ENGL 1301 SO Harvey: What Are We Eating?

Biotechnology: Friend or Foe? (55:00)

Genetic science holds the keys to life itself. How should this knowledge be used? Enhanced by outstanding 3-D computer animations and microscopic imaging, this engaging program featuring Dr. Cary Fowler, author of Shattering: Food, Politics, and the Loss of Genetic Diversity, takes a balanced look at the biotechnological revolution. Among the numerous topics surveyed are genetic engineering, cloning, gene therapy, genetically modified food crops, gene patenting, DNA fingerprinting, gene banks, and the use of transgenic animals for organ transplants. An overview of heredity, natural selection, and the mechanics of DNA is provided. (55 minutes)

This hard-hitting exposé blows the lid off of everything you thought you knew about Big Pharma and Big Food. What goes on behind the scenes in these industries is more suspicious, more devious, more disreputable than you could have ever imagined.

Nearly two out of every three Americans are overweight or obese, and one out of eight deaths in America is caused by obesity-related illnesses. Many Americans blame the fast food industry in part for the nation's obesity problem. Others believe it is up to individuals to make the right choices for a healthy lifestyle. This anthologyexplores the various aspects of the fast food debate.

In 2001, Fast Food Nation was published to critical acclaim and became an international bestseller. Eric Schlosser's expose revealed how the fast food industry has altered the landscape of America, widened the gap between rich and poor, fueled an epidemic of obesity, and transformed food production throughout the world. The book changed the way millions of people think about what they eat and helped to launch today's food movement.

More than ten years ago, the first genetically modified foods took their place on the shelves of American supermarkets. But while American consumers remained blissfully unconcerned with the new products that suddenly filled their kitchens, Europeans were much more wary of these "Frankenfoods" When famine struck Africa in 2002, several nations refused shipments of genetically modified foods, fueling a controversy that put the issue on the world's political agenda for good. In Food Fray, esteemed molecular biologist Dr. Lisa H. Weasel brings readers into the center of this debate, capturing the real-life experiences of the scientists, farmers, policymakers and grassroots activists on the front lines. Here she combines solid scientific knowledge and a gripping narrative to tell the real story behind the headlines and the hype. Seminal and cutting-edge, Food Fray enlightens and informs and will allow readers to make up their own minds about one of the most important issues facing us today.

"In Food, Inc., acclaimed journalist Peter Pringle shows how both sides in this overheated conflict have made false promises, engaged in propaganda science, and indulged in fear-mongering. In this urgent dispatch, he suggests that a fertile partnership between consumers, corporations, scientists, and farmers could still allow the biotech harvest to reach its full potential in helping to overcome the problem of world hunger, providing nutritious food and keeping the environment healthy."

Millions of Americans are rediscovering the pleasures of locally grown food. By eating food grown close to home, they can boost their health, reduce their carbon footprint, support a robust local economy, and enhance their sense of community . . . all while savoring scrumptious, satisfying meals. It's no wonder that the number of farmers' markets has more than doubled in the last 15 years, and the number of people getting produce straight from the farm has increased almost twentyfold in the same period!

Winner of the Nautilus 2012 Gold Award for Green Living, given to books that promote spiritual growth, conscious living, and positive social change; stimulate the imagination; and offer new possibilities for a better life and a better world.