NY Medical College cell biologist Stuart Newman -- one of the leading scientists standing in opposition to genetic engineering -- will be speaking in Berkeley on June 6th, 2013 at the "East Bay Conversations: The Promises and Perils of Biotechnology" (EBC).
http://www.fibershed.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/synbiowatch_poster-EBC.pdf
Stuart -- who in my opinion is one of the most brilliant and politically radical scientists of our time -- will be talking (in conversation with local EBC host, Milton Reynolds of Facing History and Ourselves) on the topic of recent developments in human genetic engineering:
The series is an arm of SynBioWatch, a collaborative of civil society groups hoping to foster public awareness and oversight of highly consequential emerging biotechnologies.
The events will be livestreamed on both SynBioWatch.org and Pacifica's KPFA.org.
I urge Californians (and visitors) to attend and participate in this event, or to listen on-line.
Three years ago I interviewed Stuart Newman for my radio show "Steal This Radio". After a brief greeting with my daughter, Malika, on her then 21-year birthday, Stuart takes us on a 50-minute tour de force through developmental biology, the function of the gene (and challenges to common approaches), and his very informed critique of the mechanisms of Darwinian evolution (and the philosophy of Richard Dawkins, among others).
I just listened to that show again -- what a wealth of information! Stuart really cleans out those cobwebs in your brain, sets one's mind chugging! You can listen to it here, and feel free to rebroadcast it:
http://nytalkradio.net/wordpress/podcasts/stealthisradio/111/
Thank you, Stuart Newman, for making understandable extremely complicated and socially significant scientific ideas.
Mitchel Cohen
My book, "What Is Direct Action? Lessons from (and to) Occupy Wall Street" (foreword by Richard Wolff) (596 pages) is now available at: http://www.lulu.com/shop/mitchel-cohen/what-is-direct-action/paperback/product-20937425.html
Richie Havens, RIP: We love you! Here, Richie performs his re-tooled version of the great Quicksilver Messenger Service song, "What you gonna do about me?" (1981) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWNlF0FlLhY
Ring the bells that still can ring, Forget your perfect offering. There is a crack, a crack in everything, That's how the light gets in. ~ Leonard Cohen http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-vSfwIJkjY