According to statistics released by the US Department of Agriculture earlier this month, 31 percent of the managed honeybee colonies died in the winter. Since fruiting is dependent on fertilization, a result of pollination, honeybee decline can impact agriculture. We can directly link honeybees to one out of every three bites of food that we put on our table.

Here’s a cool new toy. A popular article on Forbes today details a new smart phone app called “Buycott,” which is catching the attention of shoppers who want to make sure their money spent on groceries and other basic products isn’t enriching corporations with bad records on social and environmental responsibility.

As the United States Supreme Court decides the limits (or lack thereof) of patenting life, Monsanto is positioning itself to dominate the gene market. After a lengthy legal battle with DuPont and subsequent settlement, Monsanto will likely become the largest Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) company in the world.

Hope and change strikes again. A provision many are dubbing the “Monsanto Protection Act” was covertly inserted into the Agricultural Appropriations Bill that President Obama signed Tuesday. The provision protects genetically modified food interests from litigation.

My great uncle was one of the original chemists of Monsanto… the boss had no money for the payroll and he paid them in shares… my great aunt had to work in a sweatshop for two years so that they could eat…. they all ended up rich. In those days there was a rotating board of directors, so every so often my relative, like the other original chemists, was chairman of the board…only in America, eh what? He was a lovely old guy, when I was a little kid.

Well, just a second here. I’m all in favor of being open-minded and pursuing the truth no matter where it leads, but the type of gut-instinct opposition to GMO that Lynas now decries isn’t nearly the same thing as the fiercely defiant ignorance (usually appealing to tribal resentments) we see conservatives use to rationalize otherwise indefensible policies like rejecting action on climate change — an example that Lynas uses to defend his shift in views.

I see we’re moving beyond “spare the rod, spoil the child” now. A batsh*t dude running to serve in the Arkansas legislature, former Monsanto research biologist Charlie Fuqua, has written a book with some interesting parental tips…of course it’s from the “Biblical perspective.” I sh*t you not:

Monsanto and others who market genetically modified plant seeds appear eager to promote themselves as the solution droughts. But if our burned planet forces us to use GMOs because only those crops will stand up to the heat and lack of water, the least that we can do is to inform the public of what they’re eating. California will have a ballot measure in November that would force mandatory labeling of GMOs on all food product that use them.

A variety of links to articles/interviews/speeches/videos on current issues that may be of interest.

A variety of links to articles/interviews/speeches on current issues that may be of interest.