January 7, 2016::End of the day round-up (pg 2)

Agricultural Anti-GMO Activism is Probably Not About the Technology At All

A common explanation among many supporters of agricultural biotechnology is that anti-GMO activism is driven by money. That is undoubtedly true in many cases – for example, organic or ‘natural food’ marketers who have supported anti-GMO campaigns in an attempt to increase sales. It’s true for companies like Genetic ID which find it profitable to test crops and foods for GMO content, while at the same time aggressively supporting anti-GMO campaigns and GMO/non-GMO food product labelling.

In this category we can place some more traditional food marketers eager to exploit a marketing niche. The Chipotle Mexican Grill Company is a high-profile example.

But this is far from true for all anti-GMO campaigners – either individuals or multinational NGOs. Greenpeace, for example, may have attracted additional donations because of its campaign against Golden Rice, but the same effort has also cost it serious credibility in the broader context. Is Greenpeace really that callous to third-world blindness? How can you trust what Greenpeace says on climate change when the same group destroys GM crop plots in The Philippines while seeking extended bans because of insufficient field data.
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The positions of major NGOs on GMOs and climate change are quite consistent if one considers that the real issue is not opposition to GM technology, but rather to large petro/chemical companies. Large petro/oil companies commonly profit from fossil fuel usage; therefore policies which mean reduced fossil fuel usage are applauded. Large chemical/bio companies benefit from GMO crop technology; therefore, GMO crops are opposed.

Dr Karl Kruszelnicki's science conundrums: How healthy is coconut water?

When coconut water was first introduced in the US as a Superfood in the early 2000s, it was claimed to have the power to fight kidney disease, osteoporosis and viruses. <--Red flag

However, dieticians shot down these incorrect claims. Other false claims for "Mother Nature's Sports Drink" include the ability to cure hangovers, slow the ageing process, and simultaneously lower your weight, blood pressure and cholesterol.

The worldwide financial spend on coconut water in 2013 was nearly half-a-billion dollars – sold on supermarket shelves, and in yoga studios and gyms. It is being heavily pushed as a rehydration liquid for athletes and lovers of natural food.

Sure, when you sweat, you lose water, sodium and lots of minerals. But studies have shown that coconut water is about as good at rehydrating you as generic sports drinks or – wait for it – tap water.

The false marketing claim that it is superior as a rehydration liquid to sports drinks was withdrawn in the US after a class action lawsuit in 2011.

NEW!! Liars For Jesus: The Religious Right's Alternate Version of American History, Vol. 2 Chris Rodda, Ed Brayton (Foreword)

Cruz Launches Homeschool Coalition Led By 'Christian Patriarchy' Adherent

Ted Cruz made an effort to win over an influential subgroup of conservative evangelicals this week, announcing the formation of a “Homeschoolers For Cruz” coalition. While an estimated 1.8 million children in the U.S. are homeschooled, Cruz is aiming at a very specific segment of these: the politically powerful Christian conservative homeschooling movement.

Indiana GOP’s ‘Heartbeat Act’ Would Ban Abortion at Six Weeks

Indiana’s 2016 legislative sessions began this week, and one Indiana lawmaker has introduced legislation that would prohibit abortions once a fetal heartbeat is detected, which could be as early as six weeks’ gestation.

Sponsored by state Sen. Jim Banks (R-Columbia City), SB 144 would make it a felony to “perform or induce an abortion before determining whether the unborn human individual has a detectable heartbeat,” and after a heartbeat has been detected.

The proposed bill would modify Indiana’s current ban on abortions at 20 weeks post-fertilization.

Theodore Shoebat Wants Blasphemers Burned At The Stake To Prevent Cannibalism

"That stuff cannot be tolerated," he explained, "because as soon as you allow attacks on Christianity to be enabled and to thrive, then the Christian spirit begins to decay, it begins to decline and all sorts of moral evils take place like public acts of sodomy, public acts of desecration and degenerate behavior and murder. It just spirals and it goes on and on and pretty soon you have cannibalism, pretty soon you have bestiality and pedophilia."