I. you like Shrimp? here's some bad news if yours ain't from the ocean... stories on South Carolina (USA) and Phillipines II. Hold off on that Twinkie DIABETES (and aspartame) III. Monsanto is.... part of your life ? IV. NIGERIA FOLLOW-UP CALL MAURICE HINCHEY (888-723-5246) to cosponsor HR 1786 and/or your other Congresspeople ******************* > Date: Fri, 29 Aug 1997 17:18:55 -0600 > From: EnviroLink News Service > To: environews@envirolink.org > Subject: E-Link: Shrimp Farm Must Hold Its Water > > SHRIMP FARM MUST HOLD ITS WATER > > By Ron Chepesiuk > > CHARLESTON, South Carolina, August 28, 1997 (ENS) - The South Carolina > Supreme Court has ruled that an Edisto Island, South Carolina, fish farm > cannot release water to the wild until a court appeal is settled. > > The state of South Carolina had appealed a circuit court injunction handed > down July 17 and won a temporary stay. > > The injunction involves a legal dispute over shrimp viruses the at 140-acre > Edisto Seafarms. The South Carolinaia Department of Natural Resources has > directed the fish farm to destroy about 4.5 million shrimp, decontaminate > three quarantine facilities, not release water from the farm and not import > more shrimp. > > Edisto Seafarms appealed to the Circuit Court, which ruled that it did not > have to destroy any more shrimp or decontaminate two more quarantine > facilities that had not tested positive for a virus. In fact, the farm > could begin releasing the water into the wild, the court ruled, unless the > state got a stay from the South Carolina State Supreme Court. > > The state did. "This is a very serious matter," Mary Pope Waring, a > Department of Natural Resources board member, told reporters. "Our entire > board and department are very concerned about the circuit court decision. > The shrimp industry is important to thousands of residents, and it should > not be put at risk by introducing taura syndrome virus to local waters." > > Taura is a virus that can kill shrimp, and reportedly also does harm > people. The attorney for Edisto Seafarms has argued in court that taura has > not been identified in South Carolina waters. > > --- > The EnviroNews Service | E-Mail: newsdesk@envirolink.org > A Project of the EnviroLink Network | Phone : (412) 683-6400 > General Info: info@envirolink.org | Fax : (412) 683-8460 > > To unsubscribe, send an e-mail message from the account you are subscribed > to: listproc@envirolink.org with the following as the ONLY line of the > message: > unsubscribe environews > > EnviroLink is a member supported non-profit organization, for membership > information, visit: http://www.envirolink.org/membership or call > 412-683-6400 > > IF YOU WISH TO REPRINT ANYTHING WITHIN THESE ARTICLES, please send e-mail > to: support@envirolink.org to request permission. All information contained > within is Copyright (c) 1997 The EnviroLink Network unless noted otherwise. > > > Date: Wed, 17 Sep 1997 18:58:47 -0600 From: EnviroLink News Service To: environews@envirolink.org Subject: E-Link: Disease Paralyzes Philippine Prawn Industry DISEASE PARALYZES PHILIPPINE PRAWN INDUSTRY By Malou L. Sayson MANILA, Philippines, September 17, 1997 (ENS) - The local prawn industry is on the verge of collapse as aquaculturists continue to grapple with the debilitating vibrio disease. The disease has recently become more virulent due to the worsening pollution problem affecting most of the prawn ponds. In the monthly National Academy of Science and Technology sponsored Science Information Forum held at the Manila Manor Hotel, it was noted that the collapse of the Philippine prawn industry was triggered by a convolution of environmental, technological, biological and cultural practices which have harbored an incurable disease capable of killing cultured prawns en masse. Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources-Aquaculture Division chief Simeona Aypa said that the prawn ponds have deteriorated over the years into a depository of wastes where organisms naturally capable of decomposing pollutants have been overcome by pollution-induced bacteria. Instead of nurturing clean water for the survival and growth of the prawns, the ponds have become a depository of a mixture of wastes such as uneaten feeds, prawn feces, shellcast as a result of molting, dead shrimp bodies, solid wastes, soluble wastes such as chlorine, antibiotics and fertilizers, including metabolic wastes from the culture animals and phosphates from the feeds. The vibrio disease caused by the so-called luminous bacteria, according to Aypa, has always been there in the environment. But with improper pond management caused by lack of technical expertise in the industry and the intensive culture system, the bacteria has emerged to become a virulent disease almost paralyzing the whole industry. It would be noted that at the peak of the prawn industry in the late 1980s, stocking density reached an intensive level of 30,000 to a high of 300,000 fry per hectare. In Negros Occidental alone, the prawn industry has virtually collapsed with its production volume suffering a drastic decline by almost 50 per cent. In 1996, Negros Occidental only accounted for 17,874 metric ton prawn production against some 29,801 metric tons in 1995. The boom year was in 1993 when the production at 48,251 was at its highest in a five-year period from 1992 to 1996. According to Fishery Resource Specialist Alfredo Yap of the Aquafarming Development Foundation, Inc., the declining trend in the local prawn production is consistent with the global trend, also due to the worsening environmental problems affecting the industry. The prawn industry also impacts heavily on the environment itself, in its intensive use of artificial feeds, antibiotics, and chemical-based substances to control the spread of pond diseases. Thailand, the world's largest prawn exporter, is also undergoing a slowdown in production - dropping from a level of 225,000 metric tons in 1995 to only 160,000 metric tons in 1996. Indonesia is getting aggressive, expanding its prawn industry in terms of hectarage. On the other hand, the prawn industry in Taiwan and China has virtually collapsed. In the Philippines, the prawn ponds, which account for 20 per cent of the country's total hectares of brackish water fishponds, are being converted into milkfish ponds. Aquaculturists say that the conversion of prawn ponds for milkfish culture is not a blow to the aquaculture industry as a whole. Production level, according to Chamber of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Secretary-General Felix Gonzales, is now down to 79,000 metric tons of which 18,000 metric tons are exported, mostly to Japan. In fact, the polyculture system, which encourages the mixed culture of finfish, mollusks and seaweeds, is highly recommended to correct the environmental imbalances in the prawn ponds. "The cure of the vibrio disease has to be the system itself," Aypa said. Philippine Council for Aquatic and Marine Resources director Rafael Guerrero III simply wants to see the environmental mess cleaned up, saying that the preservation of the environment can lead to the cure of the vibrio disease. {Originally published by the Philippine News Agency.} --- The EnviroNews Service | E-Mail: newsdesk@envirolink.org A Project of the EnviroLink Network | Phone : (412) 683-6400 General Info: info@envirolink.org | Fax : (412) 683-8460 To unsubscribe, send an e-mail message from the account you are subscribed to: listproc@envirolink.org with the following as the ONLY line of the message: unsubscribe environews EnviroLink is a member supported non-profit organization, for membership information, visit: http://www.envirolink.org/membership or call 412-683-6400 IF YOU WISH TO REPRINT ANYTHING WITHIN THESE ARTICLES, please send e-mail to: support@envirolink.org to request permission. All information contained within is Copyright (c) 1997 The EnviroLink Network unless noted otherwise. On Mon, 8 Sep 1997 dbriars@world.std.com wrote: > > Date: Mon, 8 Sep 1997 22:21:06 -0400 > From: dbriars@world.std.com > To: mclibel@europe.std.com > Subject: Diabetes > > Subject: Diabetes > Date: Sept 8,1997 > From: Healthline, Dr Roberts > > Contents: > 1. International Diabetes Efforts Failing > 2. Diabetes and Aspartame > > > ******************************************************** > 1. Diabetes Efforts Failing, International Conference Told > ******************************************************** > > by Peter Barry Chowka (copyright Peter Barry Chowka) > > Diabetes is poised to become a global epidemic and conventional drug > therapy for the illness has improved little since insulin injections > were developed in 1921. The best hope for progress is to change the way > people live. These were among the principal conclusions and > recommendations of the 16th Annual International Diabetes Congress held > in late July in Helsinki, Finland. > > Contributing to the increase in diabetes are modern lifestyles where > people eat too much of the wrong kinds of foods, become overweight, and > do not exercise enough, according to the International Diabetes > Federation in Brussels, Belgium, which organized the conference, > attended by 9,000 medical specialists from around the world. Diabetes is > therefore a disease of affluence: In the United States and Canada, > diabetes is the third leading cause of death and kills more people than > either breast cancer or lung cancer. Incidence rates are soaring in > traditional populations that are becoming modern and westernised, such > as Australian aborigines, Pacific islanders, and native Americans. > > Diabetes is a chronic degenerative condition that impairs a person's > ability to metabolize carbohydrates. It appears in two forms: Type I > (a.k.a. insulin dependent or juvenile onset), in which the body produces > little or no insulin (an essential hormone that regulates blood sugar), > and Type II (a.k.a. non-insulin dependent or adult onset), which is > usually associated with obesity in later life and can often be > completely controlled by diet and exercise. Type II diabetes is > approximately ten times more prevalent than Type I, although both can be > equally deadly. Untreated, diabetes results in blood sugar rising to > dangerous levels, and can cause coma in the short term or longer term > complications including heart disease, kidney failure, blindness, and > serious nerve damage. > > Diabetes affects at least 135 million people worldwide. By 2025, the > conference was told, the World Health Organization predicts that the > number will reach 300 million. "I think we can truly say that the > epidemic is here and now,'' Paul Zimmett, chief executive officer of the > International Diabetes Institute, said at a news conference. "Unless we > do something dramatic, I expect diabetes to be one of the major killers > in the world in the year 2010,'' said Jack Jervell, president of the > International Diabetes Federation. Jervell added that complications from > diabetes kill 2.8 million people around the world every year. > > Contrary to the rosy public service advertisements featuring Juvenile > Diabetes Foundation International celebrity spokesperson Mary Tyler > Moore that claim substantive progress and imminent breakthroughs, the > news generated by the conference was almost uniformly pessimistic and > alarming. For example, while diabetes used to occur primarily in > individuals over the age of 50, cases are becoming common among people > in their 20s and 30s. > > Meanwhile, according to a Reuters account, "the traditional medical > approach of controlling diabetes with a low-fat, low-sugar diet, > moderate exercise, and careful monitoring [does] not work with these new > populations" who are experiencing the accelerated incidence of diabetes. > In Zimmett's opinion, a better answer would be to encourage minority > populations to stick more to their traditional ways. "I don't think > bringing in more drugs is going to help,'' he added. Jervell called for > even broader changes in all societies, with a renewed emphasis on > exercise and healthy diet. > > People with the most serious forms of diabetes including all who have > Type I must inject themselves, sometimes a half dozen times a day or > more, with insulin to control their blood sugar levels and stay alive. > Insulin is not a cure and must be taken by a Type I diabetic for the > rest of his/her life. Scientists have found no other method of treatment > in the 76 years since Canadian patient Leonard Thomas received the first > injection, said Mary-Francis McKenna, 24-year-old editor of the Irish > Diabetic Association's magazine who has had diabetes since she was 10. > "Why should I still be taking insulin injections?" she asked. "It's > extraordinary. To think that more than 75 years have gone by." > > "The problem with diabetes is that long-term complications are caused by > high blood-sugar levels that damage smaller blood vessels," McKenna > noted. That in turn restricts the blood supply to eyes, kidneys, and > feet -- causing blindness or kidney failure or forcing amputation. For > an insulin-dependent diabetic, there is also the risk of allowing his or > her blood sugar to fall too low and passing out, perhaps in public. Some > diabetics try to avoid that situation by keeping their blood sugar > levels higher than they should be, but McKenna points out that these > individuals risk serious longer-term damage. > > Both McKenna and Professor Marja-Riita Taskinen of the University of > Helsinki noted that, even though diabetes directly affects many more > people worldwide than AIDS or most forms of cancer, it does not attract > the dramatic publicity generated by AIDS or breast cancer. > > Although there is no known cure for the Type I form of the disease, > complementary alternative medicine offers people with both kinds of > diabetes many options for avoiding the most debilitating complications > and people with Type II proven methods for controlling the disease > without drugs. There is also increasing evidence that alternative > approaches can prevent Type I. Clinical nutrition, dietary modification, > herbs, homeopathy, exercise, and mind-body therapies are particularly > indicated. A feature article in Alternative Medicine Review (volume 2 > number 4) by Kathi Head, ND, Associate Editor, highlights many of these > therapies and approaches. The abstract of the article will be available > soon at the Alternative Medicine Review Web site. > > The article notes, for example, that "Nutritional supplements, > botanicals, diet, and life style considerations have application in > decreasing insulin requirements and helping to maintain more normal > blood glucose levels, as well as in preventing the onset of > complications of hyperglycemia including retinopathy, nephropathy, > neuropathy and microangiopathy." There is also an intruiging discussion > in the article of "Nicotinamide (niacinamide), a form of vitamin B3, > ha[ving] the capability, in vitro, of interrupting the pathogenetic > mechanisms of IDDM [insulin dependent diabetes]." The positive > influences of other nutrients and herbs are discussed. The article also > notes, "Cow's milk has been implicated as a possible trigger of the > autoimmune response which results in antibodies to and subsequent > destruction of the beta-cells in genetically susceptible people, > resulting in [Type I] diabetes. Karjalainen et al in their 1992 study > published in the New England Journal of Medicine postulated on the > specific mechanisms involved." > > For more information, > > International Diabetes Federation President: Professor Jak Jervell > President-Elect: Ms Maria L. De Alva Executive Director: Ms H. Williams > IDF Secretariat 1 rue Defacqz B-1050 Bruxelles Tel: + 32 2 538 5511 Fax: > + 32 2 538 5114 > > List of Diabetes Organizations > http://www.ghsl.nwu.edu/healthweb/diab/diaborg.html > > Alternative Medicine Review http://www.thorne.com/altmedrev/index.html > ------------------------------------------------------------------------- > ---From NATURAL HEALTHLINE > TO SUBSCRIBE TO NATURAL HEALTHLINE=AE, send a message to: > webmaster@naturalhealthvillage.com > In the BODY of the message, write: > subscribe healthline > For example, for Jane Doe, you would write: > subscribe healthline Jane Doe > --------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > > 2. Diabetes and Aspartame > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > by H. J. ROBERTS, M.D.,F.A.C.P., F.C.C.P. > 300 27TH STREET > WEST PALM BEACH, FL 33407-5299 > (407)832-2408 > FAX (407)832-2400 > > DIPLOMATE,AMERICAN BOARD OF INTERNAL MEDICINE (RECERTIFIED) > STATEMENT OF H. J. ROBERTS, M.D., CONCERNING THE USE OF PRODUCTS > CONTAINING ASPARTAME (NUTRASWEET) BY PERSONS WITH DIABETES AND = > HYPOGLYCEMIA. > > I have treated many patients with diabetes mellitus and hypoglycemia > (low blood sugar) in my capacity as a Board-certified internist and > an endocrinologist member of the Endocrine Society). Since both > groups should abstain from sugar, I initially rejoiced that these > persons had an acceptable and presumably safe sugar substitute in > the for of aspartame. > > Unfortunately, many patients in my practice, and others seen in > consultation, developed serious metabolic, neurologic and other > complications that could be specifically attributed to using > aspartame products. This was evidenced by: > > *The loss of diabetic control, the intensification of hypoglycemia, > the occurrence of presumed insulin reactions (including convulsions) > that proved to be aspartame reactions, and the precipitation, > aggravation or simulation of diabetic complications (especially > impaired vision and neuropathy) while using these products. > > *Dramatic improvement of such features after avoiding aspartame, AND > the prompt predictable recurrent of these problems when the patient > resumed aspartame products, knowingly or inadvertently. I have > cited many instances of severe complications in patients with > diabetes and hypoglycemia caused by the use of aspartame products in > my books and scientific articles. Here are few illustrations. > > A 21 year-old insulin-dependent teacher suffered more frequent > insulin reactions both at school and at home, while drinking many > aspartame colas daily. He reported: When we cut down on aspartame, I > stopped having so many reactions. A diabetic man suffered severe > changes in vision when he was drinking four liters of aspartame soft > drinks daily. An ophthalmologist assured him that there was no > detectable diabetic retinopathy. > > The patient then chanced to read an article about aspartame-related > eye problems. He promptly improved after avoiding these beverages, > an unlikely event if the problem was primarily a diabetic > retinopathy. > > A 46 year-old man with insulin-dependent diabetes had been in good > control for three decades until he began using several aspartame > sodas and packets of tabletop sweetener daily. He summarized his > experience in these terms: My diabetes went haywire, and I had > terrible insulin reactions. His diabetes was fully controlled within > one week after abstaining from aspartame products. > > A 12 year-old boy with known diabetes required multiple > hospitalizations for diabetic coma while consuming considerable > aspartame products. Physicians at a university hospital had > difficulty in stabilizing his insulin requirements while he used > them. > > In the light of this experience, I now advise ALL my patients with > diabetes and hypoglycemia to avoid aspartame products. A number of > alternatives are available. > > I regret the failure of other physicians and the American Diabetes > Association (ADA) to sound appropriate warnings to patients and > consumers based on these repeated fininds which have been described > in my corporate-neutral studies and publications. This is largely > due to these factors: > > 1) It has been virtually impossible to get on the programs for > national meetings of diabetologists and other professional groups in > order to describe these observations. Indeed, the ADA (of which I > have been a member for over three decades) even refused to print an > abstract of adverse reactions I encountered in 58 diabetic patients > that was submitted for its 1987 annual meeting. This abstract > subsequently appeared in CLINICAL RESEARCH (Vol. 3: 489A, > 1988)...six years ago. > > 2) Journals devoted to diabetes and internal medicine have refused > to publish my manuscripts on this subject due to negative comments > from peer review. The likelihood that some of these > reviewer-authorities had self-serving interests in denying > publication is suggested below. > > 3) The AMA, the FDA, and the ADA dogmatically continue to express > the unequivocal opinion that aspartame is completely safe for > diabetics - and nearly everyone else. > > 4) Manufacturers and producers accomplished the marketing miracle of > the 1980s through highly effective PR campaigns, the underwriting of > numerous research projects (a number involving flawed protocols) by > investigators they granted on contracted with, and enormous > biopolitical clout in order to protect their billion-dollar market. > > I detailed these matters in my two books on the subject: ASPARTAME > (NUTRASWEET): IS IT SAFE? (Philadelphia, 1989, the Charles Press) > and SWEETNER DEAREST: BITTERSWEET VIGNETTES ABOUT ASPARTAME > (NUTRASWEET) (West Palm Beach, 1992, Sunshine Sentinel Press, PO Box 8697, > 1-800-814-9800). They are also summarized in my two-tape > lecture, IS ASPARTAME (NUTRASWEET) SAFE? A MEDICAL, PUBLIC HEALTH AND > LEGAL OVERVIEW (West Palm Beach, 1992, Sunshine Sentinel Press, PO Box > 8697, 1-800-814-9800). > > I have discussed some of the reasons aspartame might aggravate > diabetes and hypoglycemia in these books. The possible mechanisms > include the following: > > * Marked changes in appetite and weight as reflected > by paradoxic weight gain or severe loss of weight. > > * Excessive insulin secretion and depletion of the > insulin reserve > > * Possible alteration of cellular receptor sites for > insulin, with ensuing insulin resistance > > * Neurotransmitter alterations within the brain and > peripheral nerves > > * The toxicity of each of the three components of > aspartame (phenylalanine; aspartic acid: the > methyl ester, which promptly becomes methyl alcohol > or methanol), and their multiple breakdown products > after exposure to heat or during prolonged storage > > I have asserted in my publications, and in testimony both to > Congress and FDA advisory group, that the current wholesale > ingestion of aspartame products by over half the adult population > constitutes an imminent public health hazard. Yet, this warning > continues to be ignored by the medical profession and the FDA. > > Accordingly, informed and concerned consumers are justified in > criticizing the industrial-medical complex that 1) refuses to > acknowledge the problem of aspartame disease, and 2) fails to warn > high-risk groups about the potential dangers. In addition to > patients with diabetes and hypoglycemia, they include pregnant > women, children, patients with epilepsy, liver, kidney disease and > eating disorders, older persons with memory impairment, and the > relatives of aspartame reactors, diabetics and patients with > phenylketonuria. > > Many also correctly ask: Why is aspartame still on the market? Their > concern is intensified by the high incidence of brain tumors in > animals (known before FDA approval), and the reasonable doubt I have > documented about the apparent contributory role of aspartame in > human brain tumors. > > (Copyright =A9 August 9, 1994 H.J. Roberts, M.D., F.A.C.P.,F.C.C.P.) > > > ----------------------------------------------------------------------- > U.S. McLibel Support Campaign Email dbriars@world.std.com > PO Box 62 Phone/Fax 802-586-9628 > Craftsbury VT 05826-0062 http://www.mcspotlight.org/ > ----------------------------------------------------------------------- > To subscribe to the "mclibel" electronic mailing list, send email > > To: majordomo@world.std.com > Subject: > Message: subscribe mclibel > > To unsubscribe, change the message to: "unsubscribe mclibel" > On Mon, 8 Sep 1997, entropy haus wrote: > > Date: Mon, 08 Sep 1997 23:12:57 -0500 > From: entropy haus > Reply-To: anticorp@envirolink.org > To: anticorp@envirolink.org > Subject: Revised Monsanto flyer > > >Return-Path: nfnena@igc.org > >Date: Mon, 8 Sep 1997 21:25:05 -0600 > >To: entropy@eden.com > >From: nfnena@igc.org (Native Forest Network) > >Subject: Revised Monsanto flyer > >Sender: nfnena@igc.org > > > >>Mime-Version: 1.0 > >>Date: Mon, 8 Sep 1997 08:33:16 -0400 > >>To: foodandwater@igc.apc.org, isecvt@igc.org, > cordsbix@plainfield.bypass.com, > >> ZoeErwin@aol.com, cheller@acad.umass.edu, agrarab@together.net, > >> orgfarm@igc.org, bootmedia@mhv.net, bnai@crocker.com, > cruiz@caribe.net, > >> carmeloruiz@hotmail.com, nfnena@igc.apc.org, > >> clarissa@earth.goddard.edu, t4shea@aol.com, whergt@emma.unm.edu, > >> kdavies@igc.org, jgrossho@mtholyoke.edu, artemis@together.net, > >> stevekhome@aol.com, fitzdon@aol.com > >>From: briant@sun.goddard.edu (Brian Tokar) > >>Subject: Revised Monsanto flyer > >>Cc: hleyshon@igc.org, dbriars@world.std.com, gcaposse@zoo.uvm.edu, > >> Lorraine_Williams@flannet.middlebury.edu, > >> nforestn@plainfield.bypass.com, michaelc@earth.goddard.edu, > >> kaim@earth.goddard.edu, cordsbix@plainfield.bypass.com, > >> sarah@plainfield.bypass.com, fletcher@benjerry.com, > >> footsteps@igc.apc.org, yippie@together.net, isecvt@igc.org, > >> jvtsargent@aol.com, arnowitt@sover.net, phillipr@norwich.edu, > >> grnmt@sover.net, wgdr@earth.goddard.edu, stub@earth.goddard.edu, > >> Manifestly@aol.com, gcolbyvt@aol.com, afscvt@plainfield.bypass.com, > >> arc2amaz@connriver.net, wcpc@igc.apc.org, baseline@igc.apc.org, > >> kkiley@sage.uvm.edu, vters4nica@igc.org, clarissa@earth.goddard.edu, > >> jrf@earth.goddard.edu > >> > >>Are you concerned about . . . > >> * contamination of food with harmful pesticides and herbicides? > >> * milk from cows injected with synthetic growth hormones? > >> * the many unforeseen hazards of genetic engineering? > >> * neurological problems from artificial sweeteners? > >> * toxic exposure from plastic manufacturing and industrial > chemicals? > >> * loss of family farms and the increasing power of corporate > >>agribusiness? > >> * increasing corporate power and the loss of democracy? > >> > >>One giant corporation, with its New England operations centered in > >>Springfield, Massachusetts represents all these problems and more. > >> > >>MONSANTO, a huge, multinational chemical company, headquartered in St. > >>Louis, is one of the world's leading producers of pesticides, and the most > >>influential U.S. company in the rapidly expanding field of biotechnology. > >>Monsanto is the third largest chemical company in the U.S. and the world's > >>largest producer of weed-killing chemicals. Through its ownership of food > >>processing companies like Gargiulo and seed companies like Asgrow and > >>Holden's, Monsanto is forcing its vision of a high-tech agriculture based > >>on sophisticated new chemicals and genetic engineering into all areas of > >>food production. > >> > >>MONSANTO was founded in 1901 to bring technology to the U.S. to manufacture > >>saccharin, the first artificial sweetener. Saccharin was one of the first > >>such products to be associated with cancer and leukemia. In the 1950s, > >>Monsanto developed PCBs, which were used widely in electrical transformers > >>throughout the 1960s and '70s, until they were banned as a potent cause of > >>cancer, birth defects and a variety of immune system disorders. > >> > >>MONSANTO's Agent Orange was used by the U.S. military in Vietnam to destroy > >>vast areas of jungle. In the 1980s, Vietnam veterans who were exposed to > >>Agent Orange sued and received a multimillion dollar settlement due to a > >>wide array of devastating health problems. In the 1980s and '90s, Monsanto > >>paid over $100 million in fines and settlements for contaminating > >>communities, and their own workers, with dioxins, PCBs, benzene and other > >>toxic chemicals. Monsanto also manufactures Nutrasweet, the controversial > >>artificial sweetener that is believed to cause seizures, dizziness, > >>depression, fatigue and other nervous system disorders. > >> > >>Today, MONSANTO is aiming to contaminate our entire food supply with > >>products of genetic engineering. Monsanto's genetically engineered Bovine > >>Growth Hormone (rBGH, or rBST) was approved by the FDA in 1993, despite > >>overwhelming evidence that the hormone causes udder infections and > >>reproductive problems in dairy cows. It is also associated with a rise in > >>IGF-1, a related hormone that has been shown to aid the growth of human > >>cancer cells. The use of rBGH is banned in Europe and in Canada. > >> > >>In 1995, MONSANTO began contracting with farmers to grow soybeans that are > >>genetically engineered to be resistant to Roundup, Monsanto's best-selling > >>weed-killer. This year, 6-12% of the soybeans grown in the U.S. are > >>reported to be Monsanto's herbicide-resistant variety. Up to 60% of all > >>processed foods contain soy oil or other soybean products. These soybeans > >>are banned in many European countries. Monsanto is also promoting > >>genetically engineered varieties of potatoes, cotton, and other staple > >>agricultural products. > >> > >>MONSANTO is using its legal muscle and its influence at the highest levels > >>of the U.S. government to rush products to market without adequate safety > >>testing, and to halt efforts to label genetically engineered foods. They > >>have threatened numerous small dairy companies with lawsuits for labeling > >>products as free of genetically engineered BGH. Even U.S. Agriculture > >>secretary Dan Glickman has been enlisted in the campaign to pressure > >>skeptical European consumers and food processors into accepting products of > >>genetic engineering. > >> > >>In the Indian Orchard neighborhood of Springfield, Massachusetts, MONSANTO > >>produces plastic resins used by the automobile, graphics and packaging > >>industries, among others. The plant has been cited for numerous incidents > >>of air and water pollution, and contamination of plant workers. In another > >>Springfield facility, Agrimark, New England's largest wholesale milk > >>distributor, processes milk from cows treated with Monsanto's rBGH into > >>products such as Cabot brand butter. Finally, the company funds the > >>"Monsanto Eco-Center" at Springfield's downtown Science Museum. This is a > >>small part of this chemical giant's nationwide public relations effort to > >>paint itself as "environmentally responsible." > >> > >> > >>What can you do? > >> > >> *EDUCATE yourself, your family, friends and neighbors about the > >>hazards of agricultural chemicals and genetically engineered foods. > >> * CONTACT your local food stores, and tell the manager that you do > >>not want your food contaminated with pesticides, herbicides and products of > >>genetic engineering. > >> * WRITE to food stores, local newspapers, and your elected > >>representatives, saying you want an end to contaminated food, and demanding > >>the right to know which foods contain genetically engineered ingredients. > >> * SUPPORT local growers and producers who have made a firm > >>commitment to safe, chemical-free food. > >> * JOIN our campaign to inform our neighbors about the hazards of > >>genetic engineering, Monsanto's corporate abuses, and the need for a safe, > >>democratically controlled food supply. We support democratic, community > >>control over food, technology, and all aspects of our lives. > >> * MARCH against Monsanto in Springfield, Mass. on October 17th. A > >>wide coalition of local and regional organizations are planning a rally and > >>march against Monsanto on that date. Contact one of the following groups > >>to find out more: > >> > >> Native Forest Network, 802-863-0571 > >> Central Vermont Action Coalition, 802-454-7239 > >> People Against Corporate Takeover, 413-367-9352 > >> > >>For more complete information on genetically engineered food, contact: > >> > >> Food & Water, 1-800-EAT-SAFE > > > > > > **************** > Date: Thu, 25 Sep 1997 13:06:36 -0400 (EDT) > From: stephen.mills@sfsierra.sierraclub.org > To: Multiple recipients of list > Subject: Current Cosponsors of HR 1786 > > Friends, here are the current cosponsors of Rep. Donald Payne's "Nigeria > Democracy Act". If you don't see your representative listed, give them a > call, send a fax or write a letter! If you know your representative's name, > just call the Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and ask to be connected. > Urge your Representative to cosponsor HR 1786! > > The date listed after the Member's name tells you when he or she cosponsored > the bill. Questions? E-mail me: stephen.mills@sierraclub.org. > > > Report for the 105th Congress Thu, September 25, 1997 12:28pm (EDT) > ---------------------------------------------------------------- > > Cosponsors of H.R.1786 > Since the Beginning of the 105th Congress > > ----------------------------------------------------------------- > > H.R.1786 BY PAYNE (D-NJ) -- Nigeria Democracy Act > > CURRENTLY: 31 Democrats > 6 Republicans > --- > 37 Cosponsors > > - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - > > ABERCROMBIE (D-HI) Added 07/11/97 > ACKERMAN (D-NY) As Introduced 06/04/97 > BEREUTER (R-NE) Added 07/11/97 > BLAGOJEVICH (D-IL) Added 09/24/97 > BROWN, SHERROD (D-OH) As Introduced 06/04/97 > CHABOT (R-OH) As Introduced 06/04/97 > CLAY (D-MO) As Introduced 06/04/97 > CUMMINGS (D-MD) Added 07/30/97 > DELAURO (D-CT) As Introduced 06/04/97 > DELLUMS (D-CA) Added 07/30/97 > ENGEL (D-NY) Added 09/24/97 > FALEOMAVAEGA (D-AS) As Introduced 06/04/97 > FARR (D-CA) Added 07/11/97 > FILNER (D-CA) As Introduced 06/04/97 > FRANK, BARNEY (D-MA) Added 07/30/97 > GONZALEZ (D-TX) Added 07/11/97 > GUTIERREZ (D-IL) Added 09/24/97 > HOUGHTON (R-NY) As Introduced 06/04/97 > JOHNSON, EDDIE (D-TX) As Introduced 06/04/97 > KENNEDY, JOSEPH (D-MA) Added 09/24/97 > KUCINICH (D-OH) Added 09/24/97 > LANTOS (D-CA) As Introduced 06/04/97 > MANTON (D-NY) As Introduced 06/04/97 > MCKINNEY (D-GA) As Introduced 06/04/97 > MILLER, GEORGE (D-CA) Added 07/11/97 > MORAN, JIM (D-VA) Added 09/24/97 > NEAL (D-MA) Added 09/24/97 > NORTON (D-DC) As Introduced 06/04/97 > OLVER (D-MA) As Introduced 06/04/97 > PELOSI (D-CA) As Introduced 06/04/97 > PORTER (R-IL) As Introduced 06/04/97 > SHAYS (R-CT) As Introduced 06/04/97 > SLAUGHTER (D-NY) Added 09/24/97 > SMITH, CHRISTOPHER (R-NJ) As Introduced 06/04/97 > VELAZQUEZ (D-NY) Added 09/24/97 > WATERS (D-CA) As Introduced 06/04/97 > WOOLSEY (D-CA) Added 07/11/97 > > ---------- Forwarded message ---------- > Date: Thu, 25 Sep 1997 06:43:24 -0400 (EDT) > From: The Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People - UK > > To: Multiple recipients of list > Subject: The OGONI 20 > > > URGENT ALERT > > > Mr. Nyieda Nasikpo, one of the 20 Ogoni activists detained at Port Harcourt > prisons over the same allegations that provided the excuse for the judicial > murder of Ken Saro-Wiwa and the 8 other activists in 1995 and who await > similar dreadful fate, is in a critical condition at the University of Port > Harcourt Teaching hospital. > > Mr. Nasikpo who has been very outspoken about the intolerable condition of > their detention has been in solitary confinement as a punishment for his > outspokeness from where he collapsed and was rushed to the Port Harcourt > Teaching hospital where he is expected to undergo a surgical operation > today (24 Sept.) for a yet to be ascertained illness. > > Even in his critical condition, Mr. Nasikpo has been denied access to his > family, and MOSOP strongly fears that his life might be in grave danger, > especially as it notes that by this period two years ago, one of the > detainees Clement Tusima, who was hospitalised in similar circumstanced > died, and up till now his corpse has been confiscated from his family. .