News from the Plant World

Remember Starlink corn ? That was the genetically modified stuff that accidentally and illegally made its way into the human food chain. Specifically into Taco Bell taco shells, creating untold havoc and expense for The Bell.

Well, we are having something of a repeat, only this time its with rice. Bayer Corp. has admitted that a GE variety it developed, but decided not to market, has contaminated stocks destined for human use. The FDA says the subject strain is like some others they have tested and is safe. Probably. Looks like a big headache for the billion dollar rice export industry as many other countries are strict about GE contamination, making a market for another Bayer product.

You may also be interested to know that a bill allowing hemp to be grown in California is nearing passage in the legislature. Easy, stoners, that's hemp, not weed, smoke, pot, dope, maryjane or marijuana. No getting high on this stuff, but it is useful for lots of other stuff from food to canvas to the paper on which our Constitution was drafted.
The Feds won't permit hemp so this will be an all-California deal with no interstate commerce to trigger action by the DEA. We hope.

Do you like golf courses ? Those peaceful green vistas of lush lawns as far as the eye can see ? Then you'll probably be glad that a GE variety of grass developed for golf courses has escaped its experimental limits and entered the wild and may make the whole %#*&@ world look like a golf course. This "frankengrass" can reproduce sexually or asexually and was bred to be reistant to Roundup, the most commonly used herbicide.
Its enviromental impact "remains to be seen", mainly because there's damn little we can do about it, one way or the other.

All of these stories are brought to you courtesy of the Organic Consumers Association and they have lots more like this. If you are interested in what you eat and other such trivial matters, check them out and

StayNaked
jd