4/8/01
10:06:35 PM
I read about the link to this page in an Astronomy magazine. I can't believe some of the ignorant statements I read on your web page. Where do you people get this information from?? Thank goodness your little minds only form a small percentage of the global opinion. How does nuclear power increase global warming?? Why don't you people go to college, get engineering degrees and make solar power more efficient and practical? Try to be part of the solution instead of complaining!!
4/7/01
2:58:30 PM
Forming A Unity Of One Percent To Stop Our Extinction
Connecting Through 1000 EcoHumanePolitical Websites
"If Homo sapiens are going to survive as a species, we had better understand and quickly heed the inherent limits of Mother Nature."
Mark Elsis
4/7/01
2:58:25 PM
Forming A Unity Of One Percent To Stop Our Extinction
Connecting Through 1000 EcoHumanePolitical Websites
"If Homo sapiens are going to survive as a species, we had better understand and quickly heed the inherent limits of Mother Nature."
Mark Elsis
4/7/01
1:25:10 PM
ENVIRONMENT NEWS SERVICE
"We Cover the Earth For You"
WIN SOME, LOSE SOME IN QUEST FOR FOREST PROTECTIONS
By Cat Lazaroff
BOISE, Idaho, April 6, 2001 (ENS) - A federal judge in Idaho ruled Thursday that the Clinton administration violated certain environmental and disclosure rules in crafting the Roadless Protection Initiative, opening the door for the Bush administration to overturn the regulation. The judge's decision caps a rollercoaster week of forest protection actions, ranging from legislation to lawsuits.
For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens.lycos.com/ens/apr2001/2001L-04-06-06.html
UK LOOKS TO BACTERIA FOR POLLUTION SOLUTIONS
LONDON, United Kingdom, April 6, 2001 (ENS) - Instead of digging and dumping, an army of natural micro-organisms could soon be cleaning up the more than 200,000 hectares (494,210 acres) of contaminated industrial sites in the United Kingdom.
For full text and graphics, visit:
http://ens.lycos.com/ens/apr2001/2001L-04-06-10.html
CANADA TO SIGN INTERNATIONAL BIOSAFETY PROTOCOL
OTTAWA, Canada, April 6, 2001 (ENS) - An agreement to regulate the movement of genetically modified organisms across international borders is a step closer to fruition after Canada announced yesterday it would sign the international protocol.
For full text and graphics, visit:
http://ens.lycos.com/ens/apr2001/2001L-04-06-11.html
ECO-TOURISTS BUY TICKETS DIRECT TO CONSERVATION
BRUSSELS, Belgium, April 6, 2001 (ENS) - Across the European Union initiatives towards sustainable tourism are taking off this spring. A German tour operator conducting journeys to Croatia contributes part of each tourist's fee to the conservation of the last Adriatic dolphins.
For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens-news.com/ens/apr2001/2001L-04-06-01.html
PANDAS NOT SAFE IN CHINESE NATURE RESERVE
EAST LANSING, Michigan, April 6, 2001 (ENS) - China's Wolong Nature Reserve was established to be a panda heaven where the endangered species of bear could recover. But burgeoning human populations near the reserve and crowds of tourists are squeezing the bears into an increasingly smaller area, a new study of satellite data shows.
For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens-news.com/ens/apr2001/2001L-04-06-02.html
ENVIRONMENT NEWS SERVICE AMERISCAN: APRIL 6, 2001
Warming Tropical Oceans Changing Northern Climate
Public Lands Eyed as Energy Resources
Shooting Sea Lion Lands Fisher in Jail
Small Streams Play Big Role in Cleaner Water
PCBs Found in Hudson River Soils, Animals
Bill Would Keep Nuke Compensation in Labor
Task Force Will Assess Maryland Terrapins
Low Lake Levels a Boon for Botanists, Birdwatchers
For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens.lycos.com/ens/apr2001/2001L-04-06-09.html
4/7/01
1:21:33 PM
Action Alert from the Organic Consumers Association
Starbucks Under Fire: The Frankenbuck$ Campaign
By: Ronnie Cummins
http://www.organicconsumers.org
April 5, 2001
Dear Friends,
First of all, thank you for your efforts and support in the launch of our strategic and precedent-setting Starbucks campaign. On March 20 (M-20) several thousand "Frankenbuck$" volunteers took to the streets and sidewalks across North America, picketing, protesting, and leafleting in front of Starbucks coffee shops in over 100 cities. In a number of cities and college towns, activists staged press conferences enlivened by colorful signs, street theater, and powerful speakers. In Seattle 100 protesters rallied and cheered the speeches of campaign spokespersons--in front of a solid bank of TV cameras and news reporters--outside the building where Starbucks was holding their annual shareholders meeting. Even in cities where we had just a few leafleters, we made our presence felt, making contact with Starbucks customers and generating news stories which reached thousands of people.
Since M-20, leafleting and other pressure tactics have continued in a number of communities, with strong indications that the campaign will soon catch fire in Canada, Japan, and the UK. For a summary of local reports and news coverage in many of these 100 cities (bear with us, we are still posting them) go to the Starbucks section of our website
http://www.organicconsumers.org
During Earth Day week April 15-22 we are encouraging activists to leaflet Starbucks once again on a nationwide basis. If you are willing to leaflet Starbucks customers in your local area please email mailto:simon@organicconsumers and we¹ll send you some leaflets and posters.
Extensive Media Coverage
By the end of the first week of activities, the Starbucks campaign already had generated over 750 newspaper articles, TV news clips, and radio reports, all the way from National Public Radio, Pacifica Radio, Associated Press, Reuters, the Wall Street Journal, and the Boston Globe, to scores of college newspapers and community radio stations. Over 50,000 Consumer Warning leaflets have now been distributed to Starbucks' customers by our campaign. The website of the campaign
http://www.organicconsumers.org
received over six million hits in March, which means that thousands of people are going to our site every day. It is no exaggeration to say that millions of people across the US, Canada, and Europe have now heard about our campaign. And of course this negative publicity has Starbucks worried. On March 28 we were attacked in both the Wall Street Journal and the Washington Times newspaper, a sure sign that we are starting to make an impact. As we said in our national press release for M-20, this is the largest consumer campaign ever launched in the US around the issues of genetic engineering and Fair Trade.
Starbucks Rattled
Even before March 20, Starbucks began to react in a manner that indicates they are taking our campaign quite seriously. In a nationally syndicated story filed by the Associated Press and Dow Jones on March 16, the CEO of Starbucks, Orin Smith, was quoted to the effect that "the company was hoping customers would be given the choice of growth hormone-free milk by late this summer." As Smith stated, "If I've got 10 percent of my customer base that's concerned about this issue, I'm concerned." National Public Radio and other radio stations echoed the same news story. Starbucks faxed and mailed a letter to the OCA and our campaign allies on March 16, implying that they intend to "source an adequate supply of high quality Fair Trade Coffee to enable us to provide brewed Fair Trade Coffee as one of our 'Coffees of the Day' in our stores."
However a close reading of Starbucks' official March 16 statement reacting to our campaign (published on Starbucks' website as well on our own) makes it clear that their positions up until now on rBGH and brewing Fair Trade coffee may be more accurately classified as public relations statements, rather than concrete declarations that the 32 million gallons of milk they buy every year soon will be completely rBGH-free or that they intend to brew Fair Trade coffee as the coffee of the day everyday in their 3500 coffee shops worldwide.
Starbucks' Claim That the OCA is Being Intransigent
Starbucks representatives claim that we are unwilling to meet with them. This is not true. We have been talking to them over the telephone and will continue to do so. We are willing to formally sit down and meet with them and negotiate the details of how they can implement the policy changes we are calling for--as soon as they demonstrate that they are acting in good faith. To demonstrate that they are acting in good faith:
(1) Starbucks must stop saying that they believe that genetically engineered recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone is safe, and that it's only a perception problem on the part of a minority of their customers that rBGH is hazardous. We have asked for Starbucks executives to meet with one of America's top scientific experts on rBGH, Dr. Michael Hansen of the Consumers Union. So far they have not contacted Dr. Hansen. For background information on the hazards of Monsanto¹s Bovine Growth Hormone, see the rBGH section of our website.
(2) Starbucks must address the genetic contamination of their chocolates, baked goods, and bottled coffee beverages. In their public statements up until now they have totally ignored our demands on removing GE ingredients from these products. To meet our concerns they must agree to source non-GE or organic ingredients (including soy, soy lecithin, corn sweeteners, and cooking oils) for their chocolates, baked goods, and bottled beverages. Once they can guarantee that they are using only non-GE or organic ingredients, then these products should be labeled as "GE-free," in a manner similar to the labels found on Ben & Jerry's ice cream and other non-GE natural food products.
When we called Starbucks' head office in Great Britain on March 26, they told us that all the food and beverages in their 170 UK coffee shops were ³GMO-free.² (Free of genetically modified organisms). They also admitted to us that in the UK they are not selling Fair Trade coffee packages. Our obvious response to this disclosure is that if they can sell food and beverages in the UK which are free of genetically engineered ingredients, then they can certainly do the same thing in North America and the rest of the world. And of course they need to start brewing, selling, and promoting Fair Trade coffee in Europe, as well as in North America and the rest of the world.
(3) Starbucks must stop claiming that the reason they're not brewing Fair Trade coffee as the flavor of the day in all of their 3500 cafes worldwide is that there's not a large enough supply of Fair Trade or organic coffee. Starbucks knows as well as we do that there is a massive supply of Fair Trade and organic coffee in the world waiting for a buyer right now. As the human rights group Global Exchange has pointed out, one-half of the world's supply of certified Fair Trade coffee (16 million pounds annually out of a total production of 32 million) is now having to be sold on the commercial market at a loss--simply because coffee buyers like Starbucks aren't buying enough of it.
Independently owned coffee shops across America and Europe are brewing Fair Trade and organic coffee and serving it up as the flavor of the day. Starbucks can certainly do the same. Many of these coffee shops are also using milk and dairy products which are either organic or labeled as rBGH-free, and serving organic baked goods or sandwiches. The ethical bottom line is that millions of the world's 25 million coffee producers are producing coffee the way it should be grown, sustainably and organically. These coffee farmers need and deserve a mass market and a fair price for their labor.
(4) Starbucks says they give lots of money to charities and that they are socially responsible. Again they are avoiding the real issue. We are asking them to put in writing that they will raise the wages and improve the working conditions of the impoverished coffee workers who toil on the plantations of their suppliers. A study referred to by the US Guatemala Labor Education Project (USGLEP) in Guatemala in 1997 found that entire families of coffee workers on the plantations supplying Starbucks and other companies were typically making a grand total of $1.25 per day, while a Guatemalan family needs at least $10 a day to survive. USGLEP estimated in 1997 that for Starbucks to guarantee subsistence level wages for plantation workers it would cost the company a mere penny a cup more for their coffee. This is outrageous behavior for a company that pays its CEO, Orin Smith, $60,000 a week, and which rakes in hundreds of millions of dollars in profits every year.
(5) Starbucks has said they aren't using genetically engineered coffee beans at the present time. We simply want them to put in writing that they will never use them.
We are happy that Starbucks seems to be taking our campaign seriously and that; at least on the level of rhetoric, they are moving in the right direction. Now we need a clear and unequivocal response to our demands. Are they or are they not willing to get rid of GE ingredients, brew up Fair Trade coffee everyday, and put into practice a code of conduct which will improve the wages and working conditions of coffee plantation workers?
In the meantime the Organic Consumers Association and our allies intend to go forward with Phase Two of the Starbucks Campaign, as outlined below.
Phase Two of the Frankenbuck$ Campaign: Expanding Internationally While Keeping Up the Pressure in the USA
We are on the road to winning the Starbucks Campaign, but we need to expand globally and continue the pressure in the USA. We can do this by (a) expanding the campaign to Canada, Great Britain, and Japan--places where Starbucks already does a lot of business--and (b) applying continued pressure in several hundred communities across the USA. Our campaign staff has initiated discussions with our counterparts in Canada and the United Kingdom, and will soon be placing calls to activists in Japan and other nations to initiate a pressure campaign against Starbucks. We have already seen a few protests in Canada (Winnipeg, Thunder Bay, Waterloo, and Montreal) and expect we will see more in the upcoming weeks. Two respected Canadian public interest groups, the Sierra Club of Canada and Rights Action, have already endorsed our campaign.
In the USA we suggest that the following tactics may be the most fruitful:
(1) Keep leafleting, but after you or others organize an initial media event in your community, carry out follow up actions unannounced. One tactic that works is to show up at a Starbucks location, preferably at their busiest time of day. Go inside and see if they are brewing Fair Trade coffee as the "flavor of the day" and listing this fact prominently where customers can see it. See what kind of milk they're pouring into their lattes and mochas. If they're not yet "doing the right thing," discreetly give all the customers in the cafe a copy of our Frankenbuck$ Consumer Warning leaflet and then walk out and do the same thing (or have a friend do the same thing) at another location. Standing outside and leafleting customers is still a good tactic, especially out in front of Barnes & Noble bookstores (which have Starbucks inside) or in the Student Center cafeterias of college campuses, which have Starbucks outlets.
(2) Call every Starbucks café in your community on a regular basis. Have your friends do the same thing. Ask the manager or the person in charge if today they are brewing Fair Trade coffee as the Flavor of the Day and advertising this fact to their customers. Ask them what kind of milk, skim milk, and half and half they are using, and if they have a written statement from the dairy that these products are free of genetically engineered Bovine Growth Hormone. Ask them the same thing about their chocolates and baked goods. If they answer your questions in the negative, tell them you are going to boycott them until they do what consumers are demanding. Tell them the name of the coffee shop where you will take your business instead. If they claim they are doing the right thing today, go down to their café, or have someone you know do this, and see if they are telling the truth. If you are a coffee drinker and need a fix, request that they brew you a Fair Trade coffee, but tell them to hold the rBGH milk please. Keep in mind that Starbucks claims it will supply organic soymilk for your coffee upon request.
(3) Complain to retailers that sell Starbucks products that the company has not implemented the changes that consumers are demanding.
(4) Get your school, college, or city council to pass a resolution that they will serve Fair Trade or organic coffee, avoid foods contaminated with GE ingredients, and avoid doing business with sweatshops factory sweatshops or agricultural sweatshops in the field.
If you need Starbucks leaflets or other campaign materials call our national office (218-226-4164) or send an email to <simon@organicconsumers.org <mailto:simon@organicconsumers.org>>
You can also help us cut expenses by downloading and printing your own leaflets and posters from our website and making copies. If you need coaching or advice on how to carry out Starbucks campaign activities contact Starbucks campaign coordinator Simon Harris <simon@organicconsumers.org <mailto:simon@organicconsumers.org>>
If you would like to make a tax-deductible donation to support the campaign, send your contribution to:
Organic Consumers Association
6101 Cliff Estate Road
Little Marais, MN 55614
As you can well imagine this campaign is costing us a lot of money.
Again thanks for all your hard work and support, and congratulations in advance for participating in a campaign that we are going to win.
As our counterparts say south of the border: Hasta La Victoria Siempre! Until the Final Victory
Ronnie Cummins, Organic Consumers Association
4/7/01
1:17:56 PM
UTNE WEB WATCH
The Best of the Alternative Web
Running on Empty?
In the latest issue of Utne Reader, you can find inspiring, practical solutions for stress, the environment, the energy crisis and insomnia. And that's just in the first half of the magazine!
http://www.utne.com/subscribe/
TODAY'S PICKS:
http://www.utne.com/webwatch/archive.tpl?d=04/09/2001
THE CULT OF GREENSPAN
by Dan Kennedy, Boston Phoenix
-- NPR affirms Alan Greenspan's popularity with its report that "more people have heard of Greenspan than the lead singer for the boy group 'N Sync." Even so, his reputation may be losing some of its luster as the economy continues to flounder.
SAM COOKE: LOST AND LOOKING
by Stephan Talty, Killing the Buddha
-- Stephan Talty takes a sober look at the art and artifice in the short career and tragic, untimely death of legendary pop/soul crooner Sam Cooke, and it's impact on pop culture in the mid 60's.
THE PUBLIC I
website review by Al Paulson
-- The Public I, online newsletter of the Washington, D.C.-based Center for Public Integrity, exposes the slimy dark underbelly of money and influence in government. Updated daily, this no-holds-barred site makes no bones about pointing fingers and naming names.
Links to the above articles: http://www.utne.com/webwatch
4/7/01
1:10:45 PM
WILD ALERT
Last month we told you about a proposed policy by U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS) that would keep the "wild" in wilderness. It would supersede the current, antiquated policy that fails to reflect the agency's duty to protect wilderness character.
Many of you commented on this issue (thank you!). Now we need your help to ensure that another important new policy is retained and strengthened. Please send comments to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to request that they finalize and strengthen the draft "appropriate use" policy for the Refuge System. Comments must be received by April 19.
Take action now from
http://www.wilderness.org/standbylands/refuges/orv040901.htm
BACKGROUND
In 1997, Congress passed the National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act to clarify the mission of the 93 million-acre Refuge System, provide important new protections for these lands, and enhance opportunities for public involvement in key land management decisions. Since then, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has been preparing regulations and policies to implement the Act. In January, a critical policy that defines "appropriate use" of refuges was released for public comment.
APPROPRIATE USE POLICY
The 1997 Refuge System Improvement Act states that the mission of the Refuge System is wildlife and habitat conservation. It directs that, where compatible with wildlife conservation, six activities shall be considered "priority uses". These are wildlife observation and photography, hunting, fishing, and environmental education and interpretation.
In January, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed a new "appropriate use" policy that would de-emphasize activities that are not priority uses, including snowmobile and off-road vehicle use, mining, and grazing, all of which unfortunately occur on some refuges.
This draft "appropriate use" policy establishes criteria that must be met in order to allow non-priority uses in a refuge. A "non-priority" use can only be allowed if it complies with relevant laws, regulations, and policies and is consistent with public safety and resource management objectives. Most significantly, a non-priority use can only be allowed if it also: [1] Is beneficial to the refuge's wildlife or cultural resources or contributes to the public's understanding and appreciation of the refuge; [2] Can exist without impairing existing wildlife-dependent recreational uses; [3] Cannot reasonably occur anywhere but within the refuge; [4] Can be managed using existing staff and finances; and [5] Will be easy to control in the future.
These criteria are very good.
POLICY NEEDS STRENGTHENING
However, the draft policy contains three loopholes that could allow a variety of inappropriate uses to continue on refuges, including off-road vehicle use.
First, non-priority activities that facilitate priority uses are exempt from meeting the "appropriate use" criteria. For example, someone could argue that the use of snowmobiles or off-road vehicles facilitates fishing, hunting, or bird watching.
Second, the policy appears to exempt "management activities" by the Fish and Wildlife Service.
Third, the draft policy appears to allow refuge managers to exempt non-priority activities from the appropriate use criteria on a case-by-case basis.
These loopholes must be closed.
TAKE ACTION
Please tell the Fish and Wildlife Service BY APRIL 19 that you support the agency's draft "appropriate use" policy with some modifications. Send your comments from
http://www.wilderness.org/standbylands/refuges/orv040901.htm
or write, fax, or e-mail the agency directly, and make the following points:
[1] The draft "appropriate use" policy is a substantial improvement over previous refuge policies on public use.
[2] You support the draft policy's requirement that non-priority uses can be allowed only if they are beneficial to refuge wildlife or cultural resources or if they contribute to appreciation and understanding of refuge wildlife or cultural resources.
[3] You support the draft policy's requirement that non-priority uses can be allowed only if they cannot reasonably occur anywhere else but within the refuge.
[4] The draft policy must be improved by eliminating the language that could exempt non-priority activities such as snowmobiles or other off-road vehicles. Some may argue these activities facilitate priority uses or contribute to recreational goals of an individual refuge. [5] The draft policy should not provide open-ended authority for refuge managers to exempt refuge management and other activities from the policy on a case-by-case basis.
Send your message to:
J. Kenneth Edwards Refuge Program Specialist National Wildlife Refuge System U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service 4401 North Fairfax, Room 670 Arlington, VA 22203 Fax: 703-358-2248 E-mail: Appropriate_Uses_Policy_Comments@fws.gov
4/7/01
1:08:15 PM
GREAT NEWS FOR HANSON ISLAND LOGGING THREAT ENDS
Hello everyone,
Yesterday, the government of British Columbia announced a series of decisions relating to the future of the forested central coast region of British Columbia. Of foremost importance in the overall scheme of things is the protection of areas of the ancient "Great Bear Rainforest" which are critical habitat for the "Spirit Bear" and other wildlife. This is fantastic news, and signals an end to the "war in the woods" that has been waged over the issue. But for us, sitting on the edge of our seat on the periphery of the action, it was a tiny detail of the map that put a huge smile into our day... one of the new "protection" areas looked like Hanson Island! We hardly dared believe it to be true yesterday, so waited for verification from government officials. That came this morning, and YES, it's true... Hanson Island is to be protected!! The exact manner of the protection has yet to be determined, but one thing is clear... the island's forest is now safe from the threat of logging!!!
It's difficult to explain the sense of relief we feel after two decades of tension and struggle... profound, to say the least. We also owe a profound debt of gratitude towards all those who've stood with us and helped, in innumerable ways, to achieve this outcome. To the Namgis First Nation, David Garrick, our persistent allies at the CCLRMP "table", campaigners protesters & story tellers, our supporters from around the world, and in the end the government of B.C. itself, we express our heartfelt gratitude. Because of you, Hanson Island and its green forested beauty will remain the jewel it is today.
THANK YOU ALL!!!!!
Paul, Helena & Anna
4/7/01
1:05:21 PM
EcoNet News
This Week's Headlines and Alerts from EcoNet
http://www.igc.org/igc/gateway/enindex.html
Canada Stops FTAA Protestors at Border
There were people from the Canadian media, from Platsburgh media and indy media, who took notes and recorded the events. When we had all been told of the disposition of our requests, an official announced in a loud voice, "You must leave now and return to the US." Read More...
http://headlines.igc.apc.org:8080/enalerts/986511820/index_html
Climate Protest Floods White House
More than 50,000 angry citizens from all over the world have "flooded" the White House with e-mails, as a part of a Friends of the Earth protest over Bush's climbdown on the UN climate treaty (the Kyoto Protocol). The number of protest mails is now running at over 10,000 a day. Read More...
http://headlines.igc.apc.org:8080/enalerts/986511977/index_html
Illegal Fishing off the Galapagos
Please visit the site shown below and write a letter to stop illegal fishing in this unique ecosystem. Read More...
http://headlines.igc.apc.org:8080/enalerts/986512191/index_html
Save the Dugong of Okinawa
Here in Japan, the Save Dugong Campaign Center has just started to collect signatures to save the dugong and other endangered species of Okinawa. They are living in the region where the Japanese and US governments are planning to construct a new large scale US military base. Read More...
http://headlines.igc.apc.org:8080/enalerts/986512324/index_html
Mattole Forest Blockade Raided
Please read about the latest developments at the Mattole Forest Blockade and add your support. Read More...
http://headlines.igc.apc.org:8080/enalerts/986580493/index_html
National Forest Protection Act Reintroduced in Congress
A bipartisan bill introduced by 73 members of the U.S. Congress calls for an end to the federal logging program on public lands. The National Forest Protection and Restoration Act would promptly cut off funding for commercial timber sales on millions of acres in Oregon and Washington. Read More...
http://headlines.igc.apc.org:8080/enalerts/986580704/index_html
EcoNet Headlines: April 6, 2001
Corporations Outgun Environmentalists in Politics of U.S. West
Under [House Resource Committe Chairman James] Hansen and his predecessor, Alaska's Don Young, the House Resources Committee has become a rollout point for efforts to roll back the clock and ignore 50 years of evolving values, economics, and population in the West. Read More...
http://headlines.igc.apc.org:8080/enheadlines/986508506/index_html
Canada, Timber Firms Agree on Pact to Protect Rainforest
In a major victory for the forest conservation movement, Canadian government and timber-industry officials have agreed to protect 3.5 million acres of British Columbia's ancient temperate rainforests from planned industrial logging. Read More...
http://headlines.igc.apc.org:8080/enheadlines/986508268/index_html
California Wind Farms Kept from Generating Power for Public Use
Even as California suffers its most disastrous power shortage, the Mojave wind farms are prevented from generating anything like their maximum outputs because of a combination of bureaucratic cock-ups and big business conspiracies. Read More...
http://headlines.igc.apc.org:8080/enheadlines/986508757/index_html
GM Trials to Go Ahead in Foot and Mouth Zones
Friends of the Earth today hit out at the Government after it confirmed that new GM farm scale trials would take place on farms in areas infected with foot and mouth disease. Read More...
http://headlines.igc.apc.org:8080/enheadlines/986508923/index_html
Genetic Contamination Impacts Farmers' Rights
For many years, the Canadian public saw genetically modified rapeseed as another, potentially profitable, farm management strategy. But that was before Canada's international market for rapeseed collapsed amid fears of GM contamination and Monsanto took Percy Schmeiser to court. This is his personal story. Read More...
http://headlines.igc.apc.org:8080/enheadlines/986509253/index_html
Cogema Allowed to Unload Australian Spent Nuclear Fuel
Greenpeace will launch a new legal challenge to the state-owned nuclear company Cogema's plans to reprocess Australian spent nuclear fuel after an injunction preventing the unloading of the fuel was overturned by a Court of Appeal on April 4. Read More...
http://headlines.igc.apc.org:8080/enheadlines/986509392/index_html
Consensus over Nuclear Waste Crumbling in France
More than 25 years after the introduction of nuclear power in France, the country's consensus on the subject is crumbling under the weight of technical and legal setbacks. Read More...
http://headlines.igc.apc.org:8080/enheadlines/986509572/index_html
EU Will Ratify Kyoto Protocol Despite U.S. Withdrawal
A high-level delegation from the European Union (EU) said Tuesday that its members intend to ratify the Kyoto Protocol by next year, regardless of what the United States may do. Read More...
http://headlines.igc.apc.org:8080/enheadlines/986509719/index_html
EU Fails to Decouple Natural Resource Use and Economic Growth
The European Union (EU) has failed to decouple economic growth from the intensified use of natural resources, thus increasing the burden on the global environment, says a new study produced for the European Environment Agency (EEA) in Copenhagen. Read More...
http://headlines.igc.apc.org:8080/enheadlines/986509948/index_html
Public Services Doomed under New Round of WTO Talks
After profiting from the liberalisation of goods and investments, transnational corporations are seeking - through the General Agreement on Trade in Services - greater control of global services. The agreement will allow foreign companies to take over and monopolise the provision of all forms of services in a country, covering a broad range of activities that directly affect every aspect of people's daily lives. Read More...
http://headlines.igc.apc.org:8080/enheadlines/986510140/index_html
Despite Protection, Panda Homeland Disappearing Fast
Despite 25 years of government protection, the pandas' homeland in the Wolong Nature Reserve in southern Chinais increasingly under threat from human encroachment. Read More...
http://headlines.igc.apc.org:8080/enheadlines/986510335/index_html
Australia Gains a Fish, Loses a Mammal
Australia's largest river, the Murray, has gained a new fish species - the Yarra pygmy perch - offering a bright spot in the river's legacy of pollution and dwindling biodiversity. But in other parts of the nation, species like the tiny brush tailed phascogale and dozens of woodland birds may be vanishing forever. Read More...
http://headlines.igc.apc.org:8080/enheadlines/986510464/index_html
EU Votes to Ban Animal-Tested Cosmetics
On Tuesday, the European Parliament voted to ban sales of all new cosmetic products tested on animals, including makeup, shampoos, and shower gels. Read More...
http://headlines.igc.apc.org:8080/enheadlines/986510580/index_html
EPA Feedlot Rules under Review
The Bush administration will address the concerns of farm interests before making final some rules that the Clinton administration proposed to control runoff from feedlots, Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman said Tuesday. Read More...
http://headlines.igc.apc.org:8080/enheadlines/986510706/index_html
Plastics May Get EU Restrictions
The European Parliament called Tuesday for tighter rules on the use of polyvinyl chloride, a plastic commonly used in household plumbing pipes, citing health and environmental risks related to the use and disposal of the plastic. Read More...
http://headlines.igc.apc.org:8080/enheadlines/986510800/index_html
GREEN: America's Wild Cats Are in Danger
North America's wild cats are "joining the ranks of wolves and grizzlies as top predators quickly disappearing from our nation's landscape" says a new report from the National Wildlife Federation. Read More...
http://headlines.igc.apc.org:8080/enheadlines/986510933/index_html
4/7/01
12:59:00 PM
Real Goods
Update on the California Energy "Crisis"
We were deluged with comments on our idea in Solar Times Number 23 (click here to read) where we showed that simple conservation measures could solve the California energy "crisis." The summary conclusion was that if the California State government provided $135 million worth of compact fluorescent bulbs and water saving showerheads, the state could shut down 100 average sized power plants of its current 1,000 power plants. Or better yet, prevent the construction of new ones.
Since that research was done, the legislators in California have pretty much come to the same conclusion that conservation is one major way out of the dilemma of blackouts and the promise of many more to come in the long hot summer. In fact, right now, there are over 200 pending bills in the State of California that will either bring incentives for renewable energy and/or incentives to conserve. There are so many bills, that I'm unable to fathom all of them to even comment on separating the good ones from the bad ones. And there is no one tracking all of them. (Hint: is there an enterprising Solar Times Subscriber who wants to report to us on what all the bills are and which ones are the most promising?)
The climate for passing good bills is so hot right now that Clint Eastwood (Go Dirty Harry!) walked into the Legislature and in one day got commitment to reverse the established policy on net metering, so that now the utilities will have to pay renewable energy producers for the excess power they generate.
Let's back up a minute and look at why California finds itself where it is today seemingly without enough energy to satisfy its needs. After the ill-fated deregulation policies were adopted in California, it was mandated that utilities had to divest of their generating facilities in California. So PG&E and Southern California Edison (SCE) did just that. They sold off their generating facilities and went out of state and bought shares of Enron, Duke, and other power generators in Arizona, Texas, Utah, Washington, etc. So when their California generating facilities were gone, PG&E & SCE had to go out of state to buy their power. And of course they bought it from Duke and Enron. Smelling a sales opportunity these out-of-state companies raised their rates from the previous $.05 - $.10 per KWh they had been charging up to as much as $0.40/KWh putting PG&E and SCE on the verge of bankruptcy.
Ever crafty, PG&E went to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and got approval to separate their out-of-state division from their in-state division. PG&E formed PG&E Holdings corporation. The new parent companies bled between $3 billion and $6 billion from the in-state utilities and left them on their own to pay their bills. Ironically, when PG&E and SCE were crying poor and talking bankruptcy, 60% of their debts were to their parent companies! So the State of California, in its infinite generosity, bailed out the "suffering" utilities and paid $45 million per day to buy their electricity.
The background to the "crisis" now established, let's talk about how solar provides a common sense way out even without conservation, although obviously they should be done in concert.
Solar energy, by its nature, is the solution to the State's power dilemma. Solar does "peak power shaving," in that it provides its highest power just when the state needs it - in the middle of the summer afternoon, when air conditioning loads are heaviest and the huge bottleneck occurs in transmission lines. This means with net metering, PG&E pays $0.30/KWh during summer peak afternoon hours, and pays only $0.08/KWh at night. Again, ideal for your new solar system's economics!
Right now, the cities of San Francisco and Santa Rosa and the Sacramento Municipal Utilities District are considering huge PV arrays to keep their municipalities running during Summer blackouts. Industry estimates are that the demand for PV in California alone will be as much as 3,000 MW over the next three years. Yet the world production right now is only 350 MW per year. California's governor Davis says he wants 5,000 MW of power this summer to avert rolling blackouts (using no conservation measures). With the demand for PV increasing, the prices are coming down. Current pricing for mega-systems is running about $5/watt installed. With California Energy Commission (CEC) and other pending legislation rebates of $2/watt, the net installed price of solar should drop to around $3/watt.
With a price of $3/watt on installed PV, the payback period is 11 years at a price of $0.14/KWh and 5-1/2 years at $0.28/KWh, well below the $0.40/KWh that the utilities frequently pay. If Governor Davis were to spend the $45 million per day on installed solar, that money would be going into clean, non-polluting renewable energy that would pay itself back in a very short time. Let's put some sense back into our State government!
Save the Planet, Spare Your Wallet
According to the U.S. Department of Energy, American families on average spend nearly $1,300 a year in home utility costs. Much of the energy they pay for is wasted. In fact, the U.S. Department of Energy says the energy wasted through poorly insulated windows and doors is about as much energy as we get from the Alaska pipeline each year.
Using electricity at home that's generated from fossil fuels puts more carbon dioxide into the air than that which is produced by two average cars. By adopting a energy efficiency plan at home, the DOE estimates you can reduce energy bills by 10 to 50 percent while reducing air pollution and preserving energy resources.
How much do you know about reducing water and energy consumption in the home? Take Environmental News Network's (ENN) home energy and water efficiency quiz and learn new ways to save money and the planet. To take the quiz and learn more about this story, click here.
New "Airhead" Website Offers Quick Way to Calculate Energy Use
The Center for Neighborhood Technology is offering people a quick and easy way to calculate their energy use and contribution to air pollution. Sample facts:
A vacant house at 55 Fahrenheit uses more energy for heating than an occupied one at 68 Fahrenheit.
Earn 50 percent or more [on your investment] installing insulation and weather-stripping to cut your heating and air-conditioning costs.
Did you know that running a large refrigerator and freezer for one year can produce as much pollution as driving a car from Chicago to Las Vegas?
Or that each mile a person travels in an airplane accounts for 1.08 pounds of greenhouse gases?
The average American contributes 1,859 pounds of air pollution to the atmosphere each year.
The AirHead site includes a data base of more than 70,000 products by brand name to help consumers determine how much pollution they create. Looking to buy a new hairdryer? The site will help you find the least polluting model on the market. To calculate your energy consumption, all the AirHead system requires is information about electricity bills, driving habits and other energy uses. Plug the information into the calculator and in less than a minute it will spit out how much pollution you create in one month.
Most energy-saving practices do not require a radical change in lifestyle. And you can test the effectiveness of your actions. Airhead will keep track of your progress in a monthly pollution profile. The Web site is likely to boost bank accounts, as energy savings translate into financial savings. The arrival of the site comes at a good time, as the country continues to suffer from a shortage of cheap power.
There are clear connections between energy use and environmental destruction. Many environmentalists say energy consumption is second only to population growth on the list of environmental concerns. According to the Alliance to Save Energy, energy use is responsible for 80 percent of all air pollution and 88 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions. To learn more, click here.
POLITICAL ENVIRONMENTAL NEWS:
BUSH SAYS ECONOMY OVERRIDES ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES
George W. Bush declared on March 29th that he has no intention of supporting any environmental initiatives that could harm the American economy. During a press conference Bush was asked about the environmental initiatives his administration has already rolled back, and what programs he may overturn in the future. For full text and graphics visit: Click here.
2,500 ECONOMISTS AGREE THAT COMBATING GLOBAL WARMING NEED NOT NECESSARILY HARM THE U.S. ECONOMY NOR LIVING STANDARDS
Recent Bush Administration announcements, including Bush's press conference statement on March 29th that curbing carbon dioxide emissions would "harm our economy and hurt our American workers" ignore a declaration - endorsed in 1997 by 2,500 economists, including eight Nobel Laureates - stating that policies to slow climate change can be enacted without harming either the United States economy or living standards. Full Text Visit: Click here.
EUROPEAN GOVERNMENTS CONFRONT BUSH OVER CLIMATE RETREAT
BRUSSELS, Belgium, March 29, 2001 (ENS) - The European Union will next week send a high level delegation to Washington in a bid to "clarify" the USA's position on the Kyoto climate protocol. The move was announced by Environment Commissioner Margot Wallstrom as European condemnations of the Bush administration's apparent rejection of the Kyoto Protocol multiplied. For full text and graphics: Click here.
FOREST CHIEF LEAVES OVER BUSH POLICY
Forest Service chief Mike Dombeck, a proponent of a sweeping land-use plan the Bush administration may now be trying to undo, announced Tuesday he is stepping down. For the full text story: Click here.
INTERIOR SECRETARY SUSPENDS MINING RULES
Interior Secretary Gale Norton is launching her first direct attack on Clinton administration environmental rules, suspending hard-rock mining rules that allowed regulators to veto environmentally damaging mines on public lands. Click here.
NORTON OPENS DOOR TO OVERTURNING MONUMENTS
WASHINGTON, DC, March 29, 2001 (ENS) - In a letter sent Wednesday to local officials of all political affiliations, Interior Secretary Gale Norton asked for their ideas regarding land use plans for national monuments that were set aside by the Clinton administration. The news was greeted with concern by conservation groups who fear the Bush administration will seek to dismantle the monuments. For full text and graphics: Click here.
TELL YOUR SENATOR TO SUPPORT RENEWABLE ENERGY TODAY
Democrats in the US Senate, led by Senator Bingaman (NM), are preparing a comprehensive energy bill for introduction as early as next week. UCS recently learned that the bill no longer includes a Renewables Portfolio Standard (RPS). Read More...
RENEWAL OF GERMAN ATOMIC WASTE SHIPMENT SPAWNS MASSIVE PROTESTS
A shipment of reprocessed nuclear waste from France arrived at an underground storage depot at Gorleben in northern Germany early this morning, but not until nearly 700 people were arrested in violent clashes with police. The United States could see protests similar to those now occurring in Germany if the federal government approves a plan to transport high-level nuclear waste across the country to a Nevada storage site, two U.S. public interest groups said today. For full text and graphics visit: Read More...
Bush Administration Throws Out New Arsenic Standard
WASHINGTON, DC, March 20, 2001 (ENS) - The Bush administration has opted to defer - perhaps permanently - new arsenic standards that would slash the acceptable limits for this toxic chemical in drinking water by 80 percent. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Christine Todd Whitman announced today that EPA will propose to withdraw the pending arsenic standard for drinking water that was issued on January 22.
The rule would have reduced the acceptable level of arsenic in water to 10 parts per billion (ppb). The current standard of 50 ppb, set in 1942, is five times higher than the international standard adopted several years ago by the World Health Organization and the European Union. Read More...
Schools Spending on Energy
Did you know that schools spend more on energy than on computers and textbooks combined? For more facts about energy and energy efficiency, visit:
www.ase.org/consumer/didyouknow/
For more on schools and energy efficiency, visit:
www.ase.org/greenschools
Staples is Target of Urban Uprising for Forest Protection
100 Demonstrations at STAPLES' Stores Nationwide Protest Policy of Forest Devastation
SAN FRANCISCO, CA, Mar. 28 -/E-Wire/-- The second National Day of Action against Staples was a huge success as protests raged at 100 Staples' stores across the US. Leading forest protection organizations and thousands of concerned citizens protested the company's refusal to help preserve the world's forests by switching to the sale of recycled paper in its stores. Hundreds faxed in letters to the CEO from the www.ForestEthics.org/staples web site. Read more...
Renewable Energy & Energy Conservation News:
WORLD ENERGY USE WILL MORE THAN DOUBLE BY 2020
Worldwide energy consumption will grow by 59 percent over the next 20 years, according to an annual forecast released today by the U.S. Department of Energy. Carbon dioxide emissions linked to global climate change are expected to nearly double by the year 2020. For full text and graphics visit: Click here.
SOLAR PLANT IN CALIFORNIA IS SAVED FROM THE WRECKINGBALL
A city in California has been able to preserve a solar power plant that was marked for destruction. Full coverage: Click here.
SAN FRANCISCO LIKELY TO VOTE ON MAJOR SOLAR INITIATIVE
Residents of San Francisco may vote this November on a proposal to spend up to $120 million to install solar panels on city-owned buildings. Eight of the eleven members of the city's Board of Supervisors, along with the mayor, support the idea of placing the proposed bond measure on the ballot later this year. The proposal is to raise $50 to $120 million to install solar panels on hundreds of civic buildings. Full coverage: Click here.
GREENS TELL EU NOT TO CALL GARBAGE "RENEWABLE"
Greenpeace warned the European Union yesterday that plans to classify some forms of waste incineration as "renewable" energy would lead to a proliferation of unpopular new incineration plants. Read More...
WINDS OF HOPE FOR ALTERNATIVE ENERGY IN ARGENTINA
The winds seem to be blowing in favour of alternative energy in Argentina, a country with great potential for developing "aeolian" technology, which is clean and increasingly competitive with fossil fuel energy sources. Read More...
UK SETS SIGHTS ON SOLAR POWERED FUTURE
Photovoltaics technology, which harnesses the sun's energy to provide electricity, could soon power 70,000 homes and several hundred other buildings in the UK. For full text and graphics: Click Here.
PACIFIC ATOLLS COULD DROWN WITHOUT CLIMATE PACT
The tiny South Pacific nation of Kiribati warned on Thursday it could "drown" if the world did not act to halt global warming. Click Here.
WORLD OIL DEMAND SEEN UP 56 PERCENT BY 2020
World demand for petroleum is expected to soar by 56 percent, or 43 million barrels per day (bpd), over the next two decades due mostly to strong demand for transportation fuels, the U.S. Energy Information Administration said Wednesday. Click Here.
CALIFORNIA ENERGY CRISIS MAY COST BILLIONS
Even with customers paying up to 46 percent more for electricity, California's financial controller says the state faces a $7.4 billion shortfall over the next 18 months if it keeps buying power. Click Here for more.
Earth Day Events around the Globe (Including EarthDay 2001)
FORUM 2001 SOLAR ENERGY: THE POWER TO CHOOSE - APR 21 - APR 25 2001 WASHINGTON D.C
Over 2000 participants and twelve RE-related organizations will gather for the largest and most comprehensive solar event of the new millennium. These organizations--public, private, large and small-are united by a commitment to the key role solar energy can play in our Planet's energy future. Learn more: Click Here
EARTH DAY EVENTS
Editors Note: Solar Times #27 will be distributed electronically to our 25,000+ Subscribers on April 19, 2001 - three days before Earth Day 2001. We'll be happy to list your local Earth Day event in the next issue if you send your submissions to jschaeffer@realgoods.com by noon, pacific time on Wednesday, April 11.
Earth Day prelude: a world without cars Get ready. Stop your engines. Go! On April 19, the Thursday before Earth Day 2001 (April 22), all citizens of the world are invited to spend a day without their cars in what is being billed as the first ever Earth Car-Free Day. Click for more.
92.9 WBOS-FM hosts the 8th annual EarthFest Concert on April 28th at Boston's Hatch Shell. Performers include Blues Traveler, Joan Osborne, Fisher, Cowboy Junkies, and Double Trouble. In addition to music, over 100 environmental groups will be onsite with exhibits.
On 22nd of April Maui will have an awesome event brought together by the Maui Earth Day Collective and Mauitopia Foundation. Earth day is not only about environmental issues but of people issues too. This event we will have speakers, on many issues from native sovereignty, hemp, environmental, health, music, african dance, copeira, booths, food fire dancing, prayer, drumming, DJ and much more.. Its a free event to the diverse community of Maui.
EARTH DAY 2001 GOAL: ONE MILLION TREES
American Forests (americanforests.org), the country's oldest nonprofit conservation organization, has launched a campaign to plant one million trees for Earth Day. The 31st anniversary of Earth Day is April 22. People can make a big difference in the health of the planet by planting trees in their communities and through the Internet with American Forests Global ReLeaf program which is partnering with community organizations across the United States and around the world. At www.americanforests.org people will find information ranging from the best way to plant a tree in their yard to an easy way to plant trees for Global ReLeaf in one of 50 ecosystem restoration projects underway this year. Every dollar donated online, or through the Global ReLeaf hotline at 1-800-545-TREE, plants a native tree and counts toward the million-tree goal. Individuals can also log in the trees they plant at home or in community action projects.
Since 1990, American Forests has been planting trees for Global ReLeaf in areas damaged by human or natural causes. The Global ReLeaf network has planted trees in more than 500 projects and extends through every state and territory in America, as well as the countries worldwide. In 1996 the organization set a goal to plant 20 million trees for the new millennium. To date more than 15 million trees have been planted and American Forests expects to plant the 20 millionth this fall.
Web site: http://www.americanforests.org
4/7/01
12:48:48 PM
The Nation
Recent headlines noted that a review of 64,248 Florida ballots by the Miami Herald and USA Today found that George W. Bush would have prevailed had the U.S. Supreme Court allowed a recount of that state's disputed presidential vote last fall. But the stories beneath the headlines -- particularly those in the Herald itself -- reveal an entirely different reality.
In fact, as the Herald editors themselves concede, there is no way of knowing whether a real recount would have produced a Bush win because "there is no way to be certain how canvassing boards in each county would have judged each ballot." A Herald editorial even acknowledged that had "every mark, dimple, pinprick or hanging chad" that appeared to suggest a voter's intention to support either Bush or Gore been counted, "Gore would be in the White House today."
The bottom-line, according to John Nichols in the latest installment of the Online Beat: "The post-election waters are as muddy today as they were on the morning on November 8, when bleary-eyed television anchormen retracted their retractions of their previous retractions and finally admitted, "We still really don't know who was elected president."
And, as Nichols notes in another recent Online Beat feature, at least one prominent Democratic activist is urging the party to challenge Bush's legitimacy: In a widely-circulated recent memo, Barbra Streisand implored congressional Democrats to put aside vague talk of bipartisanship and match Republican fire with fire in opposing a president who "stole the presidency through family ties, arrogance and intimidation."
Read these two Online Beat reports currently, along with an instructive look at an important grassroots victory for public school advocates in Milwaukee. All available exclusively at:
http://www.thenation.com/thebeat/
There are also lots of new articles, columns and editorials available currently on a wide range of subjects from the April 23 issue of The Nation:
BRUCE SHAPIRO: The Doctor Killers
http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=20010423&s=shapiro
COURTNEY LOVE AND JOHNNY TEMPLE: On The Record: Toward a Union Label
http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=20010423&s=love
RICK PERSTEIN: The Sins of the Pundits
http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=20010423&s=perlstein
VICTOR NAVASKY: Publish or Speech Perishes
http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=20010423&s=navasky
ERIC ALTERMAN: Commies and the Conservatives Who Love Them
http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=20010423&s=alterman
PETER EDELMAN: A Fairness Agenda for the Bush Era
http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=20010423&s=edelman
You can also still read recent articles of interest from the pages of The Nation, including Senator Jon Corzine on why he's not joining the DLC; Scott Sherman on Al Sharpton; Jonah Peretti on his "Nike media adventure"; Naomi Klein on the World Social Forum; Eben Moglen on Napster; JoAnn Wypijewski on General Electric; Ellen Willis on The Sopranos; Marc Cooper on Plan Columbia; Robert Sherrill on death-penalty politics and Vincent Bugliosi on Bush vs. Gore. All available at:
4/7/01
12:44:01 PM
I am opposed to NASA's continued use of extraordinary quantities of plutonium for any purposes in its outer space programs.
To:
Mr. David Lavery
NASA Headquarters
Office of Space Pseudo-Science
Flight Program Division (Code SD)
Washington, DC 20546-0001
marsnepa@hq.nasa.gov
From:
Russell D. Hoffman
Concerned Citizen
P.O. Box 1936
Carlsbad, California USA 92018-1936
rhoffman@animatedsoftware.com
Subject:
Mars Exploration Rover-2003 Project (NEPA scoping comments)
Date: April 6th, 2001
Dear Mr. Lavery:
I am opposed to NASA's continued use of extraordinary quantities of plutonium for any purposes in its outer space programs.
MER-2003 may carry as much as 365 Curies of plutonium in the form of up to 11 Radioactive Heater Units (RHUs). However, everything MER-2003 is supposed to accomplish could easily be done using solar-powered alternatives.
The Cassini space probe was launched in 1997 despite strong international protests, and had over 400,000 Curies of plutonium on board. Within a year of its launch the lunacy of the dangerous acts NASA was committing was proven by the failure of a similar launch vehicle, a Titan IVA, in August, 1998.
Then a month after the extremely dangerous flyby of Earth by the Cassini space probe in 1999, NASA lost a Mars probe to a simple mathematical error. A similar error could just as easily have doomed Earth to a Cassini dispersal of its plutonium payload -- 72.3 pounds of plutonium dioxide, mostly Pu 238, approximately the same mix (ratio of Pu 238, Pu 239, Pu 240, etc.) as for the proposed MER-2003 mission. The error involved a failure to convert, or a failure to properly convert, the weight of the space probe from English to Metric units. Since Cassini was an international project involving both measurements throughout, the same sort of accident could surely have happened there too. NASA got lucky, but NASA has no right to rely on luck. Luck always runs out sooner or later. By definition, it's not reliable.
NASA had claimed the chance of a flyby failure was "one in one million". Empirical evidence proved otherwise just one month later with the aforementioned Mars orbital insertion failure, and a few months after that, NASA lost yet another probe on Mars, to unknown catastrophic causes.
Cassini's mission to Saturn, after all the risk we Earthlings took to get it there, could yet end in failure. Why must we humans on Earth risk all this plutonium, in the flimsy containers NASA promotes as strong, for missions which have such high failure rates? Or for any mission? The science return isn't a good reason because the same missions could be flown with non-nuclear solutions. Yes, even Cassini, which could have been two smaller, non-nuclear missions. Solar power can be used today as far out as Saturn (ESA (European Space Agency) is sending a solar-powered probe past Saturn. If they can do it, we can do it. Certainly it is adequate on Mars, not just for electricity, but for heating purposes as well.
Although MER-2003 would not have any Radioactive Thermoelectric Generators (RTGs), of which Cassini had three, the proposed mission to Mars would nevertheless include "up to eleven" Radioactive Heater Units (RHUs) with a total of about 365 Curies (1.35 X 10^13 Bq) of plutonium. (NASA Notice 01-028, published in the Federal Register, Vol. 66 No. 36, Thursday, February 22nd, 2001, page 11184). Cassini carried about 127 RHUs, each carrying the same amount of plutonium as the MER-2003 RHUs are expected to carry -- 2.7 grams.
This is A LOT of plutonium. And for what? Heat can easily be generated when needed by storing solar power in batteries and discharging it through a resister at the time and near the location where it's needed. During Martian daylight hours a focusing mirror or lens could be used to produce heat. Various chemicals can be mixed and burned as well. There are lots of ways to produce heat, so RHUs are not necessary for this or ANY NASA mission.
I believe NASA is just trying to think of ways to use plutonium so that the plutonium infrastructure at DOE can remain in place, because the military uses plutonium RTGs for military satellites and for ground-based and water-based powered remote listening devices.
It is believed by this writer (for reasons I've described previously and posted at my STOP CASSINI web site) that the Titan IVA which blew up was in fact carrying a plutonium payload -- at least one Radioactive Thermoelectric Generator (RTG). Winds were out to sea when the launch occurred and it cannot be proven if there was or was not a release of any sort from that launch. There might well have been. (It was a "secret" military launch with NASA's complete assistance.)
There's no scientific necessity here at all. Furthermore, this sham means that ALL NASA's research is suspect. NASA has used blatant lies to get a forgiving American public to accept Cassini. These lies ruin NASA's honor and destroy her respect. By being so dishonest,even the "good" scientists at NASA are having their reputations permanently and horribly stained.
Cassini had a secret NASA never mentioned in any press conference or press release I ever saw, and which no reporter that I know of knew to ask NASA about at a news conference at any time.
That "secret", revealed only through a careful analysis of thousands of pages of documentation, was this: In the event of a flyby reentry, all 127 RHUs would have been completely incinerated. This despite NASA's claims that they would shield all the plutonium they launch, a claim made after SNAP-9A's global dispersal of 17,000 Curies of plutonium in 1964, a dispersal which, according to sworn testimony by the late Dr. Karl Z. Morgan (known as the "Father of Health Physics", the study of radiation's effects on the human body), NASA had claimed had a "one in ten million" chance of failure. Dr. Morgan himself related this well-documented story to this writer in an interview in 1997, via telephone.
Because the failure rate was so low (according to NASA's absurd fiction), there was, they felt, no need to have a containment system for the 2.1 pounds of plutonium dioxide aboard SNAP-9A.
But fail it did, and NASA needed to recover its reputation due to international outcry and protest, so they invented a flimsy and largely ineffective containment system for the RTGs and RHUs. But this containment system is so ineffective that NASA's own 1995 Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Cassini mission EXPECTED a 33% to 66% release of plutonium fuel in a flyby reentry accident, mostly in vaporized form (the most dangerous form of the substance). In the Supplemental EIS NASA reduced the "EXPECTED" release amount to about 3%, having decided that the probe would, by some unknown clairvoyance, be tumbling "just so" in such a way as to release the least amount of fuel. And interesting fudging of the data, considering the decades of experience they have. I think it was nothing more than a political adjustment of the numbers. A 33% to 66% release, or even 100%, doesn't look nearly as innocuous as a 3% release. But all the numbers were fairy-tale numbers anyway. A 100% release was certainly possible. Every other guess was made of part prayer and the rest a rolling of the dice.
But regardless of how much NASA could fudge the RTG ablation and destruction numbers, for the RHUs on board, their was nothing they could do. They were still all goners. They would completely vaporize in any foreseeable reentry accident. There was no roll of the dice for them. No mathematical shenanigans could account for those little boxes surviving a flyby reentry.
So NASA lied! NASA never admitted this fact voluntarily in any press release or news conference, instead always claiming the plutonium was shielded and would be contained! And no reporter I saw had the sense, the guts, or the knowledge to ask. NASA did NOT build a proper containment system after SNAP-9A for the RHUs at all, and the containment/power system known as an RTG is at best improperly tested, and at worst not worth a damn.
NASA even admits, buried in the 1995 FEIS for the Cassini mission, that they don't know what the long-term capabilities of their containment system is. Yet still they proceed as if they are experts.
The Mars probe would not be doing a flyby of Earth, presumably, but it nevertheless could become uncontrollable while flying out to Mars, then return to Earth at a later date, when the containment system might have become brittle and useless (see page 4-104 of the 1995 FEIS for the Cassini Mission). And it might be coming back at a speed equal to -- or faster than -- Cassini's flyby.
NASA's foolishness is fine when it's NASA's own volunteer astronauts who first take part in the foolishness, and then if it comes to pass, pay the ultimate price. If they want to climb into NASA's rickety rockets and risk cancer and leukemia that's their business (a disproportionate number of astronauts seem to get these diseases, presumably from the radiation they receive in outer space). If they want to risk, for the sake and thrill of exploration, all the various hazards of space on board one of the most corrupt agency's contraptions, may God be with them as they go.
But to risk a global dispersal of large quantities of plutonium, 365 Curies for MER-2003, and 400,000+ Curies for Cassini, and millions more Curies in the past (some of which has been dispersed into our environment) and in the future too if NASA's 35-year plan as described in recent DOE documents comes to fruition, is NOT right. The people who will die from the dispersals of plutonium will not be able to prove NASA is the culprit -- lucky for NASA. Actually, not entirely luck. Premeditated. NASA's "containment system" practically guarantees not that there will be no release, but that the release will occur at high altitude if/when it occurs.
This saves no one, but it saves NASA from culpability by spreading the poison out globally. In the case of SNAP-9A, for instance, about 75% of the plutonium was spread into the Southern Hemisphere, and 25% was spread into the Northern Hemisphere.
One last point: If NASA is going to engage is such a deadly game of numbers, as to try to pretend it has "one in one million" failure rates, or that 72.3 pounds of plutonium can be rendered harmless by spreading it out extremely thinly throughout our environment, then NASA at least ought to play its game using standard conventions.
In the Federal Register notice to which this letter responds (NASA Notice 01-028), the amount of plutonium is described as "13.5 X 10^12 Bq". Normally, as I did above, this would be described as "1.35 X 10^13 Bq". It is this sort of sloppiness which makes many people not trust NASA's numbers.
Today's corrupt NASA should under no circumstances be allowed to launch plutonium in space. If any launching of plutonium is permitted ever, because no alternatives can be found, the limit should be not more than about .001 Curies, perhaps much less, and certainly not 365 Curies as for MER-2003, or 400,000 Curies as for Cassini. NASA must absolutely be forbidden from doing this!
Plutonium causes cancer, leukemia, and birth defects. These effects are not reduced by spreading the plutonium out -- it's not like you get a cold instead of cancer. Rather, all that happens is the RATE of these effects within a population is reduced as the dose goes down. But NASA would infect 6 billion people (today) with nuclear waste in the event of an accident -- a lot of people would each get a small dose, and some of those would get 10 or 20 times what other people might get. There is no such thing as a perfectly even dispersal.
Standard texts on plutonium indicate that inhaling quantities on the order of a millionth of a gram are sufficient to cause lung cancer in all cases. So one RHU contains about 2.7 MILLION lethal doses of plutonium, if spread out in particles of a millionth of a gram and given to each of 2.7 million people, all would die. Then 2.7 more could take their place, and 2.7 million more after that, for plutonium can keep on killing and killing and killing. The human population's dose from a NASA failure would average far less than a millionth of a gram, but it would be in everybody, and it certainly would kill many, many people, silently and stealthily. NASA "cooks" these numbers too, as it does the accident rates as previously discussed. By doing so, even after dispersing its plutonium throughout the environment, say, over New York City, Cassini would kill, in NASA's final analysis, only about 120 people worldwide. In other words, the hundreds of billions of lethal doses which would be spread throughout our environment for thousands of years would only kill 120 people, according to NASA. That's a cooked number, derived from averaging thousands of accident scenarios. Real scientists have suggested numbers in the millions or even tens of millions.
The half-life of Pu 238 is about 88 years. The half-life of Pu 239 is about 24,100 years.
Please keep me informed of all decisions regarding NASA's use of plutonium in space, and also I would appreciate acknowledgement of receipt of this letter, sent via email. Also, I would appreciate the names and titles of all NASA employees who read this letter and the dates they did so, and I would like to know all their communicated responses to other NASA employees or to the public or to any elected officials regarding this letter.
Thank you in advance for your time. Hopefully through this process we can uncover the truth about why NASA backs nukes and why reasonable scientists (dozens of whom I've interviewed) are being ignored on the issues I've written about.
Sincerely,
Russell Hoffman
Concerned Citizen
Carlsbad, California
Webmaster, STOP CASSINI web site:
http://www.animatedsoftware.com/cassini/cassini.htm
Founder and Editor of the Stop Cassini newsletter:
http://www.animatedsoftware.com/cassini/nltrs/index.htm
The above web site and newsletters document chronologically and unequivocally the lies NASA told about Cassini. Will NASA repeat that performance for MER-2003?
4/7/01
12:34:26 PM
TomPaine.com this weekend
THE WAY THEY ARE
David Corn's Loyal Opposition
In a recent letter, Barbra Streisand urged her Democratic pals to "keep reminding people" that they are the party of the people. That's more a wish than a description, according to Mr. Corn. He reminds us that, for all their ballyhoo about Bush's repudiation of the Kyoto Protocol, the Senate Democrats already took their own anti-Kyoto position. In 1997, the Senate approved a resolution decrying any global warming accord that mandates emission reductions for the U.S. without doing the same for developing nations. Every Democratic senator voted for this resolution, which passed 95-0. (By the way, the United States, which contains about 4 percent of the world's population, produces about 25 percent of its carbon dioxide.)
http://www.tompaine.com/news/2001/04/06/index.html
TONY SOPRANO, THE TIMES, AND THE GLOBE
A TomPaine.commentary by Debra Cash
The Boston Globe sent an ultimatum to its freelancers. It demanded past, present and future rights to freelancers' work -- with no negotiation and no additional compensation. In Ms. Cash's case, that meant that unless she was willing to sign away rights to 17 years of work -- hundreds of articles -- for free and forever, she would never get another assignment from the paper. If she signed the contract, she had no guarantee of future work either. One commentator in Boston has called this a contract that only Tony Soprano could love.
http://www.tompaine.com/opinion/2001/04/05/index.html
CHINESE SPY PLANE LANDS ON LONG ISLAND
Norman Solomon
One of the ways to test for media slant is to put the shoe on the other foot. A big story this month provides an opportunity for inquiry into the world of intense media spin.
http://www.tompaine.com/news/2001/04/06/1.html
RALPH NADER AND THE RIGHT
An Excerpt from Trudy Lieberman's Slanting the Story Ralph Nader framed environmental and consumer issues as the larger interests of the public pitted against the narrow interests of big corporations. Over the last 20 years right-wing think tanks have turned this idea on its head. Through the media, right-wing think tanks have succeeded in portraying as special interests organized labor, consumer groups, environmental activists, trial lawyers, and advocates for children and the elderly -- any group whose agenda is contrary to that of corporations or to the ideological interests of right-wing think tanks.
http://www.tompaine.com/news/2001/03/28/1.html
4/6/01
11:32:40 AM
Committee to Remove the Pacifica Board
Dear All –
Our attorney, Dan Bartley, and I have just had a grueling 2 weeks researching, drafting, filing and serving briefs for the hearings on April 10th. As I write, Dan is on his way to the courthouse to file the last 2 briefs -- our "reply" briefs to Pacifica's "opposition" briefs to our motions (1) to disqualify Epstein Becker & Green and (2) for a preliminary injunction prohibiting Pacifica from taking any substantial actions affecting Pacifica assets, governance, management, or operations until the case goes to trial. In addition, on Monday, we filed our "opposition" brief to Pacifica's demurrer to (motion to dismiss) our case. Their "reply" brief is due today. All of the briefs from both sides will be posted to our "legal archives" on our web page shortly.
The hearing of all three motions will be:
Tuesday, April 10th 9:00 a.m.
Before Judge Judith D. Ford
Alameda County Superior Court Department 31
U.S. Post Office Building
201 13th Street, Second Floor Oakland, CA
The public may attend and your support will be welcomed. Please, though, maintain respectful courtroom decorum at all times during the hearing. Pacifica is portraying us as "violent racists" in their briefs to the court. Let us all behave with the dignity and solemnity due for the occasion. These are crucial hearings. Now is the time for your prayers, positive energy, and blessings on our efforts.
Thanks,
Carol Spooner
Committee to Remove the Pacifica Board
(sponsoring the "listeners' lawsuit")
Web Page: http://home.pon.net/wildrose/remove.htm
P.S. As the "law clerk" on the case I have not been able to open my mail or respond to email for 3 weeks. Please forgive me for any rudeness.
Contributions to our legal fund can be made payable to: Committee to Remove the Pacifica Board, 1136 Wild Rose Drive, Santa Rosa, CA 95401. Your gift to the Committee is NOT tax deductible, but your support of the cause of free speech radio is invaluable. Question, details? Call or email Carol Spooner, (707) 526-2867, wildrose@pon.net Thank you!
Tax deductible gifts of $500 or more to support our legal action can be made payable to our fiscal sponsor: Marin Health Fund/Public Media Project, P.O. Box 5402, Mill Valley, CA 94942. You will receive tax deduction receipt from them. Also, the Public Media Project has a special account to receive gifts of stock in support of our lawsuit. For details contact Linda Remy, lremy@well.com. Thank you!
This Bulletin Comes from The Committee to Remove the Pacifica Board, web page
http://home.pon.net/wildrose/remove.htm
To subscribe/unsubscribe email wildrose@pon.net
4/6/01
11:12:07 AM
UTNE WEB WATCH
The Best of the Alternative Web
http://www.utne.com/webwatch/archive.tpl?d=04/06/2001
HEARING IS BELIEVING
by Robert Feinstein, Bent
-- Though most commonly associated with bats and dolphins, echolocation is also used by blind people. Robert Feinstein sheds light on how he learned to see with his ears by clicking and stomping.
FIELD GUIDE TO THE FTAA PROTESTS IN QUEBEC CITY
by SOA Watch/NE
-- Police and activists alike are preparing for the upcoming Summit of the Americas in Quebec City, where officials from across the hemisphere plan to negotiate the Free Trade Agreement of the America's (FTAA) -- a sort of NAFTA on steroids. If you're planning to attend, this handy guide will help you speak your mind while staying out of harm's way.
BRIGHT IDEA: A GLOBAL RESOURCE BANK
website review by Leif Utne
-- Since the basic commodities that drive our economies are produced by ecosystems, says the Global Resource Bank, then let's replace central bank notes with ecocredits, an new Internet-based medium of exchange that stores the shared value of our ecoproduct wealth.
Links to the above articles: http://www.utne.com/webwatch
4/6/01
11:09:19 AM
ENVIRONMENT NEWS SERVICE
"We Cover the Earth For You"
U.S. CLIMATE STANCE TRIGGERS BOYCOTT THREATS
LONDON, United Kingdom, April 5, 2001 (ENS) - The USA's decision to abandon the Kyoto climate protocol is sparking a wave of calls from European environmentalists and Greens for consumers to take revenge on President George W. Bush by boycotting American firms.
For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens-news.com/ens/apr2001/2001L-04-05-05.html
VETS ADVISE EU TO LEARN FOOT AND MOUTH LESSONS
BRUSSELS, Belgium, April 5, 2001 (ENS) - Once Europe has eliminated the current outbreak of foot and mouth disease, farmers and governments should introduce "standstill" periods for livestock, says Europe's veterinarians to help prevent future outbreaks.
For full text and graphics, visit:
http://ens.lycos.com/ens/apr2001/2001L-04-05-11.html
CLINTON MOBBED TOURING INDIA'S EARTHQUAKE DAMAGE
By Thakor Patel and Rezaul H. Laskar
BHUJ, India, April 5, 2001 (ENS) - Former U.S. president Bill Clinton capped a whistlestop tour of the areas worst affected by the January earthquake in Gujarat saying India and the United States should "work as partners till the villages are rebuilt and the people have work."
For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens-news.com/ens/apr2001/2001L-04-05-02.html
CLIMATE CHANGE LINKED TO VANISHING TOADS
WASHINGTON, DC, April 5, 2001 (ENS) - For the first time, researchers have identified a direct link between global climate change and local factors that cause the death of amphibian eggs in the wild. Their report traces one link to another in a pattern that begins in the southern Pacific Ocean and ultimately results in masses of dead, rotting toad eggs in a small alpine lake many thousands of miles away.
For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens.lycos.com/ens/apr2001/2001L-04-05-06.html
1,000th GOLDEN LION TAMARIN GETS BIRTHDAY GIFT OF HABITAT
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil, April 5, 2001 (ENS) - The government of Brazil has created a new protected area to aid in the recovery of the golden lion tamarin - a tiny golden monkey that just a few years ago was on the brink of extinction.
For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens-news.com/ens/apr2001/2001L-04-05-04.html
KLAMATH RIVER SALMON WIN A WATER BATTLE IN COURT
OAKLAND, California, April 5, 2001 (ENS) - Embattled salmon have won a fight over water in the drought stricken Pacific Northwest. A federal court judge ruled Wednesday that the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation cannot deliver water for agricultural irrigation without considering the needs of coho salmon in the Klamath River.
For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens-news.com/ens/apr2001/2001L-04-05-03.html
EU TAKES BIRD CONSERVATION FIGHT TO THE FINNISH
BRUSSELS, Belgium, April 5, 2001 (ENS) - Finland's decision to build the Vuotos power plant in the country's northeast has landed it in hot water with the European Commission, which says the area, known as the mires of Kemihaara, is an important habitat for birds protected under the European Union's oldest piece of nature conservation legislation.
For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens-news.com/ens/apr2001/2001L-04-05-10.html
ENVIRONMENT NEWS SERVICE AMERISCAN: APRIL 5, 2001
Judge Dismisses Suit Aimed at Blocking Climate Debate
Companies Challenged to Voice Support for Kyoto Protocol
Environmental, Labor Groups Criticize Contractor Rule
Norton Promotes Fossil Fuel Exploration
Reagan/Bush Veteran Could Join Justice Department
No Mad Cow Disease Found in U.S.
Longline Fishers Must Carry Tools to Untangle Turtles
EPA Targets Nitrogen Pollution in Long Island Sound
For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens.lycos.com/ens/apr2001/2001L-04-05-09.html
4/6/01
11:04:40 AM
Planet Ark World Environment News
Doing environmental research? Search our news archives at: http://www.planetark.org/searchhome.cfm
Human activity harms giant panda reserve in China - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10410
Streams vital in removing water pollution - study - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10412
University of Rhode Island fined $800,000 by EPA - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10427
FPL to build wind farm to power 80,000 Texas homes - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10415
Draft recommends US open land to drilling - paper - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10416
US green groups say bio-crops contaminating organic food - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10409
Warming tropical oceans drive climate changes - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10426
US green group seeks to save environmental programs - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10422
UPDATE - Britain gears up for offshore wind power - UK http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10417
Sweden picks 10 towns for greenhouse gas cuts - SWEDEN http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10414
Russia eyes windfall from greenhouse gas quotas - RUSSIA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10411
UPDATE - Russia tells Norway no nukes on Kursk - RUSSIA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10428
Lone Norway wolf has one day to freedom after hunt - NORWAY http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10419
Greenpeace gives US firms deadline on climate pact - NETHERLANDS http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10424
GM presence in seeds inevitable, EU group says - ITALY http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10423
Training seen as key to tackle tiger poaching - INDIA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10413
EU to push for higher oil spill payouts - diplomats - EU http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10425
UPDATE - Canada to examine idea of water exports - CANADA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10421
British Columbia proposes mandatory GM food labels - CANADA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10420
INTERVIEW - Amnesty guides Australian ethical investors - AUSTRALIA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10418
4/6/01
11:01:06 AM
Is Fluoride Adversely Affecting Minority Children?
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 23, 2001
Is Fluoride Adversely Affecting Minority Children's Intelligence and Behavior? Dartmouth Researcher Finds Increased Uptake of Lead CANTON, NEW YORK --
The chemicals currently used to fluoridate much of the water in the US may be causing increased blood lead levels in children, results of a new study show.
Dr. Roger Masters of Dartmouth College and colleagues looked at data consisting of over 150,000 children's blood lead tests, and found levels significantly elevated in areas where chemicals known as silicofluorides (SiF), used in over 90% of the fluoridated water in the US, are used. Controlling for other factors associated with high blood lead, the odds of children having venous blood lead over the standard cut-off of 10ug/dL were significantly higher where SiFs were in use, with the odds often doubled or tripled for minorities.
"Our findings suggest that water fluoridation -- often justified by supposed benefits to minorities -- actually has extremely NEGATIVE effects. Given the link between high blood lead and hyperactivity, learning disabilities, drug use, and aggressive behavior, many of the stereotypical racially biased beliefs about Blacks and Hispanics have apparently been reinforced by the unsuspected effects of toxic chemicals intentionally added to the water supply" asserts Masters. The study, published in the journal "Neurotoxicology", reinforces the findings of two previous studies by the same researchers. Other data, now in press, show that controlling for other factors, SiF usage also contributes to significant increases in rates of violent crime, says Masters.
"Dumbing Down" and Behavioral Effects
"Apart from other dangerous effects, the tendency of SiF to enhance absorption of lead is of incalculable importance, because among the well-known consequences are its effects on intelligence and cognitive ability, which can be permanent and severe," according to Masters. Even at levels below 10ug/dL, researchers have found subtle but dangerous deficits in learning and behavior. A recent study conducted at Children's Hospital Medical Center in Cincinnati found slight, but detectable, impairment at levels as low as 5ug/dL, half the current standard used for determining elevated lead levels. In addition, each increase of 1ug/dL was found to cause a 1% decrease in children's reading scores.
Along with causing learning problems, lead can have other adverse health effects as well, such as increases in ADD/ADHD symptoms, violent behavior, and drug use, studies have shown. (See http://fluoridealert.org/lead.htm for additional information) Are the Alleged Benefits of Fluoridation Worth the Risk?
"Even if fluoridation does provide some modest benefit in regard to tooth decay, society really needs to take a good hard look at its priorities here," says Paul Connett, Ph.D., of the Fluoride Action Network (FAN), an international coalition of organizations helping to raise awareness of fluoride's health and environmental hazards. "With rates of ADD/ADHD at record levels and still rising, is a minute benefit to teeth worth the risk of higher lead levels?" asks Connett. "In fact, several recent studies have shown that rates of tooth decay do NOT rise after water fluoridation is stopped, but may actually decrease. If people want to take the gamble with fluoride (a known enzyme poison) it makes more sense to do as the Europeans do, and use topical fluoride instead," he maintains.
Untested Chemical
"Most people would be shocked to learn that there have been no adequate studies of long-term low-level exposure to silicofluorides," states Masters. "Even the EPA admits it has no data on the health and behavioral effects of SiFs."
"Shouldn't we stop intentionally exposing 140 million Americans to an untested chemical until the risks are extensively and objectively evaluated by independent researchers?" asks Dr. Masters. For additional information on the latest study, as well as other related information, go to http://fluoridealert.org/lead.htm Source: Neurotoxicology 2000; 21: 1091-1100
Contact:
Roger Masters, PhD, Foundation for Neuroscience and Society, Dartmouth College, phone: 603-646-2153, email: Roger.D.Masters@Dartmouth.edu (Questions related to fluoride - -- lead association)
Paul Connett, PhD,
Fluoride Action Network
St. Lawrence University
Phone:315-379-9200, Fax: 315-379-0448
Email: pcon@fluoridealert.org or media@fluoridealert.org
4/6/01
10:57:54 AM
The "Trojan Fish" Syndrome
Joseph Mendelson, J.D., Legal Director, Center for Food Safety
http://www.centerforfoodsafety.org
says:
"Two University of Purdue researchers found that when you engineer human growth genes or other growth genes into fish, you get superfish. These huge fish have human growth genes in every cell of their bodies. And it turns out that the females are attracted to the larger male fish, the ones that are genetically engineered with these growth hormones. So they have a selective advantage. The genetically engineered males create more offspring. However, the researchers also discovered that these new growth hormones cause a one-third greater mortality in the offspring. So here you have Darwin on his head. You have a selective advantage in the genetically engineered fish, as far as reproduction, but their offspring are dying at a one-third greater rate than the offspring of the normal fish. Scientists found that putting 60 genetically engineered fish into a population of 60,000 native fish could render the entire species extinct in as little as forty years. This 'Trojan Fish' syndrome demonstrates the extraordinary ecological threat of genetic engineering.
Meanwhile, our own Food and Drug Administration is in the process of approving these fish."
4/6/01
10:54:20 AM
Multiple Sclerosis - Milk connection?
Health Freedom Resources - Public Awareness Announcement #20
This PAA centers around the connection between Multiple Sclerosis (MS), and Type 1 (juvenile) diabetes and the consumption of dairy products.
It is brought to you by the Not Milk Man himself, Robert Cohen.
Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a common neurological disease, affecting approximately 300,000 Americans. Two-thirds of those diagnosed with MS are women.
Most researchers believe that MS is an auto immune disease. Auto means "self." The body's reaction to a foreign protein is to destroy that antigen-like invader with an antibody. The antibody then turn upon one's own cells. That is an auto-immune response. In the case of MS, the body's response is to attack the outer membrane-protecting nerve cells, or the myelin sheath.
Symptoms of MS include tingling or numbness of the limbs, paralyses, and vision problems. Sometimes MS patients experience slurred speech accompanied by chronic pain.
MS costs approximately $2.5 billion each year in America. MS is found in milk-drinking populations. It is interesting to note that Eskimos and Bantus (50 million living in East Africa) rarely get MS. Neither do those native North and South American Indian or Asian populations that consume no dairy products.
Many physicians have noted a dairy link to MS. Many little clues have been reinforced by one very large clue, just published. Each clue provides a piece of the puzzle.
Norway has the highest rates of milk and dairy consumption in the world. Dr. Ashton F. Embry analyzed geographical regions, and provides this dairy clue:
He writes:
"...In Norway MS is up to five times more common in the inland farming areas than in the relatively nearby coastal fishing areas."
John McDougall, M.D., cites the British medical journal Lancet in pointing out that a diet filled with dairy products has been closely linked to the development of MS. (The Lancet 1974;2:1061)
Dr. Luther Lindner is involved in clinical MS experiments at Texas A & M University College of Medicine. Lindner, a pathologist, writes on his website:
"It might be prudent to limit the intake of milk and milk products."
http://www.sky.net/~dporter/MSCFSABX.htm
A worldwide study published in the journal Neuroepidemiology revealed an association between eating dairy foods (cow's milk, butter, and cream) and an increased prevalence of MS. (Neuroepidemiology 1992;11:304-12.)
The April 1, 2001 issue of the Journal of Immunology will contain a study linking MS to milk consumption. It has long been established that early exposure to bovine proteins is a trigger for insulin dependent diabetes mellitus. Researchers have made that same milk consumption connection to MS.
The July 30, 1992 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine first reported the diabetes auto immune response milk connection:
"Patients with insulin dependent diabetes mellitus produce antibodies to cow milk proteins that participate in the development of islet dysfunction. Taken as a whole, our findings suggest that an active response in patients with IDDM (to the bovine protein) is a feature of the auto immune response."
In October of 1996, The Lancet reported:
"Antibodies to bovine beta-casein are present in over a third of IDDM patients and relatively non-existent in healthy individuals."
Two months later (December 14, 1996), The Lancet revealed:
"Cow's milk proteins are unique in one respect: in industrialized countries they are the first foreign proteins entering the infant gut, since most formulations for babies are cow milk-based. The first pilot stage of our IDD prevention study found that oral exposure to dairy milk proteins in infancy resulted in both cellular and immune response...this suggests the possible importance of the gut immune system to the pathogenesis of IDD."
THE MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS / MILK CONNECTION
Michael Dosch, M.D., and his team of researchers have determined that multiple sclerosis and type I (juvenile) diabetes mellitus are far more closely linked than previously thought. Dosch attributes exposure to cow milk protein as a risk factor in the development of both diseases for people who are genetically susceptible. According to Dosch:
"We found that immunologically, type I diabetes and multiple sclerosis are almost the same, in a test tube you can barely tell the two diseases apart. We found that the auto-immunity was not specific to the organ system affected by the disease. Previously it was thought that in MS auto-immunity would develop in the central nervous system, and in diabetes it would only be found in the pancreas. We found that both tissues are targeted in each disease." (Journal of Immunology, April, 2001)
4/6/01
10:51:11 AM
Vegetables Without Vitamins
by Susan Callaway, R.N.
Imagine the surprise of going online and discovering that the vitamin and mineral content of vegetables has drastically dropped.
That's what happened to nutritionist, Alex Jack, when he went to check out the latest US Department of Agriculture food tables. The stunning revelation came after Jack compared recently published nutrient values with an old USDA handbook he had lying around. Some of the differences in vitamin and mineral content were enormous-a 50% drop in the amount of calcium in broccoli, for example. Watercress down 88% in iron content; cauliflower down 40% in vitamin C content-all since 1975.
Jack took his findings to the USDA, hoping for a reasonable explanation. That was two years ago. He's still waiting. So is Organic Gardening magazine, which published an open letter, seeking an explanation from Dan Glickman, Secretary of Agriculture. Glickman didn't respond, but USDA employee, Phyllis E. Johnson did. Johnson (who is head of the Beltsville area office), suggested to Organic Gardening that the nutrient drain should be put in context. According to her, the 78% decrease in calcium content of corn is not significant because no one eats corn for calcium. She further explains that the problem may not even exist at all; that the apparent nutrient dips could be due to the testing procedures. For example, "changes in the public's perception of what the edible portion is may determine what parts have been analyzed over time." In other words, back when the old food tables were made up, people may have been eating the cobb too, so they got more nutrients.
The vitamin drain
We decided to look into this further. Jack had used a 1975 version of the food tables for his research. We dredged up a 1963 version. After comparing the nutrient values for over a dozen fruits and vegetables, it was clear that the nutrient value of many foods has dropped, in some cases drastically. For example, the amount of vitamin C in sweet peppers has plummeted from 128 mg to 89 mg. The vitamin A in apples has dropped from 90 mg to 53 mg. The fall-offs seem to be limited mostly to vegetables, and some fruits.
Some vegetables appear to be gaining vitamins-at least vitamin A. Carrots, for example, have more of the vitamin now than they did in 1963. Why is a mystery. But the phenomenon has apparently occurred just in the nick of time. The National Academy of Sciences has issued an alert that it takes twice as many vegetables to get the daily requirement of vitamin A as previously thought. Carrots and pumpkin are exempt from the caveat.
Despite the apparent increase of vitamin A in carrots, most vegetables are losing their vitamins and minerals. Nearly half the calcium and vitamin A in broccoli, for example, have disappeared. Collards are not the greens they used to be. If you're eating them for minerals and vitamin A, be aware that the vitamin A content has fallen from 6500 IUs to 3800 IUs. Their potassium has dropped from from 400 mg to 170 mg. Magnesium has fallen sharply-57 mg to 9. Cauliflower has lost almost half its vitamin C, along with its thiamin and riboflavin. Most of the calcium in pineapple is gone-from 17 mg (per 100 grams raw) to 7. And the list goes on and on.
The USDA refuses to act
What's the deal on this nutrient drain? We decided to ask USDA ourselves, so we contacted the head of the USDA Agricultural Research Service, whose job it is to track the vitamins in food, among other things. Mr. Edward B. Knipling responded to our inquiry with a restatement of Ms. Johnson's letter to Organic Gardening magazine. So we pressed for a better answer. Isn't the agency concerned that Americans may not be getting the vitamins they think they are? What about the food pyramid? Won't a nutrient drain upset the pyramid? Already the National Academy of Sciences is telling us our vegetables don't have as many vitamins as they're supposed to. Will the USDA double the required servings of vegetables to make up for the vitamin loss? So far, no answer from the agency.
The question is, what is the nature and extent of the problem? Vegetables are a major source of nutrition. Without them, humans miss out on important vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients. Many nutrients (such as folate) weren't measured in the past. If they are also disappearing, the extent is unknown. What about more exotic nutrients such as flavonoids, or compounds like I3C? These aren't tracked by the USDA. Are they disappearing also?
- 90% of women and 71% of men get less than the RDA for vitamin B6. Dietary vitamin B-6 intake and food sources in the US population: NHANES II, 1976-1980. Kant AK, et al. 1990.
- Men with the lowest amount of vitamin C have a 62% increased risk of cancer and a 57% increased risk of dying from any cause. Vitamin C status and mortality in US adults. Loria CM, et al. Am J Clin Nutr 72:139-45, 2000.
- Lutein and zeaxanthin reduce the incidence of cataract by 22%. A prospective study of carotenoid and vitamin A intakes and risk of cataract extraction in US women. Chasan-Taber L, et al. Am J Clin Nutr 70:509-16, 1999.
- People with low levels of retinol, beta-carotene, vitamin E and selenium are more likely to get cancer. Serum retinol, beta-carotene, vitamin E and selenium as related to subsequent cancer of specific sites. Comstock GW, et al. Am J Epidemiol 135:115-21, 1992.
- Supplemental vitamin D reduces the risk of colon cancer by half compared to dietary vitamin D which reduces it 12%. Calcium, vitamin D, and dairy foods and the occurrence of colon cancer in men. Kearney J, et al. Am J Epidemiol 143:907-17, 1996.
- The area of China with the lowest micronutrient intake has the highest rate of cancer. Supplementation with vitamin E, selenium and beta-carotene lowers the rate. Vitamin/mineral supplementation and cancer risk: international chemoprevention trials. Blot WJ. Proc Soc Exp Biol Med 216:291-6, 1997.
- American children have inadequate levels of vitamin E. Vitamin E status of US children. Bendich A. J Am Coll Nutr 11:441-4, 1992.
- Flavonoids protect against stroke. Dietary flavonoids, antioxidant vitamins, and incidence of stroke: the Zutphen study. Keli SO, et al. Arch Intern Med 156:637-42, 1996.
According to one study, less than one-third of Americans get the minimum five servings of fruits and vegetables a day, let alone the recommended nine. According to Balzer's data, the percentage of Americans who buy healthy groceries is about 10%. The other 90% relies on ketchup, onions, fat-free snacks, ice cream, cheese and Sweet Tarts as their source of nutrition. Now we find out that even if a person accidentally eats a vegetable, it may not contain the nutrients it's supposed to. What can a person do?
Vitamin supplements work
"...the nutritional content of produce is not as important as things like appearance and big yield. In other words, the view of commercial growers is that food is a product in the same way that running shoes are a product. Looks are more important than substance."
Supplements have proven their worth in scientific studies. Cancer, heart attacks, bone loss, stroke and macular degeneration-most any degenerative disease you can think of can either be prevented by, or ameliorated by, the right nutrients given in supplement form. Over the long term, the benefits can really add up. For example, nurses who took multi-vitamins containing folic acid for fifteen years slashed their risk of colon cancer by 75%. Folate from food didn't work as well. No one knows why, although bioavailability problems may be to blame. It's estimated that about 90% of the population gets less folate per day than necessary for health (400 micrograms).
The USDA is apparently unconcerned and not interested in the vitamin drain, despite its mandate to ensure high quality safe foods. In her letter to Organic Gardening, Ms. Johnson said that the nutritional content of produce is not as important as things like appearance and big yield. In other words, Ms. Johnson espouses the view of commercial growers that food is a product in the same way that running shoes are a product. Looks are more important than substance. That view of vegetables and fruits reduces your spinach salad to pretty roughage, and your chances of meeting RDAs to slim.
The USDA can be accessed at http://www.usda.gov. The food tables are available online.
The folks who do the food testing are in the Agricultural Research Service which can be accessed at
www.ars.usda.gov
*1963 values have been set at 100%
4/6/01
10:45:00 AM
HYPOTHESIS FOR THE CAUSE HENCE THE SOLUTION FOR THE GLOBAL HUMAN IMMUNE DEFICIENCY EPIDEMICS
By Allene R. Wahl, Ph.D., C.N.C., author
Here is a relevant excerpt:
The Cause
The first of three necessary components for the current epidemiological immune disorders appears to be the insidious bio-accumulative effects of environmental toxins invivo (including chemical, electronic and nuclear radiation.) Secondary, common component being poor nutrition, emotional stressors, and/or the use of drugs (recreational, prescribed, vaccines [especially uncontested antibiotics, birth control drugs, cortisones]) creating an immune compromised situation with gut dysbosis allowing for the third component of opportunistic viral, fungal, parasitic and bacterial pathogens to strongly manifest. The primary reason for this situation is a growing global ambient toxic environment that is much more serious than previously suspected, contaminating our air, food and water. These data obviates new thought in medicine regarding the importance of nutrition and the negative effects of toxins on the human condition. Addendum: Refer also to book "Deadly Deception" by Dr. Robert E. Willner, M.D., Ph.D. and "AIDS" by Prof. Peter Duesberg, et al, and check out website:
http://www.virusmyth.com/aids/data/vkmicro.htm.
Also Dr. Michael Biamonte has an excellent immune program in NY, NY, among other enlightened physicians.
http://members.tripod.com/immune_disorders/index.html
4/6/01
10:39:11 AM
Chemical Formed In Irradiated Food Damages DNA
In a rare opportunity to speak publicly about food irradiation before a captive audience of government officials and food industry executives, Public Citizen this week released the world's first English translation of a recent German study revealing that a chemical formed in irradiated food can damage DNA.
The study confirmed what safe-food advocates and many pioneering researchers have known for more than 30 years: Exposing food to ionizing radiation can lead to the formation of bizarre new chemicals called "unique radiolytic products" that can cause serious health problems. One such chemical, known as 2-DCB, caused "significant DNA damage" in the colons of rats that ate the substance. The chemical which, ironically, is a well known "marker" for determining whether food has been irradiated has never been found naturally in any food on Earth.
http://www.sightings.com/general9/chemicalformed.htm
4/6/01
10:22:07 AM
Public Citizen
Bush School Lunch Proposal: Yet Another Favor to Special Interests That Funded Campaign
Companies, Industry Groups Donated Heavily to Bush Presidential Campaign
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- President Bush's proposal to reject a Clinton administration requirement that all beef served to children in the school lunch program be tested for salmonella and instead be irradiated is the latest in a series of moves intended to weaken consumer protection laws for the benefit of his corporate supporters, Public Citizen said Thursday.
Numerous companies and industry groups that would benefit from the proposal not only contributed heavily to Bush's presidential campaign, but their executives assumed key roles on the president's transition team, according to research by Public Citizen.
During 2000, food companies and industry groups with a major stake in the proliferation of irradiated food gave $3.3 million to national Republican Party committees and federal candidates. Those same companies gave $654,000 to national Democratic Party committees and federal candidates. The companies include IBP (formerly known as Iowa Beef Packers) and Tyson Foods. The industry groups include the Food Marketing Institute and National Food Processors Association.
"Children deserve -- and their parents expect -- school lunches to be fresh, safe and wholesome, not nutritionally deficient and chemically altered by high doses of ionizing radiation," said Joan Claybrook, Public Citizen president. "This proposal is nothing more than a payback to corporations that contributed to President Bush's campaign, which was the most expensive campaign in history. The president has no shame."
On Wednesday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced a proposal to abandon a Clinton administration policy to conduct bacterial testing of meat served as part of the USDA's National School Lunch Program. More than 26 million children eat food provided by the program. While the USDA backed away from this proposal earlier today, the Bush administration has not dropped plans to serve irradiated meat to school children.
Numerous food companies and industry groups that would benefit from the rollback of USDA's salmonella testing rule and proposal to require purchase irradiated meat for the school lunch program contributed heavily to the Bush campaign and the Republican Party, and served on Bush's transition team. Among them:
· The Food Marketing Institute gave $739,567 to the Republican Party and GOP candidates last year. FMI President/CEO Timothy Hammonds served on Bush's Agriculture Transition Advisory Team and personally donated the maximum allowable amount of $1,000 to Bush's presidential campaign. Hammonds also was a member of Bush "Pioneers" -- people responsible for raising more than $100,000 for his campaign. Hammonds and the FMI actively support food irradiation and oppose certain measures to test meat for E. coli.
· The Grocery Manufacturers of America gave $242,925 to the Republican Party and GOP candidates last year. GMA President/CEO C. Manly Molpus served on Bush's Agriculture Transition Advisory Team and personally donated the maximum allowable amount of $1,000 to Bush's presidential campaign. During a recent speech, Molpus spoke of the need to "promote" irradiation and "help consumers learn more" about the technology.
· The National Cattlemen's Beef Association gave $389,170 to the Republican Party and GOP candidates last year. NCBA Vice President Chandler Keys served on Bush's Agriculture Transition Advisory Team. The organization is among the most active industry supporters of food irradiation.
"The time has come for President Bush to realize that he was elected by the people, not by corporations," said Frank Clemente, director of Public Citizen's Congress Watch. "The U.S. government has not adequately tested the safety of irradiated food. By serving it to school children, Bush would show his true colors."
The table on the attached page provides a breakdown of the contributions to all national party committees and federal candidates in the 1999-2000 election cycle from meat and poultry industry interests.
Total Federal Contributions from Meat and Poultry Industry 1999 - 2000
Organization Amount Democrats Republicans
Food Marketing Institute $795,233 $55,666 $739,567
ConAgra Inc $466,950 $70,043 $396,908
National Cattlemen's Beef Association $457,847 $68,677 $389,170
Food Distributors International $364,113 $5,609 $358,504
Grocery Manufacturers of America $266,950 $24,026 $242,925
Monsanto Co $239,010 $109,945 $129,065
National Food Processors Association $227,225 $6,817 $220,408
Nabisco Holdings $223,022 $46,835 $176,187
National Chicken Council $152,595 $49,324 $103,271
IBP Inc. (formerly known as Iowa Beef Packers) $126,000 $4,960 $121,040
Tyson Foods $124,695 $48,631 $76,064
United Egg Association $112,464 $40,896 $71,568
National Pork Producers Council $109,321 $60,127 $49,194
National Turkey Federation $84,843 $34,280 $50,563
American Frozen Food Institute $85,580 $4,279 $81,301
Gold Kist $69,350 $18,725 $50,626
Cattle Feeding & Ranching $25,250 $0 $25,250
California Poultry Industry Federation $11,750 $5,523 $6,228
Totals $3,942,198 $654,359 $3,287,838
Note: Includes contributions from PACs, soft money donors and individuals giving $200 or more. Source: Center for Responsive Politics
www.opensecrets.org
Public Citizen is a nonprofit consumer advocacy organization based in Washington, D.C.
For more information, please visit www.citizen.org
4/5/01
3:18:01 PM
ENVIRONMENT NEWS SERVICE
"We Cover the Earth For You"
WHITMAN GIVES EUROPE NO JOY ON CLIMATE PROTOCOL
By Cat Lazaroff
WASHINGTON, DC, April 4, 2001 (ENS) - The best reasons advanced by European environmental officials in Washington this week to reinterest the Bush administration in climate negotiations did not appear to be persuasive. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Christie Todd Whitman gave European environmental representatives little hope that the Bush administration would reconsider its decision not to support the Kyoto Protocol.
For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens.lycos.com/ens/apr2001/2001L-04-04-06.html
MOST ENDANGERED PARKS LIST INCLUDES ENCORE APPEARANCES
WASHINGTON, DC, April 4, 2001 (ENS) - Air pollution, development, insufficient funding and recent actions by the Bush Administration threaten U.S. national parks, says the National Parks Conservation Association. The group released its third annual list of America's Ten Most Endangered National Parks today, citing dangers to parks in nine states and the District of Columbia.
For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens.lycos.com/ens/apr2001/2001L-04-04-07.html
WWF ECO-FORESTRY PROJECT OPERATING WITHOUT APPROVAL
Bob Burton
PORT MORESBY, Papua New Guinea, April 4, 2001 (ENS) - The Papua New Guinea Forest Authority has revealed that an eco-forestry project run by the U.S. based World Wildlife Fund (WWF) as a model of well managed forestry, is logging mangrove forests without permission. Mangrove forests are excluded from logging under the PNG Code of Logging Practice.
For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens-news.com/ens/apr2001/2001L-04-04-01.html
PEACE BREAKS OUT IN WAR OVER CANADIAN RAINFOREST
By Neville Judd
VANCOUVER, Canada, April 4, 2001 (ENS) - Loggers and bureaucrats call the 4.8 million hectares (11.8 million acres) of marine, foreshore and upland area on the British Columbia coast, the central coast. In announcing the protection today of a vast swath of the region's temperate rainforest, British Columbia Premier Ujjal Dosanjh called it the Great Bear Rainforest.
For full text and graphics, visit:
http://ens.lycos.com/ens/apr2001/2001L-04-04-10.html
CANADA FIRM IN SUPPORT OF CLIMATE TREATY
OTTAWA, Ontario, Canada, April 4, 2001 (ENS) - Top European Union environmental officials seeking support for the Kyoto climate protocol met with a warmer reception in the Canadian capital today than they did in Washington on Monday and Tuesday.
For full text and graphics, visit:
http://ens.lycos.com/ens/apr2001/2001L-04-04-11.html
ENVIRONMENT NEWS SERVICE AMERISCAN: APRIL 4, 2001
California Water System May Need Federal Investment
Spill for Fish Withheld Because of Drought
Klamath Mountains Steelhead Do Not Need Protection
Biomass Programs Promoted in Congressional Hearing
Reason Foundation President May Serve in Interior Department
Audubon Receives Million Dollar Grant for Wetlands Protection
Foot and Mouth Disease Could Pose Risk at Zoos
Soybean Hulls Eyed for Wastewater Filtering
For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens.lycos.com/ens/apr2001/2001L-04-04-09.html
4/5/01
3:13:43 PM
Planet Ark World Environment News
Doing environmental research? Search our news archives at: http://www.planetark.org/searchhome.cfm
Activists say Bush and pollution threaten US parks - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10398
UPDATE - ANALYSIS - Bush shows his conservative roots - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10403
Friends of the Earth wants EPA head Whitman to resign - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10402
US roadless rule may not curb energy exploration - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10400
US Interior chief praises oil companies for green efforts - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10397
UPDATE - Pacific salmon seen threatened by power plan - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10394
Global green groups urge Bush to halt bio-corn exports - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10392
Climate, not ozone, hits US toad population - study - UK http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10401
Miners take new approach to sustainable development - UK http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10399
EU says ready to sideline US in climate talks - SWEDEN http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10404
Maldives says US emissions about-face spells woe - SRI LANKA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10405
UPDATE - Japan's Kono urges US to stick to Kyoto treaty - JAPAN http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10407
UPDATE - Delhi transport chaos eases after deadline relaxed - INDIA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10408
UPDATE - US now spectator on environment decisions - EU - CANADA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10396
UPDATE - Truce called in fight over Canadian rainforest - CANADA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10395
Tiny golden monkey steps back from extinction - BRAZIL http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10393
ANALYSIS - Bush's climate stance cheers scientific sceptics - BELGIUM http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10406
"Survivor" apologises over Australian coral caper - AUSTRALIA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10391
4/5/01
3:11:10 PM
Copy of letter faxed to President George W. Bush April 3, 2001
Dear Mr. President,
The upcoming Easter, the first in the new millennium, provides a great opportunity. Get attention for the following, and America will lead the world into a better future.
EARTH'S RESURRECTION: We know America and the world are facing terrible problems. Easter provides the solution!
Our country was founded by devout Christians. They headed our country in the right direction and it became the envy of the world.
Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth and the life." and embodied the meaning of truth. The understanding of the importance of truth and its connection with God led to the wise policies and actions that followed. America became the envy of the world.
But in recent years secularism has corrupted our country -- teaching that there is no absolute truth. Everything is relative and no need for a belief in God. Cynicism and corruption are the result.
We need a miracle. On Good Friday, ask America to join in heartfelt repentance and prayer -- with a new commitment to peace, justice and the care of Earth. On Easter we will confirm our commitment as we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. With heartfelt faith we can then join in each doing what we can to aid Earth's Resurrection.
God will hear our prayer and aid our efforts. We will see a miraculous change for the better in America and all over the world.
Sincerely,
John McConnell
Earth Day Founder
4/5/01
3:05:04 PM
http://www.ecologynews.com/cuenews19.html
Alfred Webre, author of EARTH CHANGES, will be a guest of radio host Larry Jamison on UFO Roundtable: Saturday April 7, 2001 from 7 to 8 p.m. PST. Internet users can access the program by Real Audio at
The program will cover environmental weapons - including but not limited to the U.S. Navy HAARP installation - and evidence for electromagnetic tiggering of earthquakes, weather war, and mind control. Includes Updates on electromagnetic triggering (accidental or otherwise) in the February 28, 2001 Seattle- Vancouver earthquake, as well as Evidence that the Tangshan, China earthquake of July 28, 1976 (650,000 persons killed) and an earthquake in Turkey on August 17, 1999 (at least 17,118 killed; 50,000 wounded, and 650,000 homeless) may have been electromagnetically triggered by human technology.
Host Larry Jamison states, "I strongly feel that many of our "Earth Changes" of late are tied in with EMF activity of the HAARP project in Alaska. People with ShortWave radios who have the HAARP frequency set on their radios noticed a huge increase in signal strength since Feb. 17, 2001. I hope that [Alfred Webre's] research can further explain how this can trigger earthquakes."
See "Extraterrestrials & Environment" for UFO/ET role in the terrestrial ecology and environmental war.
http://www.ecologynews.com/cueet.html
For an update on the HAARP investigation, and environmental war generally see:
EcoNews:"UPDATED: Was the Seattle-Vancouver earthquake triggered by environmental war?"
http://www.ecologynews.com/cuenews12.html
FAQ: Environmental war: seismic, weather and climate war
http://www.ecologynews.com/cuenewsdesk.html
"This is good writing and to me almost reads as an indictment of HAARP. We must ask for accountability."
Radio Host Larry Jamison,
4/4/01
5:05:47 PM
AlterNet Headlines
THE DIOXIN DECEPTION
Tamara Straus, AlterNet
The chemical dioxin is a proven deadly carcinogen. A new report reveals how the chemical industry is keeping this information buried.
CAN JESUS SURVIVE THE NEW MILLENIUM?
David Templeton, Northern California Bohemian
After almost 2000 years of Christianity, religious historians want to know, "Does Jesus have a future in the new Millennium?"
RESISTING PRESIDENT-SELECT BUSH
Steve Cobble, AlterNet
Sometime very soon, major media recounts of the Florida vote will show that the election was a fraud; that Bush lost the state and thus the nation. The question is -- how shall citizens respond?
WHAT'S YOUR ANTI-DRUG?
Steven Wishnia, In These Times
In spite of mounting evidence of the drug war's failure and a burgeoning movement for reform, Bush's drug policy is likely to be more conservative than compassionate.
http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=10667
SELLING THE WHITE WEDDING FANTASY
Jen Chaney, PopPolitics.com
Roughly $50 billion a year is spent on weddings, an average of $20,000 per couple. What can explain our insatiable need for lavish weddings?
http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=10678
HOOKED ON PRISONS
Maria Russo, Salon
Nonviolent criminals go in and sadistic thugs come out, but with military spending down, America's small towns are hooked on prisons.
http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=10689
AMERICA, THE BLEARY-EYED
Arianna Huffington, OverthrowTheGov.com
According to a just-released survey, Americans are seriously sleep deprived: Almost two-thirds of us fail to get the recommended eight hours of nightly shut-eye.
http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=10684
TEN REASONS FOR REPARATIONS
Earl Ofari Hutchinson, AlterNet
Reparations for slavery -- the idea conservative pundit David Horowitz tried to place newspaper ads against -- merit a serious look. Here are ten compelling reasons why.
http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=10680
INTERSEXUALS FIGHT BACK
Katherine A. Mason, New Haven Advocate Intersexuals, formerly known as hermaphrodites, are launching a movement to stop doctors from "assigning" sex with a scalpel.
http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=10672
MEDIA GIVES BUSH A FREE PASS
Jeff Cohen, AlterNet
On February 25 Secret Service agents fetched George Bush's teenaged daughter's boyfriend from jail, where he'd been arrested for public drunkenness. Since then, the media has been mum about it.
http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=10663
THE DEMOCRATS GO FLAT TAX
David Corn, AlterNet
The Democrats want to give Bill Gates a three hundred dollars tax rebate. Why? They're hoping he'll run out and spend it and that will help stimulate the sluggish economy.
http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=10664
REAL ECONOMY 101: AN INTERVIEW WITH CHUCK COLLINS
Silja J.A. Talvi, LiP Magazine
"Economic boom for whom?" That is the question Chuck Collins, author of Economic Apartheid in America, answers in this wide-ranging interview.
http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=10686
4/4/01
5:01:55 PM
Two Just-in Breaking News Items
by Mitch Battros (ECTV)
The news has certainly been exciting and fast paced. Just in is news of a "lost asteroid" which is one half mile across. It is called "1998 OX 4" and was first seen in 1998 for only ten days. This was not enough time to calculate it's trajectory and possible near miss or hit with earth. (see first article below). The second just-in news is that of our continuing escalating Sun's activity. Although most of this gigantic CME was directed away from Earth, some of it is expected to hit us tonight. (see second article below).
My interview with Chris Sadhuta Liaguno is now up on our 'audio/video' page. It was one of my best. We discussed the spiritual nature of the earth changes, which includes the solar cycle. Chris described what many of us are going through regards to emotional distress and some physical symptoms. As Chris says "It's all part of the shift".
Live Interview Here:
http://www.earthchangestv.com/AudioCapture/index.htm
'Lost' Asteroid Could Hit Earth
by Geraint Smith, Science Correspondent
This is London News
At least one potentially dangerous asteroid is being discovered every night and the rate is increasing rapidly.
More than 300 asteroids with orbits that cross Earth's were found last year, and this year the discoveries are coming faster, Dr Duncan Steel of the University of Salford will tell the National Astronomy Meeting in Cambridge later this week. However, even more worrying may be one that has gone missing.
"One, in particular, we need to find. It was seen for only 10 days in 1998, and it looked as though it might be on a potential collision course within the next 30 years. "However, it was not seen for long enough to calculate the orbit to know for certain."
The object, known as 1998 OX 4, is about half a mile across, he said. "If it hit San Francisco, California would cease to exist. If it hit London, much of England would cease to exist."
The object that killed the dinosaurs was between five and 10 miles in size, but just 93 years ago an asteroid only 60 or 70 yards across blew up in the atmosphere above Siberia, producing a blast which, had it had Marble Arch as its centre, would have flattened all of London out to the M25.
"The chance of that occurring is small, but the consequences are so phenomenal that it is a hazard we must take seriously," Dr Steel said. Dr Steel is one of six foreign scientists on Nasa's Spaceguard Committee, which made recommendations to the US Congress on how to deal with "Near Earth Objects".
• The building blocks of life on Earth probably arrived as small fragments of comet that looked remarkably like the surface of the M1.
Dr Steel will today tell the National Astronomy Meeting it is likely they came in the shape of tiny meteoroids made of a tarry substance called keragin, billions of which still bombard the Earth. Although these vaporise high in the atmosphere, the chemicals of which they are made then float gently to Earth, largely intact.
Super-flare coronal mass ejection reaches Earth
NASA
Monday's super solar flare hurled a coronal mass ejection (CME) into space. The bulk of the CME was directed away from Earth, but not all of it. At 1420 UT (10:20 am EST) on April 4th the edge of the expanding cloud passed NASA's ACE spacecraft and struck our planet's magnetosphere approximately 30 minutes later.
The impact will trigger a geomagnetic storm, but almost certainly one less intense than the storm on March 31st that spawned aurora borealis as far south as Mexico. Nevertheless, sky watchers (especially those living above ~55 degrees geomagnetic latitude) should be alert for auroras after local nightfall.
SUPERFLARE: The most powerful solar flare in at least 25 years erupted near sunspot 9393 on April 2nd. The "X20" blast was even stronger than a well-known flare in March 1989 that led to the collapse of a power grid in Quebec. There were no such calamities this time because the explosion was mostly (but not entirely) directed away from Earth.
The flux of 10 MeV solar protons surrounding our planet remains approximately 10,000 times normal. Such radiation levels pose no appreciable hazard to air travelers, astronauts or satellites. The ongoing radiation storm is a NOAA S2-category event.
Mitch Battros
Producer - Earth Changes TV
4/4/01
4:56:22 PM
Environmental news from GRIST MAGAZINE
<http://www.gristmagazine.com>
1. GREEN AND BEAR IT In a victory for environmentalists, British Columbia is announcing a deal today to ban logging in parts of the Great Bear Rainforest. The agreement comes after a five-year campaign led by Greenpeace to preserve the habitat of the spirit bear, a rare snow-white subspecies of black bear living in the coastal rainforest. Details of the plan were not released yesterday, but B.C. Environment Minister Ian Waddell said it would still allow logging in certain parts of the rainforest. Enviros had convinced companies like Home Depot and Lowes to stop selling Great Bear wood, but the boycotts are expected to end after today's announcement.
straight to the source: Toronto Globe and Mail, Kim Lunman, 04 Apr 2001 <http://www.globeandmail.ca/gam/National/20010404/UBEARN.html>
straight to the source: Wall Street Journal, Jim Carlton, 04 Apr 2001 (access ain't free) <http://interactive.wsj.com/articles/SB986331757706711364.htm>
2. SWEET PROVIDENCE A Rhode Island superior court judge ruled on Monday that the state can proceed with its lawsuit against manufacturers that marketed lead-based paints. Rhode Island is the first state to sue the paint industry over lead poisoning; taking a hint from the successful legal tactics used against tobacco companies, the state is accusing the industry of knowing that lead paint was dangerous before it was banned in the U.S in 1978 and covering up the risk. State Attorney General Sheldon Whitehouse (D), who is pressing the case, cheered Monday's decision, and advocates for lead-poisoned children said in a statement that the ruling "feels like a home run for the families devastated by lead poisoning." But former U.S. Attorney General Richard Thornburgh, representing the manufacturers, claimed that the judge actually dismissed the state's most damaging claims against the industry, and that the ruling was a "significant victory for the defendants." Similar suits initiated by individuals and communities across the U.S. have failed.
straight to the source: Providence Journal, Peter B. Lord, 03 Apr 2001 <http://projo.com/cgi-bin/story.pl/news/05233841.htm>
3. GOING TO KJELL IN A HANDBASKET The Bush administration rejected pleas yesterday from a European Union delegation visiting Washington, D.C., to try to get President Bush to reconsider his decision to abandon the Kyoto treaty on climate change. The top-level delegation met with U.S. EPA Administrator Christie Todd Whitman and White House and State Department officials. Kjell Larsson, Sweden's environment minister, said the E.U. had hoped to find "a small opening" or sign that talks on the treaty could be revived, but "we didn't get that." The U.S. emits about 25 percent of the world's greenhouse gases, but Whitman yesterday described the treaty as "unfair to the United States." Meanwhile, moderate Republicans in Congress are beginning to feel the heat from constituents, as Bush rolls back one environmental protection after another. Charlie Cook, a veteran handicapper of political races, said that Republicans "need to do a couple green things really soon" to keep control of Congress in the 2002 elections.
straight to the source: Washington Post, Eric Pianin, 04 Apr 2001 <http://washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A34995-2001Apr3.html>
straight to the source: MSNBC.com, 03 Apr 2001 <http://www.msnbc.com/news/553972.asp>
straight to the source: New York Times, Robin Toner, 04 Apr 2001 <http://www.nytimes.com/2001/04/04/politics/04ENVI.html>
do good: Take action and tell Bush not to abandon Kyoto <http://www.gristmagazine.com/grist/dogood/climate.stm#kyoto>
4. HOOK, LINE, AND STINKER Despite the brouhaha over the potential health and environmental risks of genetically engineered crops, several biotech companies are moving forward with plans to bring genetically modified fish and meat to your nearest supermarket. Aqua Bounty Farms has already applied to the feds for approval to market salmon eggs laced with DNA from ocean pout that allows the salmon to grow to full size in half the time. Enviros fear that these dreamy salmon could turn into an ecological nightmare if they escape from their pens and breed with wild Atlantic salmon. Perhaps even scarier, the power to regulate the genetically engineered fish currently rests with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, rather than with the government's environmental agencies like the U.S EPA or U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Rebecca Goldburg, a senior scientist at Environmental Defense, says, "Having the FDA assess environmental risks would be like having the Fish and Wildlife Service assessing food safety."
straight to the source: Mother Jones, Jon R. Luoma, March/April 2001 <http://motherjones.com/magazine/MA01/xgenic.html>
5. GIVE A HOOT -- YOU CAN'T COMMUTE Frustrated commuters in Delhi burned buses yesterday to protest an order by India's Supreme Court to ban diesel-burning vehicles from the city's roads. In 1998, the court ruled that vehicles used for public transport must be converted from diesel to cleaner-burning natural gas by the end of March 2001. Very few attempts were made to convert the vehicles, and as a result some 15,000 buses, 20,000 rickshaws, and 50,000 taxicabs have been forced off the roads. Commuters have had to wait at bus stops for hours and then cling to the sides of the few converted buses. The order was meant to address Delhi's notorious air pollution problems, but S. Sundar, former secretary of transportation for New Delhi, worries that the existing "social disorder" could actually worsen pollution by encouraging people to give up on public transportation and drive more personal cars.
straight to the source: Christian Science Monitor, Scott Baldauf, 04 Apr 2001 <http://www.csmonitor.com/durable/2001/04/04/p7s1.htm>
straight to the source: Planet Ark, Reuters, Sangeev Miglani, 04 Apr 2001 <http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10369>
Trouble's brewing -- a day in the life of Ronnie Cummins, Organic Consumers Association <http://www.gristmagazine.com/grist/week/cummins040201.stm>
What would Dubya do? -- a cartoon by Suzy Becker <http://www.gristmagazine.com/grist/ha/ha040201.stm>
Bright lights, big kitties -- the border patrol is threatening two endangered cats in Texas -- in our Main Dish section <http://www.gristmagazine.com/grist/maindish/oko111300.stm>
4/4/01
4:25:17 PM
Nuclear Terrorism
Sabotage and Terrorism of Nuclear Power Plants
Former nuclear weapon designer and former Deputy Director of the Defense Nuclear Agency, Ted Taylor says its very easy to turn a nuclear power plant into a nuclear weapon. Real Player 59kb.
http://www.tmia.com/sabter.html
4/4/01
4:22:35 PM
This Week at TomPaine.com...
TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION Disenfranchised in D.C.
The half-million residents of the District of Columbia live amidst the great monuments to democracy, they've fought and died for the nation, and they pay federal taxes, but they have no voting representation in Congress. That's right: one of the central tenets of the American Revolution has yet to be realized in the nation's capital -- "No Taxation Without Representation!"
Any chance Congress and the president will help right this wrong? Not a chance. Washingtonians are mostly black and mostly Democrats and would surely send more liberals to Congress. If a half-million white Texas Republicans were subject to this injustice it might be a different story...
But now the District's non-voting House member, Eleanor Holmes Norton, has teamed up with Senator Joseph Lieberman to offer a solution: exempt D.C. residents from the federal income tax. It seems only fair.
READ OUR NEW YORK TIMES 'OP AD'...
...AND OUR 'OP AD' FEATURE STORIES...
NO TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION!
by Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton
The District's non-voting delegate to the U.S. House has teamed up with Senator Joseph Lieberman to offer a bill that would exempt D.C. residents from federal taxes until they get full voting representation in Congress.
http://www.tompaine.com/features/2001/04/03/2.html
A TALE OF TWO LAWSUITS
by Professor Jamin B. Raskin
Last year the Supreme Court had a lot to say about voting rights when it decided the case that sent George W. Bush to the White House. But just weeks before the Court punted when the question before it was voting rights for D.C.'s half-million residents.
http://www.tompaine.com/features/2001/04/03/1.html
A HISTORY OF DISENFRANCHISEMENT
How the American Revolution bypassed the nation's capital -- a history and timeline from DC VOTE
(www.DCVote.org)
http://www.tompaine.com/features/2001/04/02/3.html
VOTELESS IN THE WORLD'S GREATEST DEMOCRACY
by Mark Plotkin
An impassioned plea to all Americans to come to the aid of their countrymen.
http://www.tompaine.com/features/2001/04/03/index.html
FOUR WAYS D.C. COULD VOTE
DC VOTE outlines four possible ways to solve the District's plight.
http://www.tompaine.com/features/2001/04/02/1.html
A DIRTY DEAL
by Nathaniel Heller and Asif Ismail, The Public I
(www.Publici.org)
President Bush's carbon dioxide flip-flop came through a staffer who had lobbied for a car-exhaust firm.
http://www.tompaine.com/opinion/2001/04/02/index.html
Economics Reporting Review:
A FAILED GOVERNMENT POLICY?
by Dean Baker, Center for Economic and Policy Research
(www.CEPR.net)
Economics reporting generally views government intervention in the market as inherently inefficient. The Washington Post raised this bias to a new level this week.
http://www.tompaine.com/news/2001/04/02/1.html
MONSANTO v. PERCY SCHMEISER, FARMER
The giant biotech company is suing farmers for infringing patents on its genetically modified crop seed. Canadian farmer Percy Schmeiser is just the first to feel the pain... and he never even planted any Monsanto seed. A report from the Rural Advancement Foundation International
(www.RAFI.org)
http://www.tompaine.com/opinion/2001/04/03/1.html
AUTHORITY GETS NO RESPECT
by Ira Chernus
Bush's faith-based initiative takes us back to the social welfare policies of the 19th century. For most of the 20th century, these attitudes were called "blaming the victim." Now the White House calls it "compassion."
http://www.tompaine.com/history/2001/04/03/1.html
4/4/01
4:04:16 PM
ENVIRONMENT NEWS SERVICE
"We Cover the Earth For You"
CAMPAIGN FINANCE REFORM PASSES THE SENATE
By Cat Lazaroff
WASHINGTON, DC, April 3, 2001 (ENS) - The U.S. Senate has approved a bill that would radically change the way money is raised for federal elections. The Sierra Club, one of the nation's most prominent conservation groups, said Monday the bill would "get the money out of the political process," and could prove critical to future environmental protections.
For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens.lycos.com/ens/apr2001/2001L-04-03-06.html
TEN WORLD LEADERS IMPLORE BUSH TO CUT GREENHOUSE GASES
WASHINGTON, DC, April 3, 2001 (ENS) - Ten of the world's most prominent citizens are urging President George W. Bush to reduce the amount of greenhouse gas produced by the United States. They may not be elected officials, but they can claim much of the world's attention and the political pressure it may generate for their hope of reversing global warming.
For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens.lycos.com/ens/apr2001/2001L-04-03-02.html
U.S. FIRES FIRST SALVO IN SOFTWOOD LUMBER FIGHT
WASHINGTON, DC, April 3, 2001 (ENS) - The U.S. lumber industry has made good on its promise to file unfair trade practices complaints against Canadian lumber imports as last minute talks between U.S. and Canadian trade ministers failed to extend the five year Softwood Lumber Agreement.
For full text and graphics, visit:
http://ens.lycos.com/ens/apr2001/2001L-04-03-10.html
Canadian Farmer Loses Biotech Seed Case to Monsanto
By Jane Akre
SASKATOON, Saskatchewan, April 3, 2001 (ENS) - A farmer from western Saskatchewan, Canada plans to continue fighting the giant biotechnology company Monsanto for the right of farmers worldwide to save seed for next year's crops.
For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens.lycos.com/ens/apr2001/2001L-04-03-01.html
NEW TASK FORCE SET TO TACKLE TIGER POACHING
NEW DELHI, India, April 3, 2001 (ENS) - The first meeting of a task force on wildlife crime got under way Monday in New Delhi, India where government officials and law enforcement experts are discussing ways of curbing tiger poaching by targeting criminal networks.
For full text and graphics, visit:
http://ens.lycos.com/ens/apr2001/2001L-04-03-11.html
ENVIRONMENT NEWS SERVICE AMERISCAN: APRIL 3, 2001
U.S. Population Has Biggest 10 Year Rise Ever
Asbestos Claims Lead Grace to Claim Bankruptcy
Rhode Island Supported in Lawsuit Against Lead Industry
International Campaign Aims to Protect Prairie Birds
Pesticides Threaten California's Red Legged Frogs
Audubon Campaigns to Restore San Francisco Bay Wetlands
Coke and Pepsi Waste Targeted by Environmental Groups
National Wildlife Federation Brings Wild to Washington
For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens.lycos.com/ens/apr2001/2001L-04-03-09.html
4/4/01
4:00:32 PM
Planet Ark World Environment News
Doing environmental research? Search our news archives at: http://www.planetark.org/searchhome.cfm
Bush budget won't reflect energy crisis warning - sources - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10378
US confident of innovations on climate change - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10389
EU says US has no alternative to global warming treaty - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10387
UPDATE - EU urges US to reconsider global warming treaty - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10386
EU official says US can't kill global warming accord - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10385
Environmentalists urge support for Coke recycling proposal - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10384
US senators seek to triple ethanol use in 10 years - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10390
Bush stance on Alaska refuge's natural gas puzzles some - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10379
Texas-New Mexico Power users may choose wind service - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10377
NRC considers plan to convert plutonium to reactor fuel - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10376
Global warming, disease spread link uncertain - panel - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10373
New Zealand asks US to cooperate on global warming - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10372
UPDATE - Citgo faces fines for refinery pollution - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10371
US environment groups sue EPA over alien invaders - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10370
WRAPUP - UK minister demands farming rethink after epidemic - UK http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10380
UPDATE - Moderately strong quake hits area near Tokyo - JAPAN http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10375
UPDATE - Arsonists hit Monsanto Italy grain store - ITALY http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10383
Delhi commuters turn violent over transport chaos - INDIA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10369
UPDATE - France overturns ruling on Australian n-waste - FRANCE http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10382
EU assembly warns of dangers from PVC - EU http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10381
Canada calls on US to stick with Kyoto accord - CANADA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10374
Australia committed to greenhouse gas reductions - AUSTRALIA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10388
4/4/01
3:47:45 PM
The Feeling of a Coup
By Anthony Lewis
BOSTON -- We are learning something these days about the power of a willful president. Without a popular mandate, George W. Bush is making radical changes that will have long-term consequences for this country and the world. He is making them in a hurry, and for the moment there are no checks or balances to stop him.
Day after day headlines tell us of fundamental policy reversals. Mr. Bush spurns the global effort, going back to the first Bush presidency, to reduce global warming. He calls off talks with North Korea about its missiles, casting doubt on the whole attempt to ease relations between South and North. He proposes to rethink U.S. aid programs that help dismantle former Soviet nuclear, chemical and biological weapons.
A string of Bush administration decisions has halted steps to protect the environment. Arsenic in drinking water, roads in national forests and so on: limits are going to be "restudied." The reasons given for the environmental decisions have been almost insultingly unconvincing. Christie Whitman, administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, said she was withdrawing the arsenic limit set in a Clinton administration regulation because it had not had "thorough review" in terms of "sound science." In fact, the limit was proposed by highly regarded scientists after extended study.
Mr. Bush, explaining to senators why he opposed the Kyoto protocol on global warming, spoke of the "incomplete state of scientific knowledge of the causes of, and solutions to, global climate change." Of course the science is incomplete on global warming, as it is on most subjects. But virtually all scientific experts support the theory that greenhouse gas emissions contribute to warming.
Contempt for public opinion as well as for science is evident in the environmental decisions. A striking example is what has happened to a Clinton regulation that prohibited road-building in about a third of the national forests.
The head of the Forest Service, Michael P. Dombeck, resigned the other day and sent a letter to his boss, Ann M. Veneman, the secretary of agriculture. He respectfully urged her not to abandon the ban on roads.
"Doing so," he wrote, "would undermine the most extensive multi- year environmental analysis in history, a process that included over 600 public meetings and generated 1.6 million comments, the overwhelming majority of which supported protecting roadless areas."
Mr. Dombeck's plea is not likely to move the Bush administration. It postponed the effective date of the road-building regulation for 60 days for further review. And in the meantime its lawyers have not defended the regulation in a lawsuit brought against it by the Boise Cascade timber company and the state of Idaho.
The American public would almost certainly vote to protect roadless parts of the national forests, as it would to reduce the amount of arsenic in water. But the public is not the audience that concerns Mr. Bush and his appointees. They are out to please the interests that supported and financed his campaign: timber companies, mining companies and the rest.
Nor is Mr. Bush moved by the arguments of respected Republican elders. As he ordered a review of the program for dismantling Soviet weapons, former Senator Howard Baker - whom he has named ambassador to Japan - was telling the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that the program should be funded in full.
The Bush motto, a Washington quip has it, is "Do it my way or no way." That catches the willful quality of these first months. But there is more to the story than that.
This is the most radical administration in living American memory. I use the word deliberately. Today's right calls itself "conservative," but it is not that. Conservatives want to conserve. That is why Teddy Roosevelt started the national parks and the conservation movement. George W. Bush and his people are driven by right-wing ideology to an extent not remotely touched by even the Reagan administration.
And we haven't seen the half of it. As Mr. Dombeck said of opening the national forests to road-building, the decisions "will have implications that will last many generations."
All this from a man who ran as a "compassionate conservative," concealing his hard-edged ideology, and who could not get half the voters to vote for him even in that guise.
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/03/31/opinion/31LEWI.html
4/4/01
3:42:24 PM
Freedom For France (Spirituality)
Dear friends,
Most people believe that France is the country of freedom and are not aware of the strong repression against spiritual groups, new age movements and alternative medicine that is taking place in France since a couple of years. The danger is that if that law against what is called there "cults" or "sects" is accepted, it may spread out to other countries, in particular in the European Community.
To help France recover the freedom that made her famous in more enlightened periods of her history, you can sign that online petition.
With peace and light
Pierre
Online petition
http://www.petitiononline.com/CAP01/petition.html
"Freedom For France" at Yahoo egroups
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FreedomForFrance
"Freedom For France is dedicated to built a critical mass against the current repression in France targeting all spiritual groups outside religious mainstream. The repression includes all alternative ways, self-development, holistic medicine.
The repression started in 1995 when the French Senate listed as "dangerous" 172 names of groups dedicated to spiritual self freedom. Most of them where part of the New Age movment. Politicians determined that the followers of the "American New Age" were the "new wave of cults".
The Chief of Justice issued instructions to push citizens to denounce their own neighbours, family, suspected to be New Age people, or alternative free-thinkers.
A list of "symptoms" was targeting people practicing meditation, burning incense, reading, making new friends, going to meetings, changing eating habits, and "stopping watching TV" that should be denounced to police with the use of denounciations via "claims against X".
This permitted searches to gather evidences and to investigate thousand of peoples and hundreds of groups. The spiritual repression in France is now at stage two.
The French Parliament voted on June 22, 2000 a new bill against spiritual groups. The new law would permit to label such activities as crimes and to eliminate all groups concerned and to condemn their leaders, animators and boards to firm prison and heavy fines. The new bill will be examined soon at the French Senate, who started this heavy repression at the first place.
Come and help the country that helped America to be free during her revolution. France is not the land of freedom of consciousness anymore and is about to become a dictatorship and a raw model of so-called "normal society behavior". If succesfull, this system could easily be tried anywhere in other countries. China has already taken the lead. Let us all come together to fight for spiritual freedom in France !"
To: French MPs and Senators
Coordination of Associations and Persons for freedom of conscience
coordiap@usa.net
http://perso.libertysurf.fr/coordiap/index.html
On June 22, 2000, the French parliament voted a new bill against « cults » proposed by senator Nicolas About and parliament member Catherine Picard. The bill will soon be discussed in the French senate.
The bill :
- gives for the first time the legal definition of a « cult », in contradiction with the French law of separation between religions and State and the French Constitution which guarantee religious neutrality from the State.
- creates a crime of « mental manipulation », punished by a 3 year jail indictment and a fine of 300 000 FRF. The law punishes the « fraudulent abuse of a person in a state of psychological or physical subjection resulting from the exercise of serious or repeated pressures or techniques meant to alter one's judgment ». As there are no objective criteria in this definition, it will open the door to all kinds of abusive interpretations. The same act, a spiritual guidance or the practice of a confession will be considered as normal if done within a mainstream religion or considered as criminal if done within a group labeled as « cult ». It is the first time that a democracy creates such a crime. Its formulation is very close to the crime of « plagio » (creating a sate of suggestion) created in fascist Italy by Mussolini to repress communist propaganda. The crime of « plagio » had been later removed from the penal code by the Italian constitutional court after it had been applied to catholic priests and homosexuals.
- modifies the French penal code by authorizing the judges to punish legal entities such as associations for a wide variety of minor offenses, whereas this possibility was formerly reserved to serious offenses; for instance, forgetting to put a fire extinguisher in a precinct that belongs to an association will give a judge the possibility to condemn the association itself.
- creates a new accelerated procedure to facilitate the dissolution of groups labeled as « cults » which does not guarantee enough the rights of the defense, whereas dissolution is an extreme punishment, the equivalent of the death penalty for physical persons.
- gives, in order to facilitate the dissolution of groups labeled as 'cults', a new definition of a group considered as a legal entity, in contradiction with the judicial principle that only those who commit an illegal act should be punished ; thus, associations which are legally separate could be dissolved in the same procedure as long as they pursue similar objectives. Two minor offenses will be enough to make the dissolution possible, a fact that greatly endangers freedom of association.
- limits the promotional activities of groups labeled as 'cults' and gives mayors the possibility to refuse a building permit to those groups as long as they have been condemned twice, even for minor offenses.
With that law, the new religions, minority religions, groups promoting personal development, easily labeled as 'cults' in France, a very arbitrary label as everyone knows, are condemned to barely survive with a permanent menace over their heads. It will suffice that one of their leaders or the group itself be condemned twice for a minor offense after a quick trial for the group to be disbanded with an interdiction to form itself back. Is such a law was applied to members of the French parliament, the parliament would be immediately dissolved as many of its members have been condemned by justice ! There is indeed a real danger that the law be applied to mainstream religions or to any non conformist spiritual group.
If the About/Picard bill makes it into law, France will be ranked among the worst dictatorships, THOSE WHICH ENDEAVOR, FOR THE SAKE OF THE STATE OR OF GENERAL INTEREST, TO PERVADE INDIVIDUAL CONSCIENCE.
I think that the French penal code is sufficient to repress offenses and crimes committed within a group, whatever the label given to that group for law must be the same for everyone, and I demand that this law proposal be rejected, considering the fundamental liberties that it threatens.
Wisdomlight
Pierre Wittmann
Phra Sing PO Box 59
Chiang Mai 50200
Thailand
Tel./fax (6653) 89 21 80 + 508
Email: pierrew@loxinfo.co.th
Website: www.wisdomlight.org
4/4/01
3:38:20 PM
Mad-cow faces made at protest
Ministers face activists riled up over environment
CATHERINE SOLYOM
The Gazette (Montreal)
JOHN MAHONEY, GAZETTE / A Montreal Urban Community police officer watches over demonstrators dressed up as mad cows yesterday in front of a downtown hotel.
In what looked like a costume dress rehearsal for the Summit of the Americas in Quebec City, yesterday's demonstration downtown was peaceful and colourful - but above all, loud.
With 34 environment ministers from across the Americas holed up inside the Omni Hotel to prepare for the Apr il summit, costumed demonstrators outside used bugles and beating drums to belt out their case against the proposed Free Trade Area of the Americas.
The dozen riot police cordoning off the hotel didn't even flinch.
"They don't want to listen to us so we have to make ourselves heard," said Greenpeace campaigner Eric Darier. "It's a very powerful reminder that the people outside matter and that they have to protect the environment."
Dressed in orange coveralls, Darier was perhaps the most subdued of the 300-strong crowd, which included folks dressed up as a variety of endangered species - from eagles and sharks to polar bears and some genetically modified animal/vegetables.
There were also about 30 mad cows, identifiable by black-and-white garb as well as their anger over the spread of agribusiness through free trade.
"Factory farming is an environmental nightmare and animals have the right to live free of cruelty, as do humans," said Janet Lalumiere, dressed up as a cow with her 5-month-old son, Noah, as a calf. "I'd like my son to grow up in an environment that considers all animals equally. Maybe that's too much to ask, but a lot has been achieved by masses working together."
The masses buried the Multilateral Agreement on Investment in 1996 and ran the World Trade Organization out of Seattle, activists recalled.
But now environmental and social activists are up against an agreement they are calling a "NAFTA times 34." They've come armed with precedents of how trade agreements have so often trounced environmental legislation:
- The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade dolphin/tuna dispute: in the early 1990s, the U.S. was forced to weaken its legislation on fishing techniques that endangered dolphins, so that Mexican tuna could be sold in the U.S.
- Hormone-treated beef: the European Union refused to accept some meat imports from North America on the basis that they were carcinogenic. The EU lost at the World Trade Organization in 1999 and pays Canada and the U.S. $120 million in compensation.
- Toxic waste: A NAFTA tribunal awarded a U.S. company, Metalclad, $16.7 million in compensation in 2000 after a Mexican municipality vetoed a toxic-waste dump. The case is now being appealed in the B.C. Supreme Court.
In short, protesters said legal instruments to protect the environment, like the environmental side agreement signed with NAFTA, were useless and could not be counted on if and when the FTAA comes into force.
Environment Minister David Anderson couldn't be counted on either, they said. Anderson seems to be giving up on the Kyoto protocol to lower green-house-gas emissions now that U.S. President George W. Bush has pulled out, and he has neglected to sign the biosafety accord negotiated in Montreal last year or effectively protect endangered species, said Greenpeace's Darier. "It's disgusting that a minister of the environment is more in favour of free trade than protecting the environment."
Still, some protesters said trade agreements did not have to be environmental disasters. Maude Barlow, of the Council of Canadians, said: "We're not against trade, but we wonder what it would be like if the economy served the people, not the other way around."
4/4/01
3:26:52 PM
Globalization Glossary
Social Charter:
A set of social rights that has been agreed upon between a group of countries that are removing trade and investment barriers between them. The goal of a Social Charter is to ensure that standards rise, rather than falling when countries with different levels of labour and environmental protections form a trade agreement.
Social Clause
A legal clause which when inserted into the text of the regulations in a trade agreement, asserts that parties agree to respect basic worker rights and abide by minimum labour standards.
WTO
The WTO is a group of 134 countries that make trade rules and settle trade fights. Canada is a member of this global group. It serves mostly business leaders who only care about profits It sucks because when the WTO looks at our free health and education, it sees governments getting in the way of the almighty right of companies to make money, even off of sick people. It is the most powerful global group ever, and it meets in secret to make sure that rich corporations get what they want from governments. The WTO and related trade agreements are intended to be an economic constitution for the planet, yet they are written by and almost entirely for, the world's largest corporations In late 1999, protest spilled over the WTO at the Battle of Seattle, when 50,000 protestors virtually shut down the ministerial meetings and finally awakened media interest to the threat the WTO posed to the environment and citizens alike.
Free Trade
It is an agreement that is made between countries to open up their borders and allow companies to sell their goods across them. Through free trade the cards are stacked in favour of corporations and business's looking for cheap costs. Powerful companies blackmail cash strapped governments in developing countries into competing with each other by lowering standards and wages Then Canadian business leaders lobby the government to cut spending on health care and programs that keep workers afloat during times of unemployment in the name of making Canada more attractive and competitive Free trade has limited our access to decision makers. At the same time, free trade has increased the rights of corporations.
NAFTA
Makes Canada, Mexico and the United States one big open market Makes it easier for rich companies to make more money in North America, but no mention of rights for people who work for rich companies NAFTA has created the notorious Maquiladora zones in Northern Mexico Investors and their lawyers have taken NAFTA clauses and exploited them to fight for lost profits and lost business opportunities because of environmental or health measures
OAS
Organization of American States Club of governments from North and South America (minus Cuba), that was created in the 1940's. It's based in Washington, but holds General Assembly meetings in different countries every year. Pays lip service to human rights Remember the big Demonstration in Windsor last year, people were protesting the meeting of these guys.
MAI
Multilateral Agreement on Investment Would have been a charter of rights and freedoms for global corporations, placing the rights of rich companies above the rights of you and me, let alone our government. Would have kissed environmental protection, social programs and the kitchen sink goodbye Provoked protests all over the world temporarily put the breaks on it. Canada played a major role in secretly negotiating the MAI at the OECD-a deal designed to enshrine NAFTA rules on investment as a model for trade agreements with the rest of the world. In 1998 the MAI collapsed under the weight of public protest, and was rejected by France and Australia as a threat to democracy
Maquiladora/ Free Trade Zones
Cordoned off factories and farms protected by the Mexican military where labour and environmental standards do not exist. Mexican laborers slave in unsafe factories, often working with toxic substances for pitiful wages and long hours. Wages are often as little as $1.70/hour There will be an increase in the number of Free Trade Zones in the Western Hemisphere
Globalization
In a nutshell globalization can best be defined as: the rush to break down trade barriers, open up each nation's investment, services and resource sectors to the world's biggest companies, strip away impediments to the smooth operation of those companies and allow for the global flow of capital. It is about running the world like a business, keeping a sharp eye on the bottom line and trying to cut out fat in the form of, say subsidies to struggling farmers in Jamaica or free education for University students in Mexico.
Sustainable Economy
Sustainable economies are those in which both producers and consumers carry their own costs, rather than dumping them on other people.
Structural Adjustment
Implementation of a set of neo-liberal economic policies, including deregulation of trade and commerce and cutting back on the role of the state. Euphemism for the complete overhaul of a nation's economy by the global institutions, namely the world bank and IMF that lend money with powerful strings attached Based in Washington, financed by wealthy countries and by billions in interest payments from poor, developing nations Lenders bind borrowing nations to a list of free-market conditions that include cuts to public sector jobs and social spending, deregulation, privatization and measures to increase imports, usually at the expense of national industries.
Corporate Codes
Voluntary measures taken by a corporation that are intended to symbolize that particular corporation's commitment to environmental, human and/or labour rights. Problem is that the corporations treat these codes as public relations measures rather than real commitments to change. Industry will pay lip service to codes but may not change its behaviour where profits are at issue Code enforcement mechanisms are more likely to be secretive and prone to conflict of interest problems than are government regulations Most codes lack the independent monitoring requirements viewed as essential by many code analysts. The majority of large Canadian businesses operating abroad do not have codes containing reference to even the most basic human rights standards. Companies appear to be reluctant to share their codes with the public, even when they report having codes containing human rights language.
GATT:
General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade WTO: World Trade Organization: replaced the GATT in 1995 as regulator of world trade The GATT had virtually no institutional framework and nothing about concerns such as fair labour practices.
GATS
General Agreement on Trade in Services one of the numerous deals promoted by the WTO, the goal is to open us as many public services as possible to corporate competition Applies to all measures of governments. Deals with the environment, culture, natural resources, health care, education and social services Even covers unwritten practices of the government Restricts actions of governments regarding protection of services through legally enforceable constraints backed up by trade sanctions Today, negotiations at the WTO are continuing under the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS). On the table are health care, education and water.
http://www.left2rdevices.com/glossary.html
4/4/01
3:22:43 PM
Canada bars fabled farm activist
MARK MacKINNON With a report from Canadian Press Saturday, 31 March, 2001
OTTAWA -- Canadian immigration officials have put out an all-points bulletin to try to keep José Bové, the French farmer who gained notoriety for trashing a McDonald's, from attending next month's Summit of the Americas in Quebec City.
A spokesman for Citizenship and Immigration Canada told The Globe and Mail yesterday that a notice has been sent to all the country's ports of entry, warning staff to be on the lookout for Mr. Bové.
"It's just another example of how our civil liberties are being suspended," said Maude Barlow, chairwoman of the nationalist Council of Canadians, the group that had asked Mr. Bové to speak in Quebec City. "He speaks for millions of people, for farmers and landless peasants."
The moustachioed sheep farmer became something of a Robin Hood figure after he and four others were imprisoned for vandalizing a McDonald's and locking up agricultural officials in France.
Attacking the fast-food chain, he said, was a symbolic gesture to protest against the rise of genetically modified foods, as well as against tariffs imposed by the United States on French delicacies such as Roquefort cheese and foie gras.
He was fined and sentenced to three months in prison, but is currently out on appeal.
Since the incident, Mr. Bové has emerged as one of the most notorious members of the protest movement that has hit several international gatherings in recent years, including the 1999 World Trade Organization meetings in Seattle that were effectively shut down by street demonstrations. Mr. Bové recently predicted that the Quebec summit -- a gathering of 34 heads of state and government from across North and South America -- would generate a protest that would make the Seattle street battle pale in comparison.
Tens of thousands of protesters are expected to descend on Quebec City for the April 20-22 summit to show their opposition to a proposed so-called free-trade area of the Americas (FTAA) that would include every country in the Western Hemisphere except Cuba.
Immigration spokesman Richard St. Louis said Mr. Bové would be kept out of Canada because of his conviction related to the McDonald's incident. "There is a lookout for Mr. Bové because he is technically inadmissible to Canada . . . he has a criminal background," Mr. St. Louis said.
Those with a criminal record cannot enter Canada without a special ministerial permit. However, Mr. St. Louis acknowledged the bulletin specifically advising customs officers to keep an eye out for Mr. Bové was unusual and tied to his stated intention to attend the summit.
Yesterday evening, American activist George Lakey -- who is to give a keynote speech on non-violent protest at a planned event tomorrow on Parliament Hill -- was detained at the Ottawa airport by Canadian airport officials for four hours while authorities questioned him about what he would be doing while in Canada.
Mr. Lakey said after his release that the search of his belongings reminded him of the old Communist East Germany. He said Customs officials ran his name through a computer, then did an extensive search of his bags.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/gam/National/20010331/UIMMINSB.html
4/4/01
3:21:05 PM
Their fear is rising x 2
From: http://www.ottawacitizen.com/city/010331/5009844.html
U.S. activist detained at airport on eve of summit protest seminar
Joanne Laucius and Janet Hunter
The Ottawa Citizen, with files from Canadian Press
A U.S. civil rights activist on his way to teach a weekend seminar on protests was detained at the Ottawa airport for more than four hours.
George Lakey, 62, the Philadelphia-based director of Training for Change, said after his release about 9 p.m. that the search of his belongings reminded him of former Communist East Germany.
He said customs officials ran his name through a computer, then did an extensive search of his bags -- photocopying his documents, including speaking notes for his talk this weekend. "It was the most amazing scrutiny of my bag since crossing Checkpoint Charlie in Cold War Berlin in the early '60s," Mr. Lakey said in an interview.
He noted that he was in Canada as recently as January for a conference in Montreal and wasn't stopped. Mr. Lakey said immigration officials who questioned him yesterday later explained there was heightened sensitivity surrounding the April's Summit of the Americas in Quebec City. ...
Mr. Lakey's seminar is part of a day-long series of lectures in Parliament's historic Railway Reading room about the summit and the proposed Free Trade Area of the Americas. The event is sponsored by New Democrat MP Svend Robinson and Bloc MP Stephane Tremblay. On Monday, some of the same activists plan to protest outside the Department of Foreign Affairs building in Ottawa.
Mr. Lakey, who flew in from Detroit, acknowledged he has a record of four arrests in the United States for acts of peaceful civil disobedience. He has led hundreds of protest seminars for groups ranging from Sri Lankan monks to Russian gays and lesbians.
Mr. Lakey is the author of A Manual for Direct Action, called the "bible" of southern civil rights activists in the '60s. He was invited to Ottawa by the Solidarity Network, a group that organized a "people's parliament" as a prelude to the Summit of the Americas.
Kerry Pither, a spokeswoman for Solidarity Network, called the detention "unjust. It's outrageous and demonstrates a lack of commitment to free speech," said Ms. Pither. "This is very obviously another example of the intimidation we're seeing because of the Summit of the Americas."
Pierre Marquis, a spokesman for Canada Customs and Revenue Agency, said it is not the job of customs to stop people who are coming into the country to carry out peaceful demonstrations. "Customs and its partners and local law enforcement and Citizenship and Immigration are working closely together to ensure the safety of Canadians and travellers," he said.
Mr. Marquis said customs officers are the first point of contact for travellers from outside the country, and as such are responsible for the initial screening of people entering Canada. He refused to comment on Mr. Lakey's case, but said a person could be detained because initial questioning raised issues about their admissibility.
Asked whether customs officers had any directive from any other government agency to stop people who might be preparing for protests at the Summit of the Americas in Quebec City, Mr. Marquis said he couldn't discuss specifics. "Customs is not doing anything that it doesn't do normally," he said.
4/4/01
3:19:29 PM
Summit of the Americas:
Resistance if Fertile at
- Maude Barlow, from the Council of Canadians and Tony Clarke from the Polaris Institute co-authors of Global Showdown spoke in Vancouver on a book launch tour Saturday March 3, 2001.
Global Showdown describes the new activist movement against global corporate rule. They call this the "New Democracy" movement and describe its central task as ensuring that civic culture prevails over corporate culture. More details at
http://www.workingtv.com/globalshowdown.html
To get an European perspective on the FTAA go at
http://www.local.attac.org/13/documents/ZF_en.htm
"Weaving a Web of Solidarity: a Feminist Action Against the FTAA" at
And from: http://www.nfb.ca/FMT/E/MSN/50/50144.html
For Man Must Work or The End of Work
(2000, 52 min 01 sec documentary)
Abstract
The 20th century has seen an accumulation of colossal wealth, some of which has been transferred through salaries to a massive work force. Despite causing numerous conflicts, this generated higher living standards on a global scale. But the days of industry providing jobs for people are over. In the rationalization of production, the financiers who now control the global economy favour technological resources over human resources. Have we entered the century of "economic horror"? Les Oublies du XXIe siecle raises crucial questions and proposes ways of rethinking the future. Focussing on Mexico, France and Canada, it shows how workers' living and working conditions are deteriorating around the world. This incisive documentary gives a voice to lucid and politically engaged people - labour's discarded ones - who think the new century has gotten off to an ominous start.
4/3/01
5:32:49 PM
Environmental news from GRIST MAGAZINE
<http://www.gristmagazine.com>
1. CAT'S GOT YOUR TONGASS In a decision made public yesterday, a federal judge has halted all logging on roadless areas in the Tongass National Forest in Alaska. The ruling came in response to a lawsuit filed by environmental groups that argued that the U.S. Forest Service had breached environmental laws by writing a new management plan for the Tongass in 1997 without considering the roadless tracts for formal protection as wilderness areas. The judge agreed with the groups and ordered the agency to write a new plan that weighs whether any new wilderness areas should be created. Roadless areas cover about 9.4 million acres of the forest's 17 million acres. The same tracts would be protected under former President Clinton's rule to ban road-building on 58.5 million acres of national forestland, if President Bush lets the rule stand.
straight to the source: Anchorage Daily News, Paula Dobbyn, 03 Apr 2001 <http://www.adn.com/business/story/0,2641,254343,00.html>
2. OH, BILGE! Three environmental groups sued the U.S. EPA yesterday to force the agency to control the dumping of ballast water into bays, rivers, and lakes. More than 21 billion gallons of ballast water are discharged into U.S. waters each year, introducing exotic species and chemical contaminants that damage native ecosystems. Concerned about the damage, the environmentalists want the EPA to repeal a rule exempting ballast water from regulation under the Clean Water Act. An EPA scientist studying the problem of exotic species says the agency has prepared a report on invasive species that it may make public soon.
straight to the source: San Jose Mercury News, Marilee Enge, 03 Apr 2001 <http://www0.mercurycenter.com/premium/local/docs/epa03.htm>
3. SOLAR RAISE BP Amoco launched the world's largest solar energy project on Friday, promising to bring electricity to 150 remote villages in the Philippines. Financed in part by the Spanish government, the $48 million project will supply solar power to 400,000 people, providing energy for basic lighting and irrigation and drinking water systems. BP Solar CEO Bo Harmon says that funding organizations around the world are turning to low-cost solar energy to help spur economic development in developing countries. BP's solar power division has annual revenues of about $200 million and holds a 20 percent global market share.
straight to the source: Planet Ark, Reuters, 02 Apr 2001 <http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10328>
4. IT'S ABOUT TIME Perhaps there's hope for the planet after all? In reaction to President Bush's decision to withdraw from the Kyoto treaty on climate change, Time magazine produced a special issue this week, devoting 16 pages to the hard science showing that climate change is upon us and to the political fallout from Bush's (boneheaded) move. The issue also includes a letter to Bush from Jimmy Carter, Mikhail Gorbachev, John Glenn, Walter Cronkite, George Soros, J. Craig Venter, Jane Goodall, Edward O. Wilson, Harrison Ford, and Stephen Hawking, telling the president to get his act together. A Time-CNN poll taken after the Bush administration announced the decision found that three-fourths of Americans consider global warming to be a serious problem. Meanwhile, international criticism of the decision continues to mount -- yesterday, for example, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said that he regrets Bush's stance.
straight to the source: Time magazine, 09 April 2001 issue <http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,104617,00.html>
straight to the source: Los Angeles Times, 02 April 2001 <http://www.latimes.com/news/science/environ/20010402/tCB00a5713.html>
California condos back from the brink? -- species to be bred in captivity and released back to the wild -- satire in our Main Dish section <http://www.gristmagazine.com/grist/maindish/knight040101.stm>
The best part of waking up -- a day in the life of Ronnie Cummins, Organic Consumers Association <http://www.gristmagazine.com/grist/week/cummins040201.stm>
Fuel speed ahead -- Ballard is leading the charge to spread fuel cells far and wide -- in our Books Unbound column <http://www.gristmagazine.com/grist/books/books063000.stm>
4/3/01
2:39:36 PM
ENVIRONMENT NEWS SERVICE
"We Cover the Earth For You"
EUROPE WILL RATIFY KYOTO PROTOCOL WITHOUT THE USA
KIRUNA, Sweden, April 2, 2001 (ENS) - The 15 countries of the European Union will ratify the Kyoto climate protocol by 2002 with or without American participation, Swedish Environment Minister Kjell Larsson said this weekend.
For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens-news.com/ens/apr2001/2001L-04-02-03.html
UN OFFERS TO ANSWER BUSH'S CLIMATE CHANGE DOUBTS
NAIROBI, Kenya, April 2, 2001 (ENS) - In a clear reference to the United States, a high ranking United Nations official has asked those countries with doubts about the science behind climate change forecasts, to present them.
For full text and graphics, visit:
http://ens.lycos.com/ens/apr2001/2001L-04-02-10.html
NATIONS PLAN FOR TOURISM THAT SHELTERS BIODIVERSITY
By Susana Guzman
MEXICO CITY, Mexico, April 2, 2001 (ENS) - Protecting the plants and animals of the world's most visited places was the focus of a three day international meeting in Mexico City that wound up Saturday.
For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens-news.com/ens/apr2001/2001L-04-02-04.html
TWO GOVERNMENTS BID TO SAVE CANADIAN BOG
VANCOUVER, Canada, April 2, 2001 (ENS) - The largest domed peat bog on the west coast of North America could be permanently protected if a financial offer made by Canadian and British Columbia governments is accepted.
For full text and graphics, visit:
http://ens.lycos.com/ens/apr2001/2001L-04-02-11.html
AUSTRALIA GAINS A FISH, LOSES A MAMMAL
ADELAIDE, Australia, April 2, 2001 (ENS) - Australia's largest river, the Murray, has gained a new fish species - the Yarra pygmy perch - offering a bright spot in the river's legacy of pollution and dwindling biodiversity. But in other parts of the nation, species like the tiny brush tailed phascogale and dozens of woodland birds may be vanishing forever.
For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens.lycos.com/ens/apr2001/2001L-04-02-06.html
GREENPEACE TAKES ON BRITISH AND U.S. OIL INDUSTRY
ABERDEEN, Scotland, April 2, 2001 (ENS) - Seventeen Greenpeace volunteers appeared in a Scottish magistrates court this morning in connection with the occupation of an oil drilling rig that was about to leave Cromarty Firth to explore for oil and gas in the North Sea.
For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens-news.com/ens/apr2001/2001L-04-02-02.html
ENVIRONMENT NEWS SERVICE AMERISCAN: APRIL 2, 2001
Earthjustice: Roadless Forest Rule Still At Risk
Senators Introduce Renewable Fuels Act of 2001
Critical Habitat Designated for Arkansas River Shiner
Environmental Groups Take Aim at Southwestern Grazing
Toxic Metals, Organic Pollutants Persist in Charles River
California Cattle Ranch, Owner and Foreman Indicted
McDonald's Approves EarthShell Container for Big Mac
Recycled Bottle Promotes Plastic Recycling
For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens.lycos.com/ens/apr2001/2001L-04-02-09.html
4/3/01
2:34:50 PM
Earth Day 2001
Welcome to Earth Month! This month, tens of thousands of Earth Day events will be held in nearly every country on Earth. Wherever you are on 22 April, we hope you will join your brothers and sisters worldwide in celebrating our planet and calling for sustainability!
Register your Earth Day plans online at
Follow the links to "List your Event
Every action taken for Earth Day is important. We want to hear from you!
If you do not have access to the web, please email your event plans to us at worldwide@earthday.net
TAKE ACTION ON 19 APRIL -- EARTH CAR FREE DAY!
Join people across the world in a huge protest against air pollution and a call for sustainable transportation! The world's first Earth Car Free Day will be on 19 April 2001, the Thursday before Earth Day (22 April).
The aim of the event is to draw global attention to the 700 million cars that travel the world's roadways and fuel traffic congestion, pollution, disease, and global warming.
Pledge to stay out of cars on 19 April by going to www.carfreeday.com and signing in.
Earth Car Free Day is a totally voluntary, grassroots movement. It enables us, the citizens, to take the battle against global warming and foul air into our own hands.
Right around the world, people will be staying out of cars, riding bicycles, walking, or participating in open-air festivals on streets blocked from cars as part of this event.
Car free day activities are being held across the planet in countries including Australia, Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Colombia, Czech Republic, France, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Iran, Moldova, Nepal, Netherlands, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Romania, Russia, Singapore, Switzerland, Taiwan, the U.S., and the UK.
Participate simply by staying out of cars, or by organizing a car free day activity:
If you have to take your car, invite your neighbors and co-workers along.
Join or start a car-share club.
Organize a walk or bike to school or work program.
Start a petition to your local government to support car free day initiatives.
For more information on these and other car free day projects, please visit
http://www.ecoplan.org/carfreeday/EarthCFD/general/kits.htm
Under the long-term leadership and commitment of The Commons, the idea of a car free day has begun to make headway in cities around the world. On 19 April, people and groups will come together to bicycle, walk, skate, take the bus and demonstrate that there are many good alternatives to solo-driver cars in cities.
Help us demand clean air and sustainable transportation by staying out of cars on 19 April! And be sure to register your involvement at
www.carfreeday.com
4/3/01
12:25:35 AM
Planet Ark World Environment News
Doing environmental research? Search our news archives at: http://www.planetark.org/searchhome.cfm
Burger King endorses animal welfare guidelines - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10357
Open letter urges Bush to act on greenhouse gases - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10366
Animal rights leader hopes disease comes to US - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10358
US POWER - Greens, industry at times embrace in energy crisis - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10353
UK says US can't "free-ride" on global warming - UK http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10367
UPDATE - Greenpeace ends UK oil rig occupation - UK http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10349
UN climate chief slams US policy "mistakes" - SWEDEN http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10362
Asian team to climb Everest to clear garbage - NEPAL http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10351
Mexico plegdes to tighten tuna fishing regulations - MEXICO http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10361
Mexico acts to further protect Monarch butterfly - MEXICO http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10350
Cost worries block accord on GM food traceability - ITALY http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10359
UPDATE - Clean fuel order strands many Delhi commuters - INDIA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10368
German government denies Kyoto target under threat - GERMANY http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10354
German CHP compromise talks delayed again - GERMANY http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10360
Wind power to grow 39 pct this year - consultancy - DENMARK http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10355
Ballard inks supply deal with Honda research arm - CANADA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10352
Australian power body sees no Kyoto reprieve - AUSTRALIA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10356
Australia sugar sees big output boost from ethanol - AUSTRALIA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10363
BP Australia eyes ethanol use in fuels - AUSTRALIA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10364
Australia urged not to join US on climate backflip - AUSTRALIA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10365
4/3/01
12:05:07 AM
SWEAT YOUR PRAYERS
Movement as Spiritual Practice
Gabrielle Roth
As a child, something turned on in me when I danced, something I couldn't turn off; something that carried me away, stretched me between two worlds, the world as I knew it and a luminous world where everything appeared dreamy and diffused, the way photographs look when the lens has been smeared with Vaseline. I never knew how long these episodes lasted, but suddenly I'd be back and I'd know that something had happened. I had entered another universe, shifted into a new dimension in which there were no boundaries; everything was energy and I was just a particle riding the universal wave. It was as if I were plugged into the master current and life was charging through me, creating a clarity that I had not known before.
My childhood taste of this ecstasy became my life's work. My mission, and I chose to accept it, was to seduce people back into their bodies through the dance, back into their god-given power.
I believe we each hold a spark of the original light of creation within us. I've seen it light up people's faces and bodies when they dance. In a thousand ways, it has been revealed to me that God is the dance and we need only to disappear in the dance to liberate the sexual, creative and sacred aspects of the soul.
Rhythm is our mother tongue. As I have surrendered to the wild, ecstatic embrace of the dance, I've found a language of patterns I can trust to deliver us into universal truths, truths older than time. In the rhythm of the body we can trace our holiness, roots that go all the way back to zero, states of being where all identities dissolve into an eternal flow of energy.
Energy moves in waves. Waves move in patterns. Patterns move in rhythms. A human being is just that; energy, waves, patterns. Nothing more. Nothing less. A dance.
Gabrielle Roth, Michio Kaku, Ram Dass, Huston Smith, Gregg Braden, Ralph Metzner, Stanislav Grof, Riane Eisler, John Mack, Oriah Mountain Dreamer, Robert Anton Wilson,and Russell Targ will be looking at, and in some instances, taking us to expanded states of consciousness and the uncommon knowledge and heightened awareness often obtained from them. We will look at the magnitude of the implications fostered by acknowledging this journey as true Gnosis. Together, we will explore the relevance of this experience into every area of our lives in the beauty of The Cathedral of Saint John the Divine Synod Hall, May 18-20, 2001.
The Prophets Conference also envisions a Deeper Sense of Destiny at what is clearly showing itself to be a highly critical juncture in history and assesses avenues for imagining and reconfiguring Reality.
Full information on The Prophets Conference - New York City and The Prophets Conference - Victoria, B.C., is linked from
or call for a brochure at 1-888-777-5981
4/3/01
12:03:07 AM
4/2/01
11:27:46 PM
Die Off
The man who wrote the below articles has been running a singlehanded campaign to save mankind from an extrememly ugly future. He has become so discouraged with lack of support from those he expected to help him that he is giving up his campaign, unless "something remarkable" happens. This man is a large part of the chance we have to avoid such a future. We cannot let him give up! Please E-mail him with support and offers of collaboration. Jay Hanson is the single most reliable and useful source of information concerning the future of this planet.
WE CANNOT, AS A SPECIES, AFFORD TO LET THIS MAN GIVE UP!
If you doubt the importance of this, check his site at
4/2/01
8:57:18 PM
ChemTrails
http://www.chemtrailcentral.com/report.shtml
4/2/01
7:45:21 PM
THE ECOLOGIST
Authoritative, accessible, informative and intelligent, The Ecologist is the world's longest running and most widely-read environmental magazine. Founded in 1970, it is read in 150 countries by those concerned about the future of the planet, and keen to explore alternatives to our current, destructive 'development' model.
Economic growth; consumerism; environmental destruction; political dogma; globalisation; new technology - all are subjected every month to the scrutiny of our expert writers, sharp columnists and unique brand of investigative journalism.
"The new Ecologist looks great, and reads even better. A vital stimulus for mind and eye, and a must read for anyone who cares about the 21st century."
- Charles Secret - Director of Friends of The Earth
"Every time I get the latest issue of The Ecologist (especially since its redesign), I just feel a great surge of gratitude for its integrity, uncompromising radicalism and sheer bloody mindedness! It was one of the formative influences on my thinking nearly thirty years ago, and it still is today."
- Johnathan Porritt, Forum for the Future.
"For years The Ecologist has been the first on the scene, covering issues long before they have been understood or even registered by the rest of the media. It remains far ahead of its time, provocative, profound and visionary."
- George Monbiot, The Guardian
"I can't believe what I'm reading - every page grabs my attention. Every article is relevant. You've done a tremendous job in making accessible some of the most censored stories in the British media. I want to congratulate you from the bottom of my heart on the content, style, design and relevancy."
- Anita Roddick OBE - Founder & Co-Chair, The Body Shop
To find out more about The Ecologist visit:
4/2/01
7:42:53 PM
The Blood of Turtles Stains Bali
Indonesian law forbids killing the sea creatures, but no proper host fails to serve one. The result is a callous underground trade.
By RICHARD C. PADDOCK,
Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
TANJUNG BENOA, Indonesia--Time was running out for the green sea turtles. Four of them lay on the concrete floor of a Bali slaughterhouse, their front flippers tied together so they couldn't crawl away. Another lay on its back, unable to move.
An empty shell, still wet with blood, rested in a corner as Soleh the butcher squatted by an open fire, cooking the meat of the animal on skewers. The turtle's destination: a Hindu celebration at nearby Udayana University.
In most of the world, green sea turtles are considered endangered. Here in Bali, they are considered a moneymaker.
Despite the island's image as a tropical paradise, Bali's inhabitants slaughter more endangered sea turtles than anyone else in the world, environmentalists say, bringing the species ever closer to extinction.
The killing is especially callous--the turtles are cut apart while they are alive to make it easier to extract the meat from the shell. Like humans', the eyes of a turtle can water. While the animal is being butchered, it looks as if it's crying.
The trade in green sea turtles remains a $1-million business despite a law enacted by the Indonesian government in January 1999 making it illegal to catch, possess or eat the animals.
"It's a very old tradition, and it's very hard to change," said Ketut Sukada, a leading advocate of turtle hunting. "It's the wrong solution to stop people from eating sea turtles."
In Bali, officials created a huge loophole by allowing hunters to catch 5,000 green sea turtles a year. In practice, this meant there was no limit on the number caught because the quota was never enforced. Agus Haryanta, the top enforcement officer for turtles in Bali, estimates that the hunters catch and kill 15,000 to 20,000 a year.
Further threatening the species' survival, resort hotels and other buildings constructed in Bali during the past three decades have overrun most of the beaches where turtles once laid their eggs.
In existence since the time of the dinosaurs, the green can weigh 400 pounds and measure 3 feet in length. It can stay underwater for 30 minutes without coming up for air and is known to travel 1,400 miles from its feeding grounds to its nesting site.
Sea turtles face numerous hazards. Humans have long hunted the animals for their meat, shells and leather and plundered their eggs for food. At sea, fishing nets trap and drown them. Coastal pollution poisons their habitat, and beachfront construction destroys their nesting sites.
"I think the hotels are more dangerous than the fishermen," said Sukada, a lecturer in animal husbandry at Udayana University. "If it is correct that sea turtles are going to go extinct, it is not because of consumption."
If the species does manage to thrive, the process will be a slow one. Turtles can live to be more than 100, but the female doesn't reach maturity for 20 to 50 years--and even then may lay eggs only once every two to four years. Out of hundreds of eggs, only a few survive to adulthood.
Indonesian conservationists have started turtle breeding programs on Bali and other islands, but environmentalists say it will take decades for any progress to be evident.
Most of Bali's turtle hunters base their operations in Tanjung Benoa, a traditional fishing village on the southern end of Bali where the turtles once nested. Zakaria, commonly known as Wewe, owns about a dozen boats that bring live turtles from as far away as the islands of Borneo and Sulawesi to the Bali market. Often, the hunters remain at sea for two months without finding enough turtles to fill their boats.
Spear Guns, Nets Used for Capture
Hunters Claim to Be Ignorant of Ban
Many of the hunters claim never to have heard that turtles are endangered or that it is against the law to catch them.
"As far as I know, it is not illegal yet," Mulyadi said. "No one has told me it is."
Once the turtles are brought to Bali, they are kept in plain sight on the beach for as long as a month in bamboo pens the size of houses. At high tide, water comes into the pens and keeps the animals alive.
Slaughtering the turtle is the most brutal part of the business. If the animal is killed outright, the meat will stick to the inside of the shell, the slaughterers say, requiring more work to extract it.
Usually, the turtle lives for about 10 minutes while it is cut apart.
"The newly caught sea turtle is more difficult, since it struggles quite hard to get away," said Soleh, the turtle butcher. "One that has been in captivity for a while is easier."
With the crackdown on the turtle trade, the animals are usually slaughtered in the middle of the night.
Soleh said his first step is to cut off the four flippers. Then he cuts around the outside of the shell and opens the chest, removing all of the meat. After that, he removes the internal organs. When he takes out the heart, it is still beating.
Wayan Tirtha, a former turtle hunter, now regrets his part in the slaughter and tries to make up for it by working at a turtle breeding center in western Bali. He's still haunted by the sight of turtles being butchered.
"It's a torture to the sea turtles because they don't die right away, even after we have cut them," said Tirtha, 56. "It's like killing a human. The sea turtle can cry. Maybe if it could speak, it would ask for mercy."
http://www.latimes.com/news/columns/colone/20010327/t000026632.html
4/2/01
7:39:24 PM
George Bush's America
Special report: global warming
The Guardian
Suddenly, in the space of two short months, America, the "indispensable nation", begins to resemble the ultimate rogue state. George Bush's decision to trash the Kyoto global warming treaty is appalling. That it represents an enormous, possibly definitive setback for efforts to mitigate climate change goes almost without saying. America is now confirmed as the unrepentant outlaw, the dirty man of environmental politics.
The decision is doubly appalling for what it says about the new man in the White House. Mr Bush, clinging to his "national interest" credo, seems incapable of seeing the big picture. He does not grasp the basic truth that America's national interest is inextricably intertwined with the global interest. America, for all its dominance, is but a part of the world we share. America's consumers depend for their unsurpassed living standards on shared global resources. America's greenhouse emissions are not confined to American airspace. Nor is the US immune from the negative impact of its national profligacy and international climate change. By this blinkered action, Mr Bush strengthens suspicions that he is just not big enough for his job.
But most appalling of all is the message, taken alongside similarly short-sighted, self-centred actions in the fields of defence and diplomacy, that this Taliban-style act of wanton destruction sends around the world. Instead of leading the community of nations, Bush's America seems increasingly intent on confronting it. Instead of a shining city on a hill, the world sees a dark smokestack belching fumes. From a nation that began by heroically trumpeting its belief in universal values common to all mankind comes a devastatingly different, divisive and nationalistic jingle: we do what we want, for ourselves, regard less of the consequences for you. And if you don't like it, well, tough.
Is this message sent on purpose? In other words, does the Bush administration actually understand what it is doing? For look at the record so far. It has dangerously upset the strategic balance by proposing a new national missile defence system while scrapping another treaty, the key ABM accord with Russia. It has attacked Iraq while signalling elsewhere, notably in the Balkans, that it will reduce its commitment to shared security, especially through the UN. It has gone out of its way to antagonise Russia and done much to convince China that it must ready itself for war. Its economic policy has meanwhile merely stoked fears of a US-exported recession.
Bush's America has all but abandoned, for now at least, its leading role in the Middle East and gone a long way towards scuppering detente on the Korean peninsula. On a range of fronts, not least over Nato and trade, Washington is also shaping up for conflict with the EU. And now, to cap it all, ignoring the Stockholm summit's direct plea, and at the very moment the German chancellor is crossing the White House doorstep, it tells Europe that Peoria's pocketbook comes first, so take your fossil fuel fuss and stuff it.
If Mr Bush does not intend the alarm all this is causing internationally, then he is even more inept than commonly believed. Christine Whitman, his environment agency chief, told him this month that global warming "is a credibility issue for the US in the international community". She is right and he had better believe it. In the end, America, big though it be, cannot go it alone. It needs friends. But that even the oldest friendships have limits is a lesson Mr Bush has yet to learn. Humility is another. Wisdom may be too much to hope for.
4/2/01
7:33:13 PM
Don't Let Bush Torpedo The Climate Treaty!
CORPWATCH CYBER ACTION ALERT
TAKE ACTION!
Flood White House with faxes!
Tell President Bush not to torpedo the Kyoto Treaty on Global warming!
Last year the US blocked progress at negotiations in The Netherlands, now Texas oil-man, President George W. Bush wants to destroy the Kyoto Protocol on climate change.
Friends of the Earth and CorpWatch ask people around the world to flood the White House with protest faxes.
Let's show President Bush what climate change means and how much people are concerned about it.
Send your FREE FAX today!
http://www.corpwatch.org/action/2001/012.html
The Global Warming President
http://www.corpwatch.org/climate/updates/2001/jkarliner1.html
EU: Disgust over Bush's Kyoto Decision
http://www.corpwatch.org/news/2001/0077.html
Climate Justice Facts
http://www.corpwatch.org/climate/background/2001/cjfactsheet.html
4/2/01
7:22:44 PM
The Nation
Two of the most contentious political issues currently roiling our body politic are taken up in a pair of web-only reports available only at
In "Senate Shocker," John Nichols, who has been tracking the progress of the McCain-Feingold campaign finance reform bill, examines two weeks of the most spirited and unscripted debate that the senate has seen in more than a decade. For the full story go to:
http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=special&s=nichols20010328
And, in "Making the Case in Albany," Amy Bach looks at the March 27 rally and lobbying efforts of Drop the Rock, a grassroots coalition fighting for repeal of New York State's notorious set of drug laws. Bach was in Albany trailing a diverse group of organizers, drug policy wonks and ex-offenders as they walked the hallways of the New York State Legislature lobbying lawmakers on behalf of repeal. Read her full account currently at:
http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=special&s=bach20010331
There are also lots of new articles, columns and editorials available on a wide range of subjects from the April 16 issue of The Nation, on Al Sharpton; the politics of the Democrat;, the Los Angeles mayoral race; state laws that circumscribe reproductive rights and genetically-modified food:
SCOTT SHERMAN: He Has A Dream
http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=20010416&s=sherman
SENATOR JON CORZINE: A Time To Be Bold
http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=20010416&s=corzine
MARC COOPER: Leading Los Angeles
http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=20010416&s=cooper
KATHA POLLITT: Subject To Debate
http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=20010416&s=pollitt
DANNY KOHL: GM Food -- Another View
http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=20010416&s=kohl
4/2/01
7:21:03 PM
FAIR
Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting
Media analysis, critiques and news reports
MEDIA ADVISORY:
Pacifica Silences Discussion; Listeners Lose Out Stations censor or fail to air scheduled shows about Pacifica crisis
The Pacifica radio network has been known for decades as the home of "listener-sponsored free speech radio." But recent incidents in which Pacifica stations have failed to air regularly scheduled shows featuring discussions of Pacifica have left the network's listener/sponsors in the dark about the growing Pacifica debate, even as mainstream media outlets are reporting on the story.
While instances of Pacifica stations censoring or failing to air discussions about the network have been reported over the past several years, since December's "Christmas coup"-- when workers at Pacifica's New York City station, WBAI, were fired and banned from the station-- incidents of Pacifica management silencing news about the network have increased considerably.
Recent instances in which Pacifica stations censored, silenced or failed to air discussions about the controversy include:
--March 26: Three days after a Los Angeles forum about Pacifica attracted more than 1,200, Pacifica executive director Bessie Wash interrupted the national broadcast of the show Democracy Now! to accuse critics of Pacifica management of participating in or encouraging violence. In the emotional four-and-a-half minute address, Wash served up inaccuracies and highly disputed allegations as facts, recounting two recent incidents in which she says critics physically assaulted Pacifica employees. Wash's actions suggest that Pacifica's "dirty laundry rule"-- which threatens broadcasters with disciplinary action if they discuss the Pacifica crisis on-air-- only applies to those with whom Wash and Pacifica management disagree. (Several broadcasters have lost their jobs for violating this rule.)
--March 16: Washington, D.C.'s WPFW censored an edition of Democracy Now! featuring a debate between Pacifica board member John Murdock and former Democracy Now! co-host Juan Gonzalez, who has called for the removal of some Pacifica National Board members and a boycott of station fundraisers.
--Week of March 12: FAIR's radio show CounterSpin featured a discussion with three Pacifica critics. (Pacifica management did not return several phone calls asking them to participate.) Only one of Pacifica's five stations-- Berkeley's KPFA-- aired CounterSpin as scheduled. Los Angeles' KPFK aired a documentary about Lady Bird Johnson instead, while New York's WBAI aired an old edition of the show. Houston's KPFT did not air CounterSpin's Pacifica program until two weeks after it was scheduled. WPFW canceled CounterSpin in 1999, following an earlier edition of the show that focused on Pacifica issues. CounterSpin has been censored or altered numerous other times by Pacifica stations when it has addressed the Pacifica crisis. (See "Pacifica Station Axes CounterSpin":
http://www.fair.org/activism/pacifica-wpfw.html
--March 13: After weeks of refusing to allow Amy Goodman to assume her usual role as co-host of WBAI's Wake Up Call, interim WBAI station manager Utrice Leid officially fired Goodman from the program. Leid's action followed Goodman's written complaint that she had been harassed by Clayton Riley, whom Leid had appointed as a temporary host on Wake Up Call. Wake Up Call news anchor Robert Knight, who had also been covering Pacifica, was informed of his dismissal from the show a month before Goodman.
--March 9: Mario Murillo, another co-host of Wake Up Call, resigned from the show after refusing to submit to management orders not to book Goodman as a guest on Wake Up Call, a show Goodman had co-hosted for years.
--March 5: WBAI's Leid interrupted and then canceled the labor show Building Bridges while host Ken Nash was conducting a live interview about Pacifica with Congressman Major Owens. The show's other host, Mimi Rosenberg, had been fired and banned from WBAI studios several days before; Nash was dismissed after the cancellation. Owens has since described himself as "gagged" in a speech on the floor of Congress, noting that Leid had "proclaimed that she had to intervene because it was her job to allow only the 'truth' over the airwaves."
--March 1: Houston station KPFT censored Democracy Now!'s announcement of an upcoming meeting of the Pacifica National Board in Houston.
--February 28: WPFW cut away from a Democracy Now! commentary on Pacifica by Pennsylvania death-row inmate Mumia Abu-Jamal, airing jazz music instead.
--February 14: Three separate independent websites featuring discussion of Pacifica issues-- savepacifica.net, wbai.net, and wbaifree.org-- received letters from Pacifica's lawyers at the firm Epstein, Becker & Green threatening suit if the groups that run the websites did not transfer the rights to the domain names to Pacifica by February 19.
--January 31: Democracy Now! co-host Juan Gonzalez resigned on-air; WPFW and KPFT cut away from his statement to other programming. Gonzalez cited harassment and muzzling of free speech as key reasons for his departure.
For most of its 50-year history, Pacifica has been a vital and vibrant resource for the progressive community. Recently, however, a self-selected board majority has acted to disempower listeners and local station workers, watering down the network's tradition of critical, independent programming. Listener groups, as well as staff at some stations, have organized ongoing protests against Pacifica's management and in support of a democratic, accountable and diverse network.
For more information, please visit:
http://www.fair.org/activism/pacifica-history.html
4/2/01
7:14:10 PM
Environmental news from GRIST MAGAZINE
<http://www.gristmagazine.com>
1. NADER SAY DIE Despite the criticism he has received from the environmental community, Ralph Nader is standing firm on his claim that Al Gore would have been no better on the environment than President Bush. In an interview with the Princeton Review, the alumni magazine of his alma mater, the consumer advocate restated his belief that the differences between a Gore administration and the Bush administration would have been merely cosmetic, not substantive, and that Gore would have been just as accommodating as his rival has been to corporate interests. "Given that Gore and Bush were just two peas in a pod, when we review George W. Bush's policies we have direct proof that Al Gore was not the environmentalist he claimed to be," said Nader. "For the first time," he continued, "we see how destructive Gore's agenda really was -- abandoning protections for roadless areas in national forests, allowing more arsenic in our drinking water, and drilling in the Arctic."
straight to the source: New York Times, Shannon Miller, 1 Apr 2001 <http://greetings.yahoo.com/greet/view?7VKJCBCWIC5ZK>
2. MAKIN' A STINK With California facing a drought and a severe power shortage, California Gov. Gray Davis (D) yesterday unveiled a new "Every Other Day Is Okay" campaign to convince Californians to save both water and energy by showering less frequently. At a press conference to launch the campaign, Davis spokesperson Wilkins Micawber said, "At first, people who are used to daily showers may feel a little funky, but if everyone's doing it, nobody will care." Environmentalists, many of whom already shower much less frequently than every other day, were heartened by Davis's endorsement of their lifestyle choice, while some Hollywood executives, already fearful of a strike by the Screen Actors Guild later this year, criticized the campaign as having the potential to reduce the glamour-factor of the state's movie industry.
straight to the source: San Francisco Chronicle, Associated Press, Bart Conner, 1 Apr 2001 <http://greetings.yahoo.com/greet/view?AAGBMSAA5ST9G>
3. WELL HELLO, DOLLY Mattell announced over the weekend that it would be marketing a new Eco-Barbie in time for next Christmas. Made entirely from recycled plastic, the new Barbie will include accessories like a patchouli neck bag, a Central-American-style jacket made from organic hemp, a bullhorn, and climbing gear for direct action make-believe. The Eco-Barbie also will be able to recite such popular environmental slogans as "reduce, reuse, recycle" and "every day is Earth Day." Mattell is undecided about whether Eco-Barbie's dream car will be a super-efficient, gas-electric hybrid or a rusting VW van. A Ken doll sporting long hair, a beard, and a fleece jacket is also in the works.
straight to the source: Dallas Morning News, Associated Press, Kerri Strug, 1 Apr 2001 <http://greetings.yahoo.com/greet/view?CVDVG5WWHBK9P>
4. WANTED, DEBTOR ALIVE The World Bank on Friday introduced a new multilateral lending program to stimulate economic growth in poverty-stricken nations. Dubbed "Nature for Debt," the program will provide billions of dollars in low-interest loans and technical assistance to developing nations on the condition that they open up protected parklands for mineral extraction and oil and gas development. According to the bank, Nature-for-Debt swaps will give cash-strapped nations the money and help to provide the infrastructure that they need to attract multinational companies to run drilling and mining operations in the former parklands. Proceeds from the mineral exports will then be used to repay the nation's debt to the bank. "With Nature for Debt, everyone wins" said World Bank President James Wolfensohn. "The companies make a profit, and third-world countries prove their credit-worthiness while getting a chance to play with the big boys." Although some environmentalists have criticized the program as "premature," the bank is considering extending this program to the Western U.S. on a trial basis.
straight to the source: Wall Street Journal, John Roethlisberger, 30 Mar 2001 <http://www7.bluemountain.com/cards/boxg224654t4/djmvuytvxw77dn.html>
straight to the source: South Africa Independent, Dominique Dawes, 31 Mar 2001 <http://www.americangreetings.com/pickup.pd?i=171533929&m=7000&rr=y>
Diving for data -- a day in the life of Noelle Barger, San Diego Oceans Foundation <http://www.gristmagazine.com/grist/week/barger033001.stm>
Show business is my life -- the latest in the comic adventures of Zed, last of his species <http://www.gristmagazine.com/grist/zed/zed032601.stm>
Hot wheels -- politicos cruising the streets of D.C. in hybrid cars -- in our Muckraker column <http://www.gristmagazine.com/grist/muck/muck032901.stm#hotwheels>
4/2/01
6:44:15 PM
Cancer Research - A Super Fraud?
By Robert Ryan, B.Sc.
http://www.pnc.com.au/~cafmr/online/research/cancer.html
"Everyone should know that most cancer research is largely a fraud and that the major cancer research organisations are derelict in their duties to the people who support them." - Linus Pauling PhD (Two-time Nobel Prize winner).
Have you ever wondered why, despite the billions of dollars spent on cancer research over many decades, and the constant promise of a cure which is forever "just around the corner", cancer continues to increase?
Cancer Is Increasing
Once quite rare, cancer is now the second major cause of death in Western countries such as Australia, the U.S.A. and the United Kingdom. In the early 1940s cancer accounted for 12% of Australian deaths. (1) By 1992 this figure had climbed to 25.9% of Australian deaths. (2) The increasing trend of cancer deaths and incidence is typical of most Western nations. It has been said that this increase in cancer is just due to the fact that people now live longer than their ancestors did, and that therefore the increase of cancer is merely due to the fact that more people are living to be older and thereby have a greater chance of contracting cancer. However, this argument is disproved by the fact that cancer is also increasing in younger age groups, as well as by the findings of numerous population studies which have linked various life-style factors of particular cultures to the particular forms of cancer that are predominant there.
The Orthodox "War on Cancer" Has Failed
"My overall assessment is that the national cancer programme must be judged a qualified failure" Dr. John Bailer, who spent 20 years on the staff of the U.S. National Cancer Institute and was editor of its journal. (3) Dr. Bailer also says: "The five year survival statistics of the American Cancer Society are very misleading. They now count things that are not cancer, and, because we are able to diagnose at an earlier stage of the disease, patients falsely appear to live longer. Our whole cancer research in the past 20 years has been a total failure. More people over 30 are dying from cancer than ever before . . . More women with mild or benign diseases are being included in statistics and reported as being 'cured'. When government officials point to survival figures and say they are winning the war against cancer they are using those survival rates improperly."
A 1986 report in the New England Journal of Medicine assessed progress against cancer in the United States during the years 1950 to 1982. Despite progress against some rare forms of cancer, which account for 1 to 2 per cent of total deaths caused by the disease, the report found that the overall death rate had increased substantially since 1950: "The main conclusion we draw is that some 35 years of intense effort focussed largely on improving treatment must be judged a qualified failure." The report further concluded that ". . . we are losing the war against cancer" and argued for a shift in emphasis towards prevention if there is to be substantial progress. (4)
Most Cancer IS Preventable
According to the International Agency for Research in Cancer "...80-90 per cent of human cancer is determined environmentally and thus theoretically avoidable." (5) Environmental causes of cancer include lifestyle factors such as smoking, a diet high in animal products and low in fresh fruit & vegetables, excessive exposure to sunlight, food additives, alcohol, workplace hazards, pollution, electromagnetic radiation, and even certain pharmaceutical drugs and medical procedures. But unfortunately, as expressed by medical historian Hans Ruesch, "Despite the general recognition that 85 per cent of all cancers is caused by environmental influences, less than 10 per cent of the (U.S.) National Cancer Institute budget is given to environmental causes. And despite the recognition that the majority of environmental causes are linked to nutrition, less than 1 per cent of the National Cancer Institute budget is devoted to nutrition studies. And even that small amount had to be forced on the Institute by a special amendment of the National Cancer Act in 1974." (6)
Prevention - Not Profitable to Industry According to Dr. Robert Sharpe, " . . . in our culture treating disease is enormously profitable, preventing it is not. In 1985 the U.S., Western Europe and Japanese market in cancer therapies was estimated at over 3.2 billion pounds with the 'market' showing a steady annual rise of 10 per cent over the past five years. Preventing the disease benefits no one except the patient. Just as the drug industry thrives on the 'pill for every ill' mentality, so many of the leading medical charities are financially sustained by the dream of a miracle cure, just around the corner." (7)
Desired: A State of No Cure?
In fact, some analysts consider that the cancer industry is sustained by a policy of deliberately facing in the wrong direction. For instance, in the late 1970s, after studying the policies, activities, and assets of the major U.S. cancer institutions, the investigative reporters Robert Houston and Gary Null concluded that these institutions had become self-perpetuating organisations whose survival depended on the state of no cure. They wrote, "a solution to cancer would mean the termination of research programs, the obsolescence of skills, the end of dreams of personal glory, triumph over cancer would dry up contributions to self-perpetuating charities and cut off funding from Congress, it would mortally threaten the present clinical establishments by rendering obsolete the expensive surgical, radiological and chemotherapeutic treatments in which so much money, training and equipment is invested.
Such fear, however unconscious, may result in resistance and hostility to alternative approaches in proportion as they are therapeutically promising. The new therapy must be disbelieved, denied, discouraged and disallowed at all costs, regardless of actual testing results, and preferably without any testing at all. As we shall see, this pattern has in actuality occurred repeatedly, and almost consistently." (8) Indeed, many people around the world consider that they have been cured by therapies which were 'blacklisted' by the major cancer organisations.
Does this mean that ALL of the people who work in the cancer research industry are consciously part of a conspiracy to hold back a cure for cancer? Author G.Edward Griffin explains ". . . let's face it, these people die from cancer like everybody else. . . [I]t's obvious that these people are not consciously holding back a control for cancer. It does mean, however, that the [pharmaceutical-chemical] cartel's medical monopoly has created a climate of bias in our educational system, in which scientific truth often is sacrificed to vested interests . . . [I]f the money is coming from drug companies, or indirectly from drug companies, the impetus is in the direction of drug research. That doesn't mean somebody blew the whistle and said "hey, don't research nutrition!" It just means that nobody is financing nutrition research. So it is a bias where scientific truth often is obscured by vested interest." (9) This point is similarly expressed by Dr. Sydney Singer: "Researchers are like prostitutes. They work for grant money. If there is no money for the projects they are personally interested in, they go where there is money. Their incomes come directly from their grants, not from the universities. And they want to please the granting source to get more grants in the future. Their careers depend on it." (10)
Money Spent on Fraudulent Research?
A large portion of money donated to cancer research by the public is spent on animal research which has, since its inception, been widely condemned as a waste of time and resources. For instance, consider the 1981 Congressional Testimony by Dr. Irwin Bross, former director of the Sloan-Kettering, the largest cancer research institute in the world, and then Director of Biostatistics at Roswell Park Memorial Institute for Cancer Research, Bufallo, NY: "The uselessness of most of the animal model studies is less well known. For example, the discovery of chemotherapeutic agents for the treatment of human cancer is widely-heralded as a triumph due to use of animal model systems. However, here again, these exaggerated claims are coming from or are endorsed by the same people who get the federal dollars for animal research. There is little, if any, factual evidence that would support these claims. Indeed, while conflicting animal results have often delayed and hampered advances in the war on cancer, they have never produced a single substantial advance either in the prevention or treatment of human cancer. For instance, practically all of the chemotherapeutic agents which are of value in the treatment of human cancer were found in a clinical context rather than in animal studies." (11)
In fact, many substances which cause cancer in humans are marketed as "safe" on the basis of animal tests. As expressed by Dr. Werner Hartinger of Germany, in regard to cancer-causing products of the pharmaceutical-petro-chemical industry, "Their constant consumption is legalised on the basis of misleading animal experiments . . . which seduce the consumer into a false sense of security." (12)
Imagine What Could Be Achieved
The next time you are asked to donate to a cancer organisation, bear in mind that your money will be used to sustain an industry which has been deemed by many eminent scientists as a qualified failure and by others, as a complete fraud. If you would like to make a difference, inform these organisations that you won't donate to them until they change their approach to one which is focussed on prevention and study of the human condition. We have the power to change things by making their present approach unprofitable. It is only through our charitable donations and taxes that these institutions survive on their present unproductive path.
Copyright 1997 by the Campaign Against Fraudulent Medical Research, P.O. Box 234, Lawson NSW 2783, Australia. Phone +61 (0)2-4758-6822.
www.pnc.com.au/~cafmr
4/2/01
6:30:13 PM
Planet Ark World Environment News
Doing environmental research? Search our news archives at: http://www.planetark.org/searchhome.cfm
Energy-hungry US needs drilling - top Republican - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10335
Democrats take Bush to task over environment - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10341
Ford goes with greens in hybrid vehicles issue - WSJ - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10339
UPDATE - Bush looks beyond Alaska refuge for energy - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10336
US farmers embrace biocrops despite StarLink recall - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10332
US POWER - Calif. leads a forced march on conservation - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10331
Gov't to issue stance on forest conservation rule by May 4 - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10330
UPDATE - Interior secretary, senators to tour Arctic refuge - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10329
Midwest refiners assure good green gasoline supply - EPA - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10326
Judge dismisses cases charging Smithfield hurt rivers - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10325
BP Solar in $48 mln deal to power 150 Philippine villages - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10328
Inside Track-Floods and drought ahead! Place your bets - UK http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10337
Chirac calls for swift implementation of Kyoto pact - SWITZERLAND http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10348
INTERVIEW - UN climate talks chief hopes for compromise - SWEDEN http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10333
UPDATE - EU says no trade retaliation due US Kyoto refusal - SWEDEN http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10342
Russia takes shot at Washington over Kyoto pact - RUSSIA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10340
Norway berates Bush for ditching Kyoto pact - NORWAY http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10345
Salmon-killer algae die out off Norwegian coast - NORWAY http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10324
UPDATE - Malaysia's plan to burn palm oil as fuel on track - MALAYSIA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10338
UPDATE - Japan PM urges Bush to sign global warming pact - JAPAN http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10334
Minister doubts Germany can meet pollution target - GERMANY http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10327
UPDATE - Half of leaked oil hits Danish coasts - police - DENMARK http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10323
UPDATE - Ontario to order Inco to clean polluted soil - CANADA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10322
Canada blames Europe for Bush backtrack on Kyoto pact - CANADA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10343
Waste Management gets okay for Quebec "bioreactor" - CANADA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10347
WRAPUP - Bush view of economy before climate provokes alarm - BELGIUM http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10344
Australia says US not wrong on Kyoto concerns - AUSTRALIA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10346
4/2/01
6:12:03 PM
EARTH DAY 2001
United Nations, New York City
Sunday, April 22, 2001
MARCH
GATHER AT TIMES SQUARE
NOON
RALLY
DAG HAMMARSJKOLD PLAZA UNITED NATIONS
1PM
NO MORE NUCLEAR POWER
FIGHT GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE
STOP THE BUSH ROLLBACK OF ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATION
BUILD A SUSTAINABLE ENERGY FUTURE
Sponsored by
Nuclear Information and Resource Service
World Information Service on Energy-Amsterdam
Earth Day Network
Public Citizen
NYC Students for the Earth
SPEAKERS INCLUDE
Author/Activists
HARVEY WASSERMAN
KARL GROSSMAN
John Passacantando (Greenpeace USA)
Michael Mariotte (NIRS)
Wenonah Hauter (Public Citizen)
Peer De Rijk (WISE-Amsterdam)
Debby Katz (Citizens Awareness Network)
Richard Worthington (Earthlife, South Africa)
David Rovics (renegade singer/songwriter)
more to be announced
The United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) will be meeting from April 17-30 to determine what energy technologies are "sustainable." The U.S., Canada, Britain and France are pushing the concept that nuclear power should be considered a sustainable technology, and its use promoted across the globe. We need to tell the CSD that nuclear power is deadly, not sustainable. We should encourage the use of clean renewable energy sources and increased energy efficiency. We must create the climate for a sustainable future and we can only do that by acting and raising our voices together. Join us.
For more information, contact NIRS at
202.328.0002; nirsnet@nirs.org; www.nirs.org
Why Nuclear Power CAN'T Solve Global Warming
http://www.geocities.com/mothersalert/globalwarming2.html