Random musings

[slide_into_first]

https://thegranddisillusion.wordpress.c ... vs-farmer/

In 2004, the Supreme Court ruled that in the case of patent infringement the Schmeisers owed no money to Monsanto because they did not benefit by being contaminated by the GM genes. Furthermore, they had not used Monsanto’s patent because they had not sprayed the Roundup herbicide on their canola crops. However, both parties had to pay their own legal bills. The Schmeisers legal bill was over $400 000 and Monsanto’s was over $2 million.

In essence, Monsanto had used Percy Schmeiser as a test case to see how far they could exercise intellectual property rights (IPR) over farmers’ rights. “At one point, Monsanto had nineteen lawyers in court, I had one. Talk about intimidation,” Percy said.

No longer able to grow canola in their fields for fear of infringing Monsanto’s patent, The Schmeisers began research into yellow mustard and started cultivating 50 acres of land in preparation for planting. In the autumn of 2005, they noticed canola plants growing despite not having been seeded in those fields for many years. They brought in witnesses and tested the plants by spraying Monsanto’s Roundup herbicide on the plants. Monsanto claim that any green plant that is sprayed with Roundup that does not die must contain their patented gene. When the Schmeisers plants did not die they realised that Monsanto’s canola was in their fields again.

[IMADreamer]

I'm surprised at you, Dreamer.

http://www.vanityfair.com/news/2008/05/monsanto200805

...like I was in another country.”

Gary Rinehart is actually one of Monsanto’s luckier targets. Ever since commercial introduction of its G.M. seeds, in 1996, Monsanto has launched thousands of investigations and filed lawsuits against hundreds of farmers and seed dealers. In a 2007 report, the Center for Food Safety, in Washington, D.C., documented 112 such lawsuits, in 27 states.

Even more significant, in the Center’s opinion, are the numbers of farmers who settle because they don’t have the money or the time to fight Monsanto. “The number of cases filed is only the tip of the iceberg,” says Bill Freese, the Center’s science-policy analyst. Freese says he has been told of many cases in which Monsanto investigators showed up at a farmer’s house or confronted him in his fields, claiming he had violated the technology agreement and demanding to see his records. According to Freese, investigators will say, “Monsanto knows that you are saving Roundup Ready seeds, and if you don’t sign these information-release forms, Monsanto is going to come after you and take your farm or take you for all you’re worth.” Investigators will sometimes show a farmer a photo of himself coming out of a store, to let him know he is being followed.

Lawyers who have represented farmers sued by Monsanto say that intimidating actions like these are commonplace. Most give in and pay Monsanto some amount in damages; those who resist face the full force of Monsanto’s legal wrath.

This story was just an easy one to find. There is much documentation to Monsanto's tactics.

These people are knowing replanting Monsantos seeds when the agreement you can not due that. These farmers are in the wrong.

[wart57]

The Direct TV bouncing screen saver thing has changed to now say Direct TV, and AT&T company.

That didn't take long....

[heyzeus]

Pro tip to my peeps who just had or will soon have kids: sometimes your friends will say they want to come see your kids. They're lying.

[ghostrunner]

Pro tip to my peeps who just had or will soon have kids: sometimes your friends will say they want to come see your kids. They're lying.

Big difference in gender here though, in my experience. My wife had friends who genuinely seemed to like our kids. With kids and without. And the same goes for Facebook. Dudes will not like posts of kids, but women will and they'll comment. It's a stereotype in a way, but overwhelmingly true - again in my experience. Of course there are exceptions.

[IMADreamer]

I will never say I want to come see your new kids. I don't want to see kids. They terrify me.

[ghostrunner]

I don't blame anybody. I don't like other people's kids either, in most cases.

[slide_into_first]

The way to make a visit with children memorable is to display their arts and crafts work.

[Freed Roger]

The couple of pit stops passing thru Kansas (Goodland and Salina) were full of Mad Maxian characters(albeit heavier versions)

Brownback Road.

It looks more and more like the dystopian future is now.

[Jocephus]

when you are a kid all you can think about is being in high school. when you are in high school all you can think about is being in college. when you are in college all you can think about is being an adult. when you are an adult all you can think about is being a kid. life [expletive] sucks.