Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Round up

Nothing new today on the security front: precarious calm. The Arab league envoys are here and they have spoken to Berri, Hariri, Jumblat Gemayel, Geagea and others. The government is still undecided whether or not to cancel or the infamous decrees. According to the media, the ministers are divided over the matter. That's the news till now.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

It's interesting how language can be read so many ways. When I read your use of the term "Round up", I can't help but think of Round Up, the herbicide made by Monsanto. I believe it is the most widely used herbicide/carcinogen in the world. It is very much part of the problems mentioned in your post on the dangers of patenting seeds, terminator seeds, and the agro-chemical corporate control of the food chain, from seeds to what's on our tables--for those who can afford it. Round Up contains glyphosate which is sprayed in the boreal forests around my home in northwestern Ontario. It kills more than the scrub trees that supposedly is its purpose--so they tell us. First Nations peoples ability to harvest from the land (e.g. blueberries) is ignored. The impact on bears is ignored, never mind a butterfly. Round Up to me is such a horrifying word. Last summer I went out into the bush to pick blueberries only to find out afterwards that they had been sprayed with glyposate. The forest was so eerily quiet. Like a death chamber. I just thought I would share what comes to my mind when I read Round up. No offense to you; your writing is great, articulate, politically astute. Very open. Greatly informative. I am just letting you know how 'round up' is read another way.