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# Mutated Sperm, Farmer Suicides, and Jeffrey Smith vs Neil deGrasse Tyson - from Spilling the Beans
- URL: https://www.foodconsumer.org/spilling_the_beans_0813140730/
- Published: 2014-08-13T08:21:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-22T18:46:03.000Z
- Description: The newsletter posts Jeffrey Smith's rebuttal to Neil deGrasse Tyson's remarks on GMOs, points to a film on the 296,466 Indian farmer suicides recorded between 1995 and 2013, and flags a study linking Roundup to sperm malformation.
- Author: Food Consumer
- Tags: Politics, #vivvo-import

[ **Issue #12 August 2014** ](https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ref=foodconsumer.org#147cf403ca98bf07%5F)

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| [](http://org2.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=IYThrqoKyFoynMFX2sEmfUwLlF5alvQA&ref=foodconsumer.org) **Jeffrey Smith vs. Neil deGrasse Tyson** Neil deGrasse Tyson, astrophysicist, and popularizer of science, was caught on tape telling GMO critics to “chill out!” “We are creating and modifying the biology of the world to serve our needs,” Neil says, “and I don’t have a problem with that because we’ve been doing that for tens of thousands of years.” Hold on there, Neil, selective breeding is NOT the same thing as genetic engineering. But you should not feel bad, because you are not the only one to buy into the myths manufactured by the biotech industry.[**Watch Jeffrey explain to Neil why this is such a common misperception, and help us send a message by sharing this 3 minute video.**](http://org2.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=OSLRKXUhHwV2OaeMgeevMqDdxNNal5QW&ref=foodconsumer.org) **[Watch the entire video of Neil’s remarks HERE](http://org2.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=vlhEFYsFWibv2TOxtahDrEwLlF5alvQA&ref=foodconsumer.org)** **Yield Testimonies**Between 1995 and 2013, a staggering 296,466 Indian farmers committed suicide. Watch this 18 minute film to gain a deeper understanding about why. Witness riveting images amid the sounds and rhythms of Indian farm life; learn that loss of seed ownership and Monsanto’s false promises of less pesticide use and greater yield continue to take its devastating toll. Lose yourself in the global impact that GMO production is having on this well-meaning and peaceful population who are victims of corporate deceit and government neglect.[**Watch the video**](http://org2.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=x02qg3MVj%2BSU%2B7T10z%2FTA6DdxNNal5QW&ref=foodconsumer.org). Roundup: Unintended Spermicide A new study shows how Roundup herbicide, used with GM production, but also with conventional farming, in public parks, residential yards and office grounds, is a contributor to sperm malformation. [**Read more.**](http://org2.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=2H%2FTYQtLbMcHAx%2FFlHhfi3K%2FyM3%2BYlsr&ref=foodconsumer.org)This might help explain a father’s story we posted on Facebook that was "chart topping," with thousands of shares, many tags, and dozens of pleas for more information revealing that many are suffering from fertility issues. This man had tried with his wife to get pregnant and suffered four miscarriages, one chemical pregnancy, and one ectopic pregnancy, before determining that his sperm’s DNA was damaged [**(you can see this testimonial on our Facebook Page, June 8th).**](http://org2.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=R47vNXpbGbBcPGuPbcBj6UwLlF5alvQA&ref=foodconsumer.org) No doctor could adequately advise him on how to rectify this so he and his wife took matters into their own hands and radically changed their diets. They exchanged a GMO, conventional diet for an organic, non-GMO diet. They are now, happily, the proud parents of a beautiful, healthy baby boy. Wildlife Refuges to Ban GMOs and “Neonics” By January 2016, the U.S. National Wildlife Refuge System, that manages 150 million acres across the country, will ban the use of neonicotinoids—widely used pesticides that many blame for bee deaths, and damage to birds, mammals, and fish. They will also prohibit the use of genetically modified seeds to grow crops to feed wildlife. We applaud this step in the right direction. Based on the mounting scientific evidence, however, a full nationwide ban on both is warranted. [**Read more.**](http://org2.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=XOWQKTXOOoCsOhbBGOTb1kwLlF5alvQA&ref=foodconsumer.org) USDA Blocks States’ GMO Info The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has decided to withdraw a rule proposed by their Animal and Plant Inspection Services in February 2013 that would allow the sharing of information with state regulators about genetically engineered organisms that are released in their jurisdictions. They argue that under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), the confidence of business practices (as protected under FOIA) would ultimately be compromised if the USDA were to share this information with the States. The USDA’s Inspector General had blasted the agency’s shoddy handling of GMO field trials. Now the USDA is hampering states’ ability to make appropriate decisions within their jurisdiction.**[Read more.](http://org2.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=bMK7h1ToKsSNpOdNTfoLqEwLlF5alvQA&ref=foodconsumer.org)**[ ](http://org2.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=biH5Syx9lzuP5VJ%2BXDGxdEwLlF5alvQA&ref=foodconsumer.org) **Celebrating You** Finally, if you missed our recent blast, we want to share with you this special digital photo album compiled from the many wonderful photos you sent to us from their participation in the recent March Against Monsanto on May 24th, 2014\. We commend you for your wonderful contributions to that day and every day that you do anything to help set right this gross imbalance that currently is our food supply! In this together! **[Watch the video.](http://org2.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=yGgqueS50%2F7BjG6sVliQfEwLlF5alvQA&ref=foodconsumer.org)** [**Failed Promises of Pest Resistance Lead Brazilian Farmers to Say No to GMO Corn**](http://org2.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=vlhEFYsFWia%2F0yDSPzW1cUwLlF5alvQA&ref=foodconsumer.org) [**Argentina Sees Cancer Death Rates Double in Areas Where GMO Crops and Agrochemicals Are Used**](http://org2.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=BEXlF%2BMg40oQat1AamXaeUwLlF5alvQA&ref=foodconsumer.org) [**DuPont Sued for Promoting GMO Crop Traits They Knew Had Failed in Field Trials**](http://org2.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=c1aD8%2FJhq1AT7r6QGmSArkwLlF5alvQA&ref=foodconsumer.org) [**Brazil Sees Increase in Dengue Incidence Where GM Mosquito Trials Held**](http://org2.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=5bvCp4KUUuSJ49AhUG1SYkwLlF5alvQA&ref=foodconsumer.org) [**GMO Industry Safety Studies Prove Worthless**](http://org2.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=XIeK%2FHo6LDlrGFaNY9pBGaDdxNNal5QW&ref=foodconsumer.org) [**Less Toxins, More Nutrients, Studies Favor Organic Food**](http://org2.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=6C4ofH%2FicTvr0UiMvi75ikwLlF5alvQA&ref=foodconsumer.org) [**Bollworm Attack on BT Cotton Crops in India Suggest Resistance**](http://org2.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=4C77DR7%2BQeH7GdnSHTLAhEwLlF5alvQA&ref=foodconsumer.org) [**Breach of Ethos Force Retraction of GM Golden Rice Paper**](http://org2.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=NhLW3qfQGia17zxsV4TrPaDdxNNal5QW&ref=foodconsumer.org)[](http://org2.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=ZZaI4eSNG1BqAFirf9VL9kwLlF5alvQA&ref=foodconsumer.org) **[Malformed Piglets Connected to Glyphosate in Feed](http://org2.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=vZ2Wduf1Kv9aEgKKDr51aEwLlF5alvQA&ref=foodconsumer.org)** [**August 8, 2014 Purium Convention, Long Beach, CA Keynote: The GMO Imperative, 7:00pm**  ](http://org2.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=%2Fs%2FCqxVPEE5ZFyPqMUVkQUwLlF5alvQA&ref=foodconsumer.org) [**September 9 – 11, 2014 Heirloom Seed Expo, Santa Rosa, CA Keynote: September 10th, 7:00pm**](http://org2.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=vd41HnEB4XNHYOz41hOZREwLlF5alvQA&ref=foodconsumer.org) **[September 12 & 13, 2014 Biosafety Alliance Justice Begins with Seeds Conference, Portland, Oregon, Plenary and Workshop](http://org2.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=UkOD1TG6yN6Y8ycf2wmpAkwLlF5alvQA&ref=foodconsumer.org)** [](http://org2.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=ctkoaQHX8PF%2F%2B9KWGAgASUwLlF5alvQA&ref=foodconsumer.org) [Shopping Guide](http://org2.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=Gmg4Fio67mE%2BDKcoSIWZtUwLlF5alvQA&ref=foodconsumer.org) \| [Educational Materials](http://org2.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=5NNIJ%2BtbJfx4hss8czO7yEwLlF5alvQA&ref=foodconsumer.org) | [Media Enquiries](http://org2.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=Z%2BryVXKmzWAFQiftem7D1qDdxNNal5QW&ref=foodconsumer.org) | [Donate](http://org2.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=J3HuxBDntLaruIq30QeAUkwLlF5alvQA&ref=foodconsumer.org)Spilling the Beans is a publication of [The Institute for Responsible Technology](http://org2.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=BfZ0CLjNz36vEVYqZkz97EwLlF5alvQA&ref=foodconsumer.org), with editorial support from[GMWatch.org](http://org2.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=2yLM074jT1fQhRMZJIZBP0wLlF5alvQA&ref=foodconsumer.org) |
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