Thursday, February 9, 2017

Musings: Opening Salvo

It isn't every day that a politician puts his head into the lion's mouth.

But Kauai Councilman Derek Kawakami bravely did just that, publishing a guest column in today's The Garden Island that states his unequivocal support for the contentious Hawaii Dairy Farms project at Mahaulepu.

Yes, at a time when far too many lily-livered legislators are kowtowing and pandering to the anti-ag activists haunting the capitol, Derek stood up solidly for ag. More important, he made it clear today that he believes his political future lies with those who support ag — not the antis.

As one political observer noted:

It does occur to me that this is Derek's first big salvo in the 2018 mayoral race, positioning himself as a strong, thorough, literate, rational opinion leader, willing to take a controversial but right position — in the face of active opposition.
And as TGI reported, that opposition is not pleased with his stance:

FOM [Friends of Mahulepu] is scheduling a meeting with Kawakami to supply him with the information they believe he is lacking.

No doubt. Now if only FOM would be similarly receptive to a meeting that supplied its members with the information they most decidely are lacking — along with the cranial capacty to process it.

Still, it's a profound statement on the sad state of affairs miring Hawaii agriculture when an elected official actually has to write a commentary supporting a local food initiative — on Important Ag Lands, no less — while reminding people that HDF “deserves the chance to operate” and the alternatives might be worse:

It is not realistic to think that if Hawaii Dairy Farms is prohibited from being on the land, that nothing will ever go there.

Unless, of course, those alternative uses — gentleman's estates, hotels, vacation homes, exclusive enclaves for the uber rich — are what the real estate- and tourism-friendly antis have been seeking all along.

Shoots, it's already happening on Maui, where the antis couldn't wait to destroy sugar. As Pacific BusinessNews reported yesterday:

A California businessman has purchased about 340 acres of agricultural land [in Paia] on Maui from Alexander & Baldwin Inc. for nearly $10 million.

This sale was unique in that we received an unsolicited offer to purchase the property, and we determined that due to its size and location, a sale would not negatively impact our efforts to pursue our diversified agricultural plan,” [A&B spokesman Darren Pai] said.

Gonna be awfully hard for the communal kale cultivators and hemp hawkers to compete, what with Maui ag land now going for $29,000 an acre.

But Hawaii isn't the only place where ag is struggling. The elitist foodies and ag Utopians may soon realize their cherished dream of dismantling “industrial ag” — though it will come at a very human cost. As Money.com reports:

Across the heartland, a multiyear slump in prices for corn, wheat and other farm commodities brought on by a glut of grain world-wide is pushing many farmers further into debt. Some are shutting down, raising concerns that the next few years could bring the biggest wave of farm closures since the 1980s.

Farming has always been a boom-and-bust enterprise. Today, the swings are sharper and less predictable now that the farm economy has become more international, with more countries growing food for export as well as for their own populations.

American farmers’ share of the global grain trade has fallen from 65% in the mid-1970s to 30% today, giving them less sway over prices. More producers and more buyers around the world also mean more potential disruptions from bad weather, famine or political crisis.

Corn prices once varied year-to-year by less than $1 a bushel. Since 2006 they have shot up and dropped more than $4 a bushel.

Large-scale operations now account for half of U.S. agricultural production. Most farms, even some of the biggest, are still run by families. As farm sizes jumped, their numbers fell, from six million in 1945 to just over two million in 2015, nearing a threshold last seen in the mid-1800s. Total acres farmed in the U.S. have dropped 24% to 912 million acres.

In the late 1970s, [Lee Scheufler] joined thousands of farmers in Washington for a demonstration urging the government to address low grain prices and farm foreclosures. As some drove their tractors onto the National Mall, his group rang a bell every five minutes to symbolize the rate at which farms were closing. He has been reminded of those days often this year.

The potential for a big crisis is real,” he said. “If things stay similar to how they are now, you haven’t seen anything yet.”

The article was sent to me by a friend, whose family still farms a seven-generation corn and soybean operation in the Midwest. When I remarked on the complexities of agriculture, especially in today's international market she replied:

That’s why I do an eye roll on the anti-ag people on Kauai in a tizzy on your blog. They have no clue what it takes to farm.

68 comments:

  1. Derek ----- "There will be no more than 699 milking cows on the farm. A similar number of cattle and sheep have grazed on the same property in the past."

    Thank you for pointing out that this area is not "pristine." It has been used for sugar and livestock for a long time.

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  2. Speak out for something Joan believes in you are "brave" and casts as a hero. Speak out against something Joan doesn't believe in your an ignorant and a narcissist?

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  3. I'm sorry that you aren't able to discern more nuances in my stances than that. But then, that's how it is in the black and white world of the antis.

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    1. aloha joan. whom is the uncited "one time political observer" quoted in this piece? mahalonui for your journalistic excellence.

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    2. The reference was to "one political observer," not "one time.".The person didn't want to be named in my blog so I didn't!

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  4. It's so interesting that Civil Beat has chosen not to cover this issue after doing a less than credible job on it before. It's actually quite a good project, but CB seems to be tongue-tied by it's benefactor's interest in the situation.

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  5. I am NOT against ag I am all for it....But a dairy with 700 cows there is not something I would want....there is a lot of land just over the mountian that is good for dairy that was in cattle and the corn people got the cattle men off of....There is too much "culture" I will say, there that is already been disrupted....Even so I will give Derek my vote....

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  6. Obviously, Derek understands where and how food comes to to the dinner plate, and has the guts, life experiences and knowledge to speak up about it. For the Friends of Mahaulepu to want to meet with him "to supply him with information he may be lacking," is totally a totally ingenuous attempt at calling him uninformed, and wanting to grandstand.

    Crazy how Frienda of Mahaulepu have stolen the stewardship of Mahaulepu from Malama Mahaulepu. The antis had better get it straight - Mahaulepu if the "Crown Jewel" of Grove Farm; their ONLY oceanfront property in their total 40,000 acre portfolio.

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  7. Cracks me up when I hear people throw the word "pristine" around.

    (Anonymous said..."Thank you for pointing out that this area is not "pristine." It has been used for sugar and livestock for a long time.") February 9, 2017 at 8:41 AM)

    Especially when they're referring to land that has been completely taken over by non-native species, including our own.

    What exactly does pristine mean?

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    1. Hasn't been pristine for over 2500 years. Before the polynesians showed up. EVERYONE changes something. The Hawaiians just did a little better job than we have today.

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  8. Why didn't Mr Brave Kawakami make this statement 5 months ago? Because he was keeping his head down and straddling the fence in this, pesticides and GMO. He is a classic slick Willie.

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  9. Not exactly happy with his support for the farm, but he's got my vote nevertheless.

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  10. How is what Kawakami did any different than what Hooser did when he was Councilman?

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  11. 1:11pm Easy answer, Derek is for the Locals, Hooser is for the Haoles, yes, all the blabbermouths writing letters to the editor, all the Hippy's, Bill 2491 supporters, etc. Derek is straight up, Hooser is full of shit.

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  12. If Hooser truly believes that GMO and pesticides are harmful then he cares about locals too. I'm for the dairy but Kawakami is just pandering to the local vote and probably repaying a backer for their support. Nothing brace about that.

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  13. "Derek is for the Locals, Hooser is for the Haole" that pretty much somes up the hypocrisy of this island and this blog if Joan agrees with that comment

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  14. 2:30 Hooser should have known better and listened before he acted with Bill 2491. Be a good leader, pass good laws, don't be a prick!

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  15. Interesting that the biggest idiot mouths and largest egos on Council (Kagawa and Rapozo) have kept their mouths closed on this one.

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  16. The dairy is not in front of planning, not in front of council either , seems Derek spoke up in favor of it to show leadership, for if IAL land can't be used for agriculture, we are beyond backwards. That the resort that got built on agriculture lands is now telling them no is a pile . Glad he spoke up, its about time.

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  17. Dairy Will Create Affordable Housing
    Rooters
    By Ivanka Trump

    Although opposed by Friends of Mahaulepu, a noted supply side housing economist opined that if the dire environmental predictions come true, it will be a boon to affordable housing for locals who don't mind the occasional smell and have that "chance 'em" attitude with regard to swimming in pasture runoff.

    To read more, subscribe by clicking here:

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  18. Finally, someone with the courage to support big business, big landowners, and big agriculture!

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  19. Give me 700 cows over thousands of people any day.

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  20. Go take a ride to Koloa Mill. Pretend you are interested in the ATV tour that they run out of there. Read the warning signs on the fences. What they are already spraying there is way worse than cow shit.

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  21. The US is one of the very few countries on earth that has never experienced a famine, there's been hunger but never mass starvation. If the anti-everything crowd prevails that will change. Where do these people think food comes from?

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  22. Look forward to voting for Derek.

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  23. Anyone who chooses to vote or not vote for someone over ONE ISSUE is a fool and should not be allowed to vote.

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  24. "Black and white world of antis" says Joan. This statement alone is stereotyped and throws anyone who opposes absolutely any form or project of agriculture into a black box which she calls "antis". No room at all for any shades of gray. (someone who supports one kind of GMO/farm project/farm method and opposes another kind). In Joan's book, these grays are called "antis". Someday if Derek opposes a future farm project, will Joan refer to him as being anti-ag?

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  25. @2:48, You hit the nail on the head. Great observation!

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  26. @10:33AM - good one!

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  27. @10:47 My comment was in reference to the black and white assessment of the commenter. I have plenty of room for nuances and shades of gray in my view of the world, so made claims for me — especially when they aren't accurate.

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  28. Derek is a seasoned politician. He's straddling the fence as he supports the dairy, but is also supporting the required (not voluntary) buffer for big Ag pesticide application. My question to our politicians is "if these ag operations preceded schools, hospitals, and subdivisions, shouldn't the latter be forced to comply with the buffer?" Think about how subdivision requirements might change if they were forced to set their properties back 100 feet from existing ag operations. That would kill almost all new housing outside the urban core areas. Most schools, hospitals, and even resorts were developed on lands zoned agriculture. Now these Johnny-Come-Lately groups want to stop agriculture activities on lands that were designated for that very purpose or force farmers to stop farmers from using herbicides and pesticides necessary to make food affordable. Give me a break.

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  29. Many people who oppose the dairy farm as it stands are not anti-ag at all. And many who do not like finding glyphosate in our blood are not anti-ag. And then there are those who oppose large chemical companies having conflict of interest positions and influence in government who are not anti-ag. In fact, very few people can be classified as anti-ag. Those who are called this almost always support ag, but not when it is done in ways which cause big problems for people.

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  30. @12:39 Really? Because I just don't see these supposed ag supporters putting forth initiatives to boost ag, much less get out there and do it themselves. What we have primarily seen in Hawaii is an attack on ag, especially the segments of ag that are productive and valuable. So call it what you will. The net effect is anti-ag. Once I see you folks actually doing something besides attacking what's working — and mostly by making all kinds of false assertions, like you did in this comment — then I'll call you pro-ag.

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  31. "Because I just don't see these supposed ag supporters putting forth initiatives to boost ag, much less get out there and do it themselves" your right Barca isn't trying to farm, Kilauea Ag Park isn't trying to farm, Don Heacock isn't trying to farm, ... Anybody that doesn't do it the Bid Ag way you ridicule. There are plenty of people growing way more food than any of the Chem Companies are on Kauai land. Your definition of is skewed. There is no where in the definition of a farmer that requires them to be in debt with Big Ag or participating in their control of the worlds food supply. I am a farmer. I grow my own food and there are lots of people just like me. You are a fool if you can't see that and a bigger fool if you rely on Big Ag to always be there for you, especially living on an island in the middle of nowhere.

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  32. Derek has never publicly supported the Bills calling for disclosure and buffer zones. If I am wrong please show me the proof. He wrings his hands, mumbles ingratiating sounds about his ancestors and love for these islands but has done nothing of substance pertaining to pesticide protections.

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  33. How can anyone put any trust in Kawasaki when he voted for the pakalolo dispensaries when daddy was trying to secure millions in that racket. Where's daddy now derek hahahhahahaha

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    1. That's a sick thing to say when Derek's dad just passed away 2 months ago. You are way out of line. Mr. Charles Kawakami did way more for this island than most of you. He has donate hundreds of thousands of dollars to charities on this island like Hospice, K-PAL and Hale O'pio. Why don't you do something better for our island community than say sick malicious things to further divide us. Get a life!!!!

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  34. 99% of all people in the world support ag (pro-ag) and depend upon it to survive. To call any of these people anti-ag is to cause sterotyped divisions among people into opposing groups, thereby diverting the focus from the particular ag issue at hand by creating a non-issue. If we question or oppose some educational practices at a particular school, or schools in general, does that mean that we are anti-education? Of course not. If we question or oppose anything in particular about agriculture, does that mean that we are anti-agriculture? Of course not. Better to not use these generalized divisive labels of pro-ag and anti-ag, and stick to the agricultural issues being discussed, in my humble opinion..

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  35. @1:19 The operative word is "trying." That's my entire point. These people are merely trying, yet they want to destroy those who are doing. And again, don't assign beliefs to me that are not mine. I know of and respect many people who are doing a fine job of farming who aren't "Big Ag." But none of them are out there trying to shut down other farming operations.

    @1:36 OK, I'll be very specific, then. I've been talking about those who are anti-Kauai dairy, and anti-GMO and anti-conventional farming in Hawaii.

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  36. 2/10 @ 7:02 AM, you don't know what you're talking about.

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  37. Isn't the GMO industry and Bradley "trying" to find a way to feed the world? Isn't the pesticide industry "trying" to figure out how to control weeds? Your always splitting hairs with you comebacks Joan but get all bent out of shape when others return the favor? You have an ax to grind and you grind it but you don't get to define what a farmer is. Show 99% of the farmers around the world Bradley's style of farming and they would would say that isn't farming. Real farmers don't have hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of equipment at their disposal, only corporate entitled ones backed with government subsidies and mountains of debt.

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  38. Good on you, Joan. Anti-Kaua'i Dairy is much better than "anti-ag". Better to avoid that term completely unless quoting someone.

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  39. @4:15. Sounds like you've got your own (very dull) ax to grind. Why are you so threatened by Bradley? Maybe an inferiority complex? And what do you know about his debts and subsidies?

    As for 8:38, I'll use the term "anti-ag" anytime I think it's warranted and/or it expresses my sentiments. I know some people don't want to be perceived as anti-ag, but when one examines their behavior, they are.

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  40. If you all want to know what FOM is all about, watch the south park going native episode.

    http://watchcartoonsonline.eu/watch/south-park-s16-e11-going-native/

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  41. And if you want to know what it's like to be a "local" watch Once Were Warriors

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  42. @ Joan at 7:07... I love talking about USDA budget and ag economics. First, lets clear up a major misconception: over half the USDA budget is for food stamps and WICK. IN the past, USDA had a set aside program to paid farmers not to plant acres in an effort to increase in prices. Bill Clinton replaced that with "freedom to farm". That program slashed cash payments 75%, but gave farmers $4-8 an acre for crop insurance subsidies. That program was replaced with 4 program choices. I chose ARC-County. I get $4-6 an acre for crop insurance subsidy. So does my organic farming neighbor. In years with low prices, (or low county yield) I received an ARC-County payment of $38 an acre for 2015 paid in 2016. For large farmers, the total payment is capped at $100,000. Now, lets look at the numbers for organic vs. conventional farming.

    Irrigated cash rent is 250 an acre. My irrigation cost were 83. My herbicide cost 52 plus application of 5.75 times 2. My fertilizer bill was 95. Planting cost of 14, side dressing N 14, harvesting 32 and freight to market was 276 bushels times .06 (16.56). Crop insurance was 20 an acre and pivot insurances was 10. That top dollar GMO seed cost 100 an acre. That's a total cost of $716.06 an acre. I averaged 3.52 a bushel, less the taxes for a net of 3.50 a bushel. SO, I netted 966, plus 38 (some years that's $0) ARC-County Payment. That leaves a net income of 287.94 an acre. Interest expense for 6 months at 2.25% is 8.05 an acre.

    Now, my organic neighbor raises 2 cover crops before his crop of corn. So, it takes him two years to get a crop. Irrigated cash rent is 250 times 2 years 500 an acre. My irrigation cost were $83, so his are 166 per crop. His herbicide cost 100 an acre for hand weeding. His fertilizer bill was $0. Planting cost of 14 times 3, cover crop seed was 52 for two cover crops, side dressing N $0, harvesting 32 and freight to market was (I'm giving him a Gabe Brown yield of 141 BPH) at 1.00 per bushel. Crop insurance was 20 an acre and pivot insurances was 10 times 2. That top dollar organic seed cost 86 an acre. That's a total cost of 1,159 an acre. He had a fixed price contract of 10, so he grossed $1,410 an acre, plus 30 an acre for grazing cover crop, plus 38 ARC-County payment. That makes his total Gross $1,478. That leaves a net income of 319 an acre over two years, or 159.50 a year. That's under ideal conditions. This year he mowed 60% of his crop under due to water hemp weeds. IN other words, he only harvest 40% of a crop. SO, 1,410 times 40% equals 564, plus 38 ACR-County payment, plus grazing fees of 30 for a total of 632, less 1159 in cost resulted in a -527 loss for two years work. On his 66 acre field, that's a -34,782 loss. Good thing he's pulling down another job.

    So, in good years, organic farming averages about half as much money per acre while the product sells for 3 times as much....
    Organic, in good years, averages 70.5 bushels of corn per year. My corn made 276. That's 3.9 TIMES MORE CROP PER YEAR!
    Which systems is going to need more government handouts to stay viable? Who wants to work a second job to keep their farming operation afloat? (Bear in mind, the county average for irrigated corn is around 212 bushels per acre. So, there are some produces that need a little government help.)

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  43. Now, that isn't the case for all farmers. Gabe Brown has markets for 20 different organic crops, and he makes money on every one of them. However, he lives next to a metropolitan city with demand for his over priced products. The fact of the matter is, 46 million families live paycheck to paycheck working two (or more) jobs. They can't afford to buy organic. Myself, being small farmer, I can't afford to receive half as much income per acre to raise organic commodities. So, I proudly provide a product that's a third of the price of organic.

    It's nice to have pie in the sky dreams about an organic utopian farming system. Yet, the economic reality is, conventionally farmed ground pays the bills better by a factor of 2 and saves consumers money at the super market by a factor of 3. So, now you know why "Big AG" is so damn BIG....

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  44. February 10, 2017 at 1:19 PM
    Farming? Barca begs for money for his escapade, Heacock has done so many violations in Nawiliwili it isa long standing joke and Kilauea Ag Park is no more than a COUNTY FUNDED Multi-Million Dollar feel good project for a few NS insiders. 3 Ag jokes wound up in Fistee rhetoric. Credit to these folks for trying, but no cigar, but maybe there is a doobie or 2.

    There are many NS folks who do good small time Ag. The difference is money. Having several million buckareenies in the bank whilst you farm some Rambutan and kale is a real comfort. Kinda like dilettante gardening. These "farmers" will not go down the tubes if disease, weather or government shuts them down. They got bucks.
    That's the problem. Kauai politics is changing. The wealthy new agers have coupled with some the young "don't got 2 buck" antis and have a solid political alliance. The difference is....if things get bad for the island, these NS rich elitists will not bring the now bankrupt young locals into their family net. They will be outski. They are good for the political Fistee mobs...but the NS elitists will abandon the island, the island's people and go back to another idyllic wealthy enclave if trouble occurs.

    With rents at $2000 per month and houses at $600K-----who do you think the politicians cater to?
    Off topic---but ALL HIGH RENTS AND HIGH HOUSING costs are at the doorstep of the Council and Mayor. No leadership, no ideas no nuttin'. Raise taxes? rents go up. There is not one person on the Council that understands housing, money or the risk of development.
    And Mel and Derek...this means you. Must feel good knowing all your classmates are living with their parents or paying 2000 plus for rent, struggling by. Oh except for the 700 or so people that are your friends and family that you packed into the County Employee system during the time you have doubled the County expenses and doubled the number of County workers. Great Gawd Almighty...these geniuses are even sending the County 3 million dollar helicopter out to spy the land for illegal structures....We get the politicians we deserve,

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  45. @ 7:16am got your mahalo rewards card bro? Shaka brah! Once were warriors? C'mon, u can do better than that...maybe North Shore?

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  46. Study published in Nature Thursday "confirms liver functional dysfunction resulting from chronic ultra-low dose GBH exposure".

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  47. The comments on this blog are proof that the Russians have hacked into our computer systems and turned our peace-loving citizens (especially those who are over 60 and still have long hair) into pro-GMO and pro-pesticide robots. Free us from the Russians so we can farm our yardens and provide healthy organic food for the world!! FREE ORGANICS! FREE KAUAI!

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  48. I see we have more graduates of Google University posting on February 11. Who needs a scientific education from a reputable accredited university anyway?

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  49. @11:27, Actually, Google is just about the best university in the world right now. It is free. Admission is open to all. No grades. No homework. Access to libraries worldwide. Access to professional research on all topics. And millions of videos which can teach us how to do many practical and useful things. Google links us to people who are at the forefront of research and specific kinds of knowledge globally. Google allows everyone to learn exactly what they are interested in and avoid all those subjects they do not like. And imagine, your only student debt is what you pay for access to Google. The only real advantage I can think of for going to "normal" university, is to socialize with real people. That is something computers often interfere with.

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  50. Watch this amazing video to see what a 15 year old boy, educated with Google and Wikipedia, has done in the field of pancreatic cancer research. Reputation and accreditation have absolutely nothing to do with real education. Listen to this wise young man! { https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VehHPwAVL9g }

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  51. This is 11:27, clearly those who responded to me missed the point. Donald Trump loves both of you.

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  52. To ms or mr google, that may work for you, but next time you apply for a job in a professional setting, it won't work,wanna be a doctor, google wont cut it, wanna be a lawyer, that google education is worthless, wanna be anything that requires a degree, you are lost. While google is great for research and entertainment and learning about anything that interests us, it will not replace a real education. Those degrees still are the ticket.
    And to anyone who thinks we shouldn't learn general stuff that you are not interested in, faces the real possibility of ignorance.google is a tool, helps educate, but does not replace that need for education.

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  53. 2/13 @ 5:57 AM, you hit the nail on the head.

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  54. And claiming you have a degree from Cornell after a 12 week program on your Facebook page while lecturing and calling people ignorant because they oppose pesticides and GMO doesn't cut it either.

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  55. Nobody is claiming to "have a degree from Cornell after a 12 week program." A certificate is issued for those who complete the 12-week Fellowship, not a degree. But thank you for showing your own ignorance, and also reminding us that the antis love to lie!

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  56. Go to Facebook. Search "Joni Kamiya"
    What pops up? Joni Kamiya Cornell University. Which is a lie.

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  57. Joni's page says "Studied Global Leadership Fellowship Program at Cornell University." Which is the absolute truth. Sounds like you're jealous, though.

    But thank you for reminding us that the antis love to lie AND they can't conduct even the most basic, simple research.

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  58. You didn't follow my directions Joan. You must have a reading comprehension problems along with not being able to admit when you are wrong. I said:
    "Go to Facebook
    Search "Joni Kamiya"
    What pops up? Joni Kamiya Cornell University. Which is a lie. " if you follow those directions you will see what I am talking about.

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  59. I did follow those directions. And I didn't see any reference to Cornell University AT ALL until I went to her page, where she correctly had it listed as "Studied Global Leadership Fellowship Program at Cornell University."

    Maybe you need to find a hobby? Or better yet, get a life.

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  60. So sad that many people confuse what real education is all about. It has nothing to do with grades, tests, research papers, degrees, or university attendance, etc. The smartest CEO's and business owners will hire whoever is capable of doing the job best, irregardless of whether they have a degree or not. If a Google taught computer expert (who is also a high school dropout) has more knowledge and ability than a MIT graduate, who do you think Apple will hire first? Our public education system is completely obsolete and is in real need of radical reform. Thanks to 3:06PM for the wonderful video that shows some of the pitfalls of our current educational system.

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  61. You need to search "Joni Kamiya" using the Facebook app. It will take you to a page that shows people. She's the only "Joni Kamiya" and it says "Joni Kamiya Cornell University". When you click on that it takes you to her Facebook page. If you search using a computer it takes you directly to her Facebook page.

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  62. No, @11:45, it doesn't, even on the app. You've got way too much time on your hands and you've wasted enough of mine.

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  63. 2/13 @ 10:34 AM, while that may be true in some bizarro alternate reality, how often do you think it occurs in this one? Please provide ONE example of a high school dropout computer expert who has more knowledge and ability than a MIT graduate. And what is the success rate of high school dropouts versus those who complete their formal education as far as they want to take it?

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  64. @10:34 am

    I was a hiring manager for a tech company and if an application came to me for a tech position and the applicant had put " High School Drop Out" on his application that applicant would not even reach an interview. File 13 without a glance. Now with the other (MIT) odds of hiring a professional tech would increase three fold. So please spare us the agony of your inflated bull.

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