AR-NEWS Digest 503 Topics covered in this issue include: 1) (HK) Search for virus source extends to the mainland by Vadivu Govind 2) (HK) Plan now for epidemic, ADPL urges by Vadivu Govind 3) (HK) Flu detectives get their heads together by Vadivu Govind 4) (SG) More women will get breast cancer by Vadivu Govind 5) (US) FDA Warns of Bacteria in Oysters by allen schubert 6) Fowl play in Zhuhai by jwed 7) sam farr's email address by carol 8) (US) Meat Testing Doesn't Catch it All by allen schubert 9) (US) Clyde Beatty-Cole Bros. Circus in South Jersey by CircusInfo@aol.com 10) (US) Animal-rights activists protest circus by CircusInfo@aol.com 11) (US) CIRCUS PROTEST - TAKING COP TO TUSK by CircusInfo@aol.com 12) [UK] Most BSE cases in Europe 'are not reported' by David J Knowles 13) [UK]Risk from genetic crops 'ignored' by David J Knowles 14) Summer 97 PAWS News online [WA] by bchorush@paws.org (pawsinfo) 15) (AR) Argentine Beef Heads to U.S. by allen schubert 16) Fur Information Council by Jean Colison 17) (US) Dwindling donations force Greenpeace to downsize by allen schubert Date: Sat, 23 Aug 1997 12:23:37 +0800 (SST) From: Vadivu Govind To: ar-news@envirolink.org Subject: (HK) Search for virus source extends to the mainland Message-ID: <199708230423.MAA13732@eastgate.cyberway.com.sg> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" >Hong Kong Standard 23 AUg 97 Search for virus source extends to the mainland By Ceri Williams THE investigation into a new influenza strain which killed a three-year old boy has been extended to the mainland where the virus is suspected to have originated. Dr Barry Bousfield, senior veterinary officer of the Agriculture and Fisheries Department, said that owners of local farms hit by the H5N1 strain in April had bought their chickens from farms in Guangdong which were hit by a flu outbreak in February and March. He pledged the department was willing to help the government's investigating team in tracing the source of the virus. Meanwhile, Hong Kong health officials have asked the mainland authorities to assist their investigation into the rare flu strain previously only known to infect birds. Dr Margaret Chan Fung Fu-chun, Director of Health, has lodged an application with the authorities for assistance. A Department of Health spokesman confirmed they had extended the investigation to the mainland to trace the source of the infection. Meanwhile influenza experts will check the medical history of the boy who died to find how he became the first human known to have contracted flu from birds. A five-strong international team of experts met Department of Health officials on Friday to kick-off their examination of the toddler. The scientists will examine the medical records of the boy and visit possible places where the family may have been exposed to the influenza infection. Specialists from the Government's Virus Unit at Queen Mary Hospital met the team to discuss their initial findings. A Department of Health spokesman named the four members of the team from the Centres for Disease Control in Atlanta: Keiji Fukuda, chief of epidemiology, Catherine Dentinger, epidemic intelligence officer and Xu Xiyan, virologist _ all from the centres' influenza branch. Medical epidemiologist Hector Izurieta has also joined the team in Hong Kong. The spokesman said the head of the Department of Health's team Dr Paul Saw Tain-aun had already met the international team leader to review the case on Thursday. He said the Chinese authorities had also been told about the flu death through its World Health Organisation collaborating centres. The foreign experts will work with members of a special committee set up by the Department of Health following the child's death on 21 May at Queen Elizabeth Hospital. He died after suffering multiple complications including severe pneumonia and multiple organ failure. The main focus of their investigation will be whether the strain has undergone genetic mutation to establish if it could pose a serious threat to humans. Outbreaks of H5N1 occurred in Guangzhou in February and March, killing 1.7 million chickens and costing farmers more than 10 million yuan (HK$9.3 million). Date: Sat, 23 Aug 1997 12:23:43 +0800 (SST) From: Vadivu Govind To: ar-news@envirolink.org Subject: (HK) Plan now for epidemic, ADPL urges Message-ID: <199708230423.MAA13585@eastgate.cyberway.com.sg> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" >Hong Kong Standard 23 Aug 97 Plan now for epidemic, ADPL urges By Norma Connolly MEMBERS of the Association for Democracy and People's Livelihood (ADPL) have urged health officials to come up with a contingency plan to tackle a possible flu epidemic. Led by provisional legislator Mok Ying-fan of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment of Hong Kong, the ADPL delegation submitted three recommendations on combating the influenza virus and buoying public confidence in the Department of Health's handling of the scare. The party urged the health department to set up an inter-departmental group to deal with the situation. It also called for the Department of Health and the Agriculture and Fisheries Department (AFD) to launch a comprehensive review of the rearing of poultry and livestock and for regular screening of birds and animals. ``The Department of Health should teach the AFD methods that could prevent infection among poultry,'' an ADPL spokesman said. Quoting a World Health Organisation report which suggested that four major influenza outbreaks would occur this century, association representatives noted three had already happened ``and the fourth is now reaching its active period''. With Hong Kong the focus of past influenza epidemics, the ADPL expressed surprise that the Department of Health had not been more active in taking preventive measures. The ADPL also urged the government to set up a team specialising in coping with sudden breakouts of previously unknown diseases. Guidelines should also be drawn up for hospitals and medical staff, so rapid action can be taken whenever patients with unfamiliar symptoms and mysterious illnesses are admitted, they said. Date: Sat, 23 Aug 1997 12:23:51 +0800 (SST) From: Vadivu Govind To: ar-news@envirolink.org Subject: (HK) Flu detectives get their heads together Message-ID: <199708230423.MAA12911@eastgate.cyberway.com.sg> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" >Hong Kong Standard 23 Aug 97 Flu detectives get their heads together By Maureen Pao MEDICAL experts gathered from around the world to unravel the mysterious migration of influenza A (H5N1) from bird to human will employ a host of laboratory procedures and rely heavily on past virological research. Prof John Tam Siu-lun, a microbiology specialist from the Chinese University who will assist in the investigation of H5N1, said the first step in the detective work involved comparing virus samples from the deceased patient with those gathered from birds, swine and other livestock. Officials from the Health and Agriculture and Fisheries departments have already begun collecting samples from poultry farms. Prof Tam said stool samples were used because influenza viruses in birds were generally found in the gastrointestinal tract. In humans and pigs, however, the virus is usually found in the throat and nasal passage. Investigators would have to cast a wide net to pinpoint the virus' origin, collecting as many animal samples as possible, Prof Tam said. ``Then we start looking for H5N1 in wildlife. If we find it, is it the same?'' To determine this, the samples must first meet basic criteria such as proximity to the human victim and they must be collected within a relatively limited timeframe. Then, the molecular structure and genetic sequence of the samples will be scrutinised for similaritiand differences. ``How similar or dissimilar are they? And where do mutations, if any, occur?'' And, perhaps most important, the researchers will see if the mutations are responsible for the transmission from avian to human. ``The investigation will rely heavily on previous research that documents the different isolates,'' Prof Tam said. Hundreds of isolates are currently documented. Timing is the key. ``Animals don't have the influenza virus all the time so we have to find infected animals.'' At present, it is unknown how long the virus remains active in chickens and other birds. Meanwhile, The Agriculture and Fisheries Department is continuing with testing chickens from farms to track down the H5N1 flu virus which killed a three-year old Hong Kong boy in May. On Friday, the department collected 50 blood samples from four farms in the New Territories, bringing to more than 130 the total number of specimens being tested since stepped-up checks were implemented two days ago. Since Wednesday, the department's laboratory in Castle Peak has examined nearly 200 faecal samples from chickens. It is understood the avian flu virus is transferred to humans through contact with feathers or faeces. The test results will not be known until next month. The virus killed 4,500 chickens in three farms in Lau Fau Shan in April. Date: Sat, 23 Aug 1997 12:24:00 +0800 (SST) From: Vadivu Govind To: ar-news@envirolink.org Subject: (SG) More women will get breast cancer Message-ID: <199708230424.MAA28674@eastgate.cyberway.com.sg> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" >CNA Daily English News Wire Singapore, Aug. 22 (CNA) More women are expected to be stricken with breast cancer in the future, as the trend toward having fewer children continues, according to a new study in Singapore. The study of Singaporean Chinese women found that for every child a woman has, her risk of getting breast cancer goes down by 18 percent. Other factors suggested by the two-year study point to lifestyle changes -- such as increased food intake -- and declining fertility. A group of researchers at the Singapore General Hospital and the Singapore Cancer Center studied 1,086 women aged between 45 and 69, from 1994 to 1996. The results were published last week in the international journal, Cancer. Breast cancer strikes 40 out of every 100,000 Singapore women, twice the rate of 25 years ago. "Breast cancer rates could rise even more because if you look at women who are now in their 30s, they are having even fewer children and are having them even later than the group that was studied," said Dr. Ng Eng Hen, who led the study. A check with Singapore's birth statistics shows that 2,051 more mothers had their first child between the ages of 30 and 34 in 1995 as compared with 1987. The age of menopause is another risk factor: Menopause at a later age was associated with a higher chance of breast cancer. Menopause usually occurs between the ages of 45 and 50. Each additional year increases the risk by 5 percent. Better nutrition also increases a woman's risk of breast cancer, said Dr. Ng. Women are now taller, and the study shows that women who are more than 1.59 meters tall were twice as likely to get breast cancer as women under 1.5 meters. Also, women are eating more from all food groups, leading to fat being deposited around their waist or greater central obesity. These fat-around-the-waist women are up to nine times more likely to suffer from breast cancer, the study found. The Singapore study reaffirms Western findings. Dr. Ng suggested that because similar dietary and reproductive changes are increasingly evident in neighboring Asian countries with rapidly growing economies, breast cancer is likely to become a greater problem in the rest of Asia as well. Although the study concentrated on Chinese women, Dr. Ng said that the results could also be applied to Malay and Indian women. However, he pointed out that findings are relevant only to women aged 45 and above, as the risk factors for younger women could be very different. Some overseas studies have found that obesity in younger women, for example, may actually lower the risk of breast cancer. Dr. Ng also said that no woman is immune to breast cancer. The risk just increases when there is a family history or if coupled with the various lifestyle changes. (By Conrad Lu) Date: Sat, 23 Aug 1997 00:10:40 -0400 From: allen schubert To: ar-news@envirolink.org Subject: (US) FDA Warns of Bacteria in Oysters Message-ID: <3.0.32.19970823001037.006cc068@clark.net> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" more food contamination from AP Wire page: ------------------------------------- 08/22/1997 21:00 EST FDA Warns of Bacteria in Oysters WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Food and Drug Administration warned consumers Friday that oysters harvested from Washington state waters might contain higher than usual levels of bacteria and must be cooked thoroughly. About 40 illnesses in California and Washington state have resulted from eating raw oysters harvested in Washington waters, the FDA said. Warm weather in the Pacific Northwest has increased levels of Vibrio parahaemolyticus, a naturally occurring marine bacterium that can cause illness, the agency said. High levels of the bacteria have prompted the closure of harvest areas in British Columbia, where about 100 people have become ill from oysters, the FDA said. On Wednesday, the Pacific Coast Oyster Growers Association voluntarily halted shipments of live oysters and notified those who bought oysters before the shipment halt about the problem. FDA officials advised consumers to check the source of any fresh oysters purchased in the past week, and said those from Washington state should be fully cooked to destroy the bacteria before they are eaten. FDA advises boiling the oysters in water three to five minutes after shells open or steaming live oysters four to nine minutes in a steamer that's already steaming. The bacteria is common during warm weather and is not the result of human sewage contamination of the shellfish harvest area, the FDA said. The bacteria can cause diarrhea, abdominal cramps, nausea, vomiting, headache, fever and chills. The symptoms occur four to 48 hours after consumption. The illness usually runs its course in two to three days, but can be more serious in people with weakened immune systems. Date: Sat, 23 Aug 1997 18:44:48 +0000 From: jwed To: ar-news@envirolink.org Subject: Fowl play in Zhuhai Message-ID: <3.0.2.32.19970823184448.0068de2c@pop.hkstar.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Saturday  August 23  1997 South China Morning Post by SIMON BUERK Tycoon David Lieu Tsang-van is master of all he surveys. Literally. Nestled around a man-made lake, his new country club occupies an entire picturesque valley, a 40-minute drive down the bumpy highway from the Zhuhai ferry pier across the border from Macau. High fences march along the distant hilltops encircling his domain, keeping out locals who cannot afford the $255,000 club membership. Wander around the grounds, and there are an unusual number of birds scuttling in the bushes. A faint popping often echoes across the lake, different to the pile-driver boom familiar in the rest of the province. Occasionally guests catch a whiff of cordite. Zhuhai Wansheng Sports and Country Club is Mr Lieu's contribution to hunting, his passion since his first kill in Shanghai in the 1950s. With pheasant, quail and duck, and 100 shotguns laid on, it is a first for southern China. "It's good exercise, climbing up and down hills, hiking, holding a heavy gun," said Mr Lieu, who speaks English with a twangy American accent. "It keeps you fit." Mr Lieu, 61, forked out $130 million to build his dream, all of it, according to club spokesman Franki Yang Wai, from the tycoon's savings. For his money, Mr Lieu got a club rather different from its competitors. Which is why its opening has not been welcomed by everybody. "Some people may call it sport," said Amy Chow Tak-sum, spokesman at the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) in Hong Kong, "but to us, it's just the infliction of pain and suffering on animals. We're opposed to things like this. "Hunting is not something very Chinese. People may introduce this as a gimmick to make money. We hope people realise the suffering involved, because if there is no demand, there will be no supply." "It is an animal welfare concern," said Jill Robinson, China director for the International Fund for Animal Welfare. "It's just unnecessary and I think it's the wrong influence now in a country that has very little concern for animal welfare, and no legislation at all to stop cruelty to animals." Mr Lieu dismissed talk of animal rights with an impatient wave of his hand, and allusions to hypocrisy for eating meat. "It's really crap, really nonsense," he snapped. "Animal lovers are idiots. These people always go from one extreme to the other. People today talk about democracy and freedom on one hand, but on the other hand interfere in other people's democracy and freedom." In fact, Mr Lieu said, he should be patted on the back for re-stocking the area with birds. Pheasants, quail and wild ducks are now bred in a building behind the club house, with an incubator capable of hatching 12,000 eggs per batch. By his own account, Mr Lieu's club is a 1,730-hectare oasis for harassed expatriates living in Zhuhai, with its gleaming clubhouse, 72 luxurious rooms for overnight stays, two huge swimming pools, tennis, badminton and squash courts, a gym stuffed with hi-tech equipment, and smartly uniformed staff lurking deferentially in every corner ready to meet every whim. "It's the best club in Southeast Asia," the tycoon said proudly at the opening ceremony on Monday. After an 18-hole golf course is finished on the other side of the lake next summer, and a club marina is constructed at Zhuhai harbour, it will be one of the best clubs in the world, Mr Lieu added. The opening ceremony, held at the target shooting range, was clearly a moment of triumph for Mr Lieu, who invited the Hong Kong press to travel to the club to be wined and dined, hoping they would record the moment in a positive light for posterity. Zhuhai Communist Party bigwigs trooped to the podium in turn, to tell the assembled businessmen and jewel be-decked tai-tais what a wonderful boost the club was for foreign investment in the Special Economic Zone. Mr Lieu was declared an honorary citizen of Wushan County, in which the club is located, by the county party boss. After the traditional lion dance and firecrackers, the assembled throng, some 200 strong, were treated to a trap and skeet-shooting display by Ding Hongping, Zhang Yafei and Zhang Jinhua of the Chinese national squad. Zhang Jinhua also shoots for the People's Liberation Army team. The targets in trap and skeet shooting - Olympic sports - are orange discs, called clay pigeons, thrown into the air by a machine. Ms Ding, 19, said the team also like to shoot rabbits and wild birds, although she added they did not have time to take any pot-shots at Mr Lieu's pheasants during their short visit to the club. The wood-panelled bar, scattered with stern leather arm-chairs, seemed more Scottish glen than southern Guangdong. Nineteenth century-style prints of pheasant, partridge and quail line the walls. Giant antlers loom above a cavernous fireplace. Mr Lieu shot the moose that owned them himself, in Canada. The club's logo is a silhouetted man, shotgun slung nonchalantly over one shoulder, with a trusty hound frolicking at his feet. A bell rang to signal dinner, and the drinkers wandered up the wide curving staircase to the dining room where a lavish buffet, mostly meat including pheasant, awaited them. The club is family-friendly, spokesman Mr Yang said, adding gambling, prostitutes, mobile phones and smoking are banned. Stray toddlers ran and whooped around him. The family-fun effect was enhanced when Mr Lieu, wearing a golf shirt, took his seat at the head of the top table like some grand clan patriarch, with his wife and son, Wayne Lieu Bon-wai, 26, in tow. A search through the extensive Post files revealed no trace of Mr Lieu, a tycoon who normally eschews the glitzy Hong Kong social scene, in favour of quiet dinners at home with friends, according to his son. The Lieu family are neighbours of Tung Chee-hwa in Grenville House on Magazine Gap Road. They also own holiday flats in London and Tokyo, and houses near New York and in Orlando, Mr Lieu junior said. Mr Lieu senior's businesses include Van Shipping Co Ltd and Super Value Sporting Goods Co Ltd. The shipping firm once had a fleet of 15 ships, but now has just one, according to the younger Mr Lieu. His father's main venture now is the club. All are family owned. Currently assistant manager at the Queensland government's office in the SAR, Wayne Lieu said that one day he will probably take over at the helm of his father's empire. The tycoon, who refused to be photographed by the Post, also has two grown-up daughters, both working in the United States. Hunters at Mr Lieu's club order their prey in advance, at $73 per bird. The doomed fowl are then taken to one of the hunting grounds, each about 250 hectares, and released. About 30 minutes later, armed with shotguns and followed by one or more of the club's seven dogs, specially imported from Britain, the hunters arrive to try to kill them, a feeling Mr Lieu equated several times to working out at another type of club. "It's just like hitting a golf ball," he said. At the moment club membership is only for the chosen few, according to Mr Yang. A hundred of Mr Lieu's friends and business associates have been invited to join. Within four years though, membership is expected to reach 1,200, mainly expatriates living in Zhuhai. Then, some 120 birds will be taken to the hunting grounds each day, according to Mr Yang. The hunters are only allowed as many sightings, or kill chances, as the number of birds they ordered. Anything they kill is cooked in the club's kitchens, or cleaned up and given to the hunter to take home. But as even good shots often miss, the hunters are effectively subsidising the release of birds into the wild, Mr Yang said. Pheasants, quail and wild ducks could fly over the club's fences, and would eventually re-populate the countryside for miles around. Already 1,000 quail which Mr Lieu has released to increase the sport, scamper about in the woods. "Before I came here," Mr Lieu said, "there wasn't even one sparrow. Now there are birds everywhere." In the club's brochure the page on hunting is headed "Hunter and prey in perfect harmony." It was an argument that did not impress Tim Woodward, former secretary of the Hong Kong Birdwatching Society, who questioned first whether the species of pheasants, quails and ducks raised at the club were indigenous to the area. Many types of pheasants, at least, are native to China, he said, and even flew wild in Hong Kong until about 100 years ago. "But even if they were the right species," Mr Woodward said, "the idea of them re-populating the area is just ludicrous. There's no habitat, and as soon as they get over the fence, somebody else will just trap and shoot them." Ms Chow at the SPCA wondered if the birds, raised in cages, would be able to fend for themselves in the wild. "Anyway no matter how many excuses they give, the intention is to release animals to shoot simply for fun and entertainment," she said. Land prices are prohibitive in Hong Kong, but that is not the only reason why Mr Lieu's club could never have been built in the SAR. As Mr Lieu's pheasants, partridges, quails and ducks are bred in captivity, he might not have fallen foul of the Wild Animal Protection Ordinance, but he would certainly have violated the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Ordinance, according to Dr Howard Wong Kai-hay, veterinary officer at the Agriculture and Fisheries Department. "Cruelty is an offence with a maximum punishment of six months imprisonment and a $5,000 fine," Dr Wong said. "The shots are never accurate enough to cause instantaneous death, you get pheasants flopping around on the ground, half-dead, and we certainly know that animals as high up as pheasants do feel a lot of pain. "If anyone did decide to breed pheasants and shoot them we would prosecute them immediately," he said, although he could not recall any cases. Dr Wong also dismissed Mr Lieu's suggestion that eating chicken, pork or beef is as cruel as hunting. "The time taken for a chicken to lose consciousness from having its throat cut," he said, "is probably a lot shorter than blasting a bird's legs off then spending the next 20 minutes searching around for it." In the SAR only one kind of hunting is allowed. When police receive complaints that wild pigs are destroying crops, two special teams, with 10 skilled civilian marksmen in total, are called out to kill the animals, according to Dr So Ping-man, conservation officer also at the Agriculture and Fisheries Department. The winter months are the peak pig-hunting season, Dr So said, when the teams are in action once a fortnight on average, mostly in the northeast New Territories. At the end of each hunt the teams must submit a report, detailing how many pigs they killed, the pigs' weight, and estimated age. The meat is split between the hunters. Perhaps it is no surprise that one of those government-sponsored pig sharp-shooters is Mr Lieu Every child has the right to a healthy diet - that means no meat. http://www.earth.org.hk/ Date: Sat, 23 Aug 1997 07:30:26 -0700 From: carol To: ar-news@envirolink.org Subject: sam farr's email address Message-ID: <3.0.2.32.19970823073026.006a4198@pop.calweb.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" does anyone know congressman sam farr's email address? i want to thank him for his stand against the king royal circus. email sent from his site is returned with this message: YOUR MAIL WAS NOT DELIVERED FOR THE FOLLOWING REASON: EXPLANATION : INVALID RECIPIENT ===================================================================== == RECIPIENT : HR.SAMFARR thanks for any help, carol "The animals of the world exist for their own reasons. They were not made for humans anymore then blacks were made for whites or women for men." ~Alice Walker http://www.envirolink.org/arrs/paws/ Date: Sat, 23 Aug 1997 11:52:59 -0400 From: allen schubert To: ar-news@envirolink.org Subject: (US) Meat Testing Doesn't Catch it All Message-ID: <3.0.32.19970823115256.006e447c@clark.net> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" from AP Wire page: ----------------------------------- 08/23/1997 11:47 EST Meat Testing Doesn't Catch it All By CURT ANDERSON AP Farm Writer WASHINGTON (AP) -- No matter how sophisticated government testing of meat and poultry becomes, the sheer volume produced in America may make it impossible to detect all dangerous bacteria in food, inspectors say. ``There is probably no way to absolutely foolproof this process,'' Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman said this week. For example, the Hudson Foods Co. ground beef plant in Nebraska, shut down this week during a federal probe into E. coli contamination, had been producing up to 3 million pounds of frozen hamburger every week. That's 12 million quarter-pound patties. Agriculture Department inspectors go to slaughterhouses that supply Hudson and the Hudson plant itself. But it is not practical to test all that meat for E. coli, salmonella or other bacteria that can make people sick, officials say. And health risks in the meat industry can start well before the cattle reach slaughterhouses. Agriculture experts told U.S. News & World Report that farmers often add waste substances to livestock and poultry feed. Chicken manure, which is cheaper than alfalfa, is increasingly used as feed by cattle farmers despite possible health risks to consumers, says the magazine reaching newsstands Monday. ``Feeding manure that has not been properly processed is supercharging the cattle feces with pathogens likely to cause disease in consumers,'' Dr. Neal Barnard, head of the Washington-based health lobby, Physicians for Responsible Medicine, told the magazine. This can make the Agriculture Department meat inspectors' job even harder. Tight budgets at the agency just exacerbate the problem. The number of inspectors at the agency's Food Safety and Inspection Service fell from about 12,000 in 1978 to 7,500 today -- to cover the 6,500 private meat and poultry plants around the country. Pathogens such as E. coli remain a health problem in America. The federal Centers for Disease Control estimates that up to 9,800 E. coli cases and 120,000 salmonella cases a year occur when people don't sufficiently cook ground beef containing the bacteria. Cooking at high enough temperatures will kill the germs. Together, the microbes cost upwards of $500 million a year in medical bills and lost productivity, according to a USDA estimate. The first meat inspection laws date back to 1906, in the wake of books such as Upton Sinclair's ``The Jungle'' that exposed the once-filthy conditions in the packing industry. Under those laws, which remain essentially unchanged for 90 years, USDA inspectors worked inside private meat and poultry plants nationwide. They examined sample carcasses and products by sight, smell and touch, trying to determine if the product was safe and wholesome. But the federal rules never required scientific tests for bacteria like E. coli. Some larger companies did it anyway, while smaller ones tested only if customers had specific requirements. Now, new inspection rules are being phased in by the year 2000 that for the first time require some scientific testing for bacteria at all meat and poultry processing plants. In the case of E. coli, all plants regardless of size had to begin their own testing last Jan. 27. Even that will involve only samples taken once or twice a day from plants that can move tens of thousands of pounds of meat a day. Still, Glickman said the focus will be on critical points in plants where contamination is likely. In the case of E. coli, animal fecal matter is the most frequent source, so tests will be done at points along the chain where its presence is prevalent, such as after cattle are slaughtered, when the meat is cut into large pieces for various uses. ``Hopefully you'll be able to discover problems much earlier in the process,'' Glickman said. Such scientific testing generally involves taking a sample from meat, putting it in a lab dish and testing it chemically to see if harmful bacteria are present. At Hudson, company officials agreed to recall all the beef processed at the plant since the date of contamination -- up to 25 million pounds -- and to shut down the plant until stronger safety recommendations were met. There was no indication when the plant might reopen. Company founder James T. Hudson said the Nebraska plant had done 57 E. coli tests of its own since the beginning of 1997. All were negative. The source of contamination for Hudson beef patties processed during three days in early June has not been found. But government and company officials say it likely came from a slaughterhouse supplier outside the plant. Thus, Hudson said the company will now do E. coli testing on the meat arriving from slaughterhouses. ``We're going to start inspecting every lot that comes in, rather than just depending on the supplier,'' he said. ``We're going to visit with some of our suppliers and make sure we're comfortable with their testing.'' The new federal rules also require companies to keep much better records of their testing and monitoring, and to enable officials to trace the source of any contamination that does occur. But in Hudson's case, the medium-sized Nebraska plant won't have to comply fully with the rules until January 1999. Federal inspectors said this week they were investigating whether Hudson's record-keeping had been lacking. Date: Sat, 23 Aug 1997 12:42:28 -0400 (EDT) From: CircusInfo@aol.com To: ar-news@envirolink.org Subject: (US) Clyde Beatty-Cole Bros. Circus in South Jersey Message-ID: <970823124227_348157404@emout13.mail.aol.com> The following is from the Press of Atlantic City. In Top Form Tuesday, August 19, 1997 In Top Form By JACK KASKEY Staff Writer MIDDLE Township -- A herd of elephants helped hoist the Big Top on Monday morning as the circus set up outside Wildwood for two days of shows before heading to the Atlantic City area. Having elephants raise the five-story tent is a century-old tradition at Clyde Beatty-Cole Bros. Circus, said circus owner John Pugh. The circus next year will introduce a new tent that requires a fraction of the 54 poles hoisted Monday by six elephants, Pugh said. The new, $500,000-tent will be bigger and sleeker in design, and with only 8 internal poles, there will be fewer obstructed views, he said. But fewer poles to hoist won't necessarily mean the elephants will get to lounge away their mornings chewing hay. "They say an elephant never forgets, so just because the tent's a different shape, doesn't mean he's not going to want to give a hand," Pugh said. The circus remains today at Islander Raceway and Amusement Park off Route 47, immediately outside Wildwood. The tent-raising is a free event that will be repeated from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. Wednesday when Clyde Beatty-Cole Bros. Circus moves north to Atlantic City Race Course in Hamilton Township for shows Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Circus shows all week begin at 4:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. daily Some who aren't thrilled to see circus tigers and elephants come to town were on hand Monday for an animal-rights protest. Rich Frank of Mays Landing said five circus elephants have died in the past 12 months, including a Clyde Beatty-Cole Bros. elephant named Ola, which died in March. Frank, a spokesman for Circus Information Resource Center of New Jersey, accused the circus of violating the federal Animal Welfare Act. Pugh said his circus animals are well cared for. Ola died while being operated on by a Midwestern veterinarian who had performed at least 30 previous elephant operations, he said. "Do they think we really want to lose an elephant?" Pugh said. "It was a very sad time. We not only lost a member of the family, but we lost a very valuable animal. It certainly was not neglect." Ola was suffering from a persistent foot infection that antibiotics were not curing. She never recovered from the anesthesia given her during the operation, Pugh said. "When you put an elephant down, you take a risk," the circus owner said. "An elephant can't tell you what's wrong. We are not doctors, so naturally we call in the best people to take care of them." He said two of the circus' all-female herd skipped this year's tour while they attempt to become pregnant in a breeding program. Copyright 1997 South Jersey Publishing Co. - www.pressplus.com CIRCO-New Jersey held protests at all 10 shows from August 18 through August 22. ****** CIRCO-New Jersey is a is a circus information resource center dedicated to the liberation of animals from circuses and traveling shows. Date: Sat, 23 Aug 1997 12:47:52 -0400 (EDT) From: CircusInfo@aol.com To: ar-news@envirolink.org Subject: (US) Animal-rights activists protest circus Message-ID: <970823124751_50855006@emout19.mail.aol.com> This is a follow-up article concerning CIRCO-New Jersey's protest of Clyde Beatty-Cole Bros. Circus from the Press of Atlantic City. Animal-rights activists protest circus By JACK KASKEY and JEANNE DEWEY Staff Writers MIDDLE TOWNSHIP -- An off-duty Wildwood police officer drafted his chief's help Monday in a failed effort to remove animal-rights activists protesting the circus. The police-sponsored circus was held on the chief's land, which is in Middle Township. Township officers said the protest was lawful. The conflict began when Madeline Hastings-Frank and her husband, Rich Frank, of Egg Harbor Township, decided to share with the circus-going public what they claim are animal-rights abuses at the circus. Hastings-Frank donned a clown suit and headed with her husband for Islander Raceway and Amusement Park, where they were joined by a friend. Prior to the 4:30 p.m. show, the three protesters handed out photos of what they say are the poor living conditions of elephants, tigers and other animals owned by the Clyde Beatty-Cole Bros. Circus. A coloring book they distributed told the story of a baby elephant taken from its native land to live with a circus. Frank said he expected someone to question the legality of the protest, so he researched the need for permits and the locations of public rights-of-way at Islander. It wasn't long after they arrived that James Nanos, an off-duty Wildwood officer, told the trio to quit their protest, the couple said. "He told us to stop handing out literature," Hastings-Frank said. "He said, `I'm a policeman. I'm from Wildwood.' " The circus was sponsored by the Fraternal Order of Police, Cape May County Lodge 7, whose board of directors is headed by two Wildwood officers, including vice president Nanos. "He said the protest could hurt the fund-raiser," Frank said. While the circus was within a stone's throw of the Wildwood border, the protesters were in Middle Township, and they told Nanos he had no authority there. As children took animal-rights coloring books and their parents took pamphlets, Nanos told the protesters he was calling Wildwood Police Chief Robert Davenport, Frank said, and he took out a cellular phone. Davenport refused to comment on his role in Monday night's events, except to say he was acting in his capacity as a Middle Township property owner and not as Wildwood police chief. The protesters said they did not know until Tuesday that Davenport co-owned the Islander amusement park. The FOP asked Middle Township police to remove the protesters, and Davenport called Middle Township Capt. William Shea, the police captain said. Shea said he told Davenport he could sign trespassing complaints against the protesters, but police would not remove them. Davenport did not sign any complaints. Shea said the three protesters were not violating the law by handing out pamphlets near the tent entrance. He contacted the Cape May County prosecutor and Township Solicitor Bruce Gorman, who both agreed the protesters could remain. "They have a constitutional right to assemble and they were not interfering with anyone's egress to the site," Shea said. The protesters said Nanos grew increasingly incensed as he was unable to stop the distribution of animal-rights literature. In what the protesters describe as a heated exchange, a Middle sergeant told Nanos he was not in Wildwood and had no jurisdiction. Nanos was not working Tuesday and could not be reached for comment. By the time the 7:30 p.m. show began, there were a dozen protesters carrying signs with slogans such as "Circus animals live and die in chains" and "Circuses no fun for animals." The dispute with the FOP had cooled off by then. Nanos even invited the protesters to share in an order of pizza, Frank said. Being vegans, the animal-rights protesters were unable to accept. Vegans don't eat meat or animal products, such as cheese. As Hastings-Frank prepared to resume the circus protest on Tuesday, she suggested her experience can serve as a lesson to others. "You have to stick up for yourself," she said. "We were within our rights, and we knew it." Copyright 1997 South Jersey Publishing Co. CIRCO-New Jersey is a is a circus information resource center dedicated to the liberation of animals from circuses and traveling shows. Date: Sat, 23 Aug 1997 12:54:25 -0400 (EDT) From: CircusInfo@aol.com To: ar-news@envirolink.org Subject: (US) CIRCUS PROTEST - TAKING COP TO TUSK Message-ID: <970823125425_1647610593@emout15.mail.aol.com> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=unknown-8bit This editorial appeared in the August 22 edition of the Press of Atlantic City. The Press of Atlantic City was the major sponsor of the Clyde Beatty-Cole Bros. Circus at the Atlantic City Race Course this August 20 through 22. The Press has sponsored the Clyde Beatty-Cole Bros. Circus for many years as a fund raiser for the Literacy Volunteers. After months of negotiating with CIRCO-NJ, the Press has decided it will not sponsor the Clyde Beatty-Cole Bros. Circus next year. When the circus was told by the Press that they would no longer sponsor the circus, they asked if it was because of the animal rights people. The Press said that it was one of several reasons. Letters of thanks can be sent to: The Press of Atlantic City 1000 W. Washington Ave. Pleasantville, NJ 08232 e-mail: acpress@pressplus.com CIRCUS PROTEST TAKING COP TO TUSK Elephants may be unhappy about being in the circus, but since pachyderms maintain a stoic silence, we are not likely to have any definitive word on the matter. However, should someone decide to dress up as a clown, take up a post at a public event and pass out pamphlets that claim sadness and suffering to be the lot of Jumbo and Dumbo, he or she has a constitutional right to do so. That's free speech. This week, at the Clyde Beatty-Cole Bros. Circus at the Islander Raceway and Amusement Park in Middle Township, some animal-rights activists showed up to protest what they claim are poor living conditions for circus animals, most notably, the elephants. An off-duty police officer from Wildwood told them to leave. They refused. He called his chief, Robert Davenport, who called Middle Township Police Capt. William Shea, who called the township solicitor and the county prosecutor's office. Shea was told the protesters were exercising a legal right to assemble and express an opinion. Shea wisely let them be. Too bad such wisdom was not shared by the off-duty Wildwood officer James Nanos, who initiated and maintained the confrontation to the point of having to be told by a Middle Township police sergeant that he had no jurisdiction at the site of the circus. It’s disturbing to see a police officer who doesn't recognize it when people are exercising their constitutional rights. It's disturbing to see an officer butting in where he has no business doing so. It's even more disturbing to learn that the officer in question is vice president of the Fraternal Order of Police lodge that is benefiting from the circus, which is being held on his chief's land. Davenport is part-owner of Islander Raceway. Whatever we might think about the treatment of circus elephants, anyone is entitled to express an opinion on the matter without being intimidated - especially by a police officer who should know better. Our position - It's disturbing to see a police officer who doesn’t recognize it when people are exercising their constitutional rights. ******** CIRCO-New Jersey is a is a circus information resource center dedicated to the liberation of animals from circuses and traveling shows. Date: Sat, 23 Aug 1997 10:46:34 -0700 (PDT) From: David J Knowles To: ar-news@envirolink.org Subject: [UK] Most BSE cases in Europe 'are not reported' Message-ID: <1.5.4.16.19970823104705.2fd75bb4@dowco.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" >From The Electronic Telegraph - Saturday, August 23rd, 1997 Most BSE cases in Europe 'are not reported' By David Brown, Agriculture Editor CONTINENTAL European Union countries have reported only one in six cases of mad cow disease, according to an official veterinary survey published today. The report calculates that of the 55,400 British cattle exported to other EU countries for breeding purposes between 1985 and 1989, at least 1,642 would have contracted BSE after export. However, only 285 cases were reported. In Germany - where the campaign against buying British beef has been strongest - the number of BSE cases reported since March last year was 48 times less than expected. The figures are published today in The Veterinary Record, official journal of the British Veterinary Association. They confirm fears of scientists, vets and farmers that chronic under-reporting has put animal and human health at risk due to lax controls and delayed efforts to wipe out BSE. They also vindicate the tough stance taken by Dr Jack Cunningham, Minister of Agriculture, who threatened to disrupt imports of beef from other EU countries which do not follow the strict anti-BSE controls which are already in place in the UK. >From next January, all beef entering the UK must have been processed in plants where specified offals are removed and destroyed in line with strict controls applied in British abattoirs. Scientists fear that meat and bone meal from unreported infected cattle on the Continent has been re-circulated and used in animal food where it will cause new cases of BSE - many of which will again go unreported. The report was drawn up by three of Europe's most respected experts on animal disease - John Wilesmith, head of epidemiology at the Government's Central Veterinary Laboratory, Dr Bram Schreuder of Holland's Institute of Animal Science and Health and Professor O C Straub of the Germany's Federal Research Centre for Virus Deases of Animals. Their figures were based on the number of cattle exported to EU and other countries for breeding purposes rather than slaughter and the number which would have been expected to succumb to BSE if they had remained in the UK. This, in turn, was based on the percentage of beef and dairy cattle which fell ill in this country. More than 55,400 cattle went to other EU countries between 1985 and 1989 when exports were halted under the UK controls to halt the spread of the disease. Denmark imported 889 animals in that period. Of these, according to the report, 29 would have been expected to fall victim to BSE if they had remained in the UK. But only one BSE case had been reported by January this year. So far about 168,531 cattle have died from BSE in the UK since 1988. But by January this year only 515 other cases had been reported from other parts of the world, including the EU, despite exports of cattle from the UK between 1985 - when BSE was taking hold here - and 1989. Switzerland, which has carried out a sweeping slaughter and destroy policy, suffered 228 cases blamed mainly on imported rations containing the rendered remains of contaminated cattle. The Swiss authorities have long maintained that the number of cases elsewhere in Europe should be much higher. By January, the Republic of Ireland had reported 188 cases - but the number expected was 911. Germany reported five - the expected number was 243. Of the others: France reported 28 - expected number 32; Spain reported none (54); Italy reported two (50); Portugal reported 61 (262); Denmark reported one (29); Holland reported none (44); Belgium and Luxembourg reported none (17). The research team reported difficulties in gathering accurate statistics from various countries. Professor Karl Linklater, president of the British Veterinary Association, said: "This report quantifies more accurately what we have believed all along. "It is important that we get uniform preactions in place throughout the EU, including the removal and disposal of specified offals from, cattle. The Ministry of Agriculture is taking the same position." Ben Gill, Deputy president of the National Farmers' Union of England and Wales, said: "This report vindicates the position taken by the NFU and the Government. It also vindicates the action of Franz Fischler, EU Farm Commissioner, to secure tight controls throughout the EU. We have made the point all along that BSE is not just a British problem." © Copyright Telegraph Group Limited 1997. Date: Sat, 23 Aug 1997 10:46:38 -0700 (PDT) From: David J Knowles To: ar-news@envirolink.org Subject: [UK]Risk from genetic crops 'ignored' Message-ID: <1.5.4.16.19970823104709.2fd74964@dowco.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" >From The Electronic Telegraph - Saturday, August 23rd, 1997 Risk from genetic crops 'ignored' By David Brown, Agriculture Editor GREENPEACE accused the Government yesterday of "learning nothing from the beef crisis" and failing to recognise the dangers to consumers of genetically-engineered crops. The environmental pressure group claimed that these crops, which are altered to make them resistant to pests, diseases and weed-killing chemicals, pose "potentially serious" risks to public health and the environment. In a report, From BSE to Genetically-Modified Organisms, Greenpeace blamed the BSE crisis on "a negligent decision-making process which cannot cope with scientific uncertainty". Greenpeace claimed that the risks from BSE were "strikingly similar" to those from genetically-modified organisms. "Exactly the same mistakes are likely to be repeated over the introduction of these organisms into the human food chain," Greenpeace claimed. In both cases, it said, there was a potentially long time-lapse before problems could be identified. There was also scientific uncertainty about the damage they could cause. Yet despite this, safety approvals for growing and marketing genetically-modified crops were becoming "routine" in Europe. Dr Ian Taylor, a Greenpeace spokesman on earth sciences, said: "The BSE fiasco showed that waiting for proof of harm is indefensible . . . yet the Government wants to do the same with genetically-modified food." The Ministry of Agriculture dismissed the claims last night. A spokesman said: "Food safety is, and will remain, the Government's top priority. Before any genetically-modified organisms are approved for sale in Britain they are subject to a rigorous risk assessment. "The Government is determined that all foods which contain genetically-modified ingredients will be clearly labelled." The National Farmers' Union for England and Wales also dismissed the report, adding: "We have insisted all along that there should be safeguards for the consumer." Britain's first commercial crop of genetically-modified oilseed rape is expected to be planted next spring. BP yesterday withdrew its legal action against Jon Castle, captain of the vessel Greenpeace which took part in the occupation of the Stena Dee drilling platform in the Foinaven oilfield, west of Shetland, last week. The company, which dropped a £1.4 million damages claim against the Greenpeace environmental group on Thursday, had alleged Mr Castle had been in breach of an interdict. © Copyright Telegraph Group Limited 1997. Date: Sat, 23 Aug 1997 14:20:57 -0700 (PDT) From: bchorush@paws.org (pawsinfo) To: ar-news@envirolink.org Subject: Summer 97 PAWS News online [WA] Message-ID: <199708232120.OAA27596@siskiyou.brigadoon.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" The latest edition of the Progressive Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) News letter is now online. The newsletter features articles on HOWL, our wildlife rehabilitation facility; our shelter and advocacy programs; Monkey Jungle; Taiji; Lolita; and more. The Summer 1997 PAWS news can be accessed directly at: http://www.paws.org/activists/pn4/index.htm or from a link from our home page at: http://www.paws.org If you would like a hard copy of the PAWSnews Summer 1997, please email your snail mail address to the address in the signature of this email. Bob Chorush Web Administrator, Progressive Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) 15305 44th Ave West (P.O. Box 1037)Lynnwood, WA 98046 (425) 787-2500 ext 862, (425) 742-5711 fax email bchorush@paws.org http://www.paws.org Date: Sat, 23 Aug 1997 20:29:14 -0400 From: allen schubert To: ar-news@envirolink.org Subject: (AR) Argentine Beef Heads to U.S. Message-ID: <3.0.32.19970823202909.006c7184@clark.net> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" from AP Wire page: ----------------------------------- 08/23/1997 13:24 EST Argentine Beef Heads to U.S. By IAN PHILLIPS Associated Press Writer BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) -- Pedro Salaberry, a ruddy-faced cowboy, has nothing but sympathy for those who have not tasted a fine Argentine steak, preferably washed down with a full-bodied red wine. ``Call me arrogant, but nothing compares to Argentine meat,'' the gaucho said as he eyed a champion Aberdeen Angus at an exhibition. ``Everybody should try it at least once in their life.'' In recent years, that pleasure has been mostly found within Argentina, due to a partial export ban stemming from outbreaks of hoof-and-mouth disease. In May, the country was declared free of the disease. Now the red meat Argentines are so fiercely proud of will be put to a crucial test: For the first time in 67 years, fresh and chilled beef will be exported this week to the United States. Exports to the United States will be limited initially to a 20,000-ton annual quota -- a figure that Argentine officials hope to increase over the years. ``This is more of symbolic than economic value,'' Agriculture Secretary Felipe Sola said in an interview. ``By exporting to the United States, our profile will be a lot higher and that will open up new markets worldwide.'' Lucrative markets such as Japan and South Korea won't be accessible until Argentina no longer needs to vaccinate cattle to avoid foot-and-mouth disease, but that could be just a few years away, Sola said. Most of the beef shipped north will be used as hamburger meat. In addition, a small amount of fine cuts are aimed at top New York restaurants. For many Argentines, the idea that their grass-fed cattle will end up in American fast-food restaurants is ridiculous. ``A waste,'' Marcelo Celis proclaimed as he lined up for a table at a Buenos Aires steakhouse. ``Argentine beef is unique in flavor. Eventually they'll get the idea.'' The arrival of Argentine beef has caused some concern among U.S. producers, said Dale Moore of the U.S. National Cattlemen's Beef Association. But most worries are of a sanitary nature. ``There's bound to be concern about economic impact, but with just 20,000 tons of imports, I suspect it's going to be a little hard for the Argentines to take over the market,'' he said. Americans consume about 7.7 million tons of beef a year, the association says. Moore is unfazed by accounts of the quality of Argentine beef and speculation that the country might soon become a major exporter, like Australia and New Zealand. ``In the U.S., most good cuts are from grain-fed animals. Meat from grass-fed cows is different: Less tender, less tasty,'' he declared. Just how big an exporter Argentina can become will depend on marketing and how producers can boost dwindling heads of cattle, which now stand at a 30-year low. Already, Russian delegations have come to Buenos Aires in a bid to find a substitute for European Union beef, which has been tainted by fears of mad cow disease. Russia could import 40,000 tons a year, according to the U.S. Embassy in Buenos Aires. ``We think foreign players will come and bet on the Argentine market as a result of the new export possibilities,'' said Yael Malik of the agribusiness firm Cresud, which has Argentina's biggest cattle herd and ranches covering almost 500,000 acres. Date: Sat, 23 Aug 1997 21:21:53 -0400 (EDT) From: Jean Colison To: Ar-news Subject: Fur Information Council Message-ID: MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII Washington Post Letters-to-the-Editor 1150 15th Street, NW Washington, DC 20071 Free For All Saturday, August 23, 1997; Page A17 The Washington Post Fur Chic Contrary to Kevin Sullivan's reference that fur coats have fallen out of fashion due to animal rights protests here in the United States ["Fur Eastern Economics: Beijing's Pelt Belt," Business, Aug. 6] fur sales have risen 15 percent in the past two years alone, and now are up to $1.25 billion in retail sales in the United States. Fur is very much in fashion, as evidenced by the abundance of fur seen on the runways this year. Every top fashion magazine has hailed the return of fur as the major fashion trend of the year, and the number of designers including fur in their collections has quadrupled in the past dozen years. Furthermore -- according to a poll by Responsive Management, a research firm specializing in public opinion on conservation, wildlife and environmental issues -- 88 percent of Americans believe that the animal rights movement has no influence on their decision to wear fur. In addition, 92 percent disapprove of the tactics used by animal activists. -- Carol Wynne The writer is executive director of the Fur Information Council of America. ©Copyright 1997 The Washington Post Company Date: Sat, 23 Aug 1997 23:06:31 -0400 From: allen schubert To: ar-news@envirolink.org Subject: (US) Dwindling donations force Greenpeace to downsize Message-ID: <3.0.32.19970823230628.006a5be4@clark.net> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" from CNN web page: ----------------------------------- Dwindling donations force Greenpeace to downsize August 23, 1997 Web posted at: 10:04 p.m. EDT (0204 GMT) SAN FRANCISCO (CNN) -- A quarter of a century ago, the environmental group Greenpeace captured the world's attention and imagination with high-profile campaigns, such as the effort by its ship, Rainbow Warrior, to thwart nuclear testing. But now, as Greenpeace tries to stop oil drilling off the coast of Alaska, hardly anybody notices. And far fewer people are giving money to the group. As donations continue to fall, Greenpeace U.S.A. is downsizing. In addition to its Washington headquarters, only five field offices will remain open. Staff will be slashed from around 400 to 65, and Greenpeace's international organization will exert more control over its American subsidiary. "Perhaps we are losing touch with some of our supporters out there, and that means to us that we need to refocus," says Greenpeace's Deborah Rephan. "We need to regroup. We need to get clear and stronger about what our campaign priorities are." The group's focus is expected to change, with forest destruction and global warming as the top priorities. Some environmental experts say that is a smart strategy. "They've got to focus on certain environmental problems. You can't focus on the whole thing -- it's an exhausting experience for sure," says Dan Dahlsten of the University of California. While some might believe that there is less to worry about these days because they perceive the Clinton administration as environmentally friendly, Greenpeace disagrees, urging people to look at the record. "We still see polluter-friendly politics coming out of the Clinton administration," says the group's Bradley Angel. "As insane as it is, the Clinton administration is still entertaining the idea of building a nuclear waste dump above an aquifer, threatening the drinking water for 20 million people, including Los Angeles." But just how Greenpeace will narrow its message to global warming and forest preservation when many of its troops are primarily interested in other issues could be the organization's biggest challenge.