Mad Science: The Genetic Crossroad With Anna Kavanaugh

One of the latest practices in biotech is a process that allows DNA to be edited down to the letter. Known as CRISPR technology, scientists now have the ability to control gene mechanisms with unprecedented accuracy and without traditional invasive high-cost GMO procedures as they exist now. In effect, CRISPR is the evolution of GMO. All of this allows corporations to continue producing genetically altered foods without ever having to worry about legislation or labeling mandates. As consumer "right to know" demand increases and more companies are responding to protests by voluntarily labeling GMO products or removing them from their ingredients altogether, industry is well ahead of the game and consumers should not be fooled into complacency. CRISPR technology allows a crafty bypass because it is not recognized technically as a GMO process as is currently defined. Industry can use this technology to dodge existing regulations now, or in the future, and avoid GMO stigmas in public perception as they continue d

Throughout the GMO, biotech and agrochemical debates, we have witnessed the ultimate in corporate control and influence along with the disastrous impacts from the implementation of these technologies in our world food supply, pharmaceuticals, and the reckless tampering of DNA for profit-driven purposes. These impacts pose drastic effects to our human health and evolutionary process in a variety of ways. However, there is another critical aspect to the larger picture of which we are not talking enough about: the frightening consequences resulting from the biotech industry that now compromise the delicate balance of our planetary ecology and environment. As the hand of biotech continues to sweep across and outright ignore all reasonable boundaries of ethics and morality in its unquenchable thirst for power and profit, how close are we to the final curtain-call where nature, in its own inevitable wisdom, will protest against us and what cost will future generations have to pay for the mistakes made today?

It is still a fairly new-recognized and rapidly increasing reality. Gluten intolerance has become a primary health concern for millions of consumers around the world. However, in the face of such an epidemic, the biotech industry is in aggressive pursuit of genetically manipulating a relief for this affliction, one they seek undoubtedly to capitalize on. If brought to fruition, the result of such a genetically engineered response may in actuality cause more grave consequences to consumers than it will provide them help. Revealing the latest research and what it says about gluten intolerance and the dangers involved with GM alternatives currently under development. If you are one of the millions suffering from this affliction, please don't miss out on hearing the important information brought to you in this broadcast.

To celebrate the airing of our 25th broadcast episode, tonight's show examines some of the highlights in previous shows and developments that have happened since. A discussion about everything from GMO labeling, to the global presence of agribusiness, to the frightening innovations under design in the biotech industry that may have serious impacts on consumers before another year comes to pass. We have seen good progress in consumer awareness and global action for change over the course of our previous broadcasts since first airing in January, 2013. But how much further do we have to go? Have we reached the point of no return? With planetary impact, climate change, and consumer health in the balance, find out how the link to GMO is affecting us all. 

As we forge our way into the future, designing and constructing biological devices and systems for marketable purposes is no longer the stuff of science fiction, but quickly becoming the norm.  Much more frightening is that it is rapidly being realized as the acceptable norm. What are the real implications of what is being dubbed, "The New Biological Revolution," in which agribusiness meets synthetic biology to not only define the next step in GMO, but also our own evolution as a species?

Many nations in the world have become prey to the agribusiness industry as it engulfs more and more crop-lands around the globe. Developing countries in Africa, South America, and Asia, are ripe for the picking, but how far will the push for profit and power go when it comes to the natural development of these vulnerable lands? As the corporate players of biotech and chemical agribusiness work to secure even bigger markets for themselves, what will be the ultimate impact to developing countries, and ultimately, to the rest of us?

From the time our society saw the industrialization of our food supply, corporations have continued to push the limits of minimizing costs to maximize profits. Although the practices and policies of the biotech industry and its GMO make up a large part of this, in recent years there has been an ever growing list of dangerous chemical additives being incorporated into our food supply. These same dangerous chemicals are outlawed with strict fines and consequences for their use in most all other countries. Why are US consumers exposed to these toxic substances and why are we not being told? How can such a double standard exist in the United States when countries worldwide deem these substances far too dangerous for their citizens to consume? 

There are numerous theories passed around about the sinister objectives of the corporate biotech machine, so much so that it is difficult to know what to really believe. Are there wealthy organizations using biotechnology for a more sinister agenda? Is the public being manipulated and kept from the truth? Some activists and conspiracy theorists are making frightening claims but we must go beyond the conspiracy theory to find what is really going on. 

Who are the consumer protective agencies and what are their functions regarding GMOs? The FDA, USDA, and EPA make up the big three in American consumer protection – but are they doing a good job? A look at the historical actions of these agencies and the people driving them, may shed some light. Do they really have an interest in protecting the public? You decide.

Who are all the players involved in bringing food to our table? As the conflict rages on about GMO labeling, who of these players stand to lose or gain the most? Understanding exactly who is involved and what their stake is in the agricultural process may shed light on the motivations behind pushing GM foods on consumers and why certain companies and institutions are willing to spend millions to keep us from knowing.  

What are the latest developments in the world of GMOs? From GMO labeling laws, global outrage, corporate product pipelines, to the debacle over the Seralini study on human health risks, we will examine new aspects to the biotech business and their implications for the health and safety of consumers worldwide. We may know where we have been and we may know where we are in the midst of the genetically modified debate, but can we see where we are going?     

Science. It has propelled the human race forward for thousands of years. While we have bettered our lives in some aspects, there has been a heavy toll to pay in others. Biotechnology is being used by corporate and political interest in the most self-destructive drive for profit in all of history. It is only our species that works against itself by using the very progress it creates. It is only us who build with one hand and break with the other. There is a union of science and human progress, but where is the union of science and preservation? With corporations deciding the evolutionary fate of human health and longevity, is biotech really change for the better or is it the beginning of the end?

Agent Orange, PCB's, DDT, Glyphosate. These are words that many of us believe are in a deadly past of devastated lives. There are also new, and just as deadly, toxic cocktails in the pipeline today such as Dicamba. Many of us have believed that chemicals such as these are no longer allowed for use, or that at least in extreme cases, they are heavily regulated. Yet, the US government has recently approved the increased use of Monsanto's pesticides in crops. What's more, the biotech industry still tries to promote these as being safe for use. What are the real dangers for consumers and for our environment? We'll look into the shadows on the dark side of this frightening industry.

Corporate giant, Monsanto, may be feeling the most headline heat from an outraged and growing body of consumers and concerned scientists objecting to the practices and blatant oversteps of GM crops and biotech business, but they are not the only player at the GMO table. There are six kings presiding over this controversial and frightening industry: Monsanto, Syngenta, Dupont, Bayer, Dow and BASF, and each one of these corporate kings contribute enormously to the rise of profit-driven science at the expense and downfall of unsuspecting consumers worldwide. Who are they? And how are they affecting you?

What exactly is Agenda 21 all about and why are so many outraged because of it? Is it a United Nations voluntary consortium or a stepping stone toward a global centralized government? Under the disguise of world sustainability and feeding the hungry, is there an underlying agenda that is not so altruistic as they may have us believe? Monsanto along with other powerful corporations have shown more than an interest in Agenda 21. What use could this be for them and their profit driven GMO biotech science? The possibilities are frightening. 

The GM biotech industry assures us they have conducted adequate safety studies of genetically modified foods, and that these DNA manipulated foods are entirely safe for human consumption. To bolster their claims of safety, the industry loves to tout the names and institutions of corroborating scientists. However, these same scientists and institutions are among the hidden benefactors funded by the very industry they support. Contrarily, a wealth of independent testing by credible and experienced scientists around the world, reveals consistently frightening results, all pointing to the dire health risks of long term GMO consumption. All of these test studies are inexplicably and vehemently dismissed by the profit driven biotech industry under claims such as a lack of credibility and faulty testing. It is alarming the protective agencies put in place to keep us safe do not even conduct their own testing of these foods, and instead rely on the tests supplied to them by corporations like Monsanto. In the safety d

GMO - The Issues of Today GMO: The Issues of Today: What are the latest happenings in the GMO industry? This show will examine the current state of GMO in the US and around the world – from the newest wave of biotechnology in food crops to the steps of congress. Has our food industry hit new lows? Or has Monsanto hit new highs? Looking at trends of today, are we able to forecast what is coming in the future? 

NOTE ARCHIVE LISTENERS: THE SHOW BEGINS AT THE 2:35 MARK FOLLOWING THE OPENING BLOGTALKRADIO JINGLE. PLEASE CLICK YOUR CURSOR AHEAD TO THAT TIME TO AVOID THE 2:00 DELAY. THANK YOU AND APOLOGIES FOR THE TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES AT THE START OF THE SHOW. In the Absence of Ethics The GM biotech industry has used its technology to produce a variety of products using combinations of genetic material between plants, animals, and even humans…some of which cross what most would consider the ethical line. This program will investigate the history of current products and practices going on in the biotech world and how some of the seemingly innocuous creations may give insight to the mind-frame of the industry and the madness of many of its practices.

Kill Technology - Gene Genocide The GM industry has developed what is termed, "terminator technology," and has already utilized gene silencing techniques to manipulate certain gene expressions from occurring in transgenic crops, and intend the same for the bee population which is currently in a state of crisis due to colony collapse disorder brought on by what is believed the excessive use of pesticides required for farmers to control Super Weeds in genetically modified crops. The industry now plans to implement this kill technology in a variety of ways, including the eradication of insect species and certain rodents. Experts in the biotech field have warned about GM wheat currently in development, saying it could potentially silence human genes if ingested and result in both premature death and future generations inheriting this critical defect. The implications and ethical issues involving this technology are profoundly frightening and potentially catastrophic to our delicate ecosystem, the future of human

The GMO industry wants to own the genetic blueprints of all existing food sources around the globe. 250,000 farmer suicides in India, forced GMO compliance by European countries under threat of exclusion from the union, and even the swift impeachment of a South American President and extermination of native seeds are all frightening glimpses into the overtaking of world crops. Henry Kissinger said, "If you control the oil, you control nations. If you control the food, you control the people." What once was the proverbial Garden of Eden has surreptitiously become the property of an unregulated and untested industry. And consumers are paying the price.