Here's a film that's well worth watching. It's long, and the framing device of a woman Googling away her ignorance about one of the world's most powerful corporations is, I think, a little crass. But perhaps because the film maker seems so naive, she has been able to get some of the most important men behind the scenes of the pesticide and genetically modified seed business to explain how they came to wield such power. I doubt that a more polished film crew would have been able to draw out some of the confessions that appear in this nearly-two-hour documentary. Highly recommended.

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Posted on 7 April, 2009 - 22:36

You know you've arrived when you get dissed in the New Yorker in a Critic-At-Large discussion. You'll be hearing more about this, and about Marco Flavio's excellent Cook Here and Now group in the next couple of weeks.

Much more stimulating, and surprising, was a splendid conversation I had with Megan McArdle who writes a fine blog over at The Atlantic Monthly.

The good people at BloggingHeads.tv matched us up because they thought it'd be fun to pit a lefty-global-justice type against a libertarian vegan. Sparks certainly flew, but in a very good natured way.

Better, there were some important points of similarity in our positions. As someone who still thinks that one of the founding texts of libertarianism, Anarchy, State and Utopia is a *very* good read, this shouldn't have come as a big surprise, but that's because the political philosophy of libertarianism has been tarred by people whom Megan refers to, correctly in my view, as wingnuts. ... read more »

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Posted on 13 May, 2008 - 17:30

Update
Thanks to Hande for pointing out that the video is now available to view and download at at the IFAD website and now on Google Video here:

___________________ ... read more »

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Posted on 28 March, 2008 - 22:46

I promise to get back to posting food-related pieces (like this one on agflation) soon.

But I just wanted to thank the many many good folk in Canada who've written in, come to talks, bought books, and made my life delightful during the launch of the Canadian edition. For those outside Canada, here's what I've been doing: I was interviewed on The Hour, a show someone described as "The Daily Show, if it was produced by a news organisation with integrity". Not a bad description. The host, George Stroumboulopoulos, is whip smart, very very funny, and hot. You can watch the clip (and comment on it...) here. ... read more »

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Posted on 14 March, 2008 - 00:59

My good friend Marco Flavio Marinucci, founder of Cook Here and Now, wrote me this morning with news of two podcasts, Deconstructing Dinner and Beyond Organic that readers of Stuffed and Starved might find interesting. I'll be listening to them on the plane to Canada, and will report back soon...

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Posted on 9 March, 2008 - 22:05

Prompted by a reader, I've realised that I've not yet posted this fantastic video by the good people at Free Range Studios. It's an oldie, but for a die-hard Star Wars junkie, this short gets closer to the spirit of the movie series than The Phantom Menace ever could.

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Posted on 7 December, 2007 - 18:01

I know this isn't directly related to food, but it certainly is related to the economic architecture that keeps countries in the Global South poor. The film below is by two people whom I rate very highly: Naomi Klein, who was kind enough to blurb Stuffed and Starved, and Alfonso Cuarón, director of my favourite film last year, Children of Men.

... read more »

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Posted on 11 September, 2007 - 20:27

The press have been taking an interest in Stuffed and Starved. I've just started a page where I'll be collecting the coverage and the reviews, good, bad and indifferent.

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Posted on 7 September, 2007 - 20:40

Via Phil, here's a short movie shot at the World Summit on Food Sovereignty. A fine introduction to the subject.

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Posted on 28 August, 2007 - 14:40

I’ve just finished a panel here at the Edinburgh International Book Festival with two exceptionally thought-provoking authors who have also been picking over the international food system, past and present. ... read more »

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Posted on 27 August, 2007 - 07:37