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International best selling author on the health risks of genetically engineered foods Jeffrey M Smith visited Brock University on Thursday, October 2nd. Smith has spent much of the past few years on the road as the Executive Director for the Institute of Responsible Technology a popular keynote speaker, has traveled to over 30 countries where he has been consulting with scientists and governments regarding the adverse health effects of genetically engineered foods.

Smith discussed some of the over “65 health risks of GMO and linked them to thousands of sick, sterile, and dead livestock, thousands of toxic and allergic reactions, damage to virtually every organ in virtually every system studied.” The Canadian and American governments have based their policy on false, inaccurate assumptions based on “industry sponsored studies that are designed to avoid finding those problems. There is more than enough evidence … overwhelming, irrefutable evidence right now that GM foods are inherently unsafe.”

Smith discussed how Dr. Arpad Pusztai conducted one of the most comprehensive studies done to date on the effects of GMO on mammals in 1996. Pusztai and his team of 20 scientists at the prestigious Rowett Institute in the United Kingdom received a 3 million dollar grant by the British government to create the new safety protocol to test new GMO foods. He found that the inherent process of genetic engineering was unsafe and created numerous health problem with the rats in his study within only ten days, including; potentially precancerous cell growth in the digestive track, smaller brains, livers and testicles, partial atrophy of liver and damage to the immune system. Dr. Pusztai with permission went on television to warn against consuming these products. After an alleged phone call from UK Prime Minister’s office Dr. Pusztai was fired after 35 years. His study was published in the Lancet Medical Journal in Vol. 354, Issue 9179 August 1999.

If you haven't voted in the poll please do so, because at OPIRGBrock.org the web extension of OPIRG there is a renewed sense of sharing and insight. We'll keep it short on the front page, so click on "Read more" for obvious reasons.

What: Critical Mass is a monthly community bicycle ride that seeks to raise awareness about cycling in our community. It is an act of community building, a rallying call for a city dedicated to sustainable transportation, and most importantly an opportunity to meet folk who love bikes!

When : the last Friday of every month.
NEXT MASS IS APRIL 30th at 5:30pm!!!

Where: Montebello Park Pavilion (Start-point)

Why: Because our city streets are not bicycle friendly.Because cyclists' safety is perpetually in jeopardy when we attempt to share the roads with cars. Because every cyclist I know that uses their bike as their primary means of transportation has been hit by a car at least once. Because these accidents result in life altering disabilities and the death of our loved ones. Because cyclists continue to be targeted by the police. Because mother earth can only tolerate so much petrol-fueled pollution.

BECAUSE CYCLING TOGETHER IS EMPOWERING!

The Rules: there are no rules!!!! except those that we collectively agree to at the beginning of each ride through consensus decision making. Some things that are usually discussed include what route will be followed, how many lanes we will occupy and the delegation of safety roles.
JOIN US - PUT THE FUN BETWEEN YOUR LEGS!

Fun Facts about Critical Mass

Although in Stockholm Sweden, community bike rides that drew 100s of people were common in the 70s, the politicized version of critical mass begun on Friday September 25, 1992 in San Francisco.

In Budapest, Hungary there are only two critical masses each year, one on Earth Day in April and one on International Car Free Day in September. Over 80, 000 cyclists attended the 2008 Earth Day ride.

Corking is a term used to describe the tactic of blocking cars from interrupting or breaking up the stream of massers. In order to effectively cork, a cyclist will leave the flow of the ride for a while to plant their body and bike, in calm posture, a few feet from the front of stopped cars which would otherwise enter an intersection in use by Critical Mass. Best accompanied by smiles and eye contact, or signs that say "Thanks for waiting!" and "Honk if you love bikes!"

The movement is free from the structural costs associated with a centralized, hierarchical organization. In order for the event to function, the only requirement is a sufficient turn-out (THAT MEANS YOU!!!!) to create a "critical mass" of riders dense enough to occupy a piece of road to the exclusion of drivers of motorized vehicles.

For more information on ride/protest guidelines see: Critical Mass
For more information regarding Ontario's Cycling Regulations see: MTO Cycling Guide

The OPIRG Zine workshop was a success. Materials and information put together in harmony can create a lasting impact. For the students and community members that attended the impact will yield long term benefits. Held September 2nd 2008 in the resource centre for most of the day. Though it ran parallel to the Club/Vendor Fair there were enough staff and volunteers to run two simultaneous events. BUSU operated the student fair and this year was a blast - also covered in another post.

For more information contact Jen Coorsh at Brock University 905-988-5550 x4430