YAWN!

"In the virtual world, we virtually promise everything but deliver virtually nothing."

Aliens!

Is our quest for better food creating aliens hostile and powerful enough to overwhelm the environment? In our desire to create an apple without a wormhole are we about to upset nature's apple cart?

Whither liberalisation

THE SOVEREIGNITY SLOGAN

Wisdom from an obscure archipelago

Ask anyone to locate Papua New Guinea on a map and there are very good chances that he or she wouldn't know where to start. Till recently, Papua New Guinea was a relatively obscure archipelago on the western rim of the Pacific. Portuguese colonisers first landed on the island in the 16th century, followed by hordes of the Dutch, the Germans, the British and finally, the Australians, but the colonising was done far from the world's attention.

Three sides to every story

Fears over seed patents are exaggerated

Farmers split on merits of Dunkel proposals

THE SEEDS sowed by Arthur Dunkel are beginning to sprout discord. Farmers are split on the merits of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) proposals to patent plants and genes. After initial hostility to the Dunkel draft, some farmers now say it's good for them.

Book review: Jungle Capitalists

Changing diets

In credible India

Sometimes, a fortnight can mirror a year. With the year-end approaching, a flashback is usually in order. But recent events have made completely clear to me where we are and where we are headed.

Musical critiques US corporations

The cultish power of big corporations has found expression in films, even angry documentaries. It's theatre now. But Walmartopia, a musical satire travelling to towns in the us, is meant for an upscale audience that would never set foot in a Wal-Mart. But its point is well made only because Wal-Mart has become a symbol of corporate venality.