October 31, 2000
Trick or treat? Leading the Halloween edition, the UK rushes to blame
enhanced greenhouse for a storm: Environment
Agency says storms will become more common | More
tornadoes likely as global warming sends weather haywire | Wild
weather 'a sign of climate change' (Ananova) | Are
storms the result of global warming? | Britain
hit by worst storms for 13 years | We've
got to fix those cars (environment minister Michael Meacher) | Global
warming: it's with us now | No,
no November (Guardian) | We
need a sea change in our attitude to global warming
| The
day Britain took a battering (Independent) | Raging
planet | In
times of shortage, fill up with humanity | Why
the Great Storm was not as bad (each way bet from The Times) | BBC Online
left well alone and simply reported the weather with Storm
chaos across Britain.
That left the Telegraph almost alone in debunking enhanced
greenhouse hysteria with Britain
takes a battering | Divine
displeasure? | Acid
test, surprisingly supported by The Express with This
fuel furore will not help to save the planet.
"Disaster,
disease caused by global warming" - "Dhaka, Bangladesh -
Frequent natural disasters and the return of diseases previously eradicated in
Bangladesh are the results of global warming, experts say. A study by the
South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation (SAARC) showed an
"alarming" rise in sea levels of "up to 10 millimetres (0.4
inches) at some points in some countries, including Bangladesh," Abdul
Musawwir Chowdhury of the government's Bangladesh Space Research and Remote
Sensing Organisation (SPARRSO) said." (News 24)
Fenton Communications' latest foray: Scientists
declare global warming and human impacts are combining destructive forces on
coral reefs (check out NoMoreScares.com
for more on Fenton et al)
"China
to become biggest polluter" - "Beijing - China, on track to
become the world's number one emitter of carbon dioxide, will not sacrifice
its economic development to the battle against global warming, officials said.
Beijing will approach an international global warming conference in The Hague
in November ready to torpedo any proposal which seeks to impose restrictions
on developing countries' pollution emissions, as has been suggested by German
Environment Minister Juergen Trittin. "The issue of cutting developing
countries' carbon gas emissions should not be revived again," said a
Chinese foreign ministry spokesman." (News 24)
"Warm
and Warmer" - "One of these days, probably after some
catastrophe in which hundreds of people are killed, we'll start to take global
warming seriously. Every few months we get a scary update on this phenomenon
and there's a sense of "Well, gee, we really should be doing something
about this." But the story quickly fades and we turn our attention back
to "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire," or the second coming of
"Survivor," or whatever. There's always something more pressing than
global warming." (Bob Herbert at it again in NY Times) The Washington
Post believes
it too.
"New Climate
Scares Are Politics As Usual" - "It's Halloween time,
and things are starting to get scary on the environmental front. In two weeks
at The Hague in the Netherlands, hundreds of scientists and government
officials will gather at the Sixth Conference of the Parties to hammer out
rules and regulations to deal with global warming. Appropriately acronymed
COP-6, this United Nation's conclave aims to police and eventually arrest the
emission of greenhouse gases from human activity." (James K. Glassman,
Reason Online)
"Canada
has done 'nothing' since Kyoto" - "Suzuki says government
has sought 'loopholes' in greenhouse gas deal." (Ottawa Citizen)
"Clean, Green and Secret" -
"... But the Vice President's views here are worth revisiting, because they
have clear implications in a critical area of executive power: regulation. Now
we've all heard Mr. Gore contrasting his own abstract projections of a cleaner,
greener America against what he paints as the scarred and uncaring landscape of
Governor Bush's Texas. All the more reason to look at what it would mean if Mr.
Gore's brand of caring ever made it out of his books and town hall meetings and
into government. For in the past month the Administration has given us a good
taste of the bitter medicine he has in mind. ... Given his own more
"populist" and antibusiness agenda, we can expect Mr. Gore to take
this practice to the next level. On the TV circuit, of course, Mr. Gore's views
on everything from health care to the environment have become a regular staple
of late-night monologues. As executive orders, they won't be so funny."
(WSJ)
"Halloween
Safety: Safety Alert" - "A few safety tips from the U.S.
Consumer Product Safety Commission can protect children who plan to go
trick-or-treating this Halloween." (CPSC) [Study
says Halloween's real peril is cars, not razor blades]
"Be
afraid, it is good for your health" - "Halloween ghouls and
monsters are good for you, scientists believe. Some of the world's prominent
academics and neuroscientists say fear offers big therapeutic benefits, and too
little may even do you harm." (National Post)
"CELTIC
LEGACY" - "Halloween naysayers warn that, if little
Peter dresses up as the devil on Tuesday, he runs the risk of meeting the real
Satan, who considers the holiday a tribute. But the only things remotely satanic
about All Hallows' Eve are strange--and rather harmless--folk rituals: They
involve young Irish girls' underwear and apple peeling." (Chicago Tribune)
[Halloween,
When Candy's Bad Rap Takes A Holiday]
"Fatty
diets 'not linked to breast cancer'" - "Scientists have
produced evidence to debunk the widely held belief that a high fat diet
increases the risk of breast cancer in older women." (BBC Online)
"Scientists
find bras a pain and a possible cancer risk" - "WEARING a
bra exposes women to a "statistically significant" risk of increased
breast pain, cysts in the breast and might even be linked to the development
of cancer, according to a study." (Telegraph)
Well, actually, no they don't:
"Claims
of bra link to cancer dismissed" - "A British surgeon has
denied claims that his study into breast pain has found any link between
wearing a bra and developing cancer." (BBC Online)
"Wild
for chocolate?" - "Forget about lollipops, and don't even
think of buying peppermints. As Halloween draws near, many discerning
trick-or-treaters agree there's only one sweet worth getting: chocolate. On the
brink of one of chocolate's biggest nights of the year, environmentalists are
asking to spare a thought for where this treat comes from -- the world's
tropical forests, where the main ingredient in chocolate is grown." (USA
Today)
"You Can't Make That
Decision For Yourself" - "What's this? Massachusetts diners can't
choose to eat sushi unless it has been frozen or cooked because of the
infinitely small chance of it making them sick. The Boston Herald comments on
this and other inane outcomes of the nannies' latest attempt to save us from
ourselves. Meanwhile, New Zealand nannies are attempting
to "save" us by taxing high-calorie foods so that we can't afford
to buy them, as proposed in this country by the Center for the Science in the
Public Interest. "The public health community seems reluctant to learn the
lessons from the history of tobacco and alcohol control in New Zealand: price is
a key factor affecting behaviour. A tax, applied at source, on the saturated fat
content of manufactured meat and dairy products seems feasible," doctors in
support of a fat-tax wrote in the country's Medical Journal."
(GuestChoice.com)
"Hospitals
'beating the superbugs'" - "Hospitals appear to be winning the
war against so called superbugs, according to a team of scientists in Edinburgh.
The deadly infections are picked up by patients in hospitals and are resistant
to nearly all antibiotics. But the Edinburgh scientists have discovered that the
levels of resistance have stopped rising for the first time - meaning doctors
may now be able to treat them." (BBC Online)
"GE
boon to medical safety, inquiry told" - "Seven New Zealanders
are known to have died from Creutzfeldt Jakob Disease (CJD), some of them after
using a natural growth hormone drawn from humans, the Royal Commission on
Genetic Modification was told yesterday. But the deaths linked to the hormone
taken from humans had stopped when a genetically engineered product was
substituted." (NZ Herald)
"Enzo
Biochem Says Drug Suppresses Liver Cancer in Mice" - "DALLAS -
Biotechnology company Enzo Biochem Inc. Monday said its immune regulation
product had reduced mortality and completely suppressed HBV-associated human
liver cancer in laboratory mice." (Reuters)
"Australia
GM laws seen helping to ease public fear" - "CANBERRA - An
Australian group supporting genetic technology in agriculture said yesterday
tighter regulation could help soothe public concerns about genetically modified
(GM) crops, but push up the costs of compliance." (Reuters)
"Common Kidney
Disease Has a Genetic Basis" - "Researchers have located a
gene that causes immunoglobulin A nephropathy (IgAN), one of the most common
kidney diseases. IgAN, which was not previously recognized to be an inherited
disorder, affects up to one percent of the population worldwide and 100,000
people in the United States. In discovering that the development of IgAN is
influenced by a gene on chromosome 6, the scientists have opened the way to
better understanding of the cause of IgAN and the possibility that treatment
aimed at the molecular cause of IgAN may one day prevent kidney failure in
patients with the disorder." (HHMI)
"Study:
Potato Vaccine May Work Against Hepatitis" - "WASHINGTON -
Researchers said on Monday they had taken a step closer to making an edible
vaccine against hepatitis B, a virus that infects billions of people and that
can lead to liver disease, cancer and even death." (Reuters)
"Genes May
Affect Susceptibility To Lead Exposure" - "Genes may in
part determine how lead is handled by the body and how it collects in the blood
and the bone. Researchers at the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health have
found evidence suggesting that genetic factors may significantly influence how
susceptible a person is to lead exposure. The study appears in the October 2000
issue of Environmental Health Perspectives." (UniSci)
"Everyday
electrical appliances may threaten fertility"
- 'Women who are exposed to low level radiation from everyday electrical
appliances may be lowering their chances of having children. ... Dr
Michael Clark, from the radiation watchdog, said that appliances in the home had
electromagnetic radiation levels much lower than those used in the study.
"Turning this into advice for women on contraception, I think, is taking it
too far," he said. "Although other work in this area has shown no
effect on reproduction in mice, we will look at this latest research very
carefully and refer it to our advisory group." (Independent) [BBC
Online]
"Wetlands
and federal power" - "Case before the Supreme Court will shape
how much say Uncle Sam has in local conservation." (CSM)
"Economic
realities depleting arsenal of antiparasitic drugs" - "While
resistance may be reducing the effectiveness of our medicine chest, we have
another force to fear: economics. Many drugs still effective against parasitic
diseases are either no longer available, no longer manufactured or in danger of
being pulled from the market simply because they are not economically viable,
say researchers from the Baylor College of Medicine and Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC) at a presentation during the annual meeting of the
American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene." (ASM)
"'Death
toll from CJD could rise to millions'"
- "The death toll from CJD could rise to thousands or even millions,
scientists warned yesterday." [Fears
of new CJD 'cluster' after two die in same street] (Independent)
October 30, 2000
"THE
HOT AIR CANDIDATE" - "Citing a draft U.N. report claiming
pollution may cause the Earth's temperature to rise by 10 degrees Fahrenheit
over the next century, Gore said at a rally last week, "My opponent says on
global warming, he's not sure what the cause is, and maybe we shouldn't do
anything about it or just study it . . . I have never backed down or given up on
the environment and I never will in my whole life. I guaran-damn-tee-it!"
So why has Gore scarcely mentioned the issue during the campaign - even though
the draft report was released last April?" (Steven Milloy in the New York
Post)
"The Cell-Phone Scare" - "When fear is the opponent, science doesn't stand a chance." (Gary Taubes in Technology Review)
What a circus: "COP6
organizers will premiere Imax film on climate change" -
"Back in March of this year, as preparations for the Sixth Conference of
the Parties to the United Nations Framework on Global Climate Change (COP6)
started to gather steam, Jan Pronk, the Dutch Environment Minister who is
chairman of the event, said he wanted its opening ceremony to be truly
special. To that end, he decided that the curtain raiser would be an Imax film
to be seen on a giant 7,500 square foot (700 square meter) screen. The
conference organizers at the ministry rushed to consult world experts on the
feasibility of the project. They were quickly told that an Imax movie would
require extensive funding and two years of work." (Earth Times)
"Climate
change warning for 'tornado Britain' - Meacher" -
"World climate change could be one of the factors causing this weekend's
storms and tornadoes, says Environment Minister Michael Meacher. After
visiting the scene of a tornado which ripped through Bognor Regis, West
Sussex, Mr Meacher said the role of pollution and its effect on the global
atmosphere was one of the reasons people were seeing increasingly varied
weather." (Ananova) [South
braced for more storms]
Really? This from Professor Philip Stott:
Gilbert White of Selborne: his Naturalist's Journal
for the Year 1770:- "Oct. 18, 1770: Vast floods on the Sussex rivers:
the meadows all under water. Vast flood at Houghton... The Sussex-rivers are
very liable to floods, which occasion great loss & inconvenience to the
Farmers.
Oct. 29, 1770: Trees carry their leaves well for the season.
Nov. 8, 1770: Heavy rain for 24 hours.
Nov. 9, 1770: Floods: torrents & cataracts in the lanes."
Comment: sounds familiar? So much then for 'global
warming' causing the 'extreme' events of this year in Sussex! The cynical
use of such normal non-equilibrium climatic events by environmental
extremists to try to frighten people into believing in human-induced 'global
warming' is just immoral.
"Global
warming may devastate Pacific nations - report" - "WELLINGTON
- Rising sea levels and sea temperatures caused by global warming may devastate
the economies of several small South Pacific nations over the next 20 years,
according to an economic report released on Friday. The report, commissioned by
the environmental group Greenpeace, estimated that a rise in the sea level of
12-20 cm (4.7-7.8 inches) would cost nine small Polynesian and Micronesian
nations A$4-5 billion ($2.0-$2.6 billion) over the next 20 years."
(Reuters)
"South
Pacific sea levels seen needing more study" - "TARAWA,
Kiribati Sea levels may be rising but there is no evidence yet to suggest this
is being accelerated by global warming, the director of an environmental
monitoring project for South Pacific islands said on Saturday. ... Scherer said
he was confident a report by the U.N.-sponsored Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change, due for release in February, would also show no acceleration in
sea change. "It will recognise that on the historical data, even on a
global basis, there is no evidence of accelerations," he told Reuters
following the briefing, adding that as a contributor he had seen some sections
of the report." (Reuters)
"We're
all `polluters,' a nebulous term" - "Vice President Al Gore
has long been in the front rank of the crowd predicting environmental disaster
from global warming. Now he's implying that ``the big polluters'' are behind it
all - and of course, supporting his opponent. As Pogo said in the famous comic
strip: We have met the enemy and he is us. The ``polluters'' in Gore's latest
resort to demagoguery are mostly the cars we all drive and the power plants that
generate electricity we all use." (Boston Herald editorial)
"Pollution
makes Chinese men impotent" - "BEIJING - Heavy pollution is
contributing to soaring rates of impotence among men in China, the China Daily
reported on Saturday. Some 20-30 percent of all adult men in a total population
of 1.3 billion suffer from sexual problems, including impotence and sterility,
the newspaper said without giving the source of its statistics." (Reuters)
"No
Subsidies for Hybrid Autos" - "Taxpayers finally won a round
in Washington last week when congressional Republicans rejected yet more
subsidies for “alternative-fuel” vehicles. A similar scheme is the central
element of Democratic presidential candidate Al Gore’s energy policy. But
there’s no way to justify spending billions of taxpayers’ dollars on
unmarketable cars. The congressional measure would have made available a tax
credit worth up to $3,000 on the purchase of a hybrid vehicle — which combines
components of a conventional internal combustion engine and an electric motor to
improve fuel efficiency. The actual credit would be calculated on the amount of
power derived from the rechargeable energy source — a formula perfectly
tailored for regulatory overreach." (Detroit News)
"Straw
orders police to be more forceful with fuel protesters"
- "Police and army drivers have been put on standby by the Government to
break up any future fuel protest and keep petrol tankers on the road. Hundreds
of army drivers are receiving emergency training so that they are licensed to
drive petrol tankers past picket lines. The Home Secretary has also instructed
the police to intervene more forcefully to break up any future fuel protest.
Jack Straw has told police chiefs to take a more assertive stance towards
pickets than during last month's protests which brought much of Britain to a
halt." (Independent)
"$10
Oil?" - "... Now 70, Yamani is chairman of the Centre for
Global Energy Studies, a think tank in London he founded a decade ago. And he is
making another prediction that will not be popular within the royalty of OPEC:
He sees the price falling from the current $34 to as low as $10 a barrel by the
end of next year. "I would be happy if I was wrong, but I know, as sure as
a-b-c, that it is coming," he says." (Forbes)
"Industrial
efforts required to cut gas emissions: NGO" - "Japan can meet
its international pledge to fight global warming by forcing its industries to
cut energy consumption, a nongovernmental organization proposed at a symposium
in Tokyo on Sunday." (Japan Times)
"Denmark
says confident will meet CO2 emission goal" - "COPENHAGEN -
The Danish Energy Agency said on Friday it was confident Denmark would meet its
tough target to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by 21 percent in line with
a global strive to curb greenhouse gases." (Reuters)
"Govt plan to
cut greenhouse gases in doubt over definition of 'forest'" -
"A disagreement over the definition of "forest" means that Japan
may have difficulty fulfilling its commitment to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions
under the Kyoto Protocol adopted during the Third Conference of Parties to the
U.S. Framework Convention on Climate Change held in Kyoto in 1997." (Daily
Yomiuri)
"Americans
refuse to pay more for 'green' power" - "Nearly half of
American consumers remain cool to the idea of paying more for electricity to
help mitigate global warming, according to a new survey. The survey of 600
American households sponsored by Deloitte & Touche found more than 33
percent were ''not willing at all'' to pay a 20 percent premium for electricity
derived from cleaner fuel technologies and another 14 percent said they would
rather not pay extra." (Boston Globe)
"Taiwan
opposition to mull action on nuclear plant" - "TAIPEI - Taiwan
President Chen Shui-bian's closest rival in the March, 2000, presidential vote,
James Soong, said on Sunday he would meet with other opposition leaders to fight
the government's decision to scrap a nuclear power plant. "These
discussions will not be limited to a vote of no-confidence in the cabinet or
impeaching the president, but forming a consensus among opposition
parties," said former provincial governor Soong, who heads the People First
Party." (Reuters)
"The Week That
Was October 28, 2000 - "HOW FARES THE KYOTO PROTOCOL?; THE EU IN A
PANIC; MORE FUEL CELL HYPE; TROPICS ONCE FELT CHILL OF ICE AGE; GELBSPAN PUTS
THE HEAT ON GORE." (SEPP)
"Too
clean for our own good?" - "Why
don't children who live on farms develop many allergies while those who live in
cities have a 40 to 50 percent risk of becoming allergic to something? Why do
children who start day care before 6 months of age have little risk of
developing asthma—an allergy—while the disease is epidemic among rich,
middle-class and poor children who enter child care later? Why can children
growing up in Jamaica eat all the peanuts they want while Jamaican children
growing up in London develop peanut allergies?" (Chicago Tribune)
"Fat-tax
plan to reduce disease" - "Beef burgers and creamy milkshakes
could hit New Zealanders' hip-pockets as hard as their waistlines if
policymakers swallow a "fat-tax" proposal from doctors." (NZ
Herald)
"Fraudulent
Marketers Capitalize on Demand for Sweat-Free Diets" - "...
Since fenfluramine, part of the popular prescription drug combination known as
fen-phen, was pulled from pharmacy shelves in 1997 for causing dangerous and
potentially fatal side effects, dieters have scrambled for a substitute that
offers the same dramatic results with as little effort. In their search, they
have turned quick-fix, over-the- counter weight loss products from a tiny sliver
of the diet industry into its fastest-growing segment." (NY Times)
"USDA
seeks advice on its role in bio-grain segregation" -
"WASHINGTON - The US Agriculture Department will publish a notice in
November asking grain exporters, farm groups, food manufacturers and others if
government rules are needed to ensure the strict segregation of gene-altered
crops, such as StarLink corn." (Reuters)
"Few
in Asia worried about US bio-corn - trade" - "SINGAPORE - Few
if any Asian corn buyers outside Japan seem concerned about the controversy
surrounding US Starlink biotech corn, but prices might be affected if Japan
turns away from US supplies, traders said on Friday." (Reuters)
"No
need for EU alarm over StarLink corn - EU aide" - "WASHINGTON
- A European Union official said on Friday he saw no threat to the health of
European consumers from a biotech corn variety that has caused controversy in
the United States and Japan." (Reuters)
"Mice
protected by vaccine in GM potatoes" - "THE day when a tablet
of potato or sun-dried tomato replaces vaccination injections for deadly
diseases has moved a step closer. Scientists have successfully tested a
genetically modified potato with a built-in vaccine for hepatitis B on mice,
according to a report published today. The oral vaccine passed through the
animals' stomachs without being broken down and stimulated the production of
antibodies against the disease." (Telegraph)
'We
can rebuild him....' - "Scientists are developing new ways to treat
previously incurable conditions by tapping into the body's remarkable ability to
renew itself. Until recently, it was thought impossible to re-grow human tissue
but, as the BBC television programme Superhuman reports, many doctors now think
it can be done - and some are making dramatic breakthroughs. The key is to
identify the genes involved in self-repair and stimulate them to regenerate new
cells, tissues and even organs." (BBC Online)
"MEDICINE'S
BIBLE LOSING ITS AURA OF GOSPEL TRUTH" - "A new broom
sweeps clean, but when those being swept are regarded as the guardians of the
medical profession's highest scientific and moral standards, the broom seems a
sad sign of dangerous times. A flurry of house-cleaning has befallen the world's
most esteemed medical publication--the patrician New England Journal of
Medicine, which since 1812 has been giving doctors the information they need to
take care of the sick." (Chicago Tribune)
"Scientists
closer to arthritis 'cure'" - "A new arthritis treatment by
British scientists may lead to a cure for the crippling disease. Initial trials
of the drug treatment have exceeded all expectations with only two out of 20
patients showing no benefits." (BBC Online)
"Alcoholic
liver disease may be genetic" - "DALLAS, TEXAS – A new study
released at the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD)
2000 Annual Meeting in Dallas, October 29 – 31, suggests that genetic factors
play a role in the development of advanced alcoholic liver disease (ALD) in
heavy drinkers." (K-M Communications)
"Are
libertarian ideas catching on" - "IN THE LAST century, the
principles of individual liberty and small government were often declared dead
and obsolete. Yet as the new millennium begins, these ideals still have powerful
appeal. While some - including Al Gore - would give the government credit for
our unprecedented prosperity, most Americans remain skeptical. A recent
Washington Post/ABC News poll found that 60 percent would rather have a smaller
government with fewer services than a bigger government with more services.
(While men are more likely to take this view, it is endorsed by more than half
of women.)" (Cathy Young in the Boston Globe)
"Is
the Steller sea lion Alaska's spotted owl?" - "In the 1970s a
rare, finger-length fish, the snail darter, famously halted work on a huge
federal dam project in Tennessee. In the early 1990s the federal government put
millions of acres of Pacific Northwest timber off-limits to loggers because of a
bird, the spotted owl. Now, in Alaska, another animal is gaining notoriety
because of its status as an endangered species." (Anchorage Daily News)
"Wild
flowers disappearing from the countryside"
- "Britain's common wild flowers are growing scarcer in every county, apart
from a few species which are flourishing at the expense of the rest, according
to a new report from the conservation charity Plantlife. ... It is happening,
the report says, only partly because of habitat destruction, development, the
drainage of wet places and the decline of woodland management. Another major
reason, so far unappreciated, is the overall increase in Britain's soil
fertility, as a result of nitrogen enrichment from years of chemical fertilisers
being used in farming, and from nitrogen deposits laid down by road-traffic
pollution." (Independent)
October 29, 2000
"For
my next trick, I'll save the world" - "... Dad's big speech
on the environment earlier in the week also featured a guest appearance by
Euan, though this was less of a surprise. It is ever the Prime Minister's
habit to deploy his children as a token of his sincerity about saving the
world. He suggested that it was his son who opened his eyes to the importance
of the environment when Euan butted into a discussion with a colleague and sat
up debating with them 'into the late hours'. The Prime Minister expresses
himself 'stunned' by how 'interested and knowledgeable' his son's generation
are about the threat to the planet. This may tell us less about the young's
grasp of the issues as Blair senior's lack of it." (Andrew Rawnsley,
Observer)
Hmm... a youth, completely lacking life experience and
hardly expected to be discerning when it comes to evaluating fact and dogma,
sways UK politics. If true, this is a dramatic demonstration of just how
much trouble the world is in. And true it may be for our young are
'educated' by perpetual juveniles who have never emerged from the school
system, lack any real world experience due to a totally cloistered existence
and are highly susceptible to dogma dissemination. It is no accident that
anti-capitalists and conservationists recruit so heavily among the young in
universities, colleges and schools because they follow the spirit of
Goebbels (Paul Joseph Goebbels, 1897-1945, Nazi politician; minister of
propaganda 1933-45), who said "Give me the child until he is
5 and I will give you the man for life." Apparently, the spirit
of this lesson has been learned well by the nature uber alles brigade
for a huge amount of dizinformation is distributed via schools and
the eduction system, leaving our younger generations and educators believing
that the world is terminal and worsening and that people are to blame. That
this works well is evidenced by the success of such bizarre and patently
absurd scares as enhanced greenhouse, trace chemical exposure, cell phone
and/or power line radiation, crop enhancement
...
If policy is indeed being influenced by a know-nothing
kid, self-described as 'the family drunk' and under the influence of
eco-flakes then the UK is in very deep trouble - and so are the rest
of us.
Pre-COP6 hype & book promotion: "Beating
the Heat, a Practical Manual of Climate Change" - "BERKELEY,
California, October 27, 2000 (ENS) - Scientists charged with forecasting
global temperature increases due to climate change have almost doubled their
worst case scenarios since their last assessment for the Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change in 1995. The latest projections to the year 2100 range
from a 1.5 to 6 degrees centigrade increase in global average
temperatures." (ENS [who, as every schoolboy knows, are
sponsored by IFAW (International Fund for Animal Welfare)])
Beating the Drum Heat comes with
pre-publication comments from: John Adams, co-founder and President, Natural
Resources Defense Council; Lester Brown, President, Worldwatch Institute;
Ernest Callenbach, author of Ecotopia and Ecology: A Pocket Guide;
and Stephen Schneider, Stanford University; Editor, Climatic Change.
Quite a collection of serial disaster prognosticators. Perhaps best summed
by citing Stephen (was "Ice Age/Global Cooling", now, "Global
Warming") Schneider: "To capture the public imagination, we
have to offer up scary scenarios, make simplified, dramatic statements, and
make little mention of any doubts we may have. Each of us has to decide what
the right balance is between being effective and being honest." - Discover
Magazine, Oct 1989.
"Global
warming 'worse than feared'" - "A draft report prepared for
the world's governments says that the earth may heat up much more than current
forecasts suggest." (BBC Online's Alex "G. W." [for
"Global Warming"] Kirby gets into the act) [NY
Times too]
"Pacific
sea levels not rising: New research" - "TARAWA, Kiribati -
The latest scientific research has shown Pacific Ocean sea levels are not
rising, it was announced today. Dr Wolfgang Scherer, director of Australia's
National Tidal Facility, told journalists covering the Pacific Islands Forum
here that data gathered over the past nine years showed no evidence of sea
levels increasing. Under an Australian aid programme in association with the
South Pacific Regional Environment Program, automatic sea level and climate
observation stations installed in 11 island countries had been feeding data
via satellite back to his project base in Adelaide. While there was mounting
evidence of oceans warming to some extent, he said no evidence existed of sea
levels rising." (AFP)
?!! "Global
warming to blame for monsoon rains here, study finds" -
"... According to many scientific studies, the Earth's atmospheric
temperature has risen by about 2.5 degrees Celsius over the last
century." (Haaretz Daily)
I've seen figures ranging from +0.3°C to +0.6°C over
the past century but +2.5°C is certainly a new one. Perhaps they mean since
the latter 17th century - the
depths of the LIA (Little Ice Age)? Even then they could be rather
stretching a friendship.
"Tories
favour N-plants"
- "A new generation of nuclear power stations is being mooted as a
solution to serious doubts about the UK's ability to meet targets for the
reduction of carbon dioxide emissions. Conservative trade and industry
spokesman David Heathcoat-Amory believes construction of up to eight
new-generation pressurised water reactors - the technology used in Britain's
most modern plant at Sizewell B in Suffolk - should be considered as a
possible solution to Britain's energy problems." (Observer)
"DDT
maker agrees to settle pollution lawsuit" - "LOS ANGELES
(October 28, 2000 7:29 a.m. EDT http://www.nandotimes.com) - A pollution trial
ten years in the making has ended with Montrose Chemical Corp. and two other
companies agreeing to pay an undisclosed amount to compensate Californians for
damages linked to a large DDT deposit in the ocean off Los Angeles. The deal
came Friday after nearly a week of testimony in what was one of the nation's
largest and longest-standing environmental cases. The government was seeking
roughly $150 million in damages." (AP)
Interesting. Just because you are obeying the law of
the day doesn't mean you behave legally. Judge Real should also get real and
check out 100 things you should know about DDT
"Toxic
fumes from refuse ovens could kill 9,000" - "Government
plans to burn household waste in incinerators rather than recycle it will
produce so much toxic pollution it will cause almost 9,000 deaths."
(Observer)
Gummint replaces Ben &
Jerry's?
"Study
shatters television myth" - "Experts have debunked the theory
that watching television leads to bad behaviour in children." (Sunday
Telegraph) [Observer]
"Scientists
lose sleep over endocrine disruptors" - "In the early 1980s,
British scientists studying aquatic life in the Thames River system discovered
several fish with a confusing gender issue. Some fish that were supposed to be
male according to their genetic code had, in fact, developed as females. This
hermaphroditic condition was traced back to environmental contaminants now
known as endocrine disruptors." (ENN)
Curious, very weak hormonally active agents such as
detergents and plastics are specifically cited yet there is no mention of
actual hormones which abound in human effluent. Shouldn't effort be directed
more at the real McCoy rather than pathetically weak mimics?
"Conundrum
of the hereditary component of testicular cancer" - "No reason
has been found for the tenfold increase in incidence of testicular cancer in
industrialised countries during the twentieth century1 beyond the
bland notion that there is very likely to be an environmental cause. It is
ironic therefore that the largest case-control study, done at the end of that
century, should show that the greatest risk factor for testicular cancer was
hereditary.2,3 Several statistically significant environmental
factors were also found--testicular maldescent (as usual), early onset of
puberty, increased sexual activity, sedentary lifestyle, reduced exercise, and
being a first-born child--but these effects were small. However, patients with
testicular cancer were four times more likely than controls to have a father,
and eight times more likely to have a brother, with the same cancer.2
Elsewhere these risks were found to be 4 and 10, respectively.4 These
levels of risk are much higher than in almost all other cancer types, most
notably breast cancer, for which a familial pattern of disease has gained so
much attention." (The Lancet)
"How
sleep can save your life" - "Ten million Britons are not
getting enough time in bed, sleeping. They run the risk of strokes, obesity,
depression, and even cancer, reports Anthony Browne" (Observer)
"Study:
Environment Not to Blame for Asthma" - "FRIDAY, Oct. 27 --
Hold the dust mop: A new study shows that exposure to cat fur and dust mites
doesn't necessarily cause childhood asthma. Researchers at Humboldt University
in Germany say the seven-year study shows routine contact with such microscopic
elements around the house doesn't cause childhood asthma. Rather, they say, the
lung condition is determined by an array of independent factors. Those results,
published in the Oct. 21 issue of The Lancet, contradict the findings of
other asthma researchers who say environmental factors like dust and exposure to
cat dander and secondhand smoke have an influence on the development of asthma,
which affects 17.3 million people in the United States. Those figures have
jumped 80 percent over the past 20 years, experts say, and asthma is especially
a problem for inner-city children." (HealthScout)
"More
to smoking and lung cancer than meets the eye?" - "... Using
the International Agency for Research on Cancer p53 database, Rodin and
co-workers analysed p53 mutations in cancers accessible to smoke (for example,
lung, oesophagus, oral cavity). No significant differences were found either in
the frequency or types of p53 mutations in smokers compared with non-smokers.
Furthermore, there was no difference in the frequency of tumours with silent p53
mutations in smokers compared with non-smokers." (The Lancet)
"After
BSE: a crisis for science" - "BSE is the latest crisis to dent
public faith in those who should know better" (Guardian)
"Travel
and risk of venous thrombosis" - "In 1998 the term economy
class syndrome was coined to describe the association between travel and
thrombosis. A fair risk estimate, however, has not been done. We report the
results of a prospective study, in which we kept the effect of bias to a
minimum. We compared travel history in 788 patients with venous thrombosis with
that of controls with similar symptoms but in whom the disease had been
excluded. For air travel alone, the odds ratio was 1·0 (95% CI 0·3-3·0);
also, no association was recorded for other methods of transportation. We have
shown that, there is no increased risk of deep vein thrombosis among
travellers." (The Lancet)
"Blast
fishing competes with reef conference" - "A week-long,
international gathering of coral reef experts that concluded Friday in Bali has
done much more than generate new scientific insights and management strategies
to protect the ocean environment. The symposium has already had an inadvertent,
explosive impact on coral reefs in Indonesia." (ENN)
"Private
Property Scorecard Released" - "The League of Private Property
Voters (LPPV) released its annual scorecard today, covering the most important
votes of the 1999-2000 106th Congress." (ALRA)
October 28, 2000
"Preparations
continue for climate change conference" - "... With the
total number of participants estimated at 10,000, the task at hand is of
almost epic proportions. The Statenhal, a massive 60,000 square-foot
hangar-like structure inside the Netherlands Congress Center, will house 17
offices for the country delegations, United Nations officials, NGOs and
journalists." (Earth Times)
Add in the emissions from all those millions of air
miles travelled by 'parties', subsidiary transport, catering, additional
electrical generation to support the circus etc., etc. and you come with a
very impressive greenhouse emission budget all for the sake of these
'parties' gathering to emit hot air about, well... hot air.
"Apocalyptics
for Gore" - "As the presidential campaign enters the final
stretch — and Vice President Al Gore grows more desperate to edge out George
W. Bush — various "October Surprises" can be expected. One surprise
showed up Thursday, when the U.N.-sponsored Intergovernmental Panel on Global
Climate Change (IPCC) released a new report "confirming" humanity's
impact on "global warming" — a favorite topic of Mr. Gore's."
(Washington Times)
"VIRTUAL
CLIMATE ALERT #37" - "Every five years, the United Nations
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) assesses the state of global
warming science. And every five years, The New York Times publishes
dramatic revelations from a draft copy of the report slipped to them before the
peer review process is complete. This year’s newspaper storyline says the
United Nations has dramatically increased the upper limit of its forecast of
this century’s climate change from 4.5°C to 6.0°C. This largely is based on
illogical scenarios generated by the Center for International Earth Science
Information Network (CIESIN) at Columbia University." (GES)
"Professor
warns of 'greenhouse politics'" - "A Welsh physics professor
has warned that global warming will "dominate world politics" if
action is not taken by governments soon." (BBC Online)
I sincerely hope the professor was wildly misquoted:
"Dr Phil Williams said evidence of global warming and and holes
appearing at the North Pole should be enough to prompt world leaders to
respond."
New York Times retracted in great embarrassment
when it emerged that open water in the Artic is normal during summer,
when 24 hour sunlight can push air temperatures into the +40°F - +50°F
range for months on end. As Captain Dave Hearding, Director for Operations
of the U.S. Navy’s Pacific Fleet reports: "As submariners know who
have been going to the Arctic and NP since 1959, during the summer we expect
to find open water at or near the pole – we use the Russian word polynya
to describe it – and we look for these areas to surface more easily..."
"The
Greening of the American West" featuring CRAIG D. IDSO, FREDRICK
D. PALMER, BECKY NORTON DUNLOP will be web telecast 10:00 a.m. EDT,
October 30. (The Heritage Foundation) THF is also asking you to Help
Stop a Global Tax Hike
"Environmental
Minister criticized for holding back information" - "Environmental
Minister Siri Bjerke has been criticized for withholding vital information about
the CO2 effects on the environment by the planned Norwegian gas fired power
plants, Dagbladet reports. Statistics Norway (SSB), which was contracted by the
Government to evaluate the possible effects on the environment by the gas
powered plants, claims that Bjerke only presented the information favourable to
the Government's point of view." (Norway Post)
"HALLOWEEN
13" Global Warming Horror Movies - "What
makes a horror movie so terrifying? It's not just the plotline, script and
score. It’s being in a dark theater with hundreds of other people who are just
waiting to be scared half to death. It's the audience’s willingness to suspend
logic, and enter the producer’s make-believe world. But perhaps most of all,
it’s the incredible special effects – the incendiary power of Carrie,
the horrifying monsters of Aliens, the rampant destruction of Independence
Day. Modern effects masters practically convince us it’s all REAL. So
it is with the supposed apocalypse of global warming. Aided by clever box office
promotion and friendly media, alarmists have marshaled enough science, junk
science and scary scenarios, to craft a persuasive horror story." (Paul K.
Driessen, Still Waiting For
Greenhouse)
"Prepare
Now for Next El Nino, Says UN/NCAR Study" — Now is the time for vulnerable countries around the
globe to begin preparing for the next El Nino, according to a United Nations
(UN) preliminary report issued today. The report presents the results of a
19-month study of 16 countries that examined what worked and what didn't in
national responses to the forecasts and impacts of the 1997-98 El Nino. Dubbed
the "El Nino of the Century," that event's worldwide impacts took
hundreds of lives and left behind at least $32
billion in damages. The report suggests ways to improve societal responses to
extreme climate events." (UCAR)
Yesterday, as a lead for an ozone depletion item, I facetiously ran: "Green
Party Rival Mocks Feinstein" - "Radio commercial lays blame
for hole in ozone layer on her hair spray." (San Francisco Chronicle) There
has been some concern expressed that people may believe terrible Americans are
irresponsibly using CFC-propelled hairspray. In fact, CFCs haven't been used in
American aerosol propellants for decades. Here's
an old CAPCO release with info and further links.
"Gore
goes Green" - "Oct. 27, 2000 | DAVENPORT, Iowa -- As if the
Earth's poor ozone layer weren't threatened enough from greenhouse gases, Vice
President Al Gore released his own special brand of hot air into the
atmosphere Thursday. Bashed by the left as being too willing to compromise on
the environment and by the right for being a tree-hugger, Gore is launching a
"practical," New Democrat, Greenish assault, defending his
environmental record from the threat posed by Green
Party candidate Ralph Nader and spewing forth further emissions on Gov.
George W. Bush's horrendous Texas environmental record." (Salon.com)
"Utah
attorneys awarded $64.85 million in tobacco fees" - "NEW YORK
-- Attorneys representing the state of Utah in the 1998 states settlement with
the tobacco industry will be paid $64.85 million in compensation fees by the
tobacco companies, the Tobacco Fee Arbitration Panel said Wednesday. The fees
are separate from the $1 billion Utah will receive over the next 25 years from
the settlement and any additional payments in perpetuity, the panel said in a
statement." (Reuters) [States
Share Blame for Tobacco Lawyers' Greed]
"Eco-Friendly
Firm Wasn't Seen as Toxic Threat" - "RICHMOND -- The latest
industrial explosion and fire to billow toxic fumes over Richmond neighborhoods
came from an unlikely source: a recycling plant recently awarded for keeping
tons of plastic out of landfills. ``It was considered a green business,'' said
Richmond Mayor Rosemary Corbin. ``It was not on anybody's radar as a potential
threat." (San Francisco Chronicle)
"SOLUTION
TO OUR LATEST ENERGY CRISIS" - "Soaring gasoline prices
at the pump, natural gas prices rising with winter approaching, electricity
customers burning utility bills in California--feel like you've seen this movie
before? Some say these shocks may add up to an energy crisis that rivals those
of 1991, 1978 and 1973. Once again, surging oil prices get top billing, but
there's an additional story line this time. The cost of natural gas has doubled
this year and newly deregulated electricity markets in California and New York
have suffered supply shortages and sharp price volatility. If it's not yet a
crisis, it's certainly a problem. The solution? We need a national energy policy
that capitalizes on all the natural resources that are abundant in the
U.S." (Chicago Tribune)
"Sara Lee
Says Customers Not Concerned Over GMO Foods" (Summary) -
"According to Reuters, Sara Lee's president and CEO, C. Steven McMillan,
said at a news conference following the company's annual meeting. "We do
not get questions or complaints or concerns from GMO foods at all."
According to the company, US. consumers do not seem concerned about the use of
bioengineered ingredients in food, despite recalls related to a certain strain
of gene-spliced corn." (TKC)
"Lives
depend on GE drugs" - "Saying 'no' to gene technology could be
deadly for some disease sufferers, medical researchers told the Royal Commission
on Genetic Modification this week. ANNE BESTON reports. People with serious
illnesses, from diabetics to leukaemia sufferers, rely on genetically modified
drugs to keep them alive, the Royal Commission on Genetic Modification was told
this week." (NZ Herald)
"FDA
plans to ban poultry antibiotics" - "WASHINGTON (October 27,
2000 2:00 p.m. EDT http://www.nandotimes.com) - The Food and Drug Administration
is planning to ban two antibiotics widely used by poultry farmers because of a
risk that humans could become infected with germs that resist treatment. It
would be the first time the government has pulled any drug to combat infections
that have grown resistant to antibiotics." (AP)
"The
danger of being too careful"
- "... Everyone knows that life is risky and that we constantly take risks
that affect both ourselves and others. We also know that scientific development
can be risky and that rail accidents do occur. But, because of BSE and the spate
of recent rail tragedies, the public is increasingly demanding risk-free
solutions from state regulations. Understandably, this is particularly the case
in areas over which the public has no control. Yet there are two obvious dangers
in such an approach." (Financial Times)
"High
fat diet not associated with increased estrogen in postmenopausal women"
- "There’s no evidence that a high fat diet predisposes older women to
breast cancer, researchers from Harvard Medical School report. It has long been
thought that dietary fat can increase production of sex hormones, including
estrogen, which could put women at risk for breast cancer, especially older
women. But this study of 381 postmenopausal women – the largest and most
detailed of its kind – found just the opposite. The researchers found that
women in the study who ate less fat than typical actually had higher levels of
estrogen in their blood, making it unlikely that eating a low fat diet will lead
to lower levels of estrogen." (ASCO)
"Herbal
remedy combats prostate cancer" - "A herbal remedy has been
shown to provide real benefit to men suffering from prostate cancer. Researchers
from the University of California in San Francisco tested the impact of the
Chinese preparation known as Pc-spes. Pc-spes consists of extracts from eight
different Chinese herbs and is sold in health food stores. Pc stands for
prostate cancer, while spes is Latin for "hope"." (BBC Online) [UCSF
release]
"Villagers'
mobile mast pledge" - "Angry villagers in Perthshire say they
will continue their occupation a planned mobile phone mast site next to a
primary school until BT "come to their senses". (BBC Online) [The
Cell-Phone Scare - "When fear is the opponent, science doesn't stand
a chance"]
"Warning:
you're risking death by being alive" - "IT was the kiss that
did it. Not Al Gore's smooch, but the headlines this week saying: "Cot
death linked to kisses from mothers". I kiss my baby 20 times a day: now a
doctor says that there is "substantial evidence" that bugs in saliva
play a part in cot death. So I could be poisoning my child 20 times a day. It's
amazing more babies don't die. Or perhaps other mothers aren't so stupid as to
kiss their sons without first sterilising their mouths." (Daily Telegraph)
"The lesson of
BSE" - "BSE has caused a harrowing fatal disease for humans.
As we sign this Report the number of people dead and thought to be dying stands
at over 80, most of them young. They and their families have suffered terribly.
Families all over the UK have been left wondering whether the same fate awaits
them." So begins the 16 volume report
by Lord Phillips on the handling of the BSE / vCJD issue - the 'crisis' which
has led to deep suspicions about the food we eat and to a loss of faith in the
scientists and government officials who are responsible for advising us about
health risks." (Social Issues Research Centre)
"Study:
Oregon River Water Causing Fish Deformities" - "PORTLAND, Ore.
(Reuters) - Deformed fish found for years in a stretch of Oregon's Willamette
River were damaged by something in the water, not by genetic defects as had
previously been believed, according to a new study released on Friday.
Scientists, who called their findings "shocking," said they were
working to determine the exact cause of the problem, and investigating whether
there were health risks associated with eating the deformed fish found in a
30-mile section of the river. "It could be chemical, bacterial, parasites,
high river temperature, low oxygen levels, a variety of things," said Steve
Ellis, a scientist with EVS Environment Consultants, the Seattle-based firm that
conducted the study." (Reuters)
"Constructed
wetlands: They’re being used, but are they useful" - "The
place for constructed wetlands in the wastewater industry—granted there is
one—is in small communities, trailer parks, and cul-de-sacs—places where
it's difficult to tie into wastewater pipes." (Pollution Online)
"Can't
Lose Marketing Scheme" - "Greenpeace UK president Peter
Melchett has decided that since most of the English public is now terrified of
genetically improved foods because of Greenpeace's activism, it is in his best
interest to step down as Greenpeace president. Melchett is planning to
capitalize on the fear he's created by selling the public organic foods from his
farm." (GuestChoice.com)
"Globalization:
Can there ever be too much of a good thing?" - "Capitalism is
so powerful an organizing principle of economic and political life that its
expansion to global dimensions has many people flummoxed. Street battles and
academic cat fights break out like the flu whenever globalization comes into the
limelight, as we saw again this week in Montreal. There are many issues in
dispute, but one thing is surprisingly not: Just about every protagonist in the
globalization debate shares the same orientation -- they want more globalization
rather than less. The struggle is over just what kind." (GAM)
"Of
boiling frogs and globaloney" - "For its opponents, "globalization"
is a bogeyman term. The mythology -- that is, the collection of misperceptions
-- that surrounds it has been the subject of two recent significant lectures.
Last Monday, in Toronto, Professor John Helliwell of the University of British
Columbia gave the C.D. Howe Benefactors Lecture on "Globalization: Myths,
Facts, and Consequences." Earlier this month, in London, David Henderson,
former chief economist for the OECD, delivered the Wincott lecture,
"Anti-Liberalism 2000." The difference in the approach of the two
papers is stark. From the perspective of Mr. Henderson, Prof. Helliwell appears
to promote more myths than he explodes." (National Post) [Trade
Winds]
"It's
Clinton to the rescue as Gore struggles" - "AFTER months
watching his constant companion struggle in the electoral tide, President
Clinton has finally slipped his leash and will bound to Al Gore's rescue next
week." (Telegraph) [Henry
Payne comment]
"Micro
Scooter injuries soar" - "The growing craze for Micro
Scooters is generating an increasingly serious public health problem. Latest
figures from the US Consumer Product Safety Commission show that the number of
Americans seriously injured while riding Micro Scooters has risen 15-fold
since the spring." (BBC Online)
Has the number of Micro Scooters risen by a similar
amount or has there been a disproportionate rise in injuries?
October 27, 2000
New York Times, World Wildlife Fund ad steers kids to telephone sex - "The New York Times should take action
immediately to withdraw a paid advertisement on its op-ed page from the World Wildlife Fund that directs callers to a "telephone sex" phone number, according to Jeff Stier of the American Council on Science and Health and Steven Milloy of Junkscience.com. Stier and Milloy call on the Times to issue an immediate apology and assure the public that such an error won't recur." (PR Newswire)
PR Newswire refused to issue our media release with the phone numbers, so here they are. The number in the ad is 1-800 End-POPs (1-800-363-7677). That number will steer you to 1-800-400-TALK (1-800-400-8255) -- the telephone sex number.
"Plutonium Pandemonium" - "Anti-nuclear activists are pleased the plans to send a deep-space probe to explore Pluto have been shelved for now. To their horror, though, the
Pluto-Kuiper Express has been sent back to the drawing board for the "wrong" reason -- cost instead of safety. But the activists are lucky the mission’s cost is so high. Their alleged safety concerns won’t make it off the launch pad." (Steve Milloy at
FoxNews.com)
"Biotech treats or treats" - "Anti-biotech activists are urging their followers to take advantage of Halloween to spread fear about biotech foods. The tactic advocated is so-called "viral marketing" -- inducing Internet users to pass on false and misleading "marketing" messages to other web sites and users, creating exponential growth in the messages' visibility and effect. The message in this case is fear, not facts." (Steve Milloy in the Washington Times).
"The
CMA's journal promotes environmental cancer scares" - "After
nearly 40 years of hysteria, I'm still waiting for scientific evidence that any
percentage of cancers are related to the environment." (Steven Milloy in
the National Post)
"West
pays Russia to close ozone destroying plants" - "MOSCOW -
Russian enterprises which have almost half the world's remaining capacity to
produce ozone depleting substances are to be closed using money from the World
Bank and Western governments, the World Bank said yesterday." (Reuters)
"Green
Party Rival Mocks Feinstein" - "Radio commercial lays blame
for hole in ozone layer on her hair spray." (San Francisco Chronicle)
"Arctic
ozone damage 'likely by 2020'" - "One of the three British
scientists who discovered the Antarctic ozone hole says similar damage is
likely soon in the Arctic. The scientist, Jonathan Shanklin, says the Earth's
ozone layer is cooling, which makes its recovery more difficult. The cooling
is the result partly of ozone loss itself, and also of a little-noticed effect
of global warming." (BBC Online)
Stratospheric cooling would be consistent with ozone
loss because ozone is a greenhouse gas in its own right, it
has a narrow absorption band right in the middle of the main radiation
window between 9 and 11 microns. Certainly
cooling is evident in the global
stratospheric anomaly chart - perhaps the upper atmosphere is too clean
because the obvious warming events are the result of the El Chichon and Mt
Pinatubo volcanic eruptions. Not that this is definitive because, prior to
the El Niño- induced heat spike, the tropospheric
temperature trend was also negative, albeit slightly.
Back in April we had THESEO 2000 (Third European
Stratospheric Experiment on Ozone) releases like this,
which hit the mass media on the 6th & 7th. THESEO's lead of 60% ozone
depletion in the Arctic (due to 'exceptionally cold conditions' and 'a lack
of atmospheric disturbances') was dutifully trumpeted by the media and few
bothered to look at EP/TOMS graphics, where they would have seen this
on the 6th - total columnar ozone in the "hole" significantly
higher than two-thirds of the planet (UVI
on the 5th). Just a quirk? Maybe not - here's
the 1st (UVI)
and here's
a week earlier still (UVI).
Certainly appears to be a lot more atmospheric ozone in the northern
hemisphere during the "depletion" than there is in the southern
hemisphere "normal" autumn.
The significance is always in surface UV strength
rather than columnar ozone levels and you can see the latest UVI (UltraViolet
Index) estimate here.
If your bandwidth can stand it, here's
the year to date animation - good luck to you in picking any increase in UV
radiation levels in the northern hemisphere during the much-hyped
"depletion". As for the "huge" southern depletion event
of this year, for a day or so, Punta Arenas (Chile) received similar UV
radiation as might be expected in the temperate zone in spring or autumn -
big deal. According to Ozone Al, this will lead to 'blind Patagonian Sheep'
and 'blind rabbits in our backyards' - sure Al.
"Climate
change, fishing, alter salmon abundance" - "FAIRBANKS,
Alaska-- Clues left by decaying salmon at the bottom of five Alaska lakes point
to climate change and over-fishing as two causes of the state's boom and bust
salmon runs, according to a study by Alaskan and Canadian researchers published
today (October 27) in the journal, Science. "The lakes we studied on Kodiak
Island and near Bristol Bay often had similar patterns of salmon abundance that
corresponded to climate changes over the last three centuries," said Dr.
Bruce Finney, the study's lead researcher and associate professor of marine
science at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, Institute of Marine Science.
"That's consistent with the belief that climatic and oceanographic changes
are driving the sockeye populations up and down in sync over decades-long time
scales." ... Scientists then were able to link abrupt changes in the size
of sockeye runs with large-scale climate shifts in the North Pacific Ocean, as
indicated by sea surface temperature records and tree ring analysis. In general,
sockeye runs were larger during periods of warm climates, and smaller during
cold periods." (NSGCP release) [NOAA
release]
"Gore
to Take Global Warming Message to Upper Midwest" - "KANSAS
CITY - Democratic presidential nominee Al Gore on Thursday will take an
environmental message to the Upper Midwest, warning of global warming dangers in
an area where Green Party candidate Ralph Nader may be a threat. Gore will give
speeches on global warming in the Quad Cities area of Iowa and Illinois and
later in Madison, Wisconsin. He is expected to compare his work to fight global
warming against what his campaign said was Republican rival George W. Bush's
lack of interest in the issue." (Reuters)
"Another
Gore Whopper" - "In one of the most preposterous claims of the
political season, Vice-President Al Gore this week declared himself the
candidate of smaller government and pledged not to add a single worker to the
federal payroll if elected president. Mr. Gore has committed to $1.3 trillion in
new federal spending during the next decade, an average of $130 billion a year.
The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, estimates Mr. Gore’s
proposals would add a minimum of 200,000 new workers to the current 2.7 million
federal workforce. But even if he can launch all his new government programs
without adding government employees, that’s not really the point. It’s not
how many people government employs that’s important. It’s how much
government spends." (Detroit News)
"Gore
attacks Bush on global warming, environment" - "DAVENPORT,
Iowa - Democratic presidential nominee Al Gore accused Republican rival George
W. Bush yesterday of ignoring the dangers of global warming as he took an
environmental message to the Midwest." (Reuters)
"Warming
will ruin economies, report says" - "Global warming could
cause a massive economic decline across at least 13 tiny Pacific nations in the
next 20 years, a new Greenpeace report forecasts. The report, due to be released
officially today, warns that if global warming continues as predicted by United
Nations carbon dioxide emission modelling, the Pacific will lose most of its
coral reefs before the end of this century." (The Age)
No - but Kyoto sure will.
"The Record: Just How
Green is Gore?" - "October 26 — Al Gore has written
the book on environmental issues—literally. His 1992 best-seller “Earth in
the Balance,” reissued this April with a new foreword, was a 400-plus page
paean on environmental action and served as a public signal of Gore’s
dedication to his signature cause. It’s a topic Gore continues to talk
about." (Newsweek) [October
surprise?] [The NY Times, however, is a little unhappy: Mr.
Nader's Electoral Mischief] [Nader,
Facing Democratic Fire, Attacks Gore's Record]
"REALLY
SORE LOSERS" - "Are American voters just too dumb to
choose the best man for president? Al Gore's supporters apparently think so.
With George W. Bush now leading in most polls of likely voters, the liberal
establishment has come up with an explanation. "If [Gore] loses," The
New Republic sniffs, "it will not simply set America on an ideological
course that we consider perilous and unworthy of our best traditions. It will be
a sign that we are not living in a serious age." That's right. If the
voters prefer Bush's vision to Gore's, there must be something wrong with the
voters." (Linda Chavez in The Chicago Tribune)
"Report
Finds Kids Safer at School" - "WASHINGTON — Despite recent
headline-making occurrences of school violence, the number of such incidents is
falling and children are more likely to be hurt off-campus, the government
reported Thursday. ``America's schools are safe places,'' said Attorney General
Janet Reno, releasing the report by the Education and Justice departments. It
said schoolchildren are twice as likely to be victims of serious violent crime
away from school." (AP)
"Officials
Scramble to Limit Biotech Corn Fallout" - WASHINGTON - The White
House called a meeting of top biotech food policymakers on Thursday to work out
a strategy to address Japan's concerns about the possibility of its imported
U.S. grain being contaminated with a gene-spliced corn not approved for human
food." (Reuters)
"Internet
plays healthy role in managing StarLink concerns" - "The
Internet is playing a major role in getting out information on StarLink corn
concerns -- and this information should be adequate to prevent the kind of
consumer panic which set in across Europe and Britain in earlier food scares, or
in the U.S. when advocacy groups sought to trigger a scare over Alar in apples
or pesticides on grapes. For example, anyone can read the Aventis data which
documents that the possibility of an allergic reaction to this particular kind
of Cry9C protein is virtually nil. Just follow the
link for the complete application which was hand-delivered Oct. 24 to
EPA." (AgWeb.com)
"Regulators
Are Urged to Permit Bioengineered Corn to Be in Food" -
"The food and biotechnology industries are stepping up pressure on U.S.
regulators to permit the use of an unapproved variety of genetically modified
corn in food as the corn is being discovered in more and more products. The U.S.
food industry, upset over the product recalls and production disruptions caused
by the Starlink corn debacle, wants the Environment Protection Agency to
temporarily allow the sale of food containing the genetically modified corn,
which was approved in 1998 for consumption by only livestock and for making
ethanol fuel. ``We think this is a solution that makes sense,`` said Gene
Grabowski, a spokesman for Grocery Manufacturers of America, an industry trade
group." (WSJ)
"EPA
Has Learned Their Lesson re: StarLink Corn" - "The Senate
Biotech Caucus held a hearing today to find out what regulators were doing to
resolve the issues surrounding the StarLink corn situation. From what an EPA
representative told the panel, it appears the agency has learned their lesson.
The rep said the agency is unlikely to approve another crop such as StarLink
corn for use as animal feed but not for human consumption." (AgWeb.com)
"Inquiry
rejects outright belief that disease is 'sheep scrapie in cattle'"
- "One of the most intriguing aspects of the Phillips inquiry is that it
throws open the question about the exact origin of BSE and why Britain should
have been so badly affected. Lord Phillips said that the investigation had
rejected the view of the scientific establishment, which for years had proposed
that the disease was, in effect, sheep scrapie in cattle." (Independent) [Report
on UK's 'mad cow' epidemic clears ex-ministers] [Government
urged 'to listen' to experts]
"£500m-a-year
green fuel fund sought" - "Chancellor Gordon Brown
is under pressure to create a Green Fuel Fund of £500 million a year to protect
the climate and human health by promoting alternatives to oil. The call comes
from Greenpeace and the RAC Foundation which want the fund to promote the use of
road fuel gases, increase the use of electric vehicles and start work on a
hydrogen distribution system." (Ananova)
"Calif.
consumer group backs Silicon Valley power unit" - "SAN
FRANCISCO - A California consumer group, often at odds with the state's
electricity industry, has endorsed a controversial 600-megawatt (MW)
generation plant to be built in power-starved San Jose, the heart of Silicon
Valley, the group said late Wednesday. San Francisco-based The Utility Reform
Network (TURN) endorsed the proposed natural gas-fired Metcalf Energy Centre
in a letter to state regulators, saying it believed the power plant would help
avert blackouts and ease power prices in the state." (Reuters)
Consumers realise silicon technology is driven by
"lectrickery" - imagine that...
"German
power law may be illegal - EU court adviser" - "BRUSSELS - A
German law requiring power firms to use a minimum amount of energy produced from
renewable sources does not break state aid rules but may undermine the European
Union's single market, an adviser to the bloc's top court said yesterday."
(Reuters)
"Melchett
quits Greenpeace to spend more time with his crops"
- "Lord Melchett, executive director of Greenpeace UK for the past 12
years, is to leave it to concentrate on running his organic farm. The
52-year-old peer is leaving at the point when his recent court acquittal after
leading a raid to destroy genetically modified (GM) crops had given him the
highest profile of any British environmental campaigner since Sir Jonathon
Porritt quit as director of Friends of the Earth 10 years ago. His retirement
will leave a gap in green politics that will not easily be filled. Greenpeace
staff were shocked when told the news yesterday at their headquarters in
London." [Melchett's
parting shot: 'Keep whacking them'] (Independent)
"Greenpeace
accused of dioxin blunder" - "Greenpeace is being accused of
making a blunder by identifying Tauranga Hospital as a source of dangerous
dioxin pollution. Campaigners from the environmental group have been in the
Bay of Plenty talking about the dioxin issue - and have identified a number of
polluters in the region. Greenpeace claims the hospital's incinerators have
been producing dioxins from the burning of medical waste." (NZ Herald)
Uh... there are no incinerators at Tauranga Hospital -
haven't been for a few years.
"Threat
of Unconventional Terrorism Is Overstated, Study Says" -
"The threat of terrorism involving chemical and germ weapons has been
highly exaggerated, and much of the federal government's response to this
small, but growing challenge is wasteful and ill-conceived, according to a new
study of the administration's domestic emergency preparedness programs by a
Washington-based research center." (NY Times) [UniSci]
"Where There's Smoke,
There's Fire" - "Fenton Communications, the firm behind the
thoroughly debunked Alar scare and other "fear marketing" campaigns,
is continuing its campaign to limit what types of seafood you can eat. Its first
attempt was to (needlessly,
according to the government) limit swordfish consumption, a campaign run
through SeaWeb with help from the Natural Resources Defense Council and Chefs
Collaborative. Fenton's new anti-choice campaign is being run directly through
Chefs Collaborative with help from Environmental Defense."
(GuestChoice.com, Oct 26)
"I
can't remember the brain injury, but somehow I gained weight" -
"Scientists who research obesity have reached a depressing new conclusion
about being fat. Our brains regulate how much we weigh. Dieting has far less to
do with whether we walk around in roomy pants than hormonally influenced brain
chemistry. I noted this (rather morosely) in last week's New York Times.
According to Dr. Jeffrey Flier of Beth Israel Medical Center in Boston, the body
maintains a certain weight range entirely of its own devising, with no respect
whatsoever for beauty ideals, and it keeps us within that range by regulating
our appetite." (Patricia Pearson, National Post)
"Long
Flights Do Not Increase Blood Clot Risk-Study" - "LONDON -
International airlines have come under pressure to do more to prevent passengers
from developing blood clots due to cramped conditions, but Dutch researchers
said long-haul flights did not increase the risk of clots occurring. The
potentially fatal "economy class syndrome" -- blood clots or deep vein
thrombosis (DVT) -- hit the headlines earlier this week after a 28-year-old
British woman died from the condition at the end of a 20-hour flight from
Australia." (Reuters)
"Folic
acid message 'unheeded'" - "Many women are still unaware that
taking folic acid during pregnancy can help to minimise the risk of birth
defects, researchers have found. Folic acid has been proven to help prevent
neural tube defects in unborn babies, including spina bifida. ... However, a
Mori survey for the charity Action Research found that one in five women of
childbearing age was completely unaware of the potential health benefits of
folic acid." (BBC Online) [Vitamin
Against Birth Defects Reaching U.S. Women]
"Lawsuit
reactivated over 'Kennewick Man' skeleton" - "PORTLAND, Ore.
(October 25, 2000 7:41 p.m. EDT http://www.nandotimes.com) - A federal judge,
setting in motion a case that could redefine the term "Native
American," is allowing a lawsuit to proceed over one of the oldest and most
complete human skeletons ever found in North America. U.S. Magistrate John
Jelderks on Wednesday reactivated a 1996 lawsuit by scientists who want to
continue studying Kennewick Man, a set of 9,000-year-old bones that have already
forced anthropologists to rethink theories about the origin of Native Americans.
Five American Indian tribes have claimed him as an ancestor, and have said study
of the bones would violate their religious traditions." (AP)
"Beautiful
people 'ruin' lives"
- "Beautiful people are ruining others' chances of happiness." (BBC
Online)
"Green
rating of Singapore flawed: ENV" - "World Wide Fund for
Nature ranking overlooked fact that many imports here are re-exported, ministry
says" (Straits Times)
October 26, 2000
Pre-COP6 hype of the day: "Pollution
Adds To Global Warming" -
"WASHINGTON — New evidence shows man-made pollution has ``contributed
substantially'' to global warming and the earth is likely to get a lot hotter
than previously predicted, a United Nations-sponsored panel of hundreds of
scientists finds. The conclusions by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change, the most authoritative scientific voice on the issue, is expected to
widely influence climate debate over the next decade. The report's summary, a
copy of which was obtained by The Associated Press, was being distributed to
government officials worldwide this week." (AP) [MSNBC]
This is about the political summary, not TAR 2000
(Third Assessment Report) - and that was not treated too kindly by sceptic
scientists either. From this
report:
David Wojick, who chaired one of the panels, sums up
the event saying "if these scientists are right,
then the IPCC's errors and omissions are disgraceful." He notes
that the 1000 page TAR itself, at the very end, says "In
sum, a strategy must recognize what is possible. In climate research and
modeling, we should recognize that we are dealing with a coupled non-liner
chaotic system, and therefore that the prediction of a specific future
climate state is not possible." Wojick quips that - "The
IPCC should read its own last chapter."
"El
Nino Less Frequent in Mid-1800s"
- "A study of coral reefs suggests El Nino occurs more frequently now
than it did in the mid-19th century, before global warming. Exactly
what role, if any, is played by global warming is still unclear, however. The
study of core samples taken from coral reefs dating to 1840 indicates El Nino
happened only about once every 10 years in the mid-1800s, compared with about
once every four years now. But there was also evidence of cycles as short as
three years from the late 1800s to about 1920. The cycles settled into their
current pattern around 1955." (AP) [Reuters]
[BBC
Online]
The SAPA-AFP
item carried by News 24 concludes that the faster ENSO cycle rate of the
early 20th century (prior to significant atmospheric CO2 change)
and the subsequent cycle slowing as Earth temperatures ceased their decline
around 1975 (although all other reports say the observed cycle slowing
occurred in the 50s), is indicative that enhanced greenhouse increases El
Niño event frequency. Interesting hypothesis but totally unsupported by the
UC study about which they write. Nick Nutter in The
Times ran a similar line, with ozone depletion thrown in for good
measure.
See also: Recent
Strong El Niños Nothing New; In
Search of Past El Niños; El
Niños and Global Warming; A
1400-Year Record of ENSO Variability; A
300-Year Examination of "Persistent" ENSO Events
"Predictions
of dying reef rejected" - "Australia's reef management body
has rejected a report which claims the Great Barrier Reef could be dead in 50 to
100 years. Queensland Professor, Ove Hoegh-Guldburg, raised the theory at an
international symposium on coral reefs being held this week in Bali. Speaking
from the conference, the head of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority,
Virginia Chadwick, said she has great respect for the professor, but can not
accept his prediction. "It is true that we have had some global warming, we
have some coral bleaching and some hot spots a couple of years ago, that was not
widespread, and, though it is a cause for concern for us all, I genuinely do not
believe that in 50 years all of the reef will be dead," she said."
(Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
"Pollution
drives increase in rainfall" - "Air pollution is distorting
weather patterns across the world and could be causing increased rainfall in
Victoria and some other parts of Australia, according to a computer model
developed by the CSIRO. Dr Leon Rotstayn, a climate researcher at the CSIRO's
Aspendale laboratory, said yesterday that fuel fumes and forest burning over the
past century had enlarged clouds and changed world rain patterns." (The
Age) [CSIRO
release]
"Scientists
slam Indonesia" - "NUSA DUA, Indonesia (AP) -- Half of the
once vast coral reefs that surrounded the world's largest archipelago have been
lost and international aid is needed to save the rest, Indonesia said Tuesday.
... Kusmaatmadja told hundreds of scientists at an international coral reef
symposium said that many reefs had been devastated by poor fishing practices,
including the use of explosives and poisons. However, industrialized countries
must also accept responsibility for damage caused by global warming, he
said." (AP)
"Expert
claims diet may prevent Alzheimer's" - "A visiting United
States authority on Alzheimer's disease says consuming less fat and more fruit
and vegetables might help in reducing the instance of the disease. Professor
George Perry from Case Western Reserve University says some studies have shown
a link between caloric intake and Alzheimer's. Professor Perry says with the
rapid ageing of the population, 30 per cent of the population will experience
some form of Alzheimer's. He says early signs of the disease are apparent for
many years and there are steps people can take to prevent the onset of the
disease, such as having anti-depressants in their diet. "Taking anti-inflammatories,
like an aspirin a day, can have a major effect in decreasing Alzheimer's
disease as well as most age-related diseases," he said." (Australian
Broadcasting Corporation)
Quite topically, in a section of Michael Fumento's
forthcoming book where he is looking at anti-inflammatories and cancer
prevention, Fumento notes: "Many people can't tolerate this
because to varying degrees all of these chew up the stomach lining, causing
discomfort at the least and bleeding ulcers at the worst. A New England
Journal of Medicine study found that over 16,000 Americans die each year
from ulcers caused by traditional pain relievers, while 107,000 are
hospitalized. So people were left with a choice: terrible aching and
stiffness or a stomach that ends up like Shredded Wheat." Fortunately,
biotechnology looks like coming to the rescue with anti-inflammatories which
are not anti-stomach lining. I look forward to that and Michael's completed
tome.
"Uninformation
and the choice paradox" - "One of the few unifying features of
the genetic food fight in industrial nations is that a majority of consumers
appear to support mandatory labeling for products of genetic modification (GM)
technology. Proponents of mandatory and indiscriminate GM food labeling
congregate under the banner of "informed choice." They argue that if
DNA is introduced into foods using recombinant DNA technologies, people ought to
be able to know about it. Unfortunately, the problem with mandatory GM labels is
that they inform no one and they diminish consumer choice." (Nature
Biotechnology)
"Concerns
Over Biotech Corn Spread Overseas" - "Concern is growing that
genetically modified corn not approved for human consumption has made it not
only into the American food supply, but also into products being sold
abroad." (Washington Post)
"Seconds out, round
two" - "IF YOU live in Europe it is easy to believe that
genetically modified crops are finished. Skilful media campaigns by activist
groups have made these "frankenfoods" about as popular as nuclear
power stations. Supermarkets and restaurants proudly announce themselves
"GM free" and protestors trample fields of test plantings of modified
crops with impunity. In North America too, despite earlier acceptance, a
backlash is under way. With GM crops on the ropes, it seems a strange time to
announce that they could have a really bright long-term future. But if you read
the signs, honestly assess the world's future food needs, and look at the safer,
greener, genetically modified crops we could produce, then the conclusion is
exactly that." (New Scientist editorial)
"Make
them safe" - "The Advisory Committee on Releases to the
Environment (ACRE) has issued a set of guidelines telling companies how to use
the latest advances in biotechnology to minimise any risks of gene flow--the
first time a regulatory body has offered such advice. "We're not saying
that they are unsafe," says Brian Johnson of the government conservation
body English Nature, a member of ACRE. "We're saying, yes, you could reduce
the risks even further, especially the risks to biodiversity." (New
Scientist) [More at: www.environment.detr.gov.uk/acre/bestprac/index.htm]
"The
next revolution" - "OF ALL the emerging technologies that
could be used to improve the safety of genetically modified crops (see
opposite), perhaps the most promising is one that would let crops clone
themselves, as many wild plants do already. This phenomenon, called apomixis,
could not only slam the door on accidental gene transfer, it could also benefit
farmers--especially the poorest ones--because they could save seeds each year
from the same elite plants and replant them." (New Scientist)
"GEO
debate ignores science" - "PUBLIC debate on genetically
engineered organisms ignored science, because no scientific evidence existed
that gene technology in food had any adverse effects, an international
biotechnology company says. And resistance to gene technology was primarily
coming from affluent countries. Giving evidence to the Tasmanian select
committee on gene technology, Pioneer Seeds, a United States biotechnology
company, said science had been largely forgotten in the political, ethical and
social debate about genetically engineered or modified organisms."
(Mercury)
"Parents
can transmit SIDS-linked germ: study" - "A team of British
researchers has raised alarm by suggesting parents can transmit an infection
linked to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome by kissing their babies." (National
Post)
"Cot
deaths: who do we listen to?" -
"Experts have many theories about infant deaths. But are they any closer to
finding a cause?" (Independent)
"West
Nile Virus Passed Between Birds in Lab Study" - "WASHINGTON -
The West Nile virus passed from bird to bird in a laboratory test, a finding
that raised new questions about how the virus spreads in the wild, scientists
said Wednesday. Researchers had thought the virus, which has killed eight people
in the United States, was transmitted only through mosquito bites."
(Reuters)
"West
Nile virus, and pesticides, in U.S. to stay" - "As the
mosquito-borne West Nile virus spreads down the East Coast of the United States,
so has public concern over the use of pesticides intended to control the
infected pests. Possible health hazards of exposure to pesticides include
nausea, dizziness, skin irritation and breathing difficulties. Over the long
term, some pesticides may increase a person's risk of developing cancer or
hormonal problems, said Jay Feldman of Beyond Pesticides/ National Coalition
Against the Misuse of Pesticides in Washington." (UPI)
"Resistance
is useful" - "Mosquitoes resistant to insecticides might turn
out to be friends, not foes, in the war against killer diseases such as malaria
and yellow fever. Researchers have turned received wisdom on its head with their
discovery that resistant mosquitoes are the least likely to transmit disease
when they bite someone." (New Scientist)
"Politicians Foil
DHMO Legislation" - "During this election year in the United
States, and even moreso as the election grows near, politicians are avoiding
dealing with difficult DHMO legislation. Several theories ranging from the
influence of big oil to the "special interests" abound, but recently
new evidence has come to light." (DHMO.org)
"Organic
farmers 'can't meet soaring demand'"
- "Farmers in Britain cannot keep up with demand for organic food, MPs were
told yesterday. In many cases, they can produce only small quantities, which in
turn cost more to transport to the few plants certified to process chemical-free
food." (Independent)
"Japanese
Heart-Disease Study Focuses on Iron Role" - "WASHINGTON -
Japanese researchers said on Wednesday they may have figured out why high iron
levels in the blood are linked with heart disease, and it may all boil down to
rust." (Reuters)
"Human
Form of Mad Cow Disease Mystifies Doctors" - "LONDON - More
than four years after British scientists discovered a link between "mad
cow" disease (BSE) and its human equivalent, doctors are still mystified by
the illness for which there is no treatment or cure." (Reuters)
"Disease
and uncertainty" - "Doctor downplays fears that patient has
'mad cow'" (Boston Globe)
"PM’s
attempt to cultivate Green vote is doomed to wither under GM onslaught"
- "ONE in five Scots are members of environmental or conservation groups.
And you’d have to live in a test tube to avoid the effect of green issues.
Traffic snarl-ups and poor public transport, the availability of GM-free food,
the cost of organic produce, the dramatic effects of global warming and poor air
quality all come under the heading of environment policy. So it seems surprising
that Tony Blair has taken more than three years to make his first major speech
on such a crucial, vote-winning subject as the environment." (Scotsman) [Blair
unveils 100 mln pound battle against global warming]
"GOP:
Green group broke law" - "The state Republican party filed a
complaint Tuesday with the Alaska Public Offices Commission accusing a
conservation group of giving too much money to a political candidate and raising
a broader question about the source of the group's funds. Republican Party of
Alaska chairman Randy Ruedrich said the Alaska Conservation Voters has funneled
more than $100,000 from its general operating account into its political account
since May without saying where that money was raised. He said that violates the
spirit, if not the letter, of campaign reform laws requiring disclosure of
campaign contributions. "Where's the money coming from? Who knows? We
believe the source of these funds to be the out of state environmental extremist
groups, including Greenpeace, the Sierra Club and the Earthjustice Legal Defense
Fund," Ruedrich wrote in his complaint." (Anchorage Daily News)
"Cheney
discusses alternative fuel" - "Talking up alternative energy
sources is classic Al Gore, but Dick Cheney took up the cause Tuesday in
Washington state, where environmental concerns could be an election key."
(AP)
"Blair
defends his decision to raise duty on petrol"
- "Tony Blair yesterday denied it had been a mistake to raise petrol duties
earlier this year, stressing the need for sustained investment in public
transport." (Independent)
"Turning
the hose on gas price myths" - "Yesterday the Conference Board
of Canada released its draft discussion paper on the workings of the gasoline
business. There doesn't appear to be much to discuss. As with many other
studies, the board's research has found that gasoline retailing is fiercely
competitive, and that gouging is a myth." (National Post)
"Conservatives
worry Bush is too green - "If Republicans awake on Nov. 8 to find
they have reclaimed the White House, they will feel joy and relief. Their next
sensation, however, is likely to be one of apprehension." (Thomas J Bray,
Detroit News)
"Get
Bush's Environment Record Straight" - "Texas, according
to the Gore campaign and the environmental lobby, is nothing short of a
post-apocalyptic ecological hell. Little children choke on the country's
deadliest smog and are cruelly denied health insurance. Toxic pollution has
turned the countryside into a barren wasteland. Pollution controls are, believe
it or not, voluntary. Reactionary yahoo Texans might think this is A-OK, but do
the rest of us really want to live in such Dickensian squalor? This attack on
environmental quality in Texas is flagrantly dishonest. It's also a perfect
illustration of why people of goodwill cannot have a civil discussion about
environmental policy: The political atmosphere is too poisoned by demagoguery
for reasonable debate." (Jerry Taylor in the LA Times)
"Internet
becomes the new family hearth" - Contrary to popular belief, Net
doesn't alienate families. It brings them together." (CSM) [UCLA
Study Monitors Impact of Web on Society]
"Al Gore's Eco
Store" Saving the environment from people -"Al Gore's
Eco-Store is an internet showcase of some of the fine environmental options
available from Al Gore. Created with the best of intentions, these products will
relieve the guilt you should feel for being a member of modern society. The best
thing of all? They are all available to you at zero cost! No matter their cost
to society, you needn't feel guilty for wanting a pure, pristine environment
without paying for it. That's what the taxpayers are for: they should care about
the earth, and the way they should care is by paying taxes. Individuals make
silly decisions. We can't save the earth without regulations, mandates and
subsidies." (EarthInTheBalance.org)
Or, if you prefer more
compassionate clicks, try Social Issues
Research Centre's Hunger
Site feature.
October 25, 2000
"EPA chief accused of allowing racial discrimination"
- "It wasn't the way Carol Browner had envisioned her final Congressional hearing as the Administrator of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Instead of facing off against industry representatives and their Capitol Hill allies over EPA's latest regulatory crackdown, Browner was confronted by angry black EPA employees backed by a representative from the NAACP. The pollution under discussion was not at some abandoned waste dump out in the sticks, but inside the agency Browner has headed for nearly eight years." (Earth Times)
Environmental Justice at Carol Browner's EPA?
"'Ignorance' of Greens berated by scientist" - "An independent scientist revered by Green groups attacked them this week for their stance on nuclear power and GM food." (Daily Telegraph)
"Blame is Ford’s ‘Job One’" "The hysteria that has swept across the nation since August and prompted the recall of 6.5 million Firestone tires is finally dying down, as Firestone forecasts completion of the recall by the end of November. It now appears, however, that the hysteria was more a result of junk PR than junk tires - and that attention should really be focused on the Ford Explorer." (By Steve Milloy)
"We
Think the Scientist Doth Protest Too Much" - "In
"An Open Letter on Global Warming" dated 15 October 2000 and posted on
the web, NASA's James Hansen complains about what he considers to be the
negative spin put on a paper that he and several colleagues wrote, which was
published in the 15 August 2000 issue of the Proceedings of the National
Academy of Sciences USA (see our Journal Review Then
Again … Rethinking Climate Change). He objects to the
interpretations of several journalists, science writers and the leadership of
the Union of Concerned Scientists, who suggest his most recent work provides
fodder for climate realists (such as us) who say there is no need to reduce the
burning of fossil fuels to prevent potential global warming. Hansen's own
assessment of the implications of his paper, however, is perhaps the most
egregious misinterpretation of them all." (co2science.org)
"Chill
out, 'normal' winter will return" - "The recent stretch of
record warm winters may be a thing of the past in the United States, according
to indicators in the National Weather Service's 2000-2001 winter weather
forecast. "We've probably forgotten over the past three years what a normal
winter is like," said NOAA Administrator James Baker. "With La Niña
and El Niño out of the way, normal (defined as the period from 1961 to 1990)
winter weather has a chance to return to the U.S. this year." (ENN)
"Big
Government Scores High with League of Conservation Voters" — Today’s announcement of the League of
Conservation Voters’ (LCV) “National Environmental Scorecard” demonstrates
that the LCV is more an advocate of government control than of sound
environmental policy. The scorecard consistently favors greater federal
regulation and demonizes human activity and private initiative. “Despite its
claims of non-partisanship, the LCV has become little more than a front group
for the Democratic Party philosophy of more governmental control over people’s
lives and economic activity,” said Myron Ebell, Director of Global Warming
Policy at the Competitive Enterprise Institute." (CEI)
"Will
real Gore please stand up?" - "Now that the three debates
are over, it is pretty clear that the American people should be asking
themselves whether they want George W. Bush or one of the three Al Gores we
saw during the three debates. Unfortunately, we don't know which is the real
Gore." (USA Today)
Here
he is - no, here
- or here
- here?
- perhaps?
- maybe?
- kind of
- like
- no, no, HERE's
Al
"UK
government urged to be firm on climate tax"
- "The British government has been urged by environmentalists to crack down
hard on companies that seek to delay the introduction of the controversial
climate change levy next spring." (Financial Times)
"Issues:
gun control" - "One "difference between us" that
Democratic presidential contender Al Gore did not take pains to elucidate during
the three debates with Texas Gov. George W. Bush is his stand on the issue of
gun control. Aware that the issue is a political loser that might antagonize
undecided and swing voters who value their Second Amendment rights, Mr. Gore has
been busy the past few days trying to efface statements made earlier in the
campaign in favor of stringent new controls on the sale, possession and use of
firearms." (Washington Times editorial)
"Election Day Issue"
- "The Arizona Sierra Club will have an anti-growth initiative on the
November ballot. Provisions include mandatory growth boundaries for cities and
public votes on all projects of 20 acres or more. If it passes, the Sierra Club
will likely try the same in other states. Click
here to learn how you can help defeat the initiative." (Pit &
Quarry magazine)
"WHO
Pushes for Tough Anti-Tobacco Rules in Africa" - "NAIROBI,
Kenya - The World Health Organization Tuesday urged tougher anti-tobacco
policies in Africa, but the OAU is worried the drive could undermine political
and economic stability if farmers are not given alternatives. Parliamentarians
and health experts from 21 African English-speaking countries are meeting in
Nairobi as the WHO whips up support for its tobacco control campaign."
(Reuters)
"Radiation
therapy may be safe after all for women with breast cancer gene mutations"
- "Women with breast cancer who carry a genetic mutation that heightens
their risk of the disease might not have to fear having radiation therapy as
previously thought, according to a new study led by University of Michigan
researchers." (UMHS)
"Lithuanian
PM nominee favours new nuclear reactor" - "RIGA - Lithuania's
former Prime Minister Rolandas Paksas, who is tipped to lead a new government,
said yesterday that he supported the construction of a new nuclear
reactor." (Reuters)
"POLL
- Czechs firmly behind Temelin N-plant launch" - "PRAGUE -
Support among Czechs for the launch of the controversial Temelin nuclear power
station is increasing despite vehement protests from neighbouring Austria that
it is unsafe, an opinion poll showed yesterday." (Reuters)
"ANALYSIS
- Proposed tax hikes may strangle Norway's power industry" -
"OSLO - Further tax hikes in the Norwegian government's 2001 draft budget
could exacerbate the struggle the country's electricity sector faces when
competing against its Nordic rivals, analysts and the industry said
yesterday." (Reuters)
"Study
says Halloween's real peril is cars, not razor blades" - "The
risk from razors pushed into apples and candy -- the most talked-about Halloween
hazard -- is so exaggerated it borders on being an urban myth, a Canadian
medical journal reports. There is likely more risk of children getting diarrhea
and flatulence from the artificial sweetener in Gummi Bears and eye injuries
from thrown eggs than suffering medical problems from foreign objects purposely
placed into Halloween treats, according to the Canadian Medical Association
Journal." (National Post)
"Farmers
Worried About Modified Corn" - "PEORIA, Ill. (AP) - Responding
to concerns about genetically modified corn reaching the food supply, industry
officials say farmers and operators of grain elevators can take steps as simple
as improving their communication to keep separate the grain's varied strains.
Such steps could help better serve consumers who demand specific types of a
grain and reduce the chances of a situation like the one encountered recently
when a prohibited genetically modified variety of corn found its way into food
items such as tacos." (AP)
"Consulting
Firm Sees Biotech Responsible for Large Reductions in Chemical Usage by
2009" - "Projections by Kline & Company, Inc. in their
Biotech 2009 Business Analysis, suggest that biotechnology-based row crops will
be responsible for a 13-million-lb.-a-year reduction in insecticides and a
45-million-lb. reduction in herbicide use." (AgWeb.com)
"Rice
Plant To Acquire A New Look" - "The rice plant will soon have
a new look. In fact, it will turn into a wholly new plant, producing more and
better rice. The uppermost grain-bearing portion, called panicle, which is much
smaller compared to the height of the rest of the plant now, will be a lot
bigger in the new plant to accommodate more grains for higher overall yield. And
the plant would be much sturdier, immune to several common diseases which take a
heavy toll of paddy output each year." (TKC)
"Scientists
fear consequences of GE ban" - "New Zealand's incidence of
liver cancer, diabetes and anaemia will rise if gene-based therapies are banned
here, say medical researchers. The potential of such technology is enormous, and
it is "inconceivable" that New Zealand would shun it, the scientists
told the Royal Commission on Genetic Modification yesterday." (NZ Herald)
"Genetically
altered food not your basic mutant anymore" - "You're spoiled
- just admit it. You want great coffee without caffeine, trees without pollen,
beans without . . . well, methane. And Steve Henikoff, a geneticist at the Fred
Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, wants to oblige. He just wants you to accept
- no, embrace - mutants. "All we're doing is taking a natural process and
speeding it up," Henikoff explained as he sat in his office, speaking
slowly to emphasize the point. "There's nothing to worry about just because
it's a mutation." (Seattle Times)
"Food-Logistics
Databases Take On New Urgency Amid Mad Cow Fears" -
"PARIS -- Tracking produce from the farm to your refrigerator isn`t the
most glamorous business to be in, but France`s Tracing Server sees a growing
demand for the information its databases can provide. With more and more
Europeans concerned about the origins of the food products they buy, the French
logistics-services company believes a product`s history -- including, for
example, which cattle farm a package of hamburger comes from -- can be as
valuable as the product itself. European consumers` desire for more information
about where produce comes from has been spurred in part by the sharp increase in
cases of mad-cow disease this year." (WSJ)
"Americans
'super-sizing' their way to obesity" - "NEW YORK: For
Americans seeking to shed a few pounds, the first step might be to push aside
the 32-ounce mug of soda and triple-layer hamburger being set down at lunch
tables across the US, a report suggests. With more than half of all Americans
clinically overweight and one out of four obese, results of an American
Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) survey indicate that lack of appreciation
for the importance of portion size is a significant factor." (Times of
India)
"More Food You
Can't Eat" - "The Center for the Science in the Public
Interest has found a new type of restaurant food to disparage. This time, it's
Greek food. CSPI already says you shouldn't eat most Chinese food, Mexican food,
Italian food, and fast food. Now these food nannies say forget the Greek salad,
moussaka, and gyros too. Where in the world can we get something to eat?" (GuestChoice.com)
"Watching
Volunteers Eat, Psychiatrists Seek Clues to Obesity" - "In a
small room on the ninth floor of St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital in Manhattan,
volunteers come to eat in the name of science." (NY Times)
"The
truth about fat" - "FAT seems to be the scourge of the
Western world; the enemy which many battle constantly. The rise in eating
disorders and the popularity of slimming clubs, gyms and low-fat ready meals are
symptoms of our fixation with this so-called evil. However, scientists are now
realising that fat benefits our bodies, and without adequate fat stores, our
lives would be much less healthy." (Scotsman)
"Navigating
the food-label maze" - "American's food supply is the safest
and most varied on the planet. But confusion persists over what to eat, how
much, and how to judge nutrition facts against manufacturers' claims."
(CSM)
"Don't get
anxious, get angry" - "The Independent seems to going through
a very welcome phase of balanced reporting and rational debate. Following on the
heels of Cherry Norton's coverage of the polio vaccine scare, which was the
subject of a SIRC 'Naming
and Praising' award, comes a nicely crafted and well argued piece by the
paper's columnist Natasha Walter: Let
us be angry, and not fearful." (Comment from the Social Issues Research
Centre)
"Russians
Getting Sicker, Dying Younger" - "MOSCOW - Officials painted a
worsening picture of Russians' health Tuesday, blaming poor social conditions
and too much drinking and smoking. "This year passed under the sign of
Russians' health getting worse and forces us, doctors, to talk about a national
catastrophe," Interfax news agency quoted Oleg Shchepin of the Russian
Academy of Medical Sciences, as saying." (Reuters)
"Cheerleading
Getting Dangerous" - "Injuries up 400 percent in 20
years" (HealthScout)
"Extinction
Turns Out to Be a Slow, Slow Process" - "Scientists studying
the planet's stressed-out rain forests, rivers, reefs, deserts and islands are
increasingly confronting a new kind of species — the living dead. They are
extant, but, in almost every way, are already extinct." (NY Times)
"Vietnam
says US has moral duty over war aggression" - "HANOI - Vietnam
said yesterday it hoped a historic visit by President Bill Clinton next month
would improve ties with the United States but Washington had a moral duty to
deal with consequences of its "aggression" in the Vietnam War. Foreign
Ministry spokeswoman Phan Thuy Thanh said this included real help in alleviating
suffering caused by Agent Orange, a toxic defoliant U.S. forces used in the War
to deny communist guerrillas cover." (Reuters)
"Clinton
Urged To Protect Consumers From Bio-Corn Contamination"
(Greenpeace)
"Gene
Boosts Football Players' Brain Damage Risk" - "NEW YORK
(Reuters Health) - Football players with a genetic variation linked to
Alzheimer's disease are more vulnerable to the damaging effects of head injury,
new research suggests." (Reuters Health)
"Belgium
to Boost Organic Farming" - "BRUSSELS, Belgium - Belgium said
Tuesday that it wanted to increase the number of organic farms by 60 percent
annually over the next four years." (Reuters)
"Hong
Kong's green crusade gathers pace" - "Hong Kong - Hong Kong
may be a latecomer to the eco-movement but the mushrooming numbers attracted to
the green crusade reflect growing dissent with government inaction over the
environment. Since it set up in Hong Kong in 1997, Greenpeace has seen its
membership explode from 750 to 11 000 in July, 2000. Friends of the Earth (FoE),
which has spent nearly 20 years campaigning against excess consumerism, has
grown from just a handful of volunteers to more than 1 500 paid-up
members." (News 24)
"For
thermometers, mercury is falling" - "WASHINGTON -- The glass
mercury thermometer, one of the most basic tools of medical care, is slowly
vanishing from store shelves and disappearing into history. Environmental groups
concerned about the toxic heavy metal and consumers making the gradual switch to
digital thermometers are combining to make the 150-year-old mercury thermometer
a relic." (USA Today)
"Storm
hits Nessie 'fishing' plan" - "A man who plans to hook a piece
of the Loch Ness monster has caused waves of discontent among Nessie fans and
animal-lovers." (BBC Online)
"Blair
provides new impetus for green agenda"
- "Tony Blair embraced the environmental cause yesterday for the first time
since he took office in a major speech that set out his Government's green
agenda. The Prime Minister acknowledged – in a way he has never done before
– the scale of a whole range of environmental problems, from global climate
change to the over-exploitation of fish stocks and the extinction of wildlife,
and pledged to "re-engage the political system on the importance of the
environmental challenge"." (Independent)
He's been given a sign! (and
panicked when he found it read 'exit')
"Asteroid
estimates 'too low'" - "Current predictions for the number of
potentially dangerous asteroids have been under-estimated by at least 20%, say
astronomers. According to recent estimates, there are between 750 and 900
asteroids circling the Earth with the potential to cause devastation on
impact." (BBC Online)
October 24, 2000
Here's a couple more things McKie forgot to mention on Sunday: "Europe's
biggest glacier shrinks" - " ... "The glacier has been
shrinking for most of the 20th century," Dr David Evans, of Glasgow
University's Geography and Topographical Science Department, told CNN.com. ...
But he dismisses panic theories that the loss of the glacier is man-made or even
permanent. "It really is not a human-induced situation," he said.
"This glacier is receding from the coast because it advanced to the coast
during what is known as the Little Ice Age. "Relatively speaking, things
have become warmer, but they were warm before the Little Ice Age." Evans
says that 300 years ago the coastal land around Breidamerkurjokull was ice-free
and used for farming by local people. Then, in the early decades of the 18th
century, the climate grew colder and giant rivers of ice spread out from the
Vatnajokull sheet, including the Breidamerkurjokull glacier. These moved miles
down to the coast, covering pastures and crushing farmhouses that lay in their
path. "The Little Ice Age lasted almost 200 years, reaching its peak, in
Iceland, in 1890, when Breidamerkurjokull got closest to the sea," said
Evans. "That mini-ice age is over now, and the climate has been getting
warmer for the past 100 years. Hence the shrinking and disintegration of the
glacier." (CNN)
"New
York Baseball Is Hot, Its Climate Is Not" - "As the New York
Yankees and New York Mets face-off in another historic "Subway
Series," New York baseball and Senatorial politics make New York a hot
topic in national conversation. That combination must be nirvana for someone of
George Will’s sensibilities. But "hot" as New York is in Autumn
2000, the Big Apple’s climate definitely is not heating up." (GES)
"Kyoto
climate debate heats up"
- "In London, Paris and Berlin, governments have been licking the wounds
inflicted by the recent oil protests. The governments survived the
demonstrations but efforts to stop global warming - in particular the Kyoto
Protocol, keystone of the inter-national community's efforts - may not. ... With
negotiators set to reconvene at the Hague next month to decide rules for
administering and enforcing the Kyoto pact, this greener- than-thou pose can no
longer mask the lack of deep public support for the EU's position. The oil
protests have made it embarrassingly clear that the EU has overestimated the
mandate from its citizens to fight global warming by means of higher energy
taxes." (Financial Times)
"Paint may keep
cities cooler" - "NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A little more green and
white instead of black can help keep Louisiana's capital of Baton Rouge cooler,
federal scientists say after analyzing infrared photographs of the city. A
NASA-Environmental Protection Agency study showed that white roofs, lighter-colored
pavement and trees providing shade to parking lots and streets can reduce heat
and pollution in cities that can be 2 to 8 degrees hotter than the areas around
them." (AP)
"Global
warming a factor in coral reef crisis" - "NUSA DUA,
Indonesia (October 23, 2000 1:19 p.m. EDT http://www.nandotimes.com) - More
than a quarter of the world's coral reefs have been destroyed by pollution and
global warming, experts said Monday, warning that unless strong measures are
taken, most of the remaining reefs could be dead in 20 years. In some of the
worst hit areas, such as the Maldives and Seychelles islands in the Indian
Ocean, up to 90 percent of coral reefs have been killed during the past two
years due to rises in water temperature." (AP)
Hmm... seems to be basically a rerun of this
Greenpeace-sponsored report by Ove Hoegh-Guldberg.
Hoegh-Guldberg won one of Australia's premier
scientific awards for his study on the causes of coral bleaching in the
world's reefs and the fact that Greenpeace commissioned the report in no way
invalidates it. It is contentious, however, due to its reliance on a simple
laptop- version GCM and the hypothesis of catastrophic warming induced by
anthropogenic greenhouse emissions.
Contentious too, is the damage done by the El Niño-induced
bleaching event. Of the Great Barrier Reef, AIMS (Australian Institute of
Marine Science) senior principal research scientist Terry Done said "an
odd hectare here or there" of the Reef had been devastated, but most
had suffered no lasting impact. (Recovering
Reef beats the bleach) According to their media
release of November, last year, most reefs in the GBR World Heritage
Area showed a 2% increase in hard coral growth and, according to this media
report, again showed net growth - "AIMS reef monitoring
programme leader Hugh Sweatman said yesterday that public pessimism about
the reef was not supported by the past five years of data."
Surprising? Perhaps not, GBRMPA (Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority)
representatives pointed out that, while sudden warming can certainly damage
and even kill corals, corals also flourish in the Mediterranean, where water
temperatures are +4°C higher than those experienced in the GBR. The
Maldives also seem to exhibit significantly better recovery than
doomsayers had predicted.
There have been many causes postulated for observed
changes in the world's coral reefs, ranging from African
dust to fluvial eutrophication and on to observation bias (people hadn't
been observing and recording bleaching events until very recently). We also
know that corals have survived both warmer and cooler oceans. What we don't
know is whether there are any significant current trends in ocean
temperatures and we won't for some time. Only now are we beginning to deploy
submersible buoys to get an idea of oceanic temperatures and that data will
not yield trend information for decades.
"The
Consequences of Banning Useful and Safe Chemicals" - "To the
Editor: The woeful condition of Los Angeles' public school playgrounds is a
predictable result of the nonsensical banning of safe and effective herbicides
in that city ("Tangled Up in Green," page A1, Oct.5). There is no
reliable scientific evidence to link the approved use of herbicides or
pesticides to any human disease. Three decades of use should be sufficient
evidence for the lack of adverse health effects of these chemicals." (Dr.
Gilbert Ross in The Wall Street Journal)
"Critically
Ill Infants Most at Risk From Plastic Softener" - "BRUSSELS,
Belgium, October 23, 2000 (ENS) - An international health care coalition
claims that premature infants and newborns treated in neonatal intensive care
units are likely to be exposed to significant amounts of a chemical suspected
to cause reproductive and developmental problems in humans. Health Care
Without Harm, which represents more than 290 organizations in 27 countries,
released its report in Brussels, Monday, to coincide with the European
Commission's public hearing on environmental issues of polyvinyl chloride
(PVC)."
Health
Care Without Shame - again. Media
Lose Message; Save
plastic IV-bags so they can save you; Safe
Plastics, Poisonous Journalism; Potshots
from the Purveyors of Plasticizer Panic.
"PVC
makers plead against laws as EU drafts strategy" - "BRUSSELS
- Makers of the plastic polyvinyl chloride (PVC) told European Union law
makers yesterday they would improve their environmental performance on their
own and did not need any new legislation. The PVC industry is combatting a
barrage of calls from environmental and consumer groups to ban or restrict its
products because of concerns they can pollute the environment and damage
health." (Reuters)
"Living
under an invisible threat"
- "Every year at around this time, an ozone hole opens up over the
Antarctic - but this year it has opened up to record levels. For a few days it
has also spread to the southern tip of South America. This area includes the
small town of Puerto Williams - the southernmost settlement in the
Americas." (BBC Online) [The
deadly fire in the sky (Vancouver Sun)]
"NASA,
NOAA in PR Slugfest" - "In the 1960s, NASA's clear purpose was
to forge the exploration of space. When Congress tired of spending billions to
mine moon rocks that look no different from Earth rocks, NASA changed its
priority to forging the exploration of Earth. Thus most remotely sensed data
have fallen under NASA's bailiwick. Lately, NASA's primary purpose is to forge
the domination of the airwaves. Nary a day goes by without some major press
release from NASA on some new nondiscovery about the latest ill to plague our
Fragile Planet." (WCR)
Northern high-latitude temperatures have drawn a lot of interest recently,
so:
"Lessons
from Lapland" - "The Lapland is a vast area in northern
Finland that extends northward from the Arctic Circle to the shores of the
Barents Sea. It is home to several hundred thousand humans and an even greater
number of domesticated reindeer. It also is home to a relatively long historical
temperature record used by the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change (IPCC) to calculate Arctic and global temperatures." (GES)
"VIRTUAL
CLIMATE ALERT #36" - "The third televised Presidential debate
turned the spotlight onto the Arctic again. The debate about the merits of
drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge can rage at other websites.
Let’s examine Vice President Al Gore’s assertion of the existence of "a
recent study" suggesting that the polar icecap could melt within the next
fifty years. By our rough calculation Hell will freeze over within the same
timeframe. No such study exists. But if Arctic temperature studies are what are
scaring you into the voting booth, consider a major paper recently published in
the International Journal of Climatology by Dr. Rajmund Przybylak of the
Nicholas Copernicus University in Poland." (GES)
"CO2
plan partially rejected" - "A Japanese government plan to
attain up to 3.7 percent of its total 6 percent carbon dioxide reduction target
through forest absorption has been partly rejected, a document released on the
Web site of a U.N. body showed Monday. The decision came during preparatory
negotiations for a U.N. conference on climate change slated for November. The
document compiled by the chairman of the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and
Technological Advice, a body under the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate
Change, excluded Japan's demand to reduce its carbon dioxide cut target by 0.3
percent by planting trees on land where forestry industries had cut down
forests." (Japan Times)
"Meacher
is rebuked for floating fuel tax escalator" - "Downing Street
and the Treasury yesterday issued a joint rebuke to the environment minister,
Michael Meacher, after he floated the idea of restoring the fuel duty escalator.
Government spokesmen said that ministers had no intention of bringing back the
escalator which was abolished by Gordon Brown in his budget this year.
(Guardian) [No
plan to use the fuel escalator, insists Brown] [CBI
urges Brown to cut fuel tax]
"Flames
on the fuel" - "SO now we know: the fuel protests were
orchestrated by a tightly knit group of politically motivated men. As the
protesters' deadline of November 13 approaches, Labour and its allies in the
media are determined to discredit the instigators. They are, say government
sources, Right-wing extremists bent on the destruction of Tony Blair: "a
popular front of Poujadist small businessmen" (Polly Toynbee in the
Guardian); "men drunk on the praise of William Hague" (Nick Cohen in
yesterday's Observer). Last week, a propos of nothing in particular, the BBC's
Today programme conducted a "special investigation" which pushed the
Government's line that the pickets had got their way through intimidation - a
conclusion since disputed by police. This is not the first time that Labour has
resorted to blackguarding its opponents." (Daily Telegraph) [Brown
on defensive over fuel escalator] [and from their environment editor,
defending sacred cows from motorists: Why
Blair chose the car and failed the country] [and
from The Scotsman: Stealth
taxes slow down economy]
"The Biotech
Boom" - "The Greens, now part of the political mainstream, are
no longer against genetics. On the contrary, they are presiding over a
dizzyingly rapid expansion in Germany’s biotechnology industry."
(Newsweek)
"Genetic
Engineering May Be A Slice Of Life Or Frankenfood" (Summary) -
"According to the Houston Chronicle, scientists are now envisioning the
full potential of genetic engineering. Currently the technology has been helping
farmers to ward off pests, control weeds, and prevent rot, but now scientists
are aiming to make drugs more affordable, medicines easier to dispense, and food
more nutritious." (TKC)
"Congress
puts off decision on federal funds for stem-cell research" -
"WASHINGTON (October 23, 2000 7:36 a.m. EDT http://www.nandotimes.com) -
Congress will wait until next year to decide whether to remove key restrictions
on federal funding for embryonic stem-cell research that advocates say could
lead to cures for Parkinson's, Alzheimer's and other diseases." (AP)
"Women's
worry about being at risk for certain cancers not as high as expected, study
finds" - "WASHINGTON — It has been thought that women at
high risk for breast and ovarian cancer who do not take the now-available
genetic tests are not taking the tests because of their fear of the results.
But, this is not the case. According to new research, these women neither worry
about the risk nor suffer from psychological distress as much as previously
thought. These findings are reported in the October issue of the American
Psychological Association’s (APA) Journal of Consulting and Clinical
Psychology." (APA)
"Report:
Water Systems in Trouble" - "EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) - Fresh
water systems around the world are so environmentally degraded they are losing
their ability to support human, animal and plant life, according to a report
released Saturday. Their decline will mean increased water shortages for people
and rapid population loss or extinction for many other species, the World
Resources Institute predicted." (AP) [China
planning nuclear blasts to build giant hydro project] [Gigantic
Scheme Mooted To Bring Water From Congo]
"Peru
logging ban: Saving trees but boosting poverty" - "A new law,
touted as the most advanced forestry law in Latin America, has its share of
critics in Peru." (CSM)
"An Ingredient Under
Fire" - "October 30 issue — Where’s the aspirin?
Executives in the $18 billion over-the-counter drug industry developed a huge
headache last week when a Food and Drug Administration advisory panel declared
that an ingredient found in dozens of popular decongestants and diet drugs was
unsafe." (Newsweek)
"Let
us be angry, and not fearful" - "A
culture of anger can help us to regain control over our lives. A culture of fear
sends us striving pointlessly for a risk-free life." (Natasha Walter in The
Independent) [Wanted:
a vaccine to fight fears over the health of children]
"We Say Toe-may-toe,
Nannies Say Toe-mah-toe, So Let's Call An Expert" (GuestChoice.com)
- "Contrary to nanny claims, there is nothing better about organic foods.
Organic, conventional, or genetically engineered, it just doesn't matter, says
David Klurfeld, chairman of the Department of Nutrition and Food Science at
Wayne State University in Detroit. "There is no evidence that organic foods
are more nutritious. The benefit you are getting is from any fruits and
vegetables. The more you eat, the healthier you will be - you'll have less
chance of cancer, heart disease and obesity. If it is pesticides that are
harming us, you would be much worse off if you ate lots of fruits and
vegetables, but that is not the case." ("Organic the way to
grow?," Washington Times, 10/22/00)
"Scientists
warn over 'dangerous remedies' for asthma"
- "Trials fail to show that herbal 'cures' have any success – instead,
they could trigger reactions including blood clots, bleeding and nausea.
Herbal remedies used to "cure" asthma are neither effective nor safe
and are a "waste of money" in most cases, scientists said
yesterday." (Independent)
"Genetic
test tells which smokers become addicted"
- "Scientists have discovered that genes determine how many cigarettes
people smoke each day, and who will become addicted." [Research
unpublished] (Independent)
"Conference
discusses African tobacco use" - "NAIROBI, Kenya (October 23,
2000 3:51 p.m. EDT http://www.nandotimes.com) - Tobacco-related diseases will
probably become the biggest killer in Africa in the next two decades, an
official with the U.S.-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said
Monday. Projections indicate tobacco will cause more deaths than AIDS, malaria,
tuberculosis, maternal mortality, automobile crashes, homicides and suicides
combined, CDC official Lawrence Green said." (AP)
"No
Time for Napping in Today's Kindergarten" - "It's only
October, but already Nicky Beldoch is exhibiting symptoms of student ennui. The
other day, when his mother asked him the best thing about school, he said lunch.
Most boring? Art history. No surprise, given that he has homework every night
and has been anxious about an oral report he has to deliver in science. But
Nicky is 5, and he is in kindergarten. And while his mother, naturally, says
that he is smarter than the average kindergartner, his day at Public School 9 on
the Upper West Side of Manhattan looks much like the average day in
kindergartens across the country." (NY Times) [Outstanding
preschool boosts brain activity (USA Today)]
Right... Wasn't the result of parents and institutions
pushing kids' learning very early an increase in student suicides in Japan?
"Flamingo
Population Increases in Kenyan Park" - "The once flagging
Flamingo population at Kenya's renowned Lake Nakuru National Park in the Rift
Valley Province, has now increased to 1.8 million birds, according to a survey
by the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS). Jackson Asila, KWS officer in charge of
game census at the park, told PANA Monday that the figure indicating a high
growth of the bird's population was obtained following a special count Saturday.
He said the number was one of the highest and was still going up due to the
current drought that has restored the salinity of the Lake water. Flamingos feed
on algae that would only flourish in alkaline water environments." (AllAfrica.com)
"Evidence
of 'life after death'" - "Scientists investigating
'near-death' experiences say they have found evidence to suggest that
consciousness can continue to exist after the brain has ceased to function.
However, the claim has been challenged by neurological experts." (BBC
Online)
October 22 - 23, 2000
Junkscience.com special award:
A very well deserved "Big J" junk science reporting award goes
to The Observer's 'science editor' Robin McKie for:
"Now
Europe's biggest glacier falls to global warming" - "Europe's
biggest glacier is about to disintegrate. The mighty Breidamerkurjökull in
southern Iceland is breaking apart and will slide into the north Atlantic in the
next few years. Researchers' discovery of the imminent destruction of this
gigantic river of ice demonstrates starkly that global warming is now making a
serious impact on the northern hemisphere, threatening to melt ice caps and
raise sea levels round the world."
Now this is truly alarming. If Europe's biggest glacier shows signs of
imminent collapse, surely that proves the enhanced greenhouse effect is real
and that the planet is undergoing catastrophic warming. Uh... just where is Breidamerkurjökull?
In fact, it is the largest outlet glacier that drains Vatnajökull
on the south-eastern part of the ice cap.
Any scientist worthy of their parchment and any science editor naturally
checks local temperature trends to verify local warming - in this case most
particularly summer warming because that's when we anticipate ice melt. From
our previously referenced regional map we note Höfn is adjacent and has a
half-century temperature record available graphically here.
Oops - no apparent warming over 50 years.
Hmm... the Vatnajökull ice cap has been in the news several times over
the last five years or so - why was that... time for a quick Google
search. Oh! More than 1,000 references, mostly about the subglacial
volcanic eruptions of 1995,
1996
and 1998. Nice
pictures of the collapsing ice sheet as it's melted from below by geothermal
activity and of the ash discolouration of the previously white ice cap
(meaning that it is less able to reflect solar energy and thus more likely to
suffer some surface melting).
So... no apparent trend in local surface temperature, recorded
subglacial volcanic activity and "the imminent destruction of this
gigantic river of ice demonstrates starkly that global warming is now making a
serious impact on the northern hemisphere, threatening to melt ice caps and
raise sea levels round the world." Quod erat demonstrandum
enhanced greenhouse causes volcanic activity?
Congratulations Robin McKie, verily you are a truly deserving winner of
the "Big J" award of the moment for junk science reporting. A very
special mention also for The Observer for publishing your baseless
regurgitation of misanthropist media releases rather than insisting you
actually did your job and some simple homework. A great team effort.
Volcanic activity demonstrates anthropogenic warming... Sheeeesh!
John L Daly (Still
Waiting For Greenhouse) has assembled a nice little pictorial
essay on the topic. Be sure to check out 'The Greening of the American
West' at the top of John's "Stop Press" section.
"Yes,
global warming did cause the floods" - "THE floods that have
ravaged Britain in recent weeks are the result of global warming, according to
a senior government minister. In the first official admission that climate
change was to blame, Environment Minister Michael Meacher said: "Anyone
who lives in Kent and Sussex knows the truth of the matter." (Daily
Express)
Curious, his own EPA said it was a result of building
on floodplains. As far as increasing flood damage goes, a recent NCAR
release says: Population
and Wealth, More than Climate, Drive Soaring Costs of U.S. Flood Damage.
The Sunday Times also carried Ministers
ignored flood-risk warning, a feature on decaying flood defences and
building on floodplains.
"Never
mind mellow fruitfulness: autumn leaves refuse to go brown"
- "Early morning mist rises in a wood at Woburn Abbey. The first shafts
of muted sunlight strike the green leaves. It could be the start of a late
summer's day. In fact, this was happening yesterday, in the middle of what
should be autumn. A handful of turning leaves, only visible on close
examination, provide a clue to the true season. The picture provides dramatic
evidence of what is an extraordinarily late autumn, part of a thorough
disruption of the seasons that is already taking place as a result of global
warming. Already the traditional British winter has virtually melted away,
while spring is getting steadily earlier." (Independent)
Check the item on English growing seasons (para 2) Troubling
Climatic Developments
"Internet
in the balance: Al Gore's regulatory threat" - "A few weeks
back, Al Gore, mocking his own penchant for hyperbole, bantered with David
Letterman's Late Show audience: "I gave you the Internet -- and I can take
it away." This is no joke. While Republicans waste time with captious
critiques of the straight-arrow Gore's credibility and character, the real
threat posed by the Democratic candidate is utterly ignored. Mr. Gore's policies
would impose an energy, tax and regulatory garrote on the Internet. The Kyoto
Treaty alone would be devastating to the Net. At a time when global temperatures
are significantly lower than they were 1,000 or 3,000 years ago, Mr. Gore would
impose an energy clamp on the U.S. economy over the next decade. Yet billions of
new Web servers and Web devices are scheduled to come onto the Net during this
period, while billions of now-poor Asians will also be drastically increasing
their energy usage. With each Web device draining as much as a megawatt-hour a
year, a billion always-on Internet computers -- together with the factories that
build them and scores of billions of watt-hungry embedded processors -- will
account for an estimated total of four thousand trillion watt-hours, or close to
half the world's current electricity use. With the restrictions negotiated in
Kyoto, a global broadband Internet cannot happen." (George Gilder in the
National Post)
"IT'S
THE ENVIRONMENT, STUPID!" - "DOWN by
two to five points in most polls, the debates he was supposed to win already
over, outgunned financially, what's Al Gore to do? The man needs an issue.
He's lost the battle of character and the duel of personality. America would
rather have George W. Bush as president. But they agree more with Gore. What
Al needs is an issue so clear and so important that he can make voters turn
down the more popular candidate and vote for him. The environment, the issue
that brung him, is Gore's way back into this race. Voters under 45 put the
environment way up top among their list of concerns. Polls indicate they
deeply believe that global warming, climate change, and ozone depletion
threaten their futures as intimately and directly as nuclear weapons darkened
the lives of their parents." (Dick Morris in the New York Post)
I didn't find much in the way of US polls and global
warming. There's an online poll on something called "Hot Planet"
that allows you to view results suggesting a margin of 2:1 voted against
their question of "Do you think that human influence is a factor in
global warming?" I have no access to the program and so have no idea
how information was presented nor do I know whether there is any voting
restriction effective - it could be that more opinionated people could vote
repeatedly. What interested me about this particular poll is the question.
Had I responded I would has answered yes, human influence is a factor (urban
heat island effect, less-cold nocturnal and winter extremes due to slower
re-radiation etc. ...) although I don't perceive greenhouse as a problem.
Curiously, when I looked, there had been roughly 26,000 affirmative and
56,000 negative responses, plus a few undecided. It's only one poll, with a
dubious question and of unknown integrity, but it sure doesn't lend any
support to the claim that people "deeply believe". If they did
you'd expect a greater motivation to click "yes" wouldn't you?
"Drug
Companies Defend Use of Ingredient in Cold Products" - "Facing
potential restrictions on a major ingredient in some of their best-known brands,
pharmaceutical companies staunchly defended the safety of their products
yesterday and accused the Food and Drug Administration of placing an unwarranted
amount of faith in what they called a questionable study." (NY Times)
"Bottled
water bad for teeth" - "The health fad for drinking filtered
and bottled water is raising dentists' concerns that a generation of young
people are doing serious damage to their teeth. Leading dentists fear that an
increasing number of children and teenagers are inadvertently cutting fluoride
from their diet by replacing tap water with bottled and filtered varieties.
There is also concern that constant sipping of sport drinks is causing an
"acid attack" on the teeth of the young." (NZ Herald)
"Corn
Woes Prompt Kellogg to Shut Down Plant" - "The Kellogg Co. has
been forced to shut down production at one plant because the company could not
find corn guaranteed to be free of a genetically modified grain approved only
for animal consumption, food industry sources said yesterday." (Washington
Post)
"Bio-corn
tests disrupt Kellogg plant in Tennessee" - "CHICAGO - Cereal
giant Kellogg Co. said on Saturday that operations at its Memphis, Tennessee,
plant were disrupted this week while a grain supplier set up tests to screen for
StarLink corn, the same type of genetically altered corn that last month forced
a recall of taco shells. "While our supplier was putting these steps in
place, we experienced a minor disruption at one of our plants. We expect to be
back in full operation early next week," Joseph Stewart, Kellogg senior
vice president for corporate affairs and chief ethics officer, said in a
statement." (Reuters)
"Tyson
stops buying StarLink gene-altered corn" - "CHICAGO - Tyson
Foods Inc., the world's largest poultry producer, said on Friday it has stopped
feeding its chickens with a gene-altered corn approved for use only as animal
feed but turned up in taco shells and flour." (Reuters)
"EC
questions if US biotech food regulations adequate" -
"WASHINGTON - The European Commission on Friday expressed concern about
whether U.S. regulations are adequate to stop bioengineered grains from getting
into exports to nations concerned about gene-spliced foods." (Reuters)
"GM
virus 'cure' for heart disease" - "Scientists are preparing to
infect heart disease patients with genetically engineered viruses. The modified
microbes would kickstart the patients' hearts into manufacturing life-saving
proteins and so restore their health, say the researchers." (Observer)
"Mobiles
will carry health warning" - "THE government is to issue
leaflets to everyone buying mobile telephones warning that those under 16 should
use them only for essential calls", writes Jack Grimston in the
Sunday Times.
"Sierra
Club lawsuit targets Hawaii tourist trade" - "The organization
filed a lawsuit with the Hawaii Supreme Court in January, saying that before the
Hawaii
Tourism Authority spends millions of dollars to promote tourism in the
state, it must prepare an environmental impact statement." (ENN)
"Thousands
Face Eviction to Conserve Kenya's Tana River Mangabey" -
"NAIROBI, Kenya, October 20, 2000 (ENS) - Conservation of an endangered
monkey found only along the Tana River in Kenya may be the cause for the
eviction of thousands of residents who have been encroaching on the animals'
habitat." (ENS)
"Environment
is for humans" - "Democratic vice presidential candidate Joe
Lieberman has been claiming that God wants you to be an environmentalist. And he
would know that because . . .?" (Boston Herald)
"Blair
attacks 'dogma' of the Greens"
- "Tony Blair will rebuke environmentalists this week for putting
"dogma and prejudice" before science, and indicate that the Government
is determined to press on with trials of GM crops. The Prime Minister will
deliver the rebuff – which will further infuriate campaigners who claim that
he has failed to keep his environmental promises – on Tuesday, in the first
wide-ranging speech on green issues he has made since coming to power in
1997." (Independent)
"Blair
to make 'partnership plea' to green groups" -
"Tony Blair is to urge green lobbying groups to play a more constructive
role in helping to formulate environmental policy." (Ananova)
"Oil
release to give winning bidders quick windfall, study says" -
"Tapping the nation's Strategic Petroleum Reserve was intended to help
consumers avoid home heating oil shortages this winter, but it appears likely to
help some big oil companies even more. Al Gore, who frequently rails against
"Big Oil" on the campaign trail, helped give a handful of oil dealers
a quick windfall profit when he pushed President Clinton last month to release
oil from the reserve to stave off a winter heating crunch. A new study by
Britain's Oxford Institute for Energy Studies, which is affiliated with Oxford
University, concludes that the winning bidders for the SPR's 30 million barrels
of oil — including divisions of BP Amoco, Marathon Ashland, Shell and Texaco
— together could make nearly $100 million on the transaction. Market analysts
couldn't confirm the exact figure, but they agreed with the study's general
conclusion. "It was a sweetheart deal, no doubt about it," said Phil
Flynn, senior markets analyst at Alaron Trading Corp., a Chicago-based futures
brokerage." (Knight Ridder)
"Strategic
Feel-Good Reserve" - "STOCKPILED IN A GRIMY TERMINAL IN NEW
HAVEN, CONN. IS A 1-million-barrel reserve of heating oil belonging to the
Department of Energy. The DOE owns another 1 million barrels stored in New
Jersey. The government bought this oil, which it calls the Northeast Heating Oil
Reserve, in late August by trading in 2.8 million barrels of valuable crude and
taking the hit for a nasty refining markup. The refiners got a good deal because
they have a seller's market--they are already running at 96% of capacity. The
government is also going to spend $7.2 million a year to store the heating oil.
The notion is that, if any wicked oil companies try to gouge consumers, the DOE
can unleash its reserve and force down prices. But it appears that the
government's action is perversely having the effect of exacerbating the problem
it is supposed to solve." (Forbes)
"Energy
Independence" - "... Dr. Dale M. Meade, head of advanced
fusion concepts at Princeton, speaking by phone from Rome, said he marveled at
the scale of the Forum, the aqueducts and the Coliseum: "Amazing what
people were able to do 2,000 years ago when they put their will to it."
There is some hope today that the will can be summoned, even as oil prices, for
the moment, moderate. The reason lies with a term that almost nobody had heard
in the 1970's, much less tied to emissions from fossil fuels: global
warming." so thinks James Glanz in the NY Times. But
then, the NYT also thought
the North Pole was melting back in August. Their subsequent embarrassed
retraction caused Letterman to provide them with an alternate slogan. Instead of
"All The News That's Fit To Print," slogan is "Stuff We
Heard From A Guy Who Says His Friend Heard About It" in his "Top
10 List"
"Brown
considers fuel-duty cuts for all drivers" - "GORDON BROWN is
considering a cut in fuel duty for all motorists in his November 8 pre-budget
report. The chancellor is finalising his plans amid a new political row over
so-called stealth taxes. Brown's report will follow across-the-board rises in
pump prices that were imposed by the oil companies last week and will come a
week before the 60-day deadline set by fuel protesters in September. The
Treasury has had extensive consultations with the haulage industry but has been
frustrated by the lack of a clear message from the transport lobby."
(Sunday Times)
"Sweden
risks greater dependence on fossil fuels - IEA" - "STOCKHOLM -
Sweden risks becoming more reliant on fossil fuels should it decide to phase out
nuclear power in the near future, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said in
a report on Sweden's energy policy on Friday. Sweden has decided to close a
second reactor at nuclear power plant Barseback before 2003 provided that power
consumption is cut and the energy lost can be replaced by renewable energy such
as wind, biomass, solar and small hydropower. "Should nuclear power be
phased out, Sweden would have to become more reliant on imports based on fossil
fuels," Robert Priddle, executive director at the IEA, told Reuters after a
briefing to present the report." (Reuters)
"Ohio
Residents Target Gore's Broken Promise On Controversial Incinerator"
"Morning
sickness may be due to ulcer bug" - "Women who suffer from
severe morning sickness may be carrying the bug that causes stomach ulcers,
scientists claim. A study of 90 pregnant women in Puerto Rico found that those
who experienced severe nausea and vomiting were 10 times more likely to have the
Helicobacter pylori bacterium in their stomachs than women who did not feel
sick." (BBC Online)
"Animal
rights activists blamed for car bombings" -
"Animal rights activists are believed to be responsible for two devices
which were planted under vehicles belonging to huntsmen." (Ananova)
October 21, 2000
"Earth's
Fidgeting Climate" - "Is human activity warming the Earth or
do recent signs of climate change signal natural variations? In this feature
article, scientists discuss the vexing ambiguities of our planet's complex and
unwieldy climate." (Science@NASA)
Is this the
consensus?
"DOE
officials toe Clinton line, back oil reserve release" - "…
The only folks who benefit will be a few large oil companies and a few
speculators who hit the jackpot," said Frank H. Murkowski, Alaska
Republican and committee chairman. Murkowski said that less than a day's worth
of heating oil for the domestic market would result from the release and that
much of the oil would go to foreign markets — all "at a considerable risk
to national security." (ENN)
"A pall over
Texas" - "HOUSTON — Viewed from atop a monument to
Texas independence, the metropolis named for the state’s favorite son, Sam
Houston, is the very picture of Big Oil. The city teems with refineries and
chemical plants — an ample measure of prosperity in the view of Republican
Gov. George W. Bush and many fellow Texans. But the progress has had a cost:
Last year, Houston displaced Los Angeles as the nation’s smog capital.
Critics say that is just one result of Bush’s decision to put the
environment a distant second to his ties to the oil industry." (MSNBC)
Al's
Environmental Whoppers
"Al
Gore, polluter?" - "Although Al Gore frequently hammers
George W. Bush about Houston's air pollution being the worst in the nation, Gore
neglects to mention that in a recent study the Environmental Protection Agency
found Tennessee's water pollution to be the second-worst in the nation. And Gore
especially avoids mentioning that he is directly responsible for some of that
water pollution. In fact, starkly contrasting with his passionate speeches or
warnings in his best-selling book, "Earth in the Balance," about ozone
depletion and other urgent environmental topics, Gore has a long-standing
reputation for polluting the environment in Tennessee." (World Net Daily)
"Costs
and Decision Making" - "Of all the ways of making decisions,
one of the most ridiculous is putting decisions in the hands of third parties
who pay no price for being wrong. Yet that has been one of the most fashionable
-- and most disastrous -- methods used in this century in countries that
embraced socialism. Now that communism and other forms of socialism have been
discredited by their failures around the world, you might think that the
assumptions and methods of such economic systems would also be discredited. But
you would be wrong. Third-party decision-making is alive and well in America
today. There was even shock when it suffered a minor setback in California
recently." (Thomas Sowell, Creators Syndicate)
"Al
Gore’s Economics Hurts Detroit" - "We are the enemy,” Al
Gore claims, a society rendered wholly “dysfunctional” by our “addictive
consumption” of Earth’s natural resources. Only the controlling hand of
government, he maintains, can preserve our future. " (Detroit News) [A
position also touted by WWF]
"Fuel
costs threaten economic boom" - "High energy prices pose a
danger to the long-running economic expansion, Federal Reserve Chairman Alan
Greenspan said yesterday, though they have not yet created a wider inflation
problem or hurt consumer spending. In a speech at the Cato Institute that
focused for the first time on the broad implications of the threefold increase
in oil prices since last year, Mr. Greenspan said the central bank is
increasingly preoccupied with OPEC, the Middle East and the ups and downs of oil
prices. "Policy-makers will need to be on the alert for oil-driven —
indeed, energy-driven — risks to our expansion," he said."
(Washington Times)
"Car
use over environment for motorists" - "Most
motorists value being able to use their car more than any environmental
considerations, according to a new survey." (Ananova)
"Societal
Changes, Not Rains, Cause Flooding Loss Rise" - "U.S.
annual flood losses, adjusted for inflation, rose from $1 billion in the 1940s
to $5 billion in the 1990s. But societal changes, much more than increased
precipitation, spurred the increase. In fact, the steep rise in flood-damage
costs in the United States over much of the past century comes from population
shifts, according to a new study published October 15 in the Journal of
Climate. "Climate plays an important but by no means determining role
in the growth of damaging floods in the United States in recent decades,"
write the authors, Roger Pielke Jr. and Mary Downton, both of the National
Center for Atmospheric Research. NCAR's primary sponsor is the National Science
Foundation." (UniSci)
"The Week That
Was October 21, 2000 brought to you by SEPP" - CARBON AT 20 MILLION
YEAR HIGH; THE HYDROGEN ECONOMY - A READER'S SOBER COMMENT; TAXES HIKE GASOLINE
PRICES (Science and Environmental Policy Project)
"Drugs
in the dock" - "Only the very brave will get involved in the
battle between natural childbirth advocates and women's groups over the use of
painkillers in pregnancy. Yet many women, particularly those who are pregnant,
may have been worried by yesterday's report linking drug abuse among children to
painkillers given to their mothers in childbirth. They should not be. Virtually
nothing can be drawn from such a small study." (Guardian)
"It's
time to flaunt the fat" - "Welcome to spring and the perennial
shock of squeezing into last summer's trousers followed by the inevitable
nightmare of pulling on the swimsuit. Yes, it's the time of year the lucrative
diet industry loves best." (NZ Herald)
"U.S.
Diet Doctors Go Round Over Fat Fight" - "DENVER - The diet
doctors went to war on Thursday. Dr Robert Atkins recommended his high-protein,
meat-rich diet to the American Dietetic Association's annual meeting but Dr.
Dean Ornish, a supporter of low-fat diets, told the group that Atkins' method
can give a person bad breath and body odor. A high-level U.S. Department of
Agriculture official was also on hand, advising against quick-fix diets. And the
fat, or at least the barbs, flew." (Reuters)
"Polio
vaccine withdrawn over BSE contamination fears"
- "A polio vaccine that has been given to millions of children and adults
was withdrawn by the Government yesterday amid fears it could be contaminated by
mad cow disease. The Medical Control Agency ordered GPs to return all unused
doses after the finding that it had been produced using foetal calf serum from
the UK." [A
few drops that let the Western world forget polio] [Wanted:
a vaccine to fight fears over the health of children] (Independent)
"UK
Report Into BSE Crisis Scheduled for Release Oct 26" - "LONDON
- British Agriculture Minister Nick Brown will unveil next Thursday a
long-awaited report into mad cow disease -- a public health crisis which shook
the nation." (Reuters)
"Indoor
Allergen Exposure Not Asthma Cause" - "LONDON - Early exposure
to indoor mite and cat allergens does not cause asthma in children but they can
trigger an asthma attack in people with the disease. New research by German
scientists reported in The Lancet medical journal found no evidence of a link
between the allergens and the development of the disease." (Reuters)
"Research
Results Forecast Another Wave Of Exorcisms" - "Couple the
re-release of "The Exorcist" and the upcoming Halloween broadcast of
"Possessed," a TV documentary about a purported exorcism in a mental
hospital, and you've got a prescription for a sudden jump in the number of
reported demonic possessions. "Quite a number of people who watch these
exorcism films will be affected and develop symptoms of hysteria. These films
will be a full-employment bill for exorcists," said Elizabeth Loftus, a
University of Washington psychologist and memory expert." (UniSci)
"Debate
over cutting public forests engulfs logger" - "Logging on
public land is nothing new. For years, the U.S. Forest Service has sold
loggers the right to cut timber on public land, generating millions of dollars
for the federal government. Some of the money is given back to local forest
services. But the practice has come under intense scrutiny in recent years.
Many say it's destructive, robbing taxpayers of money, compromising habitat
and exploiting a natural resource." (ENN)
resource: n. a source of economic wealth, esp.
of a country (mineral, land, labor etc.)... If a resource is rendered
inaccessible, is it still a resource or has it been managed out of
existence?
"Back-to-front
blues" - "Crime rates are down, employment is up, so why
won't people accept that things are getting better? ... Why is the prevailing
noise a whinge, so much scare and fear, outrage and indignation? Human nature,
says a pessimistic colleague. But the people are confronted with such a
barrage of misinformation, encouraged to complain, to sue, to blame its
leaders. Grudge is the general climate of discourse. Why?" asks Polly
Toynbee in The Guardian [Around
my table]
Could it have anything to do with scaremongering press
and activist doom and gloom coverage?
"Caesareans
safest, says breech birth study" - "Women facing childbirth
with a baby in the breech position, feet first, should always have a planned
caesarean delivery, according to a new study in the Lancet medical journal.
Proponents of natural childbirth will be dismayed. Caesarean rates have been
rising in Britain, and the recommendation from clinicians in Canada may push
them higher." (Guardian)
"These Guys
Are Getting Scary" - "The GE Food Alert Coalition is launching
an internet-based “viral marketing campaign” against genetically improved
foods. It should come as a surprise to no one that the folks behind this
Halloween-themed “fear marketing” campaign are (once again) major organic
food companies and Fenton Communications. Other participants include the
Maharishi cult, the Natural Law Party and the Organic Consumers Association.
Expect the worst." (GuestChoice.com)
"New
diseases threaten humans and wildlife" - "Many rare species
are being pushed towards extinction by exposure to human illnesses, scientists
say." (BBC Online)
"Professor
wins EPA ozone award" - "The U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency will present Yasuko Matsumoto, an assistant professor at the Science
University of Tokyo's Suwa College, with an award for her role in protecting the
Earth's ozone layer. Matsumoto, who was in charge of air pollution issues for
Greenpeace International Matsumoto from 1990 to 1998, is receiving the award for
her contribution toward raising public awareness of the issue and promoting the
diffusion of advanced technology utilizing substances not destructive of the
ozone layer." (Japan Times)
"Mouse
mats withdrawn over fungus fear" - "Greenpeace has recalled
promotional mouse mats after it discovered they may contain a fungus from the
Brazilian Amazon that could cause an allergic reaction." (BBC Online)
"Dead
Bodies Increase Pollution Problem" - "The Japanese practice of
cremating the bodies of deceased persons is found to be a major contributor to
dioxin contamination in major cities. Adding to the problem is the practice of
placing various mementos, such as golf clubs, plastic dolls and even pacemakers
of the deceased person into the coffin, to be cremated together with the
body." (Japan Update)
October 20, 2000
"Environmental Clapp-Trap" - "After nearly 40 years of hysteria, I’m still waiting for scientific evidence that any percentage of cancers are related to the environment. [But] Boston University’s Dr. Richard Clapp once again has sounded the alarm about cancers caused by the environment..." (Steve Milloy at
FoxNews.com)
"Foggy
logic threatens Hansen's Kyoto alternative" - "Climate change
guru Jim Hansen's recently announced plan of action -- an alternative to the
Kyoto Protocol -- took a major step forward this week with the first meeting of
climate researchers and U.S. government officials to openly discuss Mr. Hansen's
strategy. Held in Washington, D.C., at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced
International Studies, the meeting included a number of prominent planners from
the U.S. Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency, as well
as Mr. Hansen himself. ... With the Kyoto Protocol negotiations coming to
something of a head next month in The Hague, Mr. Hansen's alternative scenario
proposal has been contentious, to say the least. In fact, the environmental
community has gone ballistic over it. In his opening remarks, Mr. Hansen said he
had been so misquoted and maligned that he would soon publish an open letter to
his many critics, something a scientist does not often do." (David E.
Wojick, National Post)
"Weather
‘not a threat’" - "WORLD prices, supplies of oils
and minerals and deteriorating drainage systems are probably a bigger threat to
the future of Scotland’s arable farming than weather, say scientists. Farmers
who have struggled with this year’s wet harvest might disagree with that
conclusion, but the handbook Crop production in the East of Scotland points out
that late summer rainfall on the east coast has varied greatly over the past 40
years. That includes very dry years in the 1970s and 1990s and very wet ones in
the early 1960s and 1985." (Scotsman)
"Kawaguchi
justifies CO 2 effort" - "Environment Agency chief Yoriko
Kawaguchi has praised Japan's global warming measures and hinted at the need for
more action by the United States going into international climate change
negotiations next month in the Netherlands." (Japan Times)
"Caught
napping" - "The United States must break the OPEC cartel and
contain the surging cost of fuel. It is now clear that these rises in energy
costs could throw us into recession. The most important result of this
election may turn out to be whether the United States continues the irrational
Clinton-Gore policies that have reduced domestic production or whether we act
decisively to tap our own large reserves in an environmentally safe
manner." (Peter Sessions, Washington Times)
Affordable energy, yes - but don't forget there's such
a thing as too cheap. If there's inadequate profit in supply of the
commodity then no one's going to supply it. There's profit available now
and:
"Oil
prices have US scrounging for supplies" - "Almost every
drilling rig in the nation is in use as industry redoubles exploration."
(CSM)
"Fueling the
Internet’s factories" - "TUKWILA, Wash., Oct. 19 — At
the key crossing points of the Internet, bundles of cable branch out into office
buildings and weave their way through cabinets packed with servers and routers
and switches. These are the factories of the New Economy, gobbling up megawatts
of power to support millions of dollars worth of e-commerce. Contrary to
conventional wisdom, the New Economy doesn’t make the environmental dilemmas
of the manufacturing era disappear. In fact, the market for 24-hour-a-day,
seven-day-a-week data services is growing rapidly, and managing these huge new
electrical appetites is a major challenge." (MSNBC)
"U.S.
says has enough heating oil for East Coast" - "U.S. Energy
Secretary Bill Richardson said today Washington believes it has enough heating
oil stocks to avert supply problems on the East Coast this winter. Heating oil
stocks in the U.S. Northeast — the biggest regional user of the fuel — are
70 percent below last year, while national inventories are off 36 percent."
(Reuters)
"Natural
gas prices could jump by 20%, experts warn" - "A cold winter
could send natural gas prices "through the roof," consumer advocates
are predicting. Natural-gas users have already been dealt four significant
price hikes since 1999 -- including a 33-per-cent increase in July -- but BC
Gas is hinting there may be another increase on the way. Residents should
brace themselves for a 20-per-cent hike, warns Richard Gathercole, executive
director for the B.C. Public Interest Advocacy Centre. Gathercole -- a lawyer
who has represented pensioners, consumers and other groups at B.C. Utility
Commission hearings over the past 15 years -- expects the increase to hit the
Lower Mainland by January.
Here's something you don't see in print very often:
"Right now, everyone in the natural gas industry is crossing their
fingers, hoping that global warming works and we have a warm winter,"
Gathercole quipped. "If we have a cold winter, the prices are really
going to go through the roof." (Vancouver Sun)
"Gore and Bush vie for
the car vote" - "DETROIT — Nowhere would the prospect
of sharply higher gasoline prices and mandated cuts in greenhouse gas emissions
have a more direct impact in the United States than in Michigan, where 274,000
people work in the auto industry. Michigan is not only the home of the U.S.
industry, its 18 electoral votes make it crucial to Al Gore and George W. Bush
in the presidential election." (MSNBC)
"Al
Gore’s Global Auto Plan" - "Al Gore is the first
presidential candidate to regard the automotive industry as a threat to
civilization. According to his 1992 book Earth in the Balance, our
minivans and sport utility vehicles, light trucks and sedans, represent “a
mortal threat to the security of every nation that is more deadly than that of
any military enemy we are ever again likely to confront.” (Detroit News)
"The
Hypercar trip to energy neverland" - "Amory Lovins first
achieved fame in the 1970s as the guru of small, renewable, decentralized
energy: the "Soft Path," a windmill on every rooftop, a biogas
digester in every backyard. By the year 2000, he predicted, the United States
would produce 35% of its commercial energy "softly." How wrong was he?
Calculated generously, by a factor of 10. Mr. Lovins continues to be hired as an
advisor by numerous multinational corporations, national governments and
international agencies. But his emphasis has changed. He has gone from
anti-nuclear Luddite to technological fantasist. In particular, he is father of
the "Hypercar," a concept he liked so much that he slapped a trademark
on it." (Peter Foster, National Post)
"Anti-pollution
program costs soar" - "It seemed like a good idea in Arizona
where the capital city's skyline is almost always obscured by a brown cloud of
pollution. The state would sweeten existing incentives to encourage Phoenix
residents to buy vehicles that use so-called clean fuels, such as natural gas,
propane or electricity, and help clean the air. But the program proved too
popular: So many residents rushed to take advantage of the tax breaks offered by
the state that the program's costs have spiraled nearly out of control."
(AP)
"One
in Three Americans Would Pay More for Clean Power" -
"WASHINGTON, DC, October 19, 2000 (ENS) - A significant minority of
Americans are willing to pay an additional 20 percent for clean energy,
according to a survey by the consulting firm of Deloitte & Touche. One
third of respondents in a national survey said they are "not willing at
all" to pay a premium, while 14 percent said they are "very
willing" and 12.2 percent answered that they are "somewhat
willing" to pay an extra 20 percent." (ENS)
CV (Contingent Valuation) surveys may not provide much
useful information. Hypothetical willingness to pay tends to greatly exceed
actual willingness: Green
space no guarantee of greenbacks.
"US
bill to boost ethanol, ban MTBE appears dead" - "WASHINGTON -
With just a few days left in Congress, a bill to ban the controversial fuel
additive MTBE and potentially triple demand for ethanol appears to be dead,
industry and congressional sources said on Wednesday." (Reuters)
"GM
foods debate rages on" - "Denver - Supporters liken
genetically-engineered foods to superheroes poised to obliterate disease and
make the world a better place. Skeptics call these products
"Frankenfoods," a reference to the infamous experiment gone awry.
Regardless of their point of view, scientists gathered at the American Dietetic
Association's annual meeting here agreed that genetic engineering will
dramatically alter the way food is produced, utilised and consumed around the
globe." (News 24)
"Dinosaurs,
dodos ... crop-dusters?" - "On a breezy afternoon here in the
heart of the Corn Belt, the only thing flying at Agri-Tech Aviation is the
orange wind sock. The grass landing strip, cut between fields of soybean and
corn, is empty, and two of the company's three spray planes sit idle in hangers.
The third is in Texas - the first time Iowa's oldest and largest crop-dusting
operation has had to send an aircraft out of state for business. The nose dive
wasn't caused by any of the usual suspects - drought or low prices, although
they played a role - but by a high-tech invader: genetically altered
crops." (CSM)
"Seeds
of dissent" - "Is the party over for genetically modified
crops? Some scientists are afraid it might be. But molecular biologist Richard
Jefferson thinks the GM revolution is only just warming up. Jefferson heads
CAMBIA, a non-profit plant biotechnology research centre in Canberra. Thirteen
years after conducting the world's first release of a transgenic food crop,
Jefferson, 44, is turning conventional ideas about plant genetics on their head.
For instance, he says you can get top-quality GM crops without introducing
foreign genes into plants. Or, wait for it, that sequencing genes of plants like
rice or maize is a waste of time. Ehsan Masood spoke to the man who's
challenging researchers to think smarter." (New Scientist)
"Behind
the biotech push: world hunger" - "On the face of it,
farming's biotech revolution is wavering. As hearings on reapproval of
genetically engineered crops begin this week in the United States, protesters
have stepped up their attacks. Farmers have slowed the rate at which they're
adopting the new crops. And industry missteps, such as the widening scandal over
nonapproved modified corn showing up in taco shells and other food, has done
nothing to reassure consumers. But quietly, another biotech push is gathering
momentum that may prove unstoppable. Universities and nonprofit research
organizations are pressing ahead to genetically engineer hardier crops and more
nutritious food for the world's poor. And while the US and Europe bicker over
how to regulate these new crops, several developing countries are forging ahead
with research that could lead to dramatic transformation of agriculture in poor
countries." (CSM)
"Monarchs
Fluttering Through World of New Perils" - "As millions
of butterflies head for wintering grounds, scientists argue over the effects of
bioengineered corn and other modern developments." (LA Times)
"Stop This Butterfly Nonsense!" - "Greenpeace and the Center
for Food Safety intend to sue the Environmental Protection Agency "for
its failure to protect endangered species from gene-altered crops." Greenpeace
says, "EPA has had its head in the sand since it learned that genetically
engineered corn could be killing monarch butterflies. There are at least 20
other endangered or threatened butterflies that could be at risk from the
unexpected side-effects of genetically engineered crops. But, instead of
listening to scientists' warnings, EPA just burrows its head deeper." Of
all the nanny attempts to disparage genetically improved foods, this one has to
be the most ridiculous. First, genetically engineered corn is not killing
monarch butterflies. According to the University of Kansas' "Monarch
Watch" program, the monarch
population actually increased from 66.6 million in 1998 to 108.6 million in 1999.
Second, even the
scientists who did the research on monarch butterfly deaths as related to
genetically improved corn say the conditions of the test would never actually
occur in nature, only in a laboratory. Further field tests found a minimal
risk if any to monarchs or other
type of butterflies. Third, monarch butterflies are not
endangered. They aren't
even listed as candidates for the endangered species list. It's time for the
nannies to leave the butterflies alone." (GuestChoice.com)
"Biotech
Corn in Various Foods" - "Millions of bushels of genetically
engineered corn approved only for animal use have made their way into the
human food supply chain, officials said yesterday, raising the possibility
that the corn will be found in a wide array of foods. As a result, industry
and federal officials are working to find the corn and buy it back before it's
made into more taco shells and chips, corn flakes and other corn
products." (Washington Post)
Taco
Terrorism
"Business
As the Target" - "Vice President Al Gore apparently believes
he has hit upon the formula that will propel him to the presidency: take credit
for a prosperity he didn't create while viciously attacking the institution that
did, American business. In fact, despite today's historic business-led
expansion, three out of four candidates--Ralph Nader, Pat Buchanan and Al
Gore--have made business-bashing themes the centerpieces of their
campaigns." (Thomas J. Donahue, Washington Post)
"FDA
Panel Urges Ban on OTC Drug Ingredient" - "GAITHERSBURG, Md. -
An ingredient in cold remedies and weight-loss drugs used by millions of
Americans is linked to a higher risk of strokes and should be banned from
over-the-counter drug products, a U.S. advisory panel said Thursday. The
ingredient, phenylpropanolamine (PPA), is used in dozens of products such as
Dexatrim for weight loss and cough and cold medicines such as Dimetapp. The
panel, a group of experts that advises the Food and Drug Administration (FDA),
said the low risk of strokes in people age 18 to 49 appeared elevated, although
still small, among people who took products containing PPA." (Reuters)
"Born
addicts" - "THE more painkillers a woman gets during labour,
the more likely her child is to abuse drugs later in life. Karin Nyberg of the
University of Gothenburg and her colleagues looked at medication given to the
mothers of 69 adult drug abusers and 33 of their siblings who did not abuse
drugs. They found that 23 per cent of the drug abusers were exposed to multiple
doses of opiates or barbiturates in the hours before birth, compared with only 3
per cent of their siblings without drug problems (Epidemiology, vol 11, p 715).
If the mothers received three or more doses, their child was nearly five times
as likely to abuse drugs." (New Scientist)
"Cyclists
get scrotal trauma warning" -
"Male mountain-bikers, who spend hours cycling over rough terrain are
suffering a painful problem that could leave them at higher risk of testicular
cancer, researchers have found. A study published in The Lancet today
shows 96 per cent of mountain-bikers suffered from scrotal abnormalities and
were also three times more likely to suffer from sperm containing cysts than
non-cyclists." (Independent)
'Green
tea "lowers cholesterol"' - "CSIRO studies have shown
that antioxidants in green tea can lower cholesterol in rabbits by increasing
the amount of a liver protein that works to clear cholesterol from the blood.
Although research overseas has already linked green tea consumption with lower
cholesterol levels, the CSIRO results are the first to identify the mechanism
responsible. Senior Research Scientist Dr Paul Roach says green tea's high
concentration of strong antioxidants called catechins increase the liver's LDL
receptors, a major mechanism for cholesterol control." (CSIRO)
"Children
likely to live shorter lives than their parents"
- "The life expectancy of some of today's children will be years shorter
than their parents' if current trends of poor diet and lack of exercise
continue, Yvette Cooper, the Public Health minister, will warn today. Ms Cooper,
who is speaking at the Community Practitioners and Health Visitors Association
Conference in Harrogate, will outline the Government's increasing concerns about
the poor state of children's health and diet. "The health problems that
children have in their early years can haunt them for the rest of their
lives," she will say." (Independent)
"As
Children Grow Fatter, Researchers Try to Find Solutions" - "...
The statistics on fat children are not encouraging. From 1976 to 1980, the
National Center for Health Statistics reported, 6.5 percent of children ages 6
to 11 were overweight, defined as heavier than 95 percent of children of the
same age in population studies in the 1960's and 1970's. A decade later, that
fraction had nearly doubled. From 1990 to 1994, the center said, 11.4 percent of
children in that age group were overweight." (Gina Kolata, NY Times)
"'Growing
fears' over mad cow disease"
- "Concern about contracting the human form of mad cow disease has risen
sharply in Scotland over the past year, according to new research." [UK
beef safer than French?] (BBC Online)
"EU
proposes tough new livestock processing laws" - "BRUSSELS -
The European Commission yesterday proposed banning all animal materials except
those fit for human consumption from use in livestock feed, drugs and other
industrial products. Under the plans, which must be approved by EU governments
and the European Parliament, potentially diseased animal carcases could not be
processed into feed, pharmaceutical products or used for other purposes, such as
the manufacture of glue, a Commission official said." (Reuters)
"Eczema
treatment found to head off onset of asthma" - "Treating young
children who have eczema with large daily doses of a certain antihistamine could
stop many of them going on to develop asthma, a worldwide study has found. About
70 per cent of babies with atopic dermatitis, also known as eczema, will go on
to develop asthma by the age of five, a separate Melbourne study has found. But
the first study found that when such babies were treated with two daily doses of
the antihistamine cetirizine, only half of them went on to develop asthma."
(Sydney Morning Herald)
"Bare-breasted
poet takes on loggers" - "A California performance artist has
launched what she hopes will be a new women's movement against logging ancient
redwoods — baring her breasts and reciting poetry to stunned timber
crews." (Reuters)
October 19, 2000
"Ontario
may doom climate-change deal" - "A key federal-provincial
accord on climate change may now be worthless after Ontario, the biggest
emitter of the greenhouse gases believed to cause global warming, refused to
sign the deal. Officials from other jurisdictions were furious with the
province, having argued late into Monday night to try to bring it onside.
Environment Minister David Anderson said Ontario's refusal to sign puts the
country in a tough position heading into a key conference next month in The
Hague." (GAM) [Montreal
Gazette]
But David, not everybody wants to drive the economy
over a cliff.
"Canada
fails in reducing emissions" - "TORONTO -- A national
attempt to reduce industrial emissions of greenhouse gases has "utterly
failed," says a global-warming watchdog group. Just 115 of the more than
700 industries and utility companies registered with a federal government
"voluntary challenge" have reported up-to-date information on
greenhouse-gas emissions, says a report by the Pembina Institute, obtained in
advance by the Toronto Star. In many cases, emissions have actually gone up
among program participants." (CP) [Environmentalists
blast Ontario]
Well gosh! They're just like the rest of the
industrialised world after all.
"Canada
offers one-off relief for heating expenses" - "OTTAWA -
Canadian Finance Minister Paul Martin said yesterday Ottawa would provide a
one-off tax relief package worth C$1.35 billion ($890 million) to help
lower-income families cope with higher heating costs this winter. ...
"The quality of our individual lives is deeply rooted in the quality of
the environment we share - in clean air and clean water," he told
Parliament." (Reuters)
Forgot one bit - the quality of our individual lives is
deeply rooted in not freezing our butts off in the dark. Affordable energy
is immensely important to quality of life and Kyoto has no function
other than to deny that.
"Lieberman
holds environment dear" - "Democratic vice presidential
candidate Joseph Lieberman said today that to him and Al Gore, protecting the
environment is "a matter of faith." (AP)
Yes and it's precisely the quality of evangelical
zealotry that makes it so terrifying.
"Al
Gore’s Reckless Auto Agenda" - "Never before has a
presidential election carried such enormous consequences for the automotive
industry. Al Gore is the first major party candidate to make environmental
regulation a central organizing principle of his political agenda. His election
threatens to expose Detroit to unparalleled government interference."
(Detroit News)
'Clearing
the air' - "In July 1997, Vice President Al Gore thought he had
just the right setting to speak up for the environment and its human
inhabitants. With a heat wave for a backdrop and an asthmatic Takoma Park boy as
a prop, he strode to a White House podium to support new rules reducing smog.
"[W]e're moving forward on our greatest challenge," he said, "and
that is to provide a better and safer and healthier world for our children and
their children to come." Neither he nor his protégé at the Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA), Carol Browner, mentioned that there was little
scientific evidence to justify the rule. Nor did either mention that just the
day before, the Clinton administration had turned down the request of a Virginia
environmental official that could have reduced smog levels during the heat wave:
Call off the federal government for a day. Let nonessential federal workers stay
home and off the highways, much as the feds do during snow emergencies. The
federal government declined, saying it would cost taxpayers $73 million to give
workers the day off. So much for the health of asthmatic children." (Ken
Smith, Washington Times)
"Researchers
uncover secret to mass extinction events" - "ANN ARBOR---Some
34 million years ago, almost 90 percent of the tiny, shell-bearing sea
creatures living along the U.S. Gulf Coast were wiped out and replaced by
completely new species of shellfish or mollusks. The same pattern was
occurring worldwide, marking the largest global mass extinction since the
dinosaurs disappeared. Until now, the cause behind the mass extinction event
was a mystery. Using a new technique that is revolutionizing the way
scientists study ancient climate and temperature change, researchers at the
University of Michigan and Syracuse University showed that colder winters
along the Gulf Coast resulted in the mass extinction at what is known in
geological time as the Eocene/Oligocene boundary." (Syracuse University
News Services)
Oh-oh, mass extinction from global climate change. No,
not global warming - cooling killed them off.
"Penguin
poo points to climate shift: scientists" - "Chinese
scientists sifting through ancient penguin droppings believe the Earth went
through a deep chill that lasted more than a thousand years." (AAP)
"Cold
From Little Ice Age Also Chilled Caribbean Sea" - "The
"Little Ice Age," a six-century-long cold spell over most of Europe,
also chilled the tropical waters of the Caribbean Sea more than scientists
previously thought, according to a new study of corals. The study of chemical
isotopes trapped by tropical corals as much as 300 years ago may also show
that the tropical climate is less stable and more prone to wide, long-term
swings of natural warming and cooling than previously supposed. Research
results published this week in Geophysical Research Letters show that
during the heart of a cold spell known as the "Little Ice Age," the
Caribbean Sea around Puerto Rico was as much as two to three degrees Celsius
(from 3.6 to 5.4 degrees Fahrenheit) cooler than at present. This is
surprising, says Dr. John Christy, because other recent research had suggested
to climate scientists that effects of the Little Ice Age were largely limited
to Europe and the area around the North Atlantic. "Our result would tend
to indicate that the effects of the Little Ice Age were much more widespread
than previously thought, extending all the way into the tropics," said
Christy, a professor of atmospheric science at the University of Alabama in
Huntsville (UAH). "The paleoclimate models have always assumed that in
the tropical part of the world the climate is very stable, and that natural
climate changes from one century to the next were very small." (UniSci)
Christy's a very polite fellow isn't he? In fact, the
attempt to redefine the LIA as a localised phenomenon has been hotly
contested and flies in the face of proxies derived in the Antarctic,
Australia, South America, Central America, Sargasso Sea (Central Atlantic),
East Africa, China, Siberia and Greenland. That's localised - they're all
places on planet Earth. Here's a graph of
the Sargasso Sea surface temperature reconstruction over the last 3,000
years from Science Journal - four years ago.
"Germany
sees pioneer role on global warming" - "BERLIN - Germany
announced new measures yesterday to ensure it becomes one of the few
industrial nations to fulfil promised cuts in the "greenhouse gases"
blamed for global warming, and urged the rest of the world to follow. "We
shall make sure Germany maintains its top position on climate
protection," Environment Minister Juergen Trittin said, forecasting that
Germany would meet its pledge of cutting emissions 21 percent from 1990 levels
by 2010. Trittin urged governments meeting at a United Nations environment
conference in the Hague next month to ensure they kept promises contained in
the 1997 Kyoto Protocol to cut emissions of greenhouse gases, notably carbon
dioxide." (Reuters)
Oh dear! All the easy "emission cuts"
resulting from the closure of old and "dirty" former East German
industry following reunification are long behind them and yet, according to
reports, Germany has no hope of meeting its "commitments". Perhaps
it's just as well that Kyoto has no real prospect of meeting the
55/55 rule required to bring it into binding force.
"The
greenhouse effect isn't so bad after all" - "The widespread
view that global warming is a major threat to mankind has some fundamental
flaws, writes Larry Mounser." (Sydney Morning Herald)
"Germany
aiming to wean itself from oil dependence" - "BERLIN -
Germany wants to reduce its exposure to rising oil prices by sharply reducing
its dependence on oil-based fuels by 2005, Environment Minister Juergen
Trittin said yesterday. The world's third largest economy relies on oil for
around 40 percent of its energy needs. Recent surges in the price of oil have
prompted the government to look at ways it can offset potential economic
damage from long-term price rises. Trittin, a leader of the ecologist Greens
party, said the government was committed to improving energy efficiency and
promoting renewable fuel forms that would result in a corresponding drop in
its oil reliance by 2005. "It will fall very, very strongly during this
period," Trittin told a news briefing detailing targets for use of
"green" power forms and presenting a multi-billion mark (dollar)
nationwide building insulation scheme. He declined to quantify what proportion
of Germany's total energy needs would be covered by oil by then."
(Reuters)
Zo, we expect to see wind-powered vehicles whizzing
along the Autobahn then Juergen?
"Big
regulations for the big rigs" - "For most of this year,
American consumers have been battered by record increases in the price of oil
— paying more for gasoline at the pump, more for airline tickets, and soon
more for home heating oil. But never fear — Congress has finally taken
action. Rejecting such common-sense ideas as reducing fuel taxes or easing
costly regulations, the House of Representatives last week passed legislation
requiring trucking companies to pass on the increased cost of fuel to their
customers. Yep, that's right. After months of deliberation, the House finally
zeroed in on the real problem — some companies just aren't charging their
customers enough money." (James Gattuso, Washington Times)
Is the world running out of oil? Alan Caruba thinks not in this week's Warning
Signs.
"Trial
Over Huge Offshore Deposit of DDT Begins" - "Kicking
off one of the largest and longest-delayed environmental trials in the nation,
government and industry attorneys battled Tuesday over who is to blame for DDT
that has been harming bald eagles and marine life off Southern California for
the past five decades." (LA Times)
Hmm... see 100
things you should know about DDT; Facts
versus fears: DDT
"Sheep
dip 'victims' told to drop action"
- "FARM workers who claimed that they had been injured by exposure to
sheep dip have been advised by their lawyers to drop their legal action
against employers and manufacturers of the insecticide. Patrick Allen, their
solicitor, said the claimants had been unable to prove the link between their
symptoms and the organophosphates contained in the dips, which are designed to
kill mites, lice, ticks and other parasites. He advised them that their claims
had "poor prospects of success". (Telegraph)
Translation: definite proof against - tort crashes and
burns.
"Pesticide
Awareness Grows in The UK, So Do Complaints" - "LONDON,
United Kingdom, October 18, 2000 - Complaints over the use of pesticides have
soared by 70 percent in the UK, according to figures released by the Health
and Safety Executive on Tuesday." (ENS)
If they're all so fired up about pesticides it makes
you wonder why they aren't a lot keener on biotech-enhanced crops.
"Inquiry
warned over milk from GM-fed cows"
- "A scientist giving evidence at a public inquiry into a genetically
modified (GM) maize intended for animals has said he would not drink the milk
of cows fed on it." (Independent)
Uh... just what lab tests were done on any of the
forage crops introduced to the UK over the last couple of centuries? Weren't
there "statistically significant" differences between these and
native forage - oh, no one could know could they? There are
"statistically significant" differences between all varieties of
maize and even the same variety grown in different soils or under different
conditions but that doesn't mean the milk from cows eating it is suspect.
Like all living creatures, humans are chemical engines
and we survive by ingesting, rearranging and excreting a wide variety of
chemical compounds. Many of the compounds we ingest are toxic to some degree
but we have evolved mechanisms to deal with this. If changes in the
composition of foodstuffs were particularly hazardous then we would not have
survived seasonally available food for example. We have evolved as
opportunistic omnivores, able to take advantage of almost any food resource
and thrived because we have the ability to utilise different
resources. Just because we are now able to detect minute differences in
resources doesn't make us any less able to utilise them. What a peculiarly
fearful age we live in.
"GM
inquiry starts on sensible note" - "The keenly awaited Royal
Commission on Genetic Modification has begun in the best possible way. On the
first day of hearings, two of the "big six" multinationals doing
genetic research conceded there could be no absolute guarantee of safety. There
was, they pointed out, no such guarantee in any human endeavour. It ought to go
without saying - but it needed to be said, and said right at the outset of this
inquiry, because a great deal of popular distrust of science and technology has
been whipped up by impossible demands for absolute assurance of safety. Fears of
everything from cereals to cellphone towers have been fanned because responsible
scientists will not deny that even negligible harm can happen." (NZ Herald)
Sigh... "Govt.
Said To Violate Species Act" - "WASHINGTON — Groups opposed
to genetically engineered crops accused the government of violating the
Endangered Species Act in considering whether to renew licenses for gene-altered
crops that are toxic to insects. The groups, which notified the Environmental
Protection Agency on Wednesday of their intent to sue the agency, said the crops
may harm a number of endangered insects such as the Karner Blue butterfly,
sometimes found near corn fields. Registrations for several varieties of
genetically engineered corn and cotton are due to expire next year. The EPA has
been gathering research data and consulting with a panel of scientists about the
impact of the crops on human health and the environment. In a preliminary
assessment released last month, the agency concluded there was little risk to
butterflies or any other insects which the toxin is not supposed to harm. A
three-day meeting by the agency's scientific advisory panel began Wednesday in
Arlington, Va. Under the Endangered Species Act, the EPA would be required to
consult with the Fish and Wildlife Service and to take actions to protect the
threatened species from the crops." (AP)
The comparison is not (or rather, should not) be
between plants engineered to express another pesticide and an absence of
pesticides but between pesticide sprayed and engineered crops to determine
relative risk to the pretty butterflies. Looking at the wrong data won't
help will it?
Why did I say express
another pesticide? For good reason actually. Any plant not eaten
out of existence must be expressing some defences against predators.
Defences against insects mostly fall into two groups, toxins - to poison
consumers - and gums to foul and obstruct the "chewing gear" of
consumers. Consumers are constantly adapting their efforts to defeat plants'
defences and plants that survive the assault and propagate are those with
the most effective defences. 99.9% of the pesticides in our diet are
all-singing, all-dancing, all-natural plant-expressed product.
"FEATURE
- Austria and its untapped "white gold"" - "VIENNA
- If you believe that water will join oil as one of this century's most
valuable commodities, then Austria and its bottomless reserves will be the
next Saudi Arabia. With the world's population forecast to explode to 8.5
billion in the next 25 years from six billion now, drinkable water is becoming
scarcer as worldwide demand increases twice as fast as population growth.
Apocalyptic statistics already paint a bleak picture - every three seconds a
child dies from an illness caused by insufficient water supply, according to
the United Nations." (Reuters)
That water quality is a huge problem in the developing
world is quite true and the
toll is horrendous. Moves to alleviate the problem are not well received
though: India
Court Ruling a Blow to Dam Protesters. Despite significant
opposition, China is bringing its Three Gorges project online and has just announced
the opening of one of the main electricity transmission lines. Reliable
water and energy supplies enable wealth generation, which is good for both
the society, for obvious reasons of being able to support its citizenry, and
the environment, because only societies able to generate surplus beyond
their immediate needs can afford the luxury of environmental protection and
repair. Regrettably, this is a point lost on the conservation fraternity.
Real environmental disaster: "Brazil's
coffee flowering causes increased concern" - "RIO DE JANEIRO -
Persistent dry weather across Brazil's coffee areas is harming the development
of next crop's flowers whose first appearance on trees last month was already
less than impressive, farmers said yesterday." (Reuters)
"Africa's
emerging virus threat" - "Many of the most frightening
illnesses to emerge in the modern era appear to have originated from Africa. But
scientists are still unsure why these previously unknown illnesses have emerged
from different parts of the continent." (BBC Online)
"Ford
passed up chance to improve Explorer" - "LOS ANGELES -- Ford
Motor Co., whose Explorer sport utility vehicles have endured a rash of
tire-related rollover accidents, passed up a chance to improve the vehicle's
stability during a major redesign in the mid-1990s, according to a newspaper
report. A new suspension system installed in 1995 and later model Explorers
could have lowered the vehicle's center of gravity by lowering the engine
height, according to memos by Ford engineers obtained by the Los Angeles Times.
The company decided to keep the original engine position, in part, to hold down
redesign costs and to preserve profit margins of nearly 40 percent on the
popular Explorer, documents said." (AP)
"Safety
concerns arise over in-car 'telematics' systems" - "DETROIT
(October 18, 2000 9:30 a.m. EDT http://www.nandotimes.com) - As the auto
industry rushes to sell car buyers on the marvels of in-car computers and
Internet access, questions about the safety of such systems have yet to be
answered. ... "At this point, safety and human factors efforts lag far
behind electronics development," wrote Paul Green, a senior research
scientist at the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute, in
a paper being presented Thursday. "If action is not taken a significant
number of information system-related deaths and injuries will result."
(AP)
Ah yes, the ol' "human factors"... Better
mandate the reengineering of people then.
"Side-effects
worry over drug to quit smoking" -
"A spate of people having fits and seizures while taking the new
anti-smoking drug Zyban has raised concern among doctors about its safety. The
Department of Health said it was monitoring all adverse effects of the drug, and
seizures were one of the known side-effects. The non-nicotine drug, which helps
smokers give up, has been available in Britain since June." (Independent) [Telegraph]
"Junk
food report" - "Build food banks for the poor and they will
come. That is the real lesson to draw from two new studies purporting to show
that Canada suffers from epidemic rates of hunger seen only in the Third World.
The first study, published by the Canadian Association of Food Banks (CAFB),
sought to show that traffic at more than 700 food banks across the country this
past March rose 1.4% from the year before. That is interesting but hardly worth
fretting about. Canada's population grew 0.8% in the same time period. The 0.6%
difference is marginal -- and much of it can be attributed to the fact that the
number of food banks has skyrocketed in recent years. The vast majority of
universities in Canada -- whose students reflect a significantly higher
socio-economic income than the country at large -- now boasts a food bank. This
despite the fact that bursaries for poor students have risen substantially in
the last five years to aid the poorest students. And even if there are more
people visiting food banks, that does not mean they visit them more frequently
than in the past." (National Post)
"Wrinkle
cream is pap, says Roddick" - "THE notion that anti-ageing
creams can remove wrinkles is "complete pap", Anita Roddick, founder
of the Body Shop empire, said yesterday. She accused the cosmetics industry of
perpetuating a "scandalous lie". Mrs Roddick said that moisturisers
made the skin more supple. But it was nonsense to suggest that the antidote to
ageing could be found in a pot of cream." (Telegraph)
"U.S.
Declares 500,000 Acres Critical Habitat for 2 Species" -
"The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service declared Tuesday that more than 500,000
acres of prime Southern California real estate stretching from Los Angeles to
the Mexican border is critical habitat for the tiny California gnatcatcher bird
and the San Diego fairy shrimp. The ruling means developers and road
builders will face another layer of government scrutiny that could cause delays
and add possibly billions of dollars in new costs. The long-fought decision
follows years of legal battles and appeared to satisfy no one." (LA Times)
"Gulf
War illness 'rank related'" - "Gulf War veterans from the
lower ranks are more likely to have suffered poor health since their return,
according to research." (BBC Online) [BMJ
release]
October 18, 2000
By the numbers, fall ill! "Gulf
war syndrome 'hits lower ranks'" - "LOWER-RANKING Gulf war
veterans are more likely to suffer ill health than colleagues who served above
them, doctors say today. Privates were 20 per cent more likely to report poor
health than non-commissioned officers and 70 per cent more likely to do so
than officers. ... Explaining the reasons for this association, Dr Ismail
pointed to socio-economic factors, which reflect the health trends seen in the
civilian population where ill health is greater among the less affluent. She
said: "It is unlikely that rank is a proxy for exposures such as
organophosphate pesticides, chemical weapons or immunisations as most
personnel, regardless of rank, could have been exposed where there was any
exposure. "It is more appropriate to consider rank as a proxy indicator
of socio-economic status, which is associated with both psychological and
physical morbidity in civilian populations." (Telegraph)
"AC
Vs DC Current, GM Vs Non-GM Crops" - "In the last two years,
the debate over the value of GM foods has turned into a war of sentiment,
where the scientific perspective is often lost in an overload of calculatedly
shocking imagery. These tactics, though, are not particularly novel. In the
1880s, Nikola Tesla first developed alternating current (AC), a safer and more
economical means of delivering electricity than direct current (DC). Thomas
Edison, who had invested heavily in the development of DC, began a campaign to
demonstrate the "hazards" of AC use. He electrocuted small animals
using AC in public demonstrations and later designed the first electric chair,
which also used AC. Eventually, Tesla was driven out of business, and Edison
became a key player in the commercialization of AC." (BKC's global
roundup October 2000)
"Power
Plant Pollution Linked to 30,000 Premature Deaths Each Year" -
"WASHINGTON, DC, October 17, 2000 - Pollution generated by U.S. power
plants is responsible for cutting short the lives of over 30,000 Americans
each year, more deaths than are caused by murderers or drunk drivers."
(ENS)
Who says?
"Clear the Air, a national clean air campaign funded by the Pew
Charitable Trusts, was one of several environmental groups to spearhead the
drafting of the report. Also involved were the Clean Air Task Force, the
National Environmental Trust, the U.S. Public Interest Research Group and the
National Campaign Against Dirty Power."
Oooh... 'nough said.
Air quality is always a big talking point - so, where was the
world's greatest amount of smoke and particulate "pollution" early
October? Click
here to find out.
"Ironing
out global warming" - "An international research team headed
out to sea last year and sprinkled 8,663 kilograms of iron into the waters
southwest of Tasmania. The eight-kilometre-wide patch of the Southern Ocean
blossomed -- or bloomed, as oceanographers put it -- as tiny algae and
phytoplankton flourished in the enriched waters. A month later, the bloom was
visible by satellite as a green ribbon 150 kilometres long and four kilometres
wide. By the time it dispersed two weeks later, the organisms had sucked as
much as 3,000 tonnes of carbon into the sea from the atmosphere."
(National Post)
Uh... great experiment fellas - worked real good...
it's just... well, why are you doing it? Increase, or, more correctly,
recovery in atmospheric carbon dioxide is responsible for at least 10% of
global crop yield increase and this is particularly important to
impoverished regions exhibiting dramatic population growth. Taking CO2
out of the atmosphere is stealing food off their plates. Like I said, great
experiment - just, well... don't do it any more, alright?
Oh dear! "Global
warming may cause a threat to aviation: expert" - "KARACHI
(October 18) : A senior Pakistan research scientist and expert in aviation
field, Dr Pervez Habibullah, said here on Tuesday that global warming can
cause dangers to aviation all over the world including Pakistan. Talking to
APP here on Tuesday, the Pakistani expert, with a background in the aviation
field said that he has started a research project to evaluate the effects of
global warming on aviation. "The variation of wind speed will affect the
lift on which the aeroplane glides, so in next half century either the design
of the plane has to be changed or a new means of air transport is to be
discovered," he argued." (APP)
Ahem... granted aviators don't appreciate hot-and-high
airfields because less-dense air means you need to fly faster to achieve the
same lift with a given airframe. Even at the extreme end of the IPCC's
fantasy scenarios, we're talking maybe +4.0°C mean temperature rise, almost
none in the tropics but more in cooler regions. So, any airplane capable of
flying from say, Boston to Miami without falling out of the sky now would be
a perfectly suitable design even if the dreaded warming did occur. It must
be hoped that there are HUGE translation errors in this piece.
"Let's
Get Serious? Let's Get Real!" - "The world needs to get
serious about managing the exponential growth of atmospheric carbon
dioxide." So begins the directive from on high. No, it
is not Deity speaking; it is the opening salvo of the first of two Policy
Forum articles devoted to the subject of Climate Change in the 29 September
2000 issue of Science magazine (Morgan, 2000; Baer et al.,
2000). The way the double-barreled commandment is presented, it sounds as if
the exponential growth of atmospheric CO2 were a self-evident truth that can
only be neglected at the peril of the world. But is this claim
factual? Or is it just another example of the gospel of
deceit?" (co2science.org)
"Climate
Change Shifts Frost Seasons & Plant Growth" - "COLLEGE
PARK, Md. - An off-season "Jack Frost" is nipping life away from
some plants in many regions of the country according to a recent University of
Maryland paper featured in this month's issue of Ecology Letters. David Inouye,
Maryland's professor of biology, has found that global climate change
influences early and late frost events, which inhibit growth and possibly
damage many plants. Climate change has also impacted animal populations that
depend on plants that suffered frost damage. Inouye, who has studied global
climate change impact on animal and plant life for over 20 years, suggests
there is great evolutionary significance of frost in context of global warming
that warrants further research." (UM)
Here's a good one. The enhanced greenhouse hypothesis
(rightly) says that the effect will manifest itself as higher minimum
nocturnal and winter temperatures (effect on maxima is small to non-existent
for the simple reason that pushing more energy into a warm air mass
increases vibrational excitation, reduces air density to the point that
overcomes Earth's natural inversion layer and cooler, more-dense air above
displaces less-dense warm air, convection takes over and, via a chaotic
exchange, thermal energy is vented to space - i.e., hot air rises [duh!].
This is why the current contention that the atmosphere, showing no
significant warming, is causing dramatic surface warming is such a crock -
"bizarre misapplication of physics" works for me.) anyway, the
crux of the effect is that cold air won't get so cold. Knowing this, the
contention of earlier and later frosts is suggestive of a cooling rather
than a warming and, indeed, may indicate global climate change - just not
the dreaded "global warming" so over-hyped by media and
scaremongers.
Do growing seasons vary? Sure, remember this? "...
farmers have seen their growing season decline by about two weeks since
1950." ["The Cooling World" Newsweek, April 28, 1975, Pg.
64]. Since the mid-70s, growing seasons have extended by about 11 days, so
things have recovered to roughly what they were in the 50s. Oh doom and
gloom - the world is ... average?
"Carmakers
and Gore differ on future of clean autos" - "WASHINGTON --
No exaggeration -- Al Gore really believes that Detroit automakers are
"itching" and "raring" to start building cars and trucks
with super-efficient and super-clean new powertrains. That, at least, was what
his campaign said following last week's presidential debate, when the
Democratic candidate twice said that new engine technologies will help save
fuel, cut air pollution and relieve global warming." (Detroit News) [Henry
Payne's comment]
"Mining
global warming for votes" - "The latest presidential debate
revealed to 40 million viewers that global warming is an issue on which the
candidates have clear differences, both on policy and in the veracity of their
responses. Gov. George W. Bush argued that "some of the scientists . . .
have been changing their opinion a bit on global warming" and that we
need a "full accounting" of the issue before creating policy."
(Part Michaels in The Washington Times)
"High
Cost of Gore’s Enviro Proposals" - "Al Gore’s proposal
to force the nation to comply with the radical Kyoto Protocol could increase
the price of gasoline another 66 cents a gallon and disrupt the U.S. economy.
As winter sets in and Americans struggle to budget for extraordinarily high
fuel costs at the gas pump and for home-heating oil, Vice President Al Gore,
the Democratic presidential nominee, tells voters he is looking for a solution
to the crisis. “I think that we need to get serious about this energy
crisis, both in the Congress and in the White House, and if you entrust me
with the presidency I will tackle this problem and focus on new technologies
that will make us less dependent on big oil or foreign oil,” he told a
national TV audience during his first debate against GOP presidential nominee
George W. Bush. But “Presidential-Promises” Gore and
“Environmental-Guru” Gore have a hard time meshing their messages."
(Aimee Welch, Insight Magazine)
"The
perverse puzzle of Kyoto" - "The bitter fruits of signing on
to the scientifically dubious and practically impossible Kyoto Protocol are
becoming ever more clear. Yesterday and today, federal and provincial
environment ministers are meeting in Quebec City to point fingers over, assign
blame for, or simply cover up our economy's inevitable failure to move toward
the rash commitments of Kyoto, which would have Canada reduce greenhouse gas
emissions to 6% below 1990 levels by 2012 (they are currently up by
13%)." (National Post)
"EU
likely to miss Kyoto target, study claims" - "The European
Union will miss a legally binding target to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2)
emissions because it lacks the necessary policies to combat the greenhouse
effect, a study published today said. The report by a Dutch and a German
research group estimated the EU's CO2 emissions will increase by 7-8 percent
of 1990 levels by 2010, compared to the eight percent reduction the EU agreed
to in the 1997 U.N. Kyoto Protocol on climate change. The research bodies
Ecofys and the Fraunhofer Institute looked at the likely impact of existing
and planned environmental policies in six EU countries and found only one —
Britain — was likely to meet its target. [ENDS]" (Reuters)
"Bush
takes centrist stance on utility emission limits" - "Texas
Gov. George W. Bush, striking a centrist stance on a key environmental issue,
is proposing first-ever curbs on the emissions thought to cause global warming
at the same time he rejects deep international emissions cutbacks negotiated
by his rival for the presidency, Al Gore. Tucked away in the Republican
nominee's comprehensive energy policy is a proposal to cap the carbon dioxide
emissions of the nation's electric utilities for the first time — something
that Mr. Gore so far has not proposed because of strident opposition to such
restrictions in Congress." (Washington Times)
"The
Need for Long-Term Glacier Mass Balance Data" - "The authors
begin by noting there are over 200 glaciers for which mass balance data exist
for at least one year. When the length-of-record criterion is
increased to five years, this number drops to 115; and if both winter and
summer mass balances are required, the number drops to 79.
Furthermore, if ten years of record is used as a cutoff point, only 42
glaciers qualify; and more stringent requirements result in much lower
numbers. At the extreme record length of 50 years is the
Storglaciaren of northern Sweden, which exhibited a negative mass balance of
little trend for the first 15 years of record but which then began to trend
upward, actually becoming positive over about the last decade."
(co2science.org)
Now you know why we're so severe on claims of glacial
meltdown - there is near-total absence of data on which to stake such claims
and that which does exist is ambiguous.
"Six
Thousand Years of Sea Level Change in the Southern Hemisphere" -
"In the words of the authors, "whether or not sea level has been
subject to low-amplitude fluctuations during the late Holocene (the last ~
6000 years) is a subject that has taken on increased importance in view of
claims of possible sea-level rise associated with human-induced global
warming." If, for example, sea-level has oscillated somewhat
over this period (the authors say it could have had an oscillatory amplitude
of one meter or more!), it is possible the sea-level's current rising mode may
be nothing more than a small portion of a natural oscillation having nothing
to do with the ongoing rise in the air's CO2 content.
The authors' finding that this type of sea-level behavior is just as likely to
be true as not thus casts a pall of suspicion over climate alarmist claims
that the continued burning of fossil fuels will lead to the inundation of
low-lying coastal areas and islands."
(co2science.org)
"Scientist,
Activist, Yogi?" - "IN 1994 A MOLECULAR BIOLOGIST named John
Fagan made a few headlines when he returned a $613,882 grant from the National
Institutes of Health rather than proceed with his genetic research at a
little-known university in Fairfield, Iowa. Fagan said he feared the results
of his genetic research could, in the wrong hands, be used to manipulate human
DNA. Over the next two years Fagan wrote a book warning against the perils of
genetic engineering, and toured the world speaking out against the use of
genetically modified organisms in food. Genetically altered foods amounted to
"a dangerous global experiment in which we are the guinea pigs," he
told the Irish Times in 1996." (Forbes Magazine)
"Genome-health
link explored in new study" - "Scientists call them
"snips," short for single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), the small
differences in the human genome that make one person different from another.
Researchers at the University of Washington and Fred Hutchinson Cancer
Research Center are launching an extensive examination of those variations and
how they affect our susceptibility to common health problems such as heart
disease, high blood pressure and asthma." (Seattle Times)
"Chemical
Chameleon" - "IMMUNEX CHIEF EXECUTIVE EDWARD Fritzky thought
he had a winner five years ago when he saw the first test results for a new
drug for severe arthritis. He was right. Sales of the drug, Enbrel, are
expected to hit $600 million in its second year on the market. But arthritis
was just the start. Enbrel is now in tests for two dozen other diseases, from
chronic heart failure to psoriasis to Alzheimer's and even some cancers. If a
few pan out, Enbrel could become a world-class blockbuster. "This
probably has the broadest potential of any biotech drug," Fritzky
says." (Forbes magazine)
"Protesters
try to halt rise of fast-food giant in Italy" - "Riot police
were mobilised yesterday to protect McDonald's restaurants as thousands of
demonstrators in 20 Italian cities declared war on the fast-food chain."
(Guardian)
"Souped-up
flu fighter" - "Good old-fashioned chicken soup - like your
granny used to make - could have hidden powers to help cold and flu sufferers.
According to a chest specialist from Nebraska, US, the broth has
anti-inflammatory powers which could stem the flow of mucus that accumulates
in the lungs and nasal passages." (BBC Online)
"Fatty
diet helps cause breast cancer by killing nutrient, study shows"
- "... A review of research on causes of breast cancer, by Dr Richard
Wiseman, of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, concludes that
a diet high in fat is not likely to be a direct cause of the disease. But the
indirect effect of such a diet depletes the breast of a protective factor. The
main cause of breast cancer remains unknown. The American Public Health
Association lists obesity, age over 30 at birth of first child, childlessness
and radiation as the chief predisposing factors, but together they account for
only 26 per cent of the risk." (Independent)
Hmm... the cause of three-fourths of breast cancers is
unknown. There might be a single causal agent - but we don't know what it
is... How, then, did Wiseman's study demonstrate that a fatty diet depletes
an essential nutrient and that this is, in fact, causal? I must have missed
something here.
"Smokers'
wives have no increased breast cancer risk, study says" -
"WASHINGTON (October 17, 2000 5:58 p.m. EDT http://www.nandotimes.com) -
Smokers' wives are no more likely to become victims of breast cancer than are
the wives of nonsmokers, according to a study of more than 146,000 women. The
study, the largest ever to address the question of breast cancer death and
second-hand smoking, contradicts some smaller studies that had suggested
environmental tobacco smoke was a risk factor for breast cancer death."
(AP)
"Breathless
and unsettled" - "For years, there has been widespread
recognition that the tort system is failing asbestos victims as well as the
growing number of companies targeted in asbestos suits. This past March, the
House Judiciary Committee approved "The Asbestos Compensation Act of
2000" — legislation that would finally reform out-of-control asbestos
litigation. The bill would provide victims with fair and timely settlements
while ensuring that company resources are not drained by illegitimate claims.
The legislative clock has all but run out on moving the reform bill through
Congress this year, which is bad news for victims, the defendant companies,
and their employees whose jobs hang in the balance due to the financial
uncertainty of companies targeted by asbestos lawyers. But the bad news has
recently gotten worse as real reform is threatened by a very different
approach that is currently gaining ground in the Congress." (Washington
Times)
"Rising
allergic problems concern doctors" - "LUCKNOW: Doctors have
expressed concern over the rising allergic problems among the people
worldwide, with 10 to 20 per cent of the population in the world suffering
from such afflictions, on the occasion of the first ever `World Allergy
Awareness Day' on Tuesday announced by the World Health Organisation
(WHO)." (Times of India)
"Vacuuming
battles asthma in the home" - "... It's the idea that
something about home environments is responsible for the increasing
prevalence, increasing severity, of asthma," explained Dr. Peyton
Eggleston of Baltimore's Johns Hopkins University. "If we could change
those home environments, could we reduce the asthma?" That sounds like a
no-brainer: Determine your allergies, cleanse away triggers and surely you'll
feel better. Hordes of "anti-allergy" products claim to do just
that. Yet aside from dust-mite-resistant bed covers that are proven allergy
aids, few of those unregulated products have been tested and some that have
don't work, scientists say." (AP)
"If
Diet & Exercise Fail, Blame Restaurants" - "The American
Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) is blaming obesity on the marketing
practices of restaurants. "Value marketing has confused Americans about
what a normal and appropriate portion of food should look like," said an
AICR spokesperson. AICR called on consumers to force restaurants to change
their marketing. "Food makers, marketers and restaurants are going to
continue to compete for the American dollar. That means that portion sizes are
going to continue to get bigger, and, unless we take action, so will we. At
this point, the only way to inject a little sanity back into the discussion is
for consumers to stand up and demand it. Tell them you don't want more for
less. Tell them you want less for less -- less food for even less money."
(GuestChoice.com)
"Set
Olestra Free" - "The Detroit News editorializes that it is
time for the Food and Drug Administration to remove warning labels from
products containing olestra because there is no danger from the fat
substitute. The only group that seems to be against removing the labels is the
Center for Science in the Public Interest. Does the $20,000 CSPI received from
the Helena Rubinstein Foundation in 1997 to
vilify Olestra have something to do with its position? (GuestChoice.com)
"The
National Nanny Serves Breakfast" - "RECENTLY THE FEDERAL
GOVERNMENT BEGAN AN experiment to test whether providing all children of all
income levels a free breakfast at school will improve children's academic
performance. The proponent of the study, Representative Lynn Woolsey
(D-Calif.), hopes its results will persuade her colleagues in Congress to
approve a national free-breakfast program for public schools. Would it make me
seem a curmudgeon to want to snatch the cereal bowl from the fingers of hungry
children? So be it. I think this breakfast freebie is a rotten idea."
(Jennifer Roback Morse, Forbes Magazine)
"Macabre
Anti-Choice Message" - "People for the Ethical Treatment of
Animals isn't waiting till Thanksgiving to start promoting its anti-meat
holiday meals campaign, as it has in years past. The group is cranking up its
anti-choice message with a tasteless Halloween commercial."
(GuestChoice.com)
"Oil
history 101: Price controls don't work" - "Now for a few
words about oil prices and some helpful memories from the days of Richard
Nixon as president, now almost three decades ago." (Ben Stein, USA Today)
"Road
rage, reading - it's all part of driving" - "New York
- There has been a lot of talk lately about the danger of talking on a
cellphone while driving. But that is just one of the distracting things people
do while behind the wheel. In a survey, 69 percent of the respondents
confessed to eating while driving, and seven percent said they sometimes read
a book or newspaper while on the move." (IOL)
"Firestone
tire recall broadens" - "WASHINGTON - Firestone, a
subsidiary of Bridgestone/Firestone Inc., yesterday recalled an additional 1.4
million tires, bringing the total in a series of recalls to almost eight
million since the scandal broke. At least 150 deaths have been linked to
Firestone tires, many of which were original equipment on the Ford Explorer.
The recall is part of an agreement with 48 states and two territories. The
fatalities have been mostly in warm weather states of the southern United
States. Although tires are being recalled in Canada, there have been no
fatalities linked to tire separation." (Financial Post)
"Memo:
Ford Had Wrong Tires in Mideast" - "NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP)
— Ford Motor Co. has blamed Bridgestone/Firestone Inc. for equipping its
vehicles with unsound tires, but the automaker shipped thousands of Explorers
and Mountaineers to the Persian Gulf with tires that were not intended for
that market — without the tire maker's approval, according to internal Ford
documents. At least seven people in the Gulf region died in rollover accidents
involving the sport utility vehicles with Firestone's 16-inch Wilderness AT
tires, made for use on North American roads, before Ford quietly began
replacing them last year with Goodyear tires." (AP)
"Cow's
milk diabetes evidence mounts" - "More research suggests
that certain children may be vulnerable to diabetes later in life after
exposure to cow's milk while very young. The Finnish study looked at children
who already have one close relative with type I diabetes." (BBC Online)
Evidence? Vaguely suggestive perhaps. All this says is
that infants of diabetics are more likely to develop insulin antibodies but
doesn't tell us whether exposure to bovine insulin is causal. We have no way
of knowing whether this is a transient effect or whether it will later
correlate to individuals who eventually develop type I diabetes.
"It is possible that in some genetically susceptible
children, a continuous, even small-dose early exposure to bovine insulin in
cow's milk may lead to loss of tolerance to insulin." True - it is
also true that treatment of diabetics and improvement of their general
health to the point they are able to have families is increasing the pool of
genetically susceptible people and that cow's milk may be entirely
irrelevant. To call it "evidence" is drawing a pretty long bow
though.
"How
the West was seized" - "Vice President Al Gore — Mr.
Environmentalism, Mr. Encyclopedic Mind — went blank during the second
presidential debate last week when challenged on one of the most alarming land
issues facing the nation. Highlighting the difference in their approaches
to environmental policy, Texas Gov. George W. Bush noted that the Clinton-Gore
administration "took 40 million acres of land out of circulation without
consulting local officials." They acted unilaterally out West, Mr. Bush
said. Twice, he lodged the complaint. Twice, Mr. Gore blinked and grimaced and
sat there speechless for a brief but telling moment. He had no sob stories to
relate, no policy minutiae to spin, and no controlling legal authority to cite
in defense of the White House's monumental federal land grab. Mr. Gore
says he doesn't believe in command and control. Sigh. That is exactly the
method of environmental preservation he and President Clinton have perpetrated
over the past eight years." (Michelle Malkin in The Washington Times)
"French
honey makers in a buzz over pesticides" - "PARIS - French
honey makers yesterday demanded a ban on pesticides which they alleged were
decimating the local bee population by making plants so toxic that even the
slightest contact could damage the insects' nervous system." (Reuters)
"European
Union Urged to Deal With Unsustainable Tourism" - "BRUSSELS,
Belgium, October 16, 2000 (ENS) - Tourism is harming the environment across
Europe according to a coalition of citizens' groups who want the European
Union to form a sustainable tourism strategy. The coalition led by Austrian
based Friends of Nature International issued a memorandum on Saturday,
proposing charging by the kilometer for road use, increased landing and
takeoff charges for flights under 800 kilometers (500 miles) and a tax on jet
fuel."
Let's see... we get rid of those nasty extractive
industries because tourism is so much nicer and is oh-so sustainable.
We kill employment, get government money (they can always tax greedy
capitalist citizens some more) to set up tourism ventures as a replacement
for the employment lost when enterprise was removed... and then we set up
punitive taxation schemes to discourage all those nasty tourists from going
there. Presumably, this makes sense to someone.
"Physicians
need to counsel patients about online health information" -
"More people are using the Internet to find health information on their
own and physicians and other medical professionals need to take a more active
role in helping patients evaluate such online data, according to a study by
doctors from Duke University Medical Center and an Illinois clinic. "What
this tells me is more patients are getting information from the Web than
physicians realize, and this should serve as a wake-up call to health care
providers," said Dr. J. Barry O'Connor, a Duke gastroenterologist."
(DUMC)
"Beating Hunger -
The Biggest Prize" - "Last
weekend in Des Moines, Iowa, two scientists were awarded the World Food Prize
for creating a high-protein, high-yielding corn. Said that way it sounds a
little boring. But the accomplishment is hardly dull. Five million children a
year have a better chance to live because of what biochemist Evangelina
Villegas of Mexico and plant geneticist Surinder Vasal of India have
done." (James K. Glassman, Reason magazine)
"Childbirth
Kills Angolan Mothers" - "LUANDA, Angola - At 22 with four
children, Maria Ana Pinto had neither home nor husband. Survival pushed her to
trade sex for protection and food. Unwanted pregnancy, abortion, infection,
then death: Maria is a statistic in Angola, home to one of the world's highest
maternal mortality rates and a decades-old civil war. She was one of 32 women
who perish each day giving birth. Angola'a maternal mortality rate is about
1,850 for every 100,000 live births, one of the 10 worst in the world. The
rate in western Europe is about seven per 100,000." (Reuters)
Makes you wonder what the developed world whinges about
doesn't it?
"If
you try to be happy, perhaps you will be" - "WHAT a gloomy
bunch we are. According to a survey published on Monday, 10 per cent of us
believe that we would be better off dead, a quarter see no hope for the future
and no fewer than a third of us would describe ourselves as "downright
miserable". Whatever is the matter with us? You would think that we
should be happier than at any time in our history. All the figures tell us
that Britons are living longer and healthier lives than ever before. We are
eating better, we are richer and better housed, we have more and more machines
to take the drudgery out of our work, and books, films, television programmes
and foreign holidays galore to keep us amused." (Daily Telegraph)
See "Britons are miserable - it's official"
in yesterday's postings
"The
Great American Textbook Scandal" (David McClintick, Forbes
Magazine)
October 17, 2000
"Alarming
Discovery of a Harmful Chemical" - "A freshman at Eagle Rock
Junior High urges people to sign this petition demanding strict control or total
elimination of the chemical “dihydrogen monoxide” (Canola Country Newsletter
- March 2000) See also the DHMO Homepage
"CDC
to report on chemical exposure in U.S." - "Are chemicals
leaching from toys and causing dangerous hormonal changes in American children?
Are tiny traces of dioxins threatening the virility of American men? Will
spraying pesticides to kill mosquitoes lead to an epidemic of cancer in future
decades? A report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC), due out in a few months, aims to start answering some of these questions.
The National Exposure Report Card will tell scientists and the public how many
Americans — and which ones — have unusually high levels of lead, pesticides
and other undesirable substances in their blood. "We don't have anything
remotely like this," Dr. James Pirkle, who is helping direct the study,
told reporters. "It's like going from tricycles to Hondas." (Reuters)
Hmm... "US
EPA advisory board calls diesel "soot" a carcinogen" -
"WASHINGTON - A U.S. Environmental Protection Agency science advisory board
has agreed with the agency's characterisation that diesel fuel exhaust is a
"likely human carcinogen," according to an EPA official yesterday. The
decision by the Clean Air Science Advisory Committee comes a few months before
an expected decision by the EPA to make a final rule drastically cutting diesel
pollution." (Reuters)
This could get interesting. Particulates determined LHC
so a smoking truck driver with lung cancer couldn't claim smoking causal
since it may have been the particulates (or simply bad lack). Then again,
smokers may be more likely to spend time on the highway, or at barbeques or
wherever and so have a higher exposure to particulates. Wonder how long
before Big Tobacco lawyers catch on and start counter suits against Big Oil,
Big Government ...
"Truths
and myths: the cancer report" - "50 things you need to know
about The Big C" (Observer)
"Court
seeks views on waste compact" - "The Supreme Court sought the
Clinton administration's views today on whether a regional compact should be
allowed to sue North Carolina in the nation's highest court over its failure to
build a low-level radioactive waste facility." (AP)
"Germany
must ensure nuclear waste transport - lobby" - "FRANKFURT -
Germany must persuade France to accept nuclear waste shipments to avoid plant
closures and ensuing power imports from suppliers with less stringent nuclear
safety laws, the German Atomic Forum said yesterday." (Reuters)
"Italy
can cut fuel needs in half by 2020-greens" - "ROME - A
leading Italian environmental protection group yesterday proposed changes to
Italy's energy policy which it said could cut the country's dependence on
petroleum by half in 20 years. Legambiente said boosting the use of renewable
energy, capping domestic consumption and encouraging water and rail transport
over roads, could save the state approximately 45 trillion lire ($19.67
billion) by 2020." (Reuters)
"Capping domestic consumption"? Sounds
suspiciously like fuel rationing doesn't it. I see Alan Caruba has a section
on oil in this week's Warning
Signs.
"Hands
off the oil trade" - "Some members of Congress are upset
that heating oil refined from the recent release from the Strategic Petroleum
Reserve could be shipped overseas. It seems that prices are higher in Europe
than they are here. It would be a big mistake for Congress to embargo exports.
There is one market for petroleum and its products, and it extends around the
world. Short of war or other national calamity, we are all better off if
traders are free to buy and sell anywhere. That's because the flow of products
can go both ways. It isn't widely known, but in the depths of last winter,
European refiners shipped heating oil to the United States to grab our high
prices. Of course, the arrival of all those tankers helped push prices down.
There could easily come a time when we'd want to buy heating oil overseas
again, and fairly soon, too. Other nations are not likely to permit it if the
United States panics and tries to prevent overseas sales now." (Boston
Herald Editorial)
"Energy
gap threat to new economy" - "THE new economy across Europe
may soon suffer a meltdown due to the lack of an essential tool to keep it
running - energy. In Holland the first signs of an energy gap for internet
companies is beginning to show. Electricity demand in Amsterdam, the most
hi-tech of cities, has been pushed to the limits, forcing energy suppliers to
warn of the possibility of the old economy bringing the new one to its
electronic knees." (London Evening Standard)
"ANALYSIS
- Humbled greens vow to outflank UK fuel tax revolt" -
"LONDON - In the fight against global warming, the toughest of Britain's
green campaigners are ready to risk life and limb for the sake of the planet.
Usually, that is. But veterans of confrontation with supertankers on the high
seas or underground sit-ins against new roads were dealt a humbling lesson in
direct action from a fuel tax revolt last month." (Reuters)
"Indian
Ocean haze traced to biomass burning" - "NEW DELHI: Aerosol
emission from a variety of sources such as fossil fuels and biomass burning
are the most significant contributors to the thick haze extending over some 10
million sq km, detected over the Indian Ocean early last year. Rural cooking
practices in this region, especially wide use of fuel wood, cattle dung,
charcoal and agricultural waste, leads to major biomass burning, scientists
told reporters on Monday." (Times of India)
"INTERVIEW
- Norway's Statkraft backs gas power despite prices" - "OSLO
- The head of Norwegian state-owned utility Statkraft said yesterday he still
backed investments toward new gas-fired power plants even if current
electricity prices are too low to turn a profit on such production."
(Reuters)
"Before
we commit billions of dollars to fix the atmosphere we had better first make
sure we know it's broken and figure out exactly what broke it." -
"'Industrial activity is affecting climate by causing an increase in
average temperatures." This idea is now widely accepted and reported as
fact. While debates about the existence, extent and possible consequences of
human-induced global warming continue among scientists, many politicians,
bureaucrats, environmentalists and members of the media believe urgent action
is required to address "the greatest environmental threat facing
mankind." An international bureaucracy has been mobilized to deal with
this threat. Three years ago, representatives from Canada and 160 other
countries met in Kyoto, Japan and agreed to targets for reducing greenhouse
gases. Later this week, Canada's federal, provincial and territorial ministers
of energy and the environment will meet in Quebec to grapple with how to meet
our Kyoto commitment to reduce greenhouse gases to six per cent below 1990
levels between 2008 and 2012. Next month, international representatives will
gather once again, this time at The Hague, to hammer out the details of
complying with Kyoto. These meetings proceed as if debate among scientists was
over. Two recent studies, however, remind us that nothing could be further
from the truth." (Laura Jones in the Vancouver Sun)
"Monsanto
bullish on Bt cotton" - "Monsanto has seen the future and
believes it is in transgenic cotton in Asian countries such as Pakistan."
(ENN)
Fairly wild piece this one. It furthers the illusion of
"Monsanto's Terminator Technology", which will probably come as a
surprise to quite a few - not least Monsanto. I think TPS (Technology
Protection System, a.k.a. "terminator") is a project of the USDA
and the Delta and Pine Lands Co. (Delta Pinelands?). Monsanto's only (near)
connection was that they made an offer (subsequently rejected) for the
company. The piece also cites Vandana Shiva, whose main claim to fame is
that she thinks the green revolution causes starvation in India and the
population should shift to totally organic agriculture.
Going
by this McSpotlight picture, Shiva is certainly not on intimate terms with
starvation. I suspect, however, that this has more to do with her wage as a
professor of physics in an obscure Indian university than it does with
organic gardening.
"INTERVIEW
- Brazil plans to grow gene-altered crops" - "CHICAGO - Brazil
will soon lose its billing as the only country in the western hemisphere that is
not commercially cultivating gene-altered crops, its Agriculture Minister Marcus
Vinicius Pratini de Moraes said yesterday. "We will soon commercially
cultivate genetically modified crops, especially cotton, soybeans and
corn," he said at the sidelines of a business conference in Chicago.
"We have invested substantial amounts (of money) to research GM crops to
fully understand GMOs (genetically modified organisms)," he told Reuters in
an interview. He said Brazil's objective was to produce "what the market
wants". "If the market wants nongenetically modified crops, the market
will have to pay...a premium. The big question is whether the market is going to
pay a premium." (Reuters)
"Any
risks negligible, say GE giants" - "The world's first
substantial inquiry into genetic modification began in Wellington yesterday,
with a concession by GE giants that it was impossible to guarantee containment.
But the two members of the "big six" multinationals of genetic
engineering that put their case on the first day of the 14-week Royal Commission
of Inquiry into the new technology, emphasised that they said this only because
absolute guarantees were impossible in any endeavour. Any risks, they said, were
negligible." (NZ Herald)
"U.N.
unveils new study on hunger" - "Somalia, Afghanistan and Haiti
rank as the hungriest countries in the world, according to a new measurement
introduced today by the U.N.
Food and Agriculture Organization. In an effort to better quantify hunger as
the world struggles to reach goals set at the 1996 World Food Summit, the FAO
unveiled a "depth of hunger" measurement in its annual food security
report." (AP)
"ATK
Awarded $13.5 Million Contract to Produce Environmentally Friendly
Ammunition" - "WASHINGTON, Oct. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- ATK (NYSE:
ATK) (Alliant Techsystems), said it has been awarded a $13.5 million contract
from the U.S. Army Operations Support Command, Rock Island, Ill., to produce
lead-free 5.56mm training ammunition as part of a U.S. Army initiative to move
to "green ammunition" in the 21st century." (Hoovers)
"Britons
are miserable - it's official" - "Britons are more miserable
and down-trodden than anyone previously dared believe, a survey has said. A
quarter of the population fear a "hopeless future", one in three
feels "downright miserable", and one in 10 thinks he or she would be
better off dead." (BBC Online)
400 self-selected respondents to an online survey and
Britain is diagnosed miserable? Hmm... what could be so depressing - the
environment? Hardly. The Thames has been transformed from the fetid,
lifeless sewer it had been for two centuries to a breeding haven for fish
and wildlife over the last thirty years - as have the majority of their
water courses. Over the last 50 years they have gone from killer fogs to
more than acceptable city air quality. Wildlife species are generally
recovering and some are being reintroduced after absences of centuries.
Can't be the environment. Britain has gone from post-war austerity to an era
of plenty over the past 50 years, people have sufficient disposable income
and a wealth of toys and entertainment available, they can choose from a
bewildering array of foods from all parts of the globe - enough to suit even
the most jaded palate. Transport has improved to the point where Britains
can slip over to Paris for lunch if they want to. The twentieth century has
seen a shift from open sewers and wood and coal cooking and heating to
flick-of-the-switch convenience. Healthy lifespans have increased literally
by decades over the same period and infectious disease reduced to a fraction
of the threat it once posed. There doesn't seem a lot here that should
indicate cause for misery. So, 400 sad sacks fill out an online
questionnaire and "it's official". Right...
"Graveyard
Shift May Cause Heart Disease -- Study" - "WASHINGTON - Shift
work may not only make people grumpy, but it could put them at a higher risk of
heart disease, Italian researchers said on Monday." (Reuters)
"One
Million British Women in Hormone Study" - "LONDON - One
million British women have enrolled in the largest study ever of the impact of
hormone replacement therapy (HRT) on women's health, doctors said on Monday. The
Million Women Study is investigating the effect of different types of HRT on the
risk of developing breast cancer." (Reuters)
"Setback
for Antibiotics as Heart Treatment" - "Taking an antibiotic
for three months failed to reduce the risk of new heart attacks and death among
people with coronary artery heart disease, a Utah study has found. The study,
which is being reported today, counters findings from two earlier, smaller
studies from England and Argentina that found a benefit from a shorter course of
an antibiotic. The surprising findings from the earlier studies contributed to a
widespread hope that antibiotics would be an effective therapy for coronary
artery disease." (NY Times)
"Savage
sea lion feast shocks scientists" - "New Zealand sea
lions dine out on their pups, to the surprise of Department of Conservation
scientists. DoC marine biologist Dr Ian Wilkinson and his team discovered the
cannibalism during a study of the Hooker's sea lions early this year. The
scientists were amazed to see 300kg males attacking pups on shore, dragging
them into the sea and eating them." (NZ Herald)
Not sure why this purportedly "shocks
scientists" since "nature" is not all sweetness and light
(despite precious libber delusions and Disney-style nature shows on the
tube) and cannibalism is a widely reported phenomenon.
"Plasticisers
say PVC health concerns unjustified" - "BRUSSELS - Makers of
chemicals used to soften PVC plastic yesterday defended the safety of their
products following concerns raised by the European Union about potential risks
to human health and the environment from PVC." (Reuters)
They're probably right too. Even the EU's own
scientific advisory group said there was nothing to worry about but the EU
went ahead anyway. Readers may remember Times' extraordinary volte-face
on their Poisonous Plastics? piece - if not, here's
Michael Fumento's report and a companion piece on the ol'
"endocrine disrupter" myth Hormonally
Challenged. See also: Ban
Luddites, Not chlorine; Phthalate
Scare is Fear-Based, Not Fact-Based, Says Consumer Alert; Phthalates
study; IARC
Monographs on the Evaluation of Carcinogenic Risks to Humans (Volume 77)
(15–22 February 2000)
"Many
Cancer Trials More Complicated Than Necessary" - "Nobody
doubts that new drugs need to be thoroughly tested before being brought into
routine use. But a leading cancer trial specialist from the UK warned a
conference today that many clinical trials are far more complicated than they
need to be. The results of this over complexity are higher costs, longer trials
(which potentially delays successful drugs from reaching patients) and too few
patients for reliable results. Speaking at the European Society for Medical
Oncology conference in Hamburg, Germany, Professor Richard Gray, Director of the
Clinical Trials Unit at the University of Birmingham, called for a move towards
more simplicity and directness in the planning and organization of trials. And,
in a further cautionary note, he pointed out that draft European legislation in
the pipeline could create an even more difficult climate in which to carry out
independent clinical trials." (UniSci)
October 15 & 16, 2000
"Al's Environmental Whoppers" - "Does one need to lie about the environment to protect it? In last week's debate, moderator Jim Lehrer asked Vice President Al Gore if he still believed what he wrote in his book, 'Earth in the Balance': that 'we must make the rescue of the environment the central organizing principle for civilization.' Gore said he did - and then wandered away from the truth..." (Steven Milloy & Kay Jones in the New York Post)
"Tropics
once felt chill of Ice Age" - "WASHINGTON -- While Europeans
were shivering through the Little Ice Age, natives of the Caribbean were also
facing a cooler climate, researchers report. Made famous by the winter-scene
paintings of Pieter Brueghel, the Little Ice Age stretched from the 14th
century to the 19th, cooling the northern hemisphere and bringing heavier than
usual snow and ice. The impact of this cooling on tropical areas, however, has
been less clear." (AP)
Report of yet another confirmation of this climate
history. Despite having a concurrent event appear in proxies derived in
at least the Antarctic; Tasmania; the Argentine; the mid-Atlantic; China;
Greenland; and Siberia to my knowledge, which suggest a global event, the
IPCC is currently trying to promote the illusion that the LIA (Little Ice
Age) was a localised perturbation and global temperatures largely static.
(This is how they come up with the patently farcical notion that the 1990s
were "the hottest decade of the hottest century of the
millennium".) Sorry guys, but that dog just won't hunt and you'll have
to come up with something better to protect your gravy train.
Readers may have heard of the infamous "hockey
stick" graph being promoted recently. It's called that because it
presents a scenario of Earth's temperature being stable for a sustained
period (the flat "handle of the hockey stick") and then rising
suddenly and precipitously in recent times (the sudden rise representing
"the blade of the hockey stick") due to human action. Such a
scenario suggests that Earth's climate has binary states - either one low
temperature during a glaciation or another, higher temperature during
interglacial periods - but little or no variation within those states.
"Absurd" works for me. Click
here for an impression of how "stable" Earth's climate has
been.
The obvious question to ask is: why are they
pushing such an illusion? Here's a few clues. The thermometric record
(actual temperature recordings) commenced following invention of the
thermometer (duh!) which occurred probably in the late 16th or early 17th
century - early devices were filled with brandy (alcohol). The longest known
contiguous record of air temperatures commenced in the 1660s in London,
England and, coincidentally, at about the coldest period in Earth's
contemporary history. Other European records were begun over the next
century and we have roughly 250 years of historical temperature records in
some locations. Beyond all doubt the Earth has warmed over the last
300-odd years and thus global warming is real - it just happens to
represent a natural and fortuitous event. Recognising the LIA doesn't suit
the enhanced greenhouse industry, however, for then global warming merely
represents a recovery from an unusually cool period of the Holocene (current
interglacial period) rather than a "problem" to be addressed.
Unfortunately, there's no money and no gravy train to be had
"saving" us from a perfectly normal and advantageous event - thus
the gloom and doom industry declaring it "abnormal" and "a
crisis".
Current global temperatures are pretty ordinary when
looking at the whole of the Holocene. If temperatures do change in the
longer term then a warming would be much more advantageous to life on Earth
than would a cooling. Current temperature perturbations are well within the
established range of normal variability. Recent temperature trends appear to
associate well with solar variability but
not with GCM projections. Recent trends do not correlate with atmospheric
GHG (greenhouse gas) levels, the European
temperature increment stopped prior to 1940 and the continental US
composite record shows a dip and partial recovery since the 1930s. It's
time to derail the IPCC gravy train and turn our attention to genuine
problems.
"Canada
antes up to cut emissions" - "Canada’s federal government
has earmarked up to US$300 million in next year’s budget for measures aimed
at reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 65 megatonnes a year — one third of
the way toward its Kyoto
Agreement goal." (ENN)
With great fanfare, December 9, 1999, Canadian Press
carried: Canada forgives Bangladesh debt -
"OTTAWA (CP) -- Bangladesh doesn't have to pay the C$600,000 it owes
Canada, Ottawa announced Thursday. The country is the first to benefit from
a debt-relief plan designed to support poverty reduction in the world's
poorest countries." Well whoopee duck! Canada has a population of
about 31 million and a per capita GDP (purchasing power parity) of
US$22,400 (1998 est.), so it is unlikely that Canadians will suffer from the
per capita cost of less than C$0.02. Bangladesh, on the other hand, has a
population of about 127 million, GDP—per capita: purchasing power parity—US$1,380
(1998 est.). [Source: World
Fact Book] The per capita debt relief is then less than C$0.005. Not
exactly news to have Bangladeshis dancing in the streets is it?
Less than a year later, here's Canada throwing around
US$300,000,000 to limit emissions of an
essential trace gas. One which, incidentally, is of great benefit to
impoverished nations by boosting crop yields (plants thrive with higher CO2
levels) - for
free! And why are they doing this? To address a
"problem" that exists only in the virtual world of computer games
and an increasingly shaky hypothesis.
Well done... bloody well done.
Breathless drivel of the day: "Lethal
floods ravaged Stone Age Britain" - "Scientists
are unearthing the long-lost secrets of Britain's own Atlantis – a vast area
of former dry land under what is now the North Sea. The investigations are
revealing how ancient Stone Age communities were wiped out by a series of
apocalyptic floods which, scientists believe, are a stern warning of the
devastation that global warming and rising sea levels can cause. After the
last Ice Age, melting ice caused the southern half of the North Sea to rise by
some 65ft in 2,000 years, submerging an area in the North Sea the size of
modern Britain." (Independent on Sunday)
Imagine that - as the great glaciation receded
(including mile-thick ice caps over northern regions of Europe and the
British Isles) the sea rose once more. True? Sure - scallop trawlers have
dredged up a lot of woolly mammoth skulls from the floor of the North Sea -
used to be one of their grazing grounds during the last ice age.
The "apocalyptic floods" to which the Indy
alludes is simply a demonstration that increased land-borne ice equates to
lower sea levels and vice versa. With one-third of the planet's land mass
covered in ice, less water was available to make up sea volume and sea
levels declined, only to recover as the ice retreated. Variation in floating ice shelves
and the Arctic ice cap have no bearing on sea levels because they already
displace the same volume of sea water as they would make up if melted.
"How
many deaths are truly criminal?" - "Green presidential
candidate Ralph Nader said this week that someone could be criminally charged
for the deaths suffered by occupants of Ford Explorers equipped with Firestone
tires whose treads separated. It is an interesting point to ponder. The
alleged defects have been blamed for 101 deaths over several years — a
horrible toll. A Harvard-Brookings Institution study estimates that the
downsizing of vehicles caused by fuel economy standards results annually
in 2,200 to 3,900 deaths — which is more ghastly. Consumer advocates like
Mr. Nader support these fuel efficiency standards and want them increased,
which could kill more people. The question becomes: Should certain consumer
advocates be accused of criminal neglect?" (Detroit News Editorial [Oct
14])
Henry Payne's cartoon
comment of the 12th would seem equally applicable.
"Clean-air
rhetoric a preview of election" - "... But Mr. Anderson warned
that the Ontario government, which he hinted is filled with running dogs of
capitalism, might fight the deal. If it did, the Environment Minister warned, he
was prepared to invoke the Canadian Environmental Protection Act to enforce the
accord." (GAM)
"Medical
research protocols should be completely overhauled" - "The
ethical criteria for medical research need to be completely overhauled. They are
out of step with the shift towards evidence based medicine and new developments
in technology and genetics, suggests an analysis in the Journal of Medical
Ethics. Furthermore, the protocols rely too heavily on unchecked assumptions
about the integrity and judgment of the individual investigators, says the
author." (BMJ)
"Greenpeace
gets in bed with its foes" -
"Greenpeace has struck a controversial alliance with the marketing
services group run by Lord Bell, adviser to Monsanto, British Nuclear Fuels (BNFL)
and General Pinochet, among others." (Independent)
Foes? The `peas are tarts who'll do anything for
a dollar - check out Greenpeace or
Gr$$npeace?
"A
Colder, Snowier, Fuel-Burning Winter Ahead" - "WASHINGTON,
Oct. 14 — Winter in the Northeast this year is expected to be colder and
snowier than in recent years, the National Weather Service says, raising the
prospect of significantly higher heating bills for consumers even as oil
prices have already been rising. In major cities across the region,
temperatures are expected to drop two to five degrees below the average of the
last three winters, which were unusually warm, the service said. That drop
could contribute to heating bills that are as much as 25 percent higher than
last year for consumers of heating oil, and 45 percent higher for consumers of
natural gas, says the Energy Information Administration, a branch of the
Energy Department. "What they are saying is the winter will be normal,
and normal means a lot more demand for heating fuel because last winter was
warm," said David Costello, an economist at the energy agency." (NY
Times)
Can't trust the weather can you? This is just such a
bad time for Ozone Al to have the the damn weather behave normally!
"Blair
rejects EU plan to fix petrol prices" - "Tony Blair was
forced on to the defensive yesterday over an EU bid to stop governments
cutting fuel tax. The French-backed proposal to harmonise pump prices
throughout Europe, which would have tied Britain's hands in the current petrol
dispute, prompted a sharp Anglo-French clash. The plan to level out excise
duties in countries and give Brussels control over member states' oil reserves
was meant to prevent future fuel protests against national governments."
(Observer)
You have to admire the diligence displayed by the EU as
they try to usurp the sovereign powers of member states. Perhaps the Danes
had this in mind when, as the only member state to allow a popular vote on
the matter, they told the EU to put the Euro (struggling common currency)
where the sun doesn't shine. Ceding control of your energy supply to an
outside authority is to relinquish your sovereignty - sounds a lot like the
UN and Kyoto doesn't it.
"Brain
cells grown in lab give hope for Parkinson's" - "Scientists
have discovered how to grow human brain cells in the laboratory. They have
isolated neurones from several key areas of the cortex and plan to transplant
them into patients suffering from epilepsy and strokes, as well as Parkinson's
and Alzheimer's diseases. Transplants of human brain cells have already been
demonstrated in clinical trials. However, each requires neurones that have been
taken from at least six aborted foetuses. Scientists believe their breakthrough
research has solved this crucial problem of supply. 'We could satisfy the
demands of every Parkinson's patient in Europe and the United States with cells
grown in one small laboratory,' said Dr George Foster, of Cardiff University.
'That's the immense potential of this technology.'" (Observer)
"Health
fear over GM cattle feed" - "Deputy Agriculture Minister
Joyce Quin told the House of Commons last December: 'Ministry-funded work has
confirmed that DNA is degraded during the processing of most animal feed.' But
the new disclosure that genetic material remains in the food chain will raise
widespread concern. More than two million tonnes of GM crops are imported into
the UK for animal feed." (Observer)
Pretty much a lot about nothing much. Ever heard of
digestion? Although chickens eat corn they don't "cut and paste"
corn DNA as new chicken cells and chickens aren't corn. Livestock are no
more likely to be "contaminated" by biotech-enhanced grain than
you are likely to develop an irresistible urge to spend several years at sea
and then return to a river to spawn because you have eaten salmon - it just
doesn't work that way. Starlink™ corn hasn't been approved for human
consumption because the Cry9C gene expressed can remain intact for a few
seconds (in an artificial gut), a property similar to that of some known
allergens and so it isn't yet "proven safe". Think about that for
a moment. DNA considered "safe" is destroyed in the gut in
less than a second. If it's destroyed - how can it "contaminate"
the stock that consumed it?
"Ending
World Hunger. The Promise of Biotechnology and the Threat of Antiscience
Zealotry" - "During the 20th century, conventional breeding
produced a vast number of varieties and hybrids that contributed immensely to
higher grain yield, stability of harvests, and farm income. Despite
the successes of the Green Revolution, the battle to ensure food
security for hundreds of millions miserably poor people is far from
won. Mushrooming populations, changing demographics, and inadequate
poverty intervention programs have eroded many of the gains of the
Green Revolution. This is not to say that the Green Revolution is
over. Increases in crop management productivity can be made all along
the line: in tillage, water use, fertilization, weed and pest
control, and harvesting. However, for the genetic improvement of food
crops to continue at a pace sufficient to meet the needs of the 8.3 billion
people projected to be on this planet at the end of the quarter
century, both conventional technology and biotechnology are needed."
(Norman Borlaug in Plant Physiology Online)
"Food
tests miss GM ingredients" - "GENETICALLY modified ingredients
could be getting onto supermarket shelves undetected because of serious flaws in
the product testing system. The first performance check of commercial testing
methods has revealed that nearly 20% of laboratories failed to recognise the
presence of genetically modified organisms (GMO) in their analyses. The
investigation, by the government Food Analysis Performance Assessment Scheme (Fapas),
found that another 60% of laboratories claimed to have found positive signs of
GMOs when there was none." (The Sunday Times)
Check out The Week
That Was brought to you by SEPP
"Tobacco
debate rages in developing world" - "GENEVA: Almost 70 per
cent of all tobacco-related deaths in the world will occur in developing
countries within the next 30 years, according to the World Health
Organisation." (Times of India)
Isn't that also where 70% of the world population
happens to be?
"War
against smoking goes worldwide" - "In Nigeria, tobacco
companies aren't allowed to advertise, yet smoking among young people is
growing, in part because of sponsorship of radio shows and sports teams. In
Vietnam, until recently, "cigarette girls" in miniskirts gave free
samples to young men. Such promotion has helped tobacco use soar worldwide.
Today, there are 1.1 billion smokers - 80 percent in the developing world. Now,
for the first time, health leaders are meeting in Geneva at the World Health
Organization (WHO) to discuss ways to slow the international smoking
onslaught." (CSM)
"Austrian
Protests Will Not Stop Nuclear Plant" - "PRAGUE, Oct 15, 2000
-- Nuclear energy "is firmly implanted in Europe," Czech Prime
Minister Milos Zeman asserted Saturday, rejecting Austrian protests over the
start-up of a controversial nuclear plant.: (Agence France Presse)
"EPA:
Hands Off State Farms" - "The Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) is making a bid to impose costly and unjustified new regulations on
Michigan’s livestock farmers. The move could damage agriculture, which, after
auto manufacturing, is one of Michigan’s leading industries. The federal
agency has handed the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), its
state enforcement arm, an ultimatum: Force the state’s livestock farms to
obtain the same type of water pollution permits that city sewage plants and
heavy industry must get — or be stripped of control over the state’s water
quality program." (Detroit News)
Dub-yah raises the real issue?
- image from this Detroit News Q & A session with Republican presidential
candidate George W. Bush. Readers may want to check back to this
National Review article. Of course, Debra Saunders of the San
Francisco Chronicle doesn't think the Veep really believes what he's
shovelling and says so in Gore's
Greenhouse Gas.
"U.S.
federal official says oil prices a serious matter" - "A
Federal Reserve official Saturday said the run-up in energy costs had to be
taken seriously for the U.S. inflation outlook, but he noted that many
private-sector observers think oil prices may already be hitting their peaks.
"We have to take the overall inflation rate seriously," William Poole,
President of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, told reporters after a
lecture at Brown University." (Reuters)
"Families
sue government over high fuel costs" - "Three families who
live in rural areas of north Wales are among a group of six who plan to sue the
government in an attempt to bring down the cost of fuel. Using the new Human
Rights Act, they intend to argue that petrol is one of life's essentials and
that Ministers have acted illegally by taxing it beyond their means." (BBC
Online)
"Big
business answers 'Climate Savers' call" - "Johnson
& Johnson did it. So did IBM
Corp. And now Polaroid
Corp. is following suit. All of these companies have answered a call from
the World Wildlife Fund and the Center for Energy and Climate Solutions to
reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by a set date." (ENN)
Doesn't look like I'd fit in at ENN, I'd have written
this up as: PC businesses feed delusion, increase consumer costs to
grab market share. Investor caution advised as stocks likely to suffer with
declining temperature and rising energy costs.
"Deer
population posing problems" - "The national deer population,
now estimated at 25 million to 30 million, has been growing for decades. Not
only have deer adapted to encroaching suburbia, but they have benefitted from a
series of mild winters, an increase in newly developed areas being declared off
limits for hunters and a decline in hunting in some parts of the country."
(AP)
Interesting. The US, roughly the same land area as
Australia although greatly more fertile and better watered, has nearly as many
deer as we have kangaroo. The larger macropods have prospered greatly over the
last couple of hundred years since European settlers introduced permanent
stock watering points over vast areas of the country and water is the great
limiting factor here. Curiously, your congress has frequently acted to help
the whacko brigade's campaigns to inhibit trade in 'roo product, even though
we are forced to cull millions of them every year to contain environmental
degradation. Deer are becoming "public enemy number one" in various
US regions and there are efforts to increase the cull. Some inconsistency here
you think?
"Delicate
flower foils rail progress" - "The flowering of Britain's new
modern railway is being stunted by the arrival of Dianthus armeria, the
humble Deptford pink. This delicate plant grows in 30 different sites throughout
Britain, protected by the Wildlife and Countryside Act. But on one particular
site near Melton Mowbray in Leicestershire, it is preventing the testing and
introduction of rolling stock, urgently needed to alleviate the misery of
travellers crammed into old carriages." (Guardian)
And the English say Only in America...
"Monkey
study finds cannabis addictive" - "Squirrel monkeys have
become addicted to marijuana in laboratory tests, according to research
published today in a science magazine. The findings will be a blow to
campaigners who argue that cannabis is non-addictive and should be legalised.
"These findings suggest that marijuana has as much potential for abuse as
drugs such as cocaine," Steven Goldberg, from the US National Institute on
Drug Abuse, reports in Nature Neuroscience." (Guardian) [AP]
"What
Is the Matter With Mary Jane?" - "SEATTLE -- The medicinal use
of marijuana has scored some smashing victories at the polls in recent years,
winning approval by voters in seven states, and it's on the ballot in two this
fall. But in Alaska, an important test is at hand for those who use images like
"Trojan horse" and "camel's nose under the tent" to argue
that medical marijuana's advocates are really out to clear the way for the legal
recreational use of the drug. Just two years after Alaska's voters backed a
measure allowing doctors to prescribe marijuana for medical purposes, they are
being asked whether the state should become the nation's first to legalize it,
period. The measure is sweeping, allowing use by anyone 18 or older, giving
amnesty for anyone ever convicted of growing or possessing marijuana, and even
moving toward restitution for them." (NY Times)
"Trust
Seeks to Harvest 'Carbon Credits' From Forests" - "In
some places, firms pay to preserve trees' ability to absorb the substance as a
way of offsetting pollution created elsewhere. Group wants to bring the idea to
California." (LA Times)
If you're really so worried about carbon sequestration
then log the old trees, turn them into some durable (house frames or whatever)
and plant new trees that require vast amounts of CO2 to grow -
that's the only way that the same area of forests really dramatically increase
their carbon sequestration. A few cautionary points however. With global
temperatures again in decline and a growing realisation of the societal costs
involved in pandering to an illusion, the prospects of Kyoto being
ratified sufficiently to meet the 55/55 rule to bring it into force are
declining by the day. Even worse from the enhanced greenhouse proselytisers'
perspective, indications are that both the Pacific Decadal Oscillation and the
North Atlantic Oscillation are switching to cool phases, meaning that Earth is
likely to exhibit 2-3 decades of declining temperatures. Global warming? We
could wish! Taken in conjunction, these trends suggest that "carbon
credits" will be absolutely worthless and a lot of gullible enterprises
are going to get burned by falling temperatures. Extreme scepticism advised!
"Doctors
on the green to put Coalition in rough" - "THE Court
Government's relations with the medical community deteriorated further yesterday
as a group of doctors produced detailed allegations of mismanagement of the
state's old-growth forests." (The Australian)
So... MDs believe they know more about forestry
management than do the biologists, ecologists and foresters who established
the forest management plan over years of (peer reviewed) study and extensive
survey and assessment. Tell you what guys, I won't have thoracic surgery
performed by anyone who uses a chainsaw because tree surgeons just don't
inspire too much confidence that I may survive the procedure - I don't think
they're suitably specialised in an appropriate discipline. Perhaps you should
recognise that human health and forest health are not interchangeable
disciplines and butt out!
"Girls'
lifestyle puts next generation at risk" - "Young women who do
not eat properly or exercise regularly are storing up health problems for the
next generation as well as themselves. Experts speaking at a major women's
health conference in London on Monday will warn that girls need to take care of
their health to stop their babies going on to develop heart disease, strokes and
diabetes." [Pupils
'starving' to stay thin] (BBC Online)
"Shark
cartilage cancer cure fishy says expert" - "BRUSSELS -
Cancer patients buying shark cartilage capsules as a treatment for the disease
are wasting their money, a cancer expert says. Dr Lene Adrian, of Copenhagen
University Hospital in Denmark, said that the health supplement had no effect
when it was tested on Danish breast cancer patients. "There was no evidence
that the therapy had any benefit. "I would not advise patients to use
it," she told the European Breast Cancer conference." (New Zealand
Herald)
"Redefinition
of `heart attack' may bring benefits - and grief" - "More
Americans than ever soon will be having heart attacks - because the definition
of this terrible event is changing. That may bode ill for insurance coverage,
but also bring about healthy lifestyle changes, doctors say. Cardiologists
recently broadened the definition of a heart attack to include many cases of
angina, chest pain caused by lack of blood to the heart. A diagnosis of a heart
attack, they hope, will make people take their conditions more seriously.
(Seattle Times)
"Blair
broke pledges, says 'green guru'" - "TONY BLAIR'S new
environmental adviser has accused him of breaking his election promises on green
issues by a failure of leadership. In an interview in The Telegraph today,
Jonathon Porritt, chairman of the Government's Sustainable Development
Commission, said Labour had put its obsession with the "spin doctor focus
group approach" above the values it set out in opposition."
(Telegraph)
Jonathon... no democratically elected government can
really indulge green fantasies because, well, voters get pretty upset by
policies that kill off substantial portions of the population. This is very bad
for a government's re-election chances. (You'll have to forgive Porritt - he
used be chairman of the Greens and director of Fiends of the Earth)
"Things
can only get wetter"
Buried in the bowels of this article you get down to the
real reason:
- "... The Halls received another visit this weekend: Dr John
Boardman, an academic from the Environmental Change Institute in Oxford who has
witnessed countless examples of human misery caused by flooding in the past 25
years. Too often, said Dr Boardman, the chaos that he studies could easily have
been avoided. He said: "This is not so much a climate-change issue as a
land-use issue. The flooding has been caused by the excessive cultivation nearby
of winter cereals on steep slopes. The methods of cultivation used have led to
run-off and erosion." (Telegraph)
"A
green and pleasant land" - "Imagine an economy modelled on an
ecological system. First and foremost, there would be no such thing as pollution
because nothing would be produced that could not be reused, reconstituted or
recycled either by industry, households or natural ecosystems." (The Age)
Oh Claire (Claire Miller, The Age's token flake),
nature doesn't have totally closed systems any more than humanity does. In
fact, "nature" is the original sea dumper, which is where
"nature" eventually dumps all salts, toxics, a huge tonnage
of silts, excess nutrients, natural halides, natural organochlorins, natural
dioxins (extraordinary volume compared with anthropogenic production), heavy
metals, radionuclides, and... well, everything you can imagine and often blame
people for really.
?!! "Analysis:
Ozone hole larger but improvements to come"
- "WASHINGTON, Oct. 15, (UPI) -- The hole in the protective ozone
layer over the South Pole reached a record size in September, but it won't be
a yearly thorn in Earth's side forever, according to environmental experts.
"This is the largest geographical size on record and comparable to the
area of North America," said Lawrence Flynn, a physical scientist
associated with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Moreover,
NOAA reported that the September decline in ozone occurred about six days
earlier than in any previous year and "as observed in other recent years,
ozone was totally destroyed between about 9 and 13 miles altitude."
However, natural processes will restore the ozone layer eventually, pointed
out David Hofmann, director of NOAA's Climate Monitoring and Diagnostics
Laboratory, in Boulder, Colo." (UPI)
October 14, 2000
Desperate claim
of the day: "Flooding
'shows urgent need for climate change action'" -
"Flooding in south east England is another warning about the need for
urgent action to curb the pollution causing climate change, according to
environmental campaigners. Brenda Pollack, regional campaign co-ordinator at
Friends of the Earth, said the Government had to take a lead and push for cuts
in carbon dioxide emissions at next month's international talks in The Hague.
"People's homes and lives are at risk if we don't take action soon. The
people of Kent could be feeling the effects of climate change lapping at their
doorways." [It
will get wetter, say climate experts] (Ananova) [Housing
built in high-risk areas]
Oh, so this is a novel event due to enhanced
greenhouse? Perhaps proponents of this contention should check the UK Met.
Office's extremes
page. The
Guardian speaks of "unheard of" deluges - 5"
(125mm) in 12 hours - slight problem here because the met office extremes
list indicates more than twice that in 24 hours in 1955; one and one-half
times as much in 3hrs (1960); 155min (1975); 120min (1989); almost as much
in 90min (1967); two-thirds as much in 60min (1901) and half as much in just
30min (1953). The
Independent more accurately stated that southern England was in
the grip of its worst flooding - for thirty years. Interestingly, thirty
years ago puts us near the end of Earth's most recent cooling phase
(C1945-1975) when we had all the gloom and hand wringing over imminent ice
age. The
Times actually got it right when they said building in
flood-prone areas is asking for trouble: "Only nature can
determine how much rain falls on our land. But only man can be so foolish as
to ignore the law that water finds its level." Said!
Climate is the sum of all weather events over an
extended period and there are always measures at, near or exceeding the
bounds of expected range - partly because we have been recording weather
events for such a short time and are not yet aware of where the bounds
actually lie. There are expected "abnormal" events, the
exceptional that occurs once in 50, 100, 250 or even 500 years which we must
anticipate and plan for. That's why dams, for example, are built to
tolerances allowing for the say, 1 in 500 event - we may not have witnessed
such an event but the geological record tells us that they do occur, have
done in the past at an average interval of X years and commonsense tells us
they will again. That one or even a series of these events occurs over a
specific timeframe doesn't tell us that there is anything unusual occurring
with the climate but rather that we happen to be in a climatic phase where
these events occur.
One other thing that claims like the above tell us -
proponents of the enhanced greenhouse hypothesis are getting really
desperate. What a crock!
"Boffins
battle against flatulent flocks" - "Dunedin - New
Zealand and French scientists may have fallen out over nuclear blasts in the
past, but they are now pooling their ingenuity to deal with a different kind
of explosion. Flatulent sheep, and the damage their emissions are causing to
the atmosphere, have brought scientists from opposing hemispheres together in
a collaborative bid to perfect a burp-less, fart-free diet for sheep." (IOL)
Actually not as bizarre as it first sounds, this
research has useful application in animal husbandry by improving the feed
conversion efficiency of ruminants. Methane-producing microfauna are
actually stealing some of the ingested food and not providing benefit to the
host animal, displacing them is of benefit to the host, the farmer and the
environment by reducing the input requirement to achieve the same carcass/fibre/milk
output.
It is an unfortunate artefact of our times that funding
requests for useful research must be couched in terms of the absurd in order
to have any chance of success and quite sincere scientists are forced to
resort to the greenhouse myth to further their research. Rate of increase in
the atmospheric levels of methane has been in decline for over a decade and
methane is expected to be in atmospheric equilibrium (as much consumed as
produced) by 2004. Will fart-free sheep save the world? No - but the
research will eventually be of great benefit to impoverished farmers around
the world. I'm certain that my colleagues across the Tasman are just waiting
for me to make a crack about researching sheep etiquette but I'll let it
pass - this time.
"Our
reservoirs are plumbing the depths of insanity" - "... The
depth of the insanity of this hydroelectric dam has only recently emerged. Built
13 years ago to provide "green", pollution-free electricity, it in
fact produces eight times more greenhouse gas than a typical coal-fired power
station with a similar generating capacity." (Independent)
"NOAA ISSUES
NATION'S OFFICIAL WINTER OUTLOOK" - "October 12, 2000 — The
nation's top climate and weather experts at NOAA
today announced the winter weather outlook for the United States, saying that
the recent string of record warm winters may be over, as normal winter weather
returns. "We've probably forgotten over the last three years what a normal
winter is like," said NOAA Administrator D. James Baker. "With La
Niña and El Niño out of the way,
normal (defined as the period 1961-1990) winter weather has a chance to return
to the U.S. this year." (NOAA)
"Rights for Rodents Is
a Bad Rx" - "On the same day the U.K. announced that it had
enacted a Bill of Rights for Britons, the USDA announced one for Americans.
American laboratory birds and rodents, that is. In a move quickly denounced by
both the National Association for Biomedical Research (NABR) and the Association
of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), the Agriculture Department agreed to a
legal settlement expanding its regulation of research animals under the Animal
Welfare Act (AWA) to birds and, far more importantly, rats and mice. Since
rodents comprise about 95 percent of all test animals, the expansion will be
dramatic. And horrendous, according to AAMC President Dr. Jordon Cohen."
(Michael Fumento)
"New
Report Dispels Myths about Breast Cancer and Points Out the Real Risk
Factors" - "New York, New York—October 2000. Breast cancer
is the most common cancer in American women. In the year 2000 alone,
approximately 183,000 new cases are expected and over 40,000 U.S. women will die
from this disease. October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, but are people
really aware of what makes one woman more susceptible to developing breast
cancer than another?" (ACSH)
"Better
Sunscreens From DNA" - "NEW YORK - The molecules that contain
our genes may hold the secret to better sunscreens, according to Ohio State
University chemists. The investigators discovered that nucleosides, the
molecules that make up RNA and DNA strands, can turn potentially dangerous
ultraviolet (UV) rays into harmless heat energy very quickly. In fact, these
molecules transform UV light in less than one pico-second, or less than one
trillionth of a second, explained lead researcher Dr. Bern Kohler."
(Reuters Health)
"GM food
recall causing ripple effect on food retailers" - "CHICAGO,
Oct 12 - The spreading impact of the recall of foods containing gene-spliced
corn could portend a wave of scrutiny of U.S. food makers, their manufacturing
and their suppliers, industry watchers said on Thursday." (Reuters)
"Case
Illustrates Risks of Altered Food" - "The genetically
engineered corn that is linked to a widening web of food recalls has not been
approved for human consumption because it contains a protein that is not
normally part of the human food supply and that shares some characteristics of
known food allergens. But there is no evidence that the corn actually does cause
allergies, and some experts say that consumers need not worry about eating
products that might contain the corn." (NY Times)
"Survey:
Taco shell recall not having profound effect on consumer buying patterns"
- "A national survey conducted by the Grocery Manufacturers of America (GMA)
concludes that U.S. consumers are increasingly aware of ag biotechnology, but
have not changed their food consumption behavior, despite publicity over the
recall of taco shells allegedly containing unapproved biotech corn." (AgWeb.com)
"Japan
corn imports seen unharmed by US food recall" - "TOKYO,
Oct 13 - Another recall of foods containing gene-spliced corn in the United
States has rekindled concern about food safety among Japanese importers, but
traders said on Friday it may not hurt Japan`s appetite for U.S. corn."
(Reuters)
"World
Food Prize panelists: Ag biotechnology part of the long-term solution"
- "Des Moines, Iowa - At the 2000 World Food Prize International Symposium
today, a panel discussed the trends in genetically modified crop usage. A key
talking point among the panel was increasing the use of the crop technology is
developing countries." (AgWeb.com)
"FDA
official: Biotech foods safer than hybridization" - "Des
Moines, Iowa - At the World Food Prize Symposium on biotech foods, and FDA
official told participants that biotech foods pose fewer health risks because
there is less genetic change than hybridization. "When you are dealing with
biotech crops, you are changing just one or two genes of the plant's structure.
With hybridization, there are more genes involved and more uncertainty,"
said Dr. Bernard Schwetz, acting Deputy Commissioner, FDA." (AgWeb.com)
"Biotech
Crops As 'Health Food?'"
- "Genetically engineered food—is it potentially a good thing, or not?
Opponents call it "Frankenstein food," unsafe and untested. But, as
CBS News Correspondent Wyatt Andrews reports, there are others who say it has
the potential to be the greatest "health food" the world has ever
seen." (CBS)
"Scientists
differ on view of feeding hungry Africans" - "Des Moines, Iowa
- During a panel discussion of the role genetically modified foods can play in
developing countries, two scientists who have witnessed first-hand accounts of
hunger in Africa presented differing approaches to solving the food shortage
there." (AgWeb.com)
"Give
biotech a chance to feed world, ag chief says" - "TUSKEGEE -
Despite fears of genetically altered soybeans, corn and other crops, people will
have to rely more and more on genetic engineering and other advances in science
and technology to feed the world, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman said
Tuesday. He said some critics want to stop research on genetically altered
foods, but such a halt would be dangerous." (Birmingham News)
"Nobel
prize winner challenges students to help fight world hunger" -
"... Borlaug said the world's population has increased dramatically since
he grew up on a farm in Cresco. He is credited with developing crop management
practices that spurred the "Green Revolution." Borlaug said improved
agricultural practices have helped increase world food production, but problems
remain. "We need to distribute that food equitably," Borlaug said.
"And there's where we run into the problem of poverty and lack of
purchasing power." (Des Moines Register)
'World losing war
on hunger' - "ROME: The international community is ''way behind''
its target to halve world hunger by 2015 in line with a pledge made at a 1996
food summit, the director-general of the United Nations' world food body has
said. ''We are reducing the number of hungry people by eight million a year, but
the necessary investment that has to go into agriculture is just not there,''
Jacques Diouf, director-general of the Food and Agriculture Organisation, told
Reuters." (Times of India)
"Miracle
Maize Creators Win World Food Prize" - "DES MOINES, Iowa,
October 12, 2000 - The $250,000 Millennium World Food Prize has been awarded to
biochemist Dr. Evangelina Villegas of Mexico and plant geneticist Dr. Surinder
Vasal of India. Dr. Villegas is the first woman ever to receive the World Food
Prize." (ENS) [Prize
winner defends biotech crops]
"Food
Prize GMOs" (Summary) - "According to the Associated Press,
Alan Larson, U.S. undersecretary of state for economic, business and
agricultural affairs stated that biotechnology 's role in agriculture is an
important foreign policy issue and is a top priority to ensure that the fears
about the safety of GMOs "do not hinder the technology's use in parts of
the world that need it." (BKC)
"Genes
Determine Health Benefits of a Drink a Day" - "PHILADELPHIA -
Many studies have found that a moderate intake of alcohol--be it wine, beer or
spirits--can reduce the risk of heart disease. Now, new study findings suggest
that variations in a certain gene may give some alcohol-drinkers an advantage
over others." (Reuters Health)
"Food
for thought" - "For decades scientists have known that
severely reducing food intake can extend the lives of species ranging from
yeasts to rats. But no one has known why, or whether, a 30 to 40 percent
reduction in calories would also have this effect on humans. ... In addition to
low body temperature, some humans on the diet also report reduced libido.
Researchers might expect to find few persons willing to miss out on sex, even to
live to 130. The doughnuts and Big Mac folks can comfort themselves with
Professor Guarente's hope that the magic drug might just be 10 years or so in
the future." (Boston Globe) [Ups
and Downs for Diet Guinea Pigs]
"Canada,
U.S. smog deal" - "OTTAWA -- Canadian and U.S. negotiators
have reached an agreement to limit smog-causing pollution that drifts across the
border. The deal will primarily benefit Ontario and Quebec and adjoining states.
The deal -- officially known as the ozone annex to the Canada-U.S. Air Quality
Agreement -- will require a 50 per cent reduction in nitrogen oxide emissions
from fossil-fuel power plants in southern Ontario. That requirement could cause
friction between the federal and Ontario governments. Environment Minister David
Anderson has indicated he is prepared to force emission reductions on Ontario if
necessary." (CP)
"The
Indignation Industry has no interest in righting wrongs" -
"THE famous cry of the legendary Dr Heinz Kiosk: "We are all
guilty!", needs updating. We were all guilty, of course, as Peter Simple's
wonderful comic creation pointed out so long ago, and we are all guilty still,
but we are now something else as well." (Minette Marrin in The Daily
Telegraph)
"Routine
screening for endometrial cancer unnecessary for tamoxifen users" -
"NEW YORK, October 15, 2000 -- Women taking tamoxifen to prevent breast
cancer receive no benefit from routine screening for endometrial cancer, a known
risk associated with the drug. In an eight-year study conducted at Memorial
Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, 111 breast cancer patients were screened with an
endometrial biopsy (EMB) at the beginning of their treatment with tamoxifen with
additional biopsies over a five-year period. The researchers reported no benefit
to routine screening in their study published in the October 15, 2000 Journal of
Clinical Oncology." (MS-KCC)
"Scientists
detect mom's influence on obesity and diabetes" - "Nature and
nurture go hand in hand, say scientists who study obesity and diabetes. In this
month's issue of Genome Research, Edward Leiter and colleagues (The Jackson
Laboratory) report that an animal's 'maternal environment' acts together with
genetics to increase the risk of obesity and obesity-related diabetes. Type II
diabetes particularly afflicts obese individuals. Numerous genes and
environmental factors, like sedentary lifestyle, interact to produce a
predisposition for diabetes (diabesity), making it difficult to tease out
individual suspects. In the current report, Leiter and colleagues perform an
ingenious experiment to identify specific gene-environment interactions
affecting diabesity." (CSHL)
"Nannies Go
Global" - "The Economist reports on efforts of the World
Health Organization (WHO) to make international laws that would damage the
tobacco industry and prevent
people from choosing to smoke. As WHO says, "The success or failure of
this approach provides a test case for the more active involvement of the
public-health community in international law-making." Could global attacks
on alcohol and fatty foods be far behind?" (GuestChoice.com)
"Call
to develop GM 'terminator' genes should be developed"
- "Genetically modified (GM) crops with terminator genes, which will be
unable to flower or reproduce without being "switched on", should be
developed further by scientists, a committee of senior government advisers is to
recommend. The controversial advice, from the Department of the Environment's
expert body on GM crops, will infuriate environmental groups who claim plants
with "junkie genes" should be banned. The report, to be published
later this month, will suggest that there should be more research into
"terminator" style technology. It will say that the potential of the
technology has not yet been fully explored and is still in its infancy. The
government advisers also want scientists to do further work to create infertile
crops to stop them reproducing themselves. The report by the sub-group on Best
Practice in GM Crop Design, part of the Advisory Committee on Releases into the
Environment, will argue that such technology has great potential to protect the
environment and stop the creation of cross-breed crops." (Independent)
"Trading
Obesity's Dangers for Surgery's" - "Obesity is now one of the
United States' worst public health problems. It greatly increases the risk of
illnesses that are among the nation's leading causes of death, including
diabetes, heart disease, respiratory problems and some forms of cancer."
(NY Times)
"Ironic
Processing" - "How Al Gore’s pursuit of "central
organizing principles" winds up slicing us into ever-narrowing interest
groups." (Virginia Postrel, Reason Magazine)
"Fibre - the
pendulum swings" - "... Perhaps it is not always food itself
which makes us ill. Perhaps it is the fear of food, and the anxieties that
people currently experience about eating 'correctly', which will turn out to be
the bigger villains." (SIRC)
"Asia's
thirst for oil pushing up prices" - "HONGKONG -- Cathay
Pacific Airways is adding flights to accommodate extra passengers. In China,
cars and lorries are logging more miles. And in South Korea, the nation's giant
steel mills are boosting production in response to stronger demand. Asia's
economies are shaking off the effects of the 1997 financial crisis more rapidly
than almost anyone expected. But as it rumbles back to life, this region is
gulping oil again, boosting worldwide demand for energy and making it much
easier for oil-producing nations to maintain higher prices. Just as the
implosion of booming Asian economies three years ago triggered a glut that drove
the price of crude oil down to around US$10 (S$17) a barrel, the region's
comeback has played a key role in pushing prices to above US$37 a barrel last
month." (Straits Times)
"Doctors
alarmed as more patients consult internet" - "DOCTORS are
being undermined by people turning to the internet for self-diagnosis, says a
report." (Telegraph)
Great - people should always seek knowledge - just be very
aware that about nine-tenths of what you find on the 'net is composed of
fraudulent fears, hypochondria and utter garbage. How do lay people tell the
difference? Here's a very rough guide:
- if they want any fees then go somewhere else;
- if the site accepts donations - forget it, it's probably trying to
frighten you into giving them money (many do sell information booklets
for a nominal fee and that's quite different - these cost money to
produce and some profit to support the site may be reasonable);
- if it's a conservation or "public interest group" get out
immediately because they're pushing an agenda and you're just a tool;
- if they don't recommend that you see your physician if you have any
doubts whatsoever then they are definitely disingenuous;
- if the site causes you fear or anxiety then it is definitely
worthless;
- if the site suggests it can perform online diagnoses then it is utter
garbage for no web page can do so.
On the other hand, if:
- the site is generally reassuring;
- it contains easy to understand information in general terms;
- the site links to government documentation, peer reviewed journals
and/or hospital outreach services for further information;
- it recommends that you see your own physician or trusted health
professional under either specific circumstances or any personal
doubt,
then congratulations - you may have found a worthwhile resource
(don't bet on it though). Remember, there's a very good reason medical
personnel spent years in training and it isn't usually because they had
nothing better to do at the time.
October 13, 2000
"The
Tail End of the Fiber Myth" - "If you've been shoveling down
high-fiber cereals every morning in hopes of preventing colon cancer, you can
stop. The 30-year-old notion that cereal fiber reduces colon cancer risk is
turning out to be yet another government-sanctioned myth. It may be time for the
Food and Drug Administration to butt out of our colons." (Fox News)
"No Vaccine For
Stupidity" - "Terrorists have once again destroyed
what they think were genetically improved crops on the campus of the
University of California, Berkeley. The activists say they are concerned with
this "wave of biotech research which is being used to insert drugs and
vaccines into our food supply." But what these criminal activists fail to
take into account, according to the American College of Nutrition's Stanley
Wallach, is that "to the world's malnourished populations, biotechnology
advances are literally a life-and-death proposition and hold out the promise
for millions to live longer, healthier and more productive lives."
(GuestChoice.com)
"Americans
Say World Hunger is More Urgent Than Pollution, Disease or Global Warming"
- "Americans believe hunger and malnutrition are more urgent global
problems than disease, pollution and global warming, finds a new poll released
today at the World Food Prize awards in Des Moines, Iowa. According to the
survey of 1,000 adults, conducted for the Alliance for Better Foods, hunger and
malnutrition are considered an urgent problem by 75 percent of American adults,
compared with the 68 percent who feel disease and epidemics are urgent problems;
66 percent for pollution and environmental damage; and 43 percent for global
warming." (AgWeb.com)
Pre-COP6 hype: "Alarming
rise in CO2 concentrations presents continuing global challenge"
- "Paul G. Falkowski, a professor at Rutgers' Institute of Marine and
Coastal Sciences (IMCS) with a joint appointment to the geology department, is
the lead author of an article in the Oct.13 issue of Science that shows that
in the course of the last 200 years, humans have significantly altered the
global carbon cycle." (Rutgers)
Indeed we may have. Uh... all this carbon we're
liberating to atmosphere from fossil fuels - where'd it come from before
being bound in these deposits?
Let's see. Coal is the remains of trees and vegetation
that's been buried and compressed for a very long time so these old plants
would have derived their carbon content basically from atmospheric CO2.
Oil is the remains of ancient plankton that also sourced its carbon from
atmospheric CO2. Hmm...
In Termination of global warmth at the
Palaeocene/Eocene boundary through productivity feedback (Nature 407,
171-174), Bains et al, ascribe huge reduction in available CO2
to biological activity, stating: The unusually rapid return of 13C
to values similar to those before the methane release and the apparent
coupling of the accumulation rates of biogenic barium to temperature,
suggests that the enhanced deposition of organic matter to the deep sea may
have efficiently cooled this greenhouse climate by the rapid removal of
excess carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
It is also true that regions which were carbon sources
a few decades ago, e.g. Arctic tundra, have increased biological activity
and are now carbon sinks. This suggests that the biosphere's limiting
parameter may be the availability of atmospheric carbon coupled with lower
bound temperature and that biological activity will expand and decrease
according to the limits of that availability under conditions of adequate
warmth. Further, it suggests that enhanced biological activity will not
permit our rather puny efforts at atmospheric carbon enhancement to exceed
certainly tightly constrained bounds. This may explain why increases in
atmospheric CO2 are slowing while emissions of CO2 are
increasing.
While it appears that human action is facilitating an
increase in life on Earth, it seems we'll have to work a lot harder at
carbon liberation if we really want to see the biosphere prosper.
"Return
to Colder Winter Weather Expected" - "WASHINGTON - U.S.
government weather scientists announced on Thursday that the recent string of
record warm winters experienced by the United States may be over, and forecast a
return to normal colder temperatures for the upcoming season. "We've
probably forgotten over the last three years what a normal winter is like. With
La Nina and El Nino out of the way, normal winter weather has a chance to return
to the U.S. this year," said D. James Baker, who heads the National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administration. In its winter outlook, NOAA forecast that the
Northeast region could see average temperatures 4 degrees Fahrenheit colder than
during the last three winters." (Reuters)
"Jet
stream pattern anchors rainfall over Britain" -
"Scientists are divided as to whether global warming is making depressions
of this sort worse, Mr Clarke said. “There are models that suggest that as the
climate gets warmer, the increasing volume of water vapour in the atmosphere
will make depressions more intense, giving them extra energy,” he said. “Not
everyone agrees with this, though. Changes to the ice caps could also interfere
with the jet stream, making intense depressions less likely.” (The Times)
"Yielding
Positive Results; Gene Revolution As A Farming Aid" - "In
recent times, there have been a flurry of arguments against making the fruits of
biotechnology available to India's farmers. Biotechnology which benefits private
companies cannot possibly be good for the farmer or consumer, goes a popular
argument. Indeed, the reasoning goes that biotechnology be denied to farmers
since it is sure to bring about their ruination. This kind of convoluted logic
was acceptable in the pre-1991 socialistic period when merit was elitist, big
was bad and consumer goods were considered a sinful luxury from the decadent
West. Such arguments are considered mediaeval today. In the past, such logic
would have gone unchallenged. Not any more. It is these kinds of arguments by
those who are unaware the reality on the ground that have led to farmers being
denied the fruits of development more than 50 years after independence."
(Times of India)
"Genetic
engineering creates rice with 26% higher yield" -
"Korean scientists have created a strain of genetically altered rice that
they claim could boost output by up to 26 percent. Experts say the development
sets a new milestone in global efforts to use bioengineering to address food
shortages." (Korean Herald)
"Genetic
Engineering News Reports Biofirms Make Strides in Neuron Repair" -
"LARCHMONT, N.Y.--Oct. 11, 2000--Biotechnology companies are challenging
the paradigm of the past that nerve cells cannot regenerate once damaged,
reports Genetic Engineering News (GEN) (www.genengnews.com).
A number of firms are showing that a shift is on the horizon in that damaged
neurons may be repaired and several current difficult-to-treat neurological
conditions may be amenable to novel therapies, according to the October 1 issue
of GEN." (BW HealthWire)
"Bioengineered
Corn Withdrawn" - "WASHINGTON - A type of genetically
engineered corn that is not approved for food use was withdrawn from the market
at the government's urging Thursday after the crop showed up in additional
brands of taco shells. ... The health risks from the corn, ``if any, are
extremely low,'' the EPA said in a statement. But because ``Aventis was
responsible for ensuring that StarLink corn only be used in animal feed, and
that responsibility clearly was not met, today's action was necessary,'' the
agency said." (AP) [Engineered
Corn Found in More Tacos]
"Cracking
up over taco shells" - "Kraft Foods has recalled all Taco Bell
Originals taco shells because samples of the product contain a strain of
gene-spliced corn not approved for human food use. The recall followed a report
that tests of the taco shells had detected genetically engineered corn
containing a protein called Cry9c. This bacterial protein, introduced into
corn with gene-splicing techniques, has not been approved for human consumption
because of a theoretical possibility that it could cause an allergic reaction.
For that reason, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has authorized the
use of the corn only in animal feed. Under the circumstances, Kraft's voluntary
recall is appropriate damage-control by a company that may be in violation of
approval granted by a regulatory agency, in this case the EPA. There is more to
the story, however." (Henry Miller in the Washington Times)
"New
agreement prevents Starlink corn planting - EPA" - "WASHINGTON
- Starlink corn, a genetically-modified variety of corn not approved for human
consumption that has been found in grocery store taco shells, will no longer be
planted in the United States for any agricultural purpose, the Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) said yesterday." (Reuters)
"Taking The Road
Already Traveled" - "The anti-biotech activists at Genetic ID
are making
headlines again, reporting that they've found more taco shells with traces
of genetically improved corn, this time in Safeway-brand taco shells. This comes
as no real surprise, since, as the New York Times says, "Mission Foods, the
Safeway supplier, is owned by the same Mexican company, Gruma S.A., that owns
Azteca Milling. Azteca's mill in Plainview, Tex., was determined to be the
source of the corn flour used in the Kraft Tacos and the mill is also a supplier
to Mission Foods." So this is just the same story with a slightly different
twist. As Henry Miller of the Hudson Institute writes in the Washington Times,
what's the big deal anyway. "What we need is not to punish [food companies]
for marketing taco
shells that contain an improved, insect resistant, low-fungal-toxin, potentially
more healthful corn, but to 'craft' federal regulation so that biotech's
shackles are removed. Regulation would then make more sense, cost less, offer
greater benefits to the consumer and stimulate innovation."
(GuestChoice.com)
"Little
evidence that GMO's unsafe" - "Cape Town - There is little
scientific evidence that genetically modified plants and foodstuffs have a
negative effect on human or animal life, Parliament's environmental affairs
portfolio committee heard on Wednesday. Briefing the committee, department of
agriculture registrar Dr Shadrack Moephuli said that, on the contrary, the
technology relating to genetically modified organisms (GMOs) held great
advantages for South Africa's developing communities. "We are battling to
try and find evidence that GMOs... have a negative impact on the environment or
human health," he said. (News24)
"ANALYSIS
- Asia farming on horns of a dilemma over GMO" - "SINGAPORE
- Asia, home to three fifths of the world's people, faces a dilemma - how to
feed a growing population without disrupting traditional farming methods that
help social and political stability. The U.N.'s world food body, the Food and
Agriculture Organisation (FAO), said in a recent report biotechnology could
make a huge contribution to reducing world hunger and reverse a trend towards
disappointing crop yields. But lobby groups and environmentalists in Asia say
biotech poses potential risks for food safety, intellectual property rights
and traditional farming methods." (Reuters)
Check out the next line
"The interests of those propagating genetic engineering are the same
as those that brought us the green revolution - they want to make farmers
dependent on multinational companies," said Von Hernandez, Greenpeace
campaign director for Southeast Asia.
So... the green revolution, which saved millions from
starving to death and improved the quality of life for almost one-third of
the global human population, is supposed to be a bad thing?
Assuming that there are some out there who value
animals and "nature" more than people (actually I know so because
I interact with plenty of them daily), what about wildlife and habitat?
Consider this piece: The
importance of high farm yields to wildlife conservation
"Indian
scientist wins world food prize" - "WASHINGTON: Indian plant
geneticist Surinder K Vasal has been awarded the prestigious Millennium World
Food Prize along with Mexican biochemist Evangelina Villegas for lifetime work
to develop a higher-yielding, protein-rich corn that could help prevent
malnutrition in millions of people." (Times of India)
"Entire
Genome Of One STD-Causing Bacterium Sequenced" -
"Scientists have sequenced the entire genome of a sexually transmitted
bacterium, Ureaplasma urealyticum, that infects an estimated 60 percent to 80
percent of adults and, if passed on to newborn infants, can cause in them
meningitis, pneumonia, and even death. "The results of this project add to
the rapidly growing list of pathogenic microbes whose genomes have been
sequenced," says Anthony S. Fauci, M.D., director of the National Institute
of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), which helped support the research.
"This breakthrough will lead to a much better understanding of how U.
urealyticum causes disease, and should allow scientists to devise better
treatments against it." (Unisci)
"Growing
up too soon?" - "Overall, the age at which menstruation begins
(currently between 12 and 13) hasn't changed in about 50 years, statistics show.
But the initial signs of puberty - breast ''buds'' and pubic hair - are showing
up earlier than the age that pediatricians long believed was the threshhold of
normal puberty. ... Scientists say there's little proof for one popular
explanation for the physical changes: that hormone-like chemicals in milk, meat
and the environment have accelerated puberty. More likely, they say, the
epidemic of childhood inactivity and obesity, especially pronounced in
African-American children, has triggered earlier puberty." (Boston globe)
"Fat Chance!"
- "National Public Radio gives
a thumbs-up review of the no-calorie, no-cholesterol fat-substitute
Olestra. However, the Center for Science in the Public Interest appears in the
story, citing questionable statistics that disparage a product that millions
of consumers could benefit from. Does the $20,000 CSPI received from the
Helena Rubinstein Foundation in 1997 to vilify Olestra have something
to do with its position?" (GuestChoice.com)
See also: Afflicted
with acute activist agonies
"IF
ELECTED, GORE HAS IT IN FOR YOUR AUTOMOBILE" - "With
all the focus on female voters in this year's election, it's a wonder no one has
mentioned the presidential candidates' positions on a woman's right to
choose--her mode of transportation, that is. For millions of women, especially
mothers, the private automobile represents freedom. Yet, one candidate sees the
automobile as enemy No. 1: "a mortal threat to the security of every nation
that is more deadly than that of any military enemy we are ever again likely to
confront," warned Al Gore in his 1993 treatise "Earth in the
Balance." (Linda Chavez in the Chicago Tribune)
"Smoking
harmful, but still a right, tobacco firm tells WHO" - "GENEVA,
Switzerland -- One of the world's leading tobacco companies defended the right
of adults to smoke, even as it admitted cigarettes are harmful." (CNN)
"Investigational
drug study may determine if lung cancer is preventable in cigarette
smokers" - "CHICAGO --- Researchers at The Robert H. Lurie
Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University are seeking participants
for a study of an investigational drug that may prevent cigarette smokers from
developing lung cancer. Cigarette smoke contains chemicals that become
carcinogens when initially metabolized by the human body. The National Cancer
Institute-sponsored study will determine if the experimental drug may be able to
decrease the amount of carcinogens produced from inhaled cigarette smoke."
(NU)
"European
Ministers Weaken Ozone Initiative" - "BRUSSELS, Belgium,
October 12, 2000 - Environment ministers have watered down the European
Commission's measures to deal with ozone pollution, said the region's largest
coalition of pressure groups, the European Environmental Bureau (EEB), today.
The Council of Ministers from the 15 member countries of the European Union met
in Luxembourg on Tuesday to discuss the European Commission's proposal for a
law, known as a directive, on ozone concentrations in ambient air." (ENS)
"Ontario
seeks federal support in smog battle" - "The Ontario
government has demanded that federal Environment Minister David Anderson stop
criticizing the province's record on air pollution and demand stronger
commitments from the United States to fight toxic emissions going into the
atmosphere. However, the action comes as an environmental watchdog group says
the provincial Tories are failing miserably to reduce smog-causing emissions in
the province." (GAM)
"The
big tire blowout" - "Add common sense to the casualties from
the Firestone tire fiasco. A Washington Post analysis of Florida crash
statistics published Monday sought to show that the Ford Explorer has a higher
rate of tire-related accidents than other sport-utility vehicles, even when the
SUV is fitted with Goodyear tires. The Post concludes that Ford design flaws,
and not Firestone tires, may be to blame for the largest product recall since
Tylenol. ... Alarmed by the Post analysis of the Explorer, MPs in Ottawa called
for a similar study to be done in Canada. But there are some obvious flaws in
the Post study. First, it is wrong to compare the accident rate of Explorers
with the entire universe of SUVs, which can range from two-seaters to
leviathans. Second, the sample used in the Post analysis was so small that the
findings could have resulted from a statistical fluke. Third, if you look at
accidents during the entire decade of the 1990s, not the 1997-to-1999 period the
Post used, you will find Explorers enjoy a lower fatality and rollover rate than
comparable SUVs." (National Post)
"Flying
high on fumes" - "THE British Aerospace 146, a popular
passenger and cargo jet, makes its occupants sick, a Senate committee found
yesterday. The Senate Transport References Committee, which has been
investigating claims of toxic fumes in the aircraft since November last year,
yesterday opened the way for victims to claim compensation." (Sydney Daily
Telegraph) [MPs
hit out over oil fumes in jets]
"Deadly
threat of transport pollution" - "Londoners are more likely
to die from traffic pollution than in a road accident, according to a new
report. Experts have concluded that there are around 380 deaths a year linked
to air pollution from transport in the capital - 150 more than die in road
accidents. Their report, commissioned by the NHS Executive in London and
backed by the Greater London Authority also concludes that transport-related
pollution puts another 1,200 people in hospital every year." (BBC Online)
Hmm... on the night of December 4/5, 1952, thick fog
rolled into London. This persisted 4 days until a new weather system arrived
and blew the air clear. At least 4,000 and possibly as many as 12,000 people
died in London as a result of what became known as "killer fog" -
it was certainly neither the first nor the last instance but perhaps the
most dramatic and best publicised. At least a half-million people suffered
respiratory distress from that one instance. The cause? A combination of 4
days of cold, windless weather and reliance on wood and coal for domestic
heating.
Now, almost 50 years on, despite having a significantly
larger population, with an older mean age and massively increased traffic
volume, there might be as many 400 deaths per year associated with
air pollution in the capital (doubtful).
Question: has generation of affordable baseload
electricity (mainly from fossil fuels), the affordable availability of oil
and gas domestic heating fuels and technological improvement in motor
vehicles led to a decline in London's air quality?
I suspect these reporters wouldn't recognise a deadly
threat if it leapt up and bit them on the butt.
"EU
transport pollution cut, Auto-Oil results show" - "BRUSSELS -
Most types of pollution from road transport in the European Union will be
reduced to 20 percent of 1995 levels by 2020, the European Commission said in a
report yesterday. The calculation was made in the EU's "Auto-Oil II"
programme, the second research and consultation process aimed at finding the
most cost-effective ways to reduce emissions from cars and other road
vehicles." (Reuters)
"Animal
welfare cannot be a trade weapon - Cairns Group" - "BANFF,
Alberta - The Cairns Group of agricultural exporting countries expressed anger
yesterday that animal welfare issues had become part of their trade fight with
the European Union and the United States. Ministers of the 18-country alliance
wrapped up a strategy session in this scenic Rocky Mountain town, claiming also
to have growing support in the Third World for their attempt to end what it
believes are unfair restrictions on agricultural trade." (Reuters)
"Birth
defects 'not due to radiation'" - "THE children of men working
in the nuclear industry are not at greater risk of genetic defects, a new study
suggests. A survey of more than 13,000 workers found no link between a father's
exposure to low-level radiation and congenital disease in his offspring."
(Telegraph) ["Fetal
death and the nuclear industry" - 'We found no evidence of a link
between exposure to low-level ionising radiation before conception and increased
risk of adverse reproduction outcome in men working in the nuclear industry']
?!! "Control
gene pool, says ethicist" - "The state of a nation's gene pool
should be subject to government policies rather than left to the whim of
individuals, a World Health Organisation ethicist told a symposium
yesterday." (The Age)
"Farm
slump threatens environment"
- "THE familiar British landscape of cultivated fields and tended hedgerows
could be reduced to heath and scrubland as a consequence of plummeting farm
incomes. Vast tracts of the uplands could return to wilderness if the worsening
rural recession continues to drive farmers off the land and forces people back
into towns, according to accountants Deloitte & Touche who yesterday
revealed that farm incomes were down 90 per cent from five years ago. Without
profits, farmers cannot afford to spend spare cash on environmental schemes,
hedges, paths, bridleways or even the general upkeep of their farms." (The
Times)
But...
profits are supposed to be really bad and farmers environmental vandals
- at least according to the conservation fraternity. Now we find that farmers
actually need to make a living wage and make a profit in order to
protect the environment? What'll they think of next...
"Possible
Association Between Agent Orange And Diabetes"
New evidence supports the possibility of an association between chemicals
used in herbicides during the Vietnam War and adult-onset (Type 2) diabetes,
but it stops short of making a clear link, says a new report from the
Institute of Medicine (IOM) of the National Academies. (UniSci) [Herbicides,
Diabetes Linked in New Study]
Vietnam
Flashback – Does Agent Orange Cause Diabetes?
U.S. veterans groups have long considered Agent
Orange, the controversial herbicide used to defoliate jungles during the
Vietnam War, a bigger villain than Ho Chi Minh and Henry Kissinger combined.
Agent Orange exposure has been blamed for virtually any disease Vietnam vets
and their offspring have ever suffered since the soldiers finished their
tours of duty. These include everything from recurring rashes, dizziness,
nausea, migraine headaches, stomach aches, and clinical depression to a
plethora of cancers and birth defects.
JUNK of the day: Agent
Orange and Diabetes - The most recent U.S. Air
Force report on the personnel exposed to Agent Orange during the Vietnam War
reports "a significant and potentially meaningful adverse relation
between serum dioxin levels and diabetes." CNN
| AP
| MSNBC
But the alleged "adverse relation" is weak and
statistically insignificant. Moreover, cholesterol and triglyceride levels
were reported to increase with serum dioxin levels -- meaning the observed
diabetes was likely a result of obesity, an established risk factor.
Why did the Air Force draw an unwarranted conclusion? Politics. It
wants to show Congress that, indeed, Air Force scientists were
sufficiently diligent in finding some harm caused by Agent Orange
exposure -- even if that harm had to be fabricated.
"Agent
Orange and Diabetes: Diving Into Murky Depths" -
Gina Kolata reports in The New York Times
about the new Agent Orange study. Kolata points out, "The study
compared the health of 859 veterans of Operation Ranch Hand, in which the
defoliant Agent Orange was sprayed on much of the landscape during the
Vietnam War, to that of 1,232 who did not spray the chemical. There was
no difference in the incidence of diabetes in the two groups -- 16.9 percent
of the Ranch Hand group was diabetic and 17 percent of the control group was
diabetic." Note the quotes from Mike Gough.
BEN & JERRY'S MOMENT of the
day: "Air
Force study further supports Agent Orange, diabetes link" - "A
study to be released Wednesday by the U.S. Air Force provides more data
supporting a possible link between exposure to the defoliant Agent Orange
and adult onset diabetes, according to Pentagon sources." (CNN)
The good news for Ben & Jerry's, whose
ice cream is chock-full of dioxin, is that the reported association in
the Air Force study is probably artefactual rather than causal. Other
studies of human populations heavily exposed to dioxin have not reported
statistically significant associations with diabetes.
- "A cross sectional study of workers employed > 15 years
earlier in the manufacture of 2,4,5-trichlorophenol or one of its
derivatives at two United States chemical plants was conducted. The
referent group consisted of people with no occupational exposure to
phenoxy herbicides and were recruited from the neighbourhoods where
the workers lived... A total of 281 workers and 260 unexposed
referents participated... Overall, the prevalence of diabetes mellitus
was not significantly different between the workers and referents.
Also, there was not a significant positive trend between prevalence of
diabetes and increasing serum TCDD concentration." [Occup Environ
Med 1999 Apr;56(4):270-6]
- "We did cohort mortality analyses involving 5132 chemical
workers at 12 U.S. plants by use of life table techniques (U.S.
population referent) and Cox regression (internal referent). We
conducted exposure-response analyses for 69% of the cohort with
adequate work history data and adequate plant data on TCDD
contamination... Diabetes (any mention on the death certificate)
showed a negative exposure-response trend." [J Natl Cancer Inst
1999 May 5;91(9):779-86]
- No significant increase in diabetes among males or females in the
highest exposure zones of the 1976 Seveso industrial accident. [Occup
Environ Med 1998 Feb;55(2):126-31]
- No statistically significant association between dioxin exposure and
diabetes reported in workers and sprayers included in an international
study comprising 36 cohorts from 12 countries followed from 1939 to
1992. [Environ Health Perspect 1998 Apr;106 Suppl 2:645-53]
Another recent study of the Air Force veterans reported a nonsignificant
association between serum dioxin levels and diabetes that was further
attenuated by adjusting for serum triglycerides. [Epidemiology. 2000
Jan;11(1):44-8]
It could be that obesity -- an established risk factor for diabetes --
is the actual causal factor while the dioxin-diabetes association is an
artefact of obese personnel having higher dioxin levels because they have
more dioxin-harboring fat tissue.
October 12, 2000
"Asia
Weather - Heavy rains sign of climate shift" - "SINGAPORE -
Heavy rains and flooding in southern parts of Asia this year coupled with
drought across swathes of Central Asia may be a sign of more profound climate
change, according to a top U.N. weather expert. ... He stopped short of tying
the phenomenon directly to global warming, but said it would not be
"inconsistent" to link heavier rainfall in some areas and drought in
others to rising world temperatures." (Reuters)
Global
Tropospheric temperature anomaly graph, Global
Stratospheric temperature anomaly graph. What global warming?
"Global-warming
'loopholes' hit" - "The Clinton administration is proposing
"loopholes" in the global-warming treaty that are so big the United
States could get away with doing almost nothing to comply, environmentalists
say." (Washington Times)
Wait for it - here's my favourite bit:
"Several leading environmental groups, including Greenpeace and the
World Wildlife Fund, are threatening to withdraw support for the treaty if the
loopholes are approved."
I have pondered this and think it means we're supposed
to be upset they might not support the rotten thing. Ooooh!
"Second
guess on the gas" - "For 20 years global efforts to curb
climate change have concentrated on finding ways to reduce carbon dioxide
emissions from industry and transport. But could that approach be fundamentally
wrong?" (Guardian) [Sinking
feelings]
"Group
skeptical of Australia reaching greenhouse emission targets" -
"The Mining Council of Australia says the Federal Government must
acknowledge it will not reach greenhouse gas emission targets set by the 1997
Kyoto agreement. The council also says the current terms of the agreement are
ineffective and unfair. The Mining Council says a new study shows there will
be falls in employment of up to 11 per cent in areas of regional and rural
Australia if terms of the Kyoto Protocol are met." (Australian
Broadcasting Corporation)
"JAPAN:
MITI TO CONSIDER MARKET MECHANISMS TO CUT CO2 EMISSIONS" -
"TOKYO, Oct 11 -- The International Trade and Industry Ministry will
begin exploring Friday what kind of market mechanisms Japan should introduce
to attain its reduction target for greenhouse-gas emissions under the 1997
Kyoto Protocol, ministry officials said Wednesday. The ministry envisions such
mechanisms as an emission trade and an environment tax on fossil fuels, the
officials said." (Oana-Kyodo)
"Polluters
plant rain forests to earn eco rain checks" - "We've
struggled for years to find a value of living forests that's greater than the
value of clearing them for lumber or slash-and-burn agriculture," says
Tia Nelson of The Nature Conservancy, the Arlington, Va.,-based land trust
that's brokered several large forest-protection projects in Latin America.
"Suddenly investors and decisionmakers are recognizing the value forests
play in climate change." (CSM)
Great - I love trees - in fact, my home's made from
ex-trees. Uh... this "pollution" they're talking about... that's
an odd reclassification for an essential trace gas like carbon dioxide -
virtually all life on Earth is dependent on its availability. Strange.
Plant trees because you like 'em or you want the
product and that's great - they're no global thermostat though and it's
silly to use a non-existent "problem" as your motivation.
"‘Geritol’ not
likely a warming cure" - "Oct. 11 — The global
warming “Geritol” experiment off Antarctica — essentially adding iron to
the ocean to reduce a key greenhouse gas — works but it might not be such a
good idea in practice, scientists report in Thursday’s issue of the journal
Nature." (MSNBC) [New
Scientist]
"
Reef dust phenomena attracts Aussie scientists" -
"Australian scientists are eager to learn more about controversial
research which shows dust from the African desert is rejuvenating reefs in the
Caribbean. The study has been done by Florida scientists using satellites to
track dust from dust-bowls in Africa, across to the Carribean ocean. It will
be raised at an International Coral Reef Symposium in Indonesia later this
month." (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
It's rejuvenating Caribbean reefs now? How things
change...
July 3, 1999 "Coral
Grief" - "DUST FROM AFRICAN DESERTS may be spreading
disease across the world's coral reefs, say researchers who also blame the
fallout for a global rise in respiratory infections. Dick Barber of Duke
University in Beaufort, North Carolina, says that prolonged drought in the
Sahel region of Africa since the mid-1970s has increased the amount of
atmospheric dust fivefold. Blown high into the atmosphere and carried around
the world by winds, the dust contains bacteria, viruses and fungi that can
kill coral. It is also rich in iron, which can fertilise algae that smother
reefs, Barber told a meeting of the US Global Change Research Program in
Washington DC last week. Coral reefs are being blighted with epidemics
including white band and black band disease and a bacterial infection known
as "coral plague". Outbreaks of these diseases--and others that
were previously unknown--have coincided with years when the dust load in the
atmosphere was highest, according to Gene Shinn of the US Geological
Survey's Center for Coastal Geology at St Petersburg, Florida. The Caribbean
is particularly badly affected, as roughly a billion tonnes of African dust
settles there each year. The strongest evidence linking African dust and
coral disease is the spread of a soil fungus called Aspergillus in the
Caribbean. It first appeared in 1983, an exceptionally dusty year. Since
then it has killed more than 90 per cent of the Caribbean's sea fans--a form
of soft coral."
"Bill
would extend energy tax credit" - "Washington -- Alaska Sens.
Frank Murkowski and Ted Stevens on Tuesday introduced legislation to extend a
tax credit to promote more energy development. The Republican senators said the
bill is important not only for the country, but will help promote development of
billions of additional barrels of oil from Alaska's West Sak field in the
Prudhoe Bay area. The Clinton-Gore administration for several years has been
seeking to end the credit, which doesn't apply to any facility built after July
1, 1998, Murkowski said in a statement." (AP)
"Reactors
Draw American Interest" - "US Power utility Peco Energy is set
to apply for a US licence to build up to 10 mini nuclear reactors at a cost of
about 120m each, boosting hope of an export market for the SA technology on
which the reactors are based. Peco president and CEO Corbin McNeill said in an
interview yesterday the licence application would depend on the outcome of a
feasibility study being conducted on the pebble bed reactor, but it showed
"enormous potential"." (AllAfrica.com)
"Ozone
alert" - "Record levels of UV radiation in South American
cities could be repeated in northern Europe." (New Scientist)
At least this NS item mentions that Punta Arenas has
indeed seen the edge of the "hole" before and that it is not a
particularly big deal, lasting about a day. The question, of course, is
whether or not the annual Antarctic Ozone Anomaly is a new phenomenon or
simply a normal event that humanity has only just discovered.
Maybe it's not so new: June 21, 1999 Sun
to blame for ozone hole, not people claim scientists - "The
hole in the ozone layer in the South Pole is due to the Sun, not people,
according to research by a Chinese scientist, Xinhua news agency said today.
Yang Xuexiang, a professor of geological sciences at Changchun University of
Technology, believes the damage is caused by solar winds, a current of
high-energy particles, rather than the use of freon, the official news
agency said."
Could the professor be right? We don't have records of
measurements to check and suitable proxies are difficult to find on the
frozen continent, so we must settle for whatever clues we can find. But
what?
Back in February, NS reported that plankton seem to be
holding their own, despite the "new" threat of increased UVB from
the "hole": The
hole story? How are these critters managing with such
"radical change"?
From the Australian Antarctic Division: Cunning
crustaceans beat ozone hole. Hmm... local creatures
produce and accumulate their own sunscreens and engage in defensive
behaviours. Did these creatures spontaneously develop these defences at the
first appearance of the AOA? That would seem biologically implausible. It
seems Antarctic creatures, from algae to krill, have evolved defensive
strategies to protect themselves from excessive solar radiation, these
strategies are distributed across the population and it seems logical to
assume that these strategies must have been developed over millennia rather
than decades. This certainly does not constitute any form of proof but may
provide some supportive evidence for the hypothesis that the AOA has been
occurring for millennia.
Incidentally, how great was the UV bombardment of the
oft-mentioned Puntas Arenas? "The amount of ultraviolet radiation
reaching the ground on that day was about the same as the average amount
that hits Washington, DC on the first day of spring or fall." See
also Virtual
Climate Alert #35
"Studded
tyres cause serious air pollution" - "Studded tyres, used on
vehicles in Finland during the winter months, have now been cited as a major
cause of airborne particles, scouring out as much as 200,000 tons of asphalt
pavement annually. The amount is a great deal larger - by a factor of several
times - than the particle emissions sent into the air from chimneys at all of
those Finnish industrial and energy-generating plants required to report their
emissions. The particle emission figures from traffic and industry have declined
in recent years, but the spread of wood-burning stoves threatens air quality in
built-up areas. Around half a million Finns suffer either temporarily or on a
regular basis from health problems caused by airborne particle emissions."
(Helsingin Sanomat, Finland)
Dateline Canada - Pot calls kettle black: "Greenpeace
accuses food agency of bias" - "OTTAWA -- The federal
government kept the public from hearing the full range of opinions on
genetically modified foods in a commissioned article that appears in this
month's Canadian Living, says Greenpeace." (CP)
"Starlink
Corn Found in Second Food Product - Group" - "WASHINGTON - A
biotech corn variety found last month in Taco Bell taco shells and intended
only for use as a livestock feed has been detected in a second human food
product, a consumer advocacy group said on Wednesday. Genetically Engineered
Food Alert, a coalition of health, consumer and environmental groups, said it
would announce the product at a news conference on Thursday. ``It'll be a
product that people have heard about,'' said Matt Rand, biotechnology
specialist for the National Environmental Trust and co-coordinator of the GE
Food Alert campaign." (Reuters)
How quaint - pre publicity teasers for
"alerts". Obviously so concerned about the "issue" that
they indulge in media and self-promotion games.
"Environmental
Group Seeks UK Biocrop Criminal Charges" - "LONDON -- The
U.K. environmental group Friends of the Earth is calling for a criminal
investigation into a gene-modified crop trial that took place in the southwest
in 1998, the group said in a press release Tuesday. FOE submitted a dossier to
the U.K.`s Director of Public Prosecutions that alleges ``possible criminal
offenses`` by a manager from seed marketing company Advanta, and by an officer
from the National Institute for Agricultural Botany. FOE said illegally planting
a GM crop, making a false statement and perjury may have been committed. The
charges stem from the FOE`s belief that Advanta and NIAB officers made
statements that misled the public into thinking all of the GM trial site in
Devon was destroyed, following the destruction of part of a site in 1998 by
protesters." (Dow Jones Newswires)
Today's "Oh good grief!": "GM
giant 'will threaten seed supplies'" - "Four groups concerned
at the potential impact of genetically-modified (GM) plants say a planned new
company will threaten farmers in developing countries." (BBC Online)
"EU
Publishes Interim Biocrop Import Monitoring Measures" -
"LONDON -- The European Union Tuesday published interim measures for
dealing with the adventitious presence of genetically modified seed in
conventional seed, the U.K. Ministry of Agriculture Fisheries and Food said in a
press release Tuesday. The measures follow the discovery of gene-modified seed
contamination in imported rapeseed from Canada. The E.U. then agreed a clear
framework was needed for future cases." (Dow Jones Newswires)
"Some
Brazilian farmers still find a way to raise Roundup Ready soybeans"
- "It's going to be increasingly difficult for Brazil to assure export
buyers in Japan and Europe that soybeans coming from the southern ports of that
country are really GMO-free. Despite a strong opposition to transgenic beans --
Roundup Ready varieties -- in the states of Parana and Rio Grande do Sul, that
sentiment isn't share uniformly in other states. And certainly not by many
farmers." (AgWeb.com)
'"Biotech
will not feed the world" say Oxfam Canada, Greenpeace and CUSO' -
"OTTAWA, Oct. 11 /CNW/ - Three Canadian advocacy and development agencies
warned today not to look to genetically engineered food to solve the problem of
world hunger. Oxfam Canada, Greenpeace and CUSO are releasing new studies on
biotechnology and food security in anticipation of the 20th anniversary of World
Food Day, October 16th, an international day of hunger awareness." (CNW)
"Get The Real
Scoop" - "The New York Times glosses
over the conflict of interest readily apparent concerning the ownership of a
genetically improved food testing company by John Fagan, an anti-genetically
improved food activist. We've been following this story since last year and we've
got the scoop on what the Times didn't tell you." (GuestChoice.com)
"ADM
testing for presence of StarLink corn at all elevators and processing
plants" - "Senior vice president of corporate affairs, Larry
Cunningham, says StarLink corn will not be accepted at any of their facilities.
He says he is not aware that any of their buyers have requested the move."
(AgWeb.com)
"Gene
barrier in corn may boost trade, environment" - "MADISON --
Working with teosinte, a wild cousin of maize, a University of Wisconsin-Madison
scientist has found a molecular barrier that, bred into modern hybrid corn, is
capable of completely locking out foreign genes, including those from
genetically modified corn." (UW-M)
"WRAP:
Judge orders Ford to recall as many as 1.7 million vehicles" -
"New York--Oct 11--A California judge on Wednesday ordered Ford Motor Co.
to recall as many as 1.7 million vehicles, saying the company lied to federal
regulators when it claimed there were no problems with the ignition equipment on
cars made from 1983 to 1995. The auto manufacturer, facing its second major
recall in just over two months, said it would appeal the decision--the first
time a court has ordered a recall of a vehicle." (Bridge News)
"Asthma
inhaler OK for kids, study finds" - "ATLANTA, Georgia -- A
widely used inhaled-steroid treatment for children with asthma works well and
has no long-term effects, according to the largest ever controlled study of
treatments for childhood asthma." (CNN)
"Bill
would delay regulation of research rats" - "WASHINGTON --
Lawmakers are moving to prevent the government from implementing a settlement
with animal rights activists aimed at regulating the care of laboratory rats and
other small research animals." (AP)
"New
home owners breathe toxic cocktail" - "Occupants of new
Australian homes may be exposed to up to 20 times the maximum allowable limits
of indoor air toxics an Australian first study has found. The CSIRO study shows
that the National Health & Medical Research Council's (NHMRC) maximum limits
of total volatile organic air toxics may be exceeded in such houses for at least
ten weeks after completion." (CSIRO)
"Snowmobiles
to get boot in Yellowstone, Teton" - "Oct. 11, 2000 -
WASHINGTON - Snowmobiles will be banned from Yellowstone and Grand Teton
national parks by the winter of 2003-04 under a controversial National Park
Service plan made public Tuesday. The proposal had been widely expected, but its
release left few people around the popular parks happy. There were predictions
of economic chaos for the scores of private outfitters that have created a huge
industry of renting the machines to winter tourists. Some environmentalists
praised the ban, but all of Wyoming's three members of Congress denounced it.
Rep. Barbara Cubin, R-Wyo., charged that the review process had been "a
farce," adding "the outcome was predestined by the Clinton-Gore
administration and its extremist environmental cohorts." (Denver Post)
"Antibiotics
upset nature's delicate balance" - "... Because bacteria has
a short generation time — from minutes to hours — they can respond rapidly
to changes in their environment. When antimicrobial agents are introduced into
the environment, bacteria respond by becoming more resistant." (ENN) [Scientists
Uncover Genome of Baby-Danger Bacteria]
True, short generation and greater exposure equals
faster evolution of resistance traits. What is required - and is virtually
inevitable with advances in genetics and biotechnology - is that we should
constantly develop new antimicrobials to avoid inevitable resistance. This
is why pathogens are being DNA sequenced, so new attack pathways can be
found and, hopefully, pathways offering reduced opportunity for development
of resistance.
Instead of worrying so much about the use of
antibiotics, which has done so much for our health and living standards, we
need to encourage the growth and expansion of genetic sciences - our future
safety depends on it.
"Idaho
closes down nuclear waste incinerator" - "The INEEL's
incinerator that burns low-level waste will never be fired up again, following
the state's decision Tuesday to deny a hazardous waste permit. The Department
of Energy wasn't able to prove the incinerator, which has burned radioactive
paper, clothing, plastic and garbage for the last 16 years, could operate
safely and meet environmental laws, state officials decided." (Post
Register)
Getting to be a fearful world isn't it? People are too
frightened to allow the burning of paper. Australia is currently going
through a painful process of deciding exactly where to store low-level
rad-waste but most people don't know what that is. For the record, we're
talking about luminous watch dials (the kind Grandpa may have strapped to
his wrist for many decades and which a lot of people still have as keepsakes
and heirlooms), luminous instrument dials, filter paper, disposable
coveralls and really quite innocuous stuff.
"Warning
system needed for threat of catastrophe"
- "Britain should help to set up an international early warning system for
mega-disasters, such as giant volcanic eruptions, earthquakes and tidal waves,
Britain's geologists have told the Government. Such events could severely
threaten the British Isles and pose a much greater risk than that of asteroid
impacts, which the Government has recently evaluated, according to the
Geological Society." (Independent) [Action
urged over giant wave threat]
"Chefs
Serving Up Anxiety Pie" - "The Los Angeles Times blasts
"Bitter Harvest," a new book by Chefs Collaborative board member Ann
Cooper. Cooper and her co-author Lisa M. Holmes try to convey the Chefs'
"eat organic, eat locally produced food, eat in season" message along
with all of the group's unfounded fears of corporate agriculture and
biotechnology. The Times says, "In their bombardment, they fail to make one
convincing point about one subject. Rather, they serve us anxiety pie."
(GuestChoice.com)
"The
inside threat to global growth" - "There is one puzzling
aspect of the recent round of physical attacks on the World Bank and the
International Monetary Fund. Many well-intended but naive youngsters believe
they are protesting to close down these organizations as instruments of
Capitalism. The more sophisticated orchestrators and supporters of protest,
however, are much more concerned with using both deeply flawed institutions to
further their own leftist agendas." (Peter Foster in the National Post)
WHO,
Big Tobacco to Face-off in Geneva - "GENEVA - The world's top
cigarette makers and their arch rival, the World Health Organization, face off
in unprecedented public hearings in Geneva on Thursday and Friday to debate a
potentially industry-hobbling anti-tobacco pact." (Reuters)
"Fusion jam
tomorrow" - "THE dream of tapping the enormous power released
when hydrogen isotopes fuse together never seems to get any closer. Ever since
research into nuclear fusion began fifty years ago, the promise of endless
energy has always been "decades away". Now physicists say the very
earliest a power-producing reactor could be built is 2050." (New Scientist)
"Danish
grid Eltra raises tariffs for green power" - "OSLO - Western
Danish electricity grid operator Eltra said yesterday it planned to increase
transmission tariffs on renewable energy in 2001 to help cover a sharp rise in
green energy prices." (Reuters)
"Mexican
environmentalists protest U.S. modified corn" - "MEXICO CITY -
Environmental activists wearing white overalls and mime-like white masks entered
an upscale Mexico City supermarket Yesterday and boldly labeled mainstream corn
flour products that contain genetically modified corn with stickers bearing a
giant "X," for "X-perimental." (Reuters)
"Eco
protest 'creating waste peril'" - "Tons of dangerous medical
waste is threatening to cause a health hazard at London hospitals as eco
protesters occupy the top of a giant chimney at the only incinerator in the
capital that can deal with it." (This Is London)
"Bill
Rider Would Nullify Animal Rights Legal Victory" - "A
last-minute amendment to the agriculture appropriations bill would kill a
successful legal challenge by animal rights activists that was about to force
the Department of Agriculture to promulgate new rules on the use of rats, mice
and birds in research." (Washington Post)
October 11, 2000
"Developing
nations key to COP6" - "Environment Agency Director General
Yoriko Kawaguchi said Tuesday that financial and technical support for
developing countries in tackling global warming is the key to ensuring the
success of the upcoming sixth Conference of Parties to the U.N. Framework
Convention on Climate Change (COP6)." (Japan Times)
But we don't want to ensure the useless thing is
ratified. Even if human activity is capable of inducing planetary
warming, the Kyoto Protocol is of no value. NCAR senior scientist Tom
Wigley calculated the "saved" warming that would accrue if every
nation met its obligations under the Kyoto Protocol at -0.07°C by 2050 -
and that assumes a saving from the extreme warming as project by the IPCC.
Pat Michaels arrived at a similar figure under similar assumptions (see Kyoto
Protocol: a useless appendage to an irrelevant treaty).
So, is something better than nothing? Not at this
price. The global tropospheric mean temperature anomaly (departure from
long-term average) April 1998 was +0.74°C (NB - I'm cheating. I
deliberately selected the highest data value in the series at the height of
the El Niño-induced heat spike. All good scares rely on selective use of
data and you need to look at the complete series to see what trends, if any,
can be validated. I'm not using this anomalous figure to claim a trend but
simply as a coarse and very obvious example) April 1999 was 0.00°C and so
Earth demonstrated a net tropospheric cooling of -0.74°C in one year - a
natural variation 10 times the total available from The Protocol over
50 years. Are you prepared to lower your living standard to achieve 2% of
natural variation? And that's if the planet is genuinely warming and if
the warming is as large as the computer games project.
Incidentally, prior to the 1997/98 El Niño, the
tropospheric temperature trend was a cooling and, as we get further
from that event, the trend value is again declining.
"Bush
and Gore on Global Warming: Sizing Up the Candidates" - "In
the October 2000 issue of Physics Today, there is a Special Report
entitled "Presidential Candidates Speak Out on Science Policy,"
wherein ten questions are posed to Texas Governor George W. Bush and U.S. Vice
President Al Gore. The fourth of the questions deals with Global
warming; they are asked if they see global warming as a threat, and if
they do, what they would do about it if elected President of the United
States." (Center for the Study of Carbon Dioxide and Global Change)
"Even
in Frigid North, Hints of Warmer Temperatures" - "But even
here, on Ellesmere Island, North America's northernmost tip, the inhabitants
think they can see hints of climate change. Glaciers are receding. Winter
rains are blamed for declining populations of Peary Caribou. And guides who
regularly lead skiing expeditions to the pole say spring temperatures are
rising." (New York Times)
Really? From the same article:
"Analysis of half a century of temperature readings collected since
Alert's weather station opened in the spring of 1950 show barely any changes
in recorded temperatures, said Henry Hengeveld, the science adviser on climate
change for Environment Canada, a federal government ministry based in
Ottawa."
"University
Of Texas Austin Biologist Develops New Evidence For Global Warming"
- "AUSTIN, Texas -- Dr. Camille Parmesan, an assistant professor of
biology at The University of Texas at Austin and an expert on non-migratory
butterfly species, has worked with world climate experts to document new
evidence of global warming." (Science Daily)
Wake me when they bring in an ornithologist to testify
that they heard the hoot owl in the far woods - a sure sign of climate
change.
As far as the slight warming over the last century
goes, that's a given. Earth really only emerged from the Little Ice Age
about 1880 and has recovered to some extent - certainly it's not as cold as
it was in the LIA. Claims of increasing extreme weather events are difficult
to reconcile with NOAA's
climate disasters of the twentieth century list.
"Pill
linked to breast cancer in daughters"
- "The oral contraceptive pill may increase the risk of breast cancer
being passed down the generations, researchers have found. An American study
of 426 families in which at least one member had been diagnosed with breast
cancer has shown that the daughters and sisters of the women affected were
three times as likely to develop the disease if they had taken the Pill than
daughters and sisters who had not taken it." (Independent)
Very alarming and very catchy as a journalistic grab.
It doesn't, however, quite fit the facts. What was really released was a
finding that women with a strong family history of breast cancer, i.e. a
genetic predisposition to this affliction, who had taken the contraceptive
pill - notably the early generation pill of a quarter-century and more ago -
may have a heightened risk of breast cancer. Loses a bit without the
journo-speak doesn't it. Here's the Mayo Clinic release: Early
oral contraceptive formulations linked to breast cancer risk
"Study
pins accidents on Explorer, not its tires" - "A new study
says the Ford Explorer, Canada's best-selling sports utility vehicle, may be
partly responsible for a spate of accidents over the past three years that
have been blamed on defective Firestone tires. The three-year analysis, which
examined national crash statistics in the United States and a larger database
of accidents in Florida alone, found that the Explorer has a higher rate of
tire-related accidents than other sport utility vehicles -- even when fitted
with tires made by another company." (National Post) [Ford
Explorer 'may have a stability problem,' a report claims]
"Proposals
go too far" - "There they go again! In a rush to place blame
and to ''just do something'' to address the Firestone disaster, some in
Washington may do more to slow future recalls than to accelerate them.
Regulatory authorities need updating, but not at the expense of safety. Let's
stop playing the blame game. The problems with Firestone tires have nothing to
do with Reagan-administration budget cuts and regulatory reform two decades
ago. The only budgets that were cut were state grant programs and
pie-in-the-sky research projects, not motor-vehicle-safety activities."
(USA Today)
"Hospital
waste warning as chimney protest continues" -
"Hospitals are warning of tonnes of medical waste building up as
Greenpeace begins its second full day blocking Britain's largest incinerator.
Operators of the plant in Edmonton, north London, claim rubbish could start
piling up in the streets if the protesters keep the lid on. The five activists
from the environmental group, however, have warned their sit-in at the top of
the 100ft-high outlet could last at least a week. The Londonwaste Ltd furnaces
normally burn 16 tonnes of medical waste a day along with 1,800 tonnes of
rubbish." (Ananova)
What was the gag in that silly movie: "Officer,
Officer - can you get my activist off the chimney?" "Why sure
Ma'am" BOOM! Oh, that was "... kitty out of
the tree" wasn't it - never mind...
Since Greenpeace obviously have something of a bee in
their bonnet about the safe disposal of medical waste, perhaps Londonwaste
should simply deliver it to Greenpeace's UK offices and let them safely
dispose of the biohazards involved.
"Curse
of convenience food" - "THE struggle to get into a milk carton
or a packet of foil-wrapped ham can be dangerous as well as infuriating. More
than one in three people say that they have been injured by so-called
convenience foods, a survey says today. About 45 per cent say that they avoid
certain types of food and drink because they are too hard to open. Some 37,000
people went to hospital in 1998 after accidents involving tins, cartons and
wrapping." (Telegraph)
Uh-oh! The nannies won't like this: "Caffeine
myths exploded" - "CALCUTTA: Whether in tea, coffee, cola or
in the new crop of 'energy drinks', caffeine, the omnipresent ingredient of all
beverages is infamous for triggering off more than one ill. But recent research
proves just the contrary. Breaking long-held myths on the health hazards of
caffeine, the World Health Organisation and Singapore-based Asian Food
Information Centre (AFIC) say it is neither addictive nor cancer-inducing and
not even responsible for shooting up one's cholesterol levels." (Times of
India)
"Unauthorised
GM seed found in crop trial" - "A seed company
could face prosecution after unauthorised genetically modified seed was found in
crop trials. An investigation was launched after seed company Aventis told the
Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions that two small GM sugar
beet trial sites had been found to contain a tiny amount of a second and
unauthorised seed. The two trial sites found to contain the 0.5% of the
unauthorised GM beet seed were at Shelford, Cambs, and Abingdon, Oxon, which
were among 10 experimental sites planted in England this spring." (Ananova)
"Zinging
Both Sides In Altered-Food Tiff" (Summary) - "The author
claims that opponents take the precautionary principle too far. He constitutes
that there is nothing wrong with being careful but that "you also have to
weigh the cost of not acting." He continues to explain that if this extreme
precautionary mindset had been dominant in years past, the Spanish Coast Guard
would have detained Christopher Columbus in 1942 because "sincere people
were convinced his ships would fall off the edge of the world." (BKC)
"Why
our global phobia hurts poor nations the most" - "Almost any
dispassionate analysis of the evolution of the world economy will find that the
past few years have seen better economic performance by almost all measures;
that the past 50 years have increased wellbeing of a larger percentage of the
world's population by a greater increment than ever before; and that the recent
changes in the structure of the world economy do not really appear to be all
that different from rapid paces of change in some earlier eras. It is therefore
a puzzle that globalisation is being blamed, and that protests seem to be the
order of the day." (Anne Krueger in The Age)
"Scientists
research next-generation nuclear energy system" - "(10 October
2000) Chinese scientists are currently undertaking preliminary research on the
new generation of nuclear energy system—the accelerator-driven clean nuclear
system, reported the Oct. 3 Xinhuashe" (Xinhua News Agency).
"EU
agrees measures to combat ground-level ozone" - "LUXEMBOURG --
European Union governments agreed on Tuesday to set strict limits on
ground-level ozone pollution, in an attempt to cut respiratory health problems
like asthma which can be triggered by the traffic-related pollutant."
(Reuters)
"Scientists
divided over ozone hole depth" - "... What the agencies do
agree on is that variations in the meteorological conditions in the stratosphere
influence the size of the ozone hole, its depth and its lifetime.
"Year-to-year fluctuations in the geographical size of the ozone hole and
the timing of the ozone reduction are believed to be related to meteorological
factors such as temperature and winds, rather than further increases in
ozone-destroying chemicals in the atmosphere," said Hofmann." (ENN)
"Shoot
The Messenger" - "Since they couldn't challenge the research
that supports the health benefits of chocolate, anti-choice nannies complain
that the studies were funded by the chocolate industry for use as marketing
material. One of the main attack dogs cited in the article is the Center for
Science in the Public Interest (CSPI). According to its 1999 annual report, CSPI
spent 3.7% of its budget on nutrition-related studies and activities, 4.8% on
alcohol, 3.1% on food safety, and a whopping 41.5% on trying to market its
newsletter, which features the results of CSPI's studies and activities. So
what's the difference between the chocolate industry's and CSPI's
strategies?" (GuestChoice.com)
"Firm
claims weed-control benefits of GM sugar beet" - "Irish crop
trials on genetically modified sugar beet have shown that pesticide usage could
be reduced by 40 per cent on the GM variety because of its weed-control
benefits, according to the biotechnology company, Monsanto. The field trials
were carried out by the US company whose trials were disrupted by anti-GM
protesters last year." (Irish Times)
I habitually ignore MSNBC's resident airhead, Francesca Lyman, but this
has drawn some comment, so: "Concerns
over chemicals in cosmetics" - "Oct. 4 — Beauty is
only skin deep, but a new study suggests that some common cosmetic products
leave traces of “plasticizing” chemicals in our bodies that could cause an
array of health woes. Such research is adding momentum to a movement calling
for better monitoring of environmental toxins and any harm they could be
causing to our health." (MSNBC)
IARC
Monographs on the Evaluation of Carcinogenic Risks to Humans (Volume 77)
(15–22 February 2000) - "DEHP was downgraded from Group 2B to
Group 3, not classifiable as to carcinogenicity to humans. In making
its overall evaluation of the possible carcinogenicity to humans of DEHP,
the working group took into consideration that (a) DEHP produces liver
tumours in rats and mice by a non-DNA-reactive mechanism involving
peroxisome proliferation; (b) peroxisome proliferation and hepatocellular
proliferation have been demonstrated under the conditions of the
carcinogenicity studies of DEHP in mice and rats; and (c) peroxisome
proliferation has not been documented in human hepatocyte cultures exposed
to DEHP nor in the livers of exposed non-human primates. Therefore, the
mechanism by which DEHP increases the incidence of hepatocellular tumours in
rats and mice is not relevant to humans." Translation:
this phthalate's activity is well understood and not applicable to humans -
it's about as carcinogenic as say, water.
Undoubtedly we'll get a recycling of the old
"endocrine disrupter" - excuse me, I keep forgetting, they're now
"Hormonally Active Agents" because no one can demonstrate
disruption of the human endocrine system from HAAs - anyway, this will all
be raked over - again. So, how do phthalates and some of the plastics
chemicals so-often mentioned compare with oestradiol
(primary human oestrogen)? In a word, weakly, by in vitro receptor binding
assay: p-Nonylphenol - about 1:5,000; phthalate plasticisers - about
1:10,000; Bisphenol A - about 1:15,000 - they are virtually inactive for in
vivo responses. Compare that with say, coumestrol (a
phytoestrogen - an estrogen like compound found in plants) - about 1:77. So,
when eating your greens you are being blasted with perfectly natural
hormonally active agents that are significantly more potent than
plasticizers. And what about all that terrible hormone-like stuff afflicting
baby leaching from their bottle? Insignificant compared with the natural
bombardment they get from Mom's milk and a case of "so what?"
Following on from the above: "More
to fruits than vitamins" - "Oct. 7 — One of the most
common assumptions about why fruits and vegetables are important to our health
is beginning to be challenged. Because research links fruits and vegetables to
lower risk of both cancer and heart disease, many people think they can
compensate for their low fruit and vegetable consumption with vitamin
supplements. Yet a growing number of studies suggest another, very different
group of natural substances in fruits and vegetables holds the most
significant keys to health." (MSNBC)
"Phyto" as a prefix, indicating a plant or
vegetation - thus "plant chemicals." Loses a little with a more
mundane name I suppose. Curiously, among these "plant chemicals"
are the phytoestrogens I mentioned above. Called "synthetic" or
"non-human" hormones they'd probably be terrifying but, as natural
substances, these more-potent hormonally active agents are considered quite
beneficial for our health. Very weakly active agents are supposedly a
health-risk - more potent agents perceived a health-benefit. Terrified of
pathetically weak hormone mimics, chemophobes promptly tuck into tofu turkey
- go figure.
"I
may be wrong, admits sheriff in Trident case" - "A SHERIFF who
ruled that Britain's
nuclear deterrent was illegal under international law admitted that she
could have made a mistake, a court was told yesterday. Margaret Gimblett
ordered a jury to acquit three peace women charged with damaging part of the
Trident nuclear submarine programme after their defence claimed that they were
acting to prevent a greater crime of mass destruction." (Telegraph)
"Pollution
from Asia threatens West Coast" - "Pollution wafting out of
factories and chemical plants in Asia can blow across the Pacific Ocean in less
than 10 days and drop on mountaintops, forests and cities in Western Canada and
the United States, according to a report in the current issue of the journal
Science." (National Post)
"Male
orgasm 'fights' breast cancer" - "Men with a low sex drive
are more likely to develop breast cancer, according to new research. The study
reveals that the fewer orgasms a man has the greater his risk of being
diagnosed with the disease. Although breast cancer is rare in men, the
mortality rate is high: around 250 cases are reported in the UK each year,
with around 100 deaths." (BBC Online)
Catchy headline. Irrelevant - but catchy. It could
equally have said "men well enough to have normal libido at lower risk
of breast cancer" but that just doesn't quite grab the same attention
does it.
"Sex
'key' to staying young" - "A Scottish psychologist has
produced more research which points to regular vigorous sex as a way of
looking up to seven years younger." (BBC Online)
Must be getting cold in the UK - the Beeb seems to be
running a bit of a theme here
"Higher
Fuel Prices Do Little to Alter Motorists' Habits" - "Few
people have sharply cut back on their driving or have begun shopping for cars
based primarily on fuel efficiency, according to interviews around the country
and data from the government and auto industry. The nation is on pace to use
almost the same amount of gasoline as it did last year, which was the most ever.
Sport-utility vehicles and other trucks continue to gain market share
slowly." (NY Times)
"Clinton
tells of his 'great achievement' over Monica" - "PRESIDENT
CLINTON claimed yesterday that defeating the effort to remove him from office
over Monica Lewinsky was one of the "great achievements of my
administration"." (Telegraph)
"Canadian
negotiators prepare for anti-tobacco talks in Geneva" -
"OTTAWA -- Canadian anti-smoking groups are high on the potential for an
international agreement to combat tobacco use as they prepare to join hearings
in Geneva this week. Tobacco will be the greatest cause of premature death
in the developing world by 2030, outstripping malaria, AIDS, tuberculosis and
childbirth combined, a coalition of anti-tobacco lobbyists predicts." (CP)
"'Insider'
Wigand receives anti-smoking prize" - "GENEVA, Oct 10 -
Jeffrey Wigand, the former tobacco company executive made famous in the film The
Insider starring Russell Crowe, was awarded a prize by a Geneva-based group
today for helping to prevent smoking." (AFP)
"The
Insider":Whistling Blowing or Sucking Wind?
"Hospitals'
tobacco suit rejected in appeals court" - "PHILADELPHIA
(October 8, 2000 11:34 p.m. EDT http://www.nandotimes.com) - A federal appeals
court has refused to revive a lawsuit by hospitals seeking reimbursement from
tobacco companies after they treated poor patients for smoking-related
ailments." (AP)
"Sounds
train fish to swim into net" - "FISH in fish farms are
being trained to swim toward sounds rather like sheepdogs are called by a
farmer's whistle. The plan is to let them into the sea to grow naturally, then
use the call sound to entice them back into fishing nets one last time."
(The Times)
Not featured to poke fun at the science, for
fish do respond to stimuli and may indeed have long-term memory - certainly
salmonids return to specific locations after years for example. I gave this
a run because it ventures into the realm of conservation through property
rights and I believe fisheries property rights are rather topical in the US
at present. A few years ago R.J. Smith produced a monograph for the Center
for Private Conservation on this issue. I didn't just find an electronic
copy of it but the executive summary is here.
You can reach CPC here if
you want to find out more.
"Gardeners
are environmental vandals, says biologist" - "SYDNEY: Gardens
are a greater threat to Australia's environment than factories, farms and mines,
a leading biologist said on Tuesday. Consultant and author Tim Low rated
nurseries, pet shops and gardens more damaging to biodiversity than greenhouse
gases, industrial pollution and ozone depletion." (Times of India)
October 10, 2000
"Tricky
Temperatures" - "MONDAY, Oct. 9 -- Scientists are looking
for answers to why the lowest layer of Earth's atmosphere is warming more
slowly than our planet's surface. They hope their ongoing research leads to a
better understanding of global climate change. "This is a significant
issue because, in global warming theory, the lower atmosphere is supposed to
warm more rapidly than the surface, not less rapidly. There is something going
on that we don't understand, which could significantly alter our estimates of
how much global warming there will be in the future," says Roy Spencer,
senior scientist for climate studies, Global Hydrology and Climate Center (GHCC),
at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center." (HealthSCOUT)
To slightly misquote that fictional mentor, when you
have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, is the
solution.
To date, no one has found a plausible mechanism by
which a warming atmosphere could cause surface warming to an extent greater
than that experienced by the atmosphere. (Crude example - if the air in your
convection oven is exactly 100 degrees it can't heat the contents to 110
degrees) That hypothesis remains firmly affixed to the
"impossible" shelf. The two remaining possibilities then are that
the atmospheric temperature record is wrong or; the surface record is wrong.
(Note that there is no single record but actually a series of data
collections and none are in perfect agreement)
The atmospheric record derived from MSUs (Microwave
Sounding Units) mounted on 9 TIROS-N series polar orbiting satellites has
been subjected to rigorous examination and determined accurate to one
one-hundredth of one degree centigrade. This record is in good agreement
with the results from readings taken by weather balloons. These independent
and mutually verifying records preclude the possibility of gross error in
the atmospheric temperature.
The remaining possibility then is that the surface
record is wrong and the planet is not, in fact, heating abnormally. What
could be wrong with surface readings? Actually, rather a lot. The surface
record(s) has/have not been subjected to the intense scrutiny applied to the
MSU record. Surface measures are basically only taken on land and close to
human habitation. The recording sites have often been moved, thus inducing a
multitude of discrepancies by local effect. Many of the rural recording
sites have been closed which applies a bias toward city temperatures. Add to
this small sample of potential error entry points the fact that land-based
surface measures represent only a small portion of the land surface, Earth's
total land surface represents less than 30% of total surface and that the
accuracy of measures where they are taken tends to be, uh, variable, and you
begin to see the difficulty in determining whether there is any unusual
surface warming at all.
Click
here for a graph showing the divergence in satellite, balloon and two
surface data sets (set to common zero in 1979). Quite some disparity between
the surface sets isn't there? Perhaps this possibility is not so improbable
after all.
As a sidebar, some readers have written to ask why I am
so pedantic about the enhanced greenhouse hypothesis rather than theory
or effect. Similarly, I decline to call GCMs models but rather
refer to them as computer games. Click
here to see if you can work it out.
"Global
Climate Scare: Fools Rush In" - "... But the National
Assessment is not about science and about evidence. It is about politics and
about laying the groundwork for taking drastic steps that will almost
certainly raise energy costs and put downward pressure on the standard of
living in the United States not to mention in developing countries. For
decades, bad science has been placed in the service of political ends. But
nothing like this. Fools in Washington are rushing in with drastic
solutions -- to tackle a problem that science cannot confirm, let alone
accurately assess." (James K. Glassman, Reason Online)
Obligatory pre-COP6 hype: "Heat
is on for global warming talks" - "The heat is on for
governments to agree on action at a major climate change conference in the
Netherlands next month to reduce greenhouse gases that cause global warming.
Unless countries resolve their differences and reach an agreement at the Hague
meeting in November, climate experts at an eight-day environmental conference
ending Wednesday in Amman said the consequences could be disastrous. Without
firm government commitments to cut emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other
greenhouse gases, predictions of melting ice caps, soaring temperatures and
rising sea levels will become a reality." (Reuters)
"Covering
up the breast"
- "This is a story about breasts. And about a federal agency going out of
its way to not alert journalists to a major publicly funded cancer
study." (Salon.com) [Silicone
Breast Implants Are Not Linked to Breast Cancer Risk]
"Long
distance food 'causing world farming crisis'" -
"The global food economy - in which products travel thousands of miles
around the world from source to consumer - is sparking a huge farming crisis,
according to a new report. ... The report is by Helen Norberg-Hodge, director
of the International Society for Ecology and Culture, a non-profit making
organisation concerned with the protection of both biological and cultural
diversity." (Ananova)
So... net food importers shouldn't eat so much then...
Uh... and growing produce in regions to which it is best suited is more
environmentally destructive than creating artificial environments to grow
crops to meet local consumer demand?
Impoverished regions frequently rely of agricultural
export to generate capital to fund development and incidental infrastructure
- frivolous things like health care, education, water reticulation,
sanitation... stuff like that. ISEC thinks this is very bad for them -
wonder if the developing world shares their perspective.
"Protesters
to spend night on chimney at waste incinerator" -
"Greenpeace activists are vowing to continue their protest overnight at
Britain's largest waste incinerator, which they earlier shut down. Spokesman
Matthew Spencer said five activists would be spending the night at the top of
a 100m high exhaust chimney at Londonwaste Ltd's plant in Edmonton, north
London, which they had earlier partially closed-off." (Ananova)
There's an Australian colloquialism for misguided
people, we say they're "up a wattle" - I guess up a chimney's
close enough.
Ironic that anti-technology activists readily adopt the
internet, mobile phones and international travel etc., while campaigning
against the technologies that drive them and the economies that support
them. Very rational.
"It's
Not Oil vs. Beauty in the Arctic" - "WASHINGTON — Clinging
to a position that would prevent America from developing some of the most
promising of its domestic energy resources, Al Gore and Joseph Lieberman have
repeatedly stated their opposition to oil exploration in a tiny sliver of the
Arctic Coastal Plain. They say it would yield only a six-month supply of oil,
and only at the cost of the destruction of a pristine wilderness. In suggesting
that we must choose between Arctic oil and environmental protection, they are
presenting a false choice. What is at stake here, according to the latest
estimates of the United States Geological Survey, is 16 billion barrels of oil
— an amount sufficient to replace all of our imports from Saudi Arabia for the
next 30 years. And it can be extracted and moved to consumers in the "lower
48" states without harming the wildlife that inhabits the coastal plain at
various times of the year. More than 25 years of experience at nearby Prudhoe
Bay, a region that has supplied America with roughly 25 percent of its domestic
oil production since the late 1970's, have shown that energy production and
environmental protection can coexist." (Senator Frank Murkowski, (R)
Alaska, in the New York Times)
"All
Things Bright And Beautiful" (Summary) - "Robin Young of The
Times of London, reported that as organic food sales are rising at a rate of 40
per cent each year, so are the "big-time professionals in the gentle art of
consumer deception." Eco-activists have managed to convince millions of
people that organic food is healthy and good, just as assuredly as genetically
modified foods must be dangerous and undesirable." (Biotechnology Knowledge
Center)
Who do
we blame weather on now? - "LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Floods in Southern
California? Blame it on El Nino. Drought from the Great Plains to the southeast?
Sounds like La Nina. Nervous climate forecasters? Must be "La
Nada."" (AP)
"Researchers
find link between depression and heart disease" - "ATLANTA,
Georgia (CNN) -- In fairy tales princes and princesses sometimes die of broken
hearts. New research shows there might be some truth in that old myth. A study
in the American Heart Association's journal Circulation found a link between
depression and heart disease -- a link that's being "increasingly
recognized," according to cardiologist Steven Manoukian." (CNN)
But which comes first - the chicken or the egg? Are
people developing cardiac problems because they're unhappy or are they
becoming depressed as their health declines?
"Fukuyama
was right about the rise and rise of capitalism" - "THE fall
of Slobodan Milosevic has proved that Francis Fukuyama's theory, that we are
moving towards "the End of History", was truer than most of us thought
at the time he propounded it in 1989. Back then, it was dismissed by reviewers
as "mindless", "hopelessly naive", and even "mad".
Yet events have eerily borne out his contention that global capitalist liberal
democracy is the end-state of the historical process, and that this "final
form of human government" might even be reached in our own lifetimes."
(Andrew Roberts in The Daily Telegraph)
"Global
disease traced to tropical logging" - "Logging and the
accessibility it offers to remote forests and to wider hunting opportunities may
play a central role in the emergence of new diseases that imperil human health,
according to a new
study by researchers from Johns
Hopkins University School of Public Health." (ENN)
"Government
to set up National Seeds Board to check misuse of GM seeds"
- "New Delhi, Oct 8: The Central Government has decided to set up the
National Seeds Board (NSB) with a view to restrict the misuse of those
genetically- modified(GM) seeds which are considered to be hazardous to human
health and ecologically harmful." (Financial Express)
"Congress
Steps In to Animal Welfare Act Fray" - "The fight over changes
to the Animal Welfare Act and the future of laboratory testing in America has
taken on broader dimensions, with Congress stepping into the fray. Sen. Thad
Cochran, a Mississippi Republican and influential member of the Senate
Appropriations Committee, on Friday added language to a bill outlining the U.S.
Department of Agriculture's 2001 budget that effectively blocks the agency's
recent settlement with an animal-rights group." (Fox News)
"Airline
radiation threat to be assessed" - "The risk that airline
passengers and staff face from cosmic and solar radiation is to be measured by
scientists. Radiation from the sun and other sources, is mainly absorbed by
different layers of the atmosphere when it hits the earth. However, at higher
altitudes, the atmosphere is thinner and offers less protection. Previous
studies into the potential health effects of frequent exposure have been
contradictory." (BBC Online)
Actually measuring exposure - what a novel idea. I have
seen studies suggesting that aircrews are at greater risk from solar
radiation but, never having seen one that controls for aircrews' greater
opportunities for sunbathing in exotic locations, have never found them
particularly compelling.
"Radiation
Alert Under Ozone Hole in Southern Chile" - "PUNTA ARENAS,
Chile - A wide swath of southern Chile was on alert Monday as dangerous levels
of ultraviolet radiation hit peaks because of the depletion of the protective
ozone layer over the Antarctic. ... The ozone hole over the Antarctic this
year has reached its deepest since scientists began measuring it 15 years ago,
with more than 50 percent depletion being recorded throughout most of the
hole, United Nations experts said Friday." (Reuters)
Hmm... from NOAA OZONE
HOLE EARLIER IN 2000 BUT NOT DEEPER
"Scientists
Find Way to Program Key Cells" - "WASHINGTON - Scientists said
on Monday they had taken a first step toward being able to control stem cells --
master cells that have the ability to become any kind of cell in the body.
Doctors hope one day these cells can be directed to grow into organs or tissues
for transplant, used to test drugs and potentially toxic chemicals, and studied
to give insights into basic human biology. But first they have to learn how to
control them." (Reuters)
"Biotech
firm concedes 'immorality' of patent plan" - "An Australian
biotechnology company has been forced to concede that its bid to patent the
insertion of human DNA into a pig cell was "contrary to morality".
However, Melbourne-based Stem Cell Sciences denied that it was trying to create
a human-animal hybrid, or chimera, as charged by the environment group
Greenpeace." (AAP) [New
Scientist coverage]
"Raising
the dead" - "Cloning extinct or endangered species is now
possible, but is it useful?" (New Scientist)
"FEATURE
- Uneasy calm as Finns ponder fifth nuke reactor" - "HELSINKI
- At a time when countries like Sweden and Germany are turning their backs on
atomic energy, plans to build a new nuclear reactor in Finland are threatening
to spark heated public debate and inter-governmental friction." (Reuters)
"No
need to change German "eco-tax" - Schroeder" -
"BERLIN - German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder stood yesterday by
government plans to raise "ecology taxes" on energy use, proceeds of
which are earmarked to help meet the cost of the welfare state."
(Reuters)
Alas, poor Germans... I knew them, Horatio.
"EU
commissioner says still committed to energy tax"
- "BRUSSELS - European Internal Market Commissioner Frits Bolkestein said
yesterday he remained committed to introducing an EU-wide energy tax based on
minimum excise duty rates on a range of energy products and sources. "The
recent fuel crisis has not changed my view on the need for minimum levels of
energy taxation. The current level of fuel prices is due not only to excise
duties on mineral oils but also to the current high level of world prices,"
Bolkestein said in a speech in Barcelona, a copy of which was released in
advance." (Reuters)
"OMNIUM
GATHER-UM: Summum Bonum?" - "If data are good, then is having
more data better? A campaign for a new “national strategy” on health called
HealthTrack raises this question. Recently launched through a series of
full-page advertisements and editorials in national newspapers, the campaign
argues that Americans need a federally funded “national system for tracking,
monitoring and responding to health threats caused by environmental factors.”
As the executive director of HealthTrack put it in the Wall Street Journal
(Aug. 3), the program would track diseases and their relationship to
environmental factors through the “sophisticated use of computer programs and
mapping.”" (Statistical Assessment Service)
Dredge enough data and you are guaranteed to find
"associations", "clusters" and other activist delights. Do
they mean anything? It's the old story, garbage in - garbage out. By that I
mean that no analysis is better than the raw data on which it is based and,
just because we now have the computer processing power to torture very large
data sets, does not mean there is value adding in the process.
Data is a bit like medicine - appropriate medication, in
the correct dosages, is very good - but more isn't better. (Example, giving a
child an appropriate dose of paracetamol to treat a fever may preclude febrile
fits and thus be highly beneficial but giving them 10 times as much will
almost certainly kill them.) With data, quality counts for much more than
quantity. If you can get more high quality data then analysis may be
more certain - pollution with junk is lethal to data sets though.
"Monsanto's
Transgenic Cottons Can Make Gonorrhoea Untreatable" -
"Monsanto's Transgenic Cottons Can Make Gonorrhoea Untreatable According to
UK Government Sources" (Accion Ecologica, Ecuador, Institute of Science in
Society, UK, and Grupo de Reflexion Rural, Argentina)
Recycling of this
piece apparently. "Off-the-wall" is an appropriate
description.
"'Put
10p tax on burgers to reduce levels of obesity'" - "FATTY
hamburgers should be taxed to stop Britain's obesity levels reaching American
proportions, a leading academic said yesterday." (Telegraph)
Fat
police brutality?
"Scientists
discover diabetes gene hope" - "Scientists at Geelong's Deakin
University laboratories have discovered a gene they hope may lead to new
treatments for diabetes. The gene, which they have named Tanis, is involved in
the body's response to fasting and the regulation of glucose. The scientists
believe it may be used in the development of a drug treatment for non-insulin
dependent diabetes." (The Age)
"Coral
reefs weather the storms of change"
- "THE world's largest living thing also seems to be one of its toughest,
with the Great Barrier Reef returning a surprisingly positive report card for
1999. The reef has recorded another year of net coral growth despite the three
"C's" of cyclones, coral bleaching and crown of thorn starfish,
according to the Australian Institute of Marine Science's annual status report.
AIMS reef monitoring programme leader Hugh Sweatman said yesterday that public
pessimism about the reef was not supported by the past five years of data."
(Courier-Mail)
"Blast
won't last for most in USA" - "The blast of cold that stunned
much of the country over the weekend won't last, as temperatures are expected to
climb back to normal by midweek. ''This was just an early touch of winter, if
you want to call it that,'' says Tasos Kallas, a National Weather Service
meteorologist in Green Bay, Wis. ''Just a little heads-up of what's to come.''
Kallas says the record low temperatures in the Plains and a foot of snow dumped
around the upper Great Lakes can be blamed on cold air stuck over Canada for the
past month that finally escaped." (USA Today)
Probably accounts for a fair bit of this
then. A few, well several people actually, have written to ask why release of
Strategic Petroleum Reserve stocks did not return fuel prices to what they
were before the "crisis" and, while I appreciate the vote of
confidence, the economy is not exactly my field. Having said that I suppose I
am privileged in that several hundred releases and media items cross my desk
each day and, with EVAG not being antagonistic to commercial enterprise,
industry representatives are prepared to talk candidly about what we can and
can't practically do to achieve a common goal, so I'll see if I can put things
in perspective for you.
Now, 30m barrels sounds like a lot of oil to put on the
market and it likely did calm the market speculators by signalling a
willingness to engage in intervention strategies but there are a lot of checks
involved in this balance.
To begin with, two-thirds of this release simply
displaced offshore purchases, so additional supply is not 30m but actually 10m
barrels. That puts 67% of the effect out the window to start with. Crude oil
does not yield a 1:1 ratio of end product or even of high-value product,
that's only a percentage of a mixture that ranges from bitumen, the
"glue" we use to bind road aggregate, through lubricant oils,
heating and fuel oils, gasoline and a range of plastics feedstock and outright
junk of no value to man or beast to name but a few outputs. Not all crudes are
equal and the mixture varies considerably. A percentage of Opec's additional
pumping doesn't suit the US fuel supply either, which requires
"sweet" (low sulfur content) crudes. In addition, the US has a most
extraordinary range of fuel specifications, so fuels refined to suit one
region can't just be relocated to supply a shortfall. Then there's the little
matter of actually handling the additional supply - the biggest refiners
didn't bid for the release for the simple reason that crude oil supply is not
really the problem, that's basically a refining and distribution bottleneck.
Even had the big refiners purchased the additional stock they couldn't release
it in refined form until retail prices were high enough to meet refining
costs, distribution etc. over and above the relatively high purchase price.
Current prices are due more to quite bizarre "boutique" fuel
specifications and a policy of discouraging infrastructure spending by
refiners and distributors than they are with genuine supply and demand.
So, release of a few percent of the SPR may have damped
the market speculation slightly but it will have no real effect on US domestic
supply. It was not a donation, since it must be "repaid" (replaced).
Perhaps calling it a "campaign loan" from Slick Willy to Ozone Al is
about the most accurate description. Your oil industry has been hobbled for
years, now, if you have a cold winter, you'll pay the price. Sorry.
"Liberals
seek an issue to make rivals green with envy" - "VICTORIA - As
usual, David Anderson is up to something creative. The problem is that all is
not clear what the federal environment minister means when he says Ottawa wants
to "encourage" the consumption of "green energy." The green
energy part is easy. This is the shorthand phrase for anything but petroleum.
Wind power, solar power, fuel cells, you name it -- any energy source to
substitute for refined crude oil products. This is obviously the Lord's work Mr.
Anderson is on about here. The goal would be to reduce consumption of fossil
fuels -- coal and oil essentially -- in favor of easily renewable and
less-polluting energy sources. What is not evident, yet, is how this policy will
be financed. Although Mr. Anderson did not use the word "subsidy," the
implication is plain. Canadian citizens are not using alternative energy sources
now. Therefore, they will have to be encouraged to do so." (Vancouver Sun)
October 8 & 9, 2000
"Explorer
Has Higher Rate of Tire Accidents" - "From the beginning of
the Firestone tire recall, Ford Motor Co. officials have insisted that the
accidents that killed 101 Americans, most of them in Ford Explorers, are a
Firestone tire problem. "There are more than 3 million Goodyear tires on
Ford Explorers that have not had, as far as we know, one tread separation
problem," Ford President Jacques Nasser told Congress. "So we know
that this is a Firestone tire issue, not a vehicle issue." A Washington
Post analysis of national and Florida crash statistics shows, however, that
the Ford Explorer has a higher rate of tire-related accidents than other
sport-utility vehicles, even when the popular SUV is equipped with Goodyear
tires. The finding suggests that something about the Explorer may be
contributing to these accidents, auto analysts said." (Washington Post)
"Sun
Studies May Shed Light on Global Warming" - "Just as world
leaders are preparing to try to come to grips with global warming, a small but
persistent group of scientists has revived an unsettling thought: What if
much, or even most, of the warming seen so far--about 1.2 degrees Fahrenheit
since the late 19th century--was not the result of civilization's cumulative
spew of 'greenhouse gases'?" (Washington Post)
"Genetically
Modified Crops Are Good for Public Health and the Environment"
(PDF) - "ST. LOUIS — August 14, 2000 — Genetically modified crops would
increase the quantity and nutritional quality of food supplies and hold the
promise of improving public health and reducing mortality rates worldwide,
according to a study released by the Center for the Study of American Business
at Washington University in St. Louis. By comparison with conventional crops,
cultivation of “GM” crops would be more protective of habitat, biological
diversity, and carbon stores and sinks, thus improving the environment,
too." (CSAB release) [Applying
the Precautionary Principle to Genetically Modified Crops (PDF)]
"Red
wine may balance a fatty meal" - "A glass or two of red wine
could cancel out some of the ill-effects of a fatty meal, a recent study has
found. The South American study found that red wine could reduce some of the ill
effects on arteries of a high-fat diet - at least in the short term. Reported in
the latest edition of Choice Health Reader, the study of 11 men looked at the
endothelial function (EF) of the subjects, a measure of the effect of fatty
foods on arteries. Half the group were given two glasses of red wine a day with
their less than healthy diets while the other half were not. "When the red
wine was drunk regularly with the meal there were no adverse EF effects of the
fatty diet," the researchers said. "This suggests that the wine may
counteract the effects of a high-fat diet, a finding which has been previously
unrecognised."" (Yahoo)
"Zero
Tolerance Turns Silly" - 'An 11-year-old is suspended from sixth
grade when school officials declare the chain on her Tweety Bird wallet a
weapon. A 12-year-old is labled a “drug trafficker” for sharing a
prescription inhaler with a fellow student. Four kindergarten students are
bounced for using their tiny hands as make-believe guns. A small pocketknife
found in his glove compartment gets a 16-year-old in trouble. One school orders
the psychological evaluation of a 9-year-old who threatened to use a rubber band
on a fellow tyke. And this one: A 6-year-old in Pennsylvania was suspended for
10 days for bringing a toenail clipper to school." (Detroit News)
"Crop
Stalk Turns to Be Environmentally Friendly" -
"The world's headache of dealing with crop stalks has been tackled by a
Chinese researcher in east China's Shandong Province. Crop stalks are now
being transformed, using a especially made "reactor," into carbon
dioxygen which helps red grapes in the fruit gardens conduct photosynthesis at
Kongcun Town in Pingyin County, Shandong. The transforming system was invented
by Zhang Shiming, a Shandong technological worker who had carried out
scientific study over the past 15 years. In the pilot field, carbon dioxygen
density is 54.3 percent higher and photosynthesis efficiency 354 percent
higher than in the contrast field. About 1,900 kilograms of fruits are yielded
per mu (0.07 hectare) in the experimental field, or more than five times
higher than in the ordinary orchard, according to survey results by scientists
from Zhengzhou Fruit Tree Research Institute under the Chinese Academy of
Sciences." (People's Daily)
Let me think... what is that formula for carbon
dioxygen? Hear about it a lot - not normally in positive terms
though... Environmentally friendly carbon dioxygen...
"Conservation
lessons: Marine Mammal Act shifts burden of proof" - "...
But lack of concrete data should not hinder species conservation, according to
a recent report in the October issue of Conservation
Biology." (ENN)
As in "any guess can prove guilt unless you can
prove a negative"? I'm not particularly fond of the "guilty until
proven innocent" regimes.
"Give
'em credit: biodiversity worth saving" - "Carl Binning, an
economist with CSIRO
Wildlife and Ecology, believes that "biodiversity credits" could
play an important role in addressing the major environmental problems that
Australia faces. "Biodiversity credits are a way to measure the important
role of natural areas on private and public land toward meeting conservation
objectives," said Binning. ... For example, householders in Sydney might
pay landholders in the Sydney water catchments to establish vegetation buffers
to act as filters along streams, naturally improving water quality."
That landholders should not be responsible for meeting
the costs of other people's agendas is quite true - determining just whose
agendas are of real value is the tricky part.
"In
lieu of rising fuel costs, firewood sales soar in California" -
"The market is hot this season for — what else? — firewood. A
sampling of firewood vendors showed that some are reporting sales are way up
way early this year from what seems to be fears that natural gas prices are
expected to soar this winter because of nationwide shortages. "I've sold
more wood in September than I ever have before," said Dave Smith, a
firewood seller east of Stockton. "When they call they say they need to
stock up because of the natural gas prices, and they don't want to get left
out because there might be a wood shortage." (The Record)
Good to see green energy policy is so conservation
friendly. Burning wood, sourced from, well, trees actually, vents inter
alia particulates and dioxins to atmosphere. "Green" taxes
on fossil fuels are justified on the basis of limiting emissions of, inter
alia, uh... particulates and dioxins... This is good for air quality
and is conservation and environment friendly.
From the Suzuki Recycling Center: "Politics
cloud facts of global warming study" - "Climate science
isn't easy for most of us to understand at the best of times, but it seemed to
become even more confusing recently after a climate expert released a
controversial new paper on the topic." (ENN)
CNEWS Science, Sept. 13: Climate
paper twisted by contrarians. David's got his knickers in rather
a knot over this
Terrence Corcoran piece in the National
Post. Jim Fulton, executive director of The David Suzuki
Foundation, followed up the boss' piece a week later with Global
warming revisited. So, what did Hansen actually say? Hansen:
Alternative to Kyoto.
Terrence Corcoran had another tilt at Kyoto on
Saturday in Pork
Barrel Plan 2000, commenting on Government
of Canada action plan 2000 on climate change.
"Prairie
today, desert tomorrow?" - "Ottawa finally unveiled a plan
yesterday to cut greenhouse gases, but nothing, Earth Sciences Reporter ALANNA
MITCHELL writes, will stop global warming from having a profound impact on
Canada's breadbasket. Some experts look ahead and see the West as just an
apocalyptic dust bowl. Others are much less gloomy and predict the dawning of a
new agricultural age." (GAM)
"Global
warming to leave UK out in the cold"
- "Global warming will not result in a warmer Mediterranean-type climate
for Britain, according to a new study from the Public Marine Laboratory in
Plymouth. Instead it will get much colder, with Cornwall becoming a centre for
winter sports, ports around the country ice-bound for much of the year and
icebergs a frequent sight around the western coast. In an even more extreme
scenario American scientists are predicting that the UK could develop a
climate similar to that of Spitsbergen, the island 400 miles north of Norway's
mainland and just 780 miles from the North Pole." (Independent)
See John L Daly's comments in Have
we got a global warming catastrophe just for you! (I know it's
not new - but recycling is supposed to be so good for the planet.)
"Revealed:
secret GM crop trial" - "Top
Secret trials of GM crops are under way in five British counties despite
repeated government promises that it would never allow them to take place. The
secrecy surrounding the experiment is so tight that even Michael Meacher, the
Environment minister in charge of GM crops, has been kept in the dark."
(Independent)
"Extinction
could be a thing of the past" -
"Scientists are on the brink of revitalising an endangered species using
cloning – and have plans to bring extinct animals back to life. An ordinary
cow named Bessie on an Iowa farm is now carrying the embryo of a breed called
the gaur. The humpbacked cow-like jungle animals, native to India and Burma, are
officially listed as endangered." (Independent)
"Scientists
predict slightly warmer winter" - "LOS ANGELES (October 8,
2000 1:38 p.m. EDT http://www.nandotimes.com) - For the first time in three
years, the tropical Pacific Ocean isn't running unusually hot or cold, and the
neutral conditions are leaving climatologists with fewer pieces of the puzzle.
Gone are the heady days of confident predictions months into the future.
"There comes a time when you have to admit your understanding is not
complete and not to say more than you know," said William Patzert, an
oceanographer at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. "It's hard after three
years of being a hotshot. It's really hard." Unlike El Nino and La Nina
years, nothing appears strong enough to dominate the complex climate system.
That means the effects of relatively small forces such as the moisture of an
individual storm could determine whether an area is wetter or drier or warmer
or cooler than usual." (AP)
What's wrong with these guys? Ozone Al and the IPCC can
forecast the weather 50-100 years from now. If Al can do it why can't
climatologists predict a coupled non-linear chaotic system just a month or
two in advance?
"Cancer
'linked to' excess light" - "A US doctor claims exposure to
high levels of nocturnal light may be linked to an increased risk of breast
cancer." (BBC Online)
"China
Rushes to Adopt Genetically Modified Crops" - "SHAHEXIN
VILLAGE, China — Until Monsanto introduced a genetically altered cotton plant
here in the buckle on the Chinese Cotton Belt three years ago, farmers like Ma
Yuzhuo sprayed their fields with tons of organophosphate pesticides to kill
bollworms, grubs that feed on immature cotton bolls. So toxic is the compound,
which is similar to the basic ingredient of nerve gas, that many people die from
exposure to it each year, though the government will not disclose the number of
fatalities." (NY Times)
"Court
Says Lab Rats Deserve Special Care" - "In what is seen as a
significant victory for animal rights advocates, a federal court ruled yesterday
that the most commonly used laboratory animals — mice, rats and birds — will
have to be given care under the relatively stringent rules of the Federal Animal
Welfare Act. Until now, the act was interpreted by the government as applying to
large animals like dogs, cats and monkeys, but not to the most commonly used
research animals. Animal rights groups sued the Agriculture Department last year
to expand the welfare act to the smaller animals." (NY Times)
"Gene
scientists disable plants' immune system" - "Scientists
working for Swiss food giant Novartis have developed and patented a method for
'switching off' the immune systems of plants, to the outrage of
environmentalists and Third World charities who believe the new technology to be
the most dangerous use so far of gene modification." (Observer)
"Test-tube
antibodies will fight killer bugs" - "A drug that mimics the
human body's primary defence against disease is about to be tested on British
patients. Scientists have developed synthetic human antibodies in a bid to
counter deadly fungal infections that kill hundreds of hospital patients every
year." (Observer)
"Shoppers
buy value, not values" - "Fair trade chocolate and coffee may
be a familiar sight on household shelves. But a new study has found the British
do not practise what they preach when it comes to 'green' groceries. The most
in-depth research ever undertaken into ethical consumerism has found that,
although most people claim to take environmental and social issues into account
when filling their shopping basket, such discrimination largely evaporates
before they reach the checkout. The study also found that, far from being
regarded as a positive or fashionable description, younger people dislike the
label of 'ethical consumers'." (Observer)
"Weak-willed
smokers can blame genes" - "Light up, take a puff and blame
your parents. Smoking, apparently, is in the genes. In a snub to those who blame
peer pressure, rock stars and Formula One, an American study has proved for the
first time that the habit of smoking regularly is largely inherited."
(Observer)
"Owens Corning
Chapter 11 filing" - commentary and links about one of the biggest
trial-lawyer-induced bankruptcies yet (Overlawyered.com)
"Enough
uranium for N-power for up to 300 years - IAEA" - "LONDON -
There could be enough uranium in the earth to keep the world's nuclear power
stations operating for almost 300 years, the world's nuclear watchdog said on
Friday. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said known uranium
resources of four million tonnes should last for about 65 years but that
estimates of potential, undiscovered resources could add 16 million tonnes,
increasing the time period to almost 300 years." (Reuters)
"INTERVIEW
- GM food fear to pass, Monsanto Argentina contends" - "ZARATE,
Argentina - The fear of genetically modified (GM) food is just a phase that will
pass when more scientific evidence is made available, the head of agribusiness
giant Monsanto's Argentine wing contends." (Reuters)
"Setback
for "human-pig" fusion patent bid" - "BERLIN - The
European Patent Office said on Friday it had deemed as "contrary to
morality" methods described by two firms in a cloning process in which they
fused human and pig cells. The fusion was described by Australia's Stem Cell
Sciences and U.S.-based BioTransplant Inc. in a patent request to the
Munich-based agency for a process aimed at trying to find alternatives for organ
transplants." (Reuters)
"The Week That
Was October 7, 2000 brought to you by SEPP" - "POLLUTION
EFFECTS GREATER IN LESS DEVELOPED COUNTRIES; OZONE HOLE COULD BE DEEPEST ON
RECORD, U.N. SAYS; STRONGER SUN IS BLAMED FOR GLOBAL WARMING; "THE SOLAR
CYCLE AND TERRESTRIAL CLIMATE"; STRATEGIC OIL SALE DRIVEN BY POLITICS, NOT
POLICY." (SEPP)
"Energy
Policy in the Presidential Election Campaign" - "... Added to
these woes, U.S. refinery capacity is stretched to the limit; so even bringing
in more crude oil will not alleviate supply shortages. Foreign refiners cannot
fill the gap. The problem here stems from the Environmental Protection Agency:
Extreme "clean-air" regulations have stopped the building of new
refineries, while at the same time requiring special compositions for gasoline
for different geographic regions. EPA mandates for "boutique"
gasolines also means that a shortage in one place cannot be made up by importing
it from another region. Consumers in the Midwest learned this bitter truth
earlier this year when gasoline prices rose sharply because of purely local
supply shortages." (Fred Singer in The Washington Times)
"Mobiles
are getting on our nerves" - "A former chief medical officer
for Telstra claims to have found that exposure to microwaves through the use of
mobile phones can cause changes to nerves behind the ears." (Sydney Morning
Herald)
"Animals'
rights could make an ass of Swiss law" - "AFTER the tug of
love comes the pug of love. The rights of pets in divorce cases would be similar
to those of children under proposals in Switzerland, where campaigners have
250,000 signatures for two petitions demanding substantial new rights for pets
and other animals." (Sunday Times)
"Pesticides
found in supermarket vegetables" - "MARKS & SPENCER has
be-come a market leader - in pesticides. More than two-thirds of the fresh fruit
and vegetables on sale in its stores contain residues of the chemicals,
according to new government figures." (Sunday Times)
"Children
learn better when they sit in lines" - "CHILDREN'S classroom
work rates can be doubled if they sit in rows rather than around a table,
according to new research. A report based on 20 years of observation of
classroom behaviour has quantified for the first time the comparative benefits
of traditional seating arrangements over group set-ups. It argues that pupils
waste valuable hours chatting when they should be working. The findings, due
to be published next year, could revolutionise primary school classrooms,
where generally children are placed in groups of four to six." (Sunday
Times)
Ya mean kids learn better with fewer distractions in an
organised environment? Doh...
"Bellamy
calls for culling of hedgehogs" - "THE renowned naturalist
David Bellamy has called for the return of the death sentence - for hedgehogs.
The prickly mammal, loved by gardeners because of its appetite for slugs, is
becoming a voracious pest in some of Britain's most important conservation
areas, where Bellamy accuses the beasts of wiping out rare birdlife. The
animal is highly efficient at finding the eggs and young of ground-nesting
birds such as dunlin, redshank and ringed plover." (Sunday Times)
Total protectionism doesn't work? Imagine that...
"McDonald's
sued over hot pickle" - "An American woman who claims she
was permanently scarred after a hot pickle from a McDonald's hamburger fell on
her chin is suing the restaurant for more than $US110,000 ($A187,000).
Veronica Martin claims in a lawsuit filed in Knox County Circuit Court,
Tennessee, that the burn caused her physical and mental pain. Her husband,
Darrin Martin, is seeking $US15,000, because he "has been deprived of the
services and consortium of his wife". (AP)
Which was in an unsafe operating condition - the burger
or the consumer?
"Happiness
'contributes to suicide'" - "Suicide rates among young men
are highest in countries where young people are most content, according to new
Australian research." (The Age)
Some months ago I saw a piece on impoverished farmers
topping themselves by drinking insecticides - the method of choice by virtue
of affordability, availability and sufficient toxicity to do the job. The
thrust of the article was that pervasive poverty and general melancholy was
increasing the suicide rate. Before that, there were a series of articles on
poverty and despair increasing the suicide rate in the former USSR.
According to this research, impoverished regions must be excessively happy.
I'm having a little trouble with this picture.
"Is
Ptarmageddon Day looming for many of Scotland’s rare birds?"
- "SOME of Scotland’s most beautiful and rare breeding birds could be
forced north to Scandinavia and Greenland by global warming. Bird-watchers
yesterday issued a warning to the Scottish executive that birds like the
ptarmigan, snow bunting and dotterel could migrate to Norway, Greenland and
Iceland if CO2 emissions are not reduced." (Scotsman)
For your next question: why are they and their niche
habitats rare in Scotland to begin with?
October 7, 2000
"Extreme
Weather on the Rise as Climate Changes" - "A climate model
is like a huge wok with a lot of stir-fry ingredients," says [NCAR global
warming proselytiser Gerald] Meehl. "We throw in solar variability, ozone
changes, greenhouse gases, and many other items in the form of equations. If
the model's past climate matches fairly well what's already happened in the
real world, we get some confidence in the recipe." (NCAR/UCAR release)
Time for a new recipe for the ol' stir fry Gerry, because your
computer games crash and burn when run just 30 years into the past. Like all
computer programs they produce the results they're programmed to produce and
GCMs are programmed to produce warming when forecasting - meaning they
produce cooling when hind casting. Herein lies the problem, for Earth was in
a cooling cycle from about 1945-1975 (remember all the cries of impending
ice age?). Models, however, completely miss the warm period around the 1930s
(see contiguous US mean
temperature track) and, if allowed to continue, produce major
ice age conditions just a few centuries ago. Real world agreement Gerry?
Here's some more comment on GCM virtual world fantasies from the World
Climate Report: Proving
the Negative. There's a good graph (with explanation) of Earth's
recent past climate in Millennial
Climate in the same issue.
Looking at other models and their efficacy, see
how well models (don't) fare trying to forecast a relatively well
understood phenomenon like the ENSO (El Niño Southern Oscillation).
When trying to guesstimate coming climatic trends we may find better
clues in the oceanic oscillations. Check out this
piece on the PDO (Pacific Decadal Oscillation). The second graphic
displays the monthly PDO index since 1900, note the concurrence between the
last major negative phase and Earth's cooling between about 1945 and 1975.
Coincidence? Maybe - but look where the PDO is now. Residing in Brisbane,
heating is not of great concern to me - but if I lived in the northern or
eastern US or Canada, I'd be looking closely at heating oil stocks about
now.
"U.S.
consumers to see 25 pct. heating price hike" - "American
consumers should brace for a jump of at least 25 percent in prices of heating
oil and natural gas this winter, with a even bigger leap in store if
temperatures are colder than usual, the U.S. government's Energy Information
Administration said today. The new predictions for the coming winter fuel season
were issued two days after the Clinton administration finalized plans to loan 30
million barrels of the government's stockpiled crude to energy companies."
(Reuters)
"Only
one-third of emergency oil will be additional supplies" -
"WASHINGTON (AP)-- Only about a third of the 30 million barrels of oil
being released from the government's emergency reserve will result in additional
oil going to refineries, an Energy Department report acknowledged Friday."
(Canoe)
"BP
thinking big on Slope" - "BP is planning its most aggressive
exploratory drilling effort on the North Slope in more than a decade, a top
executive said Thursday. The effort this winter will include testing a
geologic structure in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska that could hold
significant amounts of oil." (Anchorage Daily News)
Unsubtle reminder - oil must be expensive enough to
allow sufficient profit and generation of risk capital in order to encourage
exploration, development and infrastructure spending. Where consumers are
badly hurt is when Big Government engages in price gouging, charging
100-300% taxation, this merely kills economies and impoverished people while
suppressing producers and shortening supply.
"Environment
minister OKs emissions hike" - "Labor's Environmental Minister
will allow Naturkraft to release an extra million tons of CO2 per plant as part
of their gas energy project. Environmental groups and centrist parties promise
to fight." (Aftenposten, Norway)
"Will
this really be the "ag biotech age".... or the "ag litigation
age?"" - "The ongoing controversy over the degree to
which StarLink corn may be blended into the mainstream of commercial corn trade
adds more weight to a comment which Iowa State University law professor Neil
Harl made to us this morning: "A lot of people expected this to be the
'biotech age' in agriculture. I'm not so sure anymore. This could be the age of
lawyers and lawsuits." (AgWeb.com)
Caffeine addicts greening the planet? "Nearly
11 Million Coffee Trees Added in the Southern Region" - "The
agriculture bureau in the Southern Nations Nationalities and Peoples Regional
state says over 10.7 million coffee seedlings have been transplanted in the
state during the current Ethiopian production season." (AllAfrica.com)
"Wind
power threatens fishermen" - "Plans for the world's biggest
wind power park have made waves for fishermen who say the 200 wind turbines
designed to be built in the Baltic sea off Germany would destroy their
industry." (Ananova)
"Climate
change 'endangers rare birds'" - "Some of
Britain's rarest birds could become extinct in their native Scotland due to
the climatic changes resulting from global warming, according to the Royal
Society for the Protection of Birds." (Ananova)
Which birds? Those specialised to near-arctic habitats.
Where are these habitats in the UK? Clinging to mountain tops. Why? Because
they're remnant fragments remaining from the retreating glacial age and have
been thawing since. Will these habitats survive? Only if another glaciation
begins before they thaw. This is genuine climate change - been happening for
millennia - not to be confused with the global warming scare.
"Warming
confusion" - "It's been seven weeks since NASA scientist James
Hansen published Global Warming in the 21st Century: An Alternative Scenario.
His message, while not exactly crystal clear on delivery, was nonetheless
simple: The Kyoto global pact to halt climate warming by dramatically reducing
fossil fuel and carbon dioxide emissions might be too risky, and even
ineffective. A less costly alternative, he said, might be to tackle other
emissions -- methane, nitrous oxide, black carbon soot and others. It was a
shocker to activists, many of whom have been in denial ever since. In an article
nearby, Richard Littlemore and Thomas Pederson attempt to argue that Mr. Hansen
really intended to propose a two-track effort. They say he actually called for
"Kyoto plus an aggressive campaign against non-C02 GHGs." It's a good
try, but it doesn't stand up. The Hansen article makes it clear that a one-track
Kyoto assault on carbon dioxide would be extremely costly and, worse, wouldn't
work." (Terence Corcoran, National Post)
"Survey
Highlights Confusion Over Genes, Health" - "PHILADELPHIA
(Reuters Health) - In a first-of-its-kind study, researchers at the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention (news
- web
sites) (CDC) have attempted to gain information about how the public views
the importance of genes and health. The investigators found that many Americans
incorrectly believe that genes are the most important factor regarding one's
health."
"Toxic
mold a growing legal issue" - "Toxic mold, which can cause
health problems in homes and the workplace, is the focus of a growing number of
legal cases across the country, according to a newspaper for lawyers. The
Lawyers Weekly USA said in this week's edition that claims for personal injury
and property damage caused by mold growing inside buildings are on the rise, and
one of the "hottest areas" in construction defect and toxic tort law.
"I view these mold claims as similar to asbestos 30 years ago," Los
Angeles lawyer Alexander Robertson told the Boston-based newspaper." (UPI)
"Court
to Decide if Snowmaking Harms Colorado River" - "DENVER,
Colorado, October 6, 2000 (ENS) - Attorneys representing the U.S. Forest Service
went to court Thursday to defend the agency’s 1999 decision to permit
snowmaking on about 125 acres of terrain at Summit County’s Arapahoe Basin.
The resort is one of the few Colorado ski areas without the ability to augment
nature's precipitation with artificially made snow."
"Europe
Tells Car Firms More Emissions Cuts Needed" - "BRUSSELS,
Belgium, October 6, 2000 (ENS) - The European Commission says its strategy to
reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from cars is working after a report
released today revealed emissions fell by 5.6 percent between 1995 and
1999."
"New
report says antimicrobial resistance an ecological issue" -
"Washington D.C. -October 6, 2000 -Antimicrobial agents are used for
everything from fighting disease to protecting crops to producing food
animals, and not enough is understood about the impact of resistance on the
environment as a whole. A new report from the American Academy of
Microbiology, "Antimicrobial Resistance: An Ecological Perspective,"
takes a broad view of the problem of increasing resistance to antimicrobials
and its consequences for human, animal, and environmental health." (ASM
release)
Now you can see the value of genetics research in
speeding the development of new antimicrobials and locating pathways less
prone to resistance development.
"Water
fluoridation reduces risk of bone fractures" - "Community
water fluoridation, bone mineral density, and fractures: prospective study of
effects in older women" [Water
fluoridation: benefits should be considered alongside risks] (BMJ)
"Bribing the Elderly:
Bush and Gore Push Free Drugs in Bid for Key Votes" - "I don't
dislike the elderly. Both of my parents are old and I hope to be a geezer myself
someday. But when it comes to transferring money from young worker to old
non-workers, we need to start asking ourselves when is enough enough? The answer
so far is "never."" (Michael Fumento in Investor's Business
Daily)
"Drugs
in sports: why the fuss?" - "People think drugs give athletes
an unfair advantage. So do big coaching budgets and high-tech outfits, says
coach IAN RITCHIE. Let's rethink this one" (GAM)
"VIRTUAL
CLIMATE ALERT No. 33" - "Remember those "cynics" who
said that the Kyoto Protocol is a stalking horse for policies to make energy
less available and more expensive? It’s just a bunch of right-wing, paranoid
nuts who claim the global warming agenda is to dial coal (our most abundant
domestic energy source) out of our energy stream, right? Consider, then, The
New York Times’ October 2nd lead editorial "The Politics
of Fuel."" (GES)
"VIRTUAL
CLIMATE ALERT No. 34" - "Secretary of Agriculture Dan Glickman
couldn’t get more mileage out of a recent USDA study if he dragged it behind a
Honda Insight. The study kicked up more dust again, this week, trumpeting how
scientists discovered that levels of ragweed pollen are rising because of the
increasing atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide. Gesundheit!
Here’s a revelation, it’s not just ragweed. All plants (including the
world’s major foodcrops) are doing better because of CO2 fertilization. This
fact is attested to in literally thousands of articles in the scientific
literature. It has been estimated that crop yield has increased by about 10
percent as a consequence of anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions." (GES)
"Campaigning
For The Money" - "The Dallas Observer sheds some light on the
wacky ideas of the Natural Law Party and its candidate for president, John
Hagelin. As we've pointed out before, the Natural Law Party is an anti-choice
vehicle for the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and his followers, who stand to make a
profit from the party's fear mongering campaign. For example, while the party's
presidential candidate calls for the labeling of foods containing genetically
improved ingredients, fellow Maharishi follower John Fagan makes
his living by testing for genetically improved ingredients in food."
(GuestChoice.com)
"BASF
to put 700 mln euros into GM plant research" - "HAMBURG,
Germany, Oct 6 (Reuters) - German chemicals group BASF AG will spend 700 million
euros over the next 10 years on research into genetic modification (GM) of
plants, a company official said on Friday."
"ANALYSIS:
Among parents, backlash builds to Ritalin" - "(October 5, 2000
8:03 p.m. EDT http://www.nandotimes.com) - One day last year, a social worker
came knocking on the door of Michael Carroll's home in West Berne, N.Y. The
trouble: The father of four had been reported to Child Protective Services for
putting his seven-year-old son, Kyle, at risk. Stunned, Carroll asked what he'd
done. The answer infuriated him and put the Carroll family at the center of a
heated debate about the educational system and the larger culture's increasing
use of psychotropic drugs, such as Ritalin, to cope with difficult kids.
Carroll's supposed misdeed was not abusing the drugs, but refusing them. He'd
been reported by the local school district for taking Kyle off Ritalin. The
stimulant, whose use in the United States has increased 700 percent in the past
decade, had, Carroll says, turned the once-rambunctious boy into a withdrawn
insomniac with no appetite. And his reading level, which was the original cause
of Carroll's concern, had not improved. "The school never objected, it just
immediately called child protection, without any contact with me
whatsoever," he says. "It was crazy." (CSM)
"Diet
drug case settled for $200 million" - "JACKSON, Miss. (October
6, 2000 12:51 p.m. EDT http://www.nandotimes.com) - Penny Luckel clung tightly
to a heart-shaped pillow as her attorneys won a $200 million settlement against
the maker of the diet drug fen-phen. ... The settlement was reached Tuesday in
the same Jefferson County court that last year yielded a nearly $400 million
settlement involving a different set of plaintiffs and the drug maker."
(AP)
"Owens
Corning files for bankruptcy due to asbestos claims" -
"TOLEDO, Ohio (October 5, 2000 11:10 a.m. EDT http://www.nandotimes.com) -
Owens Corning filed for bankruptcy protection Thursday to help it cope with
asbestos-related lawsuits that have cost the company $3.1 billion. The supplier
of building and industrial materials estimated in July it faced another $3
billion in asbestos payouts even though it stopped selling asbestos products
more than 25 years ago. (AP)
"White
House Environmental Policy Office Under Fire" - "WASHINGTON,
DC, October 6, 2000 (ENS) - A lawmaker who decades ago spearheaded the
establishment of the White House Council on Environmental Quality introduced
legislation on the floor of Congress this week to abolish the agency."
"Arctic
oilfields or pristine poverty" - "Prime Minister Jean Chrétien
recently sent a "strongly worded" letter to President Bill Clinton
opposing petroleum exploration in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Reserve (ANWR).
If Bill Clinton had sent such a letter to Jean Chrétien, Canada would be up in
arms, but no doubt Jean checked it out with Bill first. Maybe it was even Bill's
idea." (Peter Foster, National Post)
Cell phones - the latest health aid: "Mobile
phones cut schoolgirl smoking?" - "Mobile phones could be a
surprise weapon in the health education campaign to cut smoking among young
women." (BBC Online)
I love this one - what a quandary for the nannies.
Schoolgirls on the phone find their hands and mouths too preoccupied to
smoke.
Continue the cell phone scare or deny Big Tobacco some
market opportunity? What to do? What to do?
"Fertility
threat for dioxin babies" - "Men who were still in the womb
during a mass dioxin poisoning scare in the 1970s are showing signs of damaged
fertility. Hundreds of families ate rice cooked with contaminated oil in 1979
in Taiwan, many with pronounced health effects." (BBC Online)
Hmm... as I recall this case (and I admit I haven't dug
out the reports), people were sold cheap industrial oil in lieu of cooking
oil and this resulted in a number of poisonings. That pregnant women were
among the poisoning victims is even more unfortunate for the long-term
health of the foetus can also be impacted. It is not particularly surprising
then to find that some of the victim's children may exhibit responses to
their mother's trauma at an unfortunate time (not that there is any
particularly fortuitous time to suffer trauma). Whether noted
"abnormalities" (lower average height, reduced spermatozoon
motility) is a result of foetal exposure to a particular compound or simply
the effect of maternal ill-health during pregnancy is moot.
This study is of very limited sampling size (12
individuals), carries the caveat of being inconclusive (major
understatement) and should be treated with some caution - not that that will
prevent chemophobes trying to build it into something it's not.
"Amendment
Would Strip A Top Official of His Powers" - ""The main
deal here and what we have heard consistently from the agriculture community
is that the E.P.A. is the enemy, and you don't sit down with the enemy,"
said an Agriculture Department official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
... "I have no respect at all for the E.P.A. under the leadership they
have today," Mr. Berry [Democrat, Representative Marion Berry of
Arkansas] said. "I think they are an out-of-control political
agency."" (New York Times)
Well said, that man!
"EPRI
study investigates association between health, air pollution" -
"Scientists with the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) revealed
preliminary findings from a two-year, US$7 million, state-of-the-art study on
air quality and human health at the Air Quality II conference in McLean, VA,
held late last month." (Power Online)
"Prize
for science's Ig Nobel thinkers" - "An Australian woman who
believes people don't need to eat was among 10 winners from eight countries
honored in this year's "Ig Nobel" awards. Jasmuheen, formerly Ms Ellen
Greve, of Brisbane, won the award for her book Living on Light, which holds that
although most people eat food, they don't need to. They just need to breathe and
get the proper amount of sunlight." (The Age)
"American
adult smoking holds steady at one in four" - "ATLANTA: The
number of American adults who smoke held steady in 1998 at one in four - a
rate that hardly budged during the 1990s despite anti-tobacco campaigns and
new kick-the-habit aids like nicotine gum and the patch. The Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention reported on Thursday that 24.1 per cent of
Americans 18 and older smoked cigarettes in 1998, the latest year for which
figures are available. The rate was 24.7 per cent in 1997 and 25.5 percent in
1990. The numbers fall far short of the CDC's goal of cutting the adult
smoking rate to 15 percent by 2000." (Times of India) [Cigarette
Smoking Among Adults --- United States, 1998]
After how many billion dollars and how much punitive
legislation and they still don't get it? No, not smokers, mean the
anti-choice nannies.
Here's a tip for you guys. PEOPLE make lifestyle
choices - not governments or nanny organisations. And it won't matter how
many warning labels and advertising restrictions are applied. After a
certain point, apparently about this one, "forbidden fruit" effect
kicks in and the restricted substance becomes more desirable and there's
nothing the lifestyle police can do about it.
You've done your thing, expressed your disapproval,
poked your nose where it's not wanted and infringed on everyone's personal
choice - now take a hike!
"Tobacco
lawsuit could die - $23 million needed to continue, Reno says" -
"WASHINGTON -- The federal government will abandon its massive lawsuit
against the tobacco industry unless Congress provides $23 million to pay for
it, Attorney General Janet Reno said Thursday. ''We do not see how we can
proceed without the funding,'' she said." (USA Today)
You can't afford to proceed with a corporate shakedown?
I'd like to see that!
"Congressman
links son's suicide to acne medicine" - "WASHINGTON -- Rep.
Bart Stupak, D-Mich., whose 17-year-old son killed himself in May, called
Thursday for studies to determine whether an acne medication the teenager was
taking, Accutane, can cause suicidal thoughts." (USA Today)
"Activists
raise $1 million in bid to end forest eco-wars"
"Environmental activists have backed up their claims they want peace
on B.C.'s central coast by raising $1 million to develop a plan to end the
eco-wars that have wracked the coastal forest industry for over a decade. The
Sierra Club, along with Greenpeace, the Rainforest Action Network and the
Coastal Rainforest Coalition, raised the money from foundations and individual
members, marking a radical shift away from protesting against B.C. companies
to seeking solutions. "This doesn't mean the fighting is going to stop on
all fronts. The environmental movement around the world will continue to make
noise," said Wareham. "But we feel you can't just keep screaming and
saying the sky is falling. We have to figure out a way to end the decline in
environmental quality. We are looking at building a solution on the coast and
we know that solution is going to require credible conservation science, a new
way to do logging and a new economy that creates jobs and community
stability," said Smith. "And that's going to require
money."" (Vancouver Sun)
Hmm... not running around screaming that the sky's
falling is good, so, too, is the bit about credible science. Whether this
lot are capable of such a volte-face remains to be seen. I find it
very difficult to imagine for the simple reason that the introduction of
sound science removes all reason for their existence in the first place.
Call me cynical, but I suspect there may be elections
brewing and that the green alliance are putting on a facade of
responsibility. I'd love to be proven wrong but just don't see them
developing that kind of maturity.
"Volvo
Gore, Porsche Bush" - "Would you buy a used car from this
man?" (Washington Post)
October 6, 2000
'Fat Police' Brutality - "'Fat's where it's at,' sang 1980s rocker Root Boy Slim. Root Boy didn't know he hit upon the theme for the ever-expanding waistline of the public health bureaucracy -- where lifestyle choices transform into public health issues and no level of disapproved behavior is too small to be called an epidemic." (Steve Milloy at FoxNews.com)
"Mixed Message" - This sidebar to the article "Do Cell Phones Need Warnings?" (Time, Oct. 9) quotes cell phone hysteric George Carlo saying, "No one study allows you to make a definitive determination about public health." True enough. But immediately proceeding Carlo's quote, Time reports, "... Carlo launched a series of studies that ended last year, including one he claims shows a link between cell phone use and a rare type of brain tumor. That report's principal author has said the correlation could be due to chance, but Carlo is undaunted." No wonder the sidebar is titled, "Mixed Message." "Undaunted" is not the right adjective for describing Carlo; "unscrupulous" fits much better.
"How
Environmentalism Kills The Poor" - "Donor agencies and the
UNEP should beware of denying Africans DDT -- it will kill thousands and delay
development. But given that African health officials are unlikely to risk losing
aid money by speaking out, and that the left-leaning media cannot bare to say
anything positive about DDT, they will probably get away with it." (WSJ
Europe)
"Cracking
Up" - "Why Is the Ross Ice Shelf Shedding So Many
Icebergs?" (ABCNews.com)
I freely admit I thought this would be another loopy COP6
global warming promotion - not so. Full marks to Amanda Onion
for including: "Although satellites haven’t captured much iceberg
activity at the Ross Ice Shelf before this year, Stan Jacobs of Columbia
University’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory has pieced together early
descriptions of the shelf since it was first discovered in 1841. These
records, he says, suggest it may have been long due to shed some icebergs.
“Early records at the beginning of the century show the region to be much
further south than it is now,” Jacobs says. “It may have gone 75 to 90
years without a large calving event.”"
"The
National Assessment on Climate Change" - "The misuse of
science for political purposes has reached new depths with the National
Assessment on Climate Change." (Myron Ebell, Intellectual Ammunition)
"EU's
tobacco advertising ban is illegal" - "PLANS to restrict
tobacco advertising in Europe were declared unlawful yesterday by the European
Union's own court. The European Court of Justice overturned an EU directive
banning tobacco advertising and sponsorship from 2001, saying that Brussels had
no legal basis for introducing the law. But the ruling does not stop member
states bringing in their own legislation and the Government said that it would
not be deflected from its manifesto commitment to ban tobacco advertising."
(Telegraph)
"TAKING
SENSITIVITY A BIT TOO FAR" - "It must be the silly
season, what else explains the following news items? "A 6-foot Mr. Potato
Head statue, one of dozens dotting Rhode Island as part of a tourism campaign,
will be taken down because of complaints that the grinning, brown-skinned figure
appeared racist," reports the Associated Press. Who knew vegetables had
racial identities?" (Linda Chavez in the Chicago Tribune)
Cartoon of the moment: Henry
Payne's comment (Detroit News, Oct 5)
"Vatican
faces radio pollution trial" - "THREE executives at Vatican
Radio will be tried in Rome over its allegedly harmful electromagnetic
pollution. The decision follows a magistrates' inquiry after the Vatican said
that it was not answerable to Italian law. Assisted by lawyers including Eugenio
Pacelli, a nephew of Pope Pius XII, the Vatican said that there was no proof.
The inquiry began after it was shown that in a three-mile radius of the
station's antennae at Santa Maria di Galeria, Rome, the percentage of tumours
and leukemia among the 30,000 inhabitants was well above average. Two Jesuits,
Father Pasquale Borgomeo, the radio's director general, and Father Roberto Tucci,
its president, with Costantino Pacifici, technical director, will be charged
with "dangerous throwing of things" in the absence of a law on
electromagnetic radiation." (Telegraph)
"Public
trusts farmers' assessments of biotech, says Iowa State researcher"
- "When it comes to biotechnology, an Iowa State University researcher says
that providing the public with unbiased, balanced, educational information will
influence whether biotechnology becomes a vital part of the next modern
revolution in food production." (AgWeb.com)
"Probe
finds researcher fabricated lab results" - "Dr. Evan B. Dreyer
was an up-and-coming researcher at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary in
the mid-1990s when he developed some experimental data that seemed just a bit
too good to be real. But, when colleagues challenged Dreyer in early 1997 to
repeat the experiment - a search for a cause of a severe hearing disorder - he
neatly produced more results that supported his original findings. It turns out,
according to a federal inquiry recently made public, Dreyer faked the results of
both experiments and apparently never did the work at all." (Boston Globe)
"Government
by anecdote" - "Ask Vice President Al Gore a question and he
invariably has an anecdote designed to drive home his point. And so it was time
and time again during Tuesday night's debate. Asked a question about public
education, Gore told of a letter he received that very day ``as I left Sarasota,
Fla.,'' from Randy Ellis about his 15-year-old daughter Kailey, a sophomore at
Sarasota High School. ``Her science class was supposed to be for 24 students.
She is the 36th student in that classroom. They can't squeeze another desk in
for her so she has to stand during class,'' Gore said. It's a touching story.
But it is just that - a story. The high school's principal says the class was
short one desk for one day, and now Kailey Ellis has a desk to call her own. Now
have you heard the one about Gore's mother-in-law and his dog?" (Boston
Herald Editorial)
"Energy
secretary rips Gore" - "Energy Secretary Bill Richardson took
issue Wednesday with Vice President Al Gore's characterization that the country
is in an "energy crisis" and that "big oil" is to blame. In
remarks before the National Press Club, Richardson said the "political
campaign" was behind Gore's accusations against oil companies and that a
surge in demand for oil in the United States and abroad is the real reason
gasoline, heating-oil and natural-gas prices have soared this year. "We are
not in an energy crisis," Richardson said, adding that the problems driving
up prices are "short-term" and will be worked out in time."
(Washington Times)
"MTBE
use rises in California despite ban deadline" - "The use of
the additive MTBE to help gasoline burn cleaner has been targeted for
elimination in California by 2003 and may yet face a similar ban nationwide,
however a report released Wednesday indicates that MTBE use in California has
actually been rising." (UPI)
"Presidential
nominees share views in Science questionnaire" -
"Washington, D.C. - United States presidential nominees Governor George W.
Bush and Vice President Al Gore, Jr. agree that increased federal investment in
research and development and improvements in the quality of American education
should be top science and technology priorities in the country's next
Administration, according to a questionnaire submitted to the two candidates by
the journal Science." (Science release) [The
Presidential Candidates on Science Policy]
"Environment
taking backseat in election" - "Environmentalists are failing
to make clean air and water front-burner issues in Michigan's Nov. 7 election,
despite polls showing voters are worried about them." (Free Press)
Check out GuestChoice.com's
Daily headlines
Wonder why the food & lifestyle police don't like their site - I do.
"American
Chiropractic Association Supports Regulation Of Genetically Modified
Plants" - "ARLINGTON, Va., Oct. 5 /PRNewswire/ -- A new policy
statement urging strong and effective regulatory control of genetically modified
plants was one of many resolutions passed by the American Chiropractic
Association's (ACA) House of Delegates during the 37th annual business meeting
in Denver, CO, September 6-10. Other positions were taken on issues ranging from
seat belts in public transportation systems and a "Calcium Initiative"
to promote the importance of calcium in the diet, to a policy statement on fraud
and abuse in the nation's health care system."
I'll have to revise my view of bone-crunchers - I didn't
know they were so well versed in tissue culture and genetics issues, or even
biology and/or ecology generally that they're qualified to take any position
on genetic engineering.
"Willy
isn't so free after all"
- "Iceland - Keiko, the killer whale and star of the Hollywood hit, Free
Willy, may finish his life in captivity as he has not taken to life in the wild,
his caretakers said on Thursday. "It is likely that he will remain in
captivity until the end of his life," said Hallur Hallsson, spokesperson
for the Ocean Futures organisation, which has been caring for Keiko in Klettsvik
Bay off the southern coast of Iceland." (IOL)
"Ford
predicts end of car pollution" -
"The 100-year reign of the polluting internal combustion engine is coming
to an end, Bill Ford, chairman of the Ford Motor Company, said yesterday. It
will soon be replaced in motor vehicles by the hydrogen fuel cell, which emits
no pollution whatsoever and so can reduce the build-up of greenhouse gases
causing climate change, Mr Ford, great-grandson of the company's founder, Henry
Ford, told the Greenpeace Business Conference in London."
Got any Ford shares? I'd sell before Bill does any more
damage.
The Greenpeace Business Conference... Probably no wonder
I didn't get an invitation - I'd probably have written it up as: Wealthy
Multinational Hosts Business Conference - screening process for next extortion
targets called 'great success'.
"Junk
food blamed for the return of rickets"
- "Thousands of young children are not being taught to chew or swallow
solid food at the right age, leading to serious diet deficiencies endangering
their long-term health, doctors said yesterday. Experts told a conference on
child nutrition there had been a worrying rise in the number under the age of
three suffering from anaemia and rickets because they were being fed convenience
foods rather than a proper balanced diet. Doctors are starting to see scurvy,
caused by a lack of vitamin C." (Independent)
"Tests
Find High Chromium 6 Levels Throughout County" - "Tests
of tap water at 110 Los Angeles County government facilities showed levels of
chromium 6 at up to 8 parts per billion--more than 40 times the suggested limit,
according to a study to be released today." (LA Times)
So... people in these regions shouldn't breathe the water
then? What is it with Americans and Cr(VI)? It's non-toxic and benign unless
aspirated.
Silly me - I've just done a web search on Chromium 6 in
the US - and come up with Hollywood - should've guessed. The search also
turned up some interesting pieces by Michael Fumento and, when I checked, they
were linked from www.fumento.com.
Recommend you start with those since he provides source details and you can
see the originals.
"Genetic
clues to obesity" - "Scientists have uncovered more evidence
that some people may be genetically predisposed to obesity." (BBC Online)
"Government
stalls on water fluoridation" - "A major study has found that
adding fluoride to water supplies does have significant health benefits. The
long-awaited research, by the NHS Centre for Reviews and Dissemination (CRD)
found that water fluoridation was linked to a reduction in tooth decay. It also
found no evidence that it was linked to any health problems - despite previous
claims of a link to cancer, Downs Syndrome and the bone disease
osteoarthritis." (BBC Online)
"Lovers
risk dehydration" - "Many British couples run out of steam
after having sex because they fail to drink enough water, according to a study.
Doctors say the finding could explain why many people develop headaches or
become lethargic after intercourse." (BBC Online)
You're wrong! I'm not going to say anything.
"Greenpeace
warns fuel protesters" - "Greenpeace is preparing to campaign
head to head against fuel protesters, if blockades of oil refineries go ahead
next month. The environmental group said it would send teams to each blockaded
venue to argue the green case for maintaining the current level of fuel duty.
The tax is "justified to stop climate change and improve air quality,"
the group said." (BBC Online)
Now this could get entertaining. Note to Greenpeace: I
really don't think protesters fighting for their livelihoods are likely to be
intimidated by your announced intentions - or by your off-the-planet theories.
"Greenpeace
Says Firms Have Produced 'Human-Pig' Hybrid" - "BERLIN - Two
firms seeking a patent on an embryo cloning process have performed an experiment
in which they created a "human-pig" hybrid embryo, environmental lobby
group Greenpeace said on Thursday. A spokeswoman for the companies involved in
the patent application confirmed that laboratory cells of human origin had been
used in the experiment but denied that what resulted was a human hybrid, and
said Greenpeace had misunderstood the case." (Reuters)
"New
Food Guidelines for U.S. Stress Overall Diet" - "NEW YORK -
The American Heart Association dished out new dietary guidelines on Thursday,
stressing for the first time obesity prevention and overall eating patterns
instead of recommendations on percentages of fat or nutrients. The association's
first diet update since 1996 said that a diet rich in fruits, vegetables,
legumes, whole grains, low-fat dairy products, fish, lean meats and poultry was
still the basis for its guidelines to help reduce the risk of heart disease and
stroke, the No. 1 killer of men and women in the United States." (Reuters)
Remember what Grandma used to say? "A little of
everything and not too much of anything" remains sound advice for
omnivores such as humans.
"Don't Blame
Deregulation" - "Fed up with crowded airplanes and airports?
Blame the system's socialist infrastructure, not deregulation." (Virginia
Postrel, New York Times)
"Man's
Arm Muscle Cells Used to Treat Heart" - "NEW YORK - Working
with surgeons and cardiologists from Temple University in Philadelphia,
researchers from a Massachusetts company have taken the first step in what they
hope will be a new treatment for damaged heart muscle." (Reuters Health)
"Scientists
Find Child Cancer Treatment Target" - "LONDON - US scientists
said on Wednesday they had found a potential new target for the treatment of
childhood cancers. The scientists from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine,
New York, said in a study published in the journal Nature that they had found a
specific gene that contributed to the development of neuroblastoma--a form of
lethal malignant tumour that affects children." (Reuters)
Enviro Policy
Quagmire - "The Everglades restoration plan demonstrates
what's wrong with federal environmental policy." (Brian Doherty Reason
Magazine)
"U.S.
food firms hail biofood label ruling" - "WASHINGTON - U.S.
foodmakers on Wednesday praised a court ruling upholding the Food and Drug
Administration's eight-year-old policy that biofoods are not materially
different from conventional foods and do not need special labels."
(Reuters)
"Workers
unwittingly take home toxins" - "Employees endanger their
loved ones when invisible but poisonous substances cling to their
belongings" (USA Today)
If I'm reading this correctly, workers exposed on the job
are unaffected but law suits contend that traces of "contaminants"
transported on workers' clothes, shoes, hair and even folders in their
briefcase, are decimating family members. Why aren't directly exposed workers
affected when indirectly exposed cohabitants apparently are? There's something
wrong with this picture.
"Reno
Appeals for Funds to Continue Tobacco Suit" - "Attorney
General Janet Reno warned today that the Justice Department will be forced to
drop its multi-billion dollar lawsuit against the major tobacco companies unless
spending bills moving through Congress are amended to provide funding."
(Washington Post)
"Mutations
Linked to Miscarriages Late in Pregnancy" - "NEW YORK -
Mutations in the genes for two blood clotting factors can triple the risk of a
miscarriage in the second and third trimesters of pregnancy, results of a study
suggest. ... Because of the 16% likelihood of blood clotting factor gene
mutations in women who have late miscarriages, Martinelli and colleagues
conclude that screening for such mutations should be done for women who
experience this complication of pregnancy." (Reuters Health)
"Researcher
clarifies misconceptions about biotech crops used in livestock feed"
- "“Biotechnology” is term that has become so widely used today, and
yet so often misunderstood, that it can be somewhat confusing to farmers, as
well as the general public, according to an Iowa State University dairy
researcher." (AgWeb.com)
October 5, 2000
Gone with the Wind, EPA-Style? - EPA was compared to a plantation yesterday in a congressional hearing on racial discrimination at the agency. EPA massuh Scarlet O'Browner reportedly was on the verge of tears during the hearing. Don't cry, Miss Scarlet. After all, tomorrow is another day. In the meantime, let's all sing the first verse of Dixie -- pre-1860 style, of course...
I wish I was in de land ob cotton,
Old times dar am not forgotten,
Look away! Look away!
Look away! Dixie Land.
Of course, that would be "pesticide- and GMO-free cotton" in the year 2000 version of Dixie.
"Study Finds More Hazards at Paducah" - "Workers at the Energy Department's Paducah, Ky., uranium plant were exposed to deadly metals at levels far higher than previously believed, including radiation exposure up to 20 times the legal limit, according to a draft study." (Washington Post)
Oops! Not even Junkmen get 100% for homework.
As part of a climate posting yesterday, I included mention of a Gallup poll
of which I had been reminded by an August
editorial in The Vancouver Sun.
While the poll exists it is old and the figures likely meaningless today
- so please don't rely on them and don't cite them. If I can find some current
data I'll post a supplemental.
In the words of Thomas H. Huxley: "The improver of natural knowledge
absolutely refuses to acknowledge authority, as such. For him, scepticism is the
highest of duties; blind faith the one unpardonable sin." Well, I let
down my guard of scepticism and posted information likely inaccurate - mea
culpa! I'll try not to let it happen again. -- Barry Hearn
'INSTITUTE SUES THE PRESIDENT OVER
"JUNK SCIENCE"' - "Washington, DC, October 5, 2000 - The
Competitive Enterprise Institute announced today that it has filed a lawsuit
against President William J. Clinton. Joining CEI as co-plaintiffs are
Representatives Joseph Knollenberg (R-MI) and Jo Ann Emerson (R-MO), Senator
James Inhofe (R-OK), Consumer Alert, 60 Plus Association, Heartland Institute,
and David Wojick. The parties seek the federal court in Washington, D.C., to
declare a $14 million compilation of global warming scare stories as unlawfully
produced in violation of three federal laws. The document in question is the
National Assessment Synthesis Report, or "National Assessment on Climate
Change." Requested by Congress no later than 1994, the requested Assessment
was required to detail the state of the science and the uncertainties
surrounding the theory of man-made global warming." (Competitive Enterprise
Institute)
"Eek!
Attack of the Perfectly Harmless Tacos!" - "It took Kraft
about two days to begin carting back millions of taco shells believed to have
been slightly tainted by a genetically-modified corn variety not yet approved
for human consumption. But before succumbing to hysterics, we should consider
what`s already in the taco supply. In every 50 grams of cornmeal (the primary
ingredient in tacos) the FDA will allow one ``whole insect,`` 50 insect
fragments, two rodent hairs, or one ``rodent excreta fragment.`` Similar
standards apply to other foods such as Macaroni, a package of which may contain
225 insect fragments and 4.5 rodent hairs per 225 grams." (WSJ)
Scare du jour: "Sinister
side of sunscreens" - "SUN-LOVERS beware: sunscreens could be
toxic. A chemical commonly used in sun lotions to protect against ultraviolet
radiation kills animal cells, Norwegian scientists have discovered. And it may
become more deadly after a few hours out in the Sun." (New Scientist)
Lest anyone think they can circumvent the dreaded
"ozone loss" by use of sun block, the nannies have a scare just for
you. If the UVB doesn't get you, the sun block will!
Just before we get too excited, let's review a few
relevant pieces. Yesterday, I featured Air
pollution may cause vitamin D deficiency - cause: inadequate UVB
exposure - possible consequences: rickets, osteoporosis... . The Sunday
Times ran Sun-shy
children lack vitamin D about a month ago and, back in April, at
the the annual conference of the Australian Rheumatology Association, Dr
Jones, a researcher at the Menzies Centre for Population Health Research in
Hobart, was cited in this
article in The Age
thus: "Public health authorities have gone too far in their warnings
about getting skin cancer from the sun and were putting people at greater risk
from other diseases and injuries, a Hobart rheumatologist said yesterday. Dr
Graeme Jones said that apart from melanoma, which could be predicted
accurately in some groups, skin cancer killed virtually no one. But
Australians, and particularly Tasmanians, needed more vitamin D from the sun
to reduce the risk of fractures, colon cancer and other diseases."
Parenthetically, there is some indication that long-term
use of sunscreens actually stimulate T-cell production and provide a boost to
immunity, but we'll never know because it's simply not practical to follow a
group of users and a control group of non-users (of sunscreens) for decades
from birth to prove the situation one way or the other.
The bottom line is that you should avoid sunburn - that's
definitely not good for you - and you should get adequate UVB exposure for
your health's sake. Finally, if you're an animal cell in a Petri dish, perhaps
lay off the sunscreen a bit.
Now, if everyone will excuse me, I'm going out to catch
some rays - osteoporosis is a lot bigger risk for me than melanoma.
"Greenpeace
finds 13.7 mln Britons prefer GMOs" - "London--Oct. 3--A
survey commissioned by Greenpeace indicated that 13.7 million people in the
United Kingdom would prefer meat or dairy products from animals fed on
genetically modified crops, compared with animals raised on non-GMO feed. That's
not what the environmental organization highlighted in reporting the survey
results last week, but it showed how many Britons support GMOs in the food
chain--and, for the first time, how many back their use strongly." (Bridge
News)
The indoctrination continues: "New
Website Helps Journalists Cover Hormone-Disrupting Chemicals" -
"WASHINGTON D.C. Oct 4, -/E-Wire/-- The authors of the groundbreaking book
on hormone-disrupting chemicals have launched a new website, OurStolenFuture.org,
to provide journalists with background and up-to-the-minute information on the
subject."
Oooh! Yeah, this'll help soooo much. For a dose of
reality try: Our
Swollen Future - the 60 minuts interview. For something a little
more profound: Endocrine
Disrupters: A Scientific Perspective.
"Judge
nixes label for altered crops" - "A U.S. federal judge has
dismissed a lawsuit by critics of agricultural biotechnology who want the
government to require labels on foods made with genetically engineered crops.
The lawsuit challenged the Food
and Drug Administration's 8-year-old policy that considers gene-altered
crops to be essentially the same as those produced by conventional breeding
methods and thus not subject to the same regulatory controls as food additives.
U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly, in a ruling Sept. 29, said the
biotech critics failed to prove that FDA violated procedural and environmental
laws in establishing the policy or that the agency should mandate labeling of
the foods." (AP)
"BIO
Applauds Court Ruling on FDA Biotech Policy" - "WASHINGTON,
Oct. 4 /PRNewswire/ -- The Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) today
applauded the summary dismissal in federal court of a lawsuit challenging the
Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) regulatory policies governing foods and
crops derived through biotechnology. ``Dismissal of the case against the Food
and Drug Administration is a huge victory for FDA and consumers. The summary
dismissal of this case upholds existing FDA policies based on a science-based
regulatory system for reviewing and labeling foods improved through
biotechnology,'' said Michael J. Phillips, BIO's executive director for food and
agriculture." [Judge
Upholds F.D.A. Policy on Genetically Altered Foods]
"Court
rules to dismiss lawsuit challenging the way FDA regulates biotechnology"
- "Today's ruling by a federal court to dismiss a lawsuit challenging the
Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) regulatory policies governing food and
crops derived through biotechnology is bringing criticism from some and praise
from others. The judge upheld FDA policy on genetically modified food and
rejected the Alliance for Bio-Integrity's attack that the lack of labeling and
mandatory safety testing violated safety laws." [Biotech
group applauds court decision to uphold FDA policy] (AgWeb.com)
"The
Precautionary Principle, DDT, and GM-Food" - "Sir—D R
Roberts in his viewpoint(1) and your July 22 editorial and commentary(2) made
abundantly clear the profoundly harmful effects of the restrictions on and
banning of dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) on public health in the regions
least able to tolerate them. The real tragedy is that there is not, and never
was, any valid reason for these measures, which have caused so much human
suffering. They are the unfortunate legacy of the self-styled environmentalists,
whose bible remains Carson's Silent Spring." (Dr Gilbert Ross in a letter
to The Lancet)
"Extreme
weather 'warning' to world leaders" - "Friends of
the Earth says weather-related disasters should be a warning sign to the world's
leaders that climate change threatens the livelihoods of millions of
people." (Ananova)
Fiends of the Earth are at it again - this time trying to
associate weather events with a climate trend. In fact, going by NOAA's
climate disasters of the twentieth century list, there is an inverse
correlation between atmospheric greenhouse gas levels and climate disasters.
See also: A
Five-Century Rainfall Record for the Canadian High Arctic - "This
study, like many others, contradicts the story promulgated by climate
alarmists relative to the effects of global warming on extreme weather events
and weather variability, both of which are typically claimed to increase with
an increase in air temperature. Here, however, in a part of the planet
predicted to be most impacted by CO2-induced global
warming - the Canadian High Arctic - a warming of the climate is demonstrated
to reduce weather extremes related to precipitation, even in the face
of a slight precipitation increase associated with the long-term
warming."
Media monitors & junk
science junkies - take a pat on the back: "FESSING
UP TO QUESTIONABLE REPORTING" -
"WASHINGTON -- What would you do if you were an editor, and you came to
understand that some important work done by your newspaper had been flawed? For
many an editor, the answer has been: little or nothing. A good teaching editor
might discuss the work internally, hoping the staff would learn from it. But to
let the public in on an acknowledgment of error? At best--assuming a cold
hard fact was indisputably wrong--there might be a stinting, largely
impenetrable correction (perhaps passed off under the not-so-mea-culpa heading,
"clarification"). But to address publicly the truthfulness of the work
as a whole? To assess its fairness and balance? To discuss what should have been
written that wasn't? It is rarely done. Which is why The New York Times made
news--and set a precedent--with its Sept. 26 piece bylined "The
Editors," about coverage of the Wen Ho Lee case. ... My
hunch is that the presence of the Internet--where much of the criticism first
appeared and where the rest of it was widely reported--was a key reason the
Times went public with this response. Which makes me hopeful that we'll be
seeing this Net effect more broadly--and for many years to come." (Chicago
Tribune)
"Food
poisoning bugs thrive in crop sprays" - "PESTICIDE sprays
encourage life-threatening bacteria to grow on crops, a researcher in Canada has
discovered. The bugs could pose a threat to people eating raw fruit and
vegetables such as strawberries, raspberries and lettuce." (New Scientist)
Oh, so biodegradable pesticides are a hazard because they
don't kill bugs - too target-specific and not enough uh...
collateral damage. We'd better hurry up with our proliferation of
bioengineered crops then - for safety's sake.
"Jesus
Was No Vegetarian, Author Says; Animal-Rights Campaign Ignores Gospel Accounts
of Christ's Diet" - "DALLAS, Oct. 4 /PRNewswire/ -- Recently,
the animal-rights organization People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA)
chose the image of Jesus on the Shroud of Turin as its new "poster
boy," launching a massive advertising campaign claiming that Christ was a
member of a Jewish vegetarian sect. Not so, says Dallas-based Kevin Orlin
Johnson, Ph.D., author of Why Do Catholics Do That? (Ballantine), The Shroud and
the Apocalypse (Pangaeus Press), and many other books on Christian beliefs and
practices. "The Gospels -- the most detailed records we have -- say
explicitly that he ate fish and lamb regularly."" (Entertainment News
Daily)
"Study
says red meat can reduce heart disease risk" - "Red meat, once
condemned for its artery-clogging cholesterol, is now being called an acceptable
part of a heart-healthy diet. New research, which was published in a recent
issue of the Journal of the American College of Nutrition, shows that consuming
lean red meat or lean white meat for an extended period of time provides
significant health benefits. It effectively reduces the so-called
"bad" cholesterol and raises "good" cholesterol
concentrations in people with elevated cholesterol levels, according to the
research." (AgWeb.com)
"Govt
urged to accept GM food products" - "The government should
accept genetic modification of food crops as there is no substantiated argument
to the contrary, says an international authority. The issue has been clouded by
irrational arguments against genetic modification (GM) claiming that the process
is unnatural or unsafe to human health and the environment, according to
Professor Marc van Montagu from the University of Ghent in Belgium."
(Bangkok Post)
"Forums
find low gene knowledge" - "New Zealanders are showing a high
level of confusion about genetic modification in the lead-up to a formal
inquiry. The Royal Commission on Genetic Modification begins formal hearings in
Wellington this month but for the past two weeks it has been holding informal
public meetings around the country. About 70 people were at a Hamilton meeting
yesterday. A meeting will be held in Rotorua today. Commission media liaison
officer Sarah Adamson said it had emerged that most people had a poor
understanding of the scientific issues involved." (New Zealand Herald)
"Brazil
Greenpeace to launch anti-GM food site" - "SAO PAULO - In a
bid to heighten consumer awareness of genetically modified (GM) foods,
Greenpeace in Brazil is launching a new web site entitled "Transgenics on
my plate, no!", said its Brazilian campaign director yesterday. The new
site, (http://greenpeace.terra.com.br/transgenicos) will feature a section
devoted to cyber-activism in which visitors can participate in virtual campaigns
against food companies that use GM products in their products, said Delcio
Rodrigues of Greenpeace." (Reuters)
"U.S.
biofood industry plans advisory panel" - "WASHINGTON - The
U.S. bio-food industry, under closer scrutiny since the recent contamination of
taco shells with unapproved biotech corn, has said it would create an advisory
panel with consumer groups, farmers, food makers, grain exporters and other
groups." (Reuters)
"NASA
finds largest-ever ozone hole" - "GREENBELT, Maryland (CNN) --
Scientists at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center said they have located the
largest ozone hole ever recorded, an area approximately three times the size of
the United States." (CNN)
Put another one on the board for Pat Michaels: An
October Environmental Surprise? and, if you haven't already, check
out News
on the ozone front.
"NASA
Scientist Predicts Less Climate Cooling From Clouds"
- "Don't count on clouds to come to the rescue if the Earth's current
climate-warming trend continues. That's according to new NASA research published
in the October 1st issue of the American Meteorological Society's Journal of
Climate. Heating and cooling of the Earth are influenced by cloud cover. Clouds
can act as a natural sun shield by reflecting light back into space. But clouds
can also coat the skies like a blanket, trapping warmth." (NASA/GSFC)
Just because computer games climate
models can't cope with cloud albedo (reflection of solar radiation) is no
reason for all you cynics to believe this is simply pre-COP6 propaganda -
leave that to me.
At this stage of climate knowledge, current weight of
hypotheses is that the net balance of cloud effect is a cooling
influence. That not all clouds behave similarly is perfectly true - as a
general rule of thumb, high clouds constitute a warming influence while low
cloud is a daytime cooling influence (no clouds are night time cooling
influences for the simple reason that there is no sunlight to reflect).
To date, cloud observations (yes, there are people who spend their lives
watching clouds) have found no change in cloud formation, type, cover,
proportion or persistence - making a case for altered albedo untenable.
"Opportunities
for Australia in climate change response" - "Observations are
providing reliable evidence that the Earth has warmed by about 0.6°C through
the twentieth century and that warming is clearly visible in Australian
measurements, Queensland MPs were told at a CSIRO Science Briefing today. Dr
Graeme Pearman, Chief of CSIRO Atmospheric Research, told the MPs that computer
models of the climate provide a reliable indication of the global warming
expected as a result of current and future changes in greenhouse gases."
(CSIRO release)
Oh, so climate models are reliable now are they? Check
out Assessing
the impossible - "In general, while some models are pretty close
to the zero line (no error) in some regions, in general there is oodles of
scatter. In some cases the temperature error is more than 5 degrees and the
precipitation errors approach 200 percent but are generally less than 100
percent, at least from June to August. No one model does much better than any
other across all regions".
Want to know how the 1st Presidential Debate was viewed overseas?
Here's a link
to The Daily Telegraph leader.
"Global
activists need dose of reality" - "Last week, Prague became
the stage for the latest anti-globalization protests, occasioned by the meeting
of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank. San Francisco
Chronicle editorial writer Ruth Rosen hails them as champions of equality,
justice and human rights. But in many ways, their fight is more like a big
tantrum against the modern world." (Cathy Young in The Detroit News)
"Energy
agency seeks more heating oil to ease tightness" - "The
industrialized world's energy watchdog, the International
Energy Agency, today urged oil companies to try to supply more heating fuel
to alleviate what it called an unusually volatile market. But the IEA signaled
its members were ready to release strategic reserves only in the event of
significant supply disruption, explaining producers were pumping enough crude to
meet world demand despite the market's short-term tightness." (Reuters)
"EPA
relaxes lead paint removal rules" - "Federal environmental
officials have relaxed rules for removing lead paint from homes in
Massachusetts, a first-in-the-nation move that aims to reduce lead poisoning in
children by making disposal cheaper. An agreement reached Monday between the Environmental
Protection Agency and state and city officials would allow lead paint debris
to be classified as household waste that can be disposed of in ordinary
landfills." (AP)
Conspiracy theory of the day: "State
of California helped cause blackouts in June, group says" - "A
Sunnyvale consumer group accused California state energy officials Monday of
helping cause the June 14 blackouts in the Bay Area to justify new power plant
construction and "drive up the price of electricity" at the behest of
power generating companies." (San Jose Mercury News)
"Battle
occurs over attempt to change EPA diesel rule" - "WASHINGTON -
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and oil industry are engaged in a
battle over a proposed amendment to a spending bill before Congress which the
agency says would gut plans to clean-up diesel pollution from heavy
trucks." (Reuters)
"U.S.
will have problems selling oil, OPEC president says" - "The
United States will have difficulty selling crude oil from its emergency
stockpile, despite prices near their highest level in a decade, the president of
the OPEC cartel said today. The White House announced plans to release oil from
its huge Strategic
Petroleum Reserve last month as the country faces the threat of heating oil
shortages just as its citizens elect a new president in November. "They
will have some problems placing the strategic reserves because several companies
invited to bid for them are not participating in the auction," Rodriguez,
who is also Venezuelan Energy and Mines Minister, told a radio interview. Some
big companies such as Royal Dutch/Shell , Texaco Inc. , BP Amoco Plc and Conoco
Inc. have submitted bids for the 30 million barrel offer in November, but No.1
oil company Exxon Mobil Corp., Phillips Petroleum Co. and Coastal Corp. all
declined. "I insist the problem is not crude oil availability, but refining
capacity, refinery utilization," Rodriguez added." (Reuters)
"Rubbish
is not for burning, says Byers" - "THE Government is to cut
incineration from its green energy programme, to the delight of
environmentalists and residents who claim that rubbish-burning power stations
are a health hazard."
Yup, gotta use biofuels - just keep all that organic
stuff out of it.
"GREEN POWER SUPPLIER LAUNCHES "ADOPT-A-WINDTURBINE"
PROGRAM" - "TRUCKEE, California, October 4, 2000 (ENS) - Customers
of renewable energy electricity can have their name etched on a wind turbine in
California. The Adopt-A-WindTurbine Program is open to all flat rate plan
customers of TenderLand Power Company who want to have their name placed on one
of the towers being installed as part of the Alta Mesa Wind Energy Project in
Palm Springs."
Wow! Conservation is becoming really specialised -
now you can adopt a white elephant.
"Emus
making tracks for our medicine cabinets: WCH researchers unravel the mysteries
of emu oil" - "As early as 1860, a London academic publication
described how the Aboriginal people and early Australian settlers used emu oil
to heal wounds, reduce pain and relieve various muscular disorders."
(Adelaide Women's & Children's Hospital release)
Wonder when they'll get around to snake oil - or have
they?
"Helping
energy conservation projects survive the budget axe" -
"Companies considering energy conservation measures must balance each
measure's price tag with the expected energy savings. Conservation projects that
don't offer a quick investment return won't survive the budget axe. Now, energy
engineers reveal that a more comprehensive analysis of the company’s energy
costs could increase the value of the project, allowing the company to carry out
conservation plans that might otherwise appear too expensive." (INEL
release)
Alternate title: Creative Accounting for Conservationists
"CDC's
Battle of the Bulge: Escalating Obesity in U.S." - "In
a letter to be published today in the Journal of the American Medical Assn.
calling obesity "a critical public health problem," officials at the
national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention urged sweeping new policies
that they believe could make a difference." [CDC
Outlines Ten Top Public Health Challenges]
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention... they're
your infectious disease epidemic monitoring and response group yes? So, if I
stood next to an obese person I could, like - catch fat?
"Greenpeace
Issues 'Shopping List' of Biofoods" - "WASHINGTON - The
anti-biotech group Greenpeace issued a "shopping list" on Wednesday
outlining thousands of brand-name cereals, snacks, frozen dinners and other
foods that contain genetically-altered corn, soybeans and other
ingredients." (Reuters)
"Little
gem" - "AUSTRALIAN engineers have invented a device that
blasts the noxious gases in car exhausts with microwaves, eliminating up to 70
per cent of harmful emissions. Better still, the process can double as a source
of industrial-grade diamond." (New Scientist)
Cool! Now we know what to do with emissions - nuke 'em!
"Radiation
revelation" - "A study on wheat grown close to the Chernobyl
nuclear power plant has found a DNA mutation rate three times higher than
expected. "This was a very big surprise," says Yuri Dubrova of
Leicester University, UK. "Our results point to as yet unknown effects of
low-dose chronic exposure to ionising radiation, which make it substantially
more mutagenic than previously thought," he says." (New Scientist)
Well gosh! Radiation can accelerate mutation. Wonder if
that's why it's used to force crop plant mutation as in the UN's rice cultivar
project in China? Curiously, the New Scientist article did not
include such caveats as:
"Kovalchuk cautioned that her team studied only less-critical and
less-stable segments of DNA known as microsatellites."
"Marlis Frankenberg-Schwager, who studies the effect of radiation on
yeast at Germany's University of Gottingen, said it is too soon to say if
the higher mutation rate holds for critical genes in wheat. She added,
``This mutation rate is still so low that you need not worry about it
probably.''"
After all, these caveats are from the AP release on the
same study and some mutation is normal anyway. There is nothing in this
preliminary study which tells us whether the identified mutation rate is
detrimental, beneficial, benign or even persistent. Makes you wonder why the
press is so excited about it.
"UK
electricity suppliers face 'green' goals"
- "Stephen Byers, UK trade secretary, will on Thursday tell power companies
to treble their use of wind power and other renewable energy sources within 10
years or face financial penalties."
Make consumers pay more to install more bird mincers.
Good thinking - TWIT!
October 4, 2000
"ATTACKS ON IRRADIATION HINDER EFFORTS TO SAVE LIVES, ENHANCE FOOD SAFETY, SAYS GMA"
- "WASHINGTON, DC, October 3, 2000 - Ideological attacks on food irradiation
hinder efforts to save lives and enhance the safety of the food supply, the
Grocery Manufacturers of America said today. In response to the latest series of orchestrated attacks on irradiation led by the group Public
Citizen, GMA said the scientific evidence supporting the benefits of food
irradiation is overwhelming." (GMA release)
"Repetition and Pain: Data Are Incomplete"
- "Your Sept. 18 page-one article "Proposed OSHA Rules ..."
highlights how liberal our country has become. Many things about medicine have
changed in my 20 years as a doctor (10 as a hand surgeon), but making
conclusions in the face of incomplete data is still wrong. Yet this is the
current American situation with "repetitive motion injuries." ... As I
watch the Olympics, I'm reminded of the Australian experience with this problem.
When proof of cause and effect between workplace repetition and pain could not
be established, the Supreme Court of Australia found that repetitive strain
injury was not an injury, the employer was not liable, and the plaintiff
had to pay all costs. Their epidemic was over. Maybe some of our nation's
attorneys and bureaucrats should go "down under."" (Letter to the
Editor, WSJ)
"Climate
feels the Sun's effects" - "Recent reports that global warming
is caused "mainly by the Sun" have been dismissed by leading
scientists. The reports claimed that research by the European Space Agency (ESA)
and others showed that computer models had severely underestimated the Sun's
impact on the climate. But a conference sponsored by the ESA and the European
Union has heard that the evidence is far more complex. ... Dr Mike Hulme,
executive director of the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research at the
University of East Anglia, UK, said the so far unquantifiable contribution of
the Sun is consistent with climatologists' understanding of what is happening.
He told BBC News Online: "The case argued by the Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change (IPCC) is a carefully-worded judgement. "Most scientists say
it is fairly guarded, and is supportable. It allows both a substantial role for
the Sun, and an inconsequential one. All the evidence suggests that it's
greenhouse rather than solar forcing that's the problem, but the IPCC leaves the
door open. It is this range of uncertainties that makes future predictions so
difficult."" (BBC Online)
"In sum, a strategy must recognize what is possible. In climate
research and modeling, we should recognize that we are dealing with a coupled
non-liner chaotic system, and therefore that the prediction of a specific
future climate state is not possible." -- Final chapter, Draft TAR
2000 (Third Assessment Report), IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change).
"The forcings that drive long-term climate change are not known
with an accuracy sufficient to define future climate change." --
James Hansen, whose alarmist presentation to congress more than a decade ago
did so much to set all this nonsense in train.
"The consensus is that major advances are needed in our modelling
and interpretation of temperature profiles . . . and their analysis by the
scientific community worldwide." -- David Parker, Hadley Centre for
Climate Prediction and Research, Berkshire.
(*** This maintained for historical accuracy only - the
mentioned poll is old and should not be cited: [A Gallup poll of members of the American Geophysical
Union and the American Meteorological Society finds only 18 per cent believe
global warming is demonstrable. Half said flatly it hasn't happened.] ***)
In fact, more than 17,000
scientists, the majority with advanced qualifications and, more importantly,
scientists in appropriate disciplines rather than "concerned
proctologist" or whatever, have put their
names (and careers) to a petition stating:
We urge the United States government to reject the global warming agreement
that was written in Kyoto, Japan in December, 1997, and any other similar
proposals. The proposed limits on greenhouse gases would harm the
environment, hinder the advance of science and technology, and damage the
health and welfare of mankind.
There is no convincing scientific evidence that human release of carbon
dioxide, methane, or other greenhouse gasses is causing or will, in the
foreseeable future, cause catastrophic heating of the Earth's atmosphere and
disruption of the Earth's climate. Moreover, there is substantial scientific
evidence that increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide produce many
beneficial effects upon the natural plant and animal environments of the
Earth.
This leaves me agreeing with Fred Palmer:
"At this point in the debate, it is intellectually dishonest and
borders on fraudulent to continue to maintain that there is any reasonable
basis to fear a coming climate apocalypse. Yet the scientific establishment
continues to grind out tortured "studies" to prove black is white.
Those involved in this charade are doing lasting damage to science and the
reputations of scientists. Hell, you are no different than the worst lawyers -
you will say whatever people want you to say so long as you are paid."
-- Fred Palmer, president of the Greening Earth Society.
"Cost
of running a car 'too low'" - "Road transport costs in
the UK are not too high but too low, a Labour peer has suggested, citing an
estimated 19,000 deaths a year from air pollution." (Ananova)
Ah, yes - creative
accounting and the pollution "victims". What is modern city
air quality like compared with say, 50 years ago? Does the term "killer
fog" ring any bells? Average human lifespans have increased by roughly 20
years in the industrialised world since the proliferation of the terrible
automobile - an obvious indicator of extirpation.
"Dieting
Athletes Put Fertility at Risk" - "MONDAY, Oct. 2 -- An
inadequate diet -- not physical exertion -- may be the trigger that shuts off
menstrual cycles in some female athletes." (HealthSCOUT)
"Global
Air-Cleaning No Easy Task" - "Researchers at the National
Energy Technology Laboratory in West Virginia are working to find ways to pull
carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere and pack it away so it can no longer
contribute to global warming. The goal: to permanently store CO2 inside certain
minerals, use it to beef up weak soil and grow trees and inject it deep into
rocks at the bottom of the ocean. Carbon dioxide, ever-present in daily life, is
the largest component of greenhouse gases. Generated by cars, power plants and
other industries, the warmth it helps create may contribute to melting glaciers,
rising sea levels and other ecological problems." (Fox News)
Carbon dioxide is also produced by forests, oceans,
babies and cute furry animals - so what? It doesn't "create" warmth
but can absorb infrared radiation.
The enhanced greenhouse hypothesis speculates that
increases in atmospheric content of the minor greenhouse gases (water vapour
is the major greenhouse gas) could lead to atmospheric warming, in
turn, leading to surface warming. Bit of a problem there because the atmospheric
temperature is not reflecting changes in greenhouse gas levels.
Little or no warming is predicted for the tropics
(because the tropical atmosphere is already saturated) while massive warming
is touted for polar regions simply because that is where the warming potential
exists. Well, levels of the minor greenhouse gases (combined) have increased
by nearly 50% over pre-industrial levels and we would then expect change to be
evident by now. Another problem for warming proselytisers - scientists have
been monitoring the South Polar temperature at the Amundsen-Scott
base since 1957 (getting chilly isn't it), while analysis of Northern
high-latitude temperatures show them the same now as they were in the
1930s. Oops.
Check out John Daly's Stations
Page on his excellent Still
Waiting For Greenhouse site for a terrific selection of temperature
tracks from rural and remote weather stations. Not too much warming in
evidence.
This raises another interesting point. The atmosphere is
not warming beyond normal variability and yet the 'surface' record appears to
indicate significant warming. As far as I know, no one has postulated a
plausible mechanism by which a warming atmosphere could cause surface warming
while demonstrating an absence of atmospheric warming. How could this
be? The answer may lie here.
"Anti-GM
vigilantes marshal forces in India, push for 10-year moratorium" -
"NEW DELHI -- They have come from different parts of the world and have
different professions, but they have one common enemy -- genetically engineered
products and one common cause -- to "save" India from the disastrous
end of " genetic pollution"." (Xinhua News Agency)
"China
says GM crops are answer to future food supply" - "CHANGCHUN,
China -- Genetic technology, instead of chemical fertilizer, will help realize
an increase in the amount of corn produced in China in the coming years, expert
said."
(Xinhua News Agency)
"Biotech
group pledges to "increase public understanding"" -
"The Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) today issued the following
statement concerning safety and channeling of its products to appropriate
uses." (AgWeb.com)
"Law
review hint after GM protesters cleared" - "Shadow
Agriculture Minister Tim Yeo has accused the Government of "losing public
confidence over GM crops". Mr Yeo was replying to concerns at a
Conservative Party fringe meeting in Bournemouth, over a recent court case
involving Greenpeace protesters who were found not guilty of damaging a GM crop
trial in Norfolk. Mr Yeo told the meeting organised by the Country Landowners
Association that: "It was a most extraordinary decision and does have very
alarming implications. There will have to be a review of the law if it appears
this was a correct interpretation which is likely to be repeated. " He
added: "The Government has completely lost the confidence of the public in
the handling of the whole GM issue."" (Ananova)
"Stakes
raised in Europe's GM food fight" - "LONDON, England -- Across
Europe, from the grocery aisle to the fields, consumers and environmentalists
are stepping up the pressure on governments, scientists and biotechnology
companies in a genetically modified food fight with global implications. Showing
a flair for grass-roots consumer activism, the more strident critics of
bio-engineering brand gene-altered crops "Frankenfoods." By conjuring
a ghoulish image of mutated fruits and vegetables on dinner plates, opponents
have helped galvanise a consumer backlash against GM food." (CNN)
"GM
Maize Opponents Struggle at Hearing" - "LONDON - A former
dental surgeon, a wildlife expert and a Welshman opposed including GM maize on
the UK's National Seed List on Tuesday at an unprecedented hearing sent reeling
by the producer's refusal to offer witnesses. Campaigners forced the government
to hold what could turn into a 10-week hearing by exploiting little-known
provisions in seed legislation to fight a bid by biotech company Aventis to
register the seed variety, Chardon LL, for marketing. But on Monday, the first
day, lawyers for Aventis said the company would send no representatives for
cross-examination. They argued the seed variety had passed all necessary
tests." (Reuters)
Companies don't want to give the technophobes a free
kick? Imagine that...
"USDA Agrees
to Alter Animal Welfare Act" - "In a move biomedical
researchers say could undermine lifesaving experimentation in this country, the
U.S. Department of Agriculture has granted legal protection to mice, rats and
birds under the Animal Welfare Act." (Fox News)
"Cleansing
The Land For Milk And Honey" - "Former Naval Academy Farm to
Be Purified and Reborn as Organic Dairy
If you've ever wondered about media bias, that Washington Post headline says it
all. It's going to be very difficult to get the truth about organic agriculture
out (i.e. that it's no more healthful - just less productive - than conventional
farming) with media bias like this." (GuestChoice.com)
"Brazen
Terrorists" - "In light of members of Greenpeace UK being
released without criminal charges following their destruction of genetically
improved crop fields, American eco-terrorists are stepping up their activities.
One anti-choice group has even gone so far as to provide video footage and still
photographs from their latest terrorist attack on genetically improved crops
being tested at the University of California-Davis." (GuestChoice.com)
"London
road-tests paving stones that 'eat' pollution"
- "The streets of London may never be paved with gold, but they may soon be
paved with stuff that sucks up pollution. Westminster City Council is
demonstrating its determination to improve air quality by becoming the first
city in Europe to test a groundbreaking pollution-eating paving stone. Pioneered
by Japan's Mitsubishi Materials Corporation, the paving blocks break down
pollution from car exhausts. They contain titanium dioxide, the council said
yesterday, which uses sunlight to absorb harmful nitrogen oxides in the
atmosphere and convert them into harmless nitrogen and oxygen. The chemical
reaction works in both wet and dry conditions, it said." (Independent)
"DDT
Injured Eagles, Falcons, Judge Rules" - "A federal
judge ruled Monday that DDT pollution on the ocean floor is responsible for
decades of injuries to bald eagles and peregrine falcons on the Channel
Islands." (LA Times)
Check out 100 things District Judge
Real should know about DDT and Facts
Versus Fears: DDT
"New
studies differ on flu vaccine's value" - "CHICAGO (October 3,
2000 10:23 a.m. EDT http://www.nandotimes.com) - A new study suggests flu
vaccines could help children stay well and reduce the use of over-prescribed
antibiotics. But while the vaccine could also help keep adults under age 65
healthy and reduce missed work days, a cost-analysis conducted in another study
found no savings in giving the flu shots to those adults." (AP)
"The National
Anxiety Center's 'Warning Signs'" - Check out Alan Caruba's latest
column
"Anthrax
Shots, Illness Linked, Congress Told" - "WASHINGTON - The
military's mandatory anthrax inoculations are making people sick and should be
halted or made voluntary, a series of witnesses who became ill after taking the
shots told Congress on Tuesday." (Reuters)
"Study:
Dioxins in Arctic Canada Linked to South" - "NEW YORK -
Cancer-causing dioxins polluting Canada's Arctic region have been linked for the
first time to specific incinerators and smelters thousands of miles south in the
United States, Canada and Mexico, a study released on Tuesday said."
(Reuters)
Ben
& Jerry's strikes again?
"GAS
PRICES: GORE'S ACHILLES' HEEL" - "IF George W. Bush wants to score big tonight, he
should hit Al Gore hard on energy prices -specifically, on Gore's strong support
for the international Kyoto Protocol, which the Clinton-Gore Energy Department
says would drive up gasoline prices by 53 percent, and home-heating costs by 147
percent. Gore has long backed many policies that drive up energy costs: He has a
firm belief they should be higher. In his book "Earth in the
Balance," the vice president makes no bones about his belief that
"higher taxes on fossil fuels ... is one of the logical first steps in
changing our policies in a manner consistent with a more responsible approach to
the environment." In other words, Gore specifically advocates a policy of
raising taxes on fossil fuels to the point where consumers are forced to use
less. And if Gore gets his way and enacts the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, the
international treaty to restrict emissions of carbon dioxide and other so-called
greenhouse gases believed to contribute to global warming, things will get a
whole lot worse." (Ben Lieberman in the New York Post, Oct 3)
"Debate
Rises Over a Quick(er) Climate Fix" - "A sharp new debate has
sprung up among atmospheric scientists over where to aim efforts to stave off
the prospect of global warming from the buildup of heat-trapping greenhouse
gases in the atmosphere. Some say the main target should be carbon dioxide, the
most common greenhouse gas, while others say the most practical solution is to
focus first on less common, but more powerful, substances possibly influencing
climate, like methane, ozone and soot." (New York Times)
If it ain't broke - don't fix it!
"New
Efficiency Standards Proposed for Appliances" - "WASHINGTON,
Oct. 2 — Central air-conditioning and heat pumps would have to do the same
amount of work on 20 percent to 30 percent less electricity under standards that
will be proposed on Tuesday by the Energy Department as part of a broad effort
to reduce consumption by appliances to cut air pollution, fuel use and strain on
the electric system. The added costs for central air- conditioning and heat
pumps would be greater than the cost of the energy saved, officials said, but
the reduced need for new power plants might make up the difference." (New
York Times)
First, they were in your toilets with mandated
low-flush...
"Suspended
fines for French anti-GMO campaigners" - "FOIX, France - A
French court yesterday handed down suspended fines to four environmental
activists for destroying an experimental crop of genetically modified rapeseed
last year." (Reuters)
"US
EPA head says no decision on mercury-utilities rule" -
"WASHINGTON - U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Carol
Browner said yesterday no decision has been made on whether the agency would
begin regulating mercury emissions from coal-fired power plants." (Reuters)
"Air
pollution may cause vitamin D deficiency" - "NEW YORK: A haze
of polluted air may cause vitamin D deficiency in young children, British
investigators reported here at the 22nd annual meeting of the American Society
for Bone and Mineral Research. Concerned that air pollution and related haze
might block ultraviolet B radiation from sunlight, Dr. Zulf Mughal, a consultant
pediatrician at the University of Manchester, England, worked with researchers
at the University of Delhi, in India, to measure haze in Mori Gate, located in
the central part of Delhi, and Gurgoan, on the city's outskirts." (Times of
India)
"Maine
clergy tackle global warming" - "PORTLAND, Maine, Oct. 3 (UPI)
-- Mixing religion and politics, a coalition of Maine clergy has urged its
congregations to take the initiative in halting global warming. The clergy
called for parishioners to lobby their senators to ratify the Kyoto Protocol,
the international agreement that would reduce the burning of fossil fuels."
(UPI)
God flush the Kyoto Protocol
October 3, 2000
"Uphill
fight for GM trials" - "SPOT the difference between the
following two approaches to biotechnology:
Example one: "Farm-scale crop trials, possible accidental gene transfer and
genetic modification of animals are top of the agenda for a new
commission."
Example two: "Genetic modification could lead to zombie farm animals
programmed to feel no pain or stress, government advisers warned
yesterday."
Example two, from the Daily Mail, went on to warn of animal vegetables and
"Frankenstein farmyards". The warnings, suitably dressed up for front
page treatment, came from two members of the agricultural and environment
biotechnology commission established in June to advise government. ... But only
those which agree with the Daily Mail that the implications of biotechnology
have not moved on since Mary Shelley invented Frankenstein and his monster two
centuries ago have any chance of being printed.
The views of Matthew Freeman, a senior researcher in molecular biology, and
Ben Mepham, executive director of the food ethics council, passed the Mail’s
test. What Dr Mepham actually said was that it might become "technically
possible" to produce "animal vegetables" which were highly
prolific and oblivious to their physical and mental status. Dr Freeman warned:
"Animal GM has not yet hit the public consciousness in the way that plant
GM has ... but as a controversial issue this has all the right elements."
It certainly has, given the Mail treatment. The fact that Drs Freeman and
Mepham both say that the benefits of some genetic modification of animals could
revolutionise medicine and prevent much human pain and suffering is mentioned at
the end." (The Scotsman)
"Science
award winners hope to dispel GM fears" - "The winners of the
Prime Minister's Science Award say the recognition should help dispel fear about
genetic modification techniques. The Prime Minister will present CSIRO
scientists Jim Peacock and Liz Dennis with his award tonight for their discovery
of the gene that controls flowering in plants. The research can be used to boost
the world's food supply by making crops less susceptible to bad weather.
Dr Peacock hopes the award will show the benefits of such technology and
convince the community to dismiss some opponents of genetic modification.
"Greenpeace is among them, Gene Ethics is another group that often uses
shoddy and often misleading information to try and grab the headlines against
us," he said. "The organic farming groups in Australia I think have
been conned actually into taking a position quite contrary [to what]...they
really should be taking. This is a very positive thing for organic
farming." (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
"GM
protestors complain they missed destroying a "secret" test plot"
- "Just when you think the GM controversy in Britain can't get more
bizarre, it does. The objectors used to demand total proof of GM safety before
such crops are used in human food... but lately they've pledged to destroy any
trials to create that proof. In this story, the outrage is that the vandals
missed destroying a trial because the government didn't point out where it
was." (AgWeb.com)
"Malians
Consume 6.5 Million Tons of Firewood Annually" - "Firewood
accounts for close to 99 percent of Mali's domestic fuel needs, a study
conducted by the National Energy Bureau in Bamako says. According to a survey
for 2000, each Malian uses an average of 1.5 kg of firewood per day or 6.5
million tons each year among a population of more than 11.9 million. This amount
represents the equivalent to around 464,285 hectares (1.15 million acres) of
forested areas, the study indicates." (Pan African News Agency)
But Greenpeace told me restricting power generation was
good for the planet - unlike those rapacious loggers who, uh... destroy
forests.
"Top-level
fuss over tobacco billions" - "With the control of billions of
dollars at stake, Beacon Hill power brokers are engaging in a furious,
behind-the-scenes struggle over who will manage the assets, award the lucrative
investment contracts, and dole out the high-paying jobs to run the newly created
tobacco trust. State Treasurer Shannon P. O'Brien is challenging Governor Paul
Cellucci over how best to manage and invest the hundreds of millions of dollars
that the cigarette manufacturers are giving to Massachusetts for each of the
next 25 years under a 1998 national tobacco settlement." (Boston Globe)
So good that this is not about money...
"Agribiz
Firms Seen To Focus Next On Consumer Needs In Development Of Gene-Altered
Food" - "After developing genetically modified crops that
primarily benefit farmers, big agribusiness firms will soon be concentrating on
genetically altered food crops that will benefit consumers, a scientist noted
last week. US-based Dr. Channapatna S. Prakash, a professor of plant molecular
genetics at Tuskegee University in Alabama, said he sees multinational
agribusiness companies focusing next on developing food crops that will respond
more to the needs of consumers. He said such effort will be fuelled by greater
market demand for products that bring more benefits to consumers rather than
producers." (Business World)
"FDA
to Test Other Foods for Biotech Corn --Green Group" -
"WASHINGTON - The Food and Drug Administration plans to test some snack
foods, breakfast cereals and other foods containing corn flour to see if they
contain the same unapproved variety of biotech corn found in taco shells, a
coalition of anti-biotech groups said on Monday." (Reuters)
"Press
critics note media’s favoritism toward Al Gore" - "On
Tuesday, George W. Bush will go head to head with Al Gore in the first
presidential debate. Will the referees be wearing gloves also? The referees are
Washington’s press pack, which has dictated the campaign’s direction for a
month. In a capital press corps lacking ideological diversity — reporters
voted 89 percent for Bill Clinton and just 7 percent for George Bush in 1992,
according to a Roper-Freedom Forum poll — that direction has decidedly favored
Democrat Gore. So glaring has the press interference been, it has caught the
attention of both GOP partisans and respected media critics like the National
Journal’s Charlie Cook, Fox News’ Brit Hume and the Washington Post’s
Howard Kurtz. (Henry Payne in The Detroit News)
"Renewable
energy: good for the world, better for the bottom line" - "The
search for clean alternatives to fossil fuels has held Canada’s public
imagination for more than three decades, yielding some remarkable technologies
since the early days of the ecology movement. But they haven't produced much in
the way of sales. So the pitchmen and the pioneers of the clean energy trade
have shaken themselves from the dream of greening the planet with good
intentions. Forget about pollution and climate change; the masses aren’t
interested." (ENN)
To be viable, "renewables" need to be
practical, reliable and affordable. Solar suffers from a disadvantage due to
the sun's unfortunate habit of being on the wrong side of the planet half the
time, meaning it can only be a supplement to baseload generation or you must
have some storage medium for electricity and that's both expensive and has
environmental cost.
On the point of "greening the planet", check
out Greening Earth Society
or Center for the Study of Carbon Dioxide
and Global Change - you might get a surprise about just how much coal
fired generation does for the greening of the planet.
See also the above item on Mali's use of biofuel. Doing a
lot for their local environment you reckon?
Here's a different perspective on wildfires: "Wildfires
spark gains for loggers" - "But for Joseph, a town of 1,300 in
remote northeastern Oregon, the $2.6 million the Forest Service spent fighting
the fire over one week — much of it spent locally on everything from
bulldozers to sack lunches — was more than three times the annual payroll of
the one shift still working at the town's last surviving sawmill. "It's sad
to say everybody gets excited when the fires burn," Zacharias says.
"It's about the only boost in our economy anymore." (ENN)
"Dumb & Dumber"
- "Who do you call when you need someone to rail against something that the
U.S.
Department of Agriculture, World
Health Organization, and American
Dietetic Association say is not only safe, but is a potential lifesaver? In
their campaign against food irradiation, Ralph
Nader's Public Citizen turns to Dr. Samuel Epstein, who was ranked
last among a group of scientists in terms of confidence in level of
expertise on environmental cancer by the American Association for Cancer
Research. Sounds like desperation time…" (GuestChoice.com)
"Organic
Food Claims Rebuffed" - "In Britain the food faddists are
having a field day. Sales of organic produce are rocketing, partly due to food
safety scares I described in March. Supermarkets report an 18% increase in 12
months. Vegetarianism is up 7% since 1998. The claims made by European
protagonists of organically-produced food seem to have got out of hand. Four of
five claims recently have been publicly slapped down by Britain’s
government-backed advertising watchdog, the Advertising Standards Authority
(ASA)." (National Hog Farmer)
"Paradise
image hides deadly chemicals" - "Auckland - They might look
like picture-postcard paradises but the South Pacific’s smallest nations are
being threatened by their own bewildering array of wastes, a new report says.
Many of the nations cited for making a mess of themselves are critical of
industrial nations which, they claim, are going to swamp them through global
warming and a rising sea level."
"Chilling
tale for icepack addicts" - "People who use a packet of frozen
peas to bring down the swelling on a bruise or strain could be risking
frostbite, say doctors." (BBC Online)
"Smoking
May Lead to Teen Depression, U.S. Study Finds" - "CHICAGO -
Contrary to the notion that depressed teen-agers were more likely to take up
smoking, a study found that young people who became smokers were more likely to
become depressed, researchers said on Monday." (Reuters)
"Swiss
cabinet rejects time limits on nuclear plants" - "BERNE - The
Swiss government decided yesterday against putting time limits on the operation
of nuclear power plants. Citing economic reasons and the need to cap carbon
dioxide emissions, the government took the decision as part of preparations for
a new nuclear energy bill which it plans to present in parliament next March at
the earliest." (Reuters)
"US
Grains-Corn exports unhurt by tainted tacos" - "CHICAGO - The
discovery of corn not approved for human consumption in taco shells has raised
eyebrows but not affected U.S. corn exports in the 10 days since the incident
was made public, exporters said yesterday. There have been no cancellations or
reschedulings of export orders since Kraft Foods, the largest U.S. food company
and a unit of Philip Morris Cos. Inc. , said on September 22 it was voluntarily
recalling Taco Bell taco shells nationwide." (Reuters)
"Goodbye, Joel
Klein" - "Joel I. Klein, leader of the government's antitrust
crusade against Microsoft Corp., announced recently that he will resign as chief
of the Justice Department's antitrust division. Goodbye, Joel, and good
riddance. I say that without an ounce of personal animosity. I like Joel Klein
and actually consider him a friend. He is a smart, dedicated, personable guy.
But, in filing an unwarranted lawsuit and pursuing it with typical Kleinian
fervor, he did enormous damage -- not just to Microsoft itself, but to the
entire high-technology sector, and to the economy. He has been, in short, a
menace to the New Economy." (James Glassman in Reason Magazine)
"Peering
into the Ozone Hole" - "Concentrations of ozone-destroying
gases are down, but the Antarctic ozone hole is bigger than ever. It turns out
there's more to ozone destruction than just CFCs." (NASA release) See also News
on the ozone front
Drunk
Driving Limit Hits Hill Roadblock - "Just as Congress appears
poised to impose a national drunk driving standard for the first time, opponents
are launching a furious, last-minute lobbying campaign to derail the
measure." (Washington Post)
"A
LOOK AT . . . Patents & Biotech" - "But the real story
here is one of complexity, not scandal--and we shouldn't be too quick to
denounce Elan or companies like it. In an era when the pharmaceutical industry
estimates the average cost of successfully developing a new drug to be more than
$500 million and biotech companies as a group lost $5 billion last year, one
thing is clear: Companies cannot afford to get involved in innovative research
without the possibility of profit. Patents give companies a fighting chance of
recouping their enormous investment costs, and of making money for shareholders.
Without that protection, they could not raise the funds necessary to pursue new
lifesaving drugs or therapies at all." (Washington Post)
"Letting
Down Our Reserves" - "Only the innocent could believe that
President Clinton's decision to release 30 million barrels of oil from the
Strategic Petroleum Reserve wasn't driven mainly by politics. Whatever the
stated justifications, the essence of this act is to provide a roughly $1
billion federal subsidy to Al Gore's campaign. (This values the oil at about $33
a barrel.) As politics, the gambit may play well. Americans don't like high
gasoline and heating oil prices. They don't like OPEC. Clinton's action--at
Gore's urging--aims to cast George W. Bush and Dick Cheney, who criticized the
move, as patsies for the oil moguls. But as energy policy, it's a bad idea of
strained legality." (Robert J. Samuelson in the Washington Post)
October 2, 2000
"The
fuzzy goals of antiglobalization activists" - "THIS PAST WEEK
the Czech capital, Prague, became the scene of the latest of post-Seattle
antiglobalization protests, occasioned by the annual meeting of the
International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. Many people who undoubtedly
disapprove of the protesters' violent rampage still believe they have a message
that needs to be heard. San Francisco Chronicle editorial writer Ruth Rosen
hails them as champions of equality, justice, and human rights. But in many ways
their fight is more like a big tantrum against the modern world." (Cathy
Young in the Boston Globe)
"NEW ICEBERG
IN THE ROSS SEA, NATIONAL ICE CENTER REPORTS" - "September
29, 2000 — A new iceberg, 345 square miles in area, has splintered away from
Antarctic's Ross Ice Shelf in the Ross Sea, the National
Ice Center in Suitland, Md., reports." (NOAA News)
Ice shelves are the result of
glacial snow and ice accumulation. When gravity overcomes ground friction
glacial creep occurs and the glacier eventually runs out of land surface,
extruding out to sea. Tidal motion and currents conspire to fracture the
unsupported structure and ice bergs are calved.
Given the current hype over
global warming, how long before some fool tries to claim this as evidence of the
dreaded warming? Try Friday - last Friday:
"Large
iceberg breaks free from Antarctica" - "...The
Ross Ice Shelf, on the part of Antarctica closest to Australia and New
Zealand, is one of two massive ice fields on the continent that have been the
site of increased "calving" of huge icebergs. While Iceberg B-20 is
large, it is dwarfed by others that have separated from the Ross and Ronne Ice
Shelves in recent years. Many scientists have speculated that the increase in
the separation of ice from the Antarctic continent is caused by human-induced
global warming, ..."
Had to happen. In case anyone's
forgotten about the events of last May:
"Three
giant bergs calved in Antarctic" - "... It
is unlikely that these calving events are the result of regional climate
warming. With the loss of these three icebergs, the front of the Ronne Ice Shelf
returns to about the same position it occupied in the 1950s. Large Antarctic ice
shelves advance slowly and calve icebergs periodically."
Translation: after a half-century of
growth, the ice shelves are over extended and unstable. Current calving events
are returning them to about the same boundary as they were prior to
intensive fossil fuel use and significant change in atmospheric levels of
so-called greenhouse gases (GHGs).
Parenthetically,
"greenhouse" is an appalling analogy for the infrared absorbency of
these gases. The glass on a greenhouse interrupts thermal convection, reducing
energy transfer to the wider atmosphere (you remember - warm air rises, hot air
balloons...) and would not work if it was infrared opaque. Since GHGs do not
prevent atmospheric mixing they most certainly do not act like the glass
on a greenhouse.
"Catalytic
Converters May Cause Pollution" - "SATURDAY, Sept. 30 -- The
same devices credited with clearing up vehicle air pollution around the world
may in fact be polluting the atmosphere. Researchers at the University of
California, (UC) Berkeley, say that catalytic converters -- considered so
essential in reducing auto emissions -- appear to produce large quantities of
ammonia, which can result in the heavy layers of brownish haze that blanket
many urban areas. (HealthSCOUT)
"World
Conservationists Meet to Set Global Agenda" - "LONDON -
Environmentalists, politicians and scientists will hammer out a global agenda
to save endangered species and preserve the world's ecosystems at an
international conservation conference in Jordan this week. The World
Conservation Union (IUCN) said its eight-day congress will bring together
2,500 delegates from 140 countries in the biggest gathering of its kind in the
Middle East and one of the largest since the 1992 Rio Earth Summit."
(Reuters)
Gee, wonder why have we had all those release on
species endangerment lately?
"Scientists
puzzled by study showing pollution rises at night" - "HOUSTON
– Scientists say they are in the dark about an air-quality study showing that
smog-related air pollution in Texas' smoggiest city climbs at night. Scientists
involved in the recently completed Texas 2000 Air Quality Study also discovered
that Houston sometimes has "ozone episodes" or occasions when
ground-level ozone pollution skyrockets without an apparent cause. Study
scientists say they have yet to determine what such observations may mean, the Houston
Chronicle reported in Saturday's editions. The findings "hit us in the
face," said Peter H. Daum of the Brookhaven National Laboratory in Upton,
N.Y." (AP)
"Protesters
demand end to using nuclear energy" - "TOKYO, Japan –
Anti-nuclear activists, some dressed in funeral black, called for an end to
nuclear energy in a noisy demonstration Saturday, a year after Japan's worst
nuclear accident killed two people and exposed hundreds to radiation. More than
100 demonstrators shouted through bullhorns outside the Science and Technology
Agency, demanding the government pull the plug on Japan's nuclear power
industry. Nuclear power generates about a third of electricity in this
resource-poor country."
Today's Gore-ing 1: Henry
Payne's comment in the Detroit News October 1.
Today's Gore-ing 2:"Midwest,
meet Al Gore unplugged" - "Republicans throughout the Midwest
are privately expressing frustration that George W. Bush hasn’t gone after Al
Gore more aggressively on his extreme environmental views, including his pledge
to phase out the internal combustion engine. Michigan GOP leader Rusty Hills
speculates that Bush officials “just don’t believe people will believe the
things Gore has said about the subject.” (Thomas J Bray in yesterday's Detroit
News)
"Sue
Everywhere" - "The European Commission has proposals on the
table to make product liability laws in Europe more consumer-friendly. If you're
doing business there, you'd better pay attention." (Forbes)
"Voodoo
Investing" - "In science, a little knowledge really is a
dangerous thing." (Michael Fumento in Forbes)
"Nothing
Comes Between Me And My SUV" - "... Which is more dangerous, a
bicycle or a nuclear power plant? The statistics say that bicycles are the
killers--773 deaths in 1998. Nukes didn't kill anyone. But people's hunches run
the other way. They worry more about tornadoes (130 deaths a year) than crossing
the street (2,708 deaths), more about commercial jets (0.03 deaths per 100
million passenger miles) than about driving at night (16,480 between 8 p.m. and
4 a.m.)." (Melanie Wells and Robyn Meredith, Forbes)
"Locking
Up Greenhouse Gas Studied" - "MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) —
Researchers at the National Energy Technology Laboratory use big words to
explain their work, words like ``terrestrial carbon sequestration'' and ``gigaton.''
Perhaps that's because of the scope of their task: Cleaning up the Earth's air
is a big job. Scientists here are studying ways to suck carbon dioxide out of
the atmosphere and lock it up so it can no longer contribute to global warming."
(AP)
That's great fellas. Uh... ever noticed that there's no
indication that carbon dioxide is, in fact, contributing to global warming? Or
that increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide are responsible for about 12% of
the yield increases in global food crops? That increased forest productivity
from this source has preserved even more wildland and wildlife habitat? It could
be that liberating a portion of sequestered carbon is the most
biosphere-friendly thing humans have ever done. After all, the carbon released
from the burning of fossil fuels was originally sourced from the atmosphere by
thriving biological activity, activity which declined as its carbon resource was
depleted. Are we really sure we want to undo our good work?
"Direct
action against another's property: is it ever justifiable?" -
"Yes - Bruce Kent: 'It should be self-evident that those
who own land have no right to do what they like with it'
(!?)
No - Ann Mallalieu: 'Peaceful demonstration within the law is far more effective
than trashing a field of maize'" (Debate in
UK's Independent on Sunday)
"Millions
of trees felled in UK forestry crisis" - "Britain's forestry
problems have been aggravated by the actions of conservationists, industry
figures say, even though groups like Greenpeace oppose the indiscriminate
felling in the virgin forests of developing countries. The creation of
commercially sustainable forestry in the UK has been frustrated by interest
groups concerned about the impact on local wildlife. Michael Harvey, managing
director of Maelor Nurseries, believes the opposition is misconceived."
(Independent)
"'Secret
test' threat to GM crop trials" - "The row centres on a
GM trial site at Dartington, in Devon, which became a cause célèbre two
years ago after a farmer claimed it could contaminate his organic crops. After
the farmer unsuccessfully appealed to the High Court to stop the trial, the
field was invaded by local protesters who uprooted the plants.
The National Institute of Agricultural Botany, which was carrying out the
trials, had agreed to supply information about it to the Farm Association, one
of its main opponents. But after the invasion, its director, John MacLeod,
wrote to the association to say he could no longer provide the information
because of "the total destruction of that trial".
...But yesterday the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (Maff)
said there had been a second GM crop on the site which had not been destroyed.
It said the letter to the Soil Association had been carefully worded because
the institute had not wanted to "volunteer information that could have
caused another crop to have been destroyed"." (Independent)
"Scottish
salmon farming revolution that has left the seas awash with toxic chemicals"
- "Environmentalists have accused the salmon farming industry of
poisoning shellfish stocks, thus creating toxic algal blooms around the coast
which threaten the survival of wild salmon stocks. Fish farms have also been
accused of using illegal toxic chemicals, leading to criminal inquiries by
environmental regulators. Mass escapes of farmed fish have also led to claims
that these will irrevocably damage the country's wild stocks."
(Independent)
"Workers
in contaminated homes" - "A study has revealed that Dounreay
Nuclear Plant workers have been contaminating their homes with radioactive
particles from their clothes." (BBC Online)
"Forget
fruit, toast is the 'healthy' breakfast" - "LONDON - One
slice of toast is better than fruit and yoghurt first thing, say French
scientists. And as for a fry-up, forget it. For years nutritionists have been
telling us to make sure we start the day with a substantial healthy breakfast.
"Breakfast like a king," is the often-repeated mantra. But research
by French scientists published in the British Journal of Nutrition has found
that the advice may be misplaced. They say a humble piece of buttered toast is
a much healthier petit daacéjeuner than bread, yoghurt and fruit, as the
latter is likely to lead to weight gain." (New Zealand Herald)
Gee, I wonder how this will go with the Just
say No! to toast campaign?
"Poverty
cuts years off NZ lives" - "Poverty cuts nine years off the
lifespan of New Zealand men and more than six years off women's lives. The
stark statistics presented by health researchers are some of the sharpest
indicators of the links between poverty and health." (New Zealand Herald)
"Finland
seen set to boost its nuclear power" - "HELSINKI - Finland
may soon become the only European country to increase its dependence on
nuclear power." (Reuters)
"Standards for
websites on health coming" - "NEW YORK: A Washington-based
organisation, better known for accrediting managed care organisations, is
preparing to put its stamp of approval on purveyors of e-health. URAC,
formerly called the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission, announced on
Thursday that it has appointed an advisory committee to begin developing
standards for accrediting health websites. Draft standards will be tested and
released for public comment in the coming months. Final standards are expected
to be completed by Spring 2001 for implementation later that year."
(Times of India)
"Stressed
Out About Combat" - "Poor Francoise Monnin. The widow of
Jean-Denis, a navy mechanic who died in 1996, was about to have her husband
declared the first official French Gulf War syndrome victim when a surprise
turn around occurred at her September hearing before a pensioners commission.
The French government produced military records that said Monnin never served
in the Gulf during the war with Iraq. Finally, a conclusive diagnosis."
(Washington Post)
October 1, 2000
It's October and junk science minds naturally turn to
witch hunting - either that or they thought yesterday was Halloween:
"Watch
out, diet cooldrinks can kill you" - "Diet cooldrinks and
sweeteners contain an ingredient that could be harmful to consumers, with side
effects ranging from headaches, mental confusion and seizures to a risk of
cancer and Alzheimer's disease.
This is the warning from international researchers and anti-food toxin activists
who say there are 9 000 products on the market that contain aspartame - a
sweetener which they claim can lead to 92 documented symptoms, even leading to
coma and death. They warn that people have suffered disorders with doses as
small as a single stick of chewing gum." (Saturday Star, S.A.)
You have to admit, they
practice what they preach as far as junk recycling goes. MPI airhead Betty
Martini is apparently following the lead of Greenpeace, et al, in
taking their venomous scares to impoverished regions in order to find
sufficient undereducated people among whom they can whip up some hysteria. See
also: ACSH
Debunks Internet Health Hoax; Aspartame
and the internet; NutraSweet
and Brain Tumors; Saccharin
May Be Delisted From NIH's Carcinogen List; Sweetener
Is Safe, Government Panel Says
"Co.
To Buy Back Biotech Corn Crop" -
"WASHINGTON (AP) - The government wants to make sure
that a variety of gene-altered corn linked to a nationwide recall of taco
shells doesn't get into the food supply again. Aventis CropScience, the
company that produces the corn seed, agreed Friday to buy all of this year's
crop, worth an estimated $68 million. Federal officials say there is no known
health risk from the corn, known as StarLink, but it has not been approved for
human consumption because scientists are unsure whether it might cause
allergic reactions." (AP)
Cartoon of the moment: "Campaign
in the balance" - Larry Wright in yesterday's Detroit News. See
also Henry
Payne's comment on the 26th.
"Five
million acres wanted for 5-inch frogs" - "The U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service is moving forward to declare more than 5 million acres of
California land critical habitat for the endangered California red-legged
frog." (ENN)
Pre-COP6 hype of the day: "Global
warming portends more heavy weather"
- "As much as the world tries not to warm up to
heat-trapping greenhouse gases, it continues to warm up from them. Climate
change is already causing an increase in the number and intensity of natural
disasters, according to a study released Friday by the World Wildlife Fund.
The report, "Climate
Change and Extreme Weather Events," concludes that as concentrations
of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere continue to rise, so, too, will the
intensity of rainstorms, floods, droughts and other extreme weather events."
(ENN)
The World Wide Font of Nonsense
with their latest contribution to global warming hysteria. We can expect a
lot of disaster prognostication over the next month or so as the IPCC gravy
train prepares to meet again at The Hague in November. The global warming
hysteria brigade are becoming quite desperate as their carefully contrived
scare comes unstuck. Earth steadfastly refuses to behave as the
computer games
climate models insist that it should. Click
here to see the monthly atmospheric mean temperature track - doesn't
bear any relation to the near linear increase in the minor greenhouse gas CO2
does it. You can see mean Earth temperatures split by hemisphere here.
Interestingly, in last week's Sunday
Times article, Stronger
sun is blamed for global warming, science editor Jonathan
Leake was commenting on the Tenerife conference THE
SOLAR CYCLE AND TERRESTRIAL CLIMATE. Citing Dr Paal Brekke,
Soho's deputy project scientist: '"Taxing carbon-based fuels may be
good for other reasons but our evidence suggests it will not be much help in
keeping the Earth cool," ... Scientists previously calculated that the
sun radiates only 0.7% more energy than 150 years ago, causing about a tenth
of global warming. Brekke and others say the models underestimated the 3% UV
light increase over the same period, generating extra ozone that locks more
heat into the atmosphere.' They may well be right for there seems a strong
correlation between solar activity and global temperature.
Speaking of increasing stratospheric
ozone, Professor Pat Michaels raised a warning flag about NASA's anticipated
political science in an article on Saturday: An
October Environmental Surprise?
NASA says ozone's depleting, ESA
(European Space Agency) says it's increasing. So which is it? EVAG
collated a series of graphics from NASA's Earth
Probe
Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (EP/TOMS) in an effort to clarify
the situation: News
on the ozone front (be aware that the file contains almost
240kb of graphics). Stratospheric ozone is apparently highly variable and
appears to exhibit seasonality but depleting? Hmm...
"Native
Americans zero in on bioengineering schemes" - "Native
American beliefs hold that all life is sacred and should not be tampered with.
That's why Native activists from around the nation are taking aim at
bioengineering projects that clone animals, create new plant species, and
splinter human genes into their tiniest fragments." (Indian Country
Today)
"Nuclear waste went
to faulty drums" - "YAKIMA, Wash., Sept. 30 — High-level
nuclear waste at the Hanford nuclear reservation was buried decades ago in
bottomless containers less than four miles from the Columbia River, the Energy
Department said Friday. The agency said that may be why the level of
radioactive tritium in area groundwater is 400 times higher than the federal
safety standard." (AP)
Much alarm and wringing of hands. Is it a serious
problem? Should we be spending more on nuclear safety ... or maybe we
already spend too much? Here's Dr
Herbert Inhaber in Nuclear News:
"Are
We
Paying
Too
Much
to
Reduce
Radiological
Risk?"
- "The linear-no-threshold theory of radiation has generated
strident debate ringing down the halls of ANS (American Nuclear Society)
meetings for years. Detractors of the theory claim that it costs the public
truckloads of cash due to excessive regulation of nuclear power and related
industries. ... Prof. Zbigniew Jaworowski of Poland has been a delegate to
UNSCEAR (the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic
Radiation) for decades. In a widely circulated article in Physics Today
last year, he said that the theory has cost the world billions of dollars for
little effect, and is one of the greatest scientific scandals of the twentieth
century."
"Horror
grass threatens devastation" - "AUSTRALIAN weed-control
agencies are racing against time to retrieve an exotic grass, imported as
seeds into Australia through the internet, before it escapes from gardens and
devastates the country's grazing industry. ... Weed experts in Australia
regard Mexican feathergrass as potentially an authentic "superweed"
– a genuine and enormous threat to the environment and to agriculture, as
opposed to the hypothetical risk posed by a weed that may arise from
genetically modified crops." (Sunday Herald Sun)
"Weight
on the mind" - "LONDON: Stress, not diet, may cause women to
pile on the kilos around their stomachs, a study reveals. Experts claim
cortisol, the hormone produced by stress, can make otherwise slender women
accumulate fat around their abdomen. The finding threatens to overturn the
traditional perception that suffering stress causes, if anything, weight
loss." (Sunday Telegraph)
"Fifth
CJD victim in 'cluster'" - "A fifth person has died of
suspected new variant CJD in a small area of Leicestershire. The man, who died
on Thursday evening after months of illness, is believed to have been a farm
worker with links to the village of Queniborough, just north of Leicester. The
village is being investigated by the Department of Health over its high
incidence of the new variant CJD - the human form of 'mad cow disease' BSE -
after four people living within a five-mile radius of each other, died of the
disease." (BBC Online)
"On
the Trail of Genetically Altered Corn Flour From Azteca"
-"... Mr. Lynn said the company's tests for StarLink, performed by
outside laboratories, were inconclusive. Sometimes the corn tests negative and
the flour tests positive. Sometimes multiple samples from the same lot of
flour give different results. The company is about to begin testing corn
arriving at the mill for the presence of StarLink, using a new test introduced
this week by Strategic Diagnostics. Shipments of yellow flour should resume
soon. The whodunit, however, might remain unsolved. "I'm not sure we'll
ever know what happened," Mr. Lynn said, "if it happened.""
(New York Times)
"Eating
the greens" - "Electronics giants such as Sony are using the
internet to hit back at troublesome eco-warriors" (The Observer)
Probably very wise to keep an eye on the eco-worriers.
Bet the biotech industry wish they'd had similar foresight rather than being
blindsided by technophobes.
"The Week
That Was September 30, 2000" - "UN CLIMATE TALKS
INCONCLUSIVE; SHOULD EPA USE COST-BENEFIT ANALYSIS IN SETTING REGULATIONS?;
EPA RELEASES NEW DIOXIN REPORT" (Science and Environmental Policy
Project)
"AA
says fuel tax helps to cut pollution" - "THE fuel tax
escalator helped combat pollution and congestion, according to an AA report
yesterday." (Telegraph)
Uh-huh... Fuel
tax rise will not cut pollution - report "The clear conclusion
from the report is that technology, and not taxes, will be the key to
reducing pollution from Britain's road traffic, said AA spokesman John
Dawson." (Ananova, Friday) Given that these comments
are on the same Glaister report, commissioned by the same Automobile Association,
we can assume that one or more of these reports reflect the biases of the
reporters.