it is a proven fact, that in starving, poor nations, people tend to have more children. in prosperous, higher wealth nations, people tend to have less children. It is economically tied, but on the surface seems poor logic. In a poor nation, surviving children are an insurance policy. they can work a field, they can take care of you in old age. their survival rate is the same as yours or lower, so keep mom pregnant. As well, these people have lost hope that they will escape or move out of their situation. In wealthier nations, people tend to focus on gaining wealth to the detriment of starting families. I am not sure joss's correlation is correct, however it is interesting.

...interesting... I think that instinct (or worry) has been removed from people's minds.. And...are peppers considerated a fruit?

Years ago I worked in a greenhouse growing peppers. At the end of the growing season, right before we cut all the plants down, we used to starve them of food for a few days. The result? Survival 'instinct'. The plants produced one last massive yield of fruit. I think the same is the case for humans. It's not logical as such but survival instinct does seem to kick in in times of severe hardship.

well, it's your turn to bring on a song

You hold them...I'm not holding them.

Yeah me too...apparently not how I thought it would.

you missed it- DK's post was a saloon brawl. there's a couple of broken noses over there-or at least out of joint

I wonder what that looks like... :)

Remember to observe the Geneva convention. :)

Bacon and eggs for me please. Hold the Luddites.

Does that mean we're going to have a youtube song war? I'm telling Scott!

you did not just snart me! ok, the gauntlet is laid down. tomorrow-snarting it up, OA style!

7296.... and yes, apparently so. (Hey..Snart! I was busy doing my own scavenger hunt trying to get Joss to reply to my remarks...I've been waiting days to hear his perspective...sigh. I can't do EVERYthing around here!)

seriously. are the 6000 points to no avail?

scavenger hunts are not my thing!

no, I would have come straight to your house. Yes, know exactly the location.. I know those roads like you do, uncommon. lol. funny thing. 270 was brand new when I lived in U city

go look at my comments with OA on this topic. do not make me show you the thread. lol

thank you rocky for bringing up Rachel carson, the genocide queen of the 20th century.
why can't you tell? farmers do not understand property rights or contractual rights. why is it, they are so well versed on subsidies? Monsanto should not have been able to get in Europe a law passed that said you can't use certain seeds. but at the same time, in the US, they should not have faced absurd lawsuits based on bogus health claims. they worked the system. I don't agree, but what options?

Farmers and people should be able to use whatever the hell seeds they want to use. If the protesters don't like it then they should grow their own.

Their World HQ is in STL. Massive campus. Did any of march in STL? If so, did you make a stop at Pappy's BBQ? If not, shame on you for missing out.

Your mention of Nestle brought the DDT ban to mind: millions of Africans have died from mosquito related diseases after the halt of DDT production. Rachel Carson's book 'Silent Spring' started the hysteria, and her findings have since been discounted.

But too late to help so many, and there are no plans to bring DDT back....

I can't really tell from your post which side of the Monsanto protest line you are standing on?

I might be getting off on a tangent here but the baby formula thing is bugging me. Who feeds the babies when they're off formula? Why do these people keep having babies if they can't feed them? I've always been stumped by this. They're starving but they make babies. Cruel!

two things. 1. those who are against genetically modified seeds.
2. Blaming Monsanto for lobbying govts to make laws banning other seeds from being planted. Now this is more the crux. In a perfect world (yea, I know) a biggie like Monsanto should be able to lobby to their heart's content-but with free countries, it should have no impact. Currently, Europe has passed laws banning "heirloom" seeds-so if you plant your own seeds, you may be committing a criminal activity. As well, in the US, a recent law included a little line that exempted Monsanto from lawsuits related to contracts they have farmers regarding control over their seeds.
Wrap-up: There is crony capitalism going on. However, if judges and legislators followed our Constitution and reason, they would not make laws banning heirloom seeds. They would not exempt one company from legal actions. Big picture: Most food is genetically modified. These technologies are extremely important especially in 3rd world countries. seeds resistant to pestilence and drought. If the reaction is to pass laws banning genetically modified seeds, this could result serious food shortages in 3rd world countries with limited infrastructures.
In the 70s, thousands boycotted Nestle Foods for promoting baby formula in 3rd world nations. From cozy, well-fed US groups cried-no formula over mother's milk. However, in starving areas, babies were dying because mother's weren't eating enough to lactate sufficiently. Formula stores well for a long time. In the end, that boycott succeeded and Nestle stopped promoting formula in Africa. How many babies do you think died unnecessarily as a result?

What are they basing this on?