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Monsanto Will Soon Be Allowed To Police Itself

Monsanto, enemy of organic farmers and anti-GMO advocates alike, will likely be allowed to conduct its own environmental studies as part of a two-year USDA experiment. But there is no good that can possibly come of an experiment where the company behind nearly every genetically modified crop in our daily diets is allowed to decide whether its products are causing any environmental harm. And Monsanto isn't the only biotech company that will be permitted to police itself.

As it stands, the USDA is responsible for assessing environmental impacts of new GMO crops. The agency has been lax about this, to say the least. In 2005, the USDA gave Monsanto the go-ahead to unleash its sugar beets before preparing an Environmental Impact Statement. This decision eventually triggered a judge to rule that Monsanto sugar beet seedlings should be ripped from the ground.

Because the USDA is so bad at doing its job on time, the agency decided to see if anyone else was prepared to do its safety testing work instead. And so it looks like the USDA will at least temporarily hand over environmental impact reporting responsibilities to the biotech companies behind GMO crops. The pilot program will allow these companies to conduct their own environmental assessments of crops or outsource the work to contractors. The USDA will still get the final say in determining the safety of crops.

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You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself, any direction you choose. - Dr. Seuss

To die for a religion is easier than to live it absolutely. --Jorge Luis Borges

"In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice. But in practice, there is." - Yogi Berra

"The fundamental cause of trouble in the world is that the stupid are cocksure while the intelligent are full of doubt." -Bertrand Russell (1872-1970)

THIS life is the crossing of a sea, where we meet in the same narrow ship. In death we reach the shore and go to our different worlds.

Rabindranath Tagore, "Stray Birds"

Let's Remember ALL Victims of September 11th

Thanks Mom, for forwarding John Desmond's letter to the editor, from the Walla Walla Union Bulletin.

On Sept. 11 the nation will commemorate the 10th anniversary of the terrorist attack on the United States.
We will remember and honor the victims of those attacks on New York City, Washington, D.C., and Pennsylvania,
and we will rightly honor all the heroes of that day, living and dead, and their surviving families and loved ones.

At the same time, we do well also to remember the other victims who have suffered, and continue to suffer, as a consequence of our response to the 9/11 attack. I refer specifically to the thousands of non-combatant Iraqi and Afghan citizens who have been killed or maimed as a result of our pre-emptive, illegal war and the thousands of Iraqi Christians who have been killed or driven from their homeland by our fundamentalist Sunni and Shiite "partners in democracy".

We do well also to remember the countless number of American and allied families whose lives have been forever shattered by the death or injury of our servicemen and women, and the alarming increase in suicides by our military personnel forced into repeated tours of duty in these wars.

All of these broader consequences are a result of actions done in our name, and for which we share responsibility.

The retaliatory actions were started and have been continued by two presidents (and Congress)--the current president who inherited the wars and seems unable to extricate us from them, and the former president, George W. Bush, who now enjoys a leisurely retirement and seems to sleep just as peacefully as he did when he was in the White House, starting wars.

John F. Desmond, Walla Walla, WA

Earthlight Books September 2011 Newsletter, Coupons & Recent Acquisitions http://conta.cc/r5NJ5m

Shelf Help: The Best Guides to Book Collecting

Thanks ABE - As usual, we here at Earthlight Books would be more than happy to track down the most affordable, or the most pristine copy of any of these titles. Thanks for your continued readership and support!

by Scott Laming

ABC for Book Collectors
John Carter

At times, even the most knowledgeable collector must seek help in identifying a specific edition or completing their collection. And then there is the legion of people who love books but are baffled by the jargon of the rare book industry.

This selection of key reference books is designed to help beginners and perhaps some advanced collectors too. When it comes to learning about rare books, it is necessary to read more books. We have also included a couple of books that shed a little light on the rare book world itself and give some context to all the terminology.

The single indispensible book for the beginner collector would have to be ABC for Book Collectors by John Carter which contains over 450 terms listed alphabetically. Although ABC for Book Collectors is a reference book, Carter's personality comes through as he explains the terms and often their origins too. An old Etonian, Carter was a former managing director of Scribner's and also worked for Sotheby's. There is a well-thumbed copy of ABC in the AbeBooks' marketing department and it is our main reference tool, but we have heard of veteran booksellers who still refer to this timeless book.

The list includes contributions from rare booksellers David and Natalie Bauman and the late Matthew Bruccoli, a professor of English at the University of South Carolina and renowned F. Scott Fitzgerald expert. Although it is not a reference book, we urge everyone to read A Gentle Madness by Nicholas Basbanes – rarely has anyone described the passion for books in a more perceptive fashion.

Books About Book Collecting:

Collected Books: The Guide to Values 2011 edition

Explains how to identify first editions and also covers Americana, early printed books, literature, mysteries, sci-fi, children's books, natural history, photography, and travel.

Rare Finds: A Guide to Book Collecting
David and Natalie Bauman

A beginner's introduction to book collecting that includes numerous beautiful full color photos from the inventory found in the Baumans' rare bookshops.

Modern Book Collecting
Robert A. Wilson

A serviceable introduction to collecting modern editions – the focus is on 20th century authors.

At Home with Books: How Booklovers Live with and Care for Their Libraries
Estelle Ellis

Includes chapters on starting a collection, organizing the library, book care and other useful information on categorizing, editing, storage and space saving.

Living with Books
Alan Powers

This book offers basic do-it-yourself designs for building your own shelves, and some book care tips. It could also be a beautiful coffee table book.

Among the Gently Mad: Strategies and Perspectives for the Book-Hunter in the 21st Century
Nicholas Basbanes

Renowned book collector and author Basbanes provides a compendium of information on collecting books in the Internet age. Lots of anecdotes too.

Book Finds
Ian C. Ellis

This book reveals the secrets of locating rare and valuable books including information on first editions, reading copies, auctions, catalogs, and the strategies of book scouts.

First Editions: A Guide to Identification
Edward N. Zempel

Many publishers do not readily display the edition and there are many different systems in use. This book explains the intricacies of spotting firsts from as far back as 1928.

Instant Expert: Collecting Books
Matthew Budman

A solid beginner's guide to buying and selling books, perhaps a bit general but a good place to start.

A Primer of Book-collecting
John Tracy Winterich

Winterich covers books as an investment, the mechanics of collecting, and answers the age old question: what makes a book rare?

Pocket Guide to the Identification of First Editions
Bill McBride

A quality guide with the added bonus of being highly portable, great for taking to book sales and book fairs.

The Care and Feeding of Books Old and New: A Simple Repair Manual for Book Lovers
Margot Rosenberg

Simple tips and tricks for caring for your books and basic repair techniques.

Miller's Collecting Modern Books
Catherine Porter

This guide to prices and quality focuses on basic categories such as English and American literature, children's books, illustrated books and more.

Out of Print & Into Profit
Giles Mandelbrote

A history of the rare and secondhand book trade in Britain in the 20th century – offers much context on the industry itself.

The Care of Fine Books
Jane Greenfield

Greenfield offers advice on storage, handling, cleaning, and repair, as well as how to handle books of value.

First Printings of American Authors: Contributions Towards Descriptive Checklists
Matthew J. Bruccoli

A five-volume set includes a compiled list of initial appearances of works by American authors in American and English editions.

How to Identify Prints: A Complete Guide to Manual and Mechanical Process from Woodcut to Ink-Jet
Bamber Gascoigne

This comprehensive reference work provides all the answers to the questions that constantly arise when trying to identify accurately any kind of print.

The Book Collector's Fact Book
Margaret Haller

A practical introduction to rare and valuable books, including the 'new antiques' - books on photography, the movies, comics - as well as modern first editions.

Bookmen's Bedlam: An Olio of Literary Oddities
Walter Hart Blumenthal

Just as the subtitle proclaims, a book about books full of weird and wonderful bindings, strange tales, and books from miniature to elephant folios.

Fifty Years of Collecting Americana for the Library of the American Antiquarian Society (1908-1958)
Clarence S. Brigham

A memoir from this famous bookman – worth reading to gain a perspective on the rare book world during the wars.

You live and learn, or you don't live long. -- Robert Heinlein