http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/23/opinion/nocera-burger-king-the-cash-cow.html

Financial engineering with genetically engineered food.....is this a great country, or what?

June 23, 2012 at 11:27 a.m.

http://www.progress.org/gene45.htm

Friends of the Earth News Release

Going GM-Free in Europe But Not USA
Major U.S. Companies Drop Genetically Engineered Foods in Europe

The survey shows that most of the top food manufacturers are aware of opposition to GMOs throughout Europe and have been forced to take action. The same companies in the U.S., however, have yet to make take similar action.

"It's only a matter of time before these companies are forced to make the same commitment to consumers here at home," said Larry Bohlen, Safer Food -Safer Farms campaign director for Friends of the Earth, U.S. "If companies are feeling the heat from 22 European nations, wait until they start hearing from 50 American states."

Bohlen noted that legislation to ban or to label genetically engineered foods has been introduced in several states including Minnesota, California, Vermont and Maine, and just last week, the Boston City Council voted unanimously in favor of a resolution to ban GE foods until they are labeled and subject to safety testing.

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Companies that said that they currently source all their ingredients from GMO-free crops for the food and drink they sell in Europe, include Pepsi Cola, Coca Cola, Heinz, Mars, Danone, Kelloggs, Campbell Foods, Cadbury Schweppes and Kraft/ Jacobs/ Suchard. Almost all of these indicated that they also use GMO-free derivatives. And Europe's top fast food chain McDonald's Europe "have asked suppliers to source non-GM ingredients, additives and processing aids."

Liana Stupples, GMO campaign coordinator for Friends of the Earth Europe said: "This survey shows how food manufacturers are being forced to listen to European consumers increasingly concerned about potential health and environmental damage from GMO food and crops."

Today, at a Brussels press conference, Friends of the Earth Europe announced the launch of a new Europe-wide campaign to halt GMO pollution. FoEE groups in twenty-two countries across Europe will aim to safeguard for the people of Europe the right to choose GMO-free food, to grow GMO-free crops and to protect GMO-free habitats.

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Diageo: Is made up of its drinks business (no information on GMO policy) and two food arms: Pillsbury - "None of our brands contain any ingredients derived from genetically modified crops which could fall within the labelling regulations in Europe. Recognising consumer concerns in Europe , we have been progressively removing ingredients and additives that could have been derived from GM crops, wherever it is technically feasible...for the last 18 months" and; Burger King -"in relation to the countries in Europe... Burger King has removed GM ingredients from its menu items". BK had no information on derivatives.

Friends of the Earth also contacted McDonald's Europe - Europe's largest restaurant outlet. It said that "McDonald's in Europe have asked suppliers to source non-GM ingredients, additives and processing aids".

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http://www.democraticunderground.com/101734849



Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) introduces a GMO Labeling amendment to the Farm Bill
Posted: June 14th, 2012

http://www.health.harvard.edu/books/the-autism-revolution (strongly advocates ORGANIC diet, does not mention GMO)

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1014144103 (Sharp rise in child bowel disease cases, Scotland)

http://www.democracynow.org/2012/6/22/headlines#6227

Obama Urges Student Activism Ahead of Loan Deadline

Congress is facing a looming deadline to extend low-interest rates on federally subsidized Stafford loans or plunge millions of students into deeper debt. The rates were reduced to 3.4 percent in 2007 but will double on July 1st for new loans unless Congress intervenes. On Thursday, President Obama urged a group of students visiting the White House to pressure lawmakers.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1014&pid=147061

Post 78.

The Princeton-Harvard (Blaxill), Yale (Olmsted), Stanford (Handley, Kuo Habakus), Johns Hopkins (Taylor), Berkeley (Belkin) educated parents who comprise much of the core of AgeofAutism are not so easily discredited, although I can fully understand how desirable that might be to some. These INCREDIBLY SMART, INFORMED, CREDIBLE, HIGHLY IMPRESSIVE AND COMMITTED PARENTS drill down into the nitty-gritty of the comforting narratives we're all provided in what used to be called 'investigative journalism.'

The AoA site is filled with examples.

http://www.ageofautism.com/2009/10/hepatitis-b-vaccine-an-unmitigated-disaster-.html

My name is Michael Belkin. I am a father, businessman, former quantitative strategist at Salomon Brothers, and Director of the Hepatitis B Vaccine Project of the National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC).
...As a UC Berkeley graduate and advisor to some of the largest financial institutions in the world, I am qualified to analyze and make conclusions about statistics.

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http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=112&session=2&vote=00161

U.S. Senate Roll Call Votes 112th Congress - 2nd Session as compiled through Senate LIS by the Senate Bill Clerk under the direction of the Secretary of the Senate

Vote Summary

Question: On the Amendment (Sanders Amdt. No. 2310 )

Vote Number: 161
Vote Date: June 21, 2012, 12:36 PM

Required For Majority: 3/5
Vote Result: Amendment Rejected

Amendment Number: S.Amdt. 2310 to S. 3240 (Agriculture Reform, Food, and Jobs Act of 2012)

Statement of Purpose: To permit States to require that any food, beverage, or other edible product offered for sale have a label on indicating that the food, beverage, or other edible product contains a genetically engineered ingredient.

Vote Counts: YEAs-26..... NAYs-73..... Not Voting-1

Grouped By Vote Position

http://www.protect.org/victories

United States
PROTECT Act of 2008
Landmark federal legislation on child exploitation. Mandated national law enforcement nerve center to track and combat child pornography, with priority given to child rescues. Authorized major resource increases.
More information here: http://protect.org/component/content/article/1009


United States
ICAC Stimulus Funding 2009
Secured $50 million in federal Recovery Act funding for 61 Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) task forces. Details here.

http://articles.philly.com/2011-10-30/news/30339167_1_student-homes-milton-hershey-school-sexual-relations/6

How child-porn case led to Hershey School
October 30, 2011|By Bob Fernandez, Inquirer Staff Writer

(p 6) Case against Charney

Charney might not have been caught if it had not been for a new federal law, the Protect Our Children Act of 2008, that provided for Internet operators to report child pornography on their networks.

In late November 2009, AOL flagged suspicious e-mail communications between two e-mail users in Pennsylvania, one of whom used the screen name matthew343@aim.com.

The first of the e-mail exchanges was Nov. 27, 2009, when matthew343@aim.com wrote: "Nothing here but it is exciting to hear about your endeavors. You have any pics of the two new ones? I often think about ryan and wish I had followed through On our plan for you and him to come to hershey. Maybe some day this summer I can Get away and travl your way."

The Inquirer is withholding the screen name of the second e-mailer because of the graphic images associated with it on a Google search.

Two days later, the second e-mailer wrote to matthew343@aim.com: "Sure, here you go, i think i've already shown you zack's pics, right? these are the two new ones. let me know if you ever want to make it happen with one of my boys, they're always available."

Less than an hour later, the second e-mailer added that he might need to trade for pictures. Matthew343@aim.com responded: "i am up for trading." The traded pictures were graphic and contained images of young boys engaged sexual activity, according to court documents.

AOL informed the online CyberTipline, and the FBI eventually located Charney on the Hershey campus. One piece of evidence leading the FBI to him was his Hershey School e-mail.

The FBI raided Charney's campus home Feb. 12, 2010. A year later, the U.S. Attorney's Office in central Pennsylvania announced it was charging Charney with one count of receiving and distributing child pornography, and he pleaded guilty this April.

http://protect.org/home

Protect

Jury selection in the trial of former Penn State coach Jerry Sandusky is scheduled to begin this week, so the national media will be descending on rural Pennsylvania again. Meanwhile, we're gearing up our legislative campaign in Pennsylvania. Some lawmakers want to block a hearing of our bill, saying they want to hear from a blue ribbon panel first--which reports its findings *after* the November elections. We'll keep you posted.

6 hours ago

http://protect.org/component/content/article/1576

(includes 14 recommended links)

[img][/img]

LINK 1:

MORE LINKS.

http://protect.org/campaigns

Legislative Campaigns of PROTECT

When Americans have a special interest they are serious about, they spare no expense to defend it. In 2010, special interests spent over $19 million per day on lobbyists.*

But there have never been deep pockets sending lobbyists to defend the most important "special interest" of all: abused and exploited children.

That's why PROTECT was created. Since 2002 we've been on the front lines in state legislatures and in Washington, fighting aggressively for the protection of children, with a small staff, a modest budget and a growing army of volunteers. PROTECT, a sister organization to the National Association to Protect Children, is recognized by the IRS as a 501(c)(4) nonprofit.

We're conservatives and liberals united. We don't play charity softball. We play political hardball, because the stakes could not be higher. And we win.

* Source: Center for Responsive Politics

http://protect.org/component/content/article/1595

Grassroots Campaigns

The AARP has 40 million members. The NRA has 4 million. The National Association to Protect Children is small, but growing every day. We know our ultimate strength is in our numbers, and the vast majority of Americans are on our side.

Child Rescue Emergency Campaign: http://protect.org/emergency
Urgent Evidence Campaign: http://protect.org/component/content/article/164-national/1054-2010-04-25-22-37-36