Thursday January 24: The World According To Monsanto part one

NOTE: THIS ASSIGNMENT IS DUE NOT LATER THAN SATURDAY JANUARY 26 AT 8:00 PM, as is the assignment from the previous class

Greetings, one and all!

Today, we will continue our exploration of "The World According to Monsanto" Please remember that even as you work together to find the answers to the questions below, you will still need to send in your responses as individuals

cheers,
Mr. L

The World According to Monsanto

Questions, round two  (starting at approximately 46 minutes into the film)

According to the film, what has the FDA (Food and Drug Administration, an agency of the U.S. government) been insisting about the safety of GMO derived foods versus their more conventional counterparts?

The FDA claims that there is a “scientific consensus” to support their claims about the safety of GMO foods. What does that actually mean, at least in the sense that it’s given in this film? And, is there an alternative way of achieving this consensus? (Hint: you might want to go over the exchange between the producer of this film and Dr. James Maryanski, starting at about 48:17)

Starting at about minute 51:00, we are introduced to a researcher from Scotland. Besides the obvious question of his name, what exactly was the nature of his research, and what did he originally believe it would demonstrate?

What were the ultimate findings of this research?

What were the scientists involved most upset about: the results of their research, or how they were received by others? Please explain why you take this line of reasoning.

At one point Monsanto was a chemical company, but then it changed to become a Biotechnology company. Who was the Monsanto leader responsible for this? What new motto did he create for Monsanto?

This same leader at one point joined in a conference – through a television uplink -- with a particular group which was concerned about the direction Monsanto was going. What is the name of this group, and what were their concerns?

What was the response of this (former) Monsanto leader to this group’s concerns

Given the percentage of “bio-engineered” soybeans in consumption in the U.S., how successful would you say Monsanto has been in achieving its goals?

Why is it impossible to label foods as being “GM”, that is, genetically modified?

Dioxin is a by product of another chemical once produced by Monsanto. What was that chemical, what was it used for, and what is the connection of this chemical to the war in Vietnam?

Given this fact above, might you have some concerns about RoundUp? (Again, remember what RoundUp does, and how it works)

If Monsanto has “bio-engineered” plants to be resistant to RoundUp, might they wish to do the same with animals? How about humans?

Many Vietnam veterans believe that their exposure to “Agent Orange” during the war has given them much higher rates of cancer. Monsanto has conducted scientific studies which they claim debunk this, prove it to be false. Question: besides Monsanto, what other large organization might benefit from this study’s findings?

What does it mean for Monsanto that their genetically altered soybeans are protected by U.S. patent laws? What are people in general and farmers in particular allowed or not allowed to do with them?

How does Monsanto enforce these patents? What sort of actions do they pursue?

What are the “gene police”? Why does the film say that some farmers are afraid of them?

What if everyone grew only Monsanto’s soybeans? Given the answers you have just provided, what happens if there are literally no other kinds of soybeans being grown?

Are GMOs 100% resistant to all diseases and other problems? Give an example from this film (there was one where they examined a certain crop in India)

How big a percentage of this crop in India is the kind produced by Monsanto?

What kind of economic advantage does this give Monsanto in that part of the world?

If Monsanto owns the seeds, does it “own” the farmers who plant them and grow the crops?

What is meant by transgenic contamination?

How does this affect people trying to grow non-GMO foods?

Are there obvious signs when this contamination happen?

Even if it happens by accident, can independent farmers prove that they weren’t trying to infringe on Monsanto’s patents? If so, how so?

Who might benefit from this contamination?