FC: Two on nanotech: Biomimicry and letter to Congress

[Declan McCullagh <declan () well com>]

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Subject: How Thor the black lab can save the Earth
Date: Mon, 21 Jul 2003 15:31:04 -0400
From: "Howard Lovy" <howardlovy () smalltimes com>
To: <declan () well com>

Hi, thought you might be interested in this one:

How Thor the black lab can save the Earth
<http://nanobot.blogspot.com/2003_07_01_nanobot_archive.html#105879766324927222>http://nanobot.blogspot.com/2003_07_01_nanobot_archive.html#105879766324927222

Howard Lovy
News Editor
Small Times Media

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*  Visit <http://www.smalltimes.com/>http://www.smalltimes.com
   for daily news and information about the small tech industry
   including nanotechnology, MEMS and microsystems.
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Date: Mon, 21 Jul 2003 14:20:50 -0400 (EDT)
From: Art McGee <amcgee () virtualidentity org>
To: Declan McCullagh <declan () well com>
Subject: URGENT: Please Consider Signing Letter to Congress

[For PoliTech. These folks are legit. I'm on the advisory
board. Please sign. Thank you.--Art]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Mon, 21 Jul 2003 13:07:39 +0000
From: Loka Institute <ccordes () erols com>
Subject: Please Consider Signing Letter to Congress

Dear Friends,

The Loka Institute invites members of community-based
organizations and other advocates for community-based
research to sign a letter to Congress urging a voice for
ordinary citizens in federal policymaking for
nanotechnology. Nanotechnology is an emerging new technology
that is expected to have major social, economic,
environmental, and health impacts on families and
communities everywhere. It's also a major new area of
federal spending for research and development. So far,
however, there has been very little opportunity for public
participation in federal nanotechnology policy.

Together, we have a chance to change that: Please consider
signing a letter to Congress and the White House -- by
Wednesday, July 23rd. The letter calls for the big
nanotechnology bill now before Congress to include a strong
provision for public participation -- including citizen
panels -- in federal nanotechnology policy. (The bill
authorizes hundreds of millions of dollars for nanotech
research and development at several federal agencies.)

Citizen panels are small groups of ordinary citizens, with
no prior financial or ideological stake in an issue. The
panels hear from content experts on all sides and then come
up with their own recommendations for federal policy on
major technology issues. They also hold a national press
conference to release their findings. Citizen panels are now
recognized internationally as one of the most effective ways
to incorporate the views of informed, ordinary citizens in
public policy. Because of the publicity they generate, they
also are a great way to interest communities in major social
issues related to technologies.

If you think you might want to sign the letter urging
Congress and the White House to support regular and ongoing
public participation in nanotechnology policy, please reply
directly to me at ccordes () erols com . I will e-mail you a
copy of the letter and a permission form, which you can
return filled in if you decide to sign it. The deadline to
sign: end of day, Wednesday, July 23rd.

Thank you! -- Colleen Cordes, from Loka's Board of Trustees

-end-




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