Komputer for Alle 1998 #6/1998 CD 6 (Gul).iso/web/ffa/wwwenv~1.org/arrs/digest/news43~7.htm/text0005.txt

Text File | 1998-04-03 | 48.7 KB | 1,118 lines

from CNN web page:
------------------------------------
                     USDA: Take burger's temperature to prevent E. coli

                     June 10, 1997
                     Web posted at: 10:28 a.m. EDT (1428
                     GMT)

                     From Correspondent Eugenia Halsey

                     WASHINGTON (CNN)-- In a policy change aimed at
                     preventing E. coli bacteria infections, U.S. food
                     safety experts on Tuesday urged consumers to use a
                     meat thermometer to tell when hamburgers are done.

                     In the past, the U.S. Agriculture Department
                     recommended cooking ground beef until it was no
                     longer pink in the middle or until the juices ran
                     clear.

                     But new research shows even brown burgers may not
                     have reached a temperature high enough to kill the
                     dangerous form of E. coli bacteria known as
                     O157:H7.

                     As a result, the federal government now recommends
                     that consumers use a meat thermometer to cook
                     ground beef until it registers 160 degrees
                     Fahrenheit.

                     "Instant read" meat thermometers -- for use toward
                     the end of the cooking time -- will read the
                     temperature in 15 seconds. The thermometer should
                     be inserted into the thickest part of the
                     hamburger patty.

                     E. coli O157:H7 infects 20,000 Americans and kills
                     200 each year, according to the Centers for
                     Disease Control and Prevention.

                     In 1993, three Washington state children died and
                     hundreds of people fell ill after earing E.
                     coli-infected burgers from Jack in the Box
                     restaurants.


Date: Wed, 11 Jun 97 06:53:42 UTC
From: [e-mail]
To: [e-mail]
Subject: Neighbors Want Juice Reduced on Electric Fence
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>

Littleton, Colorado, USA: Sparks are flying over an electric fence.
Carolyn Ashbaugh, 79, is refusing to turn down the power from 1,300
volts to the legal maximum of 12 in a fence around her horse property.

Neighbors say it has been frying birds and squirrels and the city has
gone to court to get her to turn down the juice.

Ashbaugh is unapologetic. "I don't give much of a darn about small
birds," she said.

-- Sherrill
Date: Wed, 11 Jun 97 09:25:02 UTC
From: [e-mail]
To: [e-mail]
Subject: Butterfly Gardens (as told by Al Butterfly) with Steve Dobbs
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>

(Written by Al Butterfly with the help of master gardener Steve Dobbs):

Please let me introduce myself to you. I am Mr. Nymphalaidae (Al for short),
a Monarch butterfly, and I love to visit beautiful flower gardens. It's like
stopping at the food court in the mall. However, there doesn't seem to be
as many fine eating establishments these days  for all my 28,000 species of
friends and relatives. So, those of you looking for a good investment that
will add color to your landscape and frequent visits from my Lepidoptera
family - please read on!

Adults don't start as adults, do they? And, neither do we butterflies,
moths, and skippers (my distant relatives). We go through stages of
development starting with a fertilized egg, then larval or the caterpillar
stage, next is the pupa or chrysalis stage and then adulthood. It's much
like the stages we  observe with humans. Believe me, there are more
similarities than you think! When I was a larva, I grew up fast, ate like
I had a bottomless antenna, and was oh-so awkward while I was changing
into my "puberty" teen stage. This is where I just wanted to sleep all the
time, and boy was my skin ever a mess. But, now, I'm a wise adult with
stylish, colorful clothes which I love to show off around humans in their
gardens (if only they knew what I like to dine on!).

Remember, that I told you I could eat a lot during my larval stage? Well,
this is where people really used to get upset with me. (Okay, so I chewed
up a few of their prized plants.) But, I need certain plants that I can
feed on to finish my developmental stages. The more variety, the better.
I have listed a few to help you plan your garden menu. Just be patient.
Seldom do I devour the entire plant. It might look ragged for a couple of
weeks, but I quickly get full and turn into my hibernating teen stage.
Your plants will recover just fine. Some people get so scared of me
during this stage that they bring out those awful sprays that are really
dangerous to me. Well, you can imagine what the end result is!

As I get older, my siphoning tube craves sweet nectar. This is where
all those pretty flowers come into play. Again, I've provided you with
some of my favorites. I also like to dine on pollen and fermenting fruit.

Now, if you REALLY want to make me feel at home - you'll also want to
provide some shelter close by to help block those pesky winds. I also
enjoy a good bath from time-to-time usually in a muddy puddle (I never
said I was clean, just beautiful.)

And, don't forget to keep those pesticides away!!!

I get a little stiff in my old age, so I prefer to come out on sunny
days when temperatures rise above 85 degrees. Warming my body temperature
helps me move more freely.

My presence in landscapes is quite popular around the country these
days. If you'd like to see me fluttering near your place this summer,
try to provide a few of the basics I've listed here.

HOPE TO SEE YOU AROUND!!

Larval plants: Alfalfa, Hops, Dill, Tomato, Broccoli, Blueberry,
Hackberry, Passion Vine, Fennel, Polygonum, Cassia, Sorrel, Tulip Tree,
Mallow, Clover, Milkweed, Sunflower, Violet, Aster, Hibiscus,
Queen Anne's Lace, Parsley, Nasturtium, Coneflower, Lupine.

Nectar plants: Liatris, Coreopsis, Zinnia, Butterfly Weed, Blue Mist
Spirea, Gaillardia, Coneflower, Butterfly Bush, Crepemyrtle,
Honeysuckle, Begonia, Petunia, Pentas, Lantana, Four O'Clocks,
Verbena, Goldenrod, Daisies, Yarrow, Weigela.

_____________________________________________________________________

-- Sherrill

Date: Wed, 11 Jun 1997 07:34:24 -0700 (PDT)
From: Mike Markarian <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail], [e-mail],
        [e-mail]
Subject: Pa. House Vote Scheduled on Pigeon Shoots
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Wednesday, June 11, 1997

CONTACT: Mike Markarian, 301-585-2591
(Heidi Prescott is in Harrisburg available for interviews)

HOUSE VOTE SCHEDULED ON PIGEON SHOOTS
Will They or Won't They Vote?

HARRISBURG -- As the Pennsylvania Legislature moves into its final days of
session before summer recess, the Pennsylvania House of Representatives is
scheduled to vote this morning on House Bill 235, including an amendment
introduced by Representative Sara Steelman (D-Indiana County) to ban the use
of live pigeons in shooting contests statewide.

"Thousands of birds have been tortured, not just in Hegins but in six
different counties across the Commonwealth, because the Legislature has not
yet put a halt to this violence," declares Heidi Prescott, National Director
of The Fund for Animals. "Pigeon shoots will continue every weekend across
Pennsylvania until the Legislature addresses the issue. The birds have no
time left to wait."

Because Republican House Leaders oppose the bill to ban pigeon shoots and
will not bring the bill up for a fair vote, Representative Steelman has
amended the pigeon shoot ban to other crime bills. The Fund for Animals
fully expects anti-animal Legislators to try to bury this legislation once
again. The last time the House of Representatives voted on the bill to ban
live pigeon shoots -- in 1994 -- Representatives voted 99 to 93 in favor of
banning pigeon shoots, but fell three votes short of the 102 votes needed to
pass a bill. Despite the bill's growing support, Republican House Leaders
have kept the legislation from receiving another fair vote in the last three
years.

The Fund held a veterinary bird rescue effort at the Hegins pigeon shoot on
Labor Day 1996, and volunteers rescued hundreds of wounded birds and gave
them medical treatment. Investigators documented that 77% of the birds
released were not killed immediately, but rather wounded. Young children
collected wounded birds and killed them by stomping on them, ripping off
their heads, or throwing them into barrels to suffocate. One man even bit
the head off a live bird.

The controversy is heating up as major Pennsylvania sports figures -- Mike
Tomczak, quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Pat Croce, president of
the Philadelphia 76ers, and Jon Lieber, pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates
-- voiced their opposition to live pigeon shoots last week by signing
petitions to Governor Tom Ridge and House Speaker Matt Ryan. Adds Heidi
Prescott, "Pennsylvania citizens overwhelmingly oppose live pigeon shoots,
and most Representatives support a pigeon shoot ban. All we want is a fair
and honest vote on this issue. The constituents deserve it and the birds
deserve it."

-- 30 --

Date: Wed, 11 Jun 1997 12:42:05 -0400 (EDT)
From: [e-mail]
To: [e-mail]
Subject: WRITE!  Re: Ferret Beheading on Hold ... Again
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>

In a message dated 97-06-11 02:53:17 EDT, you write:

<< The state Supreme Court granted a stay of execution 15 minutes before
  Kodo's scheduled beheading. The state's highest court said it would hear
  the case but didn't set a date. >>

I just spoke to Mrs. Jacobs, the ferrett's mom.  She asked that everyone
contact Michigan Governor John Engler (State Capitol, Lansing 48909) Michigan
Senators Carl Levin and Spencer Abraham (US Senate, Washington, DC 20510)
 and even Bill Clinton ([e-mail]). Does anyone have
Engler's/Levin's/Abraham's e-mail?

If you're not familiar with the story, see following....
JD Jackson
Bunny Huggers' Gazette

SAGINAW, Mich.--(BUSINESS WIRE FEATURES)--June 5, 1997--

   Family Struggles to Rescue Beloved Pet From Senseless Death Penalty
                    Fights To Preserve Their Home & Livelihood
                         Day 34 - June 9th Execution Date
          Robert Jacobs' two children, Crystal (8) and Eric (9) are sitting
at home while their favorite furry little pet ferret -- "Kodo the
Kute" -- has just reached his 34th day on death row awaiting an
unusual and illogical court ordered death penalty.  Meanwhile, their
father has been forced to leave work and fight for his children's pet
in court.  Moreover, local publicity from the struggle sparked
Jacobs' landlord to deliver him a "notice to quit" his family's
mobile trailer park home for harboring an "exotic" pet, even though
the ferret isn't exotic (it's domestic).
          "I feel as if I'm in the eye of a hurricane," Jacobs sadly
remarks.  "I've always told my children that truth and honesty always
prevail.  But I don't know what to tell Crystal and Eric now.
They're heartbroken.  And honesty and truth isn't saving their friend
Kodo from bureaucracy, ignorance and politics.  My family is under
siege.  Most of all, my children are being unfairly and unlawfully
victimized."
          Last month Jacob brought the family's pet ferret to a mall pet
exhibition -- on the first day of National Pet Week -- at the request
of local animal control officer Karen Burns.  A senior gentlemen
reached to pat the ferret when he accidentally scraped his finger on
the pet's nose and tooth.  The scrape broke skin causing minor
bleeding.
          "The gentleman later humorously remarked to his wife, upon seeing
a blown-up photo of a vicious dog bite, that his `bite' wasn't nearly
as bad," Jacobs said, referring to the gentleman's court testimony.
"But within twenty minutes, Burns, having overheard the man's remark
to his wife, arrived at my area with a `bite report' which correctly
stated `Minor, No stitches, Scratch Did Bleed.' Then she took Kodo
away from me!"
          If the ferret had rabies, it would have died within ten days.
But now Kodo is still alive more than 30 days since he was sent to
"death row" at an animal control shelter.  "Now, our pet is gone,
facing execution, and we aren't even allowed to visit.  My children
are mortified."
          People around the country have rallied to Kodo's cause.  And as
time winds down to the scheduled execution, Jacobs and his family are
hoping to save their pet's life and rescue their own life from an
apparently silly and baseless government action.
          To contribute money to Kodo's plight, call Robert Jacobs direct
[phone], or e-mail him [e-mail]

Date: Wed, 11 Jun 1997 14:48:29 -0400 (EDT)
From: [e-mail] (Stuart Chaifetz)
To: [e-mail]
Subject: PRESS RELEASE - BLACK BEAR HEARING in NJ
Message-ID: <v01540b01afc46a66d9a3@[169.132.66.9]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"



NEW JERSEY ANIMAL RIGHTS ALLIANCE
PO Box 174 Englishtown, NJ  07726
732-446-6808

PRESS CONFERENCE -
June 12, State House, Room 109, 1 PM - PHOTO OPPORTUNITY

Contacts: Stu Chaifetz 201-955-9203 & on site.
Assemblyman Kevin OÆToole - on site.
Lynn Rogers, Ph.D. - on site.
Lynda Smith - on site.
Anne DuHaime - on site.
Susan Durante - on site.

Legislation Prohibiting Black Bear
Hunting to be Heard by Assembly

Trenton û The Assembly Environment, Science, and Technology Committee to
hear the widely supported bill (A.2016), initiated by Assemblyman Kevin,
OÆToole, (R-21) that prohibits black bear hunting. The hearing is to take
place on Thursday, June 12, 4th floor, Room 16, of the State House Annex,
Trenton, NJ,  at 2:00pm.

Dr. Lynn Rogers, a world renowned wildlife biologist, who has devoted his
life studying and photographing black bears will testify before the
committee in support of A.2016.  Dr. Rogers holds doctorates in both animal
behavior and wildlife ecology, has studied bears since 1967 and is
considered the Jane Goodall of black bears. His studies have taken him into
the wilderness in all seasons and into more than two hundred bear dens. He
has gained the confidence of individual wild bears, and followed them
closely for days, watching them eat, nurse their cubs, and play.  "What is
needed is public education, bears are peaceable animals that can coexist
with us. It just takes a change in public attitude," said Lynn Rogers,
Ph.D.

Others that will offer testimony include the billÆs sponsor, Assemblyman
Kevin OÆToole, (R-21), Stuart Chaifetz, New Jersey Animal Rights Alliance,
Anne DuHaime, mayor of Bloomingdale, Lynda Smith, coordinator of the Bear
Education And Resource Group and the Coalition to Protect Black Bears,
Barbara Dyer, Humane Society of the United States, Susan Durante, member,
Bear Education and Resource Group.

The killing plans never endà

Over 1 million animals are killed by hunters in New Jersey under the
Division of Fish, Game and WildlifeÆs (DFGW) game code. Despite the
overwhelming opposition to black bear hunting in New Jersey,  DFGW has
launched a media campaign against black bears to justify their plans to
start hunting and killing them again in the future.

"When I was younger, I thought it was illegal to hunt bears. IÆm disgusted
that [thereÆs] not a law to stop the bear hunt," said Michael LaMarca,
grade 5, Fair Haven. "To quote bear biologist Lynn Rogers, æOne of the
safest places a person can be is in the woods with the bears.Æ If bill
A.2016 is not passed, the bears donÆt stand a chance!"

An identical companion bill, S.2071, was introduced in the Senate by
Senator C. Louis Bassano on May 15, 1997, and has been referred to the
Senate Environment Committee.

NJARA is a community based, non-profit, educational organization working
toward a more peaceful, nonviolent coexistence with our earthly companions,
both human and nonhuman.  Through our programs of promoting responsible
science, ethical consumerism and environmentalism, NJARA advocates change
that greatly enhances the quality of life for animals and people and
protects the earth.


Date: Wed, 11 Jun 1997 12:23:12 -0700
From: [e-mail] (Lawrence Carter-Long)
To: [e-mail]
Subject: USAF To "Divest" Chimps Used In Research
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"



      US Air Force to stand down
      space-age chimps

      June 11, 1997


      JANE'S DEFENCE WEEKLY : One hundred and forty-three
      chimpanzees are the latest casualties of the US Department
      of Defense cuts. The US Air Force intends to divest the chimps
      along with its primate research complex at Holloman AFB,
      New Mexico.

      The chimps, all descendants of the five procured for space flight
      research in 1959, have been deemed non-essential and their
      mission requirement is "non- existent", a USAF spokesman said.
      They range in age from infants to the mid- forties.

      The animals are now the subjects of biomedical research by the
      Coulston Foundation. The private organisation, whose work
      includes HIV and hepatitis research, has leased the primates and
      facility from the air force since 1994.

      The USAF is accepting bids from individuals and organisations
      "who may be seriously interested" in the primates and research
      centre. Potential buyers can use the chimps only for scientific
      research or must retire them, promising to provide adequate care.



      [Copyright 1997, Jane's Information Group]
Lawrence Carter-Long
Coordinator, Science and Research Issues
Animal Protection Institute
[e-mail]

"Nothing is given to humanity, and the little we can conquer is paid for
with unjust deaths, but humanity's greatness lies elsewhere.  It lies in
our decision to be stronger than our condition, and if our condition is
unjust we have only one way of overcoming it, which is to be just
ourselves."  --  Albert Camus, 1944.



Date: 11 Jun 97 15:42:55 EDT
From: "Kim W. Stallwood" <[e-mail]>
To: AR-News <[e-mail]>
Subject: Hard Copy revisited
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>

Regarding Hard Copy's segment on CAMPFIRE--

Once again, Hard Copy has bumped the CAMPFIRE segment:  it is now supposed to
air this Friday (according to the reporter), NOT tonight.

===================================================

Hard Copy is syndicated, so check your local listings for time and channel.
(For those in
the Washington, D.C., area, Hard Copy is on at 7pm, channel 50.)

To recap, CAMPFIRE (Communal Areas Management Program for Indigenous Resources)
is a Zimbabwean  program intended to benefit impoverished rural people by
permitting trophy hunting of wild animals.  Trophy hunting of African elephants
represents 64 percent of income generated by the program.  Other hunted animals
include leopards, lion, baboons, hippos, and zebras.

What's more, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has already
subsidized CAMPFIRE with $7 million, and plans to spend considerably more over
the next two years.  In addition to being an unethical and wasteful use of U.S.
taxpayer dollars (USAID's own evaluation of the program found that it was not
benefiting local communites to the extent predicted nor was it self-sustaining),
CAMPFIRE's implementors stand behind Zimbabwe's push to resume the international
ivory trade (currently being decided on at the CITES meeting).  It is clear that
the people who benefit the most from this cruel and corrupt program are wealthy,
foreign trophy hunters.





Date: Wed, 11 Jun 1997 19:17:21 -0400 (EDT)
From: [e-mail]
To: [e-mail]
Subject: E-mail addresses Re: Ferret Beheading
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>

Letters for Kodo the ferret should go to:

Michigan Governor John Engler
[e-mail]
fax:  [phone]

 Senator Carl Levin
[e-mail]

Senator Spencer Abraham
[e-mail]

Date: Wed, 11 Jun 1997 20:17:25 -0400
From: allen schubert <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: (CA) British activists have already McWon
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

from The Toronto Star web page:
-----------------------------------------------
June 9, 1997

                   British activists have already McWon

                   At McLibel trial headquarters in London,
                   England, preparations for Victory Day are
                   well under way. In the next two weeks, the
                   judge is expected to hand down a verdict
                   in McDonald's libel trial against two
                   British environmentalists. Win or lose,
                   community activists will celebrate the end
                   of the mammoth trial by staging protests
                   at hundreds of McDonald's outlets across
                   the United Kingdom, putting a new spin on
                   the chain's latest slogan: ``My
                   McDonald's.''

                   The protesters will be distributing a
                   pamphlet titled What's Wrong With
                   McDonald's, a variation of the document
                   that sparked McLibel, the longest trial in
                   British history. The pamphlet was first
                   published in the mid-1980s by London
                   Greenpeace and it attacked the fast food
                   giant on every front, including nutrition,
                   waste creation and disposal, animal
                   rights, and working conditions.

                   Using a British libel law that puts the
                   burden of proof entirely on the defendant,
                   McDonald's launched a suit against
                   Greenpeace members Helen Steel, Dave
                   Morris and several others for the
                   allegations in the pamphlet. Since libel
                   defendants are not eligible for legal aid
                   and court cases are long and costly, most
                   activists back down when they get the
                   first lawyer's letter, regardless of
                   whether or not they can defend their
                   statements.

                   Steel and Morris didn't back down. They
                   represented themselves in court and over
                   the course of the 313-day trial calling
                   180 witnesses, the defendants turned the
                   tables on McDonald's and put the world's
                   largest food retailer on the defensive.
                   ``They declared war on me and Helen and we
                   decided to pick up the gauntlet,'' Morris
                   said on the phone from London.

                   Today, victory is being declared in
                   McLibel because rather than stemming the
                   flow of criticism, the trial has opened
                   the floodgates. Steel and Morris
                   meticulously elaborated on every one of
                   the pamphlet's claims, with the help of
                   nutritional and environment experts and
                   scientific studies.

                   Witnesses spanned the spectrum from Edward
                   Oakley, senior vice president of McDonalds
                   U.K., to Sarah Inglis, the 17-year-old
                   employee who tried to unionize McDonald's
                   in Orangeville, Ont. The company faced
                   dozens of humiliating moments as the court
                   heard stories of food poisoning, failure
                   to pay legal overtime, bogus recycling
                   claims, and, most damning of all,
                   corporate spies sent to infiltrate the
                   ranks of London Greenpeace.

                   The original pamphlet, meanwhile, has
                   gathered the cachet of a collector's item
                   - 2 million copies have been distributed
                   in the U.K. alone. Adding more fuel to the
                   movement, Macmillan has just published a
                   book about the trial (McLibel: Burger
                   Culture On Trial by John Vidal), a
                   documentary has been produced, and a
                   made-for-TV drama is scheduled to air in
                   Britain after the verdict.

                   Most damaging of all to the multinational
                   is the life the trial has taken on in
                   cyberspace. ``We had so much information
                   about McDonald's, we thought we should
                   start a library,'' Morris says. With this
                   in mind, a group of Internet activists
                   launched a McSpotlight Web page
                   (http://www.McSpotlight.org/), catapulting
                   London's grassroots anti-McDonald's
                   movement into an arena as global as the
                   one in which its multinational opponent
                   operates.

                   The site not only has the controversial
                   pamphlet on-line, it contains the
                   transcript of the McLibel trial, and
                   offers a debating room where McDonald's
                   workers exchange horror stories about
                   McWork under the Golden Arches. The site,
                   by far the most exciting use of the medium
                   to date, has been accessed around 9
                   million times.

                   Ben, one of the McSpotlight organizers,
                   explains that ``this is media that doesn't
                   require campaigners to jump through hoops
                   doing publicity stunts or depend on the
                   good will of an editor to get their
                   message across.'' It is also less
                   vulnerable to libel suits than more
                   traditional media. Ben explains that the
                   site is purposefully ``disorganized and
                   decentralized'' with identical ``mirror
                   sites'' in various counties. That means
                   that if a server carrying McSpotlight in
                   one country is targeted by McDonald's
                   lawyers, it will still be available around
                   the world from the other servers.

                   ``The trial has shown McDonald's complete
                   failure to shut people up,'' Morris says.
                   ``People have become more outraged than
                   ever before because now the company is
                   seen as a bully.''

                   The momentum of McLibel clearly speaks to
                   the fact that McDonald's is more than a
                   restaurant chain, it's a powerful symbol
                   of plastic globo-culture. The company is
                   the very essence of McWorld, the already
                   here future where multinationals not only
                   steamroll over local cultures, they stifle
                   debate about their impact on our
                   communities, our health and our
                   environment. Bottomless resources mean
                   endless supplies of one-way ad campaigns
                   and the means to use libel and trademark
                   laws to trip up and gag their critics.

                   Whenever a renegade voice breaks through
                   the shrink-wrapped seal of these
                   franchised dreams, it is a victory indeed.


Date: Wed, 11 Jun 1997 18:27:56 -0700 (PDT)
From: Bob Smith <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Cc: [e-mail]
Subject: (US)Circus article-Monterey,CA
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>

The Monterey County Herald
Sunday, June 8, 1997

Front page article with large photo of elephants.

CIRCUS COUNTERS CLAIMS OF ABUSE
By Kristi Belcamino, Herald Staff Writer

The lure of getting a behind-the-scenes glimpse of the
circus with its flying trapeze, clown and performing
elephants drew a crowd of about 100 people out of their
beds early yesterday morning.

Adults and children, some wrapped in fuzzy blankets to
ward off the early morning chill, turned up to watch
the Carson & Barnes 5-Ring Circus transform an empty
parking lot at the former Fort Ord into a small village
with a 60,000-square-foot tent at it center.

But beneath the jolliness and bright lights was an
earnest public relations campaign by the circus to
counter protests from animal rights groups that the
lions, tigers and elephants are, in the best-case
scenario, bored.  And, in the worst-case scenario,
mistreated.

Performing elephants are often the focus of animal
rights groups, and Carson & Barnes lays claim to the
world's largest herd.  The circus owns 25 elephants.
For this show, 17 of them were brought into Fort Ord in
big trucks.

In an interview yesterday, Mike Echols, a spokesman for
the circus, said the elephants in the show are
affectionate, very well cared for and enjoy performing.

"I have never seen one of them beaten.  Period.
Paragraph," Echols said.

In an opinion piece for the San Francisco Chronicle,
Echols said it would be "financial folly" to mistreat
one.  In the same article, Echols quotes D.R. Miller,
the circus owner, saying trained elephants cost at
least $75,000 each.

A press packet Echols hands out includes letters from
the Lake Elsinore Animal Friends group, the city of San
Jacinto Animal Control Department and the Contra Costa
Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals that
attest to the excellent care the Carson & Barnes circus
animals receive.

Continued on page A9:

A brochure on the circus accuses animal rights groups
of lying and terrorist acts that destroy research
facilities, medical research and animals.

"If they are not stopped -- if people do not protect
their right to view and own animals -- then you may
wake up some morning to discover that your family pet
has been banned," the brochure says.

When asked, most of the kids there yesterday morning
said they were there to see the elephants.

An A-frame sign near the ticket booth was plastered
with literature testifying to the humane treatment of
the circus animals.

By 3 p.m., petitions set up near the sign had garnered
seven signatures attesting to the humane treatment of
the Carson & Barnes animals.

But many animal rights advocates, such as Maia Carroll
of the Monterey County SPCA, say even with the best of
care, taking animals out of their natural environment
and putting them in traveling is wrong.

"If you want to see wild animals, go to Elkhorn Slough
or go whale watching," Carroll said.  "There are so
many things you can do to see animals that have nothing
to do with pain, fear and control."

Four members of the Animal Rights Connection drove down
from San Francisco yesterday to protest the use of
animals in the circus.

Pat Cuviello of the group said using elephants for
entertainment is degrading to the animal.

"They are no longer elephants," he said, "They are
circus props."

As soon as they held up their protest signs, the four
activists were surrounded by eight Presidio of Monterey
Annex police officers who told them to leave.  The
officers said the protesters could not stay on the
federal land, even after they put their signs away.

Cuviello said the circus' campaign to drum up support
for its use of animals was good for animal rights
groups.

"It shows us how threatened they are by us and that we
are making an impact," he said.

The ongoing protest against animals in traveling shows
has the support of Rep. Sam Farr, D-Carmel.

Last month, Farr and actress Kim Basinger asked the
Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman to enforce the
Animal Welfare Act, and to make sure elephants are
included in that act.

If the act were enforced, animals would be banned from
travelling shows.

Farr has said there are many cases where captive
elephants have suffered injuries and been kept in
"hideous" conditions.

Echols said Farr didn't do enough research about
traveling elephants before he took a position on them.

"I told him, you cannot assume all animals in traveling
shows are abused," Echols said.

Echols admitted some circuses do abuse their animals.

Mike Diamond, spokesman for Farr, said Friday that
Farr's position on the Animal Welfare Act remains the
same.

*******************************************************

p.s. There was also local TV news coverage of the 6
     protesters while they were displaying banners and
     signs outside the entrance to the base.
Date: Thu, 12 Jun 1997 10:27:43 +0800 (SST)
From: Vadivu Govind <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: (AU) 'Guinea pig child' threatens to sue
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"



>South China Morning Post
Thursday  June 12  1997
     'Guinea pig child' threatens to sue
     RACHEL BRIDGE in Sydney

     One of the orphans who believes she may have been used as a human
guinea pig for  drug trials in the 1950s yesterday threatened to sue the
Government for damages, if her case was found to be strong enough.
Margaret Di-Federico, who spent two years as a baby at the Broadmeadows
babies' home in Melbourne and now suffers from migraines and stomach
complaints, said if there was "a case to come up, I'm prepared to go all the
way".

     "They could do whatever they liked to us," she said. "They didn't need
parental OK. So this is why I'm angry."

     It emerged this week that hundreds of orphaned children had been used
as guinea pigs  in scientific experiments in the state of Victoria over a
25-year period until 1970. Some of the drugs involved had not passed animal
tests.

     Four church homes, including the babies' home run by the Sisters of St
Joseph, were  involved in testing new vaccines to fight diseases including
herpes, whooping cough, diphtheria and influenza.

     The Victorian Government has promised to investigate whether consent
was given for  the trials although Premier Jeff Kennett yesterday ruled out
conducting a full-scale  inquiry.

     "We are not having a Royal Commission into something that happened 40
years ago,"  he said.

     "All the formalities of the time were followed. In hindsight
everybody's terribly wise but  I am not aware of anything illegal happening
at the time.

     "There are things happening in 1997 that are legal which might come in
for criticism in  40 years time."
Federal Health Minister Dr Michael Wooldridge, meanwhile, rejected
suggestions that  the Government could be liable for compensation.

     "It is very difficult to look into things that happened before I was
born," he said.

     One of Australia's leading medical research institutes, which was
responsible for  carrying out some of the tests has defended the programme,
saying that many children's  lives had been saved in the process.

     Dr Suzanne Cory, a director of the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute said
the implication  that children were being experimented on by scientists was
false.
"It is completely wrong to say that each child was selected as a human
guinea pig," she  said.

     "The intent was to improve the health and welfare of those who were
most at risk,  those living in close association in crowded environments
such as schools and orphanages. Viewed from the 90s, it is easy to be
critical of standard medical practices  of the 1950s."

Date: Thu, 12 Jun 1997 10:27:50 +0800 (SST)
From: Vadivu Govind <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: (MY) Cow's earrings to warn drivers of road dangers
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"



>South China Morning Post
Thursday  June 12  1997
     Cow's earrings to warn drivers of road dangers
     IAN STEWART in Kuala Lumpur

     Pierced ears and glowing earrings could be the new fashion for cattle
on the resort  island of Langkawi.

     The idea for outfitting cattle with eye-catching jewellery was prompted
by the  increasing hazard motorists face from stray cows and buffaloes.

     Buffaloes used to pull ploughs but they have been made redundant by
modern farm  equipment and released to roam across the island.
After reports of frequent collisions between cars and cows, especially at
night, Ferdaus Mohamad Abdullah, manager of a Penang-based company which
makes road safety equipment, proposed attaching reflectors to the cattle.

     A cow belonging to Aziz Musa, a 76-year-old farmer from Bukit Kemboja,
was  selected, with the owner's permission, to be the guinea pig.

     A ceremony was held at which the cow's ears were pierced and adorned
with two  plate-sized road alert signs, showing a red circle on a yellow
square, which glow in the dark.
But concerns have already been raised that the earrings could hurt the
pioneering cow's  eyes and make it more difficult for her to flap her ears
to ward off insects. If animal lovers intervene, she may be the first and
last of her breed to model the new fashion.

Date: Thu, 12 Jun 1997 10:27:56 +0800 (SST)
From: Vadivu Govind <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: (JP) Glow in the dark mice
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"



>Japan Times
11 June 97
University designs green mice that glow in the dark

     Biologists at Osaka University have created genetically-altered mice
that glow green in the dark and claimed June 11 that they have bred "the
world's first light-emitting  mammals."

     Assistant Professor Masaru Okabe and his team at the Osaka University
Microbiology   Laboratory said they used the latest technology to inject DNA
from light-emitting  jellyfish into the fertilized eggs of mice. The DNA is
taken from a special protein, called    GFP, in the jellyfish. Like the
jellyfish, the mice emit green light, produced from the  GFP reproduced in
cells throughout the bodies of the mice, they said.

     "We have found that this characteristic is passed down to offspring,"
Okabe said. "The  result can be used as a 'marker' technology in which only
certain cells are made to glow for medical research."
The experiment, according to Okabe, shows the method can be used to develop
     humane ways of conducting animal experiments. Genetic engineering can
be used to  determine the effects of new cancer drugs by devising a way so
that only the cancer cells glow. This means killing the animals after
experiments to determine the effects of  the drugs will no longer be
necessary, he said.

     In the past, flies and fish have been genetically altered to contain
GFP, but the latest  experiment is the first successful one for mammals,
Okabe said. Many attempts to make the "florescent mice" failed until the
researchers found a certain vector, or virus,  to incorporate the jellyfish
DNA into the DNA of the mice, he said.

     The mice no longer appear to be green when they become adults because
hair covers  their bodies, but their feet and the area around their mouths,
where hair is thin, would still glow, Okabe said. The blood of the mice is
still red, but the white blood corpuscles, when separated, are green, he said.


Date: Thu, 12 Jun 1997 10:28:04 +0800 (SST)
From: Vadivu Govind <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: (JP) Quest to save whales
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"



>Japan Times
11 June 97
Rescued sailor resumes quest to save killer whales

     Disappointed, but relieved -- that is how Michael Reppy characterizes
his state of mind. Disappointed because his bid for a single-handed
trans-Pacific sailing record fell  short, but relieved to have survived and
be in Japan working to free five killer whales captured last February.

     On May 23, after 30 days at sea, and with just 400 km remaining of the
8,000-km San  Francisco-Japan voyage, Michael Reppy's custom-made trimaran
capsized.

     Approximately seven to eight hours after sending out a distress signal,
he was  recovered from his life raft by a ship transporting cars to Japan.
"I am glad to be alive, but sorry I don't have the record," said the
leathery-tanned 52-year-old physical  therapist at a recent gathering in
Tokyo organized by the Japan Environmental   Exchange and the Dolphin and
Whale Action Network.
Only about two days shy of his destination, Reppy decided to take a brief
rest and  inadvertently dozed off. When he awoke an hour later, the winds
had picked up and he realized he needed to quickly douse his spinnaker or
risk capsizing. He wasn't in time.

     "If I'd just come up 10 seconds earlier, I could have released the sail
and kept the boat  from capsizing," he said. This would have helped him earn
the solo trans-Pacific  record, a feat Reppy has been shooting for since the
construction of his boat five years
     ago.

     However, Reppy's failed attempt is only half the story. The other half
involves his love  of dolphins, which he says grew out of his experience
swimming with them in Hawaii in 1991. This affection led him to seek out the
Earth Island Institute, a San     Francisco-based environmental group that
was fighting to save dolphins from tuna    fisherman and has been
instrumental in the ongoing rehabilitation of Keiko (the killer whale that
starred in the movie "Free Willy") for return to the wild. Reppy offered to
help the group gain publicity through sailing, which he spent the next five
years doing.

     "I was building this new boat and I wanted to do it for more than
myself," Reppy said.
     The boat was completed in 1992 and christened Nai'a, which means
dolphin in   Hawaiian. In this way, his voyages were not just a personal
challenge, but also intended   to help gain publicity for the dolphins, he said.

     Last February, while preparing for his voyage to Japan, Reppy heard
that five orcas   were captured off the coast of Wakayama Prefecture and
thought it was a serious case. The five whales, caught Feb. 7 and the first
to be captured in Japan in seven  years, were purchased separately by two
aquariums and a museum. The capture was legal under a five-year-old
government permit issued for the purpose of scientific    research --
specifically, to breed them and study their breeding habits.

     However, activists contend that it is doubtful the whales will be used
for research,  noting that two or three of the five are babies that will not
be capable of reproducing  for years. Environmental groups express concern
that another of the whales, which is
     believed to be pregnant, may not be receiving a proper diet, in terms
of both type and   quantity, and that this may be detrimental to her and her
baby's health. However, the  aquariums and museum say things are going well
and they intend to continue with their research. "We don't intend to display
them to the public and are putting our energies  into breeding research,"
said Koichi Igarashi, a spokesman for Adventure World, an aquarium and
amusement park located in Wakayama Prefecture where three of the orcas are
being held.

Date: Wed, 11 Jun 1997 20:51:51 -0700
From: Andrew Gach <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: AID wonder drugs may be causing diabetes
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

Drugs for AIDS treatment could cause diabetes

The Associated Press

WASHINGTON (June 11, 1997 3:03 p.m. EDT) -- AIDS patients taking the
powerful new drugs called protease inhibitors should be monitored
closely for indications of diabetes, a surprising but serious new side
effect, the government warned Wednesday.

In letters to thousands of doctors, the Food and Drug Administration
stressed that diabetes appears to occur very rarely and that patients
should not stop taking their AIDS medicines.

Protease inhibitors have revolutionized AIDS care, reducing thousands of
patients' HIV virus to undetectable levels.

However, the FDA recently discovered 83 patients who contracted diabetes
or hyperglycemia, high blood sugar, or had those diseases suddenly
worsen after they began taking protease inhibitors.

Six suffered life-threatening cases -- including five who had
ketoacidosis, a dangerous diabetes complication that often results in
coma -- and 21 others had to be hospitalized.

Those cases are not enough to prove that protease inhibitors alone cause
diabetes, which is treatable but can be deadly if people do not know the
warning signs and get medical help.

But the FDA called the cases disturbing enough that it is relabeling all
four protease inhibitors now sold in the United States to warn about the
potential side effect.

It urged patients to watch for such symptoms as increased thirst,
unexplained weight loss, increased urination, fatigue and dry, itchy
skin.

Diabetes develops when the body cannot properly use sugar for energy,
and high blood sugar is an early risk sign. Treatments include diet,
oral drugs and/or daily shots of the hormone insulin.

It is unclear why, biologically, protease inhibitors would affect the
body's processing of blood sugar, the FDA said. Some of the 83 patients
were taking, in addition to the AIDS medicines, other drugs
that have been associated with diabetes.

The protease inhibitors include Crixivan by Merck & Co., Invirase by
Hoffman-La Roche, Norvir by Abbott Laboratories and Viracept by Agouron
Pharmaceuticals.

Half the 83 patients the FDA discovered were eventually taken off
protease inhibitors because of the side effect, and many of them
subsequently experienced a reduction in symptoms, the agency said.
Others continued to take the AIDS drugs while controlling the diabetes
with standard medication.

On average, diabetes symptoms struck about 76 days after patients began
taking protease inhibitors, although some patients had the first
symptoms a mere four days into treatment.

By LAURAN NEERGAARD, Associated Press Writer

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