Cambridge Technology Feature Archive
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Ready to remove a blight on our landscape?
UPDATED This month a controversial experimental genetically modified potato crop is due to be planted in the UK by the German chemical giant BASF (offshoot of the infamous AG Farben). DEFRA initially gave approval in December for BASF to undertake trials at two sites, one in Cambridgeshire (at the National Institute of Agriculture and Botany) and the other initially in Derbyshire - until the farmer pulled out.
The trials are the first GM crops to enter British soil in nearly 3 years, after public opposition forced a u-turn in government and corporate plans for patented crops. Although presented as an R&D trial into the effectiveness of an anti blight gene, they are widely considered to be trial of public opinion.
On 14th April in Cambridge a protest walk took place [photos 1, 2]. This was followed on the 21st by a rally in Hull. This event ended with the proposed trial being effectively sabotaged even before it had began when over a hundred people entered the site and planted several varieties of seed potatoes in the field making it impossible for a scientifically valid trial to take place there.
LINKS:
Cambridge 1 | 2 | 3 | grid reference
Hull 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | pics
Background GM - Back on the agenda? | Sabotage promised | New GM crop trials | London info night (Tues 17th)
Campaign sites mutatoes.org | hedonagainstgm.org.uk | Cambridge GM concern | myspace.com/gmfreepotatoes
Full Story | 1 addition | 6 comments >>
GM Potatoes - Blessing or Blight?
On Monday 2 April, Cambridge GM Concern organized a public meeting regarding the forthcoming NIAB/BASF trial of GM potatoes in the Cambridge area. Some fifty people turned up for the event, which featured three speakers, who had travelled up from London for the occasion: Michael Antoniou is a Reader in Molecular Genetics at Guy's Hospital Medical School, Helena Paul is the chair of GM Freeze, and Clare Oxborrow is from the Real Food Campaign organized by Friends of the Earth.
Meanwhile campaigners concerned about similar trials in Yorkshire are having a demo on the 21st of April and have set up the mutatoes website and a myspace page.
Windbags Against Windfarms
A proposed wind farm near Boxworth, West of Cambridge, is going forwards as Your Energy has submitted a full planning proposal. The proposal is for 16 wind turbines on farmland next to the A14, that could "provide enough energy to supply 20,000 homes - 37 per cent of the domestic need for South Cambridgeshire" according to a Cambridge Evening News article. The proposals are being opposed by the MP for South Cambridgeshire, Conservative Andrew Lansley, who has either been convinced by the myths of local and national opposition groups, or is merely following the Tory party line.
A local group, Stop Cambridge Wind Farms, has appeared to propagate the same misinformation as a national anti-wind farm group, Country Guardian. The Guardian (Newspaper) reported that Country Guardian "strongly denies accusations of having close links with the nuclear industry (its chair is Sir Bernard Ingham, who is a paid lobbyist for British Nuclear Fuels)".These links obviously make its denial very hard to swallow.
Because wind farms have proved so surprisingly controversial groups have appeared to balance the debate, including the British Wind Energy Association, and Yes 2 Wind, a coalition between Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth, and WWF. These provide answers to all the common misconceptions. There is also a campaign called Embrace the Wind which asks people to register their names if they support wind power.
Read more on Indymedia: Cambridgeshire FOR Windfarms | Wind Farms v Nuclear | Against wind farms? | and more...
Netwide Protests against EU Software Patents Bring Temporary Victory
As the cream of Europe's politicized programmers took to the streets in Brussels, much of the world's Open Source / Free Software community shut itself down voluntarily on Wednesday 27th of August in symbolic protest against proposed European Union software patents legislation. The patents directive, prepared by Arlene McCarthy, UK Labour Member of European Parliament (MEP) for Manchester, is seen by its opponents as an attempt to introduce U.S.-style software patents into Europe in order to protect multinational corporations from innovative small software companies, Open Source / Free Software developers, and the file-sharing habits of the vast majority of internet users. The patents directive was scheduled for a vote on 1 September 2003, but the vote has been delayed due to the unprecedented concern in the programming community. Software patents opponents vow that they will use the extra time to organize even more effectively. Photos: [1] [2] [3] [4]
Audio: Richard Stallman of GNU project speaks on software patents in Cambridge UK [mp3][ogg][text]
Text: [1][2][3]
Gillette Pulls RFID Trial - Campaign Continues
After protests against the trial of RFID tags by Gillette at a Tesco store in Cambridge (pics), increasing press coverage, a boycott, and the growing mobilisation of campaigners against the intrusive use of the technology, Gillette have withdrawn their trial. RFID (Radio Frequency ID) tags are small tags containing a microchip which can be 'read' by radio sensors over short distances (for background see SchNEWS Feature / 2 part Guardian Article). Recent trials involving attaching these tags to products have raised concerns about privacy, as information on the tag could be read long after the product was purchased. Tesco is also testing RFID tags in its DVD range at the Extra store in Sandhurst, Berkshire, in a trial that has received funding from the Home Office, while Asda has just completed a similar trial in Nottingham, there are reports that Marks & Spencer plans to include smart tags in clothes from this autumn. RFID tags continue to work indefinitely and so could also be used to track people's movements. Millions are being pumped into research and while much of it focuses on supply chain and just-in-time delivery tracking, there are increasing plans to use the tags in consumer goods as well as items like travel cards and even currency.
While campaigns are showing some success (in March, Benetton was also forced to announce it was not about to insert 15m RFID tags into its Sisley clothing range after an avalanche of consumer complaints), there are darker clouds on the horizon. The proposed EU Intellectual Property Enforcement Directive (see FIPR analysis) would specifically forbid Europeans from removing or deactivating Radio Frequency (RFID) tags embedded in clothing and other consumer devices! Recently 47 organisations have joined forces to launch the Campaign for an Open Digital Environment (CODE), which aims to fight the worst parts of the directive. The directive will also give intellectual property holders (ie companies) broad subpoena powers to obtain personal information about any EU citizen allegedly connected to an infringement of IP.
Tesco and smart chip technology
Tesco have chosen their Cambridge store to pilot a new product smart-tagging scheme. Together with Gillette they are testing the RFID technology in packs of razor blades to track product movements and photograph shoppers as they move around the store. A group of concerned Cambridge residents recently protested outside the store...