Development, Debt and Obedience to Empire
http://www.counterpunch.com/weisbrot03192005.html


From Information Clearing House

http://tinyurl.com/4chkz


From Information Clearing House

Young Americans need to be clear: both parties--Republicans and Democrats--are parties of war and parties of empire. Likewise, both ideological stances--liberal and conservative--rationalize and memorialize war and empire, each with a particular bent and emphasis.

http://www.counterpunch.org/reeves03192005.html


From Information Clearing House

Dubbed a three-year “test,” the new policy will bump up the maximum age for new enlistments from 34 years to 39 years, according to an Army announcement.

http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=27871


From Information Clearing House

They can't train you for the reality of Iraq.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,1441289,00.html?gusrc=rss
http://tinyurl.com/624de


From Information Clearing House

Family members of the dead reservists are furious that heads have not rolled. Their specific target is Kubic, whom they hold responsible for the loss of their loved ones even though he now denies giving the fatal order.

http://tinyurl.com/5d885


From Information Clearing House

Two years after the invasion of Iraq the rate of US soldiers being killed is averaging 18 a week, almost double the rate in the first year after the war. Between 40,000 and 50,000 US military personnel are in Iraq despite serious medical conditions that should have ruled them out of combat.

http://tinyurl.com/6prol


From Information Clearing House

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/032005A.shtml


Informant: Martin Greenhut

by Tom Engelhardt

The most significant fact of our Iraq War and occupation (and war), which can't be repeated too many times, is that the Bush administration busted into the country without an exit strategy for a simple reason: They never planned to leave -- and they still don't.

Click Here to Read Article:
http://www.progressivetrail.org/articles/050321Engelhardt.shtml?mail=21

by Robert Jensen

We have a choice: We can actually live the values that we say guide our country or we can abandon those values. We can work to make democracy -- that is, a system in which ordinary people have meaningful input into the formation of public policy -- a reality in our own country. If we don't, the unrestrained and violent use of U.S. power abroad will remain a danger.

Click Here to Read Article:
http://www.progressivetrail.org/articles/050321Jensen.shtml?mail=21

Pass It On: The Price Of Oil Dependence

by Apollo Alliance

Didn't think America's dependence on foreign oil really affected you? $3-per-gallon gasoline might make you think again.

http://www.tompaine.com/index.php#passiton

The Apollo Alliance has a plan for cleaner, cheaper energy—and good jobs: http://www.apolloalliance.org/

by WorldChanging

We may not know when global oil production will peak, but now we know when the major oil companies will.

http://www.tompaine.com/articles/a_view_from_the_peak.php

by Rob Richie and Steven Hill, TomPaine.com

It's time for a coherent system that ensures all of us can vote, but none of us can vote more than once.

http://www.tompaine.com/articles/needed_voter_rolls_clean_and_complete.php

March 21st 2005

EARTH CHANGES TV NEWSLETTER

Large Quakes Follow Solar Spike

by Mitch Battros – ECTV

A 7.0 quake hits Japan and today a 6.9 quake hits Argentina . There is a rash of large quakes occur around the ring of fire. Nothing extraordinary, but I can’t help but think there may be a connection to what I am now calling “solar quakes”.

Something unusual (at least to me) is occurring on the Sun. This is now the second time I have witnessed an unusual spike in the Kp index, with increased earthquake activity to occur within 48 to 72 hours of this event.

http://www.sec.noaa.gov/rt_plots/kp_3d.html

I did ask Dr. Paal Brekke, Deputy Director of the SOHO project and stationed at NASA/Goddard Space Center, if there could be a connection. His answer matched what I had reported in two or three articles posted earlier this month. “At this time there is no data or current research which connects such events”. And again, I would agree in full, however, I am suspect there may be some unknown phenomena we just have not yet embraced.

I really cannot go any further than this at this time. I just wanted you to know I have turned my attention towards “solar quakes” and will venture into finding credible data to support such.

In Mexico's Upper Gulf of California, harmful fishing practices are driving the world's smallest porpoise, the vaquita marina, to the brink of extinction. To the south, on the coast of Chile's breathtaking Patagonia region, a proposed aluminum smelter threatens to contaminate one of the least polluted marine environments in the Americas and a possible breeding ground of the magnificent blue whale.

To ensure that these sensitive coastal habitat areas continue to thrive, NRDC has added them to our 2005 BioGems list. We are building public pressure on Ocean Garden, the Upper Gulf region's chief shrimp exporter, to help protect the vaquita by promoting truly sustainable fishing in the Upper Gulf. At the same time, we are demanding that the Canadian company Noranda help protect blue whales and other vulnerable wildlife by canceling plans to build an aluminum smelter in the Aysén region of Patagonia.

» Tell Ocean Garden not to purchase shrimp from the Upper Gulf until sustainable fishing practices are in place.
http://www.savebiogems.org/uppergulf/takeaction.asp

» Demand that Noranda abandon plans for the aluminum smelter on the Patagonia Coast.
http://www.savebiogems.org/patagonia/takeaction.asp

STOP PEPPER SPRAY Q-TIP TORTURE ON PEACEFUL PROTESTERS!
CHECK OUT: http://WWW.NOPEPPERSPRAY.ORG

You're ALL invited to the Pepper Spray Trial!
Come witness the trial that will decide the fate of protest and chemical weapons in these times! We need a presence in the courtroom to show support!
Trial starts April 11th, 2005 onwards
San Francisco Federal Building, Judge Susan Ilston's Courtroom
450 Golden Gate Ave. at Polk (Civic Center BART stop)
**Must bring photo ID to get in**
Call 510-835-6303 for more info


We are the Pepper Spray 8, forest activists and plaintiffs in the pivotal civil rights case Headwaters Forest Defense vs. County of Humboldt, which interweaves the fate of our imperiled forests with the right to peacefully protest free from assault by pepper spray.

In 1997, while engaged in nonviolent sit-ins to protect old growth redwoods, Humboldt County and Eureka police applied pepper spray directly to our eyes with Q-tips. Shocking images from police videotapes caused international outrage. Amnesty International called the police behavior cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment..."tantamount to torture."

We've successfully fought numerous legal obstacles, winning appeals and making precedent, and going to trial twice, but the journey for justice is not quite over. We send this letter now at a critical juncture: We begin our new jury trial this April 11, 2005, and you're ALL invited!

There are two simple ways you can stand with us to protect the freedom of dissent in this country: 1. DONATE what you can to keep our case alive-every little bit helps, and donations will continue to be needed! 2. ATTEND TRIAL in San Francisco, CA starting April 11th. We need to publicly show our support and keep a presence in the courtroom for this important jury trial. For much more information, visit: http://www.nopepperspray.org

Last September, our case went to jury trial in San Francisco for the second time (represented by the same award-winning legal team that won a stunning jury verdict two years ago for Earth First! activists Judi Bari and Darryl Cherney against the FBI). After three weeks of trial testimony, the jury's deliberations came to a quick halt when just two of the jurors adamantly believed that police should be allowed to inflict severe pain on peaceful protesters. Although we had the majority, we need a unanimous verdict to protect the tradition of peaceful protest.

Let's make sure "the third time's the charm," because this case is more important than ever! We must not let the police open the door to using pain as coercion against nonviolent people, protecting the politically powerful Pacific Lumber/Maxxam Corporation in their devastation of ancient forests.

Civil rights in this country today are an endangered species just like the ancient redwoods we aim to protect. The fact that our case is a contentious one is the very reason we need to follow through with it and win the retrial, in defense of everyone's rights. Because as Frederick Douglas said, "Power concedes nothing without a demand."

THE PEPPER SPRAY 8
Spring Lundberg, Terri Compost, Mike McCurdy, Sam Neuwirth, Maya Portugal, Lisa Sanderson-Fox, Jennifer Banka Schneider, and Noel Tendick.



LETTER OF SUPPORT FROM JUROR IN PEPPER SPRAY Q-TIP TRIAL

Dear Pepper Spray 8,

The trial ended today as a hung jury. We deadlocked (6 -2). I am greatly troubled and disappointed about the outcome...creat[ing] an underlying current that it's ok to use excessive force on peaceful protestors. I am appalled and dismayed that this happened. I do hope there is a third trial and the plaintiffs win.

Sincerely,
(One of the jurors)


Informant: Nicholas Wilson

[The *San Diego Union-Tribune* reported last month on a briefing given to the press in the course of the February meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Washington, D.C.[1] -- At the briefing, Tim Barnett, a marine physicist, said: "It's really undeniable that global warming is going on, whether you see it in the ocean or in the ecosystems," he said. "There's really a gazillion places to look for it." -- One concern scientists are expressing is this: "Melting snow and ice in the Arctic are adding fresh water to the North Atlantic, a situation that could disrupt the flow of warm water from the tropics to the north," journalist Bruce Lieberman wrote in the *Union-Tribune*. "This 'conveyer belt' brings cold and salty water from the Arctic to the south and moves warm water from the tropics to the north. A slowdown or shutdown of this circulation could drastically change the world's climate. For the U.S. Northeast and northern Europe, continued global warming could lead to a deep freeze." -- You may have heard that some are drawing even more alarming conclusions, citing evidence that global climate change can occur quite abruptly, in ways that would have an enormous and sudden impact upon human societies. -- How worrisome are such claims? -- You'll be better able to judge after you participate in Digging Deeper IV, a study circle on climate change and global warming facilitated by United for Peace of Pierce County. -- Among the books that will be discussed (available for borrowing or for purchase from UFPPC) are *High Tide: The Truth about Our Climate Crisis*, by Mark Lynas (Picador, 2004); *The Long Summer: How Climate Changed Civilization*, by Brian M. Fagan (Basic Books, 2004); *Meltdown: The Predictable Distortion of Global Warming by Scientists, Politicians, and the Media*, by Patrick J. Michaels (Cato Institute, 2004); and *The Two-Mile Time Machine: Ice Cores, Abrupt Climate Change, and Our Future*, by Richard B. Alley (Princeton University Press, 2002). -- Digging Deeper IV will meet Monday evenings at 7:00 p.m. at the Mandolin Cafe, 3923 S. 12th St., Tacoma. -- For more information, see here: http://www.ufppc.org/content/view/2449/ --Mark]

http://www.ufppc.org/content/view/2476/

EU to Push for GMO Foods Despite Opposition - Paper
http://www.planetark.com/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/30019/story.htm

A scientific investigation regarding the "explosive increase" of plastic debris in the world’s ocean that depicts how plastic is negatively impacting sea life in increasingly alarming ways.

http://www.globalpublicmedia.com/lectures/178


OUR SYNTHETIC SEA
Documentary and Talk
Hosted by Jan Lundberg
Wednesday, March 23rd
7:30PM
Grand Lake Neighborhood Center
530 Lake Park Avenue

This 22-minute documentary traces the groundbreaking research conducted by the Algalita Marine Research Foundation (AMRF) regarding the exponential buildup of "non-biodegradable" plastic debris in the world's oceans, employing scientific papers and interviews with concerned scientists to reveal why toxic, estrogenic plastic debris is a serious, chronic threat to marine food webs.

Jan Lundberg is an environmental activist, writer, member of the Campaign Against the Plastic Plague (CAPP), and publisher of http://CultureChange.org

Call Janet, 595-1596, for information


Informant: Scott Munson

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-ecotour20mar20.story


Informant: Deane T. Rimerman

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1056949.cms


Informant: Deane T. Rimerman


Indian PM Orders Moves To Save Disappearing Tigers
http://www.planetark.com/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/30010/story.htm

Tiger Future Not Burning Bright In India
http://www.planetark.com/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/30060/story.htm

21.03.05

Nach Informationen von Umweltschützern kommt das Holz für Gartenmöbel überwiegend aus illegalen Holzhandel. In südostasiatischen Ländern wie Burma, Kambodscha und Indonesien würden "in rasantem Tempo tropische Wälder zerstört", sagte Peter Gerhardt, Tropenwaldreferent der Umweltschutzorganisation Robin Wood. Funktionierende staatliche Kontrollen gegen illegalen Holzhandel fehlten in den betroffenen Ländern. Hier in Deutschland werde mit dem Holz Profit gemacht: Das Holz vieler Gartenmöbeln werde mit leeren Öko-Versprechen angepriesen. Das hätten Stichproben der Umweltorganisation ergeben. Denn das angeblich zertifizierte Holz sei in mehreren Fällen unklarer Herkunft.

Die ganze Nachricht im Internet:
http://www.ngo-online.de/ganze_nachricht.php4?Nr=10715

Umweltverbände gegen VW, BMW & Co.: Auto-Konzerne sollen Klagen gegen Klimaschutzgesetz zurückziehen (21.03.05)

Neun große deutsche Umweltverbände haben die Autobauer BMW, DaimlerChrysler, Porsche und Volkswagen der Heuchelei in Klimaschutz-Sachen bezichtigt. Sie forderten die Vorstände der Unternehmen auf, ihre Klage gegen das kalifornische Klimaschutzgesetz zurückziehen. Das Gesetz solle die Treibhausgasemissionen von Neuwagen ab 2009 begrenzen, um den Kohlendioxidausstoß neu zugelassener PKW bis 2016 um 30 Prozent zu reduzieren. Eine Allianz aus deutschen, amerikanischen und japanischen Autofirmen habe jedoch dagegen vor dem US-Bezirksgericht in Fresno/Kalifornien geklagt.

Die ganze Nachricht im Internet:
http://www.ngo-online.de/ganze_nachricht.php4?Nr=10718

http://shininglight.us/mt/archives/2005/03/details_on_depl.html#more

Details on Depleted Uranium

The details about Depleted Uranium are emerging from the deep hole the US Department of Defense has put them. Rumor has it that the BBC will break the story over the next few days. If that happens, US mainstream media will likely pick up the story.

What I want to know is why its taken so long. Who put the blackout on US Media? I've found internet links to documents produced by the government as early as 1990 on DU and its potential consequences. There are extensive resources on-line on DU. There are also government commissioned studies that minimize it's risks. The Federation of American Scientists has a good set of links.

Remember all the discussion about Anthrax powder? The CDC describes how small particles of Anthrax the size of 5-10 micrometers can easily become airborne again when disturbed:

Although resuspension of certain settled particles requires substantial amounts of energy, lower energy activities (e.g., paper handling, foot traffic, mail handling, and patting of chairs) can reaerosolize settled B. anthracis spores (9,10). The clinical and epidemiologic presentations of anthrax after an intentional release vary by the population targeted, the characteristics of the spores, the mode and source of exposure, and other characteristics.

The size of the particles of DU are nanometers and therefore even easier to disturb and stay airborne for longer periods. The problem with even Rands conclusions are based on the assumption of episodic exposures where the body can purge itself of the particles as it do with natural occuring uranium. I can imagine battlefields that are occupied indefinitely producing continuous exposure that builds up in the body. I recall discussions of dust always in the air in Iraq . I can imagine a gradually increasing continuous exposure to DU in certain locations. With troops rotating in and out of hot areas, they receive continuous exposure while there. The numbers exposed would be very high.

DU along with the exposure of many troops to the traces of chemical weapons in southern Iraq early in the invasion when a munitions dump was burned probably accounts for much of the 56% disability rate in Gulf War II Veterans.

Explaining How

“The numbers are overwhelming, but the potential horrors only get worse,” Robert C. Koehler of the Chicago-based Tribune Media Services wrote in an article about DU weapons entitled “Silent Genocide.”

“DU dust does more than wreak havoc on the immune systems of those who breathe it or touch it; the substance also alters one’s genetic code,” Koehler wrote. “The Pentagon’s response to such charges is denial, denial, denial. And the American media is its moral co-conspirator.”

The U.S. government has known for at least 20 years that DU weapons produce clouds of poison gas on impact. These clouds of aerosolized DU are laden with billions of toxic sub-micron sized particles. A 1984 Department of Energy conference on nuclear airborne waste reported that tests of DU anti-tank missiles showed that at least 31 percent of the mass of a DU penetrator is converted to nano-particles on impact. In larger bombs the percentage of aerosolized DU increases to nearly 100 percent, Fulk told AFP .

DU is harmful in three ways, according to Fulk: “Chemical toxicity, radiological toxicity and particle toxicity.”
[...]
“Exposure pathways for depleted uranium can be through the skin, by inhalation, and ingestion,” Moret wrote. “Nano-particles have high mobility and can easily enter the body. Inhalation of nano-particles of depleted uranium is the most hazardous exposure, because the particles pass through the lung-blood barrier directly into the blood.

“When inhaled through the nose, nano-particles can cross the olfactory bulb directly into the brain through the blood brain barrier, where they migrate all through the brain,” she wrote. “Many Gulf era soldiers exposed to depleted uranium have been diagnosed with brain tumors, brain damage and impaired thought processes. Uranium can interfere with the mitochondria, which provide energy for the nerve processes, and transmittal of the nerve signal across synapses in the brain.

“Damage to the mitochondria, which provide all energy to the cells and nerves, can cause chronic fatigue syndrome, Lou Gehrig’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and Hodgkin’s disease.”

Complete Article

Radioactive Uranium Nano-Particles Pinpointed as Major Issue
in Gulf War Syndrome
Christopher Bollyn – American Free Press January 7, 2005

Depleted uranium weapons and the untold misery they wreak on mankind are taboo subjects in the mainstream media. There are indications, however, that the media embargo is about to be breached.

Despite being a grossly under-reported subject in the mainstream media, there is intense public interest in depleted uranium (DU) and the damage it inflicts on humankind and the environment.

While American Free Press is actively investigating DU weapons and how they contribute to Gulf War Syndrome, the corporate-controlled press virtually ignores the illegal use of DU and its long-lasting effects on the health of veterans and the public.

In August 2004 American Free Press published a ground-breaking four-part series on DU weapons and the long-term health risks they pose to soldiers and civilians alike. Information provided to AFP by experts and scientists, some of it published for the first time in this paper, has increased public awareness of how exposure to small particles of DU can severely affect human health.

Leuren Moret, a Berkeley-based geo-scientist with expertise in atmospheric dust, corresponds with AFP on DU issues. Recently Moret provided a copy of her correspondence to a British radiation biologist, Dr. Chris Busby, about how nanometer size particles of DU – less than one-tenth of a micron and smaller – once inhaled or absorbed into the body, can cause long-term damage to one's health.

Busby is one of the founders of Green Audit, a British organization that monitors companies "whose activities might threaten the environment and health of citizens."

Moret's letter was meant to assist Busby in a legal case being heard in the High Court in London where a former defense worker, Richard David, 49, is suing Normal Air Garrett, Ltd., an aircraft parts company now owned by Honeywell Aerospace, claiming exposure to depleted uranium on the job has made his life a "living hell."

David worked as a component fitter on fighter planes and bombers but had to quit due to health problems. He says he developed a cough within weeks of starting work.

Today, David suffers from a variety of symptoms like those known as Gulf War Syndrome, including respiratory and kidney problems, bowel conditions and painful joints. Medical tests reveal mutations to his DNA and damage to his chromosomes, which, he says, could only have been caused by ionizing radiation. He has also been diagnosed with a terminal lung condition.

Honeywell denies depleted uranium was ever used at the plant in Yeovil, Somerset, where David worked for 10 years until 1995. David claims that DU's existence at the plant was denied because it is an official secret.

David has asked the High Court for more time to gather evidence. The hearing is due to resume in April. “I don’t have any legal representation," David said, "so I am representing myself. It is a real David versus Goliath case.

“I am confident I will win. I hope to set a precedent for other cases of people who have suffered from the effects of depleted uranium.”

Moret's letter on the particle effect of DU is based on research done by Marion Fulk, a nuclear physical chemist and former scientist with the Manhattan Project and the National Laboratory at Livermore, California. Fulk, who has developed a "particle theory" about how DU nano-particles affect human DNA , donates his time and expertise to help bring information about DU to the public.

Asked about Fulk's particle theory, Busby said it is "quite sound." "DU is much more dangerous than they say," Busby added. "I've always said that it contributes significantly to Gulf War Syndrome."

When Moret's correspondence to Dr. Busby was posted on the Internet over the New Year's holiday under the title "How Depleted Uranium Weapons Are Killing Our Troops," some 6,000 people read the letter in the first two days. The following Monday, a producer from the BBC 's Panorama program contacted Moret to arrange an interview.

If the BBC follows up with an investigation on the health effects of DU, it may be hard for the U.S. media to remain silent. More than 500,000 "Gulf War Era" vets currently receive disability compensation, many of them for a variety of symptoms generally referred to as Gulf War Syndrome. Experts blame DU for many of these symptoms.

“The numbers are overwhelming, but the potential horrors only get worse,” Robert C. Koehler of the Chicago-based Tribune Media Services wrote in an article about DU weapons entitled “Silent Genocide.”

“DU dust does more than wreak havoc on the immune systems of those who breathe it or touch it; the substance also alters one's genetic code,” Koehler wrote. “The Pentagon's response to such charges is denial, denial, denial. And the American media is its moral co-conspirator.”

The U.S. government has known for at least twenty years that DU weapons produce clouds of poison gas on impact. These clouds of aerosolized DU are laden with billions of toxic sub-micron sized particles. A 1984 Dept. of Energy conference on Nuclear Airborne Waste reported that tests of DU anti-tank missiles showed that at least 31 percent of the mass of a DU penetrator is converted to nano-particles on impact. In larger bombs the percentage of aerosolized DU increases to nearly 100 percent, Fulk told AFP .

Depleted uranium is harmful in three ways, according to Fulk: "Chemical toxicity, radiological toxicity, and particle toxicity." Particles in the nano-meter (one billionth of a meter) range are a "new breed of cat," Moret wrote. Because the size of the nano-particles allows them to pass freely throughout the organism and into the nucleus of its cells, exposure to nano-particles causes different symptoms than exposure to larger particles of the same substance.

Internalized DU particles, Fulk said, act as "a non-specific catalyst" in both "nuclear and non-nuclear" ways. This means that the uranium particle can affect human DNA and RNA because of both its chemical and radiological properties. This is why internalized DU particles cause "many, many diseases," Fulk said.

Asked if this is how DU causes severe birth defects, Fulk said, "Yes."

The military is aware of DU's harmful effects on the human genetic code. A 2001 study of DU's effect on DNA done by Dr. Alexandra C. Miller for the Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute in Bethesda, Maryland, indicates that DU's chemical instability causes 1 million times more genetic damage than would be expected from its radiation effect alone, Moret wrote.

Dr. Miller requested that questions be sent in writing and copied to a military spokesman, but did tell AFP that it should be noted that her studies showing that DU is "neoplastically transforming and genotoxic" are based on in vitro cellular research.

Studies have shown that inhaled nano-particles are far more toxic than micro-sized particles of the same basic chemical composition. British toxicopathologist Vyvyan Howard has reported that the increased toxicity of the nano-particle is due to its size.

For example, when mice were exposed to virus-size particles of Teflon (0.13 microns) in a Univ. of Rochester study, there were no ill effects. But when mice were exposed to nano-particles of Teflon for 15 minutes, nearly all the mice died within 4 hours.

"Exposure pathways for depleted uranium can be through the skin, by inhalation, and ingestion," Moret wrote. "Nano-particles have high mobility and can easily enter the body. Inhalation of nano-particles of depleted uranium is the most hazardous exposure, because the particles pass through the lung-blood barrier directly into the blood.

"When inhaled through the nose, nano-particles can cross the olfactory bulb directly into the brain through the blood brain barrier, where they migrate all through the brain," she wrote. "Many Gulf Era soldiers exposed to depleted uranium have been diagnosed with brain tumors, brain damage, and impaired thought processes. Uranium can interfere with the mitochondria, which provide energy for the nerve processes, and transmittal of the nerve signal across synapses in the brain.

"Damage to the mitochondria, which provide all energy to the cells and nerves, can cause chronic fatigue syndrome, Lou Gehrig’s disease, Parkinson’s Disease, and Hodgkin’s disease."

http://www.americanfreepress.net/html/explaining_how.html

March 14, 2005 06:38 PM


Informant: Carol Wolman

http://www.dissidentvoice.org/Mar05/Chuckman0319.htm


Informant: Shanti Renfrew

http://www.jp-petit.com/VIDEOS/Verichip_sous_titree.wmv


Informant: Ronda Zeoli

http://www.motherearthnews.com/arc/1973/


Informant: Friends

http://www.eco-action.org/dt/where.html


Informant: Friends

The following article, written a year ago, condenses much useful basic information about depleted uranium. It might be good to read over. An informant from UK says the BBC is planning an expose' about DU for the coming week. If the story goes forward, says Karim, it is bound to be picked up by US media.

http://www.americanfreepress.net/html/explaining_how.html


Informant: David Diggins

03/18/05

It's important to understand that the War Party is not interested in debate, but only in demonization, and Schwartz is a perfect example of this method. Opponents of the war aren't just wrong, in their view -- they're 'Nazis!' Nor does it matter what one writes about them, since it's all for a 'good' cause. Schwartz just makes stuff up and flings it at his opponents: and naturally, David Horowitz, who has absolutely no moral or journalistic standards (some things never change), has no compunctions about providing a platform for outright fabrications. In this holy war against those they deem their political enemies, these two old commies haven't changed their spots one iota: for them, the ends still justify the means...

http://www.antiwar.com/justin/?articleid=5226

from AntiWar.Com, by Justin Raimondo


Informant: Thomas L. Knapp

03/18/05

The coalition of the willing is losing its will. Italy just announced it will withdraw its 3,000 troops from Iraq by the fall. The Netherlands, Poland, and Ukraine are also in the process of pulling out or preparing to pull out an additional 4,750 troops. When Italy's prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi, says, 'We have to have an exit strategy,' he is not kidding. With the departure of those nations, the coalition will be down to 21 countries. That is a massive cut from the days when the administration boasted the window dressing of 38 fighting countries and nearly 50 total allies (even as the United States accounted for 85 percent of the troops). President Bush downplayed Italy's imminent abandonment in a press conference this week. Bush said Berlusconi reassured him in a phone call 'that there was no change in his policy ...

http://tinyurl.com/4j4t3

from Boston Globe, by Derrick Z. Jackson


Informant: Thomas L. Knapp

03/14/05

In the United States, federal and state politicians are eager to raise the minimum legal wage -- again. They have raised the minimum legal wage a dozen times before, but they complain that it is never enough. The prices of food, clothing, and shelter keep going up faster than wages. So politicians offer to solve this problem with a new law to raise wages. Don't fall for it. Politicians are the cause of the problem, not the solution...

http://www.butterbach.net/ken/Minimum_Wage.htm

from Butterbach.Net, by Ken Schoolland


Informant: Thomas L. Knapp

03/18/05

This weekend marks the second anniversary of the US invasion of Iraq. Over 1,500 US soldiers have been killed, more than 100,000 Iraqis have lost their lives, violence continues unabated, and we -- the US taxpayers -- have sunk over $200 billion into invading and occupying the oil-rich nation. Many Americans feel this war has been a monumental disaster; others feel the US has brought democracy to the Iraqi people. But despite these opposite perceptions, according to the latest Harris poll, a larger majority than ever before -- 59% -- believe the US troops should come home in the next year. The anti-war movement, which now represents the sentiment of the majority of the American people, is poised to mark this second anniversary by launching a new peace offensive. Here are several ways you can help...

http://www.commondreams.org/views05/0318-28.htm

from Common Dreams, by Medea Benjamin


Informant: Thomas L. Knapp

03/18/05

As I see it, humankind is at a crossroads. Religion and politics have failed. Corporatism, imperialism, nationalism, communism and a whole smorgasbord of 'isms' have separated us rather than united us. Modernization has failed to reduce violence in the human race. In reality, 'we' can do nothing; only 'I' can do anything. Humanity comprises 6.5 billion 'I's' -- most are responsible for war to one degree or another. I may influence others with my actions, but I control only one person ... me! Stopping war begins with changing 'me.' ... Getting the mind in a quiet state so that I may achieve personal liberation is something I do every day to help eliminate violence from my personal life...

http://tinyurl.com/4sxqd

from Activist Magazine, by Joey King


Informant: Thomas L. Knapp

03/19/05

The case Scalia makes has a good deal going for it because it is indeed part of the theory of politics in the USA that the role justices play does not include making laws, only interpreting the Constitution when some legislation is challenged through the courts (and reaches the US Supreme Court). The living constitution idea is, indeed, destructive of the rule of law and of democracy itself because it encourages arbitrariness, the departure from governance by law toward governance according to the justices' own convictions. Yet, there is a problem here because Justice Scalia ignores the Ninth Amendment to the US Constitution, the one that states unequivocally that aside from rights enumerated in that document, the people have others, as well...

http://tinyurl.com/5vuy4

from SOLO HQ, by Tibor R. Machan


Informant: Thomas L. Knapp

03/19/05

We're fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan, threatened by al Qaeda, mired in budget deficits, facing gargantuan liabilities in Social Security and Medicare, struggling to sustain the our military forces' fighting capacity -- and what did this committee think warranted its urgent attention? Whether a few overpaid entertainers take forbidden pills to improve their performance. The hearing rested on two well-worn premises that should offend the conservative sensibilities of Republicans, who control this committee and Congress. The first is absolutely everything is a federal responsibility. The second is the private sector needs incessant guidance from government...

http://www.washtimes.com/commentary/20050318-084523-1717r.htm

from Washington Times, by Steve Chapman


Informant: Thomas L. Knapp

03/19/05

Outside Kabul, Afghanistan is bleaker, its provinces more inaccessible and lawless, than it was under the Taliban. If anyone leaves town, they do so in convoys. Afghanistan is a place where it is easy for people to disappear and perilous for anyone to investigate their fate. Even a seasoned aid agency such as Médécins Sans Frontières was forced to quit after five staff members were murdered last June. Only the 17,000-strong US forces, with their all-terrain Humvees and Apache attack helicopters, have the run of the land, and they have used the haze of fear and uncertainty that has engulfed the country to advance a draconian phase in the war against terror. Afghanistan has become the new Guantánamo Bay...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/afghanistan/story/0,1284,1440836,00.html

from Guardian [UK], by Adrian Levy and Cathy Scott-Clark


Informant: Thomas L. Knapp

Website lists anti-war activities for students: "On the week of the second anniversary of the U.S. led invasion of Iraq, we the students and youth believe it is time we make our presence felt within the greater antiwar movement. During the fifties and sixties, students led powerful civil rights struggles. We were amongst the leadership of the anti-Vietnam War struggles during the sixties and seventies as well. In this spirit, we are again standing up against the unjust and illegal wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, and elsewhere...

http://www.campusresistance.org/

from Campus Resistance -- Hat Tip to CounterPunch


Informant: Thomas L. Knapp

03/18/05

On March 1, the American Civil Liberties Union and Human Rights First filed a historic lawsuit, Ali et al. v. Donald Rumsfeld, Secretary of Defense of the United States of America, in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois (the defendant's home state). In all forms of media, there has been minimal coverage of the very existence of this legal action, and even less of the precisely documented charges, including the defendant's violations of American and international laws and the consequences of his continuing lawlessness...

http://www.villagevoice.com/news/0512,hentoff,62266,6.html

from Village Voice, by Nat Hentoff


Informant: Thomas L. Knapp

03/20/05

According to Congress, investigating whether Mark McGwire was pumped up with steroids when he made baseball home run history is a question of vital public concern. But what the CIA and our military are doing to prisoners during overseas interrogations, well, that doesn't merit the same interest. After all, what's at stake isn't our national pastime, it's only our national soul. As human rights groups continue to compile evidence that prisoners held under U.S. control have been brutalized, and as new reports emerge that at least 26 prisoners have died at the hands of our military or intelligence services, Congress twiddles its thumbs...

http://www.sptimes.com/2005/03/20/Columns/Congress_drops_ball_o.shtml

from St. Petersburg Times, by Robin Blumner


Informant: Thomas L. Knapp

03/20/05

The second anniversary of the war was the impetus for major demonstrations throughout the world. In the United States, over 800 communities held events calling for an end to the occupation. CNN, however, reported that in the United States 'barely a ripple was made while large protests took place in Europe.' The New York Times reported that protests in the United States ranged from 350 people in Times Square to thousands in San Francisco. Later in the same story, the Times reported that several thousand marched from Harlem to Central Park. If thousands marched in New York, why did the Times highlight the 350 in Times Square? CNN's report was worse -- nothing about US protests. ... If CNN had been in Fayetteville, North Carolina, they would have seen what could be a major turning point in the anti-war movement. The largest Anti-war protest ever in this heavily military town took place...

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/032005A.shtml


Informant: Thomas L. Knapp

from TruthOut, by Scott Galindez

03/21/05

Driving in to Austin, Texas, in late 2000 I asked the taxi driver -- a jaunty man originally from New York -- which parts of town to avoid after dark. Don't worry, he advised, Austin is a safe place. After all, 'everyone carries a gun in Texas.' Not quite the answer I'd been looking for, but strangely reassuring. I was fresh in the US and it played exactly to my preconceptions of America as a violent, gun-happy culture. But the matter-of-fact manner of the driver's comment made everything seem normal...

http://tinyurl.com/6gjcz

from The Australian, by Roy Eccleston


Informant: Thomas L. Knapp

03/21/05

The power to tax is the power to destroy. How did the power to destroy churches whose preachers tell their congregations the truth as they see it -- that some politicians are advancing God's Kingdom, while others are violating God's commandments -- end up in the hands of the Internal Revenue Service? Because LBJ put it there. He had not intended to, but in 1954, an election year, LBJ was bedeviled by tax-exempt groups who were pointing out the alleged communist connections of some Texas liberals. LBJ had inserted in the IRS code a penalty -- loss of tax exemption -- for any organization whose leaders endorsed or opposed the election of a politician. His amendment was not intended for churches, but it bound them just the same...

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=43395

from WorldNetDaily, by Pat Buchanan


Informant: Thomas L. Knapp

03/21/05

One day in the next two weeks, a uniformed colonel from the U.S. Army is expected to pay a visit to William Cala, the superintendent of the Fairport Central School District in Fairport, N.Y., east of Rochester. While Cala has not been told exactly what's on the agenda, he knows why the colonel is coming: To try to talk some sense into him about how he's handled the implementation of the No Child Left Behind Act. It might seem strange that the Pentagon is sending an emissary to a school district, but it's actually the law." [subscription or ad view required]

http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2005/03/21/schools_recruiters/

from Salon, by Aimee Molloy


Informant: Thomas L. Knapp

03/21/05

This is brought to you by the man who wants to sell you his idea for investment accounts. A man desperate for money. A borrowholic through and through. A man who converts trust into debt. Step right up. Put your money down. P.T. Barnum, who told us 'there's a sucker born every minute,' must be rolling in his grave with laughter. Since his inauguration, George W. Bush has run up the national debt more than $2 trillion. Between February 1st and March 10th, a matter of 38 days, he's added another $124 billion to our tab. All while telling us that things are getting better...

http://www.thepriceofliberty.org/05/03/21/henry.htm

from The Price of Liberty, by Ed Henry


Informant: Thomas L. Knapp

03/18/05

Mr. Porter Goss, the head of our CIA, was reassuring Senator Carl Levin that the deaths of four prisoners in American custody in Iraq and Afghanistan were hideous abnormalities. 'We don't do torture,' Goss said .... We can, I think, accept that disavowal. As long as the kind of thing that happened at Abu Ghraib gets front-page attention and universal denunciation, bringing the perpetrators to trial and imprisonment, we are relatively chaste. But the question arises whether the United States and indeed the other western industrial democracies are working convincingly to elevate human cruelty to the rank of infamy, where it belongs...

http://www.nationalreview.com/buckley/wfb200503181324.asp

from National Review, by William F. Buckley, Jr.


Informant: Thomas L. Knapp

03/19/05

Not only did he use false pretenses to get Congress to rush into his invasion, not only did he send our men and women into battle without the protective gear they need to save their lives, not only did he grossly understate the depth of opposition our troops would face during the ongoing occupation, not only did he completely miscalculate the number of troops required to pursue his ideologically-motivated mission -- but now we learn that he rushed America into the hell of war without preparing for the medical needs of thousands of soldiers who are coming home with severe wounds...

http://www.alternet.org/columnists/story/21549/

from Alternet, by Jim Hightower


Informant: Thomas L. Knapp

No two wars are ever the same any more than you can step on the same banana peel twice. That said, Napoleon's invasion and occupation of Spain, from 1808 to 1814 -- the war that gave us the word 'guerrilla' and was immortalized in Goya's 'Third of May,' the war that drained France's army, smashed Napoleon's reputation for invincibility, and left Spain thrashing like a broken-backed snake for decades -- has striking similarities to our invasion and occupation of Iraq. Both wars started under the influence of similar delusions. Napoleon thought that the Spanish would roll over and play dead as so many other European states had; he thought marching to Madrid and placing his brother Joseph on the throne would complete the subjugation of Spain. We pretty much thought the same: crushing Saddam's army would be easy; we would then install a pro-American government (Ahmad the Thief) and have most of our Army home by fall... (for publication 03/28/05)

http://www.amconmag.com/2005_03_28/article.html

from The American Conservative, by Gregory Cochran


Informant: Thomas L. Knapp

03/21/05

In a 'democratic' empire, as opposed to the later Roman version, it isn't very often necessary to round up one's political opponents and simply slap them in jail or throw them into the arena with a couple of hungry lions. There are more efficient, and ultimately more effective, ways to crush anyone who gets in the way of the powers that be, and this is where the fine art of character assassination comes in. I discussed this to some extent in my last column, but as it happens, a far clearer and much more important case has come up since that illustrates the corrosive effects of Empire on American liberty...

http://www.antiwar.com/justin/?articleid=5276

from AntiWar.Com, by Justin Raimondo


Informant: Thomas L. Knapp

03/19/05

Thousands of anti-war protesters took to the streets of San Francisco and other American cities Saturday, chanting slogans, stopping traffic and carrying cardboard coffins to commemorate the second anniversary of the invasion of Iraq. In San Francisco, hundreds of protesters rallied in Dolores Park in the city's Mission district ... 'This is a war of aggression,' said Ed McManus, 54, a Marin County resident who served in the Navy during the Vietnam War but only recently began protesting the Iraq War. ... The San Francisco march was one of hundreds of anti-war demontrations around the country on Saturday -- two years after the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq that toppled the regime of Saddam Hussein...

http://tinyurl.com/6p39s

from Mercury News
posted by Mary Lou Seymour on 19 Mar '05 19:49


Informant: Thomas L. Knapp

UK: In pictures: London's stop the war march

03/19/05

The sun shone brightly as marchers gathered at Hyde Park on Saturday morning, helping themselves to the thousands of banners and placards provided ...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_pictures/4364857.stm

from BBC News [UK]
posted by Mary Lou Seymour on 19 Mar '05 21:42


Informant: Thomas L. Knapp

North Carolina: Peace Rally attracts about 3,000

03/19/05

An anti-war rally organized in part by veterans and military families drew about 3,000 people to a park near Fort Bragg -- home to more than 40,000 soldiers and thousands of other dependents. ... 'I can't remain silent on these issues, slap a yellow ribbon on my car and call it supporting our troops,' said Kara Hollingsworth, the wife of a soldier serving his second tour of duty in Iraq. 'I support our troops by making sure they are not put in harm's way unless absolutely necessary.' ... The demonstration in a town where life revolves around the sprawling Army base, home to the Army's Green Berets and the elite 82nd Airborne Division, was met by about 100 opponents waving American flags and banners...

http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/news/031905_APlocal_peacerally.html



from ABC 11 News
posted by Mary Lou Seymour on 20 Mar '05 12:25



Informant: Thomas L. Knapp

UK: British troops "were supplied with blank ammunition"

03/20/05

British troops in Iraq have been supplied with blank rounds instead of live ammunition, one of a catalogue of failures during the occupation that have put their lives at risk, according to a hard-hitting report to be published this week. Inability to provide body armour and medical supplies in sufficient quantities are also understood to be among logistical shortcomings identified by the influential Commons Defence Select Committee. News of its findings came as tens of thousands of protesters marched through central London yesterday on the second anniversary of the invasion, calling for the Government to withdraw British troops from Iraq...

http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/this_britain/story.jsp?story=621880

from Independent [UK]
posted by Mary Lou Seymour on 20 Mar '05 16:35


Informant: Thomas L. Knapp

03/20/05

Crowds of anti-war demonstrators gathered in communities scattered across the nation Sunday to protest the war in Iraq, a day after larger protests in dozens of other cities on the second anniversary of the U.S.-led invasion. In Boston, Shalom Keller told about 2,000 protesters that he celebrated his 21st birthday in Iraq a day before his Army unit joined the first wave of the invasion. 'Instead of getting drunk, I was invading a country that had done me no wrong,' Keller told the crowd on the Boston Common...

http://tinyurl.com/3mdzf

from Detroit Free Press
posted by R. Lee Wrights on 20 Mar '05 22:08



Informant: Thomas L. Knapp

03/19/05

Anti-war activists marched in the streets of U.S. and European cities Saturday, stopping traffic and lying down alongside flag-draped cardboard coffins to mark the second anniversary of the start of the war in Iraq. Some demonstrators were arrested in New York City as they demanded U.S. troops be brought home. 'This country was founded by acts of civil disobedience,' said David McReynolds, 75, of New York, as he marched along 42nd Street. 'We have an obligation to make our resistance public and to say as clearly as we can that the war is illegal...

http://www.cbc.ca/cp/world/050319/w031956.html


Informant: Thomas L. Knapp

Am Donnerstag kam aus dem Verbraucherministerium bereits eine Reaktion auf Eure/Ihre Schreiben: Bereits 100 E-Mails landeten im Posteingang! Das sollte den zuständigen Politikern zu denken gegeben haben. Und dennoch: Am Freitag beschloss der Bundestag die Änderung des Gentechnikgesetzes. Damit wird der Anbau von gentechnisch veränderte Pflanzen erleichtert. Die Interessen der Industrie wurden voran gestellt ohne Rücksicht auf Verluste in der gentechnikfreien Landwirtschaft. Mehr dazu lest Ihr/Sie auf unserer Homepage:

http://www.einkaufsnetz.org

Eure/Ihre Eigeninitiative war klasse. Da wir schnell reagieren mussten, konnten wir für die Mails in Sachen Gentechnikgesetz keine Protest-Mail vorbereiten. Trotzdem entstanden zahlreiche individuelle E-Mails.

Auch zum Thema Müller gibt es Neues. Das Unternehmen erwirkte vor dem Landgericht Köln, dass unsere Wortwahl mal wieder eingeschränkt ist. Mehr dazu erfahrt Ihr/Sie hier:

http://www.einkaufsnetz.org

Bis bald,

Euer EinkaufsNetz-Team

einkaufsnetz@greenpeace.de

EinkaufsNetz
Greenpeace e.V.
Grosse Elbstrasse 39
22767 Hamburg
http://www.einkaufsnetz.org

We've posted 60 photos from the march - see the homepage first with photos of IVAW, CAN and MFSO reps. Rally photos and audio of the rally are coming.

http://www.traprockpeace.org

Charlie


Charles Jenks
Traprock Peace Center
103A Keet Road
Deerfield, MA 01342
413-773-7427 (Traprock office line)


From ufpj-news

Die ProSieben-Magazine und -Shows am Dienstag, 22. März 2005

http://www.prosieben.de/lifestyle_magazine/taff/, ProSieben Text Seite 405 Dagmar Müller, Tel. +49 [89] 9507-1185, Fax -91185, dagmar.mueller@ProSieben.de "taff"-Spezial montags bis freitags um 18.00

http://www.mysan.de/article59944.html

http://tinyurl.com/52huh

Krebshäufung in der Nähe von Mobilfunksendeanlagen
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/580235/

http://www.aefu.ch/info/3m_elektrosmog.html

Krebshäufung in der Nähe von Mobilfunksendeanlagen
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/580235/

http://www.news-medical.net/?id=8629

Two students of the Gymnasium high school in Spaichingen (Germany) have investigated the influence of using a mobile phone on the red blood cells. With a microscope they made 255 pictures of the blood of 51 testees. The students, Maria Ritter and Wasgan Wolski, received a regional award for young researchers, reports the Schwäbische Zeitung of March 7, 2005.

The testees were not allowed to use their mobile phones for 24 hours. Afterwards the researchers took blood from a finger tip and earlobe. Then the testees had to use a phone for 20 seconds. Immediately after that the researchers took blood again and ten minutes later again. The result: after using the mobile phone it was clearly visible that the red blood cells lumped together in 'rolls of coins'.

Also ten minutes afterwards the 'rolls of coins' still were clearly visible. The lumping raises the risk of thrombosis. Moreover the cells take up and transport less oxygen, report Ritter and Wolski. The research was directed by their teacher Dr. Markus Ziegler.

Full source of this article in German:
http://www.szon.de/lokales/spaichingen/stadt/200503070146.html


Something this report highlights is that it is perfectly possible to show the biological effects of phones/masts without waiting the 15 years or so for epidemiological studies. It is just that the Government do not want to know the answer that quickly! We should be pushing for actual testing in the known "worst" spots.

Sylvia



The micro blood clots are due to the increase of thromboxane in blood, during exposure to cellphone radiation as reported by Omura et al (.1993).

http://www.buergerwelle.de/pdf/your_health_with_computer_and_cellphone.pdf

Dr. Zamir Shalita



This about red blood cells was reported as the "string of pearls effect" in a German study some time ago. This is where / how I came across it:

Much as the asbestos and tobacco industries have done, the telecommunications industry has suppressed damaging evidence about its technology since at least 1927, when colloid chemist Ernst Muth first discovered that red blood cells exposed to radio frequency waves (at levels far less powerful than permitted today by the FCC) are forced to line up in chains resembling strings of pearls.

From Firstenberg:
http://www.earthisland.org/eijournal/new_articles.cfm?articleID=202&journalID=47

I wonder if it has any relationship to Hughes syndrome (sticky blood), which I have come across several times in relation to masts.

There are a number of effects noted on various constituents of blood, so it should be possible to devise blood tests for mast as well as phone effects from more than one indicator.

Andy



Our lab could easily perform this test to peer review publication standards. We are examining erythrocytes routinely every week. It would cost £500 to do this.

Roger Coghill
MA (Cantab) C Biol MI Biol MA (Environ Mgt)
Coghill Research Laboratories


From Mast Sanity/Mast Network

--------

CONGRATULATIONS to all of the students!!!! This is an important link toward confirming the same health problems occur whether caused by cell phones, powerlines or appliances.

After powerlines were forced upon us by restraining order, I soon developed high blood pressure, elevated blood sugar and frequent adrenalin surges. I also was hospitalized 6-7 times due to thrombophlebitis in both legs. The doctors had numerous problems trying to adjust my prothrombin levels (clotting time) and after contacting a hematologist at the University of Minnesota, my doctor told me "you are a first in medical history" (my blood kept getting thinner and thinner in spite of adjustments -- "very sensitive to all medications").

Due to my inability to tolerate blood thinning medications as well as my inability to sit for extended periods of time day-after-day, my Internist told me to file for disability. Around this same time or soon thereafter, I also had been diagnosed with Lupus Profundus (a rare skin condition -- red scalding-appearance on the palms of both hands and soles of both feet). "Fibromyalgia" was also suggested to explain the "exquistive pain" I endured whenever my chest wall or parts of my legs were bumped or touched.

The health problems described above were not confirmed by "objective testing" and since evidence to prove my disability was "only subjective," I was denied disability and had to hire an attorney for an appeal. Social Security Disability Benefits were then awarded based on ".........my credibility in spite of the inability of medical science to diagnose the severe symptomatology."

It was not until many years later that I learned of one or more studies linking EMF/EMR to blood-clotting problems. I did not make "a connection" to EMF/EMR until my two grandsons were diagnosed with "rare immune" and we were told they may develop Leukemia or other cancers. No genetic link was found....the boys were moved away from walls opposite electric meters.....they "got well....!!!"

As with my own guinea pig studies regarding white blood cell changes (dramatic) after chronic, prolonged exposure to low levels of EMF/EMR (electric meter), these students have again demonstrated that "ordinary citizens" can do studies that "replicate" some of the "inconclusive studies" that many scientists don't dare to do because of fears of losing jobs/funding, etc.!!!! Take care -

Joanne C. Mueller
Guinea Pigs R Us
731 - 123rd Avenue N.W.
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55448-2127 USA
Phone: 763-755-6114
Email: jcmpelican@aol.com

--------

Cellphones may boost forces on biological tissue
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/233611/

Bo E. Sernelius: Possible induced enhancement of dispersion forces by cellular phones. Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2004, 6 (7), 1363 - 1368

Abstract:

We derive the dispersion forces between objects in the presence of a non-thermal radiation field. We apply the formalism to a model system representing two human blood cells in blood. By focusing the same radiation density, as in room-temperature thermal radiation, in the microwave region we find a huge enhancement of the attractive force. Related effects are predicted to occur also in other types of biological tissue. The quantitative results should not be taken at face value, since the model is crude. The effects are so large though, that further investigation is motivated. The origin of the effects lies in the variation of water and/or ion content. In the microwave region of the spectrum both the dipolar contributions from the water-molecules, and the mobile-ion contributions are important parts of the dielectric function, and cause the enhancement.

http://members.aon.at/gigaherz/aktuell8.htm

--------

Cell Phones May Harm Blood Cells
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/592426/

Red blood cells lump by mobile phones
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/5198782/

Permanent mutations in fruit flies by cell phone radiation
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/688725/

Fünf Schüler leisten wichtige Basisforschung
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/568914/

***Media Coverage:

http://www.ny1.com/ny/TopStories/SubTopic/index.html?topicintid=1&subtopicintid=1&contentintid=49185
http://nyc.indymedia.org/usermedia/video/13/MOV04379.MPG
http://www.newsday.com/news/printedition/newyork/nyc-nywar204183840mar20,0,6296219.story?coll=nyc-nynews-print

***March 19 - A global day of protest

March 19, 2005- Today, tens of thousands of people converged on New York City to oppose an illegal war of aggression against the people of Iraq. People drove from as far away as Florida and Minnesota to demand an immediate end to the occupation.

The day began with a rally in Harlem's Marcus Garvey Park. Speakers included Brenda Stokely, President of DC 1707, Nellie Bailey of the Harlem Tenant's Council, and Carl Webb, a member of the Army National Guard who has refused to deploy to Iraq.

After the opening rally, more than 15,000 marched to join thousands already gathered in Central Park. As they marched through Harlem, they were greeted by cheers and applause from the community. People came out of stores and apartments to join the march. Others hung out of their windows and flashed the peace sign or raised their fists.

Speakers at the Central Park Rally included Representative Charles Rangel, New York City Council Members Margarita Lopez and Charles Barron, former U.S. Attorney General Ramsey Clark, and attorney Lynne Stewart.

After the Central Park Rally, thousands marched to the Upper East Side mansion of billionaire Mayor Michael Bloomberg with the slogan, "Fund Cities, Not War!"

The turnout for this demonstration confirms that the antiwar movement has entered into a new phase of organizing against the war. It confirms that the greatest attention must be paid to reaching out to communities most impacted by the war and by the policies of the Bush Administration. These communities are the targets of the budget cuts. They are also targeted by military recruiters, who exploit economic hardship with false promises of opportunity. As a result, the children of these communities are dying disproportionately in Iraq, paying the ultimate price for a policy of greed and empire.

Organizers with the Troops Out Now Coalition plan to continue to protest the war and occupation. On May 1, the Troops Out Now Coalition will join the Million Worker March on the streets of New York City in a rally and march to demand, “Jobs, Not War! Bring the Troops Home Now!”

In addition to the Troops Out Now Demonstration in New York City, there were demonstrations in more than 700 cities throughout the U.S., including major regional demonstrations in Fayetteville, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Chicago.

This weekend saw protests all over the globe. There were demonstrations in Argentina, Nicaragua, Puerto Rico, Australia, Vietnam, South Korea, Pakistan, Iceland, Ireland, Germany, Cyprus, and many other countries.

Tens of thousands of people marched through central London on Saturday, calling on Prime Minister Tony Blair to get British troops out of Iraq. Protesters marched from Hyde Park Corner past the US embassy to a rally in central London’s Trafalgar Square.

The protesters placed a black cardboard coffin with the slogan “100,000 dead” scrawled across the daffodil-strewn lid against a tree outside the US embassy. As the coffin was laid down, the crowd chanted: “George Bush ... Uncle Sam. Iraq will be your Vietnam.”

In Sweden, protesters filled up Sergel square in downtown Stockholm, chanting: "USA, out of Iraq!"

In Istanbul, an estimated 15,000 people marched, some carrying signs reading "Murderer Bush, get out."

In Poland, which has 1,700 troops in Iraq, more than 1,000 marched to the US Embassy in Warsaw, holding banners reading "Pull out from Iraq now" and "Poles back to Poland."

In Athens, about 3,000 trade unionists, members of peace groups, and students brought the city center to a standstill for about three hours as they marched to the US Embassy.


***Next Step: May 1

May 1: May Day Rally for Jobs, Not War - Bring the Troops Home Now!

On May 1 the Troops Out Now Coalition and the NYC Million Worker March are calling for a JOBS NOT WAR - Bring the Troops Home Now rally in Union Square, NYC.

MAY DAY -- International Workers Day -- grew out of the struggle of working people in this country more than 100 years ago for an 8 work day with a full day's pay. All over the world, working and poor people march on May Day to send the message that workers are united and have the right to a job, a living wage, health care, housing and education. Workers have a right to pensions and social security. Immigrant workers and the unemployed should have the same rights. On May Day 2005, let's bring back that fighting spirit.

Download the May 1 Flyer: http://www.troopsoutnow.org/flyers/maydayleaflet.pdf

Endorse: http://www.troopsoutnow.org/may1endorse.html


***Help Build a Movement to Stop the War!

1) Endorse May 1: http://www.troopsoutnow.org/may1endorse.html

2) Download leaflets and help get the word out! http://www.troopsoutnow.org/flyers/maydayleaflet.pdf

3) Organize transportation from your city to NYC on May 1: http://www.troopsoutnow.org/orgcentsignup.html

4) Donate! http://www.troopsoutnow.org/donate.html


http://www.TroopsOutNow.org

http://answer.pephost.org/site/News2?JServSessionIdr001=f06abi50z2.app8a&abbr=ANS_&page=NewsArticle&id=6026&security=1023&news_iv_ctrl=1521


Informant: Hopedance

I have received the followoing from Illa Garcia, who must file by May 1st or be unable to.

Shivani


THIS IS THE LETTER THAT I HAVE BEEN SENDING OUT TO DIFFERENT LAWYERS. ILLA

March 14, 2005

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

My name is Illa L. Garcia. I live in Bieber, California. I work for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Prevention. I worked as a Fire Lookout on a Telecommunications Complex. My lookout was 50+ feet in the air. I was surrounded by approximately 80 RF antennas and Microwave Dishes. I worked this position for 3 years. Since coming off the tower in 2002 I have been sick with mysterious illnesses. My partner also worked this same lookout for 11 years and she is also sick along with other members of her family that came to stay with her there. My family members are also sick.

I filed for worker’s compensation in 11- 03 when it was brought to my attention by my partner, who had been doing research on her husbands cancer, that maybe our illness’s may be related. I have since been seeing specialists besides my family doctor to find out what is going on. I have been diagnosed with Fibromyalgia, hyperthyroidism, acute nerve degeneration. They have also found that there is brain tissue damage in the frontal lobe and the two temporal lobes. There is also DNA/cell damage. I am still fighting to get worker’s comp.

The both of us have filed claim letters on the behalf of our families and us. This involves 3 Federal agencies, 2 Counties, 2 Major Power companies, 3 Major Phone companies and the State of California (4-5 Agencies). We are still in the process of filing with the Power companies and Phone companies. We have received back from the State of California and the 2 Counties involved the Right To Sue Letters. We have been trying to find a Law Firm that is willing to take our case. Everyone keeps telling us to “Find a Lawyer” but no one is willing to take on the case once they find out that it involves the State and Federal Governments. We need a Firm that is Licensed to Practice in California, have experience of going against the Federal Government, and be experienced in Toxic Torte. I have watched several court cases for Personal Injury get thrown out of court as RF Radiation is considered JUNK SCIENCE. These have been cases with cell phone, and one antenna. We have been exposed to radiation from 80 antennas on the site where we lived and worked 24 hours a day. RF Radiation is classified by the National Library of Medicine as a TOXIC POISON. As I have watched this happen, my partner and I have considered to go for the Laws that were broken by all these agencies as well as Negligence, Gross Negligence, and Present and Future Medical costs instead of going for Personal Injury.

We are looking for and Experienced Firm that is willing to fight for us. You must also have the Courage, Fortitude, and possible the Funding to take this case on. So far we have 27 who are involved and quite a few of them are Minor Children. There are no time limits on them to file as they won’t know exactly how badly they are damaged until they grow up. That is to say if they make it that far. There is proven documentation and medical reports that show that children are the worse affected by this Radiation as their bodies are still in the formation stages.

RF Radiation by the books is classified as non ionizing radiation but our bodies are proving it otherwise by the burns received and the DNA mutations of our blood cells.

If you have the courage and strength and fortitude to help us fight this case we need to know as soon as possible. We have to be in Court by May to make a filing against these agencies. You can contact me at:

ILLA L. GARCIA
P.O. BOX 585
BIEBER, CA 96009
1-530-294-5829 HOME
1-530-294-5829 FAX
Earthmother61@hotmail.com

Thank you for your help and time.

Sincerely;
Illa l. Garcia

Editor & Publisher does itself proud again ...

Garry Trudeau: Bush 'Apparently Thinks Propaganda's OK'

by Dave Astor

Published: March 18, 2005 2:30 PM ET

NEW YORK Why is Garry Trudeau doing a "Doonesbury" sequence inspired by disgraced Republican-friendly reporter Jeff Gannon?

"I'm not sure it's commonly understood to what lengths this administration is willing to go to bypass the 'filter,' as Bush calls the media," the cartoonist replied in an e-mail interview. "The president made it official Wednesday -- his Justice Department, fresh from signing off on torture, apparently thinks propaganda's OK too." [...] Read more at: http://tinyurl.com/53v3t Some time ago I decided The New Republic is not really liberal and have ignored it since. In case you differ, here is one that was posted and actually IS good.


© Virginia Metze

by Jeff Jacoby, Boston Globe Columnist

(First of two columns)

March 17, 2005

IN AUGUST 2003, when he was commander of the military base at Guantanamo Bay, Major General Geoffrey Miller visited Baghdad with some advice for US interrogators at Abu Ghraib prison. As Brigadier General Janis Karpinski, the military police commander in Iraq, later recalled it, Miller's bottom line was blunt: Abu Ghraib should be ''Gitmo-ized" -- Iraqi detainees should be exposed to the same aggressive techniques being used to extract information from prisoners in Guantanamo.

''You have to have full control," Karpinski quoted Miller as saying. There can be ''no mistake about who's in charge. You have to treat these detainees like dogs."

Whether or not Miller actually spoke those words, it is clear that harsh techniques authorized for a time in Guantanamo -- forced nudity, hooding, shackling men in ''stress positions," the use of dogs -- were taken up in Afghanistan and Iraq, where they sometimes degenerated into outright viciousness and even torture. Did the injunction to ''treat these detainees like dogs" give rise to a prison culture that winked at barbarism? Should Miller be held responsible for what Abu Ghraib became? [...] Read more at: http://tinyurl.com/3ow5r The American Progress Action web site has an excellent article on "FCC's Reruns" which gives insight into what is to be expected from President Bush's nominee for FCC chairman. Read it at: http://tinyurl.com/5bo89


© Virginia Metze

Bob Fertik, the great Democrat activist who has web site democrats.com says:

Let's Stop the Republican Debt Slavery Act in the House

For some reason, I am unable to copy and paste an excerpt from this page, so if you have time, go to http://democrats.com/debtslavery to find if you are interested in this approach to the fight.


© Virginia Metze

Well, the Friday deadline slipped a little, but here it is! Cheers to you all, and hope you are having a good weekend...

More faux news
Salon War Room
Eric Boehlert
March 17, 2005

And the hits keep coming on the fake news front. Today, Friends of the Earth posted two Department of Interior-produced video news releases designed to look like objective newscasts. Both fail to inform viewers that they are government produced, instead opting for "reporters" who end the segments with "In Tampa, Pam Forrester reporting," and "This is Porter Versfelt reporting," respectively.

Critics call the prepackaged newscasts propaganda. And according to guidelines established by the Public Relations Society of America for video news releases, "Organizations that prepare VNRs should not use the word 'reporting' if the narrator is not a reporter." The Government Accountability Office came to the same conclusion in a ruling last year. But the Department of Justice last week overruled the GAO, informing federal agencies that they did not have to identify themselves in scripts for video news releases. [...] Read more at Salon (you may need to get a pass or a subscription) http://tinyurl.com/4tdyo If you can, read the article about "Our delightful commander in chief,' which hurls darts at Time.com's coverage of the president. http://tinyurl.com/6jpzn


© Virginia Metze

This is my local one, so the news was great! And another setback for 02!

Sandi


Council rejects latest phone mast bid

Defiant councillors yesterday rejected the latest attempt to put another mobile phone mast in an Aldwick park. They unanimously refused the joint plans by Hutchison 3G and O2 for the 20.8 metre high monopole in West Park.

The telecom companies want to use the mast with six antennae to replace the current 15m high pole in the Southern Water compound at the park's northern boundary. But Arun District Council's development control committee said the scheme was completely unacceptable.

Full report in March 17 issue of the Bognor Regis Observer
17 March 2005

http://www.chichester.co.uk/ViewArticle2.aspx?SectionID=450&ArticleID=974918

Schröder plant angeblich Rückzieher vom Klimaschutzziel auf EU-Gipfel
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/577766/

Giftköder in Spanien bedrohen seltene Tierarten europaweit
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/577775/

Jetzt gibt Rot-Grün richtig Gas
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/575464/

Gen-Felder wieder heimlich
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/574261/

Gletscherschmelze im Himalaja bedroht Wasserversorgung von Millionen Menschen
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/571225/

Proteste gegen heimliches Verfüttern von Gen-Futter
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/571223/

Finnische Regierung will letzte Urwälder abholzen
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/568267/

Chinas Holzbedarf steigt und wird zu großen Teilen aus illegalen Quellen gedeckt
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/568262/

Data Retention: Neues Begehren
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/569588/

Hamburger Schüler helfen mit Recyclingpapier Wälder zu schützen
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/564559/

Österreich kritisiert Zulassung von Monsanto-Mais in Brüssel
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/564554/

Die Sibirien-Connection - Die WestLB macht in Öl
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/556592/

Die Ostsee ist zur Wüste mutiert
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/556543/

Länderagrarminister wollen Schutz gentechnikfreier Landwirtschaft aushöhlen
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/553817/

Monsanto verliert in Europa Weizen-Patent auf indische Sorte "Nap Hal"
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/553808/

Vogeljagd: Zugvögel erreichen selten ihre Brutgebiete
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/545736/

Total verbandelt?
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/537774/

Abgase: 65.000 Tote jährlich durch Feinstaub
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/531962/

Klonen: UN empfiehlt totales Verbot
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/531967/

Kriege um Wasser
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/531975/

Posted by Ron Cyr
UBRON

THE CONTROLLED PRESS AND THE UNPLEASANT TRUTH OF 9/11

By Christopher Bollyn

American Free Press

Rather than face the uncomfortable reality that the World Trade Center was demolished with explosives, the controlled media and investigators have chosen to ignore the evidence and support a demonstrably false collapse scenario.

In the immediate aftermath of 9/11, American Free Press was a lonely voice, as it reported that numerous eyewitnesses had seen and heard explosions in the towers of the World Trade Center before and during their collapses.

AFP reported that Van Romero, an explosives expert at New Mexico Tech, told The Albuquerque Journal on 9/11: "My opinion is, based on the videotapes, that after the airplanes hit the World Trade Center there were some explosive devices inside the buildings that caused the towers to collapse."

The collapse was "too methodical to be a chance result of airplanes colliding with the structures," Romero said.

However, for no apparent reason, the Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith (ADL) attacked AFP for publishing evidence of explosions at the World Trade Center. Why would an organization ostensibly dedicated to defending Jews find fault with an article about explosions at the WTC?

Three months after 9/11, the ADL accused AFP of using the 9/11 attacks "as grist for its mill."

"Its October 29 [2001] issue," the ADL wrote about AFP, "includes an article by Christopher Bollyn titled, 'Some Survivors Say Bombs Exploded Inside WTC,' in which Bollyn suggests that the 'mainstream media' is ignoring 'eyewitness accounts of bombs that exploded inside the World Trade Center before the collapse of the Twin Towers."

Yet, in spite of overwhelming evidence that explosives and missiles were employed to demolish the World Trade Center and part of the Pentagon, to this day the controlled press continues to avoid this subject.

BOOM, BOOM, BOOM

During a September 11 memorial service at St. Paul's Chapel across Church Street from the WTC, the priest described what he heard as the towers collapsed: "Boom, boom, boom," the priest recalled, "the sound of the floors collapsing."

However, the sounds described by the priest and New York City firefighters are more likely to have been the sounds of explosives demolishing the central support columns than those of 110 concrete floors collapsing at the rate of 10 per second.

Photographs and videos provide ample evidence that explosives in the towers caused the collapse of the three WTC buildings owned or leased by Larry Silverstein: the twin towers and WTC 7.

INSIDE JOB

"Cognitive dissonance," described by Walter Chukwu as "the discomfort felt at a discrepancy between what you already know or believe, and new information," prevents people from accepting "that the U.S. Government carried out the 911 attacks."

Jim Marrs, author of Inside Job: Unmasking the 9/11 Conspiracies, is not affected by such cognitive dissonance. Compiling information from numerous sources, including American Free Press, Marrs contends that 9/11 was an "inside job."

Inside Job also contains an analysis of the U.S. military's failure to intercept the 4 "hijacked" planes, questions the relatives' group wants President George W. Bush to answer, and a draft of widow Ellen Mariani's RICO (Racketeering Influenced Corrupt Organization) lawsuit against President Bush and other high government officials.

While Marrs' book lacks illustrations, his text is sufficient. His concise presentation of Jim Hoffman's research of explosives causing the collapse of the twin towers is compelling.

Marrs presents six arguments which disprove the official version of a fire-induced gravity collapse and indicate that explosives in the towers' cores snipped the 47 central support columns - bringing the towers down.

First, the towers' cores were obliterated. No gravity collapse scenario can explain how the massive central box columns, with 4 inch thick steel walls, were cut.

The powerful explosives required to demolish these central support columns would explain, however, the pulverization of concrete and enormous pressure thrusting debris and girders hundreds of feet from the towers.

The pulverization of concrete is impossible to explain in the gravity collapse scenario. More than 100 times the towers' gravitational potential energy would be required to pulverize the concrete, Hoffman wrote. So, where did that energy come from?

Steel beams were ejected 500 feet sideways. "The downward forces of a gravity collapse cannot account for the energetic lateral ejection of pieces," Hoffman wrote.

Videos and photographs show explosions occurring well below the level of the collapse. As Hoffman observed, "energetic dust ejections are first seen while the top is only slightly tipping, not falling." There is "no known source of the dense powder in these clouds of ejected dust," Marrs says.

The tops of the towers mushroomed into thick dust clouds much larger than the original volumes of the buildings. "Without the addition of large sources of pressure beyond the collapse itself," Hoffman says, "the falling building and its debris should have occupied about the same volume as the intact building."

That is, after all, what was observed when the 47-story WTC 7 collapsed neatly into its basement, with absolutely no lateral projections, at about 5:20 p.m.

That the towers fell at the rate of free fall defies the laws of physics. The cold and undamaged parts of the towers failed to slow the collapses. This indicates that "nearly all resistance to the downward acceleration of the tops had been eliminated ahead of them," Hoffman says.

Evidence that the central support columns were cut prior to the collapse, which AFP reported in October 2001, is seen in videos where powerful bursts of dust are seen being ejected from the towers well below the level of the collapse.

At the time, AFP reported an eyewitness to the collapse seeing "a number of brief light sources being emitted from inside the building between floors 10 and 15" accompanied by "a crackling sound" before the tower fell.

"Even a layman can see that the free-fall scenario based on fires in the building has almost no plausible explanation at this time," Marrs concludes.

During the recent "Confronting the Evidence" conference held in New York City, a person who worked in the North Tower told AFP that prior to 9/11, elevator shafts were guarded by security guards while being "out-of-service" for "weeks and months."

Because explosive charges would have to have been placed near the elevator shafts in the towers' cores, American Free Press is currently investigating contractors that had access to the towers in the year prior to 9/11.

Two demolition companies, both of which have numerous branch companies, have been engaged at the WTC and Pentagon sites: LVI Services, a New York-based asbestos abatement and demolition company headed by Burton T. Fried, and Controlled Demolition, Inc. (CDI) of Phoenix, Md., headed by Mark Loizeaux.

LVI Demolition Services and CDI have cooperated on major demolition projects during the past decade: the Sands Hotel Tower (1996), the Aladdin Hotel & Casino (1998), and the Terrecentre (2002), in Denver.

On September 13, 2001, Engineering News-Record (ENR), a national weekly for the construction industry, reported: "LVI Services Inc., New York City, which has done extensive asbestos abatement work on the towers in the past, is involved in similar work now as well as other cleanup efforts."

AFP asked LVI president Burton T. Fried about the work his company did in the towers prior to 9/11.

"We did not do it," Fried said. "It was a company called AASI but they went out of business."

Asked about the evidence that the towers and WTC 7 were destroyed by demolition charges, Fried replied, "No comment."

Requests to ENR and the Port Authority regarding LVI's alleged work in the towers have yet to be answered.

LVI has worked with the Dept. of Energy and uses an asbestos digesting product developed by the Brookhaven National Laboratory and W.R. Grace & Co.

AFP inquired at the Las Vegas office of LVI Environmental of Nevada Inc. and was told, "We don't speak to the press." LVI's Las Vegas office is headed by Joe Catania, political director of the Nevada Republican Party.

Finis

Ron Cyr
UBRON


Informant: Martin Greenhut

The Ecologist - March 05, Editorial - on the falsity of much 'Corporate Social Responsibility' ..........

http://www.theecologist.co.uk/article.html?article=491

.........But that’s hypocritical nonsense. Governments do not operate from a position of neutrality. On the contrary, decades of very intensive lobbying, of infiltrating the regulatory process, of purchasing policy and supporting compliant politicians have reaped enormous benefits for big business. In the US, according to former president Bill Clinton’s labour secretary, ‘there’s no longer any countervailing power in Washington. Business is in complete control of the machinery of government. It’s payback time and every industry and trade association is busily cashing in’.

The regulatory system has been on overdrive for many years. Only it has adopted a dual purpose whereby the operations of big business have been globally deregulated and the operations of small businesses have been regulated to the point at which many cannot hope to survive. If you’re a large GM firm, the world is your laboratory, its inhabitants your guinea pigs. But a small firm selling vitamin supplements is subjected to a regulatory system that demands absolute adherence to the precautionary principle. It’s been said many times that you could render the biosphere non-viable without breaking a single law, but woe-betide you if you want to sell unpasteurised cider.

This isn’t free-market capitalism. The economy has been rigged. And not just through the regulatory system. Goods whose production may have caused untold ecological damage can be sold cheaply – because the economy fails to recognise the real value of the natural world and its resources. Pollution, illness, local economic collapse… These are merely ‘externalities’. But add them to the cost, as would necessarily happen in an unsubsidised economy, and the story is very different.

The economy is shaped and controlled by human decisions. We could just as easily make different decisions. We can demand through effective campaigns an economy in which the ‘externalities’ are internalised. We can demand fairness in the regulatory system. We can insist that corporate crimes are adequately punished.

artjar

From Mast Network

ARTIKEL VOM 19. MÄRZ 2005

JUGEND / HANDY-KURZNACHRICHTEN BEEINTRÄCHTIGEN DIE SPRACHFÄHIGKEIT

Beschränkte Grammatik durch SMS

Experten stellen mangelndes Textverständnis bei deutschen Schülern fest

Die wachsende Zahl von Handy-Kurznachrichten hat Sprachexperten zufolge Auswirkungen auf die Sprachfähigkeit. Laut dem Institut der Deutschen Sprache "bleiben junge Menschen, die nur über SMS kommunizieren, in ihrer Grammatik äußerst beschränkt".

Kaum ein Jugendlicher beherrscht es nicht: Das verschicken von Text-Botschaften auf dem Handy. FOTO: epd

25 Milliarden Handy Kurzmitteilungen (SMS oder Short Message System) wurden im Jahr 2003 allein in Deutschland verschickt - ein Großteil davon von Jugendlichen an Jugendliche. Nach Experteneinschätzung beeinträchtigt die Fülle der kurzen Textbotschaften die Sprachfähigkeit von jungen Leuten. Bei einer Fachtagung befassten sich rund 450 Wissenschaftler mit der Frage, warum das Textverständnis gerade bei den deutschen Schülern nachlässt. Ludwig Eichinger vom Institut der Deutschen Sprache in Mannheim stellt dazu fest, dass junge Menschen, die ausschließlich über SMS kommunizieren langfristig in ihrer Grammatik sehr beschränkt bleiben.

Die wachsende Beliebtheit bedeute aber nicht zugleich den Verfall "unserer Kultur". Das Positive der SMS sei, dass nach der Ära des Telefonierens überhaupt wieder mehr geschrieben werde. Früher sei stets die Befürchtung geäußert worden, dass zu wenig geschrieben werde. "In Wirklichkeit schreiben durch den Computer wesentlich mehr Menschen. Wer nie einen Brief verfasste, tippt heute eine Mail oder eine SMS." Dass die SMS-Texte meist kurz sind, spiele dabei keine Rolle. Dies passe einfach zu der Kommunikationssituation. Von einem Verfall der Sprache könne man deshalb nicht sprechen. Wer allerdings nur SMS verfasse, werde vermutlich nie einen längeren Text lesen, sagte Eichinger. "Dagegen sollte die Schule etwas machen."

Bei der Jahrestagung diskutierten mehr als 450 Fachleute aus rund 25 Ländern über das Verstehen von Texten. Nach Darstellung des Sprachexperten Hardarik Blühdorn nimmt die Fähigkeit der Schüler ab, Texte zu verstehen, während die Texte selbst immer komplizierter werden. "Da öffnet sich eine Schere", sagt Blühdorn. "Wir leben in einer Welt, die immer komplexer wird, und wir haben Texte, die das spiegeln." Hinzu komme ein "Ausbildungsproblem": Die Schüler gingen weniger mit Texten um, weil sie viele andere Medien wie das Fernsehen nutzen könnten. AP/dpa

http://www.sachsenheimerzeitung.de/html/news/artikel_blick_welt.php4?artikel=17605

Kosmetik, Handy, Markenklamotten: Kant-Schüler über Freiheiten und Gruppenzwänge.

http://www.main-rheiner.de/region/objekt.php3?artikel_id=1829984

http://www.rense.com/general31/pix.htm


Informant: Anna Webb

Greenpeace: Genmanipulierter Reis überflüssig

So genannter "Golden Rice" kann die in ihn gesetzten Erwartungen nicht erfüllen. Der Gen-Reis soll zur Bekämpfung von Vitamin-A-Mangelerkrankungen vor allen in den Ländern des Südens eingesetzt werden. Nun steht zu befürchten, dass aufgrund dieser Wunschvorstellungen andere lebenswichtige Projekte zur Bekämpfung des Vitaminmangels vernachlässigt werden. Diese düstere Aussicht drängt sich auf, wenn man neueste Studien heranzieht, die Greenpeace veröffentlicht hat.

http://www.sonnenseite.com/fp/archiv/Akt-News/6103.php

Der Bund für Umwelt und Naturschutz Deutschland (BUND) hat Bundeskanzler Gerhard Schröder aufgefordert, die Informationsfreiheit über Standorte von gentechnisch veränderten Pflanzen in Deutschland zu gewährleisten. Die Absicht von Teilen der SPD, die erst vor kurzem für die Öffentlichkeit eingeführten Zugangsrechte zum Gentechnik-Standortregister wieder einzuschränken, müsse zurückgewiesen werden. Das öffentlich zugängliche Standortregister, im Internet derzeit noch allen zugänglich, ermöglicht bisher die flurstückgenaue Information über Lage von Feldern mit Gentech-Pflanzen.

http://www.sonnenseite.com/fp/archiv/Akt-News/6099.php

Wegen der Erderwärmung ist der Gipfel des Kilimandscharo nahezu ohne Eis und Schnee - zum ersten Mal seit 11.000 Jahren. Das teilte die Umweltorganisation "Climate Group" anlässlich eines Treffens von Energie- und Umweltministern aus 20 Staaten in London mit.

http://www.sonnenseite.com/fp/archiv/Akt-News/6100.php

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,12353287-29281,00.html


Informant: Andy Robinson

Page 1: The new Gladio in action?
http://www.onlinejournal.com/Special_Reports/031905Mowat-1/031905mowat-1.html

Page 2: Who Is Col. Bob Helvey?
http://www.onlinejournal.com/Special_Reports/031905Mowat-1/031905Mowat-2/031905mowat-2.html

Page 3: The Coup Plotters
http://www.onlinejournal.com/Special_Reports/031905Mowat-1/031905Mowat-3/031905mowat-3.html


Informant: Shanti Renfrew

http://www.whoi.edu/institutes/occi/currenttopics/climatechange_wef.html


Informant: Anna Webb

Hundreds of photographs[1] and an initial report[2] on protests and demonstrations that took place around the world on the second anniversary of the Mar. 19, 2003, invasion of Iraq. -- The largest demonstration reported (Reuters: 45,000) took place in London, England. --Mark]

http://www.ufppc.org/content/view/2471/

http://www.wnho.net/methodic_demise.htm


Informant: V