Komputer for Alle 1998 #6/1998 CD 6 (Gul).iso/web/ffa/wwwenv~1.org/arrs/digest/news39~7.htm/text0004.txt

Text File | 1998-04-03 | 40.0 KB | 974 lines

>From the Eletronic Telegraph - Monday, May 5th, 1997

Water firm risks hosepipe ban to bail out spiders
By A J McIlroy

A WATER company has set aside 20 million gallons of reserves to save a
colony of Britain's rarest spider from the driest spring in 200 years.

Essex and Suffolk Water said last night that when it came to a choice
between life-threatened spiders and "a marginally additional risk" of
hosepipe bans for its customers, then the spiders must take priority.

The company will pump 72,000 gallons a day to rescue the Great Raft spider
in Redgrave and Lopham Fen, near Diss, Norfolk, one of the last two refuges
of the species in Britain.

The fen is in Suffolk's driest area, where borehole levels are at an
all-time low and hosepipe bans are feared. The company has already
distributed circulars and placed advertisements in local newspapers
appealing for its 1.7 million customers not to waste water.

The decision to divert supplies to the fen has been welcomed by
environmentalists but has angered some customers, particularly gardeners.
Brian Olley, the company's customer services' manager, said: "There is a
marginal risk that the commitment of these reserves to rescuing the ponds
makes us more vulnerable to hosepipe bans.

"But how can one possibly equate the life or death situation facing the
spiders with hosepipe bans? We know we are doing the right thing when one
considers the risk to the survival of this rare spider if nothing is done."

The spiders grow to the size of a human hand and survive on a diet of
insects and small fish. The drought has turned their habitat on the 325-acre
reserve into a parched wilderness, lowering the string of ponds upon which
they depend for their food. The company has agreed to pump supplies from a
nearby borehole into the reserve for up to six months.

Suffolk Wildlife Trust, which bought the fen in 1961, said it was delighted
that help was on the way to the several hundred Great Raft Spiders living there.

Mike Harding, the fen reserves' manager, said: "The situation is very
serious - the water levels on the fen are at their lowest since we began
keeping records 25 years ago. The spiders need water in the ponds to help
them feed and breed."

Arthur Rivett, the warden at Lopham Fen, said: "The water is a foot lower
than normal at this time of year. It means that the spiders are not getting
enough food after the winter to enable them to breed successfully."

 ⌐ Copyright Telegraph Group Limited 1997.

Date: Mon, 5 May 1997 01:12:37 -0700 (PDT)
>From: David J Knowles <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: [UK] West is now 'messenger of death' to Third World
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"


>From the Eletronic Telegraph - Monday, May 5th, 1997

West is now 'messenger of death' to Third World
By Celia Hall, Medical Editor

RICH industrialised countries such as Britain are exporting deadly diseases
along with the Western lifestyle to the developing nations, a report says today.

This is creating a "double burden" of disease for developing countries, says
the World Health Organisation's health report for 1997. As new cases of
heart disease, strokes, diabetes and some cancers increase dramatically with
the adoption of Western habits such as smoking and fat-rich diets, incidence
of traditional diseases decreases slowly.

Even in affluent EU countries there will be a 33 per cent rise in lung
cancers in women and of 40 per cent of prostate cancers in men by 2005, the
report says.

"Those who say we are truly messengers of death are right," said Dr Paul
Kleihues, director of WHO's international agency for research on cancer.

This year's report concentrates on chronic rather than infectious diseases
but that did not mean that infections were no longer a problem, Dr Kleihues
said.

"The outlook is pessimistic. We now find globally a steady rise in the
increase of longevity. Mean life expectancy is 65 years. You can correctly
interpret this as one of the greatest achievements in public health. However
longevity is an empty prize. We believe longevity
without quality of life really cannot be the aim of the medical community."

WHO is calling for an intensified global campaign to encourage healthy
lifestyles or there will be a "crisis of suffering on a global scale".

It emphasises the health differences of nations where, at one extreme,
people born in Sierra Leone have a life expectancy of 38 while those born in
Japan can expect to live until they are 80.

Dr Kleihues said that, in newly-industrialised countries such as China and
in Central America, cancers, cardiovascular disease and diabetes were
"emerging on a scale that was unexpected only a few  years ago.

"We knew all the time that with a change in exposure in lifestyle there
would be a change in the disease pattern. We are nevertheless surprised by
the pace at which this happens."

In countries such as Japan and Korea where there have traditionally been
high salt diets, stomach cancer, high blood pressure and strokes have been
common.

To those can be added breast and colorectal cancer, almost unknown 20 or 30
years ago. Western lifestyles with diets high in fat and calories and low
physical activity are the cause.

In the Middle East, Iran and Egypt, breast cancer was emerging as a "great
emergency," he said.

⌐ Copyright Telegraph Group Limited 1997.

Date: Mon, 5 May 1997 01:39:49 -0700 (PDT)
>From: David J Knowles <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: [CH] WHO annual report press release
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

[I'm posting this mainly because of the number of diseases that are
atrributal, at least in part, to unhealthy diets, not enough fruits and
vegetables or too much animal fat in the diet. There is, however, one
recomendation which is questionable - the need for more research into new
medications and vaccines. (BTW, please note where AIDS/HIV ranks - 9th
despite the claims of some AIDS activists)]

World Health Organization warns of growing "crisis of suffering"

Human and social costs of chronic diseases will rise unless confronted now,
WHO Director-General says

Cancer, heart disease and other chronic conditions which already kill more
than 24 million
people a year will impose increasing burdens of suffering and disability on
hundreds of
millions of others, the World Health Organization warns in its annual report
published today.
The World Health Report 1997: Conquering suffering, enriching humanity says
the number of cancer cases is expected to at least double in most countries
during the next 25 years. There will be a 33% rise in lung cancers in women
and a 40% increase in prostate cancers in men in European Union countries
alone by 2005.

The incidence of some other cancers is also rising rapidly, especially in
developing countries.

Heart disease and stroke, already the leading causes of death in richer
nations, will become
much more common in poorer countries. Globally, diabetes cases will more
than double by
2025, and there will be a huge rise in some mental disorders, especially
dementias.

WHO is calling for an "intensified and sustained" global campaign to
encourage healthy
lifestyles and attack the main risk factors largely responsible for many of
the diseases -
unhealthy diet, inadequate physical activity, smoking and obesity. Such a
campaign requires
top-level international collaboration and multisectoral cooperation,
involving governmental
institutions, health authorities, the community, mass media, nongovernmental
organizations,
medical and voluntary organizations and the private sector.

"The outlook is a crisis of suffering on a global scale," Dr Hiroshi
Nakajima, Director-General of WHO says. "There is an urgent need to improve
our ability to prevent, treat and, where possible, to cure these diseases,
and to care for those who cannot be cured."

The report shows that at present:

- Circulatory diseases such as heart attacks and stroke together kill 15.3
million people a
year.

- Cancer in all its forms kills 6.3 million people a year.

- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease kills 2.9 million people a year.

These add up to 24.5 million deaths, or 47% of the annual global total of
deaths from all
causes.

Of the remainder, infectious and parasitic diseases account for 17.3
million, or 33%; deaths
from perinatal and neonatal causes account for 3.5 million; there are 585
000 maternal
deaths; and 6 million deaths from other and unknown causes, including
accidents, violence,
homicide and suicide.

The report says that tobacco-related deaths, primarily from lung cancer and
circulatory disease, already amount to 3 million a year, or 6% of total
deaths. Smoking accounts for one in 7 cancer cases worldwide. "If the trends
of increasing consumption in many countries continues, the epidemic has many
decades to run, and will surely be judged by future generations to have been
one of the greatest health tragedies that has ever occurred in the history
of mankind."

In 2020, at least 15 million people worldwide will develop cancer, compared
to about 10
million cases annually now. The doubling of new cases will occur in
developing countries, with about 40% increase in industrialized countries.
Between 1995 and 2025, the number of
people in the world with diabetes is expected to rise from about 135 million
to 300 million.

The projected increases in these and other disabling conditions such as
arthritis and the
bone involutive condition, osteoporosis, are due to a combination of
factors. The most
important are population ageing, which puts more people at risk of
developing chronic
conditions late in life; global population growth; and the rising prevalence
of unhealthy
lifestyles - characterized particularly by inappropriate diet, inadequate
physical exercise, and
smoking.

A steadily ageing global population means there are more opportunities over
time for these
diseases to progress to a deadly or disabling stage in a larger number of
people. Half a
century ago, the great majority of the global population died before the age
of 50. Today,
most survive well beyond that age. Average life expectancy at birth globally
reached 65 years
in 1996. In many countries, it is now well over 70 years, and is approaching
80 years in a few
others.

There are today an estimated 380 million people aged 65 years or more. By
2020, that
number is expected to rise to more than 690 million. Also by then, it is
predicted that chronic
diseases will be responsible for a large proportion of deaths in the
developing world. Cancers and circulatory diseases are already major causes
of death in South-east Asia, one the world's most populous regions.

The report says that many countries will increasingly come under the "double
burden" of both
infectious and noncommunicable diseases. Industrialized nations are already
facing bigger
risks from infectious diseases, partly because of the globalization of
travel, tourism and trade. Simultaneously, developing countries with
fastgrowing economies are becoming increasingly exposed to conditions
sometimes labelled as "diseases of affluence" while struggling to control
their own, still continuing infectious epidemics.

"In the battle for health in the 21st century, infectious diseases and
chronic diseases are twin enemies that have to be fought simultaneously on a
global scale," Dr Nakajima says.

"We dare not turn our backs on infectious diseases, for they will return
with a vengeance if we do. But neither can we ignore the growing burden in
ill-health and disability imposed by noncommunicable diseases. This, too, is
the plight of hundreds of millions."

Dr Nakajima calls for global efforts aimed at preventing, treating and
curing noncommunicable diseases, and reducing disability caused by them. But
such efforts must
not mean a switch away from fighting infectious diseases, he says.
Infectious agents play
important roles in the development of some noncommunicable diseases, notably
cancers of
the cervix, liver and stomach.

"People in poorer countries are now acquiring many of the unhealthy
lifestyles and
behaviours of the industrialized world: sedentary occupations, inadequate
physical activity, unsatisfactory diets, tobacco, alcohol and drugs.
Populations in richer countries continue to live with all these risks."

Referring to dramatic increases in life expectancy in recent decades, Dr
Nakajima points out: "In celebrating our extra years, we must recognize that
increased longevity without quality of life is an empty prize, that is, that
health expectancy is more important than life expectancy.

THE TEN LEADING KILLER DISEASES

Coronary heart disease* 7.2 million deaths

Cancer (all sites)* 6.3 million deaths

Cerebrovascular disease* 4.6 million deaths

Acute lower respiratory infection 3.9 million deaths

Tuberculosis 3.0 million deaths

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease* 2.9 million deaths

Diarrhoea (including dysentery) 2.5 million deaths

Malaria 2.1 million deaths

HIV/AIDS 1.5 million deaths

Hepatitis B 1.2 million deaths

* = noncommunicable diseases

"The majority of chronic diseases are preventable but cannot as yet be
cured. The emphasis must therefore be on preventing their onset, delaying
their development in later life, reducing the suffering they cause, and
providing the supportive social environment to care for those disabled by them."

Dr Nakajima continues: "In identifying priorities for action, World Health
Organization is looking towards key areas of chronic diseases that are major
causes of death or avoidable ill-health and disability. These are areas in
which actions or interventions that have a direct and tangible effect on
individual health - that make a difference and make it sooner, rather than
later - are possible."

CANCER

According to the report, the eight most common cancers worldwide in terms of
incidence are
also the eight which cause most deaths. These are cancers of the lung,
stomach, breast,
colon/rectum, mouth, liver, cervix, and oesophagus. Together they accounted
for about 60%
of the 6.3 million cancer deaths and 10.3 million cancer cases in 1996.

In all of these cancers, at least one lifestyle factor plays an important
role. The most worrying
trend is the increasing number of women developing either lung cancer or
breast cancer.

Lung Cancer: Incidence rates of lung cancer in men are increasing in most
countries. In
countries where the smoking epidemic first began, and has now passed its
peak, they are
beginning to fall - for example in Finland, the United Kingdom and the
United States.

Among women, incidence rates are rising briskly in countries where female
smoking is long
established. Lung cancer is now the commonest cause of death from cancer in
women in the US. In the European Union countries, a 33% increase in female
lung cancer cases is
predicted by 2005. Worldwide, about 85% of lung cancers in men and 46% in
women are
tobacco- related. The ratios in developed countries are 91% and 62%. There
is no effective
treatment for lung cancer. Only 7%-12% of patients are alive five years
after diagnosis.

Stomach cancer: The steady decline in cases in most industrialized countries
during the last
30 years is attributed to nutrition richer in vitamins from fresh fruits and
vegetables, and less
consumption of preserved, cured and salted foods. But the disease is the
second most
common cancer worldwide, and almost two-thirds of all cases are in
developing countries.
Infection with the bacterium Helicobacter pylori contributes to the risk of
the cancer. Only
about one patient in five survives longer than five years after diagnosis.

Colorectal cancer: Studies show a higher risk of colorectal cancer in people
eating a diet
low in vegetables, legumes and whole cereals. Frequent consumption of red
meat increases the risk. Although it is more common in richer countries,
incidence of the disease is rising in some developing countries. Incidence
increases rapidly in the first generation of migrants moving from a low-risk
country, such as Japan, to a high-risk country, such as the United States.
If diagnosed at an early stage, 90% of patients survive at least five years,
compared to no more than 8% of those diagnosed at an advanced stage.

Liver cancer: A major problem in developing countries, with China alone
accounting for 55%
of all cases. The risk is twice as high in men as in women everywhere; 83%
of all cases are
attributable to infection with hepatitis B virus. Most other cases are
linked to excessive alcohol consumption. Only about 6% of patients survive
more than five years.

Breast Cancer: More than half of all cases are in industrialized countries.
Incidence is
in-creasing in most parts of the world, particularly in regions which
previously had low rates.
Studies show that the incidence in women who migrate from low to high-risk
regions, slowly
rises, over two or three generations, to the rates of the host country. This
illustrates the
importance of lifestyle as well as hormonal risk factors in the development
of the disease.
Other risk factors are obesity after menopause, and diet, in particular too
high a consumption
of animal fats. At least half of breast cancer sufferers survive at least
five years after
diagnosis.

Oesophageal cancer: Tobacco and alcohol are the most important risk factors,
particularly
in combination. Smoking accounts for 45% of cases in men worldwide, but only
11% of female cases. About 85% of cases are in developing countries. About
75% of patients die within a year of diagnosis: only 5-10% survive for five
years.

Mouth cancer: Tobacco and alcohol consumption are again major risk factors.
Three out of
four cases worldwide are in developing countries. Studies indicate a
protective effect of a diet
rich in vegetables and fruit. Five-year survival from the disease ranges
between 80% in its
early stages to as low as 5% in advanced cases.

Cervical cancer: Eighty per cent of cases occur in developing countries,
where it is often
the most common cancer in women. Cases and deaths have declined markedly in many
industrialized countries, mainly because of extensive screening programmes. The
sexually-transmitted human papilloma virus is found in more than 95% of
cases; it is a
necessary but probably not sufficient cause of the disease. A vaccine
against the virus is
being developed. Survival depends on the stage of the disease at diagnosis,
with 90% of
localized cases surviving five years compared to less than 10% with distant
spread.

CIRCULATORY DISEASES

- Heart attacks, stroke and other circulatory diseases together kill more
than 15 million people a year, or 30% of the annual total of deaths from all
causes.

- Many of these deaths are both premature - occurring in people under 65
years - and
preventable.

- Circulatory diseases are emerging rapidly as a major public health concern
in most
developing countries, where they now account for about 25% of all deaths,
compared to
about half of all deaths in developed countries.

- Once, these diseases were regarded as affecting exclusively industrialized
nations, but this
is no longer true. As developing countries modernize, they are more able to
control
communicable diseases, and the life expectancy of their populations increases.
Unfortunately, so do their risks of circulatory conditions. This is partly
because of their
adoption of lifestyles similar to those in industrialized countries, and the
accompanying risk
factors - high blood pressure, smoking, high blood cholesterol levels,
unhealthy diet, physical inactivity and obesity.

- In the industrialized countries themselves, meanwhile, deaths rates from
coronary heart
disease have declined dramatically in the last 30 years. This is largely
because of better
medical treatment and preventive measures including health education on
smoking and diet.

- High blood pressure is a leading risk factor for heart disease and stroke,
and affects about
20% of adults in most countries. Blood pressure increases progressively with
age.

- Cigarette smoking is the most readily preventable risk factor for both
heart disease and
stroke.

- High blood cholesterol levels are also a major risk factor. The causes can
be genetic, but
are commonly related to a diet rich in animal fats.

- Lack of physical activity is the most prevalent, modifiable risk factor
for heart disease in
many industrialized countries. Similar levels of inactivity are becoming
more common in
newly-industrialized countries.

- Obesity is a risk factor in itself for heart disease, and is related to
inappropriate nutrition
and inactivity.

DIABETES

The projected rise in the number of diabetes sufferers from about 135
million now to almost
300 million by the year 2025 is due to population ageing, unhealthy diets,
obesity and a
sedentary lifestyle. Developing countries will bear the brunt of the
diabetes epidemic in the
21st century. Up to 90% of all cases of diabetes worldwide are
non-insulin-dependent.
Insulin- dependent diabetes develops most frequently in children and [young]
adults.

Diabetes is an under-recognized and under-recorded cause of death. Its long term
complications include heart disease, predominantly in industrialized
countries, kidney failure, blindness, and, particularly in developing
countries, foot infections, gangrene and amputation of the limbs. It
adversely affects the outcome of pregnancy, negates the protection from
heart disease which pre-menopausal women without diabetes experience, and
can lead to male impotence.

MENTAL DISORDERS

Dementia, particularly Alzheimer disease, are likely to become one of the
leading causes of
disability in the elderly worldwide. Already an estimated 29 million people
suffer from
dementia, and the risk of developing the condition rises steeply with age in
people over 60
years. By the year 2025, Africa, Asia and Latin America between them could
have more than
80 million sufferers.

At least 400 million people suffer from other mental disorders, ranging from
mood and
personality disorders to neurological conditions such as epilepsy, which
alone is estimated to affect 40 million people.

PRIORITIES FOR ACTION

The World Health Report 1997 indicates priorities for action that are
intended to improve
mankind's ability to prevent, treat, rehabilitate and where possible, cure major
noncommunicable diseases and to reduce the enormous suffering and disability
that they
cause. It says that as many of the diseases share a relatively small number
of crucial risk
factors, an integrated, coordinated approach to their prevention is
therefore necessary.
There is also an urgent need to raise awareness of, and motivation for,
healthy lifestyles.

The report's top priorities for international action are summarized as follows:

1. Integration of disease-specific interventions in both physical and mental
health into a comprehensive chronic disease control package that
incorporates prevention, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation and
improved training of health professionals.

2. Fuller application of existing cost-effective methods of disease
detection and management, including improved screening, taking into account
the genetic diversity of individuals.

3. A major intensified but sustained global campaign to encourage healthy
lifestyles, with an emphasis on the healthy development of children and
adolescents in relation to risk factors such as diet, exercise, and smoking.

4. Healthy public policies, including sustainable financing, and legislation
on pricing and taxation, in support of disease prevention programmes.

5. Acceleration of research into new drugs and vaccines, and into the
genetic determinants of chronic diseases.

6. Alleviation of pain, reduction of suffering and provision of palliative
care for those who cannot be cured.

"Inevitably, each human life reaches its end," the report concludes.
"Ensuring that it does so in the most dignified, caring and least painful
way that can be achieved deserves as much priority as any other. This is a
priority not merely for the medical profession, the health sector or the
social services. It is a priority for each society, community, family and
individual.

Date: Mon, 5 May 1997 06:33:32 -0400 (EDT)
>From: [e-mail]
To: [e-mail]
Subject: More on Utah prisoner
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>


For Immediate Release:
May 5, 1997


Animal Defender Slowly Starved in Salt Lake County Jail

     SALT LAKE CITY -- Despite numerous requests from civil libertarian and
physician groups, the Salt Lake County Jail refuses to provide animal
activist Jacob Kenison nutritionally adequate meals which are free of
animal products -- also known as vegan meals.

     Kenison, who has been incarcerated since April 23, has gone without
proper vegan meals for over a week causing him to lapse in and out of
sickness.

     Kenison's deeply held moral and religious beliefs against the
exploitation of animals prevents him from eating animal products.  The
Civil Liberties Defense Fund points to the Religious Freedom Restoration
Act of 1993 as evidence that Kenison's wishes for a diet free in animal
products should be recognized.

     Sergeant M. Longhurst refused to deal with Kenison's multiple requests
for vegan meals, saying his request should go through the jail's medical
staff.  Jail EMT R. Eppand denied Kenison's requests saying it is not a
medical issue, but an issue for the administration. Kenison has sent
nearly two dozen formal and written requests for vegan meals and medical
attention to no avail.

     In faxes to Jail Captain Paul Cunningham, Head Nurse Christie Fields,
and Head of Food Service Bob Foringer, the Physicians Committee for
Responsible Medicine (PCRM) has offered assistance on vegan meal
planning and nutrition.  However, the jail has yet to contact PCRM and
Kenison continues to go without vegan meals.

     "Prisons are responsible for their health and safety of their inmates.
They cannot just starve inmates slowly as they are trying to do with Mr.
Kension," says Civil Liberties Defense Fund Director Freeman Wicklund.
"Vegan inmates should be given meals free of animal products.  Prisons
don't expect followers of the Jewish or Islamic faith to eat pork, and
they shouldn't expect a vegan to eat animal products."

-- END --


Contacts: Dave Wilson 963-9505
          Freeman Wicklund 612-953-4083

* * * * * * * * * * *

I Spoke with Jacob today, and they still haven't given him medical
attention or provided him with vegan food. So Keep Those Calls and Faxes
Going!!!  Let those jailers know that the Prison IS responsible for
their inmates well-being and that denying them appropriate food is
intolerable!!

Here are
the numbers to call:

Seargeant: 801-535-5075
Administration: 801-535-5885
Fax Captain Cunningham at: 801-535-5055

SEND JACOB LETTERS OF SUPPORT!!

Letters to Jacob would also be appreciated to keep his morale high and
let him know that we aren't forgetting about him. Address them to:

Jacob Kenison
Political Prisoner
450 South 300 East
Salt Lake City, UT 84111


Date: Mon, 5 May 1997 06:35:48 -0400 (EDT)
>From: [e-mail]
To: [e-mail]
Subject: Photos needed!
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>


NO COMPROMISE NEEDS PICTURES!!

If you have photos of the Atlanta or UC Davis or Indianapolis protests
or any other awesomely militant protest, please let me know.

NC#7 is in the work (don't forget to send in your trenches updates --
HINT! HINT!) and we want to SHARE and inspire NC's 20,000 readership
with these recent protests and nothing would do that better than your
photos.

Pictures of cops in riot gear, arrests, property damage to the abuser's
or police's property etc. would be greatly appreciated!

If you have or know someone who has such photos let me know right away
thanks!

Freeman
Date: Mon, 05 May 1997 08:09:27 -0400
>From: allen schubert <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Cc: [e-mail]
Subject: (US)...New Line Cinema/letter
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

from [e-mail]:
-------------------------------------------
Dear friend,
I have forwarded the below letter to New Line Cinema regarding an act of
cruelty depicted and released by their company. Please help me in seeing
some fruition to this senseless act of torture and murder.
Truly,
Shaun Ehsani
THIS LETTER MUST BE FORWARDED TO AN OFFICE CAPABLE OF REPLYING TO
THIS
MATTER:
To whom it may concern,
Recently I had this misfortune to view a film released by your company
titled "Riff Raff". In this movie I viewed OUT RIGHT cruelty, torture,
and murder of animal life. In the movie a group of men beat, stepped on
and killed a TAME rat and then removed babies of this animal from their
nest and crushed them under their boots.
Before you discard this correspondence, KNOW that copies of this letter
and this query have been forwarded to  NUMEROUS aniaml cruelty
legislators, organizations, and political interest groups. This is not a
critique of your release but an indictment of an illegal act portrayed,
released, and ditributed by YOUR company.
I am hereby requesting a formal explanation of these matters, as this
movie bears YOUR name, and why you see fit to release such dipiction of
ACTUAL cruelty in the United States where laws forbid such acts for
entertainment sake. Furthermore, I request the name and address of the
director of this film and the studio that sanctioned its production.
I am truly sadened by this senseless act that you have commited and by
the lack of realization on YOUR behalf not to censor ATLEAST THAT
SCENE!. How could you release such a movie in the US? In this day and
age where one believes there are sensible people at the helms of
corporate giants such as New Line, how could you depict such abberant
cruelty on a product that bears YOUR name? YOU depict an innocent animal
being bludgeoned, that is the fact. Will you one day show a human being
tortured or raped, or how about a child being beaten by a group of men.
Is this all covered in your "artistic license"? I and countless others
believe you have no such right and DEMAND an explanation of your
actions.

Shaun Ehsani


Date: Mon, 5 May 97 08:16:06 UTC
>From: [e-mail]
To: [e-mail]
Subject: Spot-Check of Shelters Shows Dalmations by the Dozens
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>

Colorado Springs, CO: As predicted by experts six months ago, Dalmations
have flooded animal shelters from coast to coast. Many owners either didn't
understand or disregarded warnings about the dogs, which need lots of
exercise and obedience training, shed incessantly and are prone to health
problems.

And the fallout may be just the beginning. The Humane Society has had
up to 8 Dalmations at one time in the past two weeks.

"It's gonna be hell - there are going to be a lot of dogs dying," said
Beth White, president of Dalmation Rescue of Colorado in Fort Collins.
"It's springtime, which is usually when people want dogs - but nobody
wants Dalmations. It just breaks my heart."

Tana Rugg, a Monument resident who owns Dalmations and helps with the
statewide referral and rescue program, said she's getting four or five
calls a day from frustrated owners.

-- Sherrill
Date: Mon, 5 May 97 09:33:38 UTC
>From: [e-mail]
To: [e-mail]
Subject: Prairie Chickens: Scientists Seek Clues to Declining Population
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>

Pawhuska, OK: Before morning stretched its first orange glow across
the horizon, scientists had already  crossed the prairie, burning
headlights ahead of a trailing dust cloud over the featureless landscape.

They'd reset their traps in the dim light and retreated behind
camouflaged blinds in preparation of another day in the work of
protecting noisy bands of prairie chickens.

"Do you hear it?" Don Wolfe asked. Daylight was turning the sky bright
blue by now, and the chickens, loyal to the rituals of the mating season,
had arrived.

A host of noises rang down from the grassy slope some 100 yards away.

First came the low moans, the phantomlike ooh-ooooooh of males
challenging other males. At the same time, the constant squawking of
some two dozen chickens emanated like an unending roll of animal
laughter.

Wolfe raised his binoculars to watch animals he and four other biologists
have been trapping and studying for weeks for the Sutton Avian Research
Center near Bartlesville and the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife.

Beyond the line of nets and traps, the heads of chickens bobbed over the
prairie grass. They stretched their necks, flared swelling orange air
sacks, fluffed tufts of feathers and, sporadically, flapped their wings in
ritual displays.

Probably even more than the bison, the greater prairie chicken  has
established itself as one of the most enduring symbols of the prairie
for those people who grew up on the rural plains, Wolfe said.

This is the busiest season for these scientists, who want to find clues
to explain why these peculiar birds have been declining in population
as much as 80 percent since the 1960s.

Wolfe said he has been up at 4:30AM and has not returned to his
Bartlesville home before 10:30PM often in the past couple of weeks.
That means he has not been able to see much of his 9-month-old
daugher, and that is a bit frustrating.

"But when she's old enough," Wolfe said, "I want her to be able to
come out and appreciate prairie chickens."

A couple of hours into the morning, one of the chickens had walked into
one of the traps. It was time to appreciate one of these birds up close.

They are hanging small radio transmitters around the chickens' necks
so they can monitor them, from the ritual sites called "booming grounds,"
to nesting and feeding sites.

The job has brought Pelpola a long way from his home in Vancouver. The
recently graduated intern admits that biological conservation work has to be
a calling of sorts.

"Maybe," Wolfe said, "we can find that big ecological program that helps save
all this and is also good for the cattle business."

__________________________________________________________
I might add that hunting prairie chickens is legal in OK, despite their
diminishing in numbers!!

-- Sherrill
Date: Mon, 5 May 1997 07:27:24 -0700 (PDT)
>From: Mike Markarian <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail], [e-mail],
        [e-mail]
Subject: Students Descend on Capitol to Save the Dolphins
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Monday, May 5, 1997

CONTACT: Christine Wolf, [phone]
         or cellular phone, [phone]

SOMETHING'S FISHY ON CAPITOL HILL
300 Students Descend on Capitol to Save the Dolphins

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- On Wednesday, May 7, from 10:30 to 11:30 A.M., at "Upper
Senate Park" on the corner of Louisiana Avenue N.W. and D Street N.E., 300
middle school students from the West Chester School District in suburban
Philadelphia will tell Members of Congress: "Keep Dolphin-Safe Safe for
Dolphins! Defeat the Dolphin Death Act!"

The sixth and seventh grade students will tell Members of Congress to vote
against H.R. 408, a bill that would gut current dolphin protection laws and
redefine the term "Dolphin-Safe" to allow tuna fishermen to chase and
encircle dolphins in their nets. Similar legislation failed in the Senate
last year, but the House is scheduled to vote on H.R. 408 either Wednesday
or Thursday.

Joining the students at the rally will be Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA),
Senator Joe Biden (D-DE), Congressman George Miller (D-CA), and "Flipper,"
the giant 20-foot inflatable dolphin.

Several years ago, Senators Boxer and Biden fought hard to pass a
prohibition on the import of tuna caught by encircling dolphins in nets.
American consumers have come to expect the "Dolphin-Safe" logo on their
tuna. Efforts by the Clinton Administration, Mexican interests, and five
"environmental" groups to pass the "Dolphin Death Act" (H.R. 408 in the
House and S. 39 in the Senate) would undo years of dolphin protection and
the "Dolphin-Safe" logo.

"These students are rallying on Capitol Hill to protect their dolphins for
future generations," says Christine Wolf, Director of Government Affairs for
The Fund for Animals. "The children of America will not tolerate political
attempts to turn back the clock on dolphin protection."

The Fund for Animals is one of the nation's largest animal protection
organizations, with headquarters in New York City and hundreds of thousands
of members nationwide.

-- 30 --

Date: Mon, 05 May 1997 11:31:20 -0500
>From: Ellen Coyote <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: To Adopt a Greyhound
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain
Content-Disposition: inline

A co-worker wants to adopt a greyhound.

Anyone have numbers or addresses to contact a local
group nearby, within 1 hr. of say,  Princeton, NJ.


Thank you for your help.
Ellen
Date: Mon, 5 May 97 11:41:55 -0500
>From: Karin Zupko <ma.neavs.com![e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: (US-MI)  Help Save Canadian Geese
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>

Posted on Behalf of Michigan Activists:

The Dept. of Natural Resources (DNR) wants to kill 3,000 Canadian
Geese in urban areas of Michigan and relocate another 12,000 around
the state.  The orphan goslings will be relocated to become "stock"
for new populations in hunting lands; 790 nests (4,740 eggs) will be
destroyed; and 50 geese will be used in experiments.  The rationale
for this destruction is that goose feces are a health hazards.
(Health hazards from goose feces have not been documented.)

Before the DNR can begin, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS)
must approve their application to allow the kill. Please send a
letter, or e-mail one, to the following addresses, stating that you
oppose this action.  It could stop the approval and save thousands of
geese.

George E. Burgoyne, Jr., Chief
Wildlife Division, DNR
P.O. Box 30444
Lansing, MI  48909-7944
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
E-mail:  [e-mail]

Mr. Steve Wilds (also at this address cc : Mr. Paul R. Schmidt)
USFWS
One Federal Way
Fort Snelling, MN  55111-4056
Tel:  [phone]
Fax:  [phone]
E-mail:  [e-mail]
      [e-mail]

The Coalition to Protect Canada Geese is keeping a record of comments
to make sure they are entered into public record.

Coalition to Protect Canada Geese
P.O. Box 8254
Oshkosh, WI  54903
E-mail:  [e-mail]

THERE IS A MEETING OF THE NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION SCHEDULED
FOR
WED. MAY 5 AT 7 PM AT 333 E. MICHIGAN, LANSING, MI. TED NUGENT WILL
SPEAK ON THE SIDE OF THE HUNTERS.  PLEASE ATTEND AND SUPPORT THE
GEESE.  For more info., call Teresa Golden at 517-373-2352.




Date: Mon, 5 May 97 10:47:04 -0000
>From: <[e-mail]>
To: "ar-news" <[e-mail]>,
        "Mary Macdonald-Lewis" <[e-mail]>,
        "Robin Roth" <[e-mail]>,
        "Kelly Matheson" <[e-mail]>
Subject: Portland OR- Linda Blair
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"


Actress Linda Blair will be signing autographed pictures and calendars.
Proceeds will benefit Last Chance for Animals.

Please come join the fun on
Saturday, May 25, 1997 from 12-4pm
AND
Sunday May 26, from 1-4pm
at
MOVIE MADNESS VIDEO
4320 SE Belmont
Portland, OR  97215