University of Hawaii agrees to give up 3 patents on taro
2006 June 9
Native Hawaiians are determining which entity will receive the patents
The University of Hawaii announced yesterday that it will give three patents on genetically enhanced, crossbred taro plants to native Hawaiians.Discussions were under way within the Hawaiian community to determine the appropriate entity to receive the patents, UH officials said.Native Hawaiian activists, farmers and students have held protests demanding the university give up the patents and stop genetically altering taro, which many Hawaiians consider a sacred plant.
Not sure how much of this visible in Australia, but Europe is abuzz with another wave of the sartorial debate. Jack Straw’s comments on how he would prefer women to take off the veil when they visit his constituency in London sparked off a huge debate in Britain. Meanwhile, in Berlin, the Deutsche Oper cancelled a new staging of Idomeneo that involved the head of Mohammed (and Jesus, etc.) (Those who haven’t been to the opera in Germany might wonder why, but here, an opera that doesn’t involve at least some nudity would be strange.) Then the minister of the Interior, from the Christian Democrats (who would in other circumstances hardly applaud this play) announced his opposition to such self-censorship and said that he would take all participants of the German Islamic COnference, which was taking place just then, to see the opera — which was then promptly put back on stage.
Really unexpected how this perceived culture war is pushing some European conservatives to liberalism! Not a bad outcome, though.