2005

Table of Contents

Following are the contents of earlier issues of the Ram's Horn. If the articles pique your interest, and you'd like to see more, please subscribe!

#234: November-December 2005 TOC
Lightning Strikes -- Brewster suddenly realizes how USAID is clearing the way for US power in Venezuela as in Africa
People's Victory in Switzerland -- Florianne Koechlin reports on the Swiss referendum for a moratorium on GMOs
PEI decides against a ban on GMOs
Terminate Terminator -- the real scoop from Pat Mooney; and a postcard campaign to the Federal Government
Feathers of Mass Destruction -- the connection between Avian Flu and intensive poultry rearing
Pork Concentrate -- Get Bigger, Get Subsidies
Soybeans and Guns in Rural Paraguay -- Kregg Heatherington reports on the sobering situation in the pampas of Latin America
Hunger Count -- Canada's food banks issue a new report showing hunger is on the rise

#233: October 2005 TOC
Food Secure Canada
The Giant Made Visible
Argentina and soja (soy) - statistics on production
Cargill Argentina - a thumbnail history
Herbicide-Resistant Weeds - Horseweed and Pigweed have both been found to resist glyphosate
'Co-existence' impossible - GM crops contaminate the countryside for up to 15 years later
Small Scale Producers - a helpful conference statement
Priceless? Not any more - selling breastmilk
Fair Trade Nestle? - the food and drink giant will now sell one line of Fair Trade coffee
We Don't Need Genetically Modified Foods - a statement from Ghana
Canada has changed the rules on food aid - now 50% can be purchased locally

#232: August/September 2005 TOC
The Right to Food
The Cargill Column: ongoing coverage of one of the world's leading corporations:
* $71.1 billion and growing
* How it grows
* If it can be turned into a commodity, Cargill will market it
Niger: Starving in the Midst of Plenty - an article from the Guardian Weekly
Does inequality really matter? - from a review by Polly Toynbee of a book by Richard Wilkinson, pointing out that it is social equity which makes populations healthy
Court Case to Proceed - the Saskatchewan farmers may pursue their class action suit against biotech giants contaminating their crops
A different view of the world: Bold New Markets - how to do well by doing good; Drugs are the Answer - anti-obesity drugs hailed as the answer to childhood obesity
"Modern, Improved Maize" and Diabetes - research shows changes in the ancient corn varieties have reduced anti-oxidants
New corn is a breed apart - fighting back against genetic contamination by breeding corn which blocks external pollination
Monsanto Watch: Patenting pigs - in a move which left even critics breathless, Monsanto has moved to patent the processes of breeding pigs; Charity - Monsanto Malawi donates $1 million to the World Food Programme; Ethics Oversight - shareholders call for an independent ethics committee for the corporation
A Note on Copyright - our wording has been changed to make it clear that we do not claim copyright 'protection' for the Ram's Horn.

#231: July 2005 TOC
The Centre Calls the Shots
Biofuel: what is the real cost-benefit?
The Myth of Development: funding from international financial institutions pretends that everyone can live like the wealthy Northerners
Organic Soy and Corn Beat Conventional: a new study proves organics better, especially in drought
PBR Legislation in Cold Storage: no new seed law in Canada -- for now
Food Sovereignty: local production is what will feed the world
Dow-Cargill partnership crumbles

#230: June 2005 TOC
Contradictions & Irrationalities
Are Plants Intelligent? - Florianne Koechlin reports from Switzerland on new research
GM Contamination Updates - compiled by Greenpeace International and GeneWatch UK
I Wonder Why? - Wal-Mart's quarterly fiscal results are poor
Meat ... and Potatoes - Canadian cattlemen realize they are too dependent on US; potato growers seek supply management of a sort
Update on EU ban on import of hormone-beef
Mastitis is a dead duck - why, because of a genetically-engineered cow, of course
Daycare protects against leukaemia - early exposure to infections
strengthens the immune system
Diet may hold key to disruption - ADHD etc. can be addressed by correct food
The Beehive Design Collective - introducing an exciting group concocting social change through public art
Indian State Uproots Monsanto - Andhra Pradesh government is congratulated by grassroots activists

#229: April/May 2005 TOC
"Sustainable Soy" - an unholy alliance of transnational agribusiness and transnational environmentalism pushes GM soy in Argentina
In Memoriam - a celebration of the life of Cathleen's mother, Anna M. Rosenberg
Cargill updates: Fertiliser and Beef
Saskatchewan Organic Farmers lose - for now: the farmers will appeal a negative ruling on their class action
Life Giving Agriculture - Brewster reports on a global forum in Korea
Confusion - the state of GE regulation in Europe is, actually, confused
Statistics of Interest
Poisoning Pigeons in the Park - Roundup is found to kill frogs
Louse-ridden farms infect wild fish - farmed salmon in BC threaten the wild stocks
University biotech critic reinstated, given tenure - Ignacio Chapela returns to the University of California, Berkeley

#228: March 2005 TOC
Avoiding Risk: the CFIA avoids precaution in meat processing
Time to blow the whistle on the CFIA: BSE; Avian Flu; Terminator Technology; Slaughterhouse Regulation
Ripe for Attack: US businessmen recognize the vulnerability of integrated food system
Chiquita McDonald? Chiquita buys Fresh Express, sells salad and fruit to McD
Corporate Profile: Unilever -- some background on the global food giant
The retail food police: moratorium is now lifted, stores can label GE food
Potatoes: Not an amusing diversion - PEI farmers are asked to dump potatoes; Organic option - blight resistant varieties developed in Europe; Why vaccination by potato got chopped
Hungry Pigs: a proponent of factory farming changes heart
More trade, more toxins: Chilean farm workers suffer from export crop production
Globalization tidbits
Stop changes to Plant Breeders Rights! - a letter to her MP from a Nova Scotia subscriber

#227: January - February 2005
Never, No, Never Look Upstream: Immune systems, Avian Flu and natural disasters
Capital Rules: The Sask Wheat Pool slips into its grave
Bring Back the Bison: grassland beef as a strategy to reduce obesity
"Cinnamon Toast" - the fine points of "Intellectual Property": Kellogg sues General Mills over language and labels
Forum on Privatization and the Public Domain: update
Monsanto and Cargill update