Sixty-four countries across the world require genetically engineered foods to be clearly labeled, including Saudi Arabia and China, but America isn’t one of them. Why? Because America is one of the largest consumers of these genetically engineered foods, and large corporations fear that if consumers had a choice, they’d choose not to eat them. So now, the HPA is teaming up with Just Label It to get that changed.

What are genetically engineered foods?

Genetically engineered food is any food made with ingredients that have had their DNA structures changed by genetic engineering techniques. Originally, this was mainly limited to major cash crops like soybeans and corn, but it is now being done to many, many species, including apples and even fish. Mostly, the tampering is done to increase yields or make the plants resistant to certain things, but in some cases foreign genes, like those of fish, are being added to the genes of plants for one reason or another, which has caused major allergic reactions in some people.

Why is it important?

Genetic Engineering in process.

How and why could it be dangerous? Good question. We’ve already mentioned some downsides, but here’s a few more issues to think about:

• GE plants require huge amounts of weedkillers and pesticides. Since the introduction of genetically engineered crops, the amount of pesticides and weed killers have increased by 527 million pounds.
• This means that more pollution from these chemicals is getting into the ground, leaking into water sources, killing wildlife, and destroying natural habitats.
• It also means that people are breathing a lot more of these same chemicals, or drinking them in their water.
• Additionally, the use of these chemicals is making weeds more and more resistant to the weed killers, and creating a whole new series of ‘superweeds’ that require stronger and stronger chemicals to kill.
• It is estimated that there are 61.2 million acres of farmland now infested with these superweeds.
• Genetically engineered genes, whether plant, animal or otherwise, are considered ‘intellectual property.’ This means that they, and their descendants, are literally owned by the huge corporations that paid for their creation. Small farmers are being sued and put out of business because a GE gene is found in their fields–whether they intentionally planted it or not.

But that’s just the start. Here’s a piece of news for you, the largest producer of genetically engineered seeds in the world is a pesticide and weed killer company. Yep, you read that right. Monsanto began life making ‘Round-Up,’ which is now one of the biggest selling chemical plant sprays in the world. Now they produce genetically engineered seeds that are resistant to Round-Up, so the weeds die, but the plant doesn’t–as long as you buy Monsanto seeds and Monsanto Round-Up. Yep.

Oh, and just to make sure you can’t replant those seeds, they’ve engineered them to literally commit genetic suicide after their first generation, so that seeds from these plants won’t grow. But here’s the problem with all of this:

Plants cross pollinate.

It is now completely impossible to grow non-genetically engineered canola seeds in Canada. Yep. Because the GE genes have become so wide-spread in Canada that if you plant any kind of canola seeds, they will become pollinated with GE genes. And it doesn’t stop there, far remote areas of Peru–a country which has never allowed genetically engineered plants–are finding crops with Monsanto genes in them. Wild corn and many other species are suddenly developing Monsanto traits all over the world.

So what happens if large portions of the world’s food plants end up with a gene that makes them commit genetic suicide after one generation? Let’s hope we never find out. But such an event is perfectly possible at the rate we’re going. That said, genetically engineered plants are doing good things as well, especially in the medical field. But most of those plants are kept in labs, and not out spreading their genes wherever the wind takes them. The truth is that we simply don’t know what the repercussions of genetically engineering plants and animals are, and letting them loose on the world when we don’t understand them is not a great idea.

What can you do?

Can we make labeling of GE foods a law?
(photo courtesy of the Daily Beast)

In other words, we’re not saying Khan can’t come along for the trip–we’d just prefer to know he’s there, and that we have a nice cryo-tube handy, just in case. So take a stand, and join the HPA and well over a million people in telling Congress to Just Label It.

My first encounter with the works of Tolkien happened when I was probably eight or nine years old, before there was a Harry Potter (at least in the US), before there were movies of any of these books, and you actually had to sit down and turn pages if you wanted to know how a story went.

photo courtesy of the Wall Street Journal

Don’t get me wrong, I’d been obsessed with every story I’d ever read, but something about Tolkien’s prose was more vibrant and immediate than anything I’d ever encountered, and it scooped me up from the first words and plopped me down in a nice neat little hole and sent me adventuring.

For some reason I completely loved Thorin–possibly seeing a kindred spirit in his tendency to boss everybody around and act highly important. Little details like being male and having a beard are very unimportant when you’re nine, so when mum made us some lovely dwarf hoods a little while later, I positively insisted on wearing the blue one with the silver tassel and being referred to as Thorin Oakenshield at the dinner table. Oh, and bossing everyone around. But that wasn’t new.

photo courtesy of the Wall Street Journey

My brother and I and any hapless neighbor kids we could commandeer then proceeded to go forth and have grand adventures and fight dragons and discover great heaps of dwarf gold, and then bury said gold in the backyard and lose it. Eventually we even dug a monumental four-cave hole that was big enough for most grown-ups to climb into, and which (since despite our best efforts, it remained to small to be properly though of as the Mines of Moria) we called ‘The God-Forsaken Orc-Hole.’

Time went on, and eventually I read The Lord of the Rings and spent several years hanging out in Mirkwood with a cute elf, and then college showed up and life got complicated. The long and the short of it is that I hadn’t given Mr. Baggins a thought for several years when the news of the movie came out. I can’t say I gave him much of a thought even then, besides chuckling at Mr. Jackson’s trilogy antics and wondering if Arwen would manage an appearance.

But when the movie came out I suddenly had an overwhelming urge not to go see it. It took me somewhat by surprise, since I was rather looking forward to Martin Freeman as Bilbo, and was quite a fan of the LOTR movies for a while. But the more I thought about it, the more I didn’t want to see it, and the more I couldn’t really explain why.

A few weeks ago, I picked up a copy of THe Hobbit, and realized almost immediately why seeing the film hadn’t appealed to me. Because down in the pages of that book were all those fragile years that disappear so quickly and cannot be held onto. All the adventures and dragons and long days tramping around in the woods as a kid. All the delicate drawings of Tolkien’s that I had copied out so carefully, the great map with the spidery dragon in red, and all the adventures that I had right alongside Mr. Baggins and Thorin and the rest. They stayed there, pressed in the pages, the ones that were written and the ones I imagined, all there just like it was yesterday.

photo courtesy of Wired.com

This week’s question: What new fandoms are you currently obsessed with?

Quinn: As I’ve mentioned a couple times in story reviews, my latest obsession is Warehouse 13. My fiancee has been trying to get me into the show pretty much since it premiered four years ago, but a few months ago, she sat me down and we watched the entire first season, and I was hooked. I fell in love with the show, and now I’m even getting back into writing fanfic and role-play. Guess it shows me that I should stop paying attention to my pre-conceived notions. By the way, new episodes are on Syfy at 10 on Mondays. It’s an awesome show that everyone should watch!

Erin: I guess it depends on how “new” you’re talking. My most recent “new” fandom obsession has definitely been Doctor Who, but it’s seriously been an issue for probably about six months now (ever since the boyfriend thought it would be really smart to get me to watch from the beginning of the Ninth Doctor on Netflix). Although…I guess you could almost say that my newest fandom obsession is just British TV in general, because I’ve also gotten really into Downton Abbey and Sherlock and now I’m watching a couple of old BBC sitcoms (Spaced and Coupling currently, in case you’re super curious)…but the only British show I’d say I’m legit obsessed with is the Doctor.

Kara: Oh man, the story I’ve been most involved with lately has been my to-do list. Yeah, I agree it’s depressing, but FINALS. That said, I have taken up Terry Pratchett again recently, and every time I pick up on of his books I am amazed by how hilarious, utterly absurd, and surprisingly insightful he can be. He’s not exactly character-driven, and I rarely find myself on the edge of my seat, but he is immensely enjoyable and thought provoking at the same time. In the middle of the school semester, that’s exactly what I need. I’ve also recently started reading The Hobbit again, for the first time since I was thirteen or so, and I’m absolutely loving every page of it. For all that I love the great modern writers, it’s hard to beat Tolkien for sheer awesomeness and quirky charm.

Emily: I am on a really big Grimm kick currently. Fairy tales hold a special interest in my soul, so I am naturally drawn to any sort of rewriting, rethinking, reimagining of them. I also really want to read Neil Gaiman’s new book about them — if anyone has thoughts/feelings/recommendations, leave them in the comments! Another fandom here in DC is House of Cards. It has reached out its inky tentacles and taken over. Kevin Spacey and fandom goddess Robin Wright are so dang twisty… it works perfectly with the whole political scenery.

So, got any fandom recommendations for us? Let us know in the comments, and leave us a question to answer next week!

This week’s question: Which house would you most definitely NOT be in?

Kara: Yeah, so I literally have NO answer to this question. I’ve been pondering it all week. I may have been pondering it my whole life! I may be having a slight identity crisis due to how much I’ve been pondering this question lately, causing me to realize that NOTHING IS AS IT SEEMS AND EVERYTHING I ONCE THOUGHT WAS WRONG!!!!

Alternately, I may be taking this a little too seriously.

Anyways, I really can’t settle on any one house I definitely wouldn’t be in. I’m a Gryffindor by nature and Pottermore, I love reading and learning, enjoy hard work and value loyalty very highly, and no matter how hard I keep trying to convince myself otherwise, I’ve got some serious pride and ambition going on here too. Which of these attributes really has the upper hand, seems to depend mainly on the situation and the day, and possibly the brightness of Mars, so when it comes to which house I really belong in (or really don’t), I’m now so confused that all I can say is: sort this, Hatty.

Courtesy of Tottie Woodstock on Deviant Art

Elizabeth:I think I’d have to say Gryffindor. I’m pretty introverted and shy, and I get really uncomfortable when I’m forced out of my comfort zone. And when I DO do something brave, it’s nearly always for a Slytherin related reason- I’m very ambitious so I’ll do anything I need to reach my goals, even if it scares me. On the whole, though, I’m not very reckless or courageous without good reason. It’s ironic, because Pottermore sorted me into Gryffindor at first…! I retook the quiz when Pottermore opened to the public and got Ravenclaw (my self proclaimed house), so that’s what I’ve identified as since then. Sometimes I wonder if maybe Pottermore knows something about me that I don’t.

Emily: This seems a bit counter intuitive (and predictable), but I would most definitely not be in Slytherin. And I would choose to be that way, similar to Harry. A lot of the Slytherin attributes – ambition, intelligence, and strong leadership abilities – are things I value (especially as a Ravenclaw); however, it is how Slytherins often obtain these things that makes me cringe. Perhaps this is because I have often rebelled from my Scorpio-competitive-nature or because I have learned from others, but either way, I would rather be a loyal/nurturing Hufflepuff or courageous-to-the-end Gryffindor than going alone to be the best.

Anna: Of all the houses, I honestly think I wouldn’t be in Gryffindor. They tend to be too rowdy and boisterous for me; I like my books, my friends, and I’m really driven in my goals. That being said, back to studying for my French exam!

Since I do actually have, like, homework to do this week, making a complete re-watch of Dr. Who an unwise decision, I turned elsewhere for something to keep my mind off the unfairness of the Spring Break system, and discovered Warehouse 13.

I love a good mystery/sci-fi/fantasy, but they’re surprisingly hard to find. Often the shows that advertise as such are simply too cheesy to bear, but one is pretty impressive. Even my dad stayed up to watch it one night, which is rarer than three of Edgar Allan Poe’s personal pens, and a pair of bright purple super-power underpants put together.

The basic plot behind Warehouse 13 is pretty simple: Myka Bering and Pete Lattimer are a couple of secret agents that find themselves transferred to the uber-secret Warehouse 13, a branch of the government in charge of locating storing powerful objects that can cause mayhem in the modern world. Their job as warehouse agents is to locate these troublesome objects and return them to the warehouse to be categorized and kept safe.

What appeals to me most about the show is the nifty historical artifacts, and or course the characters. These latter are a bit annoying at times, but grow on you after a while. In addition to the two secret agents there’s also a brilliant and somewhat snarky warehouse leader named Artie, a psychic lady who owns the bed and breakfast where they all live, a very mysterious upper-management lady called Mrs. Frederick, and a slightly obnoxious but rather charming techno whiz-kid named Claudia. The acting isn’t always the most brilliant in the world, and the plot has a bad habit of trying to take highly emotional and very sappy turns which rarely help anything, but the characters themselves are a great mix and keep the humor going really well.

The show also does a great job of balancing humor and drama, never swinging too far to either side for long. In addition to the individual episode plots there are some larger over-arching plots that keep the whole thing tied together. The artifacts alone are cool enough to keep you interested (especially if you happen to be a history, literature, or tech lover), and the whole show has a great mix between sleek modern tech and nifty Victorian gadgetry.

If you love a good sci-fi mystery, like ogling gadgets, or just really need something to keep your mind of the impending episodes of Dr. Who (and wouldn’t mind an excuse to ignore that epic pile of homework on the desk either), it’s time to take a peek into Warehouse 13.

This week’s question: If you could brew any potion, what would it be and why?

Quinn: I think that more than anything, I’d want to make a Pepperup potion. It’s probably one of the more benign ones, but I’m allergic to all kinds of decongestants and cold remedies, so if I could have some way (smoke coming out of my ears and all) to get rid of colds, that would make my life so very much happier.

photo courtesy of aranamuerta.com

Elizabeth: AGING POTION. I feel like I’m too young to do half the things I want to do and too old to do the other half. I just want to explore the world and discover new things and travel without people looking strangely at me or treating me like a child! I don’t blame Fred and George for getting upset at Dumbledore about the age restriction on the Triwizard Cup. Kids are underestimated way too often.

Emily: A ha! I would finally concoct my own version of Weasley’s Bruise-Healing paste for my everyday use (maybe there’d be a magical living social class to help!). Alll of my chairs and walls are magicked to jump in my way as I pass by .. I need a paste to counter their purple effects on me!

Kara: Dang, that’s another hard one! The vocalist in me hates getting colds, so a pepper-up potion would be nice, and of course, who wouldn’t want a nice bottle of Felix Felicis now and then? But I remember as I was reading Harry Potter, the potion I wanted the absolute most was a cure for Professor Lupin. I mean, Wolfsbane was all well and good, but I really wanted something that would cure him completely so he could just go off with Tonks and be happy. Since Lycanthropy isn’t actually that much of an issue in the Muggle world, I suppose my dream potion would be some sort of cure for Muggle diseases which would let more people go home to their loved ones no matter what they had. Okay, well, that was sappy, but there you go. Also, just at the moment, I wouldn’t say no to some nice hot chocolate (which is, if you didn’t know, the universal happiness potion). Yep.

So, if you could brew any potion, what would it be? Tell us in the comments below, and leave a question for us to answer next time!

Question of the week: What is the most infuriating brush you’ve ever had with Nargles?

Photo courtesy of weknowmemes.com

Erin:I’m 97% sure that most of my Nargle interactions entirely revolve around trying to format and post a blog here, actually! But my WORST brust with a Nargle was almost a year ago exactly, the night before leaving for my first writers conference. In the middle of a Skype call with my writers group (they were helping me prep my agent pitch), my computer spontaneously shut down and died. I was in a dead panic, running around, getting the Blue Screen of Death when I’d try to turn it back on. Came to find out (half an hour later) that it had probably just overheated. But I was still in a complete panic, running up and down the stairs of my apartment, yelling at my roommates. In fact…they STILL remind me of that panic. They thought it was that funny.

Elizabeth: I don’t actually have a very nargle-filled life… My family just blames everything on Peeves instead! He’s always screwing with our garden and our yard. And he loves getting into the trash… Or maybe that’s just my dog.

Kara: Ah, yes. Nargles. I don’t so much encounter Nargles as co-habit with them. I swear, I should get some of those glasses Luna wears, so I can at least see them coming. Some days they are more active than others, however, and I think their most recent set of antics resulted in my trying to get into bed late one night after getting home from a 9:00pm class, and dropping my book into the floor as I tried to set it on the bedside table. It was then that the Nargles saw their chance to interfere with my brain-waves, with the result that I had the clever idea of turning off the light and then reaching for the book. The result? A nice black eye from smacking my head on the table I had just missed with the book. Not satisfied with this stroke of genius, the Nargles then proceeded to conceal themselves in a way that caused me to hit myself in the head with my bedroom door when I attempted to leave my room the next morning. Actually, know that I think about it, I’m kind of glad I have Nargles to blame all this on, otherwise I’d start worrying.

So, tell us, when did YOU last run into a Nargle (or forty-two)? Leave your story below, and leave us a question to answer for you while you’re at it!

This week, meet the dark side of the blog team: Who is your favorite evil character, and why?”

Official Voldemort Fanclub (photo courtesy of debrakristi)

Erin: Not to be completely predictable, but my favorite baddie is definitely Voldemort. Even though I obviously never wanted him to actually win, I always enjoyed reading his scenes in the books (and still do). I love that he feels this need to give these long, complicated speeches–and I have no doubt that if you heard him, he was actually a really good speaker. I may have also gotten endless amusement out of the fact that he said Harry “irked” him in the fifth book. I love him in the movies too–I think they cast him perfectly, and I remember being so excited to find out who they cast back when they were getting ready to film the fourth movie. So yeah…even though I’d always be on the Dumbledore’s Army side of things…I’m a Voldemort fangirl deep down!

Elizabeth Fierro: I’m going to have to go with Count Olaf! I have a soft spot for Lemony Snicket, and The Series of Unfortunate Events is one of my absolute favorite books series mainly due to Count Olaf’s ridiculous schemes and disguises. He’s just slimy enough to be fun to read about without making the stories unpleasant. I have to say that even though I find a sick sort of pleasure in watching my favorite characters get tortured by villains, sometimes they can go too far. I can’t reread the fifth Harry Potter book because Umbridge is just too disgusting and awful for me, even as a fictional character. Count Olaf is comedic enough that his terrible deeds aren’t too unpleasant to read about.

Alfred Jingle by Fred Barnard (photo courtesy of Wikipedia)

Kara: Oh, wow, that’s a tough one. Does Snape even count as a bad guy anymore? ‘Cause I seriously love him. If not, then I’m probably going to have to get all Victorian on you again, and go with Mr. Jingle from Charles Dickens’ first book The Pickwick Papers. Mr. Jingle is a down-on-his luck actor who makes use of his skills in a number of slightly dishonest and highly ungentlemanly ways. I love him for his unique manner of speaking (which only Dickens could pull off), and for his creative way of facing up to life’s difficulties. Even though he is quite a snarky rogue and charlatan, he ultimately turns out alright in the end (ah, Victorian morality), and his close friendship with his ever-loyal servant Job Trotter makes it rather difficult to believe that Mr. Jingle hasn’t got a good heart all along.

Anna: Making this short because I have a French exam and a paper on Lizzie Bennet Diaries/P&P due tomorrow… My favorite bad guy, the one I absolutely LOVE to hate, is Dolores Umbridge. I get so much satisfaction from my utter loathing of her that any time a chapter with her in it comes up on shuffle, I listen to it all the way through. SO great.

Emily: I can’t decide what I like better: a cooky kind of evil (Count Olaf, AWESOME choice, Elizabeth!), a moral sort of evil (Hyde, Ambrosio), or a delicious sort of evil in all facets of outward appearance (Cruella, Ursula). I tend to become incensed more by the Malfoys, Jane from Twilight, or Iago (and Umbridge!) who are senselessly tortuous instead of the deeply evil characters like Sauron. I have a soft spot for the White Queen from Narnia and Once Upon A Time’s characterization of the Evil Queen – people who have been turned evil after losing something or someone. Perhaps, I can see the comparisons in real life. (Also, I am fascinated by the Odyssey’s evil ladies such as Scylla and Charybids, sirens, Calypso, and Circe…)

So, who’re you’r favorite bad guy? Leave your answer in the comments below, along with any weird, wild, wacky, or wonderful questions you have for the bloggers. We’ll answer you next week!

This week’s question is from Lucy: If you could turn yourself a different colour, what would it be and why?

Anna: I would love to be kelly green, because it wouldn’t clash with the majority of my favorite colors (almost any shade of blue or purple) and, honestly, if I were sapphire colored then I couldn’t own any sapphire clothing or jewellery!

Elizabeth: I’m not sure if I should take this literally or metaphorically. As far as colors go, I think I’m purple- creative, bright, passionate, shy or angry or excited depending on the shade. But I don’t think I’d want to walk around with purple skin all day. Unless everyone is walking around with rainbow colored skin, in which case, bring it! If I had to be the odd one out, I’d choose a bright green so that I could pretend I was Elphaba.

Quinn: I would probably turn myself octarine, the colour of magic in Discworld. Mostly because embodying magic, at least the colour would be so awesome!

photo courtesy of sodahead.com

Kara: I would turn myself that particular amazing shade of deep red-brown that really fine Earl Grey tea turns when it’s steeped just right. I can’t think of any more beautiful or comforting color in the world for a tea-fancier such as myself, and think of all the other amazing colors you could wear with it.

Emily: I think I would quite like to be a gossamer silver color, or perhaps a translucent warm glow. I love the idea of morphing into things like Mystique from XMen or becoming the very fabric of reality like the invisibility cloak.

So, what color would YOU turn yourself? Tell us in the comments below! Thanks to Lucy for the question this week, and please leave us one of your own for us to answer.

Question of the week: What IS the question?

Quinn: I’m not really sure what the question is, but the Answer is 42.

Anna: Why?

Image courtesy of nicholegile

Kara: Oh! Oh! I know that one! It’s, um…it’s like when you throw a hundred monkeys in the air, um, or possibly cats…and, um, some of them come down on toast…um, wait…I’ve forgotten the question.

Elizabeth: The question is, “How the heck am I supposed to respond to this?” Cryptic much?

Emily: Wait, redo. What is the question? “who is John Galt?”

Joana: Isn’t it though? That is the question, the true question, the best question of all questions. How does one compose a question where there is all of be-ing and not-to-be-ing to combine in it? What is the question? I do not know. But the answer surely is the one given by our lovely Quinn Kess.

So, what IS the question? Tell us in the comments, and while you’re at it, leave us a question to answer next week!