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AR-NEWS Digest 435
Topics covered in this issue include:
1) [CA] Federal cabinet reshuffle
by David J Knowles
2) [CA] Salmon talks "on again."
by David J Knowles
3) [CA] Down in the woods [long]
by David J Knowles
4) [US] Lizard pulled over for driving without a licence
by David J Knowles
5) Re: (US) Ferret Finally Executed in Michigan
by CBCHRISTIE@aol.com
6) AR-News Admin NoteRe: (US) Ferret Finally Executed in Michigan
by allen schubert
7) (US) Fwd: Rachel #550: Cancer Trends
by Persephone Moonshadow Howling Womyn
8) (US)Who's in Charge at the CACC? Come to the Hearings!
by Marisul@aol.com
9) CITES Update
by Friends of Animals
10) Fwd: URGENT! YOU CAN FOIL SLAUGHTER!
by bstagno@ix.netcom.com (Barbara Stagno)
11) Fwd: MORE URGENT!
by bstagno@ix.netcom.com (Barbara Stagno)
12) Clarifying Veal Campaign of the late 80's/early 90's
by LexAnima@aol.com
13) Dublin's Ghetto a Horse Capital
by allen schubert
14) The Future of Medicine: Two Views
by Andrew Gach
15) Vitamins may cut heart disease risk
by Andrew Gach
Date: Sat, 14 Jun 1997 02:11:33 -0700 (PDT)
From: David J Knowles
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: [CA] Federal cabinet reshuffle
Message-ID: <1.5.4.16.19970614021206.19af34f6@dowco.com>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
VANCOUVER, B.C. - As part of the cabinet reshuffle following Jean Chretien's
Liberal Party victory in the federal election June 2nd, the new federal
fisheries minister was named Thursday as David Anderson, an MP for the
Victoria-area of Vancouver Island.
The appointment is the first time for several years that the fisheries
minister has come from the west coast.
Anderson's appointment has not received the support of all groups. Some
fisherman's groups have criticized the appointment, pointing out that
Anderson is a keen sports fisherman, who has little interest in local
coastal communities.
Anderson's predecessor, Fred Mifflin, who had a 18,000 plus majority in the
1993 election reduced to around 500, was demoted to Minister Responsible for
Veteran's Affairs.
David J Knowles
Animal Voices News
Date: Sat, 14 Jun 1997 02:11:35 -0700 (PDT)
From: David J Knowles
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: [CA] Salmon talks "on again."
Message-ID: <1.5.4.16.19970614021208.19af1eae@dowco.com>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
VANCOUVER, B.C. - New federal fisheries minister David Anderson is to
resume talks with U.S. negotiators early next week over the lapsed Pacific
Salmon Treaty.
Meanwhile, B.C. premier Glen Clark, who has threatened a number of actions
against the U.S. in retaliation for the breaking off of the talks last
month, including the banning of U.S Navy vessels from the Nanoose Bay missle
testing range off the central coast of Vancouver Island, is said to be
considering the formation of a stand-alone fisheries ministry at the
provincial level. (Currently, fisheries is part of the Ministry of
Agriculture, Fisheries & Food.)
A recent "grassroots" campaign to protest the lack of a treaty, and the
threat this posed to the west coast salmon - especially coho - was found to
be organized by Clark's New Democratic Party (NDP) government, although the
NDP's involvement was not disclosed on any of the publicity material.
David J Knowles
Animal Voices News
Date: Sat, 14 Jun 1997 02:11:37 -0700 (PDT)
From: David J Knowles
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: [CA] Down in the woods [long]
Message-ID: <1.5.4.16.19970614021210.19af201a@dowco.com>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
VANCOUVER, B.C. - The battle between the forest industry & the provincial
government and environmetalists over the future of B.C.'s remaining
temperate rainforest - some of the world's remaining significant areas -
continues.
Greenpeace announced Friday they had made the preservation of the Great Bear
Rainforest - an area of old-growth forest situated on the central coast of
mainland B.C. - one of their top priorties in the world, and have moved a
second support ship onto the west coast.
The "Arctic Sunrise", a 949 - tonne former ice breaker equiped with a
helicopter, which will be used for ariel photography, is presently docked in
Vancouver. It will soon be joining the M.V. "Moby Dick", currently
supporting a protest near Bella Coola.
This marks the first occasion that two Greenpeace vessels have been
stationed on the west coast of Canada, and brings the full might of
Greenpeace's international membership to bear on the rainforest issue.
The Sierra Legal Defence Fund released a report earlier this week which was
critical of the provincial government's Forest Practices Code.
The report notes that despite promises to the contrary in the code, cutting
on slopes, and thus increasing the risks of landslides into salmon streams,
has actually increased.
There were also calls for an international boycott of British Colmbian
lumber which originates from old-growth forest by U.S.-based Clayoquot
Rainforest Coalition.
The coalition has targeted companies such as Xerox, Office Depot, Staples,
McGraw Hill, National Geographic, Pepsico, Walt Disney and Toys R Us.
A total of 5,000 letters have been sent out.
98 - 99 per cent of all B.C.'s lumber originates from old-growth forest, and
even if the boycott call only affects 1 per cent of trade, the cost to the
industry is estimated to be around $100 million.
A call was also made today for the resignation of provincial forestry
minister Dave Zirnhelt, after the Western Canada Wilderness Committee
pointed out a potential conflict of interest - Zirhelt owns a cutblock.
Industry-sponsored group, Forest Alliance of B.C. said again Thursday that
the environmentalists will not be satisfied until all logging activity in
B.C. is brought to a standstill - a claim refuted by Greenpeace spokesperson
Tzporah Berman.
Interviewed on "Animal Voices" last week, Berman stated that the
environmentalists were not opposed to all logging, but were opposed to
clearcut logging practices.
Berman also suggested that the industry could actually create some jobs if
they exported value-added products instead of raw lumber, as is mainly the
case now. (A recent case which came to the attention of Animal Voices was
the export of raw lumber to Scandinavia, only for it to be made into
furniture and re-exported back to B.C. where it is sold in local IKEA stores.)
How many native animals and plants are threatened by clearcut logging? -
truth is, no one really knows for sure, but the provincial government's
refusal to pass endangered species legislation, thus honouring a promise
made to the main loggers' union prior to the last provincial election, would
suggest that no one in authority really wants to know.
In an interview with the Vancouver Sun, Patrick Moore, one of the original
co-founders of Greenpeace, and now a director of the Forest Alliance,
maintains that some logging actually increases bear populations as it
increases the amount of berries and forage available. He fails to mention
which type of logging this is, and also fials to mention the removal of
denning material available to the bears following a clearcutting operation.
As said previously, it is going to be a long, hot summer in the woods this year.
David J Knowles
'Animal Voices' News
Date: Sat, 14 Jun 1997 02:11:40 -0700 (PDT)
From: David J Knowles
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: [US] Lizard pulled over for driving without a licence
Message-ID: <1.5.4.16.19970614021212.1ae7b244@dowco.com>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
A story on CTV's national news tonight (Friday) stated police in Key Largo,
Florida did a double take earlier this week as they were driving around on
patrol.
A car they had just passed had a lizard at the wheel.
The officers managed to stop the vehicle, and checked out what they had just
noticed. The lizard had managed to steer the car using his legs, which were
grasped tightly around the steering wheel. Also in the car, slumped over
into the front passenger seat, was the lizard's human keeper, who was also
the car's owner.
The man was arrested and is now in jail facing charges of driving whilst
under the influence of alchol.
The lizard is now in the care of a local animal shelter. A police department
spokesman said the lizard was "a pretty good driver - for a lizard." He
added that the lizard would not be facing any charges.
Date: Sat, 14 Jun 1997 06:52:59 -0400 (EDT)
From: CBCHRISTIE@aol.com
To: alathome@clark.net, ar-news@envirolink.org, CATROPP@aol.com
Subject: Re: (US) Ferret Finally Executed in Michigan
Message-ID: <970614065256_-1596427310@emout15.mail.aol.com>
FERRET BEHEADING!!
Date: Sat, 14 Jun 1997 08:55:06 -0400
From: allen schubert
To: CBCHRISTIE@aol.com, ar-news@envirolink.org, CATROPP@aol.com
Subject: AR-News Admin NoteRe: (US) Ferret Finally Executed in Michigan
Message-ID: <3.0.32.19970614085503.006d8fa8@clark.net>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
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http://www.veg.org/veg/Orgs/IVU/Internet/netguid1.html
World Guide to Vegetarianism--Internet
http://www.veg.org/veg/Guide/Internet/index.html
Date: Sat, 14 Jun 1997 06:22:11 -0700
From: Persephone Moonshadow Howling Womyn
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: (US) Fwd: Rachel #550: Cancer Trends
Message-ID: <3.0.32.19970614062208.00873d90@206.184.139.138>
Mime-Version: 1.0
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=======================Electronic Edition========================
. .
. RACHEL'S ENVIRONMENT & HEALTH WEEKLY #550 .
. ---June 12, 1997--- .
. HEADLINES: .
. CANCER TRENDS .
. ========== .
. Environmental Research Foundation .
. P.O. Box 5036, Annapolis, MD 21403 .
. Fax (410) 263-8944; Internet: erf@rachel.clark.net .
. ========== .
. Back issues available by E-mail; to get instructions, send .
. E-mail to INFO@rachel.clark.net with the single word HELP .
. in the message; back issues also available via ftp from .
. ftp.std.com/periodicals/rachel and from gopher.std.com .
. and from http://www.monitor.net/rachel/ .
. Subscribe: send E-mail to rachel-weekly-request@world.std.com .
. with the single word SUBSCRIBE in the message. It's free. .
=================================================================
CANCER TRENDS
U.S. cancer trends are increasingly bleak. There are two ways to
judge cancer trends: by incidence rates and by death rates.
Cancer incidence refers to the number of new cases of cancer per
100,000 population, age-adjusted. Similarly, the cancer death
rate is the number of cancer deaths per 100,000 population,
age-adjusted. The purpose of adjusting for age is to eliminate
trends that might occur simply because the average age of the
population is increasing. In other words, age-adjusting
eliminates the argument, "Cancer only SEEMS to be getting worse
because people are living longer."
Table 1 presents the latest U.S. cancer statistics from the
National Cancer Institute, covering the period 1950 to 1992 (the
last year for which published data are available).[1] As the
table makes clear, there are four cancers for which the news is
entirely good: both incidence and deaths are declining (cervix,
stomach, rectum, and uterus).
There are also eight cancers for which the news is mixed:
incidence is increasing while deaths are declining. These
cancers are striking a larger proportion of Americans each year,
yet surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation treatments are keeping
more victims alive. These are the eight cancers that more people
are having to learn to live with: cancers of the colon, larynx,
testicles, bladder, and thyroid, Hodgkin's disease, leukemias,
and all childhood cancers.
Then there are 11 cancers for which the news is all bad:
incidence is rising, and so is the death rate. These 11 are:
cancers of the ovaries, lung, skin, female breast, prostate,
kidney, liver, non-Hodgkin's lymphomas, multiple myeloma, brain,
and pancreas.
In the U.S., the incidence of all cancers has increased 54.3%
during the past 45 years, and the death rate for all cancers has
increased 9.6%. However, lung cancer --which is caused mainly by
cigarettes --dominates these increases. If lung cancer is
excluded, the incidence of all cancers has still increased an
impressive 40.8% during the past 45 years, but the death rate has
declined 15.0% during the same period. This shows rather
dramatically the extent to which more of us each year are
"learning to live with cancer."
A recent review article by the staff of the National Cancer
Institute (NCI) adds some perspective to these numbers.[2] Among
men, prostate cancers account for two-thirds of the cancer
incidence increase during the past 20 years. Notable increases
have also occurred in non-Hodgkin's lymphomas and skin cancers
(melanomas).
Among women, the major increases of the past 20 years occurred in
cancers of the breast and lung, followed by non-Hodgkin's
lymphomas and skin melanomas.
The NCI analysts found that, in general, the rising incidence of
cancers in the U.S. is dominated by increases at older ages in
breast, prostate, and lung.
Regarding breast cancer, the NCI analysts say that some, though
not all, of the increase is accounted for by earlier detection.
They point out that the biggest increase has occurred among
estrogen-responsive tumors --that is to say, the kind of breast
cancer that is increasing most rapidly is the kind that is
influenced by the presence of estrogen, "suggesting that some of
the changes are related to hormonal factors," the NCI analysts
say.
Among men the biggest increase is found in prostate cancer
--another cancer influenced by hormones. The NCI analysts say
better diagnosis accounts for part, but not all, of the increase.
They conclude, "it is possible that nutritional practices (e.g.,
increased consumption of fat and meat) have contributed to the
upward trend."
These data hide significant differences between races. The
highest incidence of cancer in the U.S. occurs among black men
(557.2 cases per year among each 100,000 persons), followed by
white men (464.0), then white women (348.0), then black women
(331.8).
The incidence of colon cancer is 20% higher among blacks than
among whites.[3] The incidence of multiple myeloma is about 50%
higher among blacks than among whites, and the incidence of
prostate cancer is 71% higher among blacks. (Multiple myeloma is
cancer of the immune system's cells in the bone marrow.) Lung
cancer --caused mainly by cigarette smoking --is 36% higher among
blacks than among whites.[4]
Relative survival rates are poorer among blacks then among
whites; generally, about 75% as many blacks as whites survive a
particular cancer. Survival rates are thought to reflect
socio-economic status. Thirty percent of blacks live in poverty
vs. only 13% of whites.[4] Among blacks cancer tends to be at an
advanced stage when it is first detected, compared to whites,
which partially explains why black survival rates are poorer.
Much cancer is caused by "environmental factors," broadly defined
to include food, drink, and habits such as smoking tobacco and
basking in the sun.
Numerous studies have shown that environmental factors are far
more important than genetic, inherited factors. Cancer rates
differ from country to country. When people migrate from one
country to another, within a generation or two their cancer rates
have changed from those of their country of origin to those of
their new homeland. For example, Japanese women living in Japan
have a low rate of breast cancer; but Japanese women who move to
the U.S. soon have U.S. rates of breast cancer.
These "migration studies" --of which there are now many in the
literature[5] --tell us that many cancers are preventable.
Unfortunately, there is a great deal of money to be made treating
cancer, and little money to be made preventing cancer. And so
cancer prevention today gets about one penny out of every dollar
spent on cancer research.
So long as we continue to bathe ourselves in carcinogens in air,
water, and food, and in chemicals that degrade our immune
systems, more of us each passing year will have to learn to live
with cancer. Present policies are exceedingly expensive
(estimated at $72.5 billion in 1985) and don't make much sense
from a public health viewpoint, but they make eminently good
sense from the viewpoint of the cancer industry --those who cause
it and those who sell services that ameliorate its effects. The
cancer industry is robust and healthy; by comparison, the
proponents of prevention are sickly, weak and pallid.
--Peter Montague
(National Writers Union, UAW Local 1981/AFL-CIO)
===============
[1] Source: C.L. Kosary and others, editors, SEER CANCER
STATISTICS REVIEW 1973-1992 [National Institutes of Health
Publication No. 96-2789] (Bethesda, Md.: National Cancer
Institute, 1995), Table I-3, pg. 17. NIH says historical data for
non-whites are not considered reliable spanning the period
1950-1992 so historical data are only given for whites.
[2] Susan S. Devesa and others, "Recent Cancer Trends in the
United States," JOURNAL OF THE NATIONAL CANCER INSTITUTE Vol. 87,
No. 3 (February 1, 1995), pgs. 175-182.
[3] Lynn A. Gloeckler Ries and others, "Cancer incidence,
mortality, and patient survival in the United States," in David
Schottenfeld and Joseph F. Fraumeni, Jr., editors, CANCER
EPIDEMIOLOGY AND PREVENTION [SECOND EDITION] (New York: Oxford
University Press, 1996), pgs. 168-191.
[4] John W. Horm and others, "Cancer incidence, mortality, and
survival among racial and ethnic minority groups in the United
States," in David Schottenfeld and Joseph F. Fraumeni, Jr.,
editors, CANCER EPIDEMIOLOGY AND PREVENTION [SECOND EDITION] (New
York: Oxford University Press, 1996), pgs. 192-235.
[5] David B. Thomas and Margaret K. Karagas, "Migrant studies,"
in David Schottenfeld and Joseph F. Fraumeni, Jr., editors,
CANCER EPIDEMIOLOGY AND PREVENTION [SECOND EDITION] (New York:
Oxford University Press, 1996), pgs. 236-254.
=================================================================
TABLE 1
U.S. Cancer Incidence and Deaths in 1992, and the Percent Change
in Age-Adjusted Rates of Incidence and Death per 100,000 U.S.
Population, 1950-1992.
.
. -----ALL RACES------- ------WHITES---------
Cancer Incidence Deaths Percent Percent
type in 1992 in 1992 change in change in
. (estimated) incidence, deaths,
. 1950-1992 1950-1992
----------------------------------------------------------------
stomach 24,400 13,630 -74.8 -77.6
cervix 13,500 4,641 -76.6 -74.5
rectum 45,000 7,785 -21.3 -66.9
colon 111,000 49,204 +21.6 -15.0
larynx 12,500 3,966 +50.9 -7.4
testicles 6,300 355 +113.6 -69.6
bladder 51,600 10,705 +57.1 -34.8
Hodgkin's disease 7,400 1,639 +17.3 -67.8
childhood cancers 7,800 1,679 +4.9 -62.4
leukemias 28,200 19,417 +8.7 -2.1
thyroid 12,500 1,111 +115.3 -49.5
ovaries 21,000 13,181 +5.2 +2.5
lung 168,000 145,801 +267.4 +264.0
skin melanomas 32,000 6,568 +393.3 +155.0
breast (female) 180,000 43,063 +55.9 +0.2
prostate 132,000 34,238 +266.4 +20.7
kidney 26,500 10,427 +120.6 +37.2
liver 15,400 9,554 +107.3 +22.8
non-Hodgkin's
lymphomas 41,000 20,058 +183.6 +123.1
multiple myeloma 12,500 9,247 +235.8 +194.0
brain 16,900 11,941 +85.2 +50.4
pancreas 28,300 26,070 +13.6 +17.8
.
All types ex- 962,000 374,747 +40.8 -15.0
cluding lung
.
All types 1,130,000 520,548 +54.3 +9.6
=================
Source: C.L. Kosary and others, editors, SEER CANCER STATISTICS
REVIEW 1973-1992 [National Institutes of Health Publication No.
96-2789] (Bethesda, MD: National Cancer Institute, 1992), Table
I-3, pg. 17. NIH says historical data for non-whites are not
considered reliable spanning the period 1950-1992 so historical
data are only given for whites.
=================================================================
Descriptor terms: cancer statistics; lung cancer; brain cancer;
multiple myeloma; pancreatic cancer; non-hodgkin's lymphomas;
liver cancer; kidney cancer; prostate cancer; breast cancer; skin
cancer; melanoma; ovarian cancer; thyroid cancer; hormones;
leukemia; childhood cancer; hodgkin's disease; bladder cancer;
testicular cancer; laryngeal cancer; colon cancer; rectal cancer;
cervical cancer; stomach cancer; african-americans; blacks;
national cancer institute;
################################################################
NOTICE
Environmental Research Foundation provides this electronic
version of RACHEL'S ENVIRONMENT & HEALTH WEEKLY free of charge
even though it costs our organization considerable time and money
to produce it. We would like to continue to provide this service
free. You could help by making a tax-deductible contribution
(anything you can afford, whether $5.00 or $500.00). Please send
your tax-deductible contribution to: Environmental Research
Foundation, P.O. Box 5036, Annapolis, MD 21403-7036. Please do
not send credit card information via E-mail. For further
information about making tax-deductible contributions to E.R.F.
by credit card please phone us toll free at 1-888-2RACHEL.
--Peter Montague, Editor
################################################################
--
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Life shrinks or expands in |
proportion to one's courage." |
-Anais Nin- | http://www.persephone.org
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
My PGP Public Key can be found at: http://www.persephone.org/PGPKEY.shtml/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Date: Sat, 14 Jun 1997 09:49:52 -0400 (EDT)
From: Marisul@aol.com
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: (US)Who's in Charge at the CACC? Come to the Hearings!
Message-ID: <970614094951_781156591@emout05.mail.aol.com>
*** For Immediate Release***
Who's In Charge at the CACC?
June 12, 1997
New York, New York. Randy M. Mastro, Deputy Mayor for Operations, has
been trying to force the Board of Directors of the Center for Animal Care and
Control (CACC), a supposedly independent tax-exempt organization, to hire an
unqualified city employee as executive director of the animal shelter instead
of a qualified individual with a strong background in animal shelter
management. This comes on the heels of the City's refusal to let the board
hire Ed Sayres, a nationally known and widely respected animal welfare
administrator.
An immediate outcry by animal activists met the City's recent proposal
that the CACC hire an official from the Department of Juvinile Justice, and
it appears that that idea may have been dropped.
However, the situation remains disastrous for the animals. Because the
Board was not permitted to hire Sayres, the CACC has been without a director
for months. New Yorkers who care about animals believe that the CACC, which
right now is killing 125 dogs and cats a day on taxpayers' behalf, needs a
qualified director who has experience running a shelter, new ideas about
controlling overpopulation and promoting adoptions, and is committed to
animal welfare.
The Mayor must be convinced to allow the CACC Board of Directors to hire
a qualified executive director. New York's animals deserve the best.
The City Council is holding a hearing on the CACC on Monday, June 16,
1997 at 11 a.m. in Council Chambers at City Hall to scrutinize the City's
contract with the CACC. Members of the public are welcome to attend.
Date: Sat, 14 Jun 1997 06:14:45 -0700 (PDT)
From: Friends of Animals
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: CITES Update
Message-ID: <2.2.16.19970614090131.2e875ca4@pop.igc.org>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
June 14, 1997
Preaching Science- Practicing Politics
Selling Out the Elephants at CITES COP 10
Harare, Zimbabwe- Behind-the-scenes politics and dirty
deals are threatening the future of the ivory trade ban
at the 10th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 10)
of the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered
Species (CITES) , which is about to begin its second
week of meetings in Harare, Zimbabwe.
Says Friends of Animals (FoA) President Priscilla Feral,
who is present at the Harare conference, many people who
are "preaching science" are practicing politics." According to
confidential talks between FoA and a number of African
and Asian delegates, these delegates have been given
strict, politically-motivated instructions to support the downlisting
of elephants despite the near universal reluctance to do so
by wildlife conservation professionals on the delegations.
FoA has been informed by several sources that delegates have
received instructions from their local ambassadors to support
the downlisting, both in word and in vote. The delegation for
the United States, though opposed to the downlisting proposal,
has been conspicuously silent during the process leading to the vote.
Says Feral, "FoA is here saying what many well-intentioned
delegations have been forbidden to say by their own politicians:
that any downlisting will have serious negative consequences
for all elephants across Africa." FoA has ongoing projects in
nearly a dozen African countries and extensive experience in
elephant conservation and anti-poaching.
One of the leading points of discussion in Harare has been the
alleged need and right of Zimbabwe to sell its ivory stocks.
Although one Washington based NGO -the African Wildlife
Foundation- is pushing for the downlisting, FoA and most
NGO's internationally oppose any re-opening of the ivory trade.
Says Feral, "Zimbabwe is one of he most affluent African nations.
Harare is a modern city. I've seen worse neighborhoods in Brooklyn!
This downlisting isn't about money for human needs, it's about
corruption and politics."
A vote on the elephant issue by CITES COP10 delegates could
come as early as Tuesday.
Contacts:
Bill Dollinger - Washington DC (202) 296-2172
Priscilla Feral - Harare, Zimbabwe 011 263 4 795611 (Room 222)
Date: Sat, 14 Jun 1997 12:39:08 -0500 (CDT)
From: bstagno@ix.netcom.com (Barbara Stagno)
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: Fwd: URGENT! YOU CAN FOIL SLAUGHTER!
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From:@worldnet.att.net
From: Anne Muller
Subject: URGENT! YOU CAN FOIL SLAUGHTER!
Date: Fri, 13 Jun 1997 17:14:11 +0000
Message-ID: <19970613171358.AAA13478@CASH2>
Friday the 13th - Maybe it will be a goodluck day for us and a badluck
day
for Holbrook! WRKL, the local radio station, is now interested in the
larger picture!!!! I was on the radio this morning and they definitely
want
to keep the larger picture angle going - the connection between
Holbrook and
the DEC. Ray Mundy, the director of the Hudson Valley Humane
Association,
is waiting for the outcome of his injunction/lawsuit against the DEC
for not
permitting him to relocate geese; and Dwight Kearns, a Clarkstown
resident
who has been valiently fighting Holbrook, has infiltrated the Congers
Civic
Association which is a Holbrook political stronghold. Last night he
challenged them on all their proposals to turn public lands over to the
Little Leagues. There are no dead geese yet as far as we know, so all
is
going well on this day.
Just some information for all of you - please put it out on the private
lists, etc.
These are the guys who do roundups:
Thomas J. Maglaras, 2 Lath Lane, West Nyack, NY 10994, 914-623-1894
Nick Maglaras, 160-43 16th Avenue, Whitestone, NY 11357, 718-746-6994
Michael Corbisieru, 62 Summit Road, Port Washington, NY 11050,
516-883-8574
Gim Gillespi, 97-15 130th Street, Richmond Hill, Queeens, NY,
718-271-1500
They have trucks that go something like this: Joe's TV Repair, Moe's
Air
Conditioning, Johnny's Whatever, etc.
If there are any folks around there, find out what their truck says,
those
are the trucks that we will look out for.
Holbrook's address is: 74 Endicott Rd. Congers, NY 10920; home phone:
914-268-7436
Penny Leonard, 7 N. Congers Ave., Congers, NY 10920, phone 914-
268-2573
Realize that calls can be traced through caller ID plus, so be sure to
dial
star (*)67 prior to making call or call from an outside phone.
Border collie tricks according to an expert:
Use a whistle when you first go into a park and run with the dog
towards the
geese while you blow the whistle. The geese may go in the water. Let
the
dog circle the water for about 30 minutes to drive the geese back in
when
they try to come out, then go into your car for about 30 minutes and
wait
for the geese to come back out and then let the dog go again to drive
them
back into the water.
All the folks who do this should use the exact same whisle, because at
some
point the geese respond to the whisle and the border collie isn't
always
needed. Acme Thunder is the whistle that is recommended that comes
with a
cork inside.
Be sure that there are no goslings or molting or disabled geese in the
area
before running through with an untrained dog. Trained border collies
do not
really attack geese, they just stare at them which makes geese very
nervous
and they would rather leave. There are very few goslings and it might
be
possible to remove them to a safe location with their parents and other
family. parents will molt while babies are growinig their flight
feathers.
Find out about border collie rescue groups, perhaps they will volunteer
to
come to Rockland.
This seems to be the only way in this crisis to get the birds the hell
out
of there quickly.
Let us know what you think. There will be a meeting at Rockland State
Park,
South Entrance, by the building directly in front when you enter at 6
p.m.
on Saturday 6/14 tomorrow. PLEASE COME. THE ROUNDUP WAS 6/17 LAST
YEAR!!!!!
SPREAD THE WORD, BE CAREFUL OF INFILTRATORS!!!
Please have all contact Peter Muller if you'd like your action
coordinated -
phone: 914- 256-0200, e-mail: Peter.Muller@worldnet.att.net for
starters so
stuff can get coordinated. Pete will keep lists and get faxes or
e-mails to
all. We only want folks who come "highly recommended" if you know what
I mean.
Also, Wildlife Watch needs a full time volunteer for the summer.
Anyone who
can stay for at least a month or more. If we don't know you, please
give us
3 references from known AR folks. Person should have computer skills,
AND
BE HIGHLY ORGANIZED AND NEAT. The problem here is that we have to keep
records immediately accessible for reporters, politicians, lawsuits and
ourselves, etc. New Paltz is a cute college town, very beautiful,
pristine
rock-climbing country on the Shawanagunks, Lake Minnewaska State Park,
Mohonk cliffs, apple orchards. We have a lovely furnished room and
plenty
of vegan food - free, but can't pay much, only about $50/wk. Please
let me
know if you can make that commitment. It's mostly office stuff, can be
more, but need someone on the egghead side with some administrative
skills.
Please send a resume by e-mail or write to pob 562, New Paltz, NY
12561.
Also, if you have ideas let us know asap. Thanks.
Date: Sat, 14 Jun 1997 12:41:40 -0500 (CDT)
From: bstagno@ix.netcom.com (Barbara Stagno)
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: Fwd: MORE URGENT!
Message-ID: <199706141741.MAA01484@dfw-ix8.ix.netcom.com>
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To: JUN1022@mail.cybernex.net, DAKOTSUE@aol.com,
shreva84@vaxa.cis.uwosh.edu,
office@animalsagenda.org, fan46@execpc.com,
bstagno@ix.netcom.com,
batyab@crocker.com, BHGazette@aol.com,
ABARBANELL@A1.TCH.HARVARD.EDU,
From:@worldnet.att.net
From: Anne Muller
Subject: MORE URGENT!
Date: Fri, 13 Jun 1997 18:13:54 +0000
Message-ID: <19970613181342.AAA6028@CASH2>
SORRY, HERE ARE THE LOCATIONS IN CLARKSTOWN OF PERMITTED SLAUGHTER:
CONGERS lAKE MEMORIAL PARK, GILCHREST ROAD, CONGERS
KINGS PARK KINGS HIGHWAY, CONGERS
LAKE NANUET PARK, LAKE NANUET DRIVE, NANUETT
GERMONDS PARK, GERMONDS ROAD, WEST NYACK
ZUKOR PARK, 31 ZUKOR ROAD, NEW CITY
TWIN PONDS PARK, MASSACHUSETTS AVE., CONGERS
TENNYSON PARK, TNNYSON DRIVE, NANUET
PROPERTIES BORDERING SWARTHOUT LAKE IN CONGERS
PROPERTIE BORDERING LAKE DEFOREST RESERVOIR IN NEW CITY AND WEST NYACK
PROPERTIES BORDERING THE HACKENSACK RIVER IN WEST NYACK THAT FEEDS
NYACK
WATER COMPAMY AND LAKE TAPPAN RESERVOIR
PROPERTIES BORDERING LAKE LUCILLE IN NEW CITY INCLUDING THE PROPERTIES
ALONG
ITS TRIBUTARY TO ITS EAST
PROPERTIES ALONG STREAM NJ1 12-3-8 NEAR RED HILL ROAD IN NEW CITY
PROPERTIES ALONG STREAM NJ1-13-1A2 NEAR MOUNTAIN VIEW AVE., VALLEY
COTTAGE
PROPERTIES ALONG STREAM NJ1-12-3-1 NEAR LADY GODIVA WAY, NEW CITY
IF YOU CAN HELP IN ANY PARTICULAR LOCATION CONTACT GREGG FEIGELSON RE
EXACT
DIRECTIONS.
Coalition to Prevent the Destruction of Canada Geese (TM)
Coalition to Protect Canada Geese (TM)
PO Box 917, Pearl River, NY 10965-0917
Voice 914 425-7116
FAX 914 426-1525
http://www.icu.com/geese/coalition.html
canadagoose@icu.com
PLEASE TRY TO GET TO MEETING AT ROCKLAND LAKE STATE PARK, SOUTH
ENTRANCE AT
BUILDLING FACING ENTRANCE AT 6, TOMORROW EVENING SATURDAY AT 6 PM.
IT'S 9W
NORTH OF NYACK.
THANKS A LOT.
THANKS
Date: Sat, 14 Jun 1997 15:07:10 -0400 (EDT)
From: LexAnima@aol.com
To: ar-views@envirolink.org, ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: Clarifying Veal Campaign of the late 80's/early 90's
Message-ID: <970614150709_589536319@emout02.mail.aol.com>
Thanks for all the great responses on my research of this campaign.
Some people seemed confused by the post -- but it was intentionally vague --
I'm putting together a report on the campaign, therefore I seek individuals
with any information or personal experience with the project --
There was a national conference in which people lobbied on the issue back
then -- I still don't have anyone's experiences with their representatives --
can anyone help in that regard?
Thanks again, D'Arcy
Date: Sat, 14 Jun 1997 18:52:51 -0400
From: allen schubert
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: Dublin's Ghetto a Horse Capital
Message-ID: <3.0.32.19970614185046.006c79d0@clark.net>
Mime-Version: 1.0
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from AP Wire page:
------------------------------------
06/14/1997 12:12 EST
Dublin's Ghetto a Horse Capital
By HELEN O'NEILL
Associated Press Writer
DUBLIN, Ireland (AP) -- They gallop bareback through city streets,
scruffy kids on scruffy horses, the slums and mountains of Dublin at
their backs.
``Gerrup ...!'' they cry, yanking on crude ropes that pass for reins,
digging their sneakers harder into the ribs of their skinny steeds.
``Faster boy, faster!''
Thundering across the urban prairie, the hooves crunch the debris of the
night before: discarded heroin needles, beer cans, broken bottles.
Past the grimy concrete towers they race, past the burned-out shells of
stolen cars and the dank, foreboding stairwells smeared with graffiti and
stinking of human waste; past the wailing babies and howling dogs and
tough-looking vigilantes that scour the apartment blocks for drug dealers
and their wares.
Ghetto kids whipping ghetto ponies through a high-rise project, where
20,000 people live in government flats and crudely painted bedsheets flap
from the rooftops: ``Drug dealers get out. No heroin sold here.''
Ballymun. Dublin's drug capital. Home of the urban cowboys.
It started simply enough, with the revival of Dublin's inner-city horse
market in the late 1980s, perhaps linked to the government's attempt to
settle itinerant travelers, or gypsies, around the city.
Soon, gypsy ponies began wandering into the poor neighborhoods, into
Tallaght and Finglas and Coolock and Ballymun. And the cowboys started
buying and breeding. Today, the patches of scrub originally built as
football fields are home to hungry herds. You see them limping down busy
roads, foraging for food, tethered to rusting goalposts, squeezed into
living rooms and back yards the size of horse boxes.
There are hundreds, maybe thousands of these ``urban horses,'' and
they've become such a problem that the government has passed a law to
round them up for good.
The cowboys are ready for a showdown.
Ireland's horse culture is as old and rich as its heather-covered bogs.
From the working shires that lumber through Dublin, carting barrels of
Guinness and sacks of coal, to the sleek thoroughbreds racing across the
flatlands of County Kildare, to the sturdy little ponies that pull the
caravans of travelers, horses are part of the country's history and life.
But the Ballymun broncos are a new phenomenon, one the traditional horse
culture shuns. Undernourished and often mistreated, they're a far cry
from the mythical creatures portrayed in movies like ``Into the West,''
where a snow-white stallion brings beauty and joy into a poor child's
life.
These cowboys and their horses, bought cheap from shady dealers, have
little of either.
``The government's got an answer for the horses,'' says Vicky McElligott,
a tough-talking Ballymun matriarch with nine children, some with children
of their own, most with ponies. ``What's their answer for our children?''
The newspapers chart the slaughter: the drug overdoses, the suicides, an
unemployment rate of up to 80 percent, the killings -- human and animal.
About two horses a week are put out of their misery in Dublin projects by
animal welfare agencies, some shot in the streets by veterinarians as
their young owners look on. Others drop dead from hunger and disease.
Hundreds more are rounded up and herded off to city pounds.
The roundups take place in the dead of night when the cowboys are
sleeping. It's too dangerous to confront them in daylight.
``People seem to think they have a divine right to own a horse regardless
of where they live,'' says Therese Cunningham, director of the Dublin
Society For the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, sitting in her cozy
office in the hills, a couple of rescued horses grazing comfortably
outside.
``They say horses are part of our Irish culture that goes back to the
mists of time,'' she says. ``It's not part of your culture if you were
born in a 15-story block of flats.''
Cunningham is the main force behind the new Control of Horses Act, which
requires all horses to be licensed, increases penalties for animal
cruelty, and bans the sale of horses to children under the age of 16. The
goal is clear: Get rid of the urban horses.
``Holy Saint Therese!'' jeer the cowboys, as they stoke a stubborn
bonfire outside the Ballymun corral. ``Would yer listen to that woman?
Sure, she'll save all the poor ponies in Dublin herself.''
The corral is a run-down, corrugated iron shed originally built as a
workingman's club and shut down when it couldn't get a liquor license.
It's been converted into a makeshift stables for about 20 horses. They
have names like Elvis and Rocky and Billy-the-Kid and are guarded by
unemployed fathers who while away their days smoking and storytelling and
keeping a watchful eye for the posses from the pound.
The corral makes a bold stab at legitimacy: Horse owners are asked to
contribute a few pounds a week and its official name, scrawled in a
hand-painted sign over the entrance, is ``The Ballymun Horseowners
Association.''
In reality, the place is as illegal as the horses on government land. The
squatters don't care. They'll stay until they get a better deal for their
kids. Sure, their horses aren't as pretty as the polo ponies in the
Phoenix Park. But they're keeping the kids out of trouble, away from
drugs and boredom and stealing cars for kicks.
``If it wasn't for the horses, I'd probably be on the gear, on heroin,''
says David Thomas, 13, trotting into the corral on a scrappy chestnut
filly called Sally. ``There's nothin' else to do round here.''
McElligott offers a more philosophical argument to anyone who will
listen.
``We're a nation that churns out thoroughbreds and racehorses that are
sold all over the world,'' she says, gleefully nailing a couple of
plainclothes cops as they drive past the corral.
``Why should horses be just for the rich?'' she demands, as they stare
back, stone-faced, from the cruiser. ``Who has the right to chase horses
away from us just because we are poor?''
The cowboys cheer. The law be damned, they shout. We're not surrendering
without a fight.
The cops shake their heads and drive on.
Cunningham gets impatient with the stories that portray her as the
villain, the chain-smoking sheriff hounding young cowboys.
``They make it sound so romantic,'' she says. ``It's not romantic for the
poor horse.''
The DSPCA's daily log documents the suffering: a blind horse abandoned in
a public park, a herd of frightened ponies charging motorists on a busy
road, a stampeding colt that tripped over a child's carriage, knocking
the baby to the ground.
Cunningham points to the gangs that break into the pounds and steal back
the horses rather than pay the government fines, co-workers driven out of
their homes after smoke bombs were flung through their letterboxes and
fires set in their cars, thugs who hurled iron horseshoes at her at the
Smithfield market, where the horses are bought and sold.
``We're not trying to take horses from underprivileged kids,'' she says.
``We are trying to save animals that are abused and abandoned and ridden
into the ground by children who don't know the first thing about caring
for a pony.''
But the battle is taking its toll. Cunningham doesn't go to Smithfield
anymore.
The first Sunday of each month, cowboys come from miles around to gather
in the dusty, cobblestone square in the heart of the city, riding horses
they'll trade in for faster, bigger models. The dealers stream in with
horse boxes and caravans.
By noon, there are 2,000 horses, snorting and whinnying and stamping as
the cowboys shout and barter. Deals are sealed with a spit on the palm
and a slap on the back. There isn't a saddle or stirrup in sight.
Horses sell for anywhere from $80 to $400, depending on their condition
and a child's ability to pay. ``Confirmation money,'' the cowboys say,
straight-faced, when asked how they can afford a horse. ``Me ma gave me
the money.''
Smithfield is as illegal as nearly everything else to do with the urban
horses, but it's too dangerous to break up the market.
For one thing, the cowboys hate the government-sponsored horse pounds
even more than they hate ``Saint Therese.'' They trade war stories around
all-night bonfires if they get tipped about a roundup.
After a raid, the younger cowboys sometimes go to the pound and try
bargaining for their horses. It helps if their da's come too.
The older ones fight back their own way -- with crowbars and gangs They
steal back their horses as soon as it's safe -- usually in the middle of
the night.
Before the heroin, and long before the horses, Ballymun was considered
something of an urban marvel, a decent bit of housing for the poor, far
removed from the desperate poverty of the tenements being torn down in
the city. Built as a social experiment in the 1960s, the towers were
named after the martyred rebel heroes of the Easter 1916 revolt:
Plunkett, Connolly, Pearse.
``Them flats were beautiful, when I first moved in,'' says McElligott,
who raised all her children in Ballymun. ``I had central heating galore
and all the hot water I wanted.''
She speaks with pride of the enduring community spirit, ``neighbors that
would lend you their last shilling.'' She sees a glimmer of hope in the
fact that people are finally talking about the plight of the urban
cowboys. There are even rumors that ``a wealthy establishment type'' will
build a center for the children and their ponies.
But no one knows what will come of it, and McElligott has little faith in
the future. She tells her children the only way out is to emigrate.
They're all still here, raising families in the flats, riding horses
through the slums, dreaming of when life will be different.
``We're getting out of this kip!'' cry the cowboys.
``We'll get a plane to America!'' they shout, galloping across the fields
toward the airport runway, where the green Aer Lingus jets lift off to
London and New York. ``We'll be jockeys and be famous!''
Over the ditch and onto the football field they fly, a ragged pack of
warriors who should still be at school.
Yelling. Whooping. Cursing. Smoking.
``Ciaran, you're a flier! Would you look at him go?''
At 10 years old, with a stallion in your hands and the wind whipping your
face, it's easy to dream you're a cowboy -- like John Wayne in the Wild
West, or maybe a famous jockey like Lester Piggott tearing down the
raceway at the Phoenix Park.
Anywhere but the badlands of Ballymun.
Date: Sat, 14 Jun 1997 16:33:59 -0700
From: Andrew Gach
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: The Future of Medicine: Two Views
Message-ID: <33A32A67.1628@worldnet.att.net>
MIME-Version: 1.0
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Two views of the future of medicine
London Observer Service
LONDON (June 14, 1997 2:03 p.m. EDT) -- A crystal ball is as important
an instrument to the doctor as a stethoscope or a scalpel. Very often,
medicine boils down to nothing more than reasoned divination about our
futures.
Physicians dignify this quasi-astrological art by labeling it as the
"prognosis', but the truth is that many of our guesses are just that. --
simply blind stabs into shadowy uncertainty.
The story of the man who sued his doctor because he lived longer than
was predicted -- and so spent all of his money, believing that soon he
would not need a cent. -- is a good case in point.
That said, try this for a thought experiment. What will medicine be like
in 50 years' time? Two visions have been offered during the past few
weeks. And they draw very different conclusions.
"Robosurgery, wonder cures and the quest for immortality' is the
tempting subtitle of Alexandra Wyke's exercise in futurology,
"21st-Century Miracle Medicine". Wyke works at the Economist
Magazine and was its specialist reporter in medicine from 1981 until
last year.
Wyke is an optimist for sure. She argues that science has now passed
some sort of millennial watershed. Doctors will treat patients by using
digital multimedia workstations. Hospitals will become obsolete. Drug
companies will evolve into purveyors of instant cures. Physicians will
be rated according to their mechanical skills rather than their clinical
ability.
But Wyke's optimism shades all too easily into naivete. She ends her
book with this lazy and superficial blandishment: "Technology will
literally transform medicine, dismissing all possible doubt that we can
look forward to a universally hale and hearty future."
There is another view, one altogether more gloomy. Chris Murray and Alan
Lopez have tried to estimate what the world will be dying of in 25
years' time. They began with the 50 million deaths worldwide that took
place in 1990. The biggest world killers were not, as you might guess,
diseases of starvation. They were coronary heart disease (6 million
deaths) and stroke (4 million deaths). Diarrhea was number four and
tuberculosis number seven.
In 2020, coronary disease and stroke will remain the top killers,
according to Murray and Lopez. Tuberculosis will still be number seven.
But cancer and HIV, along with traffic accidents and
suicide, will make the top 10. It seems that we should be worrying about
heart disease and cancer in poorer countries, and their main cause
(smoking), more than we currently do.
Death is a pretty final and crude measure of how we feel. What about
plain old ill health? Murray and Lopez also worked out the amount of
disability in the world and tried to project how that would change.
Their conclusions were surprising. In 1990, the top three disabling
conditions were chest infections, diarrhea and illnesses in newly born
children. All what one would expect among people suffering from poverty.
But by 2020, an astonishing transition will have happened. The top three
causes of disability will be replaced by heart disease, depression and
traffic accidents.
The notion that medicine is going to metamorphose into a computer-driven
technopoly, where robots perform surgery, wrist watches diagnose disease
before it develops, and special drugs
eradicate genetic conditions, seems ridiculous against this backdrop.
The so-called western diseases that will shower down on India, China,
Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America will present an
unsustainable weight on these fragile societies, unless we plan for it
now. Yet the World Health Organization (WHO) has disclaimed the results
of Murray and Lopez.
So, which prediction do you prefer? Or, put another way, which do you
trust the most? I'd rather bet on the one that leaves the WHO most
uncomfortable. Its discomfort is often a sign that someone else is
telling the truth.
By DR. RICHARD HORTON, editor of the Lancet
Date: Sat, 14 Jun 1997 17:01:33 -0700
From: Andrew Gach
To: healthe@home.ease.lsoft.com
Cc: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: Vitamins may cut heart disease risk
Message-ID: <33A330DD.60AB@worldnet.att.net>
MIME-Version: 1.0
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Study says vitamins may cut heart disease risk
CNN Health News, June 10, 1997
CHICAGO (Reuter) -- A European study published Tuesday suggests
that a combination of vitamins can reduce the risk of heart disease. The
study called for more research into whether vitamin supplements with
folic acid and other elements can reduce such risk.
The Adelaide Hospital in Dublin, Ireland, studied nearly 1,600
people in nine European countries and found that high levels of an
amino acid called homocysteine in the blood can indicate a doubled risk
of heart disease.
The increased risk caused by high levels of the amino acid is similar to
that caused by high cholesterol or cigarette smoking, said the study,
published in this week's Journal of the American Medical Association.
A small number of people in the test who took vitamin
combinations with folic acid, cobalamin (a component of vitamin
B-12) and pyridoxine (one of the B-6 group of vitamins) appeared
to show a substantial reduction in heart disease risk, the study said.
"We believe it is time to consider whether existing recommended
daily allowances of the vitamins that modulate homocysteine
metabolism are adequate, and to undertake randomized controlled
trials of the effects of folic acid and perhaps pyridoxine in the
secondary prevention of cardiac disease," the study said.
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