Sorry about that our email is running very slow today and as we work dispersed across the UK it can be tricky to keep in su=synch!
best wishes
>Many thanks! I've actually already posted it there! great service by the way.. i really
>appreciate receiving news from Alpha Gallileo.
>
>Kind regards
>
>Jim Thomas
>
>Peter Green wrote:
>
>> We would be pleased to carry this on AlphaGalileo (www.alphagalileo.org). To do this
>please register, it is currently free and then once you are accepted post via the online
>form.
>>
>> Best wishes
>>
>> >Please find below an invitation to a Press Briefing to be held in London
>> >next Tuesday, May 27, on Nanotechnology - The state of the technology
>> >and its implications for policy makers, scientists and consumers. (Full
>> >text follows this meassage in plain text format)
>> >
>> >I very much hope you will be able to attend - or send someone else in
>> >your stead if the short notice makes this impossible. Please get in
>> >touch if we can provide further information or help in other way.
>> >
>> >Kind regards,
>> >
>> >
>> >Jim Thomas - European Programme Manager, ETC Group.
>> >c/o The Ethical Property Company, 9 Park End Street, Oxford,
>> >Oxfordshire, OX1 1HH,
>> >Phone: +44 (0)1865 207818
>> >Mobile:+44 (0)7752 106806
>> >email: [log in to unmask]
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >Ben Duncan
>> >Green MEPs' Press Officer
>> >Suite 58, The Hop Exchange, 24 Southwark Street, London SE1 1TY
>> >020 7407 6280 (tel)
>> >0776 997 0691 (mob)
>> >020 7234 0183 (fax)
>> >[log in to unmask]
>> >
>> >---------------
>> >
>> >
>> >PRESS NOTICE
>> >>From the office of the Green MEPs
>> >
>> >
>> >21 May, 2003
>> >
>> >MEDIA INVITATION: GETTING PAST 'GREY GOO'
>> >- A PRESS BRIEFING ON NANOTECHNOLOGY
>> >
>> >Event: Getting Past Grey Goo - A Press Briefing About
>> >Nanotechnology
>> >Time: Tuesday, May 27th, 2003, 10.30-11.30am
>> >Place: UK Office of the European Parliament, Queen Anne's Gate,
>> >London
>> >WC1
>> >Panel: Dr Caroline Lucas MEP
>> > Pat Mooney - Executive Director ETC Group
>> > Dr Vyvyan Howard - Senior toxicology lecturer, Univ. of
>> >Liverpool (TBC)
>> > Jim Thomas - ETC Group (UK)
>> >
>> >EURO-MP Caroline Lucas and a civil society panel are to host a press
>> >briefing on the future of nanotechnology at the London office of the
>> >European Parliament next Tuesday, May 27th 2003.
>> >
>> >Thanks to recent media interest in 'The Grey Goo problem' we've all now
>> >heard of nanotechnology. Prince Charles is concerned about it. Science
>> >Minister, Lord Sainsbury, doesn't see any problems with it. The
>> >Astronomer Royal thinks it might annihilate the planet. Tony Blair
>> >thinks it's the future of British Science. A cabinet taskforce has
>> >warned the Government it needs to regulate the technology. Lord
>> >Sainsbury (again) disagrees - he says it doesn't need any special
>> >regulations. A Nobel Prize winner for nanotech research has told the
>> >Prince of Wales to 'stop reading silly books'. The former technology
>> >advisor to Bill Clinton has called it 'evil'. So what's the real story?
>> >
>> >On June 11 the European Parliament is to host the first ever
>> >international seminar for policy-makers, scientists and industry to
>> >discuss what the coming industrial revolution in nanotechnology could
>> >really mean for society, environment and the future of democracy.
>> >
>> >Three of the speakers for that event will be in London on Tuesday 27th
>> >May to discuss the brewing storm over nanotechnology (see 'Charting the
>> >Nano Debate', attached), clarify some of the key issues and answer
>> >questions on the state of the technology and concerns over its
>> >implications. You are welcome to join them for coffee - and to see some
>> >of the nanotechnology products already commercially available.
>> >
>> >Dr Lucas said: "The proponents of nanotech - mainly those biotech and
>> >military businesses with most to gain from it - claim it will bring a
>> >brave new world free from poverty, hunger and drudgery.
>> >
>> >"The truth would be laughable if it wasn't so tragic: current nanotech
>> >projects include transparent sunscreen, self-cleaning glass, ever-more
>> >destructive weaponry and stain-resistant clothes.
>> >
>> >"Where nanotechnology research is concerned with food it is concerned
>> >not with distribution or affordability but 'efficiency gains' and
>> >profitability - and will do nothing to alleviate hunger. Medical
>> >research is concerned with 'lifestyle' afflictions of the wealthy, not
>> >the epidemics killing millions in the developing world every year. The
>> >reason is simple to grasp: neither the hungry nor the poor will ever be
>> >able to pay for the billions already invested in nanotech research.
>> >
>> >"Like GM before it, nanotech is about providing a highly profitable
>> >"techno fix" for the problems of the affluent rather then addressing the
>> >root causes of inequality, poverty, hunger or disease.
>> >
>> >"What nanotech's enthusiasts are not telling us, however, are the grave
>> >risks it poses to the environment, human health and consumer choice."
>> >
>> >Expert Panel
>> >
>> >Pat Mooney - Pat Mooney is Executive Director of ETC Group, a civil
>> >society organization that currently leads international concerns about
>> >Nanotechnology. They have called for a moratorium on Nanotech
>> >development. In the early eighties it was ETC group (then known as RAFI,
>> >the Rural Advancement Foundation International) who initiated civil
>> >society concerns about GM food and farming, 'biopiracy' (the theft of
>> >genetic resources from poorer countries) and patents on life. Later they
>> >successfully forced Monsanto to drop controversial sterile seed
>> >technologies (dubbed 'terminator
>> >seeds' by RAFI). Author of several books on genetic resources, Mooney is
>> >a past winner of the Right Livelihood Award (Alternative Nobel Prize) as
>> >well as the Giraffe Award ('for people who stick their neck out') and
>> >recent awards by Project Censored and the World Social Forum. Well known
>> >as a rousing speaker, he was also lead author of ' The Big Down' - a
>> >civil society report on Nanotechnology widely cited as responsible for
>> >Prince Charles interest in the issue.
>> >
>> >Dr Caroline Lucas - Green Party MEP for South-East England and the
>> >Green/EFA group's spokesperson on nanotechnology. Dr Lucas is a member
>> >of the European Parliament's Environment Committee and the Industry
>> >Trade, reseacha nd Energy Committee and is an expert on EU policy on
>> >Genetic Engineering. She served as vice-president of the European
>> >Parliament's Committee of Inquiry into the UK's 2001 Foot and Mouth
>> >Disease epidemic.
>> >
>> >Dr Vyvyan Howard (University of Liverpool) is a well-respected
>> >toxicologist and immediate past president of the Royal Microscopy
>> >Society. He edited the first ever collection of scientific papers to
>> >address the toxicity of nanoparticles and recently undertook an updated
>> >literature survey into nanoparticle toxicity, which highlighted serious
>> >risks associated with synthetic nanomaterials.
>> >
>> >Jim Thomas is European Programme Manager for ETC group - based in
>> >Oxford, UK. He is co-ordinating the upcoming European Seminar on
>> >societal impacts of Nanotechnology to be held in the European Parliament
>> >on June 11th. For more details see www.etcgroup.org
>> >
>> >For more information please contact:
>> > Ben Duncan on 020 7407 6280, 07973 823358 or [log in to unmask]
>> >Jim Thomas ( ETC Group) 07752 106806 or [log in to unmask]
>> >
>> >
>> >www.carolinelucasmep.org.uk
>> >www.etcgroup.org
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >Charting the Nano debate
>> >
>> >Dec 2002
>> >- Michael Crichton, author of Jurassic Park, releases
>> >hardback of 'Prey', - thriller about killer nanoparticles out of control
>> >- in Christmas top 10 sellers list.
>> >
>> >Jan 2003
>> >- Red Herring, influential tech investment magazine
>> >identifies "the Backlash against Nanotech" as one of its Top Ten Trends
>> >for 2003.
>> >- Civil Society Group ETC Group release The Big Down, -
>> >First comprehensive critical report on nanotech from civil society
>> >perspective - they call for a Moratorium on Nanotech.
>> >
>> >Feb 2003
>> >- UK based Journal of Nanotechnology carries warning from
>> >Bioethicist Peter Singer that a dangerous gap is growing between ethics,
>> >public concerns on nanotech and the researchers and nanotech industry.
>> >- The Cabinet office better regulation task force report on
>> >scientific research warns that the UK government urgently needs to show
>> >it has regulation in place to deal with the safety issues associated
>> >with nanotechnology. Editorial in Nature.
>> >- US National Science Foundation increases annual funding
>> >to Nanotech by 10% to around 850 million dollars per year at a time when
>> >all other budgets are being cut. This makes nanotechnology best funded
>> >technology since the space race.
>> >- UK high street shops start selling stain resistant
>> >nanotech trousers. (with Teflon nanoparticles)
>> >
>> >March
>> >- Some of first ever studies into synthetic nanoparticle
>> >toxicity are presented at American Chemistry Society Annual Meeting
>> >showing toxicity problems with carbon nanotubes.
>> >- Royal Institution holds one day public seminar of 300
>> >participants aimed at framing the coming debate on nanotechnology.
>> >- Survey of existing literature on Nanoparticle Toxicity by
>> >Dr Vyvyan Howard is published by ETC Group. Concludes that nanoparticles
>> >as a class tend to be more toxic than larger particles irrespective of
>> >material. Findings unchallenged.
>> >
>> >April / May
>> >- Astronomer Royal Sir Martin Rees releases book '50/50
>> >chance' , in which he warns of total annihilation by nanotechnology as a
>> >likely doomsday scenario by end of the century.
>> >- The Ecologist runs special issue on nanotechnology -
>> >contributions by civil society groups including Greenpeace, ETC group,
>> >ITDG and others.
>> >- Prince Charles is reported as having concerns about
>> >nanotechnology, asking Royal Society to recommend expert meeting. Leads
>> >to a spate of articles, discussions, headlines on 'Grey Goo'. Prince
>> >Charles attacked by Science establishment (eg Aaron Klug, Harry Kroto,
>> >Ian Gibson)
>> >- Science minister Lord Sainsbury defends nanotechnology on
>> >Today Programme claiming the technology raises no important issues in
>> >the short term and is already properly regulated.
>> >- Ian Gibson MP announces that The Commons Science and
>> >Technology Committee will look into nanotechnology issues.
>> >
>> >Upcoming:
>> >- UK Government to respond to better regulation task force.
>> >
>> >- Greenpeace to release report prepared by Imperial
>> >College, surveying current work on Nanotechnology and thereby entering
>> >into the debate.
>> >- European Seminar on societal implications of
>> >nanotechnology to be held in European Parliament Brussels sponsored by
>> >cross-party group of MEP's and involving civil society, press and
>> >policymakers from across Europe (inc UK) with view to initiating
>> >regulations (June 11)
>> >- US department of Agriculture to release report on their
>> >plans\ for Agri nanotech in advance of WTO preparation meeting on
>> >Agriculture in Sacramento.
>> >- World Nano Economic Congress to be held in London (Nov
>> >3-5).
>> >- Towards end of year - book on dangers of nanotechnology
>> >by Bill Joy, Founder of Sun Microsystems (former technology advisor to
>> >Bill Clinton).
>> >- End of 2003/ early 2004- opening of Movie based on
>> >Crichton' "Prey".
>> >
>> >**********************************************************************
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