Weekly Democracy Now! Summary

Angelina Garcia

SOC 122 MW 3:30-4:45

2/23/14

Word Count: 501

 

The first article that I read/ watched was titled Silencing the Scientist: Tyrone Hayes on Being Targeted by Herbicide Firm Syngent. In 1997, a company called Syngenta hired Tyrone Hayes, who teaches Integrative Biology at UC Berkeley, to study a herbicide called Atrazine. Initially, Syngenta was supportive of Tyrone Hayes’ research until he found that the herbicide causes sexual abnormalities in frogs. He found that testosterone was not being produced, and the male frogs started to develop ovaries. When he presented his findings, Syngenta went on to ask Hayes to manipulate his data. When he refused, they did not allow him to publish his findings. Before the E.P.A. (Environmental Protection Agency) became involved, Syngenta tried to purchase the date; they also hired other scientists to refute his data. At the insistence of the E.P.A., Hayes was released from the confidentiality contract by Syngenta and went on to publish his findings in high-ranking  journals. Hayes talks about how Tim Pastoor, who is a principal scientist from Syngenta, would show up to Dr. Hayes’ lectures and threaten Hayes and his family. The company even hacked into Hayes’ emails. They run a clip of a woman named Elizabeth Whelan, who is president of the American Council on Science and Health; she calls Hayes’ research bogus and says that Atrazine is tightly regulated. Anchor Juan Gonzalez then reveals that Syngeta is a financial supporter of Whelan’s American Council on Science and Health. Hayes goes on to call Whelan’s criticism paid remarks; he claims that he, and 22 other scientists from 12 different countries have found similar problems with Atrazine. He concludes by using calling Atrazine a big threat not only to environmental health, but public health as well.

 

http://www.democracynow.org/2014/2/21/silencing_the_scientist_tyrone_hayes_on

The next article I read/watched was titled Turning a Wedding Into a Funeral: U.S. Drone Strike in Yemen Killed as Many as 12 Civilians. This story covers a topic I had previously written about. In my last article summary about drone strikes, I mentioned a wedding party where Yemen civilians were killed. This article was about that particular drone strike which happened in December. J.S.O.C., also known as the Joint Special Operations Command, targeted vehicles that were going to this wedding. Twelve civilians were killed, and none were members of al-Qaeda. The program runs a clip of an interview of a man who was injured during the drone strike; his son was also killed. Abdullah Muhammad Al-Tiri describes the wedding ceremony and drone strike; he says that they drone was hovering over them the entire morning. He goes on to talk about how he found the lifeless body of his son. The program is then joined by Letta Tayler of Human Rights Watch, who had recently visited Yemen. She reveals that the drone strike did indeed kill twelve and injure fifteen civilians. Tayler talks about how the United States is violating international law; the actions of the United States may influence other countries to use the so-called terrorism threat to justify the death of civilians.

http://www.democracynow.org/2014/2/21/turning_a_wedding_into_a_funeral