Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Sacrificing Urban Life To Grow Food Organically
The Buddhist philosophy preaches empowerment of human lives and nature. The article (see link below), based on a new trend in China, focuses on the Buddhist philosophy in restoring balance between nature and nurture. A group of young and affluent professionals are leaving their comfortable jobs for farming to harvest organic food. Concerned about the quality of food, these Chinese professionals are poised to grow food naturally, free of pesticides and other artificial chemicals. This trend is a stark contrast in a nation where industrialization and manufacturing are rampant in every conceivable city. Farming is considered a taboo in China.
At a time when food industries control what and how we eat, the trend in China is encouraging for the organic food market. The creativity of workers gave away to the assembly line and mass production. But in the wake of climate shift woes the idea of harvesting food organically and free from pesticides is no longer a boutique idea (if it ever was). It has become a necessity. To paraphrase a Buddhist principle, it's time to balance the nature between the haves and have-nots.
Please click on the link below to read the story which appeared in The Washington Post.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/11/01/AR2010110106322.html
Link source: The Washington Post
At a time when food industries control what and how we eat, the trend in China is encouraging for the organic food market. The creativity of workers gave away to the assembly line and mass production. But in the wake of climate shift woes the idea of harvesting food organically and free from pesticides is no longer a boutique idea (if it ever was). It has become a necessity. To paraphrase a Buddhist principle, it's time to balance the nature between the haves and have-nots.
Please click on the link below to read the story which appeared in The Washington Post.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/11/01/AR2010110106322.html
Link source: The Washington Post
Who Decides What We Eat: a look at our food industry
In the movie “Food, Inc.” Michael Pollan, the author of “Fast Food Nation” and “The Omnivore’s Dilemma,” said in a very matter-of-factly fashion that the nation’s food industry is a “world deliberately hidden from us.” His statement hit the very core of the business ethics of our food industry. The powerful food industry much like the auto industry depends on a system that relies on controlling the variables like supply chain and wage of their business operations to make profits in billions at the expense of the consumers.
Control is key to mass production. Ford immortalized the concept. The food industry mastered it. In the process, we see that the movie distinguished between a farm and factory. Farms have become factories of mass production. Fifty years ago the waitresses on roller blades served hamburgers. No more. Human creativity gives away to the assembly line production, reducing creativity to a single, monotonous, and repetitive work. The purpose is to cut cost, reduce labor, and employ less-skilled workers.
Today, McDonald’s Corporation is the largest buyer of beef, pork, and potato in the U.S. McDonald’s has become a pop culture and an identity. In the outside world, McDonald’s conjures up images of America.
Carole Morison, a chicken farmer in “Food, Inc.,” said bluntly that the chicken farmers are “like being slave to the company.” The company implies to one of the four biggest meat producing companies that control 80% of the meat supplies. The economic theory of 80-20 rule rages on.
Unintended consequences of the business practices of these corporations are enormous. On one hand, undocumented workers pay the ultimate price of being caught, detained, and deported. On the other, disease like e-coli costs human life. Both consequences extend beyond the domestic policy arena. U.S. Immigration policy lack mechanisms to control and legalize undocumented workers who enter the U.S. illegally and those who overstay. The corporations exploit the cheap labor of the undocumented workers.
The organic farmer Joel Salatin (Food, Inc.) summed up the cheap food we pay at the fast-food restaurants. He described the cheap food as “mystic of cheap food.” The unintended cost of poor health and degradation of environment are simply too high. He laments that the food industry lost its “accountability” and “integrity.” And he urges that the “controlling mentality” of these large corporations must end.
Control is key to mass production. Ford immortalized the concept. The food industry mastered it. In the process, we see that the movie distinguished between a farm and factory. Farms have become factories of mass production. Fifty years ago the waitresses on roller blades served hamburgers. No more. Human creativity gives away to the assembly line production, reducing creativity to a single, monotonous, and repetitive work. The purpose is to cut cost, reduce labor, and employ less-skilled workers.
Today, McDonald’s Corporation is the largest buyer of beef, pork, and potato in the U.S. McDonald’s has become a pop culture and an identity. In the outside world, McDonald’s conjures up images of America.
Carole Morison, a chicken farmer in “Food, Inc.,” said bluntly that the chicken farmers are “like being slave to the company.” The company implies to one of the four biggest meat producing companies that control 80% of the meat supplies. The economic theory of 80-20 rule rages on.
Unintended consequences of the business practices of these corporations are enormous. On one hand, undocumented workers pay the ultimate price of being caught, detained, and deported. On the other, disease like e-coli costs human life. Both consequences extend beyond the domestic policy arena. U.S. Immigration policy lack mechanisms to control and legalize undocumented workers who enter the U.S. illegally and those who overstay. The corporations exploit the cheap labor of the undocumented workers.
The organic farmer Joel Salatin (Food, Inc.) summed up the cheap food we pay at the fast-food restaurants. He described the cheap food as “mystic of cheap food.” The unintended cost of poor health and degradation of environment are simply too high. He laments that the food industry lost its “accountability” and “integrity.” And he urges that the “controlling mentality” of these large corporations must end.
Monday, November 1, 2010
Net-neutrality: the debate heats up on the eve of election
With a looming power shift in Congress, the debate over net-neutrality is heating up. No one knows what the outcome of the election will be. But every one is concerned about slow economy, joblessness, and housing woe. Once again, people seek change to recover from the sluggish state of the economy.
Reshuffling decades old telecommunication law poses a risk, both politically and economically. It’s hard to predict what impact the net-neutrality will have on economy. Taking away a free-market model in favor of a state-controlled policy does not seem logical because it removes competition. On the other hand, government accountability to control malpractices by the large organizations could enhance public trust and equal distribution of technology.
Either way, net-neutrality is a two-edged sword, not easy to handle but it must be disarmed from the grip of political quagmire and corporate power.
Please follow the link below to read an article written by Karen Kerrigan of The Washington Post on this debate.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/10/29/AR2010102905957.html
Source: The Washington Post
Reshuffling decades old telecommunication law poses a risk, both politically and economically. It’s hard to predict what impact the net-neutrality will have on economy. Taking away a free-market model in favor of a state-controlled policy does not seem logical because it removes competition. On the other hand, government accountability to control malpractices by the large organizations could enhance public trust and equal distribution of technology.
Either way, net-neutrality is a two-edged sword, not easy to handle but it must be disarmed from the grip of political quagmire and corporate power.
Please follow the link below to read an article written by Karen Kerrigan of The Washington Post on this debate.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/10/29/AR2010102905957.html
Source: The Washington Post
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