U.S. Extorts El Salvador To Buy GM Seeds Dear Friend and Reader: As an alleged precondition to $277 million in financial aid, the U.S. government is pressuring El Salvador to purchase GM seeds from Monsanto, reported Sustainable Pulse June 8. The president of the El Salvadoran Center for Appropriate Technologies, Richard Navarro, demanded that U.S. Ambassador to El Salvador, Mari Carmen Aponte, stop pressuring the Central American country to purchase GM seeds from Monsanto.
As of late 2013, the U.S. government will not provide funds to El Salvador unless 'specific' economic and environmental policy reforms are made. Tesla Electric Car Patents Made Public Named for Nikola Tesla, the famous inventor who stopped patenting his ideas due to legal frustrations, electric automaker Tesla Motors of California announced it will give away its entire patent portfolio, the Associated Press reported June 13. Tesla Motors makes highly innovative, fully electrical cars that have had issues gaining domestic market traction; Tesla takes the interesting approach of only selling direct to its customers to save commissions and keep costs down, but most U.S. states limit or ban direct-to-consumer car sales. Although Tesla has followed the typical Silicon Valley approach to marketing new technology (aiming for affluent buyers first, then broadening offerings to more middle-income buyers as technology is finessed), it has from the outset been guided by the goal of hastening electric car technology throughout the world. That technology was nearly crushed by the U.S. automotive industry in the mid-1990s. Tesla CEO Elon Musk wrote on the company blog that the patents were being released “in the spirit of the open source movement, for the advancement of electric vehicle technology.” "By opening its patents, Tesla rightly realizes it's better to be the best product in a large industry than the only product in a niche one," said Silicon Valley entrepreneur Aaron Levie. The planet's environment stands to be the biggest beneficiary: electric cars make up less than 1% of U.S. sales, partly due to concern with range and charging station availability. Tesla's earliest patent (out of 203 patents, with another 280 pending) expires in 2026 -- at which point collaborations on cars at lower-than-luxury price points could put Tesla's technology in the hands of more climate-conscious drivers. British Chief Scientist Says: Get On With It Already! Sir Mark Walport, the U.K. government's Chief Scientist, has urged climate scientists and deniers alike to move on to addressing how we deal with global warming, The Guardian reported on June 12. He was seemingly oblivious to the irony of asking climate change deniers to take action on climate change, but at least we know he has good intentions. His comments arose from the latest IPCC document and may have been especially triggered by the response of Owen Paterson, the U.K.'s Environment Secretary, who had interpreted the new data to suggest that global warming is “not as catastrophic in its forecast as we had been led to believe early on.” Walport also spoke on the issue of energy, saying that current evidence implies fracking is probably safe if performed with due caution, and warned that "advanced societies depend on" a consistent power supply. Apparently Walport is unfamiliar with the "consistent power supply" around which Earth orbits; he might want to visit Germany and take some notes. German Ingenuity Figures Out How To Make Renewable Energy Fun
Listed attractions include a nuclear power plant in Kalkar that never began operations due to post-Chernobyl protests (it's now an amusement park / hotel complex featuring a climbing wall on the cooling tower's exterior and a carousel inside); Ferropolis, an open-air museum to (past) iron mining -- solar panels power its summer music festivals; and Germany's first village to reach energy self-sufficiency. The guidebook, written by Martin Frey with support by Germany's Renewable Energies Agency, is only available in print and in German, though with enough demand an English version could become available. As long as Tesla's electric car technology catches on, visiting renewable energy projects wouldn't have to add to the carbon footprint -- especially if other countries follow Germany's lead. Sea Star Disintegration Could Have Widespread Consequences It's unclear what role global warming may play in the unprecedented collapse of sea star populations on both coasts of North America; Live Science reported last week that Oregon has joined the list of affected areas.
"Wasting has been known for a long time, but usually it's very localized to a single site or single region," and populations are usually able to rebound, said Bruce Menge, a marine biologist at Oregon State University. Considered "keystone predators," sea stars play a crucial role in maintaining healthy marine ecosystems. The wasting syndrome was first noticed in July 2013 off the coast of Washington state and has been detected from Mexico to Alaska and from Maine to New Jersey. Got Milk -- and Abuse? Canada's largest dairy producer, Chilliwack Cattle Sales, faces animal cruelty charges following the release of a video documenting horrific abuses to the farm's cows, the CBC reported last week. The recording, exposed by Mercy for Animals Canada, shows eight workers beating the cows, hitting them in the face, and leaving them to suffer open wounds without proper veterinary care. All eight men have now been sacked; the company is still under investigation. The British Colombia Milk Marketing Board, which has suspended milk pickup, said in a statement that they remain "deeply concerned about the animal welfare issue" at Chilliwack Cattle Sales. The owner, Jeff Kooyman, said the company has zero tolerance for animal abuse. As horrific as the revelations are, at least in Canada such video can still be shot and used legally; the growing trend of "Ag gag laws" in the U.S., intended to "gag" those who would go undercover to blow the whistle on agricultural abuses, is making it ever more difficult to ensure humane animal treatment by meat producers. Hopefully that is one trend other countries won't pick up. Yours & truly,  Amanda Painter and the ECO editorial team Planet Waves Monsanto Watch (ISSN 1933-9135) is published each Tuesday evening in Kingston, New York by Planet Waves, Inc. Editor and Publisher: Eric Francis Coppolino. Business Manager: Chelsea Bottinelli. Web Developer: Anatoly Ryzhenko. Research, Writing and Editing: Planet Waves Monsanto Watch is produced by a team consisting of Hillary Conary, Elizabeth Michaud, Amanda Moreno, Amanda Painter, Amy Elliot, Carol van Strum, Len Wallick and Chad Woodward. Cancer Birthdays 2014 The Astrology Reading You've Always Dreamed Of Discover how astrology can provide you with clarity, focus, fresh ideas and confirmation -- personally relevant and in surprising detail Dear Friend and Client: Astrology is best used for planning, problem solving and personal growth. In that spirit, I'm writing to let you know that the 2014 birthday reading for Cancer is now available for pre-sale at a substantially discounted price through Friday morning only. Over the past few years these readings have gained in popularity and grown in quality. I consider them some of my best work.
As an added bonus, I offer free access to last year's reading so you can check my accuracy and mark your progress over the past four seasons. This is one of the most affordable, useful and excellent reading packages in the entire astrological profession. The way the Planet Waves pricing structure works, we give the best rate to early purchasers. That's available right now. We've also shortened the window for the very lowest price -- which is currently $24.95. This will be available through Friday morning, June 20. The price will then increase gradually, topping off at $49.95 once it's published. So currently, it's available to you for half price.* There's one other aspect to this reading that you should know about. Last week, we held the conference call for those who purchased the Gemini reading, and it was amazing. This is a new concept for us -- to have a community discussion where we talk about astrology and in particular, the astrology related to our sign. You'll be able to speak directly with me and hear from others experiencing similar astrology as you are.
I will have lots to tell you about this -- and an update on the relationship themes of Pluto in your 7th and the "career revolt" of Uranus in your 10th. Stay tuned -- I'll be recording it soon. Remember, this half-price offer lasts only until Friday morning, so take advantage of it now. Sign up online or call Chelsea at (877) 453-8265. If you order by phone, we'll have an early renewal offer for you, and if you're not a member or subscriber, a lovely discount introductory offer. Thanks for being our customer and for trusting me as your astrologer. Lovingly,  *The price for members and subscribers will cap out at $39.95 The price for our other customers will cap out at $49.95. To unsubscribe, click here e Wiki | Friends | Editors | Contact Us Copyright © 2013 by Planet Waves, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Other copyrights may apply. Some images used under Fair Use or Share Alike attribution. |
