5/11/01
6:28:30 PM
WILD ALERT
The Bush administration announced last week that it will implement the National Forest Roadless Area Conservation Rule, but propose substantial amendments to this already balanced policy. Yesterday, largely due to the administration's lackluster defense of the roadless rule in court, a federal district judge put a temporary halt to implementation of the rule. The Bush Administration's cynical treatment of this policy, which has the strong support of the American people, is inexcusable. See below for background, or visit
http://www.wilderness.org/roadless.htm
JUDGE ISSUES TEMPORARY INJUNCTION ON IMPLEMENTATION OF THE ROADLESS PROTECTION RULE On May 10, Idaho Federal District Judge Edward Lodge issued a preliminary injunction stopping the Forest Service from enforcing the Roadless Area Conservation Rule. The Wilderness Society and other environmental intervenors in the case immediately filed an appeal with the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco seeking a reversal of Lodge's decision.
While the injunction remains in effect, the Forest Service could begin building new roads into roadless areas for timber sales, oil drilling, and other projects. It is unclear at this time whether the agency will do so, given the administration's announcement last week that it is committed to roadless protection.
BUSH ADMINISTRATION AND THE ROADLESS RULE On May 4, the Bush Administration announced it would allow the roadless conservation rule to go forward, but that it would propose new amendments to the rule in June.
PROPOSED AMENDMENTS The amendments that the administration intends to propose in June would greatly weaken the roadless area protection in the current rule. According to the administration's press release, the amendments will be based on five principles.
**1. "Informed decision-making...through the local forest planning process." The failure of local forest planning to protect roadless areas is the main reason for the Roadless Rule. Under current forest plans, 59% of the inventoried roadless areas are open to road construction (34.3 million acres out of 58.5 million). As Forest Service Chief Bosworth has stated, "From my perspective, it makes sense that the issue of whether or not to build roads into roadless areas is a matter of public policy as opposed to a forest planning question. For us to try to grind through forest plans once again with the roadless issue overshadowing everything else doesn't make sense" (The battle over roads; Missoulian; June 18, 2000; Sherry Devlin).
**2. Working together with states and local communities. With more than 1.6 million comments, the current Roadless Rule was developed with the most public participation in the history of federal rulemaking. More than 1,000 comments came from people in each of the 50 states. Local decision-making consistently undervalues the national interest in roadless areas. The administration's proposal would allow the clear wishes of the American public for roadless area conservation to be overridden by a relative handful of development-oriented local residents and officials.
**3. Protecting roadless forests from fire and insects. This appears to be a veiled threat to conduct extensive salvage logging in the roadless areas. There is no scientific justification to salvage log roadless areas, which typically are the healthiest parts of the forest.
**4. Protecting communities and property from fire. The Roadless Rule and EIS process have already dealt extensively with this issue and arrived at a reasonable compromise that balances the potential benefits and risks. While thinning overly dense stands of small trees may reduce fire risk, building access roads into roadless areas will increase fire risk. The Forest Service does not intend even to begin fuel reduction work in roadless areas for at least another decade, since they are located far from homes and communities.
**5. Protecting access to property. Access to state and private land inholdings is a non-issue, but opponents of the Roadless Rule have somehow failed to realize or admit it. The Forest Service has made it very clear that the Roadless Rule has no effect on access. Roadless areas are no different from any other national forest lands regarding inholder access.
For a full list of Action Items, visit
http://www.wilderness.org/whatcan/takeaction.htm
5/11/01
6:26:54 PM
"There exists a shadowy Government with its own Air Force, its own Navy, its own fundraising mechanism, and the ability to pursue its own ideas of national interest, free from all checks and balances, and free from the law itself."
Senator Daniel K. Inouye, during the Iran Contra Hearings
http://www.disclosureproject.org/
5/11/01
6:17:29 PM
Environmental news from GRIST MAGAZINE
<http://www.gristmagazine.com>
1. CEMENT SHOOS A federal judge ruled for the second time in a month yesterday that a cement plant can't be opened in a poor black and Latino neighborhood in Camden, N.J. In April, U.S. District Judge Stephen Orlofsky said the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection had violated the federal Civil Rights Act in giving the plant the go-ahead. Five days later, the U.S. Supreme Court decided in an unrelated case, Alexander v. Sandoval, that a state cannot be sued for policies that discriminate unless it can be shown that the discrimination was intentional. Following that ruling, Orlofsky asked each side in the New Jersey case to submit briefs on how the Supreme Court decision affected their positions. Yesterday, he breathed new life into the residents' arguments by invoking a federal law enacted after the Civil War as justification for the suit.
straight to the source: Philadelphia Inquirer, Will Van Sant, 11 May 2001 <http://inq.philly.com/content/inquirer/2001/05/11/front_page/JCEMENT11.htm>
straight to the source: Bergen Record, Associated Press, Brendan Schurr, 11 May 2001 <http://www.bergen.com/region/camden11200105117.htm>
2. THE EMPEROR STRIKES OUT Emperor penguins have been dying as global temperatures have risen, according to a study by French scientists published yesterday in the journal Nature. From 1952 until 1975, the penguin population near a French Antarctic base held steady around 6,000, but in the late 1970s, the number dropped to 3,000, where it has since stabilized. The scientists think warmer temperatures have killed off Antarctic krill, a main source of food for the penguin. Meanwhile, a supplement this month in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives outlines the possible health-related consequences of global warming, including more heat strokes and the rise of diseases like malaria and yellow fever.
straight to the source: MSNBC.com, Francesca Lyman, 09 May 2001 <http://www.msnbc.com/news/570492.asp>
read it only in Grist Magazine: Polar bare naked -- climate change threatens Arctic critters -- by Donella Meadows <http://www.gristmagazine.com/grist/citizen/citizen020501.stm>
3. AT LEAST IT OUTLASTED THE XFL "Global Warming Survivor" has an abrupt season finale as Zed and Britney Spears send out an SOS to avoid permanent cancellation. Tune in, while there's still time, to Zed, last of his species, in "There Goes the Neighborhood."
catch it only in Grist Magazine: The comic adventures of Zed, last of his species <http://www.gristmagazine.com/grist/zed/zed051101.stm>
catch it only in Grist Magazine: Play the Zed Eggplant Hunt game! <http://www.gristmagazine.com/grist/zed/zed-fun.stm>
4. SEVEN BRYDES FOR SEVEN SAMURAI Japanese whaling ships set sail yesterday to hunt for minke, Bryde's, and sperm whales. Whaling ships earlier this year brought home 440 minke whales, but the second hunt will be more controversial because Bryde's and sperm whales are thought to be more endangered. When a similar hunt occurred last year the Clinton administration threatened Japan with trade sanctions. Japan claims the hunts are for scientific purposes only and should therefore be permitted by the International Whaling Commission. But much of the whale meat ends up in restaurants, and enviros and some foreign governments believe that the whale research is merely a front for commercial whaling.
straight to the source: Planet Ark, Reuters, Elaine Lies, 11 May 2001 <http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10780>
do good: Take action to end Japanese whaling <http://www.gristmagazine.com/grist/dogood/species.stm#whaling>
5. LODGE, A COMPLAINT A federal judge in Idaho yesterday blocked former President Clinton's plan to ban road-building and logging on 58.5 million acres of national forestland. U.S. District Judge Edward Lodge ruled in favor of the state of Idaho and timber giant Boise Cascade and said that if the plan went into effect tomorrow, as had been scheduled, it could cause "irreparable long-term harm" to local communities. Environmental groups said they would appeal the ruling to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. They blamed the decision in part on the Bush administration's failure to mount a strong defense of the plan. The administration has not yet decided whether it will join the appeal.
straight to the source: New York Times, Douglas Jehl, 11 May 2001 <http://www.nytimes.com/2001/05/11/politics/11FORE.html>
straight to the source: Washington Post, Eric Pianin, 11 May 2001 <http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A10913-2001May10.html>
6. CHILE PEPPERED As Chile makes a push to increase its produce exports, the country has begun to use more chemicals on farms, a trend that public health workers say has put farm workers at greater risk of skin disease, miscarriages, sterility, and cancer. A 1998 study in the region where 60 percent of Chile's pesticides are used showed that residents there were 40 percent more likely to have kids born with defects than elsewhere in the country. Last year, Chile imported 15,000 tons of pesticides, nearly twice as much as in 1990. Almost anyone can buy highly toxic pesticides over the counter in Chile.
straight to the source: San Francisco Chronicle, Jimmy Langman, 10 May 2001 <http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2001/05/10/MN226408.DTL>
My mother's left foot (Mother's Day special!) -- a cartoon by Suzy Becker <http://www.gristmagazine.com/grist/ha/ha050701.stm>
Chaordic theory 101 -- a day in the life of Michelle Long, Transparency Center <http://www.gristmagazine.com/grist/week/long051001.stm>
Do it for the little enviros -- and other letters to the editor <http://www.gristmagazine.com/grist/letters/letters051101.stm>
5/11/01
5:55:21 PM
LESTER BROWN LAUNCHES EARTH POLICY INSTITUTE
Today, Lester R. Brown, announced the formation of a new organization: the Earth Policy Institute. Brown will continue as Chairman of the Board of Worldwatch Institute and will become a Senior Fellow at Worldwatch.
"During the year since I moved from President to Chairman of the Board at Worldwatch, I've had more time to think," said Brown. "Three things have become much more apparent. First, we are losing the war to save the planet. Many battles have been won, but the gap between what we need to do to arrest the environmental deterioration of Earth and what we are doing continues to widen. Somehow we have to turn the tide."
"Second, we need a vision of what an environmentally sustainable economy-an eco-economy-would look like, a roadmap of how to get from here to there, and a continual assessment of progress in this effort. Our goal is to help develop a shared vision of the eco-economy. Unless we have a common goal of where we want to go, we are not likely to get there.
"Third, to achieve these goals, we need a new kind of research organization-one that produces brief pieces that are designed for use by the media, can be read by busy policymakers, and can be easily distributed on the Internet. These short pieces are not a substitute for the in-depth research on environmental issues that is being done by the Worldwatch Institute, World Resources Institute, and many other more specialized, scientific research centers working on environmental issues.
"This is why I am establishing Earth Policy Institute," said Brown. The Institute plans to have three primary products: a book entitled Eco-Economy: Building an Economy for the Earth, a series of four-page Earth Policy Alerts, and similarly brief Eco-Economy Updates that identify major milestones or setbacks in building an eco-economy. The purpose of Eco-Economy is to describe the new economy-to provide a vision of what it will look like, how it will work, and how to build it. By definition, an eco-economy is designed to mesh with Earth's ecosystem instead of disrupting and destroying it. The book will contain detailed descriptions of the policy tools that can be used in this effort, such as a restructuring of the tax system that will simultaneously reduce income taxes and raise taxes on environmentally destructive activities.
The Earth Policy Alerts will be short analyses of environmental issues. They will be disseminated to a worldwide list of editors and reporters. The Alerts will be fashioned after the highly successful Worldwatch Issue Alerts, which Brown inaugurated in May 2000 as Chairman of the Board at Worldwatch.
The monthly Eco-Economy Updates will deal with new initiatives that are affecting progress toward an eco-economy. Based on a worldwide monitoring system, they will include initiatives that contribute to building an eco-economy, such as a major commitment by a government to develop its wind energy resources or to stabilize population, as well as actions that detract from the effort, such as a governmental decision to allow clearcutting of a forest.
Brown challenges the communications media to assume responsibility for helping the world make the transition to an eco-economy. "It will take an enormous amount of information dissemination to guide the transition to an eco-economy," said Brown. "Editors may not relish this assignment, but the reality is that there is no other institution that has the capacity to disseminate quickly the information needed to guide the transition to a sustainable economy in the time that is available."
If the media does not step up to the plate on this one, then environmental deterioration will likely continue until it eventually leads to economic decline. The stakes in the battle to save the planet are high. When we talk about protecting the economy's environmental support systems, we are talking about protecting the economy itself. "When I founded Worldwatch in 1974," Brown said, "I felt there was a need for an organization committed to an interdisciplinary analysis of global environmental issues, one that could help raise global awareness of these issues. Worldwatch is more than fulfilling that mission with its cutting-edge research, its worldwide publishing network in some 30 languages, and its well-developed working relationship with the world's major news organizations. Now that it is firmly established as the global leader in this effort and has a new generation of leaders, I decided it was time for me to re-focus my energy on the effort to build an eco-economy."
Making the transfer with Brown from Worldwatch to the Earth Policy Institute are Reah Janise Kauffman and Janet Larsen, who, with Brown, are the incorporators of the Institute. Ms. Kauffman, who has worked with Brown as his special assistant for 14 years and who has helped found the new Institute, will be the Vice President, responsible for its day-to-day management. At Worldwatch, she assisted with fundraising and directed the Institute's international publishing program in some 30 languages. Ms. Larsen, who has been assisting Brown with research since her recent graduation from Stanford University's Earth Systems program, will help develop the research program at the new Institute.
When fully operational, Brown envisions a staff of 10 to 12. Charter members of the Institute's Board of Directors include Judith Gradwohl, Curator and Web Site Director at the Smithsonian Institute; William Mansfield, former Assistant Secretary General and Deputy Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme; and Scott McVay, former President of the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation and now the head of the Chautauqua Institution.
Brown gratefully acknowledges the support of Vicki and Roger Sant of the Summit Foundation, who provided a $500,000 startup grant. Earth Policy Institute is located at 1350 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Suite 403, Washington, DC 20036-right on Dupont Circle.
The Web site address is www.earth-policy.org.
Other contact information: phone(202) 496-9290, fax (202) 496-9325
and e-mail epi@earth-policy.org.
Individuals who are interested in subscribing to the Earth Policy Institute's listserv to receive the Earth Policy Alerts and Eco-Economy Updates may do so on the website or by sending an e-mail to epi@earth-policy.org with a request to subscribe.
CONTACT:
Earth Policy Institute
1350 Connecticut Ave., NW
Suite 403
Washington, DC 20036
Phone: (202) 496-9290
Fax: (202) 496-9325
eMail: epi@earth-policy.org
Web: www.earth-policy.org
5/11/01
5:42:48 PM
EcoNet News
This Week's Headlines and Alerts from EcoNet
http://www.igc.org/igc/gateway/enindex.html
Oppose Bush's Attack on Endangered Species
The Bush administration's latest attack on the environment is an effort to strip the Endangered Species Act of its teeth and claws and make it even more difficult to recover plants and animals from the brink of extinction. Read More...
http://headlines.igc.apc.org:8080/enalerts/989550526/index_html
Maine Eco-Terrorism Bill Still Alive
LD 823, the so-called "Ecoterrorism" bill is still alive in the Maine House of Representatives. The summary of the bill reads as follows: "This bill establishes the crime of environmental terrorizing, which is the destruction of property or the interference with a place of business' normal course of business by individuals or groups for the primary purpose of protesting a natural resource or environmental issue." Read More...
http://headlines.igc.apc.org:8080/enalerts/989550667/index_html
Montana Groups File Lawsuit to Protect Yellowstone Buffalo, Other Wildlife
The State of Montana's and the U.S. government's Yellowstone buffalo management plan is illegally harming bald eagles, trumpeter swans and their habitat, according to a lawsuit filed today in Federal District Court (Helena, Montana) by Cold Mountain, Cold Rivers, Buffalo Field Campaign, and The Ecology Center, Inc. Read More...
http://headlines.igc.apc.org:8080/enalerts/989551043/index_html
Earth Actions: Global Warming, National Forests Protection Plan
Tell President Bush to regulate global warming pollution from motor vehicles. Read More...
http://headlines.igc.apc.org:8080/enalerts/989551473/index_html
Endangered Species Act May Be Threatened
The nation's premier law protecting wildlife is facing new scrutiny in Congress now that the Bush administration wants to limit the ability of environmental groups to put rare plants and animals on the endangered species list. Read More...
http://headlines.igc.apc.org:8080/enheadlines/989546745/index_html
Half of the World's Protected Nature Reserves Are Heavily Farmed
Two of the world's leading environmental and agriculture groups today report that almost half of the world's 17,000 major nature reserves, which are intended to protect wildlife from extinction, are being heavily used for agriculture. They also report that extreme malnutrition and hunger are pervasive among people living in at least 16 of the world's 25 key biodiversity "hotspots," where wildlife is most at risk. Read More...
http://headlines.igc.apc.org:8080/enheadlines/989547655/index_html
Shell Pulls Out of Pakistan National Park
Shell is dropping plans to explore for gas in Kirthar National Park in Pakistan. The sudden move has been greeted with delight by Friends of the Earth International, which was pursuing a major legal case against Shell in the Pakistani courts. Read More...
http://headlines.igc.apc.org:8080/enheadlines/989547874/index_html
DuPont Withdraws Benlate Fungicide from Market
On April 19, 2001, DuPont announced that by the end of the year it would cease selling the fungicide, Benlate (active ingredient, benomyl), after 33 years on the market. Although Benlate has come under repeated attacks for serious adverse health impacts and for damaging farmers' crops, the company cited high legal costs for their decision. Read More...
http://headlines.igc.apc.org:8080/enheadlines/989548147/index_html
Hormone Disruptor Found in Can Linings
A new British survey shows that most canned food is contaminated by the proven hormone-disrupting chemical bisphenol a. Read More...
http://headlines.igc.apc.org:8080/enheadlines/989548698/index_html
Poor Countries-the North's Radioactive Dump
The developing South has become the dump for hundreds of thousands of tons of radioactive waste from the world's rich countries, a colossal business that is linked to money laundering and gunrunning, say lawmakers and activists in Italy. Read More...
http://headlines.igc.apc.org:8080/enheadlines/989549184/index_html
Noah's Ark of Creatures Flourishes in United Arab Emirates
The camel is perhaps the only animal that comes to mind whenever the United Arab Emirates is mentioned. But this largely desert country is the proud host to a Noah's ark collection of creatures, many of which stay in carefully nurtured sanctuaries. Read More...
http://headlines.igc.apc.org:8080/enheadlines/989549370/index_html
GREEN: Wildlife Complicates U.S. Response to Foot and Mouth Disease
Although USDA guidelines for dealing with wildlife infected with foot-and-mouth disease are the same as that for cattle, "killing and burying or burning innumerable wild animals" there are "no provisions for protecting" wildlife "threatened by the virus" says the NY Times 5/6. Read More...
http://headlines.igc.apc.org:8080/enheadlines/989549607/index_html
5/11/01
5:35:57 PM
ENVIRONMENT NEWS SERVICE
"We Cover the Earth For You"
GROUPS URGE NEW TREATIES TO PROTECT IMPERILLED SEAS
GLAND, Switzerland, May 10, 2001 (ENS) - Urgent measures are needed to protect the vast hidden treasures of the deep seas from over exploitation, according to a new report by the World Wildlife Fund and the World Conservation Union. The report calls for international agreements to be put in place to regulate the management, protection and exploitation of high seas beyond the 200 nautical mile limit of the exclusive economic zones of coastal states.
For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens.lycos.com/ens/may2001/2001L-05-10-06.html
$100 MILLION GIFT TO JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY TARGETS MALARIA
BALTIMORE, Maryland, May 10, 2001 (ENS) - An anonymous donor has pledged $100 million to the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health for a 10 year effort to rid the world of malaria by developing a new vaccine and drugs.
For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens-news.com/ens/may2001/2001L-05-10-04.html
FORGING CLOSER LINKING BETWEEN SCIENCE AND POLICY, EU MINISTERS URGE
STOCKHOLM, Sweden, May 10, 2001 (ENS) - European scientists meeting this week in Stockholm have been urged to work in close partnership with policy makers to chart a course toward sustainable development.
For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens-news.com/ens/may2001/2001L-05-10-03.html
UN: LANDMINE CLEARANCE SHOULD PUT HUMAN IMPACT FIRST
NEW YORK, New York, May 10, 2001 (ENS) - Landmines, the ultimate environmental horror. Lethal explosive devices lying quietly on a rock, a stretch of sand, under a bush, sown by military personnel since gone to other wars leaving the local people to discover the mines by detonation.
For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens-news.com/ens/may2001/2001L-05-10-02.html
Lead Exposure Treatment Does Not Boost Test Scores
Navajo Uranium Workers File Suit over Compensation
BLM Violates Court Order on Tortoise Protection
Federal Judge Deals Another Blow to Homestead Airport
Sierra Club Picks Up PG&E's Slack
Energy Efficiency Roadmap Targets Future Homes
Florida Institutes New Impaired Waters Rule
BF Goodrich Fined $10,000 for Benzoic Acid Spill
Moth Larvae Would Rather Starve Than Switch
Lobsters Play Biological Violins
For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens.lycos.com/ens/may2001/2001L-05-10-09.html
5/11/01
5:33:12 PM
UTNE WEB WATCH
The Best of the Alternative Web
PRIME TIME PUSHERS
by Lisa Belkin, Mother Jones
-- The U.S. and New Zealand are the only two countries in the world "where prescription drugs are hawked on prime time." Mother Jones asks, "What does it mean for our health care when serious medicine is marketed like soap?"
GREEN APPLES UPSET CART
by Tom Clarke, Nature Science Update
A new study seems to show that, over time, all variables considered, organic farming surpasses other methods in terms of environmental sustainability, profitability, energy efficiency, and taste-at least in the case of Golden Delicious apples.
I WANNA BE YOUR...
by Matthew Callan, Freezerbox
"In the rock world of the 1970's, musicianship seemed to go hand in hand with teased hair and girlish good looks. By this wisdom, none of the Ramones had any business being on a stage."
Links to the above articles: http://www.utne.com/webwatch
5/11/01
5:29:55 PM
Downwind From Flowers - A Tibetan Story of Healing...
By By Lee Paton
Several years ago in Seattle, Washington, there lived a 52-year-old Tibetan refugee. "Tenzin," as I will call him, who was diagnosed with one of the more curable forms of lymphoma. He was admitted to the hospital and received his first dose of chemotherapy. But during the treatment, this usually gentle man became extremely angry and upset. He pulled the IV out of his arm and refused to cooperate. He shouted at the nurses and became argumentative with everyone who came near him. The doctors and nurses were baffled.
Then Tenzin's wife spoke to the hospital staff. She told them Tenzin had been held as a political prisoner by the Chinese for 17 years. They killed his first wife and repeatedly tortured and brutalized him throughout his imprisonment. She told them that the hospital rules and regulations, coupled with the chemotherapy treatments, gave Tenzin horrible flashbacks of what had suffered at the hands of the Chinese.
"I know you mean to help him," she said, "but he feels tortured by your treatments. They are causing him to feel hatred inside - just like he felt toward the Chinese. He would rather die than have to live with the hatred he is now feeling. And, according to our belief, it is very bad to have hatred in your heart at the time of death. He needs to be able to pray and cleanse his heart."
So the doctors discharged Tenzin and asked the hospice team to visit him in his home. I was the hospice nurse assigned to his care. I called a local representative from "Amnesty International" for advice. He told me that the only way to heal the damage from torture is to "talk it through."
"This person has lost his trust in humanity and feels hope is impossible," the man said. "If you are to help him, you must find a way to give him hope." But when I encouraged Tenzin to talk about his experiences, he held up his hand and stopped me. He said, "I must learn to love again if I am to heal my soul. Your job is not to ask me questions. Your job is to teach me to love again."
I took a deep breath. I asked him, "So, how can I help you love again?" Tenzin immediately replied, "Sit down, drink my tea and eat my cookies." Tibetan tea is strong black tea laced with yak butter and salt. It isn't easy to drink! But that is what I did. For several weeks, Tenzin, his wife, and I sat together, drinking tea. We also worked with his doctors to find ways to treat his physical pain. But it was his spiritual pain that seemed to be lessening. Each time I arrived, Tenzin was sitting cross-legged on his bed, reciting prayers from his books. As time went on, he and his wife hung more and more colorful "thankas," Tibetan Buddhist banners, on the walls. The room was fast becoming a beautiful, religious shrine.
When the spring came, I asked Tenzin what Tibetans do when they are ill in the spring. He smiled brightly and said, "We sit downwind from flowers." I thought he must be speaking poetically. But Tenzin's words were quite literal. He told me Tibetans sit downwind so they can be dusted with the new blossoms' pollen that floats on the spring breeze. They feel this new pollen is strong medicine.
At first, finding enough blossoms seemed a bit daunting. Then, one of my friends suggested that Tenzin visit some of the local flower nurseries. I called the manager of one of the nurseries and explained the situation. The manager's initial response was: "You want to do what?" But when I explained the request, the manager agreed. So, the next weekend, I picked up Tenzin and his wife with their provisions for the afternoon: black tea, butter, salt, cups, cookies, prayer beads and prayer books. I dropped them off at the nursery and assured them I would return at 5:00. The following weekend, Tenzin and his wife visited another nursery. The third weekend, they went to yet another nursery.
The fourth week, I began to get calls from the nurseries inviting Tenzin and his wife to come again. One of the managers said, "We've got a new shipment of nicotiana coming in and some wonderful fuchsias and oh, yes! Some great daphne. I know they would love the scent of that daphne! And I almost forgot! We have some new lawn furniture that Tenzin and his wife might enjoy."
Later that day, I got a call from the second nursery saying that they had colorful wind socks that would help Tenzin predict where the wind was blowing. Pretty soon, the nurseries were competing for Tenzin's visits. People began to know and care about the Tibetan couple.
The nursery employees started setting out the lawn furniture in the direction of the wind. Others would bring out fresh hot water for their tea. Some of the regular customers would leave their wagons of flowers near the two of them. At the end of the summer, Tenzin returned to his doctor for another CT scan to determine the extent of the spread of the cancer. But the doctor could find no evidence of cancer at all. He was dumbfounded. He told Tenzin that he just couldn't explain it.
Tenzin lifted his finger and said, "I know why the cancer has gone away. It could no longer live in a body that is filled with love. When I began to feel all the compassion from the hospice people, from the nursery employees, and all those people who wanted to know about me, I started to change inside. Now, I feel fortunate to have had the opportunity to heal in this way. Doctor, please don't think that your medicine is the only cure. Sometimes compassion can cure cancer, as well."
Mitch Battros
Producer - Earth Changes TV
5/11/01
5:06:56 PM
Planet Ark World Environment News
Bush to outline energy plan May 17 - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10772
EPA chief names special advisor on farm pollution issues - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10784
UPDATE - Judge blocks Bush plan for US forest roads - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10775
Environmentalists, tribes seek duties on Canada lumber - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10776
UK animal rights protesters chain selves to bank - UK http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10781
US criticises Sri Lankan ban on GM foods - SRI LANKA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10779
Peru says residents to decide on Tambogrande mine - PERU http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10771
WRAPUP - Unrest, spill curb Nigerian oil exports - NIGERIA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10783
StarLink issue fuels Japan opposition to GM wheat - JAPAN http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10787
Japan whaling ships defy critics, set out on hunt - JAPAN http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10780
UPDATE - Italy political rivals split on Europe, environment - ITALY http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10782
Industry vows help to remove obsolete pesticides - ITALY http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10786
Chemicals in strawberries pose risk - German paper - GERMANY http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10785
German power industry close to completing CHP deal - GERMANY http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10778
FAO chief says GM crops not answer to hunger now - FRANCE http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10777
Auspine plans A$90mln green energy power plant - AUSTRALIA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10773
INTERVIEW - Monsanto denies sale of illegal seed - ARGENTINA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10774
5/10/01
4:22:06 PM
Congregations plan campaign to save energy
Goal to persuade 1,000 churches to join movement
Charles Burress, Chronicle Staff Writer
Wednesday, May 9, 2001
Preaching the gospel of conservation, an alliance of religious groups initiated a pulpit-power campaign yesterday to convert the state's estimated 50,000 congregations into energy savers and users of renewable sources of power.
"This is going to save money and save Creation," the Rev. Sally Bingham of San Francisco's Grace Cathedral declared as Oakland Mayor Jerry Brown screwed in a low-power fluorescent bulb in the sanctuary of an Oakland church.
"I feel more at home in the pulpit," quipped Brown, who spent three years as a Jesuit seminarian and who has pushed for alternative energy in his several political incarnations as California governor, presidential candidate and mayor.
Brown joined Bingham and other members of the clergy at St. Augustine's Episcopal Church on Telegraph Avenue in attacking global warming, polluting sources of energy and President Bush's call for more oil drilling. They said faith-based groups could help protect the planet.
"Excessive consumption and gross waste is part of an ideology that is embedded in the culture," Brown said. "Religion stands outside the current ideology as a prophetic witness to call us back to the fundamentals."
The campaign is being waged by the newly formed California Interfaith Power & Light, co-directed by Bingham and Scott Anderson, executive director of the California Council of Churches. It is composed predominantly of Christian umbrella organizations, with some Jewish and Muslim representatives.
Bingham, who was jailed in Washington, D.C., last week for protesting Bush's Alaska drilling proposal, said fighting for the environment fell within a long history of social-justice causes "where the church has always played a major role -- in the areas of abolition of slavery, women's right to vote and most recently the civil rights movement.
"We see the environment as another major, major movement in the world."
Congregations across the state will be asked to sign a "covenant" committing their members to learn more about global warming, reduce energy use in the congregation's buildings, use more renewable energy and contribute to a wind-turbine fund.
Solar panels, such as those recently installed on Gloria Dei Lutheran Church in Sacramento or those planned for Congregation Shir Hadash in Los Gatos, were cited as examples to emulate.
The goal is to have 1,000 churches signed up by the end of the year, and ultimately to reach more than 15 million Californians belonging to various faiths, Bingham said.
Bingham said 17 Christian churches and one synagogue had signed the covenant in advance.
The crusade follows the earlier Episcopal Power & Light, which Bingham co- founded in 1997 to combat global warming by persuading Episcopal congregations to buy clean electricity from nonpolluting, renewable suppliers. That effort was stymied in California by the energy crisis and regulatory changes that cut access to suppliers like Green Mountain earlier this year.
Yesterday's launch offered a glimpse of potential obstacles. Because of shortages of low-power fluorescent bulbs, organizers were able to locate only three for the sanctuary's 28 hanging lamps. Worse, they had to remove the frosted glass shade because the fluorescent bulb was too big, thus leaving a harsh white glare in place of the muted amber incandescent glow that lit the wood-paneled interior.
"There probably will be some problems in that area," acknowledged Bingham. "I don't think that's insurmountable."
eMail Charles Burress at cburress@sfchronicle.com
5/10/01
4:13:40 PM
Russia Faces Major Nuclear Disaster As Experts Quit In Droves
By Patrick Cockburn
The World faces the threat of a major nuclear weapons disaster because Russia's impoverished atomic scientists are abandoning their posts in droves, a new report warned yesterday.
The safety of the country's nuclear arsenal, the pride of the military built up by the Soviet Union, is increasingly in doubt amid the collapse of the scientific élite.
The report by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace warns that Russia is failing "to train, recruit and maintain the type of experts it needs to ensure a safe, secure and reliable strategic nuclear deterrent". There is a growing risk that the Russian nuclear arsenal will suffer a devastating accident similar to the one at theChernobyl nuclear power plant in 1986.
The scientists, in charge of producing nuclear weapons and the missiles to deliver them, once enjoyed a higher standard of living than other Russians. Now many of them earn only £40 a month and are forced to rely on second jobs for most of their income.
"I would go abroad with great pleasure, but sometimes I don't have enough money to buy cigarettes," a specialist told the social scientist Valentin Tikhonov, the report's author.
The survey of nuclear specialists living in 10 cities where nuclear weapons and missiles are made shows they are in despair at their prospects.
Mr Tikhonov gained access to 10 cities whose very existence was often a secret under the Soviet Union. They frequently did not appear on maps and had no names. Instead they were called after the nearest administrative centre, though it might be hundreds of miles away, and by its postal code, such as Chelyabinsk-45 or Krasnoyarsk-26.
The report says the reason for the fall in the quality of the 120,000 nuclear technicians working in the 10 cities is the collapse in their living standards. "About 60 per cent of surveyed specialists received monthly pay equivalent to less than $50," it says.
Mr Tikhonov writes: "Regular pay has ceased to be the main source of livelihood, giving way to money made by moonlighting." One unnamed scientist says: "Even people in Zambia do not live in this way."
But the fear of the early Nineties, that Russian nuclear specialists would take their expertise to other countries, has not been realised. Despite President George Bush's claim that a missile defence system is necessary to protect America against "rogue states", there is little demand for the services of Russian nuclear scientists abroad.
But the report suggests that many would go, if asked. "The main thing is that I should be paid," says one specialist. "After all, I will be working, not killing or robbing." Another scientist complained: "The most terrible thing is that no one is waiting for us anywhere, either abroad or in this godforsaken country."
Russia is losing capacity to replace existing nuclear weapons as well as to maintain those it has already. A missile specialist says: "Production of submarine missiles is dying with a corresponding dearth of designers and technology experts." Another complains that the government in Moscow has no policy for dealing with the nuclear and missile cities.
The report warns that "maintaining systems as complex as nuclear weapons and long-range missiles requires a skilled, experienced, and motivated cadre of experts".
http://news.independent.co.uk/
5/10/01
4:11:10 PM
Environmental news from GRIST MAGAZINE
<http://www.gristmagazine.com>
1. GOVERNOR MOONBEAM, MAYOR SUNBEAM An alliance of religious groups began a campaign this week to make California's 50,000 congregations more energy-efficient and to encourage them to use renewable power. Oakland Mayor Jerry Brown (D) joined Rev. Sally Bingham in screwing in a compact fluorescent in an Oakland church and in criticizing President Bush's energy policies. Bingham said, "This is going to save money and save Creation." With energy prices rising, some experts predict renewed conservation efforts across the country, even though the White House has dismissed conservation as a core part of a national energy strategy.
straight to the source: Christian Science Monitor, Abraham McLaughlin, 10 May 2001 <http://www.csmonitor.com/durable/2001/05/10/p1s1.htm>
2. CONGO DRUMMED Mining in eastern Congo is bringing eastern lowland gorillas closer to extinction and destroying national parks, the World Wildlife Fund said yesterday. Thousands of miners are digging for the mineral coltan, which is used in cell phones, microchips, and nuclear reactors, damaging forests in the Kahuzi-Biega National Park and the Okapi Wildlife Reserve in rebel-held areas of the country. The number of gorillas in the highland portion of the park has fallen from 250 in 1996 to between 110 and 130, the group said.
straight to the source: Planet Ark, Reuters, Simon Denyer, 10 May 2001 <http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10759>
3. SHAPE UP OR SHIP OUT Alaska Gov. Tony Knowles (D) yesterday ordered a special session of the state legislature to hammer out what would become the world's first comprehensive law to control waste discharges from the cruise ship industry. The state House has easily passed a proposed package of regulations, but the measure has stalled in the state Senate. The cruise ship industry, which has been hit with a spate of poor publicity in recent years for pollution violations, has promised to comply with whatever bill makes it to Knowles's desk. Alaska is expected to set an example for states like California, Florida, and Washington, which also have to contend with the millions of gallons of wastewater discharged from cruise ships each year.
straight to the source: Los Angeles Times, Kim Murphy, 10 May 2001 <http://www.latimes.com/news/science/environ/20010510/t000039463.html>
read it only in Grist Magazine: A week in the life of a crusader against cruise waste, Kira Schmidt, Bluewater Network <http://www.gristmagazine.com/grist/week/schmidt072400.stm>
4. PARKING VIOLATION In a move that has provoked conflict in Congress, the Bush administration has instituted a two-year moratorium on expanding national parks, arguing that its first order of business should be to clear up a $4.9 billion maintenance backlog at existing parks. Environmentalists and national parks advocates are up in arms over the moratorium. Less predictably, House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) is upset because he wants the federal government to buy former President Ronald Reagan's childhood home in Dixon, Ill., and turn it into a historic site.
straight to the source: Washington Post, Eric Pianin, 10 May 2001 <http://washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A6488-2001May9.html>
5. SOFT WOOD, HARD HEARTS Environmental groups are joining with the U.S. timber industry (!) today in the fight over softwood timber imports from Canada. In a petition expected to be filed with the U.S. Commerce Department today, the groups argue that British Columbia is illegally subsidizing lumber producers by ignoring violations of the Canada Fisheries Act and letting logging companies wreak havoc on salmon streams. Bob Plecas, president of the B.C. Lumber Trade Council, disputed the claims in the petition, which he said was little more than a bid by U.S. enviros to grab media attention.
straight to the source: Toronto Globe and Mail, Barrie McKenna, 10 May 2001 <http://www.globeandmail.com/gam/Environment/20010510/RLUMB.html>
Also in GRIST MAGAZINE today:
Judgment Day -- a day in the life of Michelle Long, Transparency Center <http://www.gristmagazine.com/grist/week/long050901.stm>
Michigan seems like a scheme to me now -- Bush's attack on federal resources and rules was honed in the states -- by Keith Schneider in our Main Dish section <http://www.gristmagazine.com/grist/maindish/schneider042501.stm>
Barton finks -- Austin is losing the battle to protect the Barton Springs salamander -- in our Main Dish section <http://www.gristmagazine.com/grist/maindish/oko042401.stm>
5/10/01
3:48:31 PM
Public Citizen
Ricart Automotive Agrees to Settle Suit Against Web Critic
Angry Ohio Customer Free to Create Anti-Ricart Sites This Summer
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Ricart Automotive has agreed to drop a lawsuit it filed against an angry customer who created two anti-Ricart Web sites to log customer complaints about the dealership.
Ohio-based Ricart last year sued Ohio State University graduate student Robert F. Dalton, claiming that his sites violated trademark law, and Ricart quickly obtained a preliminary injunction against any use of the word "ricart" in Dalton's site names. Under a settlement agreement entered into this week, Ricart -- which spent nearly $100,000 on the case -- agreed to drop its suit and have the injunction dissolved in exchange for Dalton agreeing to relinquish the domain names of his sites,
www.ricartautoripoff.com and www.ricartauto.com.
However, Dalton retains the right to create new anti-Ricart Web sites after July 3, 2001, using the word "ricart" in any portion of the domain name (except for the two relinquished domain names) and to include the Ricart name in his Web site "meta tags," a form of Internet code used to describe Web sites in a way that helps people using search engines locate Web pages in which they may be interested. For now, Dalton has posted the information on his sites at
www.columbusconsumer.com.
"Clearly this is a victory for Mr. Dalton, who has every right in the world to post his thoughts about Ricart Automotive on the Internet," said Paul Alan Levy, an attorney with Public Citizen Litigation Group who is representing Dalton. Public Citizen has represented other Internet critics in similar First Amendment cases. "The First Amendment clearly protects the kind of criticism Mr. Dalton has posted."
Dalton created the Web sites after a dispute with the dealership over a 1997 Ford F-150 pickup truck he leased. Dalton felt cheated in the deal and has said misrepresentations were made to him about the warranty and his ability to return the truck. His site contains a wealth of information about complaints filed against Ricart with the Ohio Attorney General's Office, as well as consumer information alerting people to potential scams.
"This case was all about Ricart trying to keep damaging information about its business practices from becoming public knowledge," Dalton said. "I feel it was an honor and a privilege to convey the collective voices of Ricart's victims to a larger audience, and I am grateful for my lawyers' assistance in accomplishing that."
The case is yet another affirming the rights of angry consumers to post their gripes on the Internet. In one recent case, Alitalia dropped its case against a passenger who created a Web site to air his gripes about lost luggage. In another recent case, Pacifica Foundation decided not to carry out its threat to sue several groups that created anti-Pacifica sites.
Dalton is also represented by Columbus consumer lawyers Eric Willison and Alvin Borromeo.
Public Citizen is a nonprofit consumer advocacy organization based in Washington, D.C.
For more information, please visit www.citizen.org
Willison's Web site is www.ohiolandlordtenant.com
5/10/01
3:45:50 PM
BioDemocracy News #33 (May 2001)
Biotech Bullies: The Debate Intensifies
by Ronnie Cummins
A publication of the Organic Consumers Association
www.organicconsumers.org
5/10/01
3:42:07 PM
Public Citizen
Pacifica Backs Off Threat to Sue; Critics Can Keep Web Sites
Pacifica Foundation Had Threatened to Sue to Force Groups To Take Down Sites Until Public Citizen Intervened
WASHINGTON, D.C. - In what is a point on the scoreboard for First Amendment rights, Pacifica Foundation has decided against suing to force three groups to dismantle Web sites critical of Pacifica.
The Foundation in February threatened to sue the groups, with whom it is embroiled in a controversy over the radio network. The Foundation demanded that Friends of Free Speech Radio in California, WBAI Listener Network in New York and the Free WPFW group in Washington, D.C., abandon the use of their domain names and relinquish the rights to those names by Feb. 19 or face legal action. In response, Public Citizen, which champions free speech rights on the Internet, announced it would represent the groups if Pacifica sued.
In a recent phone conversation, though, an attorney for Pacifica told Public Citizen Litigation Group attorney Paul Alan Levy that Pacific had decided not to sue. Levy today sent the attorney, Tanya Vanderbilt, of Epstein Becker & Green, P.C. in Washington, D.C., a letter confirming the conversation. A copy is available at http://www.citizen.org/litigation/briefs/VandLetter.pdf.
"Companies are starting to learn that they can't bring these cases, because they're going to lose," Levy said. "The message is slowly getting out that free speech rights on the Internet are sacrosanct."
The creators of the Web sites (savepacifica.net, wbai.net and freewpfw.org) are embroiled in a controversy stemming from a conflict between Pacifica's management and station employees and members over the network's future. Pacifica had claimed that the use of the Web site domain names was a trademark infringement and could confuse people searching the Web for Pacifica's site. The foundation also claimed that the Web sites restricted Pacifica from conducting business on the Internet under its own name.
Those claims are baseless, Levy said. Trademark infringement occurs when a company's name is used in a misleading way to profit from consumer confusion, which is not the case here. Also, the First Amendment protects the kind of speech posted on the Web sites, he said.
"Pacifica threatened to bring this suit because it wanted to burden its critics with the time and expense of preparing a legal defense," said Robbie Osman, member of Friends of Free Speech Radio. "I would have hoped that before the Foundation threatened to sue, someone in the Pacific national office might have remembered that promoting fair and open debate has been at the very heart of Pacifica's mission since it was founded. By threatening this baseless suit, the Foundation has proved the most damning charge their critics have made against them."
Added Patty Heffley of WBAI Listener Network, "After observing the Pacifica Foundation up close, any positive actions they take must be viewed with suspicion. The good news here is that Pacifica isn't going to squander the listeners' money on an unwarranted suit."
Public Citizen is a nonprofit consumer advocacy organization based in Washington, D.C.
For more information, please visit www.citizen.org
5/10/01
3:37:32 PM
The Fabric Of Space Time
By Larry Wright (ECTV)
Space is not empty but is in fact a fabric or medium that propagates magnetic fields and electromagnetic waves. Space is not matter in the sense that it is not composed of particles. Tendencies are to describe space in terms of plasma. This because plasma too will propagate electromagnetic fields and carry electric charges. This view though closer to the truth than the concept of empty space is still not completely accurate. A plasma is made up of particles. Space exists between particles. When you look at a solid object it is really not solid at all. There is more space contained in solid matter than matter itself. Each tiny particle is separated from all other particles by space. Similar to the separation between the stars and planets. When looking at the universe as a whole, there is more space than actual matter. Some 80 percent of matter and the universe is composed of so called empty space. Matter cannot exist without space for it would have no medium for existence. If not matter then what? This is a an area that touches on the metaphysical as well as the physical. We must be prepared to accept the concept of a non particle material similar in many respects to the fluid qualities of water. A material like water that forms vortexes with cyclonic properties that cause matter to condense and whirl about. A material that permeates the entire universe and propagates electromagnetic waves and vibrations. Atomic and sub atomic particles, light and radiation are the results of electromagnetic waves. Matter is a four dimensional wave form. Height, width, depth and time. Matter has no real existence apart from it's wave form. Like the ripples on a pond of water, when the disturbance ceases the ripples vanish back to water. In fact the ripples have no identity or existence apart from the water itself. Similarly, matter has no existence apart from space itself. When the disturbance ceases matter vanishes back to empty space. The ancients called this mysterious substance Ether. This concept was largely abandoned in the 20th century. Now science is beginning to come full circle. Recent discoveries in physics and astronomy are now beginning to return to this ancient concept of Ether. It is now called or will be called by a different name but the concept is the same. It is the only thing that makes sense and explains the many discrepancies that modern science has uncovered. For instance, the fact that science cannot explain 80% of the missing mass of the universe. The so called dark matter that is thought to fill space but so far cannot be found. Isn't it interesting that this 80% of missing matter amounts to the same percentage of empty space between matter? What this means is that space is really another state of matter. A non particle state with fluid characteristics. At rest it is empty space. When in motion as waves it becomes the visible universe. A new theory has recently come to my attention and of which I completely agree with. This theory has been submitted to the American Physical Society in Long Beach, California. I am including a link to this website and I encourage anyone who reads this article to go to this website and read up on this theory. It touches on much that I have said here and in previous articles. But again, keep in mind that this concept is really not new at all. This is just a modern interpretation of the ancient theory of Ether. The same idea with a new set of words.
Mitch Battros
Producer - Earth Changes TV
5/10/01
3:31:48 PM
ENVIRONMENT NEWS SERVICE
"We Cover the Earth For You"
FEDERAL ENERGY COMMISSION REACHES FOR CONTROL OF HYDROPOWER LICENSING
WASHINGTON, DC, May 9, 2001 (ENS) - The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has proposed to centralize all authority for licensing of hydropower installations, now dispersed amongst several federal and state agencies, in its own hands. The move has drawn objections from environmental groups and praise from the electric power industry.
For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens-news.com/ens/may2001/2001L-05-09-01.html
UN: TOXIC PESTICIDE STOCKS NEED FAST CLEANUP
NEW YORK, New York, May 9, 2001 (ENS) - More than 500,000 tons of banned or expired pesticides are seriously threatening the health of millions of people and the environment in nearly all developing countries and countries in transition, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization warned in a new report issued today.
For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens.lycos.com/ens/may2001/2001L-05-09-07
WISCONSIN LAW CLOSES GAP IN WETLANDS PROTECTION
MADISON, Wisconsin, May 9, 2001 (ENS) - Wisconsin Governor Scott McCallum has signed the nation's first state law designed to protect wetlands. Crafted in response to a U.S. Supreme Court decision that left some categories of wetlands largely unprotected, the Wisconsin law is expected to become a template for other states' efforts to step up wetlands preservation.
For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens.lycos.com/ens/may2001/2001L-05-09-06.html
PLASTIC WASTE PLAGUES GOA, INDIA'S TOURIST JEWEL
By Frederick Noronha
GOA, India, May 9, 2001 (ENS) - Campaigners who waged a pitched battle against proliferating plastics in India's tourist state of Goa have been left holding the plastic bag. The campaigners must now deal with tons of plastic that no one wants. They pin their hopes on changes in the law that could help tackle the problem of plastic litter.
For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens-news.com/ens/may2001/2001L-05-09-03.html
EUROPEAN COMPLIANCE WITH KYOTO PROTOCOL DEEMED AFFORDABLE
BRUSSELS, Belgium, May 9, 2001 (ENS) - The European Union could cut its greenhouse gas emissions in line with Kyoto Protocol commitments at an annual cost of under 0.1 percent of Gross Domestic Product, says a study released by the European Commission. The estimated cost is considerably lower than previous figures and will strengthen the European Union's hand in the global argument over the "affordability" of responding aggressively to climate change.
For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens-news.com/ens/may2001/2001L-05-09-02.html
ENVIRONMENT NEWS SERVICE AMERISCAN: MAY 9, 2001
Rally Urges Bush to Uphold Hardrock Mining Rules
Court Supports Forest Service in Oil Industry Challenge
Department of Labor Defends Black Lung Regulations
Groups Petition for Stringent Regulation of Transgenic Fish
Endangered Listing Sought for Puget Sound Killer Whales
New Technology Detects Dangerous Molds
Three Sisters Area Shows Ground Deformation
Three Environmental Satellites Going Dark
Professor Teaches Environmental Approach to Accounting
First Scripps Nierenberg Prize Awarded to E.O. Wilson
For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens.lycos.com/ens/may2001/2001L-05-09-09.html
5/10/01
3:28:41 PM
Planet Ark World Environment News
New York to set rules on diesel generator emissions - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10761
GAO finds many underground US storage tanks leak USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10768
US energy plan will endorse biofuels - Senator - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10765
New kid on the block RLX unveils power-friendly computers - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10762
W.House sees benefit in taking land for power lines - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10755
Duke Energy defends mixed-oxide nuclear fuel plan - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10758
US green groups say W.House energy plan ignores conservation - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10757
UPDATE - Greens say Shell bows to park campaign in Pakistan - UK http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10760
US allies may drop out of Kyoto - EU commissioner - SWEDEN http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10767
UN climate boss seeks early draft on pollution pact - NETHERLANDS http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10766
Bird lovers squawk at Dutch wind energy scheme - NETHERLANDS http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10763
Mining drives Congo's gorillas close to extinction - KENYA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10759
Japan METI panel calls for more use of natural gas - JAPAN http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10756
Pesticide waste endangers millions in poor nations - ITALY http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10769
German police escort nuclear waste shipment - GERMANY http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10770
OECD ministers forum to focus on sustainable growth - FRANCE http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10764
5/10/01
3:16:57 PM
Roll Your Own Black Out
Thursday evening June 21, 2001 from 7 to 10 pm in your time zone
In protest of George W. Bush's energy policies and lack of emphasis on efficiency, conservation and alternative fuels, there will be a voluntary rolling blackout on the first day of Summer, June 21 at 7 pm - 10 pm in any time zone (this will roll it across the planet).
It's a simple protest and a symbolic act. Turn out your lights from 7 pm - 10 pm (your local time) on June 21. Unplug whatever you can unplug in your house. Light a candle for the Sun, kiss, make love, play games, tell ghost stories, do something instead of watching television, have fun in the dark.
Forward this email as widely as possible, to your government representatives and environmental contacts. Let them know we want global education, participation and funding in conservation, efficiency and alternative energy efforts -- and an end to over exploitation and misuse of the Earth's resources.
5/10/01
3:12:45 PM
Environmental news from GRIST MAGAZINE
<http://www.gristmagazine.com>
1. ONE FISH, TWO FISH, RED FISH, MUTANT FISH More than 60 environmental and fishing groups today are asking the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to delay sending the first genetically modified animal to market. Aqua Bounty Farms has petitioned the agency to approve for sale a salmon genetically engineered to grow more quickly than natural salmon. But enviro and fishing groups want the FDA to institute a moratorium on bringing genetically engineered animals to market until environmental and health risks have been studied more thoroughly.
straight to the source: New York Times, Andrew Pollack, 09 May 2001 <http://www.nytimes.com/2001/05/09/science/09FISH.html>
read it only in Grist Magazine: Hook, line, and stinker -- more details in a Daily Grist news summary <http://www.gristmagazine.com/grist/daily/daily040401.stm#hook>
do good: Take action to stop genetically engineered fish <http://www.gristmagazine.com/grist/dogood/food.stm#gefish>
2. SWEET BOYCOTTS ARE MADE OF THESE Celebrities and environmental groups in the U.K. kicked off a boycott of ExxonMobil yesterday, in protest of the company's policy to oppose the Kyoto treaty on climate change and stall action on climate change in the U.S. Annie Lennox, Ralph Fiennes, and Bianca Jagger joined with Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth, and People and Planet to ask the public to avoid ExxonMobil gas stations. The Body Shop said it would publicize the campaign in its shops. For its part, ExxonMobil said the boycott would hurt the owners of individual gas stations, but would not play a role in influencing U.S. global warming polices.
straight to the source: London Independent, Matthew Beard, 09 May 2001 <http://www.independent.co.uk/story.jsp?story=71115>
straight to the source: Planet Ark, Reuters, 09 May 2001 <http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10746>
do good: Take action and ask ExxonMobil to contemplate the climate <http://www.gristmagazine.com/grist/dogood/climate.stm#exxonmobil>
3. IT'S THE STUPIDITY, STUPID The Bush administration engaged in a bit of greenspeak yesterday, revealing that Vice President Dick Cheney's secretive energy task force would recommend tax credits for consumers who purchase gas-electric hybrid cars. It also said it would encourage burning biomass to produce energy. But for the most part, as Cheney himself made clear on CNN yesterday, the plan will stress ways to expand the supply of fossil fuel and the number of power plants in the country. Cheney said California's blackouts had come about because the state had been "relying only on conservation." In response, California Gov. Gray Davis (D) issued a statement calling Cheney "grossly misinformed." Meanwhile, in the face of rising gas prices, White House spokesperson Ari Fleischer said this week that President Bush would not urge Americans to conserve: "That's a big no. The president believes that it's an American way of life, and that it should be the goal of policy-makers to protect the American way of life. The American way of life is a blessed one."
straight to the source: Washington Post, Mike Allen and Eric Pianin, 09 May 2001 <http://washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A64665-2001May8.html>
straight to the source: New York Times, Joseph Kahn, 09 May 2001 <http://www.nytimes.com/2001/05/09/politics/09CHEN.html>
do good: Take action and ask Cheney for a sensible energy policy <http://www.gristmagazine.com/grist/dogood/politics.stm#cheney>
4. PESTICIDE: LIFE ON THE STREET The amount of pesticide waste endangering people and the environment is five times greater than what had been thought only two years ago, according to a new report by the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization. The FAO says that nearly 500,000 tons of old and unused pesticides have been left on sites that are mostly in the developing world. Many of the pesticides have been abandoned on fields and in villages, poisoning soil and water supplies. The FAO's Alemayehu Wodageneh said, "The lethal legacy of obsolete pesticides is alarming and urgent action is needed to clean up waste dumps." The FAO is urging pesticide companies to get on the ball and help with clean-up efforts.
straight to the source: BBC News, 09 May 2001 <http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/europe/newsid_1321000/1321184.stm>
5. KAWAGUCHI LETS THE GOOD TIMES ROLL Japan's new prime minister, Junichiro Koizumi, has chosen the environment as a key policy area to focus on. Out of the gate, his environment minister, Yoriko Kawaguchi, has stressed the importance of acting to curb global warming. And Kawaguchi and Takeo Hiranuma, the country's trade minister, planned to meet yesterday with top officials from the Japanese auto industry to ask them to make sure the supply of low-emission vehicles keeps up with demand. The prime minister instructed his cabinet yesterday to replace the government's fleet of vehicles with low-emission vehicles by 2005.
straight to the source: Japan Times, 09 May 2001 <http://www.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/getarticle.pl5?nn20010509a9.htm>
straight to the source: Planet Ark, Reuters, 09 May 2001 <http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10754>
Also in GRIST MAGAZINE today:
My mother's left foot (Mother's Day special!) -- a cartoon by Suzy Becker <http://www.gristmagazine.com/grist/ha/ha050701.stm>
The truth is out there -- a day in the life of Michelle Long, Transparency Center <http://www.gristmagazine.com/grist/week/long050801.stm>
The best thing since sliced bread -- organic bread: a life -- in our Main Dish section <http://www.gristmagazine.com/grist/maindish/foster041601.stm>
5/10/01
3:03:06 PM
U T N E B U Z Z
News from Utne Reader, Utne Reader Online, and Café Utne
"THERE IS AN ASPECT to political activism that involves an incredible sense of urgency, people thinking, 'I absolutely know what is right,' and spirituality advocates that people step back, reflect, and approach the world with a sense of mystery-that maybe they don't always know exactly what is right. . . . This is a good quality to bring into activism, to look at some of the deeper issues that way." -Starhawk, activist, witch, Clamor (Feb./March 2001)
T H I S W E E K:
FEATURED ARTICLE OF THE WEEK: Smoke and Mirrors: How polluters influence environmental education
John F. Borowski writes about the increasing trend of industries and their front groups "to justify everything from deforestation to the extinction of species."
YOUR HEALTH DEPENDS ON A HEALTHY PLANET
Read "The Coming Age of Ecological Medicine,"
a Special Report in the May/June issue of Utne Reader.
NEW ARTICLES NOW ONLINE
Now About Those McChicken Sandwiches
by Craig Cox
Between the Sheets: Portrait of the artists as young invalids
by Jeanne Schinto
Street Librarian: An update from the Utne stacks
by Utne Reader librarian Chris Dodge
5/10/01
2:49:49 PM
PLEASE FORWARD THIS TO A COLLEAGUE
JOURNALISM AND POWER: WATCHDOG OR ACCOMPLICE?
Frank Vogl warns the World Bank (and all of us) that corrupt media ownership is endangering development.
http://www.mediachannel.org/views/oped/vogl.shtml
NEWS DISSECTOR: MOGUL POLS
Two media moguls, Silvio Berlusconi in Italy and Michael Bloomberg in New York, are running for political office. Danny Schechter says media and politics are converging.
http://www.mediachannel.org/views/dissector/mogul-pols.shtml
WHEATPASTE AND WEBSPACE: DYKE ACTION MACHINE
The anti-tech Webwork "Gynadome" is Dyke Action Machine!'s latest campaign to jam lesbian images into public space.
http://www.mediachannel.org/arts/perspectives/dam/index.html
DAILY MEDIA NEWS
Breaking news stories about the media internationally, from mainstream and alternative sources.
http://www.mediachannel.org/news/today/
**FROM OUR AFFILIATES**
THE PEOPLE'S MEDIA
There may be hope for media yet! "Making Waves" reveals 50 projects that enable poor people to "seize control of their own life stories."
http://www.mediachannel.org/front.shtml#waves
WALL STREET VERSUS THE NEWS
Alarms are sounding about the profit pressures facing U.S. newspapers. Journalists and their bosses are invited to speak out - on the record - about the impact of newsroom cutbacks.
http://www.mediachannel.org/front.shtml#profits
ONE WORLD MEDIA GOVERNMENT
The datastreams of our increasingly digital world are threatened by a secret takeover. Jeremy Rifkin warns of "a radical plan to wrest control of the entire spectrum from governments around the world."
http://www.mediachannel.org/front.shtml#spectrum
5/10/01
2:45:27 PM
Rumsfeld Seeking an Arms Strategy Using Outer Space
By James Dao
WASHINGTON, May 8 - Unveiling a new plan to strengthen the military's space programs, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld stopped short today of advocating putting weapons in outer space, an idea that has come under sharp criticism from Congressional Democrats.
"More than any other country, the United States relies on space for its security and well-being," Mr. Rumsfeld said at a Pentagon news conference.
"It's only logical to conclude that we must be attentive to these vulnerabilities and pay careful attention to protecting and promoting our interest in space."
But Mr. Rumsfeld repeatedly sidestepped questions from reporters about whether his efforts to give space operations a higher profile in the Pentagon would inevitably lead to building anti-satellite weapons or other types of space-based military hardware.
"These proposals have nothing to do with that," he said.
His plan calls for consolidating a number of military space programs - including spy satellite operations - under the Air Force. He also said he will create a new position filled by a four-star Air Force general who will serve as the Pentagon's chief advocate for space programs.
Still, Mr. Rumsfeld, in his longest news conference of the year, clearly did not close the door to putting weapons in space or to expanding the anti-satellite programs that the Pentagon has financed for years.
Indeed, a Congressional commission Mr. Rumsfeld led until last December recommended that the Pentagon increase spending on military space technology and study ways to project power from space.
Reading from the National Space Policy, written in 1996, Mr. Rumsfeld said the Department of Defense has the authority to "develop, operate and maintain space control capabilities to ensure freedom of action in space, and if directed, deny such freedom of action to adversaries."
There was sharply mixed reaction on Capitol Hill today to Mr. Rumsfeld's announcement, with several senior Democrats saying they would oppose any efforts by the Pentagon to militarize space.
"Congress should thoroughly scrutinize Secretary Rumsfeld's proposals to reorganize the management of D.O.D.'s space activities to assure the American people that this is not the first step toward deploying weapons in space," said Senator Carl Levin of Michigan, the ranking Democrat on the Armed Services Committee. "Such a step would be unwise and could lead to an arms race in space."
The Democratic leader, Senator Thomas A. Daschle of South Dakota, called placing weapons in space "the single dumbest thing I've heard so far in this administration."
He added: "I think Democrats will be universally opposed to doing something as foolish as that. It only invites other countries to do the same thing."
But several Republicans said that they not only support putting weapons in space, but that they also expect Mr. Rumsfeld to move in that direction.
"I think Rumsfeld is saying, `Let me start with the structure, let me see if I can get this reorganization done so we can move to phase 2, which may be developing the defense capability to knock out some of these enemy satellites,' " said Senator Robert C. Smith, a Republican from New Hampshire who sits on the Armed Services Committee.
For instance, Mr. Smith said, he believes the Bush administration plans to increase spending on what are known as kinetic-kill vehicles - capable of damaging or destroying enemy satellites.
"It speaks legions about Rumsfeld that he started out his first major press conference on space, because that's the future," Senator Smith continued. "The country that controls space is the country that wins the next war."
Representative Mac Thornberry, a Republican from Texas who serves on the House Armed Services Committee, said he would have favored going further than Mr. Rumsfeld by creating a separate space force that might be a fifth service or a major corps within the Air Force.
"I think we need to prepare for the time when conflict in space could come about," Mr. Thornberry said.
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/05/09/world/09SPAC.html
5/10/01
2:37:29 PM
UTNE WEB WATCH
The Best of the Alternative Web
TODAY'S PICKS:
http://www.utne.com/webwatch/archive.tpl?d=05/09/2001
CLIMATE JUSTICE FROM THE NIGER DELTA TO CANCER ALLEY CorpWatch
-- In this CorpWatch interview, Nigerian activist Oronto Douglas explains the connections between human rights, environmental justice, and climate change.
PERIODIC BREAKFAST TABLE
photography by John Halpern, text by Catharine Weese, 2wice -- Ever thought about what your food says about you? Cereal, probably one of the most highly-designed foods at the grocery store, can help you proclaim your simple or sophisticated tastes.
TINSEL-TOWN REBELLION
by Steven Mikulan, LAWeekly
-- The weekend's agreement between movie biz writers and producers seems to call a truce in their fight over the three R's: Residuals, Royalties, and Respect.
5/10/01
2:22:07 PM
The Earth’s Ten Commandments
by Ernest Callenbach author of Ecotopia
1. Thou shall love and honor the earth for it blesses thy life and governs thy survival.
2. Thou shall keep each day sacred to the earth and celebrate the turning of its seasons.
3. Thy shall not hold thyself above other living things nor drive them to extinction.
4. Thou shall give thanks for thy food to the creatures and plants that nourish thee.
5. Thou shall limit thy offspring for multitudes of people are burden unto the earth.
6. Thou shall not kill nor waste earth's resources upon weapons of war.
7. Thou shall not pursue profit at the earth's expense but strive to restore its damaged majesty.
8. Thou shall not hide from thyself or others the consequences of thy actions upon the earth.
9. Thou shall not steal from future generations by impoverishing or poisoning the earth.
10. Thou shall consume material goods in moderation so all may share earth's bounty.
5/10/01
1:42:33 PM
U.S. Scientists See Big Power Savings From Conservation
By JOSEPH KAHN
WASHINGTON, May 5 - Scientists at the country's national laboratories have projected enormous energy savings if the government takes aggressive steps to encourage energy conservation in homes, factories, offices, appliances, cars and power plants.
Their studies, completed just before the Bush administration took office, are at odds with the administration's repeated assertions in recent weeks that the nation needs to build a big new power plant every week for the next 20 years to keep up with the demand for electricity, and that big increases in production of coal and natural gas are needed to fuel those plants.
A lengthy and detailed report based on three years of work by five national laboratories said that a government-led efficiency program emphasizing research and incentives to adopt new technologies could reduce the growth in electricity demand by 20 percent to 47 percent.
That would be the equivalent of between 265 and 610 big 300-megawatt power plants, a steep reduction from the 1,300 new plants that the administration predicts will be needed. The range depends on how aggressively the government encourages efficiency in buildings, factories and appliances, as well as on the price of energy, which affects whether new technologies are economically attractive.
Another laboratory study found that government office buildings could cut their own use of power by one-fifth at no net cost to the taxpayers by adopting widespread energy conservation measures, paying for the estimated $5 billion investment with the energy savings.
But the Bush administration, which is in the final stages of preparing a strategy to deal with what it calls an energy crisis, has not publicized these findings, relying instead primarily on advice from economists at the Energy Department's Energy Information Agency, who often take a skeptical view of projected efficiency gains and predict a much greater need for fossil fuel supplies.
Administration officials said that some of the national laboratories' studies were based on theoretical assumptions that do not translate well into policy.
"We are looking for practical solutions here," said Jeanne Lopatto, a spokeswoman for the Energy Department. "Whatever works, we're interested in. But some of these ideas have been funded over many years and they have a very small impact on energy needs."
The once obscure debate between scientists at the national laboratories and economists at the information agency, both sides working for the Department of Energy, reflects a raging dispute between President Bush and many Democrats and environmentalists. While both sides agree that the United States faces energy problems, Mr. Bush's team has emphasized the quest for new supplies, while his critics emphasize untapped potential to reduce demand.
Vice President Dick Cheney, speaking publicly last week on the energy plan he is in charge of drafting, used the information agency's projections when he said that the nation would need at least 1,300 new power plants by 2020. Mr. Cheney used the figure to dramatize the need to mobilize public and private resources to close a supply gap.
Mr. Cheney has not publicly noted that other Energy Department studies show ways to trim that number. The conservation measures that the scientists consider feasible would save future energy costs and prevent air pollution from hundreds of power plants.
The laboratories' estimates assume widespread application of some time-tested efficiency standards and the success of some newer inventions that scientists love but many bottom-line economists tend to distrust as expensive or unrealistic.
Their work was reviewed by outside experts from industry, government and universities.
Some of the proposed conservation steps are neither costly nor complex. Just this week, researchers at the Energy Department's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory announced that they had developed a fluorescent table lamp that reduces the need for overhead lighting. The laboratory says the lamp matches the combined output of a 300-watt halogen lamp and a 150-watt bulb, but uses a quarter of the energy.
"Widespread use of this lighting system in offices and homes could greatly reduce the current power problems we have in California," said Michael Siminovitch, a scientist at the laboratory.
Other technologies have been proved in field tests. At Fort Polk, an Army base in Louisiana, electricity use during peak hours fell by 43 percent after base managers installed fluorescent lights, low-flow shower heads, new attic insulation and new home heating and cooling systems.
Most of the savings came from installing geothermal heat pumps, an efficient home heating and cooling system that circulates fluids through underground coils but otherwise uses conventional technologies. Hundreds of homes on the base were equipped with the systems, generating immediate cost savings for electricity and totally eliminating the homes' use of natural gas for water heating. The entire installation cost was covered by a private contractor that makes a profit by sharing in the government's cost savings for the first 20 years.
The heat pumps, though still something of a novelty, are completely proven and save so much money that President Bush installed a system at his new ranch home in Crawford, Tex., Mr. Cheney's official home, the Naval Observatory in Washington, also uses geothermal heat pumps to cut down on its energy bill.
A study prepared by the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory last year contended that striving to make such savings often made sound economic sense.
The study found that the federal government, the largest energy user in the United States with some 500,000 buildings, could reduce its own energy consumption by one-fifth. The investment necessary to realize those gains would be $5.2 billion, the study said, but the energy savings would knock nearly $1 billion annually off the government's energy bill, an attractive rate of return.
Some private companies have already made significant advances in what are known as combined heat and generation plants, which could become industry standards, energy department experts say. Chevron has estimated that it saved $100 million a year after it withdrew a refinery from the Texas electricity grid and relied on an on-site generator, which allowed it to recycle waste heat from the generation process for refining.
New efficiency standards for clothes washers, water heaters and air-conditioners adopted by the Clinton administration were projected by the Clinton Energy Department to reduce electricity demand by the equivalent of 170 300-megawatt power plants over 20 years if fully enforced.
President Bush's fiscal 2002 budget slashed the department's spending on researching and developing energy-efficient buildings and factories, more fuel-efficient automobiles, new appliance standards and more efficient lighting. Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham said some of that work was better left to the private sector.
Mr. Bush and Mr. Cheney, both former oil industry executives, seem to have assigned a tertiary role to efficiency improvements, behind new drilling for oil and gas and new construction of energy infrastructure, like pipelines and power plants. Neither the president nor the vice president has promoted his own energy-saving home as a model.
In fact, Mr. Cheney said last week, "Conservation may be a sign of personal virtue, but it is not a sufficient basis for a sound, comprehensive energy policy."
5/10/01
1:38:17 PM
Global Media Giants are Lobbying for the Most Sinister Privatization of All: The Airwaves
by Jeremy Rifkin
Question: what is the single most valuable piece of property worth owning at the dawn of the information age? Answer: the radio frequencies - the electromagnetic spectrum - over which an increasing amount of communication and commercial activity will be broadcast in the era of wireless communications. Our PCs, palm pilots, wireless internet, cellular phones, pagers, radios and television all rely on the radio frequencies of the spectrum to send and receive messages, pictures, audio, data, etc. Most of us never give the spectrum a passing thought. We regard it, more or less, like the oxygen we breathe, as a free good. In reality, the spectrum is treated as a `commons´ and is controlled and administered by governments who, in turn, license the various radio frequencies to commercial and other institutions for broadcast. In other words, in every country the electromagnetic system is owned by the government on behalf of the people.
But now powerful commercial media are seeking to gain total control over the airwaves. Imagine a world in which a handful of global media conglomerates like Vivendi, Sony, BskyB, Disney, and News Corporation own literally all the airwaves all over the planet and trade them back and forth as `private electronic real estate´. A strategy is beginning to unfold in Washington DC to make that happen.
On February 7, 37 leading US economists signed a joint letter asking the federal communications commission (FCC) to allow broadcasters to lease spectrum they currently license from the government in secondary markets. The letter, which went virtually unnoticed by the general public, is the opening salvo in a radical plan to wrest control of the entire spectrum from governments around the world, and make the radio frequencies a private preserve of global media giants. If they succeed, the nation state will have lost one of its last remaining vestiges of real power - the ability to regulate access to broadcast communications within its own geographic borders.
This story starts several years ago, when the Progress and Freedom Foundation, a conservative thinktank in Washington with close ties to Newt Gingrich, former Speaker of the House of Representatives, published The Telecom Revolution: An American Opportunity. The report's authors called for the conversion of the electromagnetic spectrum to private property. Under the plan, broadcasters holding existing licences would be granted title to the spectrum they currently used and would be able to use, develop, sell and trade it as they saw fit. Remaining unused parts of the spectrum would subsequently be sold off to commercial enterprises and be reconstituted as private electronic real estate, while the FCC would be abolished.
The study argued that government control of the radio frequencies led to inefficiencies, and that if the spectrum were converted into private electronic real estate that could be exchanged in the marketplace, the invisible hand of supply and demand would dictate the most innovative uses of those frequencies. Congressional hearings were subsequently conducted on the proposal, quickening interest in the plan.
Still, the notion of selling off the US airwaves to private commercial interests seemed a bit too ambitious, even for the most experienced Washington corporate lobbyists. Then, less than one month after George Bush assumed the presidency, the letter from the 37 economists turned up on the FCC's doorstep.
The new thinking: first, secure a partial privatisation plan, allowing commercial licensees to sell and lease their leased spectrum in secondary markets. Once done, the commercial foundation would be laid for a final conversion from government licensing of the spectrum to a future sell-off to the private sector. Other nations would be encouraged to follow suit and sell off their spectrums to global media companies. If some baulked at the idea of relinquishing control over their airwaves, international trade sanctions could be imposed to force compliance.
In the industrial age, exchanging property in markets was the sine qua non of commerce. The role of national governments was to protect property and markets. But in the new commercial world being born, having access to the flow of information in telecommunications networks becomes at least as important as exchanging property in markets.
If the radio frequencies of the planet were owned and controlled by global media corporations, how would the billions who live on earth guarantee their most basic right to communicate with one another? In an era where more and more of our daily communications take place in cyberspace, access to the airwaves becomes critical. Of course, those who can pay will be connected. But what about the 62% of people who have never made a telephone call, and the 40% who have no electricity? How will they ever secure access to cyberspace in a world where the admission fee is controlled by a few global media giants?
If the flow of human communications is controlled by global media companies, how do we ensure that social and cultural points of view and political expressions that may differ from those of the companies who own the frequencies will be allowed to flow over the spectrum? We might face the prospect of a new form of repression as global media companies tighten their grip on the airwaves.
Equally ominous, when companies like AOL-Time Warner, Disney and Vivendi Universal own the channels of communication as well as much of the 'content' that flows through them, will the rich cultural diversity that has traditionally been created and nurtured in civil society dry up? Will we be left with only a few global media companies as the ultimate arbiters of human culture?
How do we prevent these companies from exerting undue influence over commercial life itself, because of their control over the channels of communications through which business is conducted? And finally, in the new era, when everyone is connected with everyone else in commercial information and telecommunications networks, how do we prevent corporate owners of the radio frequencies from exploiting the data on people's lives that flows through cyberspace? What safeguards will people have over their own privacy when every aspect of their life story is accessible as data bits travelling over corporate-owned and controlled communications channels?
At the dawn of the global media age more than 20 years ago, an American government official made the prescient remark that `trade doesn´t follow the flag anymore, it follows the communication systems'. When our very right to communicate with one another is no longer assured or secured by government but controlled by global media conglomerates, can basic freedoms and real democracy continue to exist?
Jeremy Rifkin is the author of The Age of Access and president of The Foundation on Economic Trends in Washington DC.
5/10/01
1:20:30 PM
This Week at TomPaine.com
"TORT REFORM" TARGETS JURIES
"Tort reform" is a nice name for the ongoing effort by some corporations to immunize themselves from legal responsibility for causing injury or death.
These corporations have already weakened the counterbalance to their power provided by legislators, regulators and judges. But juries don't take campaign contributions. They can't be lobbied or feted. They're inclined to hold lawbreakers accountable.
So, what are immunity-seeking corporations to do? Undermine the institution of the jury with "tort reform."
"The jury is the last line of defense against corporate misconduct," says Craig McDonald of the nonprofit
Texans for Public Justice http://www.TPJ.org
"The corporations are most afraid of 12 people they can't control."
READ OUR NEW YORK TIMES 'OP AD'...
...AND READ THESE 'OP AD' FEATURES...
JURY TAMPERING
The legacy of Texas "tort reform" comes to Washington with George W. Bush.
A Special Report by Michael King
http://www.tompaine.com/features/2001/05/08/2.html
HYPOCRITES OF "TORT REFORM"
Supporters of "tort reform" denounce "unnecessary and frivolous lawsuits," but guess who's quick to run to court when they feel aggrieved?
by Emily Gottlieb
http://www.tompaine.com/features/2001/05/08/index.html
SMOKING GUNS
How the threat of punitive damages changes corporate behavior and protects public health and the environment.
by Public Citizen
http://www.tompaine.com/features/2001/05/08/1.html
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ELECTORAL REFORM GOES SOUTH
If we're looking for examples of successful electoral reform, we'd do well to study our neighbor south of the border.
by Carlos Santiso and Dr. Benjamin Reilly
http://www.tompaine.com/opinion/2001/05/01/index.html
NATIONALIZING THE WEST... AGAIN
Despite the 'local control' rhetoric popular in Washington these days, the federal government is tightening its grip on public lands.
by Daniel Kemmis
http://www.tompaine.com/opinion/2001/05/04/2.html
THEOCRACY IN AMERICA
What Gentile Life in Mormon Utah Can Teach Us about Church and State
by Stephanie Mencimer
http://www.tompaine.com/history/2001/04/27/index.html
DO WINDMILLS EAT BIRDS?
Foxes Advocate Hen Welfare
by David Case
http://www.tompaine.com/opinion/2001/05/03/1.html
"A long habit of not thinking a thing wrong gives it a superficial appearance of being right, and raises, at first, a formidable outcry in defense of custom." -- Tom Paine
5/10/01
1:12:26 PM
For those wishing to express their views on this:
White House Phone: ( Before 5PM Eastern Time ) 202 456.1414 and 1111
White House Fax: 202 456.2461
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/05/09/world/09ARMS.html
May 9, 2001
Military Analysis: U.S. Weighing Future of Arms Pacts
By MICHAEL R. GORDON
WASHINGTON, May 7 - President Bush's decision to build missile defenses and eventually break with a central treaty of the cold war was the first outward sign of a far-reaching debate over whether the United States should simply abandon the business of negotiating strategic arms treaties.
So far, the debate is percolating at senior levels of the administration and among experts outside the government.
In its starkest formulation, the argument comes down to this: with the end of the cold war, there is no need to begin yet another drawn-out arms control negotiation with a Russia that is no longer an enemy.
Facing an uncertain world, Washington should be careful not to lock itself into a new set of treaty limits, proponents say. Rather, the United States should decide on its own how many nuclear weapons it needs, cut or modify its nuclear arsenal and maintain the flexibility to adapt its forces as the nation's civilian and military leadership sees fit.
The Russians, this argument goes, would follow the American lead out of their own national interest, primarily because they can no longer afford to maintain a large nuclear arsenal.
In an administration that is still struggling to put its national security team in place, not everyone supports such a radical shift, and the secretaries of state and defense have not openly addressed the issue. Still, it is clear that traditional arms control is being questioned as never before.
That has stirred fears among treaty supporters that the entire edifice of strategic arms control may be under siege and that the United States may find itself in a nuclear relationship with Russia that is less predictable, less stable and less verifiable.
"There are different views in the administration," said one senior Bush administration aide, "and a lot of work still needs to be done. But I don't think we are going to have a treaty or a long negotiation. There is a real strong desire not to do that."
Certainly, the new debate is a wrenching departure from decades of thinking about arms control. The Clinton administration, like its predecessor, took the view that reductions in long-range nuclear arms were needed and that the best way to make them was part of a formal, legally binding and verifiable treaty.
Faced with budgetary pressure, the Russians pressed for a reduction to still lower levels of 1,500 warheads on each side.
And during President Clinton's final year in office there was considerable speculation that the two sides might strike a "grand bargain": a deal in which the United States would move toward the deeper cuts that the Russians wanted in return for Moscow's agreeing to amend the Antiballistic Missile Treaty of 1972 to allow for a limited national missile defense.
As it turned out, the deal was never struck, and when President Bush took over, the "grand bargain" was no longer the issue for his conservative national security team. It was whether the United States should try to strike any bargain with Russia that would also tie its own hands.
"We need to move away from weapons and mutual vulnerability as the principal currency of our strategic relationship with Russia," a senior Bush administration official said.
To be sure, Bush administration officials are not the only ones who have proposed new approaches to arms control.
But what is striking about the administration is not just that it has only the sketchiest of plans for a missile defense and reductions in strategic arms. It is also that the administration has yet to make clear to what extent its hopes to act unilaterally and to what extent it hopes to codify its strategic plans in a formal understanding with Moscow.
Declaring that the United States was breaking with the past, President Bush talked last week about the need for a new strategic framework, without saying whether it would involve the negotiation of new treaties, or more informal understandings with Moscow, to limit antimissile systems or offensive nuclear arms.
At least some of the cuts would be unilateral, leaving the door open for more debate within the administration.
While Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld has yet to declare his hand, he appears more interested in gaining more flexibility to deploy missile defenses and develop nuclear forces than in nailing down an airtight treaty with Moscow.
Before taking office Mr. Rumsfeld argued that the United States should not ratify the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty because it might need to develop new nuclear weapons.
And while Secretary of State Colin L. Powell has been circumspect, he has to take diplomatic considerations into account. Allied nations attach a high value on stability and formal agreements, and they are already anxious about the Bush administration's proclivity to take unilateral action.
But the debate cuts across government agencies. The radical thinking of some top aides is reflected in a January report that argued that the United States should not be limited by treaty limits but should be open about its weapons deployment plans.
"Rather than `locking in' ceilings that may soon be excessive or inadequate, arms control should encourage `full disclosure' and predictability with regard to nuclear forces," said the study, which was published by the National Institute for Public Policy, a private group.
Stephen J. Hadley, Mr. Bush's deputy national security adviser; Robert Joseph, the top National Security Council aide on missile defense issues; and Stephen Cambone, a senior Pentagon official who is close to Mr. Rumsfeld, took part in that study.
"This is a paradigm shift," said a senior Pentagon official. "We are probably not going to be hampered by arms control agreements."
Another senior official took a more moderate view. He said the White House might eventually opt for a less revolutionary approach: one that might include a mixture of unilateral cuts, formal limits on weapons and streamlined verification.
Former Clinton administration officials, for their part, insist that a treaty-less approach is too risky. During the administration of President Bush's father, they noted, the United States tried an informal approach to arms control with mixed results. It announced that it was withdrawing battlefield nuclear weapons, prompting the Russians to declare that they were reciprocating.
But Moscow later said it had run short of money for the withdrawal. Today, nobody in the West is sure how many Russian tactical weapons are still in the field, and Moscow has no legal obligation to say.
Leon S. Fuerth, a professor at George Washington University, who was the national security adviser to Vice President Al Gore, said such a situation would be far more worrisome if it involved long-range nuclear arms.
"I don't think that this or future administrations will sleep that