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Friday, June 4
Vote On This DFIA T-Shirt Design
by
Linda Thieman
on Fri 04 Jun 2004 03:29 PM CDT
Vote On This DFIA T-Shirt Design
It's been at least several days since we did something completely frivolous on Blog for Iowa, so I thought Friday evening would be a good time to discuss T-shirts. I hope you're down with that, Deansters.
JC, frequent blogger on Blog for America, worked up this design for us. If we like it, she will put up a page for us in her CafePress Shop, and we can order all sorts of DFIA merchandise online.
So, take a look and please leave your comments in the comments section. She is willing to make modifications if we request it.
Be An Iowa Health Care Voter
by
Linda Thieman
on Fri 04 Jun 2004 11:40 AM CDT
Be An Iowa Health Care Voter
This bit of excellent advice comes from
Iowa For Health Care.
How you can help:
Vote in the Primary on June 8
With the
primary election in Iowa coming up on Tuesday, June 8, IFHC encourages
you to learn more about candidates running for the Iowa Legislature in
your area.
Do they support quality, affordable health care for all?
Are they willing to devote state resources to that goal?
How will they fill the hole in the “six-month” Medicaid budget passed this year by the Iowa Legislature?
How will
they ensure that the thousands of Iowa children that are eligible but
still not covered by HAWK-I access the health care coverage they need?
Please
reach out to the candidates for the legislature in your area and ask
them these questions so that we can elect a health care-friendly
legislature for next year. If you have questions about identifying the
candidates for legislature in your area or how to contact them, please
contact Iowa For Health Care at 319.338.0353 or by email at brian@iowaforhealthcare.com.
You'll find a link to Iowa For Health Care on the right sidebar of Blog for Iowa in the Iowa Sites component.
Iowa in the News: Environment - Biotech Barley
by
Linda Thieman
on Fri 04 Jun 2004 05:03 AM CDT
Biotech barley bound for field in Iowa
Truth About Trade
Washington,
D.C. - The biotech industry is returning to Iowa this year to grow a
crop for pharmaceutical uses, but it won't be corn this time.
A
California firm plans to grow a biotech variety of barley in the state.
The grain is designed to make a product for boosting the immune system.
"It's a
very productive region where we can effectively grow the crop," said
Scott Deeter, chief executive of Ventria Bioscience of Sacramento,
Calif.
Another
key factor: There is virtually no commercial barley grown in Iowa, so
the chances of contaminating a food crop are nil, he said.
(more)
Genetic Engineers Back Growing Drugs in Food Crops
CSPI Says Industry & Regulators Sowing Secrecy in America’s New 'Pharm Belt'
Center For Science In The Public Interest
The
controversial practice of using genetic engineering to grow drugs or
industrial chemicals in food crops is picking up speed, according to a
new report from the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI).
While a 2002 scandal involving an errant biopharm crop from Prodigene
temporarily put the brakes on the practice, the Department of
Agriculture (USDA) has received 16 new applications for biopharming
permits in the past 12 months. About two-thirds of those applications
involved a food crop such as corn, rice or barley, but virtually every
other salient detail about the application—-sometimes even the name of
the drug or chemical being produced—-is shielded from public view.
"It is
impossible to know whether these biopharmed crops present any
food-safety or environmental risk, since the whole process is shrouded
in secrecy. Even the Food and Drug Administration is out of the loop,"
said Gregory Jaffe, director of CSPI’s biotechnology project and the
author of the report. "What is clear is that the biopharming industry
has been given a big green light by federal regulators, even though
there is great concern among food producers and consumers about using
food crops to produce drugs. . . ."
. . .
Four permit applications identified Kentucky as the location; three
identified Texas; Missouri, South Carolina, California, and Iowa were
each identified on two applications; Hawaii, Florida, Washington,
Nebraska, and Arizona were each identified on one.
(more)
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