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- >From the Greenpeace Media Release Server
-
- IRISH SEA LOBSTERS CONTAMINATED BY BRITISH PLUTONIUM FACTORY
-
- Paris, June 6, 1997 - Newly released data indicate that radioactive
- contamination of lobsters in the Irish Sea is increasing dramatically due
- to discharges from the British Sellafield plutonium reprocessing factory.
- Greenpeace has warned that the new level of contamination found in the
- lobsters is 30 times higher than the limit set by a 1989 EC Directive for
- radioactivity in foodstuffs following a nuclear accident.
-
- "Sellafield is poisoning the environment and risking the public health of
- millions of people in the UK and neighbouring countries," said Damon Moglen
- of Greenpeace International.
- "This is all but criminally negligent behaviour and we call on the new
- British government to stop these discharges as part of its review of UK
- environmental policy."
-
- According to data contained in British Nuclear Fuel's Statutory
- Environmental Monitoring Programmes for the fourth quarter of 1996, lobster
- samples taken from the Irish Sea near Sellafield contained disturbingly high
- levels of the radioactive isotope Technicum-99--as high as 36,000 Becquerels
- per kilogram (1). This is more than twice the contamination found in
- lobsters checked during the first quarter of 1996 and is some 92 times
- greater than levels found in lobsters off the site in 1993.
-
- Sellafield is now estimated to discharge as much as 9 million litres of
- radioactive effluent into the Irish Sea each day (2). Contamination from
- the plant is found throughout the Irish Sea and up into the North, Baltic,
- Norwegian, Barents and Greenland Seas.
-
- The frightening revelation comes amidst allegations that radioactive
- discharges from the French La Hague plutonium factory is causing similar
- risks to the environment and public
- health. Contamination has been found at increasing levels in seaweed, fish
- and crustaceans around La Hague and up into the North Sea and Nordic and
- Arctic waters. On a yearly basis, La Hague pumps some 230 million litres of
- radioactive effluent into the Atlantic Ocean. La Hague is in fact the
- single largest source of radioactive contamination in the European Community.
- -----------------------------
-
- FOR INFORMATION :
- Damon Moglen, mobile phone: ++31-6-5341-7947
-
- NOTES:
-
- (1) Technetium-99 (Tc-99) is a radioactive isotope of technetium. It emits
- beta particles and has a half-life of 213,000 years. In the human body,
- Technetium is believed to concentrate in the thyroid--but little research
- has been done on its effects on human health.Technetium does not occur
- naturally in the environment to any significant extent and has been
- introduced into the environment through nuclear weapons testing and
- plutonium reprocessing.
-
- (2) Reprocessing activities at Sellafield greatly increased as of 1994 with
- the opening of new plutonium factory called THORP (Thermal Oxide
- Reprocessing Plant). In preparation for the
- opening of THORP, the UK government approved 900% and 1100% increases in the
- site's liquid and gaseous discharges respectively.
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
- Date: Sat, 7 Jun 1997 01:17:44 -0700 (PDT)
- From: David J Knowles <dknowles@dowco.com>
- To: ar-news@envirolink.org
- Subject: [UK] Quarantine rules for pets may be scrapped
- Message-ID: <1.5.4.16.19970607011816.369f282c@dowco.com>
- Mime-Version: 1.0
- Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
-
-
- >From The Electronic Telegraph - Saturday, June 7th, 1997
-
- Quarantine rules for pets may be scrapped
-
- THE Government is to consider scrapping the tough quarantine rules for
- animals coming into Britain if they are inoculated against rabies.
-
- Jeff Rooker, the agriculture minister, confirmed in a Commons written answer
- yesterday that he was prepared to consider inoculation as a substitute for
- the current six-month quarantine requirement. It follows last month's
- announcement that ministers would review the whole
- quarantine system as it affected domestic pets. A ministry spokesman said
- the details of the review had yet to be set in place. "You have to make sure
- that any substitute is as effective as quarantine in keeping Britain
- rabies-free."
-
- Lady Fretwell, chairman of the lobby group Passports for Pets, said the
- answer was "a step in the right direction". Lady Fretwell, who had to put
- three of her dogs through quarantine on returning with her husband from
- diplomatic duties, said her group would still be pushing
- for a "clear policy statement" from the Government, as well as a Green
- Paper. "We still have a long way to go," she said. "But we hope they will
- make a decision based on information and will correct the myths that have
- existed."
-
- ⌐ Copyright Telegraph Group Limited 1997.
-
- Date: Sat, 7 Jun 1997 23:18:36 +0800 (SST)
- From: Vadivu Govind <kuma@cyberway.com.sg>
- To: ar-news@envirolink.org
- Subject: Macau bullfights a red rag to students
- Message-ID: <199706071518.XAA32684@eastgate.cyberway.com.sg>
- Mime-Version: 1.0
- Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
-
-
-
- >South China Morning Post
- Saturday June 7 1997
- Macau bullfights a red rag to students
- HENRIQUE ALMEIDA
-
- Two dozen bulls are being flown to Macau for another series of fights
- despite threats of protests, organisers said yesterday.
-
- Last year, a bull-fighting tournament aimed at promoting the enclave
- attracted condemnation from students and animal rights protesters.
- It was postponed because of bad weather, although the Macau Government
- deemed it a success.
-
- This year's five million pataca fight will bring to the enclave some of
- the best Portuguese bullfighters and 24 bulls for what the Portuguese call a
- festa brava (wild party). Up to 5,000 spectators are expected to fill the
- purpose-built bamboo stadium.
-
- But opponents of the spectacle pledged to relaunch action which turned
- last year's planned party into a controversy.
-
- "It just shows an incredible lack of sensitivity from the Macau
- Government in regard to animal life and money," Yuri Pereira, 17, a student
- from the Liceu de Macau, said.
-
- He said students would oppose the fights and animal protection groups
- based in Hong Kong were considering their strategies.
-
- Amy Chow Tak-sum, a member of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty
- to Animals, said: "We are discussing with other concerned organisations in
- Hong Kong what the most appropriate action is."
-
- This year, the organisers aim to familiarise the Macau population with
- bullfighting, which in Portugal dates to the 12th century, by exhibiting
- bullfighting weapons and paraphenalia.
-
- "We want to spread the Portuguese culture and the bullfighting
- tradition of Portugal," Jose Pinto, one of the organisers, told a Chinese
- newspaper.
-
- The event is scheduled for September 27 until October 5.
-
- Bulls and horses will be flown in on a charter flight, arriving five days
- before the show.
-
-
- Date: Sat, 7 Jun 1997 23:18:43 +0800 (SST)
- From: Vadivu Govind <kuma@cyberway.com.sg>
- To: ar-news@envirolink.org
- Subject: (CN) Zoo-born Jingxin offers hope as pandas decline in
- Message-ID: <199706071518.XAA08131@eastgate.cyberway.com.sg>
- Mime-Version: 1.0
- Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
-
-
-
- >South China Morning Post
- Saturday June 7 1997
- Zoo-born Jingxin offers hope as pandas decline in
- the wild
- REUTER
-
- Beijing Zoo officials yesterday showed off a bouncing baby panda that
- represents a chance for the survival of the endangered species.
-
- "This is the only panda born in a Chinese zoo last year to survive,"
- Beijing Zoo's panda consultant Hou Qiming said as he picked up a wriggling,
- eight-month-old Jingxin in her cage.
-
- Jingxin was born on October 4 last year, but her birth was kept secret
- for several months until her keepers were sure she would survive.
-
- She lives under the 24-hour watch of dedicated keepers in the panda
- compound of the Beijing Zoo.
-
- Jingxin is a product of careful monitoring by panda experts,
- round-the-clock care and attention from her keepers and a brief one-hour
- mating between her famously frigid parents.
-
- Only 1,000 pandas survive in China and experts fear their numbers are
- slowly declining due partly to their notoriously poor ability to mate and
- reproduce.
-
- Mr Hou estimated that pandas living in the wild had a 20 per cent
- chance of producing a healthy cub while those that bred in captivity had a
- 90 per cent chance of survival.
-
- Jingxin was one of a pair of cubs born to the Beijing Zoo's Le Le, or
- Happiness, last October. Her sibling did not survive.
-
- Le Le, 11, became pregnant last year after twice being artificially
- inseminated and also after two one-hour mating sessions with males Liang
- Liang and Ying Ying.
- The pairings have left zoo keepers with the problem of trying to trace the
- father to prevent future inbreeding. However, Mr Hou said he was fairly
- confident that Liang Liang, 11, was the father of the cub.
-
- Jingxin showed off for visitors by sprawling across an old tyre hanging
- in her cage, sliding over a metal rocking chair and gambolling around her
- keeper in search of arrow bamboo stalks.
-
- "She's in a very good condition. She was separated from her mother at
- five months . . . because we thought that we should let the mother rest,"
- Mr Hou said.
-
-
- Date: Sat, 7 Jun 1997 23:18:49 +0800 (SST)
- From: Vadivu Govind <kuma@cyberway.com.sg>
- To: ar-news@envirolink.org
- Subject: (TW) Pandas may come to Taiwan
- Message-ID: <199706071518.XAA09304@eastgate.cyberway.com.sg>
- Mime-Version: 1.0
- Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
-
-
-
- >CNA Daily English News Wire
- PANDAS MAY COME TO TAIWAN
-
- Taipei, June 6 (CNA) Zoologists from both sides of the Taiwan Strait
- gathered in Taipei on Friday to discuss the preservation of endangered species.
-
- Wang Binluo, the director of the Chinese Zoological Association and the
- leader of the 14-member mainland delegation, said that one of the main
- topics of discussion is the possibility of sending Pandas to Taiwan.
-
- Only a few thousand Pandas are left in the wild, mostly in remote
- mountainous regions of Sichuan and Yunnan provinces in mainland China.
-
- Wang said that Taiwan's climate and zoo facilities would have to be
- evaluated prior to any exchanges. Hung Wen-tung, director of the Taipei
- Zoological Society and sponsor of the seminar, expressed optimism that the
- first batch of endangered animals from mainland China, such as lesser pandas,
- clouded leopards and otters, would soon be exhibited in local zoos.
-
- However, the Council of Agriculture (COA) was more reserved. On Thursday the
- mainland delegation, which includes preservation experts and zoo directors
- from Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Chengdu, met with COA officials to
- discuss the possibility of sending endangered animals to Taiwan.
-
- COA officials noted that many factors have to be taken into consideration,
- such as Taiwan's climate and environment and whether Taiwan is capable of
- taking care of Pandas and other endangered species. They added that the
- animals also have to pass quarantine.
-
- Taipei Zoo Director Chu Hsi-wu said that while the zoo has the necessary
- facilities and manpower to accept endangered species from mainland China,
- there are concerns whether Taiwan is a suitable place for the preservation
- of such creatures.
-
- The Taipei Zoo holds exchanges with other zoos in the region. On Thursday
- the facility received brown bears, a crocodile, a python, leopards, pumas
- and other animals from the Singapore Zoo. The animals will be allowed to
- adjust to their new environment before being put on public exhibition in the
- summer.
- (By Lilian Wu)
-
- Date: Sat, 7 Jun 1997 11:50:24 -0700 (PDT)
- From: David J Knowles <dknowles@dowco.com>
- To: ar-news@envirolink.org
- Subject: [CA] A twist to feeding geese
- Message-ID: <1.5.4.16.19970607115057.260f397c@dowco.com>
- Mime-Version: 1.0
- Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
-
- The following appeared as an editorial in the Vancouver Sun - Saturday, June
- 7th, 1997
-
- A twist to feeding geese.
-
- Shocking though it may sound to some, it's probably not a bad idea for
- Vancouver to follow the lead of Mississauga, Ont., and consider having
- Canada geese on the table instead of in our parks. Yes, eat them.
- Mississauga is applying for federal permits to kill 2,000 geese and give
- them to food banks.
-
- Now, let's not pretend our sensibilities are too delicate to discuss cooking
- our geese. We are, after all, creatures who keep baby cows in crates, slam
- them in the head with stun guns, slit their throats and call it veal piccata
- at $20 a plate. And let's face it: geese were introduced to B.C. only in the
- '60s and '70s. They aren't our national animal (that's the beaver) nor our
- provincial bird (Stellar's Jay), and they make a disgusting mess of our
- parks. Humans mucked about with nature bringing geese to B.C., and, as
- usual, nature pays the price. Our mistake might be easier to bear if we feed
- the poor.
-
- Date: Sat, 7 Jun 1997 15:29:40 -0400 (EDT)
- From: LMANHEIM@aol.com
- To: ar-news@envirolink.org, EnglandGal@aol.com
- Subject: Fwd: State Senate gets into Kodo ferret death penalty foray
- Message-ID: <970607152916_-429796231@emout19.mail.aol.com>
-
- In a message dated 97-06-07 08:25:17 EDT, AOL News writes:
-
- << SAGINAW, Mich.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 7, 1997--
-
- State Senator Christopher D. Dingell ( D-07)
- introduces resolution to protect ferret owners' loving pets
-
- Resolution text is as follows:
-
- Whereas, Kodo the ferret has been the catalyst for a movement
- towards changing out-dated and incorrect rules concerning the
- treatment of ferrets as pets in our state. The Domestic Ferret is
- believed to have been first domesticated approximately 2500 years
- ago. It is a developed species and depends on mankind for its
- continued survival; and
- Whereas, The domestic ferret arrived in the Americas in the first
- sailing ships and around the turn of the century they were bred for
- their fur and for rodent control in ships, barns and silos. Ferrets
- did not disappear with the ban. Ferrets proved their usefulness
- during WWII by running wires through conduits in the large bombers.
- In fact they are still used to run fiber optic strands in long,
- twisting conduits; and
- Whereas, Ferrets as pets began to rise in popularity in the
- 1970's. In those states where ferret ownership was restricted,
- sentiment began to grow toward easing or eliminating ownership
- restrictions. Today there are an estimated 10 - 12 million ferrets
- in the U.S. making them the third most popular companion animal in
- the country; and
- Whereas, For ferrets, horses, and a number of other species, the
- Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has in the past expressed
- uncertainty as to the period between rabies infection and the animal
- beginning to shed the virus. The CDC has recommended in all cases of
- bites that an individualized inquiry be made. For ferrets, this
- seems to always result in an order to kill the ferret. For
- unexplained reasons, horses are not so treated; and
- Whereas, In February 1990, the first rabies vaccine was approved
- by the U.S. Department of Agriculture for use in ferrets. Rone
- Merieux, with their IMRAB-3, was shown to be at least 94.4% effective
- in preventing rabies in ferrets for up to one year following
- vaccination. This was verified through testing 90 ferrets, 3 times
- the number of animals required by the USDA. The vaccine has a proven
- effectiveness greater than required (86.7%, a number derived for the
- dog.); and
- Whereas, 3 distinct studies have been done by U. Forster at the
- Paul Erilich Institute in Germany; J. Blancou, M. Aubert, and M.
- Artois from the French National Institute for the Study of Rabies;
- and J.F. Bell of the United States. All these studies show a
- mean-time from onset of the symptoms, until death of 4.2 days, with a
- maximum of 7 days. These studies on three different rabies strains
- show that the ferret does not typically shed the virus; and
- Whereas, The cities of Saint Paul and St. Lewis Park, Minnesota
- require only that the ferret be examined by a veterinarian familiar
- with small animals. If the ferret is found to be healthy, vaccinated
- or unvaccinated, it is released back to its owner. A conservative
- approach to establishing a quarantine would be to consider "death" as
- an easily recognized symptom of rabies, and to establish the
- quarantine period at 7 days. This is the maximum time, from the
- initial onset of symptoms until death; and
- Whereas, In light of these recent studies on shedding periods in
- ferrets and past studies regarding this issue, the Massachusetts
- Department of Public Health has changed their kill and test policy
- and created a 10 day quarantine period for ferrets recommended for
- most domestic ferret circumstances; and
- Whereas, The quarantine period is not meant to prove that the
- animal does not have the rabies virus; just that it was not capable
- of passing on the disease at the time of the bite. An animal cannot
- pass on the virus until the virus is secreted by the salivary glands
- during the final stages of the disease; now, therefore, be it
- Resolved by the Senate, That the Michigan Departments of Agriculture
- and Community Health enlighten their views on ferret quarantine
- policies or the lack thereof, to make recommendations similar to
- those of the State of Massachusetts and to treat ferrets and their
- many owners with fairness and sympathy and to realize their place
- next to the canine and feline friends in our Michigan families; and
- be it further Resolved, That a copy of this resolution be forwarded
- to Robert Jacobs, Kodo's owner, as a symbol of our common cause.
- -0-
-
- Note: News conference/rally for Kodo -- scheduled Saturday, June 7,
- 1997 (3PM) -- Wayne Ford Civic League (1645 N. Wayne Road) Westland,
- Mich. -- hundreds of ferrets and their owners to attend -- great
- visuals
- --30--cl/bos
- CONTACT:
- State Senator Dingell's Office
- State House
- (517) 373-7800
- or
- District Office
- (313) 281-0700 x213
- or
- Jackson Communications
- Bud Jackson
- (508) 469-9885
- Beeper: (800) 936-0119 >>
-
-
- ---------------------
- Forwarded message:
- Subj: State Senate gets into Kodo ferret death penalty foray
- Date: 97-06-07 08:25:17 EDT
- From: AOL News
-
- SAGINAW, Mich.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 7, 1997--
-
- State Senator Christopher D. Dingell ( D-07)
- introduces resolution to protect ferret owners' loving pets
-
- Resolution text is as follows:
-
- Whereas, Kodo the ferret has been the catalyst for a movement
- towards changing out-dated and incorrect rules concerning the
- treatment of ferrets as pets in our state. The Domestic Ferret is
- believed to have been first domesticated approximately 2500 years
- ago. It is a developed species and depends on mankind for its
- continued survival; and
- Whereas, The domestic ferret arrived in the Americas in the first
- sailing ships and around the turn of the century they were bred for
- their fur and for rodent control in ships, barns and silos. Ferrets
- did not disappear with the ban. Ferrets proved their usefulness
- during WWII by running wires through conduits in the large bombers.
- In fact they are still used to run fiber optic strands in long,
- twisting conduits; and
- Whereas, Ferrets as pets began to rise in popularity in the
- 1970's. In those states where ferret ownership was restricted,
- sentiment began to grow toward easing or eliminating ownership
- restrictions. Today there are an estimated 10 - 12 million ferrets
- in the U.S. making them the third most popular companion animal in
- the country; and
- Whereas, For ferrets, horses, and a number of other species, the
- Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has in the past expressed
- uncertainty as to the period between rabies infection and the animal
- beginning to shed the virus. The CDC has recommended in all cases of
- bites that an individualized inquiry be made. For ferrets, this
- seems to always result in an order to kill the ferret. For
- unexplained reasons, horses are not so treated; and
- Whereas, In February 1990, the first rabies vaccine was approved
- by the U.S. Department of Agriculture for use in ferrets. Rone
- Merieux, with their IMRAB-3, was shown to be at least 94.4% effective
- in preventing rabies in ferrets for up to one year following
- vaccination. This was verified through testing 90 ferrets, 3 times
- the number of animals required by the USDA. The vaccine has a proven
- effectiveness greater than required (86.7%, a number derived for the
- dog.); and
- Whereas, 3 distinct studies have been done by U. Forster at the
- Paul Erilich Institute in Germany; J. Blancou, M. Aubert, and M.
- Artois from the French National Institute for the Study of Rabies;
- and J.F. Bell of the United States. All these studies show a
- mean-time from onset of the symptoms, until death of 4.2 days, with a
- maximum of 7 days. These studies on three different rabies strains
- show that the ferret does not typically shed the virus; and
- Whereas, The cities of Saint Paul and St. Lewis Park, Minnesota
- require only that the ferret be examined by a veterinarian familiar
- with small animals. If the ferret is found to be healthy, vaccinated
- or unvaccinated, it is released back to its owner. A conservative
- approach to establishing a quarantine would be to consider "death" as
- an easily recognized symptom of rabies, and to establish the
- quarantine period at 7 days. This is the maximum time, from the
- initial onset of symptoms until death; and
- Whereas, In light of these recent studies on shedding periods in
- ferrets and past studies regarding this issue, the Massachusetts
- Department of Public Health has changed their kill and test policy
- and created a 10 day quarantine period for ferrets recommended for
- most domestic ferret circumstances; and
- Whereas, The quarantine period is not meant to prove that the
- animal does not have the rabies virus; just that it was not capable
- of passing on the disease at the time of the bite. An animal cannot
- pass on the virus until the virus is secreted by the salivary glands
- during the final stages of the disease; now, therefore, be it
- Resolved by the Senate, That the Michigan Departments of Agriculture
- and Community Health enlighten their views on ferret quarantine
- policies or the lack thereof, to make recommendations similar to
- those of the State of Massachusetts and to treat ferrets and their
- many owners with fairness and sympathy and to realize their place
- next to the canine and feline friends in our Michigan families; and
- be it further Resolved, That a copy of this resolution be forwarded
- to Robert Jacobs, Kodo's owner, as a symbol of our common cause.
- -0-
-
- Note: News conference/rally for Kodo -- scheduled Saturday, June 7,
- 1997 (3PM) -- Wayne Ford Civic League (1645 N. Wayne Road) Westland,
- Mich. -- hundreds of ferrets and their owners to attend -- great
- visuals
- --30--cl/bos
- CONTACT:
- State Senator Dingell's Office
- State House
- (517) 373-7800
- or
- District Office
- (313) 281-0700 x213
- or
- Jackson Communications
- Bud Jackson
- (508) 469-9885
- Beeper: (800) 936-0119
-
- To edit your profile, go to keyword NewsProfiles.
- For all of today's news, go to keyword News.
- Date: Sat, 7 Jun 1997 15:59:52 -0400 (EDT)
- From: Marisul@aol.com
- To: ar-news@envirolink.org
- Subject: (US) NYC CACC Demo
- Message-ID: <970607155924_-1162122300@emout18.mail.aol.com>
-
- Hi all--
- As many of you know, the City of New York, which has three members on the
- Board of the Center for Animal Care and Control, all of whom have veto power,
- refused to let the Board hire Ed Sayres, an experienced and qualified
- candidate for executive director. Now, Randy Mastro, the Deputy Mayor, has
- made clear that the only candidate who will be considered is Ed Alloco, a
- City employee from the department in charge of juvenile justice who has no
- experience with animals. This is an absolutely crucial time to demonstrate
- to the City that we will not sit still while they once again put animals at
- the very bottom of the agenda. New York City needs a qualified Executive
- Director who has experience running an animal shelter, is committed to animal
- welfare, knows how to raise funds, coordinate volunteers, promote adoptions.
- There will be demonstrations every day next week, Monday through Friday
- (June 9 through June 14) at both Gracie Mansion (the Mayor's residence) and
- City Hall.
- The Gracie Mansion demonstration will meet at York Avenue and 88th
- Street at 7:15 a.m. (I know, I know) until the mayor leaves for work, which
- is generally by 7:45
- The City Hall demonstrations will be from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. Meet
- on or as close to the steps of City Hall as possible.
- Please bring dogs (weather permitting) if possible. Signs will be made
- available, but feel free to bring your own if you can.
- Those of you who are already collecting signatures for the Shelter
- Reform Action Committee or who are thinking of joining in, please note how
- perfectly this demonstrates how much we need a law which requires the City to
- hire qualified people.
- Please come to at least one demo if you possibly can. And whether or not
- you can come, please contact Randy Mastro and tell him that it is crucial for
- the City to hire a qualified person:
- Randy M. Mastro
- Deputy Mayor for Operations
- The City of New York
- OFfice of the Mayor
- New York, NY 10007
- phone 212-788-3137
-
- Thanks. Mariann
- Date: Sat, 7 Jun 1997 17:32:57 -0400 (EDT)
- From: CircusInfo@aol.com
- To: ar-news@envirolink.org
- Subject: Moscow Circus Folds - animals stranded
- Message-ID: <970607173256_577562716@emout11.mail.aol.com>
-
- >From Reuter
- ***************************************
- ORLANDO, Fla. (Reuter) - The bid to open a permanent facility in Florida has
- ended with the circus shut down and some of its performers stranded, circus
- officials said Thursday.
- ``It was just a mistake,'' said Tony Azzi, the show's manager, who said
- competition from other Orlando area attractions, among them Disney World and
- Universal Studios Florida, had proved too much for the circus, which boasts
- some of the world's top acrobats and animal trainers.
- The show averaged weekly ticket sales of $5,000, versus expenses of $75,000
- per week. Some of the performers left in Florida had not been paid since
- mid-May, he said.
- The Moscow Circus traces its roots back to the 17th century, but has fallen
- on hard times, along with other state-supported arts institutions, since the
- breakup of the Soviet Union.
- The organization had announced in January that it planned to operate in
- Orlando for six months, although it hoped the attraction would prove
- successful enough to become a permanent fixture.
- But the U.S. production was trouble-plauged from the beginning, missing its
- scheduled opening on Valentine's Day (Feb. 14) by a month. It also was cited
- by the state of Florida for keeping bears in cages that were too small. Azzi
- said he hoped to be able to make a deal to move the circus to Los Vegas.
- If not, the Pirate's Dinner Adventure, a tourist attraction near the circus's
- closed facility, has promised to sponsor a benefit performance to raise
- travel money so that the stranded entertainers and animals can go back to
- Russia.
- 15:13 06-05-97
-
- Date: Sat, 07 Jun 1997 21:09:03 -0400
- From: Vegetarian Resource Center <vrc@tiac.net>
- To: AR-News@envirolink.org
- Subject: U.S. Ethics Panel Urges Ban on Human Cloning
- Message-ID: <3.0.2.32.19970607210903.011a0e98@pop.tiac.net>
- Mime-Version: 1.0
- Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
-
- Subject: U.S. Ethics Panel Urges Ban on Human Cloning
- Date: Sat, 7 Jun 1997 15:40:43 PDT
- From: C-reuters@clari.net (Reuter / Patricia Wilson)
- Organization: xCopyright 1997 by Reuters
-
- U.S. Ethics Panel Urges Ban on Human Cloning
-
- Copyright 1997 by Reuters / Sat, 7 Jun 1997 15:40:43 PDT
-
- WASHINGTON (Reuter) - A U.S. ethics panel Saturday recommended Congress enact
- legislation to ban the cloning of entire human beings but allow the cloning
- of human
- embryos for private laboratory research.
-
- Under the scenario proposed by the National Bioethics Advisory Commission,
- scientists or doctors could make cloned human embryos for research purposes
- but
- would be prohibited from implanting them into women's wombs to make viable
- babies,
- a source familiar with the recommendations said.
-
- President Clinton asked the advisory group in February to review the
- complex legal and
- ethical ramifications of cloning after scientists in Scotland reported they
- had cloned a
- lamb -- which they named Dolly -- from a single cell taken from an adult
- sheep.
-
- Their success was controversial, raising the prospect that the procedure
- could be used
- to make humans genetically identical to an existing man or woman.
-
- The U.S. commission of 18 scientists, lawyers and theologians was faced
- with trying to
- reconcile the views of opponents of cloning who regard it as an affront to
- nature and
- demand a complete ban, and supporters who see it as a stunning scientific
- breakthrough with promising medical repercussions.
-
- Polls taken shortly after the announcement of the cloning of Dolly showed
- 90 percent of
- Americans opposed human cloning.
-
- Clinton in March broadened his 1994 prohibition on government-funded human
- embryo
- research to include federal funding of human cloning work, saying it raised
- deep
- concerns ''given our most cherished concepts of faith and humanity.''
-
- ``Each human life is unique, born of a miracle that reaches beyond
- laboratory science. I
- believe we must respect this profound gift and resist the temptation to
- replicate
- ourselves,'' he said.
-
- The panel's proposal would extend that human cloning ban to include
- privately funded
- work, but leave in place the current policy allowing private embryo research.
-
- The commission's recommendations appeared to meet the most immediate
- concern of
- many Americans -- that the scientific procedure that produced Dolly might
- be used to
- make children who would be exact genetic copies of a single adult.
-
- But critics complained the commission had not gone far enough. Sen.
- Christopher
- Bond, a Missouri Republican, said they left the door wide open to future
- cloning.
-
- ``I had hoped that the federal ethics commission would not be afraid to
- make a strong
- moral statement that human cloning is wrong, period, and should be
- banned,'' he said.
-
- Bond, who introduced a bill that would impose a total ban on human cloning,
- said it
- would be up to Congress and state legislatures to resolve the issue.
-
- The Family Research Council accused the commission of ''completely avoiding
- the
- subject of ethics.''
-
- ``FRC strongly opposes this recommendation ... Such a policy is premised on
- the false
- assumption that human beings less than 14 days old are not completely
- human, thereby
- condoning the destruction of countless numbers of embryonic children for
- the sake of
- 'research,''' the organization said in a written statement.
-
- A pharmaceutical industry group welcomed the recognition of the importance
- of genetic
- research, but said any law against cloning complete human beings should be
- narrowly
- defined.
-
- ``Any legislative prohibition on the cloning of entire human beings must
- not jeopardize
- biomedical research that involves the cloning of human genes, cells or
- tissues,'' the
- Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America said.
- Date: Sat, 07 Jun 1997 23:15:14 -0700
- From: FARM <farmusa@erols.com>
- To: Chickadee <chickadee-l@envirolink.org>, Veg News <veg-news@envirolink.org>,
- A/R Wire <ar-wire@waste.org>, A/R News <ar-news@envirolink.org>
- Subject: ANIMAL RIGHTS '97 Program brochures available
- Message-ID: <339A4DF2.ED4@erols.com>
- MIME-Version: 1.0
- Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
- Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
-
- Hello, fellow activists in cyberspace. Detailed program brochures for
- ANIMAL RIGHTS '97, the National Convention, are now available and can
- be obtained by calling 1-888-FARM-USA or by e-mailing farmusa@erols.com.
- AR97 will be held on June 26-30th in the nation's capital. The program
- features 12 plenary sessions, 12 rap sessions, 42 workshops, 40 videos,
- and 70 exhibits, as well as professional entertainers. Key speakers
- include Neal Barnard, Michael Fox, Alex Hershaft, Michael Klaper,
- John Kullberg, Howard Lyman, Ingrid Newkirk, Tom Regan, Henry Spira, and
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- dozen other national organizations. Over 700 participants are expected.
- To register, send $125 ($100 for students and seniors) to FARM/AR97,
- PO Box 5888, Bethesda, MD 20824.
-
-
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