Sunday, June 10, 2007

Corn and Cars

Didn't go to the hospital and the dizziness has decreased. The reason I didn't go, little boy ccomplained of dizziness too - so dizzy is probably a wee virus. I'm just a scaredy cat because of recent events. Want to stand on mountains tops and scream "I want to live!"

I watched Mel Gibson's APOCALYPTO. It was great! I loved it - but in another life I would of been an anthropologist. All cultures and their history are so fascinating, I couldn't understand why no one would watch it with me. The costuming was splendid. The scenery stunning! The story - probably close to the real thing from what I've read. A lot of research went into the movie. Leave it to Mel Gibson - brilliant film maker. I have never seen such a depiction of the Mayan sacrifices before. Horrible. No wonder the culture died.

I kept thinking of Candy Minx's comments on the hunter-gatherer societies as I watched the movie. Then, at the very end, it starts a new story - that of the beginning of westernization in Central America, though the movie was actually filmed in a Mexico forest. At the beginning of the movie, and as it happens in all societies, war came - one society attacks another and carries off people (resources) to make slaves to do the hard work. (Didn't they ever hear of immigration?)

The line at the end of the movie was priceless - the explorers had arrived - the wife and mother looked up at her husband and said, shall we go down to them? His black eyes were serious - and he said, "No, we're going back to the forest." {sic}

Our society - I am reading about bees, about deforestation world wide consequences, pollination, about corn, about fuel, about the economy. Now, steak is $10.00 a pound or so. That's supposedly because 1/3 of the corn (a live stock feed staple, that and other cow's brains) is being used to develop and make fuel. That's it in a nutshell and I'm thinking, ok, the extremely wealthy barons and politicians are now controlling - our food pantries.

Because we are no longer villagers - we TRAVEL! (I commute 27 miles each way daily - no buses except inner city here) More blatant control over our lives than days of old. Our forefathers would not have stood for it. But history shows, it (control of economy by the rich) was beginning even back then! That's why the south stays mad at the north. No slave labor - well except wages are notoriously low here. There is sort of a lingering effect.

Anyway, back to corn: This, in turn, is affecting other markets as farmers switch their crops from soy, cotton, and others to more profitable corn crops. Again, I read that soy beans and corn are some of the more common genetically messed with crops. Do we really want to eat "modern" corn anyway?

And don't we sometimes yearn to stop the craziness, the complication, the wear and tear on earth, and just go back to being hunters and gatherers? Have we made that much progress anyway?

In re: my former place of work, I'm leaning toward letting the jackals just chew each others' legs off and preserving my own. Thanks for feedback...still not a 100% decision though.

12 comments:

Wandering Coyote said...

Yeah, corn is huge money, especially since everything seems to contain high fructose corn syrup these days. And it is seriously GMO. Still, I love a good cob of peaches and cream a couple of times during the summer, when it's in season.

Not a fan of Mel at all, so I'll give Apocalypto a miss. Glad you enjoyed it, though. And glad the dizziness is gone!

Candy Minx said...

Well, my my dear love Gardenia...imagine my happiness when I saw this post as I dropped by to say hi!!!!!


Obviously, in order to feed our world population we can not give up on farming...but I believe we should be choosy about what and WHERE we grow our food. Corn just seems like waste of land to me.

It is a misunderstanding about travel and nomads.

the idea or rather perhaps modern urban myth is that hunter-gatherers moved around a lot.

It is true that hunter-gatherers would move for seasons and winter...BUT it was within a small area.

In fact it is farmers who have moved over the entire planet converting land and forests and medicianl herbs to grow food.

The people who lived as hunter-gathers had intimate knowledge of plant life, animal patterns and ecology. they worked within ecology to live. Whenever hunter-gatheres did not work within their means...theeir society collapsed.

As totalitarian agriculture...we need to learn from our cousins on how to live within ecology.

Really loved this post Gardenia!!!!

Candy Minx said...

P.S. I haven't seen Apocalypto but your recommendation and a friend here in Chicago...said I will love it. I'll let you know when I get a chance to see it.

Heidi Grether said...

U can call Manna Food Bank and buy locally and organically grown produce! It is wonderful

Gardenia said...

hattie!!! Thank you! I would much rather support local growers and know my sources were uncontaminated! I'm excited!

**Ya Think** said...

I think your decision to let the Jackals chew each others legs off and preserve your own is a wise one. There are times I try to remember the song Sweet Surrender by John Denver and try to visualize why he wrote it and sang it.

Biddie said...

We live right across the street from our local Farmers Market. I love supporting my local farmers. Plus, the food is cheaper, and fresher...
I have not seen Apocolypto yet, but it is on my must see list. We don't rent many movies..
I hope that you are feeling better, and that your grandson is too. Nothing worse than feeling yucky.

Vicki said...

I commute 26 miles each way.... gas was up to $4.00 a gallon.
My ex father-in-law was paid handsomely by our government to NOT grow wheat on parts of his huge farm in Nunn, Colorado. So he grew sunflowers. Sold the seeds..ah what a totally breathtaking sight that was..acres and acres of sunflowers, their faces following the sun across the sky.
I am fortunate that we have many small farmers markets full of organic produce and home produced items..honey, breads and dairy items and fresh seafood. But..it seems more expensive than mass produced lower quality items.
I am frightened now that I do not own any land, property..on which I could grow some tomatoes, potatoes or a little corn or lettuce if things get tough.
We have a fair transit system: busses and some light rail..lots of expansion Monorail, light rail but my hours are strange and they cater to the masses.
And everything comes full circle.

* (asterisk) said...

I'm looking forward to Apocalypto, when it eventually arrives in my letterbox.

Gardenia said...

biddie - what fun living across the street from Farmers market! My job is ending, so I am looking forward to some garden planting, and getting away from meat based diet - since that's all hubby eats and he's a meatcutter and that's what in the freezer (God help us, mostly sausage) it takes a two day cycle of running out for fresh veggies - humidity only allows about a 3 day stay in refridg of fresh greens & fruit - LOL, in Wyo - it would stay in there two weeks before becoming petrified for eternity.

DILLIGAF said...

mailed you re your comment on my blog. If your mail addys changed let me have it. Ta

mister anchovy said...

mea maxima culpa....when Ontario sweet corn is ripe, I'm buying a bag and roasting it on the bbq...what an excellent vehicle for salt and butter. yum. shhhhhh, don't tell candy.