choice

Farmers, Technology and Freedom of Choice: A Tale of Two Satyagrahas

This is the 23rd installment of The Rationalist, my column for the Times of India.

I had a strange dream last night. I dreamt that the government had passed a law that made using laptops illegal. I would have to write this column by hand. I would also have to leave my home in Mumbai to deliver it in person to my editor in Delhi. I woke up trembling and angry – and realised how Indian farmers feel every single day of their lives.

My column today is a tale of two satyagrahas. Both involve farmers, technology and the freedom of choice. One of them began this month – but first, let us go back to the turn of the millennium.

As the 1990s came to an end, cotton farmers across India were in distress. Pests known as bollworms were ravaging crops across the country. Farmers had to use increasing amounts of pesticide to keep them at bay. The costs of the pesticide and the amount of labour involved made it unviable – and often, the crops would fail anyway.

Then, technology came to the rescue. The farmers heard of Bt Cotton, a genetically modified type of cotton that kept these pests away, and was being used around the world. But they were illegal in India, even though no bad effects had ever been recorded. Well, who cares about ‘illegal’ when it is a matter of life and death?

Farmers in Gujarat got hold of Bt Cotton seeds from the black market and planted them. You’ll never guess what happened next. As 2002 began, all cotton crops in Gujarat failed – except the 10,000 hectares that had Bt Cotton. The government did not care about the failed crops. They cared about the ‘illegal’ ones. They ordered all the Bt Cotton crops to be destroyed.

It was time for a satyagraha – and not just in Gujarat. The late Sharad Joshi, leader of the Shetkari Sanghatana in Maharashtra, took around 10,000 farmers to Gujarat to stand with their fellows there. They sat in the fields of Bt Cotton and basically said, ‘Over our dead bodies.’ ¬Joshi’s point was simple: all other citizens of India have access to the latest technology from all over. They are all empowered with choice. Why should farmers be held back?

The satyagraha was successful. The ban on Bt Cotton was lifted.

There are three things I would like to point out here. One, the lifting of the ban transformed cotton farming in India. Over 90% of Indian farmers now use Bt Cotton. India has become the world’s largest producer of cotton, moving ahead of China. According to agriculture expert Ashok Gulati, India has gained US$ 67 billion in the years since from higher exports and import savings because of Bt Cotton. Most importantly, cotton farmers’ incomes have doubled.

Two, GMO crops have become standard across the world. Around 190 million hectares of GMO crops have been planted worldwide, and GMO foods are accepted in 67 countries. The humanitarian benefits have been massive: Golden Rice, a variety of rice packed with minerals and vitamins, has prevented blindness in countless new-born kids since it was introduced in the Philippines.

Three, despite the fear-mongering of some NGOs, whose existence depends on alarmism, the science behind GMO is settled. No harmful side effects have been noted in all these years, and millions of lives impacted positively. A couple of years ago, over 100 Nobel Laureates signed a petition asserting that GMO foods were safe, and blasting anti-science NGOs that stood in the way of progress. There is scientific consensus on this.

The science may be settled, but the politics is not. The government still bans some types of GMO seeds, such as Bt Brinjal, which was developed by an Indian company called Mahyco, and used successfully in Bangladesh. More crucially, a variety called HT Bt Cotton, which fights weeds, is also banned. Weeding takes up to 15% of a farmer’s time, and often makes farming unviable. Farmers across the world use this variant – 60% of global cotton crops are HT Bt. Indian farmers are so desperate for it that they choose to break the law and buy expensive seeds from the black market – but the government is cracking down. A farmer in Haryana had his crop destroyed by the government in May.

On June 10 this year, a farmer named Lalit Bahale in the Akola District of Maharashtra kicked off a satyagraha by planting banned seeds of HT Bt Cotton and Bt Brinjal. He was soon joined by thousands of farmers. Far from our urban eyes, a heroic fight has begun. Our farmers, already victimised and oppressed by a predatory government in countless ways, are fighting for their right to take charge of their lives.

As this brave struggle unfolds, I am left with a troubling question: All those satyagrahas of the past by our great freedom fighters, what were they for, if all they got us was independence and not freedom?

The India Uncut Blog © 2010 Amit Varma. All rights reserved.
Follow me on Twitter.




choice

UAE is manufacturers' top choice in Middle East

The UAE remained the Middle East's most popular destination for foreign manufacturing investments in 2018.




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Predicting Allies’ Choices in an Era of US-China Competition Predicting Allies’ Choices in an Era of US-China Competition
ferrard Mon, 11/22/2021 - 13:02

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East-West Wire

Tagline
News, Commentary, and Analysis
East-West Wire

The East-West Wire is a news, commentary, and analysis service provided by the East-West Center in Honolulu. Any part or all of the Wire content may be used by media with attribution to the East-West Center or the person quoted. To receive East-West Center Wire media releases via email, subscribe here.

For links to all East-West Center media programs, fellowships and services, see www.eastwestcenter.org/journalists.

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choice

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Title: New Policy Supports Choice for Male Circumcision
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Title: Is a Charter School the Right Choice for Your Child?
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The study of biological mechanisms, while crucial, cannot fully explain complex phenomena like the instinct to eat. The mind–body connection, as exemplified by the concept of "voodoo death," highlights the profound influence of belief and cultural context on physiology. Indigenous knowledge systems further emphasize the interconnectedness of humans with their environment. Recent discoveries in gut–brain communication reveal the intricate neural circuits that drive our visceral desires, but a holistic approach that integrates both physiological mechanisms and the subjective experience of life, informed by diverse cultural perspectives, will be essential to truly understand what it means to be alive.




choice

Alternative Reinforcers Enhance the Effects of Opioid Antagonists, but Not Agonists, on Oxycodone Choice Self-Administration in Nonhuman Primates [Behavioral Pharmacology]

Clinical reports suggest that the most effective strategies for managing opioid use disorder comprise a comprehensive treatment program of both pharmacological and nonpharmacological approaches. However, the conditions under which these combinations are most effective are not well characterized. This study examined whether the presence of an alternative reinforcer could alter the efficacy of Food and Drug Administration–approved opioid antagonist or agonist medications, as well as the nonopioid flumazenil, in decreasing oxycodone choice self-administration in nonhuman primates. Adult squirrel monkeys (n = 7; four females) responded under concurrent second-order fixed-ratio (FR)-3(FR5:S);TO45s schedules of reinforcement for intravenous oxycodone (0.1 mg/kg) or saline on one lever and 30% sweetened condensed milk or water on the other. Doses of naltrexone (0.00032–1.0 mg/kg), nalbuphine (0.32–10 mg/kg), buprenorphine (0.0032–0.032 mg/kg), methadone (0.32–1.0 mg/kg), or flumazenil (1–3.2 mg/kg) were administered intramuscularly prior to oxycodone self-administration sessions that occurred with either milk or water as the alternative. Naltrexone, a μ-opioid receptor antagonist, was >30-fold more potent when milk was available compared with water and abolished oxycodone intake (injections/session) while concomitantly increasing milk deliveries at the highest dose tested. Pretreatment with the low-efficacy μ-agonist nalbuphine was most effective in the presence of milk compared with water, decreasing oxycodone preference to <50% of control values. The higher efficacy μ-agonists, methadone and buprenorphine, and the benzodiazepine antagonist flumazenil did not appreciably alter the reinforcing potency of oxycodone under either condition. These results suggest that antagonist medications used in combination with alternative reinforcers may be an effective strategy to curtail opioid abuse–related behaviors.

SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT

Clinical treatment programs for opioid use disorder use a combination of pharmacological and nonpharmacological approaches. However, the conditions under which these combinations are most effective have not been fully characterized. This study examined whether the effectiveness of μ-opioid medications to decrease oxycodone self-administration is altered in the presence of an alternative reinforcer. The results suggest that alternative reinforcers enhance the effects of antagonist or low-efficacy partial agonists, suggesting they may be a more effective strategy to curtail opioid use.




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Stage III nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC) represents a wide range of tumour (T1 to T4) and nodal (N0 to N3) components, requiring variable management and a multidisciplinary approach. Recent advancements in minimally invasive techniques, molecular biology and novel drug discoveries have accelerated the refinement of stage III NSCLC management. The latest developments in staging include the forthcoming update of the nodal component in the 9th TNM (tumour–node–metastasis) edition, which emphasises the critical role for endobronchial ultrasonography in mediastinal staging. Recent treatment developments include the use of immunotherapy and targeted molecular therapy in both the neoadjuvant and adjuvant setting, either in combination with other modalities or used alone as consolidation. Surgical and radiotherapy advancements have further enhanced patient outcomes. These developments have significantly improved the prognosis for patients with stage III NSCLC. Fast-changing recommendations have also brought about a challenge, with clinicians facing a number of options to choose from. Therefore, a multimodal approach by a multidisciplinary team has become even more crucial in managing stage III NSCLC.




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Imagine walking into your yard with a coffee in one hand, no lawn mower in sight, and the kind of lush greenery that looks effortlessly perfect. No frantic trimming or sweating under the summer sun. Sounds too good to be true? It’s possible when you pick the right low-maintenance grass. Let’s walk through some game-changing […]

The post Looking for Low-Maintenance Grasses? Discover the Best Choices for Busy Gardeners appeared first on Chart Attack.




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Fetterman Calls Rubio 'Strong Choice' as Trump Reportedly Considers Him for Secretary of State


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The post Fetterman Calls Rubio ‘Strong Choice’ as Trump Reportedly Considers Him for Secretary of State appeared first on Breitbart.




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People are, of course, entitled to their own fashion sensibilities, even when said sensibilities are not exactly the choices you would make. To each their own, as they say!

When we think of oddball fashion choices, the first thing we tend to consider is a bizarre outfit or haircut, but let us not forget about the impact eyebrows can have on the whole picture. If the eyes are the windows to the soul, then the eyebrows are the curtains that frame those windows… and let's be real: anyone who has been to their grandmother's home knows what an odd choice of window curtains can do to the entire aesthetic.

Here, we have a collection of bold eyebrow choices that may not entirely work, but they are, at the very least, difficult to forget. Keep scrolling below for the full compilation, and when you're done, check out this list of amusing exam fails from students who didn't exactly study.




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Respecting other people’s choices

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