Photograph by Denise Blasor

FARM ALERT


The new farm bill currently under consideration by the U.S. Congress

is a massive piece of legislation of far reaching impact that covers farm
supports, conservation, forestry, energy policy, organic food production,
international food aid, and food assistance programs such as food stamps.
In the end, it has plenty to do with the food you eat.

There are many troubling aspects about the House version of this bill,  according
to the Environmental Working Group (EWG) a non-profit, non-partisan research
organization. The legislation, as EWG points out, would:

-- repeal the program that helps farmers to certify that crops meet organic standards.

--cut nutrition assistance programs (including food stamps, WIC, school lunches)
 by $16 billion over 10 years.

--cut $6 billion from conservation programs that benefit farmers and help keep air
and water clean.

--eliminate common-sense rules that protect water from pesticides.

--give big handouts to Big Ag. Big subsidized growers would get higher price
guarantees for their crops, driving more tax dollars to mega-farms rather than to
small family farms struggling for survival.

--exempt genetically-engineered crops from environmental reviews and set
arbitrary deadlines on regulators.

Why should this concern you? Pesticides, clean water and air are
fundamental issues that should concern everyone, if for no other reason that
they have long-term effects on people's health. With demand for organic farming
growing stronger, it would seem pertinent for the government to retain, not
repeal, programs that assist farmers to meet organic standards that help
guarantee crops are grown properly, that is without the use of synthetic
hormones, fertilizers or fungicides. As for genetically-engineered crops,
this is an area of fierce contention nowadays with some people supporting
this new science as the answer to increasing food production worldwide
while other are strongly opposed because of fears over the long-term effects
of tinkering with the genetic makeup of mother Nature and cross contamination
of organic crops. Regardless of whether you are a GE partisans or a
detractor, surely most people will agree that regulation is an important
and necessary aspect of doing business; giving companies carte blanche to
act as they will has never proven wise.

The GE farming additions to the farm bill would enable biotech companies
to rush new crops to market "after only a cursory review of their safety,"
according to a story in think progress,  a political blog that espouses
progressive ideas and policies.  In effect, said the story, environmental law
would not apply under the bill. "Review of GE crop impacts under the
National Environmental Policy Act, Endangered Species Act, or any
other environmental law is outlawed."Also, the bill gives USDA sole
authority on GE crops, "immunizing applications from review by other
federal agencies or outside groups."And it would force USDA to
approve or deny any application  within one year or the GE crop gets
automatic approval.

Just to be on the safe side, the biotech industry also successfully lobbied for a
rider in the U.S. House 2013 Agriculture Appropriations bill (now referred to
as the Monsanto rider after the company in the forefront of GE farming) that
would allow GE crops to be planted even when courts rule that the U.S.
Department of Agriculture has approved them illegally.

Genetic engineering is a new science which makes it all the more pertinent
that it be carefully regulated and reviewed before new crops are allowed to be
grown for mass consumption, no matter how long such a review might take.
The new Farm Bill would better serve the American public by strengthening
the GE  crop vetting process instead of giving biotech companies an easy
pass to obtain required government approvals. It would seem that the farm
bill seeks to advance the interests of biotech companies at the expense of
the public safety and for this it deserves strong condemnation. House action
on the bill is expected sometime around July 23. EWG is among the groups
leading the charge against the bill and is encouraging people to tell their
congressmen to reject the bill (check the site's "take action" section). Or, if
you are sufficiently incensed, go to SignOn.org which also is running a
campaign against the bill. Use the search box to locate the Stop the Monsanto
rider petition.

PHOTOGRAPH BY DENISE BLASOR
WHERE DO WE COME FROM?
WHAT ARE WE?
WHERE ARE WE GOING?
PAUL GAUGUIN

TAKE WHAT IS YOURS

The economy needs help; the theater does too. So if you live in New York or
happen to be in the Big Apple between July 18 and July 21, head to the Living
Theater on Clinton Street for a memorable night of drama and spectacle.

The play is "Take What Is Yours" and it is a riveting

re-imagining of the suffragist movement's struggle to
get women the right to vote. It retells this amazing
story through the words of one of the movement's leaders,

Alice Paul © Wikipedia

Alice Paul. After leading peaceful protests for six months
in front of the White House, Paul was arrested and sent
to prison for seven months where she led a hunger strike,
was put in solitary confinement, was force fed, and interrogated in an attempt to discredit her as a leader and derail the nation's first successful civil disobedience campaign.

This marvelous production,  a collaboration between
Erica Fae and Jill A. Samuels, retells this shameful
yet inspiring episode in American history in a straightforward but very imaginative way. What might otherwise have turned out into a stultified period drama is
made thoroughly exciting and engrossing through innovative staging that relies on an interactive set, projections of historical pictures, sound effects combined with a clever alternative to traditional theater drapes. Instead of curtains, a series of rectangular panels are used to narrow or expand the focus of what is happening on stage so that the audience gets the impression of looking through the view finder of a camera....or history. Ms. Fae, who portrays Alice Paul, is a potent performer who relies heavily on physical
movement and vocal modulation to give life to her feisty character.  Take What Is Yours,
which had a successful run uptown, returns for six shows as part of the underground zero
festival.

The Living Theater is located at 21 Clinton St., between Houston and Stanton Streets.
212.792.8050


TAKE WHAT IS YOURS
July 18-21 at 7:30 p.m
July 21 at 4 p.m and 7:30 p.
July 22 at 5 p.m.

for more information visit: 

http://takewhatisyours.wordpress.com/

Photograph by Denise Blasor

Love don't make things nice - it ruins everything.

It breaks your heart. It makes things a mess.

We aren't here to make things perfect.

The snowflakes are perfect.

The stars are perfect.

Not us.

Not us!

We are here to ruin ourselves

and to break our hearts and love

the wrong people and die.

-- Moonstruck--

☛   © 2012 Lorraine Blasor All Rights Reserved☂