"One of the things Trump has done is occupy a significant chunk of our attention every single day. Our consciousness is being polluted, and protecting ourselves against that at the same time we preserve the ability to act politically is a difficult balancing act. Consciousness is a very precious realm." --- Michael Pollan, being interviewed in the NY Times by David Marchese, 2026-02-07

#consiousness #uspol #Pollan

Random book from our personal library:

📖 In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto by Michael Pollan

#bookstodon #food #pollan

Sorry, but This Is the Future of Food https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/13/opinion/food-agriculture-factory-farms-climate-change.html?unlocked_article_code=1.hU4.C3Vd.gG3uFpobphZd

#gift #agriculture #food #regenerativeagriculture #gore #pollan #beef #FactoryFarms

This article gets it exactly right.

🔥The US government-funded a ‘private social network’ which posts personal attacks on pesticide critics 🔥

In 2017, two United Nations experts called for a treaty to strictly #regulate #dangerous #pesticides, which they said were a “global human rights concern”, citing scientific research showing pesticides can cause cancers, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s and other health problems.

Publicly, the pesticide industry’s lead trade association dubbed the recommendations “unfounded and sensational assertions”.
👉 In private, industry advocates have gone further.👈

⚠️Derogatory profiles of the two UN experts, Hilal Elver and Baskut Tuncak, are hosted on an online private portal for pesticide company employees and a range of influential allies.

Members can access a wide range of #personal #information about hundreds of individuals from around the world deemed a threat to industry interests,
including the US food writers Michael #Pollan and Mark #Bittman, the Indian environmentalist Vandana #Shiva and the Nigerian activist Nnimmo #Bassey.

🆘 Many profiles include #personal #details such as the names of family members, phone numbers, home addresses and even house values.

The profiling is part of an effort – that was
💥financed, in part, by #US #taxpayer #dollars
– to #downplay pesticide dangers, #discredit opponents and #undermine international policymaking, according to court records, emails and other documents obtained by the non-profit newsroom Lighthouse Reports
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/sep/26/government-funded-social-network-attacking-pesticide-critics?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

“You’ve said we’re not ready for #legalisation – and that’s quite a concerning view to have.”

#Pollan responds with a hint of irritation. “We disagree on the question of legalisation right now … I support #decriminalisation,” he says.
He argues that legalising a substance also means commercialising it. “I see #cannabis being promoted and pushed to people, as capitalism will do,” he says.

#psychedelics

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2019/jul/22/michael-pollan-worries-we-dont-know-enough-to-legalise-psychedelic-drugs