Category Archives: Glyphosate

Prince Edward Island, Chloropicrin and Dr. Anthony Samsel

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Malcolm Joseph Pitre of Prince Edward Island asked for information that might help him resist the PEI provincial Government’s plan to introduce Chloropicrin for soil sterilization for a fruit farm, presumably strawberry.

Chloropicrin 100 - MSDS

I tried contacting Dr. Don Huber, professor emeritus, Purdue University. But he was not around. So I called Anthony Samsel of Cambridge, Massachusetts. Dr. Samsel knew Cholopicrin and told me much about it, which I recorded for listeners here.

Chloropicrin was a chemical warfare agent in the first World War, was stored in WW II, but is now banned, I believe, from military use – but is still used in Agriculture, for example as a soil fumigant. CDC identifies this chemical as a Lung Damaging Agent.

It is hazardous, a killer. Some of it would evaporate out of the soil after use. This gas is heavier than air and would stay close to the ground. The safety warnings say people should stay away from it. As Sr. Samsel said, non-toxic methods are less harmful and should be the first choice – such as steam sterilization methods. These technologies exist, and units are available that can be hauled as a trailer to site. A few samples are given here.

There are quite a few examples of steam soil sterilizers out there if one googles it. There may be someone within PEI that can source one locally or from within the maritime provinces. There are many documents freely available on line that give examples of how to use Steam, or even solar power to organically sterilize a patch of soil before planting. If needed, I wonder if Av Singh of Nova Scotia might help locate one, or offer advise on another non-toxic method of doing the same job.

As to calculating the pesticide load, I first picked the data off Environment Canada’s document on pesticide use in PEI as well as other provinces. Then I checked the area and the population, to create a table of per capita and per unit area, the average pesticide use for each province. PEI stands out in contrast because of the high pesticide load, which is ten times higher per capita and up to 17 times higher per unit area, compared to its neighbour Nova Scotia. It also appears to be way higher that any other region in Canada.

I would not be surprised if reported cases show higher occurrence of some disease, such as Cancer,Crohn’s disease, Celiac, Autism, obesity, and other illnesses were higher per unit population than elsewhere in Canada. However, I do not have the data, and it would be important to get the information on this. I did write a letter( emails ) to the Government of PEI, but received no response. I have not checked thoroughly for the PEI government information online, and would encourage local residents to try to locate or ask for information on annual reported cases of these illnesses and then see how they measure up against the rest of Canada and the rest of the western world.

After all, PEI is part of Canada and Canada is not exactly a third world country – or is it?

Gutsy Walk for Crohn’s and Colitis Canada, for example, says in its web site:
“Canada has one of the highest rates for Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis in the world and those rates are increasing. Most alarming, the number of new cases of Crohn’s disease in Canadian children has almost doubled since 1995. Crohn’s and colitis are lifelong diseases that can have a devastating impact on quality of life, elevate the risk of colorectal cancer, and in the case of Crohn’s disease, shorten life expectancy“.

Sustainable Pulse, for example, has an article about the link between Monsanto’s Roundup and Global Bloom of Celiac disease and Gluten intolerance.

There are more things in the pipeline for Prince Edward Island, the maritime Provinces and the rest of Canada. One of them is about testing of Glyphosate in body fluids such as blood, urine, breast milk and also soil samples.

Dr. Anthony Samsel and Stephanie Seneff have gotten engaged in providing a service that includes scientific analysis of the data, and on a more professional level. This service is provided to the right candidates in Canada. The right candidates would be those that are already sick from exposure, and those that are suspect due to living close to areas with heavy pesticide use, or are not so careful with what they eat. Nursing mothers with babies are preferred if they are suspect, since they can provide multiple samples, that could prove bio-accumulation of the material.

The cost of each test is US$ 100, to be paid ahead of the tests. Should a deserving candidate cannot afford to pay for the test, Drs. Samsel and Seneff will try to cover it out of their own pocket.

From our end, we need to identify the right candidates, and if they cannot afford the test, we should consider raising funds to help out, and not tax Dr. Samsel and Dr. Seneff far as possible.

More on all this later. This part of the talk (testing for Glyphosate) is not included in the podcast and will be covered with more detail down the line.


For now, you can click on the play button and listen to the 10 minute podcast of Dr. Samsel about a cleaner method for soil sterilization that Chloropicrin – for residents of PEI.

I shall be most happy to hear your comments to: tony.mitra@gmail.com

Thanks/ Tony

Canadians testing if Glyphosate accumulates in the body

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While speaking with Dr. Don Huber and Dr. Anthony Samsel about GMO and Glyphosate, I came to learn of Moms Across America group, lead by Zen Honeycutt, and their efforts to have presence of Glyphosate tested in volunteers urine and breast milk.

While this was going on, there were fledgeling groups of people across Canada that were getting ready to have their water, and body fluids tested for presence of pesticides, including Glyphosate, the active ingredient in Monsanto’s weed killer trade named ‘Roundup’.

I ended up asking a few labs for quotation for testing for pesticides. The labs approached were :

I had asked them to quote for testing for the following products:

  • Glyphosate
  • AMPA
  • Mancozeb
  • 2,4-D,
  • Bacillus theuringiensis H-14
  • MCPA

Gamma Dynacare cannot do it now. LLSG tests for trace elements, but not molecules such as pesticide. That leaves only Maxxam Analytics for now who will offer a quote for Glyphosate around next Tuesday. Brody Mossman of Maxxam lead me to the Nova Socita site for pesticide tolerance limits. You can find it here. I am also including parts of their tabulated chart with limits for Glyphosate here:

Glyphosate limit in soil - just under 1 ppm in fine and 1.4 in course

As you can see, the limits to ground (potable) water allowed is (at 280 ppb) is almost five times higher than allowed in surface water (65 ppb). Is that good ? We intend to ask around.

Meanwhile, Moms Across America used a lab called Microbe Inotech Labrotories (MIL) in St Lois, MO. I spoke with them too. They can do it, and are preparing a quote.

In order to popularize the effort and get more volunteers to come forward, I spoke with Rose Stevens of Manitoba to make a video and an audio podcast.

While all this was going on, I got linked with Henry Rowlings of Sustainable Pulse, who spoke about the Global GMO Free Coalition (GGFC) which is going to be announced on Tuesday (4 days from now). And now I know that it may be better, to find double samples from the same person, urine and breast milk from a nursing mother. Even better may be three samples, including urine from the baby, to see if:

  • Glyphosate can bio-accumulate, and get from being in the gut and urine, into breast milk
  • and if that Glyphosate can then establish itself into babies, who are inherently more vulnerable than grown ups.

Also, it may be an idea to take sample from people that have not been careful of where they get their food from.

All this is happening as we speak. Meanwhile, here is the talk between myself and Rose Stevens, to help kickstart the awareness drive on this issue.

[youtube kfpzLbdFtQs]

You can also listen to the audio podcast by clicking on the player below, or download and listen at leisure.

Hope you like it. You can send me your comments at tony.mitra@gmail.com

Letter to Mayor Jackson, Delta, BC, about testing for Glyphosate

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To: Ms Lois E. Jackson, Mayor, Delta, BC, mayor@delta.ca

Dated : Thursday, May 15, 2014

Mayor Jackson

Subject: Canadians arranging to test their urine and water for presence of Monsanto’s Roundup weed killer – requesting your moral support

Dear Mayor Jackson,

Good day.

We are a group of concerned Canadians from Delta, BC, and across the land all the way to the east coast of Canada, that are arranging to have our waters, urine, blood and mothers breast milk tested by ourselves, for presence of Monsanto’s week killer Roundup. This is in recognition of fact that a rising tide of serious illness in north America may be linked to an ever increasing release of Glyphosate as a weed killer, as an agricultural desiccant, and an antibiotic, on our agricultural fields as well as out forests and watersheds.

We are in discussion with labs in Canada and the US for suitable bulk quote for such a test and building of data base on the spread of this week killer in human blood, organs and tissues across Canada. There are claims made by Monsanto and other producers of Glyphosate in herbicides that identify this chemical as harmless to animals and only affects plants, and any ingestion is promptly flushed out by humans without accumulation in our body and without causing any harm. As a result EPA has raised the presence of Glyphosate to be considered safe for food to a level several thousand times higher than that in Europe. It has recently been proven by tests conducted on human urine, blood and mothers breast milk, that the claim of safety for humans in false, that it bio-accumulates and crosses several safety boundaries to be able to enter blood and breast milk. Further, it has been established by independent scientists  that the item wrecks havoc with our micro-biome which is responsible for producing a lot of our enzymes, vitamins and other essential bio-chemicals which makes it possible for us to function properly.

I personally know and speak with many such scientists, and will provide references to two conversations, one with Dr. Anthony Samsel (http://www.tonu.org/2014/05/14/samsel/) and another with Dr. Stephanie Seneff of MIT (http://www.tonu.org/2014/04/19/stephanie-seneff/) about the harmful effects of Glyphosate. These scientists have been studying Glyphosate for years.

You probably know that an organization in the US, named Moms Across America (MAA) have already started doing such tests by themselves, and some shocking results are coming up, including presence of this toxin in their mothers milk.

So, grassroots groups are joining up across Canada, to arrange for similar testing of human body fluids as well as ground water, for presence of Glyphosate, at their own cost. I am part of it, and am writing to find out if this effort may have your moral support. All we intend to do is find out if the weedkiller is already accumulating in our bodies, and then let the chips fall as they may.

Ideally, such a test should have been conducted by Health Canada, or Environment Canada, or corresponding ministries within individual provinces, or departments of Environment within Municipalities. However, since the Govt has taken no initiative to investigate this potentially huge health risk, citizens are arranging to take initiative in their own hands, bypassing the political establishment.

I write this to you, asking if you might like to lend your support to this effort. We do not seek financial support, nor do we seek your organizational or campaigning support. We simply ask if you are willing to publicly come out in support of this grassroots movement, by lending a few words of encouragement in writing that we can use, or to have your voice recorded and added in future audio podcasts, which will be made to cover this issue.

You are the fourth elected official I write this to, and the first one from a Municipality. I wrote a letter to MP Alex Atamanenko of NDP yesterday after speaking with his legal assistant team. I also wrote two other personalized letters earlier today, to South & North Delta MLAs Ms Vicky Huntington and Scott Hamilton. For now, I am not planning on writing to any more elected politicians. However, this being a transparent grassroots organization that exchanges views with others, I may inform of my effort to reach your office as a sample for others across Canada to consider doing the same in their own areas.

There is a high level of interest by people across Canada. We know about this interest since I am part of a team that have been touring the length and breadth of Canada speaking to folks on invitation, on the potential harm of GMO and pesticides in agriculture and environment on one side, and the need for citizens to take initiative without waiting for politicians on the other side, and have now links with groupings from the east coast of Canada to the west coast, and have a huge number of volunteers ready to send samples for testing, at their own cost. Thats how we know.

I would appreciate your feedback if you consider this effort worth providing your moral support, or not. Absence of any response would be taken as either your disagreement that such a test should at all be conducted to check if Roundup weed killer is accumulating in our bodies, or that you find this movement politically unacceptable in your point of view.

Should you be interested to meet me and a few like minded citizens face to face, I shall be most glad to pay you a visit.

Hoping for a positive response,

With best wishes

Tony Mitra

10891 Cherry Lane, Delta, BC, V4E3L7, Canada

tony.mitra@gmail.com, www.tonu.org 604-649 7535

Anthony Samsel blasts GMO-Technology and the one gene one enzyme hyphotheses

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I have had the pleasure of speaking with three scientists in USA recently that have done work on GMO or Glyphosate and how they are likely the primary or an important ingredient in our runaway rise in chronic diseases. These are Dr. Don Huber, Dr. Anthony Samsel and Dr. Stephanie Seneff.

I have already created audio podcast of my talks with Dr. Huber (http://www.tonu.org/2014/04/15/don_hube/) and Dr. Seneff (http://www.tonu.org/2014/04/19/stephanie-seneff/). I am yet to create a full audio podcast of my talks with Dr. Samsel, primarily because of some recording glitch where the quality of sound was not the best and I was having a hard time trying to clean it up through editing. Perhaps I shall have to request him for a fresh talk again.

Meanwhile, I did manage to extract two short sections of the talk, and create short video clips of them. One is about Golden Rice and vitamin deficiency (http://www.tonu.org/2014/04/21/goldenrice-debunked/), where Dr. Samsel illustrates why Golden rice is unnecessary, and untested. More than that, if one wishes to improve vitamin intake of poor kids in third world countries, the first step should be to remove Glyphosate from their diet. Thats because Glyphosate inhibits people’s micro-biome from creating vitamins using the raw materials in their food. SO, removing Glyphosate would automatically improve a boy’s ability to have more vitamins from his regular food.

I was meanwhile on a trip to the maritime provinces of Canada, on the Atlantic coast, and four hours time difference away from British Columbia. I was there with Dr. Thierry Vrain, mostly networking. Dr. Vrain spoke about the bad science behind GMO and worse science behind Glyphosate and how important it was to keep them away from one’s dinner table. I spoke of how the people of Canada needed to get mad, get even, and wrench back control of the political process from the clutches of big money and a handful of corrupt and toxic corporations.

After returning home, I got to working with the audio file of me speaking with Dr. Samsel, and managed to extract another 8 minute of exchange about the issue of GMO technology itself – if taking a single gene from one organism and inserting into another organism can work in theory, given our current knowledge of how genome works. Isn’t there collateral damage and unexpected outcome that we are not even looking or testing for? Further, what happens when Glyphosate is allowed to mix into this brew?

Dr. Samsel had been more than clear, forthright and easy to understand on these issues. I was happy to learn that Dr. Mae-Wan Ho of UK was had recently written in an article, crediting Dr. Samsel and Dr. Seneff for proving that the one gene one enzyme hypothesis is false. Not only can disruption of one original gene and replacing it with something else cause unexpected damage, it can lead to a cascading series of problems and effects, and often does.

So, ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the video clip, 8 minutes long, where Dr. Samsel again blasts the idea that one could pick a gene from a dinosaur, stick it into a mesosaur and hope to create a functioning GMOsaur. GMOs in short, are a scientific humbug, and a devastating attack on the natural world, and our food security.

I also included a quote from Zen Honeycutt of Moms Across America, that i stumbled upon recently, and liked very much. My thanks to go Zen for a different reason, and relates to her group having samples tested for Glyphosate, which is something a few of us in Canada are also planning to do.

I hope you shall like the two short videos. I apologize for not being able to create a full length half hour audio podcast with him yet. But I am not giving up. I intend to ask him again, shortly, for indulging me.

You are most welcome to send me your comments or suggestions by email. One could also write directly on the blog, but one would first need to log in  there or create an account, which may be a bit of a hassle.

[youtube RmfWAnnu-RI]

The talk with Dr. Samsel is also available as an audio podcast for those that wish to listen in or save, linked below.

I shall be glad to hear your comments, sent to tony.mitra@gmail.com

Thanking you

Tony Mitra

A letter to the Govt of New Brunswick, department of forest management

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To: Government of New Brunswick – Forestry

Ms Gail Elliott, Administration, Regional Unit

Government of New Brunswick, Canada

cc: Honorable Mr. Hugh J. Flemming, Minister of Health, New Brunswick

cc: Dr. Thierry Vrain, Genetic Engineer, retired, Agriculture Canada,

Subject: Data regarding past annual release quantities of herbicide containing Glyphosate in Forestry and agriculture, in New Brunswick

Dear Ms Elliot

Good day. I am a retired engineer, a nature lover, citizen journalist and blogger, and food safety activist with some contact with the world of scientists on study of Glyphosate and its effects on people and environment.

Dr. Thierry Vrain, copied, is a genetic engineer that worked for 35 years with Agriculture Canada before retiring, and is a critic of GMO and its associated herbicide Glyphosate, on account of health risks and absence of sufficient testing in Canada.

We are coming on invitation to speak to a gathering in Fredericton on the 2nd of May, and would like to invite you and your colleagues to attend the meeting. Details are:

St. Mary’s Anglican Church

780 McEvoy Street

Fredericton, NB  E3A 3B7

Friday, May 2nd, 2014

7:00PM-9:00PM

Host:  NB Community Harvest Gardens Inc.

www.nbchg.org

info@nbchg.org

I would also like to present to you a recent audio podcast I made through talks with two scientists, Dr. Don Huber, professor emeritus, University of Purdue, and Dr. Stephanie Seneff of MIT, USA. Both these scientists have done extensive research on Glyphosate and its possible harmful effects on living world, both bacteria and higher animals such as wildlife, cattle and humans. We would request you to consider listening to them:

Meanwhile, we request you to kindly provide us, or point us to the right direction where we might find, the year upon year release (use) of the forest herbicide of types Forza, Vision and Vantage Forestry, which are listed in the Government web site on forest management as the brands used on New Brunswick forests, each of which contain Glyphosate as its active ingredient, far as we could see.

We are enclosing one recent article from Dr. Stephanie Seneff and Dr. Anthony Samsel that came out in Interdisciplinary Toxicology for your reference. Perhaps you are already aware of it.

The paper shows links with rapid rise of various disease and release of Glyphosate in agriculture, but the effect may be the same if Glyphosate released on forests got to animals and people.

Anyhow, we have been checking if concerned people can have their blood, urine, or breast milk tested for presence of Glyphosate. This is an initiative recently started in the US by a group named Mothers Across America and the some of the results are rather disturbing, with Glyphosate noted to be present in mothers breast milk in some cases.

We are also checking if similar tests can be done for those Canadians that might be concerned, or live near or downhill of the forests where Glyphosate is being sprayed. There is also an appeal from Deer biologists in New Brunswick that claim that wildlife is under serious harm through Glyphosate exposure.

We wonder if you might be interested to discuss or join hands with us in encouraging independent testing on presence of Glyphosate in humans and animals in New Brunswick. If there is no trace of Glyphosate, the matter can be put to rest and results publicized. If on the other hand results show presence of Glyphosate and if they correlate with people having health issues, then it might indicate a need for further investigation and a kicking in of the precautionary principle.

We understand use of Glyphosate makes business easy, and keeps cost down for the logging industry, but we are sure you will put health of people and environment on a higher priority than just profit for the logging firms.

By copy to Honorable Mr. Hugh Flemming, Minister of health, we are keeping him advised and also extend the request assist us in organizing some sample testing done for presence of Glyphosate within body fluids, of people of New Brunswick that might be living close to areas of Glyphosate application, or are suffering from some of the Chronic diseases such as Celiac, Intestinal infection, Cancer, Kidney injury, renal disease, Parkinson’s, all of which, according to study by Dr. Seneff, Dr. Samsel, Dr. Huber and Dr. Swanson, show strong correlation with increase in application of Glyphosate in USA.

A similar study in Canada would require the data on annual use of Glyphosate and record or reported illnesses, for Canada and also New Brunswick. We request that this data be made available to us.

In case this message should be directed to the another person in the department of forestry, appreciate if you will do that for us.

Hoping to see you or get a chance to shake hands when we are there.

Looking for to your response

With thanks

Tony Mitra

10891 Cherry Lane, Delta, BC, V4E 3L7, Canada

604-649 7535

tony.mitra@gmail.com

www.tonu.org

=======================================

From: Natural Resources Info / Ressources naturelles Info <dnr_mrnweb@gnb.ca>
Subject: RE: Data regarding past annual release quantities of herbicide containing Glyphosate in Forestry and agriculture, in New Brunswick
Date: April 20, 2014 at 5:53:03 PM PDT
 
Thank you for visiting the Department of Natural Resources Website.
 
Hours of operation:  Monday to Friday, 8:15 am to 4:30 pm.
 
Your e-mail inquiry was forwarded to the appropriate office.  A representative will contact you via e-mail during regular business hours.
 
Thank you.
 
************************************************************************
Nous vous remercions d’avoir consulté le site Web du Ministère des Ressources naturelles.
 
Heures d’ouverture:  lundi au vendredi, 8 h 15 à 16 h 30.
 
Votre courriel a été transmis au bureau approprié.  Le ou la représentant(e) communiquera avec vous par courriel pendant les heures normales d’ouvertures.
 
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Stephanie Seneff on Glyphosate – the 900 pound gorilla at our dinner table.

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Dr. Stephanie Seneff of MIT straddles multiple scientific disciplines and has pooled
in her resources, including jointing hands with specialists that had knowledge beyond her reach, to create tools that dots the ‘I’ and crosses the ’T’ on how Glyphosate is perhaps the most dangerous manmade product to be unleaded on the planet, as an agent of mass extinction.

It is a 45 minute podcast. The relevant points might be :

  1.  Biology, & Computer : Stephanie explains how she studied both subjects and more, and how her knowledge and expertise with both has helped her in her work.
  2. Stephanie mentions Dr. Don Huber, Dr. Anthony Samsel, as people who have done seminal work that have been important in this area.
  3. Autism – Stephanie talks about the rising tide of autism and its link with Glyphosate. Where is the autism spectrum leading ?
  4. Cancer and the sad story of the province of Punjab in India. Can Glyphosate be behind it too ? Stephanie Seneff says yes, and mentions work of Dr. Nancy Swanson in this regard, even naming the kinds of cancer that might be relevantLab test on effect of Glyphosate on individual bacteria – can be done and has been done, including studies involving E.Coli that changes its function when in contact with Glyphosate. One can also test effect indirectly with animals by study in the change of their fecal material, mentioning Judy Carman’s pig study.
  5. Cat-ions (metal ions), and minerals and enzymes – how important are they and why are our micro biota important with regard to these items? Dr. Seneff explains this big question on how our body needs many such minerals even though in small doses and how it depends on our gut bacteria to manage this function since we cannot perform them ourselves and how Glyphosate disrupts these processes by attacking these beneficial bacteria.
  6. Kids getting violent reactions from vaccines is on the rise – and Glyphosate is partially responsible for it – as Dr. Seneff explains.
  7. Autism is not only found at birth, but can increase in what is ‘regressive autism’, through causes that are linked to complex interactions between unhealthy ingredients in our food, environment as well as vaccines, and other factors.
  8. Sri-lanka story of arsenic, Glyphosate, sugarcane farming and kidney failure – Stephanie links these to explain the unfolding horror story in Sri-Lanka, which is prompting their Govt to ban the use of Glyphosate.
  9. Why do they include Aluminum and Mercury in vaccines, if these are dangerous metals?
  10. Is microbiome, or gut bacteria identical between people, or are the colony of bacteria unique for each person? It is unique for each.
  11. What is Shikimate pathway, and is it really right to say that we humans do not use it, and therefore Glyphosate is safe for us. The answer is we humans do use it, but indirectly through our micro biome and it is therefore very unsafe for us to be exposed to Glyphosate. And yet, it is approved for use. The argument that Glyphosate is safe for humans – is false.
  12. If Glyphosate in the food and the ground water is damaging to humans, can it also be damaging to wild animals, birds, insects and the living world? Yes it can, it is, and is a disaster of global proportions in the making.
  13. How does roundup ready crop survive Roundup? Also, the extra energy used by GM crop to do work as designed by the inserted gene, not take away from what the crop would otherwise do, i.e add nutrient to its seed or fruit?
  14. The story of the super weeds and the chemical treadmill.
  15. Corporate funding of science, as against public funding: Is science losing its neutrality, and objectivity ? Talks on what happened to Seralini.
  16. If Govts will not fund science, and if corporate funding is making science biased, what is the alternative?
  17. How does Roundup ready crops manage to survive when weeds and other organisms cannot ?
  18. Can super weed develop if pesticides are used continually?
  19. Is development of super weeds a more or less given? Does this mean more herbicides in quantity, more toxic herbicides will be needed? Are we on a chemical treadmill ?
  20. BIotech funding and control of Universities, journals and media. Is science losing its independence and objectivity ?
  21. If Governments will not fund science research any more and corporate funding is turning science to have a biased stance – what is the alternative ?
  22. Is Stephanie Seneff also facing corporate backlash because of her work ? Yes.
  23. Is funding for her work drying up as a result? No. She is not funded by the biotech industry, but by the computer industry, which hopes she will develop computer tools that can be used by other biologists, and other scientist to study biophysics without having her level of expertise in Computer systems.
  24. So, to study Glyphosate, does one need to be primarily in biology, biochemistry, chemistry, or biophysics and electrical engineering ? All of it and then some.
  25. Advice to listeners – go organic as if your life depends on it, and try to grow you own food, even if small quantities, because sooner or later sh*t is going to hit the fan. This may turn out to be the most important life saving skill for all young people of today.

You can play the podcast by clicking on the player at the bottom of this page, or download it to listen at leisure.

I shall be glad to hear your comment or suggestion. Send me a note at tony.mitra@gmail.com

Cheers.

Tony Mitra