, and “seven strangers” eagerly greeted me. And I mean strangers. This cast was totally unlike any cast I’d ever seen in the 22 previous seasons of the show.

Perhaps influenced by their surroundings, the D.C. cast of The Real World was more real, involved and inspiring than ever before. Living in the heart of social and political change seemed to add an entirely new dimension to the housemates, and, for once, I think this 23^rd season of the Real World might be a little bit different than the others.  The idea that younger generations have become increasingly more involved and engaged in what’s happening in the country is clearly portrayed in these cast members as they’ve taken advantage of the endless opportunities the city offers, pursued their passions, worked for amazing organizations, achieved their goals and formed new perspectives on life and how to go about living it.

Allow me to introduce you to a few of the D.C. kids:

Josh:
By far my favorite of the bunch, Josh walked in sporting a black beater, tattoos coating his body and noticeable scars on his face.  But there was a whole lot more to him than his bad-boy appearance.  Josh blew me away with all of his ambitions, passion and excitement. I first asked him his thoughts on my “home” town. “DC is such a happening place, so driven for change,” Josh said.

D.C., it seems, is just like him. Between performing in his band, Funk Hop Rock, (a mix of Red Hot Chili Peppers and the Roots), working on making his vampire movie idea a reality, bartending, and hanging out with Spike from Top Chef to boost his cooking skills, Josh was constantly on the go.  He felt so privileged to be able to experience his Real World time in D.C. and wanted to take advantage of it as best he could.

Mike:

The biggest thing about Mike is his strong belief in taking advantage of everything that life has to offer.  When asked if he would consider appearing on Road Rules in the future, he said he has no concrete plan, so if offered the opportunity, then why not? “Fear Factor was my favorite show growing up.  I said to my mom, I’m going to be that guy eating a grasshopper.”

But there’s much more to this guy than his daredevil and spontaneous ways.  Mike also interns  for the Human Rights Campaign, the largest civil rights organization working to achieve lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality. He also works for Energy Action Coalition, a nonprofit organization that builds youth and student clean energy movement.

Emily:
Much like the cast members before her, Emily was full of energy and a desire to explore all of life’s offerings.  “I have life A.D.D.,” she explained, saying how she loves taking risks, and literally Googles new and adventurous things to do in DC.  When she’s not rock-climbing, glassblowing, jet skiing, writing poetry, planning benefit concerts, or mapping out trips to Uganda and Argentina, she is volunteering for African Action, an organization that works to change U.S. foreign policy to support African struggles for peace and development.

Her experience on the show has taught her that “its okay not to be figured out, life is about figuring yourself out, being figured out is so boring.”

Despite their different backgrounds, goals and passions, all of the Real World D.C. cast members exhibit one similarity, which Josh pretty much summed up:  “We’re not just people in our 20’s who like to party and have sex, we are trying to make a difference.”

After meeting the cast and being totally inspired by them I am extremely interested to actually watch the show. Will these cast members use their time in D.C. to actually motivate the viewers, or will MTV cut and splice them into flat, dramatic characters like every other season? Will they roam the city using their opportunities for good, or will they party all night and get into fights?

I’m hopeful this will be a new chapter in the Real World saga, but I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.

Real World, D.C. premieres December 30^th! Will you be watching?

In this clip, Gary Spangler of DuPont’s E-Marketing team argues that while the internet landscape has changed numerous business models, many fundamentals remain the same and he reminds the audience that companies don’t buy products, people do.

I particularly liked his advice to companies to reuse old video clips for their social media campaigns. With so much content on YouTube, we forget that it’s a drop in the bucket compared to what’s shown on TV and what’s archived at so many companies. I wonder if that’s part of Google’s plan also to catalog every piece of available video, just like it is with books/publications.

Here are two videos, one finished up and one build up, of the 2010 Tjin Edition Camaro SS.

Here’s the video that the boys at PM Lifestyle, Sir Joey Redmond and Mister Jason Small put together:

[vimeo]http://vimeo.com/7384393[/vimeo]

… and here’s the build up video:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jt6Zv0oU1vw[/youtube]

SO…. as an apology, I cannot update you about the hair sitch because I NEVER WENT! A few of my friends talked me out of darkening my medium-blonde locks for the winter, and in the name of saving a couple bucks I thought I would continue to pull off the heroin chic look I have been rocking.

Anyways… Halloween tomorrow, and my first in DC. Let’s be honest, I am not wildly crazy about Halloween and not sure where I fit in on this scene, but I will vaguely attempt to describe my options.
George/City Museum Party: Great. Pay $60 for “open bar”, which consists of me, standing in a pumpkin costume at the bar for 45 minutes while the bartender continually serves the girl in the “slutty beer wench costume’. PASS

Nightmare on M Street: Again, pay $20 to….go to bars that don’t have cover charges. Hm. Dupont is by far my favorite area for going out, in terms of douchebag-to-normal-human ratio, but pub crawls were never my thing. Just ask anyone about the Santa Pub Crawl in NYC, and it will explain why my image of Santa Claus is forever tainted.

Chancing a random bar: I did this last year in NYC and it totally worked. Dive bars are fun for Halloween and the crowd can either be awesome or totally the types of guys that molest people on the subway. Yeah, I’m STILL upset about that. What is Bloomberg doing about this?

House Parties: I think these may be my best bet. What’s better than bringing some crisp Bud heavies to a cramped Georgetown rowhouse and getting weird with all your friends? Not much, kids. Not much

“4-QUARTER CHANGE is Bigger than Presidents. It’s Bigger than Congress. It’s Bigger than Hip Hop. It’s deeper than You think. The new single from El*A*Kwents!!!

DuPont is a company that is using social media the right way. DuPont uses science to make things like fireproof suits and bulletproof vests – and they have to test this stuff.
Shows like Myth Busters keep a stable audience, and Dupont’s Science Story videos are a lot like the television show. Even though they started sharing their test videos two years ago, and still have a steady audience. Gary Spangler, the E-Marketing leader at DuPont says the average person was spending eight minutes on the site – when they only had five videos average three minutes in length. In other words, people liked the videos and watched more than one.
Spangler says the goal was to target younger audiences who don’t necessarily use traditional media outlets. I think this is a great way to get an otherwise unknown brand in front of young people. A lot of companies try to do this, but not as successfully. I think DuPont found the right videos and used the right platforms.

Hear more at AdAge.

One of the Science Stories:

Headed to Dupont Circle last night to watch these guys race in high heels. They hold it every year the Tue before Halloween.. It was hilarious to watch!

With Good Company (an old coworker) the night was a success! Plus I laughed so hard I’m surprised I didn’t come prepared wearing depends..

J M Pennifeather have been selling ST Dupont pens for a number of years now. The new Caprice Moka pen by Dupont pens is a very welcome addition to our already popular range. It has a sophisticated look and feel and the gorgeous coffee colour was developed to match one of the most classic colours worn by women, the beige of the Trench Coat.

This is a feminine pen with it’s genuine mother of pearl rectangle inlays and beautiful highly polished Palladium trims. This pen is available as a fountain pen, rollerball and ballpoint/pencil.

To View the ST Dupont Caprice Moka pens visit our website.

A través del boletín de noticias de OMAL, me ha llegado la entrevista realizada por Altermundo a Silvia Ribeiro, investigadora y coordinadora de programas del Grupo ETC en México además de una de las mayores expertas en transgénicos y nuevas tecnologías, concentración corporativa, propiedad intelectual, derechos indígenas y campesinos.

Aunque la entrevista en Altermundo está en gallego, una versión en castellano se encuentra disponible desde Rebelión. La entrevista es extensa, pero trata varios temas muy interesantes:

-El monopolio / oligopolio que jercen las multinacionales sobre la cadena alimentaria.

-El sistema alimentario neoliberal, industrializado y ajeno al entorno en el que se desarrolla, ha creado y seguirá creando, enfermedades y alimentos poco nutritivos.

-Las vacunas para la gripe porcina, gripe aviar, etc etc no son más que una transferencia gigantesca de fondos públicos a manos privadas, precisamente a aquellas que son responsables directas de estas enfermedades.

-El uso que se está haciendo de nuevas tecnologías como los transgénicos, la nanotecnología, la biología sintética, geoingeniaría… es tremendamente peligroso para el planeta, y aún así, no se está aplicando el principio de precaución. No sólo eso,  los motivos que están detrás de todas estas iniciativas no son el desarrollo humano, o los conocimientos, sino simple y llanamente el lucro económico a corto plazo de sus desarrolladores, que son, obviamente, empresas transnacionales.

-Multinacionales como Monsanto, Dupont, Syngenta… actuan, en palabras de Silvia Ribeiro, como autenticas  “buitres del hambre”, convirtiendo una de las mayores tragedias de la humanidad en beneficios económicos para sus accionistas.

En fin, si teneis algo de tiempo merece mucho la pena leer la entrevista completa.

Killkeny