Revenge Strategy, wasting the power of your hate on the guiltless (XXXII): Genetically Modified Food debut
“Tao, le léopard chinois en voie de disparition vit à Paris”. An aquarelle exercise by Eleonora Escalante. Painted on Fabriano 5 paper. Gross Grain. 300 GSM. Size: 10 inches x 13.5 Inches. This painting is not for sale. The image reference utilized to paint it is from Sekhmet Neseret.
Have a lovely Wednesday. I wish to share some reflections before starting this revenge strategy example:
“Those who don´t want to be shaken by their manufacturing misconduct always try to silence “the words of us”, who perceive them.
Those who wish to lead their businesses to make money, regardless of the wrongdoings against nature and human beings´ natural identity, always try to silence “the words of us”, who observe their motives.
Those who desire to continue doing technology disruptions and genetic innovations, no matter the evil impact, always try to ignore our writings, and they try to sink our professional paths by throwing an “abundance of rubbish” against us, sometimes a data list of fake incompetence, lack of emotional intelligence motives or inabilities; downgrading our capacities.
Those who don´t want to hear the anticipation and forecasting of what will happen if they don´t change their commercial and production sins, always try to demerit our work, accusing us of mediocrity and pushing us out of the road, trying to disqualify us.
Finally, these sagas of mine, are for those who valiantly sense that our words have some kind of gems of wisdom. They are able to reflect in our same frequency, and will always listen to us, a different kind of corporate strategy advisors; because they know by heart and spirit, that all we wish to write, has just one purpose: to help them to fix their own endeavors, to make this world a better place”. Elie Escalante.
In my last publication, I wrote the name of the post as “Revenge strategy, wasting the power of your hate on the guiltless: Eamon de Valera an Irish for Érie”.
The Harp of Erin | oil on canvas, 1867 American Thomas Buchanan Read (1822 – 1872).
The name Érie could be conceived by the Irish who read my articles as a mistake. But no. On purpose, I wrote Érie, instead of the Gaelic-Irish “Éire” which is the Irish word for Ireland. Why did I decide to use the word Érie instead of Éire? To show you the importance of history in our knowledge growth, and how words adapt over time.
Poets and nineteenth-century Irish nationalists used the word Erin in English as a romantic name for Ireland. Usually, these Irish authors utilized Erin as a name given to the female personification of Ireland. According to the Irish mythology and folklore, the name Erin was originally given to the island by the Milesians after the goddess Ériu. The Encyclopedia of Celtic Mythology and Folklore by Patricia Monaghan describes Ériu with plenty of details.
Let´s start. Today we will commence analyzing the trade war over genetically modified food. As usual, I always start with opening the case with an introduction. We will understand the basics of what is genetically modified food today.
What is a GMO or genetically modified organism?
Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) are organisms, such as plants, animals, and microorganisms whose genetic characteristics have been altered in a way that does not occur naturally by mating and/or natural recombination. Food and feed which contain, consist of or are produced from GMOs are called genetically modified (GM) food or feed.
When did scientists begin with the GMO wave?
This is not new. During the decade that I was born (the 1970s), scientists discovered how to synthesize certain hormones and use them to promote the growth rate of livestock (cattle), reduce the fat content of meat and increase production. Some believed this was the beginning of the biotechnology upraising applied to food. Nevertheless, the modification of organisms using genetics was also done to crops. 
It was about the 80s, that biotechnology altered the genes of different crop species such as tomatoes, corn, rice, or wheat; so that they can produce crops with strong natural insecticide properties, dramatically can improve yields or can resist to inclement weather. According to Gabriel Rangel, a Ph.D. researcher from Harvard University, “the first field experiments of food crops that had been genetically modified using recombinant DNA technology began in 1987. After five years of extensive health and environmental testing, Calgene’s Flavr Savr tomato became the first food crop to be approved for commercial production by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. These tomatoes were modified to include a DNA sequence that inhibited the production of a natural tomato protein, increasing the firmness and extending the shelf life of the Flavr Savr variety”. Another example was the genetically engineered cotton seed produced by Monsanto, which had a protein that protects against cotton pests.
How do scientists produce GMOs?
Through genetic engineering. Genetic engineering is the modification of an organism’s phenotype by altering its genetic natural order. Genetic engineering is primarily performed by simple mating or gene recombination.
There is a difference between traditional breeding, genetic engineering, and biotechnology. “Humans have been selectively breeding plants and animals since they were nomads, for thousands of years to get certain desired traits. Over time, for example, farmers have bred corn to become larger, to hold more kernels on an ear, and to flourish in different climates. That process has certainly altered corn’s genes. But this “natural” process is not considered “genetic engineering.”
“Genetic engineering, by contrast, involves the direct manipulation of DNA, and only became possible in the 1970s. It often takes two different forms: There’s ”cisgenesis,” which involves directly swapping genes between two organisms that could otherwise breed — say, from wheat to wheat. Or there’s ”transgenesis,” which involves taking well-characterized genes from a different species (say, bacteria) and transplanting them into a crop (such as corn) to produce certain desired traits”.
Why GMOs?
As mentioned previously, GMO´s range from micro-organisms like yeast and bacteria to insects, plants, fish, and mammals. Genetically modified crops (GM crops) are those engineered to introduce a new trait into the species. Purposes of GM crops generally include resistance to certain pests, diseases, or environmental conditions, or resistance to chemical treatments (e.g. resistance to a herbicide). Another purpose of genetic modification of crops is to enhance its nutritional value, for example, to enrich it with vitamins.
Who are behind the GMOs?
GM foods are developed – and marketed – because there is some perceived advantage either to the producer (the GMO´s seeds) or to the consumer (the farmers) of these products. Big “bucks” companies are trading with GMOs, following the low-cost strategies. These companies mean to translate their production with a lower price, greater benefit (in terms of durability or nutritional value) or both. The industry group big players behind the GMOs were always Monsanto, DuPont, Dow AgroSciences, Bayer Crop Science Division and Syngenta. Some mergers between them have passed during the last decade. In addition, during the last years, the GMO agricultural products are “by far the most regulated and tested product in agricultural history.”
Between 2016-2018 there has been a mega-merger wave between the most relevant players of the Seed-Crops Science Industry. These players produce GMOs. Source: Eleonora Escalante Strategy Research Division.
Are the GMOs something good or not for human beings?
We will answer this question in our next publication. The answer to this issue is the cause behind the genetically modified food debates, battles and trade conflicts since the 90s decade. Still, this war is not over.
In our next post we will explore the following questions: Are GMOs safe for human consumption? Which are the risks and benefits of GMOs on the environment? What are the dangers and gains associated with GMO crop consumption? Why the European Union has resisted the widespread use of genetically altered seeds, anticipating harmful effects on human health and the premonition of genetic pollution? Most notably Austria, Luxembourg, Germany, and Switzerland have been among the top countries opposite to GMOs ‘ human consumption.
Thank you. See you before the end of the week. Blessings.
Source references utilized to write this article:
https://fafdl.org/gmobb/gmos-an-introduction/
https://www.consumerreports.org/food-labels/seals-and-claims/non-gmo
http://sphweb.bumc.bu.edu/otlt/MPH-Modules/PH/GMOs/GMOs_print.html
https://knowgenetics.org/introduction-to-genetically-modified-organisms-gmos/
https://www.vox.com/2014/11/3/18092726/how-is-gm-food-different-from-regular-food
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3558185/
https://www.britannica.com/science/genetically-modified-organism/GMOs-in-medicine-and-research
Disclaimer: Illustrations in Watercolor are painted by Eleonora Escalante. Other types of illustrations or videos (which are not mine) are used for educational purposes ONLY. Nevertheless, the majority of the pictures, images or videos shown on this blog are not mine. I do not own any of the lovely photos or images posted unless otherwise stated.
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