One senior US wildlife official has gone so far as to describe the massacre as "the most precipitous decline of North American wildlife caused by infectious disease in recorded history".
Published on Friday, October 29, 2010
Bat Disease Threatens Ecological Catastrophe
A virulent and deadly pathogen in America is exterminating a predator that is vital to farmers for controlling insect pests
As a biologist with more than four decades of experience in the field, Thomas Kunz is not prone to over exaggeration. He likes the data to do the talking. But when it comes to describing the recent deaths of more than a million bats across the eastern United States he is unequivocal.
![[]](http://www.commondreams.org/files/article_images/bats-main_483861s.jpg "bats-main_483861s.jpg")
Dr Kunz, a biology professor at Boston University and one of a handful of bat specialists in America, is describing the terrifying advance of white-nose syndrome. In just four years the virulent fungal infection has spread from a single cave in upstate New York to massacre more than a million bats across the North-east.
Scientists and conservationists have been astonished by both the virulence and viciousness of the disease. When a cave becomes infected 75 per cent of the bat colony is likely to be wiped out during the first winter hibernation. After the next winter 90 per cent of the original colony will have succumbed.
This savage fatality rate threatens to destroy one of North America's top predators, leaving a gaping hole in the continent's food chain with as yet incalculable knock-on ecological effects. One senior US wildlife official has gone so far as to describe the massacre as "the most precipitous decline of North American wildlife caused by infectious disease in recorded history".
Jim Dreisacker doesn't need to read the scientific research to know that bats are dying. Westchester Wildlife, his family run business in upstate New York, has been trapping animals for 30 years. Raccoons, skunks, woodchucks and beavers keep him busy all year round. But each summer the 49-year-old would normally expect a windfall from hundreds of callouts from homeowners asking him to remove summer colonies of little brown bats from their roofs and porches.
"The past two years I don't think we've had a single call," he says. "The little brown [bat] has just gone. That's a good 20 per cent of my business up in smoke."
The first outbreak of white-nose was discovered just 200km north of Mr Dreisacker's home in Howe Caverns, a popular tourist attraction outside the state capital Albany. In 2006 a caver reported that many of the bats inside the cave were displaying white growth on their noses and wings. The infected bats were weaker than their non-infected cousins, they came out of hibernation too early and died off rapidly from either starvation or exposure.
By the following winter white-nose syndrome had spread across upstate New York. The next year it had reached Vermont, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania, infecting critical hibernacula (winter hibernation caves) in the Appalachians. Canada was hit in 2009, with infections in Quebec and southern Ontario. This year new outbreaks have been reported as far south as Tennessee, Oklahoma and Missouri. Biologists and pathogen experts have been scrambling to try to understand how white-nose syndrome broke out and how it can be stopped or at least reduced.
"One of the biggest problems we're facing is that we don't really know much about bats or this fungus," says Hazel Barton, a British born professor of microbiology at the University of Kentucky whose team are concentrating on studying the fungus behind the deaths. "But what we do know is that everything is stacked against bats. It's like this disease was tailor-made to kill them off in their millions."
How white-nose syndrome kills is still a matter of scientific inquiry but the most generally accepted hypothesis is that the fungus attacks the bats' immune system and interferes with their hibernation patterns.
Throughout the winter, when food is scarce, many species of North American bats retreat to hibernacula (the largest ones in the North-east can contain up to 800,000 bats).
They huddle together in their tens of thousands, allowing them to save energy by lowering their body temperature. But this also provides perfect conditions for transmitting disease.
Throughout hibernation bats briefly rouse from torpor, the semi-comatose state that allows them to preserve energy. In most species the arousal rate is once every 12 to 20 days but white-nose infected bats wake up two to three times as often. The theory is that, just like other fungal infections such as Athlete's foot, white-nose is uncomfortable and wakes the bats.
"Every time they arouse it's an enormous drain on their energy levels," says Dr Kunz, adding that bats have to raise their body temperature every time they wake. "Energy-wise, one arousal is about the equivalent of 30 days in torpor so when white-nose bats wake early from their hibernation they are severely undernourished."
Desperate for food the bats will head to the mouth of the cave in search of insects. Most of them don't make it and those that do are usually killed by exposure in a matter of hours.
The results are horrendous. Colonies have suffered very high death rates with carcasses littering the floors of caves. Of greatest concern to conservationists are two critically endangered species that have been infected, the Grey bat and the Indiana bat. But four other species of hibernating bat have also been heavily infected.
Yet the potential extinction of America's bats is more than just a conservation issue. During spring and summer bats eat more than half their bodyweight in insects every night to store up fat reserves for the long winter hibernation. If America's bats die out scientists say the loss to the farming industry would be devastating.
"Bats are one of nature's greatest pesticides," says Dr Kunz. "During the 180 days or so that they are out of hibernation, a million little brown bats will eat - and this is a conservative estimate - in the region of 500 tons of insects. If bats die out farmers will have to use so much more pesticides."
The University of Boston, using a test study compiled over eight counties in Texas, believes the US farming industry will go from spending $1bn (£630m) a year on pesticides to $9bn.
Places such as Tennessee and Missouri are now the front line in the bid to stop the fungus from spreading to the West Coast. The border of the Midwest rests on an enormous belt of porous limestone and is littered with caves like a geological Swiss cheese. Beyond that, western states such as California, Oregon and Washington boast some of the largest bat populations in the country.
"Fortunately the Great Plains and the Rockies act as a sort of natural barrier," says Dr Barton. "There's not a lot of evidence showing that bats from places like Tennessee can fly as far as the West Coast. Our biggest fear is human transmission."
Just as small-pox, carried by ships from the Old World, killed millions of Native Americans, early scientific investigations suggest white-nose fungus was brought to the US by someone from Europe. It then either mutated into a virulent and deadly pathogen or already was one for bats that didn't have the required immunity. A number of bats in Germany, Hungary and Switzerland have recently been found to carry the white-nose fungus but are not affected by it suggesting that Europe's bat population has already experienced a mass fatality and become resistant.
In response the US Government has closed all caves on public land but all it would take is a careless caver to bring it out West. "If humans bring it to the West, that would be catastrophic," says Dr Barton.
The symptoms
A cluster of hibernating little brown bats showing signs of white-nose syndrome. The fungus attacks the bat's immune system and interrupts their hibernation patterns causing them to become severely undernourished and die. The mortality rate among little browns with white-nose can exceed 90 per cent in some caves.
Firefly (Lilia Adecer Cajilog)
Tawo Seed Carrier
POB 1456
South Pasadena, CA 91031
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Learn how plants store solar energy as sugars, starches, and cellulose and how this energy can be unlocked and distilled into alcohol - a clean, renewable, high-octane fuel that can be used for transportation, heat for homes, cooking and much more! IIEA and Project Gaia: Atlanta International Alcohol Fuel Seminar and the final IIEA Workshop for 2010: Los Angeles, Dec 10 - 12! (early registration saves you $30.00) IN THIS NEWSLETTER: Naropa University - Intro to Alcohol Fuel talk led by mycologist and permaculture advocate Todd Jones – Boulder, CO – Monday Nov 8, 6:00pm MT Atlanta, GA: IIEA and Project Gaia Host International Seminar on Alcohol Fuel Production for Clean Indoor Air (Nov 29 – Dec 2nd) Sautee-Nacoochee, GA: Full Day Permaculture and Alcohol Fuel Talk (Sat 12/4) IIEA Fuel Production workshop – Los Angeles, CA Dec 10 – 12. 1. Todd Jones’ Naropa Univ talk features David live Web Q & A, Monday 11/8, 6:00pm MT Overcoming Oil Addiction, Creating Clean Renewable Fuel, and Reversing Global Warming Presented by Todd W. Jones, M.A. Environmental Leadership Naropa University - Lincoln Studio - November 8, 2010 @ 6pm (FREE!) Based on his studies with Ecologist, Permaculturist, and Alcohol Fuel Expert, David Blume, (http://www.permaculture.com) Todd W. Jones offers an exciting and eye-opening presentation about how to use plant matter and waste products to create clean and renewable fuel for our vehicles. The way to survive Peak Oil in style is to grow plants for food and fuel. Using permaculture techniques to produce alcohol fuel locally, we can grow organic food, create jobs in the community, and move towards energy independence. Learn how plants store solar energy as sugars, starches, and cellulose and how this energy can be unlocked and distilled into alcohol - a clean, renewable, high-octane fuel that can be used for transportation, heat for homes, cooking and much more! INCLUDES A SPECIAL Q&A VIDEO CONFERENCE WITH DAVID BLUME 2. Register NOW for the Introduction to Alcohol Fuel Production for International Clean Air Initiatives Seminar in Atlanta, GA Nov. 29 – Dec 1, 2010. The International Institute for Ecological Agriculture (IIEA) and Project Gaia are pleased to announce their coming seminar in Atlanta, GA. The seminar runs Monday, Nov 29 – Wednesday Dec 1st with private meetings following on Dec 2nd. The program covers the global use of appropriate-scale alcohol fuel production to generate domestic energy meeting clean-air needs including cooking, refrigeration, electricity and transportation. Over three billion people worldwide cook and/or heat their homes with simple stoves that burn polluting fuels, resulting in around 1.96 million deaths worldwide caused by illnesses related to smoke inhalation. In many parts of the world Pneumonia in infants and small children is the primary cause of death, and evidence links smoke to chronic bronchitis in women, low birth-weight, active TB, and various eye ailments and injuries. Working together, IIEA and Project Gaia have created an exclusive 3-1/2 day educational program that provides an in-depth understanding of ways to: • Produce pollution free energy for safe indoor cooking, refrigeration and electricity • Stabilize domestic fuel production costs for less than .30cents (USD) a liter • Stop deforestation and global warming (and earn carbon credits) • Integrate domestic food and energy production • Identify high-value, high-yield crops for all climates to produce sustainable energy and increase soil fertility • Create permanent domestic jobs • Learn about micro distillery manufacturing investment and distribution opportunities Registration for this unique program is limited. Led by David Blume and Harry Stokes, Executive Director of Project Gaia, the seminar is ideally suited to the information needs of: Energy, Agriculture, Public Health, Economic and Environmental Policy Makers, Secondary and University Educators, Labor Leaders, Motor Fleet and Facility Supervisors, Climate Policy Experts, Infrastructure Investment Bankers, Waste Water Treatment and Domestic Food Production Professionals. Seminar Registration is $700.00 USD per participant (not including accommodation). Click HERE for more program details and registration information, or contact: Tom Harvey – IIEA, +01 (530) 257-3533, thcommunications@gmail.com Find IIEA at www.permaculture.com and Project Gaia at www.projectgaia.com. 3. David Blume in Sautee-Nacoochee, GA. David will be presenting a special One-day Permaculture and Intro to Alcohol Fuel talk at the Sautee-Nacoochee Community Center, North Sautee-Nacoochee, GA. In addition to providing a basic understanding of the history of alcohol fuel development, David will cover opportunities to create countless new and non-exportable jobs. Of special note for attendees: David will be conducting a property walk and Permaculture tour of a 40 acre land parcel that is being donated to the Center and will be discussing how the community can implement regenerative agriculture and Permaculture techniques to revitalize and repurpose the land for abundant food and fuel production. Lunch will be provided (featuring local grown and prepared produce). There is a $25.00 registration fee that supports the Community Center. Talk date and location: Sat, Dec 4, 9:00am – 5:00pm At the Sautee-Nacoochee Community Center 283 Highway 255, N Sautee Nacoochee, GA 30571 Map/directions http://xr.com/zfog 4. IIEA in Los Angeles, December 10 – 12 The FINAL Alcohol Fuel Production Workshop for 2010! Here’s your last opportunity to participate in our 2-1/2 day comprehensive program to help you map your path to a sustainable and sane energy future. Sign up now to save $30.00 and for a chance to be David’s Dinner Guest Friday, December 10th. On December 6th we will draw two names from our registration list and they will be invited to be David’s private dinner guests on Friday evening Dec 10 following our mixer reception. Both of our selected registrants will be able to invite one other attending guest to the private dinner. This is a unique opportunity to meet David and to discuss your personal questions regarding alcohol fuel, regenerative agriculture or business ideas. Please register soon for the chance to be David’s special dinner guest. ABOUT THE WORKSHOP: DATES: Registrant mixer – Friday Dec. 10 Workshop - Saturday, Dec. 11 and Sunday, Dec. 12 Location: Los Angeles Trade Tech College Room TE-111 400 West Washington Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90015-4108 Fast track a new career in sustainable fuel and food production. • Make your own clean fuel for less than $1.00 a gallon. • Expand your “Green” contact network and share ideas with peers and enthusiasts • Learn regenerative agriculture methods to optimize food and fuel production. • Put surplus and waste fuel sources to work for you and your community. Times: 6-8:30 pm PT (Friday evening social mixer); 9 am-5 pm PT (Sat. and Sun. workshop) Cost: Take advantage of our $270.00 Early Bird rate. Save $30 on $300.00 registration if you sign up before Nov 22nd. (The first 50 registrants will also receive a coupon for $100 off an alcohol fuel conversion kit for use on any fuel-injected car or truck). Directions: Click HERE for driving directions Click HERE TO REGISTER or call 888-737-6228. Hotel Accommodations: The Radisson Hotel Los Angeles Midtown 3540 South Figueroa St. Los Angeles, CA 90007 The Radisson is just 20 minutes from LAX and conveniently located off I-110. The hotel offers well-equipped, modern and comfortable amenities such as complimentary high-speed wireless Internet access, a 24-hour Fitness Center, outdoor pool and whirlpool, Fitness Center and two on-site restaurants. The Radisson is providing us with a limited number of special room rate discounts ($99.00 per night for IIEA early registration) for a single Queen or King room. We have set up the group code ACBAG and when you call them (213) 748-4141 to book your stay, be sure to mention your discount code to confirm your savings. Shuttle Information: Though not available from LAX, IIEA is working with the Radisson to provide a transportation shuttle to and from LATTC for the workshop. We hope to have an update and schedule for that very soon About the Mixer Event: Our Registrant mixer/reception will be held at the Radisson Friday 12/10 from 6 – 8:30pm so please plan to join us there to meet fellow attendees, learn about the coming two day program and to help set the information priorities that will help ensure you get the most out of the two day program. Appetizers and a no-host bar will be provided. Workshop Bonus Event: Blume Distillation Private Presentation Meet the Blume Distillation team. Ryan Sarnataro (CEO), Christapher Cogswell, (Investor Relations), David Blume (Founder and CTO) and Tom Harvey (V.P. Marketing) will be hosting a private meeting at the Radisson Saturday 12/11 at 6:30pm PT for those who want to learn more about David’s new company launch and how it will be introducing a currently missing and absolutely critical piece of technology to help catalyze the production of appropriate-scale alcohol fuel for individuals, businesses and communities everywhere. Please contact board member Chris Cogswell for more information: (877-254-4196 x703), ccogswell@blumedistillation. On to a GREEN tomorrow! David and the IIEA team Firefly (Lilia Adecer Cajilog) Tawo Seed Carrier POB 1456 South Pasadena, CA 91031 --- On Mon, 11/1/10, tom harvey <thcommunications@gmail.com> wrote:
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TO THE GOOD EDITORS OF GMWATCH EUROPE:
Subject: What the Greens Got Wrong
Aho, Claire,Jon and all GMW Human Beings,
Am writing as a dissilutioned 65 year old, multilingual, world weary, slow walking but defiant, Philippine indigenous island woman whose ancestral "uncivilized" culture was devoured by "cultured" civilized Europeans. My island country is also the "ideal place" where the Rockefeller Foundation established the International Rice Institute (IRRI) as part of its 'green revolution' campaign in 1959. Alas, today, the Philippines imports rice from Thailand, Vietnam and India. Today, it is very rare to find any heritage red or pink rice commercially. Today, Philippine subsistent farmers are not only as poor as ever but also stsatistically "dwindling" in numbers because they have morphed into city slum dwellers called "urban poor" selling cigarettes or selling their children to pedophile tourists. Today, expensive imported pesticides and herbicides are already necessary even for small farmers.
Your written and broadcast collection of anti lIfe greed driven propaganda is the cream of the homo genus arrogante who are propagandists of the "modern science and ingenuity will conquer Nature" ethos. Their mask is "scientific," "truth based" or "genuine concern" to the global poor. Hogwash!
This spiritually sterile corporate mindset is exponentiallyaccelerating death to Mother Earth and all its inhabitants. In the US and Canada, the Gulf is poisoned, bees and bats are dying by millions, super weeds are spreading fast, while the Gates Foundation invests millions to Monsanto aka Mon Satan. One of three US women is expected to get some kind of cancer in her lifetime.
In 1969, America went to the moon. Hah! In 2010 super bedbugs have taken over New York.
Meanwhile, another US Election insanity is happening in about 10 hours.
Alleluia!
Mitaakuye Oyaasin. We are all related.
Firefly (Lilia Adecer Cajilog)
Tawo Seed Carrier
POB 1456
South Pasadena, CA 91031
--- On Sun, 10/31/10, GMWatch <gmwatch-daily@gmwatch.eu> wrote:
From: GMWatch <gmwatch-daily@gmwatch.eu>
Subject: GMW: New anti-environmentalist documentary on UK TV
To: blissfultawo@yahoo.com
Date: Sunday, October 31, 2010, 10:00 AM
1.Channel 4 to broadcast "What the green movement got wrong"
2.Leading environmental campaigners support nuclear and GM
PROGRAMMES: What the Green Movement Got Wrong
First broadcast: Thursday 04 November, 9PM on Channel 4
http://www.channel4.com/programmes/what-the-green- movement-got-wrong/episode- guide/series-1/episode-1
What the Green Movement Got Wrong: The Debate Krishnan Guru-Murthy
First broadcast: Thursday 04 November, 10.20PM on Channel 4
http://www.channel4.com/programmes/what-the-green- movement-got-wrong/episode- guide/series-2/episode-1
NOTE: This latest programme from Channel 4 follows a long line of anti-environmentalist documentaries commissioned by this broadcaster. They include The Great Global Warming Swindle, Against Nature, Modified Truth - The Rise and Fall of GM, and The Greenhouse Conspiracy.
The latest from Channel 4 is supposedly aboout "a group of environmentalists across the world" who "believe that, in order to save the planet, humanity must embrace the very science and technology they once so stridently opposed. In this film, these life-long diehard greens advocate radical solutions to climate change, which include GM crops and nuclear energy."
http://www.channel4.com/programmes/what-the-green- movement-got-wrong/episode- guide/series-1/episode-1
We understand that the programme alleges that GM could save the world, and that the fact it hasn't is a result of a western-led NGO movement that imposes its ideology on the global South. This has led to death and starvation across the world. So essentially the anti-GM movement is responsible for the hunger and deaths of millions.
So who are the "environmentalists across the world" who have performed a u-turn on nuclear power and GM crops? According to the Sunday Telegraph they're Mark Lynas, Stewart Brand and Patrick Moore.
Patrick Moore was one of the founding members of Greenpeace, but after leaving the organisation back in the mid 1980s, Moore ventured unsuccessfully into the salmon farming business before making a living writing, speaking and campaigning on behalf of the logging, aquaculture, nuclear and GM industries. He's been described as "a spin doctor for corporations engaged in environmental destruction."
http://www.powerbase.info/index.php/Patrick_Moore
Stewart Brand was once the editor of the Whole Earth Catalog. Ever the technophile, even back in those days Brand was pushing the idea of space colonies, and he's claimed that if he'd known about GMOs then, he'd have been more than in favour: "30 to 40 years ago I think I would have said to all the genetic engineering stuff - hot dog!"
These days he promotes multiple techno-fixes, including nuclear power and geoengineering. Brand also favours mass urbanization, glorifying the squalour of third-world squatter slums as the solution to poverty in the South.
He even seems comfortable with political dictatorship. Liberal democracy can not deliver the kind of future Brand considers necessary. He's a little coy about what should replace it but as Toronto Star journalist Cathal Kelly notes in the article below, "I put it to Brand that he's advocating some sort of environmental dictatorship. 'China's headed in that direction,' he says approvingly."
When it comes to scepticism about GM, Brand claims, "We've starved people, hindered science, hurt the natural environment and denied our own practitioners a crucial tool." Brand by contrast, "gushes about the technology in a way that might raise a blush even in a spokesman for Monsanto," according to the science editor of the Financial Times.
Brand even claims patents are no problem with GMOs, nor a factor in their rejection. He suggests instead that European opposition to GM stems from French protectionism!
http://www.gmwatch.org/latest-listing/1-news-items/11843
Brand's nuclear enthusiasm rests on equally dubious foundations.
http://www.grist.org/article/2009-10-13-stewart-brands- nuclear-enthusiasm-falls- short-on-facts-and-logic/
The only people speaking on GM from the global South in the Channel 4 programme appear to be far from "environmentalists" - Florence Wamugu (trained by Monsanto and an advisor to DuPont, who heads a lobby group supported by CropLife International), and Shanthu Shantharam (a former employee of Syngenta who now heads the industry lobby group The Association of Biotech Led Enterprises). Both Wambugu and Shantharam have a long history of grossly misleading statements and extreme propagandising for GM.
http://www.powerbase.info/index.php/Florence_Wambugu
http://www.gmwatch.org/myth-makers-s/6873
What the programme completely lacks is GM opponents from the global South, even though Asia, Africa and Latin America have all provided hotbeds of opposition. (More than 100,000 Indians fast against GM crops)
http://www.gmwatch.org/latest-listing/1-news-items/11901
There is a panel debate after the programme in which there are currently also no confirmed speakers from the South - apparently, the production company says it can't afford the air fares and it would spoil the look of the debate for anyone to appear on a screen!
George Monbiot has written: "Channel 4 upsets all sorts of people, and it has every right to do so. On all other issues it appears to do so in a random fashion, sometimes attacking people on one side of the debate, sometimes on the other. But one polemical position has kept recurring over the past 18 years: a fierce antagonism towards environmentalism. Some of these programmes have used misrepresentation, distortion or fabrication... It is arguable that no organisation in the United Kingdom has done more to damage the effort to protect the environment."
http://www.monbiot.com/archives/2008/07/21/ distortions-falsehoods- fabrications/
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1.Channel 4 to broadcast what the green movement got wrong
Channel 4 Sales, 20 October 2010]
http://www.channel4sales.com/news/20/10/2010/channel+4+to+ broadcast+what+the+green+ movement+got+wrong
On 4 November, Channel 4 will broadcast a film presented by a group of environmentalists from across the world who are challenging the movement they helped to create. They believe that in order to save the planet, humanity must embrace the very science and technology they once so stridently opposed. In this 75-minute film, these life-long, diehard greens advocate radical solutions to climate change, which include GM crops and nuclear energy. They argue that, by clinging to an ideology formed more than 40 years ago, the traditional green lobby has failed in its aims and is ultimately harming its own environmental cause.
The film was commissioned by Head of News and Current Affairs Dorothy Byrne and has been made by Darlow Smithson. It will be followed the same evening by a 45-minute live studio debate, What the Green Movement Got Wrong: The Debate, chaired by Channel 4 News presenter Jon Snow.
The presenters include:
* Environmentalist and critically-acclaimed author Stewart Brand, who was once a pioneer of the original green lobby. He is now at the vanguard of this new movement, which argues for a pragmatic, realistic approach to solving environmental problems. Brand explains how an overly romanticised vision of nature is stifling constructive debate and experimentation that could save the planet.
* British environmentalist and author Mark Lynas, who was part of a direct action group in the 1990s that raided GM research facilities and cream-pied climate sceptics. He has become frustrated with the lack of impact the environmental lobby has had on climate change despite decades of campaigning and blames its apocalyptic prophecies for losing the battle for public opinion. The green lobby, he says, 'cried wolf' too often. Lynas explains how the increasingly apparent necessity for a constant supply of clean energy led him to think the unthinkable and 'come out' as a supporter of nuclear technology. When it was first founded, one of the guiding principles of the conservationist movement was to oppose the testing of nuclear weapons. Lynas describes how this deep-seated fear of their destructive power continued with the development of nuclear energy, and was seemingly vindicated by the explosion at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in the USSR. He travels to Chernobyl, ground zero for
the anti-nuclear movement, to find out the real impact of this disaster
* Leading African scientist Dr Florence Wambugu, who is seeking practical solutions to hunger and malnutrition. She has spent 20 years developing GM staple crops, which are nutritionally enhanced, carrying traits for vitamins, iron and zinc. Dr Wambugu wants these crops to help reduce the high levels of child blindness and dramatically cut malnutrition in her home, Kenya, and other African countries, yet strong opposition, demonstrations and lobbying from the European anti-GM lobby have hindered their use. Dr Wambugu criticises what she believes to be a misguided anti-science ideology that has left tens of thousands of Africans starving: "They have no moral responsibility to tell us you cannot eat GM. The attitude is we can't even talk for ourselves, we need someone to talk for us... They don't offer you any alternative, they just tell you to stay out of it."
* Indian environmentalist Sunita Narain, who believes development is as important as protecting the environment. She wants to bring electricity to the 400 million people in India who currently live without it. She questions the fairness of asking the developing world to halt their use of energy by Western nations built on it: "Can you live without electricity? Can I live without electricity? So why do you expect anyone else to?"
* Dr Shantaram, a GM scientist and lobbyist who believes the reality is that no western lobby will be able to act the gate-keeper of new technologies. The leading edge of the science is now in the developing world and it is moving at break-neck speed. China is already planting genetically engineered corn and tobacco. He says: "The genie is out of the bottle, environmentalists will not win this war in the end. They will throw a lot of obstacles, they will delay, they will obfuscate but it is not stoppable, this technology has arrived and it is here to stay."
On commissioning the film, Head of News & Current Affairs Dorothy Byrne says: "There are ongoing lively and important debates within the environmental movement. This film is providing a platform for the alternative views of a group of pioneering thinkers who offer new, radical solutions to the environmental problems facing the planet. These environmentalists believe the future of the earth is dependent on our ability to adapt and be flexible, creative and ingenious through embracing science and technology."
John Smithson, Executive Producer and Chief Executive of Darlow Smithson says: "This is an ambitious, thought-provoking and controversial film by a top director. It offers a new and challenging perspective on how we tackle climate change and gives a voice to those who were once passionate environmental activists and now believe that the environment lobby needs to rethink its approach to the problems we face."
The studio debate, chaired by Channel 4 News presenter Jon Snow, will include leading policy makers, commentators, scientists, entrepreneurs and economists as well as the preceding film's leading protagonists, former anti-GM activist and author Mark Lynas and Stewart Brand, a pioneer of the original green lobby.
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2.Leading environmental campaigners support nuclear and GM
Richard Gray, Science Correspondent
Sunday Telegraph, 31 Oct 2010
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/environment/8098812/ Leading-environmental- campaigners-support-nuclear- and-GM.html
Leading environmental campaigners have performed a u-turn on two key technologies they have opposed for decades by openly calling for greater use of nuclear power and genetically modified crops to help the world tackle climate change.
For years they campaigned against nuclear power and genetically-modified food. But now some leading environmental campaigners have performed a U-turn and said that they got it wrong.
The activists now say that by opposing nuclear power they encouraged the use of polluting coal-fired power stations, while by protesting against GM crops they prevented developing countries from benefiting from a technology that could have helped feed the hungry.
Mark Lynas, a campaigner who has been a member of action groups on GM foods and climate change, said the environmental lobby was losing the battle for public opinion on climate change because it had made too many apocalyptic prophecies and exaggerated claims.
He said: "We have got to find a more pragmatic and realistic way of engaging with people."
Stewart Brand, an American activist and former editor of Whole Earth Catalog, said: "I would like to see an environmental movement that says it turns out our fears about genetically engineered food crops were exaggerated and we are glad about that. It is a humble and modest stance to take to the real world.
"Environmentalists did harm by being ignorant and ideological and unwilling to change their mind based on actual evidence. As a result we have done harm and I regret it."
Patrick Moore, one of the founding members of environmental campaign group Greenpeace, added: "We were right that the nuclear industry had problems, but that didn't mean we should be against nuclear energy completely.
"We have caused extra gigatons of greenhouse gases to be released into the atmosphere by being so precious about nuclear."
The activists feature in the Channel 4 documentary What the Green Movement Got Wrong, which will be broadcast this week.
They say that by successfully lobbying against the building of new nuclear power stations, environmentalists forced governments around the world to build new coal fired power stations instead, resulting in billions of extra tonnes of carbon dioxide and pollution being poured into the atmosphere.
Mr Lynas, who along with other activists ripped up trial GM crops in the 1990s, said that GM food had now been consumed by millions of people in the US for more than 10 years without harm, and this had convinced him to change his views.
The campaigners say that since they expressed their change of position, they have been vilified by traditional sections of the environmental movement.
* What the Green Movement Got Wrong will be broadcast on Thursday 4 November at 9pm and will be followed by a live studio debate hosted by Channel 4 News presenter Krishnan Guru-Murthy.
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The New American Isolationism: The Cost of Turning Away from War’s Horrific Realities
by William Astore
A new isolationism is metastasizing in the American body politic. At its heart lies not an urge to avoid war, but an urge to avoid contemplating the costs and realities of war. It sees war as having analgesic qualities -- as lessening a collective feeling of impotence, a collective sense of fear and terror. Making war in the name of reducing terror serves this state of mind and helps to preserve it. Marked by a calculated estrangement from war's horrific realities and mercenary purposes, the new isolationism magically turns an historic term on its head, for it keeps us in wars, rather than out of them.
Old-style American isolationism had everything to do with avoiding "entangling alliances" and conflicts abroad. It was tied to America's historic tradition of rejecting a large standing army -- a tradition in which many Americans took pride. Yes, we signed on to World War I in 1917, but only after we had been "too proud to fight." Even when we joined, we did so as a non-aligned power with the goal of ending major wars altogether. Before Pearl Harbor in December 1941, Americans again resisted the call to arms, looking upon Hitler's rise and other unnerving events in Europe and Asia with alarm, but with little eagerness to send American boys into yet another global bloodbath.
In the decades since World War II, however, "isolationism" has been turned inside-out and upside-down. Instead of seeking eternal peace, Washington elites have, by now, plunged the country into a state of eternal war, and they've done so, in part, by isolating ordinary Americans from war's brutal realities. With rare exceptions (notably John F. Kennedy's call [1] for young Americans to pay any price and bear any burden), our elites have not sought to mobilize a new "greatest generation," but rather to keep a clueless one --clueless, that is, as to war's fatal costs and bitter realities -- unmobilized (if not immobilized).
Such national obliviousness has not gone unnoticed. In a recent New York Times op-ed [2] headlined "The Wars that America Forgot About," former NBC news anchor Tom Brokaw asked the obvious question: Why, in an otherwise contentious political season, have our wars gone so utterly undebated [3]? His answers -- that we're in a recession in which people have more pressing concerns, and that we've restricted the burdens of war to a tiny minority -- are sensible, but don't go quite far enough. It's important to add that few Americans are debating, or even discussing, our wars in part because our ruling elites haven't wanted them debated -- as if they don't want us to get the idea that we have any say in war-making at all.
Think of it this way: the old isolationism was a peaceable urge basic to the American people; the new isolationism is little short of a government program to keep the old isolationism, or opposition of any sort to American wars, in check.
Americans Express Skepticism about War... So?
When you're kept isolated from war's costs, it's nearly impossible to mount an effective opposition to them. While our elites, remembering the Vietnam years, may have sought to remove U.S. public opinion from the enemy's target list, they have also worked hard to remove the public as a constraint on their war-making powers. Recall former Vice President Dick Cheney's dismissive [4] "So?" when asked about opinion polls showing declining public support for the Iraq War in 2008. So what if the American people are uneasy? The elites can always call on a professional, non-draft military, augmented by [5] hordes of privatized hire-a-gun outfits, themselves so isolated from society at large that they've almost become the equivalent of foreign legionnaires [6]. These same elites encourage us to "support our troops," but otherwise to look away.
Mainstream media coverage of our wars has only added to the cocoon created by the new isolationism. After all, it rarely addresses [7] the full costs of those conflicts to U.S. troops (including their redeployment [8] to war zones, even when already traumatized), let alone to foreign non-combatants in faraway Muslim lands. When such civilians are killed, their deaths tend to take place under the media radar. "If it bleeds, it doesn't lead," could be a news motto for much of recent war coverage, especially if the bleeding is done by civilians.
[9]Only the recent release ofclassified documents [10] and videos by WikiLeaks, for instance, has forced our media to bring the mind-numbing body count we've amassed in Iraq out of the closet. If nothing else,WikiLeaks has succeeded in reminding us of the impact of our vastly superior firepower, as in a now infamous video of an Apache helicopter gunshipfiring [11] on non-combatants in the streets of Baghdad. Such footage is, of course, all-too-personal, all-too-real. Small wonder it was shown in acensored form [12] on CNN.Where's the benefit, after all, for corporate-owned media in showcasing others' terror and pain, especially if it's inflicted by "America's hometown heroes [13]"? Our regular export of large-scale violence (including a thriving trade in the potential for violence via our hammerlock [14] on the global arms trade [15]) is not something Americans or the American media have cared to scrutinize.
To cite two more willful blind spots: Can the average American say roughly how many Iraqis were killed or wounded in our "liberation" of their country and the mayhem that followed? In mid-October, U.S. Central Command quietly released [16] a distinctly lowball estimate of 200,000 Iraqi casualties (including 77,000 killed) from January 2004 to August 2008. That estimate (lower by 30,000 than the one compiled by official Iraqi sources) did not include casualties from major combat operations in 2003, nor of course did it have any place for the millions of refugees driven from their homes in the sectarian violence that followed. The recent WikiLeaks document dump on Iraq held at least another 15,000 [17]unacknowledged Iraqi dead, and serious studies [18] of the casualty toll often suggest the real numbers are hundreds of thousands higher.
Or how about the attitudes of those living in parts of Pakistan and Afghanistan subject to the recent upsurge [19] of U.S. drone strikes [20]? Given the way our robotic wars are written about here, could most Americans imagine what it feels like to be on the receiving end [21] of Zeus-like lightning bolts?
Here's what one farmer in North Waziristan in the Pakistani tribal borderlands had to say [22]: "I blame the government of Pakistan and the USA... they are responsible for destroying my family. We were living a happy life and I didn't have any links with the Taliban. My family members were innocent... I wonder, why was I victimized?"
Would an American farmer wonder anything different? Would he not seek vengeance [23] if errant missiles obliterated his family? It's hard, however, for Americans to grasp the nature of the wars being fought in their name, no less to express sympathy for their victims when they are kept in a state of striking isolation from war's horrors.
Analgesic War
Once upon a time, America's Global War on Terror was an analgesic. Recall those "shock and awe" images of explosions that marked the opening days of Iraqi combat operations in 2003. Recall as well all the colorful maps, the glamorous weapons systems, and the glowering faces of Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein interpreted and explained to us on our TV screens by retired U.S. military officers [24] in mufti. In this curiously sanitized version of war, weapons and other military arcana were to serve to ease our pain at the tragedy we had suffered on 9/11, while obscuring the "towers" of dead we were creating in other lands.
In fostering analgesic war and insisting on information control, our elites have, yet again, drawn a mistaken lesson from the Vietnam War. In Vietnam, even if it took years, free-to-roam and often skeptical reporters finally began to question the official story of the war. Violent images came home to roost in American living rooms at dinnertime. Such coverage may not have stopped the killing, at least not right away, but it did contribute to a gutsy antiwar movement, as well as to a restive "silent majority" that increasingly rejected official rhetoric of falling dominoes and lights at the end of tunnels.
Iraq and Afghanistan, by way of contrast, have been characterized by embedded (mostly cheerleading) reporters and banal images of U.S. troops on patrol or firing weapons at unseen targets. Clear admissions that our firepower-intensive form of warfare leads to the violent deaths of many more of "them" than of "us" -- and that many of them [25] aren't, by any stretch of the imagination, our enemies -- are seldom forthcoming. (An exception was former Afghan war commander General Stanley McChrystal's uncommonly harsh assessment of checkpoint casualties: "We've shot an amazing number of people and killed a number and, to my knowledge, none has proven to have been a real threat to the force.")
"We don't do body counts on other people," said [26] a cocky Donald Rumsfeld late in 2003 and, even though it wasn't true (the Pentagon just kept its body counts to itself), an obliging Pentagon press corps generally fell into line and generally stayed there long after our new wars had lost their feel-good sheen. Clearly, military and political elites learned it's better (for them, at least) to keep vivid images of death and destruction off America's screens. Ironically, even as Americans seek more lifelike and visceral representations from ever bigger, brighter, high-def TVs, war is presented in carefully sanitized low-def form, largely drained of blood and violence.
The result? Uncomfortable questions about our wars rarely get asked, let alone aired. A boon to those who want to continue those wars unmolested by public opposition, even if a bust when it comes to pursuing a sensible global strategy that's truly in the national interest. In seeking to isolate the public from any sense of significant sacrifice, active participation in, or even understanding of America's wars, these same elites have ensured that the conflicts they pursued would be strategically unsound and morally untenable.
Today, Americans are again an isolationist people, but with a twist. Even as we expand our military bases overseas and spend trillions on national security and wars, we've isolated ourselves from war's passions, its savagery, its heartrending sacrifices. Such isolation comforts some and seemingly allows others free rein to act as they wish, but it's a false comfort, a false freedom, purchased at the price of prolonging our wars, increasing their casualties, abridging our freedoms, and eroding our country's standing in the world.
To end our wars, we must first endure their Gorgon stare.
© 2010 William Astore
William J. Astore, a retired lieutenant colonel (USAF), is aTomDispatch regular [27]. His books and articles focus mainly on the military, technology, and society. Listen to a Timothy MacBain TomDispatch audio interview with Astore on what it felt like to come out of the military and learn how to write honestly about wars by clicking here [28] or download it to your iPod, here [29].
He welcomes reader comments at wjastore@gmail.com[30].
He welcomes reader comments at wjastore@gmail.com[30].
Firefly (Lilia Adecer Cajilog)
Tawo Seed Carrier
POB 1456
South Pasadena, CA 91031
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How Immigrants Create More Jobs
By TYLER COWENPublished: October 30, 2010IN the campaign season now drawing to a close, immigration and globalization have often been described as economic threats. The truth, however, is more complex.
Enlarge This Image
David G. Klein
Over all, it turns out that the continuing arrival of immigrants to American shores is encouraging business activity here, thereby producing more jobs, according to a new study. Its authors argue that the easier it is to find cheap immigrant labor at home, the less likely that production will relocate offshore.
The study, “Immigration, Offshoring and American Jobs,” was written by two economics professors — Gianmarco I. P. Ottaviano of Bocconi University in Italy and Giovanni Peri of the University of California, Davis — along with Greg C. Wright, a Ph.D. candidate at Davis.
The study notes that when companies move production offshore, they pull away not only low-wage jobs but also many related jobs, which can include high-skilled managers, tech repairmen and others. But hiring immigrants even for low-wage jobs helps keep many kinds of jobs in the United States, the authors say. In fact, when immigration is rising as a share of employment in an economic sector, offshoring tends to be falling, and vice versa, the study found.
In other words, immigrants may be competing more with offshored workers than with other laborers in America.
American economic sectors with much exposure to immigration fared better in employment growth than more insulated sectors, even for low-skilled labor, the authors found. It’s hard to prove cause and effect in these studies, or to measure all relevant variables precisely, but at the very least, the evidence in this study doesn’t offer much support for the popular bias against immigration, and globalization more generally.
We see the job-creating benefits of trade and immigration every day, even if we don’t always recognize them. As other papers by Professor Peri have shown, low-skilled immigrants usually fill gaps in American labor markets and generally enhance domestic business prospects rather than destroy jobs; this occurs because of an important phenomenon, the presence of what are known as “complementary” workers, namely those who add value to the work of others. An immigrant will often take a job as a construction worker, a drywall installer or a taxi driver, for example, while a native-born worker may end up being promoted to supervisor. And as immigrants succeed here, they help the United States develop strong business and social networks with the rest of the world, making it easier for us to do business with India, Brazil and most other countries, again creating more jobs.
For all the talk of the dangers of offshoring, there is a related trend that we might call in-shoring. Dell or Apple computers may be assembled overseas, for example, but those products aid many American businesses at home and allow them to expand here. A cheap call center in India can encourage a company to open up more branches to sell its products in the United States.
Those are further examples of how some laborers can complement others; it’s not all about one group of people taking jobs from another. Job creation and destruction are so intertwined that, over all, the authors find no statistically verifiable connection between offshoring and net creation of American jobs.
We’re all worried about unemployment, but the problem is usually rooted in macroeconomic conditions, not in immigration or offshoring. (According to a Pew study,the number of illegal immigrants from the Caribbean and Latin America fell 22 percent from 2007 to 2009; their departure has not had much effect on the weak United States job market.) Remember, too, that each immigrant consumes products sold here, therefore also helping to create jobs.
When it comes to immigration, positive-sum thinking is too often absent in public discourse these days. Debates on immigration and labor markets reflect some common human cognitive failings — namely, that we are quicker to vilify groups of different “others” than we are to blame impersonal forces.
Consider the fears that foreign competition, offshoring and immigration have destroyed large numbers of American jobs. In reality, more workers have probably been displaced by machines — as happens every time computer software eliminates a task formerly performed by a clerical worker. Yet we know that machines and computers do the economy far more good than harm and that they create more jobs than they destroy.
Nonetheless, we find it hard to transfer this attitude to our dealings with immigrants, no matter how logically similar “cost-saving machines” and “cost-saving foreign labor” may be in their economic effects. Similarly, tariffs or otherprotectionist measures aimed at foreign nations have a certain populist appeal, even though their economic effects may be roughly the same as those caused by a natural disaster that closes shipping lanes or chokes off a domestic harbor.
AS a nation, we spend far too much time and energy worrying about foreigners. We also end up with more combative international relations with our economic partners, like Mexico and China, than reason can justify. In turn, they are more economically suspicious of us than they ought to be, which cements a negative dynamic into place.
The current skepticism has deadlocked prospects for immigration reform, even though no one is particularly happy with the status quo. Against that trend, we should be looking to immigration as a creative force in our economic favor. Allowing in more immigrants, skilled and unskilled, wouldn’t just create jobs. It could increase tax revenue, help finance Social Security, bring new home buyers and improve the business environment.
The world economy will most likely grow more open, and we should be prepared to compete. That means recognizing the benefits — including the employment benefits — that immigrants bring to this country.
Tyler Cowen is a professor of economics at George Mason University.
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Vandana Shiva--Two Myths That Keep the World Poor
Web Note: Vandana Shiva is on the Policy Advisory Board of the Organic
Consumers Association.
Two myths that keep the world poor
http://www.odemagazine.com/article.php?aID=4192
Vandana Shiva
This article appeared in Ode issue: 28
Global poverty is a hot topic right now. But anyone serious about ending it
needs to understand the true causes, argues Indian environmentalist Vandana
Shiva.
From rock singer Bob Geldof to UK politician Gordon Brown, the world
suddenly seems to be full of high-profile people with their own plans to end
poverty. Jeffrey Sachs, however, is not a simply a do-gooder but one of the
world¹s leading economists, head of the Earth Institute and in charge of a
UN panel set up to promote rapid development. So when he launched his book
The End of Poverty, people everywhere took notice. Time magazine even made
it into a cover story.
But, there is a problem with Sachs' how-to-end poverty prescriptions. He
simply doesn't understand where poverty comes from. He seems to view it as
the original sin. "A few generations ago, almost everybody was poor," he
writes, then adding: "The Industrial Revolution led to new riches, but much
of the world was left far behind."
This is a totally false history of poverty. The poor are not those who have
been "left behind"; they are the ones who have been robbed. The wealth
accumulated by Europe and North America are largely based on riches taken
from Asia, Africa and Latin America. Without the destruction of India's rich
textile industry, without the takeover of the spice trade, without the
genocide of the native American tribes, without African slavery, the
Industrial Revolution would not have resulted in new riches for Europe or
North America. It was this violent takeover of Third World resources and
markets that created wealth in the North and poverty in the South.
Two of the great economic myths of our time allow people to deny this
intimate link, and spread misconceptions about what poverty is.
First, the destruction of nature and of people's ability to look after
themselves are blamed not on industrial growth and economic colonialism, but
on poor people themselves. Poverty, it is stated, causes environmental
destruction. The disease is then offered as a cure: further economic growth
is supposed to solve the very problems of poverty and ecological decline
that it gave rise to in the first place. This is the message at the heart of
Sachs¹ analysis.
The second myth is an assumption that if you consume what you produce, you
do not really produce, at least not economically speaking. If I grow my own
food, and do not sell it, then it doesn't contribute to GDP, and therefore
does not contribute towards "growth".
People are perceived as "poor" if they eat food they have grown rather than
commercially distributed junk foods sold by global agri-business. They are
seen as poor if they live in self-built housing made from ecologically
well-adapted materials like bamboo and mud rather than in cinder block or
cement houses. They are seen as poor if they wear garments manufactured from
handmade natural fibres rather than synthetics.
Yet sustenance living, which the wealthy West perceives as poverty, does not
necessarily mean a low quality of life. On the contrary, by their very
nature economies based on sustenance ensure a high quality of life measured
in terms of access to good food and water, opportunities for sustainable
livelihoods, robust social and cultural identity, and a sense of
meaning in people's lives . Because these poor don't share in the perceived
benefits of economic growth, however, they are portrayed as those "left
behind".
This false distinction between the factors that create affluence and those
that create poverty is at the core of Sachs' analysis. And because of this,
his prescriptions will aggravate and deepen poverty instead of ending it.
Modern concepts of economic development, which Sachs sees as the "cure" for
poverty, have been in place for only a tiny portion of human history. For
centuries, the principles of sustenance allowed societies all over the
planet to survive and even thrive. Limits in nature were respected in these
societies and guided the limits of human consumption. When society's
relationship with nature is based on sustenance, nature exists as a form of
common wealth. It is redefined as a "resource" only when profit becomes the
organising principle of society and sets off a financial imperative for the
development and destruction of these resources for the market.
However much we choose to forget or deny it, all people in all societies
still depend on nature. Without clean water, fertile soils and genetic
diversity, human survival is not possible. Today, economic development is
destroying these onetime commons, resulting in the creation of a new
contradiction: development deprives the very people it professes to help of
their traditional land and means of sustenance, forcing them to survive in
an increasingly eroded natural world.
A system like the economic growth model we know today creates trillions of
dollars of super profits for corporations while condemning billions of
people to poverty. Poverty is not, as Sachs suggests, an initial state of
human progress from which to escape. It is a final state people fall into
when one-sided development destroys the ecological and social systems that
have maintained the life, health and sustenance of people and the planet for
ages. The reality is that people do not die for lack of income. They die for
lack of access to the wealth of the commons. Here, too, Sachs is wrong when
he says: "In a world of plenty, 1 billion people are so poor their lives are
in danger." The indigenous people in the Amazon, the mountain communities in
the Himalayas, peasants anywhere whose land has not been appropriated and
whose water and biodiversity have not been destroyed by debt-creating
industrial agriculture are ecologically rich, even though they earn less
than a dollar a day.
On the other hand, people are poor if they have to purchase their basic
needs at high prices no matter how much income they make. Take the case of
India. Because of cheap food and fibre being dumped by developed nations
and lessened trade protections enacted by the government, farm prices in
India are tumbling, which means that the country¹s peasants are losing $26
billion U.S. each year. Unable to survive under these new economic
conditions, many peasants are now poverty-stricken and thousands commit
suicide each year. Elsewhere in the world, drinking water is privatised so
that corporations can now profit to the tune of $1 trillion U.S. a year by
selling an essential resource to the poor that was once free. And the $50
billion U.S. of "aid" trickling North to South is but a tenth of the $500
billion being sucked in the other direction due to interest payments and
other unjust mechanisms in the global economy imposed by the World Bank and
the IMF.
If we are serious about ending poverty, we have to be serious about ending
the systems that create poverty by robbing the poor of their common wealth,
livelihoods and incomes. Before we can make poverty history, we need to get
the history of poverty right. It¹s not about how much wealthy nations can
give, so much as how much less they can take.
Taken and adapted with kind permission from The Ecologist (July/August
2005), a British monthly devoted to discussion of environmental issues,
international politics and globalization. More information: The Ecologist,
Unit 18 Chelsea Wharf, 15 Lots Road, London, SW10 0XJ, England,
theecologist@galleon.co.uk,www.theecologist.org
Dr. Vandana Shiva is a physicist and prominent Indian environmental activist. She founded Navdanya, a movement for biodiversity conservation and farmers' rights. She directs the Research Foundation for Science, Technology and Natural Resource Policy. Her most recent books are Biopiracy: The Plunder of Nature and Knowledge and Stolen Harvest: The Hijacking of the
Global Food Supply.
Poverty of Ideas: Despite Economy, Right Still Blames Poor for Being Poor | CommonDreams.org
http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2010/10/31-0
“Confessions Of An Economic Hitman” John Perkins
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48Q0Igb6cd0&feature=player_embedded
War Against the Poor: Low-Intensity Conflict and Christian Faith
http://www.religion-online.org/showbook.asp?title=2288
Universal Birthright | Dissident Voice
http://dissidentvoice.org/2010/01/universal-birthright/
http://dissidentvoice.org/2010/10/americas-false-consciousness/#more-23632
Class Warfare
http://www.hermes-press.com/class_warfare.htm
Web Note: Vandana Shiva is on the Policy Advisory Board of the Organic
Consumers Association.
Two myths that keep the world poor
http://www.odemagazine.com/
Vandana Shiva
This article appeared in Ode issue: 28
Global poverty is a hot topic right now. But anyone serious about ending it
needs to understand the true causes, argues Indian environmentalist Vandana
Shiva.
From rock singer Bob Geldof to UK politician Gordon Brown, the world
suddenly seems to be full of high-profile people with their own plans to end
poverty. Jeffrey Sachs, however, is not a simply a do-gooder but one of the
world¹s leading economists, head of the Earth Institute and in charge of a
UN panel set up to promote rapid development. So when he launched his book
The End of Poverty, people everywhere took notice. Time magazine even made
it into a cover story.
But, there is a problem with Sachs' how-to-end poverty prescriptions. He
simply doesn't understand where poverty comes from. He seems to view it as
the original sin. "A few generations ago, almost everybody was poor," he
writes, then adding: "The Industrial Revolution led to new riches, but much
of the world was left far behind."
This is a totally false history of poverty. The poor are not those who have
been "left behind"; they are the ones who have been robbed. The wealth
accumulated by Europe and North America are largely based on riches taken
from Asia, Africa and Latin America. Without the destruction of India's rich
textile industry, without the takeover of the spice trade, without the
genocide of the native American tribes, without African slavery, the
Industrial Revolution would not have resulted in new riches for Europe or
North America. It was this violent takeover of Third World resources and
markets that created wealth in the North and poverty in the South.
Two of the great economic myths of our time allow people to deny this
intimate link, and spread misconceptions about what poverty is.
First, the destruction of nature and of people's ability to look after
themselves are blamed not on industrial growth and economic colonialism, but
on poor people themselves. Poverty, it is stated, causes environmental
destruction. The disease is then offered as a cure: further economic growth
is supposed to solve the very problems of poverty and ecological decline
that it gave rise to in the first place. This is the message at the heart of
Sachs¹ analysis.
The second myth is an assumption that if you consume what you produce, you
do not really produce, at least not economically speaking. If I grow my own
food, and do not sell it, then it doesn't contribute to GDP, and therefore
does not contribute towards "growth".
People are perceived as "poor" if they eat food they have grown rather than
commercially distributed junk foods sold by global agri-business. They are
seen as poor if they live in self-built housing made from ecologically
well-adapted materials like bamboo and mud rather than in cinder block or
cement houses. They are seen as poor if they wear garments manufactured from
handmade natural fibres rather than synthetics.
Yet sustenance living, which the wealthy West perceives as poverty, does not
necessarily mean a low quality of life. On the contrary, by their very
nature economies based on sustenance ensure a high quality of life measured
in terms of access to good food and water, opportunities for sustainable
livelihoods, robust social and cultural identity, and a sense of
meaning in people's lives . Because these poor don't share in the perceived
benefits of economic growth, however, they are portrayed as those "left
behind".
This false distinction between the factors that create affluence and those
that create poverty is at the core of Sachs' analysis. And because of this,
his prescriptions will aggravate and deepen poverty instead of ending it.
Modern concepts of economic development, which Sachs sees as the "cure" for
poverty, have been in place for only a tiny portion of human history. For
centuries, the principles of sustenance allowed societies all over the
planet to survive and even thrive. Limits in nature were respected in these
societies and guided the limits of human consumption. When society's
relationship with nature is based on sustenance, nature exists as a form of
common wealth. It is redefined as a "resource" only when profit becomes the
organising principle of society and sets off a financial imperative for the
development and destruction of these resources for the market.
However much we choose to forget or deny it, all people in all societies
still depend on nature. Without clean water, fertile soils and genetic
diversity, human survival is not possible. Today, economic development is
destroying these onetime commons, resulting in the creation of a new
contradiction: development deprives the very people it professes to help of
their traditional land and means of sustenance, forcing them to survive in
an increasingly eroded natural world.
A system like the economic growth model we know today creates trillions of
dollars of super profits for corporations while condemning billions of
people to poverty. Poverty is not, as Sachs suggests, an initial state of
human progress from which to escape. It is a final state people fall into
when one-sided development destroys the ecological and social systems that
have maintained the life, health and sustenance of people and the planet for
ages. The reality is that people do not die for lack of income. They die for
lack of access to the wealth of the commons. Here, too, Sachs is wrong when
he says: "In a world of plenty, 1 billion people are so poor their lives are
in danger." The indigenous people in the Amazon, the mountain communities in
the Himalayas, peasants anywhere whose land has not been appropriated and
whose water and biodiversity have not been destroyed by debt-creating
industrial agriculture are ecologically rich, even though they earn less
than a dollar a day.
On the other hand, people are poor if they have to purchase their basic
needs at high prices no matter how much income they make. Take the case of
India. Because of cheap food and fibre being dumped by developed nations
and lessened trade protections enacted by the government, farm prices in
India are tumbling, which means that the country¹s peasants are losing $26
billion U.S. each year. Unable to survive under these new economic
conditions, many peasants are now poverty-stricken and thousands commit
suicide each year. Elsewhere in the world, drinking water is privatised so
that corporations can now profit to the tune of $1 trillion U.S. a year by
selling an essential resource to the poor that was once free. And the $50
billion U.S. of "aid" trickling North to South is but a tenth of the $500
billion being sucked in the other direction due to interest payments and
other unjust mechanisms in the global economy imposed by the World Bank and
the IMF.
If we are serious about ending poverty, we have to be serious about ending
the systems that create poverty by robbing the poor of their common wealth,
livelihoods and incomes. Before we can make poverty history, we need to get
the history of poverty right. It¹s not about how much wealthy nations can
give, so much as how much less they can take.
Taken and adapted with kind permission from The Ecologist (July/August
2005), a British monthly devoted to discussion of environmental issues,
international politics and globalization. More information: The Ecologist,
Unit 18 Chelsea Wharf, 15 Lots Road, London, SW10 0XJ, England,
theecologist@galleon.co.uk,www.theecologist.org
Dr. Vandana Shiva is a physicist and prominent Indian environmental activist. She founded Navdanya, a movement for biodiversity conservation and farmers' rights. She directs the Research Foundation for Science, Technology and Natural Resource Policy. Her most recent books are Biopiracy: The Plunder of Nature and Knowledge and Stolen Harvest: The Hijacking of the
Global Food Supply.
Poverty of Ideas: Despite Economy, Right Still Blames Poor for Being Poor | CommonDreams.org
http://www.commondreams.org/
“Confessions Of An Economic Hitman” John Perkins
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
War Against the Poor: Low-Intensity Conflict and Christian Faith
http://www.religion-online.
Universal Birthright | Dissident Voice
http://dissidentvoice.org/
http://dissidentvoice.org/
http://www.hermes-press.com/
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Despite Economy, Conservatives still Blame Poor for Being Poor
When the U.S. Census Bureau recently released its annual report on the economic status of American households, few people were surprised that black and Hispanic households showed the highest increase in poverty rates. The two groups were hit harder by the economic recession and had higher rates of unemployment than white and Asian households, so news that poverty rates for them surpassed 25 percent in 2009, though troubling, was not entirely unexpected.
Almost as soon as recent census numbers were released, conservative politicians, commentators and researchers at public policy think thanks were commenting on the role of behavior and personal responsibility, or lack thereof, as factors contributing to the high poverty rate.
A surprise was that political conservatives continued to blame poor African-Americans and Hispanics for the very act of being poor even as 43.6 million Americans of all racial stripes, 12.3 percent of them white, are living in poverty and collectively struggling to survive the fallout of an economic downturn—widespread layoffs, massive home foreclosures and loss of retirement savings and other assets.
The new poverty figures are the largest recorded by the Census Bureau in 51 years and reflect a consecutive increase in U.S. poverty over the past three years. They are an indication of the powerful economic, political and structural forces that play a role in the financial well-being of American households and that tend to have a more significant and negative impact on already poor and struggling families.
President Barack Obama acknowledged as much during a recent speech at the annual legislative conference of the Congressional Black Caucus.
“This historic recession, the worst since the Great Depression, has taken a devastating toll on all sectors of our economy,” Obama said. “It's hit Americans of all races and all regions and all walks of life. But as has been true often in our history and as has been true in other recessions, this one came down with a particular vengeance on the African-American community.”
He reminded the audience, though he probably didn’t have to, that African-Americans were at an economic disadvantage before the economic downturn.
“Long before this recession, there were black men and women throughout our cities and towns who’d given up looking for a job, kids standing around on the corners without any prospects for the future,” he said. “Long before this recession, there were blocks full of shuttered stores that hadn’t been open in generations. So, yes, this recession made matters much worse, but the African-American community has been struggling for quite some time.”
Yet almost as soon as the census numbers were released, conservative politicians, commentators and researchers at public policy think thanks were commenting on the role of behavior and personal responsibility, or lack thereof, as factors contributing to the high poverty rate. They also cited the purportedly pernicious affects of government-funded anti-poverty programs, the very ones that kept more people from falling below the poverty line.
A report by the conservative Heritage Foundation on the same day as the census report cited millions of children living in poverty in single-parent households and asserted that the “principal cause is the absence of married fathers in the home.” The foundation report contends that government entitlement programs such as welfare, food stamps and income tax credits that mostly benefit unwed mothers and their children, keep families—especially those with black and Hispanic children—in poverty and are “disincentives to marriage because benefits are reduced as a family’s income rises.”
The foundation also separately asserts that the average poor American is not as bad off as liberal activists, media and some politicians would have the public believe.
According to the census report, about 15.5 million children under 18, the majority of them black, were living in poverty in 2009 compared with 14.1 million in 2008. The poverty rate increased across all types of families. For married-couple families, it grew to 5.8 percent from 5.5 percent and for female-headed families to 29.9 percent from 28.7 percent.
Not all poor families qualify for all of the various assistance programs, and amounts they receive are relatively modest, enough to keep some from falling below the official poverty line of $21,954 for a family of four but not enough to move them far above it.
The foundation report concludes that government intervention could reduce childhood poverty by promoting and supporting policies that encourage marriage among low-income couples. The Urban Institute and other nonpartisan research organizations offer other practical approaches that rely less on value judgments and more on proven government interventions and increased support for struggling two-parent homes. They also call for larger tax subsidies for poor families similar to those that help middle-income families buy a home, save for retirement and pay for their children's education.
The overly simplistic theory of “marriage as an antidote to poverty” overlooks many important factors that contribute to poverty, and poverty experts do not unanimously accept it. While children raised in two-parent families tend to have better life outcomes, marriage by unwed parents does not guarantee lifting families out of poverty. That’s true especially if couples are not compatible or in love, or committed to making a marriage work; if husband, wife or both lack necessary education or professional skills to secure a well-paying job and enhance the household’s income; and if financial or other stress in the marriage leads to domestic discord or violence.
Marriage would not automatically improve the dismal unemployment rate among black men, some of it the result of racial discrimination in hiring practices, or erase other structural barriers to economic well-being, nor would it suddenly end negative behaviors that conservatives say inhibit economic advancement.
“Certainly there some individuals for whom behavior is an important issue, but the bigger problems are a series of factors that affect African-Americans more than they do other groups,” said Margaret Simms, a senior fellow at the Urban Institute and an expert on the economic well-being of African-Americans.
The conservative commentary conveniently overlooks many of these contributing factors, among them that African-Americans, and to a lesser extent Hispanics, are more racially and geographically segregated than other groups and less likely to live in areas with ample economic opportunities. They often have no access to good public schools that are economically and racially diverse and adequately prepare them for college, selective training programs or skilled jobs. They also generally have no access to good health care, which can mean health problems prevent them from getting and keeping good jobs and seriously drain limited incomes.
“They are also less likely to be in social networks where they have access to the jobs out there,” Simms said. “Most people don’t find jobs through want-ads but through friends, family or neighbors who know about a job opening at their workplace or know about a place that is hiring.”
If they live in large urban areas, as many do, and don’t own cars, as many don’t, they have difficulty getting to jobs in outer suburbs.
“Geographic isolation in neighborhoods where there are few job opportunities make it difficult to have access to where the jobs are and to get to them,” Simms said. “Low-income African-Americans are farther away from the jobs they would be qualified for. Transportation systems are not typically set up to move people from cities to residential suburbs where jobs are.”
Conservatives say the Obama administration should spend less on public assistance programs even though they have proven to be an important safety net for struggling families. Many also oppose extension of unemployment benefits for the long-term unemployed and a temporary program that created 250,000 mostly private-sector jobs for low-income parents and youth.
Robert Greenstein, executive director of the liberal Center on Budget and Policy Priorities and an expert on anti-poverty, said cutting back such programs would be a mistake.
“If Congress fails to extend these measures and unemployment remains high, poverty and hardship almost certainly will climb still higher next year,” he said in a statement.
© 2010 New America Media
Vandana Shiva--Two Myths That Keep the World Poor
http://www.organicconsumers.org/btc/shiva112305.cfm
Conservatism: The Politics Of Ignorance and Self-Interest
http://www.bidstrup.com/politics.htm
Jack London: War of the Classes
http://london.sonoma.edu/Writings/WarOfTheClasses/
There Is Class War, and Rich Are Winning | CommonDreams.org
http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2010/10/06-5
WILL THE REAL ECONOMIC HIT MEN PLEASE STAND UP?
http://www.fromthewilderness.com/free/ww3/010705_economic_hitmen.shtml
The Boot That Stamps On Your Face
http://tinfoil-hat-news.blogspot.com/2010/09/boot-that-stamps-on-your-face.html
This is the fact we can't get straight.
One side - one entity, one organization - funds BOTH sides in all the wars.
Failure to comprehend this one stark truth has diminished human life beyond comprehension.For openers, it has cost millions of human lives throughout the 20th century and into the 21st in the form of wars that were cynically fomented to mask the massive robberies of other countries. And all of them - every single one - has been manipulated into being, not for geopolitical or philosophical purposes, but for robbery, pure and simple. All done under some patriotic rubric and all done by the same bunch, money controllers of that certain stripe whose name it is not permitted to mention in that society they call polite.
The Iron Heel -- Jack London's Vision of Fascism
http://www.davidcogswell.com/Reviews/IronHeel.html
Suspect allegedly had Littleman, now called Tumbleweed, at a Charity Event in Norco, CA, in Oct. 2010
Suspect was witnessed by three persons taking the Zebra from my leased property. She told witnesses he belonged to her. He was last seen in public at Ingalls Park at a charity event where suspect was using him to promote her business. I have photos of his body all around showing his stripe patterns which are unique to each animal.
Suspect has allegedly been accused of taking other exotics from a previous employer, which has filed a police report regarding those animals.
by Marjorie Valbrun
When the U.S. Census Bureau recently released its annual report on the economic status of American households, few people were surprised that black and Hispanic households showed the highest increase in poverty rates. The two groups were hit harder by the economic recession and had higher rates of unemployment than white and Asian households, so news that poverty rates for them surpassed 25 percent in 2009, though troubling, was not entirely unexpected.
Almost as soon as recent census numbers were released, conservative politicians, commentators and researchers at public policy think thanks were commenting on the role of behavior and personal responsibility, or lack thereof, as factors contributing to the high poverty rate.
A surprise was that political conservatives continued to blame poor African-Americans and Hispanics for the very act of being poor even as 43.6 million Americans of all racial stripes, 12.3 percent of them white, are living in poverty and collectively struggling to survive the fallout of an economic downturn—widespread layoffs, massive home foreclosures and loss of retirement savings and other assets.
The new poverty figures are the largest recorded by the Census Bureau in 51 years and reflect a consecutive increase in U.S. poverty over the past three years. They are an indication of the powerful economic, political and structural forces that play a role in the financial well-being of American households and that tend to have a more significant and negative impact on already poor and struggling families.
President Barack Obama acknowledged as much during a recent speech at the annual legislative conference of the Congressional Black Caucus.
“This historic recession, the worst since the Great Depression, has taken a devastating toll on all sectors of our economy,” Obama said. “It's hit Americans of all races and all regions and all walks of life. But as has been true often in our history and as has been true in other recessions, this one came down with a particular vengeance on the African-American community.”
He reminded the audience, though he probably didn’t have to, that African-Americans were at an economic disadvantage before the economic downturn.
“Long before this recession, there were black men and women throughout our cities and towns who’d given up looking for a job, kids standing around on the corners without any prospects for the future,” he said. “Long before this recession, there were blocks full of shuttered stores that hadn’t been open in generations. So, yes, this recession made matters much worse, but the African-American community has been struggling for quite some time.”
Yet almost as soon as the census numbers were released, conservative politicians, commentators and researchers at public policy think thanks were commenting on the role of behavior and personal responsibility, or lack thereof, as factors contributing to the high poverty rate. They also cited the purportedly pernicious affects of government-funded anti-poverty programs, the very ones that kept more people from falling below the poverty line.
A report by the conservative Heritage Foundation on the same day as the census report cited millions of children living in poverty in single-parent households and asserted that the “principal cause is the absence of married fathers in the home.” The foundation report contends that government entitlement programs such as welfare, food stamps and income tax credits that mostly benefit unwed mothers and their children, keep families—especially those with black and Hispanic children—in poverty and are “disincentives to marriage because benefits are reduced as a family’s income rises.”
The foundation also separately asserts that the average poor American is not as bad off as liberal activists, media and some politicians would have the public believe.
According to the census report, about 15.5 million children under 18, the majority of them black, were living in poverty in 2009 compared with 14.1 million in 2008. The poverty rate increased across all types of families. For married-couple families, it grew to 5.8 percent from 5.5 percent and for female-headed families to 29.9 percent from 28.7 percent.
Not all poor families qualify for all of the various assistance programs, and amounts they receive are relatively modest, enough to keep some from falling below the official poverty line of $21,954 for a family of four but not enough to move them far above it.
The foundation report concludes that government intervention could reduce childhood poverty by promoting and supporting policies that encourage marriage among low-income couples. The Urban Institute and other nonpartisan research organizations offer other practical approaches that rely less on value judgments and more on proven government interventions and increased support for struggling two-parent homes. They also call for larger tax subsidies for poor families similar to those that help middle-income families buy a home, save for retirement and pay for their children's education.
The overly simplistic theory of “marriage as an antidote to poverty” overlooks many important factors that contribute to poverty, and poverty experts do not unanimously accept it. While children raised in two-parent families tend to have better life outcomes, marriage by unwed parents does not guarantee lifting families out of poverty. That’s true especially if couples are not compatible or in love, or committed to making a marriage work; if husband, wife or both lack necessary education or professional skills to secure a well-paying job and enhance the household’s income; and if financial or other stress in the marriage leads to domestic discord or violence.
Marriage would not automatically improve the dismal unemployment rate among black men, some of it the result of racial discrimination in hiring practices, or erase other structural barriers to economic well-being, nor would it suddenly end negative behaviors that conservatives say inhibit economic advancement.
“Certainly there some individuals for whom behavior is an important issue, but the bigger problems are a series of factors that affect African-Americans more than they do other groups,” said Margaret Simms, a senior fellow at the Urban Institute and an expert on the economic well-being of African-Americans.
The conservative commentary conveniently overlooks many of these contributing factors, among them that African-Americans, and to a lesser extent Hispanics, are more racially and geographically segregated than other groups and less likely to live in areas with ample economic opportunities. They often have no access to good public schools that are economically and racially diverse and adequately prepare them for college, selective training programs or skilled jobs. They also generally have no access to good health care, which can mean health problems prevent them from getting and keeping good jobs and seriously drain limited incomes.
“They are also less likely to be in social networks where they have access to the jobs out there,” Simms said. “Most people don’t find jobs through want-ads but through friends, family or neighbors who know about a job opening at their workplace or know about a place that is hiring.”
If they live in large urban areas, as many do, and don’t own cars, as many don’t, they have difficulty getting to jobs in outer suburbs.
“Geographic isolation in neighborhoods where there are few job opportunities make it difficult to have access to where the jobs are and to get to them,” Simms said. “Low-income African-Americans are farther away from the jobs they would be qualified for. Transportation systems are not typically set up to move people from cities to residential suburbs where jobs are.”
Conservatives say the Obama administration should spend less on public assistance programs even though they have proven to be an important safety net for struggling families. Many also oppose extension of unemployment benefits for the long-term unemployed and a temporary program that created 250,000 mostly private-sector jobs for low-income parents and youth.
Robert Greenstein, executive director of the liberal Center on Budget and Policy Priorities and an expert on anti-poverty, said cutting back such programs would be a mistake.
“If Congress fails to extend these measures and unemployment remains high, poverty and hardship almost certainly will climb still higher next year,” he said in a statement.
© 2010 New America Media
Vandana Shiva--Two Myths That Keep the World Poor
http://www.organicconsumers.
http://www.bidstrup.com/
http://london.sonoma.edu/
There Is Class War, and Rich Are Winning | CommonDreams.org
http://www.commondreams.org/
WILL THE REAL ECONOMIC HIT MEN PLEASE STAND UP?
http://www.fromthewilderness.
The Boot That Stamps On Your Face
http://tinfoil-hat-news.
This is the fact we can't get straight.
One side - one entity, one organization - funds BOTH sides in all the wars.
Failure to comprehend this one stark truth has diminished human life beyond comprehension.For openers, it has cost millions of human lives throughout the 20th century and into the 21st in the form of wars that were cynically fomented to mask the massive robberies of other countries. And all of them - every single one - has been manipulated into being, not for geopolitical or philosophical purposes, but for robbery, pure and simple. All done under some patriotic rubric and all done by the same bunch, money controllers of that certain stripe whose name it is not permitted to mention in that society they call polite.
The Iron Heel -- Jack London's Vision of Fascism
http://www.davidcogswell.com/
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NetPosse.com Missing ZEBRA in CA: Zebra Stallion, Littleman, Missing Presumed Stolen in Riverside County, CA - March 31, 2010
Suspect allegedly had Littleman, now called Tumbleweed, at a Charity Event in Norco, CA, in Oct. 2010Suspect was witnessed by three persons taking the Zebra from my leased property. She told witnesses he belonged to her. He was last seen in public at Ingalls Park at a charity event where suspect was using him to promote her business. I have photos of his body all around showing his stripe patterns which are unique to each animal.
Suspect has allegedly been accused of taking other exotics from a previous employer, which has filed a police report regarding those animals.
equine name: Littleman - allegedly being publicly presented as "Tumbleweed"
nickname: Little
breed: Zebra
gender: Stallion
color: black and white striped
age: 2 years
weight: 600 lbs
height: 13h
markings: photographed stripe pattern all over his body
skills: was being trained for exhibitions and movie work
Note broken stripe on chest and stripe above it had irregular spot on left side of breast. Also thinner stripe by nose on right side, two thin connecting stripes one below the eye on the right and one on the third stripe up from the nose on the right side.
YOU CAN HELP: Circulate this alert and info to your friends and ask them to do the same, post on twitter, facebook, craigslist.
nickname: Little
breed: Zebra
gender: Stallion
color: black and white striped
age: 2 years
weight: 600 lbs
height: 13h
markings: photographed stripe pattern all over his body
skills: was being trained for exhibitions and movie work
Note broken stripe on chest and stripe above it had irregular spot on left side of breast. Also thinner stripe by nose on right side, two thin connecting stripes one below the eye on the right and one on the third stripe up from the nose on the right side.
YOU CAN HELP: Circulate this alert and info to your friends and ask them to do the same, post on twitter, facebook, craigslist.
ALWAYS INCLUDE THE LINK back to the NetPosse page so people can have details and read updates later.
Go to the link below to read full details, to see larger pictures of the horse, his markings and to print the flyer you see to the left and post in your area for the owner.
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Michelle GordonNovember 2, 2010 at 4:42pm
Subject: http://www.facebook.com/l/4efbbI4IWvfflvMhsw628S4k0RA;NetPosse.com Alert - MN - Grey Thoroughbred Gelding Missing from Cabin/Camp area - St. Louis County
http://www.facebook.com/l/4efbbrdQ2jRW3uiogeiIw11RLUg;NetPosse.com Alert - MN - Grey Thoroughbred Gelding Missing from Cabin/Camp area - St. Louis County - Oct. 31, 2010
Wiley got loose and left the cabin we were at and is roaming up there. Reported to local law enforcement.
Wiley is NOT wearing a halter or any tack!
OTTB with Lip Tattoo, Gender: Gelding, Breed: Thoroughbred, Color: Grey, Height: 16 hands, Weight: 1000 lbs, Age: 7 yrs
Markings: LIP TATTOO, black points on hocks & knees, black tail and mane, White eye lashes, No Face or Leg markings
YOU CAN HELP: Circulate this alert and info to your friends and ask them to do the same, post on twitter, facebook, craigslist.
ALWAYS INCLUDE THE LINK back to the NetPosse page so people can have details and read updates later.
Go to the link to read full details, to see larger pictures, markings, to print the flyer and post in your area for the owner.
http://www.facebook.com/l/4efbbompSuWXz9VqebReYI_1LBw;www.netposse.com/stolenmissing/missing_1/WileyMNmissingOct2010.html
Wiley got loose and left the cabin we were at and is roaming up there. Reported to local law enforcement.
Wiley is NOT wearing a halter or any tack!
OTTB with Lip Tattoo, Gender: Gelding, Breed: Thoroughbred, Color: Grey, Height: 16 hands, Weight: 1000 lbs, Age: 7 yrs
Markings: LIP TATTOO, black points on hocks & knees, black tail and mane, White eye lashes, No Face or Leg markings
YOU CAN HELP: Circulate this alert and info to your friends and ask them to do the same, post on twitter, facebook, craigslist.
ALWAYS INCLUDE THE LINK back to the NetPosse page so people can have details and read updates later.
Go to the link to read full details, to see larger pictures, markings, to print the flyer and post in your area for the owner.
http://www.facebook.com/l/
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Below is a recent article about the Native American 5K National Championships in the Indian Country today newspaper. This event is open to U.S., Alaska, and Canadian tribal members. There is also an open community division for non-tribal members. Please forward to help us get the word out on this event.
The 2011 event will honor Coach Gerald "Jerry" Tuckwin and his wife Terri. Jerry, former coach at Haskell Indian Junior College, (now Haskell Indian Nations University) was recently inducted into the National Indian Athletic Hall of Fame for his accomplishments as a runner and as the coach at Haskell. Terri, was a mother figure for many of the runners who attended Haskell helping them overcome their homesickness. All former Haskell cross-country and trackathlete's are welcome and encouraged to attend as well as any other alumni or friends who want to honor Jerry. In addition we will honor a female tribal member to be named at a later date.
Members of the Sports Warriors running team volunteered as camp clinicians at the Gallup High School Booster Club running camp July 16 & 17.
Be well and be healthy.
SWTC
PLEASE LET US KNOW IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO RECIEVE FURTHER INFORMATION ON THE SWTC OR THE 2011 NATIVE AMERICAN 5K NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS AND FITNESS FUN RUN/WALK.
THE SPORTS WARRIORS IS ALWAYS RECEPTIVE TO SEEKING OUT COMMITTED INDIVIDUALS TO JOIN OUR TEAMS. The next competition for the SWTC will be on December 11, 2010 in Charlotte, North Carolina. SWTC men's and women's teams will be running in the USATF Club Cross-Country Championships.
Another new activities added this year will be a traditional pueblo style "throw" at the end of the race.
The 2011 event will also be the NM USATF 5K state championships for all age groups.If you enjoy the article, you might also want to look at this picture video of the 2009 UATF Club X-Country Championships that the Sports Warriors attended last December in Kentucky.THE SPORTS WARRIORS TRACK CLUB IS IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE "JUST MOVE IT" PROGRAM.THE SPORTS WARRIORS TRACK CLUB IS IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE NATIVE HEALTH INITIATIVE."Getting Natives Healthy one person at a time"Coming soon, sportswarriorstc.com web site: Also, we are in the development stages of putting together a health, nutrition, tobacco prevention, drug & alcohol prevention, diabetes prevention, diabetes coping skills,healthy lifestyles, athletic and fitness program/camp package. If any tribe or organization might be interested in having us come to your community we will be happy to discuss the program/camp with you. All programs/camps will be designed with what your particular communities needs are. All of our facilitators are Native American (and one great doctor married to a Native American) and will present from their professional field. The majority of our facilitator are college graduates and elite level athletes. We will work with all budgets as much as possible.
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Buffalo Field Campaign
Yellowstone Bison
Update from the Field
November 4, 2010
BFC is the only group working in the field every day
in defense of the last wild buffalo population in the U.S.
------------------------------
------------------------------
* Update from the Field
* Big Thanks from BFC's Road Show Crew
* Almost Sold Out! Wild Bison 2011 Calendars
* Last Words ~ T. Davis' "Taraha'"
* By the Numbers
* Helpful Links
------------------------------
* Update from the Field
Bison bulls mourn a fallen comrade, killed in Montana's canned hunt. BFC file photo by Kathleen Stachowski. Click here for larger image.
One week from Monday, beginning November 15 and lasting through February 15, wild buffalo that migrate into Montana will likely be shot by hunters. Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks are holding another hunt without habitat, a hunt for a species that is ecologically extinct in Montana. Forty-four State tags to kill bison have been issued for areas north and west of Yellowstone National Park, and if there is a normal winter migration, an additional 100 wild bison could be killed in this canned hunt. Montana's bison hunt is highly controversial. It is yet another tool Montana is using to stop wild bison from migrating into the state. This canned hunt does not replace hazing, capture and slaughter activities carried out under the Interagency Bison Management Plan, it is used in addition to it. Hunters who participate in Montana's bison hunt are being used by the Montana Department of Livestock as yet another tool of intolerance against native wild bison.
At least two First Nations - the Nez Perce and the Confederated Salish-Kootenai Tribes - will also be hunting buffalo under treaty right, though their season will differ from that of Montana.
In addition to our year-round presence in West Yellowstone, BFC will again be present near Gardiner on the north side of the Park. Our Gardiner camp will remain active for as long as the hunt is underway, or longer should the buffalo need us to stand witness. It is critical that we are able to be the eyes and ears for the buffalo in these locations where they migrate yet it is a huge financial challenge for us to do so. If you canhelp keep us on the front lines we will be better equipped to stand with the buffalo and share their story with the world. During the hunt, BFC will engage willing hunters in dialogue to talk about the threats wild bison face in Montana, and how they can help take a stand to restore this magnificent, gentle giant throughout it's native range.
Since our last Update, brucellosis has made appearances in a few livestock herds, far from the current home range of America's last wild bison. Brucellosis is a bacteria that was brought to North America with the arrival of Eurasian cattle. While it hasn't been a significant human health issue since the advent of pasteurized dairy products and it hasn't been a threat to wildlife outside of livestock industry politics, brucellosis has been a driving force behind bad wildlife management decisions throughout the Yellowstone area, including the ongoing slaughter and harassment of the Yellowstone herds. Brucellosis has become a very convenient tool for livestock interests to use against wildlife, to maintain control over grasslands habitat. Livestock interests are always quick to place blame upon wildlife, rather than take responsibility for better managing livestock or even removing them from areas of critically important wildlife habitat.
Despite these efforts, three cows from a Wyoming cattle ranch tested positive for brucellosis last week. It was just a matter of time as the cattle ranch is located near ill-conceived government-sponsored elk feeding grounds. Wildlife advocates have been trying to shut these feed lots down for many years but have been met with resistance by ranchers who favor them because it keeps wild elk off of native habitat currently occupied by cattle. Shortly after this news, Montana papers responded by announcing that they intend to capture and test up to 500 wild cow elk. We have warned that it would only be a matter of time before Montana livestock interests set their sites on elk in addition to buffalo. Lastly, just the other day, one of Ted Turner's domestic bison herdswas found to have brucellosis. These bison, or beefalo, came from Turner's Bozeman-area Flying D Ranch, just a stone's throw from where the quarantined Yellowstone buffalo now reside on Turner's Green Ranch. There is absolutely no chance that the quarantined buffalo, stolen from Yellowstone when they were wild calves, are the source of infection.
These incidences are more critical bits of evidence that wild buffalo are not the source of brucellosis transmissions to livestock. There has never been a single documented case of wild bison transmitting brucellosis to cattle, even during the decades prior to the heavy-handed tactics carried out under the Interagency Bison Management Plan. In the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, the combined governments of Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana--along with the U.S. Government--are wasting taxpayer money by focusing on containing the natural migration of wild buffalo. Phasing out Wyoming's feed grounds and acquiring habitat for bison and elk would be far more effective use of taxpayer money. Livestock production is the common denominator of trouble whether it's bison, elk, wolves, bears, water quality, grasslands health, or human health. Cattle are also the most obviously manageable element; the only reasonable solution is to shift the focus on controlling them and ensuring that they are not a threat to our wildlife and wild places.
ROAM FREE!
~ Stephany
Yellowstone Bison
Update from the Field
November 4, 2010
BFC is the only group working in the field every day
in defense of the last wild buffalo population in the U.S.
------------------------------
------------------------------
* Update from the Field
* Big Thanks from BFC's Road Show Crew
* Almost Sold Out! Wild Bison 2011 Calendars
* Last Words ~ T. Davis' "Taraha'"
* By the Numbers
* Helpful Links
------------------------------
* Update from the Field
Bison bulls mourn a fallen comrade, killed in Montana's canned hunt. BFC file photo by Kathleen Stachowski. Click here for larger image. One week from Monday, beginning November 15 and lasting through February 15, wild buffalo that migrate into Montana will likely be shot by hunters. Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks are holding another hunt without habitat, a hunt for a species that is ecologically extinct in Montana. Forty-four State tags to kill bison have been issued for areas north and west of Yellowstone National Park, and if there is a normal winter migration, an additional 100 wild bison could be killed in this canned hunt. Montana's bison hunt is highly controversial. It is yet another tool Montana is using to stop wild bison from migrating into the state. This canned hunt does not replace hazing, capture and slaughter activities carried out under the Interagency Bison Management Plan, it is used in addition to it. Hunters who participate in Montana's bison hunt are being used by the Montana Department of Livestock as yet another tool of intolerance against native wild bison.
At least two First Nations - the Nez Perce and the Confederated Salish-Kootenai Tribes - will also be hunting buffalo under treaty right, though their season will differ from that of Montana.
In addition to our year-round presence in West Yellowstone, BFC will again be present near Gardiner on the north side of the Park. Our Gardiner camp will remain active for as long as the hunt is underway, or longer should the buffalo need us to stand witness. It is critical that we are able to be the eyes and ears for the buffalo in these locations where they migrate yet it is a huge financial challenge for us to do so. If you canhelp keep us on the front lines we will be better equipped to stand with the buffalo and share their story with the world. During the hunt, BFC will engage willing hunters in dialogue to talk about the threats wild bison face in Montana, and how they can help take a stand to restore this magnificent, gentle giant throughout it's native range.
Since our last Update, brucellosis has made appearances in a few livestock herds, far from the current home range of America's last wild bison. Brucellosis is a bacteria that was brought to North America with the arrival of Eurasian cattle. While it hasn't been a significant human health issue since the advent of pasteurized dairy products and it hasn't been a threat to wildlife outside of livestock industry politics, brucellosis has been a driving force behind bad wildlife management decisions throughout the Yellowstone area, including the ongoing slaughter and harassment of the Yellowstone herds. Brucellosis has become a very convenient tool for livestock interests to use against wildlife, to maintain control over grasslands habitat. Livestock interests are always quick to place blame upon wildlife, rather than take responsibility for better managing livestock or even removing them from areas of critically important wildlife habitat.
Despite these efforts, three cows from a Wyoming cattle ranch tested positive for brucellosis last week. It was just a matter of time as the cattle ranch is located near ill-conceived government-sponsored elk feeding grounds. Wildlife advocates have been trying to shut these feed lots down for many years but have been met with resistance by ranchers who favor them because it keeps wild elk off of native habitat currently occupied by cattle. Shortly after this news, Montana papers responded by announcing that they intend to capture and test up to 500 wild cow elk. We have warned that it would only be a matter of time before Montana livestock interests set their sites on elk in addition to buffalo. Lastly, just the other day, one of Ted Turner's domestic bison herdswas found to have brucellosis. These bison, or beefalo, came from Turner's Bozeman-area Flying D Ranch, just a stone's throw from where the quarantined Yellowstone buffalo now reside on Turner's Green Ranch. There is absolutely no chance that the quarantined buffalo, stolen from Yellowstone when they were wild calves, are the source of infection.
These incidences are more critical bits of evidence that wild buffalo are not the source of brucellosis transmissions to livestock. There has never been a single documented case of wild bison transmitting brucellosis to cattle, even during the decades prior to the heavy-handed tactics carried out under the Interagency Bison Management Plan. In the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, the combined governments of Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana--along with the U.S. Government--are wasting taxpayer money by focusing on containing the natural migration of wild buffalo. Phasing out Wyoming's feed grounds and acquiring habitat for bison and elk would be far more effective use of taxpayer money. Livestock production is the common denominator of trouble whether it's bison, elk, wolves, bears, water quality, grasslands health, or human health. Cattle are also the most obviously manageable element; the only reasonable solution is to shift the focus on controlling them and ensuring that they are not a threat to our wildlife and wild places.
ROAM FREE!
~ Stephany
------------------------------
* Big Thanks from BFC's Road Show Crew!
Mike and I are back in Yellowstone country after our month-long West Coast Road Show. It was an honor to share time with you all in support of the wild bison that call this land home. As with everything BFC does, the road show wouldn’t have been possible without the generosity and help of our supporters. In providing us with places to stay, home-cooked meals, support for our events, and so much more, the following people (and many others) made our tour a huge success:
Tom Woodbury; Rasta Dave; Arden and Sean; Ken Cole and his new iPhone; Tony; Goodshield and Phoenix; Amy; Annie, Chuck, Heather, Jennifer, Kathleen, and Kelly of the Sea Shepherd crew; Cindy, Jenny, and everyone at the Whale Museum; Luke, White Bear, Scott, and the First Baptist Church in Seattle; Traditions Fair Trade; Deane; Jesse; Rick; Alex, Audry and the kids; KBOO Community Radio; Allison Lowe; Mary and Laughing Horse Books; Judy; Andrew Rodman; Greg and all the staff at Mundo Café; Justine; Brennan; Stephany; Ron Greene; Heather; Beginnings; Munzer; Kristoff; Jakubul; Vereena, Paul, Meela, and Minoa; Greta, Scott, Owen and Clarey; Sundog, Amber, Jasper, and Cove; Susanna and Frank; Monique; Diane; Ron Hunter and everyone at the Reno Patagonia; Kevin, the David Brower Center, and Earth Island Institute; Kingman; Sampson and Crysta; the Collective for Arts, Freedom, and Ecology; Megan and the Americorps crew of San Luis Obispo; Sierra Club; Ludwick Community Center; Joey; Rudy and Foundation Press; Joe Citizen; 2HeadedHorse Gallery; Jonny; Laban; Susan, Andrea; Chipper Bro and Patagonia Headquarters in Ventura.
Thanks to each and every one of you who attended our shows for the buffalo; thank you for your time, your donations, and all you give to help the wild buffalo of Yellowstone. My words do not do justice to the gratitude I feel in having spent time with all of you. As Mike says, “You’re all part of the Buffalo Field Campaign family, so please stop by and visit us in West Yellowstone anytime.” Thanks to the wonderful musicians Goodshield and Phoenix for joining us on the road and for all that you do in your lives. Great thanks to the lessons we learn from the Buffalo!
Peace,
Noah
------------------------------
* 2011 Wild Bison Calendars
You, your friends, family, and colleagues can celebrate wild bison 365 days a year with this breathtaking calendar featuring the photos of BFC supporters and volunteers. We are nearing the end of our supply of these calendars, so get your 2011 Wild Bison calendar today!
* Big Thanks from BFC's Road Show Crew!
Mike and I are back in Yellowstone country after our month-long West Coast Road Show. It was an honor to share time with you all in support of the wild bison that call this land home. As with everything BFC does, the road show wouldn’t have been possible without the generosity and help of our supporters. In providing us with places to stay, home-cooked meals, support for our events, and so much more, the following people (and many others) made our tour a huge success:
Tom Woodbury; Rasta Dave; Arden and Sean; Ken Cole and his new iPhone; Tony; Goodshield and Phoenix; Amy; Annie, Chuck, Heather, Jennifer, Kathleen, and Kelly of the Sea Shepherd crew; Cindy, Jenny, and everyone at the Whale Museum; Luke, White Bear, Scott, and the First Baptist Church in Seattle; Traditions Fair Trade; Deane; Jesse; Rick; Alex, Audry and the kids; KBOO Community Radio; Allison Lowe; Mary and Laughing Horse Books; Judy; Andrew Rodman; Greg and all the staff at Mundo Café; Justine; Brennan; Stephany; Ron Greene; Heather; Beginnings; Munzer; Kristoff; Jakubul; Vereena, Paul, Meela, and Minoa; Greta, Scott, Owen and Clarey; Sundog, Amber, Jasper, and Cove; Susanna and Frank; Monique; Diane; Ron Hunter and everyone at the Reno Patagonia; Kevin, the David Brower Center, and Earth Island Institute; Kingman; Sampson and Crysta; the Collective for Arts, Freedom, and Ecology; Megan and the Americorps crew of San Luis Obispo; Sierra Club; Ludwick Community Center; Joey; Rudy and Foundation Press; Joe Citizen; 2HeadedHorse Gallery; Jonny; Laban; Susan, Andrea; Chipper Bro and Patagonia Headquarters in Ventura.
Thanks to each and every one of you who attended our shows for the buffalo; thank you for your time, your donations, and all you give to help the wild buffalo of Yellowstone. My words do not do justice to the gratitude I feel in having spent time with all of you. As Mike says, “You’re all part of the Buffalo Field Campaign family, so please stop by and visit us in West Yellowstone anytime.” Thanks to the wonderful musicians Goodshield and Phoenix for joining us on the road and for all that you do in your lives. Great thanks to the lessons we learn from the Buffalo!
Peace,
Noah
------------------------------
* 2011 Wild Bison Calendars
You, your friends, family, and colleagues can celebrate wild bison 365 days a year with this breathtaking calendar featuring the photos of BFC supporters and volunteers. We are nearing the end of our supply of these calendars, so get your 2011 Wild Bison calendar today!
------------------------------
* Last Words
"As I dig deeper, it seems like pure economics driving the continued killing and hazing. The cattle industry is well financed and politically powerful. Buffalo grazing on "their cattle's land" is not an option (even if this land is public property.) Unfortunately, Montana's government buys into the cattlemen's argument that buffalo carry a nasty disease called brucellosis that is dangerous to their livestock. Ironically, it was the cow that first gave the disease to the buffalo and there is no reported case of the buffalo giving it back. So the ranchers win, the buffalo lose and Montana Fish and Game continue to force buffalo off cattle land. In some cases, they have the authority to kill these wild buffalo. Do you know what scares me most? What if they succeed? What if they put enough stress on this herd that not enough of them make it through a cold winter? What if the herd's numbers become so depleted that they can't recover? What if the last living remnant of that once vast herd that covered the new world disappears on our watch? Many Indians from the 1800s predicted the day would come where the white man would cover the land and destroy the buffalo."
~ by Tony Davis, from his article "Taraha'" ("Taraha" is Pawnee for "Buffalo")
Taraha appears in the October 2010 issue of "Chaticks Si Chatics," Newsletter of the Pawnee Nation. The full article is on pages 15-16 and includes photos from Buffalo Field Campaign.
* Last Words
"As I dig deeper, it seems like pure economics driving the continued killing and hazing. The cattle industry is well financed and politically powerful. Buffalo grazing on "their cattle's land" is not an option (even if this land is public property.) Unfortunately, Montana's government buys into the cattlemen's argument that buffalo carry a nasty disease called brucellosis that is dangerous to their livestock. Ironically, it was the cow that first gave the disease to the buffalo and there is no reported case of the buffalo giving it back. So the ranchers win, the buffalo lose and Montana Fish and Game continue to force buffalo off cattle land. In some cases, they have the authority to kill these wild buffalo. Do you know what scares me most? What if they succeed? What if they put enough stress on this herd that not enough of them make it through a cold winter? What if the herd's numbers become so depleted that they can't recover? What if the last living remnant of that once vast herd that covered the new world disappears on our watch? Many Indians from the 1800s predicted the day would come where the white man would cover the land and destroy the buffalo."
~ by Tony Davis, from his article "Taraha'" ("Taraha" is Pawnee for "Buffalo")
Taraha appears in the October 2010 issue of "Chaticks Si Chatics," Newsletter of the Pawnee Nation. The full article is on pages 15-16 and includes photos from Buffalo Field Campaign.
Do you have submissions for Last Words? Send them to bfc-media@wildrockies.org. Thank you all for the poems, songs and stories you have been sending; you'll see them here!
------------------------------
* By the Numbers
AMERICAN BUFFALO ELIMINATED from the last wild population in the U.S.
2009-2010 Total: 7
2009-2010 Slaughter: 0
2009-2010 Hunt: 4
2009-2010 Quarantine: 0
2009-2010 Shot by Agents: 3*
2009-2010 Highway Mortality: 0
*Two bulls that were drugged by APHIS on 5/4/10 were shot by DOL later that evening. One was shot by DOL on 7/13/10 for trying to free his imprisoned relatives at the Corwin Springs quarantine facility.
2008-2009 Total: 22
2007-2008 Total: 1,631
Total Since 2000: 3,709*
*includes lethal government action, quarantine, hunts, highway mortality
-----------------------------
Media & Outreach
Buffalo Field Campaign
P.O. Box 957
West Yellowstone, MT 59758
406-646-0070
bfc-media@wildrockies.org
http://www.buffalofieldcampaign.org
BFC is the only group working in the field every day
in defense of the last wild buffalo population in the U.S.
KEEP BFC ON THE FRONTLINES WITH A TAX DEDUCTIBLE CONTRIBUTION TODAY
------------------------------
* By the Numbers
AMERICAN BUFFALO ELIMINATED from the last wild population in the U.S.
2009-2010 Total: 7
2009-2010 Slaughter: 0
2009-2010 Hunt: 4
2009-2010 Quarantine: 0
2009-2010 Shot by Agents: 3*
2009-2010 Highway Mortality: 0
*Two bulls that were drugged by APHIS on 5/4/10 were shot by DOL later that evening. One was shot by DOL on 7/13/10 for trying to free his imprisoned relatives at the Corwin Springs quarantine facility.
2008-2009 Total: 22
2007-2008 Total: 1,631
Total Since 2000: 3,709*
*includes lethal government action, quarantine, hunts, highway mortality
-----------------------------
Media & Outreach
Buffalo Field Campaign
P.O. Box 957
West Yellowstone, MT 59758
406-646-0070
bfc-media@wildrockies.org
http://www.
BFC is the only group working in the field every day
in defense of the last wild buffalo population in the U.S.
KEEP BFC ON THE FRONTLINES WITH A TAX DEDUCTIBLE CONTRIBUTION TODAY
ROAM FREE! 
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Folks this came into our Sacred sites group which is topic specific so I couldn't post it but promised to forward to as many as I could.
The uncle has taken a bad turn:
Yes if you would please. I was told they had to shock him again. He has 10% chance to make it through night. They playing a tape that is music his nieces made. They say it is working a little. Uncle Tony is My Ladies Uncle.
Gary, this is going to several groups.
Marcie Lane
Committee Member
Protect Sacred Sites " Indigenous People,One Nation"
863-425-5478
Uncle Tony had surgery today to have a pacemaker put in to help him. Drs. said its up to him. But I would like to see him make it out of this. He needs to fight to live. WA DO to y'all for your prayers
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Americans, Your Country Isn’t So Great David A. Love: A sustainable movement for social and economic justice must help this president to place him on the path of greatness that these crisis times demand, that his campaign promised. Nothing less than America’s future is at stake. Read Morehttp://www.laprogressive.com/political-issues/america-not-so-great/ | How's Europe Doing? Steven Hill: When puzzled Europeans ask me to explain the American voter, the best metaphor I can give for understanding the American electorate right now is that of a coyote with its leg caught in a trap, suffering in pain, so now it is chewing off its own leg to get out of the trap. Read Morehttp://www.laprogressive.com/political-issues/hows-europe/ | Buenos Dias Democrats! Mario Solis-Marich: The power of Latino voters has increased dramatically and for the first time in history the Democrats are in catch up mode with the nation’s newest voting bloc. Read Morehttp://www.laprogressive.com/political-issues/buenos-dias-democrats/ | Was This a Great Country or What? Tom Degan: Democrats got exactly what they deserved on Election Day 2010. So many of them have spent the last two years running like frightened rats from the legacy of their party. Read Morehttp://www.laprogressive.com/political-issues/great-country/ | Elections a Setback for Peace Tom Hayden: The peace bloc – activist groups, anti-war Congress members, writers and artists, here and across the NATO – can exercise a massive drag against the war-making machine through 2012 as long as the wars remain deeply unpopular. Read Morehttp://www.laprogressive.com/defense/elections-setback-peace/ | Post-Election Day Immigration Fallout Andrea Christina Nill: While many Democrats are lamenting post-Election Day results, immigration advocates are breathing a small sigh of relief. The general sentiment seems to be that things are bad, but they could’ve been much worse. But the immigrants rights movement also took some big hits last night. . . Read Morehttp://www.laprogressive.com/immigration-reform/postelection-day-immigration-fallout/ |
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Protests in Germany and France over nuclear waste
From the Eagle Watch #86
Protests in Germany and France over nuclear waste
November 5, 2010
The CNSC Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (aka the Fox who Guards the Henhouse) has delayed granting of the license for Bruce Power to ship 16 radioactive steam generators from its facility by road to Owen Sound port and then by ship down the great lakes/st. lawrence watershed across the atlantic to sweden where a company Studsvik will recycle the waste metal for use in other products.
Here's a sampling of what's going on right now in France and Germany where protesters are out trying to stop another shipment of radioactive nuclear waste. Over 30,000 German people are expected on the streets tomorrow, Saturday.
What will happen here if Bruce gets the license to go ahead? Is there the will and momentum for people to get out on the roads?? It's a precedent that cannot be allowed.
Kittoh
<kittoh@storm.ca>
searched <germany nuclear waste protests>
numerous postings of this topic nov. 5, 2010
the articles are a bit repetitious but each contains some new info so we included all FYI.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/8113317/Protest-over-nuclear-train-from-hell.html
Protest over nuclear 'train from hell'
Greenpeace has staged protests against a nuclear waste convoy which it claimed was “the most radioactive shipment in history” amounting to the radioactive equivalent of 11 Chernobyl disasters.
By Henry Samuel in Paris
Published: 5:16PM GMT 05 Nov 2010
Protesters blocked the train's progress at Caen, northern France, chaining themselves to the tracks just outside the station Photo: AFP/GETTY The “Train from Hell” carrying 123 tons of nuclear waste in 11 coaches set off yesterday afternoon from northwestern France to Germany under tight security, including 80 armed guards and fighter jets on standby.
It was due to pass close to at least five major cities, bypassing Paris by only about 100 miles during its 700-mile journey. Protesters blocked the train’s progress at Caen, northern France last night, chaining themselves to the tracks just outside the station.
In a move aimed at embarrassing France’s nuclear industry, Greenpeace published a detailed timetable of the train’s route, and encouraged protestors to disrupt the consignment in both countries.
Areva, the state-controlled French nuclear engineering company, said the shipment by rail from Valognes to a German storage site in the northeastern town of Goerleben was “completely normal” and the 11th of its kind.
But Greenpeace’s executive director, Kumi Naidoo, insisted the shipment was far more toxic than any movement ever attempted. .
Anne Lauvergeon, Areva’s CEO, dismissed the Chernobyl reference as “scandalous,” saying the waste was about the same amount as in the other 10 shipments.
“Greenpeace should be for recycling — it’s in fact a way of preserving the planet’s resources,” she said.
The nuclear giant said the solid waste was sealed in special glass containers that were encased in 16-inch thick steel containers. These were “rolling fortresses,” each benefiting from 100 tons of protection and able to withstand a head-on collision with a full-speed train or the impact of a plane crashing into them, it claimed.
Sortir du Nucléaire, an anti-nuclear French group, warned: 'If an accident from human error or a terrorist attack occurred during this transportation a vast area of northern Europe would be uninhabitable for generations to come”.
Greenpeace said it would sue Areva for breaching nuclear safety rules as the shipment was briefly stored in a hanger in Valognes that does not conform to nuclear norms.
The 308 glass containers came from the world’s largest nuclear recycling plant at nearby la Hague, the French equivalent of Sellafield.
The site, run by Areva, reprocesses nuclear waste from power stations by extracting uranium and plutonium to create Mox fuel. The recyclable and non-renewable waste is then sent back to user nations.
Around 30,000 anti-nuclear activisits are due to protest today (Sat) in Dannenberg, where the waste containers are to be loaded onto trucks for the final stretch of their journey.
Anti-nuclear sentiment has gained ground in Germany following a move by Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government to extend the lives of the country’s 17 nuclear power plants by an average 12 years.
The majority of Germans are against the plan which was approved by parliament next week.
A previous government pledged to shut down all German nuclear plants by 2021.
In France, which has 58 reactors, there is no such resistance to the use of nuclear power.
-----------------
http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=12063272
Nuclear Waste Shipment to Germany Meets Protests
Environmental activists to protest shipment of nuclear waste from France to Germany
The Associated Press
CAEN, France November 5, 2010 (AP)
Environmental activists are gearing up for protests along the route of a contested shipment of 123 tons of recycled nuclear waste by rail from France to Germany.
A spokesman for French nuclear engineering company Areva says the shipment to a storage site in Goerleben, Germany, is "completely normal" and the 11th of its kind.
Yannick Rousselet of Greenpeace France says protesters were planning to deploy along every station the train is to pass through — with 30,000 activists readying in Germany.
Spent fuel from Germany's nuclear power plants is sent each year to France and a small amount is returned after reprocessing, often drawing protests.
Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20101105/API/1011050978
Contested nuclear waste leaves for Germany
The Associated Press
Published: Friday, November 5, 2010 at 9:21 a.m.
Last Modified: Friday, November 5, 2010 at 9:21 a.m.
VALOGNES, France - A spokesman for France's state-run nuclear engineering company says a train carrying 123 tons of nuclear waste has set off from France to Germany under tight security.
A train carrying 11 containers for the transportation and storage of nuclear waste, called CASTORs, is seen in Valognes' rail station, northwestern France, Thursday Nov. 4, 2010. Nuclear waste has been processed in the plutonium factory of La Hague, near Cherbourg, northwestern France. CASTOR shipments will be leaving from Valognes to Gorleben (Germany) on Friday, Nov. 5, 2010. (AP Photo/David Vincent) Environmentalists are planning protests throughout the train's trip.
Areva spokesman Christophe Neugnot said the shipment by rail began Friday afternoon from northwestern France, and will end at a storage site in the town of Goerleben over the weekend.
He said the shipment was "completely normal" and the 11th of its kind.
Greenpeace says the shipment is "the most radioactive in history" and equaled 11 times the radioactivity of the 1986 Chernobyl disaster.
Areva sharply denied that claim.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.
VALOGNES, France (AP) - Environmental activists unfurled banners near train stations and on railway overpasses Friday to protest a contested shipment of 123 tons of recycled nuclear waste from France to Germany.
State-controlled French nuclear engineering company Areva said the shipment by rail to a German storage site in the northeastern town of Goerleben was "completely normal" - and the 11th of its kind.
Greenpeace officials, including its executive director, Kumi Naidoo, said the shipment was "the most radioactive in history" and equaled 11 times the radioactivity of the 1986 Chernobyl disaster. Areva sharply denied the claim.
"The reference to Chernobyl is scandalous," said Areva CEO Anne Lauvergeon on France-Info radio. The waste was about the same amount as in the other 10 shipments, she said. Other Areva officials said it was smaller than some.
A spokesman for France's state-run nuclear engineering company says a train carrying 123 tons of nuclear waste has set off from France to Germany under tight security.
A train carrying 11 containers for the transportation and storage of nuclear waste, called CASTORs, is seen in Valognes' rail station, northwestern France, Thursday Nov. 4, 2010. Nuclear waste has been processed in the plutonium factory of La Hague, near Cherbourg, northwestern France. CASTOR shipments will be leaving from Valognes to Gorleben (Germany) on Friday, Nov. 5, 2010. (AP Photo/David Vincent)
Environmentalists are planning protests throughout the train's trip.
Areva spokesman Christophe Neugnot said the shipment by rail began Friday afternoon from northwestern France, and will end at a storage site in the town of Goerleben over the weekend.
He said the shipment was "completely normal" and the 11th of its kind.
Greenpeace says the shipment is "the most radioactive in history" and equaled 11 times the radioactivity of the 1986 Chernobyl disaster.
Areva sharply denied that claim.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.
VALOGNES, France (AP) - Environmental activists unfurled banners near train stations and on railway overpasses Friday to protest a contested shipment of 123 tons of recycled nuclear waste from France to Germany.
State-controlled French nuclear engineering company Areva said the shipment by rail to a German storage site in the northeastern town of Goerleben was "completely normal" - and the 11th of its kind.
Greenpeace officials, including its executive director, Kumi Naidoo, said the shipment was "the most radioactive in history" and equaled 11 times the radioactivity of the 1986 Chernobyl disaster. Areva sharply denied the claim.
"The reference to Chernobyl is scandalous," said Areva CEO Anne Lauvergeon on France-Info radio. The waste was about the same amount as in the other 10 shipments, she said. Other Areva officials said it was smaller than some.
The shipment was to roll out of a rail station in the town of Valognes on Friday afternoon, across northern France and then into Germany before arriving Saturday in Goerleben.
About 40 Greenpeace protesters unfurled banners near the station and at nearby overpasses as the train prepared to depart.
Areva spokesman Christophe Neugnot said the security measures, following international regulations, involved sealing the solid waste in special glass containers that were encased in 40-centimeter (16-inch) thick steel containers. He said they were "rolling fortresses," each benefiting from 100 tons of protection.
Protesters were planning to deploy along every station the train was to pass through, and thousands of activists were getting ready in Germany, said Yannick Rousselet of Greenpeace France.
A large demonstration is planned Saturday in Dannenberg, where the waste containers are to be loaded onto trucks for the final stretch of their journey.
The shipments from the reprocessing site in La Hague, France, to Goerleben have been a traditional focus of protests by Germany's vocal anti-nuclear lobby.
This year, a move by Chancellor Angela Merkel's government to extend the lives of Germany's 17 nuclear power plants by an average 12 years has given new energy to activists.
Nuclear energy has been unpopular in Germany since the Chernobyl disaster, and the plan partly rolls back a decade-old decision by a previous government to shut down all German nuclear plants by 2021. Opponents plan to protest Merkel's move in Germany's highest court.
Merkel maintains that atomic energy is a "bridging technology" that will allow the government to focus on further developing renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power and biofuels. Germany has no plans to build new nuclear plants.
-------------
This was back in March when the destination for the above was made available. It's an old salt mine in northern Germany.
http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,5352992,00.html
Nuclear | 14.03.2010
Germany's Greens protest reopening of nuclear waste dump
Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: Gorleben has been a temporary nuclear dump for 30 yearsAfter a 10-year moratorium, exploration into the future of the Gorleben nuclear waste dump is to resume. The Green party and environmental leaders are protesting the decision.
Environmentalists and member of the Green party responded with sharp criticism to reports that the German Environment Ministry would reopen talks on the future of the Gorleben nuclear waste dump.
Greenpeace activists projected the phrase "Gorleben: unsuitable for nuclear waste, Mr. Roettgen" onto a tower at the disused salt mine in the early hours of Sunday.
Green party leaders sharply criticized the decision to resume talks to make the Gorleben salt mines a permanent nuclear waste dump.
Bildunterschrift: Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: The town of Gorleben has about 600 residents
A ministry spokeswoman declined to comment on the report and said Environment Minister Norbert Roettgen would be holding a press conference on the topic of Gorleben on Monday.
Discussions regarding using the underground salt mines in Gorleben in Lower Saxony have been on hold since 2000.
According to a report in Der Spiegel newsmagazine, exploration of the salt dome could take eight to 10 years.
During the exploration, the mining legislation would apply rather than nuclear legislation, which requires broader civic participation in the decision-making process, the magazine wrote.
Sharp criticism
The Green party expressed outrage over the decision and accused the environment minister of having the interests of the nuclear industry closer to his heart than people's health and safety.
"He's following in the tradition of the previous administration, attempting to fool the people of Gorleben with tricks and targeted manipulation," said Green party parliamentary leader Renate Kuenast.
"We will use all our powers to block this cowardly decision," said European Parliament Green leader Rebecca Harms, a native of the Gorleben region.
Hot topic
Storage of nuclear waste is a controversial topic in Germany, where there is no definitive agreement on what constitutes a suitable disposal site. Convoys transporting waste to interim storage sites are regularly the targets of protesters.
Bildunterschrift: Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: Activists have protested against the nuclear waste dump for years
Gorleben has been used as temporary repository for nuclear waste since 1983.
The site became even more controversial after it was revealed that the German government under Chancellor Helmut Kohl had suppressed scientific evidence against using the underground salt cavern for permanent nuclear waste storage.
Nuclear plant closure
Germany covers about a quarter of its energy consumption with nuclear power.
A phase-out of nuclear power has been planned for 2021, and eight of the country's 17 reactors are currently due to cease output in 2018. Chancellor Angela Merkel's center-right government has said it wants to extend the lives of national nuclear plants, but rifts inside her cabinet over the merit of rival renewable energies have delayed steps to prevent the closure.
smh/AFP/AP/dpa
Editor: Ben Knight
DW-WORLD.DE
Spanish villages vie for nuclear waste dump
When Madrid announced plans to build a centralized nuclear waste repository last year, more than 100 towns surged forward to offer their land. There are now just a few in the running. But what's in it for the winner? (12.03.2010)
Merkel puts brakes on minister's nuclear phase-out plans
Debate is still raging in the German government over the use of nuclear energy. Chancellor Merkel has distanced herself from comments by the environment minister that Germany could phase out its nuclear plants by 2030. (21.02.2010)
Environment minister stands firm on nuclear power plant closure
Germany's embattled environment minister has thrown his weight behind shutting down the country's nuclear reactors. Norbert Roettgen said he'd stick to an agreement that would see two power plants close in coming months. (15.02.2010)
Feedback
Should Gorleben become a permanent nuclear waste dump? Send us an e-mail. Please include your name and country in your reply.
Protests in Germany and France over nuclear waste
November 5, 2010
The CNSC Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (aka the Fox who Guards the Henhouse) has delayed granting of the license for Bruce Power to ship 16 radioactive steam generators from its facility by road to Owen Sound port and then by ship down the great lakes/st. lawrence watershed across the atlantic to sweden where a company Studsvik will recycle the waste metal for use in other products.
Here's a sampling of what's going on right now in France and Germany where protesters are out trying to stop another shipment of radioactive nuclear waste. Over 30,000 German people are expected on the streets tomorrow, Saturday.
What will happen here if Bruce gets the license to go ahead? Is there the will and momentum for people to get out on the roads?? It's a precedent that cannot be allowed.
Kittoh
<kittoh@storm.ca>
searched <germany nuclear waste protests>
numerous postings of this topic nov. 5, 2010
the articles are a bit repetitious but each contains some new info so we included all FYI.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/
Protest over nuclear 'train from hell'
Greenpeace has staged protests against a nuclear waste convoy which it claimed was “the most radioactive shipment in history” amounting to the radioactive equivalent of 11 Chernobyl disasters.
By Henry Samuel in Paris
Published: 5:16PM GMT 05 Nov 2010
Protesters blocked the train's progress at Caen, northern France, chaining themselves to the tracks just outside the station Photo: AFP/GETTY The “Train from Hell” carrying 123 tons of nuclear waste in 11 coaches set off yesterday afternoon from northwestern France to Germany under tight security, including 80 armed guards and fighter jets on standby.
It was due to pass close to at least five major cities, bypassing Paris by only about 100 miles during its 700-mile journey. Protesters blocked the train’s progress at Caen, northern France last night, chaining themselves to the tracks just outside the station.
In a move aimed at embarrassing France’s nuclear industry, Greenpeace published a detailed timetable of the train’s route, and encouraged protestors to disrupt the consignment in both countries.
Areva, the state-controlled French nuclear engineering company, said the shipment by rail from Valognes to a German storage site in the northeastern town of Goerleben was “completely normal” and the 11th of its kind.
But Greenpeace’s executive director, Kumi Naidoo, insisted the shipment was far more toxic than any movement ever attempted. .
Anne Lauvergeon, Areva’s CEO, dismissed the Chernobyl reference as “scandalous,” saying the waste was about the same amount as in the other 10 shipments.
“Greenpeace should be for recycling — it’s in fact a way of preserving the planet’s resources,” she said.
The nuclear giant said the solid waste was sealed in special glass containers that were encased in 16-inch thick steel containers. These were “rolling fortresses,” each benefiting from 100 tons of protection and able to withstand a head-on collision with a full-speed train or the impact of a plane crashing into them, it claimed.
Sortir du Nucléaire, an anti-nuclear French group, warned: 'If an accident from human error or a terrorist attack occurred during this transportation a vast area of northern Europe would be uninhabitable for generations to come”.
Greenpeace said it would sue Areva for breaching nuclear safety rules as the shipment was briefly stored in a hanger in Valognes that does not conform to nuclear norms.
The 308 glass containers came from the world’s largest nuclear recycling plant at nearby la Hague, the French equivalent of Sellafield.
The site, run by Areva, reprocesses nuclear waste from power stations by extracting uranium and plutonium to create Mox fuel. The recyclable and non-renewable waste is then sent back to user nations.
Around 30,000 anti-nuclear activisits are due to protest today (Sat) in Dannenberg, where the waste containers are to be loaded onto trucks for the final stretch of their journey.
Anti-nuclear sentiment has gained ground in Germany following a move by Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government to extend the lives of the country’s 17 nuclear power plants by an average 12 years.
The majority of Germans are against the plan which was approved by parliament next week.
A previous government pledged to shut down all German nuclear plants by 2021.
In France, which has 58 reactors, there is no such resistance to the use of nuclear power.
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http://abcnews.go.com/
Nuclear Waste Shipment to Germany Meets Protests
Environmental activists to protest shipment of nuclear waste from France to Germany
The Associated Press
CAEN, France November 5, 2010 (AP)
Environmental activists are gearing up for protests along the route of a contested shipment of 123 tons of recycled nuclear waste by rail from France to Germany.
A spokesman for French nuclear engineering company Areva says the shipment to a storage site in Goerleben, Germany, is "completely normal" and the 11th of its kind.
Yannick Rousselet of Greenpeace France says protesters were planning to deploy along every station the train is to pass through — with 30,000 activists readying in Germany.
Spent fuel from Germany's nuclear power plants is sent each year to France and a small amount is returned after reprocessing, often drawing protests.
Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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http://www.heraldtribune.com/
Contested nuclear waste leaves for Germany
The Associated Press
Published: Friday, November 5, 2010 at 9:21 a.m.
Last Modified: Friday, November 5, 2010 at 9:21 a.m.
VALOGNES, France - A spokesman for France's state-run nuclear engineering company says a train carrying 123 tons of nuclear waste has set off from France to Germany under tight security.
A train carrying 11 containers for the transportation and storage of nuclear waste, called CASTORs, is seen in Valognes' rail station, northwestern France, Thursday Nov. 4, 2010. Nuclear waste has been processed in the plutonium factory of La Hague, near Cherbourg, northwestern France. CASTOR shipments will be leaving from Valognes to Gorleben (Germany) on Friday, Nov. 5, 2010. (AP Photo/David Vincent) Environmentalists are planning protests throughout the train's trip.
Areva spokesman Christophe Neugnot said the shipment by rail began Friday afternoon from northwestern France, and will end at a storage site in the town of Goerleben over the weekend.
He said the shipment was "completely normal" and the 11th of its kind.
Greenpeace says the shipment is "the most radioactive in history" and equaled 11 times the radioactivity of the 1986 Chernobyl disaster.
Areva sharply denied that claim.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.
VALOGNES, France (AP) - Environmental activists unfurled banners near train stations and on railway overpasses Friday to protest a contested shipment of 123 tons of recycled nuclear waste from France to Germany.
State-controlled French nuclear engineering company Areva said the shipment by rail to a German storage site in the northeastern town of Goerleben was "completely normal" - and the 11th of its kind.
Greenpeace officials, including its executive director, Kumi Naidoo, said the shipment was "the most radioactive in history" and equaled 11 times the radioactivity of the 1986 Chernobyl disaster. Areva sharply denied the claim.
"The reference to Chernobyl is scandalous," said Areva CEO Anne Lauvergeon on France-Info radio. The waste was about the same amount as in the other 10 shipments, she said. Other Areva officials said it was smaller than some.
A spokesman for France's state-run nuclear engineering company says a train carrying 123 tons of nuclear waste has set off from France to Germany under tight security.
A train carrying 11 containers for the transportation and storage of nuclear waste, called CASTORs, is seen in Valognes' rail station, northwestern France, Thursday Nov. 4, 2010. Nuclear waste has been processed in the plutonium factory of La Hague, near Cherbourg, northwestern France. CASTOR shipments will be leaving from Valognes to Gorleben (Germany) on Friday, Nov. 5, 2010. (AP Photo/David Vincent)
Environmentalists are planning protests throughout the train's trip.
Areva spokesman Christophe Neugnot said the shipment by rail began Friday afternoon from northwestern France, and will end at a storage site in the town of Goerleben over the weekend.
He said the shipment was "completely normal" and the 11th of its kind.
Greenpeace says the shipment is "the most radioactive in history" and equaled 11 times the radioactivity of the 1986 Chernobyl disaster.
Areva sharply denied that claim.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.
VALOGNES, France (AP) - Environmental activists unfurled banners near train stations and on railway overpasses Friday to protest a contested shipment of 123 tons of recycled nuclear waste from France to Germany.
State-controlled French nuclear engineering company Areva said the shipment by rail to a German storage site in the northeastern town of Goerleben was "completely normal" - and the 11th of its kind.
Greenpeace officials, including its executive director, Kumi Naidoo, said the shipment was "the most radioactive in history" and equaled 11 times the radioactivity of the 1986 Chernobyl disaster. Areva sharply denied the claim.
"The reference to Chernobyl is scandalous," said Areva CEO Anne Lauvergeon on France-Info radio. The waste was about the same amount as in the other 10 shipments, she said. Other Areva officials said it was smaller than some.
The shipment was to roll out of a rail station in the town of Valognes on Friday afternoon, across northern France and then into Germany before arriving Saturday in Goerleben.
About 40 Greenpeace protesters unfurled banners near the station and at nearby overpasses as the train prepared to depart.
Areva spokesman Christophe Neugnot said the security measures, following international regulations, involved sealing the solid waste in special glass containers that were encased in 40-centimeter (16-inch) thick steel containers. He said they were "rolling fortresses," each benefiting from 100 tons of protection.
Protesters were planning to deploy along every station the train was to pass through, and thousands of activists were getting ready in Germany, said Yannick Rousselet of Greenpeace France.
A large demonstration is planned Saturday in Dannenberg, where the waste containers are to be loaded onto trucks for the final stretch of their journey.
The shipments from the reprocessing site in La Hague, France, to Goerleben have been a traditional focus of protests by Germany's vocal anti-nuclear lobby.
This year, a move by Chancellor Angela Merkel's government to extend the lives of Germany's 17 nuclear power plants by an average 12 years has given new energy to activists.
Nuclear energy has been unpopular in Germany since the Chernobyl disaster, and the plan partly rolls back a decade-old decision by a previous government to shut down all German nuclear plants by 2021. Opponents plan to protest Merkel's move in Germany's highest court.
Merkel maintains that atomic energy is a "bridging technology" that will allow the government to focus on further developing renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power and biofuels. Germany has no plans to build new nuclear plants.
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This was back in March when the destination for the above was made available. It's an old salt mine in northern Germany.
http://www.dw-world.de/dw/
Nuclear | 14.03.2010
Germany's Greens protest reopening of nuclear waste dump
Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: Gorleben has been a temporary nuclear dump for 30 yearsAfter a 10-year moratorium, exploration into the future of the Gorleben nuclear waste dump is to resume. The Green party and environmental leaders are protesting the decision.
Environmentalists and member of the Green party responded with sharp criticism to reports that the German Environment Ministry would reopen talks on the future of the Gorleben nuclear waste dump.
Greenpeace activists projected the phrase "Gorleben: unsuitable for nuclear waste, Mr. Roettgen" onto a tower at the disused salt mine in the early hours of Sunday.
Green party leaders sharply criticized the decision to resume talks to make the Gorleben salt mines a permanent nuclear waste dump.
Bildunterschrift: Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: The town of Gorleben has about 600 residents
A ministry spokeswoman declined to comment on the report and said Environment Minister Norbert Roettgen would be holding a press conference on the topic of Gorleben on Monday.
Discussions regarding using the underground salt mines in Gorleben in Lower Saxony have been on hold since 2000.
According to a report in Der Spiegel newsmagazine, exploration of the salt dome could take eight to 10 years.
During the exploration, the mining legislation would apply rather than nuclear legislation, which requires broader civic participation in the decision-making process, the magazine wrote.
Sharp criticism
The Green party expressed outrage over the decision and accused the environment minister of having the interests of the nuclear industry closer to his heart than people's health and safety.
"He's following in the tradition of the previous administration, attempting to fool the people of Gorleben with tricks and targeted manipulation," said Green party parliamentary leader Renate Kuenast.
"We will use all our powers to block this cowardly decision," said European Parliament Green leader Rebecca Harms, a native of the Gorleben region.
Hot topic
Storage of nuclear waste is a controversial topic in Germany, where there is no definitive agreement on what constitutes a suitable disposal site. Convoys transporting waste to interim storage sites are regularly the targets of protesters.
Bildunterschrift: Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: Activists have protested against the nuclear waste dump for years
Gorleben has been used as temporary repository for nuclear waste since 1983.
The site became even more controversial after it was revealed that the German government under Chancellor Helmut Kohl had suppressed scientific evidence against using the underground salt cavern for permanent nuclear waste storage.
Nuclear plant closure
Germany covers about a quarter of its energy consumption with nuclear power.
A phase-out of nuclear power has been planned for 2021, and eight of the country's 17 reactors are currently due to cease output in 2018. Chancellor Angela Merkel's center-right government has said it wants to extend the lives of national nuclear plants, but rifts inside her cabinet over the merit of rival renewable energies have delayed steps to prevent the closure.
smh/AFP/AP/dpa
Editor: Ben Knight
DW-WORLD.DE
Spanish villages vie for nuclear waste dump
When Madrid announced plans to build a centralized nuclear waste repository last year, more than 100 towns surged forward to offer their land. There are now just a few in the running. But what's in it for the winner? (12.03.2010)
Merkel puts brakes on minister's nuclear phase-out plans
Debate is still raging in the German government over the use of nuclear energy. Chancellor Merkel has distanced herself from comments by the environment minister that Germany could phase out its nuclear plants by 2030. (21.02.2010)
Environment minister stands firm on nuclear power plant closure
Germany's embattled environment minister has thrown his weight behind shutting down the country's nuclear reactors. Norbert Roettgen said he'd stick to an agreement that would see two power plants close in coming months. (15.02.2010)
Feedback
Should Gorleben become a permanent nuclear waste dump? Send us an e-mail. Please include your name and country in your reply.
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Attending Animal Fights Should Be a Crime
Take action link: http://www.care2.com/go/z/e/AF7hc/zKPQ/AEgHU
 Hi David, | Animal fighting is incredibly cruel, as we've learned through cases like Michael Vick's dog fighting operation. Unfortunately, because people attend these barbaric events, animal fighting has become a lucrative underground business. Make attending an animal fight a crime. » In New York, attending an animal fight is only a "violation," resulting in a fine and no criminal record. But a new bill would make animal fight attendance a misdemeanor, and give law enforcement a powerful tool in shutting down these operations. » The people who operate animal fights aren't the only ones who keep the business going -- fight attendees perpetuate animal abuse and shouldn't slide by without reasonable punishment. Tell New York legislators to make attending animal fights a misdemeanor crime. »  Thanks for taking action! | Kayla ThePetitionSite
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Warrantless Cell Phone Tracking Unconstitutional, Federal Judge Finds
In August, a New York federal court found that law enforcement agents are constitutionally obligated to get a warrant based on probable cause before obtaining historical cell phone location information. And in September, the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals held that judges may order the government to get a warrant for cell phone location information based on probable cause. However, the 3rd Circuit also held that judges are not obligated to require probable cause and cautioned that they should only require the government to meet this high standard on rare occasions.
Now, another court has joined the fray. In a detailed opinion citing documents obtained through litigation by the ACLU and Electronic Frontier Foundation, Judge Stephen Smith of the Southern District of Texas held that "warrantless disclosure of cell site data violates the Fourth Amendment."
A few aspects of the opinion are worth noting:
In August, a New York federal court found that law enforcement agents are constitutionally obligated to get a warrant based on probable cause before obtaining historical cell phone location information. And in September, the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals held that judges may order the government to get a warrant for cell phone location information based on probable cause. However, the 3rd Circuit also held that judges are not obligated to require probable cause and cautioned that they should only require the government to meet this high standard on rare occasions.
Now, another court has joined the fray. In a detailed opinion citing documents obtained through litigation by the ACLU and Electronic Frontier Foundation, Judge Stephen Smith of the Southern District of Texas held that "warrantless disclosure of cell site data violates the Fourth Amendment."
A few aspects of the opinion are worth noting:
According to Judge Smith, "the Government seeks continuous location data to track the target phone over a two month period, whether the phone was in active use or not." This is notable because the cell tracking applications we have seen previously only sought location information for those moments when an individual actually made a phone call. The government is now asking for a great deal more information, and consequently, its requests are now more invasive than we previously thought.
Cell tracking information has grown to be more accurate over time. In fact, it is because of these "refinements in location-based technology" that Judge Smith concludes that requests for cell tracking information trigger the Fourth Amendment's warrant requirement.
The Fourth Amendment requires the government to get a warrant and show probable cause to obtain historical cell tracking information. The court reached this conclusion both because cell tracking reveals information about constitutionally protected spaces, such as the home, and because the prolonged nature of such surveillance is very invasive.
"When crazy people call you crazy, you know you're sane.
When evil people call you evil, you know that you are a good person.
When lairs call you a liar, you know that you are truthful.
Know who you are and don't let others tell you who you are." - Dave Kitche
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