Tag Archives: regulation

the gmo safety dance and the rapid adoption of biotech crops

grist published a superb article on facts behind the rhetoric on regulation of genetically modified crops and health safety that’s worth a read. while i think it’s worth being concerned about the health safety of gmo crops, the last line really resonated with me, “…Gurian-Sherman told me that he is concerned about health risks from GE foods, but that’s last on his list, behind concerns about the environment, monopolies, and the direction of agriculture.” indeed, given the rapid adoption of biotech crops, what are the implications of having so much of our food system in the control of a few companies and the long term environmental and health effects of increased pesticide use that’s associated with gmo crops and the threat of superbugs and superweeds?

gun control & america’s unique gun culture

in light of tragedies like the sandy hook elementary school shooting, i tend to gravitate towards “easy answers”. i’ve never understood how anyone could be against buy-back programs, reasonable regulations on distribution & sales, mental health screenings, hardware safety rules ( e.g. trigger locks ) and so on. but whatever happens we all have to recognize that america is unique and “…more violent than other countries because Americans are more violent than other people”. simply taking away our 200 million guns won’t work but when we have nearly twice as many guns per person as do yemenis maybe, just maybe, we should regulate them more rigorously than ladders.