If you are a person in Northern Ontario that is concerned about food and farming, you definitely won't want to miss this!
Food, Inc. is going to be screening in North Bay's Galaxy Cinema on Wednesday October 21st, 2009 at 7:30 pm. The show is being hosted by North Bay Film {go check out their webby for other awesome movies coming to town!}.
This blurb is from North Bay Films info page about Food, Inc.
In Food, Inc., filmmaker Robert Kenner lifts the veil on our nation’s food industry, exposing the highly mechanized underbelly that has been hidden from the American consumer with the consent of our government’s regulatory agencies, USDA and FDA. Our nation’s food supply is now controlled by a handful of corporations that often put profit ahead of consumer health, the livelihood of the American farmer, the safety of workers and our own environment. We have bigger-breasted chickens, the perfect pork chop, herbicide-resistant soybean seeds, even tomatoes that won’t go bad, but we also have new strains of E. coli—the harmful bacteria that causes illness for an estimated 73,000 Americans annually. We are riddled with widespread obesity, particularly among children, and an epidemic level of diabetes among adults.
For folks who are interested in the politics of food and agri-business, as well as homesteading, you will definitely want to check out these two documentaries!
First up is Food, Inc. (if you are familiar with the title, then you may have already read the book). Here is a small blurb about the movie from the website:
In Food, Inc., filmmaker Robert Kenner lifts the veil on our nation's food industry, exposing the highly mechanized underbelly that has been hidden from the American consumer with the consent of our government's regulatory agencies, USDA and FDA. Our nation's food supply is now controlled by a handful of corporations that often put profit ahead of consumer health, the livelihood of the American farmer, the safety of workers and our own environment. We have bigger-breasted chickens, the perfect pork chop, insecticide-resistant soybean seeds, even tomatoes that won't go bad, but we also have new strains of E. coli—the harmful bacteria that causes illness for an estimated 73,000 Americans annually. We are riddled with widespread obesity, particularly among children, and an epidemic level of diabetes among adults.
Featuring interviews with such experts as Eric Schlosser (Fast Food Nation), Michael Pollan (The Omnivore's Dilemma, In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto) along with forward thinking social entrepreneurs like Stonyfield's Gary Hirshberg and Polyface Farms' Joel Salatin, Food, Inc. reveals surprising—and often shocking truths—about what we eat, how it's produced, who we have become as a nation and where we are going from here.
You can view the trailer below.
Next is Homegrown Revolution, which is a documentary made by the folks at Path to Freedom. And here is a small blurb about the movie and an introductory disclaimer from the website:
In the midst of densely urban downtown Pasadena, radical change is taking root. For over twenty years, the Dervaes family has been transforming their home into an urban homestead. They harvest three tons of organic food annually from their 1/10 acre garden, while incorporating back-to-basics practices, solar energy and biodiesel.
The original version of Homegrown Revolution was made in three days for a lecture Jules Dervaes gave at the University of California Los Angeles in October 2007 on the topic of Slow Food. It received a wildly enthusiastic response from the students and, subsequently, attracted an avid following on YouTube, with over 135,000 views to date. This is a simple film short that introduces the Dervaes Family Urban Homestead. Please note this is NOT feature-length. This short film might be best grouped with other films or part of a community event / gardening club / meetings, etc. RUNTIME: 15:44.
The Canadian Horse, as it's name suggests is uniquely Canadian; and just like the 'average' Canadian person, this horse tends to be very hardy, level-headed, and of course, beautiful ;)
According to Cherry Creek Canadians (which by the way has gone through pain-staking action to record the history and lines of the breed, as well as preserving it), Canadian Horses are descendants from 'the best horses from King Louis IVX stables' and 'they were sent to Canada by the King to reward his best men who had gone to settle the "new world", between 1665 - 1670'.
At one time it was so numerous and popular, that in the 1800's there was more than 150,000 of them, and they were used to improve other breeds such as the Standardbred, Morgan, and Tennessee Walker. Unfortunately with the onslaught of industrialization, the breed numbers fell, and by the 1950's they were almost extinct.
The Canadian Horse Heritage and Preservation Society (CHHAPS) is an organization that is dedicated to raising awareness about the Canadian Horse. On their site they quote a study (DNA Detectives, 1998 Canadian Horse Annual) that states, 'the Canadian, bred in isolation for so long, does still appear to be genetically distinct from the popular racing and riding breeds, reinforcing the need to give high priority to its conservation'.
With the hard work of dedicated lovers of this breed, the numbers are once again climbing; there are now approximately 6,000 around the world, which is an increase from about 400 in the 1970's. And in 2002, the Canadian was made the national horse of Canada by the federal government.
I would just love to see this breed make a real comeback, not only because I adore horses, but because I think that they can be extremely beneficial. They are a multi-discipline breed that is smart, very strong (it is not called the Little Iron Horse for nothing!), with great temperaments. I can see them posing some real solutions when it comes to farming, transportation, as well as pleasure.
For more information on the breed, check out these webbys:
