Tom Yates writes:

> So, is this claimed generally as a hoax now, or is it considered
> a bonafide report?  Ethier way it is way to scary to contemplate.
>  Imagine 30 years from now, these plantimals being grown in people's
> gardens.....straight from the garden to the barbeque.......

I can tell you as the person who wrote the report that it was intended
to
be somewhat disturbing even as a dead-giveaway hoax (as we published
it),
even as a comedy piece. Part of the objective--even if what is
contained in
the report is too "far out" to come true--was to get people thinking
about
where genetic engineering might be taking us. What issues do we need
to be
grappling with, both practical and moral/ethical? It doesn't seem like
most
people are thinking much about that yet in very knitty-gritty fashion.

The fact that what's in the report is disturbing (maybe almost "real,"
or
potentially real) to people is also what made it so tempting to
consider
releasing as a hoax to see what would happen if people *did* take it
seriously. But we knew if we did, it would violate the ethic on Beyond
Veg
not to release intentional misinformation or misrepresent things and
violate trust.

A difficult temptation to resist, because ideas for good urban legends
like
this don't come around that often. (I confess that these ideas
somehow,
inexplicably, sprang from my own noggin, even if one person I showed a
preview copy to did call the "plantimals" concept downright *sick*!
:^) )
One trusted individual I've consulted before on decisions like this
gave
the opinion this could have been a pretty harmful hoax in terms of
time/salary costs lost by genetics firms and public officials having
to
respond to the nuisance of countless worried or angry phone callers,
letter-writers, etc.

Ah well, if it gets people to think about where "the genetic
imperative" is
taking us--and LAUGH of course, really hard about the applesteak, not
to
mention those plantimals!--it will have accomplished its objective.

--Ward Nicholson <[log in to unmask]>