Daily Archives: June 20, 2013

environment, pandemic, planetkillers

Haze update: Burning ‘the cheapest way to clear farm land’

If you look at the size of fires, it is clear that it is the large plantations and not just “poor farmers” burning to clear land for planting palm oil farms and plunder the earth and globe for short term profit and quickening the death of the planet – which they delude themselves into believing that can buy their way to safety.!

For poor farmers in Indonesia, it is hard economics and not green issues like environment protection that dictates what they do.

This is why they are likely to continue with a practice that has been used for generations, Mr Fadli said. “But we are not like that,” he was quick to add.

He insisted his company does not use the slash-and-burn method, but was hard put to explain why there were burnt logs and branches in some parts of the plantation. Also, a worker was using an excavator to flatten land that had obviously been burned.

Mr Fadli declined to reveal the name of the company he works for or the size of the firm.

via Haze update: Burning 'the cheapest way to clear farm land'.

racism

Off the Charts Blog | Center on Budget and Policy Priorities | House Bill Makes Deep Cuts in Low-Income Housing Assistance

Just amazing how much the GOP seems to hate poor people and people of color and delude themselves that it will not cost them their jobs and hurt America in the meantime

In other areas, the House bill will lock in for 2014 most of this year’s sequestration cuts.  Because of sequestration in 2013, for example, the Housing Choice Voucher program will assist up to 140,000 fewer low-income families by early 2014.  In addition, thousands of assisted families in cities and towns from New York City to Abilene, Texas, are facing steep rent increases as agencies struggle to cut their programs down to post-sequestration levels.  While the House bill would increase funding to renew housing vouchers by $650 million over the 2013 funding level, four-fifths of the sequestration-related cuts in families served would remain in place in 2014.

The cuts in vouchers — like those proposed in public housing — would fall heavily on seniors, people with disabilities, and families with children.

via Off the Charts Blog | Center on Budget and Policy Priorities | House Bill Makes Deep Cuts in Low-Income Housing Assistance.

Uncategorized

The Gun Report: June 20, 2013 – NYTimes.com

A 33-year-old woman is in critical condition after shooting herself in the head while behind the wheel of her car in Lander, Wyo. The woman drove away from a residence Sunday afternoon after saying she intended to harm herself following a dispute with her boyfriend. A state trooper later saw the woman’s vehicle veer off of Highway 26 and plow through a fence.

via The Gun Report: June 20, 2013 – NYTimes.com.

Gun-violence

The Gun Report: June 20, 2013 – NYTimes.com

A 6-month-old girl was shot and killed in Knoxville, Tenn., Wednesday afternoon while her parents were having a domestic dispute. Ken Mason, 40, and Angela Major, 26, have been charged with reckless homicide. Authorities are not releasing how many rounds were fired or where the child was shot. A handgun was recovered at the scene. A friend of the infant’s mother identified the baby as Kelsey.

via The Gun Report: June 20, 2013 – NYTimes.com.

Uncategorized

Farm Bill Fails in the House – NSAC

House passage of a food stamp amendment by Representative Southerland (R-FL) to allow states to add work requirements to the SNAP program, adopted just prior to the vote on the bill as a whole, helped doom any chance the bill had of gaining more than a handful of Democratic votes, though even without that amendment it appears the bill would have been defeated.

It is unclear what the path forward now is for the 2013 Farm Bill, but stay tuned for a more in-depth analysis post on this week’s House farm bill floor debate soon.

via Farm Bill Fails in the House – NSAC.

racism, terrorism, Urbanfarm

Farm Bill Amendment Would Pay States to Cut Off SNAP Benefits for People Who Want to Work But Can’t Find Jobs

The House today approved a stunning, extreme amendment to the farm bill from Rep. Steve Southerland (R-FL) that would allow states to require most adults who receive or apply for SNAP — including parents with children as young as 1 year old and many people with disabilities — to work or participate in a work or training program for at least 20 hours a week or else have their entire family’s SNAP benefits cut off.

The amendment provides no jobs and no funds for work or training programs, and it does not require states to make any work opportunities available.  People who want to work and are looking for a job but haven’t found one could be cut off.

via Off the Charts Blog | Center on Budget and Policy Priorities | Farm Bill Amendment Would Pay States to Cut Off SNAP Benefits for People Who Want to Work But Can’t Find Jobs.

environment, pandemic, terrorism, Urbanfarm

Strawberry grower fined, told to destroy crop – AP State News – The Sacramento Bee

GOP controlled US House of Representative voted to not enforce tighter regulations on food safety that they voted in 2011 – cause you can trust farmers to do the right thing… The California Department of Pesticide Regulation announced a settlement agreement with Lorenzo Lopez of Watsonville-based V.L. Farms on Thursday. They say Lopez acknowledged illegally using the insecticide methomyl and has agreed to destroy 10 acres of his 20-acre farm in addition to a $15,000 fine.

Methomyl was once used by California growers to control lygus bugs in strawberries, but DPR stopped allowing its use in 2010.

The agency says it discovered methomyl residue on the strawberries in April during routine produce residue sampling at a food warehouse in Southern California. DPR says it then traced the berries to Lopez.

via Strawberry grower fined, told to destroy crop – AP State News – The Sacramento Bee.

 

3,000 Americans die a year from food based illnesses according to the CDC. But that’s science and not ideology or profit…

Uncategorized

Minutemen Co-Founder Charged With Child Molestation | Fronteras Desk

One of the original creators of the Mexican border vigilante movement that set off so much debate a decade ago, was arrested on child molestation charges in Phoenix, Wednesday.

Police booked Chris Simcox, 52, into jail on two counts of child molestation, two counts of sexual conduct with a minor and one count of attempted molestation of a child.

In 2002, Simcox issued a “call to arms” for citizens to guard the U.S.-Mexico border in Southern Arizona.

via Minutemen Co-Founder Charged With Child Molestation | Fronteras Desk.

environment, pandemic, terrorism, Urbanfarm

House Votes to Delay Food Safety Rules and endanger you and your children

The House voted late Wednesday to delay sweeping food safety rules that would require farmers and food companies to be more vigilant about guarding against contamination.Lawmakers adopted an amendment by voice vote to a wide-ranging farm bill just before midnight that would delay the rules signed into law in 2011 until the Food and Drug Administration conducts a study on their economic impacts.The proposed rules would require farmers to take new precautions against contamination, to include making sure workers hands are washed, irrigation water is clean, and that animals stay out of fields, among other measures.The amendment was offered by Republican Rep. Dan Benishek of Michigan, who said the regulations would be burdensome to farmers in his district.

via House Votes to Delay Food Safety Rules.

CDC estimates of illness and deaths – not burdensome enough to tighten regulation according to US Rep. Dan Benishek: CDC estimates that each year roughly 1 in 6 Americans (or 48 million people) get sick, 128,000 are hospitalized, and 3,000 die of foodborne diseases. 

3,000 deaths not so bad according to Dan and certainly not reason enough to make corporate farmers in his district more careful.