Demonstranten erklärten Geschäft vorübergehend zum "sozialen Zentrum"

Dresden (epd). Etwa 100 Globalisierungskritiker haben am 3. August in der Dresdner Innenstadt eine Filiale des Mobilfunkanbieters Vodafone besetzt. Die Aktion richte sich gegen die "Bilanztricks", mit denen das Unternehmen mehr als 20 Milliarden Euro Steuern sparen will, sagte Attac-Pressesprecher Malte Kreutzfeldt dem epd.

In Dresden findet seit 30. Juli die dritte bundesweite Attac-Sommerakademie mit über 200 Veranstaltungen und rund 500 angemeldeten Teilnehmern statt.

Bei der Aktion, die ohne Auseinandersetzung verlief und nach rund zwei Stunden beendet wurde, enthüllten Demonstranten mehrere Spruchbänder. Auf ihnen hieß es unter anderem: "Einsparung durch Hartz IV 4 Milliarden Euro - Vodafone-Steuerklau 20 Milliarden". Vor der vorübergehend zum "sozialen Zentrum" erklärten Vodafone-Filiale verteilten Aktivisten Getränke und Kuchen. Das globalisierungskritische Netzwerk Attac protestiert seit Anfang Juli in einer bundesweiten Kampagne gegen die Steuerpläne des Mobilfunkanbieters. (4125/03.08.2004)

http://www.epd.de/ost/ost_index_29728.html


Nachricht von der BI Bad Dürkheim

Gesetzänderung erneut auf dem Prüfstand

München (epd). Der Freistaat Bayern will die Überwachung von Telefongesprächen verstärken. Eine entsprechende Änderung des Polizeiaufgabengesetzes (PAG) wurde auf den Weg gebracht, teilte der bayerische Innenminister Günther Beckstein (CSU) in München mit. Für den vom Ministerrat gebilligten Gesetzentwurf beginnt nun die Anhörung der betroffenen Verbände.

Die Gesetzänderung ermöglicht einen stärkeren Einsatz polizeilicher Telefonüberwachung. Dabei ausgenommen werden sollen allerdings Gespräche mit Berufsgeheimnisträgern wie Ärzte, Anwälte, Geistliche oder Journalisten. Auch die Video-Erfassung und Kontrolle von Autokennzeichen soll mit der Gesetzänderung ermöglicht werden.

Im vergangenen Jahr hatte der Gesetzentwurf in Bayern für harsche Kritik von Oppositionsparteien, Verbänden und Kirchen gesorgt. Während die Befürworter von dem Gesetz eine bessere Abwehr organisierter Kriminalität und Terrorismus erhoffen, befürchten die Gegner einen "Big-Brother-Überwachungsstaat" und die "Bespitzelung" der Bürger. (1024/02.08.04)

http://www.epd.de/bayern/bayern_index_29740.html


Nachricht von der BI Bad Dürkheim

New and more frequent monitoring reveals serious water pollution in US coastal, bay, Great Lakes, and some inland freshwater beaches.

The number of beach closing and advisory days increased 51 percent in 2003 from the previous year.

Testing the Waters 2004. http://www.nrdc.org/water/oceans/ttw/titinx.asp

Published by Natural Resources Defense Council http://www.nrdc.org

[related stories]
http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/archives.jsp?sm=fr9%3BrelatedTo48%3B0http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nrdc.org%2Fwater%2Foceans%2Fttw%2Ftitinx.asp0%3B


Informant: Teresa Binstock

Die IWC in Sorrento ist vorbei. Die Unterstützung, die wir in dieser Zeit von unseren Förderern erhalten haben, war großartig. Im Namen der Wale möchten wir Ihnen heute ein Lob aussprechen und uns bei Ihnen bedanken.

Mit Freude können wir Ihnen auch mitteilen, dass wir auf der diesjährigen IWC (International Whaling Commission) wichtige Siege errungen haben. Wir konnten Einfluss bei wichtigen Entscheidungen nehmen. Dass wäre ohne die Hilfe unserer Förderer nicht möglich gewesen.

* Der IFAW hat es geschafft, die korrupte Stimmenkauf-Politik von Japan aufzudecken. Mit Ihrer Hilfe in Form von Briefen und Spenden haben wir diesen Skandal öffentlich gemacht. Für jede Pro-Walstimme auf der IWC hat Japan kleineren Ländern Entwicklungshilfe angeboten und massiv Druck auf sie ausgeübt. Diese Vorgehensweise wurde kontrovers auf der IWC diskutiert und wurde von der internationalen Presse mit großem Interesse aufgegriffen.

* In diesem Jahr hat Japan erneut eine Aufhebung des Walschutzgebiets "Southern Ocean Sanctuary" angestrebt. Dieser Antrag wurde jedoch mit großer Mehrheit abgelehnt. Das Schutzgebiet "Southern Ocean Sanctuary" umfasst die Gewässer um die Antarktis und soll für etwa drei Viertel der weltweit verbliebenen Großwale einen langfristigen Schutz von Nahrungsgründen garantieren.

* Die IWC war sich einig, dass die Grausamkeiten der Waljagd auch bei zukünftigen Treffen thematisiert werden müssen. Sie hat außerdem beschlossen, das grausame Fangmethoden nicht länger toleriert werden können und es das Ziel sein muss, sie zu stoppen.

Gemeinsam mit Ihrer Hilfe konnte der Versuch, den kommerziellen Walfang wieder einzuführen, gestoppt werden -vorerst.

Wir haben diesen Kampf gewonnen, aber es werden weitere folgen. Japan und Norwegen werden weiter auf eine Erhöhung der Walfangquote drängen und sich für die Abschaffung des Schutzgebietes einsetzen. Der Stimmenkauf muss aufhören - kein Wal darf aus kommerziellen Gründen getötet werden. Wir müssen neben Island auch weitere Länder versuchen zu überzeugen, dass der Wert lebender Wale weit aus höher ist als getötete Tiere.

Wir konnten bereits enormen Einfluss nehmen. Um noch mehr an Bedeutung zu gewinnen, müssen wir größer werden und uns zusammenschließen. Wir müssen mit einer vereinten Stimme sprechen. Nur so können wir eine Zukunft sichern, in der die Natur erhalten bleibt und sowohl Tiere als auch Menschen gleichermaßen von ihr profitieren können.

Ich möchte Ihnen nochmals für Ihre Rückendeckung in der Vergangenheit danken und Sie bitten, uns auch in Zukunft weiter zu unterstützen. Die letzten Wochen haben gezeigt, welche Resultate erreicht werden können, wenn man mit einer vereinten Stimme spricht. Ich bin mir sicher, wir werden auch die weiteren Schritte gemeinsam meistern.

Im Namen der Tiere,

Dr. Ralf Sonntag
IFAW Deutschland

P.S.: Japan investiert Millionen von Dollar, um die Stimmen kleiner Inselstaaten zu kaufen. Mit dieser Stimmenkauf-Taktik wurde ein zweites Mal innerhalb von zwei Jahren die Einrichtung weiterer Walschutzgebietes im Süd-Pazifik und Süd-Atlantik verhindert. Diesen Machenschaften müssen wir etwas entgegensetzen. Die Walgesänge dürfen auch in Zukunft nicht verstummen. Hierfür benötigen wir Ihre Hilfe.

Take Action!

Tell BLM to choose protection, not Big Oil profits for western Arctic

Another Spectacular Wild Place Goes on the Energy Auction Block

Over the past two years, the best predictor of where the Bush administration’s energy leasing frenzy will strike next is matchless beauty or world-class wildlife values. Or both. This time, it’s both.

The administration now proposes to lift nearly all restrictions to drilling in a 4.6-million-acre area in the western Arctic, in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska (NPR-A). The area supports extraordinary wildlife populations that, in turn, have supported Alaska Native people for thousands of years. We have only until Monday, August 23, to register our opposition to this appallingly bad idea. And we need your help. Please tell the Bureau of Land Management that this is no place to sacrifice to oil and gas development...

http://ga1.org/campaign/NPRA/wd8ks5x4pixbb6

http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/0805/p14s01-sten.html


Informant: Teresa Binstock

"We were doing some research up the McKenzie River valley near Eugene and we had a hard time finding a place in the forest, within a reasonable distance from roads, where the moss had not already been picked.” In the Pacific Northwest, some business owners are concerned enough about illegal harvests that they have hired private security guards to patrol lands on which they have legally leased the moss rights.

Full article below:
http://www.bend.com/news/ar_view%5E3Far_id%5E3D17140.htm

From Bend.com news sources
Posted: Tuesday, August 3, 2004 10:26 AM
Reference Code: PR-17140

August 3 - PORTLAND – A huge, largely underground industry has been built on the moss that drapes some forest trees, raising ecological concerns, questions about export of potentially invasive species, and other issues that have scientists, land managers and businesses unsure about how to monitor, regulate or control this market amid so many uncertainties.

A report on this trade in forest moss – sometimes legal, sometimes on the black market – was made Tuesday by a botanist from Oregon State University, speaking at the annual meeting of the Ecological Society of America.

“Certain types of mosses and lichens, often those that hang on hardwood trees such as vine maple or big leaf maple, are prized for their use in the floral trade,” said Patricia Muir, an OSU professor of botany and plant pathology. “The moss is used in planters, wreaths, hanging baskets, other floral displays. And it has become a big business and big money.”

How big? That’s part of the problem - no one really knows. The newest studies done by Muir suggests it must be at least $5.5 million a year, but it could also range up to $165 million annually, mostly in the Pacific Northwest and parts of the Appalachian Mountains in the eastern U.S.

Sometimes the moss is harvested legally, by permits on public lands or contractual arrangement on private land, Muir said. But there’s strong evidence that the amount taken by permit or private legal arrangements is just the tip of the iceberg of actual harvests.

“Any penalties for illegal taking of moss are usually small and rarely enforced,” Muir said. “There also is a lack of record keeping and reporting on many public lands, and clearly some illegal harvesting on both public and private forests.”

But legalities aside, millions of pounds of moss are leaving America’s forests every year, and that has ecologists concerned.

“When large amounts of moss are taken from an area, we aren’t sure what species may grow back in its place,” Muir said. “There may be some inadvertent removal of endangered species. We could be shipping dangerous insect pests overseas in untreated moss samples. And moss may play an important role in nutrient cycling that is not yet fully understood.”

Moss also holds about 10 times its weight in water, Muir said, and acts as a natural sponge, a hydrologic buffer to help control the flow of water in forests. Some threatened species such as the marbled murrelet build their nests in moss mats. And the moss is habitat for hundreds of insect species.

“We don’t really know whether the removal of this much moss is a serious problem, because no one has studied it very carefully,” Muir said. “Right now it’s safe to say that whatever we decide about a reasonable amount of moss to allow harvested is just a seat-of-the-pants guess.”

And that assumes, she said, that there is an effective management or enforcement structure in place to control moss harvest, once quotas are decided upon. In fact, there is not.

“Amid land managers, there’s a lot of frustration about any type of enforcement of moss regulations,” Muir said. “When you consider all the issues relating to timber, streams, fisheries, salmon, endangered species, there is hardly anyone left who has time to worry about moss.”

Ideally, Muir said, enlightened managers would know more about their moss resource, how fast it regrows, what amount could be safely removed, and which sensitive habitats should be avoided. Harvesters would be trained, maybe even have a long-term lease on a parcel of forest land, and there would be some degree of enforcement of rules and permits in a system that encouraged trust, respect and responsibility.

The moss industry is unorganized, which is part of what makes it so difficult to regulate. Some of the harvesters are “mom and pop” businesses that are difficult to tell from a couple out for a walk in the woods, Muir said. The moss may bring the harvesters 50 cents to $2 a pound when they sell it to a wholesaler, more often at the low end of that range.

But the pounds can add up. Muir estimates – again, with a huge range of variability – that between 2 and 82 million pounds of moss is used in, or exported from the U.S. each year, with a final market value that could approach $165 million. Domestic sales, which are largely unknown, are estimated based on the value of export sales that are easier to track, and the known ratio between the amount of moss used locally versus that which is exported. Muir estimated that the moss being harvested in the U.S. could fill between 600 and 2,400 semi-trucks per year.

In her survey, Muir contacted 361 land managers, 97 botanists and 98 businesses. About 64 percent of botanists felt that the volume of moss being removed was of concern.

In the East, the concern about moss harvests in some areas is sufficiently high that the Monongahela National Forest has stopped issuing any harvest permits. In the Pacific Northwest, some business owners are concerned enough about illegal harvests that they have hired private security guards to patrol lands on which they have legally leased the moss rights.

“There’s still a lot we don’t know here, but there clearly are ecological concerns,” Muir said. “Moss harvesting is a big business and it’s all around us. We were doing some research up the McKenzie River valley near Eugene and we had a hard time finding a place in the forest, within a reasonable distance from roads, where the moss had not already been picked.”


Informant: Deane T. Rimerman

Disasters spawned by global warming are no longer science fiction, Ross Gelbspan argues in "Boiling Point" -- they're already here.


by Katharine Mieszkowski

http://www.salon.com/tech/books/2004/08/05/boiling_point/print.html
http://www.rspb.org.uk/scotland/action/disaster/index.asp

Aug. 5, 2004 | In Scotland, hundreds of thousands of arctic terns, kittiwakes, guillemots and great skuas suddenly aren't having any babies. The culprit? Global warming has disrupted their food supply, according to the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.

The seabirds feed primarily on sandeels, a small silvery fish that once teemed along the northern Scotland seashore. But changes in sea temperature and currents caused by the heating up of the earth's atmosphere are causing the plankton that the sandeels eat to move north, leaving no fish for the birds to eat. One bird monitor who has spent some three decades counting breeding pairs and chicks at the Scottish nesting site called the sudden failure of the seabirds to reproduce simply "unprecedented in Europe."

You don't have to be a classicist or a binocular-toting member of the National Audubon Society to read ominous portents into the sorry fate of hundreds of thousands of seabirds. As journalist Ross Gelbspan voluminously documents in his new book "Boiling Point," the first catastrophes of global warming are not something to anticipate with dread in the distant future. They're here now.

In a fast-paced, well-sourced screed, Gelbspan argues that while Americans fret about terrorism, a much worse nightmare is accelerating. Gelbspan even suggests that if the government of the United States continues to dodge and subvert the international consensus on global warming the tremendous impact of the phenomenon on the world's poor will serve to stimulate terrorism and anti-Americanism around the globe.

"The continuing indifference by the United States to atmospheric warming -- since this country generates one-fourth of the world's emissions with 5 percent of its people -- will almost guarantee more anti-U.S. attacks from people whose crops are destroyed by weather extremes, whose populations are afflicted by epidemics of infectious disease, and whose borders are overrun by environmental refugees," he writes.If this all sounds like so much alarmist hysteria, tell that to residents of the tiny island nation of Tuvalu in the southwest Pacific Ocean, all of whom have been offered sanctuary by New Zealand, since their homes will likely soon be watery to point of uninhabitable. They are global warming's first human diaspora, climate change refugees with absolutely no power to address their plight.

Wildlife around the world are already on the move. One butterfly species has shifted its range nearly 60 miles northward over the last century, as the average temperature around the world rose just 1 degree Fahrenheit. Spring itself has come earlier every year since 1960, Gelbspan reports. A study by 19 researchers from seven countries published in the journal Nature predicted that rising temperatures could doom more than one-third of the planets' species to extinction by 2050.

The news isn't all bad. One group of creatures is bound to prosper from all this warming. Insects are already spreading illnesses such as the West Nile virus, malaria, Dengue and yellow fever to new populations as their range increases.

Gelbspan reserves particular ire for journalists who have succumbed to a successful disinformation campaign conducted by the oil and coal industries, with help from the Bush administration. The goal of the campaign has been to keep the American public convinced that the scientific verdict is still out on global warming.

Some of this material is an update to Gelbspan's previous global warming book "The Heat is On," published in 1997, which exposed the so-called climate skeptics for being on the payroll of the industries whose pollution they were defending. But since the late '90s, global warming science has significantly advanced. So, if back then the industry response to the problem could be dismissed as simple spin -- business as usual -- now it amounts to "the privatization of the truth," and nothing less than "a clear crime against humanity."

The failure of the Bush administration to take action on global warming has been well documented by Gelbspan and others. But Gelbspan's critique of how the American media and the activist community have failed to adequately respond to disinformation is fresh. Gelbspan, who spent 31 years as a reporter and editor at the Boston Globe and the Washington Post, contends that until recently, many journalists lent space and credence to industry-paid scientific skeptics without ever mentioning their financial ties, making them "unwitting accomplices" to the industry's agenda -- all in the pursuit of an illusory "balance." He now argues that the American press has entered a "stage two denial" of the climate crisis, acknowledging it with occasional features about the decimation of forests in Alaska, but under-reporting the scope of the crisis, as well as the larger diplomatic, political and economic conflicts around the issue.

Gelbspan is a hard man to please on the topic of global warming. Even activists from environmental groups who are working on the issue come in for criticism -- simply because their agenda isn't ambitious enough to confront the scope of the problem. Many of the large groups are locked in Beltway politics, winning and losing specific legislative battles. Others are engaged in grass-roots efforts to educate consumers about the environmental impact of their choices. Both are missing the point, says Gelbspan.

No matter how much we carpool or how quickly we switch to compact fluorescent bulbs, we won't be able to do enough to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to avert disaster, writes Gelbspan. "By persuading concerned citizens to cut back on their personal energy use, these groups are promoting the implicit message that climate change can be solved by individual resolve. It cannot."

Such a strategy is a form of blaming the victim: "People are made to feel guilty if they own a gas guzzler or live in a poorly insulated home. In fact, people should be outraged that the government does not require automakers to sell them cars that run on clean fuels, that building codes do not reduce heating and cooling energy requirements by 70 percent, and that government energy policies do not mandate home-based or regional sources of clean electricity." Besides making elites feel ephemerally smug about their own eco-enlightenment, the real advantage in mobilizing individuals to make greener choices is that it can ultimately lead to the creation of a political base for large-scale, global action on climate change.

And this is really the scariest thing about "Boiling Point" -- not the now-familiar doomsday scenarios of melting glaciers, rising seas and mass extinctions. More terrifying is what Gelbspan thinks must happen if we are to have any hope of curbing it: massive, global international cooperation on an unprecedented level. The prospect is frightening because of how unlikely any hope of reaching it seems right now.

Gelbspan evaluates three plans to confront the issue, including the the Sky Trust plan, the Apollo Alliance and the Contraction and Convergence model. He finds them all wanting. They lack economic incentives and regulatory mechanisms to force the transition to clean energy, pander too much to coal-mining labor unions, rely too heavily on the unproven promise of carbon sequestration or only address problems in the United States. Soon, notes Gelbspan, both India and China will likely surpass the U.S. as the world's largest carbon emitters.

Gelspan's fourth way -- an "Rx for a planetary fever" -- involves stripping energy subsidies in industrialized nations from the fossil fuel industries and putting them entirely into renewable energy; creating a $300 billion fund to bring renewable energy to developing countries; and implementing a global fossil fuel efficiency standard, which would rise by 5 percent a year. In this scenario, tens of thousands of coal miners would have to be bought out or retrained. And to avoid engendering geopolitical chaos in the Middle East, the region would have to become a center of renewable hydrogen production with wind farms and solar panels in the deserts instead of oil wells.

Only regulatory measures this drastic, and involving such a level of international unity have a chance of stemming global warming, argues Gelbspan. But he also suggests that there would be an additional upside to the necessary global cooperation. The creation of a new energy infrastructure would spur new job growth and create huge new markets for multinational companies.

The scenario he paints would not only address climate change, but bring about a more equitable world, "putting people back in charge of governments and governments in charge of corporations." Thus, ultimately "Boiling Point" is not a horror story about our collective, incipient global warming doom, but, paradoxically, wildly optimistic, as Gelbspan appears to believe that such wide-scale international cooperation is possible.

Whatever happens, there's a generation of seabirds in Scotland that won't be around to find out.


About the writer
Katharine Mieszkowski is a senior writer for Salon Technology.

Related stories
The gas guzzlers who just can't quit
American consumers won't change their SUV-driving ways until there's a major fuel shortage or a global warming catastrophe, according to the new book "The End of Oil." And by then it may be too late.
By Katharine Mieszkowski
05/19/04


California throws down a global warming gauntlet

The auto industry says California's plan to cut carbon dioxide emissions is illegal and will force consumers to settle for wimpy cars. A major collision between the Golden State and the federal government is looming.

By Katharine Mieszkowski
06/28/04

The triumph of fringe science
Global warming naysayers argue that we don't need to do anything to stop rising temperatures. Mainstream scientists used to be able to ignore them, but now they make White House policy.
By Katharine Mieszkowski
08/07/03


Informant: Planttrees

The USA Patriot ACT must be repealed

The first answer and poorly designed response to the september 11tth 2001 attacks was the USA Patriot ACT. The USA patriot ACT attempts to preserve our way of life by removing many of the very freedoms and rights that make our country worth living in. You can not save America if you ignore fundimental American ideas and values. We must not allow our elected law makers to sacrifice our freedoms in the name of "safety"! We really can not be safe if they continue to erode on our personal rights. The FBI is already abusing the new powers they have been granted under this new law. Many parts of Patriot ACT remove checks on law enforcement and are a grave threat to the very rights that we have under the United States Constitution and it's Ammendments (The Bill of Rights). For example, without a warrant and without probable cause, the FBI now has the power to access your most private medical records, your library records, and your student records. They can conceal the fact it was done and prevent anyone from telling you it was done. This is wrong.

We *ARE* the government ans should have access to this information. People that have commited no crimes are having thier property searched and seized. The FBI does this and does not press any charges in many cases. Untill charges are pressed the citizens who have had this happen have no legal re-course to re-gain their property or clear their name. Their isnt "due" process for somebody that isnt charged.

"In the urgent push to pass the Patriot Act, she says, "never... did the FBI say we needed additional tools to keep this nation safe from strip-club operators.""

This link is where the above quote is from:
http://villagenews.weblogger.com/stories/storyReader$9932

I was under the mistaken impression that the patriot act was designed to combat terrorism, not common criminals. Aparently the FBI sees fit to use it to bypass due process. Even if the people were or were not guilty of what they were charged with, this was not a case of terrorism and they did have their civil rights violated.

What is to stop the FBI from doing the same thing to you purely on suspicion?

I have received many responses from people under the mistaken impression that they wont be accussed of anything via the patriot act because they have done nothing wrong and they believe their past to be clear.

Wrong! Only those that have something that can be mis-understood have something to fear. ALL of us have at least one association, past action or affiliation with somebody or something that somebody in the government may dis-approve of. When officials go on a hunt into peoples personal lives they tend to find trouble where their is none. History proves that people don't just use laws and rules like the patriot act for the public good. Have you forgotten Senator McCarthy? Have you forgoten the Salem witch trials?

Wake up People! If all you want to do is go through the motions of living without freedom all in the name of "Safety" why are you in the United States! There are many places in the world that employ "USA Patriot ACT" style laws. They are not free republics. People in these countiries are at the complete mercy of whoever is holding the power of their governments. You have a say here, don't let scared fools change that for you!

John

Mobile Phone Masts
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/296251/

Association of mobile phone radiation with fatigue, headache, dizziness, tension and sleep disturbance in Saudi population
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/296447/

Schoolkids to be tagged with RFID chips
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/296498/

Texas GOP Platform Calls for Dismantling of the ADA
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/296496/

Feed Not Greed - The Only 'Real' Way to End Terrorism
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/296503/

The end of the world is here
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/296552/

Scientists alarmed at increase in melt rate of ice
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/296062/

Toxic Chemicals a Threat to Wildlife and Humans
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/295920/

Precious Forest Falls Victim to East Congo Tension
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/295694/

BLM choose protection, not Big Oil profits for western Arctic
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/296565/

Blowing in the wind: transatlantic pollution
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/296561/

Evidence of Pentagon Psychological Warfare Operations Against U.S. Citizens Surfaces in Want Ads
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/295327/

How brainwashing came to life and thrived
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/295711/

The USA Patriot ACT must be repealed
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/296532/

Terror scare paves way for police-state measures
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/295393/

Flip-Flopper-In-Chief
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/295414/

Presidents say the darnedest things
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/296045/

Military Intelligence Ordered Captives Hidden
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/296068/

Shocking prisoner abuses are revealed
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/296071/

Accused Torture Company Gets $15 Million Iraq Contract Extension
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/296073/

U.S. Soldier gets 3 years for murdering handcuffed Iraqi citizen
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/296292/

Torture Continues on Outside for Iraqi Ex-Detainee
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/296293/

Law Experts Condemn U.S. Memos On Torture
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/296296/

Abuse case a question of values
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/296298/

US Abuse Could be War Crime
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/296036/

Jurists Condemn Bush Administration's Torture Memos
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/296434/

Abu Ghraib Whitewash
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/296435/

The stakes are too high to sit this out
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/296301/

Army works to increase enlistees
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/296078/

No, we don't want to conquer the world
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/296080/

Hijacking Catastrophe
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/296085/

Iraq Vets Condemn The War
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/296083/

A church rocked to its ancient foundations
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/296492/

U.S. Uncovers Weapons of Mass Destruction
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/296305/

Gulf war veteran says U.S. bombs poisoned troops
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/296504/

GOP looks to harness Amish vote
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/296049/

9/11 Panel Chairman Urges 'Vote' on Report
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/296087/

Did Pentagon Reveal Name of Edmonds’ 'Semi-Legit' Group ?
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/296303/

Can You Hack the Vote ?
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/296153/

Alert to implications
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/296054/

Seoul bans Iraqi deployment reports
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/296070/

$1.9 Billion of Iraq's Money Goes to U.S. Contractors (Halliburton)
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/296090/

Halliburton Accused of Fraud under Cheney
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/296432/

Gulf war veteran says U.S. bombs poisoned troops; feds disagree

by Thomas Watkins/Aspen Daily News Staff Writer

Dennis Kyne started getting sick in 1992, not long after he returned from the Persian Gulf. Diarrhea, vomiting, cramps and a never ending cold dogged him incessantly.

The 34-year-old veteran now takes scrupulous care of himself and most of his symptoms have improved, but many of the soldiers he served with from the 18th Airborne Division during Operation Desert Storm have not fared so well. Some have died, others are still sick.

Kyne, who will speak tonight in Glenwood Springs, and Saturday night in Carbondale, believes he and his fellow soldiers are victims of the military's use of a cocktail of vaccinations, pesticides and other agents that were used during the first Gulf war. The illnesses he has witnessed are described collectively as Gulf War Syndrome, something the Department of Defense questions exists at all.

"In 1991, we were all displaying signs and symptoms," Kyne said. "All of the front line was sick. It was not the glorious combat (leaders said it was)."

Almost a third of the 700,000 U.S. soldiers who served in the first Gulf war are now collecting disability payments, according to the National Gulf War Resource Center.

Kyne, originally from Santa Fe, Calif., served in the Army for 15 years and was honorably discharged in 2003. During Desert Storm, in his capacity as a sergeant and a medic, Kyne witnessed many of his troops exhibiting strange symptoms.

"Everyone was vomiting, they were pale as a ghost," he said. "Some were walking around with a 1,000 yard stare."

Other soldiers had joint pain, nausea and runny noses, he added.

"We were just barfing and shitting ourselves all the way to Saudi Arabia," he said.

Kyne believes the anti-chemical warfare drugs he and his unit were given played a part in the troops' deteriorating health, as well as large quantities of pesticides that were sprayed around his camp to keep a snake and rodent infestation under control.

But the most likely culprit for the ongoing health problems of the servicemen and women, Kyne says, is a kind of metal shell coating that was first used in combat during the Gulf War - depleted uranium (DU).

The metal is used on the tips of many of the military's conventional weapons, including anti-tank missiles and bunker-busting missiles. It's high density means it is extremely effective at piercing thick armor - a missile with a depleted uranium tip will burn its way through a tank's protective skin, enabling the payload of the weapon to explode inside the vehicle.

Depleted uranium is also radioactive, and will deteriorate into a fine dust when exploded on the end of a missile. Kyne believes that it is this radioactive dust that is making Gulf War veterans, and the people of Iraq, sick.

"We started walking into depleted uranium and everyone just started melting," he said, describing his unit's march into the neutral zone on the border of Saudi Arabia.

Dr. Michael Kilpatrick, deputy director of the Department of Defense's Deployment Health Support Directorate, said that Kyne is mistaken, and adverse effects of depleted uranium have not been proven.

He said that although animals exposed to high levels of depleted uranium can suffer damage to their kidneys, there is no evidence of the same thing happening in humans. Other studies have shown there is no link between depleted uranium and cancer, he said.

About 320 tons of depleted uranium were dropped during the Gulf War, said Kilpatrick, and so far about 100 tons have been dropped in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

"It cannot hurt your body, it has to be internalized," said Kilpatrick, explaining the effects of depleted uranium in the environment. He added that most of the 250,000 plus returning Gulf War veterans were subsequently granted disability payments by the Department of Veterans Affairs because of routine impairments, such as hearing loss and joint injuries. They could have sustained these at any time during their service, Kilpatrick noted, and not just during the Gulf War. Kilpatrick added that there technically is no such thing as Gulf War Syndrome, as the variety of symptoms soldiers exhibit varies so wildly. Research is ongoing to establish a cause of certain illnesses in veterans, he added, but it is believed stress is the main cause of unusual symptoms.

Despite the government's assertions that depleted uranium is not the cause of Gulf War Syndrome, Kyne remains convinced that the substance does serious harm. He now tours the country full-time, giving talks about his beliefs and experiences.

Kyne will be talking at 7 p.m. tonight at the Blue Acacia at 901 Colorado Ave., Glenwood Springs; and Saturday night at 7 p.m. at the Carbondale Council on Arts and Humanities, 645 Main St.

Kyne's talks are presented by the Roaring Fork Peace Coalition.


Informant: Davey Garland

http://www.butterflyspirit.org/projects/feed_not_greed.htm


Informant: Friends

*Japan: Schoolkids to be tagged with RFID chips*

by Jo Best

http://ups.asia.cnet.com/c/as.ql.feedbackstory/asia.cnet.com/editorial@silicon.com

Special to CNETAsia

12/7/2004

URL: http://asia.cnet.com/newstech/systems/0,39001153,39186467,00.htm
http://asia.cnet.com/newstech/systems/printfriendly.htm?AT=39186467-39001153t-39000006c

*Japanese authorities decide tracking is best way to protect kids*

The rights and wrongs of RFID-chipping human beings have been debated since the tracking tags reached the technological mainstream. Now, school authorities in the Japanese city of Osaka have decided the benefits outweigh the disadvantages and will now be chipping children in one primary school.

The tags will be read by readers installed in school gates and other key locations to track the kids' movements.

The chips will be put onto kids' schoolbags, name tags or clothing in one Wakayama prefecture school. Denmark's Legoland introduced a similar scheme last month to stop young children going astray.

RFID is more commonly found in supermarket and other retailers' supply chains, however, companies are now seeking more innovative ways to derive value from the tracking technology. US airline Delta recently announced it would be using RFID to track travellers' luggage.

Jo Best of Silicon.com
http://dw.com.com/redir?destUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.silicon.com&siteId=3&oId=2100-1038-5229494&ontId=1023&lop=nl_ex
reported from London.


Informant: Ken DeBusk

I just received this in my inbox.

Geraldo Cienmarcos


ADA equals Americans with Disabilities Act. Bear in mind that AIDS is covered under ADA. Has been for a long time. Poor people depend on the act for their survival and to help defray the costs of medication.

Anybody who voted for Bush and Company in 2000 should be ashamed of themselves. They should be required to wear an arm band with a scarlet B .

bye,
Gary the Grouch


"Page 14 of the 2004 Texas State Republican Party Platform reads:
Americans with Disabilities Act - The Party supports amendment of the Americans with Disabilities Act to exclude from its definition those persons with infectious diseases [ie, AIDS], substance addiction, learning disabilities, behavior disorders, *homosexual practices* and mental stress, thereby reducing abuse of the Act."


Texas GOP Platform Calls for Dismantling of the ADA

Targeting People with Disabilities During an Election Year

ADA Watch Action Alert
http://www.ADAwatch.org

(August 3, 2004) Your action is urgently needed to contact President Bush and the Texas Republican Party and tell them to reverse their call for an amendment to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) which would eliminate protections for millions of citizens with disabilities.

Action Alert

Texas GOP Platform Calls for Dismantling of the ADA
Targeting People with Disabilities During an Election Year

(August 3, 2004) Your action is urgently needed to contact President Bush and the Texas Republican Party and tell them to reverse their call for an amendment to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) which would eliminate protections for millions of citizens with disabilities.

The platform goes after those that are currently the most disenfranchised citizens in our country – children with learning and behavioral disabilities, individuals with HIV, and those with mental disabilities. (Congress, of course, already thought about coverage of people with mental disabilities and infectious diseases when they passed the ADA – at the time there were proposed amendments to exclude people with mental disabilities & HIV that were soundly defeated.)

Furthermore, the GOP platform politicizes the ADA, a nonpartisan law, by trying to associate it with hot button issues and seeking to “exclude” categories such as “homosexual practices” that are NOT – and never were – covered by the ADA

Page 14 of the 2004 Texas State Republican Party Platform reads:

Americans with Disabilities Act – The Party supports amendment of the Americans with Disabilities Act to exclude from its definition those persons with infectious diseases, substance addiction, learning disabilities, behavior disorders, homosexual practices and mental stress, thereby reducing abuse of the Act.

The entire document is available online in PDF at: http://www.texasgop.org/library/RPTPlatform2004.pdf

What You Can Do:

- Use the information below to contact President Bush (whose own father signed the ADA into law), the Platform Committee Chair, and the Republican Party of Texas.

- Tell them to take this divisive and bigoted proposal out of the Texas Republican Party Platform!

- With the ADA being weakened in the courts, with growing waiting lists for mental health services, and with millions of Americans with disabilities needlessly forced to live in institutions, ask them why they are targeting some of America’s most disenfranchised citizens during this election year…

President George Bush
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, US 20500
Phone: (202) 456-1414
Fax: (202) 456-2461

Mr. Kirk Overbey, Chair of Platform Committee
6306 Leatherwood Cove
Austin, Texas 78759

Republican Party of Texas
900 Congress, Suite 300 Austin, Texas 78701
Phone: 512.477.9821
Fax: 512.480.0709
E-mail: info@texasgop.org
http://www.adawatch.org/TexasAction.htm

by LEILAH NADIR

Globe and Mail Update

George W. Bush and Tony Blair claim to have made the world a safer place by invading and occupying Iraq. Whether they have remains to be seen.

What is certain is that they have rendered Iraq far, far more unsafe for the average Iraqi, and my own Christian relatives in particular.

Refugee officials in Damascus now estimate that Iraqi Christians, about 3 per cent of the country's total population, make up 20 per cent of Iraqi refugees in Syria.

If you think about how hard life was under Saddam Hussein's regime, to have made it so much worse seems particularly horrendous and irresponsible.

It's impossible for me to understand how postwar planning for Iraq never included (and still does not include) guarding the huge Iraqi border with Iran, Syria, Jordan, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.

I guess the war strategists didn't think there was much anti-U.S. sentiment in any of these countries that might spill over into Iraq. How can we believe the Bush/Blair line that their invasion has made the country safer?

I have been communicating with my Iraqi relatives in Baghdad since the war "ended" and their stories have been chilling. When I asked my cousin a few weeks ago how he was doing, he said, "Still alive."

He told me that he had been in Al-Rasheed Street to go to the Central Bank a few days previously, and the next day a bomb exploded in the exact spot where he had stood.

"This is the second time in two weeks that this has happened to me. Someone obviously wants to kill me," he deadpanned with typical Iraqi black humour.

Last Sunday, a series of co-ordinated car bomb attacks was unleashed near four churches in Baghdad and one in Mosul when the churches were packed with worshippers.

Fourteen people were killed and at least 60 were injured. By a stroke of luck, that day my cousin had gone to a nearby church in Baghdad that was not hit.

He heard the explosions though and saw all the ambulances, firemen and policemen swarming around the area. Many people he knows from the 700,000-strong Christian community sustained injuries from the attacks and from the shattered glass of the church windows.

He says that all Iraqis are upset about these attacks, especially his Muslim friends who called to express their condolences saying, "We are all Iraqis, we are brothers. We are ashamed, embarrassed and sad about these atrocities."

These attacks are meant to pit Muslims against Christians but instead seem to be uniting Iraqis. Mosques and Muslim holy places have been targeted by the terrorists already, but this is the first time in history that the Christian church has been attacked in Iraq.

Indeed, Iraq did not have a history of religiously motivated violence between Muslims and Christians until this occupation. The region's Christian communities are among the oldest in the world. When my father was growing up in Baghdad, he lived in mixed neighbourhoods, and religious differences were not at issue.

The Pope has called on the United Nations to intervene to create peace in the Middle East. I searched in vain for a comment from Messrs. Blair or Bush. According to news reports, The Syriac Catholic church of Our Lady of Salvation in Karrada was bombed from a Chevrolet that drove by.

The bomb blast blew out stained-glass windows, creating a carpet of coloured fragments outside. This church is where my grandmother, my great-grandmother and my great-aunt were buried. Their graves were disturbed by damage the church sustained in the Gulf war, and now they have been bombed directly. Is there no peace even for the dead?

It's even more terrifying to realize that no one knows who is responsible for the carnage. Iraqis say that it must be outsiders, because Iraqis would not attack other innocent Iraqis. But no one knows.

The Jordanian Abu Musab al-Zarqawi has become a name to blame most of the attacks in Iraq on, but again, no one really knows for sure what is happening.

What I do know for sure is that I am watching Iraq being utterly destroyed day by day - and for what? Now Iraq is unsafe for Christians as well as everyone else.

Since the Gulf war, Iraqi Christians have been fleeing Iraq; the 700,000 that remain have become increasingly terrified for their lives. The American troops do not seem to be able to keep anyone safe. Indeed, they are not even in control of many parts of the country.

A recent article by Robert Fisk charged that the cities of Baquba, Samara, Kut, Mahmoudiya, Hilla, Fallujah, Ramadi, and parts of Baghdad all are outside government authority.

To Mr. Fisk, Iyad Allawi, the "Prime Minister," is little more than mayor of Baghdad. My conversations with relatives back this up: "There is no security," they say, and speak of explosions going off all the time, many of which are not reported by the international press.

It is intolerable to me that the foreign policy decisions of fervent Christians - as George Bush and Tony Blair claim to be - have resulted in such an atrocity against Christians.

The Christian response to violence is supposed to be to turn the other cheek. One wonders how different the world situation would have been if Mr. Bush and Mr. Blair had done just that.

Leilah Nadir is an Iraqi-Canadian writer who lives in Vancouver.


Informant: X98

UK: Lachen auf Passbild verboten

Obacht, bitte nicht lächeln, sie werden gleich fotografiert. Und jetzt sagen wir nicht "cheese" sondern "cheddar" weil es ein britisches Passfoto wird.


Für elektronisches Auslesen durch Biometrie-Scanner, und als Vorbereitung für eventuelle spätere Gesichtserkennung, gilt ab Einführung der Biometrie-Reisepässe 2005 auch in Österreich.

Während die Briten ab sofort auf Passfotos nicht mehr lachen dürfen, wird den Österreichern das Lachen erst im nächsten Jahr vergehen.

Nach einer neuen Verordnung müssen die Passhalter auf dem Bild "ihr Gesicht vollständig zeigen, mit neutralem Ausdruck direkt in die Kamera schauen und den Mund geschlossen halten".

Offene Münder mit blitzenden Zähnen könnten sonst die neuen Scanner irritieren, welche die Gesichtszüge bei der Passkontrolle aus Sicherheitsgründen messen.

Auch in Österreich dürfen ab Einführung der Biometrie-Pässe 2005, nur noch Passfotos, die der international in 188 Staaten geltenden ICAO-Norm [International Civil Aviation Organization] entsprechen, verwendet werden.

Ab dem 26. Oktober 2005 müssen die Einwohner der 27 "Visa Waiver"-Länder, darunter Großbritannien und auch Österreich, biometrische Merkmale in ihren Reisedokumenten aufweisen.

Damit die Technologie nicht versagt, dürfen die Passhalter zudem weder Sonnenbrillen noch getönte Brillengläser oder Haare vor den Augen haben.

Mehr dazu
http://futurezone.orf.at/futurezone.orf?read=detail&id=242506

relayed by Harkank

Quelle: quintessenz-list Digest, Vol 17, Issue 3

ORIGINAL ARTICLES

Association of mobile phone radiation with fatigue, headache, dizziness, tension and sleep disturbance in Saudi population

Thamir Al-Khlaiwi, Sultan A. Meo

ABSTRACT

Objectives: The widespread use of mobile phones has been increased over the past decade; they are now an essential part of business, commerce and society. The use of mobile phones can cause health problems. Therefore, the aim of the present study is to investigate the association of using mobile phones with fatigue, headache, dizziness, tension and sleep disturbance in the Saudi population and provide health and social awareness in using these devices.

Methods: This study was conducted in the Department of Physiology, College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia during the year 2002 to2003 . In the present study, a total of 437 subjects (55.1% male and39 .9% female) were invited, they have and had been using mobile phones. A questionnaire was distributed regarding detailed history and association of mobile phones with health hazards.

Results: The results of the present study showed an association between the use of mobile phones and health hazards. The overall mean percentage for these clinical findings in all groups were headache (21.6%), sleep disturbance (4.%), tension (3.9%), fatigue (3%) and dizziness (2.4%).

Conclusions: Based on the results of the present study, we conclude that the use of mobile phones is a risk factor for health hazards and suggest that long term or excessive use of mobile phones should be avoided by health promotion activities such as group discussions, public presentations and through electronic and print media sources.

Saudi Medical Journal2004 ; Vol. 25 (6): 732-736

The widespread use of mobile phones has been going sky-high over the past decade and now its use is an essential part of business, commerce and society. The fact that so many people own mobile phones attests to their perceived importance to the general public. The use of mobile phones and related technologies will continue to increase for the foreseeable future. Mobile phones are low power radio devices that transmit and receive radio frequency radiation at frequencies in the microwave range of900 - 1800MHz. Despite repeated horror stories on mobile phones in the media, nearly more than 500 million people worldwide use mobile phones. 1The extensive use of mobile phones has been accompanied by public debate on the possible adverse effects on human health. The concerns relate to the emissions of radio frequency (RF) radiation from the mobile phones and the base stations that receive and transmit the signals. There are 2 direct ways by which health could be affected as a result of exposure to RF radiation. These are thermal (heating) effects caused mainly by holding mobile phones close to the body and also as a result of possible non-thermal effects. 2Mobile phones may cause adverse health problems such as headache, sleep disturbance, impairment of short term memory and more seriously significant increases in the frequency of seizures in epileptic children, brain tumors and high blood pressure amongst users of mobile phones. 3In addition, mobile phones can cause discomfort, lack of concentration, dizziness, worm on ear and burning skin. 4In spite of its effects on different part of the body observed in different countries, its effect in Saudi population has not been reported yet, where mobile phones are excessively used. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the association of the use of mobile phones with fatigue, headache, dizziness, tension and sleep disturbance in Saudi population.

Methods. This study was conducted in the Department of Physiology, College of Medicine, King Khalid University Hospital, King Saud University, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, during the year 2002 to2003 . The sample consisted of 437 volunteer subjects recruited from College of Medicine, King Saud University and also from the different regions of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The sample was predominantly55 .1% male and39 .9% females with age ranging from18 - 42years were participated in this study.

A detailed questionnaire was constructed specifically for this study in Arabic language and was also translated into English. The questionnaire was designed so that it could be used in a structured interview context or by self-completion. It assessed general physical characteristics, occupation of the participants, medical history and different questions regarding the type of mobile phones, duration of possessing and their use, numbers and average duration of outgoing and incoming calls. Subjects with known history of anemia, diabetes mellitus, blood pressure, central or peripheral nerve diseases, hearing and vision problems, subject using any medication or computer professionals were excluded from the study. The analysis was primarily descriptive in nature and was performed by using Statistical Package for Social Sciences program for windows. Comparison was carried out on the basis of percentage values between the groups.

Results. Table 1summarizes the number of participants; the sample was predominantly male55 .1% and39 .9% female with an age range of18 - 42years. The mean age was23 . 74+0 . 5years (mean ± SEM) for males and26 . 44±0 . 64(mean ± SEM) for females. Table 2 shows the duration of incoming or outgoing calls for respondents as a percentage of total numbers. The call duration was5 - 10minutes (59.5%),10 - 30minutes (22.4%),30 - 60minutes (10.5%),60 - 120minutes (4.6%) and greater than 120 minutes (2.5%). However,0 .5% subjects are included in missing systems; they did not mention the duration of calls. Table 3 demonstrates the health problems associated with duration of incoming or outgoing calls for respondents as a percentage of total numbers. The maximum associated percentage was found for headache, which was12 .6% with duration of calls of5 -10 minutes per day;4 .6% with10 - 30minutes,2 .1% with30 - 60minutes,2 .5% with60 - 120minutes and0 .7% with more than 120 minutes per day. However, the total percentage observed for headache was22 .4%, fatigue 3%, dizziness2 .7%, tension4 .4% and sleep disturbances4 .1%. Table4 characterizes the health problems associated with duration of exposure to mobile phones emissions. The associated percentage for headache was 1.8% with < 1year of exposure;14 .9% with1 - 5years of exposure and 4.1% with5 - 10years of exposure to mobile phones. Health problems for fatigue was0 .2% with < 1year,1 .8% with1 - 5years and0 .9% with 5- 10years of exposure to mobile phones. Tension and sleep disturbances was found in3 .7% with1 - 5years of exposure. However, the total percentage observed for headache was20 .8%, fatigue3 %, dizziness2 .5%, tension and sleep disturbances4 .1%.

Discussion. The operation of sensitive electronic equipment including mobile phones use is prohibited at many places including aircrafts and in hospitals; the reason is that their emissions might adversely interfere with the operation of sensitive electronic equipment and their possible deleterious effect. The well-liked belief is that adverse health effects can be induced mostly by the heating effect of Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM) radiation. The reported adverse health effects and the extensive portfolio of non-thermal effects that have been published in the scientific literature during the last few years, which indicates that the kind of radiation now used in GSM phone can and does affects alive organisms in various non-thermal ways. 2There is an undeniable consistency between some of these non-thermal influences and the nature of many of the health problems reported 2such as headache, sleep disruption, impairment of short term memory and more seriously, significant increases in the frequency of seizures in some epileptic children and brain tumor amongst users of mobile phones. Keeping in view the hazards of mobile phones, the present study was designed to investigate the association of use of mobile phones with fatigue, headache, dizziness, tension and sleep disturbance in Saudi population and provide a health and social awareness regarding using these devices. The present study results demonstrated that, the health problems are associated with long term exposure to mobile phones emission, incoming or outgoing calls and length of calls per day. The overall mean percentage for these clinical findings in all groups was headache (21.7%), sleep disturbance (4%), tension (3.9%), fatigue (3%) and dizziness (2.4%). This is the first time that mobile phone health hazards have been addressed and studied in Saudi population. Eulitz et al 5suggested that mobile phones emit a pulsed high-frequency electromagnetic field (PEMF), which may penetrate the scalp and the skull and shows that these electromagnetic fields alter distinct aspects of the brains electrical response to acoustic stimuli. Reiser at al 6demonstrated that the extensive exposure to microwave radiation has been found to affect a wide variety of brain functions such as electrical activity (EEG), electrochemistry,7- 8permeability of the blood/brain barrier 9and to degrade the immune system. 10Becker and Marini, 11and Frhlich et al 12reported that headache is consistent with the fact that microwaves are known to non-thermally affect the dopamine-opiate system of the brain 11and to increase the permeability of the blood-brain barrier since both of these have been medically connected with headache. 12On the other hand, the reports of sleep disruption are consistent with the effect of GSM radiation on rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and on melatonin levels 13whereas, memory impairment is consistent with the finding that microwave radiation targets the hippocampus. 2Hermann and Hossmann, 14reported the adverse health effects of mobile phones and found that the use of mobile can cause sleep disturbance, memory problems, headaches, nausea, dizziness, promote cancer and high blood pressure. 15The present study is in agreement with the former results observed by Hermann and Hossmann.14 Hocking, 16reported that mobile phone use is ubiquitous, although the alleged health effects of low level radio-frequency radiation (RFR) used in transmission are contentious and also observed isolated reports of headache-like symptoms arising in some users. Our results are in conformity with these results. Nakamura et al 17demonstrated that exposure to high-density microwaves can cause detrimental effects on the eyes, testis and other tissues and induce significant biologic changes through thermal actions. Hocking and Westerman 18reported a case supportive of a neurological basis for some cases of dysesthesia associated with mobile phone use. Similarly, Weinberger and Richter19 observed headache and other neuropsychological symptoms in users of cellular telephones. The present study also confirms the results observed by Weinberger and Richter (2002).

Khudnitskii et al, 20studied the influence of ultrahigh frequency radiation caused by cellular phones on functional state of central nervous system, cardiovascular systems and local temperature changes in cellular phones users. The head area near the phone antenna appeared to be under the most intensive heating. Ultrahigh frequency radiation induces significant changes in local temperature and in physiologic parameters of central nervous and cardiovascular systems. Mann and Roschke 21investigated the influence of high-frequency electromagnetic field of digital mobile radio telephones on sleep in healthy humans. Besides a hypnotic effect with shortening of sleep onset latency, a REM suppressive effect with reduction of duration and percentage of REM sleep was found. Moreover, spectral analysis revealed qualitative alterations of the EEG signal during REM sleep with an increased spectral power density. Schilling22 reported the accidentally exposure to high levels of ultrahigh frequency radiation and experienced an immediate sensation of intense heating of the parts of the body in the electromagnetic field followed by a variety of clinical sign and symptoms such as pain, headache, numbness, paresthesiae, malaise, diarrhea, and skin erythema. The most notable problem was that of acute than chronic headache involving the part of the head, which was most exposed. The present study is in agreement with the results observed by Schilling. 22Santini et al23 reported that cellular phones user women significantly complained more often of sleep disturbance, discomfort, warmth, and picking on the ear during phone conversation in relation with calling duration per day and number of calls per day. Hocking 16reported a case series of 40 people who complained a burning sensation or dull headache was felt ipsilateral to the side of use of the phone. It occurred within minutes after use and lasted for minutes or hours. Similarly, Hocking and Westerman 24reported a case of a72 -year-old businessman who had onset of a persistent ‘bruised’ feeling on the scalp after extensive use of a mobile phone. In addition, Hocking and Westerman 18have studied a 34-year-old journalist who complained of occipital pain while using mobile phone. The present study supports the results observed by Hocking 16and Hocking and Westerman. 18Oftedal et al 25observed headaches, fatigue, sensations of warmth on the ear and behind/around the ear and burning sensations in the facial skin were experienced in connection with the use of a mobile phone. Our findings are in conformity with these results. Similarly, Sandstrom et al 4reported symptoms such as headaches, feelings of discomfort, warmth behind/around or on the ear and difficulties concentrating while using mobile phones. The number of complaints was higher for people using the digital (GSM) system with pulse modulated fields, than for those using the analogue (NMT) system. Our results correlate with the results observed by Sandstrom et al. 4Keeping in view the findings of the present study, our results are of importance in that they demonstrate the need of taking preventive measures.

In the present study, we found a relationship between headache, fatigue, dizziness, tension and sleep disturbances in subjects exposed to mobile phones emissions. It is advisable therefore; that the use of mobile phones is a risk factor for health hazards and suggest that excessive use of mobile phones should be avoided by health promotion activities, such as group discussion, public presentations and through electronic and print media sources. In addition, we also suggest more research is required to observe the effects of mobile phones with different systems of the human body along with clinical examination.

From the Department of Physiology, College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Received29 th October2003 . Accepted for publication in final form9 th February2004 .

Address correspondence and reprint request to: Dr. Thamir Al-Khlaiwi, Department of Physiology (29), College of Medicine, King Saud University, PO Box2925 , Riyadh11461 , Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Tel. + 966(1)4671614 . Fax. + 966(1)4671046 . E-mail: kthamir@hotmail.com or kthamir@edu.ksu.sa

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2 . Hyland GJ. Physics and biology of mobile telephone. Lancet2000 ;25 :1833 -1836.

3 . Michael M, Colin B, Mika K. The health hazards of mobile phones. Br Med J2000 ;320 :1288 -1289.

4 . Sandstrom M, Wilen J, Oftedal G, Hansson MK. Mobile phone use and subjective symptoms. Comparison of symptoms experienced by users of analogue and digital mobile phones. Occup Med2001 ;51 :25 -35.

5 . Eulitz C, Ullsperger P, Freude G, Elbert T. Mobile phones modulate response patterns of human brain activity. Neuro Report1998 ;9 :3229 -3232.

6 . Reiser H, Dimpfel W, Schober F. The influence of electromagnetic fields on human brain activity. Eur J Med Res1995 ;1 :27 -32.

7 . Dutta SK, Subramoniam A, Ghosh B, Parshad R. Microwave radiation-induced calcium ion efflux from human neuroblastoma cells in culture. Bioelectromagnetics1984 ;5 :71 -78.

8 . Frey AH. Electromagnetic field interactions with biological systems. FASEB J1993 ;7 :272 -281.

9 . Salford LG, Brun A, Sturesson K, Eberhardt JL, Persson BR. Permeability of the blood-brain barrier induced by 915 MHz electromagnetic radiation, continuous wave and modulated at8 ,16 ,50 , and 200 Hz. Microsc Res Tech1994 ;27 :535 -542.

10. Youbicier-Simo BJ, Boudard F, Cabaner C, Bastide M. Biological effects of continuous exposure of embryos and young chickens to electromagnetic fields emitted by video display units. Bioelectromagnetics1997;18 :514 -523.

11. Becker RO, Marino AA. Electromagnetism and Life. Albany (NY): Suny Press;1982 .

12. Frhlich H. Advances in Electronics and Electron. Physics1980 ;53 :85 -152.

13. Bawin SM, Kaczmarek LK, Adey WR. Effects of modulated VHF fields on the central nervous system. Ann N Y Acad Sci1975 ;247 :74 -81.

14. Hermann DM, Hossmann KA. Neurological effects of microwave exposure related to mobile communication. J Neurol Sci1997 ;152 :1 -14.

15. Braune S, Wrocklage C, Raczek J, Gailus T, Lucking CH. Resting blood pressure increase during exposure to a radio-frequency electromagnetic field. Lancet1998 ;351 :1857 -1858.

16. Hocking B. Preliminary report: symptoms associated with mobile phone use. Occup Med1998 ;48 :357 -360.

17. Nakamura H, Matsuzaki I, Hatta K, Nobukuni Y, Kambayashi Y, Ogino K. Non-thermal effects of mobile-phone frequency microwaves on utero-placental functions in pregnant rats. Reprod Toxicol2003 ;17 :321 -326.

18. Hocking B, Westerman R. Neurological changes induced by a mobile phone. Occup Med2002 ;52 :413 -415.

19. Weinberger Z, Richter ED. Cellular telephones and effects on the brain: the head as an antenna and brain tissue as a radio receiver. Med Hypotheses2002 ;59 :703 -705.

20. Khudnitskii SS, Moshkarev EA, Fomenko TV. On the evaluation of the influence of cellular phones on their users. Med Tr Prom Ekol1999 ;9 :20 -24.

21. Mann, K, Roschke, J, Effects of pulsed high-frequency electromagnetic fields on human sleep. Neuropsychobiology1996 ;33 :41 -47.

22. Schilling CJ. Effects of acute exposure to ultrahigh radiofrequency radiation on three antenna engineers. Occup Environ Med1997 ;54 :281 -284.

23. Santini R, Seigne M, Bonhomme-Faivre L, Bouffet S, Defrasne E, Sage M. Symptoms reported by mobile cellular telephone users. Pathol Biol2001 ;49 :222 -226.

24. Hocking B, Westerman R. Neurological abnormalities associated with mobile phones. Occup Med2000 ;50 :366 -368.

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http://www.smj.org.sa/DetailArticle.asp?ArticleId=1887


From: FGF-Infoline 4.August 2004


http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=15195201

Zur Verteilung !

Gießen, 07.08.2004

Wir Zukunftsdiebe

Die Bundesregierung plant, den Zuschuss von Kindern bei ALGII-Empfängern zu streichen, wenn ein Kind über ein Sparbuch von mehr als 750 € verfüge.Konsequenz hieraus sei, dass das für die Kinder angesparte Vermögen, das über diesen Freibetrag hinausgehe, zuerst verbraucht werden müsse, bevor eine Zahlung zum Unterhalt des Kindes gezahlt werde.

„Es ist unzumutbar, Familien, deren Versorger unverschuldet in die Arbeitslosigkeit gerät, nun zu zwingen, die mühsam angesparten Beträge ihrer Kinder angreifen zu müssen und die Zukunft noch unsicherer werden zu lassen“. (Andreas Becker, FDP Kreisvorsitzender von Gießen, stellvertretender Landesvorsitzender der hess. FDP)

„Denn alles deutet darauf hin, dass viele der jungen Menschen bereits verloren haben, noch bevor sie an den beruflichen Start gegangen sind. Wir Zukunftsdiebe sind es, die den Kindern und Jugendlichen alle Wege versperren. Wir Älteren überlasten sie mit Kranken-, Renten- und Sozialversicherungsansprüchen, wir bilden sie unzureichend aus, wir geben ihnen keine politischen Gestaltungsmöglichkeiten, und wir hinterlassen ihnen einen Berg von Schulden, die wir machen, um unseren bequemen Status quo zu halten und möglichst komfortabel auf bessere Zeiten zu hoffen.

Wo sind die Politiker und Gewerkschafter mit Weitblick und Mut, die endlich Zukunftsicherung über Machtabsicherung stellen? Wo sind die Unternehmer, die perspektivisch auf unsere Kinder setzen statt auf Maximalprofite irgendwo?

Wir alle sind Akteure in einem existenzvernichtenden Gesellschaftskrimi. Viele Segnungen unserer vermeintlichen Wohlstandsidylle bedrohen die Zukunftschancen der jüngeren Generation. Die einmal gegebenen Versprechungen (z. B. Generationenvertrag, Tarifverträge, Kündigungsschutz usw. ) genießen Vertrauensschutz. Und wo bleibt der Vertrauensschutz für unsere Kinder?“ (Dr. med. Heidi Schüller, ehemalige Ärztin, Journalistin)

Mit freundlichen Grüßen


An alle Betroffenen,

Deutschland entwickelt sich immer mehr zum 3-Klassenstaat: Reiche, Beamte, Arme. Die Bürger sind mit der jetzigen Politik nicht mehr zufrieden. Laut den Nachrichtensendungen vom 06.8.04 ist Leipzig erneut als Vorreiter für Ostdeutschland und diesmal für Gesamtdeutschland aktiv. Die PDS und die Gewerkschaften sind ebenfalls dabei. Seit 1990 wurde in Deutschland eine 2. Stasi aufgebaut. Die Politiker haben durch die Grundgesetzänderung Narrenfreiheit in Deutschland geschaffen, um massiv die Menschenrechte zu missachten. Personen und Familien, die nicht in unser Staatssystem passen, werden gezielt aus dem Berufsleben gedrängt und werden in die Sozialhilfe gezwungen. Der Gipfel ist jetzt, dass der Staat auch noch an die mühsam ersparten Beträge für die Kinder und die nachfolgenden Generationen heran will. Die Rentenkassen wurden bereits 1990 für die deutsche Einheit geplündert! Die Umsetzung der Notstandsgesetze stehen kurz bevor. Ein Volksaufstand, ausgehend von Leipzig, über alle Bundesländer wird auch diese Regierung stürzen. Die SPD hat es geschafft, die eigenen Wählerstimmen auf unter 20 % zu bringen.

Wir müssen um die Demokratie und den Rechtsstaat kämpfen!

Mit freundlichen Grüßen

Lothar Stern


Omega siehe auch:

Anti-Hartz-Proteste
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/297671/

Montagsdemonstrationen
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/297563/

PRISONER ABUSE UPDATE - Abu Ghraib Whitewash; Children among Detainees

A new report by the Army inspector-general contradicts Gen. Antonio Taguba’s report and reports by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). Describing the report as a whitewash, the editors of the New York Times write: “The authors of this 300-page whitewash say they found no "systemic" problem - even though there were 94 documented cases of prisoner abuse, including some 40 deaths, 20 of them homicides; even though only four prisons of the 16 they visited had copies of the Geneva conventions; even though Abu Ghraib was a cesspool with one shower for every 50 inmates; even though the military police were improperly involved in interrogations; even though young people plucked from civilian life were sent to guard prisoners - 50,000 of them in all - with no training…Never mind any of that. The report pins most of the blame on those depressingly familiar culprits, a few soldiers who behaved badly (NY Times editorial, 7/24/04).”

One of those “soldiers,” Pfc. Lynndie England, was in court this week for a week-long preliminary hearing. Senior Army criminal investigators testified Tuesday that the inmates who were abused last year at Abu Ghraib prison were of little or no intelligence value to the United States (LA Times 8/4/04). Special Agent Paul Arthur stated that the detainees were “of no military intelligence significance for us,” and that only two out of the entire group had been interrogated (Washington Post 8/5/04).

IRIN news, compiled by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, reported that more than 150 children ranging in age from nine to 18 are held on any given day at one just of the U.S. run detention centers in Iraq (IRIN News 7/15/04). Seymour Hersh of the New Yorker told an ACLU audience that there is videotape showing US troops sodomizing young Iraqi men at Abu Ghraib. Hersh stated, "The boys were sodomised with the cameras rolling, and the worst part is the soundtrack, of the boys shrieking" (the Independent 7/16/04).

The LA Times reports that CACI International has been awarded a $23 million no-bid contract to continue providing private interrogators to gather intelligence in Iraq. The contract came just as the Interior Department was preparing to cancel the existing contract with Virginia-based CACI, which came under intense scrutiny earlier this year after one of its interrogators was cited for involvement in the abuse of Iraqi captives at Baghdad's Abu Ghraib prison (LA Times 8/5/04). An Army official stated that CACI was awarded the contract without competitive bidding to avoid any lapse in providing interrogators to question prisoners held at U.S.-run facilities in Iraq (LA Times 8/5/04).

Read more on Child Detainees at:
http://epicalert.c.topica.com/maacwJ8aa80CxbdrwCwe/