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Starving Nation Turns Down Bioengineered Corn

The Washington Post has a story about Zimbabwe turning down shipments of genetically engineered corn, even though the country is experiencing a severe drought and starvation. Zimbabwe is afraid some of the corn will end up planted instead of eaten -- and growing patented corn is a no-no, of course! If the corn is planted even once, it may contaminate all future crops grown in those fields or any fields nearby, leading to huge lawsuits - and then the fields are contaminated, exacerbating the food shortage. So, starve or be bankrupted, and Zimbabwe appears to be choosing, "starve". Tons of ethical issues here, which have hardly been touched upon in the U.S. press.

9 of 798 comments (clear)

  1. Re:There is an alternative method by synaptic · · Score: 1, Troll

    Or maybe we should genetically engineer the starving third-world people so they cannot reproduce.

  2. Re:Birth Control by MenTaLguY · · Score: 1, Troll

    Why don't they send them birth control pill laden corn? That would surely accomplish more to end hunger there.

    It would certainly end people there.

    --

    DNA just wants to be free...
  3. Re:Stop pushing GE on other countries by Reality+Master+101 · · Score: 0, Troll

    I really wish US multinationals would stop pushing GE onto other countries.

    How about if other countries educate their citizens so that they don't they don't get whipped in a frenzy of fear by idiot "scientists" who make their living by scaring ignorant people.

    --
    Sometimes it's best to just let stupid people be stupid.
  4. Re:Stop pushing GE on other countries by Alex · · Score: 1, Troll

    "Educate their citizens" - Isn't that called propaganda?

    Sorry I forgot, us Europeans have governments which are slightly more immune to corporate pressure than other more arrogant nations/governments.

    Alex

  5. The US "press" by slickwillie · · Score: 1, Troll

    Americans are the most entertained and least informed population on earth. The "news" industry here is a joke. People were better informed in the former Soviet Union.

  6. `Gives' with one hand, takes with the other by leonbrooks · · Score: 1, Troll

    Is it `giving' to hand a university money to put up a `Bill Gates Building' or is it simply a commercial exchange?

    Since he's cooking the books to avoid paying income taxes on over $15,000,000,000.00 a year, have you contra'ed those taxes against even those commercial exchanges?

    Ignoring all of the above considerations, it has been truly said thay Trey Gates gives less, pro rata, to charity than the average single mother.

    WHG3 is greedy, and AFAICT has always been greedy. The above items are just the tip of the iceberg of greed.

    --
    Got time? Spend some of it coding or testing
  7. Re:Slashdot misses the point by Malcontent · · Score: 1, Troll

    Caring for iraquis sure as shit is not bombing the fuck out them again. In case the you missed the last couple of decades that's how we fight wars now. We bomb the shit out of people for months, we destory electricrical and water facilities, bridges, roads, industrial facilities, factories etc. This makes sure people starve for at least a decade after we are done bombing them. Cool huh? Now that iraq has finallyre built all those destroyed civilian facilites we will bomb them again.

    Ask yourself this. What have the iraqis ever done to americans? The answer is nothing!

    This next round of slaughter has only one purpose. To get GW re-elected. You can be sure it will be well timed so conside with the 2004 election.

    --

    War is necrophilia.

  8. "Open Source" food. by Magnus_Berglund · · Score: 0, Troll

    This is why we need open-source food. We need a RMS of the food industry... Time to start the FFF - Free Food Foundation?

  9. Re:Catch 22 by nagora · · Score: 2, Troll
    This is an elaborate catch-22 that the US has set up to make Mugabe look bad no matter which way he decides to go.

    First of all, Mugabe is capable of doing that himself, second of all he also couldn't care less what the US thinks of him. In fact, the worse the "white powers" think of him the more he can play the race card at home to gain support.

    he will be labeled as a blundering fool, a ruthless dictator, and as a person who the world can not trust.

    He's already know for all these in every country outside Africa and most of those in Africa.

    Either way, this is a brilliant move by the US in the chess game between these two countries.

    Except it's the pawns that lose while the Kings stay on the board forever.

    TWW

    --
    "Encyclopedia" is to "Wikipedia" what "Library" is to "Some people at a bus stop"