Fw: Worldwatch: Farming's New Feudalism, Live Discussions, & More

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-----Forwarded Message----- Worldwatch Institute Apr 13, 2005 4:44 AM Undisclosed-Recipients:; Worldwatch: Farming's New Feudalism, Live Discussions, & More

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Contents

- World Watch Magazine: May/June 2005

- Worldwatch Live Online Discussions

- National Environmental Education Week - Free Worldwatch Timeline!

- National Geographic's Strange Days on Planet Earth

- Events

 

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Good Stuff?

Electricity: Green Power—An Electrifying Choice

 

Matters of Scale

Chemical Warfare

Maximum safe level of perchlorate, the main ingredient of rocket and missile fuel, in drinking water0.03 micrograms per kg of body weight

Perchlorate found in leafy vegetables grown in California with irrigation water contaminated by leaks or dumping from military contractors4,490.00 micrograms per kg of produce (More...)

 

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Worldwatch Institute: April 13, 2005

 

World Watch Magazine: May/June 2005

"The privitization of seed is but one part of the steady consolidation of economic power throughout agriculture," writes Robert Schubert in "Farming's New Feudalism." Also, in "When Good Corporations Go Bad," the first in a series, Worldwatch researcher Erik Assadourian looks at the evolution of the modern corporation by comparing its relationship to society with the mutualism and parasitism found in nature. In "Green Guidance," find out which everyday chemicals in sun blocks, insect repellents, and skin creams to avoid — and learn about the potential risks of genetically modified forests in Karen Charman's "The Shape of Forests to Come?"

Visit our website to to World Watch Magazine, purchase PDFs of the feature articles, and view online World Watch content like "Matters of Scale."

Worldwatch Live Online Discussions

World Watch Magazine Online Discussion: Farming's New Feudalism — Thursday, April 14, 2005, 2:00 PM EDT [ http://www.worldwatch.org/live/discussion/106/ ]

With guest Robert Schubert, editor of CropChoice, and author of "Farming's New Feudalism" in the May/June 2005 issue of World Watch magazine.

"Farmers are going out of business... The corporations are becoming the barons and lords, which are what my grandparents thought they'd escaped," writes Robert Schubert, quoting Percy Schmeiser in his article, "Farming's New Feudalism." Using biological (genetic engineering) and social (patenting) means, agriculture giants consolidated their power in the latter half of the last century in a strategy that has bolstered their bottom lines, writes Schubert.

Biotech crops are a bad deal in many ways: farmers can't save the seed, they risk litigation from drifting patented traits, weeds are developing herbicide resistance, and important markets may decline to buy biotech food. Yet they are still planting them for one reason: to stay competitive. Does modern industrial agriculture represent a new form of feudalism?

Submit your questions now at http://www.worldwatch.org/live/discussion/106/ and return on Thursday, April 14, 2005 at 2:00 PM EDT for the discussion.

State of the World 2005 Online Discussion: Climate Change and Security, Connecting the Dots — Thursday, April 21, 2005, 2:00 PM EDT [ http://www.worldwatch.org/live/discussion/105/ ]

With guest Janet Sawin, Worldwatch Senior Researcher and State of the World 2005 author.

U.K. Chief Scientific Advisor David King and a growing number of leading scientists agree that climate change is "the most severe problem that we are facing today--more serious even than the threat of terrorism." Climate change, whether gradual or immediate, is likely to worsen droughts and famines, and contribute to weather-related disasters around the world. What are the dangers of climate change, and what is being done to address it?

Please join contributing author of State of the World 2005 Janet Sawin, Senior Researcher at Worldwatch, for an in-depth discussion on the links between climate change and security, and the potential role of renewable energy in reducing the warming threat and creating a more secure world.

Submit your questions now at http://www.worldwatch.org/live/discussion/105/ and return on Thursday, April 21, 2005 at 2:00 PM EDT for the discussion.

National Environmental Education Week 2005

Participate in the single largest environmental education event in U.S. history, coordinated by the National Environmental Education & Training Foundation (NEETF). http://www.eeweek.org

Special bonus with purchase of any Worldwatch publication from now through April 22!

In honor of National Environmental Education Week April 10-16, and Earth Day on April 22, purchase any Worldwatch publication of $10 or more and get a free copy of our Environmental Milestones timeline poster. Six-and-a-half feet long when placed end-to-end, this full-color timeline is filled with environmental education facts and events that you can put to use in your classroom, office, or conference room right away. To order any Worldwatch publication, just go to www.worldwatch.org/pubs/ and use coupon code ETLEEW with your order of $10 or more.

National Geographic's Strange Days on Planet Earth

Premiering April 20 on PBS! Check your local listings for specific times and availability. Hosted by award-winning actor, director, writer, and environmental activist, Edward Norton, each of the four one-hour episodes is constructed as a high-tech detective story, with the fate of the planet at stake. For more information about the series, visit http://www.pbs.org/strangedays/, and look for relevant links to Worldwatch Institute resources!

 

 

 

Episode 1: Invaders

Wednesday, April 20, 9 PM EDT

 

Episode 2: The One Degree Factor

Wednesday, April 20, 10 PM EDT

 

Episode 3: Predators

Wednesday, April 27, 9 PM EDT

 

Episode 4: Troubled Waters

Wednesday, April 27, 10 PM EDT

Events

Wednesday, April 20, 2005, New York City: State of the World 2005 Global Security Briefing

We have limited space still available for our upcoming Global Security event in New York City on April 20, 2005, which is co-sponsored by the Heinrich Böll Foundation.

Built on the findings of State of the World 2005 (http://www.worldwatch.org/features/security/), the symposium will examine the underlying factors that are weakening global security. Worldwatch researchers and expert guest speakers will discuss how poverty, environmental degradation, and limited resources are undermining real security and what can be done to create a more peaceful world.

What: State of the World 2005 Global Security BriefingWhen: Wednesday, April 20, 2005, 3-6 PM EDT, reception to followWhere: German House, 871 UN Plaza, New York, NY

Space is limited, so don't forget to reserve your place. To RSVP, please contact Mairead Hartmann at 202.452.1992 ext 530 or mhartmann.

 

 

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What you see is what you get

You've made your bed, you better lie in it

You choose your leaders and place your trust

As their lies wash you down and their promises rust

You'll see kidney machines replaced by rockets and guns

And the public wants what the public gets

But I don't get what this society wants