Komputer for Alle 1998 #6/1998 CD 6 (Gul).iso/web/ffa/wwwenv~1.org/arrs/digest/news65~3.htm/text0001.txt

Text File | 1998-04-02 | 73.9 KB | 1,906 lines

Web posted Wednesday, February 4, 1998 6:49 p.m. CT

Oprah: Lawsuit is `most painful thing' of her life
Cattlemen vs. Oprah Winfrey

By CHIP CHANDLER
Globe-News Staff Writer

Oprah Winfrey, during testimony Wednesday afternoon, called a
beef-defamation lawsuit filed against her "the most painful thing I've ever
experienced."

"I feel in my heart I've never done a malicious act against any human
being," she said in a hushed voice.

For most of the day, though, attorneys for area cattlemen tried proving
that Winfrey either maliciously or recklessly aired false information about
American beef in an April 16, 1996, episode of her talk show.

Winfrey remained on the stand at the close of the trial's 12th day. She
will resume her testimony on Thursday.

The talk-show host, under questioning by her attorney Charles Babcock, said
she felt it was important that she be in Amarillo to "face this courtroom
and face the jurors and defend my name."

Winfrey said earlier Wednesday afternoon that she felt the pivotal moment
on the show occurred when beef industry spokesman Dr. Gary Weber said a
limited amount of ruminant feeding was taking place in the country. The
feeding practice - since banned - involved supplemental proteins derived
from rendered cattle and other animals being added to feed.

"In my mind . . . he confessed that we were doing the same thing they were
in Great Britain," Winfrey said.

Ruminant feeding is believed to have been responsible for the English
epidemic of bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or mad cow disease.

Attorneys for the cattlemen also attacked the editing process that squeezed
a taping session that lasted 80 minutes into the 42-minute, 30-second
broadcast version.

James Kelley, a Harpo Productions Inc. employee, had previously testified
that Winfrey told him to cut out the "boring beef guy" - meaning Weber. He
also said she told him that he did a poor job and that he felt blamed for
the lawsuit.

Winfrey denied several times that she had anything to do with the editing
of the program and said all of Harpo would take the heat for the lawsuit.

She also countered Kelley's fears that he would be fired after the
resolution of the lawsuit.

"If we were going to fire Kelley for this show, he would have been fired
when the show was aired," Winfrey said. "I can understand why he feels that
way because he has been shattered by this lawsuit."

Attorney Vince Nowak, who represents Texas Beef Group and other plaintiffs,
asked Winfrey if she caused people to stop eating beef. She denied that she
did.

He then referred to her comment, "It has just stopped me cold from eating
another burger."

"Ma'am, if it was enough to convince you to stop eating beef, do you think
it was enough to convince the American public to stop eating beef?" Nowak
asked.

"No, I do not think that," she answered.

She repeatedly said she was trying to provide a forum for her guests'
opinions. She said her company had the responsibility to find out if the
guests believed in the truth of their statements, not whether the
statements contained true facts.

Under later questioning by her attorney, Winfrey said she had no ax to
grind and had no agenda when she hosted the show.

Date: Thu, 05 Feb 1998 00:05:05 -0500
From: allen schubert <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: (US) Winfrey defends self, show
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

from  Amarillo Globe-News http://www.amarillonet.com/
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Web posted Wednesday, February 4, 1998 1:36 p.m. CT

Winfrey defends self, show
Cattlemen vs. Oprah Winfrey

By KAY LEDBETTER
Globe-News Farm and Ranch Editor

Oprah's on - not on television, but rather on the witness stand in the
beef-disparagement case brought against her by area cattlemen.

Oprah Winfrey took the stand much the same as she would take the stage,
presenting a powerful presence and using the microphone with great skill.

The talk show host turned defendant spent much of Wednesday morning in a
hardball debate with plaintiff attorney Joseph Coyne over statements made
on the show.

Both Coyne and Winfrey used raised voices in asking or answering questions.
More than 30 minutes were spent on one question concerning the statement
made by Howard Lyman that mad cow disease could make AIDS look like the
common cold.

Coyne asked Winfrey whether she or her staff did anything to determine
whether Lyman's statement was based on facts. Coyne obviously wanted her to
say they did nothing, but she maintained it wasn't necessary for her or the
staff to have determined the truth, only that the people on the show
believed what they were saying.

"We are a talk show, and we present guests with opposing views. We believe
that Mr. Lyman believed in what he was saying, and that's what we did."

Coyne asked whether she ever let the audience know this was just Lyman's
opinion. "People know that because it's a talk show, not a news show or a
documentary. People who watch us are wise enough and discerning enough to
know opinions are being offered."

In another standoff, concerning Winfrey's "that's an extreme statement"
remark on the show, Coyne asked who put that in the script or told her to
say that.

"No one tells me what to say," Winfrey said.

Winfrey first took the stand Tuesday afternoon and appeared at ease both
days. She told reporters outside the courthouse she was not nervous.

Winfrey said she had training in speech. She seemed to grow annoyed when
Coyne asked her whether she had training in biology, chemistry, medicine,
veterinary medicine and epidemiology.

"My only training is in speech."

Winfrey said she has acted in movies but does not consider herself an
accomplished actress.

"The Oprah Winfrey Show" and Winfrey herself have won about 30 combined
Emmy awards in the 12 years on air, she said.

"We've been the No. 1 syndicated talk show since we've been on the air, if
you average all the markets together," she said.

Coyne repeatedly questioned her about her ability to influence others, to
which she said, "I believe people I speak to are intelligent enough to make
decisions for themselves."

Coyne said, "Your counsel indicated you are well aware you have the power
to influence people. You believe with that power comes responsibility,
don't you?"

"Oh, I certainly do," Winfrey said.

When asked about her reputation, she said, "I think all you have is your
reputation in the end."

Coyne asked Winfrey if she hadn't made her show the success it is by
telling people she tells them the truth.

"I've tried to have the show be an extension of what I am and what I stand
for. What I stand for is the truth as I know it to be," Winfrey said.

She said the mission of her show is "to inform, enlighten, uplift and
entertain; to use our lives and voices as a means of service to the viewing
public."

Coyne asked, "Do you believe you have a responsibility to make sure
statements made on your show are truthful and accurate?"

She replied, "I make sure people coming on our show believe what they are
saying is truthful and accurate, and that's why we have them sign a
document."

She said everyone at Harpo Productions bears the responsibility of making
sure "The Oprah Winfrey Show" is balanced and fair and not inflammatory,
qualifying it with a "to the best of our knowledge."

Winfrey said she didn't do research on the show in question, "Dangerous
Foods," but relied on her staff and the system she has in place.

"Every show, and we do more than 200 a year, every show we have the same
standard for ourselves," Winfrey said. "That doesn't change because we're
doing a show on the safety of your food, the safety of your children or on
the safety of your home. The system is in place, so they know what to do."

She said she only spent about 15 minutes backgrounding herself on the mad
cow segment but said that was plenty to ask 10 minutes worth of questions.

"I felt I was prepared enough to ask questions of the guests who were there
to talk about mad cow disease," Winfrey said.

Winfrey grew short when asked wjetjer she knew the "Dangerous Foods" show
could hurt the cattle industry.

"I wasn't thinking about the beef industry, I was thinking about the
consumers," Winfrey said. Asked again about the beef industry, she said "I
speak for myself, and I believe I also speak for the people, I'm not
thinking about corporations and their money."

Date: Thu, 5 Feb 1998 00:40:23 -0500 (EST)
From: Tokitae <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: Lolita's prospects of return to her home waters
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

January 29, 1998

Dear Lolita supporter,

Now that the Free Willy/Keiko Foundation appears poised to transport Keiko
to the North Atlantic soon, attention is beginning to turn to Lolita, the
orca who has been on display at the Miami Seaquarium since 1970. Following
is a summary of the Lolita campaign to date.

There is no simple answer to the question of Lolita's prospects of return to
her home waters to ultimately rejoin her family. The short answer is that,
barring unforeseen circumstances, it all depends on one man, Mr. Arthur
Hertz, owner of the Miami Seaquarium. By the laws of our land, Mr. Hertz
owns Lolita, and he has revealed no intention of letting her go. However, we
have always known this, and in the past few months the situation in Miami
has changed. The Seaquarium itself may be failing financially, and has been
denied permission to build a water slide attraction and other additions,
which Mr. Hertz proclaimed was needed for its survival. A local columnist
concluded that "mortality is implied."

Since I relocated to Miami in mid-October, with the strategic and logistical
support of PAWS, we have conducted a multi-pronged and phased campaign to
create a political and public consensus that the only humane and reasonable
thing to do is to let Lolita go home. Of course we are clarifying that we
intend to accomplish the task in a conservative scientific program, first to
a rehabilitation facility in preparation for her reintroduction to Puget
Sound waters.

Accomplishing such a consensus requires undoing a monstrous backlog of park
industry misinformation about whales and dolphins in captivity, designed to
convince the public that, once in captivity, always in captivity. This
orchestrated propaganda has worked well for over 40 years, but new
discoveries have been made and new precedents have been established in the
past few years. A big part of our campaign is to bring the resulting new
understanding of the species into general circulation in Miami. Briefly,
here are the main points:

Lolita is the oldest orca in captivity today.

Peer-reviewed scientific studies have concluded that survival rates for
orcas in captivity are significantly lower than for free-ranging orcas in
natural habitats.

In wild orca communities studied to date, female orcas can live well into
their 70's and beyond.

Orcas are among the most highly social mammals known to science.

Orcas have no predators.

There is virtually no aggression among orcas in the wild.

Within the Southern Resident community of orcas (Lolita's community),
offspring of both genders never disperse from their matrilineal families,
and four or more generations are commonly observed together.

There are 27 members of Lolita's clan alive today who were alive when Lolita
was captured. Of those 27, 11 are females of the correct age range to
possibly be her mother.

Orcas are highly adaptable and demonstrate extraordinary memories.

Each orca clan, or extended family, worldwide, uses its own totally distinct
dialect, or system of calls, which are never forgotten no matter how long an
orca remains in captivity.

Orcas, like most other dolphins, have often been observed assisting family
and community members, including sharing food when needed.

Keiko, the orca made famous by the movie Free Willy, is in the final stages
of preparation for transport to a sea pen in the North Atlantic for
acclimatization, possibly resulting in a vacancy in the rehabilitation
facility in Newport Oregon.

These points, and many more, are being made in discussions with a variety of
elected officials, especially within Miami-Dade county government, since the
Seaquarium is located on county property. We now seem to have sympathetic,
on-going access to the top levels of county government, and we intend to
request action to support the cause of Lolita's return home in the near
future. We are also talking to Key Biscayne officials, tourism officials,
environmental groups, academics, school children, business leaders, and just
about anybody who will listen. I have been pleasantly surprised again and
again by strong support from influential people. Our 24-page newsletter
dedicated to Lolita is an essential vehicle to make the case. Please call
PAWS at [phone], ext. 812, to have one sent to you, or to make a
financial contribution. Also, every step Keiko makes in his progress toward
return to the Atlantic adds huge moral and educational credibility to the
Lolita campaign.

Please help. Please express your wishes to:

Mr. Arthur Hertz
Miami Seaquarium/Wometco Enterprises
3195 Ponce de Leon Blvd.
Coral Gables FL 33134-6801
Ph: [phone]

Miami-Dade County Executive Mayor Alex Penelas
111 NW First St. #2910
Miami, FL 33128-1095
Ph: [phone]
Fax: [phone]

The Mayor is VERY IMPORTANT!

We are also attempting to convince Kodak Corp., the primary and highly
visible sponsor of the Seaquarium, to use its influence to help reunite
Lolita with her native habitat and family. Please also write or call:

George M. C. Fisher
CEO Eastman Kodak
343 State Street
Building 7, 19th floor
Rochester NY 14650-0229
[phone]
Fax: [phone]

One letter may suffice, copied to all three. All of the above could benefit
greatly by publicly supporting Lolita's return home, which is a big part of
the message we are presenting to them.

Meanwhile Lolita waits in a roadside attraction, where she has remained
since 1970, unnaturally stationary, maintaining metabolic strength by
occasionally doing laps around her tiny space. She must have leviathan
patience. She hasn't seen or heard another orca since Hugo, a pre-adolescent
male from her clan, died in 1980. Her trainers have little time for her
between shows or after hours. She doesn't interact with the four Pacific
white-sided dolphins also confined in the tank. She retreats to the darkest
corner, known as her "bedroom," in near-total isolation for about 22 hours
of every day. Whales are incapable of sleeping.

We are dedicated and working full time to arrange her return home. Please
help. Please circulate this message.

Howard Garrett
PAWS
Lolita Campaign Coordinator
[phone]
[e-mail]

Date: Wed, 04 Feb 1998 21:55:57 -0800
From: Andrew Gach <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: What's killing the sea lions pups?
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

New Zealand fears human risk from dying sea lions

Reuters News Service
WELLINGTON, New Zealand, February 4, 1998

New Zealand formally closed to visitors the sub-Antarctic Auckland and
Campbell Islands on Thursday, fearing humans may be at risk from a
mysterious illness that is killing thousands of rare sea lion pups.

Conservation Minister Nick Smith said the islands, which were due to be
visited by one domestic and two international tourist boats this month,
would remain closed until the situation had returned to normal.

In the last week, many hundreds of Hooker sea lion pups have been found
dead on and around the islands, which are breeding grounds for the
threatened species. Scientific tests have so far failed to establish
what has caused the mass fatalities.

No humans are known to have contracted the illness, but Smith said it
was wise to be cautious. If the cause of death was bacterial, rather
than a virus or biotoxin, there could be a risk to humans.

"It is wise to take a cautious approach, given scientists have not yet
identified the cause of the sea lion deaths," he said.

Until there was more information, non-essential people would be
restricted from landing. This would also reduce the risk of spreading
any disease.

Smith said advice had been sought on potential risks to staff working on
the problem and to squid fishermen who might come into contact with sick
or dying sea lions.

"I am informed that currently there are no squid trawlers fishing for
squid in the area," Fisheries Minister John Luxton said, adding that any
squid boats entering the area would be monitored by satellite.

A Department of Conservation (DOC) veterinarian discovered the dead
mammals eight days ago on the remote islands, about 240 miles south of
New Zealand's South Island.

More than 1,200 dead animals have been found and all appear outwardly
healthy and in good condition. Establishing the cause of death could
take up to three weeks, DOC said.

Smith said the sea lions, with a population of between 11,000 and
15,000, were the most endangered in the world.
Date: Thu, 5 Feb 1998 01:03:09 EST
From: [e-mail]
To: [e-mail]
Subject: Sears Responds
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII
Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit

I've already gotten a phone call from Sears. They were very, very polite and
acted concerned, saying they were not aware of the baby elephant dying at
Ringling Bros. recently. They thanked me for making them aware of this, and
said that I can be assured that top management will get my letter and will
seriously consider stopping sponsorship of Ringling Bros.

Please, please continue faxing and sending letters to them, letting them know,
politely, that you will boycott Sears until they stop sponsorship of Ringling
Bros.

Thanks!!!!

Sherrill
Date: Wed, 04 Feb 1998 22:26:40
From: Hope Walker <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: help needed asap!
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

I read awhile back that some children were recieving toxic levels of
hormone from the beef they consumed..some of the symptoms included
"breasts" in young men, ect.

Could someone please site a source for this please?

Thanks!

-Hope Walker

Date: Thu, 5 Feb 98 01:36:53 -0000
From: shadowrunner <[e-mail]>
To: <[e-mail]>
Subject: Fwd: APHIS Press Release Four-State Dogfighting Ring Terminated
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"


---------------- Begin Forwarded Message ----------------


FOUR-STATE DOGFIGHTING RING TERMINATED

     WASHINGTON, Jan. 4, 1998--A three-year investigation jointly
conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Texas
Department of Public Safety in conjunction with the U.S. Attorney's
Office in Austin, Texas, has led to 29 people being charged with
violations of the Animal Welfare Act.

     "I can't think of a more cruel act than throwing two dogs into a pit
just to watch them fight," said Michael V. Dunn, assistant secretary of
agriculture for USDA's marketing and regulatory programs.  "Dogfighting
is disgusting, and it is illegal.  We have no tolerance for this sort of
activity."

     Jackie Freeman, an investigator for investigative and enforcement
services with the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, a part of
USDA's marketing and regulatory programs mission areas, worked with
Texas officials for the last three years to help break the case.

     "It is very rewarding to know that these people are finished in the
underground dog-fighting arena," Freeman said.  "Everyone involved in
this case takes great satisfaction from knowing that we saved countless
animals from torturous suffering and even death in the fighting pits."

     Freeman added that, while 29 people have been charged, the
investigation is far from over.

     This sort of large-scale investigation has a domino effect, she
said.
When one person is charged, he or she generally "rolls over" on a few
others.  We have destroyed their confidence and trust in one another.
Underground dog fighting will never be the same.

     The AWA prohibits participation in any animal fighting venture, by
causing one animal to fight with another animal for purposes of sport,
wagering or entertainment, whenever one or more of the animals was
moved in interstate or foreign commerce.  Criminal violations of the AWA
are punishable by imprisonment for up to one year and fines not to
exceed $100,000 for each count of conviction.


----------------- End Forwarded Message -----------------
Date: Thu, 5 Feb 1998 16:53:57 +0800
From: bunny <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: (NZ)SEA LION DIE-OFF - SUB-ANTARCTICA
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Forwarded on to AR by Marguerite (bunny at [e-mail])

SEA LION DIE-OFF - SUB-ANTARCTICA (03)
**************************************
A ProMED-mail post

[see also:
Sea lion die-off - Sub-Antarctica                      980201214030
Sea lion die-off - Sub-Antarctica (02)                 980203234135]

[Elayne Ravji has kindly passed us the following communications. The
newspaper reports were edited together and redundant material culled. -
Mod.MHJ]

Date: Wed, 4 Feb 1998 19:02:58 +1300
From: E. Ravji <[e-mail]>


[1]

Department of Conservation Press Release 4 February 1998

More Sea Lion Deaths a Concern

This is the first in a series of written updates on the New Zealand sea
lion mass mortality event. The updates will be issued by the Department of
Conservation on a regular basis as new information comes to hand, and will
also be available on its website, <http//www.doc.govt.nz>.

The number of dead sea lion pups and adults found on sub-antarctic islands
is increasing, the Department of Conservation reports.

Reporting from the Auckland Islands, DOC-contracted vet Nick Gales said
total sea lion pup mortality was now 45 percent, or 1353 pups, out of a
total pup population of 3033 pups at the Auckland Islands group. While the
pup deaths on Figure of Eight Island was above normal, Dr Gales had not
observed any symptoms of the disease.

Location.         Total pups born.  No. dead pups.   % mortality

Dundas Island           2374             1145             48
Sandy Bay                488              154             31
(Enderby Island)
Figure of Eight          120               34             28
Island
South East Point          51               20             20
(Enderby Island)

TOTAL:                  3033             1353             45

At Davies Point on Campbell Island, 24 dead pups had been found and two of
six adult females there appeared to have symptoms.

About 95 percent of the sea lions breed on two small islands, Dundas and
Enderby, which are part of the Auckland Islands group.

DOC marine mammal expert Mike Donoghue said the deaths of adult sea lions,
especially the females or cows, was a greater concern as it meant the
remaining sea lion pups will die from starvation if their mothers did not
return with food for them, in addition to losing potentially pregnant
females. Cows usually left their pups while they foraged for food for up to
three to five days, so it was difficult to know when or if the mothers
would return.

Mr. Donoghue said an unknown number of adults might have died at sea so the
exact extent of adult mortality might never be known. Update figures on the
estimate of dead adults were expected tomorrow morning.

Dr Gales fitted seven Enderby Island cows with satellite tags about two
weeks ago but only three had returned, suggesting the remaining four cows
had died. Seven sea lion pups were also tagged at the same time, and four
pups had since died.

Minister of Conservation Nick Smith said the latest information on adult
sea lion deaths was tragic.

"The New Zealand sea lion had already been pushed to the brink of
extinction in the early 19th century and we were beginning to have success
with small increases in the population over the last few years. The news
about adults dying is very sad and we will need to keep a close eye on the
remaining animals over the coming days and weeks." Dr. Smith said a
decision to review the sea lion bycatch from the squid fishery, will be
made when further information on the cause of the deaths is known later in
the month.

Post-mortem examinations of dead sea lion pups and other samples brought
back from the Auckland Islands were being conducted by the Massey
University Cetacean Investigation Centre in Palmerston North, in
conjunction with MAF. No results were expected immediately, and DOC would
release final results when they were received.

Mr Donoghue said the three most likely possible causes of the deaths were a
virus, a bacterium or a biotoxin, although it could be weeks before any
definite results were available.

New Zealand sea lions, previously known as Hooker's sea lions, are one of
the world's rarest sea lion. Classified as threatened, the estimated
population is between 11,000 and 15,000 and they are confined to the
southern waters of New Zealand. They have been legally protected since late
last century and are New Zealand's only endemic seal species.

For further information, please contact Nicola Patrick, Department of
Conservation Public Awareness Unit on 04-4713117 or 025-571503.


[2]

[And from various newspaper sources:]

The Massey University team has ruled out the distemper virus that killed
17,000 harbour seals in Europe 10 years ago. But after initial studies of
samples from Auckland and neighbouring islands, Cetacean Investigation
Centre director Per Madie said they were no closer to knowing what was
killing the mammals.

Massey University scientists trying to find the cause of the deaths of
hundreds of Hookers sea lions say while the present epidemic would dent the
population, it was likely to recover over time. Cetacean investigation
centre director Per Madie said yesterday it was "highly unlikely" the
entire population would be wiped out an organism because it would wipe
itself out by killing off its host.

Mr. Madie said an autopsy of two pups had found a slight lung infection but
that could be unrelated to the deaths. It was initially believed a virus
might be responsible for the deaths but so far there had been no evidence
to confirm that.

The team was now culturing tissue samples in the hope the micro-organism
causing the deaths would become apparent. However, that was likely to take
weeks.
=====================================================================
========
                   /`\   /`\    Rabbit Information Service,
Tom, Tom,         (/\ \-/ /\)   P.O.Box 30,
The piper's son,     )6 6(      Riverton,
Saved a pig        >{= Y =}<    Western Australia 6148
And away he run;    /'-^-'\
So none could eat  (_)   (_)    email: [e-mail]
The pig so sweet    |  .  |
Together they ran   |     |}    http://www.wantree.com.au/~rabbit/rabbit.htm
Down the street.    \_/^\_/    (Rabbit Information Service website updated
                                frequently)

Jesus was most likely a vegetarian... why aren't you? Go to
http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/4620/essene.htm
for more information.

It is dangerous to be right when the government is wrong.
       - Voltaire

Date: Thu, 5 Feb 1998 16:57:32 +0800
From: bunny <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: (Aust only)GE food Urgent submissions required
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Dear Friends,

The deadline for submissions/comments/protests to GMAC on these herbicide
tolerance proposals is COB Monday February 9 as their Planned Release
subcommittee meets shortly after.

The Food Authority (ANZFA) has four applications for general release of
genetically engineered crops from Monsanto but is not processing them until
a standard on genetically engineered food is put in place, following
agreement of all the Health Ministers. ANZFA's recommendation on the
standard, including labelling, is near completion and may be considered by
the Ministers soon.

The National Registration Authority on Agvet Chemicals (NRA) does not
confirm or deny it has applications but we can assume it does. NRA will
consider whether the chemicals may be used on these crops. If so, at what
concentrations and under what conditions which are reflected on the product
labels. As neither chemical is registered on cotton or canola we believe it
will then come into the public domain for comment, especially as they are
food crops. NRA also then recommends Maximum Residue Levels (MRLs) for the
chemical in the foods produced.

What a bloody mess. At this point, the priority is to tell GMAC "NO!"

GROUNDS:

GMAC is biased, presently having no ecologists among its twenty members. It
does not have the expertise to comprehensively assess these proposals.

Increased and less discriminate chemical use, will lead to environmental
pollution and worker health impacts.
Both crops are fertile and so could transfer genes to weedy and native
relatives of the crops, creating herbicide tolerant superweeds.
Foods would be polluted with chemicals not currently allowed.
Antibiotic resistance genes in every cell of every plant which may transfer
to pathogenic microbes. Even if the risk is low, as they will claim, it is
entirely unnecessary as the company could have chosen to use the herbicide
tolerance gene as a selectable marker instead. No risk is worth running,
even if it is small when alternatives are readily available.
There are no social benefits, only social costs and private profits from
these crops.
The Monsanto application appears to cover a number of cultivars, some of
which are both Roundup Ready and contain Bt toxins too. Such an omnibus
application should not be considered.

Please send something to the address below. Email is ok.

Thanks,

Bob
____________________________________________________________________________

HERBICIDE TOLERANT CROP PLANTS ARE TO BE COMMERCIALISED. MORE
CHEMICALS IN
FOOD AND THE ENVIRONMENT!

WITH THE HOLIDAYS, WE OVERLOOKED THE PROPOSALS, DUE FOR COMMENT
NOW.

WE ARE ATTEMPTING TO GET MORE DETAIL FROM THE COMPANIES ASAP AND
WILL SEND
DETAILS.

THE NATIONAL REGISTRATION AUTHORITY ON AGVET CHEMICALS WOULD
ALSO HAVE TO
REGISTER THESE PLANTS FOR SPRAYING WITH HERBICIDE. THAT WILL BE DONE
AFTER
GMAC'S ASSESSMENT. WILL KEEP YOU POSTED.

GMAC PROMISED NOT TO 'APPROVE' ANY HERBICIDE TOLERANT CROPS UNTIL A
NATIONAL STRATEGY IS PUT IN PLACE. THERE IS NO SUCH YET AND WE WANT
AN OPEN
PUBLIC PROCESS TO DEVELOP IT.

PLEASE IMMEDIATELY MAKE COMMENTS/PROTESTS TO:

The Secretary
Genetic Manipulation Advisory Committee
GPO Box 2183
CANBERRA ACT 2601
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Email: [e-mail]

__________________________________________________________________________

GR-5: General release of glufosinate ammonium (Basta Herbicide) tolerant
hybrid canola cultivars

                                        AgrEvo Pty Ltd
 Organisation proposing release:        1731 Malvern Road
                                        Glen Iris VIC 3134
 Organism to be released:               Canola (Brassica napus)

Brief description of the nature and effect of the genetic modification:

A new system has been developed for making hybrid varieties of canola. (Hybrid
varieties of canola provide higher yields.) The system involves ensuring
that plants cross-pollinate (with other canola plants) rather than
self-pollinate. To ensure that the plants cross-pollinate, a bacterial gene
conferring male-sterility has been introduced into the plants. A second line
of plants contains a bacterial gene that restores fertility, so that the
hybrid formed when the two lines cross is fertile.

Selectable marker genes, encoding resistance to the herbicide glufosinate
ammonium (Basta) and the antibiotics kanamycin and neomycin, were also
transferred to the transgenic plants. This gene was inserted to allow
identification and selection of the transgenic plant cells in the
laboratory.

Further information: The institution's contact officer for this proposal is
Mr Peter Whitehouse, telephone [phone], facsimile [phone].

__________________________________________________________________________

GR-4: Evaluation of Roundup Ready (Roundup Tolerant) cotton grown under
commercial use
conditions

                                        Monsanto Australia Limited
 Organisation proposing release:        PO Box 6051
                                        St Kilda Road Central VIC 8008
 Organism to be released:               Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum)

Brief description of the nature and effect of the genetic modification:

The cotton plants have been modified to express the
5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase (EPSPS) gene from the soil
bacterium, Agrobacterium. This gene produces a protein which confers
tolerance to glyphosate (the active constituent in the herbicide Roundup).

In addition, the plants express a selectable marker gene from the bacterium
Escherichia coli, neomycin phosphotransferase, which confers resistance to
the antibiotics kanamycin and neomycin. This gene was inserted to allow
identification and selection of the transgenic plant cells in the
laboratory.

Some cultivars will also express the CryIA(c) gene, derived from the
bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis. This produces a highly specific
insecticidal protein (Bt) that is toxic to the major caterpillar pests of
cotton. The Bt protein is non-toxic to humans, other animals and most other
insects.

Further information: The institution's contact officer for this proposal is
Ms Marion Sheers, telephone [phone].
_________________________________________________________________________


Bob Phelps
Director
Australian GeneEthics Network
c/- ACF 340 Gore Street, Fitzroy. 3065 Australia
Tel: [phone] Fax: [phone] {Int Code (613)}
email: [e-mail]
WWW: http://www.peg.apc.org/~acfgenet  (under construction)


=====================================================================
========
                   /`\   /`\    Rabbit Information Service,
Tom, Tom,         (/\ \-/ /\)   P.O.Box 30,
The piper's son,     )6 6(      Riverton,
Saved a pig        >{= Y =}<    Western Australia 6148
And away he run;    /'-^-'\
So none could eat  (_)   (_)    email: [e-mail]
The pig so sweet    |  .  |
Together they ran   |     |}    http://www.wantree.com.au/~rabbit/rabbit.htm
Down the street.    \_/^\_/    (Rabbit Information Service website updated
                                frequently)

Jesus was most likely a vegetarian... why aren't you? Go to
http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/4620/essene.htm
for more information.

It is dangerous to be right when the government is wrong.
       - Voltaire

Date: Thu, 5 Feb 1998 04:54:22 EST
From: [e-mail]
To: [e-mail]
Subject: Even a 'family' farm uses 'factory' methods
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII
Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit

>From January '98

Even a 'family' farm uses 'factory' methods

By Andy Mead
Herald-Leader Staff Writer
------------------------------------------------------------------------
BOWLING GREEN -- Maurice Heard picks up a handful of lumpy brown
material, letting a little slip between his fingers.
"This is what all the fuss is about," he says. "This is hog waste."

Specifically, it is partially processed hog manure, flecked with bits of
undigested corn. It will be mixed with hay and fed to cattle.

He invites a visitor to sniff. The waste smells faintly of sour grain.

How hog manure smells and whether it's likely to infiltrate groundwater
is being debated as the Patton administration tries to impose new
regulations on the industry.

Heard, who opposes the regulations, talked about his concerns and pork
production techniques as he showed visitors around his farm.

Heard, 55, grew up on a dairy farm in southern Warren County. He got
into the hog farm business in 1963. He used money from a tobacco crop to
buy a motor scooter, then traded the scooter for a sow.

>From that small beginning, he now has 1,800 sows and produces more than
24,000 pigs a year.

The farm, E.M. Heard and Sons, comprises several parcels spread over
several thousand acres in Warren, Logan and Russell counties. It is one
of the state's largest hog farms.

Most of Heard's sows are in a single building, which is filled with rows
of metal pens, called crates, each just large enough for a sow.

Overhead pipes bring feed in carefully measured amounts. Waste falls
through grates in the floor and is washed to nearby lagoons. Waste that
is not fed to cattle is spread on hundreds of acres of cropland.

A few boars are in the building, but their main job is helping determine
when the sows are in heat.

Semen is milked from some of the boars, checked for motility under a
microscope and used to impregnate the sows via artificial insemination.

Heard objects to the notion that he's running a "factory hog farm." In a
sense, any farm is a factory, he says, but his is a family farm, run by
him, his sons and a few hired hands.

But there is a machinelike quality to the carefully timed operation
here. There's also uniformity. All the sows are white, a
Landrace-Yorkshire mix. The boars are black Durocs, much larger than the
sows.

Piglets are born 114 days after insemination. They are born Tuesdays
through Fridays. Labor is induced in sows that go too long.

The sows are moved to another building, and another crate, to give
birth. Those crates allow the piglets more wiggle room than their
mothers, which Heard says protects them from being accidentally crushed.


The buildings where piglets are born is made up of several large rooms,
each with young pigs a few days older than in the next room.

Piglets are weaned when they are 18 or 19 days old.

The sows are bred again in a few days. Each sow will have 21Ä3 litters a
year, with an average 9.8 pigs in a litter.

Once weaned, some pigs are moved to other buildings on Heard's farm to
grow large enough for slaughter. Some move to neighboring farms to
complete the process.

The pigs live their lives indoors, far from the sunshine and green
pastures that some might imagine represent life on a farm.

This is the kind of treatment that draws strong objections from animal
rights activists.

Heard insists, however, that it actually means a better life for his
stock.

"With sows in an open pen, they fight and get hurt and some of them get
pushed aside and don't get enough feed," he said. "And conception rates
have gone up from 70 percent to 90 percent."

The proposed regulations, with requirements for a new permit with each
expansion of 10 percent or more, would have prevented E.M. Heard & Sons
from becoming what it is today, he said.

He also questions whether farmers should be required to advertise any
changes in local newspapers, and whether monitoring wells near lagoons
are really necessary.

"We do things right," he said. "We're not going to mess it up. We live
here every day."
Date: Thu, 5 Feb 98 07:39:35 UTC
From: [e-mail]
To: [e-mail]
Subject: Light Goose Hunting Season Opens Saturday
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>

(Tulsa World, OK, USA):  There's another good news-bad news scenario for
Oklahoma waterfowl hunters. A special February season on light geese
opens statewide Saturday. But currently, there's very few of these tough,
extremely wily birds around to hunt.

In a Wednesday phone interview, Steve Berendzen, manager of Sequoyah
National Wildlife Refuge, said there were probably 1,500 of those geese
still on the refuge. "But we expect a huge influx of snow geese sometime
this month, as they begin migrating back north. They usually only stay
around a couple of days, but there could be some good hunting then," he said.

That same message was echoed by Bill Scherman, northeast regional game
manager for the Oklahoma Wildlife Department. Scherman said there were
very few light geese - maybe 500 - on the department's Vann's Lake refuge
which is part of their regional office complex north of Muskogee.

Waterfowl managers across North America have been encouraging hunters to
try and harvest more of these light geese, as they are at extremely
high population levels and doing major damage to the environment in
far northern breeding and nesting areas. The lights are snows, blues,
and Ross' geese.

(The article went on to give an estimate of geese on other Oklahoma
wildlife refuges that are available for hunters. Evidently, every single
wildlife refuge in Oklahoma is open for hunting. There seems to be no
reason to call these places "refuges" anymore.)

-- Sherrill
Date: Thu, 05 Feb 1998 08:58:45 -0800
From: "Bob Schlesinger" <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: Nadas Story on Hard Copy - Feb 6th - Confirmed
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit

Feb 5th, 1998
Hillsboro, OR

We just received word from CBS's Hard Copy that they will broadcast their story
about Nadas tomorrow, (Friday Feb 6th).

Check your local listings for broadcast times.

Nadas is the 3 1/2 year old collie-malamute sentenced to die in Oregon for
allegedly chasing a horse.  No damage to the horse occurred.  The
death sentenced, due to be carried out on Feb. 17th, has spawned a massive
international public outcry.

Jackson County officials have refused to consider offers to adopt the dog that have
come from organizations and individuals from around the country.  Instead, they
continue to justify their actions by vilifying the dog's owners, who have offered to
give up Nadas if his life can be spared.  Mean-spirited officials refuse to permit
anyone to visit Nadas, including the media, and requests for photographs have
been repeatedly denied.

More information about the story can be viewed at http://www.arkonline.com, including
links to an on-line petition provided at http://animalrights.miningco.com/blnadas.htm

Date: Thu, 5 Feb 98 10:23:13 -0000
From: "Eric Mindel @ LCA" <[e-mail]>
To: "ar-news" <[e-mail]>
Subject: Day of Prayer/ Boycott Beef
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"

Hi all,

An excellent vegetarian resource website, VegSource.Org, has been
following the Howard/Oprah ordeal since day one and has put together a
very nice presentation of support with several pages of info and
messages.  Website administrators informed me their traffic has increased
more than 25,000 hits per DAY because the Howard/Oprah pages are linked
from a number of high traffic news sites.

Yesterday, VegSource.Org issued a press release calling for a "Day of
Prayer" for the safety of free speech and a simultaneous day of beef
boycott to show support for Howard and Oprah.  This is to occur on
February 13, 1998.

Check out the Day of Prayer at http://www.vegsource.org/boycott.html

VegSource expressed an interest in getting official support from
groups/organizations for the day, mail can go to [e-mail]

eric





Eric Mindel
Last Chance for Animals (LCA)
[e-mail]
http://www.lcanimal.org
8033 Sunset Blvd, Suite 35
Los Angeles, CA  90046
310/271-6096 office
310/271-1890 fax


Date: Thu, 05 Feb 1998 09:31:58 -0800
From: "Bob Schlesinger" <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail],
        [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail],
        [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail],
        [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail],
        [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail],
        [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail],
        [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail],
        [e-mail], [e-mail]
Subject: Nadas Story on Hard Copy - additional info
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit

HARD COPY DISCLAIMER:

I was just told by Hard Copy that although the Nadas story is SCHEDULED for tomorrow, it still
can be bumped if a new major story breaks.  Barring that, it will be shown tomorrow, Feb 6th.

Date: Thu, 5 Feb 1998 15:38:19 -0500
From: [e-mail] (Molly G Hamilton)
To: [e-mail]
Subject: Universoul Big Top Circus
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>


I wrote to AT&T to ask them to stop sponsoring the Universoul Big TOp
Circus.  I recieved a letter back today from the district manager, Roger
Greene.

The letter stated that the facts in my letter concerning the treatment of
circus animals were disturbing and compeling.  It said that AT&T
certaintly did not intend to encourage or condone what might be seen as
the exploitation of animals when it undertook the sponsorship.

However, the letter wrote that AT&T will not sponsor the Universoul Big
Top Circus in 1998 due to a change in budget priorities.

The letter ends with this:

We appreciate your dedication to these issues and taking time to bring
these matters to the attention of AT&T.


Molly

_____________________________________________________________________
You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail.
Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com
Or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866]

Date: Thu, 5 Feb 1998 15:45:25 -0500
From: "D'Amico, Ann-Marie" <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail], "'[e-mail]'"
      <[e-mail]>
Subject: RE: Universoul Big Top Circus
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>

Molly...

That's good news, thanks for relaying that info to us.

Do you have a list of other companies that sponsor Universoul?  As I recall
they have a list of big sponsors like AT&T.  Please post for us.

TKS -- AM

     ----------
      From: [e-mail][SMTP:[e-mail]]
      Reply To: [e-mail]
      Sent: Thursday, February 05, 1998 3:38 PM
      To: [e-mail]
      Subject: Universoul Big Top Circus


     I wrote to AT&T to ask them to stop sponsoring the Universoul Big
TOp
     Circus.  I recieved a letter back today from the district manager,
Roger
     Greene.

     The letter stated that the facts in my letter concerning the
treatment of
     circus animals were disturbing and compeling.  It said that AT&T
     certaintly did not intend to encourage or condone what might be seen
as
     the exploitation of animals when it undertook the sponsorship.

     However, the letter wrote that AT&T will not sponsor the Universoul
Big
     Top Circus in 1998 due to a change in budget priorities.

     The letter ends with this:

     We appreciate your dedication to these issues and taking time to
bring
     these matters to the attention of AT&T.


     Molly


_____________________________________________________________________
     You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail.
     Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com
     Or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866]

Date: Thu, 5 Feb 1998 15:59:24 EST
From: [e-mail]
To: [e-mail]
Subject: Michigan Activists!  Urgent.  I need copies of letter written to Sander Levin.
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII
Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit

Does anyone out there in the Detoit area have a copy of a letter they've sent
to SANDER Levin regarding endangered species?

If so please call me immediately 608 294 1338.

D'Arcy Kemnitz
Midwest Region Coordinator,
Endangered Species Coalition
GREEN (GrassRoots Environmental Effectiveness Network)
1121 University Avenue
Madison, Wisconsin 53715
[e-mail]
[phone]
Green Home Page:  www.defenders.org/grnhome.html

National Office:
GrassRoots Environmental Effectiveness Network
1101 Fourteenth St NW, Suite 1400
Washington, DC  20005
Tel: [phone] x 236
Fax: [phone]

  /\_/\
 ( o.o )    Humans aren't the only species on Earth.
  >   <     We just act like it.
Date: Thu, 5 Feb 1998 16:00:07 -0500
From: "Bina Robinson" <[e-mail]>
To: <[e-mail]>
Subject: "Am. Gets Ready to Kill Whales" corrections
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

>From Civitas <[e-mail]>  February 5, 1998

 Some of the text was goofed up in the original message of February 3.
Because of its importance and not being sure how soon I would receive
corrections, I sent it anyway. (It turns out I should have waited but
that's over the dam now.)  Here are the corrections for anyone who wants to
make copies to post to individuals and organizations that have the
financial resources to help.  I will be posting on
<http://www.linkny.com/~civitas> ASAP. - Bina

THE DEAL AT IWC MONACO
Many of you have been told that at IWC Monaco, the Australian Government's
delegation managed to hold up the Makah quota by insisting it be recognized
as genuine aboriginal subsistence whaling.

OPINION
Last sentence in paragraph 3:  The struggle to stop the Makah whaling is a
microcosm of similar struggles taking place world-wide.

THE LEGAL CHALLENGE
Last paragraph:  Funds can also be sent directly to D.J. Schubert, Meyer &
Glitzenstein, Suite 405, 1601 Connecticut Ave NW Washington DC 20009 (Pls.
ensure that donations are clearly marked: "Makah Whaling Lawsuir')  Or one
of the assisting US organisations.  Please contact us for details.

<[e-mail]>
Website  <http://members.aol.com/breachenv/home.htm>


Date: Thu, 05 Feb 1998 17:52:20 -0500
From: Miyun Park <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: Please Participate!
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Please take a minute to fill out a survey at:

http://www.wcu.edu/ceap/psychology/surveys/ar.html

It's being conducted by a grad student there as his masters thesis to
determine attitudes towards animal research.

--Miyun


Date: Fri, 6 Feb 1998 08:05:07 +0800
From: bunny <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: Excellent Oprah/hamburger/free speech website
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

If anyone is interested in the Oprah saga, there is an
interesting site on the web re Oprah, free speech and hamburgers.
You can read some of the court proceedings there.

Yesterday, VegSource.Org issued a press release calling for a
"Day of Prayer" for the safety of free speech and a simultaneous day of beef
boycott to show support for Howard and Oprah.  This is to occur on
February 13, 1998.

http://www.vegsource.org/boycott.html

"Right now in Amarillo, Texas, some of the biggest players in the
trillion-dollar-a-year cattle feeding and ranching industry, are
suing Oprah Winfrey.  Why?  Because in an episode of her show which aired on
April 16, 1996, Winfrey said she would never
eat hamburgers again.

Winfrey may have been prompted to say this because of something she learned
from one of her guests -- that the cattle industry
fed cows to cows.  This practice was made illegal by the US government in
July of 1997, a year after her show aired.  Feeding
cows to cows is thought to be the reason that Mad Cow Disease was spread in
England."


=====================================================================
========
                   /`\   /`\    Rabbit Information Service,
Tom, Tom,         (/\ \-/ /\)   P.O.Box 30,
The piper's son,     )6 6(      Riverton,
Saved a pig        >{= Y =}<    Western Australia 6148
And away he run;    /'-^-'\
So none could eat  (_)   (_)    email: [e-mail]
The pig so sweet    |  .  |
Together they ran   |     |}    http://www.wantree.com.au/~rabbit/rabbit.htm
Down the street.    \_/^\_/    (Rabbit Information Service website updated
                                frequently)

Jesus was most likely a vegetarian... why aren't you? Go to
http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/4620/essene.htm
for more information.

It is dangerous to be right when the government is wrong.
       - Voltaire

Date: Thu, 05 Feb 1998 17:23:13 -0600
From: Steve Barney <[e-mail]>
To: AR-News <[e-mail]>
Subject: [US] "UW eyes monkey deal" (TCT, 2/3/98)
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
MIME-version: 1.0
Content-type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit

"UW eyes monkey deal"
The Capital Times
Madison, WI
UNITED STATES
Tuesday, February 3, 1998
Page 2A

-- Beginning --

UW eyes monkey deal

By Gwen Carleton

The Capital Times

Saying the UW-Madison has not stated its real position on the future of
its Vilas Zoo monkeys, a UW regent has proposed that the university
offer the county a one-time financial gift if it chooses to keep the
animals.

"We're not in the business of providing zoo displays - there's no
question that we're not going to maintain those monkeys," Jonathan
Barry, a University of Wisconsin Board of Regents member and former Dane
County executive, said today.  "But they are part of a 30-year colony,
and we should be sensitive to that."

One possibility, Barry said, is to offer the county the key to the Vilas
monkey house and the money the university would have spent demolishing
it.  In exchange, the county would have to take over responsibility for
the monkeys and the facility., he said.

Graduate School Dean Virginia Hinshaw said today she could not estimate
the dollars involved in razing the monkey house.

Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk is expected to state her position
today on whether the county wants to keep the monkeys.

The university's Wisconsin Regional Primate Research Center has proposed
shipping 100 rhesus monkeys to a research center in Louisiana and 50
stump-tailed macaques to a Thailand sanctuary.

UW-Madison officials have said they cannot afford to maintain the
colony, and have expressed concerns that. the animals could infect the
public with a herpes B strain found in some monkeys. Barry said he does
not feel the animals pose any danger to the public.

-- End --

Date: Thu, 5 Feb 1998 19:29:43 -0600
From: "Alliance for Animals" <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: Making Progress for the Vilas Monkeys!
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>

We are so happy that there has been dialogue between the Dane County
Executive and The University regarding the future care of the Vilas
MOnkeys..but they are not safe yet..we still need to stay focused on
the monkeys being donated to the county.  As long as they belong to
the University, there is a risk that they could end up in research
labs and none of us want to see that happen to them.
Let's stay focused on seeing this through to a happy ending for the
monkeys who need our help.
Thanks..Here is an update.

Thursday, February 5th..
THANKS TO YOUR EFFORTS....
We have crossed one more hurdle..that the Public Works Committee met
Tuesday evening and voted unanimously to SUPPORT the resolution to
protect the monkeys.  There are still calls to make to the WAYS AND
MEANS Committee to ensure that they too will vote to support the
resolution. Please don't delay.  We can win for the monkeys and work
together on this important issue.
 THEY NEED TO HEAR HOW YOU FEEL
 Please Contact the following committee members who are assigned to
 work on Resolution 241: Directing the Zoo Commission and Zoo Director
 to Develop options to retain the monkey colonies at the Henry Vilas
 Zoo. Ask that they work to keep the Vilas Monkeys here in Madison.
 We know it takes time to make so many calls, but if we fail to
 generate enough phone calls, the monkeys are sure to be sent to
 Tulane Primate Research Facility where they will be used in invasive
 research.
They do NOT deserve such a fate.
We CAN still work to keep them safe!
WE'VE COME THIS FAR...LET'S GO ALL THE WAY!

 The "Ways and Means Committee" Meeting is set for Wednesday, February
 11th, please respectfully ask that they support the Vilas Monkeys...

AREA CODE IS 608

Ways & Means Committee
Name, District
     Jonathan Becker, Chair,11Hm:238-7076Wk:267-0647
    John Hendrick,6Hm:257-1409
    Kevin Kesterson,34Hm:838-9518
      Ruth Ann Schoer,9Hm:836-1312Wk:277-8887
    Tom Stoebig, 15Hm:222-6429
    Helen Hellenbrand,27Hm:849-8451
    Larry Olson,12Hm:244-1480
    Judith Pederson,1Hm:274-4016
    Mike Blaska,38Hm:837-2652
    Dave Gawenda,16Hm:221-4021
      Andrew Janssen,5Hm:238-9396Wk:266-1182


Thank you for your help on this important issue!  Alliance for Animals
608-257-6333
Date: Thu, 05 Feb 1998 21:03:48 -0500
From: allen schubert <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: (US) Weber testifies unfair editing on Oprah show
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

from  Amarillo Globe-News http://www.amarillonet.com/
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Web posted Thursday, February 5, 1998 7:36 p.m. CT

Weber testifies unfair editing on Oprah show
Cattlemen vs. Oprah Winfrey

By CHIP CHANDLER
Globe-News Staff Writer

A beef industry spokesman testified Thursday that "The Oprah Winfrey Show"
treated him unfairly by editing his comments and producing an inappropriate
and unbalanced show.

Dr. Gary Weber's testimony via videotaped deposition began shortly after 4
p.m. Thursday, after Winfrey left the stand following two full days of
testimony.

Winfrey, her production company and a guest on her April 16, 1996, show are
on trial, accused of making defaming comments about the American beef
industry, including Amarillo-area cattle feeders.

Weber, a spokesman for the National Cattlemen's Beef Association, said he
thought he had an agreement from one of Winfrey's associate producers that
the show would be a "balanced and fair hearing."

"That was . . . what I agreed to participate in," he said. Instead, he
said, "This was the antithesis of a balanced show."

Weber said the show did not give enough credence to his arguments and to
those of Dr. Will Hueston of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

By ignoring the side that he said had the facts, Weber - a former USDA
employee - said Winfrey's show was damaging to the government, and people
shouldn't say things that are damaging to the government, he said.

He also complained that he was interrupted and not allowed to complete his
answers. "I've never been treated that way before," he said.

He said Howard Lyman's statement that mad cow disease could make AIDS look
like the common cold was clearly designed to scare the audience. Weber said
he found the statement inappropriate.

He also took issue with what he called Lyman's inflammatory statements that
made it seem that cows were being fed raw remains of other cattle.

Weber said he agreed to appear on an April 23, 1996, follow-up show to set
the record straight about the possibility of bovine spongiform
encephalopathy, or mad cow disease, striking the United States as it did
the United Kingdom.

He said he spoke to Winfrey on the set of the show shortly before taping
began and she said, "We were not fair to you."

In earlier testimony on Thursday, Winfrey said she did not believe the
first show contained false statements.

Winfrey underwent another round of questioning most of the day Thursday by
attorneys representing the cattlemen who are suing her. Most of her
testimony revolved around the editing of her show and the way the topic was
researched.

Vince Nowak, an attorney for Texas Beef Group and other plaintiffs, asked
her again if she criticized producer James Kelley for his editing of the
show.

"I am telling you sir, and I am telling you all, that Kelley is a very
sensitive person. . . . Perhaps even a casual comment . . . he could
misinterpret," Winfrey answered. "That interpretation is wrong."

Attorney Joseph Coyne, who represents original plaintiff Paul Engler and
his companies, asked if Winfrey should hire more staff members to allow
each more time to research topics for shows.

She continued to defend her system of using 10 to 12 production teams each
doing 20 shows per year.

Weber's video testimony will continue on Friday.

Date: Thu, 05 Feb 1998 21:07:55 -0500
From: allen schubert <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: (US) Practice tape aired in trial
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

from  Amarillo Globe-News http://www.amarillonet.com/
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Web posted Thursday, February 5, 1998 1:40 p.m. CT

Practice tape aired in trial
By KAY LEDBETTER
Globe-News Farm and Ranch Editor

The defense team played a trump card
today in the area cattlemen vs.
Oprah Winfrey trial when they were
allowed to air a practice videotape by Dr. Gary Weber, a guest on the
Winfrey show.

The tape was a point of contention at the close of Wednesday's session and
court started a half-hour late this morning as counsel for both sides were
summoned to the chambers of U.S. District Judge Mary Lou Robinson.

After viewing the practice tape, Winfrey said, "It's obvious to me that Dr.
Weber could not have, in any way, felt ambushed on my show."

Winfrey was asked to point out the similarities and differences between the
practice show and the "real" show.

She said much of the language is similar, including "cows eating cows" and
AIDS comments. However, she said, "(The National Cattleman Beef
Association) thought I was going to be more anti-beef."

Also, defendant Howard Lyman was more radical in the practice session.

Defense attorney Charles Babcock followed the tape by reading segments of
stories printed in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Newsweek,
and aired on "Dateline," which made the same statements that had been made
on Winfrey's show.

Winfrey said these stories were a basis of their backgrounding.

"We don't break stories, so we rely on other articles and news stories,"
she said.

"Having read the background, there is really a difference between reading
it and hearing it," Winfrey said. "You actually feel the surprise when you
hear it."

The lawsuit includes Amarilloan Paul Engler and his company, Cactus Feeders
Inc.; Texas Beef Group; Perryton Feeders; Maltese Cross Cattle Co.; Bravo
Cattle Co.; Alpha 3 Cattle Co.; and Dripping Springs Inc. on the plaintiff
side and Winfrey; Harpo Productions Inc.; and Howard Lyman on the defendant
side.

The lawsuit includes a claim of libel and the violation of Chapter 96 of
the Texas Civil Practices and Remedies Code, which establishes liability if
someone intentionally disseminates false information about a perishable
food product.

Cattle prices dropped severely after the airing of the show, and Engler has
said he and his company lost $5.78 million because of false statements on
the show.

In earlier testimony Wednesday, Winfrey said gut feelings and guidance from
above are what she uses to guide her through her shows - not a lot of
research.

Questioned whether she set out to defame the cattlemen, had an ax to grind,
or had an agenda, Winfrey said "I have no agenda - pro-beef or anti-beef."
It was a show about mad cow disease and whether it could happen in the
United States, she said.

"I am a person who operates on instinct and gut," Winfrey said under
cross-examination by her lawyer, Charles Babcock. "My instinct on that show
told me it was unnatural to feed cows to cows and what you saw was my gut
reaction."

She went on to say "I consider myself a surrogate viewer. I want to know
just enough information so I can be where the viewer is and ask the
questions they want to know.

"Gut is what has gotten me where I am today. That is why I don't talk to
guests beforehand. I want to be as natural and spontaneous as possible,"
Winfrey said.

Plaintiff attorney Vince Nowak earlier asked Winfrey whether it was a fact
that Howard Lyman, also a defendant in the case and guest on the show,
caused people to stop eating beef?

"No, it's not," Winfrey said.

Nowak then played a video clip in which Winfrey is seen talking to Lyman
after the filming of the show. Lyman tells Winfrey she's too important to
this country to be eating beef.

"Howard, honey, I've been healed this morning," she says on the tape. "I'm
over it. I'm over it."

Nowak said "Ma'am, if it was enough to convince you to stop eating beef,
don't you think others would do the same?"

Again, Winfrey replied "No."

In cross-examination, Babcock asked about her influence to get others to
stop eating beef.

"I recognize I have a lot of influence, like when I go on the air and say,
'Please read this' (referring to her book club). I don't believe in any way
21/2 seconds of me on the air saying 'It's stopped me cold' made people
stop eating beef. That's absurd," Winfrey said.

Winfrey said the lawsuit "is the most painful thing I've ever experienced.
In my heart, I've never done a malicious thing to another human being."

She was asked if there was any amount of money she would get from increased
ratings that would cause her to sell out her beliefs.

"I'm a black woman in America, having gotten here believing in a power
greater than myself," Winfrey said. "I cannot be bought. I answer, not even
to the public, but to the spirit of God that lives in all of us."

Date: Thu, 05 Feb 1998 21:58:49 -0800
From: Mesia Quartano <[e-mail]>
To: "[e-mail]" <[e-mail]>
Subject: (US) MONKEY SEE
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

Around the Dial
(Boston Herald; 02/03/98)

MONKEY SEE: If you missed TBS' excellent "Monkey-ed Movie" shorts -
short film clips satirizing hit theatricals like "A Few Good Men," "Air
Force One" and "Interview With the Vampire" by substituting chimps into
the key roles - take heart, there are many more on the way.

TBS has 40 of the shorts, which kicked off Sunday with "Forrest Gump"
and "Steel Magnolias," ready to go.

***************************************
Did anyone happen to see this crap?

Date: Thu, 05 Feb 98 21:01:07 PST
From: "bhgazette" <[e-mail]>
To: "AR News" <[e-mail]>
Subject: Letters needed
Message-ID: <[e-mail]822>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="ISO-8859-1"; X-MAPIextension=".TXT"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit

 Posted on behalf of Nova Scotia Network for Animals ( Box 2, #12, Dingwall , N. S. BOC 1GO)

DISASTER-RIDDEN HOG FARM TO REBUILD AND EXPAND

A larger facility is in the works at Apple Valley Farms, where 1300 pigs suffocated in 1994 and
nearly 3500 more perished in a fire last October. What caused each catastrophe, and why the fire
alarm failed to go off, is still not known.

 A local "Appreciation Night" was held in November to show support for Apple Valley Farms'
co-owners, Don and Reg MacDonald. The PEI Guardian reported that the new facility will have
the same automated feeding set-up that allowed the owners to operate it by computer from their
home. Not a word about safer wiring, fire-stop building design, sprinkler systems, failsafe alarms,
or plan that would permit emergency evacuation of animals.

Judging by the number of cc's sent to Nova Society Network for Animals, PEI officials and media
 were bombarded with angry mail about the fire. The Premier sent out cursory replies expressing
sympathy for the owners' losses. Specific questions about Apple Valley Farms safety problems
and proposed solutions went unanswered.

The Guardian made no mention of the '94 mass-suffocation in its coverage of the æ97 fire. It
printed the first 3 letters that it received, deleting from one a reference to the suffocation incident.
Not one of the scores of other letters sent to the paper was published.

PLEASE CONVEY TO PREMIER BINNS YOUR FEELINGS ABOUT PEI'S FAILURE
TO SHUT DOWN APPLE VALLEY FARMS IN THE WAKE OF THE FIRE. AVF offers
sickening proof that voluntary codes of practice for animal husbandry don't work. What's needed
are mandatory regulations for livestock housing that will cover electrical installations, ventilating
systems
and all aspects of fire-safety (design, construction, materials, maintenance, fire department
inspections, etc.)

If you feel morally bound to discourage family and friends from visiting Prince Edward Island as
long as their indifference to animal cruelty persists, please inform the Premier.

Premier Pat Binns
Prince Edward Island
P.O. Box 2000,
Charlottetown, PEI ClA 7N8
Fax: [phone]

 Copies as your time permits:

Eric Hammill
Minister of Agriculture & Forestry
P.O. Box 2000
Charlottetown, PEI ClA 7N8
Fax: [phone]

Wes MacAleer,
Minister of Economic Development & Tourism,
 same address
Fax: [phone]

Keith Milligan, Leader,
Liberal Party,
P.O. Box 2890,
Charlottetown, PEI ClA 8C5
Fax: [phone]


Ralph Goodale, M.P.,
 Minister of Agriculture,
Ottawa, ON KlA OC5

Eastern Graphic (newspaper)
PO Box 790
Montague, PEI C0A 1R0
(ask them to print your letter in Island Farmer newspaper, too)


Date: Fri, 6 Feb 1998 00:00:59 -0500 (EST)
From: [e-mail] (baerwolf)
To: [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail],
        [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail]
Subject: Caretaker died; Dusty needs a home
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Greetings -

The following is being sent on behalf of a homeless 4 - legged friend:

                    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
                        Hi, my name is Dusty.
I desperately need a home; my caretaker recently died.

Placing me in a shelter would mean my certain death,
because, you see, I'm 12 years old and shelters do not feel older dogs
are as adoptable as youngster dogs.

        I don't act or  feel like an older dog, and I'm definitely not ready
to die !
I'm a shepherd mix, very friendly, and will unconditionally love whoever
adopts me.

Please share your home with me.
Please call Jennifer at 413-443-6526 or Greta at 413-442-6079
steven baer

[e-mail]
Massachusetts

HOW DEEP INTO SPACE MUST HUMANS GO
BEFORE THEY LOOK BACK AND REALIZE
ALL THE NEIGHBORS THEY'VE TORTURED ON PLANET EARTH.



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