The following general steps will help one get started with DER: 1  Clarify the reasons for wanting DER. 2  Identify the current and future technology options. 3  Evaluate the cost and savings. 4  Understand the regulations and project development process. 5  Understand the risks and uncertainties.
The following is a critique of the methods used by Monsanto in their assessment that their product, Roundup Ready soybeans, also known as glyphosate-tolerant soybean line 40-3-2, is safe for human and animal consumption.
The continued use of animals to test the effectiveness of medications and health interventions for humans is akin to using smoke signals instead of e-mail as a method of communication. Animal testing has never really worked. Animal tests proved penicillin deadly, strychnine safe and aspirin dangerous. In fact, 90 percent of medications approved for human use after animal testing later proved ineffective or harmful to humans in clinical trials. It is humbling to realize that the flipping of a coin would have proved five times more accurate and much cheaper.