Komputer for Alle 1998 #6/1998 CD 6 (Gul).iso/web/ffa/wwwenv~1.org/arrs/digest/news43~1.htm/text0002.txt

Text File | 1998-04-03 | 44.8 KB | 1,103 lines

Controversial 'mad cow disease' scientist warns of plague in 2000

London Observer Service

LONDON (June 18, 1997 00:56 a.m. EDT) -- A plague on your millennium.
And rabies too.  These are the latest apocalyptic predictions of Dr
Richard Lacey, the controversial scientist who first warned that mad cow
disease could spread to people.

In a book he has published himself, Lacey paints a portrait of Britain
in 2000 in which agriculture has been devastated by crop-eating aphids
and rabies stalks the fox population. The current use of insecticides to
kill aphids and at the same time their natural predators actually favors
the aphids in the long-term, says Lacey. Those aphids that survive
spraying can breed again in late summer before the slower- breeding
ladybirds have a chance to re-establish themselves and control the pest.

Modern farming methods are making matters worse.

"Instead of mixed farms where you have integration of animals and arable
crops, we now have intensive farms," says Lacey. "The fact that they've
been separated is likely to cause a plague of aphids."

Lacey is likely to draw fire for his new claims. In the past he has been
much criticized for bypassing medical journals and going straight to the
press. This time he has gone a step further: his warnings
come in his first novel.

"Red, Yellow and Blue make White" begins in the present-day landscape of
food scares and infections and ends in 2003. Lacey has environmental
activists leaving their tree houses and tunnels
to form a new band of eco-terrorists. Armed with stolen infectious
bacteria and exploding cars, they set out to hit society where it really
hurts -- in the food chain. Their target: non-sustainable farming
methods and car culture.

Lacey says his claims are in earnest and that he is publishing them in a
novel because of frustration with traditional methods.

"I've tried normal ways and you end up with government and financial
interests lying. This is a new approach. Fiction may well be a better
vehicle," he says.

The question is, as Sir Jerry Wiggin once put it when he was chairman of
the House of Commons Select Committee on Agriculture in London: is Lacey
"losing touch with reality?" Can we safely ignore him? Or is his track
record too impressive for his claims to be dismissed out of hand?

The caricature of Lacey as a mad professor is in some ways inviting. It
is his contention that as you read this there is a 50-50 chance you are
incubating Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. A visiting professor at Leeds
University in north England who has advised the British government and
the World Health Organization, he also claims rabies will arrive in the
UK within a few years. "It's a fairly likely
prediction that it will get into this country and it will stop
fox-hunting because of the risk of infection. It's likely because of the
Channel Tunnel and people wanting to remove quarantine restrictions."

What makes Lacey especially enigmatic is that he is an arch conspiracy
theorist. He was a pebble in the shoe of the last government during its
attempt to stem public concern over BSE. He claims that letters and
manuscripts sent to the publisher of his book "Mad Cow Disease -- The
History of BSE in Britain" were intercepted and opened. Smashed windows
and cut power lines led to the invention of a fictitious Jersey-based
company as publisher of.the book.

While Lacey's warnings may grip beef eaters, it is unclear whether his
novel will thrill readers who are not confirmed environmentalists.

--By TIM LLOYD WRIGHT, London Observer Service
Date: Wed, 18 Jun 1997 01:08:35 -0700 (PDT)
From: David J Knowles <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: [CA] DEAD: 2 of 5 ORCAS CAPTURED OFF JAPAN
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

The following is a press release from Whalesave/Coalition for No Whales in
Captivity

FOR IMMEDIATE PRESS RELEASE
June 17, 1997

DEAD: 2 of 5 ORCAS CAPTURED OFF JAPAN

We have just received word from Yukari Suruki ,  Director of Dolphin and
Whale Action Network, that two of the five orca whales brutally captured off
Taiji, Japan on February 7, have now died in captivity.

On June 14, one of the male orcas in Adventure World died.  He was the
youngest among the Taiji Five.  Horrified television viewers around the
world will remember him as the baby whale who cried incessantly as he was
lifted in a sling and placed on a truck, flukes bleeding from the struggle
of separating him from his mother in the ocean pen.

On the morning of June 17,  the female orca in Shirahama Adventure World
died.  She was  pregnant at the time of capture and she had a miscarriage in
April.  She had refused to eat dead fish offered by aquarium staff
throughout her four months in captivity.  She had become so weak that she
could not even float by herself.  The water in the tank was decreased to
half, but in the end, she was held up by a canvas sling until she took her
last breath.

Dr. Paul Spong of Orcalab on northern Vancouver Island, recently returned
from a trip to Japan where he inspected the Taiji orcas kept at three
Japanese aquariums.  Dr. Spong was extremely concerned about the condition
in which he found these animals, and he had repeatedly warned aquarium
officials that the orcas would likely not survive captivity and should be
reintroduced back into the wild.

Japanese conservation groups have already sent out action alerts to
international animal protection groups and they are organizing a rally in
Ginza on June 21.  We will increase the pressure on the Japanese government
to let the three remaining Taiji orcas go free, before it's too late.

Please contact us for more information.

Annelise Sorg
Director
Coalition For No Whales In Captivity
102-1365 West Fourth Avenue
Vancouver, BC. V6H 3Y8
Canada
Tel: [phone]
E-mail: [e-mail]

Date: Wed, 18 Jun 1997 01:08:43 -0700 (PDT)
From: David J Knowles <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: [IN] New Delhi dogs
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Saw this report on CTV News tonight. (CTV is the biggest private TV network
in Canada]

As well as cows and pigs in the streets of New Delhi, there are an estimated
half-million dogs.

Many are infected with rabies, have wounds which are infested with magots or
are injured as a result of being hit by the increasing motorized traffic in
the city.

The handful of animal welfare workers say that they come across many dead
animals everyday, some which have been beaten to death, during their daily
patrols with animal ambulances.

The dogs used to be considered "community animals", but now nobody cares for
them.

The strays are taken to a  central clinic where they are given treatment.
Legally, they are not allowed to euthanize the dogs -not that they want to,
they say.

The human rescuers have decided the best solution is to sterilize the
animals, and try to rehouse them. But the task they face is horrendous - at
the current rate of 10 operations a day, which is the maximum they can
manage, it will take 150 years to sterilize all the dogs on the streets now.

[The story ran with scenes of dogs being picked up by the ambulance, a dog
which was beaten to death, several victims of car accidents dragging an
injured leg along the ground, one dog with a wound which had magots in it,
and the clinic itself.]

Date: Wed, 18 Jun 1997 02:08:12 -0700 (PDT)
From: David J Knowles <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: [UK] Blair alters procedure to ease fox Bill
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"


>From The Electronic Telegraph - Wednesday, June 18th, 1997

Blair alters procedure to ease fox Bill
By Joy Copley, Political Staff

TONY Blair effectively threw his weight behind the Bill to ban fox hunting
last night by proposing an unprecedented change to parliamentary procedures
to help it become law.

The Government is to set up a special joint committee of MPs and peers to
investigate fox hunting. The committee will have the power to call
witnesses, propose amendments and produce a report with recommendations.

Establishing a joint committee of both Houses is a radical departure from
normal practice. The device has generally been held in reserve for issues
affecting the workings of both Houses or the Monarchy. The aim would be to
try to tie the Lords into the Bill and to buy their
consent at an early stage. This would help to safeguard the passage of key
pieces of Government legislation on issues like education, crime and devolution.

The deal has been agreed between Government whips and Mike Foster, the
Labour MP for Worcester, who is piloting the legislation through the Commons
as a Private Member's Bill. According to senior Government sources, it is
designed to facilitate and not delay the Bill's passage. Whips had tried to
dissuade Mr Foster from pressing ahead with his Bill because they feared
strong opposition from MPs and peers would cause chaos to the Government's
legislative programme. But because Mr Foster was determined to go ahead, the
business managers have come up with a solution to help ensure the Bill does
not cause a blockage to legislation in the Lords.

The joint committee is a way of bringing the Lords into some form of
consensus before the Bill is passed. While the committee is meeting, the
Government could press through all its important pieces of legislation and
push through the fox hunting Bill afterwards. The Bill
would be considered by the joint committee of both Houses after its second
reading in the Commons, when it is expected to receive a large majority.

The only potential stumbling block is that the Lords will have to vote on
whether or not to agree to nominate peers to the committee. The committee
would launch an inquiry into fox hunting for an unspecified period before
reporting back to the Commons, where the Bill will
complete its committee stage, report stage and third reading. The assumption
is that when the Bill goes back to the Lords, it would undermine attempts by
pro-hunting peers to put forward wrecking amendments.

Two Conservative MPs will co-sponsor the Wild Mammals (Hunting with Dogs)
Bill which will receive its first reading today. Roger Gale, Thanet North,
and Sir Teddy Taylor, the euro-sceptic MP for Rochford and Southend East,
will join four Labour MPs, three Liberal
Democrats and one Scottish National Party MP in sponsoring the Bill.

⌐ Copyright Telegraph Group Limited 1997.

Date: Wed, 18 Jun 1997 02:08:15 -0700 (PDT)
From: David J Knowles <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: [UK] Man guarding chickens shot escaped vulture
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"


>From The Electronic Telegraph - Wednesday, June 18th, 1997

Man guarding chickens shot escaped vulture
By Michael Fleet

TWO wardens from a bird sanctuary were advancing on an escaped vulture when
it was shot dead, a court was told yesterday.

The griffon-vulture, called Hannibal, had been blown off course while flying
above the Hawk Conservancy at Andover, Hants, and was chased by the wardens
for one and a half miles. The bird landed and took off several times before
coming to rest in a field, where George
Thomas's son kept free-range chickens. Before the vulture could be
recaptured, Thomas killed it with his shotgun, Andover magistrates were told.

Thomas, 60, admitted destroying a protected bird and not having a firearms
licence. He was given two conditional discharges and ordered to pay ú1,000
to the conservancy. Sharon Cripps, prosecuting, said the bird was being
trained for a flying demonstration when the wind blew it off course. "It
landed in a field behind the Harvester public house at Weyhill."

As the wardens moved towards it, Thomas's vehicle stopped. "A shotgun was
produced from the driver's seat and pointed at the bird and discharged. The
bird fell backwards and the vehicle was driven away. Within two minutes the
bird had died." When questioned by police Thomas said that his son, who
rented the field the bird landed in, was becoming annoyed as chickens were
being attacked and killed by birds which he believed belonged to the
conservancy.

Jolyan French, defending, said Thomas meant to fire a warning shot. He was
"absolutely horrified and deeply ashamed" by what he had done. "My client
has been born and bred in the country, and has been a countryman all his
life. He is incredibly embarrassed by this. He is known in the village as
someone who loves animals and it is ironic because, as an animal lover, he
did this when he was looking after the chickens."

Ashley Smith, the conservancy director, said afterwards that he was unhappy
with the compensation as he had taken two years to find a suitable bird and
had paid ú5,000 for Hannibal six days earlier.

⌐ Copyright Telegraph Group Limited 1997.

Date: Wed, 18 Jun 1997 07:20:58 -0400
From: allen schubert <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: Admin Note-Subscription Options
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Routine posting........

Here are some items of general information (found in the "welcome letter"
sent when people subscribe--but often lose!)...included:  how to post and
how to change your subscription status (useful if you are going on
vacation--either by "unsubscribe" or "postpone").
---------------------------------------------------------------

To post messages to the list, send mail to [e-mail]
POSTING

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Appropriate postings to AR-News include: posting a news item, requesting
information on some event, or responding to a request for information.
Discussions on AR-News will NOT be allowed and we ask that any
commentary either be taken to AR-Views or to private E-mail.
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***General Subscription Information***
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For all commands, use a blank Subject line.
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To request a digest version, send mail to [e-mail]
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To switch back to immediate mail, and to get copies of *your* postings
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To see how you are set up ***(and to see if you are still subscribed!)***, use

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To re-enable it, use ack, noack, or digest as above.

To unsubscribe, use:

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If you have to subscribe again, use:

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If you have problems, please contact:

     Allen Schubert
     [e-mail]


Date: Wed, 18 Jun 1997 07:21:54 -0400
From: allen schubert <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: AR-News Admin Note
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Another routine posting/reminder.......

Please do not post commentary or personal opinions to AR-News.  Such posts
are not appropriate to AR-News.  Appropriate postings to AR-News include:
posting a news item, requesting information on some event, or responding to
a request for information.  Discussions on AR-News will NOT be allowed and
we ask that any
commentary either be taken to AR-Views or to private E-mail.

Continued postings of inappropriate material may result in suspension of
the poster's subscription to AR-News.

Here is subscription info for AR-Views:

Send e-mail to:  [e-mail]

In text/body of e-mail:  subscribe ar-views firstname lastname

Also...here are some websites with info on internet resources for Veg and
AR interests:

The Global Directory (IVU)
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: Wed, 18 Jun 97 08:20:10 UTC
From: [e-mail]
To: [e-mail]
Subject: Vegan-Friendly Cohousing Community
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>

Bay Leaf Cohousing is looking for people willing to relocate to the
San Francisco Bay Area to help plan and build a vegan-friendly
cohousing community. Cohousing communities are small-scale neighborhoods
that offer a balance between community living and privacy. Individual
units, equipped with kitchens, will have convenient access to shared
living space including a "commonhouse" with a dining room, playroom,
and workshops. Vegan dinners will be available in the commonhouse.
For more information, call [phone]; or send a self-addressed,
stamped envelope to: P.O. Box 40684, San Francisco, CA  94140-0684 (USA),
or visit the group's web site at: http://www.cohousing.org/specific/bayleaf

(From Vegetarian Times magazine)

-- Sherrill
Date: Wed, 18 Jun 1997 06:43:16 -0700 (PDT)
From: Friends of Animals <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: Narrow Victory At CITES
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Yesterday, June 17th, an amendment by South Africa which would have
downlisted the elephant populations of Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia
but with no international trade in ivory for 18 months, was defeated by
a margin of 3 votes!!!

The South Africa amendment would also have established "experimental
quotas for the 3 Southern African nations after 18 months.  It was a
narrow victory for our side.  The issue has now been referred to
a working group, and each country will submit individual proposals,
so the fight is not yet over.

More to come.

Bill Dollinger, FoA

Date: Wed, 18 Jun 1997 09:07:03 -0700
From: Houston SPCA <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: (Hou-TX) Houston SPCA investigating multiple dog & cat deaths in SE Houston
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

HOUSTON (June 17, 1997)- Officials at the Houston SPCA are urging pet
owners in a southeast Houston neighborhood to closely guard their animals
and bring them indoors following the gruesome discovery of three dead
dogs, one dead kitten, and one comatose dog early this morning.
An animal cruelty investigator from the Houston SPCA responded to a call
for assistance from the Houston Police Department at about 10 o'clock
this morning in the 1500 block of 70th street. At the intersection of
70th St. and Avenue P, he found three dogs dead and a fourth, alive, but
comatose.
The dead animals had blood running from their mouths and noses. there
were no other signs of trauma or injury. A dead kitten was found on an
adjacent street.
A Houston SPCA veterinarian conducted a necropsy on one of the deaad
dogs. She suspected that the animals ingested an anti-coagulant poison.
Stomach contents are being sent to Texas A&M to confirm the diagnosis.
The Houston SPCA is offering a $1,000 reward leading to the arrest and
conviction of the suspect or suspects in this deliberate animal killing.
If you have information related to the case, please call the Houston SPCA
Cruelty Investigations Department at [phone] ext.124.
E-mail can be sent to ; [e-mail]
Website ; http://www.neosoft.com/~hspca
Date: Wed, 18 Jun 1997 09:48:20 -0700 (PDT)
From: Mike Markarian <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail], [e-mail],
        [e-mail]
Subject: Good News on Pigeon Shoots!
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Yesterday, the Sarasota County (Florida) Commission unanimously agreed to
ban live bird shooting contests. This will put a halt to the controversial
pigeon shoot at the Hi Hat Ranch.

Last Thursday, a judge in Portugal ruled that the "European Championship"
pigeon shoot is illegal, and cannot take place.

Pennsylvania will be next...

-- Mike Markarian, The Fund for Animals

Date: Wed, 18 Jun 1997 12:05:49 -0700 (PDT)
From: [e-mail] (pawsinfo)
To: [e-mail]
Subject: Rally for Release of Taiji Survivors [Seattle WA]
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Rally for Release of Taiji Survivors

Seattle , WA

Friday, June 20 Noon

 Location:
           Consulate-General of Japan

           601 Union Street, Suite 500

           Seattle, Washington 98101, U.S.A.


Please Contact the Consulate-General of Japan To voice your sadness over the
two orca deaths and
 to express the hope that the remaining Taiji orcas  will be returned to the
wild.

Seattle numbers
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]

Up to the minute information re. Taiji as well as phone/fax numbers for
Japanese Consulates around the world are available at:
http://www.paws.org/activists/taiji

For more information or to help with rally contact: Amy Schlachtenhaufen
206-860-4128 <[e-mail]>


Bob Chorush  Web Administrator, Progressive Animal Welfare Society (PAWS)
15305 44th Ave West (P.O. Box 1037)Lynnwood, WA 98046 [phone] ext
862, [phone] fax
email [e-mail]      http://www.paws.org

Date: Wed, 18 Jun 1997 15:13:05 +0000
From: [e-mail]
To: [e-mail]
Subject: PETA hit with gag order by lab
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

PETA sent out this news release today--

PETA HIT WITH GAG ORDER BY MULTIMILLION-DOLLAR LABORATORY

Norfolk, Va.-- First came Food Lion v. ABC News.  Now, in only the
second case of its kind, a multinational corporation is suing PETA,
alleging that it used hidden cameras and secured employment for an
undercover investigator who worked in a laboratory where animals are
poisoned and killed in product tests.

The lab, Huntingdon Life Sciences in East Millstone, NJ, is a
British-owned business with four facilities around the world.
Huntingdon offers its services to test products for corporations.  In
England, two Huntingdon employees are scheduled to appear in court on
June 26 on charges of cruelty to animals.  A television news crew
caught one employee punching a beagle in the face.

"Everyone who cares about justice should be angered by this case.  It
strikes at the heart of the First Amendment and seeks to stifle
social-change groups," says PETA President Ingrid Newkirk.  "Are laws
that protect animals less important than laws protecting those who
hurt and kill them?"

For 17 years, PETA's main modus operandi has been to document graphic
animal cruelty and flagrant violations of the federal Animal Welfare
Act through undercover investigations.  Many of these covert efforts
have resulted in the facilities being closed or fined by the
government.

PETA fought a libel action in Las Vegas after a PETA undercover
investigator filmed entertainer Bobby Berosini beating orangutans
backstage before performances at the Stardust Hotel.  The Nevada
Supreme Court found that PETA had only shown the public what had
actually taken place.  Bobby Berosini has been ordered to pay PETA's
court costs in the action.
Date: Wed, 18 Jun 1997 15:44:38 -0400 (EDT)
From: [e-mail]
To: [e-mail]
Subject: ALF Wins Another Victory in Anti Fur Offensive
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>

It was confirmed today that the Richardson Fur Center of Dallas, TX was
forced out of business at the beginning of the month by the ALF.

According to a listing of ALF attacks published in No Compromise, the
Richardson Fur Center had been hit by the ALF 6 or 7 times since last fall.
 The group had smashed windows, paint bombed the store front, and glued the
locks according to published reports.

A company that neighbored the fur store confirmed that it was the direct
action attacks of the ALF that forced the furriers to close.


Date: Wed, 18 Jun 1997 19:58:13 -0400
From: allen schubert <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: (UK) `McVerdict' Will Be a Whopper
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

from AP Wire page:
-------------------------------------
 06/18/1997 17:08 EST

 `McVerdict' Will Be a Whopper

 By DIRK BEVERIDGE
 AP Business Writer

 LONDON (AP) -- The McVerdict is almost in.

 After fighting the longest battle ever waged in an English court, the
 multibillion-dollar McDonald's Corp. finds out Thursday whether it was
 able to defeat two vegetarian activists who call the company the epitome
 of evil multinational capitalism.

 The judge, Justice Roger Bell, has spent six months preparing a verdict
 in the ``McLibel'' case that court officials say fills three volumes.

 After listening to 313 days of testimony and arguments, and reading
 through 40,000 pages of evidence, Bell's judgment is so bulky that
 officials say only a summary will be made immediately available for
 public consumption.

 Even the abbreviated version will take about an hour and a half for the
 judge to explain, court officials said Wednesday.

 Legal experts have predicted Bell's decision will be a hollow victory for
 McDonald's, after the hamburger giant used a high-powered libel team
 against the defendants, unemployed ex-postman Dave Morris and part-time
 bar worker Helen Steel, who represented themselves wearing jeans and
 sweatshirts.

 If Morris and Ms. Steel should somehow win, McDonald's would face
 enormous humiliation after fighting for years in a case estimated to have
 cost 10 million pounds ($16 million).

 Regardless of the judge's ruling, Morris and Ms. Steel claim they are the
 real victors because they were able to draw much attention to their
 criticism of the company's business practices.

 The battle began years ago, when McDonald's went after activists from the
 obscure left-wing group London Greenpeace, not related to the well-known
 Greenpeace International, for handing out anti-McDonald's pamphlets
 outside the company's fast-food outlets in Britain.

 McDonald's says the pamphlets -- entitled ``What's wrong with McDonald's,
 Everything they don't want you to know'' -- are totally false and
 defamatory.

 The leaflet, which Morris and Ms. Steel call ``the fact sheet,'' accuses
 McDonald's of paying low wages, fighting union organization, abusing
 workers and animals, serving beef raised on former rainforest land,
 promoting an unhealthy diet and targeting children through seductive
 advertising campaigns that feature the clown Ronald McDonald.

 Although the activists likely would have gained little attention with the
 original leaflets, the case has attracted widespread media attention,
 including a global anti-McDonald's Internet site, numerous news articles
 and broadcast reports, a book and a recent British television miniseries.

 McDonald's said it was only seeking to protect its reputation, but the
 activists say their supporters will keep on handing out tens of thousands
 of the anti-McDonald's leaflets no matter which way the judge rules.

Date: Wed, 18 Jun 1997 20:03:20 -0400
From: allen schubert <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: (BE) EU Sets Genetic Food Label Rules
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

from AP Wire page:
-------------------------------------
 06/18/1997 12:50 EST

 EU Sets Genetic Food Label Rules

 BRUSSELS, Belgium (AP) -- Responding to public concern about food safety,
 the European Union on Wednesday approved a measure requiring companies to
 label genetically modified food.

 The move is certain to spark complaints from the United States.

 U.S. Trade Representative Charlene Barshefsky earlier in the week told EU
 officials that Washington would view labeling as a possible violation of
 world trade rules.

 American farmers, who are big producers of genetically modified soybeans
 and corn, say separating the crops is nearly impossible and would be
 prohibitively expensive.

 U.S. grain producers also fear that labeling genetically modified food
 would mislead consumers into thinking the products were defective.

 In a statement announcing the EU decision, Ritt Bjerregaard, the group's
 environment chief, said the labels would provide ``valuable information
 for the consumer'' and were not intended to scare away the public from
 genetically altered products.

 The rules will require companies seeking EU approval of gene-modified
 products to identify them as such on ``a label or an accompanying
 document.''

 EU officials said all 15 member nations must put the labeling law into
 effect by July 31.

 European farm, environmental and consumer groups have called for the
 labels, arguing the grain has not been adequately tested for safety.

 Austria and Luxembourg have banned the import of genetically modified
 grain, saying the herbicides and antibiotic-resistant chemicals used in
 its production could cause adverse reactions in some individuals.

Date: Wed, 18 Jun 1997 20:10:22 -0400
From: allen schubert <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: (US) Farm Trade Hits Obstacle in Europe
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

more on genetically engineered food/livestock
from AP Wire page:
--------------------------------------
 06/18/1997 18:09 EST

 Farm Trade Hits Obstacle in Europe

 By CURT ANDERSON
 AP Farm Writer

 WASHINGTON (AP) -- European suspicion of genetics technology in farming
 and food has become a major trade stumbling block for American
 agriculture, Clinton administration officials said Wednesday.

 U.S. negotiators are having a tough time convincing the 15-nation
 European Union that the technology is safe because the opposition is not
 based on science, Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman said.

 ``It's based on ideology, culture, religion,'' Glickman told the Senate
 Agriculture Committee. ``The attitude is, it's not what God intended.''

 The fight is over use of genetic engineering for a wide range of farm
 purposes, including making plants tougher against pests and fattening
 cattle for market. The United States insists these practices are
 perfectly safe.

 The United States recently won a preliminary victory when a panel of the
 World Trade Organization ruled that the EU's ban on use of hormones in
 beef was unjustified because it was not based on science. Hormones are
 used in 90 percent of U.S. beef.

 The Europeans are expected to appeal that ruling after it is finalized,
 and they remain opposed to other U.S. goods and commodities that have
 been genetically modified.

 On Wednesday, the EU approved rules requiring companies seeking approval
 of gene-modified products to identify them as such on ``a label or
 accompanying document.'' All 15 member nations must comply by July 31.

 Ritt Bjerregaard, the EU environment chief, said the labels would provide
 ``valuable information for the consumer'' and were not intended to scare
 the public away from genetically altered products.

 U.S. Trade Representative Charlene Barshefsky told the committee that a
 move toward segregation of the genetically modified products could cost
 American farmers $3 billion to $5 billion in lost exports.

 ``That can't be tolerated, especially when segregation is done based on
 purely political goals, and not based on science at all,'' Barshefsky
 said.

 She added that EU steps toward labeling or segregation will likely
 trigger a U.S. complaint against the Europeans with the World Trade
 Organization. The WTO enforces international trade agreements.

 Glickman plans to stress the subject Thursday in a speech in London to
 the International Grains Council, a private industry organization the
 United States hopes will help change European attitudes toward genetic
 modifications.

 ``Truth is truth. Science is science. We've got to keep pushing that,''
 Glickman said.

 Sen. Dick Lugar, R-Ind., chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee,
 said USDA statistics show that by 2000, one-third of U.S. farm products
 will be sold overseas and that agriculture production worldwide must
 increase to meet a growing population.

 ``Without the biotechnology changes, we're not going to get there,''
 Lugar said. ``We cannot yield on that. They (the EU) are going to have to
 get out of their funk.''

Date: Wed, 18 Jun 1997 17:23:14 -0700 (PDT)
From: David J Knowles <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: ACTION ALERT - Taiji Tragedy
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Posted to the list on behalf of Whalesave

>Date: Wed, 18 Jun 1997 15:39:59 -0800
>
>ACTION ALERT
>TAIJI TRAGEDY
>
>Please help!  Two of the five orca whales brutally captured off Taiji,
>Japan on February 7, have now died in captivity.
>
>E-mail/fax the Prime Minister of Japan urging him not to allow the
>replacement of these two dead orcas, and to free the remaining three whales
>before it's too late.  It would be helpful if you cc. your letter to the
>other fax numbers provided below.
>
>1. Mr  Ryutaro Hashimoto, Prime Minister of Japan
>        Fax: [phone]
>        EMAIL MESSAGES to Japanese Prime Minister's official residence:
>      email address: [e-mail]
>      homepage: http://www.kantei.go.jp/jp/question.html
>
>2. Mr. Michio Ahimada, Director of the National Fishery Agency
>           Fax: [phone]
>
>3. Mr. Isamu Nishiguchi,  Governor of Wakayama-prefecture
>           Fax: [phone]
>
>4. Mr.Takamasa Ikeda, Director of Japan Zoo and Aquarium Association
>           Fax: [phone]
>
>5. Mr. Ozaki, Director of the Shirahama Adventure World
>           Fax: [phone]
>
>6. Consulate of Japan in Vancouver
    >Fax: [phone]
>
>7. Embassy of Japan in Ottawa
    >Fax: [phone]
>
>Please contact us for more information.
>Thank you!
>
>Annelise Sorg
>Director
>Coalition For No Whales In Captivity
>102-1365 West Fourth Avenue
>Vancouver, BC. V6H 3Y8 Canada
>Tel: [phone] - Fax; [phone]
>E-mail: [e-mail]
>
>
>
>

Date: Wed, 18 Jun 1997 20:47:52 -0600 (MDT)
From: Jennifer Kolar <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail], [e-mail]
Subject: 4th of July: Independence for Whom!?
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

Content-MD5: l/qhozYD7y5nQ/4j3lOKpA==


It has been the tradition of a group of local social and economic justice
activists to protest outside the local fireworks display each
4th of July.

People go out on the 4th of July with their blood sickeningly thick
with patriotism. They are celebrating the independence of the US
from the opressive regime of England.. what a perfect time to remind
the people of the US that the US itself is probably the most oppressive
power on Earth!

Need some examples?

The US is using GATT and NAFTA trade policies to single-handedly destroy
the environmental and animal protection policies which stand in various
countries.
     Tuna caught in Mexico is able through NAFTA to be labeled dolphin-safe,
       even when it isn't.
     The US is using GATT to prevent the EU from banning wild-caught
       fur
     The US is also using GATT to sue countries that have defied the US
       and already banned wild-caught fur.
     NAFTA and GATT have been used to move many factories to Mexico and
       Asia where products are produced in sweat-shop conditions where
       workers make pennies a week and work long long hours in unregulated
       factories. The products: tennis shoes, jeans, etc...

The US is more and more pushing the death penalty.. The US is one of the
only developed nations in the world left to have a death penalty.

The US is decrying terrorism , both internationally and nationally, while
waging more wars on foreign governments either directly, or through
embargos, or through supporting individual leaders and providing arms than
any other country. Additionally, the US fights wars on its own citizens
while at the same time claiming them to be the terrorists: the ALF, the
AIM, the black panthers..

The IMF and world bank, dominated by the US force desperate countries which
need loans to accept US capitalist policies. The US forces these
countries to spend the money on particular projects planned by the US, not
by the local economies. These projects bring US industries to these countries,
rely heavily on exporting raw materials to be processed in the US and then
shipped back to these countries, preventing local economies from becomming
self-sufficient. The projects which the US imposes are invariably things
such as Dams or  clear-cutting or mining, things which produce goods
desired by the US and which are controlled by the US and destroy the
local environment and economies.

The US has provided China w/ favored nation status so that we can continue
to put more and more US industry in China and to make more and more
money off of exports to China even though their human rights policies have
been condemned.

The US has a long-standing embargo against Cuba, starving its people and
destroying its economy.

The US has openened more and more of its animal reserves to hunting, logged
more and more of its wild lands, damned more and more of its rivers all the
time.

The US is locking up more and more people of color and poor people in
prison than ever before. 1/3 of all black men will have spent time in
prison in their lives.

The US actively supports COINTELPRO operations both in the US and in
foreign countries to smash any political force it disagrees with.

The US enslaves animals and humans and the environment for its greedy
desires, with no regard for the lives of those it destroys.

The US and its disregard for toxic chemical laws and pollution laws
is building all of its toxic factories in poor non-white neighborhoods, is
destroying the environment and changing climate across the world more
drastically than anytime since the industrial revolution.

Enough yet??

So.. everyone.. on this 4th of July.. in each of your towns get the local
AR and social justice people and environmental people, make out
some leaflets addressing some of these or other issues and get out there
and be creative and let people know what hypocrits they are being by
celebrating this "wonderful and free " nation which oppresses everything it
possibly can.  Even England, the nation we celebrate our freedom from is
far more progressive now on the above issues than the US has dreamed of being.

So get out there and throw this absurdity and hypocracy in Clinton's and the
people's faces.

It doesn't need much planning, it doens't need to be huge. The people
will all go to one place for you for 4th of July events.. all it takes is
a few local people in each city. And now, as movements are finally connecting
these issues and international politics, which is heavy-handed by this
government, are becomming more dominant and social, environmental, and
animal issues are becomming blatantly connected... now is the time to
respond!


Jen Kolar
Date: Wed, 18 Jun 1997 21:56:15 -0400
From: David Rolsky <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail], [e-mail]
Subject: [US] Minnesota Activist Freeman Wicklund to be Sentenced Again
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/enriched; charset="us-ascii"


June 19, 1997

Animal Activist Freeman Wicklund

to be Sentenced Again

Animal
rights activist Freeman Wicklund is being sentenced
for several more misdemeanors relating to the Minnesota hunter's
rights law this Friday at 9:00 AM.  The sentencing will take
place at the Scott County Court House, Judge Atkins
presiding.  The court house is located at 428 South Holmes
Street in Shakopee.


     Wicklund was originally sentenced to probation and a fine for an arrest
related to a hunting protest in November of 1995, at which 11 other
activists were arrested.  During this protest no one was injured and no
property was damaged.  The protest was at a public park.


     In a letter to Judge Atkins, he said "I will not give money to a court
system that criminalizes free speech and the prevention of violence."  He
also has stated that he feels that probation violates his free speech and
rights to protest.  Instead, he is requesting that his sentence be
converted to an amount of jail time commensurate with his crime, which
Mr. Wicklund defines as one day.  Judge Atwood will deliver his ruling on
Friday.


     In March of this year, Wicklund was sentenced to 90 days in jail by
Judge Joan Lancaster for charges relating to a protest at the president
of the University of Minnesota.  Wicklund spent 14 days on hunger
strike before Judge Lancaster forced him to take a year's
probation.  Wicklund has stated that if he is given jail time, he
will hunger strike again until his release.

Date: Wed, 18 Jun 1997 23:46:33 -0400
From: allen schubert <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: (JP) Two Killer Whales die in Japan
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

from AP Wire page:
-----------------------------------
 06/18/1997 23:40 EST

 Two Killer Whales die in Japan

 TOKYO (AP) -- Two killer whales captured from the sea earlier this year
 have died at an amusement park in western Japan.

 Nanki Shirahama Adventure World bought three of the 10 whales taken from
 the waters near Wakayama prefecture on Feb. 7, according to an official
 of the Wakayama prefectural fisheries agency.

 The first, a male, died June 14. Three days later, a female died. The
 third remains at the park.

 The cause of the deaths was not known, the fisheries agency official
 said. The dead whales were transported to Wakayama prefectural medical
 school for autopsies.

 Of the other whales caught in February -- their capture triggered
 protests from animal rights activists at home and abroad -- two are being
 kept at other parks in Japan while the remaining five were released.


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