8/3/02
2:50:56 PM
ScienceDaily.com
WIRING THE FASHION TREND OF THE FUTURE: NASA ENGINEERS DEVELOPING WEARABLE "AUGMENTED REALITY" COMPUTER
Looking for the ultimate accessory? Someday, you might be able to wear your computer. JPL engineer Ann Devereaux is hard at work developing the Wearable Augmented Reality Prototype (Warp), a personal communication device. The voice- activated wearable computer allows easy, real-time access to voice communication, pictures, video, people and technical reports.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2002/07/020729074543.htm
PATTERN OF NEWBORN INFECTIONS CHANGES
During the 1990s, the pattern of early infections among very low birth weight (VLBW) infants changed significantly, according to a National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)- funded study that appears in the current issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. Specifically, the proportion of early infections caused by a group of disease-causing organisms known as gram-negative bacteria increased, while the proportion of early infections caused by another group of disease-causing organisms called gram-positive bacteria decreased.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2002/07/020729074748.htm
UCLA RESEARCHERS COOL HOT SILICON CHIPS BY SPRAYING THEM WITH WATER
Borrowing from a method often used to cool down on a hot summer day, researchers at the UCLA engineering school are coaxing more efficiency out of hot silicon chips by spraying them with water. The technology has numerous applications including improving the efficiency of the communications platform aboard unmanned aircraft and the performance of electric car and train motors.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2002/07/020729073605.htm
FIRST EVER CENSUS OF JAGUARS COMPLETED; NEW TECHNIQUE COULD DETERMINE ACCURATE POPULATION OF BIG CAT
Using a methodology developed to count tigers half a world away, a team of scientists from the Bronx Zoo-based Wildlife Conservation Society has completed the first-ever census of one of the world's most elusive big cats the jaguar. The scientists presented their findings at the annual meeting of the Society of Conservation Biology, which met in Canterbury, England last week
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2002/07/020729074948.htm
AIR POLLUTION LINKED WITH RISK FOR EXERCISE-INDUCED HEART DAMAGE
Breathing polluted air, especially smoky exhaust that billows from factory smokestacks and the tailpipes of some diesel-powered buses and trucks, is bad for people with heart disease, according to the first study of its kind reported in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2002/07/020730075756.htm
CARBON NANOTUBES FOUND TO FLUORESCE; OPTICAL PROPERTIES COULD PROVE USEFUL IN BIOMEDICAL, NANOELECTRONIC APPLICATIONS
Add fluorescence to the growing list of unique physical properties associated with carbon nanotubes -- the ultrasmall, ultrastrong wunderkind of the fullerene family of carbon molecules.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2002/07/020730075519.htm
SEX GENES OF FISH DISRUPTED BY COMMON HOUSEHOLD PRODUCTS
Traces of ordinary products, flushed and tossed away from millions of homes, gardens and garages, are likely more harmful to the sexual development and reproduction of fish in the Chesapeake Bay than scientists previously thought. The large, shallow Bay-average depth of less than 30 feet-with hundreds of tributaries, has long been considered by ecologists as a very favorable habitat for fish spawning, hatching and nurseries.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2002/07/020730075836.htm
NEW STUDY SHOWS PASSIVE CIGARETTE SMOKE AT LEAST DOUBLES RISK OF CANCER IN CATS
Cats living in homes where people smoke cigarettes are more than twice as likely as other cats to acquire a deadly form of cancer known as feline lymphoma, according to a first-of-its kind study in cats conducted by scientists at Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine and the University of Massachusetts.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2002/07/020730075305.htm
RESEARCHERS LINK INCREASED RISK OF ILLNESS TO SEWAGE SLUDGE USED AS FERTILIZER
Burning eyes, burning lungs, skin rashes and other symptoms of illness have been found in a study of residents living near land fertilized with Class B biosolids, a byproduct of the human waste treatment process.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2002/07/020730075144.htm
NEW MOLECULAR TEMPLATE MAKES VIRTUE OF VARIATION
Why would an uneven coating of gold on a silica surface excite any interest, much less earn cover-story honors in a respected scientific journal? This uneven coating - nanoparticles of gold in a layer that changes from very dense to very sparse across a surface of selected molecules - will allow improvements in a wide range of processes and devices. And it's the decreasing concentration of the coating and overlaying particles, the designed-in gradient, that has chemical engineers and physicists taking note.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2002/07/020730075047.htm
SCIENTISTS DETERMINE AGE OF NEW WORLD MAP; "VINLAND MAP" PARCHMENT PREDATES COLUMBUS'S ARRIVAL IN NORTH AMERICA
Scientists from the University of Arizona, the U.S. Department of Energys Brookhaven National Laboratory, and the Smithsonian Institution have used carbon-dating technology to determine the age of a controversial parchment that might be the first-ever map of North America. In a paper to be published in the July 2002 issue of the journal Radiocarbon, the scientists conclude that the so-called Vinland Map parchment dates to approximately 1434 A.D., or nearly 60 years before Christopher Columbus set foot in the West Indies.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2002/07/020730075001.htm
COSMIC RAYS LINKED TO GLOBAL WARMING
Researchers studying global warming have often been confounded by the differences between observed increases in surface-level temperatures and unchanging low-atmosphere temperatures. Because of this discrepancy, some have argued that global warming is unproven, suggesting instead that true warming should show uniformly elevated temperatures from the surface through the atmosphere. Researchers have proposed a theory that changes in cloud cover could help explain the puzzling phenomenon, but none-until now-have come up with an argument that could account for the varying heat profiles.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2002/07/020731080631.htm
STRONG STATISTICAL CORRELATION BETWEEN PREVALENCE OF DIABETES, AIR POLLUTION
A dramatic statistical correlation between the prevalence of diabetes and air pollution levels has been demonstrated by a University at Buffalo researcher who publishes his observations in the August issue of the journal, Diabetes Care.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2002/07/020731080856.htm
MORE QUALITY, NOT MORE WEIGHT, MAY MAKE VEHICLES SAFER, UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN RESEARCHER SAYS
A University of Michigan physicist and a research scientist are questioning the belief that bigger and heavier vehicles are automatically safer than other cars and trucks.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2002/07/020731081029.htm
UK SCIENTISTS CRACK LOBSTER SHELL COLOR PUZZLE
UK researchers announced a first this week when they reported their discovery of how lobsters change colour from the blue-purple of their ocean-floor camouflage to the distinctive orange-red when cooked.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2002/07/020730075631.htm
VOLCANIC HAZARD AT PROPOSED YUCCA MOUNTAIN NUCLEAR WASTE REPOSITORY GREATER THAN PREVIOUSLY THOUGHT
A volcanic eruption might cause greater damage than previously thought to the proposed high-level nuclear waste storage facility beneath Yucca Mountain, Nevada. This, according to research presented by Andrew Woods of the BP Institute, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom, and colleagues this month in the journal, Geophysical Research Letters, published by the American Geophysical Union.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2002/08/020801075418.htm
SCIENTISTS FIND CAUSE OF DEAD CRABS, FISH OFF COAST
An unusual combination of oceanic and atmospheric events may be to blame for a mysterious and sudden die-off of numerous crabs, fish and invertebrate animals off the central Oregon coast during the past two weeks.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2002/08/020801081242.htm
NEW ALLOY COULD IMPROVE GAS MILEAGE, LOWER EMISSIONS
A new high-strength aluminum-silicon alloy developed at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala., promises to lower engine emissions and could improve gas mileage in cars, boats and recreational vehicles. The new alloy, co-invented by Jonathan Lee, a NASA structural materials engineer, was originally developed for the automotive industry.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2002/08/020801081009.htm
THE PREHISTORY OF NEOTROPICAL LOWLAND FORESTS
Although they have persisted for tens of millions of years, neotropical lowland forests have changed greatly in extent and composition due to climatic variation and to human impacts. In a symposium at the 2002 meetings of the Association for Tropical Biology, hosted by the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI), Panama, scientists presented the latest results of research on neotropical forests and their transformations up to the time of Columbus.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2002/08/020801080424.htm
SATELLITES REVEAL A MYSTERY OF LARGE CHANGE IN EARTH'S GRAVITY FIELD
Satellite data since 1998 indicates the bulge in the Earth's gravity field at the equator is growing, and scientists think that the ocean may hold the answer to the mystery of how the changes in the trend of Earth's gravity are occurring.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2002/08/020802074204.htm
CLEMSON RESEARCHERS FIND BACTERIA FIGHTER THAT DOES NOT PROMOTE BACTERIAL RESISTANCE
Health officials fear that lifesaving drugs can lose their effectiveness when overused. They are especially concerned about anti-microbial additives, found in everything from kitchen cleaners to face soaps, because the bacteria they try to kill are becoming resistant. Clemson University scientists have found a new bacteria fighter that does not promote bacterial resistance.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2002/08/020802074620.htm
RESEARCH HELPS EXPLAIN WHY PERCEPTION OF PLEASURE DECREASES WITH CHRONIC COCAINE USE
Investigators demonstrated in rats that repeated starting and stopping of cocaine use decreased the brain's reward function and reduced the pleasurable effects of cocaine. This decrease in pleasure-perception was highly correlated with escalation of cocaine intake.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2002/08/020801080003.htm
HYBRID BUSES OPERATE WITH LOWER EMISSIONS, GREATER FUEL EFFICIENCY
A recently released study by the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE's) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) concludes that hybrid buses operate with lower emissions and greater fuel efficiency than conventional diesel buses.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2002/08/020802074242.htm
1918 HUMAN INFLUENZA EPIDEMIC NO LONGER LINKED TO BIRDS
The Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History historic bird collections was critical in determining that the 1918 influenza pandemic that killed 20 million to 40 million people worldwide did not originate from birds, as previously thought. Wild waterfowl collected between 1915 -1919 were tested for the same hemagglutinin (HA) subtype as that of the 1918 pandemic Influenza A virus. The tests concluded the HA genes were different.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2002/08/020802075526.htm
8/3/02
2:30:47 PM
ENVIRONMENT NEWS SERVICE
"We Cover the Earth For You"
WEST NILE VIRUS CLAIMS FOUR LIVES IN LOUISIANA
BATON ROUGE, Louisiana, August 2, 2002 (ENS) - Four Louisiana citizens are dead and 54 others are sick with the mosquito borne West Nile virus which now has spread to every part of the watery state, health officials said today. The deaths were caused by encephalitis, an infection of the brain caused by West Nile virus.
http://ens-news.com/ens/aug2002/2002-08-02-02.html
SIX YOUNG LEADERS WALK IN BROWER'S FOOTSTEPS
SAN FRANCISCO, California, August 2, 2002 - Six young environmental and community leaders from across the United States have been chosen by Earth Island Institute to receive the 2002 Brower Youth Awards. Awardees were chosen from applicants whose work embodies the principles of conservation, preservation and restoration, what Earth Island Institute founder the late David Brower called "CPR for the Earth."
http://ens-news.com/ens/aug2002/2002-08-02-01.html
EPA REFUSES TO DELAY DIESEL RULE
By Cat Lazaroff
WASHINGTON, DC, August 2, 2002 (ENS) - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has denied requests by manufacturers to delay strict new standards for emissions from diesel engines. On Thursday, the agency finalized a rule establishing monetary penalties for any manufacturers unable to meet the new standards in model year 2004 and beyond.
http://ens-news.com/ens/aug2002/2002-08-02-06.asp
ENVIRONMENT NEWS SERVICE AMERISCAN: AUGUST 2, 2002
SENATE CONFIRMS EPA ENFORCEMENT LEADER
FAST TRACK BILL HEADED FOR BUSH'S SIGNATURE
SENATORS SLAM BUSH'S CLEAR SKIES PLAN
SEWAGE SLUDGE LINKED TO ILLNESSES
STUDY FINDS ETHANOL PRODUCTION ENERGY EFFICIENT
HYBRID BUSES CALLED CLEANER, MORE EFFICIENT
ENDANGERED RABBITS RELEASED INTO THE WILD
METRO RIDERS LEARN ABOUT PESTICIDES, CLEAN AIR
http://ens-news.com/ens/aug2002/2002-08-02-09.asp
8/3/02
2:25:58 PM
Starved For Food, Zimbabwe Rejects U.S. Biotech Corn
by Rick Weiss, The Washington Post, July 31, 2002; Page A12
Thousands of tons of U.S. emergency food aid destined for crisis-stricken Zimbabwe has been diverted to other countries, and a new shipload may be diverted within days, because the donations include genetically modified corn that the Zimbabwean government does not want to accept.
The image of a nation on the brink of starvation turning down food because it has been genetically engineered has reignited a long-smoldering scientific and political controversy over the risks and benefits of gene-altered food.
Some biotech advocates are criticizing the Zimbabwean government for balking at the humanitarian assistance, saying President Robert Mugabe seems to care more about his political independence than his citizens' lives. About half of Zimbabwe's 12 million residents are on the verge of famine because of drought and political mismanagement, according to the United Nations.
But other scientists and economists say the troubled African nation has good reason to reject the engineered kernels. If some of the corn seeds are sown instead of eaten, the resulting plants will produce gene-altered pollen that will blow about and contaminate surrounding fields.
That could render much of the corn grown in Zimbabwe -- a nation that in most years is a major exporter -- unshippable to nations in Europe and elsewhere that restrict imports of bioengineered food, because of environmental and health concerns.
The United States could save lives and avert a potential ecological crisis by paying to have the corn kernels milled before they enter Zimbabwe, several experts said this week. But relief officials said U.S. food agencies typically don't cover milling expenses, which are estimated at $25 per metric ton -- a significant expense for a nation so poor.
That response has fueled suspicion among some observers in the United States and Africa that Washington is using the food crisis to get U.S. gene-altered products established in a corner of the world that has largely resisted them.
"The U.S. is using its power to impose its view that modified maize is not a danger," said Carol Thompson, a political economist at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, who has spent much of the past 10 years in Zimbabwe.
Zimbabwe and five other southern African nations -- Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Swaziland and Zambia -- face widespread food shortages after two years of drought and floods. The U.N. World Food Program has said the region will need 1 million metric tons of food aid in the next few months. Only a fraction of that amount has been promised by donors so far.
The first shipload of U.S. food aid for Zimbabwe -- a landlocked nation that is the hardest hit of the affected countries --arrived at a Tanzanian port in June. It was carrying about 10,000 metric tons of corn from the U.S. Agency for Interna-tional Development (USAID).
But the corn, which in Africa is known as maize and is valued by agencies at about $95 a metric ton, was not welcome. Like most corn stores in the United States, the shipment was a mix of conventional varieties and high-tech kernels bearing bacterial genes to protect against insect pests.
The Zimbabwean government, which for decades has supported the development of corn varieties suited to local ecosystems, is concerned not only about genetic contamination, but also about intellectual property issues. Pending changes in international trade rules, backed by the United States, could preclude farmers from saving the patented seeds from biotech harvests for replanting in following years, a practice vital to many subsistence farmers who cannot afford to buy new seed every year.
"If these crops get in, then farmers basically lose their rights to their own agricultural resources," said Carole Collins, senior policy analyst for the Washington-based Africa Faith and Justice Network.
Moreover, some European countries want to ban imports of cattle that have been fed engineered corn, posing another potential trade problem for Zimbabwe if engineered kernels were to swamp the country.
When notified of the June shipment, officials told the United Nations that, although the country was not absolutely rejecting the aid, it preferred that the corn be milled first so no seeds could be planted.
That response got to the U.N. two days after World Food Program officials decided to unload the kernels and ship them to Malawi, said Judith Lewis, the program's regional director for southern and eastern Africa. Malawi is among the poorest of southern African nations and does not have a firm policy on gene-altered food.
Now a second ship of Zimbabwe-bound U.S. corn has arrived, this time in the South African port of Durban. It includes 17,500 metric tons of corn kernels, and USAID wants a decision from Zimbabwe by tomorrow, Lewis said. Zimbabwean officials discussed their options yesterday without reaching a decision, and were scheduled to have further meetings today.
USAID representatives have expressed frustration with this and previous situations like it. When India balked over a humanitarian shipment of gene-altered food, one U.S. official was quoted as saying, "Beggars can't be choosers."
At a news conference in Johannesburg on Friday, Roger Winter, USAID's assistant administrator for humanitarian assistance, suggested that Zimbabwe had little choice if it wanted to feed its people. "We have no substitute for that maize. That maize is what's available," he said.
Indeed, very little nonengineered corn is segregated from high-tech varieties during the U.S. harvest, and that portion sells at a premium to organic food processors and others.
Per Pinstrup-Andersen, director general of the International Food Policy Research Institute, a Washington-based non-governmental organization, said Zimbabwe was using the food to play politics.
"I think the Zimbabwe government is using this to show its muscle against the United States and other Western countries because of the criticism the president has been receiving from outside," Pinstrup-Andersen said, referring to widespread criticism of Mugabe's recent land-reform policies and accusations of government cronyism. "I think it is irresponsible. . . unless they know they can get enough food from elsewhere that is not genetically modified."
Mugabe has said he is being prudent. "We fight the present drought with our eyes clearly set on the future of the agricultural sector, which is the mainstay of our economy," he told Zimbabwe's parliament on July 23. "We dare not endanger its future through misplaced decisions based on acts of either desperation or expediency."
Neil E. Harl, a professor of economics at Iowa State University, agreed that much was at stake. "Pollen drift is a real problem, especially with maize," Harl said. "It places these countries in an extremely difficult position."
He and several other experts recommended that the United States pay for milling costs. "It is highly unethical not to just cover the costs for milling," said Thompson, the Arizona professor. "Tell me how much it costs to drop one bomb on Afghanistan. Who is starving whom here?"
Asked if people were going "too far" by saying that gene-altered humanitarian exports were part of a strategy to spread the crops around the world, Harl said: "I'm not sure that is going too far." U.S. government and biotech representatives vehemently denied any such collusion. "I don't think there is any justification to make claims like that," said Rob Horsch, director of global technology transfer for Monsanto, the St. Louis biotech giant that owns the rights to many biotech crop varieties. Although the company has used private detectives to identify and prosecute U.S. and Canadian farmers it suspects of saving patented seeds, that policy would be adapted to accommodate local traditions in other countries, Horsch said.
USAID officials also rejected the notion that they were strong-arming Zimbabwe or had any agenda other than feeding the needy.
With food shortages increasing every day, some U.S. officials said late yesterday that they believed Zimbabwe was on the verge of accepting the corn.
8/2/02
11:02:46 PM
Guardian Unlimited Observer
by Ed Vulliamy in New York for The Observer, July 28, 2002
Open warfare has broken out between the White House and Capitol Hill over President George Bush's most controversial nomination to date to the bench of American high courts.
The nomination of a politically loyal judiciary is the singular way in which US Presidents outlive their terms, leaving an imprint on the nation in the form of judges who can sit on the bench making law for life -- and the Bush White House intends Judge Priscilla Owen from Texas to be one such judge.
Bush has intervened to back Owen, and her campaign is being managed - as they all have since her Texas days - by Karl Rove, long-time political organiser for the Bush family and now White House chief adviser.
The Democrat-controlled Senate, however, is fighting her nomination to the powerful fifth circuit Appeals Court, the tier beneath the US Supreme Court.
Senators and a host of organisations petitioning their judiciary committee say Owen has used the bench to advance a a zealous right-wing ideology, contesting the right to abortion and favouring big oil and energy companies, including the disgraced Enron, which has been one of her -- and the President's -- biggest financial backers.
They are in turn accused by the White House of detonating a 'judicial crisis'.
The committee's chairman, Senator Patrick Leahy, a Democrat from Vermont, particularly demanded that the White House 'look into' Owen's Enron connection, after being passed a report by a research group, Texans for Public Justice, detailing the firm's contributions, after which she ruled in their and other donors' interests many times.
In one instance she wrote an opinion overturning another court, exempting Enron from paying school taxes. The director of another group, Nan Aron of the Alliance for Justice, said: 'Mention her name and people say "Oh, Judge Enron".'
'I would just say,' said Texans for Public Justice's Craig McDonald, 'that as far as those of us who have watched Priscilla Owen, Karl Rove and George W. Bush for a lot of years are concerned, this is the one that deserves to be controversial. This is not a Texas fight or a fifth circuit fight; this is a struggle to determine whether a political operative, Karl Rove, and his crew are going to determine the make-up of the federal courts'.
So far as some senators are concerned, the most controversial rulings Owen made in Texas were in about a dozen cases concerning abortion, and a legal obligation that minors receive parental consent before terminating a pregnancy.
Those rulings have made abortion an issue for the first time in the selection of a high court judge. Although the right to abortion is enshrined in US law, its eventual abolition is one of Rove's dearest causes. He recently addressed the Christian Conservative Family Research Council, saying: 'We need to find ways to win this war.'
In the Texas courts, a girl can appeal against the obligation if she can show that telling her parents might harm her, as happened in most Texas cases. But Owen, dissenting, ruled throughout that the question was not whether telling parents would harm the child, but having the abortion at all.
Minors, she said, should have to demonstrate to the court 'that philosophic, social, moral and religious arguments can be brought to bear' on abortions, in addition to those enshrined into law, which concern mainly health risks.
'It was nothing to do with telling parents,' said McDonald, 'she was trying to stop these minors from having an abortion, which is something very different.'
Herein lies a twist to Owen's nomination. One of her cheerleaders on Capitol Hill last week was White House counsel Alberto Gonzales. He joined the Texas Supreme Court when Bush was state Governor, then was elevated to Washington and tipped to be the next judge to take a seat on the bench of the highest court in the land, the Supreme Court.
And yet, when Owen was overruled in trying to stop an abortion in 2000, even her colleague on the bench, Gonzales, protested that to follow her lead 'would be an unconscionable act of judicial activism'.
A legal watchdog, People for the American Way, argues that Owen indulges in 'activist' lawmaking which establishes law rather than interpret it. 'President Bush has said he wants judges who will interpret the law, not make it,' said the group's director, Ralph Neas. 'In Priscilla Owen, he has found the exact opposite.'
8/2/02
10:57:17 PM
The Nation
The American Constitution at the very beginning of the Republic sought above all to guard the country against reckless, ill-considered recourse to war. It required a declaration by the legislative branch, and gave Congress the power over appropriations even during wartime.
And yet, here we are, poised on the slippery precipice of a pre-emptive war with Iraq, without even the benefit of meaningful public debate.
Read Richard Falk's powerful editorial for more:
http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=20020819&s=falk
Falk's piece, published in the just-released August 19/26 issue of The Nation, rightly insists that a real public debate is needed not only to revitalize representative democracy but to head off an unnecessary war likely to bring widespread death and destruction.
In the latest installment of his Nation Online feature, John Nichols examines the only forum where the issue of Iraq has been meaningfully examined by our government -- this past week's Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearings on whether the US could, should or would want to launch a military attack on Iraq with the purpose of deposing Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.
Nichols shows that the hearings, despite being far less revealing or comprehensive than the moment demands, nonetheless showed that there is little consensus, even among the US policy-making establishment, on how large a threat Saddam Hussein poses to the US, and how to best counter that threat.
For the full report, check out:
http://www.thenation.com/thebeat/index.mhtml?bid=1&pid=89
Also, read Dilip Hiro's look at how and why Iraq is successfully wooing its regional neighbors, available now at:
http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=20020819&s=hiro
And, don't miss the lead editorial from the July 8, 2002 issue of The Nation, which made the case against war with Iraq, currently available at:
http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=20020708&s=editors
8/2/02
7:47:36 PM
DAILY GRIST
<http://www.gristmagazine.com>
BELUGA WAILS
Bad news for wealthy gourmets: By the end of this year, beluga caviar, the king of pricey delicacies, could be illegal fare in the United States. Earlier this week, the government proposed protecting the beluga sturgeon under the Endangered Species Act, following legal action against the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services by the Natural Resources Defense Council. The sturgeon, which is found in the Caspian and Black Seas, is in danger of extinction from overfishing, illegal harvesting, and loss of natural habitat. The U.S. consumes the vast majority (80 percent) of beluga caviar, which can sell for a whopping $500 per pound. Ellen Pikitch, director of marine programs for the World Conservation Society, praised the proposal to protect the beluga sturgeon, adding, "There are no quick fixes that could remedy this dire situation."
straight to the source: MSNBC.com, 01 Aug 2002 <http://www.gristmagazine.com/forward.pl?forward_id=322>
do good: Take action to boost dwindling fish stocks <http://www.gristmagazine.com/dogood/oceans.asp?source=daily#fisheries>
CUT THE CROP
Concerned that experimental genetically modified (GM) crops could contaminate their unaltered counterparts and creep into the nation's food supply, the White House has drafted new rules to protect consumers and avoid costly and disruptive food recalls. The rules, which were written by the Office of Science and Technology Policy, propose preliminary crop-safety assessments before beginning large field trials of GM crops. The assessments, which would not be mandatory, would determine whether the crop was toxic or capable of causing allergic reactions. If the crop appeared safe, then low levels of GM contamination in the food supply would not be a basis for recalls -- or, the government hopes, for the rejection of U.S. food exports by other countries. The biotech industry welcomed the proposals, but the Center for Food Safety, a Washington, D.C., organization that opposes GM foods, expressed concern that the rules were just designed to bail out companies should contamination occur.
straight to the source: New York Times, Andrew Pollack, 02 Aug 2002 <http://www.gristmagazine.com/forward.pl?forward_id=323>
do good: Take action to fight Frankenfoods <http://www.gristmagazine.com/dogood/food.asp?source=daily#frankenfood>
SIGNING OF THE TIMES
In a sign of the increasing political importance of environmental issues, close to half of the U.S. Senate called on the Bush administration yesterday to postpone implementing proposed changes to the New Source Review rules under the Clean Air Act, pending a complete analysis of the potential impact on air quality and public health. A letter signed by 44 senators and directed to U.S. EPA Administrator Christine Todd Whitman noted "serious concerns that the changes could allow more air pollution -- causing more asthma, more heart and lung problems, and more premature deaths." The list of senators included three moderate Republicans and at least six Democrats involved in tight reelection campaigns. The New Source Review rules currently require utility owners to install state-of-the-art pollution-control equipment when upgrading power plants and refineries.
straight to the source: Eric Pianin, Washington Post, 02 Aug 2002 <http://www.gristmagazine.com/forward.pl?forward_id=324>
only in Grist: Dear Christie ... 10 Reasons to stay the course -- in a confidential memo, President Bush tells EPA Administrator Christine Todd Whitman what's on his mind -- satire in our opinions section <http://www.gristmagazine.com/imho/imho040901.stm?source=daily>
do good: Take action to preserve the Clean Air Act <http://www.gristmagazine.com/dogood/air.asp?source=daily#grandfather>
TWO GREEN PEAS IN A POD
It's a rare day when Greenpeace and the Bush administration see eye to eye, but the environmental organization is siding with the White House in a fight against mahogany importers. Seven such importers have sued the administration for holding up 12 shipments of Brazilian mahogany, which have been stranded on U.S. docks since last winter due to concerns that they may violate Brazilian tax law or a 1975 international treaty on trade in wild animals and plants. The White House says holding up the shipment is a sign of its commitment to ending illegal logging around the globe. Reacting to the general surprise at the unusual alliance, Greenpeace forests campaigner Scott Paul said, "Despite popular opinion, we are nonpartisan and we do call them as we see them."
straight to the source: San Francisco Chronicle, Associated Press, John Heilprin, 01 Aug 2002 <http://www.gristmagazine.com/forward.pl?forward_id=325>
only Grist: Take the mahogany and run -- a cartoon by Suzy Becker <http://www.gristmagazine.com/ha/ha052802.asp?source=daily>
do good: Take action to ask for that new couch in "sustainable" <http://www.gristmagazine.com/dogood/consumption.asp?source=daily#ethanallen>
TIPPING THE SCALES
A government-commissioned study has concluded that escapes from fish farms in Scotland pose a "major threat" to the nation's wild fish population. According to Friends of the Earth, about 1 million salmon have escaped from Scottish fish farms in the last five years. If just 1 percent of the farmed population escapes each year, the government report says, wild stocks will suffer severe losses in genetic variability and be overwhelmed. The study also looked at other environmental effects of fish farms, such as the impact on the ocean and marine life of nutrients and chemicals used on the farms. But industry defenders called the findings "inconclusive" and said the risks associated with salmon farming are insignificant compared to the employment gains, export increases, and dietary improvements that it provides. The report comes two weeks after an international aquaculture conference held in Edinburgh sounded similar warnings about fish farms.
straight to the source: BBC News, 02 Aug 2002 <http://www.gristmagazine.com/forward.pl?forward_id=326>
8/2/02
7:44:48 PM
Greenpeace's Positive Energy
July 29 - August 5, 2002
Time for Greenpeace's CLEAN ENERGY NOW! campaign's weekly good news update!
Inside this edition:
- SustainUS Wins a Bet with President Bush
- Greenpeace Activist Tells All
- The Kill Zone
SustainUS Wins a Bet with President Bush
Remember the bet that youth across the nation were waging with President Bush? SustainUS, a network of students and youth groups dedicated to sustainable development, waged a bet with President Bush that the nation's young people could collectively conserve 20,000 tons of carbon dioxide by July 31st. They won the bet by 1800 tons!
Now that the bet is won, President Bush should go to Jo'burg and attend the World Summit on Sustainable Development this August in South Africa, accompanied by U.S. youth delegates who will sharing their visions of a sustainable future.
To read more about the winners,
go to: http://www.sustainus.org
To learn about Greenpeace's Youth Delegation to the WSSD, go to:
http://www.greenpeaceusa.org/features/wssd.htm
Greenpeace Activist Tells All
The day in the life of Greenpeace Clean Energy Now! Campaigner Kristin Casper is featured in this week's Grist Magazine. Her daily entries tell the story of her life living and working for a clean energy future. Her grassroots work extends from local issues in California, to working with a national youth delegation that will be sending a strong message to the White House - "Bush: Don't Burn Our Planet."
To here what Kristin has to say, go to:
The Kill Zone
Are you living in the shadow of a nuclear reactor zone? This week, Greenpeace unveiled its zip code nuclear indicator zone, where you type in your zip code and find out how close you are to high-risk areas. Don't you wish this indicator were for clean energy zones instead? Type in your zip code and take action in your nuclear reactor kill zone to demand clean energy!
To find out how close you are to a nuclear reactor, go to: http://www.greenpeaceusa.org/nuclear/locator.htm
The "Positive Energy" newsletter and our web site, http://www.cleanenergynow.org, will give you good news about ways to achieve clean air, climate justice, and renewable energy solutions to our ongoing energy crisis.
Want to do more? Become a Greenpeace member today! To give online, go to:
https://www.greenpeaceusa.org/join2/cen.htm
8/2/02
7:38:33 PM
George W. Bush Channels George Orwell
by Daniel Kurtzman, July 28, 2002
Here's a question for constitutional scholars: Can a sitting president be charged with plagiarism?
As President Bush wages his war against terrorism and moves to create a huge homeland security apparatus, he appears to be borrowing heavily, if not ripping off ideas outright, from George Orwell. The work in question is "1984, " the prophetic novel about a government that controls the masses by spreading propaganda, cracking down on subversive thought and altering history to suit its needs. It was intended to be read as a warning about the evils of totalitarianism -- not a how-to manual.
Granted, we're a long way from resembling the kind of authoritarian state Orwell depicted, but some of the similarities are starting to get a bit eerie.
PERMANENT WAR
In "1984," the state remained perpetually at war against a vague and ever- changing enemy. The war took place largely in the abstract, but it served as a convenient vehicle to fuel hatred, nurture fear and justify the regime's autocratic practices.
Bush's war against terrorism has become almost as amorphous. Although we are told the president's resolve is steady and the mission clear, we seem to know less and less about the enemy we are fighting. What began as a war against Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda quickly morphed into a war against Afghanistan, followed by dire warnings about an "Axis of Evil," the targeting of terrorists in some 50 to 60 countries, and now the beginnings of a major campaign against Iraq. Exactly what will constitute success in this war remains unclear, but the one thing the Bush administration has made certain is that the war will continue "indefinitely."
MINISTRY OF TRUTH
Serving as the propaganda arm of the ruling party in "1984," the Ministry of Truth not only spread lies to suit its strategic goals, but constantly rewrote and falsified history. It is a practice that has become increasingly commonplace in the Bush White House, where presidential transcripts are routinely sanitized to remove the president's gaffes, accounts of intelligence warnings prior to Sept. 11 get spottier with each retelling, and the facts surrounding Bush's past financial dealings are subject to continual revision.
The Bush administration has been surprisingly up front about its intentions of propagating falsehoods. In February, for example, the Pentagon announced a plan to create an Office of Strategic Influence to provide false news and information abroad to help manipulate public opinion and further its military objectives. Following a public outcry, the Pentagon said it would close the office -- news that would have sounded more convincing had it not come from a place that just announced it was planning to spread misinformation.
INFALLIBLE LEADER
An omnipresent and all-powerful leader, Big Brother commanded the total, unquestioning support of the people. He was both adored and feared, and no one dared speak out against him, lest they be met by the wrath of the state.
President Bush may not be as menacing a figure, but he has hardly concealed his desire for greater powers. Never mind that he has mentioned -- on no fewer than three occasions -- how much easier things would be if he were dictator. By abandoning many of the checks and balances established in the Constitution to keep any one branch of government from becoming too powerful, Bush has already achieved the greatest expansion of executive powers since Nixon. His approval ratings remain remarkably high, and his minions have worked hard to cultivate an image of infallibility. Nowhere was that more apparent than during a recent commencement address Bush gave at Ohio State, where students were threatened with arrest and expulsion if they protested the speech. They were ordered to give him a "thunderous ovation," and they did.
BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING
The ever-watchful eye of Big Brother kept constant tabs on the citizens of Orwell's totalitarian state, using two-way telescreens to monitor people's every move while simultaneously broadcasting party propaganda.
While that technology may not have arrived yet, public video surveillance has become all the rage in law enforcement, with cameras being deployed everywhere from sporting events to public beaches. The Bush administration has also announced plans to recruit millions of Americans to form a corps of citizen spies who will serve as "extra eyes and ears for law enforcement," reporting any suspicious activity as part of a program dubbed Operation TIPS --
Terrorism Information and Prevention System.
And thanks to the hastily passed USA Patriot Act, the Justice Department has sweeping new powers to monitor phone conversations, Internet usage, business transactions and library reading records. Best of all, law enforcement need not be burdened any longer with such inconveniences as probable cause.
THOUGHT POLICE
Charged with eradicating dissent and ferreting out resistance, the ever- present Thought Police described in "1984" carefully monitored all unorthodox or potentially subversive thoughts. The Bush administration is not prosecuting thought crime yet, but members have been quick to question the patriotism of anyone who dares criticize their handling of the war on terrorism or homeland defense. Take, for example, the way Attorney General John Ashcroft answered critics of his anti-terrorism measures, saying that opponents of the administration "only aid terrorists" and "give ammunition to America's enemies. "
Even more ominous was the stern warning White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer sent to Americans after Bill Maher, host of the now defunct "Politically Incorrect," called past U.S. military actions "cowardly." Said Fleischer, "There are reminders to all Americans that they need to watch what they say, watch what they do, and this is not a time for remarks like that; there never is."
What would it take to turn America into the kind of society that Orwell warned about, a society that envisions war as peace, freedom as slavery and ignorance as strength? Would it happen overnight, or would it involve a gradual erosion of freedoms with the people's consent?
Because we are a nation at war -- as we are constantly reminded -- most Americans say they are willing to sacrifice many of our freedoms in return for the promise of greater security. We have been asked to put our blind faith in government and most of us have done so with patriotic fervor. But when the government abuses that trust and begins to stamp out the freedom of dissent that is the hallmark of a democratic society, can there be any turning back?
So powerful was the state's control over people's minds in "1984" that, eventually, everyone came to love Big Brother. Perhaps in time we all will, too.
Daniel Kurtzman is a San Francisco writer and former Washington political correspondent.
Source: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2002/07/28/IN244190.DTL
8/2/02
7:35:33 PM
The Virtues of Promiscuity
by Sally Lehrman, AlterNet July 22, 2002
"Slutty" behavior is good for the species. That is the conclusion of a new wave of research on the evolutionary drives behind sexuality and parenting.
Women everywhere have been selflessly engaging in trysts outside of matrimony. And they have been doing it for a good long time and for excellent reasons. Anthropologists say female promiscuity binds communities closer together and improves the gene pool.
More than 20 tribal societies accept the principle that a child could, and ideally ought to, have more than one father, according to Pennsylvania anthropologist Stephen Beckerman. "As one looks, it begins to crop up in a lot of places," says Beckerman, who has reviewed dozens of reports on tribes from South America, New Guinea, Polynesia and India as co-editor of the newly released book, "Cultures of Multiple Fathers."
Less than 50 years ago, Canela women, who live in Amazonian Brazil, enjoyed the delights of as many as 40 men one after another in festive rituals. When it was time to have a child, they'd select their favorite dozen or so lovers to help their husband with the all-important task. Even today, when the dalliances of married Barí ladies in Columbia and Venezuela result in a child, they proudly announce the long list of probable fathers.
In other words, the much-touted evolutionary bargain of female fidelity for food -- trotted out by evolutionary psychologists with maddening regularity --just doesn't hold up.
"This model of the death-do-us-part, missionary-position couple is just a tiny part of human history," says anthropologist Kristen Hawkes, who has spent years studying the foraging habits of the Aché, a Paraguayan people, and the North Tanzanaian tribe Hadza, who also celebrate a rich love life. "The patterns of human sexuality are so much more variable."
American college students still learn that human society is based on the age-old economic contract between the sexes: Men hunt and women raise children. Fathers provide meat for the family, and in exchange, moms offer fidelity and the guarantee of paternity. While men -- who produce millions of sperm -- are inveterate philanderers, gals, stuck with relatively few eggs that require a significant investment, tend to be choosy and coy. Men therefore are biologically prone to spreading their seed far and wide, while women focus on finding the perfect pop.
"This evidence is a real thumb in the eye for that view," says Beckerman.
Anthropologists claim, good judgment aside, evolution has nudged women a bit toward promiscuity and sexual adventure. In all well-studied primates, females exhibit a polyandrous tendency when given the opportunity to stray. Some who cheat appear to be more fertile, and the offspring of most are more likely to survive. Fooling around appears to have helped our ancestral mothers equip their little ones for success -- the sexual equivalent of reading to them every night or enrolling them in the after-school chess club.
"Women tend to do things that are associated with the welfare of their kids," Hawkes says.
In contrast to the sex-for-food model, multiple and various sexual pairings have little to do with adding to the larder in the groups Hawkes studies. The average Hadza hunter, who can only bring in a big game carcass once a month, has to share his kill with everyone. His wife and kids just have to get in line. Extra mates add a little genetic diversity. But Hawkes says females likely hook up with multiple males for safety more than any other benefit -- a mother's strong emotional bonds with more than one fellow provide an extra protective hand in times of danger.
An economic incentive promotes female infidelity in Barí society. All of the Barí children who had more than one father were more likely to survive into adulthood, fortified by small gifts of fish and game in times of scarcity. Multiple dads also help ensure a child's health. Since a father is necessary to blow tobacco smoke over the little one's body if he or she falls ill, the more potential volunteers the better.
Elderly Barí ladies chuckle and nudge each other as they talk about a lifetime of lovers. But the pleasure wasn't only their own. The men benefited, too. It turns out Barí males can't count on a very long life. The Venezuelan tribe suffers from bouts of malaria and tuberculosis and, until 1960, was repeatedly attacked by landowners, oil companies, and homesteaders in the region. Most of the victims have been reproductive-age males. "You know that if you die, there's some other man who has a residual obligation to care for at least one of your children," Beckerman explains. "So looking the other way or even giving your blessing when your wife takes a lover is the only insurance you can buy."
Even evolutionary psychologists, stout defenders of the meat-for-fidelity model, are beginning to acknowledge the benefits of women's "slutty" behavior. University of Texas psychologist David Buss gives the most credit to what he terms "mate insurance," a backup replacement in case the male partner doesn't survive.
Social approval of infidelity does not, however, imply a corresponding devaluation of marriage. "They're very, very faithful," says Beckerman's co-author Paul Valentine about the Curripaco, who live on the border between Columbia and Venezuela. The tribe believes that conception is a process that requires a lot of work, and the men are quick to take credit for their joint labors. "They say, 'Hey, this is really hard work having a baby,'" Valentine says. "And they really put on a smug look."
Physiological data supports the theory that women have been sleeping around for centuries. For starters, men have evolved to compete in their partner's reproductive tract. Human males have large testicles that manufacture plenty of semen, especially when they reunite with their wives after separation. Their sperm includes coil-tailed versions that block instead of carry the ball. Females cooperate when they want to -- more often with their lovers than with their mates, according to one study. Women retain slightly more sperm after orgasm, and in the throes of excitement may even draw the virgin swimmers up through the cervix and into the uterus, according to British sexologist R. Robin Baker.
Still, David Buss places most of the blame for all this wanderlust on the guys. Bottom line, sperm are cheap and eggs are expensive, he says. He cites his own 1993 studies of college undergraduates. Women said they'd like maybe up to five partners in a lifetime. Men in various surveys ranged from 18 up to 1,000. Sure, both sexes have one-night stands. Both also can mate for life. But men tend toward variety and women will most often stay true to the stable, dependable provider, Buss claims. "Women typically have high standards in either case; men are willing to go down to the tenth percentile (for short-term partners), as long as she can mumble," he says.
Anthropologists are not so sure. Some say today's emphasis on female monogamy may have more to do with socio-economic trends than evolutionary instincts.
Extramarital trysts were a way of life for the Canela -- until the encroachment of outsiders. "Multiple lovers, that's just part of the life. It's recreation, just like races and running. It's all done in the spirit of joy and fun," says William Crocker of the Smithsonian Institution, who has studied the Brazilian tribe since 1957. When a woman got pregnant with her husband, she would go out to find as many as five more "fathers" for her fetus. Since every bit of semen was believed to contribute to the baby, a dedicated mom looked for a variety of desirable traits in her lovers: sexual skills, good looks, oratory talents, top-notch singing abilities -- and naturally, a good provider.
Crocker says the Canela's sexual customs began to disappear after the arrival of traders, who brought in material goods such as machetes, axes, pots and pans, introducing the idea of exclusive ownership. The missionaries came next. The evangelists, who arrived in the early 1970s, translated the Bible into Canelan and did their part to discourage the tribe's sexual intimacy.
The pattern is repeating itself with the Barí as missionaries import rural Catholic values. Beckerman says, "I suppose it doesn't mean there's any less fooling around, it's just that the fathers don't take responsibility for it and the mothers don't admit it."
Modern relationships are not all that different. High infidelity, remarriage and divorce rates may have less to do with modernity than with our collective sexual past. "It makes the variation we're seeing in modern society so much more understandable," Hawkes says.
If the anthropologists are right, monogamy may well be counter-evolutionary or an adaptation to modern life. Or perhaps the nuclear family has always been more of an ideal than a reality.
http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=13648
8/2/02
7:32:01 PM
SciTech Daily Review
A black box for your car: Event data recorders could make cars safer -- and tell accident investigators what really happened
http://www.technologyreview.com/articles/wo_baldwin073002.asp
Thar they blow!: Gentle giants? A new revival of an old theory suggests that male sperm whales may butt heads over females
http://www.smithsonianmag.si.edu/smithsonian/issues02/aug02/phenomena.html
The humble potato could protect women from a common sexually transmitted virus that causes almost all cases of cervical cancer
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/-/1/hi/health/2166010.stm
The world's first flight test of a scramjet engine, conducted over the Australian outback, appears to have gone well, University of Queensland officials report
http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/hyshot_020730.html
The idea that growth can be good is anathema to most environmentalists. Yet that's exactly the argument made by William McDonough and Michael Braungart in Cradle to Cradle
http://www.gristmagazine.com/books/books072502.asp
To escape the shadow of his famous physicist father, George Dyson started building kayaks. He is now a well respected academic and author in his own right
http://www.newscientist.com/opinion/opinterview.jsp?id=ns23538
Strong institutional leadership, ongoing self assessment, and comprehensive training in ethics are critical to fostering a climate in which scientific research integrity can flourish, concludes a US report
http://bmj.com/cgi/content/full/325/7357/182/c
The virtues of promiscuity: The latest anthropological research shows that female infidelity is good for the family, the community, and even the gene pool
http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=13648
8/2/02
7:29:25 PM
UTNE WEB WATCH
The Best of the Alternative Web
THE VIRTUES OF PROMISCUITY
by Sally Lehrman, AlterNet
-- Women who "fool around" get some respect, thanks to a new finding in sexuality research.
POWER SHIFT: LOOKING FOR LEADERSHIP ON CLIMATE CHANGE
by Various, Grist
-- Who needs Bush's support on global warming when a grassroots activist network enacts local climate change initiatives, corporations cut greenhouse gas emissions and schools build green dorms?
SELF-PUBLISHING STIGMA IS PERISHING
by M.J. Rose, Wired
-- Traditionally, self-published authors have a hard time getting picked up by publishing houses, but in the last 18 months, more than three dozen self-published novels have been picked up.
Links to the above articles: http://www.utne.com/webwatch
8/2/02
7:27:26 PM
"Imagination is the beginning of creation. You imagine what you desire, you will what you imagine, and at last you create what you will."
George Bernard Shaw the Irish-born British playwright, Nobel Prize winner
8/2/02
7:26:21 PM
AlterNet Headlines
BOMB SADDAM, SAVE THE G.O.P.
William Rivers Pitt, TruthOut.com
Former U.N. weapons inspector Scott Ritter claims the impending American war against Iraq isn't about terrorism, it's about the November elections.
http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=13710
PEDDLING 9-11: GET YER TRAGEDY HERE!
Craig Williams, AlterNet
In little more than a month, we'll again be buried in the rubble of maudlin, insincere, profit-making reminders of last September.
http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=13713
THE COLLAPSE OF CREDIBILITY
Barbara Ehrenreich, The Progressive
When the powerful begin to act irresponsibly, it's the responsibility of the rest of us to take their power away.
http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=13657
THE NORTHERN SNAKEHEAD: CAN A BAD FISH TASTE GOOD?
Kate Silver, Las Vegas Weekly
A predatory fish that has invaded a nine-acre Maryland pond attacks humans, has the head of a snake and the body of a fish -- and tastes like chicken.
http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=13728
A WORLD AWASH IN HORMONES
Lynn Landes, AlterNet
The recent scandal over hormone therapy is just a scratch on the surface compared to the synthetic hormones found in our water supply, food, and consumer goods.
*In EnviroHealth: http://www.alternet.org/?IssueAreaID=18
CURBING THE CEO CULT
William Greider, The Nation
Forget the SEC -- is William Lerach America's top corporate crime fighter? One thing is clear, the aggressive, opportunistic trial lawyer strikes fear into the hearts of CEOs.
http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=13667
GEORGE BUSH CHANNELS GEORGE ORWELL
Daniel Kurtzman, AlterNet
Somebody needs to inform the president that 1984 is a warning against totalitarianism -- not a how-to manual.
*In Rights & Liberties: http://www.alternet.org/?IssueAreaID=33
THE REAL MINORITY REPORT
Tehama Lopez, Tolerance.org
Steven Spielberg's 2054 America is strangely devoid of minorities. It's a case of Hollywood writing race right out of the future.
http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=13747
Greed: The Ugly American Pastime
Marty Jezer, AlterNet
Greed threatens to cut the 2002 major league baseball season short as players and owners go head-to-head over the bottom line.
http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=13745
Romancing the Coconut
Sharon Lerner, Village Voice
An array of spiritual guides, coaches and renegade romantic consultants are doing their damnedest to help fix your love life.
http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=13729
Friday Media Roundtable
Talk about the week's media coverage with journalists from The Nation, the Web, and the National Association of Black Journalists on Friday's Working Assets Radio. Listen online from 10-11amPT/1-2pmET, or call in: 866-798-TALK.
http://www.workingassetsradio.com
8/2/02
7:22:57 PM
Planet Ark World Environment News
US says Zimbabwe prepared for possible GM maize - ZIMBABWE http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/17141/story.htm
Nebraska Cooper nuke future brightens after agreements - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/17137/story.htm
No delay for US rules for clean diesel engines - EPA - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/17145/story.htm
US Senate Democrats attack Bush environment record - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/17139/story.htm
Senators vow to ease US rules to snuff forest fires - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/17131/story.htm
NY Government reviews nuclear plants' emergency plans - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/17135/story.htm
NYC mayor opts to ship trash by barge, protect air - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/17134/story.htm
Atlantic sharks coming closer to shore - researchers - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/17132/story.htm
World heading for warmest year yet - UK Met Office - UK http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/17146/story.htm
Fast food scraps threaten rat plague - UK group - UK http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/17133/story.htm
US to fund Eastern Siberia oil, gas fields study - RUSSIA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/17136/story.htm
Romania crude oil spill flows towards Danube - ROMANIA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/17144/story.htm
French McDonald's trasher leaves jail in fighting mood - FRANCE http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/17142/story.htm
Home of Canadian animal activist raided for US - CANADA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/17140/story.htm
Quebec, Newfoundland agree on huge power project - CANADA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/17138/story.htm
Grounded Barrier Reef bulkship seen stuck for days - AUSTRALIA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/17143/story.htm
ENVIRONMENTAL NEWS PICTURES:
JAPAN: Prairie Dog Lies Flat on Pavement to Try to Cool Off From Tokyo Heat Wave http://www.planetark.org/envpicstory.cfm/newsid/17150
Baby Beluga Whale Swims with Mother at Vancouver Aquarium - CANADA http://www.planetark.org/envpicstory.cfm/newsid/17147
CHILE: People Overlooking Santiago Covered in Smog Cloud http://www.planetark.org/envpicstory.cfm/newsid/17148
RUSSIA: People Walk Through Moscow's Red Square Which is Shrouded in a Haze Created by Smoke from Forest Fires http://www.planetark.org/envpicstory.cfm/newsid/17149
8/2/02
7:21:24 PM
Waldorf Puts the U in UFO
What was that bright light in Maryland's sky???
WTOPNEWS.com, 07-27-02
WTOP has learned that residents near Andrews Air Force base were shaken from their beds early Friday morning by some strange activity in the air.
"Incredible. Absolutely incredible" is what Renny Rogers of Waldorf calls it. Just before two in the morning, Rogers says he saw a large blue ball of light streaking across the sky. But it was the military jets that really startled him.
"(The jets) were right on its tail. As the thing would move, a jet was right behind it," Rogers recalls.
He is not the only one who saw it. Several people called WTOP Radio reporting seeing a bright blue or orange ball moving very fast, being chased by jets. Rogers says there was no smoke coming from the object, no flashing lights, and says it was smooth, and eerily silent. The Air National Guard confirms they scrambled the 113th squadron. Spokesman Sheldon Smith says they are investigating and in contact with NORAD. WTOP Radio, 2002
http://wtopnews.com/news/newsdetail.cfm?newsid=584517
8/2/02
7:14:13 PM
West Sees Glittering Prizes Ahead in Giant Oilfields
Published July 11, 2002 in the Times of London
by Michael Theodoulou in Nicosia and Roland Watson
THE removal of President Saddam Hussein would open Iraq's rich new oilfields to Western bidders and bring the prospect of lessening dependence on Saudi oil. No other country offers such untapped oilfields whose exploitation could lessen tensions over the Western presence in Saudi Arabia.
After Kuwait's liberation by US-led forces in 1991, America monopolized the postwar deals, but the need to win international support for an invasion is unlikely to see a repeat.
Russia, in particular, and France and China all permanent members of the United Nations Security Council have high hopes of prizing promises of contracts in a liberated Iraq from a United States that may need their political support.
President Bush has used the War on Terror to press his case for drilling in a protected Arctic refuge, but predicted reserves in Alaska are dwarfed by the oilwells of the Gulf.Anthony Cordesman, of the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, said that the issue for the US was as much the security of the Gulf as access to particular oilfields.
"You are looking down the line to a world in 2020 when reliance on Gulf oil will have more than doubled. The security of the Gulf is an absolutely critical issue."
Gerald Butt, Gulf editor of the Middle East Economic Survey, said: "The removal of Saddam is, in effect, the removal of the last threat to the free flow of oil from the Gulf as a whole."
Iraq has oil reserves of 112billion barrels, second only to Saudi Arabia, which has some 265billion barrels. Iraqi reserves are seven times those of the combined UK and Norwegian sectors of the North Sea. But the prize for oil companies could be even greater. Iraq estimates that its eventual reserves could be as high as 220billion barrels.
Three giant southern fields - Majnoon, West Qurna and Nahr Umar have the capacity to produce as much as Kuwait. The first two could each equal Qatar's production of 700,000 barrels a day. "There is nothing like it anywhere else in the world. Its the big prize," Mr Butt said.
Extraction costs in these giant onshore fields, where development has been held up by more than two decades of war and sanctions, would also be among the lowest in the world. Provided that the US can ensure stability in a post-Saddam Iraq, it would take five years, at most, to develop the oilfields and Iraq's prewar capacity of three million barrels a day could reach seven or eight million, industry experts said.
However, regime change in Baghdad will be of little value to international oil companies unless it is followed by a stable Iraq with a strong central government. Companies cant go in unless there is peace. To develop Majnoon, you need two to three billion dollars and you don't invest that kind of money without stability, one industry analyst said.
Copyright 2002 Times Newspapers Ltd.
Related article: White House Acts to Shed Arrogant Image New PR Office to Sell Bush Policies and War on Terror Published on Wednesday, July 31, 2002 in the Guardian of London
Posted: http://commondreams.org/headlines02/0731-02.htm
Related Article: "Iraqi weapons 'a growing threat'" from BBC News - 1 August, 2002, 02:32 GMT 03:32 UK
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/2163183.stm
8/2/02
7:00:14 PM
DAILY GRIST
<http://www.gristmagazine.com>
FISH STYX
In Ohio, what you don't know can hurt you: The state has just cut a program that warned the public about consuming pollution-tainted fish. In the past, the state EPA and Department of Natural Resources collected fish samples and tested them for pesticides, mercury, and other toxic chemicals; the resulting information was then assessed by the state Health Department for its effects on humans and Ohioans were alerted of possible dangers. Now, fish samples will still be collected and tested, but the fish-consumption advisory program has been abolished to save the Health Department $100,000 per year. Although Michigan drastically reduced its advisory program this year, Ohio is the first Great Lakes state to fully terminate its program. According to the state Health Department website, health effects from eating contaminated fish caught in the state can include birth defects and mental and physical retardation in newborns.
straight to the source: Cleveland Plain Dealer, John C. Kuehner, 31 Jul 2002 <http://www.gristmagazine.com/forward.pl?forward_id=316>
TOTALLY TRASHED
Every day, New Yorkers generate about 11,000 tons of residential trash. Ever since former Mayor Rudy Giuliani (R) shut down the city's only operating landfill, Fresh Kills, the city has been plagued by the question of what to do with its garbage. For the last year, trash has been hauled on trucks to incinerators and out-of-state landfills. Now Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R) has a new plan: to adapt out-of-use waterfront stations in each of the city's five boroughs so that garbage can be taken off trucks, packed into containers, and carried away by barge. The plan leaves a lot of questions unanswered -- such as, carried away to where? -- but it would meet Bloomberg's goal of reducing the truck traffic that clogs the city streets, damages its roads, and pollutes its air. Bloomberg hopes to have the plan in place within two years, even though he has still not offered an estimate of how much it would cost. "We are not going to continue to give our kids lung diseases, no matter what the cost is," the mayor said. "That's the bottom line."
straight to the source: New York Times, Michael Cooper, 01 Aug 2002 <http://www.gristmagazine.com/forward.pl?forward_id=317>
CRUISE CONTROL
Norwegian Cruise Line, the fourth-largest cruise company in the world, will pay a $1.5 million fine for illegally dumping oil and untreated wastewater into the ocean, and subsequently lying about its actions. The company kept a false logbook and for three years lied to the Coast Guard about unlawful discharges off the coast of Florida; it was caught when a fired employee blew the whistle to the U.S. EPA, but no one knows how much pollution the cruise line dumped into the ocean. The fine, which includes $500,000 for environmental projects in Florida, is part of a federal crackdown on ocean polluters and marks the seventh environmental conviction against a cruise line. Norwegian got off easy compared to some others; Royal Caribbean, for example, has paid a total of $27 million in fines. But hard times might not be over for the company; shortly after the fine was announced, the state of Alaska, which successfully sued Royal Caribbean, said it would investigate whether Norwegian committed illegal activity in state waters.
straight to the source: San Francisco Chronicle, Associated Press, Catherine Wilson, 01 Aug 2002 <http://www.gristmagazine.com/forward.pl?forward_id=318>
straight to the source: Anchorage Daily News, Paula Dobbyn, 01 Aug 2002 <http://www.gristmagazine.com/forward.pl?forward_id=319>
only in Grist: Cruisin' for a bruisin' -- a week in the life of Kira Schmidt, Bluewater Network <http://www.gristmagazine.com/week/schmidt072800.stm?source=daily>
OH, WHAT A BAD FEELING
Toyota has been getting a lot of kudos recently for its low-emissions hybrid vehicle, the Prius -- but the car company increased its carbon emissions in the U.S. during the 1990s more than any other major automaker in the country, according to a report released this week by Environmental Defense. The group said Toyota increased its CO2 emissions by a whopping 72 percent from 1990 to 2000, mainly because of the dramatic growth in the company's U.S. sales over the decade and its production of more and bigger SUVs and pickups. General Motors, the world's largest automaker, topped the Environmental Defense bad-guy list by spewing 6.7 million metric tons of CO2 into the atmosphere per year. Next were Ford (5.6 million tons) and DaimlerChrysler (4.1 million tons). If there's a silver lining, it's that Toyota plans to introduce more hybrid models into the U.S. market in January, possibly including a gas-electric SUV or minivan.
straight to the source: Los Angeles Times, Terril Yue Jones, 31 Jul 2002 <http://www.gristmagazine.com/forward.pl?forward_id=320>
only in Grist: The Toyota Prius sounds great, but why is it so hard to get one? -- by Edward Flattau <http://www.gristmagazine.com/imho/imho101800.stm?source=daily>
COAL SHOULDER
Interior Secretary Gale Norton was snubbed today by seven West Virginia environmental groups, which declined an invitation to meet with her to discuss statewide mining issues. Norton initially offered to set aside a half-hour with the groups, coinciding with her visit to the state on the 25th anniversary of the Federal Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act. Prior to her appointment as Interior secretary, Norton opposed the act, arguing that it was unconstitutional for the federal government to regulate strip mining. The West Virginia citizens groups say that poor federal enforcement of the act is benefiting coal companies at the expense of human and environmental health. When the offer of a half-hour meeting was rebuked, the Interior Department proposed a two-hour slot, but the groups still declined, suggesting Norton schedule a trip when she had time to visit coalfield residents in their homes and see the damage caused by large mining operations.
straight to the source: Charleston Gazette, Ken Ward, Jr., 01 Aug 2002 <http://www.gristmagazine.com/forward.pl?forward_id=321>
8/2/02
6:54:39 PM
t r u t h o u t | 08.02
Bush Faces Questions on Offshore Affiliates
http://www.truthout.org/docs_02/08.02A.bush.Qs.htm
Bush Accused of Cutting Down Corporate Reform
http://www.truthout.org/docs_02/08.02B.bush.accusd.htm
Questions on Halliburton Deal Under Cheney
http://www.truthout.org/docs_02/08.02C.cheney.halli.htm
Berlin, Paris Reject Iraq Attack Without UN Mandate
http://www.truthout.org/docs_02/08.02D.berlin.paris.htm
Plan for Drug Benefits Stalls in Senate, Deep Ideological Differences
http://www.truthout.org/docs_02/08.02E.senate.drugs.htm
Economic Growth Slowed Sharply in the 2nd Quarter
http://www.truthout.org/docs_02/08.02F.gro.slo.htm
Nearly 5 Million Uninsured Children are Eligible for Help
http://www.truthout.org/docs_02/08.02G.child.care.htm
8/2/02
6:51:44 PM
ENVIRONMENT NEWS SERVICE
HUNDREDS DIE IN ASIA FLOODS, MILLIONS HOMELESS
BEIJING, China, July 31, 2002 (ENS) - Unusually early floods across 25 Chinese provinces claimed 793 lives and left more than 20,000 of the nation's poorest people homeless. The Red Cross Society of China has activated emergency crews to move water, blankets and food to the affected areas.
http://ens-news.com/ens/jul2002/2002-07-31-05.asp
COSMIC RAYS HELP RESOLVE GLOBAL WARMING PUZZLE
ALBANY, New York, July 31, 2002 (ENS) - For the first time, researchers have evidence that interstellar cosmic rays could be the missing link that would explain why increases in Earth surface temperatures observed over the past 20 years, known as global warming, exist simultaneously with unchanging temperatures of the low atmosphere.
http://ens-news.com/ens/jul2002/2002-07-31-01.asp
CAMBODIA PROTECTS FORESTED MOUNTAINS, RARE ANIMALS
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia, July 31, 2002 (ESN) - One million acres of pristine wilderness, inhabited by tigers, elephants and bears, has been officially protected by the Cambodian government, with financial and conservation support from six U.S. and international organizations.
http://ens-news.com/ens/jul2002/2002-07-31-02.asp
ENVIRONMENT NEWS SERVICE AMERISCAN: JULY 31, 2002
FIREFIGHTING CHOPPER CRASH KILLS PILOT
LAKE OKEECHOBEE LAWSUIT FILED TO LIMIT POLLUTANTS
ENTIRE PILOT WHALE POD DIES OFF CAPE COD
CRABS, FISH DIE WITHOUT OXYGEN IN OREGON WATERS
BELUGA STURGEON CONSIDERED FOR ENDANGERED LISTING
YUCCA MOUNTAIN VOLCANIC HAZARD GREATER THAN THOUGHT
http://ens-news.com/ens/jul2002/2002-07-31-09.asp
8/2/02
6:50:20 PM
MoJournal
Free thinking, non-conforming, investigative reporting
Volume I, Issue 31 July 31, 2002
A seemingly endless string of corporate scandals is forcing President Bush to perform political gymnastics in an effort to distance himself from his business-friendly past. As Todd Gitlin notes in his monthly column, the nation's Republicans "are being forced to restate their political earnings." But Gitlin has warning for anyone satisfied by the president's discomfort or pleased that Republicans may have to pay a political price come November: "Corruption can sink governments, but it doesn't necessarily float reform." Arguing that the current atmosphere in Washington is more conducive to real reform than at any time in recent memory, Gitlin says Americans must take advantage of the opportunity and pursue a meaningful overhaul of corporate governance rules -- an overhaul which could dramatically change the ways in which companies behave.
http://click.topica.com/maaasQPaaS0AZa4pkFbb/
Will Tacy Editor, MotherJones.com
Solar Living Center, August 24th and 25th, Hopland (90 miles N. of S.F). Keynotes Paul Hawken, Amy Goodman, & David Freeman. Music by Michael Franti, Todd Snider and others. Workshops, exhibitors, kidstuff, etc $10 in advance- Ticketmaster
For more information,
http://click.topica.com/maaasQPaaS0A1a4pkFbb/
WEB EXCLUSIVES
Opinion - Making the Most of a Scandal - The ongoing corporate scandals represent a unique opportunity to pursue real reform -- an opportunity many on the left seem to be ignoring as they exult over President Bush's discomfort.
http://click.topica.com/maaasQPaaS0A2a4pkFbb/
Cartoon - A Better Use for TIPS - America clearly wants Congress to crack down on crooked CEO's. Maybe there's a use for the Bush administration's controversial TIPS program, after all.
http://click.topica.com/maaasQPaaS0Bha4pkFbb/
Updates - Seeking Data on the Drug War's Child Casualties; A Toxic Burden; 7-Up No Longer Laughing; Breaking Up the Bakassi Boys
http://click.topica.com/maaasQPaaS0A4a4pkFbb/
Daily Briefing - Abdullah Steps Up; Hope Floats in Korea; Feds Need a Web Workshop; Bush Losing Credibility at Home;... and Abroad; Clinton's Staying Power
http://click.topica.com/maaasQPaaS0A5a4pkFbb/
A Thirst for Justice - Plenty of activists have protested US Border Patrol tactics which force undocumented migrants to consider crossing remote, arid areas along the Mexican border. Reverend Robin Hoover has actually done something about it.
http://click.topica.com/maaasQPaaS0A6a4pkFbb/
8/2/02
6:48:10 PM
How Americans Have Changed
by Joe Sobran - joe@sobran.com
Most Americans assume that the Civil War settled forever the question whether a state may secede from the Union. I suppose it shouldn't surprise us that the majority of human beings think a question of principle can be settled by raw force. How often we say of foreigners that "the only thing those people respect is power!" Maybe it's true of us too.
But it wasn't true of the men who wrote and adopted the U.S. Constitution. Even THE FEDERALIST PAPERS, written to promote ratification of the Constitution and a stronger Union, foresaw the possibility that the states might have to reclaim their independence -- even, if necessary, by making war on the Federal Government.
What makes this remarkable is that the two chief authors of THE FEDERALIST, Alexander Hamilton and James Madison, would have preferred an even stronger Union than the Constitution prescribed. They were by no means champions of states' rights.
Yet in Federalist No. 28, Hamilton wrote that "usurpations of the national rulers" -- that is, the Federal Government -- might give the people of the separate states no choice but to exercise "that original right of self-defense, which is paramount to all positive forms of government." How? By taking "arms" and organizing like "independent nations." Obviously a state that was at war with the Federal Government would have seceded from the Union. Self-defense presupposes secession.
In Federalist No. 29 Hamilton used the phrase "a well regulated militia," which would be included in the Second Amendment. One purpose of the state militias, and of "the right of the people to keep and bear arms," was to enable the states to resist tyranny -- Federal tyranny. In other words, the Second Amendment was meant to put teeth in the right of secession!
Hamilton thought the state militias would be more than a match for any Federal forces; he didn't foresee the modern weapons that would make Federal power as overwhelming as it is today.
But the principle remains, even if it now seems pretty useless: the American people have the right to resist Federal usurpation by any just means, including reclaiming their independence.
Madison offered a similar argument in Federalist No. 46. The states would have the power to meet "ambitious encroachments of the Federal Government" with "resistance" and "a trial of force," just as they had recently done against Great Britain. Among other things, they had "the advantage of being armed, which the Americans possess over the people of almost every other nation."
Like Hamilton, Madison contended that the states had the strength to prevail in a war with the Federal Government. In fact both men, eager to secure ratification for the Constitution, ridiculed the notion that the Federal Government could win! How times have changed. How Americans have changed.
In her book AMERICAN SCRIPTURE, Pauline Meier reminds us that several of the American colonies --Virginia, New Jersey, Rhode Island, and Maryland --issued their own separate declarations of independence, long since forgotten in the shadow of the great Declaration of July 4. But these "other" declarations show that each state regarded itself as a "free and independent" entity, not as a subordinate part of a "union" or "nation." These words were not yet in use.
All this shows once more that Abraham Lincoln was being both unhistorical and illogical in his claim that "the Union is older than the states." July 4 announced 13 "free and independent states," not Lincoln's monolithic "new nation," from which, he insisted, no state could ever secede.
Lincoln proved to be exactly the sort of "national ruler" Hamilton and Madison said could never defeat the states. But defeat them he did. He did so in large part by convincing many Northerners that his skewed version of American history and the Constitution was the true one. And those who couldn't be convinced could always be arrested. Lincoln's Constitution was what is now called a "living document" -- one whose meaning can be changed at the convenience of the rulers.
Clearly Lincoln was out of touch with "the Fathers" he so often invoked. He had never read or digested THE FEDERALIST PAPERS, let alone the other side of the great ratification debate; the terms of that debate were pretty much a foreign language to him. He himself admitted that his knowledge of history was meager. How tragic that most Americans still accept as gospel his deeply defective account of their history.
Source: http://www.sobran.com/columns/020618.shtml
8/2/02
6:44:20 PM
World Bank to Resume Financing of Rainforest Destruction
July 2002, By Forests.org, Inc., http://forests.org/
TAKE ACTION: http://forests.org/emailaction/bank.htm
The World Bank has released its long awaited draft policy on forests. The proposed policy threatens most of the world's remaining forests with environmentally damaging industrial forest management financed by taxpayers through the World Bank. It severely weakens the existing Operational (OP) Policy on Forests of 1993. Environmental group pressure led to the current policy that bans Bank funding of logging in primary moist tropical forests. Over the past several years, the World Bank has aggressively sought to resume financing of "sustainable forest management" activities in the World's dwindling primary forests, particularly in the tropics. This would require revision of the Bank's existing forest policy.
The proposed new policy opens the door to financing of large scale timber export and carbon sequestration projects, emphasizing market forces and marketing arrangements to address deforestation. However, there is no evidence that commercial scaled sustainable forest management can be effective in promoting environmentally sound and socially equitable development. The Bank's new proposed policy fails to address the powerful forces of globalization and economic liberalization, as well as poor governance, the main causes of deforestation according to the World Bank itself.
The Bank has spearheaded failed tropical timber industry reform efforts for over a decade; failing miserably to reform commercial logging in Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, Kenya, Cameroon and elsewhere. The Bank's forest conservation policy approach continues to be based upon the false premise that commercial logging in primary forests is ecologically sustainable. This is patently false. Turning the Bank loose to "integrate forests into sustainable economic development" will guarantee the demise of the World's remaining large natural primary and old-growth forests. The Bank seeks to sustain foreign exchange revenues and timber yields rather than natural ecological processes and patterns.
The proposed policy allows extractive investments by the Bank in all types of forests except those Bank bureaucrats deem to be "critical forests". Participatory mechanisms to define such forests are not part of the plan. Instead of proposing clear and strong new safeguards to protect the world's forests, the proposed policy refers to seven other existing World Bank 'Safeguard Policies' as a means to protect ecosystems and livelihoods of forest-dependent peoples.
The draft policy was developed through years of consultation with others. Yet the result flies in the face of demands of civil society and ignores most of the advice given to the Bank by its own Technical Advisory Group. It appears the Bank carried out a very costly and time-consuming exercise to justify the adoption of a policy that had already been decided upon beforehand.
The proposed policy shows little potential to promote forest conservation. Any revision of the Bank's current forest policy must not allow any financing of commercial scale logging or forest management in any of the World's remaining primary forests. The Bank needs binding policy for each sector (i.e. roads, agricultural plantations, mining, etc.) in regards to forest conservation. The Bank's structural adjustment lending must be reformed to eliminate massive negative impacts upon forests and other ecosystems. Please edit and send the following letter at:
http://forests.org/emailaction/bank.htm
Dear Mr. Wolfensohn and World Bank Board members,
I am writing to strongly condemn the World Bank's current draft operational policy (OP) on Forests. The policy mistakenly emphasizes large-scale commercial development of primary and other forests as a means to achieve forest conservation and poverty alleviation. The Bank President and Board have been poorly served by their advisors: at this critical juncture in global forest conservation, there is no justification for Bank subsidies for rainforest destruction.
The draft OP is a non-policy in that it relies on other existing or future World Bank policies to address the most critical issues pertaining to the world's forests and their peoples. It fails to represent a safeguard policy in any meaningful sense. The draft OP ignores the findings of the Bank's Operations Evaluation Department (OED) as well as inputs received during the lengthy public consultation process. The current policy is seriously flawed for the following reasons:
1) Industrial Logging - the draft OP lifts the ban on direct investment in large-scale industrial logging which is a central feature of the 1993 Forest Policy. According to the draft OP, Bank investments in industrial forestry will halt destructive practices. There is no evidence that large-scale logging particularly in primary forests - can be conducted in an environmentally sustainable and socially beneficial manner. Little emphasis is given to community-based and other smaller-scale eco-forestry management initiatives, which would not require a change of the 1993 Forest Policy.
2) Structural Adjustment the policy fails to address the critical issue of how such lending impacts forests. Causes of deforestation that lie outside the forest sector such as poorly conceived economic policies, Bank sectoral lending and poor governance practices are ignored by the draft OP.
3) Protection of Forest Ecosystems - the draft OP does not protect forests, relying instead on the Bank's Operational Policy on Natural Habitats (OP 4.04) whose effectiveness has never been evaluated. Global ecological sustainability requires that most of the World's remaining primary forests are strictly protected or managed by local peoples using certified eco-forestry practices.
4) Forest-Dependent People - the draft OP does not secure land tenure for indigenous peoples or other forest dependent communities, though problems in this area are a leading cause of forest degradation and deforestation.
5) Applicability of OP to the World Bank Group - one of the central recommendations emerging out of the consultation process was that the Bank's new Forest Policy should also be applicable to IFC and MIGA operations.
The proposed policy will not promote forest conservation. Given serious flaws in the Bank's proposed Forest Policy, I ask that a new draft safeguard policy on forests be prepared in line with recommendations already made by the public and by the Bank's own technical advisors. Resumption of financing of commercial scale logging in any of the World's remaining primary forests must not be allowed. The Bank needs binding policy for each sector in regards to forestry. The Bank's structural adjustment lending must be reformed to eliminate its massive negative impacts upon forests and other ecosystems.
The perception of significant improvements in the Bank's environmental record is threatened by this seriously flawed proposal. It would be a serious error for the Bank to subsidize global forest diminishment and deforestation. I insist that any new Bank policy in regard to forest conservation be limited to forest protection and small-scale eco-forestry, or else leave the current policy in effect. I and others will not tolerate this proposed policy, and will loudly protest its further development and implementation.
Sincerely,
This alert is largely based on the Statement released by the World Rainforest Movement, the Forest Peoples Programme and Environmental Defense at:
http://www.wrm.org.uy/statements/WB.html
8/2/02
6:42:04 PM
Teak poachers are killing off great forests of Indonesia
July 06, 2001
BANGSRI, Indonesia - The last of central Java's great teakwood forests ends up in places like this, a place filled with the whine of buzz saws and the burr of electric sanders, a place like Abdul Jambari's garden-furniture workshop.
"This is for export," Jambari says, stroking the finely polished arm of an auburn-grained folding chair. "It's the best teak, what we call class A." And because his order book is full, a month or two from now, for about $100, Jambari's chair will sit on a patio or deck somewhere in the United States or Europe.
But that chair and the 4,000 others that are part of Jambari's latest export shipment have left behind a swath of utter devastation, one of thousands that afflict this archipelago and spell the end of the majestic forests that once blanketed Indonesia. Their disappearance also means the extinction of innumerable animal and plant species indigenous to this country.
"We are facing a cataclysm," said Togu Manurung, the director of Forest Watch Indonesia, an environmental organization. The tropical forests of Indonesia, one-tenth of the world's total, have fallen victim in part to the virtual collapse of political authority in this southeast Asian nation of a thousand islands and more than 200 million people. The toppling three years ago of the regime of President Suharto, a close U.S. ally whose three-decade rule often ruthlessly imposed order, has been followed by widespread violent upheaval, including multiple secessionist movements. In this chaotic atmosphere, illegal logging has gone unchecked.
In an unpublished report, the World Bank found that all the lowland forests in one of the country's largest islands, Sumatra ("forest that is usually the richest source of timber and which carries the highest biodiversity") will be extinct before 2005, and in Kalimantan, the island formerly known as Borneo, by 2010. Swamp forests, according to the report, will disappear five years later. In the past decade, the rate of Indonesia's deforestation has accelerated from 2.47 million acres annually, to 4.2 million acres.
Based on an analysis of satellite photos of Indonesia's forests, the report, written by Derek Holmes, a consultant to the World Bank, contends that unless the government acts immediately to stop rampant illegal logging, "the only extensive forests that will remain in Sumatra, Kalimantan and Sulawesi in the second decade of the new millennium will be the low-stature forests of the mountains."
For people like Manurung, there is little evidence that the government, in disarray over the impending impeachment of President Abdurrahman Wahid and beset by waves of bloody sectarian and ethnic conflict, is capable of slowing the destruction of the forests.
"Illegal logging is going on everywhere," he said. "Lots of people are involved. Lots of these people have connections - high-ranking officials, members of parliament, the army, police, local officials."
Even national parks are being logged at a frenetic pace. On Kalimantan, the Tanjung Puting National Park, designated by the United Nations as a "Biosphere Reserve," a term bestowed on lands of exceptional plant and animal diversity, is being systematically and illegally logged, according to reports by Forest Watch and another environmental group, Telepak Indonesia, as well as Indonesia's Ministry of Forestry and Estate Crops.
Suripto, the former secretary general of the forestry ministry (like many Indonesians, he goes by only one name) charged last year that lumber companies and sawmills owned by a member of parliament were illegally processing ramin logs, the most valuable tree in the national park whose blond, straight-grained wood is used extensively in furniture, wood moldings, blinds and pool cues. Despite his findings, which followed an extensive investigation, the logging has continued and the member of parliament, Abdul Raysid, remains untouched by the law. He did not respond to repeated messages left at his office at the Tanjung Lingga Group, his logging and lumber-processing company.
So extensive is Raysid's influence in the area that the first chairman of a commission intended to oversee the management and conservation of the Tanjung Puting National Park was Raysid's brother.
"You must understand that people like Raysid are like Robin Hood in their localities," said Manurung, of Forest Watch. "They put a lot of money into their communities, and they have a lot of support from local people. So when government investigators, or investigators from groups like ours, go to the park to check on logging, there are gangs that try to intimidate us. Some people have been beaten up."
Most of the timber plundered from the national park and from Indonesia's other forests winds up in China or Europe, as well as the United States, according to environmental groups here.
In Bangsri, a nub of land protruding from the northern rim of central Java, local officials maintain that a breakdown of law and authority has fueled the surge in illegal logging, and with it, the end of the forests here. A battered two-lane macadam road meanders over hills and into valleys, past scrub land, tentative fields of corn and vast scars of rust-colored earth. Everywhere, stumps of what were once towering teak trees pepper the landscape.
"In 1999, this was all forest," said Rahmat Wijaya, the district manager for the state logging company, Perhutani, his hand sweeping across a barren vista stretching toward distant hills. "That year, thousands of people came and cut down the trees, local people and people from outside, both. The last tree was taken in November 2000. There was nothing we could do."
Private logging was not permitted in Bangsri, Wijaya said, only managed logging by the state company. But Suharto was compelled by mass protests to step down in May 1998, and with him went the authoritarian regime that had kept everyone in line. Under Suharto, logging was big business, but it was a business confined to the president's cronies, particularly Mohamad "Bob" Hasan, who was granted the most extensive logging concessions in the country. Hasan is now in prison for corruption, and the collapse of the Suharto regime was soon followed by a huge upsurge in illegal logging.
In one field, Wijaya pointed to motley rows of 4-foot-high broad-leaf teak saplings. "We have never tried to replant teak trees before," he explained, "but we are trying now. This is the first time. It takes 60 years to grow a teak tree. I will not be here when these are grown, if they survive."
Not far from where the teak forests used to be, H.M. Sugito sat, somewhat disconsolately, on a massive mahogany log at his lumber yard. "It's true," he said, surveying piles of teak logs and a scattering of 8-footlong mahogany tree trunks. "We have no more forests here. They're all gone. So now, I have to get my logs from elsewhere, from other places in Indonesia."
Asked if the teak logs in his roadside yard were legally cut, he shrugged. "When people bring logs here, we buy them," he said, a price list for his logs dangling from his fingers. "Why ask questions?"
At his yard, a teak log slightly over 6 feetlong and a foot in diameter sells for $290; the huge mahogany logs, 8 feetlong and nearly 3 feet in width, go for $445.
To Manurung of Forest Watch, such practices explain why his country's forests are vanishing. "You have to remember that the total capacity of the wood-processing industry and the pulp and paper processing industry is 80 million cubic meters," said. "Legal logging produces 17 million cubic meters. So you can see that there is a huge gap between supply and demand. And that gap is made up from illegal logging."
8/2/02
6:40:11 PM
Confronting the Nuclear Nightmare
NOTE FROM JEAN: After reading in the July's issue of National Geographic "Nuclear Waste - Seeking Solutions" I found it important to feature some material from it here...
"America's Nuclear Waste The production of nuclear power in the United States has resulted in a staggering amount of lethal waste. Despite the cleanup of many smaller sites, a mind-boggling amount of nuclear waste awaits safe disposal. What are your concerns about nuclear waste?"
Check their info at
http://magma.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0207/feature1/index.html
HERE IS AN EXCERPT:
The search for permanent solutions heats up as tons of highly radioactive sludge, spent fuel, and contaminated soil pile up around the nation.
World War II was still being fought in the Pacific during the first week of August 1945, a time when my father and I were vacationing in Atlantic City, New Jersey, eating soft-shell crabs and lazing by the ocean. In a games arcade I fed nickels to a toy machine gun and fired at Japanese Zero fighters flitting across a screen. On the boardwalk, rifles shouldered, platoons of United States soldiers marched and sang: The Stars and Stripes will fly over Tokyo, Fly over Tokyo, fly over Tokyo, The Stars and Stripes will fly over Tokyo, When the 991st gets there. . . .
One morning my dad showed me a newspaper with red headlines that said a huge bomb had been dropped on Hiroshima, Japan. Three days later another bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, and Japan surrendered. The bombs were so big that the boys of the 991st wouldn't have to go to Tokyo after all.
The strong nuclear force, the binding energy that makes atomic nuclei the most tightfisted entities in all creation, had been sundered, unleashing enormous power-the equivalent of 15,000 tons (13,600 metric tons) of TNT in the Hiroshima bomb-as well as a race to create bigger weapons. Seven years later our first hydrogen device, code-named Mike, yielded a blast equal to 10.4 million tons (9.4 million metric tons) of TNT. Mike would have leveled all five boroughs of New York City.
By the mid-1960s, the height of the Cold War, the U.S. had stockpiled around 32,000 nuclear warheads, as well as mountains of radioactive garbage from the production of plutonium for these weapons. Just one kilogram, or 2.2 pounds, of plutonium required around a thousand tons of uranium ore. Generated from uranium bombarded by neutrons in a nuclear reactor, the plutonium was later separated from the uranium in hellish baths of acids and solvents still awaiting disposal.
A long deferred cleanup is now under way at 114 of the nation's nuclear facilities, which encompass an acreage equivalent to Rhode Island and Delaware combined. Many smaller sites, the easy ones, have been cleansed, but the big challenges remain. What's to be done with 52,000 tons (47,000 metric tons) of dangerously radioactive spent fuel from commercial and defense nuclear reactors? With 91 million gallons (345 million liters) of high-level waste left over from plutonium processing, scores of tons of plutonium, more than half a million tons of depleted uranium, millions of cubic feet of contaminated tools, metal scraps, clothing, oils, solvents, and other waste? And with some 265 million tons (240 million metric tons) of tailings from milling uranium ore-less than half stabilized-littering landscapes?
Get the whole story in the pages of National Geographic magazine.
See also:
http://www.truthout.org/docs_02/07.11F.NV.will.fight.htm
Originally from
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/national/AP-Yucca-Mountain-Reax.html
Nevada Vows to Continue Nukes Fight (9 July, 2002)
LAS VEGAS (AP) -- After a 20-year losing battle to stop the government from burying the nation's nuclear waste in Nevada, opponents of the Yucca Mountain project promised Tuesday to press on. Others said it was time to give up and bargain. (...) The first shipments from 39 states are due to begin arriving in 2010. The site is being designed to house 77,000 tons of spent commercial, industrial and military nuclear fuel. The material will remain radioactive for tens of thousands of years. CLIP
Nuclear Waste, Terror And Intrigue - The Industry That Promised Energy
http://www.tompaine.com/feature.cfm/ID/4582
No one has solved the nuclear indust