May I wish you a happy and peaceful Christmas

From the moment the minister nods her head to the very last note, for me this is simply the best choral work ever.



Thou must leave thy lowly dwelling,
The humble crib, the stable bare.
Babe, all mortal babes excelling,
Content our earthly lot to share.
Loving father, Loving mother,
Shelter thee with tender care!

Blessed Jesus, we implore thee
With humble love and holy fear.
In the land that lies before thee,
Forget not us who linger here!
May the shepherd’s lowly calling,
Ever to thy heart be dear!

Blest are ye beyond all measure,
Thou happy father, mother mild!
Guard ye well your heav’nly treasure,
The Prince of Peace, The Holy Child!
God go with you, God protect you,
Guide you safely through the wild!

And may the love of God enfold you and bless you

Wikileaks about GM.

The Wikileaks release of U.S. classified information has been headline news as the sites that are the source of the information have been under attack from every known virus available. It has however been a treasure trove of details on the working of the U.S. Government and their foreign policy.

One mention of agriculture in the released information is in a document that outlines priorities for intelligence gathering in the African countries of Burundi, the Republic of Congo, and Rwanda. In this document is a list of what information the U.S. Government wants to know about the those countries, i.e. their government policies on food security and food safety, information on the impact of rising food prices, agricultural yield statistics, infrastructure improvements, data on deforestation and desertification, water issues and invasive species are included. But also on the U.S. priority list is this:

Government acceptance of genetically modified food and propagation of genetically modified crops.

Says it all!