News
August 2, 2006
News
The increasingly tragic situation in the Middle East is also causing us
to have concerns about the food communities who are supposed to come to
Terra Madre from October 26 to 30 in Turin. Counting Lebanon, Israel
and Palestine, there are around forty groups of small farmers,
artisans, fisherpeople, transformers and cooks. These precious
microeconomies are now experiencing unbearable conditions and risk
disappearing.
In these areas, agriculture is one of the most important resources. In places where there are few opportunities for developing commerce or
In these areas, agriculture is one of the most important resources. In places where there are few opportunities for developing commerce or
August 1, 2006
News
Forget cars fuelled by alcohol and vegetable oil. Before long, you
might be able to run your car with nothing more than water in its fuel
tank. It would be the ultimate zero-emissions vehicle. [...]
August 1, 2006
News
Blessed with abundant fertile land and water, Iraq, the cradle of civilization, the center of the Fertile Crescent of ancient Mesopotamia, the birthplace of agriculture 13 millenia ago, has, in the past, not only been able to feed itself, but to supply other areas of the world with its bountiful harvest of grains, pulses, dates and vegetables. How unfortunate that now these proud people are receiving most of their food as "aid." Over the past 20 years, due to the Iraq-Iran war, the two U.S.
August 1, 2006
News
A laughing baby is covered in baby food. He's making a gushy mess, as babies do, but having a grand time. A magic word reassures us--before we've had a chance to worry--that the food itself is wholesome. That word, of course, is "organic." More surprising, to many viewers of this advertisement, will be the origin of this virtuous feast: Wal-Mart. This summer, the mega-retailer launched a multimillion-dollar ad campaign with an irresistible promise: "Introducing Organics at the Wal-Mart price." The commercial, which cannily plays to mothers' worries about
August 1, 2006
PURE FOOD WATCH
News
The USDA claims that US beef is safe and that there is no danger from Mad Cow disease, yet it tests less than 1% of cattle for the disease and now wants to cut testing by 90%. It still allows the feeding of blood, manure and slaughterhouse waste to animals. Furthermore, it will not allow testing by any than its own lab. A meat packing firm that wants to test all its cattle, was informed that they were not allowed to do so. On the other hand, Japan tests every cow before it is slaughtered.
August 1, 2006
News
Monsanto was quite happy to recruit young Kirk Azevedo to sell their genetically engineered cotton. Kirk had grown up on a California farm and had worked in several jobs monitoring and testing pesticides and herbicides. Kirk was bright, ambitious, handsome and idealistic - the perfect candidate to project the company's "Save the world through genetic engineering" image.
August 1, 2006
News
Al Gore's movie (and book), An Inconvenient Truth, is playing to rave reviews. His laudable project is an urgent message on the vital issue of global warming. We all must heed the call.
If we didn't realize it already, we now know that we are overheating our planet to alarming levels with potentially catastrophic consequences. 2005 was the hottest year on record. Think of an overheated car; now imagine that on a planetary scale.
If we didn't realize it already, we now know that we are overheating our planet to alarming levels with potentially catastrophic consequences. 2005 was the hottest year on record. Think of an overheated car; now imagine that on a planetary scale.
August 1, 2006
News
Contents
1. Pharmaceutical rice may sprout in Kansas
2. New hope for treating resistant infections
3. Drought or not, farmers get drought relief
4. Pesticide use increases on engineered cotton in China
5. What you can do: Comment on the CAFO rule
1. Pharmaceutical rice may sprout in Kansas
1. Pharmaceutical rice may sprout in Kansas
2. New hope for treating resistant infections
3. Drought or not, farmers get drought relief
4. Pesticide use increases on engineered cotton in China
5. What you can do: Comment on the CAFO rule
1. Pharmaceutical rice may sprout in Kansas
August 1, 2006
News
"The Canadian GM risk assessment process is so simplistic that not a single submission has ever been rejected in Canada. Everything submitted, almost wholly by industry, has been accepted," according to Ann Clark PhD, one of this country's leading experts on the dangers of genetically modified organisms.
"The Canadian GM regulatory process is a ruse, claiming to safeguard human and environmental health, but actually intended to facilitate commercialization of GM crops," according to Dr. Clark.
"The Canadian GM regulatory process is a ruse, claiming to safeguard human and environmental health, but actually intended to facilitate commercialization of GM crops," according to Dr. Clark.
August 1, 2006
News
Your mobile phone could be a major health hazard, research shows.
The phones, an essential part of everyday life for 55million Britons, are crawling with potentially lethal bacteria.
With tens of thousands of microbes living on each square inch, they harbour more bacteria than a lavatory seat, the sole of a shoe or a door handle. Microbiologists say the combination of constant handling and the heat generated by the phones creates a prime breeding ground for all sorts of bugs that are normally found on our skin.
The phones, an essential part of everyday life for 55million Britons, are crawling with potentially lethal bacteria.
With tens of thousands of microbes living on each square inch, they harbour more bacteria than a lavatory seat, the sole of a shoe or a door handle. Microbiologists say the combination of constant handling and the heat generated by the phones creates a prime breeding ground for all sorts of bugs that are normally found on our skin.
