american gothic

Why Did We Sit Here For Weeks?

October 11, 2018

I should have known. The day started with my car suddenly shutting off in the middle of a busy street as I drove my daughter to school. When I dropped my son off at the train, I saw and videoed a mid-twenties white man in goth-ish clothes with a big black backpack and a stick…

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"Monsanto Trial" "Donna Farmer" roundup bees

The Good News and The Bad News

October 8, 2018

I’m reading the engrossing book “Bad Blood” that entertainingly exposes the corrupt debacle at blood-testing startup Theranos. Throughout the book, stunning similarities emerge between the pervasive corruption, lying, and coverups at Theranos, and all that we have learned about Monsanto. Unfortunately, while an individual could choose whether or not to use Theranos’s tests, glyphosate is…

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Poison, Deadly, Movin It Slow

September 24, 2018

The philosophizing trio Bel Biv Devoe sang: “Situation is serious. Let’s cure it cause we’re running out of time.” I grew up in a socially liberal, Reagan-Republican family, which was a bit more common in the 1980s in the San Francisco suburbs than today. My dad is a retired US Air Force Lt. Colonel who…

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You Call Them Inventory, I Call Them People

September 14, 2018

This morning, I retired my yoga-wear-at-best writing uniform in exchange for my big girl clothes. I think my husband was pleased to see the effort. I’ve been feeling a bit glum this last week after reading piles of academic papers and articles that paint a rather dismal picture of our future as living beings. Brazil…

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"Monsanto Trial" Bayer Roundup

Radishes, Raspberries, Romaine and Roundup

August 31, 2018

My mom went to our local farmer’s market this past weekend. She texted me: Woman at the farmers market was making a big stink [claiming that organic can still be GMO] and I thought she was wrong and the poor guy selling tomatoes didn’t know what GMO was.  She said everything at Trader Joe’s was…

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"Monsanto Trial" Farmers Roundup

American Groan

August 20, 2018

I’m back! After the intensity of the trial and the excitement of the verdict, I went sightseeing to clear my brain and find new inspiration. While in Chicago, I had the chance to visit the painting masterpiece American Gothic, by modernist artist Grant Wood, at the Art Institute of Chicago. The work felt strangely symbolic…

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"Monsanto Trial" Verdict Roundup cancer

The Day That Hope Prevailed

August 11, 2018

We begin our third day of waiting in the small courtroom, on edge for any news of questions from the jury or a verdict. In the patient crowd are all of the attorneys (except for Bobby Kennedy who is spreading the word of the dangers of Roundup in media interviews), a few other journalists and…

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Glyphosate "Roundup cause cancer"

THE VERDICT – GLYPHOSATE CAUSES CANCER AND MONSANTO KNEW IT

August 10, 2018

I’m busy celebrating!!!! You will get the blow-by-blow (and then some) from me this weekend. The reading of the verdict was a moment of deep emotion and I could not be more proud of Lee Johnson, the jury and the brilliant attorneys. © 2018 Kelly Ryerson ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

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Day 17 – EPA, EPA, EPA. Closing Statements Part II

August 10, 2018

It seems impossible to create an argument that could top that of the Plaintiff. Even if I correct for my substantial bias, my opinion is that the limited science that Plaintiff was allowed to present was sufficient to show that Ranger Pro caused Lee Johnson’s cancer. After lunch, it seems simply an empty exercise for…

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Monsanto Trial Roundup Wisner Closing Statement glyphosate cancer

Day 17 – Today is Their Day of Reckoning. Closing Statements Part I

August 8, 2018

It’s an eerie morning. The migrating smoke from wildfires north of San Francisco casts a sinister amber haze. As I drive north to San Francisco, it feels a bit like an ominous warzone. Wildfires are devastating communities in Mendocino and many other towns throughout California. I’m convincing myself that this can’t be any kind of…

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Day 16 – What Hypothetical? MR. JOHNSON Is The Hypothetical!!

August 4, 2018

Surprise! Neil Young and Daryl Hannah are in the house today. Young and Hannah are activists in the fight against Monsanto, and Young released the album The Monsanto Years in 2015. As we all settle into the courtroom, the bailiff asks Young to remove his hat. I don’t think it is proper to ask “The…

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"Monsanto trial" Foster Wisner toxicology cancer glyphosate

Day 15 – The EPA Ain’t The Ten Commandments

August 3, 2018

It’s freezing and drizzly again today. Canadians, listen up. One of your peeps is in the house. The courtroom itself is rather bland, but it is host to quite a grand event when a witness is called. The witness stands outside of the courtroom until officially invited to come up to the bench. It reminds…

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