February 2, 2001
		Anti-Biotech Activists to Converge in Chicago As the consumer revolt against genetically engineered (GE) foods quickly gains momentum, environmental, consumer, and food safety groups are devoting more and more resaources to fight the biotech menace. Now, more than eighty of these groups have joined together to form a coalition called the Genetic Engineering Action Network (GEAN). GEAN is taking on the joint task of educating the public about the dangers of GE foods, and bringing activists together to share tools for countering the vast propoganda of the biotech industry. This month, dozens of these activists will meet in Chicago for a weekend of workshops and general idea sharing. The weekend events are limited to GEAN activists, but the first event of the weekend will be a free public forum that is open to the public. The public forum will take place at the Apparel Center in the Merchandise Mart in downtown Chicago on Friday, February 16 from 6:30 to 9:30 pm. One of the evening's speakers is Percy Schmeiser, a Canadian farmer who made headlines when Monsanto illegally searched his land and found GE crops. The seeds from these crops had, in fact, blown onto his land from passing trucks and were ruining his crops. Still, Monsanto provoked a contrversial court battle by suing him to pay the biotech giant for the very same seeds. Other speakers include Dr. Samuel Epstein, and expert on the dangers of rBGH dairy; Dr. Marsha Darling, an ethics professor and critic of biotech's "intellectual property rights" on living organisms; Chaia Heller, from the Institute for Social Ecology, who was active in the resistance against genetic engineering in France; and Dr. Gregor Wolbring, an expert on bioethics, particularly in the realm of people with disabilities. The moderator is Brian Tokar, author of the book, Redesigning Life?, and a longtime critic of genetic engineering. For anyone wishing to gain an understanding of genetic engineering, this public forum is a must. To learn more, visit GEaction.org.