LESLIE GOLDMAN,
YOUR ENCHANTED GARDENER
from the PRESS ROOM
at the AAAS ANNUAL MEETING
Feb 19, 2010




DR. PETER AGRE, (L) President of the AAAS
with ALAN L. LESHNER, CEO and Executive pubisher
SCIENCE.

"The scientific community
can strengthen the bridge between science and society
by ensuring vigorous enforcement of scientific behavioral norms
and standards, aggressively focusing on problems
of global importance,
and actively engaging with the public.
As scientists and policy-makers convene
in San Diego this week at the AAAS meeting,
we all should commit to pursuing these goals."
--DR, PETER AGRE, President of AAAS
and ALAN L LESHNER, CEO and Executive Publisher
SCIENCE, editorial in the current issue
online.


2:45 AM
February 19, 2010

Dr. MAAREN CHRISPEELS,is an expert in molecular biology
and and emeritus professor of biology at UCSD.
He is often found in the plant-growth room
at UCSD's Muir Biology Building. I first heard of the man yesterday.
He was written up in UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER MIKE LEE's
outstanding piece that came out Valentine's Day,
BIOENGEERING TO CROP UP WHEN SCIENCE GROUP MEETS:

If the titans of agribusiness are right,
the world is on the verge of a major breakthrough
in the way food is grown. But if history is any indication,
genetically modified crops will need
to overcome a lot of skepticism to spark a consumer revolution.

That uncertainty is fueled by the mixed record
of current bioengineered crops — mainly soybeans, corn, canola —
in meeting lofty targets set by backers of high-tech seeds.
Vitamin-enhanced foods remain out of reach,
it’s unclear how much biotechnology
has boosted plant production,
and a recent study said genetically engineered plants
have increased usage of herbicides.

DR CHRISPEELS NAME WAS MENTIONED
IN THE OPENING CEREMONY

Dr. Chrispeels name was mentioned from the stage
by AAAS PRESIDENT PETER C. AGRE
In his opening ceremony last night at the auspicious gathering.
Pre-meeting attendance projections estimated more than 8000
from around the world, including scientists
from 80 countries.




Dr. Peter Agre, photo, co-winning Nobel Prize, 2003,
from his slideshow, Opening Ceremony, AAAS,
February 18, 2009

I found Dr, Agre a man of integrity, caring
and a good listener. We spoke of continuing a
dialogue between the two of us.

He is director of the Mararia Research Institute
of the JOHN HOPKINS BLOOMBERT SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH.
He shared the 2003 Nobel Price in Chemistry for the discovery
of aquaporins, the key proteins that transport water across cell membranes. Among the slides he showed were scientists from around the world
who had been arrested for unwarranted crimes
and freed through the noble work of
NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCE (NAS).
Dr. Agreis chair of the NAS Committee on Human Rights.
It is clear that AAAS, under his leadership,
is up to a lot of good in the world. He has been
on the STEPHEN COLBERT show a number of times.

I caught up with both Dr. Agre and Dr. Chrispeels
at the opening ceremony and reception
last night.

I recorded a brief video footage with Dr Chrispeels.
I spent time with Dr. Agre as well as past president GILBERT S. OMENN,
M.D., Ph.D. Dr. Omenn works for the University of Michigan. He
also works for a Pharmaceutical company that has saved many lives.
His roots are in genetics. This is his website.
http://www.ccmb.med.umich.edu/omenn

Dr. Omenn's is cited on the web as helping to draft PRESIDENT
OBAMA's science policy. Dr. Agre also helped draft the President's
science platform.

http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2008/09/obama-campaign/

Omenn is a director of Amgen, a biotechnology company,
and served in the Office of Science and Technology Policy under President Carter. Amgen has an impressive mission statement.

Dr. Omenn told me he thought that MONSANTO was off track
in the way they originally began to promote Round Up Ready
herbicide. The promotion of Round Up Ready Herbicide
has brought great heat to Monsanto, the world's
largest Biotech company, and holder of seed patents.

For one point of view regarding the Monsanto story go see the
Trailer to
THE FUTURE OF FOOD
here. That film, by
DEBORAH KOONS GARCIA
was made with money from her late husband's legacy.
She was the wife of JERRY GARCIA of the group
THE GRATEFUL DEAD.


Dr. Omenn pointed out the need to get the public behind you before you bring in a new technology. He is the dad of four grandchildren and has
a winning smile. I am sure we will have much to say in the future.

MENDEL IN THE KITCHEN

Dr. Chrispeels pointed me in the direction of Dr. NINA FEDEROFF
the incoming new president of AAAS and the the author of
MENDEL IN THE KITCHEN, a scientists view of Genetically Modified Foods.

Stop right there. Bingo!

Excerpts from MENDEL IN THE KITCHEN
include the chapters THE ORGANIC RULE and SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE. Go take a read now. I highly recommend this book highly readable and well done book that explains some of the basic issues that lie before Organic as well as GMO based agriculture.

MENDEL IN THE KITCHEN is a must read
for anyone who wants to intelligently take up the argument from
either point of view.

The chapter on the ORGANIC RULE begins with a quote from one
of the most esteemed promoters of soil science, SIR ALBERT HOWARD.
I heard about SIR ALBERT HOWARD through my years with
Dr. BERNARD JENSEN, PhD of Escondido.

Dr. Federoff quotes Sir Howard:

"These mushroom ideas of agriculture are failing;
Mother Earth deprived of her manurial rights is in revolt;
the land is going on strike; the fertility of the soil is
declining."--Sir Albert Howard.

She then gives an outstanding and easily readable explanation
of the Organic Rule that passed through the USDA. She points
out that many organic farmers have difficulty following their own
standard.

She then goes on to explain why she believes that
the GMO approach is a good solution to the world's ag problems.

Dr. Federoff speaks favorably in her book about
The CODEX ALIMENTARIUS COMMISSION, a controversial
topic on this PLANT YOUR DREAM BLOG.


SIR ALBERT HOWARD
CONSIDERED CHEMICAL FARMING
MISGUIDED

Sir Howard is written up in EMPTY HARVEST,
Dr. Bernard Jensen's book that explains the link between
our food, our immunity, and our planet.

This is a quote from EMPTY HARVEST:

"In 1940, Oxford University published Howard's greatest work
on natural farming, entitled AN AGRICULTURAL TESTAMENT.
In this book, Howard supported Hensel's rock dust theories and
addressed the misguided origins of chemical farming.
"The principle followed, based on the Liebig tradition,
is that any deficiencies in the soil can be made up by the addition of suitable
chemicals [man-made]." he wrote,
"This is based on a complete misconception of plant nutrition.
It is superficial and fundamentally unsound. It takes no account
of the life of the soil, including mycorrhizal association--the living
fungus bridge which connects the soil and sap.

Artificial manures lead inevitably to artifiicial nutrition, artificial food,
artificial animals, and finally, to artificial men and women." [P.76)

Sir Howard is considered the modern-day founding father of the
natural agriculture renaissance. He was an Englishman, mentor
to American Naturalist J.I. RODALE, who went on to create the
RODALE natural farming and foods Publishing empire, reports
Jensen and co-author MARK ANDERSON.

WELCOME AAAS:
SAN DIEGO NEEDS YOU!

It is a pleasure to welcome AAAS to San Diego,
a city that is on the map to become
The BIOTECH Capital of the world.
San Diego is also one of the birth places for the
Holistic Health Movement of the 80's, and was
once, and still is, a place where organic food
growing flourishes. Our Farmers' Markets
feature some of the most vital foods our nation
can offer the American Public.
San Diego has cutting edge
medicine and is the home of the
SCRIPPS CENTER FOR INTEGRATIVE MEDICINE
that features the finest of science-based
leading edge tech, a vegetarian
cooking school, and acupuncture treatments.
That Scripps medical facility was co-founded
by leading cardiology Dr. ERMINA GUARNERI
M D, FACC, D i p l o m a t. A H M A
and Rauni King, R.N., a specialist in healing touch therapy.
http://www.healingtouchprogram.com/articles/documents/Scripps.pdf


Many here in our city consider local, organic farming
the cornerstone of true Food Safety in America.
Our world class SAN DIEGO NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM,
the site for the esteemed KAVLI FOUNDATION
journalism awards at AAAS also hosts a lecture
monthly lecture series entitled
http://www.sdnhm.org/education/sustainable.html

SUSTAINABLE PLANET: FOOD LECTURE SERIES
Hosted by LOREN NANCARROW,
a popular weatherman and news reporter in
San Diego for more than three decades.
http://www.10news.com/station/154366/detail.html


FOOD SAFETY IS ONE THE U.S. NATIONAL AGENDA

Food Safety is on the national agenda.
It is an issue now before the Senate through
US BILL S. 510. That bill aims to extend
FDA powers over Ag to promote Food Safety.

There is a point of view that suggests
that organic seeds and GMO seeds cannot exist
side by side. Currently the Monsanto Company
owns 90% of all the seed patents in the world
and is one of the primary sponsors of GMO seeds
and biotechnology.

This is going to be a very lively meeting.


RELATED PLANT YOUR DREAM BLOGS

BIOENGEERING TO CROP UP WHEN SCIENCE GROUP MEETS
http://curezone.com/blogs/fm.asp?i=1575429

If the titans of agribusiness are right, the world is on the verge of a major breakthrough in the way food is grown. But if history is any indication, genetically modified crops will need to overcome a lot of skepticism to spark a consumer revolution.

That uncertainty is fueled by the mixed record of current bioengineered crops — mainly soybeans, corn, canola — in meeting lofty targets set by backers of high-tech seeds. Vitamin-enhanced foods remain out of reach, it’s unclear how much biotechnology has boosted plant production, and a recent study said genetically engineered plants have increased usage of herbicides.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/feb/14/bioengineering-to-crop-up-when...





This is organic chard grown by local Organic Farmer JOE RODRIGUEZ JR
of JR ORGANIC CSA, is is typical of the quality of local organic food
sold at the HILLCREST FARMERS' MARKET, located about 20 minutes
from the AAAS conference, The market is in session from 9 AM-2 PM
this Sunday. San Diego has many farmers' markets.

There is no scientific evidence that organic food is better
for your health rather than conventionally grown food, Dr. Chrispeel
told me.

Neighborhood: Hillcrest
3960 Normal St
(between Blaine Ave & Lincoln Ave)
San Diego, CA 92103
(800) 777-0133


 

Popularity:   message viewed 4291 times
URL:   http://www.curezone.org/blogs/fm.asp?i=1575969

<< Return to the standard message view

Page generated on: 9/4/2024 11:19:52 PM in Dallas, Texas
www.curezone.org