Genetic Modification or Engineering

A lengthy article appearing in the October 28, 2002, issue of the Nation, by Mark Shapiro, has the title Sowing Disaster How Genetically Engineered Com has 

Apart from this, there was the previously cited article in the October 12, 2003, issue of the New York Times by Michael Pollan that traces current concerns about obesity to the overproduction of grains, notably com. Com is abundant and cheap. 

The foregoing matters bring up the point that the com crop in the United States for the most part comprises a monoculture, and increasingly (or pervasively) consists of genetically modified subspecies. This may conceivably make the com crop more receptive to attack by the western com rootworm beetle, or still other unexpected pests. In other words, there is the need, or make it a necessity, for diverse species or subspecies rather than having a uniform monoculture. It is the old saw about not putting all of one s eggs in one basket. 

Although science seemingly assures us that all obstacles can be overcome, the emerging exceptions continue to confound the experts, one after another. It is as if Nature remains a contrarian, in the end able to thwart the best-laid plans of mice and men. 

An update on the more conventional vaccinations requires mention of the vaccine preservative used — sodium ethyl mercury thiosalicylate, better known as thimero-sal. The very presence of toxic mercury in routine childhood vaccinations raises a 

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