8/18/01
9:40:00 PM
October 8th - 7pm - 10pm
Strawberry Fields, Central Park, NYC - LennonTask Event
Join those who have found each other via the LennonTask to unite our diversities for a time of peace and pathway.
October 9th - 6:30 - 9:30pm
NYC Learning Annex
Join May Pang and Fred Seaman for their personal thoughts and memories of John Lennon.
Hope to see you there!!!
Lynn / Toronto
8/18/01
9:35:31 PM
Watch It! Face-It developer claims "we need regulation"
Since police in Tampa, Florida, first used Visionics' FaceIt system to scan the crowd at last January's Super Bowl football game, facial-recognition systems have come under fire from civil-liberties groups and lawmakers who say they invade privacy and create the potential for a Big Brother-like state of constant surveillance.
According to the following AP story, companies involved in development and sales of facial recognition systems are "calling on Congress" to "regulate the use of surveillance systems in public places."
"Watch out! If you just said anything like "good" or "it's about time," you simply do not understand the industry's objective.
Don't believe them!
Whenever an industry asks Congress to "regulate" its activities, rest assured the sole objective is to "legalize" or "authorize" some activity which may otherwise be unlawful or not protected by law. The reason these companies want Congress to get involved now is to secure federal protection for continued sales and use of their products, even in cases where state or federal laws might otherwise prohibit such use.
You must read closely, between the lines, and with great skepticism, what these industry leaders are saying. Then, take into consideration what they are not saying. Rest assured, the best lawyers the industry can buy will craft these "regulations" so that they sound plausible to the public and at the same time protect the industry's interests with regard to the most profitable applications.
Take for example the words of Dr. Joseph Atick, chief executive of Visionics Corp., speaking on behalf of the Security Industry Association: "police departments and others should be limited to only using the system to track convicted criminals, search for fugitives and other specific purposes."
Notice that Atick's comments leave room for all other manner of surveillance of citizens, such as, for example, locating a parent who is delinquent on child support payments; or someone who has failed to pay a parking ticket; or any other "specific purpose."
Be assured also that broad application of these systems will be facilitated through the use of driver license records. Provision for this is already in place under the mis-named, 1993, Driver's Privacy Protection Act (DPPA) which authorizes government agencies to use the now-common digital driver license photos for facial recognition programs and other uses "specifically authorized under the law of the State that holds the record, if such use is related to the operation of a motor vehicle or public safety." The DPPA also authorizes use of digital driver license photos "for use by any government agency ... in carrying out its functions."
A very few so-called "privacy advocacy" organizations, such as EPIC, actually supported the above-mentioned DPPA which authorizes this abuse of driver license photos.
Consider too the following quotes taken from an official booklet published by the US Department of Transportation with help from the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators for the benefit of law enforcement, titled The Highway Safety Deskbook:
"With a central image database of every driver in a state, the public safety community has a ready-made storehouse of photos to be used in criminal investigations. Due to the electronic nature of these images, they can be obtained in seconds via a computer retrieval unit in the department or even faxed or thermal printed directly to the patrol car. These same images can also be brought into a photo array for suspect identification.
"The uses for these images are limited only by the wants and needs : of the public safety community.
"Work is progressing on digital standards (common data elements and compatible records) so that a national and, perhaps, an international network of digitized images can be established."
Watch this soon-coming, proposed legislation very closely. Oppose all such legislation that authorizes public installation of these surveillance systems which can and will be linked to driver license records. The only purpose for these "regulatory" laws is to protect the industry, not individuals.
House Majority Leader Dick Armey seems to truly understand this issue.
There is NO public application of any facial recognition system that is acceptable.
8/18/01
9:28:54 PM
Date: Tue, 7 Aug 2001
http://www.house.gov/kucinich/action/peace.htm
Washington, DC -- Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-OH-10) today introduced legislation to create a cabinet level agency dedicated to peacemaking and the study of conditions that are conducive to peace.
"The time for peace is now," Congressman Kucinich said. "At the dawn of a new millennium, there is no better time to review age old challenges with new thinking that peace is not only the absence of violence, but the presence of a higher evolution of human awareness with respect, trust and integrity toward humankind. Our founding fathers recognized that peace was one of the highest duties of the newly organized free and independent states. But too often, we have overlooked the long-term solution of peace for instant gratification of war. This continued downward spiral of violence must stop to ensure that future generations will live in peace and harmony."
Kucinich's legislation to create a Department of Peace focuses on individual, group and national responsibilities of holding peace as an organizing principle. The Department of Peace will focus on non-military peaceful conflict resolutions, prevent violence and promote justice and democratic principles to expand human rights. A Peace Academy, similar to the five military service academies, would be created; its graduates dispatched to troubled areas around the globe to promote nonviolent dispute resolutions.
"The challenges inherent in creating a Department of Peace are massive," said Congressman Kucinich. "But the alternatives are worse. Violence at home, in the schools, in the media, and between nations has dragged down humanity. It's time to recognize that traditional, militant objectives for peace are not working, and the only solution is to make peace the goal of a cabinet level agency."
8/18/01
9:24:51 PM
ENVIRONMENT NEWS SERVICE
"We Cover the Earth For You"
MINING COMPANIES INVADE PERU'S ANDEAN CLOUD FORESTS
PIURA, Peru, August 17, 2001 (ENS) - The recent discovery of gold deposits in northwestern Peru has split the population between those who support proposed mineral extraction and those who fear it will cause irreparable ecological damage to human health, agriculture and endangered species.
The minerals have been discovered in the agrarian valley of the Tambo Grande district, Piura state, and its surrounding dry tropical forests, part of the lower Piura River basin.
For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens-news.com/ens/aug2001/2001L-08-17-01.html
LIGHTNING, HIGH WINDS FAN WESTERN WILDFIRES
WASHINGTON, DC, August 17, 2001 (ENS) - More than 22,000 firefighters are now battling wildland blazes across the western U.S., and a new fire forecast released today does not offer much hope for relief in coming weeks. The National Interagency Fire Center declared a Level 5 alert Wednesday - the highest alert level possible - and began talks with several branches of the military to help control the fires that now threaten homes and businesses in dozens of communities.
For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens-news.com/ens/aug2001/2001L-08-17-06.html
QUEBEC PAYS CEMENT KILNS TO BURN TIRES
By Martin Stone
MONTREAL, Quebec, Canada, August 17, 2001 (ENS) - A decision by the province of Quebec to pay two large cement manufacturers to accept scrap tires as fuel for their high temperature kilns has provoked an outcry from environmentalists.
For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens-news.com/ens/aug2001/2001L-08-17-03.html
THAILAND COULD HAVE PREVENTED KILLER LANDSLIDES
BANGKOK, Thailand, August 17, 2001 (ENS) - Flash floods which have killed 147 people in northern Thailand this week demonstrate the need for preventive measures, the chief of a United Nations agency said today.
For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens-news.com/ens/aug2001/2001L-08-17-04.html
ENVIRONMENT NEWS SERVICE AMERISCAN: AUGUST 17, 2001
Georgia Woman Dies From West Nile Virus
Chemical Depots Could Threaten Nearby Residents
Natural Pest Control Requires Careful Planning
Massive Ad Campaign Launched Over ANWR Drilling
Tagged Tuna Reveal Transatlantic Migrations
Columbian Coca Spraying Called Safe for Humans
Report Finds Fault With Trumpeter Swan Hunt
Physicians Group Challenges Animal Testing
EPA Buys Green Power for Ohio Labs
Asbestos and Wheat Do Not Mix
For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens-news.com/ens/aug2001/2001L-08-17-09.html
8/18/01
7:12:07 PM
"A Force More Powerful" video available FREE
"A Force More Powerful" contains six 30-minute segments documenting some of the most powerful nonviolent movements in the 20th century. It is a very effective tool for helping people understand the power of nonviolent action and the potential for peaceful change. The producers have offered to make copies available free of charge to activists and educators who will use the video actively in work in communities and countries around the world in educating and organizing nonviolent movements and working for peaceful change.
If you are interested in getting a set of the videos, please contact: David Hartsough, peaceworkers@igc.apc.org. Send him your name, organization (if any), mailing address, and whether you would like to have the videos in NSTS or PAL format and if you would like it in English or Spanish. Please also write a sentence or two about how you would hope to use the videos. In the subject line, write A Force More Powerful.
If you or your organization can afford it, order it from the distributor at (800) 257-5126 or fax in the USA (609) 275-3767. They cost $29.95 per set.
In some very selected countries where there are crucial nonviolent movements now or developing, if having the video series in English or Spanish will not be able to reach many of the people, the producers are willing to consider translating the videos into other languages and getting that dubbed into the video. So if you feel you fall into that category, let David Hartsough know along with a more in-depth letter about your nonviolent movement and how you would use it, and he will forward that to the producers.
8/17/01
9:25:44 PM
In Unison Governors Call For Energy Conservation
By Environmental News Network
Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack chairs the NGA Natural Resources Committee.
The governors of the 50 states, 3 territories, and 2 commonwealths have adopted a comprehensive national energy policy emphasizing conservation. At the closing session of the 93rd Annual Meeting of the National Governors Association last week in Providence, R.I., the governors sent a message to the White House that state and local authorities must have input into the nation's energy plans.
"The policy sends a clear message that solving our nation's energy problems demand more conservation, especially utilizing renewable fuels like ethanol," said Iowa Gov. Thomas Vilsack, chairman of the association's Committee on Natural Resources.
Ensuring "environmental quality" comes second in the list of 10 principles embodied in the governors' energy plan. Number one is "adequate, affordable energy supplies and services."
"Our goal should always be to assure American families and businesses their energy prices will be stable," Vilsack said.
The new policy is in direct response to the Bush administration's National Energy Policy issued in May, which emphasizes fossil fuel and nuclear power development and consumption, although some conservation and renewables-friendly measures are included.
The governors' policy recognizes that periodic shortages in oil, gas, and electricity can cause hardship for consumers and businesses. Also, these energy and environmental challenges facing the United States could harm the economy and reduce national security.
"The United States' dependence on foreign sources of oil is at an all-time high while demand for energy continues to rise," said Oklahoma Gov. Frank Keating, vice chairman of the Committee on Natural Resources and past Chairman of the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission.
In a bid to secure seats for the governors at the the national energy strategy table, Keating said, "Energy issues must be addressed nationally, but state and local authority over energy and environmental matters also needs to be maintained. It would be a mistake to develop a national energy policy without full cooperation and partnership with the states and their governors."
In his speech accepting the NGA chairmanship for the next year, Michigan Gov. John Engler pledged to make the association "a unified voice for bold action that will return power and authority to the states and local government."
Although energy efficiency is projected to continue to improve, both the governors' policy and that of the Bush administration recognize that demand for energy continues to grow. "Even with more conservation, innovation, and new technology," the governors' resolution states, "the United States will need more energy supplies."
"We must expand and upgrade the transmission networks to move energy from the source to the consumer," said North Dakota Gov. John Hoeven. "Improving energy transmission will impact conservation, efficiency, and supply."
Hoeven urged the Environmental Protection Agency to provide flexibility in meeting standards and requirements to encourage use of "innovative strategies in providing energy solutions."
The National Governors Association, founded in 1908, is the body through which the nation's governors collectively influence the development and implementation of national policy and confer on direction of state issues.
http://www.enn.com/news/enn-stories/2001/08/08172001/technologies_44647.asp
8/17/01
9:23:49 PM
Emerging Technologies Raise Ethical Questions
by David Suzuki
I first began talking about the ethical issues raised by cloning human beings back in the 1960s. My colleagues at the time heaped scorn upon me, suggesting that it wouldn't happen for generations. But here we are, faced with that possibility, without the benefit of having used those years to work out an acceptable way for society to deal with the issue. So when an Italian scientist and his supporters announced plans last week to clone a human within a year, it raised both fear and fascination within the public. One of the supporters of the project was a former Virginia politician who had lost his son and "wanted to bring him back." The Raelian Cult, which is also funding the project, says that cloning is the key to "eternal life."
But these are unattainable dreams. Cloning cannot bring people back from the dead or give us eternal life because humans are more than just the sum of our genes. Even genetically identical twins grow up to be very different individuals, in spite of their obvious physical similarities and often a common upbringing.
Imagine a clone of a 70-year-old person. The 70-year-old grew up during the Great Depression, went through World War II, lived through polio and smallpox. A newly born clone will grow up in a society so different that the notion that he or she would be anything like the 70-year-old is absurd.
Reproductive cloning is illegal in Europe, and the scientist attempting it is being threatened with sanctions by Italy's medical association. Rightly so. Cloning for the purposes of reproduction raises many ethical questions, such as what the emotional impact of being a "copy" of another person would have on the clone, which must be resolved first.
And before contemplating actual attempts to clone humans, there are severe technical hurdles that must be overcome. Scientists don't know why, but current methods of reproductive cloning remain highly unreliable.
This is a new technology, and it continues to have unwanted side effects. For example, less than 3 percent of attempts to clone mammals result in a live birth. Many clones who are born are afflicted with serious deformities and die within hours or days. Others appear normal but have genetic abnormalities that are expressed later on. This kind of risk makes the reproductive cloning of human beings completely unacceptable.
But the ethical issues of cloning human beings do not end there. Back in the 1970s, it was suggested that if aging is a matter of organs breaking down and the biggest problem with organ transplantation is rejection, then clones could be used essentially as spare parts for people. The clone's organs would be genetically identical to those of the "original," and therefore, rejection would not be a problem. Of course, clones — as fully sentient human beings — would naturally object to such inhuman treatment.
However, there is a rare birth defect called anencephalus, wherein a baby's brain does not develop properly. Normally, these children die shortly after birth. So some people have argued that if anencephalus could be deliberately triggered in a cloned fetus, then the clone would never develop into a thinking, self-aware person. Meanwhile, its body could be kept alive by freezing or machines, and its organs could be harvested as required by the original.
It's been more than 30 years since people began to discuss seriously the possibility of cloning human beings and five years since the first adult mammal was cloned. Dolly was brought into the world using similar techniques to those now planned by rogue scientists to obtain a human clone.
Although many people were horrified to learn about this plan, we should not have been surprised. It's true that science and technology are advancing at a breathtaking pace and forcing society to play catch-up. But in this case, we saw these issues on the horizon — we just avoided dealing with the difficult questions they raised. In the future, we must be better prepared.
http://www.enn.com/news/enn-stories/2001/08/08172001/technologies_44647.asp
8/17/01
4:33:37 PM
Environmental news from GRIST MAGAZINE
<http://www.gristmagazine.com>
BAHN STORMER
German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder kvetched this week that taking steps to protect the environment was causing the cost of highway construction to soar. "I don't have anything against frogs," he said as he inspected a just-completed segment of a long-delayed highway, "but the expenditures we make for protecting the environment while building roads are enormous." Environmentalists succeeded in slowing construction of the Autobahn-20, which runs along the Baltic coast, by raising wildlife and wetlands concerns.
straight to the source: Planet Ark, Reuters, 17 Aug 2001 <http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/12044/story.htm>
GIVE A HONK, DON'T POLLUTE
On top of warming up the earth, pollution from burning fossil fuels is killing thousands of people a year, according to a study published in the journal Science. For starters, Devra Lee Davis of Carnegie Mellon University and four coauthors found that if Mexico City, New York, Sao Paulo, and Santiago employed technologies that now exist to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, 64,000 premature deaths and 37 million lost workdays could be prevented over the next 20 years. The current issue of Science also contains several related studies, including one that showed that thousands of cases of chronic bronchitis could be avoided by adopting the technologies. A third found that air pollution from traffic causes more deaths than do traffic accidents. In other words -- reducing emissions of greenhouse gases would do more than slow global warming.
straight to the source: MSNBC.com, 16 Aug 2001 <http://www.msnbc.com/news/614850.asp>
GOING HALFWAY
A group of Canadian natives has been blockading a Petro-Canada well in northeastern British Columbia since Monday to protest against a proposed 13-mile natural gas pipeline through traditional hunting grounds. About 100 protesters, led by members of the Halfway River First Nation, say they will prevent workers and equipment from entering a drilling camp until the Canadian government conducts an environmental impact study of the pipeline. The native tribes involved also say the B.C. government is ignoring a 1899 treaty that guarantees them the right to live off the land. A spokesperson said Petro-Canada was surprised by the blockade, because the company had rerouted portions of the pipeline after consulting with native groups in May.
straight to the source: MSNBC.com, Reuters, 16 Aug 2001 <http://www.msnbc.com/news/614765.asp>
LANDFILL, HO!
Babies born to mothers living near landfills are more likely to suffer minor birth defects, according to a study published in the British Medical Journal. The 11-year study shows that pregnant women living near landfills in the U.K. had a 1 percent higher chance of having a baby with a congenital defect. That risk jumped to 7 percent if the landfill contained hazardous waste. Pat Troop, the country's deputy chief medical officer, said the government would study the issue more closely before changing its advice to pregnant women.
straight to the source: BBC News, 16 Aug 2001 <http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/health/newsid_1494000/1494567.stm>
DON'T BE A HOG
Factory hog farms, as well as the cattle and poultry industries, are pressuring the U.S. Congress to pass a bill that would use taxpayer dollars to help the farms pay for cleaning up their environmental messes. The U.S. EPA is considering costly regulations to reduce pollution from the livestock operations -- and the industries don't want to get stuck with the bill. The House Agriculture Committee has approved a measure that would lift the cap on the size of livestock operations eligible for federal environmental aid. Even the largest and most profitable operations could receive $200,000 of taxpayer dollars over 10 years. Enviros and small-farm advocates are decrying the measure as corporate welfare.
straight to the source: Washington Post, John Lancaster, 17 Aug 2001 <http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A21924-2001Aug16.html>
8/17/01
3:50:37 PM
Tell The EPA To Stop Allowing Bt Crops To Be Grown In The USA
Please contact the EPA today and tell the agency to end the registrations for all Bt crops.
We have set up a web page with sample letters and ready to send emails to make it as easy as possible for you to comment directly
http://www.organicconsumers.org/patent/btalertAug01.cfm
Ms. Christine Todd Whitman
Administrator Public Information and Records Integrity Branch Information Resources and Services Division (7502C) Office of Pesticide Programs
Environmental Protection Agency
1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20460.
The 30 day deadline for comments to the EPA ends Aug. 31, so please send in your comments today. Stop Bt Crops
Despite public opposition from consumers and mounting criticism from scientists, the Bush Administration's Environmental Protection Agency is about to make the decision within the next two weeks to "re-register" or to continue allowing untested and unlabeled genetically engineered Bt crops to be grown on millions of acres across the USA. Genetically engineered Bt corn, cotton, and potatoes have been spliced with bacterial DNA (Bacillus thuringiensis) to produce proteins that are toxic to some insect pests and butterflies. But as mounting evidence indicates Bt crops pose a serious threat to the environment, public health, and organic agriculture and should be taken off the market.
The Organic Consumers Association and two national coalitions of which we are a member, Genetically Engineered Food Alert <www.gefoodalert.org> and the National Campaign for Sustainable Agriculture, urge you to send comments to EPA before August 31, 2001.
To date, all commercialized genetically engineered insecticidal plants produce a type of Bt toxin, one of a family of related molecules produced by a soil bacterium, Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt). To develop what are known as Bt crops, a company clones the insecticidal gene from the bacterium and inserts it into a crop plant. The plant then produces the toxin in most, if not all, parts of the plant through all, or most, of a growing season.
For more details, see Sample Letter, below. Please email or mail comments to EPA by August 31. You can put your comments right into the text of your email message. If you choose to send your comments as an attachment to your email message, make sure they are formatted in Word Perfect 6.1/8.0 or as an ASCII file.
IMPORTANT
You must note the reference: Docket Number OPP-00678B in your comments. Put this docket number in the subject line of your message.
Sample letter:
To: EPA Office of Pesticide Programs Re: Docket Number OPP-00678B
Dear EPA Administrator Whitman:
I am writing to express my opposition to the EPA's re-registration of three Bt crops--Bt corn, cotton, and potatoes. There should be a moratorium on all Genetically Engineered (GE) foods until long-term studies show that these crops are safe for human health and the environment. Continued registration of these Bt crops ignores evidence of their potential for serious harm.
Bt crops:
* Pose unacceptable risks to butterflies such as monarchs and the endangered Karner Blue. Monarchs in states such as Minnesota and Iowa are exposed to Bt corn pollen right at the time of their peak migration to Mexico. Insufficient scientific studies have been carried out to show that Bt corn doesn't pose a threat to endangered butterflies like the Karner Blue.
* Threaten human health with the potential to cause allergic reactions. One Bt crop--StarLink corn--has already been withdrawn from the market because of its allergenic potential. New research shows that Bt cotton also contains a protein that affects the immune system. Consumers shouldn't be the guinea pigs to see if Bt corn (in particular Bt sweet corn) is also allergenic.
* Contaminate organic crops as well as conventional non-GE fields. Organic and non-GE corn farmers have lost valuable markets because of contamination. GE corn and non-GE corn cannot coexist in the same region because of the potential for corn pollen to travel in the wind. The EPA's analysis has not considered the significant economic impacts of Bt corn on the organic and non-GE farm sectors.
* Will inevitably lead to the loss of Bt for organic pest control. The resistance management plans EPA is proposing are fatally flawed, because a number of assumptions they rely on are invalid. For example, grower compliance with Bt guidelines is not 100%. In addition, neither Bt cotton nor Bt corn contain a high enough dose to be effective against cotton bollworm/corn earworm.
* Pose other potential environmental consequences for agricultural and natural ecosystems. Bt crops have potential effects on soil organisms and natural enemies of crop pests. Pollen from Bt crops, in particular Bt corn and Bt cotton, can flow to wild and weedy relatives, with potential long-term ecological consequences. The most important of these wild relatives in North America is teosinte, a close relative of corn. Growing of Bt corn in the US poses a significant threat to this important reservoir of corn genetic diversity.
The EPA should act to protect consumers and the environment by denying the re-registration of these crops. Thank you.
Sincerely,
(your name)
Source: http://www.OrganicConsumers.org
8/17/01
1:34:37 PM
UTNE WEB WATCH
The Best of the Alternative Web
A GREENPEACE MEMOIR
by Rex Weyler, Special to Utne Online
-- When a motley crew of hippies and draft dodgers came together in Vancouver in 1972, they had no idea they were lighting the fire of a green revolution.
CUSSING AT COPS
by Bob Egelko, Chronicle Staff Writer
-- Though swearing at police officers may be disrespectful and ultimately not the best approach, it is not a crime. The federal appeals court recently overturned two convictions on the basis that swearing is criticism, protected by freedom of speech.
RECONCILING ALLAH
by Yas Ahmed, Vital Signs
-- Though fundamentalist Muslims may consider the idea of an Islamic homosexual oxymoronic, Yas Ahmed spotlights queer references in Islamic spiritual texts.
Links to the above articles: http://www.utne.com/webwatch
8/17/01
1:31:50 PM
Cosmic Laws Like Speed Of Light Might Be Changing, A Study Finds
By James Glanz and Dennis Overbye
A Small Change, With Huge Implications
An international team of astrophysicists has discovered that the basic laws of nature as understood today may be changing slightly as the universe ages, a surprising finding that could rewrite physics textbooks and challenge fundamental assumptions about the workings of the cosmos.
The researchers used the world's largest single telescope to study the behavior of metallic atoms in gas clouds as far away from Earth as 12 billion light years. The observations revealed patterns of light absorption that the team could not explain without assuming a change in a basic constant of nature involving the strength of the attraction between electrically charged particles.
If confirmed, the finding could mean that other constants regarded as immutable, like the speed of light, might also have changed over the history of the cosmos.
The work was conducted by scientists in the United States, Australia and Britain and was led by Dr. John K. Webb of the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia. It is to be published on Aug. 27 in the field's most prestigious journal, Physical Review Letters.
Scientists who have examined the paper have not been able to find any obvious flaws. But because the consequences for science would be so far-reaching and because the differences from the expected measurements are so subtle, many scientists are expressing skepticism that the discovery will stand the test of time, and say they will wait for independent evidence before deciding whether the finding is true.
On the other hand, the finding would fit with some theorists' new views of the universe, particularly the prediction that previously unknown dimensions might exist in the fabric of space.
Even scientists on the project have been deliberately cautious in presenting their result. Describing the implications of what his team observed, Dr. Webb said, "It's possible that there is a time evolution of the laws of physics."
Dr. Webb added, "If it's correct, it's the result of a lifetime."
Dr. Rocky Kolb, an astrophysicist at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory who was not involved in the work, said the finding could not only force revisions in cosmology, the science of how the universe began and later evolved, but also add credence to an unproven theory of physics called string theory, which predicts that extra dimensions exist.
"The implication, if it is true, would just be so enormous that it's something people should look at and take seriously," Dr. Kolb said. "This would upset the apple cart."
The magnitude of the change apparently observed by the group is minute, amounting to just 1 part in 100,000 in a number called the fine structure constant over 12 billion years. That constant, also referred to as alpha, is defined in terms of more familiar quantities like the speed of light and the strength of electronic attractions within atoms.
But even that small change would rock physics and cosmology, said Dr. Sheldon Glashow of Boston University, who received a Nobel Prize in physics in 1979. The importance of such a discovery, Dr. Glashow said, would rank "10 on a scale of 1 to 10."
Considering the unexpected nature of the finding, both Dr. Glashow and Dr. Kolb said the chances were high that some more mundane explanation for the results would turn up.
Dr. John Bahcall, an astrophysicist at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, N.J., said the complicated analysis that was required to infer the tiny changes from the observations could - in principle, at least - be obscuring possible errors.
"The effect does not scream out at you from the data," Dr. Bahcall said. "You have to get down on all fours and claw through the details to see such a small effect."
But others said that the team had been very careful and that any unknown source of error would have to be extremely subtle to be missed.
"If they were claiming anything less dramatic, probably most people would find their work very careful and believable," said Dr. Massimo Stiavelli, an astrophysicist at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore.
"Exceptional results deserve extraordinary proof," Dr. Stiavelli said, adding that he was reserving judgment until further evidence became available.
The work relied on observations of light from distant beacons called quasars, which shine with a brightness equivalent to billions of suns. The light is probably emitted by matter torn from young galaxies by the powerful gravity of a black hole.
Besides Dr. Webb, the team included three other scientists at the University of New South Wales, Michael T. Murphy, Dr. Victor V. Flambaum, and Dr. Vladimir A. Dzuba; and one physicist at Cambridge University in Britain, Dr. John D. Barrow. Three American astronomers who are experts on quasars were also members of the team: Dr. Christopher W. Churchill of Pennsylvania State University; Dr. Jason X. Prochaska of the Carnegie Observatories; and Dr. Arthur M. Wolfe of the University of California at San Diego.
The observations, made by the 30- foot-wide Keck Telescope on Mauna Kea, in Hawaii, looked in detail at the absorption of quasar light by gas clouds in deep space between Earth and the quasars. Metal atoms like zinc and aluminum are often present in trace amounts in the clouds.
The absorption of light by such atoms creates dark spikes at various wavelengths in the quasar's spectrum, with a pattern so well defined that it is often likened to a fingerprint. The value of those wavelengths is directly related to the value of the fine structure constant.
But the fingerprint seemed to change in time, Mr. Murphy said, indicating that the constant grows larger as one goes nearer to the present and was not really constant.
"What we have found is that, statistically, there is a difference between the fine structure constant a long time ago and here on earth," he said.
Far from being of interest only in understanding atomic behavior, said Dr. Barrow of Cambridge University, the effect would be important "because it gives you such a feedback into fundamental physics."
String theory, for example, could accommodate changes in quantities that accepted physics theory considers immutable. String theorists postulate that space contains tiny, unseen dimensions. Any change in the size of those dimensions - much like the expansion of the universe in the space we are familiar with - could change quantities like the fine structure constant, said Dr. Paul Steinhardt, a physicist at Princeton University.
Dr. Steinhardt said most theorists would have expected those changes to have occurred in the first seconds of the universe's life and be virtually unobservable by astronomers today. Still, he pointed out that several years ago, other astronomers unexpectedly found that the present universe is apparently filled with a mysterious kind of energy that counteracts gravity on large scales. Perhaps the two effects are somehow related, Dr. Steinhardt said.
Other scientists pointed out that geologic processes, like naturally occurring nuclear fission, have been used to determine that the fine structure constant has probably changed little over the past two billion years on Earth. But researchers on the new paper point out that their results reach back much farther in time, and that interpreting the geological results is also a complicated matter.
But a few physicists, like Dr. Jacob D. Bekenstein of Hebrew University in Israel, noted that some theories have long been predicting a change in some of nature's apparent constants. Dr. Bekenstein called the findings "potentially revolutionary" and said he was inclined to believe them.
"After much thinking about this issue," Dr. Bekenstein said, "I think the quasar observations may have found the real variation."
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/08/15/science/15PHYS.h tml?searchpv=day02
8/17/01
1:28:01 PM
ENVIRONMENT NEWS SERVICE
"We Cover the Earth For You"
NEW FEARS OVER HEALTH IMPACTS OF LANDFILLS
LONDON, United Kingdom, August 16, 2001 (ENS) - British politicians and environmental groups today called for urgent action to reduce waste landfilling and increase recycling following release of an epidemiological study showing an excess of birth defects in populations living close to landfills.
For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens-news.com/ens/aug2001/2001L-08-16-03.html
ROUNDUP READY SOYBEANS CONTAIN UNIDENTIFIED DNA
AMSTERDAM, Belgium, August 16, 2001 (ENS) - Belgian scientists have found DNA from an unknown source in Roundup Ready soybeans, a genetically engineered crop produced by U.S. based biotechnology giant Monsanto. The announcement comes as the Bush administration places increasing pressure on other nations to relax food safety laws seen as threatening U.S. economic interests.
For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens-news.com/ens/aug2001/2001L-08-16-06.html
RADIOACTIVE RUSSIAN WATERS WORRY CHELYABINSK GOVERNOR
MOSCOW, Russia, August 16, 2001 (ENS) - The governor of Russia's Chelyabinsk region, Petr Sumin, has warned that water in his district is contaminated with radioactivity from the Mayak nuclear reprocessing plant.
For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens-news.com/ens/aug2001/2001L-08-16-02.html
AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT FUNDS BACKYARD BIODIVERSITY
CANBERRA, Australia, August 16, 2001 (ENS) - Australians are about to begin building backyard havens for the continent's unique birds, butterflies, frogs and lizards by putting in attractive plants and creating the right habitat.
For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens-news.com/ens/aug2001/2001L-08-16-01.html
ENVIRONMENT NEWS SERVICE AMERISCAN: AUGUST 16, 2001
Labeling Loophole Hampers Efforts to Reduce Toxic Exposures
$40 Million Pledged Toward Fox River Cleanup
Transportation Grants Target Air Pollution
Fisheries Symposium Examines Environmental Lawsuits
Chicken Cloning Could Redefine Factory Farming
Chip Groat Remains USGS Director
Land Exchange Fills Holes in Yukon Delta Refuge
Fuel Cell Grant Could Help Clean Houston's Air
Buffalo Returning to Fort Peck Reservation
$28.8 Million Will Renovate Urban Parks
For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens-news.com/ens/aug2001/2001L-08-16-09.html
8/17/01
11:04:06 AM
The Next Gas Crisis,
By ANDREW NIKIFORUK
If, like the vast majority of Canadians, you are dependent on natural gas to heat your home, ponder this thermostat-shattering truth for a moment. The largest natural gas find in Western Canada in the past 25 years is now playing out in a marshy area of northeastern BC near the Alberta border. Some analysts expect the Ladyfern field to gush about a trillion cubic feet (tcf) of natural gas, which to a layman's ear might sound like a lot of burning power. But Ladyfern probably contains just enough fuel to heat all the gas-fired homes in Canada for a year or two at most. And it's a clear freak of nature. A typical new gas well, in fact, produces barely enough gas to heat 90,000 homes for a year.
Now add some more disturbing math to this natural gas picture. Canada now produces 6.2 tcf of gas a year, which just barely meets domestic and export demand. That represents about one-fifth of North America's gas consumption, which is still growing by 2% a year thanks to gas-fired electrical generation. "We need 6.2 Ladyferns a year to just keep up with gas consumption and stand still," explains Rob Woronuk, 60, a veteran Calgary gas analyst and one of the nation's independent natural gas watchdogs. "The really scary part is that we are finding a Ladyfern only every 25 years."
Just how tenuous this math has become was driven home last month by the staid provincial regulator, the Alberta Energy and Utility Board (EUB). Its supply outlook for 2001 to 2010 predicted that conventional natural gas production in Alberta, Canada's key producer, would peak by 2003 at 5.3 tcf and therefore decline by 2% a year for the next five years. Over the next decade, Alberta will have exported or burned up about three-quarters of its potential gas reserves. It's a case of going, going, gone.
8/16/01
7:02:47 PM
Planet Ark World Environment News
US soybean industry seeks break in China GMO rules - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/12039/story.htm
New Jersey DEP to decide on trash transfer station - paper - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/12047/story.htm
NZ moves to protect endangered Hector dolphin - NEW ZEALAND http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/12042/story.htm
Dutch city cradle of European diaper recycling - NETHERLANDS http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/12049/story.htm
Pacific islands urged to join anti-globalisation fight - NAURU http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/12043/story.htm
Eight elephants found dead in Indian sanctuary - INDIA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/12046/story.htm
RWE says Biblis fuel rod safely retrieved - GERMANY http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/12041/story.htm
Schroeder complains frogs make German roads dear - GERMANY http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/12044/story.htm
Germany clears way for draft law on CHP generation - GERMANY http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/12048/story.htm
Fire destroys 3,300 acres of forest in Brazil - BRAZIL http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/12050/story.htm
Australia GM crop field trials vital - farm lobby - AUSTRALIA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/12040/story.htm
Australia on alert for "Mad Snake Disease" - AUSTRALIA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/12045/story.htm
8/16/01
6:57:52 PM
Unknown DNA In Monsanto's Genetically Engineered Soya
15 August 2001: Recently published information by a team of Belgian scientists in the European Journal of Food Research Technology shows unknown DNA in genetically engineered (GE) Soya patented and sold by US multinational Monsanto (1).
This is the second time the team of researchers observed embarrassing inaccuracies in Monsanto's description of its best selling Genetically Modified Organism (GMO): "Roundup Ready" (RR) Soya (2).
"From a legal point of view, the only adequate reaction regulatory bodies could have is suspend the GMO approval and re-evaluate its environmental and health impact," said Lindsay Keenan of Greenpeace International.
Monsanto's Soya represents more than 50 percent of all GE crops in the world. GE Soya is only grown in the US, Argentina and Canada but it is sold all over the world and used in proceeded food products like chocolate, baby-food, bread, pizzas, ice-cream and as animal feed.
"To ask the company who did not inform the relevant authorities about this DNA in the first place to now confirm it is not significant is certainly not what you would call a sound scientific approach," commented Keenan, "and it is certainly not what consumers would call appropriate measures to protect their safety." In past years some "side effects" of RR Soya have been observed but never explained conclusively. These include phytoestrogen levels different from the levels of natural Soya, increased lignin content which made RR Soya plants brittle in hot temperatures, and reduced yields (3).
This is the first time a peer reviewed scientific journal publishes an independent scientific analysis of pivotal data submitted by a company for GMO approval. In most cases government authorities neither have the means nor the ambition to countercheck the accuracy of the GMO descriptions and rely entirely on the data submitted by the companies themselves.
"If Monsanto did not even get this most basic information right, what should we then think about the validity of all their safety tests and experiments, which are based upon these data?" asked Lindsay Keenan.
As the size of the newly revealed "unknown DNA" is large enough to generate unexpected changes in plant protein chemistry and because its origin and function appears to be unknown both to Monsanto and to the competent authorities, Greenpeace published its sequence on the web-site (link to ANNEX of RRsoylettDNA.doc) and invites the international scientific community to help identify its nature and possible consequences.
Source: http://www.Greenpeace.org
8/16/01
6:50:30 PM
'Green Power' Gets Second Wind
by Patrick McMahon, USA TODAY
WALLULA, Wash. -- Blue-gray windmills 242 feet tall are sprouting almost daily across 50 square miles of clipped wheat fields and grazing lands near the Columbia River.
Here in Walla Walla County, once best known for its sweet onions and the state penitentiary, the Stateline Wind Energy Project is taking shape. By late fall, the project straddling the Washington-Oregon border will unleash the electricity generated by 396 turbines.
With the wind blowing here at an average 17 mph, the farm at its peak will generate 261 megawatts of electricity. On an average day, the farm will be able to power 60,000 homes. It is the largest wind-power project in this drought-plagued and energy-hungry region, which is leading a national drive to harness a renewable resource.
''The Pacific Northwest is well on its way to becoming the wind capital of the U.S.,'' says Tom Gray, deputy director of the American Wind Energy Association in Washington, D.C.
Wind generates barely 0.1% of the nation's electricity, but that share is growing fast.
A record 1,500 megawatts of wind-power capacity is expected to go on line this year across the country. One megawatt powers about 1,000 homes, but windmills rarely operate at full capacity. The new operations will be enough to power more than 300,000 homes.
In 1999, the federal government set a goal of making wind power 5% of the nation's electricity output by 2020. In peak demand periods, that could mean the difference between lights and rolling blackouts.
''Wind has arrived,'' says David Garman, assistant U.S. Energy secretary for energy efficiency and renewable energy. ''Wind is competitive with other power sources, and that's the important thing.''
More than a fad
The resurgence of wind power coincides with tightening energy supplies and increasing demand. The combination has rekindled public interest and investment potential in renewable energy sources, making wind power more than a fad in the land of flannel shirts and espresso drinks:
* The nation's first offshore wind farm is being considered for Nantucket Sound, anchored in the seabed 5 miles off Cape Cod in Massachusetts. The envisioned wind farm would produce 420 megawatts to serve Cape Cod and the Northeast.
* A 3,000-megawatt wind plant called Rolling Thunder is in development on 350 square miles in central South Dakota. Owners of the plant, more than 10 times the size of Stateline in Washington state, hope to deliver wind power to the Chicago area as early as 2006.
* The Tennessee Valley Authority, the nation's largest public power producer, plans to expand its first wind park, near Oliver Springs, Tenn., from 2 megawatts to 20.
''Every utility in the United States is looking at wind right now as a generating option,'' says industry consultant Karen Conover of Bellevue, Wash.
But Glenn Schleede, an energy consultant from Reston, Va., and a former utility company executive, says wind power is an inefficient, unreliable, unsightly and overblown source of electricity -- one buoyed by wasteful government subsidies.
''Look at California,'' Schleede says. A single new gas-fired power plant that opened last month in Pittsburg, Calif., will generate more electricity ''than all the state's 13,000-plus windmills produced in 1999,'' he says. ''The California situation illustrates dramatically the small amount of electricity produced by large windmills and the small role wind energy can play in supplying U.S. requirements.''
An energy source for centuries, windmills dotted the American West in the late 1800s and early 1900s. They pumped water and provided power before cheap electricity arrived. Europeans have been proponents of harnessing wind energy since the 1500s, when windmills became an icon in Holland. Last year, European countries led by Germany installed 3,200 megawatts of wind power, compared with 53 megawatts in the USA.
Wind power made a comeback in the USA during the energy crisis of the 1970s, when wind farms were built along California freeways between Los Angeles and Palm Springs and east of San Francisco. But the incentive for renewable energy faded in the 1980s when power plant construction put electricity supplies ahead of demand.
The wind projects now underway in the Northwest represent the next major production spurt.
''It's a region with good wind,'' says Gray of the wind trade group. ''The projects slated for the next two years will easily surpass the California wind rush of 1981 to 1985.''
Today's windmills are sleek, sophisticated wind catchers. At Stateline --selected for its windy location -- turbines with 77-foot blades sit atop towers. With the help of wind sensors, the blades shift, rotate and change direction automatically to capture the most wind. The blades start to turn and the turbines begin generating power at wind speeds of 8 mph. The turbines shut down automatically when wind gusts reach 55 mph.
The electricity generated is sent to the bottom of the towers, where it travels underground to a substation and joins the regional power grid crisscrossing the Northwest.
Quieter, less threatening to birds and more efficient, today's windmills still require federal tax subsidies to be profitable, proponents acknowledge. A 5-year extension of tax credits for wind production is part of President Bush's energy package that passed the House last month.
With those subsidies, the per-kilowatt-hour cost of wind-generated electricity is more competitive with other fuels, energy official Garman says. That makes it even more attractive in today's topsy-turvy energy market.
Last month, the Bonneville Power Administration, a federal agency based in Portland, Ore., announced plans to buy 830 megawatts of wind power from seven plants -- five to be built in Washington and two in Oregon. BPA, already the nation's biggest supplier of hydroelectric power, will be the largest wind energy supplier.
''By aggressively pursuing this resource for electricity, we hope to be able to meet the demand for energy with a clean, economical, non-polluting resource,'' says Steve Wright, BPA acting administrator.
Wind has its problems
Wind power faces two principal hurdles. Sometimes, the wind stops. When that happens, so do the turbines, meaning that wind is not a guaranteed source of 24-hour power. Also, places such as the Dakotas, the nation's windiest region, will need huge investments in transmission lines to export the region's vast wind resources effectively.
As a result, power-marketing companies are looking at ways to package wind power with other sources of electricity to make wind a consistent part of the energy mix. More than 85 utilities in 29 states also give consumers the option of paying extra for ''green power.'' About 350,000 households have joined these programs nationwide, says the federal National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colo.
Major utilities and energy companies also are pursuing wind power. FPL Energy, sister company of Florida Power and Light, which serves densely populated South Florida, is the largest owner of wind farms. Enron Wind, a division of the Texas natural-gas giant, is the largest U.S maker of wind turbines. Last month, Shell Oil bought its first U.S. wind farm, a project under construction in Wyoming. Stateline is owned and being built by FPL Energy, which has sold all the plant's output for 25 years to an affiliate of PacifiCorp of Portland.
Although a few residents have expressed concern about birds flying into the turbines and the effect on scenic vistas, the wind farm seems to have broad local support, Walla Walla City Council member Barbara Clark says. Construction has created 150-plus jobs. Farmers are leasing their land for wind turbines.
If more power plants must be built for increased consumption, Clark says she favors green power over fossil fuels: ''It's better than pollution.''
Source: http://www.usatoday.com/usatonline/20010816/3548612s.htm
8/16/01
6:45:45 PM
Environmental news from GRIST MAGAZINE
<http://www.gristmagazine.com>
GOING WITH THE WIND
"The Pacific Northwest is well on its way to becoming the wind capital of the U.S.," says Tom Gray of the American Wind Energy Association. For example, the new Stateline Wind Energy Project on the Washington-Oregon border will begin operations this fall with 396, 242-foot turbines, together capable of powering 60,000 homes. Wind power generates only 0.1 percent of the nation's electricity, but new wind projects coming on line across the country this year will be enough to power 300,000 homes. The Clinton administration in 1999 set the goal of having wind power generate 5 percent of the nation's electricity by 2020.
straight to the source: USA Today, Patrick McMahon, 16 Aug 2001 <http://www.usatoday.com/usatonline/20010816/3548612s.htm>
read it only in Grist Magazine: There's something in the wind -- farmers are reaping rewards from wind energy -- by Lester Brown <http://www.gristmagazine.com/grist/imho/imho082100.stm?source=daily>
ON DE LOOSE
Greenpeace U.K. is in a tizzy because of mysterious DNA found in Monsanto's Roundup Ready soybeans, the world's most widely grown genetically engineered crop. The unexpected string of DNA, which was found by Belgian government and university scientists, is located next to the corn's inserted gene, provoking the enviro group to accuse Monsanto of not knowing as much about its product as it should. Greenpeace scientist Janet Cotter-Howells said, "I don't think you can come out and say it's unsafe. You can just say it's unknown whether it's safe or not." One of the Belgian scientists, Marc De Loose from the Center for Agricultural Research, said there was no evidence that the unknown DNA could lead to harmful effects.
straight to the source: New York Times, Andrew Pollack, 16 Aug 2001 <http://www.nytimes.com/2001/08/16/health/genetics/16CROP.html>
straight to the source: BBC News, Alex Kirby, 15 Aug 2001 <http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_1492000/1492939.stm>
straight to the source: ABCNews.com, Reuters, 16 Aug 2001 <http://abcnews.go.com/wire/SciTech/reuters20010816_188.html>
RESIDON'TS
Nearly half the fruit and vegetables sold in U.K. supermarkets since 1998 contained pesticide residues, according to an analysis of government pesticide data by Friends of the Earth. The group said most of the residues were within legal limits, but it raised concerns that the individual chemicals could be dangerous in combination, especially for unborn children and young children. It called for the government to improve its research into the effects of chemical combination and to develop a plan to reduce pesticide use. A supermarket spokesperson said the group was misrepresenting the government data.
straight to the source: BBC News, Alex Kirby, 16 Aug 2001 <http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_1494000/1494284.stm>
GOLDY LAX
Nevada's gold-mining industry is eagerly awaiting the Bush administration's expected decision to scrap Clinton-era rules designed to reduce the environmental impact of mining on public lands. One of the rules gives the federal government the right to block mining that is likely to cause "substantial irreparable harm" to public lands. The mining industry and enviros also expect the administration to stop imposing a strict limit on how much public land can be used for dumping by mining operations. The No. 2 official at the U.S. Interior Department, J. Steven Griles, is a former lobbyist for the mining industry.
straight to the source: New York Times, Douglas Jehl, 16 Aug 2001 <http://www.nytimes.com/2001/08/16/politics/16MINI.html>
8/16/01
6:40:43 PM
ENVIRONMENT NEWS SERVICE
"We Cover the Earth For You"
SCIENTISTS BLOCK PRIONS THAT CAUSE MAD COW DISEASE
LA JOLLA, California, August 15, 2001 (ENS) - Scientists working at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) and at the University of California, San Francisco, have found a promising treatment for the dreaded mad cow disease and one form of the same disease in humans, called variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease. Researchers are in the final stages of developing a clinical trial for a prion antibody.
For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens-news.com/ens/aug2001/2001L-08-15-01.html
PHILIPPINE HOUSE APPROVES PRISON TERM FOR GMO LABELING VIOLATORS
By Michael Bengwayan
MANILA, Philippines, August 15, 2001 (ENS) - If you are selling a product that contains genetically modified organisms (GMO) in the Phillippines you may soon have to label it "genetically engineered" or go to prison. Up to 12 years in jail plus a $2,000 fine is the penalty for failing to label that was passed bys the Philippine Congress Tuesday. The bill requires the labeling of GMO derived food and food products.
For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens-news.com/ens/aug2001/2001L-08-15-02.html
GERMANY, UK SPAIN LAY DOWN CAR RECYCLING REGS
LONDON, United Kingdom, August 15, 2001 (ENS) - Car manufacturers are being forced into the position of assuming responsibility for dealing with vehicles that have reached the end of their days on the roads of the European Union. The British and German governments have simultaneously put forward plans to implement the European Union's 2000 end-of-life vehicles (ELV) directive ahead of deadline.
For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens-news.com/ens/aug2001/2001L-08-15-03.html
EPA DELAYS DECISION ON CLEAN AIR RULE
WASHINGTON, DC, August 15, 2001 (ENS) - U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Christie Whitman announced Tuesday that the agency will delay its decision on revisions to a controversial program to reduce air pollution from aging industrial facilities. Proposed revisions will now be included in a new comprehensive strategy to reduce air pollution and protect public health that will be released in September.
For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens-news.com/ens/aug2001/2001L-08-15-06.html
ENVIRONMENT NEWS SERVICE AMERISCAN: AUGUST 15, 2001
Bush Calls for Forest Thinning During Colorado Trip
EPA Sued Over MTBE Requirements in California
Central Park Lake Contaminated by Power Plan Mercury
Fabricant Becomes New EPA General Counsel
Watercraft Projects to be Scrutinized for Manatee Impacts
Camping Barred to Protect California Desert Tortoises
Airport Expansion Halted to Allow Further Environmental Study
Corporate Manager to Serve as Deputy Interior Secretary
Snowy Plover Recovery Plan Available for Review
Computing Grants Fund Climate, Energy Research
For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens-news.com/ens/aug2001/2001L-08-15-09.html
8/16/01
6:33:24 PM
Public Citizen
Public Citizen Protests DOE Plan To Recycle Radioactive Metals
Flawed Hearing Process Indicates Nuclear Waste Recycling is a Foregone Conclusion
ARLINGTON, Va. - The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is stacking the deck against the public in an effort to do the nuclear industry's bidding and ultimately authorize the recycling of radioactive waste into consumer products, Public Citizen said at a hearing today.
Even though there is virtually no public support for the recycling of radioactive waste, the agency has embarked on the process necessary to authorize it, Public Citizen said. As part of this process, the DOE is holding two public hearings today in Arlington. But the public was given just a month's notice - not enough time to study what is a complex issue and prepare comments, particularly during a time when so many people are away. The DOE is required to take public comments into account in determining the scope of its Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS).
The DOE - under heavy pressure from the nuclear industry - is developing a program to dump vast quantities of radioactive scrap metal into municipal landfills or to recycle it into everyday household products and industrial materials. Currently, some radioactive wastes and materials - except some metals - can be released from DOE nuclear weapons sites without restrictions. The DOE, in January and July 2000, banned the release of some radioactive metals, but the policy being discussed in the hearings would replace those bans. The DOE's process to authorize the release of radioactive metals begins with the PEIS being discussed at today's hearings.
The PEIS process has not had a promising start. The DOE initially contracted with San Diego-based Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) to perform an environmental review of the recycling plan. But SAIC would profit from radioactive recycling at a nuclear waste site in Tennessee - a clear conflict of interest. In late July, Public Citizen and others pointed out the conflict to the DOE, and the agency revoked the contract. A similar conflict involving radioactive recycling led to the termination last year of an SAIC contract with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
"Today's hearings should have been postponed until another contractor was chosen," said Wenonah Hauter, director of Public Citizen's Critical Mass Energy and Environment Program. "The agency should make all documents relevant to contractor selection available for review well in advance of any hearing. Evaluating the contractor is a crucial part of an open process."
Another flaw in the process was revealed this week. For a similar Cincinnati public hearing on Tuesday, a telephone conference was quietly set up to allow "interested DOE/contractor staff and stakeholders at Paducah and Portsmouth to participate," according to a DOE employee's e-mail. But members of the public who have expressed an interest in being kept up to date on issue and the PEIS process and who are on the PEIS distribution e-mail list were never notified or invited to participate by teleconference.
"It has become clear that the DOE really wants to hear only from its own employees and contractors who support this ludicrous plan," said Public Citizen policy analyst David Ritter. "When special notification regarding this issue is sent out to DOE staff, but not to those on the PEIS distribution list, it indicates the degree to which DOE wants to stack the deck at these hearings."
Yet another flaw in the process is evident in the DOE's choice of hearing facilitator: Holmes Brown, a longtime employee of Afton Associates, Inc. Afton Associates is a paid advocate for the interests of radioactive waste producers and has received funding indirectly from the DOE to promote nuclear programs. Public interest groups are requesting information from the DOE about Brown and about the conflict of interest in the now-cancelled SAIC contract.
"The hiring of a nuclear industry lobbyist to facilitate these so-called public hearings is clear evidence that the DOE is trying to push this plan through no matter what," Hauter said. "The DOE wants to help the industry follow the polluter's golden rule: The solution to pollution is dilution."
The DOE also has failed to make available to the public records indicating what radioactive materials have been and are currently being dispersed without restrictions or recycled into everyday products. Public Citizen is urging the agency to stop dispersing radioactive materials and to strengthen and expand its current bans on recycling radioactive metal.
The DOE hearings are to be held today from 2-5 p.m. and 8-11 p.m. at the Hilton Crystal City, 2399 Jefferson Davis Highway, in Arlington, Va. Public Citizen representatives will be available to consult with the public and the media at both sessions.
Public Citizen is a nonprofit consumer advocacy organization based in Washington, D.C.
For more information, please visit http://www.Citizen.org
8/16/01
6:31:21 PM
Federal Hatchery Develops Technology For Imperiled Fish
by Craig Springer
The grasslands of southeast New Mexico, known for cattle and crops and an occasional UFO crash, seems an unlikely place for leading-edge biotechnology. The little town of Dexter, essentially a service center for ranchers and farmers, is also host to a state-of-the-art National Fish Hatchery & Technology Center. The Dexter hatchery is no newcomer; good water led to its founding in 1931, and game fishes were then the focus. But the focus shifted in 1990 toward technology development for managing critically imperiled fishes such as the bonytail chub.
Scientists believe the endangered bonytail chub may be the most imperiled vertebrate in North America. The not-so-gentle hand of nature has shaped its body over eons to fit its environment. It is a testament to meeting the challenges of nature. A keel on its nape and a tightly fusiform body have allowed it to prevail in the harshest of conditions: turbulent and turbid water — water warmed by intense Southwestern sun.
But all the specialization for survival was no match in the face of dams that altered stream flows, nor the stocking of predatory nonnative fish that also compete with the bonytail for food and space. Built for survival where life is a struggle, it's incongruous that this species struggles to hang on.
But hang on it does, if only by a thread. That thread is a lifeline cast at the technology center. Scientists there have developed a brood stock, a captive population of adults, that produce offspring that ultimately make their way to the wilds of the Colorado River and many large tributaries, the fish's native habitat.
"With so few adults left in the world, it is of paramount importance that scientific principles guide bonytail chub management," said U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service geneticist, Connie Keeler-Foster.
Toward that end, Foster has employed leading-edge technology to manage the bonytail chub stock on the genetic level. The center's laboratory was recently equipped with a DNA sequencer, an apparatus that allows Foster to identify individual fish by their genes.
Foster likens her work to fingerprinting. Knowing the genetic makeup of the entire brood stock, essentially having a pedigree chart, permits the center scientists to selectively pair up males and females for mating. And therein lies the crux for survival, the strands in the thread. Picking mates that are most genetically divergent produces offspring that are more fit to face the rigors of life in the wild.
"Mates well suited for each other may produce young that are less prone to disease and just better fit for survival," said Foster. "They themselves are more likely to reach adulthood and produce their own young in the wild. And that's what we want."
The end product, a reproducing population in the wild, is far removed from the technology center. But science is the first step in conserving a species staring at extinction.
The Dexter National Fish Hatchery & Technology Center is unique. It's one of 70 national fish hatcheries operated by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service around the country, but is the only one dedicated entirely to endangered fish conservation.
Springer is a biologist and writer for the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service in Albuquerque, N.M.
http://www.enn.com/news/enn-stories/2001/08/08162001/hatchery_44663.asp
8/16/01
6:10:00 PM
TomPaine.com
JUSTICE'S DOUBLE STANDARD
Sara Lee Gets Off Easy
by Russell Mokhiber and Robert Weissman
Why do individual criminals get the death penalty when they kill people but corporate criminals get off easy when they do the same?
http://www.tompaine.com/opinion/2001/07/26/index.html
Economics Reporting Review
THE NEGLECTED FACTS
by Dean Baker
The administrative expenses of the public Social Security system in the U.S. are less than one tenth as large as the administrative costs of privatized systems in the United Kingdom or Chile.
http://www.tompaine.com/news/2001/08/13/index.html
SPINNING SCIENCE INTO GOLD
How Industry's Public-Relations Campaigns Stifle Debate Over Biotechnology
by Karen Charman
In the pursuit of profit, the biotech industry is manipulating more than genes.
From SIERRA MAGAZINE.
http://www.tompaine.com/opinion/2001/08/02/index.html
SAVE OUR LAND, SAVE OUR TOWNS
by Jane Holtz Kay
Portraying the good (small-town Fourth of July parades) and the bad (the destruction of farmland in his home state), author Tom Hylton introduces new possibilities in the fight against sprawl.
TomPaine.commentary -- AUDIO and TEXT -- produced by Sharon Basco.
http://www.tompaine.com/opinion/2001/07/24/index.html
IS THE CORPORATION OBSOLETE?
Corporate Irresponsibility? Predatory Behavior? Blame the Charter -- and Rewrite it by Jonathan Rowe
It is time for the corporation to grow up. If it is to keep the legal status of a person, then it should accept the responsibilities that we expect of persons as they mature.
From THE WASHINGTON MONTHLY.
http://www.tompaine.com/opinion/2001/07/12/3.html
8/16/01
6:07:08 PM
Groups Protest Government Plan To Resume "Recycling" Radioactive Metals From Weapons
Flawed DOE Hearing Process Indicates Nuclear Waste "Rad-Recycling" is a Foregone Conclusion
ARLINGTON, VA - Public Citizen, Sierra Club, Alliance for Nuclear Accountability, Nuclear Information and Resource Service, and other public interest groups, along with representatives of the metals industries, will be speaking out tomorrow at Department of Energy (DOE) hearings against a plan to allow radioactive metals to be "recycled" into consumer products.
Despite adamant public opposition to this scheme, the DOE appears determined to disperse its nuclear energy and weapons wastes into commercial products and regular trash. The "scoping" hearings, which were announced with scant public notice, are required to get public comments on the process and content of a Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) on dispersing nuclear waste into commercial products and disposal as regular trash.
The Department of Energy wants to resume and expand its program to unload vast quantities of radioactive scrap metal into municipal landfills and to "recycle" or discharge it into everyday household products and industrial materials. Currently, many kinds of radioactive wastes and materials -with the exception of some metals - are being released from DOE nuclear weapons sites to commercial recyclers to be made into common household items or dumped as non-radioactive trash. In 2000, DOE put bans on recycling some radioactive metals, but the policy under consideration could overturn those bans.
The PEIS process is flawed. The DOE initially contracted with Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) to perform environmental review, but SAIC is one of the companies that stands to profit from radioactive "recycling" at a major DOE nuclear site depending on the outcome of the review. SAIC's history of conflicts of interest on radioactive recycling led to the forced termination of its Nuclear Regulatory Commission contract. In late July, after environmental groups and others pointed out these conflicts, DOE cancelled its SAIC contract to do this PEIS.
"To make these hearings really meaningful, the public should be able to see, through documentation, how the DOE came to the original decision to hire SAIC as the contractor to perform the PEIS," said Wenonah Hauter, Director of Public Citizen's Energy & Environment Program. "Further, all scoping meetings should have been postponed until another contractor was chosen and all documents relevant to contractor selection are publicly available well in advance of any hearing. Evaluating the contractor is a crucial part of an open process."
"It's become clear as this process transpires that the DOE really only wants to hear from its own employees and contractors who support this ludicrous plan that would allow nuclear waste to be recycled into household and industrial products, and dumped into municipal landfills," said David Ritter, policy analyst at Public Citizen's Critical Mass Energy and Environment Program.
Some members of the Paducah Citizen Advisory Board, a group watchdogging the site in the country with the most radioactive metal, were given just a few hours notice that DOE was connecting them by speaker phone to the Cincinnati hearing. Mark Donham, a board member said that such short notice "is completely absurd and an insult to our intelligence and sensibility." Members of the public who previously joined the DOE's PEIS e-mail list to be kept up-to-date on the issue and process, were never notified or invited to participate by teleconference or telephone.
"The public hearings on the release of radioactive materials into public commerce should be extended and broadened to engage as many individuals as possible on this national issue," said Trisha Christopher, program assistant for Alliance for Nuclear Accountability. "The locations of the public hearings should accurately reflect those communities that will be affected, which could be everywhere."
"The overwhelming input at the DOE hearings has been against nuclear waste getting into our forks, zippers, toasters, playgrounds and more," reported Diane D'Arrigo, radioactive waste project director at Nuclear Information and Resource Service. "The call has been for DOE to expand the ban on nuclear metal recycling and to prevent any other atomic materials from getting into regular recycling or trash."
"If the DOE can get away with it, they are going to follow the polluter's golden rule: the solution to pollution is dilution," said Hauter. "That's the reason they have selected a seasoned nuclear lobbyist to facilitate the so-called public hearings."
Holmes Brown, hired to facilitate the DOE's PEIS hearings, has been a paid advocate for the interests of radioactive waste producers for well over a decade, receiving funding indirectly from the DOE to promote nuclear programs. Information on the contracts and conflicts-of-interest for Brown, ATL International, and SAIC have been requested by the public interest.
"DOE has also failed to supply records of what radioactive materials have been and are currently being dumped into unregulated disposal and 'recycled' into everyday products," stated Ritter. "We are urging the Department of Energy to stop dispersing any radioactive materials - such as concrete, soil, asphalt, plastics, wood, metals and more - into municipal landfills and the open marketplace, and to strengthen and expand its current bans on 'recycling' radioactive metal."
The DOE hearings are at 2-5 PM and 8-11 PM at the Hilton Crystal City, 2399 Jefferson Davis Highway, in Arlington, Virginia. Public Citizen and NIRS representatives will be available to consult with the public and the media at both sessions.
MOTHERSALERT HOME PAGE: http://www.mothersalert.org
"Vision 2020": http://www.af.mil/vision/
RPHP: http://www.radiation.org
Public Citizen http://www.citizen.org
Nuclear Information and Resource Service http://www.nirs.org
For Immediate Release: August 15, 2001
Contacts: David Ritter, PC 202-454-5176
Wenonah Hauter, PC 202 454-5150
Diane D'Arrigo, NIRS 202 328-0002 ext 16
Bob Schaeffer, ANA 941 395 6773
8/16/01
6:02:40 PM
AlterNet Headlines
BUSH'S TEXAS-SIZED SUMMER VACATION (AND YOUR RHODE ISLAND-SIZED ONE)
Tamara Straus, AlterNet
An irony of the 2001 summer is that our CEO-style President is enjoying a 31-day, European-sized vacation, while most Americans eke out a mere nine or 10 days off.
IN THE CITY, POT HELPS ADDICTS KICK CRACK
Maia Szalavitz, AlterNet
A generation of crack users are beating their addictions by switching to marijuana, but cops still attack pot operations, driving up prices and steering users towards harder drugs.
* In DrugReporter: http://www.alternet.org/?IssueAreaID=17
MICROSOFT GOES MCCARTHY IN WAR AGAINST LINUX
Omar J. Pahati, AlterNet
Microsoft is coming down hard on Linux, its #1 competitor, calling it "un-American" and "a cancer." Its fear? That Linux can't be bought or sold -- and that big names like IBM and Compaq are lining up behind it. Welcome to the geek wars.
BUSH INC. RELEASES QUARTERLY EARNINGS REPORT
Daniel Kurtzman, AlterNet
The stock of old economy stalwart Bush Inc. rises after beating analysts' low expectations months after a hostile takeover of the competition.
http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=11309
EXTREME PORN CRACKDOWN
Susannah Breslin, Salon
The LAPD is targeting a new wave of kinky XXX films. But if porn legends like Seymore Butts have their way, "bukkake" will become a household name.
http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=11316
JOHN CUSACK IN 2004?
Alicia Rebensdorf, AlterNet
A grassroots campaign to get John Cusack to run for president -- no kidding -- illustrates the escalating affair between Hollywood and the White House.
http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=11324
I WANT MY DEMOCRACY NOW!
Laura Flanders, WorkingForChange.com The crisis at Pacifica Radio has come to a head, now that Amy Goodman, host of Democracy Now!, has been forced off the air by intimidation and threats from managers at WBAI.
http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=11334
A NEW ROUND OF WHITE DENIAL: DRUGS AND RACE IN THE 'BURBS Tim Wise, AlterNet
Last Sunday, yet another story of white suburban crime hit the headlines, and everyone acted amazed. When will whites and the media admit that most killers look like them?
http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=11330
MY SUMMER CRANIOTOMY
Catherine Atkins, Reno News & Review One day I was a healthy, active, young writer. The next I was having seizures, MRIs, CT scans and EEGs. How I coped with a tumor the size of a walnut in my brain.
http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=11333
THE GAY MARRIAGE BOMB
Richard Goldstein, Village Voice The proposed 28th Amendment would not only define marriage as a bond between a man and a woman, but deny "the legal incidents" of marriage to anyone else.
* In HumanRightsUSA: http://www.alternet.org/?IssueAreaID=22
ICELAND'S VISIONARY ENERGY POLICY
David Case, TomPaine.com
Iceland intends to be the world's first hydrogen-based economy, eliminating fossil fuels and the greenhouse gas emissions they produce.
* In EnviroHealth: http://www.alternet.org/?IssueAreaID=18
AUDACITY ON TRIAL
Joann Wypijewski, The Nation
The only thing stronger than racism in South Carolina is the hatred of unions. So the Charleston Five -- black Longshoremen arrested on trumped up charges -- need all the help they can get.
http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=11332
THE BLOODY DETAILS OF GENOA'S COP RIOT
Yaroslav Trofimov and Ian Johnson, Wall Street Journal The July 21 police raid on G-8 protesters in Genoa resulted in such egregious violents and civil rights violations that the mainstream is now reporting the story.
* In Globalization: http://www.alternet.org/?IssueAreaID=21
SPINNING A WAR
Maggy Zanger, TomPaine.com
For most U.S. news organizations, "objective" coverage of the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians has long meant "pro-Israeli."
* In MediaCulture: http://www.alternet.org/?IssueAreaID=19
CORN: A BUY-BACK PLAN FOR BILL CLINTON
David Corn, AlterNet
'Tis the season of image-rebuilding, as Bush tries to move centrist and Gore returns -- with a beard! -- to teach campaign strategy. But with his $10 million book advance, B ill Clinton could attempt the biggest makeover of them all.
http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=11306
GARCIA: THE DEMOCRAT'S HISPANIC OUTREACH COUNTEROFFENSIVE
James E. Garcia, PoliticoMagazine.com
Given closeness of last year's presidential election, both parties are looking hard at Hispanics as a critical swing vote for 2004 and beyond.
http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=11326
TECHSPLOITATION: GEEK UNDERWORLD
Annalee Newitz, Metro Silicon Valley
The geeky, sexy world of author Cecilia Tan comes to light in her latest sci-fi/erotica novel, "The Velderet."
http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=11307
DRUG WAR BRIEFS: BETTER LIVING THROUGH FUMIGATION
Kevin Nelson, AlterNet
The U.S. resumes spraying Roundup Ultra over Colombia, the home of a Scottish MS patient/marijuana user is raided by four narcotics agents, and Nevada resists its own medical pot program.
http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=11317
HIGHTOWER: AND NOW ... FRANKENPIGS!
Jim Hightower, AlterNet
Corporate pig producers say they're developing a genetically-altered porker that produces a more environmentally-friendly manure. They call it Enviropig. I call in Frankenpig.
http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=11318
SOLOMON: CLINTON MEMOIRS: REFLECTING ON THE MEDIA WARS
Norman Solomon, AlterNet
News of Bill Clinton's lucrative book deal has created quite a buzz. There's no telling what juicy tidbits will be revealed in the former president's memoirs.
http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=11320
GONSALVES: EDUCATION NOT INCARCERATION
Sean Gonsalves, AlterNet
The U.S. has locked up prisoner two million in an epidemic of incarceration, thanks to the war on drugs. What would an alternative drug policy look like -- one based on expanded social conciousness?
http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=11303
REICH: FISCAL IRRESPONSIBILITY
Robert B. Reich, American Prospect
In the name of fiscal responsibility, the Democrats won't commit to repealing the tax cut, perhaps leading the way to more cuts.
http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=11331
8/15/01
8:50:40 PM
FAIR
Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting
Media analysis, critiques and news reports
ACTION ALERT: New CNN Chief Trying to Please GOP Elite
August 15, 2001
Early this month, new CNN chairman Walter Isaacson met with top Republican lawmakers in Washington, D.C. to discuss how to improve relations between the cable news network and conservative Republicans.
According to a report in Roll Call magazine (8/6/01), Isaacson met with Senate Minority Leader Trent Lott (R-Miss.), House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.), Rep. J.C. Watts (R- Okla.), Rep. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.). Isaacson also intends to meet with House Whip Tom DeLay (R.-Texas), who has ridiculed CNN as the "Clinton News Network" and the "Communist News Network," and has suggested a conservative boycott of the channel. Isaacson also sought meetings with White House officials.
While Isaacson claims he "definitely did not say, 'How do we attract the conservative viewer?,'" his account suggests that concerns about CNN's alleged bias against conservatives were preeminent: "I was trying to reach out to a lot of Republicans who feel that CNN has not been as open to covering Republicans, and I wanted to hear their concerns" (Roll Call, 8/6/01). One GOP aide told Roll Call that Isaacson "said, 'Give us some guidance on how to attract conservatives.' He said he 'wanted to change the culture' at CNN" (Roll Call, 8/6/01).
CNN's outreach effort is likely due to the ratings success of Fox News Channel. While still in fewer homes than CNN, Fox draws nearly the same number of viewers on average, and Fox shows like The O'Reilly Factor regularly beat their CNN competition in the ratings. It should be remembered, however, that CNN and Fox combined reach a tiny percentage of U.S. TV viewers.
But Fox News Channel's clear appeal to a conservative audience has apparently convinced some at CNN-- including the new chief-- that CNN must not be accommodating enough to conservatives. In fact, CNN may even be thinking about producing a Rush Limbaugh television program (USA Today, 8/13/01), another sign that the network's plan seems to involve amplifying conservative voices on the channel.
Of course, there has never been any shortage of conservative hosts and commentators on CNN, including people like Bob Novak, Kate O'Beirne, Tucker Carlson, Mary Matalin, John Sununu and Lynne Cheney-- not to mention Pat Buchanan, who launched three presidential campaigns from his perch at CNN.
Charges about liberal media bias are nothing new: Republicans have long complained about the supposed left-wing bias of the mainstream media, and CNN has been one of the targets of this criticism over the years. At times, Republican strategists have explained the tactical wisdom of accusing media of liberal bias. As Republican Party chair Rich Bond said, "There is some strategy to it. I'm a coach of kids' basketball and Little League teams. If you watch any great coach, what they try to do is 'work the refs.' Maybe the ref will cut you a little slack on the next one." (Washington Post, 8/20/92)
Actually proving the charge, though, is much more difficult than making it. FAIR's recent study of Fox News Channel, for example, included an comparative analysis of CNN's "Wolf Blitzer Reports." On that program's one-on-one interview segment, FAIR found a slight tilt towards Republican guests-- about a 4-3 ratio
(see http://www.fair.org/extra/0108/sources.html).
It's normal, and even commendable, for journalists to meet with people affected by news coverage to hear their concerns about bias. But CNN seeking out the advice of senior government officials in shaping its news coverage is another matter entirely. Powerful politicians should be the subject of media coverage, not partners in producing it.
ACTION: Please contact CNN and voice your concerns about the network's pandering to conservative politicians and their groundless concerns about liberal bias at CNN. Demand that CNN maintain a journalistic relationship to Washington politicians as subjects of news coverage and not as collaborators in re-shaping a more conservative-friendly media outlet.
CONTACT: Eason Jordan
CNN Chief News Executive and President, Newsgathering
Fax: 404-827-3134
Feel free to respond to FAIR ( fair@fair.org ). We can't reply to everything, but we will look at each message. We especially appreciate documented example of media bias or censorship. And please send copies of your email correspondence with media outlets, including any responses, to us at: fair@fair.org.
8/15/01
8:47:55 PM
Planet Ark World Environment News
The Helios comes down to Earth - a winner - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/12034/story.htm
Chiefs, Petro-Canada hope to resolve blockade - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/12036/story.htm
White House confident Senate will okay Alaska drilling - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/12037/story.htm
Swedish N-reactor B2 halts production - Vattenfall - NORWAY http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/12032/story.htm
Lithuanian nuclear closure depends on EU funds - PM - LITHUANIA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/12031/story.htm
Italy to use satellites to spot forest fires - ITALY http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/12029/story.htm
Voltwerk builds Germany's biggest solar plant - GERMANY http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/12033/story.htm
Violent storms sweep France, lightning kills man - FRANCE http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/12038/story.htm
China investigating East China Sea fish deaths - CHINA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/12030/story.htm
China to see soybean crunch with fuzzy GMO rules - CHINA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/12035/story.htm
Slow but steady progress on British Columbia forest fire - CANADA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/12028/story.htm
8/15/01
6:43:57 PM
Re: NBC Dateline last night (August 14th, 2001) on Three Mile Island
To Whom It May Concern (all of us):
Besides the problems brought up below by "Jym", posted on an environmental forum -- comments which I believe are entirely valid -- the worst part of NBC's Dateline show last night on the Three Mile Island nuclear accident was the summation remarks about how we supposedly now have better regulatory control and better this and better that, so stop worrying and please watch what's coming on next.
For example, they said that now there are on-site Nuclear Regulatory Commission inspectors at each plant. That's not entirely true. At our local pair of nuclear power plants (San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station), two inspectors work somewhat different shifts, but they do NOT provide 24-hour coverage for the two operational units. As the report showed, seconds matter when something goes wrong at a nuke.
The show's ending comments described the TMI incident as a death-blow to the industry, pointing out that no new nukes have come on line since that accident. (It then pointed out that Babybush would like to change all that.) But unmentioned is the fact that most of the nukes that had come on line prior to the accident are still operating, still spewing out the occasional puff or bucket-full of radioactive waste, still constantly dribbling rad waste out in quantities the lapdog Nuclear Regulatory Commission allows (the regulatory philosophy being known as ALARA, or As Low As Reasonably Achievable, which is nothing more than a license to murder). Still risking a meltdown.
Each nuclear power plant generates about 250 pounds per day of high level radioactive waste, and we have no idea what to do with that waste -- leave it for our children to worry about. And die from. Right now it just piles up at the plants, mostly, in dangerous Spent Fuel Pools, in insane Dry Casks, and in the reactors themselves. NBC didn't mention this growing problem with no solution. They also didn't mention the clean alternative energy solutions. And not one of the reporters or government people interviewed, who complained about not being able to get good information, tied that historic fact to the current fact that we still can't get good information. Just try to get a Curie quantity from your local nuclear power plant the next time they have a release. It's always just "too low to cause any harm" but that's THEIR opinion. It might not be yours, but you never get the facts to decide for yourself.
The report seemed like it was about showing people that the worry is over. But for an industry which suffered a death-blow in 1979, it sure has been writhing for a long time.
Still, let's not be too hard on NBC. That report alone might have done the industry more harm than all the protests in past few years -- than anything since Chernobyl. Protesting sure has been hard, what with infiltrators, agent-provocateurs, spies, etc., all working to turn our voice into mumbo-jumbo on this issue. Maybe NBC did a half-assed job, but it's still good to see something said at all in the mainstream media, and they did let a few people say some pretty damning things.
Smiling Harold Denton, by the way, and Jimmy Carter too, and several others involved in the cover-up of what happened at Three Mile Island, especially plant officials, should all be thrown in jail. Justice has not been served to the Nuclear Mafia, but some day yet justice might see the light of day on this issue.
Russell Hoffman Carlsbad, CA Anti-nuke since the 60's...
At 12:13 PM 8/15/01 , Jym wrote: =v= Well, I read it. The "meltdown" angle makes for exciting teevee, but they sure left a lot of important facts out. One gets the notion that a castrophe was averted but no clue that radioactive releases *did* occur, so large that they exceeded the upper limits of the gauges. Nor does one learn of the drama that followed, in which a wave of infant mortalities in the path of the releases were retroactively removed from the official statistics. That's not a tabloid-teevee-friendly drama, you see.
<_Jym_>
8/15/01
5:27:17 PM
The Nation
Imagine A Floating "Think Tank."
That's one way to picture the MS Sea Princess when it sets out from Los Angeles this December, with numerous Nation luminaries on board for The Nation's fourth annual Seminar Cruise to Mexico. Included will be publisher Victor Navasky; editor Katrina vanden Heuvel; columnists Christopher Hitchens, Patricia J. Williams, Eric Alterman and Alexander Cockburn and contributing editor and LA Times columnist Robert Scheer--along with ex-head of the ACLU Ira Glasser and Pulitzer Prize winning-cultural critic Margo Jefferson.
The Nation launched its seminar cruise series in 1998 in order to raise necessary funds to help offset the magazine's chronic annual deficit. It's quickly grown into a popular excurison. We know cruises aren't for everyone, but if they appeal to you or anyone you know, please consider joining us on our next nautical adventure. Many of our past cruisers tell us that they had never before considered hitting the high seas for a vacation but that the Nation seminars tempted them into it; and they have no regrets about going.
You'll meet and converse with other like-minded Nation readers as we engage in stimulating debates led by our roster of guest speakers--all while we sail along the sunny Mexican coast, with port stops at Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta.
The seminar topics are broad, allowing ample room for discussion. Past topics have run the gamut: "The Left Media: Is Anyone Listening?" was moderated by Katha Pollitt; "Are Humans An Endangered Species?: Globalization and the Environment" featured Tom Hayden and Barbara Kingsolver; "The Politics of Hollywood: Race, Violence & Religion" was enlivened by Patricia Williams and Calvin Trillin.
Every day and night you'll mingle with Nation comrades. And we'll be sure to arrange dinner seating so that everyone will have a chance to dine with the guest speakers. There is also ample opportunity on board for informal group sessions beyond the featured seminars, with topics generated by the cruisers themselves.
So plan to take a break from the hustle and bustle of the holiday season. Join The Nation this December 8-15, for a week you'll never forget.
You can book cabins and receive further information regarding the cruise at 1-888-833-4339. Or go to:
http://www.tcacruise.com/nation01/
Thanks for considering, and please pass this letter on to anyone you know who may be interested in the cruise.
Best Regards,
Teresa Stack
8/15/01
4:42:31 PM
Anticipated Protests Lead World Bank, IMF Plan To Curtail Big Annual Meeting
by Edward Epstein, San Francisco Chronicle, Washington Bureau
Washington -- Admitting that mass protests have become too disruptive, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund have cut their annual meeting to two days, a move that organizers of the big demonstrations say is designed to stifle dissent.
Like other recent meetings of international economic leaders, the annual Washington session of the two organizations has become a lightning rod for anti-globalization protesters. In April 2000, local police and federal authorities arrested about 600 people, closed big chunks of the city center and clashed with some demonstrators.
The meetings were scheduled to run from Sept. 25 to Oct. 2, but at the urging of District of Columbia police and the federal government, the IMF and World Bank said the meeting that attracts delegates from 183 nations would be only Sept. 29 and 30.
To protest organizers, the statement was an omen of heavy-handed police tactics, which they charged yesterday had been responsible for the troubles that marred international economic meetings in recent years in Seattle; Gothenburg, Sweden; and last month in Genoa, Italy.
One demonstrator was killed in Genoa as he was apparently involved in attacking a police vehicle. Police have been widely criticized for violent tactics during the Genoa summit of leaders of the world's eight leading economic powers.
Washington police have said they will use much of the same strategy they used in April 2000 and during President Bush's inaugural last January to try to limit violence and property damage. These tactics included closing off streets around the White House and nearby World-IMF headquarters and enlisting police reinforcements from federal agencies and East Coast cities.
Estimates of the number of expected demonstrators range up to 50,000.
To protest leaders, the reduced schedule is an unfair attempt to paint the demonstrators as the bad guys. "The police are attempting to create a climate of fear and demonize the protesters while they spend millions to promote violence," said Teresa Gutierrez of the International Action Center, an umbrella organization for groups that use the IMF-World Bank meeting to protest a host of ills.
She and several other protest planners who spoke at a press conference said the police plans and the truncated meeting schedule wouldn't deter them from demonstrating next month. They also said the decision to shorten the annual meeting was a victory of sorts for the protest movement.
"We recognize it to some extent as a victory," said Matt Smucker of the Mobilization for Global Justice. "We're pleased to see that the IMF and World Bank are feeling the pressure."
"But what matters is these institutions' policies," he added. "We'll double our efforts to make sure they do not escape from public scrutiny."
email Edward Epstein at eepstein@sfchronicle.com
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2001/08/14/MN197192.DTL
8/15/01
4:31:44 PM
Environmental news from GRIST MAGAZINE
<http://www.gristmagazine.com>
MIGHTY MORPHIN' POWER REARRANGERS
Not wanting to provoke another attack from environmentalists, the Bush administration said yesterday that it would delay announcing its plan for overhauling regulation of aging power plants and instead include the plan as part of a more comprehensive package of clean-air policy options in September. President Bush had ordered the U.S. EPA to reassess the "new source review" program by this Friday. The program requires the installation of the latest pollution-control equipment when power plants and refineries are built or significantly upgraded. The U.S. Justice Department under former President Clinton sued dozens of older power plants for failing to improve pollution controls when they modernized their facilities.
straight to the source: New York Times, Joseph Kahn, 15 Aug 2001 <http://www.nytimes.com/2001/08/15/politics/15POLL.html>
straight to the source: Wall Street Journal, John J. Fialka, 15 Aug 2001 (access ain't free) <http://www.nytimes.com/2001/08/15/politics/15POLL.html>
HUMPTY DUMPTY SAT ON THE GREAT WALL
Claims by China that it has significantly reduced its greenhouse gas emissions may be a bunch of hooey. A Japanese scientist funded by the World Bank found that coal production hasn't gone down nearly as much as represented by China. Other researchers assert that oil consumption is increasing in the country at a faster clip than reported. Although vehicle traffic in Chinese cities has been doubling about every five years, official data show oil consumption rising only 11.4 percent from 1996 to 1999. A separate World Bank report released last week warned that economic growth in China is overwhelming investment in environmental protection.
straight to the source: Washington Post, John Pomfret, 15 Aug 2001 <http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/world/A10645-2001Aug14.html>
ROCKY MOUNTAIN LOW
Hoping to give himself a green sheen, President Bush traveled to Rocky Mountain National Park yesterday to engage in trail work for a few minutes and talk about character. "There's a grand vision embodied in these mountains," he said. "And the vision is that we can teach our children right from wrong." He also criticized environmentalists who are concerned that fire management plans might be used by the Bush administration to boost logging levels on federal lands. Bush said, "I know there are some in our country who want to just, you know, let the forests fall apart. We're not going to let that happen in this administration." More than 125 protesters greeted Bush, waving signs calling for more wilderness protection and no drilling the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska.
straight to the source: Washington Post, Dana Milbank, 15 Au