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Welcome to these regular musings, meanderings, wonderings and wanderings by Wendy Priesnitz. Archives - August, 2004 The Safe Herbicide
That Isn’t – August 28, 2004 Glyphosate, the active ingredient of Vision (and of Monsanto’s agricultural herbicide Roundup, to which its equally controversial genetically engineered seeds are immune) is used to control grass, brush and other unwanted vegetation like hardwood trees in clear-cut forests or, as Monsanto puts it, on “areas where foresters wish to protect their regeneration investment”. Monsanto claims that the risk to humans is extremely small, noting in a technical bulletin that “a review...by Health Canada found no evidence that glyphosate caused mutations, birth defects or cancer.” It also claims that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has classified glyphosate as non-carcinogenic, a conclusion that has been endorsed by the World Health Organization. However, there is evidence that contradicts those opinions. And, in fact, in 1997 Monsanto was sued by the New York State Attorney General for misrepresenting Roundup’s toxicity through advertising. The most recent data (1998) from California’s Department of Pesticide Regulation found that glyphosate ranks first among herbicides as the highest cause of pesticide-induced illness or injury to people in California. Symptoms of exposure chronicled by the group Beyond Pesticides include swollen eyes, face and joints; facial numbness; burning skin; blisters; rapid heart rate; elevated blood pressure; chest pains; congestion and coughing; headache; and nausea. Worse, a 1999 study by two Swedish oncologists at Orebro Hospital published in the Journal of the American Cancer Society links exposure to glyphosate with increased (three times greater) risk of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Professor Lennart Hardell says his group has conducted two studies, and the difference between them and other studies that have found no or less risk is that for the first time his group looked at herbicides and cancer in real life rather than the laboratory. Recent American research has also found that glyphosate negatively affects a variety of non-human creatures, including earthworms, insects and fish, and that it persists in soil and wetlands for up to three years. That is quite a litany of problems, I’d say, for a substance that, according to the
EPA, is the seventh most used active ingredient in agriculture
and that is widely thought to be harmless...a myth that Monsanto appears
to have fought hard to spread. Marching
to the Beat of the Institution – August 27, 2004 On a much more positive note, here is a reminder about Self-University
Week, which is September 1 to 7. Sponsored by Charles Hayes’
Alaska-based Autodidactic Press since 1989, the first seven days of
September are a time to remind ourselves that school is not the only
place to learn and that each of us has a responsibility to help shape
the future by pursuing lifelong, self-directed education.
On his website, Hayes
lists 52 ways to celebrate. Simplifying – August 20, 2004
Olympics
Destroying the Environment – August 18, 2004 In its report, WWF-Greece said “serious
and irreversible damage” has been done to the Schinias wetland and coastal forest by the
construction of a rowing and canoeing center, and green space has been
lost within Athens, when refurbishing existing facilities could have
avoided it. The report also attacked what it called “the indifference of the IOC”,
saying the committee failed to hold the Athens organizers to the
environmental regulations that are set out in the Olympic Charter. Pardon
My Athletic Cynicism – August 17, 2004 Um, I don’t think so. Or else humanity is looking pretty depressing. First of all, there is the cheating, which has, after all, been going on for as long as people have been competing in sport. In the early days, the scandals weren’t about drugs, but about women, who, to get around the rules that barred them from competing, dressed themselves up as men. Then what about the intense competition that provokes athletes and coaches to cheat? The merits of and problems with competition are a topic for another day, but I’ve been watching a level of competitiveness that goes beyond personal best into a need to win that seems driven by patriotic fanaticism. My jaw dropped last night when I saw a newsclip of the captain of the Canadian freestyle relay swimming team saying their efforts were “crap”. They came in fifth (i.e. they “lost”), even though they had just broken a Canadian record. But he had publicly guaranteed that his group would take home a bronze medal, so all their hard work was flushed down the toilet in so many words. And then there’s bringing the world together through sportsmanship. Yeah right. The Games had hardly begun and the ugliness appeared as Iran’s world judo champion withdrew from competition to avoid having to compete against an Israeli opponent. The Iranian Olympic Team Chief said that Arash Miresmaeili, should be awarded $115,000 from Iranian sporting officials because he could have earned a medal at the games and withdrew to honor Iran’s position that refuses to recognize Israel's right to exist. Quite sporting of them, don’t you think? Oh, and I mustn’t forget the consumerism and commercialism. Nowadays an increasing number of the athletes are highly paid professionals. Granted, most of the amateur athletes make huge sacrifices to be at the Olympics, but those who win are often able to cash in with lucrative product endorsement contracts. Of course, the facilities, spectacle and security has to be paid for, hence it becomes hard to find the television coverage for the advertisements. Such a popular event is a massive opportunity for companies to promote themselves. Hence, according to the International Olympic organization’s website you have US$81 million spent on licensing everything from the official deodorant used by athletes to logos on mugs, flags and clothing; US$2,236 million spent on broadcast rights; and US$1,339 million spent on sponsorship. The first Olympics were held in 776 BC and began and ended with a foot-race run by naked men
between two Greek towns and held during a truce in a war. They were then
held every four years until the 293rd Olympiad in 393 AD, when they were
abolished by the Romans as a pagan cult. There were not only athletic
contests but poets, artists, historians and orators exhibited their
skills too. In those days winners were not showered with endorsement
contracts or even gold medals. They were given a sacred branch of a wild
olive tree and praised by the poets. Excuse me while I turn off the TV,
and go search for a tree under which to write a poem. Or Are They Growing Up Too Slowly? – August
9, 2004 So which trend is
it anyway?? Parents rushing their
kids into adulthood before they’re ready (see yesterday’s rant,
below) or parents not allowing them to grow up? Can’t be both at
the same time.
Let’s just
listen to our kids and our hearts; ignore the trends, the fads and...this is heresy coming from a writer...the books;
respect our kids for the individuals they are; stop beating ourselves
up for not being perfect parents; and enjoy ourselves and our families. Now there’s a concept! At
Their Own Speed – August 8, 2004 But chatting with
our daughter this past week, some concerns that have been lurking just under my
consciousness began to surface. I began to wonder if
their father and I could
have done better (don’t we all?!) especially in terms of helping them make the
transition to adulthood. Did they really grow up at their own
speed, or did we expect too much from them too soon because – like
most alternatively-educated and attachment-parented kids – they seemed
sophisticated and confident at a relatively early age? In his book The Hurried
Child, David Elkind writes that in blurring the boundaries of what is age appropriate, by expecting or
imposing too much too soon, we force our kids to grow up too fast. But
what, I argued with myself this morning, is “age appropriate”? And who decides? Elkind’s
basic premise is that parents have pushed their children emotionally and
intellectually too far, too fast. He says that today’s parents think of their kids
as Superkids, so competent and so mature that they need adults very
little. Why? Because, he believes, parents, who are building careers,
blending families or struggling as single parents, have no time for
child rearing. Having a competent Superkid relieves these parents of
guilt, but it places too much stress on the children themselves.
British
psychologist Terri Apter takes Elkind’s premise a step farther. In her
book The Myth of Maturity, she argues against the notion that when children finish high school or
college and land a job they instantly become autonomous, responsible
adults. This myth of maturity, she writes, is harming our kids. While a
young person may appear to function as an adult, in reality they are
often in turmoil, depressed and overwhelmed by life. So instead of withdrawing
emotional or practical support so that their teenager can solve his or
her own problems, Apter says we really should be providing continued
guidance and support, while also requiring respect and independence. Looking back, I do recall feeling relieved (OK, smug too) that my kids seemed to be
navigating teenagedom fairly easily. However, listening to them now, I
realize that we probably sometimes fell off the fine line between expecting
too much and too little. And while never withdrawing emotional support,
their father did give them some not-so-subtle nudges out of the nest. But we didn’t feel any pressure to go along with the Superkid image out of fear
that Heidi and Melanie would “lag behind”. And as autonomous,
responsible children and teens, they naturally avoided the jolt that
happens to the schooled kids Apter studied. And even though – for
whatever reasons – I missed some things with which I probably could have
helped, they grew quite gracefully into their 20s and now
their 30s. Then, just as I had
laid that concern to rest, I went shopping and noticed a plethora of adult-aimed items – from T-shirts and purses to tea towels – featuring Care Bears,
Hello Kitty, Blues Cues and various Disney characters. Are young people,
I wondered, feeling so cheated out of childhood that they have this
level of nostalgia for novelties geared to a much younger audience?
Are they revisiting the fantasy world of childhood because the real world is so scary, as an article in
yesterday’s Toronto Star (one of a recent
spate in the mainstream media) suggests? Writes columnist Margo Varadi,
“There comes a point when young people can’t deal with the anxiety
of feeling vulnerable all the time and want to be reassured.” Hmmm, I
thought, as I read that line. There comes a point when people of all
ages can’t deal with the anxiety of feeling vulnerable and want to be
reassured! Maybe we all need a dose of childhood from time to time just
because it’s comforting. Maybe nostalgia thrives as the world gets
scarier. Just
Desserts – August 7, 2004 A
Weed by Any Other Name – August 2, 2004 And, I continued, what is a weed anyway? And is that label on a plant enough to justify us shunning it? Philosopher and author Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote that a weed is a plant whose virtues have not yet been discovered. Perhaps, as some have suggested, defining a plant as a weed is an act of cultural valuation, a judgment of what the definer (often a gardener) deems to be a useless and destructive presence, by comparison to others that are approved of as desirable, productive and valuable. Under this definition, a weed becomes “anything growing where it isn’t wanted”. But that would include many wildflowers like chicory and herbs – not to mention goldenrod – which are otherwise valued. “Wildflowers,” wrote one apparently anonymous gardener, “are weeds with a press agent.” So how many wildflowers did you dig out of your garden this summer?! Given that my gardening is currently done in a few weedless pots in my sunny kitchen window, I decided to poll friends and relatives about their relationship with weeds. From those discussions, I began to think that “weed problems” are really “people problems”, resulting from poor management and a lack of imagination. Until one woman put it this way: “Weeds,” she said, “take valuable space, water, sunlight and nutrients that may otherwise be accessible to important food crops. And some noxious weeds compromise the biodiversity of ecosystems.” In
my more active gardening days, I’d always assumed that “noxious” weeds were
just ones that some people hated more than others and tried to ignore
those I couldn’t conquer. But what my friend was talking about are
those truly invasive plants – often introduced by humans from
other areas, either purposely because they are pretty or inadvertently
– that can dominate and often cause permanent damage to natural plant
communities. Goldenrod doesn’t, as far as I can see, fit that
description, although some types can become too much of a good thing. But
here’s a thought – if weeds have survived the disapproval and
eradication attempts of humans for generations, maybe we have something
to learn from them! So
Much At Stake – August 1, 2004 In case you’ve been living under a rock for the past few years, aside from eroding its citizens’ civil rights in the so-called war against terrorism and demolishing its respect from the international community because of the ill-conceived war in Iraq, the current government in the United States has broken many other things that concern progressive people at home and abroad. The list of complaints includes special interest paybacks to pharmaceutical, oil and gas, nuclear and defense industries; the gutting of environmental laws like The Clean Air Act, protecting of polluters and opening nine million acres of public land to logging; a battered economy that includes a ballooning budget deficit, non-existent jobs and a faltering stock market; skyrocketing healthcare costs; and worries about rights for gays, women and other groups. Ironically – or maybe he just thinks voters are stupid or asleep – President George W. Bush is asking voters to give his administration four more years because “so much is at stake”...things like “peace and prosperity”. Well, I think that is exactly why he should not get four more years...because so much is at stake, not just for America but for the world! These are scary times, and Bush has led his country towards neither peace nor prosperity. So I beseech all American voters, no matter where in the world they live, to keep this momentum going to end the cynical, dangerous reign of George W. Bush. Contribute, organize and vote for people who can help put America and the rest of the world on a saner footing. (And when the election is over, continue to contribute and organize, since democracy depends upon the small actions people take at the grassroots level everyday.) Democrat John Kerry does not pretend to be a pacifist and, in fact, supports the use of force to defend his country. But he has lambasted President Bush for misleading Americans and for taking them needlessly into the war in Iraq with no exit strategy. Although he is touted as a Viet Nam war hero, he became a passionate anti-war activist when he returned from fighting in the war that many have compared to the one in Iraq. From what I see, hear and read, I am sure the Kerry/Edwards ticket will lead to a better, safer and more prosperous America. Sure, the Democrats have their own internal critics, special interests to protect and corporate backers seeking access to power. But right now, it seems like a good (and realistic) alternative. For the first time in a long time, the internal party critics are keeping quiet and there is party unity. Now, I am not ordinarily in favor of strategic voting, but these are extraordinary times. And, even though I am a former leader of the Green Party of Canada, I feel that in this instance, whether you are traditionally on the right, left or center (or define politics in other terms like the Greens do), voting for Kerry/Edwards would be a good move. Given that just over 500 votes in Florida inflicted George W. Bush on the world in 2000, many both inside and outside the Democratic Party blame the Greens under Ralph Nader for splitting the moderate and left vote and causing Al Gore’s loss. This time, the Greens rejected Nader in favor of their own grassroots veteran and it has taken the Republicans to get independent candidate Nader on the ballot in various battleground states like Oregon. As much as I admire Nader’s record of consumer and environmental activism, I think he is wrong-headed at this time in continuing his stubborn quest to make a point about the need for alternative parties and candidates. For me, on the outside looking in from Canada, John Kerry provides some hope for the future, not a government that manipulates its citizens and the world with fear mongering. And for what it’s worth, a majority of Canadians appear to agree with me. A recent report by pollster Ipsos-Reid in conjunction with television network CTV and the Globe and Mail newspaper indicates that 60 percent of Canadians would vote for Kerry for President over Bush. This is underscored by the findings that while a strong majority of Canadians (73 percent) agree that they “like and admire Americans, that is, citizens of the United States” only 29 percent agree with the statement “I like and respect the current administration of George W. Bush “, followed by even fewer (24 percent) who believe “President George W. Bush deserves to be re-elected for another four years as President of the United States”. Make
no mistake...the next few months will be ugly as Bush and company extend
their campaign of fear in order to retain their position. But I hope that those Americans who are still undecided will take a good look
at the internal and external damage wrought by the Bush administration
and work to end it by organizing in their communities and encouraging
their neighbors to choose a more positive future. Perhaps never before has it been more
important for Americans to understand that if you’re not part of the solution
you’re part of the problem. Return
to current weblog copyright © Wendy Priesnitz 2004-2007 |
Topics & Passions: natural learning ~ What I'm reading:
Full Catastrophe Living - Using the Wisdom of Your Body and Mind to
Face Stress, Pain and Illness by Jon Kabat-Zinn (1990, Dell)
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