Screen shots from a report on organic food by the European Parliamentary Research Service
The European Parliamentary Research Service writes:
“Globally, 43.1 million hectares of agricultural land was under organic production in 2013, six million more than the year before. With 10.2 million hectares, the European Union (EU) accounts for 24% of the world’s organic land. There are almost 2 million organic producers in the world, mostly in Asia (36%), Africa (29%) and Latin America (16%). The EU represents 13% of this total.”
A rare Dublin appearance from the An Taobh Tuaithail RnaG radio host and Galway man with impeccable taste. Here’s a recent mix from Ó Cíobháin and Cyril Briscoe‘s long-running club night 110th Street…
The online buzz around the Marriage Referendum is almost deafening. And that’s great, the diversity of voices is imperative to the campaign.
However, there are some sections of society who are removed from this. Who don’t see the witty Tweets, don’t comment on the powerful stories you share on Facebook, or watch the moving videos as they go viral.
My Gran is one of them. A strong and independent 75, I learned a few weeks ago that she opposed the referendum, and this broke my heart.
I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t challenge her on her points, but rather than cause a scene at the dinner table, I chose to engage her privately and send her a simple card, explaining that this referendum meant a lot to me and why, in the hopes she may reconsider her position now that I’ve given her a personal reason to.
I had so much to say and so little space, but it’s better than not having said anything at all I suppose.I would encourage everyone to speak to the people around them. Don’t take it for granted how they’ll vote unless you can be sure. Let’s make history.
I’ve been requested to play some Star Wars themes at an upcoming funeral and thought it would be fun to hastily throw together a rough medley. Although it’ll be more subdued on the day, the Glasthule organ IS the father.
” When you get on to that first sentence of Article 41, the state recognises the natural primary unit of responsibility in society. You don’t need to go any further than that word natural to understand what a catastrophe this is.
Because the word natural as it stands as interpreted time and time again in court hearings has to do with the biological complementarity of a man and a woman who together in their sexual union beget a child and begin the process of creating a family.
And that word natural will go, it will still be there on Sunday if we get a yes but it will no longer have the meaning it has now.
I was on TV recently and I made this point and the interviewer said ‘Hang on it could be said that what you’re saying is gay sexuality is unnatural’ and I said ‘I’m not saying that I’m saying something completely different’ but that’s an interesting point.
That’s possibly what this will mean. it’s one of the things it could mean, That the sexuality of a gay couple is just as natural as the sexuality of a heterosexual couple. The meaning will slip to that.
….Every couple will have to come down to the level at which they meet, call it the lowest common denominator call it the common denominator, and that would be a level in which biological procreative capacity is irrelevant…”
John Waters of First Families First at a Mothers and Fathers Matter public meeting in Tralee, Co Kerry.
Mr Waters cites the case of ‘John’, a gay man who donated his sperm to a lesbian couple and having had a change of mind was denied any meaningful role in the child’s life.
