LE MONDE DIPLOMATIQUE
_________________________________________________________________
Le Monde diplomatique
english edition
March 1999
<snip>
ORGANIC FOOD: LIES AND PROFITS
Bio business is big business *
by Chantal Le Noallec
What is the future for suppliers of organic produce now that the
big marketing and distribution companies are moving in? Will they
survive the shock? As a result of the "mad cow disease" panic,
organic farming is enjoying an unprecedented boom. Consumer demand
has never been so strong. The major retail stores are filling more
and more of their shelves with organic produce. Organic shops and
supermarkets - or at least claiming to be organic - are shooting up
everywhere. However, now that organic farming is coming into its
own and is also receiving subsidies, it has become a juicy market
niche ripe for exploitation. Faced with the encroachment of big
business, the organic lobby seems uncertain which way to turn.
http://www.monde-diplomatique.fr/en/1999/03/16bio.html
Translated by Ed Emery
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Joke:
God created the mule and told him: "You will be mule, working constantly
from dusk to dawn, carrying heavy loads on your back. You will eat grass
and you will lack intelligence. You will live for 50 years." The mule
answered: "To live like this for 50 years is too much. Please, give me
no more than 20." And it was so.
Then God created the dog and told him: "You will hold vigilance over the
dwellings of Man, to whom you will be his greatest companion. You will
eat his table scraps and live for 25 years." And the dog responded:
"Lord, to live 25 years as a dog is too much. Please, no more than 10 years."
And it was so.
God then created the monkey and told him: "You are the monkey. You will
swing from tree to tree, acting like an idiot. You will be funny, and
you shall live for 20 years." And the monkey responded: "Lord, to
live 20 years as the clown of the world is too much. Please, Lord, give me no
more than 10 years." And it was so.
Finally, God created Man and told him: "You are Man, the only rational
being that walks the earth. You will use your intelligence to have
mastery over the creatures of the world. You will dominate the earth and live
for 20 years." And the man responded: "Lord, to be Man for only 20
years is too little. Please, Lord, give me the 30 years the mule refused,
the 15
years the dog refused, and the 10 years the monkey rejected." And it was so.
And God made Man to live 30 years as a man, then marry and live 20 years
like a mule working and carrying heavy loads on his back. Then, he is to
have children and live 15 years as a dog, guarding his house and eating
leftovers after they empty the pantry; then, in his old age, to live 10
years as a monkey, acting like a fool to amuse his grandchildren. And
it was so.
***
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