High time!

A few months before my fiftieth birthday, I finally had my ears pierced.

Took me a while to scrape up the courage ;-)

GM foods in Europe

Now, this really surprises me!

I'm half expecting Mr. Dimas to be turfed out of his job soon on some pretext, so the EU can continue rubberstamping GM applications... let's hope I'm wrong.

Confidential documents reveal that Stavros Dimas, the EU's Environment Commissioner, wants to refuse approval for cultivation of the two crops – both types of maize genetically engineered to resist pests – because they pose "unacceptable" risks.

(snip)

The two types of maize – one produced by biotech giant Syngenta, the other by Pioneer Hi-Bred International and Dow – are modified to produce an insecticide to kill the European corn borer, which affects about a quarter of the Continent's crop.

They have twice been cleared by the European Food Safety Authority, which critics allege is pro-GM, but Mr Dimas said that new scientific research has since raised doubts about their safety.

Separate studies have suggested that the plants' insecticide harms butterflies and gets into streams, where it poisons aquatic life. Another shows that the amount of the chemical produced by the maize varies enormously from place to place and even between plants in the same field, which "may lead to unpredictable interactions with the environment that could cause adverse effects".

For both types of maize, the confidential documents conclude that "the level of risk generated by this product for the environment is unacceptable".

The recommendation will now go to the full Commission, then to a committee of officials of member states and then, if they do not agree, to ministers. If upheld, it will herald a revolution in the EU's approach to GM.

source

De Europese Commissie mag van mij opsouten!

Vandaag liever dan morgen!

Europese werknemers moeten nog productiever worden. De Europese Commissie neemt geen genoegen met de recente toename. Extra maatregelen zijn nodig, zoals meer en beter onderzoek en meer echte concurrentie tussen bedrijven in landen van de Europese Unie.
Bron

Wij moeten helemaal niet willen competeren tegen de Amerikanen, bijvoorbeeld, die werken om te leven.
Die van de ellende vaak niet weten hoe hoofd boven water te houden.
Die in angst leven om ziek te worden omdat ze niet goed verzekerd zijn.
(dan heb ik het nog maar over de middenklasse... en niet de armzalige ellendelingen die buiten het American Dreamboat vallen en verzuipen!)

Laten we het helemaal niet hebben over de mensen in landen als Bangladesh, waar ze gewoon als moderne slaven voor de Westerse consument ingezet worden.

Nee, de streven zou eerder moeten zijn om hun levensstandaard naar ons niveau te krijgen, niet omgekeerd.
(ja en laat ik nu helemaal schijnheilig gaan doen, en hopen dat ze niet gaan consumeren zoals wij anders is dit planeet echt helemaal in de sjit)

Betutteling

in het kwadraat!!!

nu.nl/overig | Groningse vissers moeten 'wapens' inleveren: "De politie in Groningen gaat de komende tijd streng controleren op vissers die tijdens het hengelen gebruik maken van een katapult. De hengelaars gebruiken het ding om voerballen zo ver mogelijk over het water te schieten. ANP Volgens de politie mag dat niet. 'Katapulten zijn tenslotte een verboden wapen', aldus een woordvoerster woensdag."

Waar een klein landje niet kleinzielig in kan zijn.

Volgens de zegsvrouw hebben schietende vissers, voor zover bekend, nog geen ongelukken veroorzaakt. "Maar het is en blijft gevaarlijk."

Ach, gut gut...

Sarkozy pushes for Euro defense integration

No, no!
i do not want this.

France will next year push for a Europe of defence, proposing Brussels-based EU planning staff, exchanges between professional soldiers and a harmonization of military education

Source

Bringing the United States of Europe one giant step closer and that's a pipe dream.
It will never work.

He wants a more interventionist europe.
He wants more power in world affairs.
Bah!

Sunday afternoon walking the dog

Politicians of the world, pay attention!

You have a green light.
So, act! No more procrastination.

...according to a BBC poll of 22,000 people in 21 countries.

Four out of five people say they are prepared to change their lifestyle, even in the US and China, the world's two biggest emitters of carbon dioxide.

Three quarters would back energy taxes if the cash was used to find new sources of energy, or boost efficiency.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

83% of respondents throughout the world agree that individuals will definitely or probably have to make lifestyle changes to reduce the amount of climate-changing gases they produce.

The poll also suggests that a large majority of people in each individual country surveyed believe that sacrifices will be necessary.

In almost all countries in Europe, and in the US, most people believe the cost of fuels that contribute most to climate change will have to increase.


Graphs showing how many people think lifestyles need to change, and how many people think energy costs will have to increase

Green lesson for politicians

The only exceptions were Italy and Russia

It does not get much clearer than this.



Source

YouTube

An item in the news this morning caught my attention: this 19 year old Dutch teenager, just over one year ago she put her rendition of waterfall on YouTube that she recorded in her bedroom, in front of her computer (as so many teens do):



People liked it, music industry heard it and liked it, she got offered a contract by Justin Timberlake, she was an opening act for him earlier this year and now she's been on Oprah's YouTube channel (who knew, Oprah has a YouTube channel of her own).

She's a YouTube star.
She's 19.

Amazing
(I hear Andy Warhol sniggering somewhere)