Food Related Interviews --

 

Dr. Ron Epstein

Genetically Modified Food

Genetically engineered food products are an issue that concerns many.  In more recent years, Mendocino County has gone so far as to pass a resolution legally prohibiting their growth in the county.  My guest in this program, recorded in the late summer of 1995, is Ron Epstein, a philosophy professor at both the Buddhist University in Talmage, CA and San Francisco State University.  He has given considerable consideration to the problems of genetic engineering of the plants and vegetables that we eat.

Dr. Ron Epstein recommends "Algeny," by Jeremy Rifkin.

Originally Broadcast: September 18, 1995

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Dr. Ron Epstein

Genetically Modified Food, Part Two

Not so long ago in human history, wars were fought with sticks, slings and rocks.  Now, with the ability to modify the DNA of disease causing organisms, war is very different.  Evidence is appearing that genetically engineered war has, in fact, been used in our world.  With this program, Radio Curious will begin a series of discussions on environmental and social effects of genetically engineered war.  This program’s guest is Dr. Ron Epstein, a research professor at the Institute of World Religions in Berkeley, California, and a lecturer in the Philosophy Department at San Francisco State University in San Francisco, California.  We discussed the scientific and ethical dangers of genetic engineering.

Dr. Ron Epstein recommends "The Cobra Event," by Richard Preston & "Biotech Century," by Jeremy Rifkin.

Originally Broadcast: September 4, 1998

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Nicols Fox

Watch What You Eat

Spoiled: The Dangerous Truth About a Food Chain That Has Gone Wild

In this Halloween, 1997, edition of Radio Curious, I spoke with Nicols Fox, the journalist who has written a terribly scary book called “Spoiled: The Dangerous Truth About a Food Chain That Has Gone Wild.”  It’s truly disgusting; all those little microbes that will make you retch and die.  The food you prepare at home can poison you; when you eat at a restaurant, the food they serve you can make you retch.

Nicols Fox recommends "Water," by Alice Atwater.

Originally Broadcast: October 31, 1997

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Deborah Koons Garcia

The Future of Food

The director of, The Future of Food

“The Future of Food,” a film written and produced by Deborah Koons Garcia, discusses our food’s conflicting relationship with both mass agri-business and local agriculture.  Our discussion was conducted in the context of the passage of Mendocino County’s Measure H, banning growth of GMOs in the county.

Deborah Koons Garcia recommends "Women's Diaries fo the Westward Journey," edited by Lillian Schlissel.

Originally Broadcast: April 25, 2004

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Kevin Z. Golden

Lawsuit to Ban Genetically Modified Alfalfa

The consequences of growing genetically modified alfalfa were deteremined by the United States District Court in San Francisco, California to be so uncertain and so potentially dangerous that they were outlawed nation-wide in litigation brought by the Center for Food Safety based in San Francisco.  In this edition of Radio Curious we visit with Attorney Kevin Zelig Golden, who, along with others from the Center for Food Safety, litigated this landmark case which banned the planting of genetically modified alfalfa as of May 3, 2007.

Kevin Z. Golden recommends "Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals," by Michael Pollan.

Originally Broadcast: May 7, 2007

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Sam La Budde

Getting Dolphins Out of Tuna Nets

My guest in this program is Sam La Budde, a catalyst, if not the catalyst, in getting dolphins out of tuna nets.  He has been an activist with the Earth Island Institute and a number of other organizations.  In this conversation, we discussed the history of the dolphins, endangered species in Taiwan, and a potential economic boycott of redwood lumber.  This program was originally broadcast in September of 1992, when Radio Curious was called Government, Politics and Ideas.

Originally Broadcast: September 14, 1992

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Glenn McGourty

The Slow Food Movement

How can we assure ourselves that the food we eat is safe, nutritious and energy-efficient?  If we are what we eat, we ought to know what we will become.  That may be the concept underlying what is coming to be known as the slow food movement.  Glenn McGourty is the wine growing and plant science advisor for the University of California Cooperative Extension for Lake and Mendocino Counties in Northern California.

Glenn McGourty recommends "The Origins and Ancient History of Wine," by Patrick McGovern.

Originally Broadcast: January 4, 2005

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Eric Schlosser

Do You Really Want to Eat That?

Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal

Eric Schlosser, the author of “Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal,” writes that it is not only what is served for human consumption that plagues the country, but the art of mass marketing to children – through organized promotions and ads in school buses, hallways and even bathroom stalls – that has serious side effects in society.

Eric Schlosser recommends "New Jack," by Ted Conover.

Originally Broadcast: August 1, 2002

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