Farmer Suicide Issue:1500 Farmers Commit Suicide In An Indian State!

After failing crops & piles of debt,1500 farmers in an Indian state have committed suicide.These were desperate people who were caught up in an on-going cycle of mounting debt.And there are a lot of folks that want the government to do something before the amount of suicides increases even more.Here's a little background on this ongoing issue of farmer suicides in India from countercurrents.org:

"The Indian peasantry, the largest body of surviving small farmers in the world, today faces a crisis of extinction.

Two thirds of India makes its living from the land. The earth is the most generous employer in this country of a billion, that has farmed this land for more than 5000 years.

However, as farming is delinked from the earth, the soil, the biodiversity, and the climate, and linked to global corporations and global markets, and the generosity of the earth is replaced by the greed of corporations, the viability of small farmers and small farms is destroyed. Farmers suicides are the most tragic and dramatic symptom of the crisis of survival faced by Indian peasants.

1997 witnessed the first emergence of farm suicides in India. A rapid increase in indebtedness, was at the root of farmers taking their lives. Debt is a reflection of a negative economy, a loosing economy. Two factors have transformed the positive economy of agriculture into a negative economy for peasants - the rising costs of production and the falling prices of farm commodities. Both these factors are rooted in the policies of trade liberalization and corporate globalisation.

In 1998, the World Bank's structural adjustment policies forced India to open up its seed sector to global corporations like Cargill, Monsanto, and Syngenta. The global corporations changed the input economy overnight. Farm saved seeds were replaced by corporate seeds which needed fertilizers and pesticides and could not be saved.

As seed saving is prevented by patents as well as by the engineering of seeds with non-renewable traits, seed has to be bought for every planting season by poor peasants. A free resource available on farms became a commodity which farmers were forced to buy every year. This increases poverty and leads to indebtedness.

As debts increase and become unpayable, farmers are compelled to sell kidneys or even commit suicide. More than 25,000 peasants in India have taken their lives since 1997 when the practice of seed saving was transformed under globalisation pressures and multinational seed corporations started to take control of the seed supply. Seed saving gives farmers life. Seed monopolies rob farmers of life.

The shift from farm saved seed to corporate monopolies of the seed supply is also a shift from biodiversity to monocultures in agriculture. The District of Warangal in Andhra Pradesh used to grow diverse legumes, millets, and oilseeds. Seed monopolies created crop monocultures of cotton, leading to disappearance of millions of products of nature's evolution and farmer's breeding."(END OF EXCERPT)Read the rest here.

For Some Reason,I Really Like "Taking The Stage"!

I don't know why I am so taken with this particular reality show.But,I watch MTV's "Taking The Stage" every week.A lot of folks have compared it to "Fame".I just find this group of talented teens exciting to watch.It's definitely a docu-soap.And since I was raised on soap operas & tabloids,that's probably why I find it so intriguing.Tonight is also the "Making The Band" finale.So,for me,it's going to be a MTV night!

As for "Taking The Stage",I want to see what drama unfolds in the love triangle that is comprised of Jasmine,Tyler,& Mia.Here's more about the show from Pop tower:

"What would you do in order to fulfill your dreams? For the young stars of MTV's new reality musical series "Taking The Stage," the answer is anything. Premiering Thursday, March 19 at 10p.m. ET/PT on MTV, "Taking The Stage" is a one-hour 10-episode reality musical series conceptualized and executive produced by Nick Lachey (98 Degrees), that will follow the lives of five talented students at the School For Creative and Performing Arts (SCPA) in Cincinnati, Ohio. A reality musical series executive produced by feature film and theatre producer Marc Platt who also serves as creative consultant ("Honey," "Legally Blonde," "Nine," Broadway Musical "Wicked"), the show is the first of its kind to be scored with music performed by cast members in-scene. Each episode of "Taking The Stage" will feature songs and dance routines written and choreographed by the cast.

In the heart of Cincinnati, SCPA is a prestigious school that draws young people from all backgrounds dedicated to pursuing careers in the arts. The school has an illustrious history of producing some of the entertainment industry's most renowned dancers, singers and musicians from Sarah Jessica Parker ("Sex and the City") and actress Carmen Electra ("Starsky & Hutch"), to actor/director Todd Luiso ("High Fidelity"), actor Rocky Carroll ("NCIS") and singer Nick Lachey. SCPA is not the average high school and gaining entrance is not an easy task, as every student must audition before being accepted. The curriculum is so rigorous, that the students who have been there the longest call themselves "survivors." Honing their skills will take everything they have but to achieve it they will have to focus all their energy and make sacrifices along the way.

While they are some of the most talented teenagers in the country, they will still have to navigate the same trials and insecurities that all teenagers face which are obstacles that threaten their chances at success."(END OF EXCERPT)Read the rest here.

Today Is Jackie Robinson Day! But,Where Are All The Black Baseball Players At?

Today is the day when baseball players across America will be sporting the number 42 on their backs.That was baseball player Jackie Robinson's number.And he was instrumental in changing society by breaking the color barrier.But,there is a question that many black fans of baseball have asked.Where have all the black players gone? Here's more on that from The Seattle Times:

"Ken Griffey Jr. was instrumental in the way baseball celebrates Jackie Robinson Day, suggesting to commissioner Bud Selig more than a decade ago that players for this one day a year be allowed to wear No. 42, which has been retired by MLB. This year's celebration, taking place today throughout the majors, has been expanded to all players wearing No. 42.

" I just wanted to say thank you in my own little subtle way, and that was it,'' Griffey said Wednesday of his original proposal. " That's what it's about: Giving back to the people that helped you.

"I knew the (Robinson) family. It was just my way of saying thank you. I had no idea it would be something like this. I think this is a great cause. There's a lot of people in here that wouldn't be in here if it wasn't for him. The family deserves this. You never know how long it would have been if he would have failed.''

Griffey said he was steeped in the history of Negro League Baseball as well as Robinson's struggles by his father, Ken Griffey Jr., as well as some baseball pioneers he encountered.

"Well, I had Joe Black, Brooks Lawrence, Chuck Harmon Sr., who all were good friends wth my dad. They figured I should know a little about baseball history, or just history itself. They proceeded to drill me on certain things. Then getting to play in pro ball, I had a guy named Willie Mays pull me aside every year. They didn't tell you like they were drilling it into your head. It was more them telling stories like a grandfather would tell their grandson. That's how I learned about certain things. "

Griffey has strong opinions on the decline of African-American players in the major leagues, and how baseball can began attracting more African-Americans to the ball fields and ball parks.

"First of all, they've got to start off with better commercials,'' he said. "The commercials are (bad). Think about it. You look at the NBA, NFL, their commercials, and they make you want to go out and play basketball, go play football. They show the excitement of the game itself. In baseball, it's come to the bleeping All-Star Game. And that's it. They don't show the excitement of the game."(END OF EXCERPT)Read the rest here.