Anti-Vaccine Doctor and “Bad Mothers”

From Terrence McCoy in the Washington Post:

“It’s 6:30 p.m. in eastern Arizona, and an energetic doctor who has gained notice due to his disdain for vaccinations has just gotten home. It’s been a busy day. He’s already spoken to USA Today. He just did a segment on CNN. And he’s closely monitored his Facebook page, which has collected 4,000 “likes” in the span of 48 hours. But Jack Wolfson always has time to discuss vaccinations — his hatred of them and his abhorrence of the parents who defend them.

“Don’t be mad at me for speaking the truth about vaccines,” Wolfson said in a telephone interview with The Washington Post. “Be mad at yourself, because you’re, frankly, a bad mother. You didn’t ask once about those vaccines. You didn’t ask about the chemicals in them. You didn’t ask about all the harmful things in those vaccines…. People need to learn the facts.”

“March against Monsanto” in Toronto and Vancouver and around the planet

Toronto March on Monsanto Saturday May 25. Local citizens march in solidarity with others around the world. Photographer Robert Bright wondered where the media were. Is this not news?

Robert Bright reports on the Toronto March against Monsanto:

SPECIAL TO THE BOVINE: On a chilly, but sunny Saturday afternoon in Toronto, I made my way down to St. James Park on King Street East between Jarvis and Church Streets.  Despite the chill, I decided against wearing a jacket so I could prominently display my snazzy, new “Monsanto – Biohazard” t-shirt.  (It was a toss-up between this shirt or my, “OMG! GMO! WTF!?” t-shirt.)  Strolling up Jarvis Street from The St. Lawrence Market I felt exhilarated to be going to my first protest march in years.

“Film exposes government raids on small farms” — Washington Times review of Farmageddon movie

From Jessica Claire Haney in the Washington Times:

Official movie poster for Farmageddon.

“WASHINGTON, June 18, 2011 – Slow Food D.C. hosted the world premiere yesterday of the documentary film Farmageddon: The Unseen War on American Family Farms for an enthusiastic, sold-out crowd. The film, directed by Kristin Canty, tells the story of several family farms that were raided by the FDA and the USDA at great taxpayer expense for questionable reasons.

A mother of four, Canty undertook the project upon being met with disbelief when she talked about raids on small farms. “I told everybody,” she said, “but no one would listen.” Since people didn’t believe that the federal government would spend so much money and time to try to limit consumers’ choices and put small farms out of business through raids, Canty felt compelled to shed light on the issue.

GMOs and the organic movement

Click image above to download a 12 page PDF version of the report

(May 25, 2011) A 12-page report on The Organic Movement was published today as a circular in the Washington Post. Offering a current look at the inspiring growth and success of the organic movement, the circular also considers some of the challenges we face. It includes an article on GMOs by Non-GMO Project Executive Director Megan Westgate. The report is expected to reach over 2 million readers.

Asking how “Food Safety” factors into “the future of food”

Bill Marler, in the Huffington Post, from a story titled “What is the ‘future of food’ without food safety”:

“I attended the Future of Food Conference in Washington D.C. this last week and was amazed by the speakers that author Eric Schlosser and the Washington Post put together. From Lucas Benitez, Co-Founder, Coalition of Immokalee Workers to Michael R. Taylor, Deputy Commissioner for Foods at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Wendell Berry, Author, Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack, Will Allen, Founder and CEO of Growing Power Inc. and even The Prince of Wales popped in only days after the wedding of the century for the keynote address.

It was truly an impressive list of speakers with a deep commitment to issues surrounding the future of food, and with a clear commitment to a vision of small, organic agriculture. The discussions ranged from workers rights to GMOs, from frozen vegetables to global warming. Obesity was also discussed along with the trend of booming backyard gardens. Sustainability was the catchword of the day along with going local, organic farming and the ever-present mantra, “know your farmer, know your food.” Lunch was served family style touting local, organic agriculture — meat and vegetables. White House Chef Sam Kass shared recipes as some in the audience gushed how hot (not temperature) the president’s chef was.

Will the U.S. become China’s farmer?

From Lester R. Brown in the Washington Post:

“China is at war. It is not invading armies but expanding deserts that threaten its territory. As old deserts grow, as new ones form and as more and more irrigation wells go dry, Beijing is losing a long battle to feed its growing population on its own.

In the years to come, China will almost certainly have to turn to the outside world for grain to avoid politically destabilizing price spikes. Enter the United States — by far the world’s largest grain exporter. The United States exports about 90 million tons of grain annually, though China requires 80 million tons of grain each year to meet just one-fifth of its needs.