Komputer for Alle 1998 #6/1998 CD 6 (Gul).iso/web/ffa/wwwenv~1.org/arrs/digest/news54~1.htm/text0001.txt

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Meat industry pushes irradiation

The Associated Press

WASHINGTON (October 7, 1997 4:52 p.m. EDT http://www.nando.net) -- As
the Clinton administration pushes for mandatory recalls and tougher
penalties in contaminated meat cases, the industry is promoting an
alternative that kills dangerous bacteria: irradiation.

Fearing the economic fallout of more highly publicized recalls, the meat
industry is trying to persuade the Food and Drug Administration to
approve irradiation for beef and is lobbying Congress to allow smaller,
less ominous irradiation labels for all foods.

"We need to make this food safety tool available for the public," said
Rhona Applebaum, executive vice president for scientific and regulatory
affairs at the National Food Processors Association.

Irradiation -- exposing food to low levels of radiation -- is already
permitted for poultry, pork, fruits and vegetables, but is not in
widespread use for several reasons: consumer wariness, expense and
opposition by consumer groups that question its safety.

This summer's recall of 25 million pounds of Hudson Foods Inc. ground
beef has focused new attention on meat safety and how to guard against
illnesses caused by such foodborne bacteria as E. coli and salmonella.

Tainted meat was in the news again last week with the recall of nearly
444,000 pounds of ground beef processed at a Nebraska plant and South
Korea's detection of E. coli on beef supplied by another Nebraska
meatpacker.

The Senate Agriculture Committee has scheduled a hearing Wednesday to
discuss food safety and the potential of new technology such as
irradiation.

Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman wants Congress to grant him authority
to issue mandatory recalls instead of using persuasion and public
pressure to get companies to do recalls voluntarily, as is now the case.

Glickman wants authority to seek civil penalties of up to $100,000 per
violation per day and a requirement that anyone in the food supply chain
from slaughterhouse to restaurant notify USDA if there is any evidence
of contamination.

In introducing the administration's bill Tuesday, Sen. Tom Harkin,
D-Iowa, said the current system does not give people "total assurance"
that the meat they eat is safe.

"These are vital tools the secretary just doesn't have today," Harkin
said.

Consumer advocates say mandatory recall and tougher penalties will give
companies greater incentives to adhere to food safety rules and not
cover up mistakes.

"Human lives shouldn't depend on a secretary's charm or force of
personality," said Carol Tucker Foreman of the Safe Food Coalition.

The food processing industry, however, contends that USDA can already
effectively force companies to issue recalls by using public pressure
and can close down plants by pulling its inspectors from production
lines. Criminal charges can be brought and contaminated products can
be seized.

"The punitive measures sought by USDA will do nothing to enhance the
safety of the meat supply or prevent future foodborne illness
outbreaks," said J. Patrick Boyle, president of the American Meat
Institute.

The institute and other industry groups say new technology such as
irradiation offers consumers even greater protection from harmful
microbes. The industry has already cleared some congressional hurdles
toward using the process in beef production and possibly increasing its
use in poultry, fruit and other products.

The FDA overhaul bill passed Tuesday by the House -- and a similar
version passed previously by the Senate -- would allow companies to use
labels on irradiated products that are no larger than those used for
ingredients. Current law mandates that the word "irradiation" be much
larger, which food manufacturers say is a customer turnoff.

"It takes it from being what looks like a warning label to something not
as scary-looking," Tim Willard, spokesman for the Food Processors
Association, said of the bill.

In addition, the House version would require the FDA to act within 60
days on a petition allowing irradiation for red meat that has been
pending for three years. FDA officials already say the petition
is a top food safety priority.

By CURT ANDERSON, AP Farm Writer
Date: Tue, 07 Oct 1997 22:27:54 -0700
From: Andrew Gach <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: Happy chickens lay better eggs
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
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Happy chickens lay the best eggs, group says

Agence France-Presse

MUNICH, Germany (October 7, 1997 11:40 a.m. EDT http://www.nando.net) -
Happy free-range chickens lay the best eggs, which are richer in
vitamins, a German animal rights group said Tuesday.

The group, basing its findings on a study conducted by nutritionists at
the University of Vienna, said the way a chicken is raised has a lot of
influence on the eggs it lays.

It condemned the fact that in Germany, nine out of 10 laying birds are
raised in chicken coops or batteries, and demanded better labeling of
the origin of eggs on the market.

"Consumers who buy eggs laid by free-range chickens are not only doing a
favour for the chickens but also for their health," the group said.
Date: Wed, 8 Oct 1997 15:16:20 +0800 (SST)
From: Vadivu Govind <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: (MO) Letter on "merits" of bullfighting
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
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You can e-mail letters to <[e-mail]>  They should contain the
writer's full name, e-mail address and city.

>Hong Kong Standard
8 Oct 97

Letters to the Editor
Bullfighting has its merits

IT is interesting to read the letters of protest about Macau bullfighting in
the local papers. There are bits and pieces of hearsay merging together with
passionate declarations on behalf of the bulls. Such letters are a free form
of expression of those individual's opinions and convictions. They have a right
to be published and heard.

In Macau, which has had a Portuguese presence for 450 years, there is a
tangible tolerance between the two cultures, and has the resulting culture
with its own dialect, cuisine and music.

There are some Asian practices which seem strange to Westerners, such as
eating dog, cat or monkey meat. And those who find such a custom strange
surely refrain from joining in. And of course in the West, there exist
customs very strange to Asians, such as England's long lived enthusiasm for
fox hunting.

American protesters may find bullfighting ``violent'', while Asians may find
the liberal gun laws there and high US murder rate epitomise violence.

A campaigner from Britain recently cited some percentages of Spanish
indifference or disgust to bullfighting _ what is believed to be part of
Spain's national identity _ but without citing her sources.
If there is such a dislike for bullfighting there, one naturally wonders why
bullfighting matches have such high attendance in Spain and why that country
has numerous schools for matadors.

Many protesters also make comparisons with Spanish and Portuguese
bullfighting without knowing how the two differ greatly. Portuguese
bullfights have a tradition of horsemanship during the show,
and it is unlawful to kill the bull in the arena. The bull will be either
used as a stud afterwards, or as the Hong Kong Standard reported on 24
September, slaughtered to end up in Macau restaurants.

A spokeswoman for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals voiced her
surprise that a woman would be in that line of work, saying that
bullfighting is more in a man's nature. Manuela's boyfriend, who is
supportive of her work, happens to be a decorator. Is someone then going to
comment on a
man in that line of work? Of course not.

Those who want to experience the ancient Portuguese tradition of
bullfighting are welcome and those who don't approve of it are of course
entitled to their opinion. In the meantime, it makes for some lively debate.

Sophia Jade, Macau


Date: Wed, 08 Oct 1997 01:28:57
From: David J Knowles <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: [UK/US] Skin is grown from human cells
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"


>From The Electronic Telegraph - Wednesday, October 8th, 1997

Skin is grown from human cells
By Celia Hall, Medical Editor

THE world's first replacement skin to be grown from human cells was
launched yesterday, heralding a revolution in replacement surgery with
cartilage, ligament and human bone being developed.

The fully human dermis, the skin's inner layer, was originally derived from
discarded tissue from circumcised newborn babies and the new technology
enables limitless supplies to be created from cell banks. Now human trials
with engineered human cartilage to treat knees damaged through sports
injury and in accidents are due to begin in Britain and America.

Dr Gail Naughton is co-inventor of the skin product, Dermagraft, and
president of Advanced Tissue Sciences which makes it in California. She
said: "Ultimately we are looking at joint
replacements. Some day we will be able to replace the plastic and metal
joints used in hip replacement surgery." She said they incubated the cells
in a medium similar to the environment in the womb which gave them maximum
potential for growth.

Dr Naughton said in London yesterday: "The breakthrough has been to
understand what cells do during the normal growth process. That enabled us
to simulate the conditions you would see in a normal growing child. Having
learned how to keep cells happy the trick was to mimic the body's
environment in the laboratory."

The Dermagraft is the first product in the range of fully human engineered
tissues. It has been designed to heal foot ulcers in diabetic patients
which are hard to treat. It was launched by Smith and Nephew and the US firm.

The dermis is made by seeding very thin scaffolds of a polymer with the
type of cells called fibroblasts. The cells grow across the mesh. The
polymer scaffolds, made from the material used for suturing, eventually
break down and disappear.

But as the scaffold can be made in any shape or size, other parts of the
body can also be made using the appropriate cells. Dr Naughton said: "It is
the first step in whole joint replacement. We have been successful in
growing bone and cartilage together." To treat foot ulcers, a single layer
of the dermis is cut to match the wound and applied to it. This is done
weekly for eight weeks. Each application costs ú250.

Dermagraft is neither classed as a medicine nor a medical device and does
not need formal approval to be used in the NHS. A full treatment has been
costed at nearly ú3,500 a year and there are an estimated 30,000 foot
ulcers annually.

Dr John Posnett, director of York Health Economics Consortium, York
University, said that treating the ulcer conventionally cost on average
ú3,620 so Dermagraft could achieve savings of ú128 per patient per year.

⌐ Copyright Telegraph Group Limited 1997.


Date: Wed, 08 Oct 1997 01:34:57
From: David J Knowles <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: US split on tackling global warming
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
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>From The Electronic Telegraph - Wednesday, October 8th, 1997

US split on tackling global warming
By Hugo Gurdon in Washington


                 THE American government has emerged more divided than ever
                 from a global warming conference intended to help resolve its
                 differences over how to cut greenhouse gas emissions.

                 Vice-President Gore has caused outrage by pushing
                 American-financed abortion and contraception in the Third
World
                 as a key to slowing climate change. President Clinton is
struggling
                 to balance his desire for America to take a lead on the issue
                 against the fear that big emission reductions would slow
economic
                 growth.

                 And the Republican-controlled Congress is increasingly angry
                 about the probable inclusion of an energy tax in his
plans. America
                 produces more than a fifth of the world's greenhouse gases
and
                 both the European Union and Third World are demanding that
the
                 biggest polluter reform itself.

                 But the EU demand for greenhouse gas cuts to 15 per cent
below
                 1990 levels is seen as a sneak attack on the American
economy. It
                 is far easier for Europe to meet the targets because its
economies
                 have hardly grown in the 1990s, whereas America is in the
fifth
                 year of a massive boom which has sharply increased energy
use.

                 Mr Clinton told the conference at Georgetown University,
attended
                 by scientists, environmentalists and business executives,
that he
                 wanted a global treaty to emerge from the Kyoto summit on
climate
                 change in December, but targets had to be realistic. He
faces a
                 huge and controversial lobbying effort at home.

                 The White House keeps delaying a decision on what policy or
                 negotiating position it will take to Kyoto because Mr
Clinton's aides
                 are split.
⌐ Copyright Telegraph Group Limited 1997.


Date: Wed, 08 Oct 1997 01:43:09
From: David J Knowles <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: [UK/US] 'Dogs told me to take money to ThrustSSC'
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
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>From The Electronic Telegraph - Wednesday, October 8th, 1997

'Dogs told me to take money to ThrustSSC'
By Robert Uhlig at Black Rock Desert, Nevada

                   A MULTI-millionaire Telegraph reader has come to the
rescue of
                   ThrustSSC after his dogs told him to fly out to Nevada
with a
                   suitcase of cash to help fund the record-breaking attempt.

                   Colin Hill, a retired 57-year-old engineer from
Derbyshire, read
                   that the ThrustSSC team, led by Richard Noble, was
running out
                   of funds to finance its attempt to break the sound
barrier in a
                   car. The eccentric northern philanthropist's former
company,
                   RK Carbon, had previously supplied the fireproof
carbon-fibres
                   that went into the protective suit that Mr Noble wore
when setting
                   his 1983 633mph land-speed record in Thrust 2.

                   As with any of the business decisions that have helped
him build
                   up one of the world's leading carbon-fibre manufacturing
                   companies, he consulted his three labrador dogs before
making
                   a decision.

                   "I went up to the Point of Ayre on the tip of the Isle
of Man with
                   the dogs, sat down on a rock beside the lighthouse, and
read
                   that Richard Noble had only 10 days cash left for his
project," Mr
                   Hill said. "I spoke to the dogs and said perhaps I ought
to take
                   them some money. They said, 'Get on with it' so I called
Richard
                   Noble."

                   Mr Hill offered to wire the funds to the ThrustSSC team at
                   Gerlach, a seven-bar town without a church or shop, on the
                   edge of the Black Rock desert in Nevada, but was told
that there
                   was nowhere to send it. "Richard said we need dollar
notes, so I
                   said I'll bring you a bundle to keep you going a few
more days,"
                   Mr Hill said.

                   The next morning, on Friday, Mr Hill called two friends,
Pat
                   Wilson and Peter Manchester, and within 10 hours was on a
                   flight to Reno, 100 miles from the Black Rock desert,
with a bag
                   full of dollar bills and travellers' cheques.

                   On Monday, he saw the car run twice over the desert
playa at
                   over 700mph, coming within a fraction of setting a new land
                   speed record.

                   "It was worth every penny. It's a magnificent sight," he
said. Mr
                   Hill would not divulge how much he has donated to
ThrustSSC's
                   bid for the sound barrier, but Richard Noble said it was
enough
                   to keep the team afloat for several more days.

                   "We had thought we would run out of money within about
eight
                   days," Mr Noble said. "Colin's contribution is a
significant
                   injection which should last some time further."

                   The cost of keeping the team operational in the Nevada
desert is
                   a tightly-guarded secret, but has been estimated to be
up to
                   ú20,000 a day. Telegraph readers have previously come to
the
                   rescue of the ThrustSSC project. With only a matter of
days to
                   go before the record-breaking car was due to leave for
Nevada,
                   Mr Noble announced he did not have enough money to finance
                   the flight or run the car once it had arrived. Donations
from
                   thousands of readers flowed in response, at a rate of
more than
                   ú15,000 a day.

                   However, if it had not been for the consent of his three
                   labradors, Mr Hill would not have made the
project-saving trip at
                   all. Poppy, a 12-year-old Scottish labrador bitch, was his
                   company's director of finance. The director of
engineering is
                   Panox, a nine-month old labrador puppy bought for him by
his
                   staff when he sold his company, set up with ú83 in 1968,
for
                   over ú20 million in January to a German company.

                   Earwig, a six-year-old male Cheshire labrador, was the
director
                   of security until he was neutered recently. "My wife
decided to
                   change his position," Mr Hill said. "She said you can't
have a
                   security chief with no balls. He was going to go into
IT, but he
                   knows nothing about computers, so he's now director of
sales."

                   Dogs have always been important to Mr Hill. Lucy, a former
                   head of group corporate planning, was even interviewed
by an
                   unsuspecting financial journalist when Mr Hill said his
directors
                   did not like to travel from Stockport to London.

                   With his fund-contributing mission over, Mr Hill is
returning to the
                   Isle of Man, with a poster of the car signed by all the
ThrustSSC
                   team intended for his primary school, Tibshelf Town End, in
                   Derbyshire. Mr Hill has already donated ú50,000 to the
school
                   after he asked each teacher to draw up a personal
wish-list.

                   "One thing I've not got a shortage of is money," Mr Hill
said. "If
                   Richard got stuck for the funds for one last day to get
the record,
                   I'd probably stump up some more. I want to see him do it."


⌐ Copyright Telegraph Group Limited 1997.


Date: Wed, 08 Oct 1997 10:26:25 -0400
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Date: Wed, 08 Oct 1997 10:36:03 -0400
From: allen schubert <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: (KR/US) U.S. Team Shortens Visit to S.Korea on E.coli
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
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from CNN web page:
---------------------------------
U.S. Team Shortens Visit to S.Korea on E.coli

Reuters
08-OCT-97

SEOUL, Oct 8 (Reuter) - U.S. scientists and experts, looking into
contamination of a U.S. beef shipment to South Korea, have cut short their
visit after being satisfied with early meetings, a U.S. Embassy spokesman
said on Wednesday.

Jeff Sexton said the team of experts from the U.S. Department of
Agriculture had dropped a scheduled visit on Thursday to a branch of the
National Animal Quarantine Service in the southeastern city of Pusan.

``They're satisfied with what they've learned and didn't see any need to go
to Pusan,'' Sexton said.

The team, which arrived on Monday, visited the Seoul office of the
quarantine service on Tuesday and was scheduled to meet with officials from
Korea's Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday.

Sexton declined to give any details on the meetings. ``We're not going to
make any comments on the content of the conversations the two sides are
having with each other,'' he said.

On September 26, South Korea announced its inspectors had found the
O-157:H7 strain of E.coli bacteria in 18.18 tonnes of beef shipped from an
IBP Inc plant in Nebraska.

The bacterium is an especially virulent form of E.coli and causes kidney
failure and death.

He said the team had nothing to say about comments by U.S. Agriculture
Secretary Dan Glickman in Washington on Tuesday that the U.S. wanted to
verify South Korea's test results.

``It is extremely important in the international trade picture that there
be independent verification of these reports,'' Glickman said, to ensure
``these things not be used in a non-scientific strategic plan by some other
country to accomplish other objectives, other than public health and safety
objectives, if I make myself clear.''

Seoul has reacted angrily to Washington's announcement last week that the
United States has begun procedures that could lead to trade sanctions
against South Korea over automobile trade issues.

South Korean consumer groups have called for a boycott of U.S. imports and
autoworkers have staged peaceful demonstrations against the threat.

South Korea has said it would refuse any U.S. request for verification
tests on the contaminated beef.

An official in the Animal Health Division of South Korea's Agriculture
Ministry said on Wednesday Seoul had received no such request from the
United States and that South Korea was unaware of Glickman's comments.

South Korea has proposed sending its own team to the United States from
October 10 to 29 to visit the IBP plant in Nebraska that processed the
contaminated beef as well as the beef suppliers, the official said.
Date: Wed, 08 Oct 1997 10:41:59 -0400
From: allen schubert <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: (US) Attempt To Ban Pigeon Shoots
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
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from CNN web page:
---------------------------------
Reuters
08-OCT-97
Attempt To Ban Pigeon Shoots

(HARRISBURG) -- A state lawmaker plans to make another attempt to ban live
pigeon shoots in the Commonwealth. Indiana County Representative Sara
Steelman will unveil her legislation today as ``The Fund for Animals''
stands by. Animal rights groups have been trying for years to ban the
controversial events and have made the annual Labor Day shoot in Hegins,
Schuylkill County the target of their protest.

Meanwhile, ``The Fund For Animals'' says a 24-year-old North Carolina
woman, who was sentenced to 45-days in jail for protesting at the Hegins
Pigeon Shoot, is in her fifth day of a hunger strike. Dawn Ratcliffe says
she will NOT eat until lawmakers put the bill to ban pigeon shoots on the
floor of the House for a ``fair'' vote. Ratcliffe is the co- founder of
Direct Action for Animals.
Date: Wed, 08 Oct 1997 10:45:30 -0400
From: allen schubert <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: (US) Mink Farm Still Rounding Up Mink
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
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from CNN web page:
---------------------------------
Reuters
08-OCT-97

Mink Farm Still Rounding Up Mink

(PRESTON) -- Franklin County authorities say they don't know who opened the
cages at a mink farm, sending thousands of animals running. There were
five-thousand of them at the Palmer Mink Farm near Preston. With help from
neighbors, the Palmer's have returned 75-percent of them to cages but they
lost most of the breeding cards. That information helps prevent inbreeding.
Whoever opened the cages... took the breeding records too.
Date: Wed, 08 Oct 1997 11:25:07 -0400
From: allen schubert <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: (US) Lawmakers Learn About University's Hog Odor Research
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
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from AP Wire page:
--------------------------------
 10/08/1997 10:34 EST

 Lawmakers Learn About University's Hog Odor Research

 By TARA BURGHART
 Associated Press Writer

 URBANA, Ill. (AP) -- Lawmakers are closely watching hog odor research
 being done at the University of Illinois as they continue dealing with
 issues surrounding so-called ``mega'' hog farms.

 ``Maybe this technology will be the future, the positive solution to
 enable the hog industry to become an economic development to the state
 instead of a controversial issue,'' said Rep. Rick Winkel, R-Champaign,
 after hearing about some of the university's projects designed to reduce
 offensive odors emanating from the farms.

 Those projects include spraying vegetable oil in hog buildings to control
 dust, changing the diet of the animals so that they produce less waste
 and cleaning air from hog housing by running it through a tube that acts
 like a cyclone.

 The researchers detailed their projects Tuesday for a joint meeting of
 the Illinois House and Senate Agriculture and Conservation committees.

 Mega-scale hog farms are a growing force in Illinois, the nation's No. 4
 hog producer. About 41 percent of Illinois hog farms have at least 2,000
 animals -- four times more than the typical large-scale facility 17 years
 ago, according to the Illinois Pork Producers Association.

 Environmentalists and others say the large collections of manure
 generated at the farms contaminate the air and threaten groundwater.

 The hog farms usually store the abundant waste the animals produce in
 large lagoons, and the resulting unpleasant odor is another of the main
 problems associated with the livestock operations.

 But the university researchers are focusing more on controlling odors in
 the buildings that house the hogs, as opposed to the lagoons built to
 hold their manure, said Michael Ellis, an associate professor in the
 department of animal sciences.

 Ellis said university researchers believe a well-managed lagoon often
 does not cause major odor problems.

 Gerald Riskowski, a professor in the department of agricultural
 engineering, detailed a few ideas in the development or testing stage
 that could cut down on odors coming out of hog confinement buildings:

 --A contraption called a noncontact aerodynamic deduster acts much like a
 cyclone, pulling dust particles -- which can carry odors -- out of the
 air before the air leaves the building. Compared to a filter system, the
 deduster doesn't have to be cleaned very often, does not clog up and can
 handle more air.

 --A process called thermal chemical conversion is being researched to try
 to convert manure into other products, such as fuel oil and plant
 fertilizer, that would not smell like hog manure.

 --A wet scrubber being tested on ventilation fans removes up to 80
 percent of odorous dust from building exhaust air.

 --Nutritionists are trying to adjust hog diets so that the animals
 produce less waste and odor.

 --Researchers have found that a daily spraying of vegetable oil
 throughout a hog confinement building suppresses dust and can cut odors
 up to 50 percent.

 ``This technology is great and may help us respond to the legitimate
 concerns people have about odor and water quality near these hogs
 farms,'' said Sen. Todd Sieben, R-Geneseo.

Date: Wed, 8 Oct 1997 09:00:15 -0700 (PDT)
From: Heidi Prescott <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail]
Subject: Pigeon bill, Dawn Ratcliffe and support demo update
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Dawn Ratcliffe:

        I visited Dawn last night and she is in very good spirits.  She was
on day 5 of her hunger strike and her resolve remains very strong.  She said
to tell everybody she is okay and the jail staff is treating her well.  She
was able to take her cruelty free products with her and they let me give her
Tom's of Maine toothpaste last night.  She said the other inmates are very
nice to her.  Dawn is totally dedicated to staying on her strike, and she is
still demanding that the bill is put on the floor for a vote.  I think we
all owe it to Dawn to work very hard to make sure the bill comes to the
floor for a vote, so that her hunger strike is not in vain.

Which brings me to:

Pigeon bill update:

Gloria, Ginger, Johnna (from PLAN) and I were at the Capitol working on
getting co-sponsors for the bill yesterday.  Because of Dawn, we are trying
to fast-track the bill.  We got 36 co-sponsors so far.  That is a RECORD!.
The last bill had 31 co-sponsors and we ended up with a vote of 99 of the
needed 102 to pass it.  We are working again today and the bill will be
introduced by 2:00 pm.

URGENT: We need calls to State Representatives.  Anyone with friends or
relatives in Pennsylvania, please have them contact us and we will look up
their Reps.  Also, calls are still needed to Representative John Perzel
(Philadelphia) [phone] -- District office [phone], and Speaker
of the House Matt Ryan (Media)  (717) 787- 4610, District office (610)
565-3800.  Ask them to bring the pigeon shoot bill to the floor for a vote
The calls have more impact from Pennsylvanians, but all calls are being
tallied.  If you are from Pennsylvania, ask for a written response
addressing whether they will put the bill on the floor.

       Representative Steelman is encouraged and feels that the momentum is
building. Dawn's hunger strike is definitely adding to the momentum.  As I
was lobbying yesterday, many aides mentioned Dawn's hunger strike.  Media
attention is also starting to increase and more stories are out today about
the bill introduction.  Representative Steelman has a concern about any
demos taking place at specific district offices and is asking us to hold off
on them at this time.

Support Demos:

        Support demos will be held for Dawn at the jail. Contact Brett
Weiker from Vegan Resistance for Liberation for more information at (215)
943-2370. Brett is also organizing a support demo in the Philadelphia area
at noon on Monday, October 13th.  For more details call him.  As we learn
about demos, details will be posted.  For those people interested in
organizing demos to support Dawn, remember that pigeon shoots take place
every weekend, and the clubs would be great sites to bring attention to the
fact that Hegins is not the only shoot.

Also, another vulnerable target would ge the Powderbourne Gun Club in East
Greenville, Montgomery County, PA.  This is where the birds come from for
the majority of the pigeon shoots.  The barn-like coops are visible from the
road.  A "Free Dawn free the Pigeons"  theme could be used.


       If you need any further information, please feel free to call or
e-mail us. We will continue to post updates.  Thank you.

Heidi

Date: Wed, 08 Oct 1997 13:03:41 -0700
From: [e-mail]
To: [e-mail]
Subject: GRAY WHALES need your help
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) is lobbying for members of
the U.S. House of Reprentatives to sign on to a letter being circulated
by Rep. Jack Metcalf (R-WA) to protect gray whales off the coast of
Washington state.

PLEASE PHONE YOUR U.S. REPRESENTATIVE to ask that he/she sign on to
Metcalf's letter.  You can reach your U.S. Representative by calling the
Congressional switchboard at 202-224-3121.  (The switchboard receptionist
is able to tell you your Representative's name by looking up your zip
code.)

THE SITUATION
As many of you know, the Makah nation of Washington state is seeking an
aboriginal subsistence quota to hunt gray whales at the upcoming 49th
annual International Whaling Commission meeting in Monaco.  The Makah
have not hunted whales for some 70 years, and several tribal members are
strongly opposed to the resumption of whaling.

WHAT TO SAY WHEN YOU CALL YOUR U.S. REPRESENTATIVE
1) The Makah have no nutritional or subsistence needs to kill whales.
2) Granting a quota for the Makah could set a dangerous precedent for
other coastal communities throughout the world -- native or otherwise
-- that wish to hunt whales for profit.
3) Makah elders oppose the hunt, and have lobbied the International
Whaling Commission against a return to whaling.

The following members of the U.S. House of Representatives have already
signed on to Jack Metcalf's letter to protect gray whales:
Neil Abercrombie (D-HI)
George Browne (D-CA)
Jennifer Dunn (R-WA)
Phil English (R-PA)
Lane Evans (D-IL)
Sam Farr (D-CA)
Jon Fox (R-PA)
Luis Gutierrez (D-IL)
Doc Hastings (R-WA)
John Lewis (D-GA)
George Miller (D-CA)
John Porter (R-IL)
Joe Scarborough (R-FL)
Linda Smith (R-WA)

Thank you for caring for the animals.
Date: Wed, 08 Oct 1997 13:59:14 -0500
From: LGrayson <[e-mail]>
To: ar-news <[e-mail]>
Subject: Transgenic cows to produce the human protein in its blood or milk.
     Got Milk?
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1


Firms team up to make
                                          cloned cattle with special
                                          milk

                                          October 7, 1997
                                          Web posted at: 6:22 p.m. EDT
(2222 GMT)

                                          BOSTON, (Reuter) -- Two U.S.
                                          companies said Tuesday they
had
                                          teamed up to make cloned
cattle
                                          that would produce milk
containing
                                          human proteins.

 Genzyme Transgenics Corp of Framingham, Massachusetts, and Worcester,
Massachusetts-based Advanced Cell Technology Inc., said they would
combine genetic engineering and cloning to create a herd of cattle
genetically identical to one another, and carrying human genes The idea
at both laboratories is to first create an animal that is  successfully
transgenic, one that contains the human gene and   in which the gene
causes the animal to produce the human protein in its blood or
milk.
                In genetic engineering, the gene is put into an egg cell
or newly  fertilized cell, called a blastocyst.   Sometimes the inserted
genes do not "take", so the researchers are keen to develop the few
successful ones. So they want to clone the successful animal to make
several others just like it and  eventually a herd.
       Advanced Cell Technology's cloning technology involves clones  made
at the embryo stage, not clones made from adult cells -- the procedure
used to clone a sheep in Scotland last year. Using  embryos to make
clones is easier.     The company inserts the genes into the embryo
cells, the implants the embryos into surrogate mothers.  All of the
embryos transferred into the surrogate mothers are female, and therefore
are milk producers.
          Genzyme Transgenics said the first protein to be produced
would be human serum albumin, which is used to maintain fluid balance in
the blood.
        The protein will then be purified out of the milk for medical
use. Human serum albumin is currently derived from pooled human plasma.
About 440 metric tons of plasma-derived albumin are  used annually
worldwide, with annual sales of about $1.5 billion.
                             Serum albumin is given to patients who have
lost a great deal of blood and is used widely in a range of other
problems from  extreme malnutrition to burns.

                                   Copyright 1997 Reuters Limited. All
rights reserved.



                                á
Date: Wed, 8 Oct 1997 14:49:57 -0400 (EDT)
From: [e-mail]
To: [e-mail]
Subject: (US) Okla. Wildlife Dept. Anti-AR Policy
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>


This question and answer appeared in an Okla. Wildlife Dept.
non-game publication:

Is Teaming with Wildlife an an Anti-Hunting or Animal Rights
Initiative?

No.  Teaming with Wildlife is a conservation initiative that would
allow state wildlife agencies to expand their constituencies by
meeting the needs of outdoor users.  This would in turn generate
support for traditional forms of outdoor recreation (hunting and
fishing) by educating wildlife enthusiasts who do not hunt or fish
about the many contributions that hunters and anglers have made
to conservation.

Teaming with Wildlife is a proposed federal initiative that would
raise funds for state-based nongame wildlife conservation, outdoor
recreation and environmental education projects.  The initiative
would have to be passed by Congress and signed by the President
to become law.
If passed in its entirety, Teaming with Wildlife would raise $350
million nationwide each year of which $5.5 million would return to Okla.
for programs in the areas of nongame wildlife conservation, outdoor
recreation and environmental education.
Groundwork for Teaming with Wildlife is currently being prepared with
Congress.  Although a bill has not been introduced yet in Congress,
it is expected to be introduced this fall.

                                                              For the
Animals,

                                                              Jana, OKC
Date: Wed, 08 Oct 1997 17:25:09 -0400
From: allen schubert <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: (US) USDA Wants More Authority on Food
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

from AP Wire page:
-----------------------------------
 10/08/1997 14:35 EST

 USDA Wants More Authority on Food

 By CURT ANDERSON
 AP Farm Writer

 WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Agriculture Department can impose fines
 on circuses that mistreat elephants and dealers who sell
 undersized potatoes, but not on meat companies that produce
 contaminated food, officials complained Wednesday.

 ``At a certain point, it becomes fairly evident who's being
 protected here,'' Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman told
 senators. ``I think we can come down a little more strongly on the side
 of the consumer.''

 Glickman urged the Senate Agriculture Committee to approve legislation
 that would expand USDA's enforcement authority over cases of contaminated
 meat and poultry.

 Among its provisions are powers to issue mandatory product recalls,
 impose fines of up to $100,000 a violation per day and require that USDA
 be notified when any suspected contamination is found in the food
 distribution system from slaughterhouse to dinner table.

 [Image]    In the aftermath of the recall of 25 million pounds of Hudson
 Workers at Foods Inc. ground beef that was possibly tainted with E. coli
 the Hudson bacteria, Glickman said, new powers are crucial to ensure that
 companies are adopting new anti-contamination systems and that
 industry responds immediately when a product is suspected of
 being unsafe.

 as much an insurance policy as anything else,''
 Glickman said. ``Most companies are willing to rise to this
 responsibility. But in talking about enforcement, we're
 talking about dealing with the few who don't.''

 Many senators, however, appeared skeptical about granting
 new powers to USDA that could economically ruin food
 companies, particularly since agency officials could only
 point to about a dozen cases when companies delayed issuing voluntary
 meat recalls over the past five years. None refused outright.

 ``They don't need the threat of a $100,000 fine hanging out there,'' said
 Sen. Bob Kerrey, a Democrat from Nebraska, home of the Hudson plant and
 another plant involved in a recent contaminated meat recall. ``I'm not
 sure this is going to be able to increase consumer confidence.''

 Added Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan.: ``We always seem to get into
 sort of a crisis management situation. I think the proposal is
 punitive.''

 Other senators said the promise of new technology such as
 irradiation -- which kills bacteria such as E. coli and
 salmonella -- and improved testing of products makes more sense than
 expanded enforcement because it could prevent outbreaks of illness.

 ``It's got to be supplemented with something that gets to the heart of
 the problem,'' Sen. Dick Lugar, R-Ind., chairman of the Agriculture
 Committee, said of Glickman's proposal.

 Glickman said it appears likely the Food and Drug Administration will
 soon approve a 3-year-old petition to permit irradiation for red meat.
 The process is already approved for poultry, pork, fruits and vegetables
 but has not been widely adopted -- mainly due to consumer wariness.

 USDA officials say consumers must be educated about the safety of
 irradiation before companies will widely use it, just as it took time for
 people to accept milk pasteurization and fluoridation of water.

Date: Wed, 08 Oct 1997 23:25:18 -0400
From: Peter Muller <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Cc: [e-mail]
Subject: Re: (US) Okla. Wildlife Dept. Anti-AR Policy
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

We've got to be real careful on this one. Even though it sounds
superficially good, let's remember one thing: "Follow the money."
Who is slated to get the extra money that is supposed to be generated by
this proposal? Why -- Surprise! Surprise!  It's the same good boys that
have overseeing the decimation of our wildlife all these years. The
various state fish & game agencies DEC, DEP, DNR (whatever it's called
in your stated) the fish and game or, as we like to call them, the
squish and maim  department will have their revenues doubled. So now
that they have more revenues they'll forget all about hunting an
"manage" wildlife for its own benefit. Right? We'll if you believe that
then there is nice bridge about 75 miles south of here that you might be
interest in....

Peter Muller,
C.A.S.H.


[e-mail] wrote:

> This question and answer appeared in an Okla. Wildlife Dept.
> non-game publication:
>
> Is Teaming with Wildlife an an Anti-Hunting or Animal Rights
> Initiative?
>
> No.  Teaming with Wildlife is a conservation initiative that would
> allow state wildlife agencies to expand their constituencies by
> meeting the needs of outdoor users.  This would in turn generate
> support for traditional forms of outdoor recreation (hunting and
> fishing) by educating wildlife enthusiasts who do not hunt or fish
> about the many contributions that hunters and anglers have made
> to conservation.
>
> Teaming with Wildlife is a proposed federal initiative that would
> raise funds for state-based nongame wildlife conservation, outdoor
> recreation and environmental education projects.  The initiative
> would have to be passed by Congress and signed by the President
> to become law.
> If passed in its entirety, Teaming with Wildlife would raise $350
> million nationwide each year of which $5.5 million would return to
> Okla.
> for programs in the areas of nongame wildlife conservation, outdoor
> recreation and environmental education.
> Groundwork for Teaming with Wildlife is currently being prepared with
> Congress.  Although a bill has not been introduced yet in Congress,
> it is expected to be introduced this fall.
>
>                                                               For the
> Animals,
>
>                                                               Jana,
> OKC



Date: Wed, 08 Oct 1997 23:31:30 -0400
From: allen schubert <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail], [e-mail]
Cc: [e-mail]
Subject: Admin Note--was: Re: (US) Okla. Wildlife Dept. Anti-AR Policy
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

AR-News Admin Note (sympathetic though I am to the last post)

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.ivu.org/global

World Guide to Vegetarianism--Internet
http://www.veg.org/veg/Guide/Internet/index.html




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