Comments for Raj Patel http://rajpatel.org Website and Blog of writer, activist and academic, Raj Patel Mon, 14 May 2012 06:10:25 -0700 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 Comment on Should the Food Industry Be Abolished? by Robert Tackett http://rajpatel.org/2012/02/14/should-the-food-industry-be-abolished/comment-page-1/#comment-1667 Robert Tackett Mon, 14 May 2012 06:10:25 +0000 http://rajpatel.org/?p=3123#comment-1667 Hey Garrett. Just barely bought The Value of Nothing today (don't have a Barnes and Noble in our town, but went to one today, and did not forget my commitment to getting it to read). I'll start in on it tonight. Hope you are doing well. Hey Garrett. Just barely bought The Value of Nothing today (don’t have a Barnes and Noble in our town, but went to one today, and did not forget my commitment to getting it to read). I’ll start in on it tonight. Hope you are doing well.

]]> Comment on Earth Day and Occupy make a Baby: Food Sovereignty by Damon http://rajpatel.org/2012/04/23/earth-day-and-occupy-make-a-baby-food-sovereignty/comment-page-1/#comment-1665 Damon Tue, 08 May 2012 18:11:47 +0000 http://rajpatel.org/?p=3199#comment-1665 Ellen, thank you so much for making these points. I would have done the same, but chasing down all of the bad media coverage is exhausting, and I do have work to do. Actually, the work I'm not doing involves basic research in plant biology, which is being blocked by this particular action. I'm one of the researchers whose work is so casually dismissed by well meaning but poorly informed media outlets like this one. It would be so refreshing is someone like Raj Patel (or perhaps one of his assistants) took the time to actually read up on the particulars in this case before enthusiastically supporting it. It makes me think that one of the defining features of ideological thinking is being willing to ignore inconvenient truths in favor of sweeping ideas. Just once, I'd like to see someone, anyone, in the liberal blogosphere say, "Yes, but..." when referring to this particular action. Ellen, thank you so much for making these points. I would have done the same, but chasing down all of the bad media coverage is exhausting, and I do have work to do. Actually, the work I’m not doing involves basic research in plant biology, which is being blocked by this particular action. I’m one of the researchers whose work is so casually dismissed by well meaning but poorly informed media outlets like this one. It would be so refreshing is someone like Raj Patel (or perhaps one of his assistants) took the time to actually read up on the particulars in this case before enthusiastically supporting it. It makes me think that one of the defining features of ideological thinking is being willing to ignore inconvenient truths in favor of sweeping ideas. Just once, I’d like to see someone, anyone, in the liberal blogosphere say, “Yes, but…” when referring to this particular action.

]]> Comment on Great analysis by @foodfirstor… by Jenny Huston http://rajpatel.org/2012/05/03/great-analysis-by-foodfirstor/comment-page-1/#comment-1662 Jenny Huston Fri, 04 May 2012 17:24:42 +0000 http://rajpatel.org/2012/05/03/great-analysis-by-foodfirstor/#comment-1662 Here here! Jenny Here here!

Jenny

]]> Comment on Earth Day and Occupy make a Baby: Food Sovereignty by Ellen Hershey http://rajpatel.org/2012/04/23/earth-day-and-occupy-make-a-baby-food-sovereignty/comment-page-1/#comment-1661 Ellen Hershey Mon, 30 Apr 2012 18:38:33 +0000 http://rajpatel.org/?p=3199#comment-1661 My last thought, I promise. Albany, CA is not a food desert. It is a food oasis. From my house, I can walk to 2 year-round farmer's markets, one entirely organic. In summer, I can walk to a third farmer's market, entirely organic, run by the City of Albany in cooperation with a non-profit organization. We have fabulous fresh produce, including organic, in multiple nearby grocery stores, several of them locally owned. We are a middle-class community; many of the people who show up as poor in census data are university students, not the typical profile of urban poverty. Our neighboring community to the immediate south is Berkeley, home of more farmer's markets and spectacular produce markets offering a mind-boggling array of fresh organic produce year-round. So, if my local public university is going to commit resources to supporting urban farming as one of its community services, I would argue strongly that the university ought to be doing that in the Bay Area's many high-poverty communities--our real food deserts where extra help for urban farming is desperately needed. My last thought, I promise. Albany, CA is not a food desert. It is a food oasis. From my house, I can walk to 2 year-round farmer’s markets, one entirely organic. In summer, I can walk to a third farmer’s market, entirely organic, run by the City of Albany in cooperation with a non-profit organization. We have fabulous fresh produce, including organic, in multiple nearby grocery stores, several of them locally owned. We are a middle-class community; many of the people who show up as poor in census data are university students, not the typical profile of urban poverty. Our neighboring community to the immediate south is Berkeley, home of more farmer’s markets and spectacular produce markets offering a mind-boggling array of fresh organic produce year-round.
So, if my local public university is going to commit resources to supporting urban farming as one of its community services, I would argue strongly that the university ought to be doing that in the Bay Area’s many high-poverty communities–our real food deserts where extra help for urban farming is desperately needed.

]]> Comment on Earth Day and Occupy make a Baby: Food Sovereignty by Ellen Hershey http://rajpatel.org/2012/04/23/earth-day-and-occupy-make-a-baby-food-sovereignty/comment-page-1/#comment-1660 Ellen Hershey Mon, 30 Apr 2012 17:59:45 +0000 http://rajpatel.org/?p=3199#comment-1660 One last thought: To me, there's a strong case for civil disobedience as a response to the massive corruption on Wall Street and the corruption of our democracy by private wealthy interests. Here, our democratic system has so far fallen far short of taking action that in any way measures up to a real threat to our democracy. So, I support Occupy Wall Street. As I said above, I don't think the occupation of the Gill Tract rises to the same level at all. In fact, to me, it cheapens the concept of civil disobedience. One last thought: To me, there’s a strong case for civil disobedience as a response to the massive corruption on Wall Street and the corruption of our democracy by private wealthy interests. Here, our democratic system has so far fallen far short of taking action that in any way measures up to a real threat to our democracy. So, I support Occupy Wall Street. As I said above, I don’t think the occupation of the Gill Tract rises to the same level at all. In fact, to me, it cheapens the concept of civil disobedience.

]]> Comment on Earth Day and Occupy make a Baby: Food Sovereignty by Ellen Hershey http://rajpatel.org/2012/04/23/earth-day-and-occupy-make-a-baby-food-sovereignty/comment-page-1/#comment-1659 Ellen Hershey Mon, 30 Apr 2012 17:21:21 +0000 http://rajpatel.org/?p=3199#comment-1659 Mr. Patel, I recommend that you and other readers read the several articles and commentary about the Gill Tract Occupation in the excellent coverage on Albany's local on-line newspaper, Albany Patch. See what the university researchers have to say about the research the occupiers have disrupted. And please do follow up by reading the information posted on the City of Albany website about planning for the Gill Tract. Get the full picture and multiple points of view before making up your mind about the Gill Tract Occupation. For example, the research that has been disrupted by the Occupy the Farm activists is not an example of the university "pimping" for the private sector. It is basic research into how plants grow, funded by the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Dept. of Energy (which is very interested in biofuels as a possible sustainable energy source for the future). It is not research for Monsanto. It is not research involving genetically modified foods for agribusiness. Corn is used as a research medium because it has properties that make it convenient for researchers to use. The University did not allow public access to the Gill Tract because the research taking place there requires great care, for example in identifying exactly which plant is which. The portion of the Gill Tract the occupiers are occupying is not slated for private development. Current plans call for Little League fields, park space, and yes, an urban garden, if and when the University decides at some point to stop using it for research. The process used by the Occupy the Farm group has not been an open, democratic process. Instead, according to their own account, they planned this occupation in secret for 6 months before they broke the lock on the Gill Tract gate and entered the property. In doing so, they bypassed the vibrant local democratic process in our well-run little city, which already has a number of initiatives under way to encourage urban gardening and a greener lifestyle, and to lower our carbon emissions. The Gill Tract is not the only place in our local area where urban gardening can take place. A City-developed plan proposes using the corridor under the elevated BART tracks, which spans the entire city, for orchards. A Patch reader suggested that the same stretch of land could be used for urban farming. Our City actively encourages home vegetable gardening, for example by giving compost away. Under a program sponsored by Transition Albany, I share my veggie garden with an apartment dweller, who contributes labor in exchange for her own garden plot in part of my back yard. Who gets the food? is a great question, and I'm not surprised that the Gill Tract occupiers had no answer. They haven't thought responsibly about what it would really take to maintain a thriving urban farm. Who pays the water bill? Who allocates garden plots and makes sure the garden is kept up? Who distributes the food, and how? If this is a new job for city government, fine, but that needs to be worked out with our city and local community. Or, the activists could form a non-profit organization and develop an ongoing infrastructure to raise funds, purchase land,and run an urban farm. It's worth giving some thought to the noble history of civil disobedience, and whether it is truly being emulated by the Occupy the Farm action. To me, civil disobedience is justified when grave injustice is occurring and the democratic processes that allow us all to live together are utterly failing to address it. To me, the activists occupying the Gill Tract have failed to make that case. And, failing to make that case, they are not walking in the footsteps of Thoreau, Gandhi, Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King. No, they're just people who decided they knew better than the rest of us, and they were just going to take over land belonging to someone else and do as they see fit. That makes them ordinary criminal trespassers. Mr. Patel, I recommend that you and other readers read the several articles and commentary about the Gill Tract Occupation in the excellent coverage on Albany’s local on-line newspaper, Albany Patch. See what the university researchers have to say about the research the occupiers have disrupted. And please do follow up by reading the information posted on the City of Albany website about planning for the Gill Tract. Get the full picture and multiple points of view before making up your mind about the Gill Tract Occupation.
For example, the research that has been disrupted by the Occupy the Farm activists is not an example of the university “pimping” for the private sector. It is basic research into how plants grow, funded by the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Dept. of Energy (which is very interested in biofuels as a possible sustainable energy source for the future). It is not research for Monsanto. It is not research involving genetically modified foods for agribusiness. Corn is used as a research medium because it has properties that make it convenient for researchers to use. The University did not allow public access to the Gill Tract because the research taking place there requires great care, for example in identifying exactly which plant is which.
The portion of the Gill Tract the occupiers are occupying is not slated for private development. Current plans call for Little League fields, park space, and yes, an urban garden, if and when the University decides at some point to stop using it for research.
The process used by the Occupy the Farm group has not been an open, democratic process. Instead, according to their own account, they planned this occupation in secret for 6 months before they broke the lock on the Gill Tract gate and entered the property. In doing so, they bypassed the vibrant local democratic process in our well-run little city, which already has a number of initiatives under way to encourage urban gardening and a greener lifestyle, and to lower our carbon emissions.
The Gill Tract is not the only place in our local area where urban gardening can take place. A City-developed plan proposes using the corridor under the elevated BART tracks, which spans the entire city, for orchards. A Patch reader suggested that the same stretch of land could be used for urban farming. Our City actively encourages home vegetable gardening, for example by giving compost away. Under a program sponsored by Transition Albany, I share my veggie garden with an apartment dweller, who contributes labor in exchange for her own garden plot in part of my back yard.
Who gets the food? is a great question, and I’m not surprised that the Gill Tract occupiers had no answer. They haven’t thought responsibly about what it would really take to maintain a thriving urban farm. Who pays the water bill? Who allocates garden plots and makes sure the garden is kept up? Who distributes the food, and how? If this is a new job for city government, fine, but that needs to be worked out with our city and local community. Or, the activists could form a non-profit organization and develop an ongoing infrastructure to raise funds, purchase land,and run an urban farm.
It’s worth giving some thought to the noble history of civil disobedience, and whether it is truly being emulated by the Occupy the Farm action. To me, civil disobedience is justified when grave injustice is occurring and the democratic processes that allow us all to live together are utterly failing to address it. To me, the activists occupying the Gill Tract have failed to make that case. And, failing to make that case, they are not walking in the footsteps of Thoreau, Gandhi, Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King. No, they’re just people who decided they knew better than the rest of us, and they were just going to take over land belonging to someone else and do as they see fit. That makes them ordinary criminal trespassers.

]]> Comment on Earth Day and Occupy make a Baby: Food Sovereignty by Tim Seretis http://rajpatel.org/2012/04/23/earth-day-and-occupy-make-a-baby-food-sovereignty/comment-page-1/#comment-1658 Tim Seretis Sun, 29 Apr 2012 11:56:55 +0000 http://rajpatel.org/?p=3199#comment-1658 How sad! After reading an article about homeless children in the Poconos,PA,where I reside, I got angry knowing we have the capacity to help as nation, not only here in the Poconos, but in all of the U.S, but all over the world. BUT!! Greed from CEOs and stupidity from our government, we allow this to happen. It is sad, we have the so-called richest nation in the world, yet we can't feed our children. But who is to blame? The greed from corporation as they are willing to sacrifice morals, as they have no feeling when they let employess go, for the sake of the bottom line. Perfect example of corporate greed and CEO is Wal-Mart. At the same time we allow the left liberal elite to dictate un-common sense policies that would rather take care of Non-Americans first rather than our own. How sad! After reading an article about homeless children in the Poconos,PA,where I reside, I got angry knowing we have the capacity to help as nation, not only here in the Poconos, but in all of the U.S, but all over the world. BUT!! Greed from CEOs and stupidity from our government, we allow this to happen. It is sad, we have the so-called richest nation in the world, yet we can’t feed our children. But who is to blame? The greed from corporation as they are willing to sacrifice morals, as they have no feeling when they let employess go, for the sake of the bottom line. Perfect example of corporate greed and CEO is Wal-Mart. At the same time we allow the left liberal elite to dictate un-common sense policies that would rather take care of Non-Americans first rather than our own.

]]> Comment on Not down with McDonald’s clown… by Gregory http://rajpatel.org/2012/04/17/not-down-with-mcdonalds-clown/comment-page-1/#comment-1655 Gregory Wed, 18 Apr 2012 04:15:11 +0000 http://rajpatel.org/2012/04/17/not-down-with-mcdonalds-clown/#comment-1655 First of all it’s a goat. I think that parents should educate themselves on what is “ACTUALLY” nutritious for their children and make informed decisions based on that research. Using McDonald’s as a scapegoat (pun intended) for kids poor eating habits is quite ridiculous. We blame video games for the lack of exercise our children get also, so it must be the video game industries fault for having the kids sit in front of their televisions or computers for hours on end. Parents need to educate themselves and in turn educate their children ; if they aren’t doing that than they are failing their kids not McDonald’s. I believe it is human nature to blame our pitfalls on everyone but ourselves. When do we finally hold ourselves accountable as parents when making choices for our children? When do we educate ourselves before making decisions that affect our children’s health? We have gotten to a point where complaining is so much easier than actually finding a solution. P.L.U.R. First of all it’s a goat. I think that parents should educate themselves on what is “ACTUALLY” nutritious for their children and make informed decisions based on that research. Using McDonald’s as a scapegoat (pun intended) for kids poor eating habits is quite ridiculous. We blame video games for the lack of exercise our children get also, so it must be the video game industries fault for having the kids sit in front of their televisions or computers for hours on end. Parents need to educate themselves and in turn educate their children ; if they aren’t doing that than they are failing their kids not McDonald’s. I believe it is human nature to blame our pitfalls on everyone but ourselves. When do we finally hold ourselves accountable as parents when making choices for our children? When do we educate ourselves before making decisions that affect our children’s health? We have gotten to a point where complaining is so much easier than actually finding a solution.

P.L.U.R.

]]> Comment on Should the Food Industry Be Abolished? by Garrett Casey http://rajpatel.org/2012/02/14/should-the-food-industry-be-abolished/comment-page-1/#comment-1653 Garrett Casey Fri, 06 Apr 2012 18:09:52 +0000 http://rajpatel.org/?p=3123#comment-1653 Robert, don't worry yourself too much with all the weirdness. Ignore it. It doesn't mean anything. There are boatloads of positive developments happening in the world right now. It just takes a little more effort to find out about them. What's really going on on this planet at this time is far more substantial than any paranoid delusion could ever be: People are waking up and learning to demand that their rights as global citizens be honored. Yes, big changes are afoot. But these changes will be positive, brought about by a groundswell of populist activism, and have nothing to do with Masons or rap stars ('cept in a roundabout sort of way). I think most of us currently sense the inevitability of major, fundamental changes to our world. Thing is, many people fear change in any form. And the human mind doesn't think too clearly when frightened. Hence all the distorted half-baked theories and witch hunts. But that is easily bypassed. It behooves us as concerned individuals to go where the sensible, intelligent ideas are... and learn a thing or two. Robert, don’t worry yourself too much with all the weirdness. Ignore it. It doesn’t mean anything. There are boatloads of positive developments happening in the world right now. It just takes a little more effort to find out about them.

What’s really going on on this planet at this time is far more substantial than any paranoid delusion could ever be: People are waking up and learning to demand that their rights as global citizens be honored.

Yes, big changes are afoot. But these changes will be positive, brought about by a groundswell of populist activism, and have nothing to do with Masons or rap stars (‘cept in a roundabout sort of way).

I think most of us currently sense the inevitability of major, fundamental changes to our world. Thing is, many people fear change in any form. And the human mind doesn’t think too clearly when frightened. Hence all the distorted half-baked theories and witch hunts.

But that is easily bypassed. It behooves us as concerned individuals to go where the sensible, intelligent ideas are… and learn a thing or two.

]]> Comment on Should the Food Industry Be Abolished? by Robert Tackett http://rajpatel.org/2012/02/14/should-the-food-industry-be-abolished/comment-page-1/#comment-1651 Robert Tackett Thu, 05 Apr 2012 05:56:40 +0000 http://rajpatel.org/?p=3123#comment-1651 Alright, Garrett, I will commit to buying The Value of Nothing. I'm picking that one because people do have a tendency to change or refine their veiw of things over time, and to my knowlege it is Raj's most current work in book form to date. I have watched many videos of Raj on youtube though, and not just the ones from the Musilim fellow who is sure that Raj is the Dajjal (what ever that is; I'm not Muslim, but think it's their equivilent to Lucifer), down to where he feels like Raj just flaunts it. I have also watched some of Raj's video commentaries without people jumping in and out of the video pointing out things about him. Some were quite lengthy too, including the one he did at Berkeley titled on youtube as Edible Education: Feeding the World, which I would like to watch again to get a solid jist of his train of thought. I must say though, it is crazy right now with RFID chip technology, Obama's Yes We Can speech being put to music video done by Will I Am and various other artists, then some guy posting a backmask of it, showing these folks saying Thank You Satan in backmask all through it, Jay Z intentionally putting Kill Jesus, Six Six Six in backmask form on one of his works, Masonic architecture in Washington DC with the Pentagram with an intentional break in it just in front of the White House from an aerial view, then we got Benjjamin Creme here on his soap box proclaiming Maitreya has already been on major TV and is soon going to admit he's the real deal, the Georgia Guidestones calling to keep mankind population under 500 million (to hit that number you would have to take out all of China and would still have a whole bunch of people that would have to take one for the team) I must say all this is making a guy like me uncomfortable, having two young daughters and all. Alright, Garrett, I will commit to buying The Value of Nothing. I’m picking that one because people do have a tendency to change or refine their veiw of things over time, and to my knowlege it is Raj’s most current work in book form to date. I have watched many videos of Raj on youtube though, and not just the ones from the Musilim fellow who is sure that Raj is the Dajjal (what ever that is; I’m not Muslim, but think it’s their equivilent to Lucifer), down to where he feels like Raj just flaunts it. I have also watched some of Raj’s video commentaries without people jumping in and out of the video pointing out things about him. Some were quite lengthy too, including the one he did at Berkeley titled on youtube as Edible Education: Feeding the World, which I would like to watch again to get a solid jist of his train of thought. I must say though, it is crazy right now with RFID chip technology, Obama’s Yes We Can speech being put to music video done by Will I Am and various other artists, then some guy posting a backmask of it, showing these folks saying Thank You Satan in backmask all through it, Jay Z intentionally putting Kill Jesus, Six Six Six in backmask form on one of his works, Masonic architecture in Washington DC with the Pentagram with an intentional break in it just in front of the White House from an aerial view, then we got Benjjamin Creme here on his soap box proclaiming Maitreya has already been on major TV and is soon going to admit he’s the real deal, the Georgia Guidestones calling to keep mankind population under 500 million (to hit that number you would have to take out all of China and would still have a whole bunch of people that would have to take one for the team) I must say all this is making a guy like me uncomfortable, having two young daughters and all.

]]>