2/17/01
1:18:04 PM
ENVIRONMENT NEWS SERVICE (ENS)
"We Cover the Earth For You"
CANADIAN REACTOR RUMORS STIR NUCLEAR DEBATE
By Neville Judd
OTTAWA, Canada, February 16, 2001 (ENS) - An environmental group claims the Canadian government is about to subsidize the country's leading vendor of nuclear power reactors by C$500 million (US$324.8 million).
For full text and graphics, visit: http://ens.lycos.com/ens/feb2001/2001L-02-16-11.html
RESOURCES COMMITTE LAUNCHES REVIEW OF CLINTON MONUMENTS
By Cat Lazaroff
WASHINGTON, DC, February 16, 2001 (ENS) - Leaders of the U.S. House Natural Resources Committee today launched an informal review of the 19 new national monuments and monument expansions enacted during the Clinton administration. The representatives promised to help House members draw up legislation to overturn the monuments.
For full text and graphics visit: http://ens.lycos.com/ens/feb2001/2001L-02-16-06.html
CAVIAR TRADERS MEET SCIENTISTS OVER STURGEON CRISIS
MOSCOW, Russia, February 16, 2001 (ENS) - Scientists and caviar traders from 11 countries have gathered for the first time to address the rapid decline of the world's sturgeon species, highly valued for both caviar and meat.
For full text and graphics, visit: http://ens.lycos.com/ens/feb2001/2001L-02-16-10.html
SNAKE RIVER DAMS VIOLATE CLEAN WATER ACT
PORTLAND, Oregon, February 16, 2001 (ENS) - The federal government's operation of four hydropower dams on the lower Snake River violates the Clean Water Act, a federal district court in Portland ruled today. "It was a clear error of judgment by the Corps not to address compliance with its legal obligations under the Clean Water Act," the court ruled.
For full text and graphics visit: http://ens-news.com/ens/feb2001/2001L-02-16-01.html
SHELL ORDERED TO DECONTAMINATE BRAZILIAN PESTICIDE PLANT
SAO PAULO, Brazil, February 16, 2001 (ENS) - Shell Chemicals of Brazil was ordered yesterday by the Sao Paulo State Environmental Protection Agency to clean up an area 90 kilometers (56 miles) east of Sao Paulo where it manufactured toxic pesticides during the 1970s and 1980s.
For full text and graphics visit: http://ens-news.com/ens/feb2001/2001L-02-16-02.html
UK NUCLEAR FIRM INVESTS IN OFFSHORE WIND POWER
LONDON, United Kingdom, February 16, 2001 (ENS) - The United Kingdom's nuclear power generator, British Energy, is to begin developing large scale offshore wind power in a joint venture with Renewable Energy Systems, one of the largest wind energy companies in Europe.
For full text and graphics, visit: http://ens.lycos.com/ens/feb2001/2001L-02-16-12.html
ENVIRONMENT NEWS SERVICE AMERISCAN: FEBRUARY 16, 2001
Biotech Ingredients Found in Trader Joe's Products
Infrequent Inspections Lead To Greater Stream Pollution
New Atlas Links Population, Environment
Bonneville Power Offers $200 Million for Renewables
Chevron to Pay $800,000 For Air Pollution Violations
Saxton Urges Reauthorization of Elephant Act
Parks Association Names Congressional Friends
For full text and graphics visit: http://ens.lycos.com/ens/feb2001/2001L-02-16-09.html
SEND NEWS STORY TIPS TO news@ens-news.com
TO BUSINESS, AUTO AND ENVIRONMENTAL EDITORS:
Ford Donates $5 Million to National Audubon Society
NEW YORK, Feb. 16 -/E-Wire/-- The National Audubon Society today announced a $5 million grant from Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F), the largest corporate gift the National Audubon Society has ever received. The Grant Funds Audubon Projects in the U.S. and Latin America.
/CONTACT: Gwynne Irvin of Ford Motor Company, 313-323-0646, girvin@ford.com
Ford Media Information Center, 800-665-1515, 313-621-0504, media@ford.com
John Bianchi of National Audubon Society, 212-979-3026, jbianchi@audubon.org
http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Feb01/16Feb0103.html
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Yellowstone Records Reveal Havoc
BOZEMAN, MT, Feb. 16 -/E-Wire/-- A request for Park Service documents has revealed that serious safety, health, and resource protection issues arose in Yellowstone National Park during a busy holiday period earlier this year. The insights into park problems gleaned from law enforcement citations and medical statements filed by Park Service employees is timely as Yellowstone braces for Presidents' Day weekend, when upwards of 3,000 snowmobiles are expected to flood through the park's west entrance during the three-day period.
/CONTACT: Communications Director, Greater Yellowstone Coalition 406-586-1593, jcatton@greateryellowstone.org/
http://www.greateryellowstone.org/
http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Feb01/16Feb0102.html
TO HEALTH AND MEDICAL EDITORS:
Ives Health's "T-Factor," an All-Natural Therapy, Increases T-Cell Cell Count in HIV Positive Patients T-Factor Is Currently Involved in Multiple Clinical Studies
CLAREMORE, OK, Feb. 16 -/E-Wire/-- Ives Health Company (OTCBB:IVEH) announced today that T-Factor® has been successful in increasing T-Cell (CD-4) cell counts in HIV patients by an average of 18 cells per milliliter of blood per month, with some patients averaging as much as 65 cells per milliliter of blood per month.
/CONTACT: For Ives Health Company, Claremore, Okla.: Strategic Communications, Investor Relations, 775/828-6576/
http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Feb01/16Feb0101.html
ENVIRONMENTAL JOB ANNOUNCEMENT!
The National Audubon Society, one of the nation's leading environmental organizations, invites applications for a leadership position in conservation science.
This newly created position offers a qualified individual an outstanding opportunity to work creatively at the interface of conservation science, public outreach, and information technology.
Job title: Executive Director Of Audubon BirdSource
Find out more by going here:
http://www.naturalist.com/eco-jobs/index.cfm?temp=job&job=1854
2/17/01
1:11:39 PM
FAIR
Fairness & Accuracy In Reporting
Media analysis, critiques and news reports
ACTION ALERT: GENOCIDE, A CASINO... WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE?
Washington Post piece on "greedy Indians" exhibits ignorance of history
A Washington Post report on a lawsuit by the Miami Indian tribe to regain ancestral lands in Illinois (2/13/01) severely trivialized the genocide and ethnic cleansing faced by Native Americans. Post reporter William Claiborne, attempting to put the dispute in context, wrote:
"As in similar Indian property claims that have been growing in number across the country, the historic roles of white men and Indians have been reversed. White landowners are complaining that they are the victims of a ruthless land grab by greedy Indians backed by a complicit federal government."
When ethnic communities are in conflict, people involved often use stereotypes to explain their situation. Reporters covering such controversies no doubt often hear ethnic groups described as "greedy," "lazy" or in other pejorative terms. But responsible reporters don't simply pass on such slurs, without comment, to their readers.
While an editor might eliminate a reporter's off-hand reference to "greedy Jews," "greedy Koreans" or the like, for some reason "greedy Indians" seems not to have set off any warning bells at the Post.
After suggesting that the Miami tribe might settle its claims in exchange for a relatively small amount of land and the right to build a casino, Claiborne wrote:
"Many of the 4,700 residents of this 150-year-old farming community of ornate Victorian homes and leafy neighborhoods say they are fearful that a gaudy new Indian casino will go up on the western edge of Paxton alongside Interstate 57. They say an injustice is about to be committed on them that will equal those inflicted on American Indians throughout the 19th century."
Is it really necessary to point out that having a casino in your neighborhood-- even a "gaudy new Indian casino," in Claiborne's racialized phrase-- is in no way comparable to the mass killing and forced displacement faced by Native Americans, not only in the 19th Century but for the last several centuries? Yet this attitude is not only unquestioned, it dominates the Washington Post's article, with no Indians or supporters of Indian claims quoted until the 22nd paragraph of a 27-paragraph article.
With so little balance, the article comes across not only as a slanted attack on tribal claims, but as a racist attack on Native Americans as an ethnicity.
ACTION: Please contact Washington Post ombudsman Michael Getler, and ask him to review the February 13 report on the Miami Indian lawsuit. Ask him to clarify that it is not the Post's policy to republish ethnic slurs without context, or to equate casino-building with genocidal crimes against Native Americans.
CONTACT: Michael Getler, Ombudsman mailto:ombudsman@washpost.com The Washington Post 150 15th Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20071.
William Claiborne, Staff writer mailto:claiborneb@washpost.com
As always, please remember that your comments will be more effective if you maintain a polite tone.
Please cc fair@fair.org with your correspondence.
2/17/01
1:02:29 PM
FAIR
Fairness & Accuracy In Reporting
Media analysis, critiques and news reports
ACTION ALERT: U.S. News Offers White House Spin on Taxes
February 16, 2001
U.S. News & World Report's February 19 cover story on the Bush administration tax-cut plan featured the usual presidential-honeymoon puffery, marveling at Bush's "derring-do" in facing down critics who "didn't fully appreciate" how deeply he believed in his tax-cutting agenda.
When the piece finally ventured into the tax plan's specifics, it fell straight into the White House's spin. The key aspect of the Bush proposal is that it targets only federal income and estate taxes-- levies paid mostly by the rich. It makes no cuts in federal payroll taxes, like those for Social Security and Medicare, which fall most heavily on poor and working-class households. Accordingly, when administration officials defend the plan, they're careful to cite figures showing only its effect on income taxes, ignoring the payroll tax, which is paid by a larger number of households.
U.S. News docilely went along with that deceptive spin. The often-heard criticism that the Bush plan gives too much to the rich was countered by U.S. News this way: "Because the wealthy pay the most taxes-- the top 20 percent of the country's income earners pay 80 percent of all income taxes-- any across-the-board reduction would put the most money in their pockets. But many in lower lower-income brackets would get a higher percentage reduction."
Just like the White House, U.S. News misleadingly focuses only on the income tax. When all federal taxes are counted, the Bush plan would give the wealthiest 1 percent of households 36 percent of the cuts, even though they only pay 20 percent of federal taxes (Center on Budget & Policy Priorities, 2/6/01).
And despite the claim that low-income households would get a larger percentage cut, the poorest fifth of households, who have an average income of $8,600, would see their federal tax burden fall the least, by 5.5 percent, while the richest 1 percent-- making an average of $915,000-- would see their tax burden fall the most, 11.6 percent (Center on Budget & Policy Priorities, 2/6/01; Citizens for Tax Justice, 2/8/01).
The article asserts that "Americans are divided" about the Bush tax cut, citing a poll that shows 46 percent of Americans favoring "an income-tax cut for all taxpayers" versus 44 percent preferring a targeted cut. But the piece fails to mention that Bush's plan would *not* cut taxes for everyone-- almost a third of families would see no reduction, with 80 percent of them having at least one worker (Center on Budget & Policy Priorities, 2/7/01).
U.S. News includes a chart that illustrates the potential impact of the Bush tax plan on households at various income levels. But the magazine's hypothetical families are markedly skewed toward the rich. Only two of the 10 households fall below the median income (a single person and a married couple, both making $25,000 a year). The other eight households are above the median; and six of the 10 households are in the top 20 percent of incomes.
Like most media analyses, U.S. News ignores the fact that each dollar spent on the tax cut is one less dollar available for federal programs. Middle-income households who stand to gain a few hundred dollars a year from the tax cut also stand to lose potentially thousands of dollars worth of services because of the cuts for wealthier households.
Citizens for Tax Justice calculated (2/15/01) that the revenue lost from the plan's proposed tax cuts for households in the richest 1 percent totals $774 billion over 10 years-- more money than the $738 billion it would take to add a fully funded Medicare prescription-drug benefit, an idea so popular it was favored by both the Gore and Bush campaign last year.
"The fate of the package," U.S. News writes, "may well depend on whether everyday Americans conclude there is enough there to make a real difference in their lives, no matter how much the rich stand to gain." But to make up their minds about the tax cut, everyday Americans need meaningful information about the plan. U.S. News' February 19 cover article did little to supply it.
ACTION: Please ask U.S. News & World Report to take a broader look at the effects of the Bush tax plan-- examining the impact of the tax cuts on all income levels, by looking at all federal taxes and at potential losses in public services.
CONTACT: U.S. News & World Report --Letters to the editor mailto:letters@usnews.com
--Michael Tackett, Assistant Managing Editor mailto:mtackett@usnews.com
As always, please remember that your comments will be more effective if you maintain a polite tone. Please cc fair@fair.org with your correspondence.
Read the U.S. News article at:
http://www.usnews.com/usnews/issue/010219/taxes.htm
To read Citizens for Tax Justice's analysis of the Bush tax cut proposal, visit:
http://www.ctj.org/html/bush0201.htm
To read the Center on Budget & Policy Priorities' analyses, visit:
http://www.cbpp.org/2-7-01taxlist.htm
2/16/01
5:50:06 PM
Environmental news from GRIST MAGAZINE
<http://www.gristmagazine.com>
1. THEY'VE GOT A LITTLE LIST One environmental order by the Clinton administration is likely to go unchallenged by the Bush administration: The decision last fall by the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service not to add any more animals or plants to the endangered species list until at least the end of this year. The agency said that it had to make the move because of a budget crisis and that fighting off lawsuits by environmentalists was contributing to the monetary shortfall. The moved infuriated enviros, but their complaints are likely to fall on deaf ears in the current administration. Jasper Carlton of the Biodiversity Legal Foundation says his conservative estimate is that 6,000 species warrant protection under the Endangered Species Act, 4,500 more than are currently on the list.
straight to the source: Christian Science Monitor, Todd Wilkinson, 16 Feb 2001 <http://www.csmonitor.com/durable/2001/02/16/p2s2.htm>
2. CREDIT CADS Okay, give the Bushies some, ahem, credit -- the U.S. EPA under President Bush is likely to build on at least one other environmental initiative that gained momentum under former President Clinton. We speak of the market-driven air quality program that lets companies buy and trade pollution credits in certain states. Last week, the EPA approved emissions trading plans for Michigan and New Hampshire, a little over a month after it okayed similar plans for Illinois and New Jersey. The idea behind the program is that companies will pollute less because it will be in their financial interest to do so. But environmentalists think there are big holes in the program, and the EPA's inspector general has also raised concerns. Two enviro groups filed a complaint this week about New Jersey's plan, which was developed when EPA Administrator Christine Todd Whitman was governor of the state.
straight to the source: Washington Post, Michael Grunwald and Eric Pianin, 15 Feb 2001 <http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A6805-2001Feb14.html>
straight to the source: Newark Star-Ledger, Anthony S. Twyman, 15 Feb 2001 <http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/index.ssf?/jersey/ledger/125c756.html>
3. LETTER OF THE LAW Can laws be written that inspire reverence for the land? Charles Wilkinson, a law professor at the University of Colorado at Boulder, thinks so. He says that language's power to protect has been squandered too often in the past. Why is it, he wonders, "that the words of our laws do not carry the high pitch so evident in the arts and literatures." With his books and teachings, Wilkinson is trying to change all that. He's trying to create laws to match the American West's scenery. Read more on the Grist Magazine website.
catch it only in Grist Magazine: Where there's a Wilkinson, there's a way -- in our Out on a Limb section <http://www.gristmagazine.com/grist/limb/limb020901.stm>
4. NATURAL DYING KILLERS The number of orcas whales living off the San Juan Islands in Washington has dropped 15 percent in the last five years and contamination from industrial chemicals in the region's orcas are the highest found in any living mammal. Yep, things are looking grim for the killer whale. Environmental groups are expected soon to petition the National Marine Fisheries Service to list the orcas as an endangered species, and NMFS's Doug DeMaster says there's a 50-50 chance the agency will agree to do so.
straight to the source: Los Angeles Times, Marla Cone, 16 Feb 2001
http://www.latimes.com/news/science/environ/20010216/t000014056.html
catch it only in Grist Magazine: Whales that flip you off -- a cartoon by Suzy Becker <http://www.gristmagazine.com/grist/ha/ha011601.stm>
5. SOIL AIN'T GREEN Just 16 percent of the world's farmlands are free of problems like chemical contamination, acidity, salinity, and poor drainage, according to a study by the International Food Policy Research Institute and the World Resources Institute. Using satellite data, the groups found that as little as 6 percent of Asia's farmlands are free of such fertility problems. They concluded that a whopping 29 percent of North America's farmlands are still in good shape. WRI's Adlai Amor said, "Agricultural production is being achieved at the expense of our ability to feed ourselves and future generations."
straight to the source: MSNBC.com, 15 Feb 2001 <http://www.msnbc.com/news/531299.asp>
Also in GRIST MAGAZINE today:
Polar bare naked -- climate change threatens Arctic critters -- by Donella Meadows <http://www.gristmagazine.com/grist/citizen/citizen020501.stm>
Vast wasteland to the max -- the latest in the comic adventures of Zed, the last of his species <http://www.gristmagazine.com/grist/zed/zed020801.stm>
Mr. Green Beans -- he's all abuzz about socially responsible coffee -- in our Out on Limb column <http://www.gristmagazine.com/grist/limb/limb081100.stm>
2/16/01
5:45:37 PM
WILD ALERT
After just one month in office, President Bush has made it clear that your public lands are on the top of his target list:
1. PRESIDENT'S DAY STATEMENT -- Make a gift to The Wilderness Society in honor of President's Day, and we'll tell Pres. Bush you've made a donation *in his name* to protect wild lands. That ought to get his attention.
2. ROADLESS AREAS, ARCTIC, AND MORE -- The list of Bush anti-conservation targets grows every week.
1. MAKE A STATEMENT TO PRES. BUSH IN HONOR OF PRESIDENT'S DAY Even though this falls into the "blatant appeal for funds" category, we think it sends a powerful message to the President, especially given his mounting anti-environmental agenda (see below).
If you make a gift to The Wilderness Society in honor of President's Day, we'll send a message to Pres. Bush telling him that you've made a donation *in his name* to protect our public lands.
If the President is so intent on reversing public land protections, then we're intent on fighting him every step of the way. But we need your help to do so -- including cranking out these WildAlerts every week.
https://secure09.client-mail.com/twslink/forms/bush_gift.htm
1. BUSH ADMINISTRATION GOES AFTER PUBLIC LAND PROTECTIONS On Tuesday, Pres. Bush will have been in office for one month, and he's already amassed an impressive list of anti-environmental targets, including:
ROADLESS AREAS: On January 20th -- his first day in office -- President Bush ordered a 60-day delay on all regulations that were not already in effect. Making clear the President's intent to target conservation measures, on February 5th the Administration subsequently ordered the delay of the effective date of the new National Forest Roadless Area Conservation Rule until May 12 (it was supposed to go into effect March 13).
The Administration claims it isn't targeting the roadless area rule because it has delayed *all* new rules. But the delay clearly is meant to give the Bush Administration time to investigate options for undoing the roadless area rule. It flies in the face of the wishes of the American people, who, through public comments and opinion polls, have shown strong support for protecting our national forest roadless areas.
http://www.wilderness.org/roadless.htm
ARCTIC REFUGE OIL DRILLING: In an Associated Press article this week, Interior Secretary Gale Norton reiterated the Bush Administration's eagerness to open up the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling. Said Norton: "We want to ensure that energy production is taking place in those areas where the environment can most tolerate that...[W]e're going to have to examine ... Arctic production."
The Arctic Refuge is not an environment that can tolerate development. Oil drilling in the refuge would bring hundreds of miles of roads and pipelines, air strips and port facilities, massive gravel mining, air pollution, and housing for thousands of workers. This kind of industrial development has no place inside a national wildlife refuge.
Bush and Norton are continuing to push the myth that opening up the Arctic Refuge will somehow resolve California's energy problems or lower oil prices. Nothing could be further from the truth. Less than one percent of California's energy comes from burning oil. In addition, it will take more than 10 years for any oil from the Arctic Refuge to get to market -- not a solution to California's current problems. Finally, Arctic oil would do nothing to affect overall oil prices, which are set on the world market. Alaska oil amounts to a tiny drop in that bucket.
TARGETING OTHER PUBLIC LANDS FOR OIL & GAS DRILLING: The Bush Administration is also working on plans to open up other public lands to oil and gas drilling, especially in the West. But the U.S. has less than 3 percent of the world's known oil reserves. Even if we opened all our refuges, parks, and coastlines to drilling, we still wouldn't meet all of our current oil demand, or affect oil prices. The only way towards energy independence is through conservation and alternative energy sources.
OTHER CONSERVATION MEASURES THAT HAVE BEEN HALTED: Several new Wildlife Refuges are also on hold thanks to the Bush Administration's regulation delay, including Palmyura Atoll and Kingman Reef in the Pacific; a Kentucky refuge at the mouth of the Green and Ohio Rivers; a proposal for a new refuge in Minnesota near Crookston; and the addition of Mud Island to Michigan's Wyandotte NWR.
A land exchange between two federal agencies, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the Fish & Wildlife Service, was halted in January by the Bush Administration. The exchange would have increased protection for Brown's Park National Wildlife Refuge in northwest Colorado.
For a full list of Action Items, visit
http://www.wilderness.org/whatcan/takeaction.htm
An archive of past WildAlerts can be found at
http://www.wilderness.org/wildalert/wildalerts.htm
2/16/01
12:11:03 PM
ENVIRONMENT NEWS SERVICE (ENS)
"We Cover the Earth For You"
DILUTED EU CHEMICALS PLAN DRAWS COMPOUND OBJECTIONS
BRUSSELS, Belgium, February 15, 2001 (ENS) - A new European strategy for dealing with the world's most hazardous substances adopted by the European Commission on Tuesday has already run into opposition from the chemical industry and from environmental groups.
For full text and graphics visit: http://ens-news.com/ens/feb2001/2001L-02-15-03.html
NETHERLANDS KEEPS TOXIC SHIP FROM SAILING
AMSTERDAM, The Netherlands, February 15, 2001 (ENS) - The Netherlands has prevented a Mauritius flagged vessel from leaving the country on suspicion that it would sail to India for scrapping. The Sandrien, a 172 meter (560 foot) long cargo carrier which was used to transport chemicals and molasses, contains asbestos, heavy metals and other toxic materials.
For full text and graphics visit: http://ens-news.com/ens/feb2001/2001L-02-15-01.html
TOUGHER RULES MAY REPLACE EU's BIOTECH MORATORIUM
STRASBOURG, France, February 15, 2001 (ENS) - The European Union is a step closer to lifting its three year moratorium on licensing genetically modified products after the European Parliament approved new measures, Tuesday.
For full text and graphics, visit: http://ens.lycos.com/ens/feb2001/2001L-02-15-10.html
MINE WASTE PROBES DEVELOPED DOWN UNDER
SYDNEY, Australia, February 15, 2001 (ENS) - A network of small oxygen probes could avert acid damage to the environment and save mining companies millions of dollars.
For full text and graphics visit: http://ens-news.com/ens/feb2001/2001L-02-15-05.html
GREEN ENERGY COULD EMPOWER 10 MIDWESTERN STATES
CHICAGO, Illinois, February 15, 2001 (ENS) - To help the American Midwest avoid the energy problems California has been suffering, the Environmental Law and Policy Center of the Midwest (ELPC) has offered a plan to help diversify energy sources, reduce pollution, increase energy efficiency and improve the reliability of the power supply.
For full text and graphics visit: http://ens-news.com/ens/feb2001/2001L-02-15-04.html
NEW HOPE FOR SOUTH AFRICA'S ENDANGERED SPECIES
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, February 15, 2001 (ENS) - A conservation breeding group credited with preserving numbers of the Florida panther, Pacific salmon populations and the blackfooted ferret is going to South Africa to help save its endangered species.
For full text and graphics, visit: http://ens.lycos.com/ens/feb2001/2001L-02-15-11.html
ENVIRONMENT NEWS SERVICE AMERISCAN: FEBRUARY 15, 2001
Opening ANWR Will Not Solve Energy Crisis
Lawsuit Challenges Washington DC's Delayed Smog Plan
Environmentalists Criticize California's Emergency Energy Plans
Reusing Water Benefits Washington Communities and Businesses
Louisiana Barrier Islands Getting 140,000 New Plants
Website Offers Information on Impacts of Fishing Gear
Second Man Sentenced For Shooting Bald Eagle
Utah Town Wins Park Achievement Award
Student Volunteers Help Restore Big Cypress Preserve
For full text and graphics visit: http://ens.lycos.com/ens/feb2001/2001L-02-15-09.html
SEND NEWS STORY TIPS TO news@ens-news.com
TO BUSINESS, ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL EDITORS:
New Breakthrough in Alternative Energy Technology, Holds Answers To Solving the Energy Crisis
LAS VEGAS, NV, Feb. 15 -/E-Wire/-- The dawn of a new day in the search for practical alternative energy solutions is emerging. Las Vegas based Hydro Environmental Resources, Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: HYER) is a company on the cutting edge of finding alternative solutions to using fossil-based fuels for producing energy.
/CONTACT: Steve Hull, 702-284-7164, PRSolutionsLV@aol.com, for Hydro Environmental Resources, Inc./
/Web site: http://www.hydrogenerate.com/
For Full Text Visit: http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Feb01/15Feb0109.html
TO ENVIRONMENT EDITORS:
First International Bank Teams With The Louis Berger Group To Facilitate Environmental Exports To Asia
First International And Louis Berger Combine Strengths To Create An Environmental Export Finance Facility For Asia
HARTFORD, CT, Feb. 15 -/E-Wire/-- The Louis Berger Group Inc. Global Environment Team and First International Bank, a subsidiary of First International Bancorp Inc. (NASDAQ: FNCE - news), have formed an alliance to promote U.S. exports of environmental products and services to Asia.
/Web site: http://www.louisberger.com
http://www.firstinterbank.com/
For Full Text Visit: http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Feb01/15Feb0108.html
TO ENVIRONMENT EDITORS:
Perma-Fix Environmental Services, Inc. Signs Definitive Agreement to Purchase 100% of East Tennessee Materials and Energy Corporation
- East Tennessee Materials and Energy Corporation (``M&EC'') is Licensed to Operate the Only Non-Governmental, On-Site Mixed Waste Treatment Facility at the U.S. Department of Energy's Mixed Waste Storage Site in Oak Ridge, Tennessee
- Initial DOE Contracts Granted to M&EC Valued at a Minimum of $100 Million
ATLANTA, GA, Feb. 15 -/E-Wire/-- PERMA-FIX ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES, INC. (Nasdaq:PESI - news) announced today that it has signed a Definitive Agreement to purchase all of the outstanding voting stock of East Tennessee Materials and Energy Corporation (``M&EC''), as opposed to 80% as originally disclosed. M&EC is licensed to operate a low-level radioactive and hazardous waste (``mixed waste'') treatment facility at the U.S. Department of Energy's (``DOE'') storage site in Oak Ridge, Tennessee.
/CONTACT: Perma-Fix Environmental Services, Inc., Atlanta, Dr. Louis F. Centofanti, 404/847-9990 or Strategic Growth International, Inc., Stan Altschuler, 516/829-7111, sgi@netmonger.net/
/Web site: http://www.perma-fix.com/
For Full Text Visit: http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Feb01/15Feb0107.html
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Two New Publications Help Citizens Fight Sprawl and Tame Telecommunications Towers
WASHINGTON, DC, Feb. 15 -/E-Wire/-- Two new publications from Scenic America, From Sprawl to Smart Growth: How to Achieve Beautiful Results and Taming Wireless Telecommunications Towers, are now available to help citizens advocate for smart growth that is attractive and the sensitive siting of wireless telecommunications towers.
/CONTACT: Mary Houser, Communications Director, (202) 543-6200 ext. 12; Deborah L. Myerson, AICP, Director of Programs, (202) 543-6200 ext. 14/
/Web site: http://scenicsummit.org
For Full Text Visit: http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Feb01/15Feb0106.html
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Scenic America Again Seeks Nominations for "Last Chance Landscapes"
WASHINGTON, DC, Feb. 15 -/E-Wire/-- Scenic America, a national scenic conservation organization, is now accepting nominations for its 2001 Last Chance Landscapes program. These endangered landscapes are places of beauty or distinctive community character with both a pending threat and a potential solution. Nominations are due on June 1, 2001.
/CONTACT: Mary Houser, Communications Director, 202-543-6200/
/Web site: http://www.scenic.org/
For Full Text Visit: http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Feb01/15Feb0105.html
TO BUSINESS, ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL EDITORS:
Georgia Power's Electric Vehicle Employee Leasing Program Sets Milestone
ATLANTA, GA, Feb. 15 -/E-Wire/-- Georgia Power's electric vehicle employee leasing program has set a milestone with more than one million commute miles. Since its inception in December 1998, the employee vehicle leasing program began with eight electric vehicles and today has more than 140 electric vehicles in the program. The program is designed for Southern Company and Georgia Power employees living and working in the metro Atlanta area to commute to and from work by electric GM EV1s and Ford Rangers.
/CONTACT: Theresa Robinson of Georgia Power, 404-506-7676, or 1-800-282- 1696, or media@georgiapower.com /
/Company News On-Call: or fax, 800-758-5804, ext. 357499/
http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/357499.html
/Web site: http://www.georgiapowerco.com
http://www.southernco.com/planetpower/ev/
For Full Text Visit: http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Feb01/15Feb0104.html
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Ingersoll-Rand's Thermo King Unit Develops Innovative, Cryogenic-powered Transport Temperature-controlled System
Environment-friendly Refrigeration Unit Operates Without Ozone-Depleting Chemicals; Reduces Noise Pollution As Well
WOODCLIFF LAKE, NJ, Feb. 15 -/E-Wire/-- Ingersoll-Rand Company (NYSE: IR - news), a leading diversified industrial firm, today announced that its Thermo King unit has developed an innovative transport refrigeration system that enables food distributors to address environmental concerns related to atmospheric ozone-depletion, and diesel fuel and noise pollution.
/CONTACT: Ingersoll-Rand Company, Woodcliff Lake, Media Contact: Paul A. Dickard, 201/573-3120, Analyst Contact: Joe Fimbianti, 201/573-3113/
/Web site: http://www.thermoking.com
For Full Text Visit: http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Feb01/15Feb0103.html
TO BUSINESS AND ENVIRONMENTAL EDITORS:
Lockheed Martin Continues to Reach Outstanding Achievements in Environmental, Safety and Health
MOORESTOWN, N.J., Feb. 15 -/E-Wire/-- Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) Naval Electronics & Surveillance Systems (NE&SS) business unit in Moorestown, N.J., recently made two significant accomplishments in the arena of environmental, safety and health. The site, home to about 4,100 employees, was accepted into the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) National Environmental Achievement Track and was recognized by the National Safety Council for surpassing five million hours worked without a lost-time injury.
/CONTACT: Andrea Lawrence of Lockheed Martin, 856-722-4922, or andrea.j.lawrence@lmco.com/
/Web sites: http://www.lockheedmartin.com
http://http://ness.external.lmco.com/
For Full Text Visit: http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Feb01/15Feb0102.html
TO BUSINESS, ENVIRONMENTAL AND TECHNOLOGY EDITORS:
Startech Environmental and Eiko Systems Sign Contract for Plasma Converter Installation in Japan
WILTON, CT, Feb. 15 -/E-Wire/-- Startech Environmental Corp. (Nasdaq: STHK), the world leader in plasma waste destruction and recycling technology, announced today that it has received a contract with the first progress payment from the Eiko Systems Company for a 10,000-pound per day Plasma Converter to process hazardous waste in Japan. Eiko, headquartered in Japan, is an industrial company whose principal businesses are environmental, clean power and co-generation projects.
/CONTACT: Robert L. DeRochie, VP of Investor Relations of Startech Environmental Corp., 203-762-2499, or fax, 203-761-0839, or email, starmail@startech.net/
/Company News On-Call: or fax, 800-758-5804, ext. 113537/
http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/113537.html
/Web site: http://www.startech.net/
For Full Text Visit: http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Feb01/15Feb0101.html
SEND YOUR PRESS RELEASE ON E-WIRE -- 1-888-764-NEWS
2/16/01
12:03:35 PM
U.S. Agency Seeks Approval to Recycle Radioactive Metals
http://ens-news.com/ens/jan2001/2001L-01-03-15.html
By Brian Hansen
WASHINGTON, DC, January 3, 2001 (ENS) - The manufacture of consumer products out of radioactively contaminated materials discarded from commercial nuclear power plants and government bomb factories could become a fact of American life. In an extraordinary move, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission today asked the National Academy of Sciences to sanction the controversial practice.
Dr. Richard Meserve, chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), made the request during the public portion of a special National Academy of Sciences committee meeting in Washington.
Dr. Richard Meserve asked the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) panel to examine the practice of releasing radioactively contaminated solid waste materials into everyday commerce. He said this type of recycling is necessary to insure the continued viability of the commercial nuclear power plant industry and the Cold War decommissioning activities of the U.S. Department of Energy.
"There has basically been no guidance as to how those problems should be addressed," Meserve said to the panel of NAS scientists. "It is our hope that we will get your findings and recommendations as to how we should proceed in a timely manner."
Meserve's request of the NAS panel is the latest development in a long standing government and industry led effort to establish a consistent system governing the release of solid materials from NRC licensed facilities.
The nuclear power industry and the Department of Energy (DOE) are currently saddled with tens of thousands of tons of solid materials contaminated with low levels of radioactivity, which they once disposed of in specially designed nuclear waste disposal facilities.
That practice changed beginning in the 1970s, when the NRC, its licensees, and the DOE began searching for a more cost effective method of disposing of the enormous volume of steel girders, pallets, machinery and other solid materials tainted with tiny amounts of radioactivity.
The NRC and the DOE now allow their licensees and contractors to recycle some solid materials, but there is currently no national health based standard or generally applicable criteria governing the release of solid materials from commercial nuclear power plants or government nuclear weapons facilities.
Meserve said that the current "ad-hoc" recycling system is not sufficient for the NRC and its licensees, which he noted must spend large amounts of money to dispose of their low level solid wastes.
Meserve said that the DOE has encountered the same costly solid waste disposal problem "in spades" as it proceeds with decommissioning a number of Cold War nuclear weapons facilities.
"That's why we're here - to seek your advice on these matters," Meserve told the NAS panel.
At the NRC's request, the National Academy of Sciences' panel has agreed to examine the question of whether or not there are sufficient technical bases to establish a consistent system for controlling the release of what it is terming "slightly contaminated" solid materials.
The panel is expected to evaluate a number of factors in making its recommendations regarding the release of these materials, including studies of critical groups, exposure pathways and scenarios, and individual and collective doses.
Meserve asked the panel to consider a number of other factors in reaching its conclusion, including rulemaking actions taken by federal agencies, states, and the European Union.
Meserve outlined four conclusions that he said the NAS panel could reasonably reach.
* Permitting the release of radioactively contaminated solid materials if the potential dose is less than a specified level. * Restricting the release of such materials for only certain authorized uses, which could prohibit recycling. * Prohibiting the release of materials that were stored in areas where radioactive materials were present. * Segregating reused materials for public and nonpublic use.
Meserve added that his list of alternatives was not intended to "constrain [the NAS panel] from being more inventive" in its recommendations.
Meserve acknowledged the controversial nature of the solid waste recycling initiative, which environmental and public health groups have vehemently criticized.
Still, Meserve implored the NAS panel to resist putting a "spin" on its findings to address - or to avoid - the controversial nature of the NRC's solid waste recycling initiative.
"Call it the way you see it - we'll worry about the political fallout," Meserve said. "We want your best advice - give it to us straight."
Some members of the NAS panel did just that, as they wasted little time in peppering the NCR chairman with a host of probing questions.
Dr. Robert Budnitz, president of the California based Future Resources Associates, wanted to know why the NRC had requested the panel's recommendations at all.
"Where did this come from? What's going on?" Budnitz asked Meserve.
Budnitz, a former NRC official, said he suspects the request came about because the agency could no longer deal with the myriad individual recycling cases that it is currently juggling.
Meserve acknowledged the point, saying that "it's a licensee need," and that it is "extraordinarily expensive" for nuclear power plant operators to dispose of their radioactively contaminated solid materials through other means.
Meserve added that, "There's a lot of decommissioning underway [at DOE nuclear weapons facilities] that we need to deal with somehow."
Bunditz pressed the point, asking Meserve if the Energy Department has "formally or informally" approached the NRC about pushing for a national standard for the recycling of contaminated solid materials.
"Is that part of this or not?" Bunditz asked.
Meserve acknowledged that he did "personally meet" with Energy Secretary Bill Richardson about this problem, and that Richardson had encouraged the National Academy of Sciences' involvement in the matter.
Andrew Wallo, director of the DOE radiation division's office of environment, safety and health, was on hand Wednesday to report the agency's perspective on the contaminated solid materials disposal problem.
Wallo noted that there are hundreds of tons of metals and other slightly contaminated materials at DOE nuclear weapons facilities that must be removed if the sites are to be cleaned up and closed down.
"It's a valuable commodity excepting the radioactivity in it," Wallo said of the materials.
Wallo told the panel that most of the scrap metal that has been released from DOE facilities is either not contaminated at all, or has surface contamination well below the agency's current standard. However, the pubic and the steel industry has not been accepting of those very low exposure risks, Wallo acknowledged.
Wallo recalled the furor that erupted when the DOE allowed contractor British Nuclear Fuels Limited (BNFL) to release 110,000 tons of radioactive metals - including 6,000 tons of volumetrically contaminated nickel - from the DOE's K-25 nuclear weapons plant at Oak Ridge, Tennessee.
Public health and environmental groups vehemently objected to the contract, saying that there was no law prevent the metals from being used to make silverware, orthodontic braces, hip joint replacements, and even intrauterine devices.
The steel industry also opposed the release of the contaminated scrap metal, saying that it would erode public confidence in the industry and cost steel companies tens of million of dollars should radioactive materials somehow find their way into production furnaces.
The public outcry forced Energy Secretary Richardson to block the sale of the radioactive nickel. Richardson later issued a moratorium restricting the release of such materials until a national policy could be devised.
Gary Visscher, vice president of the American Iron and Steel Institute, watched with interest on Wednesday as the NRC and the DOE asked the National Academy of Sciences to sanction the practice of recycling radioactively contaminated metals.
"Anything that diminishes the public's confidence in the safeness of steel is going to hurt our companies," Visscher told ENS.
Lisa Gue, a policy analyst with the consumer advocacy group Public Citizen, was also on hand on Wednesday to keep tabs on the two federal agencies and their industry contractors.
"We have an ongoing concern with federal agencies that appease industry by setting rules that facilitate the release of radionuclides into the environment," Gue said. "If the nuclear industry cannot afford to protect the public and the environment from its waste products, then it's not a viable industry."
Gue and other observers said they are concerned with the large block of time that was devoted to closed sessions during the three day meeting. According to the official agenda, a total of 12 and a half hours of meeting sessions are to be closed to the public, though officials pledged to post a summary of the private sessions on the Internet.
2/16/01
12:01:32 PM
World Environment News from Planet Ark
Doing environmental research? Search our news archives at: http://www.planetark.org/searchhome.cfm
Group lays out plan for clean energy in US Midwest - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9827
Senator to keep Arctic refuge oil drilling in bill - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9828
Alaska Gov. "optimistic" on oil drilling in refuge - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9829
UPDATE - Calif. pleads for power savings to avoid blackouts - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9830
Aluminum moves to third place in car content - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9834
British Energy joins wind power team - UK http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9826
Magnesium supply growth seen countering new demand - UK http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9833
UPDATE - EU passes new GM laws, heralding end of ban - FRANCE http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9831
NASA tests satellite on Argentina landscapes - ARGENTINA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9832
2/16/01
12:00:11 PM
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Gov. Nunn Talks Hemp Online <www.whas.com>
On Monday, February 19, 2001 former republician Governor Louie B. Nunn will be on the Jane Norris Show (WHAS radio 840 AM) from 10am to 11am (Eastern Time) discussing the current status of Kentucky's hemp bill and the DEA's opposition against similar legislation in other states across America.
Joining Gov. Nunn will be Rep. Cynthia Thielen who sponsored legislation that established a hemp research program in Hawaii last year. The Jane Norris Show can also be heard this Monday by going online to
<www.whas.com> and clicking "Listen Live."
2/16/01
11:57:13 AM
The Nation
KATHA POLLITT: Vaginal Politics http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=20010305&s=pollitt
LOUIS DUBOSE: Bush's Hit Man http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=20010305&s=dubose
RICHARD KIM: Eminem--Bad Rap? http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=20010305&s=kim
JOHN NICHOLS: The Beat http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=20010305&s=nichols
CHRISTOPHER HITCHENS: The Embarrassment of the Riches http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=20010305&s=hitchens
And still available is Vincent Bugliosi's explosive report, "None Dare Call It Treason," excoriating the Supreme Court's decision in Bush v. Gore, published recently in the pages of The Nation and still sparking controversy coast to coast. Available only at:
http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=20010205&s=bugliosi
Also, don't miss recent articles from the pages of The Nation by Gregory Palast, Ellen Willis, Jesse Jackson, Jr., Paul Wellstone, Marc Cooper, Bob Filner, Michael Eric Dyson, Gore Vidal and JoAnn Wypijewski, among many others. All available at:
THE PACIFICA CRISIS
Check out The Nation's full collection of editorials, columns and reported pieces on the continuing crisis at the Pacifica Radio Network - all originally published in the pages of the magazine. You can also read "WBAI: The Coup on Wall Street," by Mumia Abu-Jamal - just posted to the site as a special web-only feature. All available at:
http://www.thenation.com/special/2001pacifica.mhtml
MAKING EVERY VOTE COUNT
As The New York Times reported recently, "In the shadow of...the inaugural celebration, a nascent movement began taking shape to seek ways to translate disgust with the election" into a concerted effort at electoral reform. To support, encourage and highlight these reform efforts, we've established an electoral reform page with articles, links, a reader's forum and other resources. Available at:
http://www.thenation.com/special/2001electoralreform.mhtml
ECONOMISTS VS. STUDENTS
As the student-based anti-sweatshop movement increases its influence and reach, the pro-corporate backlash is rapidly emerging. Read Liza Featherstone and Doug Henwood's informed critique of a letter from the Academic Consortium on International Trade, a newly formed group, urging university administrators not to make concessions to anti-sweatshop activists.
http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=20010212&s=featherstone
THE NATION DIRECTORY
The Nation Directory, a voluminous database of political material, is a growing collection of links to organizations, agencies, think-tanks, political parties, non-profits and individuals. It can be used as both a stand-alone research tool and as an activist resource, as well as a means to garner further information relating to each Nation article we post on the site. We need your help to make the Directory grow. So, please send our suggestions for new links to directory@thenation.com. You can find the directory at:
http://www.thenation.com/directory
2/16/01
11:54:11 AM
"The Apple in the Seed"
Although it is very intricate and extensive, you will know in a very short time if this is something you would want to come back to. Let me know what you think and feel. I'm I a mad man. . . or just a dreamer?
2/16/01
11:45:14 AM
FREEDOM TO CHEWS
Shocking -- but might this be a bit of good news? A U.S. Food and Drug Administration report has found that consumers want mandatory labeling of genetically engineered foods and feel "outrage" when they learn just how many supermarket products already contain genetically engineered elements. Consumers are concerned that such foods may have negative environmental and health effects in the long term, the report concluded. Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) and Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) have introduced bills to make labeling mandatory. But the FDA's Joseph Levitt said the agency did not consider labeling to be scientifically necessary or legally possible.
Washington Post, Marc Kaufman, 13 Feb 2001
http://washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A60737-2001Feb12.html
Take action and demand labeling for genetically engineered foods
http://www.gristmagazine.com/grist/dogood/food.stm
2/16/01
11:40:55 AM
Is This Energy Crisis for Real?
Hello all,
I don't know about you, but for me, this energy crisis has seemed questionable from its beginning. How could it be possible for power to be flowing on one day and then, without an increase in demand, suddenly a state of emergency exists the next day?
The darker side of me suspected that the fossil fuel powered utility companies had somehow manufactured the crisis in order to achieve two very important aims: to raise prices and to reduce or eliminate environmental controls. As it turns out, both have been achieved.
The front page of the Seattle Times on Sunday reported that I am not alone in my suspicions and the attorneys general of Washington State and Oregon, as well as a number of federal commissions and legislators, are calling for an investigation into what is now suspected as being the willful manipulation of energy supplies to artificially raise prices.
I discussed part of the story in my commentary "Energy Crisis or Greed Crisis" in my Healing Our World series on the Environment News Service last week
http://www.ens.lycos.com/ens/feb2001/2001L-02-09g.html
I have written a second part to this story, "Energy Crisis or Energy Hoax," that discusses these new developments and the suspicion of unlawful business practices by the fossil fuel utility companies. You can view it at my website at
http://www.jps.net/jackieg/articles/jagfeb12-2001.html
Be well and I wish you success in trying to figure out what is going on. Whatever the truth turns out to be, reducing energy demand, switching to alternative energy sources as soon as you can, and not buying into the alarmist rhetoric from Washington will help immensely.
All the best,
Jackie Alan Giuliano, Ph.D.
http://www.healingourworld.com
2/16/01
11:32:23 AM
UN REPORTS GLOBAL DEFORESTATION SLOWING DOWN
ROME, Italy, January 24, 2001 (ENS) - The global rate of forest loss has slowed to nine million hectares per year, according to the latest global forest assessment by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
The Rome based agency has carried out global forest assessments for 50 years. Its latest study shows a rate of forest loss 20 per cent lower than the last global figure reported in 1995.
Forests are disappearing most rapidly in Africa and Latin America while in Asia, the reduction of natural forests is largely compensated by new plantation forests. In Europe and North America the forest area is increasing, the survey shows.
Overall, the world contains around 6,000 square meters of forest per person. The figure is falling by 12 square meters every year.
The survey's findings show some countries still have high levels of deforestation, mainly because of conversion of forests to other land uses. But other countries show significant increases in forest cover through plantations or natural regrowth.
"These differences cannot be explained by population pressure on forests alone," said FAO director general, Dr. Jacques Diouf.
"Rather they are apparently the results of economic developments at large, and national forest or land use policies.
"Therefore, forestry surveys should address, on a sustainable basis, further development of the forestry sector, which constitutes a backbone of world food security."
Last August, the FAO revealed the first hints that deforestation was slowing around the world. Preliminary analysis of more than 300 satellite images showed the rate of deforestation in tropical countries was at least 10 percent less in the past 10 years compared to the 1980s. Half of the images showed a reduced rate of deforestation and 20 percent an increase.
"These preliminary results do not mean that the battle against deforestation is over, and a reduction in deforestation must not be used as an excuse for unsustainable forest practices," said Hosny El-Lakany, assistant director general of the FAO Forestry Department at the time.
"It does show, however, that the long-term efforts of FAO and others to build awareness of and capacity for sustainable forest management are worthwhile and should be reinforced."
Commenting on the new global assessment on forests Monday, El-Lakany said remote sensing had increased the information about forests in general. "But field surveys remain the main source of knowledge about forest dynamics and forest change," he added.
"FAO is now addressing the need for improved quality and relevance in forestry information in new proposals for future forest assessments to be discussed at the Committee on Forestry in March."
The Committee on Forestry, known as COFO, is the FAO's leading forum for international discussions on forest policy and technical issues. It will be attended by more than 100 FAO member countries, who will hear the organization's State of the World's Forests 2001 report.
To read more about the FAO's global forestry assessment, visit:
2/16/01
11:26:59 AM
The State of Freedom: 2000
As the year draws to close, there are 86 Free countries (2,465.2 billion people; 40.69 percent of the world population) in which a broad range of political rights are respected; 59 Partly Free countries (1,442.2 billion people; 23.80 percent of the world’s population) in which there is a mixed record with more limited political rights and civil liberties often accompanied by corruption, weak rule of law, and the inordinate political dominance of a ruling party in some cases characterized by ethnic or religious strife. There are 47 countries rated Not Free (2,151.1 billion people; representing 35.51 percent of the globe’s population), in which basic political rights and civil liberties are denied.
In all, the Survey shows that in the year 2000, there has been significant progress toward freedom in 25 countries and significant setbacks for freedom in 18 countries. Moreover, 40.69 % of people living under freedom is the highest in the history of the survey.
http://www.freedomhouse.org/media/pressrel/121900.htm
2/16/01
11:12:04 AM
Environmental news from GRIST MAGAZINE
<http://www.gristmagazine.com>
1. REGULATORY MAIZE The European Parliament voted yesterday to establish strict rules on the production and marketing of genetically modified foods and pharmaceuticals. Under the rules, companies will have to apply for 10-year licenses to sell genetically modified products and all products will be tracked in a public database marking the locations of crops. A separate bill laying out details about labeling and tracking requirements is expected to pass in the spring. The 15 countries in the European Union now have 18 months to make their laws match the new rules, after which point a three-year-old moratorium on licensing genetically engineered products is likely to be lifted.
straight to the source: New York Times, Donald G. McNeil, Jr., 15 Feb 2001 <http://www.nytimes.com/2001/02/15/health/15FOOD.html>
straight to the source: CNN.com, 14 Feb 2001 <http://www.cnn.com/2001/WORLD/europe/02/14/eu.gm/index.html>
2. SNOW MOBILIZATION Snowmobilers are rushing to Yellowstone this winter to experience what might be the second-to-last year snowmobiles are allowed in the national park. The Clinton administration in December issued a rule to ban snowmobiles in the park by the winter of 2003-04 because of concerns about air pollution, noise, and harassment of wildlife. But Rep. Jim Hansen (R-Utah), head of the House Resources Committee, has made it a top priority to repeal the ban, and the snowmobile industry has sued to prevent the new rule from taking place. President Bush and Interior Secretary Gale Norton have yet to indicate where they will come down on the issue. Care to guess?
straight to the source: USA Today, Tom Kenworthy, 15 Feb 2001 <http://www.usatoday.com/usatonline/20010215/3069521s.htm>
3. WE WHO ARE ABOUT TO POLLUTE CELLUCCI YOU Enviros are crying foul that Massachusetts Gov. Paul Cellucci (R) is considering gutting pollution limits for the state's dirtiest power plants. To great fanfare last May, Cellucci announced a plan under which the plants would have to halve their emissions within three years. But an anonymous source in his administration told the Boston Globe that Cellucci may cave on the plan under pressure from plant owners who claim that tougher rules may bring about a California-like energy crisis in Massachusetts.
4. SPEEDY DELIVERY FedEx Express asked auto manufacturers this week to submit proposals for a commercial delivery truck that has 90 percent less emissions and is 50 percent more fuel-efficient than current models. The delivery giant has been working with the Alliance for Environmental Innovation since the spring of 2000 to figure out how to make its truck fleet more environmentally friendly.
straight to the source: Planet Ark, Reuters, 15 Feb 2001 <http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9825>
5. THE CAPITAL SCHLEPPS The Sierra Club sued the U.S. EPA yesterday for extending the deadline for the Washington metro area to meet federal air pollution limits for ozone. The area missed the original deadline of November 1999, and the EPA granted it a reprieve last month until 2005, without reclassifying the region from a "serious" to "severe" non-attainment area. Enviros want the area reclassified, which would force state and local officials in Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia to put tighter limits on polluters and shift transportation funds from new roads and other sprawl-happy projects to improved mass transit. If they are successful in their suit, enviros hope to set a precedent for forcing the reclassification of other metro regions that fail to meet clean air standards.
straight to the source: Washington Post, Anita Huslin, 15 Feb 2001 <http://washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A6336-2001Feb14.html>
Also in GRIST MAGAZINE today:
A walk in the park -- a day in the life of Mike Houck, Audubon Society of Portland <http://www.gristmagazine.com/grist/week/houck021401.stm>
Generation green -- young people actually doing some good (shocking) -- and other gems from assorted magazines in our Best of the Rest section <http://www.gristmagazine.com/grist/best/best012601.stm#generation>
A big slice of econ pie -- a review of "You Can't Eat GNP" in our Books Unbound section <http://www.gristmagazine.com/grist/books/books111000.stm>
2/16/01
7:23:12 AM
Dear Roger Daltrey, The Earth is dying and it is terible. My mum says you were world-beating with the How and so i thought maybe you can stop all this. Please Roger ,beat the world by holding a concert that will unify all nations and stop the corporations dumping battry acid in our rivers.
Love,
Joanna May 10years old (a lot younger than our beatiful world)
2/15/01
2:02:09 PM
Public Citizen
Cash, Relationships Help Explain Bush Administration's Hands-Off Policy in California Electricity Crisis
Top Power Suppliers Gave Millions to Republicans; Two Key Power Companies Headed by Men With Close Ties to Bush
WASHINGTON, D.C. ¯ Nine power companies and a trade association that stand to gain the most from President Bush's hands-off policy in California contributed more than $4 million to Republican candidates and party committees during the last election, and some of the company heads have close personal ties to Bush, according to a new Public Citizen report.
Three of the companies ¯ Enron, Reliant Energy and Dynegy ¯ are based in Texas and gave more than $1.5 million to Bush's campaign, his inauguration committee, and the Republican National Committee, which served, in effect, as an arm of the Bush presidential campaign. Two companies ¯ Enron and Reliant Energy ¯ are headed or steered by Kenneth Lay and James Baker III, both close Bush advisors.
According to the report, the contributions and personal relationships could explain why the Bush administration has refused requests by bipartisan groups of eight western governors and 20 members of the California congressional delegation to intervene in the California and regional power crisis, and cap wholesale electricity prices. The companies and the association more than doubled their contributions in 1999-2000 compared to the last presidential cycles, as they pushed for deregulation in Congress and across the nation.
"It seems clear that the Bush administration is trying to return the favors done by friends and donors," Public Citizen President Joan Claybrook said. "Bush is helping out his buddies at the expense of every consumer in California, and his refusal to cap wholesale prices is threatening to wreak havoc on the entire western region of the United States."
The Bush administration has the authority to intervene in the crisis through the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), which can impose "just and reasonable" wholesale prices, according to federal law. However, Bush has declined to call on FERC to act in the face of price-gouging by and skyrocketing profits of wholesale power companies. Recently, FERC imposed such price caps in the Northeastern United States.
Public Citizen's analysis, available on the Web at
http://www.citizen.org/cmep/restructuring/ReportGotJuiceFeb%2012.PDF
shows that the trade association, the top nine power suppliers involved in California's market and their executives gave nearly $4.1 million to Republican candidates and party committees, including more than $1.5 million to Bush and the Republican National Committee. In addition, they gave $500,000 to the Bush-Cheney inaugural committee during the 1999-2000 election cycle.
"This once again shows why we so desperately need genuine, loophole-free campaign finance reform that removes the ability of big corporations to push their agendas onto the rest of the country," said Wenonah Hauter, director of Public Citizen's Critical Mass Energy and Environment Program. "Clearly, the money in this case is having a huge impact on the way the administration handles energy issues."
The top three contributing companies were Enron, Southern Company and Reliant Energy. The remaining seven entities are the Edison Electric Institute (an industry association), Williams Companies, Duke Energy, Arizona Public Service, Dynegy, AES Corp. and Calpine.
Enron's CEO is Kenneth Lay, a long-time Bush family friend and an architect of Bush's policies on electricity deregulation, taxes and tort reform while Bush was Texas governor. Baker, who serves on Reliant Energy's board of directors, is also a long-time Bush family adviser who oversaw Bush's legal efforts in the Florida election controversy. Baker Botts, the Houston law firm founded by Baker's great-grandfather and where Baker is a partner, was one of the largest contributors to the Bush campaign, contributing $113,621 in 1999-2000.
Further, two Reliant Energy top brass are members of the Bush "Pioneers," an elite group of people who pledged to raise at least $100,000 each to help launch Bush's presidential campaign. Bush Pioneer Don D. Jordan was CEO and chairman of Reliant Energy until June 1999 and December 1999 respectively. Pioneer Steve Letbetter, Reliant Energy's current CEO, is a long-time top corporate officer of the company. The company and its employees gave $47,000 to Bush's gubernatorial campaigns in 1994 and 1998, and gave Bush and the RNC $289,000 for last year's election.
Many have blamed California's energy crisis on a faulty deregulation plan in which the government could cap the rates utilities charged consumers but was not permitted to control the prices wholesalers charged the utilities. As a result, the utilities have been threatening to file for bankruptcy because they cannot charge customers enough to cover what they owe wholesalers.
Meanwhile, the price of wholesale electricity in California was 276 percent higher last year than in 1999, and the top 10 sellers and marketers posted profits that were 54 percent higher in 2000 than in 1999, according to the companies' published financial reports.
Three of the Houston companies ¯ Enron, Reliant Energy and Dynegy ¯ reaped huge profits last year. According to company financial reports filed with the federal Securities and Exchange Commission, Enron posted a 42 percent increase in profits last year, while Reliant's profits rose 55 percent and Dynegy realized a whopping 210 percent profit. Profits for the other six companies ranged from 3 percent (Southern Company) to 240 percent (Calpine).
2/15/01
11:53:00 AM
ENVIRONMENT NEWS SERVICE (ENS)
"We Cover the Earth For You"
FISHERIES DECLINING AROUND THE GLOBE
ROME, Italy, February 13, 2001 (ENS) - Fish populations around the world are in a continuing decline, prompted by rising fish catches, consumption and trade, finds a new report by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization. "Most of the world's fishing areas have apparently reached their maximum potential for capture fisheries production, with the majority of stocks being fully exploited," the report warns.
For full text and graphics visit: http://ens.lycos.com/ens/feb2001/2001L-02-14-06.html
CONGRESS ASKED TO BAN MTBE, PROMOTE ETHANOL
By Brian Hansen
WASHINGTON, DC, February 14, 2000 (ENS) - A crop of Illinois corn farmers joined a detachment of federal lawmakers in the U.S. Capitol today to unveil a bill that would ban the gasoline additive MTBE and promote the use of ethanol, an environmentally friendly grain based fuel.
For full text and graphics visit: http://ens-news.com/ens/feb2001/2001L-02-13-06.html
GOODALL AND MUSEUM OPEN A VALENTINE FOR DENVER KIDS
DENVER, Colorado, February 14, 2001 (ENS) - A world of adventure and experimentation in science, art and nature at the Children's Museum of Denver became richer today with a Valentine's Day gift of collaboration from celebrated conservationist Dr. Jane Goodall.
For full text and graphics visit: http://ens-news.com/ens/feb2001/2001L-02-14-01.html
FARMING METHODS RISK WORLD FOOD PRODUCTION
WASHINGTON, DC, February 14, 2001 (ENS) - How will the world feed an extra 1.5 billion people over the next two decades when current farming methods have already jeopardized world food production? That is the question posed by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and the World Resources Institute (WRI) in a report released today.
For full text and graphics, visit: http://ens.lycos.com/ens/feb2001/2001L-02-14-11.html
UK PICK VALENTINE'S DAY TO PROTECT RARE LOVE NESTS
LONDON, United Kingdom, February 14, 2001 (ENS) - The UK government picked Valentine's Day to announce a new scheme to protect one of the country's rarest birds and their love nests.
For full text and graphics, visit: http://ens.lycos.com/ens/feb2001/2001L-02-14-12.html
RESEARCHERS COUNT ON YOU TO COUNT BIRDS
NEW YORK, New York, February 14, 2001 (ENS) - Armchair naturalists, take note. This weekend, you can help scientists learn more about birds just by looking out your window. The fourth annual Great Backyard Bird Count, February 16 through 19, allows people of all ages and backgrounds to help monitor bird populations across North America.
For full text and graphics visit: http://ens.lycos.com/ens/feb2001/2001L-02-14-07.html
CAYMANS POLICE CHARGE TRIO WITH WILDLIFE SMUGGLING
GEORGE TOWN, Cayman Islands, February 14, 2001 (ENS) - Government investigators have uncovered an alleged smuggling ring attempting to remove plants and animals from the Cayman Islands.
For full text and graphics, visit: http://ens.lycos.com/ens/feb2001/2001L-02-14-10.html
ENVIRONMENT NEWS SERVICE AMERISCAN: FEBRUARY 14, 2002
Hawaiians Oppose Ocean Carbon Dumping
Military Groups Must Review Impacts on Pronghorn
Utility Sued Over Lack of Emissions Controls
Sigurd Olson's Listening Point Protected Forever
PETA Sues EPA over Animal Testing
Birds Beat Mammals 10 To One for Fidelity
Eagles Share Love Online
Courtship Underway at Ohio's Peregrine Sites
For full text and graphics visit: http://ens.lycos.com/ens/feb2001/2001L-02-14-09.html
SEND NEWS STORY TIPS TO news@ens-news.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Paving the Planet: Cars and Crops Competing for Land
WASHINGTON, DC, Feb. 14 -/E-Wire/-- As the new century begins, the competition between cars and crops for cropland is intensifying. Until now, the paving over of cropland has occurred largely in industrial countries, home to four fifths of the world's 520 million automobiles. But now, more and more farmland is being sacrificed in developing countries with hungry populations, calling into question the future role of the car.
/CONTACT: Reah Janise Kauffman, Worldwatch Institute, 1776 Massachusetts Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20036-1904, PHONE: (202) 452-1992 x 514, FAX: (202) 296-7365,
rjkauffman@worldwatch.org/
http://www.worldwatch.org/alerts/indexia.html/
http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Feb01/14Feb0107.html
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Introducing All-Natural PROSENSUAL®; The Only Topical Sexually Stimulating Personal Lubricant
New Non-Prescription Lubricant Can Help Augment Sexual Arousal and Enhance Sexual Pleasure for Women of All Ages
FAIRLAWN, NJ, Feb. 14 -/E-Wire/-- The introduction of ProSensual®, a new, topical sexually stimulating personal lubricant that enhances sexual sensation, augments arousal, and increases sexual pleasure in women, will be welcome news to the 100 million sexually active women in the United States. ProSensual is recommended by physicians and sex therapists for women who experience symptoms of Female Sexual Dysfunction and Female Sexual Arousal Disorder, broad terms used to describe low sex drive, failure to attain or maintain lubrication and subjective sense of excitement during sexual activity, difficulty in achieving orgasm and inability to become sexually aroused.
/CONTACT: Dawn Maniglia / Karen Parziale, Brainstorm Communications, 718.968.0515 / 201.222.1309, PRIDEAS@aol.com/
http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Feb01/14Feb0104.html
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Industry Meets Environment in New International Society
NEW YORK, NY, Feb. 14 -/E-Wire/-- A community of researchers, policy makers, industrial strategists, and environmental advocates today announced the launch of the International Society of Industrial Ecology (the Society). The new field of industrial ecology applies ecological concepts to the organization and operation of industry.
/CONTACT: Cynthia Neale,(908) 221-7249, cneale@att.com/
http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Feb01/14Feb0106.html
TO EDUCATION AND SCIENCE EDITORS:
The Children's Museum of Denver(TM) Announces $1 Million Science Initiative And Environmental Literacy Collaboration with The Jane Goodall Institute(TM)
Nearly 22,000 Denver Public Schools, Second Grade Students to Benefit
DENVER, CO, Feb. 14 -/E-Wire/-- World-renowned conservationist, Dr. Jane Goodall and The Children's Museum of Denver today announced a $1 million Science Initiative and Environmental Literacy Collaboration. Calling it "a Valentine's Day gift to the environment," the Museum's Science Initiative goal is to foster respect and compassion for all living things and to inspire young children and their adult caregivers to take action to make the world a better place for animals, the environment, and the human community. Simultaneous with this announcement is the celebrated kick-off of the Museum's development campaign for funding the Science Initiative and Environmental Literacy Collaboration.
/CONTACT: Wendy Holmes, 303-561-0111, cell, 720-849-6730, for The Children's Museum of Denver/
http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Feb01/14Feb0105.html
TO FEATURES AND ENVIRONMENTAL EDITORS:
Try a Cup of Bird-Friendly Brew During National Coffee Week
WASHINGTON, DC, Feb. 14 -/E-Wire/-- National Specialty Coffee Week is Feb. 12-19 and Environmental Media Services (EMS) has put together background and contacts for reporters on the ultimate specialty brew: "shade-grown." Besides helping family farms, choosing shade-grown coffee ensures the survival of those songbirds in your backyard.
/CONTACT: Liz Banse, EMS, 206/374-7795 ext.35 (Seattle)/
http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Feb01/14Feb0103.html
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Itronics Featured in Golf Course Management The Premier Publication for the Nation's Golf Course Superintendents
RENO, NV, Feb. 14 -/E-Wire/-- Itronics Inc. (OTC BB: ITRO), a world leader in photochemical recycling, has been featured in a story in Golf Course Management, the official publication of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America, which circulates to more than 37,700 golf course superintendents and landscape management professionals monthly.
/CONTACT: Paul Knopick, 888/795-6336/
http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Feb01/14Feb0102.html
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
VIATRU(TM) and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston Announce Partnership: Bringing Visible Commerce(TM) to Consumers
New Digital DocumentariesEAllow MFA Customers to See and Hear the Story Behind Socially Responsible Products
SEATTLE, WA, Feb. 14 -/E-Wire/-- Viatru (TM), a unique digital media services company that enables retailers to identify, authenticate and sell products created in socially responsible ways, today announced a new partnership with the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA). Utilizing Viatru's Visible Commerce(TM) Platform, the MFA will unveil a poppy bed linen collection inspired by a centuries old summer carpet that once adorned India's Mughal courts and now is part of the Museum's collection.
/CONTACT: Paula Marmion, 425.712.8387, PMA500@aol.com/
http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Feb01/14Feb0101.html
SEND YOUR PRESS RELEASE ON E-WIRE -- 1-888-764-NEWS
2/15/01
11:38:19 AM
look at all you see in the world around you, ask yourself how it makes you feel, get angry, get very angry and know that anger, know why it is residing within you, it is because by dis respecting the Earth, the moving ball on which we live, we disrespect life itself, and our dis respect for life will become life's dis respect for us. I plead to all who live in America, especially the young, wake up, know thyself, for it is you and you alone who will save life, many other countries do not have the resources, education, or economy to even hold their own heads above water, so the salvation must come from those few, the ones who can do something; when the system comes crashing down, be ready to bury it, and when true love is returned, be ready to carry it. I love you all.
2/15/01
11:32:42 AM
World Environment News from Planet Ark
Doing environmental research? Search our news archives at: http://www.planetark.org/searchhome.cfm
Boise Cascade closes Idaho wood-burning power plant - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9817
Shell sees growing role for natgas, renewables - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9818
Groups tell Bush, Whitman - "Diesel rule cannot wait" - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9823
Calif. may revive utility program to save electricity - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9824
FedEx seeks fuel efficient trucks - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9825
Emergency ban closes fifth of N.Sea to cod fishing - UK http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9820
BP reiterates support for opening Alaska reserve - UK http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9822
UPDATE - Taiwan to resume building nuclear plant - TAIWAN http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9815
Norway greens in court trying stop wolf hunt - NORWAY http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9814
EU assembly approves tough new GM rules - FRANCE http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9821
Chemical sector has 2bn euro bill in EU toxic plan - EU http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9813
Prague agrees to N-plant environmental study - AUSTRIA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9819
Windmills to power Australian Antarctic bases - AUSTRALIA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9816
2/15/01
11:31:08 AM
FAIR-L
Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting
Media analysis, critiques and news reports
New Report:
FEAR & FAVOR 2000: FAIR's First Annual Report on How Power Shapes the News
February 14, 2001
FAIR is pleased to announce our first annual roundup of the year's most egregious examples of owner, advertiser and government influence on the news: "Fear & Favor 2000: How Power Shapes the News."
A "serious" talkshow turns itself into an infomercial for Campbell's Soup, complete with a veteran news anchor leading a chorus of the "M'm, m'm, good!" jingle. A Boston reporter is suspended without pay after writing critically about a bank that is a major advertiser in his paper. A network news show interviews a sock puppet-- a puppet that is the mascot for a company the network's owner has a stake in.
Welcome to the sometimes whimsical, frightening world of the corporate-owned media, where the "fear and favor" of the powers that be can shape-- and twist-- the news. A few items detailed in the report:
--In the final days of the 2000 presidential campaign, conservative Pittsburgh Tribune-Review publisher Richard Mellon Scaife ordered all photos and prominent mentions of Al Gore removed from the front page. As a result, the pre-election Sunday edition featured George W. Bush in every front-page campaign-related headline and photo.
--The AP's longtime Bolivia correspondent, Peter McFarren, resigned amidst revelations that he had lobbied the Bolivian legislature for a $78 million water privatization project profiting a foundation he presided over. One of the biggest stories in Bolivia, water policy was central to McFarren's beat. After a query from FAIR, the AP did a story on the resignation, but glossed over key aspects.
--After receiving pre-publication complaints from various bigwigs, Brill's Content watered down a piece whose subject-- entertainment reporter Lynn Hirschberg-- apparently has too many powerful friends. Brill's editor David Kuhn reportedly told staffers, "You don't understand: I have to go to cocktail parties with these people."
Many journalists have heard war stories about controversial articles that got cut or quashed before they were written, or, more chillingly, of careers cut short. The breakneck consolidation of media ownership means news divisions are increasingly subject to corporate control, but it can be difficult to find documentation of specific instances in which this has distorted the news. With that in mind, FAIR has compiled reports of some of the most outrageous examples of "fear and favor" in the newsroom from the last year.
We hope "Fear & Favor 2000" will serve to support journalists who are struggling to seek truth and report it, empower the public to demand accountability from the media and inspire all of us to fight back when the powerful try to restrict the free flow of information.
Read the full report online: http://www.fair.org/ff2000.html
NEW YORK CITY EVENT:
FAIR's Janine Jackson, Program Director and co-host of CounterSpin, will be presenting "Fear & Favor 2000" to the public on Friday, February 16 (details below). Joining FAIR will be Blake Fleetwood and Frances Cerra Whittelsey, two former New York Times reporters with their own stories of "fear and favor" in the newsroom.
"Fear & Favor 2000: How Power Shapes the News" Friday, February 16, 6:30 PM Housing Works Used Book Café 126 Crosby St (between Prince and Houston), New York *Free and Open to the Public*
2/14/01
6:30:22 PM
Earth Day is just over 2 months away!
Dear friends,
This April, thousands of organizations will take action in their communities to call for global sustainability and hope. Please join us in making this Earth Day a turning point in the way human beings treat the Earth, and each other.
REGISTER YOUR EVENT online at
http://www.earthday.net/event/signup.asp
Every Earth Day action matters, whatever its size, and whatever issue it relates to. If you do something for the Earth on 22 April, you are part of a powerful force for change.
Thank you very much for being part of the Earth Day Network.
EVENT HIGHLIGHTS
Set out below are just a few examples of what will be happening for Earth Day this year:
GLOBAL
Coral Reef Alliance (CORAL) is coordinating the 2nd annual Dive In to Earth Day event. During the week leading up to Earth Day, divers and underwater enthusiasts will get wet and have fun at dive sites throughout the world. The global celebration aims to raise awarenessof and inspire action to protect our coral reefs, oceans, lakes,rivers, and beaches. For more information, visit
http://divein.coralreefalliance.org
In Japan, ASAP 21 is creating an online Earth Day Photo Gallery, which will feature photos and streaming video of Earth Day actions across the globe. For more information, or to post your photos to the site, please contact
inquiry@asap21.org or visit http://www.asap21.org
Earth Day is all about people banding together to achieve what none of us could achieve on our own. Each of you is important in this effort. Acting together, who says we can't change the world?
We look forward to hearing what you will be doing on Earth Day 2001.
For the Earth,
Earth Day Network Worldwide Team
Serryn Janson
Vickery Prongay
Helen Couture Rodriguez
Sierra James
Leigh-Anne Havemann
HELP SPREAD THE EARTH DAY NETWORK...
Invite your friends andcolleagues to become involved in Earth Day. They can subscribe to this list by sending a message to
worldwide@earthday.net
with the word "subscribe" in the subject line.
2/14/01
6:06:22 PM
..."Are we or are we not on the brink of extinction, because of materialism?"
The feedback thus far to the, "Madness of Materialism" articles, has been quite interesting. It is in fact fascinating to me to witness such a spectacle. This is partly because I always tend to have more confidence in the lucidity of people, than they do for themselves.
Even after extensive evidence has been carefully laid out before you, many persons still ignore it as either irrelevant, improperly focused or ill-mannered. When I introduced the subject of materialism, (and the rejection of this Western society upon which it is based) I did so to generate a debate on the issue. What has transpired thus far is not what one could call a debate. No real examination of any subjects has been approached. None of the points or concepts brought up thus far have generated any in-depth evaluation as to their TRUTH OR UNTRUTH. All that has been really discussed, is whether or not the responding people like or dislike the subject matter, or the manner of its presentation.
For instance, when I asked, "ARE we or are we not, as a species, on the brink of extinction?", there was not even a single response.
When I asked, "Did we (the United States)or did we not, bomb Iraq for oil", there was not even a single response.
When I said that the materialistic lifestyle has and is destroying the environment, no one said a thing. When I mentioned that materialism is at the basis of the worlds' lack of spirituality, and for most if not all of the wars ever fought, this went unmentioned.
When I mentioned that materialistic ideology is at the heart of public miseries, and is the primary source for personal and collective human suicide, this statement has never been touched upon by most replies.
Most of you have chosen to view these statements as a personal affront, or a misguided focus upon "negative" subject matter, or that the approach has been "judgemental" or "venemous". In other words, you choose to deny that these world problems are a reality, or would rather turn this into a personal contest between myself and each of you. I have asked myself what this implies, in terms of the ongoing survival of humanity. The conclusions that are forthcoming are rather grim. It is easy to imagine the wives or Roman senators saying basically the same thing as many of you have, just before the Great Fall of the Empire. So these posts about materialism have made some feel uncomfortable. Well now, isn't that a shame! Perhaps many of you would benefit from more frequent travels abroad.
I wonder to myself just how bad the world picture has to get, before people become serious about their lifestyles and their spiritual practice. There is a term used in military circles called "acceptable losses", which is applied to troops, weapons and supplies in war time. To win a battle, generals calculate the probable losses of "material" in order to accomplish their aims. In order to hold a position or attack an enemy outpost, 5000 dead men and 5 million dollars worth of destroyed weapons, for instance, may be considered an "acceptable loss" given the objective. Many of the replies given to these posts on materialism remind me of the philosophy of "acceptable losses". You are wiiling to make compromises on every front of daily living, just so that you can maintain your materialistic lifestyle...you know, the washer/dryer, the new car, the fancy house, manicured lawn, $400 suits and dresses, diamond and gold jewelry, antique collections and the whole lot. For these items you are willing to turn a blind eye to environmental destruction, social injustice, war for convenience, corruption in government, poverty and starvation the world over.
I wonder to myself just how bad things have to get before you say "enough is enough" and I just wont believe in the "system" or its associated lifestyle any more! At what point in your various priviledged luxuries are you willing to say, "OK, these are not 'acceptable losses' just for the sake of convenience".
For instance, when we talk about how many species of the Earth have already become extinct because of materialistic ideology and lifestyle, we must refer not to only one extinct species, or ten, or a thousand or even five thousand, but tens of thousands of species which are now extinct. How many more thousands of species of animal have to die before you give up your aligator hide boots, or your fur jacket, your 4- 6 bedroom $250,000 mansion, or your $5000 speed boat?
How many people must starve to death because of our economic sanctions or covert pay-offs before you refuse to buy that next set of fancy ear rings, or monogrammed golf clubs, or silver tea set? A thousand? 5000? A million? A billion? Everyone except you?
How many political scandals of all kinds, how many killings and how many lost civil liberties are going to have to occur before you stop believing in governments and televised brainwashing? How many of our own children must fall prey to materialistic self-suicide before we say that these are not acceptable losses? 100 scandals? 1000 children? 10,000 scandals or 50 million children? Your own children?
I say these things to you because they have relevance in the world today. It is very clear to me that on the one hand what we focus upon is what we strengthen, including negativity. But the above conclusions and facts are not negative. They are merely factual. If an apple is rotten then we do not call this conclusion a "judgement" or "negative" and proceed to bite into it anyway. We merely face the reality of the matter and eat an apple that is not rotten.
Focusing upon the events of the world in a realistic and factual manner, does not imply a reinforcement of those social problems. The intelligent person is able to distinguish between the logical evaluation of a subject matter, (and its equally logical conclusion) and a blindly emotional reaction to it that accomplishes nothing but its exacerbation. In order for us to address the world situation with the INTENT of remedying its imbalances, part of our task is to SEE THINGS AS THEY REALLY ARE AT THE SOCIAL LEVEL, and not merely repeat another spiritual catch-phrase. This is what is known as REALISM. Avoiding the modern social reality is known as DENIAL. These are merely the facts of the matter, like them or not. In fact, your liking them or not is completely beside the point. As adults we must soemtimes face a little unpleasantness and even occasional change at a fundamental level. This is known as RESPONSIBILITY.
And no, I don't think God is going to descend from some heavenly abode and clean up our mess for us. What does the child learn who makes messes and whose parents always clean up after them?
As a few people have rightly suggested to me, I would like to move this conversation to the "finding solutions phase". But before we do that, I personally would like to feel that the majority here will at least acknowledge that there is a grave problem with the world at present, and also with the way we, as a culture, are living life. I believe most of us are still in denial about materialism, and for this reason I intend to post the Madness of Materialism, Part 6.
Now that the difference between a personal contest and the adult discussion of an issue has been clarified, I ask you again to factually address the points and facts made by the articles on materialism.
Let's boil it down for now to one primary question..."Are we or are we not on the brink of extinction, because of materialism?"
Matthew Wayne Webb
http://origin.org/ucs/ucs011.cfm?V098=visionQ
United Communities of Spirit
2/14/01
5:58:33 PM
THERE'S A RAGE IN THE CAGE
Plans are underway in the U.S. to test the first genetically engineered insect in the wild. Researchers are trying to manipulate the genes of the pink bollworm moth -- an insect known for destroying cotton crops around the world -- so that it eventually eradicates itself. U.S. regulators are expected to give the green light to field tests this summer in Arizona. Enviros will probably protest the experiment, but the researchers say they will take precautions to keep the moths in cages to prevent them from escaping and breeding with wild populations.
BBC News, Helen Briggs, 09 Feb 2001 http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_1150000/1150796.stm
2/14/01
5:23:41 PM
INJECTING MAD COW FEAR IN USA
Dear Friends,
One year ago (February, 2000), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) discovered that manufacturers of children's vaccines were using serum from British cows.
Why didn't FDA regulators alert Americans? Why didn't FDA regulators immediately recall the vaccines?
Mad Cow disease experts believe that the substance responsible for mad cow disease (PRION) may have an incubation period of up to forty years.
In 1993, FDA warned pharmaceutical companies not to use cow derived ingredients from European countries for their drugs. That warning has been ignored.
Vaccines may be incubating a 21st century plague. Will millions of innocent young Americans fall victim to FDA'S irresponsible policy and inaction?
Latest estimates are that 7 million European cows will be destroyed during the next two years resulting from Mad Cow Disease fears.
Have your children. friends, or relatives been given polio, diptheria, or other vaccines? Have you? Will the your flu shot protecting you from one selected strain of Asian virus harbor the protein particle that one day turns your brain into a sponge, as it has done to many others?
Robert Cohen
2/14/01
5:01:49 PM
Environmental news from GRIST MAGAZINE
<http://www.gristmagazine.com>
1. HOW NOW MAD COW The European Commission yesterday called for more support for organic agriculture and decreased beef production throughout Europe as a way to counter the mad cow disease crisis. The crisis "demonstrates the need for a return to farming methods that are more in tune with the environment," said the European Union farm commissioner, Franz Fischler. In other news, the commission proposed yesterday that chemical companies should have to prove that their products don't pose treats to human health or the environment -- or else have the chemicals banned from the market. The plan would force companies to evaluate the most common and hazardous chemicals by 2005, with all remaining chemicals tested by 2012.
straight to the source: Newcastle Chronicle and Journal, Anna Lognonne, 14 Feb 2001 <http://www.the-journal.co.uk/cfm/farmingstory.cfm?StoryId=231611>
2. I DEMAND A RECOUNT! How many dollars were spent by candidates for federal office in the last election per registered voter in the U.S.? Nine dollars. How many dollars a year are spent on national parks per person in the U.S? Try six dollars. How many private dollars did George W. Bush raise for his presidential campaign? $124 million. How many dollars did Bush cut from a Texas environment fund to pay for a lawsuit stemming from his cancellation of the state's tailpipe emission testing program? $130 million. Read more really fun facts on the Grist Magazine website.
read it only in Grist Magazine: Recount! -- nifty facts about the election -- in our Counter Culture section <http://www.gristmagazine.com/grist/counter/counter020801.stm>
3. NEWS FLASH: LAW ENFORCEMENT LEADS TO ENFORCED LAWS Even though North Carolina has the most far-reaching soil runoff laws in the U.S., it still isn't keeping its rivers clean, say scientists who've been studying the issue for four years. The problem, they say, is that the state doesn't have a strong enough inspection regimen in place. The scientists from the University of North Carolina found that less soil washed off construction sites that were visited frequently by government inspectors, while significant runoff problems existed at sites that were visited less often. State officials weren't shocked by the conclusions, but they expressed little hope of getting money for additional inspectors.
4. THIS AIN'T THE PLACE Utah is home to the country's No. 1 air polluter and an enviro study has found that Utah's Tooele County leads the country in chemical releases that affect child development and learning, reports the Salt Lake Deseret News in an eight-part series on Toxic Utah. Indeed, people across Utah talk about how public safety and environmental health have been sacrificed in the name of corporate profits. They tell stories about how government and industry have worked together to bury the truth about the dangers of uranium mining, nuclear and chemical weapons testing, and radioactive waste storage.
straight to the source: Salt Lake Deseret News <http://www.deseretnews.com/dn/sview/1,3329,250010204,00.html>
catch it only in Grist Magazine: Desert storm -- Utah residents fight back against toxic contamination -- in our Books Unbound section http://www.gristmagazine.com/grist/books/books100400.stm
5. OLIVE YOU JUST THE WAY YOU ARE, EXCEPT FOR THE EROSION Olive farming in southern Europe is leading to desertification and other environmental ills, according to a report prepared for the European Commission. The report said that soil erosion is the most serious problem linked to olive farming, and that "inappropriate" methods of weed control and poor soil-management practices are causing big runoff problems, with chemicals ending up in bodies of water. It said that future subsidies to olive farmers should be tied to their environmental performance.
straight to the source: Planet Ark, Reuters, David Brough, 13 Feb 2001 <http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9799>
Also in GRIST MAGAZINE today:
I'd do anything for love (but I won't do that) -- a cartoon by Suzy Becker http://www.gristmagazine.com/grist/ha/ha021301.stm
Dr. Ruth, meet Dr. Doolittle -- the ins and outs of matchmaking for cranes -- in our Main Dish column <http://www.gristmagazine.com/grist/maindish/ness021400.stm>
No island is an island -- a day in the life of Mike Houck, Audubon Society of Portland <http://www.gristmagazine.com/grist/week/houck021301.stm>
2/14/01
3:08:48 PM
Public Citizen
Strong Radiation Protection Standards Essential For Scientific Decision on Yucca Mountain Nuclear Repository
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Bush administration should develop strong radiation protection standards for the proposed Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository to protect