Visionaries – 02.13.17

“Do We Need College?” Suppose an 18-year-old came to you and asked, “I have $100,000+ and 4 years. What should I do with them?” Would you advice them to go to college? Obviously college is great for some people, but is it the right choice for everyone? And if not, what would you advise them to do instead? Today we process thoughts about education.

Slavko Nissl – Monsanto GMO Seeds in Nigeria, Breaking the Agricultural Cycle, Complicity of UN World Food Program

Nigeria’s Farmers Alliance of over 14 million farmers have called on all farmers especially in the Northeast to reject the genetically modified organisms (GMO) and Hybrid seeds distributed by the United Nation’s World Food Program (WFP) and the World Bank. The body in a letter to the UN Security Council (UNSC), called for intervention to stop WFP and World Bank …

Jonathan Latham, PhD – There’s Nothing Parochial About the Issue of GMO Food Labeling

The GMO labeling issue has quieted down some but there is still plenty to discuss. Just this week the USDA proposed its definition of a GMO for labeling purposes and it includes loopholes for gene editing. However, it is also possible for reasonable people to imagine that GMO labeling is a sideshow to the real business of the food movement. …

Lorraine Chow – GMO Arctic Apples to Hit Shelves Next Month Without Clear Labeling

The first genetically modified (GMO) apples, which are engineered to resist browning when sliced, will arrive in select midwestern U.S. stores next month. The fruit, produced by Okanagan Specialty Fruits and sold under the brand name Arctic Apples, will be packaged as “grab-and-go” slices, according to Capital Press. Read more

Lauren McCauley – NY Nuke Plant to be Shuttered, But Will Cuomo Turn to Dirty Gas Instead?

New York’s “dangerously decrepit” Indian Point nuclear power plant will officially shut down by April 2021, according to an agreement reached this week between the state and Entergy utility company. A source “with direct knowledge of the deal” told the New York Times that one reactor will “cease operations by April 2020, while the other must be closed by April …

Wes Annac – Psychological And Spiritual Benefits Of Psilocybin

Psilocybin, the natural hallucinogenic compound found in various species of psilocybin mushrooms, has been found to treat depression, anxiety, and other serious mental illnesses. As we’ll learn, extensive research into its benefits was lost by the 70s due to its classification as an illegal drug. Research on the benefits of LSD and other psychedelics was lost for the same reason. …

Kurt Jacobson – When Choosing Organic Grocers, Trust MOM

Mom’s Newest Store When I found out MOM’s Organic Market was opening in White Marsh, just 7 minutes from my home, I was thrilled. Over the last 7 years I have seen them grow from three stores to seventeen; quite a feat in the competitive grocery store world. Scott Nash started MOM’s in his mother’s garage at age 22 in …

Richard Eskow – What Does It Take to Survive Where You Live?

How much does it take to get by where you live? A new report concludes that current federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour doesn’t come close, anywhere in the United States. It takes more than $15 per hour to earn a living wage in most states. When you throw in the rising cost of student debt, low-income Americans are …

Alexandra Rosenmann – WTF, America: Of the World’s Most Sustainable Cities, Not One U.S. City Cracked the Top 20

If you thought this week already made America look bad… 1. America is first… in garbage. A very wealthy but environmentally reckless country needs your help ratifying a Climate Agreement. Will you travel thousands of miles to do it? That’s just what over two dozen world leaders [3] did this Wednesday in New York. The United States is the world’s second-largest greenhouse polluter [4], and …

Kevin Loria – Over and over again, the military has conducted dangerous biowarfare experiments on Americans

On September 20, 1950, a US Navy ship just off the coast of San Francisco used a giant hose to spray a cloud of microbes into the air and into the city’s famous fog. The military was testing how a biological weapon attack would affect the 800,000 residents of the city. The people of San Francisco had no idea. The Navy …