Sailor-mongering act rises from history as the feds try to cripple Greenpeace.

By Bill McKibben

Bill McKibben, a scholar in residence at Middlebury College, is
the author of many books on the environment, including "Enough: Staying Human in an Engineered Age" (Times Books, 2003).
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-mckibben14may14,1,1224810.story

May 14, 2004

In April of 2002, a cargo ship, the Jade, was steaming toward Miami
carrying a cargo of mahogany illegally cut from the Brazilian Amazon. Two Greenpeace activists tried to clamber aboard the ship and hang a banner that read "President Bush: Stop Illegal Logging." None of which is unusual.

The trees of the Amazon are logged day after day, year after year, despite a host of treaties and laws and despite the fact that scientists agree that an intact rain forest is essential for everything from conserving species to protecting the climate. And Greenpeace, day after day, tries to call attention to such crimes. It pesters rich, powerful interests about toxic dumping and outlaw whaling and a hundred other topics that those interests would rather not be pestered about. The Miami activists were arrested, spent a weekend in jail, pleaded guilty and were sentenced to time served. All in a day's work.

But here's where it starts getting weird: More than a year after the ship boarding, the Justice Department indicted Greenpeace itself. According to the group's attorneys, it's the first time an organization has been prosecuted for "the speech-related activities of its supporters."

How far did the government have to stretch to make its case? The law it cited against boarding ships about to enter ports was passed in 1872 and aimed at the proprietors of boardinghouses who used liquor and prostitutes to lure crews to their establishments. The last prosecution under the "sailor-mongering" act took place in 1890. The new case could be like something straight out of "Master and Commander."

The matter goes to trial next week in a federal district court in Miami, and if Greenpeace loses, the organization could be fined $20,000 and placed on probation. The money's no big deal; outraged supporters would probably turn such a verdict into a fundraising bonanza. But the probation would be. The group might well be prevented from engaging in any acts of civil disobedience for years to come. If it crossed the line, the group's officers might be jailed and its assets seized. Since civil disobedience is what Greenpeace does best, the Justice Department might in effect be shutting the group down.

That would be too bad, and not just for Greenpeace. The potential precedent here -- that the government can choke off protest by shutting down those who organize it -- undermines one of the most important safety valves of our political life.

During the civil rights era, Southern sheriffs used every law they could think of to jail protesters -- loitering was a favorite charge. Imagine some group being put on probation because it had helped organize sit-ins. But even J. Edgar Hoover didn't try to criminalize the NAACP.

As the veteran civil rights campaigner Julian Bond said recently, "If John Ashcroft had done this in the 1960s, black Americans would not be voting today, eating at formerly all-white lunch counters, or sitting on bus front seats."

As is the norm, this attack on political liberties is excused by the need for "port safety" in the wake of 9/11. But I've watched Greenpeace for years, and its members are the furthest thing from terrorists; according to the group, "no Greenpeace activist has ever harmed another individual," despite a record of direct action dating to its founding in 1971.

If port safety truly were the issue, the federal government would have made far more progress toward inspecting cargo arriving by sea. Confidence in the vigor of governmental scrutiny was not enhanced when it managed not to find the Jade's illegal mahogany and let it sail on from Miami. Two days later it unloaded 70 tons of the wood in Charleston, S.C.

The real threat Greenpeace represents is that its members tell the truth, and do it obnoxiously, out in public, where it can't be missed.

The Bush administration knows its environmental record is poor, and it knows that hanging banners matters. (That's why the White House printed up the "Mission Accomplished" flag for the president's May 1, 2003, aircraft carrier photo op). To spare itself embarrassment, the
administration is willing to endanger core political freedoms that go back to the very founding of the republic.

How far back? Dec. 16, 1773, at least, when a crew of patriots disguised as Mohawks illegally boarded three ships in Boston Harbor and dumped overboard all the cargo of tea. As the raiders paraded away from the docks, British Adm. John Montague shouted: "Well, boys, you have had a fine pleasant evening for your Indian caper, haven't you. But mind, you have got to pay the fiddler yet."

Now 230 years later, it's Atty. Gen. Ashcroft playing the part of the
British officer, and the words are just as chilling.

Copyright 2004 Los Angeles Times

Informant: Teresa Binstock

By Carolyn Fry
in Galway, Ireland

Imperilled snails fight pain
Plants and animals living in the oceans could provide new antibiotics, drug treatments and painkillers.

But scientists believe these unexplored resources may disappear before we have had the chance to tap their potential.

Fishing, climate change and pollution are altering the food chains in the ocean - reducing biodiversity.

The decline needs to be stopped before it is too late, delegates to the European Conference on Marine Science and Ocean Technology in Ireland said.

Rich diversity

"Life originated in the oceans and has evolved over a much longer time than on land, so the diversity of life is far greater," Professor Carlo Heip, of the Netherlands Institute of Ecology, said at EurOCEAN 2004.

However, marine biodiversity is very poorly known.

We need to know how biodiversity is maintained as the ocean is a very important resource for humanity
Dr Adrianna Ianora

Only a few hundred thousand species of marine plants and animals have been scientifically described; and in terms of micro-organisms, we are just scratching the surface of what exists.

Species have evolved several tricks to survive the rigours of the ocean environment. Many organisms produce molecules designed to give them a competitive edge, in the fight for survival.

These molecules can, for example, make the host creature taste bad, or even render them toxic enough to kill predators outright.

Some sessile creatures, unable to move location, cover themselves in secretions that prevent bacteria from colonising them.

New drugs

Scientists are studying such marine organisms with a view to learning more about cell functions, and using this knowledge to develop new drugs.

The oceans' vast resources remain to be documented
One line of work has focused on diarrhetic shellfish poisoning in Europe.

Dinoflagellates produce a toxin called okadaic acid which induces cramps and sickness in humans who eat shellfish exposed to dinoflagellate blooms in seawater.

Scientists have discovered that the acid can also induce cancer and interfere with testosterone - possibly even causing sterility.

"Scientists researching anti-cancer drugs look for molecules which are designed to arrest cell growth," explained Dr Adrianna Ianora, an ecologist at Stazione Zoologica, Anton Dohrn, Italy.

"In addition toxic creatures, such as poisonous snails from the Indo-Pacific, are being explored for their potential to help produce drugs to alleviate pain."

Human activity

Although the oceans have huge potential to provide us with new drugs, they are being altered by human activities.

Overfishing has depleted the number of large predators, such as sharks, affecting food webs down to microbe level.

Professor Heip: Diversity of life is far greater in the ocean
Alien species carried out of their natural environment in the ballast water of ships are changing local ecosystem dynamics, and scientists suggest climate change may ultimately affect the acidity of seawater.

No one knows what the impact of these changes will be.

"It's important to look not just at biodiversity but at how ecosystems function," said Dr Ianora.

"We need to know how biodiversity is maintained as the ocean is a very important resource for humanity."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/science/nature/3711079.stm


Informant: Teresa Binstock

By Richard Black
BBC science correspondent

The biotechnology company Monsanto is withdrawing plans to grow genetically modified canola (oilseed rape) in Australia.

The company says that recent legislation prohibiting the use of GM crops means further investment is unjustified.

The news comes just two days after Monsanto announced it was withdrawing its GM wheat globally.

In Australia, GM crops have received a mixed reception.

Although the Australian federal government supports GM agriculture, the governments of Australian states oppose it.

Most have either banned GM crops outright or imposed moratoria. Monsanto says that in this legislative environment, it is not worth proceeding with GM canola.

Financially unattractive

Monsanto Australia's Communications manager, Mark Buckingham, says restrictions on GM trials in many states have made their GM plans financially unattractive.

"The international success of biotech crops continues to grow, with 15% growth last year in the area of crops with GM traits around the world," he told Australia's ABC network.

"So the opportunities are there, but unfortunately the uncertainty around canola in Australia has meant it's not an attractive business opportunity in comparison to those other business opportunities."

Farmers and exporters are split on the issue.

The Grains Council of Australia, the main trade body for growers, says an important opportunity is being missed.

But some farmers have warned that growing GM canola would compromise exports to Europe, where consumers and therefore importers are looking for GM-free products.

Canola exports earn Australia just under half a billion US dollars annually.

There have also been concerns about gene transfer from canola to wild relatives, leading to the growth of herbicide-resistant "superweeds".

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/3712241.stm


Informant: Teresa Binstock

By Kenneth Chang
New York Times
May 13, 2004

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/13/science/13DARK.html

In the second half of the 20th century, the world became, quite literally, a darker place.

Defying expectation and easy explanation, hundreds of instruments around the world recorded a drop in sunshine reaching the surface of Earth, as much as 10 percent from the late 1950's to the early 90's, or 2 percent to 3 percent a decade. In some regions like Asia, the United States and Europe, the drop was even steeper. In Hong Kong, sunlight decreased 37 percent.

No one is predicting that it may soon be night all day, and some scientists theorize that the skies have brightened in the last decade as the suspected cause of global dimming, air pollution, clears up in many parts of the world.

Yet the dimming trend ‹ noticed by a handful of scientists 20 years ago but dismissed then as unbelievable ‹ is attracting wide attention. Research on dimming and its implications for weather, water supplies and agriculture will be presented next week in Montreal at a joint meeting of American and Canadian geological groups.

"There could be a big gorilla sitting on the dining table, and we didn't know about it," said Dr. Veerabhadran Ramanathan, a professor of climate and atmospheric sciences at the University of California, San Diego. "There are many, many issues that it raises."

Dr. James E. Hansen, director of the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies in Manhattan, said that scientists had long known that pollution particles reflected some sunlight, but that they were now realizing the magnitude of the effect.

"It's occurred over a long time period," Dr. Hansen said. "So it's not something that, perhaps, jumps out at you as a person in the street. But it's a large effect."

Satellite measurements show that the sun remains as bright as ever, but that less and less sunlight has been making it through the atmosphere to the ground.

Pollution dims sunlight in two ways, scientists theorize. Some light bounces off soot particles in the air and goes back into outer space. The pollution also causes more water droplets to condense out of air, leading to thicker, darker clouds, which also block more light. For that reason, the dimming appears to be more pronounced on cloudy days than sunny ones. Some less polluted regions have had little or no dimming.

The dynamics of global dimming are not completely understood. Antarctica, which would be expected to have clean air, has also dimmed.

"In general, we don't really understand this thing that's going on," said Dr. Shabtai Cohen, a scientist in the Israeli Agriculture Ministry who has studied dimming for a decade. "And we don't have the whole story."

The measuring instrument, a radiometer, is simple, a black plate under a glass dome. Like asphalt in summer, the black plate turns hot as it absorbs the sun's energy. Its temperature tells the amount of sunlight that has shone on it.

Since the 50's, hundreds of radiometers have been installed from the Arctic to Antarctica, dutifully recording sunshine. In the mid-80's, Dr. Atsumu Ohmura of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich sifted through the data to compare levels in different regions. "Suddenly," Dr. Ohmura said, "I realized it's not easy to do that, because the radiation was changing over time."

He recalled his reaction, saying, "I thought it is rather unbelievable."

After an analysis, he was convinced that the figures were reliable and presented his findings at a scientific conference.

Asked about his colleagues' reaction, Dr. Ohmura said: "There's no reaction. Very disappointing."

At that time, Dr. Gerald Stanhill of the Israeli Agriculture Ministry noticed similar darkening in Israel.

"I really didn't believe it," Dr. Stanhill said. "I thought there was some error in the apparatus."

Dr. Stanhill, now retired and living in New York, also looked around and found dimming elsewhere. In the 90's, he wrote papers describing the phenomenon, also largely ignored. In 2001, Drs. Stanhill and Cohen estimated that the worldwide dimming averaged 2.7 percent a decade.

Not every scientist is convinced that the dimming has been that pronounced. Although radiometers are simple, they do require periodic calibration and care. Dirt on the dome blocks light, leading to erroneous indications. Also, all radiometers have been on land, leaving three-fourths of the earth to supposition.

"I see some datasets that are consistent and some that aren't," Dr. Ellsworth G. Dutton, who heads surface-radiation monitoring at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, said. "Certainly, the magnitude of the phenomenon is in considerable question."

Dr. Beate G. Liepert, a research scientist at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University, has analyzed similar information and arrives at a smaller estimate of the dimming than Drs. Stanhill and Cohen. Dr. Liepert puts it at 4 percent from 1961 to 1990, or 1.3 percent a decade. "It's a little bit the way you do the statistics," she said.

A major set of measurements from the Indian Ocean in 1999 showed that air pollution did block significant sunlight. Following plumes of soot and other pollution, scientists measured sunlight under the plumes that was 10 percent less bright than in clear air.

"I thought I was too old to be surprised by anything," said Dr. Ramanathan, who was co-chief scientist of the projects.

Dr. Ohmura said he hoped to finish his analysis of the numbers since 1990 by late next month or early July.

"I have a very strong feeling that probably solar radiation is increasing during the last 14 years," he said. He based his hunch, he said, on a reduction in cloud cover and faster melting rates in glaciers.

But clearer, sunnier days could mean bad news for global warming. Instead of cloudiness slowing rising temperatures, sunshine would be expected to accelerate the warming.


PREVIOUS NHNE ARTICLE;

GLOBAL DIMMING (1/2/2004):
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nhnenews/message/6534


Informant: NHNE

Frankfurt/Main (dpa) - Das Sigmund-Freud-Institut in Frankfurt will in zwei Studien die Ursachen des Aufmerksamkeits-Defizit- Hyperaktivitäts-Syndrom (AHDS) erforschen.

Quelle: http://www.netdoktor.de/nachrichten/index.asp?y=2004&m=5&d=14&id=111419

Omega: warum noch lange nach Ursachen suchen, wenn die Fakten längst bekannt sind:

Hyperaktivität (Auszug)

Bisherige Hinweise/ Beweise besagen, dass niederfrequent gepulste Hochfrequenzen des Mobilfunks an Begünstigung/ Auslösung folgender gesundheitsschädlicher Störungen beteiligt sein können.

Schlafstörungen - Unruhezustände, Nervosität, depressive Verstimmungen, Kopfschmerzen, Tinnitus, Konzentrations- u. Gedächtnisstörungen, Augenreizungen/ Grauer Star, Lernstörungen bei Kindern, erhöhter Blutdruck, Herzrhythmusstörungen, Migräne, Schwindel, Verstärkung der Amalganbelastung, Kopftumor, Augenkrebs, Blutbildveränderungen u. Störung der Blutbildung, beschleunigtes Krebswachstum, ständige Müdigkeit u. Erschöpfung, Allergien, Immunschwäche.

Skandalöses Beispiel:

Familie Bücher in Haibach bei Aschaffenburg wurde/wird seit Jahren durch Mobilfunkanlage T-Mobil aus 60m Entfernung auf gleicher Höhe durch Hauptstrahl auf Kinderzimmer bestrahlt. 10jähriger Sohn erkrankt mit starker Hyperaktivität, Schulschwierigkeiten, eingeschränkte Sehfähigkeit, Wachstumsstillstand! Nach Abschirmmaßnahmen mit 40 000.- DM normalisierten sich schulische Leistungen, Sehstärke wurde wieder besser, Wachstum nach einjährigem Stillstand wieder da. Vor Abschirmmaßnahmen 520 Nanowert, hinterher um 98% den Hochfrequenzwert gesenkt.



FREIBURGER APPELL (Auszug)

9.10.2002

Aus großer Sorge um die Gesundheit unserer Mitmenschen wenden wir uns als niedergelassene Ärztinnen und Ärzte aller Fachrichtungen speziell der Umweltmedizin, an die Ärzteschaft, an Verantwortliche in Gesundheitswesen und Politik sowie an die Öffentlichkeit.

Wir beobachten in den letzten Jahren bei unseren PatientInnen einen dramatischen Anstieg schwerer und chronischer Erkrankungen, insbesondere

* Lern-, Konzentrations- und Verhaltensstörungen bei Kindern (z.B. Hyperaktivität)
* Blutdruckentgleisungen, die medikamentös immer schwerer zu beeinflussen sind
* Herzrhythmusstörungen
* Herzinfarkte und Schlaganfälle immer jüngerer Menschen
* hirndegenerative Erkrankungen (z.B. Morbus Alzheimer) und Epilepsie
* Krebserkrankungen wie Leukämie und Hirntumore

Quelle: http://www.igumed.de/apell.html



Die allergische Hyperaktivität zeigt sich vor allem in Form von innerer Unruhe, Nervosität, Konzentrationsstörungen und Schlafstörungen. Aber auch Muskelzuckungen (Ticks) oder Muskelkrämpfe sowie unerklärliche Ängste und Depressionen können damit in Verbindung stehen. Die allergisch bedingte Müdigkeit kann hingegen auch mit einer starken Benommenheit und Antriebslosigkeit einhergehen.

Wie bereits im Artikel "Alle Allergien sind heilbar" ausgeführt, werden über 98 % aller Allergien durch abgelagerte Umweltgifte und chemisch-pharmazeutische Medikamente aber auch durch hochfrequente Funkstrahlungen, insbesondere die zunehmende Mobilfunkstrahlung, verursacht.

Quelle: http://www.mueller-burzler.de/art_grossangriff_nerven.html (Auszug)



Ritalin hat Wirkstoffe für 3 verschiedene Richtungen. Bei Konzentrationsstörungen und Lernschwächen wirkt Ritalin bei Kindern aufputschend und aufmerksamkeitsfördernd, bei Überaktivität und Aggressivität (POS) dämpfend und bei Erwachsenen mit depressiven Verstimmungen weckt Ritalin Glücksgefühle. Eine "wahre Wunderdroge" bestens passend zu den meist genannten Schädigungen durch den Mobilfunk.

Quelle: http://www.oekosmos.de/artikel/details/mobilfunk-ritalin-kapitalverbrechen-an-kindern/


http://www.buergerwelle.de/body_newsletter_140504.html

--------

Handy-Strahlung: Schüler sollen gewarnt werden

Regelmäßig sollen Schüler, aber auch Lehrer und Eltern über die Gefahren der Handystrahlung informiert und davor gewarnt werden. Das fordern Linkspolitiker.

Neben Zahnkontrolle, Schularzt und Sexaufklärung soll es bald auch eine regelmäßige Handy-Warnung in den Berner Schulen geben. Das jedenfalls fordert SP-Großrätin Danielle Lemann: «Jugendliche sind sich häufig nicht bewusst, welche gefährlichen Nebenwirkungen die elektromagnetischen Felder haben können», sagt sie. Außerdem seien die Jungen für die aggressive Werbung und die günstigen Angebote der Handylobby besonders empfänglich.

Weil man die Gefahr sehr schnell wieder vergesse, soll regelmäßig informiert werden – wie häufig und in welcher Form, ist noch offen. «Eine gute Variante wäre sicher, jährlich Flugblätter zu verteilen», sagt Danielle Lemann. Sie würde es begrüßen, wenn Lehrer das Thema im Unterricht aufnehmen würden. Dabei solle nicht dogmatisch gepredigt, sondern vielmehr sollen Tipps und Tricks vermittelt werden: Die Schüler sollen lernen, mit ihren Mobiltelefonen so umzugehen, dass sie weniger Strahlung abbekommen.

Denn Lemann, selber Schulärztin, ist überzeugt: «Bei vielen Kindern mit Aufmerksamkeitsstörungen spielen die elektromagnetischen Wellen eine Rolle.»

Andrea Abbühl

http://www.20min.ch/news/bern/story/12634797



http://omega.twoday.net/search?q=Hyperaktivität
http://omega.twoday.net/search?q=Aufmerksamkeitsstörung

Urge the wood giants to help stop illegal logging
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/219118/

RAPID RESPONSE needed to save Dominican Republic parks
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/219119/

Ukraine threatens Europe’s second largest wetland
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/219121/

Coastal Flood Potential - Will It Force Redefining of "Defense"?
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/219266/

GLOBAL WARMING IGNITES TEMPERS, EVEN IN A MOVIE
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/217285/

Inuit "poisoned from afar" due to climate change
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/217513/

Outdoor gear makers urge Bush administration to protect roadless forests
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/217509/

Save the Trees
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/217528/

Asia's "last frontier" poised for irrevocable change
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/217515/

Cod could be wiped out within 15 years, says WWF
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/217519/

Thousands to meet for talks on tackling Earth's environmental problems
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/217523/

Major Volcanic Eruption in Far East
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/217531/

Toxic Chemicals and Intellectual Disabilities in the USA
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/217542/

How Fluoride Kills Human Cells
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/218811/

An article by Alan Blanes

What would be the consequences of oceans rising of one meter over the next few decades?

This is the forecast from the WorldWatch Institute,
( http://www.worldwatch.org/mag/2000/00-6.html ). See, for example, the article by Don Henrichson "The Oceans Are Coming Ashore" [Nov/Dec 2000] which states that the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) predicts a 1 meter rise in oceans by 2080 according to computer models.

The same forecast is made by Molly O'Meara in her article "The Risks of Disrupting Climate" in the WorldWatch Reader 1991. She estimates almost a one meter rise in ocean level if temperatures rise 6 degrees. And it could be worse. Bentley and Bindschlader in their article "On Thin Ice" December 2002 "Scientific American" warn that unpredictably greater problems can happen due to the slippery subsurface of the Western Antarctic Iceshelf. Their article is available from sadigital@sciam.com, and more details of their research can be accessed at http://www.glacier.rice.edu/.

The consequences would be terrible, but we can avoid it.

We could de-salinate the sea water and use it to make forests in the deserts and other regions that need water. This could turn things around so that the land areas of the planet would retain water instead of over-filling the oceans. (For more information e-mail prosci@ecn.ab.ca ).

To do this, we must restructure our engineering and industrial priorities from war to peace. The world spends the equivalent of more than $1.2 trillion Canadian dollars a year on armaments according to the Stockholm International Peace Reseach Institute
( http://www.sipri.org ). We need to convert the defense contract companies from weapons production to civil engineering programs involving restoration of unfertile regions of the continents. This would enable the continents to retain enough water and plant life (i.e. dense forests) in order to offset the water flow from melting icecaps and glaciers.

I would suggest that we begin by developing a dialogue with groups such as Engineers Without Borders.

Source:

http://cpnn-usa.org/cgi-bin/read/articlepage.cgi?ViewArticle=38

Published by: Sarah Bladen, WWF International, 11/05/2004

The mighty Danube is under attack again

Thanks to your recent efforts, Austria's planned river works are moving in a better direction. But now a Ukrainian project threatens the Danube Delta, one of Europe's most ecologically important areas.
The Ukrainian government has started construction on a multi-million US-dollar shipping canal, which will cut right through the Danube Delta.

The Bystroye canal threatens critical habitats and jeopardizes the region's fishing and tourism industries.

Urge the Ukrainian President, Mr. Leonid Kuchma, to halt the canal construction, and to consider alternatives.

http://www.passport.panda.org/campaigns/campaign.cfm?uNC=76319779&uCampaignId=601

Published by: Sarah Bladen, WWF International, 13/05/2004

New law is bad news for Dominican protected areas

Ignoring objections from local citizens, businesses and scientists worldwide, the Congress of the Dominican Republic rushed ahead to pass a law that would eliminate or shrink the size of as many as 30 protected areas throughout the country. The law would also allow mining in the country's national parks.

The final decision now rests with the President of the Dominican Republic, Hipolito Mejia, who has the power to veto this destructive law. He is expected to make his decision before national elections, this Sunday, May 16.

You can help stop this destructive law NOW. Send an email to President Mejia and urge him to veto this destructive law.

http://passport.panda.org/campaigns/action_email.cfm?uNC=09406125&uCampaignId=621&uActionId=1301

Is the wood you buy o.k? Has it been cut responsibly or with disregard for the forest and its wildlife? You have a right to know. Ask the "wood giants" NOW and help stop illegal and destructive logging. Criminally and irresponsibly harvested timber lands in stores all around the world. You may unknowingly buy wood stripped from pristine and valuable forests.

Do companies know where the timber they buy and sell comes from, how it has been harvested, and how the forests have been managed? The lack of information is part of the problem, but you can help change this.

Appeal to "wood giants," like Bauhaus AG, show that you care and that you want their assurance that the wood you buy is o.k - because wood is good, but only if it comes from responsible sources.

http://news.panda.org/cgi-bin1/flo/y/hbED0DZ3EE0E8z0CLUb0Ag

At the Mediterranean Network Meeting of the European Federation of Green Parties, held in Pervolia, Larnaca, Cyprus between 21-23 November 2003 the Greens expressed their concern on the insistence of the British Government to put in operation the huge
military spying antennae in the sensitive area of the Akrotiri Salt Lake.

The antennae should not have been allowed to operate prior to the completion of a health impact assessment, without applying the precautionary principle applied specially to children's and adult's health and the protection of wild life, bird migration and biodiversity.

We call upon the British Government to abandon the operation of the antennae and demolish all antennae erected.

Patricia Kyriacou, Cyprus.

(Below is an official Cyprus Green Party report on the demonstrations in 2002 against erection of the Akrotiri military base antennas)


CYPRUS GREEN PARTY

TO SAVE AKROTIRI AND CYPRUS ENVIROMENT

The British have started works on the 1st of July, whilst inclusion to the Ramsar list, environmental impact assessments are in process, the review of the international committee is still in progress and ignoring locals, greens and of the general public oppositions. About 10 scientists, environmentalists and the green MP Mr Giorgos Perdikis and his wife were protesting peacefully and with dignity against the construction works by preventing only the very heavy machinery to enter the construction site.

The 10 people were holding each other in the one site of the street –in order to avoid causing disturbance to the traffic -and holding a poster against the antenna. The British brought to the site large numbers heavily armed special forces and helicopters were flying overhead in order to avert a peaceful protest. They broke the human chain by applying physical force. Some protesters were violently treated among them the green MP and his wife. Although the previous day the Press officer of the Bases assured that they will not oppose peaceful demonstrations they forcefully removed the protesters from the place of protest, took charge of the area and subjected them to the humiliation of having to witness commencement of the violation of the wetland.

THE BRITISH MILITARY PROCEED WITH THE INSTALLATION OF
A 500.000 WATTS GIGANTIC ANTENNA IN CYPRUS

The British Sovereign Bases in Cyprus have started on the 1st of July 2002, the installation of a new antenna in the Akrotiri Military Bases. The selected area for the installation (the requested area for
installation is 13ha) is located in one of the most important ecosystems of Cyprus and the Eastern Mediterranean, the Akrotiri Wetland. A unique ecosystem of fresh and salt water habitats.

The new antenna will be installed among others, in a ‘’forest’’ of antennae created by the British Bases in the west of the salt lake. It has to be noted that the existing antennae, and even more so the planned additional one, are situated in a crucial and sensitive area of the wetland complex, providing the hydrological link between the fresh water marshes and the Akrotiri salt lake, as well as specific habitat for species of particular concern.

The wetland is of great ecological importance, especially for the avifauna since it is situated in the migration routes (Bird Life International, Important Bird Areas of Europe, Priority sites for
conservation: Southern Europe, page 152-153). The Cyprus Government aims for the protection and the declaration of the area to a Nature Reserve. The installation site is included in the planned Nature Reserve.

Moreover, the Akrotiri peninsula is one of the 38 proposed areas of Cyprus to be included in the Natura 2000 network. The ecological importance of the area is established and indisputable and fulfils the Ramsar criteria, but due to the political status of the area (Military Sovereign Bases, remains of the once British Empire in Cyprus and excluded from the European Union), the Cyprus Government didn’t designate the Akrotiri Wetland for inclusion in the List of Wetlands
of International Importance under the Ramsar Convention (ratified April 2001). The British have informed the Ramsar Bureau for their intention to extend Ramsar Convention in the Bases. The Ramsar
Bureau has been supplied by to two proposals for Ramsar Site delineation, one by the Cyprus Government following, in essence, the wetland ecosystem delineation, and a proposal by the Sovereign Base Area Administration that proposes a more restrictive Ramsar
Site, separated in two, artificially delineated entities. The British proposal is prepared in a way that the antenna ‘’forest’’ is excluded from the proposed Ramsar site.

The wetland ecosystem has been included in the List of Bird Areas of
International Importance, by BirdLIfe International is one of the proposed areas for inclusion in the Natura 2000 Network is proposed to be designated as Nature Reserve.

It qualifies for listing as a Wetland of International Importance under the Ramsar Convention Criteria 1, 2, 3 and 6:

• supports more than 1% of the Eastern Mediterranean population of internationally important wintering population of Greater Flamingo supports significant number of rare, endangered, vulnerable, endemic, important flora and fauna species
  
  supports over of 32 bird species listed in the Anex I of the European Birds Directive
  
  supports 27 habitat types listed in the Anex I of the European Habitats Directive
  
  supports 2 habitat types listed in the Anex II of the European Habitats Directive
  
  hosts an outstanding assemblage of migratory birds, 238 species of birds have been recorded in the area out of 365 recorded in Cyprus
  
  hosts about 50% of the African population of the Demoiselle Crane

Apart from the ecological disaster that will be caused by the installation, another important aspect is the electromagnetic fields that will be created by the antenna. The type of the foresaid antenna is ‘’curtain array antenna’’ and is dimensions are width 196m and height 100m. The proposed antenna is a low band antenna and will operate in HF frequency band (3-30 MHz) with a maximum (continues wave) input power of 500KW. Few hundred meters away from the existing antennas and the proposed installation site of the new antenna, is the Akrotiri village exposed for years to the electromagnetic smog. In the vicinity there are few more villages and the city of Limassol. Even though the scientific community didn’t succeed yet to be of the same opinion that the electromagnetic radiation is negatively affecting health, it is recommended to apply the precautionary principle, in order to protect the public health bearing especially in mind the accumulative effect of the exposure to electromagnetic radiation.

The installation of the antenna and the existing antennae are violating the human rights of the Akrotiri village inhabitants. The Cyprus Green Party is actively supporting the locals in their efforts to protect their health and the environment. The widely known ”Precautionary Principle” and the European acquis should be applied and the British Government should be obliged to freeze all plans and respect the natural environment of Cyprus, the public health and the human rights of the Akrotiri village inhabitants.

There are also political aspects to the above and these are: the status of the British Military Bases in Cyprus and the listening power and purpose of the antenna, where all information will be forwarded to the computers of the British Espionage Center GCHQ, one of the Echelon Listening Centers.

Researchers uncovering mechanisms behind fluoride's toxicity

Fluoride, the "Golden Child" of dental professionals around the world, seems to have a "dark side" that few outside a very specialized field of the scientific community are aware of. As disturbing as it may be, fluoride apparently has the ability to cause DNA damage and even "cell death" in human cells.

In a new study, researchers from the National Institute for Environmental Studies in Japan note that

"Even though fluoride toxicity is increasingly being considered to be important, very little information is available on the mechanism of action of fluoride."

You might think that most everything would be known about a chemical that is being added to our water and prescribed for our children, but regrettably this is not the case.

Researchers decided to investigate the mechanism by which fluoride's is able to kill cells by observing how it affects human leukemia cells. Cancerous cells are often used in research on toxicity because they are more active than normal cells.

They found that the fluoride induced a form of cell death known as "apoptosis" in a dose-dependent and time dependent manner.

Now, if fluoride killing cancerous cells were the "end of the story", this would be a great breakthrough in cancer treatment and would likely save many lives. Unfortunately, things are not quite so simple.

Lead researcher Dr. C.D. Anuradha, in comments to the Optimal Wellness Center, explains that "fluoride in general is harmful to any type of cell. We have seen that fluoride causes cell death in other non-cancerous cells but however the mode of death has been found to be different." Instead of causing apoptosis, in normal cells fluoride seems to kill cells through a different mechanism, known as "necrosis".

Cell Death - Murder or Suicide?

Apoptosis, also known as "programmed cell death" in a process governed by genes in which the cell dies from within upon activation by some stimulating factor. It is a useful phenomenon, which occurs often as part of the normal functioning of the human body, as it gets rid of unwanted cells. The term apoptosis is derived from the Greek word that signifies "the dropping of leaves from the trees." The falling leaves are no longer needed, just as is the case with the unwanted cells, so they are gotten rid of, and recycled back into the earth.

Necrosis, on the other hand, is an externally influenced death, which occurs through some type of local injury (as loss of blood supply, corrosion, burning, or the local lesion of a disease).

A useful analogy between apoptosis and necrosis might be to compare suicide (apoptosis) to murder (necrosis).

Is it Dangerous at Much Lower Doses?

Now many readers may ask the intelligent question of - How does this affect me? Are the much lower concentrations found in fluoridated water and toothpaste a danger to my family and me?

The answer unfortunately is that nobody knows for sure. However, Dr. Anuradha states that, although the concentrations are quite low "…still we expect some amount of damage even at lower concentrations, since at higher concentrations the results are quite clear that the difference is enormous and significant."

She notes that the issue of therapeutic fluoridation is the subject of much debate. Could this be the reason that Japan does not fluoridate ANY of its water supplies? This can't be said with certainty, but after all, doesn't it make sense to keep a potentially dangerous substance out of the water and not FORCE the entire population to consume it?

In the United States currently about 60% of the population drinks fluoridated water, although if the federal government has its way, that percentage will rise dramatically. This is especially true with states like California MANDATING the fluoridation of the public water supplies over a certain size.

How it Caused Cell-Death

Dr. Anuradha and colleagues found that fluoride caused apoptosis in the human leukemia cells by activating an enzyme called caspase-3, which has been identified as a key mediator of apoptosis of cells in humans and other mammals.

The authors note that "The results clearly suggest that fluoride causes cell death in HL-60 (human leukemia) cells by causing the activation of caspase-3 which in turn cleaves PARP leading to DNA damage and ultimately cell death."

What Type of Fluoride?

Except for readers with strong scientific backgrounds, most people don't realize that there is really no such thing as plain "fluoride". When it said that "fluoride" is added to the water, in reality it is a fluoride-compound such as sodium fluoride (NaF), which is the form used in these toxicity experiments.

While this may be the most well known and well-studied of all the fluoride compounds, it is actually very rarely used for water fluoridation. In over 90% of the fluoridated water in the US, the chemicals used are one of the silicofluorides (either fluosilicic acid or sodium silicofluoride).

However, these chemicals have been shown to act much differently from the much simpler sodium fluoride. In one study, it was shown that these chemicals enhance the cellular uptake of lead ( http://www.fluoride-journal.com/98-31-3/313-s25.htm ).

Being that there is evidence that silicofluorides may be even more toxic than NaF, it is quite possible that the DNA damage and cell-killing ability might be even greater in the type of fluoride used in the water supplies.

What Can I Do About it?

Whether you believe that water fluoridation is a vast conspiracy or simply that it is a possibility that fluoride is a dangerous substance that you would just rather avoid, the question remains the same - what to do about it?

The best advice would be to go to our Fluoride Links Page and get involved: http://www.mercola.com/article/links/fluoride_links.htm

Source:

http://www.mercola.com/2000/sep/24/fluoride_kills_cells.htm


Informant: Planttrees



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