Monthly Archives: March 2013

The NEW FOOD World … Changes in the Background

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At WindowView we are not stating opposition when we relay information such as appears below. Fact is, biotech crops are on the rise.  Simple point, but food for thought … and we are here to provoke a look.  So, no one here is going to say biotech is bad … although we know there are individuals and groups who are desperately fearful of what Genetically Modified crops may bring to the future of our planet. We respect the cautionary note provided by those who have a focus with diverse perspectives. They too are looking and thinking.

All the above said, what we want you to recognize is that agriculture and food production is in fact experiencing change … on a massive scale. The world you live in is filled with driving forces we turn a blind eye to each day. Do you really want to fill each day with fears over global economic turmoil that threatens the world … even if there may be a global collapse in monetary markets. Ask folks in Cyprus about their bank accounts! Or do you really embrace the true magnitude of the number of abortions that occur each day, each year, or each decade? Probably not, unless you watch a bunch of these first hand, but a shift in how food is supplied to the entire world is no less significant … what will you put on the dinner table tonight … and how this poses a challenge to human life should farmers and biotech firms  totally recharacterize food production … with as yet unrealized benefits or consequences … frankly, it’s uncharted territory.

We recently ran across a report of the recent TOP TEN facts about biotech crops … and we think you might look at the top five and think about the NEW world food supply … You should at least realize that changes ARE happening … in spite of the daily routine you have … this too is the reality of the world you live in!

FACT # 1. 2012 was the 17th year of successful commercialization of biotech crops. Biotech crops were first commercialized in 1996. Hectarage of biotech crops increased every single year between 1996 to 2012 with 12 years of double digit growth rates, reflecting the confidence and trust of millions of risk-averse farmers around the world, in both developing and industrial countries.

FACT # 2. Biotech crop hectares increased by an unprecedented 100–fold from 1.7 million hectares in 1996, to over 170 million hectares in 2012. This makes biotech crops the fastest adopted crop technology in recent times – the reason – they deliver benefits. In 2012, hectarage of biotech crops grew at an annual growth rate of 6%, up 10.3 million from 160 million hectares in 2011. Millions of farmers in ~30 countries worldwide, have made more than 100 million independent decisions to plant an accumulated hectarage of ~1.5 billion hectares, equivalent to 50% more than the total land mass of the US or China; this reflects the fact that biotech crops deliver sustainable and substantial, socioeconomic and environmental benefits.

FACT # 3. For the first time in 2012, developing countries planted more hectares than industrial countries. Notably, developing countries grew more, 52%, of global biotech crops in 2012 than industrial countries at 48%. In 2012, growth rate for biotech crops was at least three times as fast, and five times as large in developing countries, at 11% or 8.7 million hectares, versus 3% or 1.6 million hectares in industrial countries.

FACT # 4. Number of countries growing biotech crops. Of the 28 countries which planted biotech crops in 2012, 20 were developing and 8 were industrial countries; two new countries, Sudan (Bt cotton) and Cuba (Bt maize) planted biotech crops for the first time in 2012. Germany and Sweden
could not plant the biotech potato “Amflora” because it ceased to be marketed. Stacked traits are an important feature – 13 countries planted biotech crops with two or more traits in 2012, and notably, 10 of the 13 were developing countries – 43.7 million hectares, or more than a quarter, of the 170 million hectares were stacked in 2012.

FACT # 5. Number of farmers growing biotech crops. In 2012, a record 17.3 million farmers, up 0.6 million from 2011, grew biotech crops – remarkably over 90%, or over 15 million, were small resource-poor farmers in developing countries. Farmers are the masters of risk-aversion and in 2012, a record 7.2 million small farmers in China and another 7.2 million in India, elected to plant almost 15 million hectares of Bt cotton, because of the significant benefits it offers. In 2012 over one-third of a million small farmers in the Philippines benefited from biotech maize.

There are five more to the top ten … maybe we’ll post those soon. But think about the first five for now.

If life is merely a material experience, then any concerns over food supply are magnified as long as you have material life. If life is material and spiritual, then the biblical dimension comes into play. And the biblical information tells us food at some point comes in very short supply … and maybe to no fault of biotech.

The real question is … with all the change we see in our world … what kind of life is it?

Director, WindowView.org

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A Window Perspective on Species and Asteroids

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One goal we have … as we sit at the window … is to think about concepts that span science and Scripture. To pull together what often appears as two distinctly different spheres of thought may seem abstract at first. Or actually lacking relevance if you don’t feel comfortable with one of the two!

Still, think about the news headlines from science that appear below. The first opens the door to what only Hollywood could have imagined … until now. To bring back lost species also, almost, harkens to stewardship and the biblical mandate to be stewards over all life on the earth. Might the resurrection of past species be biological redemption? Read the news clip and we’ll give this more attention at the end of this blog post.

A second thought comes to mind as the topic of near misses by asteroids comes to our attention. Might our ability to detect these passing asteroids bring to mind something of scriptural importance. This idea is consistent with the notion that all of science information really subtends and dovetails with scriptural information. Why? The answer is simply: All information exists to our attention. If there is a spiritual realm and God, then all the information serves to inform us of what is an ultimately coherent experience … even when at first we don’t see connections. But that is why it’s worth sitting at this window to look, think and understand.

Read the clip on asteroids and we’ll give some added perspective … something with a twist … at the end of this post.

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HEADLINE: Should we restock extinct species?

Researchers are looking at ways to use ancient DNA to resurrect long-extinct species. Species such as the Tasmanian tiger and the passenger pigeon may be good candidates for “de-extinction.” In particular, scientists are exploring three possibilities: cloning, “reverse engineering” using the extinct species’ closest living relative, and “breeding back” using strategic mating to bring back characteristics of the extinct animal. National Geographic News (3/10)

HEADLINE: Round of passing asteroids reminds scientists that we’re not alone

A 460-foot-long asteroid, discovered a week ago, passed the Earth this weekend at a distance of about 600,000 miles, scientists say. Asteroid 2013 ET was about eight times larger than the one that exploded over Russia in February and was among a few space rocks to pass by this weekend. Astronomers warn that many others will likely follow suit. “We’re not sitting here on our pale, blue dot on our own in nice safety. … This should be a wakeup call to governments,” said Paul Cox, a telescope engineer. Reuters (3/9)     
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Instead of stewardship, the first thought might be that resurrected species may only help to prove creation as opposed to (macro-) evolution. Recent discoveries in epigenetics and the role of junk DNA may come to assist our understanding that “switches” (turning genes on and off) outside of structural genes make a species what it is. If ancient DNA fails to bring back the exact species gone extinct, we may learn further that appearance of species is not so mechanical as evolutionary theory often suggests. The way switches are set in motion may pose an extra-material dimension to the otherwise material biological perspective. Even worse, the habitat, the niche or place in the ecosystem that previously allowed an extinct species a place to live is gone … will remind us how much global changes and human impacts have altered the earth for all life—present and past!

Regarding asteroids, those of us who have studied Scripture know of biblical passages that refer to what seem references to material bodies hurled to the surface of the earth. Such events are part of prophecy and a defined sequence of events. While the topic of an asteroid disaster of biblical proportions seems good stuff for a Hollywood script, the window view thought is one of looking to the future. If divine influence directs an asteroid or meteor to strike the earth with impeccable timing … it will be biblical and not just chance timing. The idea of such a strike is simply greater due to recent heightened awareness from the scientific community. Until that biblical timing … so many space rocks have simply missed us!

Might our thoughts at the window help to unify a view that is inclusive of science and Scripture … possibly so. The point of this post however is as simple as saying that there is no need to be sensational … the reality of life just falls within both realms—sufficient to cover a span from science to Scripture. And if you hadn’t pulled ideas and facts together in such a way … the window is a place to think, consider, and even decide what you see has an eternal aspect beyond this material moment.

Broaden your horizon, throw back the shutters, take in the full view and look to the future … today and over the time horizon ahead.

Director, WindowView.org

“Then the third angel sounded: And a great star fell from heaven, burning like a torch, and it fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water.” (Revelation 8:10 NKJV)

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Political Strife – Israel, Egypt, US … and You

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The following headlines and news clips are part of the daily posts at Watch.org. We relay these here at WindoView to make a point concerning the problems humans have on both the political and moral fronts. Who are the righteous ones to lead Israel? The internal struggle in the biblical Land is a focal point. The events around Israel have everything to do with the time line we march along into the future.

Internal discord is not Israel’s alone … As the following headlines reveal. We just don’t get along very well as a species. And further, our judgement concerning what is normal and Godly, is subject to inspection by a comparison to God’s teaching … So often translated ‘ law,’ but then compare the teachings that make up Torah and the Law, and there is a standard to be used. A standard that even the highly regarded elected ones don’t always use.

If we learn anything from the book and the former stories of Israel, it’s this … all goes well when we abide in God’s will, all goes sour and even into bondage and exile when He is ignored.

At the end of this post is an expanded section of Scripture. A portion is quoted in the news post, but we add the full section so you can read the apostle’s complete quotation for greater context.

The real question to each one of us, all around the globe, is where do you stand with respect to entering the kingdom? What moral or political dilemma separates you from the simple truth?

———— Consider These News Headlines ———-

HEADLINE: Peres grants Netanyahu two-week extension to form coalition;
PM says those who ‘ganged up’ on him are reason for his failure

As Lapid-Bennett union remains steadfast, PM says those who ‘ganged up’ on him are reason for his failure, claims ultra-Orthodox are ‘ready to accept’ sharing the national burden.

Having used up the allotted four-week period to form a coalition, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu turned to President Shimon Peres Saturday evening and requested an extension that could enable him to form a majority government.

Peres granted the prime minister an extra two weeks, allowing him through March 16 to assemble a coalition. No further extension is legally permitted.

“Mr. President, you tasked me with forming a coalition 28 days ago — a broad, governing coalition to address the wide issues facing Israel — the economy, our security, and also our sharing of the national burden. We need a responsible government to face these demands,” Netanayhu said.

HEADLINE: Talks between Likud and Jewish Home break down

Negotiator says Bennett’s national-religious party opposes inclusion of ultra-Orthodox in coalition; Netanyahu now has 15 days to muster a majority

Talks between Likud-Beytenu and the Jewish Home party ended abruptly on Friday, with a top negotiator declaring that Naftali Bennett’s national-religious faction opposed the inclusion of the ultra-Orthodox parties in the next government.

“The Jewish Home party wants Haredim excluded from the next coalition exactly like Yesh Atid wants them excluded,” Likud’s chief negotiator, attorney David Shimron said after the meeting at the Kfar Maccabiah Hotel in Ramat Gan.

HEADLINE: US carrier in front line of Obama’s battle with Congress over $85 billion ‘sequester’ cuts, with more to follow

Docked in its home port in Virginia rather than patrolling the waters of the Persian Gulf, the aircraft carrier USS Harry Truman and its 3,360 officers and crew are this weekend on the front line of the latest conflict to embroil America.

The battleground is not military but budgetary, however, as the Truman’s nuclear-powered might is shackled by a rancorous new fight between President Barack Obama and his Republican foes.

The two sides are locked into an apparently endless fiscal confrontation over radically different political and fiscal philosophies on the role of government. The resulting conflict over spending cuts and tax rises seems certain to dominate Mr Obama’s second term in the White House.

HEADLINE: Kerry arrives in Egypt seeking crucial reform

Opposition leaders reject meeting with US secretary of state, who’s called on them to cancel boycott of parliamentary elections

US Secretary of State John Kerry is calling on bickering Egyptian leaders and opposition politicians to forge a political consensus that will allow the country to emerge from economic crisis.

Kerry, on his first overseas trip as a member of President Barack Obama’s Cabinet, was scheduled to meet Saturday with a number of opposition figures along with Egypt’s foreign minister. He will see President Mohammed Morsi on Sunday.

US officials said Kerry was particularly concerned that Egypt takes the reforms necessary to qualify for a $4.8 billion International Monetary Fund loan package.

HEADLINE: The unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God – 1 Corinthians 6:9-11:
Obama on Gay Marriage: America’s Gone Through ‘Same Evolution I’ve Gone Through’ –

President Barack Obama said Friday that the country as a whole has gone through the same “evolution” he has in now supporting same-sex marriage. During a press conference Friday, Obama was asked about his Justice Department’s brief in the California voter-approved Proposition 8 case before the Supreme Court that will decide whether the state – and possibly other states – can ban gay marriage.

“As everybody here knows, last year upon a long period of reflection, I concluded that we cannot discriminate against same-sex couples when it comes to marriage, that the basic principle that America is founded on, the idea that we’re all created equal, applies to everybody regardless of sexual orientation, as well as race or gender or religion or ethnicity,” Obama said. “I think that the same evolution that I’ve gone through is an evolution that the country as a whole has gone through, and I think it is a profoundly positive thing.”

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Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unrighteous, and not before the saints? Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world will be judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters? Do you not know that we shall judge angels? How much more, things that pertain to this life? If then you have judgments concerning things pertaining to this life, do you appoint those who are least esteemed by the church to judge? I say this to your shame. Is it so, that there is not a wise man among you, not even one, who will be able to judge between his brethren? But brother goes to law against brother, and that before unbelievers! Now therefore, it is already an utter failure for you that you go to law against one another. Why do you not rather accept wrong? Why do you not rather let yourselves be cheated? No, you yourselves do wrong and cheat, and you do these things to your brethren! Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God. (I Corinthians 6:1-11 NKJV)
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Peace,
Director, WindowView.org

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