Science Not Yet Settled On Safety Of GMO Foods

According to an article at the Brad Blog by Earnist A. Canning, a group of concerned scientists in Europe say that of the studies that have been done on GMO's, most were done by the GMO industry itself. He says they are concerned that more studies need to be done. From the brad blog:

ENSSER challenges the methodology of such studies, noting that studies which involve "one group of animals fed GM food and another ¦an equivalent non-GM diet" are "rare." The rare studies that did apply such rigorous scientific methodology "have revealed toxic effects or signs of toxicity in GM-fed animals."

"The concerns raised by these studies," the ENSSER scientists say, "have not been followed up by targeted research that could confirm or refute the initial findings."

The group further decries the absence of "epidemiological studies investigating potential effects of GM food consumption on human health." The report asserts: "Claims that scientific and governmental bodies endorse GMO safety are exaggerated and Inaccurate."

Canning says that studies called "A decade of EU-funded GMO research (2001-2010)"  were a research project and not intended to show the safety of any single GM food. He said they were designed to develop safety assessment approaches.



See the story at the Brad Blog .
See the letter from the scientists, physicians and academics. 

7.3 Earthquake Strikes Off Coast Of Japan, Small Tsunami Expected At Fukushima

No Tsunami is expected here in California from this mornings 7.3 earthquake off the coast of Japan. The area around the crippled Fukushima power plant that melted down after it was hit by a tsunami from a previous quake is expecting a possible 1 meter tsunami. Workers at the destroyed nuke plant have been evacuated to a safe building at the site according to reports.

This came down my twitter feed just minutes ago.

Breaking News ‏@BreakingNews5m

Small tsunami of about 1 ft. observed in Ishinomaki City, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan, at 2:07 p.m. ET - @weatherchannel

UPDATE: Magnitude downgraded to 7.1.
Twitter update:

Hiroko Tabuchi ‏@HirokoTabuchi11m

NHK: Tsunami measuring 55cm (1.8ft) detected at Onagawa Nuclear Power Plant in Miyagi. Plant says it's able to withstand 17m (55ft) tsunami.

Move To Amend "The 30 Minute Movie"

Are corporations people? How did things get this way? What can we do about it?
This link may will expire soon so you should watch this as soon as you can.
This is evidently a sneek preview and the video will be officially released in January so if you miss it this time, just wait.
http://youtu.be/PDaPMU8LbIY

 Click the link to watch the movie.

Bevmo Grand Opening In Eureka Today

A large line of people that wrapped around the building this morning were waiting eagerly to get a glimpse inside of Eureka's newest liquor store, BevMo! The dark and foggy weather had no affect on the large crowd that turned out for the festivities.

The chain of privately held  beverage stores that specializes in beer, wine and liquor started in California in 1994 and has grown to about 148 stores in California and Arizona.

Today's grand opening and ribbon cutting includes a DJ spinning tunes in the parking lot and a table full of BevMo! bags that may or may not  contain BevMo! goodies. I didn't explore that as I had to get to work and I never shop for liquor before noon.

Benefit to Reopen Stone Lagoon Campground In Humboldt County

This Sunday, October 20th, Kayak Zak's, Explore North Coast, and HSU Recreation Students invite kayakers, hikers and the outdoorsy alike to the Benefit to Reopen Stone Lagoon Campground.

The event will go from 9 am to 5 pm this Sunday at the Stone Lagoon Vistitor Center at 115336 US 101 north of Trinidad California, just past the Little Red Schoolhouse. There will be kayak tours to the campground, live local music by "Monahan, Martin, & Sleep", a raffle with prizes and a whole lot of fun. Rain or shine.

Amanda Kachevas says the Stone Lagoon Primitive Campground has been closed for two years. These are Humboldt County's only boat-in/hike-in campsites and with just a little help it can be reopened in spring of 2014. Elk Country RV (at Little Red Schoolhouse) will have a simultaneous event featuring a barbecue, kid's events, demonstrations and discount camping all weekend.

Kayak Tours are $35.00 per person donation and will launch at 10;00 a.m., 12:00 p.m. and 2;00 p.m. Reserve in advance or sign up that day. Bring a change of clothes and wear shoes that can get wet. Wet suits, booties and splash jackets are also available to rent. Life jackets are included with the tours.

Raffle prizes  will be drawn at 11:45 a.m., 1;45 p.m., and 3:45 p.m. In the event of foul weather all events move to the party at Elk Country RV.

Sunset in Trinidad Tonight

North Coast Veterans Stand Down Takes Place This Weekend

Starting Friday and going into Sunday, North Coast veterans will meet in Ferndale at the Humboldt County Fairgrounds to take part in  in two days of services offered free to the vets. Services will include DMV help, dentistry, haircuts, food, overnight stay, entertainment and lots and lots of other services all in one location to make it easy for veterans to access. There will even be free transportation to and from the event but you have to make reservations for that asap. Click the link above for more on transportation.

Services are offered Friday, October 11th. and Saturday, October 12th. Overnight stay is provided Friday and Saturday. Veterans are encouraged to attend and see if there are benefit that they are missing out on and to enjoy the local services, music, food and camaraderie of being with others that have been through similar life experiences.

See more at the website North Coast Stand Down.org.

A Fantastic Voice At The Lighthouse Grill

The Lighthouse Grill in Trinidad Ca. has light entertainment on Sunday nights from 5 to 7 ish. I have seen several musicians here because it is a great local venue for me with locally sourced, organic if possible, healthy or at least super real food. I like food and have liked food for about as long as I can remember. So when I can combine food , beer and wine with music and local, local, local, I have to love it.

This past Sunday when I was having fish and chips on a sunny 80 ish degree day, a voice from the girl on the patio just took over all of my thoughts. I had to rush to the patio and video tape (no tape it was my cell phone) what was left of a great performance. 

Here is local writer, photographer, musician, English instructor and fantastic singer Josephine Johnson and her acquaintance Alex on the patio of the said grill in Trinidad on that very day.

Josephine.jhnsn@gmail.com

State Of Oregon Caves To GMO's And Big Agra - March Against Monsanto This Saturday!

In case you missed it. Last week, the state of Oregon passed a bill to remove local control over agriculture  from counties to the state. Counties will no longer be able to decide whether GMO’s or experimental crops may be grown in their jurisdictions.

Oregon's Monsanto Protection Act, will strip local county control over seeds, food and agriculture and deny county elected officials' ability to keep GMO crops from contaminating farmers' fields.

According to Food Democracy Now.org
 after dying in committee during the regular session earlier this year, SB 863, formerly known as SB 633, industrial ag corporations joined forces with the notorious ALEC and Koch brothers to slip this seed preemption bill into an unrelated emergency PERS tax and pension bill in Oregon.

GMO Free Oregon says:
Is there anyone out there championing Syngenta's sugar beet seeds as something proudly grown in Oregon or being able fetch an economic premium from being a quality Oregon product?  No.  They are simply cheap commodity sugar beet seeds that could have been grown anywhere.  Flip the coin and there are plenty of people praising Oregon's organic and specialty beta vulgaris seed products, among many others.  These products fetch enough of an economic premium to make being a local family farmer a viable financial option for Oregonians. Syngenta's sugar beet seed plots directly put at risk all other neighboring organic and specialty seed growers cultivating other beets and chards, thus threatening the livelihood of many Oregon family farmers.  Local ordinances such as Jackson County's upcoming GMO ban aim to protect its citizens in this exact situation.
According to what I have read, this one local ordinance will be allowed to go to the ballot.

This Saturday all over the world there will be marches against Monsanto. Here in Eureka people will gather at 11 am at 2nd and I streets and march to the Humboldt County Court House where there will be speakers to discuss what people can do about the hijacking of their local food production and other GMO big business activities. For more information go to
March dash against dash Monsanto.com. Locally you can google or search facebook for march against Monsanto Eureka. 

Human Rights Commission Meeting Tomorrow In Eureka

 From Janelle Egger:

 In March 2012 the people writing and attending the Board meetings said don’t do this when the “Urgency Ordinance” codes/laws were enacted.  In May and June people attended public meetings held by the County Administrative Officer who reported to the Board that the overwhelming, if not unanimous input was for repeal. And again people showed up in August 2012 and said don’t amend, repeal.  The Human Rights Commission from March 2012 has opposed laws restricting free speech in front of the Courthouse and emphasized communication, education, and accommodation before enforcement.

 Today the “Urgency Ordinance” codes are not being enforced so people think everything is OK. A man asked me about that one Saturday as I stood with Women in Black at the County Courthouse.  “But this is still illegal,” I responded, pointing to our banner on the flag pole base. With a puzzled look he asked, “Well does it matter if you can still have it?” The answer is yes, because someday someone will hang a sign that people don’t like, or another group of unpopular people will assemble to protest. 

 The vote for the “Urgency Ordinance” was 4 to 1. The vote to approve the same codes again with minor changes was 3 to 2. The Human Rights Commission’s recommendation for repeal of the “Urgency Ordinance” codes deserves support again.

 If you can’t make it Saturday, please write. Any emails sent to me at janelle404-forum@yahoo.com will be printed out and given to the ad hoc committee.

Also:

From Nezzie Wade:

 Hello Friends, Neighbors and Colleagues,

 I apologize for any duplication if you received this email previously

 I want to invite all of you to an Open Public Forum sponsored by the Human Rights Commission (HRC) on October 5th, Saturday, at the County Office of Education. The purpose of the forum is to receive public comment pertaining to the draft policy statement and recommendations the HRC has prepared for the Board of Supervisors (BOS) regarding the protest ordinances the BOS passed in 2012 as a response to the Occupy protests in front of the County Courthouse. The forum will run from 1:00 p.m. to approximately 5:00 p.m. and will be facilitated by the League of Women Voters. The first hour will be for review and informal discussion of the proposed documents. The format of the hour from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. will engage members of the ad hoc ordinance committee of the HRC in responding to  questions from the public recorded onto cards; the last hour will be open for verbal comments from the forum participants. I am attaching a flyer for the event and encourage you to come give your feedback. If you want to review the documents, you can find them on the HRC website http://co.humboldt.ca.us/humanrightscom/ under Emergency Ordinance 2477. This is a chance to understand what has occurred and what is being suggested by the HRC and other Humboldt County community members. Offer your comments as well as get answers to the questions you have. Your input is the reason for the forum. This is about your First Amendment Rights. If you can't make it to the event and want to comment on the HRC draft documents, you can write to the HRC at 825 5th Street, Eureka, CA 95501. Please do so by October 5th.

 Please join in the Open Public Forum this coming Saturday and let the Human Rights Commission and the community hear your voice.

Hope to see you there.