I had to re-read my last post[Link to previous post] another time to get in touch with the angst that was eating me from the inside ever since I wrote the post. I realized that what was bothering me was the fact that in my mind, as I was writing that post, I had demonized everyone in the biotech industry and made them all wrong. I recognized that I was making everything a bit too black or white. In my path to raise my consciousness, I have worked very hard to entertain the world of greyness. I know and knew then full well that not everyone in biotech is evil, nor is anyone who is looking to genetically modify corn, but it was nonetheless a great experience to see myself go to a place that I think we all go to in times when we need assurance for our point of view. My ego definitely took the best of me and wanted to protect my stance at the cost of truth. I ultimately believe there are no bad people in the world-at most misguided ones.

Now that I can write with a bit more presence and humility, I do want to point out that today we still as a species need to bring greater awareness to our acts in the name of progress and sustainability. I don’t know what is the right balance when it comes to bio-fuels, the subject of my last post. Do we want to see the earth, its resources in the form of the soil to be depleted so that our cars are fueled? Do we want to see the same pesticides and herbicides that have been devastating the farm lands of the world to be used once again in creating bio-diesel? Is this where food needs to be diverted to for progress? What is progress and who decides if we’ve attained it? I find in times like this it helps to listen to as many sides as possible. In the following excerpt, wisdom from indigenous people of the world is one such viewpoint I’d like to share with you.

Last week 3000 worldwide delegates met at the seventh session of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues where Bolivian President Evo Morales gave the keynote address. I wanted to provide you with an excerpt of an interview session with Democracynow.org and Evo Morales regarding bio-fuels:

[Link to entire interview - text and audio/video]

JUAN GONZALEZ(Interviewer): You have raised some criticisms of some other Latin American leaders. You didn’t name any, but it’s obvious to many that some of your questioning is directed at presidents like Lula of Brazil, who has pushed biofuels. Have you talked to President Lula about this? And what’s been his response, if you have?
PRESIDENT EVO MORALES: [translated] We have had discussions at summits of heads of states, sharing some of our experiences. I am certain that these presidents will understand the cry of the people of Bolivia, of the people of Latin America and the whole world, which wants to have more food and not more cars. First food, then if something’s left over, more cars, more automobiles. I think that life has to come first.
But the most important thing—and this is the first time that I find I’m in agreement with the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund—they’ve publicly stated that if food prices are going up, it’s precisely because of the biofuels question, and it has a major impact. So if we have these points of agreement, then we have an obligation to together explain and persuade these international organizations, together with the social movements, so as to be able to change the policies of some governments or some presidents.

I became aware of this story published April 8th in the BioFuelsJournal website [See Link] titled “Enzyme From Cow’s Stomach Allows Corn Stalks and Stover to be Utilized for Ethanol Production”. Ok, when I heard that fertile land is being used up for feed for the ethanol and bio-fuel industry, destroying forests, diverting farmers attention from growing food crop to fuel crops, increasing the price of food globally, I thought that was not very forward thinking and fraught with greed(not green) but this has to take the cake. Now scientists at Michigan State University have inserted a gene from a cow’s stomach that essentially breaks down the corn, removing the need for additional enzyme in the bio-fuel preparation. Where were these scientists during the last 2 or so decades when countless people and organizations around the world fought GMO’s not only because they are bad for human health but because of cross pollination and destruction of bio-diversity? I’m still amazed that in the name of profit, engineers and scientists overlook this very simple reality. The last thing we need is cross pollination of this newly engineered corn with corn in the food supply. It will make the diarrhea caused from the original batch of GMO corn taco shells that hit the supermarket to seem like a minor irritation. It is sad but today I’m seeing more and more signs of short-sighted thinking in the part of the “green”/clean-tech industry, overlooking natural processes in the name of CO2 reduction and access to the ballooning green investment money. We can do better.

[See my retraction] 

-See Embedded Video-
It’s a refreshing day when you hear a stock market commentator talk about saving starving children around the world while relating this state of affairs to the dropping value of the US dollar. After seeing his Sunday video, I thought today was a fitting day to bring this particular commentator Don Harrold to your attention in case you haven’t heard of him(don’t be thrown off by his outfit of the day!).
As a long-time stock trader and not really a successful one at that, I have to say that today I am actively working very hard to figure out my relationship with the stock market in it’s current instantiation. I’m trying to consciously put a framework together by which I can feel comfortable with how my money lives and breaths within the “system”, not simply choosing to shift money from socially irresponsible to responsible companies but actually deciding whether the current Stock Market is aligned with my values and the aspirations I have for my money’s work in the world. By bringing this commentator to your attention today, I’m not suggesting that you listen to Don Harrold or take his advice on the stock market, in fact I am not. I simply want to point out a beautiful shift that I see where a new bread of stock market “players” are calling it the way it is, at least to a greater degree and possibly making an impact on those who are listening to them. I have particularly found Don’s comments on the economy, unfettered consumption, the banking and the US financial system, all refreshing because you don’t hear this slant in mainstream financial media(perhaps that’s the trade offs between broadcasting via YouTube vs. Network TV). The reasons why I choose not to endorse or recommend him are 1)I don’t know him well enough 2)I have only been watching him from a purely analytical perspective and not for trading purposes and 3)because much of what I find that he gripes about is a direct result of the industry in which he is making a living at. Ultimately he is helping people “take advantage” of the market, ironically an institution which he feels is not all that healthy. He’s definitely in a different class than the CNBC-Cramer’s of the world and clearly on a more wholesome path. In future posts I hope to talk more about my views of the stock market. Nonetheless, if you are trader, he may be worth looking into(check out his other videos on YouTube.. you will be entertained) … if you’re out of the market, this may give you some hope that there are individuals doing their best to bring about positive changes in our financial systems, and at best give you motivation to go out and be the change yourself!