1. Protesters plan to swarm San Diego biotech convention
Gene-altered foods top demonstrators' list of concerns
2. The LATEST "Beyond Biodevastation" Schedule (includes Luke Anderson, Jim Thomas, Rowan Tilly)
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1. Protesters plan to swarm San Diego biotech convention Gene-altered foods top demonstrators' list of concerns
Tom Abate
Monday, June 18, 2001 San Francisco Chronicle
Genetically engineered foods could cause indigestion when the Biotechnology Industry Organization holds its annual convention in San Diego. Even before the scientists, executives and financiers begin arriving on Sunday, thousands of activists are expected to hit the streets in what is becoming an annual protest.
At the BIO conference in Boston last year, demonstrators dumped genetically engineered soybeans as 2,500 people rallied peacefully against everything from gene patents to the price of medicines. This year, activists hope for twice that turnout as biotech becomes a poster child for the science-driven global economy they find scary.
"If I look at corporate globalization, biotech is one of the most insidious (examples)," said John Sellers, 34, director of the Ruckus Society, an activist group in Oakland. "I don't think anyone's as audacious as these companies, to carry on this unchecked experiment with the entire planet. It's like a science fiction movie, but we're in it."
Sellers was among a handful of activists who spent 90 minutes explaining why people such as himself are so worried about biotechnology that they'll come from all over the world to protest in San Diego.
It didn't take long to figure out the big draw. "Most of the people (coming to) San Diego are stirred about food," said Kimberly Wilson, 26, with the Greenpeace office in San Francisco where we met a week ago. She said the protest has been fueled by the refusal of industry and government authorities to require that genetically engineered foods be labeled.
"We view genetically engineered foods as having the potential for the largest environmental disaster in human history," said fellow Greenpeacer Jeanne Merrill, 29, who raised the specter that herbicide-resistance genes, bioengineered into crops, would pollinate wild plants to create super-weeds.
Biotech foods won't be the only protest issue. Paul Billings, with the Council for Responsible Genetics, a Massachusetts group that has spoken out on issues ranging from embryo research to gene patents, said he'll be coming to San Diego to poke holes in biotech's image.
"Part of the ticket biotech has used to get into its exalted position in the public psyche is science," said Billings, 48, a physician and geneticist. "But there's a lot of uncertainties in science and a growing skepticism about certain aspects of applied science in the service of industry."
But food seems to be the meat and potatoes of the protest. This is a movement that sees genetically engineered crops as the latest corporate effort to replace the family farm with industrialized agriculture. Now pollen drifting over from the fields of genetically engineered crops have the potential to contaminate organic fields and wipe out the price premium their products should fetch, said Skip Spitzer of the Pesticide Action Network.
"I again encourage you to look at the farmer impacts," Spitzer, 37, wrote in an e-mail. "Impacts (of biotech foods) on growers is an area that is far more immediate and consequential than health and environmental issues."
But it wasn't my mission to evaluate or investigate these claims, simply to understand and explain the concerns that are making biotech increasingly controversial in some quarters.
I also wanted to satisfy a personal curiosity about what I call America's left-brain, right-brain dichotomy over biotechnology.
America's left brain is frightened by Frankenfoods. While writing this column I got a call from a massage therapist in Marin who was pretty certain that soybean oil would contain traces of genetically engineered proteins. The therapist, who works with babies, thought the soybean oil might prompt an allergic reaction. She said she would continue using organic olive oil.
America's right brain is fixated on the human embryo. In recent weeks I've tracked the controversy over embryonic stem cells. Biotech firms and university scientists say these cells could be used to create spare body parts.
Anti-abortion groups have done their best to thwart this research because they consider the embryo legally human.
Why, I wondered aloud, were the protesters coming to San Diego more attuned to the genetic engineering of soybeans than to what seems like a step toward the genetic engineering of humans?
"We have genetically engineered foods out there in the marketplace," Merrill said. "Thankfully we don't have designer babies yet. Food is the thing that's out there now."
I asked whether the protest would turn violent.
"Some members of the media are hoping for a fight," said Sellers, whose Ruckus Society has become the tactical backbone of the protest movement.
Since 1995, Ruckus has run training camps for protesters. It was Ruckus volunteers who pulled off some of the most visible stunts at the 1999 World Trade Organization meeting in Seattle. Last month, Ruckus trained activists for San Diego. "We don't want to get into a tactical fight with the police," Sellers said. "Most everyone I talk to who is coming out there wants this to be about our world view versus their incredibly short-sighted corporate world view.
"We want more local economies, producing goods in more labor-intensive ways that give people a purpose," Sellers said.
Philosophically I like the idea of local economies, but I have trouble understanding how any force could reverse current trends in agriculture, which produce more food with less labor, providing busy urbanites like me the convenience of frozen foods and microwave ovens. "We don't see the supermarket cheap-food model as the good life," Spitzer said, adding, "whatever the good life is, it doesn't have to do with corporations having the same degree of control they have today."
The protesters continually cycled back to this fear of global corporate power. In this regard, biotech seemed to me the wrong target. Biotech companies are like flies. Yes, there's a swarm of them, but so what? Why not tackle Detroit? Automakers are bigger, more global and hardly paragons of progress.
"Biotech is about commodifying life forms, it's about control over nature, it gets to people on a deeper level," Wilson said. "It's not like making a car. "
For more about the protest, visit the Web site www.biodev.org.
©2001 San Francisco Chronicle Page B - 1
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2. The LATEST "Beyond Biodevastation" Schedule - version 7
Note: This schedule is still subject to change.
The next and FINAL version will be a printed version available at First Unitarian Universalist Church in San Diego, California, Friday, June 22, 2001
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"Beyond Biodevastation"- The Fifth Grassroots Gathering to Celebrate Biodiversity and Question Genetic Engineering Teach-In, June 22-23, 2001, San Diego, California, USA
*indicates the presentation runs at the same time as the other presentation(s) in the same time slot
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Friday, June 22 at First Unitarian Universalist Church of San Diego 4190 Front Street San Diego
2:00 p.m. Registration opens
3:30-5:30 p.m.
* Food Issues - panel/workshop - Food First's Dr. Peter Rosset and Canada's Brewster and Cathleen Kneen (co-editors, The Ramshorn and experts on the food system)
* Farm Issues - panel/workshop - Bill Wenzel (Farmer-to-Farmer Campaign), John Kinsman (Family Farm Defenders/NFFC), Bill Christison (National Family Farm Coalition), Percy Schmeiser (Canadian farmer sued by Monsanto), Ted Quaday (Farm Aid), moderator
5:30 -6:30 p.m.
* Dinner
* G.E. Storytelling/Comedic Wisdom - Carter Brooks
Music - Prince Mishkin Band
* Organizational Materials, Books, Tee Shirts and Posters
6:30 - 7:00 p.m.
Welcome and Overview - Brian Tokar (Institute for Social Ecology) and Beth Burrows (Edmonds Institute)
7:00 - 8:30 p.m.
* Science and Genetic Engineering - panel/workshop - Dr. Ricarda Steinbrecher (UK Nexus group), Dr. Martha Crouch (formerly of University of Indiana, expert on "terminator"), and Brian Tokar (ISE), moderating
* Organics and Other Alternatives - panel/workshop - Marc Lipson (Organic Farming Research Foundation), Brian Leahy (California Certified Organic Farmers), Claire Cummings (Food and Farm Forum), and Vandana Shiva (Research Foundation for Science, Technology, and Ecology, India)
8:30 - 10:00 p.m.
* Biowarfare - Edward Hammond and Susana Pimiento (both of the Sunshine Project) - workshop in Spanish and English
* Human Genetic Engineering - Dr. Marcy Darnovsky (The Exploratory Initiative on the New Human Genetic Technologies), Dr. Paul Billings (Council for Responsible Genetics), Andrew Imparato (American Association for People with Disabilities)
* Patents, Biopiracy, and Globalization - Vandana Shiva (Research Foundation for Science, Technology, and Ecology), Andrew Kimbrell (Center for Technology Assessment and Center for Food Safety), Victoria Tauli-Corpuz (Director of the Indigenous Peoples' Center for Policy Research and Education, The Philippines and member of the Third World Network), Andrés Barreda (Professor, UNAM, Mexico), Chaia Heller (Institute for Social Ecology), and Beth Burrows (Edmonds Institute), moderating - workshop in Spanish and English
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Saturday, June 23 at Starlight Bowl Balboa Park San Diego
8:30 a.m. Registration opens
9:30 a.m. Warmup music with folksinger Peg Millet
10:00 Food First's Dr. Peter Rosset,emcee - starts with a general overview of the day's program and the problems of genetic engineering - in English and in Spanish
10:15 Migale Offerman, representative of San Diego Organizing Group - welcomes the audience -in English and in Spanish - to San Diego and thanks all who helped on the event
10:25 Jim Hightower, "America's most popular populist" (and writer, editor, and former Texas Commissioner of Agriculture) - on genetic engineering and the corporate world and democracy
10:50 Food Issues - presentations from: Andrew Kimbrell (Center for Food Safety), John Kinsman (Family Farm Defenders/ NFFC), Bill Christison (National Family Farm Coalition), and Percy Schmeiser (Canadian farmer being sued by Monsanto for having their genes in his crops)
11:50 Steve Wilson & Jane Akre, Goldman Award-winning reporters who fought a Florida television station (and Monsanto) for the right to report their findings on recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH) honestly
12:10 p.m. Brasil/Brazil Band - with Ana Gazzola, Sonia Santos, Kevin Kearney, Crecco Buratto, Fernando Raio, Cristiano Bertolucci, Claudinho Smile, and Bené da Silva
1:00 emcees Beth Burrows (Edmonds Institute) and Brian Tokar (Institute for Social Ecology) - overview of international, political, and ethical implications of the afternoon's issues
1:05 Victoria Tauli-Corpuz (Director of the Indigenous Peoples' Center for Policy Research and Education, The Philippines and member of the Third World Network) on biopiracy and on indigenous perspectives on genetic engineering
1:25 Vandana Shiva (ecologist/author/activist and Director, Research Foundation for Science, Technology, and Ecology, India) - on Biodiversity, Genetic Engineering, and Globalization - followed by questions from the audience
2:00 Music interlude - with folksinger Peg Millet
*2:05 Activist Responses around the World to Genetic Engineering - with:
Skip Spitzer (PANNA)
Luke Anderson (UK author and activist)
Jim Thomas (Greenpeace,UK)
Rowan Tilly - (genetix snowball,UK)
Lucy Sharratt (Polaris Institute and Sierra Club, Canada)
Craig Winters (Campaign to Label Genetically Engineered Food)
Anne Petermann (Native Forest Network)
Susana Pimiento (The Sunshine Project)
Karen Kallman (South African Freeze Alliance on Genetic Engineering)
* 3:50 Joel Rafael Band - with Carl Johnson, Jamaica Rafael, Jeff Berkley, and Joel Rafael
* 4:35 Andrew J. Imparato (President and CEO, American Association of People with Disabilities) - A Disability Perspective on Human Genetic Engineering
* 4:55 Andrew Kimbrell (Director, Center for Technology Assessment and Center for Food Safety, lawyer, and author) - Patents, Commodification, and Globalization
* 5:15 Chaia Heller (Institute for Social Ecology) - The Corporate Picture and Beyond
* 5:35 Closing announcements, thank yous, reminders about the evening workshops.
Note: Everyone and everything must be out of the Starlight Bowl by 6 p.m.
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Saturday, June 23 at San Diego City College 1313 12th Avenue San Diego
(Note: Some of these workshops run concurrently with events at the Starlight Bowl in Balboa Park.)
2:30 pm
* GMOs Force-Fed to Nicaragua - a workshop with Morgan Guyton (Nicaragua Network)
* Legal Observer Training - a workshop with Kate Yavenditti (National Lawyer's Guild, San Diego), Mica Spencer (National Lawyer's Guild, San Diego), and Mimi LaValley (BioJustice Legal Team)
* WTO for Activists - a workshop with Kristin Dawkins and Neil Sorensen (IATP)
4:15 pm
* Grassroots Organizing - a workshop with Jeanne Merrill (Greenpeace) and Simon Harris (Organic Consumers Association)
* Legislative Campaign Efforts to Fight Biotechnology - a workshop with Craig Winters (Campaign to Label Genetically Engineered Food), Dr. Marcy Darnovsky (Exploratory Initiative on the New Human Genetic Technologies) and Lucy Sharratt (Polaris Institute and Sieera Club of Canada)
* Facilitation Skills - a workshop with Skip Spitzer (Pesticide Action Network, North America and Santa Cruz Direct Action Network)
* GE Trees: Facilitating the Frankentree Failure - a workshop with Mark Des Marets (Northwest Resistance Against Genetic Engineering, Global Alliance Against Genetically Engineered Trees) and Anne Peterman (Native Forest Network)
6:00 - 7:30 pm
* Activist Responses to Genetic Engineering around the World - the discussion continues, with the audience and:
Skip Spitzer (PANNA)
Luke Anderson (UK author and activist)
Jim Thomas (Greenpeace,UK)
Rowan Tilly - (genetiX snowball,UK)
Lucy Sharratt (Polaris Institute and Sierra Club, Canada)
Craig Winters (Campaign to Label Genetically Engineered Food)
Anne Petermann (Native Forest Network)
Susana Pimiento (The Sunshine Project)
Karen Kallman (South African Freeze Alliance on Genetic Engineering)
* Science and Genetic Engineering - a workshop with Dr. Ricarda Steinbrecher (UK EcoNexus group), Dr. Martha Crouch (formerly of University of Indiana, expert on "terminator"), and Brian Tokar (Institute for Social Ecology), moderating
* Farm Issues - panel/workshop with Ted Quaday (Farm Aid), John Kinsman (Family Farm Defenders/NFFC), Bill Christison (National Family Farmers Coalition), Percy Schmeiser (Canadian farmer sued by Monsanto)
* Biopiracy and the Geopolitics of Natural Resources in North America - a workshop/lecture with Andrés Barreda, Professor of Economic at UNAM (Mexico City, Mexico) - This workshop will be in Spanish. (Translation into English will be available.)
7:30 - 9:00
* Human Genetic Engineering - workshop with Dr. Marcy Darnovsky (The Exploratory Initiative on the New Human Genetic Technologies), Britt Bailey (Center for Ethics and Toxics), Dr. Paul Billings (Council for Responsible Genetics), Andrew Imparato (American Association for People with Disabilities)
* Biowarfare - workshop with Edward Hammond and Susana Pimiento (of the Sunshine Project)
* Food Issues - The Issues and the Alternatives - panel/workshop with Food First's Peter Rossett, Canada's Brewster and Cathleen Kneen (of The Ramshorn), Brian Leahy (California Certified Organic Farmers), and Claire Cummings (Food and Farm Forum)
* Protesting Bad Things like Bio-Engineering is Important - Creating Life Support Sustaining Economies is the Solution - with Jim Bell (Ecological Life Systems Institute)
9:00 p.m.
Patents, Biopiracy, and Globalization - workshop with Vandana Shiva (Research Foundation for Science, Technology, and Ecology), Andrew Kimbrell (Center for Technology Assessment and Center for Food Safety), Victoria Tauli-Corpuz (Director of the Indigenous Peoples' Center for Policy Research and Education, The Philippines and member of the Third World Network), Chaia Heller (Institute for Social Ecology), and Beth Burrows (Edmonds Institute), moderating
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Cosponsors of the "Beyond Biodevastation" Teach-In include: Environmental Health Coalition, Environmental Action Committee/First Universalist Unitarian Church of San Diego, Youth Action Network, Street Liberation Art Project, Ocean Beach People's Food Co-op, Edmonds Institute, Institute for Social Ecology, California Certified Organic Farmers, Pesticide Action Network/North America, Organic Consumers Association, Genetic Engineering Action Network, Campaign to Label Genetically Engineered Food, GE Free L.A., Greenpeace USA, Genetically Engineered Food Alert, Food First, Ruckus Society, Alliance for BioIntegrity, Center for Food Safety, Berkeley Ecology Center, Mothers and Others, EarthSave International, and all the other people whose hard work and generous donations made "The Fifth Grassroots Gathering to Celebrate Biodiversity and Question Genetic Engineering" possible.
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"GM crops are not interesting for the consumers or the farmers but only to a handful of multinational companies" - José Bové speaking in Norfolk this week
"Multinationals are trying to take the farmers hostage" - François Dufour of Confédération Paysanne speaking in Norfolk this week
"Like I said before, I would rather be fishing with my grand kids than fighting this but by golly somebody, somewhere, sometime has to take a stand" - Percy Schmeiser speaking in Norfolk at the 2020 ‘Feeding or Fooling the World?’ debate